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Blood Vow

Happiness is success... (Buddha)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Repost - Daemons vs. Salamanders batrep • by Next Level Painting


Here is a repost of a great new batrep pitting Kenny Boucher's daemons versus Donovan (whom wrote the batrep) playing a client's commissioned Salamanders. Kenny is the airbrusher for the professional painting service Next Level Painting and is one heck of an awesome painter. His skill with the airbrush is truly unbound. Enjoy the pictures of these two armies he painted. It's an awesome batrep and shows how daemons can perform versus a well designed mechanized army.

In my opinion it's typically an uphill battle for Space Marines versus daemons.


http://nextlevelpainting.blogspot.com/2011/11/battle-report-salamanders-vs-demons.html



Note you'll have to copy the link and paste it into your browser. Blogger doesn't support the iPad well with its link command unfortunately.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Mephiston by DV8

Here is a highly converted and very well painted Mephiston.

Here is more of his Lamenters over on the Bolter and Chainsword:

DV8's Lamenters

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Necron Unit Analysis - Heavy Support



















So let's take a look at what Necrons have in the way of heavy support:

— Doomsday Ark (175)
— Annihilation Barge (90)
— Monolith (200)
— Doom Scythe (175)
— Canoptek Spyders x3 (150)

Three of the choices listed above are quite pricy pointswise for what you get - that being the Ark, Monolith and Scythe. The Ark and Scythe don't seem well thought out to me in terms of overall design and what they can offer on the table. The Ark is not that useful in my opinion since it must remain stationary to drop the S9 AP1 pie plate. It's not ordnance either... S10 might have made it worth a try. The Scythe does not have Quantum Shielding... What's up with that ?? So it's bacically a one shot wonder... Not worth it to me. The Monolith as we all know got hit hard by the nerf bat - we all knew it was going to happen too... Just not worth it to me even with the reduced cost in points. Everyone knows all about the Spyders as they are a very big part of the Scarab Farm rage. Spyders are definitely worth the points if you are using the Scarab Farm... So one dimensional but well worth it for a specific build.

So this leaves us with the Annihilation Barge which at only 90 points I feel is the best choice overall. The Barge has Quantum Shielding (AV13 on front and sides until it suffers a penetrating hit then reverts back to AV11) which is important as it can ignore all S6, S7 can only glance and S8 needing a 6 to penetrate as well. The Barge has Living Metal as well so it's quite resilient versus the majority of shooting we typically see now. This is the best bargain for Heavy Support and is a solid shooting platform with the twin linked Tesla destructor and Tesla cannon. You also have the option to trade the Tesla cannon for a Gauss cannon - I prefer the former for the potential higher rate of shots plus S7 is good versus light armor such as rhinos and even chimeras. So the Barge is quite good as both anti infantry and versus light armor. At only 90 points it's cheaper than a SM Predator and can generate a decent amount of firepower. It's range is limited but that's okay... If you build the right list your opponent will hard pressed to focus a lot of firepower on the Barge.

You don't seem to see much talk on the Internet yet about the Annihilation Barge but I think eventually it will catch on and take notice. You can easily afford a pair due to the relatively low cost and then you've got a nice battery of S7 shooting. That still leaves one slot open for some Spyders if you want to run a farm. What's not to like ? Seriously.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Necron Army Analysis vs. the Top Tier






Time for some more Necron madness ! As I've said elsewhere Necrons have already been labeled as non competitive by a portion of the Internet, ranking them at best as a mid tier army along with dark eldar and Tyranids. I think it's a bit early to start making such bold statements. At worst focus on taking the best units and go from there.





Can Necrons consistently win versus the top three - Imperial Guard, Grey Knights and Space Wolves? In an attempt to answer that query in a meaningful manner let's take a look at the strengths of Necrons and see how they stack up against the weaknesses of the top three to see if they can be exploited.

Here are my picks for the main strengths of Necrons:

— Shooting
— Entropic Strike
— Mobility
— Resilience

The first two are offensive in nature while the third is strategic. The fourth is defensive and no longer do we have to worry about being phased out, so while typically we don't want to engage in protracted assaults it's not quite as devastating as it used to be back when you could automatically lose a game.

Here are my picks for the main weaknesses of the three top tier armies:

Imperial Guard
— Assaults
— Holding Objectives

Grey Knights
— Low Model Count
— Holding Objectives
— Mobility

Space Wolves
— ?

I can't really think of any major weaknesses for the pups as they are very well rounded and can excel in every phase of the game. Versus IG and GK though you have some weaknesses that are readily apparent (at least to me) and can definitely be exploited...

Versus Imperial Guard
I think you can beat IG by assaulting them (including scarabs versus their armor - Entropic Strike) and by holding more objectives. The main strength of IG is their devastating amount of shooting - Necrons have an automatic counter to this via Reanimation Protocol. If an IG player decides to bubble wrap their armor with guardsmen to hold the scarabs at bay then blast them first and keep the scarabs safely tucked away in cover until you can shred the meat shields with your shooting.

Versus Grey Knights
Build a mobile army with at least four troops. Avoid assaults unless you're sure you have a clear advantage. Again focus on holding more objectives.

Versus Space Wolves
This is the tough one as there isn't much yet I can think of that you can exploit. Once I'm able to start seriously playtesting my army I'll spend some time focusing on how to beat Space Wolves. In general Necrons can lay down a prodigious amount of firepower and I think it's on par with any of the armies I've listed here so that is always a strength obviously - this your main strength versus Space Wolves.

Conclusion
Like I said really it's too early to say where Necrons will rank. We need to see how they fare in tournament play to get a better informed opinion. My gut instinct tells me Necrons can beat the top three and I think they can do quite well versus both IG and GK.

Friday, November 25, 2011

An epic struggle for supremacy


I remember a boss once told me "You get taken out when you get fat dumb and lazy". It's very true and I've seen it happen so many times. Whatever happened to the Romans with their mighty legions? Whatever happened to Alexander the Great? Once you lose your edge it can be hard to get it back and then sometimes it's too late - you get taken out.

Consider this - we all play a game where luck can and does make or break you. It is what it is. If you are a competitive gamer I think it's very important to test yourself. Sure a top tier lists like Grey Knights or Imperial Guard is hard to beat... Same thing for Space Wolves. I have been told more than once that you have to bring a top tier list to beat other top tier lists. How boring would the game if those were the only three armies everyone plays. Who is to truly say that Tyranids or dark eldar can't conistently beat the top tier lists? Some people are already writing off Necrons as a non competive list or stating they a spoiler army at best - I don't believe it. It will take some time to validate these statements as true or false... For now it's too early to say.

Certainly Imperial Guard, Grey Knights and Space Wolves are well proven and fill the top tier but they can be beaten. It can be quite refreshing to play other armies though and it's helps a lot to expand your tactical acumen. Recently Nick Rose (Darkwynn) from BoLS won two major GTs back to back with Black Templars. Kenny Boucher (3skullz) from 40k Wrecking Crew took second best overall at the Feast of Blades with daemons. It can be done.

I distinctly remember Draigowing as being commonly derided as a non competitive army then in less than the span of a week they were suddenly labeled totally WAAC after Alan Hernandez (Blackmoor) rolled through the top tables at NOVA this past summer with his brand of Draigowing. I used to write lots of articles about Draigowing but there is a lot of hate out there so I decided to try my hand at Tyranids, an army that has been labeled as non competitive by the Internet.

Question the authority of the Internet and think outside the box. You'll be glad ya did. Well at least it seems to work for me.

xD

Holiday batreps

Soon I'll post up the Nid vs Blood Angels report - it was an amazing game.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Necrons Lychguard & Canoptek Wraiths




So let's talk about Lychguard and Canoptek Wraiths now that all the hype has started to die. My thoughts are currently you want two dedicated melee units at 2000 points. It might seem like a waste of points - the new Necrons have been billed as the ultimate midrange shooting army and you're giving up a good chunk of points to take not one but two dedicated melee units, thus reducing your overall shooting each turn. Is it really worth it? I have always designed all my armies to have a melee component even if it's very shooty. Solid melee units can prevent the opponent from quickly rolling through one of your flanks - that could be important for an army that people are saying folds up once the assaults begin. Lychguard are slow but can hit hard like a ton of bricks while Wraiths are mobile and can also hit hard as well. I plan on fielding both the Ghostwalk Mantle (Obyron) and a Veil of Darkness (Cryptek) in my portal army. This provides the ability to quickly reposition two units (Immortals) and keep them out of harm's way. That combined with two dedicated melee units should go a long way towards stymying an aggressive enemy assault.

Lychguard
Lychguard, when armed with Hyperphase Swords and Disruption Shields, are in many ways the Necron equivalent of assault terminators. While they will do just fine versus a squad of tactical Marines their true measure is determined by how well they will fare against other dedicated melee units and they should alright versus say a squad of Grey Hunters or Blood Angels assault Marines. I see them more as a deterrent rather than an assault unit that can take down say a squad of Khorne Berzerkers. Use them as a screen to deny the enemy a straight unimpeded lane of assault into the heart of your army. If they can tie up an enemy unit for a turn or two and dish out some wounds before they are destroyed it provides valuable time to reposition the rest of your army and they lay waste to them with your prodigious levels of shooting.

A unit of eight Lychgusrd is fairly costed and can both absorb some damage then dish it right back as well. I wish you could take a mix of weapons as a couple of Warscythes could go a long way and make the Lychguard more versatile. For whatever reason (overly balanced ?) Mat Ward was much more conservative when he designed this unit when compared to the Canoptek Wraiths. Lychguard do have the Reanimation Protocol though which is a big plus for them as compared to Wraiths. The choice though between the two weapons for Lychguard (i.e., Warscythe versus Hyperphase Swords and Disruption Shields) is simple to me. The Disruption Shield will make them last awhile longer in melee plus if they get right up into the enemy's grill your opponent is going to have think hard before shooting them with any weapon that ignores their 3+ armor save such as meltaguns.

If you attach Obyron to a squad of Lychguard that opens a lot more possibilities - Obyron can teleport with his Ghostwalk Mantle and has the option to leave an assault unlike a Necron Lord with a Veil of Time... Plus Obyron is a beast in melee. Teleport in beside the Nemesor one turn (i.e., no scatter if within 6" of the boss) then launch an assault the next turn, do your business, then teleport back out again - opponents are going to hate that - especially if the 6th rumor comes to pass that each turn sequence of phases will be changed to move|assault|shoot.

Lychguard are a counter assault unit to shield your other units. As such they are defenders, not aggressors. Lychguard should provide a tough speed bump to prevent the enemy from assaulting your more fragile units that can't take a hard charge. You can also use them more aggressively if you attach Obyron... So there at least a couple of options.

Canoptek Wraiths
I feel that Canoptek Wraiths are the best dedicated melee unit in the new codex - you can field twice as many per unit, they have two wounds apiece, can rend, can be semi complex, have access to wargear that reduce enemy models in base to base contact to I1 (i.e., Whip Coils) and access to S6 R6" pistols (i.e., particle casters). Mat Ward was very good to this unit and they now have more star power than before. The only two things they lost are the lack of the Reanimation Protocol and no longer move like jetbikes. Wraiths are now jump infantry (so a bit slower but still quite mobile) and can still ignore terrain. Overall they got more than they lost for roughly the same points and that's pretty awesome. Wraiths are an aggressive unit that can act as a vanguard for your army reaping havoc in the enemy line early in the game and provide disruption causing your opponent to react.

Conclusions
I've proposed the use of two dedicated melee units - Lychguard and Canoptek Wraiths. If came down to one over another I'd take a full squad of Wraiths with some Whip Coils and particle casters. These units act as a shield blocking enemy assaults or can move forward taking the fight to the enemy.

Blood Strike (Blood Angels novella)



The story has almost come to an end now for those of you that have been following...

BLOOD STRIKE

Monday, November 21, 2011

Draigowing (2.5k) and Tyranids (2k) lists for Holiday Throw Down





I will be traveling down to Fort Lauderdale later this week to get in a few games with my good 40kWC buddy Brian Poole. My car is already loaded full of booze. We will have two matches both using the BeakyCon mission:


Grey Knights vs. Chaos Space Marines (2.5k)
Tyranids vs. Blood Angels (2k)


Here is a link to Brian's army lists:


Brian's Army Lists



Here is my Draigowing list:


Draigo
Librarian - Dark Excommunication, Might of Titans, Quicksilver, Sanctuary, Shrouding, Warp Time, Master Crafted Warding Stave, 2x servo skull


10x Paladin:
01) Psycannon & daemonhammer
02) MC Psycannon  & daemonhammer
03) Psycannon  & MC daemonhammer
04) Psycannon & sword
05) Falchions & stormbolter
06) MC Falchions & stormbolter
07) Falchions & MC stormbolter
08) Sword & stormbolter
09) Warding Stave & stormbolter
10) Brotherhood banner


- psybolt ammo


10x GKT:
Justicar Thawn
2x daemonhammer
2x psycannon & halberd
5x halberd


- psybolt ammo


NDK - personal teleporter & heavy incinerator


2x psyfleman
Venerable psyfleman




Sick stuff for sure !!























Here is my Tyranid genestealer cult list:

14x Genestealer - Toxin Sacs & Scything Talons
Broodlord


10 Ymgarl Genestealer Brood


Tyranid Prime - Pair of Bone Swords, Scything Talons & Adrenal Glands
10x Hormagaunt Brood - Adrenal Glands



3x Tyranid Warrior - Bone Swords, 2x Deathspitter, Barbed Strangler & Adrenal Glands
Mycetic Spore



18x Termagant - Devourer
Mycetic Spore


The Doom of Malan'tai
Mycetic Spore


Trygon Prime - Adrenal Glands


Trygon Prime - Adrenal Glands


2x Zoanthrope
Mycetic Spore

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Tyranids Unit Analysis - Zoanthropes and The Doom





Introduction
Hive Guard are much more popular than Zoanthropes - I respect what Hive Guard can bring to the table but they don't work well in a fully reserved army... This is because like many Tyranid units Hive Guard are Ld7 and must test for instinctive behavior. Therefore Hive Guard require another unit with synaspse close by to babysit them... So I think you can see why Hive Guard don't work well in a fully reserved Tyranid army such as what I'm currently running now.

Zoanthropes
The first thing everybody asks you when you tell them you play Tyranids is "So how do you handle landraiders ??" This is why I need a unit of Zoanthropes and mine are mounted in a mycetic spore. I can can place them such that when they arrive they are in range of any tank I want to shoot. If I'm playing against Grey Knights and they have Warp Quake then I have to place them more conservatively depending upon when they arrive - and that is okay... Most often landraiders are used to transport a melee unit so eventually they will have to make a move that brings them in range of the Zoies. Honestly I can't remember the last time I saw someone use a landraider as dedicated heavy support sitting still all game and firing it's lascannons. By playing the positional game versus smaller armies you can force your opponent to react and move towards you. Back to the annoying question, I also run two Trygons and they can reliably pop landraiders as well - S7 (adrenal glands) + 2d6 for armor penetration - 7 attacks and rerolling all missed hits due to their pairs of scything talons. You always want redundancy for the tasks at hand when possible.

Zoies don't tend to last long once they have arrived so you need to make sure they do something useful while you've got them on the table. They provide synaspse so you don't have to worry about them running away but I don't consider them an important hub as part of my synaptic network... Like I said they usually don't stick around for long.

Zoies have two psychic shooting powers - one is a S10 AP1 lance with an 18" range... Obviously this one is for popping landraiders. They can also fire a S5 AP3 small blast which is great for soaking Marines. Zoies need to be fielded in either squads of two to three so they are reliable... A trio is best if you can afford the points for a third model. Zoies have to pass a psychic test (Ld10) and then roll to hit (3+ on BS4) so psychic hoods can be a problem plus they can outrange you. Still they are your best bet to crack armor at range.

The Doom
In many ways I believe the Doom is THE best unit for the points in the Tyranid codex. If you mount him in a mycetic spore the Doom can be very dangerous. His leech essence power (which does not require a psychic test) is guaranteed to work twice before the enemy can react since it goes off at the start of each shooting phase (that's right, both yours and your opponent's). The trick is to make sure if you're playing against a mech army that you pop some transports before he arrives so that he will have some hopefully ample targets to leech. Again if you're playing against Grey Knights with Warp Quake you have to be careful where you bring him onto the table as you really don't want a mishap. The Doom is a major threat to Grey Knights as they are small in number and he has the potential to kill a large number each turn. The Doom also can lob a S-X AP1 large blast template each turn during your shooting phase. The strength is equal to number of wounds he has leeched (up to maximum of 10) so it's possible for him to flatten a squad of Paladins with one shot. Like I said the Doom is a major threat to Grey Knights (or most any army) - as such I believe he is a Must Take unit. The Doom only costs 130 points total when mounted in a bare bones spore - a real bargain in the codex for sure if ever there was one.

How Zoanthropes and the Doom Affect the Enemy
Both of these have the potential to wreck major havoc if left unchecked so your opponent must react - they cannot be ignored. As such I use these units very aggressively to force the enemy to react - this takes the heat off the rest of my army and allows me to better position my army while my opponent is reacting. Both units are fragile and will fold fast if hard pressed but that is okay - I don't ever expect them to make it through to the end of an entire game... They are über shock units that must be dealt with quickly or else they can inflict a lot of damage. Their threat is more powerful than their potential because they cannot be ignored.

Conclusion
Zoanthropes and the Doom form up a signicant part of your fire base in a fully reserved Tyranid army. The former are a primary defense versus heavy armor while the latter is an elite infantry killer. Mounting them in mycetic spores allows to place them optimally when they arrive. Due to their high threat they don't tend to last long once they've arrived but they can inflict key damage and takes the heat off the rest of your army for a turn or two.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tyranids Unit Analysis - Alpha Warrior










Introduction
Here is my second article on Tyranid unit analysis. I am going to discuss the use of an Alpha Warrior as my one HQ... That's right I only take one HQ in my reserve army. Your other two choices are Hive Tyrants (including the Swarmlord) and Tervigons. I know that Tervigons are very popular and easily accommodate positional play. While I definitely rate the Tervigon as a better choice than the Hive Tyrant I think they both are not going to help you reach our goal of the maximum level of competition we are aiming for here. Hive Tyrants should have a big red bulls eye painted on them and a sign that says "Shoot me!!!" So often I have personally seen a Hive Tyrant (including Tyrant Guard) shot off the table before they can launch an assault. They have four wounds, no invulnerable save and are not Eternal Warrior. This includes the Swarmlord as well - he has only one extra wound and no invulnerable save versus enemy shooting.

It seems clear to me that Robin Cruddance was much more excited about the new monstrous creatures... All the pre existing monstrous creatures got shat on with a big dump. I use two Trygon Primes and to me they are the equivalent of an HQ choice since they are big, fast, shooty, provide synaspe and are real monsters in melee. Tyranid players from 3rd and 4th edition all seem to hate the Trygon - they still have a lot of issues with the big nerf to their Carnifexen - that is not a logical approach though to building a Tyranid army that is designed for their maximum potential of competition.

The Alpha Warrior
Here you have an HQ that has a lot of good options for melee and is relatively cheap for what you get plus the Prime is an independent character. His only weakness is that he cannot fleet. My Prime has killed his share of Imperial big baddies such as Wolf Lords mounted on Thunderwolves... I always make sure to soften up those Imperial goons first and the Prime has never failed yet to finish the job.

I like to kit mine as follows:

— Pair of bone swords (instant death)
— Scything talons
— Adrenal glands

A bone sword and lash whip are also another great choice and only costs 5 more points than the pair of bone swords. I prefer to have the ability to inflict instant death and have found that with adrenal glands the Prime is usually hitting first in melee anyway.

Built as such he does not cost many points and is a great HQ in terms of what you get. The Prime doesn't really need anything else in my opinion. His role is to come in from reserve along my long table edge with a brood of 10 Hormagaunts. The Alpha Warrior provides synapse to my back line and is a solid counter assault unit to take back objectives. His brood is also very cheap pointswise and serves as ablative wounds plus they are a scoring unit. I never have to worry about them running away either.

If the Prime could join a Warrior brood in their mycetic spore I'd probably run him as such but sadly this is not the case due to the poorly written Tyranid codex. It doesn't make much sense but it is what it is.

Conclusion
So by taking the Prime I eliminate the inherent weaknesses that come from fielding Hive Tryants and Tervigons. This approach saves lots of points that can go towards fielding a pair of Trygon Primes which are the best of the Tyranid monstrous creatures.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tyranids Unit Analysis • Genestealers







Introduction
I'm going to provide a series of articles on individual unit analysis for Tyranids. I am only going to cover the units I use as I have no in depth experience with others. Note that I use a pure reserve army - that is no unit starts on the table deployed prior to the first turn. I'll cover how and why I bring each type of unit onto the table in each of these articles.


Reserving your Entire Army
The beauty of a pure reserve army for Tyranids is threefold:

1) Foremost you can eliminate the restrictions of normal deployment. I have played many games versus Tyranids over the years with shooty armies... Typically only a few battered Tyranid units would get close enough to my battle line to inflict any serious damage and I had dedicated melee units waiting and ready to counter assault. Cover saves were much harder to come by prior to 5th edition so dedicated shooting versus Tyranids was very effective and they would often suffer massive losses while crossing open ground during the first two turns.

Outflanking, deep striking and mycetic spores are the three main methods to hold your Tyranid units in reserve. Genestealers have the option to infiltrate as well as outflank - I've found outflanking to often be much more effective. It's important to place some of the objective markers close to both short table edges so that if a brood of genestealers arrive on the wrong side while outflanking they can still control an objective marker - genestealers are a scoring unit so take advantage !

Yrmgal genestealers can arrive from reserve in a piece of terrain then move, fleet and launch an assault the same turn. As such Yrmgal genestealers can be an effective counter versus an opponent that castles their army smack dab in the middle of their deployment zone.

So basically you're running a three pronged attack with your genestealers - the regular genestealer broods attack along either flank while the Yrmgal genestealers push towards the center. As such it's hard for opponent to completely deny them a charge when they do arrive.

Waves
Prior to 5th edition one of the main tactics was to run your Tyranid army in waves. The first wave was composed of fast cheap units such as gargoyles and Ravenors - Their main purpose was to tarpit the opponent and quickly eliminate the threat of enemy shooting - note that mechanized armies could ignore the first wave for the most part but back then metal bawks were often burning death traps; that is, you didn't see a lot of effective mechanized armies in 4th edition... Many armies were comprised mostly of infantry.

The second wave was also composed of more fast hard units such as winged Hive Tyrants to come and destroy enemy units or cripple them to the extent that they were no longer a real threat.

The third and final wave was composed of units such as genestealers and Carnifexen to finish off the enemy. 4th edition Tyranid lists were dominated byba large amount of Carnifexen - up to six T6 4W units that could lay down a withering amount of midrange firepower. Carnifexen taken as heavy support had access to a 2+ armor save so they were fairly immune to missile launchers. That's all changed now and Tyranids in 5th edition have been designed to be fielded as a horde which is true to their fluff. It is what it is.

2) Holding your entire army in reserve cuts down on the amount of damage your opponent can inflict via shooting during the first part of the game - at least two turns if you happen to go second. It's quite helpful and a much better approach rather than using waves.

3) Third is the psychological advantage you can gain... Your opponent doesn't know where you'll arrive and this can force them to possibly make some big mistakes during their initial deployment. Psychology is very important for any game. You want your spirits to be up but you also don't want to be overconfident as well.


Genestealers
Genestealers have always been a top unit and in both 4th and 5th editions they are a troop choice. At first I thought genestealers should be your only troop choice for 5th edition but I've learned that gaunts are really good too if you've got enough synapse to spread around the battlefield. I field two units of 10 genestealers (both with a Broodlord) and one brood of 10 Yrmgal genestealers. My two troop choices have scything talons and toxin sacs. Scything talons lets you reroll ones to hit and toxin sacs let you reroll wounds versus enemy units that are T4 or less. Basically the philosophy here is to generate as many rending wounds|armor penetrations as possible. Genestealers can fleet, are I6|WS6 and don't have to take tests for instinctive behavior. They can also either infiltrate or outflank as I mentioned in the beginning of this article. Genestealers are a true workhorse and win games. They are also T4 which is pretty darn good for any non power armor army. They are your vanguard (i.e., first wave). Genestealers can roll right through most any enemy unit in melee except for landraiders and Monoliths.

So I've got 30 models that are total hard asses. Most Space Marine armies will be hard pressed to put that number of elite bodies on the table. On top of that I've also got close to the same number of gaunts. There is no Space Marine army that can field as many models and perform as well in my opinion.

Broodlords
The Broodlord functions like a Space Marine sergeant - it is a squad character that cannot be picked out in melee. The Broodlord is the equivalent of an HQ with three wounds, S5, T5, I7 and more base attacks than the basic genestealer plus they are cheap for what you get points wise. The Broodlord can eat a wound from a missile launcher or lascannon and keep on ticking... As such they can soak a couple wounds just like Draigo does. Broodlords also have a built in psychic power Aura of Despair that lowers enemy leadership by -1. Couple this with the Tyranid psychic power Shadows in the Warp and you can mess with Grey Knights - believe me when I say they don't like that either way you serve it up to them. Every time you block any Grey Knight psychic power is a great thing for Tyranids. For example if you hose up their psychic power Sanctuary a full squad of genestealers assaulting a squad of Paladins will really hurt them... At worse you are striking simultaneously in melee versus halberds and all those rending attacks bypass their 2+ terminator armor save. Strip off each Paladin's first wound and they are no better than a Grey Knight terminator in melee versus genestealers. If you must engage Paladins in melee it's all about taking them down one notch at a time.


Yrmgal Genestealers
Like I said I take one squad of ten. They are immune to the Grey Knight psychic power Warp Quake and can arrive from reserve right in the middle of the table. Yrmgal genestealers have the ability to morph +1 attack, +1S or +1T each turn. Basically the way it plays out is you first morph +1A followed by +1S then keep repeating ad nauseum. +1T is not that great compared to the other two morphs... It is what it is. Yrmgal genestealers also have a 4+ armor save so they have some decent protection from bolters other than being a basic T4. They are an elite choice. Tyranids have unfortunately lots and lots of great elite choices - the only two I take are the Yrmgals and Zoanthropes.


Conclusions
So I have told you a bit about how I play my army and what are the most inherent strengths of genestealers in general. Tyranids are now truly intended to be played as a horde army which is true to their background. Genestealers work very well in a full reserve army since they can outflank.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Necron Canoptek List 1.0 (2000)








I was talking to a good friend this afternoon who has playtested a similar list to the one presented below. He has won some big events in the past and gave this list his blessing. He wrecked quite a few armies over the weekend testing this out. There is lots of synergy here and this might be one of the better builds until everyone figures out what's going on.


HQ - 360
225 Imotekh the Stormlord

Provides potentially multiple turns of night fight to give you time (if necessary) to properly position your scarabs - an obvious choice. His lightning wrecks mech... Random but still great versus parking lots.

Royal Court - 135
075 Necron Lord (35): Warscythe (10) & Res Orb (30)
060 Cryptek (25) - Harbinger of Despair (5): Abyssal Staff & Veil of Darkness (30)

Protection for Imotekh keeping him out of harm's way. Attach the HQ to one of the Immortal squads.

Troops - 510
170 10x Immortal: Tesla Carbine
170 10x Immortal: Telsa Carbine
170 10x Immortal: Gauss Blaster

Some people are on the fence about this unit and Tesla carbines in general - I kept my ratio at 2:1 (Tesla to Gauss) to keep my options open. The HQ can go with the blaster unit since Imotekh is a Phaeron to simulate one shot carbines when outside of rapid fire range.

Elites - 260
260 C'Tan Shard (185): Grand Illusion (40) & Writhing Worldscape (35)

Being able to redeploy your scarabs and possibly the Wraiths can be huge. Vehicles on average will fail dangerous terrain tests every one out of three times plus it's going to be pure hell on enemy infantry whenever they have to slog it.

Fast Attack - 560
150 10x Canoptek Scarab
150 10x Canoptek Scarab

The verdict is in now... Scarabs are the bomb. Sure they don't like S6+ but if they go to ground they've got a 2++ cover save being swarms. You'll either have to get up close to use templates or engage them in melee with S6+ attacks.

260 6x Canoptek Wraith (210): 4x Whip Coil (40) & 2x Particle Caster (10)

This is your heavy hitting dedicated melee unit plus they work well when combined with the scarabs.

Heavy Support - 300
150 3x Canoptek Spyder
150 3x Canoptek Spyder

Their main purpose is obvious - generate more scarabs to extend their reach. They will also provide an excellent shield for the HQ and Immortals.

Repost - Spyder Gawdz



From Laughter of the Thirsting Gods...

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Necron Portal List. 2.1 (2k)









Here is another crack at the second list. I've dropped the Overlord to free up points to include a Night Scythe for the Lychguard. They are lead by another Lord for the Warscythe and 4+ RP. I have also dropped the Canoptek Spyder and bumped the scarabs back to full strength.




HQ
185 HQ1 Nemesor Zandrekh: Res Orb
160 HQ2 Vargard Obyron: Ghostwalk Mantle

Royal Court
075 HQ3 Necron Lord (35): Warscythe (10), Res Orb (30)
075 HQ4 Necron Lord (35): Warscythe (10), Res Orb (30)
060 HQ5 Cryptek (25): Harbinger of Despair (5), Abysmal Staff, Veil of Darkness (30)
055 HQ6 Cryptek (25): Harbinger of Destruction (10), Eldritch Lance, Solar Pulse (20)

Troops
170 T1 10x Immortal: Tesla carbine
170 T2 10x Immortal: Gauss blaster
130 T3 10x Warrior: Gauss flayer

Here is how they are paired:

HQ1 (ROB) + HQ5 (VOD) + T2 (Gauss)
HQ2 (VOD) + HQ3 (ROB) + T1 (Tesla)

Again only two teleporting units. HQ4 attaches to Lychguard (directly below).

Elites
460 8x Lychguard: Hyperphase swords & Dispersion Shields + Night Scythe (100)

This forms up a strong mobile counter assault unit and should be fairly durable with one of the Necron Lords attached for the 4+ and a Warscythe.

Fast Attack
260 6x Canoptek Wraith (210): 4x Whip coil (40), 2x Particle caster (10)

150 10x Canoptek Scarab

Total = 1990 points

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Necron Portal List 2.0 (2k)









I have been fighting a cold with the change of weather down here in Florida... Not feeling up to working on my list much the past few days. I slept a lot today and then sat down with the codex again. Here is what I came up after reviewing my original list and sorting through the feedback over on BoLS. Note that I want to play a pure infantry list with some decent dedicated melee units.

HQ
195 HQ1 Necron Overlord (90): Phaeron (20), Warscythe (10), Phase Shifter (45), Res Orb (30)
185 HQ2 Nemesor Zandrekh: Res Orb
160 HQ3 Vargard Obyron: Ghostwalk Mantle

Royal Court
075 HQ4 Necron Lord (35): Warscythe (10), Res Orb (30)
060 HQ5 Cryptek (25): Harbinger of Despair (5), Abysmal Staff, Veil of Darkness (30)
055 HQ6 Cryptek (25): Harbinger of Destruction (10), Eldritch Lance, Solar Pulse (20)

Troops
170 T1 10x Immortal: Tesla carbine
170 T2 10x Immortal: Gauss blaster
130 T3 10x Warrior: Gauss flayer

Here is how they are paired:

HQ1 + HQ3 + T2
HQ2 + HQ5 + T1
HQ4 + T3

So now only two teleporting units to save some points by shaving down on HQ. The Harbinger of Destruction (HQ6) can join a unit bested suited to the mission (deployment, nemesis, etc.).

Elites
360 8x Lychguard: Hyperphase swords & Dispersion Shields

It would be very interesting to pair this unit with Vargard, the Necron Overlord and the Harbinger of Despair. I think they could beat down assault terminators. *evil*

Fast Attack
260 6x Canoptek Wraith (210): 4x Whip coil (40), 2x Particle caster (10)

120 8x Canoptek Scarab

Heavy Support
050 Canoptek Spyder

That's it.

Spyders generating Scarabs - You Make the Call

















Pretty good for a laugh...

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/408474.page

Here is a dirty Canoptek trick to get the most out of your Spyder swarms. Suppose you are playing a game with Pitched Battle for deployment. Assume you have won the roll to go first. Deploy your ten Spyders so that at least five are right up at the 12" mark:

(S) Spyder, (X] Scarab

S X X
...X X
S X X
...X X
S X X

The first Spyder adds a base which you can deploy in front and up to 2" away to maintain unit coherency:

S X X
...X X
S X X --X
...X X
S X X

This placement extends your range by another 4" (2" for base size and 2" for coherency).

Next  the second Spyder adds another base:

S X X
...X X
S X X --X --X
...X X
S X X

This second scarab adds another 4" total extending your range.

Finally add the third scarab:

S X X
...X X
S X X --X --X --X
...X X
S X X

So you have doubled the distance you originally deployed out to 24". The maximum charge arc on the first turn is as follows:

24" (due to the three freshly spawned scarabs)
+ 6" (movement)
+ 6" (fleet)
+ 12" (charge)

= 48"

So you can pretty much reach all the way across the table in one turn. You can take a second unit of Spyders if you want to further extend the scarab line.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Positional Play for Tyranids and it's Strategic Importance













Introduction
If you have followed my blog over the past couple years since its inception you'll know that I written the vast majority of tactical and strategic articles about the following fifth edition armies in the order as immediately outlined below:

— Daemons (Khornate)
— Blood Angels (Descent of Angels - jump infantry)
— Dark Eldar (mechanized)
— Grey Knights (Draigowing)
— Tyranids (Reserve army)

The first two armies are your basic rocks - very simple to play and almost solely dedicated to melee. Dark eldar was the first xenos army and my first excursion into a fifth edition army with a heavy shooting element. Draigowing is fairly static army that excels at both shooting and melee - Grey Knights are one of the top armies currently. I then recently decided to start playing Tyranids after buying an army from a good friend here in Clearwater.

I started playing Tyranids as a ringer in a small local tournament facing off against a daemon army then two Grey Knight armies. I realized over the course of the three games that Tyranids are much better than I had originally given them credit and decided to give them a serious go. I did toy around with Tyranids for a short time towards the end of playing my Khornate daemon army but did not extensively play them at that time. A lot of my current tactics though are still based upon those thoughts; since then I have heavily modified the original list based upon both what I have available and the removal of expensive units such as the Hive Tyrant which I have since found to be largely ineffective for their points cost. My current Tyranid army has five troops which is very rare for me as most often I will only play with two to three scoring units. Daemons, Blood Angels and Grey Knights can win by massacring the opponent over the course of the game. Dark eldar are very fast and can dish out a lot of punishment. I have learned the most during fifth edition in general playing Tyranids and a lot of what has been learned has come from having those five scoring units. Tyranids need to use positional tactics to win versus the top armies such as Grey Knights and Space Wolves. I haven't had the opportunity to play my Tyranids versus Imperial Guard yet but my gut instinct tells me that IG is soon going to slip from the top tier due to the introduction of the new Necrons.


A Couple of Caveats
1) I have to say that while Tyranids have turned out to be better than I first thought the codex along with its FAQ are the worst written rules I have ever read and that goes all the way back to the beginning of third edition. There are many small things that could easily have been implemented to have delivered a much better codex overall without making the army as a whole broken or over the top. Your finished work is a reflection of yourself. My philosophy is don't start anything unless you plan to do a top notch job and you should always be meticulous to the nth degree when necessary. The Tyranid codex as a whole is epic fail in my opinion. You have to just ask yourself the question "Were 5th edition Tyranids intended to be a non competitive army?". It also seems like each codex that was released following Tyranids were all designed to effectively curb their strengths. I won't waste any time rehashing what are the major problems faced by a Tyranid player as they are all very well known to most everyone who has avidly played 40k over the past couple years.

A reserve army can overcome a lot of the inherent weaknesses in the codex and you can definitely design a solid army. To do so requires that you focus on fielding only the best units such as genestealers and Trygon Primes. You also need to have synapse spread throughout your battle line. Still most often versus a top tier army when you do win it will be by only a small margin at best. I know that the majority of my wins versus Grey Knights and Space Wolves were all decided by a few key rolls of the dice towards the end of those games. Overall my luck has been quite good and I'm very thankful. You must always be honest with yourself if you want to win consistently with Tyranids. It is an army that can't survive mistakes and you have to make a lot of good decisions over the course of each game.

2) To win with Tyranids requires a fair amount of terrain (fair being at least 25 percent as a minimum) as well as some pieces that block line of sight (LOS). Unfortunately for whatever reasons often when you go to a tournament the tables don't have much in the way of terrain. Barren tables are really bad news in general for Tyranids... Your army can be reduced to targets lined up across the table waiting to be shot down, one right after another. It is what it is and there's no getting around that in the grand scheme of things. The rulebook does tell us there should be at least 25 percent terrain on a table so always keep that in mind.


Positional Tactics for Tyranids
A lot of players are already aware of this style of play and you see it a lot in the plethora of MSU (many small units) armies that have cropped over the course of fifth edition. MSU is nothing new - its been around for as long as I have played and it has always worked well for many Space Marine armies. So what's good for the goose is good for the gander. That is if it can work for mechanized armies such as IG chimera parking lots brimming full with units such as undercosted veteran squads and SW razorspam then it can work for Tyranids as well. For example the mycetic spore is one of the best things to happen for Tyranids - you can safely position a large portion of your army where you need them the most. By playing a reserve army coupled with good placement of objective markers you can overcome both the inherent restrictions of deployment and also control key objective markers across the table top as a game progresses. On the flip side mycetic spores give up very easy kill points but that is the case with many armies such as IG and Orks. If you want to have your cake and eat too then you're going to have to work hard for it. Don't get me wrong as I'm certainly not advocating the MSU approach to designing a competitive army and that would go against the inherent horde theme for Tyranids. What you will need though as already pointed out is at least five scoring units and the majority should be composed of at least ten models each. I do run a unit of three Warriors mounted in a mycetic spore - they are there first and foremost as a synaptic anchor in the rear of my army - placed as such they can also halt broken units that are below 50 percent and falling back towards my long table edge.

Good placement of objective markers is fundamental to winning with Tyranids. You want to spread them out and place objective markers in key positions that will force your opponent to expose their units. Genestealers can outflank and they are very good at quickly reaching over extended enemy units. Yrmgal genestealers can basically arrive from reserve in the center of the table and hit an enemy castle head on. Both genestealers and Yrmgal genestealers are immune to the Grey Knight psychic power Warp Quake. Small elite armies such as Grey Knights have a problem controlling more than two objective markers - sure Grey Knights can field a high percentage of scoring units but they are still most often small armies with not many units. You can also place at least one objective marker (e.g., Capture and Control) deep inside your deployment zone where it will be very hard for your opponent to reach - if they do try to control or contest these markers then again you are forcing them to expose their units.

You have access to a large army and can cover a lot of ground. Tyranids also tend to be fast with fleet which is another advantage that works well with a large army. By spreading synapse across your army it will force your opponent to work hard to remove the bulk of your army. You want to protect your units with synaspse. My current Tyranid army has roughly one half of the units with synaspse (not including spores). My pair of Trygon Primes have to fight up front and will both inevitably be destroyed over the course of a game but they are there in the early stage of a game providing forward synaspse until my other synaptic units can move into key positions to anchor the bulk of my army. I've already discussed the main role my Warriors play providing synaspse. My Alpha Warrior is joined to a brood of Hormagaunts - they have to come in from reserve along the long edge of the table. They act as a counter assault unit and can take back objectives as well as extending my synaptic bubble. They can also pop out of a burrowed hole left behind by a Trygon - while this does allow you to place the unit towards the front over on a flank is nice but it's totally dependent on your rolls and more often than not I have found my reserve rolls unfortunately don't coincide that well to take good advantage... If it's there though I use this special deployment when it's advantageous to do so... It's extremely rare though so keep that in mind.


Abbreviated Tyranid Reserve Army List
Here is my abbreviated reserve Tyranid army list:

Genestealer Brood x2 {outflank}
Yrmgal Genestealer Brood {hibernate}
Trygon Prime* x2 {tunnel|burrow}
Termagants (mycetic spore)
Alpha Warrior* + Hormogaunts {normal reserves}
Doom of Malantai (mycetic spore)
Zoanthropes* (mycetic spore)
Warrior Brood* (mycetic spore)

* Synapse

I've noted how each unit arrives from reserve and which ones have synapse.


Conclusions
So I have covered how to use positional tactics to win consistently with Tyranids. You should only take the best and most effective units available from the codex if you want to emulate my style of play.

Some of the Tyranid units I eschew the use of (that is I don't use them) are as follows:

— Biovores
— Carnifexen
— Gargoyles
— Hive Guard
— Hive Tyrant | Swarmlord | Tyrant Guard
— Lictors
— Mothra ( :p )
— Pirovores
— Tervigons
— Tyrannofex
— Venomthropes

I'm sure my self proclaimed choice of which units I have decided not field will have some of you responding in total disagreement. So be it ! They all have some major weaknesses which all can all be easily exploited by the majority of other armies and that's the main reason why I don't like them. There are other units such Raveners, Shrikes and ripper swarms that could possibly work in a full reverse list but I'm overall very happy with my list I posted above.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Nemesis Dreadknight Tactica


Here is my first tactical article on the technical application of the Nemesis Dreadknight (NDK).


First up is how I kit mine:

— Personal Teleporter (PT)
— Heavy Incinerator (HI)






I am not a fan of the sword as it's expensive plus you give up one attack. An NDK with two Doomfists has a base of four attacks and five on the charge. The NDK is WS5 so he is hitting most units on a 3+ which is good enough for me. They can pound the heck out of armor in melee since they are monstrous creatures (2d6 armor penetration coupled with S7 via Hammerhand) and should be able to take out a five man squad of Marines in no more than two rounds of melee. Versus a razorspam army an NDK can quickly roll up an entire flank - pops transports with your psyflemen and psycannons while your NDK eats whatever spills out.

I have always outflanked my NDK - nothing on the table can hide from his HI template the turn he arrives by using his shunt move... 30" onto the table from either short edge plus another 12" to place the template plus another 8" for the template. That's a total distance of 50" ! Therefore the NDK can always cover more than the length of the table (roughly 70 percent) in one turn with the HI template. If you're playing against an army with lots of mech it's fairly easy to drop the HI template across the rear sides of two vehicles. I remember one game versus Imperial Guard when my NDK destroyed a squadron of two Leman Russ using this tactic. Sure the dice were very hot but it can happen. The NDK was shot off the table the following turn but he had left a big mark with two smoking craters. This tactic is also useful if you need to dig out a heavily entrenched enemy troop such as dark eldar Warriors.

Another tactic I have used with the NDK is to use his shunt move to cut off an assault from an enemy unit versus my Paladins or Grey Knight terminators. The NDK has a huge base so it's quite easy to position him in such a manner as to completely block off another friendly unit from the enemy charge arc. This tactic buys you some much needed extra time and helps to ensure your Paladins, Grey Knight terminators or a squad of Purifiers will be able to charge the following turn rather than be charged. I used this tactic once to prevent a large squad of Death Company mounted in a Blood Angels Stormraven from assaulting my Paladins. The next turn my Librarian successfully cast Quicksilver and the Paladins cut down the entire squad of enemy Death Company.

Returning to the topic of options (wargear) you can spend lots and lots of points on an NDK such as including a gatling heavy psilencer as a second weapon. Sure the big gun looks really cool but as I said in the beginning I just stick with the personal teleporter and heavy incinerator - he costs almost as much as a landraider equipped as such and to me there is no need to tack on any more unnecessary points. The personal teleporter while very expensive is a must have - a walking NDK will be shot off the table more often than not before he can launch one assault. If you are going to spend all those points it's worth it to take the teleporter as it makes the NDK much more of a big threat, which is exactly what you want.

Typically I will only ever use at most one NDK and that is only for games at 2500 points or more. The NDK is situational at best while psyflemen always tend to do well and are roughly half the cost each - so you can almost afford to take two psyflemen in place of one NDK. An NDK can make for some exciting moments in a game though so there is always that potential. Versus armies such as lance heavy dark eldar the NDK has a very short predicted life span on the table - the enemy will quickly blast him into a pulp from a position of safe range and there's not much you can do to prevent it either. Sometimes the NDK is nothing more than expensive fire magnet drawing enemy firepower away from the rest of your army so in my opinion the NDK is more of a fun unit to play as opposed to a really competitive melee beast. Sure there are times he will shine but there will probably be more times when he comes and goes just as quickly.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Necron List (2k) version 1.01 w. new commentary



I have decided to drop the C'Tan after speaking with some friends. I'm not sure exactly what I will do with these points... I could take another squad of scarabs but really I think one is enough for now. Supposedly the Deathmarks are very hot so I am considering taking them when sixth edition is released. A big block of Warriors and a Monolith is yet another consideration.

- HQ -
Necron Overlord: Phaeron, warscythe, res orb, tachyon arrow, phase shifter, weave (240) {H1}
Nemesor Zahdrekh (180) {H2}
Vargard Obyron (160) {H3}

1st Royal Court
Necron Lord: warscythe, res orb (75) {H4}
Cryptek - Harbinger of Despair: veil of darkness (55) {H5}

2nd Royal Court
Cryptek - Harbinger of Despair: veil of darkness (55) {H6}

- Troops -
10x Immortal: tesla carbines (170) {T1}
10x Immortal: gauss blasters (170) {T2}
10x Immortal: gauss blasters (170) {T3}

The units above are paired up as follows:

H1 + H5 + T2
H2 + H6 + T3
H3 + H4 + T1

All there combined units have Veil of Darkness and the Res Orb plus the first unit is relentless as well. If you remember how nasty was one squad of Immortals teleporting this is 3x the pain. Nemesor can boost a squad with Tank Hunter making those Tesla carbines S6 and better able to crack light armor. The Wraiths are really good this time, even better than before... They can work well versus mech in conjunction with the scarabs... Nemesor buffs the scarabs with furious charge so they strike first versus armor inflicting damage via Entropic Strike then the Wraiths cut right them like tin foil - this tactic came from another club member of 40kWC.

I would like to take a wide array of choices to keep the army balanced rather than say spam scarabs.


- Fast Attack -
5x Canoptek Wraith: whip coils, 2x particle caster (235)

10x Canoptek Scarab (150)

- Heavy Support -
3x Canoptek Spyder (150)

Sunday, November 06, 2011

1st Necron army list (2000 points)





- HQ -
Necron Overlord: warscythe, res orb, tachyon arrow, Phaeron (180) {H1}
Nemesor Zahdrekh (180) {H2}
Vargard Obyron (160) {H3}

1st Royal Court
Necron Lord: warscythe, res orb (75) {H4}
Cryptek - Harbinger of Despair: veil of darkness (55) {H5}






2nd Royal Court
Cryptek - Harbinger of Despair: veil of darkness (55) {H6}

- Troops -
10x Immortal: tesla carbines (170) {T1}
10x Immortal: gauss blasters (170) {T2}
10x Immortal: gauss blasters (170) {T3}

The units above are paired up as follows:

H1 + H5 + T2
H2 + H6 + T3
H3 + H4 + T1

All there combined units have Veil of Darkness and the Res Orb plus the first unit is relentless as well.


- Elite -
C'Tan Shard: writhing worldscape, grand illusion (260)

- Fast Attack -
5x Wraith: whip coils, 2x particle caster (235)

8x Scarab (285)

- Heavy Support -
3x Spyder (150)

90 points left to play with... Will probably take a Cryptek (Harbinger of Destruction) with a solar plus.

Very mobile army, no vehicles (YAY!!!), solid dedicated melee units plus lots of nasty tricks.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

The Tendril Descends - Part III • Tyranids vs. Grey Knights














I had the opportunity to play another game versus Grey Knights again today. I was running my standard list (abbreviated):

2x Trygon Prime - adrenal glands

Alpha Warrior + retinue (10x Hormogaunt w. adrenal glands)

Genestealer Brood w. Broodlord
Genestealer Brood w. Broodlord
Devilgants - mycetic spore
3x Warrior - mycetic spore

Zoanthropes (Zoies) - mycetic spore
Doom of Malantai- mycetic spore
Yrmgal genestealers

We used the BeakyCon mission - killpoints, Capture and Control plus Seize Ground are all equally weighted - whoever takes the most objectives wins. If there is a draw on objectives then it goes to pure victory points to decide the winner. Deployment was Dawn of War and there were five objective markers for Seize Ground. There are six turns with a seventh on a roll of 4+ on 1d6. I lost the roll for deployment and had to go first holding my entire army in reserve.

Email in - Tweaking a 2000 point Blood Angels Hybrid List

It has been quite awhile since the last time I wrote anything about Blood Angels. I received a request to tweak a 2000 point hybrid Blood Angels army list so I decided to share my feedback here...




"Hmmm... I cant seem to get it all to fit with meph and sang... I can get meph with a reclusiarch, how do you get it all to fit at 2000 pts?"

HQ
250 Meph
130 Reclusiarch

Elites
175 Furioso Libby
125 2x Sang Priests (jump, foot)
210 5x Termies (3x LC, 2x TH/SS)

Troops
235 10x Assault (PF, Melta, Melta)
235 10x Assault (PF, Melta, Melta)
135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)
135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)
135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)

Heavy Support
200 Stormraven (MM, TLLas)

(1965)


Here is my feedback:

250 Meph

Great choice... The Lord of Death is a beast and synergizes very well with mech armies.

130 Reclusiarch

Another great choice but if you drop the Furioso you could save some points and just field a Chaplain. Chaplains can be a real work horse for BA - especially so in a melee oriented army.

175 Furioso Libby

Drop him to free up some points. As already said your got your hood via Mephiston. If you really want a dread I'd just go with the standard Furioso - Blood Talons can be game winners.

125 2x Sang Priests (jump, foot)

Solid choices and essential for most any BA army. I assume one will roll with an assault squad (jumpers) and the other will roll with the terms. You saved a few points by not taking power weapons but I think this would be a great upgrade for the priest who'll run with the assault squad - the combination of a WS5 power sword and a power fist (sergeant) is very strong... You can blow right through enemy dedicated melee units such as Berzerkers (assuming you get the charge).


210 5x Termies (3x LC, 2x TH/SS)

Awesome unit - I'd run 3x TH/SS & 2x LC

235 10x Assault (PF, Melta, Melta)
235 10x Assault (PF, Melta, Melta)

Very solid units - the core of your army. Fine as is.

135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)
135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)
135 5x Assault +Rhino (EA, Blade)

To be honest I don't like these units as they are nothing more than mobile objective grabbers which to me is a waste of points as you're not realizing their full potential. I would find the points to add a meltagun and power sword for each of these three units.

200 Stormraven (MM, TLLas)

Standard kit for the raven - I'd definitely bolt on some extra armor as it can save your bacon time and time again. The last thing you want is your raven sitting there like a duck when for a mere 15 points it could have sped away to safety and do something useful such as contest an objective.

So like I said I've mostly just tweaked the list for better optimization of the existing units.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Walking in your footsteps





Fifty million years ago
You walked upon the planet so
God of all that you could see,
Just a little bit like me
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps


Hey, Mr. Dinosaur
You really couldn't ask for more
You're God's favorite creature
But you didn't have a future
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your foorsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your foorsteps


Hey, mighty brontosaurus,
Don't you have a lesson for us
Thought your rule would always last,
There were no lessons in your past
You were built three stories high
They say you would not hurt a fly
If we explode the atom bomb
Would they say that we were dumb, well
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps


They say the meek...shall inherit the earth
They say the meek...shall inherit the earth
Walking in your footsteps...footsteps...footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps...footsteps...footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Increase the value of your gaming time








Reposted from Laughter of the Thirsting God ...

One way to increase the value of your gaming time is by helping out an opponent that is not as experienced as you are. Assuming you aren't in a tournament(or even if you are if you like a challenge) give pointers to your opponent so that the game isn't a waste of time. Many players gleefully rub their hands together and chuckle evilly when witnessing a rookie making a game losing mistake. Mistakes in the  deployment phase can lead to a game that is almost a foregone conclusion. Go ahead and educate them a little so that you don't waste an hour or more of your time. In these kind of games there is simply no sport, so be a good sport and ask them if they are sure they want to do that. While it is true that they would learn a little more from experience than having their potential error explained to them they will have plenty of other opponents to let them fumble around and you will be wasting less of your own time.