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.

I got destroyed the other day vs my regular BA player, I tooled up expecting a land raider, preditors and vindicator, but my opponant showed up with a razorback and vindicator, 2 large squads of assault troops with reclesiarchs and the ones with wings and artifacer armour, their name escapes me.
Suffice that to say, by turn 2 he was assaulting my blobs and grenading my armour, it was a massacre.
My list was CCS, two power blobs with lascannons/heavy bolters, demolisher and two manticores.
I was expecting to annialiate his vehicles turn one with the manticores, which I did successfully, but since most of his army was jump infantry they were unscathed and free to run around taking objectives.
I did SOME damage, taking out his vehicles and my blob eventually wiped out a squad of assault in close combat (though I now regret not taking power weapons-won't make that mistake again), but his golden-wings guys were destroying my vehicles at will.
Had I prepared against assault infantry, however, I'd have probably stocked up on meltavets and a couple of normal leman russes...but then I'd have in all liklihood have been ripped to shreds by Baals/dreadnaughts.
So how do I prepare for either eventuality?

Well Power Blobs without Power Weapons are just Blobs... and blobs just die. If you can trim down his assault units before he gets to you then Power blobs can grind out wins against Marines. If you use them to keep him away from your vehicles then a Demolisher should be able to squash his squads fairly easily.

Without knowing the exact points values the Manticores are the things which stick out the most with this list. They really need a wall of vehicles to hide behind (i.e a Chimera/mech based list) so they don't die or lose their missiles too quickly. Assuming this is ~1000pts then I'm guessing this was on a 4' x 4' table, which further limits the usefulness of the Manticore (and shooting in general). Generally Russ chassis's work better in infantry heavy lists since they can actually absorb some firepower without a screen around them.

Yeah it was 1250. I'd really want to field 3 Leman Russes but if a Land Raider showed up I'd be in trouble.
Definately carrying power weapons in all blobs from now on.

Commissars are a must in blobs, I am sure you were running them. You have to give the commissars and sgts power weapons.

It is hard to go against jump infantry with a blob line. All you can do is hope to win with attrition. Before that, try and hit them with as much large template and any fire power you can throw on them. As far as sanguinary guard, those guys are beasts.

A general rule I follow when playing BA, take out the sanguinary priests that your opponent is running. You have to take away that FNP.

martin74 wrote:Commissars are a must in blobs, I am sure you were running them. You have to give the commissars and sgts power weapons.

It is hard to go against jump infantry with a blob line. All you can do is hope to win with attrition. Before that, try and hit them with as much large template and any fire power you can throw on them. As far as sanguinary guard, those guys are beasts.

A general rule I follow when playing BA, take out the sanguinary priests that your opponent is running. You have to take away that FNP.

I was running commissars, my failure to give sarges/commis power weapons was a newb error.
Sanguinery preists aren't independant charectors, though? So they're impossible to target in assault.
Edit-having checked, Sanguinery guards are actually independant charectors. Seem my opponant was pulling a fast one, presumably unintentionally.

Sanguinary priests are Independent characters.

The first time I played BA, the priest was found out to be the main component to the army. Most any BA army runs them, usually two or three. You have to take them out.

If he plays alot of reserves, throw a Master of the Fleet in your CCS. That 30 points pays off in that situation. Other than that, he is just a 30 point sacrifice later.

That's good advice, so I should try to take out assault troops in CC with blobs? Obviously I'd like to take them out with shooting but if I go second then they're assaulted after only one round of shooting.
How about a CCS kitted out for CC so that it could counter-attack into blobs that got assaulted. Give CC a power fist (since the enemy won't be able to attack him if I understand the rules correctly therefore he won't die before making his attacks) and a priest for the same reasons, also re-rolling to hit is useful. For just 130 points, too (CCS(50)+power fist(15)+vox(5)+preist(45)+eviserator(15)). That gives 4.3 deaths per turn with my maths, plus 1 from the veterans assuming no FNP.

IG does not do close combat. There are realy only two units sort of meant for it.

#1: Ogryns, and they are best with Commissar Yarrick

#2: Penial Legion Squad: better hope they role the rending/extra weapon.

There is no such thing as a CC CCS squad in IG.

Could even have a preist in between the two squads so that which ever is attacked, he can join the other and counter-charge for CC fun.
The mathhammer seems pretty positive so far. I'll mathhammer out a combat in a while between assault troops vs the combination I described above, see how it works out point for point.

Not sure about the priest. He seems cool on paper, but, other than that, not sure. Let me know how it goes.

So our assault squad of 5 with pistol/CCW, 1 with PW and sanguinery priest charge our power blob.
8 Strength 5 power weapon attacks and 15 Strength 5 armour save attacks.
power weapons do
5.3 hits
4.4 dead
normal attacks do
10 hits
8.3 wounds
5.5 dead
for a total of 10 dead, or 50 points.
The IG strike back with 12 power weapon strength 3 attacks, 20 normal strength 3 attacks
Power weapons divide their attacks between priest and squad so
3 hit
1 wound on each, the priest is dead and the squad takes a wound. 70 points already.
The normal attacks do 10 hits, 3.3 wounds, 1.1 armour saves and 0.5 after FNP (assuming the squad keeps that since it's the same initiative 'phase').
Now it's the IG's turn, and their pimped CCS charges in; since the assault marines will be surrounded by our blob we can make sure to be within 2" of an attacking model but the enemy won't be able to attack our CCS.
The assault marines attack first again, 4 with pistol/CCW and the power weapon sargent.
the power weapon has 2 hits, 1.4 wound so 1.4 dead.
The others hit 5.4, wound 3.5 and kill 2.3, so 1.7 dead
so 3 dead overall
Now the power weapon guard attack, 12 attacks, 6 hit, 2 wound and kill.
normal guard have 8.5 hits, 2.8 wound and 0.94 dead, so another one.
There's now just 1 normal assault marine left and one power weapon.
The CCS attack, the commander and priest have 6 S6 power fist attacks.
3 hit, 4.5 with re-rolls
3.75 dead. The squad is eliminated, and the guard player still has a 17 man blob and a CCS. 75 points lost to take out 180 points of blood angels.
Somewhat overkill, so I'll do mathhammer vs Death Company some time. I expect it to be closer.

It sounds good, but, it never seems to work that way. How big is your blob? I usually run 30, with three power weapons, and usualy a commissar or two, with power weapons.


I only run the blob at 2500 points, and up.

Munitorum Priests are kind of sketchy because they're special ability works only if he charges, but can be quite useful in a blob with power weapons, especially with eviscerators.

And blobs can catch most vehicles by surprise just by using Krak Grenades. I know everyone loves meltas, but Krak and Melta Bombs (in my eyes) are more effective at dealing with most vehicles (even Dreadnoughts) since they assault the rear armor and there are more attacks.

Try not blobbing all of the squads. If you run 3, blob 2 and leave the 3rd one as bait out front.
Just a thought.