To All the Tournaments Screwing with 40k Restrictions

Not that I have a dog in the fight, 'cause I truly don't. Just felt this meme to be of good use given the current anti-direction in 40k.

Warhammer 40k - Into the Darkness

He said it. . . . He had summed up—he had judged. ‘The horror!’ 

- Heart of Darkness, Joesph Conrad

If you haven't read it, I wholly recommend the Heart of Darkness. It's a quick short story that meditates on imperialism and godhead and seems to somehow fit the view of the current state of 40k. Kurtz is portrayed as a heretical figure, established as both a counterpoint and a testament to colonial imperialism. Not to roll poor Conrad over in his grave with the analogy, but 7th Ed 40k seems to hold much the same place in the dark hearts of many gamers.

Enough with the pedantic, quasi-intellectualism! My personal take on 40k7E is FINALLY! The wheel has turned and we are finally back to Basement 40k. Having only gotten in a handful of games, new 40k feels like we have reverted to a kitchen sink approach to the game while still retaining some of the formality and structure evolved from 3rd through 6th. 

Perhaps the biggest change for my gaming cohort is the inclusion of super heavies and the attendant gargantuan creatures in the main rulebook. This is a welcome respite in that now we can easily break out the big stuff without having to rely on ownership of myriad Forgeworld and Apocalypse books. You can take them or leave them, but when you decide to play them the rules are readily available.

I played a game recently with a Warhound armed with a plasma blastgun and a turbo laser destructor. At a bundle of points, he well ate into the 2k of my army and was totally worth his points at range. But then he was charged and tied up by a Chaos marine sorcerer and some spawn for two turns negating his massive guns and relegating him to Stomp attacks. Granted he had blown away a Transcendent C'Tan so there were no complaints from my side of the field.

Predictions being worth less than the digital ether they occupy, I would say that 40k7E is here to stay for a while. There is a level of refinement in the rules that I have not seen in the many years playing the game. Even the quality of the rule set far outstrips anything that GW has published and is one of the first sets that I feel are truly worth the investment. The lack of a "special" special edition is the one drawback in my estimation (I have both the 4th and 5th limited books) but honestly the three book set feels more quality than even previous special editions.

The core rules and a general move towards datasheets gives this edition more upgradability than any past. Our gaming cohort already played "unbound" armies depending on scenario so there is nothing new there. The addition of tac objectives cards really opens up a variety of play and I encourage people to generate and share their own unique tactical objectives. In a previous post, I shared a version of the core objective cards printable as Avery business cards and I think this is a great format in which to add your own objectives.

As gamers, we now have a common ruleset for fielding everything from the lowly grunt to heavy tanks to fliers to massive monsters cavorting across the canvas that is each of our games. Expand your mind and your tablespace to multi-table battles that range the depth and breadth of the 40k universe.

Clearly, I am a 40K7E enthusiast. Even with GW removing units from new codices, I encourage players to plumb their old books - use the units that GW saw fit to remove! The new guard book removed units wholesale yet including units from the old books (modified slightly with updated gear costs) grants an amazing level of flexibility in games that can be played. In my Basement 40k, spore pods are welcome; imperial armor encouraged; and forgotten xenotech a must if the game played is made that much more diverse.

Games Workshop has designed a game for everyone to play and I find myself diving head first into "the horror" that so long ago encouraged both my creativity and (meager) modelling skills.

40k - Printable Tactical Objective Cards

Given that the 7th Edition Tactical Objective Cards are currently out of stock almost everywhere, I figured I would post a printable set that I typed up. These are designed to print on Avery pre-cut business cards (I used Avery 28877) but can be printed on any stock and cut up accordingly.

I created fronts and backs for the cards. Print on one side, flip, then print on the other.

Tac Objectives Front

Tac Objectives Back

Edit: Moved the docs over to to docdroid. Should be much easier to download as PDF.

Predictions for Codex: Inquistion

Update: It seems like I am close to the mark. Take a look at the Daemonblade entry in the above image. Word for word from Codex: Grey Knights. This is looking more like a word-for-word translation from the Grey Knights rather than a true update.

This post is strictly for my own amusement as I attempt some prognostication regarding Codex: Inquisition based on the recent spate of supplement releases. I know nothing about the actual contents of the book.

Warlord traits - new d6 table
Wargear - same as C:GK minus grey knight specifics

HQ - Inquisitors (new/old named and generic) same ordo split and wargear options from C:GK 

Elite - Assassins from C:GK

Troops - Henchmen with same options from C:GK

Dedicated transports - chimera, rhino, and land raider (LR possible Inquisitor only)

Fast - Storm Raven (C:GK version)

Heavy - Land raider

And that's it... I realize that this looks like a fairly cynical view but this would allow someone to field an entirely Inquisition force if that is the desire. There will be some new background and perhaps more named inquisitors but no new units and I would be surprised in they brought back stormtroopers as a standalone troop choice (these are easily represented with current henchman options).

I would like to see a return to the flavor of the Lord Inquisitors of the Daemon Hunters book along with unique psychic powers, artifacts, funky new retinue options, etc. Honestly, I even find the rumors of plastic stormtroopers to be wholly far fetched. The current rumor sounds like a far-to-complete listing of sprue bits from a guy who supposedly only got a quick look at the models. Sounds more like wish listing to my ears.

Alright enough Debbie downer stuff. Like I said, this post is for my own amusement and only useful as a way to see if I managed to roll up an accurate Divination power for this release!

Unreleased Tau Models

I was going through some old pictures from Games Day, 2008 and discovered some snaps of prototype and upcoming models. Most had since been released (specifically the AoBR set which was huge at this Games Day), but there were two Tau-related models that have yet to see the light of day. These are old news but I wanted to put a record of them on my blog before I delete the pictures.

This kroot shaper would have made an amazing edition to the kroot line. The pose is very dynamic and really gives a sense of how brutal the kroot fight in close combat.

This tau battlesuit pilot is clearly in a bad way - what with entrails hanging out the side and all. But he steadfastly refuses to give up a kill point. Too bad is likely we'll never see the model in person.

Here Kome the Kroot

When I started playing Tau back in 2005, I remember reading through the book thinking what's the deal with these ugly kroot models?! Their look was a complete reversal from that of the Tau - rather than the sleek helmeted lines of the firewarriors, the kroot presented an animalistic facade closer to feral creatures than a sentient life. Needless to say, I was not impressed and for a time refused to consider playing with kroot. However, as I dug into their background (inter-galactic mercenaries who seem to be "gaming" their allies for better guns), I really started to like the extra dimension that they added to the Tau Empire.

The clincher for me was the discovery of the Kroot Mercenaries PDF (ping me if you are looking for this). Kroot Mercenaries was a variant list that allowed kroot to be taken as allies to a number of forces or to be run as an army in its own right. Granted the list was almost impossible to play on its own given the distinct lack of effective anti-armor. But the variety of new kroot units (winged kroot, mounted kroot, kroot shaper council, etc.) made for some compelling conversion opportunities. In addition, the army list rules actually advanced the background by allowing kroot to have specific upgrades based on the general species that they had frequently dined on.

From there I was hooked. I made some ebay purchases, messed around with conversions, and tried some quick painting techniques (which failed miserably) to bring them up to table top standard. Unfortunately, as this hobby goes, I was soon distracted by yet another difficult army to play - the Daemonhunters (not Grey Knights). Soon I was whipping gun metal blue on my Miles Cerulean (Blue Knights) and cheesing out my allied Inquisitor list as best I could - jk.

I have sporadically played my Tau in the years since, but never got back hardcore into the little fish heads. After the Daemonhunters, the Vostroyan Firstborn proved to be sufficiently distracting that I had little time to put paint to anything else and being spoiled for choice in the current IG book has not lent itself to looking back to the Tau.

But of course the wheel turns and we turn with it. The new Tau codex has inexorably drawn me back to the blue guys and I have finally started getting the army up to a table top standard. The good news is that my painting skill (and patience) have increased in the intervening years such that I am better able to do justice (even in an assembly line fashion) to my little, plastic soldiers. Re-enter the kroot...

While my firewarriors definitely need some fresh paint, I have re-discovered my interest in the kroot for their gritty look and updated rules - so they are getting the first cleanup. The rules are an interesting question as a few minor tweaks have fundamentally changed how kroot operate. They lost 1 attack and 1 point of strength which has seriously diminished their close combat ability. Before the update, kroot could make a reasonable stand against space marines and now they are good for picking off a few stragglers in close combat (if they are lucky).

On the flipside, the individual kroot dropped 1 point in cost, gained an armor save (6+), and have access to a shaper that is 33% cheaper than before. Perhaps most importantly, the kroot can now take sniper rounds for 1 point each in addition to their regular kroot rifles.  Without this upgrade, I would argue that the kroot got worse from previous edition to the current - with the upgrade they simply take on a different role in the army.

For 7 points each (6 + 1 for sniper rounds), the kroot become dirt cheap, infiltrating snipers that are fully capable of sniping a heavy weapon or lobbing a volley of S4 firepower or even taking down a monstrous creature. They still act as a great buffer between the precious firewarriors and an oncoming assault horde and with the benefit of markerlights, ethereal powers, and leadership buffs kroot can put out a lot of hurt for a relatively nominal cost.

This post kind of rambled around for a bit when it was really just an excuse to show off the newly painted kroot in the first image. These guys were basecoated with a flat camo khaki from Home Depot, given some base colors (belly, carry-alls, and guns), washed with devlan mud, then punched up with high contrast orange. The orange is my Tau's sept color (sa'cea) so the kroot quills and war paint are meant to tie the army together a little better.

Games Workshop's Formerly Known as Prize Support

I posted this long-winded comment in response to a Brent BoLS post. I liked it so here is a re-post:

GW cutting the cord from indie conventions has turned out to be a boon for the hobby side of the tournament scene. Once upon a time, GW hosted Grand Tournaments which included requirements for Citadel model usage down to the very percentage of GW vs non-GW parts on a model. Many indie events adopted these requirements in order to ensure that GW prize support would not be compromised. People would agonize on forums and chat boards as to whether certain models were tournament "legal" based on the model composition and parts used. This in turn influenced the local gaming scene as few people wanted to pour time into an intricate conversion that could potentially be nixed for use in a tournament.

Having said that, how much truth there was in reality versus perception of model requirements is up to some debate. I don't remember anyone getting kicked out of an event due to a 75% non-GW model. Objectively this did influence the models used by gamers and very much limited the creativity seen in armies both at national and local events.

No longer laboring under the "yoke" of GW prize support, tournaments are free to allow any and every type of model manufacturer at 40k, Fantasy, and LoTR events. Creativity abounds and gone are the forum threads regarding "legal" models - other than the occasional WYSIWYG discussion. The only place where model composition matters is at GW stores and very few tournaments of note (at least in the US) are held at these stores.

Editorial comment: From a business model perspective, GW dropped the ball when they dropped prize support. I realize that this support was sunset in large part because GW had no effective enforcement avenue and that there were abuses of their largess. However, prize support was the only real carrot to enforce the stick of GW-only models - even if the stick was perhaps more perception than reality. Games Workshop has inadvertently opened the doors for other model manufacturers to fill their product void (greatcoat guard, alternate greater daemons, tank and APC variants, etc.) - and these are now all "tournament legal".

From a more mercenary perspective, I would have continued prize support along the more restrictive model requirements and made sure that any prize support was provided by an on-site Games Workshop employee. That employee would have adjudication in deciding whether a given event was in general compliance and describe remedies (punitive or otherwise) when an event was found wanting. This policy would have continued to foster a very stove piped model mentality which had reach both within local communities and at national events and at least provided a chokepoint for the entry of new model makers into the space.

Thankfully that was not the route GW chose - I like the event/tournament scene as it exists today!

Eldar Rules Scans

Combined into Imgur set: Eldar Previews

Tau Sun Shark Rules Rundown

Here is a quick rules rundown of the Tau Sun Shark from the upcoming codex:
Armor/BS: 11, 10, 10, 3HP, BS3
160 points base
Weapons

• Pulse Bomb Generator - S5 AP5, Large Blast, Bomb
• Missile Pod - S7 AP4
• Networked Markerlight
• 2 Seeker missiles (S8 AP3)
• 2 Interceptor Drones

5 points more nets you a twin-linked missile pod - so really, why not? You can also select vehicle upgrades from the armory but I'm not sure dumping more points into such a fragile unit is worth it.

For me, the most interesting thing about this flyer are the interceptor drones. These guys are armed with twin-linked Ion Rifles (30" S7 AP4, rapid fire) and come with a bevy of special rules:

• Skyfire
• Interceptor
• Afterburners
• High speed deployment
• Supporting fire

First off, the ion rifles have an additional firing protocol which nets you a 30" S8 AP4, small blast at the expense of a Gets Hot! roll. Not too terrible when you consider the drones are only BS2 and twin-linked means you can re-roll the Gets Hot. 2 Strength 8 shots is enough to put paid to most side armor in the game.

Skyfire and interceptor should be fairly obvious - park these guys midfield and wait for a pot shot at your opponents Zooming flyer. Afterburners let these guys Turbo boost and High speed deployment allows the drones to disembark during the movement phase even if the flyer is in Zooming mode. Supporting fire is the new Tau special rule allowing fire support of friendly units in Overwatch.

What you end up with is a interesting flyer that can drop a decent strength large blast in the movement phase, disembark some fairly nasty little hornets, and still grab a shot at a different unit (with what appears to be a turret mount) with a decent, twin-linked, light armor killer. And did I mention the seeker missiles? Oh yeah and them too. Between the turret mount missile pod and the ability for seekers to reach out a touch anyone, anywhere it shouldn't matter which way the Shark ends up facing at the end of the movement phase.

The drones of course will make an easy target and likely get swatted pretty quickly. But with some judicious placement they could live long enough to do some damage to either a ground or air target.

Any thoughts on this interesting new unit? Would you consider running it?

As a footnote, the Razorshark has the same stat line but comes armed with:

Quad Ion Cannon - S7 AP4 4 shots

Burst cannon (S5 AP5 4 shots) or Missile pod for +5pts (S7 AP4 2 shots)

2 Seekers missiles

At 145 points, it's not a bad little Air to Air fighter but to me lacks the X factor of the drones. Still probably a better choice in the battle for air supremacy that has become 40k.

How are you going to build your 'shark kit? Are you even going to get one?

The Art of Empathy - Gamer Style

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. In the business universe, this concept has been adapted into the Art of Empathy - a set of personality models used to assess and empathize with prospective clients as a way to ensure a successful business relationship. A personality model is simply a set of descriptors that combine to form a recognizable archetype. The Art of Empathy details a matrix of four personality models with the goal of identifying an individual's personality as a gradation between any two models in the matrix. Identifying a person's placement within this matrix allows the user to better empathize and support that person's needs within a business setting. 

This got me to thinking whether the same might hold true within a gamer setting - namely would it be possible to identify and empathize with an individual on the basis of where they would fall within a set of gamer archetypes. The ultimate goal with this concept is to create a better gaming environment by understanding your opponent in advance and tailoring your game direction and preconceptions to how your opponent understands the game.

The simple notion here is to identify the type of gamer based on this set of traits. The matrix is comprised of two sets of diametrically opposed traits. Someone who is strictly a Painter by definition cannot be a Player as he does not enjoy the play aspects of a miniature game and a strict Player has no desire to paint miniatures and is happy to play with any representation of game figures. A Formalist plays strictly within a game universe which means using only prescribed models and/or models developed specifically for a game system. In opposition, the Inventor takes pleasure in using whatever models/conversions as he sees fits, which could include models from other systems, extensive conversions to "count as" something else, etc. 

Having said all of that, very few gamers will fit neatly into any one of these four personality models. The gradient arrows in the graphic above represent a sliding scale of personality traits and I maintain that any gamer will exist within one of these gradients. For example, I find myself somewhere between the Inventor and the Player, with a general tendency toward the Inventor model. All of my miniature armies have some aspect of heavy conversion to them and I tend to use rules that show off these conversions to good effect. However, I still build lists that are intended to be effective in normal game play and do enjoy getting deep into the rules mechanics.

Where do you see yourself within this matrix? How about your friends? Would using this matrix to better understand how your opponent sees the game help you to adjust your perceptions and thereby have a better game? Did I miss the mark with these models? Are they nuanced enough to capture the type of gamer personalities that you have experienced?

As a footnote, the following are visual cues to identify a given type of gamer:

The Player

• Models painted to a basic standard (or unpainted)
• Proxied models that are being used to "play test" a unit or option
• Multiple units that are identical, or nearly so, to provide list redundancy

The Formalist

• Models painted within a specific theme including unit markings and identifiers
• Army lists that are self-limiting in order to represent a theme "in game"
• Will have a depth of models within a specific theme (i.e. every unit from a given army)

The Painter

• Will have one of many different models
• Will be painted to a very high standard
• Will actually not be at a gaming table to game (i.e. is probably just entered into a painting contest)

The Inventor

• Heavy use of conversions throughout the army
• May be using a ruleset that "plays as" the intended theme of the army
• Will have "counts as" options that are consistent throughout the entire army

Adepticon - Team Remote Presence

Remote Presence is sponsoring one of the top teams in the 40k gamerverse. Having gathered gamers from near the D.C. Metro area, this fearsome foursome could likely prove to be this season's solid middle performers!

In the run-up to the grand weekend here are a couple of pics of Lo Pan's DKoK army:

Here is a pic of the beginnings of a hoard. The basic team with be two 1k lists each comprising a twenty-five man infantry platoon.

A close-up shot of the heavy weapons team - looks like someone brought an air-guitar to a gun fight!

This was all Tim's idea - he loves DKoK!

Quadcopter UAV

These guys do a very quality series on R/C vehicles. In this one they test an Arduino based chipset that basically allows any RC plane or copter to become a drone (UAV). This video also shows how you can fly a quadcopter via First Person View (FPV) with a remotely transmitting camera and a goofy set of goggles.

I would recommend skipping forward to the bit where the copter is flying hands free. You will also see a demo of the FPV technology shortly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZQoGfCKKLo#t=8m30s

Miniatures Up for Bid

This may be the first of many posts in which I am selling off a good chunk of my miniature wargaming gear. No, I am not leaving the hobby but I am consolidating as I embark in a new one - Arudino-powered UAV-based gyrocopters! More on that mouthful in another post.

The following link takes you to my ebay listings. If you win an auction, drop me a note for discounted (or perhaps free) shipping:
Austin's Ebay Goodies

I also have a good size collection of painted/based Tyranids (2 color airbrushed - but its still painted). Leave me a comment if you are interested in checking them out for a quick sale.

Dark Angels 6e Rules Preview

Given the dearth of Dark Angels rules rumors, I figured I would post a translation from the Spanish site Akiba Station. With only three days remaining, this post will soon be OBE (overtaken by events) but at least its something to whet your appetite:

General Rules

• The special rule "Inner Circle" gives hatred against Chaos Space Marines and Courage.
• The table of Warlord includes options to increase the turboboost 1D6 of motorcycles, rabid Assault, +1 / -1 to the roll of reserves, courage, feel no pain
• Belial will cost 190 points and can change their weapons as now at no additional charge. Allows Deathwing Terminators as troops.
• Land Speeder Sammael has its shield 14 as an alternative. Allows bikes are troops.
• Azrael allows bikes and terminators as troops. Gives a 4 + invulnerable to his unit and his power weapon is S6 AP3.
• No specific psychic Dark Angels. However Ezekiel has an AP2 S4 attack, if this hurts the enemy and survive, subtract 3 to its BS and WS.

Deathwing Knights

• +1 To their strength if in base contact with each other
• The champion's CCW is S +2, AP3

Deathwing

• The champion's CCW is S +2, AP2
• Land Raider gets Venerable rule (re-roll result in damage table) - "Deathwing Vehicle" upgrade for 30 pts

Land Speeder Revenge

• The plasma turret is S7 AP2, 3 shots or large blast shot

Land Speeder Shroud (80 pts)

• Has the dark rule, which gives +2 to their cover save.
• A 6 "units have +1 to their cover save.

Ravenwing Dark Talon

• Vortex Cannon: Strength 5, AP-, small blast, blindness.

Nephilim Jetfighter (about 150/160 pts)

• Megabolter revenge: Strength 6, AP4, Heavy 5
• Blacksword Missile: Strength 6, AP4
• Relentless Hunter: Allows exchanging a result of the enemy weaponry destroyed by an immobilized result.

Black Knights Ravenwing (126 pts, unit of 3)

• Hammer Corvus: Strength +1, AP-, Rending
• The plasma have a range of 18 "rapid fire. Seems to provide a special rule to bolter shots later.
• The champion carries the Sword of Caliban, A +1 AP3.

Command Squad Ravenwing.

• Same points as the Black Knights.

Ravenwing (80 points, unit of 3)

Primaris Psyker with Force Axe

The 40k bug has been nibbling at my toes lately. Got in a couple of games yesterday with my Inquisition with allied Guard list. First game was against a straight CSM list - the spiky marines got tabled. Next game against the Sisters of Battle - let's just say the nuns with guns got revenge for their sisters' blood spilt by the Grey Knights!

A direct repercussion of these great games is a fully painted Primaris psyker (missing highlights but done enough). Although not much of a star in these two games he does tend to anchor a twenty man guard platoon pretty effectively. This Primaris is a mix of parts from various kits: legs and torso are Cadian, arms, axe, and head from WFB Empire Militia kit, a Necromunda laspistol, and the haft from the power maul on a Dark Angels upgrade sprue.

Squats are the new Grey Knights!

With the general interest in Grey Knights somewhat waning (hi, CronAir and Flamer Bomb), I have decided to dust off some minis and blow the cobwebs out of an idea that I've had since the GK codex dropped. A fair number of the OOP metal Squat miniatures came strapped with a boltgun and since GK acolytes can take boltguns I started playing with the notion of a Xenos inquisitor at the helm of a crew of squats. I really like the old squat minis and the fact that they come with different load-outs and different poses make them a good candidate for the motley crew that is a henchmen squad.

More to come on the squat miniatures - the subject of this post is the removal of squats from the original 40k universe (and only now having been slightly re-introduced into the background of 6th edition). In searching for more information on the squats, I came across Jervis' original post explaining their removal from the universe. While this has been widely re-posted across forums and blogs, I decided that I wanted a copy locally on 23lines.

Originally Posted by Jervis johnson 

I know I shouldn't get drawn on this... but... can't... resist 

Seriously, a couple of points just so you can have an informed debate based on the real reasons that Squats are no longer available. Be warned, it is going to be hard reading for people that like the Squat background. 

First of all, Squats were *not* dropped because they were not selling well. There were then, and are now, plenty of other figure ranges that sell in the sort of % quantaties that the Squats pulled down, especially when you look across all of the ranges produced by GW rather than just those for 40K. 

No, the reason that the Squats were dropped was because the creatives in the Studio (people like me, Rick, Andy C, Gav etc) felt that we had failed to do the Dwarf 'archetype' justice in its 40K incarnation. From the name of the race (Squats - what *were* we thinking?!?!) through to the short bikers motif, we had managed to turn what was a proud and noble race in Warhammer and the other literary forms where the archetype exists, into a joke race in 40K. We only fully realised what we had done when we were working on the 2nd edition of 40K. Try as we might, we just couldn't work up much enthusiasm for the Squats. The mistake we made then (deeply regreted since) was to leave them in the background and the 'get you by' army list book that appeared. With hindsight, we should have dropped the Squats back then, and saved ourselves a lot of grief later on. 

Anyway, the Squats made it into 2nd edition, and since we were doing army books for each of the races, we started to try and figure out what to do with them. Unfortunately we just couldn't figure out a way to update them and get them to work that we felt was good enough. The 'art' of working on an army as a designer is to find the thing that you think is cool and exciting about an army, and work it up into a strong theme. This 'muse' didn't strike any of us, and so, rather than bring out a second-rate product simply re-hashing the old background, we kept doing other army books instead, with stuff we did feel inspired by. 

Now, while this was all going on for 40K, we were actually doing some rather good stuff for the Squats in Epic. On this scale there was a natural tendancy to focus on the big 'hand-made' war machines the Squat artisans produced, and this created an army with a feel that was very different to the biker hordes in 40K. However, this tended to reinforce the problems we saw in the Squat background rather than alleviate them, underlining what we *should* have done with the Squats in 40K.  

In the end (and it took years to really get to the roots of the problem) this led to a realisation that we were going to have to drop the Squats in their 'Squat' form from the 40K background. There was little point having a major race that we weren't willing to make an army book for, and their inclusion in the background meant that people kept asking us when we'd do a Squat Codex. Instead we decided that we'd write the Squats out of the background by saying that their Homworlds had been devoured by a Tyranid Hivefleet. This would give us the option in the future to return to making a race based on the Squat archetype for 40K. This race was given the name of Demiurg, and a certain amount of preliminary work was done to get a 'feel' for what the race would be like. At present the only hint of the Demiurg in 40K is the Demiurg spaceship for BFG. However, we do have this race 'in our back pocket' as a possible new race for 40K, or an interesting character model in Inquisitor, or whatever. So far the Demiurg have lost out to other projects, and it may be that their time never actually comes, as they will have to win through on their merits, not simply because we once made some Squat models in the past. At present, I have to say that it is more lilely that they *don't* make the cut than do, as there is a certain predudice these days to simply taking races from Warhammer and cross them over to 40K like we did in the early days, so it may be that the Squats/Demiurg end up remaining a footnote in the history of the 40K galaxy. Only time will tell... 

I'll finish off by saying that whatever we decide to do 'officially', there is nothing stopping players with Squat armies from using them, either in Epic or 40k for that matter. There is no GW 'rule' against using old Citadel Miniatures, as long as you use them with exisiting army lists and in a way that won't cause confusion for other players. I recommend taking a positive stand by saying "Have you seen these cool old models? They're called the Squats and GW used to make them back in the late eighties/early nineties. I love 'em, so I count them as Imperial Guard and use them with the current rules..." Put like this I can't imagine that anyone would stop you from using your army. 

Best regards,
Jervis Johnson
Head Fanatic

40k FAQs - Its a Rules Lockdown!

Just one week after NOVA and GW has decided to release a fairly major overhaul to their core rules. As a NOVA staffer I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I didn't have to ramp up on new FAQs in the wee hours prior to the start of NOVA. On the other hand, these FAQs actually answer a lot of questions and put paid to some of the gamier "tactics" that I saw at NOVA. Nonetheless, the updates are in and I figured I would post just a few thoughts on impacts to my favorite armies.

Look Out Sir - By requiring you to assign wounds to the model closest to the character who passed the LOS roll, GW designers have effectively nixed the wound allocation nonsense that has been so prevalent in nearly every game I have seen. This coupled with the change in status for Paladins (characters no longer) and Nobz (characters only when leading another group) will speed up gameplay immensely and frankly make for a more enjoyable experience (at least for me). When I first read the 6e rulebook, one of the changes I proposed for NOVA was requiring the removal of whole models from LOS rolls where possible to avoid this scenario. I think GW's solution is much more elegant than that I am quite happy with the new deal.

Leman Russ Tanks - Wow, major update to these guys. The Lumbering Behemoth rule is no more and Russes are officially classified as Heavy vehicles. The major downside is that they can move no more than 6" per turn and no Flat Out move. However, they always count as stationary when firing their weapons. The real loser in all of this is the base Leman Russ battle tank (LRBT), when firing Ordnance battle cannon reduces all other weapons to Snap Shots regardless if the vehicle moved or not. Probably not a big deal to most guard players as the base LRBT with heavy flamer is still a great option as a backup tank. The real winners here are the Exterminator, Executioner, and Punisher. I am going to ignore the Punisher as its just not something I run - if you love it feel free to post in the comments.

The Executioner fully stocked with plasma cannons however becomes an awesome mobile AP2 nightmare. I know that the plasma cannons will generate 2 overheats over the course of a six turn game but that is a risk I am willing to take. The Exterminator is a ridiculous generator of fire - heavy bolter sponsons and hull mount with a heavy stubber thrown in for good measure is a move and fire tank that puts down sixteen shots per turn - it should be called the Dakkanator! Honestly not a bad choice to throw at a lightly armed flyer if you don't have anything else to shoot at.

Disruption Pods and Target Locks - These last two are somewhat minor but Tau still hold a special place in my heart so I found them worth measuring. Unless I am missing something, a D-Pod Devilfish that moves now has a 3+ cover save from anything firing outside of 12". The Tau FAQ states that D-pods now give Shrouding, which increases any cover save by 2 points and as skimmers, Tau get a 5+ Jink cove save just for moving. By my math, that adds up to a 3+ save for just adding a 5 point upgrade to a Tau vehicle. A D-poded piranha can move flat-out (total move 30"), get a 2+ cover save, and still be able to launch seeker missiles (by virtue of markerlights).

Target locks were removed from the Infantry Armory but are back now. Always helpful to have on a broadside team and can even be useful for a markerlight equipped Shas'Ui in a firewarrior squad to be able to light up another target.

I know there is a lot more across all the codicies and main rulebook to note. These were just a few that I found interesting. Feel free to comment below on some of your favorite (or otherwise) rules updates.

2012 NOVA Open

Whew, NOVA 2012 is over and there is nothing left except picking up the pieces. Sounds like our attendees had a great time. Certainly everyone who gamed had a great time! The hotel was fabulous as always and the staff seemed to think we were genuinely well behaved. Hope everyone enjoyed the extraneous and additional vendor action - we did a LOT more stuff this year: we sold some digital art, we had a cash raffle, we had a silent auction, we sold meal deals, and we sold lots of NOVA-branded gear (T-shirts, bases, mouse pads, bumper stickers, etc.).

IIRC the NOVA store will continue selling gear long after the convention closes so check back in case you missed a chance to grab some goodies. Mo' money and all that jazz...

Recovery always takes a few days for me. Good thing we have Labor Day this year. Today was essentially spent on the couch, passed out in front of the AMC Clint Eastwood marathon. Made one run out to the local Indian place for a lunch buffet then back to my recumbent status.

A big thanks to all the 40k judges who supported the event. You guys rocked like nobodies business and were really the unspoken heroes of the main event. We literally couldn't have pulled off the NOVA Open Grand Tournament without you. Keeping it real with almost two hundred (200) players is no mean feat and you studs pulled it off graciously and with aplomb!

Speaking of heroes, I couldn't help but be impressed by the immense effort put forward specifically by staffers to create those amazing monuments. In addition to the madness of the scheduled builds and the insanity of 1 million terrain pieces, NOVA folks ripped out some killer monuments. I have to give a shout out to Sam for her amazing wiring and feats of electrical engineering. All of the lighting effects were due to her diligent and tireless efforts to make sure that the 40k Narrative was represented by the best and the brightest of our terrain efforts.

My amazing wife Kelli  took a ton of great photos. Here is a link to the album and below is a slideshow:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116082905946197793161/NOVA2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

I also posted a few Infinity specific pics over here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/116082905946197793161/NOVA2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

_______ is the Best Army in 6e 40k

There are quite a few blog posts rolling around espousing the virtues of this army or that in 6e 40k - even though the majority have no firm grasp on the new rule set. Never one to miss a bandwagon opportunity, 23lines has decided to jump on board and tell everyone why all the armies are the best of the best - okay, maybe just one or two armies are the best of the best... well clearly the ones that I play are anyway.

Imperial Guard: With all blasts doing full strength against vehicles, IG clearly comes out ahead in the sheer volume of large, ordnance blasts that they can throw. Add to that the Vendetta which is, arguably, the best flyer currently in the game (AV 12, 3 TL Lascannons, and transport) and the guard come strapped with superior air power as well as ground support.

In response to those same flyers, a pure guard list has the best tools to taken down those Zooming monkeys. The hydra flak cannon and the aforementioned Vendetta are the obvious choices, but don't forget that guard orders let you easily twin link autocannon teams. With the new snap fire rules, these teams can even move and fire, hitting at the same BS required to hit a Zooming flyer anyway.

Guard also have a cheap, durable sniper team that can pick off high value targets with the new 'roll a 6, clip a sarge' special rule. 10 Ratlings at 10 points each hiding in cover are a great distraction unit that can be tough to shift. Plus if your opponent doesn't deal with them, you have a good chance of clipping a sanguinary priest or putting paid to the last wound on an independent character.

Oddly enough, the guard even have a ready-made 6e psyker. Although the Pskyer Battle Squad doesn't get a psychic boost in 6e (like they need it), the Primaris psyker get a much needed helping hand. At 70 points and some lackluster standard powers, this guy is a blank canvas upon which a general can paint using choices from something like four different psychic palettes (okay, that analogy got stretched a bit thin - apologies).

I am sure there are many, many, many good points that I am missing about why Imperial Guard are the best of the best of the best (Sir!) in 6e but you get the idea!

Coming soon... why the Tau are the best of the best of the best (Sir!) in 6e...

40k Sixth Edition - Allied Guard Cheat **DOUBLE REDACTED**

Final Edit: GW has apparently wised up to the non-HQ HQ trick. This blog entry has been rendered completely invalid now that the new IG FAQ has stated that priests and enginseers can't be taken as the mandatory HQ choice. I would argue that also applies to the HQ choice required to ally in guard to a primary list. Honestly, I am surprised that they left this loophole in the game for so long. I suppose it really only becomes relevant in the scenario outlined below because in a 'pure' guard list the other HQs are a lot more beneficial.


Oh well, I will leave this article up as a sign of my hubris and getting put in my place by 'The Man'. Also, it's still a little bit of a funny read!

So you want to bring some allied guard to the table, do ya?! Maybe you want some Vendetta action or some Hydra ground support to help swat pesky flyers out of the air. Maybe you just need some cheap melta infantry to deal with the plethora of land raiders that are soon to enter the game. But you really want that guard support without having to sacrifice a valuable HQ slot in your primary army. I mean what would Draigowing look like with Coteaz holding up the bridal gown train?! How do I max crisis suits if I only have one Shas'el in my list? Where's the love for the 2 lash princes that I need in all of my Chaos Marine lists?!

Well, wonder no more. The guard 'dex provides a convenient little loophole in the form of priests and enginseers... those nebulous little HQ choices that don't take up a slot on the force org:

"Priests/Enginseers do not use up any Force Organization chart selections, but are otherwise treated as separate HQ units."

So far I have found nothing in the 6e rulebook that requires an allied HQ to "use up any Force Organization chart selections" only that you must take 1 HQ choice from an allied army. Priests and enginseers are "treated as separate HQ units" and thus meet the criteria. So now you can have your plasma cake and eat it too!

In fact with the new bodyguard style rule (assuming that it can be used in close combat), the ministorum priest becomes an IC to be reckoned with. Or take that enginseer to support the inevitable allying of a battery of hydra flak cannons - keep those guns blasting away all game!

Of course, GW is likely to FAQ away this little loophole as it seems to fly in the face of their intention around the ally restrictions... but given their alacrity with FAQ turn times you should be able to get a good year out of this playstyle. Enjoy!

Edit: Alright I'll take a big erase on this blog entry. From the look of things the allied force org represents an entirely additional force org to your primary:

Assuming I am reading the above chart correctly, with an allied force you can now have a total of 3 HQ choices, 4 Elites, 8 Troops, 4 Fast Attack, and 4 Heavy Support. No need to play games with the non-HQ HQ selection from the guard codex... and here I thought I was being so clever!

In fact this makes allies even crazier. Now I can field a full complement of guard heavy support AND add in some Tau Broadsides just for grins. Or three manticores AND a squad of long fangs strapped with lascannons just because I feel like it! Or how about 9 leman russ battle tanks and a teleporting dreadknight for back-up?! Ok so that last combo alone is 1550 pts. But its still workable with a guard company command squad, an inquistor, a mounted melta vet squad, a penal legion squad, and a minimum GKSS squad with psycannon at 2000 points.