Puretide Speaks: Capture and Control

Capture and Control is the only mission that frequently ends in a draw. Players get a draw, shake hands and at the end of the game everyone is still friends. There are only two objectives on the board and they are both in deployment zones. I think people don't look at this mission right. Slow armies tend to set up their objective in opposite corners and castle up while launching a half-assed assault on the enemy’s objective. Fast armies will tend to set up a weak defense and a full force assault on the enemy objective.

First rule of any objective game is go second. I like to put the objective in the opposite corner from my opponent’s, deploy my broadsides on the objective with a Hammerhead nearby. The other Hammerhead sets up directly across from my enemy’s objective ready to take pot-shots at approaching troops but it will ultimately move out to intercept my opponents attack on my objective. Deathrains will set up somewhere in the middle of my deployment zone, behind some terrain to jump-shoot-jump firing on transports, they may later link up with the Hammerhead to cause havoc. Piranhas, Devilfish and one squad of XV8s go in reserve. I want preserve my scoring units and my piranhas to the end of the game. Ideally I actually want one Devilfish to come on Turn 2 and start moving across the board toward the enemy objective. Then I want my piranhas to come on and zip around soaking up fire. I’ll detach the drones somewhere in the center of the board to cause as much confusion as they can. They can hit rear armor of rhinos, potentially pin troops, and basically tie up units but are expected to die. What more could you ask from our loyal Kor’vesa?

My defense of the objective is pretty weak but in reality its about getting scoring troops out of their rhinos so they’re vulnerable to tank-shock. When they’re holding my objective, my two Devilfish, that come on late game, can tank-shock them off of it to claim it. Remember: only models that were touched by the tank can attempt a death or glory attack, so be sure not to clip that guy with the meltagun. The other Devilfish, making the run for the enemy objective, is probably dead by now but if it survives it will make a move onto my opponent’s objective, tank-shocking to contest or claim. If you don’t have the distance, detach the drones 2 inches from the front of the tank, run them d6 and then move 6 inches in the assault. That means the little Kor’vesa can potentially contest an objective 21 to 26 inches away (Still think we’re playing with a handicapped codex?)

Piranhas are important. You’ll need at least one to survive and move to contest the enemy objectives on the last turn if the Devilfish cannot do so. Plan ahead, on Turn 4 move it so that it is within 24 inches of the objective you need to contest but don’t be obvious about it, consider the movement of your hammerhead more seriously for a while, checking lines of fire, potential spots and then non-chalantly move your piranha to that important spot.

In an ideal game, I would want to coerce my opponent to send the majority of his army at my objective, put up a weak defense, let him claim my objective with foot-sloggers and then move to claim his unguarded objective while contesting mine with reserve units. Doing the old switch-a-roo on him, while he thinks he’s winning cause he’s got my objective earlier than I got his.

Funny thing about objectives, don’t claim them too early, claim them Turn 5 so they’ll only have to hold it for 1-2 turns rather than trying to hold an objective for the majority of the game.

On a final note, Kroot can really make this mission easier. Deploy your objective in a wood and plant your Kroot down and go to ground for a 2+ cover save the whole game. Or outflank them, chances are the both objectives are near a short board edge, so you're almost guaranteed to come in close to one.