It's Tuesday, and that means another article about WFB Tactics from me, Adam from TheDiceAbide.com. I've noticed that in 8th edition, Fast Cavalry tend to be a bit overlooked, but I believe in the hands of a skilled general, these can be a very effective tool. To understand how to use them, first we have to look over all the rules that they come with.
Vanguard
Right off the bat, your Fast Cavalry will be in your enemies face. Vanguard allows them to make a 12" move before the game begins. This is important, because Vanguard units can be used to react to scouts if needed, by turning to face them and potentially charge or shoot them on your first turn, before the scouts can do much, if any damage. If you are going to run your Fast Cavalry down the flanks of your enemy, then the 12" move will help you get deep by almost a full turn worth of free movement. Lastly, being able to advance 12" helps you get into position to charge redirect very early in the game.
Free Reform
This is a pretty self explanatory ability, but it is an ability with a lot of uses. Since you could reform 1 model wide, move, then reform to a normal width, you can squeeze in small spaces. You can also use this to just freely maneuver around the field, get into flanks, position yourself for good charges, redirect like a pro and a dozen other uses. Of all the abilities that Fast Cavalry have, this is one of the most important. Since your unit effectively doesn't need to worry about wheeling, your only concern is that the furthest model didn't go past double his movement to get there.
Feigned Flight
With Free Reform, this ability really defines what Fast Cavalry are. After they choose a flee reaction from a charge, if they reform the following turn, they can move and shoot as normal! If your opponent fails their charge after you flee, you can simply reform, position yourself for a redirect and flee again. Doing this over and over is not only an effective way to help tie up enemy units, but also a great way to just frustrate your opponent.
Fire on the March
The last ability for Fast Cavalry gives them the ability to march and/or reform, then fire their weapons. That means that your effective range will be significantly longer, goblin wolf riders being able to shoot 34", or 27" and still be in short range. You still suffer the penalty for moving and shooting, but that's not anything you would not have normally. Your Fast Cavalry units probably wont be doing many wounds with their ranged attacks, but they will be annoying at the very least.
Uses for Fast Cavalry
The first and probably most obvious use for Fast Cavalry is for Charge Redirection. Combining their Vanguard, and then their normal movement, which when marching will be anywhere from 14" to 18" (20" for Seekers, but they can't flee), with their ability to freely reform means that you can use your fast cavalry to really get in your opponents face. If you're going to use your Fast Cav for this, you probably want to stick to units if 5-6, since they aren't going to be using their numbers for anything, and you don't want to give up a lot of points when they inevitably die, on that same note, typically the only command you will want to give your Fast Cavalry is a musician for the +1 to rally.
If you take more than one small unit, you can try to march block an enemy unit with two of yours. They will charge the first one, which will flee, then redirect to another, which will probably flee, only allowing the opponent to move up for a failed charge. Next turn you can regroup and repeat. It's not always 100% effective, but delaying the opponent for a turn or two could make all the difference, especially if they're slowing down a really nasty unit.
A note to beginners: you generally don't want to be right up in your opponents face to redirect on turn 1, because your other units wont be in charge range anyhow, instead, you want to get into position for turn 2/3 redirects, depending on how fast your army, or your opponents army are.
Aside from redirection, which can sometimes be done by cheaper units, Fast Cavalry are actually great for charges of opportunity. With their speed and maneuverability, you can try and get a unit or two of fast cavalry into your opponents artillery, or a flank/rear charge to add to static combat resolution to an existing combat. Even though they don't hit terribly hard, the +2/1 for rear/flank, +1 for charging and any wounds they manage to do can really help push a combat in your favor. If your fast cavalry are particularly inexpensive, such as Goblin Wolf Riders, you could even take a couple ranks worth and disrupt the enemy, effectively negating up to +3 of your opponents combat resolution! Be careful when you do this tough, most fast cavalry won't give up too many wounds to a unit of enemy spearmen, but Khorne Chaos Warriors will probably eat your unit very quickly. Fast Cavalry units such as Marauder Horsemen, Seekers, and any others which are unbreakable or lack ranged weapons are more suited for this role. Some units such as Ellyrian Reavers with spears and bows, or Glade Riders may be able to pull this off as well, but only against non-elite enemy fighters.
The third role that Fast Cavalry can typically pull off is just plain harassment. Getting a unit 30" across the board on turn 1, and down the sides of your enemy's army is going to make them uneasy. On top of that, you might get lucky and kill a couple models per turn with their ranged weapons (or more than a couple with Dark Riders), which after a while your opponent will be afraid of a potential rear charge, or leaving his artillery (or equivalent) exposed, so they will be forced to deal with your ~80 point unit of pure annoyance.
On their own, Fast Cavalry may not seem that impressive, but on the field, they can perform many small, but useful roles, any of which will probably get on your opponent's nerves. When using Fast Cavalry, be sure to keep your unit small and inexpensive, as being that close to your enemy will probably mean they're going to die eventually. Even though they wont plow through your opponents units and score you a bunch of VP's, they definitely can be used to get an edge in combat, kill vulnerable targets and be a general nuisance.
What are your favorite Fast Cavalry units and what are your tips and tricks for equipping and using them?
What are your favorite Fast Cavalry units and what are your tips and tricks for equipping and using them?
