Assassination

Another game lesson. This one will be shorter. The lesson here is on assassination.

Sometimes plans fail. In Warmachine, a failed assassination run can be the end of the game. Not only is your assassination piece heavily exposed, but you usually spent all of your resources that turn preparing for the kill, so you're out of position and you didn't apply force to the most immediate threats. Furthermore, you often were able to skimp on defensive measures that you'd normally take, figuring the game would end this turn.

So what do you do? First of all, some degree of exposure is inevitable. How much is necessary? I think that depends greatly on the kill possibility. If your assassination is a Hail Mary that might or might not work, it's probably best to assume the game will continue. If it's charging a non-camping, weak caster with a buffed heavy, you can take more risks.

Second of all, how do you prepare for an assassination? You need to identify the steps you will need to complete in order to perform the assassination. "In order" is key here-- what happens first, second, third, etc? You should also identify the obstacles to each step, and how you will overcome them. Then you should remove the obstacles in order from first to last. The reasoning for this is simple: if you exert great effort clearing obstacles from your path but fail to clear the very first one, all your effort will be wasted and you will likely be in a rough position, having used valuable resources on a failed plan. If, on the other hand, you go from the beginning to the end, then if at any point your preparations fail you can either abort the plan or adjust it to handle this new situation. Thus you can realign your resources where they will do the most good.

Let's go with an example: I have Molik Karn and I want to bullet him in. What are my obstacles? Well, there are models in the way. Karn is in rough terrain which will hinder his movement. The enemy caster has a high ARM stat. There's an anti-magic solo like Orin Midwinter blocking my casts. The enemy has a counter charger near their caster who could do serious damage. There are transfers open that could lead to a failed assassination.

Let's handle these one at a time. How will the assassination ideally go? First I'll cast spells on Karn to increase his movement and get him out of the rough terrain. Then I'll charge him forward, sidestepping towards the enemy caster. Then I'll hit the enemy caster a bunch of times and kill him.

First obstacle is the spell-blocker. If he lives then none of this can happen. So the first thing I do is go after Orin Midwinter. If he lives and I don't think I can remove him without endangering the rest of the plan, I abort and try something else.
Next obstacle are the intervening models. If they live then no amount of spellcasting can get Karn to his target. So then I activate some infantry to clear the way. If they fail, at least they did some killing, and I haven't risked Karn or spent fury on needless spells yet.
Next problem is the caster's defenses. Can I kill any of his beasts? Can I add Fury to them with Paingivers? Can I throw them out of the control area? If I can, I will. This will not only damage his army but also prevent him from surviving through transfers. Can I get a Thrullg or a Hex Blast onto the enemy to remove his magical defenses? If I can, I will. Can I engage his Counter Charger to prevent Molik from being taken out? If I fail at any of those things, I have introduced some uncertainty into the assassination. I have made it more survivable. I have to decide then whether to abort or press forward.

Having done all of that, I can activate my caster, cast the spells, Enrage Karn and charge him in. If I have cleared all of the obstacles, it can work. Had I failed at any stage, I would have to re-evaluate and decide if it was possible to make it. If not, I'd abort for this turn-- just because you start the turn thinking "I could go for the caster kill this turn" does not mean you are bound to do so.

I hope this helps. Assassination is the #1 way new players lose games. It's also a fun way to win! Try it out!