In previous articles we’ve touched on the four kinds of gamers as well as the value of passive thinking. This week’s article, and the following several weeks’, will look to combine these two concepts, play to our strengths, and embrace our preferred playstyle. Specifically, for each playstyle archetype, we’ll be looking at two major pregame steps we can take to help improve our chances of success:
This week, we will start by building toward an approach for a Warboss style. This playstyle is aggressive loose and fits someone who wants to dictate the pace of the game. It can often border on reckless if allowed to run without consideration. Armies that will be best for this player are ones where most units have redundancy and broad applications rather than specialized roles. To insure against the tendency toward recklessness, units that are durable will often be preferable to those that might hit harder, but are susceptible to counter attacks.
Some list archetypes for this playstyle are, in no particular order:
With the list taken care of, let’s move on to game planning. There is a lot of redundancy and repeated efficiencies throughout the list, which allow for a balanced deployment as standard, with layers of elements surrounding the centerpiece shooting unit, the Castellan. Deployment can be shifted off of middle so as to get the Knight the most ideal firing lanes.
Order of deployment will usually be using the Scouts and Infantry squads spread out and overlapping so as to not commit to any one spot. There are so many drops in the list most opponents will be done deploying before this list commits to one particular part of the board, and can turn a balanced, even deployment, into a lopsided deployment that will look to hammer a portion of the enemy’s army before the rest of their forces can react and be brought to bear.
Part of the beauty of this list is that it does not need to change its overall deployment much whether it’s facing a combat focused or a shooting focused list. However, after deployment is where you’ll have the first major branch.
If facing a list that can outshoot this list from range, the gameplan becomes focused on closing the gap quickly and punching or hugging shooting elements. The Scouts can deploy aggressively in the midfield and get into the lines right away if needed. Using combined squads and the plethora of Orders available, the Infantry units can sprint up the board and present a wall of bodies that will be in range to charge turn two, with plenty of frighteningly punchy characters in their wake. Meanwhile, the Castellan can utilize the plethora of Command Points within this list to stay effective even as it gets focused down, and absolutely demolish key targets.
On the other hand, if facing a list with little shooting that just wants to get and range and outpunch even the punchiest guardsmen, the list can deploy a little further back, moving forward only slightly to create gaps between the solid lines of infantry. The opponent will have to cross the field quickly, but then be faced with a wall of guardsmen with another lying in wait just behind to counter-charge. Meanwhile, the 17 mortars will combo with the Castellan to rain down shots. Once the first wave breaks on the lines, the list can then use the mobility from orders and the Blood Angels characters to push back up the field and take control.
With these broad strokes of a gameplan in place, it then comes down to practice and learning some of the finer details. This list has a lot of models in it, so practice just the movement of this many bodies can become extremely important; the last thing you would want is to be accused of slow play. And our gameplan for countering assault-based opponents means we need the game to go at least five turns so we have time to reclaim the board after their initial assault crashes on our lines.
Specifically, we want to practice the following:
- Build a list that works in our preferred playstyle
- Establish a gameplan or script for how the list will work in various scenarios and matchups


- The Horde – Fitting for a Warboss, a pile of Boyz, or any similar all out, body-heavy aggressive combat list that looks to pin the enemy in a corner and wear them down with sheer weight of bodies and dice.
- The Pile of Bricks – Rather than weight of bodies, this list archetype is one that fields a handful of absolute brick units that can take punishment and keep plodding forward.
- The Gunline – The title Warboss and theme of aggression make us think combat, but a gunline list is innately aggressive focused, and often features layers of redundancy so that the list “just works.”

- Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken
- Company Commander: Chainsword, Laspistol, Warlord, Kurov’s Aquila
- Company Commander: Laspistol, Power Fist
- 8x Infantry Squad: Mortar, Sergeant with Chainsword and Laspistol
- Ministorum Priest: Chainsword, Laspistol
- 2x Platoon Commander: Power Fist, Laspistol
- 3x Hellhound: Interno Cannon, Heavy Bolter, Storm Bolter
- 3x Heavy Weapons Squad: 3 Mortars
- Knight Castellan: 2 Shieldbreaker Missiles, 2x Twin Siegebreaker Cannons
- 2x Captain: Jump Pack, Thunder hammer
- 3x Scout Squads: 4 Scouts with Bolters, Sergeant with Chainsword and Combat Knife


- Deployment: Have the order in which you want to drop units down pat. Also have tools or practice enough to leave room for your key elements which you want to deploy later, but need their priority spots.
- Stratagems: Identify the tiers of your stratagems and which you will want to use in which phases. The list we discussed has access to three different armies’ stratagems, and plenty of command points to use them. Split the stratagems into three categories: Usually, Sometimes, and Rarely. Then focus on memorizing at least the first two. For the Sometimes and Rarely category, knowing the specific situation in which you would want to use them is most important.
- Practice the main big moves: Specifically, for your two main gameplans, practice actually running through moving the models you have to implement that gameplan, be it moving forward aggressively, or creating defensive rings of models which cannot be breached by most combat units.
- Identify Secondary branches to the gameplan: We know the broad stokes, but practice scenarios where you need to change direction. For example, what are the audibles you can call if the opponent you expected to rush forward is instead hanging back and weathering your firepower? Similarly, what are other approaches you can take if you get alpha-struck so hard you lose what you consider to be your key pieces, whether it be the knight or the infantry units?