Two of my friends are just getting into (or back into) 40k and both have decided to settle on Orks and as I've foolishly neglected Igota4 for awhile I thought this the perfect opportunity to add something worthwhile.
This overview is directed towards new players, so for those who are experienced I suggest seeing this as a 'back to basics' post which might still have some insight. Non-Ork players could even use it as a rough guide to what you might expect in order to come up with ideas to counter them in your lists.
It should be said first that Orks in general work up close and personal (unsurprising), but this doesn't necessarily mean close combat it just means the majority of Ork weapons have short ranges compared to other armies. Orks are however quite mobile, can be decent at mid-range and are almost always able to charge into close combat as well since most of their weapons are assault. Of course as a lot of other armies rely on rapid fire weapons, getting close also means risk getting shot more (even Eldar & Tyranids who don't use rapid fire rely on close range).
Before getting into things I'll warn that a lot of this is personal opinion backed by experience with the game and a small degree of online research. Don't complain to me if you find some units differently suited for you, everyone has their own tastes and playstyle.
ORK RULES
Mob Rule!
A fantastically powerful ability and the reason people are often happy taking huge units rather than smaller ones in Trukks/Wagons.
The enemy has to take the unit below 11 models to be able to stand a chance at pushing them back and even around the 9-10 mark will have trouble.
Downside is if you lose combat and have 11+ models you have to take some extra saves equal to how much you lost by, but Ork's are good at winning combat and a few extra saves is much better than risking a Ld test which could cause the unit to be wiped out (quite likely if Orks run due to their low Ini).
Furious Charge
+1 Str on the charge is great for Orks as it lets even basic boyz wound marines on 4+ and most other infantry on 3+ ^^ The extra Str also gives them a chance against most tanks (not dreads or land raiders etc) as a lot of vehicles are rear armour 10 and you always count as hitting rear armour in combat.
The +1 Ini is less useful as a lot of armies will still be going first, but it lets you go at the same time as guard (handy if charging 40man units, as even basic guard are a danger in such numbers).
Waaagh!
Unless you have Ghazghkull this isn't always great as a lot of the time you'll be able to get within 6" anyway and giving up shooting for a few extra inches isn't always worth it.
Still, if going through difficult terrain Waaagh! is a great way to surprise your opponent by getting close enough when he didn't think you could.
HQ
Discounting special characters, the Ork selection of HQ's are alright but not great..
Warboss
Very nice stats for their points, although armour and wargear lets them down for me. Big Choppa is alright as he's an okay initiative but combat HQ's without a power weapon aren't too great and with his limited armour/invunerable saves, a Power Klaw is risky as he can be targeted separately in combat (Tgh 5 helps but still).
Big Mek
Nicely cheap with many shiny options, probably my favorite HQ and a favorite in a lot of tournament lists I've seen. Decent in combat but not great and burna's are helpful multi-use tools.
Really tho all we care for are the Shokk Attack Gun and the Kustom Force Field (you can't get both).
* Shokk Attack Gun's provide some fun and powerful very long range firepower to a codex which lacks some. With a large blast and Ap2 it'll really make holes in units (remember their low Bs when scattering tho) and as Ordnance (roll two dice and pick highest for penetration) it'll hurt vehicles decently. They are unreliably tho which adds to the fun but can at times mess you over (so not too good for tournaments but good for games with friends).
* Kustom Force Field's are the main reason a lot of people take Big Meks. As Ork's are lightly armoured and either want to get close to the enemy or have large groups which are hard to get in cover, the KFF helps protect them well. 5+ cover to all units with models within 6" is great and vehicles within 6" (including any he is on) get a 4+ cover save! <also as there is no model you can convert a KFF using whatever pile of mek-bits you have>
Weirdboy
Not badly priced and almost certainly the most unpredictable thing in the game *smiles* Each of their powers (except 'Eabanger obviously) are quite powerful tho unfortunately some don't work well with some units (teleport combat guys before they can charge so they can't this turn etc) but if you've taken one then you've already accepted that wacky things will happen.
Note: Its rarely a good idea to have a Weirdboy without some Orks with him, Weirdboyz have no choice but to use powers if on the board and their Ld of 7 means they won't happen much, Ork's upping his Ld towards the 10 mark are great.
ELITES
Many to choose and all very nice!
Nobz/Meganobz
Stronger than boyz, more attacks than boyz and two wounds each... Good but not cheap, so good to have them in a truck or something so they don't get shot up too much.
Painboyz are a little costly but in larger units is probably better than 'eavy armour (6+ with 4+ re-roll is better than 4+ by itself and the 4+ re-roll even applies against Ap3/4 weapons). Weapon options are alright but can get costly fast!
Meganobz are a cheaper option if you want lots of Klaws and you get better armour and guns as a bonus *giggles* Unfortunately they stop you getting a Painboy and are are somewhat slow, not to mention they take up two slots in transports. A huge unit will scare the hell out of the opponent (Unless they have units such as thunder hammer/storm shield termies) but a small unit can be useful to throw at tanks or just to sit on an objective in cover and be difficult to budge (if taken as troops).
Burna Boyz
Always been a favorite of mine, a unit of these in a Trukk can be very nasty. 5-12 flame templates shooting from a moving Trukk (6-7") is fun and against marines you can just charge getting a pile of power weapon attacks (tho you'll attack last usually)...
* Unfortunately Burna Boyz can't get a Trukk themselves, but a looted wagon, Battle Wagon or simply some other units Trukk that the Burna's jumped in early in the game all work well (and are pretty Orky).
Tankbustas
Often disregarded due to Ork's low shooting skill, but with a unit of 15 thats an average of 5 Str8 Ap3 hits which will worry opponents. Plus if they get a transport (can't get their own but see Burna Boyz) they can all shoot from it.
Personally I don't see the point of Tankhammers as I'd rather be able to shoot as they've Tankbusta bombs for combat against vehicles anyway.. Bomb Squigs are nice to up the accuracy of the unit and catch an opponent by surprise but remember if you do put your Tankbusta's in a transport there is a chance the squig'll just blow that one up!
Lootas
Very common in tournament lists due to their range and mass Str7 shots. A lot of people use Transports in 40k and Lootas are pretty good at breaking them and are also good at breaking monstrous creatures (tyranids etc) before they get in combat with your boyz.
I wouldn't bother upgrading to Meks as they lack the range of the Deff Gun are aren't any better against vehicles (Unfortunately in GW's box of Lootas one comes comes as a Mek).
Kommandos
I dislike these as very un-orky! *nods* Plus 4pts per model is expensive just to set-up a bit closer, get through cover a bit better etc.. Especially as they can't get objectives like normal boyz.
Only use I can see is is they can go in reserve and come on from the sides of the table, catching the enemy by surprise but this is a little random so still not worth it to me.
TROOPS
Troops are always very important as they are the only things that can take objectives and the stardard chart forces you to take two anyway.
All Ork Boyz are nicely cheap with decent stats for their points but I will do separate notes as weapon option changes a lot.
Ork Boyz ~ Slugga
With slugga boyz you want them up and in combat quick, their mass attacks will make up for being Str3 and when charging they are Str4 anyway! I'd suggest almost always getting a Nob with a Power Klaw as unlike bosses they can't be targeted separately from the unit meaning they're easier to keep alive so they get their attacks and it'll also mean the unit can threaten things like Dreadnoughts/Monstrous Creatures which the basic boyz either can't or have serious trouble hurting.
Last note, Stikkbombs are all but useless and not worth the points.
Ork Boyz ~ Shootas
These seem favoured in tournaments if only for the reason they can sit on objectives and still affect the battle while slugga boyz tend to charge the enemy and desperately try and get to objectives before the game ends (unless the enemy happen to be on that objective at the time).
Its best to get them cover, either using a Big Mek with a KFF or by just plopping them in cover *smiles* Even if they only move 3-4" due to terrain their guns still allow them to strike a decent distance away (using actual cover can restrict their line of sight tho).. In combat they still get a nice number of attacks and in numbers should be able to hurt most things.
As with slugga boyz, never bother with stikkbombs but a Nob with a Power Klaw is a handy consideration (tho not as needed as shootas aren't always going for combat).
NOTE: If you upgrade a Nob to have a better combat weapon, they always get a slugga in their other hand despite being a shoota unit.
Grechin
Everyone loves grechin but unfortunately they are utterly dreadful! As you must take a herder for every ten grots, 11 models is only 10pts cheaper than 10 Orks and Orks have far better stats and weapon options...
There are a few tactics for them tho!
* The top use for grotz amusingly fits the Orky nature best. A line of grots in front of your groups of Ork boyz will provide cover saves!.. They actually beat Ork boyz for this use as opponents will shoot a covering unit of Boyz but are less inclined to waste shots on grots when they can shoot the big unit of boyz behind them.
* Just as a unit of boyz can absorb the blows of a Monstrous Creature, keeping the Nob alive to smack it with his Power Klaw a unit of grotz can absorb a monstrous creatures attacks while the herders jab it with grot-prods (always wounding on 4+ is nice against monstrous creatures, but no help against Dreadnoughts)... And 55pts for 10grots with a prod is much cheaper than 95pts for 10boyz with a Klaw, however their Ld lets them down so the unit might flee and get wiped out, you do have the Squig Hound/s to help here but you'll need a lot of grots!
* I've seen them used as a cheap unit to hold objectives near your zone (Stand there and hopefully get ignored), but as a unit of 10shootas is only a lil' more expensive I'd go with shootas for this role.
Others
A number of Nobz/Meganobz units and Deff Dread's can also be taken as troops dependent on your HQ choices.
In the case of Nobz/Meganobz this is great as their extra survivability is nice for getting objectives and more importantly frees up elites slots for the other great units in larger games.
I wouldn't advise this with Deff Dreads unless you have 4-5 actual troops and really want another heavy thing because as vehicles they can't capture objectives (even as troops.
Trukk
While not troops, you'll get most Trukks from troops so will include it here..
Trukks are speedy, being able to go 18/19" maximum but most of the time you'll do best around the 12/13" mark as that way you get to shoot, the boyz inside can get out (and be able to charge) and most importantly if the Trukk's blown up (not uncommon) the boyz inside won't be automatically killed.
Personally tho Trukk's are at their most amusing when they are destroyed, which is my biggest attraction to them.. Of course as noted in Burna's/Tankbusta's I do like the idea of big groups of boyz shooting from them as they move!
FAST
Stormboyz
While I actually own a unit of these (can't recall why/how) I wouldn't really advise their use. At double the cost of a normal boy for only an increase in speed, they just aren't good.
They do move fast (faster than a lot of these if they charge too), but they don't benefit from Waagh so when that activates Ork boyz aren't that much slower when charging.
Warbuggies
Nicely cheap and speedy but fragile rust-buckets. A unit of these are the cheapest way to get rokkits flying at the side/rear armour of the enemy but they will get shot up quick.
Alternatively you could go with Skorchas, in which case against armies that aren't all in vehicles they are fantastic distraction units as you race them around to the enemy... Infantry armies like Adjudicator's Eldar & Anony's Scouts will go well out of their way to stop Skorchas which will give the rest of your army chance to do their thing! Plus if the Skorchas get close they will hurt!
Warbikers
Fairly cheap, tough and always get a 4+ cover save. I like Warbikers and they even have decent guns, hehe. They are pretty straightforward, racing forward guns blazing, shrugging off incoming fire somewhat and then joining combat (they still have two combat weapons, so 4 attacks each on the charge).
Again a Nob with a Power Klaw is a good idea if you have a decent sized unit.
Deffkoptas
Two wounds each, tough and fast. These have a lot of uses, you can use them like Warbikers as their extra wound makes them even tougher to kill with small fire, although they are easier to kill with Str8+ weapons due to instant death. Deffkopta's get a free move before the game thanks to 'Scouts' so turbo-boosting them 24" before the first turn will make an opponent change his tactics, plus it gives them a 3+ cover save if the opponent gets to go first.
A regular tournament tactic however is to take single model units armed with Rokkits & Buzzsaw. Alone they are less likely to attract fire from large enemy units and that weapon combination gives them a special anti-tank role... You turbo-boost them before the game to get close to the enemy tanks (you can't get within 12" using 'Scouts') and then on the first turn you jump 12" forward close to the tank, shoot your rokkits and if the tank survives you charge it with your 3 Str7 Power Klaw attacks (which automatically hit if the tank hasn't moved, I.e. if you get first turn), you also get 2 Power Klaw attacks if still in combat in the opponents assault phase tho only at Str6 (fairly likely as you've a good chance to cause Crew Stunned/Immobilised).. Then in your next go you can either back away to shoot/charge again or move onto another vehicle and do the same, assuming the enemy hasn't decided to get rid of it by then *laughs* Plus if you pick a vehicle on the side of the enemy army and only cause Crew Stunned/Immobilised, the tank itself will block sight or give cover!
HEAVY
Battlewagon
I love Deathrolla's so I've a fondness for Battlewagons and you can get them without taking slots if you've a unit of Nobz (tho you can't get a Killkannon).. Battlewagons are also great if you want to move a decent sized unit of boys (13-20, for 12 or less Trukks are better as faster and cheaper).
The downside of Battlewagons is they can get costly fast if you start grabbing wargear, and they are slow compared to Trukks. Speed is the downside two ways, firstly you don't get your boyz in as fast as Trukks (tho you can still go 12/13", get out and charge, assuming you don't take a 'ard case) but mainly the trouble is weapons... If it moves (even to turn on the spot) you can only fire one of the many weapons you can put on a Battlewagon and if it goes more than 6/7" it can't shoot at all..
This is counter-intuitive as transports are good to keep moving but its mass weapons make you want to stand still.
NOTE: If you have a Killkannon, firing that stops you shooting other weapons anyway so you might as well go 6/7"
Deff Dread
Nicely cheap and not too costly even if you grab more claws. Deff Dreads will make a mess of things in combat (tho avoid monstrous creatures/combat dreads with an Ini of 4+ and also be careful of 'hidden' power fists/klaws as noted in Ork Boyz).. Personally I'd suggest big shootas or skorcha weapons, tho more klaws is always fun.
Killa Kans
Only slightly less tough and around half the price of Deff Dreads, Killa Kans are very nice (plus they are grotz which is funny!)..
Their higher Bs makes them more reliable with guns than Deff Dreads and their Ws of 2 isn't that bad as you'll still hit the majority of things on 4+, only characters or the very rare elite model/unit will cause you to need 5+ and as you can get a unit of two for the point cost of one Deff Dread you actually end up with more attacks.
Last thing about these, units.. Tis common in tournament lists to see multiple units of three of these (sometimes nine Killa Kans in one army) due to the better shooting and mass Str10 attacks.
Flash Gitz
I'd avoid these, Bad Moons have never been a clan I've liked (yay deathskulls) and Flash Gits get expensive very fast and don't hit any better than other Orks... Painboy option tis interesting as would give you a relatively tough unit to budge off (Tgh4, 2wounds with 4+ armour and 4+ re-roll) but they can't hold objectives so meh.
If you want Orks with gadgety weapons, take Lootas!
Big Guns
More Grotz meaning a better chance to hit, Big Gun units will fall apart easily if shot at but Kannons & Zzzap Guns provide some long rang anti-tank which may help get opponents out of transports. I wouldn't bother with Lobba's as Orks don't usually have trouble against infantry and throwing inaccurate blast marks is bad as they could scatter to your units.
Looted Wagon
Cheap as a Trukk with better armour. Looted Wagons don't get the gun and aren't as fast but still allow you to move 12/13", get out and charge!
You could grab a Boomgun, but if you really want a big blast cannon I'd consider a Battlewagon with Killkannon, which while hasving a shorter range and slightly less power (it'll will still kill most troops on a 2+) I feel the 45pts difference is worth the better armour, more transport space and you avoid the 1 in 6 chance the vehicle won't get to fire its cannon each turn, others may disagree tho.
WARGEAR STUFF
I've covered bits of this above, such as stikkbombs being all but worthless and Power Klaw nobs being nifty..
Big Choppa's
One less attack but +2 Str, I'm not too fond of these.. They do let you break tanks (Nobz becoming Str7 on the charge) for cheaper than Power Klaws and both reduce your attacks equally but you'll likely be striking last anyway and Klaws give higher Str and ignore armour. I put these as a poor mans power klaw for vehicle killin' purposes..
Kombi-shootas
Cheaper than imperial combi-weapons and sometimes worthwhile, I wouldn't really bother with a one-shot Rokkit with Ork's low BS but a Kombi-skorcha is fantastic... More powerful than marine combi-flamers for less points and of course don't rely on Bs!
Kustom Mega-blasta
Half as likely to hurt yourself as you are to hit the enemy.. That sums up why I think these aren't worthwhile, Ap2 isn't fantastic as cover isn't hard to get and while their Str8 makes them better than imperial plasma guns they can't rapid fire.
Cybork Body
A nice choice for the points cost and can make for fun looking models
VEHICLES
'Ard Case
If you ever plan to put troops in the vehicle, ignore this upgrade... Not being open-topped might make the vehicle survive a little more it stops you shooting all your troops from it and worse means you have to get out before it moves if you want to charge!
Armour Plates
Cheaper than the imperial equivalent and nice if you want to keep the vehicle moving because its got troops inside, generally a personal thing whether you think its worth the points.
Boarding Plank
While fun I don't really see the point, most of the time you'd be better hopping out and charging the vehicle anyway... But at times you might not want to risk the unit getting shot just to break open a lone vehicle or don't want to risk getting attacked back by Dreadnought..
Grabbin' Klaw
Another fun option which I'm unsure of the use.. But racing at the enemy and then preventing their movement can often really upset an opponents tactics so who knows.
Grot Riggers
Another way of helping the vehicle keep moving, cheaper than Armour Plates and less reliable as you still lose a turn while they repair and even then its 50/50.. But if the vehicle is important and will be a waste if immobilised on turn one/two, its a worthwhile investment!
Red Paint Job
You'll notice I've regularly noted vehicle move distance in the style of 6/7", thats because of Red Paint!
An Orky option and that extra inch is discounted for all calculation purposes, so it doesn't affect shooting or troops getting out!
Reinforced Ram
Mostly pointless on a Battlewagon as they can tank shock and have front armour 14 anyway.. On other vehicles I guess it's up to you but I wouldn't bother.
Stikkbomb Chukka
Cheaper than giving a whole unit of boyz stikkbombs (especially if talking a unit of 20 in a Battlewagon), but stikkbombs are still not too useful for most Orks.. I'd only really consider them if a 12+ unit of Nobz without Power Klaws as their Ini is 4 on the charge.
Wreckin' Ball
Similar to a Boarding Plank in use but if you've a Nob with a Power Klaw on board the Boarding Plank is less powerful.. At 10pts I'd probably not consider it, but being able to drive off and break tanks after the unit gets out is interesting.
There we go, comments as always are welcome. Let me know your thoughts on things.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Army List Considerations ~ Dark Eldar
I've been fond of my fluff-based semi-competitive Dark Eldar list for awhile, it has performed really well in the past and while I haven't used it enough to master all the little nuances and tricks I still do alright.
My standard list thus far has consisted of the following:
Lelith Hesperax
Haemonculus ~ Shattershard
9 Incubi
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Shock Prow, Torment Launchers, Night Shield
9 Wyches ~ Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Shock Prow, Torment Launchers, Night Shield
4x
10 Wyches ~ Two Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Night Shield
7 Reavers ~ Two Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Razorwing Jetfighter ~ Disintegrator Cannons, Splinter Cannon, Night Shield, Flickerfield
Ravager ~ Night Shields
As mentioned the list has performed rather well, providing enough mobile models to threaten where needed. However there are two things which cause the army a lot of trouble, firstly I'm unsure that nine Dark Lance (and two Heat Lance) are enough anti-vehicle firepower. I've yet to face another list with massed vehicles to be sure of this, the closest I've faced is a Storm Raven & three Razorbacks which my Dark Eldar dealt with rather well. As such I've accepted this flaw in the list.
The second flaw and one that has got me considering alterations is high-toughness / FNP units. I've always been hesitant against high toughness creatures, typically keeping aboard the Raiders and dropping them with mass pistol and dark lance fire. The other day (using a much smaller version of the above list) however I faced a chaos army with a very large Plague Marine unit which just proved impossible to remove.
We had squeezed the game in quick and was rushing it somewhat (skimping on some rules unfortunately, such as rolling all his melee attacks against my units without FNP when at least a third of the unit should have been making their attacks against units with pain tokens), so perhaps that was the cause but even with over thirty Wyches I was losing combat each round.
If the game was 2,000pts as above I've have the Razorwing Jetfighter but relying on that doesn't seem good.
Here are my thoughts then:
* Is Lelith efficient enough for her cost? A number of my regular opponents really fear the number attacks Lelith is capable of, yet realistically I don't think she performs well enough usually.
* I've likely too much wargear on the vehicles. Night Shields have saved me a few times, tho are expensive (80pts total) and rarely get a chance to make use of the Chain Snares since combat is bound to ensue the moment the Raiders get close.
I'll write up the result of my considerations thus far, downgrading Lelith and stripping most of the wargear from the Raiders. In exchange I've added numerous Agonisers and against my usual preference Haywire Grenades. Here we go:
Succubus ~ Agoniser
Haemonculus ~ Shattershard
9 Incubi
> Raider ~ Torment Launcher
9 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Hydra Gauntlet
> Raider ~ Torment Launcher
2x
10 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Two Hydra Gauntlets, Haywire Grenades
> Raider
2x
10 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Two Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider
7 Reavers ~ Two Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Razorwing Jetfighter ~ Disintegrator Cannons, Splinter Cannon, Night Shield, Flickerfield
Ravager ~ Night Shields
My standard list thus far has consisted of the following:
Lelith Hesperax
Haemonculus ~ Shattershard
9 Incubi
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Shock Prow, Torment Launchers, Night Shield
9 Wyches ~ Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Shock Prow, Torment Launchers, Night Shield
4x
10 Wyches ~ Two Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider ~ Chain Snares, Night Shield
7 Reavers ~ Two Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Razorwing Jetfighter ~ Disintegrator Cannons, Splinter Cannon, Night Shield, Flickerfield
Ravager ~ Night Shields
As mentioned the list has performed rather well, providing enough mobile models to threaten where needed. However there are two things which cause the army a lot of trouble, firstly I'm unsure that nine Dark Lance (and two Heat Lance) are enough anti-vehicle firepower. I've yet to face another list with massed vehicles to be sure of this, the closest I've faced is a Storm Raven & three Razorbacks which my Dark Eldar dealt with rather well. As such I've accepted this flaw in the list.
The second flaw and one that has got me considering alterations is high-toughness / FNP units. I've always been hesitant against high toughness creatures, typically keeping aboard the Raiders and dropping them with mass pistol and dark lance fire. The other day (using a much smaller version of the above list) however I faced a chaos army with a very large Plague Marine unit which just proved impossible to remove.
We had squeezed the game in quick and was rushing it somewhat (skimping on some rules unfortunately, such as rolling all his melee attacks against my units without FNP when at least a third of the unit should have been making their attacks against units with pain tokens), so perhaps that was the cause but even with over thirty Wyches I was losing combat each round.
If the game was 2,000pts as above I've have the Razorwing Jetfighter but relying on that doesn't seem good.
Here are my thoughts then:
* Is Lelith efficient enough for her cost? A number of my regular opponents really fear the number attacks Lelith is capable of, yet realistically I don't think she performs well enough usually.
* I've likely too much wargear on the vehicles. Night Shields have saved me a few times, tho are expensive (80pts total) and rarely get a chance to make use of the Chain Snares since combat is bound to ensue the moment the Raiders get close.
I'll write up the result of my considerations thus far, downgrading Lelith and stripping most of the wargear from the Raiders. In exchange I've added numerous Agonisers and against my usual preference Haywire Grenades. Here we go:
Succubus ~ Agoniser
Haemonculus ~ Shattershard
9 Incubi
> Raider ~ Torment Launcher
9 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Hydra Gauntlet
> Raider ~ Torment Launcher
2x
10 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Two Hydra Gauntlets, Haywire Grenades
> Raider
2x
10 Wyches ~ Hekatrix w/ Agoniser, Two Hydra Gauntlets
> Raider
7 Reavers ~ Two Heat Lances, 2 Cluster Caltrops
Razorwing Jetfighter ~ Disintegrator Cannons, Splinter Cannon, Night Shield, Flickerfield
Ravager ~ Night Shields
Monday, 12 September 2011
Sisters of Battle ~ My Thoughts
I've likely hinted already that I have a strong love of the Adepta Sororitas fluff, the reasoning of why they exist along with their strong religious background, how the Ecclesiarchy's financial resources give them wargear to rival Space Marines and of course the tales of Alicia and her companoins are all lovely and nicely thought out.
Plus Goge Vandire is one of my favorite bad guys despite the high likelyhood that few players will even know who he is *laughs*
However as with many people I was highly disappointed with the recent Sisters White Dwarf rule release, I would even go as far as to be insulted in truth.
I'll admit the rules have been out for awhile, but this blog hasn't and I've actually yet to try to army in battle so I feel perfectly suited to detail my early opinions.
First Thoughts and Fluff
As usual, the first thing I did was to check through the different unit names to see whats there and while a little disappointed to see nothing new besides command squads and happily surprised to spot the return of some old characters I swapped to my real interest which was the fluff.
It was here that I was insulted to the point I actually returned the White Dwarf. This is something that wasn't covered in the reviews done by the blogs I read so I feel I should make some comment on it (in italics no less!):
For a company that I've remarked before as being great at giving even fluff loving players what they enjoy, the utter lack of effort of the sisters release was shocking. Even going as far as to have huge chunks shamelessly copy/pasted from the old 3rd edition codex without even slight rephasing.
Okay, most people wouldn't notice and perhaps if they were retyping slightly different I may not have, but word for word copy/pasting is simply not something I'd come to expect from Games Workshop.
Saint Celestines revival as (fluff-wise) an equivalent to the Sanguinor, especially in the Wars of Faith section suggests a lack of imagination too on behalf of the writer. In the 3rd edition codex she had fallen in battle (despite being her introduction as a character) and instead of taking the revived leader / living matyr approach which would have fitted the army so well, having her as a mysterious figure who appears when needed just isn't doing her justice.
Having said that, the return of Jacobus was a happy smile as you have to respect anyone crazy enough to lead feudal knights against an army of Genestealers and their kin... Especially as he won!
Rules
This is obviously what most people will care about and while my interest in fluff outweighs my love of the game itself and my competitive nature, I am keen to challenge myself and do well in game.
Firstly, my feeling of being insulted by GW's lack of effort didn't end with the fluff thanks to the contradicting rules for Saint Celestine. In the first White Dwarfs fluff & rules section she was listed as being an Independent Character and in the same White Dwarf she was listed amongst the characters who grant a bonus on Faith Rolls when part of a unit... Yet in the actual army list section in the second White Dwarf she is not an Independent Character, which unfortunately is the section you're supposed to go by in situations when this occurs.
Faith
The old system while not fantastic allowed even basic units to shine through in certain situations unexpectedly with some faith and a little luck, which I believed caught the spirit of the army really well. So unsurprisingly I wasn't happy with the change giving each unit their own act as I can't really imagine different units to be taught different prayers.
My feelings only got worse when I considered that instead of getting faith points based on unit number, you get a set variable amount each turn. This means that strangely the army mechanics make them more potent in smaller games and far less potent towards Apocalypse level, which messes up the balance somewhat. While it has been pointed out that in an average game you're likely to get the opportunity to use faith more (D6 x Turn numbers being higher than my average for standard games previously), it also means you can't use it when it really matters.
Units
The new rules have taken an odd approach in that special characters are quite powerful and surprisingly inexpensive, while unnamed characters are somewhat worthless. I am not exaggerating here, I have tried hard to find a way to fit my converted Canoness into a strong list but since she is only 10pts cheaper than a marine captain once you've brought her an invulnerable save (strange to be the only imperial commander from all the recent codexs not to get one standard) despite far less potent stats (roughly 1pt less on each stat, except wounds, attacks & Ld). Add on that she provides a combat ability to what is a strong close-range shooting army and the disappearance of scrolls providing 3+ invulnerable saves and she hasn't much of a role anymore.
Side note: The new command squad option doesn't even help as having equal points to marine command units despite weaker stats and a lack of power weapon selection (which might have made the Canoness's faith useful) makes them a bad choice. As for their faith, who can rely on a unit which is Relentless only 50% of the time?
Standard troops units haven't changed much, they've gained grenades and can strangely take Immolators despite it being impossible to get the unit to be transported by it (can't combat squad like marines). Their faith is very disappointed, regrouping is nice but doesn't compare to And They Shall Know No Fears's protection against sweeping advances and the ability to re-roll 1's makes me reluctant to buy flamers (which is weird considering fluff)... One last note, while before taking larger numbers than ten in a unit allowed easier use of Divine Guidance there is now no use to take larger units as it doesn't provide additional special weapons and just limits transport use.
Seraphim are thankfully the one unit I've improved my view of, I've always loved the units fluff and image (I'll try to get a picture of my lead unit up soon) but found their old points cost preventive in their use. Now they are cheaper and despite highly expensive special weapon uses work really well in battle.
Their act of faith makes inferno pistols a less thankful selection against vehicles, but they work well enough anyway so I can't really complain.
Dominions have gained scout, giving some interesting options and they are the only unit whose faith provides full use no matter what weapon selection is made. Combined with mass special weapons based on unit numbers and I've some respect for the unit now.
Retributors are still wonderful, although with numbers meaning little to faith and sisters being slightly more expensive now I'll only be taking minimum units regularly. With them still having Divine Guidance (which was what they'd usually use before) they likely haven't changed much against troops (although faith being less reliable now) but as it is fully Rending now the unit has a potential against vehicles.
However, the unreliability of Faith now makes it impossible to safely plan targets in advance.
There are other units, as I felt I'd only want to cover the vital ones and those I found interesting. I can't really see myself ever taking an elite choice with the current rules as Celestians and Repentia have high points costs and not particularly effective in my opinion (real shame to have to shelf my celestian models tho).
In general the army can still be somewhat competitive the limited number of unit options means most armies will all be remarkably similar. Special Character or two (probably Uriah with retinue or Celestine), ten model battle sister units with two special weapons in rhinos, no elites and certainly at least one Retributor unit and Exorcist. The only real variance in lists will be whether flamers or meltaguns with the troops and what fast you'll take. Transports won't be as the high cost of Immolators compared to Razorbacks along with the more limited weapon selection in comparison and loss of the rule which allowed them to move 12" and still fire heavy-flamers has already caused me to remove the turrets of mine to use as Rhinos.
Last thoughts on the rules...
Why in the world are Heavy Flamers so expensive? Is the designer still using 2nd Edition templates? *giggles* Sisters are well known for using them more than any other army, yet their cost means I doubt they'll be seen often unless people really want to make use of the models.
Battle Report
I've said before that I'm a bit of a cynic and because of this I always suspect that the first White Dwarf battle report of a new army list is somewhat bias in favor of the new army. This is the first time it has been so utterly obvious however (making me wonder if GW was serious about the army at all considering earlier points).
A standard mission where one army is able to make use of the weapons and defenses of a Fortress of Redemption. I know they note it as being luck which allowed the sisters to have the deployment zone with the Fortress in, but I'm a cynic as noted.
Actually reading the report, my thoughts can be summarized as:
Honestly GW, you really let me down with these White Dwarf articles... Have you really just given up on Sisters of Battle so much the most you can manage is this feeble gift to prevent demands for a codex?
Plus Goge Vandire is one of my favorite bad guys despite the high likelyhood that few players will even know who he is *laughs*
However as with many people I was highly disappointed with the recent Sisters White Dwarf rule release, I would even go as far as to be insulted in truth.
I'll admit the rules have been out for awhile, but this blog hasn't and I've actually yet to try to army in battle so I feel perfectly suited to detail my early opinions.
First Thoughts and Fluff
As usual, the first thing I did was to check through the different unit names to see whats there and while a little disappointed to see nothing new besides command squads and happily surprised to spot the return of some old characters I swapped to my real interest which was the fluff.
It was here that I was insulted to the point I actually returned the White Dwarf. This is something that wasn't covered in the reviews done by the blogs I read so I feel I should make some comment on it (in italics no less!):
For a company that I've remarked before as being great at giving even fluff loving players what they enjoy, the utter lack of effort of the sisters release was shocking. Even going as far as to have huge chunks shamelessly copy/pasted from the old 3rd edition codex without even slight rephasing.
Okay, most people wouldn't notice and perhaps if they were retyping slightly different I may not have, but word for word copy/pasting is simply not something I'd come to expect from Games Workshop.
Saint Celestines revival as (fluff-wise) an equivalent to the Sanguinor, especially in the Wars of Faith section suggests a lack of imagination too on behalf of the writer. In the 3rd edition codex she had fallen in battle (despite being her introduction as a character) and instead of taking the revived leader / living matyr approach which would have fitted the army so well, having her as a mysterious figure who appears when needed just isn't doing her justice.
Having said that, the return of Jacobus was a happy smile as you have to respect anyone crazy enough to lead feudal knights against an army of Genestealers and their kin... Especially as he won!
Rules
This is obviously what most people will care about and while my interest in fluff outweighs my love of the game itself and my competitive nature, I am keen to challenge myself and do well in game.
Firstly, my feeling of being insulted by GW's lack of effort didn't end with the fluff thanks to the contradicting rules for Saint Celestine. In the first White Dwarfs fluff & rules section she was listed as being an Independent Character and in the same White Dwarf she was listed amongst the characters who grant a bonus on Faith Rolls when part of a unit... Yet in the actual army list section in the second White Dwarf she is not an Independent Character, which unfortunately is the section you're supposed to go by in situations when this occurs.
Faith
The old system while not fantastic allowed even basic units to shine through in certain situations unexpectedly with some faith and a little luck, which I believed caught the spirit of the army really well. So unsurprisingly I wasn't happy with the change giving each unit their own act as I can't really imagine different units to be taught different prayers.
My feelings only got worse when I considered that instead of getting faith points based on unit number, you get a set variable amount each turn. This means that strangely the army mechanics make them more potent in smaller games and far less potent towards Apocalypse level, which messes up the balance somewhat. While it has been pointed out that in an average game you're likely to get the opportunity to use faith more (D6 x Turn numbers being higher than my average for standard games previously), it also means you can't use it when it really matters.
Units
The new rules have taken an odd approach in that special characters are quite powerful and surprisingly inexpensive, while unnamed characters are somewhat worthless. I am not exaggerating here, I have tried hard to find a way to fit my converted Canoness into a strong list but since she is only 10pts cheaper than a marine captain once you've brought her an invulnerable save (strange to be the only imperial commander from all the recent codexs not to get one standard) despite far less potent stats (roughly 1pt less on each stat, except wounds, attacks & Ld). Add on that she provides a combat ability to what is a strong close-range shooting army and the disappearance of scrolls providing 3+ invulnerable saves and she hasn't much of a role anymore.
Side note: The new command squad option doesn't even help as having equal points to marine command units despite weaker stats and a lack of power weapon selection (which might have made the Canoness's faith useful) makes them a bad choice. As for their faith, who can rely on a unit which is Relentless only 50% of the time?
Standard troops units haven't changed much, they've gained grenades and can strangely take Immolators despite it being impossible to get the unit to be transported by it (can't combat squad like marines). Their faith is very disappointed, regrouping is nice but doesn't compare to And They Shall Know No Fears's protection against sweeping advances and the ability to re-roll 1's makes me reluctant to buy flamers (which is weird considering fluff)... One last note, while before taking larger numbers than ten in a unit allowed easier use of Divine Guidance there is now no use to take larger units as it doesn't provide additional special weapons and just limits transport use.
Seraphim are thankfully the one unit I've improved my view of, I've always loved the units fluff and image (I'll try to get a picture of my lead unit up soon) but found their old points cost preventive in their use. Now they are cheaper and despite highly expensive special weapon uses work really well in battle.
Their act of faith makes inferno pistols a less thankful selection against vehicles, but they work well enough anyway so I can't really complain.
Dominions have gained scout, giving some interesting options and they are the only unit whose faith provides full use no matter what weapon selection is made. Combined with mass special weapons based on unit numbers and I've some respect for the unit now.
Retributors are still wonderful, although with numbers meaning little to faith and sisters being slightly more expensive now I'll only be taking minimum units regularly. With them still having Divine Guidance (which was what they'd usually use before) they likely haven't changed much against troops (although faith being less reliable now) but as it is fully Rending now the unit has a potential against vehicles.
However, the unreliability of Faith now makes it impossible to safely plan targets in advance.
There are other units, as I felt I'd only want to cover the vital ones and those I found interesting. I can't really see myself ever taking an elite choice with the current rules as Celestians and Repentia have high points costs and not particularly effective in my opinion (real shame to have to shelf my celestian models tho).
In general the army can still be somewhat competitive the limited number of unit options means most armies will all be remarkably similar. Special Character or two (probably Uriah with retinue or Celestine), ten model battle sister units with two special weapons in rhinos, no elites and certainly at least one Retributor unit and Exorcist. The only real variance in lists will be whether flamers or meltaguns with the troops and what fast you'll take. Transports won't be as the high cost of Immolators compared to Razorbacks along with the more limited weapon selection in comparison and loss of the rule which allowed them to move 12" and still fire heavy-flamers has already caused me to remove the turrets of mine to use as Rhinos.
Last thoughts on the rules...
Why in the world are Heavy Flamers so expensive? Is the designer still using 2nd Edition templates? *giggles* Sisters are well known for using them more than any other army, yet their cost means I doubt they'll be seen often unless people really want to make use of the models.
Battle Report
I've said before that I'm a bit of a cynic and because of this I always suspect that the first White Dwarf battle report of a new army list is somewhat bias in favor of the new army. This is the first time it has been so utterly obvious however (making me wonder if GW was serious about the army at all considering earlier points).
A standard mission where one army is able to make use of the weapons and defenses of a Fortress of Redemption. I know they note it as being luck which allowed the sisters to have the deployment zone with the Fortress in, but I'm a cynic as noted.
Actually reading the report, my thoughts can be summarized as:
"What in the world are Dominators?"
I repeatedly read through Robin Cruddace's notes on his list in case it was simply a fluff name like Squad Athena and his other troop units but found no note on it, leaving me to conclude that the writer of the report actually got two totally different unit names (Dominions & Retributors) mixed up making the battle report quite confusing.Honestly GW, you really let me down with these White Dwarf articles... Have you really just given up on Sisters of Battle so much the most you can manage is this feeble gift to prevent demands for a codex?
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Grey Knights vs Tyranids ~ Battle Report
So I'd never really done one but as I'd been considering starting this blog and battle reports were brought up by my opponent who sometimes writes some of his own, I thought why not have a go?
1,500pts Grey Knights Vs. Tyranids
My Army
I'd made a slight alteration to my usual list, replacing (and converting) Captain Stern who I always felt as rather underwhelming in this force and my tactics with a yet unnamed Grand Master. This allowed me to purchase some of the nifty grenades for both my HQ's, going for Rad over Psychotroke to avoid confusion and have a more predictable effect. Unfortunately I dropped the Psy-colt ammunition from the razorback.
As usual the armies backbone is the highly expensive Paladin unit (a third of my points, without characters), with each of the other units providing certain roles of assistance.
Grand Master - Incinerator, Rad Grenades
Inquisitor - Power Sword, Rad Grenades
Inquisitor Henchmen Unit consisting of six Death Cultist Assassins, two Arco-Flagellants and one Crusader
> Chimera with Heavy Bolter & Heavy Flamer
Purifier Squad with additional member and Halberds
> Razorback with Twin-Heavy Bolters
Seven man Paladin Squad with Apothecary and two Psycannons
Vindicare Assassin
Strike Squad - Psycannon
Strike Squad
Graeme's Army
Graeme had decided to unleash Tyranids upon me, having never really faced them in 5th edition I was cautious yet fairly confident. My knowledge on the army consisting of incomplete looks through the codex and watching some games played by others.
He was nice enough to inform me beforehand that his army wasn't entirely WYSIWYG, something a number of my more regular opponents have a habit of forgetting with their armies. He also made sure I could recognise his nicely converted Tervigon, since GW has yet to make a model for it at all.
Hive Tyrant armed with Lash Whip, Bonesword and Scything Talons. Using Leech Essence and Paroxysm psychic powers.
Three Hiveguard
Five Tyranid Warriors armed with Lashwhip, Bonesword and Scything Talons. With additional Toxin Sacs
Seven strong Genestealer Brood with Broodlord, all with Scything Talons
Fifteen strong Hormagaunt Brood with Toxin Sacs
Ten strong Termagant Brood
Tervigon with Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs, Acid Blood and Catalyst psychic power
Carnifex with Bio-Plasma attack
Trygon Prime
Terrain and Mission
The battle was to cover a standard 6' by 4' area, using the local clubs city-fight map sheet covered with a multitude of ruins and craters.
This left us with a rather nice looking grass free ruined city to do battle through with the five largest ruins around the centre which came in handy. The dice roll revealed that our mission would be Seize Ground with a second roll showing we had a shocking five objectives to battle over. As a search revealed little to represent objectives Graeme suggested we just use the five largest ruins around the centre so we went with it.
As for deployment style, Dawn of War was rolled. A personal favourite of mine although I wouldn't be using my Dark Eldar so not particularly to my benefit.
Graeme had won the roll off and elected to go first, setting up his Tyranid Warriors and Genestealers in two of the vital ruins in his deployment zone, with the Hive Tyrant further back ready to support them.
Myself, I decided to hold my HQ's back placing only the two small Strike Squads on the table, with the Psycannon armed unit on top of one of the vital ruins (luckily quite central, giving a wide view of the field) and the other unit just in front as a mobile screen.
I was already happy with my recent list change as the Grand Master allowed me to grant abilities to units, I rolled well and knowing the large number of objectives and my lack of strong troops units I decided that my Paladins, Purifiers and Vindicare would now all be able to capture objectives as if they were troops.
Turn One
As expected I failed to Sieze Initiative and the Tyranids swarmed forward with all but the Trygon moving on the first turn. Graeme hugged the ruins well, with both Warriors & Genestealers only edging forward. His Hive Guard made a run for one of the ruins on my right while the much of rest of his force were to my left, with his Termagants slipping up and only getting 2" onto the field. His lone Carnefex boldly lumbered forward in the open in full view.
As a heavily combat focused force there was little shooting, but with a grunt of effort his Tervigon spawned an additional unit of eight Termagants, with no double rolled its spawning stacks were still full to do so again later.
My movement was over quick, with my entire force appearing on my left flank, the Paladins more central and the two vehicles further out, as the Vindicare choose a vantage point on a small section of unimportant ruin.
With night fight I was unable to do much, although the Razorback and Paladins managed a few wounds on Graeme's Tyranid Warriors.
Turn Two
Graeme rolled yet it seemed his Trygon was still burying into position and not ready to arrive yet. His force continued to move forward with his Gaunts gaining speed, his Warriors moving out of sight of my vehicles and his Hive Guard running again and reaching a spot in the ruins completely out of sight of where my forces could reach. Their guns of course, not needing line of sight to fire.
As most of our forces were on my left flank, Graeme sent his Hive Tyrant round along my right.
With still no shooting the Tervigon spawned another unit of Termagants and showed no sign of stopping. Out of caution it also channelled its psychic powers and granted Feel No Pain to the Carnifex.
In my turn I sent the Razorback the full 12" along my left flank as the Chimera and Paladins adjusted their positions to fire at their targets. My only other movement being to retreat my mobile Strike Squad away from the approaching Tyranid Warriors.
Now the sun had risen my shooting was far more effective, with the Chimera picking off a Hormagaunt and my Paladins and both Strike Squads unleashing their massed combined fire into the Tyranid Warriors reducing their number to half. The Vindicare meanwhile raised his rifle and fired a shot at the lumbering Carnifex yet to my dismay was just out of range!
The assault phase then begun and with a lucky roll my Paladins could just reach Graeme's Tyranid Warriors yet my Grand Master himself couldn't get into base contact for his attacks. Thanks to their Lash Whips my Paladins were reduced down to initiative 1 and a couple of them took a wound each. The returning attacks however were horrendous, with both the Paladins and Grand Master casting Hammerhand as they charged increasing the units strength to an almighty six! That together with the Grand Masters Rad grenades reducing the warriors toughness to three, meant that I was causing Instant Death with all my attacks, allowing the Paladins to easily cause enough wounds to kill the remaining Warriors several times over.
Turn Three
The third turn was heralded by the arrival of the Trygon, which erupted from the ground in front of my Vindicare with its sights set on the two tanks before it. With this distraction the other Tyranids raced forward, the Hormagaunts and now numerous Termagants making good speed on my left, followed by the Tervigon. The Hive Tyrant forced its way through ruins on my right, with the Carnifex still boldly striding down the centre of the board.
Yet again the Tervigon spawned another unit of Termagants with me wondering when Graeme will finally roll a double and stop. With this new unit running off into the distant ruins to hide alongside the Hive Guard and guarantee him at least one Objective.
Finally having some shooting attacks, Graeme began with the Trygon Prime as it discharged a mass of electrical blasts which caused my Chimera to explode violently, taking both Arco-Flaggelents, the Crusader and one of the Death Cultists with it. Even the Inquisitor couldn't get free of the wreckage unscathed, taking a wound.
The Hive Guard however were less effective, missing with most of their attacks and the rest deflecting harmlessly off the Paladins terminator armour. Lastly, in preparation for next turns assault the Tervigon decided to psychically grant Feel No Pain to the Hormagaunts this time and while it managed to, the roll of double one caused the creature to suffer a wound.
Unsure about the gigantic creature which had appeared in my ranks I took a risk by having the Purifiers move forward to charge the Hormagaunts before they could charge me. Taking the opportunity to move forward slightly my Vindicare hopped from his spot and moved towards the Trygon, the Paladins falling back slightly to support him and the Inquisitor.
It seemed this wasn't needed however as a turbo-penetrator round from the Vindicare and some nice shooting from the Strike Squad in the building took four wounds off the hulking beast. Crossing my fingers that the Inquisitor and his Henchwomen could finish it, I turned the Paladins on the Hive Tyrant on my other flank causing a single wound which was more than the mobile Strike Squad could manage with its stormbolters.
Assault phase came and the Inquisitor and Death Cultists threw themselves at the Trygon, yet again Rad grenades proved my list change good allowing the Cultists to wound on 5's rather than 6's, which saved the day as after rolling a total of twenty attacks I only managed a single 5 and a 6 to wound. Only just enough to slay the monster.
Elsewhere I was beginning to feel dismay for my Purifier Squad which had only slain a single Hormagaunt with their stormbolters and after assaulting and unleashing their lovely Cleasing Flames power, my terrible rolls along with some good Feel No Pain saves meant that I was still facing a full unit! Thankfully the unit regained my trust by slaying an almighty nine with their standard attacks, not the way I expected them to win but I wasn't complaining. Despite managing to slay one of the Purifiers in return it was discovered the Hormagaunts were out of Synapse range meaning with a -8 penalty to their leadership they unsurprisingly fled and were chased down.
Turn Four
Alone and quite some distance from the rest of my force the five remaining Purifiers found themselves huddled together as a large number of Termagaunts move forward readying their guns, as if to make things worse the Carnifex changed direction and turned down a sidestreet towards them as well. Over on my right flank the Hive Tyrant and Genestealers moved forward into the centre of a vital ruin close to my lines.
For the first time the Tervigon does not spawn another unit, but only because Graeme had only three Termagants left in his box and didn't think it worth the risk!
Shooting phase and the Hive Guard start the inevitable torrent of fire at the Purifiers, slaying one. Before the Termagants could open fire the Carnifex churned up a blob of bio-plasma and with amazing accuracy vomits it right atop the Purifiers vaporising all of them and leaving the Termagants targetless.
Before ending his turn, Graeme's Hive Tyrant concentrates the psychic powers of the hive mind and despite the Grey Knights Aegis resistance manages overwhelm the bodies of the Psycannon armed Strike Squad reducing their weapon skill and ballistic skill to 1.
With my strong left flank looking less capable I still decided to focus on the few threats on my right, having the Paladins move back in that direction and taking a risk the Grand Master leaves the unit to stride ahead.
On the left, the Inquisitor keeps his retinue in check, pulling them back slightly in the hopes of avoiding assault long enough to charge myself next turn.
Shooting begins as the Grand Master fires a burst of intense flame at the Genestealers killing several. Despite their vastly reduced ballistic skill the Strike Squad in the building gave their assistance and managed a kill leaving only the Broodlord and a lone Genestealer. Deciding the Hive Tyrant now represented the bigger threat the Paladins and second Strike Squad turned their guns his way and luckily (or unluckily for Graeme) managed to finish the Tyrant off. Elsewhere having little else to target the Vindicare lends his support to the Razorback and together manage to kill three Termagants, not his most impressive moment.
My Grand Masters risk had paid off in the shooting phase now fell flat however as his lumbering armour must have prevented him clambering over terrain, as he was unable to assault the remaining Genestealers.
Turn Five
Unrelenting, Graeme continued his march forward, with the Carnifex returning to the main road. On my left flank the Termagants swarm forward, followed by the Tervigon while on my right the Genestealers prepared to pounce upon my Grand Master. Now I'd killed a few Termagants, Graeme decided he had enough models to spawn another unit, although it turned out he still hadn't enough as he rolled a 4, 5 & 6, the maximum possible without the Tervigon exhausting its supply of larvae, still that was another unit of troops on the field and he already had a better position amongst the ruins than me.
Shooting phase and the Hive Guard worried me slightly as they turned their guns on my Grand Master, scoring three wounds. At strength 8 they represented Instant Death but luckily his terminator armour proved impenetrable. The Paladins terminator armour was less protective as another perfectly spat glob of bio-plasma from the Carnifex landed in their midst finishing off one and killing another. Again the Tervigon psychically toughened a unit, this time it was the leading Termagant group.
In the assault the Grand Master faced off against the two charging Genestealers, suffering a wound from the Brood Lords attacks. In return he managed to slay land a wound on both aliens, killing the standard Genestealer. However despite being Psychic the Broodlord resisted the Daemonbane effect of the wound and remained in combat.
Realising the game was in danger of ending with my only having a single objective the Paladins were forced to leave their master to his fight and head towards the nearest ruin, where the Inquisitor and his retinue were already moving, however they barely managed to make any distance thanks to terrain.
The Vindicare failed to wound with his shot at the Terivon. Disappointed, I then had the two Strike Squads pelt the Carnifex with fire, with little effect and to make the phase worse despite the full firepower of the Paladins and even a well placed Halocaust blast the Termagants in the nearby ruin proved immovable thanks to cover and Feel No Pain.
Assault proved their undoing thankfully as the Inquisitor and the Death Cultists charged in, their power weapons and his Rad grenades giving the unit no chance. The Brood Lord failed to penetrate the Grand Masters armour this time, who in return landed a single wound which he then turned into Instant Death by channelling his powers into his Force Weapon.
Biting my lip, I watched as Graeme rolled a dice which came up a five. The game would continue for another turn!
Turn Six
Fearing the Grand Masters force weapon, the Carnifex ignored the warrior standing before him and heading into the rightmost vital ruin. Over on my left in the other ruin, another Termagant unit encircled the Death Cultists and Inquisitor as more Termagants and the Tervigon settled in a the vital ruin behind it securing the objective, again the hive minds psychic powers proved strong granting Feel No Pain to the attacking Termagant unit.
Shooting was quick as the Hive Guard failed to penetrate the Grand Masters armour again and the Termagant's volley of fire cut down the Death Cultists and left the Inquisitor with a single wound remaining. The Carnifex attempted another blast of bio-plasma, this time at my mobile Strike Squad yet for the first time was off target and missed.
The Paladins made better distance this time, moving to join up and protect the Inquisitor in the ruins. On the other flank the Grand Master and mobile Strike Squad moved after the Carnifex.
Shooting began and the Psycannon unit and Grand Master failed to kill the Carnifex, forcing the other Strike Squad to open fire as well finally bringing the creature to the ground. However, this prevented them from running meaning that while the beast was down I couldn't get the unit into the objective.
Again the Paladins unleashed their guns into a Termagant unit and again cover and Feel No Pain prevented their destruction, although again in a strange case of Déjà vu the Paladins assault, supported by the Inquisitors grenades removed the unit, giving me control of the ruin.
Another dice was rolled and this time the game came to a close.
The Result: 2 v 2
Two objectives each, with the most distance objective held by the spawned Termagants who hid with Graeme's Hive Guard and the other on my left side in his deployment filled with yet more Termagant and their Tervigon spawner.
Compared against my objectives which consisted of the ruin my Psycannon armed Strike Squad had held the entire game and the one my Paladins and captured in the last moments.
The fifth objective was left unclaimed as my mobile Strike Squad had unfortunately failed to reach it due to dealing with the Carnifex.
Interestingly against my original expectations it wasn't the Genestealers, Hive Tyrant or Tyranid Warriors who caused me the most trouble, although the impressive accuracy of the Carnifex's Bio-Plasma caught me off guard each time.
The real trouble in the game came from the Tervigon and the untold masses of Termagants which is spawned, that claimed both of Graeme's objectives. With his luck in never running out of spawns and Graeme's choices of Feel No Pain, the Tervigon really was a thorn in my side the whole game.
After the game Graeme remarked that in retrospect he wasted the warriors and arguably the genestealers who should all probably have just hid in a building somewhere.
As for myself, while the game was a draw I count it as a slight victory, as my model loss consisted of only the Purifiers, the Inquisitors Henchmen, their chimera and two Paladins. Eight marines, a tank and a few unimportant retinue members would barely register in the records of the imperium compared to the casualties they'd inflicted upon the hive mind.
More importantly and the real reason for my taking the game as a slight victory was my choice in adjusting my army list not only prevented my loosing the game since the Paladins could claim their objective (although selecting the Vindicare to be able to take objectives and then positioning him far away from any was a terrible mistake). In addition the spare points which were spent on Rad grenades meant that almost every encounter they were used in was over in a single turn.
1,500pts Grey Knights Vs. Tyranids
My Army
I'd made a slight alteration to my usual list, replacing (and converting) Captain Stern who I always felt as rather underwhelming in this force and my tactics with a yet unnamed Grand Master. This allowed me to purchase some of the nifty grenades for both my HQ's, going for Rad over Psychotroke to avoid confusion and have a more predictable effect. Unfortunately I dropped the Psy-colt ammunition from the razorback.
As usual the armies backbone is the highly expensive Paladin unit (a third of my points, without characters), with each of the other units providing certain roles of assistance.
Grand Master - Incinerator, Rad Grenades
Inquisitor - Power Sword, Rad Grenades
Inquisitor Henchmen Unit consisting of six Death Cultist Assassins, two Arco-Flagellants and one Crusader
> Chimera with Heavy Bolter & Heavy Flamer
Purifier Squad with additional member and Halberds
> Razorback with Twin-Heavy Bolters
Seven man Paladin Squad with Apothecary and two Psycannons
Vindicare Assassin
Strike Squad - Psycannon
Strike Squad
Graeme's Army
Graeme had decided to unleash Tyranids upon me, having never really faced them in 5th edition I was cautious yet fairly confident. My knowledge on the army consisting of incomplete looks through the codex and watching some games played by others.
He was nice enough to inform me beforehand that his army wasn't entirely WYSIWYG, something a number of my more regular opponents have a habit of forgetting with their armies. He also made sure I could recognise his nicely converted Tervigon, since GW has yet to make a model for it at all.
Hive Tyrant armed with Lash Whip, Bonesword and Scything Talons. Using Leech Essence and Paroxysm psychic powers.
Three Hiveguard
Five Tyranid Warriors armed with Lashwhip, Bonesword and Scything Talons. With additional Toxin Sacs
Seven strong Genestealer Brood with Broodlord, all with Scything Talons
Fifteen strong Hormagaunt Brood with Toxin Sacs
Ten strong Termagant Brood
Tervigon with Scything Talons, Toxin Sacs, Acid Blood and Catalyst psychic power
Carnifex with Bio-Plasma attack
Trygon Prime
Terrain and Mission
The battle was to cover a standard 6' by 4' area, using the local clubs city-fight map sheet covered with a multitude of ruins and craters.
This left us with a rather nice looking grass free ruined city to do battle through with the five largest ruins around the centre which came in handy. The dice roll revealed that our mission would be Seize Ground with a second roll showing we had a shocking five objectives to battle over. As a search revealed little to represent objectives Graeme suggested we just use the five largest ruins around the centre so we went with it.
As for deployment style, Dawn of War was rolled. A personal favourite of mine although I wouldn't be using my Dark Eldar so not particularly to my benefit.
Graeme had won the roll off and elected to go first, setting up his Tyranid Warriors and Genestealers in two of the vital ruins in his deployment zone, with the Hive Tyrant further back ready to support them.
Myself, I decided to hold my HQ's back placing only the two small Strike Squads on the table, with the Psycannon armed unit on top of one of the vital ruins (luckily quite central, giving a wide view of the field) and the other unit just in front as a mobile screen.
I was already happy with my recent list change as the Grand Master allowed me to grant abilities to units, I rolled well and knowing the large number of objectives and my lack of strong troops units I decided that my Paladins, Purifiers and Vindicare would now all be able to capture objectives as if they were troops.
Turn One
As expected I failed to Sieze Initiative and the Tyranids swarmed forward with all but the Trygon moving on the first turn. Graeme hugged the ruins well, with both Warriors & Genestealers only edging forward. His Hive Guard made a run for one of the ruins on my right while the much of rest of his force were to my left, with his Termagants slipping up and only getting 2" onto the field. His lone Carnefex boldly lumbered forward in the open in full view.
As a heavily combat focused force there was little shooting, but with a grunt of effort his Tervigon spawned an additional unit of eight Termagants, with no double rolled its spawning stacks were still full to do so again later.
My movement was over quick, with my entire force appearing on my left flank, the Paladins more central and the two vehicles further out, as the Vindicare choose a vantage point on a small section of unimportant ruin.
With night fight I was unable to do much, although the Razorback and Paladins managed a few wounds on Graeme's Tyranid Warriors.
Turn Two
Graeme rolled yet it seemed his Trygon was still burying into position and not ready to arrive yet. His force continued to move forward with his Gaunts gaining speed, his Warriors moving out of sight of my vehicles and his Hive Guard running again and reaching a spot in the ruins completely out of sight of where my forces could reach. Their guns of course, not needing line of sight to fire.
As most of our forces were on my left flank, Graeme sent his Hive Tyrant round along my right.
With still no shooting the Tervigon spawned another unit of Termagants and showed no sign of stopping. Out of caution it also channelled its psychic powers and granted Feel No Pain to the Carnifex.
In my turn I sent the Razorback the full 12" along my left flank as the Chimera and Paladins adjusted their positions to fire at their targets. My only other movement being to retreat my mobile Strike Squad away from the approaching Tyranid Warriors.
Now the sun had risen my shooting was far more effective, with the Chimera picking off a Hormagaunt and my Paladins and both Strike Squads unleashing their massed combined fire into the Tyranid Warriors reducing their number to half. The Vindicare meanwhile raised his rifle and fired a shot at the lumbering Carnifex yet to my dismay was just out of range!
The assault phase then begun and with a lucky roll my Paladins could just reach Graeme's Tyranid Warriors yet my Grand Master himself couldn't get into base contact for his attacks. Thanks to their Lash Whips my Paladins were reduced down to initiative 1 and a couple of them took a wound each. The returning attacks however were horrendous, with both the Paladins and Grand Master casting Hammerhand as they charged increasing the units strength to an almighty six! That together with the Grand Masters Rad grenades reducing the warriors toughness to three, meant that I was causing Instant Death with all my attacks, allowing the Paladins to easily cause enough wounds to kill the remaining Warriors several times over.
Turn Three
The third turn was heralded by the arrival of the Trygon, which erupted from the ground in front of my Vindicare with its sights set on the two tanks before it. With this distraction the other Tyranids raced forward, the Hormagaunts and now numerous Termagants making good speed on my left, followed by the Tervigon. The Hive Tyrant forced its way through ruins on my right, with the Carnifex still boldly striding down the centre of the board.
Yet again the Tervigon spawned another unit of Termagants with me wondering when Graeme will finally roll a double and stop. With this new unit running off into the distant ruins to hide alongside the Hive Guard and guarantee him at least one Objective.
Finally having some shooting attacks, Graeme began with the Trygon Prime as it discharged a mass of electrical blasts which caused my Chimera to explode violently, taking both Arco-Flaggelents, the Crusader and one of the Death Cultists with it. Even the Inquisitor couldn't get free of the wreckage unscathed, taking a wound.
The Hive Guard however were less effective, missing with most of their attacks and the rest deflecting harmlessly off the Paladins terminator armour. Lastly, in preparation for next turns assault the Tervigon decided to psychically grant Feel No Pain to the Hormagaunts this time and while it managed to, the roll of double one caused the creature to suffer a wound.
Unsure about the gigantic creature which had appeared in my ranks I took a risk by having the Purifiers move forward to charge the Hormagaunts before they could charge me. Taking the opportunity to move forward slightly my Vindicare hopped from his spot and moved towards the Trygon, the Paladins falling back slightly to support him and the Inquisitor.
It seemed this wasn't needed however as a turbo-penetrator round from the Vindicare and some nice shooting from the Strike Squad in the building took four wounds off the hulking beast. Crossing my fingers that the Inquisitor and his Henchwomen could finish it, I turned the Paladins on the Hive Tyrant on my other flank causing a single wound which was more than the mobile Strike Squad could manage with its stormbolters.
Assault phase came and the Inquisitor and Death Cultists threw themselves at the Trygon, yet again Rad grenades proved my list change good allowing the Cultists to wound on 5's rather than 6's, which saved the day as after rolling a total of twenty attacks I only managed a single 5 and a 6 to wound. Only just enough to slay the monster.
Elsewhere I was beginning to feel dismay for my Purifier Squad which had only slain a single Hormagaunt with their stormbolters and after assaulting and unleashing their lovely Cleasing Flames power, my terrible rolls along with some good Feel No Pain saves meant that I was still facing a full unit! Thankfully the unit regained my trust by slaying an almighty nine with their standard attacks, not the way I expected them to win but I wasn't complaining. Despite managing to slay one of the Purifiers in return it was discovered the Hormagaunts were out of Synapse range meaning with a -8 penalty to their leadership they unsurprisingly fled and were chased down.
Turn Four
Alone and quite some distance from the rest of my force the five remaining Purifiers found themselves huddled together as a large number of Termagaunts move forward readying their guns, as if to make things worse the Carnifex changed direction and turned down a sidestreet towards them as well. Over on my right flank the Hive Tyrant and Genestealers moved forward into the centre of a vital ruin close to my lines.
For the first time the Tervigon does not spawn another unit, but only because Graeme had only three Termagants left in his box and didn't think it worth the risk!
Shooting phase and the Hive Guard start the inevitable torrent of fire at the Purifiers, slaying one. Before the Termagants could open fire the Carnifex churned up a blob of bio-plasma and with amazing accuracy vomits it right atop the Purifiers vaporising all of them and leaving the Termagants targetless.
Before ending his turn, Graeme's Hive Tyrant concentrates the psychic powers of the hive mind and despite the Grey Knights Aegis resistance manages overwhelm the bodies of the Psycannon armed Strike Squad reducing their weapon skill and ballistic skill to 1.
With my strong left flank looking less capable I still decided to focus on the few threats on my right, having the Paladins move back in that direction and taking a risk the Grand Master leaves the unit to stride ahead.
On the left, the Inquisitor keeps his retinue in check, pulling them back slightly in the hopes of avoiding assault long enough to charge myself next turn.
Shooting begins as the Grand Master fires a burst of intense flame at the Genestealers killing several. Despite their vastly reduced ballistic skill the Strike Squad in the building gave their assistance and managed a kill leaving only the Broodlord and a lone Genestealer. Deciding the Hive Tyrant now represented the bigger threat the Paladins and second Strike Squad turned their guns his way and luckily (or unluckily for Graeme) managed to finish the Tyrant off. Elsewhere having little else to target the Vindicare lends his support to the Razorback and together manage to kill three Termagants, not his most impressive moment.
My Grand Masters risk had paid off in the shooting phase now fell flat however as his lumbering armour must have prevented him clambering over terrain, as he was unable to assault the remaining Genestealers.
Turn Five
Unrelenting, Graeme continued his march forward, with the Carnifex returning to the main road. On my left flank the Termagants swarm forward, followed by the Tervigon while on my right the Genestealers prepared to pounce upon my Grand Master. Now I'd killed a few Termagants, Graeme decided he had enough models to spawn another unit, although it turned out he still hadn't enough as he rolled a 4, 5 & 6, the maximum possible without the Tervigon exhausting its supply of larvae, still that was another unit of troops on the field and he already had a better position amongst the ruins than me.
Shooting phase and the Hive Guard worried me slightly as they turned their guns on my Grand Master, scoring three wounds. At strength 8 they represented Instant Death but luckily his terminator armour proved impenetrable. The Paladins terminator armour was less protective as another perfectly spat glob of bio-plasma from the Carnifex landed in their midst finishing off one and killing another. Again the Tervigon psychically toughened a unit, this time it was the leading Termagant group.
In the assault the Grand Master faced off against the two charging Genestealers, suffering a wound from the Brood Lords attacks. In return he managed to slay land a wound on both aliens, killing the standard Genestealer. However despite being Psychic the Broodlord resisted the Daemonbane effect of the wound and remained in combat.
Realising the game was in danger of ending with my only having a single objective the Paladins were forced to leave their master to his fight and head towards the nearest ruin, where the Inquisitor and his retinue were already moving, however they barely managed to make any distance thanks to terrain.
The Vindicare failed to wound with his shot at the Terivon. Disappointed, I then had the two Strike Squads pelt the Carnifex with fire, with little effect and to make the phase worse despite the full firepower of the Paladins and even a well placed Halocaust blast the Termagants in the nearby ruin proved immovable thanks to cover and Feel No Pain.
Assault proved their undoing thankfully as the Inquisitor and the Death Cultists charged in, their power weapons and his Rad grenades giving the unit no chance. The Brood Lord failed to penetrate the Grand Masters armour this time, who in return landed a single wound which he then turned into Instant Death by channelling his powers into his Force Weapon.
Biting my lip, I watched as Graeme rolled a dice which came up a five. The game would continue for another turn!
Turn Six
Fearing the Grand Masters force weapon, the Carnifex ignored the warrior standing before him and heading into the rightmost vital ruin. Over on my left in the other ruin, another Termagant unit encircled the Death Cultists and Inquisitor as more Termagants and the Tervigon settled in a the vital ruin behind it securing the objective, again the hive minds psychic powers proved strong granting Feel No Pain to the attacking Termagant unit.
Shooting was quick as the Hive Guard failed to penetrate the Grand Masters armour again and the Termagant's volley of fire cut down the Death Cultists and left the Inquisitor with a single wound remaining. The Carnifex attempted another blast of bio-plasma, this time at my mobile Strike Squad yet for the first time was off target and missed.
The Paladins made better distance this time, moving to join up and protect the Inquisitor in the ruins. On the other flank the Grand Master and mobile Strike Squad moved after the Carnifex.
Shooting began and the Psycannon unit and Grand Master failed to kill the Carnifex, forcing the other Strike Squad to open fire as well finally bringing the creature to the ground. However, this prevented them from running meaning that while the beast was down I couldn't get the unit into the objective.
Again the Paladins unleashed their guns into a Termagant unit and again cover and Feel No Pain prevented their destruction, although again in a strange case of Déjà vu the Paladins assault, supported by the Inquisitors grenades removed the unit, giving me control of the ruin.
Another dice was rolled and this time the game came to a close.
The Result: 2 v 2
Two objectives each, with the most distance objective held by the spawned Termagants who hid with Graeme's Hive Guard and the other on my left side in his deployment filled with yet more Termagant and their Tervigon spawner.
Compared against my objectives which consisted of the ruin my Psycannon armed Strike Squad had held the entire game and the one my Paladins and captured in the last moments.
The fifth objective was left unclaimed as my mobile Strike Squad had unfortunately failed to reach it due to dealing with the Carnifex.
Interestingly against my original expectations it wasn't the Genestealers, Hive Tyrant or Tyranid Warriors who caused me the most trouble, although the impressive accuracy of the Carnifex's Bio-Plasma caught me off guard each time.
The real trouble in the game came from the Tervigon and the untold masses of Termagants which is spawned, that claimed both of Graeme's objectives. With his luck in never running out of spawns and Graeme's choices of Feel No Pain, the Tervigon really was a thorn in my side the whole game.
After the game Graeme remarked that in retrospect he wasted the warriors and arguably the genestealers who should all probably have just hid in a building somewhere.
As for myself, while the game was a draw I count it as a slight victory, as my model loss consisted of only the Purifiers, the Inquisitors Henchmen, their chimera and two Paladins. Eight marines, a tank and a few unimportant retinue members would barely register in the records of the imperium compared to the casualties they'd inflicted upon the hive mind.
More importantly and the real reason for my taking the game as a slight victory was my choice in adjusting my army list not only prevented my loosing the game since the Paladins could claim their objective (although selecting the Vindicare to be able to take objectives and then positioning him far away from any was a terrible mistake). In addition the spare points which were spent on Rad grenades meant that almost every encounter they were used in was over in a single turn.
My style and how it compares... Types of wargamers
Took longer than I'd planned but I'm back posting, this time I thought I'd go with something which comes up a lot when chatting about various 40k players... Hobby style.
Model wargaming hobbies are split between a lot of different aspects and while I suppose it is possible for someone to care for one aspect above all others the vast majority of players will have their interests spread across many, if not all the different types, which helps keeps things fresh and fun.
Before I talk about myself, I feel I'll explain my thoughts on the different aspects. Remember these aspects represent interests, not skill. You're more than likely to find someone with a high interest in any of the below, who isn't (yet) too skilled in the field.
So without further ado here is a quick summary of the aspects I'm talking about:
Competitive
This is easily the most well known and talked about, which I've always found surprising. By competitive I don't mean players who disregard what I call the Golden Rule (i.e. that both players should have fun), which is something a lot of players think when they hear about competitive players. Thats not to say such players don't exist and they usually work similarly to true competitive players, just for different reasons.
Instead competitive players are those whose interest lies heavily in the game itself, focusing on learning the rules and tweaking their army lists so they can do their best on the tabletop. Interestingly, a true competitive player is happier when facing a similar player so that their hard work and army list planning is truly tested in a challenging environment. Whether they win or lose, its the challenge of bettering oneself that matters to a true competitive player.
Hobbyist/Modeler/Converter
For the hobbyist the game comes to life the moment they open a box and glance over the contents. A number of these players will spend more time tidying up mold lines, removing flash and deciding on the position of the model than many others will spend gluing and even painting. Conversions aren't always necessary as GW does a great job filling boxes with options and details parts these days, to the hobbyist coming up with a unique and strong post for a standard model can be rewarding, many will go further and do conversions however whether this is a simple hand/weapon swap or detailed molding with green stuff or putty.
These players don't always get noticed or respected much, unless they also happen to be highly interested (and skilled) Painters (see below). This is perhaps in part because they (in my opinion) seem to prefer to let their models talk for them in this regard than detail what parts they used etc (I've met some who feel revealing such secrets to be akin to blasphemy). However personally I feel these players arguably push the hobby more than others.
Painter
This goes without saying as I'm sure we all know someone (or may be someone) who can spend happy hours with a brush in hand, applying additional details and highlighting beyond what in generally reckoned as tabletop quality. Many of these players likely enjoy talking for ages about paint schemes and highlighting methods, some even going as far as to detail which paints and what mix ratios they used. Of course some other players will find this odd or perhaps irritating, but the same can be said about players who go on talking about tactics and army list optimization.
Lovers of Fluff/Background
While a lot of players will skip straight to the army list or wargear sections of a codex when seeing it for the first time, there are those that will read over the stories and background fluff sections, some will not even glance at the rules at all. Many players will know how many Primarchs existed and could name which one led their favourite chapter but those heavily interested in the fluff of 40k will be those who can come up with a list along with an interesting fact of brief story for most of them.
As with all (except possibly the last) of these aspects, GW does a great job in giving the players what they want and keeping them with the hobby, the large background sections of each codex along with the multitude of books demonstates this well and few of those interested in the fluff will not have a selection of such books at home.
Social Players
Probably the only aspect on this list which doesn't really have an extreme degree of focus in that you're unlikely to find anyone who only does the hobby to socialise while not having much interest in the other aspects. Chances are such people drift away after a short while.
On the other hand, chances are this aspect is one which almost every player has some interest in, whether you're a competitive player our seeking a new challenge or a painter after opinions or recognition, you'll have at least some interest in the social side of things. Perhaps there are a few who buy and paint the models only to keep them locked away in their study without others knowing, but I'd say they are the exception.
Grief Bringers
I'll be the first to admit I can be a bit of a cynic at times, so while a lot of others in my position will not include this aspect I feel to be honest I can't leave it out. These players may not admit their interest in this and many may not even realize (and could aggressively oppose the idea) but these players do exist and luckily are quite a minority. *smiles*
There are many types beyond the well known 'false-competitives' who build powerful forces and seek players to squash and defeat. Others include rule-nazi's who will put others down for rule mistakes (not to be confused with players who may instead politely correct the mistake and help their opponent learn), braggers who are so obsessed with their own skill in playing/painting etc that they scorn others and so forth.
Right, now that is all laid out I imagine a few perceptive readers may be able to guess where my interests lie...
Personally I consider my main interests to be hobbying & fluff, although I certainly do have a bit of a competitive streak *giggles* Painting (while I'm not bad) is always a frustration of mine, with my time often spent buying and building various models and then despairing that I now have to paint them.
As for socialness and grief-bringing... My cynicism regarding the second restricts my interest in the first, I've regularly been known to avoid playing someone unless I've either chatted and got to know them outside the game or watched them play someone else.
I do get a bit abrasive at times, my love of the games fluff and competitive streak fighting to the front and occasionally pushing others to learn the rules, improve their army and take an interest in the fluff of their force. Despite this a number of my friends still come to me for advice and to get my opinion on things (as I do with them), so I think I'm nice enough.
When it comes to armies, I have a slightly different outlook than a number of others. I regularly decide on a theme and from there that becomes the armies focus, regularly reaching the point where I reluctantly sacrifice competitive advantage to allow the force to remain tied to the fluff. In addition as a hobbyist I've a number of personalized/favourite models which I've built which I regularly squeeze into armies, to well show off I guess, which also go against the competitive factor somewhat (they rarely go against fluff as I use fluff to inspire my modeling).
Not all my army lists are what truly competitive players will call competitive, in part because of the previous reasons and also because sometimes I enjoy the competitive challenge of using a less than perfect list. I also worry about becoming a grief-bringer to a degree, which prevents me making a totally elite list...
Of course there will be those who'll see my lists and claim I'm highly competitive and they'll likely also be those who read them and see huge flaws. One of the great things about the hobby is that whatever our interest in the above aspects, we all come together and share our thoughts in order to enjoy the game... Unless you're a willing grief-bringer, in which case I do hope you don't live near me xD
Model wargaming hobbies are split between a lot of different aspects and while I suppose it is possible for someone to care for one aspect above all others the vast majority of players will have their interests spread across many, if not all the different types, which helps keeps things fresh and fun.
Before I talk about myself, I feel I'll explain my thoughts on the different aspects. Remember these aspects represent interests, not skill. You're more than likely to find someone with a high interest in any of the below, who isn't (yet) too skilled in the field.
So without further ado here is a quick summary of the aspects I'm talking about:
Competitive
This is easily the most well known and talked about, which I've always found surprising. By competitive I don't mean players who disregard what I call the Golden Rule (i.e. that both players should have fun), which is something a lot of players think when they hear about competitive players. Thats not to say such players don't exist and they usually work similarly to true competitive players, just for different reasons.
Instead competitive players are those whose interest lies heavily in the game itself, focusing on learning the rules and tweaking their army lists so they can do their best on the tabletop. Interestingly, a true competitive player is happier when facing a similar player so that their hard work and army list planning is truly tested in a challenging environment. Whether they win or lose, its the challenge of bettering oneself that matters to a true competitive player.
Hobbyist/Modeler/Converter
For the hobbyist the game comes to life the moment they open a box and glance over the contents. A number of these players will spend more time tidying up mold lines, removing flash and deciding on the position of the model than many others will spend gluing and even painting. Conversions aren't always necessary as GW does a great job filling boxes with options and details parts these days, to the hobbyist coming up with a unique and strong post for a standard model can be rewarding, many will go further and do conversions however whether this is a simple hand/weapon swap or detailed molding with green stuff or putty.
These players don't always get noticed or respected much, unless they also happen to be highly interested (and skilled) Painters (see below). This is perhaps in part because they (in my opinion) seem to prefer to let their models talk for them in this regard than detail what parts they used etc (I've met some who feel revealing such secrets to be akin to blasphemy). However personally I feel these players arguably push the hobby more than others.
Painter
This goes without saying as I'm sure we all know someone (or may be someone) who can spend happy hours with a brush in hand, applying additional details and highlighting beyond what in generally reckoned as tabletop quality. Many of these players likely enjoy talking for ages about paint schemes and highlighting methods, some even going as far as to detail which paints and what mix ratios they used. Of course some other players will find this odd or perhaps irritating, but the same can be said about players who go on talking about tactics and army list optimization.
Lovers of Fluff/Background
While a lot of players will skip straight to the army list or wargear sections of a codex when seeing it for the first time, there are those that will read over the stories and background fluff sections, some will not even glance at the rules at all. Many players will know how many Primarchs existed and could name which one led their favourite chapter but those heavily interested in the fluff of 40k will be those who can come up with a list along with an interesting fact of brief story for most of them.
As with all (except possibly the last) of these aspects, GW does a great job in giving the players what they want and keeping them with the hobby, the large background sections of each codex along with the multitude of books demonstates this well and few of those interested in the fluff will not have a selection of such books at home.
Social Players
Probably the only aspect on this list which doesn't really have an extreme degree of focus in that you're unlikely to find anyone who only does the hobby to socialise while not having much interest in the other aspects. Chances are such people drift away after a short while.
On the other hand, chances are this aspect is one which almost every player has some interest in, whether you're a competitive player our seeking a new challenge or a painter after opinions or recognition, you'll have at least some interest in the social side of things. Perhaps there are a few who buy and paint the models only to keep them locked away in their study without others knowing, but I'd say they are the exception.
Grief Bringers
I'll be the first to admit I can be a bit of a cynic at times, so while a lot of others in my position will not include this aspect I feel to be honest I can't leave it out. These players may not admit their interest in this and many may not even realize (and could aggressively oppose the idea) but these players do exist and luckily are quite a minority. *smiles*
There are many types beyond the well known 'false-competitives' who build powerful forces and seek players to squash and defeat. Others include rule-nazi's who will put others down for rule mistakes (not to be confused with players who may instead politely correct the mistake and help their opponent learn), braggers who are so obsessed with their own skill in playing/painting etc that they scorn others and so forth.
Right, now that is all laid out I imagine a few perceptive readers may be able to guess where my interests lie...
Personally I consider my main interests to be hobbying & fluff, although I certainly do have a bit of a competitive streak *giggles* Painting (while I'm not bad) is always a frustration of mine, with my time often spent buying and building various models and then despairing that I now have to paint them.
As for socialness and grief-bringing... My cynicism regarding the second restricts my interest in the first, I've regularly been known to avoid playing someone unless I've either chatted and got to know them outside the game or watched them play someone else.
I do get a bit abrasive at times, my love of the games fluff and competitive streak fighting to the front and occasionally pushing others to learn the rules, improve their army and take an interest in the fluff of their force. Despite this a number of my friends still come to me for advice and to get my opinion on things (as I do with them), so I think I'm nice enough.
When it comes to armies, I have a slightly different outlook than a number of others. I regularly decide on a theme and from there that becomes the armies focus, regularly reaching the point where I reluctantly sacrifice competitive advantage to allow the force to remain tied to the fluff. In addition as a hobbyist I've a number of personalized/favourite models which I've built which I regularly squeeze into armies, to well show off I guess, which also go against the competitive factor somewhat (they rarely go against fluff as I use fluff to inspire my modeling).
Not all my army lists are what truly competitive players will call competitive, in part because of the previous reasons and also because sometimes I enjoy the competitive challenge of using a less than perfect list. I also worry about becoming a grief-bringer to a degree, which prevents me making a totally elite list...
Of course there will be those who'll see my lists and claim I'm highly competitive and they'll likely also be those who read them and see huge flaws. One of the great things about the hobby is that whatever our interest in the above aspects, we all come together and share our thoughts in order to enjoy the game... Unless you're a willing grief-bringer, in which case I do hope you don't live near me xD
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Introductions
Elleusive here, deciding that I doubt there is any true way to start a blog but that it is always polite to introduce oneself and say hi.
Hi!
Now that is out of the way, introductions... As already mentioned I'm Elleusive, I've been writing articles for friends on a generalized message board and thought I'd spread my thoughts and feelings to more.
My blog-name for lack of a better term is an amalgamation of a nickname I use in the real world and an online nick I was given over a decade back *laughs* Together they form who I am today.
Oh and for the record, the second 'E' in Elle is silent. Something I'm at pains to point out to people!
As for the blogs name? For those educated in such things, "I got a 4" is of course a rather infamous quote from early on in the webcomic Order of the Stick, a quote the talented Rich Burlew was kind enough to give me an okay to use.
As for why I'm using it? Well while this blog will focus heavily on the realms of Warhammer 40,000 and related themes, it may also at times wander into other territory include such nerdy pasttimes as Dungeons and Dragons and perhaps even as far as LARP. Meaning that dice rolls are a big part of how things go!
Yes I do all the above hobbies from time to time, which gives me the right to label them nerdy out of jest *smiles*
As Warhammer 40k will be the most general topic here, I feel an introduction wouldn't be complete without talking about that somewhat. I have been playing 40k for ages now and started around the transition between the 2nd and 3rd edition, I'll admit I disappeared for awhile missing most of the 4th edition but thanks to a conversion of mine getting friends back into the game I'm back playing myself.
My first army back around the before mentioned transition was Orks, a rather ragtag group that I'm not sure I actually won games with... I was young!
When I started taking things more seriously I moved on to other armies, first Space Marines, then Chaos, Tau and of course my favorite force (to some degree) Sisters of Battle. Despite this I have played with most armies in 40k to some extent and against all of them.
At the current time my collection includes around 2,000pts of Dark Eldar, 1,500pts of Grey Knights, 5,000pts of Imperial Guard, 3,500pts of Salamanders and several thousand points of Sisters of Battle (although I'm still in the process of changing them over to the latest edition).
The above is just a rough estimate and doesn't include a multitude of additional assassins and characters, or the spare companies worth of marines I've little idea what to do with yet.
Going to bring the introductions to an end now, before I blabber away further.
Am sure more will be revealed in time...
Hi!
Now that is out of the way, introductions... As already mentioned I'm Elleusive, I've been writing articles for friends on a generalized message board and thought I'd spread my thoughts and feelings to more.
My blog-name for lack of a better term is an amalgamation of a nickname I use in the real world and an online nick I was given over a decade back *laughs* Together they form who I am today.
Oh and for the record, the second 'E' in Elle is silent. Something I'm at pains to point out to people!
As for the blogs name? For those educated in such things, "I got a 4" is of course a rather infamous quote from early on in the webcomic Order of the Stick, a quote the talented Rich Burlew was kind enough to give me an okay to use.
As for why I'm using it? Well while this blog will focus heavily on the realms of Warhammer 40,000 and related themes, it may also at times wander into other territory include such nerdy pasttimes as Dungeons and Dragons and perhaps even as far as LARP. Meaning that dice rolls are a big part of how things go!
Yes I do all the above hobbies from time to time, which gives me the right to label them nerdy out of jest *smiles*
As Warhammer 40k will be the most general topic here, I feel an introduction wouldn't be complete without talking about that somewhat. I have been playing 40k for ages now and started around the transition between the 2nd and 3rd edition, I'll admit I disappeared for awhile missing most of the 4th edition but thanks to a conversion of mine getting friends back into the game I'm back playing myself.
My first army back around the before mentioned transition was Orks, a rather ragtag group that I'm not sure I actually won games with... I was young!
When I started taking things more seriously I moved on to other armies, first Space Marines, then Chaos, Tau and of course my favorite force (to some degree) Sisters of Battle. Despite this I have played with most armies in 40k to some extent and against all of them.
At the current time my collection includes around 2,000pts of Dark Eldar, 1,500pts of Grey Knights, 5,000pts of Imperial Guard, 3,500pts of Salamanders and several thousand points of Sisters of Battle (although I'm still in the process of changing them over to the latest edition).
The above is just a rough estimate and doesn't include a multitude of additional assassins and characters, or the spare companies worth of marines I've little idea what to do with yet.
Going to bring the introductions to an end now, before I blabber away further.
Am sure more will be revealed in time...
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