T G I F

Winning and Losing... It happens

It seems to me sixth edition is very much a dice game this time around. I don't have a problem with that aspect and I've had a lot of exciting games in sixth edition that came down to the last few rolls of the dice. I am in a phase now where I like to play armies that are exciting versus fielding armies that are designed to beat the meta. I don't think there is a real meta anymore with allies and how the missions work now. Necrons Grey Knights were my first solid winning army for sixth edition - I don't think anyone can honestly deny that is a competitive combination. I learned how to play sixth edition competitively with Grey Knights starting with Draigowing. It finally got boring just like any army you win a lot with over the course of time.

A lot of new codices are rolling out now... More so than ever before since I can remember and that also breaks the meta. To a large degree you don't know what to expect. An army that is strong today could be weak in a month or two. I've seen it happen before and it kind of sucks for new armies that have a short shelf life in terms of being competitive. It happened to both Blood Angels and Dark Eldar. GW gives and takes.

The best armies now are the most balanced... They excel in all three phases of the game - movement, shooting and assault. If an army is weak in any one phase it can be made to suffer. Movement is still the strongest phase and the least dependent upon the dice. That is one reason why I think the new eldar could be very strong, even stronger than the new Tau. Tau are really good at shooting and that's it. Figure out how to assault them effectively and they will fold. For example Tau have Fire Support to enhance their Overwatch so you assault them with multiple units and first send in a sacrificial unit to absorb their super fire power.

My army I'm playing now needs some good luck to win. If I can assault out of two land raiders on the second turn it's lights out... Otherwise it's going to be tough and Emperor forbid any armies that can easily pop AV14. It's tough to lose for just about anyone but it is not the end of the universe either. I could have focused on building a competitive Tau Grey Knight army but I'd rather work on my World Eaters. One thing I can say for certain in regards to new Tau Grey Knights army... If you're relying on a Strike squad to provide your muscle you're going to eventually lose. Sure a Strike squad has a lot of force weapons but other than that for the most part they are an expensive tactical squad. They have some good things but they are weak in melee versus most any dedicated close combat unit.

So like I said sure it's not fun to lose for the most part but then again nobody wins every game either. If you're not winning enough to your satisfaction maybe it's time to start playing a new list. You don't even have to change codices - try some new units. For example I started out playing Grey Knights as the primary detachment with Necrons as the ally. They did okay then I switched out using Necrons as the primary detachment and I started to win more games. It worked for me and I'm sure it can work for you too.

3rd BeakyCon3 Sample Mission

If you want to start practicing now for BeakyCon3 here is our third sample mission to help you start play testing your armies. These sample missions are designed to give you a good idea how the GT will work so you can properly prepare.

[1] Sequence of Order
01. Objective markers (if appropriate) are preplaced as per the specific mission rules. Otherwise place them after deployment zones are selected. Game begins.
02. Roll off for deployment zones and place fortifications.
03. Roll for Warlord Traits.
04. Roll for Psychic Lores.
05. Roll for army specific rules (e.g., Grey Knights' Grand Strategy, Dark Eldar Wyche drugs, etc.)
06(a ). Roll for Night Fight.
06(b ). Roll to see who deploys first and second. Player who deploys first goes first as well unless their opponent seizes the initiative - see step 9 below.
07. Deploy infiltrating units and make scout moves (as per rulebook).
08. Redeploy (e.g., Necron C'Tan Grand Illusion).
09. Roll for Seize the Initiative.
10. First turn begins...
11. Game ends - Note that random game length is modified. There are six turns and then a possible seventh turn on a roll of 4+ on 1d6. Dice Down when time is called.

Note that each round is up to three hours.

[2] There are two main objectives:
- The Emperor's Will:
Place your own objective marker within your deployment zone - it must be at least 6 inches from any board edge; if you control your own marker it's worth 2 battle points and if you control your opponent's then it's worth 4 battle points (at the end of the game obviously).
- Slay the War Lord:
This objective is worth 6 battle points.

A scoring unit can only hold one objective marker.

[3] Deployment: Dawn of War

[4] 1 battle point each for First Blood & Line Breaker.

[5] No Mystery Terrain or Mystery Objectives rules.

1st Tie Breaker:
If at the end of the game there is a draw on total battle points then use kill points as the first tie breaker.

2nd Tie Breaker:
If there is also a draw on kill points then whoever kills the most enemy scoring units wins.

Bonus Points - At the end of the game record how many kill points you earned. This is used for pairings and possible tie breakers after the final round. These points do not count toward your individual mission battle points.

Remember that each game goes six turns automatically. There is a seventh turn on a roll of 4 on 1d6 (modified random game length). This applies to all missions. You will be questioned by the TOs if you have more than one game that only goes to turn 4... You may be penalized if its decided you're slow playing, so don't muck about.

Army Guidelines:
• 2250 points
• Double FOC
• Allies
• Fortifications (up to one per army)
• Forge World:
You can field Forge World units with the 40k Approved stamp of approval from the following two books:

- Imperial Armor Apocalypse 2nd Edition
- Imperial Armor Aeronautica

Bran Redmaw (Forge World) can be taken as an HQ slot for Space Wolves.

Note that you must follow the guidelines from Forge World and bring the appropriate rulebook(s). No proxies or counts as are allowed. Make sure to bring the most current rules. Photocopies and PDFs will not be accepted.

BeakyCon3 Open for Registration Now !!!

Registration opens for BeakyCon3 today. Here is how to register using good old PayPal. My email address for my PayPal account is as follows:

moodhoney@yahoo.com

The cost to register is $50. Make sure to note YOUR first and last name plus what army you'll bring. Put BeakyCon3 REGISTRATION in the subject line.

We can take only 40 players this year so don't wait if you plan to go. It's going to fill up very fast!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kharn's Land Raider WIP

Khorne vs. Tau Batrep - 2250 points

I had a really exciting game today versus the new Tau. Here is my army list:

Abbadon
7x Berserker - Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

Kharn
8x Chosen - 2x power axe, power sword, flamer, Mark of Khorne, Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, boltgun & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

7x Berserker - Veterans of the Long War & Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, power fist, melta bombs & Boon of Chaos
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

2x Chaos Spawn - Mark of Nurgle

Chaos Contemptor Dreadnaught (300 points) - extra armor, heavy conversion beamer, Havoc missile launcher, dreadnaught close combat weapon with built in plasma blaster & Dedication to Khorne


Here is the Tau army to the best of my recollection:

Commander - Iridium Suit, plasma rifle, missile pod, drone controller
6x Marker Drone (attached to Commander)

Farsight
4x Crisis Suit - 4x plasma rifle & missile pod

Shadowsun
2x Crisis Suit - 2x plasma rifle & missile pod

12x Fire Warrior w. squad leader
12x Fire Warrior w. squad leader

15x Kroot & Hound - sniper
15x Kroot & Hound - sniper

Riptide - Ion accelerator, Stim Injector

Hammerhead - Longstrike & disruption pod

3x Broadside - missilesides
2x Broadside - twin linked railguns & missile pods

Skyray

6x Pathfinder

Aegis Defense Line w. quad gun

Note that my opponent had some more wargear than listed above such as some seeker missiles here and there. He didn't have much in the way of fusion - Farsight and his Crisis Team could have easily devastated at least one land raider if they had been packing some. Well at least he wasn't tailoring his list to blast my land raiders like tin cans and that's very much appreciated !

We played one of the new BeakyCon3 missions:

Primary Objective 1: The Relic (4 battle points)
Primary Objective 2: Four objective markers, each placed in the center of each table quarter (each worth 3 battle points apiece)

Bonus Points: Slay the Warlord & Line Breaker (1 battle point each)

Deployment: Vanguard Strike


My opponent won the roll to choose his deployment zone. There was a good amount of terrain with a large ruin in the center that offered some LOS blocking. Abbadon has a built-in Warlord trait that's useless versus Tau. The Tau Warlord trait (Shadowsun) was the one that allows the entire army to go to ground then get back up their next turn.

I won the roll to choose turns and elected to go first... I wanted to alpha strike the Riptide. I deployed my three land raiders behind the central ruin with the dreadnaught behind them and the two spawn in close proximity for support. My opponent castled up in one corner with the Fire Warriors, Broadsides, Commander with marker drones, Hammerhead all sitting behind the Aegis Defense Line. The Pathfinders were deployed towards the center of the table. He infiltrated Shadowsun with Crisis Team (whom I jokingly refer to as lil Miss Sunshine) and one squad of Kroot in his adjacent table corner. He held Farsight (deep strike) and the other squad of Kroot (outflanking) in reserve.

My opponent failed to seize the initiative.


- 1st Turn: Khorne

The lander raider carrying the Berserkers backed up a bit to move out of range from lil Miss Sunshine while the other two pivoted to target the Riptide. Shooting dropped two wounds on the Riptide and the dreadnaught managed to glance the Hammerhead. Not a bad start.

- 1st Turn: Tau

Lil Miss Shadowsun and friends moved forward but her fusion guns were out of range. The Hammerhead whiffed versus Abbadon's land raider as did the Riptide as well. Assault moves saw lil Miss Sunshine hop back 10 inches, the Commander and marker drones jumped up behind the central ruins.

Kroot are holding one objective.


- 2nd Turn: Khorne
At this point I could have easily made a play for the Relic with Abbadon and his Berserkers but I didn't want to play it that way as it kind of defeats the purpose of my army's theme... In a tournament I would have probably done so but this game I really wanted to see what my army could do in melee.

The Berserkers' land raider moved up 6 inches toward the Kroot holding the objective... They would need 5 inches to charge the Kroot. The other two land raiders held still along with the dreadnaught for maximum shooting. The two stationary land raiders dropped the Riptide (remember there's no bonus for First Blood) while the dreadnaught penetrated the Hammerhead, stunning it (one hull point left). Here is where I made a really huge mistake... I rolled the 3d6 for the Berserkers to charge the Kroot in a little piece of forest. I rolled 5" which just enough to ensure the charge then got greedy wanting to get more of my Berserkers in base contact so I opted to reroll the charge (Icon of Wrath) and then failed (rolled a 1 and 2). Like I said really really stupid decision... Had I stuck with the original roll I would have probably swept the Kroot. Now my Berserkers were standing out in open ground with bulls eyes painted on their chest plates. Oh well that's how we learn. I should have known better and will never make that mistake again !

- 2nd Turn: Tau
Farsight and the Kroot both come in from reserve. The Kroot come in one the wrong side (same side as the Tau castle). Farsight and his Crisis Team go for a high risk deep strike to target the dreadnaught (S6 plasma can't scratch AV13), he was hoping for some shots on side armor but scattered back 10 inches - Heh ! Shooting sees all the Berserkers except for the champion toasted. Lil Miss Sunshine vaporizes their land raider as well. No other damage inflicted in the shooting phase.

Kroot are still holding one objective.


- 3rd Turn: Khorne
I decide to go after Farsight with Abbadon and his Berserkers. The spiteful dreadnaught targets the Kroot holding the objective and breaks them. Note that the Kroot still have enough numbers to test normally for morale. Both land raiders whiff against the Hammerhead. Abbadon and his squad then assault Farsight and his Crisis Team, the champion issues the challenge which is accepted by Farsight. Farsight drops the champion with his Dawn Blade while Abbadon rolls a 1 for Drachyen's daemon test - takes a wound and fails to inflict even one wound. Berserkers drop three of the Crisis suits which then break and fall back 10 inches or more.

- 4th Turn: Tau
Kroot regroup and run back up to the objective. Lots of focused fire on Abbadon and his Berserkers sees only Abbadon left standing with two wounds left (he passed many Look Out Sirs and armor saves by the way). Tau also manage to strip one hull point off Abbadon's land raider.

Kroot are still holding one objective.

- 5th Turn: Khorne
I decide to gamble and hope the game goes onto a sixth turn. Abbadon hops back into his land raider while Kharn's land raider scoots ahead 12 inches straight towards the Tau castle. Dreadnaught stands still and drops pie plates on the Kroot holding the objective... I kill enough to force a break check but they pass morale. Spawn start to move toward the other squad of Kroot. Both land raiders light up the Hammerhead and destroy it... I roll a 6 for the explosion but fail to do much damage versus the two squads of Fire Warriors. Not much left now in the Tau arsenal that can hurt my remaining two land raiders besides Farsight's Dawn Blade and lil Miss Sunshine's fusion blasters and she is a long way away from them.

- 5th Turn: Tau
My opponent shoots mostly at the dreadnaught with what's in range but inflicts no damage. Kroot are unable to inflict any wounds on the rapidly approaching spawn.

We roll for a sixth turn and play on. At this point my opponent has three battle points (Kroot) while I have none.


- 6th Turn: Khorne
It's all or nothing now. Kharn's land raider tank shocks through the Commander and his marker drones while Abbadon disembarks to charge a squad of Fire Warriors. Spawn move into charge range of the Kroot not holding the objective. Dreadnaught targets the Kroot holding the objective but fails to get past their cover save. Both land raiders unload into the Commander and marker drones stripping two wounds off the Commander. Dreadnaught targets a squad of Fire Warriors and inflicts some serious damage but they do not break... Drat ! Abbadon then charges the Fire Warriors and must challenge their squad leader... He cuts him down easily with the Claw of Horus then the Tau break and run away. Abbadon was not having all that great of a day to say the least. Kharn and his Chosen then multi assault Farsight, both squads of Fire Warriors and both squads of Broadsides... All the Tau units are summarily destroyed in a true blood orgy. Kharn and his Chosen then consolidate onto an objective marker. Spawn assault the Kroot and lose one on the way in to Overwatch... The one remaining spawn wins the combat and sweeps them.

- 6th Turn: Tau
Not much left on either side of the fence now. Lil Miss Sunshine moves up to target a land raider and whiffs. Everything else that can target Kharn and the Chosen do so... Kharn passes many saves and is left standing with two wounds plus four remaining Chosen. Abbadon is finally gunned down as well... Oh well like I said it was not a good day for him.

I now have four battle points - one objective marker and Line Breaker. Tau also have four as well - one objective marker held by the last two Kroot and Slay the Warlord. We roll for a seventh turn and continue to play on.


- 7th Turn: Khorne
Kharn splits off to solo assault lil Miss Sunshine and her Crisis Team. The Chosen shuffle around to move out of line of sight. Both land raiders and the dreadnaught target the two Kroot but come up empty due to their cover saves. Kharn then charges lil Miss Sunshine and waxes her hiney then sweeps the Crisis suits. The Chosen target the Commander and his marker drones killing a couple but they don't break... Tau passed a heck of a lot of morale checks this game.

- 7th Turn: Tau
What shooting the Tau have left that can target the Chosen fires and kills one. In a surprise move the Commander and his remaining drones charge the Chosen to contest the objective marker. The Commander survives with one wound left while the last of the drones are butchered. The Commander then just passes his morale check.

Khorne - 2 battle points (Slay the Warlord & Line Breaker)
Tau - 4 battle points (one objective marker & Slay the Warlord)

Very tight game, could have easily gone my way if my opponent had failed just one key Ld7 morale check. So I lost but overall I was happy with how my army performed. I was in a position to win at the end. My opponent charging the Chosen was a really smart move ! Congrats to him for a very hard fought win.

Melee in sixth edition

This article is tactical in nature and focuses on the assault phase. I am not going to argue that a melee army can beat any other army. What I can say for sure is that a melee army can definitely be a spoiler at a tournament. I am very interested to see what GW has in store for us with the upcoming new eldar. I've seen pictures of the assault Wraithguard... It made me chuckle but you never know, maybe they will be the first true sixth edition deathstar.

Assault has and always will be my favorite phase of the game. My best armies have always been very shooty with a couple of strong counter assault elements but I like pure assault armies the most. Sixth edition is all about bringing a balanced army and that means the best armies must have some melee. Having some level of melee in your army does not mean it has to be Canoptek Wraiths, Paladins or Thunderwolf cavalry. For example a squad of Space Marine Scouts can easily handle many of the Tau units. What is most important is that your melee units are a real threat and can reach an assault mostly intact. Those Scouts are not going to survive lots and lots of Overwatch from various Tau units with Fire Support but on the other hand they should be able to best a squad of Kroot or Fire Warriors that venture too far forward in pursuit of an objective. So don't make the mistake thinking you must have some aggressively designed high cost melee units charging across the table when in fact a couple of dedicated counter assault units might just be all you need.

Let us quickly examine the new Tau as an example. They are obviously so good at shooting it's down right scary. Pure Tau have some serious problems though moving outside their deployment zone and that is their proverbial Achilles' Heel. I have seen my fair of batreps where the new Tau try to set up shop in their deployment zone and literally shoot the opponent off the the table. They can almost do it but versus sage opponents they never seem to and end up losing at the end. Sure Kroot are able to infiltrate into key positions but they aren't going to hold up a squad of enemy assault terminators charging out of a land raider (i.e., worst case scenario). Tau can bring to bare so much fire power for cheap it's easy to team up and field a strong ally that could be their counter assault element but for whatever reason so far this doesn't seem to have much appeal. I don't know, maybe people would simply rather field another Riptide and just roll more dice in the shooting phase. Sure that is fun but it's not the most competitive option either.


How to Beat the Uber Shooty Armies
I learned this the hard way in fifth edition back when I played Tyranids. Versus Imperial Guard the best way to win was to beat them on objectives. This meant having a lot of patience and playing straight to the mission - no heroics, none at all. This might seem like a boring approach but it worked quite well for me. I would primarily focus on killing their troops and eliminating their mobility to prevent them from moving chimeras onto my objectives late in the game for the win. You really have to out think your opponent in these type of matches and have a lot of patience. Armies such as Imperial Guard in fifth edition were so easy to win with that often opponents would make little seemingly innocuous mistakes throughout the game that accumulate (without even realizing it)... It could and did often end up losing them the game.

Über shooty armies must wait until towards the end of the game to move onto objectives since their troops are not resilient enough to sit on top of an objective for several turns. Deployment is another big key to success since you must box them in and eliminate their lanes of movement... Force their scoring units to all come through the same path. Invariably they will end up in the way of each other which impedes their overall movement.


The Ever Changing Effect of Fortifications
Tau have neutralized the major benefit of cover in sixth edition and this ends up as a major detriment to shooty armies. No longer is going to ground behind an Aegis Defense Line and snap firing a good ploy. You might say that Tau are in fact too good at shooting... That is too much of a good thing. Kind of funny to me and my way of thinking.

I have noticed that the Sky Shield Landing Pad has gained some popularity since the release of the new Tau and for good reason. If you stop to think about it the Sky Shield Landing Pad is solid versus Heldrake spam since your units gain an invulnerable save versus the sudden plethora of ever ubiquitous 2++ cover save. I am not a fan of purchasing cover for my army but if I were to field a fortification it would definitely be the Sky Shield Landing Pad.


How to Assault in Sixth Edition
So now we come to the crux of the subject matter... What is the best way to assault now? I have been playing pure Chaos Space Marines a lot as of late. Chaos Space Marines are a bit overcosted for what you get but overall I find the extra points to still be worth their weight in gold. So I will simply focus on Chaos Space Marines to illustrate my points since that's what I know best in regards to this edition.

Here is my typical 2250 point list. Note that I have a convergent list for 1850 points since that seems to be the most popular points level now. I can scale back my army and it still fulfills all of the same functions inherent to the parent 225o point list.

Abbadon
7x Berserker - Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

Kharn
8x Chosen - 2x power axe, power sword, flamer, Mark of Khorne, Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, boltgun & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

7x Berserker - Veterans of the Long War & Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, power fist, melta bombs & Boon of Chaos
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

2x Chaos Spawn - Mark of Nurgle

Chaos Contemptor Dreadnaught (300 points) - extra armor, heavy conversion beamer, Havoc missile launcher, dreadnaught close combat weapon with built in plasma blaster & Dedication to Khorne

This is a spammed army list with three land raiders. I have lost some close games but tend to win more often than not. Obviously you can't afford to make a lot of mistakes and I've only got three scoring units that must kill enemy troops and hold objectives... It's not easy.

What I have learned is the three land raiders must support each other. A pair of land raiders in position to launch an assault is more than twice as hard for the enemy to handle and greatly reduces their options to counter them. I like to hold back the land raider ferrying the Berserker squad; that way there is less chance they'll have to bare the brunt of the initial assaults and will be in a better position to hold an uncontested objective. The dreadnaught is a deterrent to enemy units attempting to engage the land raiders plus the pie plate goes a long way towards softening up enemy units in the open. I like to place the pie plate on top of enemy fire support units such as Long Fangs and Pathfinders. The dreadnaught cannot fire his heavy conversion beamer if it moves but often I find its better to forgo one to two turns of shooting so the dreadnaught can match pace with the land raiders. The two spawn support the dreadnaught in a similar fashion and they are expendable.

Land raiders are very rugged now in sixth edition plus the ability to move another 6 inches flat out means that in most missions they can launch assaults as early as the second turn. Six twin linked lascannons are really good too, even when forced to snap fire. The dirge caster is one of the big keys to success for this list and it makes the Tau cry and nerd rage. It's something no other army has and is extremely useful for assault armies.

It's important to move the land raiders in such a manner so as to take full advantage of cover whenever possible. The return of dozer blades as an option for Chaos land raiders is another key to success along with the dirge caster to make this a viable army.

If you are able to move a pair of land raiders into position to launch an assault then you'll probably find you've got some options in terms of what you can assault. The Icon of Wrath pretty much assures you'll be able to reach base contact with enemy units (i.e., third key to success). Often you'll have to decide whether or not to multi assault. Versus an army such as Tau you'll obviously want to launch a multi assault so you can kill as much as possible in one clean sweep. Versus an army such as Space Wolves it might be better to target one powerful enemy unit such as Wolf Guard with an attached character so you can take full advantage of all your charge bonuses.

Of course it's not always going to be the case that you can assault simultaneously from two land raiders for whatever reason. That's one of the reasons why I prefer to keep my heavy hitters up front. Both Abbadon and Kharn are total beasts, especially the former. Abbadon is an army of one! I had one game where he eradicated an entire squad of mega armored nobs on the charge... It's crazy. He is your go to guy for Chaos Space Marines. The champions are there to issue challenges so Abbadon and Kharn can quickly mow through the fodder.


Across the Spectrum
So it's no surprise to me that Chaos is currently the king of melee. They are very strong in the assault phase. Yes they are a bit overcosted but then again they have all the right tools. There are other armies such as Necrons that are more balanced and have some strong melee units... You've seen some of my Necron army lists here. I am very interested to see what the future holds and I think the new eldar could quickly answer that question. If the bright lance becomes popular again that will help to create a better counter to land raiders.


Conclusion
I've demonstrated how one particular army can excel in the assault phase and win games. Of course there are other armies that can do so as well. Maybe you can take some of my ideas and incorporate them into your armies. I'd love to hear what's working for other people.

BeakyCon3 registration to open within days now

BeakyCon3 will be held the weekend  of October 5-6 so you've got plenty of time to start play testing and build an awesome army. We are one of the few national events this year to allow armies over 1850 points. Last year we had a 2000 point cap for the very first year of sixth edition and our schedule ran right on time. Every game went at least five turns. We do not tolerate slow play in any form. We like to start early so you have plenty time to relax afterwards and hang out with friends during the evenings. One of my favorite things about participating in Grand Tournaments is trading epic war stories with your friends.

Stability and Quality are Number One

This year we are taking only 40 players. Last year we had 64 players with a long waiting list. Our decision to cut back is to ensure we do an even better job this year than ever before.  One of our main goals is to provide every player with the ultimate gaming experience. Each round will be three hours so no rush. Have fun!

There will always be judges close by in case you have any questions and we will answer any question you should have.

Location

The first two years we held the event over in Tampa as a four star hotel located in the airport. This year I'm very excited about hosting BeakyCon3 across the bay in Dunedin, Florida at the Birds of Paradise Gaming Shoppe.

http://www.birdsofparadisegames.com

1425 Main St. Suite E, Dunedin, FL 34698

Of all the places I have run across Dunedin is truly two of the most beautiful ever. We have powder white beaches, palm trees and even some pelicans. It's a tropical environment here.

Dunedin is a great place to bring your family for a vacation and we are less than two hours from Disney World, Sea World and many other fantastic parks such as Universal Studios over in the Orlando area. There are lots of great places to hang out here in Dunedin and Tampa such as the famous Cigar City Brewery, Dunedin Brewery and Busch Gardens. Dunedin is home to the oldest craft beer brewery.

http://www.dunedinbrewery.com

Located only five minutes from our venue by car from the venue. I know some of the owners and we are planning to host a get together there on the Saturday even... They will roll out the proverbial red carpet just for you! The Brewery also has some great hot foods such as their highly coveted chicken wings and Maui wraps... Yummy!

Keys to Success

I think one of our biggest keys to success is we only run the 40k tournament so we can focus all our time and energy on the one event. Any event is only truly a big success if the vast majority of the players have a great time and feel like their time and money were well spent. This is more important to us than anything else. We want everyone who comes to have a wonderful time and bring home some fantastic memories and hopefully some nice prizes as well.

Truly Sixth Edition

This year we will again allow double FOC, allies, fortifications and now some Forge World (that is units with the 40k Chapter Approved stamp from Imperial Armor 2nd Edition Apocalypse and Imperial Armor Aeronautica). Note that if a new Imperial Armor book is released by June this year we might also allow units from it as well (those that are stamped 40k Approved of course). BeakyCon3 will be a true sixth edition event and you can bring lots of your favorite toys.

If Forge World is well received this year we will allow the use of even more in 2014. I recently played in another GT here in Florida (Crucible) that allowed Forge World - to the best of my knowledge there were no major issues so I know it can work.

Constant Improvement

We listen to all the feedback we receive after each event to constantly improve. For example this year we will provide the dice. Every table will have at least 48 dice - use them during each round and leave them there. This is also the main reason why we will allow the use of the double FOC and Forge World this year - a lot of people tell me this is what they want to play. We want you to be able bring what you want and more importantly we want everyone to have a great time.

Overall System

The overall system will use the Win-Loss format again with the accumulation of battle points to break any draws as well as Swiss pairings. I think this is the most fair competitive format based upon my overall experience and I have played in many major events across the country for the past 20 years. Each mission will have two primary objectives and two tie breakers in case of a draw along with some bonus points.

The missions will not favor any specific type of army or race... We have no bias whatsoever. The missions will be challenging but easy to follow. We spend months working on our missions and play test them with a wide array of various armies.

Fantastic Prize Support

Last year we gave away a 2500+ point professionally painted dark eldar army by Kenny Boucher from Next Level Painting along with two brand new Sabol army cases to the best general.



http://nextlevelpainting.blogspot.com

This year again we have even more great prize support (e.g., Forge World, Battle Foam, etc.) for our winners as well as some very nice swag for everyone and awesome door prizes.

Upcoming Announcements

Registration will open towards the end of May so keep an eye for announcements on my blog.

http://greenblowfly.blogspot.com

This will be our best event yet and we want everyone who attends to have a fantastic time that will be well remembered. We hope to see you this coming October!

Uber Kharybdis Legion Dreadclaw Assault Pod

2250 point batrep - Khorne vs. Blood Angels

This was the much anticipated rematch pitting my Khorne army versus Blood Angels. Here is my list:

Abbadon
Kharn

7x Chosen - 2x power axe, power sword, flamer (Kharn goes here in 1st land raider)
Champion - bolter, lightning claw, power fist
Mark of Khorne & Icon of Wrath

6x Berserker (Abbadon goes here in 2nd land raider)
Champion - lightning claw, power fist
Mark of Khorne & Icon of Wrath

7x Berserker (3rd land raider)
Champion - lightning claw, power fist & Chaos Boon
Mark of Khorne, Icon of Wrath & Veterans of the Long War

3x land raider
dozer blades, extra armor & dirge caster

2x Spawn
Mark of Nurgle

Contemptor dreadnaught
heavy conversion beamer, havoc missile launcher, plasma blaster & dedicated to Khorne


Here is my opponent's list to the best of my memory:

Recluisarch
terminator armor

Librarian
level 3, terminator armor

3x Sanguinary Priest
power sword

5x terminator
assault cannon, 2x chainfist

3x 5x assault Marine
flamer & power sword
razorback - twin linked assault cannon

10x tactical Marine
lascannon

3x Vindicator
dozer blades

2x Baal Predator
twin linked assault cannon & heavy bolter sponsons


Mission: Big Guns Never Tire
Deployment: Hammer & Anvil
Night Fight: 1st Turn

There were three objectives all placed towards the front of our deployment zones with two in mine. They were all placed in cover. I got to deploy first placing my land raiders to benefit from cover. The dreadnaught and two spawn setup behind the land raiders. Dreadnaught could shoot around one of the land raiders. My opponent setup aggressively with Recluisarch and terms in reserve along with both Baal predators.

This game the Berserker champion with Boon rolled for no reward and later turned into a Spawn... Not much love lately from the Blood God in that regard.

First turn my opponent seized the initiative... Oh noes !! Night fight with cover saves sees two of my land raiders each lose a hull point - could have been a lot worse. My first turn I nuke two of the Vindicators and pop one of the razorbacks with shooting... Twin linked lascannons FTW. Lots of pressure on the Blood Angels now.

Second turn the terminators arrive along with one Baal predator. Shooting wipes out the spawn and shake the dreadnaught. More shooting for me this turn pops another razorback then assaults wipe out the Recluisarch, terminators (Abbadon termicides), librarian, another razorback and last Vindicator. Opponent then concedes.


Post Game Analysis
My army is very dependent on a good first turn moving the land raiders into position for turn 2 charges. I got lucky not losing any armor to the Vindis and everything else bounced off. Dreadnaught was a beast again popping a Vindi and weapon destroying another one the first turn. Second turn was a wrap.

I love my army... Very elite and very small but very deadly. If you can't stop the land raiders they will be in your face on turn 2. Dirge casters completely shut down Tau Overwatch... I'm not afraid of the fisheads. Blood Angels really need some love.

BeakyCon3 Official Announcement

BeakyCon3 will be held the weekend of October 5-6 in Dunedin at the Birds of Paradise Gaming Shoppe (BoP), a few minutes away from the Dunedin Brewery. There are plenty of cheap motels close by to crash. BoP is right off US-19 so very easy to reach from the interstate whichever direction you're coming.

Registration is $50 per player. Five rounds (3 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday). Each round is three hours long. 2250 points, double FOC, Allies, Fortifications and some Forge World allowed. We will provide all the dice this year! There will be more prize support than ever. Saturday evening we will have a get together for everyone at Dunedin Brewery. PRE registration to open soon.

The format will be the same as last year -> Win-Loss with battle points for tie breakers and ranking (Swiss pairings after the first round). This year we will have awards for Best Overall, Best General and Best Army. There will be plenty of door prizes again.

Pre-registration will open soon so keep an eye out here!

Gorechild

Gorechild

Gandhi vs Martin Luther King Jr Rap Battle

Space Marines • It is like doing it in the Missionary Position every time

Sure when you first finally get some it's such a great thing but just like most everything else it will come to pass. I would love to see GW get really creative with the new Space Marine codex. It is time to break the mold and right now is a better time than ever. Lets face facts - tactical Marines really blow hard. A full squad is over costed for what you get and a combat squad dies to a stiff breeze. It's just the way it is. One of the reasons why Blood Angels were relevant in fifth edition is the ability to take cheap assault squads as a troop choice... This could be a good starting point to fixing Space Marines - bring them back up to the top again. I think this would be good for the game.

I'd love to see an option for tactical Marines to take unit members with two bolt pistols in lieu of all bolter-bolt pistol-chainsword/special weapon/heavy weapon. Mix it up for some potent combos with some bolters and special weapons. Heck let them take a second special weapon in exchange for the heavy weapon just like Chaos Space Marines. Redefine vanilla Space Marines - You must have solid low cost troops to be competitive. Don't be afraid to make Space Marines totally kick ass again. I'd love to see suspensor belts for the dudes lifting heavy weapons so they can move and shoot at full ballistic skill - cut the range in half if they scoot and shoot.

To me Tau have redefined the game. I want to see other new armies do the same thing. All the old canon has been swept aside. It's time to do new things. That's all there is to it.

Heresy Praetor model

Let's talk about the new daemons...

So the new daemon codex has been out awhile now and I've watched or read quite a few batreps including some from tournaments. Here are my most current thoughts:

Pure Daemon Armies
Daemons are more random than before. I don't see them winning any major events any time soon that involves five or more rounds. Some of the really good options such as Grimoire of True Names (GoTN) and Portaglyph are unreliable and can easily end up losing you a game. Sixth edition is quite random in general - adding more randomness to your army is not a good thing when intending to play competitively. Pure daemon armies are also subject to the Warp Storm which is also random and tends to punish armies that are composed of several units from the different Chaos powers (i.e., Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch).

Best Units
I'll list the main units from the codex that I see frequently and tend to perform the best.

Fateweaver
A lot of players say Fateweaver is a MUST TAKE unit. Note that I disagree. The main reason why players like him is because of the reroll - Fateweaver can help dispel some of the inherent randomness for a pure daemon army. I think that other than the one reroll per turn that's his main strength and that's not good enough for his high cost. Fateweaver is definitely not as powerful overall as his previous incarnation... A lot of us knew he was due for a big whack from the nerf bat. To me The Lord of Change is the better choice and can be built to be quite the melee beset now which is a huge change.

Heralds
There are lots of great options for the Heralds with the exception of Nurgle and I base this statement solely on what I've seen so far online in regard to Heralds of Nurgle - they just don't seem all that powerful compared to the other three. Still though a Herald of Nurgle is a good choice for attaching to Plague Bearers if that's your kind of thing.

Heralds are force multipliers buffing your basic troop choices and unlock valuable options. For example it's quite possible to get a 2++ rerollable save by attaching a Herald of Tzeentch to a squad of Horrors and casting the GoTN on it from another daemonic unit. While it's not a sure thing it's going to be tough for most enemies to counter when it happens and it's a great foil to the new Tau. The drawback to such a combined unit (minor in my opinion) is when you face off against an opponent with strong psychic defense... The Horrors' offense is solely based upon witch fire so if an opponent can shut down their shooting then they won't be inflicting much damage (obviously). Heralds of Khorne and Slaanesh are also strong as well and can do lots of good things for a wide number of units such as Bloodletters, Flesh Hounds, Daemonettes and Seekers.


Fast Attack
In my mind this is one of the strongest slots in the Force Organization Chart (FOC). Blight Drones, Flesh Hounds and Seekers are all very potent... These are the units you'll need to handle the new breed of uber shooty armies such as the new Tau. I really like both the Flesh Hounds (super fast) and Blight Drones. One thing about the Blight Drones - if you want to field this unit then invest the points necessary to make them all they can be. Blight Drones can do a lot more than simply tarpit... Versus certain armies they can roll right through an entire enemy flank (remember what I've said before - many armies you see now have no dedicated melee units). My favorite unit from Fast Attack are the Flesh Hounds... You can field a large multi wound unit that can dish out lots and lots of melee attacks. A Herald of Khorne mounted on a Juggernaught and armed with an AP2 melee weapon is a fantastic addition to a big unit of Flesh Hounds.

Soul Grinders
Even better than before these are almost a MUST TAKE unit in my opinion. I would field two of them. AV13 is really good in sixth edition so Soul Grinders can suck up lots and lots of enemy shooting while still dishing out the pain. They are another unit that will be a thorn in the side to the new Tau.

There are plenty of other solid choices as well and I'll discuss them in my next daemonic article. One of the main things to focus on when building a pure daemon army is to minimize the amount of overall randomness so keep that in mind.

Daemons as Part of an Allied Army
Now we are starting to enter the area where daemons can really shine. Funny enough I would rather field daemons as the primary detachment and take Chaos Space Marines as the ally. I have no desire to run an army with lots and lots of cultists or zombies as I find them both quite boring. On the other hand I'm probably one of the few that think Chaos Space Marine units are really really good. I only need a few though and I want more options for my daemons so for me this is the perfect combination. I still have to deal with the Warp Storm but a big chunk of my army is totally immune to it. I'm a big fan of Abbadon whom unlocks Chosen as a troop choice so I could in theory take one squad of Chosen for my mandatory troop and stick them in a land raider or Storm Eagle with Abbadon - fun times. I can still lots of the other really good CSM units such as the Heldrake and Obliterators. I think these types of Chaos armies will be by far the strongest yet.

Conclusion
So there you have it from soup to nuts. You can expect a lot more daemonic articles in the future here at Terminus Est.

BeakyCon3 Update

Looks like we will be announcing the venue and dates soon. It will still occur in October. Keep an eye here for the official announcement. I reckon the GT will fill up quickly this year.

Heresy Berserkers (WIP) * Kharn's Retinue

Here is what I was working on over the weekend...

My last Grey Knight article

If you follow my blog then you know I'm a big fan of Grey Knights. I stuck with them going into sixth edition and have done well with my Grey Necron army. They are obviously still a very competitive army. It's time now though to move on and embrace other things. I toyed with the idea of building a Tau Grey Knight army to see if it could perform as well as my Grey Necrons but to be honest I'd rather focus my energies on Chaos. I'm sure I will still occasionally play my Grey Necrons and currently this is the army I plan to bring to the ATC. I am hoping if I play against another certain team they will have the balls to put their beloved tri land raider list to the test rather than ducking out. I guess we will just have to see if they will show the money. If they choose to duck I will take that as a concession. That's all I have to say. You can look forward to more articles here focusing on Chaos in the future.

Kharn & Company (WIP)... plus a couple new Beserkers

Here is a couple of pix including the Champion for my Berserkers.

I used the Rampagers from Forge World for my Berserkers. They are really awesome models.

WarGamesCon 2013 • One month away

WARGamesCon 2013 is Coming!

WarGamesCon takes place in sunny Austin TX (www.wargamescon.com) and is roughly one month away.

They will have the following events:

-Warhammer 40,000

-Warhammer Fantasy

-Warmachine/Hordes

-Flames of War

-X-Wing

-Infinity

-Malifaux

-Dreadball

Main page: http://www.wargamescon.com

I am going to participate in the Horus Heresy this year in lieu of the 40k GT. I'm very busy working on my World Eaters.

Abbadon in sixth edition

Is Abbadon worth the points in sixth edition?

He costs 265 points and has a Warlord trait that only works versus Imperial Space Marines. Abbadon's ranged shooting consists of a combi bolter... I really wish he had the combi bolter on Horus' clawed Talon - S5 AP3 4 shots Assault Twin Linked. Something terrible must have happened when the weapon was removed from the dead body of the turncoat Primarch. The evil tech adepts dropped the proverbial ball.

Abbadon now unlocks Chosen as a troop choice. Of course Chosen are quite pricey when compared to dirt cheap cultists and zombies. One of the really good things now is Abbadon no longer has to worry about becoming a Spawn... He is totally worthy in the eyes of the dark Chaos Gods.

I think a lot of people forget Abbadon has all four Marks including Khorne... As such he benefits from Rage, Counter Attack and Furious Charge. I wish he had better protection versus enemy psychic powers but oh well if you are really worried attach a level 3 psyker to his unit. The other Marks are built into his profile. For awhile there was some discussion whether or not Abbadon could join a marked squad... Hurr hurr hurr. Thankfully GW put an end to that debacle of a debate.

If you want to play a powerful melee oriented Chaos Space Marine army then Abbadon is your man. He is immune to Instant Death so he is going to stick around for awhile with four wounds, 2+ armor save and a 4++ invulnerable save. Abbadon can generate a high number of attacks with Drachyen (13 maximum) since the tainted sword is a daemon weapon... I have wiped out a squad of five Mega Armored Nobs on the charge. To me that's quite impressive. I think he is better now than his previous incantation.

I like Chosen as a troop choice and am willing to pay the points. Chosen are very tactical and do everything well. In comparison cultists and zombies are objective holders. The Chaos land raider is your go to transport for Abbadon assuming you don't have access to Forge World units. If you can bring Forge World then I highly recommend a Dreadclaw drop pod... It doesn't count as a zooming flyer the turn it arrives from reserve so you don't have to worry about Crash and Burn. Get in close then multi charge the next turn.

I'm playing all Khorne and its working well for me. Soon I'll have Angron... More points so only feasible for big games. Maybe Abbadon is not the most competitive choice but still he is a total beast and is a lot of fun to plsy.

Another picture of Fulgrim

Why the new Tau are a necessary evil

First let me say that I like the new Tau codex, however I don't plan to play them anytime soon if ever. The way things are going now I can easily see Tau becoming a much hated army and they are just that good now. I saw the same thing happen with Grey Knights after their release in fifth edition... At first they garnered a lot of positive attention but then as time wore on and people figured out how to abuse them the hate began - it was inevitable. I know because I play Grey Knights and I've written many articles about them. Grey Knights and Tau are two well written codices with a lot of thought put into them both. On the other hand Imperial Guard and Space Wolves are chalk full of many undercosted overpowered units. That's how I see it.

To me Tau are a necessary evil designed to mitigate things like flyers and going to ground behind an Aegis Defense Line (ADL) for a 2+ cover save. I have seen some sixth edition armies that were designed to be played with many units constantly gone to ground and snap firing. Take for example three squads of 10 Lootaz all parked behind an ADL. If they go to ground their ballistic skill drops from BS2 to BS1... Basically half as many hits. It's still a lot of S7 48" range shots coupled with an amazing cover save. It's not fun to play against, not by any stretch of the imagination. The new Tau can easily ignore cover and saturate units such as the Lootaz and an IG blob with lots of mid to long range missiles... They are done now and are no longer nearly as effective any more. That's a good thing.

Tau is an army that was specifically designed for sixth edition so they have many new viable benefits not afforded to many of the older armies. In regards to the other new sixth edition armies I think Chaos Space Marines (CSM) have a lot of answers to Tau which will help maintain some semblance of balance. Daemons are a strong ally for CSM. Daemons by themselves as a pure army are quite random though (much more so than CSM) and appear to be a mid tier army. I do think the new Ravenwing can get the job done... They just require more thought. Only time will tell plus there are plenty new armies such as eldar waiting to be released in the proverbial pipeline - I foresee many more big changes coming that will affect the meta in one way or another.

From what I've been told no new codex is written in a vacuum. GW now simultaneously develops 3-4 new codices at the same time. I can easily see this with the back to back releases of CSM, Daemons and Dark Angels... They are all intertwined together. Think about it.

Horus Heresy Fulgrim miniature picture