A little Necrons + Imperial Guard trick

So my brother is getting interested in 40k again. It's pretty much been two whole editions since last time, and we've been talking about Necrons.


Now, we're trying to avoid the whole "let's see what internets says is good" thing, and rather think fresh and out of our own little meta, so to speak. So I thought I'd share a little trick we've come up with.

Psykers! Now helping the metal dudes do their thing. (Photo from THQ Insider)

Ally in an Imperial Guard Detachment and take a Psyker Battle Squad. They have the Psychic Power "Weaken Resolve", which lowers the leadership of an enemy unit by X, where X is the number of Psykers in the Battle Squad. This power has a range of 36".

Then, take a Harbinger of Despair with a Nightmare Shroud and either place it in a Night Scythe or give him a Veil of Darkness to get him close to the enemy. The Nightmare Shroud lets you force a Morale Check on a unit up to 18" away, and it doesn't require a roll to hit or a Psychic Test. It's simply automatic, and you don't have to worry about Snap Shots or anything. As long as the Psyker Battle Squad got their power off, you should see the enemy's most valued unit run away like crazy! (at least 97,2% of the time)

Sure, it doesn't work on Fearless or embarked units. So what? Fearless units you just nuke with Soulstorm and vehicles aren't very hard to get rid of for Gauss-wielding tin cans.

This trick works great against some of the nasty deathstars people like to take. Unfortunately it doesn't work against Draigowing, as the big man is fearless. But against Nob Bikers and units like it, it should work just fine.

Why use a suboptimal unit build?

I often discuss unit efficacy with my 40k friends. We choose a unit, and try to come up with the most optimal way to kit it out for a plethora of hypothetical situations.

This is a great way of coming up with a good loadout or role for a unit that can operate effectively while isolated and/or unsupported on the battlefield. For example Terminators, Land Speeders, Falcons, Hammerheads, Tau Battlesuits, Daemon Princes, and so on. However, when it comes to selecting an entire army, a collection of individually excellent units can be a mixed blessing. Even if these units are great at what they do, the synergy of the army may be hurt in the process.

A great example of this line of thought is the meltagun. It is widely renowned as the most cost-effective anti-tank weapon in the game. Taking all meltaguns must be the way to go, then? No. The meltagun is only effective if you can get it into range of enemy armour. If you don't have a single lascannon in your army, you're giving the enemy the freedom to move his vehicles outside the range of your meltas. Letting the enemy move freely around the board is a sure-fire way to lose the game in Warhammer 40k.

Another example is the guys in the picture up top. Thousand Sons are a peculiar bunch, and I've often seen tacticas on the web, telling everyone that the Doombolt is the only power one should give the Aspiring Champion. However, even if the power neatly matches the rest of the unit's shooting, one of the things I often lack in my Chaos armies are mid-range anti-tank. Something that fits neatly between the Lascannons on my Land Raider and the meltaguns on my Chaos Marines, is the awesome power of the Bolt of Change. Even though the unit of Thousand Sons themselves benefit more from the Doombolt, the army as a whole will benefit more from the Bolt of Change.

To emphasise my point; even if the Land Speeder with Multi-Melta is the greatest thing since Rending was on to-hit, if your army has enough mobile anti-tank, you should consider the Typhoon instead. Even if it is less cost-effective on its own, your army may benefit way more from an "inferior unit" than the optimized build.

What do you guys think? Are you always checking the internet for the latest optimized build of single units, or are you experimenting with which combinations of units works and which doesn't?

Video Battle Report: Chaos Space Marines vs Tyranids

After losing to Briefspite in the last battle of the Invasion tournament, I was looking forward to a rematch. Well, not a rematch per se, because this time I would bring my Chaos Space Marines to the battlefield.

We rolled randomly for mission and deployment, and got Annihilation (Kill points) and Pitched Battle (deploy up to 12" from the board edge).

My list:
2 Khorne Daemon Princes with wings
5 Thousand Sons in a Rhino
8 Khorne Berzerkers in a Rhino
14 Lesser Daemons
10 Chaos Space Marines
Land Raider

His list:
Hive Tyrant (shooty) with 2 Tyrant Guard
Broodlord with Genestealer retinue
Dakkafex (twin devourers)
Lictor
3x8 Gaunts
2x6 Genestealers
2xSniperfex (Venom cannon & barbed strangler)

My plan
Exploit outflanking Genestealers and race up the center of the board. If I could get into close combat before the Genestealers got into the fight, I would be using my 1500 points to attack his 1100 points. Add to this that my forces were very close combat oriented, whereas his were not, I would just have to get there to get a big advantage.

Deployment
He gave me the choice of table edge, and I set up with some mobile forces on the edges. I hoped this would make him put all his stealers in outflanking reserves. Unfortunately for me, he didn't. The Broodlord and 'stealer retinue was right in the middle. Crap...

In addition to this, he seized the initiative! I had not deployed in anticipation of this, so I was expecting a pretty brutal end to my mobile infantry forces. Watch the video battle report below to see how the game progressed.



Music from www.freeplaymusic.com

Some Ulthwe tips for a reader

A while back, I met a fellow Ulthwe enthusiast at Oslo Miniature Games Club. He was in the process of fleshing out his army, and has some questions in that regard. For your reading pleasure, I've decided to post response here.

Viktor said:
Hi!

I've started painting my Eldar guys, but I haven't a clue what to give the infantry and vehicles.

Which weapons should i give my Dire Avenger Exarch? What about the weapon platforms for the Guardian squads?

I want a Seer Council with a couple of Warlocks, and one Warlock in each Guardian squad. How should I kit them out?

I've written my list below. Should I make any changes to it? DO you have any tips on which weapons I should take?

HQ:
Seer Council 388 pts
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Ghosthelm, Runes of Witnessing, Fortune
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Runes of Witnessing, Guide
Farseer: Witchblade, Shuriken Pistol, Ghosthelm, Runes of Witnessing, Guide, Mind War
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Augment, Runes of Witnessing
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Augment, Runes of Witnessing
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Embolden
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Enhance
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol

Elite:
8 Warp Spiders 176 pts

Troops:
Guardian Defender Squad: 168 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Eldar Missile Launcher
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

Guardian Defender Squad: 168 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Eldar Missile Launcher
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

Guardian Defender Squad: 163 pts
10 Guardians
2 Crewmen and Star Cannon
Warlock: Close Combat Weapon, Shuriken Pistol, Conceal

5 Rangers 95 pts

Fast Attack:
1 Vyper with Bright Lance 65 pts
1 Vyper with Bright Lance 65 pts

Heavy Support:
Falcon: 210 pts
Pulse Laser, Star Cannon, Shuriken Cannon, Holo-field, Spirit Stones

Wraithlord: 120 pts
Bright Lance

3 War Walkers: 300 pts
2 Star Cannons each

Points total: 1998 pts

A comment from the guy I stole the list from:
What's really great with it is that everything except the Rangers can move and shoot, so when the enemy gets closer i can just go backwards and still fire att my full potential. Or if i have to claim an objective i can walk there in the last few turns and take it while still firing everything.

I appreciate any help from a fellow Ulthwe player!!
Viktor

My response:
Thanks for writing in, Viktor! I don't see myself as an expert on competitive Ulthwe, but I have played quite a few games in a friendly setting.

First of all, your list is currently illegal. The list was written using the old Craftworld Eldar codex, which is outdated now. You should get the newest codex if you haven't already, and make your list out of that book.

HQ: You can have at most two Farseers. If you're going to field them on foot, I recommend taking Eldrad Ulthran. In fact, I rarely take two farseers. They are a support unit, and Eldrad is more than capable of supporting a fairly large Eldar army.

If you have some conversion skills, I'd recommend making a jetbike council. One Farseer with Fortune, Doom and Spirit Stones, six or seven Warlocks, 1 Enhance, 1 Embolden and the rest with Destructors. This unit can deal with pretty much anything in the game, is highly mobile and very resilient

A Seer Council on foot is pretty good, but they really need a transport, preferably a Falcon grav tank. My Seer Council is often like this:

• Farseer w/Spirit Stones, Runes of Warding, Fortune, Doom, Singing Spear
• 4 Warlocks w/Destructor and Witchblade
• Warlock w/Embolden and Singing Spear

These guys can take out almost anything, and will rarely end up pinned if the Falcon crashes or if they suffer casualties.

Elites: Warp Spiders are great, but make sure they actually fulfill a role in the army. I haven't actually used them, but have played against them quite a few times. They are very effective, as long as the enemy heavy wepons have something else to shoot at. Keeping them away from assaults and small arms fire is often pretty easy, though.

Troops: Being Ulthwe, we need Guardians! Ten guys with a heavy weapon is great, but their greates weakness is morale. Lose three, and they have to take a Morale Check. As the Guardians will likely be in cover, they really don't need Conceal. They need Embolden! Cheaper and better.

Sneaky tip: If you take 12 Guardians and a Warlock, you have 13 models in the unit. A morale check from 25 % casualties is taken at 4 models lost. This is unlikely in a single round of shooting if they have sufficient cover, seeing as the Guardians often are a low-priotiry target.

I feel that the Bright Lance is the best weapon for them. With ten models, good cover and Embolden, they are a real pain for your opponent to get rid of, and a constant threat to his vehicles.

The Rangers really should be upgraded to Pathfinders. Getting that 2+ cover save is golden!

You ask about Dire Avengers, but they aren't in your list. I use them sometimes, and find that the Exarch is best kitted out with dual Shuriken Catapults and the Bladestorm power. They can be a pretty good tarpit against some enemies with Shimmershield, but far from all of the nasty gribblies out there.

Fast Attack: I really like Vypers, but they are very easy kill points. I often use two with Bright Lances myself. If you keep them in reserve, they can keep out of the worst trouble and get side shots on enemy armour.

Heavy Support: If you want a Wraithlord, take two. Also, a single Falcon will be shot out of the sky really fast. I often use a Wave Serpent tag-teaming with my Falcon, conserving my Heavy Support slots, and ensuring that at least one side of the Falcon will be safe from melta weapons. Weapon-wise, I recommend that you take only a single Shuriken Cannon on the Falcon, and use the Pulse Laser most of the time.

Three War Walkers with Star Cannons were great in 4th edition, but in this edition, each gun has one shot less, is more expensive, and because of easy cover saves . I take Scatter Lasers instead. Two shots more and much cheaper. Volume of shots are generally more important than armour piercing capabilities, especially against light transports and troops in cover.

General tips: You should consider more vehicles and Storm Guardians.

Flamers/Melta are more awesome than ever, Storm Guardians can have both. For a multi-purpose unit, take two Fusion guns and a Warlock with Destructor. Following up the shooting with a charge can be desvastation against the right foe. If you decide to let the Seer Council and Defenders do anti-tank, you can give the Storm Guardians two flamers. This will effectively eat up over 10 orks or a combat squad of Space Marines in a single round of shooting. Add in the fire from their transport and some supporting element, eliminating a full 30-ork mob in a turn is not especially difficult.

Vehicles are always good, and the Eldar ones are better than most. The Defender Guardians doesn't need transportation in my opinion, but Storm Guardians and the Seer Council do. With transports equipped with Star Engines, you can do some ridiculous objective grabs late game. Even in Kill Point missions, the Eldar vehicles are great because they can take a lot more punishment than the other races' transport vehicles.

Fortune favours the bold

Hiding in cover just won't do
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

Everywhere on the 40k-websphere, people are talking about math. Mathhammer 40k is a roaring beast and everyone knows that 10 Space Marines will kill 6,66 Orks when rapid firing their Bolters. Every tactic is devised using the law of averages, and anyone trying to think outside the box is regarded as a noob.

The net result of this line of thought is that bold maneuvers are unthinkable. The one, daring move that will win or lose the game for you is never attempted because the focus of the game has become to reduce risks, not attempt to win.

Only 2+ with re-roll for me, thanks
This is most extremely displayed in the game of fantasy football; Blood Bowl. A regular opponent of mine never attempts a move unless the risk is minimal. Even if a move on a 5+ will be extremely beneficial to him, he never even considers it, preferring to make a less beneficial 2+-with-re-roll-move instead.

Another regular opponent often attempts moves that requires a 6 on the die. This works surprisingly well, because the opposition never even considers the possibility that anyone would be so stupid as to attempt such a risky maneuver! When it works, the opponent is caught completely flat-footed.

But what about 40k?
This doctrine can be directly translated to 40k. If you can use risky, but well-thought-out moves to surprise your opponent, you can catch him off-guard.

Everyone knows that staying in cover is the smart thing to do. If the opponent expects you to go for that single piece of cover, he has an edge over you. He knows what you will be spending the next turns doing, and where you will end up. He can then position his forces perfectly to eradicate you, 4+ cover save or not.

Instead, use this to your advantage! Use your vehicles or expendable infantry units as cover, or disregard cover altogether. The element of surprise is powerful indeed!

Taking less powerful units can be advantageous
One of the reasons that make armies like Dark Eldar and Witch Hunters win games is the opposition's lack of familiarity with them. Their play style is often surprising for opponents being used to fighting Eldar or Space Marines. Sure, a flying Seer Council is a powerful unit, but your opponent will likely have seen it before. Tactics to handle them have been devised, and incorporated into their army list.

At my local gaming club, almost no one plays Dark Eldar or the Inquisition. The result is that they don't know how to best handle them. They even sometimes have problems deciding which target is the most threatening. This often results in a comfortable victory, even with an inferior army.

This can be used in you normal armies as well. Field units that no one else does. Take Space Marines, for example. Not many people use scouts, and if they do, they give them sniper rifles and camo cloaks. Hardly an impressive sniper unit, being outmatched by even Ratlings!

Instead, take them in units of 5 and put them in a Land Speeder Storm. Give them shotguns or bolt pistol/combat blades and charge them at the enemy. Your opponent will likely be baffled of your daring move, and either try to shoot it down or ignore it. Regardless, you haven't lost much if it is destroyed, and they can be surprisingly destructive if they reach the enemy. The key to using them is either using their scout move to threaten any point on the board in turn 1, or using outflank to do basically the same, only later. Being open-topped, the Storm can move 12" and drop it's contents, still allowing for shooting and charging!

In a recent game, I took Mandrakes and Scourge. These units are widely regarded as sub-par, compared to the other units in the Dark Eldar List. My opponent wasn't familiar with the capabilities of these units, and they performed sterlingly. Four units were killed or run off the board. Not bad for units some people call "the worst units in the game"!

Optimal squad size in 40k

5 Necron Destroyers are braver than 4
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

Thinking back to the days of 4th edition, squad sizes were often dictated by the rule that said: A squad below half strength is no longer scoring. This lead to squad sizes of even numbers (4, 6, 8, 10 and so on) being favourable.

The idea was that your opponent had to kill one more model in order to get you below half strength, whereas squads with uneven number of models (3, 5, 7 and so on) was sub-optimal. Your opponent had to kill 4 members of a squad of 6 models to make it non-scoring. If you'd only taken 5 models, he would only have to kill 3.

...and then 5th edition came along
This is no longer the case in 5th, but many people seem to think even numbers are better. They are not.

Consider a unit of four models. If they are Troops, they are scoring to the last man. If they are not, then the number of models doesn't affect their scoring status at all. The only impact number of models has (other than being harder to kill and doing more damage), is whether they take morale checks from a certain amount of fire power.

A unit of four models must take a Morale Check if it loses a single model. This can be disastrous, especially if the unit type is Jump Infantry, Bike or a similar fast type which retreats 3D6". It may flee off the board due to a single casualty!

Always take 5 Necron Destroyers, never 4
Fritz over at Return of the Star Gods has an excellent Necron Destroyer tactica on his YouTube account. There is only one area where I feel he makes a mistake, and that is the squad size of his Necron Destroyer units. He takes 4 models. This unit may give away a Kill Point from a single shot, even before We'll Be Back-rolls, which makes it brittle.

Ld 10 is all good, but you will fail it from time to time. For the cost of a single model more, your opponent has to divert twice as much firepower before a Necron Destroyer unit of 5 models has to take a potentially devastating Morale Check.

It is pretty clear that 5 Destroyers are superior to 4, but considering how much firepower it takes to take out two models of a T5 Sv3+ unit, there is really no reason not to take the full compliment of 5 models.

Optimal squad sizes
To conclude this article, I'll just go ahead and list the optimal squad sizes in regards to when the unit will be taking Morale checks. The unit is as brave as possible for the least amount of points, so to speak.

Size - Tests after how many casualties?

1. -
   
2. 1
3. 1
4. 1
5. 2 <- Optimal
6. 2
7. 2
8. 2
9. 3 <- Optimal
10. 3
11. 3
12. 3
13. 4 <- Optimal
14. 4
15. 4
16. 4
17. 5 <- Optimal
18. 5
19. 5
20. 5
21. 6 <- Optimal

Will you be taking squads of 5 or 9 models instead of 4 and 10, to take advantage of this, or is the return really too small to even consider?

Ulthwe Eldar is competitive!

The Eldar have foreseen this
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

I've played my Ulthwe list a few games now, and won every single one. Granted, I've not played against the cheesiest cheddar around, but none of the games have been army selection wins.

The two latest games were against Tau and Necrons. I'm actually surprised the list works as well as it does. I was under the impression that Aspect Warriors, Harlequins or Wraiths were required to fill some requirements in the Eldar army, but I believe I was mistaken. Of course, my success could be the result of blatant luck on my part.

After playing a few games, I find that the army and my tactics cover several aspects essential to a 40k army list; speed, firepower, close combat prowess and resilience. In addition to this, it forces the opponent to react to it, rather than the other way around, due to its speed, damage potential and the outflanking War Walkers.

Ulthwe 1250 points
Farseer - Runes of Warding, Spirit Stones, Fortune, Doom
5 Warlocks - 2 Singing Spears, 3 Destructors, Embolden, Enhance
3 Guardian Jetbikes - Shuriken Cannon
10 Guardians - Warlock (Embolden), Bright Lance
10 Storm Guardians - Warlock (Destructor), 2 Flamers
Wave Serpent - Star Engines, Spirit Stone, Twin Starcannons
2 Vypers - 2 Bright Lances
Falcon - Shuriken Cannon, Spirit Stone, Holofield, Star Engines
2 War Walkers - 4 Scatter Lasers

I wrote a post about tactics for this army @ 1750 points, but the same points are still valid.

I'm mightily impressed with what a Farseer and five Warlocks can do. Dooming a unit and throwing down three Destructor Templates is incredibly killy, even against units with good saving throws!

Scaling up to the big battles: Eldrad Ulthran!
In larger games, I'll take Eldrad instead of a standard Farseer. His ability to Doom two units simultaneously is incredible! The Falcon with the Seer Council and the Wave Serpent with the Storm Guardians can destroy most anything when they jump out and start handing out the hurt. There is rarely anything left! Cleverly placing the vehicles in front of enemies offering fire support will give the Guardians Cover Saves, and the Seers already have a Fortuned 4+!

I'm thinking of taking all Destructors for the Seer Council. WS5 and I5 on the Warlocks is awesome against Space Marine armies, and the ability to re-roll Morale Checks can not be underestimated. However, I'm wondering whether it is necessary. Three Destructors is very killy, but five is borderline insanity!

Will it win against (insert "web list" of the month here)?
The army isn't dead 'ard, but that's not the point. In a club setting you often want to play an army that will win when you play it well. Not just because it has 2+/3+i saves, master-crafted Thunder Hammers and twin-linked Multi Meltas, but because you play better than your opponent.

Army selection win

When some players go to tournaments, they gamble that they won't meet that army. This is the army which you haven't optimized your army for and will make you lose, no matter what you do. A balanced approach can win you any game, an extremely optimized one can actually lose the game for you before it has even started!

I firmly believe that any good tournament army should at least be able to win against anything the opponent can bring. If the enemy deploys 150 Orks, and you concede the game immediately because you brought 12 Lascannons and 25 Space Marines, it is your own fault!

This is what I mean when I say "Army selection win". In this setting, the meta game has become more important than the actual game itself, a trend I think will kill the tournament aspect of the hobby if it is allowed to flourish. Fortunately, 5th edition's focus on objectives have mitigated this quite a bit.

The Ulthwe army can deal with tank spam, 'zilla, elite infantry, hordes, mobile and static lists alike. It may not be super effective against all opponents, but its ability to win is strong.

What do you think? Am I just rambling, or are my Seer/Guardian tactics worthwhile?

Can Stealth Teams win the game for the Greater Good?

Stealth Team Leader
Photo by Will Merydith.

My buddy Norau started playing 40k Tau about six month ago. He's having mixed results in learning to play both a new game and a new army, so I've tried to think about some builds that will work well in 5th edition.

Most of the time, we play the three standard missions in the main rulebook, so both Kill Point denial and controlling and contesting objectives are important aspects of our meta game.

The army he uses is based on these principles:

1. Placing large amounts of the army in reserve
2. Using the Positional Relay to control when reserves arrive
3. Using the Pathfinder's Devilfish transport to increase the accuracy of Deep Striking units

He has been using a 6-man Stealth Team (one Hard Wired Target Lock and a Fusion Blaster) in the last few games, but their performance has so far been unimpressive. The standard method of delivery has been Deep Striking them next to a tank and a weak infantry unit, trying to destroy both in a single blow. Unfortunately, the odds are heavily against them, as they are often very unsupported at this stage in the game. They are always annihilated the turn after. See how they performed in our last game.

I am starting to think that they can be used better in another role: Outflanking harasser!

Using the Positional Relay, we can control which turn they arrive from reserve. Coming from the flank in the later stages of the game can be a game-winner. Let's say that the opponent have placed a relatively weak unit, for example Guardians or a combat squad of Space Marines controlling an objective far away from the action. Six Stealth Suits can unleash a torrent of fire, severely weakening the unit. They can also take out Razorbacks or Wave Serpents sitting on the objective.

Due to their Stealth Field Generators, they cannot be dealt with at long range. The opponent has to send units to deal with them at close range. This can also help at the front lines if the opponent gets confused and tries to send units back to support the defenders at home.

Get more for free
To make the unit even more dangerous, we can give every model a Drone Controller for free, even the Team Leader. This gives us the ability to take 12 Drones for 120 points, which gets Stealth Field Generators for free (see Tau Empire Codex, page 27). They can also Outflank with the Stealth Team (see Tau Empire Codex, page 35). Compared to Drone-only units, you get two nice upgrades for free.

This unit has 18 wounds, is highly mobile, and can unleash overwhelming amounts of fire power against the relatively weak defenders. In objective-based scenarios, this can win the game for the Tau. In Kill-Point missions, the unit is difficult to kill due to its size and Stealth capabilities. At 312 points, it is fairly expensive, but the offensive and defensive capabilities should mitigate this somewhat.

If they fail to take out all troops on the objective, they can even assault if needed. Yes, Tau are fairly weak, but these guys will operate far away from the thickest action. 42 attacks on the charge should be able to kill about two Space Marines. Not much, but maybe just enough. All they really have to do is get within 3" of the objective and not die.

What do you guys think? Is this a workable unit tactic? Will it perform better than Deep Striking close to the action?

New Imperial Guard Codex = Better Witch Hunters?

Witch Hunters Penitent Engine
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

The Imperial Guard Codex is out in a few weeks, and a lot of folks have posted remarks on its high power level. How will this affect the Witch Hunter codex, when using allies from the Imperial Guard?

To include any of the juicier stuff, like Leman Russes and Sentinels, the Witch Hunters must include two Troops choices, either Imperial Guard platoons or Armored Fist squad. Seeing as the Armored Fist no longer exists, RAW (interpreting the Rule As Written) indicates that two platoons is the only way to go.

Fortunately, this can be both cheap in points and bolster your numbers quite nicely. Equip them with Autocannnons or Lascannons and place them out of harms way. The Battle Sisters should have Melta duty in Witch Hunter armies, the Guard should provide long range support.

Even though the Platoons somewhat mitigate the Witch Hunters' weaknesses, the other choices can do this even better. Sentinels, with their outflanking abilities, can give some much needed special movement options.

It is still unclear if the Witch Hunters can take the Sentinels, as their title in the codex have changed from "Sentinel Squadron" to "Recon Sentinel Squadron" and "Spearhead Sentinel Squadron".

Even more important is if the Inquisition can take the Leman Russ squadron, or only a single Russ, or whether they can take them at all. By RAW they probably can't but with some FAQ goodness, hopefully this will enable the Inquisitor to order three mighty battle tanks to fight against the witches, daemons and aliens out there.

Eldar Fire Dragons boxed set

Eldar Fire Dragons boxed set
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

I got these from my brother and sister for my birthday. Awsomeness right there!! Love you guys! :D

I plan to put them in my Falcon grav tank. Six Fire Dragons, with an Exarch with Dragon's Breath flamer and Crack Shot are the bane of tanks, monstrous creatures and heavy infantry alike. Incidentally, this is something I have struggled with in the past.

The Seer Council i have been using for the last few games are relegated to footslogging for the time being. Fortunately, they can take it, being fortuned and able to run and cast defensive Psychic Powers at the same time.

I'll probably get another Falcon. One Falcon with Fire Dragons, one Falcon with the Seer Council, and one Wave Serpent with whatever. There isn't much the opponent can do about this group of tanks when they come storming down the weaker flank of the board.

Eldar :: Ulthwe

No Wraithlords allowed!
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

In the good, old days we had special rules for each of the five largest Craftworlds: Alaitoc, Biel Tan, Iyanden, Saim Hann and Ulthwe. Today, you can build armies representing all the Craftworlds from the same Codex, but even so the best lists are often very similar. All the armies are heavily mechanized, Guardians on foot are absent and Fire Dragons are the only anti-tank unit.

Is it possible to build an Ulthwe themed list that is competitive?

To make the list truly Ulthwe, I have defined the following set of rules:

1. No Aspect Warriors
2. No Wraiths
3. Only Farseer as HQ
4. At least one unit of Warlocks as the Seer Council
5. Only Guardians or vehicles driven by Guardians

Here is my attempt at approximately 1750 points:
HQ
Eldrad Ulthran
5 Warlocks (Embolden, Enhance, 2 Singing Spears, 3 Destructors)
Troops
10 Storm Guardians (2 Flamers), Warlock (Destructor) in a Wave Serpent (Twin Starcannons, Spirit Stones, Star Engines)
10 Guardians (Bright Lance), Warlock (Embolden)
10 Guardians (Bright Lance), Warlock (Embolden)
6 Jetbikes (2xShuriken Cannons), Warlock (Destructor)
Fast Attack
Vyper (Bright Lance)
Vyper (Bright Lance)
Heavy Support
Falcon (Eldar Missile Launcher, Holofield, Spirit Stones, Star Engines)
3 War Walkers (6xScatter Lasers)
2 D-Cannons

Tactics :: Objective mission
Eldrad and the Seer Council sits in the Falcon, driving close to the Wave Serpent with the Storm Guardians. Their task is to take out the least defended flank, forcing the opponent to send forces to deal with them. If they are not dealt with, the Guardians can even take an objective.

Two Fortuned Eldar-transports full of models capable of dealing with hordes, tanks, walkers and elite troops should make the opponent nervous. Remind the opponent that they can move 36" per turn, and that the Guardians are scoring, and he will not ignore them. They will most of the time draw extreme amounts of attention from the opponent, and should be able to contest one objective at the end of the game.

One of the Guardian squads should park in cover close to the single objective you wish to control at the end of the game. The D-Cannons should also be placed close by, preferably out of sight. Ideally, this objective is on either flank, not in the center of your board edge.

The other Guardian squad should be placed on the other flank, about 30" away, and in hard cover. If they are in a ruin, use multiple floors to mitigate the effects of any template weapons targetting them. Remember that the enemy can only target one floor with a single template. This squad will most likely be ignored by the enemy, seeing as it doesn't control an objective, and there are always juicier targets about. Use them to shoot at enemy transports or deep-striking units trying to get to your objective. Two Bright Lances and Two D-Cannons are a big threat in 5th, with the extreme focus on mechanization.

The Jetbikes should try to delay any troops going for the objective. Destructor and Shuriken Catapults are great against hordes. Don't forget that the Catapults are Twin-Linked. Shuriken Cannons can take out or delay light transports like Trukks, Rhinos or Chimeras. Get that side or rear armour! The Shuriken Cannon's 24" range + the 6" Assault Phase move should keep them out of close combat until it is safe to charge. Don't be afraid to charge walkers. The Warlock is more than capable of taking them out.

The Vypers should zoom about like irritating insects, sniping tanks and elite units like Terminators, Plague Marines, Immortals or Zoanthropes. Their Range will keep them safe most of the time. If nessecary, they can stay next to Eldrad for some Guide goodness. Remember to stay out of range of Bolters and Meltaguns. "Feel free to shoot my Vyper with your Lascannon, just as long as you don't target the Falcon/Wave Serpent." It is often better to sacrifice a turn of shooting in order to redeploy and get that 4+ cover save, rather than gamble on that 4+ to hit. If you stay in the open, you present a juicy target to the opponent. Many Lascannon shots can be wasted on a fast-moving Vyper!

War Walkers should Outflank, either supporting the flank where Eldrad and his boys are doing their thing, or to support the Jetbikes delaying forces trying to take the "home objective".

Tactics :: Kill points mission
Try to get the opponent to take first turn. Put all units in reserve. If this happens, the opponent only has three to five turns to kill your units, while you have four to six. At the same time, you're forcing the opponent to react to your reserves, entering play where needed or right into cover/out of sight.

Use cover religiously! This is twice as important with units that are easy to kill in one shot, like Vypers or D-Cannons. Go to ground if neccesary.

If you're ahead, do a full retreat. Hide in a corner, behind buildings or behind bushes. Get those cover saves. The Vypers should fly all over the place if it can keep them alive for one more turn. Winning by a single Kill Point is enough, there is no bonus for winning by tree.

Hordes will likely not have enough anti-tank to hancle two Fortuned Grav Tanks. Keep them moving for that invaluable cover save. Tank shock and drop four Destructor Templates and two Flamer Templates if you can safely eliminate a unit. Don't get charged. War Walkers can Outflank and stay at long range.

Versus Space Marines or similar armies, Rhinos are top priority. Take out one and hide/run away. Drop Pods are also easy to deal with if the reserve rolls are in my favour.

The worst that can happen is that the opponent forces you to take first turn, and all your units enter play in turn two, with the opponent's units enter right after. If this happens, spread out so he can't bunch up on the fragile Eldar. Assault Terminators are nothing to fear, as they will only take out a single unit at most. Taking out the opponent's transports and fast-moving assaulters will win the day for Craftworld Ulthwe.

Reaver Jetbikes

Reaver Jetbikes
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

I recently bought a lot of Dark Eldar miniatures from a regular at GW Oslo. I am now planning to attend Strategikon using a 1700 point Dark Eldar Webway Portal army.

The list looks something like this:
Dark Eldar Dracon w/Incubi retinue
2 Haemonculi w/webway portals
10 Wyches
3 Warp beasts
5 Mandrakes
2x10 Sniper squad
16 Warriors shielding a Haemoculus
5 Reaver Jetbikes
Talos
2 Ravagers

The game plan revolves around the Webway portals ensuring that the hard assault elements arrive safely in close combat. The Sniper squads provide fire support against tanks and elite units so that the large warrior squad and one Haemonculus can advance relatively safe.

One portal is deployed as far forward as possible in the second turn. The Mandrakes will try to disrupt units that can threaten the portal carrier, such as light artillery units and snipers. If there is no such threat, they will try to appear as a potential threat to make the portal carrier able to deploy the portal before he is killed.

Tyranids vs Death Guard

My Tyranids vs Alf's Death Guard
Originally uploaded by Xadhoom.

I played Alf's Death Guard a week ago and took this picture. After posting it on Flickr, I got a question about the number of Tyranid Warriors I was fielding.

bzarcher says:

I'm surprised at the Warriors - do you get good use out of them for the points? Mine never quite feel like they're making their points back.

Xadhoom says:

Yes, they do perform admirably against many opponents, but tend to fall quickly against a prepared opponent. Heavy Bolters, Autocannons, Pulse Rifles and Bolters too often spell doom for a unit of Warriors. There are, as I see it, three remedies:

1: Keep them out of range. Only an option if they have guns, preferably a Venom Cannon and Deathspitters. They won't make a dent in a dug-in Marine unit, though.

2: Keep them out of sight. This is often the best way of ensuring that they are effective. Just sneak up and try get as few turns of incoming fire as possible. This trick works best if the whole army is "revealed" at the same time, which means that there are too many threatening targets for the enemy to kill. More often than not, the Warriors are seen as a lesser threat than, say, a Carnifex or Hive Tyrant, or even better, two Carnifexes and a Hive Tyrant!

3: Get more of them. That's right. Strenght in numbers. If you have a lot, some of them will arrive to do the job. Keeping in mind that they can't be autokilled or routed, they are quite resilient agaist the correct foe (Predator with all Lascannons, Defiler, Dreadnought with Lascannon, Devastator Squad with single-shot weaponry, etc.)

If you see my deployment on this picture (from turn 2, I believe), I have tried a combination of all three tactics. The only units killable to my opponent are the two Carnifexes, gaunts and the Hive Tyrant.

The Warriors on the right are out of range and will try to stay that way until the Death Guard in the left building are occupied fighting Genestealers, the ones on the top left are facing an opponent unsuited to kill enough of them (a Predator with three Lascannons). The Warriors with guns will try to take out the Rhino and Defiler, and the winged Warriors will fly from cover to cover and counter charge the Terminators hiding behind the big towers.