Showing posts with label Warhammer 40k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warhammer 40k. Show all posts
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
My Nurgle and Khorne Armies
Just wanted to spend some time showing off my 2 armies. Obviously the Khorne army is still a work in progress, and the Nurgle army still has work that needs to be done, but it's on its way to being completed.
Here is the Khorne army. It's still missing 2 rhinos and Kharn.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Speed Painting Tau - Stealth Suit Urban Style
So this is what I've been working on the past few days. Painting plus video rendering.
Inspired by the Space Wolves release, I decided to try out an urban Tau theme. My goal with the Sniper suit was to merge the space wolf base color and combine it with a dirty, urban theme. The model here is supposed to look as if he fits with the base, hence the reason they are the same basic color. I also wanted a muted theme.
Urban environments in the 40k world, I imagine, are rather dirty, so I wanted to give this Sniper suit the appearance of having been walking through ruins, but still give a very Tau-clean look to it. At the same time, I was hoping the highlight color (the white) was still a muted white, so it would stand out, but not look out of place.
Finally, the gun itself is my take on the weapon. I imagine that the barrel of the weapon spins rather fast when firing, so I figure the metal is worn in a circular pattern. That's the reason for the attempt the blending and highlighting like I did. I'm actually rather proud of it, because when it's lit with my desk lamps, it looks natural.
Finally, this was yet another attempt at blending, which I really want to keep practicing. I'm very proud with the blending jobs I did here. Both the helmet and the gun turned out how I wanted. I still have a long way to go before I'm comfortable with blending, but overall, I think I'm on the right track.
If you enjoy my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I don't always post my videos here.
Inspired by the Space Wolves release, I decided to try out an urban Tau theme. My goal with the Sniper suit was to merge the space wolf base color and combine it with a dirty, urban theme. The model here is supposed to look as if he fits with the base, hence the reason they are the same basic color. I also wanted a muted theme.
Urban environments in the 40k world, I imagine, are rather dirty, so I wanted to give this Sniper suit the appearance of having been walking through ruins, but still give a very Tau-clean look to it. At the same time, I was hoping the highlight color (the white) was still a muted white, so it would stand out, but not look out of place.
Finally, the gun itself is my take on the weapon. I imagine that the barrel of the weapon spins rather fast when firing, so I figure the metal is worn in a circular pattern. That's the reason for the attempt the blending and highlighting like I did. I'm actually rather proud of it, because when it's lit with my desk lamps, it looks natural.
Finally, this was yet another attempt at blending, which I really want to keep practicing. I'm very proud with the blending jobs I did here. Both the helmet and the gun turned out how I wanted. I still have a long way to go before I'm comfortable with blending, but overall, I think I'm on the right track.
If you enjoy my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I don't always post my videos here.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Space Wolves
Will die.
It's really as simple as that. They are almost here. They have been studied. I have found them wanting.
My goal? Build up a themed Khorne list and trounce them. Oh, don't get me wrong, the Space Wolves get some new love, they have an awesome theme, get new models, and they aren't the same as other Space Marines out there. But with all that, they aren't an unstoppable wrecking force.
Space wolves will do well because they are brand spanking new marines that aren't normal Space Marines. They are a different style of play. They have new tricks, and time will tell which ones are really worth it, but I'm not worried. They aren't game breakers. Good generals will still be good generals. Space Wolves aren't an "I Win" button. I'd go further and say that for players lacking skill, Space Marines will still suit them far more than Space Wolves will. The Space Wolves aren't generalists like Space Marines. This means you have to take advantage of the Space Wolves strengths. You can't rely on the Space Marines default abilities doing the work for you.
So, what do I expect you'll see? People jumping onto the new Marine codex using their current marine armies. They'll do this for one of two reasons. They are losing a lot, or they actually prefer the style of the Wolves. The latter will be greatly outnumbered by the former. The former will die, and die a lot.
That being said, GW should put out a bits kit of just wolf capes. I'd love to throw them on the backs of my berserkers to represent all the puppies they killed.
It's really as simple as that. They are almost here. They have been studied. I have found them wanting.
My goal? Build up a themed Khorne list and trounce them. Oh, don't get me wrong, the Space Wolves get some new love, they have an awesome theme, get new models, and they aren't the same as other Space Marines out there. But with all that, they aren't an unstoppable wrecking force.
Space wolves will do well because they are brand spanking new marines that aren't normal Space Marines. They are a different style of play. They have new tricks, and time will tell which ones are really worth it, but I'm not worried. They aren't game breakers. Good generals will still be good generals. Space Wolves aren't an "I Win" button. I'd go further and say that for players lacking skill, Space Marines will still suit them far more than Space Wolves will. The Space Wolves aren't generalists like Space Marines. This means you have to take advantage of the Space Wolves strengths. You can't rely on the Space Marines default abilities doing the work for you.
So, what do I expect you'll see? People jumping onto the new Marine codex using their current marine armies. They'll do this for one of two reasons. They are losing a lot, or they actually prefer the style of the Wolves. The latter will be greatly outnumbered by the former. The former will die, and die a lot.
That being said, GW should put out a bits kit of just wolf capes. I'd love to throw them on the backs of my berserkers to represent all the puppies they killed.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Custom Content v.s. By the Book
For your average role player, coming up with home brewed content is as commons as coffee in the morning. That is to say, so common that you can't imagine role playing without it. So why is it in the world of 40k custom content is so often frowned upon or at least avoided?
Most other war games don't suffer this fate either. They present rules but expect you to do what you will with them. Heck, even Games Workshop goes out of their way to say "Play how you want to play!" Even Gav Thorpe went out of his way and basically told everyone that they can do what they want, it's their game and if they want to do things a certain way, they can.
The problem is that so many people out there, myself included, get hit with this road block. The feeling that the community online and at clubs have built up that the rules are exactly that: rules. No, you cannot break the rules. It's wrong.
That's not to say we are wrong to think that way. After all, in a game where I want their to be an even army on either side of the table, I make the assumption that the point values are a certain value for a reason. A 15 point CSM is about right in the grand scheme of things. I'm under the assumption that GW has some sort of system they use, however basic, that tells them what point value to set things at. Why are CSM 15 points? A combination of things, I imagine. The squad size they are required to have, their stats, the type of unit they are, what weapons they can take and when they can take them. At 15 points, they seem right. But if I want to give my CSM Feel No Pain, how much is it worth then? Not 23. That's Plague Marines with a toughness of 5 and Blight Grenades with 1 less Initiative and limited weapon choice but can take more of them at smaller squad sizes.
The problem is, we don't know how they got their numbers, so we can only guess. That's important to us. Why? Simple. We want to create units that are fair. I want to build an army I want with my theme inside the 40k universe, but I'd like to know how.
Of course, I can just build units and call them one thing and use them as "counts-as" units. That's fine, I guess. But it only works so far. The play style is also different then what you would want. Do you want an entire army of Jump Packs? Can't, even if you might want to theme it that way. Oh sure, you can say "yeah, these Jump Packs only go 6 inches," but then that kinda ruins the feel when the opponents Jump Packs move 12", or your Jump Packs move 2 inches through difficult terrian.
You also have the problem of mission types. Now, the tournaments do this really well, I must say. The mission types they come up with are pretty interesting. But the default book is pretty bland, with a heavy emphasis on troops for objectives. Don't get me wrong, trying to emphasize the lowly troop is a good thing. It limits the people taking only the bare minimum of troops and leaving it at that, but they could have done so much more with the missions inside the main rule book.
So, where does this leave us? Tied to the hip to our favorite army's codex. For me, I enjoy the story behind the army, not the stats. But the story behind an army also features that armies style of warfare, and all too often, this isn't carried over into the game. So, if my codex doesn't allow me to play the army theme I want, it disappoints.
Now, let's be honest. I don't want my themed army to suck (unless of course that was the theme of the army). If the army I'm playing did well using this tactic in the story behind the rules, then it should work well on the table as well, or at least moderately so. Enough that I'm not feeling like I'm wasting my time.
Why is it like this for 40k? After all, D&D players come up with custom content all the time. We drown in it! Well, the answer isn't pretty simple. D&D players are generally playing together throughout a campaign and it's generally for the long haul. No one is really against anyone, and the rules are subject to change at the DM's whim. With 40k, you aren't playing that way. The game is designed around two people meeting up and wanting to play a war game. They may not know one another, or they might not play together often. They need a balancer, and those are the rules.
It's why you don't see a lot of custom cards in Magic.
Of course, their is also the tournament angle. Throw in any competitive aspect to a hobby and suddenly everything is very official. Look at WOW. As soon as battlegrounds and the honor system were put in, people started shouting if their classes weren't efficient in group PVP. Then you had Arenas, and people got even crazier with the number crunching. Suddenly it just wasn't good enough that you were close: every little number was calculated.
Seriously, Mathhammer has nothing on what the WOW freaks (of which I used to be one) would go through.
Of course, another reason D&D does so well in supporting custom content is that the game itself tells you how to make it! The game gives you countless monsters to throw at your character, but if that's not enough, you can make your own as well. It gives you the rules, or guidelines to creating them. The point is, when you are done creating your monster, you'll have a fairly good idea of it's relative power level to other monsters.
So, if WotC can pull that off, I can't help but wonder why GW hasn't done the same? I'm fairly confident that eventually they will come up with something like that. Of course, it will be limited in some ways so they can still sell an army codex, but at least they might come up with some guideline on how to create, manipulate, or otherwise alter existing units in a codex. That would at least give us a start.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you want to see user created content? Does codex legal mean anything to you? If someone came with a home brewed army, would you have an issue? Should tournaments support user created content? Let me know!
Most other war games don't suffer this fate either. They present rules but expect you to do what you will with them. Heck, even Games Workshop goes out of their way to say "Play how you want to play!" Even Gav Thorpe went out of his way and basically told everyone that they can do what they want, it's their game and if they want to do things a certain way, they can.
The problem is that so many people out there, myself included, get hit with this road block. The feeling that the community online and at clubs have built up that the rules are exactly that: rules. No, you cannot break the rules. It's wrong.
That's not to say we are wrong to think that way. After all, in a game where I want their to be an even army on either side of the table, I make the assumption that the point values are a certain value for a reason. A 15 point CSM is about right in the grand scheme of things. I'm under the assumption that GW has some sort of system they use, however basic, that tells them what point value to set things at. Why are CSM 15 points? A combination of things, I imagine. The squad size they are required to have, their stats, the type of unit they are, what weapons they can take and when they can take them. At 15 points, they seem right. But if I want to give my CSM Feel No Pain, how much is it worth then? Not 23. That's Plague Marines with a toughness of 5 and Blight Grenades with 1 less Initiative and limited weapon choice but can take more of them at smaller squad sizes.
The problem is, we don't know how they got their numbers, so we can only guess. That's important to us. Why? Simple. We want to create units that are fair. I want to build an army I want with my theme inside the 40k universe, but I'd like to know how.
Of course, I can just build units and call them one thing and use them as "counts-as" units. That's fine, I guess. But it only works so far. The play style is also different then what you would want. Do you want an entire army of Jump Packs? Can't, even if you might want to theme it that way. Oh sure, you can say "yeah, these Jump Packs only go 6 inches," but then that kinda ruins the feel when the opponents Jump Packs move 12", or your Jump Packs move 2 inches through difficult terrian.
You also have the problem of mission types. Now, the tournaments do this really well, I must say. The mission types they come up with are pretty interesting. But the default book is pretty bland, with a heavy emphasis on troops for objectives. Don't get me wrong, trying to emphasize the lowly troop is a good thing. It limits the people taking only the bare minimum of troops and leaving it at that, but they could have done so much more with the missions inside the main rule book.
So, where does this leave us? Tied to the hip to our favorite army's codex. For me, I enjoy the story behind the army, not the stats. But the story behind an army also features that armies style of warfare, and all too often, this isn't carried over into the game. So, if my codex doesn't allow me to play the army theme I want, it disappoints.
Now, let's be honest. I don't want my themed army to suck (unless of course that was the theme of the army). If the army I'm playing did well using this tactic in the story behind the rules, then it should work well on the table as well, or at least moderately so. Enough that I'm not feeling like I'm wasting my time.
Why is it like this for 40k? After all, D&D players come up with custom content all the time. We drown in it! Well, the answer isn't pretty simple. D&D players are generally playing together throughout a campaign and it's generally for the long haul. No one is really against anyone, and the rules are subject to change at the DM's whim. With 40k, you aren't playing that way. The game is designed around two people meeting up and wanting to play a war game. They may not know one another, or they might not play together often. They need a balancer, and those are the rules.
It's why you don't see a lot of custom cards in Magic.
Of course, their is also the tournament angle. Throw in any competitive aspect to a hobby and suddenly everything is very official. Look at WOW. As soon as battlegrounds and the honor system were put in, people started shouting if their classes weren't efficient in group PVP. Then you had Arenas, and people got even crazier with the number crunching. Suddenly it just wasn't good enough that you were close: every little number was calculated.
Seriously, Mathhammer has nothing on what the WOW freaks (of which I used to be one) would go through.
Of course, another reason D&D does so well in supporting custom content is that the game itself tells you how to make it! The game gives you countless monsters to throw at your character, but if that's not enough, you can make your own as well. It gives you the rules, or guidelines to creating them. The point is, when you are done creating your monster, you'll have a fairly good idea of it's relative power level to other monsters.
So, if WotC can pull that off, I can't help but wonder why GW hasn't done the same? I'm fairly confident that eventually they will come up with something like that. Of course, it will be limited in some ways so they can still sell an army codex, but at least they might come up with some guideline on how to create, manipulate, or otherwise alter existing units in a codex. That would at least give us a start.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you want to see user created content? Does codex legal mean anything to you? If someone came with a home brewed army, would you have an issue? Should tournaments support user created content? Let me know!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Small games are fun, two!
Recently read the article Small games are fun too over at Imperius Dominatus talking about smaller games being fun. I'd have to agree. Of course, the article was referring to games at 1000 points. If you look back through my posts, you'll see discussion of 500 point games. So I'd like to talk about this for a bit.
What I learned at 500 points
At 500 points, you don't have a lot of room, especially when playing CSM. You need your HQ and you need your troop choices, and that right there will eat up a large portion of your points. Even if you go with the minimum (1 Lord, 90, 2 CSM troops, 150, for 240), you've already used up almost half your points with no upgrades and debatable usefulness. In all the 500 point games I've played, I've had to build for both going against SM, Tyranid, and Ork armies. This meant having to build my small army for horde killing as well marine killing.
This isn't easy. You can't just load up a Rhino with 7 Plague Marines and 2 Meltas and be happy (216 points; 256 if you have a Champ with PF). Of course, you can leave off the Rhino as 500 point games are usually played on 4x4 boards, but even that is risky business. A Daemon Prince get's expensive really quick, and 3/5 saves are good up until you get jumped by a large mass of Orks. The shear numbers are on their side.
The point is, just like in larger games, every unit has to have a specific role. More importantly, every role must be self sufficient because you probably won't be able to double up. Finally, and most important, you still need to cover all the roles needed. You need close combat, you need anti-armor, you need everything you'd normally need at larger games to one degree or another.
For me, this meant clearly defining the rules of each squad as well as making the most out of each unit. This also meant being intelligent about deployment. A bad deployment will hurt you. With the small number of units you can take, every unit out of place can cost you. One unit dead is 1/4 your fighting force, generally, and that's a big blow at any level.
In my 500 point games, I found the following worked well for my CSM.
5 Noise Marines with Sonic Blasters: 125 points.
Role: Ranged anti-troop support. 15 shots at 24" with pinning is nothing scoff at. Even better is the 10 shots at 24" while moving. If you can get them into a position on the board with cover, they can provide support without moving, covering a large number of objectives and putting out a large amount of fire. 125 points is also reasonable for this type of fire power, considering that 8 CSM can only put out 8 shots at 24 inches while not moving, are not fearless, put out only 1 more shot while moving but only at 12 inches, and have 1 less initiative. So, for 5 more points, I felt like I got a lot more. Also, since they have longer range, and are fearless, I can keep the back away from the fighting holding a point. They'll still be useful, and will be out of close combat range.
5 CSM with AC w/PF and Flamer, Rhino w/TL Bolter and Dozer Blade: 165
This is my assault squad. The only scary part here is the non-fearless aspect of the group. I might drop the Dozer and the extra TL Bolter, but really, they are cheap for the added firepower and assured mobility. If there is only place where I have bad luck, it's dangerous terrain checks. They plague me like nothing else. But the Chaos Lord travels with the group. The Flamers give them the ability to help clear out hordes, and the PF help with armor killing should it be needed. Two TL Bolters on the Rhino also means it's got more weapons to fire. I mean, 5 more points for an extra TL bolter? Not bad. Easier to get in then a whole new SM at 15 points. Besides, in smaller games, you don't have as much anti-armor fire coming your way.
5 CSM with Melta: 85
Footslogging isn't always advised, but it's not bad. Remember, you are usually playing on a 4x4 board at 500 points. This means you don't have far to go. The melta is there for two reasons. The first is to provide a clear anti-armor ranged weapon. The other reason for the unit is to provide support for the troops in the Rhino. These marines will move in slower, of course, but not that much if they can afford to run the first turn. The unit is also small, meaning anyone firing at them is not firing at something else. Indeed, firing at my Melta squad is almost a waste. Again, morale might be an issue (and it was in one game for normal CSM), but these guys generally do their job well.
1 Chaos Lord w/PF and Combi-Flamer: 125
At this level, he's pretty strong. At 3 wounds, with a PF, and a Combi-Flamer, he's packing a punch. Coming in with the CSM squad in the Rhino, it's a fearsome force. Sure, he's no DP, but at a lower point value, he allows me to take more options in other areas.
This small force at 500 has the following:
In some ways, larger games can get easier. You can throw more and more on the table. You can take all the wicked combos with ease. With smaller games, you have less to work with. You can't just throw those same combos on the table without suffering. Each unit needs to be able to fill multiple roles. And you have to fill those multiple roles while still giving you a solid model count in case a squad get's torn through early because of failed armor saves.
What I learned at 500 points
At 500 points, you don't have a lot of room, especially when playing CSM. You need your HQ and you need your troop choices, and that right there will eat up a large portion of your points. Even if you go with the minimum (1 Lord, 90, 2 CSM troops, 150, for 240), you've already used up almost half your points with no upgrades and debatable usefulness. In all the 500 point games I've played, I've had to build for both going against SM, Tyranid, and Ork armies. This meant having to build my small army for horde killing as well marine killing.
This isn't easy. You can't just load up a Rhino with 7 Plague Marines and 2 Meltas and be happy (216 points; 256 if you have a Champ with PF). Of course, you can leave off the Rhino as 500 point games are usually played on 4x4 boards, but even that is risky business. A Daemon Prince get's expensive really quick, and 3/5 saves are good up until you get jumped by a large mass of Orks. The shear numbers are on their side.
The point is, just like in larger games, every unit has to have a specific role. More importantly, every role must be self sufficient because you probably won't be able to double up. Finally, and most important, you still need to cover all the roles needed. You need close combat, you need anti-armor, you need everything you'd normally need at larger games to one degree or another.
For me, this meant clearly defining the rules of each squad as well as making the most out of each unit. This also meant being intelligent about deployment. A bad deployment will hurt you. With the small number of units you can take, every unit out of place can cost you. One unit dead is 1/4 your fighting force, generally, and that's a big blow at any level.
In my 500 point games, I found the following worked well for my CSM.
5 Noise Marines with Sonic Blasters: 125 points.
Role: Ranged anti-troop support. 15 shots at 24" with pinning is nothing scoff at. Even better is the 10 shots at 24" while moving. If you can get them into a position on the board with cover, they can provide support without moving, covering a large number of objectives and putting out a large amount of fire. 125 points is also reasonable for this type of fire power, considering that 8 CSM can only put out 8 shots at 24 inches while not moving, are not fearless, put out only 1 more shot while moving but only at 12 inches, and have 1 less initiative. So, for 5 more points, I felt like I got a lot more. Also, since they have longer range, and are fearless, I can keep the back away from the fighting holding a point. They'll still be useful, and will be out of close combat range.
5 CSM with AC w/PF and Flamer, Rhino w/TL Bolter and Dozer Blade: 165
This is my assault squad. The only scary part here is the non-fearless aspect of the group. I might drop the Dozer and the extra TL Bolter, but really, they are cheap for the added firepower and assured mobility. If there is only place where I have bad luck, it's dangerous terrain checks. They plague me like nothing else. But the Chaos Lord travels with the group. The Flamers give them the ability to help clear out hordes, and the PF help with armor killing should it be needed. Two TL Bolters on the Rhino also means it's got more weapons to fire. I mean, 5 more points for an extra TL bolter? Not bad. Easier to get in then a whole new SM at 15 points. Besides, in smaller games, you don't have as much anti-armor fire coming your way.
5 CSM with Melta: 85
Footslogging isn't always advised, but it's not bad. Remember, you are usually playing on a 4x4 board at 500 points. This means you don't have far to go. The melta is there for two reasons. The first is to provide a clear anti-armor ranged weapon. The other reason for the unit is to provide support for the troops in the Rhino. These marines will move in slower, of course, but not that much if they can afford to run the first turn. The unit is also small, meaning anyone firing at them is not firing at something else. Indeed, firing at my Melta squad is almost a waste. Again, morale might be an issue (and it was in one game for normal CSM), but these guys generally do their job well.
1 Chaos Lord w/PF and Combi-Flamer: 125
At this level, he's pretty strong. At 3 wounds, with a PF, and a Combi-Flamer, he's packing a punch. Coming in with the CSM squad in the Rhino, it's a fearsome force. Sure, he's no DP, but at a lower point value, he allows me to take more options in other areas.
This small force at 500 has the following:
- 2 Power Fists
- 1 Melta
- 3 Anti-Armor weapons
- Long Ranged anti-troop support
- Mobility
- Template weapons for Hordes
- 3 Scoring Units
- Small Unit sizes for easier cover
In some ways, larger games can get easier. You can throw more and more on the table. You can take all the wicked combos with ease. With smaller games, you have less to work with. You can't just throw those same combos on the table without suffering. Each unit needs to be able to fill multiple roles. And you have to fill those multiple roles while still giving you a solid model count in case a squad get's torn through early because of failed armor saves.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Death Guard Warband Rules - Initial Thoughts
Death Guard Warband Rules
Version 0.1
Force List
No vehicles which aren’t classified as walkers can be taken.
HQ
Elite
Troops
Fast Attack
Heavy
Unit Changes
Each Infantry and Jump Infantry model gains the following at a cost of 3 points a model:
Plague Marines gain an additional bonus:
All infantry must pay this cost.
Chaos Space Marines and Plague Marines can only take squad sizes of 7. However, 7 is considered to be a squad size of 10 for obtaining additional weapons. This squad size includes the champion.
The only Icon a unit can take is a Personal Icon. Any unit that can take an Icon can also take a Personal Icon for 5 points.
Possessed Chaos Space Marines do not roll for their ability. Instead, they get the Scout ability.
Walkers cost 35 more points at the base. They get the following as default:
Walkers can also spend another 20 points and upgrade their Front and Side armor by 1.
All Monstrous Creatures cost 10 more points a model, but get the following:
Chaos Havoks gain the following:
All Chaos Sorcerer Lords are considered to have the Mark of Nurgle for the purposes of selecting powers.
Notes
The goal here is to follow the theme of the Death Guard and provide an army of walkers. They need to be able to weather the fire, so an increase in toughness and Feel No Pain abound. I'm still not sure about the point values and abilities. I'm also not sure Plague Marines are worth it over normal Chaos Space Marines. I'm also considered about the lack of speed. Maybe Plague Marines should get a bonus to movement? Maybe be able to move 1d6 inches in the assault phase instead of assaulting. This would symbolize their constant movement forward, as well as given them some additional speed. Coupled with Relentless, they might be worth the points over Chaos Space Marines.
I'll probably post this on Heresy Online after I've had some time to mull over it. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?
Version 0.1
Force List
No vehicles which aren’t classified as walkers can be taken.
HQ
- Typhus
- Chaos Lord/Terminator
- Chaos Lord Sorcerer/Terminator
- Daemon Prince in games 1500 or more points
- Summoned Greater Daemon
Elite
- Chosen Chaos Space Marines
- Chaos Terminators
- Chaos Dreadnought
- Possessed Chaos Space Marines
Troops
- Plague Marines
- Chaos Space Marines
- Summoned Lesser Daemons
Fast Attack
- Chaos Raptors
- Chaos Spawn
Heavy
- Chaos Havoks
- Obliterator Cult
- Chaos Defiler
Unit Changes
Each Infantry and Jump Infantry model gains the following at a cost of 3 points a model:
- Toughness 4 (5)
- Feel No Pain
Plague Marines gain an additional bonus:
- Relentless
All infantry must pay this cost.
Chaos Space Marines and Plague Marines can only take squad sizes of 7. However, 7 is considered to be a squad size of 10 for obtaining additional weapons. This squad size includes the champion.
The only Icon a unit can take is a Personal Icon. Any unit that can take an Icon can also take a Personal Icon for 5 points.
Possessed Chaos Space Marines do not roll for their ability. Instead, they get the Scout ability.
Walkers cost 35 more points at the base. They get the following as default:
- Extra Armor
- Venerable
Walkers can also spend another 20 points and upgrade their Front and Side armor by 1.
All Monstrous Creatures cost 10 more points a model, but get the following:
- +1 Toughness
- Feel No Pain
Chaos Havoks gain the following:
- Tank Hunters
All Chaos Sorcerer Lords are considered to have the Mark of Nurgle for the purposes of selecting powers.
Notes
The goal here is to follow the theme of the Death Guard and provide an army of walkers. They need to be able to weather the fire, so an increase in toughness and Feel No Pain abound. I'm still not sure about the point values and abilities. I'm also not sure Plague Marines are worth it over normal Chaos Space Marines. I'm also considered about the lack of speed. Maybe Plague Marines should get a bonus to movement? Maybe be able to move 1d6 inches in the assault phase instead of assaulting. This would symbolize their constant movement forward, as well as given them some additional speed. Coupled with Relentless, they might be worth the points over Chaos Space Marines.
I'll probably post this on Heresy Online after I've had some time to mull over it. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Battle Report - 1500 pt Nurgle v.s. SM
So, I took my list I built yesterday over to BD Cosmos and played against my friend Tommy's new Holwing Griffons army. I forgot my camera. I know. I suck. Here is the report.
It was Command and Control and Pitched Battle. We had actually rolled Dawn of War, but we'd played a bit to much DoW lately, so rerolled. I got to go first, and choose an objective on top of a nice little hill behind some solid cover. I setup my Obliterators and my Plasma squad there to hold the objective. To their left was a melta marine squad in a rhino. On my right was an empty Rhino, a Vindicator, 2 more oblits, and my DP. Right heavy because his objective was in the right corner. The Chosen were in reserve.
Let's start off with what worked. My Daemon Prince rocked! He took out a squad of 5 bikers, 2 dreadnoughts, and a squad of marines before being taken down by mass bolter and melta fire. He was the wrecking ball that cleared the right flank.
The Chosen Marines also did very well, though for reasons beyond what they were created for. They came in on turn 2, which was nice. They also were able to come in on the right flank, which is where the SM player had placed his objective. So, they came in and were basically right next to the objective, but since they couldn't take down the Dreadnought they were firing at, the next turn bad things happened. The SM marine squad came in and at point blank range destroyed the Rhino with a melta weapon. The Chosen were then assaulted by a Dreadnought and the 5 man marine squad.
The three units were stuck in combat until the 4th turn! The Chosen held out that long! They are, after all, Chosen. The Dreadnought did poorly, constantly missing, and I was making save after save. And considering we were so close to the edge of the board, the SM player wouldn't take the risk of combat tactics to get out of combat.
So, what else happened? The Vindicator lasted until turn 2. The SM had a Vindy as well, but theirs got blown up in Turn 1. The Vindy didn't do much except attract a lot of fire. This was as planned, and did well. It did stop a Rhino for a turn (this turned out to be a theme), but I question using a Bile Cannon as a firing magnet.
The Obliterators used their lascannons effectively While they didn't destroy as much as I'd hope, they did keep a lot of rhinos from moving, and that helped out a lot, slowing down the progression of the SM on my left flank. And the left flank was the weaker flank.
My marines on the left flank did surprisingly well, too. For such a small force, the obliterators provided ample covering fire. The marines were able to take out 2 Land Speeders. After the game, we decided that the Land Speeders were played wrong, as were the bikers, but even still, the marines did their job admirably. They didn't go down until the SM Librarian and squad got into close combat with them near the end of the game.
The big moment in the game was a blunder on my part. I over thought and forgot to include Combat Tactics. I fired at a 2 man SM squad wanting to only kill one. So, with 1 Melta firing, I killed one, and the lone marine fell back. I had intended to assault the remaining marine, giving me 4 more inches of movement, and then after killing him, get a consolidation move afterwards getting me close enough to the objective to hold or contest it.
Ahh, my failure. Granted, if the game had gone to a 6th round, I would have contested the objective, and most likely have held it long enough to win 1-0. We rolled a 1 though and the game ended at 5.
It was a great match, and I enjoyed the feel of the army. I still have a bit more to play around with.
There are however a few things I would change.
First, I want to lighten the load on the Chosen. Two meltas would be better. They are in a Rhino, and only 2 can fire out. Once they get out, they are foot sloggers, and foot slogging with meltas doesn't give you a lot of range. However, I would like to add a Combi-Melta to my Rhino. It gives me a bit more punch as I come on the board. Overall, I can come in firing with more for less. I'd also drop the Flamer, giving me 26 points to work with. Not sure where to use it. Maybe give my Chosen some Close Combat weapons for when they get assaulted.
Beyond that, I'm happy with the list. Now to test it out on a horde army.
Of course, I also have to plan out a 1750 list, 1850 list, and a 2000 point list. All based around this core. For the 1750 list I might cut out the Vindy and swap in a LR with Termies. Not sure yet. I'll let you know. I want Abbadon in somewhere.
It was Command and Control and Pitched Battle. We had actually rolled Dawn of War, but we'd played a bit to much DoW lately, so rerolled. I got to go first, and choose an objective on top of a nice little hill behind some solid cover. I setup my Obliterators and my Plasma squad there to hold the objective. To their left was a melta marine squad in a rhino. On my right was an empty Rhino, a Vindicator, 2 more oblits, and my DP. Right heavy because his objective was in the right corner. The Chosen were in reserve.
Let's start off with what worked. My Daemon Prince rocked! He took out a squad of 5 bikers, 2 dreadnoughts, and a squad of marines before being taken down by mass bolter and melta fire. He was the wrecking ball that cleared the right flank.
The Chosen Marines also did very well, though for reasons beyond what they were created for. They came in on turn 2, which was nice. They also were able to come in on the right flank, which is where the SM player had placed his objective. So, they came in and were basically right next to the objective, but since they couldn't take down the Dreadnought they were firing at, the next turn bad things happened. The SM marine squad came in and at point blank range destroyed the Rhino with a melta weapon. The Chosen were then assaulted by a Dreadnought and the 5 man marine squad.
The three units were stuck in combat until the 4th turn! The Chosen held out that long! They are, after all, Chosen. The Dreadnought did poorly, constantly missing, and I was making save after save. And considering we were so close to the edge of the board, the SM player wouldn't take the risk of combat tactics to get out of combat.
So, what else happened? The Vindicator lasted until turn 2. The SM had a Vindy as well, but theirs got blown up in Turn 1. The Vindy didn't do much except attract a lot of fire. This was as planned, and did well. It did stop a Rhino for a turn (this turned out to be a theme), but I question using a Bile Cannon as a firing magnet.
The Obliterators used their lascannons effectively While they didn't destroy as much as I'd hope, they did keep a lot of rhinos from moving, and that helped out a lot, slowing down the progression of the SM on my left flank. And the left flank was the weaker flank.
My marines on the left flank did surprisingly well, too. For such a small force, the obliterators provided ample covering fire. The marines were able to take out 2 Land Speeders. After the game, we decided that the Land Speeders were played wrong, as were the bikers, but even still, the marines did their job admirably. They didn't go down until the SM Librarian and squad got into close combat with them near the end of the game.
The big moment in the game was a blunder on my part. I over thought and forgot to include Combat Tactics. I fired at a 2 man SM squad wanting to only kill one. So, with 1 Melta firing, I killed one, and the lone marine fell back. I had intended to assault the remaining marine, giving me 4 more inches of movement, and then after killing him, get a consolidation move afterwards getting me close enough to the objective to hold or contest it.
Ahh, my failure. Granted, if the game had gone to a 6th round, I would have contested the objective, and most likely have held it long enough to win 1-0. We rolled a 1 though and the game ended at 5.
It was a great match, and I enjoyed the feel of the army. I still have a bit more to play around with.
There are however a few things I would change.
First, I want to lighten the load on the Chosen. Two meltas would be better. They are in a Rhino, and only 2 can fire out. Once they get out, they are foot sloggers, and foot slogging with meltas doesn't give you a lot of range. However, I would like to add a Combi-Melta to my Rhino. It gives me a bit more punch as I come on the board. Overall, I can come in firing with more for less. I'd also drop the Flamer, giving me 26 points to work with. Not sure where to use it. Maybe give my Chosen some Close Combat weapons for when they get assaulted.
Beyond that, I'm happy with the list. Now to test it out on a horde army.
Of course, I also have to plan out a 1750 list, 1850 list, and a 2000 point list. All based around this core. For the 1750 list I might cut out the Vindy and swap in a LR with Termies. Not sure yet. I'll let you know. I want Abbadon in somewhere.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Army List - 1500 - CSM Nurgle
Tomorrow I'm playing against a new SM army my friend picked up. We are playing at 1500 points. I have no idea what toys he's bringing, but I saw the army, and it's rolling armor and other typical SM fare. So I've had to build a list with that in mind. I'm throwing my Nurgle force at it with the high hopes that it will hold out.
HQ: DP MoN WT - No surprise here. My DP has always proven reliable. Sure, he tends to die, but usually not before he does his job and takes out what he needs to. Tomorrow he's there to clean up dying units as well as the IC killer.
3 Squads of 6 w/PF, 2 w/Melta x2; 1 w/Plasma x2 - I find my PM's do well in small squads. Even at only 6 strong, they pack a mean punch. It get's more special weapons on the table, gives me more scoring units, and they don't miss out on much even if they did have a seventh. The plasma unit is there to hold the rear. They sit on the objective in the back and keep a watch over a section of their board. Depending on the setup and the board we play on, I might put them in reserve and have them come on late to hold the rear objective.
2 Squads of 2 Obliterators - I'm hoping we are playing on the city board Cosmos has. These guys will setup nicely at the top of the buildings there and have free range. They are Oblits. What more is there to say?
Bile Cannon - Vindicator with DP - What can I say, I love my Bile Cannon. It's pretty, it's sweet, it's everything neat. And it blasts big holes in things. I expect to get one round of fire out of him before he quickly becomes threatened by tank killers. I plan on Rhinos providing cover to the sides for the first turn. Again, really depends on mission and deployment. He's also there to attract a lot of the high strength fire I know is coming at me. This will keep the fire off the Oblits for a round or two. If he get's left alone, he'll provide a world of hurt.
5 Chosen w/Rhino, 4xMelta, 1xFlamer - Yeah, I know, flamer in a melta squad. Well, I had 6 points sitting around. Since this squad is going to be in close to whatever they have to deal with considering the meltas, and this gives me the ability to lay in with a lot of wounds. They will be held in reserve and come in late hopefully to push something off that is causing problems. This is the first time I've used the Chosen. Here's to hoping they work out well!
So, let's tally up what we have here.
However, knowing that he has a new fancy Rhino filled army to play with, I imagine he's going to want to use them. With that in mind, I have a feeling I know what he'll do. Split a Tac squad into combat squads. Move in while his ML sits back and fires on my armor with the rest of the squad in cover. They will likely be sitting on an objective.
Anyways, the goal with my army overall is simple enough. Provide enough options that he will have to split his fire. Everything in the army is a potential tank killer. Everything is a tough nut to crack or simply not on the board at the start to die. There is also a lot to shoot at. 3 Rhinos, a DP, 2 squads of Oblits, and a Vindy make for a large number of options. And really, they all can hurt. He knows the danger of the Oblits though, so I imagine he'll work hard to take them out. I can't blame him. Hopefully they get in a couple of rounds of fire before being taken down.
Now, I'm hoping this list will serve me well as a core 1500 point all-comers list that I can build on. It has things to handle the different types of lists I face (Orc, Tyranid, and SM).
I'll bring my camcorder along to get a video of the battle and hopefully put together a nice looking battle report.
HQ: DP MoN WT - No surprise here. My DP has always proven reliable. Sure, he tends to die, but usually not before he does his job and takes out what he needs to. Tomorrow he's there to clean up dying units as well as the IC killer.
3 Squads of 6 w/PF, 2 w/Melta x2; 1 w/Plasma x2 - I find my PM's do well in small squads. Even at only 6 strong, they pack a mean punch. It get's more special weapons on the table, gives me more scoring units, and they don't miss out on much even if they did have a seventh. The plasma unit is there to hold the rear. They sit on the objective in the back and keep a watch over a section of their board. Depending on the setup and the board we play on, I might put them in reserve and have them come on late to hold the rear objective.
2 Squads of 2 Obliterators - I'm hoping we are playing on the city board Cosmos has. These guys will setup nicely at the top of the buildings there and have free range. They are Oblits. What more is there to say?
Bile Cannon - Vindicator with DP - What can I say, I love my Bile Cannon. It's pretty, it's sweet, it's everything neat. And it blasts big holes in things. I expect to get one round of fire out of him before he quickly becomes threatened by tank killers. I plan on Rhinos providing cover to the sides for the first turn. Again, really depends on mission and deployment. He's also there to attract a lot of the high strength fire I know is coming at me. This will keep the fire off the Oblits for a round or two. If he get's left alone, he'll provide a world of hurt.
5 Chosen w/Rhino, 4xMelta, 1xFlamer - Yeah, I know, flamer in a melta squad. Well, I had 6 points sitting around. Since this squad is going to be in close to whatever they have to deal with considering the meltas, and this gives me the ability to lay in with a lot of wounds. They will be held in reserve and come in late hopefully to push something off that is causing problems. This is the first time I've used the Chosen. Here's to hoping they work out well!
So, let's tally up what we have here.
- 3 Scoring Units
- 8 Power Weapons/Fists with the Oblits
- 15 AP1/2 capable models inc/Vindicator
- 6 Templates inc/Flamer
- 12 KP's
However, knowing that he has a new fancy Rhino filled army to play with, I imagine he's going to want to use them. With that in mind, I have a feeling I know what he'll do. Split a Tac squad into combat squads. Move in while his ML sits back and fires on my armor with the rest of the squad in cover. They will likely be sitting on an objective.
Anyways, the goal with my army overall is simple enough. Provide enough options that he will have to split his fire. Everything in the army is a potential tank killer. Everything is a tough nut to crack or simply not on the board at the start to die. There is also a lot to shoot at. 3 Rhinos, a DP, 2 squads of Oblits, and a Vindy make for a large number of options. And really, they all can hurt. He knows the danger of the Oblits though, so I imagine he'll work hard to take them out. I can't blame him. Hopefully they get in a couple of rounds of fire before being taken down.
Now, I'm hoping this list will serve me well as a core 1500 point all-comers list that I can build on. It has things to handle the different types of lists I face (Orc, Tyranid, and SM).
I'll bring my camcorder along to get a video of the battle and hopefully put together a nice looking battle report.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Obliterators v.s. Land Raiders
So, Obliterators are pretty awesome heavy choices for CSM. 75 points, 6 weapon options, and you can have 3 to a squad, or as few as 1. They have 2 wounds, 2+/5+ saves, and can deep strike in. All together awesome.
With a toughness of 4. That's the big downer, here. So, you essentially find a place for them to sit, in cover, while pestering the board with your lascannon fire. I mean, not bad, not bad at all.
But at 225 for 3 of them, is it really worth it? A Land Raider is cheaper, though you have a much more limited choice in weaponry, but still you get 2 TL lascannons a TL heavy bolter, and a TL bolter for the same price. At 14 armor all around. And let's face it, the chance of taking out the LR is lower than taking out the obliterators. Granted, it's easier to hide the obliterators then the LR. Oh, and a single melta attack can spell good night to that expensive LR. The obliterators also look less threatening. They do!
Which makes me wonder. So often for Nurgle armies I see 3 Oblit squads, or 2 Oblit squads and a Vindicator.
As a side note, I love Vindicators. I love the models and the look of them on the battle field, so I have a soft spot for them. Anyways, back to the point:
Why not instead of 2 Oblit squads, go with a Land Raider and an Oblit squad? Maybe throw in a Vindicator as well. Throw in a small 5-man squad into the LR if you want it scoring, but it's not needed. With those three titans on the field, you'll be paying lots of points, but honestly, I'd throw down with 2 DPs and Plague Marines to fill in the rest. Besides, with the Vindicator you can cover one side of the LR, and a Rhino covers another side, potentially providing ample cover if you play it right. Besides, the LR provides more cover for your Oblits or DP, too.
This gives your opponent even more to think about. With 3 Oblit squads, it's kinda easy to say "I'm firing at the oblits." With a Vindicator, it takes a bit more thinking. With a LR, you have the real potential to cause some concern. Does he focus fire and risk doing no damage? Does he go after the Oblits first hoping to get through 3 models (assuming instant death here).
I'm gonna have to try this out.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Saturday Mini Tournament - 500 pts
So, this Saturday, three friends and I are meeting up to do a little mini tournament. Our goal is to play several 500 pt games that evening. Force Composition is restricted to 1 HQ, 2+ Troop choices, and 1 Heavy, Elite, or Fast Attack choice (that is 1 of them, not one each). The attempt here is troop heavy combat that are fighting in city terrain. 500 points isn't much to work with, so I'm going for quantity.
Here is the list:
500 Pts - Chaos Marines Roster
The prize for winning is pretty big: free dinner later that night!
Here is the list:
500 Pts - Chaos Marines Roster
Troops: Chaos Space Marines (5#, 120 pts)
4 Chaos Space Marines @ 120 pts (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Flamer x1; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades)
1 Aspiring Champion (Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades)
Troops: Chaos Space Marines (6#, 125 pts)These are my front line troops. Their the assault types, and what I plan on using as front line fighters. Pretty simple here. Flamers are picked because we are using city terrain, and 2 out of the 3 armies I'll be facing are horde (Orc and Tyranid), so will be using cover.
5 Chaos Space Marines @ 125 pts (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Flamer x1; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades)
1 Aspiring Champion (Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades)
Troops: Chaos Space Marines (6#, 100 pts)This is my ranged/tank killer choice. At this point level, I don't imagine I'll be seeing much armor, but I'd rather have it just in case. Besides, it's instant death to anything it hits.
6 Chaos Space Marines @ 100 pts (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun x1; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades)
HQ: Daemon Prince (1#, 155 pts)This was a difficult choice, in truth. He's in here because of the mobility he offers, as well as the insane power he provides. 5 attacks on an assault, Warptime, and MC weapons: he's my my killer unit. His job is to get in and destroy the opposing "big scary unit" that I'm bound to face.
1 Daemon Prince @ 155 pts (Close Combat Weapon; Fearless; Wings; Warptime x1)
The prize for winning is pretty big: free dinner later that night!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
To 40k Only
I don't have many readers, I'm sure, but I still wanted to post this here. In order to keep things nice and organized, I'll be moving my non 40k posts to another blog in a few days. I'll provide a link to it here of course, and it will be updated just like this one. I just have a strong desire to keep things organized nicely.
Most of the older content will remain, but will be moved over as well. The 40k stuff won't change.
As far as my YouTube Videos go, I'll be setting up a new channel for that. It will actually be named LotsOfDice! Yay! It will run all my gaming related videos. Of course, all my 40k videos will be posted here, so no worries about that.
As far as upcoming content, I got some fun stuff in store. My friends and I are planning an Apocalypse game! So you'll get to see the build up for that. I'm also working on a big chaos base. I'll have some videos up soon on how I'm doing that, and you'll see each of the steps. Should be interesting, as I've never done anything like it. You'll also get to see me try and build up my Baneblade, and maybe something else. You'll see!
Most of the older content will remain, but will be moved over as well. The 40k stuff won't change.
As far as my YouTube Videos go, I'll be setting up a new channel for that. It will actually be named LotsOfDice! Yay! It will run all my gaming related videos. Of course, all my 40k videos will be posted here, so no worries about that.
As far as upcoming content, I got some fun stuff in store. My friends and I are planning an Apocalypse game! So you'll get to see the build up for that. I'm also working on a big chaos base. I'll have some videos up soon on how I'm doing that, and you'll see each of the steps. Should be interesting, as I've never done anything like it. You'll also get to see me try and build up my Baneblade, and maybe something else. You'll see!
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