T G I F

Winning and Losing... It happens

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

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

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

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

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

3rd BeakyCon3 Sample Mission

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

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

Note that each round is up to three hours.

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

A scoring unit can only hold one objective marker.

[3] Deployment: Dawn of War

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

[5] No Mystery Terrain or Mystery Objectives rules.

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

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

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

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

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

- Imperial Armor Apocalypse 2nd Edition
- Imperial Armor Aeronautica

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

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

BeakyCon3 Open for Registration Now !!!

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

moodhoney@yahoo.com

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

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

Let me know if you have any questions.