Seize the day, or at Least that Supply Depot
The rules for objective missions have changed with the advent of 5th edition. In addition, the winning conditions of 2 out of 3 missions are now objective-based. Thus, it's good to have a plan for how your army will deal with objective missions when (not if) they crop up. I'll cover all the things you need to deal with in terms of seizing objectives and how to tailor your army list in the direction of being more objective capable. Let's start off with a rundown of how to actually Hold an Objective, then we can take a look at how to prevent your opponent from doing the same.

How to Hold an Objective
To actually _hold_ an objective, you need a scoring unit to be within 3" of it. You also need to keep enemy units (scoring or not) more than 3" away from it. To be counted as _scoring_, a unit must be from the Troops allowance in the army. In addition, it cannot be a vehicle, a swarm or have a rule specifying that it never counts as a scoring unit. Thus, you want to make sure that you protect your scoring units. Sacrifice non-scoring units to keep your scoring units alive. Put your scoring units behind or in cover either near or on an objective. It's also important not to put your units onto an objective too soon unless it's a good tactical position otherwise. That simply calls attention to the unit and it will attract way too much firepower ahead of time. Unless it's a very good position, don't move onto an objective until turn 5, which is the last turn before the game could possibly end. On the other hand, definitely make sure that you will be within range to do so ahead of time. Don't count on rolling a 6 on the die to run at the last minute. Plan out how long it will take to get there from turn 1, then start moving when necessary.

How to Keep an Opponent from Knocking your Unit off an Objective
Of course, once you reach the objective, it's important to be able to keep your unit intact and on that objective. The first part is taking care of your scoring unit, of course. Aside from the things mentioned above, however, we are now looking at preventing the opponent from doing a last turn or so alpha strike on your scoring unit. The primary way to do this is to use other units to occupy the opponent. You can park a vehicle in front to block some fire (depending how tough the vehicle is.) You can also use fire and assault to distract some of the incoming danger. Firepower can be used to damage the units that can damage yours the most. Assault (even by non-assault units) can be used to pin down the enemy for a turn or two, which are all you need at this time. Even taking a unit or two out of action will probably be enough to keep your unit alive.

How to Keep your Opponent from Holding Objectives
Since you need to hold more objectives than your opponent, it follows that every objective that you can keep them from holding helps you win. The first way to keep them from this is to start killing off their scoring units. A possible secondary option is to physically keep them away from objectives. If you blow up their transports, it will slow them down and may prevent them from taking an objective in time. Having a lot of firepower in an area may also keep from moving into an area for fear of losing their units. Parking a vehicle in front of an objective will likely force them to move around, which may also keep them from holding it. Finally, placing a unit of yours between them and the objective may deter them or hold them off long enough that they cannot advance far enough to hold the objective in time.

How to Knock an Enemy Unit off an Objective
If they get to the objective, all is not lost, but you will probably have an uphill struggle. You will need to focus as much firepower and assault on the unit as possible to reduce it. In 5th edition, a scoring unit remains scoring down to the last model, which can be exceptionally tough. One possibility, however, is to attempt to draw them off the objective with an assault. Models in an assaulted unit that are not engaged must now move up to 6 inches to get engaged with an enemy model. If you are careful about the distance you move in the movement phase, you can just get a model in contact with the edge of the unit, forcing them to move into your unit and away from the objective. Sometimes, however, you won't be able to prevent your opponent from holding one or more objectives, or be able to knock enough of them off, so you'll need to contest some, which I'll cover in the next section.

How to Contest an Objective
If you can't keep them from holding objectives, you can at least contest those that they hold, which is almost as good. To contest an objective, you can have a unit (scoring or not) within 3" of an opponent-held objective. Assuming that you don't have an extremely rugged unit or one that can blast the enemy unit off the objective or kill them in assault, you will want to time this very close to the end of the game. Having fast-moving units can help tremendously here, as you won't have to endanger your units any sooner than necessary. If you have a slow unit that you intend to contest an objective with, you'll need to plan ahead. Figure out how many turns of movement it will take to reach the objective, and if you plan on running, plan on poor rolls for it. There's nothing worse than being 4" away from a game-winning objective at the end of the game.

How to Keep your Opponent from Contesting your Objectives
Similarly to the above advice about preventing your opponent from holding objectives, you will need to keep your opponent from getting units (scoring or not) from getting within 3" of one of your held objectives. While you cannot just focus on scoring units, you can still hedge your bets. Much like you, your opponent will typically be relying on fast-moving units to contest objectives, and if you can take them out, you'll be in much better shape for holding your objectives.

Objective Design
This article assumes that you are using your standard army list for this objective game, instead of having a specially-designed list. If you are building your list for a specific game, or redesigning your list to better handle objectives, here are some things you'll want to keep in mind. Scoring units: your scoring units should be large and resilient, possibly with transports for a little additional speed. For your non-scoring units you'll want either withering firepower/assault capability, or speed. Large, resilient Tank-type vehicles are highly useful for tank-shocking units away from objectives, blocking paths to objectives or interposing themselves between your scoring units and the opposing army.

Wrap-up
Okay, so you are getting your scoring units into position for a late-game objective grab. You've been whittling down the enemy scoring units all game, with potshots to take out their fast contesters. Your fast units are moving into position to contest their objectives. Your firepower and assault units are prepped to focus on one of their units and knock it off the objective. You only need to hold one more unit than your opponent does to win the game. If, at the end of the game, your opponent has managed to hold more objectives than you, there's only one thing left to do: Shake their hand for a game well played!

Wrap-up
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