The Eagle has Landed: 6th Edition And The Eldar

Well 6^th has landed. I have the rulebook and I am pouring over it. I like the changes. Its like what 5^th edition should have been. 6^th in my mind is basically Wahammer 40K 5.5. It has additions and tweaks that really add depth to the game and clears up a bunch of stuff that has been argued on the net for years. Granted I know we will have new arguments now, but at least we are off to a decent start.

The Eldar are making some gains, which is good as the Craftworld Codex is now officially 2 additions old. The Psychic powers are really cool and boosting, as is how they work. Granted the new powers work like fantasy battle and are random with the only assured power being the primaris power. Eldar have access to Divination and Telepathy. There are a lot of good powers in both disciplines but you cant really count on getting a particular power. Also, unless a FAQ changes it, Eldar do not have the Brotherhood of Psykers and only Farseers can swap out powers.

Dark Eldar are going to see some major tactic changes. Rapid fire weapons now are not affected by moving so you can shoot up to the weapons range once and 2 shots at half range. You can also now fire heavy weapons on the move, granted at BS 1. SO now your Kabalite warrior squads can move and shoot and not be within charge distance.

Fast Vehicles also are working differently. You can't disembark if you have moved farther than 6 inches. Granted you move 6 inches out from the vehicle. You cannot assault though unless the vehicle is an assault vehicle. So the Dark Eldar can still jump out and wreck some havoc and actually can do it at a farther distance potentially.

Eldar Jet Bikes get a boost as they can move 2d6 in the assault phase. They can also move an additional 24 inches when they turbo boost so this makes them even better for grabbing objectives late in the game. Reaver bikes can really take advantage of their blade veins now as well. You can get into a good position for a strafing run. You also have a 5+ save just for moving and a 4+ for turbo boosting. Granted the turbo boost save is not as good but I will take the 5+ for moving normally.

What I really like is that now Eldar and Dark Eldar can work together in one army and with the exception of transports can benefit form each others powers and rules. They are brothers in arms. The Tau are also brothers in arms. This lends to the theory that the Eldar created the Tau. It also means lots of shenanigans involving allied detachments.

The Craftworlders took a hit though. Witchblades are no longer strength 9 against vehicles. You still wound on a 2+ but now you use your base strength and get 2d6 for armor penetration. The average for penetration now goes from 12 to 10. Granted hitting rear armor and the way hull point work this evens out a bit as you can now very easily wreck a vehicle by glancing it to death. Once again we are denied the weapons being powered as they have no AP value.

Night Fight has changed, but Night Vision has gotten pretty good for the Dark Kin. They now ignore night fight completely and can shoot normally. Solar pulse is now is not as effective and completely useless versus the Dark Eldar.

FNP is now different as well. It is a 5+, but only doubling a models toughness cancels it. This is easy against Eldar, but not enmasse. This adds a little more survivability to Dark Eldar units with 2 pain tokens.

One of my favorite 6^th edition changes is sniper weapons. Through a series of rules combinations Eldar Pathfinders are now even better. They have the awesome cover save and they have the AP 1 on a 5 or 6, but now when you roll a 6 you can allocate the wound. All of a sudden we have a whole unit of baby Vindicare assassins.

Wound allocation is very different. Wounds are dealt from the models closest to the firing unit back. Wounds are assigned based on armor saves. You also have an added rule known as “look out sir!” which allows another trooper in the unit to dive in front of a shot meant for the character in the unit. This happens on a roll of 4+. Now there was some debate about how things work and at first glance it is much more simple than the old way of allocating wounds. For the most part it is, but from what we can see units with mixed armor types are going to have a big advantage and there may be some abuse.

Challenges in close combat have migrated their way over to 40K as well. This looks to be something the Eldar can really take advantage of. This is because of improved psychic power support and the fact Exarchs do have better stat lines than the standard aspect warrior. They also have some very nice weaponry. Dire Avenger Exarchs outfitted for close combat can now really take advantage of their close combat weapons, 3+ save and getting hit with Fortune. Phoenix Lords joined to their Aspect units are going to be major targets for Challenges or may be avoided like the plague. Given the fact they can also be made your Warlord, the abilities that they may get form that is going to really boost your Aspects.

The game is pretty different. I am still trying to process everything. I am looking forward to the FAQs that I am sure are in the pipe for the codexes and the main rulebook. Now I slumber for tomorrow I take the Warhost out for a spin and bring the Dark Kin back into the fold.

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

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

Hobby Time: Vyper Cannon Conversion

Well its hobby time once again. This time I am bringing you a nice little conversion involving the Eldar Vyper Jetbike. These fast and mobile weapon platforms give an Eldar army some great firepower and ability to flank and harass enemy units. You can mount a Shuriken Cannon as a second weapon mounted on the underside of the bike in addition to the turret mounted weapon.

I have seen some very nice conversions for shuriken cannons. I had a few of the new Eldar vehicle sprues around from my bevy of Night Spinners. The plastic Shuriken cannon that comes on the new sprue is pretty sharp and looks very sleek. I thought it would blend nicely with the flow of the Vyper.

So for this conversion you will need a Shuriken cannon from the new Eldar Vehicle sprue. Some green stuff, hobby tools and a power pack intended for the Bright Lance from a Eldar heavy weapon sprue

First you take a small blob of green stuff and put it in the gap meant for the shuriken catapults. If you have never worked with green stuff before I would suggest looking up some tutorials. You will be able to mold it to a rough square. This is going to serve as the main mount for the cannon assembly.

Next take the power pack and glue it to the gap where the normal mount for the cannon would go. If you have the normal mounting pedestal for the cannon you can also use this. If you are not using the standard mount fill in the gap with green stuff. You can do this either before or after you glue the power box onto the cannon, but it is easier if you do it before.

Next I simply press the box into the green stuff on the underside of the hull of the Vyper. After you get the cannon into position, carefully remove it. Now set everything aside and allow the green stuff to cure and harden.

Once set you can clean up and shape the Green stuff. Once done simply glue the cannon assembly to the Hull. If you prefer to magnetize you can also set a magnet into the green stuff before it cures. The look is sleek and it makes your Vypers pack some more punch. Given some of the rumors for 6^th edition as well, packing the extra cannon may be just the way to go if fast vehicles can move 12 and still fire everything.

So there you go. My converted Vyper squadron. It nice just looking around in the bits box to come up with simple conversions using stuff you already have. Well next time I will have some thoughts on the closing of 5th edition and the dawn of 6th.  I have been getting in a lot of games over the past 2 weeks just to play in the realm of 5th for the last time.  In a couple weeks I must unlearn what I have learned and begin anew.

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

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

Battle Report: Grey Knights vs Daemons

Well this past week I took the Grey Knights out for a little spin. I had promised local Daemon player Papa Nurgle a game. I thought it would be fitting and a good way to feel out the army taking it up against its arch nemesis. For this inaugural game I took the following.

HQ: Grey Knight Grand Master

HQ: Ordo Xenos Inquisitor

Troops: 2x 5 man Strike squads with Razor backs. One hvy bolter, one las plas

Troops: 1x 5 man Terminator squad

Troops: 1x 6 Man Terminator squad w/ Justicar Thaun

Elites: 1x 9 man Purifier squad

Elites: 1x Vindicare Assassin.

Papa Nurgle Brought an all Nurgle Daemon army. Two Great Unclean ones with a Daemon prince of Nurgle. Two Soul Grinders, a large unit of Beasts of Nurgle and 3 Units of Plague Bearers. This is usually a very tough force. I was packing psybolt ammo in all the squads that could take take them. The strike squads had Psycannons while the Purifiers and Terminators had Incinerators. There was a mix of Force Halberds and swords among the units while the Purifiers all had Force halberds with the Knight of the flame bearing a warding stave.

The game was for objectives, 5 in all, with Spearhead deployment. I deployed One strike squad in the ruins dominating the corner I had chosen. An objective was placed there so I capitalized on it. The other strike squad deployed in their Razorback along side the empty las plas Razorback. The Purifiers sat in their Rhino along with the Inquisitor. The Justicar was with the 5 man Terminator squad behind the Vehicles. The Vindicare took up position on a ruined bridge connected to the ruins occupied by the Strike Squad Holding the objective. The second Terminator Squad led by Justicar Thaun was held in reserve.

Turn 1

As with most turn 1's vs Daemons I drove forward unmolested and took two very close objectives with the Razorback embarked Strike Squad and The Purifiers, thanks to the Grand Master Ability. The Grand Master and his Terminators spread out to cover the rears of the vehicles. It was at this point I made my first mistake. I did not have the Strike squads use Warp Quake.

Turn 2

Turn Two Saw the Arrival of Papa Nurgles Preferred Group. A soul Grinder, the two Great Unclean Ones, the Daemon Prince and a Group of Plague Bearers landed. One Great Unclean on Landed next to the Purifiers, while the second landed Near the Strike Squad in the Heavy Bolter Razorback. The Soul Grinder landed on the right flank of the army while the Plague Bearers landed in the opposite corner to claim an objective. The Daemon prince unleashed foul warp energies on the strike squad killing 2 members, while the Great Unclean ones immobilized The Heavy Bolter Razor back. The other Great Unclean One managed to stun the Rhino.

Justicar Thaun and the second

The Knights did not falter. I also remembered Warp quake this time. The Strike squad in the Immobilized Razorback deployed and took position on the objective on the hill. The Grand Master and his terminators turned to support the Strike squad now embattled with the Daemon prince. The Purifiers Deployed while their rhino moved away after a successful psychic test. A torrent of bolter fire managed to wound both Great Unclean ones and the Daemon prince. The las plas Razorback tried to take out the Soul Grinder, but the Daemonic Engine managed to shake off the Las Cannons attack. The strike Squads Charged into the fray while the Purifiers charged into the Great Unclean One. The Strike squad battling the Daemon Prince was wiped out while the Second squad managed to wound the Great Unclean One twice. They lost combat and fell back. The Purifiers laid to waste to the Great Unclean One before them. Loosing only 2 of their number.

Turn 3

The Daemons continued their assault. The second Soul Grinder and the Remaining Plague Bearers hit the table, although due to scatter they not near their intended landing points. The Beasts however did land in the center of the Grey Knight force next to the Purifiers. The Grand Master broke off to support the Purifiers while His terminators moved to destroy the Daemon Prince. Justicar Thauns unit landed near the second Great Unclean one. A torrent of Bolter fire Finished off the second Great Unclean one while the first Soul Grinder was destroyed by a Las Cannon blast. Concentrated fire from the Vindicare and the Purifiers cut down almost half of the Beasts of Nurgle. The Terminators had moved to hit the Daemon Prince and managed to wound him with bolter fire. Both Strike Squads were gone. A squad of Plague bearers had moved to get close to the Purifiers. They were not close enough to help the mob of Beasts though. The Purifiers Supported by the Grand Master wiped out the Beasts in close combat, while the Grand Masters Terminators killed the foul Daemon Prince.

Turn 4

The Plague Bearers advanced. The Remaining Soul Grinder poured fire into Justicar Thauns Unit and managed to kill the remaining Terminators. Some had been hit in the previous turn and my dice were starting to revolt against me. I was holding 3 objectives and the closest Plague Bearer unit was just inside assault range despite taking casualties from bolter fire courtesy of the Purifiers. The Vindicare also manged to destroy the remaining Soul Grinder with a precision shot to the Daemons putrefied body. The Grand master, Inquisitor and the Purifiers Charged into the fray and wiped out the Plague Bearer Unit. It was at this point that Papa Nurgle Conceded. I held 3 objectives and all that remained of the Daemonic incursion was two units of Plague bearers hunkered down on the other 2 objectives and at least 2 good turns of bolter fire to get the Grey Knights off the other 3.

Victory Grey Knights.

Well the Guardians of Malan'Tai fared well. I made a ton of mistakes. The two biggest being not using warp quake and the other not remembering Grey Knights have preferred enemy against Daemons until turn 3. Chaos has been defeated. I got in half a game vs a Cult marine army and was doing well. It was not until the forces of Chaos had been beat back that the Grey Knights faced a foe they could not defeat.

Those damn Necrons......

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

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

Mother Of God: 6th Edition Rules Confirmations

The Rulebook

Sooo the flood gates have opened and The rules and such are starting to trickel through.  The game is changing massively kids.  SO I give you some confirmed 6th ed rumors and tidbits courtesy of BOLS and some other sources.

New Templates and dice

 -Hull Points are in, it is stated that Ghost Arks, Land Raiders, and
Defilers each have 4 Hull Points apiece. Necrons have the ability to
strip hull points for each roll of a 6 to penetrate/glance vehicles,
making rapid-firing gauss weaponry very powerful at removing armour.

- Speaking of rapid fire, you can indeed move and fire once up to the
full range of the weapon (it is explicitly stated that Fire Warriors
can fire their weapons up to 30" away), no confirmation on the 3x fire
for Relentless at half range though.

- Assault moves are indeed 2d6", but added together. Units equipped
with jump packs can re-roll the dice to see how far they charge.

Psychic Power Availability Char

- The Rage USR gives you +2 attacks on the charge

- All flying monstrous creatures have the ability to fly 24", doing
something called a "Vector Strike", which is a certain amount of
automatic hits to a unit they fly over, at the base strength of the
creature.

- Monstrous creatures' attacks are explicitly AP 2

- Every army must select a "Warlord" or single general to lead the
army, this leader gets an ability. They can choose between three
different types of abilities, "Personal", "Inspirational" or
"Strategic". They then roll on one of those charts to see what ability
it is. The two examples given were a Grand Master giving all
friendlies within 12" his Ld of 10 (Inspirational), and a Chaos Lord
being a scoring unit (Personal, the ability itself was called
"Immovable Object")

- Flyers are a specific type of unit, and it is somewhat unclear as to
the rules for shooting at them. Either all units require a 6 to hit
them (unless they have a special rule called Skyfire), or this is
still the case but only if those flyers move flat-out. Monstrous
creatures with the ability to Fly also get this "6-to-hit" rule.

- You have the ability to buy different terrain (it even has its own
slot on the new FOC), e.g, you can buy a Bastion with a Quad-Gun
(which has the aforementioned Skyfire USR). There seem to be quite a
few options for what terrain you can buy, but naturally most of them
are typically represented by terrain kits GW sells.

- Now we're on the topic of the FOC, the rules for allies weren't laid
out specifically, but it is heavily implied that its not the same as
in WHFB. They refer to allied units as "Detachments", and there is an
example of a player with a Chaos Space Marine force having some
detachments of Chaos Daemons in his army. Basically, I was given the
impression that it is far more common (and frequent) for a detachment
from another 40k army to join a larger one, than it is for a Fantasy
army to have Allies. Think more along the lines of the Storm of Magic
rules for using TK, VC, or Daemons.

- Here's a biggie: Units -can- go on Overwatch, giving them the
ability to fire upon an enemy unit which charges them, but at BS 1.
Eldar (and any other army with access to the Clairvoyance psychic
power set) can use a psychic power to give a unit the ability to fire
at their usual BS.

- Monstrous Creatures have access to a special "Smash" attack,
allowing them to halve their attacks, but double their strength. It
mentions that this gives them the ability to destroy tanks more
easily.

- It's somewhat hinted that AP will have some kind of affect against
vehicles. This is because part of the Munitorum dice set includes
vehicle damage dice. It specifies that some of the dice are "AP 1, AP
2, and AP 3 Damage dice", or something to that effect.

- 4 Disciplines of Psychic powers, basically what we were thinking in
terms of Clairvoyance, Biomancy, etc etc. There's a chart near the
back of the WD detailing which (if any) psychic disciplines a
particular army gains access to. It's interesting to see that a large
amount of armies don't have access to any at all.

Gamers and Special Addition Rulebooks.

The new swag looks cool and to be honest 6th edition seems to be taking elements from just about every other GW games ever made and cramming all of them into one edition.  I can tell its influenced heavily by 8th edition fantasy.

I want to get my hands on this book and do a very good read through.  The whole game is getting turned on its head and the tactics and strategy of 5th edition is not going to have a place in the new game.  I can already hear the lamantations of the gamers on the net.  I do have to say one thing to all my fellow Xenos players though..........

It is our time.  The Imperium will now feel our wrath.  The galaxy will be ours once again.  By ours I mean the Eldar.  The war in heaven can finally be resolved and the Mon-keigh will know their place.

Until next time.......



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, WAR CALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hobby Time! Projects And A Simple Conversion

Well with 5^th Edition 40k in its twilight hours I have still been playing, but working on the back log of hobby projects on my desk. I have my entire Grey Knights army base coated and I am working up the motivation to get the detail work done along with the basing. I have also been painting a few models in the Eldar army that have needed some attention. Most notably my bike council and my last Wraithlord. I have also been building my third War Walker squadron.

This had me thinking about my other 2 War Walker Squadrons. I had not magnetized my other 6 models and I was lamenting the fact as I have been using different weapon mixes on them as of late. I have never been a huge fan of magnetized weapons on Eldar vehicles. Especially War Walkers as they always seem to look off to me. Personal preference. I do like the the aesthetic of the Forgeworld Wasp though. They look streamlined and a lot more Eldar to me. Rather than the old weird looking Shield type mount, which looks like a weapon platform to me, the wasp has the same type of exterior weapon cover that the Wave Serpent and other tanks have.

So I started rummaging around in the old bits box. If you are like me or any other Eldar player you have an over abundance of weapon sprues. I dug out all my heavy weapons and a bout 30 or 40 of the weapon covers. I decided to snap off all the existing weapons off my finished War Walkers and give them a bit of an update so they looked more wasp like.

Its a pretty simple conversion and I know its more than likely been done before, but I thought I would share.

 You will need.

Heavy weapons that have the hole rather than the tab you usually put on War Walkers

Weapon shields

3/32 brass rod

A pin vice with a 3/32 drill bit

I start by snapping off the old weapon and then drilling out the original tab on the war walker.

The shield and weapon holes are a bit smaller than 3/32nds so I used the same pin vice to drill them out and widen them a bit. The Brass rod can now fit through both. 

I then glue the brass rod to the shield and slip the weapon onto the the rod. I glue the weapon the the rod and the shield. Now you just cut off the rod and insert it into the hole you drilled into the main body of the War Walker.  You have to kind of play with the length of the rod so it looks nice and clears the hip of the War Walker without sticking out to far.

I have been making up these weapon pods for my War Walkers. They are sturdier in my opinion. and they travel a hell of a lot better than the old style.  This also works great on Wave Serpents and Falcons.  Basically you can use the same weapon pods on all your vehicles. 

So there you have it. My waspish regular War Walkers. 

 I am working on painting and I will have some pictures up as I finish models. I will also have a couple battle reports up over at Dark Future Games involving my new Grey Knight army.

I will also be doing some reflection on 5^th edition and what I hope to see in 6^th edition in the coming weeks.

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

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

So It Begins: 6th Edition Tidbits Start Slipping Through

Well some tidbits are starting to come through.  Faeit212, Darknok and the Lady Seer of BOLS Eldargal shared on their respective sites the latest stuff to leak out.  The big news in my mind is Psychic powers and how they work is massively changing.  This is a major thing for Eldar players and actually Grey Knight players.  Both armies are very dependent on psychic powers.  They are moving back to powers were handled in 2nd edition with a massive influence from 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy battle magic.

One of the many exciting features of Warhammer 40,000 is Psychic devastation, where Psykers wreak havoc on the battlefield. Psychic Powers is the complete set of Psychic cards, which be used in conjunction with Psychic Disciplines. They make a great accessory to your tabletop games.

This set contains 35 large-format cards and come stored in a plastic fan-opening case, which bears the Aquila. There are 7 cards for each Psychic Discipline, each of which is represented by distinct artwork. There is also an instruction leaflet that classifies which powers can be used by the main Psykers in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

So with a dedicated phase and psychic powers now being divided into disciplines, what does this mean for the Eldar.  If Fortune, Guide and Doom are gone this is a major change in how you are going to run your army.  Granted it sounds as if 6th edition is going to bear a striking resemblance to Fantasy Battle rather than 5th edition or even 4th r 3rd edition.  Radical change is sometimes good. 40K went into a mode of over simplification thanks to Alessio Cavatore.  Now that hes gone we may be seeing a more complex game.  I am expecting though the usual ambiguity in language though that we have all come to expect from GW rule books.

 Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook, £45

There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness.
There is only WAR.

In the nightmare future of the 41st Millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of destruction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens and threatened from within by Warp-spawned entities and heretical plots. Only the strength of the immortal Emperor of Terra stands between humanity and its annihilation, and in his name, countless warriors and agents do battle against the encroaching darkness. Foremost amongst them stand the Space Marines, the ultimate protectors of Mankind.

Across airless moons, within the depths of dark, twisted hive worlds and even in the immaterial realm of Warp space, battles rage that will shape the future of the galaxy forever.

It is a universe that you can enter today, if you dare. But remember that this is a dark and terrible era, and there is no peace amongst the stars...

The Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook is your essential guide to playing atmospheric battles in the 41st Millennium. It helps you field majestic armies of Citadel miniatures across the war-ravaged battlefields of the far-future, in the ultimate contest of strategy and skill.

With 440 full-colour pages, this hardback Rulebook is packed with rich background and contains all the rules for fighting pulse-pounding tabletop battles. The Rulebook includes exciting features such as dynamic close-combat, flyers, psychic devastation and interactive scenery. As well as jaw-dropping artwork, contained within is a history of the 41st Millennium and a richly detailed guide to the races and weapons of the far-future. It also features a comprehensive hobby section to set you on the path to choosing, collecting and building your own Warhammer 40,000 army of Citadel miniatures.

The Rule Book price is up once again.  45 punds sterling is roughly $70 here in the good old U.S.A.  Again from this description I am predicting that 40K is now going to play a lot like 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy.  I had a thought though going back to the psychic question.  Sooo if you are not limited by a force org chart, 40k going back to percentages for army composition, this potentially means more pyskers on the field.  Farseers are psykers.  Warlocks are also Psykers.  If the restriction is lifted that the current game has, powers and such being limited, does this mean psykers are going to be a huge battle field hazard like wizards are in fantasy?


Is the boost the Eldar need going to be integral to the basic rules of the game?  I say yes.  This of course means that armies that have weal psykers or no psykers at all are going to have some major problems.  I am really curious and excited about 6th edition.  I will be doing a lot of writing about it here and on Dark Future Games.  CVinton and Lord Solar Steve will be doing some intense deconstruction of the new rules over the next month and a half with the help of yours truly and the whole crew.

Later this week I hope to have some pictures up of the new Grey Knight army.  I almost have the whole army base coated.  I will also have a nice tutorial up next week involving my War Walkers and their non magnetized, but still swapable weapons.



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

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

6th Edition Sooner Than Anticipated

Sooooo it looks as if the mega secrecy of 6th edition is reaching max levels. A video teaser has landed on the GW website. It indicates something happening on the 23rd of june.
Although I predicted a july date for release with pre orders end of june, could we see a new edition coming in under the radar sooner.  I doubt it but weirder things have happened. I am sticking with my predictions though.  The video pretty much says that its a 6th edition preorder starting on the 23rd.


It is very sad GW feels the need to cloak everything to the point that you have no clue what's in the pipe. I can see it from a marketing perspective that they want to keep selling product and an edition change could hamper that. Regardless they need to rethink things.
Well I hope to have some hobby articles up. I have several projects going right now, including my new Grey Knights army. Its based on Justicar Anval Thrawns fluff. I have a expeditionary force charged with the defense of Malan'tai.
Only 3 models left to aquire and build.  With the new edition coming out next month i think I am completing the army and just doing a lot of modeling and painting.






Until next time.......




BLOOD RUNS, ANGER RISES, DEATH WAKES, WAR CALLS!!