Once you look at your list, you can make a reasonable guess at a protocol order list, and then go from there - the enemy list might get a vote, but I suspect you'll change few things.
What Do I need to do for Command Protocols to Work?
You need to meet several criteria -
1) Army is from the same DYNASTY
2) have a living NOBLE on the field at the start of the round
3) units must be within 6" of a CHARACTER to benefit from it
Bottom line - it's not hard to get a benefit from this. You are probably going to have a NOBLE as an HQ choice unless it's a tiny game, and most of our NOBLE guys aren't itching to get into melee.
Remember also that if you've got some isolated units (for whatever reason) they aren't getting protocol support.
The Challenge and the Perk of Command Protocols
You have six protocols - and you pick five, in any order, to be in effect for the game. If you go past five turns, then the last protocol is in effect for turn 5+.
Note that the Szarekhan-specific warlord trait, The Triarch's Will, lets you double up on a Protocol. Note also that if you bring the Silent King, he is required to be your warlord, and he takes this trait by default. Doubling up on a trait can be helpful.
The Protocols And Their Uses
There are six protocols. Each has two effects. You pick one, but each of the main Dynasties favors a Protocol and thus gets both. If you picked a custom dynasty, you don't have to worry about it, because you don't favor it.
In general, the protocols fall into either 'useful at a predictable point in the battle' or 'might be situationally useful.'
1. Protocol of the Eternal Guardian - favored by Nihilakh
Directive 1 - gain light cover if you didn't move
Directive 2 - may hold steady/set to defend if you are not already engaged
USAGE - This is defensive/situational - are you stationary outside of cover? Are you expecting to get charged? It's not bad, per se, but you're gambling on knowing when you're hunkering down outside of cover (...which is an iffy move and depends on the board) or when you're getting charged (which depends on the enemy, which may be 'never' or may be turn 1-3).
Note that Nihiliakh doesn't need this as much if they're already in their deployment zone, unless they're getting charged. Fluffy, sure, but not as important.
2. Protocol of the Sudden Storm - favored by Nephrekh
Directive 1 - +1 to movement
Directive 2 - may perform an action and still shoot
USAGE - Directive one is a reasonable first-turn choice unless you know you're getting charged turn 1. Get as much ground as you can. Directive 2 is situational - you take it if you're going to perform actions, and you've got a better option for earlier turns.
3. Protocol of the Vengeful Stars - favored by Mephrit
Directive 1 - +1 AP on unmodified 6s to hit in shooting
Directive 2 - no cover benefits for target if firing w/in half range
USAGE - This is situational either way. You need to be unloading with massed firepower to get something out of it. This is unlikely to be an early-game power; it's more of a 'nice to have' than anything else.
4. Protocol of the Hungry Void - favored by Novokh
Directive 1 - +1AP on unmodified 6s to hit in melee
Directive 2 - +1S on melee attacks when charging, charged, or making heroic interventions
USAGE - Situational. If you're melee-focused, you're probably aiming for turn 2 charges (unless you think the enemy is running into the midfield and will let you get a turn one charge, in which case go ahead).
5. Protocol of the Undying Legions - favored by Szarekhan
Directive 1 - Each time this unit uses its living metal ability, regains an additional wound
Directive 2 - Each time you roll reanimation protocols, re-roll one dice
USAGE - I'd say the earlier you use this, the more you'll get out of it. Most armies are going to hit you the hardest on either turn 1 or 2. This is an easy ability to slot in there.
The only thing that might make me think a little harder about this is a C'tan and my matchup - some armies can put damage on them in more than one phase, and getting 2 wounds back vs. 1 wound may be the difference in keeping a C'tan around another turn.
6. Protocol of the Conquering Tyrant - favored by Sautekh
Directive 1 - +3 to aura abilities, max of 12"
Directive 2 - may fall back and shoot, but takes a -1 penalty
USAGE - I'm a little 'eh' on directive 1. Directive 2, though - if you think you're going to take an assault on some shooty troops on a given turn, then this can be money. This is probably a turn 2 (if you're using veil on a warrior blob) or turn 3 power for that, depending on matchup.
Sorting The Directives
Solid early-turn picks - 5. Undying Legions, 2. Sudden Storm.
If you're not sure, Sudden storm will help you get positioning and Undying Legions will help you take a punch.
I'm Going To Hurt You This Turn - 3. Vengful Stars, 4. Hungry Void
If you're pretty sure you're going to unload on a given turn (either by shooting or by assault) you pick the appropriate protocol. It's a bit of a gamble, but odds are this is turn 2 or 3.
I Think I'm Going To Get Into A Situation Here - 6. Conquering Tyrant, 1. Eternal Guardian, 2.2 Sudden Storm
Conquering Tyrant's great if you think you're going to get charged and need to fall back, otherwise it's 'eh'. Eternal Guardian's useful if you're going to stand still in the open or get charged that turn, but I'm not sure you can necessarily predict those without seeing the field or just messing up. The second part of Sudden Storm may be situationally useful - but again, the situational stuff all competes with more generally useful abilities.
Thoughts on Picking The Directives
The first three turns are likely to be the easiest to predict turns and the most important turns. You know what the board looks like, you know what the armies look like, and you can make guesses about deployment. Turns 4-5 are either going to be mop-up or harder to guess, depending on how the dice and the plays have gone. I'll refine this as I get more games in.
Shooty Necrons w/ assault elements vs. Shooty army
Turn 1 - Undying Legions (for resilience)
Turn 2- Sudden Storm
Turn 3 - Vengeful Stars
Turn 4 - Hungry Void
Turn 5 - Whatever you feel like
The idea is to take the hits on turn one, move up, open up, mop up, and then hopefully win or be dead.
Shooty Necrons w/ assault elements vs. Assaulty Army
Turn 1 - Vengeful Stars
Turn 2 - Conquering Tyrant
Turn 3 - Hungry Void
Turn 4/5 - whatever you feel like, probably Undying Legions and then Eternal Guardian
The logic is that they'll move up - hopefully you deployed in a manner to avoid a turn one assault. Shoot them, get assaulted, fall back and shoot, then punch them and hope it worked.
Assaulty Necrons
Turn 1 - Sudden Storm
Turn 2 - Hungry Void
Turn 3 - Undying Legion
Turn 4 - Vengeful Stars
Turn 5 - whatever you feel like
Move up, charge. Turn 3/4 could be swapped out; it's a matter of how many guns you brought for mop-up work.
Closing Thoughts
My gut says that there's a few camps on protocols. Some folks are probably all "OMG what do I do, too many options!" and some are all "It's not marine doctrines, ergo it's garbage."
I think once you look at them, and split them into "generally useful" and "situational" and look at your list, you figure out an order of operations pretty quick - especially once you realize you should worry mostly about the first 2-3 turns.
No comments:
Post a Comment