Pic submitted by Michael Dillon
OK, one last holiday one: "Someone was on the naughty list!"
Cap it!
Cap it!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
WARMACHINE: Mk.II Prime Ships
Big news on the Privateer Press front,
The much anticipated reboot of Warmachine is here! The MKII Prime Rulebook is now available. I've put together a quick 4 minute video overview of the book here.
BoLS YouTube Channel (check us out)
MkII Prime Softcover $29.95
MkII Prime Hardcover $44.95
It is a 256 page full color book available in both hardcover and softcover. This is the main core rulebook folks, so if you've ever had any interest in Warmachine, go check it out. That softcover is dirt cheap. You won't be sorry. We will have more detailed reviews of the contents and other MkII January releases soon.
40K EDITORIAL: First Turn Or Second Turn?
With a well balanced army if I had my choice I’d prefer to go second in both objective based and annihilation missions. Going second allows that last turn of movement to grab or contest objectives, and in a kill point mission it gives you a change to even the score or possible pull ahead if you are behind before the game ends. That said, building your army to take advantage of going first/second based on your units and codex can also be a viable strategy- which I’m going to illustrate with my Saim-Hann Eldar and Necrons...
First Turn Necrons
The core of my Necron army is built around destroyers and a nightmare shroud destroyer lord. The key to delivering this is opening up my opponents transports with the destroyers while getting the destroyer lord into position in the back lines to start popping off shroud. We all know how bad Necrons are at the anti-tank game so I need to use the mobility and range of the destroyers to try and take down any transports before they get all smoked up.
Take a look at this Necron deployment. Destroyers and the destroyer lord + scarabs go in the center of the table since I am deploying first and taking first turn. Since they are in the center of the table I have range and reach wherever my opponent deploys for shots with the destroyers, and a turbo-boosting lord with scarab body guards collecting a 2+/3+ cover save means I will be in the back lines for shroud by turn two. It’s a sad day for Necrons when nightmare shroud kills more units by having them run off the table over anything else, but that is a post for another time…
Of course this makes objective mission harder for me since my opponent will have that last turn to grab, but that just means I have to be on top of my game looking ahead to take out any fast moving or grabby units by the middle of the game. I also have to be mindful if my opponent reserves everything, which changes things a bit. But overall, I feel the advantage of going first with my Necrons overall far outweighs the disadvantages. That said, with all the “advantages” of going second I find taking first turn to be easy- even if I don’t win the die roll it is often passed to me by my opponent.
Second Turn Saim-Hann
In contrast to the Necrons, my Saim-Hann are a “second turn” army which is what allows me to fully exploit my speed and firepower mobility. Gong second means I can use speed to wolf pack on any isolated units or on the weak side of my opponent’s army with the full strength of my own army. It also allows me to contest with my grav-tanks last turn helping to make up for my smaller model count- I often am only looking to hold one or two objectives while contesting everything else. That said, I find taking second turn a bit harder to do- If I win the dice off great, it gets passed to my opponent, but when they win and pass me first turn it is time for plan B. If that happens I then move into reserves, and “reserve” all my units so when they come on the table I can take advantage of how my opponent has deployed.
~So what do you think? Do certain armies lean better to going first or second? I wanna hear some names!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Pic of the Day 1-6-10
Pic submitted by William Stock
Cap it!
~Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. We love spectacle and characterful shots so lets see what you budding photographers can do!
WFB VIDEO:My Dark Elf army is the greatest power for evil!
My Dark Elf army is the greatest power for evil! from Flyweight Films on Vimeo.
~Seriously, how often do you find videos featuring Warhammer out there? You will be howling by the end...(there is a tad of harsh language)
40K RUMORS: Tyranid Cities of Death Tidbits
Voices in the wind say that soon the Hivefleets will descend upon the cities of the Imperium using a variety of strategems and trickeries such as the ones listed below:
Superior Concealment: Deployment Stratagem
Lictors are the ultimate terror weapon in the Tyranid hordes, lethal creatures capable of ranging independently ahead of the Tyranid force to wreak havoc behind enemy lines. The urban sprawl of a cityfight provides Lictors with unparalleled opportunities to hide from the enemy, springing perfect ambushes that leave the enemy with no chance to react!
After deployment areas have been established, but before either player deploys any models, the Tyranid player may place D3+1 Concealment markers anywhere on the board. If a Lictor (including Deathleaper) enters play within 3" of one of these markers it may charge on the turn that it arrives.
Gargoyle Eyrie: Key Building Stratagem
Gargoyles will occasionally choose a high place within a city from which to launch their attacks. Unsuspecting enemies will venture into these chosen ruins, only to find themselves beset by dozens, if not hundreds, of screeching, flapping Tyranid creatures, who erupt from quiet corners and hidden spaces to soar up and out across the battlefield.
The Gargoyle Eyrie stratagem is always the tallest building on the battlefield and is declared after the terrain has been set up, but prior to deployment. If your army includes any Gargoyle Broods, they must start in reserve and Deep Strike onto the battlefield anywhere within 12" of the marked building. Additionally, when a unit of Gargoyles enters play through Deep Strike, any non-Tyranid units inside the building suffers 3D6 Strength 2, AP- hits and must immediately fall back.
Pheromone Clusters: Deployment Stratagems
Seeded across the battlezone by stealthy Tyranid creatures, Pheromone Clusters are an unpleasant excretion that acts as a potent lure to Tyranids. Even Raveners burrowing below the ground and Harpies soaring high above the combat zone are drawn inexorably to the pungent alien secretion.
After deployment areas have been established, but before either side deploys any models, the Tyranid player may place D3+1 Pheromone Clusters anywhere on the board. Any Tyranid unit that attempts to Deep Strike within 6" of a Pheromone Cluster does not need to roll for scatter.
Ground-burst: Dirty Trick Stratagem
As Trygon and Mawlocs burrow through the sewer networks deep below the city, they are occasionally retasked by the Hive Mind, temporarily despatched from their frenzied tunnelling to burst through the ground floor of a building, throwing the occupants into chaos, before continuing on their way.
The Ground-burst stratagem is declared at the start of any turn except the first. The Tyranid player chooses a single building - all models on the ground floor of that building must immediately take a Dangerous Terrain test (vehicles will test as if they had moved more than 6"). The ground floor of that building then counts as dangerous terrain for the remainder of the battle.
~Remember, standard caveats apply, but its standard procedure for Cities of Death, Planetstrike, and Apocalypse upgrades to be released alongside new codices. Look sharp for rules similar to these to show on the Games Workshop website or White Dwarf. Speaking of which, when is the last time you guys played a game of Cities of Death?.
40K TACTICS: The Best Marine Tanks?
Hey Folks, Jawaballs here!
I wanted to pop in and share some thoughts on Space Marine and Blood Angels armor and what may be the best choice for you.
All Space Marine players know that there are few options for tanks in their codex. The Imperial Guard, those lowly humans that Marines are tasked with protecting, have far superior tanks compared to what the Emperor has blessed our boys in power armor with. The Tau have a gun that can reach out and touch you in the nether regions... very very hard, and the Eldar have tanks that can move really fast, then do it again, while carrying enough fire power to mow down poor Marines by the squad.
This is not about xenos armor and the fume belching battle cannons that mere humans use. This post is about what Marines DO have and how individual tanks compare to each other. Primarily the Blood Angels (I hear they may be returning to us all soon).
We all know that when it comes to armor, the Land Raider is king. Perhaps for any race or codex. It's many variants, it's many weapon loadouts, it's ability to carry hard hitting troops that can disembark and assault, its ability to rotate on the spot and magically gain several free inches of threat range... All these factors combine to make it the best Space Marine tank. But it comes with a whopping price tag! Also as a hidden drawback, selecting a Land Raider almost instantly dog-ears you as a guy who has to play Vulkan with assault terminators supported by a few speeders and whatever you can afford. It becomes a point sink focus for your army instead of a support choice which is what I think tanks should be.
This post is not really about the Land Raider. It is about the good ole Rhino chassis tanks. The Predator and Vindicator. I have been playing Blood Angels since the new PDF dropped. It came out in the Spring, and I painted my first Assault Marine that September. But, it took me the better part of one and a half years to actually put a Baal Predator on the table. Up to that point, I was stuck on the "Vindicator is God" mentality. It was not until last spring where I finally saw the light, and put three Baal Preds in my list.
I was two blinded by the apparent weakness of the Twin Linked Assault Cannon when it comes to tank busting. Tanks are for killing other tanks are they not? Why would I put a tank with an Assault Cannon on the table, when I can play a Vindicator or Lascannon Predator?
Allow me to share with you my thoughts.
Vindicator:
Primary Role: Anti Tank
Secondary Role: Anti Infantry
Like all "Rhino" class tanks, it has 13/11/10 armor. The whirlwind with its 11/11/10 armor is not included in this discussion. Also, they all come standard with a Search Light. That is where the similarities end. The Vindicator is equipped with two guns. A Storm Bolter and a Demolisher Cannon.
The Demolisher Cannon. Arguably one of the best guns in the game in 4th ed. It was a large blast template, AP 1 (Right?), rolled two dice to determine penetrations, and had its very own damage chart. Those days are gone. Now it is AP 2, and uses the same damage chart as every other gun. But it retains its 2d6 take the highest ability.
Already a huge letdown from 4th ed, but still well worth its points. In 5th ed it gained the ability to minimize scatter with the Ballistic Skill reduction. Now you hit more often, but do less damage. It is still devastating to bunched together squads and enemy tanks alike. More on the DC in a few.
Vindicators share all the other options of the other "Rhino" class tanks. Hunter-liller missle, a storm bolter (Yes it can have two), and extra armor. Smoke is standard.
Why not pack my list with three of these? The DC is versatile! It can slaughter squads and tanks. You can erase entire squads of just about any thing in the game. But I have two words for you: Cover Save. In case you have not figured it out yet, 5th ed is not about the "Big Boom". It is about "Torrent of Fire".
I first realized this myself when I angled a Vindicator template over a horde of orks, catching 20 or so. That should have wiped out most of them instantly. Instead scatter, my cursed ability to roll 1s and his lucky 4+ cover saves allowed the horde to escape with only one death. I started realizing that just about every thing was going to get saves against the vindicator now. AP 1 or 2 don't mean squat against troops any more. And thats the truth. So why bother with a DC when the lowliest grots can shrug it off just by wrapping themselves around a little piece of ruin? The scatter just makes it worse. Time and again I was playing my Vindicator and feeling robbed.
Finally, that feeling was enhanced by glancing. You don't need to destroy a vindicator, just glance it. Suppress the big gun or take it off and it is just a 140 point Storm Bolter. (I take Extra Armor on all my tanks... a discussion for another time.) You put a Vindicator on the table and immediately any veteran player knows it has to die. They are still gunshy from 4th ed. My Vindicator was a liability.
I had to find an alternative. But I will summarize the pros and cons of the Vindicator first.
Vindicator Pros:
-Decent front armor 13
-Demolisher Cannon
-Ability to have 2 Storm Bolters (Essentially giving it another wound allowing it to survive just a little bit longer and contest objectives.)
-Battlefield Control. Guys deploy away from your vindicator. Use it smart and you can force his deployment.
Vindicator Cons:
-Demolisher Cannon downgraded
-Weak side and back armor 11/10
-Reputation makes it a target
-Cover Saves negate DC usefullness
So I briefly tried a Lascannon Predator. I scoffed the Baal still, and figured the Predator Anhialator from the Generic Codex was one of my favs so why not!
Well, 180 points later I had one... er... cripes what a lot of points! Arent these things free in the generic codex? Jeez. Any way, a Lascannon Pred shortly appeared in my army. Sure, three Lascannons are sweet. But crap, I had to move to get an angle... now I can just shoot one. I could reach models across the table, but of course, they got cover saves. Lascannons are fairly good at popping tanks at Str 9, but there are a lot of guns that do it better. What about Anti Infantry? Fail.
The Lascannon Predator is instantly a fail. Way too many points go into getting some marginally effective anti tank weapons on the table that can be supressed by heavy bolters.
Lascannon Pred:
Primary Role: Tank Killer
Secondary Role: None
Pros:
-TL Lascannon and two more on the sides. Good Anti tank. Great at sniping speeders and light armor tanks.
-Good front armor
-Good against monstrous creatures.
Cons:
-Point Cost
-Side armor
-For all the strength of a Lascannon, it only kills one model. That is only one lowly grot. Poor against infantry.
Still searching for an alternative, I happened into a Hobbytown and found a Baal Predator on the shelf. I figured what the hell. An hour later I was assembling and painting it. The following day, I played it in a game, and started to believe. Against popular opinion, I buy the Storm Bolter upgrade. That gives me 12 chances a turn to lay down the law. All but two of them deny saves to any thing not in power armor. My Baal Predator gunned down a couple squads of Eldar vs Fritz, and I was hooked. It easily out performed my Vindicator in racking up kills. While the Vindicator had the potential to drop da bomb, the Baal Pred was the sure thing - every turn. It got the job done. When it comes to killing troops, 12 guaranteed shots on a squad is superior to the chance to drop a template that may scatter giving you none.
I bought stock in them when I tested three of them against Fritz and his Seer Council. He was dancing around the table just out of reach, so he thought. I used their Over Charged Engines to move them each 6", then layed down 36 shots on his Seer Council. I don't care how many dice he gets to reroll... elves are gonna die! And die they did. Shortly after this I started winning tournaments.
I know earlier I said the Land Raider was king. Well, allow me to rephrase that. They are king EXCEPT for Baal Predators! First of all, a jacked out Baal Predator costs 150 points. That is a meager sum compared to the 180 points for a Las Pred and 285? for a Generic Land Raider Crusader. I know, the extra storm bolter costs more points to buy then it does on the other BA tanks, but so what, It is worth it. I will take Baal Preds over Land Raiders any day.
Here is a list of Baal Pros:
-Over Charged Engines allow the Baal to move as a Fast Vehicle. It can move 6" and fire all of it's guns, or move 12" and fire its Assault Cannon and Storm Bolter.
-OCEs allow it to move 18". That combined with it's 13 front armor make it a battering ram. You are getting an easy S:10 ram attack just about all the time.
-OCEs also let it move 18" and contest objectives, tank shock, or both. The only things faster are Eldar tanks.
-Ready for this? BP are TANK KILLERS! Yes folks. The Baal can kill tanks. Some time ago I had a mathhammer pro work out the chances for a TL Ass Cannon to kill a tank compared to a TL Lascannon. The stats are on my blog, but the short of it is that the AC is better at killing every armor value except 12 then the LC. Want to shoot your TL Las Cannon at a Land Raider? Forget it. Shoot a rhino. Let the Assault Cannon do the job instead.
-Baal Predators are death for infantry. I don't care if you are in terminator armor, or no armor at all. Cover saves or not. Two Baal Predators with Heavy Bolters, Storm Bolter and AC will cause severe damage to any squad in the game. Add a third and you will probably kill them all.
-In a recent game, my base got assaulted by 5 Space Wolf terminators and two named characters in terminator armor. They slaughtered the squad they charged, but my two Baal Predators, a couple of bikes and some marines with pistols mowed them down, assuring me the win.
-OCEs allow the BP to get out of trouble. More Over Charged Engines pros? Sure! I always give my Baals extra armor. That means on a 1 or 2 they are shaken and can still get away. Next turn I move them a fast 18" and get them out of trouble and behind cover so the following turn, they are right back at it! Once a Vindicator is glanced, it is pretty much done for the game.
-Tank Shock! OCE are sweet for Tank Shock. Combined with Extra Armor, and I have a 50/50 chance of surviving Death or Glory. Once the main guns are gone from Weapon Destroyed results, my Baals become Tank Shocking machines.
-Heavy Bolters. The bolter sponsons are fantastic. Guys always underestimate 36" range and leave their speeders exposed. Heavy Bolters are sweet at swatting them down. Not to mention the range to whittle down squads that are barely holding onto objectives.
-Under Estimated! People who don't know the burn, underestimate Baal Predators. "Those things can't kill tanks!" That is usually followed by... "My Land Raider! ..and dead terminators..." *sob,sob*
Baal Predator Cons:
-It shares all the cons of other "Rhino" class tanks.
-Weak side armor.
-Short range. Assault Cannons are 24" range.
-OCEs only works on a 4+ and stalls on a 1. I stall a lot with my uncanny ability to roll 1s. Such is life.
-More expensive then "Generic" predators. A generic Predator with an auto cannon, heavy bolters and storm bolter costs like 90 points and lays down only two less shots. Not too shabby.
Well there you have it. Is the Blood Angels Baal Predator the king of the vehicle hill? I have yet to be convinced otherwise. Their anti infantry dakka, tank killing pop, mobility, good front armor and price make them versatile and dangerous. Their survivability is high because their understated power leaves them low on enemy target priority charts and their OCEs allow them to move and lay down the law. Most guys are NOT prepared for it.
What could be better? I hear rumors of OCE on Land Raiders coming in the new dex... drool. Take what is best about a Baal Pred and mix it with a LR and you have a Fast Moving Land Raider Crusader. That is what it will take to get me to retire my Baal Preds. What do you all think?
Since I am writing this on BOLS I decided to broaden my opinion to cover generic marines for every one. If I were going to play tanks from the generic codex what would I take? I would probably only go with two.
Land Raider Crusader:
-Meltagun
-Storm Bolter
-Extra Armor
Predator:
-Heavy Bolters
-Lascannon
-Storm Bolter
-Extra Armor
Instead of a third tank I would spend those points on melta bikes or troops to go inside the LRC. I have to say it, but if points were not an issue, the LRC is hands down the best tank in the game. It's high point cost keeps it out of most lists, but to break it down, it works just like a fast and shooty Baal Pred when fire power is concerned. It can use machine spirit and move 6" and fire all of it's guns. If it has Storm Bolter and Multi Melta it can shoot 19 shots at enemies within 12". 16 of them Twin Linked. Now that is a lot of Dakka. If I am right, I think it can move 12", fire it's assault cannon with Machine Spirit, and then fire all of it's bolters!
~So there you have it. If I could have it my way, I would play Generic Marines and play 3 Land Raider Crusaders. Since that is unreasonable, if I was still hell bent on playing lots of tanks, I would play Blood Angels and play 3 Baal Predators. For the points, you get the most bang for the buck. What do you think?
If you like what I have to say, do check out my blog. I post my Blood Angels lists, tactics, pictures and thoughts. I also do a lot of battle reports and tutorial videos on youtube.
More to come...
Jawaballs
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Pic of the Day 1-5-10
Pic submitted by Prophecy07
The citadels of the Great Enemy are vile beyond mortal comprehension.
Cap it!
Cap it!
~Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. We love spectacle and characterful shots so lets see what you budding photographers can do!
40K HOBBY: Legion of the Damned, Converting & Painting
Since the release of the latest Codex Space Marines in September of 2008 I've been scheming to build some Legion of the Damned (LotD) models by converting existing plastic Space Marines. The new metal LotD miniatures from Games Workshop released on January 2 are gorgeous and inspiring and I seriously considered buying these models, but in the end I felt I had a strong and fun conversion concept that I really wanted to try out, so in a rare moment of self-control I refrained from ordering the new models for myself (although I did buy them for my son) and struck out on my own damned path (pun intended) by conversion.
Before getting started I had to determine what I'd be using to accomplish this project. After some rummaging and reflection, I settled on the following core materials:
1) Space Marine Tactical Squad
2) Kneadatite ("green stuff") by Polymeric Systems
3) Flagellant sprue bits
4) Skeleton Warrior sprue bits
5) Devastator sprue bits
6) Khorne Berzerker bits
Here are some pictures and descriptions of the results.
The Sergeant's sword hilt is a skeleton pelvis and his helmet (see inset) is a modified Khorne Berzerker helm:
All models have ghostly flames licking about their feet. Spectral skeletal faces can be seen dancing in some of the flames. Each model has one armored foot that appears skeletal on its outer surface. Chest plates with eagles on them were modified with Kneadatite to display flames or rib bone-like structures:
The connecting hoses for the plasma cannon are leg bones from a plastic skeleton while the power pack is "disguised" as a magic tome. The existing segmented fuel hose connected to the leg bones will when painted in bone colors visually suggest vertebrae. Note the plastic flaming brazier on top of the backpack similar to that on the new metal sculpts from GW:
Each model in Mark VII armor has a skeletal fist on its left pauldron. Note the ribcage bit on the backpack:
When these ten models are painted they will receive hand-painted flat designs in strategic areas with varying patterns of the core bone and flame designs similar to the patterns I painted several years ago for fun as shown in the picture at the top of this article. Note Sgt. Centurius is front and center in that little display piece which I painted many years ago. Also notice that I painted the flames in a stylized "backwards" manner so that the yellow would be between the red and black for maximum brightness contrast. This is the same technique now used by the GW studio painters on the latest LotD models.
Here's a peek at a partially painted model. This is my favorite of the ten conversions shown here. I've used a modeling knife and "green stuff" to emulate the skull shaped Mark VI "beak head" helmet on one of the new LotD models from GW. This model is only partially painted and still very rough, but it will give you an idea of what mid-stage painting looks like and the direction that painting these models will take. Again, when finished these models will also have unique free-hand designs on their flat areas like the finished models shown at the top:
Just after I took these photos and before I began painting these models I added additional detail to some of them by both sculpting and by adding more plastic bits from other GW kits. This whole project has been a bit more work than building and painting the new metal LotD miniatures, but in the end I feel I'll have something with a unique twist of my own that will make it worth the extra effort. It was fun seeing if I could execute the concept I've had in my head for the past 15 months and I'm mostly pleased with the results. Hopefully fully finished, clean paint jobs will make these really "come to life", or perhaps I should say un-life for LotD.
So how many of you out there have been fielding LotD in games before the new models were released this weekend and what did you use to represent them till now? How many of you plan on adding LotD to your army now that the new models are released? Feel free to share your own LotD stories with the community in the comments area below and please make them "damned good"! Sorry, I couldn't resist one more LotD pun. Happy New Year!
40K BATTLE REPORT: NEW Tyrands vs. Orks (Video)
Hey all, Mkerr from Chainfist.com here with my first video battle report! As most of you know, I've been toying with the new Tyranid codex and we thought it would be fun to share one of those playtest games with you.
I managed to convince Bulwark to help me run my Tyranids through their paces and we thought an all-Xenos game would be fun, so here's our first Tyranid vs. Ork battle report. I hope you enjoy it!
Here's Part 1: Mkerr's Tyranids vs. Bulwark's Orks
Here's Part 2: Mkerr's Tyranids vs . Bulwark's Orks
BoLS YouTube Channel (check us out)
Since we were testing a bunch of new rules, I'm going to give you a bit more "after game" commentary than we normally would in a Video Battle Report. And I'm sure you have tons of questions, so feel free to leave them as comments or send me an email at mkerr@chainfist.com.
ORK MVP: TYRANID SYNAPSE!
One of the most effective weapons Bulwark was able to use against me was my own Synapse, in the form of No Retreat wounds. Unless I used the Tervigon's Catalyst on my humble Termigants (for Feel No Pain - leaving my monstrous creatures without the protection of Catalyst, Bulwark's Ork boys would devastate them in close combat (even with higher Initiative, Counter-attack and Poisoned attacks!).
So it's clear that controlling the assault is going to be critical to the new Tyranid army -- and that's a tall order when you are talking about mobile assault armies like Orks. (Design Note: In my next game, I'm going to see if the Venomthrope's defensive grenades can help with this problem. I'm slowly building my 5pt Termigant into a really effective model.)
Note: Had we been playing the game competitively -- instead of trying to make an interesting battle report -- I would've sat on my objective, dropped in the Carnifexes to deal with his long range shooting and forced the Orks to advance toward me. If I was lucky and managed to pop his Battle Wagon (not easy, even with S9 weapons), I could've controlled the assault and saved myself a ton of No Retreat wounds). But we did learn that you can't rely on "codex creep" to win games with the new codex -- you are going to have to have a well-built army and a cohesive plan.
TYRANID MVP: LANDING SPORE!
My army was centered around three Carnifexes with two Devourers (each Carnifex gives me TWELVE twin-linked S6 BS3 shots) in Landing Spores (read: Monstrous Creature Drop Pods - each Landing Spore is armed with a 6" S6 Assault 6 BS2 weapon AND a 24" S6 AP4 Blast). Thanks to my two Hive Tyrants, my Carnifexes arrive from Reserves on a 2+ on Turn 2!
In this game, the Landing Spores were devastating. They are cheap and incredibly effective (allowing me to have 20 gaunt-sized creatures or one monstrous creature inside) and they going to be a staple in every Tyranid player's army. I'm really excited about this unit because it gives me a completely different way to play (Deep Strike my army instead of walking across the board? Yes, please.).
I talk a bit more about the Landing Spore on Chainfist.com and in this BOLS article. I've received a lot of email about where to find a cool model to represent my Landing Spores -- I'm using the Mega Bloks Plasma Hatchers for mine. I found some cheap ones on Amazon and I'm including the links in this article - I ordered a couple of each style (and I'm giving the "toy" to my 8-year old and keeping the egg for my Landing Spore). I'll post more about them and the conversion process as soon as they arrive.
Note: Nicho (from the BoLS Lounge) has started a conversion/painting thread for using Plamsa Hatchers as Landing Spores (great minds think alike!), so you can see how cool they look and get a sense of size. I think I'm going to model mine open, but we'll see when they finally arrive!
In any case, it was an awsome game and we both had a blast. It's always cool running a new codex through it's paces. Expect to see a rematch between Hive Fleet Behemoth and Waaagh Bulwark soon!
~~ As always, comments are welcome! If you have questions or comments, you can also reach Mkerr at his home on the internet (www.chainfist.com) or you can email him directly at mkerr@chainfist.com.
WFB SNEAK PEEK: Beastmen Poster (new minis)
~There are several new minis in that picture, so look sharp! Like the poster says, Beastmen are hitting the shelves February.
40K: Beating Up on Bugs – Space Marine Edition
Hi all, Jwolf here. In my continuing efforts to look at ways to bring all-comers lists that are good at killing Tyranids, I present this 2000 point Space Marines list. I might change some things around to put Meltas in the Tactical Squads, but I might not do it, either.
First, the things I hate in Tyranid Lists:
-Tervigons.
-Zoanthropes.
-Billionty Little Bugs.
What kills these things?
-Tervigons require either prohibitive amounts of shooting or something nasty to the face. I choose the something nasty to the face option. -Zoanthropes die to a failed save from S8 weapons.
-Billionty little bugs need Flamers and massed bolter fire, with standard Tacticals being able to squash them in assault as needed, once they’re worn down.
Space Marines, 2000 Points (Explained)
Darnath Lysander – Can’t be instakilled, Instakills everything under T6. This guy was already seeing a whole lot of action around our FLGS; Tyranids make him that much better. Making the army Stubborn isn’t that big of a deal against Tyranids, but it’s awesome against Psyker Battle Squads, so it all works out.
Space Marine Librarian – Epistolary, Null Zone, Might of Ancients. He’s faster than most of the things he can ever go before anyway, and MoA lets him kill Carnifexes on almost any charge. He’ll grab a ride with a combat squad. He rushes forward in a Rhino to get as many Zoanthropes in Null Zone for turn 1 as he can without getting into Shadows of the Warp territory.
1x 7 TH/SS Terminators in a Land Raider Crusader (MM, Extra Armor, Storm Bolter). These guys provide Lysander with his ride and head straight in for the kill (avoiding Zonathropes where possible), but hopefully we kill a lot of those quickly.
2x 10man Tactical Squads, Missile Launcher and Flamer, in Rhinos – These shoot things and the half with the Rhinos zooms forward to burn holes into the swarm.
1x 5man Scout Squad, 4 Snipers and a Missile Launcher – Almost just a point sink, but they’ll take potshots at approaching bad things outside of Synapse and contribute to the overall anti-T4 party. This is the first piece I would swap out for something else; I just like Scouts for bug-hunting.
2x 1Landspeeder, Multimelta and Heavy Flamer. Honestly, these belong in every Space Marine army. Speeders in this configuration are always good to have.
1x Predator, TL Autocannon and Sponson Heavy Bolters. Again, another piece of gear that belongs in every Space Marine army. Good for the points, lots of shots. Great against light vehicles and infantry.
1x 10man Devastator Squad, 4x Missile Launchers, in a Rhino. Combat Squading these guys to get two sets of two Missiles if there are lots of T4, and keeping them together to throw it all at Big Bugs if the T4 count is low. The Rhino either forms part of the wall or is a good transport for needful usage. I like jumping one of the Tactical Squad Missile units into this Rhino for protected scoring.
1x Thunderfire Cannon. These are often semi-effective or less, but the amount of Tyranid Long Range shooting that can deal with these is somewhat limited, and anything shooting at this on turn 1 is not shooting things that are more important to have undamaged. And honestly, these can do some damage if left alone and/or able to find a good piece of terrain to give them cover. This is the second item I might trade out for a Whirlwind and some upgrades for the Tactical Sarges, or something.
THE PLAN
The plan is simple. Kill all the bugs, place scoring units on objectives. By the way, if you ever think I have some tricky plan other than just killing everything, you’ve misread the author. Killing all the Zoanthropes first is generally a good decision for any Power Armored force.
This week I also plan to try some apostate non-mechanized SM and CSM forces against the Tyranids and see what happens. I know depending on 3+ armor is considered a fools errand in some quarters, but there are only so many shots coming out of a Tyranid force (it’s still a lot, granted), and most of those are AP4 or worse. I’ll give some reporting about that next time.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Pic of the Day 1-4-10
Deepstrike mishaps are sometimes hilarious!
Cap it!
Cap it!
~Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. We love spectacle and characterful shots so lets see what you budding photographers can do!
Special Request: WH/DH/Dark Eldar/Tau/Orks/Chaos Daemons pics
Special Request: WH/DH/Dark Eldar/Tau/Orks/Chaos Daemons pics
40K NEWS: More LotD on the Way
Yes, because every Marine player needs MORE of our favorite cursed, flaming, spectral guys...
The latest batch available on the Games Workshop Advanced Orders page contains:
Sergeant with Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon
Legionnaire with Flamer
Legionnaires 3
Legionnaires 4
~Good amount of beakies in there. These guys ship out February 6th. You can read Jwolf's thoughts on using Legion of the Damned here.
40K Deep Thought: Wound Allocation and its Victims
So I've been playing a bit and thinking over the implications of the wound allocation rules (p.25) covering complex units. It has occured to me that this one change is perhaps the biggest hidden unbalancing factor that has reshuffled the power levels of many armies.
Lets take an example from 4th and 5th edition:
A simple 5 Marine Tactical combat squad:
-Sergeant with Powerfist
-Flamer
-3 Bolters
4th Edition:
-Unit suffers 15 wounds from small arms,
-Rolls 15 dice, (5 total armor saves failed)
-5 models removed (squad destroyed)
5th Edtion:
-Unit suffers 15 wounds from small arms,
-Player allocates 3 to Serg, 3 to Flamer, and 9 to Bolters
-Serg fails 2, Flamer fails 0, Bolters fail 4 (6 total armor saves failed)
-4 models removed (Flamer survives)
The difference is subtle, but critical. In 5th this effect is further amplified by the ease of finding cover saves, further nullifying the effect of weapons that normally ignore armor like massed plasma or meltagun fire.
What this is doing behind the scenes is ensuring that ranged fire is on average killing less models and in particular making it difficult to reliably wipe out entire units in a single shooting phase. So why does this matter?
The issue is that you can group most armies and units in the game into those that have good protection and ok lethality and those with much weaker protection but higher lethality. In 4th edition, those groups roughly balanced each other out. With the 5th Edition wound allocation rules, the scales have shifted in favor of those units with heavy protection.
Think about units that must reliably kill off an entire enemy unit with fire, as even 1 or 2 survivors who can reach them in the next turn can destroy or tie-up the hapless unit the entire game. Does this sound like any armies you know? Have you seen those armies having a much harder slog these days?
On the other hand, think of those units who have average firepower but great individual protection (especially if they are available in numbers). Once again, remind you of anyone? Now think about the lower level of worry squads such as these have on the open field these days vs small arms. I can't remember the last time I really was too worried vs the thin-skinned armies firepower of late.
So as you are endlessly tweaking your forces, and trying to better master 5th edition, look beyond the simple points and weapon stats. Often its the subtle rules tweaks that are shifting the tectonic plates of gamebalance beneath all of our feet.
~How do you thing wound allocation has changed the meta game, and do you think its worth the extra time and hastle involved? Who are the big winners, and who got the shaft? Generals???
Goatboy 40K Thoughts - Tyranid Fasts and Heavies
Goatboy here again, ending the review of Fast Attack and Heavy choices in the new Nid codex. Now of course all of this can change depending on how the game evolves in the next few months. A lot of this is just based on what would affect my armies, versus what might affect your own plastic toys. This review is about giving people a taste of what might come out and some thoughts on their own purchase as well as army options.
Fast Attack - ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM!!
Winged Warriors - We cost a lot!
This is an expensive unit. So the question is, will this unit make up its cost quickly enough to warrant its use in the army? I am not really sure. They can be tooled out to be a super flying assault unit, which in itself can be neat. I just don't think it will be worth it in the long run. Boneswords are pretty neat but that just ups them to the cost of a Terminator. The lack of Eternal Warrior is really telling here. The other annoying thing is that this will be an expensive conversion unit too.
4/10 - Just too expensive to really get you their points back.
Ravener - Hooray for Plastic!
As you all know, I have a thing for Cavalry based units. And this is a pretty nice. I wish the Rending Claws were free instead of upping the cost. Still this might be a nice option at Fast Attack to help create a diversion of pain for the opponent. Keep those bad guy units busy while the MC's get into position.
6/10 - Should have had rending claws for free and maybe got an adrenal gland upgrade. Still the model is worth it as conversion bait.
Flying Rippers - Um - not meh like the bases
Here you go, something a bit interesting. A cheap flying multi-wound unit that will annoy the snot out of people. Since the model should be flying, there is a good chance it could cover enough of an MC to give it a cover save. Mix this in, with a fast movement, a ton of wounds, and a nice number attacks means you have a nice little annoyance unit. Will see if it is worth while and whether we will all see a ton of bad green stuffed winged ripper swarms.
7/10 - Might be a nice utility unit, will see.
Gargoyles - Now something interesting
Now this is an interesting unit. We haven't had a fast unit be this cheap in a long time. The last thing I could think of was the Fenris Wolves from Space Wolves. These guys are going to be great harassment units.. They are cheap, can do some goofy things to people, and can really get at some units that are trying to stay hidden. Even just adding in Adrenal Glands can help give you get a chance to destroy some vehicles that might get in their way. It is pretty slim, but it is still a way to continue the Tyranid Assault Wave. Plus the plastic model is pretty fricking sweet.
7/10 - Might go higher as I use them more. Might just be worthless too. We'll see.
Harpy - Now we move onto something pretty scary
It is interesting how MC's seem to fill up every force organization chart in the new Tyranid Codex. I think this monster is going to be pretty interesting. It is one of the other ways to have Heavy Venom Cannons as well as being mixed with a flying base. Side shots anyone? Yes I know the Toughness is 5, so you can auto kill it with a big cannon shot. This isn't that big of a deal as it a) flies b) has longer range then 24 inches. Of course the Tau will serve the Greater Good by putting rail shots in its head so if you are playing them, go ahead and run this sucker in reserve.
8/10 - Put it at 8 because it will be a bit of a pain to convert as well as being a bit too expensive to use when you have to deal with putting other goodies in your army.
Spore Mine Cluster - I can be a jerk with these units
So we'll see how bad these get. Buy enough and deep strike all over an enemies deployment zone and you can cause lots and lots of headaches. This might be the other secret unit and I wish they didn't take a Fast Attack choice. Maybe they should have been an upgrade for the Hive Tyrant or something else. Either way these could be a serious jerk unit in the game.
6/10- Not sure it depends on the army you are playing against and how well you can cover their deployment zone.
Heavy Support - I Kill from far aways!
Carnifex - I used to be good.
Man, they really did a number on the Carnifex. It went from being the de-facto MC unit in the game to something I need to convert into something else from the book. I'm not saying their stats are bad, options are bad, or really over costed (they are costed correctly with what they have) it is just they are not worth it like they used to be. I wish they were cheaper (20 to 30 points less) or at least had certain options included on the new points cost. Still, a DakkaFex is something to fear, especially 3 of them pumping out 36 TWL shots a turn. That is the only way I can really see using them as an anti infantry, anti big bug unit. Still they would cost a ton and really be a "Please don't JoTWW me" unit.
4/10 - Just too expensive to make worth wile as well as take a slot from the better Heavy choices in the army.
Old One Eye - Old one no
Just like above he costs way too much. Just no good.
2/10 - Modeling potential is there, just not worth it at all.
Biovore - We showed you him earlier and he is better we swear!
Yeah it is just not worth it. I wish they would have given it more spore mine options. That would have been interesting. Make some direct hit anti vehicle options. Something to make the venerable biovore worthwhile. I don't know what it is about the Hive Fleets, but they really like making new xxx-vore's and they mostly suck.
2/10 - No
Trygon/Trygon Prime - Now we get to the guess what you are going to buy section
Yup, here is where it is at for the heavy section. I would advise not upgrading him, as it should survive with its 6 wounds whatever nonsense is thrown at them. Most likely the bad guys won't assault unless it is a dedicated assault style unit (TH/SS termies anyone?) so they should get a good pop out, scare the snot out of people, and then hopefully get to assault something. It's shooting attack is pretty neat with the upgraded Prime one being kinda scary. We'll see which one comes out in the lead. I like the Prime because it can really use Shadow of the Warp pretty effectively by popping up near some psycher. I would advise really only upgrading with Toxin sacs and maybe Adrenal Glands as Strength 7 is pretty good to popping plastic boxes.
8/10 - You will be seeing this a lot.
Mawloc - This one is a neat one
I feel that these are going to be super annoying. They start on the board first turn, hidden behind some terrain. They go into the ground and you get a guaranteed pop up on turn 2. This is pretty scary, as they can easily get into a boxed up IG area and cause some Chimera damage. If you are lucky and they get to reburrow again, you have some serious damage coming your way. I am thinking running 2 of these and just hope for some crippling damage on your opponent as you get all your other MC's into range as the army runs from the burrowing gooey mouth monsters.
8/10 - Might be more as I start to play test them.
Tyrannofex - It is a dinosaur and a Tyranid.
Here is a pretty interesting thing. Obviously it is the super shooty tank of the Tyranid codex and I'm thinking it might be worth it to have one. Now if only it had all the gun options all the time, as it can set up different living ammunition whenever it needs it. But we'll see. If you are seeing lots of mech in your area, I think the 48" S:10 Ap 4 Assault 2 cannon might be where it is at. I do like the Assault 20 option too, as it can just pour a ton of wounds onto your opponent. Still its cost is pretty high and I wish it started at 200 or at least had all the options at the cost it is now.
6/10 - Too expensive to be guaranteed in a list, but still something to look at if you are all about the horde and needing some anti tank options.
Alright there you go, a basic run down of the units in the new codex. I know I didn't go over all the options as I just went into what I thought was good. There are a lot of gun options that are out there too. The army seems to have a heavy anti infantry feel mixed with a large amount of assault capabilities. In fact, most other assault armies will not want to get near anything with Boneswords and Lash Whips. This codex is looking like a completely new thing and along the lines of the new IG codex. If this is the future of codexes then I am excited to see some of the new things coming out in the future. This book changes a lot of things in my own personal Tyranid army which is exciting as I always like painting new models.
As usual if you have questions please shoot me an email at GoatboyBOLS@gmail.com. I am going to have a post about converting a Tervigon in a day or two. I made one out of one of my poor Carnifexes and random Scything Talons, green stuff, and other bits. So look for that as a way to help you reuse models from your armies as well as get into the spirit of the new Hive Mind.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Pic of the Day 1-3-10
For some IG regiments, Tyranids are the prey...
Cap it!
Cap it!
~Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. We love spectacle and characterful shots so lets see what you budding photographers can do!
Special Request: WH/DH/Dark Eldar/Tau/Orks/Chaos Daemons pics
Special Request: WH/DH/Dark Eldar/Tau/Orks/Chaos Daemons pics
Oddities In The Night
I present to you the last product in the New Releases section of the Games Workshop Warhammer Fantasy section...
Baby Dragons....
~Yeah, I know...
REAL WORLD: The Army Wants Land Speeders too
So you thought the real life bolter was cool? Check out what the Army wants proposals for now (like in 2 weeks):
The “Transformer project,” launched by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, would create a vehicle that can travel on land or through the air.
The vehicle would be able to fly like a helicopter, drive off-road and carry up to four people, according to DARPA’s Dec. 23 announcement. The ability to fly would help escape ambushes and land mines and cross rivers.
In DARPA’s terminology, flying and driving, “enables the warfighter to approach targets from directions opportune to them and not the enemy.”
The Transformer also must get good gas mileage, because it’s able to conduct “tactically relevant missions” on a single tank of fuel.
DARPA, the Pentagon office that oversees long-range research, is leaving up to private researchers and contractors to determine how a vehicle would do all that and what it would look like. Interested firms will meet with DARPA officials Jan. 14 in Arlington, Va.
~Even more here. Now I swear if I see some news article about US Army Terminator Armor in the next couple of months I will *officially* start being wierded out. (Yes it is a slow news day)
40K: Black Library Holiday Covers
Over the last couple of weeks, Black Library has released these 2 covers for their newest upcoming Horus Heresy and Salamander's novels due out many months down the road:
The First Heretic (Aaron Dembski-Bowden)
Firedrake (Nick Kyme)
~So that first heretic one sure looks like the Word Bearers are up to their eyes in treachery (but why the "First Heretic" is appearing in his much later Red and silver trimmed armor is an interesting question). Remember the Word Bearers loyalist armor is grey with heavy inscriptions. Firedrake looks interesting, and it is always a good thing to see the other 1st Founding chapters getting a fair shake. Now back to your New Year's revelry.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Pic of the Day 1-2-10
Pic submitted by Alaric Cantonain
This is one of those rare pictures that captures the 40k universe better than a lot of the epic battle paintings do...Craziness!
~Enjoy. If you have an awesome shot you think would make a great BoLS pic of the day, email us. We love spectacle and characterful shots so lets see what you budding photographers can do!
EPIC NEWS: Raiders Supplement (Homebrew)
GR00V3R here,
Epic: Raiders is a free, fan-made unofficial supplement for Epic:Armageddon that introduces Dark Eldar and Necron armies. The supplement was created by a group of Epic fans in order to encourage expansion of the game, and the result is a very professional body of work used by Epic players worldwide.
Epic: Raiders works in conjunction with the official rulebooks released by Games Workshop, Epic: Armageddon and Epic: Swordwind, and describes an original story that takes place on Scarab, a mining world and way point for Imperial forces. The story involves the Minervan Armored Legion (Imperial Guard), the Necrons and the Dark Eldar, each pitted against the other.
The fiction and army lists correlate with the existing 40K universe, and yet provide for a full and fun Epic experience in its own right. The authors understand that fans of 40K and Epic alike are extremely particular and do not like seeing the Epic setting “polluted” in any way. In the developers' own words, “mention of Dark Eldar war engines or Necron harvesting machines can make one fan wince in pain while another drools in anticipation”.
They were quick to recognize, however, that there are huge gaps of missing unit types that simply must be in existence in order for the 40K setting to have some cohesion. “The Necrons did not wage war against the Old Ones with Monoliths alone, and the existing fictional accounts are ripe with vague descriptions of horrifying machines and powerful weapons. Likewise, the Dark Eldar must have vehicles that fall somewhere between the frail Raiders and the massive Torture Class Cruisers for them to destroy entire regiments of Imperial forces.”
The authors created Epic: Raiders with the goal of having a Games Workshop-friendly document. “We fully support that players purchase their army units from Specialist Games and from Forgeworld whenever possible.” The Minervan list includes beautiful units that can be purchased from both of those sites, and the authors have included modeling sections to help the reader scratch-build or convert the Necron and Dark Eldar units that cannot be purchased from these sources.
The production quality of the Epic: Raiders supplement’s 130-plus pages is superb, from the beautiful artwork to the model beauty-shots included with the stat boxes. The full book, which weighs in at around 20MB, can be downloaded for free.
Epic: Raiders is a exceptional achievement, and one of the most impressive productions I have seen produced by a gaming community. I have also been told by the authors that the 2nd edition of the book is due for release in the not-too-distant future, which bodes well in terms of ongoing support for these armies.
Whether you play Epic or not, I highly recommend you take a look at this awesome work by some very talented gamers.
~This is QUITE the amazing labor of love from the Epic playerbase. If you needed YET MORE evidence that the Epic-playing community is clamouring for support for an expanded 6mm model range...seriously, Necron, Dark Eldar and Tyranid ranges would be very nice, thank you.
HORDES REVIEW: Plastic Fennblades Unboxed.
Not every Warmachine player was as excited as I was when Privateer Press announced that plastic minis would be on their way in soon and would become a regular part of their future product releases. The biggest bonus right off the bat was the anticipation of lower prices for these new models. While some of Privateer's older minis, particularly the warjacks and warbeasts, are priced pretty reasonably, some of the more recent stuff has been a little harder on the wallet. I was also looking forward to the possibilities of poseability and conversions with this much easier to work with material. Having clipped my share of Games Workshop sprues, I also couldn't help but wonder what if any cool little bits would come along with these new kits.
What follows is a quick overview of my first Privateer plastic kit to assemble and paint (more on the assembling and painting later). This may be old news to a lot of Warmachine players, but between the posts I still sometimes see on the Privateer forums asking about these plastics, and the potential curiosity of anyone who reads BoLS, but doesn't play Privateer games, I decided I'd hammer out this quick article anyway. So here we have Privateer's latest plastic releases: the Trollblood Fennblades.
Of course the first thing I noticed was that the price was right. $50 USD seemed like a good buy for 10 oversized trollkin wielding giant hooked double-handed swords. You get less mini for your money than you would from say, Games Workshop's $35 space marine boxed set, but the Fennblades are about Terminator sized, and the armies are much smaller in Hordes/Warmachine, where a force with two or more full units of single wound infantry is considered a pretty numerous affair. Even if these guys keep their current MkII field test points cost of a meager 4/6 they'll still constitute about an eighth of a standard force. And while some of Privateer's metal infantry still comes in under $50 for a full unit, the other single wound Troll infantry choices run between $75 and $86. Turns out big metal figurines are expensive.
As soon as you open the box you will realize you are in unfamiliar country. There are no sprues here. Instead, all the parts for each mini are sealed individually, bases and all, in 2 bags with 5 guys in each.
So while you miss out on the cool extra bits that come with the GW plastics, it is my opinion that the level of detail and the quality of the sculpts are every bit the equal of any other plastic miniature kits currently on the market.
They are designed more with quick assembly in mind than with the potential of multiple poses. There are five different sculpts in all in the box and all the poses are very dynamic, with each trollkin having his own unique bit of character. Each model only has three pieces: the bodies, arms, and the back tartans so assembly time is minimal. There were some problems with heavy mold lines on some of the sculpts but the others were mostly clean.
All the parts connect with pegs and the arms can actually hold to the body without the need for glue. The pegs are a little thick so I'd definitely recommend trimming them down a bit so they fit together more easily. There's one very important thing you need to know before you start gluing these guys. Privateer Press doesn't use polystyrene plastic for these guys. They're made out of something else, and you can feel the extra weight of this different material when you pick them up. This means polystyrene, or "plastic" glue won't work on them. You'll need glue of the "super", or cyanoacrylate variety. In all likelihood this rule will apply to future plastics as well, including the heavy 'jack kits we'll be seeing in late January.
And here's a shot of the guy with some of his fellow trolls. To the left is Borka Kegslayer, currently the largest trollkin model. And to the right is a kriel warrior, representing a "normal" sized Trollkin. Kriel warriors are about a head taller than a human, so as you can see this fella's a big 'un.
~Privateer's ventures into the field of plastic miniatures have taken a unique approach compared to the Games Workshop sprue system, but I think this is a great kit. The only other thing I really could have asked for would have been interchangeable heads, although any reasonably experienced modeler can probably make some swaps of his own with a hobby knife and some Green Stuff. I've gone ahead and followed up this article by taking step by step pics of painting these guys, so if you think you could use some more painting insight, keep your eyes peeled for a future article.
~Privateer's ventures into the field of plastic miniatures have taken a unique approach compared to the Games Workshop sprue system, but I think this is a great kit. The only other thing I really could have asked for would have been interchangeable heads, although any reasonably experienced modeler can probably make some swaps of his own with a hobby knife and some Green Stuff. I've gone ahead and followed up this article by taking step by step pics of painting these guys, so if you think you could use some more painting insight, keep your eyes peeled for a future article.
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