Defeating anti-scout tactics

Are You Prepared?

Well you should be!

With the emergency of Khan giving scout to White Scars of all flavors, it is going to be inevitable that players are going to start employing anti-scout tactics to restrict your army.  Tactics reminding players how to defend themselves from scout moves will be up any day now...

Oh wait, never mind: The ever reliable Kirby at 3++ has just posted up an anti-scout article.

In short he identifies numerous strategies which can be used to take the bite out of an army which is seeking to go all out and scout everything first turn.  Tactics include using infiltrators, using scouting units, and using wargear such as servo skulls.  So how do we overcome these tactics?  Well lets take a look at them.

Before I jump too quickly into anti-scout tactics, I would like to remind everyone that racing forward as fast as possible at break neck speeds is not a viable solution in 90% of games.  Yeah you might catch some novice players off guard, but more advanced players will have the tools and tactics to deal with it.  In short, if this is your tactic for winning every single game, you will lose.  Instead of thinking of scout as a suicide rush towards your opponent's line, think of it more as the ability to redeploy based on your opponent's mistakes and your mis-deployment.  Scout moves can be used to set up traps, take advantage of terrain, re-position weapons, re-position characters, and if need be, retreat before the game begins.

What is Scout?

The scout special rule is a USR which reads:

"After both sides have deployed (including infiltrators), but before the first player begins his first turn, a unit containing at least one model with this special rule can choose to redeploy.  If the unit is infantry, artillery, a walker, or a monstrous creature, each model can redeploy 6" of its current position.  If it is any other unit type, each model can instead redeploy 12"  of its current position.  During this redeployment, Scouts must remain more then 12" away from any enemy unit.  A unit that makes a Scout move redeployment cannot charge in the first turn.  A unit cannot embark or disembark as part of a Scout redeployment.  

If both sides have Scouts, roll-off; the winner decides who redeploys first.  Then alternate redeploying scouts.

If a unit with this special rule is deployed inside a dedicated transport, it confers the special rule to the transport (though a disembarkation move cannot be made as apart of redeployment).  Note that a transport with this special rule does not lose it if a unit without this special rule is embarked on it.  

This rule also confers the outflank special rule."

So besides being one of the longest rules in the special rules section, what does it all mean?  Well the most important aspect is that you must stay at least 12 inches away from the closest enemy model.  Secondly, you are not limited to redeploying, you can outflank.  Finally, infiltrators get to deploy before scout moves are made.

Which brings me to my first anti-scout defense tactic: infiltrators.  

Infiltrators can be deployed in order to push back scout moves.  This is likely to be the go to method to prevent rushing forward with scout, especially with the masses of Tau armies hitting the field.  So how do you prevent this?  Two ways.  First, bring your own infiltrators.  Second, ally with space wolves and get a chooser of the slain.    The first method is more practical.  Space Marine Scouts are excellent at this since they have both the infiltrate and scout special rules.  They get the best of both worlds.  Also, being infantry, they can go places that bikes can't.  Finally they are cheap as chips, easy to hide, and a scoring unit.  Having an infiltrating unit can guarantee decent scout moves and if your opponent has an infiltrating unit, it forces a roll off.  Some defense is better then none.

Now the Chooser of the Slain is an interesting option as it just prevents infiltrating from happening within 18 inches of the model.  Given that it is probably mounted on a 25 mm base, it is a 37 inch bubble of anti-infiltrate goodness.   Also, it increases the B.S. of your Rune Priest cannot be destroyed.  So if you are looking at some space wolf allies for your white scars, this is an excellent addition and well worth the points. 

Anti-scout defense tactic: Scouting units.

If your opponent has a unit with a scout move, he can use it to prevent your scout moves.  I have done this at a tournament and it worked out really well.  Quite simply, this boils down to a dice roll. If you win the roll, excellent, if you lose, well there isn't much you can do against it. So to get around this, don't rely on scout.  Second, spread out your army.  Because players alternate scout redeploys, if your opponent scouts first, scout a unit on the other side of the table.  While your entire army may not be able to scout forward as fast as possible, it would allow you to get some units to redeploy.  Third, set a trap.  If your opponent is going to scout forward, set up a trap.  Make him pay for his aggressiveness.  Finally, retreat.  While this may seem counter intuitive, if your opponent got the initial scout off, it probably means one of 2 things, a) it is a throw away unit or b) it is a nasty unit that you should probably avoid.  If it is a nasty unit, retreating may be a solid solution to dealing with your opponent's aggressive deployment.

Anti-scout defense tactic: Servo Skulls

I've included the entry from Grey Knight Servo Skulls.  As you can see, these bad boys prevent infiltrating and scout re-deploys within 12 inches of the skulls.  There is no way to stop this from happening.  But I would like to point out a couple of things.  1) This does not prevent outflanking, 2) Servo skulls can be destroyed and 3) they are placed before forces are deployed.   Knowing where skulls are before you deploy your army and make scout moves will allow you to get around them.  In addition, pre-measuring will determine if scout moves are even viable.  Having the tools to know their impact area, you can plan ahead.  

So in conclusion, scout redeployment is a tool which I can rapidly change the flow of battle and determine where the assault is going to begin.  It should not be used as a mad dash to get as close as possible because that will return to haunt you.   Use this tool wisely and think ahead!