So... do we call it 6.5 or 7? Plus, a very brief battle report

Wow. Things are crazy right now, on the work front, the home front and the hobby front. I've just been super busy, though I have found time to model. The busyness though has made me feel painters ADD, and I have been jumping around without finishing anything. However, I've found my focus, as I have been working on daemons. Hoping to have a few of them done soon. I have also gotten in a game or two as well.

The other day the hobby net broke (literally and figuratively) with the news of the upcoming release of the 40K rules. Now, is this 7th edition or rather just a tweaking of the rules (6.5 edition)? Who knows? But, it is very apparent that its coming, and coming fast. Holy cow. 6th edition isn't even 2 years old! That's a fast turn around- maybe a bit too fast?

Look, I am all for having a "living rules-set", one that is flexible and changes as issues and flaws are brought out. But, I think this turnaround is a bit too fast, actually. I mean, we still haven't even all the nuances of 6th yet! I do wish they would have waited just a bit longer for this. Another year maybe?

Now, there's been lots of rumors. However, some have been semi-confirmed by photographic evidence. Big changes to force organization. New missions and "strategic cards", and a new psychic phase. That's just what's been kind confirmed.

I am always happy to see more missions, it adds a lot more flavor than the usual 6. One of the things that the new WD has featured is mission variants and unique scenarios. I really liked the one where the Imperial Guard had to rescue the Inquisitor and get him to the landing pad- while preventing the orks from moving deeper down the table. It was a lot of fun to read, and I did a variant of that mission with my friend. More missions are a good thing, and the rumor of "strategic cards", allowing for more ways to earn victory points sounds interesting, making for more mission variability. I also really don't think that a new Psychic phase is going to make too big a difference- the use of psychic powers needs a little streamlining, and maybe making it a phase will help to do that.

And what of the force organization rumors? This is the one that makes me concerned. Apparently one can still use regular force organization, and get a bonus for doing so. But one can also have an "unbounded" list, allowing you to throw in everything including the kitchen sink. On the one hand, I like the idea that, if I'm using my Khorne Bezerkers, maybe I want 4 Heavy Support choices instead of 3? I love Maulerfiends, and they are very Khorne-y in their quest for blood and close combat. However, 4 Maulerfiends aren't overwhelming, as they can get pinged to death with massed fire (which has happened to me plenty). But, it would be fun to play, and would make for a compelling look on the battlefield. Or maybe I just want tons of Death Guard- footsloggers and NOTHING else. Unbounded sounds like it will give you the opportunity to do just that. However, I am fearful that some poor players will abuse it, like taking a bunch of 5 riptides or 9 Heldrakes or something stupid and WAAC-y (BTW- as a Chaos player, I like my Heldrakes, but I would never want to face (or field, if it comes to that) 9 Heldrakes. The most I have ever used was 2, but once was against someone who also used 2, and the other time was in a bigger 2500 point game). I think giving players more freedom and choices is good, but we have all faced that one player that would abuse it. As for tournaments, they won't be impacted by that- they can just say "Regular Force Organization, NO unbounded, NO Lords of War, etc. Meanwhile, casual players may want to talk first before drawing up their lists- a bit of social contract theory won't hurt games of 40K.

I hope that this new edition goes well. I know lots of people think the sky is falling, but I chose to remain optimistic, as I hope that a streamlining of 6th edition will make for a better game for everyone.

Meanwhile, I played another game with my friend that I am introducing to the hobby. He has taken a liking to it, that's for sure. He's getting quite good with the Ultramarines. I decided to play an all Daemon force (which I haven't done in a while, and I admit I was rusty). We played the Emperor's Will mission, and Brian played the shooting game as my Daemons slowly marched toward them. I had gotten so used to 3+ saves with Marines that I forgot that 5+ saves are hard. I made mistakes, including rolling badly to bring in reserves, and a daemon  prince actually failed a charge roll, thus leaving him vulnerable to shooting (which did him in).

My Bloodthirster and Great Unclean One did well. In particular, my Bloodthirster wiped out a squad of terminators and a librarian very quickly indeed. And my Plaguebearers were on the objective, their shrouded making them nigh on unkillable. But, those wins weren't enough. The game ended 4 -5 for Ultramarines. I had my objective plus slay the warlord. He had his objective plus linebreaker and first blood. It was a close game by the end, but I got wailed on in the first half. With my friend Brian, I may have created a tactical monster...

This weekend I'll get my hot little hands on the WD and see for myself the rumblings for the new edition. Until next time...

Is Chaos In a State Of...Chaos? Looking At 6th Edition Chaos a Year In...

Hey there Chaos worshipers great and small, haughty and humble. Old Man Chaos here with a bit of an "op-ed" piece, as it were. I recently read an interesting article on Bell of Lost Souls and a bit more emotional, but no less interesting article on Spikey Bits regarding the state of Chaos Space Marines in the 6th edition. Both have come to the same conclusion- that 6th Chaos is a wreck- it doesn't have the versatility, lacks legion character/rules, and ultimately looks like its standing still compared to the newer 6th books (even though Chaos is ONLY one year old at this point). I can see where they are coming from, but I am not sure that their alarm is entirely justified... at the moment. I'd like to take a look at these issues for a moment.

1) Representing the Legions- We all love our legions. Its true- these are the ideas, the attitudes, the
visuals, etc. that made us fall for Chaos in the first place. I know so many of us dream of going back to the 3.5 book- which had so much character, imagination, flair, and so much content for those who wished to dedicate themselves entirely to a single legion. While times have changed, I believe that you could still pull it off for the most part. Have the Iron Warriors take allies from Imperial Guard- Leman Russ / Basilisks (traitor guardsmen or whatever for the troops). Word Bearers should team up heavily with Chaos Daemons (or the other way around?). The cult Marines are what they are (more on that later), but can be done. Alpha Legion SHOULD run cultist heavy (that is their nature, no?). The only ones I have a hard time seeing done "right" is Night Lords- not enough jump packs and bikes no matter what. It is my opinion that you could run your legion fairly close to the fluff- it's not perfect but way better than it was.

2) The book should be called Chaos Cultists instead- I for one see nothing wrong with the cultists. They are very cheap but not terrible at all- give them a mark to make them a bit tougher / fulfill the role you want them to. Sometimes power armor ISN'T enough or the correct application in a situation- a group of 25 cultists behind cover and going to ground can be just as survivable as power armor in some cases. It is a numbers game, and cultists are good at that. Further, the idea of cultists and traitors and mutants fit in perfectly with the fluff. Indeed, most of the books and such depict the actual Chaos Space Marine forces as being quite small- instead they have a ton of traitors and mutants and daemons. The recent Blood of Asaheim shows this incredibly well. Eisenhorn and Ravenor didn't fight a ton of Chaos Marines- they fought lower-level traitors and heretics, only rarely was a Chaos Marine involved. Since the old legions have broken into war bands and all that, I think any Chaos incursion would heavily feature cultists. Now, I don't want to play a cultist only army, but the option is there for you to have no cultists or a ton of cultists. That they are effective at holding backfield objectives and this is just fine for game purposes.

3) Just How Many Heldrakes? Now, most people would agree that the Heldrake is the book's one best/most powerful unit. Many opponents actually have a virulent dislike for it, and woe be the person that takes 3 of them (or 4 with the Black Legion supplement)! Now, I have only ever taken one in any game I have played (except against my brother- once). I have one for my Plague Marines and 2 for my Bezerkers, I was originally thinking that the second Khorne one would be for larger games or Apocalypse. But, some factors have recently changed my mind on this score. First, this summer I have met opponents who spammed a ton (I don't count troop choices as spamming, as they ARE the core of the army. If I take 6 troop choices of 5 Khorne Bezerkers each what do you want from me- I'm playing a World Eater army for goodness sakes!).

 I played one guy this summer (in a 1000 point game I believe) who fielded 8 Land Speeders for his Dark Angels (whatever the LS variants are for Dark Angels), with his librarian casting on them. The guy wrecked me, as I had little to counter such prodigious and mobile fire power. At the end of the game he admitted to me that this army list, while powerful, wasn't fun for HIM to play, since all he's doing is moving out of my range, shooting, moving out of my range, etc. He was a nice guy and sportsmanlike player, but he spammed, knew it, and basically said "my list sucks, though it got me the win". How many players have I seen taking 3 Land Raiders ("Marines take Land Raiders. Its fluffy. Deal with it"). Cron Air, anyone? A billion crisis suits and Riptides? Players take strong units- then why is there such anger for someone who takes 2 Heldrakes? With all of this, my thinking on Heldrakes is evolving further, since the Space Marines will have 2 brutal anti-air tanks (more on that later). Perhaps I'll want to take 2 Heldrakes for insurance purposes.-could you blame me, if I know I'll be seeing Stalkers/Hunters? Or perhaps... none?!

4) Is The Maulerfiend...Worth It?  Well, this has been an interesting one for me. I love the
Maulerfiend (it is perfectly suited for the World Eaters). However, it does get targeted... a friggin ton. Indeed, I have not actually seen it be effective, since it always gets shot to pieces. With Armor Value 12 and 3 hull points, it is just begging to be shot and glanced to death. I almost stopped taking it, since it rarely got to a target! However, last week I played against someone else (also using the Dark Angels book, but a much more varied list), and I had put the Mauler in the list after all. He moved his Land Raider forward to get a clear shot at the Maulerfiend- he smiled, figuring he'd just punch through with his Lascannons and then he... whiffed. He missed, even with twin linked. I was stupefied. What happened next? The Maulerfiend charged the Land Raider and blew to straight to hell- clawed his way clean through it. Next turn, he charged through a ruin to get to the guy's Dark Angel squad. He tore through them, and attacked yet another. By the end, he was attacking the squad that was ON the objective, thus contesting. The Maulerfiend single-handed turned a close 5-4 nail-biter of a game to a 5-1 blowout. Now, that got me thinking... 2 Maulerfiends? Hahahaha. I really don't know.

5) The Big Four- here's an issue that's been bugging us for a bit now, getting accurate renditions of the cult marines. Now, the Death Guard are indeed the most vicious out there- you pay for 'em, but their absolute buggers. Khorne Bezerkers are no slouches either (to hell with Overwatch! Charge!). However, Furious Charge no longer gives them +1 Strength (like it used to). Further, they can pay +3 a model for a chainaxe that is AP 4... WTF? That hurts some armies, but... really? Not even +1 Strength...? It ain't worth the 3 points. Thousand Sons have a bit to like (sorcerers in each squad? Cool. AP3 Bolters? Die Space Marines), but they are a bit too costly to field them in any worthwhile numbers. Finally, Noise Marines have some decent abilities, but their weapons are very costly points wise. Those of us who love our Cult Marines have despaired for quite some time that NONE of the other units can actually BE part of their legion. A Death Guard lord that doesn't get... Feel No Pain, Blight Grenades, or Plague Knife? World Eater terminators that don't get furious charge? We all know this old chestnut, and I can only hope that, one day, it might be fixed (but at a points cost so high it may not be worth it).

6) Codex Creep? When the book came out last year, many were very excited (first new book of 6th), and happy with the book. However, there were clearly issues and problems (over
costed Dreadnought HAD to be fixed, for example). The problem came with the next few books- Dark Angels, Tau, Eldar, and now, the hated Space Marines. Each book has been very strong- some argue that they are all better than the Chaos Marine book. Particularly, I look at this- the Heldrake was the premier model for the book, and powerful to boot. So what happened? They gave each book more skyfire options. Mein Gott-  it feels like the whole Tau army has skyfire (they don't, but it feels like it)!! And now the Marines have 2 dedicated anti-air options AND 2 flyers! And what can Chaos Space Marines do about these flyers themselves? Heldrakes can take out other flyers (if they survive the Stalker/Hunters long enough to do anything), and... a Havoc that has a missile launcher and spends MORE points to get flakk and... that's it. Done. That is just poor planning on GW's part. And it DOES put Chaos at a disadvantage. Looking at Tau and Eldar, the Chaos Marine book does look like at times like it is more of a remnant of 5th than a real 6th edition book.
So, it does hurt that the Chaos Marine Codex is a bit slower, "older", and blander than the more recent books.

However, I do not believe that it is the doomsday that others feel it is. I have a few ideas about what Chaos players could do to even the score...

a) Stop taking Heldrakes?! I know that a lot of Space Marine players will be looking for sweet, sweet vengeance against all the baleflamers that burned them this past year. Thus, we can expect to be seeing a lot of Hunters/Stalkers on the tabletop. So, what should we do? Don't take Heldrakes. Let those fancy Hunters sit there and rot- in the new WD Battle Report it killed the Heldrake and pretty much did NOTHING the rest of the game. So when Space Marine players bring out 2 of those things... the joke will be on them- no heldrakes!.

b) Don't forget the Daemon Codex! I still believe that Phil Kelly saw in his mind's eye that the two books should act as one. Allying with Daemons can remedy some of the problems of the Chaos Marine codex. Daemons will make a mockery of the Centurion grav guns. Plague daemons can use poison to get rid of the Centurions in close combat, and not worry about getting shot up on the way to them. Bloodletters with S4 AP 3 Helblades are nasty against most Space Marines. Tzeentch deamons, well... they're screwed (we know that). Fiends of Slaanesh are still vicious. The Soul Grinder does have skyfire, and the Daemon Princes here are nasty (even if a bit pricey). I think the Daemons are a "monkey wrench", to be turned by the Chaos Marines.

c) Get Away from Online Lists! I have never published a list on this blog. Never will. I think of building a list as an art form- suited to each player and their sensibilities. Trial and error, experimenting, taking the units that bring a smile to your face (Dark Angel Land Speeder person did not have "fun," even though he won, and he said it was HIS list that wasn't fun to play, not his opponent or the mission or his codex), that is what it is all about, in my opinion. Those that copy and paste their lists from the internet have a weakness- everyone KNOWS their list. It's common to face a certain amount of X because all the net lists take X. Stop there. Don't copy/paste. Try something different. Something players don't always see. People are shocked when I whip out my Khorne Bezerkers ("CC troops? They don't work in 6th). Truth is, I have a 75/25 record with them this summer, by my reckoning. Opponents are taken by surprise, and thus have to adapt, and can't because they were planning on seeing the usual net list of Heldrakes, Obliterators, and "vanilla" Chaos Marines with a mark. Go for a more personal touch. It makes the game more exciting for you and your opponent.

d) Be Patient. Now look, a lot of Chaos players are looking at new Space Marine book and thinking "I'm screwed". Perhaps so. But I also know that weaknesses WILL be there. It will just take a bit of time to discover them (we can already see that Centurions are vulnerable to Daemons). Further, when the Tyranid and Ork books come out- there's going to be a ton of fun! Marine players will be hard pressed against the Xenos books, if Tau and Eldar are any indication. If the rumors are true, there will also be more supplements for Chaos, which is no bad thing. We just have to hang in there on this front.

To sum up, things are rough for Chaos players, but I do not think that it is THAT bad at all. The sky is not falling. Chaos players just need to adapt. I do agree that the newer codexes are much "fancier" than our book, and that certain things are unfair (Chaos could use more skyfire options, for example). However, Chaos Space Marines still have a lot to offer. No one should be saying that we Chaos players should just pack it in. No way. We must continue our war against the false emperor! Er... you know what I mean.

Until next time.

Chaos Special Missions From Me To You

Hey there Chaos fanatics. With summer upon us, I am hoping to get in some modeling and gaming over the next couple of long hot months. I have World Eaters, Daemons, and even some Death Guard and Dark Eldar stuff I want to work on.

I have a couple more missions that I have worked on. Once again, I have borrowed from lots of sources (White Dwarfs, older books, etc.), but I have made lots of tweaks in order to fit them into 6th edition. With these three, one of the players MUST be Chaos Space Marines. So, let's take a look:

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1) Chaos: Terminate The Daemonvessel!           

Overview: The forces of Chaos are planning on summoning a foul Greater Daemon to aid them in their bloody work. One of their own number will be host to the Greater Daemon- willing to be consumed by the entity for the greater glory of their god! However, the enemies of Chaos have learned of the plot, (The Inquisition learned of it by torturing a heretic; the Hive mind sensed a change in the warp) and are now rushing with all haste to kill the daemonvessel before the Greater Daemon can enter this reality!

Set Up- After placing terrain, the table is divided short edge down the middle. Chaos forces may deploy 12” from their short edge. The enemy must deploy within 18” of theirs. With this done, the players roll off for deployment as normal. After deployment, the Chaos player decides which character is the Daemonvessel. This is marked down in secret. The opposing player must try to figure out which is the vessel and destroy him.

-------------à 12” Chaosà ------------à

à  18” Opponent à

Primary Objective: The Deamonvessel

Secondary Objectives: Slay The Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker

Special Rules: The forces of Chaos want to complete the ritual and summon the Greater Daemon, while their opponents want to prevent it. This is a race against time, and the victory points work out accordingly:

Force	> End of Turn 2	End of Turn 3	End of Turn 4
Chaos	Lives- 1 VP	Lives- +1 VP	Vessel becomes Greater Daemon: +1VP
Opponent	Kills it now- 3 VP	Kills it now- 2 VP	Kills it now- 2 VP

Note: If the vessel becomes the Greater Daemon, the opponent gets 1 VP if he slays it by the end of turn 5. If it lives, Chaos gets an additional VP.

Game Length: Game ends on at the end of turn 5. 

 

2) Chaos: Total Devastation

Overview: The heretical forces of Chaos seek to destroy every single thing, in honor of their vile gods. They wish to slaughter every living thing, destroy every structure, and defile all that is good and natural.

Set Up: The table is divided in quarters. In the center of each quarter a building/structure is placed. After this is done, players roll off for deployment- they select diagonally opposite table quarters. They may deploy anywhere in their quarter, as long as it is 12” away from the center.

X	Opponent’s Deployment X
X Chaos Deployment	X

Primary Objective: The forces of Chaos want to destroy everything, and these buildings are their targets (Civillians? Leaders? Factorums? Shrines? It doesn’t matter- they just want to ruin all). The defenders want to slow down Chaos as much as possible, and protecting these structures will do just that. Each building is worth 1 victory point. At the end the game, each building left standing is a VP to the defender. Each building destroyed is a VP to Chaos.

Secondary Objectives: First Blood (only)

Special Rules:

Targeted Buildings: These structures are all considered to be armor value 13 (no matter their appearance), and they have 4 Hull Points. They have no guns or other defenses. They may be shot or assaulted as if they were vehicles. All other buildings are treated as normal.

Game Length: Random

3) Chaos: Black Crusade

Overview: The forces of Chaos are on the march, and they have grown bolder, and more repugnant- each murder that they commit only drives them on to further acts of violence and depravity. At this point, the ranks of Chaos swell, and the blessings of their gods are upon them. With their full strength gathered, the Great Enemy now launches a genocidal campaign against their enemies, taking their lives as well as their souls. They will leave none alive!

Setup: The table is divided down the middle. The players roll to chose table halves. Then, the defender MUST deploy first, 12” from their board edge. Then, Chaos deploys, 18” away from their table edge. Once deployed, roll a D6. On a roll of 2-6, Chaos goes first. On a 1, the defender goes first.

Chaos 18”

Opponent 12”

Primary Objective: Utter Destruction, folks; it is kill or be killed in this game. Each enemy unit that is destroyed is worth 1 victory point.

Secondary Objectives: Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker

Special Rules:

All Hope Lost!- With the forces of Chaos in the ascendant, their power grows ever greater, and warp energies build around them. To represent this, all opponents are at -2 leadership if they are within 12” of the forces of Chaos (this includes for psychic tests).

Meat Grinder- to represent the idea that the commanders are throwing everything they have into this battle, any non-vehicle units that are destroyed are then replenished and put into reserve, arriving from their table edge. However, if they are destroyed again, the opponent gains another victory point, etc.

Game Length: The game ends at the end of turn 6

Well, that's it for now. Once again, I hope these missions will be entertaining, or will inspire you to make your own. Until next time...

The Shape of Things To Come

Hey there everybody! Welcome back to another edition of Chaos Corner. As I discussed in my last post, I have been busy modeling. Busy indeed. And, as promised, I wanted to give you a bit of a sneak preview of my latest labor of love. So, let us look at... The Shape of Things To Come <cue dramatic music>

Yes, I have decided to do a Khorne Bezerker army. Look, the Plague Marines will always be my true love, and in fact, thanks to the new Codex, I will be adding some things to my Death Guard army in the next few months (I need to get stuff for Christmas and all... hehe!). However, I really wanted to branch out and do something TOTALLY different, Chaos wise.

The Plague Marines represent a mixed type of army. They are great at mid-range fire fights, and they are immovable in close combat (toughness, FNP, etc), though they are a bit slow (I 3). I have a ton of armor for them (Defilers, a Land Raider, Vindicators, etc) too. I also have daemons, Blight Drones, and even a Titan. I have played the army for years, for the past few editions. One day, I promise to post pics of the ENTIRE army.

In any event, I wanted to try something different. To date, I have never had an entirely close combat force. No Nids or Blood Angels or anything like that. Playing a Khorne army would force me to play in a different way than I ever have before- it will be a challenge to run this army. It is also a very different paint style than I'm used to. The models look very different from either Plague Marines or even regular Chaos Marines. The models running give them a dynamic look, and the weapons are odd looking, compared to other Chaos Marines. Everything about this army is a bit different for me. I decided to do this army in August- before the codex came out. I put a bunch together before I became ill. AS I recovered, I put more together, and I've been slowly painting them.

I had done one unit of Khorne Bezerkers years earlier, for my brother's Black Legion (which I inherited). I tried to use a similar scheme, but a my painting is a bit more sophisticated now, plus using the new GW paints to match the old is a challenge too. It has come together very well now, and I am very happy with the look (the dark red, evocative of dried, old blood, rather than the bright red that is often used- too bright for my tastes). I will discuss my painting techniques in a future post, as this is meant to be an introduction of sorts.

I will post more of my Khorne Bezerkers as I get them done. A special shout out to my friend Pete, who gave me a TON of Chaos bits, which, when combined with mine, became more than enough to make this Khorne Army. Don't get me wrong, I plan on playing a ton with all of my "regular" armies- Dark Eldar, Daemons, and naturally Plague Marines. However, I am very excited to paint the rest of my Khorne Army and get it onto the tabletop.





Hope you like the pics- I have a few more pics below too, so enjoy. Until next time...

1st Battle With The New Chaos Codex!!

Hey there everyone! It's certainly been exciting times at the old Chaos ponderosa- I've been reading and re-reading the new Chaos Codex, cross-referencing with the 6th edition book, writing down key rules, studying the new options, etc. Whew!

Ohhh!! Shinny!

Now, some people are already pronouncing the Chaos Codex to be a wonderful triumph or an unmitigated disaster. I am certainly leaning toward the former, in terms of the book's presentation. The artwork is simply amazing- full color, with lots of new art- all of which is stunning. The fluff is solid (though not spectacular- I wish there was a bit more here). The layout and format is excellent, plus there's good sample models and paint schemes, etc. It is a quality product , no doubt.

The real question for any Codex though is the rules- how will these guys play on the field? That is the million dollar question. But one can't just read the book and few times and Bam! pass judgement on the rules themselves- you need to play a few matches in order to even begin to have a basis to formulate such conclusions. Luckily for me, I managed to get in a game this week using the new book.

My new Desert/Wasteland gaming boards

 However, there is an additional wrinkle for me. As my readers are aware, I was very ill this summer, requiring surgery and a slow recovery. The fact is I haven't even played that many 6th edition games- three, as it turns out. So, not only am I learning the new Chaos rules, I am also still getting the hang of the 6th rules in general- yes, much of it is the same, but so much has been changed or even slightly altered. Flyers, Monstrous Creatures, Charge Rolls, and much more... Hehe! That's a lot to learn- but hey- that's part of the fun.

Another perspective on my board

We decided to use the new desert/wasteland battle surface that I created- I will post an article on how I made it after this article- I promise. I found something quick and easy, and I want to tell you about it, as I'm very excited over it. At any rate, though I have the new boards, I don't have much "desert style" terrain, so my brother and I decided to  keep the terrain sparse, quite befitting of a desert wasteland deal.

My old bone bridge- plus an objective marker

I used a couple of bunkers, my Chaos Shrine (which fits in with any style of terrain, it is Chaos after all), the Chaos ruins (painted a desert color, funny enough), and my old bone bridge. I also had two old pillars from armorcast that I painted a while ago. So, while there wasn't a ton of terrain, it actually made of a very interesting battle, while still looking like an empty desert.

They're baaaaaacck!!

 So, my brother and I played a 1900 point game- Grey Knights up against my Death Guard Plague Marine army. So, what did I take? Hahaha- I've been waiting ages to play with my Plague Zombies again- so of course I played with Typhus as my HQ- bringing with him 2 squads of 30 zombies apiece. I also had 2 squads of Plague Marines (1 Rhino, 1 Land Raider). I decided to go a bit more mechanized than usual (wanting to try out the vehicles rules)- the aforementioned Land Raider, a Vindicator, a Predator (Twin Las and two Heavy Bolters), and a Heldrake (for which I used my FW Hell Talon). I also took a "Hellbrute" (Dreadnought) with a Las and Missile Launcher (my Dreads never get into close combat). Finally, I took a Sorcerer at Mastery Level 2.

This sucker is huge!!

My brother, meanwhile, took a Nemesis Dreadknight, Captain Stern, 3 squads of terminators, 2 squads of regular Grey Knight marines, and a Land Raider and dreadnought of his own. Now, he doesn't have enough Grey Knights, so he used some of my Ultramarines as stand-ins, which was fine by me. We were now ready to throw down...

Bwaiins!! Bwaiins!!

So, first we rolled for mission- we got the first one, Crusade, with a Dawn of War deployment. We rolled 5 random/unknown objectives and placed them. My Warlord trait was already a given with Typhus, while my brother rolled Master of Offense. For who goes first, I won that roll, so I decided to deploy first (thus going first). I placed my Death Guard out on the table, and then my brother placed his Grey Knights on the other end. Then, I rolled both for psychic powers and on the boon table (I had taken mutation for both my Plague Marine squad champions and Sorcerer. 30 points- wanted to see how it would happen). For psychic powers, Both Typhus and the Sorcerer rolled 6- this meant they had the Wind of Nurgle (large blast). For Typhus I chose the primaris power Flame Breath, and my Sorcerer chose the power Smite. As for the boons- hahahah!  Nurgle must be mad since I haven't played with the Death Guard in a bit- for my champions, both rolled a 16- no gift granted. Shucks!! My Sorcerer meanwhile rolled a 36- giving his power sword the fleshbane ability- that's not too shabby at all.

The forces of Nurgle, Lord of Decay!

So, to start with, I moved one group of zombies to claim the objective at the foot of the bone bridge- I figured my brother would try for that with his oncoming Dreadknight, but even he would be hard pressed to remove 30 zombies from there. The second objective near me was the one on the roof of the bunker- the second squad of zombies was near there- but 30 can't possibly fit in that bunker, so I sent them forwards instead. I moved the Rhino up 6", and I moved the Predator and Dreadnought up to the wall of the Chaos shrine for protection (the Pred could then have view through the open side as the GKs came through). Then, my Vindicator fired a blast at the Dreadknight, doing no damage- yep, the slap fight had begun there. Finally, my Land Raider shot and killed one terminator. In the GK half, the Grey Knights claimed their first objective. The Dreadknight fired at my Vindicator, the blast drifting off the table. His Land Raider shot my Rhino- immobilizing it. All his troops moved forward, though he let Stern hang back for an unknown reason.

"When there's no more room in the Warp, the dead will walk the galaxy"

So, turn 2, I rolled to have my Heldrake come in- I rolled a 1. Crap- I hoped I didn't waste points on that guy. My 2nd group of zombies continued their advance toward the third objective. My Death Guard squad and Sorcerer got out of the Rhino and moved to the bunker objective. My Dread climbed the rock side to stand on top of the Shrine. My Predator, Dreadnought, and Land Raider fired at the 2 advancing Terminator squads beginning to go through the narrow pass on the Shrine's side. The Vindicator moved toward the bone bridge, firing at the Dreadknight and causing a wound. In the Grey Knight half, his Dreadknight advanced along with a GK squad, and he again hit my Vindicator, but failed to get even a glance. His terminators took shots at my 2nd zombies- as did his Land Raider, and I lost a bunch, but 30 fearless is a lot to get through.

Typhus thought the battle would be decided on the flanks, not the Shrine. The Grey Knights begged to differ.

Now, turn 3- the game was going well, a slog match befitting the Death Guard, but I knew I'd need something to shake it up- and I thought that may happen as I rolled a 3 and the Heldrake came in. As I understand it- the flyer comes in as a reserve, unable to act- I think. If anyone wishes to clarify for me, I'd appreciate it. At any rate, I now had everything I needed to put on the full court press. My Plague Marines moved to the bunker, claiming the second objective. My vindicator moved onto the bone bridge, firing at the oncoming GK squad, causing a few casualties. My Land Raider  fired at his LR, causing 2 Hull Points of damage, while my Predator fired at the second Terminator squad, killing two more. My dreadnought began a slap-fight exchange with the oncoming GK dreadnought- no damage (bad rolls). Now, my 2nd zombies charged into the one terminator squad (rolling an 11 charge- whoa!!), killing them all (that many rolls means a few ones will be rolled- a matter of probability). First Blood went to me and my zombie horde, who could attack the other Termies and claim the nearby 3rd objective by then.

The Terminator is overwhelmed by undead Imperail citizens- the very people he has sworn to protect!

I was now ahead, 3 to 1 in victory points. However, in his phase I was going to pay. He moved his Dreadknight to attack my Vindicator. All he managed to do was Immobilize, but that meant he would hammer me the next turn and I couldn't escape. His Dreadnought now moved with his GK squad toward the Shrine- he was certainly going to be able to claim that unless my own Dread could stop them. His other Termie squad moved away from the zombies toward the Land Raider and 3rd objective, firing at the zombies in futile defiance. My brother did something rash, firing his LR at my LR, blowing off a sponson Las. Yep- he wanted revenge.

The Heldrake takes aim

Turn 4- I moved my 2nd zombies within striking range of both the other terminator squad and the 3rd objective. My sorcerer left the bunker squad and moved alone toward the Shrine- those GKs were going to get there, and he'd be the one to stop them. Meanwhile, my other squad, along with Typhus, got out of the Land Raider and moved toward the Shrine and bone bridge- my plan was to destroy the GK with the PMs and Sorcerer, while Typhus would go and challenge the Dreadknight. That would be a combat. My Dread fired at the oncoming GK squad, killing one, while my LR and Pred exchanged shots with the GK LR, taking another Hull Point. As for my Heldrake, I made a less than 90 degree pivot, then moved it 24"- over the GK squad near the shrine, and facing the other GK squad sitting on the objective in his deployment zone. I did a Vector Strike on the one squad (killing 1), while shooting at the babysitters, killing 2- it was then that I realized that this flyer business was pretty cool after all. Hehe!! Finally, I moved my zombies to attack the other terminator squad, rolling a 7" charge- and again they killed the last of the termies. This left the zombies in control of the 3rd objective, but in front of the guns of the GK LR. Vengeance would be his...

The Grey Knights advance towards the accursed Shrine

Typhus prepares to meet the Dreadknight head-on

The Grey Knights countered hard. The GK arrived on top of the shrine, while their Dreadnought charged mine- and neither of us had close combat weapons, so now it was a close quarters slap fight. Ugh- Strength 6 against 12 Armor and no power fists- you do the math. His Dreadknight destroyed my vindicator, and now he could move past the bridge toward my 1st zombies and their objective. Finally, his LR fired at the 2nd zombie squad, taking out a bunch- but there was still more than 10 left.

Turn 5 was make or brake- I had more objectives (3 to 2, plus 1 VP for FB), but the GK were now in range to take two objectives away, if I wasn't careful. I needed to get the Shrine objective out of his hands. I advanced the Plague Marines away from Typhus and toward the shrine. Typhus began the climb to the bridge to confront the Dreadknight. Meanwhile, the LR and Pred fired at the GK LR, but I rolled lousy that time. As for my Heldrake, and this is my own fault- I flew him around and did nothing, as I had misread the rules and didn't realize that I could have had him hover. My own fault, but I won't repeat that mistake in the next game... Anyways, my Sorcerer was closing in on the Shrine, and i was getting ready to use his psychic powers.

The Plague Marines march around the Dreadnoughts' slap fight

My erstwhile brother continued his counterattack. His Dreadknight's blast torched a whole bunch of my 1st zombies, but there were still a ton left. The two dreads continued to duke it out, with on one landing a good blow- I got a HP out of him, and that's it. His LR continued to try to decimate the zombies- there were only a handful left, which he could kill off in the bottom of the 6th if he landed all his shots, and I'd lose that objective.

Now it was 6th- final round. I advanced Typhus on the bridge near the Dreadknight, while my Plague Marines and Sorcerer were in range to shoot the GK on the Shrine objective (but too damn far away to grab it in time). It was now or never- my sorcerer used his Plague Wind on the GK squad- it worked, killing them all, as a matter of fact. Excellent indeed. I got him off an objective. Then, Typhus was about to use the same power on the Dreadknight aaannnddd--- rolled a snake eyes!! What!?! That means he took a wound, and then he missed anyways! I can't believe he had that rotten luck.

Typhus was injured (and slightly embarrassed), but won the battle for the glory of Grandfather Nurgle

As for the last phase, the my brother actually resisted taking a shot at Typhus and instead fired with his Dreadkinght again at the zombies, actually breaking their squad coherency with his huge (and well placed) blast. Meanwhile, his LR killed off the last of the 2nd zombies (I knew he would), denying me the objective there too. At this point, the game concluded. As it stood, I had 1 objective (PMs at the bunker), and I had 1 VP for "First Blood". My brother had only 1 objective (in his deployment zone), thus, the Plague Marines won the game. It was a ton of fun, and it got gut-wrenchingly close at the end. There were good rolls, bad rolls, and Typhus whiffed, and I totally messed up on the flyer rules (I kept it moving fast, rather than put it in hover and still shoot), but it was a blast to play. I think, a few more games under my belt, and I'll be totally comfortable with 6th. Meanwhile, I am liking the new Chaos Codex, but there's still a lot to try out, and after this, I can't wait to do so!!

Until next time... 

"I Love The Drake" / "I Hate The Drake"

Hey there Chaos fanatics! I've been slowly but surely recuperating from my surgery and hospital stay and all that. I have been painting a bit, reading a bit, surfing the web, etc. I realize that I haven't done a posting in a bit, so here I am, back to the grindstone.

It has been a time of change for us Games Workshop and 40K players people, huh? But, is it a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" perhaps? Hehe! It depends on which message boards you read of course. Some say that the changes to the rules, WD, and the upcoming Chaos Codex are all fantastic- the rapture is here! Others fear that these changes are the doom of GW- that the Chaos gods are about to destroy everything we hold dear. I suspect, as with most things, the truth lies somewhere in between. I'll give you my 2 cents, which, in this economy, ain't worth 2 cents, but you get what I mean...

Let's talk 6th for a moment. Since I have been ill, I did not get in nearly as many games as I had intended on, though I did play a few. I love the book- the art, the format, etc. I think the rules are also fairly strong, and that there's going to be a lot of things that come to the fore as I play more. I love some of the randomness- random objective effects, random charge lengths (crazy- but I like how it reflects the chaos of the battlefield). I'm not sure yet if Overwatch completely ruins getting into CC, as I'll need more games to determine this. Overall, I think 6th is a strong book, certainly more complex than the previous few editions, which is a plus. I just need to play a few more games to get the rest of the intricacies (I haven't played with flyers or flying Daemon Princes yet, for example).

Now, how about that White Dwarf...? I like most of the changes here. The overall layout was really good. The inclusion of a hobbying section (I love that huge base), and a painting section harking back to ye olde WD. The battle report was much more sharply written, getting right down to the game play. Yes, the book is still a huge advertisement (natch) but it is moving in a much better direction.  Now, all they have to do is have a few fluff pieces in there, and it will be like the old days. However, they MUST ditch the red backgrounds for the pix- it just clashes way to damn much, and I am convinced it made the models look worse.







Speaking of... what about the new Chaos stuff. First, I am sure that the Codex will be up to snuff, based on the pages that have been seen online, Phil Kelly does good work, and we have nowhere to go but up from the past edition. I like the look of the book (hardcover and color), though that cover makes me laugh- Blood Gorgons was an 'OK' book, but now I'll always think of it when I look at the Codex (its nice art, but couldn't we pick from a better book- say First Heretic or something). I can't wait to play with cultists/zombies in a non-Apoc match, that's all I can say. I have already reserved the book at my local store.

As for the models- well, here's where it gets dicey. First, the red backgrounds did no favors for these models. Look at the 360 online or the battle report pics to get a better idea of these models. They are in no way the "abomination" that some have suggested. On the contrary, I think the Heldrake is a very good- check out the Black Legion paint job to see how cool it is. The Maluer/Forge Fiend is a bit unusual, but a good paint scheme and a bit of conversion will make that model into a solid entry. The Warpsmith is a great model, as is the Dark Apostle (amazing sculpt). The Sorcerer hearkens back to the old metal sorcerers (retro, but more detailed). I love the Warp Talons (Yes! Plastic Raptors at last). However, the Mutalators are just plain ugly- yes, I know they look like the Oblits, but- damn they suck. I sense another "Save Money The Chaos Way" in the future when I do those...

Herein lies the rub. I hate to say it, but most of the new models aren't really "Nurgl-y".  Let's take the Heldrake, for instance. It just doesn't scream "Death Guard" to me. Now, you paint that up in Black Legion or World Eaters (imagine a Red and Bronze dragon- holy shit), it its great. Paint it up in a darker Night Lords scheme (the one in the WD is too bright), good. But... Nurgle... meh. I don't know. It just doesn't scream that to me. It did inspire me to finish my Forgeworld fighter though... Yep, I had it for a while but never finished it. Now, it is done, and I intend to use the Heldrake rules (the 'drake wings are based on this model- look closely).

With some conversion, the Mauler/Forge Fiend will find a home in my Plaguemarine force, no doubt. But again, the aesthetic looks better for some of the other legions. I WILL buy a Dark Apostle, but again, he doesn't look to be easily Nugle-fied. As for the Warpsmith, I can paint him to be all rusty, and he'll fit in, though I still am under the old illusion that nurglings run the inside of tanks, thus the Death Guard would not need a Warpsmith. That's just old fluff though. As for the sorcerer, I already have my one from Forgeworld, whom I also recently finished (and I'm pleased with my work, considering I'm still not at my best).

I am excited for Chaos, and I can't wait to field my Plague Marines alongside my old plague zombies again. I also want to use the allies rules to bring Nurgle daemons with me again. I have the new plastic Plague Bearers, and have been slowly working on them. Those are great models, by the way. Even if you have some of the old metals, these new plastics are very detailed, and will fit in nicely with the old ones.

I am looking forward to playing with the new rules and the new codex. Its just a few days away now. I know that some people are cynical, but I am hopeful. It won't ever match what we have in our heads, as I think that Chaos players tend to love their fluff/characters/army look more than liking to win. Now, that is not an insult to anyone, I just know that many Chaos players are passionate, and would rather have a codex that allows for fluffy lists than anything else. They are committed to Chaos itself- if they can field daemons and cultists and all that but still face a tough time on the battlefield, most Chaos players would take it. Win or lose, they just want to be Chaos fanatics. Why do you think I haven't gone and played the all-powerful Grey Knights? Or ran my Nurgle force with Spacewolf rules? No. Way. I am a Chaos player (and let's face it- I play Dark Eldar too. Dark Eldar are pretty evil, and no one would say I care about only winning if I have played DE since their earliest incarnation. Ouch- talk about punishment). But now, with the new Codex and the 6th allies rule, I can take my Nurgle Daemons and zombies. Iron Warriors can bring in their Basilisks. Word Bearers and Alpha Legion can bring in their Cultists. I know they'll be more goodies in the Codex; even if not every old time fluff idea CAN be done, it is nice to see that most of it is restored. Reason to be hopeful. Then, Chaos can destroy those hopes by tearing down the false throne and desecrate the weakling Emperor and... ahem. You know what I mean.

Until next time, my friends.