Why is the time machine stuck in reverse

Before   and   After

Imagine a ruleset that allows you to do almost anything.  Now imagine having to stuff hundreds of people into a version of it they will all like...

New Tyranid Vanguard formation

Manufactorum Genestealers
—The formations allow your genestealers to set up in ruins or unoccupied building within 6" of your enemy, and have hit and run.
—5 Genestealer broods, but may not include additional genestealers.

Lictor Forest Brood
—Lictor Forest brood formation inside forests can infiltrate up to 6" from the enemy, and have the shrouded rule in forest.
—This is 5 broods of a single model.

Deathleaper's Assassin Brood
—The Deathleaper brood makes anyone within 12" of a model from the brood have -1 LD - this could be pretty massive combined with a few other rules (shadows, Its after me, the horror, Psychic Shriek etc.).
—Deathleaper + 5 lictor broods of 1 model.

Broodlord's Hunting Pack
—Another Broodlord hunting pack formation when it comes from reserves can deploy into any unoccupied building. It can also be deployed in any ruin terrain during setup as long as its 6" away from the enemy.
—They also have hunting pack, which when deployed, your formation has preferred enemy against any nominated enemy unit.
—3 Stealer broods and 1 must have a brood lord. only a single broodlord allowed.

Gargoyle Bio-Bombs
—The gargoyle bomb is 3 units of gargoyles and 3 units of spore mines, and allows the spore mines when ever they start a move action (move, run, charge) within 6" of a gargoyle to move at 6", or no longer half the distance when running or charging.

COMPLETED: Tyranids vs Tau • 2k Batrep

I had a very exciting game yesterday afternoon fielding my Tyranids versus Tau featuring triple Riptides. The Tau player is a veteran so this was an excellent test match for the new Tyranids.

- ARMY LISTS -

Tyranids
Hive Tyrant:
Wings, Adrenal Glands, Twin Linked Devourers w. Brainleech Ammo
Hive Commander

Alpha Warrior: /Warlord
Maw Claws, Adrenal Glands, Flesh Hooks, Toxin Sacs

Deathleaper

3x Warrior:
Adrenal Glands, Flesh Hooks, Rending Claws
2x Deathspitter, Barbed Strangler

13x Genestealer & Broodlord: (attached to Alpha Warrior)
Toxin Sacs

13x Genestealer & Broodlord:
Toxin Sacs

20x Devilgant

Trygon Prime:
Toxin Sacs

Tyrannofex:
Regeneration
Rupture Cannon

Warlord Trait - Night Vision

Psychic Powers:
Flyrant - Catalyst & Warp Blast
Zoanthrope - Catalyst & Warp Blast

It's After Me! - Deathleaper reduces the Ethereal's leadership to 7.


Tau (To the best of my recollection)
Ethereal /Warlord

Commander:
Iridium Suit, Multi-Spectrum System, Control Node, Multi-Tracker
Missile Pod, Fusion Gun

8x Marker Drone (attached to Commander)

12x Fire Warrior

12x Fire Warrior

12x Kroot:
Kroot Hound

12x Kroot:
Kroot Hound

Riptide:
Stim Injector, Early Warning Override
Ion Accelerator, Missile Pods

Riptide:
Stim Injector, Early Warning Override
Ion Accelerator, Missile Pods

Riptide:
Stim Injector, Early Warning Override
Ion Accelerator, Missile Pods

3x Broadside:
2x Railgun, High Yield Missiles, Missile Pods, Velocity Trackers

Hammerhead:
Commander Longstrike
Railgun, Submunition Rounds

Aegis Defense Line:
Quad Gun

Warlord Trait - Night Fight

Sons of Horus vs Gundamwing Tau

+++ Sons of Horus army list +++

(9 kill points total)

Chaplain - Catap armor
Librarian - Catap armor, force axe
Apothecary - Catap armor, narcethium, power fist

Note that my opponent allowed me run a third HQ and use Pride of the Legion even though I didn't field a Praetor. : )

My Warlord trait makes the Warlord and his retinue cause Fear. The Librarian chooses the Lore of Divination - Prescience, Precognition, Misfortune.

4x Justrearin Terminator
- Power axe, combi-melta
- Power axe
- Pair of lightning claws
- Power fist

Spartan assault tank:
Extra armor, dozer blade, auxiliary drive, ceramite plates, flare shield
Quad lascannon sponsons, twin-linked heavy bolter

5x Legion Terminator - Catap armor
Sergeant - grenade harness, power fist
- Heavy flamer, power axe
- Power axe, combi-melta
- Power axe
- Thunder hammer
- Pair of lightning claws

Land Raider Phobos (dedicated transport):
Extra armor, dozer blade, auxiliary drive, ceramite plates

5x Legion Terminator - Catap armor
Sergeant - grenade harness, power axe
- Heavy flamer, thunder hammer
- Power axe, combi-melta
- Power axe
- Thunder hammer

Land Raider Phobos (dedicated transport):
Extra armor, dozer blade, auxiliary drive, ceramite plates

NOTES
1) Cataphractii armor confers both a 4++ invulnerable save and Slow & Purposeful
2) Auxiliary drive ignores immobilization on a roll of 4+
3) Ceramite plates prevent melta weaponry from rolling 2d6 for armor penetration
4) Flare shield reduces enemy shooting by -1S for ranged weapons and -2S for templates on the front arc


>>-))o> Gundamwing Tau Empire army list >>-))o>

Commander:
Iridium battlesuit, drone controller, target lock, blacksun filter, neuroweb system jammer
2x Marker drone
Fusion blaster, missile pod

The Tau Warlord trait is roll 3d6 for the jetpack assault move.

5x Marker drone (attached to Commander)

Ethereal

Riptide No. 1:
Nova reactor, blacksun filter, stimulant injector, multi-tracker, early warning override, riptide shield generator
Twin-linked smart missile system, ion accelerator

Riptide No. 2:
Nova reactor, blacksun filter, stimulant injector, multi-tracker, early warning override, riptide shield generator
Twin-linked smart missile system, ion accelerator

Riptide No. 3:
Nova reactor, blacksun filter, stimulant injector, multi-tracker, early warning override, riptide shield generator
Twin-linked smart missile system, ion accelerator

Riptide No. 4:
Nova reactor, blacksun filter, stimulant injector, multi-tracker, early warning override
Twin-linked smart missile system, heavy burst cannon

XV88 Broadside Team:
2x Twin-linked rail rifle, twin-linked smart missile system
Blacksun filter, multi-tracker, velocity tracker
1x Twin-linked high yield missile pod, twin-linked smart missile system
Blacksun filter, multi-tracker, velocity tracker

5x Pathfinder

15x Kroot - sniper rounds
Kroot hound

15x Kroot - sniper rounds
Kroot hound

11x Fire Warrior
Shas'ui


11x Fire Warrior
Shas'ui

Hammerhead:
Railgun, submunition rounds, disruption pod
Longstrike

Aegis Defense Line:
Quad gun


MISSION RULES (taken from an upcoming local GT)
KING OF THE HILL

Deployment - Hammer and Anvil

Primary One
King of the Hill - There are three objective markers placed along the mid line of the board (long way). One objective marker is in the center of the table. The other two are 18" on either side. If you control the objective marker in your opponent's deployment zone it's worth 4 battle points. If you control the objective marker in your own table quarter it's worth 2 battle points. The objective marker in the center is worth 3 battle points.

Primary Two
War Zones - Each table quarter you control in your half of the table is worth 1 battle point. Each table quarter you control in your opponent's half of the table is worth 2 battle points. You must have the most scoring units wholly within a table quarter to control it. Dedicated transports don't count and squads must be disembarked.

1st Tie Breaker
If at the end of the game there is a draw on total battle points then use kill points as the first tie breaker.

2nd Tie Breaker
Whoever destroys the most enemy scoring units wins.

Modified Night Fight is automatic the first turn. Units cannot shoot more than 24". Night vision does not work. Barrage automatically scatters 3d6 if the large blast template is placed beyond 24" range - if you roll a HIT then use the small arrow to determine the direction of the scatter.

No battle points for First Blood, Slay the Warlord, or Line Breaker.

There are six turns and then a seventh on a roll of 4+.


Sons of Horus go first.

I deploy as follows.

The rear land raider Phobos is deployed behind the battlement completely out of line of sight from the Tau.


Tau deploy aggressively with Gundamwing forward of the Aegis Defense Line on the other side of the stream.

Both squads of Kroot will outflank. Ethereal is joined to one squad of Fire Warriors and is manning the quad gun. Pathfinders infiltrate into a small thicket to my left of their battle formation.


Pre-Game Analysis

17 of Horus' finest versus the upstart Tau... My plan is to sit back the first half of the game, fire lascannons into Riptides (killing them one at a time) and use Machine Spirit to pepper the Pathfinders then Fire Warriors. The rear land raider is dedicated to sweeping any Kroot that get too close and eliminate their scoring threat. The only two real threats to the Spartan are the Hammerhead or should a Riptide feel a bit frisky and attempt to assault it. I will use the Spartan to cut off enemy line of sight and give cover to the middle land raider Phobos since it is much more vulnerable. By turn 4 I will start pushing forward. My strategy is to end the game holding the middle objective while denying my opponent his objective (King of the Hill). The Spartan is big enough it can prevent enemy infantry from claiming the middle objective.



1st Turn - Sons of Horus

No movement. All lascannons in range target the forward most Riptide and drop three wounds. Heavy bolters vaporize the Pathfinders (remember no First Blood).

1st Turn - Tau

The Riptides shuffle a bit then the shooting commences. The middle land raider Phobos loses one hull point to a glancing blow.



2nd Turn - Sons of Horus

The Spartan and middle land raider Phobos both push forward six inches entering the stream. Again lascannons target the wounded Riptide and bring it down. Heavy bolters kill two to three Fire Warriors. The three remaining Riptides are too far back to launch an assault on the Spartan this turn.

Note that the middle objective is on top of the rocky outcrop located in the middle of the table.

2nd Turn - Tau

Neither Kroot squad arrive from reserve. Riptides cautiously move forward a bit; one hops back behind the Aegis Defense Line. The two forward Riptides bring their shields on line. This turn the Tau are unable to inflict any damage to my armor.


3rd Turn - Sons of Horus

The Spartan holds it ground while the middle land raider Phobos moves six inches over to my left so it has line of sight to fire both its lascannons at the next Riptide. Shooting then recommences dropping three wounds on the toward most Riptide. Heavy bolters drop a couple more Fire Warriors.

3rd Turn - Tau

One squad of Kroot arrive and come in on my right side throwing caution to the wind, approaching the battlement located in my deployment zone. Tau shooting then manages to drop one hull point on the Spartan and another on the middle land raider Phobos (losing one of its lascannon sponsons due to a penetrating hit).


4th Turn - Sons of Horus

The Legionnaires to the rear take the bait and go for the newly emerged Kroot. Their transport moves over six inches to my right behind the battlement and the terminators dismount such that they all have line of sight to the Kroot with the heavy flamer positioned up front. The Spartan and middle land raider Phobos form up into a train with the Spartan pulling on top of the rocky outcrop.

Shooting then recommences again with the lascannons dropping the second Riptide and putting one wound on the third. Heavy bolters fail to kill anything. The rearguard then light up the Kroot followed by a successful charge, killing all but three who then break and fall back. The terminators consolidate back partially behind the battlement for some hard cover.

4th Turn - Tau

The second squad of Kroot automatically arrive from reserve also coming in on my right side entering the battlefield at the center of the table - they will attempt to make a play for the middle objective. The remainder of the first Kroot squad continues to fall back. The two remaining Riptides shuffle such that one is just in front of the Aegis Defense Line while the other is just behind it. One Riptide manages to kill one of the rearguard terminators dropping a pie plate on the one out in plain sight. The rest of the Tau shooting is ineffective.


5th Turn - Sons of Horus

There are possibly only two turns remaining so it's time to make a run at the enemy. The warp caster successfully casts both Precognition and Prescience, saving one warp charge to activate his force axe. The rearguard terminators re-embark in their transport which then moves the full 12" plus a flat out towards my objective. The Spartan moves up 6" - the Chaplain, Apothecary and Librarian detach from the Justrearin moving into position to assault the forward Riptide. The Justrearin dismount to my left towards the Commander with its marker drones. The middle land raider Phobos moves 6" to my right and its terminators dismount another 6" in position to multi assault both squads of Kroot.

All shooting target the marker drones and eliminate them all. w00t !!

The three characters take no wounds from Overwatch and manage to bring the Riptide down to its last wound - it does not break. The Justrearin lose one on the way in to Overwatch and just manage to kill the Commander... Note that another Justrearin is fell in melee. The terminators also lose one on the way in to Overwatch, break the big squad of Kroot but the small squad holds.

So very lucky for me that my that two of units are still locked in combat! The Justrearin will have to take it on the chin.

Turn Five - Tau

Tau shooting drops another hull point on the middle land raider Phobos then melee recommences. The two Justrearin lost another brother to a stray shot... Just one left now (note that while not a Troop the Justrearin do count as a scoring unit). The three characters are unable to finish off the Riptide and remained locked in combat. The terminators are unable to finish off the three remaining Kroot and also remain locked in combat.

If I could have won those two combats it would have game over.


Turn Six - Sons of Horus

This could be the last turn... I won't be able to hold the middle objective so I'll have to make a play for my opponent's - there is no way he can reach mine.

The warp caster succesfully casts Misfortune on the Riptide, botches Precognition then gets off his Prescience. The rear land raider Phobos pulls up beside my objective and the four terminators dismount to claim it. The middle land raider Phobos pulls back and turns sideways to screen them. The lone Justrearin moves onto my opponent's objective using what cover is available... He is all alone now. Shooting is concentrated on the rear Riptide and brings it down to its last wound as well. Heavy bolters manage to clip one Fire Warrior from the squad closest to my solo Justrearin.

Yet again the three characters cannot manage to kill the engaged Riptide, even with the aid of Misfortune. The other squad of terminators finally kill off the last of the first Kroot squad but only consolidate 1"... They are out in the open now.

Turn Six - Tau

The squad of Fire Warriors closest to the lone Justrearin move towards him... They will elect not to shoot so they can charge in an attempt to take back their objective. The Ethereal throws caution to wind and joins them. The Broadsides sit still so they can target my terminators out in the open. The Kroot make a move towards the Spartan to go for the middle objective.

The Broadsides polish off the terminators while the unengaged Riptide drops a pie plate on the terminators holding my objective but only manages to clip one and they pass their break test. The Kroot then run towards the middle objective.

The Fire Warriors launch their assault with the Ethereal versus the lone Justrearin - He rides high in the saddle cutting down three, the Tau are unable to bring him down then break along with the Ethereal! Yet again the engaged Riptide makes all its invulnerable saves and survives... Wow that's one heck of a tenacious Riptide.

We then roll to see if there will be a final seventh turn and the game ends. I lift the Spartan and the Kroot are less than an inch away from claiming the middle objective.

VICTORY TO SONS OF HORUS !!!


Post-Game Analysis

The Spartan is truly a beast with the right war gear... Even the mighty guns of the Tau could only just manage to just scratch it's paint. If it had been me I would have dedicated one or even two Riptides to charge it and use the Smash attack.

The first four turns progressed quickly with mostly long range fire power traded back and forth across the battlefield then on the fifth turn things got interesting real quick. Some luck was definitely on my side but not everything went my way. My opponent rolled lots of 1s to hit throughout the game which is one thing markerlights cannot alleviate... Heh !

You never know how things are going to play out over the course of any game but I think overall my initial battle plan was solid. The lone Justaerin was my MVP dishing out the key killing blows and sucking up lots of punishment while my three characters had no impact on the game other than holding up the one Riptide. It was definitely a very exciting game right down to the last roll of the dice. If the Fire Warriors had passed their break check and the Kroot had rolled one more inch to run I would have lost... It was just that close.

30k Terminator Tactical Analysis

Okay no whiny bitching here about losing a lot or how much cc sucks now. This is an article for big boys.

I should first mention that some people mistakenly think that the traitor Legions in the Forge World Betrayal book are Chaos Space Marines but in fact they are all still technically 'Imperial'. In fact except for the Primarchs and units (Apocalypse) from the Lords of War section the book is very much like a Space Marine codex plus there are more units to choose from when designing an army. You have the option to play your army as loyalists or as traitors. In fact there are special characters for each Legion that are either loyalists or traitors (e.g., Loken versus Abbadon).

The period for the Betrayal book is around the time when the Primarchs from four of the original Legions (i.e., Death Guard, Emperor's Children, Sons of Horus and World Eaters) have decided to turn traitor on the Emperor. There are no daemons or other such things from the Warp. A purging of these Legions takes place on the planet Ivstaan III where they kill all the Marines within their rank and file whom are still loyal to the Emperor. The third novel in the Black Library Horus Heresy series covers these events in great detail. Galaxy in Flames describes the virus bombing of Istvaan III and the Warmaster Horus' fall, which resulted in a galactic civil war where brother fought brother. In the virus choked wasteland of death and destruction that was once Istvaan III's Choral City, loyalist elements of the Luna Wolves, World Eaters, Emperor's Children and Death Guard Legions fight against the traitors of those Legions in a final display of defiance as the first part of the Heresy played out.

I finally got to play a couple games this weekend with my new Sons of Horus (SoH) army. I decided to use the trait that allows you to field veteran squads as troops so I can run a pure terminator army much like the conventional 40k Deathwing or Loganwing armies. Here is one of my current builds for a five man Legion terminator squad:

Sergeant - grenade harness, power axe, combi bolter
1x pair of lightning claws
1x power axe, heavy flamer
1x power axe, combi bolter
1x power fist, combi melta

Land Raider Phobos (dedicated transport - 2x twin linked lascannon, twin linked heavy bolter) - dozer blade, auxiliary drive, extra armor, ceramite plates

Notes
1) grenade harness counts as assault grenades for the squad
2) auxiliary drive ignores immobilization on a roll of 4+ on 1d6
3) ceramite plates - enemy melta weapons only roll 1d6 on armor penetration

The land raider also has a Machine Spirit and clocks in at 285 points, so you're definitely paying for the goodies.

One of the special rules for a SoH army is that each surviving model in their units get an extra attack at the end of each assault phase, however this does not count for unwieldy weapons such as a power axe. The terminator unit I posted above does not benefit much from this special rule except for the terminator armed with a pair of lightning claws. I prefer to take the AP2 melee weapons. So for my army this special rule is not all that beneficial. Many 40k armies have lots of special rules so I don't see this as overpowering. Just look at all the fantastic special rules for the new eldar and Tau in comparison.

All of my terminators wear suits of Cataphractii armor which confers a 4++ invulnerable save plus the Slow and Purposeful special rule. While I do like the better save I chose this type of terminator suit since it strictly adheres to the Legion's background as opposed to say a suit of Indomitus terminator armor.

I chose the heavy flamer as their special weapon since the main role of this terminator squad is dedicated to melee. You're going to score more wounds with the S5 template charging out of the land raider as opposed to either a plasma blaster or autocannon. The combi meltas help bring down tough multi wound models such as monstrous creatures and provide backup if needed to crack open an enemy transport so they can charge the contents.

Versus a squad of Canoptek Wraiths and a Destroyer Lord during my second game a squad of Legion terminators held them up at least three turns of melee, killing some of the Wraiths and wounded the Destroyer Lord before finally being swept. The terminators inflicted enough damage that I could shoot down the remainder of the enemy unit following combat. I chose to ignore the challenge from the Destroyer Lord in hopes of inflicting some AP2 wounds on The Lord and managed to inflict one. It is important to note that none of the 30k MEQ/TEQ units from the Betrayal book have And They Shall Know No Fear and can be swept if they should lose combat, so it's best if possible to first soften up a tough enemy unit with some serious shooting prior to charging them. In this particular case I was not in a good position to shoot a lot first prior to the charge since the enemy unit was hiding behind a large ruin with high line of sight blocking walls. I needed to hold them up to prevent them from charging my land raiders which the Destroyer Lord could have easily shred with his Warscythe... Thus the reason why I chose to charge the enemy unit when I did. So far I have found this terminator squad able to get the job done but you must wisely pick your targets and shoot a lot first.

My next article in this series will cover Justearin terminators.

Sixth Edition Melee

This article is tactical in nature and focuses on the assault phase. I am not going to argue that a melee army can beat any other army. What I can say for sure is that a melee army can definitely be a spoiler at a tournament. I am very interested to see what GW has in store for us with the upcoming new eldar. I've seen pictures of the assault Wraithguard... It made me chuckle but you never know, maybe they will be the first true sixth edition deathstar.

Assault has and always will be my favorite phase of the game. My best armies have always been very shooty with a couple of strong counter assault elements but I like pure assault armies the most. Sixth edition is all about bringing a balanced army and that means the best armies must have some melee. Let us quickly examine the new Tau as an example. They are obviously so good at shooting it's down right scary. Pure Tau have some serious problems though moving outside their deployment zone and that is their proverbial Achilles' Heel. I have seen my fair of batreps where the new Tau try to set up shop in their deployment zone and literally shoot the opponent off the the table. They can almost do it but versus sage opponents they never seem to and end up losing at the end. Sure Kroot are able to infiltrate into key positions but they aren't going to hold up a squad of enemy assault terminators charging out of a land raider (i.e., worst case scenario). Tau can bring to bare so much fire power for cheap it's easy to team up and field a strong ally that could be their counter assault element but for whatever reason so far this doesn't seem to have much appeal. I don't know, maybe people would simply rather field another Riptide and just roll more dice in the shooting phase. Sure that is fun but it's not the most competitive option either.


How to Beat the Uber Shooty Armies
I learned this the hard way in fifth edition back when I played Tyranids. Versus Imperial Guard the best way to win was to beat them on objectives. This meant having a lot of patience and playing straight to the mission - no heroics, none at all. This might seem like a boring approach but it worked quite well for me. I would primarily focus on killing their troops and eliminating their mobility to prevent them from moving chimeras onto my objectives late in the game for the win. You really have to out think your opponent in these type of matches and have a lot of patience. Armies such as Imperial Guard in fifth edition were so easy to win with that often opponents would make little seemingly innocuous mistakes throughout the game that accumulate (without even realizing it)... It could and did often end up losing them the game.

Über shooty armies must wait until towards the end of the game to move onto objectives since their troops are not resilient enough to sit on top of an objective for several turns. Deployment is another big key to success since you must box them in and eliminate their lanes of movement... Force their scoring units to all come through the same path. Invariably they will end up in the way of each other which impedes their overall movement.


The Ever Changing Effect of Fortifications
Tau have neutralized the major benefit of cover in sixth edition and this ends up as a major detriment to shooty armies. No longer is going to ground behind an Aegis Defense Line and snap firing a good ploy. You might say that Tau are in fact too good at shooting... That is too much of a good thing. Kind of funny to me and my way of thinking.

I have noticed that the Sky Shield Landing Pad has gained some popularity since the release of the new Tau and for good reason. If you stop to think about it the Sky Shield Landing Pad is solid versus Heldrake spam since your units gain an invulnerable save versus the sudden plethora of ever ubiquitous 2++ cover save. I am not a fan of purchasing cover for my army but if I were to field a fortification it would definitely be the Sky Shield Landing Pad.


How to Assault in Sixth Edition
So now we come to the crux of the subject matter... What is the best way to assault now? I have been playing pure Chaos Space Marines a lot as of late. Chaos Space Marines are a bit overcosted for what you get but overall I find the extra points to still be worth their weight in gold. So I will simply focus on Chaos Space Marines to illustrate my points since that's what I know best in regards to this edition.

Here is my typical 2250 point list. Note that I have a convergent list for 1850 points since that seems to be the most popular points level now. I can scale back my army and it still fulfills all of the same functions inherent to the parent 225o point list.

Abbadon
7x Berserker - Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

Kharn
8x Chosen - 2x power axe, power sword, flamer, Mark of Khorne, Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, boltgun & power fist
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

7x Berserker - Veterans of the Long War & Icon of Wrath
Champion - lightning claw, power fist, melta bombs & Boon of Chaos
Chaos Land Raider - extra armor, dozer blades & dirge caster

2x Chaos Spawn - Mark of Nurgle

Chaos Contemptor Dreadnaught (300 points) - extra armor, heavy conversion beamer, Havoc missile launcher, dreadnaught close combat weapon with built in plasma blaster & Dedication to Khorne

This is a spammed army list with three land raiders. I have lost some close games but tend to win more often than not. Obviously you can't afford to make a lot of mistakes and I've only got three scoring units that must kill enemy troops and hold objectives... It's not easy.

What I have learned is the three land raiders must support each other. A pair of land raiders in position to launch an assault is more than twice as hard for the enemy to handle and greatly reduces their options to counter them. I like to hold back the land raider ferrying the Berserker squad; that way there is less chance they'll have to bare the brunt of the initial assaults and will be in a better position to hold an uncontested objective. The dreadnaught is a deterrent to enemy units attempting to engage the land raiders plus the pie plate goes a long way towards softening up enemy units in the open. I like to place the pie plate on top of enemy fire support units such as Long Fangs and Pathfinders. The dreadnaught cannot fire his heavy conversion beamer if it moves but often I find its better to forgo one to two turns of shooting so the dreadnaught can match pace with the land raiders. The two spawn support the dreadnaught in a similar fashion and they are expendable.

Land raiders are very rugged now in sixth edition plus the ability to move another 6 inches flat out means that in most missions they can launch assaults as early as the second turn. Six twin linked lascannons are really good too, even when forced to snap fire. The dirge caster is one of the big keys to success for this list and it makes the Tau cry and nerd rage. It's something no other army has and is extremely useful for assault armies.

It's important to move the land raiders in such a manner so as to take full advantage of cover whenever possible. The return of dozer blades as an option for Chaos land raiders is another key to success along with the dirge caster to make this a viable army.

If you are able to move a pair of land raiders into position to launch an assault then you'll probably find you've got some options in terms of what you can assault. The Icon of Wrath pretty much assures you'll be able to reach base contact with enemy units (i.e., third key to success). Often you'll have to decide whether or not to multi assault. Versus an army such as Tau you'll obviously want to launch a multi assault so you can kill as much as possible in one clean sweep. Versus an army such as Space Wolves it might be better to target one powerful enemy unit such as Wolf Guard with an attached character so you can take full advantage of all your charge bonuses.

Of course it's not always going to be the case that you can assault simultaneously from two land raiders for whatever reason. That's one of the reasons why I prefer to keep my heavy hitters up front. Both Abbadon and Kharn are total beasts, especially the former. Abbadon is an army of one! I had one game where he eradicated an entire squad of mega armored nobs on the charge... It's crazy. He is your go to guy for Chaos Space Marines. The champions are there to issue challenges so Abbadon and Kharn can quickly mow through the fodder.


Across the Spectrum
So it's no surprise to me that Chaos is currently the king of melee. They are very strong in the assault phase. Yes they are a bit overcosted but then again they have all the right tools. There are other armies such as Necrons that are more balanced and have some strong melee units... You've seen some of my Necron army lists here. I am very interested to see what the future holds and I think the new eldar could quickly answer that question. If the bright lance becomes popular again that will help to create a better counter to land raiders.


Conclusion
I've demonstrated how one particular army can excel in the assault phase and win games. Of course there are other armies that can do so as well. Maybe you can take some of my ideas and incorporate them into your armies. I'd love to hear what's working for other people.

Why the new Space Marine codex is so important for our hobby

Hi everyone !

I have been very busy working on completing my army for a Grand Tournament this weekend so not much time for blogging. The hours so quickly pass by while painting and I like to play nice looking armies. I told myself though I need to dedicate some time to write a serious article about 40k. You might not believe it but I can easily spend eight hours or more writing what I consider to be a good article. I'm not really into bashing GW, the hobby or other people so I try hard to focus on subjects that I feel passionate about and want to spend the time to do it right.

I am playing in a GT this weekend and took the time to research every army that will be there. As is often typical the vast majority is some flavor of power armor and I am cool with that fact. If you stop to think about it in many ways Necrons are kind of an exotic power armor army... In the past that seemed to be common knowledge but probably not as much so now for whatever reason(s). There has been some huge changes to the game over say the past three years. Some of the veterans have left and to me it feels like there has been a huge influx of new players. New players and veterans are both the life blood of the hobby - it is what it is for whatever reasons.

Historically vanilla Space Marines (e.g., Ultramarines, White Scars, Raven Guard, Imperial Fists, Crimson Fists, etc.) have been one of the most popular armies. A lot of players have stuck with these armies over the years through each new edition. Not everyone wants to jump on the band wagon each time a new codex rolls out. The fourth edition Space Marine codex written by Graham McNeil was a very powerful codex and highly customizable much like the fourth edition Chaos Space Marine codex. There was a lot of backlash on the Internet back then as is always the case with any very powerful army that is released. If we jump forward in time the fifth edition Dark Angels codex was an attempt by certain parties within GW to fix Space Marines... It was an awfully horrid codex and only with the advent of the Dark Angels FAQ that allowed Deathwing to finally be able to take the 3++ stormshield did the army come back en vogue.

I know some people don't like Space Marines in general but on the other hand this codex is in many ways the life blood of the game. The money spent by consumers for Space Marines funds many other armies... It is the proverbial cash cow. To me that is something you don't want to screw around with either. Space Marines are intended to be an army that is easy for beginners to pick up, learn how to play, collect and paint. For many many years power armor was all I played and I was a very vocal advocate in favor of Space Marines. I still am for sure.

So now here we are in sixth edition. It seems to me that Chaos Space Marines are very popular again, more so than the new Dark Angels. So I ask myself as a hobbyist what are the good things we collectively as players can take from each of these two new codices. In my opinion they both have more flavor now and as a hobbyist that is what is most important to me. As a competitive gamer I want to avoid building new armies that have only one or two competitive builds. So there should be a balance. A codex should also pass the test of time... That is it should still be competitive when the next new edition is released. Orks pass this test while eldar fail. While some might hate on Grey Knights and Space Wolves they have both stood up well going into sixth edition so far.

There are obviously lots of new codices to be released for sixth edition and it's too early to clearly determine what is the new direction for the game. Sure we all know that flyers and the Aegis defense line are strong along with allies but that is in and of itself is not everything plus it's quite obvious as well. Generally speaking it seems like the overall power level has been toned down a few notches. That is fine but I wouldn't be willing to bet yet that will be the general trend... Like I said its still too early.

Getting back to the main topic of Space Marines in general - I would like to see a new codex that is like what I said above... It should be an army that is easy for new players to learn how to play, collect and paint. Somehow the developers should design it so that you can play a wide variety of different chapters that are all fun and interesting. If only say Salamanders are competitive then it will overall fail. The same can be said more specifically about the various choices for units and their new special rules. I think it's safe to say most of us don't want to see a handful of undercosted over powered units... You know what I am talking about in this specific regard. To me that could be quite a daunting task and it's very important it is done very well however the developers choose to go about meeting these goals.

That is all I have to say on this subject for now. I'd love to build a new Imperial Fists army and that would be a brand new venture for me. Excitement, passion and interest are what keep me in the hobby... That is not going to change.

More Skulls for the Skull God

I played in a local tournament yesterday - it was 2000 points with double FOC. I'm just going to write one batrep and this is for the second game versus Space Wolves... Sorry but no pictures.


 OBJECTIVES

The mission had two primary objectives:

(1) Three Objective Markers - one placed in the middle of the table and the other two were both placed on the center line 18" apart from the center marker on either side. Note that heavy support units could hold objectives and were also worth one point each towards this objective if destroyed (Big Guns Never Tire).

(2) You gained one point towards this objective for each unit you moved into the enemy deployment zone and they must be there at the end of the game (not destroyed or fleeing).

Each primary objective was independent of the other for adding battle points... For example if in the case of the first primary if you and your opponent both held an equal number of objective markers then whoever destroyed the most enemy heavy support units would win this one. Each primary was worth 10 battle points for a win, 5 battle points for a draw and 0 for a loss. First Blood and Slay the Warlord were each worth one bonus battle point apiece.


DEPLOYMENT ZONES

Dawn of War (12" from the long table edges). Note that total battle points scored over the course of three games were used to determine the overall winner, not your win-loss record.

Cover Saves and Armor Facings - How cover works for vehicles in 6th edition

This is a guest article by my friend Dave Boucher who is a fellow 40k Wrecking Crew member.

We have all heard the Internet clamoring that vehicles have been hit by the NERF bat in 40k6. This is both true and false for more reasons than I will describe here.  Today I will describe cover and what it means for vehicles in 40k6 as it has changed in many different ways.

First let's look at the cover rules on pages 74 and 75, most importantly the first bullet:

At least 25 percent of the facing of the vehicle that is being targeted (it's front, side, or rear) needs to be hidden by intervening terrain or models from the point of view of the firer for the vehicle to be in cover.

Let's take a few looks at what constitutes 25 percent being in cover:
 

We see that the Aegis defense line can easily hide 25 percent of a rhino and it provides a 4+ cover save to boot. So a 50 point investment gets your vehicles good cover.

Now lets look at my favorite part of the text I referenced above - At least 25 percent of the facing of the vehicle that is targeted (its front, side, or rear) needs to be hidden by intervening terrain or models from the point of view of the firer for the vehicle to be in cover.

Let's explore this now...
 

The Interceptor has a clear view of the side armor in this picture. In 40k5 this would mean that the tank had no cover, however this is 40k6. All we can consider now is the facing being shot.
 

In this second picture the side armor is is blocked out in blue, giving us a visual aid to show us only the front armor which is clearly 25 percent obscured.

Next we need to take a look at how Armor Facings works in 40k6 compared to 40k5. Let's start with the 40k5 Armor Facing Diagram.
 
40k5 Vehicle Facing Diagram

In 40k5 we drew lines from one corner to next, or as the INAT ruled, we make a cross at the center and have 90 degree facings from the center point. If you notice parts of the top of the vehicle are included in each facing.
 
40k6 Vehicle Facing Diagram

Now if we look at the 40k6 diagram we notice one big change other than the fact that it is in color. The lines do not intersect in the middle of the vehicle. Page 73, where the diagram is in the book, does clarify the issue on how to determine which facing it is by drawing the lines through the corners. However in the this diagram the top of the vehicle is not included in any of the facings. The reason for this change I can only guess is to prevent flyers from completely dominating other vehicles.

Let's take a look at fliers shooting at vehicles:
 

At first glance it would appear that the Aegis defense line is not big enough to give the razorback any cover.
 

From the view of the Stormraven itself it again looks like no cover is provided, but that is because we still see things from a 40k5 point of view:

When we block the top part of the razorback out, like in the the other picture, we now see that the Aegis defense line does in fact still provide 25 percent cover. So obviously the cover rules have changed. Vehicles now almost always get a cover save. Cover may only be 5+ most of the time, but getting it always gives vehicles back some survivability that was lost from losing 4+ cover and gaining Hull Points.

I hope I enlightened some of you on these rules.

A big thanks to Dave for a great article !!

Tyranids for 6th edition

First I would like to list the units I think will be the best choices in 6th edition for the style of competitive play I invision:

HQ
— Hive Tyrant
I plan to run a pair. One Tyrant will have wings while the other will have an armored shell (2+ armor save) with a pair of Tyrant Guard. The Flyrant will pick his psychic powers from the Biomancy lore while the walking Tyrant will use Paroxsym, Leech Essence plus Hive Commander and Old Adversary. Both will have twin linked devourers with Brainleech ammo plus bonesword and lash whip (mainly for the free lash whip). The role of the Flyrant is to act as either a vanguard or hunt down enemy fliers. The role of the walking Tyrant is to act as the main synaptic hub for the horde. Hordes are back in as competitive for a host of reasons such as Fearless units no longer suffers from No Retreat armor saves. Of course both Tyrants will have toxin sacs because poison is more powerful now since you roll to wound as normal.

Elites
— Yrmgarl Genestealers
Yrmgarl genestealers are one of the few units in 40k that can still assault the turn they arrive from reserve and that's worth taking advantage of in my opinion. You'll need a large brood of eight or more now due to the new Snap Fire rule. Morph up to T5 on the charge to shrug off bolters and lasguns. They can easily destroy vehicles and dreadnaughts on the charge now due to hull points or tie down heavy support in protracted melee such as Long Fangs. Shooting is still the king now so any enemy unit you can prevent from shooting for a turn or more can really help a lot to sway the battle in your favor.

— Hive Guard
Hive Guard have always been quite awesome and even more so now since they ignore the new Night Fight rules. I plan to run two full broods of three each.

Troops
— Tervigon
I know if you follow my blog you are aware I've never been a big fan of the Tervigon but because I want to incorporate more of a horde element in my army she is in now. I will probably stick with her normal psychic powers since they are great for hordes. She can outflank due to the walking Tyrant's Hive Commander which is very tactical in the right situations. Basically the Tervigon buffs the army and can poop out more scoring units when necessary. I believe you need at least four scoring units to be competitive.

— Devilgants
Better than ever and I plan to run a big brood with toxin sacs. They will be an excellent anti troop shooting unit gaining Preferred Enemy from the Walking Tyrant and can bring down some enemy units in melee due to poison.

— Genestealers
I am planning to run one brood of ten lead by a Broodlord (Biomancy) and they will also have toxin sacs. They can play a defensive role protecting the hub of your army, or infiltrate/outflank in the right situations. Genestealers are still one of the premiere melee units and the rending will help a lot versus the new 2+ armor save.

Fast Attack
— Shrikes
I plan to run mine with boneswords, lash whips and toxin sacs. I'd like to run a brood of five. This is another premiere melee unit that also ignores the 2+ armor save and is very fast. They can deep strike if necessary and are a big threat. If you want to save a few points then Raveners are a good substitute but will struggle more versus units such as terminators since they can only rend while the Shrikes with boneswords outright ignore armor saves and reroll failed wounds due to poison versus T4 and lower. Raveners can't take any upgrades and really need the Broodlord to buff them.

So there are my top choices. Many are the same as before and there are a few new units. Null deployment is no longer possible with the new rules but on the plus side you're probably not going to see as much mech out there initially except for armies like Necron Nightscythe spam (yuck... the new MSU mech army). A challenge for all Tyranid players is how you will effectively deal with enemy fliers. You'll notice I dropped the Tyrannofex in favor of a Tervigon. I do not think the Tyrannofex is as strong of a choice now and does not greatly benefit from the walking Tyrant's Preferred Enemy versus armor... You're just rerolling 1s to hit with only two shots. Remember that fliers can neither control objectives nor contest them so it will be all about positional play to force them into range of the Hive Guard who'll greatly benefit from the walking Tyrant's Preferred Enemy since they can generate up to six shots per brood.

Here is a sample 2000 point army list:

Hive Tyrant - wings, twin linked devourer w. BL ammo, bonesword & lash whip, toxin sacs, Biomancy

Hive Tyrant - armored shell, twin linked devourer w. BL ammo, bonesword & lash whip, toxin sacs, Hive Commander, Old Adversary
2x Tyrant Guard w. boneswords

3x Hive Guard
3x Hive Guard

8x Yrmgarl genestealer

15x Devilgant w. toxin sacs
Tervigon - toxin sacs, Dominion, Catalyst & Onslaught

9x Genestealer w. toxin sacs
- Broodlord (Biomancy)

5x Shrike - toxin sacs, boneswords & lash whips


I really like this list a lot. Of course I've got a good deal of work ahead to build and paint all the new models. Probably within a month or so I'll be ready to start playing my new brood. w00t !!

Necrons vs Blood Angels - 2k Batrep

I played a game versus Blood Angels today with my Wraithwing.

Necrons
- HQ -
Immotekh
Destroyer Lord - Sempiternal Weave, Res Orb, Warscythe, Taychon Arrow

Royal Court:
PulseTek
ChronoTek

- Troops -
15x Warrior
8x Immortal - Tesla Carbine
8x Immortal - Tesla Carbine

- Fast Attack -
6x Canoptek Wraith - 4x Whip Coil & 2x Particle Caster
6x Canoptek Wraith - 4x Whip Coil & 2x Particle Caster
9x Canoptek Scarab

- Heavy Support -
3x Canoptek Spyder - Gloom Prism
3x Canoptek Spyder - Gloom Prism

Immotekh + Warriors + ChronoTek
Immortals + PulseTek


Blood Angels
- HQ -
Librarian - Shield of Sanguinius & Unleash Rage

- Elites -
8x Assault Terminator - 3x Lightning Claws & 5x Thunderhammer|Stormshield
8x Assault Terminator - 3x Lightning Claws & 5x Thunderhammer|Stormshield
10x Sternguard - Heavy Flamer - Rhino

- Troops -
5x Assault Marine - Flamer - Razorback: Twin Linked Plasmagun & Lascannon
5x Assault Marine - Flamer - Razorback: Twin Linked Plasmagun & Lascannon
10x Tactical Marine - Multi-Melta & Flamer - Rhino

- Heavy Support -
Predator - Autocannon Turret & Lascannon Sponsons
Predator - Autocannon Turret & Lascannon Sponsons

- Fast Attack -
Baal Predator - Twin Linked Assault Cannon Turret & Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Librarian + Terminator Squad

Necron Melee

It's funny but after having played Necrons for a few weeks now I find Necrons to be better at melee than shooting. Here are my own personal picks for the top Necron melee units (in no particular order):

— Canoptek ScArabs
— Canoptek Spyders
— Canoptek Wraiths
— Destroyer Lord

You'll note I didn't include Lychguard - sure they can be awesome but on the other hand they are not fearless and can break then are easily swept being only I2 like almost every other unit in the codex. They are really expensive for the points and are slow. I'd like to be able to make them work for my army but I just don't see it happening. I have used Lychguard several times - sometimes they did very well but sometimes they had no real impact at all. To make them mobile you've either got to attach a Veiltek or invest in a Night Scythe... Both will cost you more points. I really don't like the Night Scythe - mostly due to the fact that if it's wrecked or destroyed the embarked unit goes right back into reserve which is the worst thing that could happen to a dedicated melee unit. The Night Scythe is also fragile in my opinion and I don't think we will see a lot of competitive armies using them to ferry Lychguard across the table. I think the Cryptek could be better utilized in the army elsewhere providing Night Fight for a turn or letting you reroll a dice each turn. If they were fearless it would be a totally different story. Oh well it is what it is.

I also did not include the C'tan... Again another awesome unit but again too slow and too easy to target. They are very expensive for the points. I have used one once and the C'tan kicked arse in close combat but it was versus an army with not much long ranged shooting so I could slog it relatively safely across the table. Versus any army with dedicated long range firepower that could be a major problem. A couple turns of Night Fight might help though.

So I'm not necessarily saying Lychguard or C'tan are bad choices but neither works for me the way I want to play my Necrons. If they work well for you then more power to you. Let me know why they work for you.

Three of the units I've listed as good choices above are fast and they are all fearless as well. If you want to play a Necron melee oriented army I believe these are our best choices. ScArabs are great versus ANY armor and can quickly tarpit a lot of enemy units all the while applying the NOM NOM. The trick is quickly building them up to a high number of bases and releasing them at the right moment. Based upon my experience a horde of 24 ScArabs is more than twice as good as 15. I run a unit of 9 bases with two squads of three Canoptek Spyders... Let's do the math as it's quite simple:

Turn 1:   9 + 6 = 15
Turn 2: 15 + 6 = 21
Turn 3: 21 + 6 = 27

Turn 3 is the right moment to send them forward if you can wait that long to let your farm reach critical mass. Remember that you can start moving them forward during the first three turns - simply keep the tail end within the minimum distance from your Spyders so you can keep crapping out more of the little metallic beasts and they are easy to hide for the cover saves.

So far I have found 24 bases to be the right number. If you are investing less points they won't be nearly as effective... There are some armies that really don't have a good answer to ScArabs and I think they will be the demise of Imperial Guard.

Canoptek Spyders are really cheap for the points - only 50 points for a S6 T6 3W monstrous creature with an excellent armor save... It doesn't get any better than that in my opinion. I have found in melee they tend to be more of a tarpit versus tough enemy dedicated melee units such as Thunderwolves or assault terminators. Always remember that their main purpose is to crap out more ScArabs. Versus softer enemy units they will chew their way right through them. Don't forget to run the Spyders so you can extend your line of ScArabs. Spyders can also be used to provide cover to other units.

So now we come to Canoptek Wraiths. As much as I love ScArabs and Spyders this is probably my favorite unit in the new codex. I think they are much more potent now in the new codex. Wraiths have many advantages in melee over other enemy units - it's hard to cover them all so for the time being I'll simply say they are made of pure gold and soon cover them in more depth in a follow up article.

The last Necron melee unit is the Destroyer Lord which I've already covered in another recent article. Sure the Destroyer Lord does not have access to a Royal Court but if you're goal is to design a competitive Necron melee army you can easily get around this particular short coming. I run mine with the weave (2+ armor save), Res Orb, Mind Shackle ScArabs and a Tachyon Arrow. He is expensive but he is also another true beast designed as such.


Conclusion
I have presented the Necron units I think are the best in melee and provided some tips how to best utilize them.

How are these units working for you? Do you think Necrons are better in melee now?

Adepticon Predictions • Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Every year it is the same...

The first year I attended Adepticon followed the release of the 4th edition Tyranid codex and there was so so many Big Bug armies there - I'm not lying if I said they accounted for anywhere from 40-60 percent of the total armies. The year following the release of the 5th edition Space Wolf codex saw lots and lots of Space Wolf armies in Chicago - same thing with the 5th edition Imperial Guard codex. TriFalcon-Eldrad-Avatar-Harlequin spam was the big army the last year for 4th edition... They had an invitational tournament that year and I'd say eldar accounted for at least 70 percent of the armies in that event.

It is a constant that whatever is the flavor of the year will be the most popular army. There is something about Grey Knights though that I predict will throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the works... Psykout Grenades - they are the bane of Grey Knights and ironically enough it's kind of fitting in my opinion. When the fourth turn rolls around it's hard to avoid melee any longer as you're usually fighting for objectives... on the other hand SW versus SW is not such a big deal as they all swing at the same initiative for the most part (excluding characters and power fists). This year you have to factor in the psykout grenade and I've seen Strike squads maul Paladins - it can and does happen. Unless you've played lots of matches versus other Grey Knight armies with your own Grey Knight army this little piece of wargear can throw you for a big loop. In my mind most people who'll be bringing Grey Knights won't be properly prepared for the mirror matches - those that are will profit at the tables.

Sure psykotropic and rad grenades are just as deadly if not more so but you can't take them in every squad like the psykout grenade. Smart players will wisely avoid those units like the plague! It is what it is.

It seems like the two big Internet meta lists for Grey Knights are Draigowing and Purifier spam. I give the nod to the former for a better overall performance as little five man squads of Purifiers aren't really all that scary versus other armies that have significant dedicated melee units. If it were me playing my Draigowing versus a Purifier Spam army most likely I'd reserve my psyflemen and bring them in firing at the opponent's psyflemen. You cripple a couple and suddenly the game can swing. Versus a Vindicare assassin it's easy - simply outrange him with your psyflemen and keep popping him until he fails a save... And all it takes is one failed save then you push forward. The Coteaz henchmen list is fairly popular but I can't see those fragile units going toe to toe with Grey Knights. Sure there are the much feared Death Cult assassins and rightly so but a smart player will cripple their transport first and foremost then mow them down with stormbolters. There is also the Mordrak list but it's not as popular as the other three.

So I'm thinking this year probably some people relatively unknown on the Internet will win the big events at Adepticon simply because they are better prepared for the mirror matches and I think it's going to be quite interesting indeed.

Tyranids at Local RTT

I got to play in an RTT yesterday over in Tampa. They used the NOVA mission format which I enjoyed - it's similar to the BeakyCon mission format except that if you win the primary objective you win the mission - if you draw on the primary then secondary is the first tie breaker and tertiary is the second tie breaker. I like the BeakyCon mission better because it really eliminates bad matchups as I'll explain below.

As it turns out all three games were versus good friends I often play so we are very familiar with each others' armies. The first game was versus Chris Winan's Imperial Guard and the primary objective was kill points. Deployment was Dawn of War. As you've probably guessed I brought my Tyranids - which I had to tweak a bit to scale down to an 1850 point list. Kill points versus shooty mech armies are a bad matchup for my Tyranids and Chris was smart, castling his army in one corner of his deployment zone making sure to keep all his armor beyond the range of my Hive Guard. You do have to win by at least a margin of three kill points to grab that objective so the NOVA system does give you a bit of a break in that regard... Still it was not enough for me though and my dice let me down on some key rolls. I suppose I could have played it very conservative and castled as well hoping that my Tyrannofex could pop enough tanks for the win or force a tie breaker on objective markers. I did manage to win the secondary (objective markers) and drew on the tertiary (table quarters)... Every little bit can count.

The second game was versus Mat Douthat's Space Wolves which features a Wolfstar lead by two Wolf Lords. We play each other a lot during the week nights and I've posted some batreps here. We are fairly even in our games and the last time I played Mat at an RTT I lost a very close game versus his Grey Knights. The primary was objective markers and NOVA uses five - one in the center of each table quarter and one in the center of the table. Deployment was Pitched Battle. Mat decided to hold his entire army in reserve at the last moment which came back to bite him as his Wolfstar did not come in from reserves until the fifth turn and his Long Fangs did not arrive until the fourth turn. So it was a fairly easy victory as my Hive Tyrant had a field day since there were no SW units that could really hurt him. I scored the primary, secondary and tertiary this game - moving back up in the rankings.

The third and final game was versus Scott Lester's Grey Knights (three Stormravens loaded for Grizzly Bears). Scott and I have played lots of games at local RTTs so I knew I would have to play smart. The primary was table quarters, secondary was objective markers and the tertiary was kill points. Deployment was Spearhead. This might sound like a bad matchup for my army and it is in many ways but my goal was to play the mission and not worry about trying to kill lots of Grey Knights. Again I faced an army that I only had one unit that could touch his armor (my Tyrannofex) - Scott was smart and kept the fliers all close together, moving flatout and casting the Shrouding with his Librarian inside the central Stormraven... It doesn't get much easier than that in my opinion.

I had to hope I'd get in one lucky shot before his Stormravens could shoot down the Tyrannofex using PotMS... He did make a mistake one turn and got too close to my Hive Guard (hiding behind a bunker... Heh) - I scored one penetrating hit then rolled a 1 on the armor penetration table... Oh well. I knew that Scott was focused on blasting my Tyranids and keeping all his infantry embarked in the Stormravens meant he could only hold a relatively small number of objective markers and at most be in three of the four table quarters. I brought in my genestealers behind cover in the table quarter beside my deployment zone hugging the board edge and going to ground for the 3++... Sometimes it is more important to make your saves than inflict wounds. I also dropped my Zoanthropes over beside the genestealers to act as a distraction and draw fire. The fifth turn rolled around and I decided to take a calculated risk moving my Prime and his Warriors along with my termagant brood out from behind cover into the adjacent table quarter (note I went second this game). I then rolled to see if the game would end and up popped a 2! A quick count showed we were tied on table quarters and a lone Broodlord stood defiantly beside an objective marker while there were no Grey Knights beside any... A close win for the Tyranids... But wait... NOVA has six fixed turns - someone earlier (not the TO) had told me it was five turns then random game length... Geez what a disappointment. I conceded the game then as I had already moved a lot of my units and didn't think it would be kosher to ask to move them back again and replay the fifth turn. It was my fault as I should have more closely read all of the mission rules... It is what it is and now I know. Hee. No big deal really.

So I ended up with one win and two losses - all three games were versus the Big Three - Imperial Guard, Space Wolves and finally Grey Knights. I know some of my detractors will say that this is proof my army is not competitive BUT stop to consider all three games were versus friends who know my army inside out - Imperial Guard took 1st place and Grey Knights took 2nd place. Scott had told me his army was designed to deal with my Tyranid army. So I'm not discouraged and look at it as part of the learning experience. If I had known it was six turns maybe I could have won the game versus Grey Knights - as I pointed out Scott was very intent upon killing Tyranids. Most players won't have these kind of advantages in my opinion. Sure anyone who is a smart player will figure out how to counter my army but I don't think it's necessarily that easy for people unfamiliar with my brand of Tyranids.

It was a fun day playing three games with good friends and overall a well run tournament. I like the NOVA mission format but still favor the BeakyCon method since I think it provides a more equal setting versus the various armies people are playing now. On a final note my good buddy John Lennon brought his Tyranids as well and went 2-1... Pretty cool.

Devilgants vs. Purifiers

No this is not another batrep... Heh.

Let's take two units from two totally different codices and compare the them. One unit is selected from the Tyranid codex which is often said to be the worst codex released during fifth edition (there is some contention for Dark Angels though for sure). The other unit is selected from the Grey Knight codex which is often said to be the most broken over the top codex ever released. How can we compare the two?

The devilgant is a termagant armed with a devourer which basically doubles the cost of the model - why would anyone ever do that? The devourer is a S4 three shot 18" ranged assault weapon. A large brood of devilgants can generate a large number of shots and has decent range (24" = 18" range + 6" move). I like to run my brood in a mycetic spore so I can isolate small squads and shoot them. The spore makes it relatively easy to target an exposed unit which I'll discuss in more detail below. To me and the way I play my army (no Tervigons) the devourer is the better choice compared to the stock fleshborer.

Purifiers have access to all of the best options from their codex for very cheap. Let's also assume for the sake of this discussion that the Grey Knight army has Crowe (which is often the case) so the Purifiers are a scoring unit (i.e., troop) as well.


Here are the two configurations I have chosen for each unit based upon experience:

15x termagant - devourers & mycetic spore

5x Purifier incl. Keeper of the Flame - 2x psycannon, halberd & daemonhammer (KotF) & rhino

There are certainly a myriad of other options - especially for the Purifiers - I chose these since the points for each are similar in cost, this is a standard build I often see for Purifiers and this how I run my devilgants. The familiarity makes it easier for me to compare them.

Both units cost are in the same neighborhood for the points, both are troops and both have a form of transportation. That's about at close as they get for the purpose of comparison without scratching the surface. The Purifiers are both a jack of all trades and also are a master in all ways - they can shoot down anything and excel in melee for a moderate cost. On the other hand the termagants are only good at shooting infantry units in an offensive mode. While the mycetic spore lets you place the devilgants where you need them the most (barring an awful scatter) it is also an easy killpoint. The five man squad of Purifiers is the quensential unit from the viewpoint of min maxing for 5th edition. If the two units were to face off versus each other in melee it's quite clear the Purifiers would quickly come out on top while suffering minimal losses.

If we take a couple of steps back and compare each unit as a part of its army then we can draw more relevant conclusions and to me these are more important when it comes to analyzing competitive play. If we just compare them in a vacuum then we are obviously missing out on the bigger picture... For instance while Purifiers are inherently fearless the same can be said about the devilgants if they are within range of synaspe. Fifteen fearless devilgants in cover can be hard to shift unless you are willing to engage them in assault then your assault unit might quickly fold versus a counter attacking enemy dedicated melee unit such as genestealers. To engage the devilgants in melee means that you are willing to expose a unit to following counter attacks. Depending upon the circumstances I'd be more than willing to trade a big brood of devilgants to bait an enemy unit... It's just like chess when you sacrifice one piece to gain a strategic advantage.

Another piece of the larger equation which accounts for more variables is how much time and effort does your opponent require to eliminate the brood - the longer it takes the more effort they must expend. Fifteen devilgants in cover that are fearless and have gone to ground can stick around a long time and they can hold an objective all the while. If they are strategically placed on the table you can force your opponent to make tough decisions - the harder the decision the more likely your opponent is to make a mistake. Capitalizing on your opponent's mistakes can lead to victory. Of course we should consider that the opponent might have some templates (e.g., flamers) nearby so either we need to keep the termagants spread wide apart or following along with the philosophy that discretion is the better part of valor it might be the wiser decision to place the termagants a safe distance away. You have to weigh the potential risk versus the loss and then decide what you think is the best course of action. There is little if any value throwing away a unit with no gain.

Time is a big factor and more so as the game continues to progress. The longer your unit can survive equates to more effort on the part of your opponent to eliminate that threat. Every turn the devilgants continue to stick around can be more ticks of the clock in your favor. I've won my share of games because one or two devilgants made it to the end of a game and held an objective.

So devilgants have the ability to perform multiple roles—obviously the same can be said about Purifiers and even more so. Tyranids are meant to be played as a synergistic army—most units rely upon some sort of support from another unit to accomplish any given task. It is this aspect more than anything else that can make Tyranids perform at a competitive level. This is the reason why I feel confident versus Grey Knights, Imperial Guard and Space Wolves... Not because I'm playing someone who doesn't really know what they're doing.

Each squad of Purifiers is comparatively an army of one - they don't need the level of support required for a brood of devilgants and from a strategic point of view that is one of the big reasons why they can and do often win games. In my opinion neither is better... One is better than the other in the hands of those that play them correctly depending upon the prevailing circumstances.

Now finally let's revisit the topic of the devilgants versus the Purifiers. Let's assume that the Purifiers have disembarked for whatever reason and for the sake of this discussion let's also assume the Purifiers disembarked for a valid reason (OH GAWD PLZ NOES !!!). If the devilgants arrive the following turn they can land in close enough proximity to the Purifiers and shoot them with their mighty devourers:

45 S4 shots @ BS3: 22 hit & 11 wound:

The five man squad of Purifiers should roughly suffer 4 unsaved wounds and they'll most likely lose one or both psycannons and the Keeper of the Flame. So while the devilgants have not wiped the Purifiers they have rendered them fairly useless and under many situations it wouldn't be all that hard to pick off the lone Purifier now. The trick of course is to create a set of circumstances that lures your opponent into disembarking the small squad of Purifiers—of course you could just use brute force and crack open the rhino via shooting (e.g., Hive Guard).

In conclusion the devilgants are good at picking off small isolated MEQ units. They can be highly survivable if placed in cover as well and hold objectives. On the other hand the Purifiers can be more fragile due to their small size. So while hands down the Purifiers are the overall better unit that doesn't necessarily mean that the devilgants aren't worth their points as well. Overall you should look at how each unit integrates with its parent army to best utilize them.