Madndrakes infiltrating into bastions?

I know that mandrakes are very bad. But they do allow you to infiltrate into a bastion or the big fortress. They do also have BS4. Could this be a good strategy? You could get some middel ground and heavy bolters further into the field. Also, if you use the fotres you can probably hide your transports behind them. I have not tryed to mix AV 14 into a DE list, but I would think that unles you are facing drop pod multi meltas (and you have your quad gun ready to shoot it) it is hard to take out AV14 with dark eldars flying everywhere.

However, I am trying to justefy using 15 point mandrakes for BS4 as opposed to using wracks or warriors. I do also supose allied eldar rangers could be used for the same effect.

PS: I am talking about bying a bastion. Not gamble that one is already on the table.

Fortifications must be deployed within your table half. If you stick it in your deployment zone, then what's the point of infiltrating something in? If you don't stick it in your deployment zone and the enemy has infiltrators, he might win the roll off and deploy inside the fortification you paid for (if your other troops are far enough away). Or failing that, he could just deploy close enough that your infiltrators couldn't get inside it.

Mandrakes may be BS4, but so is just about everything else in our lists. If you want to buy a fortification, why not put a proper shooty unit inside, instead of Mandrakes, who can only fire the fixed weapons until you get them a pain token?

Orthien runs mandrakes (a member of this forum). If I remember right he runs 10 and infiltrates them onto a Aegis defence line with quad gun (somewhere in mid field). From my understanding he sets it up so that for his opponent to man the quad gun they would not behind the defence line. Then first turn he runs out a haemonculus to get a pain token on them ASAP. The idea being you get a nice forward position that your opponent has to deal with, as it's putting out 20 S4 AP4 pinning shots and the mandrakes have a 3+ cover save behind the defence line.

Personally I don't see infiltrators being too much of a problem, as they can't infiltrate within 18" of your units, by setting up something on your deployment edge you prevent them from infiltrating onto the gun itself (not going to list all the infiltrator/counter infiltrator tactics, but you get the idea). Not to mention you will know if your opponent has infiltrators and set up the Aegis accordingly, if you are concerned.

Though arguably you could do the same with some ruins minus the aegis line and quad gun for less.

Ah...I thought you could put it whenever you wanted to.

Niiai wrote:

Ah...I thought you could put it whenever you wanted to.

You can still set it up anywhere in your half, that could be 24" into the board in dawn of war, or 36" in hammer and anvil.

A Fortification has to be completely inside your own table half.

BRB p. 120 wrote:

Fortifications must be set up wholly within the owning player's table half and not within 3" of another fortification.

But this is more than 12" away of your enemy's Deployment Zone, in all standard missions at least, so his army can't deny your Infiltrators to be deployed inside of a fortification, because they are considered to be out of line of sight, if deployed inside a building.

BRB p. 38 wrote:

Infiltrators can be set up anywhere on the table that is more than 12" away from any enemy unit, as long as no deployed enemy unit can draw line of sight to them. This includes in a building [...], as long as the building is more than 12" away from any enemy unit.

So the only way to deny you the ability to deploy inside your fortification are enemy Infiltrators, because those can be set up closer than 12" from your fortification, so you can't deploy into it.

BRB p. 121 wrote:

For the purpose of deploying Infiltrators and redeploying Scouts, an enemy fortification is only considered to be an enemy unit if it is occupied at the time of the redeployment.

And while an enemy can't steal your fortification during deployment he can still walk into it during first turn, if it's still unoccupied.

BRB p. 121 wrote:

Units can never deploy inside an enemy fortification, nor can they use pre-game abilities (like Scout redeployment) to embark in enemy fortifications before the first turn begins. Once the game begins, units are free to move into or out of any fortifications, friendly or enemy, following the normal rules.

So if your enemy has his own Infiltrators and first turn, or you fear he'll seize the initiative, it might be better to not use this plan, but if you have first turn, or your opponent has no Infiltrators of his own, this tactic is pretty safe and sound.
But in the end the question remains, if it's worth spending 45 points on mandrakes, instead of 30 points on wracks. Especially, if Wracks are Troops and Mandrakes are Elite units. Because of the size of fortifications it should be possible to get into your own fortification first turn, with the added bonus, that the enemy can't shoot it, while it is unoccupied. The bonus point Mandrakes have is, that they can be deployed inside the fortification and enter the battlements first turn to man the gun emplacement, while other units can only embark inside the fortification and have to wait an additional turn, to leave for the battlements again. Additionally Mandrakes get a shooting attack, after their first pain token, while 3 Wracks can only sit down and man the guns, but if inside a fortification this is not a big drawback.
And while Mandrakes have stealth, which grants them a 3+ cover save if on the battlements, they lack Toughness 4, which comes out almost the same and even that only after they get FnP, before that they are worse off than Wracks.
And their Stealth won't help them, if they are inside the fortification, only on the battlements.

I'd just try it out and see, if it works as planned and which works better with your army.