Breaking News: Dark Angels Pictures

I finally have a model

Greetings Gentlereaders,

Thanks to Faeit 212 for this information, including pics.  I'll have to include most of the goodies after the break to save space, but I'll give you the rundown from what I can see.  The rules descriptions I'll give are speculation, but there is one surety: the Dark Angels codex will release on January 12th, 2013 baring the end of the world.  So I'll have to say there is little word on what Belial here will be able to do, including whether he will be able to swap his Sword of Silence for other cc weapons.  Rumor has it that Drago and Logan will be envious, but thus is power creep.  The price list says we should be looking at $25 for this single model, so it doesn't look like GW is wanting to lighten the load of costs on its customers, which is really, really disappointing.  I would love to see the game get less expensive, but I might be willing to accept the increase if the model quality is this consistently gorgeous.  More after the break...

Coming Back from the Brink, pt. 15: The True Believer

Greetings Gentlereaders,

Do you know who your commander is?

First off I wanted to apologize for the unexpected downtime in writing last week, but my finals took priority no matter how much I love writing for you all.   Today we're going to be looking at one of the characters whose identity solidified through the changes of sixth edition.  While I haven't had the chance to run her, I believe she was the best character in fifth edition and is in competition with O'Shovah for that title with respect to sixth.  Yes, you read that correctly: "she."  We're talking about one of two female characters outside of the Sisters of Battle codex in the whole of Warhammer 40k, the other being Inquisitor Valeria.  So if that, or a genuine daredevil character, tickles your fancy keep reading.

A Closer Look: Part III

Hello everyone, and welcome to the newest installment of A Closer Look.  From the get go I'll have to inform you that this series hasn't seen some attention in quite some time, and for a simple reason.  It was started as a way to take an in-depth look at some of the more commonly used aspects of the game, and how we as players might forget or neglect certain elements over the years.  As 5th edition was about 4 years old during the start of the series, it was pretty easy to see some elements misplayed due to sheer mis-memorization.

But now we stand at the entrance of a new era.  6th edition has come, and with it, a massive overhaul of many of the game's basic, and detailed sections.  Very few aspects of 40k were not shifted in some manner or another.  As this is the case, I have decided to dust off the old series, and reinvent it as well.  A Closer Look will take us deep into the new rulebook, and bring to light many of the changes we now face as players.  I don't intend to cover every change, as many of them are pretty universally understood now.  Some examples of these big topic issues that people know are the changes to Feel No Pain, and Disembarking rules.  What I want to look into are the smaller, less frequent rule's that have slipped in which can make or break situations should they not be player correctly.

As there is a huge tome of information to sift through, I have decided a great place to start is the Universal Special Rules section.  These effect almost every army, and are fairly frequent in the 40k games of 6th edition.  So learning the key points of how 6th has changed them is crucial.  So crack open your text books to page 32, and get ready to learn!

Boltguns & Brushstrokes- Weathering Vehicles

           

 For a long time, I was satisfied with my ability to paint infantry, but not vehicles. I always felt like my armies’ tanks never quite were on the same level as the infantry models. A lot of that had to do with not knowing how to apply good weathering effects to them. Case and point, this Predator from my Lions Rampant Space Marines. There is some drybrushed brown around the tracks, but it's not really convincing, particularly on a vehicle that's painted white. 

Coming Back From the Brink pt. 14: The Renegade

I needed an excuse to post this.

Greetings Gentlereaders,

We're going to be talking about the stars of the Tau Empire, the named characters who are meant to bring some diversity to your Tau armies.  There are hundreds of fire caste commanders and ethereals, but the named characters are the equivalent of celebrities in the empire.  I can't say I've been running any of these characters as they do suffer from being as expensive than most space marine characters while being much more vulnerable and questionably less effective.  To be fair, these are some of the more interesting unique characters in 40k, as they have good sides and bad sides.  I'm going to go into each character's background, try to find a tactical use for them, and try to see the good and bad in each of them.  Unfortunately, in order to cover each in appropriate detail I'm going to separate this into three posts.  More after the break.

Coming Back from the Brink, pt. 13: Skyrockets in Flight

Afternoon Delight?

Greetings Gentlereaders!

It's been too long since I last looked into a unit in Tau in depth, but her'es a unit that I've been trying to look at rationally and civilly.  The sky ray has often been the little brother of the hammerhead, but both benefitted from the changes in sixth edition.  Tau armies rarely have surplus heavy support slots, whether they be friendly or competitive.  So, while the sky ray has the potential to be a very useful vehicle in the Tau toolbox, it is in competition with broadsides, hammerheads and sniper drone teams for a place in the FOC.  It is in competition with units from other codices, like riflemen dreadnoughts and the hyrdra for the role of anti-air defense.

A Moment's Consideration As Time Goes By

I wish I was this classy.

Greetings Gentlereaders,

I just wanted to take a moment to consider something that happened today: Rites of Battle crested the 100,000 page views mark.  It's an accomplishment, it's a testament to how many hours we've all put into this website and I'd like to give Corvus, Godfrey and Ishmael a hand for all of their hard work  They've brought their perspective and insights I couldn't hope to synthesize.

But most of all, I'd like to thank you all, our readers.  I can't speak for my co-authors, but I can say I would have given up writing a long time ago if it hadn't been for you all.  I'm honored, flattered and humbled that you all have given us the chance to talk with you about this game we love and that you've stuck by us this long.

Here's looking at you, kid.

The Big Crunch Pt. 1

In a recent article, Godfrey mused that marines, despite having received basically the whole of the updates last edition, are in one of the worst positions this edition. Many of you may be thinking, "How can this be? Matt Ward would never allow the Imperium of man to fall! Not after 5th edition!", and I'm here to say that the Imperium hasn't fallen, but it has certainly tarnished (not that that's completely a bad thing). Herein, I'll list the various talks Heretic, Godfrey and I have had regarding the state of 6th after its first half a year, and specifically how the Emperor's angels of death fare in current conditions.