Crimson Fists at 1500 points...

So, the league is finally up to 1500 points...

Been painting a bit, and testing the camera, such as it is on the Nexus 7, so here are a few of the lads:

So, fielding:

Pedro Kantor
Scout Squad (9 Snipers, 1 HB)
Scout Squad (9 CCW/Pistol, 1 HB)
Sternguard Squad (Drop Pod, HF, 9 Combi Weapons, SGT w/ LC)
Sternguard Squad (Drop Pod, HF, 9 Combi Weapons, SGT w/ Melta Bomb)
Thunderfire Cannon

And either Storm Talon Gunship and Attack Bike or...

A second Thunderfire Cannon and  Whirlwind maybe....  Just the sheer amount of shooting for the Heavy option could be bad for an Infantry based Army...  The Flier?  Maybe, have it escort one of the Scouts who flank, hope to catch enemy fliers in the flank...  So, depends on who I end up facing I guess...  2 Ruins that give me 3+ cover saves could be annoyingly powerful :-)  Guess I'll bring them both...

Stand-in for a Storm Talon

Well, I guess I will give the Escort Fighter a shot this week...  Found an old Naboo Fighter from the Star Wars series...  Might be "close enough" to be used as a Storm Talon with the spare flight base I have.  Not ideal, I think I'll find a different fighter...

But in any case, I do think I'll fly it up against the other fliers...  With the Skyhammer missiles, I'm looking at BS 4 and TL AC for the almost guaranteed 4 hits at Str 6 Rending and 3 Str 7 shots.  Hoping to go second of course so I can roll in and catch their aircraft in the air.  I will probably flank a Scout squad to give it a decent shot at catching something in the side.  Still, 155 points for a "Maybe it will get lucky and take down a flier"?  Comparing it to my IG fliers, I have to say it looks bad on paper.  But if the other side does not bring AAA or a flier, it might have a chance to actually throw a bunch of wounds out there...

So the 1500 point force is:
Pedro Kantor
Sternguard Squad (10, HF, 9 Combi Weapons, Drop Pod)
Sternguard Squad (10, HF, 9 Combi Weapons, Drop Pod)
Scouts (Camo Cloaks, Snipers, HB)
Scouts (CCW/BP, a few Shotguns, HB)
Thunderfire Cannon
Storm Talon

And 40 more points...  I do have a Lightning Claw on one of the SG squads SGT for a bit more kick with the Squad escorting the Chapter Master, could drop that I guess and...  Well, likely an attack bike to fill out the points...  But plays as a classic Hammer and Anvil with me holding a fortified ruin and bringing down 20 Sternguard to hammer whatever gets in the way.  Not much lives through THAT many Meltas dropping right on top of them...  So, guess we'll see if I can deal with fliers and hordes.  Guess my "horde" plan is really to use the "No cover Save" weapons I have and just selectively target the leaders...  2-3 IG hordes, and taking their Platoon and Company leadership tends to deal a crushing blow to them.  After the leaders are dead, mostly just cleanup.  :-)  If things go well that is...  Against other things?  Well, shoot lots, hope for the best...

Moving to 1500 points with my Crimson Fists

I think I have my 1000 point list done, looking ahead to 1500 points.  Picked up the "Imperial Blue" from Vallejo at the Gopher since my last one finally ran out...  Making more Combi Weapons for my Sternguard, and converting more of the lads over...  NEED to get off my ass and finish up my second Drop Pod.  So 2 Sternguard Squads, and 2 Scout Squads and I am liking the Tech-marine with Thunderfire Cannon...  Last game it was probably the MVP, 4 blasts at Str 6 every turn?  Can opt for the No Cover Save shots should I face one of the IG hordes...  And Scouts with the 2+ cover save?  Yes, that will work...

Need to decide if I will Proxy in a "Storm Talon"...  I am thinking it will be dealing with a few fliers...  That or I bring out a DN and ?  Or a Librarian I guess...  Irking looking at the Storm Talon and comparing it to the Valkyrie/Vendetta or the Necron Fliers...  'Course, at least they HAVE a bloody flier unlike my Wolves/DA, etc...  Thinking I will run one of my Scout Squads as a Flanker and have the Talon escort them...  Play the Air Superiority fighter to cover for my lads...  REALLY concerned about the Helldrake of the Chaos Marines.  I simply have no real defense against that monster.  Shoot at it lots and hope for 6's is NOT going to work.  So, guess I need to bring something to engage it directly in the air...  Would rather have the Vendetta with the 3 TL Las Cannon of course :-)  But, better I think than the Aegis line with Quad Gun...  Concerned that people will have figured out how to deal with that, then I am SOL...

1000 points, Crimson Fists

So, a small army moving to 1000 points.  Will be playing:

Chapter Master Pedro Kantor
Sternguard (10, 1 HF, 4 combi plasma, 5 Combi Melta, drop pod)
Sternguard (5, 3 Combi Melta, 2 Combi Plasma, Drop Pod)
Scout Squad (5, 4 Snipers 1 HB)
Scout Squad (HB, 4 CCW/Pistol)
Thunderfire Cannon w/ Tech Marine

So a REALLY small Infantry based army, and I'll be using my Fleshtearers as the big SG squad and one of the Drop Pods...  Tactically I am not sure if I will always be using the Drop Pods, I have the option to castle up with the Techmarine, cannon and the 3+ cover save from reinforced ruin.  Looking around, it does appear that you will be getting cover saves against Vector Strikes, and the Scouts with cloaks get the 2+ cover save...  Everyone (except Pedro) will get +1 HtH attack, and we are all scoring and stubborn...  I do think I can get 2-3 Objectives with my lads clumped up a bit even without throwing my Sternguard out there to perform the suicide assault...  Though that is always an option :-), and a terrifying one for the folks who play against me...  Only a few armies that do not have a high value target there for me to

Since the Sternguard score and the army is all Stubborn, I do think this is a good army for me.  Will need more drop pods...  So working a trade or two I guess, been on Bartertown since the 90's when it was hosted out of U Kansas :-)...  Ordered some more Vallejo "Imperial Blue" and a Pedro Kantor mini from the Gopher, and repainting a bunch of ancient Tac Marines I had already stripped...  Making the combi weapons out of Green Stuff, so the process will be a while, but I think it will be ready for the 1500 rounds, or the Tournament on the outside...

Crimson Fists :-) It begins...

So, started my Crimson Fists army...  Looking like I'll field something like this:

Pedro Kantor
Sternguard Squad (10, combi weapons, etc., drop pod)
Sternguard Squad (5, weapons, drop pod)
Scout Squad (Sniper rifles, Heavy Bolter, 5)
Scout Squad (CCE/Pistol, Heavy Bolter, 5)

Then either a Librarian or Tech Marine with Thunderfire cannon...  Leaning toward the cannon :-)  Scouts with 2+ cover saves?  Yes, please...  Every Squad Scores?  Mkay, that works for me...  Light on bodies, still no real AAA, but at 1000 points I do not think I'll see too many fliers...  Yes, Joe's Hell Drake will absolutely destroy this army so spread out and hope for the best...  But played him twice so unlikely to play him again this week...  Drop pods go in either as suicide squads or empty if needed if I need to hunker down and hold something...

Painting coming along well.  Scouts base coated, starting to convert more Sternguard...  Still need to assemble a second drop pod...  We'll see if I get this done in time...

Chaos Fliers... Mkay, need to deal with that...

Well, faced the new Chaos flier last night...  All I can say is "Wow".  So, it is a Flier and hard to hit with normal units.  I had army wide "Preferred Enemy", so could re-roll 1's on the to hit...  Not sure it ever really mattered in 2 games, though I DID bring it down in one game.  'course, we both forgot the "Daemon" rule about the 5+ INV save, so I might not really have.  First game I risked a Deep Strike with a Terminator squad and hit the mishap, and naturally rolled the 1.  So, that was a really short game for me.  AP 3 flamer on the Flier made short work of my Power Armored Knights...  Str 6, so "not 1's" to wound, no armor or cover saves...  That and the Vector Strike...  Str 7 AP 3, d3 hits?  And no worries about missing or being hit back...  Mkay, so the AAA tax I think will be a standard part of my larger armies.  At 500 points, not really possible.  1000 is also going to be tough, but I have more options...

Not sure if I'll bring Vanilla Marines as Crimson Fists, Fleshtearers or stick with the Grey Knights.  For the Knights, I have my Dread Knight ready, and with the FAQ it is a real monster...  Str 10, re-roll to hit and wound/armor penetrations, uber flamer and a Heavy 12 shooting attack?  Oh, and a jump pack/teleporter... Yeah, it gets REALLY expensive, but damn...  My Fists, well that means I bring Sternguard, and they are scoring units like Troops...  Alpha Strike from hell, and I really like the Sternguard.  The Fleshtearers are similar for me...  SG, Jump Infantry and well...  It's a quick game one way or the other.  Not many locally are really prepared for this...  The GK?  Eh, lots of shooting, decent HtH, and pretty much all around decent...  Have to admit I am getting a bit tired of playing GK though...  They are good, probably still too good, but boring for me I think...  Yes, I like the Terminators as Troops, and EVERYONE has a Power Weapon of some sort to go with their Storm Bolters or Psycannons...  Just not a lot of variety....  Guess that is what bores me more than anything else...

So, Crimson Fists?

Thinking it is time to strip and repaint my ancient Wolves...  And while I am at it, I think I will rebuild my basic Marines.  I have a number of Fists shoulder pads, the first 40K rulebook I had was the RT one with the lads on the cover, so I've always had them as an option for my "basic" Marines.  The image of the handful of them fighting off the horde of Orks really is a powerful one, and that whole "desperate defense" thing being something I've gotten quite good at over the years...  So, I'll restart the Fists I started all those years ago.  Probably helps that the Sternguard are REALLY good in this edition, and playing them in my Fleshtearers army, I think I have their uses and such down...  Pedro Kantor makes ALL Sternguard in my army scoring, so as an Ally to start perhaps since I am looking at playing the whole fully painted forces :-)  But it will allow me to field 2+ Sternguard squads all as scoring, my Scouts can become Crimson Fists, remaining scoring, and I can field a Techmarine with the Thudd gun, I mean "Thunderfire Cannon" :-) Mine will be a Thudd gun of course.. .Just annoyed that NONE of the "Marine" armies I play get the bloody thing...  So, longer term project I think, but...

Strange Odyssey

Mkay, just got back from Michigan....  A funeral is a strange thing in normal circumstances,  it with a huge family like my wife has...  The politics are interesting for someone mostly on the outside of the situation.  Seems that half of her family is highly educated, mostly in the health care industry.  The other half is 'not'..  Looking like they are coming from the trailer park or the back woods...  Heavy smokers, etc...  Just a feeling I get, so I could easily be wrong...  But I doubt that.  Now, the five children get to deal the estate...  Me, I am not looking forward to this...  Watching the family at the funeral, there was a definite division between the sides, and I am not thinking that this will end well, or happily.  A real shame as Franz (Maggie's father) was one of the nicest people, and would be offended by the fighting over this I think...  But, he has passed and this will play out how it will...

Back to the gaming stuff, looking like some more chaos stuff in the upcoming white dwarf/releases...  And I am needing to get my GK Fully painted...  close now...  but shading and matte coating still to be done on most of them...

Off at a funeral...

So, up in Michigan for my father in law's funeral...  Will be missing one week of the league, but can make up the games...  so, lots of 500 point games in a short time, but the games are fast...

Looking like just two squads, so I am thinking it better than 250 for this...  Strike Squad, Terminator Squad both with upgraded ammunition and the like...  Plus side, easy to fit in the saddlebags...

 Really looking forward to the 1000+ point games...

Air Defense, at least locally...

Looking at what I can do with my own armies for Air Defence...  Aside from the AAA tax (Aegis Defense Line, Quad Gun or Icarus Lascannon) of 85-100 points, some of my armies like Wolves and DA are relying on "shoot lots, hope for 6's", which is a very bad plan...  I look at that in the same way I look at people buying lottery tickets as a "retirement plan", REALLY not something to count on I think.  So, against AV 12 fliers, AT missiles fired early and often from Long Fangs in the Wolves army and my Cyclones on the Terminator suits in the DA force...  Without getting lucky, hoping for the Psy power giving me "Guide", or just shooting my whole bloody Army at them, I can try to play Wehrmacht...  Acknowledge I will not be able to contest their Air Superiority, spread out and close with the enemy as quickly as I can, forcing the issue...  Kind of how I play in any case, so nothing major changes for me except I have to deal with taking losses from something I really have nothing to stop it with.  Against an army with a single flier, not a big deal, but against say a Necron Air Force, Dual Ravens or multiple Valkyries/Vendettas...  Well...  Playing a more Infantry heavy style in 6th, so the Lascannons, Multi Meltas and the like are simply not as much of a threat, but even so barring cover, it is a couple of almost guaranteed kills every turn the fliers are on the table...  What to do overall for my?  Looking like I pay the tax :-)...  The Aegis line is nice, will be converting a Lascannon to field I think...  But honestly at this point I do not see a good answer to fliers in any of my armies, at least what I can/will field...

So, looking at my 500 point list...  Probably playing GK, with the ammo upgrades for the crapton of Str 5 shooting combined with the Str 7 Rending shots out of the Psycannons.  Not by any stretch ideal, I believe Stelek brought something similar to Nova...  But IIRC it did not work out so well there, and at 500 points I do not think I have a lot of options...  Yes, I COULD bring a Raven myself if I were to get it put back together (traded for a conversion of a Vendetta, but it is in pieces)...  No, need scoring bodies on the field, so Strike Squad, Terminator Squad being what I have painted up are looking like what hits the field...  Can bring either a full Strike Squad with the 2 Psycannon, a hammer and Str 5 ammo along with the Terminator Squad, 5 lads, one Psycannon and upgraded ammo...  So, assuming I have no casualties, 26 Str 5 shots and potentially 12 Str 7 rending shots...  Should be enough "anti horde", might even allow me to shoot down an AV 10 flier...  Screwed against Land Raiders, but can't cover everything I think...  Yes, Hammerhands and 2 Hammers for the potential Str 10 HtH hits (or 9, I can't remember the order of operations GW used this time...)...  So, bad answers IMO, but I guess I do have something to deal with it...  Oh, and any Chaos forces fielding anything "Daemon" are in trouble with Preferred Enemy across the board for me...

This week, league play...

So, lots of modifying done as I set up the Powered Armor Grey Knights with the correct weapons...  The ancient suits I have only had the Halberd, and the Strike Squad is almost always sword only these days...  So, my 250 point army is:

Strike Squad: Psycannon, Razorback with the TLAC and ammo de fromage for the +1 Str

195 points, leaving me a massive 55 points for...  Well, a Paladin I guess.  I might be overreacting to the game last week when I lost 2 of my Terminators to overwatch fire...  6 to hit, 4+ to wound and them me rolling a 1 on the Armor Save...  Once is bad luck, twice in a single game?  :-)  Well, confirms what I feel about a lot of the ultra elite armies, if you are forced to roll a lot, you might just accidentally lose the game.

So, not a whole lot more this time, but a Vehicle and a 2 wound Terminator...

Thinking I might go back to Fleshtearers at 500 points or maybe just stick with the GK for a while.  Need to get the converted "Storm Raven" re-assembled and painted, and I'll need to come up with a color scheme that will work for BOTH armies I have that CAN field the bloody thing.  Still one of those things that annoys me, and frankly mystifies me about the new fliers and the limits that GW puts on them with respect to who can field the bloody things.  Since the company exists to sell things, bringing out a new and powerful piece it would seem logical to try to sell as many as possible...  NOT to limit is to specific flavors of Marines...  But again, just an Engineer, what would I know :-)

So, new league started, looks like I need a display board and to write a paragraph or so about the justification of the army...  Simple enough with the single squad of Grey Knight Terminators, or the Strike Squad I have mostly done now...  Probably need to get a Razorback ready for the Strike lads as well...  In the low point games the Vehicles are really overpowered...  Next week, GK or maybe my IG lads...  I do miss playing the Praetorians, and 250 is a low enough point value for a quick and hopefully not boring game...

Now something completely different:

The biggest difference between the Apple/Amazon/B&N stores and attendant devices and the Google Play store and the Android devices comes down, at a basic level to a philosophic difference.  As I see it the Google store is more of a "Wild West" or free market system.  Lots of free stuff, no price controls, and no "overseer" watching and taking a piece of the action.  Now, this option is good for people who are comfortable doing things themselves, do not want someone looking out for their "best interests" or who simply do not trust "Big Brother" to control the market.  Having seen/heard about some of the issues with getting Apps out to the iTunes store, especially if it is in competition with one that Apple (or one of their favored partners) have already put out (or plan to put out) there, well...  Not sure exactly why this is allowed/tolerated, but given the regulators are supposed to be Feds, and Apple donates a LOT to one particular party...  Hey, I'm just an Engineer, this math is likely beyond me :-)...  But looking at some of the issues with the Apple and B&N stores (I have no familiarity with the Kindles at the moment), I can say the Google option is the one for me.  I understand the business model that the hardware companies have set up for the "sell at cost/a small loss, lock the users in to your store for future purchases", and it does get some good hardware out here for folks to use.  Just the whole cost of the device should be looked at before purchasing I think, same as for the subsidised phone contracts from the big carriers. Another topic though...  Right now I am trying to muddle through the good reasons why here at the University, going with the Nexus 7 over a Kindle or Nook is the right call.  Kind of a foregone conclusion the iPad is right out with it's price tag and the "OS issues".  Mind, we will be setting up one of the Apple servers and maybe management of these things will be easier than we have found thus far.  Still does not alleviate the huge price tag, nor does it address the iTunes issues I/we have.  So, keeping it to the 7" models my testing with the Nook and the Nexus have shown the Nexus to be far superior for my purposes.  The walled garden of the B&N software store, and vital pieces of the software NOT being in that particular garden mean I would have to root the device, use Alpha or Beta software and hope that people just keep writing the software for free...  The big problem I have always had with Linux as an Enterprise solution.  Fine for a hobby machine or personal one where you have more time than money, but managing hundreds of machines, many with slightly different hardware or software in use?  No thanks.   So far the only one NOT working natively is the Microsoft Lync 2010 stuff, and even if it did work, the University is NOT set up to support this.  So, some time on that for MS to update the software and the University to move to the new version.  Then VoIP phone native on the device.  As it is now, I use the VMWare to run a virtual Win 7 machine and it works through that.  Not perhaps the most elegant solution, but it does work...  :-)  Off the normal topic for here, but what I'm doing at work these days...  Mostly just trying to get all of my thoughts in order, helps I guess...

Conversions, painting, just catching up...

So, gearing up for the next league.  Been doing a bit of conversion work on my old GK Infantry.  Small numbers, but 250 points and limited FOC means I won't have much to work with in any case.  But in any case I WILL be fielding a fully painted force, probably only half a dozen models...  A Terminator Squad should give me a squad of 5 people who can deal with a LOT of different things.  Not sure what I'll face, but fliers are going to be impossible to deal with, but a SMALL table should make it single turn of dodging...  So, the first 2 weeks are going to be skirmish games, and potentially unbalanced and boring.  But I'll probably bring 1500 to test after the initial 2 games are out of the way...

Next League...

Well, is looking like an escalation league.  Starting at 250 points.  2 weeks at each level (250, 500, 1000 and 1500 points).  The first month is kind of pointless really.  Hard to put together a coherent force at that level.  Too many weird rules as well, and annoyingly easy to break the game, or at least it was in 5th ed...  I guess we'll see if that continues.  Just really worried about silliness like a Grey Knight army consisting of a Strike Squad for the required "Troop" combined with a Vindicare Assassin.  Add 5 points on an upgrade and you have 250 points.  5 powerful Marines with Storm Bolters and Power Weapons and the single most brokenly powerful figure in the game...  Just off the top of my head, but really seems overpowered...  Especially with so very little that can effectively deal with an Assassin at this level.  Mind that is just the first thing that came to mind, I have no doubt that a lot of folks will be bringing silly things...  So, I'll get in my 2 games/week and bide my time I guess.  Give me time to paint up more of the Grey Knights.

With Chaos releasing in a week or two, I think I will be feeling less guilty fielding what I consider a really powerful Army, bordering on overpowered...  Well, it IS overpowered in some combos, but the Inquisition does not interest me at all, I share that Lupine distrust of them...  And with the Wolves at several points willing to go to war against the Inquisition and the Grey Knights.  They share my deeply ingrained "No One Left Behind, No Matter What" feeling, and to abandon allies who fought beside you is unthinkable and unforgivable.  So, there is THAT part of the background of the Grey Knights I find "distasteful", but keeping myself to the actual Knights for the most part...  Well, now that Chaos will be everywhere...  It's them or my Dark Angels.  I like them both, but the DA are REALLY one dimensional at the moment.  Mind, that dimension kicks much ass, but really I get kind of bored just playing a list that is SO repetitive (Spam I'd say, but I rather like Spam Musubi...)...  Tempted to start stripping and repainting my ancient Wolves...  Mostly out of stubbornness, to prove that I can indeed win with them against the newer and what I consider more powerful codexes....

Back to the league, I have to admit not liking the Apoc and Tournament being held in Danville.  Not a huge deal, but in general feel we should hold the tournaments where we play the games...  But playing in a different place might fun for a change of scenery...  Probably doesn't help my only experience with Danville is an ex-girlfriend :-)  So, I might be looking at it the wrong way, but in general it reminded me of Joliet (I grew up there) in the "not a happy place" kind of vibe I got driving around and visiting... I haven't played Apoc, but I think I just might have enough minis to do so :-)

League and Tournament debrief...

:-)  Well, my Fleshtearers did quite well over the course of the league and wound up placing 2nd for the Tournament...  Not bad, the Codex is really quite good, and I think that playing a Jump Infantry based force is certainly viable, at least locally.

So, just kind of a rambling unit by unit analysis:

Scouts:  Well, have to say they were probably consistently my weakest unit.  Yes, on a few occasions they DID win me the game by simply sitting on an objective.  OTOH, I think I can count on one hand the number of things they actually killed over the course of the dozen games.  OK, maybe that is a BIT of an exaggeration, but my point being that while they were kind of hard to kill for a lot of folks, it was ~200 points of "eh".  In almost every instance having a 10 man Assault Squad would have server FAR better.  BS 3 for Sniper Rifles just doesn't cut it with the 50% to hit followed by the 50% to wound followed by a likely good armor or cover save...  8 regular Snipers, assuming everything goes exactly by the odds, that gets me 2 wounds.  Just not enough damage output for the cost.  Shame, one of the units I had high hopes for, and one I have been playing for decades...  I'll still play them I think now and again, but overall  I think they drop quite a bit on my "I should take them" list...

Assault Squads:  Not bad...  Jump troops worked out fairly well for me overall.  I REALLY like the mobility they bring, and the Deep Strike option.  Finding the need to be decked out with 2 Special Weapons, and the SGT should have the Power Weapon/Pistol I think...  Not sure what if anything they can do against the 2+ Armor Saves...  Well, other than just shoot them with Melta/Plasma type weapons of course :-)...  Mounted in a Razorback?  "Eh", I think the min squad worked well for me, giving me the Light Tank in a Razorback with the TLAC (Twin Linked Assault Cannon).  Problem being that I cannot assault out of the Vehicle in this edition at all, even if the bloody thing gets destroyed in the other player's turn.  So, short of Land Raiders or Open Topped Vehicles I think that Mech builds are going to be somewhat problematic, at least for armies that intend to ever Assault...  So, probably the go to Troop choice for me...

Baal Predator:  "Eh"...  In one game it won everything for me, and in a few others, having an Assault Cannon appear on a flank was nice...  But overall, it does not score, it does not throw out THAT much firepower, and it does tend to just die.  The TLAC is nice, but short ranged.  Sponsons are not really useful...  The Heavy Bolters throw out 6 "eh" shots, unlikely to be all at full BS with it always moving.  The fact that it does not ignore cover or 3+ Armor usually (unless you bring the Flamer turret) combined with it's short range means it is a niche unit I think.  I'll probably use it on occasion, but to be honest, I think the time of the Baal Predator is mostly behind us.


Devastator Squad:  Surprisingly, they were actually quite good.  I never played them in the "Big Guns Never Tire" mission, so no real reason for the enemy to focus a lot on them...  Well, other than the fact that it is a Heavy Weapons Squad lighting them up from across the field of course...  But with the way I play the army, if they can be focused on, it is because all of the other stuff is dead.

Sanguinary Priests:  Yes.  Only question is 2 or 3.  One riding down in the Drop pod and at least one with the Assault Squads/Dev Squads.  I've converted several for Jump Packs and Weapon Swaps, over the years I have picked up a bunch of Medics, and I made a Terminator suited one for the Tournament.  So, one Elite slot for me is taken pretty much always with FnP being so valuable.  It failed me a LOT the last few games of the League and the Tournament, but there were times when it was annoyingly (well, to the guy on the other side of the table) consistent and kept some units alive a LOT longer than they should have.

Sternguard Squad(s):  Liking them overall.  Definitely keeping them, not sure if there was any particular time they were NOT useful...  Unfortunately, it also delivers my Warlord and 4 kill points to close range with a likely pissed off enemy...  If I go first it almost guarantees "First Blood" though...  That was the difference in a number of games between winning and losing.

Drop Pods:  I have one built and painted...  It worked, but I think 3 would have been the right number for a full Drop type army.  Locator Beacons are HUGE.  With 6" from the Vehicle, and the Pod opening up like it does that leaves a HUGE footprint for follow on things Deep Striking in...  Down side, it is 35 points for the deploy once and probably give up an easy kill point or more...  Redeploying is problematic, so it does determine my battle plan.  But it does make for a quick and decisive battle.

Whirlwind:  Conditional yes...  Locally, there are NO armies that do not have anything that isn't hurt be either the Str 4 AP 5 no cover save or the Str 5 AP 4, both of which being Ordinance...  90 points is fairly steep, paying for the Fast status on the Rhino hull...  Not sure it is worth it overall as it cannot hurt fliers, heavy armor and really struggles against 2+/3+ armor...  So, having one I put together all those years ago and repainting it, I'll probably keep fielding it...  Ord sniping is looking powerful...

CPT Tycho/Gabriel Seth:  Well, if I could modify Seth to give him a Jump Pack I'd use him in an instant... As is, he has 2 special rules, one completely useless in the current edition and his HtH weapon is Str 8 but only Rending, no AP value...  So, great against light Vehicles but almost useless against anything with Armor.  Tycho is all around pretty good...  Not sure he is really worth 175 points, but looking at fully decking out a Vanilla Marine CPT, it goes to that range pretty quickly.  BA CPTs are crap, so no point comparing really.

Reclusiarch:  Decent, a cheap(ish) HQ option coming more or less fully decked out, can lead the DC REALLY well, but otherwise "eh"...

Death Company/Vanguard Vets: Yes, the way I play...  DC are solid under the new rules, a crapton (metric) of attacks.  I was fielding them deployed and have them Jump to support the Drop Pod Assault...  Vanguard Vets assault out of Deep Strike and hit almost as hard...  Since they support the Sternguard, there is a Sanguinary nearby for Furious Charge...  So, either works well :-)

Dreadnoughts: Both the Furioso and Death Company versions are quite good.  Definite keepers there.  Have to admit, I missed the DC DN's Fleet ability when I fielded the Fury during the Tournament.  AV 13 was great, and it rolled through a bunch of stuff without fear of retaliation as people have stopped taking Power Fists in every squad...  Still have to deliver it there, and Melta is everywhere...  Still, fairly cheap, and a good "linebacker" unit at the least...

:-)  So, a bit of time on my hands as I decide what army I play next...  Looking like an escalation league.  The last league had some loopholes that kind of killed it, but good thing about the locals, easy to fix it and not a problem to do so...

Tournament tomorrow...

So, last minute list changes...  Running either *Both have Aegis lines w/ Quad Guns):

CPT Tycho
Death Company (6 Jump packers, 2 w/ Power Axe)
Scout Squad (10, 9 snipers, 1 Heavy Bolter)
Assault Squad (10, Jump, Melta, Flamer, SGT w/ hand flamer/PW)
Sanguinary Priests (2,1  Terminator)
Sternguard (7, H Flamer, 6 Combi Melta, Drop Pod w/ beacon)
Death Company DN (flamer)
Baal Predator (HB sponsons, TLAC)
Whirlwind
Devastator Squad (2 HB, 2 Missile)

OR

CPT Tycho
Vanguard Vets (5 Jump packers, 1 PF, 4 PW, SGT w/ melta bombs)
Scout Squad (10, 9 snipers, 1 Heavy Bolter)
Assault Squad (10, Jump, Melta, Flamer, SGT w/ hand flamer/PW)
Sanguinary Priests (2,1  Terminator, one Jump Pack)
Sternguard (7, H Flamer, 6 Combi Melta, Drop Pod w/ beacon)
Furioso DN (flamer)
Assault Squad (5, melta, Razorback w/ TLAC)
Whirlwind
Devastator Squad (2 HB, 2 Missile)

So, with the second option I play the Death Company as Vanguard Vets.  The Furioso replacing the DC DN.  A bit more brutal, but not quite as close to the "fluff"...  Depends a bit I think who shows up to play :-)

Medic of Doom...

Well, finished my Medic conversion...  Base coated, magnetized and looking like a Medic...

I find it amusing and ironic that the Medic has the best armor on the field... Shame he doesn't have a gun, but I can swap out the Power Weapon between Sword, Maul, and maybe Axe...  Sword for now I think, with Tycho ignoring ALL armor saves, that gives the Sternguard a decent HtH punch...  But the Maul for Str 7 on the Charge?  Maybe, I've run it that way once or twice to good effect against Guard, Necrons or DE...  Problem being against Marines? Well, I lose the Power Weapon effect....

Have to admit, the thought of running Allies in the form of Dark Angels is tempting...  CPT Belial and a squad of Deathwing for the HQ/Troop requirement, might make for an amusing defensive line...  But other than that, not sure what the DA would bring me...  Would likely replace my Death Company in terms of "what goes" to pay for it...  Eh, too many random thoughts while exhausted I think, tempted to change the Fleshtearers list a bit, but then I am thinking that might well be a mistake...  OTOH, dropping a Fearless, FnP Terminator unit right next to my Sternguard (Locator Beacon)...  A real Rock unit to park on an objective...  Dunno :-)

Conversions, just a few more things for the Tournament

Well, threw together a quick Terminator suit Medic (Sanguinary Priest) and got some color on it...  "Eh", I'm not actually a sculptor so the Green Stuff doesn't look as nice as it should, but I think it will be obvious what it is.  Well, that and the fact that it will be the ONLY Terminator suit on my side :-), so that will help I think.  I'll get the basecoat finished tomorrow and dip it...  Should look OK with the rest of the lads I think...

Finishing up the last few bases and getting the last parts painted, still have to decide whether to bring the Devastators or the Assault Squad...  Played the Dev + Attack Bike over the Assault Squad + Razorback last game...  The Devs have the range, and the Attack Bike is really powerful for the 50 points.  The Assault Squad are always scoring. t ttack bike win out...  Just SO much firepower, and parking them in cover gives me a good fire base to compliment the Scouts.  Think the Medic running with the Assault Squad (Jump) loses the jump pack to hold back with the Scouts and Devs...  Saves me 25 points, and allows me to fill out a few things I want to be sure I have like a Locator Beacon on the Drop Pod...  6" from the pod is a HUGE are when the pod is fully extended, so the lads Deep Striking have a big area to drop in without deviation...  Liking that, missing my old Vanguard Vets though :-)...  I do think that were I playing a truly cut-throat version I would find a way to put in a 5 man squad to be a second wave to rescue the CPT and his lads.  They'd likely be within 6" of the Medic granting Furious Charge...  A bit much though I think for the local scene though...

Tournament Prep... List choices...

Well, I finally played the Necrons with their 3 fliers..  Damn, that was a tough one :-)  Good fight, and I made it a LOT closer than it should have been by just being stubborn and staying on target.  I also made a few HUGE mistakes.  Was the first time I played the "kill point" mission in 6th, and I stupidly combat squadded my Scouts and Assault Squad, giving up 2 additional kill points.  Also, having the CPT get hit by 4 bolters (equivalent, whatever the Cron weapon is), fail 3 2+ saves and make only one FnP to just barely live...

The small Assault squad I had parked doing AA duty got killed by Necron Lords on their super chariots...  Need to protect them better, or at least have 2 bloody squads there.  He wound up killing my gun later before I could re-man it.  So, keeping that in mind for the future...  The strategy of deploying the Aegis line and the other terrain...  Must keep the AAA near the center or I give up a big portion of the board letting the fliers on...  Balancing act, and still getting the hang of it.  The TLAC on a Razorback is "eh", it actually damaged 2 fliers before being destroyed, claiming a weapon and a few hull points...  But I do not think this will be sufficient AA coverage for my army.  Doing the Wehrmacht thing, and closing with the enemy, avoiding fliers as best I can, but a patient opponent will understand what I am doing and flow away from me...  Well, if they can :-)  I like my Jump Troops...

What I fielded last night:

CPT Sariel (Tycho)

Death Company (5, Jump Packs, 2 Power Axes)

Scout Squad (10, 9 Snipers, 1 Heavy Bolter)

Sanguinary Priests (2, 1 Terminator, 1 Jump Pack)

Assault Squad (10, Melta, Flamer, SGT w/ Power Weapon)

Sternguard (7, Heavy Flamer, 6 Combi Melta, Drop Pod)

Baal Predator  (HB Sponsons, TLAC or Flamer?)

Dev Squad (3 Heavy Bolters, Missile Launcher?)

Whirlwind

Land Speeder or Attack Bike?

Aegis Line w/ Quad gun...

And it is more or less I think what I will field for Saturday.  The Attack bike with MM was what I ended up using, the Dev Squad with 2 Heavy Bolters and 2 ML...  Was "eh", but facing a fully meched up Necron force with AV 13 or in the fliers?  Not sure anything would have been better.  Though putting them near/in the Aegis line might be better...  So, a few things I NEED to finish painting for Saturday, but overall, I have a large, Infantry based Fleshtearers army ready.  Oh, yeah, I have to actually build a WYSIWYG Terminator Medic...  I have all the pieces around I think with my Deathwing force I inherited a few years ago...  So, a project to finish before Saturday...

Revised list...

Wow, bit of a flashback there :-)  Apparently I had an older version of a post there...  So, looking like the last week for the league, and I have to get a few more things painted up before Monday...  Close.  Almost everything is painted to the 3 color standard at least, most of it is actually completely done...  

Thinking on it again, not at all sure I have the time to get used to the Storm Raven in a single week. I may well bring the Dev Squad, and maybe the Vanguard Vets, at least a 5 man squad...  Just to throw them in to dig out the CPT, hopefully on Turn 2 with the DoA rules.  Unfortunately without the Raven, my AA solution is not there.  So, probably the Aegis line with Quad gun.  Goes without saying, the Techmarine is right out.

Looking like:

CPT Sariel (Tycho)

Death Company (5, Jump Packs, 2 Power Axes)

Scout Squad (10, 9 Snipers, 1 Heavy Bolter)

Sanguinary Priests (2, 1 Terminator, 1 Jump Pack)

Assault Squad (10, Melta, Flamer, SGT w/ Power Weapon)

Sternguard (7, Heavy Falmer, 6 Combi Melta, Drop Pod)

Baal Predator  (HB Sponsons, TLAC or Flamer?)

Dev Squad (3 Heavy Bolters, Missile Launcher?)

Whirlwind

Land Speeder or Attack Bike?

Aegis Line w/ Quad gun...

Pretty simple list, but effective and VERY direct...  Hammer, and hammer again...  This time with a few Heavy options to erase Infantry at a distance...  Armor I deal with via Assault Squads, etc...  Fliers?  Well... Aegis line I guess, otherwise I have no choice but spread out, hit everything else, get into HtH and hope for the best...  Feeling a bit Wehrmacht, with the complete LACK of air superiority, having to plan for that...  We'll see what works out :-)

Random odd things, Techs and Jin Roh...

Jin Roh is one of the Anime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-Roh:_The_Wolf_Brigade) that I really liked, the source of one of my favorite lines of all time: "Wolves only lose in Human fairy tales" :-)  The Infantry in this Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreamforge-games/something-wicked-this-way-comes-crusader-plastic-m?ref=card REALLY remind me of the armored troopers there.  I'm going to be kicking in to get some of the lads...  Probably use them as "Storm Troopers" for my Praetorians, or maybe my Veterans...  The APC they are going to produce looks awesome, but I still have a Chimera I have not assembled, so there is really no way I can justify the $50 for that as amazing as it looks...  Yet :-)  If the things take off and they go into distribution, I'll certainly be ordering some through Dave at the Gopher...  The main part of the Kickstarter is supposed to be the Titans ("Leviathans"), but since I HAVE an ancient Warhound class Titan (Armorcast resin), and have started making another out of card stock...  And so $90 for a plastic one, while an amazing deal...  I cannot justify the purchase as I would almost never use it...  Now, should the game Dreamforge is looking to hit with takes off...  Well, maybe :-)  It sure looks like the figures are going to be amazing...

Looking at:

CPT Sariel (Tycho)
Death Company (4, Jump Packs, 2 Power Axes)
Scout Squad (10, 9 snipers, 1 Heavy Bolter or ML)
Sang Priest (Jump Pack or Terminator Armor?)
Assault Squad (10, Melta, Flamer, Power Weapon SGT)
Sternguard (Drop Pod, 8, 6 Combi Melta, Combi Plasma, H Flamer)
Baal Predator (HB Sponsons, TLAC or Flamer?)
Storm Raven
Devastator Squad (6, 3 HB, ML?)
Techmarine (Servo Harness, Power Weapon, pistol)

DN (either DC DN or TLAC/AC firepower DN)
Vanguard Vets with Power Weapons...

So, I can bring the regular DN and the Vanguard Vets, or the Death Company and DC DN...  With the Vanguard, I assault directly from Deep Strike, have DoA and can follow the Beacon down to assist the Sternguard and their CPT.  The firepower DN really does just that.  On the other hand my Death Company is solid for me, and I've fielded them since 3rd ed...  And being Fleshtearers, it fits the fluff I think...  We'll see I guess.  I have a few days to get to painting over the weekend...  I want at least a basecoat on everything...  And the Storm Raven is not...  Eh, I really just want to see what it does in the new ruleset, thinking the DC and DC DN will be terrifying rolling out of that and if I have to, bring it onto the field in Skimmer mode...