Maelstrom IX 2016

Some pics from the event - thanks again to Hagen for organising and running this. I took a Codex SM CAD army using White Scar chapter tactics focused around 2 grav command squads, chapter master & librarian, with 2 troop bike melta squds and rear field fire support from 4 typhoon land speeders and a thunderfire cannon.

First up I played Sean's Dark Eldar on the Mechanicus table. There were quite a few questions regarding the mat on this table - it is available here. After a brutal shoot up on both sides I ended up 17-3 at the end.

Game 2 versus Glen's Daemons. After my firepower provided incredibly ineffective and his drones wrecked havoc in the middle I fled around the board trying to bully horrors and score maelstrom cards with the remnants of my force. 12-8 win to Glen.

Game 3 versus Bredan's Eldar. Turn 1 chapter master tanked a massive 10" Ap3 eldritch storm, taking 1 wound. However the heavy wraithcannons came next - failed LoS & failed 3++ & 3 wounds from the D shot killed my big boss while scatter lasers ripped through the grav command squads. I tried to be aggressive to claim points back by tying up the guns but it got worse from there and Brendon tabled me for a 20 - 0 to him.

Game 4 versus Hugh's 20 terminators and a land raider. With all my speed, grav and melta it was a rough match up for Hugh. 19-1 to me.

Meanwhile Wil was stomping around with his 4 knight army...

Game 5 versus Caleb's Iron Hands bike army. A very close game throughout - we met in the middle and had swings of luck both ways. I was lucky for this to end turn 5 with an 11-9 victory to me.

Awesome weekend!

Tale of 40K Gamers - Ryan #1

So today I did some sorting and organising of the mountain of plastic at my house and got ready to start my pledge for the first section.

Loosely following the new start collecting box from GW, I am going to assemble, paint and play with the following:

1 Terminator Captain

10 Tactical Marines

1 Venerable Dreadnought

Here they are in all their glory:

So it begins...

I will be running them as Disciples of Caliban - they will eventually form part of my bike army (which is painted green hence using the successor chapter).

The tactical marines are the previous edition, and the terminator captain will come from the dark vengeance kit. The dreadnought is a partially finished venerable dread that was going to be in my grey knights army - now will be re purposed for this project.

Looking forward to getting stuck in!

The Green Tide

Warning I am terrible at English read at your own risk!!!!!!!!!!!(Now with Punctuation - Editor Glen)

Long time no post, today I felt like I had a chance to post something worth while.

So I came into 40k in the middle of 5th edition and my first choice of army was Tau, unfortunately the book was old and I just didn't get it and so I gave up on them rather quickly.  So I moved over to the safe choice, Space Marines and played them for a while.  The first tournament I went to with them was Fields of Blood way back in 2010.  I didn't do to hot but came away with Living Saint a.k.a top sportsmanship.  At that point I was locked into 40k, definitely enjoying everything about it but Space Marines to me were kind of bland.  Not painted, but just rule wise just uninteresting.

Then came along Dark Eldar.  I was in love from day one and quickly switched over to them, building up a force of 1750 points as that was the standard for most of 5th ed. Soon after, Glen and I found our way to Sydney to play in Lords of Terra and High Lords respectively a.k.a Glen.  Here I came 7th overall and Glen winning High Lords with one of the oldest books at the time, Night Spinner FTW. Soon after was Call to Arms and once again Warhammer raged on but this time I actually came First overall with Dark Eldar FTW!!!

I happily kept playing them for a while then out of the blue came Grey Knights!  To me they were Space Marines with personality and to this day the best looking Terminators around.  I didn't start playing them straight away as Glen was pondering about building a force, but after some time I finally let loose and started building up units.  I was definitely enjoying them a lot, the rest of 5th and start of 6th but they had lost their shine.  I already had 3 armies and had decided not to start another one.  At the start of 7th I decided to return to Space Marines, with their new book in hand started picking up new units including Sternguard, Calgar box set, Drop Pod, Centurions, the new plastic Librarian and some other stuff!  But it was not to last with the new.....

...Grey Knights incoming I quickly switched back but the book to me is disappointing, but I was enjoying them and then all of a sudden Dark Eldar are coming too!! quickly Picking up the new codex it quickly became apparent the book was average at best there were no new builds and Archons got turned into garbage along with Wyches. :(

Leaving me here.  The other night while doing Tuesday night Pathfinder, I was sitting across from a Dakka jet, as I looked at it something clicked and by the end of the night I had decided to play Orks.  Later that week I received the codex and quickly found myself having a lot of fun with it.  After having my first game with them yesterday I definitely have found that love for an army again.  I did lose the game and there was tons of swearing at Glen (How many cover saves can I keep on making? - Glen) and running out of the room when failing an assault change screaming FUCK!!!! All in good fun.  Really have to thank Joel for selling his Ork army to Glen as it gave me the chance to play them.

Also thanks to Joel for Fantasy as I am now able to play High Elves 

Cody Out

Playing both sides - GM'ing the Campaign

This weekend I will be hosting some players for a variety of gaming. These will include the start of my narrative 40k campaign, some D&D(my regular players can use their Monday night characters) and NZTC practice with Warhammer Fantasy.

Joel and Conan have been kind enough to send in their backgrounds and Initial lists for the campaign so as GM I'd better point out what I'll be using. Now as GM I plan on using forces for both sides and filling in where needed.

"This is Henry Mackryn for the Chyrossian News Network, reporting from outside the Governor's Palace on Chyross Prime.

Chyrossian Governer Marcus Towerson has relayed his official apologies to Imperial institutions in the Sector, in regards to a decline in productivity on the IDCC/the Hub. His office has informed the numerous clients and dependants as to the investigation and ongoing performance management of high ranking staff running the IDCC. This aims to determine where the breakdown between the indentured population and the administration has occured. He has assured that the manufactorum facilities of the Adeptus Mechanicus will be unimpeeded by any delays in components or materials handled and distributed through the 'Hub'.

Governor Towerson has authorised the deployment of additional Defense Forces to the habitation blocks of the Hub and assures the public that the rumoured reports of Xenos and Astartes sightings are the ramblings of obscura addled vagrants. Our sources have been very specific in their descriptions of Astartes sightings. Red armoured marines in the sub manufactorum districts, engaging in street level firefights with criminals in green gang colours and tribal markings and the leak of pict captures showing a small strike craft of the Ashen Angels chapter docking in the PDF bays on the main Orbital defence array, portray Governor Towerson's comments as simple words to placate the affluant Chyrossian citizens on the Prime world.

This reporter thinks that a conflict on the Hub was inevitable. With a historical decline in housing and services for the working population and a massive increase in interstellar trade and the stresses in must be putting on the security systems and protocols something was bound to give in the bustling heart of our sector.

Back to you in the studio Jansah."

Since I bought Dark Vengeance as soon as it was released I thought I would use both forces included to form the basis of my campaign forces.

For the Dark Angels I will label them as the Ashen Angels, then I can nicely use the various Blood Angel models and parts with the Dark Angels and any new additions that may come out in the new year. For now I will use the Space Marine codex for simplicity.

5 man Terminator Squad inc Serg with Power Sword, Assault Cannon and Chainfist

10 man Tactical Squad inc Serg with Plasma pistol, Plasma gun and Plasma Cannon

10 Imperial Guard inc Grenade Launcher and Autocannon

This will nicely represent an Astartes Strike Force allying with the resident defence force. I can combat squad the Tactical squad for flexibilty and the Terminator Sergeant will be the functioning Warlord until I include a real HQ choice.

For the Chaos side I came up with the following

Chaos Lord, Khorne, Plasma pistol, Axe(Sword)of Blind Fury, Sigil of Corruption, Vet of long war

5 Chosen inc Champ with Lightning Claws, Power axe, Power Fist, Vets of long war

10 Cultists inc Flamer
10 Cultists

Obliterator

Much more aggresive build with the Lord and Axe in there but they're Chaos and they're on the Hub to cause some serious trouble! Represents one of the Chaos Warlords who has infiltrated the Hub's Industrial levels and herded out some cultists to cause mayhem.