The Slaaneshi Whore Lord Strikes Again!

I'm happy to announce that the infamous Slaaneshi Whore Lord (for what else could he be with such a graphic nom de plume?) has decided to leave his permanent mark in the blogosphere and in miniature war-gaming history by starting his very own blog, thus giving birth to...

DIRGE AND PURGE

Now, you might say "Whatever, Skarvald. Yet another 40k-themed blog? Why should I even care?!?"

Well, sure. It's a blog, or a bleeerg like I like to call it, but the Slaaneshi Whore Lord has a few things to say about the hobby and he certainly managed to amaze ME with the few articles he wrote for Wolves for the Wolf God. I'll be honest here and say that he actually had a whole score of things to say and share here, but I was the one who dropped the ball in a period of extreme busy-ness, overwhelmed by my very own hobby glory. 

Here's the thing, though: 6th Edition is already upon us and the new Codex: Chaos Space Marine is juuuuust 'round tha corner. A lot of people are waiting for it to hit the stores, anxious to see what a 6th edition codex will look like, excited to start their very own Chaos warband or two or perhaps continue to bask in the GLORY of their long forgotten, dusty Chaos Space Marine minis.

Gone will be the days of "Counts As" Space Wolves armies, using Chaos miniatures.

Soon, Chaos will beckon.

And the Slaaneshi Whore Lord will be its Herald.  

So make sure to visit his fledgling-of-a-blog now before Chaos claims your body and soul.

 Join him now or suffer the consequences later.

You have been warned.

Did the Land Raider Achilles foreshadow the new Hull Points system?

This has been bothering me ever since 6th edition came out. No, actually.. even before that - when the first "concrete" rumors and leaks flooded the blogosphere.

Before I added the side sponsons.. which were a PAIN to build.

So.. was the Land Raider Achilles an early sign for the Hull Points system - perhaps one of the biggest changes brought to us by 6th Edition? I think so.
But let me clarify the actual fact of the matter here:

Here are the early "Experimental Rules" of the Land Raider Achilles, as posted on the Forge World website as soon as the Land Raider Achilles was announced. Notice, for example, the original point cost of 300 points (compared to the actual, current point cost of 325 points.)

"... reduces the effects of all rolls on the damage chart made against it, by -1"

Before: Back then everyone was super excited, because it meant that a regular, non AP1 Glancing Hit couldn't even immobilize a Land Raider Achilles without actually destroying all of its weapons first, since a roll on the damage chart would have been at -3. Penetrating hits were only at -1, which meant that an actual, natural roll of a 6+ was needed to Wreck it. Add to that the immunity to the Lance and Melta special rules and the Land Raider Achilles became pretty resilient. This rustled the jimmies of a bunch of people who immediately yelled "OP! OP!", especially when it was announced that the Land Raider Achilles had the "Warhammer 40,000" stamp on it.

"reduces the effects of all rolls on the Damage chart caused by Penetrating hits by -1."

After: Shortly after the Experimental Rules were posted, there was an update (I think). I mean, I got the book pretty soon, so I also noticed it there. At first, the most obvious difference was the slightly gouged price of 325 points, but after a careful examination on my part I saw the changed wording of the Ferromantic Invulnerability special rule. It struck me as odd. Why would this amazing, super-special hull armor only work when it has been actually penetrated. Why didn't it affect Glancing hits or just ALL rolls on the Damage chart? Back then I saw it as a weird way to nerf the Land Raider Achilles by at least giving some armies the chance to deal with it somehow by Glancing it a bunch of times.

Using 6th Edition, though, it all makes sense. Glancing Hits no longer roll on the damage chart, they simply destroy one Hull Point from the vehicle. It is only Penetrating Hits that get to roll on the chart.
So it is possible that those responsible for the editing/rules of Imperial Armour Apocalype: Second Edition got a whiff of the new vehicle rules... pretty much a year before the actual release? We are constantly being told that Games Workshop and its sister company, Forge World, are pretty independent and separate and that the guys from FW have no idea about what's going on over at GW. It may be true.. but I still think it's weird and quite hard to believe, so I wouldn't be surprised if the book was written, or at least edited with 6th Edition in mind. Even if it was a year ago, I bet that coming up with a new Vehicle damage chart and the Hull Point system was one of the first things that was added to the book. It is just such an important, fundamental part of the game - there's no way that it was not a priority.

But then again knowing GW I wouldn't be surprised...

So whaddaya guys think? A possibility... or a coincidence?

Alpha Legion and 6th Edition

Probably just a month before the release of the new Codex: Chaos Space Marines, I've decided to sit down, reflect on some of the rumors and jot down a few ideas in order to inspire myself (and perhaps even you!) with the exciting, yet challenging adventure that is starting an army from the ground! 

We all know that Codex: Chaos Space Marines is already finished and it's just a matter of time until it is released. The rumor mill is already spinnin' with delicious tidbits and so far things are lookin' pretty promising for the arch-enemies of the Loyalists.

And while I can all but speculate about the things in the Chaos Space Marine codex I can at least jot down some of the more promising and thematic units from Codex: Imperial Guard, which will be playing the role of Special Operatives and various agents, indoctrinated and placed by the Alpha Legion..

The Alpha Legion epitomizes trickery, infiltration, outmaneuvering and outsmarting. While they are just as good (if not better) at prolonged, direct combat, the Alpha Legion prefers to destroy from within, to ambush and slowly chip away at the enemy and to manipulate using subterfuge and propaganda. Information is crucial and the spy networks organized by them are deep and complex. Basically, if each Legion was represented by a god from the Norse Mythology, the Alpha Legion would be Loki himself.

CODEX: Chaos Space Marines

What's going to be in the new (rumored to be hard-cover) codex, what's going to stay the same and what new toys we'll be getting? Your guess is as good as mine, although there are already a bunch of juicy rumors dripping like melted cheese on a medium-rare steak. Cultists, new marks, new Land Raiders, the Dragon, Daemon Engines, new tables, new rules... oh my! 

Staying Undivided

I think this is the most important part of the list-building process. The Alpha Legion is a legion undivided. They do worship Chaos, but they are not dedicated to a single god and I would even say that they don't bother with summoning daemons and other vile creatures of the Warp, because they are unpredictable and unreliable when it comes to precision strikes and years of perfectly-executed tactics. As such I will be doing my best to stick to the following limitations: 

- Only Undivided models

- Very limited Daemonic presence

There are obviously a few things to think about when it comes to the composition of this list. It needs to be a very well-rounded list, because it is how the Alpha Legion works. This means plenty of shooting, enough assault, infiltration and of course - the presence of psykers and psychic protection. The strength of such a list would come from its multiple layers of hybridization. The opponent will have to pick from going after vehicles or infantry, and then this decision will be split between going after the Chaos Space Marine core of the list or the more vulnerable (but potent!) I.G stuff. 

I will do my best to have as much 3+ bodies on the table as I have Guardsmen. I can actually see the Alpha Legion using Razorbacks if they have access to it and even some Rhino Rushing. We shall see.

- Keep it balanced!

And now.. for the I.G part:

 HQ

Company Command squad: The Company Command Squad is definitely a solid choice. It is well-rounded and offers a LOT of support to the main Alpha Legion. How you equip the squad and what juicy upgrades you grant them is actually not that important. Keep 'em cheap, for all you need are..
+Astropath's Telepathic Relay You add +1 to your Reserve rolls and the ability to re-roll outflank sides is also amazing, because you'll be doing a lot of that. A 2+ rather than 3+ for your units to arrive on Turn 2 is nice, although not as important, but it means that all of your stuff will arrive automatically on Turn 3.
+Officer of the Fleet's Intercept Reserves, makes it harder for your opponent's units to come from reserve, needing a 4+ on Turn 2, and a 3+ on Turn 3, just like the good old days of 5th Edition. Unfortunately things arrive automatically on turn 4, despite any negative modifiers. I think....? The ability to re-roll outflank sides is also amazing, because you'll be doing a lot of that.

The Astropath and OotF are important, especially with how good flyers are in 6th Ed. Remember that all Flyers HAVE to come from reserve, so any chance of delaying them is worth its points. There are also other ways to screw with your opponent's reinforcements by purchasing a:
- Land Raider Proteus (experimental rules here), whose Explorator Augury Web adds another -1 to the opponent's reserve rolls (so Turn 2 = 5+/Turn 3 = 4+) AND you can choose to re-roll your Reserve rolls, even if they are successful, AND it has Scout AND it's an Elites choice for Codex: Chaos Space Marines. Sure, it doesn't pack the punch of some other Land Raiders, it is not an assault vehicle and can carry only 8 dudes.. but it can get Ceramite Armour (immune to Melta special rule)

There's also a rumor that in the new Codex, Undivided Chaos Lords get Inspiring Presence (Inspiring Presence - friendly units within 12" can use the warlords LD) command trait, and improved Reserve manipulation (from Faeit 212). What "improved Reserve maniupation" means is a mystery, but it could easily be another +1/-1 to your/opponent's reserve rolls and possibly the ability to re-roll your own Reserves. Depending on what THAT is, one of the Regimental Advisers might be obsolete, freeing you 30 points. Such a warlord would be a MUST for an Alpha Legion-themed army.

Keep in mind, though, that I'm not 100% sure that the +1/-1 modifiers stack. The only precedent is taken from the I.G FAQ:
Q. If you take two Astropaths or two Oflicers of the Fleet, do their +1/-1 to reserve rolls stack? (p31). A. No.

I still think that with the current way I have it, the modifiers would stack, since they come from different abilities with different names, from different units. Not stacking would be lamesauce. 

+Ursarkar Creed's Tactical Genius is also pretty obvious, though including him in your army will tip the scales towards the I.G detachment and you need 2,000 pt., if you want him and the Regimental Advisers from the Company Command squad. He's a great leader, but you also would need a bunch of I.G squads to benefit from his order shenanigans. Keep in mind that Tactical Genius allows you to give the Scout USR to an infantry or vehicle unit in your army. So you can even give Scouts to a big-ass unit of Chaos Space Marines.. or whatever tickles your fancy. Heh.
Do not bother with Krell. He's not worth it in this list. 





+Last but not least is the Primaris Psyker. The Primaris Psyker is awesome, because his ability to grab Telepathy and swap both of his meh powers, since Lightning Arc sucks and Nightshroud is situational and too random. Using the Primaris Psyker pretty much assumes that he's attached to a Psyker Battle Squad. You take the Primaris Power (Psychic Shreak - 12'' witchfire. Roll 3d6, subtract target's Ld and you deal that many wounds, no armor or cover allowed) and roll for a random power.. because they are ALL good and WILL benefit you greatly. You really want Terrify, though.. which combos greatly with the Psyker Battle Squad's Weaken Resolve. No unit is safe from your psychic shenanigans then. 
While this unit might be incredibly cheesy (now even more than ever..) it actually makes sense in the Alpha Legion army. The Alpha Legion is famous for using psykers for intelligence, spying and all sorts of vile things.

ELITES

+Guardsman Marbo: A MUST-HAVE!!!!! Seriously. Marbo epitomizes the whole infiltration, sleeper cell agent-doctrine. He's the sneakiest, the trickiest of them all and has all the powers cherished by the Alpha Legion. He's Fearless, Stealth, Move Through Cover, Hit and Run, has Fleet and basically can Deep Strike wherever he wants to, without scattering. What makes him even better, though is his friggin Demolition Charge, which.. by the way have gotten waaay better! Assault 1, One Shot, 6'' range S8, AP2, LARGE BLAST, on a model with BS5. That's pretty amazing. Use Marbo as a one-trick pony. Get him in cover and within an inch of a delicious target (Preferably Paladins - ignores their armor, FnP and causes Instant Death) and drop the template. Hope for the best. On average, 2/3's of the time it will scatter 2''. So hopefully plan for that.  IF Marbo survives the next turn.. well.. consider yourself lucky and just do what Alpha Legion does best.. wreak havoc. 

+Psyker Battle Squad: Basically what I wrote for the Primaris Psyker. They work well-enough alone, but you really want that Marbo, so I would recommend using them in 2,000 pt. games, accompanied by the PP dude.  

+Storm Trooper Squad: They are seriously fluffy and thematic... but I'll probably never end up using them, simply because Marbo and the Psyker Battle Squad are better.. 

TROOPS

This is where things become hard. I am not sure how many Troops I want, what weapons to give them, etc. etc. Though I imagine a Platoon Command Squad lead by.. 

+Al'Rahem: First things, first: Al'Rahem allows you to have a bunch of squads belonging to his Platoon to outflank. They MUST Outflank, which means that they don't count towards your Reserve limitations. That's nice. You can easily get carried away and invest a lot of points in Al'Rahem's platoon, but with 6th Ed and all of your Reserves shenanigans you'll be able to have a much more reliable outflanking unit, potentially arriving automatically on Turn 2 and re-rolling Outflanking sides! Al'Rahem's Like the Wind! order is pretty cool, actually - lets you shoot and then run. Nice for Rapid Firing some lasguns at a unit and then retreating, making assaults less possible. Also..  his weapon is nasty. Power weapon that causes Instant Death? Delicious. Yeah, he's a wimp in Close Combat, which is why you make sure to stick a Commissar with Al'Rahem to accept challenges. Then try to Precision Strike important models and take them out of commission. Forever. 

As I said, I have no idea how I want to run my Platoon Command Squad. Do I want smaller, elite units or a bigger blob? It all depends on what the Cultists bring to the table, I guess. Though I'm really tempted to get a Specialist Squad and give them Demolition Charges.. because.. bombs are cool. 

I dunno. Maybe some Flamers? 


What about Weapon Platforms... ?




+Veteran Squads - The weapon specialist.. Both the Forward Sentries (with Snipers and either Heavy Bolter/Autocannon platform) and Demoltions doctrines are cool.. and so is..
+Gunnery Sergeant Harker

While this list pretty much concludes the units that I want to include as my Allies detachment, there's also one more unit that I really, really want to have: 

HEAVY SUPPORT

+A Squadron of 3 Hydras! : Come on. Why the hell not? Not only is the Hydra the emblem of the Alpha Legion, but Hydras are simply amazing, you guys! With glances no longer messing up with the shooting capability of the vehicle, Hydras are crazy sweet. AND they have Skyfire and ignore Jink cover saves. So that's 12 twin-linked S7, AP4 Hydra autocannon shots and then 9 S5 AP4 heavy bolter shots. Great againt flyers which they always hit on a 4+, ignoring Jink saves; great against light vehicles and other squadrons which they will glance to death; enough shots to make infantry cry.
Some of my friends actually complained when I shared this idea with them, becoming all hurrr-durr-like by saying "This doesn't make sense, the Alpha Legion is all about sneaking and stuff and how would you have gotten Hydras? They are super advanced and stuff!!!?" 
Nonsense, I say. They are just jealous because it's fluffy, funny and actually makes sense. The Alpha Legion infiltrates other Adeptus Astartes, trifles with Daemons.. I'm sure they can get their hands on a few Hydras. Some people have no imagination these days..

Breaking the Silence: 6th Edition, Hobby Mojo and.. Alpha Legion?

Hey there, my fellow bloggers and blog lurkers! Long time no see, I suppose. It has been.. errr.. more than a month since I last posted here. A series of unfortunate events (sucky primer, a third of my paints drying or exploding, etc. etc) managed to throw a wrench in the clockworks of my hobby mojo at the very beginning, proving once again that Skarvald the Troll-faced is unable to hobby by himself.

No, seriously. Bad things happen whenever I finally sack up and start painting, folks. Add a few weeks worth of 100+ degrees and insane humidity in the Chicagoland and I think you get the picture. No hobby for Skarvald.
But not all is lost. My Khador WILL be painted one way or another. Probably not this month, because I'll be saving money for a NEW super secret hobby (Spoilers: I'll be making mead) and of course for the inevitable 6th Edition Starter Set and my next 40k Army...

But first..
6th Edition: I still don't have the book. I haven't had the chance to go over the rules too much, except for randomly browsing the freebooted .pdf. Sue me. The book is $75. I'm waiting for the chibi booklet with all the important rules innit. 
I still haven't played a game using the 6th edition rules, but I feel like I have a firm grasp of the rules. Some things I like, some things I love. Some things I dislike.. and some things I hate. But I'll get used to it, I suppose. Do I have an option? Overall I like the general feel of this new edition... We'll see if this still hold when I start playing it! :D


New 6th Edition Army:
I already have two armies: Orkz and Space Wolves.. so why a third army?
1) Orkz: Every time I look at my pile of Ork Boyz I just lose all desire to play them. They were my first army and I think I have 4 different Ork Squads painted TOTALLY different. Seriously - different greens, different shades, washes, different levels of effort. I kind of want to strip 80% of them and to start over.. but then I remember how painful it is paint Orkz. I still love painting Ork vehicles, though.
Orkz got a decent buff with how much easier it is to kill vehicles in close combat, although no consolidation still sucks. Random Assault distances are a pain. Still no Psyker support, except by allying a Farseer which is lame. Don't get to benefit from the new Psychic Powers.. at all. In general, shooty Orkz hiding in terrain and eventually counter-charging seems to be the best option and while this is a playstyle that I enjoy with my Orkz I'd rather wait for their new Codex in a coupe of years.
It's a shame. I have an unpainted Stompa, a Battlewagon, like 20 Burna boyz, Nobz, Deff Koptas.. etc. etc. etc. And HOTPanda is sending me a box of Killa Kans as well. Grrr...

WAIT. THIS JUST IN. THE MAILMAN JUST DELIVERED THE BOX OF KILLA KANS!!!
-Thanks, HOTPanda..

Robots!

2) Space Wolves - I have a Land Speeder, a Land Raider Crusader and a Land Raider Achilles that have yet to be painted. The new Citadel paint range killed me, man. I just don't have the will to start over, because it's impossible to mimic my current paintjob. I also want to repaint my Thunderwolves so badly. I dunno. I still want to play them, but I don't have a reason to expand the army anymore. We'll see..

And now for the new army that I really want to start..

Chaos Space Marines! Wooot! Even more power armor, baby!
And more importantly.. it will be Alpha Legion!
Now, I know that there will be no Legion-love in the new CSM codex, so I'll have to be extra creative with which units I pick. One is for sure, though - the list will be heavy with Allies.
Imperial Guard, to be exact.
We all know that Codex: Chaos Space Marines is already finished and it's just a matter of time until it is released. The rumor mill is already spinnin' with delicious tidbits and so far things are lookin' pretty promising for the arch-enemies of the Loyalists.

And while I can all but speculate about the things in the Chaos Space Marine codex I can at least jot down some of the more promising and thematic units from Codex: Imperial Guard, which will be playing the role of Special Operatives and various agents, indoctrinated and placed by the Alpha Legion..

The Alpha Legion epitomizes trickery, infiltration, outmaneuvering and outsmarting. While they are just as good (if not better) at prolonged, direct combat, the Alpha Legion prefers to destroy from within, to ambush and slowly chip away at the enemy and to manipulate using subterfuge and propaganda. Information is crucial and the spy networks organized by them are deep and complex. Basically, if each Legion was represented by a god from the Norse Mythology, the Alpha Legion would be Loki himself.

Next post I'll share with you some of my ideas.. Until then.. uuuh... imagine the awesomeness of the first Forge World Horus Heresy book coming out this August?

Getting to know 40K 6th edition: Assault Distance In-Depth

So most of use have gotten around to looking through the new rulebook, and after having some time to mull it over just about everyone has their opinion on the 6th edition of 40k. My personal opinion is that the assault phase might just not be worth it anymore. Now there are some things here and there that have been tweaked that you might not have noticed, or haven't run the math on quite yet, so that's what this post is going to be all about. This isn't going to just be all about doom and gloom, or how I "think" something has been "nerfed," I am going to be delving straight into the facts.

C-c-c-combo Charge!

First off, we should all know by now, even if you haven't picked up the book, that "assaulting" has been renamed "charging," and is now subject to a random 2d6 dice roll instead of a straight 6". This change is something I greatly dislike, in fact I have only played less that a dozen games of 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy since they adopted the rule and in that game system it made more sense with the back and forth charge range shuffle that plagued previous editions. Each time you add in more random elements it diminishes the effect of player skill, because there are less things a player has control over. A 6" charge out of cover is more reliable than a 2d6 inch charge, so a player doesn't have to rely on luck and they can solely focus on choosing to attack the correct unit. It also has the same effect on the person being charged if their opponent happens to roll incredibly long charges, and subsequently wipes them off the table. In Fantasy this is diminished slightly by getting the charge only giving you 1 combat res (equal to 1 kill), while in 40k it can potentially double a unit's number of attacks. There is no amount of skill that can made up for if you roll a 2 when you needed a 4, or if your opponent somehow always gets crazy 11 or 12 inch charges. Someone might say, "But this is a dice game, you have to be used to being lucky or unlucky that is just the way it works!" To that person I would say, take a minute and look at how the dice are handled in other phases of 40k. Every time you attack someone you can potentially roll 10 or more dice, heck Orks can get up to 120 in just a single unit. When you are rolling large numbers of dice, like the 20 or so from a unit rapid firing, with 4 or more units per turn, we are looking at potentially hundreds of dice being rolled over the course of a game. With that many dice being rolled luck can really start to even out. Not so when 2 dice are used to settle the outcome. We have all had those games where one assault is the difference between victory and defeat, in fact some armies rely on their one assault unit to come in and reliably get the job done. Some people rely on great positioning to make sure that their fragile shooting army is never in range to be assaulted. What are we going to say to these two people? "Oh you should have rolled better," or "You should have known your opponent was going to get that charge when he started way over there," isn't that a bit ludicrous? I just KNOW that the whole time in the back of someone's mind they are thinking to them self, "But the average of 2d6 is 7, that is better than the 6 from before." (I know it's not you, it is that other guy). That statement isn't false, but it is misleading. Let me drawn an analogy: suppose you only have $100, and I tell you that you can give me that $100 and I will give you $1000....or you can take a 1/1000 chance to get $1,000,000 but if you fail I get to keep all of your money and you get nothing. Which one would you take? They are the exact same average, but I am guessing you all take the automatic $1000. See how averages can be misleading?

The new charge system isn't so much about average distance as it is about % chance of success.

Green: old fleet; Red: new fleet; Blue: normal

Assault phase issues continue with people who have fleet of foot. No longer does fleet let you run and assault in the same turn. Instead it lets you reroll one or more of the dice when you run or charge. Fleet charge distance went from 7-12" to 2-12". Now at first I thought that this was horrendous, and it is bad don't get me wrong, but after I did a bunch of math it isn't as bad as I initially thought. It all comes down to the specifics of how the reroll lets you chose to reroll a single dice if you want. So if you get 6-1, you can keep the 6 and reroll the 1. The fact that it isn't an all or nothing is huge and greatly changes how the curve looks (I haven't seen a correct one yet on any other site). In fact it almost makes the % chance become a straight line. It ends up that on numbers 8-12 is about 10% less likely to happen than a 6+d6, a 7 is 15% less likely a 6 is a 92% chance of success, and all the others are pretty much 100%. The real kicker is fleet in comparison to a "normal" charge, where having fleet greatly increases you chance of success at those low "I should make this but getting unlucky looses me the game" numbers. In the end with fleet you get around 2 more inches at the same % chance of success as a unit without fleet (note this probably isn't 2 more inches on average, averages are bad remember!). I haven't done the math yet (as there are over 45,000 combinations), but after looking at this I expect that fleet will be even MORE of an advantage when assaulting through cover.

You have to be kidding....

So which dice do we reroll and which die do we leave? The answer is pretty simple, actually, if you use some math. Any time the dice is a 1-3 you pick it up and reroll it, no questions asked. If you have a 4 and a lower dice and you need a 10 (wow you play risky) it is the same to pick up both or just reroll the low dice and hope for a 6. If you have only 4+ just reroll your lowest dice, but if you rolled that high and you still failed maybe you need to rethink your strategy.

Red: old; Blue: new

Assaulting through cover has changed a lot compared to 5th edition too. Instead of 2d6 pick the one highest it is now 3d6, pick the two lowest. Those fleet rerolls are going to be huge here. Players can feel pretty safe about having their units 6" behind terrain as rolls of 6 or 7 are going to be considered very lucky. With the change to rapid fire weapons you can expect to see people back up when they are in terrain both whittling down their opponent and knowing they are almost immune to being charged in return. In the end charging though cover is going to be a little more forgiving distance wise than it was in 5th edition, but I know I won't be relying on those 6 or 7 inch charges unless my units have fleet.

Like it or not the game has been changed, and we all have to deal with it. While I personally think changing assault distances to a random 2d6 roll is a mistake, because it can potentially leave the entire game up to a single roll of the dice, I just really want to know why they wanted to "fix" what has been working. Especially since they made the shooting phase a lot more "safe." It's going to ruin a few games on both sides of the board, I just hope it doesn't put as sour a taste in my mouth as it did for Fantasy.

Putting the Pain in Painting..

Sometimes the Hobby Gods simply don't feel like being on our side. Judging by the series of unfortunate events that have been happening to me these past weeks it seems like I have upset them... by actually feeling inspired and wanting to hobby.

I know right?

First, I had to experience first-hand what happens when you try to prime a model that has not been washed properly. Had to strip the paint off Black Ivan...
... which turned out to be a success!

Then I spent ~$100 on the NEW Citadel paints, a few nice paint brushes, a paint palette and some primers.. Ended up not being satisfied with the way P3 Black Primer covers metal (although this time there's no rubbing off resin), so Black Ivan is currently in for another Simple Green bath. Gah...
I mean, this time it was much better, but I just need a good coverage on the metal parts, because they are all super sharp and bedazzled with detail, so I can't have the paint cheap.. No, sir. I'll be using the Krylon Black Primer from now on. Have to order that from the manufacturer's website, though, since it's no longer in most stores...


Oh, and whaddaya know? The one day I really, really, really felt like painting I realized that I had left my newly acquired paints in my friend's car.... That was more than a week ago.
Now, weather has been pretty crazy here in Chicagoland. We're talking crazy humidity and high 80's-90F temperatures. It gets even worse inside a black car..
And of course many paints melted as the new shitty Citadel paint pots warped and paint leaked and dried up. Seriously! Even bored the incident I had trouble closing the new paint lids - even on paints that I had just opened to see the color inside. It's not like I was a savage and had dried paints around the ring of the lid, which would prevent it from closing properly. Nope. Some paints were literally untouched and still died on me. Below is a picture of the paints that were completely useless. Notice the plastic tray which I used as a paint palette once - it was also in the bag. Notice the warping..

I'm very disappointed. :( Looks like I'm going to have to splurge again on paints, huh? Seriously, what a fucking disaster. And of course the only paintbrush that got ruined in the whole mess of dried paint and leakage was my Kolinsky brush. Literally no other brushes were even touched by this cesspool of failure. Just my awesome brush. That was pretty cool. I think I managed to save some of the other paints that were in the car by adding some paint retardant/thinner... whatever the !@#$%^& it is. So hopefully that helps. The new Dry paints are hilarious when they are all dried up..

Oh! Oh! And to top it off, I really wanted to do some basing on the two 'jacks that I have painted, you know? Then I realized that I had forgotten my basing materials in Frozencore Joe's car. So a week or so ended up being wasted on stuff being stuck in people's cars.

Not a good week for Skarvald. Not a good week indeed. 

Black Ivan Down: Black No More!

Yesterday I posted about my priming malfunction with the Black Ivan and about the primer and paint peeling off way too easily.

Now, I was very unsure when I dropped the model in Simple Green.
I have used Simple Green to clean metal Games Workshop models and even an Ork Stompa, always with great results, but had never used the concentrated solution to clean Privateer Press' resin/plastic models. Even some pretty thorough Google Fu revealed only promises that Simple Green should work on resin/plastic models without melting the model itself.
The issue is, of course, that the resin/plastic which Privateer Press uses for their newer models is still relatively new and I'm guessing that not a lot of people have had to deal with such an issue..

Well I had to..  ;(

And, man, is Simple Green awesome! 

After 20 hours of soaking in Simple Green concentrate..

This is my Black Ivan model after approximately 20 hours spent inside concentrated Simple Green.
I took him out and gave him some scrubbing with an old brush and both the paint and primer simply disintegrated. I knew that the paint on the metallic parts would come off easily, but I was still very surprised with the results..

Now, keep in mind that this model was dunked in Simple Green a few hours after it was primed and that it was not cleaned in soapy solution before it was primed... a mistake which I'm never making again! If you have an older model, depending on the paint and primer used the results may not be the same and you might see some primer taint, which is when the primer gets inside the miniature and dyes it a certain color.

I'm going to leave Black Ivan in the solution for, oh I dunno, 8 or so more hours and then I'll drop him in a soapy solution for another 8 hours to make sure that all of the chemicals from the Simple Green are not present on the model when I prime him... AGAIN.

Switching from Warhammer to Warmachine: I Just Lost the Game!

In what might turn out to be a pretty interesting series of articles, I'm going to share with you my experience of slowly departing from my days of shouting "WAAAAAGH!" and gradually getting to know the glory of Warmahordes. While I still love Warhammer 40,000 and even Warhammer Fantasy I can't help but feel alienated by Games Workshop's policies and just general business presence. I could go on and on about the things that went wrong, but I don't want waste your time with my rants.
It is what it is.

And now.. Warmachine! 

If leaving the Warhammer 40,000 scene and getting into this whole Warmachine business has taught me ONE thing, then it is the following: I am no longer the top dog. Gone are the days of me knowing the outcome of a game long before it even began. I can no longer underestimate my opponents. I don't have a superior understanding of the rules which can give me an advantage against my opponents. I no longer look at an opponent's list and see all the wrong choices. I can't win games by making mistakes or expecting my opponent to make more mistakes than me. The list goes on..

I guess what I'm trying to say is that.. there is challenge for me in Warmachine. I might sound a little snobbish at first, but 40k had been very stale for me.. for quite a while, actually. I did keep on trying to motivate myself by thinking big. I wanted to have an army of 100 Deff Koptas.. but that never panned out. I wanted to re-do my Space Wolves - to finally highlight them and to get my army up in points. I wanted to have an Apocalypse-ready army of Space Wolves. That's probably never going to happen with the current prices on things and the fact that there's no way I can duplicate the paint scheme for my armies anymore. But I digress. Again.

So true..

Like I said..
I am no longer the top dog.
I don't have the confidence that I'm going to win anymore.
I do win some of my games, though!
But then I lose just as many. I lose a lot.
I make mistakes.. and I lose.
I get outplayed and outsmarted.. and I lose.
I decide no to boost that one attack.. and I lose.
I become too confident and reckless.. and I lose.


There has been a whole lot of losing as I'm dealing with the learning curve of this game. That was not the case of my Warhammer 40,000 days in which my Orkz dominated the Ultramarines and Necrons of my gaming buddies. Hm, I guess my whole wargaming career so far has been an avalanche of success due to a lack of challenges. Oh, I've had my ass handed to me more than once, naturally.. but not enough. Once again, this is not the case. 

So.. I've been learning how to lose properly while enjoying the game as much as I can.
I can't say that I don't play to win. I enjoy winning! Victory achieved by outplaying and outmaneuvering your opponent is awesome.. Which is why Warhammer 40,000 was getting boring - victories were just victories. I wasn't getting anything out of winning anymore, I wasn't losing enough to learn from my mistakes and when I did lose it was more often than not due to time, a rules dispute or Matt Ward.


Of course, saying that I don't mind losing would be a lie. Losing still really rustles my jimmies sometimes and I mean.. that's normal. I put a lot of thought into the game and I really do my best, but sometimes even my best is not enough. I'm still learning, though, and will be learning for a long time.
There are so many armies out there and just changing a warcaster or a warlock completely changes everything. So many lists to win and lose against, hahaha...
I've been learning how to lose. I always do my best and when I do lose a game (again - that happens a lot!) I always try to leave the store with at least one important lesson learned.

I have made it my mission to only feel defeat if after a game I cannot see my own mistakes and the things I could have done better. That's why I really like Warmahordes, guys. Even losing is awesome!

Here are some of the lessons I have learned by losing..

• Charging pStryker with pSorsha when Stryker has 20 ARM, even if made Stationary is a bad idea..
• Relying too much on 'jacks and not enough on the Old Witch's toolbox to save her when being surrounded by Mercenary Steelheads, when an Iron Flesh and dropping a Murder of Crows on her could have saved her..
• Being too aggressive with Scrapjack and getting it killed on turn 2 on more than one occasion.
• Putting too much focus on 'jacks while preparing for a possible charge on a Getorix after a nice Gallows without boosting the attack roll with the Old Witch, causing Gallows to miss. 
• Allowing pSorsha to get knocked down by slammed 'jacks.

So far all of the games that I have played have had that "ARGH!" moment. I bet you know what I'm talking about - it's the turn you fuck up. You either forget to move, shoot, boost or you fail to allocate your resources properly. Or you fail to see a way out of a situation. "ARGH!" moments are always different as as long as you keep them that way and avoid making the same mistakes you should pat yourself on the back, because avoiding making the same mistakes is what makes us better gamers.

So.. that's it from me.. for now.

And until then,
Keep on losing!

Black Ivan Down

Today I decided to work on my Black Ivan model, which was supposed to be my entry for the Lost Hemisphere's new monthly Paint the Target challenge
I was all excited about finally painting Harkevich's favorite 'jack.

Primed it black, using Privateer Press' Formula P3 Black Primer.
That's Negro Imprimador in Spanish for you, folks. Sounds intimidating, doesn't it?  
Wait a second.. I thought the adjective was supposed to be after the noun..

It was my first time priming with a P3 Primer and I was anxious at first. The weather outside was pretty hot, I suppose and it was slightly windy, but after shaking the can for ~1 minute I started priming and everything seemed alright.. The primer went on very smoothly and dried fast just like GW's (more expensive) Chaos Black Primer.
I was originally supposed to pick up a cheap-o Flat Black Krylon primer, but the nearby store was out of it, so I picked P3's Primer instead...

I started painting, following Hand Cannon Online's Tutorial: Basics – Back in Black: Painting Black Armour. I covered the model with a nice coat of Thamar Black (also my first P3 paint!) and started with the first coat of two-brush blending Coal Black on the armor plates, when I realized that I need a better brush for the actual blending part. So then I decided to start with the foundation for the rusty metal parts. There were a few spots that were difficult to reach with the sponges, so I decided to use a stippling brush.

And then when I applied slightly more pressure... the paint.. and the primer came straight off, revealing the grey resin/plastic underneath. Applying pressure with the tip of my fingernails also scratched the paint and got rid of the primer. I don't know what to think of it..

Was it the weather? Was it the primer? Did I not wait long enough for the primer to dry?

I suppose I should have cleaned the model with some soap water beforehand.. right?
But then again I didn't do that for my previous Warjacks and they were fine. I tried scratching the paint, and a lot of pressure is needed to show even a hint of grey...

I was just not feeling comfortable with the result, so I decided to throw the model in some Simple Green for a day or two and then see what happens... I'll give it a nice soap bath and I'll scrub it diligently with an old toothbrush.. and I'll be doing the same with all of my Privateer Press models.

Right now I've got Scrapjack soaking in a soapy solution and will try to prime it for tomorrow.
I have Flat Black Krylon, so hopefully things will be alright.

The new 11th Company Podact is Out! And I'm in it!

Hey there, folks!
I'm pretty excited to announce that The 11th Company Podcast just released their 120th episode, titled Episode 120: Dive Bomb for Paint Scores!
Well, what does that mean? Well, you should totally go and check it out, give it all your ears for its entire duration simply because the 11th Company Podcast is awesome. You don't really need any other reasons.

Like I mentioned last time, Pat was kind enough to invite me to his Podcast and I just had to say yes. Now that I'm listening to it, it's kind of cool how many topics we were able to cover in ~14 minutes!

Download or stream the podcast to listen to me stutter about:

- The new Ork Flyers
- The future of Flyers in 6th Edition
- The quality of the recent White Dwarf magazines
- Puppets War's Flying Coffin Orcoplane
- Special Operations: KILLZONE and the part I played in it's development

Tell me what you think! 

P.S: The interview is around 14 minutes long (starts at 3:28:44 and ends ~3:42:40) and you should totally go check it out if/when you have some spare time.

Monday Hobby Awesomeness! Woohoo!

Yes, I realize that the title sounds like something out of Goatboy's Extra 40k Thoughts but for the sake of my sanity and due to me being tired and lazy I'll just stick with this nonsensical, unproductive title.
Let's just say that today I didn't have a case of the Mondays. Let me start with the most recent thing:

1) I got interviewed today by The 11th Company Podcast! Again (I was in Episode 101: Now with 3 digits! as well :P) Pat sent me an e-mail a few days ago asking if I would like to chat with him about the new Ork Flyers which came this month and naturally I was all for it. While blogging is my preferred method of expressing my thoughts and ideas I actually like the podcast format. Maybe it was just because I had stuff to talk about. I mean, I talk about this hobby all the time with my friends, it's not unlike that, right? Pat and I talked about the new Ork Flyers, Puppets War' newest plane, Special Operations: KILLZONE (and my involvement with the project), our gaming communities and the newest White Dwarf.. +/- a few other hobby stuff.

It went for quite a while, actually, so hopefully you guys will enjoy it if you have the time! You know you want to listen to my soothing Bulgarian accent!

20 Paints!

2) Hobby Splurge! And by that I mean, I spent a good chunk of my paycheck for some necessary hobby materials. If you remember my guide on painting green Khadoran warjacks, I mentioned that it was all using the NEW Citadel paints of which I owned none. Thus, it was time to splurge on all of the colors I needed. I desperately needed some primer and because I couldn't find any Krylon Flat Black primer I decided to give Privateer Press' Formula P3 Black Primer. I mean, it was $10 but that still a lot cheaper than GW's can of primer. I don't doubt that it will do a great job with covering my models. So far I have only good things to say about PP's models, rules and policies. Got exactly 20 paint pots, but I just know that in the future I'll need more. It's the way the cookie crumbles. And I actually don't even know what this idiom means... I do like cookies, though.
Then I also managed to snipe the last blister of Winter Guard Infantry (10), officially maxing out my unit of Winter Guard Infantry to a Leader and 9 Grunts + Unit Attachment and Officer + Kovnik Joe. I just need 2-3 Rocketeer dudes, but they are not a priority right now.

3) Played some games of Warmachine against my buddy John.
A. I lost a 15 pt. game with the Old Witch versus Drake McBane..
... in which I learned that, once again, the Witch is not ideal for small games.
... in which I learned that, although totally capable of scrapping two Nomads, the Behemoth is not enough shooting firepower to deal with a unit of Helberdiers and Cavalry.
... in which I learned that I actually need some accurate firepower to kill models as they are advancing towards me and especially after the turn I feat. A unit of Widowmakers and/or Widowmaker Marksman would have been ideal for this.
... in which I learned that I need to play it less aggressively with Scrapjack. I need to learn to Prowl with him in a safe position. Instead, he got charged with a Flank bonus and lost both of its arms. : ( 

- Behemoth

+ Destroyer

+ Widowmakers 

B. Won a 20 pt. game with a hilarious Karchev the Terrible list, by towing a Destroyer, a Black Ivan and a Juggernaut against a 3 different Titans and Xerxes..

... in which I learned that, once again, Warbeasts are so much better when shit hits the fan than Warjacks. 

... in which I learned that I need more 'jacks with Reach, because walls are annoying and I can't charge through them with my .5'' reach. When is the plastic/resin Spriggan coming out? :( 

4) Lost Hemisphere is having their new monthly Paint the Target challenge which is to paint a Warjack or a Warbeast. Well, I'm vowing to paint at least one Warjack by the end of June: my Black Ivan. So hopefully you'll get to see some more of my painted stuff. Woohoooo!

HotPANDA's 200th Post Giveaway!

FREE STUFF! 

YOU COULD WIN THIS
SWEET TOY!!!
... WELL. NOT REALLY.

Well. Possibly. Only if you are awesome and the Dice Gods smile upon your fate, though.
If you would like to learn more about this awesome G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y, then you should check out HotPANDA's awesome blog: The Chaos Manifesto for more information.

The lovely doughnut-hatin' robot-lover Panda of the hot variety is celebrating his 200th blog post with a schweeet giveaway and the more people subscribe to his blog by a certain date, the sweeter the prize will be.




I'm posting this to promote HotPanda's blog, which is an awesome blog with haikus and sweet painted models and what-not. Plus, I won part of his 100th post Giveaway by getting a sweet voucher, which I used to by the Warhammer 40,000 25th Anniversary model. It's only fair I tell people about this giveaway, I suppose. So yeah. Go and check out his blog.

I enjoy reading HotPANDA's posts! I have this feeling that we're very similar in the way we express ourselves and although I've never met this strange, strange Canadian fella,I just have this feeling that we could be awesome gaming buddies, ya know? Too bad he is in Canada, though. His fear of donuts is the reason he is exiled so far away from the U.S. of A. and its Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donut minefields..
Seriously. Sometimes I have to watch my step. There are donuts everywhere.

Khador Warjacks painted with new Citadel Paints!

This weekend I met with Brian from A Gentleman's Ones for some much-deserved hobby time and for the first time since I've know Brian we actually hung out for a reason that was not terrain-building or Special Operations: KILLZONE. And it was Glorious!

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know that I don't usually post about my painted models simply because.. well.. I don't paint a lot. It's not because I can't or I don't want to - it's just that whenever I start an army I can never decide how to paint it. I'm very familiar with color theory and the different types of brushes and paints, mind you. It's just my indecisiveness and inability to commit to a decision that usually leads to a lot of my stuff being factory gray. That is why I decided to let Brian teach me how to paint my Khadoran army. His stuff is always so astonishing and from the few times I've seen him paint, his entire process seems so spontaneous and carefree. I wanted my hobby to be like his, so I made the trip to his place with "Frozencore" Joe to get stuff done!

Green has always been my favorite color and I wanted my Khador stuff to be green. It's not the most original idea, but I like the look of it, so I wanted to do that. I wanted my army to be dirty, gritty and covered with rust and dust from months and months of constant warfare in the trenches. I didn't want pristine-looking 'jacks, I wanted them scratched and damaged, but still ready to punish the enemies of the Motherland!

After I explained to Brian what I wanted, he went and primed the models. He grabbed the Destroyer and I got to paint the Juggernaut. The rest is magic..

What you see below is the result of ~3 hours of painting. There are a lot of touch-ups, highlights and other things to add and fix on the models, but for now I am definitely happy with the results.

Destroyer and Juggernaut - 80% done!
OH! AND THEY ARE ALL PAINTED WITH THE NEW CITADEL PAINTS!!!

Summer of Flyers: NEW Flying Coffin Orcoplane from Puppets War

It's truly the Summer of Flyers this season, guys. The Necrons are finally getting their Doom Scythe and Night Scythe kits; Codex: Space Marines is getting its very own flyer as well, represented by the Stormtalon; Orks are getting not one, not two but three sweet-looking Bommers, all of which come in the same kit.

And just a few hours ago, Puppets War, the Polish-based miniatures company which has been churning out amazing looking models by the dozens of as of late, released their second "Orc" flying machine...

The "Flying Coffin"- Orcoplane

Set contains 1 complete "Flying Coffin - Orcoplane model which includes: 2 parts of Orcoplane main body, 2 wings, flight stabilizer, 2 very big engines, 6 bombs, 2 versions of cockpit, 2 wheels, hatch with 2 goblins playing CKM, pilot, little exhaust pipe and a barrel...

The price is a little bit less than the GW fliers - $42.30/30.00€/£26.10. It's definitely worth it!

Man, what a great-looking flyer! The huuuuge engines are definitely a great addition and they just give so much character to the vehicle. It's crazy. I think that Puppets War should definitely sell JUST the engines as a separate bundle, because people will definitely want to use them to convert/modify the GW Ork Bommers. Now, I don't know my planes, but I'm sure this one is based on a real oomie plane of some kind.

This summer is truly the Summer of Flyers, folks!

Thoughts on the new Ork Flyers: The Dakkajet is da way to go!

Hey there, folks, It's me again. With some of my thoughts on the this whole ACTUAL Summer o' Flierz. Again.

Now that we know what the rules for the Ork Flierz are, it's time to sit down and play favorites.
The Dakkajet, the Blitza-Bommer and the Burna-Bommer now have their very own, special entries in the new White Dwarf and there's even a cool Fast Attack page with all of their options and weaponry, which should fit just nicely between the pages of Codex: Orks. 

Thoughts on the new Ork Flyers: The Blitza-Bommer; the Burna-Bommer and the Dakkajet!

Here's a picture from the yet-to-be-released White Dwarf in case you happen to be living under a rock/in a cave/under the sea/in China:

Blitza-Bommer; Dakkajet; Burna-Bommer

The rumor for the Ork flyers, as well as the new Space Marine flyer and the Necron Scythe variants has been all over the interwebs for the past month or so - pretty much ever since Beasts of War had a live discussion about them, featuring drawings of the models, which now seem to be basically traced images of the actual kits. That was pretty cool. A lot of people thought it was just a giant joke, especially with the outlines of the Space Marine Stormtalon er.. Gunship? It seems to be sharing the fate of the Stormraven from a few year ago - basically people are swearing that they'll never buy it due to its ugliness, only to give in to the temptation and its ruleset a few weeks after its release.
Personally? I don't care. I'm not even going to post a picture of it, since it's really easy to find it anyways, plus it's going to dilute my point..

Beasts of War's "sketch" is almost identical with the real deal... !!!!

And now, for the Ork Bommerz.. 
There are three Ork Bommer variants, all of which come in the same kit, which is nice. They should become available for pre-order on the GW website in a couple of days, cost $45.50 each and are going to come out on June 2nd..
1) Blitza-Bommer - "a dive bommer used to deploy payloads at low altitude and high speed" seems to be a hybrid flyer/skimmer with some pretty big "bommz" and a few er.. supa shootas? I'm guessing that it's going to be similar to the Dark Eldar flyers with an assortment of different bommz with different profiles and blast sizes, but it will probably have less options and will compensate with quantity rather than quality, which is da Orky way. It will probably be able to drop all of its "payloads" in one turn and then it will fly around shooting rokkitz or other similar weapons at the enemy.

Rumored stats and rules:
????????

2) Dakkajet - "a brazen dogfighter outfitted with rows of high caliber supa shootas". The name speaks for itself - the Dakkajet is all about the dakka and it seems to have at least 4 types of shootas, two of which seem like regular big shootas, while the other ones (on the wings) are probably the supa shootas. Now, I have no idea what a supa shoota is, but... Anyways, I managed to find some rumored stats and rules for the damn thing, but in it it mentioned dakka guns, instead of the listed "dakka guns". When I saw the picture and the description, the Dakkajet really struck me as an anti-aircraft type of vehicle, so here's hoping its weaponry functions similar to the Hydra in Codex: Imperial Guard.

Rumored stats and rules: 

BS 2
10/10/10
Twin-linked Dakka Guns (18'' S5 AP5 Assault 3)
Aerial Assault (Can fire all weapons if it moves at cruising speed)
Supersonic (If it moves flat out, it can move up to 36'')
Waaagh! plane - can fire twice in the turn you call Waaagh!
Strafing Run - BS 3 vs everything but jump infantry and skimmers
Fighta Ace upgrade - BS 3 against everything..

3) Burna-Bommer - "an aircraft outfitted with an assortment of volatile incendiary bombs" is also pretty unique. It replaces normal bombs and the sheer amount of dakka with incendiary bombs and seems to be a vehicle that specializes in the extermination of hordes and perhaps small elite units.

 BS 2
10/10/10
Aerial Assault (Can fire all weapons if it moves at cruising speed)
Supersonic (If it moves flat out, it can move up to 36'')
Waaagh! plane - can fire twice in the turn you call Waaagh!
Burna Bomb - Similar to a Scorcha (S5 AP4)
S7 AP1 bomb in the movement phase?
Burna Missile - S5 AP4 small blast, ignores cover, one use
Grot gunner on one weapon

A lot of people have been asking and waiting for this release. I know I have. Ork Aircrafts have always been my favorite thing, but I have never expanded on my love for orky planes. As a matter of fact, it was the Deff Kopta model from the Assault on Black Reach set that pretty much sealed the deal and got me started with Orkz and Warhammer 40,000 in general. It's just such a sweet, sweet model and I want to field lotz of 'em. ALL OF THEM. A GOTTA HAVE 'EM ALL, YOU SEE? I want at least a 100... Help me?
So anywaaay...

All three kits look pretty cool to me. I'll have to agree that they do look kind of similar, but there are three variants in one box, after all. Imagine all the extra bitz inside? From the pictures you can tell that there are 2-3 different pairs of wings and tails, which can be used not only to differentiate your various flyers (because, let's face it, you're going to buy at least 2 of 'em...), but you can use the extra wings to Loot other vehicles and turn them into Orky flyers. Got a spare Tau Piranha? Add wings to it, it's now a Dakkajet. AND you'll have tons of spare shootas and rokkitz to kustomize it.

One of the main complaints on the interwebz is that they are kind of simple and plain. Again - 3 kits in one box. That, and I actually like their plain profile. It means that you can easily add stuff to them - extra weapons, gubbinz, wires, wheels, wings, plates, glyphs.. etc. etc. If anything, they are going to make converting your very own Orky flyer that much easier, because you'll have the main components as reference or simply as something to built on top of. Just the release of this kit will unleash a bran new wave of Ork conversions all over the world, mark my word!

Rules-wise.. nothing too crazy. After all they are xeno vehicles, they are obviously not going to be crazy over-the-top overpowered. Aerial Assault and Supersonic are definitely cool, but are certainly now unique and every flyer seems to have them. Waaagh! plane is amazing! I don't care if it's going to be good or not, the very fact that this vehicles gets to do something cool when you declare your Waaaaagh is just phenomental and I really hope that more non-infantry units in the Ork codex get similar treatment in 6th edition. We're obviously going to see many of the typical Orky upgrades as options: Armour Plates, Grot Riggers, Red Paint Job.. etc. Probably options for extra guns or for making weapons twin-linked.

I kind of wish they can be fielded as a Squadron. Come on.. how awesome would that be? 9 Ork flyers.. just 'cause. It wouldn't even be overpowered. No, really. We're talking about AV 10/10/10 vehicles here. I just want to be able to field a bunch of them. Which brings me to yet another pondering..

AV 10/10/10 is a bummer.. 11/11/11 would be soooo much better. Oh, well. At least they are not open-topped. Oh, that would be an even bigger bummer.

No variant with transport capabilities is a bummer. Perhaps in the near future? Yeah..... right. 

Are they Fast Attack or Heavy Support?
Fast Attack seems to be the sane choice, simply because they are well.. fast. But then they are competing with a lot of fast units, which are all pretty decent in Codex: Orkz - Deff Koptas, Warbikerz, Nob Bikerz.. even Buggiez... and I definitely want to be able to run a bunch of Ork flyers... with a bunch of Deff Koptas. Dakkawing, baby!


6th Edition Caveats: 
While the vehicles ARE sweet, we have no idea how flyers, skimmers and even vehicles in general are going to function in 6th edition. Are there even going to be Fast Attack or Heavy Support slots or is the game going to adopt the percentage system of Warhammer Fantasy? Buying a bunch of vehicles right now seems kind of risky and definitely dangerous, simply because 6th can (and probably will) turns everything upside down. This is why I won't be picking them up immediately and I'll wait until the new edition rolls out. I know that I'll be picking some up for sure, I just don't want to do it right now. I think that a lot of you will agree with my fears..

So yeah, I'm pretty excited. Are YOU?

Adepticon 2012, Part III: Team Tournament, Game 4 vs. Wardens of the Maelstrom

With some delay, time to tell the saga of our 4th game from the Team Tournament, in which Vince's Blood Angels joined forces with my Thunderwolves once again to wreak havoc upon the unfortunate ones.

After game 3 ended, we were definitely feeling much better. I guess swift victory and carnage will do that.. Still hoping not to face any more Grey Knights (and perhaps Imperial Guard, because they are always annoying..) we picked up our stuff and headed towards our final destination....
It was time to meet our last opponents for the event with the hope of a fun, challenging game to end the tournament with.
And then, Fate smiled upon us once again for we were destined to face..

Wardens of the Maelstrom

From left to right: Mr. Malevolent, Solar_lion, Gitsplitta, Briancj from the DakkaDakka Forums!