I love Friday Night Internet Fight over at Dethron's blog, it's probably the most consistently funny 40K on the web. Last week's was from one of these 'try a new unit' type posts that seem to be pretty popular these days. Now, I don't really like suggesting sub-par units as there is always a risk that someone will think that they're good and spend their hard earned money on them. When said unit turns out to be rubbish it can be very disheartening, and it's a short trip from that to eBay and onto a different hobby. Not good.
Hence, I want to warn people NOT to do what I'm going to suggest here. This is purely for my amusement. At the moment, it's just a thought experiment but it may make it to the table in a friendly game. This is in no way replacing my Razorwolf list.
Onto the crux of the matter - there are very few sub-par units in the Space Wolf Codex. The only ones I can really think of are Sky Claws. On paper, even they don't look too bad compared to their Vanilla equivalents and yet you never see any. I think that's mainly because they have some very tough competition in the Fast Attack slot, namely Thunderwolves. However, as I was reading this post, a thought was forming in my mind - Jump Pack Rune Priest with Sky Claws!
So, what's the plan? The Sky Claws act as cheap(ish) and killy bullet catchers for the Priest so he can get into range and cast Jaws of the World Wolf. These guys also hit pretty hard on the charge so they clearly have to be dealt with by your opponent. Let's see what we can take:
Rune Priest, Jump Pack, Jaws of the World Wolf, Storm Caller
That's 125 points. Jaws is an obvious power. The other one I considered was Fury of the Wolf Spirits but I feel that Storm Caller has more utility. The Priest and his pack can then hide behind a Rhino and give it cover while it gives them cover. Especially useful if you've already fired your Smoke Launchers. Also, if your guys get caught out in the open, it's a good power to have.
8 Sky Claws, Mark of the Wulfen
That's 159 points, not that much more expensive than one of my Grey Hunter Razorback squads. Why 8 men? Well, that makes it a 9 man unit so you have to take 3 casualties before a Leadership Test, an important consideration when you're going to flee 3D6 if you fail. Why Mark of the Wulfen over a Power Weapon? D6+3 Rending attacks on the charge seems pretty good to me. Obviously, this squad is mainly an anti-infantry squad. Even with so many attacks they're going to lose against dedicated Assault units and a Dreadnought could tie them up all game so you need to use their speed to pick their targets carefully.
Now, remember, don't try this at home. I'm only mentioning it at all because I have some unused Sky Claw models and I feel guilty for showing them no love for a while.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Celebrity Hit List
(I figure that there are more Terrorvision fans around than there were fans of obscure Arctic Monkey's b-sides yesterday)
I know that I said I would be cutting down on army lists on the blog, but this is more about the evolution of a list and the thinking that has gone into its construction. All of the discussion has been between myself and Andy and it started last Thursday when we were planning how to make this 750 Ork list into a 1000 point list for the club challenge. We thought that we'd keep the changes pretty simple, adding a third Deffkopta, putting Buzzsaws on all three, giving the Warboss a Power Klaw and then adding some Killa Kanz with the left over points. A couple of dys later, Andy e-mailed me the following list:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, 2 Power Klaws, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Killa Kan, Grotzooka
Killa Kan, Grotzooka
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
So, a list that had seemed pretty good when brainstorming suddenly looked like it was a bit light on Boyz when written down. Hmm, the Kanz are a nice distraction, hopefully drawing fire away from the two assault units but they can go and 3 'koptas is probably one too many so we dropped those for another mob of Boyz:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, 2 Power Klaws, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
A much better looking list. However, in my ignorance of all things Orky, I still had a few questions:
a) Why the three Klaws in the bike unit? In my mind you can only kill things once and even if the Boss splits off, one should be enough for most combats. Especially with a maximum of four vehicles in each list, it feels a bit like overkill
b) Why Slugga Boyz not Shoota Boyz for the unit on foot? With my Marine hat on, I'd think that a unit on foot would want a bit more range should it choose to start shooting.
c) Why no Boarding Plank or Grot Riggers on the Battlewagon? From reading the Codex, they both look like cheap, useful additions.
Andy replied with the following list and the answers underneath:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, Power Klaw, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Shoota Boyz, 2 Big Shootas, Nob, Power Klaw, Boss Pole
22 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
Fair comment on the Power Klaws, I've taken one out.
I've gone with Shoota Boyz in the Battlewagon because the BW can put them into charge range so they can get a round of shooting off to soften up a unit before the charge. The Sluggas go on foot becuase even then even if they get thinned out they'll still put out a good number of attacks in combat.
Boarding Plank is not really necessary if you have a Deff Rolla and while the Riggers are useful, I would expect that if the 'wagon is immobilised then it's going to get destroyed in the near future so they probably wouldn't get a chance to do anything.
I like the logic of the Sluggas on foot, it gives you more attacks. Plus it means you're more inclined to run them every Shooting Phase rather than trying to shoot anything which is never the Orks strong point. I don't really agree with the Shootas in the 'wagon though. I think that this comes from playing against Marines a lot. If you cause a lot of wounds then the Marines will just use Combat Tactics and you'll be left out of combat which is never a good place for an Ork to be.
As for the Boarding Plank, I thought that it would be useful against Skimmers with their 4+ Jink save against Tank Shocking. So, you avoided my Deff Rolla eh? Eat Power Klaw! However, I don't think that it will be an issue with the "maximum of 4 vehicles" rule in effect. With the Riggers, I think I'd take them since it only takes one lucky Lascannon shot to immobilise you on Turn 1 and then you're stuck on the wrong side of the board. Obviously, once you get past midfield, they lose their usefulness but it's a such a cheap upgrade and it's very handy if you get it to work at the right moment.
So, what was the point of this post? To prove how ungrateful I am that my friend spent his free time coming up with lists only for me to throw them back in his face? Well, it is a bit of mea culpa since I was feeling a bit guilty. However, the real purpose was to show how useful it is to talk to someone else when you prepare a list. It's always good to have someone to bounce ideas off when you're tinkering and it can be useful having to explain exactly what role you have planned for a unit. If you can't explain it, then you can probably lose it. Now, excuse me, I have another e-mail to send to Andy asking for yet more changes to the list :o)
I know that I said I would be cutting down on army lists on the blog, but this is more about the evolution of a list and the thinking that has gone into its construction. All of the discussion has been between myself and Andy and it started last Thursday when we were planning how to make this 750 Ork list into a 1000 point list for the club challenge. We thought that we'd keep the changes pretty simple, adding a third Deffkopta, putting Buzzsaws on all three, giving the Warboss a Power Klaw and then adding some Killa Kanz with the left over points. A couple of dys later, Andy e-mailed me the following list:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, 2 Power Klaws, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Killa Kan, Grotzooka
Killa Kan, Grotzooka
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
So, a list that had seemed pretty good when brainstorming suddenly looked like it was a bit light on Boyz when written down. Hmm, the Kanz are a nice distraction, hopefully drawing fire away from the two assault units but they can go and 3 'koptas is probably one too many so we dropped those for another mob of Boyz:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, 2 Power Klaws, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
20 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
A much better looking list. However, in my ignorance of all things Orky, I still had a few questions:
a) Why the three Klaws in the bike unit? In my mind you can only kill things once and even if the Boss splits off, one should be enough for most combats. Especially with a maximum of four vehicles in each list, it feels a bit like overkill
b) Why Slugga Boyz not Shoota Boyz for the unit on foot? With my Marine hat on, I'd think that a unit on foot would want a bit more range should it choose to start shooting.
c) Why no Boarding Plank or Grot Riggers on the Battlewagon? From reading the Codex, they both look like cheap, useful additions.
Andy replied with the following list and the answers underneath:
Warboss, Bike, Power Klaw, Cybork Body
4 Nob Bikers, Painboy, Power Klaw, Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole
20 Shoota Boyz, 2 Big Shootas, Nob, Power Klaw, Boss Pole
22 Slugga Boyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Deffkopta, Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Buzzsaw
Battlewagon, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Red Paint Job
Fair comment on the Power Klaws, I've taken one out.
I've gone with Shoota Boyz in the Battlewagon because the BW can put them into charge range so they can get a round of shooting off to soften up a unit before the charge. The Sluggas go on foot becuase even then even if they get thinned out they'll still put out a good number of attacks in combat.
Boarding Plank is not really necessary if you have a Deff Rolla and while the Riggers are useful, I would expect that if the 'wagon is immobilised then it's going to get destroyed in the near future so they probably wouldn't get a chance to do anything.
I like the logic of the Sluggas on foot, it gives you more attacks. Plus it means you're more inclined to run them every Shooting Phase rather than trying to shoot anything which is never the Orks strong point. I don't really agree with the Shootas in the 'wagon though. I think that this comes from playing against Marines a lot. If you cause a lot of wounds then the Marines will just use Combat Tactics and you'll be left out of combat which is never a good place for an Ork to be.
As for the Boarding Plank, I thought that it would be useful against Skimmers with their 4+ Jink save against Tank Shocking. So, you avoided my Deff Rolla eh? Eat Power Klaw! However, I don't think that it will be an issue with the "maximum of 4 vehicles" rule in effect. With the Riggers, I think I'd take them since it only takes one lucky Lascannon shot to immobilise you on Turn 1 and then you're stuck on the wrong side of the board. Obviously, once you get past midfield, they lose their usefulness but it's a such a cheap upgrade and it's very handy if you get it to work at the right moment.
So, what was the point of this post? To prove how ungrateful I am that my friend spent his free time coming up with lists only for me to throw them back in his face? Well, it is a bit of mea culpa since I was feeling a bit guilty. However, the real purpose was to show how useful it is to talk to someone else when you prepare a list. It's always good to have someone to bounce ideas off when you're tinkering and it can be useful having to explain exactly what role you have planned for a unit. If you can't explain it, then you can probably lose it. Now, excuse me, I have another e-mail to send to Andy asking for yet more changes to the list :o)
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
Despite what I said yesterday, here's another army list :op
Our club's introductory 40K challenge starts this week. It was originally going to be 750 points but has since raised to 1000 and a lot of the restrictions have been relaxed. I think that they picked 750 in an attempt to entice some of the "square basers" in but I think that they're all too busy with 8th Edition. Now, I was never really happy with any of the 750 point lists I came up with due to the one vehilce of each type rule that was in place. With that relaxed, I can now take 2 Razorbacks and 2 Rhinos. Happy days. However, I did come up with an Ork list I was quite happy with. Andy has very kindly agreed to lend me his Orks for this thursday so I'll be running a modified version of that list (plus Power Klaw on the 'boss, another Deffkopta and Buzzsaws on all 3 plus Andy's choice to make the points up)
However.
However, I started thinking, "what could I run in a Space Wolf army at 1000 points?" It's essentailly going to be a cut down version of what I took to Open War...
Rune Priest, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane
6 Wolf Scouts, Meltagun
Lone Wolf, Terminator Armour, Storm Shield, Chainfist
6 Grey Hunters, Plasma Gun, Rhino
5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannon
5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannon
10 Grey Hunters, Power Weapon, 2 Meltaguns, Rhino
6 Long Fangs, 5 Rocket Launchers
It's a bit less stand-offish than my Open War list with everything apart from the Long Fangs rushing off to midfield to get stuck in.
This week I'm taking the Orks and if that doesn't work out, we could well see this Wolf list next week instead.
Our club's introductory 40K challenge starts this week. It was originally going to be 750 points but has since raised to 1000 and a lot of the restrictions have been relaxed. I think that they picked 750 in an attempt to entice some of the "square basers" in but I think that they're all too busy with 8th Edition. Now, I was never really happy with any of the 750 point lists I came up with due to the one vehilce of each type rule that was in place. With that relaxed, I can now take 2 Razorbacks and 2 Rhinos. Happy days. However, I did come up with an Ork list I was quite happy with. Andy has very kindly agreed to lend me his Orks for this thursday so I'll be running a modified version of that list (plus Power Klaw on the 'boss, another Deffkopta and Buzzsaws on all 3 plus Andy's choice to make the points up)
However.
However, I started thinking, "what could I run in a Space Wolf army at 1000 points?" It's essentailly going to be a cut down version of what I took to Open War...
Rune Priest, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane
6 Wolf Scouts, Meltagun
Lone Wolf, Terminator Armour, Storm Shield, Chainfist
6 Grey Hunters, Plasma Gun, Rhino
5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannon
5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannon
10 Grey Hunters, Power Weapon, 2 Meltaguns, Rhino
6 Long Fangs, 5 Rocket Launchers
It's a bit less stand-offish than my Open War list with everything apart from the Long Fangs rushing off to midfield to get stuck in.
This week I'm taking the Orks and if that doesn't work out, we could well see this Wolf list next week instead.
Monday, 1 November 2010
What's on the painting table
What's this? Forgeworld resin on my painting table!? Not a week seems to go by when I don't get overcome by the impulse-buy daemons. I had just popped in to Warhammer World to get my hands on an Astorath mini for a list I've got my mind on for the Freebootaz Open. However they didn't have one on the racks so in the time it took for me to walk from the Space Marine section to the check-out I had formulated a Vulkan list instead and decided that the new Huron model would make a great counts-as Vulkan. As fate would have it they had some in stock so I took it as a sign and got one!On closer inspection is is a fantastically beautiful model, the detail is amazing, posing is spot on and I even love the slab of rock he's standing on. The model was very clean, just a few bits of flash to clean off and it was very easy to put together. The only thing I don't really like about the model is the head. To be fair it's very nicely detailed and proportioned but I just don't like marines without helmets as a rule. Anyway, I thought this might be a bit of an opportunity to convert an existing terminator helmet into a more "Grey Knight" style one to make my new character stand out from my army. So I've cut the sides off the "cheeks" of the helmet and taken a bit of time to square it all off, I've had to trim it a little at the sides to allow the head to face correctly. I then drilled a few holes in the side to add a bit of interest. What do you think? Also I really don't know what colour scheme to do, the army is yellow with black and red trim but I think this guy needs something special - suggestions on a post card please!
In case you're interested here's the list I'm thinking about:
Vulkan He'stan
Terminator Assault Squad
(5) Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield; Land Raider Redeemer w. Multi Melta and Extra Armour
Sternguard Squad
(10) 4x Combi-Flamer, 4x Combi-Melta, Sgt w. Power Fist; Drop Pod
Tactical Squad
(10) Meltagun, Missile Launcher, Sgt w. Combi-Melta; Rhino
Tactical Squad
(10) Flamer, Missile Launcher, Sgt w. Combi-Flamer Melta Bombs & Power Fist; Rhino
Scout Squad
(5) Bolt Pistol & Combat Blades, Sgt w. Melta Bombs
Land Speeder Tornado
Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer
Land Speeder Tornado
Multi Melta, Heavy Flamer
Land Speeder Storm
Heavy Flamer
1750pts
On with the painting updates:
Also on my table at the moment are my Honour Guard which seem to have sat at this stage for a couple of weeks now. I just don't seem to have the time to get stuck into painting the details onto these really great figures. I like how the brass/dark gold looks as a base colour but I do want to do some more highlighting and then move on to the details. Also, below is a pic of my Jump Pack Librarian, still very much WIP and though the wings do look messy at the moment a good dose of Badab black ought to sort the shading out. The face needs another layer or two fo highlights but I like how it looks at the moment, it could probably benefit from another light wash of Badab Black before the next highlights just to tidy up any over-brushing.
More updates to come!
The State of the System
It was last November that I played my first game of Warhammer 40,000 wince I first got back into the game and so now seems like a good a time as any to have a look back at what's happened in the past year and set some aims for the next one. First off, I've had a brilliant year, I've played nearly a game a week and I've made some great new friends. I've painted my first ever miniatures (as a kid I never did any painting as I realised that paint money would be better spent on more models) and I've entered my first ever tournament.
Over the next 12 months I'd like to do more painting in an attempt to get better at it. I'd also like to spread it out a bit more rather than the mad three week rush before Open War! I'm definitely going to enter a few more tournies and I'll try to keep playing a game a week. On that front, I'd like to try a few more systems - Necromunda, Blood Bowl, maybe even Fantasy (although Andy will probably continue to try and talk me into Warmachine as well) I'd also like to start a new army. Don;t get me wrong, the Space Wolves will always be my first love and they'll be the army I take to tournaments. However, I'd definitely like to try something a bit different as well. I really like the look of the new Dark Eldar; sleek, fast and deadly and I'm very tempted to give them a spin.
This also seems to be a good time to talk a bit about the blog. It was supposed to be my private repository but now we've got three regular authors and we're getting a few followers. From my point of view I'm happy with the volume of posts I've managed but I still think I'm posting far too many army lists. It's better now than it was and I'm better at talking through why everything is in the army rather than just listing it but they're never going to be thrilling reads. I'm also pretty poor at getting battle reports posted on time. They take a while to write and it's a problem if I'm not in the mood. I've got 3 or 4 still in Draft and hundreds of pictures still on my camera. I also intended to write more fluff pieces about my army but I've been too busy writing army lists lol.
So, moving forward, more battle reports, more after battle analysis and more fluff pieces (because t'internet loves fan fiction)
Over the next 12 months I'd like to do more painting in an attempt to get better at it. I'd also like to spread it out a bit more rather than the mad three week rush before Open War! I'm definitely going to enter a few more tournies and I'll try to keep playing a game a week. On that front, I'd like to try a few more systems - Necromunda, Blood Bowl, maybe even Fantasy (although Andy will probably continue to try and talk me into Warmachine as well) I'd also like to start a new army. Don;t get me wrong, the Space Wolves will always be my first love and they'll be the army I take to tournaments. However, I'd definitely like to try something a bit different as well. I really like the look of the new Dark Eldar; sleek, fast and deadly and I'm very tempted to give them a spin.
This also seems to be a good time to talk a bit about the blog. It was supposed to be my private repository but now we've got three regular authors and we're getting a few followers. From my point of view I'm happy with the volume of posts I've managed but I still think I'm posting far too many army lists. It's better now than it was and I'm better at talking through why everything is in the army rather than just listing it but they're never going to be thrilling reads. I'm also pretty poor at getting battle reports posted on time. They take a while to write and it's a problem if I'm not in the mood. I've got 3 or 4 still in Draft and hundreds of pictures still on my camera. I also intended to write more fluff pieces about my army but I've been too busy writing army lists lol.
So, moving forward, more battle reports, more after battle analysis and more fluff pieces (because t'internet loves fan fiction)
Come with me if you want to win
Space Marine "Tactical" Terminators. Iconic, feared, and unfairly under-rated. I've had a real thing for Terminators ever since 1st edition Space Hulk, aesthetically they've changed only a little over the years and as far as I'm concerned a suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armour is a real stand out in the portfolio of miniature design classics GW has produced over the years. The miniatures themselves are probably my favourite things to paint, the grills at the back, the almost insectoid helmets and the piping on the legs give the model a really unique feel and look. The big plates are easy to paint, shade and highlight, it's hard to go wrong with them really but a good painter can really make a Terminator look outstanding.So far so good but how are they on the tabletop? Well here's where opinions become mixed, basically the vocal majority say that there's better things to spend your points on in the Elites section of the Codex. They would argue that Sternguard are a more versatile and "killy" shooting unit and that if you want a tough assault unit then Assault Terminators are the way to go, and they're not wrong. To that I would say "You're absolutely right.", however Sternguard are pretty fragile in assault and to get the best out of their shooting you have to operate within counter assault range. Conversely, Assault Terminators cannot shoot at all and while on the surface they seem like a bargain points-wise, you really have to buy a Land Raider to get them into combat which more than doubles their point cost.
The other side of the arguement, which is the side I sit on, would say that in terms of bang for your buck, Tactical Terminators are a great choice for your army. In the shooting phase they have an assault 2 weapon which can fire 24" so it has an effective range of 30" because it can be fired after moving. They also carry a heavy weapon which can be fired on the move to further increase their potency in the shooting phase. They stack up pretty well in the assault phase too, a unit full of Power Fists is not going to be the top of anyone's list to charge but add to this the fact that they have a 2+/5++ and you've got a very durable and deadly hand to hand unit. I think there are very few equivalently armed and armoured units in the game that are so competitvely priced!
The humble Tactical Terminator fits in with my preferred play-style because I rely on their tactical flexibilty. I don't like to devise concrete battle-plans in advance of a game, I prefer to have a theme and then to be able to react to what my opponent is doing. In trying to do this I like to think that my lists do not appear to be typical of the Codex so that an opponent cannot quickly analyse what I'm planning to do ... because I don't know exactly what I'm going to do until I see how the first turn goes. I do plan for the mission in hand but in terms of planning for my opponent, I like to remain flexible!
Anyway, Tactical Terminators, what's your take?
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