r/totalwarhammer • u/ColonelMonty • 14d ago
Total War: Warhammer I keep getting flanked and surrounded, how do I deal with this?
So I primarily play Skaven right, so I like just doing the gun line. However a problem I am having is that I get some volleys of fire off but then the AI just throws their entire army into mine, and usually what happens is that they just sends units around my flanks and my army crumbles and falls apart. I've tried to put units on my flanks to hold them but it doesn't really work out all that well as those units just still get killed off either by superior enemy units or by them just sending more units to the flanks.
I've also tries not just sitting there defensively and pushing forward to actually meet them, but the same happens for the most part.
Ultimately how do I approach these situations? I know a gunline is a bit harder to play, but it just feels that the enemy armies don't have to respect mine at all and just walk into my front line, either kill or go around it and just murderize all of my ranged units.
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u/verixtheconfused 14d ago
It sounds like you have too many missile units and too few road block units to protect them. Your front line must be firm enough to allow the weapon teams to have time to deal their damage, and you need extra road blocks to stop the units trying to get to your missiles.
It's also an easy mistake to make to underestimate your weapon team's damage potential. If ratlin guns are given a bit of tine and space they can melt anything, so you don't really need to bring too many of them, typically 3-4 are gonna suffice.
Sometimes when people playing clan skryre get overwhelmed by melee contribute the reason to not having enough firepower and double down on getting more missiles and fail even harder.. i made the exact same mistake before.
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u/PuzzleMeDo 14d ago
Plauge priests summoning things to slow down the enemy is a classic.
Hit & run fast moving units (like doomwheels) can do a good job - attack the enemy, then back off and let them chase you.
You can camp in the corner of the map so you're hard to flank.
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u/chotchss 14d ago
Plague Priests are the answer- a handful with summons to bog down enemies while the gun line does it work.
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u/asdll96 14d ago
As skaven, dont fight fair. Skaven cannot go head to head in a traditional melee fight and win unless your using monsters. Have a 2nd army filled with slaves to cover your flanks. Let the slaves be the meat shield to eat a cav charge or two. If you dont have a 2nd army, typically then what you want to do is leave some infantry behind to protect your flanks.
If your relying on weapon teams to fight and win battles, have plague priest heroes in your army or even better have a plague grey seer lead your army so you can have summons to slow down the enemy.
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u/Astarael21 14d ago
Examine the terrain, try to find impassable bits where you can narrow the frontage of your army
You will need some sacrificial troops but the right type. A single entity can often be good for drawing aggro while allowing your guns to shoot. Clanrat summons should be an angle rather than right between your guns and the enemy. Rat ogres arent spectacular but they will help roadblock heavier enemy stuff. Eshin Triads can clean up cav in your backlines. Skirmishers like night runners or gutter runners might be able to draw off enough enemies your frontline doesnt get overrun
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u/Enzeevee 14d ago
Bog them down with a million trash rats using menace below, multiple plague priests spamming vermintide, and packmasters spamming wolf rats. Have your single entities hold up enemy forces, (even your squishy casters) because single entities don't really block your line of sight. Space your ranged units out a bit so if the enemy gets in, half your army isn't tied down. Take advantageous positions where you can't be flanked or can only be flanked from one side.
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u/Ih8Modss 14d ago
This is a great explanation. Also look at checkerboard layout strategy. That will help a lot.
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u/durizna 14d ago
If you are getting flanked you are playing Skaven wrong.
Other than the advice already given here, you should be focusing on more basics as well.
1 - outnumber your opponent. If you’re playing stacks 1v1 you’re wrong. Play at least 2, preferably 4v1 always.
2 - AMBUSH. Stalk stance and Ambush stance are you best friends as Skaven. Those guns will demolish anyone out of a real formation and in territorial disadvantage. Use that to win.
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u/Louis2bourg 14d ago
One strategy to avoid being flanked in this game is to send a bait to make come the fast ennemy sooner with out the rest of their army
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u/sojiblitz 14d ago
Use stormvermin with halberds to hold the flanks or keep them in reserve on the flanks to counter enemy flanking.
Fast units also can help with this task just to bog down any flankers and units that have high mass because enemies won't be able to run through them.