Dusthammer 40,000

This is a short one.

Demitra, having jumped ship on 40k, has proposed something. We like Dust's rules, we like 40k's fluff and minis, so why not put 'em together? This has led to a bit of an experiment: let's apply the rules of Dust to 40k. He has settled on Orks, and I have chosen my usual Chaos Space Marines. He has gone with a horde of Soldier 2 minis, and I have decided that my troops should pretty much all be Soldier 3. I wouldn't have it any other way. So, off to the Dust Warfare force builder. I decided what counted as what and started plugging stuff into the program. Turns out I really couldn't fit in any cultists (just the sorcerer's command section) but I think you'll agree, it has that CSM flavor to it. Since I don't have my "counts as" list in front of me right now I won't list what's what at this point. I will however if this experiment lasts more than a single game. Any way, here's what I'll be running:

Plaguebearers & Chaos Marines- Nurgle Gravy

So, I've been a big fan of Nurgle as long as I've played 40k, and while I wanted to try a Khorne flavored list for a change, Papa Nurgle just calls to me. Having found that Bloodletters are useless, I have to say that somewhere deep down inside there was a part of me that was almost happy. As happy as a bit of me can be after realizing I had just wasted $60 on miniatures that are just plain...

Not Good In Assaults.

This is a bit odd for Khorne as he and his followers are supposed to be the consummate melee fighters. Theirs is the marital prowess to end all martial prowess. That, it seems, is not exactly reflected in their in-game performance.

They're Toughness 3.

They have no grenades.

They're 10 points a piece.

These things make them rather not good. They die en masse as they try to close the gap, and even if they deep strike they'll get cut down by even lowly bolter fire. They're really expensive for their performance, and they simply cannot assault into cover. Believe me, I've seen the results.

Deep strike -> run -> get shot in your opponent's turn -> move -> get shot by overwatch fire -> roll assault distance on 3d6 discarding the highest  -> move in -> get struck first due to no grenades -> maybe kill one or two enemies -> lose combat -> make an instability test -> go pop -> regret wasting hundreds of points on a single squad.

That is unfortunately the "Bloodletter Flow Chart". They're supposed to be an offensive powerhouse, but at Toughness 3 and no ability to dig enemies out of cover they just plain don't cut it.

Which daemons do cut it? Well, in my opinion, Plaguebearers. These fellas have the resilience to warrant their points. Toughness 4, Shrouded, and defensive grenades. Give them a Herald and they also can have Feel no Pain. They're the defensive unit of defensive units. Good luck prying them out of position with a 2+ cover save when they set up camp in a building. Sure they're Slow and Purposeful, but so what? The rule isn't the crippling blow it was last edition. My daemons can't run? Whatever. They're not there to pick fights, they're there to either start the game on an objective or to Deep Strike into position and squat on their location.

Now, this may not be ideal in an all-daemon army, but I'm talking about them in terms of an ally for Chaos Space Marines. Chaos Marine armies have plenty of offensive punch in the forms of things like Havocs, plasma guns, and the universally loved or loathed Heldrake. I can go get you. What I have problems with is grabbing and securing backfield objectives. This role is usually taken up by cultists, and they can be very good at it, but in the end they're really little more than expensive Imperial Guardsmen with less armor and an inferior gun. If they draw any real attention they will die, and they'll do it in a hurry. That or they'll run away. Also in a hurry.

Now, Cultists have one very big thing going for them- they're cheap. 100 points for 20 models with 2 flamers is not too bad a deal.

But what then do Plaguebearers do that outclasses the humble Chaos Cultist? Well, not just the things listed above, but other things that mesh with their allies. They're competent in hand-to-hand combat for one. While they won't go out picking many fights, they really won't be backing away from too many either. Sure, they can be outclassed by things like Terminators, but a lot of stuff is so that's no reason to turn your nose up at them. just rely on your cover to save you, and get ready to try to smack them off the board once they get to you. Better yet, use other assets in your army (remember that plasma I mentioned earlier?) to keep them away from your campsite.

Plaguebearers are also pretty cheap (for a Daemon). Sure, a unit of 20 is almost double the point cost of a Chaos Cultist squad of the same size, but it has massively more resilience. That 2+ cover save goes a very long way toward their survival. Even if they're not in a building (say they're in the woods) they've got a 3+ save, which makes them superior Space Marines (they even get their save against things as extreme as demolisher cannons).

So, what would I do if I were to practice what I preach? I'd re-tweak my army a bit, dropping the Chaos Cultists and either the Chaos Lord or the Sorcerer for a Herald of Nurgle and 20 Plaguebearers. I haven't quite decided which HQ choice to drop, but I'm thinking the Chaos Lord as my army is a bit more of a "hang back and shoot" affair, and the Lord wants to get up in your face, but the Sorcerer is less resilient and a bit unpredictable. It's something that would have to be experimented with. Most likely I'd go with:

HQ
Sorcerer (warlord) w/ +2 mastery- 110 pts.

TROOPS
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 lascannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 155 pts.

ALLIED HQ
Herald of Nurgle w/ Greater Locus of Fecundity- 70 pts.

ALLIED TROOPS
19 Plaguebearers; Plagueridden (20 models)- 185 pts.

TOTAL
1,850 pts.

I've also played around with the idea of dropping the lascannon Havocs instead of the Chaos Lord, and the idea does have some merit, but I fear 2+ armor saves. This fear is most likely irrational as I have eight plasma gunners in the army, and the Telepathy discipline messes with units in other ways, but that's just my current assessment. I'll have to get some Plaguebearers some time and try this concept out.

...Until then, I'll just keep plugging along with Cultists. 

Chaos Cultists Painted- More Importantly, Army Done!!!

That's right, the last ten Chaos Cultists are fully painted! Those of you who are old-school GW players may recognize them:

Old-schoolie.

Yep, they're House Escher models from the good ol' days of GW, the time period around which I first got into "the hobby", Necromunda. For those of you who aren't old enough or just plain don't date back in wargaming far enough to know these minis, I used to play this campaign based skirmish at GW Fairfax (the first GW in the USA, FYI) back in the '90s. Those were the days. Back when the company cared about their games, and more importantly their customers.

But what right do I have to gripe? I still buy their stuff and play their games (40k at least).

...But now I'm way off track. The point is, I have a fully painted army!!! Let me tell you, there is very little in wargaming better than arraying your fully painted soldiers across from your opponent's grey plastic horde with a smug look on your face. Very little other than two fully painted armies facing off across a fully realized dedicated wargaming table.

Twenty Cultists. Not too bad for a unit that's there to do nothing.

In the end this army was actually a joy to paint, and I'm pleased with the final result. Now to get a correctly sized foam tray to hold all these dudes so I can test them at one of my three FLGSs. There's got to be somebody out there who's looking for a game, right?

Another Chaos Lord Plus The Final Marines

Ready to roast some loyalists.

Well, after putting him off and putting him off, here he is. It's a good thing I have a nice deep Space Wolves bits box, since I was able to dig up the required lightning claw in my list. I not only grabbed that from my Wolves, I added the wolf's head helmet from the frame as well.

I managed to find a normal Space Marine Sergeant back banner to distinguish him from the Aspiring Champions in the army.

I ultimately decided that I'd kind of slap together the Burning Brand, since the heavy flamer idea just seemed excessive. Kharn was supposed to be running around roasting marines with this thing, and that would make this thing more than a touch awkward. That and I didn't feel like bits ordering (while such a thing was still possible) the rather expensive heavy flamer.

The remainder of this mini is made up of Chaos Marine and Aspiring Champion parts. The Burning Brand is being held by a cut down bolt pistol arm. One of the shoulder pads and the legs are from the Chaos Space Marine frames. The backpack, the other shoulder pad, and the torso are off of the Aspiring Champion frame. I think this combination of sprues makes for a rather unique HQ choice.

I am rather upset with the mini in one aspect. It's not terribly visible, but the transfer on the back banner didn't set right. I'm not sure why, as I did my usual ritual of transfer, Solvaset, and gloss varnish before the Dullcote, but somehow the transfer still shows its edges. Oh, well. Nothing to be done for it now...

Plasma-ey death x4 is realized.

I also finished the fourth and final Chaos Space Marine squad at the same time. Finally! I'm down to the last few models! I'll be spending today painting them up and hopefully I'll post them here ASAP. Thanks again to Demitra for the great idea I'm using to fill out the squad.

It's really nice to have an almost fully painted army. It's thrilling to see all your minis arrayed on the table ready to do battle. I think it makes your dice roll better too.

I'm still considering a transport option for them. I'm really not happy that these guys don't fit into a GW figure case. You'd think the company that manufactures them would take such things into account, but whatever. Now is not the time to complain. It's almost time for a big ol' celebration. Onward to the Chaos Cultists and victory over another army!

Chaos Space Marines- The Finalized List & More

Death to the False Emperor!

Well, my journey down the road to damnation is nearly complete. My final Chaos Marine squad is drying at home on my painting table, along with my third Chaos Lord. This Lord is the one that's going to stick, honest! His weapon loadout is much more sensible than previously- the Murder Sword is only good for a highly mobile army, and on a Lord with no jump pack that's just not going to...

...fly?

It's pretty hard to get at the target of said sword when the target is just camping in his deployment zone directing missile launchers all day.

Tomorrow I'll varnish my dudes and I'll put them up here for all to see. Today it's just a bit of reflection on the current state of my army.

I'm okay with where my army is sitting right now. It performs admirably on the table (against Demitra any way) and it has a fair amount of flexibility. I'd like to get it out of the house to take on something other than a still-evolving Dark Angels list, but of course, like any modern GW army, the minis don't fit in my figure case. Normally I'd just say "whatever" and grab a pistol case for them from Wal-Mart, but again, like any modern GW army, they have all these little fiddly spiky bits all over the place.

Note the fiddly spiky bits.

 These little hoo-has will gladly snap off at a thought, so I don't dare put them in something as rough on them as a pistol case. Thus my dilemma. Do I toss them all in a box and sort them out when I get to my FNSLGS (they're varnished, so I don't really worry about their paint jobs)? Do I try to find some Battlefoam to hold them? Do I just sit at home with them until who knows when?

Right now I have opted for the last option.

This irks me a touch because word has it that there is a 40k night out at Huzzah Hobbies, and now that my eyes are fully healed and I can drive at night I'd like to get out of the apartment and play a game or ten against some new people. Maybe, dare I say it, try out a local tournament? That is assuming they hold them with any regularity, and on a day I don't work. These are both mysteries to me as I haven't headed out that way in months.

These thoughts, along with the new 40k arms race with Demitra, have caused me to totally rethink my approach to my army since I first started it. Initially I was aiming to make a somewhat effective army by building up from the base of two Dark Vengance boxed sets. I'll make what has been a long story short- it can't be done. The Chaos Lord is improperly equipped to deal with, well, anything. The Chosen are over equipped. Cultists have to be taken in large groups and hidden away to be effective- a role in which they go to ground behind cover and basically babysit an objective while they (hopefully) are ignored in favor of bigger threats. And Helbrutes? Well, this edition there is not really any amount of conversion and weapon swapping that can make them effective.They're slow, their armor is mediocre, and they have 3 hull points. Basically this is their time on the table in a nutshell;

*Rawr!!!*
*Dakka dakka dakka*
*Pew pew pew*
*Ka-splosion!*
*Waste of 105 points*

This has led me to hone and refine my product. My army has become leaner, meaner, and much more shooty. Gone are the days of the Mark of Khorne and Veterans of the Long War.  Gone is all the extraneous point-sinking gobbledy-gook that once cluttered up my roster. Now it's lean, mean, and (thusfar) devastating on the table.

It's an old picture, but bear with me here.

Now, I say again my test runs have been against Demitra's unfinished Dark Angels army, so once I get it out in the real world it may perform a bit differently than it has at home. It's getting to the point where I'll need to head out to a FLGS to try it out soon as Demitra has become a bit flustered with this army and so I've decided to shelf it until he's willing to try his luck at it again. He hasn't actually said that he's not willing to play against it, but I can tell (rather plainly) that he just doesn't care to play against this army. Thusly this week we played Dust Warfare. I think it may be time for a break from 40k.

I'm not trying to paint Demitra in a negative light here- I'm just saying that the point of us getting together every Tuesday morning is to have fun. If that's not the order of the day for him as well, then there's really no point to the event.

So, what is this horror-inducing army?

HQ
Sorcerer (warlord) w/ +2 Mastery (telepathy), Sigil of Corruption- 135 pts.
Chaos Lord w/ lightning claw, melta bombs, Aura of Dark Glory, The Burning Brand of Skalathrax- 130 pts.

TROOPS
19 Chaos Cultists w/ 2 flamers; Cultist Champion (20 miniatures)- 100 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 miniatures)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 miniatures)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 miniatures)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 miniatures)- 190 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 miniatures)- 115 pts. 
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 miniatures)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 lascannons; Aspiring Champion (5 miniatures)- 155 pts.

TOTAL
1,850 points (tournament standard) 

Aren't they cute together?

 Now, admittedly the Heldrakes are the workhorses of my army. They swoop in, Vector Strike something, frequently light that target up with their Baleflamers, and then fly around making a mockery of Strength 7 anti-aircraft weapons. They're great! It takes just a touch of forethought to use them- just a touch as they can switch into Hover Mode and spin around to face any direction they want to. Being in Hover Mode is not ideal, as then ground weaponry hits you normally, but the option is there.

Plus, unlike the rest of humanity (it seems) I actually like the model.

I've found that in the environment they exist Havocs are superior to Obliterators. Obliterators are a valid target for anti-tank weaponry, whereas Havocs are just more Space Marines. They also offer more shots, and they're cheap as sin! Just 115 points for 8 Strength 7 shots! With that volume they can even harass flyers as they Zoom along!

Uh-oh...

Now, my days of air superiority may be limited. It appears as though Demitra (and likely the rest of the world) will be picking up the new Firestorm Redoubt. Four twin-linked lascannons with Skyfire (and maybe Interceptor) will likely make a mass of a Heldrake as it enters the board. I incorrectly made the assertion that this was to be an "Apocalypse only" piece of scenery. Upon reading the piece's description it appears I was dead wrong. Oops...

For now however I'll be content to rule the skies. I have plans for this terrifying little piece of terrain- most of them either ignore cover or just pump a huge volume of shots into the emplacement, but those plans will have to wait until (if?) Demitra grabs one of these suckers.

Back to the ol' painting table tomorrow though, as Demitra just gave me a great idea as to which miniatures to use to fill out my Chaos Cultist squad without having to order a whole box of them from GW just for one mini. Fans of old-school GW will likely be amused by the solution, but you'll just have to wait to see what it is for a few more days.

Marines and Chaos Lord tomorrow.
I promise.

Heldrake #2 Painted Plus Anima Tactics

The pain is over. The second Heldrake is fully painted. Now that I have both of them, my current army needs only the second Chaos Marine squad and my Chaos Lord in order to be finished. I guess my time off from work was well worth it.

Now, with two finished and ready for the table, the end of the army is in sight.

In gaming news, my fiance' and I played a game of Anima: Tactics. The groups are 200 levels rather than the usual 300 as this was a "remembering how to play" game rather than a full-on game. What we really came away with from this battle is the fact that Samiel is a complete beast. He's a Cuisinart in combat, and once he starts getting Power Tokens he's nearly impossible to kill. If you play Empire, he's pretty much an auto-include. The game was a lot of fun, even though Samiel basically ran roughshod through the Samael party.

Now on to painting those last 11 Chaos Marine miniatures!

Havoc-O-Rama! ...Plus Lasers

Well, my laser-to-eye thingy was a success. I probably shouldn't have, but I put the last couple of finishing touches on my Havocs yesterday, and varnished them today. All in all I'd say this batch was successful.

There are no squad leaders to show, as I'm using Chosen with bolters to represent them. At least they'll be good for something, eh?

Many thanks go out to Demitra for providing me with the gargoyle heads for my lascannons. the barrels just looked too imperial without them. No self-respecting Chaos worshiper would be caught dead looking like some dog of the False Emperor. I'm just glad I got the lascannons before the start of the GW Bits Embargo.

Now, as my Chaos Marines inch toward completion, I find myself staring down the barrel of painting that second accursed Heldrake. It's an inevitability, I must tackle that second monstrosity. For now however, I will rest my eyes. The Price is Right is on in forty or so minutes. I suppose I can watch that.

More Chaos Marines- Forward Progress Continues!

That's right, I've finished two more Chaos Space Marine squads and they're ready and rearing to hit the table:

This alone would be awesome, but I've got another mini finished- my warlord- the Chaos Marine Sorcerer!

His eyes are a touch wonky, but between my unsteady hands and the bent brush I've been working with for detail work, that's to be expected. The point is, as far as I'm concerned, he looks slick. Now if I can get him to:

A) live through a game
And
B) get more than one psychic power off during said game
He'll be golden.

We'll see if my victory over Demitra on Tuesday was due to my increased tactical knowledge or just plain luck in a couple of weeks. For now however I'll just have to get what I can done before my laser eye surgery on Monday lays me up for a week.

Until next time,
EV out!

Hot List-Building Action!

Still a dark picture, but it's what I have.

My Lascannons arrived today (as did the email saying they had shipped) and so I have begun assembling my final Havocs. While I was up to that I realized I hadn't posted my finalized (of so I hope) army list. It has changed (again) since Tuesday, as I had a learning experience. There is nothing that 25 Chaos Cultists can do that 20 Cultists can't do just as well (i.e. squatting on objectives or getting gunned down or both). With these points in hand I went about upgrading both my Sorcerer and Chaos Lord with invulnerable saves. A 4++ for the Sorcerer and a 5++ for the Chaos Lord. Since they're going to just wander through combats challenging everything that moves, I might as well buy them insurance policies. Especially my non combat-wombat warlord, as the last thing I want is him getting torn to shreds in melee.

Granted, he was great at hacking apart Death Company, and he should have offed that Blood Angel Chaplain twice, but that's still not where he'd like to be. He's not blessed with extremely high Weapon Skill or Attacks, he's not especially strong, and if he wins a challenge there's a chance he could turn into a Chaos Spawn. That's not so good.



So what is my army now composed of?

HQ
Sorcerer (warlord) w/ level 3 psyker, melta bombs, sigil of corruption- 140 pts.
Chaos Lord w/ lightning claw, melta bombs, aura of dark glory, The Burning Brand of Skalathrax- 130 pts.

TROOPS
19 Chaos Cultists w/ 5 autoguns; Cultist Champion- (20 models) 95 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs- (10 models) 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs- (10 models) 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs- (10 models) 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs- (10 models) 190 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons, Aspiring Champion- (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons, Aspiring Champion- (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 lascannons, Aspiring Champion- (5 models)- 155 pts.

A much more mobile firebase is now the backbone of my army, with 8 plasma guns laying down covering fire for me. Over their heads will rain 8 autocannons and 4 lascannons worth of covering fire as Heldrakes swoop in for the kill. This variation appears to be the most hopeful variant of my army, now for more extensive playtesting.

Chaos Marines Revised; Primed For Action

Well, most of my Chaos Marines are primed. It smells kind of funny in my apartment as I brought my minis inside to finish drying, but I doubt it will cause any harm.

I also found a bunch of unused Plague Monk bits for my sorcerer in order to make him look more warlord-ish. He will get primed as soon as he gets the last bit he needs.

Sorry the pic is a touch dark, but I assure you he looks slick.Soonish Demitra will tremble at the feet of my level 3 telepath!

Chaos Marine Progress Report

Well, The Chaos Space Marines are coming along. All I have to do now is prime them. Of course, this picture doesn't include the lascannon marines as their lascannons are still yet to be put in the mail. They should be here soon enough though. You can see in the background the pitiful number of miniatures I was able to salvage from my previous lists. Those meltagun guys were (*gasp*) proxies (I feel dirty using that word) for my lascannons, and assuming the place I ordered my lascannons from gets their act together today, should be replaced with actual lascannon Havocs by Tuesday's game with Demitra. I decided to use the Chosen with Bolters as my Havoc Aspiring Champions as they're nice minis, already painted, and it would be a shame to have them collect dust for the remainder of their existence.

The conversion for my warlord is almost ready for priming:

Once he gets his severed head and I decide how to adorn his backpack he'll be golden. Of course, it'll be odd having him as the only Chaos Marine mini with no helmet, but he's my warlord, so I'll let it slide. Besides, none of the helmets fit him without looking stupid.

Further updates to follow as I paint squads, but rest assured I will have a fully painted army soon enough!

Chaos Space Marines- Army Test And Thoughts

I got my first game in with my Chaos Marines today. Vanguard Strike deployment with Purge the Alien as the objective. I lost the game, but came away with some observations.

First off, my current army has a lot of Victory Points to give away. A lot of them. This was a major contributing factor to my loss. Not the only one, but a big one.

Second, Heldrakes have a 5++ save. I forgot this today, and it may have unneededly cost me a dragon. Sure I was taking a multi-melta to my tailpipe, but there was a 33% chance I would have survived.

Third- YOU MUST DECLARE WHICH WEAPONS ARE GOING TO FIRE BEFORE YOU ROLL ANY DICE. This was another instance where remembering the rules may have saved some minis. Demitra may have wasted a missile or two trying to nuke my Heldrake instead of firing them at other targets.

Fourthly, I heart autocannons. These were the all-stars of my army, and whatever Demitra claims about fluffed armor saves, I believe that the odds evened out over the course of the game with me offing most of the Devastators on turn one, and then killing fewer marines as the game went on. Hitting on 3s and wounding on 2s is great. Lots of shots rocks too. Also, 115 points per squad doesn't suck. Granted, it is this cheapness that led to me coughing up so many Victory Points, but 230 points cranking out 16 S7 AP4 shots per turn is nothing to sneeze at. Sure they're not scything down Space Marines left and right, but not too much does.

Fifth, and finally, Land Raiders full of Death Company are scary. It's hard as hell to de-mech them, and once they hit your lines it is Very Not Good. Seriously, I must thin these dudes out before they hit me. Of course, failing to slay the Chaplain in three separate challenges over four rounds of close combat is ridiculous. I wounded that dude a ton, and he kept making Rosarius saves. That dog of the False Emperor simply led a charmed life, nothing more.

How did my army fare overall? Pretty darn well. What won the game for Demitra was the Death Company pure and simple. They accounted for most of his Victory Points, and basically point-click-deleted the left flank of my army, claiming two of my Chaos Marine squads, my Lord of Chaos, and my Sorcerer warlord. There's five of his eight scored Victory Points right there. Not getting First Blood didn't help (despite claiming the first turn for a change) and I need to focus on that. Two VPs for one squad is worth it.

I really think my idea to trade out the Obliterators for a squad of lascannon Havocs panned out. Even though it can't more than ding the Land Raider, the squad distracted more than its fair share of firepower and killed quite a bit. The Obliterators would have just taken a couple of high Strength hits and gone *pop* from Instant Death.

Honestly, I need to either ignore the Land Raider and just feed the Death Company inside a Chaos Marine (or even better, Chaos Cultist) squad with no characters in it before shooting the snot out of them. That should work just fine, since the big honkin' mob o' hate won't be in combat long enough to hide with all the re-rolls and oodles of attacks it brings to the table. After that it's clobberin' time.

My deployment needs tweaking as well. I should be setting my guys up in a staggered battle line rather than in a series of blobs. This will minimize blast damage as well as allowed semi-ranked fire with minimal crossing of fire over my own squads. The exact formation is difficult to explain, but I've got it in my head- now if I can only set it up on the board.

I've got a finalized list for the army, and I'll post it soon along with a picture of my (for now) unpainted grey plastic horde. Once my Lascannons arrive in the mail I'll finish up the conversions I'm planning and throw up pictures here.

Not That I Am, But If I Did II

The NOVA Open.

No entry has kicked up as much dust on my blog as when I ranted about how insanely expensive it is to attend this event. The organizer even went as far as to post on my comments section as to how his event was not overpriced and how people came from far and wide to attend. That is not the point of this post.

What this post is about is points. In particular 1,850 points, which between Adepticon and the NOVA Open seems to be the tournament standard point allowance.

Now, were I a wealthier man I would not think twice about entering the tournament, but seeing as I am poor that is an objective for a later date.

...But a man can dream...

It is that dream which has inspired me to add 100 points more to my original army list. It is this dream which has led me to a leaner, meaner (according to DakkaDakka any way) Chaos Space Marine army. My parts arrived today, and tomorrow the frenzy of assembly begins!

What, you ask, is my destination with this force?

HQ
Sorcerer (warlord) w/ force sword, mastery level 3 (telepathy)- 110 pts.
Chaos Lord w/ lightning claw, melta bombs, The Burning Brand of Skalathrax- 115 pts.

TROOPS
14 Chaos Cultists; Chaos Cultist Champion (15 models)- 70 pts.
14 Chaos Cultists w/ 14 autoguns: Chaos Cultist Champion (15 models)- 84 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power sword, melta bombs (10 models)- 190 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
4 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion (5 models)- 115 pts.
2 Obliterators- 140 pts.

TOTAL
1,849 pts.

Now, some explanation may be required. Optimally I wouldn't take the 14 points worth of autoguns on the Chaos Cultists. Their job is to squat on objectives and/or to die horribly. Why arm them? Because that's what they've got, and I'm a WYSIWYG nut. Besides, I'm not really hurting for points in this list those points would most likely go toward giving out some more melta bombs, but why bother giving them to things like the Havocs in the first place? I mean, if they're getting charged all they can really do is fire off one last volley and commend their souls to the Dark Gods. They're doomed if they're in melee.

Along the same lines, I stripped the Cultists of their flamers. There is no reason for them to be toting them around. I've found that they die so quickly that they lose their ability to fire before I get a shot off. Waste of 5 points per squad right there.

Then there are the Chaos Space Marines. They've kept their plasma guns, but the aspiring champions are toned down. Since they wander off and challenge everything and every one, they need to strike at initiative rather than dropping down to 1 and just waiting to get chopped to bits. The Strength 5 AP 2 is super keen, but what does it matter if he never gets to use it? Melta bombs have been included to ward off Monstrous Creatures and Walkers.

Heldrakes? They're Heldrakes. No explanation required.

I'm stubbornly keeping the Havocs with Autocannons. The wall of fire, and 48" range just (in my opinion) makes them too valuable to drop. The extra dudes are all gone, since there's not much reason to keep ten bolters when for the same price I can have two Obliterators. If the Havocs are taking fire they're not long for this world any way. Those Strength 7 AP 4 shots are death to Tau and lighter infantry, wound MEQ models on a 2+, and can rapidly strip vehicles (even flyers with their volume of fire) of Hull Points. That's my reasoning.

The Obliterators? I'm actually afraid they're a waste of points. Every anti-tank weapon on the board is going to be pointed straight at them, and I'm pretty sure they'll disappear very, very quickly if I'm not super careful with them. I'm not too used to having to treat Oblits gingerly, so this will be an adventure for me.

Finally, my HQs. My Chaos Lord retains a similar weapons loadout to his previous one, but as with every other unit in the army, his fat has been cut. He's now a Burning Brand of Skalathrax delivery system, not much more. The lightning claw is there as a last resort- but I honestly don't expect to see him live too long once people realize what he's capable of. I'm trying to figure out how to model on the Brand, and I saw one idea I like. Use a Chaos Terminator heavy flamer, cut off the barrels, and replace them with something else. If I had one I'd use a Chaos Vehicle Sprue gargoyle head, but no such luck. I'll have to root through my bits to find something fitting.

Then there's my new warlord, the Chaos Sorcerer. I'm going to use the plastic Warriors of Chaos sorcerer mini and tweak it. He's going to get a head swap for a Chaos Marine head (I'm even thinking maybe one of the wolf's head helmets I have laying around) and he's going to lose his staff since force staves suck and are useless. I want to replace it with a severed head (like on the Space Ork Boyz or Zombie frames) but that's something I'd have to trade for. Something equally greusome would work out just fine. He'll also get a bolt pistol holster on his right hip, and a Chaos Marine backpack. After that he should more than look the part.

So, yeah. It's a fairly optimized all-comers list Between the Sorcerer, the Chaos Lord, and the scratch-built Obliterators (tweaked from various left over weapon bits and using Chaos Terminators as a base), I should have plenty of conversions for people to ooh and ah over. All the ingredients needed for a top-tier tournament army. Of course, my painting could always use improvement, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.

That's the aim of my army for now. Hope you're looking forward to seeing my stuff as I'm looking forward to building it.

Order In! The Strength Seven Solution?

Something like this.

Well, I've pulled the trigger. Autocannons and lots of Chaos Space Marines are soon to be on their way to my door. Two squads of Autocannon Havocs should be just what the Dark Gods ordered. That's sixteen strength 7 shots per turn, with plenty of ablative wounds. Then there are the three additional ordinary Chaos Marine squads that will be toting around plasma guns. Lots more firepower, and almost zero close combat. I'll see how this direction turns out.

It is a bit dangerous to drop my close combat deterrents, but in the end it's been shooting, not hand to hand that carries the day. I'm sick and tired of being mowed down on my way into position, and that's going to stop in a really big hurry.

Currently I have air superiority, but once Demitra takes flak missiles in his army, that'll nerf that. I'll be leaning on my Havocs to clear them out ASAP. With a 48" range I can pretty assurredly lean on the ACs to at the very least mangle the enemy Devastators, but offing every last missile launcher? That's a taller order. At least I'll have two or more shooting phases to clear out rocket-toting jerks, which with 32 shots should (hopefully) mop them up. I'm too lazy to do the math now, but the numbers at least look good. I'll also get the drop on them with at least one baleflamer, and the Burning Brand of Skalathrax won't be far behind...

But that's just making them priority one. there are plenty of other things on my hit list.

I've really backed off on the toys, making my squads leaner and meaner (in a sense). Veterans of the Long War is totally gone from my list which, while I may miss the Leadership boost, will do away with one point per model and will remove the (if I'm going to be honest with myself) useless Hatred rule. It has yet to perform at all, and when fighting against enemies with Preferred Enemy (Chaos Space Marines) it's pretty pointless in close combat. I get one round of re-rolls to hit, you get to re-roll ones both to hit and to wound forever. I'm pretty much doomed if you get your mitts on my dudes. Why bother?

That's not to say I've entirely forsaken close combat. No, melee is a fact of life (even when offing things with overwatch fire), and you need to be prepared for it. To this end my Aspiring Champions all have power weapons of some descriptor, excepting the Havocs which, provided things are going right, should never see melee.

Admit it Chaos players, you miss this.

Basically what I've been leading up to is this:

HQ
Chaos Lord (warlord) w/ power axe, The Burning Brand of Skalathrax.- 110 pts.

TROOPS
14 Chaos Cultists w/ flamer; Cultist Champion w/ shotgun- 77 pts.
14 Chaos Cultists w/ 13 autoguns, flamer; Cultist Champion- 88 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power fist, plasma pistol- 210 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power fist- 195 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power axe- 185 pts.
9 Chaos Space Marines w/ 2 plasma guns; Aspiring Champion w/ power axe- 185 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ baleflamer- 170 pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT
9 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion- 180 pts.
9 Havocs w/ 4 autocannons; Aspiring Champion- 180 pts.

TOTALS
1,750 points
1 HQ
0 Elite
6 Troops
2 Fast Attack
2 Heavy Support
93 miniatures

It looks really good on paper, and it's well rounded. There are Fast Attack choices for The Scouring and Heavy Support for The Big Guns Never Tire. There are lots of Troops for grabbing objectives, and they're well armed (except of course for the Chaos Cultists, but whatever). I haven't sunk too many points into an HQ choice that is cheap to begin with and should remain so. There's also a theme. It's a freshly turned chapter without time to earn any marks or become veterans. That goes with their color scheme. I would have liked to mix the kits up with loyalist parts, but I need the parts that come in the Chaos Marine box more. Plus my first plasma squad was already built.

I haven't determined how I'll step up to 1,999 points (not 2,000 because two Force Organization Charts is dumb) yet, but I'm leaning toward Helbrutes or Terminators. I guess that will be determined by my spending money allowance.

Here's hoping this isn't another gigantic mistake like my last armies have been.

THIS JUST IN:
My Chaos Marines and Autocannons just shipped. Woohoo!

Chaos Marines- The Strength 7 Consideration

These dudes. More of these dudes.

Several games of 40k into 6th edition and I have come to one conclusion:

Assaulting is pointless and useless.

I have given it my best, really I have, but the "terrain density" rolls make for a board which is pretty much wide open and where firepower doesn't just dominate, it rules the day. Add to that Overwatch fire and you have a meaningless gesture that just gets your dudes killed really dead. To this end I am getting ready to tweak my army again. No more assault-oriented units. The Bloodletters have got to go. The Khorne Marines will be dropped. And the Daemon Prince? Well forget that guy.

Seriously, forget this guy.

Why am I dumping the mini I spent the most time and effort on (second to all that accursed Heldrake and all its detail)? Why drop the mini I so loved at the time I purchased?

It just plain sucks.

In all of my games he has gotten at the most a single movement phase before getting uncerimoniously shot to pieces. In my last game he got offed before he even got to think about moving. With performances like that he has to go.

It's really a shame, as I love the mini to death, but when it does nothing but waste 265 points, why bother?

What do I need then? Plasma. Lots of plasma. Strength 7, AP 2, Rapid Fire. Sure it Gets Hot, but so what? at most you'll probably lose a single miniature to overheats. No biggie. The bonus is that I get two plasma guns per squad. Not the template that the Heavy Plasma Gun the loyalists get, but it can snap fire. Not too shabby. Plus the ability to shoot on the move. That's huge for going after objectives. I can press the attack while gunning down loyalist scum.



More plasma!!!

Since the meta of 40k has shifted entirely toward shooting, I feel really let down that I once again have to go and buy more minis. I don't have unlimited funding, and that makes each purchase a really big gamble. I'm looking at over $111 just to get the next three squads I'll need. By the way, that's not three squads of plasma gunners- that's two.

The other squads will be used to build Havocs.

Autocannon Havocs.

These dudes should lay down enough fire to dissuade enemy squads from sticking their noses out of cover, since eight Strength 7, AP 4 weapons will make even Space Marines sweat. Then there are the Bolters.

I want to make these.

...Or at least that's what the Internet says. I've yet to be blown away by Autocannons (See what I did there?), Missile Launchers have thusfar been where it's at. The problem lies in making these heavy weapons.

Since I did away with my bits box a few years ago, I have regretted not having access to the parts I need for several conversions. Not the least of which were the scads of Autocannons I had lying around from an old Imperial Guard army that carried nothing but Lascannons. Ah, the heady days of Las-Plas. But now I need the fronts of Autocannons in order to chop apart the Heavy Bolters I have lying around and turn them into respectable weapons.



Another victim of edition change.

Then there's my Chaos Lord. He has also yet do...

...Do anything. He's stood there and gotten gunned down by Dark Angels over and over, That is not productive, nor is it fun. To this end I am trimming the big guy down a bit, rearming him, and building an entirely new mini out of parts I already have lying around. This time I'll put together a firepower oriented Lord. This time, the Burning Brand of Skalathrax!

If Demitra already hates my Heldrakes and their Baleflamers, he'll rage at the inclusion of the Burning Brand. Strength 4, AP 3, Torrent. Oh, yeah. Burn Marine boy, burn.

I'm not sure if the new lord will be getting a Sigil of Corruption, in fact I'm not sure how bargain'basement I'll be going on all of my squads. What I do know is that this army needs more infantry, stat. I'll try to have an ultimate (for now) destination army liist up ASAP. Now, off to poke away at Army Construction Software in the hopes of creating a new and more capable army.

Helbound

Yep, my first Heldrake is done and dusted. I'm ready to try it out on the table tomorrow. This has been one of the most trying models I have put together in a very long time. First of all, the assembly is a nightmare. The wing arms don't go together well, they're a ball and socket joint that you have to hold in place as it dries. Worst of all is the neck. Once again a ball and socket joint, but this time only the top half of the socket is there to join to. I had to sort of blend model cement and superglue in order to get the neck into place. After I Zip Kicked the neck into place, the model cement did its thing creating a strong bond between the two parts.

Painting, as mentioned before, was an experience I don't care to repeat, but I'll have to in order to finish Heldrake #2.

...But it's break time from bronze, at least for the most part. I've finished assembling my Bloodletters and as soon as the glue holding the ballast to their bases dries they'll be getting the ol' primer treatment. Just like everything else I'll be working up from black to a pale fleshtone. Horns will be black, hilts and crossguards for their Hellblades will be bronze, and the blades of their weapons will be the same yellow green as the Chaos Lord's and Daemon Prince's weapons.

It'll be nice to have so much more of my army done. I can really see things beginning to take shape.

My army list has morphed again. This time from 1,500 points up to 1,750. What's in it you ask? well, that's a secret for tomorrow. Get ready Demitra, there's a whole new look for my servants of the Blood God headed your way!

What The Hel?

My second Heldrake just got finished up. Since I can't find my other camera you'll have to live with this shot. Sorry about the iPhone resolution.

Now I just need to finish painting them.

A Chaos Marine List Just For Demitra

Last Tuesday Demitra and I played our second game of 6th edition 40k. While he deleted most of my army easily, one model gave him fits. You guessed it, that guy. --->

Now, I like the Heldrake. I really like it. I've almost finished painting up my first one, and I've got a second one sitting in a box under my modelling table. But is it the end-all be-all of 40k? Not really. It's a bit of a glass cannon that, granted, is hard to engage without Skyfire, but that doesn't mean it's a game-breaker. It's AV 10 across the back, so as it swoops by you all it takes are a cluster of Bolter shots to let it know you're there. A squad of Devastators with Prescience and Krak Missiles will open the thing up pretty easily too (barring horriffic die rolls). Or just go with the simple solution- Aegis Defense Line. It's 100 points of Heldrake killin' goodness, and these days it's pretty much an auto-include in any army any way. Not just for the quad-gun either. Those pieces of cover you can set up wherever you want are pretty spiffy too.

That having been said, it is a very effective infantry killer. That Baleflamer (I've decided against taking a Hades Autocannon) just shreds stuff. Strength 6 is why. Yes, AP 3 is amazing, but at its Strength value it even reliably lights up Terminators, and they can't all save forever. I even managed to off one with a Vector Strike last game.

...But it can be hard to get it where you want it. As long as it's Zooming it has to move 18". That means it usually only gets a single good go at any given target. Sure it can Hover, but doing that allows enemies to shoot at you with their normal Ballistic Skill instead of Snap Shots, and that equals one VERY DEAD Heldrake.

Enough rambling about my Heldrake love however. This is the real reason for the post today:

HQ
Chaos Lord (Warlord) w/ Melta Bombs, Sigil of Corruption, The Murder Sword, Veterans of the Long War- 135 pts.

ELITE
Helbrute w/ Reaper Autocannon- 105 pts.
Helbrute w/ Reaper Autocannon- 105 pts.

TROOPS
9x Chaos Cultists w/ Flamer; Cultist Champion- 55 pts.
9x Chaos Cultists w/ Flamer; Cultist Champion- 55 pts.
9x Chaos Cultists w/ 8x Autoguns, Heavy Stubber; Cultist Champion w/ Shotgun- 65 pts.
9x Chaos Space Marines w/ 2x Plasmaguns, Veterans of the Long War; Aspiring Champion w/ Plasma Pistol, Power Fist- 220 pts.
9x Chaos Space Marines w/ 2x Flamers, 7x Close Combat Weapons, 2x Additional Close Combat Weapons, Veterans of the Long War; Aspiring Champion w/ Power Axe- 179 pts.

FAST ATTACK
Heldrake w/ Baleflamer- 170 pts.
Heldrake w/ Baleflamer- 170 pts.

ALLIED HQ
Herald of Khorne w/ Minor Reward, Greater Locus of Fury- 85 pts.

ALLIED TROOPS
14x Bloodletters; Bloodreaper- 155 pts.

TOTAL
1,499 pts.

Lots of scoring units, and enough armor to keep those anti-tank weapons busy. Those Bloodletters may be dropped down to 13 strong and given the Banner of Blood instead, but with all those Toughness 3 dudes deep striking or running across the board I'm thinking that more bodies is the way to go lest they simply get shot dead. The Daemon Prince is gone, as all he's accomplished to this point is being shot dead and wasting 255 points. Yeah he's a nightmare if he gets his hands on you, but that's a big, huge "if". It is indeed the Heldrake Flying Circus (well not totally, I'm not going to buy a third one).

Hopefully my next post will be a picture of my first Heldrake all painted up and pretty.