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...

This week, 1 month til the Tournament...

Well, knocking out more of my Fleshtearers...  I think the Scouts are 99% done with the Minwax and matte sealant...  Looking pretty good, just need to pus some debris on the bases to get them to 100%.  Getting a bunch of my Assault Marines knocked out as well and the Sternguard done...  Well, one squad at least...

Looking at bringing 2 squads of them in one of my variant armies.  My first army will be:

Mephiston
Chaplain (jump pack)
Sanguinary Priest w/Jump pack
Death Company (5, JP, 2 power axes)
DC DN
Scout Squad (9 Snipers, 1 HB, SGT w/ Faust)
Assault Squad (10, Melta gun, plasma or flamer pistol, SGT w/ PW and PP or Flame pistol)
Sternguard (10, Pod, 6 combi melta, 4 combi plasma)
DN (TLAC x 2)
Baal Predator (HB sponsons, flame turret probably, maybe the TLAC...)

So, uber Psycher, drop army, etc...  Move fast, hit hard...  With Mephiston being a rank 3 Psyker he can get a decent selection of powers, and Telepathy looks amusing...  Divination works pretty well as well...

Second variant:
Gabriel Seth
Sanguinary Priests (2, 1 Jump pack, 1 Terminator Armor)
Scout Squad (as above)
Assault Squad (As above)
Death Company (As above)
DC DN
Sternguard Squad 1 (as above)
Sternguard Squad 2 (Drop Pod, 7 troopers, heavy flamer, 4 combi melta, 2 combi plasma)
Baal Predator (As above)

So, an extremely aggressive army with Seth and the Terminator Medic dropping with the Sternguard Squad 2...  Scouts sit back and camp, Assault squad w/Medic backed by the DC and the DC DN are a roving reserve or Cavalry to go forth and rescue/support the Sternguard and Seth.  With the second Sternguard squad, the Heavy Flamer is really just there to discourage charges and fry things behind Aegis lines or in buildings...  With FnP, Fearless, Flamer and of course Seth there it should at least make people think seriously about charging...  Now, I do not have the second squad converted, but this may be the way I run the lads later on if this works out....

Now, you'll probably notice the armies are remarkably similar...  Since I am riding the ancient motorcycle, the army has to fit into the saddlebags and trunk :-)...  So, "limited space" is an understatement I think...