tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42723851795099721812024-03-19T20:15:54.940+00:00Rathstar's RamblingsThis is my Wargaming blog, mainly covering Warhammer 40k, with occasional diversion to Bloodbowl, Dystopian Wars & Infinity.
From my experiences of using my Infantry and Drone heavy Tau, the transition of my melee heavy Dark Eldar to the current meta and the introduction & painting of new units, to musing on my Space Wolves.
List building, Tournaments, Battle Reports, Tactics, Painting - all will be in this blog.Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-49162873572833209532018-09-19T18:37:00.000+01:002018-09-19T18:37:18.579+01:00Are Kill Team Gun Drones As Good As They Say<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguLxziW_k3aXhSdg9kQvzK_hAxF_fYmzg3_QgkbYZKcfD8AwsWQ20fI5G6kn1A7zRkSE3rm4Ft3cr_JKwdOBITbyk9u-z6WOH7_5EKhqtzW9x_1KbF0H3qyFHco1f5tDGU6ZC7PIVzj8/s1600/Drone+Pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="300" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiguLxziW_k3aXhSdg9kQvzK_hAxF_fYmzg3_QgkbYZKcfD8AwsWQ20fI5G6kn1A7zRkSE3rm4Ft3cr_JKwdOBITbyk9u-z6WOH7_5EKhqtzW9x_1KbF0H3qyFHco1f5tDGU6ZC7PIVzj8/s400/Drone+Pic.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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A quick follow up my initial Tau Kill Team post, is taking a closer look at one of the two Tau units thats getting a lot of interest; the Gun Drone.<br />
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The main reason the Tau Gun Drone is good, when in 40k it is rarely seem since their points were increased 12, is actually nothing to do with the Gun Drone itself, but comes from the Kill Team rules itself:<br />
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This means that the Gun Drone can only effectively have a -1 to hit modifier. This is huge in a faction that only starts on a 4+ to hit generally. When most shots are at -1 or -2 to hit, and their are three very common ways to get -1 to hit (Long Range, Obscured Target & Flesh wounds) along with many others (eg. Moving/Advancing with Heavy/Assault weapons, firing at Stealth units) other Tau units can see themselves firing on 6's as well.<br />
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Some abilities can give +1 to hit or ignore the obscured penalty, but these will only work on 2-3 models a turn leaving the rest of the Tau army at the mercy of the negative to hit modifiers with no way to buff their to-hit chances.<br />
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However Drones have an even worse chance to hit than the rest of the Tau, so lets check whether the extra shots that Gun Drones have offset this poor shooting accuracy. For comparison lets compare the Gun Drones to two other Pulse firepower units, the Strike Team Fire Warrior with a Pulse Rifle, and Steath Suit with a Burst Cannon. To even out the comparison for points costs I'm going to compare a single Stealth Suit to 3 Gun Drones and 3 Fire Warrior Shas'la.<br />
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The charts below shows the average number of Injury rolls against a MEQ (marine equivalent, ie. T4, 3+ save). Normally I would also compare against GEQ (Imperial Guardsmen equivalent), but all the rolls are the same apart from the save, so just double the MEQ figures to get the GEQ figures)<br />
<b>The Math</b><br />
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The basic Fire Warrior is going quite well out of this (well comparatively). It wins with the extra range, although the damage output at 30" is not that great, and even wins against Gun Drones in the 9-15" range, where the Gun Drones is still at long range, but the Fire Warrior is getting 2 shots and not getting the Long Range penalty. This still holds up when the target is obscured with Gun Drones and Fire Warriors tied when within 15" of the target.<br />
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The Stealth suits comes in last, however it has lots of other benefits which I'll talk about later that means it should not be ignored. If we moved the comparison onto targets with -2 to hit, then the Gun Drone would easily be the best as it's damage output can not get any worse.<br />
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The quick conclusion is that Gun Drones are the best firepower unless you are consistantly at greater than 18" away from the enemy, which shouldn't really happen, as in most Kill Team games you can get Gun Drones in range on the first turn (they should even advance, and not hit any worse against a target they already had a -1 to hit against).<br />
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However as with any mathhammer, lets look at the only factors that this analysis does not take into account/ Lets first look at benefits of Gun Drones vs Fire Warriors (I'll look at Stealths later):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cixuzmp1_oblNFqrFOe9V8QU4lFvT5ftUu17-ZRkEu8yxbtLlsdZ_iB8HfCcX5xIir0NSvWielOk-aJIoMK1PTBSfIcEN8ryL3ui5o3wsU2nmyHid-xoeIiz1jL8LT8cMkJWIfIy5CE/s1600/Gun_Drones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="948" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cixuzmp1_oblNFqrFOe9V8QU4lFvT5ftUu17-ZRkEu8yxbtLlsdZ_iB8HfCcX5xIir0NSvWielOk-aJIoMK1PTBSfIcEN8ryL3ui5o3wsU2nmyHid-xoeIiz1jL8LT8cMkJWIfIy5CE/s400/Gun_Drones.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Gun Drone Other Advantages</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Faster Movement</li>
<li>Ability to Advance and Fire</li>
<li>Saviour Protocols (great for saving Stealth Suits, Leaders and Specialists)</li>
<li>Higher Toughness (offset by a worse Save)</li>
<li>Can't gain experience ? (see note below)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Fire Warrior Other Advantages</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Better armour save (offset by lower toughness)</li>
<li>Can take a DS8 Support Turret</li>
<li>Can be a specialist (however this is normally taken by the armed Pathfinder Gunners and Stealth Suits)</li>
<li>The option for a Shas'ui with better leadership and access to a markerlight</li>
<li>Can gain experience ? (see note below)</li>
</ul>
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Note: Gaining experience is a double edged sword. Models can gain extra abilities, however they will then cost more. Even if its only a few points, 2 or 3 models that have advanced a level is the same cost of an extra model. As the benefits of the better experience levels (outside specialists) is minor I think its best not to have higher experienced models. having Gun Drones which can't gain experience helps stop Kill Team Bloat, where you have fewer models in a 100 point game in exchange for a fw minor abilities.<br />
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Overall I think the Gun Drones wins overall against the Fire Warrior, particularly after you've picked a Shas'ui. Saviour protocols is huge saving Stealth suits and Pathfinder Gunners is huge, and the extra speed is very useful. The icing on the cake is that the Gun Drones can't be affected by more than 1 negative to hit modifier.<br />
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<b>Stealth Suits</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDoCW0WD2Xl3xpjpRDael4lI_ye4r6klRd5bEn4ZKA3pY4CQBDaj2hpYiRPOCl5cCAlWgtO6t-21h4N3-_87zIMqot_wsE7dPOuQmSoNm4aRZriMlj4j-j8ScR1yHUeJ5JzivzeD3hlU/s1600/Stealth+Suit+Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjDoCW0WD2Xl3xpjpRDael4lI_ye4r6klRd5bEn4ZKA3pY4CQBDaj2hpYiRPOCl5cCAlWgtO6t-21h4N3-_87zIMqot_wsE7dPOuQmSoNm4aRZriMlj4j-j8ScR1yHUeJ5JzivzeD3hlU/s400/Stealth+Suit+Pic+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvsA9TIQ0xstMcMAeun4dADvFyd5AfF_WTPsSpvDT9zzE5rxt3OJfi936aEkUM64U9Y8j91wsuFn5x8xTVRm0lbLaj_Hge1RpNaBO1xiJlzNAoIIkqlxLYdHzgYmjn2SGrAis9V608bw/s1600/Stealth+Suit+Pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvsA9TIQ0xstMcMAeun4dADvFyd5AfF_WTPsSpvDT9zzE5rxt3OJfi936aEkUM64U9Y8j91wsuFn5x8xTVRm0lbLaj_Hge1RpNaBO1xiJlzNAoIIkqlxLYdHzgYmjn2SGrAis9V608bw/s400/Stealth+Suit+Pic+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[My Stealth Suit conversion, based on the conversion by Adam from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GrotskullsWorkshop/" target="_blank">Grotskull's Workshop</a>]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stealth suits against Gun Drones is an interesting one. Apart from Saviour Protocols, Stealths Suits just have all the advantages:<br />
<ul>
<li>Much better save</li>
<li>Innate -1 to hit to enemy shooting at them and in combat</li>
<li>Option to carry a tank busting (and Infantry Obliterating) Fusion Blaster</li>
<li>Option to be a Specialist (with some very nice combos available)</li>
<li>The toughest Leader option</li>
<li>Much higher leadership</li>
</ul>
So how should all this affect your Kill Team. Pathfinder Gunners, and a Recon Drone are still auto includes in my eyes (leave a comment if you disagree). Stealth Suits are still good, but after 1 or 2 you have to ask would 3 Gun Drones be better than 1 Stealth Suit. Personally for casual and for the local GW Store campaign I'm still going to use a Fire Warrior with a DS8 Turret, a Stealth suit & a non-Gunner Pathfinder, and my current list only has 2 Gun Drones, its a nice bit of everything (except Breachers) type list.<br />
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However, definitely not for a Store Campaign or anything like that, if I was going to a super competitive event I would consider the following methodology:<br />
<ul>
<li>Take the cheapest leader</li>
<li>Take 3 Pathfinder Gunners</li>
<li>Take a Recon Drone</li>
<li>Take as many Gun Drones as possible</li>
</ul>
This would lead to the following list<br />
<br />
Pathfinder Shas'ui (Leader)<br />
Pathfinder Ion Rifle Gunner (Comms)<br />
Pathfinder Ion Rifle Gunner (Demolitions)<br />
Pathfinder Ion Rifle Gunner (Sniper)<br />
Recon Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
Gun Drone<br />
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13 models (including 8 Gun drones, plus a Recon drone), costing spot on 100 points. This list is putting out, at 18", 38 str5 shots, and 3D3 Str8, ap-1, 2 damage shots (save those command point rerolls for the overheats). If you like Rail Rifles rather than Ion Rifles (I think they're good, but wanted to squeeze in another Gun Drone) you could lose 1 Gun Drone to have Rail Rifle rather than Ion Rifle Pathfinder Gunners, and upgrade the Pathfinder leader to a Fire Warrior leader. If you like Stealth Suits you can easily swap the Pathfinder Leader & 2 Gun drones for Stealth Suit Leader with a markerlight and target lock. Making both changes would still leave you with 5 Gun drones and a Recon drone.<br />
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Honestly don't take something like this to anything but a large competitive tournament. So what do you think, are Gun Drones that good in Kill team, is this (too?) competitive ?<br />
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Are you tempted to put a few more Gun Drones in your Kill Team ? What's been your experience with our Flying Frisbees ?<br />
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Back to painting for me, but until next time, happy gaming !!<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-50938734325889952472018-09-12T17:38:00.000+01:002018-09-12T17:38:27.531+01:00Dipping my Toe into Shadespire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When it first came out I wasn’t too interested in Shadespire, having chosen to end my Fantasy playing days; lack of time to devout to as many games, the demise of Warhammer Fantasy Battle (not that I’d played it in its last two years) and really not liking the look of Stormcast when they first came out.<br />
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Overtime the great models that have been coming out for Age of Sigmar have pipped my interest, but the overall blockage that I didn’t enough time to plat mt existing games enough to warrant picking up AoS still stood. That didn’t stop be picking up some models. I picked up 2 Silver Tower Skaven Assassins to be extra Gutter Runners for my Skaven Bloodbowl team. The Dark Elf Assassin was converted to be a second Succubus (with massive Blood Glaive), and I even picked up another Silver Tower model when in a moment I weakness (before the codex) I bought a model to be a Farseer (Doom is just too good of a psychic power).<br />
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Shadespire came out, and I thought it would another splash in the pan, and then disappear; Shadow War anyone. However as with many gaming journeys I was convinced to give it a game by two close mates who had bought it. One mate, Mike, who had stubbornly stuck to one faction in Infinity had gone all in buying every faction, including sleeves and dice. We had a few games and was presently surprised and thought it was a good fun game.<br />
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The different warbands appeared relatively balanced (let me know your thoughts), and I liked the idea of the deck building aspect (eg. can tweak to be more killing or objective based), but I was weary that it would turn into Magic the Gathering when buying the last few cards for a deck can prove expensive, especially as you can’t buy the cards separately at all from GW. However I didn’t intend to go to tournaments and the mates I knew would keep thing balanced, and wouldn’t go out and buy the top builds to smash by newbie deck; well not until I starting winning 😉<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[I just need Ironskull's Boyz to get free postage - SOLD]</td></tr>
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So with the decision made I bought the main game. Then I made a unusual (for me) decision about painting. I knew I would never have the time to paint the warbands with all of my 40k, Bloodbowl & Infinity projects., so looked at buying some painted warbands. My favourite warband so far is the Khorne Bloodhounds, so I quickly found one on ebay at a reasonable price. I was buying a well painted warband, rather than some of the top notch painting you can find. Then I found an ebay listing of someone selling the main boxset with both warbands painted. I liked the unusual Stormcast paint scheme, but thought the Khorne paint scheme wasn’t that good, so I would sell them on ebay.<br />
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I managed to pick this auction up for less than the cost that I had bought the brand new boxset for 😊 This gave me lots of cards, and allowed to me to keep he initial starter decks in the boxset complete (to play my son), while I built decks to use against my mates.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhbxITbDqtFB_4E4623IO9eEs3z_l_itg6LuJBUsMWJJIcEbStDWHqKulq7quQNvnWKroXSofN43YXprpqY233o0zVmLUTo9Ur3LX2EmEPJvOdokaFvmqcLUXk0XTjLKoIyb7lXwY6E8/s1600/Shadespire+Foam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1459" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhbxITbDqtFB_4E4623IO9eEs3z_l_itg6LuJBUsMWJJIcEbStDWHqKulq7quQNvnWKroXSofN43YXprpqY233o0zVmLUTo9Ur3LX2EmEPJvOdokaFvmqcLUXk0XTjLKoIyb7lXwY6E8/s400/Shadespire+Foam.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My last investment was a custom foam tray, which fitted in the box and perfectly held the warbands, tokens, dice etc. This made it perfect to take the box and holiday, and I was able to pla a couple of games against my son in the evenings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E7AV1_8tr7AboPH5XBt0EvIPaDjDousv-r6324TQwkW2hraStHjEZJM5V-0uSFRmFzLgHzq8LzPY4Wo4A1VCrqfBVExx6Edii-9fuWAiAPhWNk4NzzJNm-7T6wJu8W1Bc86Lmc1OVxM/s1600/IMG_20180812_203313%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E7AV1_8tr7AboPH5XBt0EvIPaDjDousv-r6324TQwkW2hraStHjEZJM5V-0uSFRmFzLgHzq8LzPY4Wo4A1VCrqfBVExx6Edii-9fuWAiAPhWNk4NzzJNm-7T6wJu8W1Bc86Lmc1OVxM/s400/IMG_20180812_203313%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So far I’ve been having a ball playing Shadespire, and most importantly having fun with it. Against my son’s Stormcast I’m 2-1 down (sometimes pesky Stormcast refuse to die!), I’m 3-0 up against Mike (horrendous dice in the 1st game against Undead, and then two close wins with both being equal as we headed into the last turn), and then I’m 1-0 down against my other mate’s Undead (first game playing with the short board edges touching).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[The surrounded Stormcast just wouldn't, even when a 4th Khorn guy joined in]</td></tr>
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I’ve recently bought the Ork warband, so my next post will be a review of my first expansion box, and I’ve got my eye on a 4th warband when the Shadespire Season 2 comes out.<br />
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Have you been playing Shadespire ? What do you think of it, and are you excited for Season 2 ?<br />
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Rathstar<br />
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PS. There are actually some ebay auctions selling the cards from the expansions individually, however in nearly all cases the best cards are sold out, but if you're not playing super competitively there are a nice way to pick up some extra cards. If you want a lot of cards it might be worth buying an expansion and selling the models (and faction specific cards) on ebay.</div>
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Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-83965580814127960932018-08-02T19:57:00.002+01:002018-08-02T19:57:12.261+01:00Kill Team / 40k Differences from a Tau Perspective<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vSa7t0AAZQD4w16GXgiyI2kzdtUoxZsjLUNR-e5MsQZZWhwuYq3MgTBzTFaQEC_lYzTP3LxF1yG77MZnfBrDomUD5HdSB2K7SAJEYGNbPSjP4w-wrkkNvjVn-E2Gn2zdim-U6ARMu2E/s1600/Tau+Kill+Team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="846" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vSa7t0AAZQD4w16GXgiyI2kzdtUoxZsjLUNR-e5MsQZZWhwuYq3MgTBzTFaQEC_lYzTP3LxF1yG77MZnfBrDomUD5HdSB2K7SAJEYGNbPSjP4w-wrkkNvjVn-E2Gn2zdim-U6ARMu2E/s400/Tau+Kill+Team.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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By now there’s quite a few Kill team reviews and many of those go over the differences between the 40k and Kill Team rules. For this post I wanted to go over the differences that specifically affect the Tau army. So without pause here we go...<br />
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<u>Markerlights Table</u><br />
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The first change that is noticed is the markerlight table is <i>better </i>than 40k:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEp-9CI-WW0R5sHg6CaeIfVwPaYzic4BjSbFkNWBqLOvgF3Rb3LNjpFQhNtyUVSn49iP8QUm5O78r9SUnTxEtE8E011BnhUXu9taAHCQnoUQraSN2ciPlch9NEHRXYV9nzCX-IbnZBvdo/s1600/Kill+Team+Markerlight+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="891" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEp-9CI-WW0R5sHg6CaeIfVwPaYzic4BjSbFkNWBqLOvgF3Rb3LNjpFQhNtyUVSn49iP8QUm5O78r9SUnTxEtE8E011BnhUXu9taAHCQnoUQraSN2ciPlch9NEHRXYV9nzCX-IbnZBvdo/s400/Kill+Team+Markerlight+Table.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey it’s shorter (due to losing the seeker/destroyer missile line), you only need 4 markerlights to get to the +1 to hit level. This initially sounds great, but due to the increased number of negative to hit modifiers in Kill Team (I’ll come onto that shortly) it’ll be harder to get to that level. Next you’ll have way less markerlights in a Kill team that you will in 40k, and lastly you’ll be affecting a single enemy model rather than a entire unit. All these factors means markerlights are worth much less (even considering pathfinders only cost 75% of their 40k cost). The resources needed to get +1 to hit on a single model, may only benefit the first short, eg. with other buffs a rail rifle gunner, particularly within 15” should kill the markerlighted target.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UXHtZTCZZPcl3cTjk5sERFxOHXlGUAiFv2OcdBlN8AdCJGwvSpx7kopsGgRPtE91WF1uWjp4EhLalKAhyphenhyphent7aV1EGp8loYXuTY2StUHeSexZ-x6-R5yMhaG7znY3adf8seQ1B1QZQYG0/s1600/Kill+Team+Uplinked+Markerlight+stratagem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="442" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UXHtZTCZZPcl3cTjk5sERFxOHXlGUAiFv2OcdBlN8AdCJGwvSpx7kopsGgRPtE91WF1uWjp4EhLalKAhyphenhyphent7aV1EGp8loYXuTY2StUHeSexZ-x6-R5yMhaG7znY3adf8seQ1B1QZQYG0/s400/Kill+Team+Uplinked+Markerlight+stratagem.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is one thing to offset these issues, and that is the Uplinked Markerlight stratagem. Like 40k it changes one markerlight hit into D3+1, but it costs 2 Command points, which makes it very expensive compared with 40k, as you only get 2 command points a turn (and that’s if you still have your leader alive). These two command points have three very very good competing uses (each only costing 1 command point each):<br />
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<ul>
<li>The generic dice reroll</li>
<li>Sniper Stratgem (allows a Sniper specialist to get +1 to hit)</li>
<li>Heavy Stratagem (allows a Stealth suit Heavy specialist to fire 5 rather than 4 shots with his burst cannon)</li>
</ul>
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Overall I think means its not worth investing too much in markerlights, and having only a few to get the first markerlight hit to reroll 1s for overcharging Ion Rifles.<br />
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<u>Negative Modifiers To Hit</u><br />
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Anyone who’s played any of the -1 to hit armies in 40k, particularly Eldar which stack the neg modifiers know how deliberating it is to the Tau shooting. Additional negative to hit modifiers in Kill team include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Firing at over half range</li>
<li>Firing at a model that is obscured</li>
<li>Having a flesh wound</li>
</ul>
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It’s important to reduce the negative modifiers, and a key to that is closing the distance. Let’s look at the basic fire warrior firing at an enemy in the open, at 15-30” its 1 shot on 5+, at 15” or less it increases to 2 shots on 4+ thats triple the damage on average for getting within half range. Sorry this is another edition your carbine armed fire warriors will not see any play.<br />
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When firing at an obscured model its 4 times as much damage firing with 15” compared to over 15" range. This leads me to conclude that the best Tau playstyle is likely to be getting within rapid fire range, while hopefully staying obscured, with the intention of killing your target but not leaving yourself too open to retaliation.<br />
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What can help with those Negative Modifiers:<br />
1)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Use longer range weapons and play aggressively so its easy to get within half range<br />
2)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Comms specialist can give a nearby model +1 to hit<br />
3)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Recon drone can allow a nearby model to ignore the obscured penalty<br />
4)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Throw more shots, eg. Stealth Suit with a burst cannon Heavy specialist (for 5 shots), or gun drones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0efxLTox6TZtH_rgkZDqGMCXPLayXaquOZWrxcEeN6OmFO2ziwipzBEuzK5JHg0Q3IVjZYJm_h0C6tcr5sZL4YCFyb-LdEYLywgHG1z4hyphenhyphenQOORJlYD_tOBLX1X1FkmbvNJVzQKppQQhc/s1600/Gun+Drones+Comic+Pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0efxLTox6TZtH_rgkZDqGMCXPLayXaquOZWrxcEeN6OmFO2ziwipzBEuzK5JHg0Q3IVjZYJm_h0C6tcr5sZL4YCFyb-LdEYLywgHG1z4hyphenhyphenQOORJlYD_tOBLX1X1FkmbvNJVzQKppQQhc/s1600/Gun+Drones+Comic+Pic.png" /></a></div>
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A quick note on Gun drones. Gun drones seem bad when you consider they are BS5+ with no drone controller in the game, but they can advance for 8+D6 movement and fire at 18” on obscured targets on 6’s (6s always hit in Kill Team), that's only 1 less than normal even with a -3 to-hit modifier. Remember though that if the target it not obscured a fire warrior would get 2 shots at 4+ to hit just a bit (3” inches) closer, so consider 1-2 gun drones to fire at those obscured targets using their speed to outflank the enemy with the Stealth Suit(s). With so many negative modifiers in Kill Team I’ve seem some people saying the only competitive Tau Kill Team will be one with all but 2-3 members being Gun drones. I’m not convinced yet, but time will tell, plus I don’t think I’d enjoy playing a Kill Team where I’m just rolling lots of dice needing 6s.<br />
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<u>Charging</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvfGizGL3VOAbyWNq04h_CDnbCdBOV9zR7rYe9yBFJ7YrRBKyA-09sLBlyvx8sqjTQQAqnEuFxclbQOcG9OeWE9su4mDYiyqFvFx3zkSNvCXBhRgyIuaOkVYtG1I-4gJDR0vD2i4wM3s/s1600/What+is+this+Me-Lee+you+speak+of+-+Tau+Meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvfGizGL3VOAbyWNq04h_CDnbCdBOV9zR7rYe9yBFJ7YrRBKyA-09sLBlyvx8sqjTQQAqnEuFxclbQOcG9OeWE9su4mDYiyqFvFx3zkSNvCXBhRgyIuaOkVYtG1I-4gJDR0vD2i4wM3s/s400/What+is+this+Me-Lee+you+speak+of+-+Tau+Meme.jpg" width="374" /></a></div>
Although Kill Team in general, and the way I think Tau will need to play, will be at closer ranges than we’d like to play a 40k game, I think charging is not as much of an issue, as charging happens in the move phase and it a straight 2D6 charge, not the normal move and then a 2D6 charge.<br />
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Although this is not strictly true, because it is possible to get a normal move, and then a 2D6 charge by doing it in two parts. The enemy can move and advance in one turn, and then if they get to move first in the next turn they can immediately do the 2D6 charge, so be wary about getting too close to models which haven’t moved yet.<br />
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Overall we should have a good chance of rapid firing at a model trying to make close combat in Kill Team, where as we're used to some models charging us when they start the turn miles away in 40k.<br />
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<u>Model and Weapon Changes</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdGkmGKLPUdzqrt7k2pAC4B45sjpyv_HWDhyEhTtb2V4rFif5Q6eJmLs3ZuL1xMJzDiuAvUQiualfFrCsCM4AwJNJ7mRlXQ-PH922pnUmkWmR5ZgSkZ3UnED3EZ8g4ycENZrGpSWS1yI/s1600/Change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="705" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdGkmGKLPUdzqrt7k2pAC4B45sjpyv_HWDhyEhTtb2V4rFif5Q6eJmLs3ZuL1xMJzDiuAvUQiualfFrCsCM4AwJNJ7mRlXQ-PH922pnUmkWmR5ZgSkZ3UnED3EZ8g4ycENZrGpSWS1yI/s400/Change.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Drones are not as tough as 40k with their save reduced to 5+. There is no way to get a drone controller in Kill Team, so drones are stuck with their poor BS5+. Marker drones do not ignore the negative modifier for moving and firing a markerlight. The Pulse and Grav drones while being a point cheaper will be benefiting a lot less models than in 40k. Overall drones are a lot worse, but most are a lot cheaper at only 7 points. However, the stand out is the Recon drone which, while being the same 7 points, has 2 wounds and can offset the obscured modifier for a nearby model.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SfPW2jmOER0xi9tFAftxvHocCjqc2Bwv9uoc8YTj2Qkz-PLfUYXib8swuY9JaqyisRiqI8rQv_h3DHKT_jg6Fir8EfHuWGXv0Yd5h1www3CpOqCq2r6bvhGsAQGCrnFJ0qElWjNHT1Y/s1600/Kill+Team+Ion+Rifle+Overheating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="390" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SfPW2jmOER0xi9tFAftxvHocCjqc2Bwv9uoc8YTj2Qkz-PLfUYXib8swuY9JaqyisRiqI8rQv_h3DHKT_jg6Fir8EfHuWGXv0Yd5h1www3CpOqCq2r6bvhGsAQGCrnFJ0qElWjNHT1Y/s400/Kill+Team+Ion+Rifle+Overheating.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One small but crucial weapon change is that Ion Rifle overheating is on an unmodified 1 to hit. So if you get +1 to hit you can still overheat, but more importantly with all the negative to hit modifiers you don’t die on a 1-3 when you shoot at something with -2 to hit. If you get 1 markerlight on your target (to reroll 1's to hit) they are quite reliable, and punch very hard for a 10-point model.<br />
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<br />
<u>General Tau Kill Team Types</u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[I'll be using one of my Firesight Incursion team, as a Railrifle Sniper Specialist for my Kill team]</td></tr>
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So far, I’ve seen two types of Tau Kill teams being used. One is stealth suit based with 4 Stealth suits and 2 other members to fill out the remaining points. This list is very fast, hard to hit with a natural -1 to hit modifier on top of all the usual Kill Team modifier and are also one of the toughest units in the game with 2 wounds, toughness 4, and a 3+ armour save.<br />
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The other type, is one that I am favouring which still uses a Stealth suit (as they are so good) with a mix of pathfinders (making use of their excellent gunners) and fire warriors (with their long range rapid fire guns). Some drones are occasionally sprinkled in.<br />
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Here’s 2 youtube battle reports I’ve watched with each type to help you see what you prefer:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCUshp5Y3Zw" target="_blank">Primarchs Youtube Channel Steath Suits Battle Report </a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du2Rb2tKwT8" target="_blank">FNP Wargamers Youtube channel Tau Kill Team Battle Report</a><br />
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Here's what I'll starting to play with, any comments, tips or criticism in the comments would be greatly appreciated:<br />
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Fire Warrior Shas’ui with Pulse Rifle & Markerlight, Leader Specialist<br />
DS8 Tactical Support Turret with a Smart Missile System<br />
Fire Warrior Shas’la with Pulse Rifle<br />
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Pathfinder Shas’la with Pulse Carbine & Markerlight, Comms Specialist<br />
Pathfinder Shas’la Gunner with Rail Rifle, Sniper Specialist<br />
Pathfinder Shas’la Gunner with Ion Rifle<br />
Pathfinder Shas’la Gunner with Ion Rifle<br />
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Gun Drone with 2 Pulse Carbines<br />
Gun Drone with 2 Pulse Carbines<br />
Recon Drone with Burst Cannon<br />
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Stealth Suit Shas’vre with Burst Cannon, Heavy Specialist<br />
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- I'll be painting a XV25 Stealth Suit and a DS8 Turret for this list, now that I've completed (bar basing some models) my new 40k Tau list, but that's another blog post.</div>
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Overall I really like the look of Kill team, and look forward to playing it, ie. take everything I say with a pinch of salt, but I’ll report on my experiences so stay tuned for more updates.<br />
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Let me know in the comments what you're initial thoughts on Kill Team are, what you'll be using, and what tactics you think will work best for the Tau.<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-10843572557457338632018-01-05T16:59:00.000+00:002018-01-05T17:05:46.524+00:00Conversion Corner [Bloodbowl - Chaos Dwarves]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just a quick post to let you know about some converting I've been doing.<br />
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With a new season of bloodbowl with my mates about to start I decided to start a new team. Last year I converted a Norse team:<br />
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and keeping the Av7 lineman theme, but with tougher, slower other players I opted for Chaos Dwarves, a team I'd always admired.<br />
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I used the new GW Dwarf linemen as the Chaos Dwarf Blockers. For the hobgoblins I used the bodies of Skaven Stormvermin, with the tails snipped off. For the hand and heads I was going to use old fantsay hobgoblins, but I found the hands looked too big compared to the stormvermin bodies, so I used the new GW goblins, using the goblins heads with helmets as they looked the closest to the old hobgoblin models.<br />
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For the Bull Centaurs I used AoS Chaos Knight horses, with the new GW Dwarf blitzer with added horns made with the spikes from the Dark Eldar Venom. I'll eventually get round to converting the Bull Centaur star player using another of the Dwarf positional players, and the other Dwarf positional players will be good to convert into other star players.<br />
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I was tempted with buying the really nice Forgeworld Minotaur, but I'd already purchased the Silver Tower model to be my Minotaur, and he has an imposing stance.<br />
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Here's the team ready for battle:<br />
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For my first game I played my mates Underworld team, and I was feeling good having killed a Goblin, until a Chaos Dwarf blocker died in turn 8 of the 2nd half. It was a fun but brutal game, not surprising with the Underworld team fielding all 3 big guys:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Turn 1 with Underworld about to receive]</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[It looks like a great confrontation, but the Bull Centaur is happy there's a square between them]</td></tr>
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I still need to green stuff the gap where the Bull Centaur torso meets the Chaos Knight horse's lower body, but they are ready for a few games against mates.<br />
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Unlike my Norse which are still grey plastic I hope to get this team painted over the season in between my Tau and Dark Eldar painting, so further updates will follow showing my progress. Well I won't be using my full compliment of Chaos Dwarf blockers for a while, so I have a model to test my paint scheme :)<br />
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What do you think of my new team, and what projects are you working on ?<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-55511797739100000332017-12-26T21:21:00.002+00:002017-12-26T21:23:17.299+00:00Keeping the Quad Fusion Commander Alive [40k 8th Edition - Tau]<b>Priorties for 8th Edition</b><br />
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With the release of 8th Edition, all my armies would need work, so in an effort to get armies up to spec as quickly as possible I decided to concentrate on my two favorite factions, which also happen to be my largest, so Dark Elder and Tau it is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RsqD1CPacGrZAabL_oCgvHuSlY9m2Pv7do_8ou3su1NsE5n5dHvR8YQTkdcg7A0PF7sXpcvg7LL5Bn1S55DlblolISV8NII3kKG7ReVn3YaTyfeEx-VkN529ho624ffyy8T6yM7I-Mg/s1600/WIP+Tau+Commanders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_RsqD1CPacGrZAabL_oCgvHuSlY9m2Pv7do_8ou3su1NsE5n5dHvR8YQTkdcg7A0PF7sXpcvg7LL5Bn1S55DlblolISV8NII3kKG7ReVn3YaTyfeEx-VkN529ho624ffyy8T6yM7I-Mg/s400/WIP+Tau+Commanders.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Tau Commander Progression, from the 1st I bought 10 years ago when I started Tau, to my 7th edition Tau Commander and current Commander that I've only just finished, above is a WIP shot]</td></tr>
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I thought my Tau would need more work than my Dark Elder, so oddly I decided to concentrate on getting my Tau redone for 8th first, including getting it fully painted, while I assembled the few extra models for my Dark Eldar so I could play them at my local club. My decision was also driven by the fact that I had quite a few Tau models I wanted to finish painting including one of the new commanders, a forgeworld commander, some XV9s, and an idea I had for converted Vespids (as they don't suck this edition).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvYWg-XZhlN12PmGsWafCDf3CE566IqmVA4nyvVONpK6txxRrfmOv5woiAXM_nrH8reUIBzIucU6_Ugg8DnMBZ-cfu0LVNVz-ZB0HcX5-WKkx1vhojQhtEfLyE3HJOKBR46QAvrxAHvc/s1600/Guy+with+Big+Gun+%2528FF%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="751" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvYWg-XZhlN12PmGsWafCDf3CE566IqmVA4nyvVONpK6txxRrfmOv5woiAXM_nrH8reUIBzIucU6_Ugg8DnMBZ-cfu0LVNVz-ZB0HcX5-WKkx1vhojQhtEfLyE3HJOKBR46QAvrxAHvc/s400/Guy+with+Big+Gun+%2528FF%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Isn't there a weapon that is good at all targets ?]</td></tr>
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<b>The Right Tool for the Right Task</b><br />
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The biggest change in 8th, in my opinion is that you had to diversify the weapon types you used. No longer would a multiple shot mid strength weapon cover most of the targets in the game. Against infantry they would wound most targets on 3's rather than 2's, most monstrous creatures had doubled or tripled in wounds, and vehicles tripled to quadrupled their hull points into wounds, plus gained a save.<br />
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One of the odd weaknesses of Tau is their long range anti tank. While Marines can spam lascannons and missile launchers quite efficiently, both predators with 4 lascannon shots and 5 devastators with 4 lascannons are under 200 points (190 & 165 respectively). Tau Railguns and Heavy Rail rifles are on much more expensive platforms for how many shots they get (chepest Hammerhead & Broadside are 171 & 165 points respectively). Missile Pods are nice, but the poor AP modifier and D3 wounds means that it can strip a few wounds off vehicles but will struggle to do much to tough vehicles.<br />
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The best Tau answer to vehicles and monstrous creatures is fusion (melta) weaponry, having the same hitting power of a single shot from a heavy railrifle (less the chance of extra mortal wounds) with more reliable damage within 9" (rolling two D6's and picking the highest). Being the most efficient fusion platform; the Quad Fusion Commander, a Commander equipped with 4 fusion guns, was born. The QFC has a number of advantages over the other fusion platforms:<br />
<ul>
<li>BS 2+ makes the Commander a very points efficient choice</li>
<li>The ability to carry, and shot them all at the same time, 4 fusion guns is 33% more than crisis suits can carry, and the same number of fusion shots (on average) as Ghostkeels and XV9 with Fusion Cascades.</li>
<li>Being a character the commander can't be attacked in the shooting phase unless he is the closest target, barring other special rules such as Snipers.</li>
<li>The commander can deploy in manta strike, so it can't be targeted until it deploys on the battle, hopefully within range of a juicy target</li>
</ul>
When combined with protection drones provide these advantages have seen people spam commanders, however while they are as tough as a space marine character on a bike (toughness 5, 6 wounds, 3+ save) that is not hard to get rid off if they are focused on. It doesn't matter how efficient a unit is if it only gets to fire once before dying.<br />
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A perfect example is when I played a 1000 point game against Guard. I identified the opponents Vanquisher as a key threat to Longstrike. First turn my QFC manta striked 18" away from the tank, which was about 12" away from the Guard front lines, and after Longstrike fired the QFC finished off the tank. However Pask in a Punisher tank (old rules so only 20 shots) made the QFC a red smear on the battlefield. My QFC managed to kill half a Leman Russ before being removed, not the best return, even if Longstrike had a much easier game without the Vanquisher around.<br />
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So lets look at the ways to keep the QFC alive longer<br />
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<b>Ablative Wounds</b><br />
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The obvious solution is to take ablative wounds, ie. drones. You could use crisis bodyguards but drones does the job so much more efficiently. The only issue we have is that a commander can only bring two drones. You can take multiple commanders and they can all share the protection from all the drones, but that's still not many drones for how many points they are protecting.<br />
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You can deepstrike on mass with Crisis suits near the commanders. Crisis suits can bring 2 drones per member of the squad, so it you have 2 commanders and a unit of three Crisis suits you could have 10 drones for protection. Now were getting somewhere, but 10 drones aren't that hard to destroy, so there's one more option for heavy deepstrike, and that is to use Forgeworld XV9 Hazard Suits. They can bring 4 drones per <i>unit</i> (I'm almost sure that this is a typo and should be 2 drones per squad member, but we have to work with the actual wording in the Index). Luckily the XV9s can come in units of 1, so if we have 2 commanders and 3 monat (single model) units of XV9 Hazard Suits we can have 16 drones. Not only will the 16 drones protect the commanders, but the enemy also has to kill (and most likely overkill) the individial XV9 Hazard suits.<br />
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As well as deepstriking with the commanders, you can have infiltrating units already in range which can have their own drones. Both Ghostkeels and Stealth suits can infiltrate and bring their own drones to protect the commanders. The Ghstkeels and Stealths suits are also great units to screen the commanders as their negative modifiers to hit make them harder to take out before the enemy can even target the commanders.<br />
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<b>Being More Conservative</b><br />
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Rather than opting for the first easy target for the commanders to deepstrike against you can be more conservative and wait for a better position where their commander is less likely to die the following turn. There are a couple of good options to help you deepstrike more conservatively while still getting a first turn hit against a good target.<br />
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Deepstriking behind advancing friendly infantry can allow the commander to still hit target units in your opponent's deployment zone while being safe for reprisal as he can't be targeted unless he's the closest target. Tau have some good units for this. Kroot and Pathfinders get a free 7" move before the game begins (and key, after the roll for the seize the initiative). If they use this free 7" move combined with 7" move plus D6" advance on the 1st turn they can be 29-34" up the board, with the usual 24" gap between armies on deployment this 2-7" from the edge of their deployment zone, plenty of space to deepstrike behind them and hit something deep into the enemy's deployment zone with 18" range fusion guns.<br />
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If going 2nd you won't be able to be so aggressive with the pre game move, but a few inches move forwards into cover can help.<br />
<br />
Kroot Hounds are another good unit to do this tactic with as they have a fast 12" move, so can be at the centre of the board (before the extra D6" advance move) still allowing commanders to deepstrike behind and fire into the front edge of the enemy's deployment zone.<br />
<br />
Lastly Fast Attack slot Drone squads can also advance to give additional ablative wounds to the ones deepstriking with the commanders. A decent advance roll will see the drones on the half way line, plus they have the advantage over other infantry in that they only have to be within 3" of the commander to offer protection rather than having to be in front of the commander, like kroot or kroot hounds. Again this can be used to shoot fusion guns into the opponents deployment zone without being as risky as going it alone.<br />
<br />
<br />
Another further tactic is building your list to be ready for going 2nd. If you can build your list to be resilient to enemy firepower, eg. key expensive units protected by drones, having lots of units so it is easy to out-deploy the enemy with units that are expensive and can't be shielded by drones (eg. Stormsurges and Hammerheads) placing them in areas where they will face less enemy firepower (line of sight blocking terrain and/or out of the enemy's range). In this scenario you have less need to kill the devastator type units straight away, and can focus on the fast moving enemy elements as your army moves up as a whole. This gets you board control (especially good in maelstrom games).<br />
<br />
<br />
Well that's my main tips on keeping the crucial Quad Fusion Commanders alive to keep killing the enemy armour and monstrous creatures as long as possible. Let me know what you think of these tips, and how you keep your Tau Commanders alive.<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
<br />
PS. Next blog post will be an review of the models I've painted up for my Tau force since 8th hit, and the units that I'm still using, and the units that are moth balled until at least the codex comes out:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUF0keRPUz1MQg0nexW16NmwxWljUSx6oqycOkgz1V4wh_EtyDp85UvDxFkmPJ3bUkbn3Sq55L9j8Vz3rWZvcGMoQL7JWtv77G4debpEzQ-uPBjM7GzA7CHfjUnWnDSRYSJopihamNaw/s1600/Tau+BR+%252813+Nov+%252717%2529+Pic+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUF0keRPUz1MQg0nexW16NmwxWljUSx6oqycOkgz1V4wh_EtyDp85UvDxFkmPJ3bUkbn3Sq55L9j8Vz3rWZvcGMoQL7JWtv77G4debpEzQ-uPBjM7GzA7CHfjUnWnDSRYSJopihamNaw/s400/Tau+BR+%252813+Nov+%252717%2529+Pic+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[My current non-forgeworld army list I'm using]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-58054538238222226982017-10-16T19:58:00.001+01:002017-10-16T19:58:18.368+01:00What I got up to before 8th Edition hit - Part Two [40k - Dark Eldar]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPS-5UwaBH16vUSCzP2XylTB0bFLG3iOWkNVAk2y8h_KPSh6fBdssgRu_15ViQk9XsTalTyC0WrIKnf-lRPgQ4jjB1ofJEY3Lp44cEHtG4Kt_Q0UrFRIoYha3zf_mnMgbMGZ_JpNVlgEk/s1600/Ynnead+Characters+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1509" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPS-5UwaBH16vUSCzP2XylTB0bFLG3iOWkNVAk2y8h_KPSh6fBdssgRu_15ViQk9XsTalTyC0WrIKnf-lRPgQ4jjB1ofJEY3Lp44cEHtG4Kt_Q0UrFRIoYha3zf_mnMgbMGZ_JpNVlgEk/s400/Ynnead+Characters+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
So as 7th drew to a close I had one last tournament to go to. It was a small local 1250 point Highlander tournament, and I used it to paint up some more units.<br />
<br />
With my trueborn with blasters always being envious of Eldar Fire Dragons I decided to paint some up. To tie them into my army better I used Dark Eldar heads and used a darker than usual colour scheme (well apart from the guns). Here's a work in progress pic:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNnTHR3hGU2SujQ3hom1OUJtzDaa4UDOHGyflmgyy9pa1p1M96tqBc4IWL6DDuyvskTPwcUnRt4fttxUhxrweUcbOzIPVuu8tihYsbgcBABwtdoO_aAUrpZ1QCueKM48bMjpdABdI3pk/s1600/Fire+Dragons+%2526+Starweaver+WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="1474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNnTHR3hGU2SujQ3hom1OUJtzDaa4UDOHGyflmgyy9pa1p1M96tqBc4IWL6DDuyvskTPwcUnRt4fttxUhxrweUcbOzIPVuu8tihYsbgcBABwtdoO_aAUrpZ1QCueKM48bMjpdABdI3pk/s400/Fire+Dragons+%2526+Starweaver+WIP.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[a pic of the painted Fire Dragons and Starweaver will follow in a later post]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The main reason I finally included Fire Dragons was because at the time they were allowed to go in Ynnari Harlequin Skyweavers. This was important because I do not like the aesthetics of the Eldar transports, while the Harlequin vehicles are similar to my converted Venoms. You can see my Skyweaver in the pic above, again I couldn't leave the model standard and mounted the 2 shuriken cannons each side of the cockpit, and adding spikes to the front of the hull to tie it into my army, as my converted Venoms have the same, finally I used a reaver jetbike helmet for the pilot.<br />
<br />
Both units did well in the tournament, and when Soulburst works on the Fire Dragon it's deadly. Unfortunately with the move to 8th edition, and the very sensible ruling that each faction of Eldar can not go in each other's transports both the Fire Dragons and the Skyweaver have not made my initial 8th edition list. However the Skyweaver may make a come back, although it can't transport any models (I have no other Harlequin models) its a very good gunboat compared to the Venom for nearly the exact same points. The Skyweaver has a better invulnerable save, and 6 shots at Str6, in my opinion, is better than the Rapid 6 from 2 (4+ to wound) Splinter Cannons on the Venom.<br />
<br />
After the tournament I converted up my next unit, which was originally going to be some Warp Spiders. I saw a great conversion online, from Mantle on Dakka Dakka (<a href="https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/538775.page?userfilterid=38762" target="_blank">link here</a>):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3B8cR67Da2IBxjfOLwkJEtAlTOjZ03214tYu0YWOHJM-RG_R_aHm6QOFBUVSJ0NYC1tR88fjOYFeLTHaLzYCLO4ckygAYoun3bWn1yUoDsJKeaZJH_uVQqi71xhJcqACcgIrX_MBkO4/s1600/Original+Warp+Spiders+%2528using+Guardians+and+Scourges%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3B8cR67Da2IBxjfOLwkJEtAlTOjZ03214tYu0YWOHJM-RG_R_aHm6QOFBUVSJ0NYC1tR88fjOYFeLTHaLzYCLO4ckygAYoun3bWn1yUoDsJKeaZJH_uVQqi71xhJcqACcgIrX_MBkO4/s400/Original+Warp+Spiders+%2528using+Guardians+and+Scourges%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The conversion used Dark Eldar Scourge legs with all the spikes and blades cut off, Eldar Guardian torsos, arms & heads, Wraothblade Hip Plates on the shoulders, Wraithblade Loin Cloths and Guardian Aerials for the Warp Jump Generator, and finally the front of a Shuriken Catapult replaced with the end of a Wraith Cannon.<br />
<br />
The only change I made was to use Scourge heads rather than Eldar Guardian heads. Here's the first two models assembled:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOdY8UP8ycHA4p8v0hCUJG2rbnXdcSqz0u39l8jsSfK26L-XSt9YyqdTPRTRNOuLLnFULAUe3Uq_5wm-PNWHDfmNY89YhZ8oUmEvCLcreqmbq5PgubxgOBjBbzezptHQn5EswdcMQd60/s1600/Converted+Warp+Spiders+%25281st+Two%2529+Assembled+Back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOdY8UP8ycHA4p8v0hCUJG2rbnXdcSqz0u39l8jsSfK26L-XSt9YyqdTPRTRNOuLLnFULAUe3Uq_5wm-PNWHDfmNY89YhZ8oUmEvCLcreqmbq5PgubxgOBjBbzezptHQn5EswdcMQd60/s400/Converted+Warp+Spiders+%25281st+Two%2529+Assembled+Back.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Painting went on hold with the rumours of 8th edition approaching. As soon as the Index's were released, in an effort to return my army list to mainly (if not totally) Dark Eldar, the leader of the unit got his weapon converted to a Shard Carbine, and the unit will now be Scourges with Blasters.<br />
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<br />
<u>The tournament I won but didn't</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHiNMZeEWNTeesgSH9Z1iuoNVghD2d4hb4Qg16k5lFhxhkNLbpwYe-E7hErCddG9snDsUtR9ejvbnxTttdK2c2cQP5ltH8RTL0lCy1aOQw8twal_XGewBx_cEPyrz0h8Qb-2zzZCTip7c/s1600/Dark+Eldar+with+Incubi+Attack+Orks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="1000" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHiNMZeEWNTeesgSH9Z1iuoNVghD2d4hb4Qg16k5lFhxhkNLbpwYe-E7hErCddG9snDsUtR9ejvbnxTttdK2c2cQP5ltH8RTL0lCy1aOQw8twal_XGewBx_cEPyrz0h8Qb-2zzZCTip7c/s400/Dark+Eldar+with+Incubi+Attack+Orks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<u><br /></u>
<u><br /></u>
The tournament organiser had made the scoring system to hopefully make it more enjoyable for all players. He didn't like the idea of a player knowing their going to lose and having nothing to fight for with 1-2 hours left of the game to go. In this tournament each player's tournament points was the amount of victory points they scored during the game (using points killed as a tie break).<br />
<br />
While fine, this can lead to two unintended consequences:<br />
<ul>
<li>Fast armies tend to do well regardless of whether they win or lose. Your score can be more impacted on the cards you draw. This has impacted me both ways. In a previous tournament at the local GW store I had a close game where both my opponent and myself (playing Necrons) kept drawing maelstrom cards we couldn't do. I lost the game, but because we both scored very low victory points it basically put us both out of the running. </li>
<li>The results are polarising, in that the tournament the top players all scored high victory points even when they lost, eg. one of my losses was 16-19, and my 16 points would have been one of the highest in the room. This makes later round's matchmaking a nightmare for the TO. In the last round people at the top had to be moved, sometimes by 2-3 tables because we had all played each other.</li>
</ul>
In the final results I came 4th (knowing my victory points I guessed something was probably wrong), and out of the four games I had played the person in 1st, 2nd & 3rd. What turned out was that my game against the person in 1st place had been entered the wrong way round. Normally this wouldn't have affected the results much but in this case the game had been a 25-10 win to me. The TO let me know later when he checked it would have swapped my position with the winners. With my 25-10 win it meant that even losing my last game to the person who came 2nd it wouldn't have been enough for them to catch-up.<br />
<br />
I am concerned that the winner in tournaments which similar scoring systems (tournament points = game victory points) is the one who gets lucky and wins by a landslide in one of their games wins. Yes I played well in that 25-10 game, but not to justify 25 tournament points, compared to what people on nearby tables would have got.<br />
<br />
So I won, but not officially, my last tournament of 7th. Most importantly I had 4 great games, painted up some new units that I can draw on for years to come. Plus it got me back to the converting and painting table, in time for 8th edition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>What comes next</u><br />
<br />
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<br />
It's been busy since 8th edition came out, and over the next few posts I will cover:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The tournament list I used for this tournament, and how I think 8th edition affects it, and the Dark Eldar list I will be using going forwards</li>
<li>How my Tau will transition to the new edition, and the new models I have built and painted</li>
<li>How much I love Bloodbowl (well you already knew that), and the new teams I am converting to use in my mate's annual winter league</li>
</ul>
It'll be much less time between posts going forwards, but in the meantime let me know how you have been finding 8th edition.<br />
<br />
RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-81087308250036111302017-07-28T11:02:00.001+01:002017-07-28T11:04:38.582+01:00What I got up to before 8th Edition hit - Part One [40k - Dark Eldar]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpHStSYeq2516KdmrROPfUte7nIYpGJKI-odRdH0nF_NPgemLvp57wqxiuNflaO9t7doFMANKgLSByW3dNDhF_uWYr-n4w3jGo0jRwIMdIJbuSfaR46x3vRpP3mAsfRzLREjRNCJOSWQ/s1600/Space+Marine+painting+a+Space+Marine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpHStSYeq2516KdmrROPfUte7nIYpGJKI-odRdH0nF_NPgemLvp57wqxiuNflaO9t7doFMANKgLSByW3dNDhF_uWYr-n4w3jGo0jRwIMdIJbuSfaR46x3vRpP3mAsfRzLREjRNCJOSWQ/s400/Space+Marine+painting+a+Space+Marine.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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<br />
With a new edition coming up I wanted to move back to my Dark Eldar. There were a few units I still didn't have, and I missed the army's aggressive playstyle.<br />
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<i>Disclaimer: This post has been sitting in my draft box for way too long, so I've added some 8th Edition comments into the mix</i><br />
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Initially I considered Mandrakes. I remember using a unit of three wracks back in 6th edition to hold objectives for a measily 30 points. In 7th the minimum unit of wracks went up to 5, they lost the ability to become troops, poison got worse in that you only rerolled to wound if you had higher (rather than the same) strength compared to the opponents toughness, and lastly they competed with the much improved Grotesques, plus Trueborn and Incubi in the Elites slot.<br />
<br />
Since then I've moved away from using Incubi and only use at most one unit of Trueborn, so spending 36 points on a small harassment unit in the form of 3 Mandrakes could at least be useable. In fact I had seen Skari (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SkaredCast" target="_blank">link to his youtube channel</a>) use them very well on multiple occasions. <i>Skari's channel also has some great 8th edition battle reports already.</i><br />
<br />
I got as far as ordering the models, but the Gathering Storm Book II game out, which gives a huge boost, even if you don't include any Eldar or Harlequin models to a Dark Eldar force, Mandrakes were not allowed in the Reborn Warhost detachment :( I also found I was being distracted, so to focus myself I signed myself up for a tournament.<br />
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<br />
The tournament was an escalation tournament, with games at 400, 800, 1200 & 1600 points, so I decided to use the event to paint up units I didn't have. First up was a converted Shadowseer I assembled about a year ago and undercoated grey, but then hadn't got any further:<br />
<br />
I had initially converted it to use as a Spiritseer (one of many times I have flirted with using Eldar). I added extra pipes to his back with extra phastasm grenade launchers from the kabalite warrior box, and the weapon was converted from a wrack blade at the bottom, a hellglaive for the middle section and a venom blade for the top.<br />
<br />
Although I could spend more time on it, the model turned out good enough for the tournament, and I could return to it later:<br />
<br />
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<br />
Next up were Medusa. Although I already had some Lhameans and Sslyths I thought Medusa deepstriking on a venom could be very nasty in a Ynnari force, potentially able to take out 2 small units close together with their Str4 Ap3 flamers. <i>Shame their weapons don't ignore cover in 8th Edition</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgO7df33XoVOVYBi2VHBvs7v2tCKsoLQP3rRwpGH2ajww84_vWS9niSv7_b47us_nFfTDIoZ_ZutWcCBllkdmAbv4BdLRfA94Zm1Mk6m_BnbbmMkNuTmKAzzo_9aNv3XhutJBxFU2CKI/s1600/Dark-Eldar-Medusae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgO7df33XoVOVYBi2VHBvs7v2tCKsoLQP3rRwpGH2ajww84_vWS9niSv7_b47us_nFfTDIoZ_ZutWcCBllkdmAbv4BdLRfA94Zm1Mk6m_BnbbmMkNuTmKAzzo_9aNv3XhutJBxFU2CKI/s400/Dark-Eldar-Medusae.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now the issue with Medusa is that it is a single pose Finecast model, however I noticed that the kit had 2 heads, and I had a few Warhammer Shadow Warrior legs (old project that never happened), so I converted 2 using kabalite warrior torsos and medusa heads, and put a reaver jetbike head on the finecast medusa body to get 3 different medusa models:<br />
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I have to say I really avoid finecast models, particularly as a lot of them are direct only which means you are playing Russian roulette as to whether you get a nice one or one with horrific amounts of flash on them (let alone mis moulded parts). The medusa I received had lots of flash, but at least I only had the single model:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RWWAX2ssaWEy9q3qqFfpM-yNZc_tv673WPqtAZ3KEG830kBkvtMEAxucD9-DjEdJbRHhjE_zofHBKBJRNPZZeBl4m53u1PgDjDfhz8sXVUNfO5QSyMiWfuyb64pvNXNSISueIOmHoDc/s1600/IMG_7082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RWWAX2ssaWEy9q3qqFfpM-yNZc_tv673WPqtAZ3KEG830kBkvtMEAxucD9-DjEdJbRHhjE_zofHBKBJRNPZZeBl4m53u1PgDjDfhz8sXVUNfO5QSyMiWfuyb64pvNXNSISueIOmHoDc/s400/IMG_7082.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I think the required clean up was worth it as I now have a nice unit to use:<br />
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Last up was a conversion I originally was going to use as Corsair Jetbikes, so I wanted to incorporate elements of all the other eldar factions. For the moment I would use them as Scatbikes, but with magnetised weapons they could be refitted to be used as reavers jetbikes. I am sure the Ynnari as it is now will only be playable for a few months until 8th edition comes out.<br />
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<i>Well I was wrong, but the latest FAQ meaning I have to use one of the Ynarri special characters to play Ynarri, and the better Dark Eldar power from pain table, will mean that I will just use an army with the Aeldari faction keyword until the Dark Eldar codex comes out which may make a pure Dark Eldar force have more benefits, and it allows me to play with my Jetbikes.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nts6yUcMtwtu7WYBDu8ytwbkDD_Mxm88No3NFfWlRHyyY-ln43bg-r-jEDG4PW13ICLCtllpa5IJEzYSu6cN2LKOl62JS0erfho7RxnJjAql-jeyn1qT_dbabSO02andeV39mAlM1Do/s1600/Magnetised+Scatter+Lasers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nts6yUcMtwtu7WYBDu8ytwbkDD_Mxm88No3NFfWlRHyyY-ln43bg-r-jEDG4PW13ICLCtllpa5IJEzYSu6cN2LKOl62JS0erfho7RxnJjAql-jeyn1qT_dbabSO02andeV39mAlM1Do/s400/Magnetised+Scatter+Lasers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Magnetised Scatter Lasers - I only see them being used for the next few months until 8th Edition hits]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">The jetbike started out as a reaver jetbike then I removed the back vertical blade, and used 2 blades from the reaver weapons to make two more diagonal blades simular to a eldar windrider. I then added a Skyrunner canopy over the front of the jetbike to which I added spikes from the raider set (to tie the jetbikes into to my army which had similar spikes on my converted venoms). Lastly I used scourge heads on reaver pilots.</span><br />
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Here's the jetbikes ready for the tournament, again not finished but most of the way there:<br />
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and a group shot of all the new models:<br />
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Unfortunately due to family issues I wasn't able to make the tournament, but its nice to get new models for my army.<br />
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I've managed to catch three games down my local GW. Two were small games at 800 points, the last one was at 1200 points. However the 1200 point game started very late so we didn't get to finish, which was a real shame as it was the only game that included the Medusa, and they stayed in reserve all game. However I could see they had potential looking at where they could have come in and the damage the small unit could have done.<br />
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The Shadowseer has been very lacklustre so far. Not surprising when he's a lvl 1 psyker with no other psychic support, its a bit hard to get spells off. Another issue he has, is that he is very fragile, and I move him into my Court's raider on turn 1, so he normally in the thick of combat soon, and being the only character in the unit he is normally challenged out, and he has struggled, dying most times, against squad leaders.<br />
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Oddly enough with <i>Furious Charge</i> and +2 Str on his weapon he's surprising effective against non-walker vehicles, and managed to kill an unharmed Rhino on the charge by himself. This is really useful in a Ynarri force because the Shadowseer has a high Initiative, which meant that the Court he was accompanying was allowed to charge the occupants immediately. However while the Court killed the occupants of the rhino over 2 or 3 combat rounds the Shadowseer died to the squad champion.<br />
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<i>Obviously this has changed in 8th edition, with vehicles and monsters needs more dedicated weapons to take them out, rather than just glancing them to death with mid strength weaponry.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtBoqlZsRDSiOeCPyMRtXQb9OIhyphenhyphen-7L7TffFUihFEWPEtWnmDQFLIqro-t1ec3lD6ehQ1Ujw0LMZIJJrY7nRexUFzm2k8Gwiyw-k42sfShAfJMIraaRcGN5Jyc-XpPX0hPZBs7PwWfuI/s1600/Ynnead+Characters+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1509" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtBoqlZsRDSiOeCPyMRtXQb9OIhyphenhyphen-7L7TffFUihFEWPEtWnmDQFLIqro-t1ec3lD6ehQ1Ujw0LMZIJJrY7nRexUFzm2k8Gwiyw-k42sfShAfJMIraaRcGN5Jyc-XpPX0hPZBs7PwWfuI/s400/Ynnead+Characters+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>In 8th edition Beastpacks can not benefit from Strength from Death. Ynnari works better with shooty Infantry units and Jetbikes, rather than my typical Dark Eldar list which focuses on Vehicles and beastpacks, even my Court of the Archon has been changed significantly, both becoming more expensive and individual models. An Eldar army made of up of Reapers and Windriders would do well with Ynarri.</i><br />
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That's all for now, next up I'll show some more models I've painted up for a tournament I did make, before getting onto my 8th edition adventures.<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-84072542980423781782017-02-20T13:09:00.000+00:002017-02-20T13:16:50.299+00:00Continuing Carnage on the Astrogranite [Bloodbowl - Norse]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Hi,</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">One of the big benefits of playing multiple races / teams / factions in what ever game you play is that you get to use different playstyles. You can only understand how an opponent is likely to play until you spend some time in their shoes, and although watching battle reports and talking with other players can help a lot, nothing is as great as playing the other armies/teams themselves.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">However one danger is that you may bring across playstyles and tactics that don't really fit you new army/team or are hard to implement. I recent example for me was playing my new Norse after almost exclusively playing Skaven for so long.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">This was amplified by recently playing against the Bloodbowl 2 AI for too many games. I mentioned last post that the poor AI can make a poorer player overtime, and my Skaven tactics were still working when I played Norse against the AI in most games. Most importantly that the AI does not always protect the ball carrier well, making it easy to threaten.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">It was a rude awakening in a recent game playing against Choas Dwarves, aided by some initial bad luck. I kicked to the Chaos Dwarves instead of receiving. The Chaos Dwarves had induced a chainsword wielding psycho, so I blitzed it with my Yhetee on my turn 1, however I failed to break its armour (even with the +3 bonus from the chainsword), so he promptly stood and sent my Yhetee straight to the knocked out box. The game went downhill fast from there :(</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">So hoping to play a nice team to recover, I give you the match report from my Norse's next game:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Evening Sports Fans !!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In interesting Bloodbowl news:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Corona Rosarum (Wood Elves)</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> are continuing their start to the league. So far Komplex (Slann) have a firm hold on the end of season Elf Bullshit (tm) Award, but Corona Rosarum are hoping to be in contention for the award. So it was </span>exciting<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> to see the two sides face off against each other. There was much dodging, </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">leaping and </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">pirouetting (I kid you not !!) by both teams, but overall I feel there was far too much ball handling for my liking.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim and Bob will soon be covering this game over on Cabal Vision Prime, however here on Cabal Vision's top sports programme Kerrunch of the Day (tm) we are covering a much darker game.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After their last game the Asgard Sabretooths and the</span>Chaos<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Dwarves thought they'd have rest before playing another bashy team, but the fans braying for more bloodshed , man handled both teams into a nearby stadium, locked the doors and demanded CARNAGE !!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A quick recap from last game is that the Asgard Sabretooths had their strongest (non-big guy) player out for the next match, and Thor (the Norse </span>Berserker<span style="font-size: 12pt;">) is </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">DEAD. After having such a one sided easy win the Chaos Dwarves suffered no </span>casualties<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and had loads of money, so after some deliberation decided to buy a Bull Centaur to replace one that died in their first game. The Asgard Sabretooths wary of losing more players bought the services of an Apo.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18,000 Fans packed the stadium, with the Asgard fans outnumbering the Chaos Dwarves 11 to 7, but the Chaos Dwarf fans had some taunting posters:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Chaos Dwarves did not have any inducements this game so had 11 players (2 of which were str4), but no reserves or Apoc which could be risky. The Asgard Sabretooths had 2 journeymen, and had induced a mercenary lineman (well there's the line of scrimmage taken care of) to give them 12 players, one of which was str5.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Asgard Sabretooths won the toss, and learning from the last game decided to receive. 90% of the time the coach would kick when running a skaven team, but the Norse has neither the speed or the agility to pressure the ball carrier like the Skaven can so this doesn't work for them. The coach decided not to play like skaven this game (it worked so well last game) and take full advantage of hitting first.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Chaos Dwarf team got a Perfect defense (kick off event), so was able to mitigate the aggressive Norse set-up by putting 3 guys on just one side of the line of scrimmage, and weighting the same side as the ball had scattered up towards the middle line and off to one side (the side the Chaos Dwarves weighted). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Asgard Sabretooths concentrated on the hobgoblins in range, and knocked down most dwarves on the line of scrimmage. Turn 2 a runner picked up the ball, then did a throw to a lineman who ran it to the other flank to safety. The Asgard's quickly took a Bull Centaur out of the match, and now having the ball safe, put linemen against the other Bull Centaur to slow him down and stop him joining the action.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frenzied Blitzing enabled a chain push to take a prone hobgoblin off the pitch and the crowd made sure he would play no further part in this game. The mercenary linemen even got in on the act, when a turnover block from a dwarf, allowed the linemen to put another model in the dead and injured box.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Asgard Sabretooths advanced the loose cage down the pitch and eventually handed the ball off to the Berserker (using the last reroll of the half) who walked in the ball in turn 8.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With 3 players in the dead and injured box the Chaos Dwarves were down to 8 players on the pitch , while the Asgard Sabretooths had their full 12 man squad untouched.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the Chaos Dwarf turn 8 they got a completion with a hobgoblin, but didn't do any permanent damage to the Norse, and were tempted to foul but being so low on players and following the advice of other coaches the Chaos Dwarves ended the half and waited for the Norse to set-up to kick at the start of the second half.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With player advantage the Norse set-up aggressively again. A high kick allowed one of the hobgoblins to move under the ball, but a failed catch and then a early turnover put the ball at risk but the hobgoblin removed with a gutsy move involving a 2nd </span>completion*<span style="font-size: 12pt;">. However things got worse when the Norse quickly got a 4th </span>casualty<span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span>The 4 players out for the match included a str4 Bull Centaur and 2 of the 4 hobgoblins, hampering the Chaos Dwarf's speed, bashing power and ball handling skills all at once.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The numbers were too far against the Chaos Dwarves and the Norse soon had the ball. In an act of revenge for the previous match, a </span>Chaos<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Dwarf Blocker was killed towards the end of the second half, making the final </span>casualty<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> count 5-0 (abiet the crowd did one, and the mercenary did another).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Norse scored turn 7, and the Chaos Dwarves could only manage a 3rd </span>completion<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (by the same hobgoblin) at the end of the second half.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well it was Asgard Sabretooths who walked away with the spoils this time, and the spectators can't wait for a rematch, although I think both teams could do with playing other teams before continuing their rivalry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The final drive of the match:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Asgard Sabretooths got 70k winnings, and with their 20k treasury were able to buy back the </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Berserker </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">that died in the previous game, and with the Ulfwerenar </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">returning back to the team, they'll be back to their original roster (but with a couple of -1 Move injuries). The </span>Berserker<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> scored both touchdowns this game along with a </span>casualty<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and got the new skill </span>Mighty<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Blow, while the Runner got the MVP and along with his casualty got the skill Dodge.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My team was up to a respectable 116, next purchase would be extra linemen and/or a 2nd </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Ulfwerenar.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other team development news I converted 2 star players in preparation for playing the teams doing better in the league. One is a star player thrower (that I may use as a thrower in the rare occassion I may want to use one), while the other is a dual wielding axeman which I will use to represent a chainsword guy:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVle5EbzQWDczEG08bclr8o1-AKTYM3hQcD40K4Ij0W5WtlQOvUshbyNOMqRMT6c49aRpYPVBZcJm9IvqgRG2ET8SMJDYKzMbV-mESvuObTqjQb1tZZA2sY6BgqND3gTFFqaIvAJwK9S8/s1600/Norse+Star+Players+Assembled+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVle5EbzQWDczEG08bclr8o1-AKTYM3hQcD40K4Ij0W5WtlQOvUshbyNOMqRMT6c49aRpYPVBZcJm9IvqgRG2ET8SMJDYKzMbV-mESvuObTqjQb1tZZA2sY6BgqND3gTFFqaIvAJwK9S8/s400/Norse+Star+Players+Assembled+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used some helmets I had around for an Elf team conversion I was planning, used an extra axe from the Silver Tower Darkoath Chieftain (that I previously used for my Ulfwerenar). I also used a third party hand with a bloodbowl for the thrower along with cutting the left hand off at the wrist so I could rotate it 90 degrees.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's hopeing for a steady progression with the Norse, and not too many deaths, going forward :)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until next time, may Niffle bless your dice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rathstar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS. In an attempt to me to paint and play more 40k I have signed myself up to a tournament in March, and another mate is interesting in dipping his toe back in 40k, so has suggested we attend a local small tournament in May. Its already started to work for I have cleaned, converted/assembled and undercoated 3 girls you definitely don't want to look at you the wrong way :) Internet cookie if you guess which unit I'll be painting up ! A WIP post will be coming soon.</span></span></div>
Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-18194895671085235052017-01-03T18:59:00.000+00:002017-01-04T00:50:44.111+00:00Bloodbowl - The Carnage Continues (Human, Norse & Underworld)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QX4wbkIzFazNZBJxBiZIx5Og8MohptZMK7pIvDfquFshfBhCJvEAFxMrE-_NmbeE2hPHTypQcTdjLSTb5eG39cgrx1zyRszqbtb_aaN5RXlBScs2CeSMyq6Y9yXrtYNeMB_KC1ONWRo/s1600/Skaven+Pitch+Sneak+Peek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QX4wbkIzFazNZBJxBiZIx5Og8MohptZMK7pIvDfquFshfBhCJvEAFxMrE-_NmbeE2hPHTypQcTdjLSTb5eG39cgrx1zyRszqbtb_aaN5RXlBScs2CeSMyq6Y9yXrtYNeMB_KC1ONWRo/s400/Skaven+Pitch+Sneak+Peek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So the carnage continues, and I have definitely regained my Bloodbowl bug :)<br />
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Above is a pic of s sneek peak of the upcoming Skaven pitch that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for as the the bloodbowl stuff seems to get sold out extremely quickly.<br />
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Last time I was wondering how to get a starting human that works, after a nasty game against goblins where 2 blitzers and another player died. Bad luck a side the team a built had two few rerolls and too many positionals (including 3 catchers reducing the overall strength of the team) meaning I only had 11 players.<br />
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A revised starting team of the following:<br />
1 Ogre<br />
3 Blitzers<br />
1 Thrower<br />
2 Catchers<br />
5 Linemen<br />
(12 Players)<br />
3 Rerolls<br />
<br />
For my 1st game with this new team I was up against Slann. They play completely different, and I few things I took out of the game were:<br />
<br />
For a starting team its appeared even harder to stop them doing a two turn touchdown. Marking their catchers with 1 tackle zone meant that they still caught the ball on a 2+ (AG4 plus Diving Catch giving an extra +1 to catch accurate passes). However they are still suceptable to a Bashy team 2-1 gringe tactic* with a lack of block or dodge anywhere in the team and AV7/8. Secondly because some of the players can leap into a cage on a 2+ for a 1-dice block (once the other assists are taken out) makes it harder to have a safe cage until you get Guard, also knowing this tactic made the catchers useless for holding the ball inside a cage because the Slann would leap in and get a 2-dice block :(<br />
<br />
[eriochrome has correctly pointed out that only the Slann Catcher leaps on 2+ and he is Str2, the rest leap on 3+, still nasty but not quite as good as I wrote]<br />
<br />
Overall I liked the new team set-up and think it's a good one, once you want to start with the Ogre, which I think is the right way to go to give the team some hitting power particularly against the more agile teams.<br />
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My Norse are assembled (apart from 2 extra linemen). I've used a Dark Eldar Clawed Fiend as the Yhette, the Kairic Acolytes from Silver tower for the Berserkers, Runners & Lineman, and finally the Darkoath Chieftain (also from Silver Tower) for the Ulfwereners. So far I've got a starting team of 11 (sitting on the laptop) and then a second Runner and Ulfwereners for when the team expands. I just need to build the last two Linemen. I may put a ball in hand of the limemen with an outstretched hand to represent a thrower. I really don't rate the thrower and so have much prefered a linemen to take Sure Hands, as I much prefer Block and Sure Hands over Block and Pass. As the team develops I may pick a Thrower to diversify the team tactics with a mild passing game.<br />
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The Norse have so far only played the aforementioned Slann, and went one better than the Humans (1-1 draw) winning 2-1 helped by the Casualty score being 4-0, mostly in the second half meaning the Norse could control the field.<br />
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To get practice with the Norse in advance of playing them on the tabletop I installed Bloodbowl 1 on my laptop (it was only £2.67), however I have to put out a warning: playing against the AI can make you a worse coach if you are not vigilant !! You can get sloppy because you are playing against the easy AI, you have to force yourself to still play like its a close game and the opponent will play well.<br />
<br />
Later I also installed Bloodbowl (its was on sale on Steam at 75% off). I was a bit worried that my laptop (not bought for gaming) wouldn't be able to play it, but it plays it fine. Between the two Bloodbowl games I have got in 40 games over the last month. Which has really helped me get used to the new teams I'm playing (Norse and Underworld).<br />
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I researching leagues, and depending on the time commitment I may join one, but as a father of two kids with a busy job I'm wary about committing to too much.<br />
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As I decided not to use my favorite team and the one I'm most experianced with, progress on the Skaven has slowed due to work on other teams. Here's a pic of the team half built. Since them I'm assembled a second Stormvermin (Blitzer) and to my surprise I assembled a second thrower which is normally one of the last models that gets added to the team. The reason for that was that I've decided to start an Underworld team.<br />
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At first glance they seem like a bad half of the skaven team (no Rat Ogre or Gutter Runners) with Goblins without their perks of secret weapons or cheap bribes and two big guys. Unfortunately as a starting team that a very good assessment. However where there is a glimmer of hope is that once a team starts developing they have access to Mutation skills on a normal skill role. This gives Mighty Blow and Claw on normal skill rolls to the Troll and 2 Stormvermin, Extra Hands on the Throwers for great ball handlers, and Two Heads on the Goblins to dodge in any number of tackle zones on 2+ followed by Horns for Str3 Blitzes.<br />
<br />
They also lead to fun game with Carnage on both sides !! For their first game (I proxied some models for the goblins) I played a Goblin team, they would have won 2-0 if it wasn't for laser guided Goblin Ball & Chain which started 4 squares diagonally from a thrower guarding the other thrower with the ball 2 squares from the touchdown zone, It went 5 squares (2 Go For Its) directly in the right path to knock over both throwers (seriously injuring one) allowing a Poggo Stick Goblin to move over pick up the ball, throw a long bomb, and it to be caught all without any rerolls !!<br />
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The Underworld went in half time 1-0 down, but came out (without both Throwers, the second being injured by the same Poggo Stick Goblin) and made short work on turn 1 of the Chainsword Goblin, and even fouling the second Troll of the pitch mid half to at one point leave on 5 goblins face down on the pitch at one point to equalise at the end of the second half.<br />
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One the Goblin's Trolls woke up for the final turn, put the one turn touchturn failed when an Ag4 Goblin failed to land after being thrown to give the Underworld a very deserved 1-1 draw (They were robbed!!).<br />
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I've waiting on some Silver Tower Grot Scuttlings which will be the Goblins for my Underworld team:<br />
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Discussing our teams with my mate who was playing the Goblins he said as Goblins die, and both Goblins and Underworld aren't the most prolific scorers their team rating tends to stay low compared to other teams. This will be especially true of my Underworld team as I'm starting a bit late in the league, so next job will be convert up some Star Players to spend my inducement money on.<br />
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When you compare the cost of mercenaries as inducements (70k for a goblin, 100k for a skaven thrower) the Secret Weapon Star Players seem like a worthwhile alternative.<br />
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So far I'm really enjoying playing and modelling Bloodbowl. I'm sure they'll be more Bloodbowl posts to come.<br />
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Rathstar<br />
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* A favorite tactic of Bashy teams which involves kicking to the opposition, then bashy up their team and threatening the ball carrier to hopefully force them to score as early as possible. Doing a slow grind up the pitch smashing up their team to equalise at the end of the 1st half, and then doing the same thing for the whole of the 2nd half to win 2-1. Learning how to stall against a Bashy team, defending against them to stop the 1st half equaliser, and learning how to breakdown a strong cage is a key skill of top (agility and balanced team) players.<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-33797686889823338392016-12-20T17:03:00.001+00:002017-01-11T14:40:48.018+00:00Bloodbowl - Mordheim "Be Damned" Destroyers - Soul Searching After 1st Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Welcome Sports Fans !!<br />
<br />
It feels so good to be playing Blood Bowl again :) As I mentioned on my last post early this year I was in a league with some mates, and with the release of the new Blood Bowl we're going to start it up again.<br />
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As the most experienced coaches, my mate Mike & I decided we wouldn't take our favourite teams, and would try out new teams with a different playstyle. Mike, bravely opted for Goblins, and while he joked that I should use Halflings, I was inspired by one of the other coaches, Ben, who commented when he saw Mike and I playing a Orcs vs Human game "Why are you using Humans, they're shit !". This game was also my first ever game with Humans. I initially started Blood Bowl with Undead and expanded with first Skaven and then Amazons, and although I had bought a basic team from ebay (as they're a good team to learn with) I had never used them myself.<br />
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That first test game vs Orcs ended 1-1 and I was disappointed with the hitting power of the Humans so decided that I should start with an Ogre for the league, so last night I went round Mike's to try out my new starting team roster against Mike's Goblins. My proposed starting roster was:<br />
<br />
Ogre<br />
4 Blitzers<br />
3 Catchers<br />
1 Thrower<br />
2 Linemen<br />
3 Rerolls<br />
<br />
My reasoning is that team had speed with 5 players with speed 7 or higher, hitting power with 4 Blitzers and the Ogre, and even a decent passing game with 3 catchers for potential recipients of a pass. I liked having passing option of the three Catchers able to form a nice triangle, one behind the line of scrimmage and 2 in the wide zone in the opponents half in scoring range. This would allow the thrower to move up for a short pass to the middle catcher who would run to and hand off to one of the forward catchers allowing the ball to be moved most of the length of the pitch in one turn, However was I trying to make the Human play like my Skaven ?).<br />
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More experienced Human coaches will see the immediate weaknesses in the team roster. 11 players meant I had no reserves, and with three catchers a few casualties would mean not only would I be down on players but the average strength of the team would be quite low.<br />
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Seeing the deep bench of the goblin team I actually dropped a reroll for a 12th player, as another weakness is that on defense I was immediately forced to put a non-Lineman on the Line of Scrimmage. However with everything there is a cost, in this case that at the end of each half I would struggling to have any rerolls left.<br />
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<br />
<b>The Game</b><br />
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Only 50,000 goblins fans turned for the match, so I just needs a 6 to have more fans and a +1 FAME modifier, so I rolled a 3 giving the Goblins +1 FAME, Then when kicking at the start of the first half there was a pitch invasion. The Goblins fans rushed the field Stunned 4 players, however it was all 4 Blitzers (who were key to knock down the Goblins with their Block skill), so 4 key players out for 2 turns. My fans rushed the field (and while I rolled lots of 5's) they didn't hurt any of the Goblin players (losing the fans dice off for FAME really hurt me there).<br />
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This was compounded by my big mistake of setting up too aggressively. Stupidly thinking the two trolls on the front line was the big threat, I didn't fully appreciate how nasty the Goblin special weapons were. The Ogre found out turn one when he was sent to the turf turn 1 by the Ball & Chain. I blame it on playing against Haflings on the PC version recently and thinking this game was going to be the same - how wrong was I. I also thinking playing against the AI of the PC game makes you unprepared for human opponents (the AI is bad, and the game appears to make up for it in weighted dice for the AI in regard to dodging, 2 dice against blocks etc.<br />
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The Goblins scored half way through the 1st half, and I couldn't even the score in the rest of the half, but was receiving for the second half. As the second half began the goblins started to cause more casulties, and what started to looking good for me quickly changed as I started being outnumbered. Both Trolls were smacking my front line, and a Bribe purchased by the goblins (this was their second game) allowed the Ball & Chain to start the second half (I knocked and over and injured the Chainsword wielding Gobby in the first half).<br />
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As things started to look dicey I had to make a rush for the end zone unprotected. My cather only had to survive a turn, but unfortunately he was caught by 2 goblins and his head was intrudced to the pitch..forceably ! With the catcher knocked out the Goblins were able to pick up the ball next turn, and with itmy chances of equalising.<br />
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At the end of the brutal game, 2 Blitzers and a Lineman had DIED (out of 5 casualties), leaving me with a team to disband and back to the drawing board.<br />
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I think the starting roster was trying to do too much at once, I had two options (imho) either lose the Ogre or reduce the number of positionals to be able to afford 3 rerolls and 12 players.<br />
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<br />
<b>To Ogre or Not To Ogre</b><br />
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I initially picked he Ogre was his lovely Str5 and Mighty Blow skill, but like all Big Guys he has a nedgative trait. <i>After</i> declaring his action, if he rolls a 1 he not only wastes the action (which is a big pain with your only Blitz a turn) but he also loses his tackle zone. Losing the tackle zone is a huge pain, not only does it suddenly create a huge hole in your defensive line, it can be a major pain if the Ogre us being one of the front corners of a Cage*.<br />
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Also with the Block skill and no way to get it outside double skill rolls, combined with Loner skills Big Guys get which means they find it harder to use team rerolls, Big Guys can cause turnovers more often than Blitzers for example who have the block skill and can use rerolls normally. This can make your team more unreliable.<br />
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Not having an Ogre also means your team cost is spread more evenly, so if someone dies it will matter less. If the Ogre dies, when I haven't been able to afford an Apothecary then it's probably another team disband,<br />
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However even with these issues I still want an Ogre to start with, as the Human team is not Elf team so can't go their long passing and dodgy plays, and has not other Str4+ guys to compete with the other teams.<br />
<br />
So I will try again with the following team (I had to lose a Blitzer and a Cather for 3 Linemen:<br />
<br />
Ogre<br />
3 Blitzers<br />
2 Catchers<br />
1 Thrower<br />
5 Linemen<br />
3 Rerolls<br />
<br />
My next game is against Slann, which should be interesting with all their Leap and Very Long Legs.<br />
<br />
<br />
2 fantasy Ogre Bulls arrived from Ebay, so I've created an Ogre (and a Morg proxy) for my Humans. Pictured along side 2 Blitzers for scale:<br />
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and I've managed to win an action on Ebay an extra Blitzer and Catcher (for only £4 incl postage) which I'll repaint to match my team asap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwRzm3UFfFKsXvm7rah3Bq2VzNxhQLLXxUvGHR2ZY0PuU3AXAruCpj3DsKGG6tT60thZhrCxMQjXiCGftbVYllDZxjmq1dHdBzjc3btxaGmNbxnlcymY-AKx61g5nwd8UOplKcnZyoho/s1600/Human+Auction+Win+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwRzm3UFfFKsXvm7rah3Bq2VzNxhQLLXxUvGHR2ZY0PuU3AXAruCpj3DsKGG6tT60thZhrCxMQjXiCGftbVYllDZxjmq1dHdBzjc3btxaGmNbxnlcymY-AKx61g5nwd8UOplKcnZyoho/s400/Human+Auction+Win+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I'm almost regretting selling the Human team from the new boxset as Blitzers are like gold dust on ebay. Luckily I've got Zug and Griff to proxy as extra Blitzers, but it would be nice to get a full set of 4 for the team I have. If I wasn't sure that after the league I'll be going back to one of my old teams (or one of the two teams I'm building) I think it would have been easier to keep the new Human Team, use one of the lineman sculpts as extra blitzers and Ebay extra linemen and catchers (which go cheaply on Ebay.<br />
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Talking of new teams, the first model arrived for one of my new teams:<br />
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Although I've played Clawed Fiends in my Dark Eldar for some time, I never got any of the official models, but when I saw some metals ones on Ebay I had to pick one up, particularly as the original owner had altered the pose of the outstretched arm into a more natural pose.<br />
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Can you guess what new team I'll be starting with the Clawed Fiend ?<br />
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Do you think a starting team should use a Big Guy ? I was always happy starting Skaven without a Rat Ogre even though I think he's better than the Ogre.<br />
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Rathstar<br />
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* A Cage is where you where you surround a ring of players around the ball carrier so that the ball carrier can not be blitzed, normally done with 4 players on the 4 corners of the square round the ball carrier, meaning anyone wanted to dodge next to the ball carrier is facing a -3 dodge (just watch out for players with leap).Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-11186190286020600872016-12-06T16:19:00.003+00:002016-12-06T16:19:31.474+00:00Bloodbowl - Skaven Unboxing and Team WIP Part 1 (additional Gutter Runners)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jab & Feb earlier this year I was in a tabletop bloodbowl league, which was a great laugh. I played Skaven, and although they are fast they are also fragile, which can be seen from this end of game pic of my dugout at the end of the first game:<br />
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Yes that's 2 gutter runners in the DEAD column of the Dead and Injured box (one was killed by the Chaos Dwarf opponents while the other face planted the pitch and killed himself while trying to <i>Go For It</i>.. I still won the game, and only lost one game during the league, but learned you can't get too attached to your skaven players :)<br />
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So not surprising with the new Bloodbowl coming out we've decided to start up the league, all the old players are interested, but with a league under the belts will be much better. However the <i>friend</i> which annihilated my skaven and I are still the most experienced coaches so he suggested we give ourselves a challenge. He is going to use Goblins, and after one of the old league players walked across our first game with the new game and said "Why are you playing Humans; they're stit !" he challenged me to put away my Skaven and play Humans, but that's for another day.<br />
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To get me back in the mood I picked up Bloodbowl Chaos Edition with all the teams for £2.67. The AI is better than I remember but nothing like playing a real coach. I'm 6 games in and have just bought a rat ogre (be a nice change from just hiring one as an inducement, as the AI teams start at a higher team rating). I'll have to get some Human games in, as I'm sure I'll start playing them like my Skaven, and Human Catchers are no Gutter Runners.<br />
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Even though I have a Skaven team I picked up the Skaven team as not only are the models really nice, but it would give me a chance to paint up a Skaven team (I bought my existing team from ebay over a few auctions - had to have the extra gutter runners and rat ogre).<br />
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When buying the team boxes one of the first issues for veteran coaches is getting the extra models to have an optimum team, For Skaven teams this is getting extra Gutter Runners. While surfing I saw someone suggest the Deathrunners from Silver Tower - I didn't even realise there were Skaven in Silver Tower so another search quickly uncovered the model:<br />
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A quick search of ebay found 2 for £6 (including postage), a bargain in my eyes. I then wanted to find a cloak to make them look more like the existing Gutter Runners. The first cloak I found that I liked was the cloak from the Choas Chariot, as it had a lot of movement in it:<br />
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However as is usual when looking for particular bits on models which aren't new or popular it was very hard to find the cloak not sold out. Eventually I found them on a US bits store, however the postage would make 2 cloaks cost more than double the cost of the Deathrunners, so in the end I settled on some high elf cloaks (which still cost £4.70 after postage for 2).<br />
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So a few days later and all my bits had arrived:<br />
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The skaven sprues are really nice, not only filled with the lovely detailed models, but also containing nice additions such as tokens for the score, turn marker and rerolls, as well as 6 skaven themed warpstone balls.<br />
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As well as a ball made to slot into the hole on the model bases, there was also a ball with a flat base. This was important for me because of my Deathrunners, whose base didn't have a hole in it:<br />
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For converting my Deathrunners into Gutter Runners I started by cutting off and then filing the spikes on the helmet. I also cut of the rivits on the side of the helmet to make it look more like cloth (like on the actual Gutter Runners).<br />
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My next issue was the high elf cloak, as it contained the back of the torso on the inside. I cut this out and filed it down. Cutting off the spikes and on the back of the Deathrunner allowed the cloak to fit against the back and partially cover his left hand blade, like he hiding it before striking.<br />
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Here's the other side of the Deathrunner. I'll need to do a bit of greenstuff around the top of the cloak, and I'll probably swich the right hand for a dark eldar punch dagger hand to finish off the model.<br />
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A comparison with one of the new Skaven linerat shows the new Deathrunner is a good size to blend in with the new Skaven team. The Deathrunner looks slightly larger, but that's mainly due to the large tail being more upright, and the cloak having to point upwards between the tail and the right hand blade. He's more lightly armoured than the linerat and overall I'm quite happy with the model. What do you think ?<br />
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Well back to assembling the rest of the team for me. More WIP pics will follow shortly.<br />
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What team will you be playing ?<br />
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May Nuffle smile on your dice :)<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-35508794806769476672016-10-07T12:26:00.001+01:002016-10-07T12:26:50.240+01:00ATT - Research & Development Challenge 2016 - Firesight Incursion Team - Part Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In Part One I went my idea for a new unit in the ATT challenge (the rail rifle moving to it's next stage of field testing), Part Two covered the new unit (Fire Warriors in training to become Firesight Marksmen with new Stealth technology taken from the Sniper Drones), and now I show you the final product.<br />
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Here's some pictures of the models just before basing:<br />
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After basing the models (and clearing up the shas'ui's helmet a bit), I wanted to take some in action shots like we see on codex dataslates, and throughout the codexs. I did want to pop into my local Games Workshop and take some pics, but running a bit too close to the deadline I had to take some pic in my kitchen on a 2 by 2 battle board.<br />
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Unfortunately I think the pictures did not come as sharp as I wanted, and weren't as well lit as I wanted, but let me know what you think:<br />
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Here's a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bCAei6RUFCX3hkT0xLUks0Z0k/view" target="_blank">link</a> to my completed entry, and a small pic is below:<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bCAei6RUFCX3hkT0xLUks0Z0k/view" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYnbceGqCt4i6WZXBSV_PZNCsHu4FOvSxChEoqT7k5soifUprfwGlhaBVWM67b3TJJBbtGVNHeZNNh1I2iucRdDNuUSv5JsEFkzYP5otZK2MK6LNID86Z2bfOXTrNFLRVFLKAe5Y27PU/s400/Dataslate+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now one of the best things about these competitions is seeing all of the great conversions, painting and fluff writing all the competitors produce. In total there was 16 competitors covering all the force organisation slots with some truly exceptional entries. I highly recommend you give them a look <a href="http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24938" target="_blank">here</a> where you can see (along with all the entries) the judging criteria and how the voting is going (spoiler - I'm not going to win, but a recent surge has seem me move to a respectable mid table). Alternatively you can follow this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bCAei6RUFCcUk1YlFtLXZjbjQ/view" target="_blank">link</a> to see the pdf containing all 16 entries, and this <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5bCAei6RUFCX3hkT0xLUks0Z0k/view" target="_blank">link here</a> contains just my entry..<br />
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It was fun coming up with the idea behind the new unit, converting and painting it. I would have liked to have the time to do the painting better, but real life got in the way. I'll probably go over the red to make it smoother and change the shade slightly, but overall I'm happy with my entry and can't wait for ATT to run another competition like this.<br />
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A big shout out to the organisers of the competition, its clear they put a lot of effort in (such as the gorgeous dataslate templates), as well as all the competitors which have given the community lots of inspiration with such brilliant entries.<br />
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Rathstar<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-22443214792677222822016-10-02T02:53:00.000+01:002016-10-02T02:53:14.002+01:00ATT - Research & Development Challenge 2016 - Firesight Incursion Team - Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The wonderful guys over at the <a href="http://advancedtautactica.com/" target="_blank">Advanced Tau Tactica</a> was running a competition to design a new Tau unit (<a href="http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24811" target="_blank">here's a link to the competition thread</a>).<br />
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In <a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/att-research-development-challenge-2016.html" target="_blank">part one</a> I described my inspiration for my unit, the wonderful Rail Rifle, and what would be its next stage of field testing.<br />
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I was thinking the Tau would give the Rail Rifle to their best infantry to try to get the best out of the weapon. This would be, by a large margin the Firesight Marksmen, who control the Sniper Drone teams with their excellent BS5. However I didn't like this for 2 reasons:<br />
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<ul>
<li>The Firesight marksmen seems very rare, in both the fluff and on the battlefield</li>
<li>Having a model that is quite fragile, being no tougher than a basic Fire Warrior, and yet with BS5 and an excellent weapon to give it excellent offensive firepower would be quite hard to give a reasonable points cost for. On one side they would die to a stiff breeze from a few heavy bolters, but on the other side if they are allowed to fire, just 2 of them would have the offensive firepower of a 52 point crisis suit (with 6" extra range).</li>
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I settled on having the Rail Rifle being carried by a new team of Fire Warriors in training to be Firesight Marksmen (Firesight Warriors I called them). To show their elite status the unit would have the preferred enemy special rule (in shooting only), I thought going up to BS4 would be too much and make the unit a bit too good.<br />
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Next, to set the unit apart I wanted them to have some other new technological advancement, New Stealth technology on the Ghostkeel was something new in the last codex, but nothing infantry sized has Stealth and Shrouded, however the Sniper Drones teams have Stealth, so an advancement could be that this Stealth technology used on the Sniper Drones had been made lightweight enough to be carried by infantry. This would give the model something different from just slapping a Rail Rifle on a Fire Warrior, and I had the perfect part in mind; a crisis suit shield generator:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_WvPELcsCgQC1cSmLX0PwOhkvoVELfd5iOC7UgrwmD4lZ_muQ0m6Ao-_Fee34AOdXdsR22Xt4LaWBLYKUbY4Es1228W9bLiB9MXXWMqwZDtc-Id-78X4Rp0pIoO04YOHnNVQhWcbeUA/s1600/tau-xv8-crisis-suit-shield-generator+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_WvPELcsCgQC1cSmLX0PwOhkvoVELfd5iOC7UgrwmD4lZ_muQ0m6Ao-_Fee34AOdXdsR22Xt4LaWBLYKUbY4Es1228W9bLiB9MXXWMqwZDtc-Id-78X4Rp0pIoO04YOHnNVQhWcbeUA/s400/tau-xv8-crisis-suit-shield-generator+front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The crisis suit shield generator combined with a helmet aerials from the Commander model added to the Fire Warrior backpack would make a nice Stealth Field Generator.<br />
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So time to rummage around the bits box, I found 6 Fire Warriors, so I quickly assembled the legs and torso. I had to leave the heads because I wouldn't know what direction to point the head until I had assembled the arms. I also found 3 crisis suit shield generators, so I ordered the rail rifle arms, 3 more shield generators and Commander helmet aerials from bits websites.<br />
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The rail rifles and commander aerials arrived first so I quickly assembled the first three Firesight Warriors (as I called them):<br />
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Next the crisis suit shield generators arrived, and I got a surprise. The shield generators from the new crisis kit are marginally bigger than the old ones:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9ZvpuNmGytRa3zTZaP6G1ztb_GDA7RlNXPXhGbxoFJ_vlY3edZ4MYSW99Ps3cqw79353rx51EtJ5uZp9uuEH_0VN11uvkSqk1PWKeSq7hwN6SNSQyty00Dwef3bgTZQakobtJD7bC58/s1600/IMG_20160910_154505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9ZvpuNmGytRa3zTZaP6G1ztb_GDA7RlNXPXhGbxoFJ_vlY3edZ4MYSW99Ps3cqw79353rx51EtJ5uZp9uuEH_0VN11uvkSqk1PWKeSq7hwN6SNSQyty00Dwef3bgTZQakobtJD7bC58/s400/IMG_20160910_154505.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[2 Old Shield Generators on the left]</td></tr>
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also the back of the shield generators was different. The old shield generators had a nib on the back like the crisis suit weapons, which made it very easy to glue to the Fire Warrior backpack:<br />
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The new shield generator was different, and would require some awkward work to attach to the Fire Warrior backpack, so I decided to retro fit some shield generators I had on some old crisis suits I had bought off ebay with the intention to repaint (another project that didn't happen) to make the last three Firesight Warriors.<br />
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Finally I had my Firesight Incursion Team:<br />
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One complication I had was that the pathfinder arms were not expecting a Fire Warrior shoulder guard to be attached to them. This wasn't really an issue on 5 of the models, but for the model holding the Rail Rifle across his chest there was no way the shoulder guard was fitting on, so I had to slightly cut the shoulder guard. It looks a bit odd, but couldn't be helped and once the model is painted shouldn't look too bad.<br />
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That's all for now, part three I'll cover the painting and creation of the unit dataslate.<br />
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Rathstar<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-51160240257508861782016-10-01T00:30:00.000+01:002016-10-01T00:30:31.139+01:00ATT - Research & Development Challenge 2016 - Firesight Incursion Team - Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP60xyjgwIxH0Bq1M7tIV0_ztke7v6dxuUgFRejvf7BCaEEzJUVNpS4WyDwDTvA8y-YSVxD3M621zW6LVsRDL7ZsGgGGETgwTOklm2BtPdVPr9DJ3U1fOXZjMrSIgpBo9pUXK9UTEawqI/s1600/ATT+Comp+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP60xyjgwIxH0Bq1M7tIV0_ztke7v6dxuUgFRejvf7BCaEEzJUVNpS4WyDwDTvA8y-YSVxD3M621zW6LVsRDL7ZsGgGGETgwTOklm2BtPdVPr9DJ3U1fOXZjMrSIgpBo9pUXK9UTEawqI/s400/ATT+Comp+Logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I logged onto my favourite Tau forum (<a href="http://advancedtautactica.com/" target="_blank">Advanced Tau Tactica</a>, known as <a href="http://advancedtautactica.com/" target="_blank">ATT</a>), and the main page had the logo above on it. This looks interesting I thought, so I clicked in. It was competition to get the creative juices flowing, there were prizes but the best thing would be loads of Tau generals coming up with new ideas and conversions.<br />
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I had also noticed that my Tau painting (Commander, Ghostkeel and Breachers) was really getting anywhere, and hopefully this would kick start my painting. Without a tournament deadline to focus me on getting things painted my entruisiam for painting had dryed up. I was hoping that the competition deadline would get me going.<br />
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The competition started in Aug, I came across the competition late August, and the deadline to get submissions in was the 30th Sept (for the observant among, yes that was yesterday, as we were barred for posting publically about our entry until the deadline had passed).<br />
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The aim of the competition was to build a new unit, including a fan codex dataslate for the unit. <a href="http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24811" target="_blank">Here's a link to the full rules</a>.<br />
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The forum moderators and helpers had done a great job producing templates for the dataslate, but also stressing that the competition was for new units, and encourged the 2nd page of the dataslate to include fluff and more information to increase your chance of winning.<br />
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<b>The Weapon</b><br />
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It definitely sounded fun, so I considered what unit I would like to make, but really it came down to what weapon I would like to see more of. It was the Rail Rifle:<br />
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The Rail Gun is an iconic Tau weapon, and back it it's day when Broadsides had proper railguns they put the fear of God into any vehicle, so when a infantry sized version came out I was trilled.<br />
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In the 5rd edition codex, and the main place to get it was Sniper Drones, which in that codex could be purchased as 1-3 separate units for 1 heavy support slot ,each unit comprising a controller and 3 drones. However even with nice stats of a Str6 AP3 shot the Sniper Drones could not compete with the other heavy Support slots, particularly the Broadsides and Hammerheads. Also back in those days before the ally matrix each Heavy Support slot was crucial as you couldn't just start another detachment and in most cases were limited to 3 choices.<br />
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Rail Rifles were also available in pathfinder teams as experimental weapons. They had the Gets Hot rule to show that they occassional killed the bearer from a power surge, and you could only take 3 per unit of pathfinders (but at least they came with a target lock so you didn't have to fire at the same target you were marker lighting.<br />
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In the 6th edition codex the Sniper Drones unit configuration changed and their weapons were changed to Long Shot Pulse Rifles (still a very good unit that I use all the time). The Rail Rifle with the Pathfinders had lost the Gets Hot rule, but also lost the target lock so they had to fire at the same target as the marker lights. Also joining the Rail Rifles were the experimental Ion Rifles (which could still kill the bearer if overcharged). I think this was at the time that the profile changed to be AP1.<br />
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So the Rail Rifle is now a weapon that puts the Plasma Rifle to shame. Both are rapid fire, but the Rail Rifle has 6" longer range, and 1 lower AP. However it was still never seen on the battlefield, as at 26 points for a model as tough as a guardsmen is to much, particularly as most opponents would already be trying to kill the pathfinders as they are a source of marker lights.<br />
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So the premise of my entry would be to consider what the next stage of field testing for the Rail Rifle would be.<br />
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<b>The Unit</b><br />
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So who should take this lovely weapon into the next stage of field testing. The pathfinders already had the task of marker lighting, so who could make the best use of the Rail Rifle.<br />
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Well that will be in Part Two, coming in over the weekend,<br />
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If you can't wait, follow this <a href="http://advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=24811&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a" target="_blank">link to the Competition thread</a>, voting will take place between 3rd October and 7th October, so there should be the reveal of the entries some time over the weekend. Not only will you be able to see my entry, but there should be loads of great ideas and conversions to look at :)<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-46007078139098281932016-09-01T03:14:00.000+01:002016-09-01T03:14:33.271+01:00The Dark Eldar Beaststar - we can rebuild you [40k DE]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4VRtMxPUOqdJOyEusZZUgfWgGTsI7loAM7wnKMqILp_BY5ssnu8waejUkCw8HNm4n5i-oqX1JSgDkyfuqy0ZT-MF9aj0RicdknDavgF1vNWxBvagcnvCKjNRdOIJsr0yTr99lyyeKF0/s1600/beastmasters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4VRtMxPUOqdJOyEusZZUgfWgGTsI7loAM7wnKMqILp_BY5ssnu8waejUkCw8HNm4n5i-oqX1JSgDkyfuqy0ZT-MF9aj0RicdknDavgF1vNWxBvagcnvCKjNRdOIJsr0yTr99lyyeKF0/s400/beastmasters.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>What was the Beaststar ?</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp0qoXKLOHzwd8bxeuv0cn5X9R7lG72UHSweqQ-Za34TgO75yqQMBco75jlVSJ8P6jR7gEutKsrmuPuesrFwaUylECCpFAZmy1TZrn2KI8bat_86avVcKgXznWipygiiswcBwM4eOdnk/s1600/Beaststar+supporting+Eldar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp0qoXKLOHzwd8bxeuv0cn5X9R7lG72UHSweqQ-Za34TgO75yqQMBco75jlVSJ8P6jR7gEutKsrmuPuesrFwaUylECCpFAZmy1TZrn2KI8bat_86avVcKgXznWipygiiswcBwM4eOdnk/s400/Beaststar+supporting+Eldar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[a Beaststar gets ready to support an Eldar army, <a href="http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/603299.page" target="_blank">link to battle report</a>]</td></tr>
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A bit of history, the Beaststar came from the previous Dark Eldar codex. In that codex you could have up to 5 beastmasters in a unit, and each beastmaster could bring 0-1 Clawed Fiend or 0-2 Razorwing Flocks or 0-5 Krymerae. What you could do was take 5 beastmasters and 25 Krymerae to make a big fast assault unit. Then add in the Baron, a cheap (105 points) special character who gave the unit a higher leadership (ld9), Hit and Run & Stealth. Back then the Krymerae were only toughness 3, but sported a 4+ invulnerable save, so another buff was having a nearby farseer give them a reroll on their save making for an resilient unit with loads of wounds that could not be tied down by a blob and would kill units by the weight of attacks.<br />
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All this changed when the new codex arrived :( The maximum size of the beastpack was changed to 12 models, although you can now freely pick any of the available models to make up the unit. The Baron who gave the unit so many nice rules also disappeared from the codex.<br />
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<b>Can we rebuild the Beaststar</b><br />
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Although we can only have 12 models in a beast pack now, we can have more than 12 wounds by using Clawed Fiends. Clawed Fiends got a bit better and cheaper in the new codex, being a poor man's Grotesque while not requiring a transport.<br />
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Now we could go for 12 Clawed Fiends, but it costs a whopping 360 points, for 36, toughness 5, wounds. While doable this is a huge unit before you add any characters. Krymerae are still not bad in the new codex; they went down by 2 points each, while going up to toughness 4 for the cost of their invulnerable save going down to 5+ from 4+. By adding in some Krymerae we can have the best of both worlds, majority toughness 5 while also have the first shots go against the Krymerae's invulnerable save.<br />
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My starter for 10 Beaststar is:<br />
1 Beastmaster<br />
5 Krymerae<br />
6 Clawed Fiends<br />
totalling 240 points, 24 wounds (majority toughness 5) and a total of 2 Str 3, 15 Str 4 & 36 Str 5 attacks on the charge. However please note this unit is all about the charge as the Clawed Fiends have Rage. The unit would drop to 1 Str 3, 10 Str 4 & 24 Str 5 attacks if they are charged or it is the 2nd round of a combat.<br />
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Why the beastmaster rather than a 6th Krymerae ? It's not really for the leadership 8, its really that the three options for a decent character to join the unit is toughness 4 (see below), so having one Beastmaster keeps the majority toughness at 5 after the character joins. Another option would be to add a 7th Clawed Fiend instead of the Beastmaster pushing the unit up to 260 points.<br />
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<b>Leadership 8 is Not Enough</b><br />
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As a unit get large in size, and more importantly points value your whole game will depend on whether than unit performs well or not. It also means it could be game over if a unit fails a critical leadership test. For the beaststar I propose leadership 8 is not really enough. In most games an opponent will see it as a threat and it is not that tough so it will be easy to force a morale test (4 casualties required). In this case you can't have a nearly 1 in 3 chance that the rest of the unit will run off the board. Leadership 9 is a minimum requirement, leadership 10 is better while being fearless is ideal. So bare this in mind when choosing which character should be used to supplement the Beaststar.<br />
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<b>How do Star's fail ?</b><br />
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When looking at what character we might want to add to the Beaststar, we have to ask what does the Beaststar really need, and what will prevent it doing well in a game.<br />
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1) As mentioned above morale is fickle thing, and you can't have so many points invested in a unit which has anything but a very small chance of running off the table due to a morale check, being fearless would be preferable.<br />
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2) Being bogged down - some armies can have fearless cheap large units which will tie up the beaststar all game, large guard blobs with 4+ inv save come to mind, or really any large unit which has had invisibility cast on it. Alternatively they may be too tough for the beaststar to deal with, eg. thunderwolf cav. In this case the Beaststar needs a way to get out of these bad match-ups and on to better targets. Previously the Beaststar used the Baron who had Hit and Run, so another character with Hit and Run would be useful. Its possible to play the Beaststar without Hit and Run, but you have to be careful not to be tied down by a bad match-up.<br />
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3) Unlike other deathstars the Beaststar is not that tough (it has lots of wounds, 24, but has very poor armour saves) so anything that can improve it's resilience would be a great help<br />
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4) The beaststar can't deal with heavy rear armour or walkers (non-walker vehicles with poor rear armour will be ripped apart by the beaststar), so anything that can help with Walkers or units with high rear armour would be nice<br />
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<b>The Contenders</b><br />
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Up first we have the Eldar Autarch. Stock he gives the Beaststar leadership 10, and helps with reserve rolls.<br />
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First upgrade you must give him is something to increase his speed. Unlike some deathstars such as Necron Wraiths with Characters the Beaststar can not afford to be slowed down by a character with the basic 6" move. The beaststar (and more importantly the rest of the Dark Eldar army) does not have the resilience to play the waiting game, it must rip the strategic heart of the enemy in the first 3 turns, and can not afford to play the attrition game. Options for speed are Swooping Hawk wings, a Jetbike or a Warp Jump Generator. I would advise against the Warp Jump generator because the Autarch would not be able to flicker jump in the Beastpack, and even if he could the unit couldn't. Swooping Hawk Wings gives him great speed being able to move 18" in the movement phase, great for springing from the back to near the front of the unit in preparation for a charge. However the Jetbike gives the Autarch toughness 4, the option for a very ling move of 48" if he leaves the beastpack, plus relentless allowing him to fire a heavy weapon on the move (eg. a repear missile launcher). Ultimately it's down to your personal preference, but I would advise the Jetbike.<br />
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The Autarch can also choose more wargear to help the beastpack. He can have a Banshee mask, meaning the unit charged can not fire overwatch at the beastpack, allowing them to easily charge units they may have worried about, eg. units with lots of shots and/or flamers, D-scythe armed wraithguard or large blobs come to mind. The Autarch can also include include some anti tank weapons in either a fusion gun or a reaper missile launcher. The Autarch can include some extra combat punch to unit, taking advantage of his high Weapon skill, Initiative and Attacks. If on a bike a lance is nice, but even a basic power weapon would help against marines with their 3+ save.<br />
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Finally if you want to go the extra mile the Autarch can take the relic than makes him fearless. However please note that with the cost of a Jetbike or Wings, a ranged weapon, a lance or a relic weapon and the cost of the Autarch can get quite costly, moving the cost of the Autarch and the Beastpack quite expensive.<br />
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When it gets to that level of points you have to ask yourself would two slightly smaller beastpacks be better than one with a Character, but that's a question for all 3 contenders.<br />
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Next up we have the Eldar Farseer. This time we have only one option to improve his speed which is to put him on a jetbike. Rather than some combat punch and a bit of shooting, the Farseer adds loads of support to the unit through his psychic powers. From the basic rerolls to hit powers the Farseer can really up the surviveability of unit through castings of invisibility or the power to reroll saves which is great on the invulnerable saves of the Krymerae.<br />
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The Farseer is also good at supporting the rest of your army with his psychic powers. Another good use of the Farseer psychic powers is using spells such as Psychic Shriek to deal with opposing units the beastpack might find differcult to kill (the beastpack will struggle against units with good and/or rerollable saves).<br />
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The Baron Rebron<br />
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The best thing about the old Baron Sathonyx was that he was cheap, and had Hit & Run, meaning it was hard to pin the beastpack down, and the distance they could travel between the end of the opponent's combat phase to the end of their next charge was phenomenal and easy to catch an opponent off guard. The average distance was 29.5" (3D6" Hit & Run, 12" Move, 2D6 Charge).<br />
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So what character can give us Hit & Run ? It's Baharroth "The Cry of the Wind" the Swooping Hawk Phoenix Lord. He comes in at a very reasonable 65 points over the cost of the old Baron. Although he doesn't have the Stealth of the Baron, he does bring toughness 4, a 2+ armour save, Eternal Warrior, a faster 18" move, and even Haywire grenades. Baharroth also Fearless, meaning once the Beaststar can stand a round of combat without getting too depleted they can Hit & Run away (provided they don't roll a 6) and charge something else.<br />
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As I have a converted Baron model (there never was an official model) I plan to add the Autarch Swooping Wings to him, however so far my search of ebay and my usual bitz sites have turned up a blank. I'm going to keep watching and I'm sure I'll come up with a pair of wings soon. Below's a picture of my Baron after assembly (I suddenly realised I don't have any pictures of him painted):<br />
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Overall the three character options all add something nice to the beastpack, with each giving different benefits. Being Eldar characters they all require a troops choice to make an Allied Detachment to keep the army bound, buts that's not hard with cheap and effective Eldar Jetbikes. You can either go with the 3 unupgraded jetbike to do the 5th edition come from reserve to do a last turn objective hop, or for 16 points more than a dual splinter cannon venom you can upgrade the 12 poison shots to 12 str 6 shots.<br />
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This is still theory hammer at the moment, but as soon as I find some Autarch wings I'm going to slap them on my Baron, paint them up and give the new Beaststar a whirl. They aren't as good as most tournament deathstar, eq. Necron Lychstar with associated characters or Thunderstar with friends but they can dish out the pain to most units in this shooting centric 7th edition, and plays well with the glass cannon approach of Dark Eldar. Lastly as most people have not played against Clawed Fiends I don't some people may underestimate how hard the unit will hit.<br />
<br />
So here's my revised Beaststar, ready for playtesting:<br />
<br />
Phoenix Lord Baharroth "The Cry of the Wind"<br />
5 Krymerae<br />
7 Clawed Fiends<br />
<br />
430 points for a fast but fragile-ish (unit that puts out on the charge 42 Str 5 attacks, 20 str 4 attacks & 5 Str4 power weapon attacks. I think the rest of the army would need to put a bit more than usual focus on low ap weapons and anti tank to face walkers, Imperial Knights, Wraithknights, Stormsurges etc., but nearly everything else can taken care of by the Beaststar or avoided while the Beaststar takes apart the rest of the enemy army.<br />
<br />
Do you think this unit could work ? Is it viable in a casual or competitive setting ? What do you see as its biggest weaknesses ? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the unit.<br />
<br />
RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-87360853180339649852016-07-25T19:15:00.000+01:002016-08-01T14:53:13.786+01:00Barracuda vs Barracuda - FIGHT [40k Tau]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ5WXVksu7FJz-fFoJK2ychReSjyEnaTMl6dKR007sXoRsgRlxwhN5kUTJJQyRHhac8T775YVBAEeA_v_ma8V9dcngmLnD6ocoDWotuAaqyWA10gse-MZX9nM-5vehyG8YzdL6kQl_l8/s1600/New+Forgeworld+Barracuda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ5WXVksu7FJz-fFoJK2ychReSjyEnaTMl6dKR007sXoRsgRlxwhN5kUTJJQyRHhac8T775YVBAEeA_v_ma8V9dcngmLnD6ocoDWotuAaqyWA10gse-MZX9nM-5vehyG8YzdL6kQl_l8/s400/New+Forgeworld+Barracuda.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This morning the Forgeworld newletter gave some welcome news if you have any Forgeworld flyers or are thinking of getting any. Not only did they release the initial <a href="https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/PDF/fw_warscrolls//Tau%20Barracuda%20AX%205%202%20Exp%20Rules.pdf" target="_blank">experimental rules</a> for the Tau Barracuda AX-5-2, but they also released an update for all forgeworld flyers giving them Combat Roles (including 3 new forgeworld specific combat roles), Pursuit and Assault values (<a href="https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/fw_site/fw_pdfs/Warhammer_40000/Death-from-the-Skies.pdf?utm_source=forgeworld.co.uk&utm_campaign=45160bd780-FW_2016_07_22_Barracuda&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a6ef0a01da-45160bd780-116222617" target="_blank">link here</a>). Three flyers even got updated dataslates.<br />
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One of the interesting points on the flyer update is that the Barracuda and the Barracuda AX-5-2 are listed separately, which is strange since the original Barracuda is out of production now.<br />
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So what are the major changes with the AX-5-2 ? Its a more hefty flyer being just over a third more expensive at base costs, but most of that increase will be coming from the fact that the AX-5-2 is 3 hull points against the 2 on the original Barracuda. However would you rather have one of the new Barracuda or one of the old ones AND a Forgeworld Tetra for the same cost is a close call.<br />
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<b>Weapon Loadout</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Weapon wise the Barracuda AX-5-2 has very versatile weapon options. The main gun on the original Barracuda was an Ion Cannon, while on the AX-5-2 starts with Heavy Burst Cannon and can swap it for a <i>Barracuda </i>Ion Cannon for free or pay 20 points to upgrade to a Swiftstrike Railgun. The big thing for me is that the Barracuda Ion Cannon does not have the option to overcharge to get a Str8 AP3 large blast. The Heavy Burst Cannon has twice the shots of the Ion Cannon, but the Str and AP is one worse and the range is a paltry 24" which is a pain on a flyer which moves so fast, and ideally wants its first shot at long range so it doesn't overshoot some potential targets the following turn. The Swiftstrike Railgun is a Hammerhead railgun with half the range and no option for a Submunition round; a very nice option to be able to target flyers. Overall I think the Ion Cannon is the best overall, but with the option to take secondary weapons to match the main weapons it opens up plenty of valid options,<br />
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The secondary weapons start as Long Barreled Burst Cannons, a nice upgrade over the original Barracuda's standard burst cannons with 2 extra shots each and twice the range. The burst cannons can be upgraded to standard Cyclic Ion Blasters. A interesting note is that the Cyclic Ion Blasters are not long barreled like the burst cannons (so are restricted to the short 18" range), plus they are the standard Cyclic Ion Blasters from the Tau codex so can be overcharged (unlike the new Barracuda's Ion Cannon).<br />
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When I used to play with my Barracuda it wasn't impossible to get the 18" range burst cannons into range, but there were definitely times when when the Ion Cannon and Missile Pods best targets were outside the 18" range of the burst cannons. With the new Barracuda's burst cannons having a long range it will nearly always be firing, and 12 extra shots is nothing to sniff about and probably makes up for the Ion Cannon not having a large blast option. However the cyclic ion blaster does give some more high strength shots giving the option of having the Barracuda with all strength 7 or higher shots, becoming a very good anti tank and/or anti flier solution. If you didn't want the option of a str 10 shot having an Ion Cannon and 2 cyclic Ion Blasters would give the Barracuda 11 (!!) str 7 shots. The ultimate anti tank option is the Swiftstrike Railgun and Cyclic Ion Blasters, but that options starts getting expensive at an extra 30 points of ever the base AX-5-2, and pushes the cost of the Barracuda past 200 points.<br />
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<b>So what loadout is "Ergonomically Terrific" ?</b><br />
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Overall I think the old Barracuda loadout of Ion Cannon and 2 Burst Cannons is the best general option for the new Barracuda. You lose the option of the ion cannon large blast but you have more shots from the burst cannon that will be in range nearly all the time.<br />
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However the great thing about the new Barracuda is that they are very worthwhile alternative options. You can go with loads of shots with 20 shots from heavy burst cannon, 2 long barreled burst cannons & missile pod, or you can go very anti tank with Swiftstrike Railgun, 2 Cyclic Ion Blasters, Missile Pod and Seeker Missiles. Therefore choosing the right load-out will depend on the rest of your army, and what gap needs filling most.<br />
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<b>Anything Else ?</b><br />
<br />
The new Barracuda also has a few extra things over it's predecessor. The new Barracuda has picked up Strafing Run, which means with it's combat role of Strike Fighter and its BS4 it can be hitting a great many land units on 2+. It also has Dispersion Shield which gives it an invulnerable save against glancing (5+) and penetrating hits (6+), however because it has the Agile rule the Barracuda is likely to Jink if it is the target of any decent firepower for a 3+ cover save.<br />
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<b>Summary</b><br />
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The new Barracuda is a very nice upgrade over the old one, The biggest point being the increase in hull points from 2 to 3, but the extra weapon options gives it great versatility and allows you to make the Barracuda a better fit for your army.<br />
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Previously when I used the Barracuda it was a mainly ground attack craft, and the main threat was the large blast of the overcharged ion cannon, but what I particularly like is the extra range and shots on the burst cannons, meaning the previous load-out now gives 17 shots all at a range of 36" (or greater), and if you're concerned about heavy armour you can either upgrade the burst cannons to cyclic ion blasters for short range destruction and/or add on seeker missiles for longer ranged str8 firepower.<br />
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Overall a very nice addition to the Tau arsenal :)<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-82039226553883859062016-05-13T12:15:00.001+01:002016-05-13T12:16:04.932+01:00The Barracuda is Back [40k Tau]<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[The new Forgeworld Tau Barracuda]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Tau Forgeworld Barracuda has been out of stock for sometime. I've got a barracuda myself, and much preferred it both aesthetically and tactically compared to our codex flyers. It was part of my tournament army for a while, but has fallen out of favour since the new codex dropped last year.<br />
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Then out of the blue it's announced on the Forgeworld blog (<a href="https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-GB/blog/blog.jsp?utm_campaign=4523856b21-FW_2016_05_13_HHB&utm_source=forgeworld.co.uk&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a6ef0a01da-4523856b21-116229977&_requestid=607856" target="_blank">link here</a>) that a new Barracuda will be available at Warhammer Fest. The Barracuda shares the same shape as the original, but takes some of the design elements of its larger cousin, the Tiger Shark, shown here:<br />
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The upturned wing edges (winglets) on the new Barracuda are nice, but personally I'm not totally sold on the vertical stabilisers at the back, but I'm sure lots of people will like them and prefer them to the fragile antennae on the Tiger Shark and the original Barracuda.<br />
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As if that wasn't enough the new Barracuda also comes with different weapon options:<br />
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As well as having the classic Ion Cannon and drone controlled Burst Cannons, the Ion Cannon can be swapped for a Long-Barrelled Burst Cannon or a Railgun, while the Burst Cannons on the wings can be swapped for Cyclic Ion Blasters. It'll be interesting to see the points costs of these upgrades and whether the Barracuda's base cost will stay the same.<br />
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The original Barracuda was definitely best against Infantry, but with the addition of the weapon options it can fulfill more roles. With a Railgun, Cyclic Ion Blasters and Seeker Missiles it can really fulfill an anti tank and/or anti air role (depending on it's aircraft designation follow the Death from the Skies supplement). I'm tempted with a flexible role with an Ion Cannon & Cyclic Ion Blasters. With the addition of the Missile Pod that the previously Barracuda had (and from the picture looks like it still has) that would give it 11 Str 7 shots with the option of exchanging 9 of those shots for a large blast & 2 small blasts at str 8 (although with the <i>Gets Hot</i> rule).<br />
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I can't wait to see the rules for the model, as it'll be interesting to see whether it stays as a 2 hull point flyer or whether it is upgraded to 3 hull points as it's bigger (and much bulkier) than the codex flyers.<br />
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<br />
What do you think of the new Barracuda ? Will you be retro fitting an existing model or are you tempted to buy one of the new models ?<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-49282339770720009042016-04-15T18:10:00.002+01:002016-04-15T18:13:11.243+01:00Adepticon 2016 Meta - A follow up look at the Meta after LVO [40k]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
So it's only 2 months since the LVO, and another one of the large US tournaments has come round, this time Adepticon. Adepticon has different comp to the LVO, in that it basically doesn't have any, so you can unleash unrestricted D, unrestricted Invisibility and as many detachments as you want. I was interested to see if two things had happened:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Would this change the top armies much ?</li>
<li>Would there be an improvement in the Performance and a narrowing of the spread of performance for Tau & Necrons (which had rather larger spreads of performance in my analysis of the LVO, <a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/lvo-results-chance-to-look-at-40k-meta.html" target="_blank">here</a>, than I expected.</li>
</ul>
What intrigued me to do another analysis was two comments that I read/heard in passing about the event. One was while watching Reece Robbins (of Frontline Gaming who run the LVO) explaining that his list for LVO was not good against Tau because he was not expecting there to be many Tau at the event because of the format. Now I now Tau don't have psykers so can't have or fight against full Invisibility too well, plus their D weapons are limited on 4 one shot weapons that need markerlights to be D on one model in the Tau range, but they are still a good army.<br />
<br />
The second comment game from the <a href="http://bloodofkittens.com/" target="_blank">Blood of Kittens</a> review of the event. <a href="http://bloodofkittens.com/blog/2016/04/07/tits-tournaments-adepticon-2016-top-16-lists/" target="_blank">here</a>, where they said:<br />
"<i>If you take a look at the lists you will notice one army dominated over the rest: Eldar. Eldar have seven spots in the Top 18 and a few more Eldar shoehorned into other lists! All the Eldar lists had at least one Wraithknight and Scatbike units. Adepticon has full powered D Weapons, so with Eldar having the easiest access this wasn’t a surprise. Still, this is amazingly dominate army, the only other time I can remember an army performing so well was the Grey Knights at the end of 5th edition. What is impressive are Eldar don’t have any way to get free upgrades or units, they don’t seem to need it. Unless future army rules find a way to easily kill Warp Spiders and Scatbikes I don’t expect Eldar domination to end anytime soon</i>" - now Eldar were already dominate at LVO, but this sounded like they did even better, so was this an exageration or did Eldar really improve in their performance, I thought that with more time people would get better at fighting Eldar, so while good players would still very well with the army they wouldn't dominate as much as they had.<br />
<br />
Also Blood of Kittens hosts, <a href="http://bloodofkittens.com/blog/2016/04/07/tits-tournaments-adepticon-2016-top-16-lists/" target="_blank">here</a>, all the top 18 lists if you want to look at the actual lists of the top players.<br />
<br />
Ok, so on to the number crunching to see what happened (but before we do I refer you to my last article, <a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/lvo-results-chance-to-look-at-40k-meta.html" target="_blank">here</a>, where I included some of the limitations of any number crunching):<br />
<br />
First lets start out with the number of players, by primary detachment, and I think they changed the primary detachment to the detachment with the most points rather than where the warlord was:<br />
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<br />
For this analysis I'm only going to look at armies which had 7 or more entries. I would normally have cut off at a higher number, but I wanted to include Necrons in the analysis. Just missing the cut were Dark Eldar and Khorne Daemonkin at 6 players each.<br />
<br />
Eldar in this tournament have surpassed Vanilla marines as the top army, however when you add in marines in all their varieties Marines are still the most popular, however for nearly 1 in 4 armies to be Eldar is a huge number for them (and a massice jump from the LVO where they were 1 in 7 of the armies). It also shows that the numbers per army start to drop off very fast. After Tau, Space Wolves & Daemons you're down to under 10 entrants.<br />
<br />
So how did the armies perform ? Again I would look at average placings, but then also compare the number of placings in the top 50 and top 30, and compare that to how many players for each army there were:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGkRqLzVsbfDkgQRrkFUuzzL8OpMKvOoBRhKh0nv9rthyphenhyphen6__J7y0yWdYkdkE7aogUDIiONua7mypUroftfz-aBW0gikDejBYmbb2nQ_qx55Z-WGZedl8latMvPZqGLBM9XiTZZsvdt5Q/s1600/Adepticon+Stats+Pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGkRqLzVsbfDkgQRrkFUuzzL8OpMKvOoBRhKh0nv9rthyphenhyphen6__J7y0yWdYkdkE7aogUDIiONua7mypUroftfz-aBW0gikDejBYmbb2nQ_qx55Z-WGZedl8latMvPZqGLBM9XiTZZsvdt5Q/s400/Adepticon+Stats+Pic+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Click on the pic to view a bigger, more readable view]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although they are small samples, Dark Angels and Daemons came top, followed by what I think are the top 4 armies at the moment, Eldar, Marines, Necrons & Tau. However the average placing for Eldar is significantly lower than the rest, and this born out when we look at comparing the portion of armies in the top 50 or 30 compared to the full list, eg. Eldar made up 23% of their field, but 42% of the top 50 players. A killer stat is that apart from Dark Angels and Daemons which had a small number of entrants the only army to have an average placing in the top half was Eldar, the nearest to them, Marines, having an average placing 30 places down just below the mid point.<br />
<br />
However is this better than Eldar did before ? Due to the small size of Adepticon, the top 50 at LVO is comparable to the top 30 at Adepticon. Looking at the top 30 at Adepticon Eldar were 1.57 more represented than they were in the general field, compared to looking at the top 50 at LVO Eldar were 1.55 more represented than the general field.<br />
<br />
One thing that has changed is the spread of the armies performance, particularly Eldar:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoyyGHXMuNfHv_5EDd6LO9fGRuhl4uDn8uNxWSxkUzuUafbgtX_LeH5oUs9WFAsQkQIaa5IFmJtUlKyGT-vndHD8UTvXfYMXKrEMZwZaiAhTsLDDuNwMN1fZPDcpK4GpdCAd7JJv1178/s1600/Adepticon+Stats+Pic+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoyyGHXMuNfHv_5EDd6LO9fGRuhl4uDn8uNxWSxkUzuUafbgtX_LeH5oUs9WFAsQkQIaa5IFmJtUlKyGT-vndHD8UTvXfYMXKrEMZwZaiAhTsLDDuNwMN1fZPDcpK4GpdCAd7JJv1178/s400/Adepticon+Stats+Pic+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The performance spread is much closer between the armies. This stat shows how spread out the results of the army were.<br />
<br />
The real oddity is Tau with a more narrow spread of results, particularly when you consider that their average placing is just below the middle (103rd against a middle of 92nd). I have some theoryhammer ideas as to why, but would love to read your ideas as well. Are Tau handily beating some opponents, but then coming up with things that they just can't beat ? Is it Invisibility and Psychic Shriek ? Is it rerollable cover saves ? Or just the good old fashioned fast assault threats ? Is it the mission requiring very mobile armies while Tau players are sticking to maximum firepower and ignoring mobility ? Or maybe a combination of all of this ?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8n03qtsN5cIfN4TYVHxThspw8XYgZUxQ4dDMtEcE1Dtq6tObhQZWBmhsNvq4pLoWFaXMW0IVWMC0n5p5GNDsjj1_C4miTAOsSbEob4Hc5dBgHuvMoKF125prRTzTJwgGjj-kkMP9CCM/s1600/Eldar_Warlock_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8n03qtsN5cIfN4TYVHxThspw8XYgZUxQ4dDMtEcE1Dtq6tObhQZWBmhsNvq4pLoWFaXMW0IVWMC0n5p5GNDsjj1_C4miTAOsSbEob4Hc5dBgHuvMoKF125prRTzTJwgGjj-kkMP9CCM/s400/Eldar_Warlock_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So overall it looks like Eldar are getting even more popular at tournaments. The top four strongest armies are still Eldar, Marines, Necrons and Tau, however there are some less popular armies that are still doing very well, such as Dark Angels & Daemons (plus Khorne Daemonkin & Cult Mech).<br />
<br />
The increase in the spread of the performance of Eldar, in my opinion, means that while players are learning to beat the poor Eldar players and/or those with less optimised lists, when facing good players with optimised lists it's still really hard (not impossible) to win.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_SP7H19BkfaCMM9kCWMQfZMgw4piS0D7PnTokZ4Cawxvmy9I9jOFfd7zpUvfapH45zvkHpQ3Syke9zWhe7LxaGynrzrJHGgVqyMHmImpUkf38TdvyMX4dTkaozwVx4BKQzaSiPjtwa4/s1600/Shas%2527o%2527Kais+%2528DoW%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_SP7H19BkfaCMM9kCWMQfZMgw4piS0D7PnTokZ4Cawxvmy9I9jOFfd7zpUvfapH45zvkHpQ3Syke9zWhe7LxaGynrzrJHGgVqyMHmImpUkf38TdvyMX4dTkaozwVx4BKQzaSiPjtwa4/s400/Shas%2527o%2527Kais+%2528DoW%2529.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
<br />
Does this follow your idea of where the meta is, and which are the strongest codexes ? What's your thoughts on Tau's average performance (10% of the field yet only 7% of the top 30, a drop of a third). Yes I know a lot of armies do make the top 30 at all, but why is an army that is seem as so strong not doing better ? It was interesting to note that Frankie (of Frontline Gaming) switched from his tournament winning Tau to a Gladius Strike Force with a Culexus Assassin & Inquisitor with Servo Skulls for this event, is Tau not quite cutting it when it comes to the big competitive tournaments ?.<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-81235883056062633042016-04-08T15:55:00.000+01:002016-04-08T15:55:14.946+01:00Tidewall Gunrig Unboxing & Assembly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b5M619L3s6Xn41QxKPKl1Qsph_X5NBWUMs0Rn57xi-ObTiEHMDHqKUtHUWXIAXxPZFLeNnQC4g2Ar0w5p-baHga9UWlLTrIRrV6J0GsRN7FgVfq40aMGV3F3EYzBp2KD-UFkhZyo8KA/s1600/Tidewall+Gunrig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b5M619L3s6Xn41QxKPKl1Qsph_X5NBWUMs0Rn57xi-ObTiEHMDHqKUtHUWXIAXxPZFLeNnQC4g2Ar0w5p-baHga9UWlLTrIRrV6J0GsRN7FgVfq40aMGV3F3EYzBp2KD-UFkhZyo8KA/s400/Tidewall+Gunrig.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
Hi,<br />
<br />
After a one day small tournament with my Tau I was tweaking my army list, and I wasn't sure what to spend the last 100 points on. I was tempted with putting a heavy railrifle armed broadside in, but I already had a few broadsides in the list, and wanted something different.<br />
<br />
My army list did have a problem with av14 (av13 was normally torrented down with lots of str7 tank hunter), so I thought I'd add a Gunrig. It costs the same points as a defense line with a lascannon (or slightly below a defense line with a guad autocannon):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7DMqBF_sIlUAoiZg0iKMB_QZqjKz1ZNjvjcsIziKdT6nx6LEbsqhBnuXXOc3lKLrZx8CWFtziH8g8pAFvylI7_PMXhSulo5uZw9sKtHHxUcQtPYLFl8IgGDgqMtGNpCoObNEqL3Svew/s1600/Aegis+Defenc+Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7DMqBF_sIlUAoiZg0iKMB_QZqjKz1ZNjvjcsIziKdT6nx6LEbsqhBnuXXOc3lKLrZx8CWFtziH8g8pAFvylI7_PMXhSulo5uZw9sKtHHxUcQtPYLFl8IgGDgqMtGNpCoObNEqL3Svew/s400/Aegis+Defenc+Line.jpg" width="353" /></a></div>
The Tidewall Gunrig can't protect as many models as a defense line but it can move 6" a turn if there's no enemy or terrain to block it. The railgun is better than a lacannon, but lacks skyfire and interceptor. Initially there was uproar when the Tau terrain pieces were released, but I think things have died down when they never appeared in every tournament list like some people were saying they would.<br />
<br />
The big weakness of the Gunrig is that like the Quadgun on the defense line it only counts as 2 wounds at toughness 7 with a 3+ save, and although you can't destroy the drone base the railgun is quite easily to kill. This I saw in the first battle report I saw the Gunrig in, it was blown off 1st turn before it got to fire. However in another (this time written) battle report I heard Darkstrider used the railgun to instant kill a Hive Tyrant (Darkstrider has a rule that anything he or his unir fires at is -1 toughness and that this affects instant death). I think those two examples show what the Gunrig will be like, a bit hit and miss, but overall fair for its cost.<br />
<br />
Anyone onto my wonderful purchase, because at the end of the day what tipped me into buying it is that it looks stunning (as terrain pieces go):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImzT6sbHsT33NlnJeMEOw9QyEo39AT_UMIeP83rfxI3Ic433lXSuPDXMbQXfOtIeTtRQW73gUV7tsGhdp4OYoXF4Vs30UUKoEz4p81Xc4kUnDooyx7xg6zmgQDYrpV1TNCLc_ddZuLX0/s1600/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImzT6sbHsT33NlnJeMEOw9QyEo39AT_UMIeP83rfxI3Ic433lXSuPDXMbQXfOtIeTtRQW73gUV7tsGhdp4OYoXF4Vs30UUKoEz4p81Xc4kUnDooyx7xg6zmgQDYrpV1TNCLc_ddZuLX0/s400/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br />
Opening the box, along with the sprues:<br />
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<br />
it was nice to see that the rules for the Gunrig did indeed some in the box, particularly as I did not have the rules for it as I bought just the new codex (rather than the Kauyon suppliment):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhphMgqd1ZG-_agYg362hhbG3XDthAdMcgMEifdOr6G6bu9qw3uUv21cG0oYfWN6Sfk1yWmb8cs6R7uu33ps-QnzotacOQtcANsn_ZMnZmsuKnG6LpLAfN2Kj4gvSF8ypT8DS84OYqdM/s1600/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhphMgqd1ZG-_agYg362hhbG3XDthAdMcgMEifdOr6G6bu9qw3uUv21cG0oYfWN6Sfk1yWmb8cs6R7uu33ps-QnzotacOQtcANsn_ZMnZmsuKnG6LpLAfN2Kj4gvSF8ypT8DS84OYqdM/s400/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The instructions were clear, and the Gunrig came together very quickly and easily. I was very interested in how many models could fit on the Gunrig. I was a bit disappointed when I put my Commander that I'm painting on the Gunrig base:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCY06Uc8oT39IA4RVmIYGKdIik2kfAMCjbOKF_kEG1YpYRWixSiQxmcdZcPKtb1KPoWGcJYA8EcHUeQYXgo0d0DB2A9bcO-ID51RGuSTPDrbaEV0dtOIkfGVGjF8ATy8Cj-2dc6OVeC0/s1600/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCY06Uc8oT39IA4RVmIYGKdIik2kfAMCjbOKF_kEG1YpYRWixSiQxmcdZcPKtb1KPoWGcJYA8EcHUeQYXgo0d0DB2A9bcO-ID51RGuSTPDrbaEV0dtOIkfGVGjF8ATy8Cj-2dc6OVeC0/s400/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Yep definitely not even fitting my broadside unit with 2 broadsides and 4 missile on the gunrig. I was even concerned that if my fire warriors were the full 12 in a squad whether they would all fit on the Gunrig. I was considering putting my Sniper Drones team on the Gunrig, but the Gunrig would not be able to move unless the whole squad could fit on the Gunrig. Here's two pics of my commander on and next to the Gunrig after it's assembled (apologies for the dark pics):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauiRCL0SfRfalspgmv2GzlUcJsuHex24dTPPwHBK9z_obwUrTWkgXEpOlZ5vmTAKm0ROAkqKqhUe6a8GSeRbke2t724mktfodEte-AXBfsoDCbQ2zVDSAekN3eAisW7A1VB4HwjMhXxQ/s1600/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauiRCL0SfRfalspgmv2GzlUcJsuHex24dTPPwHBK9z_obwUrTWkgXEpOlZ5vmTAKm0ROAkqKqhUe6a8GSeRbke2t724mktfodEte-AXBfsoDCbQ2zVDSAekN3eAisW7A1VB4HwjMhXxQ/s400/Gunrig+Unboxing+Pic+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see the commander takes up most of the space on the Gunrig, meaning the Gunrig is more for the infantry rather than the suits.<br />
<br />
Against a smart opponent I think the Gunrig will die very quickly if there's anything in the enemy army that the Railgun would be a threat to, but the Tidewall Drone would still be useful for letting an objective secured kroot unit go to ground for a 2+ cover save while the Drone moves them 6" a turn. However for that the cheaper Droneport would be a better option:<br />
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The Tidewall Gunrig, along with the Droneport and Shieldwall all look really nice, and I can't wait to get mine painted up and have some games with it. Better pictures will follow once I've painted up my Gunrig (and Commander).<br />
<br />
Have you been tempted with any of the new terrain ? I'm tempted with the Droneport.<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
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<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-90518914694978040262016-02-12T19:20:00.000+00:002016-02-12T19:20:08.843+00:00LVO Results - A chance to look at the 40k meta (Beware: Mild Number Crunching)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The LVO (Las Vegas Open) Results are out, and as it's one of (if not the) largest tournaments in the world it's always nice to crunch the numbers and see does the meta of that tournament follow our thinking of which armies are the top dog.<br />
<br />
First some pretty huge caveats:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>This is one tournament, and even if it is large it is still a small sample size as any statistician would tell you.</li>
<li>With most tournaments having comp that will always change slightly which armies are good, with some armies being able to adjust to the comp better than others. For the comp in this tournament, please look up the <a href="https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/" target="_blank">ITC</a> (<a href="https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/" target="_blank">Independent Tournament Circuit</a>) Rules</li>
<li>Results can be skewed by several factors, eg. some people do not complete all their games leading to them having a lower placing than someone who does complete all their games, an army's primary detachment may be a very small portion of the overall army.</li>
</ul>
So while we should treat all such analysis with a pinch of salt, hopefully the above factors in some cases even themselves out with a large number of competitors.<br />
<br />
The full results of the tournament can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ETH4LZ17noFBWCh32AmSgH5kASnQhNZQrBXduWn30aU/edit#gid=195733068" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
So lets start off my with my predictions (honest I did these before the analysis):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>All the analysis tables will be dominated by the top 4 Codexs (Eldar, Necrons, Marines for which I include Dark Angels & and finally Tau), ie. the recent codexs with Decurian type detachments (although in the case of Eldar I think their detachment is not their strength, which I think is the base unit cost of their units meaning a CAD with an allied Aspect Host(s) being very powerful for them. Mainly the top 4 are the most recent codexs</li>
<li>They will be some placings for some armies, such as Daemons & Khorne Daemonkin, but the results will show the rest of the codexs are definitely chasing the top 4 in terms of performance, however good generals can get good results.</li>
<li>The last stat I like to do, which shows how widespread an armies results are, which to me shows how much a good or bad general can influence the army, I'm not to sure on what this will show. People like to say that anyone can win with Eldar, but to me they are becoming (like Marines) an army that everyone knows because they are so powerful and becoming so popular. When I'm playing my Necrons or Tau I feel I know the Eldar better than my opponents know Tau or Necrons and that I have less to fear if I'm playing a worse player. However in general I still see Eldar smash average generals with average armies whoever they are piloted by. I think Marines will still have a wide spread of results as they are a popular army and many beginners start with them.</li>
</ul>
Well onto the stats, and lets take a look at army popularity:<br />
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Well no surprises here with my view of the top armies dominated both the field and also the top 50 placings. A shout out to Dark Angels which got 10% of the top 50 placings while being only 4% of the field.<br />
<br />
A stat that starts to shows the power of a codex is to look at how much more they factor in the Top 50 compared to the overall field. If we ignore the armies with less than 10 armies, we get the following table:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG062twVX4MMlV5d4LKVZZYwmUlUbSW_iD1vTwxcoyvXjY437KVmhZEow7pgelv24gWSoh2abmXtFjycG3y4Z4SycM1ZNGqaCcOXZIP_wR1RYOXWIuIcOzedurPM70MIZRNYtI3KFV2o/s1600/LVO+Ratio+Pic+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG062twVX4MMlV5d4LKVZZYwmUlUbSW_iD1vTwxcoyvXjY437KVmhZEow7pgelv24gWSoh2abmXtFjycG3y4Z4SycM1ZNGqaCcOXZIP_wR1RYOXWIuIcOzedurPM70MIZRNYtI3KFV2o/s1600/LVO+Ratio+Pic+1.jpg" /></a></div>
A bit of a surprise (for me anyway) with Dark Angels topping the list, I suppose I need to pay more attention to them. Apart from that things were as expected apart from Marines, which had nearly the same percentage in the top 50 as they had in the entire field. Cult Mech and Nids also did well (however the Nids sample is very small, eg. it could have been just 2 armies with loads of Flying Hive Tyrants making the top 50, which would say much for the rest of the codex).<br />
<br />
Now lets look at the average placing:<br />
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Eldar still dominate along with Marines, Tau & Necrons, but Cult Mech gets a good showing. I particularly like to look at the stats for the top 50, as this shows what a good general can get out of the army, and also gets rid of the newer players bringing marines. This brings up a few things, first being the Necrons did very well in the top 50 along with Daemons (although a very small number, 3, made the top 50). The Chaos Marines, Nids and Daemons armies indicate that is may have been a very specific build that made the top 50 as the overall performance of the three armies was very low.<br />
<br />
And now we come to the last stat, which tries to represent the spread of the armies. To calculate this I looked at each player and how far their position is away from the average for their army, and then divide this by the number of players. Again just looking at the armies which had 10 or more entrants we get the following table:<br />
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<br />
At the top of the list we have the armies which had the narrowest spread in the army placings. In the case of the top three I think it's because it's hard (not impossible) to place in such a competitive field regardless of how good a general you are. Another view could be that people who take the weaker armies are there more to have fun and socialise, my counter is that even if you are there to have fun and socialise a good general should do better than a worse, and although this is true with these weaker armies it isn't as much as other armies.<br />
<br />
Next we have Cult Mech and Eldar. It may be controversial to some, but it can be hard to pick a weak list for Eldar once you don't pick silly choices, a complaint I've even heard from Eldar players trying to tone down their list when playing against some of the lower tier armies.<br />
<br />
Next we have the middle of the road (in terms of spread), here we have Space Marines (being a very popular first army, so can have lots of newer players as well as experienced players), Daemons & Dark Angels.<br />
<br />
Lastly we have a big surprise, in the bottom three we have both Tau and Necrons, which had bigger spread of performance than the average, only beaten by Nids. The new Tau codex might have had an impact with people trying out the new toys and formations, and not having enough practice time with them, but the Necrons is definitely a surprise. My only idea is that Necrons can be a win big or lose big army, in that they are very resistant to most shooting, but can be susceptible to some types of firepower and can get sweep easily in close combat. Examples include a Cavalry and Beasts Space Wolf army could go throw a Necron force like a knife through butter, sprinkle in some allied firepower or a Knight and it could be very tough prospect for a Necron force. Even though these two armies being low on the spread chart is surprising, and I'm sure the Tau will improve as people get used to the new options in the new codex, or maybe even realise that some of the old ones are still good (I'm doing well and i haven't built my Ghstkeel yet or even purchased a Stormsurge)..<br />
<br />
<br />
So did anything surprise you ? Why do you think Tau & Necrons had such a huge spread (I may expand on my thoughts in a future post) ? Personally I'm going to have another look at the Cult Mech codex and the nasty formation that combined Cult Mech with Skitarii and Imperial Knights.<br />
<br />
Lastly this was the meta at this one tournament, and is irrelevant for your local meta, and more importantly the group of mates you play with. The meta in the UK will be different, the meta in the north US, the meta in the next tournament will be different, however I think it does give an indicator of what codexs are the most powerful, and wasn't toooo far out on my initial predictions, but even I will be doing a bit more research to be more familiar with Dark Angels and Cult Mech.<br />
<br />
RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-50441022574275248662016-02-08T02:44:00.001+00:002016-02-08T10:06:41.504+00:00Curse of the Wulfen - New Rules and Codex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi,<br />
<br />
We now have an onslaught of information about the new Space Wolves rules in the Curse of the Wulfen supplement, due to a teaser video which allows us to see the rules of the new formtions, plus confirmation on a new codex, which is a digital only. Also here I'm going to touch on two of the new entries; the Iron Priest's updated rules and the Wolfkin (a new formation for fenrusian wolves).<br />
<br />
The teaser video can be seen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETz_CwqJpKU" target="_blank">here</a>, and someone has kindly freeze framed and captured the images on Imgur <a href="http://imgur.com/a/VBnrF" target="_blank">here</a>, which makes it possible to click on each image and zoom in slightly to read the rules.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Other information that has come out yesterday is a pre-order on Black Library for the Space Wolf Codex: Wulfen Edition (<a href="http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/codex-space-wolves-wulfen.html" target="_blank">link here</a>). This codex is a digital only exclusive, and takes the existing Space wolf codex and adds the new Curse of the Wulfen Space Wolf rules, including all the new dataslates and formations.<br />
<br />
This would make this the cheapest way to get access to the new Space Wolf rules, with the tablet (android) edition being £22.<br />
<br />
All this information gives us a very good idea of what the Space Wolves are getting rules wise:<br />
<ul>
<li>7 New Formations</li>
<li>4 New Dataslates, for Wulfen, Wolf Lord Krom, plus updated rules for Ulrik and the Iron Priest</li>
<li>6 New Great Company Formations</li>
<li>A "Decirion" style detachment called the Wolf Claw's Strike Force</li>
</ul>
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<br />
The Great Company formations are a bit big, requiring a large number of units, however they do not require the specific Wolf Lord, and can instead be run by a Wolf Guard Battle Leader. Some of the benefits are quite good (eg. units get free drop pods and they all come in turn 1, or units can disembark after a vehicle has moved 12"), but I'll have to look at them more closely to see if they are worth the heafty points investment, and can compare them to the straight forward but very nice +1 WS for Wolf Guard and Thunderwolf Cav from the Champions of Fenris' detachment (Company of the Great Wolf).<br />
<br />
I now want to look at two of the updates close to my heart, first up the Iron Priest.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Iron Priest Update</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0Hj4Gko0YaHRMFCxg3ucanpSC88Qg76C2BcCj0dvStgn0z73pCvfA5wq5LmnUVFYpjI0glDlSxXDHZtIKRsx6CZ6aL_i6ca06LBLdqotfARgNiuyPGowwIvxiQgiULP3Rt0ne1R7lWs/s1600/Iron+Priest+Screengrab.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0Hj4Gko0YaHRMFCxg3ucanpSC88Qg76C2BcCj0dvStgn0z73pCvfA5wq5LmnUVFYpjI0glDlSxXDHZtIKRsx6CZ6aL_i6ca06LBLdqotfARgNiuyPGowwIvxiQgiULP3Rt0ne1R7lWs/s400/Iron+Priest+Screengrab.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The first thing you notice is that he has gone up 20 points, but then you notice that he has moved from Elites to HQ, and that his stats have improved. As well as his WS increasing to 5 he also has doubled in wounds to 2 and gained a point of leadership. The extra wound is huge, plus the extra WS will come into effect often, overall very much worth the 20 point increase. His change also puts the Iron Priest in even more direct competition with the Wolf Guard Battle Leader. The Iron Priest is 25 points more, but comes with a Thunderhammer and Servo arm for weapons, plus having Runic armour, while having one less Initiative (nearly irrelevant when using a Thunderhammer).<br />
<br />
A Wolf Guard Battle Leader with a Powerfist and Runic Armour is 100 points. Both Strike at Initiative 1 with their weapons, the Wolf Guard Battle Leader, and they have the same attacks in combat because although the Wolf Guard Battle Leader has one extra attack on his profile the Iron Priest's Thunderhammer and Servo Arm are both specialist weapons so can be used together to get +1 attack.<br />
<br />
The move from Elites to HQ is an issue for people using the Company of the Great Wolf detachment from the Champions of Fenris supplement which requires 2 Elite units. Previously the Iron Priest was the go to option. Luckily the new Wulfen unit is an Elites slot to help here.<br />
<br />
The other big changes to the Iron Priest is the cost of Cyberwolves. Previously they were 15 points each, but now they have <strike>significantly increased to 25 points</strike> stayed the same.<br />
<br />
<i>As pointed out by aracersss in the comments section Cyberwolves have not changed in cost - I looked to quickly at a slightly blurred number :( So every thing is as usual and I think cyberwolves will still be joining Iron Priests in battle</i><br />
<br />
One of the main uses for an Iron Priest was to mount him on a thunderwolf, give him 4 cyberwolves and join him to a thunderwolf cavalry unit, giving them a 2+ save tanker with some ablative wounds to Look Out Sir any nasty hits to. <i>Now I've been correctly informed that cycberwolves are still 15 points this tactic will be sure to continue :)</i><br />
<br />
It's quite ironic when my painting table has 4 (high elf) lions for cyberwolves, which will quickly be reassigned as leaders of fenrusian wolf packs or character fenrusian wolves:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2NfUQBuwzvq5Ifo9N4_r_qluXivLa1DCSwRiW13vqWCcOjJLVNDNrP3fOkJGbZk6YyDMPu5NOMch0J5k3AjYlGE1_20XV6cyfbEl6hOphL9T7Rp4Lp4jUfn_LntHYgqFSkb77TDPuko/s1600/IMAG1008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2NfUQBuwzvq5Ifo9N4_r_qluXivLa1DCSwRiW13vqWCcOjJLVNDNrP3fOkJGbZk6YyDMPu5NOMch0J5k3AjYlGE1_20XV6cyfbEl6hOphL9T7Rp4Lp4jUfn_LntHYgqFSkb77TDPuko/s400/IMAG1008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Wolfkin Formation</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZHrEmSvd1SiS3qSsJdv9hlzgaPDBt2M2HHemGKn2qaC2o79kOPkRWBLpFrMO8UTWMem5HsxYmwanHX3sAm-KpOqGl0pypn_xZSum_pFeQ4HBYUYQLOE6y7m4_pe8ImsrY9Yi4SKcw3U/s1600/CotW+Formation+Screengrab.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZHrEmSvd1SiS3qSsJdv9hlzgaPDBt2M2HHemGKn2qaC2o79kOPkRWBLpFrMO8UTWMem5HsxYmwanHX3sAm-KpOqGl0pypn_xZSum_pFeQ4HBYUYQLOE6y7m4_pe8ImsrY9Yi4SKcw3U/s400/CotW+Formation+Screengrab.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the unintended ways that formations are great is that they gets units out of a CAD's (or simular detachment's) limit on particluar slots, eg. in my necron army I use a Havest and Destroyer Cult formations, effectively using 5 Fast Attack slots which would not be possible in a normal CAD (Combined Arms Detachment).<br />
<br />
At the moment I use Thunderwolf Cav, Fenrusian Wolves & Skyclaws (I know, but I like them) as my 3 Fast Attack units, this formation would free up a Fast Attack slot to allow me the option of putting in a second Thunderwolf Cav unit (or splitting up the existing one into two units). So how good is the formation ?<br />
<br />
It consists of 2-5 Fenrusian Wolf units, which is quite flexible as they can come in units of anywhere from 5 to 15. They gain Monster Hunter, which is ok, but their low strength will make them struggle against most monstrous creatures. They gain Outflank, I've never been too much of a fan, but 5 wolves to gain line breaker might be useful.<br />
<br />
The big benefit is that the units can all join together to form an Alpha Pack, and additionally when they do they all get +1 attack if the units if 20 models or more. Now keeping this unit over 20 models will be hard if the enemy fires at them, as they only have a 6+ save, but it will force the enemy to choose between them and the thunderwolves.<br />
<br />
I already use a max size unit of fenrusian wolves with Canis, who boosts the fenrusian wolves in two ways already. When he's with them they reroll to hit in the first round of combat, plus (because of his warlord trait) he gives them furious charge if he's within 12" at the start of the assault phase). I was thinking Canis with 5 units of 5 wolves, which would give 100 attacks, rerolling to hit, at Str5. Now this will rarely happen, what opponent wouldn't put some fire into such a large unit ? Killing 7 models would reduce all the remaining models attacks by 1 each. However a swarm of 8 point models can be underestimated in both their hitting power and speed compared with other threats like a drop podded Murderfang, Thunderwolf Cavalry, and even Assault Marines accompanied by a Iron Priest on a Thunderwolf. I just have to paint up some more fenrusian wolves, and unfotunately I use old Khorne hound models for mine, but I think I have a few more lying around.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZRhBAa21DXl6YRmLZp_GuZAp6MvTijq4zmIXYaHfERxaJf7RGEYwbn-bZB4Pei5Vfrz1ziO20nkWGKpJGxvefC6V2cYyvgRhI6HHGmGMGNYFXeV_WWI29UpehPNhIiaWO0m12fultP0/s1600/IMAG0674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZRhBAa21DXl6YRmLZp_GuZAp6MvTijq4zmIXYaHfERxaJf7RGEYwbn-bZB4Pei5Vfrz1ziO20nkWGKpJGxvefC6V2cYyvgRhI6HHGmGMGNYFXeV_WWI29UpehPNhIiaWO0m12fultP0/s400/IMAG0674.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[My "Fenrusian Wolves" can be seem on the right of the pic]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
So overall there's lots to take in with the new information about the Space Wolves release, and I'm looking forward to having a more in depth look at all the other formations.<br />
<br />
What part of the Space Wolf release is most exciting for you ? Which models are looking forward to getting on the battlefield ?<br />
<br />
Rathstar<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Post Edited 8th Feb to correct the cost of the cyberwolves for the Iron Priest</i><br />
<br />Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-53598912243357322502016-02-03T12:52:00.000+00:002016-02-03T12:52:32.457+00:00Curse of the Wulfen Campaign Book [Space Wolves] - To Buy or Not to Buy ?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWZES5buNdEePFg6z77eRTs6Tx9mArfgSOG1odZmvhwscHb01po7wt2zLHwB7t9-jkOXDoG9tlU1stCICSwm7c3rUdSq4IGryv7Bf4R08Hb9Zr3rr6lB_E_qdoeLe9eyOkWaB-908ayA/s1600/Curse+of+the+Wulfen+-+Limited+Edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWZES5buNdEePFg6z77eRTs6Tx9mArfgSOG1odZmvhwscHb01po7wt2zLHwB7t9-jkOXDoG9tlU1stCICSwm7c3rUdSq4IGryv7Bf4R08Hb9Zr3rr6lB_E_qdoeLe9eyOkWaB-908ayA/s400/Curse+of+the+Wulfen+-+Limited+Edition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hi,<br />
<br />
As more and more information comes out about the Curse of the Wulfen campaign book, the less I feel like shelling out the cash for it. Like most gamers I have other game systems crying out for my hobby money, which is ever shrinking due to family commitments.<br />
<br />
The limited edition Curse of the Wulfen camaign book (pictured above) looks absolutely stunning, however the actual contents is a bit disappointing from the point of view of a player.<br />
<br />
I'm more than happy to shell out £35 for a box of 5 Wulfen, even through I think that price is a bit excessive, but what will I get for shelling out another £45 on the standard campaign book. I will get:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPa1b25nzTAT9jSJifvT9c9yGuNwWDeVwJZKHK7h4BMp3AeZzbVywRui1GSLbVsfXmVO3jAXNUhtBtC_Og4WW1IvVxRzXPVdf-V9LzvLSqQFqq_TOQHXU1Ti5wBa53m7kSldLeV8EN5Y/s1600/Fenris+Campaign+-+Wulfen+Background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPa1b25nzTAT9jSJifvT9c9yGuNwWDeVwJZKHK7h4BMp3AeZzbVywRui1GSLbVsfXmVO3jAXNUhtBtC_Og4WW1IvVxRzXPVdf-V9LzvLSqQFqq_TOQHXU1Ti5wBa53m7kSldLeV8EN5Y/s400/Fenris+Campaign+-+Wulfen+Background.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Includes background, so spoiler alert, don't click on the pic to make it bigger and (just about) readable<br />if you don't want to see the Wulfen background from White Dwarf]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The rules for the Wulfen - which I can get from White Dwarf</li>
<li>Some nice background, that probably the equivalent of any 40k novel</li>
<li>Some extra Echo of War missions, that I have never seen anybody play, and would rather play any number of alternative missions I already have</li>
<li>Some new formations "based on the Great Companies"</li>
<li>Lots of Daemon rules, formations & background that I am not that concerned about</li>
</ul>
For me, who's into playing with my Space Wolves, and not interested in Daemons, I don't think I get much over the £4 cost a White Dwarf for the Wulfen rules.<br />
<br />
Unless the formations are very good that I want to put them in my army I won't be buying this £45 campaign book. I was tempted with the Tau one, but this was has so little content that I probably won't get it even if one of the formations is very good, because £45 for a formation is more than my hobby budget can justify, when then is so much more that I can get for £45. That £45 may still get spent in GW (eg. it's half way towards a Stormsurge, it's a second Ghostkeel, or second unit of Wulfen with change to spare for other games), but is this campaign book the best way to spend £45 on the hobby.<br />
<br />
<b><i>I just can't see that I'll get much enjoyment out of this campaign book for £45.</i></b><br />
<br />
On the other hand if I had a Daemon army I would be tempted with their limited edition box set, which comes with a small format codex, all the daemon rules from Curse of the Wulfen (6 Dataslates and 10 formations), plus all the tokens, Warlord Traits and Tactical cards:<br />
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<br />
So will you be buying the Curse of the Wulfen campagn book, and why ?<br />
<br />
I think the Wulfen themselves will sell well, but I'm not so sure about the campaign book, what's your thoughts ?<br />
<br />
RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-87804319620093032072016-01-29T04:36:00.000+00:002016-02-01T17:03:45.672+00:00Hunter Contingent [Tau] - Part 3 (Coordinated Firepower - how do you play yours ?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFSgJwdQrTsvuHwkBKuWWho8Shpx4mhvYBwfU1HgM_tlO6Z18css8U9QlYlhyEfPeZjcbH-EtiR6DEOry0gT74lsam60OF5CA72BEws0DgKLsKZ76C6QUUhzJYEJvkfsFjmJa5aAq2WI/s1600/Firepower+%2528Ship%2529+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFSgJwdQrTsvuHwkBKuWWho8Shpx4mhvYBwfU1HgM_tlO6Z18css8U9QlYlhyEfPeZjcbH-EtiR6DEOry0gT74lsam60OF5CA72BEws0DgKLsKZ76C6QUUhzJYEJvkfsFjmJa5aAq2WI/s400/Firepower+%2528Ship%2529+Pic.jpg" width="330" /></a></div>
<br />
So after looking at the Core formation for the Hunter Contingent (and the change to our previous formation, <a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/hunter-contingent-tau-part-1-overview.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and the imho the best of the new formation in the codex (<a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/hunter-contingent-tau-part-2-best-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>), it's time to look at the main reason to take the Hunter Contingent, the Coordinated Firepower rule.<br />
<br />
As well as being able to reroll your Warlord Trait, the other rule of the overarching Hunter Contingent is the Coordinated Firepower rule:<br />
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<br />
At first glance, and I mean glance it appears to be a nice fluffy rule that rewards combining units to boost accuracy, and will help Tau take down big deathstars. Against smaller units it has to be carefully used not to cause massive overkill, eg. in most situations if I fire my Riptide and my 2 units of Broadsides at a unit they are normally dead whether I have any buffs or not.<br />
<br />
Overwhelming consensus is that Rule As Written (RAW) this rules means exactly what it says, but one of my favourite quotes from all of the reviews I've watched and the people I've talked to is from Matt from Miniwargaming where he adds "but sure as hell there's no way I'm playing it as that".<br />
<br />
When you take this RAW interpretation, it's like going down the rabbit hole when the implications are considered. As well as my explanation here's a good series of videos by Minwargaming, where Matt (who started Tau a few months ago) goes through the new rules with Dave (a Choas worhipping fish-face hater - well as nice one at least):<br />
<br />
Miniwargaming Tau Review (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dTCkAHz7K4&list=PLliZQodsai-jx8FpVzIMLysQYdw4jESAC" target="_blank">here</a>), including the episode where they discuss the codex and the Coordinated Firepower rule (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE1nOM71ddM&list=PLliZQodsai-jx8FpVzIMLysQYdw4jESAC&index=5" target="_blank">here</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 1 - Targets Locks and Split Fire</b><br />
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<br />
The background to the Coordinated Firepower is that by working together and sharing targeting data the Tau become more accurate, well it makes them better at shooting that guardsmen :)<br />
<br />
This kind of goes out the window when you look at the availability of Target Locks, which allows a model to fire at different target to the rest of their unit (and costs 5 points per Commander/Crisis/Ghostkeel/Broadside Suit). Although most suits would give up the opportunity to get Early Warning Overrides (giving Interceptor) it can completely negate the issue that the units combining fire have to fire at the same unit to get the benefits.<br />
<br />
An example is a Crisis Suit unit of 9 models, 8 have target locks. They combine fire with 2 units of drones at one target to get +1 BS. Now RAW the Crisis Suit unit gets +1 BS because their combining targeting data etc. BUT 8 of the crisis suits can fire at different targets, which begs the question why are they getting +1 BS. When you combine this with the Stormsurge being able to fire each weapon at different targets you could have a sizable portion of a Tau army firing at loads of targets all getting +1 BS.<br />
<br />
My personal preference would be the rule to be amended that only "models" firing at the target of the Coordinated Firepower get the benefits.<br />
<br />
However we're just started, lets take it to Stage 2<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 2 - Conferring Universal Special Rules</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp428hCsAO1OZYYDhyphenhyphenySr2WqfK-KnMIrmHbi_rJb-7CHP1Zxq7hS3xbqxQ2HN6cjJVgprV96uL8D47V8LusMceopCGFeAH1FIxACmoB4X4CqswCeTZSOuVJNpGPKuhYlocSyoODllg_o/s1600/I+Love+USR+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp428hCsAO1OZYYDhyphenhyphenySr2WqfK-KnMIrmHbi_rJb-7CHP1Zxq7hS3xbqxQ2HN6cjJVgprV96uL8D47V8LusMceopCGFeAH1FIxACmoB4X4CqswCeTZSOuVJNpGPKuhYlocSyoODllg_o/s400/I+Love+USR+Pic.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
The Tau get access to two good Universal Special Rules (USRs) which are conferable on the rest of the unit; Tank Hunter & Monster Hunter. The only two main ways to get these rules are to use the Firebase Support Cadre or for a Commander or Crisis Shas'vre to take the Signature System (relics in other codexes) Puretide Engram Chip.<br />
<br />
The Firebase Support Cadre has to fire all <i>models</i> in the whole formation at the same target to get Monster Hunter and Tank Hunter (much reduced from it's previous incarnation when they got Tank Hunter and Preferred Enemy (Space Marines) inanely. The rule is good against deathstars, but against other opponents is overkill, after all if you fire 2 broadside units and a riptide at a single unit it is very normally dead without any buffs. In my last game I combined fire once to get Monster Hunter against a formation of a Talos, Cronos Pain Engine & a character that was a single unit, and I never combined to get tank hunter as it was just overkill against the Dark Eldar vehicles. It has to be an av12 or 13 vehicle that is very important for me to kill to fire 500 points of what most people would agree is 2 of the best units in the Tau codex at.<br />
<br />
The other main option is the Puretide Engram Chip this can be used more easily, at the expense that it's normally on a Commander. Here even though GW has been asked and responded that there is nothing to FAQ with the rule and it means exactly what it says, can a piece of wargear that was worth 15 points in the old codex where it could only affect one unit really still be worth 15 points when it can affect multiple units.<br />
<br />
One last way to get Tank Hunter is to take te Special Character upgrade Longstrike on a Hammerhead, as he also has Tank Hunter.<br />
<br />
Lastly Tau Battlesuits also have Night Vision, this confers to the rest of the unit once one member has it, so Crisis suits combining fire with Fire Warriors for example would confer Night Vision on the Fire Warriors, by RAW.<br />
<br />
<br />
and this is where it gets crazy...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 3 - Wargear that Affects the Rest of the Unit</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyrMH5rBmRHyPGtzM8zv0sCap6aqkJlIQMjUw2t61VEYkTKRFewbHDgSlbv4E6MuHtQCBl3TVNqDQSjnAnVXbkYDliLdFBwMuAVtKQFThRz1suBEaLjPn_87Dy7X9BIJ74ozMaqK0rEw/s1600/Tau+Commander+from+Dawn+of+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyrMH5rBmRHyPGtzM8zv0sCap6aqkJlIQMjUw2t61VEYkTKRFewbHDgSlbv4E6MuHtQCBl3TVNqDQSjnAnVXbkYDliLdFBwMuAVtKQFThRz1suBEaLjPn_87Dy7X9BIJ74ozMaqK0rEw/s400/Tau+Commander+from+Dawn+of+War.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The issue here is the sheer number of combinations, and for wargear that was pointed when it could only affect one unit, it seems unbelievable that GW would think they would be fine at the same cost if they have the possibility to affect many units.<br />
<br />
The list of wargear that confer benefits on the rest of the unit (and therefore by RAW all the units combining in the Coordinated Firepower attack):<br />
<br />
Command & Control Node (Signature System): Once the bearer does not shoot all other models in his unit gain twin-linked<br />
<br />
Multi Spectrum (Signature System): Once the bearer does not shoot all other models in his unit gain ignore cover<br />
<br />
Drone Controller (Battlesuit Support System): All other drones in the unit use the bearers Ballistic Skill (BS)<br />
<br />
Pulse Accelerator (Exclusive to a Drone only allowed useable by Pathfinders): The range of all pulse weapons are extended by 6" - this was intended for the Pathfinders 18" range pulse carbines, however by combining fire with fire warriors it will extend their pulse rifles to 36" range<br />
<br />
<br />
and when we want to get really crazy we have Dark Strider's (an HQ Special Character, that is the cost of 2 Ethereals) Structural Analyser. This item reduced the enemy's toughness value you use to wound against by 1, which also counts for instant death. Marines would now count as T3. This is not too bad (and to be fair I've never seen Dark Strider being used) when he could only effect one unit, because he also had the restriction that he could only join Fire Warriors and Pathfinders. However now he can be in a Fire Warrior unit that combines fire with a Broadside team or a squad or Riptides/Stormsurges, in those example the -1 toughness would be huge.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>How Have Others Ruled It</b><br />
<br />
We have the Independant Tournament Circuit rules pack, that is big in the US, and it used as the basis of the majority of the tournaments in the US:<br />
<br />
Frontline Gaming ITC (Independent Tournament Circuit), <a href="https://www.frontlinegaming.org/community/frontline-gamings-independent-tournament-circuit/" target="_blank">link here</a>,<br />
<br />
The ITC tries to give FAQs but also adds comp by modifying rules, examples include that the Invisibility spell reduced shots to BS1 rather than Snap Shots (meaning blasts can now by used against Invisible units), and 2+ rerollable saves only pass the reroll on a 4+.<br />
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The ITC had a vote on how they wanted the Coordinated Firepower rule to be played (not what RAW was). In that case the vote was a narrow win that it should only give the +1 BS and joint use markerlight abilities.<br />
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The other big ruling organisation is the European Team Championships, which has a very comprehensive Composition (Comp) pack:<br />
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Current (as at 24th Jan '16) ETC Rules Document: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzus0DMobfGYLWJMbVY0ZS1nZUk/view" target="_blank">link here</a><br />
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Within in this they have ruled the same as the ITC that the Coordinated Firepower only gives the +1 BS and the ability to jointly use markerlights.<br />
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Strangely neither changes the wording of the rule to stop target locks getting round the ability of target lock members to benefit to from the +1 BS (as it is conveyed on the unit) even through they are not firing at the target of the Coordinated Firepower attack.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
Basically with most issues with 40k, it comes down to what type of game you want to have with your opponent. If it's a nice friendly game I would advice only using the +1 BS and jointly using markerlights. If you are using no-Comp balls to wall type lists and practising for a no-Comp tournament, and the opponents has the type of list that has stuff like D-Scythe Wraithguard deepstriking without scatter confered from attached Dark Eldar characters or unkillable Necron deathstars then you may want to play Rules As Written (RAW). At the end of the day it's best to have a conversation with your opponent before the game starts, rather than these situations come up in the middle of the game. They may not like the ability but at least they know to expect it.<br />
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So far I have only played the Coordinated Firepower as it giving the +1 BS and joinly using markerlights, but then I haven't played a cut-throat game, and even them I would have the conversation with my opponent first.<br />
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If you going to a tournament and your note sure on their ruling I would e-mail them before hand for a ruling (and have it printed out ready to let you opponent know at the start of each game). It not only saves arguments, but it may impact how you build you army list.<br />
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<b>Questions to Agree With An Opponent or Check with a Tournament Organiser:</b><br />
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First quote the whole rule, particularly the "resolving their shots as a single unit" part, then:<br />
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1) The +1 BS conferred by the Coordinated Firepower rule is given to the whole unit. If a member uses a target lock (or other ability) to fire on a different target do they still receive the +1 BS ?<br />
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2) Do Universal Special Rules that confer to the rest of the unit if one member has it (eg. Tank Hunter) confer to all units combining in the Coordinated Firepower Attack ?<br />
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3) Does wargear that affects the rest of the model's unit confer to all units combining in a Coordinated Firepower attack ?<br />
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With these questions sorted out before you start playing, it will lead to better games where both you and your opponent can focus on rolling nice and moving plastic models round the table, rather than arguing over rules (when it crucial to an in-game event) or one player fun being soiled by what they believe is a Over the Top rule.<br />
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Hope this helps show the full implications of playing the Coordinated Firepower rule as written, and what to clarify before a game starts.<br />
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Now off to bed for me, one more day of work, a bit of painting tomorrow evening, and then my Tau get a run out in a 1 day tournament :)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1S9LD2-NjldXgvG4iFSisMVirM08SgczApA-9d9Vbi-IfyKAyYLh1AjBEh4o16dO_hzJhX9Unr4-U-BJyiLy4zvfywsiRzPk6uojJWpbD8D_SJAJdbGPRM-yDiEXFplK2P83WKX8mYAM/s1600/My+Tau+1500+Point+Army+%2528Jan+2016%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1S9LD2-NjldXgvG4iFSisMVirM08SgczApA-9d9Vbi-IfyKAyYLh1AjBEh4o16dO_hzJhX9Unr4-U-BJyiLy4zvfywsiRzPk6uojJWpbD8D_SJAJdbGPRM-yDiEXFplK2P83WKX8mYAM/s400/My+Tau+1500+Point+Army+%2528Jan+2016%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[My 1500 point Tau army, set-up for their practice game, last Tuesday]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-59523728034964770542016-01-27T17:02:00.000+00:002016-02-10T12:14:47.219+00:00New [Space Wolf] Wulfen First Impressions (Updated with Curse of the Wulfen & Weapon Option Rules)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXDqYe5lyhoU2bwsHKPlLmMchbvlsS6LK8YOLjjN4hyphenhyphenU6WagKvaCYCez87gZeiaXUN24YCbvvjSjx7KQFpSlHUB6yMO8UMuYfM7ZmFcYjGhNbjFTGQcEhJSQWL4w3l4BVikt3Y0WwKRY/s1600/Wulfen+Rules+%2528German%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXDqYe5lyhoU2bwsHKPlLmMchbvlsS6LK8YOLjjN4hyphenhyphenU6WagKvaCYCez87gZeiaXUN24YCbvvjSjx7KQFpSlHUB6yMO8UMuYfM7ZmFcYjGhNbjFTGQcEhJSQWL4w3l4BVikt3Y0WwKRY/s400/Wulfen+Rules+%2528German%2529.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[Click on pic to see it large to make out the Wulfen stats]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Rumours of new Space Wolves have been doing the rounds the last few weeks, which have coalesced into the rumour of a new campaign book featuring the Space Wolves and Daemons. However more concrete evidence was light on the ground until this morning when I came across the pic above courtesy of the Space Wolves Blog Facebook page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SpaceWolves/" target="_blank">link here</a>).</div>
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The pic is from the German White Dwarf, and the Space Wolves Facebook page gives the following translation:</div>
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"Special rules:</div>
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Berserker</div>
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Know no Fear</div>
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Curse of the Wulfen</div>
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Counterattack</div>
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Sharp senses</div>
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Feel no Pain</div>
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Bulky</div>
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Todesraserei/Deathfrenzy: If a model in this unit is killed it can move up and attack at the end of the current initiative step. This even applies if the model already has attacked.”</div>
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Weite Sprünge/Leaping Bounds: This unit can run and attack. It also reroll failed charge rolls.</div>
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Options:</div>
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May contain up to 5 more Wulfen…. 30p/m</div>
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Each model may take a salvo grenade launcher 2p/m</div>
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Each model may take one of the following:</div>
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Two Handed Frost Axe 8p/m</div>
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Two Wolf Claws 12p/m</div>
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Thunderhammer and Stormshield 20p/m</div>
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One Wulfen can be upgraded to Wulfen-Pack Leader with two Frost Claws 20p</div>
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This unit may take a stormwolf as a dedicated transport"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa3i4TElmQx7eDEqrESINCJDJWTMr4ET6c-uYEEDkReU8n5Ip3Ce8M7tSBdaPYk81kQnqJDNgvyoG-_D0QsOpVTl1L97CiVE4B_F-SV_K2XZl-jw6cDobIkaYsk8fUWo_X79S_Zu37GE/s1600/Closer+Inspection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa3i4TElmQx7eDEqrESINCJDJWTMr4ET6c-uYEEDkReU8n5Ip3Ce8M7tSBdaPYk81kQnqJDNgvyoG-_D0QsOpVTl1L97CiVE4B_F-SV_K2XZl-jw6cDobIkaYsk8fUWo_X79S_Zu37GE/s400/Closer+Inspection.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Initial Impression</b></div>
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For this initial impression I'm going to assume the unit has rending (maybe it's part of the Curse of the Wulfen rule), so my view may change if they don't have that.</div>
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<i>Update: It appears that the Wulfen do not have rending, but for 30 points they still have a nice number of str5 attacks. However the rules for the weapon options, which I think combined with the Death Frenzy rule (see above) gives them a nice boost, see below, with the icing on the cake being the buff to nearby units in the Curse of the Wulfen rule (see below).</i></div>
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The obvious comparison is to Thunderwolf Cavalry, our go to assault unit. Both are 2 wounds, and are designed to kill things in assault. The Wulfen come off significantly cheaper to start with 30pts vs 40pts), however the Thunderwolves win when it comes to natural speed and toughness.</div>
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The T4, 4+ save & Feel No Pain is not as good as T5 and 3+ save. The Feel No Pain is nice, but I believe it doesn't make up for the worse toughness and save. The Thunderwolves also get the option to pick stormshields on their own.</div>
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Thunderwolves move 12" in the movement phase compared to the Wulfen's 6". The Wulfen ability to run and charge is nice, but they need to roll a 6 for the run to be as fast as the Thunderwolves, and outside of charging the Thunderwolves are on average 7" faster a turn (being fleet the Thunderwolves normally get a inch further with their run moves on average).</div>
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The Thunderwolves also do well when in comes to attacks getting 6 attacks on the charge compared to the Wulfen's 4, plus there's the warlord trait (that 2 special characters come with) that makes the Thunderwolves even better on the charge.</div>
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The weapon options are nice on the Wulfen, and are comparable to the Thunderwolf options, however they are slightly cheaper meaning a tooled up wulfen unit will be much cheaper than a simularly tooled up Thunderwolf unit. Another bonus is that the smaller size will make the Wulfen easier to hide around terrain.</div>
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Overall I don't think the Wulfen top Thunderwolves (if the rules for the Thunderwolves do not get worse in the update). The Wulfen are stunning models, and they would be good as a second assault unit after thunderwolves, as they are cheaper and occupy an Elites slot.</div>
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As they occupy an elites slot you could take other Fast Attack slots (eg. flyers, Swiftclaws etc.) rather than a second thunderwolf unit, or more likely you could split your thunderwolves into smaller units, eg. instead of having a thunderwolf unit, a fenrisian wolves unit and a skyclaw unit in fast attack, you could drop the skyclaws for wulfen allowing the thunderwolves to be split into 2.</div>
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My last concern with the wulfen is how to transport them to get them across the battlefield fast enough. They can take a Stormwolf as a dedicated transport and another option would be the landraider. A Landraider crusader with 8 wulfen coming out would be a scary opponent, and I think that will be the best way to use them. The Stormwolf is nice, but it has one turn zooming (after it comes on) where it is a sitting duck for enemy anti air, which would be a tempting target as the enemy would kill around 500 points if they killed the flyer. The flyer itself; is around 250 points and then each model inside takes a str10 (and I beleive ap2) hit which would instant kill the Wulfen allowing no save or Feel No Pain.</div>
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I do think the comparison to Thundrwolves is a bit harsh, as Thunderwolves are undoubtedly a very good unit. Now the Wulfen are good, it's just in my mind they don't top the Thunderwolves for the 1st choice for an assault unit, however they should be in the running for a second assault unit to put into your army. After all, after a landraider has moved them 18" closer to the enemy on the first turn, they are ready for a turn 2 charge, and they epitomise Space Wolves in assault.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtcFINPm5Zpatb3z6NBPmqtPUnZyzc2FMtzlOQyd14oJn6o7wjyDkP4NXBtIS_vELQbOVQ9qPyMFC1IidlvOCNUVU4zBUdgiNqD-CjGMoUw66yXOzqMe491NpL7uOiQU5XFw3cp2Fbto/s1600/Space+Wolf+vs+Tyranid+Ravenor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtcFINPm5Zpatb3z6NBPmqtPUnZyzc2FMtzlOQyd14oJn6o7wjyDkP4NXBtIS_vELQbOVQ9qPyMFC1IidlvOCNUVU4zBUdgiNqD-CjGMoUw66yXOzqMe491NpL7uOiQU5XFw3cp2Fbto/s400/Space+Wolf+vs+Tyranid+Ravenor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm seen people take large bloodclaw units in Landraider Crusaders, and I think Wulfen would be perfect to replace them. I'll definitely be picking up this unit to add to my Space Wolves, will you ? A great excuse to finish off painting my landraider crusader.</div>
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<i>Update: The weapon options include the following:</i></div>
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<i>"Weapon Rules:</i></div>
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<i>Salvo Grenade Launcher: 12", S4, AP5, Assault D3, assault grenades in close combat</i></div>
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<i>Frost Claws: +1S, AP2, Shred</i></div>
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<i>Stormhammer: X2 S, Concussive, Helfrost</i></div>
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<i>Two-Handed Frost Axe: +3S, AP2, Unwieldy, Merciless Swing (Strike at normal Initiative when charging)"</i></div>
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<i>What immediately jumps out is the Two Handed Frost Axe, which is Str8 Ap2 and keeps Initiative 5 on the charge. The Pack Leader with 2 Frost Claws is also a steal at 20 pts. Next we have the buffs from the Curse of the Wulfen rules:</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>"Curse of the Wulfen:</i></div>
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<i>ALL non vehicle models within 6" affected.</i></div>
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<i>Blood Claws, Skyclaws, Swift Claws affected within 12"</i></div>
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<i>Long Fangs affected with 3"</i></div>
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<i>Wulfen, Servitors and units that start in transports are not affected.</i></div>
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<i>At the start of the player turn, roll a dice for ALL units. The affect lasts until your next player round.</i></div>
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<i>Units outside of combat roll on the Hunt Table.</i></div>
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<i>Units in combat roll on the Kill Table.</i></div>
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<i>Hunt</i></div>
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<i>1-3: re-roll failed charges and get Hammer of Wrath</i></div>
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<i>4-5: +3" when you move, run or charge.</i></div>
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<i>6: Furious Charge and +D3 attacks when charging, unless they have Rage</i></div>
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<i>Kill:</i></div>
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<i>1-3: +1 Initiative</i></div>
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<i>4-5: Re-roll to wound</i></div>
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<i>6: Death Frenzy (see Wulfen rules)"</i></div>
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<i>The rules for the Curse of the Wulfen makes the Wulfen a good force multiplier as well, if you have other assault units nearby the Wulfen they can give them some nice buffs, and as a Space Wolf player you're bound to have some extra assault units. Wolves and Cav units would benefit tremendously from the extra movement making them almost fly across the board (giving them an extra 6" of movement, from move and run or move and charge). plus the additional initiative would make them strike before other marines. However the gravy would be the possibility of a models gaining an extra D3 attacks each and Rage on the charge. Cav and Wolves would turn into complete blenders.</i></div>
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<i>Overall these extra rules (weapons and Curse of the Wulfen) have lefted the Wulfen in my eyes into a very nice unit. I'd still take Thunderwolf Cav first, but the Wulfen look like a very good choice for 2nd assault unit. I think they'll be replacing my Assault marines in my current list, which frees up a Fast Attack slot for a Drop for 5 of them to deepstrike in (another option for a small unit of them). It may be a small unit of 5 but it's still 10 wounds with Feel No Pain</i></div>
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I'm looking forwards to what else this Space Wolves update will bring, hopefully some formations will get leaked soon.</div>
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Rathstar</div>
Rathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4272385179509972181.post-20887120407112013242016-01-15T17:34:00.000+00:002016-01-15T17:34:38.957+00:00Hunter Contingent [Tau] - Part 2 (The Best of the New Formations)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6dxGO9acvUYbv4n6HZPw-Z-9m-BTHseKvGEfPl0TUONO_OTk4ABFJ8GUdLBLTOxsVtdv2gEFWUwZNyCEcsV0rN7nM5VT5KJmtCIUzlGeaJBK39AhDhBhaWf-YJ-YHd2_R7t23J1jXwo/s1600/Decloaking+Stealth+Suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6dxGO9acvUYbv4n6HZPw-Z-9m-BTHseKvGEfPl0TUONO_OTk4ABFJ8GUdLBLTOxsVtdv2gEFWUwZNyCEcsV0rN7nM5VT5KJmtCIUzlGeaJBK39AhDhBhaWf-YJ-YHd2_R7t23J1jXwo/s400/Decloaking+Stealth+Suit.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Well after looking at the basics of the Hunter Contingent, and the change to our pre-existing formation (<a href="http://rathstarramblings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/hunter-contingent-tau-part-1-overview.html" target="_blank">here</a>) it's time to look at the owww ahhhh part of the codex, with a look at what I think are the best of the remaining formations in the new Tau Codex<br />
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<b>Optimised Stealth Cadre</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfnHRZ_Zjbi8uRTr3v7F4OSiuDEzwEmmwnsHX3otDZfgprz7mml4wUDxcy3wd228Ag7ydUDCreJytYImMAqWXDqn-SUfhLAFmWyevfiN5gMr3XksBrNVyXIZvx3JEL0-cX4lYS1XygGM/s1600/Optimsed+Stealth+Cadre+Pic+%2528not+rules%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfnHRZ_Zjbi8uRTr3v7F4OSiuDEzwEmmwnsHX3otDZfgprz7mml4wUDxcy3wd228Ag7ydUDCreJytYImMAqWXDqn-SUfhLAFmWyevfiN5gMr3XksBrNVyXIZvx3JEL0-cX4lYS1XygGM/s400/Optimsed+Stealth+Cadre+Pic+%2528not+rules%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my favorite formation, it includes the stunning new Ghostkeel model, the formation is so good that it gets my XV15 Stealth suits that haven't seen a battlefield in years out of the case, it helps with anti-tank, and is very very markerlight efficient.<br />
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For this formation you will need a unit of Ghostkeels and two units of Stealth Suits. There is no restrictions on size of the formation so it can be as cheap as 310pts (however I think you should always upgrade the Ghostkeel's secondary weapon to at least a twin-linked burst cannon, making the minimum cost 315pts). What makes this formation so good is the Wall of Mirrors special rule:<br />
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Basically at the start of the game you should just tell your opponent that this formation will be activating the Wall of Mirrors every turn (as there is no downsides). It's interesting to note that the units in the formation do not have to fire at the same target to get the benefits, so you could fire at three different targets all with +1 BS, Ignore Cover and hitting rear armour. However if you do decide to all fire at the same unit then they can benefit from the Hunter Contingent's Co-ordinated Firepower rule to gain a further +1 BS to mean all the shots will be hitting on 2+. Hitting on 2's with Ignore Cover is like having 4 free markerlight tokens against any of the formations target - that is just a brilliant bonus.<br />
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Since the previous codex when broadside railguns were reduced from strength 10 to 8, Tau have struggled a bit with high value armour. A hammerhead is a bit expensive for 1 shot a turn that misses a third of the time. We were almost forced to take fusion guns and try to get within 9" to get the melta effect with either Piranhas or Crisis Suits. However most vehicles have low value rear armour, perfect examples being Predators, Necron vehicles with Quantum Shielding, Leman Russ tanks. For most of the these vehicles the rear armour is 2 to 3 points less than the front armour, meaning that the strength 5, 7 or 8 (all three units can get fusion weapons) guns in this formation could really do a number on them.<br />
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Lastly be aware that the Ghostkeel is the lynchpin of this formation. If the Ghostkeel's are dead the Wall of Mirrors does nothing, so if you opponent snipes your Ghostkeels you'll just be left with subpar Stealth Suits. Keep your Ghostkeel(s) safe (well as much as possible given the short range on the Ghostkeel's weapons). For this reason I think the formation really starts to shine when you put a 2nd Ghostkeel to the Ghostkeel unit, making it much harder to take out the Ghostkeel unit.<br />
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Burst Cannon or Fusion ??<br />
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This is more of a personal choice and will depend on the type of vehicles you normally encounter and how much anti-heavy tank firepower your army already has. With fusion to get the most of it you have to get within 9" for the melta ability to take effect, which may be dangerous.<br />
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Outside of 9" you may think that with ignore cover you'd want the AP1 of the fusion gun, however with four times the shots and a good strength of five, the burst cannon will kill as many marines as the fusion gun. Going against rear armour, in terms of stripping hull points the burst cannon does just as well as the fusion gun against anything it can hurt (AV10 & 11).<br />
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The fusion also has the chance of causing instant death to T3 and T4 models, but to start with I'm going to try saving points and just using the burst cannons. This will give my 315 point formation 6 str 7 shots and 30 str5 shots. I can't wait to assemble and paint my Ghostkeel so I can try it out.<br />
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<b>Retaliation Cadre</b><br />
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The biggest issue with this formation is that it is quite a large formation, which may make it hard to fit into a Hunter Contingent along side a Hunter Cadre*. The formation consists of a Commander, 3 units of Crisis Suits, a Broadside unit and a Riptide unit; taking the crisis suits as units of one, but giving them weapons will see the formation cost roughly 500-550points, and this will rise sharply if you add more crisis suits and additional wargear. Personally I also don't like spending too much on HQ characters and this formation forces you to bring a second commander* (after the one in the Hunter Cadre).<br />
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The whole formation gains Relentless (only really a factor for the Broadside, but a very nice buff). If the whole formation is kept in reserve then they all deepstrike on turn 2 automatically (even the Broadside) and get +1 BS on the turn they deepstrike.<br />
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Again nice benefits, and will cause absolute havoc the turn they deepstrike (with a guarantee that they will come in early). To make the most of this I would try to put a few homing beacons in your army. Ethereals, Tetras & Stealth Suits & Pathfinders (one of their special drones) can buy them. Also remember that a unit does not need to be on the table at the start of the turn for it's homing beacon to be used (unlike the Imperial equivalent) so you could deepstrike a Stealth unit with a Homing Beacon and then deepstrike Crisis Suits with 6" with no scatter (you just have the risk that the Stealth Suits arrive after turn 2).<br />
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Also be wary that deepstriking the formation will mean a large amount of points are off the board for what could be 2 enemy shooting phases, so you will have to build the rest of your army with this in mind.<br />
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* Both of these issues can be removed by playing the Dawn Blade Contingent from the Montka Campaign, for which the core formation can be the Retaliation Cadre.<br />
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I think the top 3 picks for formations to add to a Hunter Cadre to make a Hunter Contingent are the three already discussed (Firebase Support, Optimised Stealth & Retaliation), and along with the cheap Drone Network auxiliary choice, are the main ones you should choose between. There is however one more formation that I think is good, it's just very expensive to field:<br />
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<b>Heavy Retribution Cadre</b><br />
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This formation is expensive. It contains a unit of Ghostkeels and 2 units of Stormsurges, making the minimum points 850, and you will want to spend more on weapon and wargear upgrades (eg. replacing the flamer secondary weapons, giving the Stormsurges an invulnerable save etc.). To field the formation as pictured above (from the GW website) the unit would cost a minimum of 1110, and more importantly cost you £315 to buy.<br />
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Although the formation is (in my mind) impractical to field apart from in the largest of battles the formation rules are nice. The Stormsurges can reroll to hit against targets within 12" of any of the formation's Ghostkeels, plus if an enemy unit is fired on by 2 or more of the units in the formation then they can not Run or move Flat Our, plus must halve the results of charges range in their next turn (helpful to reduce their mobility and keep the Ghostkeels from being charged).<br />
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If you have big pockets and regularly play big games this formation may be worth it for you. However in smaller games I would rather have a Ghostkeel unit as part of the Optimised Stealth Cadre and not be forced to bring at least two Stormsurges.<br />
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Well that's it for the formations from the new Tau Codex that I believe are going to be used regularly. However that's not all the new formations that will be used in Tau armies. The Montka Campaign supplement gave us other formations, such as the Riptide Wing, Drone-Net VX1-0, Etheral Council & Ranged Support Cadre among others.<br />
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Next post I will go over the Co-ordinated Firepower rule and it's implications and then look at the additional formations in the Montka Campaign supplement.<br />
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What do you think of the formations I've dicussed ? Will you be using them ? Did I miss out a formation that you think is great ? Let me know in the comments.<br />
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Until next time, happy gaming :)<br />
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RathstarRathstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08799690336241322474noreply@blogger.com0