Ravenscar vs. Chaos Batrep - Conclusion

3rd Turn - Chaos
Kenny's Soulgrinder arrives from reserve and deep strikes close by the Spawn with the two attached Sorcerers. Belakor (gliding) and the forward Maulerfiend both move straight towards my Black Knights stuck in combat with the Horrors while the lone unit of Spawn move towards BikeStar.

Kenny successfully casts Invisibility and Endurance on Belakor. Kenny also successfully casts Endurance on the lone unit of Spawn. He also attempts to Enfeeble BikeStar but it's denied.

The Maulerfiend needs 7" to make the charge into the Black Knights but fails even with the re roll for fleet. Belakor does make the charge but fluffs his hits and only manages to kill two of the Black Knights. The Black Knights finish off the last of the Horrors then successfully hit and run out of combat stranding the Daemon Prince.

Kenny fails to score the objective this turn.

3rd Turn - Ravenscar BikeStar
My Storm Giants biker squad arrives from reserve and line up so shots on rear armor versus the stranded Maulerfiend.

BikeStar moves up to engage the Spawn along with the full squad of Black Knights. The other squad of Black Knights move into cover to target Belakor.

I successfully cast Invisibility and Force on BikeStar.

The Black Knights in cover manage to strip one wound in the shooting phase from Belakor. BikeStar and the other squad of Black Knights shoot the Spawn dealing out a few unsaved wounds. The Storm Giants biker squad gets a single grav shot through on the Maulerfiend immobilizing it.

The Black Knights beside Belakor choose not to charge while BikeStar and the other squad of Black Knights charge the Spawn and finish them off. Both units consolidate towards Belakor.

I also am unable to score the objective this turn.

Chaos - 2 VP
BikeStar - 1 VP

4th Turn - Chaos
Kenny drops back with the remaining unit of Spawn with the two attached Sorcerers along with the mobile Maulerfiend and Soulgrinder. Belakor is ready to pounce on the Black Knights.

Kenny successfully casts Invisibility on Belakor but perils and loses another wound. He also attempts to shriek the Black Knights but they pass their leadership test. Kenny also attempts to cast Endurance on Belakor - I deny the first attempt and he fails the second attempt.

Belakor then charges the Black Knights whose Overwatch strips his third wound. Belakor strikes last since he's charging into terrain but takes no wounds - a couple Black Knights survive the onslaught then hit and run out of combat towards the other squad of cultists.

Kenny fails to score the objective this turn since he was unable to finish of the squad of Black Knights.

4th Turn - Ravenscar BikeStar
The Storm Giants biker squad maintain a safe distance from the Chaos Sorcerers. BikeStar and both squads of Black Knight squad move close into charge range of Belakor.

I successfully cast Invisibility and Prescience on BikeStar.

Shooting fails to kill Belakor but the prince goes down in the assault phase. All three biker units consolidate towards the cultists.

I also am unable to score the objective this turn.

Chaos - 2 VP
BikeStar - 1 VP

5th Turn - Chaos
Kenny has a quick turn moving and running the cultists away from my bikes.

5th Turn - Ravenscar BikeStar
The Storm Giants biker squad moves onto an objective while all three of the remaining biker squads move in towards the cultists.

I successfully cast Invisibility and Prescience on BikeStar.

I opt not to shoot since I need to destroy an enemy unit in the assault phase.

BikeStar needs 11" to reach the cultists... I roll a 1 and 6 picking up the one for re roll due to fleet from the Eagle Banner and up pops a 5 !!! The cultists are mowed down in short order in assault and I am able to score the objective this turn.

Chaos - 2 VP
BikeStar - 4 VP


Post Game Analysis
Both Kenny and I scored Line Breaker so the final score is a narrow victory for the Imperium 5 - 3.

I made one critical mistake the fourth turn and could have scored the objective but was solely focused on eliminating Belakor. If I had not made the 11" charge versus the cultists Kenny would have attempted to charge them into my BikeStar which could have won him the game depending how a sixth turn would have played out. As it turned out Kenny opted to concede after the fifth turn since his army cannot generate much if any significant shooting.

So it was a very close game and finally for once Lady Lucky was on my side. The Maulerfiend missing a 7" charge was a pivotal point in the game. Had it made the charge I still had some tricks up my sleeve as well.

Thorr lifts his power fist in a salute to his war party The forces of disorder were culled. The relic will be returned to the Imperium. There is much rejoicing !

Ravenscar vs. Chaos Batrep Part 1

The big game was played while I was home for vacation earlier this month with Kenny Boucher at Atomic Empire in Durham, NC.

Chapter Master Thorr has convinced a small contingent of Ravenwing to join his biker company leading them to the outer edge of the Eye of Terror where an ancient Chaos relic resides upon a hidden planet. The relic must be captured and brought back to the Imperium so that it can be used against the forces of disorder in an impending Black Crusade predicted by Seer Kharbis of the Storm Giants' Conclave. They are either surely fearless or quite foolish as many have ventured there before them only to meet their sudden demise...

Here's the mission:

As you can see the mission is a twist on maelstrom that most often requires you to score two objectives each turn to earn victory points. Note that you can score more victory points after the second turn.

ITC allows the following Lords of War for Chaos armies...

Chaos vs. BikeStar Battle Report

Tomorrow I will post the written battle report versus Kenny Boucher and his Chaos army. It was a fast battle featuring mainly psychic duels and extreme martial forms of melee.

Wulfen Stats

Happy Jack

Happy Jack wasn't old, but he was a man
He lived in the sand at the Isle of Man
The kids would all sing, he would take the wrong key
So they rode on his head on their furry donkey

The kids couldn't hurt Jack
They tried and tried and tried
They dropped things on his back
And lied and lied and lied and lied and lied

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping
And they couldn't prevent Jack from feeling happy

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping
And they couldn't prevent Jack from feeling happy

The kids couldn't hurt Jack
They tried and tried and tried
They dropped things on his back
And lied and lied and lied and lied and lied

But they couldn't stop Jack, or the waters lapping
And they couldn't prevent Jack from feeling happy

New picture of Mastadon

Wulfen Tables and Wargear

Wargear

¨Curse of the Wulfen

All non-vehicle models within 6" is affected. For Blood/Sky/swift claws it is 12", for Long Fangs it is 3". Wulfen, Servitors and units that starts in a transport are not affected.

At the start of the player turn, roll a single dice for all units. The effect lasts until your next player round. Units outside of combat gains the Hunt table effect, units in combat gains the Kill effect.

Hunt

1-3: re-rolls failed charges and Hammer of Wrath

4-5: Add 3" when you move, run or charge

6: All models gain Furious Charge and gains 1d3 attacks for charging, unless they have Rage.

Kill

1-4: +1 initiative

4-5: Re-rolls to wound

6: If killed, you may attack before being removed, even if you already fought in an earlier Initiative step

Wargear

Helfrost pistol

Grenade launcher

Frostclaw - +1S - AP2 - Shred

Stormhammer - Helfrost

Two Handed Frost Axe - S+3 - AP2 - Strike at normal initiative when charging, otherwise at I1

Wulfen Rules

Special Rules

- Berserker

- And They Shall Know No Fear

- Curse of the Wulfen

- Counter Attack

- Acute Senses

- Feel No Pain

- Bulky

Death Frenzy

If a model in this unit is killed it can move up and attack at the end of the current initiative step. This even applies if the model already has attacked.

Leaping Bounds

This unit can run and attack. It also re rolls failed charges.

Options:

May contain up to 5 more Wulfen - 30p/m

Each model may take a salvo grenade launcher - 2p/m

Each model may take one of the following:

Two Handed Frost Axe 8p/m

Two Wolf Claws 12p/m

Thunderhammer and Stormshield 20p/m

One Wulfen can be upgraded to Wulfen-Pack Leader with two Frost Claws 20p

This unit may take a Stormwolf as a dedicated transport.

How Grav has brought back the Space Marine tactical squad

The tactical squad at one time was one of the best troop choices in the game back when a five man squad could take both a heavy and special weapon. This unfortunately changed when the fifth edition codex dropped with the re advent of combat squads. I have never been a fan of combat squads... Five Space Marines die too easy. Another big factor was the point cost. Now that tactical Marines have access to the grav cannon and the big reduction in cost the five man squad is viable again. Here is a solid basic build:

3x tactical Marine
tactical Marine - Grav Cannon and Grav Amp
Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs - Auspex
Rhino - Dozer Blade

Ultramarines and White Scars chapter tactics are the best and fielding Khan allows your tactical squads to scout move or outflank. If you field a Demi Company these units benefit from the Ultramarine Tactical Doctrine. If you field a Gladius Strike Force (GSF) then your White Scars have access to all of the Ultramarine chapter tactics as well which a huge bonus along with the free transports for GSF. The combination of the scout move with several tactical squads embarked in rhinos is very powerful and provides an excellent opportunity to perform an alpha strike. If you field a GSF I think the best combination is three tactical squads in rhinos and three more in drop pods. You have five units that can concentrate their fire power the first turn for the alpha strike.

Personally I am more inclined to run one Demi Company so I have a lot of points left over for other more specialized units that can't be selected for these formations such as biker squads and the Librarius Conclave. I would run Khan on Moondrakken attached to a biker command squad. You can add a combined arms detachment to your Demi Company.

Devotion

Khorne 2250 point Unbound Army List

Here is Chaos army list I ran yesterday at a local 2250 point unbound tournament -

Chaos Typhon (Lord of War - Chaos Space Marines)
Lascannon sponsons - Armored ceramite - 1st War of Armageddon (legacy)

Kytan - Daemon Engine of Khorne (Lord of War - Khorne Daemonkin)

Belakor (Chaos data sheet)

11x Pink Horror (Daemons)

20x Flesh Hound (Khorne Daemonkin)

Chaos Lord (Khorne Daemonkin)
Juggernaut - Power Fist - Goredrinker - Sigil of Corruption

Herald (Khorne Daemonkin)
Juggernaught - Hellblade - Lesser Loci (Adamantium Will) - Brazen Rune)

Chaos Sorcerer (CSM)
Level 3 - Bike - Melta bombs - Force axe


I faced the following three armies:

Necrons + Admech
Space Wolves - Dark Angels - Librarius Conclave - Astra Militarum
Space Marines - Grey Knights - Imperial Knights

I won all three games but the win versus the second army was converted to a loss due to a technicality. The first and third games were fairly easy while the second game was focused on playing to the mission - as we all know it's hard to deal with an invisible WolfStar. Even though my army list is unbound it showcases some of the stronger units Chaos has at its disposal. The Kytan is truly a beast and probably the MVP along with Belakor. There's enough total warp charge and psychic defense built into the army to go toe to toe with other heavy psychic armies.

Deredeo Dreadnaught

Here's another new dreadnaught from Forge World often referred to as the Dorito. The price is right for this one - it's basically the new Mortis Contemptor on crack.

This is the dreadnaught that Flyrants tend to hate with a passion because it will mulch right through one after another. The low point cost for what you get is what makes the Deredeo so good. It is also very good versus light armor and can split fire.

Here is its wargear and special rules...



Stick with the super autocannon battery and twin linked heavy bolter plus you'll be wanting the missile launcher too. I always take the upgrade for armored Ceramite so the dreadnaught laughs at melta weapons.



Due to its great range you can deploy the dreadnaught back in a corner and blast away. Me I'd stick with the autocannon battery over the plasma... Greater range and higher strength plus the autocannon battery re rolls ar,or penetration.

The Leviathan !

There's a new dreadnaught recently released by Forgeworld - the Leviathan !

Here are its stats for Horus Heresy 30k:

There are also rules for fielding the Leviathan in 40k armies for Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Marines and Space Wolves - note the stats are the same. The Leviathan is a heavy support choice. I'm going to focus on the rules for 30k in this article.

Here is the rules for its wargear, special rules and dedicated transport options:

Here are the rules for its weapon selections:

I'm planning to kit mine with a Grav-flux bombard (GFB), siege claw and armored ceramite. I'll swap out the GFB for a storm cannon for 40k. The siege claw has inbuilt meltagun and its torso has two heavy flamers to thin down hordes so it won't be getting tar pitted any time soon. The GFB is quite nasty and can easily deal with 2+ armor saves at range. If you've got 15 points to spare the Phosphex discharger (PD) will help soften them up as well. Both the GFB and PD are unique to 30k and have a maximum range of 18" so using a dreadnaught drop pod to deploy them is a good investment if you select these blast weapons.

I have discussed in-depth in the Dreadnaught 101 article the strengths of dreadnaughts and the Leviathan is truly a heavy metal beast that can go toe to toe with Super Heavy Walkers (SHW), Monstrous Creatures (MC) and even Gargantuan Monstrous Creatures (GMC). This is mainly due to the special rule for its siege claw...

Severing Cut:
Each time a non-vehicle model suffers an unsaved wound from this weapon, roll a D6. On a 4+, the model suffers an additional D3 wounds which must be saved separately using the weapon’s profile (note that these wounds do not themselves generate more additional wounds).

The Leviathan has assault grenades and +1 initiative when it charges. It also inflicts two S8 Hammer of Wrath attacks.

As discussed in the previous article MC have serious problems when facing a dreadnaught with front AV13 since their base strength is typically S6 and they must smash to inflict any damage which is only one attack. The Leviathan has a 4++ invulnerable save as well plus four hull points so it can tank damage.

If you're mainly fighting SHW then a siege drill is your best option for melee since it has the Armorbane special rule.

It's not cheap points wise but as I often say you get what you pay for and the Leviathan is truly an arsenal! I am planning to use a dreadnaught drop pod to deploy mine and there is also an option for the Kyhbardis assault claw as well.

Storm Giant Biker Squad Painting Tutorial

Hi everyone !!! It's your friendly Black Blow Fly swinging through your neighborhood again to spread lots of mischief and some decay again !!! Today I have a simple painting tutorial for you. This tutorial is aimed at achieving a tabletop quality level you will enjoy playing with in friendly pickup games or even competitions. I used only GW paints, technical effects and washes. I used mostly GW base brushes which now come in different sizes... I prefer the medium size. I also used a layer brush and one of their tools to apply texture to the bases. The entire project took roughly 30 hours to complete six Space Marine bikers including a sergeant and attack bike.

Pro Tip
Here's a tip for those of you that want to save some money... Buy a second hand army then either repaint it yourself or have it pro painted if you're short on time. I got a really good deal on my Space Marine biker army and played it as is for over a year. I finally had a large block of free time over several days during the holidays I could dedicate to start repainting the army to match the background I developed for it.

Tutorial
Here is one of the bikers as is before being repainted....

Before...

Here is the same biker after I finished repainting the model... It's not going to win any Golden Daemons but I'm happy with it and that's what really matters.

After !

As you can see the army was originally painted using a Blood Angels color scheme. I did some research on White Scars successor chapters and found one named the Storm Lords whose color scheme is half white and half red... The color of their helmets denote where they are assigned within their battle company - yellow being for troops. You'll note I did not following the exact color scheme to help save time. I can always go back and repaint them some more. I also decided to rename my chapter the Storm Giants because I think that sounds more appropriate for Imperial Astartes.

Paints, Technical Effects and Washes

Paints
GW has a color chart that shows you how to achieve various color schemes and that's what I followed for this project. Here are the colors I used:

Red
Khorne Red (base)
Mephiston Red (1st layer)
Evil Sunz Scarlet (2nd layer)
Wild Rider Red (highlights and trim)

Here are a couple of WIP pictures when I first started the project to shade the red...

The original paint scheme is the biker up front with yellow trim on his shoulder pads...

Red is one of the easiest colors to shade and for my army I wanted a bright red. If you're starting from scratch then a white primer is the best to make the red really pop. I had to work with what I have though and didn't want to reprime the army... It's a lot faster to just repaint. I have problems painting models with a white primer coat because it's really hard for me to make out the details and I'm color blind. I think it worked out okay since this project was to repaint the existing models.

White
Abbadon Black (1st base)
Dawnstone Air (2nd base)
Celestine Grey (1st layer)
Ceramite White (2nd layer)
Ceramite White Air (3rd layer)
'Ardcoat (shine effect)

Note that using some 'Ardcoat applied liberally over the final white coat helps to make it look much more smooth. White has traditionally been considered a difficult color to paint but by applying it over a light grey shade helps a lot and the Ceramite Whites don't dry out quickly which has been one of the major problems encountered when painting this color.

Yellow
Averland Sunset (base)
Yriel Yellow (1st layer)
Cassandora Yellow (wash)
Flash Gitz Yellow (2nd layer)

This was a very easy method to paint a bright yellow and doesn't take much time. I like the yellow helmets since it makes the squad look more distinct.

Texture
I used a texture for the bases which is easy to use and then later dry brushed the surface with a lighter color for contrast. The texture from one pot was not enough for all six bases which makes sense since Space Marine biker bases obviously have more surface area. GW has a kit with tufts of grass you can apply to the bases with a dab of PV glue. I later went back and touched up the grass tufts with a bright green so they pop a bit more. A couple of tufts per base is fine although I did use more for the attack bike.

Decals
I used a good deal of decals to add a nice final touch to the unit such as squad type and Roman numbers. You'll want to really wet the surface of the model where you plan to apply each decal so it's easy to move them around into the right position. I cut out the decals right along the edges so there's the least amount to apply. Shoulder pads are tricky due to their curvature - the less decal you have to apply the better. Once the decals completely dried I then applied a matte finish to secure them on the models. If there's some trim left over once a decal has dried you can go back and carefully paint over the trim... Just be sure not to use lots of paint on the tip of your brush.

Project Complete
Here is the completed biker squad...

I'm really happy how they turned out and plan to paint some more soon. I might even paint the next squad with a reverse color scheme which will help to distinguish each squad separately. In case you're interested I used my iPad to take all of these photos.

BikeStar vs. Chaos Pre Game Analysis

First I'd like to point out the Chaos army relies upon being an uncommon list that causes confusion for the opponent which can lead to bad decisions. I have played against an earlier pre existing version of the army and was able to watch two video batreps featuring the new Chaos army.

Second I brought my army this time which is pure biker - something I'm intimately familiar with now. I don't like using tactical Marines and consider them to be not really worth their points. I am actually more mobile which is a big deal.

My game plan is to play defensively the first two turns, not make any big mistakes then crank it up when each turn objective is worth 3 victory points. Yes I'll have an invisible deathstar but that spell is guaranteed for Chaos. My army has some buffs for rerolling hits which can be huge... It's all about chipping away at the stone.

So I think my chances are better this time but every game versus Kenny is like a super heavy weight fist fight plus he always has some tricks up his sleeve.

BikeStar vs. Chaos army lists

Here's the army lists for the upcoming video battle report...


BikeStar

White Scars Allied Detachment
Chapter Master - Artificier Armor - Heaven's Wrath - Hunter's Eye - Shield Eternal - Power Fist - Auspex

Command Squad - Bikes
Eagle Banner
4x Storm Shield - 4x Grav Gun - 3x Melta Bomb - Thunderhammer
Apothecary

Biker Squad
Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Melta Bomb
4x Biker - 2x Grav Gun
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta

Librarius Conclave - Iron Hands
3x Level 2 Librarian - Bikes - 3x Melta Bomb - 3x Force Axe

Telepathy - Shriek/Invisibility/Terrify
Santic - Banishment/Hammerhand/Purge Soul
Divination - Prescience/Misfortune/Scryer's Gaze

Ravenwing Strike Force
Interrogator Chaplain - Bike - Power Fist - Unseen Eye /Warlord

5x Black Knight
Hunt Master

5x Black Knight
Hunt Master


Chaos Collation

Chaos Daemons
Belakor

11x Horror

15x Flesh Hound

Soul Grinder (Slaneesh)

Chaos Space Marines
Level 3 Sorceror - Bike - Force Axe /Warlord
Biomancy - Smite/Enfeeble/Endurance/Warp Speed

Level 3 Sorceror - Bike - Force Stave
Biomancy - Smite/Enfeeble/Endurance/Iron Arm

Maulerfiend - Magnacutters
Maulerfiend - Magnacutters

10x Cultist
10x Cultist

5x Chaos Spawn - Nurgle
5x Chaos Spawn - Nurgle

Hungry for Blood

Batrep Preview - BikeStar vs. Chaos

The big game went down yesterday afternoon with Kenny B at Atomic Empire in Durham, NC. Here's the mission:

Here's most of Kenny's amazing Chaos army...

Belakor

Cultists and Maulerfiend

Soulgrinder and Maulerfiends

Daemonettes and Nurgle Spawn


Kenny won the roll to deploy first and did so holding the Soulgrinder in reserve which would deep strike...

I deployed second holding my Storm Giant biker squad in reserve...

I failed to sieze after scout moves and there was no night fight.


There should be a video batrep in a week or so.

Alone

I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

You don't know how long I have wanted
To touch your lips and hold you tight, oh
You don't know how long I have waited
and I was going to tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
and my love for you is still unknown
Alone
Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
Alone, alone

Before and After...

Before...

After !

I'll be posting a complete painting tutorial how I created a squad of Space Marine bikers using the Storm Giants color scheme, repainting the original models based on a simple Blood Angels color scheme.

You'll notice I didn't follow the color scheme exactly and the bike is pure red but my interpretation was easy for me to achieve and it's still close to the original. Also the actual name is Storm Lords (White Scars successor chapter of course) but I like Storm Giants better.

It took roughly 20-30 hours to complete this project for six bikers including the attack bike.

Here are the colors I used:

Red
Khorne Red (base)
Mephiston Red (1st layer)
Evil Sunz Scarlet (2nd layer)
Wild Rider Red (highlights and trim)

White
Abbadon Black (1st base)
Dawnstone Air (2nd base)
Celestine Grey (1st layer)
Ceramite White (2nd layer)
Ceramite White Air (3rd layer)
'Ardcoat (shine effect)

Yellow
Averland Sunset (base)
Yriel Yellow (1st layer)
Cassandora Yellow (wash)
Flash Gitz Yellow (2nd layer)

I used decals to add a nice touch to the unit such as squad type and number.

Storm Giants complete

I'm really happy how they turned out... Awesome color scheme !

Storm Giants almost ready for battle versus the great heretic !