Finalized Hobby Challenge List

Here is my final list for my hobby challenge.

1000 Pts - Eldar Roster - Hobby Challenge Eldar 1k

HQ: Farseer (1#, 135 pts)
1 Farseer Karadryel, 135 pts ((pp.26, 28 & 60 Eldar); Psyker (2);  Doom ;  Guide ; Fleet; Ghosthelm; Rune Armour; Runes of Warding; Spirit Stones; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; Independent Character;  Warlord)

Elite: The Hidden Death (5#, 122 pts)
4 Striking Scorpions, 122 pts ((pp.33 & 62 Eldar); Mandiblaster; Scorpion Chainsword; Shuriken Pistol; Plasma Grenades)
1 Morlaniath ( Shadowstrike ;  Stalker ; Mandiblaster; Shuriken Pistol; Biting Blade; Plasma Grenades)

Elite: Wraithguard (5#, 165 pts)
4 Wraithguard, 165 pts ((pp.46 & 62 Eldar); Fearless; Wraithsight; Wraithcannon x4)
1 Thirianna ((p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar); Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade)

Troops: The Light That Burns (10#, 162 pts)
9 Dire Avengers, 162 pts ((pp.30 & 64 Eldar); Fleet; Avenger S-Catapult)
1 Iriethien (Power Sword; Fleet;  Bladestorm ; Shimmershield)

Troops: Rangers (5#, 95 pts)
5 Rangers, 95 pts ((pp.38 & 64 Eldar); Fleet; Infiltrate; Move Through Cover; Stealth; Shuriken Pistol x5; Ranger Long Rifle)

Heavy Support: Falls The Long Night (5#, 207 pts)
4 Dark Reapers, 207 pts ((pp.34 & 66 Eldar); Reaper Launcher)
1 Maerthuin (Tempest Launcher)

Heavy Support: Wraithlord (1#, 110 pts)
1 Kenainath, 110 pts ((pp.47 & 66 Eldar); Monstrous Creature; Fearless; Wraithsight; Flamer x2; Wraithblade; Shuriken Cannon; Fear; Hammer of Wrath; Move Through Cover; Relentless; Smash)

Total Roster Cost: 996

Hobby Progress to Date:
I have stripped the wraithguard I bought on Ebay, Simple Green works great at that. I have also airbrushed a coat of white on the helmets of my Dire Avengers and started to paint their amour regal blue.

Hobby Challenge: 1000 points of Eldar by my Birthday

My Friend and I are doing a hobby challenge to paint 1000 points worth of models by my birthday (July 4th)
This should be easy to do as that's just 200 points a month. I am going to do Eldar, inspired by Gav Thorpe's novels Path of the Warrior and Path of the Seer. Below is my proposed list and my reasons for taking them.

1000 Pts - Eldar Roster - The Sword of Alaitoc

 (Thirianna is one of the 3 main characters in this trilogy. She is represented here by a Warlock. Kelamith was one of the Farseer's in defence of Alaitoc when the Mon-keigh came.)
HQ: Farseer (4#, 280 pts)
1 Warlock Unit, 105 pts
1 Methrain ((p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar);  Embolden ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade)
1 Thirianna ((p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar);  Enhance ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade)
1 Nenamin ((p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar);  Destructor ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade)
1 Farseer Kelamith, 175 pts ((pp.26, 28 & 60 Eldar); Psyker (2);  Doom ;  Fortune ;  Guide ; Fleet; Ghosthelm; Rune Armour; Runes of Warding; Runes of Witnessing; Spirit Stones; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; Independent Character;  Warlord)


(The Hidden Death is the shrine that Korlandril went to when he became trapped on the Path of the Warrior and became the Exarch Morlianath)
Elite: The Hidden Death (6#, 138 pts)
5 Striking Scorpions, 138 pts ((pp.33 & 62 Eldar); Mandiblaster; Scorpion Chainsword; Shuriken Pistol; Plasma Grenades)
1 Morlaniath ( Shadowstrike ;  Stalker ; Mandiblaster; Shuriken Pistol; Biting Blade; Plasma Grenades)


(The Deadly Shadow is the Striking Scoprion shrine that Korlandril trained at. Khenainath was his Mentor/Leader)
The Deadly Shadow (6#, 148 pts)
5 Striking Scorpions, 148 pts ((pp.33 & 62 Eldar); Mandiblaster; Scorpion Chainsword; Shuriken Pistol; Plasma Grenades)
1 Khenainath ( Shadowstrike ;  Stalker ; Mandiblaster; Scorpion Chainsword; Scorpion Claw; Plasma Grenades)


(I couldnt find a good reference to the Fire Dragon's in the novels, but need something at 1000 points to deal with vehicles (if any).)
The Fang That Falls (6#, 136 pts)
5 Fire Dragons, 136 pts ((pp.32 & 62 Eldar); Fleet; Fusion Gun; Melta Bombs)
1 Maerthuin (Fleet; Tank Hunters;  Crack Shot ; Firepike; Melta Bombs)

(This is a Dire Avenger shrine specifically mentioned in Path of the Warrior)
Troops: The Light That Burns (10#, 177 pts)
9 Dire Avengers, 177 pts ((pp.30 & 64 Eldar); Fleet; Avenger S-Catapult)
1 Iriethien (Power Sword; Fleet;  Bladestorm ;  Defend ; Shimmershield)

(Finishing up the trio of intertwined stories, Aradryan is represented on the table by the Pathfinders.)
Troops: Pathfinders (Rangers) (5#, 120 pts)
5 Pathfinders (Rangers), 120 pts ((pp.38 & 64 Eldar); Fleet; Infiltrate; Move Through Cover; Stealth; Ignore Difficult Terrain; Pathfinder Stealth; Scouts; Shuriken Pistol x5; Ranger Long Rifle)

Fluff aside, this list will let me paint a variety of different amour patterns from the greens and gold of the Scorpions to the red and orange of the Fire Dragons. Striking Scorpions have always been one of my most favourite Aspect Warriors, there is something about how menacing the miniatures look that appeals to me. The Warlocks with the Farseer will be painted in the colours of Alaitoc (blue and yellow) but I want to try and mimic the scheme on the cover of Path of the Seer so it is not as simple as blue robes with a yellow helmet.

I will post pics as I make progress.

House Rules: Because Games Workshop wont fix your game for you. Edited 2/22/13

Its clearly going to be a long time before Games Workshop figures out how to fix certain aspects of this game. Looking at this purely from the view point of a non tournament player, there are several things that seem completely wrong to me that Games Workshop has failed to address either in 6th Edition as a whole, or in recent FAQ's. Please keep in mind, I play all of the armies affected below, except Space Wolves and Imperial Guard

To resolve these outstanding issues, I am considering using the following house rules for games at my house.

1. Storm Talon are available to all Space Marines. If these are not in your codex, it is a fast attack unit.
2. Storm Raven are available to all Space Marines. If it is not in your codex, it is a heavy support slot. Missiles are per Codex, or: Stormstrike Missiles (72", Str8, AP2, Concussive, Heavy 1, One Shot).
3. All units with access to Missile Launchers may upgrade to flak missiles for +10 points. (Does not apply to Dreadnought Missile Launchers, Cyclone Missile Launchers, or Typhoon Missile Launchers)
4. Dreadnought Missile Launchers are Heavy 2. (Does anyone really think you should give up a POWER FIST for a 1 shot missile launcher you have to pay points for?)
5. Runes of Warding (Revised): Replace the Codex entry with the following. Runes of Warding allow the Farseer to make a Deny the Witch roll on behalf of any unit in the Primary or Secondary detachment, or on behalf of Blood Brother level allies. The Eldar care too little about the affairs of Allies of Convenience (or worse) to intervene on their behalf. Farseer's with Rune's of Warding get +1 on Deny the Witch rolls. Due to the 'nerf' to Runes of Warding, Farseers do not need to purchase their powers and may select 1 per mastery level from the Codex powers available, or may choose to roll on the BRB tables subject to restrictions in point 12.
6. Shadows in the Warp (New): To bring this in line with the changes to Runes of Warding and Runic Weapons, replace the Codex Entry with the following: Shadows in the Warp gives all Tyranid Creatures within Synapse Range a 5+ Deny the Witch Roll. Synapse Creatures themselves Deny the Witch on a 4+. Due to this 'nerf' Tyranid Psykers now receive their psychic powers for free.
7. Psychic Hoods give a 5+ chance to negate the wound from Peril's of the Warp (The fluff always describes these as being a psychic defence against the warp but that never translated in to the game)
8. Runic Weapons function as Psychic Hoods (IE they allow the Rune Priest to take a Deny the Witch test on behalf of a friendly unit within 6"). They are unusual Force Weapons (Str: User, AP3). They always dispel on a 4+ (as if the Psyker is a higher masterly level) and wound daemons on a 2.This 'nerf' is offset by the fact that they now get a 5+ nullify on Perils from the Warp due to point 7.
9. Characters & Independent Characters are immune to Instant Death from Toughness x2. They can still be insta gibbed by weapons with the Instant Death rule (unless they also have Eternal Warrior)
10. Eternal Warrior (New):  Since Eternal Warrior now has less value due to point 9. In addition to preventing Instant Death from Weapons that cause Instant Death, Eternal Warrior now gives Feel No Pain (6+).
11. Tyranids: Synapse creatures are immune to Instant Death from Toughness x2. They can still be insta gibbed by weapons with the Instant Death rule (unless they also have Eternal Warrior)
12. Psychic Powers (New): Psykers from Pre 6th Ed Codices must choose to either purchase/select powers from the Codex, or roll for 1 BRB power per Mastery level. This decision must be made when building the army (to make all psykers equal with regards to psychic power selection).
13. Multiple castings of the same psychic power do not stack (Hammerhand, Enfeeble etc)
14. Special Character Psykers: If selecting BRB powers, gets 1 power per Mastery Level (IE: Mephiston gets 3 instead of the 2 in the stupid GW FAQ)
15. Psykers: Tyranids. If you select a power you can not use due to having a BS of 0, you get to choose a different power (Same as if you are only Mastery Level 1 and generate a 2 WC power)
16. Warlord Traits: Roll a d6 and then choose any option with that number from the 3 Warlord Trees in the BRB. IE if you roll a 3, you have your choice of the third trait in each tree. If your Codex has Warlord traits, you can either choose to roll on your Codex table, or on the BRB. (Nothing sucks worse than getting a Warlord Trait that is completely useless to your Army. Seriously, why would a Wolf Lord ever work on developing Acute Senses (Warlord Trait) when they all ready have them??)
17. First Blood: Dedicated Transports do not count towards first blood UNLESS the dedicated transport is only a dedicated transport due to unit type. For example, a Rhino, Drop Pod or Raider will not count, but a Land Raider for a Wolf Guard squad (Normally heavy Support) would count for First Blood.
18. Fortifications: After setting up terrain, remove 1 piece of terrain (of your choice) from your deployment zone and replace it with your fortification, There must be at least 3 inches between your fortification and any other piece of terrain. If unable to place the fortification due to this restriction, remove a second piece of terrain from your deployment zone. Continue removing terrain in this manner until there is sufficient room for the fortification. (This prevents your opponent from being a dick and placing LOS blocking terrain directly in front of your Fortification you paid points for).
19. Wound Allocation/Resolution: Ignore the FAQ's regarding this. The BRB is clear enough regarding Wound Allocation and Look Out Sir! rolls. If the Armour saves in the unit are identical, roll saves, remove casualties form the front, and then once wounds reach the Character, use Look Out Sir! to move the unsaved wounds past the Character on to identically armoured models in the unit. It is a complete waste of time to roll one wound at a time just in case wounds reach the Character.
20. Helldrakes arc of fire is 180 degrees frontal, It may look like a Dragon, but Games Workshop sure as hell did not model it with a long enough neck to shoot BEHIND it.
21. Heavy Bolters (New): Man Portable Heavy Bolters have suspensors. These lighten the weight of the weapon, allowing it to move and shoot, but reducing its accuracy at long range, alternately, the operator can remain stationary, bracing the weapon for maximal long range firepower. Use the following profile: R36" S5 AP4, Salvo 2/3. Vehicle Heavy Bolters use the profile in the BRB.
22. Bike and Jump Pack Upgrades for 5th Ed Codices (New): Reduce the cost for Bikes from 35 points to 20, and Jump Packs from 25 to 15 for units selected from the HQ section. (This brings them in line with 6th Ed Codices.

 That's it for now. I'll add more as they come up. What do you think about these rules? If you have any suggestions or if there are other house rules your groups use, feel free to post them in the comments below.

3000 Point Eldar/Dark Eldar vs Space Wolves

3000 Point Eldar/Dark Eldar vs Space Wolves

This past weekend I had a very enjoyable game with my friend where I was playing 3000 points of Eldar with Dark Eldar Allies and he was playing Space Wolves.

I had gotten in to Dark Eldar as a way to fill some holes in my Eldar Army (mainly around Fast Attack) and this was the first opportunity that I had to try out the combination.

My friend brought over 1000 points of characters for me to deal with! Including Logan Grimmnar, Njal Stormcaller (in Runic Terminator Armor), Ragnar Blackmane, a generic Rune Priest (ML1) and Lukas the Trickster. Backing up the Herohammer, was a nasty 15 man Blood Claw Pack in a Land Raider Crusader, 10 man Wolf Guard Terminator Pack (loaded for bear) a 9 man Wolf Guard Pack in Rhino, 10 man Grey Hunter Pack in Rhino, 3 Thunderwolf Calvary, and a Dreadnought with Assault Cannon and Heavy Flamer.

Arrayed against him, I brought Eldrad Ulthuan, 6 Fire Dragons, 5 Wraithguard with Warlock in Wave Serpent, two 10 man Dire Avenger squads (1 in Wave Serpent),5 Pathfinders, 5 Dark Reapers (for marine killing goodness), 3 War Walkers with twin Scatter Lasers (outflanking) and a Falcon Grav Tank.

The Dark Eldar were represented by Baron Sathonyx, 5 Incubi in a Venom, 10 Warriors in a Raider (Blaster & Dark Lance), 9 Hellions, 5 Scourges (1 Heat Lance, 1 Blaster), and a Razorwing Jet Fighter.

The mission was Emperors Will. A single objective in each players table half with all three normal secondary objectives. We had pretty well set up across from each other. I had the edge in manoeuvrability and had though about deploying on the weak flank and then rolling in, but decided that I needed to try and hold the objective in my deployment zone. To this task, I set the squad of Dire Avengers on foot with Eldrad Ulthuan.

He had the first turn, which was bad for me because I needed to stop his Land Raider back in his deployment zone. Unfortunately, with it driving 12 inches forward, and then another 6 in the shooting phase, the Blood Claws inside were well within charge no matter what I managed to accomplish on my turn 1.

My turn 1, I was able to get prescience off on both the Dark Reapers and Eldrad's Dire Avengers (thanks to Eldrad's staff allowing the same power to be cast twice in the same turn). The Dire Avengers opened up with Bladestorm on the Thunderwolves, bring down 2 of their number! Whilst the Wraithguard disembarked within 12 inches of the Land Raider and blew it up with their Wraithcannons. The rest of my shooting was largely ineffectual on my Turn 1.

On his turn two, the Blood Claws moved up and assaulted my Scourges (I had left them in front of my objective as a speed bump). I had no doubts what the outcome of that assault would be, and with +2 attacks on the charge plus prescience re-rolls the young Space Wolves handily bested the birdmen.

The Wolfguard Terminators (with Njall, Logan, and Arjac) opened up on the Hellions and practically shot them off the table, leaving only a single hellion remaining. The volume of str 6 shooting form the Assault Cannon, Living Lightning, and the Dreadnoughts Assault Cannon, penetrating through the Barons Shadow Field and inflicting instant death!

Meanwhile  the last Thunderwolf charged the Raider the warriors were in. Despite several hits from the overwatch fire of the Warriors inside, the Thunderwolf survived and wrecked the Raider easily with his Thunderhammer. The Wolf Guard with Ragnar disembark from the Rhino to prepare to charge next turn,

My Turn two, Both my War Walkers and my Razorwing FAILED to come in. I felt like this put me in a really bad spot because my shooting effectiveness had been severely reduced and I thought I would need those 2 additional units to keep the pressure on. The Wraithguard shot a few hapless Blood Claws who died easily due to the wraithcannons wounding on 2+ and being a low AP, while my Dire Avengers moved to prepare to charge the Blood Claws. My Incubi disembarked form their Venom and readied to charge the Wolfguard Terminators, determined to test their blades against the best the enemy had to offer. The Dire Avengers and Wraithguard charged the Blood Claws, and spent the next couple turns in close combat. Sadly, Eldrad was lain low by the Rune Priests Force Weapon (he got 1 wound past Eldrad's 3++ save, and then sucessfully made the test to activate the Force Weapon). Fortunately, Eldrad cut him down in retaliation for the mortal wound. The Incubi, slaughtered 5 terminators! but were wiped out to a man in retaliation. While all this was going on, I continued keeping he pressure up on the rest of his forces, with the Warriors managing to finish off the Thunderwolves with a final volley of splinter shots, and my Wave Serpents started to hunt the Rhino's.

My Friends Turn Three, the Rhino with the Grey Hunters managed to immobilise itself near his Objective. The surviving Terminators moved to capture the objective on his half of the table, while Close Combat was largely everyone trying to kill Lukas the trickster (unsuccessfully!!). Ragnar charged the Wraithguard (he didn't realise just how tough they were). They weathered his attacks, and then got some lucky hits to bring the Wolf Lord down.

My turn three, the Razorwing came in, but the blasted War Walkers must have stopped for tea. They wouldn't come in now until it was too late to make a difference on the battle. The Fire Dragons disembarked from the Falcon, and slew Njall (instant Death) and Logan (3 wounds got past his 4++). The empty Wave Serpent shot up Ragnar's Rhino, and the the other (with Dire Avengers inside) skimmed over and blew up the Grey Hunters Rhino, forcing them to disembark.

My Friends turn four, The Grey Hunters tried to shoot down a Wave Serpent with their Plasma Guns. meanwhile, the Dreadnought sauntered over and laid waste to the fire dragons with its AP4 Assault Cannon and its AP4 ignores cover Heavy Flamer (Does anyone expect fire Dragons to survive after they disembark anyways?) Close Combat in turn four finally saw Lukas the Trickster slain by the Dire Avenger Exarch (thanks to people standing around cheering him) and luckily for the Eldar his Stasis Bomb heart failed to trap them for all eternity with him!

At that, we called it a game. He was down to a single Grey Hunter Pack left, and I had more than enough stuff to shoot at him to clear the table.

Lessons Learned:
1) I am always really impressed by Dire Avengers when I take them. For about 180 points, you get 27 Shuriken Shots with Blade Storm, enemies get -1 attack in close combat every turn, AND you get a 5+ invulnerable for every member of the squad while the Exarch is alive.

2) Lukas the Trickster is a beast in close combat. There is a reason for Blood Claws in the Space Wolves Codex...it is so you can get Lukas the Trickster. So many attacks, either re rolling misses or failed rounds thanks to the Wolf Claw. He killed models in almost every round of close combat.

3) Even with a 3+ reserve roll, you cannot count on them. I will seriously have to consider whether to outflank War Walkers in the future when it isn't 100% necessary to do so (for example, hoping for side armour shots). In this game, I am positive I would have been better off without outflanking.

4) Large battles are fun. I had over 80 models in my army. My Friend 53. We got to kill lots of stuff and still have units to do stuff with.

First Impressions: Codex Dark Angels

Codex: Dark Angels is out now, and after having a week to look at it I have got to say I am very impressed. There are a lot of little nuggets in that codex that are going to take time for everyone to figure out the synergy between the different units and how best to use it, but once they do I think it will do very well in the tournament scene.

THE GOOD
DEATHWING: Terminators in this codex are more expensive than terminators in other codex's, however this is for a very good reason. First of all, every terminator is a member of the Inner Circle. This special rule gives them Fearless and Preferred Enemy: Chaos Space Marine. Furthermore, you get to choose wether your deepstriking terminators come in on turn 1 or 2 two automatically without reserve rolls. When they come down, they automatically count their shooting attacks as twin linked AND they can split fire, so if you position yourself right, you can shoot the heavy weapon at one squad and the storm bolters at another. They also maintained the ability to put a cyclone missile launcher on a Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield Terminator (or twin lightning claws) and have an option to take a Plasma Cannon! Plus, they got two new Terminator units, Deathwing Knights, and Deathwing Command Squad

RAVENWING: Bikes with Teleport Homers so your Deathwing wont scatter. Plus you can get 6 Bikes, an Attack Bike, and a Land Speeder as a single Fast Attack Choice (or Troops choice with the Azrael or Sammael). The Ravenwing Knights models are awesome and have twin linked 18 inch rapid fire plasma guns and +1Str Rending close combat weapons. There is a command squad option as well, but since its limited to only 3 models, I dont think it will be used much.

LIBRARIANS: 65 Point Librarian with Divination = Winning!

MULTIPLE SMALL UNITS (MSU): Dark Angels can take a 5 man Tac Squad with a Sgt, Missile Launcher and flak missiles for 95 points. If you need something to sit on an objective, you might as well take a couple small quads with heavy weapons, hide them on turn 1 or 2 till your Deathwing come, and then pop out and start missiling things!

BANNERS: Dark Angels have access to some of the best banners seen in the game to date. Feel no Pain to everything within 12 inches, OR make all bolt guns within 6" Salvo2/4 weapons are awesome!

THE BAD
ASSAULT SQUADS: Granted, there are other things in the fast attack slot to spend your points on (Ravenwing Knights and Land Speeders come to mind), but it is as if Jeremy Vetock (the Author) didnt want you to take Assault Squads at all. The only weapon upgrades for the squads is Plasma Pistol or Flamer. No access to Melta Guns OR Plasma Guns

PLASMA WEAPONS: Dark Angels did not get the rumored special rule to make Plasma Weapons safer for them. Since the Dark Vengeance box comes with a Tax Squad with Plasma Gun, Plasma Cannon, and Plasma Pistol, it would have been nice to have some protection.

THE UGLY
LAND SPEEDER DARK SHROUD: Its a 3 man Land Speeder with a piece of building mounted on the back. Seriously, they couldnt come up with something that looked better than a piece of wall with a statue?

Overall, It looks like this Codex is fairly well balanced against Codex: Chaos Space Marine, and if that proves to be true of future Codex releases for 6th edition as well, that is going to make this a very good game in the years ahead.

Dark Eldar - A new addiction!

I started a Dark Eldar army in the last couple months. My force is still fairly small, but I already see it coming together in to a deadly force.

Here are the top 3 things I love about the Dark Eldar:
1) The plastic kits they put out for the relaunch of Dark Eldar are incredible. They are some of the best kits Games Workshop has put out to date. The Raider's even have a gangplank and the razorwing Fight is sleek, deadly, and low enough to the ground to get cover from some of my ruins!
2) Speed: Hellions, Scourges, Jetbikes, and Open Topped Transports! Dark Eldar have some serious speed on their side. If you flat out, your raiders will be in your oponents face before they have a chance to do anything!
3) Allies: I started these guys as allies for my Craftworld Eldar to fill a hole in my force (im lacking Fast Attack in my Craftworld Eldar stuff)

As a single Allied detachment now, I am looking at:
HQ: Baron Sarthonyx (Makes Hellions count as troops)
Elite: Incubi in Venom or Raider
Troop: Hellions (Jump Infantry)
Fast Attack: Scourges (for Anti Vehicle)
Heavy Support: Razorwing Fighter with Dark Lances

I think this will give me the mobility my Craft World Eldar were lacking (Other than Waveserpents which are really really expensive and a single falcon, the rest of my Eldar were on foot and I had no Warp Spiders or Swooping Hawks)

I cant wait to try this duo on the battlefield in a larger game.

Eldar vs Imperial Guard

Tuesday night I played a game against my friends IG army with my Eldar. This was a 1500 point game and I was not too confident going in to it. I knew he was going to be taking at least 2 Leman Russ tanks, and my long range fire power to deal with those was limited to just two Wave Serpents with twin linked Bright Lances.

I took a 6 man squad of Fire Dragons, hoping to rely on their melta weaponry to deal with the AV14. I also took a 5 man Wraithguard Squad with a Warlock and they proved to be the stars of my army. Even with such a small squad, thanks to guide, they had no problem getting glancing and penetrating hits on the AV14. This is because their Wraithcannons glance on a d6 roll of 3-4 and penetrate on a 5-6!!

My entire force was either mounted in Falcons/Wave Serpents, or infiltrated/out flanked. On my turn three, my Wraithguard disembarked from their Wave Serpent and completely annihilated the first Leman Russ tank. On turn 4, they vaporized the second Leman Russ and it was pretty well game over for the Guard.

There were a couple other things that worked well for me as well. This was my first time outflanking War Walkers. They came in on my turn two on my preferred table edge and basically removed the threat of his artillery squadron (2 Medusa) by destroying one outright, and taking the main gun off the second. I was also impressed with the durability of the Wave Serpents. The force field makes them really good, and I was able to drive them more aggressively because of it.

Rumors are that Eldar will be getting a plastic Wraithguard kit in the near future. If that turns out to be true I will be really happy because when you can get them within 12" it seems not much will be able stand up to them.

Craft World Eldar in 6th Edition

So with 6th Edition, I think Eldar took a bit of a beating and here's why.

1. Troop Weaponry: With the move to 6th edition, a lot of what made Eldar good in 5th is now what kind of hurts them. For example, the changes to Rapid Fire weapons are great, until you realise that Eldar do not have a single Rapid fire weapon in the Codex. Eldar relied more on not being hit than armour saves but now they are being hit by more shots, and in a lot of cases outside the range of the full fire power of a squad. The only troop unit that got noticeably better is the Rangers/Pathfinders, and that's because they benefit from 6th edition Sniper rules, as well as making rolls to hit of 5 or 6 AP1 (And rolls to hit of 6 are AP1 with Precision Shot so you get to pick the target)
2. 2+ Armour saves: Not only do the Eldar have almost no 2+ saves (only the Phoenix Lords have access iirc) They also lack ways to deal with 2+ armour saves effectively, and cheaply. They have no man portable plasma guns to fall back on. In fact all of the Eldar plasma weaponry is on vehicles or the equivalent. Which in a pure foot list leaves only Fire Dragons & Wraithguard for killing Terminators reliably, and with those, they are both a 12 inch range, so you will only get 1 turn of shooting off before you are squished in close combat (on average). In close combat, only certain special characters, Monstrous Creatures (Avatar and Wraithlord) and some Exarch upgrades can deal with Terminators.
3. Vehicles: Beyond a doubt, the changes to vehicles is what hurt Eldar the most. Now that at most you get 3 glancing hits to wreck a vehicle, certain upgrades that were good before are now almost never worth their points cost, like the Holofield. Add to that, that the Eldar Vehicles still suffer from 4th edition pricing schemes and you wind up with some expensive, and greatly nerfed transports. Not being able to assault out of a vehicle perhaps hurt the Eldar most of all, as they have no way to get their close combat troops where they need to be, where they can still be combat ready on the turn they arrive.

But all is not bad. There are some good things that came out of 6th Edition too!

1. Psychic Abilities: Runes of Warding didn't get nerfed, so it is still the most effective anti psyker ability point for point of any army. In addition, Eldar received access to the all important Divination School, with the awesome killyness of giving ignore cover to a squad of Dark Reapers. Or the extended range on the prescience power which increases the utility you will get out of your Farseers.
2. Vehicles: Now that you can glance vehicles to death, the excessive amount of Str 6 shots a Eldar Warhost can put out should make any MSU army tremble (looking at you Blood Angels/Grey Knights)

The rumour is that Eldar will be receiving a new Codex next year (I would expect this in the latter half of the year in October or November). To be viable again, I think the Aspect Warriors need a revamp. It would be nice for example if Scorpion Chainswords had an AP value in close combat. Ultimately though, every single Aspect needs to be viable in tournament play. These are warriors that can spend entire human lifetimes mastering a single aspect of warfare, and that should be reflected in the rules. Will Phil Kelly pull it off? Only time will tell (Unless you are a Farseer, then you have already glimpsed what the future brings)

40k Campaign Game 1: Tau vs Imperial Guard @ 1100 points.

Tonight I played a campaign game against my friends Imperial Guard at 1100 points. We were playing a modified mission with Dawn of War Deployment, Tau deploy and go first, and Night Fighting on turn 1 to represent the Tau's dastardly dawn assault. There was a single objective in the guard deployment zone and the Tau objective was basically kill points.

The battlefield consisted of 3 ruined buildings in each deployment zone, with a no man's land in the middle with several craters and a small ruin to represent a fountain or gathering place. I pictured this as the ruined town centre for a small town destroyed in an earlier Tau assault.

My Tau consisted of Shas'O Darkfall with a Cyclic Ion Blaster and Missile Pod, 2 three man Crisis Suit Teams, 1 with Fusion Blasters and Missile Pods that I planned to deep strike in to take out any IG armour, and 1 with Burst Cannons and Missile Pods for more anti-infantry fire power. There were 2 twelve man Fire Warrior Squads, 2 four man Gun Drone Squadrons (Held in reserve to deep strike), and 2 Broadsides, each  selected as individual Heavy Support choices.

My opponent had a Lord Commissar, 2 Vet Squads with Melta Guns and Chimera and 1 Vet Squad with Gunnery Sgt Harker, cammo cloaks, and plasma guns that he deployed in a ruin for a very annoying 2+ cover save! He also had 2 Medusa taken as seperate heavy support choices and a single Vendetta.

Turn 1:

• Tau Turn 1: This was pretty successful. Taking advantage of my Black Sun Filters to negate the penalties with Night Fighting, my Broadsides were able to destroy both Medusa with a single lucky round of shooting. My Commander with his Crisis Suit squad (Burst Cannons) opened fire on a chimera out in the open with their missile pods and managed to get 2 hull points on it. Lastly I managed to kill a single guardsman in Gunnery Sgt Harkers squad when he rolled a 1 for his cover save. Unfortunately, he wouldn't fail another 2+ cover save on that squad for the rest of the game!!!
• Imperial Guard turn 1 was pretty ineffective, he drove both Chimera 12 inches forward and snap fired at a Fire Warrior squad in the ruins at the center of my deployment zone managing to kill 1 Warrior. Losing both Medusa before they got to shoot put a crimp in his plan for sure.

Turn 2:

• Tau Turn 2: This was another successful turn of putting lead on target. All 3 of my squads in reserve came in. I deep struck the 2 Gun Drone Squadrons behind Gunnery Sgt Harkers location but they scattered far to the left. Luckily, my Fusion Blaster Squad landed exactly where i wanted them and were in range to blast the Chimera this turn. The Fusion Blaster Squad split fire (the Team Leader had a target lock) and blew up both Chimera, the resulting explosions rocked the Guardsmen with one squad taking 50% casualties despite having Carapace Armour upgrades. Both Guard Squads were pinned and were quickly cut down by the combined fire power of 11 rapid fire pulse rifles, and my Commanders Crisis squad. The Gun Drones managed to inflict a wound on the Guard squad at the back, but they passed their pinning test.
• Imperial Guard Turn 2: The Vendetta came in on Guard Turn 2, but over 2/3rds of their army was gone by that point. Harkers squad turned its weapons on the Fusion blaster Crisis Squad and managed to cut down the shield drone and 1 of the suits. The Vendetta promptly melted the rest of the Fusion Blaster squad with its 3 twin linked lascannons.

Turn 3:

• Tau Turn 3: This was the least efficient turn of the game for the Tau. The Broadsides managed to get a hit on the Vendetta but it jinked out of the way of the shot. It also jinked out of the way of the missile shots form the Commanders Crisis squad. At this point the Fire Warrior squads pretty well played no further role in the game as they couldn't get any wounds past the 2+ cover save Sgt Harker's squad had, however the Gun Drones continued to pile on the wounds each turn, causing the Guardsmen to become pinned down.
• Guard Turn 3: The Guardsmen fire was largely ineffective, only managing to kill a single gun drone with the Guardsmen (since they had to snap fire for being pinned) and the Vendetta missed its targets since it had to snap fire due to jinking.

Turn 4:

• Tau Turn 4: The Broadsides managed to get a lucky penetrating hit that caused the Vendetta to crash and burn. Unfortunately, it scatted 1 inch to short to flatten some Fire Warriors! The Gun Drones continued to lay down suppressive fire on the guardsmen, who at this point were down to 4 men including the lord Commissar.
• Imperial Guard Turn 4: Down to only 4 men and trying to prevent a tabling, the Guardsmen huddled down in the ruins out of line of sight of everything but the Gun Drones. 

Turn 5:

• Tau Turn 5: The Gun Drones again laid down a curtain of suppressive fire, slaying the remaining Guardsmen and leaving only the Commissar standing. The Commander with his Crisis suits bounded forward hoping to get another chance to shoot at the enemy commander.
• Imperial Guard Turn 5: The Commissar, looking around and seeing all the bodies of his troopers, bellowed a war cry and charged the nearest Gun Drone Squadron. Unfortunately, armed only with a Bolt Gun and a Chain Sword, the Commissar was largely ineffective in close combat and even managed to take a wound in return from a Gun Drone!

 With close combat completed and the morale check for losing the combat completed, it was time to roll to end the game and my friend rolled a 1.

Victory to Commander Darkfall!! Victory to the Tau Empire!!

What I learned:
1) Gun Drones are actually really good. This is only the second time I have fielded them, and being able to deep strike in and inflict pinning wounds on models and negate part of their cover save was great.
2) Tau guns are awesome!! Seriously, I am used to bolt guns where you need 4's to wound most things. Having a game where every weapon in my army needed 2's to wound the enemy was awesome.
3) Tau need to be able to deal with dug in units like Sgt Harker. lacking any decent close combat units, Tau have to rely on shooting squads out of cover like that so I either need to take some marker lights in my next game, or deep strike in some suits with Flamers.
4) 1100 points makes for a nice quick game for an evening, it took us about 80 minutes to play a full 5 turns and on the plus side, at 1100 points, you cant over specialise or you wind up being unable to deal with one thing or another.

My friend is still learning with Imperial Guard and made some mistakes early in the game, driving the Chimera's out of cover on turn 1 instead of waiting for his turn 2 where I would have also been shooting at the Vendetta, but it was overall a very enjoyable game. He is going to write the next mission for our narrative campaign and I will post again once we have played that.

Codex Tau: The Greater Good and You in 6th Edition 40k.

Tau are one of those old codex's that got a substantial boost in playability for 6th edition due to the changes to rapid fire and a couple really good FAQ's. They still suffer high points costs, especially with their vehicles, but they actually became more survivable due to the interaction between a skimmers 5+ Jink cover save when moving, and the Disruption Pods.

Here are some of the cool things with Tau in 6th edition

1. Rail guns. Rail guns remain the best anti-tank weapon in the game (except for possibly the unreliable Zoanthropes Warp Lance). Strength 10, AP1 can wreck any vehicle in the game in one shot, and with the Hammer and Anvil Deployment, you actually get to take advantage of the 72 inch range.
2. Jet Pack Infantry (Crisis Suits, Stealth Suits, and Gun Drone Squadrons) now move 2d6 in the assault phase instead of just 6". While on average this will not make much of a difference in a game, it does mean you can potentially jump forward 6 inches, shoot, and then jump back 12 inches for a net distance gain of 6 inches which is great when fighting assault based armies.
3. Rapid Fire: Pulse Rifles have a 30 inch range and can rapid fire twice up to 15 inches away. This is huge because on average against non fleet foot infantry, they will fail a 9 inch charge more times than they will make it.
4. Hammerhead Tanks: AV13 with a 3+ cover save, this is a Tough nut to crack. Couple that with being able to move 12 inches and still fire that big gun at full effect due to the multi tracker upgrade, your opponent will have a hard time countering these on the field. And with the sub munition round on the rail gun, its deadly against horde infantry as well.
5. Night Fight Experts: Every pure Tau unit in the Codex has access to a Blacksun Filter. These give the model night vision, and you only need 1 model in a unit with night vision to gain the benefits. This lets you take advantage of your superior long range Rail Guns on Turn 1 when you are most likely to have Night Fight where it will matter.
6. Fish of Fury!: Load a Devilfish with 12 Fire Warriors, disembark 15 inches from the enemy, Rapid Fire 24 Str5 AP5 Shots, then either another 7 shots from the Devilfish (with Burst cannon and Smart Missile Upgrade) or Flat Out in front of the Fire Warriors to get some cover and protection from assaults next turn. If you have 2 of these in position, even Terminator squads will melt!
7. Gun Drone Shenanigans: The basic Devilfish comes with 2 gun drones. If you disembark them, they become a small 2 man denial unit that you can possibly take advantage of on the last turn of the game to get a win!