The Art of War-hammer: Psycannon Inquisitor Lord

"The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim."

With Space Wolves and Guard now packing some serious Psychic strength, the other imperial armies are going to need at least a chance to protect themselves. I purchased the Masters of the Chapter box nearly as soon as it came out. The models are absolutely outstanding and I looked forward to painting them for whatever I happened to need at the time. This inquisitor was the first I used. I removed his head using a dremel, replacing it with a helmet which I believe comes from a chaos space marine sprue. The psycannon came from a Grey Knight Terminator. I ground out the inside so it would be mounted on his arm.
The base color of the army is Mechrite Red, Scab Red, and Blood red. The psycannon is painted using Astronomicon Grey with a white highlight. I used many of the yellow metallics to do the various chains and ornaments that he wears. The blue psychically charged parts of the psycannon and his hammer are done using each of the blues starting with regal and working up to ice. It also has a small white highlight. I used the same colors for the Gems.

~Comments and questions are welcomed as always. Next I'll be featuring a Grey Knight Terminator.

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Your 40K Horoscope

Mkerr (from http://www.chainfist.com/) delves into the mysteries of the stars to empower your Warhammer 40K game knowledge from the heavens.

ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Your erotic dreams about Ragnar, Logan and Arjac will force you to finally come to terms with your luposexuality.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Your definition of the word "funny" will come into question when Blood of Kittens uses your life's work as a basis for a "40k Douche Bag" blog post.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 21)
The overwhelming sense of peace and well-being shortly after eviscerating every single bastard in your local gaming store will be short-lived.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22)
You will be faced with an impossible dilemma when someone from your local gaming store attempts to "friend" you on Facebook.

LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Your vacation plans will suddenly be in turmoil when you discover BOLSCON and Abaddon's 14th Black Crusade are scheduled for the same weekend.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
You will soon receive tangible proof that Games Workshop is specifically writing rules to screw with you. Personally.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 23)
A brief period of confusion over your obsession with "ChainFist.com" will screw up your home-life for hours. Your Broodlord's lucky numbers are: 6, 6, 6, 6 and 6.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 21)
A Sun-Mercury Superior Conjunction in your sign indicates that Tyranids are in your future whether you can afford them or not.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
You will have an irresistible urge to kill the next person that uses the phrase "Leafblower" or "Epic Fail". Don't fight it.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
A small house-fire will force a difficult decision between saving your sleeping family or your fully-painted tournament army.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
You will once again try and fail to sleep your way to the top of the 'Ard Boyz series. On the bright side, after many of months of effort, you will finally seize the initiative.


PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Though you've lost every game you've played recently, you've also gained many, many pounds.


~~Get your daily dose of Mkerr at his new blog at www.ChainFist.com. He's also answering questions and reviewing army lists, so email him at mkerr@ChainFist.com.

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WFB NEWS: The Skaven are Upon Us!

The foul denizens of Skavenblight, the ratmen have come! We've heard the rumors, drooled over the Doomwheel and Screaming Bell, and already begun our strategizing, but at long last they have arrived:

Check em out:

Skaven Armybook
Doomwheel
Clanrats
Stormvermin
Warlord Queek Headtaker
Deathmaster Snikch
Packmaster Skweel Gnawtooth

~These are on the shelves NOW. So tuck your tail between your legs, crawl out of your straw covered lair and scamper on down to your local FLGS to check them out.

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40K Pic of the Day 11-6-09

pic submitted by reader: Philipp Sury

"Brother Sergeant, this just feel wrong..."
~have at it guys
~Your daily dose of tabletop fun! Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. If its one of the rarer xenos races, even better!

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40K ASKEW: LEET is my speak

I blame you Internet! Then, I blame MMOs next! Finally, I blame you http://icanhascheezburger.com/! The Internet has changed the way we speak and write forever. The nonsensical makes sense and what once made sense is now abbreviated. This is about the leetification of Wargaming. We are becoming inseparably tied to the language of the Internet, changing the way we talk about Wargaming forever. For the new player he must not only learn the rules, but also must learn this new language of Wargaming.

It did not really hit me until I heard the first word that encapsulated this new era: Nidzilla. Nidzilla was for me the first term that really combined short hand with a pop culture reference creating a word totally 40k. It immediately conjures up images of annoying Carnifex repetition running rampant on the battlefield. The beauty of such a word, shows the growth of our culture. It also demonstrates how the Internet has connected us in a very specific way to spawn a language. We can travel anywhere in the world where 40k is played and instantly be connected by words like, Mathhammer, Fluffy Nutter, Mech, Horde, Pie Plates, and Lash. This can be daunting for an outsider trying to break in, as I discovered playing Fantasy. Words like Doggy Deathstar only ended up conjuring images of Curella Deville as Emperor Palpatine not Vampire Count using Dire Wolves to crush their opponents.

Even over hearing the Blood Bowl players, sounds like some strange love child of Lee Corso from ESPN and Jevis Johnson. The point is that even someone like me that has been playing these games since 1989 is disconnected from the latest lingo like the next guy. We also have words like Spam and Zerg crossing over from the video games world. This leads to another dangerous problem; how does one know when the words you use become dated, nothing says uncool like an aging hipster, think how cool an aging gamer is? Luckily I do not think our hobby is like the stars on say Bravo, we are not that bananas.

Then there are the abbreviations. Abbreviations have always annoyed me, so it was only a matter of time before they made their way into Warhammer. We even have programs that translate the hundreds of abbreviations that we use to understand what the heck people are talking about. I call that lazy, but we all love convenience and who wants to type out Chaos Space Marine when you can just type CSM. More importantly we can mask naughty words with abbreviations. (Google FNG )

I just want a Wiki that continual updates every day so I can stay ahead of the curve and always be that cool guy spitting phat game. We need an Urban Dictionary for Wargamers I am sure there are regional words that have not made it into our collective consciousness. We all know that only the British would use a word like beardy to describe power gamers. Such is the case in my area as the word Mech Fascism is used to describe everyone's obsession with Mech armies.

What do you guys think about all the new words we have created to describe every aspect of our hobby? What are the good, the bad, and the ugly of new words that you find yourself using around the game table?

Hear the call of the wild come and visit me at www.bloodofkittens.com

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40K BATTLE REPORT: Tau vs Tyranids (Video)

Hi everybody.

The BoLS video battlereports continue. This time we have Bigred taking a Tyranid Splinter fleet onto the tabletop. Darkwynn has taken up the challenge of defending the Third Phase Expansion with a Tau battleforce. Raw instinct vs the Greater Good. Who will prevail?




BoLS YouTube Channel (check us out)

~Comments are welcome guys! You can expect many more battle reports and videos featuring all aspects of the hobby from your favorite writers, and more. Get on in there and let us know what you liked, wanted to see me improve, and of course Monday-morning quarterbacking is always great fun after a battle report.

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40K Project Log: Leviathan Part 2

The Leviathan has progressed nicely since the last update. The road wheels have been added and armored up. The main cannon has also been placed on the front. It's starting to look like a real Leviathan now.

A big thanks to BigRed for providing the tracks. Apparently, engineers in the 40th millennia take their queues from my 20th century German design. Also, a big thanks to Goatboy for the generous donation of 8 lascannons. I'm still 4 short of the total needed, but I should be able to beg, borrow, or steal those ;)



The doomsday cannon was a simple build. A quick trip to Home Depot's plumbing section netted me 2 PVC adaptor pieces that I was able to glue together for a convincing looking gun. And for the whopping price of 2 dollars (GW should take note).


I've started working on the top section. It's kind of like putting together a 3d jigsaw puzzle where you have to make each piece by hand. Progress is slow, but I think it will look good once it is done.

After reading the comments from the last update, I have decided to put the battle cannon on a turret on top of the structure. You all were right, it does look better up there. I've also added a door to the rear deck.




The next step is to start designing the rear hatch. The back of the Leviathan is about 1.5" off the ground, so some sort of ramp will be needed. Unfortunately, there isn't much flat area on the rear to place a ramp. I'm thinking about a 2 part design. Flush to the back I will have a flap that opens upwards. And, underneath, I will have a ramp that lowers down. The other option is to just stick a door on there with a ladder, but that won't look as cool.

Anyways, I hope to have some more pictures in a week for you to critique.

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40K TACTICS: Art of the Star Cannon

“Foolish Space Marines! The stars themselves once lived and died at our command, yet you still dare to oppose our will!”

Fritz here from Way of Saim-Hann. The majestic starcannon, pinnacle of the Eldar’s mastery of plasma technology compared to the crude and often dangerous plasma weapons of the mon-keigh. Have they taken a hit in 5th edition with cover saves for everybody all around? Only if YOU let them be played this way!

I love thinking about starcannons, I like saying the word, and if my Eldar unit or model can pack one they are- damn the points! Kidding aside, I really play them because the majority of the players at the club and in 40K play space marines or a variant of them. Starcannons with their S6 and AP2 make sense. Plus, there is nothing more satisfying then gunning down a squad of marines without your opponent getting an armor save. Here is how it is done…

Beyond spamming them out the key to exploiting starcannons is range and lack of cover. You want to get your opponent out in the open with no cover saves other then a pathetic 6+ go to ground and then open up on them. If you are playing an objective based missions put as many objectives as you can way out in the open and then go to work removing transports and other vehicles that can be used to build a wall for cover. You really want that objective out in the open? You can have it!

For mech rush armies have your fire prisms on one side of the incoming rhino/chimera and your star cannons on the other. Take out the rhino and get the guys inside out on the table piled on the side away from the fire prism templates using the wrecked vehicle as cover or to block LOS- open up with the starcannons on the other side.

To deal with pesky marines in cover I’ll rush a unit of jetbikes up to them 12” away and open fire to score a kill or two and get my opponent’s attention. I’ll then move back 6” in the assault phase which means if my opponent wants to rapid fire my jetbikes he has to move out of cover. When he does then it is starcannon time.

The second thing to add to this is range. I don’t want to be up close 12”-24” firing my starcannons since my opponent is going to see them and not go for the bait of moving out of cover or into the open. I want to hang back the full 36” and mix them in with my other models using the distance to not draw attention to the cannons. I want my opponent to overlook the range of them and think they are safe out in the open.

For you non Eldar players, substitute starcannon for plasma-like weapon, and exploit these ideas even if your weapons are not as sexy as mine…

~What's your experience with both Star Cannons, and the broader plasma family of late Mon-keigh? Your turn?

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40K TACTICS: Nine Principles of War - Pt. 5

Applying the Nine Principles of War to Fifth Edition Warhammer 40,000.

A series by: Rogue428

Welcome back friends. So far, we’ve managed to cover four of the nine principles, Mass, Objective, Simplicity, and Security. Now we come to one of the most dynamic of the principles of war, Maneuver! Sadly, this seems to be a principle much neglected in many Warhammer 40K games, since we often devolve into a charge straight across the table or a static gun line. Sometimes, that’s all it takes, but hopefully we can start thinking a little more creatively with this part of the thought exercise.

Maneuver: Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power.
“The easy way generally gets you killed.”
-Murphy’s Laws of Combat



Excepting larger team games and Apocalypse, most of the time we play 40K, we find ourselves on a four foot by six foot playing surface (or smaller). One would think that doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for Maneuver with a capital ‘M’. Depending on the points in use and the armies at play, there may not be many options except to go straight across the table. But Fifth Edition has given us many other options.

We always have the option to Deep Strike, if our forces can use it. Though not always the timeliest of deployment methods and risky, it can put appropriate forces exactly where they need to be. Nearly every army has access to it in some form or another. In the case of a Daemon army, it can be particularly fearsome. If you’re lucky enough to be playing the Emperor’s Finest, Drop Pods also fall into this category albeit being somewhat safer.

Use the Infiltrate ability to give you an edge during deployment. Put opponent forces in danger where they seemed to be safe. Force an early contest for an objective on the far side of the table to lure an opponent into committing sooner than he would like or to distract him from a more significant threat that needs time to close the distance. Use the scout ability to the same effect, or to bring deadly weapons closer to bear. For instance, a few inches can make a world of difference to melta weapons. Also, consider that units with the scout ability pass it on to dedicated transports. That gives them a greatly increased threat radius whether scouting or outflanking.

Consider the strategic use of reserves. One of the neat things about Fifth Edition is that you can always keep forces in reserve. Whether that is good or bad depends on the situation, on your die rolls, and on any modifiers you can bring to your advantage. Reserves force your opponent to keep from committing everything he has. If forces him to consider where your forces may turn up and what he, in turn, must hold back to counter them when they arrive. Especially with the outflank ability. Yes, it does leave a measure of uncertainty due to the die rolls, but it still means that two-thirds of the time, your outflanking forces will arrive exactly where you want them to, good odds considering how powerful some of those arriving forces could be.

Also, consider strategic withdrawal, particularly if you are playing a highly mobile list. Tempt your opponent into committing prematurely and then disengage and move to your true goal. Nothing breaks an opponent’s will faster than having his ten man Assault Terminator squad deep strike exactly where he wanted them in the middle of your army, only to have your Dark Eldar force mount their raiders and turbo-boost away. Even with running and good die rolls, it will now take that unit several turns to re-engage, which gives you that many turns to shoot them to bits or deal with other threats.

‘Quagmire’ units work to much the same effect. ‘Quagmire’ units are a variant of the ‘popcorn’ unit. Where a ‘popcorn’ unit dies easily (hopefully, on your terms) and serves as an able distractor, a ‘quagmire’ unit is relatively weak, dies easily, but over a significant portion of time. Swarms come to mind. Those Scarabs we referred to as ‘popcorn’, turn into a deep ‘quagmire’ in the right numbers. Think of your opponent’s glorious HQ unit mired up to the knees in Nurglings and unable to fulfill their primary duty for even just 2 turns of close combat. That’s a third of most games! Consider that you can also rule out the first turn in most cases and you’ve just disabled a powerful HQ for half the turns of most games!



Use opponent’s “popcorn” units to aid in your movement. Watch for the bait and switch. Use the vehicle assault to get extra movement as well. Consider that Chimera your opponent is using to screen fire from his troops. So what if your forces can’t reliably damage it, because it moved too fast. You can still assault it and give yourself extra movement in the proper situation.

Also, consider ‘turtling’, ‘castling’, or ‘refusing the flank’. The definitions we like to use go like this: ‘Turtling’ means using the available terrain to block off your army and hiding within a ‘shell’ of terrain, ‘Castling’ is similar in concept but really involves using your own vehicles, usually light armor such as Chimeras or Rhinos, to achieve a similar effect. Reflect on the art of using various vehicles to screen infantry and manage both incoming and outgoing lines of sight and fields of fire. When you ‘refuse the flank’, you deploy one flank of your army very lightly, stacking one side heavily. Essentially, you refuse the option of attacking that flank to your opponent. If he chooses to attack the ‘light’ side, it gives the ‘stacked’ side an easy opening to enter a single envelopment. Each of these methods maximizes your firepower or assault potential and minimizes your opponent’s incoming fire across the whole of your force. Think about your average sized list spread across six feet. Now imagine it concentrated across three feet or less. (Granted, this might not be the best choice considering how many templates some armies can lay down. There is a time to spread out as well.)



Bottom line: set a course but be flexible.

Coming up next, we’ll discuss the Principle of Offensive and how the best offense is really…well…a good offense! Until then, what are your thoughts on the Principle of Maneuver, and what dirty tricks do you keep up your sleeve?

Rogue428 has been playing 40K since the start of 4th edition. He fields Dark Eldar, Tyranids, Daemonhunters, Necron, and of course, Space Marines. He is anxiously looking forward to setting aside his marines and taking up with the Great Devourer in the near future.

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40K Pic of the Day 11-4-09

pic submitted by reader: Jason



Cap it! (I don't even know where to begin)
~Your daily dose of tabletop fun! Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. If its one of the rarer xenos races, even better!

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40K RUMORS: Latest Hive Fleet Whispers

Rumors brought to the community by warseer's: bobix

Latest scuttlebutt making the rounds: (its a little tough to read, but it's unaltered)

"-gargoyle : flying/rending/6points

-genestealers 2 brand of : the elite with a 4+ sv and the troop one with the generic save (5+ ? can't remenber). Infiltrate/fleet but don't know if all can do it or if you need to buy an upgrade or a special character.

-tyrant bodyguard can be taken separately

-an apocalypse sized creature is in the codex, it enter in play with a deep strike (in fact an underground strike) with the large template strengh 8 and ap : low (3 maybe, but was something sick) and can make a "buckload" of firing !

-Multiple carnifex can be bought with only one slot.

-warrior got something new but can't remember (i think it was +1hp)

-I heard something about a model shooting 20 times but was speaking with a girl a this point, so i can't say if it's was a weapon or multiple weapon on the same model.

-one eyes, red terror and friends are back in the codex. "

~Standard caveats on this latest batch. Most of these are in the plausible range. Also, various merchants are getting release schedules showing the Tyranids will be out the first week of January. We should be seeing the standard advance order/black box patterns developing by the end of the month.

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40K TACTICS: Hybrid Drop Pod Lists

Hybrid Drop Pod Armies
Space Marines are one of the armies that have a huge advantage for the use of mech. If you look at the codex's theme, it is designed for quick assaults and a rapid movement. So if you take this in effect with using drop pods, you can create a list that brings precision strike Drop pods, with a mix of the battlefield maneuverability of Rhinos or Land Raiders. You can use the pods in different ways for these hybrid lists and I want to go through some of the methods. First let’s take a quick view at deployment.

Define the Battlefield on YOUR Terms
The advantage of a drop pod army is that you define the battlefield. Your opponent either has to set up without any knowledge of where you will strike, or they have to depend on them rolling a 4+ for that turn two reserve rush. This gives you a distinct advantage that mixed with a hybrid list, can give you multiple avenues of threat as well as a large amount of strategic ability and time to outplay your opponent, early-game when it really counts.

If you force your opponent to come in reserve you are able to keep him pushed back against the board edge with your highly mobile force and also secure key areas that you need with your Drop pods. Note though you have to be careful when you are keeping your opponent on the backfield that even with transports that can move 12 inches on the board you need to keep your tanks and vehicles around the 20 inch line until you are ready to commit with two or three units. When you are playing a opponent that is going to reserve his army you need to be ready to handle setting up a perimeter that will cluster his forces in the back area, and create a pocket that will keep him locked in.

Neuter Enemy Mobility
First the drop pods can be used to take out your opponent’s mech/movement advantages. You could use the pods as a surgical strike to cut out the Land Raider you might be seeing across the table. You could also use it to hit an enemy before he has a chance to Fortune up. This surgical strike is a great thing to use a pod for, as the unit's mission is not to capture and hold, it is used to hamper and cripple the enemy to allow your other elements to utilize their advantages. This works great with a regular Tactical squad filled with melta or as a way to drop a dreadnought in the middle of your opponent’s important stuff. Watch as you are able to hamstring your opponent and he is forced to foot slog across the table. Your mixed army can then out-maneuver your opponent as you control all aspects of the shooting/assault with your superior tanks.

Decoy from the Skies
Another use of a Drop pods can be used as bait for your army. Drop them down in front of the enemy and watch as your opponent assaults them or drop them to a flank and where your opponent will have to turn resources to them. Your mechanized units will have time to get into position and be able to support your forward units. You can also use this as to divide and conquer your opponent if he is forced to divide his army to deal with units that hit him from the sides. When you drop things in front or sides of your enemy, it creates a tension they have to try and deal with. This allows you to have more chances to move into position, as well as create a big wave of assault that can bring the enemy to its knees.

Aerial Irritants
Thirdly since you can drop pods without guys in them, you can let your pods contest objectives as your guys get down to business holding back objectives or moving them for back shots. This coincides with the whole bait idea from above, but instead of putting something too important to live, you plan on using the pods as a hindrance to your opponent. Nothing is worse than losing because you couldn't blow up armor 12(ask Jwolf). Making an opponent turn around means you have the movement advantage but you have to be able to capitalize on it.

Some of you asked for a typical space marine list so here you go (this list is for my new Soul Drinkers army which will be coming to you in a hobby article soon)

Soul Drinkers: 2000 pts
HQ: Sarpedon count as Tigurius
HQ Chaplin Iktinos count as Cassius
Elite: Ironclad Heavy Flamer and melta gun with drop pod
Elite: Normal Dreadnough with multi melta and drop pod
Elite: 5 man Assault terminators with land raider Crusader
Troop: tactical squad with missle launcher, melta gun and melta combi and drop pod
Troop: tactical squad with missle launcher, melta gun and melta combi and Rhino
Fast attack: Scout Bike squad with locator beacon and Grenade launchers + melta gun combi
Fast attack: 3 land speeders with multi melta. Run in a squadron or detached from themselves personal preference here.

~I'd love to hear you thoughts on the list and hybrid drop-pod tactics. The floor is your's generals. Darkwynn out.

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40K Pic of the Day 11-3-09

pic submitted by: Phil Albritton

Titan, CHECK, Photoshop, CHECK!
~Your daily dose of tabletop fun! Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. If its one of the rarer xenos races, even better!

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40K NEWS: Planetstrike FAQ and GD-US News

Hi everybody.

We have a new Planetstrike FAQ, with a clarification of that thorny Chaos Daemons deployment issue, (and more).

In unrelated news there has been formal announcement of the single GamesDay-North America for 2010, and a location and date : Baltimore, August 21st.

~Lots of interesting implications in that FAQ for Chaos Daemons, Dark Angels, and Marines. So now who do you think is hte king of Planetstrike?

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WFB RUMORS: 8th Edition Cometh

From deep within the BoLS Lounge comes the following word:

"Not to drop a bomb or anything, but yes, 8th edition will be out next summer with a new boxed set in the fall. I’ve heard Empire vs. Orks in the box with a new O&G book out in Q1 2011. Plastic Empire Knights and Orc Boar boys will be in the new set I’ve heard. They keep one-upping themselves with the box sets so I would expect a mountain of amazing plastics in the new starter set.

However, I've said it over and over again that anything outside of six months is pure speculation. But there is certainly a plan for 2010 and it's going to be a great year for WHFB. It stands to reason that if we are getting Empire and Orcs in the box (I can confirm this with 99% certainty) then we will get revised army books for those two around the same time.

I'm hearing that 8th edition is a significant "upgrade" to the rules and those pitched battles will become a thing of the past. GW has said in several places that the plan is for WHFB to get a level of support rivalling 40k's. So "Legendary Battles", perhaps a Siege book with accompanying Castle kit? We’ve already seen a taste of some of the rules changes with the Skaven book (war machines and blast/template weapons...check it out!)."

~Standard caveats apply to all of this. It is yet more corroborating rumors of what we've been hearing for a bit regarding 2010 being the "Year of Warhammer Fantasy". You can chime in and follow the topic in the BoLS Lounge here.

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40K EDITORIAL: Uncle Joe Wants You.

Hi all, Jwolf here. This week I’d like to talk a little about the current state of our local metagame, because it interests me (might as well admit it). The armies I play evolve to better survive the local environment – I don’t play on the Internet, after all. Here are the general army trends I’m seeing. I’m not going to go into specific army builds, because we play 2000 points, which is not the norm out there.

One of the more interesting builds hitting the tables these days is the Battle Company Build – As many Marines as possible, with some Rhinos and nothing too fancy. This build depends on sheer weight of resilient numbers to get the job done, and appears to be doing pretty well against IG Wall of Steel and Mech-Vet Spam builds. Where are the Dark Eldar when we need them? (Mine are mouldering in the Closet of Shame after proving incapable of killing any Drop Pods in Ard Boyz Round 1).

Tyranids are showing some revived interest in Gaunt hordes as well, with Warrior squads coming out to present some resilient Synapse in a pricey yet low target value format. Obviously the Guard Codex raised the interest in Toughness 7 big bugs and Zoanthropes, and both are out eating people regularly.

The good old Imperial Guard have seen the peak of Mech-Vet Spam come and go, and we’re playing more Commissars with 2-3 infantry squads under their control. Very little says “I’ll be on this objective” like a pile of stubborn Guardsmen reserving onto the board, and if the occasionally manage to grab and maul someone, all the better. I’m using a really terrible build with a giant Al’Rahem platoon that entertains me, but only because I’m a masochist, I think. Really, don’t do it unless you like watching 500 points of your army do almost nothing.

Chaos Space Marines continue to be the army most likely to be on the tabletop, with boring Plague Marines still oozing out of Rhinos all over the place. I did settle the question of who runs Bartertown between Huron and Typhus recently (sure, Typhus stabbed himself 3 times in a row, but Huron won), but the overall trend in Chaos is still the same. I look forward to seeing how the inclusion of the New Improved Chaos Space Marines (aka Space Wolves) disrupts the balance here; right now, it’s too soon to tell.

A really significant percentage of these armies have high Kill Points; in fact, locally there is almost no optimization for Annihilation going on at all. As with any trend, this is driven by the players who get in the most games with the most different opponents. It’s my opinion that people are overall realizing that having more discreet units is so great of an advantage in almost every situation (including Annihilation missions) that concerns over high KP are a distant second. The other thing I’m seeing is more bodies; that is, not only are armies made up of more discreet units, but those units tend to have more bodies in them. Instead of seeing 3 attack bikes and a Landraider, 2 tactical squads with Rhinos are far more common; a definite trend away from flashy units towards pure meat and potatoes. This trend is a direct result of the huge number of Meltaguns that the armies of the summer had; increasing the numbers of bodies makes the ubiquitous 3 Meltas and a Demo Charge Mechanized IG Veteran squads less able to pop up and kill their weight.

~What sorts of armies are you guys seeing on the tables in your neck of the woods these days? What is currently in vogue, gaining or losing ground? Also, bonus points for the quote that drives the picture for the article.

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40K Pic of the Day 11-2-09

pic submitted by: Adam Wilson

Caption Contest, Bring it!
~Your daily dose of tabletop fun! Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. If its one of the rarer xenos races, even better!

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40K TACTICS: Using Jaws of the World Wolf

I'm sure many of you regular readers (and veteran players) remember the "sky is falling" reaction to Lash of Submission a couple of years ago. So as I was reading the same kind of knee-jerk reactions about Jaws of the World Wolf, I thought it might be fun to write a couple of articles about playing with (and against) the power.

WHAT IS JOTWW?
For those of you who don't have the Space Wolves codex at hand, here's the exact wording of the Jaws of the World Wolf (C:SW, p37):

So basically, the Rune Priest makes a psychic test. If successful, he draws a 24" line where ever he wants (terrain doesn't stop it) and if it touches any models (friend or foe), the individual models have to take Initiative tests. If they fail, they are removed. No saves, no cover, no nothing.

"As a psychic shooting attack, the Rune Priest may trace a straight line along the board, starting from the Rune Priest and ending 24" away. This line may pass through terrain. Monstrous creatures, beasts, cavalry, bikes and infantry models that are touched by this line must take an Initiative test (see Characteristic Tests in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook). If the model fails the test, it is removed from play. Monstrous creatures may subtract one from their dice roll due to their tremendous size and strength, though remember that the roll of a 6 is always a failure."

PSYCHIC SHOOTING POWER
JotWW is one of those powers (like Lash of Submission) that is a "psychic shooting attack" in name only. It doesn't share many of the normal characteristics - or restrictions - of a shooting attack. But let's better understand what a psychic shooting attack is before we start making too many assumptions about JotWW. Here is the text we need from the Psychic Shooting Attacks section of the rulebook (BBB, p50).

1. "Using a psychic shooting attack counts as firing a ranged weapon (an assault weapon, unless specified otherwise). So, for example, the psyker must be able to see his target unit, cannot be locked in combat, or must not have run in the Shooting phase if he wishes to use a psychic shooting attack."
   
2. "In the same way, if a psyker targets a unit with a psychic shooting attack, then he can only assault that unit in the ensuing Assault phase. Even if a psyker has a special rule allowing him to use more than one psychic power per turn, he can use only one psychic shooting attack (as models can fire only one ranged weapon per turn)."

So JotWW is a psychic shooting attack (even though it's clearly very different from a normal shooting attack). But some of the above still applies, including:

• The Rune Priest can't use JotWW and shoot another ranged weapon in the same Shooting phase (including using another psychic shooting attack).
• The Rune Priest cannot use JotWW if he is locked in combat (or if he used Run in the Shooting phase).

But it's also clear JotWW isn't your standard shooting attack and some of the psychic shooting attacks rules just don't apply:

• JotWW doesn't have a "target", so there's no requirement for the Rune Priest to "see his target".
• Since there's no target, then the Rune Priest isn't restricted on who he can assault after using JotWW.

Now we have a rough idea of what a psychic shooting attack is, let's see what we can do with the power.

ABUSING JOTWW
This article is going to discuss some of the finer details of using and abusing Jaws of the World Wolf. We'll talk about minimizing the effects of JotWW when you face it in other articles.

1. No Target: There's no target for JotWW. You simply draw a 24" line from the Rune Priest in any direction you choose; which means the power doesn't require Line of Sight. Losing targeting means we get to ignore a ton of targeting restrictions like Night Fight (and Veil of Tears, Stealth Suits, etc.).

Dirty Trick #1: So clearly you want to target as many enemy models as possible, but what do you do if your opponent won't cooperate by organizing into nice, tidy lines? Tank shock. Since the tank shocked models have to clear the area using the "shortest distance possible", they end up in nice orderly lines -- perfect for JotWW.

2. No "Saves": JotWW doesn't cause wounds. That means there are no saves of any kind (e.g., no cover, no invulnerables, no nothing). If the model fails the Initiative test it's removed from play. That's not Instant Death, so Eternal Warrior, Synapse, etc. won't help. Once a model is "removed from play", it can't come back so We'll Be Back and Miraculous Intervention can't get around JotWW either.

3. No Wound Allocation: Since there are no wounds, there's no wound allocation. So the individual models have to make Initiative tests (as opposed to allocating them to different models in the same unit). That means the power can snipe models.

Note: It goes without saying, but you need to really think about the line you want to draw before you move your models in the Movement phase. First of all, you want to make sure there are no FRIENDLY monstrous creatures, beasts, cavalry, bikes or infantry on the line you want to draw. Why? Because they'll fall into the hole just like the enemy models. And secondly, you want to make sure that you get the most (and juiciest) enemy targets on the line. Don't use the power to go after a single upgrade character or special weapon -- use it to go after two or three - of each!

Dirty Trick #2: Since you can snipe individual models with JotWW, it's pretty easy to leave a unit out of coherency. This is adds two tactics to your bag of dirty tricks. First, a unit that is out of coherency has to move into coherency -- that generally means they can't shoot heavy weapons. So if those Devastators are causing you concern, knock them out of coherency. Secondly, units that are falling back cannot regroup if they are out of coherency. If you can use JotWW to cause big holes in units that are falling back, you can make it tough to regroup.

4. No Line of Sight: Since no line of sight is required, the Rune Priest can draw the line through anything on the table, including impassable terrain, vehicles, close combats, etc. You start a straight line from the Rune Priest to anywhere within 24".

Note: Is a fire port required to use JotWW from a vehicle? If the answer is no, then you are going to see 2-4 Rune Priests in a Land Raider wreaking havoc with their freakin' lasers. My interpretation is that a fire port is required for a passenger to shoot out of a transport. Line of sight isn't the restriction; to "shoot" out of a vehicle you need a fire port.

5. No Targeting Restrictions: Since none of the normal targeting restrictions apply, you can use JotWW against models normally protected from shooting attacks (e.g., models in close combat).

Dirty Trick #3: Got a close combat that isn't going your way? Just drop JotWW across the models that are giving you a hard time (e.g., the Power Fist or the Independent Character - or both!) and let the power do it's thing. Try not to cross any of your own models that are vulnerable to the power.

Dirty Trick #4: So you've got a lone model that just won't give up in close combat preventing you from shooting the engaged enemy unit with your gunline? Use Jaws against your own guy to bring that pesky close combat to an end.

5. Initiative Test: There are a couple of items in the game that can actually change your Initiative, like a Thunder Hammer or Sacred Incense (C:DH). If you can manage to use them on the target of your JotWW, then you'll make that Initiative test that much harder. A Thunder Hammer is pretty nasty because it reduces the Initiative value of a model wounded to 1 until the end of the next player's next turn. (Since the reduction in Initiative only happens until the end of the next turn, it's tough to pull off. You need to wound the model on your opponent's turn; however...)

Dirty Trick #5: Arjac Rockfist's Foehammer is "a thunderhammer that can be used as a ranged weapon" in YOUR Shooting phase. That means Arjac can nail a Wraithlord (or a Hive Tyrant or Abaddon), reduce the target to Initiative 1 and then your Rune Priest can mop it up 83% of the time. This is extra nasty because Arjac re-rolls hits and wounds against Independent Characters and Monstrous Creatures!

I know it's not the most politically correct thing to say, but Jaws of the World Wolf is lots of fun to use. It's one of those rare abilities that can dramatically change the game with a single roll (so is Njal's sweet Lord of Tempests ability). While totally unbalanced for tournament play (and particularly harsh for armies like Necrons and Tyranids), the power certainly spices up friendly games!

Comments are welcome! If you'd like to peel back some additional layers to the game, then join Mkerr over at the http://www.chainfist.com/. You can find some awesome tactics there and he's reviewing lists and offering opinions. You can email him directly at mkerr@chainfist.com. And, as always, your mileage may vary.

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Goatboy's 40k Thoughts: Wolf Lord Builds

It's Goatboy here again, chatting it up about some of the Wolf Lord builds I have been thinking about for my current Space Goats army. The army initial build out is finished and I am now starting on the extra additions I normally do for my armies. I don't like to play the same thing all the time, so having all the options lets me create a force to try and optimize either its fun or butt kicking potential. With that in mind, lets look at some of the Wolf Lords I have thought about for my army.

Let's start with the big bad boys - the Wolf Lord Thunder Wolf monsters. I think this Wolf Lord design gives you the best chance to get 10+ attacks, cause your opponent lots of pain, and give you a chance to make one hell of a good looking model. We all know it gives the guy +1 strength, toughness, and attack. This makes the already combat heavy Wolf Lord into a much more brutal combat monster. You add onto this much faster movement as well as rending at strength 5. The rending came in handy this weekend when my Wolf Lord got into a fight with a Defiler and had to resort to rending it out instead of trying to hit it with a Frostblade. Lucky for me I hit 3 rends and blew it up. JWolf wasn't too happy after that and the poor misunderstood Wolf Lord promptly took a las cannon in the face.

So here are some Wolf Lord Thunder Wolf builds and how I would use them.

Wolf Lord - I LIKE TO ATTACK!!!
Wolf lord - Thunder Wolf Mount, Frost Axe/Pair Wolf Claws, Storm Shield/Belt of Russ, Saga of the Warrior Borne, Runic Armor - 255/265

This build out is designed to abuse Saga of the Warrior-borne. I prefer the Frost Axe weapon choice as the Storm Shield combo gives a better inv save - which can be handy in times of need. The Wolf Claw set up is all about maxing out your attacks. Try them both out as they both can be fun and frustrating for your opponents. Remember, you can always just switch to your basic rending attacks if need be versus dreadnoughts/defilers/etc.

This guy needs to run with a crowd so he has a better chance to hit some opponents. You can either run him with Thunder Wolf Cavalry or just with a bunch of Fenrisian Wolves. It will give you a lot of wounds to dump off the Main Man and let you get a better chance of reaching your enemy.

Wolf Lord - Pain in the Butt Lord
Wolf Lord - Thunder Wolf Mount, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Saga of the Bear, 2 Fenris Wolves - 260pts

This guy is designed to run behind a Thunder Wolf Cavalry squad or Fenris Wolves squad. The two extra dogs are looked at as extra wounds for the Lord so he can survive to get to where he needs to bring his business. Depending on the FAQ, his strength looks to be 10 and he can smash apart vehicles and other such nonsense that might be around. Use him as a living bullet design to gum up units and be annoying for a few turns.

Wolf Lord - Like a Cat Lady except with Wolves
Wolf Lord - Wolf Lord, Thunder Wolf Cavalry, Frost Axe, Saga of the Wolfkin - 185pts

This is designed to utilize the power of Fenris Wolves. Initiative 5, 3 attacks, and strength 4 makes for a great assault unit. 8 points a piece makes it super cheap and the model being fairly large creates a great foot print to annoy the opponent. If you like to run Special Characters, Canis is a great option for this type of army as he costs the same, has a lot more options and funky abilities that can cause fits for your opponent. His leadership of 8 is an issue, so usually if you want to run him make sure you have another Thunder Wolf Lord running along side to help out.

Now I know I like Thunder Wolf Lords, but the regular walking lord is also a beast to deal with. I am tempted to run one instead of the other Rune Priest I currently run. I think there has been too many times I have needed another combat lord that isn't running ahead of the crowd and getting shot up. Here are some designs I think might be worth wile to ride along side your guys in a Land Raider or Rhino.

Wolf Lord - Everyone's Best Friend
Wolf Lord - Saga of Majesty, Runic Armor, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer - 195pts

This guy is designed to allow you to not get randomly hosed by pinning or other leadership causing issues. I know we don't see them all the time, but it is something that can come up and just randomly lose you the game. This guy can also be added to a drop pod style list that plans on dumping 3+ pods down into the enemy on the first turn. This is a guy designed to be a utility character along the lines of Vulkan and other models.

Wolf Lord - Surprise PUNCH!!!
Wolf Lord - Wolf Claws, Belt of Russ, Saga of the Warrior Borne - 200

This is a cheaper version of the Thunder Wolf guy. He is great to have ride up with Grey Hunters in a Land Raider and surprise an opponent with some quick kills and ramp it up into something insane. Not being on a wolf limits some of his mobility, but it does let him hide a bit easier and usually ignore the first few turns as he gets into place for the surprise punch.

~Hope these help you think of some new ways to have your Wolf Lords running around. The change of the codex to allow up to 4 HQ slots really lets you go crazy with some of them. This creates an interesting type of army that you can really play up the whole Saga aspect as well as the idea that you can make your own "unique" characters.

As usual, lets hear about your Wolf Lord ideas and if you have any questions shoot me an email at Goatboybols@gmail.com.

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40K Pic of the Day 11-1-09

pic submitted by: Phillip Sury

Caption Contest, GO!
~Your daily dose of tabletop fun! Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. If its one of the rarer xenos races, even better!

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WARMACHINE: Armies of the Iron Kingdoms: Cygnar at a Glance

Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Iron Kingdoms" the nation of Cygnar is the most prosperous in Immoren. The Corvis treaties written 4 centuries prior to the current Warmachine timeline separated the lands of men according to the regions established by the oppressive Orgoth race, who had enslaved them for centuries. It is generally agreed that the Cygnarans benefited the most from those accords, as their land is the most fertile and the most abundant in natural resources. While the Cygnaran people are quite adamant that the borders of their kingdom contain nothing more than their ancestral land and birthright, the nation of Khador contests that claim to this day. Khador's supposed claim to much of Cygnar's domain is the justification for their southward imperialist expansion. Many wars have been fought between these two nations and the one that rages currently is far more savage than anything their history has seen. But with the deepest coffers and most advanced army in Immoren, Cygnar might be able to prevail over Khador if they were their only foe. But Cygnar is beset on all sides. The undead empire of Cryx, the Protectorate of Menoth, the Skorne Empire and even the Trollbloods also have their own scores to settle. And all the while Magnus the Traitor leads his mercenary forces and a few rebellious Cygnaran "loyalists" in strategic attacks in his bid to restore the deposed former Cygnaran king to power.




The hallmark of Cygnar's armies is the lightning they wield against their foes. They have found ways to fit swords, halberds, and even the lances of their knights with voltaic generators to arc electricity to nearby foes. The Stormclad, Cygnar's Warjack of Renown, harnesses this power in its massive Generator Blade. The Thunderhead, which runs solely on voltaic power, uses this technology to unleash a devastating energy pulse decimating any nearby infantry. But raw destruction is not the only purpose of this electrical arsenal. Some of Cygnar's more specialized electrical arsenal will disrupt the cortexes of enemy warjacks preventing them from being allocated focus. Such an ability can easily turn the tide of battle, as opponents find themselves unable to use key warjacks at a crucial moment.


While it is impossible to pigeonhole any Warmachine army, Cygnar comes closer than any to being "the shooty army." Its not that they lack for exceptional melee troops, it is merely that their firepower is, for the most part, better than anyone else's. They have the most of it, and with the help of spells like Snipe and Dead Eye they can make the most out of it. Whether its the repeating rifles of the Long Gunners or the Heavy Barrel of the Defender Warjack, no foe will have an easy time crossing the battlefield when Cygnar brings its guns to bear.


And when guns aren't enough Cygnar has many excellent choices for melee combat, with the ubiquitous ironclad being the most common melee option. This heavy Warjack's hammer incorporates a shock field generator to send its foes sprawling when it finds itself too outnumbered. Cygnar's elite melee corps are the Stormblades and Stormguard representing the latest innovations in Cygnar's exotic arsenal. Clad in grounded and heavily insulated armor, they electrocute their foes with voltaic weapons. The Sword Knights, a martial order from an older time, are another popular melee option. These armored soldiers still wield the traditional Caspian Battleblade in wars now dominated by hulking metal goliaths. Their training ensures their continued utility on the battlefield and they excel when fighting side by side with friendly warjacks.


Cygnar has some of the most balanced magic in Warmachine with a good mix of offense and defense. Defensive spells like Blur and Arcane Shield protect Cygnar's finest from their enemies. Spells like the aforementioned snipe and dead-eye increase the effectiveness of ranged attacks. Some Cygnaran Warcasters can also slow the enemy's advance with spells like Temporal Barrier, Earthquake, and Voltaic Snare. And when nothing else will do, there is always the option to fight directly with offensive spells like Chain Lightning, Arcane Blast, and Thunderstrike.



So what does it mean to be a Cygnar player? I feel it really boils down to a mix of balance, control, and efficiency. With a good cross section of shooting melee and magic, Cygnar has the tools to be competitive in any situation. At the same time, Cygnar's abilities coalesce to form an army that dictates the flow of the battle. Powerful shooting means the enemy will typically have to come to you, as spells like Arcane Shield and Blur limit the effectiveness of enemy shooting. Other spells might slow the enemy advance while solos or warcasters compound the problem by disrupting enemy warjacks keeping them from charging or running. Usually by the time the enemy force makes it to Cygnar's lines, they have been softened up enough to be taken apart easily- if they make it at all. Cygnar's higher attack values also mean they can hit more reliably while spending less focus. Also spells like Dead-Eye and abilities like Mark Target mean a Cygnar player gets to make the most out of their already elite shooting. The downside is that Cygnar's forces lack the raw power and durability of other factions. Their Warjacks, while a little harder to hit, lack the armor and damage boxes of those from the Protectorate or Khador. At the same time their damage output tends to be a little lower. So a Cygnar player must be careful to make sure his opponent doesn't circumvent his defenses or he may have nothing left to strike back with.

~And thats Cygnar at a glance. There's way too much stuff to cover it all here. In fact this just barely scratches the surface. But if your interested in picking up Warmachine or starting a new faction, and Cygnar sounds right for you theres plenty more to learn at privateerpress.com. And of course we'll try to keep expanding our Warmachine coverage here at BoLS.

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GAMING NEWS OMNIBUS: 11-1-09

A few little items today in no particular order:

Skaven Hints?
From the mouth of Andy Hall in the upcoming White Dwarf. "There are new options to try out as well such as the Plagueclaw Catapult, and I can't wait to eventually get my hands on the Hellpit Abomination"

*THE* Hellpit Abomination? Hmmm...

The Golden Bolter
Our good friends over at Bolter and Chainsword wanted everyone to know they are holding a pretty fancy Powered Armor painting contest: "The Golden Bolter" with lavish prize support, top-shelf judges, and many categories to choose from. Go check out all the details here.

Adepticon 2010 News
Adepticon Registration is open. Also up are the rules downloads for all the events, and boy are there a lot os subtle changes from last year. Get on over there and check out the biggest wargaming tournament of the year.

Social Media Sharing
BoLS has just updated our template with a strip of social media icons directly below each post. If you read anything you really like, feel free to share it on your favorite networks.

~Have at it guys

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