FAQ's

Probably old news to most people but the Tyranid and Blood Angels FAQ's are up on the GW website.

That Fucking Guy.

We've all had games against 'That Fucking Guy' (which will be abbreviated to TFG from now on).

Now I'm not necessarily talking about competitive gamers who build their armies to win, carefully optimise units and know mathematically which unit should beat what as many of my regular opponents enjoy playing like that and are generally not arseholes...well, not all the time anyway ;-).

So, what puts someone into the TFG category?

The following list is by no means conclusive nor in any particular order but it does cover all the things that annoy me most.

1) Over Moving or the Zig-Zag.

a) Blatant Over-Moving - Usually seen waving the tape over the vague area the model is in and then moving it about 8" and hoping no-one notices or is too polite to say anything.

b) The Front to Back - Measuring from one point of the hull or base at the start of your move and a different one at the end. Most commonly seen measuring from the front of a models base and then plonking the model down in front of the 6" mark thereby gaining yourself an Inch of movement.

c) The Zig-Zag - Moving the Model 6" then changing your mind, moving the model back to about a mile away from where it started and the measuring your 6" from there.

Suggestions

At the beginning of the game this is fairly easy to counter. Most armies by virtue of there strengths or weaknesses start deployed as close as possible to you or as far away as possible, the measurements for deployment zones are precisely defined so it should be easy to tell if some-things reached you before it should have. Later on it gets trickier but by then you should be reasonably sure if your opponent is prone to this sort of activity so you should get into the habit of noticing where he measures from and what terrain features he was near. Never be afraid to say something if there's an issue as most dick-heads of this nature rely on your politeness to get away with it.

2) Line of Sight/Cover Saves.

a) The imaginary Cover Save - I'm all for giving my opponent the benefit of the doubt (That's probably a lie but it undermines my argument somewhat if I admit otherwise, lol). But I've had some really tedious games where I've spent more time debating whether a unit gets cover or not than I've spent playing. Most of these are of the 'can you see me through that twig variety'.

Suggestions

Read the rulebook. The definitions for Line of Sight and Cover Saves are clearly defined with nice clear diagrams (for a change). But as a brief rule of thumb line of sight for infantry comes from their eyes, Line of sight for vehicles comes from the guns and all guns have clearly defined arcs of fire (again in the rulebook). That said if after all that it is still debatable then let them have the Cover Save or agree to go with the decision of an independent observer and ask someone else to decide. Roll-offs should be a last resort in my opinion.

3) Rules 'Interpreting'

a) Ultimate rules of Doom!!! - If the rule your opponent just told you about seems to good to be true (for him) then it probably is.

b) Bullying - Some Prick saying the same rule in a more aggressive tone doesn't make it any more valid. If it sounds like a load of crap then ask to check.

c) 'Accidental' forgetfulness - 'Oh I forgot I couldn't do that/had to do that'

Suggestions

This ones easy to solve. Always make sure that you and your opponent have the Codices for your particular armies, any FAQ's for your armies (especially if rules have FAQ's or erratas that you rely on for your army), a legible army list and at least one main rule book between you. Easy ;-)

4) WYSIWYG

a) Proxy or 'That coke can is a Drop Pod' - No it fucking isn't, get an actual Drop Pod or fuck off.

b) WYSIWYG - If your model has an impressive Chainsword and you want it to 'Count-As' a Power Sword then that's fine (if a bit lame). Your Assault Cannon is however an Assault Cannon not a Heavy 'bloody' Flamer or a Cyclone Missile Launcher. I don't care if you've paid the points for it or not, anything that isn't WYSIWYG needs to be explained to your opponent before the game starts and a good reason would be nice as well ;-).

Suggestions

1 minute of explaining before the game is better than 20 minutes of arguing in the middle of the game. I'm all for cool conversions, but there should still be some basis for why weapon 'A' is actually a weapon 'B'. Also it should be consistent across your army, If that Tau Burst Cannon is an Assault Cannon then they all should be or none of them should be.

5) Transportation.

a) The Inter Transport Teleportation system - Amazing, the weapon team you need to destroy my unit is in that transport is it?, funny it started of in that one over there!

Suggestions

Always ask what's in transport vehicles, I always put characters on the top of transports they're in and if equivalent units have different wargear I put the 'special' weapon guys on top as well, It's quite reasonable to insist your opponent does the same.

6) Slow Play

a) Thinking about it - If your army consists of 100+ Orks, Guardsmen or Gaunts then you should be thinking about where to move while your opponent is having there turn not for 25 minutes afterwards.

b) You can't have a go - 'Oh look I've just beat you by one objective and we've no time for your go.

Suggestions

If there is any debate about whether you can both get a turn in then stop the game there and then. If your opponent insists (or you yourself would like to risk it), then make a note of Kill Points and Objectives at that point. If you don't both get a turn then use the Score from then.

If anybody has anything to add, or amusing stories about TFG's they've screwed over (or injured in some way) please feel free to comment.

Tyranids!!!

Following on from this post.

This basically uses what I have taking into account some required conversion work to make things useful.

1750 Pts - Tyranids Roster - What I've got Nids Ver 2.0

HQ: Hive Tyrant (1#, 195 pts)

1 Hive Tyrant @ 195 pts (Lash Whip & Bonesword x1; Heavy Venom Cannon; Leech Essence; Paroxysm)

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Termagant Brood (12#, 60 pts)

12 Termagant Brood @ 60 pts

Troops: Termagant Brood (12#, 60 pts)

12 Termagant Brood @ 60 pts

Troops: Genestealer Brood (8#, 182 pts)

7 Genestealer Brood @ 182 pts (Toxin Sacs)

1 Broodlord (Toxin Sacs)

Troops: Genestealer Brood (8#, 136 pts)

8 Genestealer Brood @ 136 pts (Toxin Sacs)

Heavy Support: Tyrannofex (1#, 265 pts)

1 Tyrannofex @ 265 pts (Rupture Cannon)

Heavy Support: Mawloc (1#, 170 pts)

1 Mawloc @ 170 pts

Total Roster Cost: 1748

It's not optimal, It is however (in my opinion) as optimised as possible given the models I have.

Opposing viewpoints, ideas and anything else vaguely useful???

Editors Note : After reading a few more comments with useful advice I think I've found a version of the List I like better.

1750 Pts - Tyranids Roster - Tyranids ver 2.1

HQ: The Swarmlord (1#, 280 pts)

1 The Swarmlord @ 280 pts

: Tyrant Guard (1#, 60 pts)

1 Tyrant Guard @ 60 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Termagant Brood (10#, 50 pts)

10 Termagant Brood @ 50 pts

Troops: Termagant Brood (10#, 50 pts)

10 Termagant Brood @ 50 pts

Troops: Genestealer Brood (8#, 182 pts)

7 Genestealer Brood @ 182 pts (Toxin Sacs)

1 Broodlord (Toxin Sacs)

Troops: Genestealer Brood (8#, 182 pts)

7 Genestealer Brood @ 182 pts (Toxin Sacs)

1 Broodlord (Toxin Sacs)

Heavy Support: Tyrannofex (1#, 265 pts)

1 Tyrannofex @ 265 pts (Rupture Cannon)

Total Roster Cost: 1749

Of course I'll wait for the experts to comment before I make the final decision and start building/converting ;-)

Tyranids???

I fancied doing something a bit different from my normal Marine or Marine(ish) armies. Unfortunately due to still being unemployed this needs to be done on the cheap.

While searching through my pile of shi...I mean stuff I found a Tyranid Assault Brood box set, a Hive Tyrant and a Trygon all boxed and unused. The Trygon was going to be the basis for a Skaven Hellpit Abomination, the rest were bought as presents for me as I was planning on doing a Tyranid army for a change of pace.

Obviously I never got around to it...

This time will be different...hopefully.

So I have available,

1x Tyranid Hive Tyrant

6x Tyranid Warriors

16x Genestealers

32x Tyranid Gaunts

3x Tyranid Carnifex

1x Trygon/Mawloc

After mentioning this in the comments section of a Blog post on YTTH several suggestions were forthcoming about how to turn this into a usable army. For some reason non of them mentioned using the Genestealers...

So the Plan is this.

Convert 2 of the Carnifex into Tervigons and 1 into a Tyrannofex

Convert the 6 warriors into Hive Guard

Use 20 of the Gaunts as Termagants so my Tervigons become Troops.

My HQ will obviously have to be the Hive Tyrant as I have no models as an alternative.

Not sure which variant to make the Mawloc/Trygon as I don't know which will compliment the army best (if at all)

So far that gives me the following,

1750 Pts - Tyranids Roster - What I had lying around Nids

HQ: Hive Tyrant (1#, 195 pts)

1 Hive Tyrant @ 195 pts (Lash Whip & Bonesword x1; Heavy Venom Cannon; Leech Essence; Psychic Scream)

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)

2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 190 pts)

1 Tervigon @ 190 pts (Catalyst; Onslaught)

Troops: Termagant Brood (10#, 50 pts)

10 Termagant Brood @ 50 pts

Troops: Termagant Brood (10#, 50 pts)

10 Termagant Brood @ 50 pts

Heavy Support: Tyrannofex (1#, 265 pts)

1 Tyrannofex @ 265 pts (Rupture Cannon)

Heavy Support: Mawloc (1#, 170 pts)

1 Mawloc @ 170 pts

Total Roster Cost: 1410 so far

I obviously need to save the rest of the Gaunts to use as the ones that the Tervigons crap out (My finances can probably stretch to another couple of boxes of these which is going to be necessary I'm sure).

Which means I either have to add every possible upgrade to every unit to reach 1750 or use the Genestealers that everybody tells me are rubbish.

So if anybody reading this knows anything about Nids then I'm open to suggestions.

Pre-Heresy 'World Eaters'

Had an E-Mail about pre-heresy World Eaters using either the Space Wolves or Blood Angels Codices.

This one in fact

Hey mate, I'll try to keep this brief, I'm looking to get back into 40K I was wondering what you would suggest for an 1750 point "Pre-Heresy" World Eaters list?

I've been looking at the BA and SW Codex but can't really make up my mind.

Any suggestions?

-- Kind Regards

After some discussion we decided to ignore the fluff completely and just make up vague justifications as we went along ;-)

Lets look at the units, shall we?

HQ.

Mephiston - Well he's (quite literally) a close combat monster so he's a definite possibility plus he has a psychic hood. He can count as Kharn, or Angron himself for that matter, we'll just say that their raw hatred of psychic powers disrupts them, lol.

Seph - Well he fits the background, but without a power weapon I'm not sure he's good enough.

Librarian - We've decided they sacrificed those guys to Khorne later so we can use them, but being as Dreadnoughts are cooler and we can get psychic defence with those we'll probably use those instead if we need more hoods.

Most of the other HQ choices require builds designed around them so we'll save those for other projects.

Looks like Mephiston wins.

At this point its worth mentioning Honour Guard as another way of radiating a 'Feel no Pain' and 'Furious Charge' bubble for our troops without using an Elite slot on Sanguinary Priests.

Elites.

I think were going to stick with Dreadnoughts of various flavours and maybe a couple of priests if we can find somewhere for them to ride.

Troops.

The Assault Marine entry gives us lots of options but in the interest of keeping the theme as close as possible we'll be removing Jump Packs and buying them a Transport. 5 Man Squads in Razorbacks is a pretty good option (not least because it leaves room for a priest). Though, I'm not 100% happy about using Razorbacks in a pre-heresy list so we'll probably stick with 10 man squads in Rhino's.

Of course Death Company also come in this category and I think they're useful as a 'fuck we need to kill them' style distraction and of course they come with Furious Charge and Feel no Pain so don't need to be in range of a Priest or the Honour Guard.

Fast Attack.

Speeders are an obvious choice and as anti-grav technology was all over the place before the Heresy that's easily justified. We'll see if we need more Melta or more Missiles before we decide on configuration. Attack Bikes are also a good option in this sort of list as they'll have vehicles to hide behind before 'popping-out' and Melting some poor bastards Land Raider, lol.

I'm not a massive fan of Baal Predators due to their relatively short range making them easy targets for shots on their side armour, but we wont rule them out completely just yet.

Heavy Support

As were going to be charging headlong towards the enemy Vindicators are out. Everything else is perfectly viable. This will probably be where our anti infantry firepower will need to be, but that still gives us good options. Dreadnoughts with 2x Twin-Linked Autocannons work as both anti-infantry and are still good vs. light tanks. Predators, though slightly more expensive in a Blood Angels list are still a solid choice. And with their reduced weapons costs even Devastator squads become viable.

There are a myriad of ways of doing it (many options for which are listed above) which is the beauty of the newer codices but I'd probably do it something like this.

1750 Pts - Blood Angels Roster - Pre-Heresy World Eaters ver 1.0 250610

HQ: Mephiston, Lord of Death (1#, 250 pts)

1 Mephiston, Lord of Death @ 250 pts

: Honour Guard (6#, 215 pts)

1 Honour Guard @ 215 pts (Blood Champion; Honour Guard; Rhino)

1 Blood Champion

1 Sanguinary Novitiate

3 Honour Guard (Meltagun x1)

1 Rhino

Elite: Furioso Librarian (1#, 175 pts)

1 Furioso Librarian @ 175 pts (Blood Lance; Wings of Sanguinius)

Elite: Furioso Librarian (1#, 175 pts)

1 Furioso Librarian @ 175 pts (Blood Lance; Wings of Sanguinius)

Troops: Assault Squad (11#, 250 pts)

7 Assault Squad @ 250 pts (Remove Jump Packs; Meltagun; Meltagun; Rhino)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun (Remove Jump Packs)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun (Remove Jump Packs)

1 Sergeant (Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol; Power Fist x1)

1 Rhino

Troops: Assault Squad (11#, 250 pts)

7 Assault Squad @ 250 pts (Remove Jump Packs; Meltagun; Meltagun; Rhino)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun (Remove Jump Packs)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun (Remove Jump Packs)

1 Sergeant (Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol; Power Fist x1)

1 Rhino

Troops: Death Company (6#, 195 pts)

1 Death Company @ 195 pts (Death Company; Death Company; Death Company; Razorback)

3 Death Company

1 Death Company (Infernus Pistol)

1 Death Company (Power Fist)

1 Razorback (Twin Linked Heavy Flamer)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (1#, 120 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (1#, 120 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Total Roster Cost: 1750

Deploy a 'Rifleman' (Twin-Linked Autocannon) Dreadnought in each corner of your deployment zone to give you maximum coverage and hopefully some shots into side armour. Drive the Rhino's forward 18" and pop smoke, Jump Mephiston and the Dreadnoughts up behind them. Then whatever your opponent doesn't destroy kicks him right in the bollocks on turn 2 ;-)

To Do List.

I have reached that stage so familiar to many of us...

That is I have had far to many bright ideas and have completely failed to complete any of them. A few things can be completed to a minimum painting standard fairly easily...Other projects...not so simple.

Some kind of priority list could be useful, but I think I'll limit myself to the 3 I'm most likely to complete.

1) My Mech Marines have been hovering at the almost painted stage for a while now and won't require much effort to complete.

- Razorback turrets need painting

- Typhoon Speeders need squad markings on vehicles and pilots

- Terminator Librarian needs a base making and a basic paint-job

2) Chaos 'Counts As' Blood Angels Jump Pack army.

- 2 More Assault Squads, Honour Guard, 2 Priests and 1 Librarian to paint

- Vanguard Squad needs building and painting.

3) Bike(ish) Army

- Everything needs painting and basing

- Command Squad needs building (Haven't 100% decided how I'm even doing them yet)

- Typhoons need finishing, but they should be done as part of project one anyway

That's all my spare time for the next month allocated, which is a shame as I'm dying to finish my Defilertank and start on my first Ironclad. Maybe I'll reward myself with those after I actually finish each of the 'big three' projects.

Of course I need to sort through this lot as well at some point

The worrying part is that that is only about a 3rd of the crap I've got piled up, lol.

Fixing C:CSM - Part 12 - Chosen

The Chosen of the Chaos Gods.

The most hardened, callous and deadly of all Chaos Space Marines.

The Elite of the Elite.

Or Standard Chaos Space Marines with Infiltrate and a few more weapon options depending on whether you believe the 'Fluff' or their codex entry...

What went wrong...well I'll tell you...

1) Chosen should be fucking fearless. None of this 'Oh no one of my rivals has died lets run away' shit.

2) All Chosen should be able to take individual weapon options not just the 5 guys who got to the armoury first.

3) Infiltrate shouldn't be the only thing they're good at, It's nice to have I suppose but they could do with something else as well.

4) They should be better than an ordinary Chaos Space Marine in more than just weapon options.

My Solutions.

1) Add Fearless

2) More weapon options like Honour Guard, Wolf Guard Etc. get

3) Lets give them (slightly) more options for deployment.

4) Slight Stat increase (nothing major, just enough to make them a bit more 'Veteran')

Chosen Chaos Space Marines - 20 points each

One unit of Chosen may be taken for each HQ choice selected. This unit does not take up any Force Organisation Chart selections but are otherwise treated as a HQ unit.

Chosen Chaos Space Marine - WS 4, BS 4, S 4, T 4, W 1, A 2, Ld. 10, Save 3+

Aspiring Chaos Lieutenant - WS 5, BS 4, S 4, T 4, W 1, A 3, Ld. 10, Save 3+

Unit Type - Infantry, Number/Squad 5-10

Wargear

Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades, Close Combat Weapon, Bolter.

Special Rules

Fearless, Veteran of a Thousand Battlefields *

* Veteran of a Thousand Battlefields - The Chosen of Chaos have spent centuries and sometimes millennia honing their battlefield skill and always ensure that they are first to get their pick of the spoils of war, also one does not survive long enough to be called 'Chosen' without knowing exactly the right place and the right time to fight... - Any Chosen unit that does not have a dedicated transport has both the 'Infiltrate' and 'Scout' special rules.

Marks

The mantle of Chosen shows more than the usual level of favour in the eyes of their patrons.

Any unit of chosen must select one of the following 'Greater' Marks of Chaos.

Greater Mark of Chaos Undivided: Gains one 're-roll' per game that may be used by the unit for any purpose - Free

Greater Mark of Khorne : +1 WS, +1A, Furious Charge - 40 Points

Greater Mark of Nurgle : +1 T, Feel no Pain, Defensive Grenades - 50 points

Greater Mark of Tzeentch : All 'Chosen' models in the unit gain a 4+ Invulnerable save - 50 points

Greater Mark of Slaanesh : +1 I, Fleet, Defensive Grenades - 35 points

Character

The future Lords of Chaos inevitably start off their careers in the ranks of the chosen.

One model may be upgraded to an Aspiring Chaos Lieutenant for 15 points.

He may take any of the options available to normal chosen. In addition he may replace his close combat weapon with the following.

- Warp Blade (+2S, Power Weapon) - 30 points

Options

Any model may replace his Bolter with

- Twin-Linked Bolter - 3 points per model

- Combi-Flamer, Combi-Melta or Combi-Plasma - 5 points per model

- Flamer - 5 points per model

- Plasmagun - 10 points per model

- Meltagun - 10 points per model

Up to two models may replace their Bolter with

- Heavy Bolter - 5 points per model

- Heavy Flamer - 5 points per model

- Missile Launcher - 10 points per model

- Multi-Melta - 10 points

- Autocannon - 15 points per model

- Plasma Cannon - 20 points per model

- Lascannon - 25 points per model

Any model may replace his Bolt Pistol and/or Close Combat weapon with

- Power Weapon - 15 points

- Power Fist - 25 points

- Lightning Claw - 15 points

- Plasma Pistol - 10 points

Any model may replace his Bolter and Bolt Pistol and Close Combat Weapon with

- A pair of Lightning Claws - 20 points

Any model may have Meltabombs for 5 points per model.

Any model may have a Personal Icon for 5 points per model

A single model per Chosen unit may carry an Icon or Banner to the Chaos Gods for 25 points. These can take almost any form but all have the following effect - Any friendly model within 12" of the bearer may re-roll failed morale or pinning tests, In addition all enemy units that are within 12" of the banner and have line of sight to it suffer a-1 penalty to all tests that use the Leadership characteristic.

Dedicated Transport.

The Squad may have a Dreadclaw, Chaos Rhino or Land Raider Dedicated Transport.

'Scout' and 'Infiltrate' give you a number of deployment options if you don't take a transport and the unit can be configured for any purpose you see fit.

Thoughts?

Note : This will probably be the last of the 'Fixing' articles I do for a month or so as I really need to get some 'Hobby' done as unfinished and barely started projects are piling up around me, lol. All the other stuff will still be appearing as normal however.

'Alpha Strikes' or how to suck all the fun out of 40K

I'm not a big fan of assault, Haven't been since I shelved my Chaos Space Marines (due to their lack of competitiveness being compounded by 5th Edition, Codex Creep and the fact that apparently everybody else writes Marines better than Gav Thorpe).

I briefly became interested in winning by punching stuff again with my Cavalry Daemons list. This one to be exact. Unfortunately that list is inherently flawed because Daemons have several almost insurmountable inbuilt problems.

1) Your effectively fighting with half an army for your first turn.

2) There's a 33% chance it will be the wrong fucking half.

3) Any army who can effect your reserves makes this even worse.

4) Your best ranged weapon is only S8.

5) If your opponent has Land Raiders and remembers to move them, your only going to destroy one with a lot of luck, 2 with divine intervention and 3...well...never, if we're being honest.

As anybody who knows me will tell you I have a somewhat rocky relationship with the Dice Gods. They have an uncanny habit of deciding that a 1 to hit is all I'm going to have for 5 turns but that all my opponents vehicle damage rolls should be 5's or 6's, lol. Then occasionally they'll give me all my luck at once and I'll end up utterly destroying someone in the most unimportant game I play that month...but I digress...

So most of my Marine armies win by shooting stuff so I'm as guilty as anybody of what I'm about to whine about. But It's both the games I've lost hideously and won in the same 'only one of us is having fun' fashion that's decided the theme of this post.

Some examples so it looks like I thought about this a bit...

Imperial Guard.

If a well constructed IG army goes first your going to be in the shit quite quickly. They have ranged firepower a plenty that can be easily improved through orders, Valks and Vendettas that can deliver 3 Meltagun troops units into your lap first turn and the ability to both improve their own reserve rolls and fuck up yours. Going first or 2nd they have many ways to annoy.

Blood Angels.

5th ed. made vehicles a lot tougher, BA rhino variants can move extremely quickly and with the addition of smoke launchers cover save take a lot of firepower to destroy. Combine this with the ease with which you can give 'Feel no Pain' and 'Furious Charge' to anything you damn well please and you have an army that can do the old fashioned 'Rhino Rush' with remarkable efficiency. Also with 'Descent of Angels' they don't even need the Rhinos to be in your face on turn 2 with no way to counter them at all without IG style 'Bubblewrap' units.

Tau.

Tau can only do gunlines so I might be unfair including them in this list, after all if a Tau player is looking at the assault stats of a non-Kroot unit he''s probably about to lose.

Space Wolves

You can easily cram 9 Las/Plas Razorbacks and support units into a SW list which again does a lot of damage from your first turn salvo...

I could go on and on with similar examples but the basic point is this...

90% of competitive lists will pwn you if they go first and are in fact designed to do so.

So how do we counter this trend for boring games where you might as well just shake hands after the first turn 'roll-off' and go and have a beer or 3 instead of playing a game which will just make one of you frustrated and the other one feeling the need to apologise.

Lets look at the potential solutions then.

1) If you can't beat 'em join 'em - Build your own army that works on the same principles and hope you go first instead. At least you'll be the one having fun 50% of the time.

2) Bubble-wrap - Protect your own important units with expendable crap. Sadly this only works against lists that 'Alpha strike' you up close and requires you to actually have bubble-wrap units which unfortunately applies only to Tau (Kroot), Imperial Guard (Infantry Platoons) and possibly Tyranids (Gaunts and the like).

3) Reserves - If your not there he can't hit you, right. Again this plan also has it's problems, If your against guard they can effect your reserve rolls for the cost of a whole 30 points. Blood Angels armies can get to you anyway through sheer speed of movement and turning up piecemeal against an army designed to cripple entire armies is never going to end well.

4) 'Castling', 'Turtling' or whatever you call it in your area - Put your highest armour at the front, hide the rest of your army behind and wait and see what survives. Guard can deal with this by dropping big fuck-off blast templates into your lap as they can't really miss if your in a big clump and Blood Angels have the 'Blood Lance' psychic power.

And of course there's the times when you thought you where going to get to go first and your opponent seizes the initiative...

So the question I'm asking is this,

Is a 40K game between 2 competitive lists fun any-more if either or both are of the 'Alpha Strike' variety *?

* I mean fun for both of you. Obviously if your opponent is the kind of cock who microwaves his dice, brings his fan-club to games and rolls his dice without actually telling you what the roll is for till after he's seen the result then 'fun' probably wasn't going to be happening anyway, lol.

Editors note : It would be nice if anybody who comments could avoid using the phrase 'Leafblower'. BoLS did not invent the 'Alpha Strike' list or IG fucking gunlines despite what they'd like you to believe and if your going to give your army a nickname try and make it a cool one for fucks sake.

Fixing C:CSM - Part 11 - Dreadclaw

Apparently all the forces of Chaos forget to bring their Dreadclaws to battles and those who turn renegade become allergic to Drop Pods...

Methinks tis time to change all that.

Dedicated Transport - Dreadclaw - 45 points

F 12, S 12, R 12

Composition - 1 Drop Pod, Unit Type - Vehicle

Fire Points - None

Access Points - A unit may embark or disembark as long as the whole unit is within 2" of the base of the Dreadclaw. All normal transport rules apply.

Transport Capacity - 12 Models or 1 Dreadnought. Models in Terminator armour may be transported but count as 2 models.

Special Rules

- Dreadclaw Assault *

- Soul of the Machine **

- Assault Boat ***

*Dreadclaw Assault - Dreadclaws always enter play by Deep Strike. At the beginning of your first turn you must choose half of your Dreadclaws (rounding up) to make a 'Dreadclaw Assault'. Units making a 'Dreadclaw Assault' arrive on the players first turn. The arrival of the remaining Dreadclaws is rolled for as normal. However if the army contains 3 or less Dreadclaws all may be nominated to arrive on the first turn. A unit that arrives via Dreadclaw may not assault on the turn it arrives.

** Soul of the Machine - When interfaced with the array of navigational augurs and logic engines, the machine spirit of the Dreadclaw began to manifest a surprising degree of self-awareness - Should a Dreadclaw scatter on top of impassable terrain or another model then reduce the scatter distance by the minimum required in order to avoid the obstacle. In addition, when arriving from Deep Strike the Dreadclaw rolls 3 dice for scatter and must discard one (this need not be the highest) a 'hit' is obviously still a 'hit'.

Editors Note - The following rule is a bit of an experiment based on feedback. If anybody can think of a better way of doing it I'm open to suggestions ;-)

*** Assault Boat - Once landed the Dreadclaw counts in all respects as a Vehicle that has suffered an immobilised damage result for the purposes of movement and vehicle damage table results. However, any turn after the one in which it has landed the Dreadclaw can attempt to redeploy to another location in the following manner - As long as there is a unit embarked in the Dreadclaw you may roll a die in the movement phase. If the result is a 1-5 the Dreadclaw is removed from the table and put into reserve together with the embarked unit and is rolled for from reserves as normal. If a 6 is rolled then something has gone wrong and the Dreadclaw may not be moved for the rest of the game. All normal rulebook rules for reserves apply so if your Dreadclaw is in reserve after turn 5, it and the embarked unit counts as destroyed for the purposes of both Kill Points and Victory points.

Options

May be fitted with a Dirge Caster **** for 5 points

**** Dirge Caster - Emits a terrifying mix of Screams, Wails, Scrapcode and unholy prayers to the Chaos Powers - Any enemy unit within 6" suffers a leadership modifier of -1, Any friendly unit within 6" becomes 'Stubborn'

That should do it. Unfortunately, much as I would have liked to there is no basis in the background for giving the Dreadclaw a ranged weapon. Also, I always thought it a bit daft that a force only using a small amount of Drop Pods would still choose to launch them piecemeal so I fixed that.

There was of course lurking in the back of my mind the option of making the Dreadclaw damage whatever it lands on rather than avoiding it like Drop Pods do, If people like that option better I'll have a think about it.

Thoughts?

Fathers Day.

A good day all around.

I got a 'full English' breakfast in bed, an amusing card, a nice steak dinner and an Ironclad Dreadnought. Quite how my 9 year old daughter acquired the money for that lot is best not thought about too closely but I've a sneaking suspicion that she had a bit of help from mommy ;-)

I've only deviated from the standard build slightly. I'm using a Havoc Launcher to 'Count As' the Pair of Hunterkiller Missiles I'll be equipping most of them with. I personally think it looks better than the missiles that come with the Ironclad and has the added benefit of tying it into my Chaosy looking renegade Marine Chapter nicely.

Fixing C:CSM - Part 10 - Dreadnoughts (again)

In an effort to allow players to customise their Dreadnoughts in any way they chose I ended up with this confusing mishmash of ideas.

So I've had a rethink.

I'm going to split the entry into 2 variants.

1) An assault version that will go in the Elites section.

2) A fire support version that will go into the Heavy Support section.

This post will deal with the Assault version

Chaos Dreadnought - 110 Points.

Dreadnought WS 5, BS 4, S 6, F 12, S 12, R 10, I 4, A 5

Unit Type - Vehicle (Walker)

Wargear

Smoke Launchers, Searchlight, 2x Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon c/w Twin-Linked Bolter.

Special Rules

Crazed *, Bonded for an Eternity **

* Crazed - A millennia locked in the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought gradually eats away at the sanity of even the strongest mind - At the beginning of each turn roll a die for each Chaos Dreadnought, if the result is 2-6 the Dreadnought acts normally. Should the roll be a 1 however, the Dreadnought becomes subject to the 'Rage' and 'Fleet' special rules until the beginning of the next controlling players turn.

** Bonded for Eternity - The Dreadnought and pilot have endured an eternity of constant warfare and shrugs aside any damage that would keep them from destroying their prey - The Dreadnought ignores All 'Crew Shaken' and 'Crew Stunned' effects from any source.

Options

One or both Twin-Linked Bolters may upgraded to Heavy Flamers for 5 points each.

May be equipped with a Havoc Launcher for 10 points.

May take a Dirge Caster *** for 5 points

*** Dirge Caster - Emits a terrifying mix of Screams, Wails, Scrapcode and unholy prayers to the Chaos Powers - Any enemy unit within 6" suffers a leadership modifier of -1, Any friendly Unit within 6" becomes 'Stubborn'.

Marks

May take one of the following Marks.

- Mark of Slaanesh : +1 I, counts as being armed with Assault Grenades - 10 points.

- Mark of Khorne : Gains D3 Attacks for charging rather than the normal 1. In addition a Dreadnought with the Mark of Khorne fails its 'Crazed' roll on a 1, 2 or 3 - 15 points.

- Mark of Nurgle : Counts as being armed with both Assault and Defensive Grenades - 15 points.

- Mark of Tzeentch : Gains a 5+ Invulnerable Save - 25 points

A Dreadnought that has taken the Mark of Slaanesh may take any of the following upgrades

- May exchange any Twin-Linked Bolter for a Sonic Blaster for 5 points

- May exchange any Twin-Linked Bolter for a Doom Siren for 10 point

A Dreadnought that has taken the Mark of Tzeentch may take any of the following upgrades

- Inferno Bolts for Twin-Linked Bolters - 5 points per Bolter

That should do it. A pure assault Dreadnought that will mess you up if it reaches you ;-)

Fixing C:CSM - Part 9 - Possessed

Possessed are a lot more cursed than gifted from a game point of view.

Problems.

1) Having to roll for their random ability after you deploy is just stupid.

2) They're too expensive points-wise

3) They need a way of hurting vehicles.

From a 'Fluff' point of view possessed are extremely powerful assault units that are quite capable of tearing holes in vehicles and ripping to pieces the squishy contents. A number of rules can reflect this, Rending being the most obvious with Furious Charge, Fleet, Feel no Pain and any number of others also being appropriate. Of course we should really save Furious Charge for the 'Fixing Khorne Berzerkers' article, lol.

Let's look at the 'Possessed abilities table' for a moment...

1) Scouts - Can't see this one being appropriate at all

2) Furious Charge - This ones okay but I'm of the opinion that Daemons are always pretty angry and therefore this should be reflected in their base profile

3) Fleet - Again I don't see this one as being particularly in character

4) Rending - This ones spot on for reasons I've already mentioned

5) Feel no Pain - A possibilty but I'd like to keep this more for the Nurgle units.

6) Power Weapon - Overpowered for the points cost I'd like to give them.

Now I have 3 viable options for how I do this...

1) Keep a random table but have it rolled for before deployment and remove the inappropriate abilities.

2) Allow you to purchase individual abilities for appropriate points.

3) Just give them a standard set of abilities, with upgrades being applied by Mark.

Decisions, Decisions...

Possessed Chaos Space Marines - 23 points each

Possessed - WS 5, BS 2, S 5, T 4, W 1, I 5, A 2, Ld. 10, Save 3+/5+

Champion - WS 5, BS 2, S 5, T 4, W 1, I 5, A 3, Ld. 10, Save 3+/5+

Unit Type - Infantry, Number/Squad 5-20

Wargear

Power Armour, Close Combat Weapon.

Special Rules

Fearless, 5+ Invulnerable Save, Rending.

Character

One model may be upgraded to a Champion for 15 points

He may replace his close combat weapon with one of the following, but if he does so he loses the 'Rending' special rule.

- Power weapon - 15 points

- Power Fist - 25 points

Marks

The unit may be given one of the following Marks

- Slaanesh (+1 I) - 15 points

- Khorne (+1 A) - 25 points

- Nurgle (+1 T) - 40 points

- Tzeentch (+1 Inv. Save) - 35 points

Options - The entire squad must have the same options upgrades

Daemonic Flight - The unit type becomes Jump Infantry - 10 points per model.

Note - Any model with the Daemonic Flight upgrade must be converted appropriately

Transport

Squads without the 'Daemonic Flight' upgrade may have a Chaos Rhino dedicated transport.

So now their better in a fight, can hurt vehicles (with the appropriate upgrades) and might actually be worth taking. I added the 'Daemonic Flight' option as I quite like the possessed models with the wings and thought that anybody who has modelled a unit all with wings should be able to use that option in-game.

Also before anybody raises issues of them being overpowered bear in mind that a unit of 10 with a Power Fist Champion would cost 270 points and that's without a Mark or a Transport.

Thoughts?

Games Workshop = Fail

Apparently today should be the day that my FLGS is going to demonstrate the wonders of 8th Ed. Warhammer Fantasy. So I carefully arrange to take my girlfriend who is a fan of said game to our local Games Workshop on that day as she gets little opportunity to play normally.

Due to Games Workshops inspired 'We only need one person to run the store because that costs us less money' policy, my FLGS spends more time shut than fucking open these days so I carefully checked the opening times for the coming week. Thursday 17th June 12-8 is apparently the only weekday It's open but that's fine because that's today, right?

She gets her army together, I sort out all the domestic crap and then off we go in two separate vehicles so I can pick up my daughter from school later so as to not interrupt the rare chance my partner has to actually get involved in her part of the hobby. I have also carefully arranged both our schedules so there are no interruptions.

We arrive at 12:00....

And at 1:00 we both get back in our respective vehicles and head back home after waiting for a fucking hour for someone to turn up.

Perhaps I should have checked in advance? Of course the problem with that was Thursday was the first time the shop was open since Sunday when the information was relayed to me.

Apparently the local independent stockist for Warmachine is open 7 days a week which I presume makes buying stuff, looking at stuff and talking to people a lot Fucking easier....

Games Workshop manages to fail at the 'Customer Service' aspect of their business yet again but succeeds spectacularly at the fucking up my day part of their business plan...

Defilertank - Basecoat

So I thought I'd put theorising aside for a bit and do something practical.

On my girlfriends advice (A much better painter than me) I dry-brushed the base colour on this rather than paint it normally and it turned out much better than usual so I'll be using this method from now on.

Now I need to make Heavy Bolters for the 'sponsons' and Autocannons for the 'turret' so I can use It as a Predator in my semi-mech/mech Marine lists.

Fixing C:CSM - Part 8 - Typhus

This guy doesn't need much tweaking to make him viable, but to be honest I didn't really know how powerful I should make the 'Destroyer Hive' ability.

Editors Note : I've completely rewritten 'Destroyer Hive' as my first attempt sucked.

Typhus - 225 points

WS 5, BS 5, S 4, T 5, W 4, I 5, A 3, Ld 10, Save 2+

Unit Type - Infantry (Unique)

Number/Squad - 1

Wargear

- Terminator Armour

- Manreaper *

- Personal Icon

- Greater Mark of Nurgle

* Manreaper - The Manreaper is a gigantic scythe that counts as both a Daemon Weapon and a Force Weapon and gains all the benefits of both. In addition the Manreaper counts as poisoned (2+)

Special Rules

- Fearless

- Eternal Warrior

- Independent Character

- Feel No Pain

- Aura of Pestilence **

- Destroyer Hive ***

- Herald of Nurgle ****

Psychic Powers

- Nurgles Rot

- Breath of Chaos

** Aura of Pestilence - Typhus Counts as being armed with both Assault and Defensive Grenades.

*** Destroyer Hive - Typhus's body is host to a horrific plague that manifests itself as a swarm of insects that pour from the cracks and vents in his armour- Once per game Typhus can unleash the Destroyer Hive with the following effect. All non vehicle units and units in transport vehicles that count as open topped within 14" of Typhus take D6+1 automatic hits at S2 (roll for each unit effected individually). These hits ignore both armour and cover saves (invulnerable saves may be taken as normal).

**** Herald of Nurgle - Typhus may use both his psychic powers and his Force Weapon in the same turn, He automatically passes his psychic tests for his psychic powers but must roll for his Force Weapon as normal. Typhus may choose to ignore any effects caused by enemy Nurgle Psychic powers or gifts that have him in their area of effect, in addition poison weapons count as normal weapons when used against him.

So he now has all the useful abilities he used to have and might actually survive long enough to use some of them now.

Thoughts?

Having fun again!!!

Apparently I like punching things.

We all know that 5th Edition made vehicles and 'Torrent of Fire' most peoples priority. Then they tried to give us a bit of variety with the Space Wolves and Blood Angels codices making assault armies* viable.

* Well sort of. I've found that Blood Angels become much less awesome now everybody knows how fast they are and what kills them. Now I've played against them a few times I've moved from the 'That's a bit Broken' to the 'That's fairly well balanced actually' camp.

The list I've being using is somewhere in the middle ground. It has a very decent assault unit while maintaining enough firepower to de-mech a fair chunk of an opposing army and thin out the units inside.

I suppose I better post the version I'm using at the moment for ease of reference.

1750 Pts - Space Marines Roster - Ver 1.1

HQ: Space Marine Librarian (1#, 140 pts)

1 Space Marine Librarian @ 140 pts (...in Terminator Armour; The Avenger; The Gate of Infinity)

1 ...in Terminator Armour (Storm Shield)

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 125 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 125 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 125 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 125 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Elite: Terminator Assault Squad (10#, 400 pts)

9 Terminator Assault Squad @ 400 pts (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x9)

1 Sergeant (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Total Roster Cost: 1750

The thing is I'm enjoying the assault element more than the shooty elements (which admittedly I've done to death as I've been using gunlines since pretty much the 1st list I wrote using the Marine Codex).

So what issues do I have if I'm maximising the potential of this teleporting/punching aspect of my army?

Psychic defense isn't a big problem as Gate of Infinity (abbreviated to 'Gate' from this point on) has a 24" range which is the same as most psychic hoods so I should be teleporting from outside their area of effect for the most part. Tyranids 'Shadow in the Warp' only has a 12" range so that's not a worry at all. Eldar runes are a pain but at Leadership 10 I've got a 50% chance of the power working even rolling 3 dice so I'll take my chances ;-)

As I'm quite reliant on 'Gate' landing me somewhere I actually want to be I could do with it being a bit more reliable. So is there a way of taking advantage of the fact that 'Gate' is used in the movement phase rather than at the beginning of the turn like normal Deep Striking and Reserves are?

Note - The 'Dawn of War' deployment type is a bit of an issue as well as I have to walk the unit on in the movement phase and so can't also 'Gate' in the same phase (The power is used at the beginning of the movement phase). The obvious way around this problem is deploy the Librarian on the table, hope he doesn't get taken out in your opponents first shooting phase and then walk the Terminators to within 2" of him and then use Gate.

Going 2nd in a kill point mission would cause some tactical problems as well. Also, all reserving or highly mobile opponents mean I still need some shooty elements to my army.

Problems aside for the moment, what are my options for improved accuracy?

1) Drop Pods c/w Locator Beacons

- Advantages : Guaranteed first turn arrival, little chance of arrival mishaps, big 'footprint' so they create a large area for my 'Gating' Terminators to land in, wide variety of units can take Drop Pods so it isn't necessarily a sacrificial unit.

- Disadvantages : Easy to destroy if I don't use their Beacon immediately, No way of redeploying should I need to gate somewhere else without the addition of more Drop Pods.

2) Scout Bike Squad c/w Locator Beacon on Sergeant

- Advantages : 'Turbo Boost' gives them a decent first turn movement for positioning and a 3+ cover save. 'Turbo Boost' also gives them a large redeployment range should they survive.

- Disadvantages : Scout Bike units are a bit rubbish so are unlikely to do anything useful other than provide a signal for my Terminators.

The next couple of options are open to debate a little as they can only take Teleport Homers.

The relevant bits of wording (emphasis is mine) for Teleport Homers is "If Terminators wish to teleport onto the battlefield via deep strike" and also "Note that the teleport homer only works for units that are teleporting, not for units entering play using jump packs, drop pods or other means of transport"

The relevant bit in the 'Gate' description is obviously "using the Deep strike Rules".

I take this to mean that as long as my unit consists of Terminators (It does) and there using the deep strike rules (they are) I should be able to use a Teleport Homer as a target. Of course the counter argument is whether Gate counts as an 'other means of transport'.

For the purposes of debate and as it's my blog ;-) I'll presume I can for now and carry on.

3) Scout Squad c/w Teleport Homer on Sergeant in a Landspeeder Storm

- Advantages : Moving over 12" (Flat-Out) and up to 24" gives them a decent first turn movement for positioning and a 4+ Cover save.

- Disadvantages : Armour 10, Open topped and needs 90 points of Scouts in it to make the trick work.

4) Scout Squad c/w Teleport Homer on Sergeant

- Advantages : Can infiltrate

- Disadvantages : A not particularly survivable unit that is unlikely to get closer than 18" to the enemy.

So overall I have a fair few options. The relative delicate nature of certain of the units isn't necessarily a concern as they can't really be shot at till after they've done their job in most scenarios.

My best option on the face of it is the Drop Pod but the idea of using units people don't field very often such as Scout Bikers or Landspeeder storms has a certain appeal.

This post has ended up longer than I intended so I'll finish there and hope the comments section is filled with brilliant ideas before I start working out how I intend to do it...

Fixing C:CSM - Part 7 - Chaos Dreadnoughts.

Chaos Dreadnoughts are very rarely taken in CSM armies...why?

1) The model is fucking awful, lol.

2) Crazed means your Dreadnought does something you can't control 33% of the time.

3) They don't really have much in the way of character to make up for points 1 + 2 even in 'Fluffy' armies.

What they need to be viable.

1) A decent model would be nice.

2) Crazed needs a total rethink, Fire Frenzy needs dumping.

3) Some way of making Dreadnoughts of a particular god a bit more characterful.

I like to think of Chaos Dreadnoughts being quite assault orientated therefore the 'default' configuration is going to be biased towards that, with options to make it shooty if that's your preference. I've also changed a few things like the Reaper Autocannon profile and how Dirge Casters work (these changes will end up being consistent across the board for all units so if you don't like them now is the time to complain).

Chaos Dreadnought - 105 Points.

Dreadnought WS 5, BS 4, S 6, F 12, S 12, R 10, I 4, A 2/4

Unit Type - Vehicle (Walker)

Wargear

Smoke Launchers, Searchlight, 2x Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon c/w Twin-Linked Bolter.

Special Rules

Crazed *, Bonded for an Eternity **

* Crazed - A millennia locked in the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought gradually eats away at the sanity of even the strongest mind - At the beginning of each turn roll a die for each Chaos Dreadnought, if the result is 2-6 the Dreadnought acts normally. Should the roll be a 1 however, the Dreadnought becomes subject to the 'Rage' and 'Fleet' special rules until the beginning of the next controlling players turn.

** Bonded for Eternity - The Dreadnought and pilot have endured an eternity of constant warfare and can shrug aside damage that would incapacitate a lesser construct - All 'Crew Stunned' results are reduced to 'Crew Shaken'.

Options

The Dreadnought can exchange either or both arms for any of the following options. It loses an attack for each Dreadnought close combat weapon exchanged and the attached Twin-Linked Bolter. If the Dreadnought is left with no Dreadnought close combat arms it obviously no longer gets the bonuses for them.

If two of the same options are taken then the 2nd selection uses the higher points cost.

- Reaper Autocannon - 15/25 points ***

- Twin-Linked Lascannon - 25/35 points

- Multi-Melta - 15/25 points

- Plasma Cannon - 25/35 points

- Missile Launcher - 10/10 points

*** Reaper Autocannon - Range 36", S7, AP 4, Heavy 3, Twin-Linked.

A Twin-Linked Bolter may upgraded to a Heavy Flamer for 5 points.

May be equipped with a Havoc Launcher for 10 points.

May take a Dirge Caster **** for 5 points

**** Dirge Caster - Emits a terrifying mix of Screams, Wails, Scrapcode and unholy prayers to the Chaos Powers - Any enemy unit within 6" suffers a leadership modifier of -1, Any friendly Unit within 6" becomes 'Stubborn'.

Marks

May take one of the following Marks.

- Mark of Slaanesh : +1 I, counts as being armed with Assault Grenades - 10 points.

- Mark of Khorne : Gains D3 Attacks for charging rather than the normal 1. In addition a Dreadnought with the Mark of Khorne fails its 'Crazed' roll on a 1 or 6 - 20 points.

- Mark of Nurgle : Counts as being armed with both Assault and Defensive Grenades - 15 points.

- Mark of Tzeentch : May select a single psychic power from those available to the Chaos Sorceror (obviously I haven't made these up yet, lol) and Counts as Ld. 10 for the purposes of taking psychic tests - 25 points

A Dreadnought that has taken the Mark of Slaanesh may take any of the following upgrades

The Dreadnought can exchange either or both arms for any of the following options

- Blastmaster - 15 points

May exchange any Twin-Linked Bolter for a Sonic Blaster for 5 points

May exchange any Twin-Linked Bolter for a Doom Siren for 10 points

A Dreadnought that has taken the Mark of Tzeentch may take any of the following upgrades

- Inferno Bolts for Twin-Linked Bolters - 5 points per Bolter

- Inferno Bolts for Heavy Bolters - 15 points per Heavy Bolter

This one took a lot of thought and therefore is probably most open to debate.

The debating floor is now open...

Expo List Expanded

Tried out this list modified to 1750 points earlier today against my friend Adam.

Based on play-testing at the Tournament I had found that the lack of Melta was an issue that had come up several times. The 3 Lascannons in the original list were nowhere near what I needed to stop Land Raiders and the lone Landspeeder could hardly be expected to take out 3 of the fuckers on its own. Armour 13 was also an annoyance as Lascannons seemingly bounce off that as well.

Therefore I tried out the list with the following modifications.

1750 Pts - Space Marines Roster - Expo 1750

HQ: Space Marine Librarian (1#, 100 pts)

1 Space Marine Librarian @ 100 pts (...in Power Armour; The Avenger; The Gate of Infinity)

1 ...in Power Armour

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 125 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 125 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 125 pts)

1 Dreadnought @ 125 pts (Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon)

Elite: Terminator Assault Squad (10#, 400 pts)

9 Terminator Assault Squad @ 400 pts (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x9)

1 Sergeant (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Total Roster Cost: 1710

I used the 40 extra points to add 4 Hunter Killer Missiles to 4 Vehicles.

With the 3 Speeders in reserve I had a decent anti-vehicle threat and the Autocannon Dreads help against Light Vehicles and Infantry.

It worked much better this way however another problem came up, namely that the Librarian isn't very survivable once the Terminators reach an enemy and it would be nice if he survived long enough to be able to 'Gate' the unit somewhere else later.

The solution we came up with was fairly simple. By dropping the 4 Hunter Killer Missiles enough points were saved to give the Librarian a nice suit of Terminator Armour all of his own together with a Storm Shield. Fortunately I have a Terminator Lord/Sorcerer still in the wrapper that Will do the job nicely.

Terminator Spam.

I want to do a Terminator 'Spam' army, however I'd like to do it without handing my opponent a big 'auto-win' button every time I play a game.

The issues I'm going to have are.

1) Terminators aren't very mobile.

2) Power/Chainfisting Land Raiders to death is tricky if your opponent is inconsiderate enough to move them about (Bastards.....lol).

3) Terminators aren't cheap points-wise and it gets worse if you actually give them extra equipment.

S0 I'm not going to be able to max out on Terminators and maintain a viable list. 20 Terminators + Characters is about the best I can realistically get away with.

The following lists are just basic outlines at the moment but it never hurts to get 2nd opinions before you start converting stuff...

2000 Pts - Black Templars Roster - Terminator Spam

: Emperor's Champion (1#, 140 pts)

1 Emperor's Champion @ 140 pts (Bolt Pistol; Crusader Seals; Frag Grenades; The Black Sword; Accept Any Challenge, No Matter The Odds)

1 Armor of Faith

1 The Black Sword

HQ: Commander (5#, 330 pts)

1 Commander @ 330 pts (Castellan)

1 Castellan (Crusader Seals; Power Weapon x1; Storm Bolter; Tank Hunters; Terminator Command Squad)

1 Terminator Armor

3 Terminator Command Squad (Chain Fist x1; Assault Cannon x2; Tank Hunters)

1 Sergeant (Tank Hunters)

HQ: Commander (5#, 330 pts)

1 Commander @ 330 pts (Castellan)

1 Castellan (Crusader Seals; Power Weapon x1; Storm Bolter; Tank Hunters; Terminator Command Squad)

1 Terminator Armor

3 Terminator Command Squad (Chain Fist x1; Assault Cannon x2; Tank Hunters)

1 Sergeant (Tank Hunters)

Elite: Sword Brethren Terminator Squad (5#, 260 pts)

5 Sword Brethren Terminator Squad @ 260 pts (Chain Fist x1; Assault Cannon x2; Tank Hunters)

Elite: Sword Brethren Terminator Squad (5#, 260 pts)

5 Sword Brethren Terminator Squad @ 260 pts (Chain Fist x1; Assault Cannon x2; Tank Hunters)

Elite: Sword Brethren Terminator Squad (5#, 260 pts)

5 Sword Brethren Terminator Squad @ 260 pts (Chain Fist x1; Assault Cannon x2; Tank Hunters)

Troops: Crusader Squad (5#, 105 pts)

5 Crusader Squad @ 105 pts (Meltagun; Lascannon)

Troops: Crusader Squad (5#, 105 pts)

5 Crusader Squad @ 105 pts (Meltagun; Lascannon)

Troops: Crusader Squad (5#, 105 pts)

5 Crusader Squad @ 105 pts (Meltagun; Lascannon)

Troops: Crusader Squad (5#, 105 pts)

5 Crusader Squad @ 105 pts (Meltagun; Lascannon)

Total Roster Cost: 2000

2000 Pts - Blood Angels Roster - Terminator Spam

HQ: Librarian (1#, 130 pts)

1 Librarian @ 130 pts (...in Terminator Armour; Blood Lance; The Sanguine Sword)

1 ...in Terminator Armour (Storm Bolter)

Elite: Sanguinary Priest (2#, 170 pts)

1 Sanguinary Priest @ 170 pts (Sanguinary Priest in Terminator Armour; Sanguinary Priest in Terminator Armour)

1 Sanguinary Priest in Terminator Armour

1 Sanguinary Priest in Terminator Armour

Elite: Terminator Squad (10#, 470 pts)

1 Terminator Squad @ 470 pts (Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher; Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher)

1 Sergeant

7 Terminator (Chain Fist x2)

1 Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher

1 Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher

Elite: Terminator Squad (10#, 470 pts)

1 Terminator Squad @ 470 pts (Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher; Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher)

1 Sergeant

7 Terminator (Chain Fist x2)

1 Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher

1 Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Troops: Assault Squad (5#, 125 pts)

3 Assault Squad @ 125 pts (Meltagun)

1 Assault Marine with Meltagun

1 Sergeant (Close Combat Weapon; Infernus Pistol x1)

Total Roster Cost: 1990

2000 Pts - Space Wolves Roster - Terminator Spam

HQ: Logan Grimnar, The Great Wolf (1#, 275 pts)

1 Logan Grimnar, The Great Wolf @ 275 pts

Elite: Lone Wolf (3#, 105 pts)

1 Lone Wolf @ 105 pts (...in Terminator Armour)

1 Lone Wolf in Terminator Armour (Fenrisian Wolf; Chain Fist; Storm Shield)

2 Fenrisian Wolf (Unit Type: Beasts; Vicious claws and fangs; Counter-attack)

Elite: Lone Wolf (3#, 105 pts)

1 Lone Wolf @ 105 pts (...in Terminator Armour)

1 Lone Wolf in Terminator Armour (Fenrisian Wolf; Chain Fist; Storm Shield)

2 Fenrisian Wolf (Unit Type: Beasts; Vicious claws and fangs; Counter-attack)

Elite: Lone Wolf (3#, 105 pts)

1 Lone Wolf @ 105 pts (...in Terminator Armour)

1 Lone Wolf in Terminator Armour (Fenrisian Wolf; Chain Fist; Storm Shield)

2 Fenrisian Wolf (Unit Type: Beasts; Vicious claws and fangs; Counter-attack)

Troops: Wolf Guard Pack (5#, 240 pts)

1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 240 pts (Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Cyclone Missile Launcher)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour

3 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Chain Fist)

Troops: Wolf Guard Pack (5#, 240 pts)

1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 240 pts (Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Cyclone Missile Launcher)

3 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Chain Fist)

Troops: Wolf Guard Pack (5#, 240 pts)

1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 240 pts (Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Cyclone Missile Launcher)

3 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Chain Fist)

Troops: Wolf Guard Pack (5#, 240 pts)

1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 240 pts (Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Cyclone Missile Launcher)

3 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Chain Fist)

Troops: Wolf Guard Pack (5#, 240 pts)

1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 240 pts (Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour; Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour)

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour

1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Cyclone Missile Launcher)

3 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour (Chain Fist)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts)

1 Land Speeder Squadron @ 70 pts (Multi-Melta x1; Heavy Flamer x1)

Total Roster Cost: 2000

2000 Pts - Space Marines Roster - Terminator Spam

HQ: Space Marine Librarian (1#, 125 pts)

1 Space Marine Librarian @ 125 pts (...in Terminator Armour; Null Zone; The Gate of Infinity)

1 ...in Terminator Armour

HQ: Space Marine Librarian (1#, 125 pts)

1 Space Marine Librarian @ 125 pts (...in Terminator Armour; Null Zone; The Gate of Infinity)

1 ...in Terminator Armour

Elite: Terminator Assault Squad (10#, 400 pts)

9 Terminator Assault Squad @ 400 pts (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x9)

1 Sergeant (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1)

Elite: Terminator Assault Squad (10#, 400 pts)

9 Terminator Assault Squad @ 400 pts (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x9)

1 Sergeant (Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Troops: Tactical Squad (6#, 165 pts)

4 Tactical Squad @ 165 pts (Razorback)

1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)

1 Razorback (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

Fast Attack: Attack Bike Squad (2#, 100 pts)

2 Attack Bike Squad @ 100 pts (Multi-Melta x2)

Fast Attack: Attack Bike Squad (2#, 100 pts)

2 Attack Bike Squad @ 100 pts (Multi-Melta x2)

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 85 pts)

1 Predator @ 85 pts (Heavy Bolter (each side))

Total Roster Cost: 2000

2000 Pts - Chaos Marines Roster - Terminator Spam

HQ: Abaddon the Despoiler (1#, 275 pts)

1 Abaddon the Despoiler @ 275 pts

Elite: Chaos Terminators (10#, 425 pts)

1 Chaos Terminators @ 425 pts (Icon of Tzeentch; Terminator; Terminator; Terminator; Terminator)

6 Terminator (Combi-melta x2)

1 Terminator (Reaper Autocannon x1)

1 Terminator (Reaper Autocannon x1)

2 Terminator (Chain Fist x2)

Elite: Chaos Terminators (10#, 425 pts)

1 Chaos Terminators @ 425 pts (Icon of Tzeentch; Terminator; Terminator; Terminator; Terminator)

6 Terminator (Combi-melta x2)

1 Terminator (Reaper Autocannon x1)

1 Terminator (Reaper Autocannon x1)

2 Terminator (Chain Fist x2)

Troops: Plague Marines (5#, 140 pts)

5 Plague Marines @ 140 pts (Personal Icon; Meltagun x2)

Troops: Plague Marines (5#, 140 pts)

5 Plague Marines @ 140 pts (Personal Icon; Meltagun x2)

Troops: Plague Marines (5#, 140 pts)

5 Plague Marines @ 140 pts (Personal Icon; Meltagun x2)

Heavy Support: Obliterators (2#, 150 pts)

2 Obliterators @ 150 pts

Heavy Support: Obliterators (2#, 150 pts)

2 Obliterators @ 150 pts

Heavy Support: Obliterators (2#, 150 pts)

2 Obliterators @ 150 pts

Total Roster Cost: 1995

Also I know I missed out Grey Knights but have you seen an optimised pure Grey Knights army win a game, let alone a themed one?

Obviously it's possible to cram more Terminators into most of these lists but unfortunately 5th Ed. makes Troops choices a bit more essential than they used to be...

Thoughts?