Detachment Focus: Bridgehead Strike

Merry Grotmas! Games Workshop is releasing a new series of detachments – one per army, every day until Christmas. In this series we’re looking at these new detachments, covering what’s in them, how they play, and how they’ll fit into the broader meta and your games.

The Astra Militarum have been having a pretty good time in tenth edition, opening initially with some of the game’s best Indirect shooting and eventually settling into a position as the game’s best army before the December 2024 Balance update. They paid for that ascendance pretty heavily in that update, but with a new detachment and Codex on the horizon, this is likely to be a temporary setback. Today we’re looking at the Bridgehead Strike Detachment, which gives Astra Militarum players rules for running Militarum Tempestus armies.

We’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a preview copy of these rules for Review purposes.

Detachment Overview

The Bridgehead Strike Detachment gives us a pure Militarum Tempestus Detachment for the Astra Militarum, or as close to one as we’re going to get, with major buffs to Militarum Tempestus units and Infantry, and making your Scions Battleline. When building around this Detachment you’ll be building an army of rapid response infantry who set up, open fire, and then reposition, often leaving the battlefield. It’s an army which is likely to be very strong when it comes to playing mission objectives, but at the cost of some offensive output, particularly for its tanks and vehicles.

The Video Version

If you’re interested in watching this briefing instead of reading it, you can check out our video version here:

Detachment Rules

Bridgehead Strike gives you three detachment rules: Only the Best, Fire Zone Purge, and a Keyword Adjustment to Tempestus Scions.

Only the Best

ASTRA MILITARUM INFANTRY re-roll 1s to Hit for ranged attacks.

Fire Zone Purge

MILITARUM TEMPESTUS models add 1 to their Wound rolls for ranged attacks the turn they are set up from Reserves or disembark from a Transport.

Keywords

If a Militarum Tempestus Officer is your Warlord, Tempestus Scions gain BATTLELINE and gain 1OC while not Battle-shocked.

These rules change how your typical Guard list will be built, shifting from a relatively balanced focus on infantry and tanks to an exclusive focus on infantry and transports. If your objective is running as many Rogals Dorn as possible (like me), you’ll probably find this detachment fairly disappointing. 

Normally, we’d take the time here for some in-depth analysis, broken down by each rule the detachment grants you, but I’ll save you the time. This is a Scion focus detachment through and through. If you were motivated to run infantry other than Scions, I suppose you could, but you’re frankly going to be leaving money on the table by not taking advantage of Fire Zone Purge. As a preview, three out of four of your enhancements are only equippable by Militarum Tempestus Officers, and all of the stratagems are geared towards Scions. Again, this is a Scion Detachment; Scion haters are not welcome.

It’s worth noting that Tempestus Scions are a great unit already which sees tons of play, but they’re hurt by the fact that they just went up 10/20 points in the latest Dataslate. Still, making them OC 2 Battleline units for free and +1 to wound rolls are both big buffs that really help take the edge off. We talked in our article on the balance update that we expected to see more players running Scion Command Squands and MSUs in Taurox Primes, and this Detachment absolutely rewards that.

Additionally the Only the Best rule now actually works with Tempestus Scions following their changes in the Codex.

Enhancements

Following the theme of this detachment overall. Three out of four of these Enhancements are only usable by Militarum Tempestus Officer models. The fourth one is so mediocre that you’ll rarely use it.

• Bombast-class Vox-array (25 pts) – Militarum Tempestus Officer only. When that Officer issues an order, if its unit contains a model with a master vox, it can issue that Order to three different Regiment units. This is nearly an auto-include, much like Grand Strategist from the Combined Regiment detachment. Having the ability to gain an Officer/Order ratio greater than 1 has been a consistent need since the beginning of the edition, letting you pump up your damage or defense accross your force in a much more points-efficient manner.

• Priority-drop Beacon (30 pts) – Militarum Tempestus Officer only. The bearer’s unit can be set up using Deep Strike in the first, second, or third Battle Round. Again, this is something I think will land pretty close to an auto-include for anyone looking to run this detachment. It brings the heat earlier in the game and affords you more opportunities for Fire Zone Purge when used in combination with Aerial Extraction. 

• Shroud Projector (15 pts) – Militarum Tempestus Officer only. This unit cannot be the target of Fire Overwatch from enemy units; simple as. This is probably a situational inclusion for most people. It’s going to see some play if large flamer units begin seeing play in the meta, but otherwise this is probably more of a points filler. 
• Advance Augury (15 pts) – Infantry Officer only. After both players have deployed their armies, you may redeploy up to three Regiment units; they may be set up in Strategic Reserves, regardless of how many units are already there. Again, probably a points filler more than anything else in most cases unless you’re being cool and brave by using this in combination with Lord Solar Leontus to achieve a full null deployment. Which is something you should definitely do.

Stratagems

Although not exclusive to Scions, these Stratagems are all geared toward them. They all cost 1 CP.

• Bellicosa Drop (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Allows an Infantry unit in Reserves with Deep Strike to land outside of 6” of an enemy unit; that unit is not eligible to declare a charge. This is currently only usable on Tempestus Scions as Aquilons already have it. It’s straightforward to use; you get to drop scions closer than the normal 9” restriction. Notably, this is also in Grenade range if you’re interested in that.

• Firing Hot (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in your Shooting phase on a Tempestus or Kasrkin unit to add one to the Strength and Armor Penetration of hot-shot weapons.
  TheChirurgeon: Getting Strength 4, AP-2 shots on your lasguns and a boost on your volley gun is solid and with the +1 to wound buff from your Detachment ability you’ll really be able to punch up with your Scions against bigger targets. It’s not always going to make sense to spend 1 CP on this, but it’ll be huge for getting you across a key wound threshold.

Scott: Important note: I initially had this in the ‘never use’ tier of strategems, but my betters fixed me.

• Fire and Relocate (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Used in your Shooting phase on a non-TITANIC unit that Advanced this turn. It can shoot. Have you ever wanted to drift your Rogal Dorn around a corner at a blistering 19” and still fire? Well, now you can.

• Servo-Designators (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP)  – After an Astra Militarum Infantry unit has fired, select one enemy unit within line of sight and hit by one or more attacks from that unit. Until the end of the phase, that enemy unit cannot have the Benefit of Cover. Don’t like Hellhounds for some reason? This stratagem is for you. Unfortunately, you can’t proc this with a mortar due to the line of sight restriction. That being said, I can see some legitimate usage for this one. Again, probably best used on the horde of Scions you’re taking while playing this detachment. Combos with the Firing Hot Stratagem if you find yourself sitting on a ton of CP with no other way to spend it.

• Aerial Extraction (Epic Deed, 1 CP)  – Used at the end of your opponent’s Fight phase. Allows you to remove one Valkyrie or Astra Militarum unit from your army that has Deep Strike, and is not within Engagement Range of enemy units and place them into Strategic Reserves. Normally, your opponent removes your Valkyries for you, but this stratagem allows you to remove them yourself, robbing your opponent of critical agency. In all seriousness, this is another heavy-hitting stratagem in this deck. It realistically allows you to reposition Scions squads and drop them back in to use your Fire Zone Purge and Bellicosa Drop rules later in the game. Uppy-downy rules are always very strong, and this is no exception.

• On My Position (Epic Deed, 1 CP) – Shorthand for Fire on my Position. Used at the end of your opponent’s Fight phase, pick a REGIMENT INFANTRY unit in your army that’s within Engagement Range of an enemy unit. Roll a D6 for each enemy unit within Engagement Range of your unit. On a 2+, that enemy unit takes D6 mortal wounds. Then, your unit takes 3D3 mortal wounds. This is a pretty big hoop to jump through, but the payoff can be hilariously big. Your biggest challenge is going to be surviving the fight phase long enough to make it work but if you can tag multiple vehicles either in the charge or pile-in/consolidate moves, you can start to see a positive return here. On average you’re going to take 6 mortal wounds when you use this, so be ready to lose an entire unit in exchange for some mortals output. 

Playing This Detachment

Bridgehead Strike does what it says on the tin. You’re going to load up on Tempestus Scions and Aquilons, and seek to deliver back-breaking strikes on turns two and three. Your first turn is going to be oriented around setting conditions for a decisive second or third turn by clearing your opponent’s screening assets. From there, you’re using your vast reserves of juiced up space paratroopers to kill your enemies’ most critical assets before they have a chance to employ them against you. If you fail, and these assets survive your strike, you probably don’t have the staying power to weather an effective counter attack. Turns four and five, you’re slamming that Aerial Extraction button every turn to keep the pressure up as long as possible. 

Strengths

• First Strike: The detachment grants you a lot of flexibility concerning where and when you want to strike. The high reliance and availability on Deep Strike means almost all of your units should get the chance to fire first. If you choose your engagement wisely, you can probably force your opponent to trade out suboptimal units over the course of the game.
• Mobility: No need for lumbering tanks and artillery pieces. You’ve got slick Taurox and Taurox Prime to cart around your highly trained killers. You’re probably going to need a few of these for those early turn screening fights.
• Lethality: Tempestus Scions are already a known quantity in the competitive scene for how much of a punch they can pack. This detachment pumps that lethality up even further with Fire Zone Purge, by granting a flat wound modifier against all targets rather than non-Vehicle and non-Monster.

Weaknesses

• Staying Power: Relative to many Guard lists, the army comp you’re looking at for Bridgehead Strike is much less tough than you’re probably going to be used to. Once deployed, you’re mostly relying on T3 SV4+ models to stay alive. If you commit your troopers unwisely or roll poorly, you’re probably losing every asset you commit on the following turn.
• Scramblers: Dedicated scrambling units are going to be very difficult for this detachment to work around. In the recent meta, Space Marine Infiltrators are popular to deny 3” Deep Strikes. Although 3” Deep Strike has been removed from the game (praise be), you may still see players electing to take scrambler units depending on the popularity of detachments like this and others akin to Genestealer Cults. If present, killing scrambler units in a timely manner is a critical task in effectively employing this detachment.
• Tanks: No offensive buffs for vehicles means less you’ll generally have less long-range effectiveness than you would with an army using the Born Soldiers rule. That Lethal Hits against MONSTER and VEHICLE targets does a lot of work and your tanks won’t get the +1 to wound to compensate.

Building a List

Load up on highly trained killers. Create openings for them. Strike hard when your opponent is vulnerable. 

The Best, of the Best, of the Best, with Honors - click to expand

I’ve been driving at this this entire article: this list is designed to clear screeners as best as possible on the opening turns of the game to deliver a crippling turn two or turn three drop. The stars of the show are the large amount Scion units that are here to do just that.

When thinking about how to best deliver a crippling strike on the second turn, I’ve decided to load up on orders; I wanted every Scion unit to be able to be effected by two order when they arrive. This can be done on any given turn through a combination of the Tempestor Primes, the Bombast Vox and Gaunt’s Ghosts. Creed with her trusty Cadians has been included to keep anyone who started the turn on the field under orders, while providing some CP support via the Cadian’s Shock Trooper’s Vox CP regeneration mechanic. (Any turn you don’t need Fire and Relocate on your Hellhound, use it on your Cadians for a shot at generating a CP for free.) 

I’ve included a Hellhound and two Armored Sentinels. The Hellhound remains effective when operating without orders, due to the Fire and Relocate strategem; allowing you to maintain a very respectable threat range to strip cover with the ability to Advance and shoot. I’ve brought Armored Sentinels to serve as trade pieces for mid board objectives that require some dedication for your opponent to remove, while offering a little bit extra anti-tank as a treat and being compatible with REGIMENT orders.

Lastly, I’ve equipped the Taurox Primes with Missile Launchers and Autocannons. Frankly, one area of concern I have for this list is anti-tank. I’ve patched that up as best as possible by taking it nearly everywhere I could. That being said, the armament of the Taurox is probably the first place I would consider making adjustments after some experience with this list.

Final Thoughts

The Bridgehead strike Detachment fills an important role for the Astra Militarum, giving us that Tempestus army we all assumed was coming at some point. There are some cool tricks here, with some very strong Enhancements and Stratagems which help make the idea of an army of elite Guard Infantry much more palatable, even to someone as tank-pilled as Scott. It’s a fun, fluffy Detachment but also one with impressive competitive chops, and it works well with the new Codex and the changes to Tempestus Scions.

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