Emperor's Children under way

So, in the past little bit I have painted up a 8 man Noise Marine unit (with Rhino) and a 5 man with blastmaster to hold local objectives. Here is what they look like so far:

I have added static grass since the pic was taken.

Continuing work on the force, pressing towards 1250pts for the upcoming local Return to Locara: Tournament & Campaign.

What a concept - lower tournament points limits

Just read this comment on BoLS site (see link on right) about the creep of game size and its impact on tournaments and list creativity. I find it really interesting that in the UK all GTs are 1500pts -to encourage creative thinking and compromise, as opposed to the Us where 200pts it common and people just max certain selection. I may as well just post the whole comment here - this is a quote:

Conrad_Dakarn 21 hours ago

"I've noted one thing when speaking to people in America about their games and tournaments and that's to do with the points costs. Almost every game you have is 2000pt or over. Even the tournaments seem to be centred around over 2000pts.

The 40k rulebook recommends that you play 1500-2000pts on a 6 by 4 board.

The MAJOR GW throne of skulls tournament is set at 1500pt, thus showing that GW believe 1500 is the ideal size for a tournament setting on a 6 by 4 board.

Most US games take place using over 2000pt in their tournaments.

Why am I bringing up points cost as an argument about balanced lists....simple really. You get more stuff for more points. In a 2000+ army you can afford to take pretty much anything you want because you've got the point spare to cram in those 3 land raiders or what-ever else and still take a decent set of troops and the like. In 1500 you're much more limited to your options and can't simply slap a list together using the hardest of everything because you'll find you quickly run out of points. An example would be 7 terminators with lightning claws, 1 chaplain and a land raid crusader....coming in at over 500 points. This takes up the main portion of your army for very little in terms of models. The other 1000 would have to contain the troops and any further support. If you're spamming your list as a combat heavy list (using the terminator example) you'd probably take 2 of the above and then take minimum troops and suddenly you're out of points for anything else. That's 2 armour 14 vehicles and a subsequent 16 wounds worth of models for over 1000 points.

A balanced list in 1500pt will contain enough of everything to deal with an orientated list any day of the week. The above example would, for example, find itself in trouble at the sight of a single Vindicator for only 115pt and perhaps 2-3 attack bikes with multi-meltas at 100-150pt. For a quarter of the value you've got two units that can take out the land raider and then the terminators inside with relative ease and do the same again the next turn....all the while, the terminators are trying to get to you to engage in combat. For 265pt, the 1000 odd has been delt with. You can then think on the other side of the box with the other 1235pt of your army for what else you might want to take....the theory works sound in any situation and you can create a list that can deal with any threat as well as maintaining a good balance all round.

A combat heavy army is always going to have the problem that they have to get to the opponent and when they do get their, they have to ensure they can't be shot after they've destroyed the unit they've charged.

A gun line army has to be able to deal with a combat army that can jump on them by turn 2....or even worse....try and compete with another gun line army of equal magnitude.

By creating these sorts of lists for limited points, you've put inherent weakness in your army. Sure, in over 2000pt it's a lot easier to get rid of these weaknesses but that's kind of my point.....1500pt is more challenging for list building in my opinion.

However....I'm over the pond in the UK and we do play a very different style of game to yourselves. Not just in the points but our tactics and game play seem to vary from certain things that you do. So, my opinion may not be valid in terms of a US situation....but, I do plan on coming over eventually for a week's holiday and taking part in one of your larger tournaments, just to get a feel for it....so, who knows? I may learn a few things or hand out some lessons.

A current favoured marine list is quite balanced for all round but with a few small space weaknesses which are covered with the method of the build and my gaming style. My list is also built around 6 games with the different set ups as detailed in the 40k book and a 1500pt limit (UK GT). I've won every game so far with this list...and not just against standard players or other standard lists. I've played a 6 AV14 guard tank army, a space wolf army, a 10 terminator and chaplain marine army and a seer council build Eldar list. Each game with different mission types and deployment. The list is, for me, a balanced list."

Wow- this guy nails it. I think I will push for 1500pt games more often.

Chaos has taken hold....

So, the dark powers have taken my soul, and I have started into the army of the Emperor's Children with a fever. Here is a WIP (work in progress) Rhino that I just built.

More to come!

Hmm, tempting

So, I have to come clean on something. I do not own a gaming table anymore. I used to have a primo one, back in the day at the Ratt Haus (that's another whole story) but it has long since gone the way of the buffalo. I was thinking of making a new one, to allow me to host games and such again, but with a 15 month old and limited space, I was not sure I could pull it off. I have since discovered this: http://www.theterrainguy.com/ezterrain153.html

I wonder how well a 4x6 of those would sit on a folding table from Cosco. This would allow for quick tear down and storage, and would fit in the basement play room easily. It may even work on the dining room table in a pinch. I'm leaning towards this one in particular, done in a mix of green/brown : http://www.theterrainguy.com/ezte4fox6fot.html . Come to think of it, my wife was asking what I might want for Christmas, and this may fit the bill. We will have to wait and see.

They are done!

Wow, I painted 9 Eldar Jet bikes. It may not seem like a mighty feat, but with my head swirling with Chaos, and reading "Storm of Iron", it's all I can do to keep myself from jumping in to Chaos with both feet and never looking back.

Now that the bikes are completed, I need to actually play with them. So, tonight, I am meeting up with Matt Varnish and Lothlann for some battling. As usual, I will document the fight, and may try out "Battle Cartographer", at least I think that's what it's called. Once I locate the website for this cool little app, I will post it. I will also take pics of the game(s) tonight, and post them up.

Now that the bikes are done, I am going to start painting a single noise marine to test some paint schemes, and post them here for reference. Stay tuned to the site for updates!

*** UPDATE***

BIKES:

The program is http://www.battlechronicler.com/
It's free, and should allow me to visualize the battle and key tactics. I think it's worth trying out and seeing how well it can be posted to a site.

Cheers!

Oh here we go.........

It's been a while. I know, I know, I have been busy - not with anything in particular, just life in general. As the season changes, so do we all, and I have now seemed to stall out on Eldar to some extent. I am not sure why - and let me clarify. I have stalled out on the painting side specifically, not the playing side. I still very much enjoy playing Eldar, the speed and versatility is astounding. But the jet bikes........

So, Eldar jet bikes.

I built 9 (3 with cannons) over the last week or so, and have primed and based them (with Regal blue). I used the "new" guardians as riders, which required some torso and arm modification on each rider. This led to the bikes taking far longer to build and delaying their use. I am itching to try them out, but have to paint them first. This is something that is getting harder and harder to start/finish because of the draw of Chaos I feel on my soul.

I own a lot of noise marines. I mean a lot. All told, I am talking about 60 marines with sonic blasters and 15-20 with blast masters. They have largely remained assembled but unpainted for years now (due to my lapse in the hobby) and I can't help but feel this needs rectifying. I also could not get over Anoobis's Chaos Terminators when I played him. They were beautifully painted, and really showcased the new models. I have since picked up a unit, and must say, they are stunning. I also traded in some un-opened stuff I had kicking around and now own a Chaos vindicator, 10-man tactical squad and 2 new chaos rhinos. Its starting to look like a chaos army is taking shape, and needless to say, Emperor's Children are calling out to me.

I think, before I get totally swept up in the pleasure of Slaanesh, I should finish those jet bikes. Perhaps tonight I will get back to it and post some work-in-progress pics.

Till then........................................Chaos calls.

Game Summit Weekend

What a great time!

Before leaving Sunday morning, I switched up my list a little, dropping the Farseer for an Autarch, and adding a 2nd Vyper. Registration was at 9am, with game 1 starting at 10am. Here is a quick recap of my games.

Game 1 vs Tau ("Nate").

What a nice army. Period. Awesome paint scheme and well painted. Had a total of I think 17 crisis suits, and one devilfish. Game was Dawn of War deployment and Annihilation, pretty straight forward. The issue for me, being my sneaky self, was the table. Shy of 2 buildings, it was devoid of anything that blocked line of site. Needless to say, the Tau thrived in this environment, with my tanks being "lite up" with markers every turn and my troops bravely doing their best to stay alive. The game went a full 5 turns, and was really gun, despite my loss of 6-3 in Kill points. Overall was still a fun game.

Game 2 vs Imperial Guard ("Lt. Walke")

Tanks, tanks, tanks and more tanks. Basically an armored company squished into the new guard codex. His fully converted and lovingly painted army consisted of 3 Leman Russ, a Demolisher, a Hellhound, Basilisk, 2 veteran squads in Chimeras, and some tank with super-special auto cannons that looked really sweet, can't remember the name. The mission was a tourney special, kind of a mix of Capture and Control and table quarters. Basically, one objective in the dead center to capture along with securing table quarters. "Lt. Walke" went first, and proceeded to "circle the wagons" around the central objective, thus contesting all 4 table quarters at the same time. Try as I might (and with only 2 bright lances in my force) I was only able to stun/shake most tanks, and destroy the weapon on the Hellhound. I did manage to contest all 4 quarters, and on the last turn forced his one remaining "scoring" troop unit to take a panic test, but they PASSED on leadership 7!! "Lt. Walke" pulled out a solid with even though I contested all 4 quarters, and we were laughing and joking the whole game through. A well played game and a blast for sure, despite my loss.

Game 3 vs Alpha Legion ("Anoobis")

What a gorgeous army. Subtle paint scheme, "chosen" unit painted to mimic ultramarines, and a great composition. The mission was Capture and Control, with Spear head deployment. Chaos went first and parked a Predator, tactical squad and Vindicator on the objective in his table quarter and then rushed up a Rhine and Land Raider (each with troops inside) towards the objective on my side. He also saw his terminators come in on turn 2 and deep strike close to my objective. The ensuing firefight was really back and forth, with the game hanging in the balance for a couple turns. I will state right now that his Land Raider was the star of the show, brushing off bright lances, pulse lasers and Fire Dragons to allow him to contest my objective. I did get a vyper in to contest his, but Anoobis was a smart general and pulled out the victory. We had a blast, playing the game and admiring our units lack of ability at times. Props to Anoobis for the balanced and fun Chaos Marine list to play against - no crazy lashes etc here.

So, 3 games down and 3 losses. Not shaping up to take the "Best General" prize home, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself and all the games. Maybe it was luck, or a testament to the Ottawa Gaming community, but I had yet to play any "beardy/cheesey" lists or players. On to game 4!

Game 4 vs Blood Ravens ("Missing Link")

BEST GAME OF THE DAY. I don't know what happened with this game, but damn was it awesome. Scenario was simple, Spear head deployment and 2 objectives placed in the center of the opposing quarters - combined with Annihilation. "Missing Link" had what can only be called a perfect example of a marine army. 2 Tactical in rhinos, a pair of Predators, 2 Dreadnoughts, and a command squad in a Razorback. Oh, and as we noticed AFTER the game, his list included a 10 man Assault squad that he had "forgotten" in his case ALL DAY - He hadn't fielded in in any matches, basically playing -250pts all day. When we discovered this, his face went as red as his power armor for a good 30 minutes, and much laughing and kidding ensued.

But to the game. Where do I start. I couldn't hit a thing. On one turn, for example, I fired every strength 8 or better weapon I had ( 2x Bright lance, 2x EML, 2x Pulse laser, Fire Prism ) at his one dreadnought and all I was able to do was immobilize it. CRAZY. My only consolation was that the Blood Ravens seemed to have picked up on the ineptitude of my force, and decided to one-up me by missing just as much - if not more! We had a memorable combat around on objective, with a storm guardian squad accompanied by my Autarch lasting 4 round of combat against a tactical squad and his command squad before succumbing. We were laughing so much that the outcome of the game never really seemed to matter. I did manage to squeeze out a victory, only by "Missing Link" failing a morale test on a tactical squad and it fleeing on the bottom of turn 6, so it didn't count as contesting. So, finally, in game 4, I won.


What a great day and great set of games. All my opponents were stellar players, and supreme sportsman. I thoroughly enjoyed the great tables and fully painted armies on them. I also managed to walk away with the "Best Sportsman" award - and some Phat Loot! A 10 man tactical squad, that may just be the start of a new Chaos Marine army, we'll see. I have loads of bikes to paint still.....but that's another story. Please check out the event at http://gamesummit.ca . It was really well run and a great time for all sorts of gamers. There is a winter one scheduled - so check it out. Photos of the event are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamesummit/ also so check them out.

Till next time...

Gaame Summit Approaches!

So, with the Game Summit Summer Skirmish ( http://www.gamesummit.ca/ ) approaching, and finding myself now playing in the 1750pt 40 k tournament, I had better get a list together and test it a bit. Here is what I have so far, and it is all painted:

HQ
Farseer w/ Singing Spear, Fortune, Guide, Runes of Witnessing, Spirit Stones - 138

TROOPS
5 Pathfinders - 120
10 Storm Guardians w/ Fusion gun x2, Warlock w/ Enhance - 132 Dedicated Waveserpent w/ Twin-linked Bright lance, Star Engines, Spirit Stones - 160

10 Storm Guardians w/ Fusion gun x2, Warlock w/ Enhance - 132 Dedicated Waveserpent w/ Twin-linked Bright lance, Star Engines, Spirit Stones - 160

Elites
6 Fire Dragons w/ Exarch w/ Fire Pike, Tank hunters - 131

6 Howling Banshees w/ Exarch, Executioner, War Shout, Acrobatic - 128

Fast Attack
Vyper w/ Starcannon, Spirit Stones - 80

Heavy Support
Fire Prism w/ Star Engines, Holofield - 165

Falcon w/ Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser, Star Engines, Holofield, Vectored Engines - 200

Falcon w/ Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser, Star Engines, Holofield, Vectored Engines - 200

-1746

So, thoughts/comments/suggestions?
I plan to try it out this Thursday night, and report back with another battle report.

Till then......

Fire Dragons

Fire Dragons

With their stellar record, and amazing firepower ever so evident last game against Kilroy, I figured they deserved to be finished up. While not totally there, they are starting to come together nicely. I appreciate any feedback comments on them. Here they are so far:

I'm thinking the guns may need a wash or ink - anyone have ideas?

Victory over Vulcan

Wow, what a great game. I played a long time pal, Kilroy's Boots, and his Vulcan lead Salamander Marine army. His consisted of (roughly): a pair of 10 man tactical squads in Rhinos, 10 tactical squad in drop pod, Dreadnought in drop pod, Land Raider Redeemer, 5 man Terminator assault squad (thunder hammers) and Vulcan himself (which meant all the meltas he had, and he had many, were twin linked - all of them!). It was a solid list, and close to what I would build as a marine player, mobility and deep strike are always a strong combo.

My eldar consisted of the following: a pair of Storm Guardian squads with fusion guns led by a warlock, both in wave serpents with twin linked bright lances, a unit of pathfinders (6), unit of Fire Dragons (6) with exarch, Farseer (attached to a storm guardian squad), a Fire Prism, 2 Falcons, and a Vyper. I only used so many tanks because my bikes are not painted yet, so I didn't want to field them. I plan to pull on of the units of storm guardians and one of the Falcons to fit a couple squads of bikes once they are painted.

The mission was Capture/Control (2 objectives) with Dawn of war setup. Here is how things looked the bottom of turn 1, as Kilroy kept everything in reserve as did I (apart from my pathfinders infiltrating into the bunker) and my 2 wave serpents deployed in once corner. I figured since he went first, I would be in position to take pot shots at his tanks as they came on the board.

Turn 2

Things got bloody very fast. Turn two saw Kilroy's WHOLE army come in (lucky bastard). He deep striked his Terminators and Dread right on top of my objective ( the little stash of crates to the right of the serpent in the pic above). This had me a little worried to be honest, as he also deep striked he tactical onto his objective. But then it was my turn, and I rolled for reserves.....and they ALL CAME IN! Wow, guess that makes two lucky bastards, as it would allow me to focus my whole armies fire power on the two units sitting on my objective. I would have to worry about his objective later....Bottom of turn 2 pic below.

From this pic, you can see that I have destroyed Kilroy's Dreadnought (the drop pod remains) and most of his terminators, and my other tanks are obscured from his view on the far side. They had clear line of sight to my objective, and this would serve me well, as Kilroy proceeded to send units towards my objective piecemeal, allowing me to focus fire and destroy them one at a time.

Turn 3 & 4

Turn 3-4 saw Kilroy send a 10 man tactical squad in a Rhino straight at my objective, only to get popped by Pulse Lasers and the squad moved down with scatter laser and fusion gun fire. His two remaining Assault Terminators did assault and wipe out the Fire dragons, but they had done there duty in destroying his dread and most of the Terminators. A valiant death! The pic above shows the one remaining Terminator and lone sergeant from the tactical squad. Also note my fleeing pathfinders, who decided it was better to book it and fight another day.

Turn 5 & 6

From the pic above you can see my Storm Guardians holding my objective and the rest of my army positioning for the moves to contest Kilroy's. You should be able to make out my Vyper that at the bottom of turn 5, jetted 24" to contest his objective. This was a solid plan, except when the roll came up, we found out that we were going on to turn 6! The only development for turn 6 was me moving my 2ND wave serpent with Storm Squad in to contest Kilroy's objective (in case he downed the Vyper) but it was not needed. The game concluded with me securing my objective and contesting the other, landing this virgin Eldar army its 2ND victory.

Props go out to Kilroy, who was not only a stellar opponent, but also one who plays at the rapid pace I do, allowing us to get a 6 turn game finished in under 2 hours. His army was solid, and I look forward to meeting it again on the field once he has his Storm Speeders finished - that will really add a challenge for me.

So, until next time, "Keep the dice hot and the beer cold".