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.

A friend and I decided to both start new armies. So, without telling each other what we were going to pick, we went and selected one and started building it. The intention is to get to 1850 points. But he's called an impromptu game this evening. Not being one to back down to a challenge I decided to accept, even though there hasn't really been a structure to the order I've been purchasing and building models in. So last night we sent each other finalised lists for tonight's game on battlescribe. I'll do my best to relay his, and then I'll tell you mine, and you can let me know what you think....the biggest tactical decision I'm facing is what on earth I do with psychic powers. I'm pretty sure I want to roll one on librarius, it's the second I'm not sure on, but leaning towards geokenisis.

So, his list - Plague father, lvl 2 herald with bell and FnP locus, lvl 3 daemon prince with wings, armour and 2GR, 18 plague bearers, 2x 3 nurglings and 5 plague drones with rot-something.

My list - (2 Ravenwing strike forces) Sammael, Interrogator chaplain on bike with mace of redemption and plasma pistol, 2x lvl 2 librarians with bikes, conversion fields, 1 with a power axe, 1 with an auspex, Ravenwing command squad - 5 bikers including an apothecary, champion and Ravenwing banner, 3 black Knights, 3 Ravenwing bikers with 2 plasma guns, attack bike with multi melta and land speeder with TML.

So what do we think? If he gets terrify on the prince then added to the bell that means -2 leadership for shriek. I think that's my biggest threat.

Imho, your oppoent only have a total of 7 mastery level while you have 4, the psychic phase may not be really one-sided. Especially your Libby could help any friendlies within 12 inch to deny, and will deny on a 5+, so the Psychic sherik might not be that terrifying. Just watchout anyone in his army rolling on Daemonology, that he might get his ML pool larger and larger.
If you worried about the Psychic sherik that much, try to hide in the combat with Nurgling or Plague Bearers, I think they don't have innate AP3 weapons or have a tons of attacks. You can hit and run out of combat at the end of the oppoent Assault phase. Then shoot, and charge again.

You definitely want to aim for some ignore cover power with your psykers. Nurgle Deamons in decent cover are incredibly hard to shift with shooting without some cover debuff. I would recommend dropping the plasma pistol off your chaplain and using the points for auspexs on the rest of your characters to that end

I understand that your lists are now set and that you are looking for tactics, I play a lot of daemons vs Dark Angels which may be of help. I'd say that Psychic Shriek could hurt your units but you will have a fair chance to deny it.

If I were playing the daemon list I'd be rolling on Biomancy with the DP and hoping for iron arm, then aiming to wreck your bikers in CC where they won't get any armour or cover saves. So depending upon his powers and rewards you could be facing a T8 MC with a 2+ cover save and 4+ FNP, striking before you in CC, hitting on 3s and wounding on 2s at AP2. Plus instant death if he takes a Balesword.

If this is your opponents tactics id say the DP is yoir biggest threat. you might be better off standing off him and taking him down with massed shooting although I believe the plasma talons have an 18" range which may place your black knights too close for comfort. Any war gear or powers that can help you reduce or ignore cover will help.

Unfortunately those plague drones are also highly manoeuvrable and could tie units up until the DP arrives. If you're in combat with both you could try attacking the drones and putting wounds on the DP via Daemonic instability tests.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, if you have force weapons on the Librarians try and cast force if you will be fighting the drones as they are multi wound models without EW. It might also be worth a shot against the DP in case you get a wound in.

If you know your going to be charged by a DP or greater daemon, stay in cover. Daemons don't have assault grenades.

Avoid CC with the plague drones. They will probably win. Those things have tons of attacks, and sounds like they will be poison 3. If your buddy is smart, one will also have 5 ap2 attacks on the charge. A unit of 5 drones will eat up just about anything. You don't really want to be in CC with the drones, prince or GUO unless they are low on wounds. The DP can jink for a +2 cover, so it's almost not worth shooting at, and the GUO is T7. You will have speed for the most part, so try to play to some objectives and avoid getting bogged down in CC. He also can deep strike stuff, so watch out for falling greater daemons. I love dropping my greater unclean one right in my opponents face as a distraction, especially when my plague drones have an icon so he doesn't scatter.

Hmm I missed that he had a GUO too. Gwarsh makes some good points, if he has an icon on the drones they can zip up the board and the GUO can deep strike right in your lines with no scatter. Having said that he is still very slow, with your movement I would just keep out of the way of the GUO at least until hopefully dealing with the DP and the drones.

Good point about the cover, going first against the DP in combat could make a massive difference as otherwise you will almost certainly take heavy casualties before striking back.

Also agreed the drones could be rough in CC especially with the rot proboscis for poison 3+ but most of them will be AP- apart from the character one with the etherblade which your opponent should be taking. Ideally your apothecary would have the narthecium for FNP for the unit which could really help against all of these units.