Pics of works in progress and a bit more...

So, just a few pics of the things I am working on...  Nothing too extensive, but getting some ancient models ready to hit the table...

So, building a Land Speeder Storm, Bastions, Centurion Devastator stand ins, Swooping Hawks, Storm Talon stand-in, some ancient Scouts with Bolters and  the Marine w/ Shuriken Catapult to stand in as a Grav Gun I think...

Looking at my armies and current projects in the Basement of Doom © I have way too much on that wee painting table.  And frankly finding less and less motivation to actually paint them to maybe play them…

1.      Still stripping and repainting my Praetorian IG, but that is a LONG term project with several hundred models.  And riding the motorcycle, not a practical army to be transporting.  Rumor has them getting a new Codex early next year.  I think they are still way too good in this edition, though I know I do not be any means have an “optimized” force playing mine as a Light Rifles Company.  Still, while they are NOT unbeaten while I play them, I think I have only lost to gimmick setups for a LONG time.  By Gimmick I mean the Scenario allowed say, an Assault based horde army to set up at the mid-point, something like 12” away from my line as I was packed into a corner.  If I had more than a single turn to actually fire before getting overrun…  But that was 5^th edition.  In 6^th I think they still do an amazingly powerful gun line.  Only real struggles are keeping something like Daemons at bay.  But I have Aegis lines, Hydras, Vendettas, etc…  Sadly, running them with Wolves as allies for Psychic Defenses and effectively unbreakable blobs is not a bad thing.  Silly tricks like DA or GK allied in give things like 4++ Fearless blobs or other things really outside of  balance…  NOT really suitable for fast paced Tournament games, so unlikely to see them there…  And frankly, the modern gun lines like Eldar Serpent Spam can throw out a LOT of firepower.  More below…
2.        DA…  Yes, I have a BUNCH of them still in various stages of painting.  Picked up one of the new Terminator Squad boxes…  And repainting/finishing up a bunch of my old models.  I CAN play a pretty good Dual Wing or Deathwing force…  Just such a low model count for overpriced things and the new gun lines put out SO MUCH fire that I’ll roll enough 1’s to just die.  Oh, and the bikes just evaporate to the Heldrakes.  No saves, wound on a 2 or 3 depending if it is the fly-by or flamer…  No defenses possible, unless you somehow get them Invulnerable saves…  Possible, but NOT cheap and that bunches you or slows you down so much…   And overall, the DA book still leaves a bitter taste as it had SUCH potential but ended up just being really bad all around.  Niche allies at best, sadly…
3.        Eldar…  Yes, I stopped painting and playing them for pretty much the opposite reason.  They are just way too good.  The Wave Serpent is insane, and since GW is “somewhat lax” doing things like writing, clarifying or providing FAQs for their rules you get some insane but completely legal combos.  Skyshield with Wave Serpents being the one that comes to mind here.  2+ cover save for a bunch of Vehicles that depending on how the TO rules might be immune to “ignores cover”.  And good luck getting up there to deal with them in HtH.  MOST tournaments do not have giant pieces of blocking terrain at the center of every table, and those are the only ones that I am seeing things like Chaos/Tyranids coming out on top with.  Alpha Strike or no, SO much shooting that it gets silly and they are immune to so much counter fire.  Kind of irking, I was really enjoying playing them in a non “optimized” fashion with Spiritseer and Wraiths as Troops, etc…  There are just SO many good things in the book, and it was interesting to play until this.  I felt it was overpowered before this and I felt pretty bad bringing them to play against folks bringing “fluffy” Chaos Marines, GK or the like, but this just put it way over the top.  Point and click for the win at the events, boring to play and boring to play against. 
4.      And finally the Crimson Fists I am working on now...  So far they are pretty good.  I am enjoying playing the Army and they are doing fairly well...  OK, strike that, they are kicking much ass.  But I have yet to face one of the forces I think will be a hard counter to them.  And unfortunately there are some armies that are simply hard counters to EVERYTHING.  Based on some very poorly written rules and their interaction with some very unclear things, it has led to a situation where I fear the game itself is just broken.  The problem is that until some of the stupidity is sorted out, not sure ANY Army will work.  Frankly, at this point barring local house rulings or a LOT of the major TOs  getting together and making an effectively universal ruling it is simply not worth playing in Tournaments I think...  Locally I think we'll avoid this, but...

 OK, that wound up more of a rant than I was thinking of...  And I haven't even touched all of my armies.  Fleshtearers are still "eh" at best, GK's have been passed I think.  Though ironically they would work very well against the Demons that have apparently been doing well in some of the Tournaments the way I play them at least...  I'm odd I guess as I actually play the GK with actual Knights as the focus and in fact the main part of the force...  But they lose easily I think to too many other things...  Fleshtearers are a Shock army.  I will be able to surprise some people attacking immediately and with everything, holding nothing back and taking chances not many others would...  Works once against most people, but once they have seen this thing, it will not work again, or not often...

Next Week, something completely different and the current meta?

So, looking to try something completely different…  Crimson Fists without Pedro Kantor.  Thinking that a Bike CPT gains me a Command Squad and access to Bike Squads (of 5 or more models) as Troops.

Captain (Bike, Primarch’s Wrath, LC)  145

Command Squad (Bikes, 3 Grav Guns, Melta Gun, Medic)  205

Bike Squad (8, Attack Bike w/MM, 2 Grav Guns) 253

Scout Squad (10, 4 Sniper, HB, Cloaks, LSS w/MM) 142+55

Bike Squad (8, Attack Bike w/MM, 2 Plasma Guns) 253

Centurion Devastators (LC, 2 Grav, Scope, ML) 290

Thunderfire Cannon  100

And…  Well, we tend to play at the 1850 level, so ~300 more points.  Hunter probably, or a Storm Raven for the last Heavy slot.  If Hunter then probably the Storm Talon and…  Well, more Cents?  Or the Legion again I suppose?  Dunno, something to think about…

Really, the above Army SHOULD be fielded as a White Scars one…  +1 cover save, Hit and Run, auto pass terrain tests and +1 Str Hammer of Wrath hits?  Essentially for free…  Yes, they lose the Tank Hunter for the Centurions and swap Bolters on Scouts for Shotguns I guess…  But my army is painted up AS Crimson Fists, so…

So, looking at the current local meta I think things are really starting to balance out.  Yes, the Marines still have to be aware of the Heldrake problem…  But at this point I do not feel totally outclassed by the Drakes.  Between my own fliers and some actual AAA I can field I have some things to threaten them and I’ve learned how to deal with them I guess…  Now, Chaos forces based on the Heldrakes fall pretty easily to the Tau and Eldar I think.  In turn, the Tau/Eldar based on the big nasty MCs they have fall to the Grav weapons fielded by the new Marines.  So, back to a more Rock-Paper-Scissors setup I think…  Necrons are still a tough army, but with the both massed and/or twin linked firepower and increased number of AA platforms or fliers I think their fliers are fairly weak.

Some of the assumptions made above really depend on a few very key rulings.  Primarily the one about “Ignores Cover” and that rule’s interaction with Vehicles.  RAW, it does specify “wound”, and as Vehicles do not have wounds it would in the strictest reading of the rules mean that it does not work against Vehicles.  This leads to silliness like Eldar Wave Serpents with Holo Fields sitting on a Skyshield Platform for the 2+ cover save in addition to the 4++ save the platform gives, should you get around the perimeter cover save…  THAT makes the Eldar stupidly overpowered, and it is not how we’ve been playing locally at least….  But that is not universal by any means.  The other is sort of related, the Grav weapons need some further clarification.  Do they ignore cover as they do NOT roll on the vehicle damage chart because they do not cause a glance or penetrating hit?  Also, should a vehicle get hit by 2 of them, does it take 2 Hull Points and immobilize the Vehicle OR does it take 3 HP as the second immobilized result strips another HP per the Vehicle damage chart?  I’d say it takes 3 HP because the result on the chart doesn’t specify “if this number is rolled”, and they recently FAQ’d rolling a 1 on difficult terrain for a Vehicle and immobilizing yourself does strip a HP as well…  So, IMO that would be consistent.  Yes, I know, applying a standard to which GW has not maintained over the years, consistency…  Still, would be a good thing I think to have officially clarified…

Battle Rep, Crimson Fists vs Chaos at 1850

Right, so played Joe L's Chaos Marines last night.  His list, from memory was:

Warp Smith with harness of doom, 5+ Inv
Land Raider
Squad of Marines with Melta and Flamer
Hell Brute w/Power Scourge
Hell Brute w/Plasma
3 Squads of Marines with Melta, Flamer in Rhinos w/Havoc Launchers
Obliterators
Vindicator
2 Heldrakes




I fielded my Crimson Fists:
Pedro Kantor
Honor Guard in Rhino
Tech Marine
Sternguard (10, 1 HF, 7 Combi Melta, 2 Combi Plasma, LC on SGT) in Drop Pod w/beacon
Scout Squad (10, cloaks, 4 Snipers, HB, Bolters on rest) in Land Speeder Storm w/HF
Scout Squad (10, Cloaks, 4 Snipers, ML, Bolters on rest) in Land Speeder Storm w/MM
Legion of the Damned (5, Melta, Plasma Cannon)
Hunter
Rifleman DN (2x TL AC)
Storm Talon (TL LC)
Thunderfire Cannon
Centurion Devastators (3, 2 Grav Cannon, 1 TL LC, Missiles all around, SGT w/scope)

Everything that could Combat Squad did.  Bolter Scouts flanked in the LSSs.

We played Hammer and Anvil (Long table) with Emperor's Will (2 Objectives).  He got first turn on a table with something like 14 pieces of terrain, so loads of ruins.  I upgraded 2 in my DZ and he vetoed one, so only the one om my left was 3+.  I deployed my Rifleman Honor Guard w/ Pedro in Rhino and the Thunderfire in that one along with the ML armed Combat Squad of Scouts.  Ruin on my right with the 4+ cover had the Centurions, Hunter and the HB armed Sniper Scouts...  Joe's Iron Warriors lined up with his Land Raider taking his far Left, flanked by 2 Rhinos and the DNs.  Oblits to his Center and the Vindicator flanked by a Rhino to his Right.

Night Fighting on turn one so there was a limited amount of damage done by the Iron Warriors...  Mostly they drove forward, popped smoke and bunched up as they rolled toward me the bulk on his Left towards my objective (guarded by the Centurions).  On my turn, the Sternguard dropped in near the center, scattering to my Left and the Vindicator.  It was a rough turn for Chaos.  The Heavy Flamer hit one of the DNs and the Vindicator that it was covering the Rear Arc of...  Rolled a 6 followed by another o destroy it for First Blood.  The Combi Meltas slagged the DN.  Pedro dropped his Orbital Bombardment into the mess on the Right...  Hit the Land Raider and a Rhino.  Stripped a hull point from a Rhino and the Raider passed it's cover save...  Then the Centurions opened up...  The Raider died after failing 4 cover saves.  To be fair, Night Vision made them hard saves, but 4 dice, nothing higher than a 2 doomed it.  So, did a lot of damage, but the Heldrakes haven't shown up.

Turn 2, his Drakes came in.  Flew over and flamed one Sternguard Combat Squad, wiping it out.  The second offed the bulk of a Sniper Scout squad.  His Warlord and squad hoofed it toward my Objective and took a bunch of wild shots into my Centurions   Oblits Plasma and Power Fists killed off the second Sternguard Squad combined with other fire from random Marines...  So, not a good day to be a Sternguard, but they did what they had to.  On my turn, the MM armed Speeder and the Legion arrived.  They wound up killing the second DN, an Oblit and put some damage into some of the trailing elements...  Keeping him from fully engaging my DZ...  The Centurions erased the bulk of the Warlord's squad and split fire into a Rhino with the Las Cannon.  The Hunter hit a Drake, but the 5++ saved it.  Moved Pedro and Co up to block and bait them a bit...  Mostly worked, should have gotten them out as the Rhino lacking the Assault Vehicle rule hurts a unit that WANTS to Assault.

Turn 3, his Drakes continued their rampage...  Finished my Scouts and...  Well, the Thunderfire saved and that was about it...  Rolled the Hunter back to keep it out of Melta range from his Marines, so it took a Glance being outside of 6"...  He destroyed Pedro's Rhino, and the lads hunkered down to wait...  The Oblits shot then charged Legionnaires...  And we bounced...Not a lot of damage to either side. On my turn, the Hunter MISSED, but put a marker onto a Drake.  The DN actually put a hull point onto the other...   Centurions erased another squad, and...  Well, things were winding down as we killed each other off...

Turn 4, one Drake left the second finished off a squad of Scouts that had a survivor or two around, the Centurions ignored it.  He chased the Hunter and immobilized it, but it lived being more than 6" again...  On my turn I killed his Warlord, the missile hit the Drake and the Hunter fired again to finish it off...  The last Rhino of his finally died and my Honor Guard charged in and killed off a squad of Chaos Marines.  I think my Legion finally died, but they kept his Oblits out of action for most of the game.   I made a major error and hopped out and claimed his objective.  So, on turn 5 his Drake came back and killed them all.  ALMOST cost me the game, I should have kept them in the Vehicle knowing I had the final turn.  But at this point (Turn 5) I had the ONLY troops left in the 5 Bolter Scouts in the second Vehicle...  Well, with First Blood, Warlord I wrapped it up...

Legion did well.  Died slowly, but I think the Multi Melta will be their weapon of choice.  No Cover saves and AP1?  Yes Please.  Centurions were probably way too good.  Sternguard?  Good, but I doubt they got back their points directly.  For the first time though, I was not overly concerned about the Heldrakes.  They killed a LOT, but a lot of that was my fault for deploying overly aggressively and stupidly in the case of the Scouts.  In the end, "It Will Not Die" and the 5++ saved them.  I splashed one, almost the second one and by the 5th turn I had all of my AAA ready to go and was left mostly with things not concerned with AP 3...    So, the lessons learned were that I need to play less aggressively with the Scouts...  Might be time to bring a Rhino or two with Tactical Marines...

So, now what?

UMkay, got to thinking over the weekend and here's what I plan on testing next along with some random thoughts...

Legion of the Damned:  125 points gets me 5 of them, 15 points for the Plasma Cannon and 10 for a Melta?  All have the Ignore Cover rule for shooting, so they have AP 1 and 2 weapons allowing NO cover saves...  Later game or if I drop onto an Enemy gun emplacement, I can steal it...  Have to Deep Strike, so not 100% happy about that as I like the OPTION to Deep Strike, but getting to re-roll the scatter and I will likely have a beacon on the table in any case...  3+/3++ saves, cause Fear and are Fearless.  Oh, and Slow and Purposeful...  So, not ALL good, no overwatch or running, but can fire Heavies on the move or as I Deep Strike in.  So, 150 points of non Scoring Infantry...  Going for the Line-breaker or the big disruption that this sort of thing should cause dropping in on the Enemy causes, we'll see if it is 150 points worth or not...

So, 1850 list:

Pedro  185

Sternguard (Combis, H Flamers, SGT w/ LC, Drop Pod w/beacon) 380-390

Scout Squad (10, cloaks, 4 Snipers, HB, Bolters for the rest)  142
  Land Speeder Storm (HF)  45

Scout Squad (10, Cloaks, 4 Snipers, HB, Bolters for the rest) 142
  Land Speeder Storm (MM) 55

Honour Guard   85
  Rhino  35

Thunderfire Cannon 100 (1169)

Centurion Devastators (Scope, 2 Grav, 1 LC, ML all around)  290

Storm Talon Gunship (Las Cannon)  140

Leaving me with a Hunter (75) and Rifleman DN (120) and... 1769 points

I should probably bring more Troops, but if I Combat Squad, I already have 6 (small) Squads to score, one more is unlikely to make THAT much a difference, and the one extra Heavy/Special Weapon with 4 more Bolter armed Marines is just not that impressive to me I guess...

So, comparing the Marine book to the current crop of books out there...

Against the Grey Knights, I feel that I am more than a match for the currently fielded version of Coteaz and Henchmen with Dreadknights, etc...  The only things I have had issue with are the Vindicare Assassin...  The Psykers are annoying, but really not that big of a deal.  But you start getting to a situation where too many of the basic rules of the game are simply broken by individual models and that throws off game balance a LOT.  Picking targets, NO "Look Out Sir", AP1, armor penetration of 3+4d6 Rending, destroying Inv saves, wounding on 2+?  Too many rule exceptions in a single model.  Frankly ANY rule exception is too many if you have built the system correctly...  Perfect timing, Coteaz's squad firing to full effect against ALL units coming from Reserve?  A bit much, but a known thing so easily avoided.  Should change to Intercept, so a single shot/model at one thing, but guessing this changes in next edition of codex...

Against Necrons?  Still an issue dealing with so many fliers, but the Hunter, Rifleman And my own fliers help level the field.  Tank Hunter is huge on the Centurions and the Sternguard usually get first blood, so close game becomes something slightly in my favor...  Tough army, but by no means unbeatable I think.

Eldar?  So much Str 6/7 shooting...  Fast moving, but fragile.  Hunter is rightly feared by them...  Wraith Knight is a joke against Grav weaponry...  So, another one that is a hard fight but should be winnable...

Tau?  Probably the hardest so far...  Though the Riptide should hide from Centurions...  So much shooting, so many things that break or "modify" basic game rules...  :-)  but that has been written about a lot so...

Chaos...  Well, took longer to write this up and actually played last night.  Iron Warriors themed list against my Crimson Fists with our own Tech Marines...  Basic list above, we played Emperor's Will on the long deployment (short board edges were our end zones...).  He fielded an armor heavy list with a Land Raider with the Chaos Tech, Nurgle Oblits, two more basic Troop squads in Rhinos w/havoc launchers, vindicator and..  Oh, yeah...  2 Heldrakes.  For the first time in a LONG time I didn't feel completely outclassed though.  Hunter, Rifleman and Talon were all real threats.  I also had a bunch of 2+ armor around...  It was a bloody fight, but Sternguard got first blood before being wiped out by Heldrakes.  The drakes also killed off my sniper combat squads, but not a surprise.  Splashed one drake, chased the other off and still had all of my AAA ready for it when it came back...  Him Raider died to Centurions...  Night Vision and Tank Hunter make it fairly easy to tag any vehicles, though his not rolling higher than a 2 on his 4 cover saves (smoke) doomed the vehicle...  Made a mistake deploying bolter Scouts from their Speeder too soon, so only one combat squad survived when we called it...  Should have sat the other Squad on the other objective ready to deploy out to win as I went second...

So far the stars in my list are:

Centurion Devastator squad...  Erase a squad/turn, kill Vehicles, split fire and night vision...  Expensive points wise and REALLY bad models (my opinion as always), but insanely powerful on the field...

Thunderfire Cannon...  Barrage 4, Str 6, almost never cover saves, and reinforce terrain...  For 100 points...  Easy choice.

Hunter...  Surprisingly, it has performed quite well for me.  Against a GK Much force it was useless after the Storm Raven was splashed, or so I thought...  Still a Tank, so tank shock is an option, and you can still snap fire the missiles...  But mostly mobile terrain.  Still, so many skimmers and fliers that 70 points is not a bad investment...

Pedro's orbital barrage has been good, but I expect people to figure this one out soon... Would be far better for a CM on bike or in Terminator Armor to be able to move and still fire it, but turn one, best not be bunched up or I will make you pay...

And...  That's about it...  The Legion did well, so will I think make them a regular thing for my lists.  Scouts are still "eh" overall.  Will try Tactical Squads next time I think replacing one Scout squad or perhaps the honor guard...  Though, having those lads around is just REALLY nice...

Realized belatedly that the one other major conclusion I came to was that the Storm Raven is going to be my flier of choice I think...  I have the Dust model that makes a really nice Talon stand-in, but at 140 points?  Armor 11, 2 HP?  And only the 2 weapons, one of which MUST be the overpriced Assault Cannon?  I'll take the TL Multi Melta and Las Cannon, thank you...  Oh, AND 4 one shot Missiles at Str 8 AP 2 please...  Yea, not quite as good as my Fleshtearer version with the AP 1 missiles, but hey, for only 60 points more than the very much substandard Talon?  Seems a simple enough choice...  Just having a hard time fitting all the toys on the motorcycle...

Another game and thoughts...

So, played GK last night...  From memory here's what he brought:

Coteaz
6 Henchmen squads:

1. 6 Crusaders, 5 Death Cult Assassins
2. 2 Jokero and 3 Plasma Cannons
3 & 4. Chimera loaded out with Storm Bolters and Special Weapons
5 & 6. Razorbacks loaded out with small squads
2 Rifleman DNs
Dreadknight with sword and flamer
Vindicare Assassin
Storm Raven


I brought my Crimson Fists again
Pedro
Honor Guard in Rhino
Sternguard kitted out and in Drop Pod
2 Scout squads, full, 5 Snipers 1 ML 1 HB, cloaks and Land Speeder Storms
Hunter
Centurion Devastators (4, 3 Grav 1 LC and all missiles and split fire)
Thunderfire Cannon
Extra Techmarine
Storm Talon w/ LC
Rifleman DN

Pretty standard setup, played Big Guns on the diagonal deployment.  I had a strong point with the Thunderfire and Rifleman in  the upper levels and the Rhino w/ Pedro and the Hunter on the ground floor to use the Orbital Strike.  With so many vehicles on his side, his DZ was REALLY crowded.  He went first, but really didn't do much with night fighting and the fact I was hiding DEEP in enhanced cover (3+ for the ruins).  My turn one was pretty good, the Orbital Strike  and the Sternguard dropping in...  Killed one Chimera and immobilized one of the DNs deep in his DZ behind blocking terrain.  The Sternguard took a bunch of wounds off of the Knight who died to a Sniper the next turn...  First blood being VERY important these days and all.  Pretty brutal game overall but going second and making a LOT of cover saves meant things like the DN and Thunderfire lasted a long time.  Never did kill the Vindicare, but I I think I finally offed almost all of his Troops and both DNs.

Storm Raven was killed by the Hunter and Talon.  Turns out Storm Shields make excellent parachutes.  But the big HtH threat was nullified when they crashed and got shot out of existence.

The Thunderfire was brutal.  After the light Infantry got shot out of their transports, it basically killed a squad/turn.  Turn one I think it stripped some hull points in the parking lot...  Should have offed the Vindicare sooner though.

What to test next?  Surprisingly I think the Legion of the Damned...  They Deep Strike in, and they all ignore cover...  Oh, and they can get a Plasma Cannon with their Slow and Purposeful...  Not too expensive, but I think it fits well with my army play style...

Overall, I am really liking the Marine codex...  I think it will be a fun one o play for a long time...

New Marines after a bit of testing...

Trying again....  Silly mobile app ate the last post...

So, now that I have a few games with the new Marine Codex, here is what I am finding... 

Imperial Fists chapter tactics are really quite good.  Rerolling 1's is not bad, and the Tank Hunter for free on the Centurion Devastators is huge.  Scoring Sternguard is good with my old Crimson Fists, though the Drop Pod going down to 10 capacity is painful.  Honor Guard is nice though and Pedro Kantor's once per game Orbital Barrage has proven useful now that I will actually use it... 

Troops are still a bit lacking.  Tac Marines are OK, cheap bodies to hold objectives really.  The overwhelming bulk of the actual work is done by Sternguard, Centurions and vehicles frankly, so I am torn between bringing the bare minimum and hiding them, or trying to flood the field with them....  Scouts are OK too...  So many ignore cover things these days, so the camouflage cloaks are less of a sure thing.  BS 3 makes them "eh" as snipers but at least they are cheap.  Heavy weapons are iffy with them, but I still take them.  Liking the Land Speeder Storm loaded out with 5 lads armed with bolters or shotguns zipping about the enemy backfield.  Heavy Flamer there is surprisingly effective, ignores the BS 3 of the Scout driver.

Heavy Weapons...  Who came up with the costs for these?  Looking over the book, Missile Launchers are 15 or 25 points if you want Flak missiles.  The Assault Cannon is also one of the more expensive upgrades...  In second edition it was the single most powerful weapon in the game, and we are still paying penance for that as Marine players.  Then it ignored almost all armor (-5 save mod, so Terminators could save on 8+), did d12 wounds and could fire up to nine shots...  Now, it is an upgraded Heavy Bolter.  IMO, the ancient Heavy Bolter is really the worst heavy weapon of this (and several previous) edition.  So being slightly better than the worst one is not really a "premium" thing.  Neither the ML or the AC ignore 3+ armor usually... Yes, the AC rends, but counting on 6's is not a successful strategy I think.  And Flak rounds should have been included as a free upgrade to ALL ML, much the same way "flier" was included as a free and massive upgrade for the Necron Croissant and IG fliers...  :-). Just my opinion of course per usual, what would I know I'm just an Engineer...

Centurion Devastator is really powerful.  Finding at least with my Crimson Fists that mixing in one Las Cannon with 2 Grav ones, oh and Missiles for everyone...  Sgt gets the split fire/night fire upgrade, and turn one Tank Hunters surprise a fair number of folks...  :-)   bonus of night vision for the Chapter Master should he be say, attached to them on turn one for his single shot...  The old Planetstorm miniatures I am fielding as the Centurions look pretty good, and seeing the ancient Fantasians hit the field after so long is good...  Oh, and Tank Hunter works for emplaced weapons fired...  Aegis Gun gets really good with rerolls...  Just saying :-)

Finding the old Assault Marines to be OK as well...  As it happens I have "a few" that have been shelved for several editions now...  Time to paint them up as CF I guess.

Thunderfire Cannon is amazing.  I played the Barrage wrong last week, forgot it was the lay the template and scatter from the first hit...  Would have made no difference in general as large flier bases like on the Riptide or big vehicles will just get hit 4 times, regardless if the first shot hits...  And the packed blob of Kroot were doomed either way as I aimed for the center of the blob...  Going forward, it limited my shooting at single or well spaced small units, but in general it makes little difference for the usual targets...

I was surprised that the Stalker is as good as it has been for me.  Lacking Interceptor I assumed it would be poor at best...  Not so much really...  So many skimmers on the field these days, having either 4 twin linked shots at full BS or 8 twin linked shots at BS 2?  The Hunter is also darn good and scares the Heldrakes locally...  Problem is no squadrons and the Heavy Support slot is tight...

Marines first game reflections...

So, I set up a 1500 point list to test the new book against Tau...

1500

Pedro Kantor     185

Sternguard (10, Combi weapons, drop pod)  365

Centurion Devastators (Missile Launchers, Grav, Omni Scope) 290

Scout Squad (10, cloaks, 4 Snipers, 5 Shotguns, Heavy Bolter)  143
  Land Speeder Storm (Heave Flamer) 45

Scout Squad (10, cloaks, 4 Snipers, 5 Shotguns, missile launcher)  143
  Land Speeder Storm (Melta) 55


Honor Guard for Pedro, in a Rhino

Thundrefire Cannon

Hunter AA tank

And...  I think that was about it...  Mission was kill points, and I played silly wanting to try out the new toys.  Barely scraped out a win, but mostly due to so many easy to snag kill points on my side...  5 man Scout squads are not all that hard to deal with, and Speeders are "fragile"...  But the Army performed quite well.

Stars:

1. Thunderfire Cannon...  It didn't kill EVERYTHING, but 4 Barrage templates/turn put a MAJOR hurt on the Tau.  It's kill tally included the last wound on a Riptide, a Piranha, 18/20 Kroot in a single salvo, and various assorted other Tau... The no cover save round might well be obsolete as the cover is measured from the center of the blast for barrage...  I think I fired the Str 6 AP 5 round all day and there was never cover to worry about...  Well, Speeders got their save :-)...
2. Chapter Master's Orbital Bombardment... Turn one, no night fighting, Pedro riding in the Rhino...  Clear LOS to the Enemy Command group chock full of Crisis Suits, Drones, etc...  Hit dead on for the Str 10 AP 1 "Ouch"...  Dropped the big squad down to a handful of survivors.  Also the AP 4 Storm Bolter he has?  REALLY nice in a field of 4+ save bodies...
3. Centurion Devastators...  Fear factor alone...  I set them up in reinforced ruins with the Thunderfire.  Held them back too long, but there was NOTHING set up within 24 of them, so I had a big bubble of "This zone is protected".  When they got to shoot, they were deadly beyond words.  Hitting Fire Warriors in the open?  Evaporate that squad...  Tank Hunter for free?  Thank you, Missiles away... Split fire too?  Thanks!   I should have been FAR more aggressive with them and just marched them up the field with Pedro and company...  Well, I did, but I should have started with that in mind and on turn one.  By the end of the game, they were in the enemy DZ killing the few remaining things in range...

Other than that...  Well, I need to paint up some more of the old school lads as "Honour Guard" for the Chapter Master.  The Scouts did well enough I think.  I was generally happy with their results, though I played them badly in some ways...  Might use Bolters for the Bolter Drill and have to remember that Bolt Pistols are I think covered...  Storm Bolters?  Damn, have to look that up later...  Guessing that a Squad or two of Tac Marines will be needed, and with the cheapness of Assault Marines and the fact that I happen to have "a few" on a shelf primed and ready for paint...  Been there for a LONG time, 3 editions I think, but who knows they might even work :-)...

Note, the Hunter AA tank did fairly well...  Ended up getting Melta'd before the end of the game, but being able to put a Str 7 AP2, Armorbane missile on target is nice.  Skimmers everywhere with Eldar, Tau and Necrons being the "power armies" at the moment.  So, for 70 points?  Worth it.  Lack of a way to remove annoying cover saves, lack of Interceptor and useless against non flier/skimmer are all very real drawbacks, but it's a start for the lads.  I think the days of Heldrakes roaming the skies with impunity are over.  At least I feel like I have something that CAN threaten the thing...

'course, just my impressions and opinions as always, YMMV...

New Marine book, first impressions...

So, got the book at the Armored Gopher...  Looking quite good.  Did get to see a few games played with them in our wee tournament...  First impressions:

The Hunter (AAA Rhino Variant)...  70 points, and given the current state of the game with all kinds of Fliers and Skimmers everywhere, Str 7 and Armor Bane starts looking good.  Eldar and Tau skimmers being everywhere and of course Necron fliers/skimmers being what they are...  But that leads to...

Heavy Support slots are going to be precious.  There are just 3 slots and with the Centurion Devastators, AAA tanks, Storm Ravens and Thunderfire Cannon all in this slot...

Thunderfire changed a bit, gained Barrage, but looks like the Techmarine manning it is not a Techmarine, but rather a "Techmarine Gunner"...  And he does not get the bolster defenses, IC rules, etc...  But still, 100 points seems a bargain for the Barrage 4 weapon of doom...

So, on to Troops...  This I think is going to be a hard one for me as a Crimson Fists player, my Sternguard will be Scoring, and I am looking at running Scouts.  The Combat Squad rules have changed a bit, but nothing too bad.  For 100 points I can get 5 Scouts AND their Dedicated Transport in the Land Speeder Storm...  Thinking that I will be fielding some of the lads with Bolters given that the IF Chapter Tactics are re-rolling 1's on the Bolter shots, and with the open topped Transport I should be able get a fair number of shots off...  Snipers are going to be "eh" I think still...

Will have to throw something together for Monday...

1850 Marines, last shot before the new codex :-) Updated

So, Crimson Fists for a last shot before the new book hits...  Looking at the rumors, my stuff won't change much, just getting some bonuses really.  Might bring a Tactical squad with the Imperial Fist's "Bolter Drill" being a permanent thing...  Dunno :-)  Troops have always bee the weak point for the more recent Marine armies I feel, so the Scouts might well get bumped to try something different.  Have to say I like the IDEA of the Centurions, but $78 for the box of 3 figures?  A bit rich for my blood at the moment I think. $26 for a non character Terminator figure?  I think it will be horribly effective in my Crimson Fists force gaining Tank Hunter..  Oh, only really considering the "Devastator" version.  Without a FAQ, Slow and Purposeful means the Heavy Flamers are less useful on the HtH version combined with the lack of an invulnerable save means I have to ask "why?".  And honestly I do not have issues dealing with things in HtH, so really just shoot things more...

So, getting in a game this week...  Using the current Codex, Crimson Fists:

Pedro Cantor 175
Librarian (Terminator Armor, Null Zone, Vortex) 125
Sternguard (2 Heavy Flamers, 4 Combi Melta, 3 Combi Plasma, SGT with LC, Combi Melta)
  Drop Pod (Locaor Beacon)   370
Sternguard (2 Heavy Flamers, 4 Combi Melta, 3 Combi Plasma, SGT with LC, Combi Melta)
  Drop Pod (Locaor Beacon)   370
Scout Squad (8 Snipers, Cloaks, ML, SGT w/Sniper)   180
Scout Squad (8 Snipers, Cloaks, HB, SGT w/Sniper)   180
Thunderfire Cannon  100
Thunderfire Cannon  100
Vanguard Vets (5, Jump Packs, Power Weapons, PF)  250

So, Scouts deploy with the Cannons on the field...  Pedro rides in with one and the Librarian with another Pod.  Vanguard comes in on a Locator Beacon to assault out of reserve for one last time...  Fast, and like my Fleshtearers list, win big or die quick...

Wound up dropping a few things to buy Melta Bombs on the Sternguard, figured I'd face a tank line...  Didn't, but still worked out.  Wound up regretting the lack of AAA or a flier of my own as the 2 Heldrakes simply ran the field and killed off a LOT of my stuff.  Game ended up with one Thunderfire on my side and the 2 Heldrakes on his...  Time expired and with my First Blood, I got the minor "I won?"...  Good game as always against Joe...

Marines in a few weeks?

On to Marines?  Looking like Marines come out next.  Interesting, I am a bit surprised they were not one of the first ones, but still…  I DO have a Crimson Fists army and another huge mess of generic ancient Marines, so I’ll be getting the book at least.

Going over the rumors and leaks, I have to admit I am a bit concerned that this might either be broken good or complete crap like the Dark Angels. 

The rumors I am liking:

Scouts getting the Land Speeder Storm as a dedicated Transport:  Why did this take so long?  IIRC, the model was out before the 5^th edition codex.  Personally I never bought the kit because it was “eh” at best and ate up a second slot…  Also, might or might not be able to do cool things like flank and hit the table assaulting, etc…  So, if I can use the open top skimmer as a dedicated transport for the Shotgun Scouts I have in my CF army if I convert one of the many Speeder models…  So, neat, but certainly I think NOT over powered in any way shape or form.

AA Rhino:  Sounding more and more like an actual dedicated AAA vehicle.  FINALLY?  Not that the needing to field your own fliers was a problem or anything…  OK, it was a VERY sore point for me at least…  But in any case, looking like the Marines will have some decent AAA threats.  Have to admit I am REALLY kind of hoping that all of the other flavors of Marine will get this kit as well right out of the box.  My Wolves and Fleshtearers would be well served by having access to this tank…  Not something I am counting on though given GW…

On the fence about:

Grav Weapons:  Have to wait and see I think.  If the info is correct and they wound based on the target’s armor save and are AP 2, then I think they might be overly powerful.  As long as they are rareish like Melta weapons, then I am not really seeing any real problem…  OTOH, if they are common, cheap and better than Melta?  Well…

Things I am NOT looking forward to:

Vanguard Vets:  Word is they lose their ability to Assault from Deep Strike.  If this is true, then why would anyone ever take this unit?  They become just another 3+ armor save Assault Squad.  Extra Attacks I guess and I COULD spend a crapton of points/money and go TH/SS for some reason…  Still a lot of EXPENSIVE 3+ save bodies that still cannot get into Assault easily enough.  Thinking about facing Tau, I drop in, get hit by Interceptors, some of which are large blast Marine Killing weapons…  Then I sit around a turn while the Tau shoot at me with full BS or more likely), THEN I get to take the few survivors (if any) and try to assault into the supporting overwatch fire of doom, which might be at higher BS if there are enough markerlights…  Really?  So, this tells me that this will not ever actually happen on a gaming table…  I guess my BA based Fleshtearers will still do this for now assuming they do not FAQ them out of existence.

Guess that leads me to my next thing I am either on the fence about of not looking forward to:  Is this Vanilla only, or will a lot of the changes be propagated through all of the “Marine” Codices?  Right now, my Wolves are at best and Ally force, incapable I believe of taking on a top tier list on their own.  The DA are just bad all around lacking serious cover from the Heldrakes and now Tau combos.  The BA are an assault or fast Rhino Hull based army, neither of which will work overly well in the modern era.  Not saying that it auto loses, just that the Xenos’ ability to simply kill Marines in 3+ (and even 2+) armor has passed the old standard of 4’s across the board for characteristics and 3+ armor being enough to win games…  The Bolter itself is certainly showing its age as well.  Range, Str and AP are all average…  To put it in modern perspective, the lack of say, Rending like the Eldar get, the Necron’s 6’s glance Vehicles or the Tau’s greater range, Str and extra rules…  Well, why bother really?  I wind up with an inferior weapon on an expensive trooper who is now easily taken down by the things further up the power spiral…  I guess the Marines will themselves be going down in cost, so at least they won’t be so expensive on their own…  Just a wait and see what, if anything else changes and whether the “3+ Armor Mafia” can get back to competing on the tabletop…

Elites, DLC and Marines coming out next Month

Mkay, I apparently read too many other blogs…  Goatboy had a pretty decent write-up about how “Elite” as a slot in the 6^th edition Codices has become something less than “Elite” here http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/08/goatboys-monday-40k-elites-are-not-so.html.  I’d have to agree for the most part.  But the same can be said of Fast and Heavy Support really…  While HS has some of the “BFG” stuff, and both HS and FA CAN become scoring in certain missions, frankly the current edition punishes you for bringing anything other than “Troops” or things that can be made Scoring more often than not.  So, the books with the best “Troops” are the most successful armies.  Have to admit, this is one of my major concerns with the upcoming Marine book.

Rumor has the Grav weapons coming in with AP of 2.  So, the new Melta perhaps?  Just remembering 5^th edition where there were IG Vet Squads, whatever else, all armed with as many Melta weapons as they could because there were a lot of Vehicles and there frankly was no real disadvantage to the use of Melta.  It killed “Whatever” you were shooting at.  In some cases not as efficiently as Plasma, but it wouldn't kill YOU for shooting the weapon, so…  Oh, and it was/is cheaper. Hoping the Grav weapons are not too over the top silly, but good to see ancient things hitting the field again...  Now, hoping the AA stuff is actually good enough to keep the Heldrakes at bay for a bit...

In any case, the current Tactical Squad in the Marine books is pretty worthless in my opinion.  Not very mobile, the bolter isn't that powerful a weapon these days, and the 3+ armor just isn’t what it was years ago.  Scouts with the proliferation of “no cover saves” in recent books have taken yet another hit and are now back to novelty status from a solid, cheap Troop option.  And…?  With the Vanilla Codex, a bike CPT would allow you to use Bike Squads as Troops I guess.  Great, until you hit your first Heldrake or Tau gunline.  Then, just more expensive casualties.  Blood Angels get Assault Squads as Troops, as well as Death Company (and DC DNs).  Assault troops are “eh” these days overall.  I do FAR better with them than my Tac Marines in my Fleshtearer force as the Jump Packs at least make the lads mobile enough to try to run a flank or use a big piece of terrain to hide in and assault out of…  So, against all but the most powerful armies like the Necron air force, Chaos allies, Tau Gunlines and now Eldar forces they can at least be a threat that must be dealt with…  The Death Company are really only technically Troops as they can NEVER hold anything, so they are just shock troops for me.  Kill as much as they can and hope I have the only force still standing at the end.  Not being able to assault out of Reserve for the most part means that Scouts and Deep Strikers by and large are no nearly so good as they were.  Oh, and there are Interceptors now that can just kill you as you hit the field.  So, even less useful given I can only Reserve 50% or so of the force in this edition.  Target saturation is hard when you only have a few Deep Strikers…

So, back on topic J..  I am interested to see what, if anything else that GW does for the old Tactical Marines.  It does not appear as if they will themselves be getting anything in the lines of new Transports or armor, so…  Well, I am assuming a major points reduction at least, but really what else?  Another Melta Gun is neat and all, but what else can they do?  Just having the required bodies to hold objectives is not enough I think.  They probably wouldn't get the Sternguard ammo types, and that might well be overly powerful…  Remembering the old CCW/Pistol/Rifle weapon load out would be nice, but really nothing new or all that useful.  Seeing the Tau get the ability to provide cover fire for their own people as they get charged and this being applied in the Apocalypse Marine formation?  Might be something that at least some of the new Tactical Marines might get something to that effect…   But what else really?  Guess this is why I’m not a game developer…

Other thing, the Supplemental Codices…  Are they really supplemental or are they something different?  http://blog.spikeybits.com/2013/08/editorial-digital-releases-are-they.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SpikeyBits+%28Spikey+Bits%29

Pretty darn expensive for the 2 pages of rules, and of course there is the whole bypassing the FLGS thing…  Since I actually PLAY at the game store, I’d much prefer to make my purchases there.  ‘course, with electronic content, this is not an option.  For the most part I am not really seeing this as a major problem…  So far they’re “neat” options, but nothing game breaking or really overly powerful that will be dominating the competitive scene.  I know GW does not support this and they claim to not to care or write their rules with this in mind, but this is how a LOT of the game is played here in the States…  The fact that the rules are “exclusive” and not generally available to everyone is a major concern for me as a player in a tournament, and honestly I’m not sure I’d be allowing them as the Tournament Organizer…  I have a small one coming up at the Gopher next month, and due to the size, not a major issue for me J…  But of course by then at least one more will be released, and if this is the one that breaks it?  I guess my major objection to this is the clear “cash grab” as they release the DLC a bit at a time for “premium” prices.  I am concerned that the cost will continue to shoot up while they release more and more things that break the game further, requiring the competitive players to keep buying direct from GW…  Guess we’ll see.

Eldar continued and the general 40K scene locally

After a number of games involving the Eldar, the one glaringly obvious conclusion I have come to is that the Wave Serpent is vastly overpowered.  I’m not brining what I feel is a “Let’s Spam Them” level of the things, but even the 4 that I was fielding were more than enough.  Averaging 9 wounds/WS/turn.  With 3 of them starting on the field for me, and not particularly caring about cover saves…  Oh, and they can move 12” and fire both of their main weapons?  Mine are coming in at 135 points with the Holo Field.  The Shuriken Cannon would be awesome, but just can’t quite justify the extra 10 points/Serpent…  Yet.  It is a major consideration, and frankly with more Marine rumors floating about?  Not sure this isn’t going to get FAQ’d out of existence.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have NOT fired the Shield as an offensive weapon, and almost all of these were Turn 1 when I either had no targets or the other side went first and I was unable to have fired J…  Hoping to survive the Meltas dropping in on me…

Last night’s game I used the Farseer for the first time.  Doom with the sheer number of shots?  And with Sniper, Shuriken and “d” class weapons all getting huge bonuses on the 6’s to wound?  Have to say, the life span of the big MC’s or Terminators will be very limited I think near one of these lads.  Picked my target, Doomed and Guided…  Did use the Eldritch Storm twice as well, and rolled snake eyes for the wounding myself…  NOT a bad power I have to say.  Fleshbane and a large blast?  2 power points though…  Still, bunched up stuff wounding on 2+?  Thinking that a Farseer/Spiritseer combo will allow me to have the best of both worlds.

Troops?  The 5 man Dire Avenger (DA) squads are adequate if what you are doing is getting the 135 point uber-transport and a few bodies to do the late game objective grabs.  The Wraithguard are awesome, and with the Spiritseer making them Troops and granting a few other bonuses they have been my “go to” troop option.  The DA with their 18” ranged rending (sort of) weapon, move-shoot-move option and not bad stats overall are pretty darn good.  I’ve been less happy with the Guardians with their limited range and large minimum size.  Not bad per se, but unless you are running a 20 man squad I’m having a hard time seeing them being as good as or better than the DA.  The Heavy Weapon upgrades are nice (except the Scatter Laser), but let’s be honest, I am NOT lacking on the number of heavy weapon shots in my army.  Bright Lances might be the exception, but haven’t seen the massed AV 14 stuff in a while…

Picking up some terrain from one of the other games locally…  The set includes 2 Bastions and 3 Aegis gun lines with the various guns.  One Bastion I will be making standard for my Imperial forces.  Seeing the usefulness of these recently playing with limited terrain, but having HtH Wraiths say waiting in the building?  Or just a squad of Praetorians to man the extra Heavy Bolters?  The AAA option will I think be needed as well, though more for the Interceptor option than the Skyfire recently…  Not seeing as many Aircraft, not entirely sure why, I think they are still on the really powerful end of things…  Tau are hitting the field in bulk these days, a bit surprised I’m one of the very few Eldar players..  But back on topic, the second Bastion?  Make it more Eldar maybe?  Dunno…  Forgot to check if these were things I could link together in Apocalypse games for one of the formations…  So, if anyone local is looking to pick up a Bastion or a few Aegis lines cheap, LMK…

Kind of in “wait and see” mode really with most of the local gaming group…  The group is still large and growing, and with the Students coming back now might even get larger…  But most of the people are cutting back on their purchases.  Dropping down to one or two armies, etc…  As more things get released in the 6^th edition, I think the game itself is getting a bit more balanced overall, but there are a few things that really stand out about almost every new Codex.  Chaos Marines got the Heldrake, Tau got the load of “we break a lot of the game’s rules” stuff, the Eldar have their Wave Serpent, etc…  Really the only one I can honestly say did NOT get something that stands out as broken/silly is the Dark Angels.  Without the Heldrake a LOT of their stuff like the uber-bikers and the like would be really powerful and fun to play…  Now, they have the ability to make their Bolters Salvo 2/4 with a magic banner.  Neat I guess, if you are looking at causing mass wounds to things that are concerned about bolters.  So, yes, the people fielding the IG blobs, Cultist blobs or Green Tide stopped doing that after a few of us played DA that way…  But overall, the DA book was the one I’d point to and say it was a complete flop.  A few “new” things in the special speeder and unique flier, but the rules for both are such complete crap.  A real shame, the flier at least looked nice and having plasma armed speeders again was something in and of itself…  Have to say, this is my big concern with the Marine Codex coming out next month, or so the rumors go…  FFS, a major company hiding its release schedule until the last moment in this day and age?  Anyway, the Marines have so much potential, and there is SO much that they could draw on to make something new, unique and customizable for almost every 3+ armor save player out there…  Will they?  Hence the “Wait and See” attitude.  Right now a lot of us who play/played the 3+ armor armies are looking at the game and seeing that for the first time that we can remember the “standard” armor is no longer good enough.  Either weight of fire or low AP and/or the loss of cover saves has made it suicide to bring certain units…  Hell, certain armies are just silly to bring these days.  Thinking for me my Fleshtearers are just silly to bring, but my Crimson Fists are right there next to them.  At least the CF have the win big or die quick thing going for them.  A lot of the players, especially the ones out in Danville were REALLY not prepared for a hyper aggressive army played by someone who understood how to use it.  But against someone who has either seen it or understands how to defend against it or at least react to it?  I have one trick/shot to do so much damage as to force the game to end or I die.  This has gotten far worse with the Tau and Eldar now hitting the field.  My Scouts were my “Troops” to sit on objectives, but they are one of the “Why Bother” units these days.  Sternguard are great, but few in number.  Few AA options and the general feeling that the power spiral has passed the Marine based forces by mean there are more than a few players simply finding other games or just no longer showing up regularly…  Of course, the general feeling of being priced out of the game has grown a lot recently, and I know that with reality being what it is I and a lot of the others I talk to have had to seriously cut back on their purchases…  Thus, dropping to fewer armies, not buying new stuff, etc…  Maybe this will reverse, but…

1850 Eldar list, something different for me...

So, the Wraiths work really well...  Will try testing something different...

1850
Farseer (Phoenix Gem)
Dire Avengers (5, Wave Serpent w/ HF and TLSL)
Dire Avengers (5, Wave Serpent w/ HF and TLSL)
Rangers (5)
Striking Scorpions (9, Exarch w/crushing blow and chainsabers, Wave Serpent w/HL, TLSL)
War Walkers (BL/SL on each)
Crimson Hunter (Exarch, Marksman's Eye)
Swooping Hawks (6, Exarch w/ sun rifle and Marksman's eye)
Warp Spiders (5, Exarch with Spinneret Rifle and Marksman's Eye, fast shot)
Dark Reapers (3, Exarch w/Tempest and Fast Shot, Wave Serpent w/ standard loadout)

So, a LOT of Marksman's Eye...  Yes, I know it means I need to roll 5+ to hit, but getting to place the shots can be huge...  The Jaeger seems like it will be nice with the 4 Str 8 AP 2 shots to deal with Paladins nicely and getting to kill off say, an Apothecary on a flyby?  Not bad...

A little short on actual Troops bodies, but DAMN, there will be a lot of shooting....  And accurate shooting at that...  We'll see how it works out I guess...

Saving up my hobby money, guessing the Wraith Knight will be coming here soon...  Anyone looking for a few ancient Magic cards :-)  Probably break apart my old decks with things like Taigas, etc...

Broken Units in 40K now…

Saw this (http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/07/40k-top-10-units-that-are-ruining-game.html) and it got me thinking that while I agree with a number of those on the list…  There are a number of questions I’d raise and of course, my opinion differs a bit…  Could very well be how things are played locally here, but here it goes.  Mr. Vela lists the following as the 10:

Space Wolf Rune Priest

Wave Serpent

Necron Nightscythe

Heldrake

Tau Commander

Nurgle Daemon Prince

Eldar Wraithknight

Necron Annihilation Barge

Tervigon

Codex Imperial Guard

The Necron things I kind of agree on, though there are a LOT of things in the Necron codex broken.  The Barge is pretty low on the list for me.  Tesla getting the 6’s count for 3 hits mean their AAA is pretty darn good given the number of Twin Linked Tesla things they have.  Cheap fliers that ignore a lot of the 6^th edition rules?  Yes, that is the biggest problem I have with them I think.  Cheaper and better than later actual fliers, and no disadvantages for the transported unit should you shoot it down?  This to me screams of a game design problem more than anything, and having seen too many good games die out as game design issues pile up and ruin the base game…

Tervigon?  Not sure I agree here…  But then I am surprised that so few players actually play Tyranids.  I honestly consider them to be among the more difficult ones to face overall, though they DO suffer from a fairly limited list of “these things are good” in their book.  Flying MC’s and the other big nasties though…  Guessing the general feeling from the online “competitive scene” constantly calling the Nids useless combined with the difficulty playing that army in a timed competitive environment mean it ranks pretty low.  For me, it was always a matter of target prioritization and I usually do fairly well against them.  But I tend to pick a target, shoot it off the board, then move on to the next target.  People shooting at a lot of targets will usually end up not killing enough to stop the rush and get overwhelmed.

Heldrake?  Yeah.  When it goes beyond an “auto include” to a “serious players are bringing at least 2” thing…  I made that last comment last night, mostly kidding, but the reality is that there is almost no down side to the thing, it IS a hard counter to almost any army in 3+ armor, or bike based forces and did more to kill off a lot of people’s interest in playing those armies locally than almost anything else.

Tau Commander?  Guess I haven’t played against enough of the Tau at this point…  Though there ARE something like 5 players now locally…  That in and of itself might be telling…

Wave Serpent.  Agreed, and covered here previously.  Probably too good.  Not un-killable, but darn good for the points.  At least it isn’t a damn flier like the Necron equivalent. 

Now some slight disagreement:

Nurgle Prince?  Eh, though perhaps the other Princes hitting the field have hidden this one from us.  Besides, with him hiding in ruins means he isn’t flying about killing things…

Wraith Knight?  Note, I WILL be buying one.  Not though that I feel it to be overpowered…  I could be fielding 6 Eldar DN’s (Wraith Lords) right now, and I find them to be darn powerful at the moment.  The Knight?  For the cost ($ AND points on the field), the limits of it being essentially the same as its smaller brother make it a slightly tougher to take down target that does not have the offensive punch to double that of the WL.  As a MC it can fire 2 weapons.  Neat, and the Str 10 uber guns look amazing.  But the lack of an invulnerable save or immunity to Instant Death mean that configuration is likely out in general.  I CAN add 2 more have weapons I cannot fire most turns.  The WL has this free and the 2 flamers are actually useful at times…  Just saying J… So, the most likely configuration is the Sun-cannon with the 5++ shield and one or two shoulder mounted weapons.

Rune Priest?  Eh.  The only thing in the codex not really killed instantly by the swarms of Heldrakes.  Wolf Scouts have been nerfed out of usefulness, Long Fangs just die to Drakes.  Grey Hunters are still good, but really have been overtaken by lots of the other 3+ save armies.  Blood Claws are still crap.  Frankly everything with “Claw” in the name is crappy in the current book…  So, the wizard in the army still has a holdover magic defense.  Neat I guess, but facing most current armies?  Really not a big deal.  Having said that, if you regularly face Daemons, Tyranid MC or other armies relying heavily on magic…  Might well be different.  Not the current case really locally.  My old codex Eldar nerfed the GK, but it was a serious uphill battle even without their psychics/magic…  Right now, the bulk of the successful armies are simply shooting their opponents off the table, not a lot of reliance on tricks or magic…

Edit:  You know, typed all that and I didn't really add anything I think...

So, what do I feel is broken right now?  Well, there are a number of troubling things in the Tau codex for me.  Getting to fire overwatch at better BS, firing with multiple units, etc.?  No cover save, better BS...  So essentially there are a LOT of things that break the basic rules of the game built into the book.  I find that trend troubling.  Thankfully, other than the Wave Serpent the Eldar codex is pretty well balanced I think....

:-)  Of course, just my opinion on these things per usual...

Are the Eldar TOO good again?

The more I play the new Codex and understand better how to use the Units in the book, the more I think that perhaps the Eldar are back to being overpowered...  The 2 big things that worry me about this are: Marines are next, and if this is a power spiral, then that bodes ill for the game itself.  And the LAST time the Eldar were what I thought of as overpowered, they spent more than 2 full editions in "penance mode" with a severely crippled and craptastic codex.  I hope that neither of these happens again, but not holding my breath.

Don't get me wrong, the Eldar do not come off the shelf with the plug and play answer to every situation out there, but I do believe they have access to the tools that will make them able to stand against ANY other army out there currently and easily take apart a good number of them.  Most of them in fact.  There are only a few that I would hesitate to take my standard "All Comers" list against and be confident that at the least I will have a fighting chance against.  SO much (almost) Rending, D Weapons, re-rolls/twin linking and Ignore Cover firepower in everything that it just feels like I have a FAR better force than my old standards of Wolves or Fleshtearers.  GK and IG are I think likewise out shot and more importantly outmaneuvered by the MUCH faster Eldar forces.

Even my ancient Scorpions are getting back onto the field.  They are actually REALLY good these days, though require a lot more finesse than say, the Death Company :-)...  My Swooping Hawks are also quite good.  Not 2nd Ed good, but using them as Light Cavalry to harass a flank, assassinate something specific hiding in the rear, or even Score on some missions...  For 106 points?  NOT bad at all.  Mind, not like the FT's Vanguard Vets, but I think overall more useful.

Looking forward to testing out a Crimson Hunter.  I think that upgrading to the Exarch will be a good thing for the called shots, re-roll on AP against fliers, etc...  Not sure if the 5+ to call the shots will be useful in the short term, longer term as the massed Flier armies fade, I do think it will be.  Being able to call shots against say, the Apothecary in the Draigo Wing's Paladin Squads might well be something to consider...

Overall, I think that the Eldar Codex is a VERY powerful one in the right hands, just hoping it is not TOO powerful for TOO many people.

Getting the Apocalypse book read now.  Sad to see how many damn formations I CAN field without proxies all at once.  No clue the actual number of points I can field, but it is going to be a LOT over the 6+ full armies I own.  Only one Titan and one Super Heavy Tank (Eldar Tempest Class, no longer exists of course...), but still...  When the lads gather and march, might be needing a cargo vehicle to haul them all...  Looks like fun, but the potential for forever games seems there...

Eldar so far... Wave Serpents for the win...

OK, so far I have found that the Wave Serpent is in and of itself a game winner against certain armies.  Specifically, gun lines that are depending on cover or massed Infantry trying to rush across the field.  So, unfortunately for my Ork opponent last evening...  His exact army.  I had 3 of the Wave Serpents in the list, and I have to say, they DID do a big portion of the killing for my army.  The twin linked Scatter Lasers making the Shield shots also twin linked is powerful.  I would argue it is almost borderline TOO powerful, certainly for the points and lack of a slot in the ToE for it...  Yes, the WS can be killed, and it is not too terribly difficult for some things to do so, but really for the 135 or so points?  On the other hand, the ability to move out from cover or onto the table and get those 4+ (d6+1) shots, most likely all twin linked against everything but Fliers?  Heck, even Fliers should worry about this as lots of dice rolled with re-rolls will usually mean a few 6's come up...

So, while the WS is HUGE, and if rumor is correct being pulled off the bloody market...  Mkay, slight rant here, NOT sure this is happening, but the rumor is that it is going direct only going forward?  Wow, that does seem to put the independent retailers in a difficult position as the new codex comes out with a brokenly powerful unit that will only or mostly be available through GW itself?  Seems an "interesting" choice for a company to make...  Unless this is simply the interrim step as the kit is redone/repackaged?  Maybe.  But given their history, I am less hopeful.  Besides, this is NOT the oldest kit they have in that line...  Though making the old Falcon kit more efficiently would seem logical...  I guess we'll see.  I actually have a few Falcon hulls around and will likely be recasting some of the ancient Epicast/Armorcast ones I have...  They are just THAT different that they fit in with my ancient figures a bit better I think.

What else worked?

Swooping Hawks:  Well the Swooping Hawks were INSANE.  Though a lot of that had to do with him bunching up Lootas and Grechin behind cover.  The large blast template ignoring cover and what armor they had meant that between that and the Las Blaster shots after, there were no survivors.  I think I caught something like 26 Grots in the blast and killed 24 with majority T of 2...  NOT game winning in and of itself, but that was their second appearance.  They also cleared the Emperor's Will objective, were themselves scoring for line breaker and  holding that objective...  Of course, the fact they also more or less erased a full Loota squad on Turn 2 meant they had already more than paid for themselves...  More testing I think, but a six man squad seems to be an excellent thing to have.

War Walkers:  The loadout of Bright Lance/Scatter Laser seems to be an excellent "all comers" one, and with 3 of them hitting 195 points?  Flanking with the move/shoot/move potential?  5++ save, though a really light Vehicle with 2 Hull Points...  Oddly, mine never took fire at all as they appeared then used a building to shoot and duck for the game.  Again, not a list that included a lot of AT firepower or fliers, so further testing I think...

And...  Well, that was about it really.  The Spirit Seer DID use his Destructor power, then charge a few Orks killing them...  With the residual flames (Soul Blaze) unfortunately for the last one so he could not move after combat...  Left him in the open to get shot off the field.  Dark Reapers came out, killed a few things (Warlord power was Split Fire) but then they got destroyed by the BFG on the looted wagons...

So, basically, it was my TRANSPORTS that killed off the bulk of the other army...

So, Eldar at 1850...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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...
6. 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...
7. 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:
8. 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...

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 :-)