Slight change for next week...

Thinking of bringing a slight change in leadership next week:

CPT Tycho
Sanguinary Priests (2, 1 PW, 1 Jump Pack)
Scout Squad (9 snipers, SGT w/PF, ML or HB)
Assault Squad (10, flamer, Melta, SGT w/PP & PW)
Death Company (jump packs, 5, 2 Power Axes)
Baal Pred (HB sponsons, flamer or TLAC?)
Sternguard Squad (Drop Pod, 5 Combi-Melta, 1 Combi Plasma, 1 H Flamer)
Assault Squad (Razorback w/ TLAC, LasPlas or TLLC, Melta Gun)
Whirlwind

Aegis line with the Quad Gun

So, same basic premise with some un-named CPT from one of the 4 remaining Companies of the Fleshtearers using CPT Tycho's stats...  Still not sure what the AP of "The Dead Man's Hand" is, but I'll play it as AP 3 since it has a few special rules, etc...  I have one of the ancient "Blood Angels" Captains that I have quickly modified the Bolter to be a Combi-Melta, so should be quick and easy to paint up to get him to the tabletop.  Won't be that nice "golden" color, but I am liking the way the brass is looking after the Min-Wax/Matte spray, so probably the way to go as a Fleshtearers CPT.

Still debating with myself about the whole "model to advantage" of the Power Weapons in this edition...  So far it seems that for the normal Assault squad, Swords are the way to go.  The Death Company has the Power Axes already, and the Chaplain is stuck with the Power Maul unless I add the Power Fist...  The Medics (Sanguinary Priests)?  Tried Power Maul for the Str 7 on the Charge, but the Plague Marines Joe fielded simply shrugged it all off with the AP 4 and FnP rolls...  Not sure a Power Axe will be worth it dropping the I to 1, but with CPT Tycho might be the option I wind up going with for something AP 2 in there...  I'm just not seeing enough 2+ armor locally at least so the Swords are appearing to be the best here at least for Marines...  IG are getting Mauls or Axes I think.  Still irked that Logan Grimmar most likely gets hosed with his magic Axe...

Otherwise, the Whirlwind makes it's reappearance...  I think Ordinance Barrage Sniping is going to be JUST that annoying, picking off specific models.  To say nothing of the IG/DE/Necron armies I am seeing all over the place here, AP4 or AP 5 with no cover save is REALLY powerful against them, allowing me to simply erase Command or other important targets.  And with the casualties coming from the center of the blast, I can get Heavy Weapons, SGTs, etc...  90 points in a BA army, so a bit pricey, but I do think it will be worth it.

Second Assault Squad in a Razorback replacing the overpriced Tactical Squad.  Yes, the Razorback will probably be easy to kill, but twin linking the LC or more likely the Assault Cannons on the Fast platform makes for an emergency AA gun since there are a few armies with a lot of fliers locally.  Not entirely sure how they'll be deployed or used, but there are a good number of options here...  And the lads will all be painted, I think that is one of the more exciting things about all this...

First Blood for the win?

Well, I have to say that Secondary Victory Conditions are becoming really important...  Squeaked out a win against a good Chaos list from Joe L...  Really it was his Warlord rolling the "I can Outflank" that allowed him to attach to a Terminator Squad in their Land Raider...  So, they wound up coming in on Turn 2 or 3, but more importantly, they were not on the table when my Sternguard hit the field.  So, my Combi-Meltas of Doom were more or less usless.  We instead dropped in, Heavy Flamer to the fore and hit a Squad of Nurgle Marines that had disembarked their Rhino to shoot up my Scouts...  The SI Ammo is REALLY nice.

Yes, I had Scouts out in front to grab the "relic" objective.  Joe seized initiative, so the lads who infiltrated, scout moved and were ready to grab the objective and flee were instead gunned down in the open...  Well 4/5 of them, the last one DID escape for a turn, moving the ball back to where my Tac Squad would take it and move it back to my lines.  Game ended after turn 6 when the Terminators and Typhus (? big named Nurgle character) killed the last member of the squad in HtH...  But since they needed to pick it up in the movement phase, no one had control of the ball as time expired...  Line Breaker was claimed by both armies as his Terminators and my sole remaining Death Company Power Axe were camped in each other's DZs...  Both of our Warlords lived, and with my Death Company charging and killing the Nurgle Rhino on turn one, my claiming "First Blood" won the game.  Normally, I get it from Sternguard dropping and Melta/Plasma firing something to death, but I'll take it...

So, it seems that paying attention to the VC, especially the Secondaries is the way to get a lot of wins without having to sweep the field :-)...  Not always possible in this game.  Also, I have yet to find any particular disadvantage for "MSU" (multiple small units?  I cannot really remember the acronym) in this edition...  The old one, 1/3 of the missions were Kill Points, so it punished an Army bringing lots of cheap kill points.  Now, really it just means you risk giving First Blood easier, and with Night Fight (assuming people forget Search Lights/don't have them), loads of terrain blocking LOS, etc...  Even that is not a guarantee for stand off armies by any means...

So, next week I'll have at least one, probably 2 actual Drop Pods ready to roll, the Predator will be done and I think all of my Infantry, bar the Tactical Squad, will be fully painted.  Still not sure they are worth it frankly.  Let me re-phrase that, I still think they suck.  The Las Cannon whiffed the whole game, the Plasma fired only once, and the guys just died...  I'd rather have another Assault Squad I think as at least I can re-position them more easily or at least get the cheaper Razorback...  So, thinking I'll have the fully painted army next week, 90% done now...  Decent army all in all, probably won't win any GT's, but fun to play and it WILL give some of the "net lists" a headache...  Others though it will simply die to :-)

This Week, and Flatcon?

Well, looking like I will be fielding something along this line:

Gabriel Seth
Sanguinary Priests (1 Terminator, 1 jump pack)
Scout Squad (9 snipers, Heavy Bolter, Power Fist on SGT)
Assault Squad (Flamer, Melta, SGT has PP/PW)
Death Company (5 Jump Packs, 2 power axes)
DC DN (Flamer, Searchlight)
Baal Predator (Flamer turret, HB Sponsons)
Sternguard (Drop Pod, 4 combi Melta, combi plasma, Heavy Flamer)
Tac Squad (10, Las Cannon, Plasma gun, SGT w/Storm Bolter, Rhino w/searchlight)

Aegid Defense Line w/ Quad gun AAA

10 points left over, so probably just a few more random things here and there...  LOTS of Troops, so I can Combat Squad and hold lots of things, even with the Death Company and Sternguard going off to run a likely suicide attack...  On the plus side, if I go first, "First Blood" is mostly assured...  Minus side, I risk my Warlord a lot the way I play...  But that is pretty much how I play...

Looking at Flatcon doubles tournament in October...  Assuming we can get a team or two together and wander over to Bloomington...  1250 each, further rules here:
http://getevengaming.wordpress.com/central-illinois-doubles-2012/

Sounds like it could be a good one, and my Fleshtearers will be all fully painted and my Drop Pods will be ready...  So I'll be able to field pretty much whatever I'd need to...

Magnets are fun :-)

Well, got one of my ancient Predator hulls magnetized...  More or less :-)...  It works, but somehow I got the polarities reversed on the magnets so the guns only work on one side...  Until I get around to tearing it apart and reversing I guess, but it works for now and moving on to finishing the paint job...  Looking like the Baal Predator will hit the field in support of my Assault elements with the Heavy Bolter sponsons  for the moment.  I was pretty happy how well it did in support of my Sternguard, and I suspect that they will do well enough against a lot of armies locally at least.  Flying circus is the one I do not think I have an answer for at the moment.  Just SO many fliers locally, and I think that is going to be the biggest problem my lists will face...

4 Wounds?

Wow, I feel silly...  Gabriel Seth has 4 Wounds...  I never realized it, and I KNOW I have pulled him off the field several times after losing his "third and final" wound...  Was playing with my ancient Armybuilder trying to compare him with CPT Tycho, and saw that...  Thought it must be a mistake, but no...  Still, the complete lack of AP on his (defined as) Str 8 HtH attacks make him not quite so good as someone with a Power Weapon I think, but...  Yes, Rending...  But counting on 6's coming up is not the way to go I think...  Besides, he spent almost an entire game kicking a small unit of Necron Warriors into scrap only to have them keep coming back...  He has also bounced against a LOT of Marine types...  Kills light vehicles nicely and is scary to a lot of folks who don't really understand his weakness...  With AP 5 or dare I saw 4 on the giant 2 handed chain-sword he has, he would be Hell on wheels against hordes of light troops at least...  Eh...

Conversion work continuing, more Troop types painted and fully WYSIWYG (Melta armed Jump Trooper, etc...)...  So, other than the Drop Pod, everything is coming together nicely.  I cut the ribs for one out of some 5mm thick wood, and need to attach it to a base to get the bulk of the frame at least in place for that... So, Pods at last I guess...

Storm Raven is a possibility, but with the price increase this year from the $50-60 range to the $90 range for a vehicle I really don't like the look of that much...  Dunno.  Maybe eventually...

Fleshtearers are a FAST army...

:-)  Playing the way I do at least...  Not fast like a lot of folks seem to think, "We'll be in contact by turn 3-4"...  I'm playing it that I drop on top of them on turn one, turn 2 I am usually in Assault either by dropping Vanguard Vets right in or my DC/Jump Troopers have made it to contact.  The 12" move and up to 12" Assault move mean that if you are OK taking risks, you can move REALLY fast...

The trouble is supporting the fast movers.  I have found the Baal Predator, especially with the Flamethrower turret and HB sponsons to be a good way to throw down a fast tank that can help root out even 3+ armor hiding in cover (Str 6, AP 3 template)...  The flame sponsons are still fairly worthless I think, still can fire 2 going fast I guess, but that means you ALWAYS have a weapon you do not fire if you move at all, no snap fire option for the templates...  Now to finish painting my ancient model and getting it fully WYSIWYG...

Debating changing out the leader of the force...  Dropping a Librarian in won't likely work as they cannot cast powers (well, the ones I want them to) coming in from Deep Strike...  Tycho looks amusing for a stand in Captain, but the "general" FAQ seems a bit short here as his attacks in HtH which "ignore armor" are now AP what?  There is no defined weapon really to say "It is a Power Sword that also grants 'armor bane'"...  Which is how I'll likely play it, and hope I don't run across anyone who really wants to argue it out :-)  Seems the most reasonable, but...  Mephiston is still a possibility, but at 250 points?  That is a LOT of my army in a single model that has no Inv save...  Yes, T6, 4 Wounds, so hard to kill, but 250 points is a Land Raider or a squadron of Land Speeders easily...

Did forget to mention I will be looking to put them in with a Sternguard drop pod :-)...  The Medic in Terminator Armor (Sanguinary Priest, but "Medic" just sounds better to an old timer like me) dropped in with a short squad and CPT Tycho would seem like a pretty formidable little package hitting the table with Meltas blazing, a few 2+  saves and FnP for the lot of them...  Gives me a few Power Weapons in the squad as well, and I have been REALLY liking the Heavy Flamer option for one of the Sternguard (converting a weapon now, waiting for the Green Stuff to cure) as a quick couple of hits and the discouragement of a risky charge in... Still a LOT of points that would be wasted against a cheap horde force, or anything without one or more big targets...

Seth and the boys drop in...

Well, I ran the army with Gabriel Seth and 2 Sternguard Squads...  And I have to say that the setup with the second squad was REALLY good...  But I am not sure that the single squad dropping in would work.  In any case, the Heavy Flamer was really quite good, and I think will be one thing I convert ASAP...  Still need to finish up the Drop Pod, but the Medic (Sanguinary Priest) in Terminator armor was HUGE there.  Fearless, Power Weapon, FnP saves for the group...  I don't think Seth was needed frankly, but having some sort of HtH beatstick would be a very good thing...  Perhaps not really necessary, but still...  Someone has to keep them alive until my Cav can get there :-)  So, one Sternguard squad for now, And the Assault squad and Death Company to jump along a flank to rush in to support them.  Hard assault, and casualties will be heavy because we will START at point blank with the enemy, and the Jump Troops will be moving at top speed to make contact with the enemy...

The Baal Predator was awesome, and did exactly what I hoped it would, wiping squads of Powered Armor lads hiding in cover, getting in shots on things with the Heavy Bolters while zooming about...  Definitely need to finish up the painting on that one...  Think it has become a standard option for me now...

The DC DN was a big fear thing, but I rolled an improbable series of 1's and 2's to hit and wound with the thing...  Wound up killing a Rhino, then tearing into the Tac Squad equivalent (Templar) only to kill 1 every round despite the number of Str 10 no armor save attacks...  Was disappointing, and lucky that they were the only Marine squad still in existence WITHOUT Krak grenades...  Still, 135 points of "You'd best not ignore this" that takes a lot of pressure off of the Jump Troops it escorts...

Still, the painting is coming along really well, I should have most of it done by next week with my 30 or so Infantry figs set, and with only a few vehicles, the only glaring thing missing is the Drop Pod at this point...