Thursday 24 November 2011

Battle Report

Every Wednesday evening my mate DonRemus comes over and we have a 40K game. I have a mission list of about 69 missions and we are playing them in order being able to adjust our lists each week to accommodate the mission and anything we want to try. He plays Black Legion and I my Salamanders. At the moment I am testing my tournament list ready for January.

Last night was Urban Assault from Cities of Death, though we are using Planetstrike stratagems rather than the poor ones in CoD. DonRemus pulled out Abaddon the Despoiler for this game. I was quite pleased as I haven't had the opportunity to play against him for over a couple years. None of the local CSM players seem to want to play this awesome character for some reason.

I knew from the moment that he pulled out the 60-odd chaos marines that I had no hope in Hell of ever winning this game. With that in mind I decided to play exclusively for the draw. Sometimes you know that that is your only option. We both had terrible dice rolls and that helped me out, as did my drop pod deviating into a narrow gap preventing his rhinos from getting where they wanted. Emperor's guidance I like to see that as.  I had to sacrifice a couple units to slow the advance but it worked. Didn't even get the opportunity to disembark kantor and the 5 TH/SS terminators either.

Turn 5 and the game ended. I might have managed to last turn 6 but I doubt it, and if it had gone to turn 7 I would have lost definitely.

So at the moment, our tally stands at a poor show of:

14 wins to DonRemus, 1 win to me, and 1 draw.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Tournament list

In preparation for the major 2012 40K league at the Primarchs starting in January I am getting some practice in with my potential list. Subject to change but this is what I am currently testing out.

Pedro Kantor.
10 man tactical squad with meltagun, multimelta, and sarge with power weapon and plasma pistol. The unit has a drop pod.
10 man tactical squad with meltagun, multimelta, and sarge with power weapon and plasma pistol.
10 man tactical squad with meltagun, missile launcher, and sarge has chainsword and plasma pistol.
5 man terminator assault squad with thunder hammers and storm shields.
5 man terminator squad with assault cannon.
Land Speeder with multi-melta and Typhoon missile system.
Predator with lascannons.
Land Raider Redeemer.

1745pts.

So far it has drawn against the new Necron codex and lost the Chaos Marines (only because I could not kill off two obliterators!). Tonight I am going up against the chaos marines again in hopes that this time I might be able to do something.
What I really want to do is find a way to include a rhino for the other (non-missile launcher) squad. The drop pod is fine but for potential objective missions it's too foot slogging. Marines do not make good groundpounders.

Tau Rumours

I'm not sure whether it will be Black Templars or Tau next (probably Templars as GW likes to alternate between Imperial and Enemy codexes) but there are some new rumours out and about for the Tau.

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New Heavy support platform. Basically immobile deep striked! heavy weapon and crew. Rail and Ion Cannon, and missile launcher are all obvious options here, but nothing solid with the rumor.

Assault Skimmer. Something between size of piranha and hammerhead, fast skimmer open topped, assault on disembark.
Update: Yes, its assault after a flat out move, and has the "drop troops along path" option similar to the storm raven. its supposedly a dedicated transport option for one new unit. (I dont place faith in this last bit, its very rare in current GW systems to see a vehicle kit limited to one unit/role...if GW is trying to sell them they will be available to more than one unit, or be a separate entry unto itself.)

New Drop ship. Not the FW one, but something new. Holds a boatload of fire warriors, or a few battle suits.

New battle suits. Not sure if these are the "next gen" suits or just heavy suits redone with out metal bits.

All current metal sets to be plastic (Pathfinders, Krootox, Vespids). New plastics are completed for Crisis Suits, Stingwings and Pathfinders.

Plastic Barracuda as well as a new unit choice, which will be a new alien race (insert your fantasy here).

Battle Suits - plug and play system. Essentially streamlined. Pick two guns and a skill or two skills and a gun. New models with interchangeable arms similar to Killa Kans?


Rule Changes

HQ and Troops
HQ choices are used to unlock units for troops, so a commander in a Crisis Suit unlocks Crisis Suits as troops, an Etheral unlocks Fire Warriors, Shaper unlocks Kroot.

Crisis Suits
Mostly same stats but now 3 wounds, come with every gun option and you can choose what weapon systems you fire every round. Max squad size x 5

Broadsides
Can take Network Markerlights instead of the missiles on their arms

Hammerhead Railgun
Draws a line across the table hitting everything under it. Multiple penetration through vehicles, only stopped by a glancing hit.

Shield Generator
Only team leaders can take a shield generator. The shield generator functions exactly like the DE Shadowfield. 2+ invulnerable save until the first failed save at which point it ceases to work.

Drones
No longer bought as Wargear. They are bought as a unit and then divided as you see fit at the start of the match. You can mix your drones when bought for the point cost needed. This caters for Drone Squadrons as an option.

Markerlight
One markerlight can fire the seekers off one model. Seekers replenish and are no longer one use items. Skyrays will only be able to fire one seeker per round.

1. Kroot HQ is in the works!
2. Kroot to get own transport (Devilfish will no longer be able to transport Kroot)
3. Kroot will get light armor saves (6+)
4. Kroot shaper will allow for the unit to have a special genetic trait.
5. Firewarrior carbine to get a grenade launcher (either explosive or EMP)
6. Vespids reworked and getting a Heavy unit
7. Firewarrior BS increased to 4
8.Crisis suits will get “hit and run” ability
9. Various changes to Firewarrior equipment
10. Various changes to Crisis suit equipment
11. New Prototypes
12. 4th edition prototypes now “standard” equipment for all suits
13. All HQ’s can act as a commander
14. New type of “Heavy” Battlesuit (new prototype of the Broadside)
15. Stealth suits will be changed to a advanced scout unit similar to Pathfinders
16. Pathfinders will be changed to act as a type of Tau Commando infantry

and now we have:

General Codex rumours
Not the next book, but probably after Black Templars

Author may be Phil Kelly

Army has 4 basic HQs and 3 basic troop choices excluding changes made by any Special Characters if there are any

Return of 4 old SC, plus 2-4 new ones

No Court of the Archon/henchmen type mixed units

New Tau models
New SC "Iceheart"

Crisis suits have been completely redesigned (not just recut sprues and ankle tweaks), less boxy and including a 'morphic weapon'

New sniper suit

Shas'O get a stealth armour option, may be an experimental suit like Shadowsuns, or the experimental suit might be a third option

Allies and Auxiliaries

Vespids get two slots (unknown if this is an additional two, or two overall). Kroot get an additional unit

No Knarloc riders,though perhaps something big (new WFB monster-szied) for the Kroot

Maybe minor psychic powers for Shapers or Shaper like character this is something Ghost has heard from other people and not stated directly

Demiurg have 1 HQ, 1 troop and maybe 1 else. Presumably the Elite choice mentioned elsewhere

Demiurg ancients are a thing Probably HQ, but could also be the elite unit

Possible Demiurg elite choice

Demiurg are "equal to banshees without the scream" so presumably anti-armour close combat, or at least have that as an option. This might also be elite unit rather than the troop one, or be a unit that does both - like a kit that would let you make Boyz and Ard Boyz (or Dwarfs and Longbeards). An elite unit, but being an upgrade to a troop slot to keep out the way of the battlesuits

Demiurg and one other new race join the army, the latter being something bizarre or at least something we've not seen before.

No Gue'vesa unit or models

No Nicassar

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Ok, so basically I am holding my breath in the hopes that the Demiurge do make it as the "other" race and that you can technically field an entire army of them. It's the only way I am going to get a Squat army. I am also hoping that we see a plastic Knarloc. The idea of Squats with dinosaurs would rock.

Monday 14 November 2011

Blood Angels Codex review

Necron Battle review

I've had one game against the new Necron codex now. 1750pt game vs my Salamanders. Pitched battle and 4 objectives.

The result was a draw with one objective each but only because one of my tactical marines refused to die no matter what was thrown at him. He has since been promoted to squad sergeant.

Ok, so what did I think? I was expecting a game where I was really on the backfoot but I found the new army to be a good challenge without being too silly. If some of the new units had been involved then things may have been different. The reanimation protocols proved to be just as irritating as it used to be when it was "We'll Be Back" but at least now I can react to it better. Some things seem to be weaker than they used to be. Destroyers, I'm looking at you, and the monolith wasn't the threat it used to be thankfully.

I think the new codex is nice but thankfully not as powerful as it could have been.