Pitched Battle

Battle Report: Blood Angels vs Orks 750 points

2012-01-30T15:02:00.001-05:00

I found someone in my local area who plays Warhammer 40k. In actuality, I found a lot of people. He is a teacher at a local school, and he has an after school program for gamers. There are middle school age kids playing Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh, etc. The Holy Grail is that there are a dozen or more young 40k players. They are at various stages in building and painting their armies. So, they currently run 750 point games.

I went in for the first time today and met my new 40k friends for the first time. I am happy to have the occasion to help some young guys learn the game and learn painting and modeling. The teacher, the Dark Saint (dakkadakka handle), is my newest 40k friend. I think he is happy to have another adult to help with the young 40k folks.

On to the battle. We played a friendly 750 point battle. Dark Saint's Orks vs my Angels Sanguine.

I ran the following list:
Librarian-Jump Pack, Meltabombs, Shield of Sanguinius and Unleash Rage
2 Sanguinary Priests-Jump Packs
Assault Squad-10 Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Powerfist
Assault Squad-10 Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Powerfist

My opponent ran the following (from memory):
Warboss-AoBR wargear and 3 Meganobz in a trukk
3 Killa Kanz
2 units of 20 Boyz plus Powerklaw Nob and Rokkit Launcher (or two) in each

Dark Saint's Deployment

Mission: Annihilation
Deployment: Spearhead

I won the roll-off and chose to go second. Dark Saint selected a table quarter and plopped down everything. I reserved everything for Deep Strike. Nothing was effected by Red Thirst. I attached a Priest to each Assault Squad, and I attached the Librarian to one Squad.

He moved toward the center of the table for the first two turns. Both of my Squads arrived on turn 2. One of them via a descent of angels re-roll. He had positioned his trukk and kanz in the center of his force, flanked on either side by a unit of boyz. So, I dropped everything in on his left flank in such a position that terrain and the size of his boyz unit would eliminate anything else from engaging me (that was the plan at least). I ran to spread out my squads as he had the grotzooka with a blast template on one of his Kanz.

As the top of turn 3 rolled around, I realized that I failed to account for the Waaaggghhh. The trukk drove around the intervening terrain and out popped the Warboss and Meganobz. However, they rolled a 1 on their Waaagghh fleet. As a result, the slow and purposeful roll kept them from charging (plan successful so far). His boyz took advantage of the fleet roll and charged my librarian assault squad (plan was for me to get the charge). This assualt lasted two assault phases (his and mine) with the result of one dead Marine and the Orks cut down in sweeping advance.

Bottom of Turn 3

In the bottom of turn 3, I assaulted the warboss and meganobz with the non-librarian assault squad. This Assault lasted two phases. I cut down all the orks, and had about 6 Marines left: Priest, Sgt, and 4 Marines.

Well, the Assaults turned out well. So far, I had 2 or 3 Kill Points to Dark Saints 0 KP. His army was trying to come over to help out. Kanz followed by the other unit of boyz. So, I was free of hand to hand in Turn 4. I jumped over the terrain to use the trukk and terrain to keep the Kanz out of Assault Range. My plan was to meltagun the trukk and assault the boyz. I wrecked the trukk with the meltaguns in one squad (it was too far to assault the boyz), and my lead squad assaulted the boyz.

When the top of turn 5 rolled around, I had made a mistake. The Kanz assaulted my librarian assault squad. This kept them from being able to reinforce the weaker squad (which had a tough battle with the meganobz and warboss). This turned out to be the turning point of the battle. Dark Saints Kanz killed a lot of marines and the squad broke. My marines regrouped and jumped over to support the other assault squad should the game last.

The game went to turn 6. I had made the same mistake again. One Kan was able to get into assault. It was close. Dark Saint and I both looked at the measurement. He was in range. His boyz managed to kill off my non-librarian squad, and the Kanz killed off my librarian assault squad (all that was left: librarian, priest, sgt).

I had gathered 4 of his 6 available Kill Points, but it did not mattered. Dark Saint had tabled me in turn 6. It was a good game with a good opponent. It is nice to meet someone who is a good sport and fun player. Also, he is giving back to the community by hosting an after school club.

Lessons learned:

-Descent of Angels style army worked very well here. I was able to attack on the flanks and keep my opponent from engaging with his entire force.

-Priests are very awesome. The Feel No Pain rolls made a huge difference in this game. I cannot stress enough how valuable these characters are for supporting assaults.

-The librarian was awesome. Unleash Rage proved to be quite useful. There was not a lot of shooting going on. So, having Shield of Sanguinius had no effect on the game.

-Tactical Error: I should have jumped into position to fire on the Kanz. I still had 4 Meltaguns at the time. The other group of boyz would not have been able to get over in time to help them. Instead I tried to avoid the Kanz. My plan was to ignore them and just jump right by. Even if I had stayed farther away, the Kanz would have come over to counter-assualt after I engaged the boyz. Meltagunning the kanz would probably have been the better play.

Assault Squads: Remodeling complete

2012-01-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

Assault Squad 1 Before

I have finished remodeling my Assault Squads. All three squads have been increased from the mech riding 5 marine squads to the deepstriking 10 marine squads. Also, all the original members have received the new urban bases.

Assault Squad 1 After

I give you the before pictures taken in 2009 and the after pictures taken earlier today, 2012.

Assault Squad 2 Before

Assault Squad 2 After

Assault Squad 3 Before

Assault Squad 3 After

Assault Squad WIP: New Recruits

2012-01-23T15:31:00.002-05:00

I have the newest recruits for the makeover of my second Assault Squad. Two of these models are from the Assault Squad box of five, and one of them was purchased as plasma gunner. They have turned out well. I am about half way finished with their jump packs.

While I was working on them, I got out the original 5 members of this Assault Squad and started the process of re-basing them. I expect to be finished with this squad tomorrow. That will give me 2 full strength (10 Marine) Assualt Squads packing 2 meltaguns and powerfists. I will then turn my attention to the third squad.

As I have found someone in the local area who plays 40k, I have a game scheduled for Friday. Nothing motivates me to finish a project better than the prospect of playing with the models on the table top!

The Original 5 Members

Terrain WIP: Imperial Cathedral and Barricades

2012-01-21T13:31:00.004-05:00

These pictures show the progress of my Imperial Cathedral. Also, I have thrown together some barricades to scatter about the board. I believe the pictures tell the story. I am closing in on throwing some paint on this stuff.

As always, your comments are welcome. Also, I would be glad to answer questions about my methods.

Modular Terrain WIP: Day Four

2012-01-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

More progress made today. I have added some green paint over the brown.

I applied some black paint thinned down into a wash over all the rocks (areas sprayed gray) to bring out the details.

After that, I began with a gray drybrush (working up through a couple of shades mixing white) over the rocks and on the raised terrace/foundation of the city.

I think that I am ready to start with flock and static grass.

Modular Terrain WIP: Day Three

2012-01-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

I added some color to the board. I sprayed some gray in the low places and on the rocks. After that, I sprayed on a good earthy color: brown.

While I was waiting on that to dry, I started work on my Imperial Cathedral. I have also included a couple of pictures of the first generic ruins.

Imperial Cathedral

I hope you enjoy. As always, thanks for reading, and comments are welcome.

Imperial Cathedral

Modular Terrain WIP: Day Two

2012-01-14T08:41:00.001-05:00

An update on my progress and method. Yes, there is a method to my madness.

Well, everything had plenty of time to dry during the week. So, with all the glue dried, I was ready to put on a base coat of paint. I was off to Leroy Merlin in order to buy a gallon of paint.

As an American living in Italy, I had a pretty fun time trying to buy the right paint. The gentleman working in the paint department didn't speak English, and I don't really speak Italian (enough for greetings and ordering food or an espresso at the Caffe Bar). So, he logged onto his computer and navigated to Google Translate. I typed in what I wanted, and he typed in the response. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience.

I learned a few things. One important one is that we Americans are fond of talking about latex paint. The Italian paint industry does not follow this pattern. My understanding from further research is that there is not any actual latex in latex paint. It is a term which we use to describe several different polymer compositions which act like latex after they dry.

Asking for textured latex paint did me no good. After telling him what I was doing, we found a non-textured acrylic paint which is water soluble for cleaning and dries to form a flexible and resilient coat of paint.

I painted this on with a brush. It took three coats to cover the yellow polystyrene. After this had dried, I began putting modeling sand (I used a tub from GW) into the craters. I painted on PVA glue and poured the sand in on top. I also glued on some small rocks which I grabbed out of the parking lot at my apartment. I brought the rocks/pebbles in and rinsed them off. After drying, I placed them into some of the low places with PVA glue.

I want to mention that I traced out a pattern for cement/asphalt on the raised terrace. I cut a small 'v' into the surface to imitate the joints in cement or concrete. I also cut some small squares of thin, one-layer cardboard (from a cereal box) and glued them on the side of the raised terrace area. This will add a bit of detail to look like joints in concrete or the like.

We are well on our way. I ordered a bunch of flock and static grass, but the next step is more painting.

Modular Terrain WIP: Day One

2012-01-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

I started the Modular Terrain Gaming Board officially today. Technically, I did quite a bit of internet research via google last night. I found the following links which I found helpful: Cool Mini or Not and Digger's Rest. Also, Karitas shared his work with me, and I found it to be tremendously helpful as well.

Following Karitas's advice, I started with some sketches in my notebook. I decided to build a city on a raised terrace on two separate pieces of my 2'x4' polystyrene (I bought this at Leroy Merlin over the weekend aproximately 15 Euro for 6 sheets sized 2'x4'). The two pieces could be together for one large city or on opposite edges of the table for two separate city sections. I wanted to put a hill on the opposite side of the same boards as the city. On the remaining 2'x4' board, I decided to place hills with trench works. The pictures will reveal that I abandoned this idea during the manufacturing process. I decided that trench works should be a separate board, and that rolling hills and craters would serve for this board.

Three of the 2'x4' polystyrene sheets would form the 'ground' for the battlefield. I used a sharpee pen and a standard tape mearsure to sketch out my pieces on the remaining three sheets of the polystyrene. I would use those pieces to build up from the 'ground.'

I cut out the raised terrace or foundation for the city portion and the three layered hill as see in the photo. Of course, I double and triple checked to make sure that they they were flush (lined up evenly) before I glued them.

I used a hot wire cutter whenever it could reach and an x-acto knife where the cutter couldn't reach. I have an old wooden chopping block which I use under all cuts with the x-acto knife to keep from cutting anything in my house, for example: my wife's Italian dining room set or a rug thrown over our tile floor.

Furthermore, hot wire cutters get hot. So, BE CAREFUL. Also, modeling knives are very sharp and cut deep. So, BE CAREFUL and cut away from yourself.

I left the raised terrace/city foundation squared off. It will become man-made concrete base for the city. However, I sloped the hills. I want them to look as natural as possible while still providing excellent places for minis to stand or drive.

After cutting and sloping and sanding the hills until I was content, I glued them to the 'ground.' On occasions like this one, I am happy to be a Chaplain in the U.S. Navy. My degrees in Theology mean that I have a fairly significant personal library with lots of big, heavy reference material to weight down the poly while the glue dries.

It was at this point in the process (beginning work on the third 'ground' sheet) that I cancelled the idea of the trench works for this board. After seeing the sheets laid out in real size, it seemed as though I was forcing a combination between two great but separate ideas for gaming boards.

I opted for rolling hills with craters. I cut out some pieces to build up my hills and began shaping them. They are sloped off with the wire cutter, melted with a butane cigar lighter, and sanded with fine grit sandpaper.

I used the cigar lighter to melt wholes into the raised portions, and on occasion slightly into the 'ground.' These wholes will become craters and blast marks later.

I glued the rolling hills on and left it all to dry. I used Wood Glue for all the gluing up to this point.

New Project: Modular Terrain

2012-01-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

I bought six 2'x4' sheets of polystyrene the other day at Leroy Merlin. I am planning on building some Modular Terrain pieces for a gaming board. This project is very exciting to me. It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. However, I could never really afford to put the money or time into it.

All the stars have come into alignment. So, I am researching and planning out my modular terrain.

As my Angels Sanguine army have urban bases, I am planning to make some type of urban battlefield or ruined city. This will be my 'home field.' Anyone who comes to my house to play should feel like the visiting team on the pitch!!

If you all have any suggestions or great links to turorials, etc. Let me know, please.

A Game Tomorrow

2012-01-06T17:37:00.001-05:00

I have done it. I have a game scheduled tomorrow. However, it is an introductory game. I will be introducing two friends to Warhammer 40k. I have talked about it a bit at work, and they are interested.

So, I am working up a 1000 point list from my Angels Sanguine and from my old Imperial Guard. I am trying to keep things simple in hopes that I can focus on teaching them the basic rules. I don't want things to get crazy with special circumstances. It should be a lot of fun.

Assault Squad Progress

2012-01-02T12:25:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I am in the process of upgrading my Angels Sanguine Army (Blood Angels, of course) from the Mechanized Rhino list that I ran under the previous codex to a Descent of Angels list under the current codex. As one Assault squad is nearing the completion of the upgrade, I give you the before and after pictures. Well, not quite after, but we are getting really close.

This particular Assault Squad needed the most work to get up to speed for the list I want to run. This squad was made up of spare parts and a couple of AoBR simple conversions. I have a link here to my blog post from a couple years back when I first created them.

As they were made of spare parts, I had no Jump Packs for them in the beginning. Also, I settled on the Rhino Mech List and didn't need the Jump Packs. So, I had not magnetized them.

Naturally, I had to fix all that now. So, I popped of the backpacks. I did this very carefully, because I didn't want to destroy the models or their paint jobs in the process. As I am not the type to drown the model in glue when assembling, this was pretty easy. Much easier than I thought. I used a small metal fingernail file wrapped in a napkin for the one stubborn backpack in the bunch.

Following that process, I went through my standard drilling and magnetizing described in this previous blog post.

I pulled out the AoBR conversion Sgt, and I dropped a Powerfist Assault Marine Sgt in his place. Also, I added three more Assault Marines who are painted up and waiting for their clear coat.

This brings the squad up to full strength at 10 Marines. All are magnetized for either backpacks or jump packs. I have three of the 'veterans' left to re-base, and jump packs to paint. Beyond those tasks, the squad is ready to strap on their jump packs and descend on the enemy with the Emperor's wrath.

On a bit of a side note, the AoBR Captain Sgt has been promoted. He will undergo a few alterations to become my Librarian.

Angels Sanguine Army (Progress Thus Far)

2011-12-31T15:51:00.001-05:00

I thought that I would post some pictures of the whole army. This is everything that I currently have painted. The shots are a little wider than I would like. Nevertheless, here they are.

You can see that half the army still needs to be re-based. At any rate, I feel pretty good about how things are coming together.

Happy New Year!

Sanguinary Priests WIP: Task Complete

2011-12-30T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here are the completed Sanguinary Priests. As before, they are accompanied by a Powerfist Sergeant and Brother Corbulo. Powerfist needed a paint job so he could take over one of my Assault Squads, and Corbulo needed to be re-based in the urban style.

Other notes concerning the progression of this Angels Sanguine army: I have modeled up the remaining 9 Assault Marines. 3 Marines are needed to round out all three of my Assault Squads. Beyond finishing these Assault Marines, not a a lot remains. I must finish re-basing the rest of the models which still have the sand bases, but I do not expect that to take much time.

I really need to spend some more time searching for a place to play the game. I have been unable to locate any of the Independent Retailers which are supposed to exist near my home. Once I can find a place and an opponent to play, I can get back to making battle reports.

Oh by the way, I also have the backpacks and jump packs magnetized. So, I included a picture of the priests in here with their normal backpacks.

Magnetized Backpacks

Sanguinary Priests WIP

2011-12-28T04:34:00.000-05:00

I decided to work on the Sanguinary Priests as the next project on the Angels Sanguine Descent of Angels List. I have two Sanguinary Priests in the works. I pulled Corbulo off the shelf so that I could remember how I painted him. It has been about 2 and half years since I painted him. So, I want to make sure that these two Sanaguinary Priests look like they are from the same organization as Corbulo within the Angels Sanguine Chapter.

I decided to re-base Corbulo while he is sitting on the work desk.

You will also notice a Marine with a Power Fist. He was originally part of the Honor Guard which I had modeled up under the previous codex. When I decided to start playing again under the current codex, I wanted the Honor Guard to have Meltaguns. I also wanted the Assault Squad Sgts to have Powerfists. So, I pulled this guy out of the Honor Guard and replaced him with a new Assault Squad model. He will become a Sgt for an Assault Squad.

The current Sgt of that squad, a powersword Sgt made from the AoBR Captain, seems like a good model to become the Librarian for my army. I haven't really thought about this until now. However, he would probably make a pretty good Librarian. Everyone always says that he looks too good to be a Sgt.

As always, your comments are welcome.

Assault Squad Meltaguns WIP: Complete . . . Sort of . . .

2011-12-25T13:31:00.001-05:00

I have finished the Meltaguns for my Assault Squads. That is six Meltagun toting Assault Marines. Two for each of my three 10 Marine Assault Squads. Adding those two meltagunners to my already existing 5 man Assault Squads brings the total up to 7 Marines for each squad. The next project for the army is to bring the squads up to 10 by modeling and painting 9 more Assault Marines.

I have not yet painted the back packs for these Meltagun Assault Marines. Nevertheless, I can do that later. They shouldn't need them for a while in my DoA list.

My Second Company badge was easy to paint. However, I have not freehanded the Angels Sanguine army badge in a while. As I was never very good at painting it to begin with, the results are as I expected.

I have been considering working on the Terminator Chaplain. However, I still have the two Sanguinary Priests to whip into shape.

The force is coming together slowly but surely. I still have not located a place to play the game, but that is another matter altogether.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:45:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone out in the 40k blogosphere. We had wonderful time worshiping at the Chapel this morning. After that, I watched my daughters open all of their presents. We have had a wonderful time together as a family.

I plan to get some painting done over the next few days as I am off from work.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and may you experience the true richness of this joyous time.

Assault Squad Meltaguns WIP

2011-12-22T15:02:00.002-05:00

I have made a little bit of progress on my meltagunners. I ran through the usual color progression up to this point: Blood Red, Black, Sunburst (I think that is the name) Yellow followed by Baal Red Wash, Badab Black Wash, and Ogryn Flesh Wash applied respectively to the colors listed above.

I brought out a member of each of the three assault squads. I did this to help me remember the things which I painted unique to each squad. The plan is for my meltaguns to match their respective squads perfectly.

One squad has red weapon casings. Another has black weapon casings. The third has caution stripes on their chainswords and favor the combat knife in hand and bolt pistols in holsters.

I have found not having a place to play 40k to be a blessing and a curse. The curse is obvious: I do not get to play 40k. The blessing, however, was a little less obvious: I feel no pressure to rush through any of my models. I have been painting along at a comfortable speed and making progress on my efforts to re-base the army. Once I have all my Marines like I want them, I am not sure what I will do . . . buy some vehicles, I guess.

Honor Guard WIP: Completion

2011-12-19T08:20:00.001-05:00

I finished up the Honor Guard. I pulled an Assault Marine off the sprue and whipped up the last member of the Honor Guard. As the 10 Meltaguns which I purchased arrived with the Assault Marines, I painted up four Meltaguns to attach to the previously painted members, and the Honor Guard is complete.

I have included some pictures here. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. They have magnetized backpacks and jump packs to keep the options open.

When I took them back to the shelf to place them around Dante, his old brown base with sand stuck out like a sore thumb. As a result, I popped him off that base and whipped him up a new urban base. His glue is drying as I type.

I mentioned that I bought 10 Meltaguns. I used 4 on the Honor Guard. That leaves 6. The exact number of Meltaguns I need to fill out the 3 ten Marine Assault Squads I will be running. So, I set to work on them. They need magnets in their backs and bases.

I suppose you could say that I will be spamming Metlaguns. As always, I welcome your comments.

Terminator Assault Squad WIP: AoBR Converts Part III

2011-12-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

I have completed the Assault Squad. One lesson that I have learned is as follows: photographing your models can assist you in finding things that you forgot to do or finish. I noticed a couple little things I need to do to complete the detailing/highlighting through looking at the pictures.

I have put some scrolling or lettering effects on the Terminators. As they are veteran Marines, I felt that the lettering would fit them well. I am pleased with how they turned out.

I have the final member of the Honor Guard prepared to begin painting. I pulled the magnets out and set him up for the backpack/jump pack. The process of magnetizing his back and the jump pack was easier than I remembered.

Last but not least, I put the Chaplain together. He is looking pretty tough. I am going to put the primer on these two before I go to bed. They will be ready to receive some paint tomorrow.

Chaplain

Honor Guard

WIP Terminator Assault Squad: AoBR Converts Part II

2011-12-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

I have made a bit of progress with the Terminator Assault Squad. I think the models always look a bit more 'finished' when you have some paint on the bases. I have visions of the enemies of the empire meeting a horrible and torturous death at the hands of these Terminators . . . vile xenos scum ripped limb from limb.

I have a picture here of my recently arrived Assault Marines, Sanguinary Priests, and Chaplains to bolster my army. Of particular interest to me is the Chaplain in Terminator armor. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the meltaguns.

All this Terminator excitement has me thinking about deepstriking a Land Raider. I have never deployed a Land Raider via deepstrike. However, the prospect sounds very appealing to me. If for no other reason, I would like to do it because I can.

As always, I welcome your comments.

WIP Terminator Assault Squad: AoBR Converts

2011-12-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

As I am ahead of schedule on my retooling the Angels Sanguine army to fit the current Blood Angels Codex, I decided to begin work on a Terminator Assault Squad. I had plans about a two years ago to convert a squad of Assault on Black Reach Terminators from the shooty type to the assault type. I dug around and found a packet of Terminator Lighting Claws which I had ordered from GW. I also found a Thunderhammer and Storm Shield in the bits box. A little bit of light converting, and I have what you see here. I also took this opportunity to rework the bases on this squad. I have changed them from the old sand bases to the urban bases.

I am pretty excited about getting them up to speed. I have a Chaplain in Terminator Armor coming in the GW order which I am expecting to arrive any day now. With a few adjustments to my proposed list, I can run the Terminator Assault Squad with the Chaplain attached.

There is still work to be done!

Is spam really the best build?

2011-12-10T16:13:00.001-05:00

In the interest of better list building, let's try to answer the question: Is spam really the most competitive way to build an army? I dug up the following list on the popular forum Dakkadakka.

HQ: Librarian with Jump Pack, Shield and Unleash Rage
HQ: Honor Guard with 3 Meltaguns, 1 Flamer, Jump Packs
EL: 2 Sanguinary Priests with Jump Packs 150
TR: 10 Assault Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Power Fist
TR: 10 Assault Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Power Fist
TR: 10 Assault Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Power Fist
TR: 10 Assault Marines, 2 Flamers, Lightning Claw
TR: 10 Assault Marines, 2 Flamers, Lightning Claw
HS: 5 Devastators, 4 Missile Launchers
HS: 5 Devastators, 4 Missile Launchers
HS: 5 Devastators, 4 Missile Launchers

Total: 2000

Is this list built through the matrix of Unit Purpose, Army Cohesiveness, and Unit/Army Efficiency. Or, is this list built on the principle of 'If something is good, take 4 of them'??

I am of the opinion that this list could easily be played well on the table. However, the internet argues that this type of list is competitive and lists which have different units instead of carbon copy units (spam) is not competitive. I do not agree with that statement.

I believe that a list built with purpose, units that work well together, and efficiency can include varied units and need not have the spam factor to be competitive. The table-top general must be able to focus on the purpose for his units/army, analyze the developing events on the battlefield, and implement his strategy towards accomplishing the mission. The cunning general can accomplish this with different and varied builds.

What do you think? Is spam the only way to go? Are these "Internet Experts" actually experts? Can the true table-top general generate continued success with lists which the internet experts do not consider optimal?

Honor Guard WIP: Part II

2011-12-08T16:04:00.001-05:00

I give you another installment of the WIP of the Honor Guard. I have added another Marine and painted the bases. In a couple of these pics, you can see the backpacks and jump packs in the back. I have begun painting them. They are magnetized in the same manner which I used for my Assault Marines and Death Company.

Shot of the Bases

Follow this link, if you are interested in reading about my magnetizing method: http://pitchedbattle.blogspot.com/2009/08/magnetizing-backjump-packs.html

I am getting real anxious to play a game.

Urban Bases

1850 Blood Angels List: For Starters

2011-12-06T11:11:00.001-05:00

The following is the list which I am planning to run. It makes good use of the models which I have painted (or almost completely painted). It will allow for some fun game play while I get up to speed. Please let me know what you think.

-HQ-
Dante
Honor Guard - 3 Meltaguns, Flamer, Jump Packs

-Elites-
2 Sanguinary Priests - Jump Packs

-Troops-
Assault Squad - 10 Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Powerfist
Assault Squad - 10 Marines, 2 Meltaguns, Powerfust
Assault Squad - 10 Marines, 2 Flamers, Lightning Claws
Death Company - 7 Marines, Jump Packs
Lemartes

-Fast Attack-
Vanguard Veterans - 3 Power Weapons, One Marine with Meltabombs, Jump Packs

I will reserve everything for deep strike.

Honor Guard WIP

2011-12-05T13:12:00.001-05:00

In my current attempt to get my Angels Sanguine army inside regs with the current Blood Angels Codex, I have the beginnings of an Honor Guard. Here you will see one Sanguinary Novitiate and two Honor Guard Marines. The Marines are awaiting their meltaguns. The Novitiate awaits a left arm with chainsword. I fully expect these to come in this week from a GW internet order.

I have a decision to make about the Honor Guard: I will either run 4 meltaguns or 3 meltaguns and 1 flamer. Let me know what you think. I will run the Honor Guard with Dante in Reserve. They will drop in blast mech with the meltaguns and infernus pistol via Tactical Precision. The purpose behind the flamer would obviously be to soften up infantry for the assault. I have yet to make a final decision on this one. Let me know what you think. Is the flamer worth putting in this unit for versatility, or is the greater benefit having 5 Melta shots instead of 4?
A little note about the modeling: this Honor Guard was modeled and wargear chosen under the previous codex. As a result, I had to pop off some arms and weapons, etc. to make room for the meltaguns.

As these models never made it beyond priming in my first Blood Angels / Angels Sanguine army, I was able to easily put on the CD plastic for the Urban Bases. This makes me laugh a little, because Dante has the original sand bases which I made. Dante will be the 'odd man out' when I finish the Honor Guard with urban bases.

On another note, I rode around looking for 3 separate GW Independent Retailers that are located within a 20 minute drive from home. I did this in an attempt to find a place to play some 40k. My trip had the following results: One store is a toy store which has a small selection of GW models and starter paint sets. Another had the GPS leading me to an overgrown field under an Autostrade overpass. I couldn't find the store anywhere. However, I had the address in the GPS correctly. The third has a bit of promise. They were not open when I arrived, and there were no hours posted. However, the sign and exterior looks like a place which is still in business and a place where games are actually played. I will attempt to make contact with place again. Mean while, I am still searching for anyone who plays 40k.

It's All Over but the Clear Coat: Vanguard Vets

2011-12-03T17:09:00.001-05:00

The next installment in the Vanguard Veteran Squad WIP. I have completed the painting. The only thing left to do is put on the clear coat.

As these are the first models I have painted since an 18 month break from the hobby, I have lost a bit of dexterity. Some of my brush strokes, highlighting, etc. was not at the same standard as before. However, with a bit more practice, things will come back together.

I have the Honor Guard lined up next. However, I need to outfit them a bit differently considering that the codex has changed since the last time I put all the war gear on the models. My intention is to play a Descent of Angels list. So, I will put Meltaguns on the Honor Guard.

A jump pack list will get me up and running quickly. I can play this list and enjoy it greatly, while I slowly replace the Mech which was stolen from me. Hope you enjoy the pics.

I placed an order with GW today. Assault Marines, Meltaguns, Jump Packs, Priests, and Chaplains!

WIP Vanguard Vets

2011-12-01T17:07:00.001-05:00

I promised some photos of the Vanguard Veteran Squad, and I have delivered. I have a few details to finish on the bases. Also, I have not begun to paint the Jump Packs yet.

As you can see, they have urban bases. Just before my break from the hobby, I had begun switching the Angels Sanguine army over to the urban bases made from CD case plastic. Parts of the army still require re-basing.

An interesting note: concerning the urban base. I could not remember exactly how I had painted them. You should be able to sympathize. After all, it has been at least a year and a half since I painted the 'test case' bases. Fortunately, I had blogged about the bases. So, I looked here on the "Pitched Battle" under the label WIP and found instructions for how to paint my bases.

I also included the Napoli Workspace Photo.

Vanguard Veterans

2011-11-30T16:32:00.001-05:00

I picked up where I left off about 18 months back: painting a squad of Vanguard Veterans. When I started painting them, they were Veteran Assault Squads under the previous codex. Now they are Vanguard Veterans under the current codex.

I realize that the 'new' Blood Angels Codex is probably not 'new' to anyone else. As I just purchased it last week, it is new to me. My mind is filled with all sorts of ideas about new builds for my Angels Sanguine army.

Nevertheless, I fully expect to have this squad of veterans completed in another couple of days. I have posted a picture here of the test model I painted before my break from the hobby. I will post pictures of the completed squad as I finish.

It Worked: I am Back in Action

2011-11-27T14:58:00.001-05:00

Galaxy in Flames was a great read. But more importantly, this read had the important side effect for which I had hoped. It has brought me out of the shell of disgust back to our beloved hobby.

I am in the market for a new table/desk to set up my 40k work/paint station. On a side note, my old table now hosts an herb garden on the larger of our two balconies. I will buy a table tomorrow and get all my paints set up.

Also, I ordered a copy of the Blood Angels Codex. I am going to finish painting some of the Marines I have while I wait for the Codex to arrive. I have to spend some time figuring out the changes from the last time I played before I start spending any money on models.

I looked on the internet and found some independent retailers here just North of Bella Napoli. Hopefully, I will be able to scare up a game before too much time passes.

Tragedy Causes A Long Absence

2011-11-12T10:42:00.002-05:00

It has been a while, roughly 18 months (I think?). Let me explain what happened:

We moved to Italy, and I was awaiting the arrival of all our stuff in a giant shipment. When it arrived, I was looking for all my models and hobby stuff. Everything arrived except for my tanks. I was blown away. Every single tank that I own Space Marine and Imperial Guard was not in the shipment. I had some folks back home check into whether they could have been left behind. I searched to through everything here. We had put nothing in long term storage.

No, someone who works for the moving company decided they wanted my tanks. My rhinos, landraider, leman russes, devastators, baneblade, basilisk, griffon. Every single tank.

As a result, I was devastated. I did not want to see my armies. They have been sitting in their travel boxes. I haven't modeled anything. I haven't painted, and I haven't played since this tragic loss.

In an attempt to raise my 40k spirits, I bought Galaxy in Flames from Black Library. We shall see if helps me come back to the game.

An Explanation of My Absence . . .

2010-04-16T12:27:00.002-04:00

I apologize to anyone and everyone who reads or follows my blog for the silence over the last several months. Please allow me to explain:

I have been commissioned an officer in the United States Navy, a Chaplain to be more specific. I spent the majority of 2009 working and applying to receive this commission. I was commissioned on 14 DEC 09. As a result, I have been in the training pipeline since 02 JAN 10. Most of that time, I was restricted from internet access. Furthermore, anytime that I did have access to the internet, I had no time for our beloved hobby.

Nevertheless, I deeply apologize for not making an announcement before the long period of silence.

On that note, does anyone know any good places to play 40k in Italy? I will be here for the next 3 years . . .

Tyranids! Tyranids!

2009-12-07T22:39:00.002-05:00

I received a notification from GW in the email inbox today. It proclaimed the pre-order availability of Tyranid models and codex.

I must say, that I have always liked the Tyranids. Obviously, I haven't liked them enough to play. What I mean is I like their place in the 40k game and fluff. I really think we need the Tyranids. They are a great enemy for the Empire of Man (and the other Xenos for that matter).

I have tried on several occasions to talk my wife into collecting and playing Tyranids. She assures me that if and when she collects a 40k army, it will be Eldar.

I am glad to see the Tyranids getting a new Codex, and what appears to be some really great models and new additions to the force. Maybe I will start collecting some 'bugs' one day. . . .

Angels Sanguine Battle Report

2009-12-02T15:14:00.010-05:00

This is the Battle Company Build, or Mass of Marines, list I was referring to in a previous post.

This battle report is for the Aftermath Campaign. This battle takes place on the surface of the planet Prox. Lord Sentikan, sensing that his marines have turned the tide of the Ork Waaagh, presses the attack to drive from the planet surface.

Marshall Malgrim and I had an opportunity to play a second game this weekend, as he had Monday off from work. Following our last game, he adjusted his list slightly. He wanted to try out Razorbacks instead of the Rhinos. As my memory serves, the list was as follows:

-Marshall and 7 Terminators, 4 Lightning Claws and 4 Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield in a Land Raider Crusader
-9 Assault Marines
-5 Tactical Marines with Missile Launcher and Plasma Gun in a Lascannon Razorback
-5 Tactical Marines with Lascannon and Meltagun in a Heavy Bolter Razorback
-Emperor’s Champion and 4 or 5 Crusaders in a Lascannon Razorback.
-Shooty Dreadnought, Lascannon and Missile Launcher

I changed my list. I had been playing with the same list, practicing for tournaments and the like. So, I decided that I would change it up. Run something for fun. I wanted to run Jump Packs. I knew I would need some firepower, and every Marine list needs some Tactical Marines. So, I ran the following

HQ
-Dante
-Lemartes
Elites
-Death Company with Jump Packs
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor
-Veteran Assault Squad, 3 Power Weapons, 2 Meltabombs
-Veteran Assault Squad, Powerfist and Storm Shield, 2 Powerweapons, 1 Meltabomb
Troops
-Assault Squad, Powerfist
-Assault Squad, Powersword
-Assault Squad, Poweraxe
-Tactical Squad, 10 men, Meltagun and Missile Launcher
Heavy Support
-Devastator Squad, 2 Lascannons, 2 Plasma Cannons

1850 points
Capture and Control
Spearhead

Malgrim won the roll-off and gave me 1^st turn. I chose my deployment quadrant. Then it hit me. I had never run a list like this one. I had not done any research. I had no idea what to do tactically. I came up with a plan. I put everything with a jump pack, and Furioso, as close to the enemy as possible. Behind them, I placed a combat squad of Tactical Marines: Vet Sgt., 3 Marines, and Meltagun. I placed to other combat squad on my objective in the ruined building: Missile Launcher and 4 Marines. Also, I placed the Devastator Squad in the ruined building.

Malgrim deployed his Heavy Bolter Razorback on his objective. He placed his Land Raider in a position to launch a first turn assault on my jump packers as I came across the table. He bracketed the rear of the Land Raider with Lascannon Razorback.

Top of 1: I had no plan except to Jump and run until I could get everything close enough to assault. So, I jumped forward. I anticipated Malgrim driving around the wooded hill and trying to assault as many units as possible with his Terminators. I expected him to do this, because he has bad luck rolling difficult terrain tests for his tanks. Since he generally immobilizes the tank, he drives around if possible. Knowing this, I lined my left flank with Veteran Assault Squaders. I figured they had the best opportunity survive and perhaps deal some wounds as they died. I fired the Missile Launcher and Devastators at the Emperor’s Champion razorback. They destroyed the Razorback with a Vehicle Explosion which killed two crusaders.

Bottom of 1: Malgrim did the unthinkable, the unpredictable. He decided to drive through wooded hill in order to assault multiple units with his Terminators. He picked up the die and rolled it for difficult terrain. We both watched with anticipation as the die rolled around. The result: 1. The Land Raider immobilized while trying to enter the woods. We both laughed out loud. Then I apologized for laughing at his misfortune. He said, “No, don’t apologize. Watch this. I am pretending to roll for vehicle difficult terrain test.” He picked up another die, rolled it resulting in a 1. He unloaded the Terminators and declared his Assault. He was in range of one Veteran Assault Squad, but was unable to engage multiple squads. He destroyed the five Veterans, but my veterans took one Terminator with them. Heavy Bolter Razorback fired on the Death Company, power armor saved them. The Lascannon Razorback fired on the Devastators. Cover saved them. Land Raider fired on the Assault Squad which Dante had joined. It killed one marine.

Top of 2: I surrounded the Terminators and assaulted them with everything except the Meltagun combat squad: Lemartes and DC, Furioso, Dante and 3 Assault Squads, and a Veteran Assault Squad. It was an assault of epic proportions. Two terminators lasted through the Assault. Missile Launcher fired on the Lascannon Razorback, crew shaken was the result. Devastors destroyed the shooty Dreadnought.

Bottom of 2: The Emperor’s Champion squad did not join the assault. The assault raged on in the middle of the table. I managed to wipe out the remaining terminators, and consolidated forward.

Top of 3: Following the Assault with the Terminators, I had the following remaining: Lemartes and 5 DC, Furioso, Vet Sgt and 1 Assault Marine, 1 Assault Marine Vet Sgt, Dante and 1 Assault Marine Vet Sgt, and 1 five man Veteran Assualt Squad. Lemartes and DC fire on and Assault the Emperor’s Champion and Crusaders. Lemartes and the Emperor’s Champion kill each other in single combat. The DC wiped out the Crusaders. Furioso fires on and Assaults the Land Raider destroying the Assault Cannon. Dante jumps forward fires on and assaults the Heavy Bolter Razorback. I missed shooting the perdition pistol, and I chose to use a Krak grenade failing to penetrate. Veteran Assault Squad assaulted the Lascannon Razorback, wrecking the vehicle. Since Lemartes was now dead, I had no one to direct the DC and DC Dreadnought. So, I knew that I needed to finish off that Land Raider. It was the closest enemy unit to them. So, Missile Launcher and Devastators fired into the Land Raider.

Bottom of 3: Reserve rolls turned up Malgrim’s Assault Squad. They used deep strike to make an attempt at contesting my objective. They landed close to the ruins and fired on the Devastator squad. Power armor and cover saves were successful. A Hurricane Bolter from the Land Raider and the Heavy Bolter from the Razorback had a devastating effect on the Veteran Assault Marines wiping out the squad. The Tacticals from inside the most recently destroyed Lascannon Razorback assaulted my Powerfist Sgt who was trying to help finish off the Land Raider. Power fist Sgt killed two Templars and made his saves. He won the assault by two. The tactical failed their leadership test and took two more wounds, failing the save on one of them. So Powerfist Sgt effectively killed 3 Templar Tacticals in one round of combat with 2 attacks. I was impressed. Tacticals unloaded from the Heavy Bolter Razorback. They fired on and assaulted Dante. When the dust settled, Dante was locked in combat with two Templar Tacticals.

Top of 4: Malgrims plasma pistol had been in range of the Devastators. So, I moved my Tacticals from the objective over to the edge of the ruin in order to take advantage of Rapid Fire Boltguns. The true damage was done by the Devastators. They lived up to their names when the Plasma Cannons were leveled on those tightly packed Assault Marines. 9 wounds from the Plasma Cannons which denied armor saved. The Assault Marines were no more. Powerfist Sgt and the two remaining Templar Tacticals continued their assault. When the dust settled, all were dead. The Templar Tactical Marine with a Powerfist and my Powerfist Sgt and destroyed each other (and the other Templar Tactical). Dante killed the two Tacticals he was locked in assault with. I jumped two Assault Marines over who assaulted and wrecked the Heavy Bolter Razorback. Furioso and the DC continued to bash away at the Land Raider (DC was not strong enough to accomplish anything, even with rending). Also, the Tactical Combat Squad Meltagun fired on the Land Raider. All of this managed to destroy the last remaining Hurricane Bolter.

We looked at the table and realized that there was nothing Malgrim could do. All he had left was an Immobilized Land Raider without any weapons. Game over after the top of turn 4.

My analysis: We must be fair and honest about the whole ordeal. I did not draw this list up in order to table my opponent. I just wanted to play a mass of jump packers for fun. I had no idea that the game would turn out like this until I had destroyed the Terminators in turn 2.

I attribute the success of the list to the following: Our local group has been following the Mechanized trend. With each army getting more and more mechanized, we have been taking more and more anti-mech heavy and special weaponry. When I throw down an army with no vehicles, then all that anti-mech weaponry becomes a big waste of points. Furthermore, Malgrim is still learning his army and broadening his tactics. He had never faced a Mass of Marines or Battle Company Build before. Next time, I will warn him ahead of time. I feel like it was a dirty trick to play. However, I did not know that it was a dirty trick until I had already played it.

Marshal Malgrim is a fine sport, and he chalked it up as a learning experience. So, in the interest of learning I would like to pose a question. Is this type of list an answer to the current metagame? Is this how we respond to IG’s Chimelta and the increasing amounts of Mech and Melta? Your comments are always appreciated.

Battle Company Build

2009-12-01T13:41:00.004-05:00

I tried something the other day in a game (I will post the battle report soon). I ran a list with no tanks, no transports. In fact the only vehicle in it was one Furioso Dreadnought.

The list was comprised of Assault Marines, Veteran Assault Marines, and Death Company all with Jump Packs. Also, there was a Tactical Marine squad and a Devastator Squad. You can see in the picture of my deployment that it was just a mass of bodies.

It worked pretty well. However, this statement needs to be qualified.

Our local play group has been increasingly getting mechanized and more mechanized. So, naturally the special and heavy weapons have become anti-mech. In reality, I guess you could say that I played a dirty trick. I tabled my opponent in turn 4. But, I had no idea that this list would be such a good response to the current meta of mechanized armies.

I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience. Jwolf mentioned a few guys playing Battle Company builds down in Texas. Is this sort of thing happening in your neck of the 40k woods? Is it successful? Will this be the trend in response to Chimelta and mechanization in general?

A New Method . . .

2009-11-30T22:10:00.004-05:00

These photos are from an old Apocalypse game several months back. I am trying to learn how to use movie making software. I want to try some new and different styles of battle reporting.

This battle featured a combination of my Angels Sanguine and Imperial Guard in a battle against Marshall Malgrim's Traitor Black Templar who were working with his Necrons and O'shavo Roger's Tau.

It was a fun battle.

Let me know if you have any tips on the movie making or battle reports in general.

Angels Sanguine vs. Black Templar

2009-11-30T16:08:00.008-05:00

This game featured Marshall Malgrim's Black Templar and my Angels Sanguine.

This battle report is for the Aftermath Campaign. It takes place on the Planet Prox.

1850 points
Sieze Ground
Spearhead

Malgrim was running the following (according to my memory):
-Marshall and 7 Terminators in Land Raider Crusader, 4 Lightning Claws and 4 Thunder Hammer/Shields
-Emperors Champion with 9 Crusaders in a Rhino
-5 Tacticals with Plasma Gun and Missile Launcher in Rhino
-5 Tacticals with Lascannon and Meltagun in a Rhino
-Dreadnought, Twin-Linked Lasacannon and Missile Launcher
-Predator, Lascannon Sponsons and Twin-Linked Lascannon

I was running my usual list:
HQ
-Dante
-Corbulo

Elites
-Death Company, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor

Troops
-Assault Squad, Powerfist, Rhino with Extra Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Assault Squad, Powersword, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Assault Squad, Poweraxe, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Tactical Squad, 10 men, Lascannon, Meltagun, Rhino with Extra Armor

Fast Attack
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta

Heavy Support
-3x Baal Predator, Pintle Storm Bolter, Sponson Heavy Bolters, Extra Armor

I won the roll-off and gave him first turn.

I forgot to set the camera up until turn 2. So there are no pictures of the set up, deployment or first turn. All pictures are at the end of each turn. Nevertheless, we had 5 objectives to place. I had the first placement which meant I was placing three objectives and my opponent was placing two objectives. I placed three objectives in a tight triangle in Malgrim's deployment zone. He placed two objectives in my deployment zone: one in a ruined building and one in the road toward the center of the table.

I reserved everything. He reserved his Assault Squad for deep strike.

Top of 1: He parked one rhino on each of the three objectives in his zone. He moved his Land Raider forward to the center. He knew that I could come on the entire table edge, and he was preparing to react in either direction.

Bottom of 1: I do nothing waiting for reserve rolls next turn.

Top of 2: He positioned his Land Raider, Predator, and Dreadnought in the position which he thought would give them the best opportunity to react to my reserves as they came on the table. The Rhinos remained parked on the triangle of objectives.

Bottom of 2: Reserve rolls turned up Dante, 2 Attack Bikes, 2 Baal Predators, the Poweraxe Assault Squad, and the Tactical Squad. I brought everything in on the far right corner. This gave me access to his three objectives, provided cover for my units while offering me firing lanes. I fired the Assault Cannons from the Baals and the Multimeltas from the Attack Bikes at his Dreadnought and Predator. Both vehicles were Crew Shaken.

Top of 3: Malgrim moved his Land Raider at combat speed angling to get an Assault Cannon shot on my Baal Predator. He moved his Dreadnought and Predator into coverd position as they were shaken. He fired a Missile Launcher and Lascannon out of the top hatch of their respective Rhinos. They achieved a Crew Shaken on my lead Rhino.

Bottom of 3: Reserve Rolls turned up the 2 remaining Assault Squads and Furioso Dreadnought. Furioso moved on without the control of Corbulo. The closest enemy unit was the Land Raider. Furioso fired his Meltagun and then Assaulted the Land Raider Crusader. When the dust settled, the Multimelta and Assault Cannon were destroyed. Also, the Land Raider was Immobolized. I moved the Assault Squads from reserves on the left side of the table toward the free objectives on that side of the table. I moved the shaken Baal and the Shaken Rhino into positions to provide cover for the other tanks and popped smoke. I fired the Assault Cannon at the Land Raider with no result. I fired the Tactical Lascannon out the top hatch at the opposing Lascannon Rhino achieving a Crew Shaken. Dante jumped of behind the Emperor's champion Rhino and fired the Perdition Pistol into the rear armor achieving a Vehicle Wrecked spilling out the Emperor's Champion and Crusader Squad. Dante assaulted them. The assault would last until the following turn. One Attack Bike put another Crew Shaken result on the Predator. The second Attack Bike fired on the Missile Launcher Rhino missing its target.

Top of 4: Malgrim's Dreadnought destroyed a Baal Predator, Vehicle Explodes. He also destroyed one Attack Bike with a Krak Missile from the top hatch of a Rhino. His Predator withdrew to cover popping smoke. He unloaded his Terminators and moved them towards my Baal Predator. They attempted to assault the Baal, but they were too far away. This mistake would prove to be fatal, in my oppinion. The assault ended. Dante killed the Emperor's Champion, but his squad killed Dante.

Bottom of 4: Reserve rolls turned up the Death Company and Corbulo. They drove on to the table near the Furioso. Furioso moved toward the Terminators and fired on them. Following the shooting, Furioso assaulted the Terminators. On the left side of the table, my Assault Squad parked on two objectives. On the right side of the table, I manuevered a Baal Predator to fire on the Terminators. I began the run towards Malgrim's objectives with my Rhinos. The Attack Bike fired on Malgrim's Rhino exploding the transport.

Top of 5: Reserve rolls turned up his Assault Squad. They landed in a good spot. It provided cover, and it gave them opportunity to contest my objectives on the left side of the table. Furioso and Terminators continued their battle. He stopped both of my transports on the right side of the table with shooting (wrecked and immobolized). I unloaded my Assault Squad on the opposite side of the Rhino so they could not be assaulted. They failed the pinning test. He used the Predator, Dreadnought, and Missile Launcher. He knew that he had to stop those transports in order to keep his objectives. Well, done Marshall Malgrim. His Lascannon/Meltagun squad killed my remaining Attack Bike.

Bottom of 5: I had to get him off those objectives. He was ahead 3 to 2. Reserves gave me the final Baal Predator. I fired one on the Crusader Squad and the other on his Missile Launcher squad's Rhino (out of range for the Assault Cannon and no penetration for the Heavy Bolters). I unloaded the Tactical Squad and assaulted the Crusader Squad. I lined it all up on the initial move to have a minimum number of my troops in contact with their assault moves. This would require his using all his reaction move in order to reach close combat. I hoped to draw them off of the objective. My Assault Squad was recovering from the pinning wreck and could not do anything. Also, I moved the DC through a ruined building toward that Missile/Launcher squad and unloaded them. However, they were not close enough to contest the objective. By the end of this turn, the Furioso had been immobolized and both of his DCCW's had been destroyed, but the assault continued.

At the end of this turn, we checked the objectives. My attempt to draw the Crusader Squad away had failed. One of them was still close enough to control the objective. So, the Black Templars controlled 3 objectives, and the Angels Sanguine controlled 2 objectives. Malgrim rolled the die, and the result was a 4. The game would go on to turn 6. If it had ended here, Malgrim would have won. Congratulations to him on a game well played. He did a good job of putting himself in a place for a turn 5 victory. However, the game went to turn 6.

Top of 6: Malgrim jumped over to one of my objectives on the left. He assaulted the Rhino with meltabombs and blew it apart. I was left with 3 Assault Marines and their Powerfist Veteran Sgt. Objective contested. The Crusader Squad finished off my Tactical Squad and settled back toward their objective through consolidation. The Furioso and Terminators continued slugging it out.

Bottom of 6: I was now losing 3 objectives to 1. On the left side of the table, my Powerfist Squad fired on and assaulted Malgrim's Assault Squad. The assault was a draw. The DC assaulted his Rhino in the middle. They wrecked the rhino and forced the Marines out the other side of the vehicle. More importantly, they were now contesting the objective. I moved the Assault Squad which had been pinned over, fired on and assaulted his lascannon squad. I won the assault, but the Templars held their ground. However, this objective was now contested. I drove a Baal Predator around the bunker and pulled alongside the wrecked Rhino contesting his third objective.

Malgrim rolled the die. The result was a 2. The game was over. The objective count was as follows: Angels Sanguine: 1 and Black Templars: 0.

My analysis: Marshall Malgrim played a grand game. He was in position to win on turn 5. That is the position that I want to be in. So, congratulations to him on a great game played well.

Marshall Malgrim uses his Land Raider and Terminators as a Spearhead. He tries to ram it down his opponents throat and disrupt things. I generally try to avoid it and slow it if possible. However, this time I was able to use the Furioso Dreadnought to tarpit that unit. If Malgrim had unloaded and assaulted the Dreadnought, things may have been very different. However, he went for Baals. It was close, but they were out of assault range. This allowed Furioso to get the advantage in the first round. He was unable to destroy the Terminators, but they were unable to destroy him. Both were effectively removed from the game. That trade-off is in my favor.

Also, remember to use Extra Armor. Their were many Crew Stunned results on my vehicles throughout this game. However, Extra Armor kept all those tanks rolling. It is definitely worth the points. Especially on those Rhinos which are carrying troops accross the table toward objectives. This army realies on the Blood Angels speed. You must keep those Over-Charged Engine Rhinos rolling.

In the end, it was a great game. If one die roll (at the end of turn 5) had gone another way, I would have lost the game. Someone once said, "Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good."

Angels Sanguine vs. Eldar 1850pts

2009-11-16T20:51:00.013-05:00

This battle report is for the Aftermath Campaign. Click on the link and check it out. I find it to be good fun. Lord Sentikan, supreme commander of the Angels Sanguine, lead the 2nd Company in an assault on the planet Prox in order to defeat the enemies of the Emperor and restore order.

This game was the re-scheduled game against Silchias Ruin's Eldar.

1850 pts; Capture and Control; Dawn of War

My opponent ran the following list: (seer council jetbikes were proxied with foot models)
-Farseer, Jetbike, Forturne, Guide
-5 Warlocks, destructor, enhance, witchblades, jetbikes
-Autarch, Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblaster
-5 Dire Avengers, Wave Serpent, T/L Scatter Lasers, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8 Dire Avengers w/ Exarch, Diresword & Pistol, Bladestorm and Defend, Wave Serpent, T/L Shuriken Cannons, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8 Striking Scorpions w/ Exarch, Claw Weapon, Wave Serpent (Falcon Proxy) w T/L Shuriken Cannons, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8x Warp spiders w/ exarch, dual spinners
-Fire Prism w/ holofields
-Fire Prism w/ holofields

I ran my usual list:
-Dante
-Corbulo
-Death Company, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor
-Assault Squad, Powerfist, Rhino with Extra Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Assault Squad, Powersword, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Assault Squad, Poweraxe, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Tactical Squad, 10 men, Lascannon, Meltagun, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
-3x Baal Predator, Pintle Storm Bolter, Sponson Heavy Bolters, Extra Armor

My opponent won the roll-off and passed me first turn. So, I decided to deploy my Tactical Squad in their Rhino on my objective. I reserved only my Assault Squads. Everything else would come on in turn one. My opponent was faced with a difficult decision. He was running a Jetbike Seer Council with an Autarch. However, he could not start both HQs on the table together. We all know that the Seer Council needs to start on the table to get fortuned up. He deployed his small Dire Avenger Squad in Wave Serpent on his objective. The Seer Council was deployed behind the ruins directly across the table from my Tactical squad. His Autarch would come on during the first turn along with everything except for his Warp Spiders (reserved). The pictures presented were taken at the end of each turn.

Top of 1: I turbo-boosted two Attack Bikes on the right side of the table headed towards the Wave Serpent holding an objective. 3 Baal Predators enter at cruising speed headed toward the center of the table. I chose a route for them which would both provide cover and allow them to react to either side of the table as needed. I brought Dante, Corbulo and DC, and Furioso on near my objective. Night Fight rules prevented me from shooting the Lascannon at the Wave Serpent.

Bottom of 1: Silchias brought on two Wave Serpents and the other large Dire Avenger Wave Serpent near my objective. Fire Prisms fired on my Tactical Rhino and DC Rhino. Both shots scattered off. The Jetbike Council turboed across the table edge toward the center of the table in order to allow the Autarch to join the unit. Striking Scorpions entered the table and moved laterally flat out toward the right side of the table to gain a cover save. The Wave Serpent on his objective wounded one Attack Bike.

Top of 2: Reserve rolls turned up two Assault Squads. I drove them onto to the right flank at cruising speed. They would be heading toward my opponents objective. I moved the Attack Bikes up and fired Multi-meltas on the Wave Serpent holding his objective. One miss and one Vehicle Explodes. The explosion killed one Dire Avenger. I rolled for over-charged engines on all three Baal Predators. Two stalled, but the farthest right passed the roll. I moved it up 6". I fired killing the remaining Dire Avengers on my opponents obective. The other two Baals were out of range for everything. I moved Dante, DC, and Furioso up 6" waiting to counter-charge whatever approched my objective. I fired the Rhino storm-bolter to no effect.

Bottom of 2: My opponent began encircling my objective. He moved his remaining Dire Avengers in their Wave Serpent to the left hand corner in the rear armor arc of my Tactical Rhino. Fire Prisms continued firing on Rhinos resulting in a Crew Shaken on the Tactical Rhino. The Jetbike Council turboed into the ruin directly across from my objective. The Striking Scorpion Wave Serpent moved flat-out plus the star engine move in order to arrive between my Tactical Rhino and the Jetbike Council.

Top of 3: Reserve rolls turned up the remaining Assault Squad. I drove them into the ruin on my objective behind the Tactical Rhino. On the right, I moved the Assault Squads at cruising speed towards my opponents objective. The Attack Bikes turbo boosted to the center of the table. Baal Predators moved into range and LoS on the Jetbike Council. I unloaded the Tactical Squad from their Rhino and moved them toward the Jetbike Council. I unloaded the DC and moved them around the other side of the intervening Wave Serpent toward the Jetbike Council. Dante jumped up and joined their squad. Corbulo stayed in the Rhino and drove over to offer Furious Charge to everyone. Furioso moved up following the DC. I fired 3 Baal Preds, 14 Bolt Pistols (DC and Tactical), and the Perdition Pistol into the Jetbike Council. I killed 3 Warlocks. The Furioso fired on the Scorpion Wave Serpent I aimed the heavy flamer template so that it fell over the Autarch in Jetbike council as well. Furioso's shooting did nothing. So, Furioso assaulted the Wave Serpent exploding the vehicle. The explosion killed one of the Striking Scorpions. The DC and Dante declared assault on the Jetbike Council. I rolled too low on the difficult terrain test and could not reach close combat. I decided to declare the Tactical Squad assault without their help. Tacticals made it into CC. They killed one worlock and put one wound on the Farseer. The Jetbike council killed two marines. The assault was a draw.

Bottom of 3: Reserve rolls produced the Warp Spiders. They landed, via deep strike, behind Furioso and fire into him resulting in two destroyed weapons and an immobolize. He was now effectively useless. They used their special warp to move into a ruined building during the assault phase. The Striking Scorpions fired on and assaulted Dante and the DC. This resulted in 6 dead Striking Scorpions and 1 dead DC. The Exarch remained alone and passed his morale test. Jetbike council killed a couple of Tactical Marines, but they held. A Wave Serpent wrecked my Assault Rhino on my objective. The Marines piled out the rear door and passed the pinning test.

Top of 4: Assault Rhinos on the right flank continued at cruising speed toward the enemy objective. 2 Baal Predators moved into position and unloaded everything on the Warp Spiders destroying them completely. The last Baal Predator moved to complete a triangle of tanks around my objective. The Assault Squad which had been forced from their Rhino last turn embarked into the empty Rhino in the same ruined building which had once held the Tactical Squad. The Assaults continue. Dante and DC kill the Scorpion Exarch. Jetbike Council kills another Tactical Marine, but they hold. The Attack Bikes move from the center of the table to fire on a Fire Prism resulting in a crew stunned.

Bottom of 4: Large Dire Avenger Wave Serpent moves flat out from my objective toward the enemy objective. A Fire Prism hits but fails to penetrate. Jetbike Council kills another couple of Tactical Marines, but they hold.

Top of 5: Assault Squads on the right flank park their Rhinos on top of the enemy objective. I move 2 Baal Predators and 1 Attack Bike over to attack the only remaining Wave Serpent. They achieve an immobilized result. The Wave Serpent moved flat out previously. So, the immobilize turned into a wreck. 1 Attack Bike fired on a Wave Serpent, shaking the crew. Dante and DC finally get to join the CC with the Jetbike Council and Tacticals (something I intended to do in the top of turn 3). By this time, there remained only the Veteran Sgt. and 1 Tactical Marine. At the end of this combat, the Autarch was all that remained of the Seer Council.

Bottom of 5: The Dire Avengers moved closer to the enemy objective. Shaken Fire Prism moved toward the right side of the table. The other Fire Prism fired on the Assault Squad Rhino which was holding my objective shaking the crew. The CC continued. The Autarch died; the Jetbike Seer Council was no more. All that remained was Dante, 3 DC, and the Tactical Squad's Veteran Sgt. standing in the remains of his Xenos enemies.

The game ended on turn 5. The result: Angels Sanguine: 2 objectives, Eldar: 0 objectives.

My analysis: Well, the game turned out better in the end than I thought it would about the second turn.

I was able to create just the tar-pit that I needed on the third turn. The tar-pit was designed for the Seer Council. However, the tar-pit ended up swallowing the Seer Council, a Wave Serpent, and the Striking Scorpions. I was able to get the charge, and I brought along the Tactical Squad for more wounds.

One of my goals was to keep the Seer Council from destroying my Baal Predators. That goal was a success. The Baal Predators' firepower served me well throughout the game.

Another important factor was the destruction of one troops selection and its transport on the second turn. After that, the pressure was really on my opponent. He had one troops choice, and I had four troops choices. Furthermore, there were only 2 objectives.

The decision to reserve only the Assault Squads proved beneficial. This goes back to another battle report in which I reserved everything for a Capture and Control mission. I was only able to squeak out a draw. This method (using all elites, hq, and heavies to defend my objective) made it much easier to go for the win. As a matter of fact, Silchias stated after the game that the most difficult thing was trying to get me off of my objective.

The longer I play this army list without making changes to it, the more comfortable I feel with the list on the table. I would suggest using your list in several games (at least 5) without making changes to it. The problem may not be the units (like my attack bikes). It may be that you haven't learned to use them together properly (as in my case).

A Battle Report!

2009-11-12T19:11:00.013-05:00

This is a battle report for the Aftermath Campaign. This battle was waged on the planet Prox. As Lord Sentikan arrived in the Prox system commanding the Angels Sanguine 2nd Company, he dispatched a small contingent to destroy some traitors on the planet Prox.

I have been so long without a game of 40k, that I talked my wife into playing. She will only play small points values. So, she selected 500 points from my Imperial Guard. We will call them Traitor Guard for the Aftermath Campaign.

Army Lists:
Traitor Guard
-Company Command Squad: Regimental Standard
-Platoon 1-Command Squad: Platoon Standard
-Infantry Squad: Flamer, Heavy Bolter
-Infantry Squad: Flamer, Heavy Bolter
-Platoon 2-Command Squad
-Infantry Squad
-Infantry Squad
-Basilisk

Angels Sanguine
-Corbulo
-Death Company (2 men): Jump Packs
-Assault Squad
-Tactical Squad: 10 Men, Lascannon, Rhino

As I looked at the two armies on the table together, I felt like it couldn't be fair. My marines were seriously outnumbered. However, the exact opposite proved to be true. The small points value seemed to favor the marines.

Annihilation; Dawn of War; 500 points

The Traitor Guard won the roll and chose to go first. My opponent combined her platoons, and deployed one 20 man infantry unit along with the company command squad on a wooded hill. The platoon command squad deployed at the edge of the deployment zone in order to push my units back. I deployed a combat squad with the lascannon in some area terrain on the opposite side of the table. No one reserved any units. Everything would be coming on in turn 1.

Top of 1: The second platoon marched onto the table on the lefthand side. They obviously intended to overwhelm my combat squad. The basilisk came on behind the infantry on the wooded hill. It fired at the lascannon squad, but the night fight rules saved me. The forward deployed platoon command squad withdrew.

Bottom of 1: I drove on the other combat squad. I jumped in the Assault Squad and the Death Company using the Rhino to block line of sight. I tried to shoot the Basilisk with the lascannon, but the night fight rules stopped me.

Top of 2: The Basilisk laid a pie-plate down on my rhino which also covered my tightliy packed jump troops. However, it scattered off target. The platoon which entered on the left side of the table fired two heavy bolters at the lascannon combat squad. Power Armor saved the marines.

Bottom of 2: Lascannon penetrated the Basilisk resulting in a destroyed earthshaker cannon. I tank shocked the infantry squad in the woods, but the passed their morale check. The Death Company and the Assault Squad jumped forward and assaulted. I was able to assault the twenty man infantry squad with both DC and Assault Marines. Furthermore, two of the Assault Marines were able to assault the Platoon Command Squad. My marines won the assault by nine wounds. Both guard units broke and my marines cut them down as they tried to flee.

Top of 3: The Company Command Squad moved out of the woods in order to blast the DC with their lasguns. Power Armor saved the marines. The Basilisk backed into the corner and fired the Heavy Bolter at the Assault Marines. Power Armor saves the marines. The left flank platoon fired the Heavy Bolters into the lascannon combat squad. Bad Dice rolls and the power armor saved the marines again.

Bottom of 3: The DC fired bolt pistols into the Company Command Squad and followed with an assault. They won the combat and broke the squad. One of the DC was killed. However, the remaining DC cut down the Fieldmarshal as he fled the field of battle. One Assault Marine died jumping out of the woods. The Assault Squad assaulted the Basilisk resulting in a crew shaken. The lascannon combat squad moved out of their cover towards the platoon which had been firing the heavy bolters.

Top of 4: The Basilisk tank shocked the Assault Squad breaking their morale. They fled from the tank as it powered up its engines. The remaining platoon moved forward to gain rapid fire range on the lascannon combat squad. One Marine was killed in lasgun fire.

Bottom of 4: The Assault Marines regrouped and assaulted the Basilisk again. The Krak Grenades effected a Crew Stunned result. The Lascannon Combat Squad assaulted the platoon, while the DC and Rhino moved in close for assaulting on the following turn. The Combat squad won the combat by 3 wounds, and the combined infantry squad fled. The Tactical Marines cut them down as they fled the battle.

Top of 5: The Basilisk was stunned and could do nothing. The remaining Platoon Command Squad angled to fire on the lascannon combat squad. They were unable to inflict casualties.

Bottom of 5: Corbulo and Combat Squad disembarked. They, together with the DC and the Lascannon Combat Squad, encircled the Platoon Command Squad. They fired bolt pistols and assaulted destroying all the guardsmen. The Assault Squad managed another Crew Stunned on the Basilisk.

We rolled the dice for the end of the game, and the game would proceed to turn six.

Top of 6: The Basilisk was stunned and could do nothing.

Bottom of 6: The Assault Marines were finally able to take out the Basilisk. The result of this turns Krak grenading was Vehicle Explodes.

In the end, I had wiped out my opponent. So, according to the rules I won regardless of mission objectives. However, the Annihilation objective goes hand in hand with a wipe out. By my count, I won 6 Kill Points to none: 2 Combined Infantry Squads, 2 Platoon Command Squads, 1 Company Command Squad, and 1 Basilisk.

My Analysis: I honestly thought that the Guard would have an advantage, as they outnumbered me 55 guardsmen to 18 marines. However, the Marines were worth well more than twice their number in guardsmen. I believe that the low points value favors the marine. His superior equipment and statline really shine at this level. I found that the Power Armor was able to overcome the numbers of shots fired. Also, the Guard's flak armor is useless against even the most basic Marine weaponry. With jump pack troops, I had superior mobility.

My opponent may have done better to keep her troops together so they could support one another. Instead, she split her forces. This allowed me to take on half of her army at a time.

In the final analysis, I am sure that superior equipment and stats did more to win this battle than any tactics on my part.

Aftermath Campaign

2009-11-12T11:29:00.005-05:00

I joined the Aftermath Campaign. I am linking it up here. Go and check it out.

The concept behind this campaign is really cool. It takes the form of an online forum, and narrates a monumental war in the Aftermath Sector between the Forces of Order and the Forces of Disorder. It gives the players an opportunity to take part in a larger narrative than just the game you are playing on the table. However, you continue to play your regular games with your registered army. Then, you post a battle report. Each win that you post contributes to the story of the conflict in the Aftermath Sector.

It is great fun all around. I recommend that you check into it. Especially if you are loyal to the Emperor and want to dispatch traitors and evil xenos.

Game Scheduled!!!!

2009-11-12T11:14:00.004-05:00

After nearly a month of frustration, I have scheduled a game for tomorrow morning. Everyone in our small gaming group has been busy with real life for the past 6 weeks or more.

Personally, game night was overcome by my oldest daughter's birthday. A couple of weeks later, my wife's birthday. Don't misunderstand me, I hold these yearly events to be more important than my bi-weekly game of 40k. That explains why I observed the birthdays instead of playing. For others in the group, it was different things. However, I am going to play tomorrow.

The game will be an 1850 point battle between Silchias Ruin's Eldar and my Angels Sanguine.

Death Company

2009-10-18T22:00:00.006-04:00

We all love the Death Company. What could be better than some raging space marines who have been overcome with blood-lust and have no care in life besides coming to grips with their enemy.

I absolutely love the Death Company. I find them to be powerful and effective.

I have been playing with the number of Death Company which I get for free. I have not been spending extra points for more Death Company. In my current tourney list, that means 4 members in my DC.

When I first started playing BA, I bought and painted 10 DC. I payed the extra points in order to always have 10 DC.

As time passed, I went down to 7 DC. Even more time passed, and I stopped paying for extra DC. I just ran with the free DC.

Here are the facts: They cost 30 points, if you buy any extras. They have a Veteran stat line, rending, fearless, furious charge, and feel no pain. They require leadership from Corbulo or a Chaplain.

Are they worth it? Do you pay the points for extras? Do you only use the free DC? (Incidently, I know that they are not really free, as we pay for them in the cost of other units.) What do you all think on the issue?

Lightning Claws List

2009-10-07T23:19:00.011-04:00

A little while back, I mentioned an idea for a BA list featuring Lightning Claw Terminators in a Land Raider. Well, I worked out something that I think might work. Regardless, it should be real fun to play.

HQ
-Dante
-Lemartes

Elites
-Death Company w/ Jump packs
-5 Terminators w/ Lightning Claws

Troops
-Assault Squad (10 men) Powerfist, Plasma Pistol
-Assault Squad (10 men) Powerfist
-Assault Squad (10 men) Powerfist

Fast Attack
-2 Attack Bikes w/ Multimelta
-2 Attack Bikes w/ Multimelta

Heavy Support
-Land Raider w/ Extra Armor

That comes out to the standard tourney size (1850) here on the local scene. I am really interested to try it out. You may have noticed that there are no Rhinos and a lot of jump packs. This is a totally different philosophy from the previous list I was running. I refer you to Jawaballs for the inspiration to try the jump packs back out again.

Let me know what you think.

A trip to a Games Workshop Store

2009-10-06T00:30:00.004-04:00

Sadly, I must say that this weekends scheduled game of 40k did not materialize. As Friday dawned, I was receiving telephone calls from 2 of our players who had to back out because of last minute family matters.

Well, you cannot blame a guy for keeping his priorities straight and taking care of his family before his hobby. I applaud them in fact. So, I decided to spend time with my family Friday evening.

However, I am happy to report that I was able to make a trip to the closest Games Workshop retail store. It took just under 2 hours of driving to reach the store.

No, I did not drive 2 hours just to visit the store. My wife's sewing machine had malfunctioned, and the warranty required that we take it to a certain repair shop. That repair shop was a half-hour's drive from the store. So, we made a day of it.

Well, the store was fun. I endured an friendly argument with one of the GW staff, as he tried to tell me that I could spend points somewhere better than Dante. He was dead wrong. They tried to sell me a Space Wolves codex. Furthermore, they could not believe that I shelved my Imperial Guard army just as the new codex had come out.

Some mysteries are never solved, I suppose.

40k Tomorrow

2009-10-01T22:42:00.006-04:00

I have a game scheduled for tomorrow evening. However, one of our usual 4 players had to cancel due to family obligations. This occurrence leaves us in the familiar place we were in two weeks ago: a Three Way Scenario.

Since playing the last time, I noticed that the Big Rulebook has a Three player scenario in it. We may try to incorporate some of the rules from that scenario with the one we used previously.

I will write a battle report over the weekend.

I play one game of 40k every 2 weeks.
I am just curious. How often do you play 40k?

Apocalypse Pictures

2009-09-27T23:03:00.013-04:00

I just found these pictures on my wife's computer. I played the game 5 months ago. I forgot that I took pictures of the game until just yesterday. My wife's screen saver was running through all the pictures of our daughters. Suddenly, a picture of 40k popped up on the screen. Naturally, I
grabbed the flash drive and transferred the pictures over to my computer.

I thought I would post a few of the pictures up for your enjoyment. I am not going to try a battle report, as I do not remember the details of what happened this far removed from the game.

I do remember that this particular game pitted a combined imperial effort (my Angels Sanguine and my Imperial Guard) against a traitorous branch of the Black Templars who had joined with the Tau to fight for the greater good (High Marshal Hunter's Templars and O'shavo Roger's Tau).

It was a load of fun. I hope we can get another apocalypse battle dialed up.

A Vision of Terminators

2009-09-25T22:32:00.004-04:00

I really want to build a list that surrounds the following unit combination:

-5 Terminators with Lightning Claws
-Land Raider for Transport
-Dante tucked in behind the Land Raider until the time to strike

I really like the idea of the Terminators with the long Land Raider charging distance being supported by Dante. With Dante close by, they will get Preferred Enemy.

As a result, they will be rerolling to hit and rerolling to wound.
If I can keep Corbulo and the DC close, then they would be under the effect of Furious Charge, Preferred Enemy, Lightning Claws, and the long Land Raider charge.

The only problem is that this unit is a huge points sink. I still want to build a list around it and give it try!

Marines are still Marines

2009-09-23T11:27:00.006-04:00

Well, they are. It is worth mentioning. I spend so much of the time in my games with my marines inside their Rhinos trying to protect them and move them. I often forget just how tough and durable they really are until I am forced to remember.

Take this last game which I played as an example. I had 4 of my 5 Rhinos popped, forcing the marines outside their protective shell. One Rhino was the Death Company Rhino, and they are not exactly regular marines, so we will not consider them. However, the other three destroyed rhinos forced out one Tactical Squad and 2 Assault Squads.

The Tactical Squad was destroyed, but the Assault Squads (5 man) lasted until the end of the game. One these Assault Squads claimed a game winning objective.

I just felt like stating the obvious here (because if you are like me, you need to be reminded sometimes). We are not talking about Imperial Guardsmen. These are Space Marines. They are durable, tough, and capable warriors. They are able to accomplish their mission and bring death to the enemies of the emperor.

They still have that high stat line, as far as standard troopers are concerned. They still have the best individual equipment that the empire can offer. I have in mind here Power Armor and the Holy Bolter, or Bolt Pistol and Chainsword.

There are many table-top applications to this truth. Here is one: Park that Rhino on top of the objective. Your Tactical (or Assault for Blood Angels) Squad can claim the objective from inside. Your opponent must destroy the Rhino, and we all know the increased difficulty of destroying vehicles in 5th edition. After your opponent destroys the Rhino, he still has a unit of durable, tough, and nasty Space Marines to kill.

Angels Sanguine vs. Eldar vs. Tau

2009-09-21T18:09:00.017-04:00

You heard right. Last weekends game was a three way free for all. I must say that it was fun for everyone. We all went into the game realizing that it was going to be hard to account for all variables like one might in a tourney setting. So, everyone let their guard down and just had fun.

And man, oh man, was it a blood bath. It may be more accurate to describe it as an explosion fest. I have never been involved in a game with more vehicle explosions (and most of them were my vehicles). I ended the game with 2 Assault Squads (who had been driven from their transports by explosion), 1 Assault Squad in a fully functioning rhino, and 3 DC with Corbulo. Everything else was wasted during the game. Good fun for all.

There is one picture of the terrain and one picture of the deployment. Every other picture is taken at the end of each turn.

We decided to play the following scenario: Deployment was table quarters, and we rolled dice for random appointment to a particular quarter (rather than choosing). The mission was bases. Each army had one objective to place in their deployment zone. Furthermore, each army general was left on the table if killed. Each dead general became an objective. So, there were at least 3 objectives, possibly 6. Furthermore, we randomly rolled each turn for the turn sequence (who would go first, second, and third).

As the dice fell out, O'Shavo Roger and I ended up on the same side of the table, and Silchias Ruin occupied the table quarter adjacent to mine on the other half of the table.

Silchias Ruin deployed his Jetbike Seer Council (foot model proxies) and reserved everything else. This meant he had two Dire Avenger Wave Serpents, one Striking Scorpion Wave Serpent, Warp Spiders, and two Fire Prisms in reserve. He placed his objective on the edge of a wooded hill.

I decided to deploy my tactical squad inside their rhino on my objective, which I placed inside brush/woods area terrain. I deployed the 3 Baals with two Attack Bikes tucked in behind them. I also deployed DC and Corbulo in Rhino with Furioso and Dante tucked in behind. So, I had 3 Assault Squads in Rhinos held in reserve.

O'Shavo Roger decided to deploy two Railheads, a Devilfish with Firewarriors, and two firewarrior units behind a ruined building which contained his objective. In reserve he had his crisis suit general, a 3 member crisis suit team, six member stealth suit team, and Farsight with 4 bodyguards and shield drones.

In the very beginning, I made my plan. The Tau and I occupied one half of the table together. That meant that there were two objectives on my half of the table and one objective on the other half. So, I decided to go hard after the Tau. I would take his objective. That would give me two. The Eldar (and Tau) would have to come to me and stop me from controlling objectives.

Turn one: Night Fight rules in effect this turn.
Eldar: Fortune up, and guide. He moved up behind a ruined building. It seemed as though he wanted to wait until the other two armies attacked each other before engaging.

Me: DC, Furioso, and Dante move full tilt towards the Tau leaving a firing lane up for the Baals. I got two overcharge rolls and one stall on the Baals. They opened fire on the Firewarriors behind the ruined building. I cut one unit down to 4 firewarriors, and the second unit took casualties and failed a morale check. They chickened out and ran off the table edge. A good round of shooting for me. Lascannon from the tactical squad targeted a Railhead, but they failed the night fight role.

Tau: He moved everything away from me except for the four firewarriors. They moved into the ruins to claim his objective. Night Fight rules saved me from the Railheads this turn.

Turn Two:
Tau: He moved further up the table away from me with his tanks, and he settled his 4 firewarriors in the ruins around the objective. His shooting prooved devastating this round. Railhead one blasted the DC rhino with the result explosion. The explosion also killed one of the DC inside. As you can see in the picture at the end of turn one, Dante was hiding behind that Rhino. Now he was exposed. Railhead two blasted Dante. I failed the invulnerable save resulting in Dante's Instant Death. Reserve rolls produced his General in crisis suit and a crisis suit team. His commander killed one of my attack bikes that was hiding behind a baal predator.

Me: The loss of Dante this early was a hefty blow. However, I realized that this meant there were now three objectives on my end of the table. Things were unfolding well for me. Reserve rolls produced the poweraxe assault squad in rhino. I drove them straight towards Objective Dante. The DC and Furioso advanced toward the Firewarriors in the ruins on his objective. I assaulted with them. The Difficult terrain rolls excluded the DC from the fight. However, Furioso had enough movement. He crushed the Xenos scum in the righteous fury of the emperor. I moved the Baals to have firing angles on the Tau general and Crisis team. One Baal missed the overcharged engine roll. I decided to move it over and angle the front armor towards the Railheads, while turning the turret back to fire the Assault cannon at the Crisis Team. After the smoked cleared from the Baals firing, the Tau commander was dead, and two Crisis suits were dead. (With the Tau general dead in my deployment zone, I had four objectives close by on my end of the table. My opponents would have their work cut out for them in trying to stop me from claiming these four objectives.) Tactical Squad lascannon out the top hatch missed a Railhead.

Eldar: Two fire prisms turned up from reserves. He fired on my Baal in the center of the table with no result. One missed completely, the other failed to penetrate the side armor. His seer council turbo boosted toward the heart of my deployment zone (and two objectives).

Turn Three:
Eldar: Reserves produced three wave serpents. One parked on his objective. The other two zoomed flat out down the table edge towards me. One of his Fire Prisms blasted my Baal in the center of the table, result: vehicle stunned, but extra armor downgraded it to shaken. His seer council assaulted a Baal predator, result: vehicle explosion (I really need to make more craters. We used my dice bag to represent the difficult terrain of the crater).

Tau: Reserves turned up his Stealth suit team and Farsight with bodyguard. Stealth suit team landed in my deployment zone and fired on a Baal predator, result: shaken. They used the jump jet move in the assault phase to move away from the DC. Farsight tried to land in the same place. He scattered off the table edge. The roll on the mishap table said the opponent could place the unit. Silchias and I rolled off to see who got the honor of placing the unit. I won the roll-off, and I placed Farsight and company in the wooded hill next to the Eldar objective. (I did this because I knew that O'shavo Roger would not try to move all the way back down the table towards my zone. That would mean doing nothing with that unit. He had to engage the Eldar. I was not going to be able to devote anything towards the Eldar objective. This proved to be huge.) Farsight's unit fired on the Wave Serpent holding the Eldar Objective, result: Vehicle Explosion (this time, a white paper towel would serve as the crater). Two Dire Avengers from a 5 Dire Avenger squad were killed in the blast. O'shavo Roger fired a Railhead at my shaken Baal in the middle of the table, result: Vehicle Explosion (another white paper towel became a crater).

Me: Furioso (now without the leadership of Corbulo) ran out of the Ruins towards a Railhead (closest enemy). Reserve rolls turned up the two remaining Assault Squads. I parked one (powersword) on the Tau general. The second one (powerfist), I drove up beside Dante. The poweraxe Assault Squad which was near Dante hit overcharged engines and drove into the ruins, parking on top of the Tau objective. With my shaken Baal (the only one remaining), I tank shocked the Seer council. The reasoning: there was a chance that they would run, and I wanted to present a target for the council. I hoped that Silchias Ruin would forget the objectives and eat the Baal predator with that Seer council. Turn four was coming up, and he was running out of time for destroying my objective-controling troops.

Turn Four:
Tau: The Farsight unit wrecked a Fire Prism. One Railhead fired on a Wave Serpent failing to penetrate. The second Railhead exploded my Furioso. The stealth suits blasted the Fusion Guns into the rear of my Baal, result: Vehicle Wrecked. The Devilfish angled towards the Eldar objective.

Eldar: Warp Spiders arrived from reserves. They fired on Farsight doing some wounds. The Seer council landed behind my Tactical Rhino. They blasted in the shooting phase, result: vehicle wrecked. In the Assault phase, they assaulted and destroyed my Tactical Squad which was forced out of the vehicle. The two remaining Wave Serpents moved 12" forward and fired everything into the Assault Squad Rhino which claimed the Tau General objective, result: Immobolized and Weapon destroyed. Fire Prism blasted a Railhead, result: Vehicle Wrecked. Warp Spiders continued working on Farsights unit dealing some casualties and wounds.

Me: I repositioned the Rhino which controled the Dante objective. My DC assaulted and destroyed the Stealth suit team. I left each Assault Squad in their Rhinos on the three objectives. We hunkered down in hopes that the game would end favorably on turn five.

Turn Five:
Tau: Farsight destroyed the remaining Dire Avengers on the Eldar Objective. The Devilfish was short on movement in trying to claim that objective. He opted to burst cannon the warp spiders killing a few. Remaining Railhead blasted my Rhino in the ruins on the Tau objective, result: Vehicle Explodes.

Eldar: Wave Serpent one moves tanks shocks my Assault Squad off the Tau objective, landing in the ruins. Wave Serpent two unloads the Striking Scorpions and moves into the rear armor arc to fire on the rhino holding the Tau General, result: Vehicle Wrecked. I strategically placed my five Assault Marines on the side of the Rhino opposite the Striking Scorpions (outside of assault range and out of LoS). The Striking Scorpions moved up to contest the Tau General Objective from the other side of the Rhino by running during the shooting phase. The Seer council drove over my DC toward the Dante Objective using their maximum move plus the Eldar jetbike assault move to barely get within three inches of the objective. Warp Spiders try to vent some more frustration out on Farsight.

A quick objective check before I took the last part of turn five: Eldar: 0, Tau: 0, AS: 0.

Me: I was in a tight spot. Silchias Ruin had done what I thought could not be done. He had contested all three of my Assault Squads and totally wiped out my Tactical Squad leaving me with no objectives. I had two options left. I tried them both.

I moved my Assault Squad that was next to the Tau General objective. You remember the one hiding from the Striking Scorpions. The Scorpions were contesting this objective, and there were at least 8 Scorpions, too many for my five Assault Marines. I moved them towards my base objective. The one in the brush/woods, which my Tactical Squad had held from the beginning of the game until the Seer council killed them. They did not have enough movement to make it. So, I knew that it would depend on the number of inches I rolled on their run die. I rolled a five, which was sufficient to run through the brush and the rhino wreckage and claim this objective.

My second option. The Seer council was well within assault range of the DC. However, the DC could not hope to win the battle. I just needed them to survive the first round of combat. I moved the DC a little further away from the Seer council in the movement phase. I tried to make it so that only one DC would reach combat with his 6" range. It was successful. I engaged the Warlock farthest from the Dante Objective with one DC, moving the others as far as they could go. This forced Silchias Ruin to use his reaction move to engage with his Farseer, Warlocks, and Autarch. Moving to engage in this assault took them out of the 3" range to contest the objective.

The game ended on turn five. Objective count: Tau: 0, Eldar: 0, Angels Sanguine: 2.

My analysis: Let me begin by saying that this game was tremendous fun for all involved. Furthermore, the fact that I won had as much to do with dumb luck as any grand tactics.

The deep strike mishap of Commander Farsight was huge. The fact that I won the roll-off to be the opponent who placed his unit was huge. I had nothing, and I do mean nothing, when it came to traveling across the table and contesting the Eldar objective. Placing Farsight over there meant that O'shavo Roger would do that part for me. If Farsight had landed in my table quarter, then the Warp Spiders would have landed in my table quarter as well. It would have been impossible to claim objectives in that mess. I was able to grab one objective on the last turn that the Eldar were not contesting. If the Warp Spiders were in that quadrant, then he would have been contesting that objective. Who said that the Eldar are the ones manipulating all the other races. This time, the Angels Sanguine (Marines) manipulated the Tau into doing the dirty work.

I guess that I would say, everything that you do during your games needs to be directed towards achieving the mission goal. This mission goal was objectives. So even something as small as placing your opponents mishapped deep strikers should be done in such a way that it fits into your plan for accomplishing the mission.

Also, assaulting the Seer council in order to draw them away from the Dante objective is exactly the kind of table top move that will push you over the top as a general. What do I mean? Using the rules of the game to your advantage. I forced my opponent into a compulsory move that he did not want to make.

But get this, YOU MUST BE PAYING ATTENTION, THINKING, IN ORDER TO SPOT THESE OPPORTUNITIES. I almost missed it. I literally said the following as I was playing through the fifth turn: "Well, I could move to set up the assault over there with the Death Company, but it won't accomplish any . . . . Wait!" At that moment it hit me. I had already written off that objective and almost didn't realize that I had a chance to reclaim the objective by drawing away the Seer council.

Stay awake. Stay sharp while you are playing for the entire game, or you will make mistakes and miss chances. And remember, 40k is not always about destroying things. Many times, it is just about moving the models around on the table (Fritz said this first, not me), even your opponent's models.

It is always a blast playing with the guys in our local group. O'shavo Roger is learning and improving with his Tau. He always has a good time, and his opponents do as well. Also, Silchias Ruin continues to improve his game. He has really hit on a strong Eldar list, and his tactics are always improving. He has proven himself to be a cunning table top general. The difference in this game was probably our roll-off for placing Farsight. If he had won that roll-off, I fully expect that he would have won the battle.

Thanks for the great game!

Friday's Article of Interest:

2009-09-18T16:19:00.002-04:00

Another week is history, and you know what that means. It is time for another Article of Interest.

This weeks article comes to you from Drathmere over at 40k Hobby Blog.

This article features a tutorial by Drathmere on basing for urban combat zones or ruined cities.

You all know how fond I am of urban bases, ruined cities, and urban warfare in 40k. So, I could not resist the desire to feature Drathmere's article. Furthermore, he has done a great job on the bases (and other aspects of our hobby).

He is a fellow member of the From the Warp 40k community. So, check out the 40k Hobby Blog.

Game Tomorrow!

2009-09-17T22:18:00.005-04:00

I have a game scheduled tomorrow. As things stand, there will be three players from our local play group attending. So, that puts me in a tight spot. I want all three players to play and have fun. I don't want anyone to be left out.

With that in mind, I plan to have a 3 way battle. I have never participated in a 3 way scenario. The only thing that I can figure is 1 objective in the center of the table. We'll call it the "King of the Hill" mission.

If anyone has any ideas or experience with three way battles, I am open to suggestions. Please post a comment with your thoughts.

At any rate, you can expect a battle report. Hopefully, it will be big fun for all involved.

Angels Sanguine Army

2009-09-16T13:44:00.007-04:00

Some have asked for a picture of my entire army together. Well, that sounded like a great a idea. So, here it is. This list is a Jawaballs list. However, the local tourney scene runs 1850 points. So, I have been toying around with how best to use the extra 100 points.

I have included two photos of the army that is contained in the following list:
HQ
-Dante
-Corbulo

Elites
-Death Company, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armor

Troops
-Assault Squad, Powerfist, Rhino with Extra Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Assault Squad, Powersword, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Assault Squad, Poweraxe, Rhino with Extra Armor
-Tactical Squad, 10 men, Lascannon, Meltagun, Rhino with Extra Armor

Fast Attack
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
-Attack Bike, Multi-Melta

Heavy Support
-3x Baal Predator, Pintle Storm Bolter, Sponson Heavy Bolters, Extra Armor

The attack bikes are not in the picture because I am still in the tryout phase with them. I have not decided whether I want to include them.

College Football has Begun!!

2009-09-05T21:41:00.002-04:00

The Clemson University Tigers kicked off their 2009 season tonight against the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State University. I knew that things were going well, as C.J. Spiller returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers went on to a 37-14 victory.

I love this time of year.

Friday's Article of Interest

2009-09-04T21:01:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe that it has been a week. However, everyone in my home has been sick for the last week (including me). All my girls have gotten better, but I still feel a little ill.

Nevertheless, I give you this weeks Article of Interest: LINK!

This weeks article comes to you from Adam and Jim over at Space Wolves.

The article features some really sweet space wolf scout conversions.

Check them out, and enjoy!

As an aside, I noticed that the FAQ for the new Imperial Guard is out. I was right about the Hellstrike Missile. It does not use a blast marker. Just because something is ordnance does not mean that it uses a blast marker.

Friday's Article of Interest

2009-08-29T20:35:00.002-04:00

I know, "It's Saturday already." Well, I have been working 12 hour shifts again. So, I didn't feel like posting yesterday.

Since we have been talking about magnets and keeping your options open, I present this weeks Article of Interest: LINK!

This weeks article comes to you from the Lord of the Bitz, Adrian Hagar. His blog is called the Workbench. He posted this great article about magnetizing a Space Marine Land Speeder.

Enjoy the article, and browse around at The Workbench.

Adrian is a fellow member of the From the Warp blogger community.

Go over and check him out.

Magnetizing Back/Jump Packs

2009-08-27T20:34:00.009-04:00

In the Blood Angels codex, the Assault Marines have the option of Jump Packs or Rhinos.

I am a big fan of keeping your options open. In actuality, I learned this the hard way. Let me explain. I started playing 40k during 2nd edition. My first army was Imperial Guard, and I remained faithful to the Guard for 12 years. During that time, 3rd, 4th, and 5th edition came. Each of these editions made various weapon loadouts more desirable. However, I had no options. My models were set.

As a result, I am an advocate of magnets . . . keeping your options open.

Here I have pictures of an Assault Marine and a member of my Death Company. You can see each with the backpack and each with the jump pack.

I simply used a drill bit which matched the diameter of the magnet. I drilled just far enough to flush mount the magnets in the marines back. I mounted it above the nob which protrudes from the marines back.

For the back pack, I took one of these flat advertising magnets which come attached to the new phone book. You know the one. It is intended for you to stick on the fridge. Well, I used one of my wife's scrapbooking hole punches which has variable sized holes. I set the hole punch to match the diameter of the magnet, and I punched out a hole in the flat advertising magnet. I glued the flat magnet to the backpack just over the hole.

For the Jump pack, I bought some little steel nails with a head diameter that matched the diameter of the rare earth magnet. I cut these with wire cutters leaving a small portion of the nail attached to the head. I guess it was less than 1/8th of an inch. Just enough to sink into the jump pack.

Then I drilled a tiny hole in the jump pack that matched the size of the nail. Following that, I drilled a larger hole in the jump pack which matched the diameter of the nail head (and also the rare earth magnet) centered on the first hole. Drill this hole just deep enough to flush mount the nail.

Glue the magnets and nail heads in place.

If this did not make any sense, let me know. I will try to explain better.

I purchased my magnets from the following link: kjmagnetics.com. They have every shape and size that you might need. I used 1/8" x 1/32".

Tactica: Assaulting Vehicles

2009-08-26T22:16:00.007-04:00

I have found that Assaulting Vehicles is generally the best way to deal with them. Through much game experience, I have noticed that vehicles are extremely difficult to destroy through shooting. Even the weapons that are praised as "Anti-Tank" have difficulty finishing the job.

However, assaulting vehicles has proved to be more fruitful. The reasons being as follows:

*You will generally get more dice to roll. Even a tactical squad using Krak grenades gets 10 attacks, whereas the meltagun, lascannon, or missile launcher in the squad only has one shot. Since I 'grew up' in 40k playing Imperial Guard, I always believe that more dice is better. I have not even mentioned the fact that you get your full attacks when not using grenades. We all know that more dice rolled to hit means more dice rolled for armor penetration. More dice for armor penetration means more dice for the damage table.

*Your attacks are directed at the rear armor. I find it easier to reach the front of a vehicle for an assault against the rear armor, rather than manuevering behind a vehicle for shooting attacks. My opponents are generally very careful about where they point there vulnerable rear armor.

So, I encourage you to assault those vehicles. Especially if you can catch them driving at combat speed or stationary. If the vehicle didn't move, you can't miss.

Since marines come standard with Krak grenades, do it. According to the new Codex, the regular guardsmen comes standard with Frag grenades. So, the lowly guardsmen is not too weak for the AV 10.

After considering this further, the guard army majors on firepower. So, you guard players may do well without having to resort to assaulting vehicles.

Gale Force 9 Tactical Assault Template

2009-08-25T22:26:00.003-04:00

A recent purchase just arrived in the mail. I have never used this product before, but I think it is absolute genius. I plan on doing a full product review in the future. However, I am so excited about the prospect of using the template that I had to post on its arrival.

The template has all the essential measurements:
One side is 6" for quickly measuring assault range.
One side is 2" for quickly checking unit cohesion.
One side is 1" for keeping enemy models separate.
One side is 4" for quickly checking vehicle squadron cohesion.
The back side has a 6" ruler for varied moves like running.

I anticipate this thing really speeding up my game play for those timed tournament rounds. All you have to do is keep your tape measure clipped on your hip pocket for measuring range when shooting and moving vehicles over combat speed.

I do anticipate it taking a game or two for me to really get used to this thing.

The attack bike question, continued . . .

2009-08-24T22:28:00.003-04:00

I received such excellent analysis and advice from the previous comments on this topic, that I have decided to post some more thoughts.

brent said...
"Bikes look gay except for the Ork Attack Track thing. Get rid of them purely for the asthetics."

SynnerG said...
"haha, while I wouldn't say "gay", I'm also against bikes based on aesthetics. Never made sense to me to fight on "bike-back". Not when there's so many ranged dangers out there and especially when the rules state they never get off the bikes. If they were used as fast transport to get to a enemy and then dismount to charge, sure, but to get into CC on a 4 ton, 2 wheeled machine... seems a bit clumsy.

But I digress. After 5 games, if there's no improvement, what will you switch to for your anti-armor? I'm thinking of fielding MM Land Speeders, the number of them would depend on points, but probably 2-3 in individual squads, so as not to get owned by "squadron" rules."

Pacific said...
"Brent, good of you to take a break from Flight of the Concordes to make a post here ;)

I love bikes in RL and so am disposed towards them, but there are a couple of problems with the SM versions: There is no way you could pilot a bike skillfully at speed while firing a rifle (2 handed) weapon from one hand, unless of course you are the terminator on his harley :) I've modelled the weapon on my jetbikes as attached to the frame, which I think although more realistic would still be most likely unsuitable. Also, the tyre (specifically the front one) is so thick that the bike would be impossible to turn. Look at any military motorbike in history (BMW/armstrong etc.)and they have a high seated position and short wheelbase for more balance and manouverability. The marine version would need at least an 18-point turn in the road :)

Anyway! This is not the place to discuss these things :) It sounds FM Goering like you are having similar problems with your attack bikes as I am with my landspeeder, in that it just seems to lack impact in a game. Although admitedly my speeder has yet to have a penchant for driving into trees I admit :)

Perhaps it might be an idea to go all out, and go for yet another attack bike, or else put one in a unit with some melta-armed bikes? That might overcome the vagaries of bad luck in any case, and would be a good counter to mechanized forces."

High Marshal Hunter said...
"Im not a fan of the bikes. I think Id rather invest in some landspeeders for a quick objective grab than bikes which can just buy it so easily"
_____

Pacific has really diagnosed the problem for me. The lack of impact is what is bothering me. The attack bike is not all together aesthetically unsatisfying. I just wish they would do something . . . have breakout game.

I have recently considered the Attack Bikes from another angle.

Perhaps the enemy perceives the attack bikes as a threat. So they draw the attention of enemy fire. And though the Attack Bikes only survive a turn or two after arriving on the table. The enemy fire which they draw is enemy fire which is not directed at other units in my army.

This may in fact have been true in my most recent game. However, the previous two games in which my army featured Attack Bikes, it was most certainly not the case.

These games were against High Marshal Hunter's Black Templars. I can certainly say that he did not focus fire on them. He rather ignored them. These games featured the incident with the tree slaying one attack bike among other things.

Perhaps my new angle of thought and analysis concerning my attack bikes is a dream and a wish.

I am afraid that I must conclude that the Attack Bike is losing favor in my sight. If something does not change in the next couple of games, I will change the list removing the attack bikes in favor of another Furioso.

For the Emperor and Sanguinius

2009-08-23T22:52:00.009-04:00

I continue to be impressed with Dante in the games that I play. He is a really strong model on the table. The only times that he has been killed in games have been when I left him hanging out for Lascannon blasts (or something else that causes instant death).

Don't get me wrong, I do not mind if he dies in games. I just want him to cause as much havoc as possible until at least the 4th or 5th turn. I have been able to keep him out of sight in the early game until I get him stuck in close combat.

I have posted some pictures up that I took of Dante locked in mortal combat with the Eldar Seer Council and Autarch in my most recent game. Dante felled the foul Xenos killing the Farseer and causing the Autarch to flee the field.

One disappointment that I continue to have is the Attack Bikes. I love the idea of them, but they have not been as impressive on the table. I thought that two really fast Multimeltas zipping around the table would mean vehicle destruction for my opponents. However, in 3 full games, 2 multimelta attack bikes has equaled one destroyed prism cannon.

I will continue to use them. I cannot give up or change the list until I have at least played 5 games. After 5 games with the current list, I will be able to make a better judgment.

I honestly think that many gamers make too many rash and hasty decisions, switching their lists up before they have played enough to understand what works.

Angels Sanguine vs Ulthwe Eldar

2009-08-22T12:59:00.017-04:00

1850 pts
Mission: Sieze Ground (5 objectives)
Deployment: Dawn of War

My opponent this week was Silchias Ruin. He brought a tight mechanized Eldar list complete with Wave Serpents, Fire Prisms, and a Jetbike Seer Council. I have watched the evolution of his list building get stronger and stronger as his command tactics have done the same. This game was close. It was exciting. The game was one of those nail-bitters that comes down to the last die roll.

I was running the same Mechanized Blood Angels list that I ran the last game. I have linked it for your convenience. This time I proxied terminators for the Attack Bikes.

My opponent ran the following list (as my memory serves):

-Farseer, Jetbike, Forturne, Guide
-5 Warlocks, destructor, enhance, witchblades, jetbikes
-Autarch, Jetbike, Laser Lance, Mandiblaster
-5 Dire Avengers, Wave Serpent, T/L Scatter Lasers, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8 Dire Avengers w/ Exarch, Diresword & Pistol, Bladestorm and Defend, Wave Serpent, T/L Shuriken Cannons, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8 Striking Scorpions w/ Exarch, Claw Weapon, Wave Serpent (Falcon Proxy) w T/L Shuriken Cannons, Shuriken Cannon, Star Engines
-8x Warp spiders w/ exarch, dual spinners
-Fire Prism w/ holofields
-Fire Prism w/ holofields

In the first picture, you can see the table after both armies are deployed. Silchias won the die roll and took first turn. He chose his half of the table and deployed his Seer Council with Autarch attached (note that they are footsloggers proxied for Jetbikes). He also deployed Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent. He reserved only the warp spiders for deepstrike. All else would be coming on the table edge as per the Dawn of War rules.

Oh, let us talk about the objectives. One objective was in the brush on the back right of the table. The red die that you can see on the little hill almost middle table was an objective. On the left back of the table, there is a triangle of objectives clustered tightly. One point of the triangle is behind the large hill. One point is in front of the large hill, and one point of the triangle is under the pipe in the back left corner.

I chose to deploy nothing. I reserved all four of my troops choices in their rhinos, and my HQs, Elites, and Heavies would come on table edge from turn one. If you have read my blog, then you understand that this is a bit different. I decided that this would give me the opportunity to use Dante, Corbulo and the DC, and Furioso together. Also, the Baal Predators would come in elemenating the randomness of reserve rolls.

Top of Turn 1: With no targets on the table, Silchias fortuned up the Seer Council and turbo-boosted. Also, he moved everything else 24". This granted his entire army a cover save.

Bottom of Turn 1: I drove my Baal Predators on to take shots at the Seer Council. I thought that a high volume of shots would be able to over come their super-saves. No such luck. I moved the Death Company and Corbulo nearby for support. They popped smoke. Dante came on hiding behind the DC Rhino. Furioso was also close by for support the Baals. My Attack Bikes turbo-boosted accross the center of the table towards the Fire Prisms setting them up for a Multi-melta blast next turn.

Top of Turn 2: The Seer council brought the hurt. They assaulted two of my Baal Predators, wrecking each. He parked the 5 dire avenger wave serpent on an objective on the right side of the table. His Fire Prisms shot at my Attack Bikes. I faile the 3+ cover save on one and he died the instant death. The Wave Serpents fired on the DC Rhino achieving an immobolised result.

Bottom of Turn 2: I turned up one Assault Squad with reserve rolls. I drove this in on the far left side of the table headed towards the triangle of objectives away from the action. I brought the DC, Furioso, and Dante over to encircle the Seer Council. Corbulo was there to offer Furious Charge and Exsanguination, but he would not be part of the Assault. I fired everything into the Seer Council and assaulted. This assault would last until the top of turn 5. I moved the remaining Baal Predator over and fired everything on a Wave Serpent to no effect. My remaining Attack Bike moved up and destryed a Prism Cannon.

Top of Turn 3: Silchias Ruin rolled up his deep striking Warp Spiders. They suffered pretty heavy scatter, so they ran and jumped to reach a better position. He put the 8 Dire Avenger Wave Serpent on an objective. The Prismless tank fired on the Attack Bike, and the other Fire Prism fired on my Assault Troop transport. The Eternal Assault continued as Dante led elements of the Death Company against Farseer Generius and his council.

Bottom of Turn 3: Reserve rolls turned up two more Assault Squads in Rhinos. They also came on the left headed towards the triangle of objectives. Engines stalled on the rhino which came on previous turn. I moved the Baal over and lit up the Warp Spiders. Yep, you guessed it. The Eternal Assault continued. Casualties were slowly suffered in each assault phase, but neither side would back down. My attack bike fired into the rear armor of a Wave Serpent, but he missed.

Top of Turn 4: The Warp Spiders moved to take a shot on my stalled Assault Rhino. After the shot, they moved into the woods for cover. Two Wave Serpents bracketed my Baal Predator. They wrecked it. Prismless tank killed the Attack Bike. The Eternal Assault continued.

Bottom of Turn 4: Reserve rolls turned up the Tactical Squad in Rhino. In an attempt to get to the right objective held by Dire Avengers in the brush, I chose to drove through the stone henge on the right. Difficult Terrain test resulted in an immobolized rhino about 6 inches onto the table. I had two Assault Rhinos hit over charged engines, and one move normal. All three sped towards the objectives to set up a turn 5 grab and contest. Corbulo went over to try a Krak grenade on the Second Dire Avenger Wave Serpent. I thought that I could catch them off of an objective and eleminate their mobility and open them to Tank Shocking. Corbulo was unsuccesful. The Eternal Assault Continued.

Top of Turn 5: Everything was about objective grabbing, positioning to win. So we were watching the measurements to the tiniest detail. He moved a Fire Prism over to Contest between two points of the triangle on the left. The Scorpion Wave Serpent moved to another point in the triangle, landing on target but immobolizing in the difficult terrain. 8 Man Dire Avenger Wave Serpent positioned to claim the objective nearest my table edge. The Eternal Assault continued.

Bottom of Turn 5: I moved a Rhino onto the Triangle point under the pipe. I tank shocked the Warp Spider while heading to the Triangle point in front of the hill. I hit over charged engines on the third Rhino near the Triangle and drove out towards the nearest objective to my table edge. Brother Corbulo climbed through the wreckage of the DC Rhino and Ran to get up onto the hill and contest that same objective. My Tactical Squad dismounted and moved close enough for a meltagun shot on the Wave Serpent there next to Corbulo with no effect. The Eternal Assault ENDED!!! The Autarch and Lone Warlock fled from Dante. The Dread and DC had been killed over the many turns, and the Farseer and 4 Warlocks had been killed over the course of many assault phases. In the end, Dante put the foul Xenos to the Axe in the name of the Emperor. He Consolidated toward the 5 man Wave Serpent on the objective in the brush.

Silchias Ruin rolled for the end of the game. The result: play turn 6. If it ended on turn 5 it would have been a 1-1 draw. I would also like to say that this roll really sent the stress level up for me. I worked so hard to be in position to contest his objectives. But you all know that when it goes to turn six the eldar have the mobility advantage. I knew that he would just reshuffle the table leaving me more difficulty in trying to put myself in a position to contest and claim.

Top of Turn 6: He moved his 8 Dire Avenger Wave Serpent from the objective with Corbulo contesting back to the Triangle Point Objective that I was not contesting. He moved each Fire Prism to contest one objective: one in the back left under the pipe and the the other to the front where Corbulo was standing. He disembarked the Striking Scorpions and assaulted my Rhino on the Objective in front of the hill, no effect.

Objectives now favored him 2-0.

Bottom of Turn 6: I moved a Rhino from the pipe objective over to contest the objective behind the hill which he now controlled. I disembarked the Assault Squad from a second Rhino (positioned in front of the large hill) in order to assault the remaining Warp Spider and kill him leaving me to consolidate onto the objective. The Rhino then tank shocked the Scorpions hoping to move them off the objective. Well, it worked except the Scorpions moved out of the way of the tank shock but remained close enough to contest the objective. I disembarked (from a separate third Rhino) the Assault Squad near Corbulo. They had a Powerfist Sergeant. I decided to combine them in an assault with the Tactical Squad and Corbulo on the Fire Prism which was contesting that objective. It gave me 15 Krak Grenades and 2 Powerfist attacks. I achieved a wreck result. This gave me one objective. I had to contest his other objective. Dante jumped out and assaulted the 5 Dire Avenger Wave Serpent in the brush. He did nothing to the Wave Serpent, but it put him within 3 inches of the objective.

It was my turn to roll for the end of the game. I rolled a 3. The game ended.
Objective count: Angels Sanguine 1 and Ulthwe 0.

A hard fought battle. I would like to mention here that Silchias Ruin has really stepped up his game. He has shown significant improvement in his list building and in his table top tactica. Our little gaming club is getting better. The wins used to come fairly easy for me. Not any more. It is really a competitive environment. I love it. This is a good thing. I want everyone in our club to be on top of their game. Successful table-top general every one.

As far as analysis is concerned, I would first like to mention the destruction of my Baal Predators on the second turn. My plan was to come on inside the range of the Assault Cannons while being outside of the assault range of the council. I really wanted to be close enough that my opponent would think he could reach them in the assault while not being able to reach them. As it turns out, I was way off on guessing the range. I will say here how important it is to be good on judging your distances. I suppose that game experience would be the best teacher here. I guess you could just sit and stare at you tape measure.

Well, I lost two Baals early, but they were supposed to be a tempting assault for the seer council. As soon as I found out that I was going to be playing against a jetbike seer council, I knew that I wanted to get my assault element stuck in close combat with that seer council. I could not have them roaming around the table wrecking everything. Naturally, I needed to have the charge. I could not have that Autarch lancing me. Furthermore, the seer council is tough enough without getting extra attacks for charging. Losing my Baals anchored the Seer Council allowing me to get the charge. I really thought that Dante, the DC, and Furioso could take the Seer Council in the first assault phase. Boy was I mistaken. Never underestimate the seer council on jetbikes. An excellent unit. Truly a challenge. The length of the hard fought assault really gave our battle a feeling of epic importance, as though Dante and the Farseer were battling over some objectives of galactic importance.

I would say here, don't be afraid to feed something to that big nasty unit your opponent has on the table. Sacrifice something to tie it down. Then you can get the assault advantage. Or maybe you don't want to assault it all. Just keep feeding it things that you can do without in order to make your opponent feel that they are successful. Use your sacrificial lambs to keep that unit out of the rest of the battle.

In the final result, I had to pay attention to how many objectives my opponent could control. I had a 4 troop to 2 troop advantage. He had plenty of other things with which he could contest. However, I only needed to control one more objective than he. There was no reason to sit on objectives that his non-troop units were contesting. I instead moved one of my troops off to contest his troops. Dante contested the other troop leaving him with no objectives. At that point, I only needed to free one objective from his contesting unit. The place that I had the best chance was the Red Die objective being contested by a Fire Prism that had moved only 6". I had Corbulo, Tactical Squad, and Assault Squad (powerfist) nearby. Then it all came down to the dice. Nevertheless, I had done everything in my power to create a statistical advantage for rolling the result.

Always be thinking about your opponents troops. He can't control without them. Perhaps you can kill them all. Or like me, maybe you can just contest them all. But keep them in mind. Don't allow your focus to lapse and find yourself contesting a heavy support choice or elite. They cannot hold the objective even if you are not there.

Hats off to Silchias Ruin. The battle was in his favor until the last half of turn six. The best I could do in turn five was a draw. Fortunately, the game went to six (I usually do not want this to happen). He had me on the ropes, but the extra turn gave me a chance.

Good game, brother.

Friday's Article of Interest!

2009-08-21T01:51:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed. And although I have a game scheduled later this evening, I give you this weeks article of interest.

Here is the link to the article.

This weeks article of interest comes from CJ over at Dragon Rider Hos t.

CJ has done a masterful job on his Eldar Farseer. The model looks great. It has everything to be desired. Great conversion, fine green stuff sculpting. And we all know how much of an impact the model has in game play.

CJ is also a fellow From The Warp blogger.

So, head on over to Dragon Rider Host, and check 'em out.

CJ, keep up the great work!

Strategy for Tomorrow's Game

2009-08-20T11:25:00.002-04:00

The Bible even tells us that no good king commits his armies to battle without first weighing cost. So, I have been thinking about tomorrows games a little. We will be rolling for standard missions.

If I play Capture and Control, then I am going to deploy my HQ, Elites, and Heavy. I will only reserve the Troops. This will be slightly different from my standing rule of RESERVE EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.

Since I began playing this army list patterned after Jawaballs list and tactics, I have been reserving everything. On a few occasions, I have wished that I had more control over what was coming in when.

A few examples:
I always want to use my assault element in conjunction. I want Dante and Corbulo to be within 12 inches of each and the Death Company (including DC Dreadnought). This way, all of them will have Preferred Enemy and Furious Charge. However, my reserve roles have brought them on the table at different times in a few battles. Since I can't have one of them waiting around for the other to show up, I have ended up using them away from each other on these occasions.

My Death Company showing up on turn 5 of a game that ended on turn 5.

My Furioso Dread showing up on turn 5 of a game that ended on turn 5.

Dante coming in on turn 5 of a game that ended on turn 5.

I suppose that I only notice it with the assault element, because these are the heavy hitters. Also, they are designed for optimal performance when functioning together.

I will probably play sieze ground and annhilation the same as usual, meaning reserving all. However, I am going to be playing against a Seer Council Eldar list (Wave Serpents and all). So, he will probably be reserving. Depending on who goes first or second, and whether or not my opponent reserves all, I may not.

James Bond Marathon

2009-08-19T15:11:00.003-04:00

My wife and I have been on a bit of a James Bond Marathon. Yesterday, we watched "Live and Let Die" and "Moonraker." Today we are currently watching "For Your Eyes Only." We have plans to watch "Octopussy" later this evening.

Are you a James Bond fan? If so, who do you think is the best James Bond?

All the movies we are currently watching are films starring Roger Moore. He was an excellent James Bond: Stately, handsome, and masterful tongue-in-cheek. However, if I had to choose, I would choose Sean Connery. My wife would like to vote for Pierce Brosnan.

A Scheduled Game

2009-08-18T23:43:00.009-04:00

It has been 4 weeks since my last game. Although I have a grand reason for being off the table the last few weeks, I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to go to war.

Our entire gaming group will be available for this weekends game. The match-ups will feature the Black Templars vs. Tau and Eldar vs. Blood Angels (unless I am mistaken or something changes).

Since the games are coming up. I have been working on a little more terrain to finish out our woodland table.

I have made several bases of wooded area terrain. Also, I have been working on a series of pieces styrofoam hills. They are made as modular pieces. So each level of the hill is a separate piece, but they may be stacked on top of one another to make a taller hill or mountain. There are six pieces to the modular hill terrain.

I hope to have it all finished in time for the games on Friday evening.

Our urban/ruined city table has sufficient terrain. We combine terrain that I have made and/or painted with terrain that High Marshal Hunter made/and or painted.

As usual, I will take the camera in order to write a battle report with pictures.

Currently, I believe that I will play with the 2 Attack Bikes in my list. I believe that they need another game or two before I make a final judgment on whether they belong in the list or not.

The Un-rant

2009-08-17T23:47:00.004-04:00

I, like most of the rest of you, read a lot from the other blogs in the 40k blogosphere. Occasionally, I even venture onto a forum or two. One thing that really strikes me is the high volume of complaining. It seems as though everyone is complaining about something in the world of 40k.

Some are complaining about space marines. Others complain about the balance of the game. People complain about the rules. Some complain about the authors of the codex from which they play. Still others complain because they have received no new codex in years and years. Some are complaining about the ones they rolled in their last game.

Am I the only person who is content with the 40k gaming environment as it is? Am I the only person who thinks that GW does a pretty good job of keeping the game interesting, balanced, and fun? Am I the only person who believes that dice really do roll randomly? Am I the only person who is happy for my opponent when he beats me, thinking that everyone needs a win sometime?

Why do 40kers complain so much? Perhaps there are plenty more of you out there who are like me. I guess the old adage is right: "The squeaky wheel gets the kick." The rest of us will just feel overwhelmed by the complainers, because they are so busy trying to be heard.

I have played this game since 2nd edition, but I do not complain about the various things that have happened to and in the game since that time. I just model and play. I will always try my hardest to win within the confines of the currently governing rules. I will also have fun doing it.

So here is to those of you out there who enjoy the game without complaining.

Salute!!

The Making of a Gaming Club

2009-08-16T23:02:00.013-04:00

I have been playing Warhammer 40k for 12 years. When I finished divinity school and moved to my current area, I wanted to play 40k. So, I rekindled my brother's interest in the game. Together, we introduced a new player to the game, and I stumbled upon someone who had been collecting and painting Black Templar mini's for years without playing. Naturally, he loved playing the game. So, we became a group of 4 players.

However, I live in a small town in a rural area of South Carolina, USA. There are no gaming stores and no gaming clubs in our area. The closest store is 1 hour and 15 minutes away.

We currently have 4 players in our local group. I know that there is at least one other player who lives in our area.

I want to formalize our little group. I want to constitute a gaming club. I would love for our group to become a club and grow. If my career carries me away, I would love to come back and find that the club has continued.

Have any of you been involved in the forming of a gaming club? Do you have any advice? What is the best way to formalize a club and get it to grow beyond my kitchen table?

Thanks for any help to our fledgling gaming group.

I have featured a picture of a unit or model in each of our players armies. All the pictures are of the armies on the table in battlefield action. . .

Even a picture of my Baneblade getting blasted by an orbital bombardment.

Friday's Article of Interest

2009-08-15T20:08:00.003-04:00

I know. . . it's Saturday already. I guess better late than never.

This weeks Article of Interest comes from The Other Kevin over at Paint Pot Procrastinator. He is a fellow member of the From The Warp bloggers group.

Here is the link for the article.

In this article, The Other Kevin displays a fantastic conversion for an Imperial Guard Veteran Squad. The article has great pictures of his making armored legs for his Veterans from Tau Fire Warriors.

It is a great piece of converting, and it turned out great.

So, check out The Other Kevin over at Paint Pot Procrastinator.

Tactical Squad Finished!

2009-08-15T16:20:00.006-04:00

I have finished the Tactical Squad. Well, that is except for Meltagun. I will have to catch him up later. Also, my Lascannon marine, who usually runs with this Tactical Squad, will be rebased with the Devastator Squad. So, I will catch him up eventually as well.

I am quite pleased with the way it turned out. I am really excited about having the whole army on these urban bases.

On a side note, I like to take pictures of the mini's that I have finished painting and post them up here. I have noticed that it is much easier for me to see any mistakes that I have made through the camera's zoomed up lens. My eyes are not as good as they used to be.

Honestly, sometimes I cannot really see the particular tiny detail that I am trying to paint. I just go on the basis of muscle memory and my familiarity with the models. After that, I look at and see how it turned out. It is sort of like driving with your eyes closed on some of these tiny details.

When I look at the details through the camera's lens and zoom it in here on the computer, I can really judge whether or not I have the model exactly like I want it.

Tactical Squad WIP

2009-08-15T00:35:00.006-04:00

I am nearing completion of my repainting and rebasing work on the Tactical Squad. You will probably notice that Mr. Meltagun is absent. I cannot really tell you why I did not work on him with the rest of the Tac Squad. When I moved them to the workdesk for painting and such, I just left old meltagun on the shelf. Just a mental lapse on my part.

You should be able to see in the pictures that I have decided to use the CD Plastic Urban Bases from our Urban Base Test. I really like the outcome. I have done some work to add extras on the bases. I piled some Random cuts of CD plastic on some of the bases, and I cut some bricks out of plastic sprue for one base.

I have a few more things to do in order to finish them up. However, I am pleased with the way things are going. My Tactical Squad was really bringing the army down.

I bought them in the Assault on Black Reach set and painted them quickly before I had a real direction for my new venture out of the Imperial Guard into the world of Space Marines. Now that they have gotten the care and attention they deserve, I feel a lot better about them.

It was getting late, so I did not set up the lights and background box for photos. You will have to be satisfied with the workdesk for a background.

Also, I paint all the heavy weapons with blue helmets, not just the Devastator Squad. The purpose is to allow me to switch out all the heavy weapons between the Tactical Squad and the Devastator Squad. Versatility . . . options. It is the same reason that I magnetized backpacks and jump packs for my Assault Marines.

Furioso Dreadnought Conversion

2009-08-13T22:59:00.016-04:00

I made this Furioso Dreadnought out of two Assault on Black Reach plastic dreads and two Imperial Guard flamer arms from the Cadian sprue.

I added some skeleton parts from an old box of skeletal warriors.

I was quite pleased with how the Dreadnought turned out.

As I only used the Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon from the second AoBR Dreadnought, I have most of a plastic dread remaining. He is waiting for the time when I decide to reconstruct his arm in a suitable fashion.

I absolutely love the Furioso Dreadnought. When I decided to field one, I called GW to order one. It was out of stock. They told me it could take 4 weeks to re-stock.

Well, I simply could not wait that long. And so the motivation and inspiration to convert my two Multimelta/DCCW dreads into one Furioso was born.

Now that I have decided to re-base the entire army with the CD Plastic Urban Base, I am thinking of what to do with the dread's giant base. There is a lot of space with which to work. So, I can make this one really good, or quite detailed.

I must say that I enjoy doing a little extra bit of modeling or converting to make my models unique. It really doesn't take that much to add some character and uniqueness. A head swap here, an arm repositioned there. Throw in a kitbash and a heavy conversion, and you have a great looking army.

Urban Base Test Pt.6 (Finale)

2009-08-12T23:21:00.012-04:00

I present to you the finished Urban Base made from cereal card. As you can see, the marine is missing his jump pack. Other than that, the marine is finished. I decided to go ahead and post it up here, considering that the base is really what we are interested in here.

So, you can see what the finished base looks like. And as this is a test case, I will post a picture of the CD plastic urban base at the bottom.

Look at them both and decide which one you think is better. Please give me some comments on this one. I want to know what you think. Which is better?

I will go ahead and tell you that I think the CD Plastic is better. Unless you all convince me differently, I will base the entire army with the CD Plastic Urban Base.

As far as the modeling and painting of the Cereal Card Urban Base shown here, I will tell you the method.

I cut out a number of equal sized squares from cereal card
(just thin card). I glued them on the base in the fashion which suited me, and trimmed of the
excess.

I painted this base exactly the same as the CD Plastic version.

Undercoat Black.

Base coat in Codex Gray mixed with Badab Black.

Highlight up through Codex Gray, Codex Gray mixed with White, and Codex Gray mixed with more White.

I mixed some Snakebite Leather with Ogryn Flesh to make very watery. I applied this liberally and dabbed it off with a paper towel. The amount of this brown that you leave on there can make it look dusty, dirty, or muddy. It is up to you.

I left the Yellow stripe off this one, because I didn't think that it fit the layout on this base.

So, let me know which you think is better.

Urban Base Test Case Pt. 5

2009-08-11T22:34:00.007-04:00

I give you a work-in-progress photo of the second contender in our little urban base challenge: The Cereal Card Urban Base. You will remember how tremendously pleased I was with the CD Plastic Urban Base. So, this cereal card base had better be good if it wants to best the CD Plastic.

Everything went well with our new baby girl over the weekend. My wife is recovering from the surgery, and I am trying to take care of everything around the house including my 2 year-old daughter.

Well, everyone was fed and napping this afternoon. Furthermore, I had caught up all the dishes and such around the house. So, I sat down at the painting table and broke out the paints.

As you can see from the photos, this Veteran Assault Marine is nearing completion. I have some work left to do on the Power Sword and Bolt Pistol. Also, the Jump Pack is not complete (or attached).

As a result, the painting of the base should take place tomorrow. I have only base coated it black and added some modeling sand which will become rubble. We shall see how it turns out.

I really do not believe that the Cereal Card method of urban basing will match or exceed the quality of the CD Plastic method. We shall see . . . We shall see.

Friday's Article of Interest

2009-08-06T22:07:00.004-04:00

As you may know, my wife and I will be traveling to the hospital early tomorrow morning for a scheduled c-section. We are expecting a new baby girl!

As a result, Friday's Article of Interest is coming out on Thursday Night.

So here is Friday's Article of Interest: Link

The article comes to you from Pacific's blog entitled Eaters of Worlds. His blog is an excellent resource devoted to Pre-Heresy World Eaters.

In this article, Pacific discusses a particular problem that faces all pre-heresy armies. Namely, there is no codex for a pre-heresy army. Therefore, you must use one of the currently legal and up-to-date codex books for your army.

This was a concept with which I have very little familiarity. No one in our local play area dabbles in the pre-heresy. However, Pacific's blog and article really make me want to get into it. Furthermore, I believe that this article would be informative to anyone playing any pre-heresy armies, not just World Eaters.

So here is a buff for Pacific over at Eaters of Worlds. Check him out.

Tactical Squad Repaint WIP

2009-08-06T17:04:00.003-04:00

I had the opportunity to begin the repaint and re-base on my Tactical Squad.

However, I have put everything on hold as we are getting ready to go to the hospital for the birth of our child tomorrow morning. I have taken care of most things that need to be done here around the house in preparation.

So, I took a few minutes to give you this picture of the Tactical Squad work in progress. As you can see, I still have several stages left before completion. I hope to have the chance to get back to some painting and modeling next week.

As was the fad a bit back here in the 40k blogosphere, I have decided to post a picture of my workspace.

The Space Wolves are Coming!

2009-08-05T22:48:00.010-04:00

I hope that the new codex for the Space Wolves is great. I would really be happy if their codex pushes them up into the top tier. I envision everyone who bought all the IG models at the beginning of the year over on ebay trying to sell of their Guard stuff to buy Space Wolves stuff.

I really love all the sub-codex marines. I should say that I love them more than all the the cookie-cutter marines, or generic marines, or whatever you like to call them.

I just feel that the Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Black Templars, and Blood Angels all have definite flavor. They each have a unique feel. Their fluff shows up in the types of units that they can field and in the way that they play on the table.

I get excited about seeing High Marshal Hunters Black Templars in action. I have the same feelings about Space Wolves, Dark Angels, and of course Blood Angels.

I would like to see each of them find favor with GW and receive a great new codex.

A Disclaimer: This is not an attack on any other armies in 40k. In reality, I do love them all . . . some more than others. But I can get excited about any army for which the owner has a passion. If you put an effort into painting and playing, I can appreciate it.

By the way, I did not paint this miniature in the picture.

On the Workdesk

2009-08-04T22:39:00.004-04:00

I just finished 4 days of working 12 hour shifts. It really eats up the day. So naturally, the Urban Base Test Cases have been pushed back. I finished one style (pictures and info already posted), but the second must wait.

Also, my wife and I are having another baby: Delivery by C-section is scheduled for Friday. This will be daughter number 2 in our household. I am really excited, but we will be in the hospital for the weekend. (This means that I am missing this weekends 40k games. Ahhh, but a new daughter is well worth it)

Here is what I am working on:
-I currently have a little terrain project going. Our gaming club is very small. I decided that our woodland/grassland table needed some more appropriate terrain. So I am making about 10 bases that are roughly 4" (shapes vary) out of some crafting dry moss. It fits the table well, and it was simple to make. That way the woodland/grassland table can be more woodland than grassland, providing adequate cover instead of fighting in a field.

-I am repainting and re-basing my tactical squad. They really needed it. They were bringing the rest of the army down.

-I have the urban basing project going. This project is part of me trying to finish up my two veteran assault squads.

-I also have the honor guard sitting on the desk. They are all primed up waiting to be painted. They have been primed and waiting for painting since the middle of May.

A Tactical Survey

2009-08-03T21:40:00.009-04:00

I wanted to mention a phenomenon that occurred during my games at 'Ard Boyz. The reason that this is a survey and not tactical advice, is because it is really only an observance from a limited number of games. I thought I would mention it to you and see if you have experienced something similar.

You all know that I run a mechanized list. For the big 2500 pts at 'ard boyz, I added 2 veteran assault Squads and one honor guard, all with jump packs. Partly because those are the models that I had, and partly because I wanted to see them in action.

As part of my mechanized tactics, I was reserving everything for last second objective grabbing. The funny thing that I observed (and I was not expecting this at all) was that my opponents came close enough to my board edge (in search of objectives) that the Jump Troops could assault on the turn that they entered play.

I suppose it is obvious then that I was not deepstriking them, but jumping in from the table edge.

Well, it worked out really well. I call it a phenomenon, or merely an observance, because I have not tested it over enough games to know if it is truly effective or something that you can count on.

In reality, there are an infinite number of variables that could influence your opponent to come close to your table edge or to stay away from it.

So, I wonder if this is your experience? What do you think? Is this viable, or was it just a fluke? Please post your comments, and lets collect our thoughts on this gaming phenomenon.

Smoke and Mirrors, er . . . uh Transports

2009-08-02T23:32:00.007-04:00

Here is another battlefield tactic. A quick tip, a battlefield tactic that will serve you well in your games.

The availability of cover in 5th Edition has changed the game greatly. However, if you do not take full advantage of this aspect of the game, then your opponent will have an edge on you. It is one thing to make a good army list, but you must play well on the table to win the day.

Here is the quick tip: Make cover for your transports where there is none.
You must learn to move your tanks your in a way that will provide cover.

In the first picture, you see how two rhinos traveling together are stronger than one. The first Rhino pops smoke, and the second takes cover behind the first. Make sure that you obscure the vehicle by keeping it tucked in behind the first. On the next turn, drive the rhino in the back out full speed ahead. Pop smoke, and drive the rhino which smoked on the previous turn up behind the new lead rhino.

Be sure to tuck the Rhino in behind to maximize its cover. With this method, two Rhinos can cover much more distance, and they can benefit from the smoke launchers for two turns.

In the second picture, you can see a rhino parked on an objective in the edge of a ruin. I placed the Rhino so that its side armor facing was 50% obscured to provide a cover save. Also, the Tactical Squad inside can fire the lascannon out of the top hatch. In this scenario, my opponent must either change his plans and move to another part of the table to change armor facings that he is targeting, give up on firing at the rhino, or allow me the cover save.

In the last picture, you can see another use of terrain to get that cover save. You have to think about the saves as you make your moves. Use every bit of the terrain to your advantage.

There is a right way and a wrong way to move. Hanging your transports out in the wind is the wrong way to move.

Tank Shock!!!

2009-08-01T21:24:00.003-04:00

I want to share a quick tip on battlefield tactics.

For all you veterans out there, this will be nothing new. However, I want to share some of these tactics that a lot of us take for granted, just in case someone has not heard it yet.

Ok, here is the tip:
Tank Shock objectives.

If your opponent is holding his objective with infantry, he may have done well to keep them in cover and keep them alive. He may have spaced them out so that you cannot get within 3" to contest.

Well, that may be correct for some of your models. However, that is not correct for you tanks. If you tank shock and they pass their leadership test, they will not run away. However, they must move out of the way to let your tank go by. They cannot stop you from getting on the objective.

Even if they decide to 'death or glory,' you may still get close enough to contest.

As a matter of fact, that was the difference between a minor victory and a massacre in the first round of 'ard boyz last month. On the bottom of the last turn, my opponent held 2 objectives, and I held 2 objectives. I had the advantage in Kill Points. Well, I tank shocked one of his objectives with on of my Baal Predators. He passed his leadership test, and chose to 'death or glory' with his meltagun. He immobolized the Baal Predator. However, it was stopped within 3" of his objective. As a result, I won the Massacre by canceling one of his objectives with a shocking Baal Predator.

So, don't forget to Tank Shock on the final turn. Use your Heavy Support tanks to help contest objectives. Use your guys loaded up in Tank Transports.

This is a tactic that needs to be second nature. It needs to become part of your normal way of conceiving the game.

Friday's Article of Interest

2009-07-31T21:35:00.004-04:00

This weeks article of interest comes from Path of Seers.

The article gives out some great advice, that I have not often heard from any considered to be great painters. Generally the focus is always on instructing how to do this or how to do that.

However, Farseer Oliver makes a great point. All mini painters are not created equal. We each have certain and various strengths and weaknesses. We would do well do determine what our strengths are and capitalize on them.

So try out some different things and figure out what style and type of painting comes most naturally.

Here is a buff for From the Warp community member Farseer Oliver over at Path of Seers.

Model One Finished (Urban Base Test Case Pt.4)

2009-07-30T22:29:00.009-04:00

I give you the finished project. This is the first finished Veteran Assault Marine for my Angels Sanguine Army.

I am really pleased with the result.

Of course, this marks the end and finish of the first Urban Base Test Case model: CD Plastic.

The next model naturally will be the exact same Vanguard Veteran Model from the second Veteran Assault Squad which bears the Cereal Card Urban Base. After I finish that model, then we will have the two together for the judging.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

An Alternative Army List

2009-07-30T20:21:00.002-04:00

If I continue to be disappointed by my Attack Bikes, I will try out the following list:

-Dante
-Corbulo

-Death Company, Rhino w/ Ex. Armor
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Ex.Armor
-Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company, Heavy Flamer, Ex.Armor

-Assault Squad, Powerfist, Rhino w/ Ex.Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Assault Squad, Powerweapon, Rhino w/ Ex. Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Assault Squad, Powerweapon, Rhino w/ Ex. Armor, Pintle Storm Bolter
-Tactical Squad, Meltagun, Razorback: Twin Linked Lascannon, Ex. Armor

-Baal Predator, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Pintle Storm Bolter, Ex. Armor
-Baal Predator, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Pintle Storm Bolter, Ex. Armor
-Baal Predator, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Pintle Storm Bolter, Ex. Armor

The list is a slight alternative to what I have been running. I like the idea of getting in a second Furioso Dreadnought. Also, I find that with my die rolling, the previous style of Lascannon out the top hatch from the Tactical Squad may be better replaced with the Twin Linked Lascannon on the Razorback. However, the Razorback is more fragile than the Tactical squad.

One shot can eliminate the Twin Linked Lascannon on the Razorback. Whereas, the old list would require someone to pop the Rhino and deal 10 wounds to the Tactical squad in order to eliminate the Lascannon.

I cannot decide which list I like better on paper. I really would have to play test the lists to get a feel for the difference.

What do you all think?

Urban Base Test Cases-Pt.3

2009-07-29T17:23:00.012-04:00

This is the finished project, or something very close to it. This base here is the CD plastic.

Undercoat: Black

Base Coat: Codex Gray and Badab Black mixed

Highlight up through Codex Gray, Codex Gray plus white, Codex Gray plus more Skull white.

Paint on a Yellow Stripe with Sunburst Yellow. I don't know if they use Yellow for marking lanes in the 41st millennium, but there must be one planet in the vast Empire of Man that does.

Somewhere between a drybrush and a damp brush of Codex Gray, I lay the brush on its side and barely tap the yellow. This gives it the look of the pavement fading through.

Mix up Snakebite Leather and Ogryn Flesh Wash. I apply this liberally (in small sections), then dab it off with a papertowel while it is still wet. This makes it appear dirty/dusty/muddy, depending on how much you leave on or dab off.

What do you all think? How do you weather things? How do you paint up pavement/asphalt or concrete?

Inspiration for this type of basing came from a book entitled, The Ultimate Miniature Painting Guide

Now that I am looking at these pictures, I think it might look better if I paint the edge another color. . . like black. What do you think?

Urban Base Test Cases- Pt. 2

2009-07-29T14:43:00.006-04:00

I give you Work In Progress photos.

This is the first test case model for the clear plastic CD case urban base. I have done some painting on the model and some initial painting and texturing the base.

I did not take the time to set up the lights for real photos. So, I have taken one with the flash and one without the flash to keep everyone happy.

Also, remember that the Vanguard Veteran models come with some battlefield debris at their feet. This particular Marine has some rubble and an Ork skull under his feet. I never noticed the Ork skull there until I started painting.

I undercoated with black. After that I began with a base coat of Codex Grey mixed with Badab Black Wash. After that, I began a progressive dry bush through various shades of grey as follows: Codex Grey, Codex Gray plus a little Skull White, Codex Gray plus a little more Skull White.

At that point, I realized that I had forgotten to glue on some sand to add to the rubble effect. As a result, I added the sand, put a very wet black on it, and went to bed.

More to come later.

Urban Base Test Cases

2009-07-28T10:30:00.008-04:00

Since I have all the Blood Angels units for my tournament list painted up and finished, I have decided to work on some of the Auxiliary Units. These units will be available to me for variant lists and apocalypse games.

So, I started working on two five man Veteran Assault Squads. These are the two which I used in the 'Ard Boyz Tournament. I purchased the Vanguard Veteran models, because they are great.

While I was working on them, I decided to try out two new and different ways at making urban bases on the models. I have determined to go back and base the entire army in one of these methods if I really like the way that it turns out.

For one squad, I have cut out a piece of plastic the size of the base top. This plastic is from an old CD case lid or something similar. The reason that I chose this type of plastic is because it is very rigid. I want to break the plastic in order to achieve a natural broken concrete (or asphalt) look along those rigid break lines that come natural to the plastic. I think it will imitate the real thing very well.

The second squad, I have cut out a number of equally sized cereal card squares. Then, I glued them onto the top of the base and trimmed off the excess.

I have a picture of each before painting. I will add some bits for gravel or rubble, bricks, etc. We shall see which turns out the best.

A Tough Nut to Crack

2009-07-27T13:39:00.005-04:00

A Land Raider can be a really tough nut to crack. They are all too common in the current Mechanized gaming environment.

The Land Raiders come in the standard variety, Crusader variant, and Redeemer variant. They are usually packed out with Assault Terminators, which adds to the frustration.

I have been thinking about how to deal with them, lately. I find that ignoring works well. Rather, I should say avoiding them. If I can coax them away from my main force, or away from the objectives, then I feel great. I only need drive around them or away from them with my fast vehicles.

Getting your opponent to commit to assaulting something usually ties up the Terminators and allows the battle to carry on without them. I think a sacrificial lamb is in order. If the Terminators tear through the sacrifice in the first round, then they are hanging out in the open for my Baal Predators to soften them up.

As far as actually shooting at the Land Raider, I use the Assault Cannons on the Baal Predator. With their rending feature, they can achieve an armor penetration value of 15. It might seem like a long shot, but I suggest you try it.

The thing that I do most is avoid the Land Raider. One unit or one vehicle can't cover every objective. Offer your opponent something to coax that rolling brick out of the center of the table, or away from the real action. Then carry on with the game in the Land Raider's absence.