Some things that set 5th edition apart from previous versions

Here are a few trends I have noticed in 5ed that set this version apart from previous editions. These are related to the rules moreso than how we currently play the game but it all ties together.

* The Ubiquitous 3++ Invulnerable Save
This is a really big one. Space Marine armies now have access to stormshields that confer a 3++ save versus both shooting & close combat attacks. Space Wolves & Blood Angels now also have access to this wargear. The combination of the stormshield with a deathstar unit (see below) is extremely powerful and has completely changed the game and how we play. I have had my share of games where my opponent made an inordinate amount of 3++ saves; one good example was in a team game one of our opponents made over 20 3++ saves with his Wolfguard Battle Leader over the course of several rounds of close combat & destroyed an entire unit of Blood Crushers. If your opponent is rolling very hot you are going to be in for some long drawn out combats while they soak up all your damage. I'm not against the 3++ save but in terms of game effect I think it tends to be a bit too good at times. There is a geometric leap when you go from a 4++ to a 3++, just like 4+ versus 3+ but even better since it's always there.

* Deathstar Units
A deathstar unit is one that can basically take on an entire army and win. I think it started with Nob bikers, people then saw the potential and figured out how to apply it to other armies. Sure these units cost a lot of points but they are well worth it in terms of effectiveness alone. Most deathstar units consist of fully complex units with multiple wound models. They are fantastic in close combat and due to their nature they can absorb an ungodly amount of damage and keep pounding you hard. A deathstar unit does not have to be built around a fully complex unit, for example:

Captain Lysander + Vulkan + 5x assault terminator (thunderhammers & stormshields) + Landraider Crusader

Lysander & Vulkan can soak wounds from shooting, saving the terminators from potential unsaved wounds. Vulkan master crafts all of the thunderhammers plus Lysander has 4W, is an Eternal Warrior & has a S10 thunderhammer that inflicts +1 damage on the armor penetration table. You will have to score many wounds to get through all the stormshields & they are pounding away on you with those master crafted thunderhammers. I've watched this unit tear through entire armies.

I play another deathstar unit in my Khorne daemon army - the Skulltaker on a juggernaught, Herald on a juggernaught plus a large squad of complex juggernaughts. I phased out a Necron army with this deathstar with one charge. This is one of the best deathstars in the game (my opinion). I have seen another player who added two more Heralds also mounted on juggernaughts as well. This is one of the slower deathstars but since you can deepstrike off of an icon that's not such a big issue.

* Feel No Pain Across the Army
Blood Angels can do it now. So can Tyranids & you are in for some serious problems when a horde army has an additonal save that is better than their armor save... It's really crazy! The developers are handing this one out like candy too.

* Fully Complex Multi Wound Units
This has already been partially covered above in the entry for deathstars. Again you have a unit that can soak up vasts amounts of punishment. As already stated when included as a feature of a deathstar unit you have one really nasty unit!

So SW have access to Thunderwolves, fully complex with stormshields & joined to a multi wound character that is just vicious in close combat. Obviously Thunderwolves are extremely popular and thank goodness they don't have access to Feel No Pain.

If you are a competive gamer you must be able to effectively handle units such as deathstars. I think for the most part deathstars came about in 5ed. These features are extremely challenging. Basically the only effective way to deal with them is to inflict a high number wounds which is often not an easy thing to do. I am currently very much back into Blood Angels again and while they don't really have access to deathstars. (besides the Sanguinor & Mephiston) my basic counter to deathstars is to bring highly mobile combined units that have a very high offensive output. Hit the deathstars with so many attacks they are bound to fail some saves. If you do it right you can kill the bulk of a deathstar before it can counter attack.

Lastly I feel I must touch on IG mechanized armies. This is an army that is currently dominating the game. Most of us have heard fearsome tales about the Leaf Blower IG list. It's kind of cool but then again I know it's only a matter of time until some dimension in the game is modified & then IG Mexh will no longer continue to dominate. Everything changes if you wait long enough.

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Are you a Bodhisattva?

Bodhisattva is a human who has reached enlightenment, as the Buddha did, and can leave physical existence behind, but chooses to remain in human form to help others achieve freedom.

And this from a cheesy IG Mexh player...

I quote...

"]I kinda see the Blood Angels as the gay, angst driven wanna-be vampires like Edward Collins that langish over their death of Sanginus that has Khorne waiting in sidelines for them to just trip up badley enough to fall to Chaos. Come on, blood drinking Marines...that wallow in their angish of their dark curse about to gobble their entire chapter."

I really LOL'd when I read that one.

Blood Saint color scheme for Sanguinary Priest

The Rise

You rise, you fall, your down, then you rise again
What don't kill you make you more strong
You rise, you fall, your down, then you rise again
What don't kill you make you more strong

Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill you make you more strong
Rise, fall, down, rise again
What don't kill you make you more strong

Through black days
Through black nights
Through pitch black insights

Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
Show your scars
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
Show your scars
Breaking your life
Broken, beat and scarred
But we die hard

The dawn, the death, the fight to the final breath
What don't kill you make you more strong
The dawn, the death, the fight to the final breath
What don't kill you make you more strong

Dawn, death, fight, final breath
What don't kill you make you more strong
Dawn, death, fight, final breath
What don't kill you make you more strong

Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
Show your scars
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
Show your scars
Breaking your life
Broken, beat and scarred
Die hard!

Breaking your teeth on the hard life coming
Show your scars
Cutting your feet on the hard earth running
Show your scars
Braiding your soul in a hard luck story
Show your scars
Spilling your blood in a hot suns foray
Show your scars
Breaking your life
Broken, beat and scarred
Die hard!

Blood Saints color scheme for Death Company

Blood Saints color scheme for Sanguinary Guard

Blood Saint color scheme II for Assault Marines

Blood Saint color scheme for Assault Marines

Courage

Courage.

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.


It's November 11, 1967.
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.



Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.


You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.



Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.


Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But ...It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.

Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.

He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway. Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.


And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you
at a time on board.

Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force,
died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho ..

May God Bless and Rest His Soul.


Medal of Honor
Winner Captain Ed Freeman

Background & appearance for new Blood Angels army

I have decided to create a new 'successor' chapter. My previous successor chapter was called the Red Skulls & was loosely based upon the Flesh Tearers. I have decided to go in a different direction this time & I love stories about time travel & parallel universes. My chapter comes from a very dark parallel universe wherein the great & tragic civil war occurred in the reverse order... That is, the loyal Legions went to Chaos led by Sanguinius, the heretical chapters remained loyal fighting on the side of their Emperor. Their heresy was more of a stalemate and over the course of 20,000 years the Empire was brought down. All of the loyal legions were eventually purged. My Blood Angels army will represent one full company of Marines that crossed over to our universe during a warp jump in their battlebarge. They came from the distant future when little was left of their own universe. They overrun a backwater planet close to the Eye of Terror killing all the civilians after learning about the history of mankind. Their leader, the last Sanguinary High Priest, decides for their battle company to take in the pretense of a Blood Angels successor chapter and rename themselves as the Blood Saints. They wear pristine white power armor with a bright red jeweled blood drop emblazoned upon their shoulderpad. Assault Marines wear red helmets as well. The Blood Saints have mastered both the Black Rage & Red Thirst but still drink the blood of their slain enemies to absorb their power. They still tend a large Death Company that wears the traditional black power armor. It is the highest honor for any Blood Saint to join the Death Company. Their leader, the Sanguinary High Priest wears a suit of blood red highly artificed black power armor to denote his rank. The Blood Saints use their facade as a means to infiltrate Imperial locations and raid them for supplies. No prisoners are taken. The Blood Saints prefer to all fight with jump packs & enter the field of battle in their highly prized Stormravens. They also make use of as many dreadnaughts as possible.

Why I am against the use of INAT FAQ in the Ard Boyz

Okay so last year I said I was okay with but this year I am dead set against it. The same set of rules should be used each and every round. Fortunately the Adepticon council is not strong enough to force us to use INAT FAQ in the state of Florida. One of my biggest issues with this FAQ are the horrible rules interpretations they released for the Tyranid codex. To me it's unfair that the Chicago Battle Bunker can force other gamers from outside that area to have to play Adepticon-Hammer. The FAQ has more pages than the 5ed rulebook... What is up with that??

We need to rally together now & be focused letting GW know that we don't want the INAT FAQ forced upon us again. Last year I gave it a chance but it did not work for me.

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Black Sword bundle

Hey all! I am in the Big Easy this week and brought along one of copies of the Blood Angels codex. I wanted to mess around with my Black Sword bundle and came up with this:

Astorath
5x Death Company Marine/4x power weapon, power fist & infernus pistol - jump packs
Death Company dreadnaught/heavy flamer
Stormraven/extra armor, TL lascannon & TL multi-melta

Basically replacing the Honor Guard & vanilla dreadnaught with their Death Company equivalents. I think this army addition will provide a stronger more unified theme. That's what I like. All the good stuff is built in & remember the Death Company dreadnaught comes with furious charge & fleet built in. While I like the Honor Guard the Death Company is much more brutal. The only loss I feel significant the dreadnaught multi-melta.

While I realize this possible addition to my army goes against what I said earlier in regards to Death Company it just feels right.

I will playtest this mod soon & report back soon.

Cheers all!
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Playing Jump Infantry Style Blood Angels • 1st Analysis

To be completely honest I don't think a pure jump army will be top tier. Sure you have the potential to smash IG Mexh but how about other mechanized armies carrying strong assault units? So you blow up a landraider full of thunder termies with your assault squad... Then they get pounded. The point being you need some long range anti tank.... This gives you options and forces your opponent to play more conservatively.

++ DREADNAUGHTS AS SUPPORT ++
Dreadnaughts in drop pods will help to provide some support up close and syncs with your assault units. If you want touse dreadnaughts then I think you'll need three to four. Sure some armies can nuke dreadnaughts but if you take more than two you can overload your opponent... The dreadnaughts are your hammer and your jump infantry is the anvil, or vice versa. The Furisio Librarian is the most powerful and should generally be your first choice. I would equip him with Wings of Sanguinius & Blood Lance. His inclusion in your army means that you don't need a Librarian which opens up another slot in your HQ choices. He is a beast in close combat and if you can keep him within range of a priest his S6 force weapon gives him the means to crush monsterous creatures without Eternal Warrior. He can also destroy tough units like Soul Grinders & other walkers if he has furious charge. The Furisio Librarian is also fairly impervious to Perils of the Warp which is another strong buff. Finally don't forget that Furisios are front armor 13 & WS6. My next choice would be a dreadnaught with multi-melta, heavy flamer & extra armor... Cheap for what you get, expendable and able to crack any tank at 1/2 range. If you are running Death Company then a Death Company dreadnaught would be my third choice. He has fleet and lots of attacks at WS5 plus furious charge built in. The Death Company dreadnaught is another cheap unit as well.

++ ASSAULT SQUADS ++
I think at this point it's important to remember that assault Marines are not close combat gods, not even with furious charge & rerolling missed hits. Sure they are good but never overestimate what they can do in assault. I played assault Marines with preferred enemy & furious charge with the PDF (Dante & Corbulo bubbles)... They were meh versus units like Plague Marines & Bloodletters, even when striking first at S5. If you play a jump heavy list then these guys will be your objective grabbers so you have to be careful with them. I think they are best at shooting. Like I said before I plan to run mine with a meltagun, flamer, infernus pistol & power fist. The flamer will be useful against guardsmen after you pop their transports.

++ STRONG ASSAULT UNITS ++
You are going to need a couple of strong assault units to fight the nasty stuff. Even Mephiston & Sanguinor need some support in close combat. Like I said Honor Guard & Sanguinary Guard will serve you well. If you take an Honor Guard then you only really need one Sanguinary Priest and this will save you some points. If you are thinking about running Mephiston then give the Sanguinor some consideration, while he is not quite as strong in close combat as Mephiston the Sanguinor can take a lot more punishment (obviously) plus he will buff one of your sergeants and you get the +1A bubble. I think in a few weeks when people learn how to counter Mephiston his popularity will start to decline. In my opinion Astorath, Recluisarchs & Chaplains are generally the best HQs as they help buff squads they join. The Furisio Librarian is the best choice for a psyker in your army.

++ LONG RANGE ANTI TANK ++
I also think if you were to field some landspeeders that would help out with the long range AT. I would go with a Typhoon with multi-melta. Your opponents will be less inclined to shoot at landspeeders if you've got some nasty close combat units up in their grill. Keep them back out of harms way and blast away.

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Playing Jump Infantry Style Blood Angels • Synopsis

These articles are designed for people who want to play jump heavy armies. That is where I see Blood Angels being the strongest & there is slowly growing a trend towards anti Mexh. Sure the new codex has lots of great choices for mechanization but I like to try to stay ahead of the meta curve. I really don't like boring army lists that simply produce predictable results. I find it somewhat amusing all the fanfare for the razor spam lists you see a lot of people playing with both SM & SW, & now BA. Armor 11 is okay but I would never build an army around it with 5 man squads carrying flamers. I think my style of play will beat these lists because I am more mobile and can alpha strike razor spam then mop up. I live in area where there is a lot of very competitive play & to be honest I don't see much razor spam. I have played against other similar style maximum overdrive lists and they have never been a problem for me.

So here I will cover the subjects of unit analysis, tactics & strategies for jump heavy Blood Angels style armies.

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Some of the thoughts behind my current style Blood Angels army

I like Astorath the best for a jump infantry style approach. I think he gives you the most bang for the points. Mephiston is very popular but I think smart opponents won't have much trouble killing him plus there is a lot of anti psyker units in the game now.

I really like both Honor Guard & Sanguinary Guard and also think you should load them up with lots of killy toys. Here is how I run mine:

Sanguinary Guard/Banner (+1A), 2x infernus pistol, power fist
Honor Guard/power fist, power sword, meltagun, infernus pistol

I take one Sanguinary Priest (lightning claw, infernus pistol) and attach him to the SG. Astorath runs with the Honor Guard.

Astorath & his unit have reroll hits when charging, furious charge & FNP.

Priest & his squad have furious charge & FNP.

These units crush face. They are small so i run them in Stormravens for protection & speed... Stormravens are awesome! Mine have extra armor, TL lascannon & TL multi-melta plus the 4x Bloodstrike missiles. It's a lot of points tied up in a relatively low number of models but that's how I roll!

I am also running Furioso Librarian & regular dread (multi-melta). They are also attached to the Stormravens!

Finally I have two full assault squads with jump packs - meltagun, flamer, infernus pistol & power fist

it's a small elite army that can alpha strike. I don't see many people running SG or HG but these are awesome units. I used to run two 5 man veteran assault squads (3x power fist & 2x meltagun) and they did just great... The two units I mentioned here are a lot tighter. I have lots of experience playng BA, having stuck with them during the PDF, so I think I am ahead of the curve.

I really like the Furioso Librarian, not that much more than a Librarian for the points plus he is a lot tougher (front armor 13) and he can fly using Wings of Sanguinius.

I am not really all that worried versus IG Mech or most any gunline army. You've got to be smart about it but it shouldn't be a problem.

G

Sea Change • Part II

"It's despicable that you would sacrifice your own kin." said Astorath the Grim as he looked into the rumy old eyes of the shaman. "You have mistaken me for a World Eater. My company destroyed their battlebarge with a pre emptive strike upon our arrival to your world. I was summoned here to find your grand daughter. She is blessed and destined for greater things." The High Priest released his grip dropping the old man with a dull thud upon the rocky ground. His jump pack then ignited and the Blood Angel stepped off the cliff.

The shaman slowly crept along through the stony rocks until he could see down beyond the high towering cliff to the beach below. Astorath had grabbed a hold of Deliaha pulling her up just in time as a giant wave engulfed the pair crashing into the breakers. Suddenly Astorath shot up out of the waves soaring up into the pitch. Suddenly the old man realized he would never see his grand daughter again. He had left her for dead but fate had intervened saving her from a violent and brutal death. He then realized others from his tribe had come to watch as well. They held up bright torches and carried their axes.

"Was the sacrifice fitting?" asked one of the councilmen.

The shaman slowly lifted himself from the cold ground standing before them. "Yes. The Angels are sated and I believe they shall never return again."

Sea Change

Astorath the Grim looked down from the cliff at the blood sacrifice left below. The young virgin cowered by the seaside recoiling each time the ocean waves crashed upon the beach. She was very young and wore the blood jewel necklace. Each of the large rubies had been cut and polished in the shape of a tear drop fastened to the tight choker necklace in a coil of rose colored gold. Her raven black hair was pulled back tight, showing off her finely chiseled features. Astorath heard her crying. His dark green eyes were hooded by the dark shadows eminating from his black cowl. The High Priest pulled the long sharp serrated dagger from it's metal sheath running the razor sharp edge along the tip of his tongue. He pricked himself and let the blood run down the back of his throat. His eyes began to glow from within as the genetic matter of the dark red fluid seeped into his mouth. Visions of red death played before his eyes and the sound of clashing skulls filled his ears.

The ocean was coming in fast and soon the virgin would be drowned by the roaring tide. The sound of the huge waves crashing against the black shore boomed again and again. The crabs began to coast in upon the crests of the waves splaying their claws as they dragged themselves upon the shoreline.

"What are you waiting for?" asked the elder tribesman standing beside the High Priest. His robes were long and loose fluttering in the stark wind.

"That is your grand daughter." said Astorath.

"She is, just as you know." said the shaman. "Will you waste another to your indifference?"

Astorath turned his head to look down upon the spindly old human. Lightning flashed in his eyes as he pulled back his lips revealing a pair of long sharp fangs. "Tell me her name again."

The shaman pulled his crimson robes tight against his old body feel the wetness of the gale cutting into his bones like a whip. "Her name is Deliaha."

"Will you miss her?" asked the High Priest. Astorath stuck out his pointed dagger digging the hot tip deep into the bare palm of his left hand. A single drop of blood welled up from the wound and the Blood Angel quickly reached out smearing the oily fluid upon the forehead of the shaman. "I have witnessed the taking of countless sacrifices in the name of my Chapter old man. This one is different though and I question your intent." Astorath gripped the elder tightly by the neck squeezing hard. "Tell me what I want to know!"

Death Co. 1850 list

HQ
• Astorath hte Grim (220)

Troops
• Death Company #1: 4x DC Marine/jump packs, 3x power weapon, power fist, 2x infernus pistol (240)
• Lemartes (150)
• Death Company dreadnaught/heavy flamer (135)
• Death Company #2: 9x DC Marine/2x power weapon, power fist, 2x infenus pistol - rhino/extra armor (305)
• Assault Marine x10/flamer, meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist - Landraider Redeemer/extra armor, multi-melta (460)

Elite
• Chaplain (100)

Heavy Support
• Stormraven/TL lascannon, TL multi-melta, extra armor (215)

Fast Attack
• Landspeeder Typhoon/multi-melta

Deployment is as follows:

* Omega Sword - Astorath, Lemartes, Death Company #1, Death Company dreadnaught - bundled in Stormraven

* Death Sword - Death Company #2, Chaplain - Landraider Redeemer

* Bravo Sword - Assault squad - rhino

• Black Gale - Landspeeder Typhoon

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2nd Blood Angels batrep (1850 points) • Blood in hte Sand • versus Space Wolves

So I had the opportunity to play one more game before returning home. My buddy wanted another shot at my dual core Stormraven list with his Space Wolves and he decided to bring the following:

HQ
Bjorn

TROOPS
3x 5x Grey Hunter/meltagun & MotW - razorback/TL HB

ELITES
3x Venerable dreadnaught/assault cannon, heavy flamer, extra armor - drop pod

HEAVY SUPPORT
3x Predator/autocannon turret & HB sponsons

Honor Guard/jump packs, 2x meltagun, power sword, power fist

Sanguinary Priest/jump pack, infernus pistol, lightning claw
Sanguinary Guard/Chapter Banner, 2x infernus pistol, power fist
Furioso Librarian/extra armor, heavy flamer

10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist
10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist

Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Dreadnaught/extra armor, heavy flamer, multi-melta

Here is how I bundled my army:

1st Storm Raven + Astorath + Honor Guard + dreadnaught (Black Sword)
2nd Storm Raven + Sanguinary Priest + Sanguinary Guard + Furioso Librarian (Golden Sword)
1st Assault squad (Alpha Sword)
2nd Assault squad (Bravo Sword)

Mission was Take & Control, deployment was Dawn of War. My opponent won the roll to choose the turn and opted to go first. There was lots of terrain on the table. My friend started with everything held in reserve and so did I. He placed his objective deep in a corner of his deployment zone, I placed mine in the opposite table corner.

First turn he drops one Venerable close to my objective and it scatters right on top. The Venerable disembarks using the pod for cover & pops smoke. The second pod comes in empty and he drops it beside the other... It is a hit and he has great cover for the Venerable... Drat! He then brings on all his bolter backs popping smoke with the other two Venerables & Bjorn behind them covering his objective. The trio of Predators all come on side by side on the outside of his castle at cruising speed & pop smoke. I decided to hold Alpha & Bravo Swords in reserve with Black & Golden Sword moving onto my table edge at combat speed opposite his castle. Black Sword fires all four Bloodstrike missiles at one enemy Predator and wrecks it. Golden Sword targets the next Predator with all four Bloodstrike missiles & blows off the turret. I then target the third Pred with both TL lascannons and manage to shake it.

Second turn the third SW drop pod fails to arrive. The lone Venerable holds it's position while the three bolter backs shuffle around to better shield Bjorn & his two Venerable brothers.

My second turn both Alpha & Bravo Swords arrive via reserve. I drop them both close to the lone Venerable holding my objective. I get good scatters with one squad just in half range with the meltaguns while the other squad is just outside half range. They are staggered so he will have to assault one unit then the other. By the way both squads succumbed to the curse of hte Red Thirst. I fire all my meltas minus one infernus pistol out of range. One shot gets through the cover and I just manage to pen and immobilize the Venerable; my friend decides not to reroll the result. Black Sword & Golden Sword up to position so I will be in assault range next turn and pop smoke. We play it you can't pop smoke & use PotMS same turn. I am banking on one Stormraven surviving the third turn enemy shooting.

3rd turn the Grey Hunters disembark and move up into position to shoot meltaguns at my pair of armored ravens; note they will be outside of half range. The remaining Predator sits still while Bjorn and his two brother Venerables move up to support the Grey Hunters. First the immobilized Venerable over in my corner heavy flamers and fires it's assault cannon into Bravo Sword & I lose three Marines. Next the Predator targets Golden Sword and bounces. First GH squad fires another shot at Goldie and miss. Next GH squad fires, hits but can only glance shaking the golden raven. Bjorn then lights up Golden Sword with two pens but I pass both cover saves. Finally the other two Venerables both fire their cannons into Golden Sword but again can only shake it.

My turn I decide to see if I can pop the lone Venerable with massed melta fire from Alpha & Bravo Swords... If it can make it through to turn five then I'll charge to contest. Shooting scores two destroyed and one wrecked results and the rerolls cannot save the Venerable... So now I just have to take put the two pods and I've got one objective, should be easy. Golden Sword and Black Sword both move in for the kill. Everybody disembarks, Furisio Librarian cast WoS to sail over the rhinos landing beside a Venerable with no intervening cover. Second dread moves up to assault one squad of Grey Hunters. Astorath the Grim detachs from Black Sword to assault second squad of Grey Hunters. Jump infantry moves & scoots into position to fire on Bjorn and second Venerable if necessary. Stormravens then light up the Pred wrecking it, blow the DCCW off of Bjorn & wreck one of the rhinos. Shooting from jump infantry immobilize and shake one Venerable while the other is wrecked. Furiosio is within aura of Priest and destroys last Venerable. Astorath cleans out four GH, breaking the last one who hits the board edge and is gone. Dreadnaught charges another GH squad (heavy flamered them for two dead), kills two and breaks the last one who falls back a few inches short of the table edge... He won't be able to regroup due to proximity of my units so my friend pulls him. I then decide to charge Bjorn with the Honorguard to tie him down so next turn my two dreads can take him out in close combat. It's pretty much a done deal so my friend concedes again and we go out for a big lunch before I have to return to the plant. The Venerable dread loadout sounded good in theory but they were just not strong enough for all the shooting followed up by the strong assaults.

G

LOL alert

I saw this posted on a local forum, was directed at me:

"I think someone should quit bitching because they made his new uber army of doom and its nice shiny new codex actually have a cheap Achilles heel. Marines have never been weak, recently have been one of the most powerful armies out there and you are complaining because there is a cheap way to stop a particular build. Dude, F U. I have had to redo my entire primary and favorite IG army because GW made my old list completely illegal, not just unusable, but completely and utterly illegal with no way of even coming up with something close. So forgive me if I have no sympathy for some power gaming WAAC player who is crying because a 32 point unit is somehow tearing apart his army or at least on paper seems to have the potential to tear apart his army. In practice this doesnt seem to be the case from what .... and .... have said, I do not think I have ever seen a mystic on the table outside an Inq army. Find something more important to bitch about, you and your crying of brokenness and unfairness is falling upon deaf ears, at least you can still use your favorite army the way you want.

"Oh and you can feel free to add this to your silly little blog if it makes you feel better, you know who you are."

Okay so I have posted this on my blog as per request. :P Funny to see someone actually complaining about the new IG codex. They have lots & lots of great choices in exchange for the loss of multiple drop teams. I remember a game in a tournament, the new IG codex had been out for around three weeks and the TO made a decision that you could still run with the old codex but this would be the last time. I hapened to face off versus an IG drop army the last game of said tournament with my old Blood Angels army. I placed my rhinos and Baals in a corner deployment forcing the drop teams to take risky deep strikes if they wanted to land in good positions to melta my tanks. All my Marines were mexhed up to protect them from rapid firing plasmagun death. It worked like a charm with roughly over one third of the drop teams mishapping. My Baals shot down the rest. This particular guard player spent the entire game whining about how broken was my army list and telling me multiple times that he despised special characters, I was running with Dante & Corbulo. I just found these comments to be a bit absurd coming from someone that was playing an all drop team army with two Leman Russ Demolishers... Looked pretty darn WAAC to me & was definitely designed as a MEQ killing army. Anyways I won handily (victory points). I found out later that day this opponent chipmunked me on my soft scores... I played fair, so I suppose for him this was some small measure of revenge for losing to my Blood Angels.

While I am not a fan of allies and believe they will go the way of the dodo bird when the next Ordos codex is released I don't see the Inq/Mys unit being a thorn in the side for the new BA. As my batrep here has demonstrated you can safely alpha strike mexh armies from range taking out the big threats during the initial phase of hte game.

G

1st Game with new Blood Angels • Alpha Striking hte Guard

So I had the chance to get in a game this afternoon with a friend while I am out of town on travel. He is quite the treadhead so when I told him a little about my army concept for the new codex he said he was intrigued and was able to provide the models I needed to proxy.

Here is his list to the best of my recollection (note I don't play IG so I can only provide an abbreviated list):

Primaris Psyker
El Rahhimn

Psyker Battle Squad - chimerooh

Veteran squad/3x plasmagun - chimerooh
Veteran squad/3x meltagun - chimerooh
Platoon/mortar - chimerooh
Platoon - chimerooh

Leman Russ Demolisher
Leman Russ Demolisher
Leman Russ Executioner

Vendetta
Vendetta


Here is my list:

Astorath
Honor Guard/jump packs, 2x meltagun, power sword, power fist

Sanguinary Priest/jump pack, infernus pistol, lightning claw
Sanguinary Guard/Chapter Banner, 2x infernus pistol, power fist
Furioso Librarian/extra armor, heavy flamer

10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist
10x assault Marine/jump packs, 2x meltagun, infernus pistol, power fist

Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Storm Raven/extra armor, twin linked lascannon, twin linked multi-melta
Dreadnaught/extra armor, heavy flamer, multi-melta

Here is how I bundled my army:

1st Storm Raven + Astorath + Honor Guard + dreadnaught
2nd Storm Raven + Sanguinary Priest + Sanguinary Guard + Furioso Librarian
1st Assault squad (Alpha Sword)
2nd Assault squad (Beta Sword)

So very small & elite hard hitting mobile strike force.

The mission was kill points with Pitched Battle for deployment. I won the roll to choose turns opting for 1st turn. My deployment was both Storm Ravens in my deployment zone with Alpha & Beta Swords held in reserve. My opponent deployed with his two Vendettas over in corner of his deployment zone beside the Executioner, two Demolishers in the middle with one Veteran squad in chimerooh on either side, Battle Psykers in chimerooh just off to my right of his Demolishers and El Rahmin & two mounted platoons held in reserve. The terrain was fairly sparse with no real area terrain except for one ruined building where my friend had deployed his Executioner and his two Vendettas.

I rolled for the Red Thirst and both of my assault squads fell to it's deadly embrace. My friend then tried to steal the initiative and failed.

1st Turn/BA
My two Storm Ravens both advance at cruising speed towards the Vendettas maintaining safe range from the Demolishers. The first Storm Raven fires all four Bloodstrike missiles into the first Vendetta and destroys it. The first Storm Raven next fires it's twin linked lascannon stunning the Executioner. The second Storm Raven fires all four Bloodstrike missiles into the second Vendetta and destroys it as well. The second Storm Raven then fires it's twin linked lascannon into the Executioner as well and immobilizes it. I have successfully eliminated the major threat to my airforce.

1st Turn/IG
My opponent moves his Demolishers such that they are shielded in the front by the two Veteran squads' chimeroohs. The Battle Psykers roll for their pieplate but my Furioso Librarian negates it. That's it for the first turn.

2nd Turn/BA
Both assault squads arrive via deep strike landing on either outer sides of the Demolishers. Alpha Sword scatters a bit towards it's target Demolisher while Beta Sword rolls a hit. My Storm Ravens both move flatout dropping off the squadrons & dreadnaughts. Alpha Sword then fires it's meltas into the side of one Demolisher destroying it. Beta Sword fires into the side of the other Demolisher and wrecks it. The Honor Guard target one Veteran squad chimerooh shooting at side armor and destroy; the Vets are forced to bail out of the burning wreck, half die in the explosion then the dreadnaught finishes them with it's heavy flamer. The Sanguinary Guard pop the other Veteran squad chimerooh killing four guardsmen in the ensuing explosion and they pass their morale check (Primaris Pysker in this squad by the way). The Furioso dreadnaught fires his Blood Lance into the side of the PSB chimerooh, beating the Primaris Psyker's hood test, and wrecks it. The Psykers bail out behind the burning wreckage.

2nd Turn/IG
El Rahmin & his crew fail to show. The PSB squad moves put from behind their wrecked chimerooh drawing a bead on the priest & the Sanguinary Guard. The remainder of the surviving Veteran squad move into position to rapid fire their plasma into Astrorath & his Honor Guard. The Executioner is able to target Alpha Sword with one plasma cannon sponson. The Librarian Furioso is able again to negate the PSB. The Veteran squad fire into Astorath & the Honor Guard taking one wound on Astorath & killing the two Honor Guard with meltaguns. The Executioner's plasma blast scatters off of Alpha Sword and that's it for the guard. My friend accesses his situation and concedes the game then we go out for a bite to eat and a few beers.

It was my first time out with the new army so I could have possibly made a few mistakes with the rules but I think the results of the game speak for themselves.

G

Thoughts on new Blood Angels codex

I have had a chance to finally read the new codex and I have to say I'm very happy. It is really a big improvement over the PDF codex & there are the potential for several competitive builds. I want to design a new army that I feel is in line with the Blood Angels' background, which is heavy assault. I see the ability to build an army that can deliver a hard hitting alpha strike versus the popular mech armies, primarily IG, CSM & SM. Here are some of my initial observations:

• Assault squads are going to be an excellent troop choice. You can pack two meltaguns & an infernus pistol. The Descent of Angels special rule means that any jump infantry squad rolls only 1d6 when deepstriking plus you can reroll for reserves. If you take the three melta weapons it will be easy to pop enemy armor pulling a turn 2 alpha strike dropping several units.

• The Storm Raven can be kitted with extra armor, twin linked lascannon & twin linked multi-melta for 215 points. You can fire two weapons when deep striking the Storm Raven since it has Power of the Machine Spirit. Also the Storm Raven has four Bloodstrike Missiles (S8 AP1 R 72"). The way the rules read for Descent of Angels if you mount a jump infantry squad in the Storm Raven it also benefits from this special rule. So suppose you take a squad of five assault Marines (meltagun, infernus pistol & power fist) and join them with a Sanguinary Priest (jump pack, infernus pistol, lightning claw). Also attach a Furioso dreadnaught (built in meltagun). When the Storm Raven arrives via deep strike you can fire it's twin linked multi-melta and the Bloodstrike missiles at two separate targets. The assault squad can disembark and fire their melta weapons at a third target. The Sanguinary Priest can disembark from the other side of the Storm Raven and fire his infernus pistol at a fourth target and finally the dreadnaught disembarks out the back of the Storm Raven firing at a fifth separate target. If you take two of these combined units that's 10 individual targets with overlapping fields of fire. It's insane and I think this will change the metagame if it catches on. Now if you were to attach the Librarian Furiosos with Blood Lance it just ups the number of potential targets!

• There are lots of special characters to choose from in the codex. In my opinion several of them are eye candy, they look very strong and are but there are better choices. My three top special characters are Astorath the Grim, Captain Tycho (non DC version) & Corbulo. While Astorath is intended for running large numbers of Death Company Marines I think he will actually work better with other units such as assault squads, Honor Guard & Sanguinary Guard. Basically one half of your army will benefit from the Red Thirst special rule; furious charge & Fearless built in is very powerful. Astorath is also very good in close combat with the S6 power axe that forces enemy models to reroll successful invulnerable saves. Captain Tycho seems like the perfect choice for a mechanized list and he has been buffed in a big way. Corbulo seems like an automatic choice as well for mech lists and his ability to reroll one dice will be great to either win the roll for the first turn or reroll for an extra turn following the fifth turn.

• I think scout squads mounted in Storm Ravens will also be quite strong plus they are really cheap!

Like I said above I believe the new Blood Angels will redefine the current metagame. While daemons are another powerful all deepstriking army for whatever reason they are not popular which will not be the case with the new Blood Angels. I expect to see more IG armies fielding Hydra squadrons, starting the bulk of their army in reserve and using the Astropath for improved reserve rolls. Space Wolves will really need their Long Fangs more than ever. Possibly the Khan (Space Marines) will also become more popular since he allows bike squadrons to outflank.

So those are some of my initial thoughts in regard to the new Blood Angels. I'm very excited about starting a new army and probably I will build two, one an alpha strike version revolving around Storm Ravens, jump infantry and dreadnaughts while the other will be a mechanized list revolving around Captain Tycho & Corbulo.

G

Chaos Space Marines vs. IG Mech • Part IV • Going 2nd

So I have written the first of three tactical articles for playing CSM versus IG Mech. A lot of the tactics revolve around going first, which really helps a lot. CSM don't really have any tricks to improve their odds of going first so you must be prepared for the worst... That is IG Mech goes first & has an Officer of the Fleet. Officer of the Fleet subtracts one from your reserve rolls so in my mind if you simply put all of your army in reserve then there is a good chance you will come in piecemeal and your opponent can focus fire against a small portion of your army. Just as in my tactical articles that dealt with going first I still think it's a good idea to start with both of your lash princes in reserve. Again the advantage is they can fly in from your board edge and assault the chimeras that have wandered over towards your deployment zone. Most IG players have a tendency to simply focus on shooting so there is always a good chance they will forget about your princes, over commit and leave themselves open to the assaults. It's hard to hide a prince so starting them in reserve will help them to last longer when they finally decide to turn up. Make sure to assault the chimeras such that if they are wrecked your princes will have the 4+ cover save.

So if you have to go second make sure to try seizing the initiative. If that fails then your deployment is very important and will probably decide if you will have the opportunity to win. Here is the list I have suggested for an 1850 point CSM army:

Winged Lash Prince
Winged Lash Prince
Summoned Greater Daemon

5x Nurgle Marine/2x meltagun, power fist, icon - rhino/Havoc missile launcher
5x Nurgle Marine/2x meltagun, power fist, icon - rhino/Havoc missile launcher
5x Nurgle Marine/2x meltagun, power fist, icon - rhino/Havoc missile launcher
5x Khorne Berzerker/power fist

Landraider
3x Obliterators
3x Obliterators

Obviously the Berzerkers ride in the landraider you will want to deploy the landraider in cover. In objective based games the Berzerkers might not ever disembark... Basically you have invested these points in being able to hold one objective. Guard will be very cautious to approach your landraider - if they do it will either be melta toting vets in a chimera/skimmer or a melta tank. Remember what i said earlier about IG scouting a vet squad in a Vendetta or Valkyrie, I think it's illegal so try to get the judge to stop this if possible. If they can it's going to be tough to stop but maybe you can trade the landraider for the vets and the Vendetta and that's better than nothing but a burning wreck. You can always position your rhinos such that they wall off the landraider but that might expose them to the alpha strike. Look at the terrain, see where the objectives are placed then decide what is best. You will need to be able to move your rhinos up and get on top of those objectives. So maybe it is best to use your landraider as bait, if so try your best to use terrain for a cover save. If your landraider can survive the first turn and your rhinos are still mobile you will be in a great position.

The IG alpha strike is brutal against mechanized CSM so again you need to use the terrain as best you can. The IG player will try to shoot out your transports and leave you stranded. I have had some good friends swear by placing their entire army in reserve but I don't like it... For the reasons given above. I remember when Tau were very strong... Everyone said that Nurgle Marines riding in rhinos were completely screwed. But there is a way... So I will refer you to an old tactical article that helped many Nurgle players find a way to win. It all revolves around your rhinos and is all about mech tactics. You want to confuse your opponent and lead them into making bad decisions. Start with your rhinos behind intervening terrain and cutoff enemy LOS as much as possible. You may have to use the landraider as bait but try to make it a difficult target such that the IG shoot with at it with as many of there units as possible. The landraider is your most resilient unit and it can soak up a lot of firepower. The first turn is all about coming out of it with as much of your army intact as possible. So the initial phase of the game is about first protecting your rhinos then moving onto objectives and popping the smoke launchers. If you can achieve this then you will have the opportunity to win.

Your Oblits are golden in this scenario. Deploy them using your mech for cover such that the IG cannot target them. Second turn after your rhinos roll forward the Oblits move into terrain for the cover save and you can start to blast away at the IG. You will again want to first target the Vendettas then next pepper their ordnance. I know there will be the desire possibly to deep strike your Oblits but if you do so then you are simply throwing them away. In cover the Oblits can weather a lot of enemy shooting and pound away at the IG ordnance. This is part of the plan to both confuse & frustrate your opponent.

So now we move into the midgame. From here on out it plays the same as if you had gone first and you can refer to my previous articles to see what to do. Again if possible your Nurgle Marines should remain embarked in their rhinos up until the endgame. Shoot their meltaguns at the IG ordnance if in half range, if not then pop their chimeras. At this point in the game your princes will start to appear and this can swing the game back in your favor if you happen to find yourself behind the proverbial eightball.

Endgame you are holding objectives and killing guardsmen. That's it.

G

Honor...

"Honor is the highest thing in the Universe; it is the power on which all things depend; it is the light by which all of life is guided. Honor the highest within yourself, for it too is the power on which all things depend and the light by which all life is guided."

--Marcus Aurelius (stoicism)-121- 180A.D.

Tactica Chaos Space Marines vs. IG Mech • Part III

Here are some other bits of advice. Like I have said it's important to keep your troops in cover. If their transports are destroyed and a squad of Nurgle Marines are getting pounded then Go To Ground (Go To Ground)! That 3+ cover save means your opponent will be forced to focus fire on your Nurgle Marines in order to finish them off. Every IG unit that fires at this squad is taking heat off the rest of your army.

Obliterators deployed in cover are golden. Don't deepstrike them. Nothing is going to worry an IG player more than a squad of three mobile lascannons firing at their tanks and to be honest they most likely will not have a lot of options to directly deal with your Obliterators if you hold them back out of short range melta/plasma killiness. The deepstrike is a gamble and you are trading one expensive unit for one tank, it's not worth the tradeoff.

So now we move onto the end game. You have crippled the skimmers and deadly ordnance. Your opponent is bascically left with their command squads, veterans and psyker battle squads roaming the board in their chimeras. They still have the potential to hit you with short range melta & plasma but that's about it. You now have a strong advantage... Namely your flying princes! It's time to wreck their chimeras, lash the guardsmen and beat them in close combat. You will need to have claimed your share of objectives by this point and now you can shift from a defensive to aggressive stance. Guardsmen outside their chimeras are very weak so it's all about moving forward to control the other objectives left.

So that's about it from the perspective of going first. Next I will discuss how to win should you have to go second.

G

Tactica Chaos Space Marines vs. IG Mech • Part II

Let's assume you have the first turn. Let's also assume you are playing to control objectives. You will want to move your transports onto the objectives and pop smoke if necessary. Use terrain for cover and cut off enemy LOS. It's worth investing the points in dozer blades for your rhinos as they are dirt cheap and you will often need to move into difficult terrain for cover. Place your objectives such that they are close to your deployment zone and easy to reach with one move. By doing so you will force the IG to counter by moving their chimeras towards your line. This will bring them into range of your meltaguns so you can pop them. Keep your squads embarked for maximum protection as they are safest inside their rhinos during both the initial phase of the game (turns 1 & 2) and into the midgame (turn 3). You must also decide what are your first target priorities during the initial phase of the game. Vendettas are easy to target in the initial phase since they are mounted on high flight stands. I will generally target the Vendettas first since they typically don't have an intervening cover. Vendettas are fairly easy to drop with your lascannons and the CSM list I have presented has up to 8. Once you have eliminated the IG skimmers they can no longer snipe your armor. So the first two turns are all about taking objectives, using terrain for cover or blocking LOS and dropping the Vendettas.

The midgame is when you will want to eliminate the tanks (Leman Russes, Leman Russ variants, Medusas & Manticores). It's important to focus on destroying tanks that can drop one pieplate and wipe out a squad of Nurgle Marines. The main emphasis should be all about focused fire on Leman Russes, Leman Russ Demolishers and Leman Russ Executioners as this class of tank all have high strength low AP pieplates. The Demolishers in particular are extremely nasty as they can easily destroy both your armor and troops. Next up is the Executioner as it can drop up to 5 plasma small blast templates. The Executioner can easily wipe out one squad of exposed troops plus your lightly armored rhinos. You can shoot them with your plethora of lascannons plus by midgame your meltaguns should bs in range as well. If you can eliminate the bulk of the Vendettas plus the bulk of their ordnance then all you have left to target are chimeras. Even if you only manage to shake or stun a tank you have prevented it from shooting the next turn which is very helpful plus it can leave the enemy exposed. Remember that typically it's best up through the midgame to keep your troops embarked for safety; you can still move your rhinos up to 6" and still fire your meltaguns from the hatch. This is a conservative style of play and you are counting on your opponent to make some mistakes. Basically you should be in a position to control the most objectives forcing your opponent to react to your game plan.

To be continued...

G

Tactica Chaos Space Marines vs. IG Mech • Part I

I played 11 games total over the course of the weekend while at Adepticon and had the opportunity to play several games versus IG Mech. This article is based upon the experience I amassed over the weekend and will use Chaos Space Marines (CSM) as an example. Here is my list I ran at the Championship RTT:

2x Daemon Prince/Wings, Mark of Slaanesh, Lash
3x 6x Plague Marine/power fist, 2x meltagun - rhino/Havoc Missile Launcher
5x KhorneBerzerker/power fist
Landraider/extra armor, Havoc Missile Launcher
3x Obliterator
3x Obliterator

This is a standard lash spam CSM list with no real surprises. You can easily squeeze in a summoned greater daemon if you drop one Nurgle Marine from each Plague squad along with extra armor & Havoc Missile Launcher on the landraider. Four solid scoring units, ample long range shooting (landraider + Oblits = 8) plus decent assault with the pair of princes, troops and Obliterators.

Here is a typical IG Mech list built around 1850 points as well:

Command Squad/meltaguns + Officer of the Fleet - chimera
3-4 Veteran squads/3x meltagun - chimera
Psyker Battle Squadron - chimera
3 Leman Russ - Demolisher, Executioner
Medusa and/or Manticore
2 Vendettas

That's seriously a lot of shooting!

I will break this article into the three stages of the game:
Initial Game (turns 1&2)
Mid Game (turn 3)
End Game (turns 4+)

Obviously the first turn is very important and you should go first if possible. If you lose the roll off attempt to seize the initiative! The first article in this series of posts deals primarily having the first player turn although I do provide some tips in case you have to go second.

First you want to target the Vendettas to help neutralize an IG Alpha Strike. If the IG player can go first they will embark melta toting veterans in the Vendettas, scout move then blast your best armor with their meltas. It's important to discuss the scout rule prior to the game. Vendettas can scout move but they are non dedicated transports so by the rules they should not be able to scout move with an embarked squad since guardsmen can't scout move. Take Possessed Chaos Space Marines as a counter example... Their rules explicitly state they can scout move in their dedicated rhino, but they can't scout if they are initially embarked in a landraider. It's very clear so discuss this with your IG opponent to soften uo their Alpha Strike. Personally I think a lot of IG players are getting over on this one.

To be continued...

G

Yo dawg... checks out my kitty!

About Allan Hernandez aka Blackmoor

About Allan Hernandez

Also known as Blackmoor...

Allan posted this mindless drivel over on Dakka attacking Gareth:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/287235.page

I feel that Allan was both jealous of Gareth and also quite bitter that he did not make the cut. I also find it very strange that after this thread was started Greg Sparks then discovered that they did not add up the points correctly and Gareth has now been relegated to third alternate.

G