Making Gyrocopters and Bombers work somehow

[Lord Krungharr]

I really want to make good use of my two Gyrocopters and two Bombers.  The copters have done alright on occasion but the bombers are slower and that makes it harder to bomb things. 

So I'm thinking of the various Cities and Living City could help both ones bomb but would require a CP (could get close then move again to drop if needed). 

 Greywater is good for the Steam Gun in the copters but nothing for bomber range.  I'm sort of thinking should they stay behind a melee unit and move up and back 6" to drop on some melee goings on to thin them out?  More of a close support in a pair.   Problem is if they get engaged within 3" they can't do anything with the changes to 'normal move', they couldn't bomb when retreating.   

 

Guess a new Cities tome might come to their aid but doubtful perhaps.  The models are super fun!  Need to see them on the table dang it.  

Any ideas?

[readercolin]

I haven't played with any gyrocopters yet, but I have tried some gyrobombers (using old metal hawk riders painted up as mini-phoenix's).  They were profoundly uninspiring, and my opponents could basically just ignore them, or come around and try to hit them with some chaff, which would be enough to kill them anyways.  Since the gyrobomber's gun dishes out a grand total of 1 damage before saves (on average), they aren't exactly something worth writing home about, and 12" move + bomb dropping isn't particularly reliable.  The only use I found for them was to shuffle around and zone out deepstrikes and summoning, as they don't even have the movement required to easily snag objectives and score battle tactics.  That being said, 5 wounds is at least enough for them to count as 2 on objectives, and I hope that whenever Cities gets a new book they bump the copters up to 5 wounds as well.

Similarly, I can't find a justifiable reason to run a gryocopter without the steam gun.  Again, the damage output from the gun is pretty minimal, though the once-per-game dropping bombs isn't that big of a deal as that is about the number of bombs my gyrobombers dropped as well.  However, the steam guns are at least justifiable to bring if your local meta has a lot of horde armies.  So maybe if expert conquerers sticks around but they kill the bounty hunter battalion.  16" move is a lot more significant than 12", and they are a lot better for sniping objectives and getting battle tactics, and if your opponent does bring hordes then moving up with the steam gun can actually do something.  But again, it is entirely up to your local meta as to whether or not they are worth running.

[Lord Krungharr]

Mmyeah, that all sounds about right.  Almost too bad they're not Battleline If the general is Ironweld Aresnal (like my Steam Tank).  At least they could be Galletian Veterans: Bounty Hunters and do more damage per shot vs other GVs.  Or something.  

I'll just run them as Gyrocopters then, a squadron of 2x2, which when simultaneously bombing and nearly simultaneously shooting could put the hurt on even a unit of like 5 Paladins or something.

[Skreech Verminking]

12 hours ago, Lord Krungharr said:

Mmyeah, that all sounds about right.  Almost too bad they're not Battleline If the general is Ironweld Aresnal (like my Steam Tank).  At least they could be Galletian Veterans: Bounty Hunters and do more damage per shot vs other GVs.  Or something.  

I'll just run them as Gyrocopters then, a squadron of 2x2, which when simultaneously bombing and nearly simultaneously shooting could put the hurt on even a unit of like 5 Paladins or something.

You do know that only the combat damage will be increased.

not that of a shooting attack

[Lord Krungharr]

On 10/13/2022 at 1:44 AM, Skreech Verminking said:

You do know that only the combat damage will be increased.

not that of a shooting attack

Well poop.

[Skreech Verminking]

1 minute ago, Lord Krungharr said:

Well poop.

Sorry mate

[Lord Krungharr]

No biggie, I can still Desecrate Lands to some extent with them in some cases.  They're fun for everyone

[Barbarian Borelord]

The Gyrobomber I think is pretty useless, it's a cheap unit for delivering MW's but I doubt it would survive for long enough to do a bombing run more than once, so you might as well take the Gyrocopter.

The Copter I think has three uses: firstly as very mobile cannon fodder - in my latest game I send two of them plus a Grundstok Gunhauler right into an Urruk Warclans horde to be slaughtered there, to keep them busy while my Outriders shot them to pieces. Secondly: as objective grabbers. Thirdly: the steam gun does make them good against a massive horde of infantry: you put them right in front of a horde of 40 goblins or skaven and you give them a free sauna with 40 attacks for every Copter you got there, as long as they are in the limited range, 

[Lord Krungharr]

My only thought for the bomber is keeping a unit of 2 behind a mob of Ironbreakers.  Every one of my turns (assuming they're not shot down), they could move forth and back 6" each way doing 2D3 MW on the unit in combat to assist the dwarves on the ground.  And taking pot shots with their clatter guns.  But for sure the Copters have more versatility and usefulness, if for nothing else than their extra speed.

[Barbarian Borelord]

13 hours ago, Lord Krungharr said:

My only thought for the bomber is keeping a unit of 2 behind a mob of Ironbreakers.  Every one of my turns (assuming they're not shot down), they could move forth and back 6" each way doing 2D3 MW on the unit in combat to assist the dwarves on the ground.  And taking pot shots with their clatter guns.  But for sure the Copters have more versatility and usefulness, if for nothing else than their extra speed.

I think the Flamespyre Phoenix would do a better job at that. But for both the Phoenix and the Gyrobomber I think it is necessary to bring back the option to make them run or retreat and still deliver their fly-over mortal wounds. Right now that isn't possible and I think that makes them both underpreforming units.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Barbarian Borelord

[Lord Krungharr]

Yeah, the limits of the 'normal move' are frustratingly common these days.  If there was an artefact that gave a shooting attack, then a Living City Flamespyre could then use a CA to poop fire on units much more easily, or two units perhaps.  Can't think of an artefact that would grant that though.