Most people look at vehicle squadrons as risky, dangerous, fragile, a waste of points etc. I figured it was time to set the record straight. Vehicle squadrons are tough to take down. I wont get into speeders much, becuase in all honesty, its much easier to bring down squadrons of armor 10 than it is an imperial guard vehicle squadron.
Here is the deal. Most heavy weapons are generally fired in single shots, or in pairs. What this means is that a vehicle squadron gets shot at by a lascannon, it gets hit, and damage is done. A smart player will put that hit on one of the vehicles..... then another unit shoots at the vehicle squadron. It hits, it penetrates, and the hit is alocated to the same vehicle that was already damaged. Yes I know that an immobilized vehicle is destroyed. This doesnt happen as often as you think. More often, you get stunned or shaken, then you recieve another stunned or shaken which is placed right on top of that same vehicle.
Next lets talk about cover saves. In order to recieve a cover save, all you have to do is have half of the squadron obscured. That means that in a two vehicle squadron, you pop smoke with one, and they both now recieve a cover save. Block 50% of the two out of three and they all recieve the cover save. Remember that a unit is recieves a cover save, or it does not. So a mechanized force with vehicle squadrons is now something that can be very hard to destroy.
So, what do these squadrons fear the most? Multiple shot units mostly... or being assaulted by a assault squads with power fists. Hydras, Autocannon Havocs, Devastators, etc......These tend to make short work of squadrons. Assault terminators, normal terminators, etc..... Deliver multiple hard hits to a squadron, and they go bye bye. Take single shots here and there, and your opponent is just laughing. Dont forget that a single squadron of Leman Russ's (up to 3 tanks) is only worth a single KP.
A few tricks. Leman Russ Demolisher squadron of two. Take Creed, give them scout. During your scout move, pop smoke (yes its legal) with one of them, and in order to get your cover save round one. Shoot one of them during the first round, and pop smoke with the other. This way you are getting multiple rounds of cover for the entire unit.
Use one or two vehicles to give a cover save to the entire squadron. You only have to block 50% of the vehicle, and 50% of the vehicles need that 50% coverage. So you can do more with less to provide your own cover saves.
Dont forget to pop smoke with any vehicles that are shaken or damaged from shooting. You can pop smoke with the ones that cant shoot that round, providing they have unused smoke launchers, and continue to fire with the ones that are still operational. Even if only one vehicle pops smoke, its not hard to move a chimera in front of one more, to provide a unit of three tanks cover. One smoked, one 50% obscured, = entire unit cover, and 2 shooting this round.
