How to tarpit?

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

So, I've got a decent amount of tarpit infantry for Death Guard (Poxwalkers and Cultists, 20 each). I was thinking a thousand-point tarpit list might be viable, but frankly, even having run Poxwalkers the entire time I've played 40k, I've never really learned how to tarpit. Any tips for strategies on how to support tarpit infantry, what they should be doing against various foes, etc. would be helpful. (Regarding the Cultists, I have two full squads: one has Autoguns for everyone but the Champion and one Heavy Weapons Guy. Champion has a shotgun, Heavy has a Heavy Stubber. The other squad is all pistols and Brutal Assault Weapons, and the Heavy has a Flamer. I got them secondhand with the intent of stripping them and repainting them, and they came in a box set, supposedly.)

[ShinyRhino]

Tarpitting isn't really a thing in 8th Edition, since you can just fall back out of combat.

To really tarpit something, you have to completely wrap it in models. That's done with pile in and consolidation moves.

[Leonaides]

Takes 3 models to tarpit. Spaced equidistantly around a single enemy model (assuming infantry round bases) there is no room for the enemy to fall back between your models so the entire enemy unit is stuck in combat.

[ShinyRhino]

Takes 3 models to tarpit. Spaced equidistantly around a single enemy model (assuming infantry round bases) there is no room for the enemy to fall back between your models so the entire enemy unit is stuck in combat.

True, but that's difficult to pull off after removal of casualties, pile in and consolidation moves, and no control of enemy model spacing.

[Warhead01]

 

Takes 3 models to tarpit. Spaced equidistantly around a single enemy model (assuming infantry round bases) there is no room for the enemy to fall back between your models so the entire enemy unit is stuck in combat.

True, but that's difficult to pull off after removal of casualties, pile in and consolidation moves, and no control of enemy model spacing

 

One way to do it is to charge an enemy unit that is near to another enemy unit. You will tag the second unit with three of you models. you can't fight that second unit as you didn't charge it but it can't take any casualties from your charging unit either. You have to use your pile in and consolidations to set up your tar pit and gain advantage. 

 

[Leonaides]

hard to do yes - but you can at least try to surround the model the enemy is most likely to want to keep alive. or you might catch them out if they dont realise what you have done...

[shanewatts]

One of the easiest model types to trap is support characters, usually these units are nearby enemy infantry. So you charge the infantry and position to wrap up that character with a pile in + consolidate.

[Brother Navaer Solaq]

if the easiest to tarpit is 32mm support characters

 

then

 

the hardest to tarpit would be tanks?

 

Can you even use the fly ability to during fall back?

[shanewatts]

It is harder to wrap tanks, but easier to lock them up with terrain (tank next to a ruin wall, just need to lock it so it can't move away from your unit.)

 

Units with fly can use it during a fall back (it is movement in the movement phase,) so the only way to truly lock a unit with fly is the saturate the area and give them no where to move (this is very uncommon.)