3000 point Tyranid List

So, after weeks of designing lists I have settled on my list for the 3k tourney in January. The list is designed to act as a giant bio-ball of units moving together to maximize effectiveness. I designed it to confront Dark Eldar (which I expect will be about 50% of the people at the tourney), Space Marines of all types (probably going to see lots of Blood Angels, with a few Wolves), as well as Imp. Guard. I believe in creating a list using a variety of units in order to see if my opponent is smart enough to target the right threats. Remember we can have 1 additional force org. chart slot for all choices (i.e. 3 HQ's, 7 Troops, 4 Elites, etc.). I also wanted to try and include as many of my painted models as possible. Any critiques or other suggestions would be helpful.

List #1)

HQ
Swarmlord
Tyrant Guard with Lashwhips (2)

Troops
Termagants (16)
Tervigon with Toxin Sacs & Catalyst
Warriors with Boneswords/Lashwhips, Scything Talons (5)
Hormagaunts with Toxin Sacs (20)
Warriors with Scything Talons, Deathspitters & 1 Barbed Strangler (5)
Genestealers with Scything Talons (10)
Ripper Swarms (5)

Elites
Hive Guard (3)
Hive Guard (3)
Zoanthropes in Spore Pod (3)
Venomthropes (2)

Fast Attack
Gargoyles with Adrenal Glands (20)
Raveners with Scything Talons & Rending Claws (4)

Heavy Support
Trygon Prime
Tyrannofex with Rupture Cannon
Biovores (3)

105 models strong, composing of 19 kill points...

Eldar Paint Scheme Selected!

So I have decided on my scheme for my customized Eldar army.

They are going to be very similar to the Dark Eldar "Kabal of the Obsidian Rose."

I plan to throw in some more red and less blue into the mix instead. I have to say I am excited to try this out!!

However before that fun can begin I have thousands of points of Nids that need attention first.

EDIT: Picture Added!!!

2011 Rumormill

So the word on the street is thus:

2011 releases...

1) New Codices for Grey Knights (early 2011) and possibly Necrons (mid-late 2011).
2) Wave 3 Dark Eldar models. Apparently almost every single unit will have a model in the codex. Seeing how many units they have yet to release models for that will be quite impressive.
3) Wave 2 Blood Angel models. Stormraven Gunship, Furioso Dreadnought, 2-3 new blisters (more than likely a Sanguinary priest, Dante, and Mehpiston).

But the best news!!!!

4) WAVE 2 TYRANIDS!!!! Plastic Tyrannofex/Tervigon kit (similar to the Night Spinner/Fire Prism kit), Plastic Harpy, Bonesword/lashwhip upgrade sprues, Ymgarl Genestealer upgrade sprues, Doom of Malantai model.

So I am excited about the new releases for Nids but I know there has been a lot of backlash against GW for this. Many people are complaining that they should have released these models with the codex launch rather than wait a full year and a half before releasing the new kits. Plus those of us who spent the time/effort to make our own badass conversions for all of these things now feel a bit put out.

That being said I just recently received my new Forgeworld Warrior Wings and will now be able to complete some Tyranid Shrikes!!!! Booyah!

Bloodbowl demons and plants

Hello there sports fans! I've got several things I want to go over before I leave for San Diego for all next week:

1. The gift that keeps on giving: my nephew is being inducted into bloodbowl and he's looking at a chaos army. No bloodbowl chaos army is complete without a minotaur! Looking at the available models at Games Workshop I have to say I was a little disappointed. GW's minotaurs are big but the biggest of them is metal and I don't care for the way the hooves look. SO, to remedy that I looked at Privateer Press's Circle Oroboros Gnarlhorn Satyr. He's big, he's mean, he's got armor so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to put him out on the field to start smashing face.

The model itself is actually quite tall, at least twice the height of a standard trooper. He comes on the 60mm wide circle base so I had to fish out one of my smaller ones for bloodbowl purposes. There was a minimum of flash so I didn't have to spend hours carving off metal bits (he is metal but Privateer Press is slowly changing to plastic).

I had a week (sort of) to assemble him, paint him so he would be ready before I left (tomorrow). My nephew likes the Philadelphia Eagles, evidently. So I painted him a green and white overlay. Not quite the teal but we'll see how it goes over. I made a helmet out of plasticard and green putty... which turned out o.k. I guess. Then I added the "3".

Paint-wise I tried layering here on the skin with a shadowy skin tone, then medium, then highlights then a brown ink. The ink probably should have been watered down a little but the dark skin gives a nice contrast to the white and green armor. I did the same thing with the horns and hooves.

The base was flocked with sand and I tried to make it look like a football field.

Let's hope he likes it!

In other news, remember how I was going to make a completely scratch built demons army?


Here's the cunnin' plan: I'm going to have to mold these two, then take the first casting and carve it down a little and re-size things then make my own spru of the individual pieces, re-mold it then I'll have something. This isn't ideal but neither are my sculpts right now. The baked clay pieces are just so incredibly brittle and making fine details are a hell of a lot harder than I thought they would be. Also you really can't cut up the originals after they are baked.

There is an oil based clay I could use that you CAN NOT bake but it is stronger and thus easier to work with and better for molding. Or I could just use green stuff. Oh well, work in progress.

Also, remember that big jaws thing. I found a home for it:

Feed me Seymour!

Merry Christmas, see you all later!

(Cricket sounds)

Sooo,

I haven't heard or seen any new updates from anyone recently so I guess I will start. 40k wise I haven't had much spare time to get any more painting done. With my recent move to the Olympia/Lacey area I am just now getting resettled. On top of the fact that work is starting to get a bit more busy this month my painting time has been severely reduced.

The only thing I have worked on is my Tyrannofex which I worked on over Thanksgiving. It is about 75% complete with a good 4 more hours of work left to go. (sigh)

Over the break B and I managed a few games which ended with a Victory with the Nids and a close fought draw for the second game.

My list building/play testing is still being tinkered with.

What about you guys??

Army List Ideas

The GW store here in Tacoma is doing a 3000 point tourney in January and to prepare for this onslaught not only am I painting but I have been throwing around list ideas in my head as well. The rules for the tourney are basically mini-Apocalypse games. You aren't allowed Stompas or Baneblades but instead you get 1 extra slot for each place on the force organization chart. (3 HQ's, 7 Troops, 4 Heavies..., etc.).

With the release of the Dark Eldar codex I have played a majority of my recent games versus this new threat and find that Tyranids and Mechanized armies tend to be slaughtered. I know that a large amount of players are going to be bringing Dark Eldar to the match up so I have been trying to develop a list using the Nids I have, primarily the ones I have painted, in order to combat these space pirates.

Any thoughts / ideas??? With 3000 points it is really easy to start to load up on particular units but those points tend to disappear fast.

Molding and Casting Tutorial or the Blind Leading the Blind

Step 1: Turn back now while you still can! Okay? Seriously...


























Still here? Wow, alright then. Keep in mind I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing either but this is what I have learned so far through trial and error.

Step Two: PLANNING, sure it sounds like a good idea now but the reality is probably more insane than you anticipated.

You're going to need:

1. Mat/table covering/cheap cutting board - something to keep all the chemicals from spilling onto your workspace.
   
2. Plastic/rubber gloves - don't let this stuff touch your skin.
3. Ventilated area/hazmat suit - don't breathe this stuff.
   
4. Disposable strong stirrers - I use tongue depressors.
   
5. Dixie/paper/see-through plastic cups - for mixing.
   
6. Small measuring cups - try to find something disposable or something that will be dedicated to this process forever.
   
7. Plasticard - go to a hardware store and get some 'For Sale' signs, see below.
8. Clay/stopgap material.
9. Rulers and pens - for measuring.
   
10. Your custom model, mold and casting mixtures.
11. A plan - what the hell are you really trying to accomplish? Why are you making multiples of this thing? Do you REALLY need to make multiples of this thing?
    

So let's start with something simple aka something I actually made that didn't end in disaster: custom bases.


So you made some custom bases and you'd like to make them over and over again consistently say, for your whole army or whatever.

Step three: planning the mold. This is a lot more difficult than I originally thought it would be.

A mold needs:

• to be a stable piece that allows you to pour a casted material into it without spilling or creating unnecessary mold lines or flak lines on the model.
  
• to allow easy access to the casted piece. If it is a pain in the ass to get the original piece out you can guarantee the casted piece will have the same problem.

I found that drawing out a design works best.

Step four: a box for the mold. Since you are pouring liquid around the model you'll need to be able to contain it. You need a box to contain the model and it needs to be the right dimensions so go buy yourself a ruler and a protractor, maybe even one of those fancy rulers that has a built-in right angle so you can accurately make corners.

For materials I would NOT use cardboard! The mold material sticks to it. I would use plasticard and I would buy it from a hardware store: these are perfect!
Cheap, lots of it!

Measure the dimensions of your model (the bases in this case) and then build a box to contain them. Keep in mind that you're going to want the box to be deeper (or taller, etc) so that when you pour the mold mix over it the mix will cover the model completely!

Now that you've got a solid container, make sure the edges are filled or it will make a huge mess.
But what's this!
That's going to drain straight onto something so fill it with something:
Clay works well and generally can be re-used. Coincidentally this was originally the material I was going to use to sculpt with.

Now that the box is secure arrange your models so that they don't touch each other or the walls. You can secure them to the box with clay or a little glue.

Now that everything is ready we can look at the mold material.

Step Five: the mold.
Meet Oomoo: (the website and the instructions I received say two different things) a two part, 1:1 ratio mix by volume, no heat or vacuum sealing required mold compound from Smooth-On. I recommend starting with the $25 trial size as it will last you for your first baby steps towards bigger things.

Words of caution:

• this stuff is sticky, lay out some sort of cutting board or some sort of mat you can throw away later and wear GLOVES
• VENTILATION, these are chemicals which are not friends with your lungs, eyes, and other vulnerable tissues
  
• Part B is a blue substance that pours like thin syrup (slower than water at any rate)
• Part A is a pink substance that comes out in GLOBS and has the consistence of molasses
• the bottle do not lend well to pouring and tend to drip hence I started keeping them in plastic bags because the unmixed substance does not clean off easily.
  

Start off by taking the measurements of your box (height x length x depth) to get your volume estimation. Of course, if you're any sort of scientist you'll just measure in metric and realize 1 cm^3 = 1 mL and it's an easy day. Otherwise you can convert your measurements via Google if need be. You could try to determine the volume by merely pouring water into your box and then measuring the amount of water with the model in it. I wouldn't recommend this tactic... Unless your model is huge I wouldn't bother with this because you'll need a little extra anyways to cover your model entirely. Better to have more than you need vs. not enough!

Now take that number and halve it (one half will be part A the other B). Measure out equal potions of each. Being a little off isn't going to ruin anything as far as I can tell so far...

I haven't found a good measuring tool. This stuff is opaque, is a pain in the ass to clean, and generally clings to any surface it touches. Right now I wrap a metal measuring tool in plastic. This is not ideal but it has worked so far.

Those little cough syrup things might work too.
Now dump both into a cup:
As you can see here I used one of those disposable paper cups. I actually recommend see-through plastic cups so you can see if you've scraped the edges off enough. I haven't used them myself but the paper has worked so far now.

You've got 75 minutes before this stuff solidifies (cures) so take your time.

Stir it up. I got some tongue depressors because this is a thick mixture and lesser stirring utensils might snap. Stir until it is a solid purple and make sure to scrape the edges and the bottom to get it all together.

Place the box on a level surface and then pour the mold mix into one spot in a steady slow flow and let it fill.
Use the stirrer to scrape it all out until the top of the model is submerged and has a little substance above it. If you didn't mix enough the top of the model will show through and you'll have a hole. If you're quick you can mix some more and cover it... This may have happened to me because I didn't plan ahead.

Now set a timer and go do something else for 75 minutes or more, if you're so inclined.


Welcome back!

Step Six: recover (hopefully) the original model and mold. With the bases this is rather straight-forward: take the entire mold out of the box (this might require you to destroy said box) and flip it over. Since you had the bases face-down that is what you should be seeing: the bases facing up at you with their tops inside the mold. Pop them out and see if anything has gone amiss:
If you look closely at the top row 1st and 3rd from the left bases you can see that there is mold material stuck inside the original model. The irregular arrangement of edges or your careless hands have cause bits of the mold to break off into the model. As of yet this can not be repaired as far as I can tell. The skull base (2nd row, 2nd from the left) also has some of the mold in it.

Additionally there may be some edging or lines that aren't supposed to be there on the mold. You can clean these off this a knife but BE CAREFUL. One wrong deep cut will pierce right through the mold.

Also any problem you have getting the originals out will also happen with casting. For example I tried to make some custom skeleton parts and then cutting the mold in half to retrieve them. I was too hasty and this is the result:
Now if I try to cast it the pieces not only come out irregularly but they are a pain in the ass to get out. Keep this in mind when you plan your mold as retrieval is crucial and may make the mold effectively worthless.

Step Seven: casting!
Meet Smooth-Cast 300 white liquid plastic. 1:1 mix by volume, no vacuum sealing (degassing), etc.

Words of caution:

• Part A and B are clear mixtures.
• These things pour FASTER than water. This was a nasty frakking surprise after the mold mix.
• You've got 10 MINUTES to pour this stuff after you mix it.
  
• Curing is a EXOTHERMIC reaction! It gets really hot!
• The container you use to mix this and the stirring rod will be covered and unless you intend to re-use them for this exact process, will be coated in solid hard plastic.

Preparation for this one is tricky because you're measuring the volume of the model itself. Remember the water technique I mentioned for measuring out the volume for the mold mix? That's the only way I've discovered to measure it all out without ending up with a lot of extra material.

So measure, mix, pour with a steady hand. Pour too quickly and bubbles will form or you'll overfill the mold. Pour at the lowest point of the model and let it fill to the top. You can take your mold and sort of pick it up a little and drop it down to slam some of the bubbles out, be careful though.

Wait 10 minutes (you can actually see it change from clear to solid white and it heats up, NEAT).

Take out the casted piece just like you did with the originals:
Did it work? Are there any mold lines? Did some of the mold break off into the piece? Mine did so now the next casted piece will show that deficit.

Try it again and again:
Here you've got my small bases, medium, and beetle.

Step Eight: practice. You get better over time, naturally.

Here are some resources:

Smooth-On: one of the more friendly websites for this process and one of the few that isn't so brutally technical that you can't understand it. I buy everything here for now. There are LOTS of things you can do with their products and some neat tutorials. Be sure to read up on whatever you buy first or you'll end up with products you can't use properly!

They actually have a product called Sorta Clear that acts as a semitransparent mold mix so you can cut into it and SEE what you are doing rather than cutting a mold blindly. Problem? It requires to be degassed. Degassing vacuum chambers are stupid expensive (like $500 for the pump alone) so I wouldn't bother unless you get really serious about this process or you find something cheaper.

Hirst Arts: makes scenery molds and has some good tutorials as well as BRILLIANT things to make into REALLY customizable scenery.

Sersi's DakkaDakka custom army thread: details this cool cat Sersi's production of some FINE sculpts followed by making custom molds. I haven't entirely figured out how to duplicate the process but it is one of the better pictured productions that I've seen.

Well that's that. I'm trying to sculpt some models right now with the intention to mold them. I'll let you know how it all turns out!

The Hive Mind's Next Army...

So these new releases and helping B with his army design/painting has really inspired me to collect an Eldar army. However I don't just want to amass every unit in the Codex and use the models that GW provides. Instead I am going to make this army my ultimate conversion army. I will vow to make it almost entirely out of Plastic bitz and start to learn how to cast my own resin parts to convert particular units.

I found an AMAZING post that has inspired me to do this task but I won't release my sources.... haha!

So after about 90% of my Nids are painted and battle hardened, it is official that Eldar will be my next army!

So my first order of business is to write a 2000 point list and work to layout designs and bitz accordingly.

Eldar rejoice!

With the new Imperial Armor 11 book en route the UK Gamesday revealed a bunch of new units/models under construction. Besides the usual Imperial type units that are typical to be released (this time rumor mill includes a new Land Raider variant, Space Wolf Thunderwolf Calvalry models, Dreadnought variants, etc.) this time Forgeworld is focusing on some much needed Craftworld Eldar!!

The known facts that this book will reveal include new vehicles (rumored to be 3-4 new tanks, 2 confirmed), new Aspect Warriors (1 confirmed, 1 more rumored still under development), and 2 new troop choices!!!

Here is what I could find on the new releases by Forgeworld.

First up the Lynx! It appears to be a mix between the Apocalypse Scorpion tank allowing an Eldar player to field a Pulsar (Apocalypse level Brightlance) on the field. As you can see the model is slightly larger than the Falcon/Prism tanks. My only thing that I don't like about this type of tank is that it is very vulnerable to weapon destroyed results relying up Holo-fields to save them.



Next up is the Hornet. If the Vyper, Warwalker, and Falcon had a baby, this would be the result. The experimental rules are up on Forgeworld.

Hornet: Armor F 11, S 11, R 10 BS: 3 55 points FAST ATTACK

Unit Composition: 1-3 Hornets
Unit Type: Vehicle (Fast, Skimmer)
Special Rules: Scout
Wargear: Star Engines, 2 weapons from the following list

Weapons: Must be armed with 2 of the following weapons...
Shuriken Cannon @ +5 points each
Scatter Laser @ +15 points each
Eldar Missile launcher @ +20 points each
Starcannon @ +25 points each
Bright Lance @ +30 points each
Pulse Laser @ +40 points each

Options: Any Hornet may be upgraded with any of the following...
Holofield @ +35 points
Vector Engines @ +20 points
Spirit Stones @ +10 points


These beauties will in my opinion replace both Warwalkers and Vypers. They can bring the same firepower that Warwalkers bring and still can outflank, but they are more resilient (Not open-topped and higher Front and Side armor) as well as much faster (built in Star Engines). Vypers are 10 points cheaper but think about what you get with the Hornet vs. the Vyper....

+1 Front and Side Armor, NOT open-topped, built in Star Engines, can Outflank or Scout move, Pulse Lasers!!!

The good news is that these babies are Fast Attack choices and don't compete with all the Heavy slots within the Eldar army.


Now onto another awesome new unit!!!

Say hello to the Shadow Spectre!!!

The low down on these little beauties is thus.... Imagine a Jet-pack (Not Jump pack), armed Infantry with a Prism cannon. That is what you get with this beauty.

Only 1 model has been sculpted thus far but Forgeworld has confirmed that they plan to design 5 models (a full squad with Exarch), as well as a possible Pheonix Lord!!!

Rules for these guys are still in the rumor mill but what we are fairly sure is this...

They can link fire similar to Fire Prism tanks, getting stronger with each linked shot. They have Jet-Packs, so they move like Tau battlesuits and can still fire their heavy weapons. The gun is rumored to be able to provide both the focused and dispersed beams like the Prism tank. We know that the gun is a Heavy type and a Lance weapon. Everything else is speculation. The hope is that these guys will be Fast Attack but I doubt it as they have HEAVY weapons and are similar to Tau Broadsides which are Heavy choices.

The other rumor for the remaining aspect warrior is a melee jump pack infantry unit. Something like a Banshee and Swooping Hawk mixed together.

This really makes me want to start a Craftworld now!!

Hive Fleet Hellmouth cont...

3 Warriors with Boneswords & Lashwhips completed. 3 more in the works.

Last few weeks work...

Found this from another Tyranid Player. Apparently his kid found it at Toys'R'Us and it had a baby Dragon in it... Kid didn't want the egg... Looks like I will be making a trip to Toys'R'Us to pick about 4 of these up to make new and improved pods...








Brian's Wave Serpent that I helped him paint this weekend to get him started on his Eldar. For my first vehicle ever, it's not too bad.





Another view...













My Nid's that I have completed painting these last few weeks....

3 4th edition Raveners (Pewter).

2 Lictor's and 1 Deathleaper (camo legs)...













8 Ymgarl Genestealers...













10 Gargoyles....














3 Pyrovores...

1 Trygon Prime...... god this thing took forever....

Next on the agenda for painting includes ... 10 more Gargs... 6 Warriors with Boneswords.... 1 Tervigon.

Walking Dead

A fantastic comic book series has come to TV. AMC is hosting 'Walking Dead' which premiered yesterday (10/31). I haven't watched it yet but I have read the comic series. It should be epic if it is anything like the comics. Even if you don't watch it, go read the series.

Go get your fix of zombie apocalypse.

Demons and Robots

DEMONS AND ROBOTS

The new robotanic metal band is on tour at your local dive bar!

If only...

This Saturday was supposed to be the début of my Cyrxian forces against the Protectorate of Menoth. Alas the Protectorate bailed so the battle never happened. Probably for the best as I still haven't come to an understanding of the rules.

Game 1
Instead there was a 4-way battle of 500 point teams. Demons and Necrons (team democrons) vs. Orc(k)s and eldar (team Eldorcs). At 500 points I have room for my required choices and that's it. 20 Necron warriors, 1 Lord with a rez orb.

Objectives on opposite ends of a square table, lots of random terrain between us.

Turn 1
Eldorcs elected to go second so I deployed behind a bowl of fruit next to our objective. My demon ally does not get his choice of the wave of demons and his khorne bloodletters and whatever that superbloodletter's name is show up and run for cover.

Eldorcs (2 units of jetbikes, a warwalker, a wraithlord) (big orc with lots of CC stuff, 2 trucks full of boys and a nob with a power claw, a can) have the jetbikes and trucks rush forward. The artillery (orc can, warwalker and wraithlord) open fire and wipe out a bunch of bloodletters.

Turn 2
Demon reserves don't enter, bloodletters and superletter run 2" through the cover (1" difficult terrain and 1" run). Necrons position themselves to shoot (did I ever mention how I dislike 'rapid fire'?).

Eldorcs trucks and jetbikes run forward and shoot. Artillery takes out more bloodletters.

Turn 3
Demon reserves don't show up. Bloodletters continue to run 3". Necrons open fire on the trucks but only destroy a weapon.

Eldorcs jetbikes open fire on the Necrons but to no avail. Orcs jump out of the trucks and rush the Necrons. They manage to deal no wounds (half are swinging at the lord anyways) and my Necrons don't hit anything either. Artillery takes out more bloodletters (me demon ally could not roll for crap).

Turn 4
Demon reserves (pink horrors and the Masque) come and land right next the eldar jetbikes. The Masque tries to do that puppet thing where it makes the enemy move. One group of orcs not in the truck but not in combat get moved right into rapid fire range. Pink horrors and Necrons cut them down.

My lord is take out in close combat.

Eldorcs open up into the pink horrors and Masque, wiping them out. More Necrons go down against the orcs. The superletter and remaining bloodletter are charged by the orc boss and can. No one is wounded.

Turn 5
With my demon friends deadlocked with a khan, jetbikes bearing down on my one free unit and my other unit locked into a close combat that they would eventually lose to attrition, things were looking grim for the Democrans. The orc boss went down to the superletter but was then cut down by the can. The remaining bloodletter wouldn't be able to hurt the can because of the armor value.

My Necrons in combat were wiped out by the orcs (lord did not make the WBB roll). The remaining unit of Necrons were hit by the jetbike unit but few loses. I called the game at that point.

Thoughts
I dislike 500 point games. Not because I lost but because Necrons are worthless in such small games.

Game 2
The eldar player had to leave, something about catching a plane to Ohio. So we played one of those 3-way battles where two people fight it out and the last person wipes up whatever is left. This time I got to be that third person, sort of.

1000 points (thank the toaster gods) Demons vs. Chaos vs. Necrons.

Same table with two objectives in one quarter and everyone else in the others.

Turn 1
Necrons go first castling up in one quarter with the monolith out front screening the warriors, a small unit of scarabs screen behind the warriors, immortals and a lord next to the monolith, one unit of warriors in reserve. We run for some cover, awaiting the inevitable badness of demons but safely out of range from the chaos warriors.

Demons go second, the chaos gods disagreeing with the wave choice (this guy has some of the worst rolling, ever he really needs to make his waves even to avoid that). So the superkhorne greater demon (where everyone re-rolls to hit and he can't fly) with 2 units of 6 fiends try to drop on the chaos warriors but scatter off the board and then are destroyed by the deep strike mishap roll. Considering half of his army was wiped out we told him to try that over again. This time he landed pretty close to the chaos warriors and then ran everything forward towards them.

Chaos warriors roll up towards the demons (3 rhinos full of 2 units of guys and then a unit of possessed with a psycher of some kind) and open fire, wiping out a unit of fiends.

Turn 2
Necrons begin to take pot shots at everyone, taking out a weapon on a rhino and killing a fiend. I continue to press close to the objectives. My reserves come in, surprisingly so I let them file out of my monolith.

Demon reserves decide to come in: a soul grinder (fully loaded) and a unit of demonettes. Grinder opens up on my Necrons with phlegm (big template) but misses entirely. The demonettes run forward.
The other half (superkhorne and fiends) rush the chaos marines opening up one rhino and devouring the gooey insides but leaving themselves exposed for the other two.

Chaos marines kill the superkhorne, psycher and possessed rush the fiends and a fierce battle ensues with the possessed coming out on top.

Turn 3

I open fire with everything I've got against the soul grinder and even get my particle whip to land right on the thing's head then fail to roll a penetrating hit (needed a 4+ damn it). My immortals manage to glance off the phlegm cannon while the other unit of warriors wipe out the demonettes until there is only one left.

Demon fiends are finished off by the possessed, the soul grinder rushes my Necrons and tear up 5 of them. Luckily they are close enough to my Lord to get the benefit of the rez orb. The lone demonette rushes the other unit and the Necrons take it down.

The lone chaos rhino still intact rolls up towards the objective and the possessed start to walk down towards it as well.

Turn 4
With the soul grinder breathing down my neck and chaos marines lumbering my way I'm in a tight spot. I luckily make all of my WBB rolls then pull that same unit away from the soul grinder. Then proceed to ram my monolith into the chaos marine rhino but I don't roll high enough to penetrate the armor. I open fire with all of my Necrons into the soul grinder and manage to whittle it down to one close combat weapon. I then rush my scarabs (remember those? They've been hiding this entire time) into the soul grinder to delay it. Meanwhile my immortals and lord teleport within firing range of the possessed and start picking them off at a distance.

The soul grinder wipes out a base. And combat resolution wipes out another base.

Chaos possessed run towards my immortals. The rhino backs up and tries to take out the monolith with a melta weapon but misses.

Turn 5
My monolith particle whips the possessed and takes most of them out. I would have whipped the rhino but I was worried it would scatter right back on my or my other units. My warriors run away from the grinder towards the objectives. My scarabs are wiped out in close combat and the grinder consolidates up.

The grinder then rushes the monolith (surprise there but considering the demon player has just this model left I think he was in the mood to goof off at that point) but he glances it.

Chaos marines again try and take out my monolith but fail.

Turn 6
My immortals take out the rest of the possessed, my monolith closes in on the objective next to the chaos marines, contesting it, fires at the grinder, misses. The rest of my forces close on the remaining objective.

Grinder tries again to take out the monolith and fails.

The chaos marines try again and fail.

Victory Necrons

Thoughts
On the one hand I was lucky that the fiends did not target me. On the other hand I castled up pretty well and defended my quarter pretty well. The mobility provided by the immortals and the lord is always nice but I did miss my destroyers. I don't have a lot of options to open up armor. Sure, ALL of my forces can glance something but that usually does not happen. 20 warriors with rapid fire hit on a 3+ lay down a lot of hits. But then I need 6's to glance and 5-6 to take off weapons or immobilize the target. That doesn't happen as often as you'd think. Additionally it seems like every vehicle now ignores shaken and stunned so glances statistically don't do much for me ever.

Toast for the toaster god!

Dark Eldar Thoughts

So I played my first game against the new Dark Eldar against a VERY experienced player who wrote what he referred to as, "the unbeatable list." Here are my initial thoughts on the codex, the units, tactics, and counter-tactics.

Initial Thoughts: Dark Eldar are a beast! They have been and still continue to be the embodiment of a 'glass cannon.' They hit like a freight train but can be killed in a matter of seconds from the most humble of weapons.

Units: Their HQ's are pretty good overall. I would even venture to say probably some of the best in the game. Archons are just fantastic! The codex is full of wargear options that put Space Marines to shame! The wargear allows players to customize their Archons to do exactly the kind of combat they want. The Shadow Field is back (2+ invulnerable save), Clone Field, Agonizers, Husk Blades (Power Weapon that causes instant death...... I hate this thing), Webway portals, etc. The other two options for HQ's aren't ask good by a long shot. They have a HQ version of a Wych that has terrible wargear options in comparison for more points.... They also have a HQ Homunculus (spelling) that can be very useful in providing a unit with free pain tokens to start the game.

Their troop section is soooo easy but soooo good; Wychs & Warriors. Warriors are better now that they have poisoned guns, and Wychs put my Genestealers to shame in CC.

Elites: Incubi are fantastic with some new rules that make them even more nasty. I always have referred to them as Striking Banshees due to their mix of both good benefits that the two Craftworld Aspect warriors provide. Wryack's = Troop version of a Grotesque from 3rd edition. Basically a T 4 Dark Eldar with a pain token already. Super Warriors = Basically these guys are Kalabite Warriors with more weapon options, a higher leadership and more attacks. Watch out for small squads of 5 in a Venom armed with 4 blasters! Think of a Fire Dragon squad... that is what they can do. Super Wychs = same as Wyches with more wargear, more attacks, higher leadership, etc. Mandrakes = Dark Eldar mini Lictors.

Fast Attack: Ravagers = PWNAGE! Same stat line and weapon upgrades from 3rd but with a new rule.... They can move Crusing speed (12") and still fire ALL guns! Hellions = super fast warrior equivalents with a few more attack and some additional firepower. Jetbikes = super speed!!! They can turboboost 36"!!!! Scourges = mobile firepower in the form of a slightly better armored warrior.

Heavy Support = Talos = same as before with more options. Mini-Talos = a more gun oriented version of the Talos. Nightwing Fighter = 1 turn wonder for 110 points. Deathstrike Bomber = imagine a mix between a Nightwing Fighter, with a bomb for every enemy type. Grotesques = Str 5 T 5 W 3 with a pain token.... pretty nasty.... especially since they are only 35 points a piece.

Transports: Raiders = same as before with MORE upgrades (about 20 vehicle upgrades). Venoms = Imagine an Eldar Vyper with their gun turret removed and a platform behind that can transport 5 guys. Oh and it is better armed than a Vyper..... for only about 70 points..... (Sorry B).

The game we ended up playing was Annihilation with Dawn of War setup. My list I tailored to fight DE and initially I thought I would get completely destroyed after Turn 1. However that didn't exactly happen. I ended up staying alive and forcing a draw.

Dark Eldar tactics are thus... 1) Get first turn, 2) Destroy as much on the table as possible by either popping transports/tanks/heavy weapon teams, and then 3) fly around your enemy and blast them to death with a little CC action now and then.

Dark Eldar are fast! Believe me reading the rules is one thing but then seeing them in action is quite another... It is very disheartening when in 1 turn your opponent can have his ENTIRE force already assaulting your army or in rapid fire range. Dark Lances combined with Splinter weapons are the best for all enemies.... Lances for the armor and heavy infantry and Splinter weapons for everything else! For christsake they can upgrade their Raiders to move an additional 2D6" for a total of up to 36" in 1 turn AND they can still assault......

With that being said don't be disheartened when a quarter of your army is smashed in 1 turn. Follow these basic tactics to crush them. 1) Put everything you can into cover or provide a cover save to them... This not only can save your infantry or vehicles from the 1st turn massacre but can protect yourself from possible 1st turn assaults as well. 2) Shoot down the transports and then mop up the squads. I had 2 units of Hive Guard destroy 2 Raiders sometimes, just 1 a turn and by doing this it is quite easy to kill Dark Eldar. If their mobility is gone they are as weak as Tyranid gaunts for 2 or 3 times the point cost. 3) Shoot them! Any gun can kill a Dark Eldar and fast! Make sure to have target priority when facing the Dark Eldar. Hit particular targets and wipe them from the board before moving on. Blast & template weapons work wonders!

Overall the codex is very good! Lots of good units, with awesome rules and for once it isn't a Space Marine codex. I am excited to see the first well written and designed/balanced codex to come from GW in years!

Tyranid Tactica - Coming Soon

So I have noticed that there has been A LOT of players pissed off about the Tyranid codex and the changes that it brought to the 40k game. I admit there are flaws that I am surprised made it through play testing, but still I am not one to just throw the bugs down and walk away to another army. Especially with the new Dark Eldar coming out and having played a game against them I thought it would be best to silence those who think that 'Nids are effectively dead as an army both casually and in the tournament scene.

I have decided that due to all the upset players, whining kids, and critical tourney players that they need to have something to read that basically slaps them in the face and says, "you have no idea just how effective this army can be."

Therefore I will develop a Tyranid tactic guide as well as counter's for opposing armies to silence the whining babble of kids that don't have "I win" buttons hidden within their Tyranid battle force boxes.

This guide will be soooo awesome that soon more people might decide to pick up their bugs again!

This is what I've been working on this past month....

In case you didn't notice I'm stoked about the new Tron Legacy movie coming out (I just hope it doesn't suck!). Lightcycles, identity discs and DAFT PUNK (they did the soundtrack!)! Since there aren't any costumes around I had to make my own. So enjoy the next new Tron Guy!

Name the Hive Fleet!!

So I haven't officially named my 'Nids yet as far as what Hive Fleet they are referred to by the Imperium. Any suggestions?? I am trying to come up with something that is similar to the rest of the fleets in so far as to name them after mythological beasts/creatures from ancient cultures. I have always personally called my 'Nids, Hive Fleet Apophis but apparently after this recent codex that fleet has already been taken and the scheme is radically different from how mine are colored.

Soooo... here is the challenge.

Whoever submits the coolest entry for a Hive Fleet name will get a small but cool prize (converted miniature of your choice)!

Let the competition begin!!

Kung Fu Banner

You may have noticed the banner. I'm going to say, right now, that one of us needs a figure with an afro. Otherwise Bob Ross is going to show up everywhere. That and I had a stunning realization about a lack of representation in the wargaming world. Now, granted, you have green-skinned orcs and a plethora of different 'races' of beings but let's be honest: how many of those figures aren't white and of the women, how many are Sexpun T'come characters?

Right, so originally I just wanted to talk about the wacky banner but somehow talking about afro haircuts really made me realize the above. So let's focus:

1. I like how the banner turned out, for a crappy photoshop job. If you don't like the quotes or have some other images you want to put in there let me know and I can edit a new one.
   
2. If I'm really that concerned about a "all-white" wargaming world, what do I intend to do about it? Well... I could paint my high elves as a mix. That doesn't help the utter lack of female models but it could be a start.
   
3. Also, Garrett, I adjusted your swarmlord's upper right hand its blade wouldn't cover Mr. Ross' face. Sorry.
   

Dark Eldar up for Advance Order

The new kits that we have seen over the past few weeks are now available for advance order. I have to say I have read over some of the leaked stat lines and rules for Dark Eldar and as a Tyranid player I am utterly screwed. The DE army is loaded with hundreds of poison guns that will make my big bigs nothing but red mist, their are rules that the entire army will get bonuses for each enemy unit it completely destroys (1 unit killed = Feel no Pain, 2 units killed = Furious Charge, 3 units killed = fearless).... If that wasn't enough some of the special rules for their CC units (Incubi, Mandrakes and in particular Wyches) are utterly devastating.

Genestealers have been dethroned as thee uber CC troop in the game now. With the abilities listed above pumping up the entire army it is easy for them to focus their firepower and amp up their power even before they jump into assault. Wyches are similar in stat lines but have some nasty abilities (+4 Inv in CC, multiple attacks, and ridiculous wargear options). Combat drugs are now army wide and one roll is made for all units with the ability. Incubi are basically a mix between a Howling Banshee and a Striking Scorpion with the benefits of both (Str 4 power weapons, high Init., high WS, 3+ armor save, weapons can grant extra attacks on 6's to wound).

I must say this army just looks awesome!!! The models and everything are well done to the extreme. Just look at the Mandrake models (like a WoW Demon Hunter/Illidan).

As much as I love the looks of these kits I think I will wait and not start another army with the DE. I will wait patiently and see when the next Eldar or Tau codex hits the streets.

Path of the Warrior/Weekly update

So I haven't had much time to do any hobby related painting this week due to a busy work schedule as well as starting to get things organized for the future wedding. However I have done the following...

1) I have painted up around 20 LOTR figures including, Eomer, 3 Royal Guard, 6 Riders of Rohan, and 8-12 Gondorian Rangers. They look pretty good... pics to follow when I can.

2) I bought and finished reading "The Path of the Warrior," by Gav Thorpe. Let me tell you I have a greater respect for Eldar and still find their culture/backstory extremely fasinating. I probably will have to start an Eldar army as my second army now due to this book. If I do I forsee lots of Eldar on foot with tons of Aspect Warriors. B you really should give this book a read. I will get it to you ASAP.

My plans will be to continue painting some LOTR figures since I am in the groove and have a solid scheme that I can follow with them. My goal is to get the majority of my Rohan cavalry finished, as well as some more hero characters then move to the Rohan foot soldiers. If I can paint 2/3 of my LOTR colleciton I will be satisfied to move back to 40k to paint my Gargs, Termagaunts, and Swarmlord.

What the Cryx?

I might have done something bad. I'm not entirely sure yet. What I do know is this:

Deathripper Bonejack
Defiler Bonejack with sign pointing to the Caspia (the Cygnarian Capital)

Warwitch Deneghra

Slayer Helljack

Cobblestone base

I know what you're thinking: "What have you done, you fool?!"


At first I would have agreed with you. Initially buying the Cryx Starter Box was on a whim. I've always eyed the Warmachine game by Privateer Press. People have always been talking about it and then a friend mentioned he had Cygnar models and then suddenly I was at the War Store ordering the Starter Box, Rulebook, and the Cryx rulebook.


Maybe I got a little carried away. Once everything came in the mail I sort of sat there wondering what I had done. Then, swallowing hard, I opened the box and looked at the models. 'Where's the spru?' I thought to myself. Each model was individually wrapped and ready to assemble with a minimum of flock to clean up. A large color fold-out page with the basic rules and the stats for all the other faction starters was included. Everything I needed to play the game was in the box. All I needed was an opponent.


The bases are unique, the inner circle is slightly lower than the edge so you have a natural barrier to tell where the edge of the base is and a spot to make a neat base without disrupting the base itself. Naturally I took the massive collection of Games Workshop spru and made cobblestone then added sand in between the blocks. For Deneghra I added a couple of straws for pipes and a rickety little causeway. Turned out pretty well but the pictures above are crap.


The models themselves are smaller than I originally thought they would be. Deneghra is the only 'human' sized thing and she is roughly the height of a Games Workshop figure but her pose is pretty dynamic. The bonejacks (the little ones) are merely heads, torsos, and legs so there isn't much in the way of assembly. The Slayer had shoulders and forearms to make more interesting poses. They are big but not big like GW models are big. However these 'jacks are weird fusions of magic and technology [read: thermapunk aka steampunk].


The game itself is a strange because it really breaks away from the way GW works. Primarily because your turn involves using one unit at a time rather than a movement, magic, shooting, close combat phase on each turn. I suppose I could go in-depth with the differences but I haven't even played a game yet.


Either way I love the models and I enjoyed spending today putting them together and their bases (which took the majority of the time). It was a breath of fresh air doing something different.