Callidus Tactics

[Jolemai]

I appear to be doing my Callidus a disservice. These days she tends to get gunned down far too often and I do wonder whether or not I am trying to be too aggressive with her. In each game she has appeared this edition she has been used as a distraction, but generally targeting something she can handle.

 

How do you use your Callidus? Any tips or pitfalls to avoid?

[Kenderleech]

dont deploy her right in somethings face.  Hide her around a corner.  Remember, you cant assault the first full game turn if you infiltrate, so even tho its snap shots only at her, you need to minimize how many she takes.   Make them come get her, because it will cut thier force in half.   And dont pin all your hopes on her either, because in the end, all it takes is one luck missle/melta/fist to pound her dead.

[Helias_Tancred]

So start her away from her mark enough to require a full movement, or at the least put cover between her and her mark? I just picked up a Callidus Assassin tonight and to be honest I have never used one before in the game, and I've only played against one type in a game or two over the last year, a Vindicare assassin.

 

I was choosing between the Eversor and the Callidus and went with the latter seeing her a little more effective IMO beyond the charge.

 

I would love to hear of other successful uses of the Callidus Assassin. 

[Goonbandito]

Don't forget that you don't have to Infiltrate her - if you put her in Reserves, she can come in from the enemy board edge instead of your own if you want and the enemy still has to snap-shot at her on that turn. And her re-roll to Seize the Initiative and -3 penalty to the enemies first reserve roll still apply while she's in reserve herself.

[librisrouge]

The only time I infiltrate her right in front of the enemy is if I'm going first and they were kind enough to set up a beautiful shot for her. Its worth the risk sometimes. Otherwise, find a place of terrain to hide her behind and take advantage of the fact that she has no minimum infiltrate distance. If the enemy can't get to her, thanks to impassable walls (always double check) and can't use barrage on her, thanks to polymorphine, you now have an element of board control.

 

I once had a game where she deployed very well hidden, used her gun on some scouts turn one, charged a thunderfire turn two, and murdered Sicarius and command squad on turn four, all while staying as far out of sight as she could. She is that good...some of the time.

[Arkaniss]

It's been a while since I used a Callidus but I'll echo the thoughts above - don't be too brazen with her infiltration. Try and avoid plonking her down far from any support from friendly units. A lot will depend on your opponents army list and deployment naturally but you should have an idea of where and what you want to target her against but try and resist the temptation to place her in a spot which looks 'too good to be true' - especially if it leaves her isolated. We can all fall into that trap of seeing the potential damage she could do and being blinkered by that - just don't forget to carefully gauge the potential threats in the same situation ;)

 

Also I'd add that Assassins are generally squishier than most people realise and you can never counter the fickle dice gods so sometimes no matter how considerate and clever you are they're just gonna die without doing much. Their reputation can attract a lot of attention and firepower so this can exacerbate the problem. So don't lose heart, I'm sure the game is coming where she has a huge impact and kills many things and all the trials and tribulations up to that point will have been worth it!