Infantry Guard Army: Snipers and Mortars and Allies, oh my!

I was inspired by an excellent tactical review at "From the Fang" to dust off the codeci yesterday and have a new look at my Imperial Guard Army.  I have to say, I haven't written an army list in over a year now (for 40k anyway) and thanks to 6th Edition, all my standard references are up the swanny!  But that's the same for everyone.


Reading online, there seems a lot of heat about several key meta areas in 40k now!

• Flyers as vehicles
• Flying Monstrous Creatures
• Infantry over tanks
• Value of Snipers and Blasts
• Characters are awesomesauce
• The value of glancing

I'm very largely in favour of most of the changes in 6th Edition, lets face the facts, I'd stopped playing as 40k had become very stale compared to other games systems, and it wasn't just me.  The majority of games at the local club were made up of Hordes, Warmachine, Flames of War and even Infinity!

Foot Guard - are they better?

So what are my thoughts, well this list is based around what I've already got, a a few 'wishlister' based on the meta.  Overall I think my foot-centric guard force has really won out in 6th.  Let's look at my 'staples' and chew the fat!

Ratling Snipers - These little guys are now awesome, they are still super squishy, but a BS4 camo'd sniper - wicked.  Sniper doesn't just grant 'rending' on a 6 to wound, but on a 6 to hit you get to choose which model in the enemy unit you're shooting.  Not so good against Characters (including powerfist Sergeants) thanks to the 'look out sir' generic rule, but awesome against those pesky models holding flamers, plasma, missile launchers and the like.  I've got twelve, so 2x6 ratlings?

Vehicles - On the face of it, hull points have made vehicles more durable, but in reality they pop easier.  Every glancing AND penetrating hit will take a hull point, which means that 4 autocannons with bring it down can guarantee a rhino stops dead (completely ignoring the penetration rolls).  This is GREAT news for Guard!  While the +1 for AP2 Lascannons and Plasma on the penetration chart is welcome, rate of fire seems the best guarantee of glancing a vehicle to death ... And between the Chimeras, the Hydra's and the Autocannons ... we got it!

Mortars - I've always been a huge fan of mortars in guard forces, I think they are a key force multiplier, hitting and hurting a little bit every turn.  I have 15 mortar bases in total and love to field them.  The new rules are really kind to mortars.  Since pre-measuring is now in, there no more worries about being 'just' out of range.  The key to this is that the wound allocation is now directional, with the direction dictated from the centre of the blast.  Indirect fire and 48" range means that I only need to 'hit' with 6 hits to guarantee the death of that meltagunner, or 2 hits to start mincing those Ork dakkaguns (sounds a lot, I've got 15 shots!) ... I'm used to whittling down units to the powerfist and the special weapons expert ... looks like it'll be a boltgunner from now on!

Challenges - Now, this is less of a bonus, but still a very effective stalling tactic.  You can (I think ) call a challenge in the charge, this means that the Rough Riders sergeant (With I5) can 'call out' the Space Marine hero at I6, thus guaranteeing that more of his disposable brethren get their pointy stick into the enemies pointy beaks!  It also works well for the Imperial Guard blob, inhibiting the super ninja character from dishing the death mongering from YOUR player turn and allowing you to apply those power weapons (or sheer weight of numbers) onto his bodyguard.  It'll probably do nothing more than slow them down ... but that's the point isn't it?

Flying Vehicles - I like the Vendetta, it's awesome.  I just don't own one, 6th edition AND the snap fire rule makes Vendettas the 'must have' vehicle for delivering death to the enemy.  4 meltas in a vendetta is an evil combo and will attract a lot of heat, luckily that heat will need a 6 to hit and blast weapons can't snap fire.  So their problems are largely over.  Nice.

Flying Monstrous Creatures - Urkk, Tyranids that fly just got a huge bonus.  Something tells me they want to sell stuff with wings?!?  For my money the best bonus for a guard army is to have some Chaos Space Marine allies.  A few deathguard are never a bad investment, and If I happen to bring along some nurgle bikers (true T6! and jink!), plus my Obliterators and a Deamon Prince with wings and a magic spell for 160pts - bargain!

Now, as you can see from above, none of this is actually that expensive.  The Allies total 660, which still leaves me plenty for the following:

• Company Command Sq: Autocannon, 3 sniper rifles  (75)
• 6 Ratlings (60)
• 6 Ratlings (60)
• Platoon Command Squad: 4 meltas (70)
• Squad 1: Autocannon (60)
• Squad 2: Autocannon (60)
• Squad 3: Autocannon plus Commissar (95)
• 5 Heavy Weapons Teams, Mortars (300)
• Veterans Squad, 3 melta (100)
• 2 x Vendetta (260)
• Deamon Prince, Wings, Magic, Nurgle (160)
• 5 Plague Marines, Powerfist and 2 Plasmaguns (185)
• 3 Bikers, 2 melta (119)
• 2 Obliterators (150)

Total: 1754 pts.

Maybe a Hydra would be better than the Obliterators, but with three flying things, I should be troublesome enough??  What's your thoughts?

BLOGWARS battle summaries

Big thank you to the guys at From the Fang for a great treat of a day at BlogWars. A lot of hard work went into a smashing day. After spending all day there I can confidently report that:

a) Bloggers are 50% normal, 25% geekizoid and 25% very cool.

b) They are also quite cagey about their identities...

c) Some can be quite weirdly competitive about their popularity ... as I discovered.

I never got to meet Mr Colonel Corbane ... despite him being the only person I actually sorta knew.

Anyhow, I met some great boys who travelled in packs, from the following blogs:

Claws and Fists: (clickety click) a bunch of really nice guys (and a very opinionated one with Navy links in his thirties... LOL), I played against Grazer/Graeme in my last game and he was a champion gentleman and a top bloke too.

Sons of Sanguinius: (clicky click). Didn't play any of them (and I'm glad), as these guys creamed all the top spots in the tournament. Two brothers came first and second, and the winner crack'd first place with Dark Eldar - which he'd pick'd up a few weeks before.

Brother Loring from 3++: (if you need a clicky click ... you'll need your head examined). Very nice fella, very nice girlfriend. Good to play against...

On with the battle reports:

Battle One: This is where my day sort of started and ended really. 7:30 start ... first game. I'm toting 105 guardsmen and 7 vehicles against. Draigo and 20 Grey Knight Paladins, 4 Psycannon with an Apothecary in two two wound mass blobs. It was nicknamed as the 'cheesy' list by the tournament runners. And it was VERY boring to play against. It was spearhead and capture and control and I really didn't know what to do about these boys.

I layered up in one corner and then sent the mech out to the other corner with the Vets and platoon command to challenge the other objective. I managed to put a wound on Draigo in the first turn. Then in turn three 20 2W Terminators with FNP arrived within charge range of my blob. I unleased everything at a squad and killed all but a few. They then shot at me and I lost the platoon command and the autocannons (running) (double Ld9 fail!) and then they ate my blob. All of them.

I hurt him, getting many victory points (747), but Draigo sat on his home objective and contested "LIKE A BOSS!", and my vehicles were left licking their wounds.

Battle Two: Brother Loring from 3++. Building a balanced list with unconventional units was a real joy. And then 16 Black Templars Terminators supported Grimaldus, a Chaplain and an Emperors Champion (2+) into my lines...

I played the beggining well. Placing two 'sacrificial' mortars squads on the 24" forces all the Terminators back at 6" from the start and started hurting them. Everything in his army not in Terminator Armour died badly.

And then a dreaded sense of deja vu overcame me as I was yet again trying to kill terminators with mass firepower. At this point it all got a little much ... a multi-army tournament and I'm facing nothing but 2+, 5++, 3++ ... boo.

It's a killpoint game. He's got 8 kill points in total and he topped ten... so there we go, 2 game sin and I'm too down.

And I'm so tired of Terminators.

Battle Three: finally Graeme arrives with Landraiders and Predators and stuff that most people arrived at the tournament with and I'd weirdly avoided. And this went the other way. Turn One, I wrecked his Landraider and a rhino in the first turn. Next up, Kharn and his Terminators went down kicking under the hooves of my rough riders.

With vehicles to bite into and only 4 termies on the board, the mortars ripped apart the Berserkers and the game finished with 3 objectives in my control and only 2 obliterators on the board. After two games of frustration, everything worked. Graeme was a real champ in taking some really hard knocks as all the rolls worked out.

So overall I scored 17th out of 26ish players. Damn you 2++, damn you to eternity.

Conclusions

The army list worked well, except against Terminators ... blasted termies...

Final and Submitted BLOGWARS list

Following the game on Tuesday - a couple of tweaks:

100 Command HQ with 2 Sniper Rifles and an autocannon, officer of the fleet.

105 Infantry HQ with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Chimera

255 3 x Lascannon equipped squads, plus a Commissar with power weapon

165 2 x Autocannon equipped squads plus a Commissar with power weapon

300 5 x Mortar Heavy Weapons Teams

155 Veterans with 3 x Melta and Chimera

85 Rough Riders x 8

120 Armoured Sentinels x 2 with autocannons

125 Devildog, Smoke, Heavy Flamer

125 Basilisk

215 Leman Russ Battle Tank, Lascannon and Pask

I've pulled the lascannon off the Armoured sentinels and gone for some autocannons. 2 extra lascannon shots are nice, but mobile autocannons are a greater threat to light tanks and APC's. I'm expecting a couple of Rhino/Chimelta rushes during the day and those Sentinels will be working their nuts off.

I have also dropped the smoke from the Sentinels - while essential on the hellhound variant, the Sentinels 'should' be moving and firing EVERY turn - making it a wasted 10pts. I've made two change to the command squad, I've dropped the flamer and a sniper and opted for another autocannon. Cheap at the price and it threatens everything. I've also taken that 30pts and invested in an officer of the fleet. -1 to enemy reserves is a must for my army and will force my opponent to consider what he puts in reserve with caution.

I am particularly concerned about flanking flamer tanks (looking at you - Blood Angels) and similar filth. Any chance to disrupt drop pod reserves, flankers is a must for a firebase army like mine.

The die is cast, speaking of which - some chessex dice are required!

BATREP Guard V DEldar: 750 miles to play 1750pts

He's quite scary in a purely EMO might cry on you kinda way...

I drove to Falkirk in Scotland for a job, I had an overnight and as serendipity would have it - it was the gaming night at the local GW store. Multi-win! I turned up with my 1750pts list and played against a very affable young ginger scot!

I was running my tournament list for blogwars, which may be up for some minor modifications post game...:

70 Command HQ with 3 Sniper Rifles and a flamer

105 Infantry HQ with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Chimera

255 3 x Lascannon equipped squads, plus a Commissar with power weapon

165 2 x Autocannon equipped squads plus a Commissar with power weapon

300 5 x Mortar Heavy Weapons Teams

155 Veterans with 3 x Melta and Chimera

85 Rough Riders x 8

150 Armoured Sentinels x 2 with lascannons and smokes

125 Devildog, Smoke, Heavy Flamer

125 Basilisk

215 Leman Russ Battle Tank, Lascannon and Pask

Total: 1750pts

The hansome young Scot called Scott (for want of his real name!) played DEldar and something along these lines:

Baron Samedi and 10 HobGoblins (where ARE the pumpkin bombs?)

Another 10 Hobgoblins

Another 10 Hobgoblins

Another 10 Hobgoblins

A band of 7 birdy things with 3 hobgoblin handlers

A jetbike squad of 5

Another Jetbike 'horde' of 8

3 Ravager (with the 3 darklances)

It was a very fluffy themed list with a wonderful look. It was also bloody fast.

It was a killpoint game with standard 12" deployment, he went first and deployed first.

I decided to get the whole lot on the board.

I stuck Pask, the Chimeltas, the GrenCommand and the Devildog in the centre and then twoblobs far left and far right. Six mortars hid behind Pask, while 2 more went far left and one and a Bassie went far right. The Command HQ went far left with the autocannons (and had very little influence because of this)...

First turn, he loses more guys to dangerous terrain than my shooting. Meanwhile he blows heavy flamers off all my tanks (boo) and immobilises the Chimeltas. Pask takes a drubbing, but fails to hurt anything in return. My mortars miss everything, but manage to mangle up a hobgoblin unit heading for my autocannon horde.

They hit Turn two (they are quite fast). Careful driving mean that the attacks are all thrown in close combat at tanks, with the beasties killing my Chimelta's ride and a hobgoblin horde on the right jumping the lascannons.

He suddenly discovers that charging my hordes is 'bad' as the commissar and dudes on the left lose 12 men to his charge, kill 5 and then shrug it off. He hits and runs rather than sticks. The Veterans and everyone else (including one mortar squad) denudes Baron von Munchhausen of his hobo's and kills all but one birdie swarm. The Basalisk fails to kill anything (again!), but the lascannon horde bite back and chew up their first Ravager.

The Autocannon horde run off and club some jet-bikers to death on mass and then rally to shoot down a surviving Hobgoblin denying a victory point. Pask takes turn after turn of nasty shooting, survives (although a turret destroyed result turns him from a Leman Russ to a Marder II tankhunter), the devildog also kills no-one both soaks up turn after turn of shots. The rough riders killed a single jetbiker.

Overall score 9-2 to me.

The DEldar were a deliciously fluffy list and great fun to fight. They weren't particularly dirty and paid the 'Tau' price once the scatter dice started hitting. That said, I rolled atrociously for the first half of the game and really felt on the back foot until the DEldar 'bounced'... If he'd come after my mortar teams though ... that's like 'free' blood tokens and then this 'easy win' would have been another matter.

Top night though, cheers GW Falkirk.

Combating Real life (TM)

It's a REALLIFE (TM) Hot-Dog ... oh but that's just so hilarious ... who would have thought of that ... SHOOT ME NOW!

Real Life (TM) ... annoying how it gets in the way, isn't it. Work has gone supremely bonkers for this week and last week and with a holiday looming (coming down your end again Drax!) in mid June ... I'm struggling to find room between all the fence painting DIY, table building, IT supporting, car booting, cocktail shaking oh and yeah ... quoting, supplying, servicing, installing and commissioning at work.

My family's gotta fit somewhere in all that mix as well ... but a challenge is a challenge. To recap, I'm under obligation to spruce up my Guardsmen ready for BlogWars on the 5th June.

• I spent a fortune (a whole £8) in the local stationary store on an awesome army box with built in pen tray (which fits all my dudes above my tanks ...FTW!)
• I've converted Pask with multi-pistol blasting action ... but my 2YO son broke him ... 1 night to finish him and his tank.
• I've based all the normal dudes ... some touching up is required ... 1 night.
• Basing all the Heavy weapons teams ... 1 night.
• Sexing up the HWTs... 1 night.
• converting the tanks ... bombs on the Basilisk, etc etc... 2 nights.
• Sexing up the tanks ... 2 nights.

So that's eight nights work to get together ... if I can find the energy, I effective have 14 days to do this in.

So the objective this week ... tart up the boys, finish Pask and convert the tanks.

Calling all treadheads...

Just a quick post to explain where my life is fast dissapearing to ... only kidding! As relayed to you all before - I work at home, and away from an office I don't have to spend precious minutes talking to people I detest (sorry ... 'work' with) about their weekend/personal hygene/latest conquest/investment failures etc... as such this leaves more than enough time to have a go at cool things on the tinterweb.

The rule of playing games online for the home-worker is simple. You want something really really good that only lasts for 5-10 minutes. 15 tops. Anything over this is an immersive game and a real no, no.

Now don't get me wrong, part of the joy of running your own company is that sometimes you've 'earnt' that time. Big sale, tough week work ... we all leech downtime - but as a self-employed that little box in the back of your head is gonna start ticking...

Where's this going ... well online games can be short and sweet, or they can be ongoing addictive things.

This, ladies and gentlemanishly people is an absolute gem though - World of Tanks.

It's free, you get shunted into balanced games where you'll (firstly) die a lot and then you'll start upgrading you tank (XP and money) with research and guns. All the tanks are WW2 and the battlegrounds are SWEEEET. Each game last maximum of 15 minutes and I usually die 5-10 minutes in (although I once was the last one left by hiding in a bush!)...



I've got a T2 (which is shite, but has a big gun) at the moment and I'm working towards a Sherman - sweet!

Come and find Suneokun at World of Tanks.

"Why do you bring baggage to my Apoc game - fool!"

If you have a scan down my Batrep history, you'll see a bunch of posts for some big-ass APOC games. Now I'm a pretty sound guy to have on your team for Apocalypse. After all, I'm a fairly solid macro tactician, I like a giggle and I'm usually laughing too hard at what my stupid Guardsmen/Tau/Chaos Smurfs are doing today.

So we had a small APOC game (6k a side) set up for Sunday. Mark has considerately put together the concept of using spearhead formations in combination with the standard list to 'limit' the amount of overpowered shite on the board. We could all take 1 superheavy. We could all take tankhunters and stuff like that ... it was a very solid idea and worth stealing people.

Now we'd made the mistake of playing on a Sunday which is like open season down the club. This means that POPLAR (not his real name) turns up ... which is cool, and we quickly work at accomodating him.

He's on my side with Foot Eldar, to compliment Marks Mech Eldar and my mixed Guard. So Mark and I strip out 500pts each from our lists and the Chaosmarines we're facing get a Warhound Titan - standard stuff.

No problem. We've all agreed the deployment, we win deployment and I discuss with Mark and we opt to go first (they steal initiative with a DEldar 4+)...

POPLAR - A background

I've had lots of chats with 'poplar' before and he seems like a sound guy. He's got his hangups, a mite pedantic and with the tension to go for a condensending tone - but overall, he's good. He knows his WW2 stuff inside out, and as a fairly keen WW2 anorak I really enjoyed chatting with him before, I've even played alongside him and he was fine before - I mean he's not like a barrel of laughs and he tends to pick every fight rather than just the one's he's right about - but that's ok. Something happened on the way to the gamestore on Sunday though ... and I'm struggling to forgive it.

...And then...

Then the sighs begin. Before we've even started the game, Pat's sighing. He's complaining that he's gonna get nuked on turn one because his footdar are in the open. (Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight - what did he expect?!? The irony being that the DEldar/Berserker quite happily massacred all the Elder in close combat ... and hence why they hit my lines with FNP!)

He's complaining that I'm pointing out that he can't put his footdar down where he wants because our (Mark and My) tanks are in the way, and so he has to put them in the 'non' deployment zone - which he can't... He's complaining about, well everything...

In short, he's being a douche. I now intimately know what that word means.

The game starts and a mechanised assault attacks his guardians. It's DEldar and they were born to it. He starts folding (and wittering and whinging) and frankly getting on my wick. To make it worse he's contesting every law abiding assertion. I'm interjecting with appropriate one's like "Did you make that out of cover?", "You get a cover save." etc and he's just wringing his hands and making his own bad bad luck.

At this point we should have taken him aside and said 'put up or shut up' but we didn't because we're English...

And so it continues. My guard mortars and basilisks and everything have nearly nothing to shoot at because the Eldar are getting very slowly eaten by DEldar and WorldEaters and everything is in combat! I knock out his armour pretty much turn 1-2. Mark shuts down his heavy hitters and 'he' continues to die badly against warriors in raiders.

Anyhow. End story, we lose. But six hours of his constant complaining, bitching, whinging (I'm not rolling until they listen to me - no shit he said this!) and shouting has run me ragged. I would rather turn around and walk away - back to my kids and wife - than spend another 6 hours in the company of that douchebag.

He didn't even have the decency to apologise for acting like a complete grinch the entire 6 hours.

At one point I had the following bizarre conversation:

Him "They're gonna kill them and then consolidate - it's useless!"
ME "No, its great, cause then you just shoot them"
Him "NO, because they'll consolidate into them."
ME "##NAME##, it's FIFTH edition, they can't consolidate into combat with another of your units ... so it's good, yeah?!?"
Him "Oh..." returns to sulk-mode.

So, no I didn't enjoy my all day Sunday game, because of the behaviour of one guy who selfishly decided to bring all his home problems to the table well, just be miserable.

The positives...

That said, I did play 1750pts of my core army, which is going to go to Mansfield for the Blogwars and it performed admirably. Pask works, he missed his lascannon every turn, but the S9 Battlecannon is very nice. The 'clumps' worked well (although they lacked a good close combat edge ... but I was charged by Wytches, Incubi and Lesser Deamons in a single turn and they held it together. The Devildog is great... attracting lots of attention and threatening everything. I just need to work out what to do with my vets/platoon command and use them aggressively or reserve them.

But hey, this wasn't a real game...

The only question-marks were the lack of a close combat threat beyond roughriders ... and whether lascannons on the Sentinels are really worth it. After all - autocannons are awesome against rhinos ... but I think lascannons give me more targetting flexibility for punking heroes, obliterators and other things like that!

Guard might be able to exploit some options in Spearhead, but the combo of mechanised assault (three units first turn flank) AND sky storm (deep strike skimmers and assault off them) is just pure murder for the Dark Eldar... making them seriously powerful.

The mortars were awesome. The best APOC level purchase - The Stormsword was a revelation! A S10 AP1 pieplate that ignores cover. It killed absolutely everything - leaving 1's and 2's of a unit straggling along. We just couldn't kill them.

So all in all, my Sunday would have been a tighter game, a closer game and a funnier game without the addition of the 'on the day' guy. It would also have been an enjoyable game.

Grrrr....

What's your experience of playing alongside or against players like this... have you been caught in an APOC trap like this? Let me know...

1750pt BlogWars List ... the final flavour (?)

As 'The Fang' has reminded me... I have barely a month left to get my list together. My objectives in order of priority are as follows:

A) Have a kick ass list of all the stuff no-one ever takes - check!
B) Take a brush, inks and a whole lotta love to my old models and tart them up for BlogWars.
C) Kill lots of people with units and tactics they just did not expect.
D) Make unsmelly friends ... who needs more smelly ones??

With this in mind and a deadline ... I announce another challenge! Do it all in a month.

Should be ok.

Here's the skinny list:

70 Command HQ with 3 Sniper Rifles and a flamer
105 Infantry HQ with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Chimera
255 3 x Lascannon equipped squads, plus a Commissar with power weapon
165 2 x Autocannon equipped squads plus a Commissar with power weapon
300 5 x Mortar Heavy Weapons Teams
155 Veterans with 3 x Melta and Chimera
85 Rough Riders x 8
150 Armoured Sentinels x 2 with lascannons and smokes
125 Devildog, Smoke, Heavy Flamer
125 Basilisk
215 Leman Russ Battle Tank, Lascannon and Pask

Total: 1750pts

Tactics: this is my take on a modern foot list... this list is all about the mortars. It may look like its actually about antitank, but really they are just about getting everybody out of their rides. The antitank has the potential to glance/penetrate 7 armoured units a turn ... then its about the mortars putting the hurt on the opponent. Anything that gets close will need to deal with veterans, Roughriders and command HQ's. There's no 'Deathstar' unit on board, but that's not how I roll. The two armoured sentinels replace the 3 scouts ... but the additional durability AND the ability to step up and ward off close combat troops cannot be ignored.

So, now on with the painting - I got all the models out last night and carefully 'dullcoted' them to take off their trademark shininess. Inks to be picked up this weekend and then its on with the work. Wish me luck!?!

Blogwars - 1750 part 4

So here's the skinny on my latest attempt at a competent list for the Blogwars challenge in July. Just to remind, my primary objective is to run the sort of list I'm keen on - rather than an uber-tasty net-friendly list.

Attempt 4:

70 Command HQ with 3 Sniper Rifles and a flamer
105 Infantry HQ with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Chimera
255 3 x Lascannon equipped squads, plus a Commissar with power weapon
165 2 x Autocannon equipped squads plus a Commissar with power weapon
300 5 x Mortar Heavy Weapons Teams
155 Veterans with 3 x Melta and Chimera
85 Rough Riders x 8
150 Scout Sentinels x 3
125 Devildog, Smoke, Heavy Flamer
125 Basilisk
215 Leman Russ Battle Tank, Lascannon and Pask

Total: 1750pts

Something a little different and throwing in all the favour I so enjoy. Gone are the Commissar Lord, and any other HQ option. So what do you think?

BlogWars - 1750 attempt 3

Great feedback from The King and Zacret there ... lots to chew on. Something everyone should take into consideration. I'm not about to start a whole new 40k Guard army. My army's built old school - and as such there ain't no Valk/Vendts or snazzy artillery. It's also a bit of a matter of pride that if it's popular on the interweb, it ain't with me.

It's also a requirement of the competition that every list has a 'special character' in it, hence their reoccurence...

Anyhow, here's my third attempt (second try here, first stab here):

• HQ: Command HQ with Regi-banner and Officer of the fleet (yes, that simple) @ 95pts
• HQ: Primaris Psyker @ 70pts
• Troops: Infantry Command with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Ryanair Chimera (no frills) @ 105pts
• Troops: 3 x Lascannon, power weapon squads with a PW commissar escort @ 285pts
• Troops: 5 x 3 Mortar Teams @ 300pts
• Troops: vets with 3 melta in a Ryanair Chimera @ 125pts
• Fast Attack: 3 Scout Sentinels with Lascannons @ 150pts
• Fast Attack: 5 Rough Riders with a meltabomb @ 60pts
• Fast Attack: Devildog with heavy flamer, smoke and x-armour @ 140pts
• Heavy Support: Leman Russ Battle Tank with 3 Heavy Bolters @ 170pts
• Heavy Support: Leman Russ Demolisher, commanded by Pask with Lascannon and 2 Heavy Flamers @ 250pts

Roundup: Gone is the Marbo, but Pask has an upgraded ride. Thanks to his 'crack shot' rule, he rolls a mighty S10 lascannon and S11 Demolisher (equivilent) ... which should put the willies up anyone. The lascannons are clustered together, allowing me to purchase a 'pocket battleship' for the Infantry command squad/Veterans. With two Russes on the board, the threat level is way up ... and AV14's never nice to deal with.

The only question is whether to put Pask in the other russ and have two nasties ... or just one?

It's rocking with a lot of anti-mech firepower, albeit unconventional... which is the way I prefer to roll.

Thoughts anyone?

BlogWars - another 1750 list

I'm doing some serious thinking on what sort of list I want to take to Blogwars in July. My thinking is this ... I'll keep posting up a list every so often, and when I feel I've achieved a critical mass ... I'll run a vote. Sounds fun, nope - but it'll help me out - so that's what's important.

Anyhow, here's my second attempt at 1750pts. You can see my first attempt here.

• HQ: Command HQ with Regi-banner and Officer of the fleet (yes, that simple) @95pts
  
• HQ: Commissar Lord with Powerfist @ 85pts
  
• Elites: Marbo @ 65pts
  
• Troops: Infantry Command with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Ryanair Chimera (no frills) @ 105pts
• Troops: 2 x Lascannon, power weapon squads with a commissar escort @ 205pts
• Troops: 5 x 3 Mortar Teams @ 300pts
• Troops: Infantry Command with 4 Grenade Launchers and a Ryanair Chimera (no frills) @ 105pts
• Troops: 2 x Lascannon, power weapon squads with no commissar escort @ 160pts
• Troops: Special Weapon Squad with 3 flamers @ 50pts
• Fast Attack: 3 Scout Sentinels with Lascannons @ 150pts
• Fast Attack: 5 Rough Riders with a meltabomb @ 60pts
• Fast Attack: Devildog with heavy flamer, smoke and x-armour @ 140pts
• Heavy Support: Leman Russ Battle Tank, commanded by Pask with 3 Heavy Bolters and a heavy stubber @ 230pts

Concepts: The addition of the Leman Russ with Pask, albeit pricey, gives me a S9 Ordnance Tank killer at 60". This also includes 9 S6 (against vehicle) shots, which should produce enough glances on a AV12 vehicle to take them out. Against MC's, that brings a steady 4-5 wounds on even a T6 MC, which is respectable. Pask can then turn his beady eye on all the others, and lend a hand in taking out the troops.

The Devildog is a bit of an experiment, as I've found it to be a versatile tank in the past against multiple opponents. It's equally at home killing tanks as killing Terminators... and if nothing else, should prove a frustrating unit to bring down. The other variants are well crafted to either anti-GeQ or anti-MeQ, but useless at the other ... hence my choice as the devildog CAN do a little of both.

I opted for three Scout Sentinels rather than 2 Armoured ones. Firstly because it gives me more options in either standing back and hiding behind the Russ, or flanking. Secondly because 3 shots are better than two...

I've opted to reduce the numbers of lascannons and autocannons. The blobs were just a bit too unwieldy. With 20 odd models and 9 power weapon attacks a turn ... they should be painful enough to make attacking twice a mistake. Instead, I've upped the amount of anti-tank mech while keeping tank numbers to four. The Ryanairs are really there as I've found the 4GL unit to be a vertsatile one, offering both anti light-mech and solid move and fire anti-troop shots.

The Command HQ is exactly that, a command HQ. Offering Orders, Regimental rerolls and limiting flanking. Drax would approve.

I've also included a Commissar Lord ... this is mainly for tank shocking or other 'OMG' moments in the back field. His Ld10 bubble should come in handy...

1750pt list for Blog Wars

So after some long hard thinking, here's my thoughts on a 1750pt list for BLOGWARS.

This will be subject to some tweaking ... further to your responses.

Mobile-Light Infantry Lives!

• HQ: Company Command Squad (Powerfist, Regimental Standard, 2 Meltaguns, Officer of the Fleet) with Chimera Transport @ 185pts
• Elite: Ratling Squad (9) @ 90pts
• Elite: Marbo @ 65pts
• Troops: Infantry Command Squad (Power Weapon, 1 Grenade Launcher, 2 Meltaguns) with Chimera Transport @ 120pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Autocannon and power weapon @ 70pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Autocannon and power weapon @ 70pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Autocannon and power weapon with Commissar with power weapon @ 115pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Lascannon with Chimera Transport @ 125pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Lascannon @ 70pts
• Troops: Infantry Squad with Lascannon @ 70pts
• Troops: Mortar Team x5 (Fifteen Mortars in total) @ 300pts
• Troops: Harker's Catachan Devils with 3 Sniper Rifles and a Missile Launcher with Chimera Transport @ 210pts
• Fast Attack: 5 Rough Riders @ 55pts
• Fast Attack: 5 Rough Riders @ 55pts
• Fast Attack: 2 Armored Sentinels with Lascannon and smoke launchers @ 150pts

It's a bit different, a slight dastardly and smidge cheeky - but it might just work!

Evidence for Mortar Spam

Thanks to Admiral Drax for and admiral 'BIGGUP' on my continuing love of mortars. In response I've compiled the following analysis of where my love for mortars grew from...

This love affair starts way back here: 29th January 2009. At that stage I was in love with the Missile Launcher. Years of shooting down Eldar tanks and blowing up troops had me in love. However missile launchers have to fire direct, and against Pop-out crisis suits, they died badly. I end of losing 7 to 2 on killpoints ... back to the drawing board methinks.

Two months later I'm back with a different idea. Remember this is OLD codex times, pre release. I've got a solid bubble of leadership and I'm bedding in my heavy weapons (no instant kills here!). This time, on the 19th March 2009 I use ranged fire to hurt the opponent. For the first time I get an inkling of just how effective Mortars just might be ... as I start attacking Crisis Suits who are 'safe'. It was a solid victory.

New codex, new rules. And my mind got to reworking my list. The 30 RT era guardsmen got a makeover and were reborn as Mortar Spam. The 25th September 2009 is a crunch point for me. Mortars win me a game through constant attrition and holding their nerve under fire, they outgun Basalisks and hold the home objective. Mortars replace Basilisks in my affection.

Mortars now appear frequently in my lists(5th November 2009), and the comedy angle/risk of pinging my own guardsmen brings some genuinely funny moments - all too rare in 40k.

And on the 28th of October 2009, Light Infantry lives as 5 mortar teams take to the field and I propose the basics of what will become MORTAR MADNESS. Named after a concurrent meta-phase, The Leafblower Lite is born. In this case it blows serious holes in all manner of Saim Hann.

At the start of 2010, On the 15th January the tactic is set. The inclusion of 4 mortar teams in a 1000pt list proves decisive as Mortars and Multilasers see off Space Marine Bikers and Vendettas. This one gentlemen is quite a read. Only the crafty Chaos Space Marine combo, led by the ubiquitous Anarchic Anton manage to beat us in the final playoff, after we demolished Tau, Orks and all comers. (And mainly through duping my team mate, can't trust Chaos players - honest!)

And so now I've fielded Mortars in Apocalypse and many many many games. My game struggles not to operate around the 555pt Rough Rider plus MORTAR MADNESS platoon. Sometimes we take Autocannons, sometimes Launchers and sometimes Lascannons.

WE ALWAYS TAKE MORTARS.

BATREP - 1750pts Guard versus Eldar

Copyright Armandeo64 - check him out.

Mark C agreed to a match-up. As a mighty Guard player, he's been fielding other armies recently (and now owns even more armies than I!) He'd recently taken up using the old Eldar codex with a lot of focus on the Dire Avengers. As the 'local' Guardsman, he relished the chance to take on Guardsmen with his DA.

I haven't shot down any Eldar in quite a while (since Devilin quit 40k, in fact!), and subsequently I relished the chance to hurt dem pointy ear'd bastards...

Catachan List - 1750pts.

Straken's Command HQ with 2 Melta guns, Regimental Banner, Medic, Nork Deddog and a Chug (Chimera)

Guardsman Marbo

9 Ratlings

Infantry Platoon - HQ with Powerfist, 4 Grenade Launchers and a Chug. 4 squads with Missile Launchers, Flamers and Power Weapons and a Commissar with a power weapon. 10 Mortars and 2 Autocannons.

Harker's Veterans with Autocannon, 3 Sniper Rifles and Demolitions.

5 Rough Riders

2 Hellhounds with Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubbers, smoke and extra armour.

Tactics: The Missile Launchers and Autocannons would start cracking open Wave Serpents as the Mortars could decimate the enemy. The use of grenade launchers, flamers and hellhounds highlight my XP of lance technology. Trying to build in some speed was also a priority.

Dire Avengers Eldar List

Dire Avenger Phoenix Lord

3 Dire Avenger units of 11, all with Exarch.

1 ten man Striking Scorpion Unit

3 Wave Serpents, one with Bright lance and most with Missile Launchers

1 Vyper with Missile Launcher

3 Fire Prisms

Mission and Deployment: Dawn of war and Annihilation really benefited the Eldar as I couldn't deploy my Ratlings, Mortars or anything useful. The Guard Horde massed up in cover , Straken held the board centre in his Chug and the Veterans when to cover on the right flank. The Eldar stayed in their two Wave Serpent way off on the right.

Unit by unit Game Synopsis

My shooting fail to kill any tanks, but neither did his. The Veterans assaulted a turbo'd Wave Serpent, got a kill point and were then chop'd up by the Phoenix Lord, Exarch and cronnies. I'd forgotten how filth these top level Eldar are. Straken attempted a melta shot on the Scorpion WaveSerpent, forgot he had orders and fluffed the shooting. A Dire Avenger unit then killed all the 'non-heroes' in the unit. Nork and Straken looked exposed. The Fire Prisms entered and shot a turret off Straken's Chug - the bloody cheek.

In my turn I shook the viper and turned missiles on the Pheonix Lord's squad, killing a couple. The Rough Riders and Straken/Nork charged the Scorpion WaveSerpent hoping in vain to pop it with a Plasma Pistol. This didn't happen and the Rough Riders wasted their lances, Straken and Nork fluffed their attacks and the tank dumped 10 Striking Scorpions, who chewed into the two units. The Rough Riders died badly (they really are designed for fighting Marines), while Straken and Nork formed a solid front. The combo of a majority T5 and all the 3+ and 4+ plus FNP kept the Scorpions at bay. In return both warriors were rolling 4+'s and 2 up on 8 attacks to kill. Nork kept them at bay while Straken went to work. And in two turns the Scorpions died.

Meanwhile, the Dire Avengers on the right flank all bebarked and shot up my horde as the Phoenix Lord and Cronies charged in. Then the Lord realised his mistake as four power weapon wielding sergeants and a commissar jumped on the bastards. Even with a 'defence' skill reducing the attacks to 10, I consistently killed them. Until only the Phoenix Lord was left, and he finally got dragged down in turn 5.

Meanwhile the 'supporting' WaveSerpent and Dire Avengers met Mr. Marbo. His Demolition charge destroyed the transport and killed a few, while a hellhound torched all but the Exarch and 2 Avengers. The Avengers then tried to shoot and combat this 'easy' kill point. Only for Marbo to make his 5 up, kill the two cronies and rout the Exarch. Kudos.

The foot slogging avengers spotted the mortars finally setting up and went to ground, right next to Straken's Chug which heavy flame'd them, supported by a exuberant hellhound. The ratlings killed the Exarch.

The Autocannon team setup up and killed the Vyper and then shook and destroyed one vehicle after another. So much so that little could shoot or attack. At the end of turn five, Mark had one Dire Avenger unit (pre-flaming death), 3 Fire Prisms and a Wave Serpent. By the end he had a single Fire Prism (shaken).

I'd lost 2 killpoints, he'd lost everything bar one skimmer.

Conclusion

Looking back I think Mark did have the toolkit to take me apart. I was very very lucky and he failed to destroy a single vehicle all game. That said, all the vehicles I'd bought were cheap. By focusing his attacks on my 'horde' and Hellhounds, I got away with an awful lot. Additionally, Mark was a good sport, charging his Scorpions in to Straken, when really I should have been gunned down in ignomy. As a 'unit' Marbo and Straken are lethal as one provides the durability while the other just kills stuff, however for future I'd focus on taking just a couple of meltaguns along - as all the bodies around these two are just cannon fodder.

Marbo surviving was a turn up, and he played a blinder. If mark had concentrated his S9 blast on the HWT's, killpoints would have racked up. The ratlings would have been chow down for any of his units, while the Scorpions could have chewed up the horde nicely, although I doubt they would have survived a couple of turned against so many power weapons. The problem was that outside a vehicle, the hellhounds were death to any dire avenger - so he couldn't get out until the tanks were neutered. But he didn't have to neuter them with destruction.

On discussion after the game, I suggested that Star-Engines would have given him more options and we agreed that he was probably in too much of a Space Marine headset to play the Eldar to their strengths. All in all I liked Mark's army, but it needed to play more tactically and use its speed to manage the engagement. After all, he could easily have tripped me into one flank, have boosted to the other side, focussed all his firepower on the other flank and chalked up five killpoints, re-embarked and then come hard at the HWT's netting him easy points.

The guard codex does have a lot of advantages though, when even a fluffy list (does anything with Marbo in it count) can make some stupid mistakes and pull off a near massacre. A very forgiving codex, and not a fair reflection on Mark's list or use of it.

ARMYLIST: Sheer MORTAR MADNESS

Imperial Guard Mortar Platoons were used to stealing any bit of transport they could...

Ok, so you may have got the message that I'm a bit keen on using mortars in 40k. They are the single most effective weapon in the game for the points (IMHO). Let's break it down and then unleash a different kind of beast!

20pts each, 2 wounds T3, Ld7, troops. Ok, so the leadership ain't nothing to write home about, but in essense you have in front of you a model that can fire from a secluded location with no direct line of sight. It can fire from turn one, and dice allowing will continue to fire unless someone goes over there and stops them firing. This is an evil, evil 20pt unit, and the evil just got better.

It's shots work in barrage. Let me break this down for you. Your average 'spread' unit (in expectation of an indirect shot) will cover approximately a large blast template. You are then dropping a small blast template onto that large blast template. The template may scatter, but with an average scatter of 7" (minus 1.5" for the small template, you have an approximately 50/50 to hit rate WITH THE FIRST SHOT. I'm guard, I'll take those odds.

Second shot is scatter only and you have a 1/3 chance of scoring a hit. At this point you can place the template in any position as long as it touches the original template, this includes a position which OVERLAPS the original template (I'd opt for the one touching the most models). So even with a 'miss', you have a 50% chance of scoring 7 or so hits. With a hit on the first roll that could rise as high as 15.

On bunched up mini's say leaving a vehicle or deepstriking, this can rise to levels of 20+ hits with just one barrage. 3 hits will happen, and there goes 24 kroot!

Added to this, you are dropping ordinance into the enemy's back yard. You can hit 'hidden' crisis suits and even attempt to 'scatter' on to Harlequins, Stealth teams and other hindrance's. And the scatter you do raise the chance of hitting other units, scoring other single wounds and exponentially increasing the chance of pinning multiple units.

It is indirect, so cover saves are irrelevant unless you are in area cover or in base to base with a piece of terrain. Screening (tyranids and Orks listen up) is irrelevant as I don't care what's in between, hiding behind a tank is irrelevant as I'll blow up your multimelta combat bike anyway.

HAVE I NOT WORDED THIS STRONGLY ENOUGH.

Everything outside of a tank will take devastating casualities form this weapon. Any tank with an AV10 on the side will take a glancing hit 25% of the time from each 3 mortar team. 50% to hit, plus 3*1/6 chance of glancing.

• TACTICALLY - it is a weapon that can hit indirectly anywhere, every turn without comeback.
• STRATEGICALLY - it will disrupt your opponents charges, advances, 'hidden' troops, defenders every turn. We bang on about the value of 'shaking' a unit, but this weapon can do that to every non-fearless infantry unit in the game!
• PSYCHOLOGICALLY - every plan your opponent brought to the board will be sabotaged from turn one ... he will HATE these mortars.
• CONVERTEDLY - They are the easiest models to build out there.

Conclusion to the rant - my cunning plan.

So we've had Chimeltavet spam and Vendetta spam ... where's the mortar-board spam. Here's my list of Pure Indirect Delight at 1500pts

Command HQ with a powerfist, regimental standard and a mortar @ 85pts

Commissar Lord with powerfist @ 85pts

Infantry Platoon @ 500pts

HQ with 4 grenade launchers

2 Squads with lascannon and one commissar with power weapon

5 Mortar teams (15 mortars)

Infantry Platoon @ 500pts

HQ with 4 grenade launchers

2 Squads with lascannon and one commissar with power weapon

5 Mortar teams (15 mortars)

3 x 5 Roughriders with a meltabomb each @ 180pts

2 x Griffons @ 150pts

The Mathhammer

I calculate a single mortar has a 60% chance of hitting a unit. This is based on a 33% chance of rolling a hit, combined with a just less than 50% chance of scattering onto said target. On average that hit will score between 4-15 wounds per weapon team (3 mortars), so across 10 teams you are looking at 24-90 hits a turn.

• Against Marines: 4-15 dead marines a turn.
• Against Orks: 12-45 dead per turn*
• Against Guardsmen: 11-40 dead per turn*
• Against Gaunts: 16-60 dead per turn*

*Assuming no cover (remember only area terrain really counts here).

Against metal boxes, the lascannons and continual 'bring it down' orders should do the trick. The grenade launcher platoon commands are throw away units, bringing S6 firepower to bear. Finally the rough riders go in to 'finish off' anything that gets too close.

Ironically, the Griffon's add little in the way of difference to the mortars, they do however offer the option to drop very accurate S6 Ordinance against tank side armour - which could prove useful for dealing with Whirlwinds and other concerns.

One final thought

I've used mortars to 'clean' a group of assaulting terminators off the front of a DoomHammer tank ... it wasn't pretty, and no - they didn't get up. 15 mortars fired and scored something like 55 hits. Getting bunched up, ducking out of line of sight, assaulting vehicles, disembarking, moving 'around' terrain instead of through it...

Just try it!

Fielding the Unloved - Catachan Foot List

'Pacific' by HBO. No challenge to rights intended.

Now here's a thought?...

How about leaving the metal boxes at home for once ... back in the hinterland of 3rd (and even 4th) edition, Guardsmen could do very well without lots and lots of flying and driving metal boxes. Nowadays, reaching for the codex involved a natural twitch towards my favourite metal cans.

But how does this play for those Guard players who'd really rather play a foot list (like the admiral Admiral Drax), or have picked up the mantle of the Catachan jungle fighters (like my favourite new blogger - Ras @ thedeathworlders) ... so how would I build a 'foot only' 40k Imperial Guard Catachan list?

This list must bounce around two main characters from the Catachan planet, Harker and Straken... after that it's about bouncing in Marbo and a whole other list without boxes...

Catachan Light Intantry (1755pts)

• HQ: Company Command Squad: Straken with a band of 2 CCW'd heavies, a medic and a regimental standard, 2 bodyguards and an officer of the fleet, all painted in camo (what else?!?) @ 270pts
• HQ: Primaris Psyker: I call him my pocket battleship, and he can be placed tactically in any position that will shore up Ld (with his mighty Ld9), offer serious firepower and stab things with his power weapons. All for 70pts. Tactically a commissar lord would be more helpful, but have you read what the catachan's do to commissars?
• Elites: Marbo: KaBOOM, nuff said @65pts.
• Elites: Ratlings, 9 of the little buggers @ 90pts.
• Elites: Ratlings, 9 more of the little buggers @ 90pts.
• Troops: Infantry Platoon (get ready for the mortar spam) @685 pts. HQ CCW and laspistols and a powerfist. Squad 1-4 with a lascannon and a powerweapon. 5 Mortar teams fielding 15 mortars.
• Troops: 2 x Penal Legion Squads @ 160pts.
• Troops: Harker's vets squad with 3 sniper rifles and an Autocannon @ 180pts.
• Fast Attack: 3 units of five Rough Riders @ 165pts.

Tactics and Cunning Plans

I'm not manueuverable, but the use of mortars firing from hidden positions will force my opponent to come to me or suffer continual attrition (which I can whether better than him by going to ground). My 'blobs' aren't Commissar backed either - so blobbing or not blobbing is purely down to the adversary. The key to this army is kicking out a heck of a lot of firepower, followed up by some serious counter attack punch.

I would base the 18 ratlings and Harkers bunch together, probably out to the flank. Harker concentrates on the APC's while the lascannon's down anything really nasty. The ratlings will do average one rending wound a turn, but the Sniper rifles really fill the gap for killing any high toughness monsters out there.

2 two penal legion squads are the ablative wounds, with the roughriders punching in with a counter attack. With Straken within 12", these horse boys with get S6, I6 on the charge, which is a dirty amount of pain. Against the right opponent, they are awesome. A penal squad with the two close combat weapons and rending would get 31 S4, I4 rending attacks on the charge ... which is enough to make a space wolf blush.

The main HQ is the final close combat weapon. With Camo and without decent weaponry to tempt me into taking a pop at the enemy (backed my a medic), they should be left alone. The regimental standard should keep everyone on board, and Straken can even use the 'get back in the fight' if neccessary (it would sound good coming from him!) If push comes to shove, I have 7 FNP 5+ ablative wounds attached to Straken, with most swinging 3 S4 I4 attacks on the charge. Fingers crossed people.

Oh and there's Marbo innit.

Thoughts and Contemplations

Well they're unlikely to pose much threat to flanking, flaming Blood Angels tanks are they? That's why the master of the fleets essential. I want to both dominate the deployment through infiltration and then slow down the flankers to make my firepower stick.

That said, fighting an all infantry army is about going back to basics, placing your models in layers and optimising cover. Against an infantry only army 50% of your shots will hit cover. So already, you are missing a trick. Sacrifice and attrition is what it's all about, and hopefully - sometimes - winning!

Importantly, this is an army that can effectively hide out of LoS or go to ground and not lack for firepower from the mortars, when they are in a good position - heaven help you.

So what are your thoughts ... have at it!

Old stuff day - where was my memo??

Pah, a bit late but here's my contribution to 'old stuff day', a genius creation by W39999.

Resolutely on topic, here's the a post on the reason why every Guard player should be fielding Mortars from back in 2009 ... well at least I'm consistent!

http://pathfinder-devilin.blogspot.com/2009/09/guard-heavy-weapon-tactica.html

Imperial Guard - Keeping it cheap...

Cause Gaunt don't get no Vendetta spam!

Copyright acknowledged to GW and Black Library.

The Imperial Guard have some wonderful units which can play very specific roles... thanks to the new codex, many of the more 'standard' units have been eclipsed by the likes of the multi-talented (and multi-effective) Vendetta, Valkyrie, Veterans and Manticore (ok not really multi-talented but you get my drift)...

SO how do I bite back, I bring the firepower back to the plebs. When was the last time the Imperial Guard fielded nothing but Vendetta's and Valks in a Gaunt's Ghosts novel, eh?

NEVER!!

As such, here's my (fun) contribution to the sort of army I like to play, which is all about synergy, sacrifice and one-trick wonders, THE GUARD WAY!

Mobile Infantry list (1500)

• 2 x Primaris Psykers (140pts)
• 4 Ratlings (40pts)
• Platoon HQ with 4 Grenade Launchers and Heavy Stubber Chug (115pts)
• 4 Squads with Autocannon's and Heavy Stubber Chugs (500pts)
• 5 x mortar teams, 15 in total (300pts)
• Penal Legion Squad (80pts)
• 3 scout sentinels with Lascannon and Camo (180pts)
• 7 x Rough Riders (75pts)
• 7 x Rough Riders (75pts)

Tactics

This isn't the sort of army your opponent will be used to facing. The Chimera's are there to play pillbox and pump out 11 S4-7 shots a turn. Outside of AV14 these guys should be able to down light transports without breaking a sweat and suppress the s*** out of any foot troops. Imperial Guard are crap at 'challenging' for objectives, so it's best to shoot everything down and then grab the nearest.

The Chugs are led by a Platoon HQ. Now I've found these guys to be a good stopper against whatever 'can make it through that hail of fire'. Dropping a Primaris Psyker on board (or two) can make this chug a serious 'silent killer' as it can pump out up to 11-31 S6 shots at 24". That's enough to give even Terminators the wobbles... think of this unit as your mopping up unit after the roughriders have gone in (and died heroically)...

Behind the Chugs come three camo'd and lascannon'd Sentinels. place correctly, they should be able to get a 3+ save while drawing a bead on whatever landraider/monolith/battlewagon approaches. Remember that they don't get a 3+ if they move, and keep them busy. The ability to move (from cover) and alphastrike a target is their strength.

Rough riders, spread them out behind the Chugs but around the mortars to ensure that you minimise deep strike danger. These guys can deliver an awesome counterpunch for both anti deep-strike and anti-terminator baddies. 7 Rough riders deliver 15 S5 power weapon hits at I5. That's some serious 'on-par' baddy killing there.

Behind the Rough Riders come the mortars. These guys should be out of line of sight and hidden behind (or in) cover. The more firepower these plebs attract the better, as they can go to ground and weather it easily. These are the 'motivator' for your opponent as they can hit any squad within 48" with horrific casualties every turn. Spamming mortars is devilishly effective. Thanks to indirect you can fire with impunity and with the barrage rules, when you hit a 1/3rd of the time it will really, really hurt. 15 mortars can and will completely dominate the game, your opponents objectives and his playing style. Oh, and you pin.

Penal Legions ... well they had to come didn't they? If they get the guns, stick them in the front lines, if not then consider flanking them into a close combat position or to challenge the opponents home plate. Even S3 is awesome with a rend and you only need a couple of lucky rolls for these guys to shine. Remember they are also 'stubborn', so as a 'hold them up' unit - you couldn't do better!

4 Ratlings are along for the ride. 3 out of 4 should hit and 1.5 wounds a turn is better than none. These guys are really there for playing position however and keeping genestealers or kommando's and other infiltrating nasties at a decent reach.

Strengths

The Mortars force your opponent to be aggressive, anything without AV14 is going to get a serious hammering, the rough riders cover the mortars and prepare for counter attack against whatever makes it through the torrent of fire. It's a bit of a one trick pony, but it's also a difficult nut to crack.

Remember that although this is a lot of firepower, it's not a lot of bodies (on the field that is, inside tanks is another matter), use this to your advantage.

The rate of fire is key here as you can shoot enough shots to make both high toughness monsters like Mephiston or the Tryant or highly armoured opponents like terminators shudder under the rate of fire.

Drawbacks

The Landraider: First up, you lack anything that can really challenge a landraider or similar AV14 all round 'cheat-machine'. That said, anything except a thunderhead unit will die to rough riders. My advice ... try to get lucky with your lascannons and concentrate on wiping out the rest of his army. When they hit, get a sacrifice unit in the way, and then hit them hard with everything backed up by the mortars. Mortars have no minimum range and can therefore be used to pile on the wounds. 3 'hits' will easily give you 15 hits on a disembarked squad, giving you up to 22 wounds from the 5 squads. Try not rolling any 1's.

Flankers: If your opponent has a bunch of genestealers, then castling up in the centre is a good idea. Remember that rotating your Chugs does not count as moving, but will expose flanks. Maybe its better to keep that AV12 forwards and just sacrifice the heavy bolter. Remember that mortars are pinning ... so every wound you cause may have a silver lining. And a pinned unit IS a dead unit against this kind of firepower.

The Versus Consideration

Against CSM/C:SM: Rate of fire and high strength will make rolling 1's and 2's a depressing proposition. Be aware of wolf scouts, deep strikers and other 'nasties' and plan accordingly. Also, watch out for those long fangs. Your lack of AP weaponry favours the habitual deathguard, but your rough riders will have a lot of fun!

Against Tyranids: Taking out the anti-tank threats and watching for flankers/pods will be key. Anything that arrives at point blank either needs a can opener or can face down a lot of serious firepower. Focus your lascannons/autocannons and multilasers on the nasties, while the mortars can happily chip away at the horde.

Against Orks: Beyond the PK and the Deathrolla, you have few concerns. You forgot the armour piercing ammo, and they forgot the armour. Give 'em hell! Don't forget to hit those pesky Deffgun wielding maniacs on turn one and mortar them back to the stone age. Also remember that the Primaris's other power Nightshroud is a wonderful thing to use on Orks...

Against Tau: Tau will struggle to win against mortars. Their fire warriors are easy pickings and the kroot just vanish. Use the lascannons on the suits (especially the broadsides) and you shouldn't have a problem. Your lack of a deathstar unit is a boon.

Against Eldar: An interesting problem. The key one is the Elder Seer Council on jetbike with fortune. Otherwise the rest of the army will die in short order. Keep the lascannons and Ratlings focused for wraithlords. Beware Harlequins.

Against Dark Eldar: AV10 - why thank you! The warp portal will give you more concern, but remember that you can nuke any unit one by one. Consider swapping out the 4 grenade launchers on the command squad for flamers ... should keep things interesting.

Against Chaos Deamons: These guys have a similar problem, focus on the fast stuff with your guns and leave the Deamon Princes and Plaguebearers to the Rough Riders.

Conclusion

Ok, so its a bit of a one trick army, but it brings an awesomely big gun to the proceedings and would give pause to most armies. Remember that half the army is ACTUALLY in transports, so they can drive off to challenge objectives leaving the home plate in the control of the mortars.

Competition: Who will win?!?

Long time, no post ... ahhhh bugger it - got some good stuff in the pipeline!

Spearhead 'spearheaded'

Had a cracking game against Mark on the spearhead front on Tuesday. 2000pts, no quarter given, maximum carnage. Now I'm off on honeymoon for a week, so my question is this... which one wins??? Suneokun's Evil tactics OR Mark's shiney new toys?

The lists are as follows:

Suneokun's Kochi 'Surprise' guardsmen

• Straken and command squad with Astropath, 2 bodyguards, a medic, 2 flamers and a melta!
• Primaris psyker
• Penal Legion #1 (Psychopaths)
• Penal Legion #2 (Psychopaths)
• 3 Chimeras with the Mechanised Assault Spearhead!
• 3 Sentinels with Lascannons and Tank Hunters
• Stormssword with dual lascannons, twin-linked heavy bolters and dual heavy bolters.
• 6 Roughriders, sergeant with melta.
• 2 Hellhounds with multimelta, smoke and the 'Ambush' formation (effectively infiltrate and stealth).

VERSUS

Mark's new toys

• Primaris Psyker
• 2 Vets Squads with melta, powerfist and lascannon.
• Leman Russ Annihilator with twin multimelta, lascannon in Squadron
• Leman Russ Demolisher with twin heavy bolter and lascannon in Squadron
• Vendetta
• 3 Lascannon Sentinels with Tank Hunters
• 3 Autocannon Sentinels
• 2 Manticores with Ambush?
• Deathstrike Missile of DOOOOM!

So place you bets, and post your predictions in here ... the game is the long board, triangle deployment with 3 objectives (and the superheavy becoming one!)

I'll be back on the w/c 5th to set things right and give you a full batrep~!

1500pt - Slave Raid Guard v Chaos Marines

Tank carnage as the Obilts Arrive (sadly not of their making though).

The last two weeks have passed in an almighty blur, the workloads been horrific and a 750miles round trip to Falkirk didn't help the old equilibrium. Still, best to get back on the blogging horse.

Introduction

Anton and I have played plenty of games against eachother. He's a cracking commander, a Demon at Hordes and Warmachine (current giftsforgeeks Champio!) and a very funny fella to top it all. Our games rarely have the strategic edge of my battles against Mark ... but that's usually because we're giggling too much...

Ant got a text earlier in the day and we quickly agreed a 1500pt, HOBO battlemission smackdown. For the uninformed (or real English language speakers), a HOBO game is where you write out the list for your opponent. Its a simple way of getting to grips with another army and also automatically kills off the 'min-max' listhammer approach. As the only person getting hammered will be YOU!

I've been itching to have a play at Chaos Marines for the longest time. My fledging Chaosmarine army was blossoming in my mind and I was keen to get to grips with their options. Ant pulled me together a neat list of Chaos Marine and in return I gave him a strong set of guard.

Imperial Guard - dakka over high AP. This army had a strongish antitank option, but was aminly about the amount of firepower. Lots of power armour killing things.

Primaris Psyker

Ratling Snipers [10]

Platoon Command in Chimera with 3 Grenade Launchers

Squad #1 with flamer and Chimera

Squad #2 with flamer and Chimera

Mortar Teams x 3

Lascannon Team

Veterans Squad with Harker, Autocannon, Demolition Charge, sniper rifles and meltabombs

Banewolf with extra armour and heavy bolter/stubber

Rough Riders [5]

LR BattleTank (Lascannon)

LR BattleTank (3 Heavy Bolters)

Chaos Marines - how few??? Ant's models looked great (as usual) ... but they were seriously few and far between.

Terminator Lord with Lightning Claws

4 Terminators [3 lightning claws, 1 heavy flamer and PF]

10 Khrone Beserkers led by a Blood Champion with PF and icon.

8 Plague Marines with two melta led by a Champio with PF and icon in Rhino

5 Emperors Children with 4 blasters and a blastmastery thingie in Rhino

3 Obilterators

Land Raider

Mission

We rolled at random on the battlemission table and got 'Slave Raid' ... which has got to be one of the funniest missions ever. We broke to actual roll and Anton opt'd to defend. Meaning the Chaosmarines would go first! The idea with slave raid is to kill as many units, but either in close combat or wiped out within 18" of one of your units... The guard were gonna struggle with this one!

Deployment

Anton took a lot of advice during the deployment. He placed the Lascannon in cover on the left flank and spread out a considerable line through the middle of the board. The ratlings infiltrated a ruin in the centre right of the middle board section... hoping to lure me over. Meanwhile, a squad, the veterans and the banewolf opted to reserve, with harker flanking!

I decided on a cunning plan and swapped the Termies for the Khrone Berserkers into the Landraider. I then placed my THREE units (two rhinos with the plague marines and the sonic screwdrivers and the Berzerkie Landie in positions opposite the Lascannon (but in cover)...

TURN 1 "Drive damn you!"

I succeeded in not losing the first turn go and steamed forwards. My landraider took the lead, offering a 4+ cover to the plague rhino. Didn't matter much as I decided to 'pop the smoke' all round. Nothing else ... felt a bit well nervous.

Ant let rip with everything... and succeeded in blowing off a single twin linked bolter from the plague rhino. The lascannons fluffed up the Landraider penetration tests and while his rolling was good ... mine was better. Ant bemoaned the Guards lack of aim... while hitting above average. It was the penetration and my saving throws which undid him.

TURN 2 "In your face!"

On the reserve rolls I got nothing ... but that was good (i thought that you couldn't deepstrike within 6" of an ICON in a vehicle ... I am now corrected). The Landraider pushed foward and dumped 10 Berserkers into a guard squad in the middle. The Guardsmen died 'heroically' and were pulverised. The Khronies consolidated in cover and prepared for the inevitable 'incoming'.

BOO!

The Sonic boys rhino moved up, while the Plague Marine Rhino cut across to shield it from those pesky ratlings.

Ant's shooting found its mark with abandon! The Roughriders moved up and prepared to charge the beserkers. Ant threw everything at the Khronies and they died well ... their pile of bodies forming a 'impact absorber' for the Champio with the ICON! Just when they thought they were ok, the Sonic boys lost their ride to lascannon fire and lost a member to poor rolling. They held and prepared to lay down the fire! The roughriders were forced to charge the Berserker champio ... who died horribly ... but took their S5, I5 power weapons with him. Useful.

One Rhino crew and One Berserker Squad captured, compared to a single troops squad.

TURN 3 "Smackdown"

The chaos boys were withered, but not defeated. The Landraider targetted the Command Squad Chug with the platoon command and primaris in it and killed the tank and 1 command dude. They held, but the ensuing fire from the Sonic Boys wiped out the command team. The primaris dusted off his hands (after shoving the hapless squad before him) and held. The Terminators arrived and deepstruck to support the Sonic Boys. Frying a Lascannon team with heavy flamer, the lascannons broke (yes) but only ran about 4 inches (boo). The Plague marines disembarked and move up into the central cover. The oblits failed their roll!

Banewolf does a kamakaze

The Guard responded strongly. Mortar and Battlecannon fire raked the now exposed plague marines and Sonic marines. The reserves arrived, with the banewolf leaping the carcass of the primaris' tank and dousing the Plaguemarines. The Plague Marines also experienced intense battlecannon fire and struggled. All but the Champio and the meltaboys survived. Harker arrived and his team flanked the TErminators, backed up by a revving Chimera with a squad in. Blistering lasrifle and shotgun fire peppered the terminators and downed TWO to the infamous roll of 1.

The Plague Marines rhino had managed to immobilise itself on the way in and the roughriders quickly followed up. 5 krak grenades later with autohit ... it was wrecked!

Anton had brought his total of kills to three. Meanwhile I still fumbled at a paltry 1.

TURN 4 "Anyone left?"

The Terminators (and Lord) launched into close combat with the lascannon team. Resulting in mushy lascannon team. Meanwhile the Plaguemarines moved up and topped the Banewolf. The oblits arrived and singularly failed to penetrate the leman russ with a tri of multimeltas ... doh! The sonic marines fumbled their 'move through cover' run and were therefore unable to 'move-shoot-charge' Harkers crew.

The Roughriders charge the Oblits after 'caring' for the stranded rhino!

Anton moved his left hand mortar team away from the Terminators (now consolidated into the ruins) ... he then moved his primaris up and succeeded in a total of 5 shots only [laugh] resulting in no kills. The following firefight killed off the sonic boys through chimera team and Harker, the Plague Marines prove unkillable and the obliterators got charged by the Rough Riders. The Oblits killed three, but the sergeant held. Then the Leman Russ shot at the Terminators and deviated onto the Primaris, instantkilling him!

An own goal and another point to me! At this point we were both giggling so hard we had to stop the game (and because it was late...)

Final tally:

I'd trophied one Guard Squad, a Chimera, A Primaris, A platoon command, a Banewolf and a Lascannon team, six in total. Anton had garnered two rhinos, the sonic and berserker boys.

6-4 to the forces of chaos.

I can thoroughly recommend both HOBO and the slave raid battlemission as great fun. Splitting his units into two groups may have helped, but the copious killpoints knocking about gave me ample opportunity to garner the points needed. The Plaguemarines proved their worth ... but I have subsequently found out that they would only get a 4+ cover save (at best) from Battle Cannon shots... which I didn't know.

Big thanks to Anton. Hopefully we can bring you a Malifaux batrep to follow!