One of our local players, Collins, has written a great tactica on the use of Eagles that I thought I'd share with all of you. It's a nice list of the tricks he employs with his (four!!) Eagles during games. Enjoy!
Trick #1, 'The Classic' War Machine Hunting
I thought that we may as well start off with a classic trick that I am sure everyone is familiar with. And that is warmachine hunting. Through my experience, most of all of my opponents warmachine crew have been s3 and ws2. That means that when you charge that warmachine with your eagle on turn two, which is almost inevitable, your opponents will be hitting you on 5s, and wounding you on 5s. Therefor, they only have 1/3 chance of doing a single wound to you. You, however, will be hitting on 3s, and wounding on 3s as well, so you should be getting 1.5555 wounds on your opponent (including your eagles stomp attack). That means you will be winning combat mostly every time. 1 from the charge, and 1-2 for wounds. From my experience, warmachines have low leadership, and will usually break even when beaten by 2-3 points.
A tip I would like to point out to everyone, is that your opponent will like sticking more than one warmachine together, usually on a hill. This means that if in your first turn, you move your eagle up on his flank and within charging distance of one warmachine, you can usually charge the closest one, beat it and run it down, while at the same time overrunning into his second warmachine, successfully taking out 100-200 points with your single 50 point eagle. Also, if you get this kind of charge off in your second turn, then you only are giving your opponents warmachines 1-2 turns to shoot, depending on who goes first.
Trick #2, 'Wizard Assassination'
Here is another classic that most of you must already know as well. Don't worry old experienced players, we'll get into some more complex tricks later, but this is for those of you who are relatively new and still need to learn the old tricks. Anyways, what you do here usually takes 2 or more eagles, but the pay off is well worth it. What you do is you charge in an eagle to the front of an opponents unit that is holding their oh-so-powerful-mage. Then, you direct all of the eagles attacks at your opponents mage. Because mages are generally fragile and do not have much protection, you should be getting 1.55555 wounds (stomp included). You're eagle will then surely be killed afterward. However, in your next turn you do the same thing, charge in with a second eagle. With two onslaughts of this, you should be averaging 3 wounds on their mage, and this is usually enough to kill it. And trust me, 100 points is well worth the points for your opponents mage, and stopping their magic relatively early in the game.
Trick #3, 'The Run-Down'
Now here is where things get interesting. This is the one trick that my opponents question/hate the most (other than Trick #5..). Let me set the scene for you:
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----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------[EEEEEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------[EEEEEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------[EEEEEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]---[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]---[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]---[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]--------------------
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Key:
[E] - Enemy Unit
[P] - Your PG Unit
[G] - Your Great Eagle
As you can see in this scenario, your two blocks of PG have just charged your opponents two enemy units. Your GE flies up to the right. You also notice the size and threat of the two enemy units that you just charged. You look at the larger enemy unit to the left. You realize that you have a good chance of tying/holding against that large unit with your PG, but you do not think you can beat it alone. You also look at your opponents smaller unit on the right. You think you can definitely beat that unit alone with your PG unit, but it may take two rounds of combat. Because you were smart and looked ahead, you moved your eagle to the right of the combats, and the reason why will become clear soon.
So the battle goes on. You turn out to be right, neither units go anywhere on your combat phase. Then it goes over to your opponents combat phase. Because you have numbers on the smaller enemy unit now, you break it and it flees. However, you decide not to chase after it with your PG unit. You instead reform looking to get a flank charge against your opponents larger unit, and you let the smaller unit get away, because you know that you need the help in the other combat.
So it is the beginning of you're turn now, and the scene looks like this:
--------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------
--------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEEEEE]----------------------
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----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]-------------[PPPPPPPPPPPP]-----------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]-----------[PPPPPPPPPPPP]-------------------
----[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE]--------[PPPPPPPPPPPP]----------------------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]--------[PPPPPPPPPPPP]-------[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]------[PPPPPPPPPPPP]---------[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]----[PPPPPPPPPPP]------------[GGGGG]----------
------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]---------------------------------------------
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So what do you do? You declare two charges. The first is your PG unit into the flank of the large enemy unit. The second, however, is your GE into their fleeing small enemy unit. You know that if that enemy unit rallies, you will have then gotten no points for it because of the new rules, so you chase it down with your eagle. You charge with your eagle and get the average of 19" charge range. Because they were only approximately 7" away from your eagle, there is close to no way they can flee far enough (and they have to flee, as they were already doing so) from your eagle, so once again that little 50 point model has made up for its points three fold or more, and allowed you to turn the tables on the other larger enemy unit.
Trick #3.2, 'Chasing Away', special thanks to Ptolemy
Here is another similar thing you can do, that helps you clear those smaller units on the board and gain you a few extra points in the game. When you charge a unit, and you know that they are going to flee, then you can charge them once again with an eagle. That way, they are forced to flee once again, either to be caught by your eagle, or run off the board. If neither of those things happen, then it is well worth moving that unit another 2d6" away from the action. Remember, your eagle only has to be within 22" of that unit to be able to declare the charge.
Trick #4, 'The Speed Bump'
This is a simple trick, but I find that it works rather well in slowing your opponents down to give you more time to shoot/magic their big combat units to give you a combat edge when they get to you. Pretty much all you are doing is flying your eagle up to their big units, then angling the eagle so that if the eagle is charged next turn, the big combat unit will overrun in a direction they do not want to go, or they can not charge and reform to get out of the way of your eagle, which you will then just move back and do it again, or they can charge, kill your eagle, and then not overrun, and move a total of one inch in their turn, instead of their typical 8-10" advancement on your line.
Trick #4.2, 'The Double Block', special thanks to geoguswrek!
This is very similar to 'The Speed Bump', however you would use it when it is not guaranteed that you're eagle would hold, ie. your opponent causes Terror. In this trick, you put two eagles blocking your opponents unit, and when he declares a charge against the first, you flee, but then he can only redirect into your other eagle. You flee a second time with the other eagle, and because each unit can only redirect one time in each turn (see page 18), your opponent is then forced to go after the second eagle. If you set it up right, this can lead your opponent into a bad position, sometimes setting you up for a flank charge.
Trick #5, 'The Place Holder'
This may just be my favorite trick of all to use in a game, because it catches your opponent off guard, and can help you get out of very tricky situations. Some of you may already know this trick from reading my past BatReps, and if so, kudos to you for reading my BatReps! Anyways, here is a situation where this trick could be applied:
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---------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------
----------------------[EEEEEEE]---[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------
---------------------[EEEEEEE]--------------------------[GGG]--------
--------------------[EEEEEEE]--------------------------[GGG]--------
-------------------[EEEEEEE]-----------------------------------------
------------------[EEEEEEE]-------[EEEEEEEEEEE]------------------------
---------------------------------[EEEEEEEEEEE]-----------------------
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------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]--------------------
------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]--------------------
------------------------------[PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP]--------------------
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As you can see, your opponent has put a weak unit right in front of your PG unit, in hopes that you will charge it, beat it, and run it down. If you did this, then you would run into his second smaller unit. However, in doing so, you will have fallen into his trap, as he will then be able to flank you with his larger, more formidable unit. So what do you do? You declare two charges. Your eagle is conveniently placed on your right flank, so you charge the small unit right in front of your PG with your PG, then you charge the small unit behind that with the eagle. In doing so, you then proceed to beat that unit and chase it down with your PG, running into the small unit behind it. However, because you flanked that unit with your Eagle, you can then fight another round of combat in the same combat! You then can beat and run down that second unit with your PG, and in doing so get out of harms way from the flank charge.
Trick #6, 'Placement Stalling', special thanks to wamphyri101!
I believe that the placement of units at the beginning of the game is the one largest thing that will make or break the result of any game. Great Eagles, believe it or not, can give you quite the edge with this, and here is how. The very first thing you place down at the beginning of the game is your eagles. The more eagles you have, the more units your opponent will have to place down for you to see before you start putting down actual units. This way, you can 'pick your fights', so to speak, and place your units the way you want them in relation to your opponents units. I typically try to put my GEs on the flanks to begin with, because with their 20" movement they can get were they are needed relatively easily.
Trick #7, 'Combat Res Generator', special thanks to Xarhain!
Xarhain wrote:
One more basic tactic is the combat res generator. Often you'll have flown behind enemy lines to attack a war machine or attempt any number of the tricks listed above, but for some reason the eagle is no longer required. Maybe the cannon blew itself up or the unit you were stalling got purple sunned. Either way, you now have a free eagle you can charge into the back of a stalling combat. With the new lack of unit strength you get +1CR for charging and +2CR for the rear charge. You'll do a wound against standard infantry and maybe take one back. Instant +3CR, and a speedy unit involved in the combat to chase them down once they break!
Overview:
I guess what I'm really trying to tell everybody is this: think ahead! If you can think ahead a couple of turns, you can set up these neat tricks, and avoid tricks that your opponent tries to set up against you. A lot of this comes from me being an avid chess player, because in chess it is all about thinking ahead. I use the same skills in warhammer, and so far I am doing pretty well.
Commentary is welcome and appreciated.
Since some of the diagrams might come out funny on this site, here is a link to the original: http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=33028&start=0
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