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Started looking at the new kits. The new AMs are nice, haven’t taken them off the sprues to play yet, but I suspect the legs are going to be the high point of the kit. Good detail, clean sculpts. Probably a little overpriced for what you get, but that’s GW. The UM sprue is blowing my mind though. Those bits are gold, where do I spend them? Right now I’m building one VV, one AM sarge, and two captains. A generic one on foot, and Cato Sicarius. This assumes that the 2nd company captain doesn’t change in the new book. I’m not glueing anything, just picking and cleaning bits, and tacking them together until next week.

So I need a plasma pistol and a power sword for Cato. Decisions, decisions...


I might have a fairly deep bits box. Those are only the unique ones, I’ve got duplicates of some. And just gave a half dozen plasma pistols to a friend who wanted to put together a squad of gunslinging vanguard.

So part of me wants to use the new UM sword. My selection of left handed plasma pistols is more limited, so would end up being the winged skull one. But some of the left handed swords are larger and more impressive, so fit the not-quite a relic blade that he has. He’s defiantly getting the helm with the crosswise crest. Now the two captains get to fight over parts. One is going to get the new UM torso, the other the old commander one. Somebody gets the cape, the other probably the eagle backpack. I’m torn on the second captain’s head. It’s going to be one of the UM ones, either the bearded one or the straight crest. Both look very nice. I think the helmet would be better for a more active pose, we’ll see how he turns out. The one I don’t use will probably end up on the AM sarge I’m building.

And from the paintbench:

Brown was down on both the marines and the champ. Champ got a whole body wash, marines just the golds/browns. I just put the black wash down on the champ here. Next step is to highlight a little, try a little weathering, and pick out some of the details on his snake/tongue/mouth thing.

Nice selection of bits there! I reckon Sicarius really ought to have the new Gladius-type sword, the cape and the crested helm, and I'd also give him the new front. Is that an old-style Plasma Pistol in the bottom left? I'd give him that as well.

Then the other guy gets a bigger blade (possibly whatever Relic sword we get in the new book) and other blingy parts.

 Paradigm wrote:
Nice selection of bits there! I reckon Sicarius really ought to have the new Gladius-type sword, the cape and the crested helm, and I'd also give him the new front. Is that an old-style Plasma Pistol in the bottom left? I'd give him that as well.

Then the other guy gets a bigger blade (possibly whatever Relic sword we get in the new book) and other blingy parts.

Some mock ups (I was working while you were posting, so I’m not ignoring your advice)



My sticky tack is really irritating me. Not nearly as sticky as it used to be, so he kept falling apart as I was working on getting pictures. One problem with the new sword is the angle at the wrist. I’ll need to sift through my arms to find one that works better with it. Not happy with the one I’m using in this pic. One problem with all the vanguards, combis, and other magnetized projects I’ve been working on is it’s really cut down the number of suitable arms I’ve got left in my bits box. Plenty good for holding bolters, less for CC weapons and pistols.

Of the two I did, I like the right handed plasma better. Better feel of movement with the model. I’m not sure how well dangling belt thing will work with the running legs, I can try. I’ve got the new one on the torso, and the separate one from the commander sprue. They would probably work fine running straight ahead, but once you twist the torso a bit to the side, things start to collide.

I was drawn to the more blinged out modern plasma pistols, rather then the old school one. Captains deserve detail. That and Sicarius is an idealized 4th edition captain, so I’m not going for a nostalgic vibe from him.

For the second, more practical captain I’m still debating his base wargear. He’ll be magnetized, so it’s not a huge deal. Part of me wants to give him the evicserator. Probably with the combat shield from the AM sprue. That or the giant two handed thunderhammer from the GK sprue. Or a low cost flexible option with power axe/power sword, probably with the new UM sword.

I prefer the second as well. I'd almost be tempted to turn the head in line with the running motion and angle the sword back a bit, as that would give the impression of him sprinting forward while keeping the sword wide for a strike. More aggressive, as opposed to the more reactive pose he's in now.

.

 Paradigm wrote:
I prefer the second as well. I'd almost be tempted to turn the head in line with the running motion and angle the sword back a bit, as that would give the impression of him sprinting forward while keeping the sword wide for a strike. More aggressive, as opposed to the more reactive pose he's in now.

.

With the floppy tack, it’s hard to get an exact pose in these mock ups. I was going for a charge for the kill pose with him. I think the torso might have to be adjusted as well as the angle of the head. The sword for that one is fresh from the new AM box. I think it’s a much more active stabbing pose then a lot of the older ones. They tend to lend themselves better towards heroic posturing, rather then combat.

I need to be a little more careful with this guy, as he’s going to be firmly glued, not just magnetized. So I need to make sure all the nuances of his posture line up. With magnets, most of that is lost/flexible, so I worry less about it.

Speaking of magnets, I might make a number of new weapon arms for some of my old minis, particularly the jump/bike captain with the new Ultramarine shoulder pads.

One thing I noticed on GW’s site is the new marine shots for the Ultras are red-trimmed 3rd company. I recall seeing a link for a scourge of Xenos painting guide. Looks like someone besides the 2nd is getting some love.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
2 shots, same build:


(not pictured is the eagle-head backpack)

He’s got places to go, and Xenos to kill. If I didn’t like that helm so much, I’d give him a screaming head. I don’t know if it’s the giant chainsaw, or the lungeing running legs, but I’m getting a lot of menace off this guy.

There are a lot of what-ifs here. The big one is assuming captains can take evisorateors. Second is that I’m not going to need that bit elsewhere. Assuming the points remain the same as they are for the AMs (25) I think it’s worth it from a game play POV. It’s a two-handed armorbane powerfist. If you weren’t planning on getting the paired specialist weapons, it’s an easy choice. As I’ve been underwhelmed with relic blades the last few times I fielded them, I think this might be my new favorite toy. I’ll need to figure out how to kitbash some more. Maybe take spare GK halberds and replace the power blade at the end with a chainsword.

OK, some more WIP pics I need opinions on:

New AM sarge:

Alt shot, betting focus on the maul:

Not pictured is the JP from the VV kit with the giant eagle on the back. It’s the one my VV sarge is sporting, seems a little over the top for rank and file marines, but OK on sarges/officers.

The maul is simple a TH with the heads cut off and cleaned up a bit. Is it maul like enough, or should I add a header? I toyed around with the idea of some of the banner toppers, but it started to give off a very crozious vibe. Another thought was to put something like melta bomb/canister on top, but that was a little more curvy then I liked. Thoughts? I’m getting tempted to go pillage an old chaos warrior for his mace, but don’t want to start canibalizing old minis.

These guys are turning out great! I really really like the chainsword with the basket hilt, and the poses you've come up with. Really neat marines going on here, can't wait to see them finished and painted

Damn, Eviscerator Captain is awesome! Even if he can't take one in the end, I'd still go ahead with that build and run it as a TH or Fist.

Like the sarge too.

Thanks. There is a limit on how long I can wait, so I got the glue out.


JP Captain: Nice sword! That new?
Foot Captain: Yah, I commandeered it from the new assault marines. It’s like a powerfist that wrecks vehicles.
JP: Isn’t that what thunderhammers are supposed to be?
Foot: Not for a few editions now. They used to hand out free shaken results.
JP: Oh well, it still smashes things good enough for me. I’d like to try the sword though, sounds like fun.
Foot: Here you go. I’ll need it back before I get painted though.

Foot: Nice heft on the hammer here, I could use this in a pinch.
JP: <buzzsaw tearing noises> I LOVE IT!
JP: We should go out and kill things sometime. Maybe have a captain’s day out. Dreads had a party a few weeks ago.
Foot: Cato needs to pull himself together first. And we’ll need some paint. If you include the old RT guy on the bench, that makes seven of us. Sounds like a Kurosawa film.
JP: Kurosawa? Isn't he that Mantis librarian over with the Deathwatch?
Foot: ...I don’t know, It might be. The original was a pict-scribe who recorded a number of famous battles. But us all getting out together requires a lot of overhead. Collectively we cost a bit over 1,000 points, and are going to need four detachments worth of troops. Assuming nothing changes in the new codex. Not going to fit in a 1,500 list, maybe at 1,850.
JP: We could trim some gear and go unbound at 1k? Could be fun.
Foot: Might be worth trying. Unbound feels so... non-codex though.
JP: We’ll see. Might happen.

So the running evisorator captain is done. Well, mostly. I didn’t glue his torso to his legs to help with the painting. But I built the sword, and due to the miracle of magnets, anyone with both arms swappable can use it. If it turns out that HQs can’t take it, I can just make him some other arms. When I broke out the JP captain for a polarity check on the magnets, I realized the new guy could use the halo. Good way of picking out the captains. So I added it. Cleaning mold lines gave me something to do besides spamming refresh on the rumor pages. I’m not seeing anything earth shaking. But the devil is in the details. I suspect I’ll shift over to the new formations without too much trouble, but a lot depends on what can be added ala carte. As my collection tends not to be very spammy for anything not power armored, it might be hard for me to include things like a single flyer, or a lone tank. The Eldar detachment let you just take a few tanks by themselves, so if we get something similar, I might just ditch the CAD for most games. But the leaks are slow coming, so I’m not making any long term plans.

I 'lol'ed, as the young people say.

I'm pretty sure you could easily do the Demi-Company and First Company Formations easily enough. Maybe the Armoured one, as in theory you can do that with 1 Techie, and one of each Vindi/Pred/WW.

 Paradigm wrote:
I 'lol'ed, as the young people say.

I'm pretty sure you could easily do the Demi-Company and First Company Formations easily enough. Maybe the Armoured one, as in theory you can do that with 1 Techie, and one of each Vindi/Pred/WW.

Depending on if you need full squads or not, I could probably do 2-5 demi-companies. I’ve got a full battle company on the shelf, if I couldn’t field two demi-companies out of that, someone over at GW would need to be slapped. Hmm, lets see about the others:

Anti-Air Defence Force Nope, don’t own any of the AA tanks
- 1 unit of Hunters
- 1 unit of Stalkers
Benefits:
- If one Hunter hits a flyer with the main weapon, all Stalkers in the unit get +1BS when firing at this flyer.
Restrictions:
- Unit of Stalkers: Mínimum 2
Would need to buy 1 hunter, 2 stalkers to field

1st Company Task Force Yes. Probably twice
- 3-5 Units from:
Termis
Assault Termis
Sternguard Veterans
Vanguard Veterans
Benefits:
- Fear
- Fearless
- At the beginning of the game, pick an enemy unit. Units in this formation have Preferred Enemy against the picked unit
- Enemy units get -2 to L, if they are a 12" of a mínimum of 3 units of this formation
Restrictions: None

Strilke Force Ultra No. Lacking a second assault termi squad and the LRC/R
- 1 Captain
- 2 Termi squads
- 2 Assault Termi squads
- 1 Venerable Dreadnoght
- 1 Stormraven
- 1 LR Crusader or Redeemer
Benefits:
- All units stay in Reserve. Start rolling on your turn 1.
- After coming from reserves, or disembarking, shooting weapons of the Termi squads get +1 shoot (For Example, Assault Cannon becomes Heavy 5)
- When disembarking from a transport, assault Termi units get +1A.
Restrictions:
Captain must have Terminator Armour
All units must enter via DS, unless embarked in a Transport.
I’m loathe to get more terminators, as it would mean mixing new with old. So while I could theroetically do this formation with a LR and terminator box, in reality it would require a total update to my TDA forces

Reclusiam Command Squad Yes, once I paint my razor
- 1 Chaplain
- 1 Command Squad
Benefits:
- All units at 6" benefit from the Fanatic SR, not only the Chaplain unit
Restrictions:
- Unit must purchase a Razorback. Chaplain may not leave the command squad.


10th Company Task Force Yes, Possibly twice if I build some of the scouts still on sprues
- 3-5 units of:
Scout Squad
Scout Bike
0-1 Telion
Benefits:
- Precisión shots during first turn
- If the unit has not the Stealth SR, they get it until the move, shoot, charge, etc.
Restrictions:
- Scout bikes must purchase the mines.


Storm Wing No, only one talon
- 1 Stormraven
- 2 Stormtalons
Benefits:
- Make only a reserve roll for the whole unit
- Stormraven gets the Strafin Run SR, if at least a Talon is alive.
Restrictions:
None
could be done with just a talon, which is possible

Centurión Siege Breaker Cohort Nope, no cents
- 2-4 Assault Cent squads
- 1 Ironclad
Benefits:
- If they destroy a Transport, unit inside the 2D6 S6 AP4 hits, Ignore cover.
- Reroll to penétrate vs buildings
Restrictions:
None
2+ boxes of cents, geared the crappy way? Not happening.

Land Raider Spearhead Nope, only one LR
- 3 Raiders of any type.
Benefits:
- See previous posts
Restrictions:
None
While I do occasionally get the urge to pick up a new LR, the odds of even a single one being added to the shelf are low. Two is right out.

Librarius Conclave Yup. And if I built more of the GK bodies, probably twice
3-5 Librarians
Benefits:
- Pick one Librarian, This guy knows all the powers of any Lib of the formation at 12". Those Libs may not cast powers this turn. Picked Lib harness warp charges with 3+ if one Lib is at 12" or less. If 2 Libs at 12" or less, harnessing is with 2+.
Restrictions:
None


Armoure Task Force Nope. The only tank off the list I own is my lone pred.
- 1 Techmarine
- 0-3 TFC
- 3-5 Units of
Vindicators
Predators
Whirlwinds
- 0-1 Chronus
Benefits:
- Ignore crew shaken and stunned if at 6" of a Techmarine or a Techmarine gunner
- Thechmarine and Techmarine gunner get +1 to Ominissiah rolls (repair vehicles)
This might happen. I keep thinking about getting both a Vindi and a WW frequently. With all the PA I own, vehicles are the next step to expand

Suppression Force No Whilrwinds
- 1 Whirlwind unit
- 1 Landspeeder unit
Benefits:
- One landspeeder may pick an enemy unit at 12". Whirlwinds reroll to hit vs this unit. If the picked unit is out of range of the whirlwinds, the may fire ignoring it.
Restrictions:
None
I’ve got the speeders, just need a WW. As with the last formation, this might happen

4 yes, 7 no of the sub-formations. I’ve got the demi and full company ones. So about half of them if we count those with what I have on the shelf. I might use these formations to guide what I buy to expand my army. Which is what GW wants, but hey, it’s the game we play.

Like the captains, keep it coming.

<sigh> Looks like the only place evicserators show up is in assault squads. Way to let me down GW. Well, it makes for a pretty nice Teeth of Terra. My one regret for my impatiences is the use of cool captain-level shoulder pads on what’s going to be more often then not a vet AM sarge. Assuming it hits the field as a WYSWYG evics. My experience with the Teeth, while lackluster, might still happen again. Particularly with a cool mini for it.

Good call on Teeth, I was just going to call mine aTH. I've run Teeth a bit and found that it works rather well. You don't want him in a full squad, but running with VV or a Command Squad (or Honour Guard now they're Elites) so you get the Rampage bonus more often, he can mulch grunts like nobody's business!

But then I tend to spend 200+ points on that mini and give him the Primarch's Wrath and Armour Indomitus as well. 5 basically Kraken shots a turn, a one-use 2++, and up to 7 attacks on the charge... And all with just a Bolter and Chainsword!

I just need to remember to take a meltabomb along next time I take the teeth out. It’s not a bad jack-of-all-trades weapon, but S6 has limits on what it can do.

Note to self: when I get the book, check verbiage on relics, see if any one the debate on multiples has been fixed.

From the leaks, there is not a whole lot I need to do to get ready, with what I own.

More power weapons for the Vanguard (5 point LC/powerweapons, drool)
Maybe put together another librarian or two.
AsC for a speeder?

While there were some point changes, not a lot has changed on the unit by unit basis. Good stuff still good, fluffy stuff still fluffy. The point values might tip the balance on how I build lists, but not a lot of modeling needs to be done.

Things I might want to buy is a more interesting question. Formations, in all their glory, tend to dictate what we need to pick up these days.

More scout bikers. These have always been on my back burner. I own 3, but bumping the squad up, or fielding two, might be fun.
Tanks. So many tanks. Now, I’m not planning on squads of three or anything. Too points intensive, squadroning tanks is generally a bad idea, and the bonuses for 3 while nice, are not going to last a round of return fire. But I’d like a vindi, and a WW or two. The suppression squad needs a pair of them, not just one. And then transports. Nothing says “mech up” like free transports if you field a full company. Not that I plan on going full razorspam, but if I’m going to be putting down three tac squads every game, I might need another rhino or two.
Another talon? This is a stretch.

Cheap VV power weapons? Neat, too bad I've given up for awhile now

 GrimDork wrote:
Cheap VV power weapons? Neat, too bad I've given up for awhile now

I’d try to tempt you back to the grimdark side, but it has it’s own allure, and doesn’t need my help.

So I was cutting scouts from the old LSS sprue and working with the scenic bases from the new AM kit, when I remembered a thought I had a bit ago. As some of you might recall, my scouts are done in a forest green camo, which is not going to look good with the arctic bases I’m planning for my army. There are a few things I could do about this. Strip and repaint, being the obvious one. And not going to happen. One idea that struck my fancy was to do a scout-base exchange program. I’m planning on doing my Eldar with a green grass, maiden world scheme. The scouts would fit right in with that. What I could do is paint my Eldar rangers in an snow/grey camo, and base them in the snow. So each army would have their infiltrators hanging out with the other side. Now the big question: Would it look decent on the tabletop? One advantage of just black bases is I don’t need to care. But basing helps tie an army together visually, and I’m intentionally breaking with that. So have you seen armies with varied bases, and how did they look to you?

The AM scenic base bits are all industrial/imperial style ruble. If I wanted to tie the scouts in with the Eldar, I’d base them using eldar style debris instead, or natural things like rocks. So this isn’t just a question of what color flock to smear on the bases.

I finished up a c-melta sternguard on the workbench. I’ll try to get pictures later today.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Nothing fancy, just another sternguard. But he’ll make my 3 c-melta SG, and the 15th overall. So he rounds out a few important numbers.



And here is the good captain of the 2nd. Pretty happy with how he turned out. While I’ve been moving away from back banners in general, Cato is the arrogant kind of guy who’s going to fly his all the time.

While I’ve got a few more guys in blisters ready to clean and assemble, things are a little on pause, as I’ve only got a pair of 2mm magnets left. Where do those little buggers zip off to? I should gather up everything I’ve magnetized for a showcase. Hopefully the FLGS will have restocked them, they were out last time I was up there.

With the SM codex leaked, I really want to hit the FLGS and chat with the guys. Tonight would have been the night for it being 40k night up there, but it’s my anniversary. So instead I get to put on my tuxedo and have dinner with The Wife of 15 years. If the weather is nice, we can even go stroll around the gardens we were married in. Priorities.

I need to do the arms and packs for the VV. I’ve already got the first layer of black down on them, so plugging along. I think I’m going to call the nurgle champ done. I need to base him, then get him set up for a formal photo shoot. Arctic base, as the WoC are raiding down from the north.

Edit:
Another thought about the new codex: I had thought the old pilot from the Battle of Macragge box set was just going to sit on the shelf until the end of days. I think he’s going to be pressed into service as an ammo runt for the dev squads. Who wants cherubs anyway?

First news update: I picked up the new codex and a pack of magnets. Unfortunately I grabbed a pack of 3mm, not the 2mm I like, so need to go back and swap them. That’s not going to happen in the next two weeks unfortunately, so some projects are going to be a little stalled out.
Proof pic, for when I troll through this thread at the end of the year to calculate how much I spent on hobby stuff:


The observant among you might have noticed some marines from the 1st squad on maneuvers to the workbench. Yup, we were basing today! <mad cheers and applause>

The last ML guy from the test squad (makeing them the first fully based squad), the remaining HG, my champ for the month’s painting comp, and part of the 1st squad. I could have done more, but ran out of the glue/flock I had mixed up. I’ll continue when I feel like mixing up more goop. I prefer to work in small batches, helps keep me sane.

A little scout progress on the workbench over the weekend. I sorted through some spare eldar bits to find places for the scouts to perch on. Some will need a little more cutting, but should work. I also did an arm swap for one of the guys who was holding on to a hand hold. Using a sword now, and feeling good about it.

I’ve read through the new codex once, and am going back and flipping between it an the old one looking for subtle changes. Most notably the ones that impact me.

The three formations I’ll most likely use (demi-co, 1st and 10th) seem reasonably balanced. I’d start tossing lists around, but I’m lazy and am waiting for Battlescribe to update.
Love the new dread rules. Squadrons are nice, 4 attacks each is huge, and helps them play up to their fluff or walking wrecking machines. Lower points on some upgrades helps as well.
Point drops on all flavors of vets, in one form or another. I field them all, so I’ll take it.
MotF gone, but techmarines buffed to just shy of where they were. So more like the entries were merged. This means the axe/BP, servo arm tech I’ve had on the shelf since 3rd is going to see some table time. His points stayed the same, but he gained a wound and an attack. Score.
Calgar got a mixed lot. He just gets to pick his trait now, rather then the draw three thing he did. Simpler. Fists strike at I now, which is very nice. He lost some of his special rules though, like the choose to pass/fail tests, and ability to re-roll when crumping tanks. And the change to the tactics system makes his re-use a doctrine a lot less appealing when using the new formations. The demi-comapny can already use the tactical doctrine 3 time a game. 4 seems a bit overkill. In a CAD, he still brings a lot to the table, but as part of the strikeforce, he’s just a beatstick.
Talion and Chronos as HQs could open up a lot of fun theme lists.
The stalker AA tank got some very nice buffs. As did the TFC. Picking up a new AA tank might work it’s way up my buy list.
More LS point drops. The AsC is starting to look attractive. Might have to model one.
Scouts back up to WS/BS4 is pretty nice


While there were a lot of pretty pictures, it felt very light on fluff. The page count went up, so I’m not sure what’s up. Seemed to be more focused on current events then history.

I’m sure there is more, I’m still sifting through. Overall the book got a slight bump in power, but I think remains solidly in the middle of the pack. Sure, there are gimmicky things you can do, but for the average FLGS, I think it should play just fine.

Broke out the tripod for the final pics on the Nurgle champ:


Turned out pretty nice.

I’ll be away from the bench for the rest of the week, so there will be no progress reports. I should still be in touch with the internet, so can chatter about as normal. Time permitting; I’ll be visiting my folks, so will just be online in little scraps of time.

Hope everyone enjoys their week, weekend, and Father’s Day.

Great stuff! Very nurgley!

Dude, everything looks great. You're Cato was my favourite of the past month or so. The actual model is 'meh', yours is so much better.

I've been out here in CO for about a month now, and so much has hapened in the hobby world that I dont have the time/energy to research and investigate. I found out yesterday that the new codex has dropped (checked GW site to see what was going on) and so I thought I'd check in here. I've been thinking about my collection ever since Thanks for listing the new formations, very helpful! The scout one and the armoured one look like fun (Telion & Chronus are HQs?! - Ultramarine repaint?) Might even be tempted to try the 1st company one and get 30 sternguard in DPs... It's a shame my IF collection isn't all that big - lots of stuff to buy when I get back!
Could you do me a huge favour once you've gone through the book? List / explain all the new stuff in the SM codex that would affect an IF / White Scar player. Internet in the mountains is fickle enough as it is, especially when everyone is trying to use it at the same time. Much appreciated!!

Your nurgle lord is great too. Simple and effective. I've been thinking about fantasy, too. The new edition is on the brink of release, and I've got a huge collection to go back to. Already figured out some paint schemes and repaints I want to do... Have you heard anything in the pipeline for the next edition? (Again, desire to research is high, but amount of time off is low - and this god damn internet...) Where does it stand compared to The End Times? I've caught up on GoT and man, the last couple of episodes make me want to do all things fantasy!

Thanks a bunch Nev! It's making me a little sad, all the things I'm missing out on... So much in the GW world, not to mention WH40k: Conquest which is churning out more expansions and X-wing, which I was super getting into before I left.

 Zambro wrote:
Dude, everything looks great. You're Cato was my favourite of the past month or so. The actual model is 'meh', yours is so much better.

I've been out here in CO for about a month now, and so much has hapened in the hobby world that I dont have the time/energy to research and investigate. I found out yesterday that the new codex has dropped (checked GW site to see what was going on) and so I thought I'd check in here. I've been thinking about my collection ever since Thanks for listing the new formations, very helpful! The scout one and the armoured one look like fun (Telion & Chronus are HQs?! - Ultramarine repaint?) Might even be tempted to try the 1st company one and get 30 sternguard in DPs... It's a shame my IF collection isn't all that big - lots of stuff to buy when I get back!
Could you do me a huge favour once you've gone through the book? List / explain all the new stuff in the SM codex that would affect an IF / White Scar player. Internet in the mountains is fickle enough as it is, especially when everyone is trying to use it at the same time. Much appreciated!!

Your nurgle lord is great too. Simple and effective. I've been thinking about fantasy, too. The new edition is on the brink of release, and I've got a huge collection to go back to. Already figured out some paint schemes and repaints I want to do... Have you heard anything in the pipeline for the next edition? (Again, desire to research is high, but amount of time off is low - and this god damn internet...) Where does it stand compared to The End Times? I've caught up on GoT and man, the last couple of episodes make me want to do all things fantasy!

Thanks a bunch Nev! It's making me a little sad, all the things I'm missing out on... So much in the GW world, not to mention WH40k: Conquest which is churning out more expansions and X-wing, which I was super getting into before I left.

I'm semi AFK at the moment, so long posts via my iPad are not going to happen. Good to hear you are still alive and kicking. Love your new flag

For a small IF foce, not a lot is going to be different. A few point drops. Bolter drill works on special ammo. If you field the new strikeforce formation thing, you gain access to ultramarine doctrines. Focused re rolls, so kinda nice. Pretty high buy in though, so your small force is probably going to be using the CAD for a while. There is a crazy powerful drop pod assault/dev formation, website exclusive. I've not seen a clean copy of it, but the rules are out there and over the top.

White scars don't get a lot from the new main formation, as it pretty much ignores bikes. The other ones might intrest you if you have the minis to field them. They did get some major boosts though. Any bike HQ unlocks bikes as troops. No minimum size either. Command squads are just elite picks, so spam em if you want em.

New rules might drag me back into fantasy. I'm pretty out of the loop, but if it picks up steam at my FLGS, I might get swept along.

Once I get back to a real computer, I can sift through your blog and the new book to see if anything else major pops up.

Nev pretty much covered the SM changes there. Only other thing is that Honour Guard are now in Elites, so might make a nice addition without the CM tax.

As for Fantasy, let me bring you up to speed: we know nothing. You are now up to speed! rumours point to a new setting and new game, rather than WFB9, possibly with both skirmish and mass battle versions, and possibly/probably using round bases for the former. Preorder on July 4th, so we won't know anything for sure until just before then when WD leaks. For what it's worth, all ET and army books have been pulled, suggesting entirely new mechanics for the game.

As someone with no vested interest in Fantasy as it stands, I'm pretty excited for it, but for those with existing armies that may end up very changed or even unusable it's touch-and-go. All I know is that if round bases and skirmish rules happen, I'll be diving in!

Oh, wow... That Skyhammer formation is crazy good!

Bolter Drill on special ammo is great. I've had thoughts previously about putting Lysander into a pod with Sternguard to tank wounds. Now they can at least gain bolter drill.
The bike HQ rule is awesome. It was always a 'tax' to take a CM or Captain on bike for a biker army. I think opening it up like that will help prevent people from being forced down the CM, Command Squad, and 4 5man bike squad road.
It doesn't really make sence to have Command Squads and Honor guard in elite. They travel will captains and CM, so to field them without it is a bit silly.

As far as Fantasy goes, I dont want to rebase. I will play the skirmish, but on square bases. It doesn't make sense to have two different base sizes for the same game.... I hope the rules are good too (in terms of internal balance).

The flag made me chuckle

 Zambro wrote:
Oh, wow... That Skyhammer formation is crazy good!

Bolter Drill on special ammo is great. I've had thoughts previously about putting Lysander into a pod with Sternguard to tank wounds. Now they can at least gain bolter drill.
The bike HQ rule is awesome. It was always a 'tax' to take a CM or Captain on bike for a biker army. I think opening it up like that will help prevent people from being forced down the CM, Command Squad, and 4 5man bike squad road.
It doesn't really make sence to have Command Squads and Honor guard in elite. They travel will captains and CM, so to field them without it is a bit silly.

As far as Fantasy goes, I dont want to rebase. I will play the skirmish, but on square bases. It doesn't make sense to have two different base sizes for the same game.... I hope the rules are good too (in terms of internal balance).

The flag made me chuckle

While from a fluffy POV, I agree on the command/honor guard thing, from a mechanical perspective, it’s nice to have them more open. And with all the different chapters out there, it lets you do interesting things. For example, with White Scars, just cross off the name on the command squad, make the bikes mandatory, and you get a Biker Veteran Squad, 125 points. Black Templar could field HG squads as sword brethren. Just flavors of veterans with different rules and wargear.

Z, I promised to sift through your blog when I got back to my computer and see if there were any major changes. Looking at your proposed IF drop pod list, you should be able to transition that over to the new system very easily. The major issues are that you are stuck with your core detachment, so adding something like a second dev squad isn’t going to happen unless you move from a demi company to a full one, or add a CAD. There is no requirement to go for full 5 man squads, so you can take a full co. and get the bonus free drop pods it can come with. Rain MSU down. Seems a very strong list in objective games, but also very boring. Frankly, I think a more fleshed out half company looks to be fun to play. 3 full tac squads, and 5 man each assault and dev squad, plus a captain and dread. Comes to about 1,100 points. Then you need to add at least one of the other formations. I’m looking at the 1st/10th myself, and have priced out blocks of them at 665 and 271 points respectively with models I have. You are still building, but have a unit of scouts to start the 10th, and two terminator squads if you wanted to go 1st. And as an IF player, that’s probably the way to go.

For your White Scars I think I covered most things already. I don’t think I discussed exactly how the TFCs got buffed. You can squadron them now, so can free up slots if needed. They also get +1BS if you field 3. Not that is a huge deal. With the merging of MotF and techmarines, the new techmarine gunners are BS5 and have 2Ws, among other things. The subterranean rounds were slightly nerfed, with their special rule being replaced with the strikedown USR.

OK, that’s probably enough rambling about rules for now. I should either unpack from my trip, or put some paint down. Decisions, decisions...

Thanks for reading through my blog and picking out the important points! Saved me a whole bunch of time, and I much appreciate it

I read something about all White Scars getting Hit and Run, which would be mean on a drop pod Ironclad Dread. Sounds like fun (yet unfluffy)

Not heard much in the way of broken things for the Fists. Maybe grav Devs in a DP, with IF tactics could be strong.

I have been eyeballing the Scout formation. Precision shots on every sniper rifle for first round could help boost their worthiness, combined with their BS4... I can see myself getting some. just to pick out the special weapons in units (no point shooting the leader, they get a LoS save...)

How much did whirlwinds change? Enough to be worth it? Still trying to figure out what they were thinking regarding the suppression force formation.

 Zambro wrote:
Thanks for reading through my blog and picking out the important points! Saved me a whole bunch of time, and I much appreciate it

I read something about all White Scars getting Hit and Run, which would be mean on a drop pod Ironclad Dread. Sounds like fun (yet unfluffy)

Not heard much in the way of broken things for the Fists. Maybe grav Devs in a DP, with IF tactics could be strong.

I have been eyeballing the Scout formation. Precision shots on every sniper rifle for first round could help boost their worthiness, combined with their BS4... I can see myself getting some. just to pick out the special weapons in units (no point shooting the leader, they get a LoS save...)

How much did whirlwinds change? Enough to be worth it? Still trying to figure out what they were thinking regarding the suppression force formation.

I thought WS had H&R before. <looks> Ah, it was restricted. Yah, there is some fun to be had there.

I like the scout formation. Another thing is the stealth on your infiltrating scouts until they move. So you take those snipers, give them cloaks, and then park them in some cover. It’s not like they are ever going to move, so hello 2+ cover save. Infiltrating Jinking bikes also benefit. The precision is the gravy in that formation. One drawback is that you loose ObSec.

Fists aren’t really a gimmick army. I think they are going to continue to play solidly. FA pods for cents and bolter drill sternguard I think are their major buffs.

The suppression force was in the old version of the apoc rulebook. So I suspect when someone at GW was looking for formations to include, they just grabbed it. I don’t own any WWs, but have alway thought about getting one. This book just made me want them more. They have been an OK unit, just overshadowed by the TFC for a while now. But the ability to squadron and their low cost are a big help now. One of their issues was eating a HS slot. Less of an problem now. They can be used to fill slots in two different formations, which is huge. The suppression force is a nice little package, and if you want to field the Gladius, you need at least one auxiliary formation. If you want to use armored task force, you need at least three tanks. The WW takes a slot without eating a lot of points. Lastly the squadron bonus of pinning and shred if you field three of them. This will mulch troops, and for only ~200 points.

In adition to sifting through rules, I have been getting some painting done. All the base colors are down on the VV’s arms and packs. Next step is the drybrushing and washing. I’ll try to grab a picture later. Hopefully I’ll be done by the time I get around to dragging out the camera.

Look! Paint! I still need to do some work on these guys. The packs need the bottoms done, and the arms need a touchup pass, especially the white rims. But then the VV can be moved over to the done pile. And then I need to figure out what to paint next. The July competition is “stealthy” so either a scout or a ranger needs to happen. I’ve got rangers cleaned, but need to prime them. And bend some of their rifles. Scouts need to be cleaned a bit, and their sub-assembly done. The rangers are more stealthy then the scouts, and frankly I need to paint more Eldar, so they are probably going to get the nod. My razorback is also calling out to me. The demi-company requiring three tac squads is making the third rhino chassis very appealing to have.

Summer is officially here. Yesterday was The Boy’s last day of school for the year. So my painting schedule gets a little screwy for the next couple months. He’s got a two hour program he’s doing for three weeks, which will give me a nice little window in the day to get work done. Mid July, we go on vacation to the beach for about a week, and then the rest of the summer is mostly empty. While he is in theory able to entertain himself, I do need to put at least a token effort into being a responsible Dad, and can’t just disappear into the basement to paint all day. I think this might be the summer to get him into wargaming. 40k is not the first step though. I’ll probably start with something simple, like Risk, or OGRE.

Ohhh I've never played OGRE, always wanted to try it. Those rules points are interesting, I like the new book and the formations are fun, it does leave other armies in the dust till they get the formation treatment. BTW Sniper rifles have Precision Shot anyway. I love the Suppression Force thing, Used the old one in Apoc a bit. You've got to be pleased with the buffs to Vanguard, they are really good now, rerolling charges is really good by itself.

I got to play a game the other day and managed to get Cassius into combat for the first time, his squad of Sternies got murderised by Death Company and a Assault squad who them spent 6 rounds of combat or so trying to hurt him, they managed 1W by games end...good times!