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Blood Vow

Happiness is success... (Buddha)

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Results from One Day Campaign - Battle for Avalon - Luna Wolves & Dark Angels vs. Hereticus Armored Company


Horus was called upon to aid the Dark Angels versus a renegade Armored Company in a densely packed city fight within the high walls of the Capitol City in Avalon (pre heresy battle).

Horus - World Breaker - Claw of Horus - Serpent Scales
* Command Squad:
Terminator Chaplain
Terminator Librarian - Force Axe
Terminator Apothecarion - Thunderhammer
6x Justearin - 3x Combi-Melta - Multi-Melta - Power Fists - Thunderhammers
* Transport:
Spartan Assault Tank - Flare Shield - Ceramite Plates - Auxiliary Drive

5x Justearin Terminators
* Transport:
Land Raider - Ceramite Plates - Auxiliary Drive

5x Justearin Terminators
* Transport:
Land Raider - Ceramite Platez - Auxiliary Drive

3x Rapier Battery - Laser Array

Contemptor Dreadnaught - 2x Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon
* Transport:
Dread Claw

Contemptor Dreadnaught - 2x Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon
* Transport:
Dread Claw

Storm Eagle Gunship

Imperial Knight Gerantius


Horus and his retinue quickly made their way into the heart of the battle first leveling a Storm Sword super heavy tank then next engaging a myriad of renegade battle tanks. They left a trail of smoking hulls in their wake.


The rebellion was ended in one day.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Blood of Kittens taking credit for other people's work...


Here is Tasty Taste taking credit for other people's work again...

Not cool.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/606496.page

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Grey Knights


Okay so let's talk about the new Grey Knights codex... I know a lot of players don't like it but I actually have nothing bad to say and there's lots of great things in my opinion. Sure they lost some nice things (psybolt ammo for example) but they also got some much needed point reductions. I see them as working very well combined with some other Imperial forces.

I always played pure Grey Knights so the loss of the assassins and =][= is no big deal to me plus if you are using multiple sources it doesn't really matter. Multiple sources are the future of 40k so if you can accept that then I think you'll end up a lot more happy.

Here are the units that stand out to me:

— Draigo is still a beast and finally has an AP2 force weapon plus he automatically knows Gate of Infinity (GoI) from the Santic lore which is a big deal. Not everybody accepts him right now since Draigo is classified as a Lord of War so you unfortunately might have to deal with that issue for awhile... Silly.

— The Librarian at level 3 Psyker will be a typical choice. He is a lot less points now and is a great force multiplier.

— Terminators got a hefty point reduction and I think they'll become the standard troop choice. I used them when I played the old Draigowing and they were a staple unit for me. You only need one unit if you use the new detachment and the option to combat squad is appealing. Psycannons still work well for them since terminators are relentless. My advice is to take at least two daemonhammers.

— The Dreadknight got a huge point reduction - I can easily see two (max number for the detachment) to three in most armies. I'd equip mine with the teleporter, heavy psycannon (6 shots !!!) and a heavy incinerator. They will be the bane of monstrous creatures - including FMCs - and Imperial Knights.

You can build a solid force using just these units. I'd also throw in a couple of the new assassins as well - the Vindicare and Cullexus are both really good.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Lords of War (LoW) characters — Yea or Nay


I am wondering how people feel about allowing the use of the new Lords of War characters we have seen so far in the first three new seventh edition codices (i.e., Ghaz, Logan Grimnar and Lord Kaldor Draigo) for tournaments. None of them seem overpowered to me compared to some of the other Lords of War entries such as the Transcendental C'Tan and Revenant Titan.

Some of you might remember there was once a time when you were required your opponent's permission to use special characters... Seems like we are falling back into that mode of thinking again.

Should it be all or nothing or would you prefer to allow the use of these characters There are several options:

- No LoW allowed, including characters
- All LoWs allowed
- Only character LoWs allowed
- Ban list with LoWs character allowed
- LoW characters instead count as an HQ choice for their codex

It's not like this a trend that will stop anytime soon. You can expect Vect to be a LoW character when the new dark eldar codex releases and I'm sure Blood Angels will have one too. I know of one GT last year that allowed all LoW and it didn't seem to go over well.

I'm planning to use Draigo in pickup games and would like to be able to use him in tournaments - same for Logan too. Imperial Knights seem much more powerful to me - Super Heavy Walker with D weapons... Kind of silly.

Can Chaos make a comeback ?


Daemons seemed to have dropped from tier one now... Kairos is not great anymore and daemon princes don't have much of a chance versus Dreadnaughts and Knights. Chaos Space Marines have always struggled. Also the change to having to wait a turn to assault from swooping is a big nerf in general to daemon princes. However Space Marines are on the rise and are definitely top tier—this in a way has breathed new life back into Chaos Space Marines since they are so good at killing their Imperial counterparts. By way of multiple sources I think you can build a solid Chaos army.


This weekend I played a couple games bringing my Khorne army back out again using Black Legion, a Spartan, Contemptor dreadnaught and the Green Knight amongst other things. Kharn was my Warlord and still packs a mean stick. One game was versus Space Marines with two Sicaran tanks and the Lancer Knighg from Forge World and the other game was versus the Green Tide. It is amazing how many Orks died in one turn. Overall I had some good luck and rolled well. The Contemptor dreadnaught is really good and can take out a Knight in one round of close combat if the dice are willing. I'm really liking Khorne again. Funny how things can change.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Draigo Tiggy Dev Cent Deathstar



Tigerius /Warlord
Draigo
6x tooled Dev Cent

Draigo has auto Gate. Tiggy rolls up Insta-Gizz. Profit.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

First WolfStar Army List


- WolfStar * -

Wolf Lord (256)
— Runic Armor (20)
— Thunderwolf Mount (50)
— Thunderhammer (30)
— Storm Shield (15)
— Helm of Durfast (20)
— 2x Fenrisian Wolf (16)

Wolf Lord (231)
— Runic Armor (20)
— Thunderwolf Mount (50)
— Power Fist (25)
— Storm Shield (15)
— 2x Fenrisian Wolf (16)

6x Thunderwolf Cavalry (480)
— 6x Power Fist (150)
— 6x Storm Shield (90)

Iron Priest (165)
— Thunderwolf Mount (50)
— 4x Cyberwolf (60)

Total Points: 1132

Grey Hunter Pack (229)
— 8x Grey Hunter (98)
— 8x Chainsword (18)
— Meltagun (10)
— Wolf Standard (25)

Grey Hunter Pack (229)
— 8x Grey Hunter (98)
— 8x Chainsword (18)
— Meltagun (10)
— Wolf Standard (25)

Wolf Guard Pack Leader (24)
— Meltabombs (5)
— Terminator Armor (15)
— Combi-Melta (5)
— Wolf Claw (10)

Drop Pod (35)

Grey Hunter Pack (229)
— 8x Grey Hunter (84)
— 8x Chainsword (18)
— Meltagun (10)
— Wolf Standard (25)

Wolf Guard Pack Leader (24)
— Meltabombs (5)
— Terminator Armor (15)
— Combi-Melta (5)
— Wolf Claw (10)

Drop Pod (35)

Grey Hunter Pack (229)
— 9x Grey Hunter (98)
— 9x Chainsword (18)
— 2x Meltagun (20)
— Wolf Standard (25)

Wolf Guard Pack Leader (24)
— Meltabombs (5)
— Terminator Armor (15)
— Combi-Melta (5)
— Wolf Claw (10)

Drop Pod (35)

Total Points (including WolfStar) = 1819


* Tactics to follow.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Another Deathstar bites the dust • Bye bye Baron... There goes BeaStar


Codex Inquisition will finally  have a paper edition. The work is almost finished.

The order of the next releases is:


• Grey Knights
• Dark Eldar
• Blood Angels
• Inquisition
•Necrons
 

Warhammer Visions magazine will end publication at year end.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

40k Editorial • Building the perfect 40k Tournament System and enticing new players


This article is on the topic of tournaments with some thoughts how to grow attendance at the local level. First things first with Mr. Kirby leaving wouldn't it be awesome if the new CEO actually brings back some real substantial tournament support? I thought GW overall did a fantastic job when they had their Grand Tournaments. They have the funds to support it and staff some very knowledgable people. The end of support from GW though has brought about an epic level of independent events across the country and there is something for everyone... It's a true meca for 40k.

Just when things seemed to start settling down a bit out rolls a new edition — going from sixth edition to seventh is a challenge for any tournament organizer (TO). At the local level there should be some serious focus on growing the hobby again as opposed to purely competitive events. Probably within the span of a year things will settle back down. While seventh edition is a maintenance release there are some big changes and it looks like the force organization chart (FOC) we all knew and loved is finally going by the wayside. The Imperial Knight is just one example of a big change as it has been widely accepted. Lords of War will gain acceptance as well with the new seventh edition codices featuring some of our favorite special characters now falling into this category. If you are familiar with 30k you might have seen a lot of this coming as those books already had Lords of War including Primarchs and all kinds of super heavies. The formations seem to be a means to help new players quickly put an army on the table which can be a good thing.

If GW wants to ever return to the tournament scene I hope they will focus on re growing the hobby rather than bringing back uber competitive events such as Ard Boyz. I truly believe that the Ard Boyz event was the ultimate demise of their tournaments as it was just too easy to say thing like "Wow look at what a mess that was!" People that have been playing for around a year are just coming to grips with all the many rules and developing a balanced army that matches up well with the current meta. Throwing them into a shallow pool of sharks is a really quick way to turn them off the hobby.

So how can we design a tournament system that is fair, competitive and doesn't lend itself well to abusive over the top power gaming? First the TO should be in touch with their audience on a daily basis basis and ask them what they want... This is easy to do via the Internet. They must also be able to sort the wheat from the chaff. Doing so will build credibility and gain support from the hobbyists you really want to attend your events. A TO must be strong but also very understanding... Don't buckle to the bullies that want to bring the super sick over the top lists. Not everyone goes to a tournament focused on winning best overall — in fact you'll find the majority want to have a good time, make some new friends and roll dice.

Second a major problem I've encountered often are the competitive veteran gamers (CGVs) that still want to play fifth edition and try to impose their will on players newer to the game. CVGs dislike any new change and would much prefer to remain deeply seated in their own comfort zone... They are the ones who want to do terrible things such as limit army lists to only two sources and ban battle brothers outright, both of which are totally absurd. That said with the overwhelming plethora of formations and supplements to choose from now it can be a bit staggering... Most no one is going to purchase every new book or rules released by GW and it's just not possible, especially from a financial perspective for most of us. So while we want to allow new things there must be some form of composition or you'll end up with a Wild Wild West scenario. There must be balance to succeed.

Here is the system I've developed for a GT (i.e., BeakyCon4... Yes our forth year in a row now) I'll be hosting this fall in Tampa, Florida. You can select up to the following:

• one CAD*
• one allied detachment
• one formation*
• one fortification (upgrades allowed)
• data slates (e.g., Be'lakor and Cypher)

* Factions can self ally

No Lords of War (this category will be relaxed next year as more Lords of War special characters are released with each new seventh edition codex-let's face the fact that there's a big difference between say Logan Grimnar and a Revenant Titan).

You can only choose up to two of the same unit outside of troops. Exceptions are units selected outside the FOC (e.g., Techmarine), Chaos Daemons can field up to four Heralds and Imperial Knights (if fielded as the primary detachment). Note that in general formations are not an exception to this requirement.

—If you take a formation it must come from the same faction as your CAD; note however you may select the formation as your primary detachment (no CAD)
—Forge World 40k approved units are allowed (no super heavies or gargantuan creatures) and you must use the official model from Forge World
—No Forge World armies including their Chapter tactics from the Badab campaign and this restriction includes special characters such as Severin Loth.
—If you field the Inquisitorial supplement this counts as your allied choice
—Imperial Knights and Legion of the Damned count as your allied choice if not chosen as your primary detachment
—Allies can be chosen from Come the Apocalypse

Approved fortifications:
• Aegis Defense Line
• Bastion
• Firestorm Redoubt
• Skyshield Landing Pad
•Vengeance Weapon Battery
• Void Shield Generator (must meet the measurements of the official model)

Some fortifications can take upgrades as per Stronghold Assault rules.

These guidelines allow multiple sources while also including some critical restrictions to strike a fine balance. For the most part you can bring what you want but maybe not as much of one thing as you'd like. So far it's been well received overall by the local community.

Conclusion
So there you have it all the way from soup to nuts. Have at it ! How do you envision s large tournament should be run? I'd love to see some of your ideas,

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Ultramarine|White Scars Shenanigans (CentStar Tactica)


1500 Points - Ultramarines w. White Scars

Primary Detachment Ultramarines
Tigerius /Warlord

Techmarine

5x Centurion Devastator - 5x Grav Cannon - 5x Grav Amp - 5x Missile Launcher
Sergeant - Twin Lascannon - Missile Launcher - Omniscope

5x Tactical Marine - Plasma Gun
Sergeant - Combi-Plasma - Meltabombs
Drop Pod

5x Tactical Marine - Plasma Gun
Sergeant - Combi-Plasma - Meltabombs
Drop Pod

7x Sternguard - 2x Heavy Flamer - 3x Combi-Melta
Sergeant - 2x Grav Pistol - Meltabombs
Drop Pod

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

4x Biker - 2x Grav Gun
Sergeant - Combi Grav - Meltabombs

4x Biker - 2x Grav Gun
Sergeant - Combi Grav - Meltabombs


Tigerius rolls on Santic lore first for Gate of Infinity (GoI). Next he rolls on Telepathy for Invisibility (aka Insta-Gizz)... Very powerful combo if you can score both GoI and Insta-Gizz.

Tigerius and the Chapter Master both join the Centurions to form up CentStar. First turn use GoI to teleport next to the enemy unit you want to assassinate; Tigerius pops his Warlord Trait Storm of Fire... CenStar is re rolling missed hits and failed wounds|armor penetration. They'll nuke just about anything they target. Go after your opponent's main threat if possible. If Tigerius can successfully pop Insta-Gizz along with GoI they are bullet proof.

There are other good psychic combinations as well if you don't roll up GoI. For example the Santic lore 1++ and Forewarning is great for the 3++. Also keep in mind Levitate from the Telekinesis lore gifts you with a 12" move and only requires one warp charge... Often a 12" move is all you need for your CentStar. One of the really great things about GoI and Levitate is Tau can't intercept. I think you can also combine GoI and Levitate which together will get them right where you need them.

Later in the game the Chapter Master can detach from the CentStar and join another unit to sling shot into melee in order to assault an enemy unit he'd otherwise be unable to reach. You also can pop the Ultramarine Chapter tactic for fleet if the Chapter Master joins an Ultramarine squad.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Epic gaming moment • 12"


Epic gaming moment for the win... Tactical squad lead by a Techmarine with Chapter Master in tow just make the charge on a natural roll of 12 after losing most of the squad to Overwatch... Vengeful Chapter Master pounds in Shadowsun's face with his thunderhammer.

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Army List Review - Scars w. Inquisition

Here is an army list review by request:

Ordo Xenos Inquisitor (73)
Power sword - power armour - rad - psychotroke grenades /Warlord

A lot of players take Liber and servo skulls. The skulls are great versus White Scars and Khorne Dawgs... Any enemy unit that can scout or infiltrate. Now that there is a new War Lord Trait that allows you to infiltrate 3 units the skulls are even stronger. I don't see this guy lasting too long in a fist fight but those grenades are terrifying. Why'd you choose him as your War Lord? I think the Chapter Master is a better choice.


White Scars chapter Tactics

Chapter Master (250)
Shield Eternal - thunder hammer - bike - artificer armour

Always a great choice and a staple unit for White Scar biker armies.

Captain (170)
Relic blade - storm shield - bike - artificer armour (Brit)

I'd rather have a power first or the Burning Brand for AP2 over the relic blade.

Command Squad (320)
Bikes - Apothecary - 4x stormshield - 4x meltaguns - 3x power fists - lightning claw

Solid unit built for shooting and melee. Great combo with your HQ.


Terminator assault squad (485)
Land raider crusader w. multi-melta

I'm torn on this unit... Potentially quite lethal but might not synergize well with the rest of the army. If land raider is popped early the terms will be foot slogging. I'm assuming the Inquisitor joins this unit. If it's working for you that's what really counts and AV14 is really strong now.

Bike squad (160)
5x bikes - 2x grav-guns - lightning claw

Bike squad (135)
5x bikes - 2x meltaguns - combi-melta

You could use some meltabombs on the sergeants... They wreck shit dead.

Tactical squad (125)
5x Marine - meltagun - combi-melta
Drop pod

Stormtalon Gunship (125)
Skyhammer missiles

These are both solid choices including the bikes.

Overall looks like a good list.

Sunday, August 03, 2014

Return of the Brood


Something fantastic has been re released by Forge World for Tyranid armies with new rules that bring the horde back to the competitive level again. This is the Malenthrope which is a T5 multi wound synaptic monstrous creature that provides a Shrouding bubble. This one brood in my mind is what was missing from the new codex and breathes competitive life back into the army again.

There is also an excellent brood in the codex that has been overlooked by the Internet meta—the Devilfex:

Carnifex - adrenal glands - 2x twin linked Devourer

A brood of three is laying down 36 twin linked S6 shots at up to 24" range if Onslaught is cast on them. I have seen what they can do and it's not pretty. If they have Feel No Pain up they and are shrouded they can weather a lot of incoming fire power.

The Myth of the Meta
I was very excited about the new Tyranid codex when it first released... However the Internet meta quickly devolved to the conclusion that Skyblight and fortifications were the only way to go and it seemed like all discussion eventually revolved around these two central tenants... I quickly lost interest. The results from the Bay Area Open (BAO) have shown that this style of army could not make it to a top table on day two beyond the fifth round out of six—this is where the proverbial rubber meets the road.

I know that the Flyrant is really good - one of the best units in the codex - but I personally don't like spamming units and this includes Crones and Harpies. The Tyranid codex has always been one of the most diverse and there are plenty of good units to choose from when designing an army.

On the one hand a lot of armies have problems facing multiple FMCs but on the other Skyblight has problems holding objectives late in the game. The game still strongly revolves around holding objectives to win which simply equates to fielding a solid percentage of reliable objective secured broods... Ripper broods aren't going to get it done all by their lonesome. Fortifications play defensively while Tyranids should be played aggressively based upon my experience.

A New Way
So the door has opened again to adaption and experimenting... I foresee the return of a true horde now with waves of broods flooding the battlefield. I'll post up a sample army list this week to share some thoughts.

Friday, August 01, 2014

Bay Area Open (BAO) Top 10 Space Marine Army Lists


No. 1 - Steve Sisk - White Scars

HQ
Kor’sarro Khan (150)
— Moondrakkan

Command Squad (220)
+ Apothecary
— Space Marine Bikes
— Company Standard
— 3× Stormshield
— Power Fist

Chapter Master (260)
— Space Marine Bike
— Artificer Armour - Thunderhammer - The Shield Eternal - Digital Weapons

Troops
4x Space Marine Biker (184)
— 2× Grav-Gun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Grav - Meltabombs
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker (174)
— 2× Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker (174)
— 2× Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker (184)
— 2× Plasmagun
+ Sergeant
— Plasma Pistol - Meltabombs
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

Fast Attack
Stormtalon Gunship (125)
— Skyhammer Missile Launcher

Allies
Knight Errant (370)


No. 2 - Carlos Kaiser - Ultramarines

HQ
Marneus Calgar

Elites
10x Sternguard Veteran
— 5x Combi-Meltas
Drop Pod

10x Sternguard Veteran
— 5x Combi-Melta
Drop Pod

Troops
10x Tactical Marine
— Mixed weapons
Drop Pod

10x Tactical Marine
— Mixed weapons
Drop Pod

10x Tactical Marine
— Mixed weapons
Drop Pod

8x Tactical Marine
— Mixed weapons
Drop Pod

5x Tactical Marine
Drop Pod


No. 5 - Julio Rodriguez - White Scars w. Allied Space Marines

HQ
— Kor’sarro Khan

Elites
5x Sternguard Veteran
— 5x Combi Melta
Drop Pod

Troops
9x Tactical Marine
— Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
Rhino

-9x Tactical Marine
— Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
Rhino

-9x Tactical Marine
— Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
Rhino

9x Tactical Marine
— Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
Rhino

9x Tactical Marine
— Meltagun
+ Sergeant
— Combi-Melta - Meltabombs
Rhino

Heavy Support
Thunderfire Cannon

Allied HQ
Chapter Master
— Space Marine Bike
— Artificer Armour - Thunderhammer - The Shield Eternal - Digital Weapons

Allied Elites
5x Sternguard Veteran
— 5x Combi-melta
Drop Pod

Allied Troops
Scout Squad
— Bolters
+ Sergeant
— Meltabombs
Land Speeder Storm
— Heavy Flamer

Allied Heavy Support
— Thunderfire Cannon


No. 8 - Sean McNamara - Space Marines
???


No. 10 - Ben Schimmoller - White Scars w. Allied Astra Militarum

HQ
Kor’sarro Khan
— Moondrakken

Master of the Forge (joins AM blob)

Command Squad
+ Apothecary
— Space Marine Bikes
— 4x Meltagun

Troops
4x Space Marine Biker
— 2x Grav Gun
+ Sergeant
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker
— 2x Grav Gun
+ Sergeant
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker
— 2x Grav Gun
+ Sergeant
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

4x Space Marine Biker
— 2x Grav Gun
+ Sergeant
+ Attack Bike
— Multi-Melta

Heavy Support
Thunderfire Cannon

Allied HQ
Lord Commissar - Power Axe

Priest

Allied Troops
Platoon Command Squad
Infantry Squad - Flamer - Power Axe - Meltabombs
Infantry Squad - Flamer - Power Axe - Meltabombs
Infantry Squad - Power Axe - Meltabombs
Infantry Squad - Power Axe - Meltabombs
Infantry Squad - Power Axe - Meltabombs

Allied Heavy Support
Wyvern