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...