Tactica: The Meta Game

Greetings all,

this will be an open tactica which will also solicit the advice from the many great generals in the community.

There are certain things which characterize successful players. Most good players can attribute their success to several different factors which combine to make them a tough opponent to beat.
Players of all levels can and do make use of the following ideas, strategies, maxims in one way or another. This list is by no means complete and will be updated with the contributions of our fellow generals.

1 Know your enemy --- you don't need to have their army book memorized, but a knowledge of how the opponent's army works, what items to expect, special abilities, strengths, weaknesses, etc. can give you the upper hand, and at the very least prevent a horrible loss due to ignorance of the opponent's capabilities.

2 Plan and think ahead --- easily said, more difficult to execute. Warhammer Fantasy is a lot more like chess than 40k. You will need to plan and think ahead, a few turns in advance depending on the situation. Movement and positioning is crucial in fantasy. 40k is far more forgiving - a wrong move will not necessarily spell certain disaster in 40k and charging, while still important for an extra attack, is not as important as in fantasy where chargers strike first (except against the ASF HE). Plan your move out and where you want to be with your units this turn, next turn, and the turn thereafter. Analyze what your opponent is doing and anticipate where he will move.

3 Make your opponent work for you. Another advanced strategy. Baiting and tricking the opponent into bad moves and tactically unsound decisions puts you in control and lets you pick and choose your battles instead of reacting to the opponent's moves. Fool the opponent into thinking they are making a brilliant move, only to turn tables on him.

4 Be active not passive - Take the initiative and dictate the flow of the battle to your opponent. Do not let the opponent force you into reacting to their moves.

5 Play to your army's strengths.

6 Avoid playing to the opposing army's strengths.

7 Mindgames - fool your opponent. Talk up or play down a certain unit's strenghts, weaknesses etc. Give your opponent detailed information on a unit's past glories and how devastating it is. Draw their attention away from the units you value most. Get them out of their element - give them too much information to think about. Create doubt in their minds.

8 Remain in control - do not let the course of the battle affect your style of play negatively. Do not get emotionally upset. Getting angry lets the opponent know you're agitated and perhaps more susceptible to making mistakes. Playing angry can lead to stupid decisions which are likely to result in a loss. One bad decision can lead to a chain reaction from which it will most likely be impossible to recover from.

9 Sportsmanship - if you are losing, then lose graciously. Getting mad and acting disrespectful to your opponent has no place in the hobby. Throwing dice or even minis is unacceptable and immature. If you are winning, then do not gloat excessively or deride the opponent.

10 Have Fun - all aspects of the game will go smoother if you're having fun (even while losing).