Tales of an Ever-Changing Gamer

That's right, I went and changed armies again, this time halfway through building my purifiers army! I just couldn't stand the Grey Knights codex, it just doesn't have the ability to do what I want it to do. So, I'm making a rather odd biker army, with vindicators, land speeders, and bikers. Hopefully, this army should stick around longer, like my tau did, though I will be going back to tau as soon as they get a new codex. oh, and I'm also starting a small tyranid force, as soon as my space marine army at 1750 is completed.

Burning Ring of Fire

Well, just a quick update on my resent history! In my last posts, I went over how I was going to make a Grey Knights Paladins army list. However, I found out shortly thereafter that a friend had already made one! So, I went with a Grey Knights Purifiers list. So, instead of 3 groups of paladins, draigo, and 3 dreadknights, I have 4 squads of purifiers, crowe, 3 dreadknights, 4 razorbacks, and a vindicare at 2000 points.

In all, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well this army list works for me. It has more mobility than my draigo army list, and more firepower. I think it suits my play style better, coming from the Tau like I did. Crowe has done fairly well for me, mainly holding up key units in CC, rather than killing stuff. Oh, and Purifying Flame is not much help vs marines. Not as helpful as Halberds, by a long shot. I have yet to play anything that Purifiers are supposed to "auto-win" against, but these guys play very well against really any marine variant!

Command Center

This is a shout out to Thor from Creative Twilight for his creation, Command Center. Command Center is an army list builder, and guess what: its completely free! That's right, no more paying for Army Builder, when Command Center is free! Command Center stores army lists that you put into it, so that you can access your list from any computer. However, there is a catch. You have to put the information (stats, names) into Command Center in order for it to remember them. It doesn't automatically know these things, and right now, all it can remember are unit names and stats. However, Thor is currently working on getting points costs and wargear entries that will be remembered after your initial input. So get a profile, and start making army lists! Soon enough, with a little work on your part, and a lot on Thor's part, Command Center should be able to let you build army lists from scratch, without a codex. And it should be correct, because you put all the sensetive info in straight from the Codex of your choice! Everyone, support Thor's work and give it a try!          LINK TO COMMAND CENTER

Sale!

I am selling/trading some Warhammer things over on DakkaDakka. Link to Sale
If you are interested, please shoot me a message! I need to get those bad boys sold!

Grey Knights: My List and the Reasons Behind It

Well, now that I've decided, I'm going to be creating a Grey Knights Paladin army. Along with the reasons in my previous post, I really like the looks of the models, and the idea of such a small, elite force just laying waste to a battlefield brings joy to my heart. So, what exactly am I planning to include in my army list?

College and Warhammer 40k

Well, these are two things that one doesn't normally say together, yet, it is the truth. I am going to college, and I will continue with Warhammer 40k, money and time or no. However, the one issue I will have is space, so I've been looking at different armies that fit close to my playstyle, that I like the looks of, are relatively small, and will be relatively easy to paint. So far, I'm looking at Destroyer+Monolith Necrons, Paladin Grey Knights/Lots o' Dreadnaughts Grey Knights, and Dark Angel Deathwing.

A Relapse to Ruin

The ethereals have activated their brain-control devices that they implanted in me at birth, willing me to come back te the Tau Empire (all in the name of the Greater Good, of course). This article will signal my long-awaited return.

Black Templars HQ: Command Squads

Well, after the disappointing show by the terminator command squad, its time to move on to the more popular, and probably better more fitting normal command squad!

Black Templars HQ: Terminator Command Squads

Well, now we move on to the protection that the Black Templars provide for their commanders: Command Squads! But to start off, we will be going over the little seen Terminator Command Squad.

Killzone! (not for PS3)

So, lately my friends and I have taken to playing Killzone.

Black Templars HQ: Reclusiarch and Master of Sanctitiy

Continuing my review of the Black Templars Codex, we come to...the Chaplain! A warrior who epitomises death and hatred incarnate, these can be a formidable addition to any Black Templar army.

Black Templars HQ: Marshal and Castellan

Well, after 2 weeks of moving and vacation, its time to get back to the blog! This post will continue to go through the Black Templars codex, with a review of the Commander*!

Black Templar HQ: Emperor's Champion

Well, after looking over the Black Templar Rules, now its time to start on their codex entries! And where better to start than with the HQs? (This post will be relatively short, but it covers alot in that shortness!)

Black Templar Rules

Today, I'm going to look at some of the Black Templar's more interesting and unique army-wide rules.

Much Ado about an (old, but we don't mention that) Angry Marine

Well, today I'm going to look at some of the aspects of one of my brother's armies...The Black Templar! Having recently read Helsreach, I have to say that Black Templar are utter beasts. Not only do they do all kinds of awesome stuff in the book, but in regular 40k, who doesn't love assault terminators with twin lightning claws, furious charge, and prefered enemy? Anyway, I've been looking over the codex more thoroughly, and I have to say, being a 4th edition codex has its perks. Ld 10 from a marshal, cheap Typhoons, Min/Max squads of everything, and my most favorite, Power of the Machine Spirit Vindicators! Of course, there are also the downfalls, like marshals only being WS 5, none of them having grenades, and rather expensive anything that hasn't been FAQ'd. But hey, they can still be beasts! So, my next few posts will look further into the depths of the Black Templar, and hopefully surface with a competitive 4th edition codex army (I like being competitive, by the way)!

Space Marine Terminators

Hey guys, I will be filling in for John today. My name is Clay and I will be talking about Codex:Space Marine Terminators (both types) today.   Now don’t be expecting a tactica, that will come in a later article.  Let’s start with a general overview. Well for starters, a terminator is durable (I know everyone knows this, but it still needs to be stated) and can put out a lot of damage if used right.  Now for the details. I typically run a 10 man squad of tactical terminators and this is what I have learned. For one storm bolters are deadly. You get 16-20 shots (with a 10 man squad). Now it’s time to look at the upgrades. Heavy flamers are ok, but you will probably kill more with a storm bolter.  Cyclone missile launchers are very deadly and have range but lack the ability to penetrate the heaviest armour.  Now, to my personal favorite, the Assault Cannon. It packs a high number of shots and when combined with the rending rule it has the chance to kill heavy armour.

The Assault phase is where Terminators really can shine. They are so good at what they do. Some drop their guns for more deadly weapons. Heresy you say, space marines without guns! Surely not. Joking aside, Assault Terminators can be even deadlier than their storm bolter armed brethren if used correctly. Now, on to armaments. A standard Terminator has a power fist for close combat. This makes them incredibly deadly. This means you can land a power fist on Independent Characters so you can trigger instant death, and even though you strike last, you can bet on doing a predictable amount of damage. Take the chain fist upgrade, and even Land Raiders will scream in terror.  That’s just the standard Terminator! Assault Terminators are even better. The basic armament is lightning claws. This will tear through low initiative opponents such as guardsmen and Tau.  That’s not all. We also have the thunder hammer storm shield option as well, which most people choose for the improved invulnerable save. They are very effective at killing tanks and enemy elites, as a thunder hammer works like a power fist.

This is how I use my terminators. I find that walking a 10 man tactical terminator squad down a flank is very effective.  As they not only tend to soak up a lot of firepower, but also tend to kill lots of enemy infantry. To help achieve this goal, I equip them with 2 assault cannons. For the assault terminators I tend to stick them in a land raider redeemer and slam them into my enemy's line with a mix of 3 TH SS and 2LCs.

That’s all for today, folks! Hope you enjoyed the post, look for more to come!

Tau Rumors

Apparently, according to some recent rumors, the Tau will be out late this year with Demiurg allies! Of course, take with much salt, as this is a rumor. Quotes below:

from Stinger989 on WarseerWell after posting some GK rumors i have returned with some more interesting tid bitz.

Squats will be returning with the TAU!

depending on printing problems it is possible they will be slated for November 2011 moving the Necrons back

Squats will be a troop choice and have t4 s5(with battle axe) 5+ 5+FNP(intoxicating save) and SAP but will be allowed to charge 6" instead of rolling

There is a squat HQ but no info yet.

Kroot are still in as well as the firewarriors

Character unlocks crisis suits as troops and they have gotten much better.

update: demiurg is what i ment but im sure you all know that by now.
hopefully more to come in the upcoming months. Enjoy

Change!

Disclaimer: No, I am not slamming the President. I though this was pretty funny!

So, change. Is it good or bad? It really depends on the kind of change, as well as how much time it takes to let the truth be known. Hopefully, my change in my Tau army will be fast, good change.(Note the hope)
So, on to the change.

Improving My Tau, One Step at a Time

     
Well, to start things off on a side note, Grey Knights are here!! And oh my, I think I love these guys! That Dreadknight is pretty cool too!

Anyways, back on my train of thought (no Grey Knights here, please!). Tau. I love the Tau because of their models, fluff, and playstyle. But there is a problem; Right now, Tau stink pretty badly. Sure, I still manage to win with them, but that is more due to superior tactics. And they are getting increasingly harder to play with. SO, as my opponents evolve into harder, more difficult to beat roles with increasingly better army lists, I find myself constantly thinking about ways to change my tactics to outsmart my opponents.

Grey Knights: How to Counter?

   
With the Grey Knights coming out soon, we will probably be seeing tons of codex grey miniatures, along with all kinds of counts as armies based off this codex. I know that at least two friend's of mine are going to get into the Grey Knights, one of whom crushed me with his deathwing. The other friend will be jumping from the IG, since Grey Knights were what he originally wanted to start with (the old codex and expensive models crushed his dreams there). As a result, I think we are going to have to make some serious changes to any army lists we make, especially with this new codex seeming so threatening. I know my Tau will probably (ok, definitely) have a hard time facing all that psychic, close combat terror! And it seems that the Grey Knights will be pretty good fire-power wise, too. Uggh. Why do the new codices have to be so well-rounded? The older codices are definitely going to have the worst time of everyone.

Crazy Tournament Results

Well, I went, I saw, and I didn't quite conquer. However, seeing as it was my first tournament, I was pleasantly surprised to come in 5th-4th! I ended up facing Deathwing (and losing horribly), Ultramarines (and winning handily), and Space Wolves (and coming very close to winning. Battle Reports are here: Crazy Tournament Battle Reports

Crazy Tournament: Mission 3 - Open War

Mission 3 of the Crazy Tournament is Pitched Battle, with 3 objectives on the center board line. You score points by controlling objectives, having more kill points, and killing off all HQ choices. These are some of the tactics I plan to employ:

1)Sit back and shoot. I will be probably sit back and shoot kill all of the opponent's troops, for kill points and objective denial. I will also be taking out all the weak transports, small units, etc. in an  effort to harvest kill points.

Crazy Tournament Tactics: Mission 2 - Border Skirmish

Mission 2 of the Crazy Tournament is Spearhead, with points being scored by controlling table quarters, Victory Points, and destroying all your opponent's Fast Attack choices. Some of the tactics that I will be using are as follows:

1)Put everything deep in my quarter. This way, I can stay back and hopefully not have to worry about my opponent getting me caught in CC. Of course, if I face Eldar or Dark Eldar, or some equally fast army, I will probably use the Tau Tank Wall tactic, creating a protective wall with my tanks to (hopefully) minimize my opponent's ability to get close to my battlesuits and piranhas. This battles will depend on a last turn push with Devilfish to take as many quarters as possible.

Crazy Tournament Tactics: Mission 1 - Midnight Raid

Mission 1 of the Crazy Tournament is Dawn of War, with the points being scored by having troops in your opponent's deployment zone, destroying a communications array, and wiping out your opponent's heavy support.

Some of the tactics I intend to employ go as follows:

Life and Warhammer 40k

                
My last post was about the Tournament this Saturday that I am attending with the Tau Empire. Since then, I have been busy number-crunching and building my Tau army list. As this tournament doesn't recquire the models to be painted, it allows me to play without worrying about my half-finished army(half-finished due to moving, studies, and work). I plan to post some pics of my army up soon, but be warned, I am not the best painter, and younger siblings subtract a certain number of years from the lifespans of my painting equipment! But anyways, here is my Tau army list that I will be taking to the Crazy Tournament.


HQ
Shas'El - 112
Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker, Hard-Wired Drone Controller, x1 Shield Drone

Elites
XV8 Battlesuit Team - 141
x3 Shas'ui with Twin-Linked Missile Pods, Flamers
XV8 Battlesuit Team - 77
Shas'ui Team Leader with Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker
XV8 Battlesuit Team - 77
Shas'ui Team Leader with Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker

Troops
Fire Warrior Team - 145
6 Fire Warriors in Devilfish with Disruption Pod
Fire Warrior Team - 145
6 Fire Warriors in Devilfish with Disruption Pod
Fire Warrior Team - 145
6 Fire Warriors in Devilfish with Disruption Pod
Fire Warrior Team - 145
6 Fire Warriors in Devilfish with Disruption Pod

Fast Attack
Piranha - 85
Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array, Flechette Dischargers
Piranha - 85
Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array, Flechette Dischargers

Heavy Support
Hammerhead - 170
Railgun, Burst Cannons, Disruption Pods, Multi-Tracker, Blacksun Filter
Hammerhead - 170
Railgun, Burst Cannons, Disruption Pods, Multi-Tracker, Blacksun Filter

Total - 1497


As you can see, this army is made to be mobile, fast, and to benefit from long distances. Tactics to come later!

Crazy Tournament

Next weekend, on February 26, there is a 1500 point 40k tournament at my local hobby store. Right now, I know there will Dark Eldar, Orks, Dark Angels, Imperial Guard, Space Marines, and Tau (myself). If I can convince him, Clay will be there with his Space Marines as well, but first, he wants to beat his younger brother's Imperial Guard. Hmmm, bribing might be an option... Anyways, here are the three missions that will be played at the tournament. Army lists will come later!

WHAAAAT?!?!?!

I have sold my Space Wolves. I know, I know, they are a great army! I also really enjoyed playing as them. They were a great break from the Tau Empire. However, I realized that I needed to get back on the ball and finish my Tau army and learn how to play with them well before starting another army. So, my entire focus is now on the Tau! Expect tactics, army lists, and info on my first every tournament with the Tau, coming soon! Also, you might hear about the tournament from the Space Marines view as well, because a friend of mine and I both may be going. Stay posted!

1500 Competitive Tau Empire: "The One List"

This is an army list that I made to take on any army. It looks to be pretty competitive, so I wanted to fit in as many Crisis suits as possible, while still having a balanced army list. So, without further ado, here is my 1500 Tau army list:

HQ
Shas’el – 127
               Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Targeting Array, Hard-Wired Multi-Tracker, Hard-Wired Drone Controller, x2 Shield Drones

Elites
XV8 Squad – 186
               3 XV8 Battlesuits with Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multi-Tracker
XV8 Squad – 186
               3 XV8 Battlesuits with Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multi-Tracker
XV8 Squad – 186
               3 XV8 Battlesuits with Plasma Rifle, Missile Pod, Multi-Tracker

Troops
Fire Warrior Squad – 70
               7 Fire Warriors
Kroot Carnivore Squad – 70
               10 Kroot Carnivores

Fast Attack
Piranha – 75
               Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array
Piranha – 75
               Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array
Pathfinder Squad – 169
               7 Pathfinders, Devilfish with Disruption Pod

Heavy Support
XV88 Broadside Squad – 200
2 Broadsides, Shas’ui Team Leader with Advanced Stabilization System, Hard-Wired Target Lock, Hard-Wired Drone Controller, and x2 Shield Drone, Shas’ui with Advanced Stabilization System
Hammerhead Gunship – 155
               Railgun, Burst Cannons, Disruption Pod

Total - 1499


This army list is designed to have a "castle" base of Broadsides, Fire Warriors, Pathfinder's Devilfish, and possibly my Hammerhead, surrounded on the most dangerous front by kroot, while my piranhas and battlesuits bring in the enemy and distract from my more fragile units. Basically, I use the Tau castling tactics, in miniature form. Pathfinders will usually deploy on a hill or similar piece of terrain, while everything else will deploy in or around my castle.

Foot Slogging Space Marines

While trying to help out someone on a blog site, I came up with this army list. What the person was looking for was an army list that was not the usual mech army list, and was still competitive. Together we came up with this army list.

Space Marines Heroes

Well, Games Workshop has come out with a tactica of army lists and advice on how to use Marneus Calgar and the other Chapter specific leaders (not for Ultramarines). It looks like there is some good stuff in here. This should be some help fo rthose of you wanting to spruce up your vanilla marines!

Also, Games Workshop's What's New Today article has some advice on how to make the most of your Storm Raven. It is rather interesting to get GW's opinion on this, since I don't think I have seen them do something like this before. They must really want to sell those Storm Ravens!

Space Wolves: Basic 1500 point army list

This is my basic Space Wolves army list:



HQ
Rune Priest: 120
Wolftooth Necklace, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Storm Caller
Rune Priest: 115
Wolftooth Necklace, Meltabombs, Living Lightning, Jaws of the World Wolf



ELITES
Wolf Guard Pack: 129
3 Wolf Guard with Combi-melta and Power Fist



TROOPS
Grey Hunters Pack: 185
8 Hunters, meltagun, Wolf Standard, Mark of the Wulfen, Rhino
Grey Hunters Pack: 185
8 Hunters, meltagun, Wolf Standard, Mark of the Wulfen, Rhino
Grey Hunters Pack: 185
8 Hunters, meltagun, Wolf Standard, Mark of the Wulfen, Rhino



FAST ATTACK
Landspeeder - 70
Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer
Landspeeder - 70
Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer


HEAVY SUPPORT
Long Fangs Pack : 215 points
1 Squad Leader, 5 Long Fangs with Missile Launchers, Razorback w/ TL Lascannon
Long Fangs Pack : 215 points
1 Squad Leader, 5 Long Fangs with Missile Launchers, Razorback w/ TL Lascannon



Total: 1495






Now to go over my choices for my basic army.



HQ - the Rune Priest is probably the most cost-effective HQ that the Space Wolves can use. Cheap, with a force weapon and a pick of two of some of the greatest psychic powers in the game! The wargear that I have given the rune priests is to keep them individual while beefing up their abilities at the same time.



Elites - Nothing special here, just three wolf guard to be split up to go with my grey hunters. Powerfist is probably the best option to take when having wolf guard lead grey hunters, as it allows for that extra power.



Troops - Again, the most cost-effective troop choice, and probably the best in the game. I chose 8-man squads to allow a wolf guard and rune priest to join each squad in their rhino. The Mark of the Wulfen should be kind of obvious, D6+1 rending attacks instead of just 1! Of course take it! The Wolf Standard in each squad may not seem like much, but it is good in that it leats you re-roll all dice rolls of 1 in one assault face a game. That includes armour saves.


Fast Attack - Probably one of the most versatile choices, the Landspeeders as I have them outfitted are great for tank busting or light infantry slaying.


Heavy Support - Once again, most cost-effective! The Layout for Long Fangs will vary, but there is nothing bad about 10 Missile Launchers, as they are probably the most versatile choice. The Razorbacks are just personal preference to add some more anti-tank into the mix.






Basically, my list takes all the most cost effective units in the codex and maximizes on them. 2 psykers, along with 45 space marines with 5 tanks and 2 skimmers is nothing to look down upon!

A Start

Welcome to the new Brothers and Rivals blog! This blog will be all about Warhammer 40k, with army lists, tactics, guides, and all around fun! This is my first blog, so please be patient while I get used to running a blog. I hope to have this blog being updated every day, but for now, we will see what comes! I hope this becomes a great 40k resource for all you Warhammer 40k fans!