GROUND SCHOOL

he first thing you should do if you're thinking about deploying Apocalypse flyers is familiarize yourself with the rules in the expansion book. This seems obvious, but it's still worth mentioning, as most 40K players will be completely unfamiliar with flyers (unless they've played using the Forge World Imperial Armour rules, which are somewhat similar).

Unlike standard games, you now have a bit more control over your reserves through the new Strategic Reserves rule. Since your flyers deploy as Strategic Reserves (except they can deploy on the table anywhere you like), that means you can count on seeing them in your games, which will affect your strategy. That also makes your flyers even more worth their points cost, as you don't have to worry about them not showing up at all.

However, as tempting as it may be to take an all-flyer army in Apocalypse, there is one limitation to them that should give you pause. Flyers never count as scoring units! You might be able to wipe out a good chunk of the opposing army with your flyers, but you can't claim any objectives with them. The only ways around this limit is to take drop troops with your flyers or take a few flyers with Hover Mode, but that's putting your eggs in only a few baskets.

WHERE ARE THE BRAKES?!?

ith the exception of Hover Mode, flyers have no way of stopping in midair. This fact is reflected in the movement rules for flyers, which require you to move them at least 36" every Movement Phase. However, that doesn't mean you have to go racing across the whole table each turn, though that can be a good option at certain times. Pilots use something called an "S-turn" to reduce their ground speed, and you can do the same with flyers in Apocalypse. Zig-zag across your line of approach to slow down, or even consider looping and flying back towards your original starting point. In summary, think through your movement carefully, and make sure you plan it out for the next several turns, as you can't stop to get your bearings.

Remember, you can disengage your flyers rather than move them. This can be useful if you have several anti-aircraft mounts (more on them later) between your flyer and its next target. Then, it might be worth disengaging this turn and dropping back in next turn behind the flak cover so you can take out the target with impunity.

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

on't forget that you're flyers are attack planes and not tanks. What they have in mobility, aircraft pay for in lack of armor. Even the mighty Thunderhawk Gunship, weighing in at 900 points, only has a front armor value of 12. That means that if an opponent manages to connect with a shot, your flyer is in trouble. The best thing you can do is avoid those shots altogether. You already get some protection by moving fast, but do your best to stay out of range of the enemy's big guns. As you eyeball your foe's weaponry, remember to reduce their range by 12" to account for your elevation. Also don't get trapped into thinking that you can only move 36" – you can move the full length of the table, right over the biggest enemy antiaircraft guns, and they can't shoot you if your final position is out of their range.

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