Saturday, December 29, 2012

Flames Of War: SeerK's First Look


Sometimes its nice to branch out and take the edge off a bit when you suddenly find yourself immersed in one particular thing. In this case its 40K. Despite building an Adepticon GT army and plotting a Eldar Strike force for combat patrol I am having the hobby blahs. So I decided to try something different. Inquisitor Vogrin is on a 40K hiatus and despite being a Pressganger and playing lots of War Machine wanted to try out a little Flames Of War.

So we split a Flames Of War Boxed set, the open fire one, and read through the rules so that the following Saturday we would throw down. I started with historical war games back in the day before I started playing Battletech and Warhammer 40K. I have been wanting to try Flames Of War ever since Old School Terminator gave a good review of it after trying it. I loved Epic 40K and its previous version Space Marine so mass combat games have always appealed to me. OST compared it to Epic. That was the thing that pushed me over. An investment of $35 was not bad as well.


So I split a box and took the Germans. For those of you unfamiliar with Flames Of War, it is a large scale world war two game. The miniatures are in 1/100 scale. The infantry is on bases with 4 or 5 soldiers to one base. These individual bases make up infantry teams. The teams are grouped into platoons. Each platoon is typically 6 infantry bases and 1 smaller 3 man command team. Tanks are typically in platoons of 1 to 5. A collection of platoons is a company. Games are typically played on the company level. Typical games are 1500 points. There is a force organization chart to help you assemble your army. The whole army building portion was pretty easy as its very 40K like in its execution.

The starter box Inquisitor Vogrin and I split had about 810 points of Germans in it. After looking at the Adepticon events for Flames of War I saw that the late war tournaments were 1000 points. SO basically adding another platoon of something will put you at an entry level tournament point level.


The game plays with the same basic turn sequence that 40K has. You have movement, shooting and an assault phase. Everything, ranges and such, are measured in both English standard and metric. All the unit entries in the books list both. Epic and Battlefleet Gothic, for those of you who played those GW games, both used metric, IE centimeters, to measure everything so this again brought up some nostalgia and some familiarity.

Units do not have a ballistic skill or a stat line though in the 40K sense though. Every unit has a skill rating. This skill rating is used to determine how hard it is to hit the unit. So the die roll needed to hit a unit is based on the target units skill level. Units can be Conscripts, Trained or Veteran in skill level. They also have a morale rating of Reluctant, Confident and Fearless. This helps determine command range as well as the die roll needed for morale checks from casualties and to activate skills and such.

Cover adds difficulty to hit targets as does movement and range. Vogrin and I had a very long drawn out fire fight between our platoons in cover. The difficulty to hit and damage was high. Vogrin broke the stalemate by over running my position in an assault. I have to say assaults are very deadly and to the point. I lost one of my infantry platoons to the assault. Meanwhile my anti tank gun teams and Stug tanks were making short work of the Sherman tanks Vogrin were bringing up on my flank.

I have to say after playing on game I am impressed by the rules set. I am also impressed by how concise they are. Nothing is really left to question. A thing that is often lacking in many of Gw's games. You will be seeing Flames of War articles now and again. This is a good change of pace for me. I started out with historicals and Battle Tech. Apparently though according to Samsquatch Monster and The Judge I am now officially an old man. Oh well had to happen eventually.

Well next time We will be in 2013. Its been a weird year to say the least. A new edition and a new chaos codex. Rumors abound about what the future holds for my beloved Eldar. I guess we shall see.

Have a happy New Year all. I will be partying in Ann Arbor with my Rogue Trader crew. Two words. Battle Shots!


Until Next Year.....




Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!



DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPORER!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas From The Craftworld!

From all of us at Craftworld Lansing, Merry Christmas!  I have been busy this month.  The holidays, more 40K and work have got me busy but thankful.  The stomach flu I contracted Sunday I am not thankful for.  So I am recovering.  I had intended to post about some thoughts I had while reading the good old, emphasis on old, Eldar codex.  The rules changes have given some old units new tricks and we need all the help we can get.  I also have an update on my Iron Warriors progress.  I took CVinton to the ropes with a raw list.  I hope to have both these posts up before the new year.  This new year is also going to see me actually starting and playing a new game.  I have gotten in a couple games of Flames Of War and I am hooked.  In fact I have a small company of Germans in primer at the moment ready to break up the Iron Warriors army build and paint monotony.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, have a Joyful Solstice und Froliche Weinachten!


Until Next Time.........


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!


Death To The False Emperor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Combat Patrol: Eldar Style


Well the Iron Warriors project is off to a decent start. I have started Painting. I need to buy quite a bit but paint has started to hit what I do have. I have decided to do Combat Patrol as well as the GT this year at Adepticon. I felt I had to still whip the Craftworlders back and fourth at Adepticon this year. I Think they will do well in the combat patrol. In the highly competitive environment of the GT I don’t think I can bring an Eldar army that can really deal with everything. That said I do think I can bring a 400 point force that can be competitive. Especially with the changes to the rules this year. Namely the rules for vehicles. Wave Serpents are now viable. Expensive but very cool.

I have designed a list that really is in the spirit of a patrol. This means mobile units. Even if they cannot pack a huge punch they can still hit targets fast and move away from harm. Luckily the Eldar excel in hit and run. They also have very mobile units that can lay down very impressive levels of fire.

The first unit that comes to mind when thinking about a patrol is the good old War Walker. With a variable unit size, 1-3, and an impressive array for weapons available. They also fit into the required rules for armor facings. Since you get a swing slot two squadrons could be taken. The popular scatter laser load out, that means two per walker, for most players works very well in combat patrol as the amount of fire you can lay down is pretty overwhelming for this point level. Range is not a real issue as you can pretty much hit everything in a 4x4 even with shuriken cannons, a nice cheap option for any unit. War Walkers also have 2 attacks with a strength of 5 in close combat so chicken kicking units or vehicles is a nice last ditch.

A basic unit of 5 Rangers or even Pathfinders is very nice in combat patrol. The Pathfinders especially can really be a threat to lightly armored vehicles. Precision shots, rolls of 6's to hit which are also AP 1 for these guys, let you pick out possibly the only model with a high leadership value in the opposing force. This gives you better chances of pinning units and driving them off the board. They also allow you to eliminate those pesky 2 wound HQ units quickly, that are relatively cheap and pretty over powered in a low point game. Units are also pretty cheap. A unit of 5 Rangers is only 95 points and a unit of 5 Pathfinders is only 120 points.

Jetbikes are great in a combat patrol albeit expensive. You don’t need large units though in this particular style of 40K game though. In fact having single large units works against you as you can only pick out individual units while a strike force of 3 or 4 units, 4 if you really number crunch, can engage multiple units or just concentrate fire into the one unit. Jet Bikes got better in 6th edition. I actually am working on a blog covering the Eldar codex presently about re purposing units due to the new rules. Eldar Jet Bikes are now mobile to the extreme and have lots of nice options to add to make the unit tough and be able to deal with just about anything your opponent can throw at you in a 400 point game. You have access to shuriken cannons and twin linked weaponry. You can add a Warlock for some psychic punch and to act as the patrol Leader. Being a troop they also act as your mandatory troop choice. Jet Bikes and Rangers really are your best troop options for combat patrol In my opinion.

Being at the the same point level as a jet bike squadron we cant overlook Warp Spiders. These guys are always a favorite because of their mobility and high strength weaponry. A fully kitted squad of 5 including an Exarch is 152 points. If you take a unit of 3 war walkers it is about 180 points. Granted the War Walkers give you more shots, with scatter lasers, but the Warp Spiders give you a higher quality shot with a higher ballistic skill. They are also more mobile. Plus like the jet bikes you have nicer close combat options now. Hammer of wrath although not earth shattering can help tip the balance in some cases.

There are many more options. Theses are my favorites though. I will be putting together my Combat Patrol force together as I build the Iron Warriors. Which speaking of the Iron Warriors. Apparently I am going to be part of a blog vs blog painting challenge starting in January. Look for detail over at Dark Future Games next month.



Until Next Time...........


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!


DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPORER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Road To Adepticon: The List Is Finalized


Well I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. I had the privilege of joining The Stormlord and his family for the holiday. I have been contemplating my Chaos Marine list for Adepticon. I think I have a list hammered out now. I have gotten one game in so far and it was a win. As I write this I am waiting for CVinton and his Necrons to get in game two with the tweaked list. I am keeping the list rather basic and it seems to be working well. I don't to post all of it but I will share the elements of said list.


1x Daemon Prince

4x Chaos Marine Squads of 10

1x Cultist squad of 22

1x Mauler Fiend

2x Forge Fiend

1x Heldrake

I had included an Aegis line with a quad gun in the first version and although it was nice cover for the Cultists holding an objective it did not really contribute a whole lot. I was actually able to cram in more fire power taking it out completely.  I am also on the fence about the Cultist unit.  I wanted a 5th troop choice, but I am not sure if the cultists can really do the job of holding objectives if they come under fire.  You really do get what you pay for with the unit.

I have to say I am surprised by many peoples reaction to the new Daemon Prince. Yeah he lack eternal warrior and is expensive, but built well he is a bestial engine of destruction. I think the expense portion of the Prince is the big kicker. Honestly you can get two Sorcerers or even warp smiths and lords in any combination cheaper than the prince. When you are trying to maximize points this is a huge factor in list building. Truth be told though the survivability of the Daemon Prince is better than these other HQ choices though. He also tends to pull the big guns away from your vehicles. I had three devastator squads lighting him up trying to prevent him form getting to squads of Deathwing Terminators. This kept the las cannons and missile launchers off of my Daemon Engines. My opponent realized the rouse too late and my Mauler Fiend was able to breach his lines and start ripping apart the Devastators that were unlucky enough to be on the ground.


Now that I have the list hammered out I begin the painful task of buying the army elements. I have my painting schedule and process already laid out. I will be posting pictures of the army as I get it done over the following weeks. I have over 63 infantry models to paint followed by 1 Daemon Prince, 3 daemon engines and 1 Heldrake. Despite my hobby funk and general laziness when it comes to painting lately, I am charged up for the task and I am hoping to have it done with time to spare before Adepticon.

Next time I am going to talk combat patrol with the Eldar. This is one of the few tournaments at Adepticon that the Eldar can be real competitors. Builds are easy at the 400 point for Eldar mainly due to the surgical and specialist nature of the current Eldar army. More on that next time.


Until then.........


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!


DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPORER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Turkey Day!

Well its been a busy couple weeks.  The fervor of Adepticon 2013 registration is behind us and the countdown to d-day has begun.  I am just starting to really tear into the new Chaos Marine codex and it is becoming clear I have a long road ahead if I want to be ship shape for the GT  I got in a game with Farseer Re-rolls Tuesday night and lets just say version 1 of the list did not fair well.

I am back to the drawing board, but I am thankful.  Tis the season I guess.  What am I thankful for?  Well I am thankful first and foremost for the great 40K hobby scene in Lansing.  I am thankful for dedication of the players in this area.  I am also thankful for the core group of guys, chosen if you will, who I call friend and fellow bloggers.  My guys here at Craftworld Lansing, who need to post way more, and of course the authors over at Dark Future Games.

So on this day of Thanks, think on what you are thankful for.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.  I will be discussing my plunge back into chaos next time as I continue the Road to Adepticon.


Until then.......


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!


DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Adepticon 2013: The Road Begins


Well its that time of year again, no not Thanksgiving! Its time for Adepticon pre registration! I have completed the pre reg with minimal swearing and drama. Is it just me or did it seem the web cart was on the verge of blowing up? This year I am going to be trying my hand at the GT again. This year I will not be bringing the Eldar though. I don't plan on getting smacked around like a red headed step child this year so I am bringing the metal. I have not decided which flavor of metal to bring though so I will be building both the Necrons and my newly Acquired Iron Warriors army.

I have a couple lists in mind and now its just down to number crunching points and the finances. I may also be doing a Combat Patrol this year and I have been able to cram in some nice units and such into Dark Eldar lists so I will also be painting up 400 points of the Dark Kin just in case.

So why Chaos Marines? Well I have been s Chaos Marine player almost as long as An Eldar Player. I really like the new models as well. Combine this and the fact I really miss my Emperors Children / Noise Marine army and well there you have it. I did say Iron Warriors though. I am going to build my Emperors Children up post Adepticon as I want to pillage the Forgeworld Booth for MK3 armor and such. I also want to do just a strait up Chaos Marine Army. There may or may not be cult marines in the list. There will be lots of metal though.

I am going to be really delving into the codex and finding something different, yet effective. I will be doing articles here and over at Dark Future Games over the next few months. I am feeling invigorated. Which is good. My hobby has been in a slump and so has my game....


Cue Training Montage....



Until next time...........


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes War Calls....



DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPORER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Dark Thoughts About The Dark Kin

Well Things are starting to get back to normal around here. October was a busy month. Between my promotion at work, UCON and Samsquatch Monster Wedding its been pretty hectic and I have not been able to get in the amount of 40K games I wanted. Something has become painfully clear to me. My 40K game has been going downhill. I could blame old codexes and a major change in rules, I could even blame a lack of tactics and strategy. Although theses may be a factor I think the real reason is that for all my tactical acumen and ability to plan and plot lists that work with great synergy, as soon as I hit the table I let my temper get the better of me and all my planning and strategy break down and I let the fury of Khaine overtake me.

So I am trying to get back to basics. I have taken the Dark Eldar off the shelf and dusted them off. As they require much more finesse to play than the Craftworlders I surmise that honing my skills and reining in my temper and excitement while playing them will ultimately help me get my game back. I have broken the second Foundation Of Vengeance, Patience.


Its hard letting go of old tactics and methods of running lists and armies. 6th edition is a shooting game and you must adapt to that. All Dark Eldar a blessed with a ballistic skill of 4. This is a good foundation. The real trick is to out range your enemies while still being able to ht them. You can supplement this with close combat units but you have to use them very selectively and choose your targets very carefully. As always the Dark Kin are very fragile and cannot stand a prolonged exchange of fire. So what can a canny Archon do to exploit his enemies weaknesses and hide his or her own? There are some simple things you can do.

The first thing is actually an old thing made new. Raiders. Although vehicles have become more easily destroyed the raider has not really lost any resiliency as its always been a glass cannon. Night shields are a big advantage as you can shoot with an embarked unit and out range your opponents just enough to tempt them closer and fill them full of splinter fire for their trouble. Combine the Night Shields with the Splinter Rack upgrade and you have a very deadly fire platform for your Kabalite Warrior Squads.

The Raider itself provides a bit of anti vehicle in the form of the prow mounted Dark Lance. Now there is some debate, mostly between myself Old School Terminator and Wolfson, as to whether or not you want to take Flicker fields on Raiders anymore. I am of the belief that they should. The main argument presented to me opposing this is that you get a 5+ jink save just for moving. So when you move your Raiders only 6 inches so the embarked squads can fire at full ballistic skill, you get a save. My main point against this is that the Jink save is a cover save. There are many things that deny cover saves. Also if the Raider is assaulted a cover save cannot be taken, the Invulnerably save of the Flicker field can be. In a fully mounted force Flicker fields do eat up a lot of points. If you have 5 Raiders a couple Ravagers and a Void Raven, lie I do in my new Dark Eldar List, that’s 70 points eaten up by Flicker fields. I could almost fit a small warrior squad in a venom into the list taking the fields out.

So we have good arguments for and against the Flicker field. Me being the paranoid Archon that I am, any good Archon has a paranoia level over 9000, I prefer to have an invulnerably save over a cover save any day.

Dark Eldar really lack range beyond 36 inches. Void Ravens do have a 48 inch range with the Void Lances, but as a flyer range really is not an issue most of the time. I think having one of the flyers is pretty key now in any list. It lets you deal with enemy flyers and it gives you a nice platform to harass enemy units. I actually prefer the Razorwing. Its cheaper and it mounts a Splinter cannon so it can still hit infantry units when the missiles run out.

I have some more thoughts and it involves using the units with alternate deployment options as well as defending against deep striking units and such. I will have that later this week.


Until next time......




Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!


Monday, October 29, 2012

The Craftworld Open: Results

The Results are in. The Craftworld Open was this past weekend at UCON. This was the first year of the tournament and there will be many more as I was asked to run it next year and help out with getting more war game and miniature events next year. I will keep you guys posted as it seems we are going to do it big next year.

I digress though. The champion of the Inaugural Craftworld Open is non other than DFG's own CVinton. He brought the Necrons out to play and after a very close 3rd round pulled it out for the win.

Here are the official results

1st. Chris Vinton
2nd. Adam Koziel
3rd Eric Gibbs

Players Choice for painting was also won by Adam Koziel for his Forge World Tau Commander. The His force was nicely painted as were several other. My favorite was, I have to admit, John Owens Kroot Mercenary army which is now a counts as Dark Eldar. The units were very superbly modeled and painted. He even had a Codex that replaced every instance of the Words Dark Eldar with Kroot of some form or another. It even had army background and fluff. Now that’s a counts as Army!


I am looking forward to doing this convention next year. The location is great and the staff was very friendly and helpful. There were lots of events and games represented. Next year War Games will be making a comeback thanks to yours truly and all the DFG and Craftworld crew.









Until next time


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Visions Of Chaos: My Favs From The Codex

I am coming to you from the Marriott Ypsilanti Ann Arbor At Eaglecrest.  BigMek SkrapKlaw and I are relaxing a bit before dinner and set up for the tournament tomorrow here at UCON. I have had a chance to flip through the new Chaos Marine codex and its kinda scary, but not to scary. There are some very nice improvements, but nothing that the current codexs cant cope with given the right application of certain units and fire power. In fact most players standard tournament or what I like to call your “ Signature List” can deal with the forces of Chaos.

That said there is some stuff to watch out for. The Helldrake comes to mind. This thing is wonky and pretty deadly when you start going over different situations in your head. I don’t know about you, but I frequently think about new and unusual ways to use units and this goes doubly for units from new codexes. As a long time chaos player, its been a second army pretty much since the mid 90's and sadly ended 3 years ago when I sold off my beloved Emperors Children army, I am apt to use units as they were used in the old codex. I know I will do the same thing when I finally get a new Eldar codex. I also did it when the new Dark Eldar codex came out, god I miss blast template dizzys.

The main point is that thinking outside the box, to use the old cliche saying, with units is how you get the jump on surprising your opponent and really gaining an advantage. Ok I digress. The Helldrake is a new unit and I have seen many people treating it as a nasty flyer that’s main purpose is to take out other flyers with extreme prejudice. Although it does this rather well its anti infantry potential is pretty devastating. With vehicles being more fragile and more and more foot lists coming to the forefront, dealing with hordes of infantry is a real key in list building. The Helldrake equipped with a baleflamer is pretty scary. Since the Helldrake can vector strike a unit in the movement phase you can wreck some havoc with enemy flyers in that phase and then hose a unit with the baleflamer. A strength 6 AP3 flamer that also has the soul blaze and torrent special rules. Me likey. Its survivability is also pretty good thanks to the daemonforge rule and the It will not Die rule. So as you can see the Helldrake is a favorite.


Being a fan of Slaanesh and the Emperors children I was kinda disappointed by the new incarnation of the Noise Marine. Granted they are a little cheaper. You only pay 20 points as opposed to 25 points for a Noise Marine with a Sonic Blaster. The Sonic Blaster is not to my liking though. Its basically an old rapid fire weapon now Granted it ignores cover, but still....rapid fire. The Blast Master is still a nice weapon though as is the Doom Siren. I have noticed that is you equip a noise marine and Chaos marine in the same way, standard load with an extra close combat weapon, you are only paying one point more for the Noise Marine than the Chaos Marine. So you get Fearless for one point. So you can go to to ends of the spectrum with Noise Marines now. They can be outfitted for close combat and outfitted for close to mid range shooting. I like this kind of versatility. Marked lords make the Cult marine of the associated mark troops which means you can really cram units in.


I really like how cheap I can get a Chaos Sorcerer now as well. 75 points for a Sorcerer with a Mark of Slaanesh. Thats 25 points cheaper than the old base cost. How cool is that! A cheap HQ option that can actually contribute! The new Powers are also sexy. I have been toying with several lists but the one that has been really jumping out is a dark mirror of CVintons Space Wolves list. Now if I can only number crunch it to be all thousand sons and marks of Tzeentch...........


I have to say I am still trying to figure out how to keep the Craftworlders competitive. They may only be broken out for casual games and fun. The Necrons and Dark Kin will be doing any tournament games until I get the Chaos Marine Army back up to strength. I suppose that means its time to really step it up on the hobby side of things and get to painting.


Well Next Time I will be reporting on the Craftworld Open as it happens and the aftermath of its first year at UCON.  May Khaine Watch over us.


Until next time..................




Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, October 22, 2012

The CraftWorld Open Is This Sunday!!!!

Just a quick announcement and then I will have my thoughts on the New Chaos codex later in the week. I got officially promoted this week at work so its been hectic, especially with the wedding of Samsquatch Monster of DFG this past weekend. We partied hard.......Adepticon hard.

Well UCON is this coming weekend and Sunday the Craftworld Open will be unleashed upon the convention. Pre registration with the convention closed on the 12th, but I have been getting requests to play. I am accepting names and submitting them to my liaison with the convention to hold spots. I have a total of 15 registered, 10 officially whos spots are not in jeopardy and I have 5 names that I am submitting tonight. This means I have 9 open slots. Feel free to email me at the Blog address and I will submit your name. Now this means that a spot will be held, but if it is not paid for the day of the tournament the spot is up for grabs to whoever shows up to the tournament.

Now I know there was not a lot of time between when I put this together and when the pre registration for the convention ended. Next year I will be posting updates every week once preregistration starts for the convention.

So Sunday 10 am at the Marriott AnnArbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest dice roll. I will be down Saturday with BigMek SkrapKlaw to set up so come say hi.  I am really looking forward to this.  This Convention has lots of growth potential and its at an awesome location this year.   Think Westin Lombard, for those who have attended Adepticon, with a golf course.  My little brother actually had his wedding at this Hotel and it was very nice.

So lets make the first Craftworld Open a good one and heres to hopefully many years to come.



Until Next time



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Craftworld Open: The Top Prize

SeerK here. I wanted to share the top prize for the “Craftworld Open” at UCON this year. First I would like to thank our generous sponsors for this years event. Evolution Games of Lansing, also the FLGS and home store for yours truly. Pandemonium Games of Garden City and Game Links of Fowlerville. I would also like to thank my man on the inside, Nick Huston, for his tireless efforts in helping put this thing together. He wrote a nice article for the UCON website about the tournament . You can read it HERE. We have a nice lineup of prizes for the top 3 places.

For our first place winners we have an awesome first prize. We have managed to secure a Dark Vengeance set as well as a Gamers Edition of the 40K rulebook. Thats right here is your chance for a Gamers edition set as well as a host of new models and a mini rulebook. Not to bad for a $15.00 entry fee. There are 8 pre regs already and I was told we ave a limit of 24. 
So head on over to www.ucon-gaming.org and get registered for the tournament.


Remember this event takes place on Sunday the 28th of October. The convention itself runs all weekend though and there is a host of events covering the width and breadth of gaming. I hope to see you all there.


Well next time I am going to be talking about the new Chaos Codex and what affect it is going to have on the game and the Eldar. The outlook is pretty grim. If ever the Eldar needed a new codex its now. Its a shame too as my Footdar are doing rather well at the moment. Once I get a couple games in versus the new codex I will bring you my thoughts and possible counter tactics to the newest chaos onslaught.




Until Next time...............




Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Of Wolves And Runes: Footdar Development Continues

I had the chance this past weekend to test out the Footdar against the Sons of Fenris this past weekend. CVinton had his 13th company out to play. I wanted to see how the new, old, approach I am taking with the Eldar would work against the best power armored codex currently out there.

CVinton brought a list that basically was a version of the Nova Con winner. 5 Grey Hunter Packs with Plasma, 2 Long Fang Packs loaded with Missile Launchers, a Huge blob squad of Imperial Guardsman with a Priest in it and Njal Stormcaller to round out the list. Now before you point out the obvious and declare the list invalid, we both didn’t know that Ministorum Priests are not valid HQ choices for the HQ spot anymore. It is not a big deal as The Avatar of Khaine made quick work of the blob squad after Njal's head exploded thanks to Eldrads Runes of Warding. I would also like to point out how retarded it is putting Njal into a 50 man blob squad with biomancy powers and divination powers at his disposal. There will be great lamentations by Eldar players worldwide when and if they change Runes of Warding. They are still by far the best psychic defense in the game seconded of course by the Rune trinkets the Space Puppies wave rudely in your direction.

I digress though. So with my first two games with the Footdar list the main problem was a lack of long range punch. I had a larger than needed Jetbike squad and a good sized squad of Warp Spiders wrecking havoc in the back field while the Night Spinner provided some long range support, while the Fire Prisms laid waste to hard targets. My foot units advanced across the board without pause thanks to the Avatar. I had to advance right into the teeth of my enemy to really bring a devastating amount of fire to bear. This of course meant casualties were very high. I could not kill infantry in large number unless I was close which means usually only one turn of shooting before the whole battle field is one big melee. I mean if I was a space marine or whatever I would want to be in close combat with Guardians who have a 50/50 chance of hitting and them a 30% chance of actually wounding. Why would I stand in front of them and get hit with massed shuriken fire?

The latest iteration of the list removed the bike squad and the night spinner and added a squadron of War walkers armed with just scatter lasers. This unit generally shreds infantry units by sheer volume of fire. They stayed close to Eldrad for a handy Guide every turn. I also added a squad of Pathfinders. The list actually performed very well given the horde of power armored Mon-Keigh that were surging towards me. Njal was stalled by my psychic wall and Once I was within 24 inches he denied me my Fortune on more than one occasion. It was very lucky and a pretty clutch moment when his head exploded trying to hamper the Avatar. This caused the blob squad to break much easier and stripped away the They Shall Know No Fear Rule from them. The Priest was also dead from a challenge so I cut down 38 guardsman with a roll of a 6 on my initiative test. This lead to the Avatar charging headlong towards the Space Wolf objective the following turn whit the Fire Prisms and Pathfinders punished the whittled down Grey Hunter packs in his way. I had swung the game from a hopeless battle to a real chance of a solid win. Alas a surviving Long Fang scored a solid hit and took the Avatars last wound from him. It was sad as he had a real solid chance of charging into the Grey Hunter pack holding the objective. They had been already hit by the Warp Spiders and pounded by the Fire Prisms.

So I lost, but it was a loss that I felt confident after. I had made a couple tactical errors, but all in all it just came down to how the dice rolled. In the post game CVinton and I discussed the game and the different situations. As much as I like my big units of Guardians, for fluff reasons, I think I may have to cull them in favor of some different troop choices. Pathfinders are always great objective holders for me. They stayed rooted like a tick and usually your opponent has to hit them with close combat troops and / or template weapons to really get them out of their nest. Switching to more stationary troop choices like this does mean another unit will become basically a big points sink. The Avatar is great to escort your units across the table. I rely on the Avatar to keep my Guardians fighting. With an 8 leadership and a Warlock with a leadership of 8 you can fail easy leadership tests more frequently than you would like. The re-roll you can get from Embolden is nice, but it denies you the nice out in the open cover save that the Conceal power gives.

So If I reduce or take out the Guardians completely I am left with Pathfinders who will be spread out and in cover and Aspect warriors, who although can benefit form the Avatars presence do not really need it. The 2nd HQ slot can now be freed up to add in a second Farseer or Phoenix Lord, who can take on the roll of an Avatar for the Aspect squad he or she is a part of.

More pathfinders also help solve the ranged problem even more. In fact thanks to a better ballistic skill, Doom and the new way sniper weapons work, I can really dissect the opposing force. My play style must be more refined. I use to be a very precision player, but it would seem I have started down a path that has play style akin to an ork charging into close combat. Maybe its time to play the range game and shift gears a bit. I have always been fascinated by the Ranger heavy Armies of Alaitoc.

I will continue to develop the Guardian Foot list, but I think I am going to fully explore the path of the Outcast a bit and see how Ranger and Pathfinder forces fair.

Until Next time..............



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

The Craftworld Open At UCON: The Missions

As promised I have the missions for the upcoming “Craftworld Open” which will be taking place on October 28th at Ucon. Registration is still open and can be done at the conventions website www.Ucon-gaming.org. I am keeping it simple. I have decided to go with missions from the man rule book. They are decent and are multi tiered in terms of ways to score victory points. So here we go.


Mission 1

Deployment: Dawn of War ( 12 inch deployment zone along the long table edge)
Mission: Purge The alien
1 VP is scored for each unit destroyed. Units in retreat or not on the board are counted as destroyed at the end of the game.

Slay the warlord, First Blood and Line breaker are in effect. Night fighting and reserves are also used.


Mission 2

Deployment: Classic table Quarters( table divided into quarters with a 12 inch diameter no mans land in the center)
Mission: The Relic

3 VP's are scored for possession of the Relic at the end of the game. Slay the Warlord, First Blood are in effect. Night fighting and reserves are also in effect.


Mission 3

Deployment: Hammer and Anvil
Mission: Big Guns Never tire

set up d3+2 objectives. Each held objective is worth 3 VP's at the end of the game. 1 VP is earned for each heavy support choice destroyed.

Heavy support units count as scoring units.

Night fight and reserves rules are in effect.


So there you have it. I will of course have a complete mission pack for the tournament. I like posting missions as this allows you to prepare your lists accordingly. If there are any rules questions feel free to contact me via the blog email Seerkarandras@gmail.com.

Next time I will be going over the changes I made to the footdar list. I got in a game with CVinton and his 13th company space wolves. He ran a rather familiar list just to try it out. Grey Hunters, Blob Squads and Long Fangs oh my! The results of the game were surprising and gave me a big boost of hope for the Eldar in the months leading up to a new codex.


Until next time.................


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

The Craftworld Open At Ucon

Well I have been asked to run an event at UCON this year. For those of you not familiar with UCON, it is a Game convention that is based in the Ypsilanti Ann Arbor area of Michigan. The convention has been going on for quite a few years. It covers the width and breadth of games. Role playing, board games, card games and of course war games.

I will be running a Tournament at UCON this year on Sunday October 28th. The “Craftworld Open” as I am calling it, will be an 1850 tournament using the standard force organization. Allies and Fortifications will be allowed. I am encouraging players to bring painted armies, but it is not a necessity. Models must be fully built though and WYSIWYG. If the tournament does well I may require painted armies in the future.

The cost to participate is $15.00. A day pass to the Convention is $10 dollars and $5 dollars to register for the tournament once you have your convention pass. Registration information can be found at www.Ucon-gaming.org. The convention is being held at the Marriott Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti at Eaglecrest. It starts Friday, so if you are a gamer in general I would check out the events they are having over the weekend. There is a special deal on rooms for $79 a night with the promo code UCOUCOA. I will be down for the weekend hanging out with my Ypsi Seer Council.

I will be posting Missions next week and giving more details on prizes as well as pimping our sponsors. This should be a fun time. I have heard many say they wish there was a nice Game convention in Michigan. Its the gamers like you that make those events possible. So come out and support a local convention and play some games. I hope to see you there.


Well next time I will be discussing the continuing evolution of my Footdar.  I would like to get my win record up a bit.  I have added some more long range fire power to the list to make it more effective.  I fealt the long range punch was lacking versus foot units.   Also the time of Chaos is nigh. I have a feeling, judging from the pictures, that we are all going to have our hands full as the first official 6th edition codex drops. The legions are stirring and the Eye Of Terror is opening to spill its foulness into the galaxy. OST is getting 2 codexs in a row........its not fair.


Until next time....................



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

If Ya Can't Beat Them...........Start An Army

Well I have partaken of the Kool Aide. I started a Necron army. I am still of course playing my Eldar and Dark Eldar, but after one game using a rather hodge podge list I decided to start up an army. Being on the receiving end of successive beatings by the forces of the Tomb Worlds got me thinking. What better way to beat my foe than to join them. Play the army and come to understand its weaknesses and strengths, then exploit the weakness with my other armies.

So I have picked up a command Barge aka “The Douche Canoe” a squad of 10 Immortals, 5 Death Marks and Nemesor Zahndrekh with his trusty bodyguard Vargard Obyron. I have them assembled and I plan on actually making an effort to get them painted before I buy more. Although if I can find legs and chest pieces from the many bits merchants on Ebay and such I will be building more Immortals and Death Marks from the bits leftover from my current built units.

BigMek SkrapKlaw and I got a game in with my “Codex Tour” army list so I could try out some of the units and get a feel for the army. As it stands it is a very powerful codex and actually has lots of leeway when it comes to tactical errors and the loss of units effect on the whole army. There are also many dirty little tricks that are fully supported by the FAQ.

So why Nemesor Zahndrekh? Well The character appeals to me. Also I didn’t want to step on The Stormlords toes and take his namesake. I figured it would be ok just being a General in the undying armies of the Necrotyr. I am also planning on playing with Trazyn The Infinite as I find this character highly entertaining. Of course I will also run just dual overlords as having just one command barge kind of leaves it open to lots and lots of fire.

I did have a though about the Command barge though. The main strength of the Command Barge is that it is a very effective harassment unit. Its effective against vehicles, very effective, and it can thin units out a bit all using its sweep attack. Zahndrekh is a nice HQ because of his ability to strip units of their universal special rules and to let units deep strike on your opponents turn. Granted your units must be able to deep strike to begin with to take advantage of this rule.

So I have been mulling it around a bit and the way I am reading it, the rule states you can Deep strike any number of your units that can deep strike. So it sounds like I can deep strike all of my units if just one enemy unit deep strikes. It also sounds as if I don’t need to make a reserve roll. Unless this is implied, and should be actually stated, that for a unit to deep strike it must make a reserve roll. So I can drop all my deep striking units on my opponents turn. This really would mess with an opponent. All of a sudden their plan of attack has to alter, maybe radically, to deal with your entire army on the board after they only have one unit come in. I am exploring this ability and seeing what I can do and what use it is. I like the idea of dropping a monolith on the opposing force, especially when I can use it to deploy reserve troops in the enemy deployment zone enmasse on my actual turn.

It also occurs to me that Night Scythes and Doom Scythes also can deep strike. Flayed ones can as well. I definitely must explore this ability more it seems untapped and left behind in the wake of Tesla spam and Colombian Death Squads.

I am also taking hard looks at Immortals and Warriors as my Troop Choices. Immortals are better. They have better weapon options and have a bit more survivability. The more I read the more I lean towards the Immortals. Now Warriors did take a hit on armor, but the rapid fire rules changing did make the Gauss Flayer better. As long as you use squads of warriors in conjunction with Ghost Arcs you get an increase in survivability. The Ghost Arcs are also very robust, despite being open topped. You can add warriors every turn and really gives the Necron army that undying feeling.

Well I have a lot of studying to do before I buy any more models. This army must be planned as there are lots of different options and possibilities. There are great units that all fit into an army because of good distribution in the force organization chart.

Lots of research, studying and playing indeed. It will be a good filler until the Eldar Codex comes out. Then the real fun can begin.

I will be making an announcement this weekend as well. I have been asked to run a 40K tournament this year at Ucon. I will have details Saturday both here and on Dark Future Games. This is a game convention in the Ann Arbor area that has been running for years. I am glad to be part of a local convention. Look for details Saturday.


Until next time.........................



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Footdar: The New Black

Well I have a couple games in with the new Footdar list. I am in at one win and a very close Tie. As in my opponent had to really work to get a tie. With all the changes in 6th I have to say that I think The Footdar are the way to go now when running Craftworld Eldar on the table, at least in my opinion.

Space Marines got tougher. Well I should say that things with a 2+ armor save got tougher. There is a lack of sufficient AP 2 in many armies to deal with the hordes of Terminators people seem to be keen on fielding now. Granted the real key to winning games in 6th edition is going troop heavy and I mean trying your damnedest to max out your troop slots and trying to gain more scoring units in another slot.

As it stands the Footdar list is clocking in at 5 troop units. I have two standard guardian squads, a Storm Guardian squad, a Guardian Jet Bike squad and a Squad of Dire Avengers. Although the Guardians are not as resilient as other troop choices they make up for the fact in numbers. As always you bolster them with a Farseer and the close proximity of an Avatar of Khaine.

The only real issue I have been having is close combat. If a dedicated close combat unit of size hits the guardian unit it gets shredded very fast. The Avatar is the only thing keeping the unit in combat if there are any survivors. This issue is really made worse by terminators and things with a 2+ save.

Of course my solution to this issue is to run the Fire Prisms. I have 2 in the list thus far. They have proven to be very valuable so far. In the past I have been weary for some reason about using them. They have been targeted and eliminated quickly in the past.

Massed fire has also been pretty good in dealing with those hard targets. I have an 8 man Warp Spider unit jumping around the battlefield supporting the Guardians. These guys have been pretty effective so far. Deep Striking behind my opponents army seems to be stalling forward progress. The only real issue is that stalling the opposing force limits what I can do to them at range.

This my friends is the only real big issue I am having with my Footdar list. Range. This was really evident with the short table edge deployment. Night fight aside all I had to handle the parking lot of Razorbacks was 2 Fire Prisms and a Night Spinner. Although the Prisms are adept at killing armor its hard slowing down a mechanized force with only 2 of them.

The Warp Spiders helped mitigate the range issue a bit and kept the army occupied but I couldn't bring enough fire to bear and wipe out units before they reached my lines. So I am looking at options. The Night Spinner may be removed and swapped out for something with a good amount of ranged fire. I am considering War Walkers or possibly a unit of Dark Reapers. This of course means reallocating points and shifting some points around.


So progress with the Eldar is slow but I am relearning the army in this new edition. I know once I get in the groove the new codex will drop and the process will start all over again. I do have a side project started though, besides the Dark Eldar that is. I will have more on that later though. One Elder race at a time.


Until next time...........


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I Need An Air Brush and Tournaments This Saturday!

Well I have started to paint the Dark Eldar. I finally found a blue that is dark enough for my taste. Only trouble is its an old foundation paint, Necron Abyssal. So now I will begin the hunt to find pots of paint at local and not so local shops to make sure I can get enough. This also means I need to finally suck it up and buy an air brush. I made the mistake of assembling most of my vehicles a little to much. So as much as I like free handing everything, trying to get paint into the nooks and crannies of a Raider is really not feasible with a brush. This is especially true if I want the Raiders to look presentable. I would also like to add that I am lazy when it comes to painting so I need an express method of base coating.

That said I need an air brush. I have it narrowed down to two different brands of air brush. Iwata and Badger. I have seen the Badger airbrushes demonstrated at Adepticon and thought they were pretty nice. I have used a couple different Iwata brushes. The most recent one I have used is an Iwata Eclipse hp cs. Sadly this belongs to Samsquatch Monster and He is not keen on letting me borrow it to base an entire army. I have been looking through the Badger 100 series airbrushes.


So I am looking online and offline for starter kits from both companies and trying to find a good deal. So I ask you, my readers for advice and suggestions. I am trying to keep my cost down as I have limited funds at the moment.

I am also going to be picking up some Dust Warfare stuff hopefully this weekend. The Rulebook is a certain thing. The Dust Tactics Core set, Which includes a bunch of models, seems to be out of stock.  Fantasy Flight is doing a revised Core set that costs less but does not include as many models.  The counters and such are usable in Dust Warfare so I want to pick it up.  IF I find the first core set just sitting somewhere for a good price I may snag that.

 I have a 2000 point tournament to prepare for at Evolution games this Saturday. Its a dual force org with Forgeworld 40k approved units allowed. I will be rolling out the Eldar for this tourney. I may have to make some list changes though. It depends on if I can get the Storm Guardians built. This is dependent on the mount of close combat weapons I have floating around in the bits box.  

So for those interested in the Tournament,  its at Evolution Games in Lansing.  The dice roll at 12 and registration starts at 11.  Its $10 to play and Farseer Re-Rolls will be selling raffle tickets for a dollar for some prizes.  You get one for entering the tournament.  You also get to use them as a re-roll during the tournament.

I would also like to plug the Tournament on the same day at AFK Games in  South Lansing / Holt.  It is an 1850 point tournament with no fortifications allowed.  There will be 3 rounds and entry is $15.  Space is limited to 16 players.  Registration starts at 10 am and dice roll at 11.  So you have your choice of tournament this Saturday in Lansing.  Prepare 2 lists so if you choose AFK you can still make Evo's tournament if it fills up.  I will be at Evo running Dual Seers and an Avatar.......Giggity!

I will have more later in the week. The week has been quite hectic and I have been writing some more on Eldar tactics in 6th edition. I need more games though to really get a handle on what has been going through my mind.


Until next time................




Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

That Fine Ass Dust: Seerk Tries Out Dust Warfare

Last night I was late getting to the FLGS thanks to that thing called a job. CVinton was at the shop playing one of the newbs when I arrived. The Store has been closing earlier than it normally does thanks to the guy they have working that day. Although I was not going to get a game of 40K in I knew I was going to try out something new to the area.

CVinton and Old School Terminator have been delving into the realm of Dust Warfare by Fantasy Flight Games. I am a fan of Fantasy Flights products and you may be familiar with them if you play the 40K RPGs Rogue Trader, Dark Heresy, Death Watch and Black Crusade. I am always intrigued by other war games, especially when they are done by ex GW game designers. In this case the lead designer on Dust Warfare is none other than Andy Chambers.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dust Warfare it is a War Game much the same as Warhammer 40K. It is derived from Dust Tactics which is a board game after a fashion. It is played on tiles that make up the game board. Dust Warfare is played on a table top like 40K. That is where the similarities end. The system is very easy to learn and has a lot of depth to it. There is no weird language and rules that are open to interpretation. This is a major thing that has plagued 40k for years. It would also seem that Fantasy Flight is much more in tune with its customers and is working to make the game easier to play and get into. The best example is that there are some characters for Dust Tactics, that you can use in Dust Warfare, that are currently only available in $60 expansion boxes that are meant for use with Dust Tactics. They are planing on releasing these characters in blisters for Warfare players. Can you see GW doing that with any of their products?

I digress though. The Game itself is set in the Historical era of World War 2. The key differences is that the German killed Hitler and there was a discovery of a strange alien power source. This lead to the development of new weapons, many outstripping our current technology, and Walkers. Having started my war gaming hobby in Battle Tech I was intrigued by the walkers. In the game you have currently 3 factions. The Allies, The Russians and of course The Germans.

After playing like 3 small introductory games with CVinton I am hooked. There is a lot of depth in tactics and rules that are very clear. The models are nice and come for the most part pre assembled and even pre primed and ready to paint. They can also be about a 1/3 the cost of GW models.

This gets em to how the products are sold. Squads are sold whole. As in you get a whole squad with nothing else to buy. CVinton gave the example of a command squad that had an alternate option to it and the 5 man squad came with a 6th guy that was equipped with the alternate option. It also didn't cost any more. The walkers and vehicles come with all the weapon options available to them. I would also point out that they actually have models out that don’t have rules. This is of course the opposite of what GW does. The book expansions, the Russian one to be exact, also has Allied and German units in it. Oh did I mention there are no codexes and all the rules for the Factions, with the exception of the Russians which is the first expansion for the game, is contained in the main rulebook which costs $30 bucks less than the 6th edition Rulebook. In fact I am pretty sure you can get Dust Tactics, which contains 2 legit and playable armies which are balanced, and the rule book for just slightly more than the 6th edition rulebook. If you split the tactics box with a friend you can have the rulebook and an Army to go with it for about the cost of just the Warhammer 40,000 6th edition rulebook.

As I am looking into this game and the products more it is blowing my mind. I have been abused by GW and their haphazard way of releasing products and so use to the abusive relationship they have with their customers that this all seems to good to be true. So look for some Dust articles as I progress with the game. I see some Germans in my future.

I have also gotten in one game with the new Footdar. The outcome was very promising. The Judges Grey Knights cried uncle after 4 turns. Very promising indeed. I am going to be testing them against CVintons Space Wolves soon. We will see if I can get a new streak going.



Until next time.........



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Changing Gears With The Craftworlders

6th Edition has been rough for me so far. The Dark Eldar are getting some wins, much needed wins as I am feeling pretty down trodden in the 40K arena. I am trying to salvage what I can when it comes to the Eldar. I am up to my eyes in Necrons, Imperial Guard and Space Marines. I find it funny that 6th edition was toted in many circles as being the Xenos edition. It is in part as the Necrons have probably the most powerful and adaptive codex currently followed by those tank junkies the Imperial Guard. The Tau are seeing improvement as the game has really turned into a shooting game. The speed of many armies has also increased, which has taken away some advantage the Eldar and especially the Dark Eldar have enjoyed. The tone is being set with 6th early with the starter set being composed of Dark Angels and The forces of Chaos. I don't say Chaos Marines because it would appear cultists make up a part of the army and with the allies rules in place you can run a proper Chaos army. True Daemons, Traitor Legions and frothing Cultists all in one force. Truly a sight to behold and one that has not been seen on the table in literally decades. I hear the call of the Great Enemy once again. Fulgrims sons will be gracing my hobby table very soon me thinks. Its been a while since I had the forces of Chaos in my hands. Its been 3 years since I sold off the last of my Legion. A legion I have had since 1996.

I digress though. The Eldar are fighting even harder to survive. I have been experimenting like crazy with different lists and unit combinations. So much so I think I have lost focus. I have been looking for a new combination or new tactic to give the Craftworlders an edge. The way units function has changed and as I am relearning them I am starting to realize it may be time to brush off some old tactics.

That said I have been running Footdar with a vengeance. I am going back to my themed Ulthwe lists and as fate would have it they are functioning better than my wonky and gimmicky new lists. Guardians supported by Aspect Warriors. Farseers and The Avatar of Khaine leading the forces of Ulthwe into battle. I have left the Warlocks on the bench. The points they suck up are better spent on keeping the list balanced. Building a list to take on the book missions is essential. If you ask any successful tournament player they will tell you building a list around the missions is how you win. This is the true take all comers list. Building a list to dominate the missions you are playing. Keeping the list balanced to maximize your ability to take objectives and deprive your opponent of the objectives, be it an actual objective or strait victory points, should be your only goal.


It seems like common sense. The concept is so basic that most people just roll their eyes and utter “dur I know!” The real issue is that most people don't get it. Look at the codexes that currently are really at the top of the game right now. Necrons and Imperial Guard. I will argue Grey Knights being in the top three despite what the internet is clinging to. Both of these codexes are built to be flexible. Although the Necron codex is obviously purpose built for 6th edition, it was still powerful in 5th. You have stout Troop choices with a variety of very effective, albeit kinda short ranged, fire power and real resiliency. You have support units that enhance the troops. Ghost Arks replenish Warrior squads. Lords on command barges sweep through the enemies ranks causing massive damage as its soulless legions march forward. Doom Scythes fly into he fray delivering Colombian like death squads into the enemies midst. You can bring the fight to your opponent while still being able to hold objectives.

The same is true for the Imperial Guard. You have hordes of scoring infantry squads with the fire power to fend off just about any opponent. There is overwhelming force and ability to play to the missions. Flexibility.

This is what I am doing with the Eldar. A minimum of 4 troop choices in every list is where I am starting. The Eldar have a decent amount of variety when it comes to Troop choices. I am going heavy on Guardians with Dire Avenger and Pathfinder support. Loading up on troops gets you objectives and it also meets the minimum requirements of using 2 force organization charts at 2000 points and above. If you have this built into your default list you can build on a firm base. Balance. Balance is the key to the game now.

I am going to role out the 1850 and 2000 point versions of my list this week sometime. There is a 2000 point tournament at Evolution games on September 1st. There is also a tournament at AFK games on the same day that is 1850 points. Decisions decisions. Regardless I am going to try and get back in the groove and rack up some wins with the Craftworlders. More on that as it happens.



Until next time..............


Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

This Old House, I Mean Old: Eldar and Fortifications.

So as I get in more games I am exploring all the options at my disposal. A good Seer or Autarch looks at all possibilities before accepting or dismissing them. As I have found allies in my Craftworld armies dubious I have been looking at fortifications.

The rulebook gives us a few options. The Skysheild Landing pad, The Fortress of Redemption and The Aegis Defense Line.  Its a shame really the GW has never really produced xenos themed terrain. I am hoping this changes with the new rules. I am not holding my breath though. Currently with the exception of the Necrons, Xenos players are still getting the shaft. I will expand on that later this week, as I am here. To talk fortifications.

Ok so as I see it the only real cost effective fortification the Eldar can take is the Aegis Defense Line. Clocking in at 100 points with a quad gun its pretty cheap and gives units a nice cover save. Essentially you build a 1750 Eldar list and add in the Defense line.  You want to build your list maximized at 100 points less than your target total. So you build an optimized 1750 list if you are playing an 1850 point game. This is really why Skysheild pads and especially A fortress of Redemption is not a great addition to an Eldar list. They eat up to many points in an army that already has a points premium. The Skysheilds invulnerably save is nice, but its big and placement can be an issue.

The Aegis line can be put in and around terrain bolstering natural defenses. The Aegis can also be put around objectives, which basically allows you to ensure that and Rangers or Pathfinders you have can benefit from cover and hold an objective. Taking the Quad gun is so far the Eldars only real air defense save for Dark Kin allies.

Now this next bit may be FAQed in the near future, but as I read the rules the quad gun can benefit from a Fire Dragon or Dark Reaper Exarch manning it. Not only do you get the BS of 5, but you also get to use the Exarch powers. So your quad gun could deny cover and have tank hunter special rules applied to it. Or in the case of a Dar Reaper Exarch an extra shot. This also let's you benefit from precision shots when firing at units. I know it seems beardy, but hey The Eldar need everything they can get right now.

 I have not dismissed all the other fortifications, but I can't see myself using anything but a defense line with the Craftworlders. Now in larger games, those exceeding 2000 points, A fotress of redemption may be a nice anchor point for an army.  It has a lot of firepower and gives a couple units a very nice firebase to take out ranged targets.  I  don't see fortifications making it into any of  the Dark Eldar lists I am running,  as they seem very out of theme for the army. Also they are a major drag for points and army momentum. The Dark Kin are a raiding force and should be played as such.

 Well there's my two cents. I am sure most of the readership has been seeing the rumors coming out about GWs apparent release schdule. There are lots of new Eldar kits slated for the next year, including a new Codex. I see major changes on the horizon. Exodites, new Phoenix Lords, flyers oh my!  In fact GW seems to be actually supporting the new fortifications as the list I saw has several race specific fortifications.  The Craftworlders would seem to be getting a webway portal.  how it works or what it does remains to be seen.  If it is a new and improved version of the portable ones used by the Dark Kin, the possibilities that present themselves are tantalizing  The one thing on my list that did catch my eye in release list that got me excited and even a little nostalgic was the Harlequin Solitaire....... Good.  Very Good. Me likey.

The future looks bright.  I hope we can take hold of it and drive the Mon-Keigh to their knees and drive the Necrons back to their slumber.....for good.

Until next time....


 Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!