Drop Pod Defense: 101

I have talked about this at length previously and I find myself once again going back to a foundational principle in order to discuss a proper defensive posture for an aggressive Drop Pod army. The essence of warfare is a violent struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on the other. War is fundamentally an interactive social process. Clausewitz called it a Zweikampf (literally a “two struggle”) and suggested the image of a pair of wrestlers locked in a hold, each exerting force and counterforce to try to throw the other. War is thus a process of continuous mutual adaptation, of give and take, move and countermove. It is critical to keep in mind that the enemy is not an inanimate object to be acted upon but an independent and animate force with its own objectives and plans. While we try to impose our will on the enemy, he resists us and seeks to impose his own will on us. Appreciating this dynamic interplay between opposing human wills is essential to understanding the fundamental nature of war.

The object in battle is to impose our will on our opponent. The means to this end is the organized application or threat of destruction by force. Notice that I say ‘the threat of destruction’, this is particularly important when placing your forces on the battlefield or when moving them. Your opponent’s deployment and his movement of forces on the battlefield will be in counteraction to your own. The placement of a Drop Pod, or the threat of placement, will naturally force you to respond or sacrifice an asset, either way the simple ‘threat of destruction’ (from the Drop Pod forces) must cause a reaction from our forces. Anticipating, or better yet – dictating, the deployment of those Deep Striking forces and taking advantage of it can be the difference between winning and losing.

We must move the conversation away from a simple analysis of weapon systems and their employment to a tactical discussion about not simply “what” we deploy, but “how” we deploy it. How do we use deployment to take advantage of the inherent weakness of Drop Pods and set the conditions for victory before the first shot is fired?

The drawings presented above are one possible solution you can use when dealing with Drop Pods armies – leverage the maneuverability of your forces and avoid the static “gun line” answer of “MOAR DAKKA”. Present multiple problems to your opponent and force them to react to you, instead of allowing them to force you to react to them. Understanding the rules and using them to your advantage, like correctly positioning forces to deny a flank that allows you to move up reserves unimpeded, are critical actions that pay huge dividends later in the game.

As a disclaimer, the above drawings are only “A Way” and not “THE Way”. I only hope to present one possible solution as an illustrative guide to get you thinking in a non-linear manner about alternative solutions to the inevitable “Castle up and shoot more” solution.

My Child - Destined for Greatness:

still practicing_ (at the birthplace of Hooters)

Sandman