¥ Terminus Est Search Engine ¥

Blood Vow

Happiness is success... (Buddha)

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Rumors - Changes in 7th Edition


Note "Sweep Attack" is a new thing, and not the same thing as a sweeping advance.

Movement:
Run: D6 or 2D6 for Flying Monstrous Creatures that are Swooping.
Consolidations: 2D6 pick one, but you only consolidate on your turn. You can charge with your consolidation move. Opponent can overwatch. You only get to fight once per turn, so if you consolidate into a new combat you don’t get to fight, unless your fist combat didn’t fight (opponent flees).
Retreats: 6 + D6
Charge: 2D6, not affected by difficult terrain.
Move through Difficult: 2D6 pick one.
Charge through Difficult: 2D6 (The same, but -2 iniative).

Reserves:
Coming in from Reserves: If there is no enemy in 24” of a particular table edge, units from reserve that use this edge to enter the table can march an additional 12”
Flyers have the “Patient Hunter” special rule which means they can choose to stay in ongoing reserves.

Assault:
Flee: You can chose to immediately lose combat after Hammer of Wrath, before any blows are struck. Iniative roll off as if you had lost combat. If you win, you do a normal Retreat. If you lose, the unit is destroyed. It happens before pile-ins.
Overwatch: Must win or tie an iniative roll off to overwatch. Cannot overwatch if Gone to Ground or Pinned.
Charge through Cover: -2 to initiative unless assault grenades or unit being assaulted has Gone to Ground or been Pinned.
Initiative: All models strike at their common Initiative unless they are in a Challenge, or are using Unwieldy weapons like power fists. If a unit has 3 Power Fists, and 2 Chainswords they all strike at Initiative 1.
Hammer of Wrath: Counts as part of combat resolution.
Assaulting Vehicles and Buildings: If the vehicle doesn’t have a WS (walker), then you Sweep Attack them rather than Assault them.

Psychic Powers:
Most happen at the end of the movement phase rather than the start. You have to roll for Warp charges like fantasy (complexity 4?)
Psychic powers do not require line of sight.

Unit Types:
Jump Infantry - Can use jump packs in all phases. If In difficult, and you use Jump pack, must take dangerous terrain test. Jump Packs in assault give HOW but not Rerolls.
Chariots - can Sweep Attack
Bikes - can Sweep Attack
Vehicles - d6 S6 Hammer of Wrath and have Sweep Attack which seems to replace Tank Shock. Walkers do d6 S:Unit Hammer of Wrath. “Death or Glory” against vehicle sweep attacks mean all models in unit Snapshoot at rear armor, or all models within 3” do CC attacks against rear armor. Must take fear test or WS:1. If they fail to stop the vehicle, then they take 2d6 S6 Hammer of Wrath. Only get cover saves against other vehicles.
Light Walkers - Only do 1 Hammer of Wrath. I’m thinking Killa Kans, Scout Sentinal, War Walkers.
Swarms - Take d3 wounds to Template weapons (flamers).

Special Rules:
Fleet add an extra D6, and can discard a D6 in all random moves. No Rerolls.
Move through cover, and you ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain (6” move, no iniative penalty for assault), but not Dangerous.
Shrouded: -2 to BS
Stealth: +1 to Cover
Fearless: Cannot chose to Flee
Preferred Enemy: +1 to hit for both Melee and Shooting.
Bulky: gives Hammer of Wrath.
Hit and Run: Gives Sweep Attack, cannot leave combat.
Sweep Attack: Close combat attack in the movement phase can only hit ground targets, and can be hit back. Pause during movement, cannot be within 1”. Any model within 3” can attack, and then finish movement. No Pile-ins allowed. Can be part of a Run Move. You can still shoot after a Sweep Attack. Does include Hammer of Wrath.
Vector Strike: d6 S:Unit AP:- auto hits. Hits Rear Armor. Swooping must pass within 3” of model being vector strike (no longer have to pass over). Does not count as shooting a weapon. All hits are precision hits.
Look Out Sir: On a 2+ the next closest model takes the wounds. Only 1 Look Out Sir roll for all allocated wounds. Look Out Sir is available to all models with special weapons.
Regeneration: 4+ to recover a wound. Grants Feel No Pain.

Other Rules:
Snapshooting: -3 BS.
High BS: No Rerolls for BS > 6. 1 always misses, 6 always hits.

FOC:
HQ: 0-25%, must have 1 warlord
Elite: 0-25%
Troops: 20-75%
Fast Attack: 0-25%
Heavy Support: 0-25%

Secondary Detachments: 0-25%, it includes Allies, Fortifications, Formations, Lords of War and can also include units from your primary codex. You can have 3, but must pick one after rolling for game, deployment and first turn. The player who wins first turn must select first. See example below.

Allies: Allies are part of the Secondary Detachment, but count in Primary FOC. They do not have a troop or HQ limit, and you must have only 1 ally per Secondary detachment, but you can take formations from other allies.

Fortifications: Fortifications are part of the Secondary Detachment.

Formations: Formations are part of the Secondary Detachment, and don’t count in the Primary FOC.

Lords of War: If one player brings a Lord of war and the other player does not, the first player must declare his Secondary Detachment first, and the opponent has a chance to bring fourth Secondary Detachment. Any Heavy Support in this special Secondary Detachment do not count against the Heavy Support Limit.

FOC Example:
1000 points
Primary Detachment:
HQ (250/250)
Tyrant (2 TL Devourers, Wings, Hive Commander) - 250
Elites (145/250)
Zoey - 50
Zoey -50
Venom - 45
Troops (200/315/750)
30 TGaunts - 120
Tervigon – 195
Fast Attack (0/250)
Heavy Support (40/250)
Biovore - 40

Secondary Option 1 (249/250):
Fast Attack (249/250):
Harpy – 135
19 Gargoyles – 114

Secondary Option 2 (250/250):
Fast Attack (155/250)
Crone – 155
Bastion w/ Comms – 95

Secondary Option 3 (250/250):
Troops (200/390/750)
15 HGaunts – 75
Heavy Support (215/250)
TFex - 175

Monday, April 28, 2014

Mission Impossible - Game Balance


Definition - Tilted:
To move position to a slope

Internal balance is something that never existed in 40k for as long as I've played. Even though some are reluctant to acknowledge it there was actually a briefly fleeting period at the beginning of 6th edition when it appeared to be balanced. It seemed like with the release of Dark Angels followed by Chaos Space Marines everything would be okay but eventually we realized their points per unit are bloated compared to what followed in other codices. Tau followed by Eldar were then released and there went the proverbial farm.

I must have missed the memo from GW stating they will fix 40k with the rumored soon to release new edition — four weeks and counting now. Games like chess and backgammon are inherently balanced since you must field the exact same setup as your opponent. There is no secret solution that can make everyone happy when it comes to 40k and don't fool yourself when GW has developers such as Phil Kelly and Mat Ward. I think the intent is to push the game towards a higher level in terms of how many points are fielded. Obviously the meta will shift. I see Tau as taking a hit since they are so one-dimensional... Shoot, shoot, shoot then shoot some more. Eldar on the other hand can do lots of things well. Most likely we will see some new army lists which could be exciting. I can see Space Marines climbing back up on top again but it's anyone's guess at this point in time.

Maybe I'm just jaded though and the impossible will occur — until such a time remember that the truly great players can compete with any army. If you are a true student of the game and strategy it will always serve you well. Remember that 40k is a dice game and the luck can go either way. Some great advice I was given is as follows... You have no control over your dice and it's not worth getting upset because you lost a game due to bad dice mojo. I remember watching the final round at one of the larger GTs on the top table. One of the players who is considered one of the best had an uber assault unit perfectly positioned to multi assault his opponent's deathstar plus several other units which would have assured a successful sweeping advance. He then failed a morale check along with the re roll, pinning his assault unit... Game over. Hey it happens to everybody.

Coming back full circle never take anything said at face value - think for yourself — always question the so called authorities. I have seen some of the same people complaining how broken is sixth edition playing Jetseer Council and ScreamerStar, which is quite ironic to say the least. Tactically designed balanced armies coupled with sound strategy wins games time and time again. Sure you'll always be able to find a shoulder to cry on but it won't win you any games either.

Ave Imperator

Remember it's not all peaches and cream — appreciate the good things you have. Instead of fixing all of the broken aspects of sixth edition to produce a truly balanced set of rules it's quite possible the game could devolve even more, which makes a lot of sense from a pessimistic point of view and experience. I don't want to come across as a sad sack though, I'm simply presenting the other side of the coin.

I find sixth edition to be quite complicated and I don't think it's going to change much at all in that regard. The new edition will force us all to adjust — some more than others. Hopefully this will entice more people to play and bring back some of the veterans.

If you think about it there are lots of changes how the game is played compared to fifth edition right down to some of the most fundamental aspects and basic mechanics. For example I've observed that many players new to the game don't really have a firm grasp on the assault phase. Melee is still a very powerful aspect of the game (even those it's obviously been nerfed) though and it's not something you can always avoid. Monstrous creatures can serve as a deterrent, which is what I see most xenos armies rely upon to buffer their squishy troops. It's hard to say what the new rules will bring — it could be a complete overhaul or simply a few tweaks here and there... Personally I think it will fall somewhere between these two extremes.

Mostly what I've seen suggested on the Internet is typical wish listing pure and simple. I don't think allies are going away but maybe it'll be toned down a bit with some changes to the matrix. For example why should Space Marines ally as battle brothers with Tau — it doesn't make any sense to me and I think the same can be said in regards to dark eldar and eldar too.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Invictus


by William Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul

Thursday, April 24, 2014

40k Batrep Part Three - White Scars & Space Wolves vs Imperial Knights & Iron Hands

2nd Turn - Imperial Knights & Iron Hands
My opponent's Stormraven arrives from reserve and makes a beeline towards mine. The Knights shift around to shoot and assault. His Marines hold their ground to rapid fire my Grey Hunters. Khan intercepts the Stormraven with Icarus lascannon and glances it.

His Stormraven blows mine out of the air. Rapid firing fails to inflict any damage. My Wolf Lord and Chapter Master tank all the shooting from his Knights.

The Seneschal makes it into combat with the deathstar but his unengaged Paladin comes up short. The other Paladin crushes the lone Grey Hunter. The deathstar suffers no wound then destroys the Seneschal for Slay the Warlord and consolidate into base contact with the unmanned Icarus lascannon. One down, two to go !


3rd Turn - White Scars & Space Wolves
My last White Scars biker squad fails to arrive this turn and the Rune Priest successfully casts both his Divination spells.

The remaining Grey Hunters form up to charge the Iron Hands with one White Scars biker squad moving forward into the fray to lend their support. The other White Scars biker squad moves into position to target the wounded Paladin.

Khan fires the Icarus lascannon into the wounded Paladin - the shot slips through and penetrates taking the Paladin down to its last hull point. The free roaming White Scars biker squad fail to finish it off. The Grey Hunters fire their pistols into the remaining Sternguard along with drop pods and drop a couple but the enemy unit doesn't break.

The Deathstar charges one of the wounded Paladins and blows it apart. Again another Knight is laid low. The mega blast scatters onto the remaining Paladin striping a hull point.


My Grey Hunters and one biker squad assault the remaining Sternguard wiping them all out. The Deathstar consolidates back into base contact with the Icarus lascannon while the Grey Hunters and White Scars spread out... aka Chinese fire drill.

One last Knight remaining now !!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

40k Batrep Part 2 - Opening Engagement: White Scars & Space Wolves vs. Imperial Knights & Iron Hands

Lots of pictures these first two turns... Enjoy them now because I became fully engrossed in the game after the second turn.

1st Turn - White Scars & Space Wolves

Two drop pods arrive. One lands to my right in front of the defense line and the other lands in area terrain further to the right with a clear firing lane behind the defense line. The Rune Priest successfully casts both Forewarning and Prescience, targeting the deathstar (of course... Duh). The first Grey Hunter pack disembarks to cutoff forward movement for one of the Paladins. The second pack disembarks into the area terrain. The deathstar moves just on the other side of the defense line cutting off another Knight.





Shooting commences. The deathstar is able to strip several hull points from the closest Paladin and both Grey Hunter packs focus fire on one combat squad bringing them down to a couple Marines whom pass their morale check.

My opponent reminds me I can't charge since I scouted the deathstar... Heh. I'm right up in their face now though with multiple units.

1st Turn - Imperial Knights & Iron Hands

The Sternguard drop down taking a risky landing to cut off my Grey Hunters to my right but my opponent rolls a hit on the scatter. There's not much movement other than the drop pod. Note that the Iron Hands Sternguard split into combat squads when they disembark.




The Librarian successfully casts Terrify but my Rune Priest blocks it with his runic weapon.

Shooting then commences. I lose all of my White Scars bikers in the deathstar for First Blood to my opponent and the Wolf Lord takes a wound - I failed five LoS in a row... Dayum !!! The rest of my biker HQ are fully intact though.

Two Knights charge. One Grey Hunter pack is reduced to a single model and he passes his morale check. My biker HQ reduce the wounded Paladin to a single hull point then successfully Hit and Run out of combat dropping straight back.


2nd Turn - White Scars & Space Wolves

The third Grey Hunter pack arrives from reserve along with two more White Scars biker squads. The Grey Hunters land in the area terrain beside the other drop pod with minimal scatter. One biker squad pulls up one the far side of the area terrain well hidden from the Knights' line of sight. The other biker squad heads straight towards the Sternguard ready to blaze them hard. The Stormraven also arrives and moves in place to target rear armor on the Seneschal caught out of position.




The Rune Priest successfully casts Forewarning and Prescience but perils once rolling snake eyes... He's such a chump - heh.

The deathstar lines up to assault the Librarian along with his combat squad while the unengaged Grey Hunters line up for a charge on the closest Sternguard combat squad.

Shooting then commences. The deathstar refrains from shooting to make sure they'll have a two inch charge. The Stormraven manages to strip three hull points off the Seneschal. The biker squad and fresh Grey Hunter squad focus fire on the forward Sternguard combat squad—the wounded Sternguard suffer heavy losses then break off the table.

The deathstar charges the Librarian and combat squad blowing them off the table. The Paladin fails to inflict any wounds on the lone Grey Hunter... w00t !!! The other Grey Hunter pack charges the other Sternguard combat squad and locks horns.


At this point the Iron Hands have suffered heavy losses and the two Knights have lost a significant number of hull points... Chipping away at the big stone.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

40k Batrep Part 1: White Scars & Space Wolves vs. Imperial Knights & Iron Hands


This was a 2250 point game using double FOC and allies. This was my first game versus Imperial Knights. I didn't want to specifically tailor my list to face them so this was a good test match to see if my existing list had enough of the right tools. You can take a look at my army list below and predict whether or not it can get the job done. I'm still working on my biker command squad (WIP) so my army list will eventually change to incorporate them.

Here is my army list:

White Scars - Primary Detachment I
Khan - Moondrakken /Warlord

5x biker Marine
2x Grav Gun - Combi-Grav (Sergeant)

5x biker Marine
2x Grav Gun - Combi-Grav (Sergeant)

White Scars - Primary Detachment II
Chapter Master
Bike - Artificer Armor - Shield Eternal - Thunderhammer

5x biker Marine
2x Grav Gun - Combi-Grav (Sergeant)

5x biker Marine
2x Grav Gun - Combi-Grav (Sergeant)

Stormraven (Heavy Support)
Twin-linked Assault Cannon - Twin-linked Multi-Melta - Hurricane Bolter Sponsons

Space Wolves - Allied Detachment I
Wolf Lord
Bike - Runic Armor - Stormshield - Wolf Tooth Necklace - Thunderhammer - Saga of the Bear

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop Pod

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma Pistol - Power Axe - Wolf Standard
Drop Pod

Space Wolves - Allied Detachment II
Rune Priest
Bike - Runic Armor - Level 2 Psyker (Forewarning & Prescience)

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma Pistol - Power Axe - Wolf Standard
Drop Pod

Khan, the Chapter Master, Wolf Lord and Rune Priest all attach to one bike squad to form the deathstar.


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

Imperial Knights Primary Detachment
Seneschal /Warlord
Thermal Cannon - Heavy Stubber

Paladin
Battle Cannon - 2x Heavy Stubber

Paladin
Battle Cannon - 2x Heavy Stubber

Iron Hands Allied Detachment
Librarian
Level 2 Psyker (Psychic Shriek & Terrify)

10x Tactical Marine
Missile Launcher

10x Tactical Marine
Missile Launcher

10x Sternguard
Drop Pod

Stormraven (Heavy Support)
Twin-Linked Assault Cannon - Twin-Linked Lascannon - Hurricane Bolter Spinsons

Stormtalon
Twin-Linked Assault Cannon - Missile Launcher

Fortifications
Aegis Defense Line w. Icarus Lascannon


Here is the mission:

Primary:
Big Guns Never Tire (5 objectives)
Each marker is worth one victory point. Three objectives were placed evenly across the center of the table and two were placed in my opponent's deployment zone. Note that I wanted to play it such that the Stormravens can't hold objectives while my opponent wanted to play it the other way... Let's see if it could have changed the final outcome.

Secondary:
The Relic
The Relic is worth three victory points.

Bonuses:
First Blood - Slay the Warlord - Line Breaker

Win Condition:
Whomever accumulates the most victory points wins.

Deployment:
Dawn of War

No Night Fight on first turn.

My opponent won the roll and chose to go second. It's always good to go second in objective based missions but on the other hand I'll need the jink saves for my bikers so I don't have to eat multiple pie plates to the face right off the bat !

My Deployment
I deployed my deathstar 12" up right in the center of the table.



The three remaining bike squads will all outflank. The Stormraven and drop pods are held in reserve.

Opponent's Deployment
My opponent broke all of his Marines into combat squads. One tactical squad would join the Librarian and man the Icarus lascannon while the other combat squad embarked into the Stormraven. The other two tactical combat squads were deployed to his left behind one of the Knights. His two flyers are held in reserve.


Scout Moves
I scout the deathstar 12" straight towards my opponent entering a multi level ruin, hiding the Khan and Rune Priest behind a wall.


My opponent rolled and seized the initiative then graciously declined it, which I greatly appreciated ! This was a competitive game for sure but a friendly match as well. : )


Pre-Game Analysis
My main goal is to kill all the enemy scoring units. Maybe a bike squad or Grey Hunter pack can grab an objective towards the end of the game. I'd have loved to had the biker command squad as those four prescienced grav guns would obviously be very strong versus the Knights. This will be a good learning experience versus Imperial Knights though and that's the main thing. I'm not worried about the Iron Hands but I'm sure their two flyers will be very annoying... Oh well.

Astra Miltarum as your Ally


So I will be purchasing three Leman Russ as an integral part of my Imperial allied Astra Militarum - Knight Commander Pask in an Executioner and two Demolishers to form up the squadron. It's no secret Pask is the man. Dropping large AP2 pie plates is the bane of all deathstars as S10 is instant death for most of these units. Pask has several really good special rules and I think you'll get the most mileage over a Punisher with the Executioner.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

40k Editorial: The Evil that's Army Composition


Introduction
Around five or so years ago there began a movement on the internet claiming that all the major events in the US were nothing more than glorified hobby events—they were deemed not truly competitive and this really caught on fire in a huge way. Today there are lots of seriously competitive events all around the country and they are by far the most popular venues. I tip my hat to the NOVA Open for leading the way in this regard. Fast forward to now... I've seen a couple of Escalation events—very low attendance and most no one that attended seemed to enjoy them.

Change is the Only Constant
The pendulum is starting to swing back again now and there is a lot of talk on the Internet about bringing back army composition. Unfortunately enforcing army composition does not work as invariably it will always be coupled with a lot of personal bias and at the rate at which new rules are being released now it's just not possible to come up with an overall fair system.

If you dig down into these discussions to re-introduce army composition you'll find that there is a highly vocal minority, which is so often the case. I ask you to understand two things from my point of view as a veteran 40k player that still loves to play the game:

- Truly competitive events are the best and most popular format for a large tournament
- Imposing army composition is THE worst thing for a large tournament

Campaigns versus Tournaments
That said above campaigns are a completely different animal of a different stripe. My true love right now is 30k and there are some awesome national campaigns you can attend such as TexasGamesCon if you're willing to travel. You'll find like a lot of like minded people and it's much more fun than a GT. Of course 30k is not for everyone though and I respect that sentiment totally. I'd much rather spend my time and money to play in a big 30k campaign because of the friendly nature of these events as opposed to the possibility of facing off against a totally WAAC TFG at a GT. A 30k campaign is not competitive like a tournament... But yes it's actually still competitive, which is human nature because deep down inside everyone would like to win, but a campaign is not all about the win and that makes the difference.

Only one person can come out on top at a competitive GT out of as many as 256 players. 30k campaigns are much fewer in number so you'll have to look far and wide to find them - it's worth the time and effort though if this is your bag.

Allies
Allies have been around for a long time. The infamous IG leaf blower list heavily relied upon taking a Daemon Hunter Inquisitor. My Blood Angels army that reached the Ard Boyz finals a few years ago featured allied Grey Knights and Sisters of Battle - no one complained back then either. I had three sources too,

Why I Hate on Army Composition
I used to attend a local GT that employed a totally secret system for army composition... Yes their system was completely non disclosed to the public and if they didn't like you for any reason you had absolutely no chance to win. The TOs played Warhammer Fantasy and had no real clue about 40k which they often referred to as the 40Gehy. Their missions were simply atrocious—for example one year you could stack all of your objective markers on top of each other and castle around them. Finally I wised up and stopped attending. The following year this particular GT went belly up due to the negative feedback and has been replaced by another GT that embraces a purely competitive format. Do we really want this kind of thing to come back ? Not I.

I have a good friend whom played in a Swedish GT one year not too long ago. Sweden has one of the most restrictive formats in the world... Even the ETC cringes - wow wow wow ! This is their culture though and I feel sorry for people that have no real alternative and must play there... They have no real choice in the matter since they are all brain washed from day one. My friend was able to win by doing some serious research, crafting a list that took advantage of their silly comp rules... Any system can and will be broken. The TOs were completely blind sided and caught with their proverbial pants down.

The point being is any set of rules for army composition that are set forth in the public domain can and will be abused. The goal posts are simply moved to one side so WAAC players can react accordingly—This is how hyper competitive players operate. This in and of itself defeats the main purpose for imposing army composition.

The Future
I have been told by several highly reliable sources that some major changes are coming down the line soon from none other than GW... Expect to see a new edition released within the next three months. The ally system will be drastically curbed along with psychic powers... Basically say good bye to all the present meta busting allied deathstars—As an example of what's in store an ability (i.e., USR) from a parent unit will no longer transfer over to any allied independent character that joins them. So say goodbye to the Baron joining an Eldar Seer Council FTW... He will no longer benefit from a Farseer or Warlock casting Fortune or Forewarning. Another example is a Wolf Lord joining a White Scars command squad... No more scouting up or outflanking. This in and of itself will solve lots of problems generally perceived by many as to what's presently ruining the game. I'd rather see GW fix the game rather a whole host of various house rules imposed by different TOs across the country.

Another good solution is to run two events in parallel such as the upcoming TexasGamesCon. They will run one unrestricted event in parallel with another restricted event, so you've got a choice now. It'll be very interesting to see how it all pans out over the next year.

Conclusion
Army composition does not work. The vast majority of the player base abhors Escalation which was poorly contrived to say the least. Truly competitive events are the least biased. Campaigns are an excellent alternative if you must not absolutely win. Some big changes to how we play the game are just around the corner.

I'm looking forward to it and feel optimistic.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Astra Militarum vs. Tau and Eldar


So the new codex is out now. My first thoughts are how will the Imperial Guardsmen stack up versus the top armies. Seems like most people who play this army are excited about the new rules and that's always a good thing. Based upon what I've read so far I'm uncertain how they will stack up versus Tau and Eldar. To be honest the new codex seems toned down overall compared to the previous release. Sure there's lots of good things but I don't see it making as big a splash in the competitive scene this time around. It used to be no one could lay down as much fire power as IG but now they have to contend with both Tau and Eldar. Some of the tanks are gone but except for the Griffon I don't think IG lost much in that regard. I do think IG will be an excellent ally for certain armies such as Space Marines and Sisters of Battle. They could also work well with Imperial Knights.

It's too early to say how good the new codex will play. I'm looking forward to reading batreps featuring the new Astra Militarum.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Old man


It seems like these days a lot of people like to tell me I'm an old man. First just remember maybe you can make it this far too. Second if I kick your ass what does that make you ?

I do a lot of meditation to keep my mind focused for tournament play... The toughest part is playing lots of games in one day with little sleep. It's all about the focus. And most important it's all about respect. If you want it then come take it... I'll be waiting.

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Adepticon Team Tournament Lists and Design Concepts


Here are our team's four army lists:


BBF's Iron Wolves

Wolf Lord Wulfen MacWulfestron
Bike - Runic armor - Stormshield - Wolf tooth necklace - Thunderhammer - Saga of the Bear

Rune Priest Runic McRunestar
Bike - Runic armor - Chooser of the Slain

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

Note - The Space Wolf list was specifically designed to synergize with White Scars, Iron Hands and Tau. I designed three of the lists prior to online registration for Adepticon (Tau and White Scars). Brad Bitler designed his Iron Hands list and was acting as captain of the team on Sunday.


Kurt William's White Scars

Khan - Moondrakken

Command squad - bikes
Apothecary
4x grav gun, 4x stormshield

5x biker Marine
2x grav gun

5x biker Marine
2x grav gun

Stormtalon
Twin linked assault cannon, twin linked lascannon

5x Scout
5x shotgun
Storm - heavy flamer

In our second to last game the Scouts proved their worth, shooting then assaulting a six man Guardian jetbike squad... They broke and fled off the table. Kurt played his list well each game.


Brad Bitler's Iron Hands (Clan supplement)

Captain
Bike - thunderhammer - artificer armor - Gorgon's Chain - Tempered Helm

Command squad - bikes
Apothecary
4x grav gun - 4x stormshield

6x Biker Marine
Veteran sergeant - Power Axe
2x grav gun
Attack bike - Multi-melta

6x Biker Marine
Veteran sergeant - Power Axe
2x grav gun
Attack bike - Multi-melta

Stalker

The Iron Hands supplement is really good for biker armies and Brad put together a great list. For instance the tempered helm gives you a 24" Ld 10 bubble which really helps to keep Ld8 biker squads from breaking off the table. The Iron Hands matched up perfectly with the White Scars and they won their two games together handily... The last round the combined weight of fire from the two command squads destroyed a Jetseer council during the first turn... Over 800 points of dead space elves right off the bat !


Chris Anderson's Tau

Commander
Fusion blaster - missile pod - Blacksun filter - multi tracker - Early Warning Override - vectored retro thrusters - command and control node - Puretide engram neuro chip - multi spectrum sensor suite - XV8-02 Iridium suit

10x Kroot
Kroot hound

10x Kroot
Kroot hound

Riptide
Ion accelerator - twin linked fusion blaster - Blacksun filter - multi tracker - Early Warning Override - velocity tracker

Riptide
Heavy burst cannon - twin linked fusion blaster - Blacksun filter - multi tracker - stimulant injector

XV88 Broadside Team
3x twin linked high yield missile pod - twin linked smart missile system - Blacksun filter - multi tracker - Early Warning Override

The Tau always performed well as should be expected - the fish were definitely a big ace up our sleeves. Chris did them proud.


List Building Concepts
Here are some thoughts behind our overall team concept. The two central tenants were as follows:

• Strong synergy between the three Space Marine armies
• Tau would fill our weaknesses such as being able to handle enemy fliers

We didn't run across any Heldrakes (which was my prediction) but the first game versus Grey Knights and Space Marines was a tough one as they had two Stormravens - I was paired up with White Scars and we had no real dedicated anti air.

Space Marines
Space Marines are really good this edition while also being a very balanced codex. Some of the best units are the Chapter Master and grav gun biker command squad. Unfortunately it wasn't feasible to bring a Chapter Master since he doesn't have access to the command squad. The Iron Hands Captain was a great stand in though and was only destroyed one game out of five. Khan unlocks a lot of good things for White Scars so we felt he was mandatory. A lot of armies have no dedicated melee units so while Khan is by no means a beast he can do fairly well in combat versus most eldar and Tau units. I have found there are currently lots of players who don't have good tactics for close combat - they rely solely upon shooting and mobility to win their games.

Space Wolves
I really like drop pods this edition and they are strong in the current meta. Grey Hunters are still one of the best troops in the game and they are cheap for what you get. They have access to lots of solid options plus not having a champion is much more of an advantage than a disadvantage. My Grey Hunters definitely won a couple games such as wiping out two Kroot squads via sweeping advance towards the end of a very hard fought game against one of the better teams. The combination of bikers and drop pods is highly synergistic - the pods come down the first turn aggressively deployed which draws the heat off the bikes.

While the Rune Priest really struggled with casting Jaws of the World Wolf (JotWW) he did fantastic whenever I chose the Divination lore. The main philosophy for choosing psychic powers was to select JotWW and Living Lightning versus Necrons and Tau or Divination versus eldar. The Rune Priest was our sole Psyker and generally he buffed the other armies quite well for our team. The Runic staff was always a problem for our opponent's eldar armies.

The Wolf Lord significantly helped win two games and he filled the role of the missing Chapter Master. He operated as a solo unit in the final game dispatching two Riptides and demolished Farsight and friends. He is both fast and durable which allowed him to function as such when needed. The first game versus Grey Knights and Space Marines saw the Wolf Lord and Khan combined - they wiped out several key enemy units with ease, which kept us in the game.

Tau
Like I said above the Tau were our ace up the sleeve and functioned like a utility belt covering the weaknesses in our other armies. This was a cherry picker list and overall it got the job done.

Conclusion - Inside the Box and Outside the Box
None of this is a secret but I think our combinations were very unique and gave us an edge. One common strategy for Adepticon is to field three identical armies and select a fourth one fill in the gaps... We were thinking along those lines.

My new Facebook page...

Black Blow Fly

Here is my new Facebook page:

Black Blow Fly's Terminus Est Facebook Page

I will still be posting here mainly. Facebook is a quick way to get your photos up and running. Check it out and have a look.


Monday, April 07, 2014

Space Marine biker HQ • Adepticon Team

Here is Wolf Lord Wulfen MacWolfston...



Here's Rune Priest Runic McRunestar...


And here is Khan by Kurt Williams...

Adepticon final results


Kurt, Chris, Steve and Brad (left to right)



My good buddy Reecius.

By the way our team went 8-0-2.

Sunday, April 06, 2014

Day one results at Adepticon

Our team did very well the first day winning the majority of our games. Should be a tough matchup going into the first game on day two.

Friday, April 04, 2014

Adepticon Team Tournament Space Wolf 1k Talon


Wolf Lord Wulfen McWulfeston
Bike - Runic armor - Stormshield - Wolf tooth necklace - Thunderhammer - Saga of the Bear

Rune Priest Runic McRunestar
Bike - Runic armor - Chooser of the Slain

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

7x Grey Hunter
Plasmagun - Plasma pistol - Power axe - Wolf Standard
Drop pod

The list was specifically designed to synergy with White Scars, Iron Hands and Tau. I designed the list prior to online registration for Adepticon. It'll be interesting to see how we match up versus the other prevalent deathstars.

Adepticon - Travel Day


The picture above is when my wolves were still a work in progress. I'll try to post some newer pictures soon. I just finished painting my 1000 point army for the Adepticon team tourney. I wish I could have spent more time on the drop pods but they are okay. Here is our team roster:

Rogue Traders
Chris Anderson - Tau
BBF - Space Wolves
Brad Bitler - Iron Hands
Kurt Williams - White Scars

This is our own novel take on the popular Super Friends concept with the fish to hedge our bets. Tomorrow is day one of the team tourney. I'll try to post results throughout the day.

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Adepticon


Almost that time of the year again. I'll be leaving early Friday... Only playing in the team tournament this year... Will be bringing Space Wolves. I expect to see lots and lots of deathstars there this weekend:

• Jetseer Council
• ScreamerStar
• BeaStar
• Super Friends (White Scars w. Space Wolf allies)
• Blobstar

What else can you think of ? Should be hilarious watching all the slap fights... Especially Jetseer versus Jetseer !