Review of Stronghold Assault

Along the same line of thinking as my overview of the Escalation book, here's some of my take aways from Stronghold Assault for anyone that's interested.

Updated Building Rules:

Quote :

The following is therefore a list of optional rules updates that we recommend that you incorporate into your games of Warhammer 40,000 when using fortifications and buildings. You should agree with you opponent before the battle begins whether to use some, or all of these updates.

That is the disclaimer at the beginning of the updated rules section. In addition, each updated ruleset has the designer's notes on the matter in order to better draw intent from the rules.

1. Specific Rules for "Claiming Buildings"
2. Updated rules for Occupying Buildings
3. Better definition for Battlements
4. Gun Emplacement Upgrades and Updates.
5. Assaulting from a fortification
6. Fortification/Building Damage Table Updates


Building Upgrades
Buildings may take upgrades from various "universal" lists of upgrades similar to vehicles in each codex usually have a set list of upgrades. These upgrades cost 15-30pts each and can range from Sabotaging the building to being able to reroll To Hit rolls of 1 for the unit inside as well as upgrading the building's automated BS profile from BS2 to BS3.

There is also a list of Obstacles that can be purchased as upgrades and can be deployed within 6" of the fortification. Example of an Obstacle would be things like Tanglewire.

The last list of upgrades is specifically for the battlefield and for battlements. These produce the list of the standard 3 updates from the current Bastion and ADL profile in the BRB but also adds the Ammo Dump.


New Fortification Types:
The book introduces 2 new Fortification Types into the Warhammer 40k rules. Massive Fortification (the Aquilis Strongpoint) are AV15 and generate a -1 to the building damage table. Fortification Networks represents a collection of fortifications that fit into 1 fortification slot - Many Wall of Martyr packages can represent this as well as a formation that (at a minimum) could be just a bastion and an ADL together. Fortification Networks are cost based on the number of fortifications within it are taken.


Fortification Datasheets:
I'm not going into great detail here on everything but I will call out a few things.

1. Upgrades
Many fortifications have changed to include callout to the various upgrade lists mentioned previously. For example, instead of the ADL just having the 3 listed in the BRB, it now "may take items from the Obstacles and Battlements & Battlefield lists".

2. Special Rules
Some fortifications have new special rules to accompany their profile. An example of this would be the Firestorm Redoubt which now has a special rule for its building that allows 6 occupying models to fire out of the building's single fire point.

3. New Options
Some profiles have changed that allow different weapon options to be taken. For example, the Vengeance Weapon Batteries datasheet that comes in the box states that you can take either the Punisher Gatling Gun or a Battle Cannon. The updates in the the book include an option for the Quad Icarus Lascannon which comes from the Firestorm Redoubt.


New Fortifications:
2 new fortifications are provided in the book that are not out yet.

Promethium Relay Pipes
- Multi-part pipeline that grants a 4+ cover save; however, saves made using such yield the possibility for the unit to suffer an additional D6 hits due to a fuel pipe being hit (i.e. fluffy cover save rules).
- Additional Rules are provided specifically to Flamers

Void Shield Generator
- These generate a 12" (radius) bubble of protection (AV12) that is hit instead of the unit that is inside said bubble. If the shield is destroyed, it may return based on a die roll.


Siege War missions
These are fortification heavy missions (that i'm looking forward to trying out).
- Each has an attacker and defender
- Defender must take 1-3 fortifications in their list
- Attacker may take up to 4 Heavy Supports in their list


Overall - I like the book and I feel like they clarify a LOT when it comes to the building and fortification rules. They have made them their own part of the strategy of the game and provided ways to make them significantly more useful thanks to the upgrades and fortification networks. The updated rules and enhancements to some fortifications make me curious if we'll see more use of fortifications in general in the future.

Again though, these rules are considered optional according to the book itself. They do not change a LOT of things rules-wise but do clarify a number of things. The datasheets are enhanced and definitely better. I'll be curious to see if they FAQ the BRB like they did with Death from the Skies in some ways.

Bought the book today and had a quick flick through. Overall, I like it. With the exception of the D weapons on some of the fortifications I think it's generally a pretty balanced book and I personally like having decent scenery on the battlefield.

Count Adhemar wrote:

Bought the book today and had a quick flick through. Overall, I like it. With the exception of the D weapons on some of the fortifications I think it's generally a pretty balanced book and I personally like having decent scenery on the battlefield.

In my opinion, there's a lot of clarifications and enhancements that were needed to make fortifications truly worthwhile. The Aquilis Strongpoint has been nasty with its D weapon since it was released this summer but at 500+ points we probably won't have to worry about it in a tournament play. For that matter, I don't see Fortification Networks showing up in tournament lists either since so many require a mobile army that having a static line advocated by many fortifications just doesn't fit.

The Void Shield Generator with 3 void shields in a yet unmodeled AV 13 medium building for 100 points is an interesting option. The building itself provides some decent cover for our vehicles (think Imperial Bunker, but modeled as you wish). It has battlements for a cover save for some splinterborn or warriors on top. And the three void shield bubbles provide our vehicles and beast squads some protection from (small arms) fire, until blown up.

Unholyllama wrote:

Along the same line of thinking as my overview of the Escalation book, here's some of my take aways from Stronghold Assault for anyone that's interested.

Updated Building Rules:

Quote :

The following is therefore a list of optional rules updates that we recommend that you incorporate into your games of Warhammer 40,000 when using fortifications and buildings.  You should agree with you opponent before the battle begins whether to use some, or all of these updates.

Do you know if this disclaimer is also in the escalation book?

Not that I can see no...

Nappen wrote:

Unholyllama wrote:

Along the same line of thinking as my overview of the Escalation book, here's some of my take aways from Stronghold Assault for anyone that's interested.

Updated Building Rules:

Quote :

The following is therefore a list of optional rules updates that we recommend that you incorporate into your games of Warhammer 40,000 when using fortifications and buildings.  You should agree with you opponent before the battle begins whether to use some, or all of these updates.

Do you know if this disclaimer is also in the escalation book?

It is not. That disclaimer is the #1 reason why I ended up buying the book since people said that it was while others said it wasn't. The Escalation book does NOT have any disclaimer like this; however, it's so unbalanced that I don't see many people playing it.

It is an "expansion" which means it is optional, to my mind. Like cities of death, death from the skies or APOC for that matter.

I am more interested in stronghold, anyway, it seems like more fun.

I actually think both are listed as supplements, not expansions... Which makes them the same as a codex rather than like something like planet strike.

White Dwarf called them expansions, the website lists as supplements. But stronghold says optional in it. Still, seems they would be optional...of course in a home game everything is optional and in a tourny it is whatever the organizer says

As far as I'm aware, Escalation is a supplement and is not optional (beyond the usual option of simply not playing someone using it). Stronghold Assault is also a supplement but the updated Buildings rules are described as optional. Go figure!

Stronghold Assault talks about the updated rules being optional but it doesn't necessarily say if it reaches beyond into the upgrades and datasheets. It's nitpicking but I can see it argued either way if someone wants to argue it.

Overall, I'm watching the tournament scene to see who is accepting what and such. I'm also glad I'm not a TO given the last couple weeks of hell that GW has put out for them.

Picked up, well downloaded the epub today. Will start reading tomorrow.

Played a game last night using a Void Shield Generator and have to say it was pretty damn useful! I was going first and was able to deploy 2 Raiders, 2 Ravagers and 4 Venoms in good firing positions without worrying too much about return fire. This enabled me to get First Blood and also survive the first turn with zero casualties, which is almost unheard of for DE. I'm now tempted to model up a suitably Dark Eldar "Shadow Field Emitter" to use in future games. For 100 points with 3 Void Shields I think it's a great investment.

I. Hate. Fliers.

Stronghold Assault has a lot of good rules and adjustments, but most importantly it has quad-icarus auto-turrents for 75 points each. Working on models for them-- some sort of webway-ed in offensive gun emplacement...