Merry Kimchi Christmas!

Hope everyone had a GREAT holiday!  Back to work tomorrow but I have some tasty blog posts planned for this weekend.

Blood Angels 6th Edition: Brother Corbulo, Super Hunk

Long time no talk, drunken readers!  Apologies but life has once again reared it's ugly head and I've been unable to fit in gaming hobby time as of late.  I wanted to quickly talk about one of my go-to models when putting together a Blood Angel's army in 40k 6th edition, the ultra-hunky Brother Corbulo.

Broken camera? Check.  Backpack in the shop?  Double Check.

Corbulo is is the High Sanguinary Priest of the Blood Angels.  He's basically an Apothecary that gives off a 6" Furious Charge bubble and comes in at the price of a Librarian with a Melta Bomb.  He basically has the stats of a Space Marine with one less Wound and Weapon Skill.  Corbulo also comes with a couple of war gear items and a special rule that rocks a lots of cocks [citation needed].

Heaven's Teeth:  A chainsword that gives Corbulo +1 Strength (5) and has the rending special rule.  Seeing as how he come with 4 attacks base and he is usually hitting on 3's you have the potential to do some damage to high armor foes or medium armored vehicles.

The Red Grail:  As stated above, Corbulo is an Apothecary that grants any unit within 6" of himself Furious Charge and Feel No Pain.  As an added benefit his pimp chalice grants Corbulo a 2+ Feel No Pain.  Awesome pizza sauce.

The Far-Seeing Eye:  Once per game Corbulo can use his super powers to divine the strands of fate.  What the fuck does that mean?  He lets you re-roll one dice per game.  This can be any roll of the dice, including the role to seize the initiative.  This has gotten me out of a jam more times than I care to admit.

So, now that you know about this hunk how the hell do you use him?  I've been having a lot of success plopping him down in a Drop Pod with a unit of Sternguard with combi-plasmas.  He sits in front of the unit and tanks wounds with his 2+ Feel No Pain while the Sternguard do what they do.  Corbulo isn't too bad in combat and gives the unit a 5+ Feel No Pain and Furious Charge bonus, which is great for the Get's Hot nature of combi-plasmas.  Another great way to use him is in a Storm Raven with a unit of Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield Terminators.  They will hit like a ton of bricks and if the 5+ Feel No Pain really helps if the damn funky chicken explodes before they get to their destination.

All-in-all Brother Corbulo really helps the struggling Blood Angels in the 6th edition.  So, what are your coolest moments using the hunky Hercules?

Video Battle Report with Reecius

Hey guys, check out this recent video battle report that Reecius over at Frontline Gaming filmed for his website, frontlinegaming.org.

While you're at it check out their Kickstarter, the Mega Mat!   Try and be supportive, nerds.

The Death of Competitive 40k?

'All I know is that first you've got to get mad. You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, God damn it! My life has VALUE!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"  

The above quote is what Howard Beale would say if he knew the madness that was gripping the 40k world.  It would appear that Games Workshop has finally decided that the rule set that they developed for Warhammer 40k doesn't matter as much as selling the models that go along with it.  What started with the complete domination of the tournament scene by Demons, Tau, and Eldar (or Taudar) has quickly devolved into rapid digital only releases and additional allied detachment rules that were written solely to sell slow selling models.  Perhaps making competitive play an impossible feat is the intent of Games Workshop.  They have always stood by the claim that 40k is a game that is meant for a beer and pretzels type atmosphere.  This aggressive 'phasing out' of any semblance of balanced armies certainly seems intentional.  With the forthcoming release of Escalation and Stronghold Assault bringing fortification and super heavies into regular games of 40k the line between a competitive skirmish game with a tight rule set and a game of Apocalypse where an 'anything goes' type atmosphere is getting increasingly blurry.

I know that personally 40k has been getting less fun to play.  I say this because I would primarily classify myself as a tournament player.  It's not that I do not enjoy the occasional themed game or quick pick up match against a pal it's just that I'm a competitive person by nature and I enjoy crushing my enemies, driving them before me, and listening to the lamentation of their women.  Is that so wrong?  I honestly feel that in the current 40k climate the only way that I can remain competitive is to either take a Tau army or start building Screamers as fast as my fat hands will let me.  I recently played Reece from Frontline Gaming with my Adepticon 2014 list.  He brought the Taudar army that is being raffled off at the Las Vegas Open in March.  It is basically the epitome of what is wrong with 40k at the moment.  The feeling of not being able to do anything while removing models from the table made me question why I was planning on attending Adepticon in the first place.  Unless I spend the money to build an army that can hang with something like Taudar or Screamer Star or Flying Circus, etc the money I am spending to fly all the way to Chicago could be better spent on chimichangas and Diet Coke.  Yes, I will get to see friends and have chance to interact with the wargaming community at large and that is always fun but deep down the reason I am going to the convention is to try and be the best 40k player in attendance.  I'm not going to sugar coat that shit.  

The only way to save 40k from being relegated to mini Apocalypse games played in your friend's garage is for the tournament organizers to get together and come up with a way to  keep Games Workshop's crazy in check.  I personally feel limiting players to one FOC and one ally will keep everything on the level.  Will they be able to come together and agree on standard tournament rules or will they implode under the weight of their own egos?  Only time will tell.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my heart to your face, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

On a side note, my friend Reece and co have a Kick Starter project that just completely funded within two days of opening.  Their product is Mega Mat! and it will really make gaming at home a better experience both practically and visually.  I saw the prototypes up close and I actually thought they had re-done the tables in the store before realizing they were the mats.  THATS REAL TALK, SON.

Check them out and help reach their stretch goals.  I personally put in for a future 6'x4' release when (hopefully) they unlock their 'Alpine' mat.  I've always wanted a snow themed table for some reason so this would go a long way in making it happen.  I think the guys are on to something here and I wish them all the luck.

Codex: Coteaz Initial Thoughts

Hello all,

So if the 10 of you who read this blog have been wondering about the sluggish blog posts as of late, the answer can most simply be answered by this....

However, I decided to take a small break from powning newbs to post my initial thoughts on the all digital Codex: Coteaz Inquisition.  I was lucky enough to review a copy of the latest digital offering and yes, the rumors that it would just be a cut and paste of artwork and existing rules were correct. It does have some more in depth information on the different Ordos and the famous Inquisitors throughout the 40k universe though I believe that most of that info/artwork was taken from the 40k role playing game, Dark Heresy.  I could be wrong on that.  While this was an initial disappointment it quickly became apparent that although this was information taken from Codex Grey Knights and Codex: Adepta Sororitas it was an entirely different beast altogether and would make 40k an entirely different game.

 So what's new with the Inquisition?

1.  It's not an allies codex.  Inquisitors and their loyal minions fill an entirely new slot in the force organization chart.  They are now Inquisitorial Allies which do not get in the way of your primary force taking another allied contingent.

2.  Inquisitors have their own allied chart.  They and their minions are battle brothers to all Imperial armies (including the named Inquisitors Coteaz, Karamozov, and Valeria). They are allies of convenience with Eldar and desperate allies with Tau and Dark Eldar. This means that the major draw back from taking these characters as allies from Codex: Grey Knights (i.e. allies of convenience) no longer exists.  There has been a lot of chatter saying that Eldar and Tau armies will be better with Inquisitors but I don't see it.  The Inquisitors can't join their units and they will not benefit from the Inquisitor's psychic abilities.  The only thing I can see is Tau players taking the assaulty Henchmen squads but to be honest they already have such great stuff I can't see them wasting points on the humans.

3.  You can take one or two Inquisitors without anything else as Inquisitional Allies.  That's right, no troop tax to take these helpful characters.  In fact, there are NO troops in Codex: Inquisition.

4. Codex: Inquisition comes with it's own Warlord traits table.  There are three tables depending on which Inquisitor you are taking.  They range from useless to not-that-useless and the Inquisitor must be the warlord for you to choose the tables.  You can make the allied Inquisitor the warlord of your primary army if you so wish.  This is incredibly useful to Imperial Guard armies.

5.  Servo Skulls and Psychotrope Grenades.  You will be hard pressed to find any tournament Imperial army that does not include a cheap Inquisitor with Servo Skulls.  These put the smack down on the scout bike and transport rush armies we've been seeing since the unveiling of Codex: Space Marines.  The GW giveth, and the GW taketh away.  I know for a damn fact that I will not be running any Imperial dedicated assault unit on foot without an Inquisitor with Psychotrope Grenades (see Codex:Inquisition for their cheese ball rules) and I don't care about being 'THAT GUY'.

6.  Priest and Assassins and Crusaders, OH MY.  Yes, Imperial Assassins and Crusaders are just as good as they are in the Grey Knights codex, and with the inclusion of Priests in this codex makes them GODLY.  This is due to their 'War Hymns' special rule that allows the Priests to buff themselves and their unit in a variety of killy ways.  I think GW intended for this rule to work for only one Priest in a unit but due to their usual I DONT GIVE A SHIT attitude they left that part out so as it stands each Priest in the unit can buff it in a different way.

7.  Land Raider and Valkyrie transports.  COOL.  Remember that while your Inquisitor might be battle brothers with your Imperial force they still cannot be in a transport from that detachment.

So what does this all mean?

 It means you will be seeing almost every Imperial and some Eldar tournament armies taking Coteaz or another Inquisitor.  The ability to twin-link your primary units (Prescience), the war gear that they can bring to the table (Servo Skulls/Psychotrope Grenades), and their overall low-costed support capabilities that Inquisitors bring to the table has shaken up the meta.  A lot of people have been complaining about this Codex but in my eyes it will bring more balance to the tables.  The current top tier lists of Eldar, Tau and Chaos Demons are completely over powered in this edition.  They hearken back to the Demon codex in Warhammer Fantasy 7th edition.   Imperial armies just got the reinforcements they've been waiting for.  Time will tell if this shakes up the top table tournament armies or if they will have the reverse outcome of making them stronger.


Now, back to yelling at 10 year-olds and crashing helicopters 10 seconds after lifting off....

The Road to Adepticon 2014: Changes and Challenges

In this scene, an overweight balding man rubs his hands eagerly in front of his computer.  The time is 3:59 pm, the day is Thursday November 14th.  In one minute he will be able to register for the table top mecca Adepticon.  He is ready.  He is signed in and jams the F5 key repeatedly.  His eyes strain as he focuses on the clock on his computer screen.  4PM!  The website crashes.  Thirty minutes and several expletive deleted moments later ,he has his Adepticon weekend pass and his Warhammer 40k Championship ticket. He resumes watching cat videos. End scene.

So that's what happened last Thursday.  Adepticon 40k Championship tickets sold out in less than an hour.  I believe the 40k team tournament sold out in less than 20 minutes.  The whole ordeal was pretty tiresome, to be honest.  If they are going to continue selling their tickets in this manner they will need to completely overhaul their website's capabilities.  I know it will cost them more to get the proper bandwidth (I don't know computer stuff) but if they are going to have this mad rush to get tickets at least be able to support the traffic (is that the right computer talk?).  The hotel for the event already sold out months ago.  At some point the boys are going to need to take their event to the next level and find a bigger venue.  The next step will be getting plane tickets and finalizing my rooming arrangements.  I'm also going to need to find some alternate Friday activities if for some strange reason I don't make the finals (lol) and some things to do on Saturday before my flight out of there.

Anyways, on to the real point of this post.

Unsurprisingly I've changed my list again.  I do that a lot if you're new here.  Same basic premise but some major changes.  With the recent Codex: Inquisition release, the ability to take Inquisitor Coteaz as a battle brother to my Space Marines army without the need for a required Troop choices made me reconsider the way I would use him in my list.  You get all of the benefits of Coteaz without any of the drawbacks from his Grey Knights counterpart (i.e. no battle brothers, have to take a troop choice, etc).

Here is version 2.0 of my 1850 Iron Hands Adepticon army.

Chapter Master - Bike, Artificer Armor, Shield Eternal, Power Fist, Auspex
Librarian - Lv. 2, Bike

Command Squad - Bikes, 3x Grav Guns, Champion, Apothecary (I don't subscribe to the idea that Apothecaries or Champions can take Grav Guns)

Tactical Squad - +5, Plasma Cannon, Plasma  Gun, Rhino
Tactical Squad-  +5, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Rhino
Scout Squad - Melta Bomb
Scout Squad- 4x Sniper Rifles, Heavy Bolters with Hellfire Rounds

Storm Talon - Skyhammer Missiles

Thunderfire Cannon
Vindicator - Storm Bolter
Devastator Squad - 4x Lascannon

Bastian with Quad Gun

Inquisitorial Detachment

Inquisitor Coteaz


So what do you  guys think?  I should be able to get at least a couple games this week so I should be able to talk about its successes and failures later.

Blood Angels 6th Edition Tips, Tricks, and Winners

Here we are again, another blog post about everyone’s favorite 6th edition whipping boy the Blood Angels.   Like a beaten spouse I find myself returning to my beloved space vampires no matter how many times I get my shit kicked in.  They don’t mean it!  It’s not their fault their units are completely over-costed and under performing.  They’re just having a hard time and I won’t give up on them that easily.  The root problem at this time with the Blood Angels codex is that the units that they share with newer codices such as Codex: Space Marines and Dark Angels are dramatically more expensive than their newer counterparts.   Throw in some inane GW 6th edition updates such as making Commander Dante initiative 1 and Mephiston’s sword AP 3 and the play-ability of the army takes a further plunge down the 6th edition shit hole.

 But all is not lost.  The Blood Angels still have a lot of powerful units and combos that mesh well with the current tournament meta.  The key to winning with the Blood Angels is the play to their strengths.  You have to use their unique units and special rules.  Let’s take a quick look at the units and special rules that make the Blood Angels playable in the current edition.

Assault Squads in Drop Pods - Drop pod armies are all the rage with the recent release of Codex: Space Marines.  Did you know that Blood Angel assault squads get Drop Pods for free?  That’s real talk, son.  Take two special weapons and a storm shield on the sergeant and call it a day.

Baal Predators - What’s not to like about fast AV 13 tanks that spew molten death on any unit unfortunate enough to get in it’s way?  While many people lament the death of vehicles in 6th edition, many armies still struggle with AV 13 or above.  Take away the detrimental glancing chart from the 5th edition and the Baal Predators can continue to shit in your opponents face far longer into the game.  I like the standard load out of the twin-linked assault cannons with heavy bolter sponsons but the case can be made for the Flamestorm Cannon with heavy flamer sponsons.

Death Company - These crazy fuckers can still get the job done.  Throw them in a drop pod with a Chaplain and terrify your opponent.

Mephiston - This guy is still the ultimate bad ass.  An infantry sized monstrous creature, Mephiston can dominate an entire section of the battlefield by just doing what he do.  And what he do ain’t very nice.  He is incredibly fast even without his psychic wings and hits like a ton of bricks.   You really need to use him as a monstrous creature hunter and even with his AP3 sword if a Riptide fails one of his 2+ armor saves Mephiston can instant kill them.  Still good after all these years.

Brother Corbulo - I’ve started putting Brother Corbulo in almost every Blood Angel list that I write.  What he really excels at is being a tank with his 2+ Feel No Pain.  I like putting him in a drop pod with a Sternguard squad or running him with Assault Terminators.  His Far-Seeing Eye ability is also incredibly useful for it’s ability to kind of negate the random shit that can lose you the game.  He also gives any units within 6” Feel No Pain and Furious Charge.

Storm Ravens - Codex: Space Marines and Grey Knights get these but the Blood Angel’s Raven gets Blood Strike missiles which give them a leg up on flyer and vehicle hunting.

Fast Vindicators - Moving 12” and firing the Vindicator Cannon can really put the hurting on unsuspecting chump bitches.  Make sure to take a Storm Bolter and a Hunter Killer Missile to make it harder to take off the big gun.

Dreadnoughts - Blood Angels are the top dog when it comes to the sheer amount of Dreadnoughts they can field.  With the advent of hull points in the 6th edition dreadnoughts are slightly better with their overall damage output.

The trick to winning with the Blood Angels is to play to their strengths and use units that you can’t just get cheaper by playing newer, shinier marine codices.  A lot of people will try and tell you that assault is dead in the 6th edition. While it certainly has become harder to get into actual hand to hand combat, the fact is that the top tier armies at the moment completely break down when you get into them.  You have to over load them with your fast moving, hard hitting units.  Get Mephiston running up a flank while drop pods full of pissed off assault marines drop right into their fucking throats.

Blood Angels in the 6th edition work how they've always worked.  You hit the enemy hard right at the word go and you don’t stop until you've got your boot on their neck.

The Rise of Digital Ally Codices and Why They're a Good Thing

OH.MY.GOD. It's a positive topic today.  I've been known to rant and rave about the grave injustice to America that is Games Workshop, but with the unveiling of the upcoming Inquisition digital codex I am starting to see the gold corn in the shit pile that is 6th edition 40k.  I first caught wind about the Inquisition codex through the usual sources, mainly the cool dude over at Faeit 212.  Some of you might remember that at the beginning of 40k 6th edition there were a ton of rumors regarding allies and the limitless opportunities they represented in terms of supplemental codices.  Want to take the Arbites?  Here's a supplement.  Like the Mechanicus?  We have a supplement for that!  Want to take the Inquisition with your Imperial Guard?  HOLY SHIT.  THEY ALREADY DID THAT.  IN THE FUTURE.

An argument can be made that the upcoming Inquisition digital codex is actually the 2nd ally codex to come out, after this month's Adepta Sororitas.  I say this because the reality of the average 40k player to go out and spend several ((several)) hundreds of dollars to build an all metal army is fairly slim.  Most likely the average player will purchase a unit or two for some sweet ass anti-psycher defense and call it a day.  If GW really wanted this to be a full codex release they would have released the models in plastic (with a price increase) and the codex would have been a physical hard cover. I would also like to point out that there is a difference between a codex supplemental and an ally codex.  Where the codex supplemental will expand the stand alone codex, the ally codex will introduce an army that is designed exclusively to ally with a stand alone codex.  That didn't make sense.  I'm tired.

I truly think the rumors of GW getting all of the current codices up to date with the 6th edition and then focusing on supplements is looking more and more accurate.  If GW really wanted to milk this pig for a crap ton of money they would work on releasing a model or two with each supplement. How about new Inquisitor models or vehicle profiles?  If they really take the time to think these ally codices through and actually release a couple models instead of just copy and pasting existing rules/stats these small ally codices could be huge money makers for the company.

The future of the hobby looks bright.  Fuck the doom-and-gloomers that portend the fall of Games Workshop.  

The Road to Adepticon 2014: The Coteaz Conundrum

This year I've made the monumental (financially speaking) decision to attend Adepticon this coming April.  This isn't my first time attending the iconic event, as I made the pilgrimage 2 years ago.  The sheer magnitude of the cost to attend this tournament certainly doesn't make this an easy decision to make.  With tickets running about $75 for the weekend badge and the 40k Championship, round-trip airfare running around , $300 from California, and rooms that cost $125 a night you are looking at eating a ton of ramen just to afford this thing.  Cost aside, this is THE tournament to attend if you are a 40k tournament gamer and want to test your metal against the best players in the country.  I believe there are 270-ish players in the Championship, with only 16 moving on to day 2.   The organizers do a good job making other events available after the championships, so when you get the inevitable loss in round one you can look forward to a busy weekend afterwards.

My biggest mistake the first time I went was signing up for too many events, sharing a room with too many people, and drinking my body weight in alcoholic beverages.     Seeing as how I've effectively stopped drinking any kind of alcohol (THANKS, OBAMA LIVER) that takes care of the expensive drunkenness.  As for the room situation, that is almost unavoidable.  I will be at the tournament for at total of 5 nights.  That will be around $550 just for the hotel alone.  I CANT AFFORD THAT SHIT!  So teaming up with 4 or five guys to crash on the floor is mandatory.  As for the events, I only plan on signing up for the Championships and then a couple of smaller events spread throughout the weekend.  I will be socializing a lot more this time around.

OK, so what the fuck is the title of this post going on about?  Well, I had just about finalized my 1850 list for Adepticon when, as usual, a nagging thought came to me (as it do).  Here is the original list I was set on taking,

Space Marines (Iron Hands)

Chapter Master - Terminator Armor, Shield Eternal, Thunder Hammer, Auspex
Tactical Squad- +5, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Rhino
Tactical Squad- +5, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Rhino
Scout Squad - Melta Bomb
Terminator Assault Squad- 4x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, Land Raider Crusader w/Multi-Melta
Land Speeder x2 - Typhoon Missile Launchers
Land Speeder - Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer
Storm Talon - Sky Hammer Missiles
Devastator Squad - +3, Missile Launchers
Thunderfire Cannon
Whirlwind

A slight variant from the list that I took to Brawl in the Fall.

Then I got to reading Captain Dees' (Nutz) Feast of Blades tournament reports.  He had seized the initiative twice and that had either earned him an outright victory or made it extremely easy for him to defeat his opponent.  You hear about this all the time and it is certainly one of the most frustrating aspects of 40k 6th edition.  I also noticed an increase in Space Marine drop pod lists under review on various forums around the internetz.  I began musing on an old ally idea I had for Inquisitor Coteaz from the Grey Knights Codex.  With Coteaz you get the peace of mind that comes with his special rule Spy Network which causes your opponent to re-roll successful Seizes.   You also get the incredibly useful against drop pod spam special rule, I've Been Expecting You.  Of course, you have to take a troop choice with Coteaz, and here is where another of his special rules become gold.   Inquisitor Coteaz makes any Henchmen Squads troop choices.  So by adding Coteaz to my list not only do I get solid Seize and Drop Pod protection I also get another troop choice.

 FUCK'IN TITS N' SHIT

 So how would I load out the Henchmen Squad?  I would start with 3 plasma cannon armed Servitors.  Coteaz will have the psychic power Presience, so the ability to twin-link 3 plasma cannons is fan-fucking-tastic.  Remember, his rule I've Been Expecting You makes his unit able shoot at any unit that arrives within 12" of him.  This means that any unit dis-embarking from a drop pod and the drop pod itself are fair game for 3 twin-linked plasma cannons.  DEAL BREAKER.  I would also take 2 Crusaders to get a couple of 3++ saves and round out the unit with 3 or 4 Henchmen with hot-shot lasguns.  I would be giving up all three Land Speeders to get the points for this unit but I think they add so much to my list that it is totally worth it.  This also means the Iron Hands Chapter Tactics might not be the best since I would be getting rid of 3 vehicles so I'll be spending some time trying out the other ones.

So what do you guys think?  Is this a good replacement?  Will this assuage my fears of getting Raped Seized upon?  Am I getting too fat?

Your Screamer Star is bad and you should feel bad

If you are even remotely interested in competitive 40k then you are already familiar with the new hotness, the Screamer Star.  The Screamer Star, much like Riptide Spam or the 5th edition IG Blowjobber, takes advantage of over powered and under costed units to take advantage of weaknesses in the overall  structure of the game.  They also tend to take advantage of rules loopholes that Games Workshop either doesn’t realize exist or don’t care enough to change. For those of you unaware of how the Screamer Star works (and to a lesser degree the Khorne Dogg rush) the Demon player uses several different spells, demonic gifts, and war gear options to create a multi-wound unit that has a 2+ re-roll able invulnerable save.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Yes, your breath does stink.  It’s probably from the Doritos and Mountain Dew you had for breakfast, tubby.  Anyways, there is now essentially a ‘god mode’ cheat available to Demon players.

Unfortunately, this is far from a recent phenomenon in our little niche hobby.   Think about the last tournament you attended.  How many players were sporting 2 to 3 Helldrakes or Riptides?  How many people had armies that were so new you could SMELL the primer on them?  As long as Games Workshop continues to create units with over powered abilities primarily to sell models we will have asshole players who gleefully choose to buy these models instead of paying their minimum credit card payments on their 23% interest Citibank credit card.  That’s a run on sentence.

This recently got me to thinking about how little respect I have for people who run these lists.  Now, I’m not talking about someone who has a Riptide here or a Helldrake there; I’m talking about the all out cheese dick lists that make you shake your head in disgust.  Much like the image of your parents having sex without a condom.  You’re welcome.  I truly have no respect for people who take these army lists to a tournament.  I used to think that list building was a large part of the game and we should stand in awe of these killer lists that demolish dicks on the table top.  Now?  Not so much.  How much skill does it take to realize that a 2+ re-roll able invulnerable save multi-wound unit or 3 Helldrakes that have a 360 degree flamer template that is strength 7 AP 3 is a good thing?  Why should we respect these people?  Because they can read?  Because they can break the game and give their opponent no chance to beat them?  Guess what?  I can put my fat ass in my Taekwondo dobok and beat the shit out of a 5 year old in the studio across the street, but was I better than that kid or was I physically bigger than them?  Would you feel good about winning a fight like that?  If so, congratulations on having Tau-Dar list.

When I was 10 I figured out the invincibility code for Doom and I beat the game a couple days later.  Sure, it was nice getting to the end of the game but it wasn't satisfying.  The cheat code had cheapened my experience.  I view these cheese ball lists the same way.  When 6th edition broke I played a game with my Grey Knights using Draigo and a unit of Paladins.  This was before the FAQ took away the Paladin’s ability to look out sir each other and all of their shots were precision.   The game was a slaughter.  The look on my opponent’s eyes as his entire army shot at this unit and couldn't take out a single model was enough for me.  I packed that unit away and never played it again.  I realized that I had unlocked the invincibility code.  I now have far more respect for players that can win tournaments with armies that do not take advantage of the latest hot shit.   Much like Mr. Glass searches for lone survivors in the movie Unbreakable, I scour the major tournament standings for players that win with generic lists.  Those are the truly good players.  Those are the ones to watch out for.

Thanks for reading.

RD

Brawl in the Fall Recap

Gather 'round friends, 'cuz its time for a tournament recap.  This weekend me and the rest of the Team Zero comp 'B' team traveled down to sunny Clovis California to take part in the annual rogue trader tournament, Brawl in the Fall.  Image the delight of the tournament organizers when instead of Reece, Frankie, Dan and Grant they get the slovenly Pascal, Jeremy, Keno, and Jason.  The frightful foursome (porn title patent pending) Oops!

Did you know that Fresno had a bad part of town?  I do now!  Not wanting to wake up at 5 am to make the 3 hour drive to Clovis yours truly had the bright idea to simply google 'Motel 6 Fresno' and make a reservation for the first motel to pop up.  I knew I made a huge mistake when we pull into the motel at 10 pm Friday night and it is literally ringed by prostitutes and semi-trucks.  Needless to say we slept with one eye opened and were up and out of there as soon as the sun rose.  Also, there was a tweeker with a pit bull knocking on our door trying to sell us a bag of priceless gold coins he found in a Crown Royal bag.  THAT HAPPENED TO ME.

On to the tournament!

So here is the basics for the Brawl in the Fall tournament.  It is a  one day 1750 point, 3 round tournament using the Bay Area Open mission format.  If you are interested in running a tournament using this format or just curious about what the hell I'm talking about, you can find the info here.  Let me just say that I LOVE this tournament.  It is capped at around 40 players and draws great locals and out-of-towners alike.  Some of the Sacramento crew like the lovely Liz Foster and the guy with the mowhawk haircut came down as well as some people from as far as Bakersfield.  I really encourage anyone who can to attend this tournament at least once.  Here is their info if you are interested.

Before we get to my opponents, let's go over my list for the Brawl

Jason Butler Raw Dogger
Iron Hands 1750

(Self Portrait)

LIST
Chapter Master - Terminator Armor, Thunder Hammer, Shield Eternal
Terminator Assault Squad - 4x Thunder Hammer +Storm Shield 1x Lightning Claw, Land Raider Crusader
Tactical Squad- +5, Vet Sarg with Power Ax, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Rhino
Tactical Squad- +5, Vet Sarg with Power Ax, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Rhino
Scout Squad- +1, Melta Bomb, 1x Sniper Rifle
Storm Talon- Assault Cannons, Skyhammer Missles
Land Speeder x2, Typhoon Missile Launchers
Devastator Squad- +3, 4x Missile Launchers
Whirlwind

A fairly basic Space Marine list.  I wanted to try out the Iron Hands' chapter tactics (6+ Feel No Pain, It Will Not Die on vehicles and characters).  I'm not really impressed with those and in the future will most likely run the army as Ultramarines for the greater versatility.

GAME 1  Primary- Purge the Alien  Secondary - The Scouring 
 Result = Win

Opponent: Grant (lives near Yosemite)
Army: Dark Angels

List:  Grant didn't have an extra army list so this is from memory.

Sammael- On the jet bike thing.
Librarian- Powerfield
Ravenwing Command Squad- Apothecary, Banner, Champion
Dreadnought- Twin Linked Lascannons
Ravenwing- x6 Multimelta Attack Bike and Land Speeder Typhoon
Ravenwing- x6 Multimelta Attack Bike and Land Speeder Typhoon
Dark Shroud
Whirlwind
Whirlwind
Devestator Squad- 4x Lascannons

Thoughts:  This game was tough and went down to the last turn.  I had actually thought I lost this game due to Grant getting some last turn kill points but it turned out that I had one more than he did when the game ended.  I forgot how good that 5+ feel no pain is on that damned Command Squad as when it came down to the assault with my Terminators and Chapter Master and his Command Squad he could not stop rolling 5+ feel no pain to thunder hammer wounds.  Oh well.  I really liked his army.  A mix of fast moving, hard hitting bike squads and artillery and lascannons from the back field.  Also, he yelled 'Khan!!!11!!' whenever something bad happened and that ALWAYS scores bonus points in my book.  Thanks, Grant!

GAME 2 Primary- Emperors Will Secondary- Big Guns Never Tire
Result= Loss!

Opponent: Joe (redacted)
Army: Eldar

List
Farseer- Jetbike,
Fire Dragons- Wave Serpent
Dire Avengers- Exarch, Wave Serpent
Guardians- Scatter Laser, Wave Serpent
Guardians- Bright Lance
Jetbike Squadron
Warp Spiders- Exarch
Swooping Hawks- Exarch
Fire Prism
War Walkers x2
War Walker x1

Thoughts:  I knew this was going to be an uphill battle going into this game.  Eldar are a nightmare and this list is exactly what I am afraid of.  Serpent Shields that ignore cover and do d6+1 hits demolish my Rhinos, Whilwind and Speeders.  They out range me and and can hit me from anywhere on the board.  The Bright Lances also make short work of my Land Raider, leaving my assault Terminators to hoof it towards their (fast moving) lines, only to be rended to death by their basic troops (who I can't catch).  The game would have been over sooner had there not been a giant line of sight blocking piece of terrain in the middle of the table that I hid behind.

GAME 3 Primary-Table Quarters! Secondary- Purge the Alien
Result: Win!

Opponent: Matt Majchen
Army: Space Wolves

List
Rune Priest- Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Jaws
Rune Priest- Jaws, Murderous Hurricane
Grey Hunters- Plasma Guns, Rhino
Grey Hunters- Plasma Guns, Rhino
Grey Hunters- Meltaguns
Grey Hunters- Meltaguns
Grey Hunters- Flamers, Drop Pod
Grey Hunters- Flamers, Drop Pod
Thunderwolf Cavalry x2, Meltabombs
Thunderwolf Cavalry x2, Power Fist
Long Fangs- Missile Launchers
Long Fangs- Missile Launchers

Thoughts: I have a LOT of respect for the 5th edition Space Wolves horde lists.  That many armor 3 bodies on the table is going to be trouble for anyone to deal with.  Me and Matt talked a lot about his list during the game and we agreed that he is really struggling with anti-air.  If he goes against a 2 or 3 Helldrake list he will be losing 2-3 units per turn.  A great opponent, major balls for taking this list, and a nice guy overall.  Cheers, Matt!

So that's it.  Another Brawl has come and gone and once again, I had an EXCELLENT time.  Overall, I am happy with my list and barring the Chapter Tactics I most likely won't be changing anything in it for some time to come.  The next big tournament will be Adepticon in April.  This will be 1850 so I will most likely add a Thunder Fire Cannon into the mix and call it a day.  Thanks for reading!

Beasts of War Waylaid! Comikaze Cancelled! Alliteration Abounds!

Hello all,

Apologies for not writing for so long, but I honestly just had nothing to say.  They say the key to creating a lasting blog with hundreds of followers is to post consistently and often.  That's probably right.  Anyways, here are some things that happened this week in wargaming that I cared about.

Comikaze Cancelled

After two strong years, the love child of cosplay and 40k has come to an end.  I've gone to both of the previous Comikaze tournaments and had been planning on attending this year as well so I was pretty bummed when the news dropped that the event was being cancelled.  I believe the cap was going to be 64 players, and since not even half of the spots had been filled by last week, the convention organizers decided it was not worth the hassle and cancelled the tournament outright.  It seems strange that they wouldn't even give Reece and the guys at Frontline Gaming the last few weeks (3 weeks) to get sales up.  You can read about it on Dakka here.   It seems to me that they already had another act lined up for the floor space and gave Frontline an impossible target, knowing that they wouldn't be able to sell the tickets in time.  A bum deal all around.  It really was a fun event and drew a TREMENDOUS amount of curious convention goers to the gaming area to see what all these fat guys were doing with their little army men.  Games Workshop could learn a thing or two about marketing from Reece and the guys at Frontline Gaming.

Beasts of War Waylaid

Yesterday, the premier tabletop wargaming news and preview site announced that due to legal pressure from Games Workshop they would be ceasing their partnership with Wayland Games.  You can watch the youtube announcement here.   The quick and dirty is that Games Workshop was not happy with Beasts of War for previewing their model kits and talking about upcoming model releases.  Games Workshop, through roundabout means, continuously sent Beasts of War cease and desist letters which were for the most part largely ignored.  Games Workshop craftily went after Beast of War's partner and financier Wayland Games, and threatened to block their distribution account.  Wayland games wisely took the high road and cut Beasts of War loose.  The worst part about watching that video is Warren's complete disbelief that Games Workshop would do this to him.  While they will be leaving to continue to produce (and fund) the show on their own, it most likely will be a slow and painful death for Beasts of War.  That's business, bitch!

Non-Taudar Dominance?  BULLSHIT

So we had two large-ish tournaments go down in the last week or two and SURPRISE two non-Taudar armies came out on top.  The Golden Throne tournament (Southwest) saw a strong Space Marine showing with a White Scars army come out on top.  I'm not too surprised about White Scars being the front runners of the Space Marines codex, as they are extremely fast and hard hitting.  I still think that  more people should take three Hell-Drakes but that's just me.  At Battle Foam's Duel Con in Mesa, Arizona we saw Daemon dominance on the top tables.  From what I hear the amount of line of site blocking terrain and the crazy amount of Screamer Stars spelled the doom for point and click shooting armies.  Personally I think the people who take the Screamer Stars are just as bad as those people taking the Riptides with characters, etc.

So that's it!  Next week I'll try and get a couple posts in.  I've just finished the heresy novella Mark of Calth that I want to talk about and I'll go over my list for the upcoming Brawl in the Fall.  Peace!

New Space Marine Codex in THREE...TWO...MEH

Used with permission from Jervis

Hello everyone!  I'm back from my wargaming and blogging hiatus (my real world job got INTENSE!!11!) and Jesus tap dancing Christ wouldn't you know it a fucking codex gets released.   Not just any codex, mind you, but the codex for the army that started it all for our socially awkward hobby, The Space Marines.   I've been a Space Marine player since back in the 4th edition and like most other people in this hobby I have been growing sick and tired of my Marines collecting dust on my hobby shelves.  They definitely needed a shot in the arm and I was REALLY excited that they were finally being updated for the 6th edition.  Last Friday I made sure to get out of work early enough to get to my local store, Frontline Gaming, so that I could get my hands on this 400 page monster.  I sped home like a fat guy with a rapidly cooling bucket of KFC chicken and did a 360 into my covered parking spot.  After kicking in the front door I threw the cat out the got' dang window (I didn't have time for her shit) and popped open the codex.

After a few hours of reading and re-reading the unit entries and staring at all of the shiny new toys and pictures it occurred to me.  The codex was about as MEH as the last but cost around double the price.  THANKS, OBAMA.  The economy!  The new codex didn't even remotely fix the issues the Marines are having on the tabletop in the 6th edition.  Mainly the obsolescence of the 3+ armor save and the complete erosion of cover.   Ironically, this new codex has actually made their own units WORSE.  While it's very cool that they got the Dark Angels points reductions ,they unfortunately followed the Dark Angel's tactics of getting Hell Draked, Blade Stormed, and Riptided off of the top 10 tournament tables.  As stated above, one of the new shinies that the Space Marines received was the Grav Gun.  A weapon that wounds against the target's armor save and automatically immobilizes vehicles on a penetration roll of a 6.  Are people still bringing terminators or Land Raiders?  Not now they aren't!  A lot of people are saying how great the new anti-flyer tanks are.  REALLY?  You basically have a quad gun on an armor 12 tank that does not have Interceptor.  NICE ONE.  Oh they missile launching tank that has one shot and if you miss you have the potential to hit the target at a later time (that is, if they don't elect to just go off the table).  AWESOME.

The sad fact is that this codex fails to address the current issues with Warhammer 40k 6th edition.  Armor 3 no longer matters.  With so many weapons that are not only AP 2-3 but also ignore cover Space Marines are essentially obsolete.  This codex has no way to effectively deal with the 2 Hell Drake, 2 Riptide, 6+ Wave Serpent tournament lists that you are seeing on the tables.  Not to mention what Demons are capable of.  So while it is cool that the codex gives us an Eternal Warrior storm shield and a flaming sword that is strength 7 AP 2, I believe in the next few months when we see the results of the next large tournaments we will see that the codex (while adding to the variety of the 40k universe) did little to change the current Tau/Eldar/Demon dominance.

Something's Stirring in the Jungle

No, that title's not a euphemism I use when asking my fiance to have 'relations' , though it most likely will be from now on.  I'm actually going to give Warhammer Fantasy a start again, which I even find surprising.  Let me throw it down for you.  Two years ago I was still plugging along with 8th edition Fantasy while just getting back into 40k. I had just found a new gaming group in the East Bay, and being new to the area found myself really enjoying their laid back attitude towards the game.  Then I played in my first competitive Fantasy tournament and got tabled by a 14 year old Skaven player in two turns.  Into the closet went my Dwarves and they stayed there for a year before I sold them to buy a gun line Imperial Guard army (because that was totally unique in the 5th edition).

Honesty, I haven't given Warhammer Fantasy more than a thought since then.  Sure, I would see the Fantasy gamers now and again at tournaments and stuff but the old feelings of the overpowered nature of the magic phase for certain armies and the ability to throw a ton of dice to remove entire units (Teclis and Slann come to mind) really turned me off the game.  However, new codicies began to come out and I would hear more and more about the balancing of the 8th edition.  Then, Reece Robbins at Frontline gaming announced a Fantasy escalation league designed to get people slowly into the game.  You can check out the details here.  The long and short of the league is that we will begin at 500 points.  Your models must be painted and you must play a certain amount of games in the allotted time.  Perfect for people just getting into the game (or back into the game!).  Lucky enough for me, I came into a good amount of Lizardmen models about a year ago and lo and behold a new Lizardmen codex just gets released.  Talk about fortuitous kick to the nuts! (If you like that sort of thing).  I just picked up the new codex and a couple models from Frontline after work today and I'm already thinking about lists and nut kicking combos!  We'll see how I balance this with my 40k duties, especially with the new Space Marine codex coming out.  I'll also try and post progress shots of my first 500 points.  So that's it, you can get back to looking at pictures of cats or Japanese nut kicking porn (If you like that sort of thing).

Rawdogger on the Radio?

So my friend Carl asked me to come down to Yahoo headquarters and participate in his podcast, The Independent Characters, this past weekend.  I've been a fan of his podcast since I began really participating in the hobby back when I was living in Korea, so to get this chance to participate really meant a lot to me.  Check it out!

http://theindependentcharacters.com/blog/?p=3085

Blood Angels (Don’t) Suck? How to Use Blood Angels in 6th Edition 40K

Hello all,

 I’m back from my blogging hiatus to drop some knowledge into your eye holes regarding everyone’s favorite 6th edition red headed step child *whew*, the Blood Angels.  No matter how much I try to build and use armies with updated codices I find myself consistently being drawn back to the armored VAMPIIIIRES IN SPAAAAAAAACE *cough* *cough*.  I’m not particularly fond of getting my ass handed to me and I don’t necessarily have a secret WIN button for the little blood suckers, so why is it that I find myself sitting in front of my television night after night writing army lists for the Blood Angels?  It’s most likely stubbornness more than anything else.  I've spent more time and money than I’m willing to admit building and painting my Blood Angels models over the past 3 years and seeing them becoming more and more obsolete as the 6th edition behemoth chugs along makes me see red (wakka wakka!).

Last weekend I took my Blood Angels to a local Grand Tournament, the Golden Throne.  I put together what I THOUGHT was a competitive list and promptly got Bladestormed, Hell Draked, and Riptide(d) off the tables.  It was fairly embarrassing.  Looking at the 6th edition codices that have come out thus far it is easy to see why Blood Angels have suffered the nerf hammer more than most.  Cheap plasma and armor ignoring weapons have made life difficult for your average Space Marine.  More infuriating is that the only Marine codex to come out in the 6th edition, the Dark Angels, have a lot the same units at a fraction of the point cost that the Blood Angels pay.  Throw in Games Workshop’s need to completely neuter assault in the 6th edition and a Furious Charge/Feel No Pain nerf and baby, you have yourself a red armored shit stew!  Yet still I find myself believing that the Blood Angels still have what it takes to be a top tournament army.  Here are a few units that I believe still have what it takes in the current AP2 cover ignoring 6th edition.

Mephiston, the mother fucking LORD OF DEATH - Mephiston got a lot of flack in the transition to 6th edition, and with good reason.  His sword magically became AP 3 and the lack of invulnerable save made him a prime target for AP1 Storm Guardians (like 6 points?).  Also, strength 7 weapons seem to be handed out with every movie ticket.  Despite all of this, I believe that he does have his uses and still causes MAJOR stress on the part of your opponent.  A lot of players will dramatically alter their deployment to stay away from him and that can set you up for a good game.  He can still lay the smack down with a base strength 6 which can be increased to strength 10 with the use of his psychic power, the Sanguine Sword.  I primarily use him as a monster hunter but watch out because he is still only AP3 with his sword so Riptides should only be assaulted if entirely necessary.  He is also quite fast with a jump pack psychic power (Wings of Sanguinius) and a base Fleet, which means he’ll normally getting into assault turn 2.  At the Golden Throne tournament I had him run up to a Wraith Lord and pummel it, then move on to an Avatar and bitch slap it to death.  At 250 points Mephiston should only be taken in high point cost games.  Say what you will about the Lord of Death, but he keeps his pimp hand strong.

Sternguard Veteran Squad - This isn't really fair because this unit is also good in the Codex: Space Marines codex but they are still a must have in the 6th edition Blood Angels.  What’s not to like about these guys?  In an edition dominated by high toughness monsters and mobs of cheap troops hiding in cover, Hellfire Rounds (wound on a 2+) and Dragonfire Bolts (ignore cover) are the FUCKIN TITS.  Put these guys in a drop pod with a priest (I like Brother Corbulo for his 2+ Feel No Pain wound tank ability) and watch your opponent cry as his models melt off the table.

Terminator Assault Squads - The ol’ beat stick is still beatin (dick).   You can’t go wrong with these guys.  Put them in a Land Raider with a priest and a Librarian (Divination) and point them at the thing you want to die.  These guys are good in all Marine codices but whatever,  ITS HAMMER TIME, BITCH.

Death Company - Yes, I am aware that this unit does not score and yes I am aware that they cost 20 points per model.  I am also aware that your squad just shit their pants and died.  DEAL WITH IT.  Throw these guys in a drop pod with a Chaplain and a power weapon and power fist and watch your opponent scramble to deal with them.  Oh and guess what?  They’re Relentless.  Take bolters for maximum death.  Each model has 5 strength 5 attacks on the charge (Rage) and with the Chaplain they re-roll all hits and wounds.  Remember that power sword and power fist?  You can’t challenge them away.  CYA.

Assault Squads - No, I’m not talking about Assault Marines with jump packs.  Don’t take those.  In a world dominated by weapons that are AP3 they won’t last long no matter how many Feel No Pains you have.  What you SHOULD be doing is taking advantage of their cheap pimp wagons and sitting backfield until the Short Bus Dragons get taken out.  My favorite builds are the 5 mans with a meltagun and power ax (yes, you need to be able to kill stuff) riding in a Razorback with Twin-Linked Lascannons.  Which brings us to…

Razorbacks - Did you know that Blood Angel transports are fast?  Did you know that Fast Vehicles can move 12” and still fire a weapon at full ballistic skill?  Now you know.  Assault Marine Squads have a built in 35 point discount on any transports they take.  DEAL BREAKER.

Predators - I’ll cover all the predators variants here.  Look, the ability to move 6” and fire all of your weapons at full ballistic skill has won me more games than I care to admit.  Being able to re-position your auto cannons/lascannons to get that perfect kill shot is worth the higher point cost you’re paying above the Dark Angels.

Baal Predators - GET SHIT DONE.  These guys are my go to with the Blood Angels at the moment.  AV 13 fast vehicles that also have the ability to Scout (Outflank)?  I’ll take three please.  I normally take the Assault Canons / Heavy Bolters combo and they can REALLY lay down covering fire.  The best thing about these guys is their ability to Outflank.  They can come in from behind you opponent and blast the living SHIT out of a tank or a wimpy back field scoring unit.  WILL BUY AGAIN.

So that’s it.  In my current opinion, the way to build a decent Blood Angels army is to mix the fast Razorback scoring units with beater units such as the Assault Terminators in Land Raiders.  I would start by using the 500 points necessary to get the terminators and their pimp mobile and then get as many Razorback Assault Marine units and Baal Predators you can afford. If you are planning on going to a tournament that allows Forgeworld or is 2000 points double Force Organization.....good luck. Thoughts?

How Dark Angels will Shoot your Nuts Off!

Hello all!  Sorry for the long delay, I’ve had life things happening recently and haven’t had a lot of time to game or write about gaming, but I think the 8 of you who actually read this rag will hopefully forgive me.  In fact, to make it up to you all I’m prepared to send you a nice cash reward for continuing to read my blog. Just send me your bank account and pin number and I’ll deposit the reward in a timely manner.

 ANYWAYS


Today I wanted to talk about running a shooting based Dark Angels army.  Since 6th edition began I can say with certainty that my primary army has been Dark Angels.  I, like most of the online community, at first felt that the 6th edition Dark Angels were a bit meh and didn’t really sync well with the other 6th edition (hardcover) codices.  They don’t have a lot of anti-air, which is pretty crucial in a world of Hell-Turkeys and Flying Croissanwhiches.  What they do have in their OWN fliers are overcosted and underperforming, in my opinion.  It’s not that they are bad, per se, its just that there are units in other codices that do the same thing for a lot less points.  While the Dark Angels certainly have a lot going for them in terms of elite assault units, you have to understand that 6th edition does not cater well to them.  Have you actually tried to run dedicated assault units in a competitive tournament setting?  You will be blasted off the table by turn 3 and left wondering where it all went wrong.  Why did your cat bite you in the toe when you were putting on your socks?  Was it because your girlfriend left you when she found out you were wanking it to My Little Pony fan porn?  I don’t know, I can’t answer that.  All I know is that while the Dark Angels codex certainly has some cool looking and themed units, their point costs are just too high in an edition dominated by low costing, high power outputting units (Tau, Eldar, etc).

I was ready to throw in the towel with the Dark Angels, to be perfectly honest, until I started realizing the point decreases in units that I had previously been overlooking.  Old stand by units like the Whirlwind and Predators were point costed much lower than any previous iteration of Space Marine codex.  It soon became evident that I had been getting distracted by the new shiny Terminator suits and lighting fast motorcycles while overlooking the REAL gems of the Dark Angels codex, the DAKKA.  GIMME DAKKA!

Here are some examples of units that I have been using almost exclusively in the past couple weeks.  After I will show you a shooty list that I think really has a shot in competitive play.

· Whirlwinds – These guys took a significant point reduction and have gotten even BETTER in the 6th edition due to how great barrage now is.  The ability to demolish backfield wimpy units and negate cover saves has won me more games than I care to admit.
· Predators – Again we have a significant point reduction.  I have always been a fan of these, what with and AV of 13 and the ability to shoot 2 strength 7 AP 4 Autocannon and two strength 9 AP 2 Lascannon shots a turn you can really put the hurtin’ on some Wraithknight or Riptide ass.
· Land Speeder Typhoons – I sound like a broken record but again the point reduction really has these guys as a must take.  Put them near a Librarian with Divination/Preciensce and you twin link their missile launchers and heavy bolters.  WINNING.
· Dark Shroud – Ok, this isn’t really a shooting unit but it will keep those shooting units alive longer with the ability to give Stealth to any unit within 12”.  If you are running your gunline behind and Aegis (as you should) that is a lot of AV 13 tanks with a 3+ cover save.
· Dreadnaughts – These guys can come CHEAP for a ton of Dakka.  Personal favorite is the Twin Linked Autocannons but the Missile Launcher/Lascannon is also fairly devastating (and expensive!).
· Tactical Squads – I have been putting these guys in Razorbacks to defend against Hell Turkeys and they're fairly reasonable price wise.  Just give them a special weapon and run the Razorback with Assault Cannon or Lascannon turrets.  Really fast scoring units are great.

So here's the current 1850 list I'm running.

Dark Angels 1850 - Space Marine Allies

HQ
Librarian (Lv.1) Divination

TROOPS
5 man Tactical Squad with Meltagun, Razorback with Twin Linked Assault Cannons
5 man Tactical Squad with Meltagun, Razorback with Twin Linked Assault Cannons
5 man Tactical Squad with Flamer, Razorback with Twin Linked Lascannons

FAST ATTACK
2x Landspeeder Typhoon
Darkshroud

HEAVY SUPPORT
Predator with Autocannon and Lascannon sponsons
Predator with Autocannon and Lascannon sponsons
Whirlwind

ELITES
Dreadnaught with Twin Linked Assault Cannons

Allied Space Marines
Librarian (Lv.1) Null Zone and Gate of Infinity

10 man Scout Squad

Storm Talon with twin linked Assault Cannons and Skyhammer Missiles

Thunderfire Cannon

So, what do you guys think?

GW Trend toward Direct Sales??

It's more likely than you may think.  Today news from Spikey Bitz (I add the Z because the Z makes it sexier) that the Wave Serpent from the Eldar Codex has gone out of print and will now be a direct order item.

Stolen from freshcoastgaming.blogspot,com

So what does this mean?  Coming from a retail background myself it would make financial sense for Games Workshop to gauge the popularity of specific units from new codex releases (i.e. what they are running low on stock in) and then go direct to the customer for beefier margins.  Look at it this way.  You produce a large brown phallic shaped object, we'll call it a Bildo.  It costs you $5 to make the veiny oblong and you decide it should retail for $20.  In order to reach a wider audience and ultimately sell more Bildos you allow independent retailers to buy the sweaty tube for $12, which they can then resell for $20.  Hey, you made a $7 dollar profit on the Bildo and didn't have to worry about logistics.  That Bildo is getting pretty popular!  You can't produce enough of them to keep up with the Bildo orders coming in from those independent retailers.  Wait a minute.  You know that people are literally throwing money at those independent retailers for your Bildo.   Why shouldn't they be throwing their money directly at you?  Screw those independent retailers.  Sure they give you free advertising and provide a place for your patrons to try out their new Bildos with their male friends, but fuck those guys! You can get a larger $15 dollar profit on those Bildos when you sell them directly, and you KNOW that it is hugely popular with tons of guys.  Hey!  Why not retail those Bildos for $22?  It's not so much that people will notice too much, and its not like those guys aren't going to buy and enjoy their Bildos so it's a win win.  AND SCENE.

You kind of get it.  Games Workshop is beginning their slow cut out of the independent retailer.  The way that they look at it, in the bizaro Games Workshop way of looking at things, is that they do not need the independent stockists any longer.  Mark my words.  It began with the slow closure of Battle Bunkers around the United States.  They know that they do not need to provide a gaming space to sell their products.  In fact, it might be detrimental to sales to offer gaming spaces in their shops.  Games Workshop is finally coming around to the fact that the demand for their products is such that they do not necessarily need a middle man to facilitate sales of these products.  These game stores will continue to have tables available to drive sales of other tabletop games, and with the large US tournament scene Games Workshop knows that there will be events to showcase the hobby.  I believe we will see this happening SLOWLY, with more and more hot selling items going to direct only sales.  This does leave the door wide open to second party game companies such as Privateer Press to make headway into the game stores and facilitate events but they have a LONG way to go.  Games Workshop is such fixture in the table top gaming community that Warhammer is almost a verb in the way that Google is.  It will be an interesting year and I for one, with many friends who make their living off of selling Games Workshop products, hope that Games Workshop takes a big step back and remember just who made this hobby what it was.  It isn't their pushy one man stores with the 10 year old brats whining to their mothers about what to buy them.  It's not their shitty website offering bundle deals that are more expensive than buying the products individually.  One click deal?  Thanks, assholes.  The thing that gets people into the hobby are the friendly local game stores.  The place where you walk in and SURPRISE, people are playing and talking about Warhammer.  The place where the owner knows your name and is GENUINELY happy to see you.  The place that runs tournaments because it's FUN.  That is what drives sales.  THAT is what creates excitement. Not bullshit bundle deals.  Not NEVER giving discounts.

So I will wait and see what the future of Games Workshop's relationship with the independent retailers holds.  In the meantime, I'll be visiting and purchasing the models that I love from my local game stores.  Because they sparked my love for the hobby and you know what?  I like being around them.

Happy 4th of July

I'll be spending this rare day off like everyone else i.e. eating too much BBQ and moving as little as possible. 'MERICA!

The Trials and Tribulations of a Space Marine Player in 6th Edition

I've been playing Space Marines for about as long as I've been playing 40k (around 15 years if you want to know).  Throughout all those long years wasting my hard earned money I've played all flavor of Marines; from the over-zealous Black Templars to the emo rocker Blood Angels.  Throughout the 4th and 5th edition Space Marines enjoyed a fairly consistent power level ranging from mid to top tier tournament placings.  Sure they got lots of flak from the online community for having a better than average stat level and getting the lion's share of GW attention and why not?  Space Marines are essentially the bread winning member of the household and are about as iconic to Warhammer 40k as you can get.  Honestly, if I read one more asshole on BOLS comment about a Space Marine release with 'SPEZ MARINZ' I would shit my pants.  And not in a good way!

Having become tired of the repetitive nature of the 5th edition tournament scene (Space Wolves or Grey Knights for the win? Yes) I had taken a break towards the end of it's life cycle.  After learning that the 6th edition was coming out and the promise of endless army composition and combinations due to the ally system, I took my marines out of the closet and prepared for battle.  At first, things didn't change much.  My Space Marines were holding steady and in many ways seemed to have gotten better with the changes to 6th edition.  Their rapid firing bolters gained range and their basic troop's abilities to take and hold objectives was game winning in an objective dominated game system. I was happy.  Then the sky darkened.....

I looked up into the air and beheld the fall of an empire.  A beast which breathed fires hot enough to melt through power armor like a hot knife through dog shit.  Cover could not protect me.  I tried to be sneaky and run behind the great behemoth as it flew overhead, but was dismayed to learn that it could also breath the fire out of its asshole.  Whole squads of my beloved Space Marines where annihilated by the hellfire of the Helldrake.  Chaos Space Marines were released and the Emperor wept.  With no viable way to shoot it down, I turned to twin linked weapons with the hope that THEY may fell this foul beast.  It worked. That is, until they decided to take 3.....

My beloved Astartes were reinforced by the valiant Dark Angels.  Surely GW would give us some tool to fell these great Dragon Turky beasts (which were soon joined by flying Croissant-like things) and we would no longer rely on our puny Imperial Guard allies.  This was not to be.  We received Flakk missiles that cost 25 points and were strength 7.  You could certainly take 4 of them in a Devastator Squad, but that would just ensure the Hell Drake knew which unit to fry first.

When Chaos Demons were released I truly learned how weak the Space Marines were in combat.  It took the Demon players about 10 seconds to learn that multiple large units of fast moving rending units would make mince meat out of Space Marine units twice their point cost.  My Assault Marines gather dust.  The basic Herald could annihilate an entire squad themselves.  The only defense against the initiative 6 rending machines was to hold in cover and take the charge, hopefully killing a couple of them before they get into you turn 2-3.  Flying units laugh at our unreliable anti-air abilities.

The Tau Empire got a much needed release and the 40k community learned what it is to play a shooting game without any cover saves.  The plethora of high strength plasma and missile shots ensure that our 3+ cover save is obsolete.  Even the basic strength 5 pulse rifle wounds our hardy Space Marines on a roll of a 3.  Yes, you get an armor save but how many 1s and 2s will you roll on 12-15 dice?  Want to deep strike those Terminators?  Army wide interceptor will ensure that you'll lose 220-260 points in no time!

The sneaky Eldar were next.  Army wide rending once again makes our armor save obsolete.  Eldar special move run shoot rule makes sure you'll be outmaneuvered and shot to pieces in short order.  Surprise surprise, Eldar have a plethora of cover ignoring weaponry.

So where are we now as Space Marine players?  It's certainly not any easy road to the top tournament tables at the moment.  The plethora of high strength low AP weapons is exasperating as is the increasing amount of cover ignoring weaponry.  We DO have some good things going for us at the moment. The great thing about the Dark Angels 6th edition codex is that we see the point costs for future Space Marine units.  Surprise surprise, the things that I list below as being GOOD mostly happen to be the things that got cheaper.

• Land Speeder Typhoon Squadrons.  Especially near a psycher that can Prescience them to gain Twin-Linked.  These guys are now auto include for me and the amount of damage (especially twin linked) that they can put out is staggering.
• Librarians.  These are a great primary or secondary HQ, especially for their abilities in buffing your other units.
• Whirlwinds.  Barrage weapons have gotten really good in 6th edition and the once 'useless' Whirlwind is now a much feared unit for the Space Marines.
• Thunder Hammer Storm Shield Terminators remain to be boss.  The Invulnerable 3+ save goes a LONG way in the Strength 7 AP 2 ignore cover world of 6th edition.  Blood Angels can get Feel No Pain to make them even more survivable.
• Bikes.  Toughness 5 fast moving units are nothing to sneeze at.  Unfortunately the Helldrake will kill an entire unit fairly quickly.  Dark Angels is really the way to run them since they can be scoring, but Blood Angels can get Feel No Pain.  
• Null Zone still rocks face.  Oh, please re-roll those invulnerable saves Demons.
• Thunderfire Cannons.  Again, taking away cover saves is pretty rad in 6th edition.  Put THEM on the receiving end for once.

So, what do you guys think?  Can Space Marines (and their variants) survive 6th edition tournaments without allies?  What are some other great units to take?