1st Pass at 'Pure' DoA 1850 point list

Okay so as I said in the introduction no Stormraven and no dreadnaught. The goal is to design an elite assault force that takes full advantage of the DoA rules:

Jump infantry can reroll unsucessful reserves
Jump infantry only scatter 1d6 when deepstrking

To lead the army I have chosen Commander Dante and the Sanguinor as I believe they are both the perfect choice and really help buff the army. The combination of Dante's curse (-11W, -1A, -1I & -1WS) and the Sanguinor rerolling hits and wounds versus one chosen enemy HQ are lethal versus other assault oriented armies such as Chaos Space Marines and Space Wolves. Also the Sanguinor's Blessing transforms one of your sergeants into a hero (+1W, +1A, +1I & +1WS) that cannot be individually targeted in close combat. So yes this pair is expensive but they both provide a lot of value to a DoA army. Dante also allows the squad he has joined no to scatter and they have Hit and Run as well.

I think a unit of Sanguinary Guard is the perfect retinue for Dante. He benefits from their fearlessness and the unit as a whole has the 2+ armor save. Another nice perk is the unit as a whole benefits from Dante's deathmask. I run my Sanguinary Guard as follows:

Chapter Banner, 2x infernus pistol & power fist

I also attach a Sanguinary Priest with a power sword. This is an incredibly strong unit in assault plus they are also a great tank hunting unit with the three infernus pistols. Hit and Run can really help to keep them on the table. Only Dante has an invulnerable save so you have to be careful with them. One pie plate from a Demolisher cannon and it's all over. I use them primarily for tank hunting and as a counter attack unit. The other big perk is with Dante the Sanguinary Guard counts as a troop choice which is very helpful for me since my army is quite small and very elite.

My next choice is a unit of Vanguard veterans. They are the ultimate assassins with their Heroic Intervention combined with the 1d6" scatter. I am planning to run as mine as follows:

Sergeant: Power fist & stormshield
1st Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
2nd Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
3rd Vet: lightning claw & stormshield
4th Vet: power sword & bolt pistol
5th Vet: chainsword & bolt pistol

I'm not taking any Honor Guard and like to have at least one unit with some stormshields. My Vanguard have often been able to hold up TWC for a couple of rounds of close combat. The stormshields give them the ability to tarpit units like TWC and assault terminators - this can be a game winner for sure.

Next up are two full squads of assault Marines. Each squad has a meltagun/flamer, the sergeants are kitted with a thunderhammer and stormshield. These guys are the work horses of the army. DoA means you play extremely aggressive, not holding back to camp on objectives - you go forward and take objectives from the enemy.

Finally I'll take a Chaplain and another Sanguinary Priest to join one of the assault squads. If the points are there I'll kit them both with infernus pistols. If either of these two sergeants receives the Sanguinor's Blessing then this unit is actually the most devastating and brutal in close combat. You've got two WS5 power weapons throwing down eight attacks total on the charge plus four WS5 thunderhammer attacks. If I can I like to keep the Sanguinor close by for his +1 attack aura - that's 10 WS5 power weapon attacks and five WS5 thunderhammer attacks on the charge. To me it's a somewhat unconventional deathstar and it works quite well.

So there you have it! My first pass at a 'pure' 1850 point DoA army. It's small but it packs a very powerful punch indeed.

G

'Pure' DoA Blood Angels

This article is an introduction to playing a pure DoA army without any support from Stormravens or close combat dreadnaughts. Many argue that the inclusion of a Stormraven in a jump army is not a true DoA army to which I disagree. The Stormraven can transport jump infantry so it just makes sense to me that it was specifically designed for DoA armies. I have been using one Stormraven in my army for quite some time now - actually all the way back to when I first started playing with the new codex. I would like to see how well I can fare without one - reason being the Adepticon championship is just around the corner, it's 1850 points and I typically run 2000 point lists. If I drop the Stormraven then that will bring my current list below 1850 points plus I'll also be dropping my Furioso. I hate to drop the dreadnaught but he just doesn't work without his transport. This though means I'll be able to add a Chaplain and another Sanguinary Priest. The Furioso's Bloodfists are an excellent counter to Thunderwolves so I'll have to develop some new strategies. I'll be posting some potential new lists soon so check back.

G

Hte Black Rage

HATE
HAET
H8

Hate is a basic emotion. If you embrace it your life can change. It will make you fearless. Hate can drastically change your life. Hate is one of the most powerful feelings and if you succumb you can lose control to it. It is natural to hate some things. Honor is the highest thing in the universe. Focus protects us. If you show weakness the enemy will exploit you.

Show strength and save compassion for those worthy. Be strong.

G

Blood Angels I saw over on Bolter and Chainsword...

Captain Tycho by Blind Hamster.

By vahouth !

Ebb and Flow

By Edward Taylor (circa 16th century)

When first Thou on me, Lord, wroughtest Thy sweet print,
My heart was made Thy tinder-box,
My 'ffections were Thy tinder in't,
Where fell Thy sparks by drops
Those holy sparks of heavenly fire that came
Did ever catch and often out would flame

But now my heart is made Thy censer trim,
Full of Thy golden altar's fire,
To offer up sweet incense in
Unto Thyself entire:
I find my tinder scarce Thy sparks can feel
That drop from out Thy holy flint and steel.

Hence doubts out bud for fear Thy fire in me
'S a mocking ignis fatuus,
Or lest Thine altar's fire out be,
It's hid in ashes thus
Yet when the bellows of Thy spirit blow
Away mine ashes, then Thy fire doth glow

BB II Report

So now I finally have a little time to spend on reflecting back on Bolter Beach II. There wasn't quite as many people as we were expecting but those that came out had a great weekend of 40k. We had around 10 teams for Friday - the overall winners were Aaron Hagney and Mason Martindale from Naples, Florida fielding two CSM armies with a combined total of four lash princes and a lot of Obliterators. That's a lot of lash to spread the love and that they did! The final round of the team tourney saw Aaron and Mason squaring off against Shawn Phippen and Teddy Woody from Valdosta, Georgia fielding Daemons and SW. The Daemons had some horrid reserve rolls and it all went down hill from there for the Valdosta team. We had a total of four teams from Citrus County, Florida - really great group of guys and they brought along a Tau ace that really tore it up.

As you might be aware the GT featured a competitive format and we had some really fantastic players make it out for the weekend. There was an awesome SM counts as CSM army by Daniel Helversen from the Fort Lauderdale area. His army is beautiful and I've posted some pix from his blog (thewarmastersrevenge.blogspot.com) last week here at Terminus Est. Another awesome was an ork kan wall lead by a pair of deff dreads - beautiful army and a monster on the tables. It was very exciting to watch the games and take in all the action. Andrew Latinsky from Daytona, Florida brought a combined arms SW army - some very interesting conversions for his TWC for sure! Andrew is majoring in quantum mechanics and his style of play saw him knocking out some hardened veterans over the course of the weekend. Andrew always seemed to be able to bounce back from adversity on the tables. My dad was a quantum mechanic (God bless his soul)... Pretty cool stuff.

Mason Martindale won the Player's Choice award with his grey ork horde - reminded me a lot of the old Grey Hulk... Heh. Best Army was awarded to Justin McCord from the Sarasota area with his Pretty Marines Glamor Wing - you've got to see them to fully appreciate the army. Andrew Everett (Dakka Dakka moderator Lorek) won the Best Sportsmanship award and brought his beautiful blue Tau.

I found out sadly that Strength of Schedule is not such a good rubric for ranking players. That said using the tie breakers is definitely the way to go in the future.

Great news - Bolter Beach III (June 2011) and Bolter Beach IV (January 2012) were both approved for the next GW circuit (2011-2012) late last week so there will be plenty more action.

I really enjoyed using a competitive format and will be working to improve the Bolter Beach system.  Like I said there were some very intense games and it just kept getting more intense each round. We will definitely be sticking with this type of format for the future.

I'll try to post some pictures later this week from Bolter Beach II.

Peace!

G

Some thoughts on competitive play (brief intro)

I will be posting an article based upon my reflections from Bolter Beach II this evening. There will be some good and some bad. I'm hoping my article will help other TOs improve their events in the future.

G

School of Thought

By adopting a coherent school of thought we can focus our thoughts on a pure line of tactics that provide a deep foundation for strength of play. All energy is directed at one point. This is my approach to a fast aggressive style. Each action must be coordinated and perfectly executed. This requires hard disclined thinking developed over time by plenty of practice. Preparation through experience leads to correct decisions. We live we die then begin again each time sharper honed.

G

Tactica for the new Deathwing

Okay so I've posted my 2k list earlier today - still need to find a way to trim off 50 points but it's pretty much how I would run the army at this level. Let's start off by looking at each unit and what they bring to the table.

Belial - Obviously he is a must take unit. I've armed him with the thunderhammer and stormshield and he will join the Deathwing command squad. He is going to be more effective now, much more of the heavy hitter we expected back when the codex was released, due to the 2+/3++/4+++.

Interrogator Chaplain (terminator armor & combi melta)- He also joins the Deathwing command squad and is another heavy hitter with the old school stats for Chaplains from a bygone era. You get the rerolls to hit on the charge and he can reliably shoot at close range. He is mounted in a Crusader so you can take full advantage of his Litanies of Hate.. As such he is an integral part of the army.

Deathwing Command Squad (DWCS - counts as Troop Choice)
Sergeant - Pair of Lightning Claws
Pair of Lightning Claws & Cyclone Missile Launcher
3x Thunderhammer & Stormshield
* includes Apothecary
* includes Standard Bearer

I use this same template for three more squads of Deathwing terminators sans the apothecary and standard bearer. So you've got four scoring units. I also am taking two standard landraiders (extra armor) for two of the terminator squads and a landraider Crusader (extra armor) for the DWCS. This equates to three mobile units plus one terminator squad you can use the Deathwing Assault to deepstrike the first turn. So you've got lots of mobility and if needed sit back and shoot the four twin linked lascannons along with your cyclone missile launchers if you want to run a gun line. The basics to this build is very similar to how I played my Deathwing with the new codex prior to the release of the revised DA FAQ. Tactically you have lots of options and should fare well versus mech armies. I remember a game versus a mech SW army - all the terminator squads dismounted so I could fire the cyclone missile launchers along with the lascannons versus the SW rhinos. I popped the rhinos first then meched up and rolled up to assault. It worked very well.

Mobility is the key to a strong DW army - deepstriking terminators are slow once they've landed, there is no way to get around that either. If you want to go with all foot slogging units that deepstrike then you are relying upon overwhelming your opponent early in the game. I don't think this will work well versus armies like the new dark eldar with their speed and all those poisoned weapons soaking your terminators. Sure the 2+/3++ is awesome but the vast bulk of your army is the five man squads. They will drop to enough shots plus enemy assault squads that can throw down a lot of attacks hitting first are going to hurt as well.

The landraiders allow you to charge where you when you want. People have discussed the strengths of heavy landraider armies - they integrate perfectly with a Deathwing army.

G

2k DW LR Rush List

Hi all!


Here is the list I came up...

Belial, Master of the Deathwing

Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield

Interrogator Chaplain

*Terminator Armour
*Rosarius
*Crozius Arcanum
*Combi-Meltagun

Deathwing Terminator Command Squad

3x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield
*Lightning Claws & Cyclone Missile Launcher
*Lightning Claws
*Apothecary & Standard

Deathwing Terminator Squad

3x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield
*Lightning Claws & Cyclone Missile Launcher
*Lightning Claws

Deathwing Terminator Squad

3x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield

*Lightning Claws & Cyclone Missile Launcher

*Lightning Claws

Deathwing Terminator Squad

3x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield

*Lightning Claws & Cyclone Missile Launcher

*Lightning Claws

Land Raider

*Extra Armor

Landraider
*Extra Armor

Land Raider Crusader

*Extra Armor

I will post some tactical thoughts tonight.

G

New Deathwing

Okay so the Deathwing has been given a new lease on the table with the new Dark Angels FAQ. now we have what all the other chapters have:

> 3++ stormshield
> 2 shot cyclone missile
> Feel No Pain apothecary
> Some other goodies as well such as the 75 point landspeeder Typhoon

The first three are the ones that will have the most affect on bringing the army up a level in competitive play. You can have an entire army of terminator scoring units with the 3++ stormshield. Prior to the new FAQ GW stated that you ask your opponent if you could have these upgrades. I've been playing Deathwing on and off for over 15 years now and I can tell you we needed these buffs for 5ed. Unfortunately there were some who said an entire army of scoring termies all armed with the 3++ stormshield would be completely over the top - broken. I laughed when I heard that every time. My current opinion is Deathwing will move up from a mid tiered army to a second tiered army - its a very small army and if you go with lots and lots of stormshields you're not really going to have that much shooting. So I think they'll do much better but I don't think they are going to suddenly win any big truly competitive events. I hope someone proves me wrong though! : )

New CSM Blog

Here is a new Chaos Space Marine blog hot off the press:

www.thewarmastersrevenge.blogspot.com

Daniel will be bringing his army to Bolter Beach II. Check out his blog - there are pictures of his beautiful Khorne Berserkers and Justicerean!

G

Snorri's Take on Sanguinary Guard

I saw this over on the Bolter and Chainsword. It's a good read:

Snorri's Sanguinary Guard Article

G

#8 Dream - INAT FAQ Lite

I was chatting with Matthias of Adepticon fame, Greg Sparks of Toledo fame and Jon Regul of Dakka fame over on Matthias' blog about the INAT FAQ. I have been a proponent of an INAT FAQ Lite version for some time now. Jon has sent me the latest version in the Word format. I am going to create two lite versions:

1) Lite with rules changes

2) Lite with all rules changes removed

Neither will be called INAT FAQ but both versions will be made available to everyone.

Thanks to Jon  for the opportunity to help the community out.

:  )

G

Lamenters Showcase by Aventine

Here are some photos of an awesome Lamenters army I am in love with after seeing it over on the Bolter and Chainsword. Enjoy !!

#9 Dream

So long ago


Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?


I know, yes I know


Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me


Took a walk down the street


Thru the heat whispered trees


I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)


Somebody call out my name as it started to rain


Two spirits dancing so strange


Ah! böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, poussé


Dream, dream away


Magic in the air, was magic in the air? 


I believe, yes I believe


More I cannot say, what more can I say? 


On a river of sound


Thru the mirror go round, round


I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)


Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold


The spirit dance was unfolding
Ah! böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! 
böwakawa poussé, pousséah! böwakawa poussé, poussé

Breaking Down the Castle DoA Style

Recently I posted a tactical article how to play against other assault armies using the Counter Punch method. You hold your army in reserve and watch how your opponent deploys to find a weakness you can exploit. Focus big chunks of your army on separate enemy units to quickly destroy them using your mobility. DoA has a lot of advantages versus other assault armies and the Counter Punch method can be very effective... However what do you do if your opponent is prepared and castles (turtles) their army? Castling means that a player is deploying all their units close together to support each other rather than spreading out. I often refer to this as Circling the Wagons... this is how western pioneers fought native Americans as they forged their way across the country. Castling is an excellent defensive tactic versus dark eldar - dark eldar players also use the Counter Punch method. Another way to express the Counter Punch is the term Divide and Conquer so you can think of it that way as well.

If you can beat a castle as well as counter punch then you are well on your way to winning a tournament. You will have an arsenal of strategies to unleash and can fight any type of army on your own terms. Breaking down the castle requires advanced tactica. More than ever you are relying on your uncanny ability to precision deepstrike coupled with your mobility, heavy meltas and close combat prowess. I wrote a tactical article last year about using peripheral movement to beat a castle. Most players who deploy their armies in a castle use a table corner - this means that literally they have put themselves into a corner with no way out. At best they can fight on two fronts - forward and to the side - there is nowhere else for them to go. You have to exploit this as it's a great opportunity and easy to take advantage of this type of defensive deployment. Most likely one side of their castle will be a weaker front than the other. You can focus the bulk of your army versus their weak side while your strongest units attack their strong side. Peripheral movement means that you are dropping in your units to box in the enemy and cut off their movement - no one is going to roll out their tanks when they know an assault squad loaded with melta and power fists are waiting right around the corner! By boxing in your opponent you are controlling their movement, they are very limited as to where they can move. Often when a player castles they will use some of their vehicles to form a shield wall. These tanks are not moving much and are easy killpoints. Shoot the tanks and charge straight in. If you can multi charge the opponent's tanks and some infantry there are good odds your assault units will be locked in combat the following player turn, meaning that your opponent won't be able to shoot them.

What you want to do is hit the enemy lines with two waves. The first wave makes the initial contact with the enemy line destroying as much as possible in their path and locking up enemy units. The first wave ties down the opponent depleting their counter tactics. Vanguard veterans are obviously a fine choice for your first wave. I always equip mine with meltabombs now so that they can multi charge enemy tanks and blow them up. My Vanguard veterans are my best shock troop - they come in hard and fast wrecking much havoc, disrupting the enemy. Your second wave should be your best assault units such as a unit of choppy Honor Guard and dreadnaughts charging head first out of your Stormravens. Your second wave is your five fingered death punch - they will get off the charges where you need them the most to destroy the rest of your opponent's army. The second wave should be your most powerful assault units because they have to reach the core of your opponent's castle and break it down. One reason why I like to take the Sanguinor because he transforms one of your sergeants into a super hero - as such all my sergeants are equipped with either thunder hammers or power fists and a stormshield. They are death incarnate and suddenly that assault they are leading has just become a veritable power house. As such this unit is most often featured in my second wave. Stormravens are also a great choice to feature in your second wave. I run one and it carries a Furioso plus a killy Librarian with his choppy Honor Guard. The Stormraven can also plink off shots as it heads into battle moving flat-out and using the Power of the Machine Spirit to destroy enemy tanks with it's twin linked multi-melta.

So in conclusion here is how to break down those castles:

> Break your army into two waves:
* First wave is your shock troops,
* Second wave is your strongest units.

> Box the enemy in by surrounding the castle on two fronts.

> First wave hits first popping tanks and locking the enemy down in close combat.

> Second wave hits last destroying the remainder of the opponent's army.


NOTE - It's very important to use intervening terrain to cover your army. Drop in behind whatever cover is available. Sometimes if there is little cover them you'll have use your first wave to cover your second wave. Locking enemy units in close combat is a great way to create some cover.

Play smart and play aggressive. Don't throw away units needlessly if at all possible. You need ever unit you've got to inflict the most damage possible. If you use these tactics you'll find they work well and with some practice it will become quite natural.

Happy hunting !
G

Aces High

There goes the siren that warns of the air raid,
Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak.
Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne,
Got to get up for the coming attack.

Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines,
Remove all the wheelblocks there's no time to waste.
Gathering speed as we head down the runway,
Got to get airborne before it's too late.

Running, scrambling, fire,
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again.
Running, scrambling, fire, Rolling, turning, diving, 
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die.
Won't you run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces high!

Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers,
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away.
Roll over, spin round to come in behind them,
Move to their blindsides and firing again.

Bandits at 8 O'clock move in behind us,
Ten ME-109's out of the sun.
Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them,
Heading straight for them I press down my guns.

Rolling, turning, diving,
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again.
Rolling, turning, diving, Rolling, turning, diving, 
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die.
Won't you run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces high!!!

Tampa gamer has lost his IG army - need help

A local player in Tampa has lost his army...

So this week went fairly sour for me. Around 11:30 Thursday night after leaving Anthem-Games I headed over to the McDonalds right by it and while I was leaving left my entire case of IG on the side of my truck like the jackass I am. I noticed about half an hour later and headed back to check the area with a friend with no luck, apparently within that time it was picked up by someone.


So yeah, if anyone hears anything about my blue/metal/khaki IG turning up somewhere you'll know why. Additionally I know you guys have contact with other stores around florida, right? If by chance you could help get the word out that a whole army has gone missing I'd really appreciate it. The guys at Anthem-Games are already keeping an eye out, but I don't know about anywhere else. In case maybe whoever picked up it might try taking it farther out of the area or something. Of course, this is assuming anyone actually picked it up and it's not in a dumpster somewhere.


Well, thanks to anyone that took the time to read this.

Let me know if anything should show up.

G

Blood Saints vs. Chaozilla * BB II test mission batrep

I had a great battle today versus another a player testing their new CSM list for BB II. A sleek black cat in the house kept rubbing against my leg when i rolled hte dice. We randomly rolled for teh third mission:

- SANDALS -

* The primary win condition was killpoints.
* Killing the most enemy troops as the first tie breaker.
* TQ by kp was the secondary tie breaker.
* Victory points was the third tie breaker.

Deployment was Pitched Battle.

I was running my standard DoA list (Blood Saints):

++HQ++
The Sanguinor
Librarian/Epistolary, jump pack, Unleash Rage & Sanguine Sword
Honor Guard - jump packs, banner, TH & SS, pair of LC, 2xLC & SS

++Elites++
Furioso dreadnought - extra armor & HF (decided to run him with S10 Blood Fists over Blood Talons)
Sanguinary Priest/Jump pack, power sword

++Troops++
10x assault Marine/meltagun, flamer, thunderhammer & stormshield
10x assault Marine/meltagun, flamer, thunderhammer & stormshield

++Fast Attack++
Vanguard Veterans/jump packs, PF & SS, 2x LC & SS, 2x power sword & bolt pistol, meltabombs

++Heavy Support++
Stormraven - extra armor , twlc @ twmm


Here is the CSM list:

++HQ++
2x lash prince/wings

++Elites++
3x defiler

++Heavy Support++
3x dreadnaught (ea. w. 2x DCCW)

++Troops++
3x 8Khorne Berserkers incl. Champion w. Power sword - rhino
3x 8Khorne Berserkers incl. Champion w. Power sword - rhino
3x 8Khorne Berserkers incl. Champion w. Power sword - rhino
5x CSM - rhino


= Blood Saints vs. Chaozilla =

> CSM won the deployment roll and chose to go first deploying in a tight castle with the rhinos up front as bunkers.
> The terrain was excellent with some cover for my Stormraven.

> No BS squads succumb to the Red Thirst.
> One of the assault Marine sergeants is blessed by the Sanguinor and the Priest joins that squad in reserve.

1st TURN CSM: 
> Everything sits still except for one rhino which immobilized itself (Berzerkers).

0 kp CSM - 0 kp BS


2nd turn - CSM:
> Pop smoke on all rhinos & dreads.
> Mobile rhinos move 1".

2nd turn - BS: (no red thirst)
Assault squad with Sanguinor's Blessing arrives and jumps behind cover.

0 kp CSM - 0 kp BS


3rd turn CSM:
> Mobile rhinos move 1".

2nd turn BS:
> Everything else comes in from reserve.
> Stormraven alpha strikes one rhino and destroys it.
> VV use HI to destroy another rhino.

0 kp CSM - 2 kp BS


3rd turn CSM:
> All shooting on VV, one Vanguard Vet survives and breaks. VV falls back 9" and will regroup,

3rd turn BS:
> VV regroups and charges immobilized rhino destroying it with meltabombs.
> Stormraven moves flatout and destroys another rhino.

0 kp CSM - 4 kp BS


4th turn CSM:
> Khorne Berzerkers shoot down last VV.
> Lash Prince charges Stormraven and destroys it.

4th turn BS:
> Sanguinor charges one squad of Berszerkers and destroys them (Berzerkerz had taken some wounds from destroyed rhinos).
> Epistolary and Honor Guard charge one Prince and Defiler, destroying both.
> Furioso charges Chaos dreadnaught - drawn combat.
> Assault Marines charge rhino and one squad of Berzerkers, destroying the rhino.

2 kp CSM - 8 kp BS


The game continues through to the 7th turn. BS destroy all enemy troops and CSM cannot make up the difference in kps.

Final Results:

} Blood Saints win primary and all three tie breakers for the massacre.
} End of game CSM had left one Prince and a defiler. Blood Saints have left one assault squad, Sanguinary Priest, Epistolary and Honor Guard.

This game I was using my perphipal attack tactics. My opponent castled so I could not play the Counter Punch style of DoA tactics.

V

The Counter Punch * Tactics for DoA Armies

I'm going to discuss how to use the classic counter punch tactic to your advantage when playing against other assault oriented armies.

Counter punchers are slippery, defensive style fighters who often rely on their opponent's mistakes in order to gain the advantage whether it be on the score cards or more preferably a knockout. They use their well rounded defense to avoid or block shots and then immediately catch the opponent off guard with a well placed and timed punch. Thus, fighting against counter punchers requires constant feinting and never telegraphing a punch for the counter puncher to generate a good offense from. To be successful using this style they must have good reflexes, intelligence, punch accuracy, and good hand speed. Here are some boxers that excelled as counter punchers:

Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pernell Whitaker


If you think about it there are a lot of armies that feature some assault units. They will probably be a mix of shooting and close combat but there are other armies that are purely dedicated to assaults. No army can win as fast and as big as an assault army. This is because of the multi charge - basically when it's to your advantage you assault multiple units with one of yours - there are very few shooting units that can split fire, Long Fangs and Imperial landraiders immediately come to mind but typically it's only one shot or at best three. If done properly an assault unit can engage two to three units and destroy them all in the initial charge. Also remember that you get to assault during your opponent's turn if you have units still locked in combat. Nothing in the game is as powerful as the assault and Blood Angels are one of the best, if not the best.

I play locally versus a lot of gamers that like to field deathstars - nob bikers, wolfstars, etc. If it's a deathstar I have probably fought it. Having played so many of these type of games I have learned a thing or two how to consistently beat them. Initially I had a lot of problems versus wolfstar but stuck with it and now feel confident when I face off against them. Note that this tactical article is not intended as a primer for building an army or even individual units. The intent is rather to demonstrate how to use your movement phase to beat other assault armies. I mention deathstars in general because for a lot of gamers this what they fear most.

DoA armies are highly mobile. They lack long range shooting unless you opt to field a Stormraven. I think one Stormraven is all you need. The Stormraven provides a mobile weapons platform that can also serve up some really nasty assault units such as the Furioso. As such it's a fine addition to any DoA army if properly integrated into the list. Last night I had a good game versus Speed Freakz - three battlewagons and a large squad of nob bikers lead by a warboss. One battlewagon was carrying a squad of mega armored nobz lead by Mad Doc Grotsnik and the other two both had large squads of Slugga Boyz. All three battlewagons had deffrollaz. We were playing a sample mission from Bolter Beach II - killpoints for the primary win condition and Pitched Battle for deployment. The xenos army is really an elite army, not a typical horde.

I decided as usual to hold everything in reserve. One of the advantages to playing DoA is you can reroll failed reserves for your jump infantry units. As such by starting with everything off the table you can see how your opponent deploys and then bring in your reserves where you need them. I have found that playing against other assault armies often my opponents will commit to some basic mistakes while deploying and during their first couple of movement phases. They have nothing to set their sights on and they don't know what to do. Instead of playing aggressively as you should with an assault army they tend to sit back and wait. This is one area where the Stormraven can be a big boon for you. If you can cripple one to two enemy transports carrying nasty assault units then you have gained the initiative and can dictate the game. This is where the term counter punch comes into play. You draw out your opponent's forces, dodging a few errant blows, then move in for the kill. It's all about making sure your army charges the opponent, not vice versa. A squad of Blood Angels assault Marines with Furious Charge are roughly three times as dangerous as the same squad receiving a charge. Space Wolves are the best army to take a punch in the face since they've got Counter Attack but this is obviously not the case for Blood Angels. So what you want to do is lull your opponent into spreading out their units then come in hard and fast, taking out entire sections at a time. No other army can do this better than DoA. You're highly mobile and dominate in assault. Combats tend to go very fast and are often decided during the initial charge.

Bolter Beach Golden Doubloons !!

Up above is a picture of our objective markers we will be handing out this time.

Good stuff.

G

(1) My turn to rant now (2) Wrecking Crew Interviews

Hi everyone !!!

This is a personal rant of mine that I am going to get off my chest today. Please don't think I am taking a cheap shot at anyone here. There is lots and lots of HATE on the internet when it comes to 40k. All kinds of HATE about all kinds of things. The main goal of my blog is to share winning tactics and strategies for the armies I love to play. I would never go so far as to say you should play my way... and this is where I get to my rant... You see there are lots of people that get their panties all tied up in a tight not if they see someone saying something they do not agree with - I see lots of 40k blogs daily performing the HIT & RUN - It goes something like this...

Hey I was looking over at INSERT NAME HERE blog and look at this idiotic drivel they posted up... blah blah blah

I find this type of behavior to be both cowardly and shows me that they are threatened by ideas outside of their immediate domain. A red flag should go off anytime you see an article like that... they are like roaches too, they are all over the place and love dark corners.


40k Wrecking Crew Interviews Coming Soon

Recently the Wrecking Crew was approached by Brent of Strictly Average fame to write some interviews for a few members. He must have dropped the ball or just plain old flaked out - we have not heard back from him after receiving a few emails. I think Brent is good people but flaky behavior is not cool. So I have decided to start a bi-weekly interview with the 40k Wrecking Crew. I will interview each and every member over the course of the year (for all those who want to participate). I will generally ask them how they got into the game, what are their favorite armies, gamers they love/hate and epic gaming moments. I will also ask some tough questions as well. I think these interviews will prove to be popular and they will not be an exercise in circle jerking.

G

The Brown Paint Brush * New 40k Blog

Hey everyone!

My good friend and fellow daemon player has started a new blog !!

The Brown Paint Brush

Nick is still in high school and I rate him as one of the TOP 40k gamers in the US. I predict he will win many GTs and I look forward to following his blog this year !

G

Blood Angels Fan Fiction "Ripple"

Here is a link to a 40k short story I'm currently writing over on the 40k Wrecking Crew forums:

http://40kwreckingcrew.aceboard.com/331128-607-4848-0-Ripple-short-fiction.htm

(Sorry, the link editor is not working so you'll have to cut and paste if you want to take a look.)

It's about a race of eldar Exodites living on a beautiful maiden world that have a close encounter with an ancient Librarian from a Blood Angels successor chapter, the Blood Saints. The Blood Saint is mentioned in their mythos as an avatar of destruction that will either save their race or doom them all.

It's been fun to write and will be wrapped up soon. If you enjoy 40k fan fiction you might like it.

G

BA deathstar vs. SW deathstar (1st BloodStrike batrep)

Here is my 2k list:

ALPHA
Reclusiarch:
Jump pack

5x Death Company Marines:
2x Bolter & power fist; power sword & bolt pistol; 2x chainsword & bolt pistol

Death Company dreadnaught:
Blood Talons & heavy flamer

Stormraven:
Extra armor; twin linked lascannon & twin linked multi-melta

BRAVO
Reclusiarch
Corbulo

5x assault terminator:
3x pair of lightning claws & 2x thunderhammer & stormshield

Furioso dreadnaught:
extra armor & heavy flamer

Stormraven:
Extra armor; twin-linked lascannon & twin-linked multi-melta

TANGO
Sanguinary Priest:
Jump pack & power sword

10x assault Marine:
Meltagun; flamer; power fist & infernus pistol

5x assault Marine:
Meltagun; power fist & infernus pistol


Here is the 2k SW list:

Wolf Lord:
Runic armor; stormshield; wolf tooth necklace; thunderhammer; thunderwolf mount

Wolf Lord:
Runic armor; stormshield; wolf tooth necklace; frostblade; thunderwolf mount

3x Thunderwolf:
3x stormshield; Mark of the Wulfen; meltabombs

10x Grey Hunter
2x plasmagun; Mark of the Wulfen; power fist

Landraider:
Pintle mounted multi-melta

10x Grey Hunter:
Plasmagun; meltagun; Mark of the Wulfen; power fist - Rhino

6x Long Fangs:
2x Heavy Bolter; 2x plasma cannon; missile launcher

6x Long Fangs:
3x missile launcher; 2x lascannon

Rune Priest (Jaws of the World Wolf & Living Lightning)

5x Wolf Scout:
Meltagun; 2x power weapon; meltabombs


Mission was from Bolter Beach II - Pitched Battle & Annihilation.


My BloodStrike list is configured as follows:

Reclusiarch + terminators + Furioso - Stormraven
Reclusiarch (jump pack) + Death Company + DC dreadnaught - Stormraven

Sanguinary Priest attached to full squad of assault Marines.

My opponent went first and castled his army, clumped together both squads of Long Fangs with Rune Priest, one squad of Grey Hunters mounted in landraider, other squad of Grey Hunters mounted in rhino, TWC over beside Long Fangs, Wolf Scouts deployed behind landraider.

1st Turn SW
Sits still.

1st Turn BA

2nd Turn SW
Sits still.

2nd Turn BA
This turn in comes my small squad of assault Marines and both Stormravens. I deepstruck the assault squad behind the landraider (not much room), they scatter 6" and mishap - lost to the warp. I also deepstrike both Stormravens and they drift up a bit - both Alpha and Bravo units will be able to charge the next turn. One Stormraven shoots it's multi-melta into the landraider and immobilizes it.

3rd Turn SW
His entire army fires everything they've got into both Stormravens with the primary focus on the one carrying the terminators. Both squads of Grey Hunters dismount as well. The Stormraven ferrying to terminators is shaken, the other Stormraven takes no damage. I used Corbulo's rule to reroll a failed cover save for the Stormraven carrying the terminators. Thunderwolves charge the shaken Stormraven and wreck it.

3rd Turn BA
The Stormraven with the Death Company moves 12" over beside a squad of Grey Hunters and dismounts. Reclusiarch and his Death Company line up to charge one squad of Grey Hunters and DC dreadnaught lines up to charge the other Grey Hunter squad. Furioso lines up to charge one squad of Long Fangs. The other Reclusiarch and the terminators line up to multi charge Wolf Scouts, other squad of Long Fangs, plus one squad of the Grey Hunters. The aftermath of this epic assault sees all of these Space Wolf units destroyed while I take no damage in return. All that's left now is the Thunderwolves, immobilized landraider and an empty rhino.

Fast forward to end of turn five - all Space Wolf units are destroyed and I've lost both Stormravens and the Death Company Marines (plus the small squad of assault Marines that mishapped.

Epic battle if ever there was one !!