One more revision to the Freebooterz list

As I was going back over my previous battles, I realized the one unit of boys really don't do a whole lot.  They purpose of them is to sit back and wait until the shooting has softened everything up.  But just one unit unsupported really doesn't do much.

But one thing I do need is more command points. That means another Battalion and 3 more troops choices.

That's 30 grots at 90pts.  Carefully going over my list the only things I could drop would be either half the boys or the traktor cannons.  I could possibly drop the biker boss but I do need to maintain 4 HQ choices.  Maybe someday I'll buy and 2nd SAG ~~

But enough blabber, here is the new list. 

Battalion Detachment
Kulture: Freebooterz
HQ: Big Mek on Bike, KFF, KMB, Big Choppa
HQ: Warboss on bike, PK, Da Killa KlawTroops: 15 Boys, Tankbusta bomb, Nob w/BC
Troops: 10 Grots
Troops: 10 Grots

Battalion Detachment
Kulture: FreebooterzSpecialist Detachment: Dread Mob (-1CP)
HQ: Big Mek w/SAG, Da Souped Up Shokka (-1CP)

Troops: 10 Grots
Troops: 10 Grots
Troops: 10 Grots

Fast: 2x Shokkjump Dragstas
Fast: 2x Megatrakk Scrapjets

Heavy: Gorkanaut
Heavy: 4x Mek Gunz, 2x Traktor kannon 2x Smasha Gunz

Air Wing Detachment
Kulture: Freebooterz
Dakkajet 6x supashootas
Dakkajet 6x supashootas
Wazbomb Blastajet, KFF, Wazbomb mega kannons, smasha gun

1998 pts, 104 PL, 14(-2) CP

I still have the small unit of boys to jump and assault, but now I also have more units of grots for both grot shield and jumping on to objectives (which was VERY effective late game).

But mainly losing a bit of CC power for a 50% jump in CP is a pretty good trade off IMO.

First Kill Team

So after pouring over the Kill Team rules, I think I've come up with a good starting point.

Boss Nob - Big Choppa, Kombi-Skorcha (Demolitions specialist)
Kommando Nob, PK (combat specialist)
Kommando x3
Loota x2
Loota Spanner, KMB (Comms specialist)
Grot x4 (one of which is leader)


Notes:
-Having a nob as leader sounds like a bad idea, because you will want them up front and in the enemy's face. Not worth losing the extra command point
-Grots are there for grot shield.
-Comms spec is going to be very important to orks, with the tactic to get the -1 to nerve tests, and giving a loota +1 to hit
-Kombi-skorcha with demo will almost always wound on 2+
-I don't see needing heavy spec anywhere.

I have yet to play but hopefully soon!

The conundrom of the Darkshroud

I had my first game with the Darkshround and it's everything I could have hoped for. Against Tau it was nice making her use markerlights just to hit on 4+ again.

The problem I have is with my list. I have 2 distinct parts. A firebase powered by Azrael, and a mobile Ravenwing force powered by Samael.

The conundrum comes at wanting to keep everything under the Darkshroud. It just isn't possible. I like to advance the Ravenwing so they get the Jink save, and then use Speed of the Raven to be fully effective. 

The worst option is to have 2 darkshrouds.  They are far too expensive for that.  The 2nd option is to forgo the firebase and make a more mobile in general.  I think pure Ravenwing won't work but having Azrael run with Hellblasters instead of static with lascannons.  But lascannons sure make up for being able to use Weapons from the Dark Age only once.

The last option is just to keep the Darkshroud where it is needed the most. Against heavy targets keeping the lascannons under protection and keeping it with the Ravenwing when needed - but avoiding trying to do both. 

The Ork Horde - Tournament viable?

Green Tide is a popular way to play Orks under 8th edition, and I can't disagree with the effectiveness.  Now there are a lot of pros and cons to the list.

First, let's start with what I've been playing:

Battalion Detachment 1
HQ: Warboss, Attack Squig, Headwoppa's Killchoppa
HQ: Wierdboy
HQ: Boss Snikrot

Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 slugga boyz, nob w/pk

Elite: Painboy

Battalion Detachment 1
HQ: Big Mek, KFF
HQ: Big Mek, KFF
HQ: Wierdboy

Troop: 30 Shoota boyz, 3x rokkit, nob w/pk
Troop: 30 Shoota boyz, 3x rokkit, nob w/pk
Troop: 10 grots

Elite: Painboy
Elite: 15 Kommandoz, 2x burna, Nob /pk
Elite: Nob w/waggh! banner

Heavy: 2 KMK
Heavy: 3 lobba

1999pts, 123 PL, 9 command points
The plan seems obvious.  Boys sit under the KFF/Painboy and then move forward with the option of jumping to back up the kommandos.  Killing that many models is a problem for most, but not all armies.

So far my toughest matchup was Mortarian, which in CC can pretty much guarantee 17-18 dead boys a turn (18 attacks, hitting and wounding on 2+, both with re-roll 1s) plus auto mortal wounds and debuffs.

The question of taking out big models.  Sure, 100+ attacks sounds good but when wounding on 6's there is a limit.  The KMK seems the best way so I might change out the lobbas for more of them.  Or drop the rokkets in the boys mobs and lobbas for a unit of tankbustas hiding in the mob. But that kind of tweaking is also a matter of personal preference.

The biggest problem with this list is the number of drops. Almost always guaranteed to go second, which in 8th is a problem.  The 2nd biggest problem only applies to ITC, where the list seems to actively try to give up points to my opponent with 7 units of 10+ models and 9 characters!

I would also like to add another unit of kommandos for mob up purposes, a unit of 25 with a snikrot buff and jumping the banner (maybe a 2nd banner?) for a lot of goodness.

Anyway, what tweaks to be made?

My Top 5 X-Wing abilities I want to see in Star Trek: Attack Wing

Time for another STAW top 5!

I did play X-Wing for a while, but just could not keep up financially with yet another game so I sold everything off.  However there are a lot of cool abilities that would translate well to Attack Wing, either on a ship, captain or Elite Talent.

Honerable mention goes to: Veteran Instincts, Mangler cannon.

Anyway off to the list:

5: Pure Sabacc
This is a great ship ability, especially on a smaller ship in the 3-4 hull range.  Would be great on something like a Maquis Raider for example.

4: The Inquisitor

This is more of a captain ability then anything else, but it's another way to get +1 attack die for free.  Also could be ruled to get around the range 2 limit on Borg.

3: Bodhi Rook
A new card for X-Wing but would be a good crew ability, being able to toss around a target lock when out of position is a cool but not over powered ability.

2. Push the Limit

Yes, this ability is already in STAW with the Hathaway, but it's such a good ability it needs to be an Elite Talent so anyone can use it.  In fact, whenever I do it playing the Hathaway, I even say "push the limit"!

 

1: Keyan Farlander

While this a decent ability in X-Wing, it could be potentially game-breaking in Attack Wing.  Definitely a captain skill to keep it unique.  However the potential to give some ability to those wallowing Cardasian ships with red turns, or getting an effective battlestation on a k-turn, the possibilities are endless.

Buliding an Ork dakka list for ITC

I had not realized that ITC now allows taking two CaDs.  I don't know when that changed, but it allows me try and build a dakka-heavy list.

The biggest roadblock was the fact that both lootas and mek guns are heavy support. Being able to run two cads gives me both ObSec and 6 heavy slots - which is exactly what I need.

I did have to fill out 4 troop slots, so I wanted both hitting power and speed. Mixing up large mobs with Trukk boys was the way to go.

The obvious way to protect the firebase is a Void Shield Generator, especially since ITC is still not using the draft faq's.

Lastly, only bringing 54 boys means I don't have a lot of models. So I decided to back up the boys with some summoned deamons!  Thus two wierdboys.

And finally, the list:

CaD-1
HQ: Warboss: pk, bosspole, 'eavy armor, lucky stikk
HQ: Painboy

Troop: 30 'ard slugga boyz, Nob w/PK&BP
Troop: 10 grots

Heavy: 10 lootas
Heavy: 10 lootas
Heavy: 10 lootas

Fortification: VSG, 2 extra shields, 1 barricade section.

CaD-2
HQ: Wierdboy, level 2
HQ: Wierdboy, level 2

Troop: 12 'ard slugga boys, Nob w/PK&BP, Trukk w/ram
Troop: 12 'ard slugga boys, Nob w/PK&BP, Trukk w/ram

Heavy: 5 Mek Gunz, lobba, 5 ammo runts
Heavy: 2 Mek Gunz, kannon, 2 ammo runts
Heavy: 3 Mek Gunz, KMK, 3 ammo runts

I don't have a lot of stuff to summon, only 10 pink horrors and 19 deamonettes, but that's enough to provide very good support and take pressure off the boyz.

This gives me a strong balance of assaulty, shooty and survivability. I probably can't deal with 4 gattling cannons but I'll give it a try!

Orks in the ITC

After a month of muckin' about with da fisheads' it's time to get back to da Waagghh!

Well, to be honest it's because I don't have the models to play the Tau as competitive as I would like..so ya.

Anyway I'm still trying to build up an Ork list for playing in competitive ITC tournaments.  Watching the other lists play I've started to build up my own version, and so far so good.

First, I have to admit I've been totally missing out on the amazeballs that is Tankbustas. Not for any particular reason, but just..well..dunno lol.

Sure, the first game I tried them they didn't have much to do, but that may change.  Also, I need more of them. Right now I have 1 unit of 12, and another unit being worked on. Plus 9 rokkit boys from my 3 main infantry squads.  So since I have 3 units, that's the way I'm going.  Backed up with some lootas as well.

The sad thing is really the start of any competitive Ork list must be Zhadsnark.  You must have the speed to avoid being shot off the table before you can get where you need to be.  A green tide may work, but you'll be investing so much there isn't much left to get objectives, IMO.

Bikes as ObSec troops though is nothing to laugh at..with the speed and survivability to grab those maelstrom points. A unit of 3 can be quite the thorn especially for the low low price of 54 pts..especially doing things like absorbing overwatch.

Anyway those are my thoughts, now the list:

Ork Horde Detachment:
HQ: (warlord) Zhadsnark "Da Rippa"
HQ: Painboy, warbike  *goes without saying
HQ: Warboss, warbike, Da Lucky Stikk, bosspole  *the whole unit at WS5, wee!

Troops: 15 warbikes, nob w/PK&BP
Troops: 6 warbikes, nob w/PK&BP *after the big unit goes down, gives me a little redundancy
Troops: 3 warbikes

Elite: 8 tankbustas, Trukk w/ram
Elite: 8 tankbustas, Trukk w/ram

Heavy: 15 lootas

Fortification: Aegis

Great Waggh! Detachment:
HQ: Big Mek, Warbike, Big Bosspole, KFF, PK *gets a little spendy, but having the KFF (even the normal one) could add just enough resiliency against ignore cover.  Also, fearless FTW!
HQ: Painboy *I had the points, couldn't figure out what to use them on. Giving FNP to the lootas or maybe a tankbusta unit will be nice.

Troops: 10 Grots *little cheaper with the warbikes, and they can sit with the lootas or other objective.
Troops: 3 Warbikes

Elite: 8 tankbustas, Trukk w/ram

So that's it.  A bit different then what I played last week but much better overall.   We'll see how it goes. I still have no answer for a Centstar but meh whatever.

It's Tau-riffic Tau-tober!

With a new codex just around the corner, it's time to celebrate all things Tau!

Tau was just my 2nd army after Orks and I started off buying a collection all the way back in 2009. I do love me some Tau as being a completely different army then my Orks.  I also loved having Tau and Ork allies back in 6th edition..Nob bikers backed up with S10 railgun broadsides..whoohoo!

Anyway my first video of Tau-tober is up, going over the KV128 Stormsurge. Enjoy!

I like to play fast assault armies. Blood Angels/Space Wolves at 2k

Going into the final week of an escalation month (next month is all ITC 1850) I have built the final version of my BA/SW Deathstar list.

What can I say? I find that if you are going to play assault, what you need is SPEED.  That is where the Ork bike list is at it's best...run forward and then punch  you in the face.

In order to do that with something else I needed a fast, hard-hitting unit. There simply are not many of them, but in this case I found that Thunderwolves do the trick.

But you can't get FNP from the Space Wolf codex.

In comes Blood Angels.

I've shown my Sanguinary Priest and Librarian on bikes.  Dante is a LoW but is absolutely worth every bit of it..he's a pure beast.  If I can get The Quickening off he is potentially I9 with 9 attacks on the charge at S7/AP2. what?

I add in a liberal use of Drop Pods to make sure I can get objectives and/or get some decent shooting where I need it and away we go!

So here it is:

Primary: Combined Arms.

HQ: Sanguinary Priest (91).  Bike, Auspex, Bolt Pistol, Meltabombs
HQ: Librarian (110): Bike, level 2

Troop: 10 Tactical Marines (205)
Melta, combi-melta, heavy flamer, drop pod

Troop: 10 Tactical Marines (210)
Plasma, combi-plasma,heavy flamer, drop pod

Elite: 5 Sternguard (185)
3x Combi-flamer, heavy flamer, drop pod

Fast: 4 Bikes (124)
Combi-Grav, 2x Grav gun

Fast: RAS (100)
Meltagun, meltabombs

LoW: Dante (220)

Allied Detachment
HQ: Wolf Lord (215)
Thunderwolf mount, runic armor, storm shield, power fist

Troops 10 Grey Hunters (215)
2x meltagun, ccw, drop pod

Fast: 5 Thunderwolves (325)
5x Storm Shield, 2x Power Fist.

That's 4 drop pods, 3 with ObSec, and the Deathstar running at you full speed.  3++/5+ FNP!
I was originally going to do flyers (like 2 stormravens and 1 stormwolf) but that got way to expensive. 

I might still try to do that list, but I'll have to wait until I can afford a SW flyer.

Requiem for Zhadsnark 'Da Rippa'

Over the last couple months every list I've played has included Zhadsnark.  But that time is drawing to a close.  I still have OFCC left later this month I'm playing Zhadsnark with the Bully Boyz, and I could play him in league through the end of this month but I want to break out my other armies.

Other then a single game the day of the BA codex release, I've been playing Orks exclusively since the codex came out.  Sure I have used allies, but still mainly focused on Orks.

1. Zhadsnark himself is pretty damn good. 
The I4 S10 power fist with 4 base attacks at WS5 is completely amazing.  The skilled rider he grants to his unit is exactly what the Ork bikes need. I have never once scouted his unit, I simply see no need to do so.  He is totally worth the points and then some.

2.  Warbikes are simply the best unit in the codex, of that I have absolutely no doubt. 
Especially if they have a painboy to tag along.  The speed, resilience, firepower, and close combat ability all combine to what is as close to the perfect unit as you can get.  Being able to sink all your points into these guys instead of having to "waste" some on infantry makes Orks so much better.

3. An Ork warbike army has little need for a supporting cast.
Sure, you can have some variations with Bully Boyz, or a loota/mek gun fire base, but in the end they are really not needed.  I don't think I found any game where I was wishing I had more firepower.  The one exception to this is maybe some outflanking Defkoptas or Warbuggies... those fit in the theme and provide additional backfield pressure which could help if your bikes get mired in the middle.

4. More units is better.
The one flaw I found is having only large units of bikes.  This didn't give me enough units to deal with objectives over the course of a game.  That is why I started running 2 large units and a unit of 3.  I think 2 full units with painboys, and 2-3 units of 3 is the way to go in the future.  I just didn't have enough models to do more!

5. Orks need a formation to do a Warbike army without Zhadsnark.
This is really the most disappointing thing about the Ork book, especially compared to all the other books that have been released since then. The complete lack of formations, especially clan-based formations. After seeing the Ravenwing formation in the DA book - that's EXACTLY what I want for Orks (10 FA slots).  Most of the formations released for Orks in things like the Red Waaagh! are ok, at best.

Orks do need fixing to be truly competitive with books released since it came out.  Not anything major, a few tweaks and new formations would do it.  It was the first book of 7th, and it shows.

The Stompa will hit the table!

I will be shortly leaving for league night, which is playing under Frontline Gaming's rules for the LVO/BAO this month, in anticipation of a tournament on the 22nd (yes I'm going).

It took a while to build a list I liked while fitting in the Stompa. It's quite expensive in a 1850 list. But I finally did it.

Ork Horde Detachment
HQ: Big Mek, KFF, PK, Da finkin' cap, grot oiler, heavy armor
-moving away from da lucky stick, as I'm hoping the mek never makes it to combat. But has the PK just in case.  Who doesn't want a super heavy with an invul?

HQ: Painboy
HQ: Painboy, bike, bosspole

Troops: 30 Slugga boys, 'eavy armor, Nob w/PK&BP
Troops: 10 Grots
Troops: 10 Grots

-one unit of grots will ride along in the Stompa

Elite: 5 Burnaboyz, 3 Meks, 3 grot oilers
-Combined with the Big Mek, that's 4 repair chances a turn.

Fast: 13 Bikes, Nob w/PK&BP
These guys are too good to leave out.  Do you shoot at the bikes in your face or try to damage the Stompa before it gets to you? Also, fast objective grabbers.

LoW: Stompa, 2x supa-rokkits
-it's all about the stomping stompa

Looking at the guns of the Stompa, I almost gave up even trying to play with one.  It's got 2 main guns, 1 of which has a good chance of running out of ammo. That leaves a 7" S10 AP1 shot a turn. While it sounds cool, it still can only target 1 unit a turn.

The one thing I worry about more then anything is Knight Titans.  The only other thing I have to deal with them is Meganobz and those are at the mercy of the stomp table and how many 6's the other player rolls.

So I'll give this a try tonight. I don't think I'll do very well but the Stompa might just be enough of a psychological factor to give me an edge.

Ork Op Ed: Can you run super aggressive?

I've been playing a bit different last few games, running an aggressive assault army. So far, it's worked out pretty well, but won't work against everything.

Still, the idea of playing in-your-face is nothing new with Orks, but the new book allows for a level of durability never seen before from the boys.

Battlewagons, ho!

I've talked about Warbikes and durability.  Well, it wouldn't take much to really exploit this. Add in some troops in battlewagons and you will be playing the whole game on the other side of the table.

Ork Horde Detachment (2000pts)
Warboss, PK, Da Lucky Stikk, Warbike, bosspole
Painboy, Warbike, bosspole
Painboy, Warbike, bosspole

20 Slugga boys, 'eavy armor, Nob w/ PK&BP

20 Slugga boys, 'eavy armor, Nob w/ PK&BP
10 Grots/Runtherd

5 Meganobz
Battlewagon: Big shoota, reinforced ram

15 Warbikes , Nob w/ PK&BP
15 Warbikes , Nob w/ PK&BP
Battlewagon: Big shoota, reinforced ram
Battlewagon: Big shoota, reinforced ram

The one downside is not having any protection for the battlewagons, from like a KFF but hopefully some cover will be available. It's not an issue if you go first however.

But two full units of bikes, both with FNP and one with WS5 will be a huge threat.  But with the warboss tanking with his 3+ cover rerollable and FNP should mean that turn of shooting will be pretty much for naught.

The meganobz add in a little punch for tougher units, and after they get out you can always move a painboy over.

Orks have always wanted to play on the other side of the table, and now they might just be able to pull it off.

Ork Op Ed: Bikes are really good. Maybe the best unit in the Codex.

I recently made my Book of the Beast warbiker video, and after going over the rules it was obvious they are really good.

For my last couple of games, I've actually played them and theory translates into function even better then then I thought.

First, bikes are cheap.  They dropped 7 pts each from the previous book.  For that, they are T5, WS4, S4 on the charge with 3 base attacks.

Second, they are really survivable.  The aforementioned T5, a 4+ armor save and thanks to the new "exhaust cloud" rule they have a 3+ cover save when jinking.

Third, they still have great firepower with 3 twin-linked S5 AP5 shots each with a 30" threat range.  They can be a threat to most flyers with that..

Forth, they are FAST. Just like any bike the 24" a turn movement means you're in your opponents face right away. Did I mention they have 'ere we go, meaning they get to re-roll one charge die? On a BIKE!?!?  They are cheap enough and hardy enough to really be the hammer in the hammer and anvil. Boost them across the board while marching your infantry behind them.  Your opponent will be far to busy dumping firepower into the bikes to worry about anything else..

Last, you can really buff them up.  Now that you can take a painboy as a character, and give him a bike, giving the bike unit FNP is really amazing.

If you really want to go crazy give them a biker boss with Da Lucky Stikk for WS5 and LD9.  It will also allow the biker boss to tank those S10 shots!

The one downside is the low leadership.  Once they drop below 10 models it isn't hard for them to run away even with mob rule.  However if you have at least 10 models they won't run, as the S4 hits probably won't do very much with T5, 4+ armor and FNP.

So are they the best unit in the Codex?  I'm not sure, but it's hard to ignore all that speed, firepower, hitting power and survivability.

Chief Librarian Tigurius is broken.

just sayin'

So I've been contemplating using Ultramarines as an ally instead of Space Wolves. First, the Ultramarines are battle brothers meaning I can do a lot more.  The core though, is Tiguruis and his way broken ability to almost choose his powers.

First, the list (I don't own any riptides or I'd be using them):

Primary: Codex: Tau Empire
HQ (190): Commander
Iridium Armor, C&C Node, Purtide, Multi-spectrum sensor, shield gen, Vectored retro-thrusters
Standard buff commander. Due to Tigurius, does not need to be with the broadsides, so he can join any crisis suit team.

Troop (75): 10 Kroot, Sniper rounds, Kroot hound
Troop (75): 10 Kroot, Sniper rounds, Kroot hound
Troop (54): 6 Fire Warriors
This list is extremely light on troops, especially when defending against White Scars/Ravenguard as the Kroot will be sacrificed to reduce scout moves.

Elite (172): 3x XV8, 6x Burst Cannon 2x Early Warning Override, 3x Marker Drones
Elite (156): 3x XV8, 6x Plasma Gun
Elite (171): 3x XV8, 6x Missile Pod, 3x Early Warning Override
Lots and lots of firepower here.  Horde-killing burst cannons, extra marker lights, 12 AP2 shots. Plasma guys will most likely deep strike, sometimes with the commander.

Fast (55): 5x Pathfinder
Fast (55): 5x Pathfinder
Pretty obvious here.

Heavy (210): 3x XV88, HYMP, 3x Early Warning Override
I've forgone the velocity trackers simply because with the twin-linked and markerlights, they should be fine without. I think the interceptor is more important...also a lot less points.
Heavy (141): Hammerhead, SMS, Blacksun, Ion Cannon, disruption pod
Heavy (131): Skyray, SMS, Blacksun, disruption pod
Skyray is primary air defense, getting the marker lights on something to boost another unit. I only have one..

Allied Detachment: Codex: Space Marines
HQ (165): Chief Librarian Tigurius 
A true jack-of-all-trades.

Troop (200): 10x Tactical Squad, plasmagun, combi-plasma, drop pod 
The drop pod is a great first turn threat, especially with the tactical disciple combat tactic.

Most of the time Tigurius will be going for prescience, foreboding, forewarning or perfect timing.  Maybe the occasional shot at puppet master.  Misfortune is a useful tool against screamerstar/seer council, and perfect timing teamed with the broadsides is a no-brainier.  Being able to give them a 4+ invul as well can't be understated.  Add in his ability to mess with reserve rolls to go with deep striking crisis suits and I'll be able to control the board.

In theory.

Tournament list - Farsight Enclaves and Space Wolves - 1850pts

I have not been posting much lately, as all my time is taken up with commissions and job searches.  I will be posting pics of 7 more Nurgle bikes in the next few days, all that's left on them is basing.

But anyway, I'm here to discuss the latest incarnation of my Tau and Space Wolves army list made for a tournament next month, The Guardian Cup.

Here is the list:

Primary Detachment: Codex: Farsight Enclaves
HQ: Ethereal

Troop: 3x XV8 Crisis Suits.  6x Burst cannon, 3x Early Warning, 3x Bonding Knife Ritual, 3x Marker Drone
Troop: 3x XV8 Crisis Suits, 6x Plasma Gun, 2x Early Warning, 1x Vectored Retro-Thruster, 3x BKR, 3x Marker Drone
Troop: 3x XV8 Crisis Suits, 6x Missile Pod, 3x Early Warning, 3x BKR

Fast: 6x Pathfinder, Shas'ui, 6x BKR

Heavy: 2x XV88 Broadsides, 2x HYMP, 2x Velocity Tracker, 2x BKR
Heavy: 3x XV88 Broadsides, 2x HYMP, 2x Early Warning, 2x BKR

Allied Detachment: Codex: Space Wolves
HQ: Rune Priest, Runic armor (JoWW, Living Lightning)
HQ: Wolf Lord, Thunderwolf mount, Saga of the Warrior Born, Wolf Tooth Talisman, Storm Shield, Power Fist, Runic Armor

Troop: 10x Grey Hunter, 2x Meltagun

Fast: 2x Thunderwolf Cavalry, 2x Storm Shield

Heavy: 6x Long Fangs, 5x Missile Launcher

I've played 3 games so far with this list, and I have to say I'm pretty darn happy with it.  The only thing is two of those games have had a Land Raider in it, and I really don't have a lot to deal with that in this list, but I don't want to add in Fusion Blasters anywhere either..so I guess I'll have to live with the Thunderwolf Lord and the two meltaguns.

Probably the first thing that sticks out is the Ethereal.  He really is the lynchpin of the Tau, as the bubble of LD10 and whatever element I use are almost required to make the detachment effective.  Zephyr's Grace is probably the most powerful of the 4, basically giving the Tau the equivalent of Battle Focus. Sure they are snapshots but with markerlights..who cares.  Plus being able to move, run, shoot and then jet pack means the suits are fast and still effective!  However this means I'm also much more hesitant to deep strike the crisis suits..after all they are my scoring units.  And if I keep everything together I have a better chance at a decent amount of supporting fire should something get close.

The Thunderwolves are great fun, for sure.  I always send them strait into the thick of things, as they are a great disruption unit. As one of my opponents said, he had to turn his whole army to deal with 3 models..and that really isn't an exaggeration.  If there is a piece of LoS blocking terrain in the middle, even better as they can hide the first turn and then run up right into my opponent's backfield.  The Wolf Lord isn't afraid of anything..swarmlord, wraithknights, blood thirster, etc, etc. Challenge? Sure go for it. The only time he has really failed is when going toe-to-toe with Abbadon.  After rolling a 1 with the demon weapon he still got 2 wounds..with two wounds left.  Roll stormshield saves...a pair of 2's. Great.  Well Abby was then out in the open and sucked 12 BS6 plasma gun shots the next turn..hehe.

For the Rune Priest, I keep thinking about taking Njal instead. The primary purpose of the Priest is of course, the runic weapon.  The 4+ no you don't get Iron Arm is absolutely fantastic against Demons (especially FMC's) and Njal is only better at doing that. Plus the extra storm table thing is just icing on the cake. But at 130 points more it's hard to make room.

Since my army likes to keep things at a distance, I've decided to discourage the deep striking and outflanking that could really ruin my day with a whole crapton of interceptor.  One game, 5 Chaos Terminators deep struck right in my backfield, only to perish before getting a single shot off after two broadsides and 24 burst cannon shots.  Just having the interceptor can alter the way an opponent plays..especially flyers. Sure I don't have skyfire on the interceptor but I can put out enough shots to knock down most flyers..and even more so if I roll Echos of the Grandmaster on the warlord table and take Tank Hunter.

The biggest problem with the list is it is only medium range, with most of my shooting 36", and the most powerful shooting only 18-24".  Zephyr can mitigate that some, and I have the marker drones on the short range suits so they can at least do something if their guns are out of range. Plus having the drones means that grav guns wound those units on 4+ instead of 3+..hey it's something.  I found this especially problematic with the Hammer and Anvil deployment.  In the future I will need to be more aggressive with deployment and consider deep striking suits in that situation.

Right now, deployment is my weakest link in playing the list..making sure my bubble is effective, dealing with reserves and mostly having better anticipation of ranges.

So that just about closes out my thoughts on the list.  I have 1 battle report with the list up, and another ready for editing. Comments welcome as always.

Allies for Tau part 1 - Space Wolves

When talking about allies in 6th, a lot of people will say if you need allies then the army book isn't well balanced. Well this does not really apply to Tau, as pure Tau plays just fine and has many viable builds.

So when planing out allies for Tau, there really are not many holes to fill.  Tau has plenty of access to melta (unlike say, Orks). It has a lot of mobility, ignore cover, monstrous creatures, flyers, etc. 

The two main holes are lack of psychic defense (which is getting very scarce these days), and any real close combat punch.  This is where Space Wolves really come in, as they have plenty of both to spare.

Now I'm going to concentrate on allies with Tau primary, so it limits the number of units available.  Tau as the allied detachment is a completely different discussion.

Here is my first Wolf ally list, which I am currently working on painting:

Primary: Tau
HQ: Commander; Iridium armor, shield generator, Multi-spectrum sensor suite, Puretide Engram Chip, Missile pod, vectored retro-thrusters

Troop: 8x Firewarriors, Shas'ui
Troop: 6x Firewarriors
Troop: 19x Kroot, sniper, hound

Elite: 3x Crisis Suits, 6x Burst Cannon, Shas'vre, Target lock
Elite: 3x Crisis Suits, 6x Fusion, Shas'vre, Target lock

Fast: 5x Pathfinder, Shas'ui
Fast: 5x Pathfinder, Shas'ui

Heavy: 3x broadsides, 3x missile pods, 2x velocity tracker, 1x Target lock

Allied: Space Wolves
HQ: Rune Priest, Runic armor
HQ: Wolf Lord, Runic armor, t-wolf, fist, stormshield, Saga of the Bear

Troop: 10x Grey Hunters, 2x Meltagun

Fast: 2x Thunderwolves, 2x Stormshields

Heavy: 6x Long fangs, 5x Missile Launcher

The best part of Space Wolves is that they can take 2 HQ units per slot, even as an ally, which is in the FAQ.  This allows both a rune priest for the "I say no" runic weapon and a powerful assault Thunderwolf Lord.

You also notice I pack a lot of melta in this list, with both Crisis Suits and Grey hunters maxed out. This isn't for vehicles as much as it is for Riptides and Wraithknights.

The commander goes with the Broadsides, to soak up wounds and make sure they always ignore cover so I'm not dependent on the Pathfinders.  (I would normally take marker drones, but the pathfinders are cheaper and more flexible here, giving me more shots if needed)  And if they do get assaulted, with the 2+ save and the invul they could survive more often then not and have a chance to get away since Hit and Run uses the highest initiative instead of the average.

The Rune Priest will usually go with the Long Fangs to doll out prescience.  I will keep JoWW against Riptides or Necrons.  I was thinking of some plasma cannons, but the S8 is a great help against the constant thorn that is Riptides/Wraithknights. 

The thunderwolves will move up to take pressure off my gunline, but the best part of this list is the wolves don't have to go in alone, they can get support from Kroot and/or deepstriking suits. Saga of the Bear is a must-take, with even a Riptide able to instant-death him before he gets to swing. Dropping in 24 S5 shots will soften up any target, if need be.  They probably won't deep strike too often, though.

I have a few more guys to assemble before I can start play testing, but I expect this list to do very well especially against the meta I face locally.

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Now if  you don't take the Thunderwolves (they do eat up a lot of points after all) then you can really go overboard on the shooting, going with 3 full units of 3 Crisis Suits all with 2 burst cannons.  Not much is going to survive that.  Add in more Grey Hunters, maybe one unit in a rhino or drop pod to go for an objective as well.  I've seen this style on the table before, as one guy plays it, and it's pretty nasty.

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That concludes part 1 of my Tau allies.   I still have Orks and Bloo...*cough* Red Space Marines. I tried some Codex Marine allies before the new Tau dex came out, and it wasn't bad...running Assault Termies out of a Skies of Blood-ruled Stormraven.  After that I'll dive into the TauDar uber combos.

Do Tau signal a return to mechanized MSU? (Eldar too, for that matter).

Last few games I've been playing more and more mechanized with my Tau.  It works out pretty well, considering the amount of anti-infantry shooting is out there.  This last week I added in a 3rd HS tank, giving me Longstrike with a railgun, an Ion head and a Skyray.  That's a lot of firepower with a wall of AV13. Add in the Devilfish I run for 20 SMS shots!

Using marker drones instead of pathfinders adds quite a bit of maneuverability and survivability to the marker lights (+1T, +1 armor). I've been moving the commander in and out of the marker units to bolster Crisis suits when needed or markers when needed.

Dropping the gun drones off the piranhas always works out amazingly. Always. A unit that is literally a throw-away unit that can shoot (possibly pin something), contest or score linebreaker is a big thorn in people's sides.

But why does mechanized work?  Well, quite simply: Skimmer + disruption pods (or holofields for the Eldar).  Moving at all, gives you a 4+ cover save all the time.  Need to run for an objective? Flat out gives you a 3+ cover.  Combined with the better-then-marine armors of the Tau and Eldar tanks, you have a lot of survivability.

Also, both tanks can do something. Both Devilfish (with SMS) and Waveserpents actually pack enough firepower to be useful, unlike say a Rhino.  The Devilfish can completely hide and still fire off shots.

Sure, if someone concentrates on the tanks they will die. But with so many other threats, I've not really had too much of a problem with stuff sticking around.

Also, having guys in tanks really helps negate the menace of the Helldrake. 

So a 5th ed playstyle in 6th? Give it a go.

Tau: second take after my first game.

So I played one game, of all things against another Tau army.  Let me tell you, Tau are *Brutal*, and Tau vs Tau fights will come down to who goes first...

I learned a lot from this game, especially how badly put together my first list is.  I was trying to spread out the markerlights around the whole army so that I would always have some. But it turns out when you do this, you take away alot ..if not most..of your killing power.  It just does not work out very well.

The only thing that worked as planned was the Piranhas. They are great at a fast moving infantry killer.  I will keep those.  The flyer sounds good, but 6 S7 shots for the points probably isn't worth it.  I'd rather go with velocity trackers.

Going up against markerlights is too hard.  There is so much shooting both quality and quantity in a Tau list combined with no cover save and a BS boost that no unit can survive.

So the way to build a list is to have discreet units of markerlights and killing power. 

There are a couple of things in the book which are are just broken.


First is the missile broadside.  For 89 whole points you get TWELVE freaking shots.
Second is marker drones with a battlesuit commander and a drone controller. Give the guy iridium armor so he's T5 so he's a great shield. A unit of BS5 marker drones that can move-shoot-move is just CRAZY.  oh, and they are CHEAP! And there is no longer a BS5 limit on markerlight shots.  Last night I got hit with a BS10 riptide that ignored cover...

Second try list is coming soon. Man, I really want more play time right now to do some testing.

Quick 6th ed tactics notes.

A pickup game this weekend got me thinking about a couple things in 6th that can be really important.

The first is the warlord traits. I am still amazed at how actually random they really are. Sometimes they are totally useless, and others can single handedly break a game in your favor. Case in point was this game where I got the re-roll reserves trait.

What this allowed me to do is delay the dakkajet until the Icarus was dead, as well as delay the firewarriors so I didn't have to worry about them being shot up too early.  It was a big contributing factor to the outcome.

Being able to take advantage of night fight is also something to consider when building a list.  I love having NF first turn, as it gives me an improved cover save for that all-important first turn along with reducing the range of incoming fire.  I would prefer to go first every game, but that can't always happen.  Now I combine that with Blacksun filter on my broadside unit, I can take out a high-priority target without any negative effects.

Lastly, is just in general target priority. This takes really knowing your opponent's army so don't be afraid to read and learn about other armies.  In this case, the cover-ignoring 4 blast thunderfire was the highest priority, with the Icarus 2nd. so why did I shoot the LR first? Dunno. Because it was fun I guess.  However night fight reduced the range of the thunderfire so it wasn't a threat, and then the next turn I was able to open up with loota fire and take it out. 

The future of nob bikers post-FAQ

So the big faq update hit today and with it came the end of the Paladin/Nob character units.

Still have the harlie-star, but that's a different topic for a different day..

The question then becomes are nob bikers still good?

The answer is, unequivocally, a bit fat green YES.

Are they worth the points? Most likely.

They aren't going anywhere just yet..

I've been mulling over the games I played with nob bikers, and realized that the wound allocation wasn't a big deal.  With Look out sir! of only a 4+ I still lost front models far more often then getting wounds spread out everywhere.  In other words, overall I don't think I gained much benefit from the wound shenanigans.

The other losses, though, are harder to take.

First is the loss of precision shot.  I have to say that was the best part of the whole character thing to me.  The one time in particular where I was able to snipe out the Commissar from an IG blob making them lose stubborn was huge in that game.   However that does not negate the still considerable firepower you get from ork bikes in general.  Oh, and you don't lose P.S. entirely. The painboy is still a character.

The next loss is in challenges. Before you could throw whatever nob you wanted to in a challenge. Now it will take more consideration then before when dealing with this.  Not like the biker boss is any slouch in a challenge, especially with that T6..so knowing what you're up against really matters.

Overall you lost a bit of survivability. Nothing compared to paladins though. lascannons and meltas still blow them off the table. Not so much with nob bikers. That T5 and FNP is still by far the best part of them, and that's still there.

They definitely did not lose much if any killing power, or are any less of a target priority for your opponent if you want to play that way.