Wednesday 9 November 2016

Titans and Defense

Today we've got something a bit different.  No Titan update, no new Titan, no special coverage.  Think of this is whetting your appetite for the inexorable return of Collegia Titanica, which is coming relatively soon.  We have explored the weapons of the Titans in the past and we'll explore more of that in the future, as well as Titan stats themselves and even other items pertaining to them.  

But what's a dirty truth to using Titans in game?

They're massive killers, but once you can lay the hurt on them they feel it quickly.

Titans live and die not by the strength of arms they posess, but by what keeps them alive and defended.  Yes, a Titan can outkill what threatens it, even the scrappy Warhound can down a Warlord if fate is so kind, but they can only kill so much and so fast.  The smaller the Titan, the more likely they can be overwhelmed by large numbers, or outgunned.

How does a Titan, then, avoid an unfortunate case of death?

1.) Void shields.  Titans live and die by these things when it comes to range, especially the scout Titans.  Lose the void shields and now you're open to nasty stuff.  Often these are popped by smaller heavy weapons just so that Titan can be exposed to the harder hitting stuff, especially D weapons.  Warhound owners know that those two void shields are often their best friends.

2.) Heavy support elements.  Other super-heavies, big tanks, you name it.  If it's big and can draw attention or make it rain fire they can keep your Titan going by taking some heat or killing what threatens it.  These are great for defending your Titan from other Titans or tanks.

3.) Infantry.  Secutarii, Skitarii, Astartes, anything that moves on the ground near your Titan's feet is the best close combat defense your war machine can hope for.  They become expendable in that sense, but they do more than just beat things up.  They keep a Titan from being punched in the heel and looking like Achiles.

Interestingly, 63 percent of the Titans registered on TOC have maniple brethren or support of some form.  This means that almost two out of every three Titans has another Titan backing it, a Knight at its side, some sort of infantry keeping it from being boarded, or another form of help.

Obviously this is only a brief look at your options to defend a Titan and keep them alive.  It's something that we could easily explore more in depth.  Leave a comment below, tell us what you think about defending a Titan and what works best for you and your lovely God-Engine.

5 comments:

  1. Ground ponder support is a must. Encircle your Titan with a 13" defense ring. In my first Apoc game with my Reaver my ground support was to close, a few squads of Wraith Guard were able to deep strike in and stripped me of lots of HP's. While they were not able to finish me off it made it easier in the next phase to reduce me to 0. In my second game with my Warlord I was able to setup a decent perimeter by using the table edge, terrain and a wall of Skitarii to defend my feet. I was practically untouched during the game.

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  2. I agree with BigJon. In my gaming group, the enemy often fields a LOT of bloodthirsters. In the last game, I defended with 2 full Deathwing Knight units, each with apothecary, and 5 venerable dreads at Ira Deorum's feet. They formed a perimeter and are as stubborn as things come. Outside this, I keep a response force of terminators and light tanks. Ira lasted 3 full turns, and dealt enough damage to warrant the points cost.

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  3. I think there's a quote out there somewhere about Titans ignoring infantry at their own peril. Sounds like that holds out on the tabletop.

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  4. I've seen a Reaver meet an unfortunate fate at the hands of Meganobs before. Anything that can swing with something like a power fist (S8 or better, pretty much) is definitely a threat to a Titan. I'd say that infantry, to me, is one of the biggest threats a Titan can face aside from something with a D weapon. They definitely have the ability to tackle the giant engines and so it's why I'm often placing a lot of emphasis on anti-infantry when defending Venator Lupus and bringing Skitarii and Astartes backup.

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  5. hey wolf, that's good advice. It does seem Warhounds are a bit squishy.

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