The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift...

... a basket full of cute, merciless death.

Arkham Games will be running a 1750 tournament later this February, and it's time to start crunching possible lists. I've got one ready and awaiting playtesting for the Daemons, but I'd really like to take the Tyranids out for a meal. At the moment this is the best I can do; null deployment with lots of mid-strength shooting backed by melee heavy hitters. The swarm is subject to change given time and specific scenarios, but this seems like it could work.

HQ: 

Hive Tyrant w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Scything talons, Wings, Hive Commander, TL Brainleech Devourers -270

Elites:

1 Zoanthrope in Mycetic Spore w/ TL deathspitters -100, x3

Troops:

10 Termagants in Mycetic Spore w/ TL deathspitters -100, x3

9 Genestealers -126, x2

Tervigon w/ Dominion, Cluster Spines, Catalyst, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands - 195

Heavy Support:

Trygon -200, x2

This should give me enough angles of attack to surround just about anyone, decent scoring capacity, and enough firepower to soften up infantry and seriously crimp the style of most "parking lot" style lists. My melee units will struggle against some of the possibilities (Mephiston, Paladins, etc) but I'm hoping to even the playing field with fire support and buffs from the Tyrant and Tervigon. Pure hordes will also prevent a problem, as they can drag me down in melee if I'm not careful, and I don't have enough firepower to cripple units before they can reach me. Grey Knights will be a problem, but I'm gambling that Shadow in the Warp can take some of the bite out of Psychic Pilot, Hammerhand, and Force Weapons.

Warp Quake will be a problem, but there's little I can do about it. Ymgarl Genestealers and Lictors are an option, and would also improve my combat ability somewhat, but would require points to be cut from somewhere, as well as decreasing Synapse and Shadow in the Warp Coverage. 

Thoughts?

I'll See Your Grey Knights, and Raise You...

This... at 1998 points.

HQ: 

Great Unclean One -160

Fateweaver - 333

Elites:
        
6 Fiends of Slaanesh w/ Unholy Might -190

5 Bloodcrushers w/ Icon, Fury, Instrument - 240

Troops: 

5 Plaguebearers - 75

5 Plaguebearers - 75

10 Daemonettes - 140

10 Daemonettes - 140 

5 Horrors w/ Bolt of Tzeentch -95

5 Horrors w/ Bolt of Tzeentch, Changeling - 100

Fast Attack:

10 Seekers of Slaanesh -170

Heavy Support:

Daemon Prince w/ Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch - 140

Daemon Prince w/ Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch - 140


I'm not sold on everything in this list yet, but I've been itching to try out Fateweaver, if for no other reason than that he'll make the GUO even more difficult to kill. The Seekers feel like the weak link, and truthfully I'd rather have something else for the points, but they have their moments. Besides, I'm not adding in another Daemon Prince until Raging Heroes gets moving on its new model line. On paper placing the GUO, Fateweaver, and Bloodcrushers in the same wave seems like it would present a nightmare for target priority and make taking out any of them extremely difficult... but that's just on paper. Actual practice may be different, but it seems like that combo in your face could buy time and positioning for the rest of the army.

Because everyone loves a rant.

By no means mine, but this makes me appreciate all the more the effort put in by the owners and employees of the places I've been lucky enough to play in over the years. Also, I've worked enough customer service to want to cheer on anyone who says this openly.

http://www.houseofpaincakes.com/2011/11/rants-from-angry-woman.html#more

Bringing Swarmy Back

After getting in some practice with my Daemons and a test run with the Thousand Sons, I think it's time to take the Tyranids out for another meal. I was going to make this another post on my reserves list, but honestly I've hit a wall in the design with the models I've got. Even allowing for new models, I don't think they'd provide any capability that would change the swarm's strengths and weaknesses much. Given that, I think its time to revisit the old swarm tactics. This is what I've got so far. It won't stand up to a truly mechanized force, but won't go down without a fight.

HQ:

Hive Tyrant w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Heavy Venom Cannon, TL BL Devourers, Old Adversary-235 

2 Tyrant Guard w/ rending claws and boneswords -150

Elites:

Venomthrope - 55

Troops:

19 Termagants - 95
19 Termagants - 95

Tervigon w/ Dominion, Cluster Spines, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands - 195

5 Warriors w/ rending claws, devourers, 1 barbed strangler - 185

Fast Attack:

20 Gargoyles - 120

Heavy Support:

Carnifex w/ scything talons & heavy venom cannon - 185

Carnifex w/ scything talons & heavy venom cannon - 185

Everything revolves around the Tyrant - it serves as a small deathstar, AT unit, and force multipler for the other broods. The general plan is to advance behind the Gargoyle screen while using the venom cannons to suppress and hopefully wreck a vehicle or two. With interlocking cover saves from the Venomthrope and screen, plus Catalyst, I should be able to keep most of the swarm intact until turns 2 &3, at which point I can start softening up targets with symbiote fire and positioning for assaults with the MCs. If I can keep the Tyrant, Tervigon, and Termagants alive long enough and close enough together, then they should be able to sweep through just about anything in combat. If not then the game gets interesting pretty quickly. There are some builds that will just slaughter this list where it stands, but I'm not too likely to encounter them anytime soon. It will also help that most of the local players haven't seen a properly executed Tyranid swarm (as much as that even exists with the current codex) before.

As a final note, there are no Hive Guard because I hate the unit - they're all but mandatory in a Tyranid list because of their anti-transport role, but they're one dimensional in terms of use and can't be taken in sufficient numbers to actually shoot down a really meched up force. I'll have more fun flipping the occasional tank with the Carnifexes, albeit less success.

Any thoughts?

Four Horsemen: Team Tournament.

Just got back from Four Horsemen's first Team Tournament. The store had an excellent turnout; I think we started with eight teams going against each other. I paired my Slaaneshi daemons up with Dark Eldar, and over the course of three rounds we set out to visit horrors undreamed on our opponents; we were mostly successful.

Here's a quick breakdown of our team roster:

Daemons: Great Unclean One, 6 Fiends of Slaanesh, 10 Daemonettes, 5 Plaguebearers x2, Herald of Tzeentch w/ Chariot & Bolt x2, Daemon Prince w/ Pavane of Slaanesh.

Dark Eldar: Lilith Hesperax. 5 Warriors w/ Venom x2, Wyches in Raiders x2, Razorwing Fighter w/ Necrotoxin Missiles

Game 1: Team Bloodaxe - Blood Angels and Space Wolves

This was a 5 objective mission with Dawn of War deployment. Our opponents ran a mostly foot list, with a large pack of Blood Claws in the center backed up by a pair of Jumper Assault Squads complete with Librarian and Sanguinary Priest- which was actually rather intimidating since under the tournament rules the BA buffs were applying to the Space Wolves as well. My Daemon Prince became aware of this when an angry mob of S5 Blood Claws tore him limb from limb.

Despite that the game setup gave us a real advantage; we went second, negating a turn of shooting, and then rolled on/ deepstruck into a refused flank position on our right side. The Razorwing let fly with all of its missiles, cutting the BA squads almost in half. On their next turn, they were able to wipe out my Daemon Prince, but their Long Fangs couldn't bring down the Wyche's Raiders. The next turn saw the Daemonettes, both Wyche squads. Lilith, and the Great Unclean One mulitiassault their main force and cripple it. After that it was mostly a question of mopping up, although both players fought through turn 6 when we were finally able to claim the last objective and table them.

Game 2: Team Hordes - Orks and Tyranids

This was an interesting game; our opponents brought 100 Orks and a Big Mek, and hid them behind 90 Hormagaunts being led by the Swarmlord. Deployment was Spearhead, with Kill Points as the victory condition and 1 HQ per side being nominated as an assassination target worth an additional 5 KP. We chose Lilith for our side; they chose the Mek.  Once again we tried a refused flank, with my Daemons landing as close to our lines as I dared. Splinter cannon fire and Necrotoxin missiles finished off one brood of 30 Hormagaunts, and then we were out of templates, and it became a matter of using their frontline units as shields against the more distant mobs.

My Daemon Prince redeemed his poor performance in the other two games here; he managed to string out the unit the Mek was hiding in, pulling the HQ into assault range of both the Prince and the Unclean One, who were able to kill him easily. This gave us a pretty comfy lead in KP, but we almost lost it when we ran out of room to maneuver in our corner and my screening Daemons were overwhelmed. Ultimately we won the game when Lilith's squad wiped out the Orks trying to kill the sole survivor of of the first Wyche squad, giving us a minor victory 11 KP to 10.

Game 3 - For the Greener Good - Orks and Tau

This mission was a King of the Hill type setup, with a central objective that granted points for scoring unit that was within range so long as it was uncontested. By turn 2 things were looking grim - both Raiders had been shot down, the Wyches were mostly dead, Lilith and the few surviving Wyches were fighting for their lives against 2 mobs of Orks, and the Tau battle line was unscathed. Somehow we managed to push back. The Daemon Prince and Unclean One managed to tank and thin out the Orks while Lilith and the Wyches went absolutely berserk, breaking the survivors and forcing them to flee off the table. The last of the 3 Ork mobs went down to a combined charge of Fiends, my MCs, and Lilith, while the surviving DE Warriors managed to get into scoring range and tie us up 4 to 4. It wasn't quite enough; both sides were able to contest the central objective while we murdered one another's remaining troops, and the game ended at the bottom of turn 6 a draw. 

For the Greener Good took a well deserved first place on the strength of their earlier games - 2 massacres to our 1 and a minor victory, putting us in second overall for the day.

Campaign Update: The Battle for Medicae Primus

This week, as the forces of the Imperium reeled from defeat on the battlefield and treachery amongst the population, the invaders prepared to seize one of the key bases supporting the loyalist war effort: Medicae Primus. Constructed 500 years ago as a Biologis hospital and research facility, Medicae Primus has trained the bulk of the planet's medical professionals, as well as acting as a secondary production site for advanced bio-mechanical components. Through the efforts of its Adepts, thousands of Imperial troops have been restored to frontline duty, and many more have never even required medical attention thanks to the physical enhancements it has liberally provided. Although the sprawling facility was well-garrisoned at the outset of the war, the facility itself was not fortified, and as the forces of Chaos advanced across the planet, many of its defenders were stripped away, leaving only an uneasy coalition of Tau, Cadians, and Blood Angels to defend the site.

Knowing that the Imperium would respond with overwhelming force to any threat to Medicae Primus, the forces of Chaos set a trap for the defenders...

Acting as a reconnaissance force at the perimeter, the mercenary Tau, having finally linked up with their Sept world brethren, detected a massive warband of Orks along the perimeter. Calling for backup from nearby forces, the Tau moved into a defensive position and began to mow down their foes despite being massively outnumbered. By the time they began receiving distress calls from their allies and realized no support was inbound, it was too late to withdraw. Nearly the entire Tau line was engulfed by Ork boyz, despite their heroic efforts to stem the green tide with courage and blazing pulse rifles alone.

The initial perimeter alert given by the Tau did not go entirely unanswered. Although the Cadians and 2nd Tau force remained in position at Medicae Primus, the Blood Angels immediately mobilized to support their allies, rushing to the battle in an armored spearhead. They never arrived; a rumbling swarm of Ork vehicles intercepted the Sons of Sanguinius en route, critically delaying the Marines. The battle was a nightmare demolition derby. Looted Wagons and Battlewagons dueled with Predators and Vindicators, while Trukkboyz madly traded fire with Rhino and Razorback transports. The Blood Angels ultimately claimed victory, reducing the Ork vehicles to scrap and halting their advance. Unfortunately their own force was in little better shape; as they prepared to move out with what troops and weaponry they had left, their comms were overwhelmed with a howl of distress signals...

On the outskirts of Medicae Primus, the true attack finally appeared as two forces of Daemons burst from the Warp onto Feorla's surface.

The Cadians, already drawn up in defensive formations in the event of an Orkish breakthrough, initially held despite the appearance of Horrors in the middle of their lines; it seemed the troops of Daemons were leaderless and disorganized. That changed rapidly, as Skarbrand the Exiled, flanked by a pair of Daemon Princes, materialized on the battlefield and began laying waste to everything within reach. The Imperial line crumbled as the fallen Bloodthirster's rage infected the combatants, driving them to acts of suicidal aggression. The famed Cadian discipline collapsed as the entire command squad, supported by a Sentinel and support troopers, rushed one of the Daemon Princes, hammering it with rifle butts and point blank lasfire. Against such a foe there could be only one result, and as their commander fell, so did the Cadians.

The Tau had also formed up defensively, but they too had miscalculated. Expecting a head on charge, they detached their Broadsides and Pathfinders to the edges of their kill zones, and waited to receive a frontal assault. Unfortunately the attack was not head on; the first warning the Tau had was the screams of their Pathfinders dying to bursts of Warp energy. The battle was short but vicious. Pulse- and Missile fire devastated the first wave of Slaaneshi daemons, while Kroot mercenaries held the line against the survivors. It could not be held, however. The last Kroot died futilely writhing in the jaws of a Fiend, while an advancing Greater Daemon simply waded through the volley after volley of fire, buying time for multiple Daemon Princes and Heralds to get into position. Bereft of an escape route and unable to focus fire without Pathfinder support, the Tau's hope, determination, and dying agony were all harvested for the Dark Prince.

 Aware of their allies' defeat but too battered to provide assistance, the surviving Blood Angels began the long retreat to friendly territory, vowing revenge on the invaders... 

Already the facilities of Medicae Primus are being put to use by their new masters. The transfer of medical treatment and cybernetic enhancement to the invaders is the least of the Imperium's worries.  With a captive staff, the corrupting power of Chaos, advanced biotechnology, and thousands of fresh prisoners to experiment upon, there is no telling what horrors will emerge from the desecrated operating rooms and manufactorums...

Betrayal on St. Feorla's World

Despite the best efforts of its defenders, the fate of St. Feorla's World now hangs in the balance. With time bought by the heroic efforts of its front line forces, the Imperial war machine had prepared a massive counterattack and was set to unleash it upon the hapless invaders ... but just as the hammer blow was about to land, disaster struck! Pushed to the brink of endurance by wartime measures, whole districts have risen up in revolt against Imperial rule, wrecking supply depots and inducing entire PDF regiments to lay down their arms. Initial reports by the Adeptus Arbites in the affected areas indicated only disorganized mobs, but their bastions have now gone ominously silent. Scouting forces to the insurgent areas have uncovered evidence of organized cult activity and genetic debasement; it seems the presence of Slaanehi daemons and Tyranids is not coincidental as coincidental as was hoped...

The Tau were the first to feel the brunt of the population's treachery. As they were advancing through pacified territory, intent on spearheading an attack, their column was set upon by a horde of Tyranids. Unable to disengage, the Tau were forced to stand and fight. Although they were able to defeat wave upon wave of assault beasts with minimal losses, the Tau advance has slowed to a crawl as they perform seek and destroy missions against a seemingly endless number of hidden nests and try to reestablish their supply lines.

The Grey Knights encountered a familiar adversary on St. Feorla: Orks. Spoiling for a fight, the Deff Skullz set upon the daemon hunters as they responded to reports of a cult uprising in an outlying town. It is unclear how the Orks reached an area so far from the fighting without being detected, but the Grey Knights were able to meet their unexpected foes on the battlefield and overcome them with sheer righteous fury. The Orks fought with characteristic ferocity and kunning, but few survived to vie for the title of new Warboss. The Knights continued on to their initial objective, and purged the corrupted town.

Forces of the Imperial Guard, advancing in what was supposed to have been the counterattack's vanguard, were encircled and destroyed by a combined force of Orks and Tau. Although it remains unclear how or why these two forces were working together, they were able to overwhelm the hapless Guardsmen. Although the Guard spearhead fought bravely, they were pinned in place and held out for reinforcements that never arrived. The armored advance quickly became a route for the Imperial troops. Reports indicate the missing relief forces were local PDF troops who are currently AWOL; execution writs have been issued for the officers responsible.

The Black Templar once again met with infuriating defeat, as they sought to destroy a Necron command center. Although they were able to breach the Necron perimeter with ease, the Templar found themselves surrounded by undying warriors. The Marshal and Emperor's Champion were cut down in a hail of gauss fire, while the supporting Crusader squads were unable break from of harassing Scarabs and Warriors. The Necrontyr defended their newly taken ground with brutal efficiency.

The Blood Angels once again found themselves ambushed by the forces of Chaos; although prepared for the appearance of daemons in their midst, the heavy casualities inflicted upon the Marines in prior battles hamstrung their ability to fight. With only a few understrength squads and quickly repaired armor, they were unable to halt the minions of Slaanesh, and took severe losses while disengaging.

Within a span of days the Imperium's position on Feorla has been upended. Previously secure territories have been overrun, the impending counterattack is in shambles, and multiple strategic sites are open to attack...

Quick Update

Meant to post this last night, but ended up just going to bed. I took my 1500 Daemon list down to Arkham Games this Saturday for my friend Aaron's inaugural tournament. For those of who haven't seen it, check out his blog over at  http://rarkthorshold.blogspot.com/. The Daemons did well, placing 4th overall, but couldn't come back to place from a Round 1 powerklawing. More detailed report to follow.

All Is Dust Mark II

With Arkham's tournament only a week away, I'm still unsure about lists. The Tyranid swarm I put up a few weeks ago is a strong possibility, as is the Daemon host I took out last time ... but with the Thousand Sons/Space Marines almost assembled, I now have a third option.  Something like this is pretty tempting :

HQ: Librarian w/ Null Zone and Avenger

Elites:

Dreadnought w/ dccw & TL autocannon

Dreadnought w/dccw & TL autocannon 

6 Sternguard w/ combimeltas, Rhino

Troops:

Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combiflamer, flamer, Missile launcher, Rhino

Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ combimelta, meltagun, Missile launcher, Rhino

Tactical Squad: Sgt. w/ bolt pistol and ccw, meltagun, Missile launcher, Razorback w/ lascannon & TL plasmagun

Heavy Support:

Thunderfire Cannon & Techmarine

Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons

Predator w/ autocannon, heavy bolter sponsons 

I'd like the Sternguard squad to be larger, but the points for them just aren't to be had. It's tempting to drop one for a powerfist, but realistically they're not going to do well in assault against anything worth assaulting.  I'm hoping I'll be able to use the dreads to open up transports at range and deter outflankers/ close combat troops, but they'll need some luck to pull that off.

Thoughts?

See Them Driven Before You

The 4th round of Four Horsemen's campaign played out this evening, and the forces of somewhat good hit back hard. Tonight was the first custom scenario, with the Imperium trying to buy time to ready a major attack.

Campaign Scenario: See Them Driven Before You

The defenders of St. Feorla’s World have been driven ever backwards by the invading onslaught. No more! Despite a string of defeats, the Imperial forces still retain the advantages of overwhelming resources, numbers, and positioning. Now is the time to begin using them.

Behind the front lines, Imperial commanders are gathering massive reserves of troops and material in preparation for a hammer blow against the invaders. All they require of the remaining frontline regiments is the time to organize and redeploy… time the forces of Chaos have no intention of giving them. The coming battle will be the first decisive engagement of the campaign!

You Shipped Our Ammo WHERE!?

No campaign bonuses or advantages may be used in this scenario. The defenders (Chaos) are too busy absorbing their conquests to utilize special resources, and the attackers (the Imperium) have been left isolated as their infrastructure struggles to coordinate the planned counterattack.

Only the Strong Survive

Anyone still alive on the Feorlan front lines has been to hell and back… and ensured that plenty of enemies only got to do the former. Between hard won experience, scavenged equipment, and sheer viciousness, the survivors are even more dangerous than usual. To represent this, each player may designate 2 units as veterans and give them any one of the Universal Special Rules listed on p.75-76 of the BRB.

Deployment: Dawn of War

Objectives: Capture and Control 

All normal special rules are still in play: Seize the Initiative, Night Fight, Infiltrate, Etc.

To claim victory, the Imperium must surpass or tie the number of games the Chaos players win. All they must do is stall the invaders’ advance, and they can be pinned down by overwhelming force. If Chaos wins more games, then they will have broken through the Imperial lines and begun rampaging through undefended sectors, cementing their hold and wrecking plans for a decisive counterattack.

Further campaign bonuses will be included based on the outcome of these games.

The  forces of the Imperium hit back hard, wresting positions back from the invaders and buying precious time for their allies to reinforce them.

Further Imperial forces arrived on St. Feorla's World in the form of a company of Salamanders. Arriving at the edge of the battle zone, they were almost immediately set upon by a swarm of rampaging Tyranids. Cleansing flame and righteous fury sufficed to drive the monsters back, but the Salamanders did not escape unbloodied. Even more worrying, the Tyranid attack halted without warning, the leader beasts and their surviving minions withdrawing at some unseen signal of the Hive Mind. The swarms are only biding their time.

Unable to sustain their present rate of loss and with their means of transportation all but destroyed, the Grey Knights "requisitioned" elements of the local PDF to slaughter the Orks standing between them and the daemonic infestation they had initially set out to destroy The battle ended in a tactical draw. The bulk of the Orkish horde was unharmed, and managed to inflict heavy casualties on the hapless Imperial Guardsmen, but the Knights were able to form a spearhead and break through the xenos lines, freeing themselves to hunt the growing Slaaneshi menace. 

The Red Harvest of the Necrons was halted by a combined strike force of Blood Angels and Tau. Setting aside their differences in the face of a relentless foe, the Tau brought their heretical technology to bear on the undead constructs while the Marines descended from the skies on jump packs. After suffering heavy losses, the Necrons vanished from the battlefield ... leaving behind strangely alluring and still functional wreckage. Eager for new captured technology, the freethinking Tau have worked the long, pulsing, Necron gauss weapons into their battle suit mount points. The Blood Angels, disgusted by the actions of their erstwhile allies, are already forming plans to turn on them and take the weaponry for ... additional study ... of their own.

Meanwhile the Space Wolves continued their advance deeper into the invaders' lines. Although faced with a mobile cadre of mercenary Tau, the Sons of Russ, led by the Great Wolf himself, brought their prey to ground and slew them mercilessly. Xenos weaponry felled many brave warriors, but Logan Grimnar never faltered, striding through the fire while his packs snapped and snarled at the flanks of the opposing Fire Warriors and Battlesuits. With no answer such canny savagery, the Tau survivors could only retreat from what they could not kill.

The Black Templar met with disaster as they sought to retake an area recently purged by Necrons. Treading through volcanic landscape, the Marines' armored column was set upon by the minions of the Lord of Excess. Unfazed by the appearance of such abominations in their midst, the Templar took defensive positions and prepared to unleash the wrath of the Emperor. Their confidence was misplaced; heedless of the killing heat, the daemons came through the flames for their quarry, shredding armor and shattering tank hulls. Unable to fell the Greater Daemon that tore apart their Land Raider, the Marshall and his attendant Crusaders retreated, with the wounded Emperor's Champion remaining behind to buy his brothers time to fight another day.

Overall a decisive victory for the defenders of St. Feorla's World. Next week will be Kill Teams, as the Imperial counterattack looms and the forces of Chaos get sneaky and vicious. Tune in.

Campaign Update

Tonight Team Evil went back on the offensive and continued in their quest to overrun the hapless St. Feorla's World. The forces of Chaos, seeking to capitalize on the Imperium's failure to retake their landing zones, spread out and began assaulting territory wholesale. Unfortunately for the invaders, the Imperium received enough reinforcements to shore up their defenses and slow the advance to a crawl.

Still smarting from their earlier losses, the Grey Knights were forced to deal with a Tyranid scout swarm that landed near their command post. Although the beasts were put to the flame with little difficulty, the Shadow in the Warp has been roused...

The Tau and Deff Skull Orks renewed their rivalry, and the ensuing bloodbath only saw their enmity increase. Although the Orks suffered massive casualties, the Tau were equally battered and forced to withdraw after breaking their opponent's charge. The engagement ended in a tactical draw, with no territory won or lost.

The Blood Angels managed to retake the wreckage of their previous lines from the occupying mercenary Tau. Bereft of heavy armor, the Sons of Sanguinius launched an aerial assault that pierced the Xenos lines and drove the few survivors back in disarray.

An as yet unidentified Space Marine chapter further bolstered the Imperial lines, slowing the advance of the second Orkish warband. Although the Orks were temporarily halted and badly mauled, the Marines sustained unacceptably high casualties and were forced to withdraw. The Orkish advance, led by the surviving Mega-armored Nobs, continued unopposed.

Aid unlooked for arrived in the form of a Space Wolves company, reportedly led by Logan Grimnar himself. Upon entering planetary orbit, the Sons of Fenris immediately launched a full assault on a Necron spearhead about to enter a populated zone. Their ferocity proved no match for Necrontyr ruthlessness, however; the undead constructs pinned down their attackers in the lava fields with minimal force, and proceeded with the Red Harvest even as the Wolves sought to break free. Only Grimnar's leadership saved the situation from complete disaster.

Finally,  a regiment of the local PDF, supposedly in a safe zone, was ambushed and destroyed by a rampaging horde of Daemons. Inspired generalship, the exhortations of a Ministorum priest, and the punishing firepower of Leman Russ battletanks proved no match for the denizens of the Warp. Freshly gorged on souls, the minions of Slaanesh are even now despoiling the suddenly defenseless territory.

Will the Imperium counterattack? Will the Tau and Orks ever sit down and talk out their differences? Can any two 40K players agree on how to pronounce Tzeentch? Tune in next week.

Saint Feorla's World: The Counterattack Fails

Tonight was the second round of Four Horsemen's map campaign. The forces of the Imperium, reeling from the sudden incursion of Xenos and warpspawn, were unable to link up and retake their lost territory. Although the bulk of the planet remains in Imperial hands, its PDF and auxiliary forces are dispersed, and the invaders' landing zones are  now uncontested.

The Grey Knights, seeking to recover the bodies of their fallen, were horrified to discover a Tau reconnaissance force scavenging the armor and weaponry of their slain brethren. Although they fell upon the xenos with righteous fury and slaughtered many, their sacrifice was in vain. The Tau survivors managed to retreat with their stolen relics, nearly crippling the Grey Knights as a force upon the planet.

The Black Templar, hoping to finish the Deff Skullz presence on Feorla, fell victim to their own ferocity, and were nearly surrounded and cut off by greenskins spoiling for a good fight. Faced with overwhelming numbers, the Marines were forced to withdraw or face annihilation for no gain.

The second Tau strike force, seeking to follow up on the Deff Skullz it had defeated in its first engagement, stumbled upon another Ork warband. Outnumbered and with heavy weaponry geared towards destroying an armored formation, only a few Tau survived the furious melee.

Finally, the Blood Angels were ambushed by the forces of Slaanesh as their armored column moved into its siege positions outside the air field. Although more than able to repel a conventional attack, the Sons of Sanguinius were surrounded by the warpspawn and destroyed piecemeal. The Angels slew daemon after daemon, but their frenzied attacks only served to strengthen the remaining monsters. With such souls  as these to feast upon, the Dark Prince's minions are being drawn in ever greater numbers to Feorla.

Tune in next week as the forces of evil begin consolidating their gains...

Arkham Games Tournament - Preliminary List

On October 15 Arkham Games, the store that allowed me to get back into 40k after nearly 2 years will be holding a  1500 pt tournament run by my friend and sole reader, Rarkthor. After putting in a good showing with my Daemons (and running them in a local campaign) I think it's time to let the Tyranids off the leash. Here's what I've got so far.

Hive Tyrant w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Armored Shell, TL BL devourers, Heavy Venom Cannon, Old Adversary

2 Zoanthropes

2 Hive Guard

1 Venomthrope

11 Genestealers

Tervigon w/ Dominion, Cluster Spines, Catalyst, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands

20 Termagants

20 Termagants

Trygon

Trygon

It's the first swarm list I've run in a while, but has just about everything it needs - numbers, close combat muscle, synapse coverage, and durability. It could definitely be optimized, but can at least fight its way out of a wet paper bag, possibly even a reinforced cardboard box.

The Fall of St. Feorla's World Begins...

Our store saw the beginning of the end of St. Feorla's World as it kicked off its first map campaign. Tonight the forces of evil were victorious, securing their initial landing zones and taking the planet's primary air field. Although a Tau task force was able to hold off an advance force of Deff Skullz Orks, Imperial forces were otherwise driven back on all fronts. The Blood Angels' attempt to contain the emerging Necron tomb complex met with disaster, the Imperial Guard were driven back by a tide of Orks, an overzealous force of Black Templars was defeated by a secondary Tau force before it could rendezvous with friendly forces, and a Grey Knights strike force was nearly annihilated by a force of Slaaneshi daemons...

All Is Dust...

All the discussion of 6th edition and its speculated refashioning of Chaos has gotten me itching to break out my Thousand Sons again. All well and good, but I'm not going back to the actual Chaos Marines codex - a few months of that was enough to last a lifetime. Although Blood Angels are tempting as a stand in, for now I'll be using the  Space Marines to represent them on the field. Here's the projected list at 1500:

HQ: 

Librarian w/ Force Dome and The Avenger

Elites:

Ironclad Dreadnought w/ dual heavy flamers, Drop Pod

7 Sternguard w/ combimeltas, Rhino

Troops:

Tactical Squad: Missile launcher, meltagun, combimelta, Rhino

Tactical Squad: Missile launcher, flamer, combiflamer, Rhino

Tactical Squad: Missile launcher, plasmagun, Razorback w/ lascannon & TL plasmagun

Heavy Support:

Predator w/ autocannon and heavy bolters

Predator w/ autocannon and heavy bolters 

Thunderfire Cannon & Techmarine gunner

The basic idea is to win through superior mobility and firepower. The Razorback squad and Thunderfire cannon act as a firebase, preferably in a bolstered ruin, while the other two Tac squads advance to midfield. Missile launcher combat squads can be held back from the Rhino squads as needed. Meanwhile the Predators start opening up transports and forcing saves. The Sternguard act as a hammer unit via shooting, with the Librarian attached for some extra punch. Finally the dreadnought serves as a deterrent for swarms and an irritant for heavy weapon teams.

Thoughts?

Four Horsemen Inaugurual Tournament

Better late than never for this report. Last weekend my FLGS held its first 40k tournament, a 1500 point, three round event that lasted most of the day. Despite nearly two weeks of Tyranid list design, I decided that morning to take the Daemon force I had built up for the Escalation League this summer. I was pleasantly surprised by the results, and ended up placing 4th out of 10, just a few battle points shy of 3rd place, which went to Rarkthor of http://rarkthorshold.blogspot.com/.  I claim a moral victory over him based on the results of Game 2, however.

And now a quick breakdown.My Daemonic host, They Who Walk Upon Many Waters (and whose name might actually make sense when I finish basing them) consisted of a pair of Tzeentch heralds on Jetbikes, kitted to hunt transports, a pair of Tzeentch Daemon Princes equipped the same, a Great Unclean one, 2 groups of 10 Daemonettes, 2 groups of 5 Plaguebearers, 10 Seekers of Slaanesh, and 6 Fiends of Slaanesh.

Game 1:

For this mission I faced off against Tau in a modified KP mission with Pitched Battle deployment. KP were scored as normal, but there were 6 objectives placed across the board, 5 of which were duds and 1 of which was worth 5 KP and could be moved and held by any unit that found it. My opponent won the roll for deployment and elected to go first, stringing out his army between some Pathfinders and Firewarriors on the right flank and some infiltrating Kroot on the other. Sandwiched in between were his skimmers  and Crisis suits. His commander and suit retinue were held in reserve. Going first against Daemons is usually a bad plan, but in this case it was justified - via infiltrating Kroot, Crisis suit moves, and a flat out Piranha, he had uncovered all but one of the markers and recovered the bonus objective before I was even on the table.

Unfortunately for him it was on the left side of the board, held by one of his two Kroot squads. I got my chosen first wave and set about surrounding the Kroot and blocking off that flankfrom the rest of his army. It almost didn't work; my initial shooting whiffed, and he took out the Daemonettes who were supposed to lock the objective in place for a turn while the rest of my units got into range.  This coupled with getting only 1 unit (my second Daemon Prince) in on turn 2, made a real fight of it. Turn 3 saw some him whittle away chunks of my force, but also saw him run out of  space; the Kroot were hunkered down in a forest near the corner of the board, getting ready to hand off the objective to a Devilfish mounted squad of Fire Warriors, who I managed to shoot down and pin with a lucky shot. The subsequent assault saw the Kroot dead to the 2nd Daemon Prince and the remnants of my Fiends. From there it was all downhill. I was able to snipe a few more units in the center to offset my own losses, and the bonus 5 KP put me well out of catch-up range for the Tau. The game ended on Turn 5, with a major victory for the Daemons.

Game 2:

Fresh from devouring Tau souls, I got something a little meatier: Space Wolves. The primary objective was victory points, with bonus points for units above half strength in your opponent's DZ. My opponent spread his Long Fangs on opposite sides of the board, placing one near a rock outcropping and the other two in a forest.  From their vantage points they had most of the board well covered. His 3 Rhinos filled with Grey Hunters stuck to the center, with a pair of Speeders riding shotgun on the transports. He also elected to go first so he could use Njal's ability and force me to take Dangerous terrain tests as I arrived.

This time the Daemons came out swinging. I did little damage on my turn, but got some good positioning, and took little damage on my turn. By turn 3 his Long Fangs on the right were dead courtesy of the Great Unclean One, the squad on the left was tied up by Plaguebearers, the Rhinos of two squads were destroyed or crippled, and one of his two Wolf Scout units had been massacred. The Wolves started hitting back once the Grey Hunters and Njal came out to play, but by then they were taking losses about equal to the ones they were inflicting. The game ended with another major victory for the Daemons.

Game 3:

The final game was against the only other undefeated player, another Tau force. The win condition was objectives, with 5 unequally weighted points set across the board, while the setup was Spearhead. Going in I knew it was going to be bloody and close, and I was right. With only three scoring units, whose movement would limit his firepower, I had an advantage. Unfortunately this was offset by the mass of S5 shooting, which were hitting at BS5 thanks to his Pathfinders. What got into 12" of his army died, and I couldn't concentrate enough on one flank and hold the objectives. I decided to sacrifice my army to pin him in place while throwing my troops onto far flung objectives. It almost worked, but I ran out of units to sacrifice on Turn 5, and hadn't been able to destroy his ability to contest; I had troops on two objectives, but he managed to get an empty transport on one and a few drones near the other. My last two Daemonettes made a desperate charge against the squad of Fire Warriors advancing on the central objective, but weren't up to killing a full squad on their own. That left his last surviving Fire Warriors sitting on his home objective and gave him the victory 1 point to 0.

Overall I had a great day; although I didn't place, I got a better feel for my Daemons in competitive play and a nice tactical workout as well. More importantly I got to face off against some great players, and am looking forward to getting in some rematches.

Sending in the Next Wave

My FLGS, http://www.facebook.com/fourhorsemencomics, is holding its inaugural tournament next weekend. At 3 rounds and 1500 points, it should provide a nice chance to make up for a dismal showing at Ard Boyz.  I'm thinking of taking a more conventional swarm than my usual reserve list; after some testing today, I may have a rough list.

HQ: 

Hive Tyrant  w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Heavy Venom Cannon, TL BL devourers, Armored Shell 

Elites:

2 Hive Guard

Troops:

10 Termagants

Tervigon w/ Dominion, Catalyst, scything talons

15 Hormagaunts w/ toxin sacs

15 Hormagaunts w/ toxin sacs

8 Genestealers

8 Genestealers

Heavy Support:

Carnifex w/ TL BL devourers x2

Tyrannofex w/ rupture cannon, cluster spines, dessicator larvae


It's somewhat resistant to missile fire, can put out a decent amount of shooting, and can still do some damage in assault.

Making Planetfall...

Orbital defenses have been breached, the Hive Fleet is entering orbit, and the Mycetic Spores are on the way. Consumption begins in roughly twelve hours. 

After some more testing I decided to change up the list, and like this version much more. It's still not as much anti-tank as I'd like, and Mission 2 will be pretty unforgiving in my deployment, but hits much harder in assault and doesn't hemorrhage kill points quite as easily. The Swarmlord proved to be even more useful than I had anticipated; Genestealers and Warriors with Preferred Enemy are certifiable nightmares, and the 18" allows for much more flexibility than Old Adversary. 

HQ:

The Swarmlord (280), 1 Tyrant Guard w/ rending claws and scything talons (60) - 340

Hive Tyrant(170) w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Scything talons, TL BL Devourers(15), Wings(60), Hive Commander(25)  
-270

Elites:

2 Hive Guard-100

2 Lictors - 130

2 Lictors – 130

Troops:

10 Termagants -50

Tervigon (160) w/ Dominion, Cluster spines,Catalyst(15),Toxin Sacs(10),scything talons(5) -190

10 Genestealers - 140

10 Genestealers - 140

5 Tyranids Warriors w/ lashwhip & bonesword(15), toxin sacs(5), rending claws, (200) in Mycetic Spore(40)

-290

Fast Attack:

15 Gargoyles - 90

Heavy Support:

Trygon - 200

Trygon - 200

Carnifex (160) w/ TL BL devourers (15)x2 (190) in Mycetic Spore(40) - 230

The Swarm Gathers...

After a little more playing, here's the rough draft of the list I'll be fielding next weekend.

HQ: 

The Swarmlord w/ 1 Tyrant Guard

Hive Tyrant w/ Leech Essence, Paroxysm, Scything talons, TL BL Devourers, Wings, Hive Commander

Elites:

2 Hive Guard

Zoanthrope in Mycetic Spore

Zoanthrope in Mycetic Spore

Troops:

15 Termagants

Tervigon w/ Dominion, Cluster spines, Catalyst, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal glands, scything talons

10 Termagants w/devourers in Mycetic Spore

20 Genestealers w/toxin sacs, Broodlord w/ toxin sacs, scything talons, implant attack

Fast Attack:

20 Gargoyles w/ toxin sacs

Heavy Support:

Trygon

Trygon

Carnifex w/ TL BL devourersx2 in Mycetic Spore

Still feels rough around the edges. I'd considered the Doom of Malan'tai, but it never seems to do anything other than die after sucking off a wound or two, and I think I'll need the Hive Guard more. Not really wild about the Termagants on foot, but the Traitor has to hide somewhere in Mission 1, and they can at least claim an objective in Mission 2; in Mission 3 they can ... die, hopefully taking something with them. I'd prefer the Genestealers in 2 groups to claim objectives in Mission 2, but with the Swarmlord on hand they have a good chance of appearing where they need to and can take some punishment without going down, particularly if I can keep Catalyst on them. It's tempting to swap the Mawloc back in for one of the Trygons. As dense as the board is likely to be it should at least have a target.

Mission 1:  I'll have to play aggressively and focus fire. If I can arrive together, cripple a flank, and absorb the return attack, then I should have a chance. I can't afford to spread out, especially against a list with fewer units; in my test game I managed to kill the Traitor, keep mine alive, tie on victory points... and still lost the game by a good 6 KP. While I'm at it, I'd like to give an extra special Fuck You! to the FAQ writer who decided ICs couldn't ride in Mycetic Spores - because of you designing this list was much more frustrating than it needed to be. But not quite as much as in...

Mission 2:  And an extra, extra special Fuck You!! to whoever wrote this mission. Since Outflank would be amazingly useful here, particularly for an army with limited mobility, obviously it must be disallowed. I'm going to have to start on the table here; how many units go on will depend on the opponent, but the Swarmlord, Gargoyles, Tervigon, Gaunts, and Genestealers will likely form the core. Hopefully I can hold the center and 1 of the secondary objectives while contesting the others.

Mission 3: Finally, Victory Points! I can afford to do what my swarm does best here - appear from nowhere, pick off high value targets with expendable units, then move in for the kill. Deployment and target priority will depend largely upon my opponent and how they react to my (non)setup.

'Ard Boyz

*Obligatory joke about what a terrible name for a competition the above is here*

Still working on finalizing my list for the competition on the 13th. Got in a small test game yesterday to try out some new unit combinations. Results were mixed; on the one hand I lost. On the other I had just about everything that could go wrong for my swarm go wrong and still came within one leadership test of tabling my opponent, so I at least managed to put the fear of the Hive Mind in him. In an objective or VP mission I think I could have pulled it out, but a KP mission against foot Orks is one of my harder matchups - squads of 20 Orks are much harder to kill than empty Mycetic Spores. I think I can iron out the kinks at 2500, but 1500 still leaves me without much in the way of ranged antipersonnel or screening - I can do some damage in assault, but my best shooting is geared towards short range AT.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to try out the same list against Dark Eldar this evening.

Test Lists and the Daemons' First 1500 Outing

Well, still more Daemon content today, although that should change soon. I'll be participating in the FLGS's Ard Boyz tournament on August 13th, and will be fielding Hive Fleet Tzimisce for that particular bloodbath. I have a preliminary list worked out, but I'm waiting to do a post on that until the actual scenarios are released and I can start on some more meaningful tweaks. If you've played me before then you won't be particularly surprised by the style of list I'm taking... but I think the Swarmlord will add some bite.

Anyway, back to yesterday's outing with the Daemons. I finally got to test the list I'd been building up to throughout the Escalation League:

Great Unclean One w/ Cloud of Flies

Herald of Tzeentch w/ Daemonic Gaze, Bolt, Chariot, Master of Sorcery x2

6 Fiends of Slaanesh

5 Plaguebearers, x2

10 Daemonettes, Transfixing Gaze x2

10 Seekers of Slaanesh, Transfixing Gaze

Daemon Prince w/ Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt, Breath of Chaos x2

In the other corner were Dark Eldar... apparently the planet we were fighting on was double-booked for its order of "horrors undreamed of". Going from memory, he fielded:


Duke Sliscus

Succubus w/ Agonizer

4 Trueborn w/ Blasters in a Venom w/ dual splintercannons, x2

4 Trueborn, 2 shardcarbines, 2 splintercannons, in a Venom w/ dual splintercannons - the Duke came in with them

10 Kabalite Warriors, blaster and dark lance

7 Wyches, Hekatrix w/ Agonizer, in a Raider w/ Night Shields and Flickerfield - the Succubus' unit

5 Scourges w/ 3 Shardcarbines and 2 Haywire blasters

Ravager w/ triple dark lances

Voidraven Bomber w/ Necrotoxin Missiles


We rolled up everyone's favorite combination, Dawn of War with Capture and Control objectives. I placed mine in a  large ruin about as close to the center line as I could; his went on top of a low tower in the opposite corner. Having won the roll off for turn sequence, I went second. My opponent deployed his Warrior squad near his home objective behind some pretty dense terrain.

Turn 1:


My opponent decided to Deep Strike most of his army. Only the Voidraven moved on from his board edge, angling behind the same patch of terrain the Warriors were hiding behind ( a series of 3 towers about 9" from the board edge").

My turn was a little more eventful. I rolled a 1 for Daemonic Assault, so instead of my preferred wave, I got both squads of Plaguebearers, both Heralds, and a squad of Daemonettes. One unit of Plaguebearers landing on my objective, losing one to Dangerous Terrain, the Daemonettes appeared on target a few inches from his Warriors, the 2nd unit of Plaguebearers scattered away from the support position they were supposed to occupy for the Daemonettes and landed midfield, and the first Herald landed on impassable terrain and mishapped back into reserve. The 2nd Herald caught a break of luck, bursting from the Warp directly in front of the Voidraven and shooting it down.

Turn 2:

The Dark Eldar have no better luck with their deepstriking attempts. The Wyches' Raider landed in midfield within striking distance of my  objective, while one unit of blaster Trueborn arrived,  scattering back towards his table edge but still within range of the Daemonettes threatening his objective. The Duke and his unit arrive this turn as well, but mishap in the exact same place my Herald did and also go back into reserve. Caught between Warriors and Trueborn, the Daemonettes are blasted off this mortal coil, screaming in frustration. Across the board, my Herald shrugs off a lance shot and prepares to retaliate.


My reserve rolls pick up at the bottom up 2. The Fiends, Seekers, a Daemon Prince, and the Great Unclean One all arrive. The Seekers land near my objective, trying to bait the Wyches into charging them first or counterattacking if they go for my objective. The Fiends appear on the opposite side of the ruins, ready to support the Seekers or make a dash for the Trueborn covering his objective. The GUO appears as close to the Trueborn squad as I dare, and lands on target, while the Daemon Prince appears on ground still slick with Daemonette ichor.  The Herald shakes the Wyches' Raider, but fails to otherwise damage it. Since my Daemon Prince is too far away from the Warriors to use Breath of Chaos, it also fires its Bolt into the Wyche Raider; it hits, but is deflected by the Flickerfield. The Seekers, Fiends, and GUO run for better positioning, while the Plaguebearers advance steadily towards the DE objective.

Turn 3:

The 2nd unit of blaster Trueborn directly behind my Herald, the Ravager arrives near the center of his table edge... Sliscus and the Scourges stay in reserve. The Wyches leap out of their Raider and head for the Seekers. The Warriors, in a repeat of last turn's performance, shred the Daemon Prince bearing down on them. The GUO fares a bit better, and survives the combined fire of the Venom, Ravager, and Trueborn with 2 wounds remaining. The Wyches and Succubus rush the Seekers; all but 2 of my daemons are killed, but they hold out and manage to cut the Wyches' numbers by half. On the other side of the field, the 2nd unit of blaster Trueborn and their transport unload into my Herald... who somehow survives.

My reinforcements consisted of  the remaining Herald and the 2nd unit of Daemonettes. The Daemonettes landed behind my own objective; the Seekers were going to die in combat without help, and the Fiends would need a good fleet roll to reach the Wyches, who could shred my Plaguebearers despite the casualties. Both Heralds took shots at the nearest Venom and shot them down; the injured Herald managed to detonate her target, killing 3 Trueborn in the blast. I rolled very well for run and assault moves this turn. The Plaguebearers completed their slog from midfield and finally made it into assault range of the Warriors, killing a few for no losses and locking them in melee. The GUO did the same for the Trueborn suddenly bereft of a getaway vehicle, while the Fiends surged around the ruins and assisted the Seekers. The Wyches managed to put a wound on the Fiends, while the Succubus killed only a single Seeker; in return the Fiends cut the Wyches to pieces and consolidated into the Succubus, who passed her Leadership test.

Turn 4:

Duke Sliscus and the Scourges finally decided to show up, the former landing  on the ground my Fiends had started on last turn, the latter about 6" from the mob of Daemons surrounding the Succubus. The two surviving Trueborn failed to kill my wounded Herald via shooting or the subsequent assault; they finally finished her off at the top of Turn 5, with neither unit contributing to rest of the battle. As everything else was in assault, the rest of his army focused fire on the Plaguebearers on my objective, who went to ground; two survived after 3+ cover and Feel No Pain. In assault, the Succubus decided to step it up she finished off the lone Seeker for the Pain Token, then saved all but 1 of the 13 wounds the Fiends inflicted. The Fiends then Hit and Ran out of the combat.

At this point the Daemons moved in for the kill. The last Daemon Prince landed in midfield and managed to shoot down the Wyches' Raider, while the free Herald whiffed against the Duke's Venom. In assault the GUO finished off the Trueborn, while the Plaguebearers somehow managed to win combat against the Warriors and wipe them out in a Sweeping Advance. The Daemonettes just barely got into assault with the Succubus, while the Fiends multiassaulted her and the Scourges. This time she wasn't so lucky, and went down under a flurry of claws. The Scourges only took two casualties, passed their leadership test, and found themselves surrounded by Fiends, while the Daemonettes consolidated back into cover.

Turn 5:

The Dark Eldar had little left at this stage. In shooting the Duke and company put another wound on the GUO bearing down on him, but couldn't finish it off. The Venom fired its splinter cannons into the Herald, but couldn't bring it down, while the Ravager boosted into the ruins holding my objective, just shy of contesting range.

At this point we called it. I had his objective solidly under control, while only the Ravager had the possibility of contesting mine if the game went on. 

Thoughts:

That went fairly well, although I think a big part of my victory was him coming in via deepstrike; it put us on an even footing rather than presenting me with a wall of transports and splinter fire. The Great Unclean One and Plaguebearers continue to excel; as usual they killed little, but soaked up an absurd amount of firepower. I'm a little disappointed the Daemon Princes didn't get more play, but they should get another chance Thursday.

They Just Keep on Coming...

Fourth round of the Escalation League is kicking up to 1250 this week, and we're finally starting to approach the point where everyone is playing with a distinct force. Overall I've been pretty surprised at how things have turned out; the Xenos are making a clean sweepwhile most of the MEQ armies are in retreat or absent entirely. The rarity of power armor is starting to make this feel like like an entirely different game. At the moment an Ork foot list backed up by Looted Wagons and  Lootas seems to be racking up the most victories. I'm not sure if I can take him in a straight fight with the list I'll be bringing, since I've left what few templates I have til 1500, but it should make for an interesting matchup if I draw him. Overall the Dark Eldar players are the ones (w)racking up the most kills, although none of them have really dialed in on how best to use their troops yet. The Tau and Craftworld Eldar are starting to put the hurt on their opponents, and even the Khornate Daemon player is beginning to reap his tally of skulls. Our resident Chaos Marine player has been hit pretty hard, but that should change once his Obliterators finally arrive.

Imperial Guard and Space Marines of all stripes have been scrabbling for victories for the most part - there aren't that many of either, and most of them are newer players who are still figuring out their own strengths and vulnerabilities. Our resident Necron player is winless, but has only gotten in a pair of games with them, and actually shows signs of making them about as dangerous as they can possibly be - I suspect he's going to be one of the more feared opponents when his codex gets its rumored update in a few months. Sadly Tyranids are bringing up the rear - mine are benched for the time being, and the other Hive Fleet is trying to stuff MCs, Warriors, and minimal fire support into very few points, with predictable results.

Here's what I'm bringing to the party  Thursday:

HQ:

Great Unclean One - 160

-It won't win many combats, but will take some killing to stop. Hopefully it'll get to eat some Long Fangs/Lootas.

Herald of Tzeentch w/ Daemonic Gaze, Master of Sorcery, Bolt of Tzeentch, Chariot - 100, x2 

-Vehicle hunters, pure and simple. I'd trade Tyranid Harpies for these in a heartbeat.

Elites:

5 Fiends of Slaanesh - 150

Troops: 

10 Daemonettes - 140 

-Scoring unit, and 40 rending attacks can do some damage with a little luck.

5 Plaguebearers - 75, x2

-Objective holders and the occasional speedbump.

Fast Attack:

10 Seekers of Slaanesh - 170

- 50 rending attacks has to get something, right? 

Heavy Support:

Daemon Prince w/ Bolt of Mark of Tzeentch, Bolt of Tzeentch - 140, x2

- More AT fire, with some extra combat muscle thrown in.