Grey Knights: Rumors or Wishlisting?

So Blood of Kittens has Release quite few rumors regarding the Grey Knights that are sound a little to good to be true.

In fact they're starting to remind me of my own wishlist from a while back. What do you guys think?

Here is some clarification of the big rumors that have been floated around the Internet concerning the GK codex.

1. GK codex WILL NOT have inducted units. Allies are effectively gone!

2. If it has boobies it will not be in the GK codex if has man parts it will be in this dex. That means Penitent Engines, Argo flagellants, Priests are in.

3. GK and GKT have plastic kits and will be troop choices.

4. Release Date is March-May window.

5. The Stormraven is in (duh) and along with Penitent Engines are currently the only two Fast Attacks slots in the dex.

6. Look for HQs changing the FoC around

7. GW will not take away your toys meaning if you bought 50 Imperial Storm Troopers they will have a place in the GK codex

8. Assassins are in as an Elite slot and any type of GK army can take them.

Let us start with the mundane stuff

GKs are Space Marines they do not have Fearless or Stubborn they have Combat Tactics and They Shall Know No Fear

GKs only vehicles options are Land Raiders, Razorbacks, Rhinos, Chimera and Stormraven. All GK vehicles are immune to Shaken and Stunned. Stormraven is not a dedicated Transport.

GKs do not get Bikes, Jump Packs, or Chaplains

All GKs are psyker and their powers act very much in the same way as Psyker Battle Squad.

GKs will not have access to most Vanilla Marine Gear especially Heavy Weapons and Special Weapons (No Melta Spamming)

Let us get down to some specifics

Brother-Captain Stern has Eternal Warrior and his attacks can remove models from play.

The Grand Master gives out special abilities to GK units (Not USRs) We are talking weapon upgrades and minor wargear bonuses.

All GKs cause Deep Striking units to mishap if placed within 6 inches of any Grey Knight unit.

All GKs Nemesis Force Weapons are Force Weapons and no longer Str 6.

Unlike the Archon’s court from the Dark Eldar Codex Henchman + Witchhunter rejects are Elite slots. These Squads can be mixed and have many options. For instance the Warrior can get Storm Shields and power weapon. Henchman act more like Beast Master Squads than the Archon’s Court.

Henchman include everything Daemonhosts, Death-Cult Assassins, Argo flagellants, Priests, Stormtroopers, Warriors

Holocaust is now 12 inch range large blast

Mystic is now only a teleport homer

All GK vehicles are immune to Shaken and Stunned (Sacred Hull). Stormraven is not a dedicated Transport. All GK vehicles are psykers with LD 10

Blessed is now a vehicle psychic power that picks one facing and raises the AV by 2 to a max of 14

GKs have access to GK Command Squads giving them access to Apothecaries (FNP)

Vindicare has unlimited ammo for all special shots.

GKs have access to many weapon upgrades.

GKs can pay for + str or rending for their storm bolters

Grand Masters give D3 special powers to Grey Knight units. Things like Digital Weapons, Master Crafted weapons, Wolf Standard, but with GK names.

Psycannon is Str 7 rending ap 4 either can fire 2 shots moving or 4 shots standing still.

Incenerator Str 5 ap 4 rending

Callidus Assassin = Long Fangs and Lootas no more. Works like Lictors/Marbo drops a str 4 ap 2 large blast when enters play and can still use the Neural Shredder which is now Str 8 ap 2.

The other Assassin are just updated versions of their old selves with the Culexus especially devastating to Psykers.

Their are three special character Inquisitors one of which will make Henchman Troop choices.

One GKs Special character will make Purgation Squads Troops (yes you heard that right) you can spam psycannons all you want.

One GK Special Character can take cheap termies talking Chaos Space Marine Terminator Cheap.

Grey Knights are around Plague Marine Cost

GKT are normal vanilla marine termy cost.

Nemesis Force Weapons can be upgrade as well increased initiative is one option.

Grey Knights do get a MC a cross between a Talos and Karamazov Elite choice. The plastic kit is done on this one so expect it with GK launch.

Dreadnoughts are Heavy Support.

GKT can mix and match Nemesis Force Weapons and TH/SS and get psy weapons as well.

Any GK unit can once per game gate of infinity with no deviation in the movement face and can shoot, but not assault. This could still be changed to become the new Grey Knight Teleport Attack and moved to Fast Attack slot.

Remembered something about 2000 point armies being about 20 models well this is what I mean…

The reason I held this last leak back is for no other reason than my idealized vision of what Space Marines have always been thematic depicted as. The fluff is filled with stories of Heroic deeds suck things like 10 marines holding back whole armies. This is the first unit that I feel is starting to get to that point of fluff becomes table top reality. Simply wave your magic mouse over the empty area all will be revealed!

Grey Knights will be see the return of the 2 wound terminator. These new elite terminators will have 2 wounds and FNP and access to all the upgrades and options of all GKT in the codex. To make things more interesting one special character can make these terminators troop choices. What remains to be seen is if they will get Eternal Warrior…

Comp Scores: My Thoughts

Ok guys :)

So now that some thoughts have been floating around ya'lls heads I think it's time to share my thoughts on Composition Scores.

I'll be up front about it now. Through my experiences with different tournaments in different areas and different levels of competitiveness I've got to put my vote in with no comp. The reason I'm behind no comp is because I believe that the codices, to an extent, have been balanced to play against each other with no other modifications. I also feel that you can not (without a pains taking amount of work and quite a bit of subjectivity) make a balanced Comp System. Here's why;

Option 2: Although this is the system I prefer in the event of comp scores at tournaments, especially the openness of how it is scored, there is still a large flaw in it. The problem lies in that not all codices are meant to use and be limited by the same FOC slots. The codices are balanced with each other by being able to use all the FOC slots without penalty. When two armies can take the same exact list, and one is penalized and the other is not you can see the break in the system.

Here's an example. We'll take what some might call a cheesy list of 3 Landraiders. Here's a little 1,500 pt list.

Space Marines
Captain
Assault Terminators riding in LR
Tac Squad
Tac Squad
Bike Squad
Vindicator
LR
LR

So that's a little bit less then 1,500 pts and a comp score of -3 or 17 pts.

Space Marines Blood Angels
Captain
Assault Terminators riding in LR
Tac Squad w/ LR
Tac Squad w/ LR
Bike Squad
Vindicator

Now we have the exact same list, (ok some sspecial rules are different) but because all Blood Angel units can take LRs as Dedicated Transports this list get's a comp score of -0 or 20 pts.

Another Example would be the Space Marine player who can take 3 10 man Tactical Marine squads. This squad has 3 scoring units and no reduction in Comp Score, but on the field depending on missions can become 6 scoring units if needed. Now take any other Army out there (other then IG who can get 14 scoring units per Troop FOC) and they have to fill 6 slots to have the same kind of scoring possibilities. That's -5 to their comp score, or a total of 15 points.

There are many examples like these that lead me to believe that this kind of option for comp is not balanced.

Option 3: Option 3 comes down to how much do you trust your TO's or Judges opinions. What one person might find over the top might not be to another player. It is just too subjective for my liking. One Judge might have been beaten by a simular list the day or week before and feels that it's too powerful. Or they may not like a certain army and so score it lower. The point is with out a clear set of rules set in place before the Tournament, it's impossible to walk into an even knowing if your Army Lists will be scored well or not.

Then there are the horror stories of people walking in with the exact same list and being scored differently on them. Once again if two armies containing the same units can't be judged and given the same score then the system does not work.

Option 4: Some of the different things I've heard here talk about opponent scoring and the like. I think this is about as good as Subjective Sportsmanship scoring (which will be a later topic). There are people not out there, maybe not all of them, but some who will give people very low scores just because they lose. Doe losing mean that the other player brought an army that was out of balance, or that couldn't be won against? Sometimes it's the dice, sometimes there are just dumb mistakes, and sometimes people are just matched up against players of different caliber. As much as I would like to believe that people can give fair and balanced scoring against people all it takes is one not doing so to skew the scores and unbalance things.

There you have it, with the different soft score that there are I don't believe that Composition Scores should be part of the tournament scene anymore. Not only have I been unable to find a balanced way of scoring, but I feel that it keeps players from playing what they would like to play without penalizing them.

And then you always have the issue of someone building a list within the confines of Composition, and an Opponent who doesn't and builds the biggest meanest list they can. Because of what Comp Scores are meant to do, one person has a weaker list then the other and makes for an unbalanced game. Comp Scores may balance things out for overall winner later, but makes for a really un-fun game for those who have to play against the person.

And if fun is the name of the game, then comp should be out.

-CKR

Comp Scores: What are your Thoughts?

Hey everyone.

Lately I've seen quite a bit of discussion on Composition Scores in tournament use. Now I'm not here to tell you my opinion on it quite yet, but I would love to know how you guys feel about it. So I'll detail out a couple of the options that are being used, and see what you guys think.

Option 1: No Comp Score. (Easy enough)

Option 2: Comp Score based on units taken. Can be seen at some tournaments such as Astronomi-Con. The scoring system can be found here, http://www.mts.net/~xian/astronomi-con/websiteV2/rules/composition.htm

To summarize it, it says you get to use a set number of FOC choices for free. If you go beyond the free ones, points are deducted from the Composition Score depending on what and how many of those FOC slots you take.

Option 3: Judges scoring. I can't remember the tournament, but it has 3-5 judges and the judges look over each list and try to determine how many games the list is expected to lose. The more games it's expected to lose. The better the composition score.

Option 4: I want a Composition Score, just not one you described. Here's my thoughts on how I would like Comp Scores to be.

So it's all about you guys today, let's hear what you have to say :)

-CKR

40k BRB FAQ 1.1 Out

So much to many people's surprise GW has released a new set of FAQ's for the 40k Big Rule Book. I've only just started skimming through it but is appears to be quite thourough so far. It should solves quite a few questions people have been having.

Check it out here!

The Stormraven?

Yeah uh... I was hoping for something more. Thoughts?

Original Info can be found on Warseer.

Chaos Space Marines: Army Overview

Models:
*Plastic to Metal ratio, While most of the Troop Choices are plastic you'll find that a fair amount of the other Infantry models including HQs and Elite and Heavy Support to be metal. Luckily other then an HQ choice and Obliterators you could almost get away with a full plastic force.

*How old the current models are, Most of the models are quite old, there have been some updates to the HQ Daemon Princes, Obliterators, and the new Defiler, but other then that most of the models have been around for about 5 years or longer.

*Anything new coming out soon, as of right now there is no News of new stuff.

*Large back catalogue of Classic/OOP models? There is still a small catalogue of the Classic models on GW's website, but ebay seems to be full of older models.

*Fun/easy to paint, many schemes available to choose from? There are many schemes available for Chaos Space Marines, all ranging from Dark to Darker, and can be varied even more by the Chaos God that your army may choose to follow.

The larger models can be quite fun to paint, but the Chaos Armor itself can get a little tedious to paint as you have to outline almost every arm, shoulder pad, breast plate and leg. Still the models are fairly easy to paint as you do not need advanced painting skills to be able to pull the details off the models.

*How many models in an average army of 1,500-2,000 points, Most armies will consist of about 45-60 models.

*Costs in £/$ in collecting the average army, relatively cheap or expensive when compared to other armies, You will probably be looking at close to $500-600 for a 1,500 point army. If you concentrate on having higher point models and large vehicles this could possibly drop to about 450. This seems about average for most armies.

Background:
*Small summary of the race's history, A Chaos Space Marine is a towering warrior, whose brute strength is tempered by inhuman skill. Armed with a fearsome bolter, protected by a suit of power armour and the product of intense training and genetic manipulation, he is far beyond a mortal man, transformed into a lethal, superhuman killing machine. The Chaos Space Marines were once Humanity's ultimate warriors, dedicated to the defence of the Emperor and the Imperium of Man. Having since sworn themselves to the Dark Gods, in exchange for untold power and immortality, they wage war on the very worlds they once fought to protect. Though their noble ideals and goals have been cast aside, their superhuman bodies and military skill remain, leaving them to degenerated into psychotic killers.

*How do they get on with other races, They don't. Pretty much that simple. The Chaos Space Marines are mostly blood driven to destroy the universe.

Play Style:
*General playing style, A Chaos Space Marine army is an army of the most blood hungry, feared warriors to have walked the void. An army of elite, battle hardened veterans it will often be out numbered, relying on its greater skill and equipment to win the day. The Chaos army list is very flexible, allowing you to create an army suiting a number of playing styles.

*Themed army list types, there are a couple of themes, which can be seen in the Chaos Space Marine Codex. These themes are usually broken between Legions, and Gods.

Chaos Legions:
The Black Legion - is a Legion of Chaos Space Marines united to the pursuit of a single purpose and opposed to the infighting that consumes so many of their Chaos Space Marine brethren, as they serve Chaos Undivided. They are always brought together in great numbers when it is the will of their Warmaster, Abaddon the Despoiler, the heir of Horus. Whenever the entire Black Legion is called to battle it marks the beginning of another of Abaddon's Black Crusades against the Imperium of Man.

Word Bearers - are one of the nine First Founding Space Marine Legions which betrayed the Emperor of Mankind during the Horus Heresy, becoming Chaos Space Marines, their allegiance pledged to their Daemon Primarch Lorgar and to Chaos Undivided. The Word Bearers were also the first Space Marine Legion to be corrupted by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos and through their actions they corrupted the Warmaster Horus and brought on the terrible civil war of the Horus Heresy in all its savagery.

Alpha Legion - are the Chaos Space Marines Traitor Legion about whom the least is known. They are experts in infiltration and their armies contain many Chaos Cultists in addition to regular Chaos Space Marines. The Alpha Legion's Primarch was named Alpharius, who was actually one of the identical twin Primarchs Alpharius Omegon, two brilliant and secretive Primarchs, one of whom was reportedly later killed after the Horus Heresy by Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines.

Night Lords - are one of the nine Traitor Space Marine Legions which betrayed the Emperor during the Horus Heresy, becoming Chaos Space Marines. They do not worship any of the four Chaos Gods individually, but acknowledge them equally in the form of Chaos Undivided as they ruthlessly spread terror and fear amongst the galaxy's inhabitants.

Iron Warriors - once formed the Emperor's most able body of siege troops. The Iron Warriors Primarch, Perturbo, excelled in siege and trench warfare above all else and his treatise on fortifications and their destruction formed the basis of several sections of the Tactica Imperium.

Chaos Cults:
Death Guard - are one of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines. They worship and devote themselves exclusively to the Chaos God Nurgle and as a result of his 'gifts', they are Plague Marines—men eternally rotting away within their Power Armour but immune to pain or minor injury.

Emperor's Children - are a Legion of Chaos Space Marines who solely serve the Chaos God Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure.

Thousand Sons - are one of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines who are sworn solely to the service of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of change and sorcery. The main feature that distinguishes the Thousand Sons from the other Traitor Legions is the sheer number of psyker mutations that have always existed among the Space Marines in this Legion. They prefer to use Chaos Sorcerers and guile in combat, relying on their psychic abilities and sorcerous knowledge to earn them victory.

World Eaters - are one of the Traitor Legions of Chaos Space Marines who now inhabit the Warp rift known as the Eye of Terror in the Imperium of Man's Segmentum Obscura. The World Eaters are also one of the twenty First Founding Space Marine Legions, though they were also one of the first to betray the Emperor for Chaos. The World Eaters are the dedicated servants of Khorne, the Chaos God of War and Murder, and live for nothing more than to spill blood in his name. The World Eaters'Primarch, Angron, was one of the first of the Space Marine Primarchs to join with the Warmaster Horus when he turned against the Emperor of Mankind and began the Horus Heresy.

*Competitive list types, - Most of the current competitive lists contain Plague Marines as Troops riding in Rhinos with 2 Melta Guns, 1-2 Daemon Princes, and 2-3 units of 2-3 strong Obliterators for Heavy Support.

*Current tournament standings, The Chaos Space Marines can still hold their own in most tournaments but they are starting to show their age. While not often in the top three it's hard not to find them in the top 10.

Misc:
*How popular is the army, Is one of the more popular armies across from Space Marines, seeing as how they are the evil twin.

*When was the book released, The current Codex was released in September 2007.

*When is the next one due if known, there has been no word of a new coxed.

*Any race specific forums, I've not found any Chaos Space Marine Forums, if you find one let me know and I'll update.


***If you find any information on here outdated or inaccurate please let me know so that I can update, thanks***

Forge World: Eldar Hornet

Forge World just recently came out with a new Eldar Tank model, that Hornet. Along with some experimental rules that can be used with the new craft.

On first glance the model looks fantastic, although it does slightly resemble a lopster, I can get past that as it seems to have gone the opposite direction of many of the Eldar models, and that's smaller. Which given the available table space with the armies we play these days is a good thing.

But I was quite disturbed by the experiment rules they had given it. With weapons it comes to be pretty expensive. Especially compared to the costs of our Dark Brother's Codex. They're still asking 30pts for a BS3 Bright Lance, instead of the 25 Points for the BS4 Dark Lance.

So after drudging through the Dark Eldar codex for a bit and checking out their point values, I figured I'd come up with my own Experimental Rules for the latest Forge World Model.

You'll have to understand that it's going to be slightly cheaper then some Eldar Equivalents as I feel the current Eldar dex is slightly overpriced compared to current 5th edition codexes.

Hornet.............................................................60pts

BS: 3
Armor: F 11, S 11, R 10

Unit Comp: 1-3 Hornets
Unit Type: Vehicle (Fast, Skimmer)

Special Rules: Scout, Maneuverable, Concentrated Fire

Wargear: 2 Shuriken Cannons

Weapons: Each Hornet may upgrade each of their Shuriken Cannon's for the cost below;
Scatter laser..........................................+5 points each
Eldar missile launcher...........................+10 points each
Starcannon..........................................+10 points each
Bright lance.........................................+15 points each
Pulse laser...........................................+20 points each

Options: Any hornet may be ungraded with the following;
Holo-feild..................................................+20 points
Vector Engines........................................+10 points
Spirit stones............................................+10 points
Star Engines............................................+10 points

Manuverable: The light tank is employed for reconnaissance and raiding, and is often used for hit and run tactics. A vehicle with this special rule may always make a 6" move during it's Assault Phase, unless it is immobilized.

Concentrated Fire: The vehicle's computer systems are adapted to fire on a single target and let loose with all of it's fire power. As long as the Hornet is armed with two of the same kind of weapon, the vehicle can forfeit shooting both weapons to instead fire one as Twin Linked. This counts as only firing one weapon.

Well there you have it, some rules that add a little something new to the Eldar. I think that it uses a little of what the Dark Eldar were able to get in their new book, and refresh the Craftworld a little. Let me know what you think, and if you get a chance to play test it at all ;)

-CKR

Rumor Mill: Grey Knights

*Thanks to the folks at Warseer.com

Glossary:
SoB = sisters of battle
GK = grey knights
SM = space marines
Inq = Inquisitions
NFW = nemesis force weapon
PA = power armour
AA = artificer armour
TA = terminator armour
PW = power weapon
FW = force weapon
IST = inquisitorial storm troopers

Release date:

Originally January, now looking more like February or March. (Harry reports WFB Orcs and Goblins for March and Skaven wave 2 are slated fro January, so February seems the best bet for now)

Organisation/fluff:

Codex: there is much less focus on Inquisition aspects, and no SoB. No Allies. A GK army.

No allies from/to other Codii. new fodder units in codex. not same as guard units. (penal legion troops are the fodder unit I was mentioning in the past, cause I know someone will ask)

Interesting bit here. Got to see some layout work on the new codex. I'll confirm the rumors of a fleshed out chapter org chart, but it's not your typical SM structure of 10 companies of 100 marines for sure.

The organization of GKs chapter being fleshed out has opened a number of new "roles"

The relation of Ordos Malleus to the Inquisition is also expanded upon

Officio Assassinorum also has an interesting fluff piece...albeit very short

To respond to the wishlisting of justicars being treated similar to Wolf guard, don't place bets on that.
It was apparent from my last contact Inq forces were still present...including storm troopers...but there are other new units there as well. From everything I've been told/heard the focus has definately shifted to GK. Not as many options for Inq, Assassins combined to a single unit with wargear to dictate functional role, Inq retinue changes that will effectively kill the tried and true power tactic of shooting everything in sight as it Deep Strikes in. The utter removal of use of allies from other codex books, or inclusion of units from this book with other armies (Self contained...no surprises there.) Overall I always felt the prior incarnation was inquisition with a dash of GK. The feel I have now is reverse of that...but there will still be very effective Inq builds to be had...so far as I know.


Special rules:

Combat squads were an option I know was playtested.

Some interesting Psychic abilities. just about all squads have psychic options. Heavy on they disabling side. Enemy psykers beware.

Not a lot of Mechanised. But quick to deploy.

Army wide. Daemonic Infestation makes summoned demons less instable?

The basic GK marine profile looks very similar to a SM sergeant.

A conversation earlier centered around an ability named "Out the Heretic" which could be used against non-daemon forces causing one unit to "count as" daemons. 'Out the Heretic' is well received by PT

While External Allies rules are gone by all accounts, it does not mean allies in the codex are gone. Inquisition forces ARE present, just not as dominant. And you will recognize others.

'Shrouding' basically unchanged...also known as nightfighting...one source suggests possible grant 6+ cover save (commentary: does this work with Annointed armor?)

'Rites of Exorcism' daemon units charging as if into difficult terrain.

'Aegis' enemy Psykers within 12" take psychic tests with +1d6

Chaos icons work to oppose GK units teleport ability. A unit with a chaos icon will block the ability of GK to teleport into battle within the icons area of influence. I'm hearing that there may also be other items that hinder this deployment tactic from other armies as well.


Wargear:

The new codex has new options (weapons, equipment, etc.) that will be included in those box sets.

Also, I understand there to be a standard 1 special weapon per 5 man squad, plus special options for the upgraded leader.

Yes, beyond psycannon and incinerator, there are 2 other special gk weapons I know were ptd...but these I can't go into detail on at this time. I'll say one had pretty poor response from the playtest group, but there could be some nice tactics developed to make it effective if it did move forward.

Corrected Psycannon profile:
24" A3 AP3 S6, no invulnerable saves, pinning test for units or models with psykers.
or 36" H1 AP4 S5 5" blast, no invulnerable saves, no cover saves. (does not cause psyker pinning)

Incinerator, no profile changes noted: S5 AP4 A1 template, no invulnerable or cover saves.

NFWs: NFW lose the changing abilities based on rank of user. standardized to PA NFW is PW with special abilities vs Daemons, TA NFW is FW with same. I've seen "other" sites reporting I said nfw gave wound daemons on 2+. I never said that. Not sure where that is coming from. From what I know right now NFW will be +2S across the board as now, but PAGKs will all count as PW, and TAGKs will all count as FW. Then on top of that, all nfw gain additional capabilities vs daemons. Plus unit leaders may have master crafted NFW...not sure if it's upgrade or standard.

GK Annointed Armor: All GKs (TA, PA, AA, etc.) wear ornate armor which has been blessed and annointed to provide additional protection both physically and spiritually. Any GK may always Re-roll any failed armor, invulnerable, or cover saves. Annointed Armor is not wargear. Has point cost. Works with Storm Shield. Not as good at might seem...(aka something else to this rule I dont know yet)

The rumor I had earlier about "Annointed armor" got some additional legs with a small twist. Looks like this could be granted to a unit containing a Gk chaplain. Much like other chaplains elsewhere grant re-rolls on charges, the gk chaplains are rumored to grant counter attack and re-rolls of armor saves...caveat being the reroll is only 1st round of cc... It's a complex confirmation, and taken alone I'd pour salt on it, but given I've heard of the anointed armor prior and recent codexes have some charge related chaplain ability...I thought I'd go ahead and post it. It's definitely taking more realistic tones...

New options for Dreadnaughts including librarian. psycannon arm. Purge weapon...large pie plate, special abilities include forcing instability test for daemons, including Daemons of Chaos armies, pinning in other armies.


Army list:

Do not hold too tightly to past structures and expectations.

As far as TAGK as troops? I havent seen anything indicating this. However, I do recall a discussion of TAGK filling roles in two slots though, possible Heavy and Elite.
The GK jet bike sketches did not look at all like sammaels...no plasma gun. Knights on them has NFW in lance style. Very bullet bike rider stance...ie leaning forward over bike, not upright like marine bikes. Had the swept front faring, but not wing motifs. Looked like twin linked storm bolters under slung beneath handles. Very aggressive looking. Too bad they got axed.

according to a tiny bit I got overnight, GK TAs will have access to the standard marine upgrades, plus NFW, incinerators, psycannons, etc., of course. But he is saying the cyclone launcher for them will be arm mounted like their Storm Bolters. I'm very skeptical of this, but this source is close enough to know, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Inq lords are hq and unlock ISTs as troops
ISTs are elite otherwise
ISTs can take chimera or valkyrie as dedicated transport
Inq lord retinue looks more like imperial guard command characters with some seritors thrown in
Temple Assassins one entry in elite, one stat line, options allow for customization into temple variants...but the actual temples are only mentioned in fluff, so some special rules look lost
Demonhosts look to be out
In troops we have imperial guard conscripts...like an imperial guard platoon, but conscripts only
Death cult assassins still elite, larger unit sizes, though
Penal legion squad in troops, different than imperial guard codex entry
chimeras or valkyries as dt only, and only imperial guard
Valkyries only dedicated transport, no vendetta option
Hellhounds in fast, same as imperial guard, but not variants
Deathstrike launchers in heavy, same as imperial guard...replacing orbital strike

Also, some weird dynamics in the ruleset if you have both inq and gk hq present. But details were not given.

(Ed: so from this batch it looks like inq is going to be viable, but I question really this more from a why standpoint. If GW did this, only the hq really separates it much from imperial guard, but handicapped ig. Hope to see more soon once the nov nastiness ends. Damn de are blocking all my insight into the future...)
From what I've been able to gather, the codex has the following counts...caveats apply:

Including Special Characters, not including variant units eg. exterminator/demolisher

Hq: 8-9 entries
El: 6-7 entries
Tr: 6 entries
Fa: 7 entries
He: 8 Entries
Dt: 4 entries

Ive heard the Army list section is between 12-14 pages.


Playtesting:

GK 2000pt AL from Playtest:

HQ
Grand Master with Retinue
Named character

Elite
5-man TAGK squad + 2 spec weapons
Dreadought - unknown configuration

Troop
2x 5-man PAGK squad + 1 spec weapon + razorback
10-man ????? squad + chimera

Fast
Storm Raven

No Heavies

The Playtest list posted was played against 2000 points of Orks including nobs, mek with kuston force field, lots of boys in trukks, a BattleWagon and dread mob. It was Capture & Control with Dawn of War.

GKs held most in reserve.
PAGKS in Razorback came in turn 2 and moved to boys flank. 1 squad got tarpitted with boys, the other fought thru boys to take objective 1.
unknown unit had HQ attached, spent game trading shots with dread mob until TAGKS arrived to help.
TAGKs TP in turn 4 and later assaulted Dread mob. 4 standing at end of game.
The StormRaven took out one trukk turn 3 and the bw turn 5. Dread and HQ w retinue arrived in it and assaulted Nob mob. wiping it out in 1 round. then started after other boys.

It was reported as a pretty one sided battle. GKs nearly unassailable. GK win with 1 objective and second contested in turn 6. supposedly orks were close to 4:1 outnumbering GKs


Models:

The box sets should all be plastic.

The GK models are ornate.

The biggest issue you'll find with the TAs is scale. The new plastics are in scale with the other TA models. The metals are old scale sized. Its a noticable difference.

But even the AA marines look "bigger", though not to such a great extent, to me.

Once painted, the new models have better depth of detail IMO. And more small details not present in the metals. This is in both TA and AA. The best examples to look at are the Blood Angel plastics to understand how much detail can be crammed onto a figure, but still look good.

Plastics:

Storm Raven. obvious choice. Options for BA, GK and ??? (note, other sources say that a BA second wave containing storm raven and librarian/furioso dread are slated for a separate January release) I've had personal conversations with direct individuals, which would surprise me if the SR model was not a keystone of this release. I've personally seen a few mockups of the SR from the modelling teams, many more from the art team. I know what the final selected design is. It looks better than I imagined.

TA knights: 5 pack, Paladin upgrades, squad upgrades. Psycannon, NFW, SSTH, banner? Supposed options for all will be on sprue. Plus NFW will NOT all be halberds. But the exact nature of them was not revealed to me. If this pans out we could see a lot of weapon options in the sprue...a lot more than would be used. Assault Cannon, PsyCannon, Incinerator, SS, TH, NFWs, Cyclone launchers...seems like a lot to jam in, but if we look at SW and BA boxes those were loaded with bits. The GK TA sprues:

5 legs
6 torsos
8 heads
6 nfw
5 SB
unknown # Special Weapons (includeing SS), but if above holds it could be 6+
GK TA back banner
6-8 shoulder shields
12 shoulder pads
~12 upgrade bits (books, scrolls, crux terminus, etc.)
8 arm sets (sounds like the arms have no hands, similar to sanguinary guard)
4 hands (right/left?)
more?

PA knights: 10 pack, justicar upgrades, squad upgrades, extra bits. NFW, psycannon, incinerator, banner?

walker: There have been some rumors of a GK driven walker. I have not personally seen this in any incarnation. However, there is a boxed walker of some type. I suspect this is a dreadnaught box set that will also have bits for BA. (see above) I've seen other people posting rumors of a penitent engine style walker, with a PAGK driver...I have absolutely no confirmation of such a beast. However, if GW wanted to avoid the cries of "GK dont have Dreads, it isnt fluffy" that could be a way...

Tank: I have not seen mention of a GK troop transport. Rhino based with psycannon options has been in some PT. I list this as possible, but unlikely, 4 box sets of this size are about par for a release, 5 would be a surprise.

Blisters:

New Stern

New Chaplain?

Justicar upgrade character

Paladin upgrade character

Inquisition character

2 other blisters unknown contents

Other:

Later release of GK themed terrain set? Concepts are out and some "preview" shots are floating around if you hunt. Nothing more I can say on this.

Tactics: Reserve Denial

So at the Wasteland Wars 7 Tournament back in August I used a tactic called Reserves Denial for 4 out of the 5 games I played. It's a tactic a picked up a little from reading the internet and a little from playing against my good friend who was using his Drop Pods to take out make tanks before I ever got to begin my turn.

The point of Reserves Denial is to deny your opponent a turn or two of shooting. The way this works is much like the way going second in Dawn of War works. Player one is on the board, and has their entire army. Then you either have your 1 HQ and 2 Troops, or you leave them all off the board. Player one's turn then consists of moving his units, and if nothing is on the board he then losing out on a shooting phase. Leaving you the chance to come back and shoot after you come onto the board during your turn.

This tactic favors the Eldar quite a bit, as it allows their weaker units the chance to attack before they are shot at and destroyed. It also gives them a chance to either turbo boost or move flat out to get those cover saves in games with very little terrain.

The main issue with Reserves Denial is that it can leave you open for some bad rolling when it's time to bring your units onto the table. I've had a couple games where my units dribbled onto the game board leaving me wide open to taken out piece by piece.

Advantages:
- If you're not on the board, you can't die.
- If you go second, you deny your opponent 2 turns of damage against you.
- Creates a great Alpha Stike ability for your army.
- Lets you react to your opponents deployment and movement.

Disadvantages:
- Creates a chance for your forces to come in sparactically.
- Gives you less time to destroy your opponent/complete objectives.

There are three armies that can really take advantage of Reserves Denial by minimizes the disadvantages. The Eldar, Space Marines and Imperial Guard all have ways to increase the chances of your units coming on the board from reserves.

Eldar: They have the Auctarch, with the master Strategist Ability which allows you to add 1 to your rolls for reserves. Eldar also have the benefit of taking two which allows you the ability to add plus 2 to your reserves. So what are the odds of your men coming in?

Normal: Turn 2 - 50% Turn 3 - 67% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically
1 Autarch: Turn 2 - 67% Turn 83% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically
2 Autarchs: Turn 2 - 83% Turn 3 - 83% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically

You might be wondering why it caps out at 83%, this is because a roll of a 1 always fails, and you always have a 1 in 6 chance of rolling a 1. But with 2 Autarchs you should be very confident in getting 80% of your forces on the board.

Space Marines: Have Varro Tigurius, the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines and a Special Character. He has the ability, Gift of Presence, which allows you to re-roll any reserve rolls. His ability actually gives you a chance to re-roll that 1 on the dice, and will also allow you to re-roll passed rolls if you have something you want to stay in reserves. So what are the benefits of his re-roll?

Normal: Turn 2 - 50% Turn 3 - 67% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically
Re-roll: Turn 2 - 75% Turn 3 - 89% Turn 4 - 97% Turn 5 - Automatically

Imperial Guard: Under the Regimental Advisors there is the Astropath. He has the Telepathic Relay that works exactly the same way as the Eldar Autaurch, along with a bonus of allowing you to re-roll your outflank rolls (wish the Autarch could do that). I've not yet seen any IG players do Reserve Denial because it's usually players pulling this tactic against them, but it could open up some possibilities of an outflanking army or something else if you're not playing the normal Gunline IG. Here's your odds.

Normal: Turn 2 - 50% Turn 3 - 67% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically
1 Autarch: Turn 2 - 67% Turn 83% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically
2 Autarchs: Turn 2 - 83% Turn 3 - 83% Turn 4 - 83% Turn 5 - Automatically

While people may not always find it fun playing against the Reserve Denial List, it's a great way to counter the Alpha Strike or Leaf Blower list that wipes you off the board Turn 1.

Eldar: Army Overview

Models:
*Plastic to Metal ratio, Eldar have slowly been updated through out the years to plastics, these include the basic troops, vehicles, and jetbikes. All Aspect warriors HQs and Specialists will still be in metal.

*How old the current models are, Many of the current models have been updated in the Last 5 years, with Weapon Support Platforms and the New Plastic Fireprism/NightSpinner coming out in 2010.

*Anything new coming out soon, as of right now there is no News of new stuff.

*Large back catalogue of Classic/OOP models? GW does not carry any of the older models, but they are still floating around on the internet, and for relatively cheap prices.

*Fun/easy to paint, many schemes available to choose from? Eldar have quite a few different army theme, with many different painting styles and color combinations. The models are about middle diffuclty to paint, but they lend themselves to very nice detailing such as stones, and the like.

*How many models in an average army of 1,500-2,000 points, Most armies will consist of about 45-65 models. Slightly more if you use less transports and bikes and concentrate on Guardian Defenders as your troops choice.

*Costs in £/$ in collecting the average army, relatively cheap or expensive when compared to other armies, The average starting army for Eldar will run you about $500. This will include a little variety in HQ and supporting options. Because of the amount of metal that is needed to field the more specialized side of eldar, this list will probably run a little above average when it comes to other armies.

Background:
*Small summary of the race's history, The Eldar are one of the most ancient of races. They are very technologically advanced and known for their speed and psychic powers. However at the apex of their civilization the Eldar were dominated by lusts and sensations at which point their emotions became so extreme the Chaos god known as Slanesh was created, in this event the Eldar race was almost utterly destroyed. Those that saw it coming, went to live on giant Craft Worlds, cities in space. The others that were caught in the wake of destruction and survived went to live in the warp, and are now known as Dark Eldar.

*How do they get on with other races, The Eldar feel very much like High Elves in space. They feel very much above the other races and only deal with them when there is danger to their race.

Play Style:
*General playing style, the Eldar are known for being fast and specialized. Each Eldar unit plays a critical role in doing one thing. If you're looking for versatility, that's not the Eldar. They have units specialized in CC, units specialized in Tank Hunting, etc. The current meta and play style of Eldar requires them to almost take a fully mechanized army as they have low armor values and must survive to do their jobs.

*Themed army list types, there are a couple of themes, which can be seen in the Codex's Craftworlds.

Biel-Tan - Takes mostly aspect warriors (the specialists) which are mostly elite choices, these lists will usually contain 2 units of Fire Dragons for Tank Hunting, 1 CC Unit (Banshees or Striking Scorpions) and then Units of Dire Avengers for Troops choices. All fielding in Wave Serpents, with either Falcons or Fire Prisms for Heavy Support. These lists are very specialized and usually leave the smallest room for error.

Saim-Hann - Are the fully mobile lists, usually consisting of a Farseer Council on Jetbikes with an Autaurch as the Death Star Unit. Then units of Eldar Jetbikes for Troops Choices and Vypers for Fast Attack support. This army is very fast and mobile.

Iyanden - This list is the Toughest (Toughness and Armor Wise) It usually contains 2 units of 10 Man Wraithguard so you can take them as Troops, at T6 they become hard to take down. There is usually 2 Farseers, or 1 Farseer and Eldrad there to Fortune and Doom. And then 3 Wraithlords for Support.

Ulthwe - Are the masters of Psychic powers, back in 3rd ed they were the first to let you take Seercouncils. They are usually very low on aspect warriors and use Guardians as Troops. They've taken a hit with 5th ed as Mobility is now a key factor, and Guardians are not usually worth the points you spend on them.

Alaitoc - Is one of my favorites fluff wise, they are known for stealth making use of the Pathfinders and Rangers found in the codex to snipe off enemies. They will usually have a low Aspect model count and rely on the Guardians for numbers.

*Competitive list types, - All of the current competitive lists are very heavy mechanized. Usually consisting of Dire Avengers in Wave Serpents as Troops Choices or Eldar Jet Bikes. They will almost always contain 2 units of Fire Dragons for reliable anti-tank, and will have a Farseer to buff their units. The rest of the points then go into filler units that help you play to your play style.

*Current tournament standings, Eldar have started to slide in the tournament brackets because of the large amount of anti-tank now hitting the tables. They have a hard time balancing a list that can both go against MEQ units and Hoards. You will usually see one in the top 10 at large tournaments but not much more then that until they are able to find a way to deal with Leafblower IG Lists.

Misc:
*How popular is the army, The Eldar have been a favorite of many since they've been around. They were one of the original races and large following of players who enjoy them.

*When was the book released, The current Eldar Codex was released in November 2006, making it one of the older 4th Edition books, just above Tau and Black Templars.

*When is the next one due if known, it's not known when the next one will be due, but some rumors have said Late 2011, or 1st Quarter 2012.

*Any race specific forums, I've not found any Eldar Forums, if you find one let me know and I'll update.

***If you find any information on here outdated or inaccurate please let me know so that I can update, thanks***

Dark Eldar Advanced Orders begins Today

The Dark Eldar are now ready to be purchased. Advanced Orders are up on the Games-Workshop site. And boy do they look good!

The Warhammer 40k Army Overview Project

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be starting a new project for my blog. The 40k Army Overview. Warseer has one for Fantasy and it's a great place to look for a general idea of how each army plays, what it's made up of, it's style and so on.

I'll be starting with an Eldar overview as that is the army I'm most familiar with. But what I'd like from everyone else is for your help in gathering information and assembling it into one place so that those new to the game can have a place to go to for army information.

So here's what I'm looking for.

Models:
*Plastic to Metal ratio,
*How old the current models are,
*Anything new coming out soon,
*Large back catalogue of Classic/OOP models?
*Fun/easy to paint, many schemes available to choose from?
*How many models in an average army of 1,500-2,000 points,
*Costs in £/$ in collecting the average army, relatively cheap or expensive when compared to other armies,

Background:
*Small summary of the race's history,
*How do they get on with other races,

Play Style:
*General playing style,
*Themed army list types,
*Competitive list types,
*Current tournament standings,

Misc:
*How popular is the army,
*When was the book released,
*When is the next one due if known,
*Any race specific forums,

So if you'd like to help out with gather information about an Army or even multiple Armies, just send me an email at thewraithgate@gmail.com and I'll start consolidating everything into a nice document for each army so that we can help out the new players.

-CKR

1,500 pts of Eldar

So over the last couple of months I've played in a couple of tournaments and ended up getting Best Overall in the Hobby Town Championships, and Best General over at Wasteland Wars 7 in Lubbock. So now it's time to share some of what I've learned.

First off, ignore all internet chatter, people have no idea what they're talking about (including me lol) some of what people say works, some doesn't. It's all about finding what fits your play style, and the meta game in your area.

But here's the list I used to win the Hobby Town Championship.

-=HQ=-
Farseer
Runes of Warding, Runes of Witnessing, Guide

-=Elites=-
Fire Dragons x7
Wave Serpent, Spirit Stones, Shuriken Cannon, TL Shuriken Cannon

Fire Dragons x6
Wave Serpent, Spirit Stones, Shuriken Cannon, TL Shuriken Cannon

-=Troops=-
Guardian Jetbikes x6
2 Shuriken Cannons
Warlock, Embolden

Guardian Jetbikes x3

Guardian Jetbikes x3

Dire Avengers x5

-=Fast Attack=-
Warp Spiders x7
Warp Spider Exarch, Dual Death Spinners, Powerblades

-=Heavy Support=-
War Walkers x3
All with Scatter Lasers

Falcon
Holo-Fields, Spirit Stones, Scatter Laser

Total - 1,500 Pts


So just a brief summary of how this army works. The Farseer and the Dire Avengers try to sit there happy butts in the Falcon the entire game. The Seer will either guide the Falcon or the War Walkers, depending on if he's close enough to the Walkers, or if I really need that Str 8 Pulse Laser Shot for popping a transport.

The two small Jetbike squads will start in reserves 95% of the time. Unless it's not objective based and I want the extra shots. But they are there to harass objects towards the end game, and thus must stay off the board to keep from getting killed.

The Dragons of course, are there to take out the biggest baddest thing on the board, they are my demoralizing unit. People seem to start to crumble when their Landraider perishes, and have a hard time pulling things back together. They usually help me win just by putting emotional strain on my opponent.

Then there are the Warp Spiders, these guys are the wild card. No one ever sees them on them board, and I've been falling in love with them over the last couple tournies. The sure weight of firepower is enormous, and wounding almost everything in the game on a 2+ just helps so much. Just remember to always jump back out of assault range :)

So that's my happy little 1,500 list. I'll probably post my Wasteland Wars on here in a couple days.

-CKR

Dark Eldar Teaser Video

Coming this November!

New Dark Eldar Picture Collection

Hey guys,

So I did a little scouring of the internet today and yesterday with the big release of the Dark Eldar, and found quite a few new pictures that people had been taking while at Games Day. Here's an Image dump of them.

Enjoy!

The Dark Eldar Announced

So GW just officially announced Dark Eldar, and sent out some images of the new models. They look quite nasty, and quite frankly I'm jealous that they got the new Jetbike model before us craftworlders did.


It looks like I might have to get my hands on some of these new jetbikes when they come out and do some conversion work, because they are just sick.



And if I could find a use for these guys, I would have them in a heartbeat. Look at that sword. It is just freaking awesome. I could post up some more pics, but they'll be floating around GWs site soon enough. Enjoy :)

What are the Eldar?

Once again there was a wish listing thread on Warseer. I know it's not uncommon, actually almost a weekly occurrence for one codex to start wish listing until it cycles over again. But the main problem with the Eldar wish listing thread was the need to find out how you want your Eldar to play, or how are they expected to play.

From the fluff of the most recent codex, the Eldar are small in numbers, but an elite group. Each unit specializing in the dismantlement of different parts of an enemies army. The Eldar themselves are much more advanced physiologically then humans, with heart rates twice that of a normal human, their mind processes with baffling speeds, and they can physically move almost faster then a human can see.

What we don't want is a generalized Space Marine army, where everything can do everything. Each unit should have more or less a specific task, do it very well, and maybe be able to do something else, but not to any great degree.

To start figuring out what the Eldar are, we should start by looking at the design of the Guardian. As this should be the most abundant unit in the army, seeing as how they make up almost the entire Troops selection.

What we're looking for.
1. Small in Number
2. Specialized in their role
3. Advanced Race
4. Dying Race
5. Technologically advanced Race

To satisfy 3 and 4 I suggest to create new Eldar Special Army Rules. As of now they actually have no special rules. Fleet was given to everyone as Run, and Fleet was actually handed out to quite a few groups.

So other then Fleet being there as a Mainstay freebie I recommend adding a rule called Eldar Agility.

Eldar Agility - The Superior Mental and Physical Prowness of the Eldar shines in everything they do. To represent their speed all eldar with this ability have +1 to cover saves at all times (so in open terrain this would be a 6+ cover save). All Eldar with this ability roll 3d6 for difficult terrain and run checks and take the highest result. In close combat, opponents can never have better then a 4+ to hit an Eldar Model with this ability as their shear speed allows them duck and weave in combat.

To satisfy number 4 we need to look at the fact that they are a dying race. The Eldar do not just go out and fight battles on a whim. They are very tactical, and every battle must be fought to be won, or the entire race may be lost.

Eldar Last Stand - All Eldar units with this ability may always attempt to regroup.

This should satisfy both 3 and 4 and help Eldar to feel more like the race they are portrayed to be.

Now let's move on and take a look at the Guardian, the back bone to the Eldar army. There are quite a few things that are wrong with the guardian if we are to consider those 6 simple rules for making Eldar. First, they are not small in numbers, 10-20 is bordering on Ork levels. Eldar are quite frankly, not Green Skins, and never will be. So first thing is we should limit Guardians to 5-10.

Secondly, Guardians do not represent a dying race, or the fact that they are specially trained to defend their craft worlds. Most people say they are just a militia, but remember militias defeated the Elite British in the Revolutionary War. Not to mention these militia are super humans in prowess and have survived for centuries. Not to mention, a technologically advanced race does not send it's troops out wearing paper bags. I believe upgrading the BS to 4, and armor to 4+ will help satisfy being part of a dying race, and the Eldar physical ability, mental ability, and training.

Now lets talk about Technology, especially technology for defenders. Everyone knows you do not defend a place with pistols when everyone is shooting at you with rifles. The key to defense is range, and 12" allows one volley of fire before you're knee deep in your own guts from the bayonet the 18 year old human was holding. To fix this, it's imperative we give Eldar Guardians a 24" gun. This allows a minimum of 2 volleys, and possibly 3. Now lets look at the gun itself. It's a Shurikan weapon, and fluff wise it basically slices through anything. Now I'm not advocating AP4, but I think AP5 with re-roll passed saves would represent this weapon very nicely.

Let's take a look at what we have.

______WS BS| S | T| W| I | A LD Sv
Guardian 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4+
Defender

Special Rules
Fleet, Eldar Agilty, Last Stand

Weapons
Shurikan Catapult - 24" range, Str4, AP5, Assault 2, Re-roll Passed Saves
1 Weapon Platform per 5 men
Defensive Grenades, Haywire Grenades

Now how much should these new warriors costs? I think the closest comparisons to these men are Sisters of Battle, Space Marine Scouts, and Imperial Guard Vets

For BS 4 armor 4+ vets, it's 10 points a model, with a Seargent and grenades
For WS 4, BS 4, Shield of Faith, and Act of Faith 3+ Sisters it's 11 points a model
For Str 4, T 4, ATSKNF, Scout, Infiltrate, Move through Cover, grenades Scouts it's 13 points a model

I think 11 Points a model would be about appropriate for the new stats on the Guardian Defenders. Sure it's about 3 points more a model then before, but they'd actually be worth taking, and would feel much more like Eldar then they do now.

Let me know what you guys think.

-CKR

Strength 6 the new 10

Firstly, why oh why don't my Warp Spiders look like that!?!

Ok, moving on. I've recently discovered the secrets of Str 6 weapons. I know what you're thinking, but yes, there is a secret behind them.

In a recent tournament down in Lubbock I tested a new list. I know it's odd to test at a tournament, but school doesn't allow much free play anymore. But moving on, the list contained 1 Str 8 Weapon other then Fusion Guns. And 30 Str 6 weapons, or 80 Str 6 Shots.

Now why is this impressive. Well for starters Str 6 weapons are usually very cheap, and secondly they wound 95% of the models in the game on a 2+. That means for most eldar it's going to be a 4+ to hit then 2+ to wound. Now I don't know about most people but those odds are much more in my favor then normal.

Now lets do some quick math, 80 shots, at BS3 40 hits, 34 wounds, and 11 Dead Marines. I know that doesn't sound very impressive, but being able to take out a tactical marine squad a turn doesn't hurt.

Not only that, but Str 6 will harm almost every transport vehicle out there. I'm actually considering loading up on another 24 shots, which will make quite a few people mad, I already know that.

So bear in mind, Str 6 is great for everything, even Nids as you'll be wounding those Big Guys on 4+s instead of 6+s.

Lizardmen Saurus Proof of Concept

Hey there everyone. So I put aside my school stuff for a couple of hours today because I really really wanted to at least start on something for my Lizardmen army because they had all been sitting in boxes.

So I pulled out a Saurus Warrior, and a Zulu model I had ordered about a month ago, and began working on a proof of concept for these guys to even see if what I was wanting to do would work. Well here is the progress so far. I'm also thinking about taking the backs of the Saurus and having them act like skins for the guy, or picking up some Dark Elf Corsair Capes and doing that. I mean they do all have scaly skin :)

So let me know what you guys think.

Enter the Lizards

So after a couple months of little to no posting I'm going to try to get back on top of things. I've got a couple projects that will be starting up soon, and the first one, and the longest one will be my new Lizardmen Army.


Yes, that's right. The dreaded cold-blooded lizards of Lustria. I picked up their codex a couple of months ago. And after winning the North Texas Champions ships I had a nice pile of loot that I used to get started on the models. Which are unfortunately slightly unwrapped and sitting in the closet at the moment.

But no worries, because I've got an incentive to work on them, but before I do so. I wanted to run my idea by you guys and see what your opinions were. Before making my through the entire codex and fluff, I was thinking that would be really cool to have say jungle men, think Mayan or Aztecs wearing lizard skins being led by a Slann and riding the jungle beasts. The Saurus would be full sized men, and the skinks would be pygmies.

Then I read on some more, and found a reference of Lord Chuqa-xi from the City of the Moon (pg29 Lizdex) actually lobotomizing invaders and using them and using them in his army.

Then on pg42 Lord Ulha'up has actually left the Lizardmen Kingdom to spread the word of the Old Ones. I was thinking that it would be neat to have say followers from the different kingdoms (empire, dwarf, elves) wearing lizard suits following him around and being his army. Note it's referenced that Lord Ulha'up had gone quite mad.

So what do you guys think, would and army of converted men wearing Lizard Armor (Skulls and backs) work or am I just out of my mind?

Warhammer 8th Ed: First Impressions

A couple weeks ago I won a tournament over at Hobby Town Dallas and made my way into the finals. But with my winnings I went ahead and picked up the new 8th Ed Warhammer Fantasy book.

After reading through all of the basic rules and advanced rules I've got to say I'm very impressed with the new system, and might well be breaking into it and sharing my time with it and 40k.

You might be wondering what draws me to the new Warhammer systems, so here it goes.

1. There are no Space Marines - 40k is based around the world of the Imperium and that Imperium is filled with a small elite group of Space Marines, a group that shares about 50% of the table space if not more. When reading the through the Fantasy book there did not appear to be one particular army that was the starter army, or the army to get. Which means there should be more variety in play.

2. Modifiers - oh wow, how awesome is it that there are things can go up and down, and it's not so black and white. I like the idea of Str making it easier to punch through armor, then AP values. It never really made sense how you could have a str 6-7 thing that could just be shrugged off.

3. Magic - seems to be a lot more involved then psychic powers in 40k. The complexity and availability of it seems very fun. I've always been a fan of magic, and can't wait to get a game in and see how it really works out. But I wanting to hurl some fireballs across the table ;)

4. Leadership mattering - in 40k LD is so hit and miss, especially with half the units I face being fearless. I can't wait to play a game where your LD actually comes into play. And the fact that other can run because one of your other units ran will be quite interesting hehe.

5. No eternal warrior, no InstaKill - those two things have been pretty annoying in 40k. The fact that some things can take a Deathstrike missile to the face and survive, or fly through a burning sun and come out the other end with only a wound. Well that doesn't exist anymore, and I like it.

6. Just playing something different - Every once in a while you need something different, and I had always though that Fantasy was just 40k but with rank troops, and it really isn't that at all, the only thing that's the same is to hit charts and that's it, even the wound chart is now different, although I'm not sure about always being able to wound, but we'll see.

So those are my first impressions. I'm hoping to get a game in at TGR tonight with the store's army and see how it plays. If it's as fun as I'm thinking it is I'll have to start narrowing down what army to start up.

-CKR

Astro Day02 Pics and Results

Ok let me just say that this was the best tournament I've played in so Far. I had more fun in this one and ever single person that I played with was a blast. There was no arguing over rules or missions objectives or any BS like that. It felt very much like let's get a bunch of guys together, have a bunch of fun games, and oh yeah... it's a tourney to in the end so we'll hand out some prizes.

I just want to say thanks to the Astro Guys for making it down here and sharing this experience with the Dallas area. Word has it, it's the first time they've ever broke even on a new venue on the first run so I'm sure we'll be seeing them again next year.

Also thanks to all of my opponents who were all AWESOME, it was a blast to play against you guys.


So I'm just going to go out of order a little, it's my blog, and I was more surprised then anyone else when I got the Best Appearance award. Wow, that had been my goal, when I built the army over the past month, but when I got there and saw the other armies on the table I didn't think I'd make it. So thanks to everyone who helped me out with bits and models and the like to get this all done in time.

I also placed in many other areas, and got Third Overall, so if Chris ends up Reffing the GT in Vegas next year I'll be saving up my money to go in his place :)

Ok, so First Place overall was Clay Smith, I played him in the 4th round and we drew the game, lol... we joked after the award ceremony that if I could've rolled a 6 out of 4 rounds of combat we would've swapped awards. But he was an awesome guy to play with, and his army was even more incredible.

Chris Allen got the much deserved Best Sportsmanship Award. He played marines during the tournament, and the 3 years I've known him, this is the first time I've seen him roll dice, maybe next time we'll get to face off ;)

Best General: Went to Ray Nerpel, who I somehow didn't get a single picture of. Sorry Ray!

Best Army went to Billy Pistole, it was incredible looking, all his vehicles were made from plastic card. WOW!

Best Terrain went to Dave Pa, his multi layer factory on lava was a fun game to play and really made you think different. Great stuff!

Best Army list went to Kyle Foster, I didn't have a chance to see it, but I heard it was great.

Best single Mini went to Nam, this guys was awesome.

So enough with awards, here's a couple shots from the games that I played, and then you can also click HERE for many more photos of the event.

Above, Interrogator Harker and his squad block off the boyz from coming through the door.

Inquisitor Seth takes on a Nob Biker through 6 rounds of combat, and finally is slain before his could bring his power weapon down on his head.

The rouge Baneblade fires on the Inquisitorial Forces killing some of Harker's Squad.

The mighty Grey Knight terminators get ready to fight a Wraith Lord.

The Grey Knights run after a Vindicator after it has killed two of their brothers.

Last chance for the 'Betraying' Black Templars to storm the landing deck and capture the pilot before he flies away.