Wat Teh Interwebz Sez

Well, a few posts ago I threw up a list that eliminated my Incubi in favor of more Trueborn with Blasters. Let me reassure you, this isn't going to happen (any time soon). The Incubi are safe in their current position running alongside the unit of Blasterborn. As I said before, I love Incubi, and I want them in my army. I want to figure out how to use them. I want to see if I can get these guys to perform, and I believe that when utilized with surgical precision they can be devastating as they're a small elite unit that will tear other small elite units to shreds. They have a high initiative, two attacks each, and they all carry Strength 4 Klaives (which are power weapons). Honor Guard? Goodbye. Sternguard Vetarans? Toast.  Plague Marines? A tall order, but on the charge I see them doing their fair share of damage.

It's all a matter (as the rest of 40k is) of lining up the right matchups for them. As long as they get the jump on their opponents (and they will as long as they have their ride) they should do fine. If they get stuck in with a tarpit unit or a walker they're toast. If they get their Venom taken out it'll be tough to keep them from getting charged, especially by Assault Marines and their ilk. What I'm getting at is that they need to be handled like the glass cannons the entirety of the Dark Eldar army is.

Come 6th edition this may all change, but today I put together a truly optimized (according to the forums and blogosphere) list so you can see what the difference is.

HQ
Baron Sathonyx- 105 pts.

ELITES
3 Kabalite Trueborn w/ 3 Blasters; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 146 pts.
3 Kabalite Trueborn w/ 3 Blasters; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 146 pts.
3 Kabalite Trueborn w/ 3 Blasters; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 146 pts.

TROOPS
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.
5 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster; Venom w/ Splinter Cannon- 125 pts.

FAST ATTACK
4 Beastmasters; 9 Khymerae; 3 Razorwing Flocks- 201 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
Ravager w/ Flickerfield, Shock Prow- 120 pts.
Ravager w/ Flickerfield, Shock Prow- 120 pts.
Ravager w/ Flickerfield- 115 pts.

TOTAL
1,849 pts.

As you can see it's pretty much nothing but spam. Blasters and Splinter Cannons permeate the landscape, and the Baron hangs out with the Beastmasters. Sure he keeps the beasts from charging 12", and the beasts prevent him from moving as Jump Infantry, but they're still fleet, and the Baron confers Stealth, offensive grenades, and defensive grenades to his unit (plus the all important +1 to see who chooses their deployment zone, so essentially he also confers a +1 to go first). That's right, 2 & 5 attack models with grenades. They've also got a 3+ cover save, and a 4+ invulnerable save on most of the unit, perfect for soaking up those Meltagun and Missile Launcher shots.

The thing about this list is that it's boring. There's no variety in your units, thay all serve the same role on the battlefield. Dark Lance APCs and tanks, Splinter Cannon whatever crawls out, and mop up with Blasters. Wash, rinse, repeat.

But isn't spam effective? Yep. It's very powerful. This list is quite capable of taking on any enemy it encounters and coming out on top. Hordes? you've got volume of both shots and attacks. Elite armies? Let me introduce you to my Dark Lances and my Blasters. Lots of Metal Bawkses? I've got can openers galore. There is literally no army this list cannot best with proper use.

The problem remains- I have used spammy armies and they're boring. B-O-R-I-N-G. I used to run an Iron Warriors army with a bare bones Chaos Lord, 6 squads of 5 Chaos Space Marines with Heavy Bolters, 3 squads of 3 Obliterators, and 4 Defilers. Ah, for the good ol' days of Iron Warriors! This army tabled people. In a hurry. If you lasted past turn 3 you either were firmly entrenched, or you had a LOT of models in your army. The games I played with this army were short, brutal, and systematic. There was no real challenge. That's where I break away from spam. When you just take the "best" thing over and over you take away the tactics in the game. It becomes a shooting gallery where the only challenge is determining what you should splatter first. There's no fun there.

That's why I avoid spammy lists. I have experience with them, and while they win tournaments, there's just no real effort involved. The thinking is removed from an (arguably) already less tactical game. That's why I like HordesMachine. Spam does not work. I've tried.
If you do not run a multi-faceted force you'll get overrun in one area or another. I'm getting off topic now, so back to 40k.

In the end, while I will build redundancy into my armies (it's just silly not to), I won't ever spam. Why even bother playing a game with no chance of losing? I used to think that slaughtering your opponent was the only true way to win, but perhaps with age comes wisdom. Or maybe just temperance. In the end it's about the challenge, and the fun, not the degree of victory.

Not to say I don't have more fun in games I win...