40K Podcast tab

Above you may notice a new tab, for 40K podcasts.  You can also click the link.

 

 

 

 I listen to a fair few podcasts when I can.  On the page you can find links to those I catch when I can.

 

 

 

There are many others out there, but mostly not for me.  If you're looking for something to listen to on a commute or while painting, check them out!

Enter the Dragon?

I admit to being a bit of a hypocrite with regards to the new Chaos Marine Heldrake and the other new daemon engines.  I don't think that they really fit in looks-wise with the other Chaos Marine stuff.  The Defiler, though crazy, was a much better fit aesthetically.  On their own they're OK, and if I had seen the Heldrake made by another company, like as a Warmachine Cryx monster, I would have been drooling over it wanting to find a way to use it as something counts-as in 40K.  

Possessed List for Dai

In a comment on the last post, Dai from Lost and the Damned and Stunted (which I think involves heretics involved in car chases) expressed a desire for a list with Possessed.  So here's an attempt.

Endless (Ones) Possibilities

http://www.myspace.com/endlesschaosband

Playing around with the Chaos Marine book some more, tinkering with the list ideas I had for the Endless Ones.

I was going back and forth on some options, like whether to run bikers or raptors, and ended up deciding to just make them both and swap them around as desired.  I went further down that line, coming up with some things that could provide a good baseline, with a few swap options and some different options to take things up to higher points levels.  

GW Silas Creek Crossing Grand Opening

DNA FOR THE DNA GOD!  Khornate Kroot say "Buy more models!"

The Games Workshop store over in Winston-Salem has been open for a while, but today were having their official Grand Opening.  This weekend Saturday was going to be freer than Sunday, so I went on out for some kibbitzing, to take a stab at the painting contests, hopefully get some 500pt games in with some new folks and if I was lucky try my hand at the little bits-provided conversion contest.

Battle Report: Orks vs. Dark Angels - Da Relik!

I made it out to Gaming Underground Wednesday evening for a game with Seneca, who brought his Dark Angels.  I brought my Orks as I'd recently painted up the kans and dreads and wanted to actually use them on the table!

We ended up with the Relic mission and Dawn of War (long edge) deployment.  He won the roll for first turn, but elected to set up and move second.

Chaos Marines: Go Fearless or Go Home?

I'm trying to fight the conclusion that the current combination of 6th ed core rules, notably challenges, combined with the new Chaos Marine book's requirement to accept challenges even when horribly outclassed is going to be a huge hit to any non-Fearless CSM unit.

Take any non-Fearless Chaos Marine unit, throw a decent IC or monstrous creature character at it solo, challenge, punk champion, make CSM unit have to take a check at Ld7 or 8 or risk getting swept.

Not a big problem for things like IG, where you're losing 70-80pts a squad.  There I hope for my squad to break, so I can shoot the offender in my subsequent turn, and the sacrifice is minimal.  But for marines where you're talking 2-300pts per squad, that can add up fast. 

What do you think?  In order to survive in a world of challenges, are CSM going to be essentially required to either go Fearless/Cult or include a beatstick IC in any unit that's going into the danger zone?  Or is the risk low enough that cagey playing and a little luck can avoid it, allowing non-Fearless units to perform well in the front lines?

Endless Ones: another CSM list idea

I was thinking about a list earlier that would have the advantage of incorporating the things I've actually already finished painting for the Endless Ones already, namely a Land Raider, a Defiler, and a Predator.  So there's going to be some AV.

Since I'm taking a Land Raider, may as well take some terminators to go with it.  I've had unpainted sorcerer figures for over a decade, so want to actually get to use at least one.  He should be mobile, so jump pack or bike, and should have an escort.  Since so much is already mobile now, more should be too, so CSM will probably want rides themselves.  

So:

Wednesday Night Warhammer, plus a use for old Magic cards

Clocktower with working clock made from surplus (aren't they all) basic MtG lands.  Presumably the actual clock parts are made from something else.

The local store owners came back from a trade show with the above piece of terrain.  I like it; they have tons of cards, maybe we can have a whole card city soon.

Chaos Marines: Example lists

Last post I mentioned some general types of lists I was thinking about with the new CSM codex.  I've since played around with points a bit and come up with some prototypes:

Project List update Oct 2012

from http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/gangnam-style?before=1349222761

It's been six months since my last project list update, at least as far as I can tell.  With the Space Sharks done for now and my starting to ramp up back into Chaos Marines, it seems like a good time to update things.

Endless Ones: Abyssal Reavers Berzerkers

Here's the rank and file of a 'zerker squad so far, minus backpacks (which will be pretty basic black and silver) and basing.

Champion/Kharne stand in.

Chaos Marines Overview: Part 4 - Elites, Fast Attack, Heavy Support

Elites - here's where a lot of the meat of the CSM codex is, especially as so many of the units can be turned into Troops with the right HQ picks.

Chosen - lots of weapon options, can buy marks, icons, veterans of the long war (VotlW), Rhino.  No Infiltrate, but two base attacks.  Instead of doing things on their own (at least, how I used to use them - infiltrate/outflank into enemy area and summon/teleport in on their icon), nowadays I think they would be better used in support of other units as a fire brigade.  5-10 size.

Chaos Marines Overview Part 3 - Marks, Icons, Troops, Vehicle Upgrades

A good part of the motivation and flavor of many Chaos Marines is their belief in and devotion to the gods of Chaos, some of the big movers and shakers in the warp.  In game this is mostly represented by Marks and Icons.  

Chaos Marines Overview Part 2 - HQ

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things cannot ally...

Chaos Marines certainly do not have a dearth of HQ choices, with an even dozen.  Seven special characters and five "generic" choices.

Snapshot overview (so, I've only got a one in six chance of being accurate!):

Chaos Space Marines: Initial thoughts and overview

This..is...SPARTAK!

So like many others I have now had a chance to look over the new CSM book, and will begin to present to you, dear reader, my half-baked thoughts about it.

The overview is that it's not really a radical departure from the last version.  Things are different, points are different, but overall it has a very similar feel.  For many of you, that may be disappointing.  Some of the "flavor" issues remain, like no way to have true cult terminators/chosen etc., so your Plague Marines will always be more "Nurgley" than your Nurgle Terminators or Nurgle Lord, your Berzerkers have a higher WS than your Khorne Chosen or Khorne Terminators, etc.

There is some good, powerful stuff in there, certainly.  There are a deceptive number of options - deceptive in that there are a lot of ways to do things, but some have limits and prerequisites, and the core function of things remains pretty much the same regardless.  You have tweaks instead of major changes for the most part.

The army can be powerful, and there are a number of different builds available, though many probably won't be terribly effective (Whee, mass of cultists and spawn!).  With few exceptions, it feels like a very straightforward army.  Place mass down on table, engage, destroy or be destroyed.  There are a few opportunities for synergy but not many, and few ways to really shake things up.  More of the unusual stuff will have to come from Allies.  You can have fun with the new book I think, but you have to wash away any expectations from past books and army lists.  Start from scratch with this new book, 6th ed, and Allies in mind and it might serve you well.  Simply try to translate your 5th ed 4.0 CSM army over and you will most likely be disappointed.

6th edition 40K impressions, continued: Winning

So 6th ed has been out for a few months, and having played a number of games now I've formed some opinions, as have we all by now I'm sure.  Here's mine, let's see what we might agree or disagree on.

White Dwarf and Deathtongue!

By now you've all seen the front cover, so here's the back.

We've been hearing about the new era of White Dwarf, and wonder of wonders, the best part for me is that mine only came nine days after it was available in stores, compared to the frequent twenty-plus days or so that it used to frequently take.  I was half expecting to get my CSM preview issue a week after I had the codex in hand.  Even if this were the only positive change, I'll take it.  Maybe in a few years I can start getting it at the same time as the stores do.  Crazy, I know.

But there's more!