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The most obvious answer is to never commit your forces piecemeal. ?Right behind that in the Suvarov Obviousness Scale is to concentrate your forces to achieve local superiority. ?
Back in June, I shared command of a Ork army with another player and faced off against a Mud Marine force. ?He had 3 tac, 2 assault, and 1 dev formations in a strong right flank and center position that was giving me no end of worry. ?His other flank was screened by two Landspeeder formations, but they were very far forward, unsupported, and badly exposed, so we started our advance there, causing him to retreat one of the 'Speeder formations. ?The tide turned for the Orks after the Marine player had moved all but one formations in the center forward. ?The last Tac detachment hadn't moved yet, contained the SC and had been deployed in their transports. ?I brought in a Landa with a Warband (upgraded with more Nobz) and caught the detachment alone and in transports. ?The loss of that formation (and my placing a Warband in his rear) was a huge psychological blow, but was recoverable. ?I followed up with a second Landa that broke his second 'Speeder formation, and took up residence in a forest on a hill looking over his center. ?With his left flank thrown back, his SC eradicated, and Warbands on three sides, he started getting worried and forgot about "concentration of force" and "don't apply piecemeal".
He first broke my rear Warband with an Assault detachment (I stupidly countercharged into support range of one of the Tac formations, because I was worried about his nearby 'Speeders), and then Engaged the Warband near his center three different times, all poorly supported. ?He said that he was trying to throw back that Warband quickly, so he could use most of his force to counter the 'Uge warband we had coming at his front, but poor support (and great rolls on my part:) meant that the Warband was still holding that hill and half his activations were used! ?If he'd have Advanced the 'Speeders into support range, and assaulted with one of the nearby Tac squads, he would have crushed that Warband, captured the hill, and had more activations to throw back the frontal assault (which would have turned the Ork flank)!
The lessons for Mud Marines from this battle? ?First, don't leave a formation deployed in Rhinos sitting in your backfield when your opponent has Air Assaulters loaded and ready to swoop in. ?Second, if you're using a 'Speeder screen to refuse a flank, don't pull it back in the face of superior forces; use hit-and-run tactics to conduct a fighting withdrawl until you've crushed the other flank. ?Third, never ever send formations into assaults alone; have a Tac squad Advance or Double into support fire range and lay BMs (and wittle down your foe) before sending in the assault troops (preferably in a clipping assault). ?Finally, Big and 'Uge Warbands can absorb the combined firepower of half your army on Turn 1, not break, and then shed all the BMs in the End Phase; on Turn 2, however, you're on Sustain (instead of Double or Advance), so shoot out their center, clip them on a side (preferably with FF) to break them, and roll up the line. ?
Mud Marines can't pull off massive redeploys like Eldar, but careful manuvering of your Tac and 'Speeder detachments can place them where they're supporting two or three separate Engagements. THAT is what *I* call "force multiplier"!
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Happy to have survived to being a Grognard!
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