So... Looking at the new book, and a combination of what I have and what I can play well I think... Here is the first draft...
Spirit Seer... Leading out the army I think. Not a bad wizard, and frankly opening the Wraiths as Troops is worth a lot to me. Still learning the spells and frankly how to use them at all... But, I think this is a good start... Bit less than 100 points...
At least two Wraithguard units... One with flamers, one the normal d-guns... In Wave Serpents for the mobility and the added threat from that vehicle. Not sure how best to use them against the big uber MC's like the Tau, GK, Demons, etc. get... Suicide unit just rolling up and hitting hoping for 6's seems a waste but if it works... Also, building a Bastion for my elves, these seem to be a good unit to hold it... So, ~600 points here...
Other troops? My Dire Avengers will likely be hitting the field. They are decent against Infantry but helpless against armor... Their Wave Serpent will have the Bright Lances and they are likely my backfield security/objective campers... ~200-250 points here?
I think my Rangers will continue to make an appearance, but with so many things ignoring cover saves, I am not hugely confident they will survive. They ARE cheap, and have some potential in objective based games but... CHEAP, so 60 points here...
So, a lot of points on Troops, but the way 6th edition plays now I think this will form the base of my 1850 force...
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Continuing to learn the Eldar Codex... Kind of a rolling review...
So, mostly looking closer at the things I plan on fielding...
My Army will likely be led out by a Spiritseer as I am REALLY liking the Wraiths for Troops. Yes, they are a bit slower and their weapons may well be short ranged overkill. I am looking at the Fearless and extremely high Toughness. I will be fielding one as the D-Scythe unit and one as the "normal" ones, both at 5 strong in Wave Serpents. Not sure if I will be sending my Seer with one squad or not. But Distort weapons are looking like a terrifying answer to the big nasty things out there... Tau uber suits, Demons, etc... Whatever, I roll a 6 to wound and ID it at AP 2, so only the 5++ for a lot of things. I do not think that the army, if I based it COMPLETELY on Wraiths would work given the small numbers on my side and the inability to stand up to a real torrent of fire... Kind of like my DA force... But as the "anchor" or "anvil" for the rest of the Army I think this will work well.
Swooping Hawks... I am REALLY liking them. I think they will be the thing that actually wins me a few games. Large Blast, no deviation on the Deep Strike and then a torrent of shooting... I think they will be assassinating things like IG Command Squads, Marine Scouts, etc... Line Breaker if they live I guess... But have to be a LOT more careful with these lads than a standard Marine Assault element. They have bad armor, but are very mobile... Decent shooting, though only Str 3 for the most part, so I'll be hoping to roll well on the cause wounds and hoping they roll poorly for armor saves. The Exarch's weapons have changed a bit with this edition, have to say I am kind of liking it, but have only gotten a few games in with them, so not 100% convinced which to use.
Scorpions: Standard HtH, flanking to hit the enemy in the vulnerable areas, hopefully... Still annoyed they cannot Assault out of Reserve, but... Keeping the squad cheapish, the Exarch is an absolute beast in Challenges or just HtH in general with Chain Sabers... Kind of an "eh" option overall I think. I feel like I NEED something to deal with HtH threats, and I can have flankers come in on my own edge to be mobile reserves, or more likely attack the enemy strong point and go for Line Breaker and disruption of their firing line...
Heavy Support: It is CROWDED there. Honestly I am thinking I will continue to play the things I have for the last few editions with one exception...
The Dark Reapers finally get to come back from their shelf exile. No jink cover saves mean I think that Eldar and Tau are going to be really hating seeing these lads on the field. It kind of goes without having to say it, I will be using the AT missile upgrades for all of them. So, either 2 shots at Str 5 AP 3 or one at Str 8 AP3... I guess pinning might come into effect some times, but I have not seen it happen often :-)... Exarch's weapon, the Tempest Launcher I have might be the thing to keep playing, though without Split Fire, it may be wasted some times... But Night Vision, Fast Shot and people playing for the Night Fighting hoping that I cannot see them to shoot at them? Might be getting First Blood a LOT with this unit on the field...
War Walkers: The more I use them, the more I like them. Still unhappy that the AAA option for the EML is even more expensive, I think that EVERY missile launcher should just have the damn Flak option built in at the base cost of the ML, but I'm just an Engineer, not a game designer, what do I know... The 5++, move shoot move option and the weight of fire these lads can put down range is really quite impressive. The standard weapon mix has shifted, but better balanced I think. No longer really going dual Scatter Lasers for everyone, the SL/Bright Lance option they came with in the most ancient times seems to be the one I have the best luck with.
Wraith Lords: Still lacking the ++ save and still vulnerable to massed poison or AT shooting, but these guys are still insanely powerful for Armies not prepared to deal with the T8 Monster hitting their lines... And now I can get 2 Heavy Weapons without the stupid "twin linked if you buy 2 of the same"... Wow, that was stupid. But is also past edition. Now, they are pretty darn powerful. I tend to keep mine in a "free safety" position as a mobile reserve should anyone try to crash my lines... Yes, I played American Football for a while in the ancient times because my HS did not have a Hockey team at the time, I was a Free Safety and I played like Gary Fencik or Doug Plank... NOT nearly so well, but I had no particular problem playing the game a "bit rougher" or fighting if it came to that. The Linebacker and I would arrainge it to have one of us get to the player (receiver or QB) and hold him. NOT tackle, just set him up to be hit really hard by the next guy. Technically legal as the player was NOT down, but a bit dirty... Getting myself tossed out of the game as long as I took their QB with me was a net win for my team :-)... But keeping the WL back to guard objectives and snipe with heavy weapons makes for a rough choice on the other side of the table... Ignore it, give up the objectives being held and just take the 2-3 Heavy Weapon shots/turn or crash in and hope for the best. Oh, the WL is a Character too :-) So, precision shots, challenges, etc...
Fire Prism/Night Spinner: YES... I am liking the various fire options for both of those tanks. I HAVE and have played the Fire Prism several times. The 3 choices are awesome, and with Holo Fields, it is an annoyingly survivable light Tank. NOT something I can just drive up the middle of the field daring them to shoot me like a Land Raider with the 4++, but... Overall I think a better tank. The Spinner is one I am looking forward to trying. My initial thoughts are that it depends too much on good rolls to be useful overall. Yes, it can Pin, Rend, etc., and it has the Torrent template option which would murder the enemy bikers of doom that hit the field here... But with just average rolls? I think the Prism is still the better one at least for me...
Vaul's Wrath: Support Weapons? The D-Cannon looks amazing, and if I can put it up in a Bastion or behind an Aegis line? Maybe. But the 24" range kind of kills it for me. If only they did not have so many other Heavy options I just feel are better... So, a gimmick option for me... I HAVE 2 old D-Cannons, so I can legally field them, but honestly I do not see this happening often.
Wraith Knight: Eh... Yes, he would be better than the WL... But a monstrously huge target. I will probably get one eventually, and I do think I could easily make it work with my army... Just do not think I NEED it now, and with real life expenses being what they are... Mind, should someone want to pick up some ancient firearms or an old motorcycle :-)... But, something for "later" I think.
Falcon: The only one in the section I do not see myself using. Ever. It costs the same as the Fire Prism, and the Pulse Laser is not as good as the Prism's main gun. Yes, it has transport capability, but 6 models? And it is NOT a dedicated transport option... If it were, I could see using them all the time, but giving up one of my 3 HS slots for a substandard tank/transport option? No thanks...
So, for my armies the choices are: War Walkers, Wraith Lord, Fire Prism and Dark Reapers... All of which are ~ equal for me, depending a bit on the makeup of the rest of my force... But I tend to play a VERY mobile Eldar style, even with Wraiths...
My Army will likely be led out by a Spiritseer as I am REALLY liking the Wraiths for Troops. Yes, they are a bit slower and their weapons may well be short ranged overkill. I am looking at the Fearless and extremely high Toughness. I will be fielding one as the D-Scythe unit and one as the "normal" ones, both at 5 strong in Wave Serpents. Not sure if I will be sending my Seer with one squad or not. But Distort weapons are looking like a terrifying answer to the big nasty things out there... Tau uber suits, Demons, etc... Whatever, I roll a 6 to wound and ID it at AP 2, so only the 5++ for a lot of things. I do not think that the army, if I based it COMPLETELY on Wraiths would work given the small numbers on my side and the inability to stand up to a real torrent of fire... Kind of like my DA force... But as the "anchor" or "anvil" for the rest of the Army I think this will work well.
Swooping Hawks... I am REALLY liking them. I think they will be the thing that actually wins me a few games. Large Blast, no deviation on the Deep Strike and then a torrent of shooting... I think they will be assassinating things like IG Command Squads, Marine Scouts, etc... Line Breaker if they live I guess... But have to be a LOT more careful with these lads than a standard Marine Assault element. They have bad armor, but are very mobile... Decent shooting, though only Str 3 for the most part, so I'll be hoping to roll well on the cause wounds and hoping they roll poorly for armor saves. The Exarch's weapons have changed a bit with this edition, have to say I am kind of liking it, but have only gotten a few games in with them, so not 100% convinced which to use.
Scorpions: Standard HtH, flanking to hit the enemy in the vulnerable areas, hopefully... Still annoyed they cannot Assault out of Reserve, but... Keeping the squad cheapish, the Exarch is an absolute beast in Challenges or just HtH in general with Chain Sabers... Kind of an "eh" option overall I think. I feel like I NEED something to deal with HtH threats, and I can have flankers come in on my own edge to be mobile reserves, or more likely attack the enemy strong point and go for Line Breaker and disruption of their firing line...
Heavy Support: It is CROWDED there. Honestly I am thinking I will continue to play the things I have for the last few editions with one exception...
The Dark Reapers finally get to come back from their shelf exile. No jink cover saves mean I think that Eldar and Tau are going to be really hating seeing these lads on the field. It kind of goes without having to say it, I will be using the AT missile upgrades for all of them. So, either 2 shots at Str 5 AP 3 or one at Str 8 AP3... I guess pinning might come into effect some times, but I have not seen it happen often :-)... Exarch's weapon, the Tempest Launcher I have might be the thing to keep playing, though without Split Fire, it may be wasted some times... But Night Vision, Fast Shot and people playing for the Night Fighting hoping that I cannot see them to shoot at them? Might be getting First Blood a LOT with this unit on the field...
War Walkers: The more I use them, the more I like them. Still unhappy that the AAA option for the EML is even more expensive, I think that EVERY missile launcher should just have the damn Flak option built in at the base cost of the ML, but I'm just an Engineer, not a game designer, what do I know... The 5++, move shoot move option and the weight of fire these lads can put down range is really quite impressive. The standard weapon mix has shifted, but better balanced I think. No longer really going dual Scatter Lasers for everyone, the SL/Bright Lance option they came with in the most ancient times seems to be the one I have the best luck with.
Wraith Lords: Still lacking the ++ save and still vulnerable to massed poison or AT shooting, but these guys are still insanely powerful for Armies not prepared to deal with the T8 Monster hitting their lines... And now I can get 2 Heavy Weapons without the stupid "twin linked if you buy 2 of the same"... Wow, that was stupid. But is also past edition. Now, they are pretty darn powerful. I tend to keep mine in a "free safety" position as a mobile reserve should anyone try to crash my lines... Yes, I played American Football for a while in the ancient times because my HS did not have a Hockey team at the time, I was a Free Safety and I played like Gary Fencik or Doug Plank... NOT nearly so well, but I had no particular problem playing the game a "bit rougher" or fighting if it came to that. The Linebacker and I would arrainge it to have one of us get to the player (receiver or QB) and hold him. NOT tackle, just set him up to be hit really hard by the next guy. Technically legal as the player was NOT down, but a bit dirty... Getting myself tossed out of the game as long as I took their QB with me was a net win for my team :-)... But keeping the WL back to guard objectives and snipe with heavy weapons makes for a rough choice on the other side of the table... Ignore it, give up the objectives being held and just take the 2-3 Heavy Weapon shots/turn or crash in and hope for the best. Oh, the WL is a Character too :-) So, precision shots, challenges, etc...
Fire Prism/Night Spinner: YES... I am liking the various fire options for both of those tanks. I HAVE and have played the Fire Prism several times. The 3 choices are awesome, and with Holo Fields, it is an annoyingly survivable light Tank. NOT something I can just drive up the middle of the field daring them to shoot me like a Land Raider with the 4++, but... Overall I think a better tank. The Spinner is one I am looking forward to trying. My initial thoughts are that it depends too much on good rolls to be useful overall. Yes, it can Pin, Rend, etc., and it has the Torrent template option which would murder the enemy bikers of doom that hit the field here... But with just average rolls? I think the Prism is still the better one at least for me...
Vaul's Wrath: Support Weapons? The D-Cannon looks amazing, and if I can put it up in a Bastion or behind an Aegis line? Maybe. But the 24" range kind of kills it for me. If only they did not have so many other Heavy options I just feel are better... So, a gimmick option for me... I HAVE 2 old D-Cannons, so I can legally field them, but honestly I do not see this happening often.
Wraith Knight: Eh... Yes, he would be better than the WL... But a monstrously huge target. I will probably get one eventually, and I do think I could easily make it work with my army... Just do not think I NEED it now, and with real life expenses being what they are... Mind, should someone want to pick up some ancient firearms or an old motorcycle :-)... But, something for "later" I think.
Falcon: The only one in the section I do not see myself using. Ever. It costs the same as the Fire Prism, and the Pulse Laser is not as good as the Prism's main gun. Yes, it has transport capability, but 6 models? And it is NOT a dedicated transport option... If it were, I could see using them all the time, but giving up one of my 3 HS slots for a substandard tank/transport option? No thanks...
So, for my armies the choices are: War Walkers, Wraith Lord, Fire Prism and Dark Reapers... All of which are ~ equal for me, depending a bit on the makeup of the rest of my force... But I tend to play a VERY mobile Eldar style, even with Wraiths...
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
So, next Eldar army for me...
Well, broke down and got my second "Finecast" figure... The Eldar Spiritseer. I have not opened the clamshell yet, but it looks pretty good. I have a bit more confidence in this as it is a new sculpt rather than a retread from the metals. So, yes, I am continuing my Wraith based armies I think... Testing the "flamer armed" Wraithguard next, I think they have the potential to be excellent shock troops against a LOT of the local armies. Will be using my ancient Ghost Warriors as them:
So, a bit on the smaller side and on the old 25mm bases rather than the new 40mm ones, but... It IS WYSIWYG and armed correctly with a flamer... OK, some do have the Shuriken Catapults, but... Ironically I ended up with 3 of these and 2 of the Shuriken armed ones... Close enough :-)... In any case, T6 Fearless Troops armed with AP 2 flamers? And they no longer have the 1/6 chance of stupidity? Down side being their cost of 45 points each... Still, roll them out of a Wave Serpent and watch a lot of armies just cry...
WRT the rest of the force, I will be fielding my Scorpions as flankers most likely, some Dire Avengers as general utility Troops, the Dark Reapers as "We Kill Marines, even on bikes" heavy support... I am REALLY liking the War Walkers AND the Wraith Lords... Can't see spending $120+ on the Wraith Knight yet, but I am guessing that will be an eventual purchase to go next to my ancient Warhound class Titan and Eldar Tempest heavy tank... Neat, and while I am NOT on the extremely negative side like some folks, I just do not see it doing all that much for the armies that I actually play. Or at least not that much more than a new Wraithlord, of which I have "a few"...
A bit torn on the potential use of say, a Wraith Seer from IA 11... Clearly something written for 5th edition, and I traded to get one of the old Confrontation Elves constructs for the stand in figure... Might be insanely powerful in combination with a Spirit Seer as the other HQ (we only play single FOC games here) giving the Wraiths FnP, etc... And he DOES have a 5++ save and access to a d-cannon for a heavy weapon... Neat, but really what would that do that I cannot already do? Honestly, the old Fighter flier is more tempting just because it is a cheaper version of the new Crimson Hunter... OK, TOO cheap, so I'd not field it, but... I do need to think of some way to deal with fliers for my army, none of the options are looking too good other than take CH's and deal with them in the sky fighter to fighter, hoping I go second...
Otherwise I am looking at constructing a Bastion for my Eldar... Need something NOT Imperial, but with the same dimensions I think...
So, a bit on the smaller side and on the old 25mm bases rather than the new 40mm ones, but... It IS WYSIWYG and armed correctly with a flamer... OK, some do have the Shuriken Catapults, but... Ironically I ended up with 3 of these and 2 of the Shuriken armed ones... Close enough :-)... In any case, T6 Fearless Troops armed with AP 2 flamers? And they no longer have the 1/6 chance of stupidity? Down side being their cost of 45 points each... Still, roll them out of a Wave Serpent and watch a lot of armies just cry...
WRT the rest of the force, I will be fielding my Scorpions as flankers most likely, some Dire Avengers as general utility Troops, the Dark Reapers as "We Kill Marines, even on bikes" heavy support... I am REALLY liking the War Walkers AND the Wraith Lords... Can't see spending $120+ on the Wraith Knight yet, but I am guessing that will be an eventual purchase to go next to my ancient Warhound class Titan and Eldar Tempest heavy tank... Neat, and while I am NOT on the extremely negative side like some folks, I just do not see it doing all that much for the armies that I actually play. Or at least not that much more than a new Wraithlord, of which I have "a few"...
A bit torn on the potential use of say, a Wraith Seer from IA 11... Clearly something written for 5th edition, and I traded to get one of the old Confrontation Elves constructs for the stand in figure... Might be insanely powerful in combination with a Spirit Seer as the other HQ (we only play single FOC games here) giving the Wraiths FnP, etc... And he DOES have a 5++ save and access to a d-cannon for a heavy weapon... Neat, but really what would that do that I cannot already do? Honestly, the old Fighter flier is more tempting just because it is a cheaper version of the new Crimson Hunter... OK, TOO cheap, so I'd not field it, but... I do need to think of some way to deal with fliers for my army, none of the options are looking too good other than take CH's and deal with them in the sky fighter to fighter, hoping I go second...
Otherwise I am looking at constructing a Bastion for my Eldar... Need something NOT Imperial, but with the same dimensions I think...
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Next League, 1850 points and more Eldar
Looks like I will be running the next league... I'll be running it at 1850 and looking like a fair number of the folks want to use the missions from the Adepticon this year (http://www.adepticon.org/?page_id=3783) since a bunch of us are looking at heading up there next year...
I'm a bit torn on the 1850 level... Seems like it is a bit on the higher end where you no longer have to make as many of the hard choices WRT your army... But we'll see :-) And any games I get in will be with the new Eldar...
Picked up some more paint hopefully this one will actually be a good match for the stuff I used 20 years ago when I originally painted my Eldar... I am using the Executioner and Assassin class Ghost Warriors as the new Flamer armed Wraithguard... With a Spiritseer HQ, they become Troops, so I can have them and normal Wraithguard both loaded up in Wave Serpents as some pretty darn tough Troops. Another thought is to build an Eldar Bastion equivalent and "staff" it with WG and maybe the Seer? Something of a small project and I'd need to make it "Eldar" enough to be a good strong point for my lads to hold...
Other than the Wraithguard I am liking a lot of the things I used in the past, the Spiders, Dire Avengers, War Walkers and Scorpions... The Dark Reapers have made it back to the "YES" list with the inclusion of SnP and the revival of their ancient missiles... Minus side, I have only the one ancient Armorcast Falcon that I'm going to use as a Wave Serpent... Guess I do the mold and either dental plaster or resin or something to that effect to make more...
I'm a bit torn on the 1850 level... Seems like it is a bit on the higher end where you no longer have to make as many of the hard choices WRT your army... But we'll see :-) And any games I get in will be with the new Eldar...
Picked up some more paint hopefully this one will actually be a good match for the stuff I used 20 years ago when I originally painted my Eldar... I am using the Executioner and Assassin class Ghost Warriors as the new Flamer armed Wraithguard... With a Spiritseer HQ, they become Troops, so I can have them and normal Wraithguard both loaded up in Wave Serpents as some pretty darn tough Troops. Another thought is to build an Eldar Bastion equivalent and "staff" it with WG and maybe the Seer? Something of a small project and I'd need to make it "Eldar" enough to be a good strong point for my lads to hold...
Other than the Wraithguard I am liking a lot of the things I used in the past, the Spiders, Dire Avengers, War Walkers and Scorpions... The Dark Reapers have made it back to the "YES" list with the inclusion of SnP and the revival of their ancient missiles... Minus side, I have only the one ancient Armorcast Falcon that I'm going to use as a Wave Serpent... Guess I do the mold and either dental plaster or resin or something to that effect to make more...
Thursday, June 6, 2013
So, more thoughts on the Eldar stuff...
OK, so the more I read about the Eldar stuff, the more I am finding that I like...
Dark Reapers: Yes, they will be expensive as hell. And they will be an absolute fire magnet for pretty much EVERYTHING on the other side of the table once they hit the table... But with "Slow and Purposeful", they can easily deploy from a Wave Serpent even if it comes in from Reserve... They can deploy from the WS and shoot the turn they arrive at full BS. So, 38 points each as I cannot see using them without the Str 8 AP 3 shot option... Don't get me wrong, the Str 5 AP 3, Heavy 2 is nice and all but the AT missile shot is going to be huge. Especially as they ignore jink cover saves, so skimmers, bikes, etc. are all in trouble... Haven't decided on the Exarch's weapons, but the Tempest Launcher is looking pretty darn good... Mind, unless one is fighting a Marine "foot" list, his weapon does not fit in well with the rest of the squad's and no split fire so... Guessing there will be times he just does nothing much at all... OTOH, there will be times when he wipes out whole squads himself and the rest of the lads can stand back and golf clap...
Holo Fields: Holy Crap, how did I miss this one the first time through... So, for the Wave Serpent, the standard cost is NOT 120, it is 135... Skimmer, so the Junk save of 5+ is a cover save and the Holo Field gives +1 to that... 4+ save in the open, 3+ from ruins, Aegis Lines, etc...
A few more things, like the War Walkers are on my mind... I have to say the Walkers have a ton of potential, but they can get expensive REALLY quickly. The Night Spinner with the Torrent Mono-filament template has a bunch of potential as well I think... Like I said, still wrapping my head around a lot of the things...
Dark Reapers: Yes, they will be expensive as hell. And they will be an absolute fire magnet for pretty much EVERYTHING on the other side of the table once they hit the table... But with "Slow and Purposeful", they can easily deploy from a Wave Serpent even if it comes in from Reserve... They can deploy from the WS and shoot the turn they arrive at full BS. So, 38 points each as I cannot see using them without the Str 8 AP 3 shot option... Don't get me wrong, the Str 5 AP 3, Heavy 2 is nice and all but the AT missile shot is going to be huge. Especially as they ignore jink cover saves, so skimmers, bikes, etc. are all in trouble... Haven't decided on the Exarch's weapons, but the Tempest Launcher is looking pretty darn good... Mind, unless one is fighting a Marine "foot" list, his weapon does not fit in well with the rest of the squad's and no split fire so... Guessing there will be times he just does nothing much at all... OTOH, there will be times when he wipes out whole squads himself and the rest of the lads can stand back and golf clap...
Holo Fields: Holy Crap, how did I miss this one the first time through... So, for the Wave Serpent, the standard cost is NOT 120, it is 135... Skimmer, so the Junk save of 5+ is a cover save and the Holo Field gives +1 to that... 4+ save in the open, 3+ from ruins, Aegis Lines, etc...
A few more things, like the War Walkers are on my mind... I have to say the Walkers have a ton of potential, but they can get expensive REALLY quickly. The Night Spinner with the Torrent Mono-filament template has a bunch of potential as well I think... Like I said, still wrapping my head around a lot of the things...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
First game in with the Eldar...
Well, got in a first game with the new Codex... I played at the 1850 level with the following:
HQ:
Spirit Seer
Illic Nightspear
Warlock Council (2)
Troops:
Guardian Squad (10, Bright Lance)
Guardian Squad (10, Scatter Laser)
Dire Avengers (10, Exarch w/ TLSC)
Wave Serpent (Bright Lance)
Wraithguard (5)
Wave Serpent (Scatter Laser)
Ranger Squad
Elite:
Scorpions (10, Exarch w/ Chain sabers, Crushing Blow and Stalker)
Fast Attack:
Swooping Hawks (6, Exarch w/ Sun Rifle)
Warp Spiders (5, Exarch w/TL Spinner, Fast Shot, Marksman)
Heavy Support:
Wraithlord (Ghost Glaive, 2 Bright Lances)
Fire Prism
So, as you can see, a VERY haphazard group of more or less random things I wanted to try... Some things I realized:
HQ:
Spirit Seer
Illic Nightspear
Warlock Council (2)
Troops:
Guardian Squad (10, Bright Lance)
Guardian Squad (10, Scatter Laser)
Dire Avengers (10, Exarch w/ TLSC)
Wave Serpent (Bright Lance)
Wraithguard (5)
Wave Serpent (Scatter Laser)
Ranger Squad
Elite:
Scorpions (10, Exarch w/ Chain sabers, Crushing Blow and Stalker)
Fast Attack:
Swooping Hawks (6, Exarch w/ Sun Rifle)
Warp Spiders (5, Exarch w/TL Spinner, Fast Shot, Marksman)
Heavy Support:
Wraithlord (Ghost Glaive, 2 Bright Lances)
Fire Prism
So, as you can see, a VERY haphazard group of more or less random things I wanted to try... Some things I realized:
- ALWAYS remember to use Battle Focus. There were several times I remembered, and so on turn one I was able to get a Guardian Squad within 12" range to let loose a hail of fire to kill a bunch of Chaos Marines... Other times I completely forgot like with the Hawks, leaving them nicely bunched up after their drop in and shooting phase... And a few times with Spiders I think... But it is HUGE and something that I will need to get used to as a mechanism.
- Base Rangers are 60 points. They lost a lot, and frankly are about as useful as Marine Snipers now. Which is to say, not really so much. Relying on 6's on the damage roll makes Nightspear "less useful" as well. Yes, BS 9 and 48" range so he can hit almost every time and he does place EVERY shot where he wants to, but still needing the 4+ to wound hurts. Yes, iff he rolls the 6, it is Rending and Distortion, so the target it really, really dead, but... Too easy to get cover saves and lacking Night Vision, etc. made him fairly useless for me.
- The Wave Serpents are AWESOME. I think my standard loadout will be the Scatter Laser though... BS 4, Twin Linked, and I get even one hit, the Shield in offensive mode gets twin linked. D6+1 Str 7 no cover save shots now twin linked? Yes Please. They really did not get tested I think against a dedicated AT force though... The mere presence of the shield was enough several turns to convince the Chaos player (Max, one of the better players at the Gopher) that there were other targets. The ability to deploy, run then shoot means that the single hatch at the rear of the vehicle is not as much a problem as I had feared, certainly not for the Dire Avengers and Wraithguard.
- Thinking that I will be switching several weapon loadouts from their old, traditional ones to something else. The new "twin linked" option for the DA and WS Exarchs are less useful than I had thought. Loosing out on the extra shots at BS 5 for the almost guaranteed, but only 2 now meant that I would much rather use other options. The DA NEED something like the 5++ from the Shimmer Shield, so guessing that model gets deployed for me going forward. Not so sure for the Spiders, though the always AP 1 Spinneret Rifle and Fast Shot/Marksman (for the 5+ to choose targets) might well be the best option.
- Going forward I think I will be needing something toit deal with the obnoxious cover save things going on... Dark Reapers with SnP are looking pretty good with their new special rules, and the Wraithguard with their alternate template weapons might well prove to be an excellent shock/line breaker unit. Loaded out in a Serpent to deliver them to problem areas and drop in with a bunch of AP 2 flamer attacks. Only Str 4, but Distort for the quasi rending effect... And assaulting them would be suicidal with EACH of them getting d3 hits with their weapon... The Reapers are looking REALLY good, though expensive. Getting the old Reaper launcher AND the "Krak" missile options (at an additional cost) seems like a no brainer. And with SnP they can be reserved or transported without losing their ability to shoot. Exarch will be absolutely silly if I deck him out with say, Fast Shot and the Tempest Launcher... 3 Barrage blast markers at AP 3, no jink saves against ANY of the DR shooting... So, death to bikes and light skimmers, sucks to be Scouts or even up to Marines behind cover... And he will Artillery Snipe the hell out of things being able to place the Barrage template over what he wants to kill first with casualties coming from the center of the blast...
- Wraithlord? Was OK, but died due to an obnoxious number of 5++ saves being made when he crashed into 2 Obliterators... The Ghost Glaive for 5 points gave him +1 Str and Master Crafting for a re-roll which did prove useful. His loadout of 2 Bright Lances was less than optimal though. I think a Scatter Laser or Star Cannons might be more suited to the local environment at least...
- Weapon Platforms... The Bright Lance at 20 points was not bad... The Scatter Laser was much more of a "Why did I bother?"... Think the Star Cannon might be one to bring for the AP 2 shooting... Brings me to:
- Stat lines... Holy Crap, I5 everywhere... Even Guardians get WS/BS 4 and I5... We go first in HtH. Won't DO shit for the most part, but at least I am going first, dammit. Something I think to get used to with the old War Walkers being useful in the previous edition despite the BS 3... Now with BS 4? Guessing they will hit the table for me soon as well... Damn, the Heavy Support slot is full...
So, was mostly a learning game for me, as I was clearly NOT prepared for an 1850 game with the much cheaper options... I am thinking the Crimson Hunter will be the (current) premier air superiority fighter, so that may well be on the purchase list. The Wraith Knight? I do think it is an amazing model aesthetically. I am just concerned that it is another model like the "Loki" Blood Claw "upgrade" in the Wolves Codex where it looks great and has a bunch of rules that simply do not work in the current edition of the game... And it is NOT a $20 model, coming in at $115 pre-tax...
Next week the Dark Reapers awaken from their long slumber of several editions... Bikes as well likely, not sure what else though...
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Eldar Saturday... So, next League
More and more of the book is "in the wild" now... I have to say that I am liking most of it... It appears that the old ones penance is finally over for the stupidly overpowered 3rd edition codex... The range of their Shuriken Catapults is the only major disappointment for me... Well, that and the lack of a good way to actually use the old Scorpions and Banshees... No assaulting from Reserve and no Assault Transport, so...
Wraithlords can now take 2 heavy weapons, 2 flamers AND the sword... So I guess I have some modifications to do... They lost a few points of Str, but overall, not at all bad I think... The Wraithguard I am less sure of, but I do NOT need to bring the huge unit of 10 to make them a Troop choice. Just a HQ Choice, the Spirit Seer.
Comparing the Guardians and Dire Avengers... Haven't seen the whole DA listing, but 18" rage for their guns vs the 12" on the normal ones... The new shoot/run or run/shoot thing is a neat idea, but I think the Heavy Weapon the Guardians have might prevent that or be wasted... I will probably have a mix, and I am liking that the Guardians are NOT looking completely useless...
Looking forward to fielding the Swooping Hawks again, and the Spiders are looking pretty darn good... And depending on the Flier's rules and how the model looks... Well, looking like another purchase I guess :-)
Wraithlords can now take 2 heavy weapons, 2 flamers AND the sword... So I guess I have some modifications to do... They lost a few points of Str, but overall, not at all bad I think... The Wraithguard I am less sure of, but I do NOT need to bring the huge unit of 10 to make them a Troop choice. Just a HQ Choice, the Spirit Seer.
Comparing the Guardians and Dire Avengers... Haven't seen the whole DA listing, but 18" rage for their guns vs the 12" on the normal ones... The new shoot/run or run/shoot thing is a neat idea, but I think the Heavy Weapon the Guardians have might prevent that or be wasted... I will probably have a mix, and I am liking that the Guardians are NOT looking completely useless...
Looking forward to fielding the Swooping Hawks again, and the Spiders are looking pretty darn good... And depending on the Flier's rules and how the model looks... Well, looking like another purchase I guess :-)
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