The Pragmatic Realspace Raider: Screening with Reavers

The Pragmatic Realspace Raider: Screening with Reavers

These guides aim to give bitesize advice on the benefits of being pragmatic when playing 40k. They do not intend to delve into mathematical analysis of whether or not the units used in the example are optimal or cost effective, nor do they intend to cover load outs or configurations. Those will be left for other discussions. It is also worth noting that the examples in these guides are simplified for clarity, of course in practice there will be more units involved.

This article aims to illustrate how to give other units cover saves by screening them with reavers. If a target is partially obscured from the firer by models from a third unit, it receives a 5+ cover save. Similarly, if a model fires through the gaps between models in an intervening unit, the target is in cover, even if it is completely visible to the firer.

Example 1:



In this example the reavers are screening a ravager. In the movement phase they move away, allowing the ravager to fire at the predator without giving it a cover save. In the shooting phase (or assault phase) the reavers move back into position screening the ravager again. This grants it a 5+ cover save (4+ with night shield) without needing to jink. This allows the ravager to fire at full effectiveness whilst still benefiting from a cover save.

Example 2:



In this example some grotesques and a haemonculus have used a webway portal to deepstrike behind the space marine army. This leaves them in the open without cover. The reavers turbo boost so that they are between the grotesques and the space marine army. This grants the grotesques a 5+ cover save making them more likely to survive the space marine shooting phase.

Example 3:



Example 4:

In this example some incubi have disembarked, ready to charge some tactical marines. They are likely to wipe out all the tactical marines in assault in one round of combat. This would leave them exposed to the plasma guns and lascannons in the space marine shooting phase. To prevent this the Dark Eldar player turbo boosts a squad of reavers behind the squad that the incubi plan to assault. This way if the incubi live up to their reputation and kill all the tactical marines, they will still get a 5+ cover save against the space marine weapons that ignore their armour.



In this example a squad of wyches has disembarked from a raider, ready to charge a large squad of tactical marines. Without any amour, overwatch from that many bolters in rapid fire range could potentially cripple the wych squad before they make assault, or worse result in a failed charge (leaving them in the open). To prevent this the Dark Eldar player turbo boosts a squad of reaver between the wyches and the marines. This will give them a 5+ cover save against overwatch from the marines reducing the number of casualties the wyches would take by a third. In addition if the wyches were to fail the charge and be left out in the open they would still benefit from a 5+ cover save due to the reaver screen.

Example 5:



This example illustrates the importance of ensuring the models in the middle of the screen are closest to the enemy. This way when the reavers take casualties the screen won’t break, as although the reavers have lost three models the enemy units still have to fires through the gaps between the two surviving reavers to target the talos, meaning they will still get a 5+ cover save.

Note: this won't work with vehicles as they always need to be 25% obscured to get a cover save. But will work with all other types of model including monstrous creatures, as long as the shooting unit can't draw line of sight over the screening models (so no screening wraith knights!).

Example 6:

In this example the reavers were rotated. This means that as long as one reaver survives, the ravager will be 25% obscured and therefore benefit from cover.

In conclusion, using reavers to screen units can really help increase the screened units survivability, keeping them in the game for longer. Not to mention you will often find that whilst moving reavers into position for assault you can also screen a friendly unit at the same time.

Hope you enjoyed this guide!

For more guides checkout #ThePragmaticRealspaceRaider

I am partly surprised that there isn't a section for screening reavers with other reavers.
Some very good ideas though, especially about having the middle at the front as well as that incubi-example. Will definitely be trying those out

Mngwa wrote:

Some very good ideas though, especially about having the middle at the front as well as that incubi-example. Will definitely be trying those out

Glad you found the article useful.

Most excellent! These are making a newbie (such as myself) into an educated gentleman.

In example 4, would the wyches suffer a -2 to charge distance for charging through cover?

Also, example 5 sounds like one of those things that a tournament opponent may take issue with.. if there is physically no model there, how would you claim a cover save and make it sound realistic enough that an opponent wouldn't complain (and likely give you a big fat 0 on fairplay score)?

nexs wrote:

Most excellent! These are making a newbie (such as myself) into an educated gentleman.

In example 4, would the wyches suffer a -2 to charge distance for charging through cover?

Also, example 5 sounds like one of those things that a tournament opponent may take issue with.. if there is physically no model there, how would you claim a cover save and make it sound realistic enough that an opponent wouldn't complain (and likely give you a big fat 0 on fairplay score)?

In example 4 the Wyches don't get -2 to charge distance. You get -2 for charging through difficult/dangerous terrain, not for charging through cover.

Example 5 is a matter of Rules As Written. The 0 on Fairplay usually isn't an issue. At least I have never been at at tournament where it was included. However there is an element of TFG in it.
The cover save IS there, and totally defendable as by the rules, and if my opponent really pressed it I wouldn't call a ref. But unless my opponent himself was a douchebag with rules-lawyering I don't see myself trying to use it.

I think fairplay is the wrong phrase. I meant sportsmanship. Every tourney i've been to (fantasy only to date) there's been a sportsmanship score.

If that's the way it's written, then that's the way it's written! I'll take it!

nexs wrote:

how would you claim a cover save and make it sound realistic enough that an opponent wouldn't complain (and likely give you a big fat 0 on fairplay score)?

I'm not sure I see why it would be unsporting, the rules are clear, they even give an explanation for how this would be represented on the battlefield in the rulebook.

40k rule book wrote:

A successful cover save in this case might mean that the firer has not shot at all, missing the fleeting moment when the target was in its sights. This is because, in the case of intervening friends, the firer would be afraid of hitting his comrades, while in the case of intervening enemies, the firer is distracted by the more immediate threat.

Models might be static on the table but on the battlefield those reavers would be doing some serious diversionary acrobatics, combined with the heat from their engine exhausts and it's going to be hard for enemy weaponry to get a target lock on those ravagers.

Forging the Narrative

Nice nice. My concern was mainly because this is a brand new edition and not everyone knows it offhand. What pages describes this?
Is

Awesome guides Mush cheers! I don't think I've ever played a game with my DE where reavers haven't been included in some way and there are some awesome ideas here that I'd never even considered. I did have to double check No. 5, I assumed there had to physically be a model in the way, that'll teach me to skim through the rules!

nexs wrote:

Nice nice. My concern was mainly because this is a brand new edition and not everyone knows it offhand.  What pages describes this?
Is

Can't give you a page number as I only have the .epub digital version to hand which resizes page size and number count based on device resolution. However it's in "The Shooting Phase" section under "Cover saves" under it's own subheading of "Intervening Models".

Tyrant Lord 73 wrote:

Awesome guides Mush cheers! I don't think I've ever played a game with my DE where reavers haven't been included in some way and there are some awesome ideas here that I'd never even considered. I did have to double check No. 5, I assumed there had to physically be a model in the way, that'll teach me to skim through the rules!

Glad theses guides are proving useful. It's worth pointing out that although a lot of them specifically involve reavers (as they are so mobile and can move in all three phases) a lot of these tricks can be done with other models if they are in the right place at the right time.

You, Mushkilla, are a genius!

It's those little things that always get overlooked but are essential for a successful commander, especially an DE commander!

Looking forward to see what else you have up your sleeve

Thanks mushkilla, you're a super hero!

Don't think the shooting through a unit in example 5 applies for vehicles as per the below in the vehicles and cover saves section.

Quote :

At least 25% of the facing of the vehicle that is being targeted (its front, side or rear) needs to be hidden by intervening terrain or models from the point of view of the firer for the vehicle to be in cover. If this is the case, the vehicle is obscured (or ‘hull down’). If a unit is firing at a vehicle, the vehicle is obscured only if it is 25% hidden from the majority of the firing models that are able to damage the vehicle. If a unit has firing models in two or more different facings of a target vehicle, work out whether or not the vehicle is obscured separately for each facing, using only models firing at that facing.

Edit: Oops, also wanted to say thank you for these. Lots of little things that will definitely make me a better 40k player for having read them and keeping them in the back of my mind!

Elazar The Glorified wrote:

Don't think the shooting through a unit in example 5 applies for vehicles as per the below in the vehicles and cover saves section.

Good catch, you are probably right on that one, I thought that changed in 6-7th, but I must have been mistaken. It still works for none vehicles though. I guess make sure your reavers are sideways so even one covers 25% of the raiders narrow prow?

I'll correct that example when I have time, and replace the ravagers with some talos and make a note about vehicles. Thanks for pointing it out, these discussion are really good for working out every minutiae of the rules.

In regards to #4: "Charging models still cannot move through friendly or enemy models"
(from the 'Moving Charging Models' subsection)

If the wyches fail their charge I believe the bikes could use their Assault move to get in the way.

"If they do not Turboboost, Eldar Jetbikes may move up to 2D6" in the Assault phase, even if they have shot in the preceding Shooting phase or arrived by Deep Strike that turn."

shwaym wrote:

In regards to #4: "Charging models still cannot move through friendly or enemy models"
(from the 'Moving Charging Models' subsection)

If the wyches fail their charge I believe the bikes could use their Assault move to get in the way.

"If they do not Turboboost, Eldar Jetbikes may move up to 2D6" in the Assault phase, even if they have shot in the preceding Shooting phase or arrived by Deep Strike that turn."

Well, the wyches should be able to move between the reaver models.
But jetbike-moves are more situational in reaver-screening...

shwaym wrote:

In regards to #4: "Charging models still cannot move through friendly or enemy models"
(from the 'Moving Charging Models' subsection)

Cannot move through models not units. As long as there is a gap between each reaver big enough for a wych base to fit through they can charge through them just fine.

I should probably add that note to the example for extra clarity thanks for bringing it up.

Mushkilla wrote:

Cannot move through models not units. As long as there is a gap between each reaver big enough for a wych base to fit through they can charge through them just fine.

Ah, interesting that the rules treat the two situations differently. Thanks for pointing that out.

Great series of articles btw.

Update: changed example 5 to use Talos instead of Ravagers, added a paragraph explaining why example 5 does not work with vehicles and added another example (example 6).

Thanks for again for all the feedback!