Have you ever fought Chaos Daemons? I have. Twice. One game I won, and the other I lost. Tremendously! But even in just two games, there are some things that I learned. Follow these and they'll help you beat the All-Deep-Striking army of Chaos!
Tip 1.) Do NOT use Combined Squads:
In the second game, I combined 30 guardsmen into one squad, thinking that it would help me kill the Greater Daemon, the Bloodthirster, in hand to hand. It didn't. All it did was allow him to sweeping advance over 200 points of guardsmen in 3 rounds of Assault (which is more than I expected, but it could have been sooner).
Tip 2.) Use Allied Grey Knight Terminators, NOT normal GK:
I used a squad of normal Grey Knights, and, needless to say, they were overwhelmed pretty quickly. A -1 to Daemon's leadership value does little to help you, and even if the GK deep strike, their incinerator won't be enough to kill enough daemons. I hit 6. Killed 1. then I was overwhelmed by 20 Hellblade attacks before I could retaliate. Grey Knights are NOT skilled in close combat against such units as Daemon Princes, because the Daemon Prince ignores their power armour, and GK get no invulnerable save.
I have used both termies and GK, and I will vouch for the termies every time. They get more attacks, they get a better save, AND an invulnerable save to fend off those hellblade attacks, and they can also deep strike just like fast attack GK.
Drop the termies next to something nasty like a horde of Bloodletters, or a Greater Daemon, then light them up with storm bolters and psycannons. You will be charged, unless of course you face Pink Horrors. When you are charged, you will often still overwhelm your enemy with superior skill and S6 attacks.
Tip 3.) There are Certain vehicles that you DO NOT use:
First off, do not use chimera's. There's no need for them, and they will just get destroyed. I do recommend, however, the Leman Russ Exterminator, as nothing can penetrate Deamon invulnerable saves anyway, so why not pump them full of lead? Give it as many heavy bolters and stubbers as you can. Hydra flak tanks will also work. Take cheap things over expensive things - you want to outnumber the daemons.
Sentinels are also mostly useless. They get destroyed very quickly. A Valkyrie, however, or a hellhound held in reserve until you need it, will work wonders! Put as many wounds on them as possible!
Tip 4.) Wounds! Buckets and Buckets of Wounds!:
As I said above, your goal here is to wound the damn beasts as many times as possible, not to try to beat their armour (because...you can't!). But to inflict wounds more easily, there are some special tools, and at the top of the list for infantry, is:
The Plasma gun
Believe it or not, this is the best gun available as a special weapon against Daemons, and here's why:
- S7 will wound most of your targets on a 2 or 3 up on a d6, invaluable against such tough targets
- Ap2 will punch through any regualar saves, AND deny any Nurgle daemons their Feel No Pain roll. Tasty!
- Rapid fire. Get close, and just rapid fire the hell out of them! I took down a daemon prince with 2 regular squads of plasma gun armed guardsmen. 4 shots took 2 wounds off in one round.
Orders:
What are the best orders to use? There are really only four, but three if you're playing Annihilation.
First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire:
Or as I call it - Fire in ranks! - is invaluable as a "bucket of wounds" dealer. This order, as you know, turns 10 lasguns into 20 shots, or at close range, 30 shots. Now I know you have to take into consideration the sergeant's pistol and the special weapon, but that's still a lot of shots. This order is perfect for combating an all invulnerable save army.
Take it Down:
the Daemons army list has several monstrous creatures, and even one very nasty vehicle. Twin linking your weapons, especially heavy weapons like heavy bolters and autocannons, can win you a shooting phase. I'd use it on veteran squads armed with all plasma guns to wipe out Daemon Princes.
Fire on my Target:
Daemons have poor saves, and a Daemon player knows this. This is why a Daemon player will often DS his daemons behind cover, and then move into it in order to close the gap with your guardsmen. Deny him this advantage. Utterly snatch it from him. Issue this order on a line of heavy bolters and laugh as your opponent fails his cover saves, too!
Run! Run! Run!:
This is only useful if you're trying to get to an objective before the enemy has Deep Struck. If you're attempting to take objectives rather than kill your foe, this order can help you get there faster.
Take the first turn!
If you get the first turn, and the Daemon player fails his "Seize the Initiative" test, then take it! Do not let the Daemon player go first! Why? Because if you go first, you get a chance to move your units forward before he is even on the table! Get those objectives, reposition your men into locations you couldn't reach during deployment.
Well, that's all. My friend's daemon army is expanding, and as I fight him more and more, I'll give you tips on what weapons and units to use against certain types of daemons.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Update
Alright guys, here's the deal. My comp is in for repairs, so I have limited access to the internet right now. I should get it back today, but we'll see. When I do get it back, expect the Flamer Tactica and an anti-SM Tactica as well.
I also wanted to point out this article, which I just added, but for some reason appeared after Aeon's painting guide. It's a few tips for using Sisters of Battle beside the IG.
Reds
I also wanted to point out this article, which I just added, but for some reason appeared after Aeon's painting guide. It's a few tips for using Sisters of Battle beside the IG.
Reds
Thursday, August 6, 2009
One colour painting
Having trouble painting those massed guard armies? Well think hard no more, and just read what I have to say, because i've figuerd it out. I can show you how to get an even coat, base your men, and get them done faster than ever before! No more than half and hour on each guardsman!
Things you'll need:
1) Brushes (obviously)
2) A basing material
3) 2x similar Foundation Paints
4) A flesh colour and a wash for the flesh (Ogryn flesh for lighter skin, Devlan mud for darker skin)
5) A metallic colour
6) A related Citadel wash
7) A colour for the Aquila (recommended: Astronimcon Grey)
8) A leather colour (black or brown)
9) Hobby glue or Elmer's glue
Now, what I mean by 2x similar Foundation paints, is two colours that are the same colour of different shades, such as Knarloc Green and Orkhide shade, or in the case of my own army, Charadon Granite and Adeptus Battle Grey. One colour is for the fatigues, and one is for the armour.
The Citadel Wash I was refering to should be of the same colour or similar colour. So, if you're doing guardsmen that are green, then get Thraka Green wash. I use Badab Black for my grey guardsmen.
The Metallic colour should be for the gun barrel, so don't pick gold or bronze unless you want strange looking guardsmen (but who knows, they could look unique).
And lastly, for the Aquila, I'd pick either white or gold. Gold goes best with darker coloured armour, and is harder to paint then white or light grey.
Basing material should be a soil of some sort, for example, arid sand. I recommend using Gale Force 9 (GF9) basing material. They are cheap, and come in tubs that will last you quite a while. As a secondary basing material, which is optional, you might pick a static grass of some sort, or small stones. I do not use a secondary material, I only base my guardsmen with ash wastes flock.
Step #1) Water down your fatigues colour, and paint it on the fatigues. Make sure you get everything.
Step #2) Water down your armour colour and paint the armour. Again, make sure to get everything, and watch out for streaks!
Step #3) Give the entire model a good wash of your chosen Citadel Wash. Because the fatigues and the armour are the same colour, but different shades, you'll be able to just casually wash the entire model with one single wash colour. Don't wash it multiple times - one wash will do!
Step #4) Now paint the skin. Water down the flesh colour a little bit but not too much, else your flesh colour will spill onto the fatigues and helmet.
Step #5) Wash the skin with your flesh wash colour.
Step #6) Paint the leather. This includes boots, the mag pouches, and the canteen holder, and possibly the knife sheath. The leather does not need a wash necessarily, but if you're going to wash it, wash it before you paint the metal.
Step #7) Paint the metal, and if you want to wash it, then do so, but it is not important.
Step #8) Carefully paint the Imperial Aquila. Do not wash it in any way, as the detail will already be covered enough.
Step #9) Base the figure. Don't paint the basing material, just leave it how it is.
End result: A very nice looking guardsman, with basing on it, and an incredibly simple looking scheme!
Things you'll need:
1) Brushes (obviously)
2) A basing material
3) 2x similar Foundation Paints
4) A flesh colour and a wash for the flesh (Ogryn flesh for lighter skin, Devlan mud for darker skin)
5) A metallic colour
6) A related Citadel wash
7) A colour for the Aquila (recommended: Astronimcon Grey)
8) A leather colour (black or brown)
9) Hobby glue or Elmer's glue
Now, what I mean by 2x similar Foundation paints, is two colours that are the same colour of different shades, such as Knarloc Green and Orkhide shade, or in the case of my own army, Charadon Granite and Adeptus Battle Grey. One colour is for the fatigues, and one is for the armour.
The Citadel Wash I was refering to should be of the same colour or similar colour. So, if you're doing guardsmen that are green, then get Thraka Green wash. I use Badab Black for my grey guardsmen.
The Metallic colour should be for the gun barrel, so don't pick gold or bronze unless you want strange looking guardsmen (but who knows, they could look unique).
And lastly, for the Aquila, I'd pick either white or gold. Gold goes best with darker coloured armour, and is harder to paint then white or light grey.
Basing material should be a soil of some sort, for example, arid sand. I recommend using Gale Force 9 (GF9) basing material. They are cheap, and come in tubs that will last you quite a while. As a secondary basing material, which is optional, you might pick a static grass of some sort, or small stones. I do not use a secondary material, I only base my guardsmen with ash wastes flock.
Step #1) Water down your fatigues colour, and paint it on the fatigues. Make sure you get everything.
Step #2) Water down your armour colour and paint the armour. Again, make sure to get everything, and watch out for streaks!
Step #3) Give the entire model a good wash of your chosen Citadel Wash. Because the fatigues and the armour are the same colour, but different shades, you'll be able to just casually wash the entire model with one single wash colour. Don't wash it multiple times - one wash will do!
Step #4) Now paint the skin. Water down the flesh colour a little bit but not too much, else your flesh colour will spill onto the fatigues and helmet.
Step #5) Wash the skin with your flesh wash colour.
Step #6) Paint the leather. This includes boots, the mag pouches, and the canteen holder, and possibly the knife sheath. The leather does not need a wash necessarily, but if you're going to wash it, wash it before you paint the metal.
Step #7) Paint the metal, and if you want to wash it, then do so, but it is not important.
Step #8) Carefully paint the Imperial Aquila. Do not wash it in any way, as the detail will already be covered enough.
Step #9) Base the figure. Don't paint the basing material, just leave it how it is.
End result: A very nice looking guardsman, with basing on it, and an incredibly simple looking scheme!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Brothers and Sisters
Sorry for the slow down guys. My comp is in for repairs, so I have limited internet access. The reason you're getting this article today is that I started it a while back, so it was mostly done.
Taking allied IG as SoB
This is something I haven't really done too much, being a Guard player first, foremost, and always, but I think it's worth covering both sides of the coin. The classic Sister list is a wave of Rhinos full of angry women with flamers and meltas zooming toward the enemy, usually supported by Exorcists and some Seraphim or Pen Engines. This list is very fast and very deadly, but is something of a glass cannon. If the Sisters get caught b a gunline, or bogged down in CC Swarms, they're pretty much done for.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is where the Guard comes in.
The IG packs heavy weapons like no one's business. As single infantry platoon can have up to 21 HWs if you go all out, but that really isn't necessary. Attaching a single platoon with 2 infantry squads and maybe 3-4 sections of HWs will really compliment a Sisters list nicely, giving them some ranged muscle to deal with the more deadly enemy units before the Rhinos arrive on scene with the Battle Sisters. a recent FAQ also states that if you take TWO IG platoons, you may take a squadron of Leman Russes. Yes. A Squadron. A basic Russ is always a good choice for this, but something nasty, like a Vanquisher to pop armour at range or a Demolisher to support the advancing Sisters, will really make your opponent's head spin.
Taking SoB allies as the IG
Ah, now we're cooking with napalm! Battle Sisters really add a mailed, 3+ save fist to the IG army. Two squads with Flamers or Meltas in Rhinos, supported by a solid gunline and some Vets or Penal Troops, will give you opponent a lot of very nasty things attacking him from all directions to worry about. Also, the psychological effect of a large number of 3+ saves popping up in an IG army is not to be underestimated. People have a tendency to panic and shoot the big scary women in Power Armour that they did expect (and thus have little AP 3 and 2 to counter them with), leaving your HWs, Vehicles, and Flankers to rip the enemy apart.
There are three units in particular that boost the IG nicely. Seraphim, Battle Sisters, and the Canoness.
Battle Sisters add that nice core of 3+ save troops to your line to use as a center piece, counter attack unit, or objective grabber. Sticking them in Rhinos gives you a very mobile, very evil unit that can run around lighting things on fire while your Gunline pounds away. You can also give the unit a Book of St. Lucius and Veteran Sister Superior and keep it in your gunline, essentially giving every unit withing 6in of that squad Ld. 9, unmodified. The downside is that they're a little expensive for an IG list, so only take one or two squads at 1500pts+.
The Canoness can do three things. First, she can be support. Giving her a book of St. Lucius and having her wander around behind your lines gives the same leadership bonus of 9 as that Sister Squad, but for less cost (Special thanks to Melissia on the IGMB for suggesting this). Option two is to tool her up for Close Combat and attach her to a PCS, combined squad, or CCS. This can be VERY nasty with Straken and a Canoness with a Blessed Weapon, which makes her hit at Str 6 at I 4. She also can absorb a lot of hits, making the unit harder to take down (especially if you tossed a Medic in there and gave it FnP). The third use, and by far my favorite, is the Flying Death Nun. Give the Canoness a Blessed Weapon, a Jump Pack, and Inferno pistol, and you're good to kill just about anything you run across. Tossing in a Mantle of Ophelia and Cloak of St. Aspira are also excellent choices, as they can give you a jump pack model that hits at Str 5, has a 2+ save (which can be made Invulnerable), and ignores the first instant death hit it takes.
Finally, there are Seraphim. These are nasty, nasty units when fighting with the Guard. A pair of hand flamers, a VSS with a book of St. Lucius, and Meltabombs will make this unit able to eat just about anything. Combined with Chimera Vets, Hellhounds, or Rhino Sisters, he enemy won't know what to shoot first. Their ability to close quickly, in addition to Hit and Run and being able to grab cover more easily then armour or convert their 3+ armour save into a Inv save makes them dangerous as all hell, especially when you attach the Flying Death Nun up there. I've got a dirty trick or two with Seraphim, but I'm going to keep quiet about what they are, lest I ruin the surprise for my opponents.
Reds
Let's talk about Sisters of Battle
I picked up a squad of Battle Sisters in April, and borrowed a friend's Canoness for a 2000pt game against IG. The Battle Sister Squad destroyed a squadron of three Sentinels with Bolter Fire in a single turn of shooting (two immobilized, one destroyed), and the Canoness killed a PCS, and Infantry Squad, a tank, and an HW team. Since then, I've expanded my collection, and now have about 30 Battle Sisters, 5 Seraphim, a Canoness, a Dominion Squad, an Immolator, Exorcist, and Rhino.Taking allied IG as SoB
This is something I haven't really done too much, being a Guard player first, foremost, and always, but I think it's worth covering both sides of the coin. The classic Sister list is a wave of Rhinos full of angry women with flamers and meltas zooming toward the enemy, usually supported by Exorcists and some Seraphim or Pen Engines. This list is very fast and very deadly, but is something of a glass cannon. If the Sisters get caught b a gunline, or bogged down in CC Swarms, they're pretty much done for.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is where the Guard comes in.
The IG packs heavy weapons like no one's business. As single infantry platoon can have up to 21 HWs if you go all out, but that really isn't necessary. Attaching a single platoon with 2 infantry squads and maybe 3-4 sections of HWs will really compliment a Sisters list nicely, giving them some ranged muscle to deal with the more deadly enemy units before the Rhinos arrive on scene with the Battle Sisters. a recent FAQ also states that if you take TWO IG platoons, you may take a squadron of Leman Russes. Yes. A Squadron. A basic Russ is always a good choice for this, but something nasty, like a Vanquisher to pop armour at range or a Demolisher to support the advancing Sisters, will really make your opponent's head spin.
Taking SoB allies as the IG
Ah, now we're cooking with napalm! Battle Sisters really add a mailed, 3+ save fist to the IG army. Two squads with Flamers or Meltas in Rhinos, supported by a solid gunline and some Vets or Penal Troops, will give you opponent a lot of very nasty things attacking him from all directions to worry about. Also, the psychological effect of a large number of 3+ saves popping up in an IG army is not to be underestimated. People have a tendency to panic and shoot the big scary women in Power Armour that they did expect (and thus have little AP 3 and 2 to counter them with), leaving your HWs, Vehicles, and Flankers to rip the enemy apart.
There are three units in particular that boost the IG nicely. Seraphim, Battle Sisters, and the Canoness.
Battle Sisters add that nice core of 3+ save troops to your line to use as a center piece, counter attack unit, or objective grabber. Sticking them in Rhinos gives you a very mobile, very evil unit that can run around lighting things on fire while your Gunline pounds away. You can also give the unit a Book of St. Lucius and Veteran Sister Superior and keep it in your gunline, essentially giving every unit withing 6in of that squad Ld. 9, unmodified. The downside is that they're a little expensive for an IG list, so only take one or two squads at 1500pts+.
The Canoness can do three things. First, she can be support. Giving her a book of St. Lucius and having her wander around behind your lines gives the same leadership bonus of 9 as that Sister Squad, but for less cost (Special thanks to Melissia on the IGMB for suggesting this). Option two is to tool her up for Close Combat and attach her to a PCS, combined squad, or CCS. This can be VERY nasty with Straken and a Canoness with a Blessed Weapon, which makes her hit at Str 6 at I 4. She also can absorb a lot of hits, making the unit harder to take down (especially if you tossed a Medic in there and gave it FnP). The third use, and by far my favorite, is the Flying Death Nun. Give the Canoness a Blessed Weapon, a Jump Pack, and Inferno pistol, and you're good to kill just about anything you run across. Tossing in a Mantle of Ophelia and Cloak of St. Aspira are also excellent choices, as they can give you a jump pack model that hits at Str 5, has a 2+ save (which can be made Invulnerable), and ignores the first instant death hit it takes.
Finally, there are Seraphim. These are nasty, nasty units when fighting with the Guard. A pair of hand flamers, a VSS with a book of St. Lucius, and Meltabombs will make this unit able to eat just about anything. Combined with Chimera Vets, Hellhounds, or Rhino Sisters, he enemy won't know what to shoot first. Their ability to close quickly, in addition to Hit and Run and being able to grab cover more easily then armour or convert their 3+ armour save into a Inv save makes them dangerous as all hell, especially when you attach the Flying Death Nun up there. I've got a dirty trick or two with Seraphim, but I'm going to keep quiet about what they are, lest I ruin the surprise for my opponents.
Reds
Revised Roll Call
A while back, I posted an "Everything I have" list that came out to around 5000pts total. Well, since then, I managed to find another 2000pts worth of stuff, and remade the list.
HQ: 335
Creed, Kell, Astropath, Fleet Officer, HB, Vox, Camo Cloaks, Bodyguard
HQ: 255pts
Straken, Heavy Flamer, 2 Flamers, Carapace, 2 Bodyguards, Medic
Stormies: 195pts
10 Stormies, 2 Plasma Guns, “Behind enemy lines”
Sly Marbo: 65pts
Infantry Platoon: 850pts
HQ w/ 3 Plasma guns, Medic, Meltabombs (110pts)
5 Squads w/ HBs, GLs, Voxes (305pts)
2 ML Sections (180pts)
2 AC Sections (150pts)
Lascannon Section (105pts)
Infantry Platoon: 655pts
HQ w/ Rahemo, 3 Meltaguns, Medic (160pts)
3 Squads w/ Flamers, Meltabombs, Voxes (180pts)
2 Squads w/ Flamers, Meltabombs, Voxes, Commissar (190pts)
SW Squad w/ 3 Flamers (50pts)
SW Squad w/ 3 GLs (50pts)
Infantry Platoon: 540pts
3 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Commissar w/Pfist, Meltabombs (120pts)
5 Squads w/GLs, Voxes (300pts)
Mortar Section (60pts)
Mortar Section (60pts)
Penal Troops (80pts)
Vet Squad: 160pts
3 GLs, Harker, ML, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 195pts
3 Meltas, Demolitions, Bastonne, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 155pts
Carapace, 3 Plasma Guns, Sgt w/ Plasma Pistol
Vanquisher: 190pts
Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon
Vanquisher: 240pts
Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon, Pask
LRMBT: 180pts
HB Sponsons, Pintle Stubber
LRMBT: 170pts
HB Sponsons
LRMBT: 170pts
HB Sponsons
Leman Russ Demolisher: 210pts
Hull Las, Multimelta sponsons
Leman Russ Demolisher: 210pts
Hull Las, Multimelta sponsons
Leman Russ Eradicator: 210pts
HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
Basilisk: 155pts
Camo Netting
Hellhound: 130pts
5350pts
Canoness: 151pts
Inferno Pistol, Jump Pack, Blessed Weapon, Mantle of Ophelia, Cloak of St. Aspira, Book of St. Lucius, Frag Grenades
Inquisitor Lord (WH): 268ptsForce Weapon, Power Armour, Inferno Pistol, Rosarius, His will be Done, Force Weapon, Frag3 Vet Guardsmen w/ Shotguns, Familiar, Acolyte w/ ‘Pace, Frag Grenades, Acolyte with Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, CCW, Frag
Seraphim Squad: 170pts
4 Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius & Power Weapon, 2 Hand Flamers, Meltabombs
Battle Sister Squad: 205pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Rhino: 58pts
Smoke
Battle Sister Squad: 205pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Rhino: 58pts
Smoke
Battle Sister Squad: 141pts
2 Flamers, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Dominion Squad: 225pts
4 Sisters w/ Storm Bolters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, Eviscerator, Combi- Melta, Frag, Immolator tank w/ Heavy Flamers
Exorcist: 135pts
Total: 6850
That leaves me enough points to run my infantry as an "Emperor's Shield Infantry Company" in an Apoc game, bringing me to a grand total of 7000pts.
Anyone want to throw down? ; )
Reds
HQ: 335
Creed, Kell, Astropath, Fleet Officer, HB, Vox, Camo Cloaks, Bodyguard
HQ: 255pts
Straken, Heavy Flamer, 2 Flamers, Carapace, 2 Bodyguards, Medic
Stormies: 195pts
10 Stormies, 2 Plasma Guns, “Behind enemy lines”
Sly Marbo: 65pts
Infantry Platoon: 850pts
HQ w/ 3 Plasma guns, Medic, Meltabombs (110pts)
5 Squads w/ HBs, GLs, Voxes (305pts)
2 ML Sections (180pts)
2 AC Sections (150pts)
Lascannon Section (105pts)
Infantry Platoon: 655pts
HQ w/ Rahemo, 3 Meltaguns, Medic (160pts)
3 Squads w/ Flamers, Meltabombs, Voxes (180pts)
2 Squads w/ Flamers, Meltabombs, Voxes, Commissar (190pts)
SW Squad w/ 3 Flamers (50pts)
SW Squad w/ 3 GLs (50pts)
Infantry Platoon: 540pts
3 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Commissar w/Pfist, Meltabombs (120pts)
5 Squads w/GLs, Voxes (300pts)
Mortar Section (60pts)
Mortar Section (60pts)
Penal Troops (80pts)
Vet Squad: 160pts
3 GLs, Harker, ML, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 195pts
3 Meltas, Demolitions, Bastonne, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 155pts
Carapace, 3 Plasma Guns, Sgt w/ Plasma Pistol
Vanquisher: 190pts
Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon
Vanquisher: 240pts
Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon, Pask
LRMBT: 180pts
HB Sponsons, Pintle Stubber
LRMBT: 170pts
HB Sponsons
LRMBT: 170pts
HB Sponsons
Leman Russ Demolisher: 210pts
Hull Las, Multimelta sponsons
Leman Russ Demolisher: 210pts
Hull Las, Multimelta sponsons
Leman Russ Eradicator: 210pts
HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
Basilisk: 155pts
Camo Netting
Hellhound: 130pts
5350pts
Canoness: 151pts
Inferno Pistol, Jump Pack, Blessed Weapon, Mantle of Ophelia, Cloak of St. Aspira, Book of St. Lucius, Frag Grenades
Inquisitor Lord (WH): 268ptsForce Weapon, Power Armour, Inferno Pistol, Rosarius, His will be Done, Force Weapon, Frag3 Vet Guardsmen w/ Shotguns, Familiar, Acolyte w/ ‘Pace, Frag Grenades, Acolyte with Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, CCW, Frag
Seraphim Squad: 170pts
4 Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius & Power Weapon, 2 Hand Flamers, Meltabombs
Battle Sister Squad: 205pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Rhino: 58pts
Smoke
Battle Sister Squad: 205pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Rhino: 58pts
Smoke
Battle Sister Squad: 141pts
2 Flamers, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Dominion Squad: 225pts
4 Sisters w/ Storm Bolters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, Eviscerator, Combi- Melta, Frag, Immolator tank w/ Heavy Flamers
Exorcist: 135pts
Total: 6850
That leaves me enough points to run my infantry as an "Emperor's Shield Infantry Company" in an Apoc game, bringing me to a grand total of 7000pts.
Anyone want to throw down? ; )
Reds
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Parade Ground!
IG Player and Master Tank Modeler Col. Corbane has created "The Parade Ground", a collection of IG Blogs from around the web, and it's a great way to find everything from Tacitcas and Painting tips. Another advantage is that you can read other people's thoughts about Demolishers, Meltaguns, and the other units and weapons we've posted about, so you can hear more than just one point of view.
There's a widget in the upper right hand corner that will bring you to it, so give it a click and check it out!
Reds
There's a widget in the upper right hand corner that will bring you to it, so give it a click and check it out!
Reds
Saturday, August 1, 2009
What army gives you the most trouble?
Alright guys, the Flamer Tactica is in the pipeline, and I should have some time to pump out that LRMBT article as well.
I've set up a new poll for your consideration. What we here at Forward March want to know is what armies do you struggle against the most as IG? Once we have a winner, Requiem, myself, and Aeon (aka Mr. Bobo) as well as a few others will weigh in, and I'll pull all the advice into a single tactica.
Now, I've left off two armies here. Tyranids, since I think all three of us have little experience with them, and Dark Eldar, because I'm pretty sure all three of us have NO experience with them.
So have at it guys. Which armies give you the most trouble? Specifying combos like Drop Pod Marines, Tau Gunlines, etc, in the comments will help us know what specifically to address.
Edit: We've already discussed Broadsides and Monoliths in the Comments, so if there's a specific unit that gives you trouble, post there, and we'll help out!
Reds
I've set up a new poll for your consideration. What we here at Forward March want to know is what armies do you struggle against the most as IG? Once we have a winner, Requiem, myself, and Aeon (aka Mr. Bobo) as well as a few others will weigh in, and I'll pull all the advice into a single tactica.
Now, I've left off two armies here. Tyranids, since I think all three of us have little experience with them, and Dark Eldar, because I'm pretty sure all three of us have NO experience with them.
So have at it guys. Which armies give you the most trouble? Specifying combos like Drop Pod Marines, Tau Gunlines, etc, in the comments will help us know what specifically to address.
Edit: We've already discussed Broadsides and Monoliths in the Comments, so if there's a specific unit that gives you trouble, post there, and we'll help out!
Reds
IG Tutorials
After playing Aeon today, we had a conversation about learning to play as the IG. I offered to start giving him, as well as anyone else in the store who's interested, Tutorials on the IG. Now, I think some of you guys live pretty close to the store in Falls Church, VA, where I play, so I figured I'd mention it here, in case anyone wanted to stop by.
These will be basic tutorials, using a 1500pt game as an example, and will cover deployment, list building, ICs, and a host of other things. I'll also have some dirty tricks to show off as well. These will be on Thursday at 1:00 at the Compleat Strategist. If anyone is interested, leave a note in the comments.
Reds
These will be basic tutorials, using a 1500pt game as an example, and will cover deployment, list building, ICs, and a host of other things. I'll also have some dirty tricks to show off as well. These will be on Thursday at 1:00 at the Compleat Strategist. If anyone is interested, leave a note in the comments.
Reds
Friday, July 31, 2009
Gimmick Lists vs Combined Arms
Two posts in one day? Shocking, I know, but bare with me. Gimmick lists are something I've been seeing a lot with the new Imperial Guard Codex. People will run them, and often claim that they're just as good as normal Combined Arms lists. I plan on discussing this issue in depth, but first, let's talk about what exactly I mean by "Gimmick Lists".
I consider a Gimmick List to be something that focuses heavily on one unit, or combination of units, to the exclusion of all others. Some examples are All Vets, No Tanks, Chimera Spam, Air Cav, and Conscript Press. I do NOT consider Gunline and Mech lists to be Gimmick Lists, as they tend more to be play styles, and can be carried out in a number of different ways.
Now, the general problem with these lists is that they do focus so heavily on one unit type or combo that they become very, very vulnerable to the counters an army can bring against that unit. It's not a problem as much at lower point value games, but when you get to 1500pts+, the enemy can bring enough tanks, guns, or very angry men with sharp objects to rip apart a Gimmick List with relative ease, especially compared to a balanced Combined Arms list, which can very very hard to crack.
Let's talk about each of those examples.
1. All Vets: What it says on the can. This list takes Veterans as only troop choice, usually with a CCS and either Chimeras or Valks tossed in. While this does mean you're packing a lot of SWs, it also means you've sacrificed HWs, and therefore an effective gunline. Vets CAN take HWs, but not in the numbers of a Platoons can, and it also means your SWs aren't being put to good use at close range. Also, any advantage in survivability that Grenadiers and Forward Sentries give you is nothing compared to the two Infantry Squads you could take for the same cost. Not only is that more wounds, but it's two targets, thus splitting the enemy fire and reducing it's effectiveness. Vet lists have a lot fewer units on the ground, and thus the enemy can concentrate fire on them more easily. That's why people use Chimeras, here, to give the Vets a little protection and to gelp them blitz the enemy. The downside is that this further reduces the number of troops you have, with you losing 1 Vet Squad for every two you have in a Chimera.
Recommended Point Levels: Vet armies work great at 500 or 750pts, but will struggle at 1000pts unless in Chimeras or Valks. Even adding those in will only extend their effectiveness to 1500pts, and which point you really get crushed under weight of numbers.
2. No Tanks: This means no Russes or Bassies. Some of the more diehard IG players will call that heresy, but it's not a bad tactic. Sentinels and Valks work pretty well up to a point. Valks and Vens do pack a punch, and Sents can be useful for playing merry hell in the enemy lines. This list also makes good use of HWs (hopefully), to help offset the lack of Armour. The downside is that you hav only one way of throwing out those High Str, good AP templates that almost all our tanks have, and that's the Demo Charge (which is unreliable at best). Russes DO have a purpose, and that is to be shot at with everything up to (and often including) Lascannons, shrug it all off, and blast something into paste. Sentinels are fragile as a wet tissue, and Valks and Vens aren't much better when it comes to armour. You take a substantial hit on the survive ability of your armour, as well as their effectiveness and ability to kill masses of troops.
Recommended Point Levels: Almost mandatory at 500pts, and works pretty well at 750 and 1000pts. They'll struggle against 1500pts, I find, when the other army is packing a lot of High Str weapons that can bring down the lighter non-tank vehicles. I would recommend this at 1000pts, max.
3. Chimera Spam: The idea here is to put all your infantry in Chimeras. Platoons, Vets, CCS, anything and everything that can take one, gets shoved in a Chimera. This is one of the three stronger Gimmick Lists. It can suffer from the lack of HWs, although Chimeras can help offset that with their turret weapons (keep in mind, through, moving 12in is in your best interest). This means that the enemy isn't as soft as one might like when your troops reach them, which is why Hull HFs are generally a good idea. It also suffers from the lack of men (every Chimera you take is one less Infantry Squad with a SW), but not to the extent that the Vets list does. It also means you have to get shot at by a LOT of weapons as you advance, since you've trimmed your army down and stuck them all in transports to make nice boxes for the enemy to shoot. Remember, too, that your Chimeras can explode, and kill a good portion of the squad inside before they ever fire a shot.
Just to be clear, this is different then Mechanized, as Mechanized will usually have Hellhounds, Valks, Sents, ect, tossed in. The Chimera Spam generally uses just Chimeras, with a handful of Russes backing them up.
Recommended Point Levels: Generally too expensive for 500 and 750pts, this list really becomes strong at 1000-1500pts. Higher then that, though, and your Chimeras won't be able to stand up to the volume of fire headed your way. Your infantry will be walking, and since there are less of them because you spent points on the Chimeras, they'll be cut down in short order.
4. Air Cav: Again another one of the stronger lists, Air Cav will consist of Platoons, Vets, and/or Stormies in Valks and Vendettas. This list packs a pretty big punch, is fast moving, and gan play havoc with Gunlines. They are VERY expensive though (in terms of $ and points), and are something of a Glass Cannon. If you get first turn and deploy well, you can cripple the enemy in the first or second turn, then drop your troops off to finish the job. Lose first turn, or deploy poorly, and you'll get shredded. It also has the downside of needing to take Squadrons for it to work. This is okay at the lower point levels, but can badly hurt your ability to kill multiple targets at larger point levels. You either have to fire all your Vendettas at a single tank, and all your Valks at a single infantry unit, or you mix the squadrons, and waste the shots from the Vens when shooting at infantry, or the Valks when shooting at tanks. The situation remedies somewhat when you get boots on the ground, but it still limits your ability to punish the enemy army before you dump troops on them.
Recommended Point Levels: Too expensive for 500 and 750, the Air Cav list comes into it's own at 1000-1500pts. Even at 1500, though you start to feel the Squadron Pain, and at 2000pts, it hamstrings you so much that I would almost consider it nonviable.
5. Conscript Press: Usually used with Chenkov, this army relies on the tried and true Soviet tactic of "They can't shoot back if they're covered in corpses". Usually combined with Chenkov, this player will send waves of Conscripts at you, usually backed by HWs and a few Russes. It's strong in that it will choke the enemy with targets and CC units, while still allowing you to pound them at range, but it has the downside of losing LOTS of men, and reducing your fire output for the meat shield. It also means you'll probably be shooting through your own men, giving the enemy a cover save, and has the risk of CC actually blocking LOS quite badly. A Commissar Lord is also a mandatory unit for this list, and will die if you wipe out the Conscripts without removing him first. It's generally better to take Combined platoons, where you can hav SWs and Power Fists, as well as cheap Commissars. The unit also has better WS, which is nice against Tau.
Recommended Point Levels: Hard to do at 500pts, but good from 750-1000, and not bad at 1500pts, although that's where the big nasty things like LR Crusaders, Carnifexes, and huge masses of Orks tend to show up and pulp your screen on the way to your HW teams. Still somewhat viable at 2000pts, just for the sheer number of Conscripts you can take, but don't expect them to last long.
Reds
I consider a Gimmick List to be something that focuses heavily on one unit, or combination of units, to the exclusion of all others. Some examples are All Vets, No Tanks, Chimera Spam, Air Cav, and Conscript Press. I do NOT consider Gunline and Mech lists to be Gimmick Lists, as they tend more to be play styles, and can be carried out in a number of different ways.
Now, the general problem with these lists is that they do focus so heavily on one unit type or combo that they become very, very vulnerable to the counters an army can bring against that unit. It's not a problem as much at lower point value games, but when you get to 1500pts+, the enemy can bring enough tanks, guns, or very angry men with sharp objects to rip apart a Gimmick List with relative ease, especially compared to a balanced Combined Arms list, which can very very hard to crack.
Let's talk about each of those examples.
1. All Vets: What it says on the can. This list takes Veterans as only troop choice, usually with a CCS and either Chimeras or Valks tossed in. While this does mean you're packing a lot of SWs, it also means you've sacrificed HWs, and therefore an effective gunline. Vets CAN take HWs, but not in the numbers of a Platoons can, and it also means your SWs aren't being put to good use at close range. Also, any advantage in survivability that Grenadiers and Forward Sentries give you is nothing compared to the two Infantry Squads you could take for the same cost. Not only is that more wounds, but it's two targets, thus splitting the enemy fire and reducing it's effectiveness. Vet lists have a lot fewer units on the ground, and thus the enemy can concentrate fire on them more easily. That's why people use Chimeras, here, to give the Vets a little protection and to gelp them blitz the enemy. The downside is that this further reduces the number of troops you have, with you losing 1 Vet Squad for every two you have in a Chimera.
Recommended Point Levels: Vet armies work great at 500 or 750pts, but will struggle at 1000pts unless in Chimeras or Valks. Even adding those in will only extend their effectiveness to 1500pts, and which point you really get crushed under weight of numbers.
2. No Tanks: This means no Russes or Bassies. Some of the more diehard IG players will call that heresy, but it's not a bad tactic. Sentinels and Valks work pretty well up to a point. Valks and Vens do pack a punch, and Sents can be useful for playing merry hell in the enemy lines. This list also makes good use of HWs (hopefully), to help offset the lack of Armour. The downside is that you hav only one way of throwing out those High Str, good AP templates that almost all our tanks have, and that's the Demo Charge (which is unreliable at best). Russes DO have a purpose, and that is to be shot at with everything up to (and often including) Lascannons, shrug it all off, and blast something into paste. Sentinels are fragile as a wet tissue, and Valks and Vens aren't much better when it comes to armour. You take a substantial hit on the survive ability of your armour, as well as their effectiveness and ability to kill masses of troops.
Recommended Point Levels: Almost mandatory at 500pts, and works pretty well at 750 and 1000pts. They'll struggle against 1500pts, I find, when the other army is packing a lot of High Str weapons that can bring down the lighter non-tank vehicles. I would recommend this at 1000pts, max.
3. Chimera Spam: The idea here is to put all your infantry in Chimeras. Platoons, Vets, CCS, anything and everything that can take one, gets shoved in a Chimera. This is one of the three stronger Gimmick Lists. It can suffer from the lack of HWs, although Chimeras can help offset that with their turret weapons (keep in mind, through, moving 12in is in your best interest). This means that the enemy isn't as soft as one might like when your troops reach them, which is why Hull HFs are generally a good idea. It also suffers from the lack of men (every Chimera you take is one less Infantry Squad with a SW), but not to the extent that the Vets list does. It also means you have to get shot at by a LOT of weapons as you advance, since you've trimmed your army down and stuck them all in transports to make nice boxes for the enemy to shoot. Remember, too, that your Chimeras can explode, and kill a good portion of the squad inside before they ever fire a shot.
Just to be clear, this is different then Mechanized, as Mechanized will usually have Hellhounds, Valks, Sents, ect, tossed in. The Chimera Spam generally uses just Chimeras, with a handful of Russes backing them up.
Recommended Point Levels: Generally too expensive for 500 and 750pts, this list really becomes strong at 1000-1500pts. Higher then that, though, and your Chimeras won't be able to stand up to the volume of fire headed your way. Your infantry will be walking, and since there are less of them because you spent points on the Chimeras, they'll be cut down in short order.
4. Air Cav: Again another one of the stronger lists, Air Cav will consist of Platoons, Vets, and/or Stormies in Valks and Vendettas. This list packs a pretty big punch, is fast moving, and gan play havoc with Gunlines. They are VERY expensive though (in terms of $ and points), and are something of a Glass Cannon. If you get first turn and deploy well, you can cripple the enemy in the first or second turn, then drop your troops off to finish the job. Lose first turn, or deploy poorly, and you'll get shredded. It also has the downside of needing to take Squadrons for it to work. This is okay at the lower point levels, but can badly hurt your ability to kill multiple targets at larger point levels. You either have to fire all your Vendettas at a single tank, and all your Valks at a single infantry unit, or you mix the squadrons, and waste the shots from the Vens when shooting at infantry, or the Valks when shooting at tanks. The situation remedies somewhat when you get boots on the ground, but it still limits your ability to punish the enemy army before you dump troops on them.
Recommended Point Levels: Too expensive for 500 and 750, the Air Cav list comes into it's own at 1000-1500pts. Even at 1500, though you start to feel the Squadron Pain, and at 2000pts, it hamstrings you so much that I would almost consider it nonviable.
5. Conscript Press: Usually used with Chenkov, this army relies on the tried and true Soviet tactic of "They can't shoot back if they're covered in corpses". Usually combined with Chenkov, this player will send waves of Conscripts at you, usually backed by HWs and a few Russes. It's strong in that it will choke the enemy with targets and CC units, while still allowing you to pound them at range, but it has the downside of losing LOTS of men, and reducing your fire output for the meat shield. It also means you'll probably be shooting through your own men, giving the enemy a cover save, and has the risk of CC actually blocking LOS quite badly. A Commissar Lord is also a mandatory unit for this list, and will die if you wipe out the Conscripts without removing him first. It's generally better to take Combined platoons, where you can hav SWs and Power Fists, as well as cheap Commissars. The unit also has better WS, which is nice against Tau.
Recommended Point Levels: Hard to do at 500pts, but good from 750-1000, and not bad at 1500pts, although that's where the big nasty things like LR Crusaders, Carnifexes, and huge masses of Orks tend to show up and pulp your screen on the way to your HW teams. Still somewhat viable at 2000pts, just for the sheer number of Conscripts you can take, but don't expect them to last long.
Reds
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Demolisher 101: Turning Your Enemies into a Gooey Paste
Alright, as promised, here is the Demolisher tactica.
One of the two tanks to carry over from the old Codex, the Demolisher is really the "Kill it dead" tank of choice. It's universally effective against armour and infantry, and is pretty tough, having boosted Rear Armour so that those damn Boltguns can't glance it. It's downside is the range of it's main gun, 24in, which means you have to mix it up with the enemy if you want to kill things. It's also more Expensive then the basic Russ, but the upgrade in firepower makes the price tag worth it.
Let's talk about what you should be taking on your Demolisher.
Hull HB/ Lascannon: It really depends on what you kit the tank out for. If you want to pulp hordes of Nids, IG, and Orks, take the HB. If you're fighting againt MEQs, Nidzilla, vehicle heavy lists, etc, take a Lascannon. The Heavy Flamer option is worth mentioning here, as it can come in handy if you want to use your Demo to Tank Shock infantry or bash apart Gunlines.
Sponsons: Ah, now here we go. Sponsons are a must have for a Demo. HF Sponsons can be useful if you have to burn through hords of enemies, but I would recommend HBs instead, especially coupled with the Hull HB. For heavy targets, I would say take Multimeltas, combined with the Hull Las. That combo will slag anything you point it at. Plasma would be above Multimeltas if it wasn't so damn expensive. If you can spare the points against MEQs, take the Plasma Sponsons, but otherwise, leave them at home. The one down side here is that if you move the Demo, you can only fire one weapon in addition to the Cannon, so plan carefully.
Pintle Mounts: I would save the points for better things, but there isn't much harm in taking one. Only combine it with the HB Demo though.
HK Missile: I will never recommend these on an IG tank, to be honest.
Dozer Blade: Yes! The Demolisher MUST move to be effective with the main gun, so having a Dozer blade only helps to keep it going.
Extra Armour: A decent choice, but not an essential one. The ability to move when stunned helps out the Demolisher more then any other Russ, but it isn't too critical, considering that the points can be better used elsewhere.
Camo Netting: Pass on this one. As I just mentioned, Demos work best when moving about, so the Camo netting becomes kinda worthless.
Pask: Pask is a good choice in any Russ, but he works best here in a Multimelta Demolisher, to help those High Str shots hit home. Tossing him in a Plasma Demo is even better, but the price tag would be obscene, and I cannot, in good conscience, recommend someone spend 250+ points on a single tank (which should prove that I'm not an SM player). The HB Demo needs him less, since you're putting out a good number of shots.
Now, how many of these terrors should you be taking? at 1000pts to 1500pts, I recommend a single Demo, backed up a regular Russ or two. Taking a pair is effective, though, especially when using mechanized lists. I would never council more then two in a normal game of 40k, though, as you'll want that last HS slot for something with a little more range and specialization, like a Vanq or Eradicator (two Demos and an Erad is a nasty combo, by the way). While the Demo is a good tank, it's also an expensive one, especially with the Sponsons, so going overboard with them is not advisable.
Demolishers are really about close support. Moving them up to support your advancing troops, or to blast the big nasty enemy units before they can get close to you, is what they're all about. Don't be afraid to push it forward into cover ahead of your line and let fly. They also work best if they only have one type of target to worry about. If you gave them Meltas or Plasma, have your supporting infantry pack HBs, so they can pop infantry while the Demo goes to work on tougher targets. The Demo is also one of the most effective tanks against Necrons. A Melta Demo can put lots of hurt on a C'Tan, and has a good chance of bringing down a Monolith (the main gun AND the lascannon both stand a good chance against AV 14). They also insta-pulp most of the Necron units, especially that pesky Lord. They're also great against Marines, where you can really lay out the pain on their high cost troops. Against Horde Armies, I would say take just one, as Exterminators, Eradicators, and normal Russes do the job just as well, for lest cost, and from further away (so they don't get punched to death).
So what are your thoughts on the Demolisher?
Reds
One of the two tanks to carry over from the old Codex, the Demolisher is really the "Kill it dead" tank of choice. It's universally effective against armour and infantry, and is pretty tough, having boosted Rear Armour so that those damn Boltguns can't glance it. It's downside is the range of it's main gun, 24in, which means you have to mix it up with the enemy if you want to kill things. It's also more Expensive then the basic Russ, but the upgrade in firepower makes the price tag worth it.
Let's talk about what you should be taking on your Demolisher.
Hull HB/ Lascannon: It really depends on what you kit the tank out for. If you want to pulp hordes of Nids, IG, and Orks, take the HB. If you're fighting againt MEQs, Nidzilla, vehicle heavy lists, etc, take a Lascannon. The Heavy Flamer option is worth mentioning here, as it can come in handy if you want to use your Demo to Tank Shock infantry or bash apart Gunlines.
Sponsons: Ah, now here we go. Sponsons are a must have for a Demo. HF Sponsons can be useful if you have to burn through hords of enemies, but I would recommend HBs instead, especially coupled with the Hull HB. For heavy targets, I would say take Multimeltas, combined with the Hull Las. That combo will slag anything you point it at. Plasma would be above Multimeltas if it wasn't so damn expensive. If you can spare the points against MEQs, take the Plasma Sponsons, but otherwise, leave them at home. The one down side here is that if you move the Demo, you can only fire one weapon in addition to the Cannon, so plan carefully.
Pintle Mounts: I would save the points for better things, but there isn't much harm in taking one. Only combine it with the HB Demo though.
HK Missile: I will never recommend these on an IG tank, to be honest.
Dozer Blade: Yes! The Demolisher MUST move to be effective with the main gun, so having a Dozer blade only helps to keep it going.
Extra Armour: A decent choice, but not an essential one. The ability to move when stunned helps out the Demolisher more then any other Russ, but it isn't too critical, considering that the points can be better used elsewhere.
Camo Netting: Pass on this one. As I just mentioned, Demos work best when moving about, so the Camo netting becomes kinda worthless.
Pask: Pask is a good choice in any Russ, but he works best here in a Multimelta Demolisher, to help those High Str shots hit home. Tossing him in a Plasma Demo is even better, but the price tag would be obscene, and I cannot, in good conscience, recommend someone spend 250+ points on a single tank (which should prove that I'm not an SM player). The HB Demo needs him less, since you're putting out a good number of shots.
Now, how many of these terrors should you be taking? at 1000pts to 1500pts, I recommend a single Demo, backed up a regular Russ or two. Taking a pair is effective, though, especially when using mechanized lists. I would never council more then two in a normal game of 40k, though, as you'll want that last HS slot for something with a little more range and specialization, like a Vanq or Eradicator (two Demos and an Erad is a nasty combo, by the way). While the Demo is a good tank, it's also an expensive one, especially with the Sponsons, so going overboard with them is not advisable.
Demolishers are really about close support. Moving them up to support your advancing troops, or to blast the big nasty enemy units before they can get close to you, is what they're all about. Don't be afraid to push it forward into cover ahead of your line and let fly. They also work best if they only have one type of target to worry about. If you gave them Meltas or Plasma, have your supporting infantry pack HBs, so they can pop infantry while the Demo goes to work on tougher targets. The Demo is also one of the most effective tanks against Necrons. A Melta Demo can put lots of hurt on a C'Tan, and has a good chance of bringing down a Monolith (the main gun AND the lascannon both stand a good chance against AV 14). They also insta-pulp most of the Necron units, especially that pesky Lord. They're also great against Marines, where you can really lay out the pain on their high cost troops. Against Horde Armies, I would say take just one, as Exterminators, Eradicators, and normal Russes do the job just as well, for lest cost, and from further away (so they don't get punched to death).
So what are your thoughts on the Demolisher?
Reds
Monday, July 27, 2009
Update
Okay, figured I'd pop my head in here and tell you all what's shaking.
First off, the Demolisher just nosed out the LRMBT for the win in the poll. I'll be doing a Demolisher Tactica in the coming week, and might do a LRMBT one as well.
I still owe RS a Flamer Tactica as well, but real life and a few other things are eating me alive right now.
Here's an update on what we're doing.
Kaikelx (author of the Fluff Blog Tales of the Imperium), are tweaking the Codex a bit so some units actually deserve their point costs, have options we think they should, etc. You can check it out here it you want to see what we're up to.
Requiem and myself, along with a few members of the IGMB, have cooked up a Campaign to keep us busy in August. It will be written in a narrative style, with battle reports taking the form of After Action Reports and descriptive scenes. More details can be found here.
Something we mentioned a while back, but haven't talked about much is Dark Heresy, the 40k RPG. I run a group myself, and am part of another one. I hope to post an article or three about the game in the future.
So, this coming week, watch for the Tacticas, and keep an eye on those other projects!
Reds
First off, the Demolisher just nosed out the LRMBT for the win in the poll. I'll be doing a Demolisher Tactica in the coming week, and might do a LRMBT one as well.
I still owe RS a Flamer Tactica as well, but real life and a few other things are eating me alive right now.
Here's an update on what we're doing.
Kaikelx (author of the Fluff Blog Tales of the Imperium), are tweaking the Codex a bit so some units actually deserve their point costs, have options we think they should, etc. You can check it out here it you want to see what we're up to.
Requiem and myself, along with a few members of the IGMB, have cooked up a Campaign to keep us busy in August. It will be written in a narrative style, with battle reports taking the form of After Action Reports and descriptive scenes. More details can be found here.
Something we mentioned a while back, but haven't talked about much is Dark Heresy, the 40k RPG. I run a group myself, and am part of another one. I hope to post an article or three about the game in the future.
So, this coming week, watch for the Tacticas, and keep an eye on those other projects!
Reds
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sneak peak
This is a preview of something I'm working on. My Elysian Marbo.
I'm planning on testing him out in a few games once I've finished him (Emperor knows when that will be), so I promise a tactica on some of the ways you can use him somewhere down the line.
Reds
Monday, July 20, 2009
Update!
Alright guys, I finally got off my lazy butt and made an email contact for Forward March!
It's forwardmarch1@gmail.com, so if you have any IG questions, comments, or just want to say hey, shoot us an email.
Also, the Melta guide is up, so enjoy, and let me know if I missed anything you think is worth mentioning.
Reds
It's forwardmarch1@gmail.com, so if you have any IG questions, comments, or just want to say hey, shoot us an email.
Also, the Melta guide is up, so enjoy, and let me know if I missed anything you think is worth mentioning.
Reds
Meltaguns: When it has to be dead.
Alright guys, as promised, here's the Meltagun tactica. Requiem said he'd take GLs, so look for that in the future.
The meltagun is really the eavy hitter for the IG infantry. It's got the highest strength of any SW we can take, and one of the best AP value. Ideally, it's used for tank busting, but there are a host of other ways to use it.
Let's break down what units can take them, and how to use them.
CCS: This is always a good choice. The fact you can take 4 meltas, and have the shots hit on a 3+, means you'll hurt what you shoot. Packing a CC COmpany Commander in with them is also nice, since you can fire, then charge, unlike with Plasma guns. Keep in mind, though, you shouldn't have your CCS running arnound chasing tanks. Have them sit back with the gunline, and pop Termies or Deep Strikers that show up later in the game. The disadvantage of having a Melta CCS is that you're not taking things like Plasma Guns, which benefit from the BS 4 and the ability to take a Medic even more then Meltas.
Tip: Straken+3 Meltas+Medic. Toss in 2 bodyguards and Carapace, and you've got a party.
PCS: Another decent choice for Meltas. You're packing 4 of them, and if you take a Commander with a Pfist and meltabombs, that gives your platoon a lot of AT punch. The real downside is the the BS 3, which reduces the effectiveness of the unit. That's why I prefer to run Flamers in my PCS.
Tip: Al'Rahem and 4 Meltas. Have him flank and pick out the enemy commander, of a very expensive target, and kill it with preddijuce. You can also give him a Chimera, too, if you want a little more fun.
Infantry Squads: Don't take them here. The melta is a one shot per turn weapon, and the poor BS of the basic squad, combined with the fact you've only got one, means that it really isn't worth it. If you MUST deal with tanks, take meltabombs for the Squad Sgt.
Tip: None here, really. Best you can do is give the squad "Bring it down!", but that means you aren't giving the order to an HW Section.
SW Squads: Better then basic Line Squads because you can take 3 Meltas, but worse then a PCS because you can only take 3, and you can't charge after having the squad fire. The base cost is also higher then that of the PCS, and the PCS is mandatory, so you might as well be putting Meltas in it. I would tack on a SW team for meltas only if you have your PCS doing other things (like running flamers).
Tip: 2 Meltas and a Demo Charge will end pretty much anything, but combining them with Al'Rahem makes them even more lethal.
Rough Riders: Put meltas here only if you're hunting tanks. For Termie hunting, I like haivng the basic Pistols, so I can pick up the extra attacks for the Lances. Always couple them with Meltabombs for the Sgt, if you do go galloping after tanks, though.
Tip: Creed+Tactical Genius+ Rough Riders= Dead tanks and Devestator Squads. taking the Meltaguns also ensures you have some AP 3 punch after you charge the first time. Try charging an enemy squad to use the hunting lances, then go after armour.
That covers Meltas, who should take them, and how to use them! One thing I want to add though is picking your targets. If you're just wasting normal MEQs, take Plasma. It puts out more shots, so can chew through Tac Squads more easily. When dealing with Termies, I find it's useful to charge, to get the extra attacks in (and Termies usually have a Pfist, so you hit first)
Reds
The meltagun is really the eavy hitter for the IG infantry. It's got the highest strength of any SW we can take, and one of the best AP value. Ideally, it's used for tank busting, but there are a host of other ways to use it.
Let's break down what units can take them, and how to use them.
CCS: This is always a good choice. The fact you can take 4 meltas, and have the shots hit on a 3+, means you'll hurt what you shoot. Packing a CC COmpany Commander in with them is also nice, since you can fire, then charge, unlike with Plasma guns. Keep in mind, though, you shouldn't have your CCS running arnound chasing tanks. Have them sit back with the gunline, and pop Termies or Deep Strikers that show up later in the game. The disadvantage of having a Melta CCS is that you're not taking things like Plasma Guns, which benefit from the BS 4 and the ability to take a Medic even more then Meltas.
Tip: Straken+3 Meltas+Medic. Toss in 2 bodyguards and Carapace, and you've got a party.
PCS: Another decent choice for Meltas. You're packing 4 of them, and if you take a Commander with a Pfist and meltabombs, that gives your platoon a lot of AT punch. The real downside is the the BS 3, which reduces the effectiveness of the unit. That's why I prefer to run Flamers in my PCS.
Tip: Al'Rahem and 4 Meltas. Have him flank and pick out the enemy commander, of a very expensive target, and kill it with preddijuce. You can also give him a Chimera, too, if you want a little more fun.
Infantry Squads: Don't take them here. The melta is a one shot per turn weapon, and the poor BS of the basic squad, combined with the fact you've only got one, means that it really isn't worth it. If you MUST deal with tanks, take meltabombs for the Squad Sgt.
Tip: None here, really. Best you can do is give the squad "Bring it down!", but that means you aren't giving the order to an HW Section.
SW Squads: Better then basic Line Squads because you can take 3 Meltas, but worse then a PCS because you can only take 3, and you can't charge after having the squad fire. The base cost is also higher then that of the PCS, and the PCS is mandatory, so you might as well be putting Meltas in it. I would tack on a SW team for meltas only if you have your PCS doing other things (like running flamers).
Tip: 2 Meltas and a Demo Charge will end pretty much anything, but combining them with Al'Rahem makes them even more lethal.
Veterans: This is where most people put their meltaguns, simply because it's the best option. Plasma is better in the CCS, because you back it up with a 5+ save AND feel no pain (instead of a simple 4+ save), flamers are kind of a waste of BS 4, and the GL is better for line squads. There are three basic ways Vets with Meltas are used. First, people will pack them into a Valk, and have them jump out and pop tanks. Second, people will often pack them into Chimeras, and have them do Drive-by atacks. Third, and this is one I use myself, they'll give the Vets Shotguns, and hold them in reserve. Once something nasty like Terminators deepstrike, I bring my Vets in, shoot, and charge. Giving the Sgt. a Pfist and a plasma pistol is even more lethal.
Tip: Carapace is good fo melta Vets, but Demolitions is even better, as you get a free demo charge out of the deal. Give Demo Vets some shotguns, pack them in a Valk, and have them go around shooting tanks and slapping meltabombs on things.
Stormies: Since Stormies are now almost exclusvly an anti-MEQ unit, so Plasma and Meltas are the order of the day. Plasma has the advantage of a lot of High Str shots, but Meltas have the advantage of being an "Assault" weapon, meaning you can fire the Hotshot Laspistols. This allows you to charge what you shoot, should you need to finish the job, or should you want to lock yourself in CC, so your expensive Stormies don't get their butts blasted off.
Tip: Behind enemy lines is the most useful Spec Op you can take if you're hunting for MEQs. If you're tank poping, grab a Valk and use Airborne Assault, or take Forward Recon if you're moving them on foot.
Rough Riders: Put meltas here only if you're hunting tanks. For Termie hunting, I like haivng the basic Pistols, so I can pick up the extra attacks for the Lances. Always couple them with Meltabombs for the Sgt, if you do go galloping after tanks, though.
Tip: Creed+Tactical Genius+ Rough Riders= Dead tanks and Devestator Squads. taking the Meltaguns also ensures you have some AP 3 punch after you charge the first time. Try charging an enemy squad to use the hunting lances, then go after armour.
That covers Meltas, who should take them, and how to use them! One thing I want to add though is picking your targets. If you're just wasting normal MEQs, take Plasma. It puts out more shots, so can chew through Tac Squads more easily. When dealing with Termies, I find it's useful to charge, to get the extra attacks in (and Termies usually have a Pfist, so you hit first)
Reds
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Poll Results
Okay, the votes are in, and...
Well, damn. It's a tie.
So, hopefully, I shall have guides up for both Grenade Launchers AND Meltas this week, unless one of my associates wants to write one (hint hint, guys).
I've added a new poll too. This time, it's regarding Russ variants. I'll give the winner the same treatment I just gave the Vanquisher (which is why it's not on the list). Also, you'll note the Punisher is not on the list. That's because you have to spend an absurd amount of points to make it effective at a bare minimum level, so I'm not going to bother with it, lest I end up somehow encouraging people to take it...
So, vote for which Russ you want to see, and watch for those SW Tacticas!
Reds
Well, damn. It's a tie.
So, hopefully, I shall have guides up for both Grenade Launchers AND Meltas this week, unless one of my associates wants to write one (hint hint, guys).
I've added a new poll too. This time, it's regarding Russ variants. I'll give the winner the same treatment I just gave the Vanquisher (which is why it's not on the list). Also, you'll note the Punisher is not on the list. That's because you have to spend an absurd amount of points to make it effective at a bare minimum level, so I'm not going to bother with it, lest I end up somehow encouraging people to take it...
So, vote for which Russ you want to see, and watch for those SW Tacticas!
Reds
Slagging Armour 101: Vanquishers
Just a quick reminder, the poll on the left hand column on the page closes in about 7 hours, so be sure to vote!
Let's talk about one of my favorite things in the new Guard Codex.
Vanquishers.
Rejoice, boys and girls, because gone are the days of relying on Bassies for tank sniping, using Demolishers with Multimeltas to pop Land Raiders, or spamming Lascannons against Mech Tau and Marines. The Imperial Guard now has the best tank killing weapon in the game: The Leman Russ Vanquisher. It's cheap, it's tough, and it slags armour like no one's business.
Now, I've heard a lot of people complaining about the downgrade of it's main gun. In Imperial Armour I, it could fire the AT shells (which used a small blast) AND a normal Battlecannon shot. Without sparking a huge debate, I'm just going to say this; The downgrade makes sense. If they left the profile the same, then no one would take a LRMBT. Also, rolling to hit instead of scattering is better, since you have less of a chance to hit dead on with scatter, and hole of the template HAS to be on the tank to get a full strength hit.
Now, moving on, let's talk about some upgrades for your Vanq
Hull HB or Lascannon: Lascannon, and I shouldn't have to tell you why.
Sponsons: I find these to be a waste. No point in putting Flamer, HB, or the uber expensive Plasma sponsons on the Vanq, as that will help it fill a role you shouldn't be using the Vanq for. Some people like Multimelta sponsons, but I find the range to be crippling when it comes to using them effectively. Honestly, just leave the Sponsons at home.
Pintle Mounts: Only useful for shooting at basic infantry, and you shouldn't be shooting your Vanquisher at basic infantry.
Hunter-Killer Missile: I would pass on these in general for the IG. Hitting on a 4+ just isn't worth it.
Dozer Blade: Only take it if you plan on moving your Vanq, and that should only happen if you decided to tack Multi Meltas on to it. I would just leave it behind.
Extra Armour: Again, only if you plan on moving. Otherwise, the difference between "Shaken" and "Stunned" really doesn't matter.
Camo Netting: Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! If you plan on sitting back and sniping, and can spare the points, take this. it gives you a 3+ cover save when you're hiding in a building or woods, making your Vanq not only lethal, but also even harder to kill.
Knight Commander Pask: With the Hull Lascannon adding in another AT shot, I find that he's not essential, but he always helps if you can spare the points. I would honesty put him in a Vanq instead of any other Russ.
Now that you have an idea of what you're putting on your Vanquisher, let's figure out how many you should be taking. Generally, I always take one, and that's usually all I need. They really shine when working in pairs, though, as you can put one on either side of your deployment, so you can catch the enemy in their side armour. I prefer to run them separately, if I can, but taking them in squadrons isn't terrible. Still, only do it if you have to.
When it comes to deployment, I really do like putting them on the side of the table, to get better angles at enemy armour. putting them so they're hiding in woods or buildings is also a great idea, as it allows them some protection from the absurd amount of return fire they'll be getting after they pop the first tank. Make sure you have a clear field of fire down most of the table, too, so the enemy won't be getting any cover saves from the pain you're dishing out.
As for using them in the actual game, sitting back and sniping is what they do best. Have them target the heavy/critical stuff first (Land Raiders, Hammerheads, Dreads, etc), and leave the lighter stuff to your infantry. You can also use them to snipe any unescorted SCs that are wandering around, or put some pain on Termies that have deep struck behind you. Since the shots don't use templates, this means you can actually get away with shooting the Termies without worrying that the shot may scatter into your men.
There you go! Hope that helped you get to know the best tank killer out there a little better.
Reds
Let's talk about one of my favorite things in the new Guard Codex.
Vanquishers.
Rejoice, boys and girls, because gone are the days of relying on Bassies for tank sniping, using Demolishers with Multimeltas to pop Land Raiders, or spamming Lascannons against Mech Tau and Marines. The Imperial Guard now has the best tank killing weapon in the game: The Leman Russ Vanquisher. It's cheap, it's tough, and it slags armour like no one's business.
Now, I've heard a lot of people complaining about the downgrade of it's main gun. In Imperial Armour I, it could fire the AT shells (which used a small blast) AND a normal Battlecannon shot. Without sparking a huge debate, I'm just going to say this; The downgrade makes sense. If they left the profile the same, then no one would take a LRMBT. Also, rolling to hit instead of scattering is better, since you have less of a chance to hit dead on with scatter, and hole of the template HAS to be on the tank to get a full strength hit.
Now, moving on, let's talk about some upgrades for your Vanq
Hull HB or Lascannon: Lascannon, and I shouldn't have to tell you why.
Sponsons: I find these to be a waste. No point in putting Flamer, HB, or the uber expensive Plasma sponsons on the Vanq, as that will help it fill a role you shouldn't be using the Vanq for. Some people like Multimelta sponsons, but I find the range to be crippling when it comes to using them effectively. Honestly, just leave the Sponsons at home.
Pintle Mounts: Only useful for shooting at basic infantry, and you shouldn't be shooting your Vanquisher at basic infantry.
Hunter-Killer Missile: I would pass on these in general for the IG. Hitting on a 4+ just isn't worth it.
Dozer Blade: Only take it if you plan on moving your Vanq, and that should only happen if you decided to tack Multi Meltas on to it. I would just leave it behind.
Extra Armour: Again, only if you plan on moving. Otherwise, the difference between "Shaken" and "Stunned" really doesn't matter.
Camo Netting: Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! If you plan on sitting back and sniping, and can spare the points, take this. it gives you a 3+ cover save when you're hiding in a building or woods, making your Vanq not only lethal, but also even harder to kill.
Knight Commander Pask: With the Hull Lascannon adding in another AT shot, I find that he's not essential, but he always helps if you can spare the points. I would honesty put him in a Vanq instead of any other Russ.
Now that you have an idea of what you're putting on your Vanquisher, let's figure out how many you should be taking. Generally, I always take one, and that's usually all I need. They really shine when working in pairs, though, as you can put one on either side of your deployment, so you can catch the enemy in their side armour. I prefer to run them separately, if I can, but taking them in squadrons isn't terrible. Still, only do it if you have to.
When it comes to deployment, I really do like putting them on the side of the table, to get better angles at enemy armour. putting them so they're hiding in woods or buildings is also a great idea, as it allows them some protection from the absurd amount of return fire they'll be getting after they pop the first tank. Make sure you have a clear field of fire down most of the table, too, so the enemy won't be getting any cover saves from the pain you're dishing out.
As for using them in the actual game, sitting back and sniping is what they do best. Have them target the heavy/critical stuff first (Land Raiders, Hammerheads, Dreads, etc), and leave the lighter stuff to your infantry. You can also use them to snipe any unescorted SCs that are wandering around, or put some pain on Termies that have deep struck behind you. Since the shots don't use templates, this means you can actually get away with shooting the Termies without worrying that the shot may scatter into your men.
There you go! Hope that helped you get to know the best tank killer out there a little better.
Reds
Friday, July 17, 2009
Chimeras, or What a Real Man's APC Looks Like
Put your Rhinos down, kids. It's time to analyze the chimera.
It's a tank, comes with two heavy weapons, front armor of 12, ignores water, has five fire points out the top hatch while not becoming open-topped, and is overall a fairly awesome vehicle. It looks nice, too.
The tactics are a bit different from a rhino - the rhino is a dash-and-drop transport, while the chimera is more a mobile fire base. Having your rhinos destroyed at the end of a game is almost expected, but the chimera should still be shooting at stuff. Whereas the rhino should rush forward with reckless abandon and tank shock if appropriate, the chimera should hang back a touch, keeping it's AV10 side armor away from enemy LOS.
There are four ideas I have regarding the use of chimeras: Line Breaker APC, Objective Grabber, Objective Holder, and Command Range Extender.
Weapons load-out - Unless you plan on getting very close to the enemy, always keep the multi-laser. Otherwise use the heavy flamer. There's no tactical advantage the heavy bolter has over the multi-laser, except for specific conditions half of which will be better served by a S6 weapon than a AP4 weapon. For the hull mount, the heavy bolter should serve all around better than a heavy flamer, due to the limtations on its firing angle. For a pintle, it depends on who you're fighting - I just glued the heavy stubber on my chimeras... 36" range over 24" equates to better in my book. Your milage may vary.
Options - Extra armor is never a bad choice. Being able to move away from whatever just shot you is usually wise... Dozer blades would depend entirely on what kind of terrain you usually see. HKs are trash for IG unless you take a boatload of them. Even then, I don't think that they're worth the points. I definately will never take them on chimeras. Camo netting is nice for an Objective Holder, but it's so expensive. I leave it behind.
Line Breaker APC
This is a lot like a rhino's shock transport, only the emphasis is on staying ~10 inches away from everything, unless the targets are marines/anything with krak. Then you stay ~16 inches away. Why? Assault phase - if the enemy does not have S4(or more) and/or krak grenades, then the chimera should be safe even if it doesn't cause a fall back from the shooting phase. The idea here, is to shoot the ever-loving crap out of your foe before he can shoot the sides of your armored box full of squishy guys. Hugging buildings on one side helps with the difficulty of positioning your chimera. Staying under 12" away from the target is ideal, so that you can add the firepower of five passengers to the hail of death coming from the chimera. If you've got a heavy weapon in there, great!
An alternate/combo of Line Breaker and Enemy-held Objective Grabber is the hellhound wannabe chimera. Slap a heavy flamer turret on there and tank shock/drive up to the contesting units. If you tank shocked, wait to see if you manage to make them run away in fear of your angry treads. If they didn't run, or you didn't want to waste time/risk a tank shock, unload that heavy flamer of doom. You did disembark the occupants, right? They can shoot too. Now you have two units contesting that the enemy has to shoot. If he didn't turn tail. If this objective is near his board edge, chase him with your infantry by extending your coherency to it's limit. You just have to keep one guy w/in 6" of the falling back unit, and he'll be unable to regroup. Dirty trick, but you're playing Guard...
A second alternate/combo: Mechanized platoon led by Al'Rahem. Support this idea with an astropath. I think that it's use is fairly obvious - your forces already on the table are the anvil, and here comes one or two hammers from the sides to catch everything off-guard. If you can master the use of one isolated chimera with minimal support, this is a major game winning tactic.
Third alternate: A squad of vets with three melta guns, led by Bastonne in a chimera to do drive bys on side/rear AV. If you distract the opponent enough, this becomes an option. Even if your chimera is destroyed, once you're in the enemy lines with that squad, you can do damage. At the very least it will relieve pressure on the rest of your army.
Objective Grabber
Much like the Line Breaker, the Objective Grabber is there to be on the offensive. These need a bit more support, though - you're getting unsafely close to the enemy, and it's likely that your chimera will not survive the experience. This is the finnese application of chimera movement - you want to get close to the objective while moving at combat speed. If the objective is already held, hang back and fire lots 'o guns at the enemy. Use a supporting unit to add some fire. Maybe even a shiny bait unit to get enemy to divide his fire, and give you an extra turn of shooting. Once you're w/in 12" of the objective, it's time to consider if you want to disembark your guys inside. It's a very situational thing, although if the chimera has been immobilized, you may as well...
Objective Holder
Basically in this role, the chimera is an added set of armor for a HWS. Stick some heavy bolter/ML guys in a chimera, and park them on an objective. Adding a multi-laser, a heavy stubber, and a heavy bolter from the chimera means that anything stepping into 36" radius will get a stern talking-to. This really won't hold against a concentrated effort, so be sure to occupy the enemy elsewhere. Preferably in the 24-36" range form the chimera, so that all that firepower isn't sitting there doing nothing...
Command Range Extender
Another slightly cheap trick, the Command Range Extender makes use of measuring from the hull for ability ranges. Stick a CCS in a chimera and let the orders fly at ~2-3" further than the poor sap who has to yell at the top of his lungs. It's not limited to orders - 'aura' abilities like Aura of Discipline and Cold Steel and Courage will become more effective.
Alternate for CRE: Take Straken with a medic and three plasma guns. Stick them in a chimera and advance into the enemy's face. MEQs fear this plan. Once you're all up ons, have them hop out and use the chimera as a LOS blocker that can also shoot. Unload much plasma pain onto enemy squads. It's expensive, but very much worth the cost.
If anyone has any more ideas on chimera useage, put it in a comment, and I'll add it here.
It's a tank, comes with two heavy weapons, front armor of 12, ignores water, has five fire points out the top hatch while not becoming open-topped, and is overall a fairly awesome vehicle. It looks nice, too.
The tactics are a bit different from a rhino - the rhino is a dash-and-drop transport, while the chimera is more a mobile fire base. Having your rhinos destroyed at the end of a game is almost expected, but the chimera should still be shooting at stuff. Whereas the rhino should rush forward with reckless abandon and tank shock if appropriate, the chimera should hang back a touch, keeping it's AV10 side armor away from enemy LOS.
There are four ideas I have regarding the use of chimeras: Line Breaker APC, Objective Grabber, Objective Holder, and Command Range Extender.
Weapons load-out - Unless you plan on getting very close to the enemy, always keep the multi-laser. Otherwise use the heavy flamer. There's no tactical advantage the heavy bolter has over the multi-laser, except for specific conditions half of which will be better served by a S6 weapon than a AP4 weapon. For the hull mount, the heavy bolter should serve all around better than a heavy flamer, due to the limtations on its firing angle. For a pintle, it depends on who you're fighting - I just glued the heavy stubber on my chimeras... 36" range over 24" equates to better in my book. Your milage may vary.
Options - Extra armor is never a bad choice. Being able to move away from whatever just shot you is usually wise... Dozer blades would depend entirely on what kind of terrain you usually see. HKs are trash for IG unless you take a boatload of them. Even then, I don't think that they're worth the points. I definately will never take them on chimeras. Camo netting is nice for an Objective Holder, but it's so expensive. I leave it behind.
Line Breaker APC
This is a lot like a rhino's shock transport, only the emphasis is on staying ~10 inches away from everything, unless the targets are marines/anything with krak. Then you stay ~16 inches away. Why? Assault phase - if the enemy does not have S4(or more) and/or krak grenades, then the chimera should be safe even if it doesn't cause a fall back from the shooting phase. The idea here, is to shoot the ever-loving crap out of your foe before he can shoot the sides of your armored box full of squishy guys. Hugging buildings on one side helps with the difficulty of positioning your chimera. Staying under 12" away from the target is ideal, so that you can add the firepower of five passengers to the hail of death coming from the chimera. If you've got a heavy weapon in there, great!
An alternate/combo of Line Breaker and Enemy-held Objective Grabber is the hellhound wannabe chimera. Slap a heavy flamer turret on there and tank shock/drive up to the contesting units. If you tank shocked, wait to see if you manage to make them run away in fear of your angry treads. If they didn't run, or you didn't want to waste time/risk a tank shock, unload that heavy flamer of doom. You did disembark the occupants, right? They can shoot too. Now you have two units contesting that the enemy has to shoot. If he didn't turn tail. If this objective is near his board edge, chase him with your infantry by extending your coherency to it's limit. You just have to keep one guy w/in 6" of the falling back unit, and he'll be unable to regroup. Dirty trick, but you're playing Guard...
A second alternate/combo: Mechanized platoon led by Al'Rahem. Support this idea with an astropath. I think that it's use is fairly obvious - your forces already on the table are the anvil, and here comes one or two hammers from the sides to catch everything off-guard. If you can master the use of one isolated chimera with minimal support, this is a major game winning tactic.
Third alternate: A squad of vets with three melta guns, led by Bastonne in a chimera to do drive bys on side/rear AV. If you distract the opponent enough, this becomes an option. Even if your chimera is destroyed, once you're in the enemy lines with that squad, you can do damage. At the very least it will relieve pressure on the rest of your army.
Objective Grabber
Much like the Line Breaker, the Objective Grabber is there to be on the offensive. These need a bit more support, though - you're getting unsafely close to the enemy, and it's likely that your chimera will not survive the experience. This is the finnese application of chimera movement - you want to get close to the objective while moving at combat speed. If the objective is already held, hang back and fire lots 'o guns at the enemy. Use a supporting unit to add some fire. Maybe even a shiny bait unit to get enemy to divide his fire, and give you an extra turn of shooting. Once you're w/in 12" of the objective, it's time to consider if you want to disembark your guys inside. It's a very situational thing, although if the chimera has been immobilized, you may as well...
Objective Holder
Basically in this role, the chimera is an added set of armor for a HWS. Stick some heavy bolter/ML guys in a chimera, and park them on an objective. Adding a multi-laser, a heavy stubber, and a heavy bolter from the chimera means that anything stepping into 36" radius will get a stern talking-to. This really won't hold against a concentrated effort, so be sure to occupy the enemy elsewhere. Preferably in the 24-36" range form the chimera, so that all that firepower isn't sitting there doing nothing...
Command Range Extender
Another slightly cheap trick, the Command Range Extender makes use of measuring from the hull for ability ranges. Stick a CCS in a chimera and let the orders fly at ~2-3" further than the poor sap who has to yell at the top of his lungs. It's not limited to orders - 'aura' abilities like Aura of Discipline and Cold Steel and Courage will become more effective.
Alternate for CRE: Take Straken with a medic and three plasma guns. Stick them in a chimera and advance into the enemy's face. MEQs fear this plan. Once you're all up ons, have them hop out and use the chimera as a LOS blocker that can also shoot. Unload much plasma pain onto enemy squads. It's expensive, but very much worth the cost.
If anyone has any more ideas on chimera useage, put it in a comment, and I'll add it here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Specializing Russes (and why you should do it)
A little while back, I had a debate with another IGMB member about outfitting Russes.
His suggestion was to put Plasma Cannons on a pair of Russes for a list. His logic was that this makes your Russes able to deal with most anything they run across, thus spreading your effectiveness out and meaning your tanks can handle anything.
My suggestion was that he take a Vanquisher and a Russ with HB Sponsons. My logic was that this allows the tanks to kill intended targets with greater ease, and allows you to always hit infantry and armour effectively every turn.
The person who had asked for advice went with my suggestion, and it worked like a charm. You can read the thread here.
Now, the question is why? Here are a few reasons why, with the IG, specializing Russes (and infantry as well) is a good idea.
1. We aren't Space Marines. We can't always hit on a 3+. Thus, I find it useful to kit out a Russ or Squad with all sorts of AT weaponry if I want it to pop tanks, or AI weaponry if I want it to paste infantry. That way I'm throwing a lot of the right kind of ordinance down range, and WILL kill something. Compare a Russ with HB sponsons to a Russ with Plasma. The former has 10 shots, while the latter has 6. Also, those templates have less of a chance of hitting the target then an HB (50% chance for normal weapon, just over 33% with templates if you factor in the BS). Yes, there is a chance the template will hit something else, but in my experience, it ends up being nothing but the table.
2. We aren't Space Marines, Round Two. Because all of our infantry is so firggin cheap, we can afford to roll 2-3 Russes in 1500-2000pt lists. That means that we don't have to have a single Russ that has to do everything. We can roll several that can be tweaked to do one job well. Yes, that means you have all your eggs in one basket if you lose a tank, but...
3. We have Infantry support. There is no reason whatsoever, with cheap HWs for your even cheaper infantry, for you to have to rely on the Vanq to do all the AT work. Likewise, The Exterminator isn't the only AI unit you should be throwing down. Taking a Lascannon or Missile Section (or both, or two of one type), and placing HBs in your squads ensures that, no matter what happens to your armour, you're still putting out a lot of AI and AT with good range. While the Russes are the stars of the show, the whole performance would fall flat on it's face without the supporting cast, the Infantry.
4. Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Consider the Plasma Russ. Yes, it's great for killing MEQs who are foolish enough to venture into the open, but it struggles with AV 13. Also, as mentioned above, it doesn't put out the same amount of shots as the HB Sponson Russ, and the shots are less accurate, thus making it less effective against line infantry. So, while it can do all jobs (except serious AT work), it does none of them very well.
5. Cost. The "Do it all" Russ is actually 20pts more expensive then either the Hull Las Vanquisher OR the HB Sponson Russ. So, not only are you taking up an FOC slot for a unit that doesn't do any job it's supposed to do very well, but you're paying more then you should for it.
So, there you have it. Here are a few suggestions for Russ build outs.
Basic Three Russes (These are great for fielding in almost any game)
Vanquisher w/ Hull Lascannon- Best tank buster out there. I always take one, and usually slap on camo netting.
LRMBT w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- The best "All purpose" build, it's good against just about anything on foot.
Exterminator w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- Great for dealing with IG, Tau, Eldar, Orks, and, well, anything that isn't an MEQ. It's also a living nightmare for light Transports.
Three Fancy Russes (Use these only when the situation warrents)
Leman Russ Eradicator w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- Very much Anti-Infantry, it will put out a LOT of pain against non-MEQs. The reason it's here instead of as a basic Russ is that it's more expensive then the Exterminator, and doesn't have the same Anti-Transport capability. I would only take one of these.
Leman Russ Executioner w/Plasma Sponsons and Hull Las- VERY Expensive but VERY good at killing MEQs, it's main gun essentially combines the shot of a Plasma Cannon with the RoF of a Heavy Bolter. Flinging a whopping five Small Blast templates around also helps to offset the fact that you aren't rolling to hit. Still, it's very expensive, and that Russ+Plasma Sponsons combo is a cheaper solution.
Leman Russ Demolisher w/Anything- This is when you want it dead. Period. They're expensive, though, and it's usually a good idea to run Plasma or Melta Sponsons on it. Again, one or two would be all you need, and it should go after the biggest, baddest, hardest target your opponent throws down.
There you go guys. Any thoughts? Do you mix your roles, or specialize?
Reds
His suggestion was to put Plasma Cannons on a pair of Russes for a list. His logic was that this makes your Russes able to deal with most anything they run across, thus spreading your effectiveness out and meaning your tanks can handle anything.
My suggestion was that he take a Vanquisher and a Russ with HB Sponsons. My logic was that this allows the tanks to kill intended targets with greater ease, and allows you to always hit infantry and armour effectively every turn.
The person who had asked for advice went with my suggestion, and it worked like a charm. You can read the thread here.
Now, the question is why? Here are a few reasons why, with the IG, specializing Russes (and infantry as well) is a good idea.
1. We aren't Space Marines. We can't always hit on a 3+. Thus, I find it useful to kit out a Russ or Squad with all sorts of AT weaponry if I want it to pop tanks, or AI weaponry if I want it to paste infantry. That way I'm throwing a lot of the right kind of ordinance down range, and WILL kill something. Compare a Russ with HB sponsons to a Russ with Plasma. The former has 10 shots, while the latter has 6. Also, those templates have less of a chance of hitting the target then an HB (50% chance for normal weapon, just over 33% with templates if you factor in the BS). Yes, there is a chance the template will hit something else, but in my experience, it ends up being nothing but the table.
2. We aren't Space Marines, Round Two. Because all of our infantry is so firggin cheap, we can afford to roll 2-3 Russes in 1500-2000pt lists. That means that we don't have to have a single Russ that has to do everything. We can roll several that can be tweaked to do one job well. Yes, that means you have all your eggs in one basket if you lose a tank, but...
3. We have Infantry support. There is no reason whatsoever, with cheap HWs for your even cheaper infantry, for you to have to rely on the Vanq to do all the AT work. Likewise, The Exterminator isn't the only AI unit you should be throwing down. Taking a Lascannon or Missile Section (or both, or two of one type), and placing HBs in your squads ensures that, no matter what happens to your armour, you're still putting out a lot of AI and AT with good range. While the Russes are the stars of the show, the whole performance would fall flat on it's face without the supporting cast, the Infantry.
4. Jack of all Trades, Master of None. Consider the Plasma Russ. Yes, it's great for killing MEQs who are foolish enough to venture into the open, but it struggles with AV 13. Also, as mentioned above, it doesn't put out the same amount of shots as the HB Sponson Russ, and the shots are less accurate, thus making it less effective against line infantry. So, while it can do all jobs (except serious AT work), it does none of them very well.
5. Cost. The "Do it all" Russ is actually 20pts more expensive then either the Hull Las Vanquisher OR the HB Sponson Russ. So, not only are you taking up an FOC slot for a unit that doesn't do any job it's supposed to do very well, but you're paying more then you should for it.
So, there you have it. Here are a few suggestions for Russ build outs.
Basic Three Russes (These are great for fielding in almost any game)
Vanquisher w/ Hull Lascannon- Best tank buster out there. I always take one, and usually slap on camo netting.
LRMBT w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- The best "All purpose" build, it's good against just about anything on foot.
Exterminator w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- Great for dealing with IG, Tau, Eldar, Orks, and, well, anything that isn't an MEQ. It's also a living nightmare for light Transports.
Three Fancy Russes (Use these only when the situation warrents)
Leman Russ Eradicator w/Hull HB and HB Sponsons- Very much Anti-Infantry, it will put out a LOT of pain against non-MEQs. The reason it's here instead of as a basic Russ is that it's more expensive then the Exterminator, and doesn't have the same Anti-Transport capability. I would only take one of these.
Leman Russ Executioner w/Plasma Sponsons and Hull Las- VERY Expensive but VERY good at killing MEQs, it's main gun essentially combines the shot of a Plasma Cannon with the RoF of a Heavy Bolter. Flinging a whopping five Small Blast templates around also helps to offset the fact that you aren't rolling to hit. Still, it's very expensive, and that Russ+Plasma Sponsons combo is a cheaper solution.
Leman Russ Demolisher w/Anything- This is when you want it dead. Period. They're expensive, though, and it's usually a good idea to run Plasma or Melta Sponsons on it. Again, one or two would be all you need, and it should go after the biggest, baddest, hardest target your opponent throws down.
There you go guys. Any thoughts? Do you mix your roles, or specialize?
Reds
Sunday, July 12, 2009
SW Tacticas
In an effort to explore more of the fancy features of Google Blogger, I've added a poll to the left under "Followers". I'm going to write an in depth Tactica on an SW, and I want you guys to vote on which one. I'll break down which units to put it in, what to hit with it, and how to get your points' worth out of it. It will essentially be a more developed version of the little blurb I wrote about each one when I gave an overview.
So have at it guys!
Reds
So have at it guys!
Reds
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Roll Call
Yesterday, I decided to draw up an army list for my IG and SoB. Both are within FOC (and thus I had to leave out about half my tanks), and are designed to be thrown down together.
IG
HQ: 320
Creed, Kell, Astropath, Fleet Officer, HB, Vox, Camo Cloaks
HQ: 240pts
Straken, 3 Flamers, Carapace, 2 Bodyguards, Medic
Stormies: 195pts
10 Stormies, 2 Plasma Guns, “Behind enemy lines”
Infantry Platoon: 845pts
HQ w/ 3 Plasma guns, Medic (105pts)
5 Squads w/ HBs, GLs, Voxes (305pts)
2 ML Sections (180pts)
2 AC Sections (150pts)
Lascannon Section (105pts)
Infantry Platoon: 660pts
HQ w/ Rahemo, 3 Meltaguns, Medic, Commissar w/Power Fist (150pts)
3 Squads w/ GLs, Voxes (180pts)
2 Squads w/ GLs, Voxes, Commissar (190pts)
1 SW Squad w/ 3 Flamers (50pts)
1 SW Squad w/ 3 GLs (50pts)
Vet Squad: 160pts
3 GLs, Harker, ML, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 195pts
3 Meltas, Demolitions, Bastonne, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 135pts
Carapace, Shotguns, 2 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Vox
Vet Squad: 135pts
Carapace, Shotguns, 2 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Vox
Leman Russ Squadron: 380pts
2 Vanquishers with Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon
Leman Russ Squadron: 380pts
2 LRMBTs with HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
Leman Russ Eradicator: 210pts
HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
3660pts
SoB
HQ: 150pts
Inferno Pistol, Jump Pack, Blessed Weapon, Mantle of Ophelia, Cloak of St. Aspira, Book of St. Lucius
Seraphim Squad: 160pts
4 Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, 2 Hand Flamers, Meltabombs
Battle Sister Squad: 147pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Battle Sister Squad: 147pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Battle Sister Squad: 139pts
2 Storm Bolters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Dominion Squad: 198pts
4 Sisters w/ Flamers, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, Immolator tank w/ Heavy Flamers, Smoke, Extra Armour, Holy Promethium.
Exorcist: 145pts
Blessed Ammunition
986pts
Total: 4646
So, what do you guys think?
Reds
IG
HQ: 320
Creed, Kell, Astropath, Fleet Officer, HB, Vox, Camo Cloaks
HQ: 240pts
Straken, 3 Flamers, Carapace, 2 Bodyguards, Medic
Stormies: 195pts
10 Stormies, 2 Plasma Guns, “Behind enemy lines”
Infantry Platoon: 845pts
HQ w/ 3 Plasma guns, Medic (105pts)
5 Squads w/ HBs, GLs, Voxes (305pts)
2 ML Sections (180pts)
2 AC Sections (150pts)
Lascannon Section (105pts)
Infantry Platoon: 660pts
HQ w/ Rahemo, 3 Meltaguns, Medic, Commissar w/Power Fist (150pts)
3 Squads w/ GLs, Voxes (180pts)
2 Squads w/ GLs, Voxes, Commissar (190pts)
1 SW Squad w/ 3 Flamers (50pts)
1 SW Squad w/ 3 GLs (50pts)
Vet Squad: 160pts
3 GLs, Harker, ML, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 195pts
3 Meltas, Demolitions, Bastonne, Vox, Shotguns
Vet Squad: 135pts
Carapace, Shotguns, 2 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Vox
Vet Squad: 135pts
Carapace, Shotguns, 2 Flamers, Heavy Flamer, Vox
Leman Russ Squadron: 380pts
2 Vanquishers with Camo Netting, Hull Lascannon
Leman Russ Squadron: 380pts
2 LRMBTs with HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
Leman Russ Eradicator: 210pts
HB Sponsons, Camo Netting
3660pts
SoB
HQ: 150pts
Inferno Pistol, Jump Pack, Blessed Weapon, Mantle of Ophelia, Cloak of St. Aspira, Book of St. Lucius
Seraphim Squad: 160pts
4 Sisters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, 2 Hand Flamers, Meltabombs
Battle Sister Squad: 147pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Battle Sister Squad: 147pts
Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Battle Sister Squad: 139pts
2 Storm Bolters, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius
Dominion Squad: 198pts
4 Sisters w/ Flamers, Veteran Sister Superior w/ Book of St. Lucius, Immolator tank w/ Heavy Flamers, Smoke, Extra Armour, Holy Promethium.
Exorcist: 145pts
Blessed Ammunition
986pts
Total: 4646
So, what do you guys think?
Reds
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Very Special Weapons
Okay, it was a long time in coming, but here it is at last.
Special Weapons
(Note: These are presented in no particular order)
1. The Flamer
I consider this to be one of the "Staple" weapons of the Imperial Guard. It's cheap, can put out a lot of wounds, and doesn't need to roll to hit. It's great for toasting Orks, Nids, IG, and Eldar, and has the bonus of ignoring cover. It's range is a bit of a handicap, as are the Str and AP of the weapon.
Tips for use: I like putting these in PCS squads, and using them for counter assault and objective grabbing. 4 Templates will make even MEQs sweat those armour saves, and will roast just about any infantry unit. They're also a good staple in mobile platoons, flankers, etc. Some people don't like putting them with Vets (because it's a waste of BS 4), but Vets in Carapace with 3 Flamers and a bunch of Shotguns are a very nasty counter charge unit. Some people also put them in line squads when they know they're going to get charged (like when playing Orks). It can be effective, but it limits the amount of ranged shots you put out.
2. Grenade Launcher
This is the other "Staple" weapon. This, and the Flamer, should really be the only weapon your basic infantry should ever really have. Anything else is too expensive or dangerous to be used properly by line squads. Anyway, the GL is a good multi purpose weapon to give to your boys. It has good range for an SW, and the Krak round will do ugly things to most infantry and light vehicles. The Frag round is worse, as it's essentially a lasgun shot that uses the small blast template, and will therefore struggle to bring down anything with a toughness of 4 or better. Even against IG, it's not too great, as it only wounds on a 4+.
Tips for use: I put these in my Gunline squads, just to give them a little ranged punch. A PCS rolling 4 GLs will mess up small squads of Eldar and Tau pretty badly, and can usually pick off a Marine or two. That said, I don't recommend them fot Command Squads, since other weapons are better there. If you're having trouble with Rhinos or Trukks, take a Vet Squad with an Autocannon and 3 GLs. Three str 6 shots and two Str 7 shots, all hitting on a 3+, will end most light vehicles.
3. Meltagun
If you want to kill armour, Termies, high toughness creatures, or SCs, use this. It's reasonably priced, but for only one shot, you want to put them in a squad that can take several, and preferably hit on 3+. It has very short range as well, so you have to be close. That said, if it hits something, it almost always going to kill it.
Tips for use: I always give it to Vets with shotguns. If I know I'm facing deepstriking Termies, Drop Pods, or Battlesuits, I keep them in reserve. Then, when the target shows up, I march my Vets on, have them shoot the crap out of the target, and then charge. It's usually enough to finish them off, or at least tie them down. Giving Vets Meltas and packing them into Valkryies also tends to work out nicely, especially if you give them Shotguns and "Demolitions". That combo will kill just about any tank you point them at. It's also a good combo for Stormies, allowing them to pop up somewhere and shoot a tank to death.
4. Plasma Gun
Very much a staple for fighting MEQs, Plasma does ugly things to anybody rolling around in Power Armour, and can mess up Rhinos and Trukks as well. It also puts out a lot of shots, and has good range. The downside is that it's expensive. Oh, and it might blow up in your face.
Tips for use: The only army I never use Plasma against is IG, just because there's no point. Every other army has a 3+ or 2+ armour save floating around in their codex. Some people like to take Plasma with Vets or Stormies, but I find that to be a waste. For 20pts less then Plasma Vets in Carapace (and you ALWAYS want to have a better save then 5+), you can give your CCS 3 Plasma guns and a Medic, which means that in the case of an overheat, you have a 5+ save AND a 4+ FNP save. Stormies are okay with plasma, but remember; Plasma is Rapid Fire, so the Stormies can't use their Hotshot pistols and then charge.
5. Heavy Flamer
I would consider this to be a "maybe" weapon. It's better then it's little brother, the Flamer, and can punch through 4+ armour and wound most basic infantry on a 2+. It suffers from the same range drawback as the Flamer, though, and is VERY expensive for an SW.
Tips for use: Putting them with Counter Charge Vets and PCS' are really the only good place for them, and you might as well just save the points and go with a normal flamer instead. 3-4 Templates will burn up a lot, even if they're mid Str. I would say skip it, unless you really need it or you can't spend the points elsewhere.
6. Sniper Rifles
Ooooh boy, here we go. Now, as some of you from the IGMB know, I don't like Sniper Rifles. I may have even called them "A Swirling Vortex of Pure Suck" on more then one occasion. So, I'll try to lay out the basic stats, then explain WHY I hate them. They are pretty cheap, and have the best range of any SW. They always wound on a 4+, which can be an advantage if you're taking pot shots at the Nightbringer or other High Toughness enemies. It also makes them horrible for dealing with Str 3 armies, like the IG or Eldar. Also, they have no AP, and have to rely on Rending to punch through armour. They also cause pinning.
Okay. Here is why I hate them and they suck. Say I have a Special Weapon Squad with three Sniper Rifles. I take my shots (*rolls dice*) and get two hits. Now, I roll to wound (*rolls dice a second time*) and get a single wound. The target shall now take an Armour save (We're going to say 4+, because that way we can represent an armour save or a cover save, as most targets have a cover save with the 5th Ed rules), and passes. Assuming he didn't I rolled a Morale check, and passed that. Thus, you just payed about 40-50pts for a unit that did absolutely nothing.
Let's try it again with GLs and krak rounds (Let's assume the target has Toughness 3 or 4, and can therefore be wounded on a 2+). I have 2 hits. I have 2 wounds. Assuming they have a cover save, one failed. Assuming they were relying on Armour, both would have been dead. Thus, you can choose between a unit that will wound (and very probably kill) it's target if it hits, as opposed to a weapon that may not wound it's target, and will give them an armour save 2/3rds of the time.
Sniper Rifles are horrible against T 3 and 4. Against T3, EVERY SINGLE SW wounds on at least a 3+, except for Sniper Rifles. Against T4, the Sniper Rifle and the Flamer wound on 4+, and everything else does better. Even here, the Flamer is better, because it can dish out multiple wounds, and doesn't need to roll to hit. Against T5+, go ahead and pay the extra points for Plasma guns or Meltas, because they almost always match or best the 4+ to wound required of the Sniper Rifle, and they ALWAYS deny the target an armour save.
So, yeah, don't take Sniper Rifles.
Reds
Special Weapons
(Note: These are presented in no particular order)
1. The Flamer
I consider this to be one of the "Staple" weapons of the Imperial Guard. It's cheap, can put out a lot of wounds, and doesn't need to roll to hit. It's great for toasting Orks, Nids, IG, and Eldar, and has the bonus of ignoring cover. It's range is a bit of a handicap, as are the Str and AP of the weapon.
Tips for use: I like putting these in PCS squads, and using them for counter assault and objective grabbing. 4 Templates will make even MEQs sweat those armour saves, and will roast just about any infantry unit. They're also a good staple in mobile platoons, flankers, etc. Some people don't like putting them with Vets (because it's a waste of BS 4), but Vets in Carapace with 3 Flamers and a bunch of Shotguns are a very nasty counter charge unit. Some people also put them in line squads when they know they're going to get charged (like when playing Orks). It can be effective, but it limits the amount of ranged shots you put out.
2. Grenade Launcher
This is the other "Staple" weapon. This, and the Flamer, should really be the only weapon your basic infantry should ever really have. Anything else is too expensive or dangerous to be used properly by line squads. Anyway, the GL is a good multi purpose weapon to give to your boys. It has good range for an SW, and the Krak round will do ugly things to most infantry and light vehicles. The Frag round is worse, as it's essentially a lasgun shot that uses the small blast template, and will therefore struggle to bring down anything with a toughness of 4 or better. Even against IG, it's not too great, as it only wounds on a 4+.
Tips for use: I put these in my Gunline squads, just to give them a little ranged punch. A PCS rolling 4 GLs will mess up small squads of Eldar and Tau pretty badly, and can usually pick off a Marine or two. That said, I don't recommend them fot Command Squads, since other weapons are better there. If you're having trouble with Rhinos or Trukks, take a Vet Squad with an Autocannon and 3 GLs. Three str 6 shots and two Str 7 shots, all hitting on a 3+, will end most light vehicles.
3. Meltagun
If you want to kill armour, Termies, high toughness creatures, or SCs, use this. It's reasonably priced, but for only one shot, you want to put them in a squad that can take several, and preferably hit on 3+. It has very short range as well, so you have to be close. That said, if it hits something, it almost always going to kill it.
Tips for use: I always give it to Vets with shotguns. If I know I'm facing deepstriking Termies, Drop Pods, or Battlesuits, I keep them in reserve. Then, when the target shows up, I march my Vets on, have them shoot the crap out of the target, and then charge. It's usually enough to finish them off, or at least tie them down. Giving Vets Meltas and packing them into Valkryies also tends to work out nicely, especially if you give them Shotguns and "Demolitions". That combo will kill just about any tank you point them at. It's also a good combo for Stormies, allowing them to pop up somewhere and shoot a tank to death.
4. Plasma Gun
Very much a staple for fighting MEQs, Plasma does ugly things to anybody rolling around in Power Armour, and can mess up Rhinos and Trukks as well. It also puts out a lot of shots, and has good range. The downside is that it's expensive. Oh, and it might blow up in your face.
Tips for use: The only army I never use Plasma against is IG, just because there's no point. Every other army has a 3+ or 2+ armour save floating around in their codex. Some people like to take Plasma with Vets or Stormies, but I find that to be a waste. For 20pts less then Plasma Vets in Carapace (and you ALWAYS want to have a better save then 5+), you can give your CCS 3 Plasma guns and a Medic, which means that in the case of an overheat, you have a 5+ save AND a 4+ FNP save. Stormies are okay with plasma, but remember; Plasma is Rapid Fire, so the Stormies can't use their Hotshot pistols and then charge.
5. Heavy Flamer
I would consider this to be a "maybe" weapon. It's better then it's little brother, the Flamer, and can punch through 4+ armour and wound most basic infantry on a 2+. It suffers from the same range drawback as the Flamer, though, and is VERY expensive for an SW.
Tips for use: Putting them with Counter Charge Vets and PCS' are really the only good place for them, and you might as well just save the points and go with a normal flamer instead. 3-4 Templates will burn up a lot, even if they're mid Str. I would say skip it, unless you really need it or you can't spend the points elsewhere.
6. Sniper Rifles
Ooooh boy, here we go. Now, as some of you from the IGMB know, I don't like Sniper Rifles. I may have even called them "A Swirling Vortex of Pure Suck" on more then one occasion. So, I'll try to lay out the basic stats, then explain WHY I hate them. They are pretty cheap, and have the best range of any SW. They always wound on a 4+, which can be an advantage if you're taking pot shots at the Nightbringer or other High Toughness enemies. It also makes them horrible for dealing with Str 3 armies, like the IG or Eldar. Also, they have no AP, and have to rely on Rending to punch through armour. They also cause pinning.
Okay. Here is why I hate them and they suck. Say I have a Special Weapon Squad with three Sniper Rifles. I take my shots (*rolls dice*) and get two hits. Now, I roll to wound (*rolls dice a second time*) and get a single wound. The target shall now take an Armour save (We're going to say 4+, because that way we can represent an armour save or a cover save, as most targets have a cover save with the 5th Ed rules), and passes. Assuming he didn't I rolled a Morale check, and passed that. Thus, you just payed about 40-50pts for a unit that did absolutely nothing.
Let's try it again with GLs and krak rounds (Let's assume the target has Toughness 3 or 4, and can therefore be wounded on a 2+). I have 2 hits. I have 2 wounds. Assuming they have a cover save, one failed. Assuming they were relying on Armour, both would have been dead. Thus, you can choose between a unit that will wound (and very probably kill) it's target if it hits, as opposed to a weapon that may not wound it's target, and will give them an armour save 2/3rds of the time.
Sniper Rifles are horrible against T 3 and 4. Against T3, EVERY SINGLE SW wounds on at least a 3+, except for Sniper Rifles. Against T4, the Sniper Rifle and the Flamer wound on 4+, and everything else does better. Even here, the Flamer is better, because it can dish out multiple wounds, and doesn't need to roll to hit. Against T5+, go ahead and pay the extra points for Plasma guns or Meltas, because they almost always match or best the 4+ to wound required of the Sniper Rifle, and they ALWAYS deny the target an armour save.
So, yeah, don't take Sniper Rifles.
Reds
Do You want to be the Man behind the Curtain?
So, I've been racking my brain trying to think of something to write about, and I had a great (lazy) idea: I'll ask the readers what they want me to talk about.
Here's how it works: the first idea that someone gives me in a comment that I know enough about to not sound like an idiot wins. This will be a step forward in the Blogger to reader relationship, and I hope that at least, it will entertain everyone...
Here's how it works: the first idea that someone gives me in a comment that I know enough about to not sound like an idiot wins. This will be a step forward in the Blogger to reader relationship, and I hope that at least, it will entertain everyone...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Blog Brawl 3!
This friday, Requiem and Aeon will throw down against myself and another player. It's 2000pts per side, SM and IG vs IG and Nids, and the blood letting will (hopefully) start at 1:00, and will feature a guest appearance by IGMB member -88-.
Expect a full report and pics!
Reds
Expect a full report and pics!
Reds
Monday, June 29, 2009
An open challenge
Some of you may remember my plan to get together a bunch of IGMB members for a big meet and greet. Unfortunately, the cost of pulling this together is simply too great, even with an entry fee. it's with much regret that I have to put it on hold, at least until next year.
That said, I hereby declare myself willing to take on anyone who challenges me (and is willing to drive to Northern VA). If you want to take me on, let me know in the comments or soot me a PM on the IGMB.
If you're driving from far away, I'll try to coordinate with some other guys (-88-, Requiem, Aeon, and others) so you can meet as many people as possible.
So, anybody willing to throw down?
Reds
That said, I hereby declare myself willing to take on anyone who challenges me (and is willing to drive to Northern VA). If you want to take me on, let me know in the comments or soot me a PM on the IGMB.
If you're driving from far away, I'll try to coordinate with some other guys (-88-, Requiem, Aeon, and others) so you can meet as many people as possible.
So, anybody willing to throw down?
Reds
The Leaders of our Armies
So, with the "new" codex, we now have 3 H.Q choices to pick from. A Commissar Lord, a Primaris Psyker, and a Company Command Squad.
Here, I will review each of them, and tell you why only one of them is worth it.
Company Command Squad: This is the one, people! The company command squad may not be the most destructive as the Primaris Psyker, and may not generate such a powerful radius of moral as the Commissar Lord, but if you add all the wounds together, this squad has 4 more wounds than the psyker and the lord.
It can also issue orders, basically using the troops as its weapon. Tell a unit to FRF, SRF, and you're turned a unit of guardsmen into a conduit of destructive focused firepower. A Commissar Lord only gets his pistol...
It also comes in cheaper, and more durable than both the other two choices, and much more versitile in its wargear choices.
You can buy 2 flamers, sniper rifles, or grenade launchers, and still be 10 points cheaper than the other H.Q choices, meaning you get more wounds, orders, and additional supporting firepower.
Also remember - there are two unique SC's that count as Company Commanders, so there are more options for variation in additon what I just wrote.
Commissar Lord: Coming in a 20 points more than a command squad and 4 less wounds with only a single shot in the shooting phase, no orders, and the vulnerability of a storm trooper + extra wounds, the commissar lord is far too expensive for what he does.
I will admit, the Commissar Lord is unparalled in the assault phase compared to any other Imperial Guard unit, but that won't get you far when your opponents wound him more easily than he wounds them, or strike before he does, or both! The Commissar Lord really has only one single purpose - stay in the very back of a maxed out conscript mob to keep them from running away.
If the Commissar Lord is used in any way, he will die. He cannot lead smaller units as they will perish, or he will kill the sergeant, reducing the units effectivness by a lot (4 attacks on the charge go a LONG way, guys! ).
Now about his wargear options - he's only one person, and an "officer" for that matter, so no special weapons. he can take a power weapon or power fist, but it will do little good, because either he will die before he can attack, or he will be kept in the back of your army. Don't use it.
What I would take, is carapace armour. This increases his chance of surviving by enough that it might be worth it. Also, a plasma pistol may be useful before a charge, especially with his high ballistic skill.
Lastly, we have melta bombs. If he is leading a conscript mob, this will be the mob's only chance of killing vehicles, but as well all most likely know, the guard strives upon numbers, and a single melta bomb will usually do little good against armour. Best not to take them at all.
The commissar lord is very useful when coupled with a company command squad, I have found. Do not attach him to it, but instead keep him and his conscripts near another unit, and swell with confidence as your units gain Ld10 for Order tests.
Primaris Pysker: At the same cost as Commissar Lord, but with far less durability, this unit is one I will never use again.
No options at all with this one, and equipped only with 2 psychic powers, the Primaris is nigh useless. He can provide fire support, but at this point in time, people will most likely see him as a threat with the ammount of high powered shots he gets, and take him out at range.
He gets no orders, and a poor invulnerable save, and with only decent weapon skill, his force weapon doesn't do much good, especially because his initiative is just like any other guardsman.
His psychic blast might be good at killing hordes for a moment, but he usually goes down quick.
Really, the only useful thing the Primaris Psyker does, is reduce morale of non-fearless enemies. You can then pummel the unit with mortars and snipers, hoping to pin the unit, but pinning does little in 5th edition.
In short, don't take the Primaris Psyker. The Commissar Lord is a maybe, and the Company Command Squad is a definite!
Here, I will review each of them, and tell you why only one of them is worth it.
Company Command Squad: This is the one, people! The company command squad may not be the most destructive as the Primaris Psyker, and may not generate such a powerful radius of moral as the Commissar Lord, but if you add all the wounds together, this squad has 4 more wounds than the psyker and the lord.
It can also issue orders, basically using the troops as its weapon. Tell a unit to FRF, SRF, and you're turned a unit of guardsmen into a conduit of destructive focused firepower. A Commissar Lord only gets his pistol...
It also comes in cheaper, and more durable than both the other two choices, and much more versitile in its wargear choices.
You can buy 2 flamers, sniper rifles, or grenade launchers, and still be 10 points cheaper than the other H.Q choices, meaning you get more wounds, orders, and additional supporting firepower.
Also remember - there are two unique SC's that count as Company Commanders, so there are more options for variation in additon what I just wrote.
Commissar Lord: Coming in a 20 points more than a command squad and 4 less wounds with only a single shot in the shooting phase, no orders, and the vulnerability of a storm trooper + extra wounds, the commissar lord is far too expensive for what he does.
I will admit, the Commissar Lord is unparalled in the assault phase compared to any other Imperial Guard unit, but that won't get you far when your opponents wound him more easily than he wounds them, or strike before he does, or both! The Commissar Lord really has only one single purpose - stay in the very back of a maxed out conscript mob to keep them from running away.
If the Commissar Lord is used in any way, he will die. He cannot lead smaller units as they will perish, or he will kill the sergeant, reducing the units effectivness by a lot (4 attacks on the charge go a LONG way, guys! ).
Now about his wargear options - he's only one person, and an "officer" for that matter, so no special weapons. he can take a power weapon or power fist, but it will do little good, because either he will die before he can attack, or he will be kept in the back of your army. Don't use it.
What I would take, is carapace armour. This increases his chance of surviving by enough that it might be worth it. Also, a plasma pistol may be useful before a charge, especially with his high ballistic skill.
Lastly, we have melta bombs. If he is leading a conscript mob, this will be the mob's only chance of killing vehicles, but as well all most likely know, the guard strives upon numbers, and a single melta bomb will usually do little good against armour. Best not to take them at all.
The commissar lord is very useful when coupled with a company command squad, I have found. Do not attach him to it, but instead keep him and his conscripts near another unit, and swell with confidence as your units gain Ld10 for Order tests.
Primaris Pysker: At the same cost as Commissar Lord, but with far less durability, this unit is one I will never use again.
No options at all with this one, and equipped only with 2 psychic powers, the Primaris is nigh useless. He can provide fire support, but at this point in time, people will most likely see him as a threat with the ammount of high powered shots he gets, and take him out at range.
He gets no orders, and a poor invulnerable save, and with only decent weapon skill, his force weapon doesn't do much good, especially because his initiative is just like any other guardsman.
His psychic blast might be good at killing hordes for a moment, but he usually goes down quick.
Really, the only useful thing the Primaris Psyker does, is reduce morale of non-fearless enemies. You can then pummel the unit with mortars and snipers, hoping to pin the unit, but pinning does little in 5th edition.
In short, don't take the Primaris Psyker. The Commissar Lord is a maybe, and the Company Command Squad is a definite!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
We're not dead!
Well, I'm not. Don't know about Requiem or Aeon. Anyway, I've been very busy lately, so the blog has been a bit neglected. I hope to remedy that this coming week.
Anyway, here's an army list I came up with at work the other day. It's designed to crack IG, but can be tweaked to fight Eldar, Nids, and Orks.
HQ: 160pts
CCS w/Iron Hand Straken, Medic, 3 Flamers
Troops: 700pts
Infantry Platoon
PCS w/ AC, 2 GLs
5 Infantry Squads w/ HBs, GLs
Fire support Section w/ 1HB, 2 ACs
ML Section
2 Penal Troop Squads
Fast Attack: 130pts
Hellhound
Heavy Support: 510pts
2 Vanquishers w/ Hull Lascannons
Exterminator w/ HB Sponsons
Total: 1500pts
With this list you're throwing down 92 men and 4 Vehicles, 3 of which are Russes. You've got a total of 12 HWs and 10 SWs, and a trio of really nasty assault units (Straken and the Penal Troops). You've also got 8 units that can claim objectives.
I'm rather pleased with this list. Can't wait to try it out.
Reds
Anyway, here's an army list I came up with at work the other day. It's designed to crack IG, but can be tweaked to fight Eldar, Nids, and Orks.
HQ: 160pts
CCS w/Iron Hand Straken, Medic, 3 Flamers
Troops: 700pts
Infantry Platoon
PCS w/ AC, 2 GLs
5 Infantry Squads w/ HBs, GLs
Fire support Section w/ 1HB, 2 ACs
ML Section
2 Penal Troop Squads
Fast Attack: 130pts
Hellhound
Heavy Support: 510pts
2 Vanquishers w/ Hull Lascannons
Exterminator w/ HB Sponsons
Total: 1500pts
With this list you're throwing down 92 men and 4 Vehicles, 3 of which are Russes. You've got a total of 12 HWs and 10 SWs, and a trio of really nasty assault units (Straken and the Penal Troops). You've also got 8 units that can claim objectives.
I'm rather pleased with this list. Can't wait to try it out.
Reds
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Reds vs Requiem
Well, we just finished our game, and it was quite entertaining. Req has pics, so we'll post a full report once he gets home.
Until then, feel free to speculate on what happened.
Edit: Here's the link to the Battle Report
http://commissar.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=aar&action=display&thread=7052&page=1
Reds
Until then, feel free to speculate on what happened.
Edit: Here's the link to the Battle Report
http://commissar.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=aar&action=display&thread=7052&page=1
Reds
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Battle Royale! update 1
So. Circumstances have dictated that this is no longer really a battle royale (not that it was to begin with, technically...) and will just be me vs Reds @ 1.5K. I will be taking marines as a codex chapter. Reds will use whatever list he's brewing in the cauldron in his basement...
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
You've been a bad boy, Trooper!
So, I have recently been making a lot of lists with Penal Legionnaires, and finding them to be very resourcful, though not to be relied on in full. Their Desperado ablities make them perfect for outflanking roles of most types, and being Stubborn, they rarely retreat in close combat, especially with Leadership 8.
And do you want to know some nasty tricks I found with them? Of course you do! That's why you follow this blog - to learn nasty I.G tricks and listen to me, Reds and Requiem rant on our most favourite army in the whole game!
So, as you know, the Penal Legionnaires can get 1 of 3 abilities:
Assault 2 Lasguns from being Gunslingers, Rending and an addition CCW from Knife Fighters, or Fleet, Furous Charge and Counter Attack from being Psychopaths. These are all very good abilities, though I have found less use for the Gunslingers ability.
First off, if you roll Psychopaths or Knife Fighters, put a Munitorum Priest in with them armed with an Eviscerator. This will allow you to outflank with a Strength 6, no armour saves allowed, extra d6 for armour penetration weapon, which in my book, is always a good thing.
Oh yea, and did I mention they can re-roll missed attacks in close combat?
A Test:
I have 9 Legionnaires, a Custodian, and a Priest. I roll a 5 and they have Rending and extra melee weapons.
My target: a Space Marine Devastator squad set up on my left side of the board.
So, I roll for reserves, and to my gratitude, they arrive on whichever side I want them to arrive on (a roll of 5 or 6). Keep in mind, this will not always happen, so you must be careful, and lucky.
Because you can assault immediatly after arriving via outflank, I move them up to the Devastators as close as I can. I might fire the Custodian's laspistol, but I don't expect it to really do anything.
The following rolls have actually been rolled. They are not the material of Math Hammer at all, but my own dice rolled on my computer desk.
I charge. The marines attack first. There are 5 of them, and the sergeant has a bolter, not a pistol and sword.
Marine Attacks:
to Hit: 5 hits
to Wound: 5 wounds
my Saves: 3/5
End: I have suffered 2 casualties
My Attacks (Legionnaires):
to Hit: 10
W/ Re-Rolls: 15 total
to Wound: 3 Rending, 3 wounds
Marine Saves: 2/3
End Result: I have killed 4 Devastators
The Custodian:
attacked 4 times, hit twice, wounded once, no kill
The Priest:
to Hit: 3
to Wound: 3 wounds
No Saves Allowed
So, if the squad was larger, I would have killed 7 MEQ's with only 9 Guardsmen. A very good bargain, I believe.
If you want to be very mean with your Rending Legionnaires, get Colonel Iron Hand Straken nearby, or use Creed to issue the order "For the Honour of Cadia", thus giving your Knife Fighters Furous Charge and Counter Attack, or Furous Charge and Fearless USR's.
Those are the dirty tricks I know and have used to great effect. I hope they aid you in slaying yoru enemies quickly and efficiently
And do you want to know some nasty tricks I found with them? Of course you do! That's why you follow this blog - to learn nasty I.G tricks and listen to me, Reds and Requiem rant on our most favourite army in the whole game!
So, as you know, the Penal Legionnaires can get 1 of 3 abilities:
Assault 2 Lasguns from being Gunslingers, Rending and an addition CCW from Knife Fighters, or Fleet, Furous Charge and Counter Attack from being Psychopaths. These are all very good abilities, though I have found less use for the Gunslingers ability.
First off, if you roll Psychopaths or Knife Fighters, put a Munitorum Priest in with them armed with an Eviscerator. This will allow you to outflank with a Strength 6, no armour saves allowed, extra d6 for armour penetration weapon, which in my book, is always a good thing.
Oh yea, and did I mention they can re-roll missed attacks in close combat?
A Test:
I have 9 Legionnaires, a Custodian, and a Priest. I roll a 5 and they have Rending and extra melee weapons.
My target: a Space Marine Devastator squad set up on my left side of the board.
So, I roll for reserves, and to my gratitude, they arrive on whichever side I want them to arrive on (a roll of 5 or 6). Keep in mind, this will not always happen, so you must be careful, and lucky.
Because you can assault immediatly after arriving via outflank, I move them up to the Devastators as close as I can. I might fire the Custodian's laspistol, but I don't expect it to really do anything.
The following rolls have actually been rolled. They are not the material of Math Hammer at all, but my own dice rolled on my computer desk.
I charge. The marines attack first. There are 5 of them, and the sergeant has a bolter, not a pistol and sword.
Marine Attacks:
to Hit: 5 hits
to Wound: 5 wounds
my Saves: 3/5
End: I have suffered 2 casualties
My Attacks (Legionnaires):
to Hit: 10
W/ Re-Rolls: 15 total
to Wound: 3 Rending, 3 wounds
Marine Saves: 2/3
End Result: I have killed 4 Devastators
The Custodian:
attacked 4 times, hit twice, wounded once, no kill
The Priest:
to Hit: 3
to Wound: 3 wounds
No Saves Allowed
So, if the squad was larger, I would have killed 7 MEQ's with only 9 Guardsmen. A very good bargain, I believe.
If you want to be very mean with your Rending Legionnaires, get Colonel Iron Hand Straken nearby, or use Creed to issue the order "For the Honour of Cadia", thus giving your Knife Fighters Furous Charge and Counter Attack, or Furous Charge and Fearless USR's.
Those are the dirty tricks I know and have used to great effect. I hope they aid you in slaying yoru enemies quickly and efficiently
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