Why We Need Good Assaulters

This will be the first article of many diving into the Assault Phase of Warhammer 40k 8^th Edition to help you take your game to the next level.

If you’ve played 40k at all then you know that it can get pretty complicated. There are several different phases to get through, each with their own rules and mechanics, and each with specialized units that interact with that phase uniquely, not to mention a plethora of other complicated facets of 40k. A lot of time and mental energy can go into not just a game, but a single turn in a game. I can’t tell you how long it took me to get to a point of comfort with 40k where I didn’t feel like I stuck my head in a microwave halfway through the game.

Each phase is important in a turn, and each faction and list will take to each phase differently, some valuing one phase over the other. Be that as it may, I will say that I believe the assault phase is by far the most important. This won’t be true for everyone, in fact some factions do everything they possibly can to delay assaults from ever taking place, but games are finished in the assault phase. As much as some might avoid it, you still have to close with and destroy the enemy. It is a fact of war, and a pillar of 40k.

As important as the assault phase is, it is probably the one phase that new players get the least amount of experience in when starting off. That’s because the normal rhythm of most games, especially those casual learning games, only sees good ole fisticuffs action happening late in the game. A lot of times new players either don’t have the time to even finish the game, or they are so mentally depleted going into the later part of the game that they don’t have the mental energy to commit to a good assault phase. It really is too easy to gloss over parts off the game and therefore miss out on all the good little nuggets of possibilities buried in the rules all because you’re just learning the game and there is a lot to keep track of. Don’t worry, this is very understandable, we’ve all been there.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this will probably be a long series, but if you struggle with the assault phase at all, read on! 40k needs good assaulters to let the blood of their enemies through sheer brutality, probably now more than ever. This is intended to be an in depth learning experience. A little of what I plan on covering is the Art of Charging, Piling In, and Consolidation; who to choose as charge targets; how to stack abilities to make you’re melee units shine; positioning when executing the fight phase; and as many more things as I can think of that will hopefully help you get your Assault game where it needs to be on the battlefield. If you have any suggestions, please put it in the comments and it could be a topic in this series. Battle on Garth, battle on Wayne. See ya!