[Battle Report] Apocalypse! Tyranids v Guard, Wolves and Grey Knights

Hey everyone,

I've finally had the motivation to pick up the stack of scribbled notes on my desk and write them up to cover the Apocalypse game we played a few weekends ago, with Angryman using his Tyranids against my Imperial Guard and Col. Straken's Space Wolf / Grey Knight list. Our club hall was double booked, so we had to play the game on a standard 6 x 4 table at my house - not ideal, but it meant for a quick decisive game...

Battle Lines are Drawn.

The objectives of the game were for 4 objectives - 3 minor (worth 1 each) and 1 major objective (3 points). These were spread around the board, 2 being Bastions, 1 being a Tyranid spawning pool, and the final one being an Imperial defence outpost.

Imperial Heavy Armour deploys on the Table.

The Tyranid horde deploys - plenty left in reserve to drop down on the board.

Turn 1 - Imperium
The Imperial armour advance forwards up the board, destroying Razorwire left from previous battles. Hellhounds and Leman Russes hold the right side, the remaining Russes and the Wolves on the left.

Imperial shooting however wasn't so good. Most of the Guard tanks scattered off wildly from their targets. The hellhounds however fared better, attacking a brood of Warriors and Zoanthropes in close proximity to one another.

In totalt, the Imperium managed to kill; 1 Carnifex, 4 Tyranid Warriors, 2 Zoanthropes and left 2 fexes badly wounded, as well as the foot slogging Tyrant and his guard.

Imperial Advance - Turn 1.

Tyranids - Turn 1

The Tyranid horde pressed forward, the Carnifexes and Tyrants towards Imperial Tanks. The Tervigons managed to spawn 27 gaunts between them.

In the shooting phase, one of the Tervigon attempted to cast Feel No Pain on the Tyrant's unit but took a Perils of the Warp wound. A Heavy Venom Cannon Fex destroyed a Grey Knight Dreadnought. A 2nd Carnifex managed to blow up the turret from the very effective Hellhounds. Zoanthropes fail to damage a Grey Knight Land Raider. Hive guard shoot and Shake a Leman Russ.

In assault, the Carnifexes run into the Hellhounds and manage to Stun the 2nd Hellhound.

Tyranids Turn 1 - They do NOT like Hellhounds

Imperium - Turn 2
From reserve, the Marauder Bomber arrives and aims for a strafing run across the entire Tyranid back line. Drop pods with an Assault Squad, and a Wolf Guard squad arrive aiming to attack the Tyranid defensive horde. Grey Knight Terminators leap out from the Land Raider.

In the shooting phase, the Grey Knight Terminators Land Raider shoots and kill a Tyrant Guard, Drop Pod causes 2 wounds on the fresh Tervigon. Wolf Guard terminators wound the cowardly Hive Guard and the Bomber with it's strafing run killed another Tyrant Guard. The Guard opened fire, with a Leman Russ Vanquisher blowing up a Bastion housing Genestealers, a Leman Russ then followed that up with dropping it's Battle Cannon on the Genestealers, scattering, but managing to kill 1 Zoanthrope nearby and a Genestealer (darn cover saves...). The Leman Russ Demolisher killed the final Tyrant guard and wounded Old One Eye. Another Leman russ kiled a Dakkafex with it's shooting, along with 4 nearby Gaunts.

In assault, the Grey Knight Terminators take out Old One Eye in combat before the feared beast had chance to even open his Claws.

Leman Russ tanks press forward to Hammer the "Big Ones".

Tyranids - Turn 2
In the movement phase, the Mawloc, Trygon Prime, Doom of Malantai, Screamer Killer fex and Genestealers with Broodlord manage to arrive from reserve. Spelling big trouble for the Guardsmen... The Tervigons manage to spawn 18 more Gaunts between them, but unfortunately, both roll doubles - no more spawning in this game. The Gaunts to the back corner of the board move forward to target the Wolf Guard and press on the Objectives.

Shooting, the Tervigons cast Feel No Pain on the walking Tyrant (who's buddies have been killed) and a Carnifex. The Doom of Malan'tai wrenches the souls from 2 Grey Knight Terminators. A Dakkafex causes a Shaken and Weapon Destroyed result on a Space Wolf Rhino. The Gaunt wave shooting kills 1 Grey Knight terminator and the Hive Guard pop the Storm Bolter off the Drop Pod.

In assault, the Hive Tyrant and Gaunts charge into the GK Grand master, hits the Tyrant 5 times but fails to wound, more Gaunts charge the Wolf Guard. Carnifexes blow up both Hellhounds, destroying them and taking 2 Genestealers in the blast.

Tyanid Reserves en Masse

Imperial - Turn 3
Imperial Guard reserves show up now, with Kratos (Guardsman Marbo) appearing, along with 2 Veteran Squads in Chimeras, Company Command Squad in another Chimera and then 3 Vendetta Gunships.

The Grey Hunters and Grey Knights disembark from their vehicles, and "Jimmy Gauntslayer" the Lone Wolf moved towards the Trygon prime - a fitting test for him. The Marauder bomber strafes along the centre of the board.

In the shooting, the Marauder Bomber annihalated 25 gaunts with more dropped bombs, Grey Hunters kill 5 Ymgarl Stealers, GK Land Raider killes 6 gaunts. Marbo throws his demo charges and wipes out a squad of 3 warriors lurking near the backfield objective. Veterans and the Command squads, along with their Transports bring down the Mawloc thanks to Melta guns and a pinch of luck. The Wolf Long Fangs fail to wound anything and the Vendettas take their toll on the Tyranids, wounding a Tyrand, wounding a Fex and wounding the Trygon twice. A Leman Russ kills one Hive guard and another wiped out a Spore pod.

Assault phase, Dreadnaught assaults the Screamer Killer Fex, Lone Wolf assaults the Trygon and manages to survive. The Grey knights stuck in assault are killed off, and the Hive Tyrant headbutts the Grey Knight Grand Master to death.

Reinforcements FTW!

Tyranids - Turn 3
Reinforcements - Tyranid Warrior Prime, along with his Warrior Bodyguard show up, Raveners appear, Winged Tyrant, 3 Lictors jump out near the Imperial Artillery line, Parasite of Mortrex and Shrikes all appear. Everything in the Tyranid army pressed forward to cripple the Imperium.

In shooting, the Hive Guard turned their attention to Guardsman marbo, which thanks to their nifty guns, bypassed his Cover Save and Stealth rule (he was stood behind a wall). The Winged Tyrant knocks a Lascannon off the Marauder bomber, Tyranid warriors kill 3 space wolf Grey hunters and one of the Carnifexes blows up a Space Wolf Rhino.

In assault, the Tervigon and Fex destroys the Land Raider, Tyrant attacks the Demolisher, the 2nd tyrant stunds a Leman Russ, Carnifex wrecks the Vanquisher, Genestealers attack a Veteran Squad Chimera, wreck it and kills several Veterans, Raveners shake another Leman Russ and the Ymgarl Genestealers attack the wolves, killing 2, then the remainder of the unit being wiped out by the Wulfen marked trooper. Finally the Doom of Malan'tai blows up the Leman russ, and the resulting explosion destroys 4 Gaunts. The Trygon finally kills off the Lone Wolf.

"There used to be more tanks than this..."

Imperum - Turn 4
Imperial retaliation time... Veterans and the command squads turn to wipe out the Genestealers with Brood Lord. The Grey hunters move to combat the Raveners and the Vendettas move up towards the destroyed Bastion.

In shooting, the Bomber kills 2 gaunts and all of the Shrikes. Long fangs take 3 wounds from the Trygon prime and Grey hunters killed 2 Raveners. The Company Command squad issues 1st rank fire, 2nd rank fire to the Veteran squad out of the Chimera. The Veteran squad kills 7 gaunts and the Colossus Siege Cannon kills off a Hive Guard. The Leman Russ scattered it's shot, managing to land on the Colossus but luckily failed to damage. The Demolisher missed the Trygon completely. The Vendetta gunships kill off one of the Tervigons, kill a Tyrant and finish off the Trygon prime - awesome shooting there Imperial Navy.

Assault was scarce, the Grey Hunters moved to the Raveners, 3 Hunters being killed in the process but the Hunters managing to kill off the Raveners.

"That's better lads... Thank the Emperor for the Imperial Navy!!"

Tyranids - Turn 4
The remaining Tervigon regenerates 1 of his lost wounds, the Lictors spread around cover. Gaunts move to secure the 2nd bastion objective and the remaining Tyranids dispersed to avoid Guard artillery fire.

Shooting caused a Carnifex to shake a Vendetta, but the remaining shooting patters harmlessly off the Imperial Armour.

Assault was more prolific for the Tyranids. Warriors with the Alpha Warrior charge the Leman Russ and Space Wolves, removing the Battle Cannon and killing the Wolves, Screamer Killer carnifex assaults a Vendetta, removing 1 of it's 3 Lascannons. The Lictors assault the Colossus mortar, shaking it, and a Tyrant assaults a Leman Russ, blowing it up. The Doom's assault against the Demolisher and the Lictors assault on a Razorback was fruitless, but the Genestealers and Broodlord stunned, then blew up a Chimera with a Veteran squad. The Tervigon assaulted one of the Drop Pods and destroys it.

ZERG RUSH!

Imperial - Turn 5
The remaining Razorback tank shocks the Gaunts, moving them up the battlefield. The Vendetta moves to contest the Tyranids home objective, while other Vendettas spread out to move for objectives. The Command squad disembarked from it's stunned Chimera and the attached Inquisitor moved and joing the remnants of the remaining Veteran squad. The Bomber again strafes across the table for maximum impact.

The Bomber's strafing run kills off 3 warriors and wounds around the rest of the unit. The Razorback fails to wound the Carnifex. One Vendetta kills the Screamer killer Carnifex and the Long Fangs fail to hurt the lurking Lictors. The Company Command squad kills off another 7 gaunts and the nearby Demolisher takes a wound off a Hive Tyrant. The Leman russ kills 3 gaunts with it's template and the other shootable Vendetta killed off a Sniper Fex.

In assault, the Veteran squad and Inquisitor moved to charge the Broodlord, but failed to damage it. Fortunately, their leadership held and kept the Broodlord pinned with them for a turn.

Zooooooooooooom!

Tyranids - Turn 5
The Gaunts press to a Bastion objective and the Winged Hive Tyrant moves to support them.

The Flying tyrant shoots a Vendetta but nothing happens and a Carnifex moves to support, managing to Shake the Vendetta.

In assault, the Tyranid prime targets were the Vendettas.. Tyrant attacks one, fails to do anything, similar story with a 2nd Vendetta assaulted by a Carnifex. A lone Lictor attacking a third Vendetta managed to cause a Weapon Destroyed result. Another Lictor assaulting the Colossus caused an immobilised result. A Tyrant attacking a Leman Russ caused 3 penetrating hits, resulting in a wrecked result. Gaunts charging in on the Imperial Guard Command Squad kill off all but the Company Commander who stands firm, killing 3 gaunts in retaliation. The Broodlord versus the veterans again resulted in a drawn combat.

"Stand still damn you!!"

Imperial - Turn 6
The Vendettas move around the board to contest 3 of the objective, the Shaken Vendetta moving flat out to reach it's one near the Winged Hive Tyrant. The Bomber strafes across the board again and the remaining 2 Leman Russes (1 Demolisher) move to open fire on remaining targets.

The Marauder bomber kills off 1 Lictor, the Vendetta nearby shoots another Lictor but thanks to it's Chamelionic skin and going to ground, it survived. The Leman Russ kills a Tyranid Warrior. A 2nd Vendetta attempts to open up on another Lictor, who again, dives for cover in the ground. The Doom of Malan'tai takes a Demolisher shell, but passes his invulnerable save. The Space Wolf Long Fangs nick a wound from the Winged Tyrant.

In assault, the Brood Lord kills off the Veteran squad (finally...) and consolidates towards the Bastion objective. Imperial Commander Grant wins the combat against the Gaunts, who take 2 casualties - standing firm to contest the Objective on his own.

Tyranids swarm the Digestion Pool objective

Tyranids - Turn 6
The Winged Hive Tyrant moves to assault the nearby Vendetta, Warriors, Carnifex and walking Tyrant move to attack Leman Russes, Gaunts move toward the digestion pool, and the Tervigon goes to attack a Chimera lumbering toward the Tyranid home objective.

Shooting caused no issues on the Vendettas, one passing it's Flat Out cover save and the other from the lone Hive Guard missing it's target.

In assault, the Tervigon destroyed the Chimera, Winged Hive Tyrant shakes the Vendetta, and all 3 remaining Leman Russes were destroyed. Commander Grant stood firm once again, holding the Gaunts for a draw.

Imperium - Turn 7
The Vendettas and the Long Fangs move to contest their nearby objectives. Everything else remaining (not much) held their positions.

The Marauder bomber shot the Lictors and wounded 1, the Vendetta with 1 lascannon remaining shot at the Winged Tyrant but failed to wound.

In assault, the Gaunts finally manage to beat down the Imperial Commander - not bad for someone who sits in a box ordering people around mostly.

Tyranids - Turn 7
So final turn for the Tyranids. The Warriors move to combat a Vendetta objective, one remaining Lictor moves to attack the Long Fangs and a Lictor / Gaunt combo move to secure the digestive pool. The Parasite of Mortrex and Tervigon head to the home objective to secure it.

Final round of shooting caused a Vendetta to become shaken, 2 Long Fangs to be killed and the Marauder bomber to finally take a hit, causing a Gun crew stunned result.

In assault, the Hive guard failed to damage his Vendetta foe, the Long Fangs caused 1 wound on a Lictor, but the Lictor held, the walking Tyrant managed to smash down the buzzard Vendetta hovering near his objective and the Winged tyrant failed to damage the final Vendetta.

The Aftermath of Portsmotia...

Result
Tyranid Victory - 1 objective held, other 3 were contested.

Conclusion
It was a tough game full of bloodshed, had Imperial Template Weaponry been a bit more accurate, the Portsmotian defence force may have held - alas. We have crippled the Tyranid foe significantly and can send for further reinforcements to cleanse this Tyranid infestation sector.

SB.

Just for laughs

Hi all,

Angryman here. I was having a poke around the new Black Library fan fiction section and a I came across this little gem

http://z6.invisionfree.com/bljunkies/index.php?showtopic=1643

This has to be one of the best thought out and comedic takes on WH40K I've read in a long time. Please read this short story and let us know what you think.

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?

[Brainfart] The Hrud

Afternoon all,

I've been day dreaming a bit today about starting to get some more Xeno armies made up and on the table, as opposed to humans, traitors and "the usual suspects". I've been reading a bit about minor Xeno races, especially after attempting to start my venture into the world of Demiurg.

Most of my ideas start off by looking at Warhammer Fantasy or Warmachine models and try and work out how I can use them in 40k to represent another army. So the next idea in my series would be to give the Hrud a go...

Hrud image from Xenology - http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Hrud

So, the image might be a bit contradictory, but the major points of their fluff and background information smells a lot like the Skaven. "Warp-Plasma" technology, poisons, tails, robes covering rat-like features and most importantly, described as "Infesting" planets.

Reading the Lexicanum Wiki, I started imagining these guys being hidden deep underground on Manutia, waiting and raiding the Planetary forces to have their wicked ways with.

What exactly could I "count-as" a Hrud army with, that I don't already own? The two main contenders for me are Tau and Nurgle Daemons.

Tau for their use of Plasma technology, lots of things could be represented by Warpfire, Rat Ogres with Jetpacks or something could be used as Battlesuits. I'm seeing a very Steam-Punk army going in my head, it's just whether I could translate that to miniatures on the tabletop. Also, an issue with using the Tau would be the use of Vehicles. One option was to use the Doomwheel on a Skimmer base, kind of like a flying saucer and use this as the "Chassis" for all vehicles to be based from.

Nurgle Daemons based on a lot of descriptions from background info - use of Poisons, plague carrying, infestations, aging nearby humans and whatnot. The idea would be to base the army on Plague Monk plastic models as the Plaguebearers, Rat Ogres as beasts of Nurgle, Rat Packs as Nurglings and so on. I could then expand from just Nurgle, into the Warpfire realms of Tzeentch, with Warpfire Flamers like Plague Censers,  something to count as Horrors. Then maybe for a Combat kick, Stormvermin as Bloodletters. To top it all off, they all Deepstrike onto the battlefield - justification? - they're tunnelling in from Emergence holes.

Overall, I want a decent looking army, without spending 10 hours converting 1 model, so plastic Skaven stuff is FTW here. So far, the Nurgle Daemon route is looking the best option for me, since it'll also mean I can spend £18 on minis, as opposed to another Codex.

What do you guys think? Any ideas on the subject or whether there would be any issues with my ideas?

SB

[Imperial Guard] Recent Games and Thoughts

Hey everyone,

Over the past couple of weeks, whilst working on odds and ends for my Brotherhood of the Forge Witchunters Count-As, I've been going to my Imperial Guard army. You've all got that army somewhere... The one you always mean to use more, but you never do. The one you intend to buy new units for to "refresh" them, but spend money on your favoured army...

Anyway, in a bid to put all my 40k stuff to use, I've been playing non-Britcon practice games using my Imperial Guard army, with the aim being to get the hang of using the Guard, then introduce my Brotherhood of the Forge units into it.

So I thought I'd do a bit of a "What I've used and What I thought" type article about everything.

#1. Vendetta Gunships

I know, a lot of people kicked up a fuss and cried about these online - or the flip side of the coin - spammed them to death in Tournament settings. I've been using all 3 of the Valkyries I bought myself for Xmas, because they look awesome on the table. I use them in a similar to vein to how one would probably use Land Speeders, but with the reliability of 3 Twin Linked Lascannons, not much is standing up to them. They're useful for a "guaranteed" vehicle stopper or Character sniper.

#2. Guardsman Marbo

There was an article on Dark Future games I read today that kicked this article into gear: Dark Future Gaming Marbo Article. I personally, think he's an ace addition to any army, capable of providing either a game deciding block, or a moment of utter comic relief as his Demo Charge flies wildly back onto himself. The only downside I have with him is his lack of Eternal Warrior. I'm still needing to get to grips with him a bit more - such as using Stealth USR in combination with cover, and also timing my combats with Hit and Run USR. I'm looking forward to using him the next couple of games.

#3. Tanks in General

Never rely on Pie Plates. They're all well and good in theory, but the scatter dice has not been my friend the last few games. It's all well and good every few years to take out that deepstriking assault squad and Chaplain in a single shot, but that's offset by the 99 other shots where it veers wildly off target.

I've also learnt that with the Leman Russ special rules, I NEEEEEED to remember about the Lumbering Behemoth special rule. The amount of times last night, that I forgot I could fire an extra weapon, I'd have to take my shoes off to count them up.

The other factor is that Tanks can die easily, one needs to accept that fact. In the past few games, to be able to add more tanks, I've skimped on upgrades. I'm still not sure what the best option is here, but I think the points for Heavy Bolter sponsons may be worth it. Against hordes of Orks and Tyranids, those extra few shots can make all the difference.

#4. Psyker Battle Squads

I really like these guys - mostly because I think Psykers should be on every table going. I have to admit, they can be extremely destructive and can all but guarentee a unit starts running - combined with the Guard's shooting and ability to cause morale checks, you're onto a winner here.

I wouldn't go as far to add another unit in the army, but I wouldn't mind chucking in a Primaris Psyker with them. He uses his power, Battle squad uses Weaken Resolve to make the morale tester's LD drop. Which relies less on the Chimera they were riding in.

#5. Guard Survivability

It's inevitable that Hordes of Guardsmen will die in droves. Especially with Flak Armour. I've taken to using Veteran Squads (until I can be bothered painting up my platoons) and made a habit of upgrading them to have Carapace armour. Admittedly it's a bit more expense in the force, but to me, the survivability outweighs it. I would have lost against Space Wolves last night, had it not been for the fact off shooting attacks, my men were getting Armour Saves.

---------------------------

So for now, that's what I've currently been thinking about when it comes to Imperial Guard. I'm quite keen to get my Guardsmen and Heavy weapons painted up, so that I can start using some regular Platoon setups, but until I work through my existing backlog, that won't happen. Plus, with Veterans and Mechanised, it's a lot less things to move around and transport between games...

What do you guys think? It's hard not to be influenced by the internet, but similarly it's also hard when one of your favourite units in the book happens to be one of the most used and one of those "We all hate X" units.

Do you guys hate to play against Vendettas and Psyker battle Squads? Are we seeing them less now some people have moved onto the IG "blob" armies?

SB.

MAWS Warlord 40,000 - 2010 Results

Morning all,

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally managed to dish out the trophies to everyone and take the necessary pictures.

For those reading the blog who are unaware, Warlord 40,000 is an annual mini-league that we run in after Christmas, before our club AGM. It's basically a 4+ game tournament split over the space of a couple of weeks, using the 32-Nil scoring system, along with a couple of missions done by me.

 So here goes... *drum roll* the Manchester Area Wargames Society Warlord 2010 winners.

The Warlord Trophy belongs to Angryman... Until next time!

1st Place - Ste (Angryman) Also awarded "Blood for the Blood God" most Kill Points For.
Tyranids.

2nd Place - James (Sanguinuis)
Blood Angels (4th Edition)

3rd Place - Mark
Tyranids

Best Army Award - Marcus(Brother Captain Uriel Ventris)
Ultramarines

Best Opponent - Me (SuicideBadger)
Orks

Wooden Spoon and "Martyrdom" (Most KP against) - Rob (Col. Straken)
Chaos Space Marines

All in all, it was a decent competition as always. We allowed the new Tyranid codex to be used, we'd had a 2 week grace period for it and only came across a few issues which were Rules Pack FAQ'ed as a get by. The Blood Angels codex showed up half way through, but we carried on with 4th ed rules for that point.

I went for a pretty weird Ork army, compared to what I usually use (Tankbustas, Lootas and Trukk Boyz) mostly down to coming up with a list at the last minute during pretty busy period at work. Also... it meant I could transport my army in 1 box...

I'm intending for my Brotherhood of the Forge to be completed for next year's Warlord, so maybe with that motivation there, it'll keep me going for a Paintlog style setup.

Here's looking forward to next year, with some new armies for everyone!

SB

Ultimate fighter

Hi all,

Angryman here, there are lots of characters and gods in the 40K universe. Each have their own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. If they were put in an arena with each other, lets say a deathmatch arena, who dya think would win?

The 3 different matchups are

The Primarchs: Lion El'Johnson, Fulgrim, Peturabo, Jaghatai Khan, Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn, Night Haunter, Sanguinius, Ferrus Manus, Angron, Robute Gulliman, Mortarion, Magnus the Red, Horus, Lorgar, Vulkan, Corax, Alpharius (and Omegeon).

The Gods: The Emperor, Khorne, Tzeentch, Slannesh, Nurgle, Gork, Mork, The Outsider, The Deceiver, The Void Dragon, The Nightbringer, Laughing God, Khaine, Isha, Cegorach

The 'Big' characters: Abbadon the Dispolier, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thrakka, Commander Farsight, Marneus Calgar, Eldrad Ulthran, Asdrubael Vect, Swarmlord, Commissar Sebastian Yarrick, An'ggrath the Unbound.

So in each matchup who would win and why?

[Orks] Waaaagh! Nobrot!: Stormboyz

Afternoon all,

Today I thought I'd move away from the impending doom of me having to write up 8 hours worth of Battle Report, and talk about one of my favourite units from the Ork Codex - Stormboyz - and continue the Waaaagh! Nobrot! series.

This week I've decided to discuss Stormboyz for a few reasons. Firstly, I feel they're ridiculously under-used unit, and I do see people's logic for not taking them, I always try and fit a unit into a fun list somewhere. Admittedly, they are quite a hefty cost to pay for what's ultimately a very fast moving Slugga Mob. But you only have to look at the models and realise how they deserve to be on a Tabletop.

Da Stormboyz

First off. What do the Stormboyz bring to the table? They're an extremely fast moving force, admittedly less so than before the FAQ when they were allowed to Waaagh. Capable of moving up to 18" in the movement phase, then a 6" assault, provided you roll well enough, they can attack an opponent from a fair distance - usually catching the movement judgers off guard ("They move like Jump Infantry + D6 for the Rokkits?!")

The downsides to the Stormboyz are obvious though. They're pretty expensive (2.5 standard Boyz per Stormboy) and with no serious upgrade options. Their naff armour save is a real pain to get around, because from a good round of Bolter fire, you could see your isolated Stormboyz wiped out. I'd have really loved the option for 'Eavy Armour to make them a tough unit to shift.

To bypass this, Stormboyz need to make better use of cover than other Orks. Especially as one can normally rely on Footsloggers to get a Kustom Force Field cover save from a Big Mek. However, when the Big Mek is a fair bit back, it's problematic.

Stormboyz Nob with Power Klaw

The first customisation option one has is what weapons to give to the Stormboy Nob, along with whether to upgrade to Boss Zaggstrukk.

I've got both options made, ready to chop and change within my force, the first being a Bosspole, Power Klaw weilding Nob, to keep things cheap when I take less Stormboyz.

Normally if I run a 10 strong Mob, want to not deepstrike them, or am low on points, I will lead them with this fella. As with most Ork mobs, the Power Klaw adds some Anti-Walker and MC capabilities to the squad. Which is always handy. No one likes getting trapped in assault by a smelly Marine Walker or a Tyranid monstrous creature you can't seem to shift.

Boss Zaggstrukk

When I take a full mob of 15 Boyz, I like to take Zaggstrukk. A lot of people complain about "He's not worth it, Assaulting after landing never works" but I think he's really Orky and always try for the Assault when using them. Even if I do pose a massive risk to scattering off the table or onto enemies.

So far in the games he's landed, Zaggstrukk has managed to kill off plenty of Tanks, unaware back line lurkers and isolated characters.

Bear in mind his biggest asset is the fact when he charges in, his Power Klaws are at his initiative, and because he's charged, he gets the bonus strength and initiative boost. Meaning he's pretty awesome and can rip the face off a Tyranid beasty or guarantee denting some Marines.

Stormboyz Grot

And then lastly, this is the alternative option for not taking a Nob in the unit. I would call it a quick conversion, but it's not exactly a conversion. I just liked the idea of 2 Grots with Jetpacks counting as a Stormboy. Sometimes I'll use them as a Deepstrike marker while I get the unit out, othertimes they can be an objective in those missions.

So yeah, all in all, I really like Stormboyz. They're one of my favourite units in the Codex and while they can be extremely hard hitting, the random element of the Rokkit Packs, low survivability and expensive cost keep them out of most people's lists.

What do you guys think about Stormboyz? Ork players - for or against them? Non-Ork players - how do you react to these guys and what scares you about them?

SB.

[Orks] Orks and Beliefs?

Hi all,

Angryman here with a question. Other than Gork an Mork do Orks believe in anything?

Is there an Ork heaven or hell?

This could be construed in a number of different ways. We all know that the warp gods absorb the souls of the dead but do Gork and Mork absorb these same souls? Are they even a part of the warp? Do Orks have a soul?

We know that Orks have collective psychic abilities so this must attract the interest of warp spawned beasts. Are Gork and Mork protecting the Orks psychic presence from these predators?

Could it be something a bit more spiritual? Orks reproduce by spreading spores when they die, these then grow into more Orks and so the cycle continues. Could this be a form of reincarnation, if so then are the Orks the Buddhists of the 40K universe?

It could be simpler than that, it could be that Gork and Mork are incarnations of Khorne. Orks love to fight, Khorne is the god of War, what better way to get souls than to have an entire species dedicated to war that believes you are their god.

So what do you think, do Orks believe in a greater power and do they have a soul? if so what happens to them when they die?

All comments welcome.

[Editorial] All Aboard The Bandwagon: Alpha Strike

Morning all,

We played an Apocalypse game over Sunday, and it's taking me a while to get around to writing it up, so in the mean time while I've not got access to those notes or pictures, I thought I'd work on adding to the "Bandwagon" articles series.

This time I'd like to talk about the concept of "Alpha Strike" and how it seems to have took on a life of it's own via popularity on the Internet. Until a couple of months ago, I'd only known this through the odd mention on Forums and Blogs. Then I heard it spoken about at Tournaments while lingering around and wondered what's prompted this popularity surge?

Firstly.. What is an Alpha Strike?

My understanding is that it's an army list design based around the principle of 1 dominating turn of Shooting or Assault, where you would cripple your opponent beyond recovery and leave them playing the waiting game until the inevitable Loss at the end of the game. I may not have covered all the details there, but to my knowledge, that's what it is.

It's debatable whether this is to be considered similar to the "Glass Hammer" approach, in that, while the army can deal significant damage in it's preferred turn or attack wave, it may be unable to deal with certain threats or if the enemy can weather the Alpha Strike and retain enough killing force, to then crush the positioned opponents.

It begs the question however, why is an Alpha Strike specifically being designed around and become one of these "Buzz" phrases around the community. Surely when we plan our lists and our game plan before and during a game, we are intending on an optimum turn - be it maybe the 2nd turn of Shooting, when the enemy has closed in, or a 3rd or 4th turn Assault.

Thinking about it, my Orks are  usually in the latter boat, with the 3rd or 4th turn being decisive for positioning and sheer killing power. However I don't design a list with this in mind - I barely consider it during a game. My approach has always been Mission - Act - React. I play a roughly balanced army that can manouvre itself around when needs be, as well as components that can act individually or part of an attack force.

True, the army will rely on it's power to assault and position for combined or multiple assaults in a late game turn, but unless by some Witchcraft I can get a Turn 1 or 2 assault, that simply is just a factor of the game I accept.

It seems, from my point of view, that this has been a concept adapted from one or two army lists utilising it, into being a pidgeon-hole type of army build, like Mech or Deep-Striking armies in....

So why are people using this style of play?

Assumedly because it's very effective in-game, delivers a kick in the balls to the opponent's army, from which they stay grounded afterwards. As with all popular builds though, there are counters and negating the opponents Alpha Strike, effectively scarpers the big pre-game scheme and can leave them floundering.

Personally, I don't think a list should be designed as an "Alpha Strike" list, with that being the first and foremost goal of the army. I think it's got the Bandwagon treatment because of the attitude that it is the be all and end all with some army lists.

So yeah... No offence intended to anyone with this article, I just want to hear the for and against arguments from both camps.

Should a list be based around the concept of an Alpha Strike? Or is this just one of many options a player can decide upon in-game?

Why do you use an Alpha Strike based list - or why do you dislike the concept of Alpha Strike lists?

Have at it folks... Peace out,
SB

Manutia Defence Strike Force

+++ Incoming Transmission+++

I have recently received information about your plight at Portsmotha and as such am going to divert my armies to assist in the defence.

Inquisitor Maleth
Ordo Malleus

+++ Transmission Terminated +++

Inquisitor Maleth has Commandeered (or so he believes) a strike force built from Space Wolves and Grey Knights. He has sent them straight to the defence of Portsmotha as he believes the Tyranid assault will cause havoc with the planet and has pulled as many men from the front lines as he could do so without weakening the defences.

Below is Inquisitor Maleth who is over all commander of the defence and Jimmy the Gauntslayer flanking a squad of Veteran Long Fangs and their Razorback transport.




The main bulk of the Space Wolf Strike Force, consisting of a Grey Hunter squad and two Wolf Guard squads in Tactical Dreadnought Armour. These will be spearheading the counter assault while the Grey Knights get into position.

The Grey Knight element of the strike force, consisting of two Dreadnoughts, 6 Grey Knights, Grand Master Varco and his Teminator Retinue and a Land Raider Redeemer to deliver them to the heart of the Tyranid forces.

Lastly is a Marauder Bomber which the Imperial Navy has spared from the battle in space against the Tyranid Fleet, this will provide air support for the Strike Force while the PDF provides long range fire support to the counter attack.

Hopefully, the combination of the Strike Forces assault capabilities, the PDF's ranged firepower, and the air support provided by the Marauder Bomber will be able to overwhelm the Tyranids attacking force. What horrors await the Imperium if they fail to hold the Xeno at Portsmotha, we can only guess at, and will fight to the bitter end to prevent them travelling further than the outer reaches of the spaceport.

+++ Incoming Transmission +++

13 hours until Tyranid force reaches defence lines... I pray to the Immortal Emperor we can hold them off here, we of the Ordo Malleus have seen untold horrors, but I believe this may be my last command, as nothing the warp can spawn can compare to the unwavering focus of the Tyranid Hive Mind.

We will reach the spaceport within 12 hours, I hope that leaves enough time to prepare the final defences and co-ordinate our counter-assault.

The Emperor Protects

Inquisitor Maleth
Ordo Malleus

+++ Transmission Terminated +++

The Manutian Defence Force

INCOMING VOX TRANSMISSION: The Portsmotia region of Manutia is under Tyranid Assault... Massive initial Assault wave has been sighted... Defenders mobilised... Reinforcement beacon deployed..

Portsmotia is a strategic point on the planet of Manutia, home to numerous Industrial sectors and the largest Spaceport on the planet, so recieves heavy allied traffic. However due to this, planetary forces around this area are equipped with large numbers of vehicles.

[PICT-FEED: Mechanised Defence Force of Portsmotia]

Commander Grant, with Imperial Fleet Master Addams and the Alpha Bravo Veteran Squads, deployed in their Chimera Transports for safety and mobilisation.

Fast Assault Hellhound Squadron. Equipped with lethal long-range heavy Flamers.

The Wedge Attack formation of the Hammer of Portsmotia Tank Formation, all equipped with Battle Cannons.

Heavy hitting attack tanks and Artillery. Leman Russ Vanquisher, Leman Russ Demolisher and a Colossus Siege Cannon at the rear.

Fast moving Vendetta Gunships able to quickly re-deploy and take on priority Tyranid Monstrosities.

[INCOMING VOX TRANSMISSION #HIGH COMMAND] ETA For Battle: 16 Hours... Defenders of Manutia, stand firm.... Send the foul Xeno back to the spawning pit from where they came...

SB

Brotherhood of the Forge: An Update

Evening all,

I've not posted anything on the Brotherhood for a while, mostly due to very little (no pun intended) happening with them. I've had lots of ideas, themes, paint schemes and conversions planned - just no money to make a start with anything.

So after months of thumbing through the Witch Hunters Codex and settling on what I'd like to include in the army, I bought a cheap plastic Warhammer Dwarf Thane off eBay to paint up as my Cannonness count-as.

In game terms, he's a Cannonness with Blessed Weapon, Rosarius and maybe some other upgrades I've not thought of yet... He's had no conversion work, just been slapped onto a round base.

I went for a Blue Colour scheme on his cloth and Black for his cloak. Originally I had done him with red Cloth, but combined with the White Beard he looked a bit too much like Santa goes to War.

So yeah, hopefully this chap is the test-bed for the rest of the army in Blue and Black with White detailing. The other difference to my other armies is that I drybrushed all the metal with Tin Bitz and then Boltgun Metal, as opposed to the latter on it's own. I'm not keen on Bronze or Golds on models, but I felt this makes the metalwork look different enough from my other armies.

For my birthday, my Father-in-Law kindly braved Games Workshop and got me a box of Dwarf Thunderers to assemble.

This box of 16 models should hopefully be converted into a 10 strong unit of Sisters of Battle, armed with Flamer and a Melta. The remaining 6 Thunderers however, are something I'm stuck on what to do with them.

One idea is to turn them into 5 Celestians (Longbeards) and a second Cannonness, either to back up my original, or to replace him full stop.

The other option is to turn the 6 of them into an Inquisitor and his Retinue, to enable me to buy and take some Dragon Slayers as Death Cult Assassins.

Do you guys have any suggestions what to do with the 6 of them?

The Inquisitor is a bit awkward to justify with my Dwarf theme, unless he's some kind of Legendary Thane with a Retinue? What are his Psychic Powers and what justification is there for them? etc.

I think the Celestians would be a good way to go, maybe convert the remaining model into something else or keep him as a spare.

And last but not least, the ongoing side project I volunteered myself for, which involves painting a complete Ork army in my usual speed machine style. So far I've got about 80 - 100 Orks:

Hopefully painting up them will stop me spending money for a while!

Next on the shopping list is a Rhino and as many more Dwarfs as I can get together...

SB.