Grey Knights - Brotherhood Champions

The Brotherhood Champion got ruled out the minute I opened the Codex, 100pts for a one wound model with a special rule for his attacks. But, I then used this guy in a game last week for the purpose of this article and I was pleasantly surprised by him and he didn't get killed!!!

So, lets take a look at his stats first, he comes in at WS 7 and Initiative 5, the rest is as per standard marines except he is LD10. He comes with Artificer armour and Iron Halo as standard (2+/4++ saves) and an Anointed Blade, which is Nemesis Force Sword (so +1 Invulnerable in combat) that can re-roll failed wounds. So now looking at this guy he looks a little more tempting, a 2+/3++ is pretty survivable in combat, and he is hitting on 3's before most units, but he is still only one wound, surely he must have more going for him for a 100pts.

Well, this is where he gets interesting, he has a few special rules, the first is Titans Herald, this lets you re-roll failed Hits the turn the Champion and his squad assault an enemy (just like a Chaplain). He also comes with a Special Attacks, he has to pick one of three options:

The first is Sword Storm, the Champion makes ONE attack against EACH enemy model in base contact with him (and doesn't get a bonus for charging). This means he can get up to around 7 attacks against a large squad, quite a good number, but he could also end up with only one or two if you charge the wrong units.

Secondly is Blade Shield, the Champion forgoes making any attacks but can re-roll any failed saves. This could be handy if he is in a unit of terminators and they charge a small elite squad where he gets few attacks and would be little use, while keeping him alive against the enemies attacks aimed at him.

Lastly we have Rapier Strike, I think this would probably be the most useful if you want him in a dedicated assault unit. The Champion makes D3 attacks (+1 if he charged) at Initiative 10, but they must be targeted at a single Independent character or Monstrous Creature in base contact.

The Brotherhood Champion has two psychic powers, the first being Hammerhand (+1 strength) like every Grey Knight unit. But he also has Heroic Sacrifice, which comes into play if he dies, if successful he makes a single attack against one enemy model that was in base contact when he died (the Champion picks I assume), if the attack hits, both models are removed from play with no saves of any kind.

The Brotherhood Champion has very little he can take as wargear, limited to Digital Weapons (re-roll one failed hit) for 5pts, these seem pretty pointless when you want him to be charging to get his re-rolls anyway. Empyrean Brain Mines for 10pts, these let you pick one enemy model who then has to take an Initiative test, if they fail they cannot attack that turn (very very tempting). He can also take Psybolt Ammunition (+1 str to the storm bolter) for 5pts, this is great if you have spare points, but I prefer more men.

So, 100pts, for a one wound Chaplain with funky attacks and isn't fearless, is he worth it? Maybe, maybe not, all I can say is, when I used him he managed to hold up and almost kill 20 Daemonettes virtually on his own. He survived their rending attacks as they charged in and got 7 attacks using his sword storm ability, killing 5 of the enemy (even with me forgetting that all Grey Knights have Preferred enemy!!!).

Well there you go, another HQ down, let us know your thoughts on the Brotherhood Champion.

Col.Straken

Grey Knights - Grand Masters and Brother Captains.

I said I wanted to go over the units in depth and I am going to start at the top. I am going to put the Grand Master and Brother Captain together as these guys are almost identical, but will brief over the differences.

So firstly, the great Grand Master, there are now apparently only 8 of these guys and never any more than this and we know that two of these are Draigo (Supreme Grand Master), and Mordrak (the guy with the ghosts of christmas past). You would think that these guys must be the ultimate killing machines as they have survived countless battles with Daemons and even had to hunt 6 of the deadliest on their own to become Paladins first (apparently). The Grand Master Sports a WS and BS 6 which isnt bad, he also comes with 3 wounds and Initiative 5, sounds good so far. But, he only has 3 attacks... and has to pay 10pts for +1 attack, he comes with Terminator armour as standard and carries a Nemesis Force Sword (+1 invulnerable in combat). This guy weighs in at a hefty 175pts, but, despite not being a monster in combat he has the Grand Strategy ability to give D3 infantry, jump infantry, walkers or MC's (not including Independants and Henchmen) one of four abilities, these are:

Re-roll To Wound rolls of a 1 for the duration of the game.

Counter-attack.

Scouts.

claim objectives as if they were troops.

The last of these is a HUGE bonus in an army which relies on its Elites and Heavy Support as much as they Grey Knights now do.

As for his wargear choices, he can take the standard Grey Knight equipment of:

Halberd (+2 Initiative) for 5pts

Falchions (+1 attack) for 10pts

Warding Stave (2+ inv in combat) 35pts

I normally keep him with a Force Sword as he gains a 3+ invulnerable in combat, but I may consider the Halberd as Initiative 7 would help against other HQ's the other two options (especially the warding stave) just seem too expensive for what they do. The Grand Master can also take any of the "heavy/special" weapons that Grey knights can:

Incinerator (str 7 Flamer) 5pts

Psilencer (Str4 AP- heavy 6) 35pts

Psycannon (Str7 Assault cannon) 45pts

with these I would keep him with his Storm Bolter, or maybe give him an Incinerator if I really felt like I had to upgrade it, the other weapons are just too expensive to consider when they are much cheaper elsewhere. He can make any of his weapons Master Crafted for 5pts per weapon, I would only consider this on his Close Combat weapon as his low amount of attacks mean that hitting is critical.

The Grand Master can be upgraded to a level 2 Psyker for 35pts, meaning he can cast either of his two psychic powers and still use his Force Weapon, or just got for two psychic powers.

Lastly, the general wargear:

He can take up to three Servo-skulls for 5pts each (these guys let you roll 1D6 scatter for Deep Strike and Blast weapons within 12" of them, and stop enemy infiltrators and scout moves within 12", but if the enemy moves within 6" they dissapear)

Blind Grenades (defensive, so -1 attack for people charging him), Meltabombs, digital weapons (re-roll one failed wound) for 5pts each

Empyrean Brain Mines (nominate one enemy model in base contact, they must pass an Initiative test of cannon attack that phase) 10pts

Psychotroke Grenades (these do all sort of things that can be helpful but it is luck of the dice), or Rad-grenades (-1 enemy T the turn they assault or are assaulted) for 15pts

Orbital Strike Relay (this is like the old Orbital Strike, but the bearer cannot move, but can assault, and you can shoot one of three options) 50pts

For these, I would consider Servo-skulls if you have alot of blast weapons (not many here to be honest) or a Deep Striking army, but they are cheaper on Inquisitors. The digital weapons are worth considering as it only takes one wound to kill with a Force Weapon, as for the rest, I think they are too pricey to consider on an already costly model.

Now, onto the Brother Captain, this guy is almost identical, but only has a BS 5. he cannot be upgraded to Psychic level 2, and his Psilencer and Psycannon are 5pts cheaper. He also does not have Grand Strategy, but costs only 150pts, He does keep the Psychic Communion and Hammerhand Psychic powers though. Psychic Communion allows you to either Add or Minus 1 to each reserve roll you make, but the user must start on the board.

So there you have it, I personally ALWAYS run a Grand Master instead of a Brother Captain as I think the Grand Strategy is well worth 25pts. However, I don't give him any upgrades as I think he is expensive enough and the squad he is with can usually help deal with any threats he meets. I will let you decide which you think is best though.

Until next time

Col. Straken

Grey Knights: Nemesis Theoryhammer!

This Morning I was at GW half an hour after it opened ready to get the new Grey Knights Codex and have spent the day reading and re-reading unit rules and weapon options. Now to help build a list for Monday I propose a bit of Theoryhammer, this will break down each unit and what I think it can/will do and if its worth the cost, these will be brief overviews only looking at main points (and not including Special Character HQ's)

HQ's

First up we have the Grand Master, he now weighs in at 175pts basic but has a WS and BS 6, Initiative 5 and a 4+ invulnerable. He has the option of swapping his storm bolter for a Psilencer, Incinerator or Psycannon, although these are interesting I think the only upgrade worth taking is the Psycannon giving 4 Str7 Ap4 Rending shots, but at 20pts, its a bit overpriced. He comes basic with a Force Sword giving him +1 to his Inv save in combat, for 5pts he can take a Halberd (+2 initative) or Daemonhammer (Thunderhammer). He can also take a Warding stave or falchions but these are overcosted on an already expensive model. The best upgrade I think this guy can take is up to 3 servo skulls, these stop people infiltrating or using a scout move within 12" of each!!! plus reduce your Deep Strike and Blast shooting scatter to 1D6" within 12" and at 5Pts each, are cheap. The reason this guy has jumped in cost is because now he now has Grand Stratergy which means he can give D3 units, Scout, Counter-assault, Scoring or Re-roll to-wounds of a 1. This guy will always feature in any army I build.

The Brother-Captain is exactly the same, but at 150pts with a BS of 5 and doesn't have the Grand Stratergy ability. This guy is good if short on points but if you can't spare 25pts then your better with a Librarian.

Leading onto the Librarian he is also 150pts and comes with the Hammerhand power, he can take any number of powers at 5pts each (some fun ones there aswell) he is only WS5 and has 2 wounds, but can add alot to your army. Depending on how things work, I may add one of these into my army.

They have added a new HQ which is the Brotherhood Champion, this guy is 100pts with minimal upgrade options (fine by me) he has only 1 wound, but a WS of 7. He lets the unit he is with re-roll to hits on the turn he charges (think Chaplain). In my opinion he is alot of points for 1 wound, I will be leaving him alone for now.

Lastly we have the Inquisitors, these guys come in three flavours, Malleus, Hereticus, and Xeno. They have similar wargear except for a couple of specialities. I will be sticking with Malleus and at 25pts (for each of them) they come cheap, my favourite upgrade is the Daemonweapon which is a randomised weapon (could be fun) for 15pts, keeping him bare bones except for a couple of Servo-skulls at 3pts each and power armour at 8pts. He may get dropped for a Librarian depending how he works.

Elites

Here we have a Techmarine now, This guy comes with a power weapon rather than a Force weapon, but can be upgrade to have a force weapon. He is a standard Techmarine but can take Servo-skulls, Force Weapons and a Conversion beamer. At 90pts, I think this guy will be overlooked as I find Techmarines a little pointless (especially seeing as Rhino's can repair themselves anyway).

Next is the squad everyone cried cheese over, the Purifiers, these guys will be used alot by everyone, and I wont be an exeption, though my reason is that Incinerators now cost 20pts on a standard squad and these guys get them free. They are 240pts for 10 men, can take 4 incinerators (a saving of 40pts) and take Halberds at 2pts each (normally 5pts) and a Daemonhammer for 5pts (normally 10pts). The biggest benefit these guys have is that if they pass a psychic test then every enemy model in assault with them takes a wound on a 4+ and any casualties (after saves) are added to combat resolution. The bigger the Horde the more likely you are to win!!!

There Assassins are still around and better than before, but also more expensive, I may add in my Vindicare as I enjoy this guy, but it is unlikely as there are better options.

Inquisitorial Henchmen are here only available if you take an Inquisitor, Deathcult assassins and Daemonhosts have been added in here along with Stormtroopers. I plan to take 3 Daemonhosts are they look fun, but expect they will be dropped for either a Librarian (along with the Inquisitor) or a Vindicare.

Venerable Dreadnought is in here, same as normal, with a couple of special options they aren't worth the 175pts basic it costs! This guy will not be seeing any action.

Lastly, the dreaded Paladins, 55pts each (ouch!!!) 2 wounds and can take an apothecary for an extra 75pts (55pts + 75pts!!!). These guys could be a solid wall that cannot be broken, with a 2+ save, two wounds, and Feel No Pain, and the ability to equip them all differently. I am going to try these guys out a few times, but expect them to be dropped to normal Terminators saving me roughly 200pts.

Troops

Here there are only two choices, firstly, Terminators, These guys are your basic Terminator with a Force Weapon. At 200pts (the standard), they are cheap for how good they are, and can take a Daemonhammer or Halberd for free, Also, like the Paladins can take a Brotherhood Banner which gives you +1 attack and auto-pass your force weapon psychic test for 25pts. If I don't take Paladins I will take at least one unit of these guys.

The second choice is a Strike Squad, 200pts for 10 men, with Force Weapons, can take Halberds at 5pts each or Daemonhammers/falchions (+1 attack) at 10pts each. They get Psilencers for free but being a heavy weapon I think I will avoid these as Psycannons are now only 10pts. A Str 7 Assault cannon for 10pts... yes please. These guys are a solid choice and I will take two units in every game (because I have to and want to).

Fast Attack

Here we have the Stormraven which is well known from the Blood Angels and I may look at taking one at 205pts instead of a Land Raider, but until I buy the model this guy wont be featuring for at least a couple of months. It is a beast and will be able to ferry 6 Terminators (or Paladins) along with a Dreadnought quickly to the heat of battle (if I am mistaken please tell me).

The only other Fast choice is the Interceptor Squad. These guys are identical to Strike Squads but move as Jump Infantry and can "shunt" 30" which means with a Grand Master making them scoring can threaten the board on the last turn to capture or contest almost any objective. I am planning on using at least one unit of 5 for exactly that reason. Plus my old models don't have backpacks so they are a good reason to use the new ones that come in the new boxes.

Heavy Support

Here we have the big guns at last. Firstly is the Purgation Squad, these guys pay a bit less for their Halberds and Daemonhammers (a full squad of Daemonhammers could be fun) but the Psycannon and Incinerator have swapped costs. The Astral Aim psychic power would be useful with 4 Psilencers (as its AP- anyway) meaning you could pour out 24 Str4 shots at anyone (even out of Line of Sight) giving them their armour or a 4+ cover, but weight of fire would be horrendous. I may think of these guys if I buy any men.

The Nemesis Dreadknight falls into this catagory and I have already bought one just because I love the model (although others don't). This guy weighs in at 130pts basic with WS5 BS4, S and T 6 and 4 wounds. He has a 2+ save and 5+ invulnerable as basic and 3 attacks. For 25pts you can give him a Broadsword which lets him re-roll to-hits, to-wounds and armour penetration rolls!!!! This will be taken every time. He can also take a Daemonhammer which hits at initiative order for 10pts. He can take a Heavy Incinerator for 30pts (put the short end 12" away) a gatling Psilencer for 35pts (heavy 12!!!) or a Heavy Psycannon for 40pts (Str7 Rending Large Blast), I have opted for the Psycannon first, but am unsure as it is a lot of points. This guy can also take a Personal Teleporter, making him jump infantry and giving him the "shunt" like Interceptors (and imagine him scoring using the Grand Master), but at 75pts I have left it off to start with.

Lastly we have the general options of Land Raiders and a Dreadnought, these guys cost a fraction more than usual as they can ignore stunned and shaken with their Fortitude power (along with Rhino's and Razorbacks). For now I wont be using them as I think Servo-Skulls will work better for getting up close quickly, even though I am still risking Deepstriking.

So there we have it, my quick(ish) Nemesis Theoryhammer. I hope it helps you in looking at Grey Knights as an army and as an enemy. I will still be putting up an in-depth overview of each unit after I play a few games with each but for now, enjoy.

A look at the Grey Knights

With the Grey Knight Codex due for release this Saturday I thought I would take a look and compare the Old Codex to the New Codex. I'm going to give a breif overview of the changes to the book and will go more in depth after playing with the Grey Knights doing a Unit by Unit breakdown.

The Biggest change I have noticed is that Grey Knights are no longer Super Marines, they share the same stat line including Leadership. This means gone are the days of hitting most enemies on a 3+ and sticking around after losing nearly everyone in the squad. Now, they will be hitting on a 4+ generally and being hit by their Bloodletter/Bloodcrusher enemies on a 3+!!!! Now that every unit has a psychic power LD10 is almost a must, but Grey Knights have been dropped to 8, pushing 9 with their Justicar/Knight of flame. This means that alot of Psychic tests will be failed at crucial points especially if you happen to lose your justicar to weight of fire.

The Psycannon and Incinerator no longer ignore invulnerable saves which means that their chosen foe now gets a chance to survive against the Grey Knights shooting! The bonus being Incinerators are now Strength 6 and Psycannons are Rending (not much use against Daemons). The Psilencer does wound on a 4+ against Daemons (unless usually better) but as a heavy weapon in an assault orientated army it is a bit out of place, which is probably why its free. The Incinerator has doubled in points for the gain of one point in strength and with my large number of old models which came with an incinerator (I have 5) it means I have to take an elite choice (Purifiers) or pay equal to another man for each one. The Psycannon has dropped by 15 points and is now a cheap 10pts for a Strength 6 AP4 Rending Assault 2, Heavy 3 gun, BARGAIN.

Now, Grey Knights in Power Armour have Dropped by 5pts per model and as stated earlier dropped alot of Stats and rules, for 20pts you get, a Space Marine armed with a Force Weapon and Storm Bolter, for 25pts you used to get a Khorne Bezerker armed with a Str 6 weapon and Storm Bolter with 2 Attacks. But before I condem the change (I want Str 6) lets look at the cost of a Space Marine (15pts) with Power Weapon (15pts) and Storm bolter (5pts) that is 35pts, 15pts more than a Grey Knight!!! The big problem I have is that now, Grey Knights are just Space Marines with Prefered Enemy against Daemons, who go last againts Daemonettes, will get ripped apart by Bloodletters/crushers hitting easier and cant even ignore their saves in shooting.

The good points though are that now Grey Knights get a thunderhammer, and for only 10pts (the difference between a Power weapon and Thunderhammer), their Force Swords give the Termies a 4+ inv in combat, can take a Halberd which gives +2 initiative for 5pts (taking them to the same cost as an old Grey Knight) but with only 1 attack each basic (no +1 for their storm bolter) they only way to get an extra attack is with a Falchion at 10pts. What seems to be a popular choice (though I will be taking a minumum if at all) is the Null Staff, which gives you a +2 inv in combat at a massive 25pts!!! if it was a bit cheaper I would consider them, but thats another Man with +2 initiative (which means I wouldnt need the 2+ save).

Also, with all the new toys and units then I think this new Codex could be a winner, but I feel they missed out on the fluff big time and it is obvious they wanted to streamline the Grey Knights for newer/younger players. The drop to a standard Space Marines stats will really hurt a close combat psychic weilding army that now has a low LD and average WS.

By this time next week I should have had a good read through the Codex (and not just a glance in the shop) and will begin my in-depth analysis of each unit and its role (and changes). Until then, enjoy.

Phoenix Lords

After a good year of not playing with Eldar I decided to venture back to the Path of the Warrior mainly from having my Space Wolf terminators dying to gaunts, and reading “Path of the Warrior”. I have always used Karandras as I love the Striking Scorpion models and rules. However, I wanted other people’s views on the “best” Phoenix Lord, I am going to do a quick run down of each Phoenix, and their rules/stats, then leave it up to you lot to decide. I may even try using the most voted in my next game with Eldar.

A Quick overview of the basic Phoenix Lords Stats, just to give an idea

WS BS S T W I A LD Sv
7 7 4 4 3 7 4 10 2+

Special Rules:
Fearless, Eternal Warrior, Fleet of Foot, Disciples (can only join his own Aspect, and makes them Fearless)

Asurmen

First up, I will look at the First Phoenix Lord, and first of the Exarch’s, Asurmen. This guy has the basic Phoenix Lord stats, which are Impressive to say the least. This guy comes equipped with a Diresword, which is a power weapons with the addition of, for each successful wound (after saves) the model must take a LD test or be removed from play (not insta-killed) but his is better, with the ability to re-roll failed to-wounds. He also gets an avenger catapult which has 4 Str4 AP5 shots on his wrist. Asurmen also comes with a 4+ invulnerable save, the only Phoenix Lord to get one. He comes with both Dire Avenger Exarch powers, Defend (-1A) and Bladestorm (+1 shot, but cant shoot next turn)

Jain Zar

Next is Jain Zar, she is the Phoenix lord of the Howling Banshee’s, if Banshee’s could assault out of transports I think she would be the deadliest Phoenix Lord, for 190pts, you get a Str 5 AP3 assault 2(?) weapon, AND an executioner which gives her +2S in combat. She comes with both Exarch powers, War Shout (enemy takes LD test, if failed WS1) and Acrobatics (counter-attack), but also gets Furious Charge, taking her, up to 5 Str 7 Power weapon attacks on the Charge, and the rest of the Squad up to 3 Str 4 Power weapon attacks each. But because they can’t assault out of a vehicle, they lose a lot of momentum, and can be easily picked off with their 4+ save.

Karandras

Karandras is the Phoenix Lord for the Striking Scorpions and comes with a massive 7 attacks on the charge, he can either take these at Str 5, or Str 8 Power fist. He has both Exarch powers, shadowstalk (infiltrate) and Move through cover, and Stealth which gives the Scorpions a 3+ cover save the majority of the time. The real downside is that he has fleet and his squad doesn’t, which means although he can take on most units on his own and happily slaughter them all he will then be left alone and without any support. Also the lack of an invulnerable save means that although he can and would happily kill most units, if he is using his power fist then he will be lucky to survive their attacks.

Fuegan

There is then the fearsome Fuegan, who will return for the Rhana Dandra, the time of ending. This guy is devastating, he comes with the basic stats, a Fire Pike (18” Melta gun) and both Exarch Powers, Tank Hunters, and Crack shot (Ignore cover and re-roll failed to wounds). On top of this he also gets Feel No Pain, and a weapon which lets him attack like a Monstrous Creature and at Str5, there isn’t much about this guy other than shear strength and destructive abilities.

Maugan Ra

With only two Phoenix Lords left, I think these two are the least useful, but still interesting. Firstly there is Maugan Ra the Dark Reapers Lord, he comes with a Shurican Cannon, which is assault 4 pinning AND rending! Plus he has an executioner on the end of it, making him Str 6, he comes with both Exarch Powers, fast shot (+1 shot) and Crack shot (ignores cover and Re-roll failed to wounds) he also gets acute senses to make him deadlier.

Baharroth

Lastly is Baharroth of the Swooping Hawks, he comes with Power sword and the Hawks Talon (3 Str 5 AP5 shots). He also gets both Exarch powers Skyleap (can go back into reserve) and Intercept (never hit a vehicle on worse than 4+). On top of this he grants his squad hit and run, which is helpful with their wimpy 4+ save.

Well there you have it, the Warp Spiders and Shining Spears don’t have Phoenix Lords as they are “New” Aspects, and were not around during the Battle in Heaven. Which is your Favourite?

[Orks] Waaaagh! Nobrot! Part 3: The Boyz

Hey everyone,

Welcome to my not so regular post working through the my green tide of an Ork army.

In this article, after looking at the numerous different army builds I like to try out, I figured I'd look at the core of the Ork army - the troop choices, and how I can use them and what their purpose is in my Waaagh.

For the moment, I'll leave out things like Nobz (and variants) and the Deff Dred being able to be taken as troops, I'll cover those in their respective categories and units.

With Orks being relatively cheap for their basic troops, it enables an Ork player to build large mobs of 20 - 30 strong boyz for a low cost, meaning you can have plenty of them on the table, unleashing a proper WAAAGH! I feel the core of an Ork army should be around about 60 - 80 boyz spread between mobs.

There's 2 basic troop choices in the Ork Codex, the Grotz and the Boyz (and the different types of Ork Boy you can make), so I'll run through them one by one.

Grotz

Grotz are a really effective troop choice in my opinion, albeit very weak, but they make up for it in the fact they're so, so cheap. A full unit of 30, with Runtherds and upgrades comes in at around 100pts. And as well, they're eligible to be a scoring unit. So this cheap unit can camp on or near a home objective while your more expensive and trusted Ork boyz can leg it across the board and smash anyone who faces them in the middle of the board.

The downside to the unit is the fact they're so weak... a good round of fire off pretty much any unit in the game can be forcing even a large unit of them to be taking a Morale check, and whilst the Runtherds can sacrifice Grotz to re-roll it, it's still a tough ask.

Best solution for this is camp them out of sight and out of the enemies mind and if push comes to shove... run away! Or better yet, rush from cover, all guns blazing and attempt to hack the shins of your attackers. Even if it's a Monstrous Creature or high T character, it's worth taking the Grot-Prod upgrades on the Herders just to be able to deal out a bit of pain.

I normally run them in a unit of 19, which means I only need to take 1 runtherd and CAN fit in a Battlewagon if ever I need to do so (you'd be surprised!).

Shoota Boyz

These guys got a real boost when the Ork codex got updated, giving them Assault 2 weapons. The amount of firepower you can get out of a 20 - 30 strong mob is astonishing and even then, you can have the assault power to either go in and start krumping them - or to take it on the chin next turn.

I like to use a 20 strong Shoota Boyz mob as a buddy unit for my Grotz holding the home objective. These guys head towards the next objective outside of my closest one. If anything comes near the Grotz, these guys generally have enough firepower or threat to stop them and let the Grotz finish them off with their BB guns.

They also make a particularly effective unit whilst in a Battlewagon, 18 plus the Nob accompanied by a Big Mek, being able to jump out and unleash a torrent of firepower into the enemy unit nearby, or even better unleash a drive-by Shooting from the open topped Battlewagon.

The downside most people have with using this unit is the low Ork ballistic skill... which I admit is a problem, but the amount of firepower you get back out of it more than makes up for it. I'll happily have half the BS of a Space Marine and twice the amount of fire power!

Slugga Boyz


Slugga Boyz, same points cost as the Shoota Boyz for Close combat beasts. A mob of 30 of these, lead by a Nob is going to cause serious and considerable damage to whatever it hits. Smashing an enemy unit with 4 attacks each on the charge is nothing to be sniffed at, combined with the furious charge. Marines will still be faster than you, but there'll be enough Boyz to take the damage and still hit home.

I like to run two units of 30 Slugga boyz in my lists forming the core pincers of my army. I have 3 Big shootas and a Power Klaw and Bosspole Nob to keep them in the game, should they ever need them. I've found on rear or side armour, the big shootas are quite handy for ripping open a Rhino and getting at what's inside.

The downside is, big mobs attract lots of fire, especially from templates. So normally my 2 are covered by a Big Mek with Force Field, but they still get munched by flamers, so whilst they are tough - they're still soft and squishy.

Trukk Boyz

Simple concept, a mob of 12 boyz in a Trukk, speed over to the enemy, hop out and hack to death whatever is on the other side. I'd initially not used my Trukk model other than to transport of Nob unit on foot, but found it died too easily carrying it's cargo.

So I eventually expanded to having 3 Trukks with a mob of 12 boyz (Sluggas and Choppas, 1 Big Shoota and a Power Klaw Nob) inside. And yes, once they're out they do die quite easily, but the speed and manouverability they offer, I feel is way worth it.

They are also quite expensive. 12 in a trukk with upgrades sets you back about the same as 25 - 30 do on foot. However, back this lot up with a Kustom Force Field and they're gonna be a nightmare to crack open.

Ard Boyz
The last troop choice is another variant of the Ork Boy, coming with a 4+ Save. The problem I have with these guys is that you can only have 1 mob of these per army, otherwise I'd happily upgrade each of my Trukk mobz to be Ard Boyz.

Equivalent to just short of two normal boyz, to earn yourself a 4+ save isn't worth doing in my opinion. I'd rather get a mob double the size and accept that some will die.

I've always wanted a Mob of them, made from Warhammer Fantasy Black Orc Boyz, so maybe one day I'll get around to it.

Conclusion
So there you have 'em. The Ork troop choices summed up and shown off.

I hope you've enjoyed reading it and the pictures of my units. Any comments, critiscism, feedback or discussion is, as always, welcome.

Peace out!
SB

[Units] Eldar Elites

This week we will be looking at the Eldar elite choices. These choices are normally the “best of the best” the hard hitters and the source of the offensive and defensive power in an army. However this isn’t shown in the Eldar codex quite as much as others. There are some good units, and on paper and in theory all the Eldar elites are exactly that, better than every other elite in what they do and again cheap as dirt. Lets take a closer look though and dissect them and what they do.

Starting with the first choice of the elites is the Striking Scorpions. They are a measly 16 points per model, that’s the cost of a space marine, and for that cost you get… an Assault marine, with one less toughness. But at 6 points cheaper, not too shabby. However you don’t get fleet of foot, which for an assault unit isn’t too good, but given an Exarch for 12points and then with shadow strike they get infiltrate. Infiltrate is brilliant you can either outflank which means the turn they show up anything within 12” of the edge will be tied up, so devastator squads and other heavy weapon units, or they can deploy as a normal infiltrator, if there is suitable terrain to hid you 12” away from the enemy and you have turn one, then you have a unit in the enemy for them to have to worry about before the rest of your army arrive. A 3+ armour save and str4 weapons means they are a good all round choice, best for taking on horde armies where they can use their 4 attacks to greatest effect. Also they are one of the few Eldar units to receive grenades. The Exharch weapons are cheap and you can take either a power fist, or a weapon which varies from str4 to str8, unfortunately no power weapon options.

The other combat choice you have is the Howling Banshees, and on paper they are the best unit the elder probably have. 16 points and you get fleet, power weapons (on everyone) and initiative 10 even when assaulting into cover. The Exarch can make the enemy WS1 and give you the counter attack rule and a str6 power weapon isn’t to be sniffed at, but its only 3 attacks on the charge. However, they are not the be all and end all because they will normally be assaulting the enemies best troops, or at least their most armoured, still good yes? How do you get them there, on foot, with a 4+ save I doubt they will get very far very quickly. So take a wave serpent for them, there goes another 100 points, and when you get it there they can’t assault, they either have to sit in the Serpent for a turn, or stand and withstand the shooting. Another downer is they are str3 the enemies best troops are usually going to be at LEAST Toughness 4 which means you need 5’s to wound, suddenly those 30 attacks are whittled down to about 3, and anything more than a light breeze will blow the banshees over after their attacks in the first round.

The second most popular choice for the Eldar elites are the Fire Dragons. These can be a great option, but they are hard to use. At 15 points each they are cheap. There is no real NEED for an Exarch but he is a good choice still, he can be given an 18” melta or a heavy flamer and his powers give them tank hunter, not really needed with melta weapons, the second choice removes cover saves, mmm tasty, roasted marines. The fire dragons require a transport, there is no need for a wave serpent, as you only have 5 dragons, there isn’t a need for more, unless you really want to. So a falcon is your vehicle, but it is already a tank hunter itself, there are two options really, take out two tanks (potentially) or use the falcon to take out a tank, and if it does use the dragons to kill the passengers, or to finish the falcons job if it cant cut it. However you have to be careful because people of a blown up tank aren’t always happy you blew their ride, and any left will shoot/assault you and with a 4+ save your 5 dragons with crumble.

That leaves two Choices left, and these two choices look mean, nasty and down right dirty. Lets look at the Wraithguard first you can fit a unit of 5 in a wave serpent, they have an AP2 weapon that kills outright on a wound of a 6, its an assault weapon, and it ALWAYS wounds on a 2+ nasty also against vehicles on a 2-4 causes a glancing hit and a 5-6 causes penetrating hit. They have a 3+ save, and are toughness – so they are hard to kill, they are also fearless to boot. There must be some drawbacks then, and there are some big ones. Firstly they are 35 points each, 5 points short of a terminator, but the weapons warrant that, however the weapon is only 12” range, again fair enough there shouldn’t be much left to hurt you. The biggest drawback is that you have to have a warlock, 25 points for one, and it must have a power, otherwise you will have to roll and a roll of a 1 means, you can’t do anything, and are hit automatically in combat. However, if you take ten Wraithguard and a Warlock upgraded to a spiritseer (for 6 points) they become Troops. Brilliant. But at £7.80 per model few people field them for money reasons.

The final choice is probably the least used and the best looking in theory. The fearsome Harlequins. At 18 points per model they seem ok, they come with furious charge and Initiative 5 with 4 attacks on the charge (I think) they also have a flimsly 5+ invulnerable save, which is ok against power weapons as lascannons, but massed fire brings them to their knees quickly. Which is where their character upgrades become effective, you can give them a Shadowseer, which means night fighting rules apply to the Harlequins, but aren’t affected by wargear or rules which negate night fighting, but he is 30 points. All the Harlequins can be equipped with a Harlequins Kiss which gives them rending, this was brilliant in 4th Edition when rending was on the to-hit roll and you were rolling 30+ dice around, but now its lost some effectiveness, not a lot but some. They have the same problem as Banshees in being too fragile for their own good, transport options provide no help as you can’t assault out of it and walking is just painful to watch. There are better ways to spend your points but you must look at how they work on the table, not on paper.

I suggest a mixture of Scorpions, Fire Dragons and maybe some Wraithguard if you can afford it, and remember that Eldar are only good for doing bits, not wiping out units. Each unit can mop up, or cause a dent, so focus your fire and assaults on the enemies weakest point, or strongest unit in the open.

That’s it for this week, you will have to pick your favourite and best unit to suit you. Next week we will be looking into their troop choices. Enjoy for now.

[Units] Eldar HQ Choices

Every week beginning today I will be posting an article on each FOC of each army looking into the choices and how they work well in the army and on their own. This week we will be starting with my favourite and probably my best army to date, Eldar.

This week it is the Eldar HQ choices, starting with the first choice of the Eldar HQ’s the Autarch. The Autarch is probably the cheapest and in my opinion the best value for points HQ in the game. Starting at a measly 70pts coming with a 3+ save AND and invulnerable with a massive Initiative 6 and weapon skill/ballistic skill 6. Then when you start to add the upgrades which again are cheap he becomes better and better. For 10 points you can give him an extra attack which sounds expensive but when you only have strength 3 you need to maximize the number of hits. Another 10 points and he has a power weapon. So 90 points and you have high stats with minimum of 5 power weapon attacks. For another 10 points you can give him a Melta gun. 100 points and he is an all purpose leader with a brilliant skill to give you +1 to your reserve roll. Need the mobility give him a jetbike and he is now very mobile, with T4 and only costs 130 points in total. There are other setups which may cost more or less, and vary in effectiveness some better some worse than the one I have mentioned, try him out in a unit of shining spears or on his own. You wont be disappointed.

The second HQ choice is the Farseer. I avoid Farseers as they can become very point heavy very quickly. They look cheap with a basic cost of 55pts but that is with no powers, and only some protection from the perils of the warp. A 4+ invulnerable is a good save but not a lot of protection when a str6 weapon will insta-kill you. The points start to go when you have to buy spirit stones to use the precious second power. The next batch of points go on preventing enemy powers by making them roll 3 D6 and adding them all together. So those two bits take the farseer up to 80pts, still not a lot? Now we need the powers. You will want Fortune to re-roll those saves, that’s 30pts now you want either guide or doom, I prefer guide as re-rolling to hits is more important when you are hitting on 4s than re-rolling to wound when you are wounding on 2s. so that’s another 25pts. So now we are up to 130pts what if you want to make it easier for you to use your powers, another 10pts, give him a singing spear another 3 points. What if you want him on a jetbike, another 30pts, soon he is up to 180-200pts, and if you want a unit of warlocks with him, your spending more and more, especially for the jetbikes. They are good and useful for tank hunting or buffing your squads, but very point heavy.

The third viable HQ option that is worth the points is the Pheonix lords. Each one has its bonus’ and weakness’ but on the whole they are well worth the points, the only thing that lets them down is the lack of an invulnerable save. Fuegan can murder tanks and the people inside, on his own, Karandras is devastating in combat with 7 powerfist attacks on the charge. Jain Zar has an strength 5 AP2 assault weapon and a high strength power weapon. All the Pheonix lords come with Fleet which is a brilliant asset to their combat powers, even Mugan Ra has a strength 6 power weapon in combat on the end of his Shuriken cannon.

That leaves the Avatar, Eldrad and Yriel. I think for the points the Avatar is the best of the three but draws a lot of firepower which eventually takes him down, also only being strength and toughness 6 with 4 attacks makes him a bit weak in combat compared to a Wraithlord. Eldrad is a good replacement for a farseer for the points as a Farseer can accumilate points very quickly for what Eldrad does better, a very good choice. But Yriel is just useless. I fought against Yriel in combat and he was no-where near the standards of an Autarch. He also lost wounds quickly to shooting. For the points they are better spent on a real Autarch.