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Primed sternguard (sergeant model missing)

Space Marine Tac Squad Ezra

6th Edition 40k and Eldar: Part 1

My overall take on 6th edition has been positive. The rules seem to place more of an emphasis on short-to-medium range shooting which, incidentally, Eldar are good at. New goodies such as the rulebook psychic powers also complement Eldar well. Yes, we only get 2 of the 6 disciplines, but we have access to what I think is the most powerful one: Divination. Telepathy isn’t bad either. Anyways, this post isn’t going to be a review of 6th and what rules suck and which don’t, etc. The rules are the rules, and that’s that. What I will be discussing is the general effect of the new edition on the Eldar. In a future post I’ll discuss what some viable army builds are, and then in a third I’ll clear up any rules or gameplay issues that will affect the Eldar.

Psychic Powers

I must admit that at first I was not only skeptical, but pissed. We only get access to a third of the powers? But Eldar are supposed to be THE psychic powerhouse in the 40k universe. Then the rulebook hit, I looked at the rules and powers, and calmed down. Divination is great, and telepathy is nothing to sneeze at. Both of the primaris powers make the disciplines worth it by themselves. Divination is full of army buffs (by my count 4 of the 6 random powers are worth taking) and Telepathy gives some much needed psychic offense. Cannot wait to use Psychic Shriek on a unit of Orks.

As for psychic defense, Eldar are clearly superior to others. Runes of Warding are a must, as they are hands down the best psychic defense in the game. Add to that the fact that many of our units come with psykers we have a 33% chance of dispelling any psychic attacks on our units.

Oh, and Eldrad is a monster.

Allies

So, Dark Eldar and Tau as bros, and most of the Imperium as frenemies. I don’t know how I feel about that. I can understand Tau being bros, and get that the Imperium are monkeys that we won’t shoot on sight, but Dark Eldar? REALLY?! I’m fairly certain there’s some animosity there.

Anyways, those are our options for allies. I took a unit of Grey Knights as allies (it’s fluffy, I promise! My army’s fluff/background will be posted in a future post) not because I wanted to take Paladins (I don’t), but because I kit-bashed some models (Dark Angel veterans with Grey Knights) which, if I do say so myself, look kinda sweet and want to use them.

Keep in mind that if using Imperial allies, any Runes of Warding will adversely affect those allies.

General Game Mechanics

Nothing really to talk about here, as these affect everyone the same. I’d say that the overall movement speed of a FootDar list has been slowed down slightly in that we can no longer Move-Fleet-Assault, but oh well.

Forge World & The Horus Heresy: Why It’s A Bad Idea

The GW rumor mill is in full swing with all things 40k. 6th edition, flyers, GW actually advancing the story/time setting, Eldar in the starter set (that last one may be made up by yours truly).

Now that it’s been confirmed that June 23 will be the pre-release of 6e, and the actual release soon after, people are now talking about something that has been vehemently denied in the past: Forge World making Horus Heresy models and Imperial Armor books. People such as Reece from Frontline Gaming have talked about it, it’s been going around Dakka, and blogs such as Apocalypse 40k have discussed the possibility.

For some people this is a great idea. WHOOO! Primarchs! More power armor! … But what about those of us who don’t play with Space Marines (of any variation)? The HH was nothing but Imperial vs Ex-Imperial action. Oh, sure, the Emperor’s Children had a run in or two with the Eldar, but they weren’t important to the story. There are mentions of various xenos races being exterminated in the name of “compliance”, but there is little detail about that. At the heart of it, the HH was about Astartes fighting Astartes.

Thing is, the IA books are already Imperium vs. _____, WITHOUT FAIL. In some cases, it’s Imperium vs. Traitor Marines (looking at you, Mr. Huron). I get that many players use power armor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a large portion of GW’s sales come from selling beakies. Having the IA books be Imperium vs. Xenos is a great way of satisfying both sides of the aisle. The Imperial fanboys get their fix, and the Xenos players don’t feel neglected. If the HH books (which are rumored to be similar but separate from the IA series) comes to fruition, those of us who couldn’t give any fucks about power armor get the shaft.

And what happens when we feel left out? Well, I can only speak for myself, but Privateer Press and Wyrd have some nice systems. I’m a huge fan of the 40k system, but playing with and ignored and out-dated codex gets tiring. Because of that, I am now seriously thinking about spending hobby money in pursuit of WM/H or maybe even Malifaux, Infinity, or more. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.

Then there’s more practical aspects of gameplay. Sure, Heresy units would look cool, but they’re 10,000 years old. It would be patently unfair (and thus I can see GW doing this) to have HH units be the equivalent of, or god forbid superior to, units based in thee 41st millennium. Oh, sure, you’re contempt or dreadnaught looks great, but it’s antiquated technology. While the Imperium is a fan of that stuff, it stands to reason that a 10,000 year old piece of equipment shouldn’t stand up to newer weapons. It’s why you don’t see the US Army equipping its soldiers with leather armor and crossbows. I’d imagine that even the SM chapters have advanced technologically. A Dark Angel now should be trained and equipped better than his 10,000 year old counterpart.

And then there are the Primarchs. How are they going to be made to fit into a 40k game? According to the fluff, they were immeasurably superior to regular Space Marines in every single way. That can only lead to two things on the tabletop, neither options are good.

1. The Primarchs would be marginally better than a SM chapter master. Fanboys are disappointed because “they’re not tough (read: cheese) enough”.

2. They’re TOO powerful. The only way to kill a Primarch is to bring one yourself. Which is a problem for those of us who don’t play Marines.

How can GW/FW make everyone happy? It’s kinda simple: hire separate staff at FW to concentrate solely on HH units. They did it with Warhammer Forge, or whatever the fuck that’s called. That would enable FW to continue their IA books (which are fantastic) which will keep us Xenos players interested. It would also let HH fanboys get their fix.

As for the HH units on the tabletop, that’s also a simple fix. Don’t allow HH units in 40k games without opponents’ consent. Alternatively, create a separate system under the 40k umbrella (call it, I dunno, 30k?), where the units are comparably weaker than their counterparts in 40k. That way everyone is on an equal footing.

Basically, what I’m saying is, ignore the Xenos, and we’ll leave to do something else. There are ways for GW/fanboys to have their cake and eat it too.

Yet another project.

So, I really liked Warmachine/Hordes. However, I wasn’t entirely thrilled with Menite models or play style , so I decided to go in a different direction. I wanted to use the Hordes mechanic, and I wanted something that was the polar opposite of the slow but heavy-hitting followers of Menoth. Enter the Legion of Everblight!

Side note: given that I just traded in literally 22lbs of textbooks, I have $150+ of credit on Amazon. Time for some shopping!

June 9 Beltway Gamers Tournament

So today I went to my third tournament of 2012, and this was the biggest one yet points wise – 2000 to be exact. Before I talk about the tournament, and how well/poorly I did, here’s my list.

Eldrad		210
Avatar		155
Harlequins (10)	Shadowseer, Death Jester, Kisses	252
Wraithguard (5)		175
Spiritseer	Conceal	46
Dire Avengers (10)	Exarch, Bladestorm	147
Dire Avengers (10)	Exarch, Bladestorm	147
Guardians (10)	Scatterlaser	95
Warlock	Conceal	40
Guardians (16)	Scatterlaser	144
Warlock	Conceal	40
Warp Spiders (6)	Exarch, Additional Death Spinner	149
War Walkers	2x Scatterlaser	120
War Walkers	2x EML	140
Wraithlord	Bright Lance, Wraithsword	140
		2000

What’s that, I hear you cry? No Night Spinners?! Not even one!?

Nope. Not one. I decided that I can’t do a “mostly” Footdar list with some mech elements. For me to get the best out of the army, I had to go full blown foot or mech. And given my horrible results with my mechanized lists in the past, I went with foot.

I changed out Maugan Ra to go with the Avatar for one simple reason: an Avatar with fortune is damned hard to kill. It’s also a great fire magnet, meaning that when things fire at the Avatar they aren’t firing at my squishier things. Plus the Forge World model is FANTASTIC, and I couldn’t resist using it. Ok, so that’s three reasons, but all are good.

I went with the Wraithguard instead of Fire Dragons because why not? I had the points, the models are pretty good, plus they’re MUCH more resilient. Always a good thing.

Anyways, a write up of my battles and some pics will be up in the next 24 hours. Here’s a teaser though: I didn’t place last!

Tinkering

So, up until today, my FootDar list has looked something like this: Farseer, Maugan Ra (yes, really), 7 harlequins, 6 fire dragons in a wave serpent (they still have feet!), 2×10 dire avengers, 10 guardians, 2×5 pathfinders, 2x night spinners, and 4dark reapers. My last two games have seen me replace the dark reapers with some war walkers. Jury is still out on that, because I like both.

Anyways, my new and improved(?) FootDar list looks like this, with an explanation behind each choice also revealed:

Eldrad – This is a no brainer in a 2k list. He’s just so good. Yes, he’s 210 points but he’s STILL undercosted.

Avatar – I loved Maugan Ra, he was a beast. However, the Avatar is a huge army buff. Literally, HUGE; I’m using my FW model.

Harlequins – I love the models, and they’re a great counter assault unit. They have a Death Jester to add some shooty. For 10 points and a bitchin’ model I couldn’t stay away.

Wraithguard – For these guys I’m trusting the interweb wisdom. I haven’t used these guys since 3d edition, but I have the models, so it’s worth a shot.

Pathfinders – The ultimate backfield objective squatters. 2+ cover save? Yes please.

Dire Avengers (2 units) – Kitted out with an Exarch, defend, and shimmershield these guys are my tarpits and first line of defense up close.

Guardians (3 units) – Guided scatter lasers. That is all.

War Walkers (1 squadron of 3) – More scatter lasers. Possibly on the flank.

Wraithlord – Long range anti-tank plus a decent close combat machine.

Night Spinner – Never leave home without one!

And now to test this list out…

Spring Cleaning (aka Look What I Found!)

Still MIA: 2d edition rulebook and 2d edition Ork codex

BEHOLD!

Ok, I think I’ve done it. I’ve decided on the color (colour for the one guy who accessed this blog from the UK) scheme for my army.

BEHOLD!

One does not simply walk in the 41st millennium

Or do they?

If you’ve been paying attention to my (not very numerous) posts, you’ll know that I switched from a MechDar build to a FootDar build. Long story short, I got fed up with my inability to properly use the MechDar and the restrictions of the army as a whole. Recently I played a 2000 point game against some Deathwing with a foot build that I felt is an expansion from my Berks Spring Assault 3 list.

Here’s what I took as well as a short blurb as to why I took that unit:

HQ:

“Eldrad”: It’s 2000 points, and I’m running Eldar. There is no reason to NOT take Eldrad. He’s 10% of my points, but his abilities still mean that he’s undercosted. This guy is technically a “counts as” Eldrad, because I’m running a fluffy list and as we all know the “real” Eldrad is Slaanesh’s new plaything.

Maugan Ra: I spent some time coming up with fluff for my army. I’ll do a post explaining it more in depth, but here’s a run down – Craftworld Tann-Loc has close associations with Altansar, both before and after (and maybe during) Altansar’s millennia long stay in the Eye of Terror. As such, Maugan Ra is almost as drawn to Tann-Loc as he is to Altansar. Plus, popping him in with a unit of Angry Death Clowns is just mean.

Elites:

6 Fire Dragons w/ Exarch, Dragon’s Breath and a Wave Serpent (x2): I realize these guys aren’t true foot troops, but the list as a whole lacks serious anti tank power. Working together, they aren’t as much a suicide unit as a single unit would be. Plus have the two tanks zipping around will make opponents have to take the super fast movement into consideration.

7 Harlequins w/ kisses and a shadowseer: My counter-assault unit. These guys eat terminators for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Twice on Sundays. Having them lurk in the back field really discourages a straight up assault into the heart of my army. They have the added benefit of being hard to shoot at. Finally, teaming up with Maugan Ra makes this a super killy, and super expensive, unit.

Troops:

10 Guardians w/ EML and a Warlock w/ embolden: Deckchair unit. ‘Nuff said.

5 Pathfinders (x2): These guys are ace. Pop them in cover, and as long as no one comes near with a flamer, the 2++ cover save they get is amazing. Better BS than guardians, and with the added benefit of getting AP1 shots on infantry and rending on vehicles.

10 Dire Avengers w/ Exarch and Defend: Tarpit. Designed to take an assault, or support the Angry Death Clowns.

10 Dire Avengers w/ Exarch: Honestly, these guys are just taking up space until I get another unit of guardians built.

Fast Attack: Fast attack? What’s that? Moving on…

Heavy Support:

Night Spinner (x2): If one Night Spinner is great, two is just mean. With two large blasts a turn, the number of dangerous tests my opponent will have to take is great. Besides, S6 and rending, twin-linked indirect fire is nothing to sneeze at.

4 Dark Reapers w/ Exarch and crack shot: I initially took them in my 1000 point list so I could have some good anti-MEQ shots. They performed so well that I decided to keep them in my 2000 point list. It also helps that they fit the fluff.

Write up for the 2000 point battle will be done later.