So what is barrage and why is it so scary? First off, barrage vehicles in large numbers are able to bypass countermeasures but the volume of shots coming in at their targets. This is done with multiple vehicles all adding their number to a single shot sometimes at across the board ranges. In a game where movement can be vital, the Barrage effects, especially with more than one or two on the board, is gaming changing, and challenging to face.
First off some crazy things when using Barrage weapons.
If the barraging unit does not have line of sight, Scouts can perform that for you to get rid of any penalties. Granted your scatter can have an effect, but missing by one or two really doesnt matter that much when the blast template is large, and the opponent is just trying to get around the buildings and is bunched up.
Next if you fire an area effect weapon and it hits infantry an infantry base, it does 2d6 hits to that infantry base. This means that special forces taking the windows to get off shots can be devastated by area effect weapons. Those bases are expensive, and the key here is...... hits. This bypasses those cool units with dispersed formation and can only ever take a single casualty from any single hit.
Not only is that cool, but once an area effect weapon hits....... it doesnt have to hit each skimmer under the template. This means that skimmers which normally can stand toe to toe against tanks, can get hit really hard by a single large blast barrage hit.
With the Resistance now, these barrages can stack up to early round game shots right from round one. Last night I played a game against 9 Resistance Storm Wagons.... yea thats right a 60" range (it was a big game so we were on a 6x4 board. But that gives them a 48" large blast barrage at Energy 10. Whoa.
Facing the Resistance Barrage.
Its scary, and deadly for units disembarking, but if you understand their limitations you will be able to deal with them.
First off, its important to know that a squad of barrage units cannot split up their fire. That means that 4 Cyclone Attack Helicopters can only get off a single shot... (E10). 9 Storm Wagons are only firing a single shot. So if you opponent is banking on barrage he has a lot of points tied up into it.
Anything with A10, or multiple damage points is likely to survive a barrage or two. Light armored vehicles like skimmers once hit, are likely to go away fast.
So how do you get them, and not loose your whole army on they way? Stay in those dropships an extra round. The point is to get into a firing position that will threaten these units, before you drop. Yes you are going to be vulnerable, but use the fact that is only a single barrage against them. If you drop a large part of your forces all at once at the end of your round, and spread out as much as possible. Make all those points dedicated to a single shot hard to take if he has not yet fired. Then when you next activate, strike and start taking down the barrage units with a vengeance.
The goal is stay airborne as long as you can until you are in position. Every round (there is only 6), that the barrage is not firing, you have sucked up a large portion of the opponents army and made it useless.
Wrapping it up.
Fighting the Resistance is bringing about a new playstyle, and in fact several new tactical options that you must learn to overcome. While facing a Resistance Barrage army can be very daunting... dont fret, you can face it and overcome it.
If you thinking that I faced a large barrage army last night you are correct. Mark one up for the Scourge.
