Rules Shenanigans: Baal Predator

Good morning everyone, I came across this earlier and thought this might peak your interest. As you probably know, GW recently published FAQs for the Blood Angels and Tyranid codices. Why the Blood Angels FAQ was produced in a shorter time after the publishing of the codex than the Tyranid FAQ, I don't know. For the most part these FAQs make sense, even when they change initial interpretations based on the big rule book, but the ruling on the Baal Predator makes me wonder if the author thought this all the way through.

The Question:
Can a Baal Predator use its Smoke Launchers during its scout move?

The Answer:
Yes

The Shenanigans:
This may not seem like a problem, but look closely at the wording of Smoke Launchers on page 62 of the big rule book. Smoke Launchers may be triggered by the vehicle "after completing its move." Fine so far, a scout move is a move and therefore Baal Predators should be able to trigger their smoke launchers.

Where the shenanigans begin is when you look at the duration of smoke launchers. The precise phrasing states the vehicle "will count as obscured in the next enemy Shooting phase, receiving a 4+ cover save." Now let's say the Blood Angels player goes first, scouts his Baal and pops smoke. They will then be able to take a turn as normal, including moving and firing any weapons they desire and they will still benefit from the smoke launchers. There are no caveats about a turn taken between the triggering of the smoke launchers and the next enemy shooting phase.

Now let's look at how to exploit this, most likely with the Baal's shiny new weapon the Flamestorm Cannon. It only has a template range from the tip of the Cannon, but being a fast vehicle it's speed makes it a practical weapon. A Baal can move 18" in its scout move and then move 12" in its first movement phase and fire one weapon, all of this under the effects of the smoke launchers. This allows a Blood Angels player to get a Flamestorm Cannon 6" into your deployment zone in a Pitched Battle or Spearhead game before you can take a turn and benefit from smoke launchers in your first turn.

Will this cause problems with 40k as a whole? I don't think it will, as it only affects one army and can only be exploited if they go first. Will this cause any changes to my gaming experience? I don't think it will because no one in my gaming group runs Baal Predators. What does it make me think of GW's FAQ writers? I think they should have thought more of the implications of their rulings.

Will it change your gaming experience, if so how?

Progress Report: Godfrey's Templar I

Hello again everyone. Loki here presenting you all with a look at the progress of my newest army, the Black Templar. I have decided to go with the standard Black with white shoulders scheme on the majority of the army. I have spiced up a few little bits with my own personal touch, and after seeing the initial work, I am pleased to say it adds a nice unique touch to the squads I want to have stand out.

I recently purchased a new desk that was large enough to accommodate my computer and my hobby supplies without having to constantly shuffle them around each other. Having the entire army set out on the table, It gave me a good look at all the models in the army and so I will show you what I have by unit. I'll just start from the bottom and work up.

Crusader Squads
Like any army the core of it's ability to work usually lies in the troops branch of the Force Organization Tree. Templar armies are a prime example of how to make the most of limited, but powerful troops. Though they are still running with the issues an older codex can bring upon units, this very same issue often lends a helping hand as well.

Even though the codex only has one troops choice, the ability to run neophytes (scouts) with the unit makes them extremely versatile. This allows for squads to use lesser point models for allocating early wounds to so that you don't lose as much in the inevitable casualty rate of the 40th millennium. It also allows for squad sizes reaching 20 (plus independent characters) making them the largest Space Marine squad available. The added ability to make them bolter based, assualt based, or a combination of the two makes this already good unit into an amazing unit.

But without a doubt what really makes these troops units stand out is simply the Templar rule for Preferred Enemy granted by the Emperor's Champion. With the other vows being null and void or not worth taking, this rule is practically an Army Special rule when facing Templar. I usually run my Champion with a squad of Crusaders to give them some extra bite in the assault phase.

All in all, these units make one heck of a scoring unit, as well as a bread and butter unit to make sure the battles are never boring.

Heavy Hitters

These are the units I can count on bringing some major pain to the enemy's units, be they great or small, these units never care, as they are all only hurdles that must be jumped to reach to final goal... uncompromising victory!

My vindicator, Big Fau is a relatively new addition to the crusade. I have always been a big fan of the Demolisher cannon's role in the marine army, as it often rids me of extremely pesky enemy units. Having looked into the codex, I realized that this codex still allows me to buy "Power of the Machine Spirit" for vehicles. Now Vindicators are notorious for being deadly, but add the ability to shoot almost constantly makes for an amazing tank.

I used spare Templar Land Raider doors from the Upgrade boxes, on the side hatches, as well as some other fun bits to make the tank feel a little more like it belongs within the zealous ranks of my marines. All in all it has performed most admirably since it's induction.

I do not have a picture to go with my Venerable Dreadnought as I wanted Privett (Our local Painting Wizard) to make him extra pretty. He uses a Venerable Black Templar Torso from Forgeworld, with a few extra bits from the new plastic Venerable kit, as well as a custom home made sword to use as a DCCW. With the added perk of Tank Hunters, he becomes a great anti-armor unit, with some extra melee support for tactical response. Holding up swarms of Hormigaunts with nothing but an unbeatable dreadnought is extremely helpful.

Next in line is the Sword Brethren Terminator Squad. Though they are converted from Black Reach bodies, they still manage to bring fear into the minds of the enemy. Pictured with them is a Terminator Chaplain as well as a Terminator Marshal. These two HQ's rarely see battle, but I enjoy the ability and the option to have them if I feel it prudent to run Tactical Dreadnought Armor. I love this unit's ability to devastate just about any unit it hits on the field... However I rarely run them. This is due to two major reasons. 1. Every Templar Army out there seems to run them, and 2. I have an alternative Hammer unit to replace them...



The Command Squad, and the baby of my Army.

Without a doubt this is my favorite unit in the codex. I know they require a lot of points to make worth the taking, but if run well, they are a devastating unit to combat. Now I will caution that the only real way to run them is with Helbrecht as the unit becomes a full blown retinue and has the ability to run up to 5 neophytes with it. These two additional rules alone make the squad amazing.

I wanted these models to stick out among the rest of the army, so their shoulder pads are a dark red with bronze trim. This makes the unit not only stand out, but offer a great alternative scheme while simultaneously keeping the black armor to keep an army-wide uniform feel. This unit is by far my biggest reason for starting this army, and though they have their flaws, I love em!

Other Units

These units are great models, and offer me some variety to add to my list to keep the army from getting old. I have played many different lists and often incorporate these additional models and units into the fray to make it interesting.

Using the Hector Rex model from Forgeworld, I sometimes run a Grey Knight Grand Master as he has two things that help the army out immensely, a great psychic Hood, and a Nemesis Force Weapon. I love the model, and the ability to run him as an Allied HQ makes for a great addition both Tactically and artistically. After a week of work on the model, I can say it is the most beautiful model I have ever painted.

To continue giving myself some alternative modeling and tactical options, I have additional HQ units (A Marshal and a Chaplain). These models are made from Sicarius and a Legion of the Damned Sergent with some conversion work to both. These models are beautiful, and I use the as non-named HQ units.

NEW!

You can still catch the fumes rolling off these models as they just came in today. Grimaldus hits the table for some high toned and fancy painting soon. I may try out the tough as nails Chaplain in the future, but for now I just like having the model at my disposal. He's a beaut' and I can't wait to get the brushes on him soon.

So there you have it. I know this almost felt like a codex review, but I will try to keep you all posted on the progress of the army as it gets closer to the finish line. Hope everyone else is getting some modeling and hobbyin' time over the summer.

Cheers!

40k Overview: The Hammer of the Emperor

Good evening, good morning, good afternoon as the case may be.

After overhearing a discussion between Loki, ZerkeX, and a friend I wanted to get your opinions. I would like to hear your views on the Imperial Guard, their past and present, and how they affect(ed) the game. Have at, but first some of my own views.

As a Tau player, I'm not used to being outshot or having too many vehicles to target and kill, but the Guard are the army most able to put me in this position. When we look at the Guard, the most pivotal part of the army list is the troops section. While generally a shooting-based army, the choice of troops can make Guard from a horde army to a (relatively) small, more elite army. I will go into more detail on this army if you like, but the troops choices can dictate the feel of the army.

First the veteran squad, probably the most common troops choice on the internet, is the essential 5th edition "Powergaming" choice. For one hundred fifty-five points, fifteen less than a bare bones tactical squad, you can buy a veteran squad with three meltaguns in a chimera. By itself this unit has approximately a 56% chance of killing a land raider. With orders this can be raised to approximately a 72% chance. For being cheap and able to de-mechanize the enemy no matter their transport, the veteran squad can be used to make some of the "hardest" armies in any tournament.

My favorite troops choice, the infantry platoon, is the back bone of the "classic" Guard army. Consisting of 25-147 guardsmen per platoon, the platoon has the option to bring an answer to most any opponent and illustrates the "untold billions" in service to the God Emperor. While it can be built to be a competetive choice, they eat points faster than terminators. A good versatile choice and representative of the story of the 40k universe, the infantry platoon can simply swamp the board with bodies and baffle an opponent as to how to kill that many models.

Finally, Loki's favorite troops choice the penal legion squad. Akin to the CSM possessed squad, their speciality changes based on a random dice roll. This unpredictability and their lack of access to anti-vehicle weaponry means they are automatically discounted from "serious" lists. They are an interesting choice and can provide a cheap troops unit to allow more room for other choices or be a replacement for the Schaffer's Last Chancers from the previous codex. They also open up modeling opportunities for the hobbyist and a wide variety of story options for anyone who wants a laugh.

What I'm trying to say is that while the Imperial Guard codex allows for some of the deadliest and hardest to beat army lists in the current 40k atmosphere, but it can also allow some of the most hilarious stories for gamers to play out. I enjoy the challenge of playing against guard who always give me a good fight. Remember that a challenge can also be fun and the sky is not actually falling.

Hobby Table I

The Hobby Table will be a continuing post dealing with the sides of 40k that don't happen on the battlefield. These discussion will deal with the topics mostly found outside of battles such as the painting, mission creation, and other miscellaneous topics that don't fit in battle reports. Enjoy.

Mission: Meat Grinder

So today I ventured down the the keep where a Joe and a Sabo were in the midst of a battle. After a short conversation, Sabo agreed to come over and play again at the house. I decided when I got home that I wanted to have a little more fun with this game than a standard mission. My first thought was to try out the Evacuation mission from the back pages of the BRB. After Sabo showed a little hesitation due to the harsh environment rules... I decided that perhaps it was a good opportunity to dust off the old mission I had come up with while coming up with unique missions for a prior tournament event.

This game is a little more interesting than a usual mission and is suppose to simulate the very heart of a major battle. These fights generally consist of two major objectives, 1. Claim vital intelligence points on the battlefield which could be key to holding the field after the struggle has begun. 2. Destroy the enemy down to the final grunt.

Of course a battle depends on the ability for an army to tactically respond to every situation and to do this an HQ must be in the area to help maintain a sense of order.


Objective
The goal for both armies is to hold the majority of the objectives by the end of the battle; in addition they must also have more kill points than the enemy.


Set Up
The Table is split into 6 equal 1 foot wide sections along the length of the long table edge. Once done, both players roll a dice and the winner chooses a section closest to one of the short table edges. The opponent then takes the opposite section. 6 objectives are to be placed on the board (one in each section), but must remain more than 12" from another objective. Players set up objectives in the half of the board closest to their deployment zone, starting with the section closest to the board's center working out. Each player sets up one, then the opponent sets up one, until all are objective markers are placed.


Deployment
Both armies are to be set up in the far sections (the two closest to the board's short table edges) and the two armies take it in turns to set up one unit at a time until all units are deployed. All units must be placed in the section closet to the army's respective board edge. Units with the "Fleet" special rule, and all units purchased in the "Fast Attack" slot may be placed in the first or second sections.

Please note that units fall back towards the short table edges in this game.


Reserves
Both armies may use reserves as normal.


Victory Conditions
The mission calls for the armies to have nothing less than a merciless victory. In order to win, a player must hold the majority of objectives, and have more kill points than the enemy. If one of these requirements is not met, then the battle is a draw.


Special Rules

Meat Grinder: All non-HQ units have this rule. So long as a friendly HQ remains on the table, units that are completely destroyed (including any dedicated transports purchased for that unit) must return to the battlefield from reserves as if they had been placed there and return in the following controlling player's turn.

If there are no friendly HQ models left on the board, units that have been completely destroyed must roll to see if they can continue to come back into play. On a 4+ the unit will return as normal, but on a 3 or lower, the unit has been lost in the insuring chaos brought on by the lack or organization and are no longer in play.

Please note that units yield kill points as normal every time they are completely destroyed.


Objective Secured: If either player has a scoring unit within 3" of an objectiveat the end of their turn, then the objective is said to have been "secured". A secured objective counts as being controlled even if the unit that secured it moves off.

The only way the objective can change hands is for an enemy scoring unit to secure it themselves (just as described above).




The game uses standard mission length, and allows any and all standard rules to be used (i.e. Deepstrike, Outflant, Scout, etc.)



I hope you enjoy the mission as much as we did. and there will be a picture based battle report soon to show you how the game went. Until then...

Cheers!

The Cat's in the Crater

Well I was pondering on a topic for conversation and the idea of craters popped into my head as a relevant point of conversation. These pieces of terrain are on nearly every board in the 40k universe, and rightly so seeing as the universe has been in turmoil for centuries. This being said, there is an interesting gap in the rulebook regarding this widely varied and common terrain piece. So what category do we put them in?

I have been pouring through the rulebooks and other pages on the interwebs attempting to unravel the mystery of what makes a crater a crater. Many people have found calling them area terrain as the most simple of the categories and leaving it at that. But lets slow down and think about the cons of just simply going the simple route here. Area terrain (in 5th) does not allow a barrage weapon to remove the cover save from units hit when they are in these pieces. Now in some cases I can see this being alright as this rule was put in to simulate the walls of ruins, and or the dense foliage to cause problems actually getting an accurate location of the enemy. Were I can see a crater being useful to dodge, dive, dip, duck, and dodge from direct fire (much like a sandbag)... I find it hard to believe that a crater will stop barrage style weaponry which is suppose to simulate fire falling from above.

I was a huge fan of the Band of Brothers series on the History Channel, and one episode depicted them getting, well barraged from enemy fire, and their only "protection" was hiding in fox holes (or small craters dug to protect the soldiers from enemy fire). These worked well until the artillery shells landed in the holes... quickly reducing the protection, and the men to bits.

Now going back to game terms, I think that gaining a cover save from normal weaponry and any non-barrage style weapons out there is fine. I'll even say that a barrage weapon outside the crater still granting a save makes sense. The Rule Book says it's a 4+ cover and I can buy that. It also defines area terrain in a fuzzy manner. Any piece of terrain that does not have a defined edge is a little tricky in many circumstances as most do. To make matters worse, I look to a specific example in the new Tyranid codex. The Ymgarl Genestealers allow them to set up in a piece of area terrain. Now for them I can see the crater being a good spot to set up in... but I still do not think the crater should be area terrain.

This is where you the reader say "But then what would you call a crater?" And to that I have a simple answer. I call it a 4+ direction cover. My comparison would be saying it is like having a circle of sandbags. This allows the unit that is more than half in the center of the crater, to gain the benefits of cover from normal fire, while not negating barrage effectiveness against them. I find it hard to believe that by having a few men in a crater, that an Orbital Bombardment which is used to glass a planet, can't breach a craters defenses.

To be fair, I allow rules which utilize area terrain (such as the Ymgarl's set up) to still be used on terrain craters, but to me it just seems logical. Since the rules are a little iffy on what to call terrain... this is what makes sense to me as a player and logical human being.

What do you think? I am interested in your thoughts on the matter. Which way do you think it should be? Area? Directional? Or do you have a different idea? We would love to hear your thoughts. Until then...

Cheers!

Happy 4th

Well There's no article here folks, but the guys and I would like to wish you all a happy 4th. So go chug a beer, and Waaagh the good Waaagh!

Cheers!