Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Sidetrack: Warmachine Update

To make it a bit easier to find and refer too, I thought I would use Age's method and keep a static post and link to it.

Update: Models are based and primed. Oh, and if you notice holes in some of the bases, those are for my painting stands. They will be filled in later.

http://op40k.blogspot.com/2000/12/sidetrack-warmachine-progress-pictures.html

or you can click on the Sidetrack: Warmachine lable to the right

Thanks,
Ash

Monday, December 28, 2009

My thoughts on the new Tyranids

I'm usually slow to voice my thoughts on a new dex before I've played it (Or before it's been officially released). However, I'm always semi-curious on how my thoughts before play testing stacks up to post-play testing...so I wanted to get this out before confirmation bias reforges my memory. Here we go;

Strengths of the codex:

HQ:
Heavy VC Hive Tyrant w/ Tyrant Guard
Tervigons
Alpha Warrior

Elite:
Hive Guard
Zoanthropes
Ymgarl Genestealers

Troops:
Death Spitter Warriors
Termagaunts

Heavy:
Trygon/Mawlocs


Here is why I think the above:

Tervigons: Make 3d6 Gaunts each turn (yeah really), synapse range of 18" with Ld. 10. Grants special powers to nearby gaunts/units (Like FNP!), 6 wounds with T6...and he's cheaper than a squad of marines. Expect to see this...a lot.

Alpha Warrior: Better than a SM Captain at a cheaper cost, has access to very cheap upgrades...and can lead any unit. Gaunts with FNP, Furious Charge and this guy leading the bunch. Natural T5 too with multi-wound stat line, so piss off Power Fist. Expect to see this guy leading Gaunts near you.

Hive Guard: The answer to transports for Nids. Str. 8 Weapons that don't need line of sight and decent range....on a T6, multi-wound, cover save getting (yeah infantry class, so gaunts give them cover) chassis. Oh and BS 4. So a unit of 3 puts out 6 Str. 8 shots to pop rhinos.

Zoanthropes: I think (I'll need to do the math on this) that their Str. 10 Lance AP1 shots are better at popping tanks than melta in double dice range. Again, BS 4. Oh and they have a 3++ and can ride in pods. What Land Raider? :)

Ymgarl Genestealers: They have the rules the Lictors should have (No scatter DS, move AND assault the turn they come in. Stealers still beat face and this stealer species has 4+ saves... so this could be a fun unit...but the elite section has a lot of competition. Still a good unit.

Death Spitter Warriors: Good fire-base (A max unit will put out 27 Str. 5 shots!) and they score. They die pretty damn easy losing eternal warrior...but if they are shooting their Warriors with that kind of weaponry the rest of your monsters are safe. Put them in cover, squat and shoot.

Termagaunts: Stealers die too easy now with a 5+ and spike rifles can be decent.

Trygon: Beat stick and deep strikes. You get a turn to shoot it before it starts eating your army (that your Hive Guard just popped out of their metal boxes). He scares my marines.

Mawloc: Pops up like the Trygon then vomits a St. 6 AP2 large blast on you. Oh, he's not much weaker than the Trygon in HTH. And can reburrow to do it again. And has Hit and Run. And is the same cost as a Carnifex. Yeah really.


So there are the units that jump out at me. Honestly, I wanted to do a shooting army like Tau...but damn Nids can be shooty now! Plus, you don't have to ride around in your damn tank all game to only move your troops one shooting phase before they get beat in the head. I'm seriously (I know this will make Mike laugh) considering making a shooty Nid army....if anything just to buck the status quo of HTH Nids and stay away from Transport/Troop 40k.

Any thoughts?

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sidetrack: Warmachine

As if we didn't have a million projects going already, Age has talked me in to giving this game a try. To be perfectly honest, for some reason I had low expectations about this game. After reading the MkII rules and actually trying the game out, my opinion has changed. Warmachine has a genuine strategic depth and I would have to say that the game is more chess-like than other miniature games on the market, but more fun.

Ok, so now I’m in, but which army? Two in our small group already have Warmachine armies, one Cryx and the other, Cygnar. I wanted to field something different so that narrowed the choice between Protectorate of Menoth and Khador, well there is Hordes but I like the looks of Warjacks. Using the Privateer Press online galleries, I found that I liked the looks and color scheme of the Protectorate. That decided I placed a couple of orders and bought some stuff off of eBay. Merry Christmas to me!

So now I have these models:

Grand Scrutator Severius
Avatar of Menoth
Blessing of Vengeance
Revenger
Exemplar Bastions
Daughters of the Flame
Choir of Menoth
Hierophant
Vassal of Menoth x2
Wracks
Covenant of Menoth
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord

All are assembled and based except for the Bastions (process of), Choir and Severius. The Bastions should be based soon, but I need a five more bases to complete the rest. Then I will be ready to prime if the weather cooperates. At that point I will begin posting pictures to chart my progress.

More to come,
Ash

Monday, December 21, 2009

More photos of our armies, added some of our Chaos

Slowly adding more photos. I imagine we'll each add more of our army shots over time...

You can find our army photos to the right under 'Our Army Photos' or direct linkage to the chaos update is here;

AshAxe 40k Chaos

AgeOfEgos 40k Chaos

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Slowly will be adding photos....

Eventually, I'll upload photos of our armies on here (Ash Loyalists/Chaos, my Loyalist/Chaos, etc). Unfortunately, I'm not very good with Blogger yet ;). So, here is a start

AgeOfEgos Loyalists

AshAxes Loyalists


I plan on adding this to the side bar as well so users can easily see our armies with a click. The only method I can figure out is to make a list of links to the right, which will redirect to posts that I artificially age (So they can remain static). However....if any Blogger gurus out there have any other tips I'm all ears :).

Ryan

Saturday, December 5, 2009

My Scars List for Adepticon Take 2

Well, after a few games now I've altered my list a bit and it's feeling more optimized. I was concerned with light armor, as I didn't want my Heresy Bikes/Thunder Cav being fed light vehicles then spammed with plasma cannons or what have you once they were piled up. So...las cannons were in order! I have melta to cover the heavies but felt I needed something to reach out for light armor. Devs/Long Fangs are out, as that goes against my theme of Scars (all mounted). So what about utility Preds, with a single twin-linked las? Fits the Scars fluff of no side sponsons on their Preds, keeps them pretty cost efficient and gives me some range light AT;



Wolf Lord
--Heresy Bike (Counts as ThunderCav)
--Storm Shield
--Wolf Claw
--Runic Armor
--Warrior Born

Wolf Guard Pack
--One with combi-melta and Thunder Hammer
--One with combi-melta and Thunder Hammer
--One with combi-melta


Grey Hunter/Scars Tac Squad (Wolf Guard with combi/Thunder hammer goes here)
--9 strong with melta
--Rhino

Grey Hunter/Scars Tac Squad (Wolf Guard with combi/Thunder hammer goes here)
--9 strong with melta
--Rhino

Grey Hunter/Scars Tac Squad (Wolf Guard with combi melta goes here)
--5 strong with melta
--Rhino

Heresy Bike Squad (Thunder Cav counts as) 5 strong
--1 storm shield with melta bombs
--1 storm shield
--1 Thunder Hammer
--1 with melta bombs
--1 with nothing extra

Heresy Bike Squad (Thunder Cav counts as) 5 strong
--1 storm shield with melta bombs
--1 storm shield
--1 Thunder Hammer
--1 with melta bombs
--1 with nothing extra

1 Predator with twin-linked las cannon
1 Predator with twin-linked las cannon
1 Predator with twin-linked las cannon



Plan is preds open up light armor for my Heresy Bike Squads to eat whatever is inside. By the way, many thanks to Blackmoor for talking me into spending some points these guys in the form of shields/unique war-gear. Five T5, unique allocation, two wound models with 3++s....yeah they are a brick.

I have a sac melta squad in the form of the 5 man tac squad with Wolf Guard. 2 melta shots from the rhino port and if I lose them, it's only 130ish points. The Heresy bikes move up behind the smoke popping rhinos. That leaves me 20 marines with two Thunder Hammers as backup to 10 counts as Thunder Cav. It's seemed pretty solid in play test so far, guess we'll see again this weekend.

Only thing I'm concerned about is my Wolf Lord. It's going to be a counts as Khan Primarch...so obviously I want him to be a barney....but he's weighing in at 250 points! The games I've played with him he's absolutely tore up...but still 250 points! :)

Thoughts?