Jared Allen, the Annointed Arch Patron

So for those non-football fans out there who don't know who Allen is I'll explain. Jared Allen is the Right Defensive End (RE) for the Minnesota Vikings. Last year (the 2011 season) he racked up 22 sacks, .5 away from the NFL record. His number is also 69, which is where I got the final inspiration for my army's idea.

I always have ideas for conversions, my mind never stops working on ideas and "chaos-izing" everything I see. One of my favorite ideas is making anything and everything into a Deamon Prince. So keeping with the theme and idea of this army I figured I'd try and find a Jared Allen model. I mean this guy is a BEAST, and how cool would it be to have this guy charging across the batlefield to sack every unit in his path? Fricking awesome.

Well luckily there is a company that makes such models. The company is Macfarlane, and I checked out their site and low and behold there it is. So this is my next project, making the model below into a Deamon Prince. I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress with updates to come.

My arguement for Typhus

If anyone has kept track of the hype that has come out of the new CSM dex release you'll often hear the word Typhus used at the start of many lists. His new found hype and cookie cutter status is due to good reason. While I hate copying anyone else, I have started to look his way recently when coming up for new lists. There are many obvious reasons, which I will get into, for people taking him. But what I want to look at first is his sole role as an HQ choice for a list.

Off the bat Typhus costs 230 points, which may seem like alot if it wasn't for all his fancy rotting bells and whistles. His stats are very good, WS6, T5, W4, A3, along with his 2+/5++ for the termie armor. He's armed with Blight Grenades and a Manreaper. The Manreaper is easily on par with the Black Mace, which is a 45 point weapon, only it's better in a couple of ways. Not only is it AP2 it also gives +2S and is a Force/Deamon Weapon. This increases his challenge capabilities and overall CC utility immensely. The Manreaper is also Unwieldy which negates the nice I5 in his stats. However in this case the pros heavily outweigh the cons. All this is only 230 points, but gets even better.

Typhus is has the Champion of Chaos, Fearless, FNP, IC, MoN, VotLW, Lord of Terror rules and is a Lvl 2 Psyker. So:

• Champion of Chaos: Not only does this rule make you Challenge every round of assault that you're in, it also gives you a roll on the Boon of Chaos table if you win. A good number of the results on the table really help Typhus and only make him even more of a beat stick. Considering the fact that he's most likely gonna be sticking around to strike at I1, you're almost always gonna kill your challengee. The only thing you have to watch out for is weapons that cause Instant Death, so having a unit champion in his unit is a good move. This also frees him up to wipe half a squad by himself and win you the combat.
• Fearless: This rule got alot better in 6th. In case you decide to run alot of regular CSM units Typhus can be attached and then grants them this rule. This will really help you out with keeping an assault protracted until your opponents next turn so you don't get shot up.
• Feel No Pain: This rule also got a huge boost this edition. FNP has really become 40k's version of a Ward save. So now if Typhus ends up in a challenge with an AP2 wielding opponent he still gets a 5+ invuln and then a 5+ FNP. The rule also allows you to have a save in case he perils.
• Lord of Terror: This gives you the Terror special rule, if Typhus is your warlord that is. Terror isn't that great against things like daemons or Space Marines. However, if you attach him to a unit they gain this benefit. So attaching him to a unit of regular CSM or Cultists and then making your opponent be WS1 is a huge boost.
• Level 2 Psyker: In addition to all of his other cool rules Typhus is a psyker as well. Now he has to roll for both of his powers on the Nurgle table, which really isn't that bad. His malediction spells aren't horrible and can really come into play with assaults, giving your units a small boost over an opponent in a key round of combat. His psyker status also helps in assault due to the fact that his daemon weapon is also a force weapon, that's AP2. So against Paladins, or any Termies with FNP he can still carve out a good chunk of guys potentially.
• Veterans of the Long War: This gives Typhus Hatred against all units that are from any Space Marine codex. This lets you re-roll all failed To Hit rolls in your first round of combat. While it only works for the first round, it could prove to be huge if you roll a 1 for your Daemon Weapon and are WS1.

In addition to all these fancy rules Typhus has a few more special abilities. The first of which is The Destroyer Hive. What this allows you to do is place a large blast template over Typhus during the assault phase at his initiative step. All models besides Typhus that are touched by it suffer a S4 AP2 hit that ignores cover. You can only use this attack once per game, so make sure you do it at the right time. Usually this would be when you get swarmed by a blob squad or some sort of other large squad like Ork or Nids. The one key part of this ability is that it effects friendly models as well, so be careful with who else is around him. However if you ever have Typhus alone against a SM command squad and are in a challenge this would be perfect to use to wipe out half the squad while also being in a challenge and get rid of any re-rolls they might have.

Typhus' second ability is called Plague Zombies. This allows you to turn any squad of Chaos Cultists in your army list into Zombies. Your Cultists loose any weapons they have (oh no, las pistols are SOOOO good right?) and cannot take any upgrades, in exchange they gain the Fearless, Feel No Pain, and Slow and Purposeful special rules. Considering the fact that Cultists can get up to 35 models strong, this ability makes them almost impossible to kill. They are suited perfectly for holding back fields, and taking up huge chunks of board space so daemons have a better chance of mishapping. If you stick them in cover they become even harder to shift. While they can't go to ground or run they have FNP, so going to ground is pointless. And by having them take your back field objective during deployment you'll never have to run anywhere. This unit is good at one thing, soaking up wounds and not dieing. Even with only one squad of 35 I haven't had a game where I've lost all of them.

Lastly is the ability called Lard of the Plague Host. This isn't listed in on page 61 with the rest of his abilities. All this does is makes Plague Marines a troop choice instead of elites. This allows you to now take 2 of the most resilient units in the game as troops.

Tactics. As I've talked about above, Typhus has alot to offer an army list. Not only is he a beast of a model on the table and on paper, but his force modifiers that he gives to your army cannot be understated. He completely changes the Troop section of your force organization, unlocking Zombies and Plague Marines, both which are vastly superior to regular Cultists and CSM. Both these units are good at holding a line and being slow to kill. So while you have these resilient troop choices what exactly do you do with Typhus?Of course it matters what is in the rest of your list, I'm just gonna give a few suggestions on what I think are some of the best ways to use him effectively.

As a Rock: This idea is simple, all you do is keep him in you backfield. I usually attach him to my giant Zombie squad and have him chill out on a Quad Gun. Hitting flyers on a 2+ with re-rolls really annoys people, and makes Typhus a target priority. What Typhus provides in this role, in the back field, is a deterrent. The huge squad of Zombies is usually a unit someone will try to shoot to death before trying to assault, however having Typhus attached makes assaulting them a risky proposition. The Zombies also work very well as Flak (expendable units) for trying to get into assault. Charging a unit of Flamers with Typhus by himself would be stupid (I have done it once, and it worked out fine, but that's not the point) yet having Zombies there to take the over watch fire for you ensures that Typhus is able to get in a beat face.

As your Beat stick: The idea here is that Typhus is your main beat stick you have to unleash hunt baby seals. There are various ways you'd be able to execute this idea. Deep Striking with a unit of Termies or possibly Oblits, or if you're really out there god forbid a unit of Mutilators, would get him into your opponents face rather quickly. Typhus himself is a threat big enough to draw alot of fire from your opponent, so having extra models around him to take the extra wounds is always a good idea. An alternative to Deep Striking is the Chaos Land Raider. Load it up with Typhus and what ever fun extras you want, say even a squad of Plague Marines, and drive it down your opponents throat.

As your Midfield Threat: Basically have Typhus in the middle of the board to provide a threat range to anything that might be there. Close enough to threaten your opponents deployment zone, and close enough to add so reinforcements to your own if need be. All the same ideas from the previous to are used here, just in a different form.

I hope all this has helped some of you. Maybe opened your eyes to some new ideas, cause the CSM dex is full of them. If you have different ideas on how to utilize Typhus effectively I'd love to hear them.

Speedy Fairies

After hours of paging over the new CSM dex I've finally come up with a list that I like. Not only is it fairly competitive, but also a lot of fun to play. The original idea came from everyone saying that assault was dead in 6th, and I wanted to prove that theory wrong. So here it is.

Chaos Lord with Mark of Slaanesh, Steed of Slaanesh, Lightning Claw, Gift of Mutation, Aura of Dark Glory - 135

Daemon Prince with Mark of Tzeentch, Wings, Mastery Level 3, Black Mace - 320

5 Noise Marines with Blastmaster, Rhino with Havoc Launcher and Warpflame Gargoyles - 177

20 Cultists - 90

2x 5 Chaos Spawn with Mark of Nurgle - 360

2x Mauler Fiends (1 with Lasher Tendrials) - 260

Aegis Defense Line with Quad Gun - 100

1 Big Mek with Kustom Force Field - 85

19 Boyz, Nob with Power Klaw and Boss Pole - 159

Dakkajet with additional Supa Shoota and Fighta Ace - 130

Battle Wagon with Deff Rolla and Red Paint Job - 115

The theory is quite simple. With the BW in the middle, flanked by the 2 MFs and backed by the 10 Spawn, all you do is move up the middle of the field and get into assault by turn 2 usually. The BW moves 20" a turn (13" in movement, 7" flat out), while the MF and Spawn run along side. This gives both your MF a 4+ cover save and your T6 Spawn a 5+. You should be able to weather the shooting phase quite well. Everything you have running at your opponent moves 12"+ and assaults another 2D6.

Meanwhile the NM sit back and launch S8 AP3 blasts that ignore cover alongside the Rhino that has a Havoc Launcher with soul blaze. I'm really not sure if soul blaze will be that great but I want to try it out. The cultists you can either keep in reserve to outflank with your lord, or just camp an objective and go to ground. And the Boyz can grab your opponents backfield when you've wiped out whatever is there.

Oh and I almost forgot the Dakkajet that flies around shooting up whatever you want. And lastly there is the S6 Deamon Prince who has 6+D6 attacks on the charge. Combine this with Biomancy powers and hopefully the Boon of Mutation power, and this model will man handle anything you decided to throw him at. Infantry, dead. Paladins, dean. Vehicles, dead. Noticing a pattern here?

So far the list has done well in the first test game I've played. The Spawn work well, except I was playing against 1k Sons who kept popping them like no ones business. Once I got into assault with Arihman that dude going Super Smash Bros Ness style. Using his staff like a home run bat and then "TK Thunder"-ing them into exploding flesh. The outflanking cultists really could've won we the game, if we hadn't called it. And that's one of the big holes in this list is that there are only 3 troop choices. However the amount of killy CC units should mitigate this somewhat. I'll keep ya'll up to date on how this list does in the future as well as the team tourney I'm doing tomorrow.

My new view of Chaos

Disclaimer: I realize that the new CSM book is coming out in like 2 weeks, but I had already written this out so I figured I should post it and hopefully ya'll might get something out of it.

So this list is fairly simple:

1 Daemon Prince with Mark of Tzeentch, Wings, Doom Bolt and Bolt of Change - 185

2x 9 Thousand Sons, 1 Aspring Champion with Doom Bolt in Rhino - 624

This base idea is that the meta, more or less, is switching to foot lists. 1k sons are great an anti-MEQ, and since now most armies are footslogging it the hardest part (tank busting) is out of the way. This "mini" list is built for one thing, killing marines with AP3 bolter rounds. Adding onto it is the 3 Doom Bolts that add 9 S4 AP3 shots at 18". There is also the versatility of the Daemon Prince. With the latest FAQ CSM finally got FMC, which gives this list the ability to Vector Strike at S6 and then still fire off at marines or tanks. All in all this list can eliminate huge swaths of marines a turn.

The extra 9 shots are nice, however what I really wanted to use some of the new psychic disciplines. I'm pissed that CSM got the short end of the stick with not being able to take Biomancy and Divination, but they did get Telepathy. This is the tree I'm going to focus on using in this list. The primarus power is Psychic Shriek, and since you can always get it I wanted to build a list around utilizing and abusing it. What the idea here is that I swap out all the powers I've bought in the CSM book for rolls on the Telepathy table. Really the Daemon Prince is the only one who will roll for something other than Shriek, otherwise all 3 psykers in the army will each have it. I realize that there's more than just Shriek, but for the purposes of this list I'm not gonna chance it on luck and screw any battle plan.

So the idea is that I have 2 squads dishing out AP3 bolter rounds which on average kill about 6 MEQ models each at 12", which is the optimal range. Couple that with the 12" Shriek which will kill somewhere from 1-3 models by itself, and there's a squad nearly gone. Meanwhile there's the S6 FMC there to finish off whatever is left. Lastly we have the Rhinos, which are purely taken because they're needed for mobility. Rhino's got a huge boost (pun intended) in 6th. Regardless of HP they gained an additional 6" move in the shooting phase, meaning they move 18" a turn. Added on top of that when you disembark you place models within 6" of any access point given the transport didn't move more than 6". This means you move 18" on turn one, then another 12" on turn two to put us into rapid fire range. That's a 30" move in only two turns, and gives us a 42" threat range by turn two. I'm not really concerned with how flimsy the Rhinos may be. In order to get the 1k sons where they have the biggest impact the Rhinos are a must.

This is just the list so far. The reason I've only built it with 1 HQ and 2 Troops is simply because of the idea of allies. I want to figure out what other units in the game will best compliment this tactic/strategy. And the possibilities are nearly endless. Would pure CSM work? How about Daemons? Or IG or Orks? In order to figure that out I need to find the strength and weaknesses of the list so far.

First off, all the troops are slow and purposeful. Last edition this was a half empty/half full sort of thing. Now I feel like it's really half empty. In 6th every unit can fire rapid fire weapons at full range, which used to be 1k sons biggest strength in 5th. So what has S+P done for these guys in 6th? Well to begin with you no longer count as moving through difficult terrain all the time. Instead you always get to move 6" when you're in the open. In 6th they also get to fire off any Salvo, Heavy, and/or Ordnance weapons counting as if they were stationary even if they moved. This is great considering the fact that 1k sons have none of these. Also, they can no longer run or fire overwatch. This is the biggest hit they've taken in this new edition. It not only limits they're late game contest/taking abilities as well as making them even more vulnerable to assaults. This means you're going to have to be very careful with leaving these guys stranded, they'll probably have to have a counter attack unit escorting them (if there is anything left to charge them that is).

Okay, so what's good in this list so far?

Well obviously there's the huge amount of anit-MEQ fire power. Secondly there's the fact that there are 3 psykers already. This is nice when it comes to psychic defense. Each unit of 1k sons is able to deny the witch on a 5+. The DP's psychic level is debatable, and here's why. DP's are psychic level 1, which means they can only take 1 power. A DP with MoT (Mark of Tzeentch) is allowed to take 2 powers, which you can trade in for 2 rolls on a given tree/table. Now in 5th edition this type of configuration was allowed to use 2 powers a turn (anyone remember Warptime with Wind of Chaos combo?). So does giving a DP the MoT mean he becomes level 2, and be able to cast 2 a turn? Or does it simply mean he's still level 1 but can have upto 2 powers?

I wanna say that he's level 2, but that's probably just wishful thinking, someone help me please. Either way he's a S6 FMC with a 3+/4+ and 2 psychic powers. Most likely I'll give him Psychic Shriek plus whatever else seems helpful. I can think of a use for any of the other powers but I don't have the time to discuss that here. Lastly each of these units is fairly durable. Each model on the board (minus the Rhinos) are 3+/4+. Lascannons and what have you aren't that scary anymore. Considering that cover has been taken down to a 5+, having a natural 4+ invulnerable save is alot better now.

I've covered the negatives of S+P, and the strengths of the units so far. Now it's time to look at the areas of game play that this list needs a boost in, which will help determine what allies, if any, should be included. The first thing of note is the lack of long range fire power, whether it be anti-tank or anything. The furthest range is effectively 24", plus that's only S4. Secondly there's the lack of high strength weapons, which are helpful for anything. The next area that needs attention is horde units/armies. There are no template weapons of any sort so far, and considering that blasts only need to touch vehicles in order to hurt them we may be able to kill two birds with one stone in this area. Along the lines of horde units there is no real assault/counter assault units besides the DP who can only do so much. Now there's also 2 force weapons in each squad of 1k sons, but without overwatch or other CC weapons they don't really stand a chance in assault. Last of all there's flyers, both FMC and vehicles. Of course the DP now has skyfire and can vector strike, but that's only gonna help take one or 2 flyers down before he gets blown off.  So adding so extra elements will be useful.

So the graph, or list persay, will look something like this when I go to analyze other armies units.

CC ability, Short Range, Mid Range, Long Range, Anti-Infantry, Anti-Horde, Anti-Tank, Anti-Flyer,
Anti-MEQ, Anti-Terminator.

Plague Marines and You!!!

So I haven't posted in awhile for multiple reasons, the biggest was the fact that I really had nothing to post about. But fortunately that has now changed. This week I wanted to discuss my very own take on the Epidemius list. I've wanted to use this character ever since I bought the $300+ limited edition starter wave that came out some 5 odd years or so ago. The only problem was running a mono-god daemon list wasn't great in any respect. However now that we get Allies in 6th that has all changed. I've been pouring over all the rules and FAQ nonsense for the past week and have finally set myself on a solid (I think) list that I'm planning on running next month at a tourney. So without any delay here it is:

Main Detachment: Chaos Space Marines

1 Chaos Sorcerer on Bike with Mark of Nurgle and Melta Bombs - 155

3x 5 Plague Marines with 2 Plasma Guns (2 have Personal Icons) - 445

8 Chaos Marine Bikers with Icon of Nurgle, 2 Plasma Guns and a Champion with a Power Fist - 334

Allied Detachment: Chaos Daemons

Epidemius - 110

2x 15 Plague Bearers - 300

Deamon Prince with Daemonic Flight, Mark of Nurgle, Cloud of Flies and Breath of Chaos - 235

Then lastly...

1 Fortress of Redemption with 2 Heavy Bolters and Krakstorm Missiles - 270

Total - 1849

So obviously the entire point of this list is to utilize Epidemius and his tally buffs. The basic way to set this list up is to put all three Plague Marines squads in the Fortress. This way whenever a flier comes in, or you fire one of the Heavy Bolters or Krakstorm Missiles you get to add to the tally. Because you have Plague Marines using the weapons, the attacks count as being from a model with the mark of Nurgle. Meanwhile you have 9 T6 bikes zooming around the board taking pot shots at everything with Plasma Guns or twin-linked Bolters. Anything they can do to add to the tally. Whats nice about the bikers as well is that their Icon of Nurgle lets you deep strike those deamons without scattering, even on turn 1. So you don't have to worry about Epidemius or your Daemon Prince being destroyed in the first turn from a mishap.

Ideally you'll be able to get that tally up or around 20 by turn 2 or 3. I mean you've got a TL Icarus Lascannon, Krakstorm Missiles, 8 Plasma Guns (2 of which are on bikes to give them more range) and then a FMC who kills 2-3 models a turn just by flying over them. Plus there's your Sorcerer who I usually give Telepathy, and then the Primus Power. With the maneuverability of the bike the 12" range of to power isn't that much or a draw back, and on average will kill about 2-3 MEQ if you successfully get it off. Each one of these attacks adds to the tally, so 20 by the end of 2 isn't too much to reach for. Now once you get to 20+ models killed your army is more or less a pack of raging pus and STDs.

So, why are we aiming for 20+ models in 2 turns? For those of you who don't know who Epidemius is, I shall explain. When you kill 5-9 models all your Plague Swords (which are what Epidemius and all your Plague Bearers have) wound on a 3+ instead of a 4+. Once you get to 10 kills all Nurgle marked models have Noxious Touch, meaning they now wound on a 2+. At 15 kills Feel No Pain is a 3+ rather then a 5+. And lastly at 20+ kills all attacks from followers of Nurgle ignore armor saves. Also, all these buffs stack. To put it into perspective, with this list, you now have 9 T6 bikers who have 2+ poisoned attacks that ignore armor saves. Now the poisoned attacks only work in CC, but the ability to ignore armor saves applies to all attacks, shooting and CC. Meanwhile all your Plague Marines sitting in the Fortress now basically have a 3+ re-rollable save, in others words they won't die.

All in all the list is decent, just looking at it and the numbers. In fact it's kind of a weak list. But if one is able to rack up those kills fast enough the entire army is nigh unstoppable. I know there are a few bad match ups that this list would have (i.e a 7+ Necron flier list), but as 6th evolves and more anti-flier tools become more readily available to everyone I feel like this list might start doing alot better. Now besides the flier list, a 20 man all Paladin list would also be hard to beat simply because of the fact that there is only 20 models. But I don't see that list being nearly as common since we don't really have KP missions anymore.

Anyways, that's the list, hope ya'll enjoy it. Feedback is more than welcome and appreciated.

Army List: Honey Badger KP Denial Part 1

After picking up the Space Wolves codex last week I've been over analyzing page after page to figure out a list that I wanna run. The first list I put together I liked, but of course I just wanna write more and more and more, etc. After writing my CSM KP denial list, which I've had alot of fun with, I figured I'd try my hand at writing one along the same lines with this book. Yeah, here it is. I'll explain everything as I go.

Bjorn the Fell Handed w/ Twin Linked Lascannon - 290
First of all he's the most expensive HQ unit in the book, and figuring that we only have to take 1 HQ it made some sense on that level to take him. The TL-Lascannon was added to not only increase his points but fill in for a role this army might be lacking, long range anti-heavy armor. Long Fangs are so damn cheap that I don't think they're worth taking, given the fact that I want the lowest amount of KPs on the board. Next are his special rules, which are what make him perfect for this list.

First off he's a venerable Dread, meaning his survivability is increased ten fold and he's also front AV 13. He also lets you re-roll your die when determining who goes first/picks deployment sides. This is a huge bonus for a list that is looking to use terrain as much as possible to exploit the multi objective mission. He also comes with a 5++. That's right, a Venerable AV 13 Walker with a 5++...yeah pretty awesome. His last special rule is really the main reason I decided on taking him. When this model is destroyed it becomes an objective, oh and if you don't control it at the end of the game you forfeit D3 Kill Points. And when and IF he dies all of your units on the table become fearless. So then, the few units you have on the board can't be escorted off.

The whole point of this list is to deny Kill Points. Which means that your basically just playing for objectives and table quarters. Around my area we usually do this with with about 3 objectives. With this train of thought the ability to have another objective on the field means you'll be able to tie on this part of the mission as well. So now we've gone into the game winning (hopefully) on KP already, then being able to tie on objectives means that you only have to play for table quarters. This way if you win KP, tie on objectives, then tie on table quarters, well you win. It's easy as that. This is what Bjorn brings to this list and thus why he is key to its success.

15 Blood Claws, 2 Melta Guns, Power Fist, Plasma Pistol, Lukas the Trickster - 410
I know most people hate Blood Claws, just because of their lower BS and WS. However in this list we are trying to have as few KPs we can possibly have. By taking Blood Claws you still get 2 Melta Guns, and your Power Fist, but you loose the the versatility of having a Bolter. This disadvantage is somewhat mitigated by the fact that there are 15 models in this squad instead of 10. Whichever way you look at it 15 MEQ models on the board is better than 10, plain and simple.

The biggest downside to these guys is their Headstrong special rules. What this does is makes you for go your shooting phase if the unit is within 6" of an enemy unit and then in the assault phase you must attempt to charge it. The only way to to get rid of this rule is by attaching a World Guard or some other Independent Character. Their other special rule is actually pretty awesome. It gives them +2 attacks on the charge instead of the normal +1. This gives them each 4 S4 attacks when you charge with them, and considering that we have 15 models instead of 10 you'll be getting around 60 attacks on the charge!

Lastly I added Lukas. Really it's just to increase the cost of the unit, and you're not adding any extra KPs. He also adds a few fun combat rules to the squad as well as 3/4 S4 Wolf Claw attacks. First of all any attacks that are directed at Lukas must re-roll any successful to hit rolls. After that he has a 5++ and a fun rule called The Last Laugh. What this does is, when Lukas looses his last wound you and your opponent each roll a die. I you (the SW player) roll higher or the same as your opponent you immediately remove Lukas and any models in base contact with Lukas. I still have yet to try him out, but the ability to remove, say Abaddon, in one round of combat can ward off some unfavorable match ups for your squad. Maybe, maybe not, really it's just a fun rule to have, but really he's only in there to beef up the unit both in the shooting phase, the assault phase, and in points.

10 Grey Hunters, 2 Melta Guns, Power Fist, Wolf Standard, Mark of the Wolfen - 200
This unit is pretty self explanatory. Because of the possible unreliability of the Blood Claws we need one unit that can counted on to get stuff done. The load out is semi-standard, all I really did was add the Mark of the Wolfen to possible add to their CC abilities. They already have 2 close combat weapons each, as well as the Power fist, then add on top of that D6+1 Rending attacks. The possibility of this unit to wipe another power armored unit off the table on the assault is now just a bunch of 6's away.

This concludes part one of this army list. You've got your standard 1 HQ and 2 Troop units. Right now now the list sits at 900 points even. Next week, or in the next couple of days, I'll write up the next 950 points, explaining as I go. If you have any ideas on what you think should be in the rest of the list just hit me up with an e-mail or feel free to comment.

Off the beaten path: Honey Badgers

Last week I finally caved in a bought the Space Wolves codex. I mean now that Grey Knights and Necrons are so damn popular, it seems that it's become somewhat socially acceptable to play Wolves. Really I just wanna try something different because I've been playing the same dex for 5 years now, and this stuff gets pretty stale. This leads me to another quick point I have to make. While this blog is about the 69th Chapter of the Emperor's Children there may be different versions of it. In other words my whole goal is to have a bunch of models that are all purple and gold and can play as CSM, SM, BA, SW, BT, DA, GK, etc. So purchasing this codex is a step in that direction, plus I don't have a printer so printing out a torrented copy would actually cost more (not that I condone pirating).

I've gotten one game in with them against my friends Necrons, which is an all fliers list with Imotekh and other shenanigans. With him (like almost all 'cron lists) having night fighting on turn 1 up through at least turn 3 doesn't really matter for Wolves. If Necrons had a better representation at Adepticon I could easily see alot more Wolves players making the top tables. The Acute Senses special rule makes Wolves very, very good against these perpetual night lists. In one turn I was able to destroy 3 of 4 Night Scythes solely because I was able to re-roll my spotting distance. It was absolutely redic, and basically took the game from being anyones game to it obviously being mine in that one shooting phase.

Other notes on that game...Thunder Wolf Cavalry are broken and really expensive. I can see why people aren't taking them anymore. They are a huge point sink, and an even bigger fire magnet. I didn't give anyone a Storm Shield, cause I didn't have the points. Yet if I had I really don't think I would've made too much of a difference. Giving them all SS is anywhere from 90-150 points depending on the squad size, plus they're already 50 points a model. That means they're gonna be as much as a full Terminator unit and still don't have any special weapons yet. So a fully kitted out unit is gonna look around 500 big ones. And trust me, they will take out 500 points of your opponents army for sure. So I'm still iffy on them, all I do know is that I really want to convert a squad of them either way. Basically use the Tyranid Ravners tail and torso bashed with a CSM Marine or Terminator, or possibly the new Wraith tails. Either way they would look sick, but I have to hold off till 6th comes out to find out if they are worth making/taking or not.

Also, Wolf Lords are straight beasts. I don't care what you give them. I took two, one with Thunder Hammer and Saga of the Bear, then one with Saga of the Beastslayer and a Wolf Claw. They both had a Belt of Russ, for the 4++, only because I didn't have the points for SS really. I forgot that SS give you a 3++ against shooting now (/facepalm), but I didn't really notice too much of a difference. I will take them next time, just to be sure they can get across safely. I wasn't able to abuse Saga of the Beastslayer, like, at all. In reality there aren't too many T5 models out there, and the Wolf Claw(s) already let you choose which re-rolls you want. Plus you're already S5 so the toughness issue is kinda void, and the other TH and PF in the squad should rack up enough wounds against anything you face that the SotBS Lord isn't really needed.

Long Fangs are a must take, duh. They're just too damn cheap and WAYYY to effective at what they do. You can't hope to run a successful SW list without including these guys in your plan, or so I think. As far as Grey Hunters are concerned...meh. They're nothing that flashy, but a completely solid choice. Taking 2 Melta Guns, a Power Fist, and the Wolf Banner is just standard. A little redundant, and mildly boring as far as having a really fun unit goes. But they are what Tactical Marines should be, able to shoot effectively and then charge in a kill things, or even be able to get shot up and take a charge without caring. Cause Honey Badger don't care.

So next I'm gonna try and write up an effective Kill Point denial list utilizing this codes. Oh, also to note I'm calling Space Wolves...wait for it...Honey Badgers. The only reason is because every time I rolled my armor saves I start by saying "Honey Badger...(roll die, and if I pass) don't care." Obviously if I failed then they did care. Yeah it's just a small stupid thing, it was late and I was working my way through a 6 pack, so shit happens. Anyways, hope you folks enjoyed this mental purging of mine, and let me know what your opinions are about SW, I mean Honey Badgers.