Morning all.
Whilst my PC updates at work I thought I'd write some stuff that's been going through my head recently regarding the Space Wolves, and the supposed uber-Codex that will rain death upon the current edition.
1. Thunderwolf Cavalry.
A lot of people seem to be raving about these, in the same light that the Nob Bikers were back when the Ork codex was released. Plus, since the wording is open to interpretation, they seem like they have Base S5 and Base T5 from being on a Thunderwolf, therefore immune to instant death from Lascannons, Meltas, etc. etc.
Also, they count as cavalry, which is very under-used in 40k and I'm thinking this is a push to try and get more use out of them, by making them a must-have unit. Their ability to move 6", fleet and then have a charge range of "12, effectively means they can completely bypass the rapid-fire range of armies like Tau and Imperial Guard, who would rely on weight in numbers to bring these guys down.
Even then, with a 3+ save and 2 wounds... they're going to need a heavy round of fire to bring these boys down.
2. Fenrisian Wolves
AKA. The Meat shield for the the Thunderwolves, providing a 4+ cover save to the units behind, soaking up fire etc. etc. Plus they're cheap to boot.
3. Jaws of the World Wolf.
I know there's tons of debate going on about this all around the net, whether it's a psychic shooting attack and needs LOS, can't be fired from a Land Raider blah blah... either way, it's a very nasty attack and the fact there's no saves to be taken, as they're removed from the board... no Invuls, no Cover, no nothing... But I do suppose you've also got to get yourself a good line to fire it down. No one is going to let a Rune Priest with JotWW come near their flank.
4. 4 HQ choices and their loadout.
The next one is the fact the Wolves can have 4 HQ characters, although not with the same wargear combinations to prevent spamming and back up the fluff. However, it's unclear whether you can take 4 Rune Priests with JOTWW and a different 2nd power.
5. Blood Claws
Blood Claws seem really good troop choices, especially if you're going to go for an assaulty army. 2 units of these, with a unit of the Grey Hunters holding at the back.. it should go down a treat.
Conclusion
Overall, I really do like the Space Wolves codex, I think it's everything a Non-Vanilla Marine Codex should be, as opposed to stuff like the Blood Angels and Dark Angels. I hope GW continue this further with the rumoured Angels of Death codex next year... and I imagine there'll be a fair few Chaos Space Wolf armies roaming around the tables in future.
I look forward to playing against the Space Wolves - hopefully my reborn Imperial Guard army can hit them hard enough.
