Greetings from Overwhelming Odds! Where military insights a

[Overwhelming Odds]

I played a game today custodes vs tyranids. He had 2 20 man swamlord buffed units of stealers. And oh man parking a caladius in front of all my valuable ranged units and scoring tropes in a joke point messed my opponent very hard. Thanks for some fresh ideas!

This is exactly the type of feedback and comments that fire me up in the morning!  Hearing that my content enables success on the battlefield is the ultimate goal of Overwhelming Odds. I don't want to put out content that has no effect.   I can't wait to hear more comments and stories just like this one.  Thank you Hellex! 

[Overwhelming Odds]

Today's article is on "Utilizing my PowerPoint file to practice games".  I think you will find it very informative and helpful. 

 

Check it out today's article here --> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/utilizing-my-powerpoint-file-to-practice-games/

 

I know not everyone is familiar with PowerPoint, so if anyone is having any issues, whatsoever, in doing what they want to do with my file, let me know.  I would gladly create a step-by-step walk-through for what you want to do.  It is actually quite quick to do, and I can usually accomplish a walk-through for a topic, within a single day.  Plus, it's PowerPoint.  You can literally google what you want to do, and there are probably a hundred walk-throughs already.  Either way, let me know what you need and I will get it done.

 

Tomorrow we will be really expanding on what you can do with this file!  This is where real military intelligence will be applied.  You do not want to miss this!

 

Going forward, the articles are only going to be better and better, as we can now visualize any concept with ease.  I hope you are as excited as I am!

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[ShinyRhino]

After reading through all parts of the Deployment articles, I'm feeling a little more prepared for the next time I play a game. I'm going to make up a cheat sheet to help keep these things fresh in my mind, especially the analysis of reserves for various deployment methods.

 

I'm still left struggling with the "Nova L" terrain setup, which my FLGS crowd uses constantly. Basically, two huge 8x8x8 half-boxes that block line of sight, but not movement for infantry. It's a giant visible chokepoint, but not one at all in terms of movement. This has skewed since of the players' armies to feature gigantic blobs of fast moving melee units that you can neither shoot nor overwatch on their way in. Something like double moving Genestealers is made exponentially more powerful by such a layout.

 

Any insights for dealing with such a terrain setup.

[Overwhelming Odds]

After reading through all parts of the Deployment articles, I'm feeling a little more prepared for the next time I play a game. I'm going to make up a cheat sheet to help keep these things fresh in my mind, especially the analysis of reserves for various deployment methods.

 

I'm still left struggling with the "Nova L" terrain setup, which my FLGS crowd uses constantly. Basically, two huge 8x8x8 half-boxes that block line of sight, but not movement for infantry. It's a giant visible chokepoint, but not one at all in terms of movement. This has skewed since of the players' armies to feature gigantic blobs of fast moving melee units that you can neither shoot nor overwatch on their way in. Something like double moving Genestealers is made exponentially more powerful by such a layout.

 

Any insights for dealing with such a terrain setup.

ShinyRhino, 

 

Happy Monday and thank you for the feedback! Hearing that my articles are making a difference makes all the time and effort worthwhile.  I am also very pleased to hear that there is so much information of value in my articles, you need a cheat sheet. 

 

This "Nova L" concept has me intrigued. This layout does indeed sound very skewed, but everything can be countered with enough effort.  Give me a day to research, compile some notes, and test some theories I have and you can expect an article on this tomorrow.  I think it has a lot of value for all of my readership.  

 

I want to at least attempt to give you an idea of what immediately comes to my mind as a counter-strategy.  Movement is one of the easiest things to interrupt and control when the opposing unit lacks fly.  I would try to use a something, like the following, to interfere with their movement.  Especially since you *know* the opponent wants to exploit that terrain.  Use that knowledge against them. An opponent being predictable can very exploitable.

 

Drop pods would choke off a huge area until they dealt with it. Drop those drop pod doors! I would measure and find the maximum range a double move would get the assault unit/s you are worried about.  Then I would place my drop pods near the large pieces of terrain that blocks line-of-sight.  This forces the opposing player to choose between having to assault drop pods and waste a turn, -or- going around, eating up precious movement while also being visible to shooting.  Either is a bad prospect.  With the update to drop pods, you can even bring them in turn 1 forcing a psychological effect as well.  This could also be accomplished with two empty, large, fast moving transports turned longways.  No one likes assaulting an empty transport.  Very little gain from that.  Then put a second layer of defense just behind that roadblocking wall of drop pods/transports.  This counter-attack unit or group of units, is the deterrent.  Genestealers assault the drop pods/transports, and you get to counter charge them.  No one wants to allow their assault unit to be charged first.  Just make sure that deterrent unit is scary and capable.  Unless you just want to delay and tar pit those genestealers.  Forcing them to fall back, out of combat, also has benefit as well.  Just watch out for stratagem usage at times like that.  

 

Lastly, Tau players used to be notorious for doing exactly this with Piranhas.  A group of three creates a large "wall" preventing movement and they have great movement range.  So, don't forget larger sized models can be used in the same manner as the above drop pods/ transports!

 

Thanks for the great article idea, I am excited to break this problem set down.  Hopefully, I can exceed your expectations.  As always, I will provide information, quantified and qualified, so you and others can create or improve on my theories.  

 

V/r,

Dan

[Overwhelming Odds]

Happy Monday! 

 

Let's wrap up the last two days of 2019 with some seriously amazing content.  Yesterday, I promised today's article would be "face melting" with all the incredible information contained within.  Before we jump to that though, a quick story.

 

When I went through basic training, my instructor told me something I have never forgotten.  He said, "Do you know what the difference is between cockiness and confidence?".  Of course, I said "no".  His answer was simple.  "Follow through". 

 

Well, now you can come check out if I have followed through on my boasts and bold claims from yesterday.  You can find today's article here--> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/utilizing-powerpoint-for-strategic-gain-and-insight/

 

I am working very hard to put out content worth your very valuable time.  If you don't learn something worthwhile, each and every time you read one of my articles, then I have failed in my mission.

 

As always, the goal is to crush any hope your opponent has of winning, with overwhelming odds, by utilizing your information superiority during battle and on the battlefield.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Overwhelming Odds]

After reading through all parts of the Deployment articles, I'm feeling a little more prepared for the next time I play a game. I'm going to make up a cheat sheet to help keep these things fresh in my mind, especially the analysis of reserves for various deployment methods.

 

I'm still left struggling with the "Nova L" terrain setup, which my FLGS crowd uses constantly. Basically, two huge 8x8x8 half-boxes that block line of sight, but not movement for infantry. It's a giant visible chokepoint, but not one at all in terms of movement. This has skewed since of the players' armies to feature gigantic blobs of fast moving melee units that you can neither shoot nor overwatch on their way in. Something like double moving Genestealers is made exponentially more powerful by such a layout.

 

Any insights for dealing with such a terrain setup.

ShinyRhino,  

 

I wanted to build some excitement and preview a "little" of what you can expect from tomorrow's article.  It is a very "busy" graphic, but I will be breaking it down into layers for easier viewing in the article.  Just thought I would share how I go about determining the "problem set" before breaking that into individual parts for analyzing.  I wanted to see "worst case" and work backwards from there.

 

Click on the image to enlarge it

 

 

You can already glean a ton of info from this graphic!

 

V/r,

 

Dan

Edited December 30, 2019 by Overwhelming Odds

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I’d like to see you rank each deployment type by melee and shooting. For example I personally abhor Dawn of War and love Vanguard Strike.

[mel_danes]

I’d like to see you rank each deployment type by melee and shooting. For example I personally abhor Dawn of War and love Vanguard Strike.

Seconded.

I love Hammer and Anvil. I would like it more if we only had 12" deployment zones.

But what can you do.

[ShinyRhino]

ShinyRhino,

 

I wanted to build some excitement and preview a "little" of what you can expect from tomorrow's article.

That's amazing!

[Claws and Effect]

I will definitely be paying attention to this site.

 

My abysmal 3 and a lot record needs some help. But to be fair, my problem is that my dice hate me, rather than poor tactics.

 

Perhaps you could offer some insight to minimizing the effect of a streak of terrible rolls.

[plasmaspam]

I'll take the next week reading your website to get up to date - brilliant content.

 

Would you be up for people sending you their own batreps (assuming a minimum standard of content) for analysis and comment? I think it would be an eye opener!

[Overwhelming Odds]

I’d like to see you rank each deployment type by melee and shooting. For example I personally abhor Dawn of War and love Vanguard Strike.

 

 

 

I’d like to see you rank each deployment type by melee and shooting. For example I personally abhor Dawn of War and love Vanguard Strike.

Seconded.

I love Hammer and Anvil. I would like it more if we only had 12" deployment zones.

But what can you do.

 

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  You asked for it, so you shall have it.  Tomorrow, I will be taking a deep look at the six deployment zones in the rule book. Once again, it will be a measurable analysis so you can see how I approach a problem set like this and how I draw my conclusions. Thank you Black Blow Fly and mel_danes for your excellent ideas and interest in my analysis!  My ranking of the maps is going to very qualitative and quantitative.  I'm going to exceed your expectations for sure.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Overwhelming Odds]

I will definitely be paying attention to this site.

 

My abysmal 3 and a lot record needs some help. But to be fair, my problem is that my dice hate me, rather than poor tactics.

 

Perhaps you could offer some insight to minimizing the effect of a streak of terrible rolls.

Claws and Effect,

 

You have just found my kryptonite!  Randomness, bad dice, unrealistic statistical outcomes, and utter nonsense causes me to lose my sanity, composure, and patience.  There is nothing worse than fighting probability, rather than your enemy.  Let me tell you just how much I hate when these aspects RUIN a game.

I could not sleep at night knowing that my dice *could* be a variable themselves.  My OCD can't handle this.  So I made it a point to buy casino dice.  Now, no matter what happens during a game, I do not have to worry anymore. It is not the dice, dice hate, someone cursing my dice, balance issues, imperfections, or any other nonsense.  I have peace of mind and a certificate of balance.  I can sleep soundly knowing it was just variation in outcome, and not a outlying negative factor creeping it's way into my game.  Just my 2 cents though.  But, seriously, I have an opponent blessed by the dice gods thrice over, so it was a necessity for me to maintain my sanity.

 

Additionally, I have found, through games almost unwinnable due to my "thrice blessed by the dice gods" opponent, that strategy TRUMPS dice outcomes if you focus on overwhelming odds.  This is not a pun.  I am dead serious.  My interaction with this "aberration of nature" opponent was THE driving force for the name and creation of this site.  I had to learn the hard way, over and over, defeat after defeat, at the hands of cruel fate and hateful dice gods.  I learned to capitalize on every aspect I could to OFFSET the unbelievable luck of my opponent. We are talking seriously statistic-breaking outcomes. 

 

So I absolutely sympathize with you.  More than you can possibly imagine.  I PROMISE you that it is possible to command a battle so fully, even the dice gods cringe.  I had to learn that for myself, and I will gladly teach everything I learned to the community.  You sir, have won the lottery.  I will make an article that breaks down each and every way I deny the dice gods any ability to impede my victory.  Expect a 2 day turn-around on this article, because I want to capture everything I know and use.  This is an article that resonates with me.  EXCELLENT request and topic!

 

V/r,

 

Dan

Edited December 31, 2019 by Overwhelming Odds

[Overwhelming Odds]

I'll take the next week reading your website to get up to date - brilliant content.

 

Would you be up for people sending you their own batreps (assuming a minimum standard of content) for analysis and comment? I think it would be an eye opener!

Plasmaspam,

 

Wow.  What an honor! I am absolutely interested.  Deconstructing and analyzing scenarios, whether back in my military days or now in this glorious hobby, will always be enjoyable for me.  I have a passion for continuous improvement. We should always be bettering ourselves and receiving feedback. Both on the battlefield and in life.  So, when you ask if you can send battle reports for my analysis, I am truly humbled.  I am honestly not worried about the minimum standard of content.  I have seen battle reports with completely unpainted armies, on a bare table, with some cups for terrain, and learned so much from the battle.  Tactics, strategies, timing, execution, and so much more can be learned from even the most basic game.  You just have to be looking.  Send me whatever you have and I will definitely give feedback that you can use to gain new insights and perspective. 

 

Thank you once again for the opportunity!

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Overwhelming Odds]

Happy New year's Eve!  Today's article is massive, because I wanted to end 2019 with an article that leaves you speechless and excited for the New Year!  Once again, this article was created at the request of one of our community members here, ShinyRhino.  You definitely need to check it out right now!  If you like what you read, please consider subscribing.

 

Click this right now, don't delay! (Unless you are a Tyranid player, then skip this one, nothing you need to see here or learn about, move along... )

--> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/how-to-defend-against-a-mobile-assault-army-using-line-of-sight-blocking-terrain-on-the-approach/

 

Also, don't forget to thank ShinyRhino for his suggestion and request!  

 

Squeaky wheels get the grease.  So if YOU want to have content created, speak up.  I have not said "no" once.  I also have fulfilled every single request for content, within a single day.

 

May the New Year and Overwhelming Odds bring you ever closer to the goal of crushing any hope your opponent has of winning. May you dominate the battle and the battlefield with your information superiority.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Khornestar]

I have read a few of the articles on your site, and I really enjoy your content. Truthfully, I don’t think I want to be quite so in depth with my understanding of the game’s mechanics personally, but there are many concepts you’re sharing that are both simple and useful. Perfect for goobers like me!

 

I also must say I really appreciate your abilities to both communicate and proofread. It’s clear that you put a lot of work into your articles! Proofreading and editing are woefully lacking on the Internet, but we all have different backgrounds and priorities, so what’s the point of being a pedant (other than the fandom’s inability to spell berserker, I will never let that one go)?

 

Thank you for your proper apostrophe usage, as well.

 

Please keep it up!

Edited January 1, 2020 by Juggernut

[Overwhelming Odds]

I have read a few of the articles on your site, and I really enjoy your content. Truthfully, I don’t think I want to be quite so in depth with my understanding of the game’s mechanics personally, but there are many concepts you’re sharing that are both simple and useful. Perfect for goobers like me!

 

I also must say I really appreciate your abilities to both communicate and proofread. It’s clear that you put a lot of work into your articles! Proofreading and editing are woefully lacking on the Internet, but we all have different backgrounds and priorities, so what’s the point of being a pedant (other than the fandom’s inability to spell berserker, I will never let that one go)?

 

Thank you for your proper apostrophe usage, as well.

 

Please keep it up!

Juggernut,

 

Happy New year!  Thank you for your feedback and compliments!  I realize that I do go very in-depth in some of my articles.  What might be too in-depth for a casual gamer might be just right for a hard-core tournament player looking for every advantage.  All in all, I just want to highlight aspects of the game, bring a fresh perspective, and create visual content that illustrates concepts for everyone to easily understand.  From all the comments received so far, I have managed to balance content so that everyone finds worthwhile information.  I try my best in that regard.

 

Thanks for noticing and appreciating the content from a grammatical standpoint.  I keep myself to the same standards as when I was publishing intelligence reports for the military and civilian sector.  You are absolutely correct that it takes a lot of time, both in review and editing.  Everything is triple-checked before publishing, and not just by me.

 

I will say that I spend, on average, 4 hours or more, on producing my daily content.  Much more time is required on battle reports.  A typical article starts with a draft, then I create graphics to support the ideas and concepts.  From there, I elaborate on the graphics and concepts further.  Lastly, I review, edit, and add additional content as needed to clearly communicate my message and ideas.  It is a lot of work, but I enjoy every single moment of it.  I learn just as much by writing about it as my readership.  I am constantly learning.  Visualization is very powerful.

 

Thanks for the grammar compliment.  I abhor texting and what it has done to our society.  Communication skills and professionalism seem to be slipping as a whole.  That concludes my *rant*.

 

I greatly appreciate your comments and feedback.  Everyday, this community has motivated me to produce better and better content.  I can't wait to see just how far I can push the envelope.  I am building upon previous content and leveraging it for even greater effect, each and every day.  Every graphic I make is a template that can be used for future articles.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Overwhelming Odds]

Happy New Year!  Today's article is brought to you courtesy of a request from two community members here, Black Blow Fly and mel_danes.  Make sure to thank them for the suggestion!

 

Today, we are looking at the concept of "synchronizing" shooting and/or assault, and how we can accomplish that. The article also contains a look at the six deployment zones in the rule book and how I rank them. Once again, it will be a measurable analysis, so you can see how I approach a problem set like this and how I draw my conclusions. 

 

You definitely need to check it out right now!  If you like what you read, please consider subscribing.

 

You can read the article, now, here! --> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/analyzing-the-deployment-maps-in-the-rule-book/

 

Squeaky wheels get the grease.  So if YOU want to have content created, speak up.  I have not said "no" once.  I also have fulfilled every single request for content so far.

 

May the New Year and Overwhelming Odds bring you ever closer to the goal of crushing any hope your opponent has of winning. May you dominate the battle and the battlefield with your information superiority.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[Khornestar]

I suppose this is a stupid question because I'm doing something stupid, but I prefer to more or less play as "pure" a World Eaters list as possible, which is to say as many close combat elements as possible and really minimal shooting.

 

Knowing in advance that this is intentionally making a list with a weakness, how can one do one's best with a "melee only" army? I realize such a list is unlikely to win a tournament, but let's say one wanted to challenge him/herself and do such a thing. How would you make the best of using such an army? Which qualities are worthwhile in such an army? Speed, one assumes, but how best to make use of an entire army charging across the table. Should the charges be staggered over different turns? This topic is one I'd like tons of detail on.

 

I realize part of the answer is related to deployment/movement related topics covered elsewhere. If this is not suitable as an article topic please disregard :P .

Edited January 1, 2020 by Juggernut

[Overwhelming Odds]

Juggernut,

 

I should have guessed from your avatar you were all about that "Blood for the Blood God!".  Luckily, so am I!

 

 

There is absolutely nothing stupid about "all-assault, all day" armies.  I mastered it with my Blood Angels, and I have been doing my best to do the same with my World Eaters.  Khorne Berserkers are amazing, like really, really good after Hateful Assault was given to them, but their mobility is trash.  That was a steep learning curve coming from a jump pack assault army.  Transports are a godsend.  Rhinos are the enabler and force multiplier in this army.  I can not stress the value and impact Rhinos make.  Sure, one Rhino is not all that amazing; but 3 or more, all carrying 10 berserkers, destroys an opponent's target priority.  I will absolutely write an article on how pure assault armies can win games.  I do it all the time. 

 

Today's article should have given you a glimpse of how I achieve that. 

 

You will hear a lot of people saying that "no interaction in a phase" is bad.  Like no psykers, or no melee ability (Tau), or no shooting (Khorne assault armies).  But I will go on record right now saying that is utter nonsense.  A well balanced list is a jack of all trades, master of none.  Being a master of certain areas can be devastating in the right hands.  Tau are horrible in assault, but can have two amazing shooting phases (normal and overwatch).  Khorne armies easily achieve two fight phases, and up to three.  You have to exploit your strengths to maximum effect while mitigating your weak areas.  Rhinos protect you from your kryptonite,  the shooting phase.  That way you can be as close to 100% as possible, in model count, when you do charge and assault.  The trick is making the assault phase so one-sided and brutally effective, the opponent can't recover.  It is a very technical army to play, but oh so rewarding!

 

Expect an article in the next few days.  I happen to have some photos I can use to illustrate a savage beating...

 

V/r,

 

Dan

[mel_danes]

"This is my Boomstick"

Ash

 

Excellent write up sir.

I regularly face orks, and time to assault is a thunderous clock 4 minutes to midnight I've come to fear.

 

By inverting your analysis, looking at the side being assaulted, I can see a number of scenarios playing out.

 

Obviously objectives and unit type will play a vital roll in how you deploy a force.

I tend to play Primaris Ground Pounders, IE exclusively foot troopers with no vehicular support. Using a denied flank, psuedo castle deployment.

My preference for Hammer and Anvil seems to live up with your analysis. Forcing my opponent into overlapping fields of fire, at choke points if he wishes to assault.

 

Thanks again.

[Dracos]

Okay looks like I have a site to checkout. Like Shiny Rhino, as ex-military, I tend to be skeptical of claims of applying real world military concepts and analysis to 40k. Most I’ve ran across either exaggerate their understanding of the former or have a poor ability to use it properly with the latter. But I share bough similar thinking to Rhino and Black Blow Fly I’m going to have to check this out.

 

Thanks, my lunch reading schedule is now filled for at least a month ;)

 

 

 

PS: I haven’t started yet but curious what environmental context your using during your analysis. Terrain set up is just about top three in game factors and seeing a breakdown of how to approach ITC, ETC and some of the specific tournament packets such as NOVA and AdeptiCon would be interesting.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Dracos

[ShinyRhino]

Happy New year's Eve! Today's article is massive, because I wanted to end 2019 with an article that leaves you speechless and excited for the New Year! Once again, this article was created at the request of one of our community members here, ShinyRhino. You definitely need to check it out right now! If you like what you read, please consider subscribing.

 

Click this right now, don't delay! (Unless you are a Tyranid player, then skip this one, nothing you need to see here or learn about, move along... )

--> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/how-to-defend-against-a-mobile-assault-army-using-line-of-sight-blocking-terrain-on-the-approach/

 

Also, don't forget to thank ShinyRhino for his suggestion and request!

 

Squeaky wheels get the grease. So if YOU want to have content created, speak up. I have not said "no" once. I also have fulfilled every single request for content, within a single day.

 

May the New Year and Overwhelming Odds bring you ever closer to the goal of crushing any hope your opponent has of winning. May you dominate the battle and the battlefield with your information superiority.

 

V/r,

 

Dan

I've been reading and rereading the article. It's wonderful. I've gleaned a lot of ideas already.

My local crowd doesn't play drop pods in that manner (we play like the doors don't exist), but I'm revising the end goal of my all-Phobos army list to include a pair of Impulsors to serve a similar role. The inherent -2 to enemy charges, plus Fly, should make them passable roadblocks for assault armies.

 

Thanks for taking the time to prepare and present the articles!

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Thanks for the excellent article it’s invaluable for me.

[Overwhelming Odds]

Happy New Year, day 2!  Today's article is brought to you courtesy of a request from a community member here, Claws and Effect.  Make sure to thank them for the suggestion!

 

Today, we are looking at the how to reduce the impacts of the dice on your game, and how we go about accomplishing that. The article also contains a look at a type and brand of dice, worth at least a look.  It is an option you may not have considered.

 

You definitely need to check it out right now!  If you like what you read, please consider subscribing.

 

Feed your mind here! --> https://overwhelmingodds40k.com/strategy-and-tactics-to-overwhelm-even-bad-dice/

 

Squeaky wheels get the grease.  So if YOU want to have content created, speak up.  I have not said "no" once.  I also have fulfilled every single request for content so far.

 

May this New Year bring you ever closer to the goal of obliterating all hope your opponent has of winning. May you control the battle and the battlefield with your information dominance.

 

V/r,

 

Dan