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Blood Vow

Happiness is success... (Buddha)

Monday, June 30, 2014

ATC Prep Match - 40k Batrep - BikeStar vs The Abomination - Part 1


I had three practice games this past weekend to prepare for ATC... which is only two weekends away now !! This game is the featured batrep. My last batrep versus ScreamerStar there were a few mistakes with the rules on both sides, which is to be expected since 7th edition is still quite new. Hopefully this game we got it all right.

I am running the BikeStar...


Combined Arms Detachment White Scars

Khan - Moondrakken /Warlord

Chapter Master - Bike - Artificer Armor - Thunderhammer - Shield Eternal

Command Squad - Bikes
4x Stormshield - 3x Meltabombs - 4x Grav Gun
Apothecary

5x Biker - 2x Grav Gun
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta
Sergeant - Combi Grav - Meltabombs

5x Biker - 2x Grav Gun
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta
Sergeant - Combi Grav - Meltabombs

Allied Detachment Space Wolves

Wolf Lord - Bike - Runic Armor - Thunderhammer - Stormshield - Wolf Tooth Necklace - Saga of the Bear

Rune Priest - Bike - Runic Armor - Meltabombs
Level 2 Psyker - Biomancy Enfeeble - Hemorrhage - Smite

NOTE - I wanted to give Biomancy a test run since if the Rune Priest should get Iron Arm it turns him into uber beast mode plus Life Leech is great for restoring wounds to any of the multi wound characters in the BikeStar. Alas it wasn't to be. That said Enfeeble came in quite handy a couple times.

10x Grey Hunter
2x Plasmagun - Plasma Pistol - Wolf Standard - Power Axe - Mark of the Wulfen
Drop Pod


Here is my opponent's army list...


Flyrant - 2x Devourers - Electroshock Grubs /Warlord
Flyrant - 2x Devourers - Electroshock Grubs

30x Termagant

Tervigon - Electroshock Grubs

3x Ripper

Venomthrope

Crone - Cluster Spines

Crone - Cluster Spines

3x Biovores

NOTE - I forgot to record my opponent's psychic powers... Sorry! The Tervigon had Paroxysm. One of the Flyrants had Warp Lance and Paroxysm.

Fortifications

Bastion
Void Shield - 3 Defense Lines

Allied Detachment - Come the Apocalypse

Imperial Knight Errant - Melta Cannon


Warlord Traits
Khan - +d3 VP for slaying the enemy Warlord
Hive Tyrant - Infiltrate up to 3 units

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Ork vs CSM BATREP from Australia



Excellent batrep featuring the neo Orks and very positive too...

From the land down under:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wonFApCHqHs

ATC Practice Day


I have two games scheduled for today. Maybe one worthy of a batrep. Only two weeks until ATC.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Just broke the 750,000 mark today


Not bad for a grass roots blog. Thanks to everyone who regularly reads my articles. I hope some of them are useful.

Why I'm bringing pure Nurgle to ATC this year


I brought a pure Nurgle army last year—so this will be two years in a row now. My army list this year is exactly the same as last year expect for one less Heldrake. I didn't do so well last year but honestly my dice were very unkind to me the first two games and it happens to the very best. I want to make a statement this year to show just what I can really do and I believe I will.

Nurgle has all the right tools to best eldar... Tau are not a problem. Nurgle has so many great things going for it and to me they are currently the strongest Chaos power. Tzneetch on the other hand has taken a really big hit from the nerf bat and lots of people have said it was formerly the best. You rarely ever see any Khorne and Slaanesh is truly a T3 army... It is what it is.

Legio Morbidus is one of top favorite armies. In many ways they are the Space Wolves of Chaos but much more highly evolved and have true free will. Nurgle are the cosmic hippies of 40k... they always have been. Death is a doorway to a new beginning.

There has been a lot of hate and nerd rage on the Internet since the release of the current Chaos Space Marine codex—this coming from people who want another POINT AND CLICK EZ WIN BUTTON army... Shame shame. WAAC players always ruin everything for everybody. It is what it is.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Come the Apocalypse - Rude Awakening


I will keep this brief and please NOTE it's not a rant but more of a cautionary warning. Don't be fooled by those who want Come the Apocalypse (CtA) for competitive play... They are not veteran fluff bunnies who want to finally be able to field a Genestealer Cult army nor Eldar Exodites. CtA provides the ultimate tools for taking competition to the next level.

Here is a little anecdote of mine. Last year my first experience versus the new eldar was at a very competitive national tournament - I remember reading the codex and thinking it wasn't anything special but noting there was a lot of "little" things that seemed over the top... Turns out obviously there was nothing little about any of it and all those things add up on a truly exponential scale. The reason I mention this is because if you're a competitive player then the last place you want to be learning about the new beat stick is at a competitive event... Painful.

Preparation is 90 percent or more of what leads to success and that means you are developing lots and lots of experience in order to hone your skills... Don't make the mistake of being over confident or ignorant. As a friend said CtA can make the game more like work which no matter how good you are this is just the way it is. If you are prepared at least it won't be a total equation for disaster.

It's still very early in the beginning of 7th edition - no one can truly say with absolute certainty what will be top tier yet - heck we are still waiting for the first codex to drop... We are all in the experimental stage whether you realize it or not. I predict it will be much harder to develop one army that can totally dominates and that should be a good thing... Of course it could also be a more extreme version of Rock-Paper-Scissors—unless of course a new codex comes along that breaks all the rules and has lots of loop holes. Wink wink

GW has publicly stated they want players to have more freedom to access whatever they want to put on the table and that's exactly what they've done. Only time will tell if it's going to be accepted by the majority... Maybe yes but then again also maybe no. Being prepared means it's much less of a shock and less chance of losing due to be caught off guard with your pants down.

If I was a true advocate against CtA I say things like "It's only intended for casual play" or cry out in the name of comp (such a dirty dirty word). Maybe it'll only be a tool for under powered armies for a nice little boost but to be completely honest I doubt that will be the case. Like I said above it will take competitive play to the next level and the game will be even more like work no matter how good you are.

I was glad to see the changes to the ally matrix but this new column threw yet another monkey wrench into the system. It's what it is. If it turns out you don't like it then maybe you should say something - I'll leave that up to you. Me... I'll be as ready as possible—it's really all you can do for now.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Trolls


The Internet troll is defined as a person who has serious problems socially interfacing with others and often uses the Internet as an outlet for their childish behavior.


Generally they make normal people feel uncomfortable by their presence. They are typically cowards who use the anonymous nature of the Internet to attack society.

Why do some people find so much pleasure in harassing others online? A new study attempts to shed light on the behaviour of internet trolls. A new study provides insight into why some people write nasty comments online.

A “troll”, in internet slang, is someone who deliberately upsets others by starting arguments or posting unnecessarily inflammatory messages on blogs, chatrooms, or forums. In recent years, it’s gotten so bad that YouTube needed to develop a way for users to moderate their video’s comments section, and Popular Science shut down its comments section entirely. Indeed, for trolls, the anonymity of the internet is the perfect playground.

But a new study by Erin Buckels and colleagues at University of Manitoba in Canada wanted to figure out who, exactly, these trolls are. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk website, internet users (mostly male, with an average age of 29 years) answered survey questions designed to assess what’s called the “Dark Tetrad of personality”. This tetrad includes narcissism (egocentrism and preoccupation with prestige), Machiavellianism (tendency to deceive and manipulate), psychopathy (lack of empathy and inhibition), and sadism (pleasure of inflicting pain or humiliation on others).

Buckels and colleagues asked about the participants’ internet behavior, including how frequently they comment on blogs and forums. They also gauged how the subjects commented, asking whether they preferred debating, chatting, making friends, or trolling. Of the 418 participants, 59% said that they actively comment on websites. Among those, nearly a tenth admitted that their favorite activity was trolling other users.

Scores on the Dark Tetrad personality test revealed that trolls are, by far, more likely to have narcissistic, Machiavellian, psychopathic, and sadistic personality traits. Okay, so that’s not so surprising. But Buckels and colleagues wanted to take it a step further: how much enjoyment are these trolls getting from their online shenanigans? The researchers constructed their own Global Assessment of Internet Trolling (GAIT), which asked such questions as “I have sent people to shock websites for the lulz” and “The more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt.” (Sadly, some people indeed answered these questions with a “yes”).


Trolling enjoyment was very strongly associated with a sadistic personality, and was also correlated with Machiavellianism and psychopathy. In fact, further statistical analysis revealed that most of the Dark Tetrad correlations with internet trolling were because of overlap with sadism.

So basically, the study shows that people write nasty comments because they enjoy harming others. The study may have some interesting implications. Since a sadistic person is characterized by being vicious and degrading toward others (sometimes physically), it’s possible that the internet allows them to redirect their energy. On the extreme end, and unsurprisingly, sadism is commonly seen in sexual offenders and serial killers.

So the next time you find yourself reeling over a particularly hateful comment on your favorite website, take some comfort in knowing that you’re just another anonymous pawn in the internet troll’s game. They’ve got some serious personal issues going on that they might not even realise. Or it’s just another 12-year-old trying to ruin your online experience.

Trolls can be costly in several ways. A troll can disrupt the discussion on a newsgroup, disseminate bad advice, and damage the feeling of trust in the newsgroup community. Furthermore, in a group that has become sensitized to trolling – where the rate of deception is high – many honestly naïve questions may be quickly rejected as trollings. This can be quite off-putting to the new user who upon venturing a first posting is immediately bombarded with angry accusations. Even if the accusation is unfounded, being branded a troll is quite damaging to one's online reputation.

The 2013 study suggested that there are a number of similarities between anti-social and flame trolling activities and the 2014 study suggested that the noxious personality characteristics known as the dark triad of personality should be investigated in the analysis of trolling, and concluded that trolling appears "to be an Internet manifestation of everyday sadism. Their relevance is suggested by research linking these traits to bullying in both adolescents and adults. The 2014 study found that trolls operate as agents of chaos on the Internet, exploiting hot-button issues to make users appear overly emotional or foolish in some manner. If an unfortunate person falls into their trap, trolling intensifies for further, merciless amusement. This is why novice Internet users are routinely admonished, "Do not feed the trolls!" The 2013 study found that trolls often have a high expectation of what it means to be successful, which is higher than they are able to attain, and this results in them resenting others who think they are successful but who fall below their standards. "Haters gonna hate" sums up this line of thinking.


Narcissists, psychopaths, sadists or Machiavellian? When it comes to online trolls, you can take your pick: Researchers say habitual electronic provocateurs have several of these serious personality issues.

One of the biggest studies yet into such behavior has found that Internet “trolls” — those who post deliberately provocative messages to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument — may need some intense therapy.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014...idered-trolls/

So there you have it—trolls have serious mental problems.

More extensive Ork rumors



Alternate FOC
3 HQ, 9 Troop, 3 Heavy, 3 Fast, 3 Elite. Minimum is 1 HQ 3 TROOP.
This is OPTIONAL instead of the standard FOC, you can still use the core books one.

HQ
No Wazdakka, no Zogwort.

Snikkrot- doesn’t take a slot if taken with Kommandos.

Badrukk- 11* pts. 3+, 5++, str 7 AP2 assault 3 gun.

Grotsnik- Gives fearless, rampage and FNP.

Painboy- 5* pts, nob stats, urty/slugga. Confers FNP.

Weirdboy- only option is ml 2. +1 charge if there is at least 10 boys or orks with the ere we go rule nearby (this doesnt stack for multiples of 10). Cheaper, and his ml2 is also cheaper. Ork powers and Daemonology.

Frazzle (1 WC, primaris)
Ead Banger (1 WC)
Warpath (1 WC)
Da Jump (1 WC)
Kill Bolt (2 WC) 18 inch str 10 ap 2 beam
Power Vomit (2 WC) Str 7 AP2 template
Da Krusha (2 WC) Str 2D6 Large Blast, if you roll a over 10 you hit everything twice at str 10

Warboss- 6* pts. klaw and big choppa same cost. Boss pole allows a reroll on the mob table when you fail morale. Same statline, Slugga, Choppa, Stikkbombs. Can take 'eavy armour, mega armour, TL shoota and PK. May select items from: Ranged weapons list, Melee weapons list, Runts&Squigs list, Orky...

Big mek- gets access to mek gear (kmb, kms, kombis, rokkit, etc), or can take mega armour. Still has relic, shooting weapon, accessories etc access (full list), but can take a kill saw. Non mega big mek can take SAG or KFF (also has bike access in the know wots menu). Mega Mek can take KFF or
HQ Mek is literally the same as a mek in a unit, and must be put into an artillery or infantry unit before start of game.

A Big Mek with mega armour can take one of the following:
- Tellyport blasta
- Kustom force field

ELITE
Nobz- *8 pts. Bikes in the Nob unit are +*7 point upgrade. Nob Bikers are the same points as before (but nobs themselves cheaper), Eavy Armour got a point cheaper on the Nobz.

Manz- Kill saw is 1* points for the pair for mega nobz, replaces both weapons.
Waagh banner is 2* pts. Trukk or Battlewagon for the Mega Nobz. 4* pts/model.

Tank bustas- 6* pts. 2 pts/model cheaper. melta bombs, tank hunter, glory hogs- 2 vps for first blood on a tank, Tankhammer- str 8 AP3, unwieldy. 2 pt decrease/model. Bomb squig- Wargear, str 8 AP 4 can buy up to 3, works same as before, no risk to own unit. No longer have to shoot at nearest tank.

Burna boyz- 8* pts. Unchanged.

Kommandos- Price drop. move through cover, stealth and infiltrate, stikkbombs, no shootas. Can take 2 burnas as one of their special weapons, however they can only take 2 in a mob. May include Snikkrot (doesnt take a slot if taken with Kommandos otherwise HQ) (shrouded on arrival, you pick an edge to outflank dont roll) Snikrot causes fear.

TROOPS
Ork boyz – 6* pts. +1 pt each for shootas. Units can pay for ‘eavy no longer restricted to 1 per army. One in 10 can take special weapon (Same but rokkit cheaper than it used to be). One model may be a Nob, may select from Ranged or Melee weapons list.

Gretchin- Runtherd comes with Grabba stick, can buy squig hound. If the unit breaks the hound causes D3 str 3 hits on the unit, and can then reroll the morale test.
Grot prod can exchange its attacks for a single double strength attack. AP -
Grabba reduces the enemies attacks by one
No special rules, at all

FAST
Stormboyz- For 30 points more than the old mob you get 30 Stormboys now. Jump Infantry, can run 2D6 instead of one but take dangerous terrain tests doing so. No longer blow themselves up.

Zagstruk- 6* pts. Slugga, choppa, eavy, stikkbombs, cybork, rokkit pack. 1 Less Wound, 1 Less Toughness than a Warboss. Hammer of wrath is str 8 AP2. Cant assault from deepstrike but is a HQ choice.

Deffkoptas- 3* pts each, 5 pt reduction. both its gun changes are now free. Other points stay the same

Buggies- 2* points, 5 pt reduction, up to 5, outflank. Skorcha same cost as before, trakk is a 5 point upgrade.

Warbikers- 1* pts, 7 pt reduction, no exhaust save, get +1 cover if they turbo boost now, otherwise no improved cover at all.

Dakkajets and blitza bombas- maxed out burna bommer now costs 180pts with red paint job. A maxed out blitza-Bommer cost 140pts with red paint job.

Dakka jet guns now only fire one more shot than normal on a Waaagh, not everything twice.

Blitza Bombs: 2D6, on a 2 you crash, 3 you and your target take a str 9 AP 2, otherwise you hit, with 12 meaning you can shoot your guns aswell. (str 7 AP2, large blast armour bane, one use only).

Burna Bombs str 5 AP4 large blast ignore cover. Skorcha Missiles str 5 AP4 small blast ignores cover.

HEAVY
Looted wagon- (found in WD not codex). 3* pts, 2 pt increase. 3 weapon upgrades all 5 pts each. Killkannon 30 pts.

Battlewagon- 11* pts. 20 pt increase. Kill kannons 30 pts reduce capacity by 8. Deff Rolla 10 pts.

Big gunz-

Lootaz- 7* pts. 5 pt reduction. Everything else same.

Killa Kans- got more expensive. 25% more expensive for the big shoota variant. Kans now panic when 25% have died, if they fail a roll they are all shaken due to the grots ******* out.

Deff Dread- 8* Points, 5 pt increase, comes with 2 big shootas, rokkits are a free exchange. KMB are +5 point Exchange. Riggers are 10 points confer IWND. For the price of an old Deff Dread with 2 x Rokkits you can get a new Deff Dred with 2 x Kustom Mega Blastas and Grot Riggers.

Flash gitz-

Gorka/Morkanaughts- arent assault vehicles and have no options to become one.

DT
Trukk- 3* points. 5 pt reduction. Ramshackle- changed, now when you take a penetrating hit roll a D6, on a 6 that hit is now downgraded to a glancing hit. Dedicated transports available for burnas and tank bustas now.

Wreckin ball is a 3 inch range str 9 ap 4 D3 weapon.

Boarding planks- +2" on the charge the turn you disembark from an open topped vehicle with a plank

Deff Rolla- 10 pts. D3 instead of D6 hits now AP 4.

Red paint Job- +1 inch to flat out moves.

LOW
Ghazkul- Same cost, is eternal warrior. His warlord trait makes boyz within 12 inches fearless in a waaagh. Only one waaagh per game unless you are running a specific formation (which ghaz isnt in, so irrelevant sorry)

WARGEAR
Melee Weapons
Klaw- unchanged.
Kill Saws- armour bane.
Choppas- are just CCW.
big choppas- +2 str AP 5.

Ranged Weapons
twinlinked shootas and kombis

Runts & Squigs
surgical grot- reroll fnp
ammo runt- reroll shooting to hit
attack squig- reroll cc to hit
grot oiler-

Orky Know-wots
Bike- Painboy's and Warbosses bike is 25 pts, a nob's bike is 27 pts.
Cybork- fnp 6+
Boss pole- reroll chart result.
Gitfinda- BS 3 if stationary.
Waaagh banner- +1 WS.

Zapp gun- 2D6, gets hot on a 1-3 if you roll 11 or 12
KFF- price hasnt changed. KFF is 5++ if embarked than vehicle gets this INSTEAD, explicitly just shooting. KFF can be combined with mega armour and bikes.

Shock attack gun- seems to be combinable with bikes. Double 6 is vortex.

Teleporta Blasta- small blast str 8 ap2, on a 6 its insta death or insta pen.

Grot riggas- IWND (5 points on Kans, 10 on dreds)

Weapons arent exchanged for many of the options on characters, the warboss for example reads "May take items from the Ranged Weapons, Melee Weapons, Runts & Squigs, Orky Know-wots and/or Gifts of Gork and Mork list"
There are other bits that do exchange weapons (taking mega armour for example). Relics are one of each per army (but can take multiple different ones)

RELICS
Da Ded Shiny Shoota - Assault 6 Shoota, twinlinked, rolls of 1 richochet into friendly units.

Lucky Stixx - Can choose to reroll failed hit, wound or saving throws, if 3 of these rerolls fail in a single turn the model is removed.

Warboss Gazbag’s Blitzbike – Bike, Assault 3, AP 3, Str 6 twinlinked shots.

Headwoppa’s Killchoppa - Str +2, AP5, rending, two handed, rolls of 6 are instant death.

Da Finkin Kap - Warlord gets a strategic trait along with his normal warlord trait.

Da Fixer Upperz - repair vehicles on 3+ (hull points, weapon destroyed or immobilised).

ORK OBJECTIVES
Shoot an enemy unit off the board, Kill the enemy warlord in a challenge with your warboss, destroy an enemy unit in your assault phase (more units gone, more points), Turbo boost 3 vehicles (or bike units), secure a random objective (roll a D6), Charge more than 10 inches.

D6 Warlord Trait
1 Prophet of the Waaagh!:
The Warlord gains the Waaagh! special rule. If the Warlord already has the Waaagh! special rule then, in addition to the usual effects, all friendly models with the ’Ere We Go! special rule gain the Fearless special rule when he calls a Waaagh!, until the start of their next turn.

2 Bellowing Tyrant:
The Warlord, and all friendly units with the Orks Faction within 12" of him, re-roll failed Morale checks and Pinning tests.

3 Like a Thunderbolt!:
The Warlord, and all friendly units with the Orks Faction within 12" of him, can re-roll all the dice when determining Run moves or charge range.

4 Brutal but Kunnin’:
The Warlord can re-roll one failed To Hit or To Wound roll each turn.

5 Kunnin’ but Brutal:
The Warlord can re-roll one failed armour or invulnerable saving throw each turn.

6 Might is Right:
The Warlord receives +1 to the Strength characteristic on his profile.

Mob Rule Chart (name?):
D6 Result
1
If the unit is locked in combat, it passes the Morale check or Pinning test. If the unit is not locked in combat, it fails.

2-3
If the unit includes one or more Ork characters (including Independent Characters), it suffers D6 Strength 4 AP- hits, and is then treated as if it had passed the Morale check or Pinning test.

4-6
If the unit has 10 or more models, it suffers D6 Strength 4 AP- hits, and is then treated as if it had passed the Morale check or Pinning test. The hits are Randomly Allocated. If the unit has fewer than 10 models, it fails the Morale check or Pinning test.

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Friday, June 20, 2014

Interview with Justin McCoy - Secret Weapon Miniatures, Inc.



Here is an interview I conducted with my friend Justin McCoy - chief warboss of Secret Weapon Miniatures, Inc (SWM). I have worked with some very successful people and I can tell Justin is one of those guys that has a lot of drive, dedication to the craft, vision and loves to work with people... put this all together and there you have it !


1) Tell us some more about yourself and SWM. A brief history would be excellent (two to three detailed paragraphs - or even more if you're feeling inspired - is fine). Also what got you started into this line of work?

I started modeling when I was six years old. I actually still have some of those models, too, and actually keep one in my display case. Of course I took a break from the hobby for about fifteen years, but even then I still had two boxes full of old GW, and Ral Partha models that I lugged around from apartment to apartment. I knew I'd get back to it eventually.

Fast forward to about 2001 and I finally started painting again, and got back to the gaming table as well. With my Imperial Guard army I decided to go the resin base route, but wasn't happy with the scale and detail on what I could find -- and so I made my own, learned to cast, which really set the foundation for what would become Secret Weapon.

In 2009 my wife and I were planning to have a kid ("practicing" as we liked to say at the time) and I was working 60-80+ hours per week in a corner office job that was literally killing me. I missed a family funeral for that job, and had to work during my honeymoon and every vacation I took. So we knew that when the kid came I'd leave my career behind, and I had planned to do commission painting. I had put together a business plan to help a friend in the resin market, but he didn't use it, which meant it was just sitting in my office and my wife suggested I try that instead of just painting. The rest, as they say, is history.

I now have six full-time employees, and I'm working reasonable hours, spend a lot of time with my kid, and no longer have to deal with serious health issues related to my job. I've also had an opportunity to meet so many incredible people, because our community is made up of folks that really love to be a part of what we're all doing, and you can't beat that.

Now my son is three and a half, and I spend every afternoon with him after preschool. So anyone buying my products has my thanks for that, because you've made it possible.

Also, I really enjoy long walks in the rain, good cocktails, cooking, and used to be a dancer, acrobat, and juggler... but that's a different story.


2) What drew you to this particular industry?

I've always wanted to do this, actually. You know when you're a kid, and teachers ask you what you want to do when you grow up? Well, I always said that I wanted to build and paint models. Those teachers would pat me on the head and say, "and what else do you want to do?" I spent fifteen years doing other things, and I did them well enough to land that corner office job. You know what I learned? I learned that I really wanted to build and paint models, and wish I had stuck with it.

3) How do you go about developing your many products from start to finish?
That's a big question, and it really depends on the particular product. For bases it either starts as something obvious, like everyone has to have trench bases, or a story idea -- which is how I came up with Blasted Wetlands. I liked the idea of having a Necron army that was coming up out of a swamp instead of a desert, and had modeled Warriors cut off at the knee, with dross hanging off of them.

For things like the scenic kits it's just a question of what materials I'd use for my own basing, and how I can put those together in easy to use kits that fit a good price point, with enough material to take care of battle force.

4) What do you draw for your inspiration?

This is really related to the last question, as it depends on which product line we're talking about. But you can find inspiration in almost anything, and I'm constantly taking pictures of the environments around me to get ideas for basing, weathering, or terrain. Google Images is invaluable, and of course a trip through CMON or Putty & Paint can provide some great ideas!

4) Share some pictures with us along with some descriptions what each one represents in terms of theme.


Terrain: Scrap Yard - Destroyed Tank

SCRAP YARD - this is one of my newest releases, and also one of my favorites. This one was designed specifically to match the Scrap Yard Tablescapes Tiles theme, using a lot of the same elements. There is also a matching wall set, and several pieces of terrain. I'll be using the round lip version for my Dark Age models, and the beveled for my Orks, and Corporation forces.


Beveled Edge Bases: 95x120mm Blasted Wetlands


BLASTED WETLANDS - this was one of the first hollow themes, designed to let folks add Realistic Water for a wet, swampy look. Of course I also use the round lip version for my Khador army, but instead of water I painted the stumps to look burned, and then filled the hollow with my crushed glass snow. Now I have an army trudging through a blasted, snow covered forest. It's purdy.


me wantz one !!!

TAU CETI - this was the first set we did entirely in 3D, and the detail we got is simply amazing... if I say so myself. It's a really nice high science fiction theme, and works for a wide variety of models and games.

Beveled Edge Bases: 60mm "Tau Ceti" 01

TOWN SQUARE - these were sculpted by the incredibly talented Wil Davies, and I love the Victorian feel of them. They're available in beveled and round lip, but I will always think of them as Malifaux and Warmachine bases, although I've seen some Bushido models on them that I loved.
 

5) Do you ever incorporate direct feedback from your customers into your design? If so please give us some examples.

ABSOLUTELY! I actually have the perfect example sitting on my desk in front of me: the Tau Ceti line of bases. This is one of my favorite themes, and I was incredibly happy with the work. A couple of months ago I received a review on the site (4 stars) saying they were good, but the detail was a bit soft, and you could see where some lines and such should be, but you couldn't make them out. Sure enough, the molding process had killed some of the detail -- and so I had the entire set re-designed, re-printed, re-mastered, and re-molded. The new set has MUCH sharper details, and almost nothing is lost in the mold process. I'll be releasing those on the week of 23-June.

But this has happened with other themes and products as well, including the pigments, scenic kits, and likely anything else on the shelves. I love getting feedback from the community, and it really has an effect on what I release, and how I design.


6) Is there anything you'd like to discuss not covered in these questions? Please feel free to do so?
The Tablescapes Tiles, of course! Although I'm still struggling with the endless pit of delay that is working with factories in China, the product itself is incredible, and finally working its way to the USA for release. I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to play a game on a themed, modular plastic table with matching terrain, and matching bases. A completely unified army! I just need to decide which army is going to get the treatment first....

7) Finally do you have a favorite 40k army? Tell us all about it.
I can't pick just one, but...

Imperial Guard - for the sheer joy of the Armored Company, and the fact that 7th ed. is going to allow me to put that on the table again. It's no secret that I love painting tanks, and I'm brewing up a new AC to replace my 4th ed. list.

Blood Angels - because I absolutely love the fluff, the Death Company, and having an endless rain of Assault Marines that count as troops.

Orks - which brings me back to my love for vehicles, actually. I'm a big fan of the Orky designs coming out of GW and Forge World. The bikes and the rocket packs are personal favorites, and I have a big Ork Warboss on a bike conversion that's waiting for me to get back to it.

New Ork codex leaked






Apparently the Black Library screwed up and has let a random amount of people download the codex... This is from Skullchewer from Warseer (who gave use the orinal model rumors)

HQs:
Big mek, Zagstruk (!!!), Badrukk (We knew that was coming), Grotsnik, Mek (Not big mek), Painboy, Warboss, Weirdboy.

No Wazdakka, no Zogwort.

Relics are in.

Buggys don't get new weapons, do get Grot Riggers at 10 points.

Not seen anything about FNP at all yet.

Grot riggers don't just work for IWND on 'nauts, any vehicle that has them, but cost per vehicle seems to differ. 20 to put them on a 'naut. BW don't seem to have the option.

Looks to be a lot more options with selecting wargear for meks
"A Big Mek may take items from the Mek Weapons, Melee Weapons, Runts & Squigs, Orky Know-wots and/or Gifts of Gork and Mork lists."

Mob rule is replaced by the D6 roll, yes.

Kustom Mega Slugga is a thing.

A Big Mek with mega armour can take one of the following:
- Tellyport blasta
- Kustom force field

Relics:
Gifts of Gork and Mork
Da Dead Shiny Shoota
Da Finkin’ Kap
Da Fixer Upperz
Da Lucky Stikk
Headwoppa’s Killchoppa
Warboss Gazbag’s Blitzbike

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Part 3 - BikeStar vs. ScreamerStar (Conclusion)

2nd Turn - ScreamerStar

The second Daemon Prince arrives from reserve along with the remaining squad of Horrors.

My opponent vector strikes the Grey Hunters with the newly arrived Prince and drops one. All three FMCs cluster towards the middle of the table.

Another long psychic phase... the Grey Hunters are the target of a lot of the witchfire and maledictions but around half the squad survives and they do not break... And of course the ScreamerStar gets off the 2++ re rollable invulnerable save again. Fateweaver perils twice.

Close combat is drawn - both the BikeStar and biker squad successfully Hit and Run leaving the ScreamerStar high and dry.

3rd Turn - BikeStar

I send one biker squad after the newly arrived Horrors - they won't be able to charge this turn so I turbo-boost them up as close as possible using intervening terrain as a shield. XXX


Bikers sneaking up on Horrors

Invisibility is successfully cast but denied my the daemonic horde and my Rune Priest perils again dragged kicking and screaming into the cold warp... oh noes !!!

I shoot up the ScreamerStar and actually drop one wound on a Screamer reducing them to seven in number plus the Heralds.

This assault phase could be the critical point of the game... I charge in the BikeStar, biker squad and the remaining Grey Hunters. I fail to inflict any damage while the ScreamerStar focuses on the biker squad whittling it down to the sergeant and attack bike. Both the Bike Star and biker squad break but the Grey Hunters stand tall locking down the daemonic scum... objective achieved !!!



The Grand Assault

3rd Turn - ScreamerStar

The daemons focus fire on the full biker squad in an attempt to preserve the Horrors... however my dice are on fire - the sergeant, two bikers and the attack bike survive the salvos.

A couple of Grey Hunters manage to survive another round of melee and stick.


Lone Survivors

I really believe this turn shows how bad is the nerf to daemons now that FMCs have to wait two turns to charge if they start off swooping - my bikes had free reign on the table, whereas an assault could have quickly torn through the biker squads.

4th Turn - BikeStar

BikeStar and the one biker squad both move in again for another charge. The other biker squad moves in for the kill versus the Horrors. The Horrors are vaporized but no damage is inflicted versus ScreamerStar.


4th Turn - ScreamerStar

Not much movement except for some more swooping... heh !

A Daemon Prince successfully summons a squad of Plaguebearers and they appear close to my Emperor's Will objective. Then comes the big moment... I am able to deny Cursed Earth for the ScreamerStar and the GoTN fails to go off even with the re roll. My thunderhammers smash all the Heralds and Screamers sending them all right back to the icy cold warp.


The Aftermath

5th Turn - BikeStar

My BikeStar and remaining biker squad spread out over my opponent's Emperor's Will objective to keep the FMCs from contesting... and with that my opponent then conceeds. We draw on one primary (Emperor's Will), I win one (Purge the Alien) as does he (Crusade), plus I outscore him on scecondary goals 2-1.

CONCLUSION

ScreamerStar is no longer the scary monster it once was just as I predicted. The psychic phase is just not reliable enough now to invest all those points in a psychic heavy deathstar - especially considering the few warp charges I had versus the daemons. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving army in my opinion too.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Part 2 - BikeStar vs. ScreamerStar


Army Deployment and Scout Moves


I was very glad for the Vanguard Strike deployment - Hammer and Anvil can be rough. The pictures below show the table setup and how we both deployed.



As I said above I think it's better to start everything on the table when fielding a relatively low number of concentrated units. I have also recently switched over to just one full Grey Hunter pack (Loaded for Bear) as it tends to dish out more damage and is harder for the enemy to remove. The objective secured drop pod can be quite a challenge for the enemy to remove when they've got all the other units up in their grill shooting and assaulting. My advice is to place it right on top of an objective if possible.


I scouted all three biker squads straight towards my opponent's Bastion (forgot to list his fortification in the first post) with a squad of Horrors on top, the three Heralds embarked inside and the Screamers directly behind it. My opponent held one of his Daemon Princes in reserve along with the other squad of Horrors. I staggered my deployment so that the three biker squads would not form a bottle neck during the initial surge, which worked out well. The one biker squad to my left could react to my opponent's first moves... He couldn't really afford to concentrate on them with the BikeStar, other bike squad and Grey Hunters all up close and personal.



1st Turn - BikeStar
The Grey Hunters' drop pod lands just to my left of the Bastion and does not scatter. The Grey Hunters disembark surrounding one side of the Bastion while all guns have unobstructed line of sight to the Screamers. Note I made a mental blunder by not placing the drop podclose enough to my opponent's Emperor's Will objective... I chalk it up to be being overly excited. The BikeStar and one one biker squad moved up and trained all their armor piercing weapons on the Bastion. The other biker squad moved up as well, remaining to my left in anticipation of enemy reserves next turn.



The Rune Priest successfully casts Invisibility and suffered one wound from Perils of the Warp - the Daemons were unable to deny it.

Shooting then commences. My opponent made a bit of a mistake going to ground with the Screamers to avoid wounds from plasma and he still lost one Screamer and took another wound in the process... Really nice to get in one shooting phase before the 2++ re rollable invulnerable save comes online! My bikes were unable to glance or penetrate the Bastion. Note that I opted not to drop the Chapter Master's Orbital Strike this turn.

No First Blood but I'm feeling okay at this point. Barring really bad luck I should be able to shoot the Screamers again and assault them next turn. Looking back I might have had a decent chance to drop Fateweaver for First Blood and Slay the Warlord but the goal was to establish positional dominance, much like how jy2 often discusses his Maximum Threat Overdrive (MTO) tactics.

1st Turn - ScreamerStar
The three Heralds exit the Bastion and join the grounded Screamers (apparently this is legit now). Fateweaver swooped over the closest biker squad along with the first Daemon Prince for the vector strikes but only manage to kill one biker.

Onto the psychic phase - this took awhile to complete since there were so many spells to cast but the end result was not much significant damage taken on my end... The Runic Staff came in quite handy versus some of the maledictions cast on my BikeStar. I used all my warp charge in an attempt to cancel Cursed Earth for the ScreamerStar but it still went off along with GoTN. Fateweaver, the first Daemon Prince and one Herald all suffered a wound apiece due to Perils of the Warp... That's what happens when you're rolling that many dice all in one go.

No assaults this turn... If it had been me I might have charged one of my two biker squads with the Daemon Prince rather than swoop.


2nd Turn - BikeStar
This was my turn to pull off the Beta Strike ! The left most biker squad moved up a bit to lend their grav guns versus the Bastion while the BikeStar and other biker squad circled around the right side of the Bastion to shoot it and multi assault. I took a risk here hoping that I wouldn't finish off the Bastion while shooting... Even if I did I could still assault the Horrors if they came crashing down from the lofty battlements up top along with the ScreamerStar.

Again the Rune Priest was able to successfully cast Invisibility and did not perils this turn. Yet again the Daemons were unable to deny it.

First I dropped the Chapter Master's Orbital Strike on top of the Bastion, penetrating the fortification along with vaporizing several Horrors up top in the lofty confines of the battlement. Next all my grav guns and both multi-meltas focus fired on the Bastion but only were able to strip away two more hull points.

Next came the multi-assault... BikeStar selects the Bastion and Screamers, fully enclosing the fortification. A meltabomb from the Rune Priest explodes the Bastion and the remaining Horrors are all crushed in the tumbling pile of rubble. I elect not to charge the Grey Hunters since they can't Hit and next turn. Another Screamer is trounced by a Thunderhammer. Everyone engaged remains locked... the trap has been set !

I see me some proxies... oh noes !!!  : (

TO BE CONTINUED

Monday, June 16, 2014

7th Edition Batrep Part 1- BikeStar vs. ScreamerStar (ATC 2014 Primer Mission #3)


NOTE

Different people have different expectations when reading a batrep and I appreciate the more common desires. The pictures that appear here were taken with my mobile device and the lighting wasn't all that great. Also Marker Drones were proxied for the Screamers. The emphasis of the report is to shed some insight how the two featured Deathstars have transitioned into the new edition and how they matchup against each other. If you're looking for awesome pictures of beautifully painted armies then there's a good chance you might be a bit disappointed... That's not say there wasn't any nice looking eye candy on the table but the pictures won't convey that aspect well. It was a very exciting game though so if you like detailed written battle reports with in-depth analysis of the strategic and tactical acumen then you just might like this one.


Army Lists



BikeStar

White Scars (Combined Arms Detachment):

Khan - Moondrakken /Warlord

Chapter Master - Bike - Artificer Armor - Thunderhammer - Shield Eternal (often referred to as Bikexander dubbed by my good friend Andrew Standiferd)

Command Squad - 4x Grav Gun - 4x Stormshield - Thunderhammer - 4x Meltabombs
Apothecary

Bike Squadron #1
5x Biker - 2x grav gun
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta
Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Meltabombs

Bike Squadron #2
5x Biker - 2x grav gun
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta
Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Meltabombs


Space Wolves (Allied Detachment)

Wolf Lord - Bike - Runic Armor - Thunderhammer - Stormshield - Wolf Tooth Necklace - Saga of the Bear (Wulfen MacWulfstron)

Rune Priest - Bike - Runic Armor - Meltabombs (Runic McRunes)
Level 2 Psyker (Telepathy) - Dominate - Invisibility - Psychic Shriek

10x Grey Hunter - 2x Plasmagun - Plasma Pistol - Power Axe - Wolf Standard - Mark of the Wulfen (Loaded for Bear)
Drop Pod


ScreamerStar

Chaos Daemons (Combined Arms Detachment):

Fateweaver /Warlord
Level 4 Psyker

Herald of Tzeentch - Disc of Tzeentch
Level 2 Psyker

Herald of Tzeentch - Disc of Tzeentch
Level 2 Psyker

Herald of Tzeentch - Disc of Tzeentch
Level 2 Psyker

Tzeentch Daemon Prince - Power Armor - Wings - Greater Gift (Grimoire of True Names) - Lesser Gift
Level 3 Psyker

Tzneetch Daemon Prince - Power Armor - Wings - Greater Gift (Grimoire of True Names - Lesser Gift
Level 3 Psyker

11x Horror

11x Horror

9x Screamer


NOTES ON THE ARMY LISTS

Daemons
Unfortunately I didn't record all the various psychic powers generated by the Daemons... However I don't think that will have a negative impact on the overall report - I'll cover the important ones as they occurred over the course of the game. Obviously they had a deep pool of Warp Charge so it was interesting to see if I would be able to ever successfully cast any powers with my Rune Priest and you might be surprised. There was a mix between the Malefic and Tzeentchian lores for the daemonic psykers. The Daemons had Cursed Earth in several of their units (including the ScreamerStar) which can combine with the Grimoire of True Names (GoTN) for the 2++ re rollable invulnerable save for one unit. Cursed Earth has a little twist versus Forewarning from the Divination lore as it's an area of effect psychic power.

I was very interested to see if the Fateweaver is still a major player and if the Tzeentch Daemon Princes could still pull their weight as well. The ScreamerStar clocks in between 800-900 points... That's a lot of points for one combined unit.


BikeStar
My army list is based upon my experience having played the army in both sixth and seventh editions. It was a long hard road developing what I feel is a fairly balanced competitive list presented here. We don't really know for sure yet what will be the new top tiered lists so there is that not so warm fuzzy aspect.

This list is more commonly referred to as the Super Friends and I've developed several others over the course of sixth edition via the advent of the Allies matrix. Allies have actually been around for a long time - for example my fourth edition Ard Boyz Blood Angels army I took to the finals had both Grey Knights and Sisters of Battle as allies. BikeStar has transitioned well as it lost nothing - most importantly how Battle Brothers still work and are intact from sixth edition.

I prefer a small number of hard hitting units as opposed to an MSU approach. I have learned that in general it's better to deploy everything at the start of the game with an exception to the Grey Hunters (obviously since they are mounted in a drop pod). Also my army is not all that highly dependent upon psychic powers as the BikeStar is highly resilient due it's inherent T5 across the entire unit, speed, two 2+/3++ multi-wound characters with Eternal Warrior, stormshields throughout the majority of the unit and Feel No Pain.

There are a lot of special rules to remember and often I forget to use Hammer of Wrath (HoW) attacks. I forgot to roll for FNP whenever my Rune Priest periled too.


Mission Goals and Points

This Mission has 3 Primary GOALS worth 8 Mission Points Each and 3 Secondary GOALS worth 2 Mission Points each for a possible total of 30 Mission points per game. Drawn Primary GOALS are worth 4 Mission Points. Drawn Secondary GOALS are worth 0 Mission Points.

Primary GOAL #1 – Crusade
An Automatic total of 4 “Crusade” Objectives will be used for this Goal. At the end of the game the player who controls the most “Crusade” objectives wins this GOAL. If players control the same number of “Crusade” objectives, this GOAL is a draw. “Crusade” Objectives cannot be placed within 6” of any LONG table edge or within 3” of any SHORT table edge or within 6” of another “Crusade” Objective.

Primary GOAL #2 – The Emperors Will
“Emperors Will” Objectives cannot be placed within 6” of any table edge or within 3” of another Objective.

Primary GOAL #3 - Purge the Alien
Warlords grant an additional Victory Point for a Total of 2 Victory Points if they are slain. Heavy Support Choices are worth 1 additional Victory Point each when determining the winner of the “Purge The Alien” GOAL.

At the end of the game the player with the most Victory Points wins each GOAL respectively. If both players have the same number of Victory Points then the GOAL is a Draw.

Secondary GOAL #1 – Slay the Warlord

Secondary GOAL #2 – Linebreaker

Secondary GOAL #3 – First Blood

Deployment

Vanguard Strike

Controlling Objectives

A single eligible unit may control / deny up to one Each of “The Crusade” and “The Emperors Will” objectives.

Game Sequence

1 - Place Objectives for “Crusade”.
2 – Determine Deployment Zones. Players roll off to determine who chooses their deployment zone. Winner of the roll off chooses their deployment zone first.
3 – Players now place any Fortifications. Taking it in turn starting with the player who chose deployment zones from step 2. With the exception of Aegis Defense Lines, Fortifications will replace ONE piece of terrain that is already on the table. Aegis Defense lines Do Not replace a piece of terrain. If a piece of terrain containing an objective is replaced by a Fortification then that objective MUST be placed EXACTLY 3 inches AWAY from the Fortification on the side of the Fortification facing the center of the table, following all the rules for proximity from other objectives and table edges.
4 – Place Objectives for “The Emperor’s Will”.
5 – Roll for Warlord Traits.
6 – Roll for Psychic Powers.
7 – Roll off to see which player deploys first. Winner of the roll off chooses to deploy first or second.
8 – The Player who deployed first will have the first turn.
9 – Seize the Initiative may be attempted if desired.
10 – Variable Game Length is in effect.

Let's Knock Some Heads !

Pre Game Analysis

My goals are both few in number and simple:

— Lock the ScreamerStar in melee with my BikeStar ASAP then Hit and Run (H&R) when appropriate - rinse and repeat. This will eliminate their threat while containing their potentially massive foot print... This leads right into my second goal too.

— Strike as hard as possible versus the ScreamerStar should they ever flub their 2++ re rollable invulnerable save...For example cast all my warp charge against Cursed Earth for them in that regard. Believe me when I say it can and does happen from time to time.

— Eliminate all Objective Secured enemy units.

— Win on Purge the Alien, Draw on Emperor's Will and score two out of three secondary goals.

— My opponent has much more warp charge so I will have to use mine wisely when casting and denying... I will throw all the dice to cast Invisibility on my BikeStar and to deny Cursed Earth on the ScreamerStar.

Hopefully everything will go like well oiled clockwork.

Roll Off for Deployment and First Turn

I won the roll off for both, electing to go first - that's a huge advantage assuming your opponent doesn't seize the initiative !


TO BE CONTINUED

Sunday, June 15, 2014

7th edition batrep coming - BikeStar vs. ScreamerStar


I had a great game today with my BikeStar versus ScreamerStar - batrep incoming !!!

I also saw the new Tom Cruise movie - very awesome flick !