Welcome to the SGU Importance of Knowing series. In this series we will explore the value of "knowing" within the confines of a game. In this case I will focus on 40K but the principles here can apply to any gaming situation.
In this segment I would like to talk about one of the most important aspect of "knowing". That is, the importance of knowing the rules in relationship to the armies played. Even veteran gamers find ourselves looking for a rule in the book from time to time.
I think, the most important aspect of knowing the rules of the game, is knowing how these rules relate to the army that you are playing. Does your army dominate the movement phase? does it dominate in the shooting or assault phases? or maybe a combination of all three in varying degrees. This value of knowledge, of course also applies to the list that was built for that particular army. For example: a Spacewolf army is geared to close firefights, and close combat; but with the addition of long fangs and land speeder typhoons they become formidable at range.
Knowing where your army fits within the rule system also means that you are able to take advantage of your strengths during the game, increasing the odds for things to go in your favour.
Likewise, knowing the rules allows you to place any opponents army into context. The same questions apply, is the enemy army good at range? is the enemy army good at maneuvering? And How does the army do this?(transports, running, abilities?...)
By knowing the rules and the way that each army, or list build, interacts with them as a general you can seek to augment your own strengths and negate those of the enemies. This helps path the way to victory. Join Me next time when I talk about knowing not only the rules, but your opponents army.
Cheers!
