I’ve long been a fan of limited insertion lists for the challenge and the increased average quality of each trooper, but for the last few months I’ve been playing 13-15 order lists. Oftentimes, I see a lot of people running a 10 order, 4 order split for a 14 order list, for example, and that can really cripple them if they go first. Here are three great examples of docking two orders from a small second pool and how that really disrupted the player’s first turn:

I had a long discussion with Rida (Halfjackz) about this at Ragnarok 2019, and he (and some of his meta) are of the opinion that a more even split between combat groups of 7-6, 7-7, or 8-7 for a 13, 14, or 15 order list respectively is very effective. I’ll distill the talking points down for you:

The docking of 2 orders on your first turn is less disruptive, as they present less of a percentage of your total order pool, and you have more total orders remaining in that pool.

Swapping troops between pools can be more efficient, as you don’t have to remove an unconscious trooper from the pool first to make room (in some cases). Free Agent is a very valuable skill in this type of playstyle as well.

It’s like playing two limited insertion lists, so you get to have the same flavor of challenge while having more total orders and more redundancy on the table. In other words, you have to apply the same focus and prioritization of goals during your turn, which builds good habits and focuses you on winning the game instead of just killing your opponent’s models.

The Mission

December is all about sharing the orders! Run a 13-15 order list with evenly split order groups. Write in about how it went to report@bromadacademy.com to win a blister or a Bromad Academy patch, your choice!

As always, all factions are welcome to participate! If you’re looking for examples of games where I actually do this, here are two!

Good hunting, Bromads!