E-Mail in : Tyranid Question

E-Mail in :

GMort,


Have you given up on your Tyranids as I noticed you haven't mentioned them for a while and judging from your Battle Honours' sidebar haven't played them for a while either. Just out of interest how did the list end up before you wimped out and went back to Marines and are they really that bad now?


Hivemind385

Reply :

Were there really another 384 guys who picked the internet name Hivemind before you did, lol?


Anyway...Tyranids had issues right from the start and now have serious shortcomings against many of the current codices. Space Wolves can 'Missile Spam' and/or 'Jaws of the World Wolf' their MC's to death, Grey Knights pretty much all have Force Weapons of one kind or another and Dark Eldar poison doesn't give a shit if your T5, 6 or fucking 10.....
As I'm what is usually referred to as a 'competitive' gamer I have issues with sticking with an army that I know is basically the same as taking a knife to a gun fight when the knife isn't even that sharp. Daemons have the same issues unfortunately...

For what it's worth, my final list was this,

2000 Pts - Tyranids Roster - Tyranids - 2000

HQ: Tyranid Prime (1#, 105 pts)
   1 Tyranid Prime @ 105 pts (Lash Whip & Bonesword; Regeneration)

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (3#, 150 pts)
   3 Hive Guard Brood @ 150 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#, 200 pts)
   1 Tervigon @ 200 pts (Scything Talons; Cluster Spines; Adrenal Glands; Toxin Sacs; Catalyst)

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 200 pts)
   1 Tervigon @ 200 pts (Scything Talons; Cluster Spines; Adrenal Glands; Toxin Sacs; Catalyst)

Troops: Tervigon (1#, 200 pts)
   1 Tervigon @ 200 pts (Scything Talons; Cluster Spines; Adrenal Glands; Toxin Sacs; Catalyst)

Troops: Termagant Brood (10#, 50 pts)
   10 Termagant Brood @ 50 pts

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; Cluster Spines; Thorax Swarm (larvae))

Heavy Support: Tyrannofex (1#, 265 pts)
   1 Tyrannofex @ 265 pts (Rupture Cannon; Cluster Spines; Thorax Swarm (larvae))

Heavy Support: Tyrannofex (1#, 265 pts)
   1 Tyrannofex @ 265 pts (Rupture Cannon; Cluster Spines; Thorax Swarm (larvae))

Total Roster Cost: 2000

Pretty standard really and another disappointing Codex for the none Marine players :-(

E-Mail in : 'Foot' Space Wolves Request.

E-Mail In :

Yo GMort,

Apparently you write lists for people without taking the piss out of them for their unit preferences (well not much anyway) and don't think a person should be shot on sight for wanting to do a themed list, lol.
If any of that is true then I'd like you to throw me together an all infantry Space Wolf list if you have a spare moment or two (2000 points). I also stole your Daemon idea from an earlier list of yours (I stole the list as well, lol) and used Chaos Warhounds as Fleshhounds so I have 30 of the fuckers that are no use now as Daemons suck balls which would be nice to use. I'd also like to keep using my Missile Launcher Long Fangs if at all possible but I don't want any Thunderwolves or Wolf lords on Thunderwolves as I'm yet to see anything to make them from that I like the look of.

Hellspawn101

Reply :

Don't worry about the theft as if it's the list I'm thinking of then I stole most of it from Stelek myself anyway. As for your list then I'll see what I can do. The Warhounds can be used as a couple of screening units of Fenrisian Wolves if you really want to use them but a 2nd Rune Priest might be a better investment. If you go down the Rune Priest path then give them both the cover save power as you'll probably need it without the Fenrisian Wolves giving you the cover save. I've left the wolves in for now though, as per your original request.

2000 Pts - Space Wolves Roster - Foot

HQ: Rune Priest in Power Armour (1#, 115 pts)
   1 Rune Priest in Power Armour @ 115 pts (Chooser of the Slain; Wolf Tail Talisman; Jaws of the World Wolf; Tempest's Wrath)

Elite: Wolf Scouts Pack (5#, 85 pts)
   5 Wolf Scouts Pack @ 85 pts (Meltagun)

Elite: Wolf Scouts Pack (5#, 85 pts)
   5 Wolf Scouts Pack @ 85 pts (Meltagun)

Elite: Wolf Guard Pack (7#, 276 pts)
   1 Wolf Guard Pack @ 276 pts (Wolf Guard in Power Armour; Wolf Guard in Power Armour)
      2 Wolf Guard in Power Armour (Combi-Meltagun x1; Power Fist x1)
      5 Wolf Guard in Power Armour (Bolt Pistol; Power Fist x1)

Troops: Grey Hunters Pack (10#, 170 pts)
   9 Grey Hunters Pack @ 170 pts (Mark of the Wulfen; Meltagun; Meltagun)
      1 Grey Hunter w/ Mark of the Wulfen

Troops: Grey Hunters Pack (10#, 170 pts)
   9 Grey Hunters Pack @ 170 pts (Mark of the Wulfen; Meltagun; Meltagun)
      1 Grey Hunter w/ Mark of the Wulfen

Troops: Grey Hunters Pack (10#, 170 pts)
   9 Grey Hunters Pack @ 170 pts (Mark of the Wulfen; Meltagun; Meltagun)
      1 Grey Hunter w/ Mark of the Wulfen

Troops: Grey Hunters Pack (10#, 170 pts)
   9 Grey Hunters Pack @ 170 pts (Mark of the Wulfen; Meltagun; Meltagun)
      1 Grey Hunter w/ Mark of the Wulfen

Troops: Grey Hunters Pack (10#, 170 pts)
   9 Grey Hunters Pack @ 170 pts (Mark of the Wulfen; Meltagun; Meltagun)
      1 Grey Hunter w/ Mark of the Wulfen

Fast Attack: Fenrisian Wolf Pack (15#, 120 pts)
   15 Fenrisian Wolf Pack @ 120 pts

Fast Attack: Fenrisian Wolf Pack (15#, 120 pts)
   15 Fenrisian Wolf Pack @ 120 pts

Heavy Support: Long Fangs Pack (5#, 115 pts)
   4 Long Fangs Pack @ 115 pts (Missile Launcher x4)
      1 Squad Leader (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon)

Heavy Support: Long Fangs Pack (5#, 115 pts)
   4 Long Fangs Pack @ 115 pts (Missile Launcher x4)
      1 Squad Leader (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon)

Heavy Support: Long Fangs Pack (5#, 115 pts)
   4 Long Fangs Pack @ 115 pts (Missile Launcher x4)
      1 Squad Leader (Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon)

Total Roster Cost: 1996

The two Combi-Melta Wolf Guard go with the Wolf Scouts and the other five go with the Grey Hunters. The Fenrisian Wolves act as a moving Cover save for your Marines for about a turn (or two if your lucky) before dying.

113 models of which 83 are in Power Armour...Sounds like a 'Foot' list to me ;-)

Thoughts and Comments are (as usual) most welcome.

House of Paincakes Article No.35

Article can be found here.

It's a sarcastic, profanity filled and somewhat ironic guide to gaining internet fame by basically being a complete cock. Any similarity to actual blogs is purely coincidental.....

Due to the wonders of blogger I can schedule this Tuesday Eye-Candy that I'm writing on a Wednesday to have retrospectively appeared on the aforementioned Tuesday and hopefully nobody will notice that it actually appeared a day late.....

This Tuesdays (shhh it's Tuesday okay ;-) ) article has been bought to you by Rose McGowan,

As Paige Matthews in Charmed,

In Grindhouse,

As 'Boots' McCoy from a deleted scene in Machete,

As Marique in Conan the Barbarian,

and a few mock-ups for the film Red Sonja which is now unlikely to get made considering that Conan has apparently bombed so badly at the box office,

And finally a few pictures of her as herself,

See you next Tuesday ;-)

Deathwatch - Brother Mortis Personal Log

This is an old picture. He's much better equipped now ;-)

I had decided to chronicle my Deathwatch characters progress in 'Personal Log' form and then our GM started his own Blog so the process seemed a bit redundant. He's now decided that writing the scenario, playing the scenario and then writing it out again is a bit tedious and therefore has stopped bothering, lol.

I am therefore going to chronicle our various campaigns from the point of view of my own character. I'm sure the rest of my team will chip-in with comments if they think I've missed out some important event. As I'd blatantly be lying if I said I remembered even a quarter of what happened during our campaign to prevent the planet of 'Pilgrims Loss' falling to the Tyranids (it was spread over 5 or 6 once a week sessions) I'm going to skim over those events a bit in the first of these posts before going into a bit more detail with any of our future missions.....

There will also be a few notes at the end to explain certain things for those of you who are unaware of some of the game mechanics.

Pilgrims Loss.

Brother Mortis placed the last piece of his Mark 8 Power Armour on the rack in the corner of his cell and placed his Storm Bolter on the workbench along one wall to await his attention later. Though most of the Marines cells were bare apart from whatever shrine to their Chapter, Primarch or other venerated icon they prayed to, Brother Mortis's position as Techmarine had allowed him to take a cell sufficiently large for a basic workstation and the sacred tools and oils of the Omnissiah that allowed him to maintain both his own equipment and that of the rest of his Kill-Team.

The mission on Pilgrim's Loss had resulted in much damage to every team members equipment and armour and had also resulted in the death of two members of his own team and virtually every other Marine of the Deathwatch involved which had inevitably created a great deal of work for both himself and their Apothecary. It was however still considered a 'success' due to the placing of two samples of a specially engineered viral agent (designed specifically to work on the Tyranid splinter fleet they were facing) on the primary Tyranid Hive-Ship. Though it hadn't had the effect of completely destroying the enemy fleet (as had been hoped) it had destroyed the vessel on which it had been placed as well as several others nearby and seemed to be gradually weakening the others.

The two new Deathwatch members now permanently attached to Kill-Team Epsilon after joining it to bolster their strength before the mission against the primary hive-ship had integrated themselves into the team with remarkable efficiency and were somewhat ironically far better at their team roles than the Marines they had replaced*. The new Apothecaries skills at healing far outclassed those of his predecessor and the Raven Guard Assault Marine's abilities in combat were impressive to say the least. Mortis had overheard several of the Deathwatch Serfs joking that Kill-team Epsilon had their own pile of missions awaiting them in the watch Captains office all labelled 'kill everything and set what's left on fire'. Though making light of his teams abilities had irritated him slightly he was forced to admit begrudgingly that diplomacy was not their strong suit in any way, shape or form.....

Mortis moved to his work bench and awakened the machine spirit of a portable Diognosticator before attaching it to a port in one of his new bionics in order to check it's integration with his existing systems. Epsilon's contribution to the defence of Pilgrims loss and it's considerable part in the weakening of the splinter fleet attacking it and it's neighbouring systems had not gone unnoticed by their superiors and subsequent enquiries about equipment availability had been provisionally approved** as well as the team receiving several honourable distinctions in recognition of their mighty and heroic deeds. He himself had personally received an additional Machina Opus from the stations Forge Master while the rest of the team had gained honours appropriate to their own particular specialities. Brother Magron had been particularly pleased with the Marksmen honour granted to him and had been even more humbled when the Master of the Armoury had agreed to configure an 'Ultra' Pattern Mk. IX Sniper Rifle for his personal use.

He himself had taken advantage of this new found favour by having his other arm replaced by an extremely well crafted*** Bionic that's ability to work on precision devices was considerably superior to his own organic limb that it had replaced. This procedure had been simple enough to be performed on the Strike Cruiser on the journey back to the Deathwatch Watch Station though he had had to wait until they reached 'home' before he could have the additional internal systems fitted to his Respiratory system and heart. He had also taken advantage of this downtime to fine tune the improvised additional armour plating he's added to his form during a brief stop at a medical facility while on the previous mission****. This integration of all his new augmentations when combined with his older ones had increased both his Strength and Toughness to even more impressive levels*****.

Once the diagnostic and subsequent minor adjustments had been completed he turned his attention to the Storm Bolter that had served him so well in the previous campaign. Despite the fact that it's previous owner had been a Chaos Terminator, the reconsecrated and reconfigured weapon's machine spirit had attempted to erase the stain on it's honour by destroying as many xenos as possible and had in fact killed one with virtually every bolt fired******. Brother Mortis had decided to honour his weapons new found purpose by rebuilding it to even more precise tolerances and adding a Motion Predictor who's own machine spirit would combine with that of the weapon in order to make it into a truly awe inspiring weapon of war...

...Brother Mortis aimed the weapon at the creature recently released at the opposite end of the circular area and unleashed a burst of Bolts at it as it loped across the training arena towards him. He watched with satisfaction as every bolt hit it's mark and the Diablodon exploded in a spectacular display of scattered limbs and shattered bone. Mortis engaged his Vox and sent a brief message to the Marine in charge of the stations 'Zoo'.

"Lets' try that again with a pair shall we....."

* Two members of our RPG group had decided they didn't like their characters and had (to be honest) probably not picked particularly good ones based on what they wanted to do with them. The simple solution was to just kill off their characters and create new ones. Amusingly enough our Apothecary is now an Assault Marine and our Assault Marine is now an Apothecary...

** Most of us are at 'Distinguished' levels of Renown (the stat that decides how exotic the equipment you can requisition for missions is) and the rest of them who are only 'Respected' should be 'Distinguished' by the end of our next couple of missions. This means that we can take wonderful new toys such as Omnissiah Axe's, Power Fists, Plasma Cannons and some of the more interesting grenade and ammunition types as well as most of the available equipment options as well. There's still a few things were not allowed near yet though...*cough* Conversion Beamer *cough*...

*** Equipment is either 'common', 'exceptional' or 'master' in terms of it's quality. Equipment over and above the standard types gains additional benefits depending on what it is (Armour increases in AP value, guns do more damage, etc.) but at an increased requisition cost. I've been of sufficient renown to get 'exceptional' level bionics for a while (which obviously have additional benefits) but have only just become famous enough to have 'master' level ones. Unfortunately a 'master' level piece of equipment is twice as expensive as a 'common' one...

**** I am allowed by our GM to use appropriate bionics from other of the compatible game systems such as Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader as long as I can justify it from a character building point of view. Therefore using various bits of the aforementioned medical facilities equipment to make Cranial and Subdermal armour was graciously approved. On a side note, our GM has a somewhat draconian attitude to 'Power Gaming' for the sake of it and also has a somewhat vindictive streak with those who argue with his decisions as one of our group who got ran over by a Lictor can testify too.....as can the guy who got his head stuck in what can only be described as a sphincter.....

***** It was the only way I could think of to justify suddenly getting stronger and tougher after spending XP on those particular stats.

****** I don't miss often and can fire 8 bolts in a single burst with an average roll combined with the weapons 'Storm' rule.

So that's the 'story so far'. for those of you interested in such things my character's stats are as follows,

WS 48, BS 51, S 64, T 64, A 40, Int 64, Per 49, WP 44, Fel 43.

As well as the Skills and Talents Deathwatch Marines get for free he also has the following upgrades,

Skills.
Awareness +10, Demolition, Dodge +20, Forbidden Lore : Archeotech +10, Security +10, Speak Language : Techna Lingua, Talanted : Tech-Use, Tech-Use +10.

Talents.
Autosanguine, Electro-Graft Use, Machine, Mechadendrite Use, Mechanicus Implants, Mighty Shot, Sound Constitution (2), The Flesh is Weak (1), Weapon Tech.

Bionics.
Augur Array, Bionic Arm (Left), Bionic Arm (Right), Bionic Heart, Bionic Locomotion (Legs), Bionic Lungs, Cranial Armour, Mind Impulse Unit, Servo Arm, Sub-Dermal Armour.

Wargear.
Mark 8 'Errant' Armour, Astartes Bolt Pistol, Astartes Bolt Gun, Astartes Combat Knife, Frag and Krak Grenades x3, Repair Cement, Signature Wargear (Master) : Astartes Storm Bolter, Techmarine Servo Arm.

Not sure what comments are necessary but feel free to make them if you like ;-)

Vulkan 'Drop Dread' list - 2nd Attempt

I recently received an e-mail from somebody asking about a Vulkan list that utilised Dreadnoughts in Drop Pods and I promptly obliged.

It's here if your interested.

I was however quite lazy when I threw it together. I just selected the basic units (Tactical Squads and Dreadnoughts) and duplicated them until I hit somewhere near the requested points total and to all intents and purposes said 'do what you like' with what points were left...

This is poor list design by any standards for which I humbly apologise :-(

This one will be better ;-)

One of the problems with drop lists is making sure that you have the tools in your first wave to deal with mech lists, infantry ones and the inevitable hybrid mixes of the two. They also require you to be able to deploy units in the event your opponent starts reserving stuff to avoid your first wave as you can obviously bring the Drop Pods down empty if you so require.

2000 Pts - Vulkan Drop Dreads - Ver 2.0

HQ: Forgefather Vulkan He'stan (1#, 190 pts)
   1 Forgefather Vulkan He'stan @ 190 pts
      1 Kesare's Mantle

HQ: Master of the Forge (1#, 100 pts)
   1 Master of the Forge @ 100 pts
      1 Servo Harness

Elite: Sternguard Veteran Squad (11#, 335 pts)
   9 Sternguard Veteran Squad @ 335 pts (Combi-Meltagun x6; Heavy Flamer x2; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Bolter)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Elite: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Elite: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (2#, 140 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 140 pts (Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (2#, 140 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 140 pts (Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (2#, 140 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 140 pts (Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 215 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 215 pts (Flamer; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Flamer x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Total Roster Cost: 2000

This list gives us the following options.

Vs. Armour we have an option of a Sternguard unit that can Combat squad and take out two targets, 5 Dreadnoughts (two of which only have the Multi-Melta rather than Multi-Melta + Heavy Flamer as against many targets that's all it needs) and a pair of Tactical Squads with double melta on the turn they land (and again the turn after as long as they don't move, lol.)

Vs. Infantry our Sternguard unit has a pair of Heavy Flamers that can be fired at two separate targets if we choose to 'Combat Squad', 3 of our Dreadnoughts have Heavy Flamers and one of the Tactical Squads also has double Flamers.

Both of our HQ's have Flamer weapons so can be added to the anti-infantry squads to further supplement their capabilities and the Master of the Forge can take a pot-shot at rear armour with his twin-linked Plasma Pistol should you feel the need.

Obviously these units can be mixed and matched to deal with any hybrid builds you might encounter or if you wish to blow up a vehicle with one unit and toast the contents with another.

As I said before, I believe this list to be far better but as usual thoughts and comments are most welcome.

Games Workshop Newsletter

I Quite like the Dark Eldar Models but I'm completely indifferent to the Chaos Daemon ones. At least we now have a Herald of Tzeentch model but unfortunately I'd still have to make my own in order to fit my armies theme :-(

The Games Workshop Newsletter 12.08.2011 In this issue: Extra reinforcements for Chaos Daemons & Dark Eldar this weekend!

In Hobby Centres on August 20th A whole host of new models are available for you to buy this weekend. Chaos Daemons can be fielded in both Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and as Sorcerous Pacts in your Storm of Magic games. With the new Battleforce/Battalion, it's never been easier to field your own Chaos Daemons army. Worshippers of Tzeentch can show their loyalty with the new Blasted Standards, as well as fielding a Herald of Tzeentch, while those who follow Khorne will be able to use the two new Banners of Rage sets, all of which are available in Citadel Finecast. Dark Eldar fans can also rejoice as we've added two alien servants of the Dark Eldar, the Ur-Ghul and the Medusae, also available in Citadel Finecast. Head into stores on August 20th to be the first to get your hands on these new releases.

Forge World Newsletter 281

 Forge World Newsletter #281

Hi there,
            In this week’s newsletter we have a fantastic addition to our Imperial Guard range in the form of the Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher, as well as three new weapon options for the very popular Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought. We’ve also got further information for those of you attending Games Day Australia in October who want to place reservation orders, and news of the biggest event of our 2011 calendar: Games Day UK in September.

Contemptor Plasma Cannon, Heavy Bolter and Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon
The ancient and prized Contemptor Dreadnought, once a mainstay of the Astartes Legions during the Great Crusade, is capable of fielding many different heavy weapons. The Contemptor Pattern Plasma Cannon and Contemptor Pattern Heavy Bolter are both precursors to the weapons systems found on the MkIV and MkV Dreadnoughts, and the Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon is considered by some techno-savants to be the forerunner to the Assault Cannon carried by Space Marine Terminators.

Designed by Will Hayes, all three new weapon options are now available to pre-order for despatch in the week commencing August 30th.Experimental rules for the Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought are available to download from the Forge World website, and the keen-eyed amongst you will notice that one of the ‘forbidden’ weapon options has now been revealed. We’ll be bringing you more weapons for this amazingly popular Dreadnought in the coming months.

Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher
The Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher is a sophisticated weapon that mounts a multiple heavy missile launcher system. Use of this design, recently approved by the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, is spreading swiftly throughout frontline regiments, but the use of the Praetor missile system far predates the hull design of the Crassus Armoured Assault Transport upon which it is now mounted.

This resin model is packed with lavish interior details such as missiles and auto-targeting systems, the Praetor’s massive main weapons system features three racks of immense warheads, and a sliding support that allows it to be opened for firing and closed for transport. The Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher is a complete resin kit, designed by Stuart Williamson and Daren Parrwood, and is available to pre-order now for despatch in the week commencing 30th August.

Experimental rules for the Praetor Armoured Assault Launcher can be downloaded from the Forge World website now, taken from the forthcoming Imperial Armour Apocalypse Second Edition,along with an exclusive Apocalypse Formation.

Games Day Australia Update
The full range of Warhammer Forge products, along with a huge selection of the Forge World range, will be available from our stand at Games Day Australia, held on 1st October at the Australian Technology Park, Redfern, NSW. Both our 2011 Event Only MkIII Armoured Boarding Space Marine and Chaos Dwarf Hellsmith models will be on sale, and to mark the return of Games Day Australia we’re also offering an exclusive last chance to buy some of our previous Event Only models as well.

We are now accepting reservation orders for Games Day Australia, and this is the best way of ensuring that we will have exactly the models you’re looking for, packed up and waiting for you to pay for on the day.

To place a reservation order, please send an e-mail entitled ‘Games Day Australia Reservation’ to fwreservations@games-workshop.co.uk, making sure to provide your full name and a list of the items you’d like to reserve. You can also phone the Forge World Customer Service team on 0011 44 115 916 8177.

You can place a reservation for anything currently available from the Forge World online store, as well as our Event Only MkIII Boarding Space Marine and Chaos Dwarf Hellsmith figures. We will provide a confirmation e-mail before the event that will contain your order number and a total cost in Australian Dollars, payable upon collection. Please contact GW Australia Customer Service for full details of pricing at the event.

Games Day UK – 25th September 2011
Here at Forge World we’re busily finishing masters and painting models for Games Day UK, held at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday 25th September. Tickets are selling fast but there are still some left, so if you’ve not yet bought one either pop in to your local Games Workshop Hobby Centre, call 0115 914 0000 or visit www.games-workshop.com.

We’ll be bringing you regular updates on our presence at Games Day UK, ranging from the ever-popular Studio stands which will, as always, be packed with new and work-in-progress models, books, and our amazing display boards, to the Sales stand which will have a huge selection of the Forge World range of resin kits, modelling supplies and books.

We are now accepting reservation orders for Games Day UK, and as with our other UK shows this year, we’ll be taking payment in advance for these orders so that it’s much quicker and easier for you to collect at Games Day. A reservation order is the best way of ensuring that we have exactly what you want at Games Day, including our Show Only figures, so please call the Forge World Customer Service team on 0115 900 4995 to place your reservation.

Thanks,
Ead Brown
Customer Service Manager
Forge World

Thoughts on Vulkan - Part 3 - Troops

As they're somewhat spread out (for which I apologise) the previous parts can be found at the following links,

Part One

Part Two

Okay so we covered HQ's and Elites so the next logical place is the Troops section,

Troops.
So we have a whole two choices here and as I see little use for Scouts in a Vulkan themed list so we'll move straight onto Tactical Marines.

Tactical Squad.

So our basic 5 Marine squad will set us back 90 points and requires upgrading to 10 men before we start to get access to useful toys bringing the total up to 170 points and as were already paying 190 points to gain Vulkan then we only really want to take upgrades that are complimented by him.
That means weapon-wise were looking at a Flamer or Meltagun as our special weapon, a Multi-Melta for our heavy weapon selection and possibly a Combi-Weapon (or two*) on our Sergeant. They'll obviously need some form of transport and I tend to favour Rhino's in a Vulkan list as we can shoot out of the top without exposing ourselves to anti-personnel fire.

* Yes two. Bolt Pistol can be swapped for one and so can his Boltgun. I'm not sure how often I'd do this but it's a useful way of adding an anti-personnel weapon to a squad that's gone all melta with it's options ;-)

My 'Default' Marine Configuration in a standard Marine list is usually this,

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 205 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 205 pts (Flamer; Multi-melta; Rhino)
      1 Sergeant
      1 Rhino (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Storm Bolter)

But though it has weapons that take advantage of Vulkan's special rules it doesn't really take full advantage of them. Combi-weapons on Sergeants are a relatively cheap way of enhancing a units fire-power and with the benefit of Vulkans Twin-linking combined with BS4 is very reliable. The choices were going to have to make are between Flamer or Melta or if were feeling flush we can give him both.

I'd never really considered giving a sergeant two combi-weapons until I saw Stelek's use of two special weapons on Honour Guard Squads in Blood Angels lists and the principle seemed fairly sound. Even though Combi-Weapons are only 'one-shot' it's likely that a Marine Squad close enough to use one is going to get it's best results the first time it uses them rather than from multiple shots...not convinced?

Okay, lets take a Flamer as an example.

Your most likely to be in charge range when your using a Flamer which means that you'll be charging after using it as you don't want to be shot at and then charged by whatever it is your torching. First couple of turns will be spent getting into that position, anything that is squishy enough to be killed in a turn of assault won't need softening up anyway and anything larger or tougher will probably take a few turns to beat (or beat you) meaning your unit will probably be rendered ineffective for future combats regardless. The upshot of this is that you'll most likely only be using that Flamer once so the fact that you can only use it once isn't much of a hardship.

When using a Meltagun (or Combi-Melta) you'll find that it will inevitably (even when twin-linked) miss the one time you need it to work, lol. Having two obviously mitigates this problem somewhat and also helps out on those other occasions when a Melta weapon hits and then you roll double-one for damage...

Therefore the dual combi-weapon option is a great way of making a unit increasingly effective and enhancing it's duality substantially.

Like this,

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 230 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 230 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Rhino)
      1 Sergeant (Combi-Flamer x1; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Rhino (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Storm Bolter)

The only downside to this unit is getting hold of enough combi-weapons to actually model them, lol.

Though the above unit is probably what I would use, the use of combi's allows you a number of options that become viable in a Vulkan list due to the increased reliability bought about by twin-linking. Though I said at the beginning that I'd only take weapons that Vulkan could enhance there's always the option of combat squads to divide your Marine unit into a pair of effective ones.

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 230 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 230 pts (Meltagun; Missile Launcher; Rhino)
      1 Sergeant (Combi-Flamer x1; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Rhino (Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Storm Bolter)

In the above configuration half the unit stays in the Rhino and goes off tank-hunting with it's pair of Melta weapons while still having the luxury of some anti-infantry fire-power. Meanwhile the Missile Launcher half camps on an objective taking pot-shots at light armour with it's Krak missiles. This unit mitigates an inherent problem sometimes encountered with Vulakn lists, namely lack of long range shooting.

My objections to Drop Pod lists have been stated previously but there's a 'Drop' list here if anybodies still interested.

I think that'll do for now. I'll try and get Fast Attack done slightly sooner than the two week gap between parts 2 and 3.....

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

E-Mail In : Vulkan Drop List.

This picture is completely relevant to the article.....Honestly.....

E-Mail In :

I read your first couple of articles on Vulkan and have enjoyed them a great deal (even though I've now been waiting nearly a fortnight for part 3, Hint, Hint.) but I was surprised that you don't rate Dreadnought Drop lists in conjunction with Vulkan. Any chance you could write me up a 2000 point one anyway?

Reply :

Apologies about the delay with part 3, I'll get that sorted in the next day or so. As for the Drop Dread list...I wasn't saying that they were rubbish, just that they were more easily counter-able than people think. That aside if you really want one then they're fairly simple to do and pretty much consist of Vulkan, a Master of the Forge and then you alternate between Tactical Squads and Dreadnoughts.

Like this in fact,


2000 Pts - Codex: Space Marines - Vulkan Drop Dreads

HQ: Forgefather Vulkan He'stan (1#, 190 pts)
   1 Forgefather Vulkan He'stan @ 190 pts
      1 Kesare's Mantle

HQ: Master of the Forge (1#, 100 pts)
   1 Master of the Forge @ 100 pts
      1 Servo Harness

Elite: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Elite: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Elite: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Dreadnought @ 150 pts (Heavy Flamer; Drop Pod)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 220 pts)
   9 Tactical Squad @ 220 pts (Meltagun; Multi-melta; Drop Pod)
      1 Sergeant (Bolt Pistol; Combi-Meltagun x1)
      1 Drop Pod (Drop Pod Assault)

Total Roster Cost: 1920

Tactical Squad configuration is somewhat subjective as there are times when a unit with a couple of Flamers might be preferable but that's up to you. The last 80 points can be spent on anything you damn well please but locator beacons on the first wave of Drop Pods are an obvious choice. If you plan on dropping the Master of the Forge's unit at the back as an objective holding unit then you could always give him a conversion beamer ;-)

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Wayland Games Newsletter

Hello Wargames fans and welcome to another edition of the weekly Wayland Games newsletter!

We hope you're enjoying your summer of wargaming. Things have been a bit quiet last week on the wargmes front as we're waiting for the release of so many great things.

But now that we're heading into Autumn, all manner of shiny new miniatures are on their way. So check out the latest releases and pre orders below. In the meantime Wayland Games will keep you up to date with all the new stuff as soon as it's available!

SPACE MARINE: The Game!

Take the role of Captain Titus, the last hope for survival of humanity in the war ridden future. Step into the armour of this superhuman warrior and use a lethal combination of deadly weapons to crush overwhelming alien forces. Fight against savage Orks and unholy forces of Chaos in a brutally violent world based in the richest science fiction fantasy universe ever created.

This highly anticipated PC, XBox360 and Playstation 3 game is now available for pre-order in our store here!

All pre-orders for the game will recieve a special promotions code allowing access to the 'Golden Chainsword' in game item.

KINGS OF WAR ORCS: Gore Riders, Orc Army & Morax!

The greenest, meanest army in Mantic's fantasy battle game just received their ferocious reinforcements.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Kings Of War is the fastest growing tabletop game, offering enormous armies at comparatively tiny prices.

So the only thing that will hold you back in this game are your tactics, not your budget!

The Orc Army Set offer you over 80 miniatures for under £50 and included 10 Plastic Resin Gore Riders, 30 Plastic Orc Ax, 20 Plastic Greatax and 24 Plastic Orclings.

The Gore Riders are also available seperately, allowing you to add even more angry pig cavalary to your greenskin horde.

Meanwhile the Morax Orc Warriors bring even more brutality to your front line, believing in the old Orc adage that more axe means more killing!

Offering more miniatures for your money, unrivalled strategic game play and a huge range of units to collect and paint, it's no wonder that Kings Of War is one of our best selling games.

CHAOS DAEMONS: One Great Big Battleforce Bargain

More screaming gribblies than you can shake a pointy stick at! Games Workshop has unleashed its Chaos Daemons Battalion/Battleforce, giving Chaos players 45 miniatures in one great big box.

You get 10 Pink Horrors of Tzeentch, 10 Daemonettes of Slaanesh, 20 Bloodletters of Khorne and 5 Seekers of Slaanesh.

In terms of points for pounds, this is one of the best value boxed sets Games Workshop has ever produced while giving you a huge core for your Chaos Daemons army.

Whoever said playing Warhammer 40K or Warhammer Fantasy had to be expensive?

Facebook!

Fancy a bit more opportunity for a deal? If you like us on Facebook(opens new window), from time to time we do Facebook only promotions and added to which if we get 10,000 likes (and we're over 70% of the way there!) one lucky liker will win a £250 voucher to spend on our store and every Monday we're giving away a free £20 store voucher, loads of lucky likers so far have been shopping on us, you could be next! You've got to be in it, to win it!

DYSTOPIAN WARS: Giant Robots, Giant Squids and Razor Sharp Teeth!

We know how much you all love big stompy robots. But what about gigantic steam punk robots that can fly, walk on the bottom of the sea (with telescopic legs) or ensnare whole ships with their metal tentacles?

Dystopian Wars succeeds again in not only bringing magnificent miniatures to the tabletop, but incorporating them into a wonderfully strategy game as well.

First up, we have the Federated States of America John Henry class Robots. You get 2 in a pack to provide some serious aerial intimidation for your opponents!

Then we have the Prussian Empire Metzger class Robot in both landand sea models. The land version is so massive that you only get 1 in the pack, but you get 2 in the sea wading (water-lined) pack. The Metzger walks along the ocean floor using its telescopic legs and is an unstoppable killing machine both on land and at sea. The miniature looks a real joy to paint too.

Finally, the Empire of the Blazing Sun Ika class Mechanical Squidconjures up images from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The heavy armour allows this metal monstrosity to shrug off incoming fire before it slams into enemy ships and tears them apart with its tentacle mounted weapons.

Subtler, but just as deadly are the Kingdom of Britannia Vanguard class Submarines. Britannia trule rules the waves with these hull-wrecking beasts which saw enemy ships in half as they pass by with their razor sharp teeth!

DYSTOPIAN WARS: The Covenant of Antarctica

If giant robots, squads and saw toothed submarines wasn't enough to tempt you to play Dystopian Wars, we're overjoyed to announce a new faction in the best selling steam punk tabletop wargame.

The enigmatic Covenant of Antarctica is the world’s youngest and most unorthodox nation. Established in 1857 by the eccentric Britannian scientist-aristocrat Lord Barnabas Draynes Sturgeon, the Covenant has caused seismic shifts in global politics and scientific advancement in the few short years of its existence. The Covenent’s military forces are small, but thanks to their extraordinary grasp of technology, they command offensive power out of all proportion to their numbers.

The Covenant of Antarctica Naval Battle Group contains all manner of super-advanced battle ships crewed by artificial soldiers that perform at peak efficiency while harnessing deadly energy weapons the likes of which have never been seen before!

Meanwhile the walkers of Covenant of Antarctica Armoured Battle Group advance across the battlefield on enormous legs, crossing terrain with ease while blasting enemy formations apart with terrifying weapons. It's like playing War Of The Worlds!

FLAMES OF WAR: Reinforcements Have Arrived!

The best selling historical wargame of all time also receives new reinforcements with more infantry and tanks to bolster the armies of World War II.

Check out our Flames Of War Preorders section to see what the high command has made available to your general. Air craft, tank platoons, cannon batteries and even the good old Universal Carrier are all on their way to resupply and reinforce your armies.

Don't forget that we still have some Flames Of War Bags in stock! So get yours before someone else beats you to it.

Keep on wargaming!

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