Zoning & Herding
The evolution of the Warmachine/Hordes (WM/H from here on) metagame has been rapid in the last four years. The core rules of WM/H are very simple, while the model selections themselves are complex and diverse. Because of this interaction, much attention is paid to model and rule interaction. “Trumps,” or more allegorically “Rock-Paper-Scissors,” have been terms used to describe the basic level of interaction between competing model types. For every powerful choice a player can make, any other player can choose a piece that will directly counter the first player’s selection. Thus to now, model interaction has been the primary and ubiquitous focus of tactical discussion since the inception of the game, constantly fueled an reinvigorated by the release of new model choices every year that create even more layers of interaction and trumps.
This is only one dimension of WM/H. Like most tactical miniatures games, the contest between two players is decided on an open table dotted with terrain. Much as the folks at Privateer Press want to encourage quick engagement and furious action, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that WM/H are one-dimensional. Engagements don’t have to happen along a centreline running parallel to the East-West directional. Models and units have different movement values, different ranges, and take up different portions of the table based on their optimal formations. Once a player has mastered the interactions between the many varied pieces and options of WM/H, understanding of the spatial relationships involved in approaching and attaining the victory conditions of a game are critical to the continued improvement of the player’s competitive capabilities.
In order to achieve victory, one must not only choose the army options best suited to the task, but they must also apply the army’s capabilities on the two-dimensional playing field in order to achieve the game’s objective. Doing so requires understanding of two dynamic, symbiotic tactical concepts: Zoning and Herding. Some people have no concept of these. They tend to run their models to the middle of the table and want to duke it out model-for-model. Others have a passing, subconscious knowledge of the spatial flow of a game, usually in the form of flanking and end-around maneuvers. Even more have an idea of threat ranges and respecting a model’s range of effect, but their cognizance ends there. Tying all those and many other pieces together into a cohesive grasp on Zoning & Herding requires fundamental knowledge in three particular basics: Threat, Range, and Type.
Threat is the most transparent of the three concepts. Simply, a model threatens its opponent’s model if through inaction, a player risks having his model attacked or affected by another model. Moving Long Gunners to within 14” of a solo threatens that solo. If the opponent doesn’t move the solo or otherwise protect him from the ranged attacks of the Long Gunners, that solo will take fire on his opponent’s next turn. Not all threats are created equal, however. If moving an Ironclad forces the Cygnar player to choose between being in RNG of a Deliverer or being in RNG of a Sunburst, it is better to be in range of the Deliverer. The Sunburst is more accurate and will do more damage than the Deliverer on a hit. By a similar token, an Arcane Shielded, Invincible Stormblade Sergeant with ARM 23 has nothing to fear from a single Winter Guard, but is at serious risk against a single Widowmaker. A Stormblade Lieutenant with 5 health does not share the Sergeant’s risk against either opponent. Be able to not only recognize threat but appraise the level of threat certain models pose against other models. The better the chances of models damaging or destroying threatened enemy models, the greater the threat.
Range, or more often “threat range”, is not referring to the RNG stat of ranged weapons though it will play a factor in many cases. Range is the maximum effective distance for a model’s targeted effects. In other words, it’s how far a model can move and still attack and/or damage a model directly with its attacks or other special rules. This isn’t just an accounting of a model’s SPD stat. One has to factor first what kind of attack or effect is being used. Melee units will typically be first measured by their SPD + charge modification to movement, plus melee range. A couple of examples: a Seneschal has a SPD of 6, charges for +3”, and has a .5” melee range, giving the Seneschal a maximum 9.5” threat range. The Nephilim has a SPD of 6, charges for +5”, and has a 2” melee range, giving it a total maximum threat range of 13”. Note the differences in charge modifier and melee range. Also of some importance is the Nephilim’s ability to glide over models when charging. This ability makes its longer threat range also more broad since the Nephilim can usually charge wherever he wants to while the Seneschal is restricted to whatever straight line is available between himself and another model. Consider all these things when assessing the Range of a melee unit.
Ranged (and spellcasting) models operate somewhat differently. They typically will not charge and fire, meaning their Range is typically the RNG of the ranged weapon plus their SPD. Two examples: A Long Gunner has a SPD of 5 and a RNG of 14”, meaning its maximum threat range on its guns is 19”. Eiryss has a SPD of 7 and a RNG of 12”, but also has Assault, so we have to add her charge modifier as well for a total of 22”. Also pay attention to the special rules involved with those models. While the Long Gunners have a maximum threat range of 19”, their highest effective threat range is at 14”, where they can improve their RAT by +2 and double the amount of attacks made. So while the threat range for each model may have a certain maximum, keep in mind that a model may have a lesser threat range that is more or less effective.
Type describes what kind of threat a player presents his opponent. Threat can be generally broken down into two categories: single-target and multi-target. Most melee attacks are single-target threats, with exceptions for effects like Thresher and Circular Strike. Similarly, ranged and magic attacks have both single-target threats and multi-target effects like Spray and AOE attacks, as well as non-template area attacks and effects like the Thunderhead’s Energy Pulse. Also, the threat doesn’t necessarily have to be a damaging effect. The Greylords’ Ice Cage results in no damage but may make the affected model stationary, which as anyone playing WM/H should know makes you a sitting duck. Multi-target threats will typically be more effective against a multitude of softer models (units) while single-target threats are more effective against harder targets like warjacks and tough solos. Recognize what kind of threat type a model can present and which models and model types are most at risk against that threat.
Once threat, range and type are absorbed and understood, the combined concepts allow a player to control the board through Zoning and Herding. Game objectives always occur within the spatial confines of the 4’x4’ table. Being able to push the opponent and maneuver one’s army into a position favourable to achieving that objective is the ultimate goal of playing WM/H in two dimensions. When speaking of Zoning & Herding, it may help to mentally divide the table into four 24” quadrants, or better yet, into nine 16” sections.
Zoning is positioning a threatening model to create a desired distance between that model and an opposing model. To keep a model at bay, threaten it with a ranged attack whose range exceeds the model’s ability to charge or run to engage that ranged attack. To trap a model into a certain position, threaten it with a ranged attack whose range is shorter than the model’s ability to charge the ranged attack. Protect a model holding a position on the table by threatening its position with another model with a powerful charge threat. Keep enemies out of certain areas of the table by threatening that area with a blanket of multi-target threats. All these and many more strategies for zoning encourage the opponent into moving in certain ways and performing certain maneuvers. Good players will use many threats in conjunction to create difficult zoning decisions for their opponents. This is where the second half of the spatial theory comes into play.
Herding is the use of multiple zoning tactics in order to force the opponent to move parts of his army into favourable positions. Herding becomes prominent to competitive play in scenario-based environments such as the Steamroller series. Scenarios that revolve around controlling certain points or areas on the board are won not only by having models claim those objectives but also by keeping the enemy out of those areas. The opponent must be prevented from threatening those areas or the models within them with equal fervor. Even in non-scenario play where the objective is to destroy the opposing warcaster, herding can be used to open charge lanes for assassination models or to clear unobstructed spaces to maneuver arc nodes. Every strategy for herding requires multiple parts of your army zoning the enemy in conjunction with one another. Think of it kind of like triangulation: a ping from one position only gives you direction, while a ping from two can give you both direction and distance, from which an exact position can be calculated. The same is true with herding. If two or more models zone an enemy model in different ways, the opponent is likely to be forced to make a bad decision or to move (or not move) in a direction of your liking. To illustrate this concept at its most basic level, place a Risen on a table. Place a Long Gunner exactly 12” away, directly in front of it. Place two more Long Gunners 12” away, each to the left and to the right of the Risen at a 90 degree angle from the first Long Gunner. Assuming it is the Risen player’s turn, he will most likely lose the Risen if does anything but advance directly backwards. Each Long Gunner zoned the Risen by forcing it to move away from its rifle range, but overlapping multiple zones dictated the only safe route for the Risen to take. There are countless numbers of ways to herd an opponent in an actual game scenario. Finding out how an army can do it and how to apply it towards a victory is a matter of practice and experience. The more naturally a player feels when using his army, the closer he will be to understanding how to maneuver both his army and his opponent's around the table. The less time spent reading cards and trying to memorize stats, the more time the eye can spend dividing and assessing table space.
Effective armies are composed of models chosen to attain the game’s objective alongside with models chosen to herd and zone the opponent, making it easier for your key models to get to their objectives.
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