Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So I got to thinking, that since the codex is so limited I might as well try to think "outside the box" in order to extend the playability and viability of the army.


So here is what I came up with:


First take 3 units of 10 warriors with 2 X Splinter cannons, and 2 X blasters,
Next take 3 raider squads with only 1 X DL

Start the game with the raider squads off the boat in cover (and on an objective) and have their transport chilling next to the 10 man warrior squads. First turn have the warriors jump in and jet somewhere and now you have a sweet hit and run boat!



So what do you think? Do you have any other interesting ideas?

Someone has thought of that one already It was mentioned in the Dark Eldar tactica on this site, he called it the gunboat build I think, but you can't move 12 and shoot all those squad carried weapons, so the gunboats have lost a lot of punch.

I had an idea, 3 Talos sitting in front of a bunch of warriors giving them cover, and the Talos is T7, hard to kill with almost everything short of a railgun. Even assuming cover though...T3 makes 'black tide' unworkable I think.

Unless he changed it since the last time I read it Thors suggestion was just a normal raider squad with splinter cannon and blaster.

My way nets you an addition Blaster and splinter cannon.

I am sure he will be on soon to comment, after all he is the only other major DE player actively posting on the board.

I actually did discuss it in the very first itteration of the Tactica (referred to it as a Super Gunboat - which is what other people called it from wherever I first saw the build idea)

I've used it before to very nice effect. The biggest trouble is that you have some extra nervousness for wanting first turn if you have them in your army - so I only like to do it when gaming at shops that don't skimp on terrain.

Overall they're very nice if you (like I pretty much always do) love to run Gunboats.

Here's a list I wanna kinda try, but I think it's stupidly gimmicky.

Maxed out Grotesques running in the first rank.

Immediately behind them come 3 Taloi (my Taloi are all scratch built, so they're short enough that I can get cover from the Grots).

Followed by 3-6 Bike Haemonculi with Scissorhand/Destructor.

Firebase of as many sniper squads as you can per points.

The idea is that the best target for S6+ weapons are the Taloi, but they're getting a coversave from the Grots. The opponent has to dedide whether to use those weapons on the Taloi, or use them to prune some Grots. It renders most armies' small arms fire pretty useless. The Haemonculi follow close behind in order to pounce out and flame/assault with the Grots/Taloi when you're close enough. The sniper squads hang back in their deployment zone and zap stuff.

It's worked pretty well at 1000 & 1250 point levels, but I have a feeling that the concept's usefulness will decrease as points values increase.

Your Probably right about the higher point games, people tend to take the heavy nasty extra stuff at 1500+ points like Demolishers and BAttlewagons. And heaven forbid a squadren of Leman Russ executioners of plasma death.

By grots do you mean warriors?

The 'gunboat' thing sounds interesting. Must buy some more raiders as I only have one which is a bit ridiculous. I tend to rely on Talos pouring out of portals, and lots of warrior squads.

You can fire splinter cannons after moving the vehicle 12" right?

Grots are Groteques not warriors.


And you can only move 6" and fire.

Ah right, makes perfect sense now!

Bit crap about the vehicles. Best just zooming up behind cover and then moving the 6 next turn I'd say.

That is a pretty viable option for gunboat usage. Heavy use of cover always benefits DE, as does turbo boost...as does fielding enough Raiders to make your opponent cry a little when they see them all.

Really the 6" move restriction weakens us a bit from last edition but I have found it fairly easy to adjust for. Just circle on the outside of squads, use terrain to help shield you from other units, and there's always the very useful empty Raider shield that can be moved around to cut off enemy units or block their ability to assault loaded gunboats.

Tha'ts a pretty good Idea actually, using an empty raider as a kamikaze shield.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I do love having Haemonculi on skyboards tho, cuz mine cost 110 points each, but thats just cuz I want them to skyboard the feck in, open up the warp, and then you just pour out all your talos and wychey things.

How well do they manage to survive the enemy shooting phase between the turn they deepstrike and the turn they deploy the Webway? Seems like they'd be easy pickings.

Yea, youve gotta use cover and be careful, I havent done it with deepstrike yet, cuz its dodgy with the whole mishap table thing. Also if its a weapon that ignores cover or sumthing youve got your 5+ inv save for the skyboard. I suppose a raider squad could do just as well, but I need to get more raiders!

First take 3 units of 10 warriors with 2 X Splinter cannons, and 2 X blasters,
Next take 3 raider squads with only 1 X DL

Start the game with the raider squads off the boat in cover (and on an objective) and have their transport chilling next to the 10 man warrior squads. First turn have the warriors jump in and jet somewhere and now you have a sweet hit and run boat!

That's the standard method to give a unit a suitable transport for free.

Now you have 30 Warriors with 24 assault-type bolter shots. That's a neat idea.