Sgt. Gunther Thorn's Diary: Week 3

((Sorry it has taken me so long to get this one up, have been busy and the shop has been crazy as well with EoD tourny.))


Week 3:

1000Z Ship Time

Got some bad news today. Seem a sliver from a hive fleet has broken off and is headed towards the planet. Primaris Psyker Zahleed was dispatched to a unit of Grey Knights to head down to the planet and scout ahead, we have been asked to be on call for the duration of this operation. My men are recovered from the last outing, and not losing anyone helped keep morale up. However This next mission scares me, 'Nids are nothing to be cocky about.

1500Z Ship Time

We've got the call and are headed to the teleporter. As dangerous as this is, we have been given special equipment to help us land where we need to, but Emperor save us if we still miss the target zone... I don't want to be stuck in the warp.

1530Z Ship Time

We have landed, right next to a monster, from the files it looks like it might be The Swarmlord itself. However it seems some of the bombardment from the ship injured it or was still recovering from another battle when we arrived but who would have been fighting it? I order the men to fire, quickly bringing this creature to its knees and a melta gun slides through its body cutting it in half, the cheer from the men is short lived however as a from behind we are assaulted by some sort of creatures, my men draw their blades and fight back in a flurry, the horror of the bugs ripping apart my men is lost to my mind as I fight for my life, cutting through their ranks with my power sword, the bodies of friend and foe beginning to pile up.

I hear the distant sounds of autocannon fire along with some multi-laser batteries. It seems some scout sentinals had been dispatched to assist in the assault. However over the comms i hear the cries of a the Grey Knights and Zahleed as they are attempting to kill a monster that came from the depths. Though someone keeps saying something about it "being in their head" but his voice doesn't last long before it is cut off in a strangle of death.

Gouts of flame erupt in the distance as well, it seems there is a hellhound or two, and perhaps from the look of that gas cloud, a banewolf as well. Then to my left an eruption is heard, a large chaotic blast, and over the comms i hear the muttering of "Got your back, Sir" before the channel goes silent again... was he talking to me? Was one of my men alive from our first mission on this forsaken world?

My spirits begin to rise for a moment, but then I see what must surely be my oncoming doom. A creature beyond side slams down to the earth, and though I would turn my guns and my mens upon it, we are to tied up in our struggle to be able. It did not take long for the beast to work its way to us. It quickly ate through the ranks, and I knew I was next... If I can just get...

~buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The data recorder goes silent for all but the distant sounds of battle for what seems like hours. Then an unfamiliar voice is heard through the mic.~

Ha! Knew those fucking bugs couldn't get the best of you Sarge.... Can't go up to the ship with ya... but I will just activate this rescue beacon for you... and they will pick you up and patch nice and good....

~It went silent again for a long time, until it was cut off as a valkyrie touched down and a a medicae unit found the body, pulling it back inside.~

Tyranid Tactics: Swarmlord

(photo credit to Eldar Addict) Old School here with a tactical article for the Swarmlord.
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Having covered Hive Tyrants so thoroughly, it is only natural to follow up with a post concerning the Swarmlord. Now Swarmlord is the stuff of legend and rightfully takes up the position in the Nid codex that Abbadon takes in the Chaos Codex and aside from making 13 year olds squeal in adoration, he hasn’t gotten a whole lot of love from the tactical articles I have seen on the web. I think he has his place on the battlefield and can be competitive, so let’s talk about Swarmlord’s Strengths, Weaknesses and tactical application.
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Uber Tyrant or Jack of All Trades?: Swarmlord’s Statline is that of a regular Hive Tyrant with a few exceptions; He is Weapon Skill 9, meaning he will hit on three against anything other than the very nastiest MCs in 40k (Bloodthirster comes to mind), He is Initiative 6, which is nice to have because he becomes I7 if he gives his unit Furious Charge and he has 5 wounds, another nice touch considering he is rocking a 3+. The 3+ doesn’t mean much with all the Missile Launchers out there these days, but a little synergy with other units and the application of guard can make you much more survivable. Get him in combat and he gets his 4+ and his guard retinue to back him – he will roll through nearly any hammer unit at that point (see tactics below).
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Aside from that, he has the ability to give out Acute Senses, Furious Charge and Preferred Enemy to friendly units and while it isn’t the same as giving a 6” bubble of Preferred Enemy, it still can be tactically beneficial.
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Swarmlord also has a sort of Hive Commander ability where he still confers +1 to the reserve rolls, but instead of allowing a unit to outflank, he allows outflankers to re-roll their table edge result – not a bad exchange and when you consider that his reserve roll bonus is also stackable with a normal Hive Tyrant with Hive Commander.
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Finally, Swarmlord has Psychic Monstrosity, which gives him the 18” synapse bubble he needs to build his assault spearhead around. Having access to all the Tyrant Psychic powers is nice, but we all know you only need paroxysm and leech essence.
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Tactical Application: Unlike the mass synergy, support guru that the Hive Tyrant is, the Swarmlord is all about himself and what he can do – Being a foot tyrant with only assault capabilities, it shouldn’t be surprising. First off, I would say that Swarmlord fits awkwardly in any list smaller than 1850. AT 1850, if you want to run him, you need to understand that your list is built to support him and his uber death squad – period. You also need to understand that he needs tyrant guard and that you need to stop worrying about individual unit points-cost and go with what makes your list killy that fits into 1850. With that being said, let’s talk shop on putting him to use on the field.
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Here is a basic block to start an army around the Swarmlord:
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Swarmlord with 2x Tyrant Guard armed with Bone Swords (430)
Tyranid Prime with bonesword, lash whip and scything talons (95)
Tervigon with Catalyst (175)

(Here is your basic Assault spearhead team for the Swarmlord. This gives you 13 powered attacks on the charge from the Swarmlord and his Guard, another 5 when joined by the IC Prime – plus the enemy’s best models should be lash whipped by being base to base with the Prime and if you screened yourself right, the enemy should be subject to paroxysm. The tervigon trails you casting catalyst and if need be, can throw its MC attacks into the mix. When you consider the fact that Swarmlord can also give the unit preferred enemy or Furious Charge, you can start to see where this is heading – even the best assault units once nerfed and lashed and charged will struggle to survive more than one turn of this abuse … now let’s talk about the rest of the list)
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With 700 points left, we can go with a more shooty army that pops or at least shakes vehicles for the death star unit – or we can go all-in assault and really mess up target priority for the enemy and completely overload his ability to deal with assault.
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Shooty: Add the following units to the list above –
2 Hive Guard – 100
2 Hive Guard – 100
1 Harpy with Twin-Linked Venom Cannon (170)
1 Harpy with Twin-Linked Venom Cannon (170)
10 Genestealers (140)
10 Genestealers (140)
10 Termagaunts (50)
10 Termagaunts (50)
Tervigon with Catalyst (175)
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Alright, this added to the 700 points above, would leave you at 1795 (I am not going to write your whole list for you!) and it gives you two troop tervigons running up along Swarmlord, capable of providing catalyst support or spitting out screening units, two squads of hive guard for shaking tanks and popping transports, two harpies capable of assisting in assaults, screening the death star unit and messing up the enemies tank game at least a little – the side benefit to the harpies is that they will draw away big guns. The gaunts just make the tervis troops and the stealers can be run several ways;

1) Standard outflank, capitalizing on Swarmlord’s outflanking and reserve roll benefits. This will make them likely to come in and pop rear armor with rending and make a distraction for enemy fire. If not that, then it will force the enemy deployment into your favor.

2) They can run behind all the monstrous creatures and provide a second wave CC to get the Swarmlord’s unit out of any potential prolonged combats or they could jump ahead to block a likely assault to allow swarmlord to get the charge.
Now this list is simple and spammy, but it illustrates the potential synergy of units prone to support and units prone to shooting and how they can work together.
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Now for the All-out Assault list: This list can run up the board or, if need be, take advantage of swarmlord’s army-wide gifts:
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(the 700 point Swarmlord block above)
Trygon (200)
Trygon (200)
Trygon (200)
10 Genestealers (140)
10 Genestealers (140)
Tervigon with catalyst (175)
19 Termagaunts (95)
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Alright, The assualty list is another simple spam list I drew up just to illustrate the point. You have multiple deployment options in this list by which to mess with the enemy, but generally, you can scuttle across the board behind the trygon screen. The trygons will run straight toward enemy lines and swarmlord and his entourage should be running right behind them. If you want some adrenaline glands for at least two of the trygons, buy them and take the points from the large gaunt unit (I designed them as the extra points fund anyway.) Their main point is to make the one tervigon a troop choice and in objective missions it can stay home with the big gaunt squad and make babies. In KP missions, it can add to the spearhead or if situation dictates, you have some tactical flexibility.
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Honestly, these lists aren’t going to make you a ton of friends casually, but in a take-all-comers environment, they can be a good starting point for bringing the swarmlord out. I would prefer a regular tyrant with wings, but Swarmlord can be fun, choppy and a challenge for you to try to run. Please don’t hammer me over the lists as I am not selling these as the lists you must run, but as an idea of how certain elements can work together to create synergy on the battlefield. I encourage you to try many variations and see what fits your tastes. Which leaves me one more talking point …
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The 2+ reserves list: The 2+ reserve list is an army that includes Swarmlord and a Hive Commander Tyrant. This can be extremely pricey, but it can also be pretty effective. The idea is to pack your list with creatures that come in reserves like stealers, trygons, harpies, podding troops ect to create a “shock and awe” scenario. Back before the FAQ, I tried this a few times with a walking tyrant and a winged one and while it can be expensive, it worked out well, but it was also a one trick pony in that it had a hard time working in any other way than pure reserves (no real table walking) and if the points are less than 2000, it feels even more restrictive. Also anyone who has experience fighting pure drop lists knows how to counter it via deployment and their own reserves. I would say try it out, but don’t bank on a one-trick list when this codex is capable of so much more.
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That’s my two cents on the Swarmlord, feedback is always welcome.

Tyranid Tactica: The Hive Tyrant - a VERY in-depth view

Naturally, the first unit I have chosen to feature for this tactica series is the Hive Tyrant – the Hive Mind’s chosen representative on the battlefield. If you haven't read the first article in this series, please do. The Hive Tyrant is also a common HQ choice for many Tyranid armies for two reasons:
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It is the only HQ choice in the codex GW decided to make an official model for … and the Hive Tyrant is the ultimate support platform for the tyranid army, capable of taking abilities with army-wide benefits, powers that can take the fight out of the best enemy units and weapons options that can make it a force multiplier for your combat units.
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Is the Tyrant a combat unit or a support unit? I cannot stress this enough, despite its really awesome, combat-oriented stat line, the primary role of the tyrant is SUPPORT. It is single-handedly the best support unit in the codex if not the game for many of the reasons listed above, so let’s talk options and tactics.
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Army Wide Special Abilities: The Tyrant has three abilities it can take, two of which can benefit much if not all of your army and give you a built-in tactical ace-up your sleeve – let’s take a look.
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Indescribable Horror: Let’s take out the garbage; this ability wouldn’t be bad if it was built into the tyrant already. As it stands, why would I invest any points into something that keeps some units from assaulting my tyrant (or him and his guard) some of the time?
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Old Adversary: This ability works well in some list builds, but you need to take your army’s composition into account before you consider this ability. For instance, if your build involves getting the enemy into combat with a ton of hormagaunts, non-double scything talon carnifexes, ect (otherwise WS3 units you want in combat who don’t already benefit from a re-roll to hit), then Old Adversary is a good consideration and if you play your game right, you will reap the benefits of preferred enemy. Other builds however, such as Trygon/ genestealer spam, don’t need old adversary as much due to the dual scything talons and high natural WS of the units involved, along with the multiple deployment options of those units.
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Hive Commander: This is a great ability for its points cost when taken in a build that compliments its effect. If you run an army that involves non-podded hordes scuttling across the table, with no innate abilities to deploy off table, then this may not be the ability for you. If you run an army that uses pods, involves a mass of units like stealer, trygons or any other deep striker/ outflanker units, this is certainly the ability for you.
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Don’t get Type-casted: Now, 3+ is nice to come in and it also counters guard’s Master of the Fleet, but that doesn’t mean that your army has to come in via reserves just because you have this ability – the real key point here is that it unlocks your ability to tailor your attack to your opponent, making this a great ability for take-all-comers lists. The idea is then to build a list that is both strong on the board and strong in a scenario that calls for deep striking. More on this later.

Psychic Powers: The tyrant is a potent psychic and his abilities once again compliment his role as the ultimate support unit in the tyranid army.
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Paroxysm: What a wonderful power! You brought an Assaulty Hammer unit? Have fun at WS1 hitting my guants on 5’s. Oh, did I deep strike next to your battlesuit squad armed with plasma rifles; have fun hitting me on 6’s. This power really is a force multiplier, it allows your assault units to take on larger (or more dangerous) enemy units than normal because they will likely be hit less by the enemy, making them more survivable while, at the same time, they are hitting more – making them more killy – increasing their chance of killing the enemy unit outright from fearless saves or from cutting them down.
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Paroxysm also makes deep striking in the vicinity of a nasty enemy shooting unit less of a bother as it means they won’t be shooting you (at least with any accuracy). This means that shooting unit either moves or dies. Whether you nerf an enemy assault unit or cut the accuracy of a shooting unit, this power is likely to catch the enemy off-guard or will make him alter his initial plans, which can force him to make mistakes – which often leads to tyranid victory!
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Leech Essence: The usual second choice for tyrants, Leech isn’t going to be a game changer most of the time, but it can give you a chance to regenerate one of the tyrant’s wounds without wasting points on regen, it can kill a couple guardsmen or a space marine here or there, but mostly it is a nice second power to have and I’ll leave it at that.
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The Horror: An often overlooked power, I regard this the same way I regard Leech – it can be nice to have, but I wouldn’t count on it doing a lot. It could potentially lead to you dropping in and making some guardsmen run away or maybe even some wolves – but I wouldn’t bank on it. In a take-all-comers list, you can count on facing fearless armies, where the horror will do nothing, unlike Leech which at least can be useful anywhere.
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Psychic Scream: The poor man’s Doom of Malan’tai, this ability seems cool, but really lacks the luster the Doom’s ability has by 1) being a psychic power, 2) not happening at the beginning of each shooting phase and 3) not being taken on 3d6. So this leaves us with a power that will generally be ineffective or maybe kill one or two guys in what most of the time, will be your low LD, horde-type armies anyway. So, moving on …
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The Gear: The Hive Tyrant has a lot of options – Let’s break it down to what works with what build and what is just generally badass. I will start with wings and Guard as those two choices will define a lot of the other gear choices.
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Wings: They are expensive, but depending on your army build, they may be mandatory. Walking hordes will have little use for these – some folks want to use them to drop the tyrant into midfield when he is actually needed, but the walking armies can leave little room for him to land and that is an awful big investment for so little payback. The real list for the flyrant is a list built with fleet and cav units, such as Trygons, genestealers and Ravagers. The Tyrant can use his support abilities to make these units even deadlier, maximizing their potential, but he needs to be as fast as they are. His lack of guard isn’t a big deal in this scenario as the enemy will have other priority targets rather than the Tyrant to deal with. The same can be said for drop lists, where he can drop in with the storm. If your tyrant isn’t going to have wings, then I would recommend giving him …

Guards: Tyrant Guard are ablative wounds and, if it comes to it, extra CC power for the foot tyrant. They help the walking tyrant cross the board to fulfill his mission and in the scuttling horde lists out there where he has plenty of units his own speed, guards help the tyrant build his death star. If you plan to take Guards, give them the lash whips if you want your tyrant to be able to shoot. If you don't want to shoot, take a guard and run every turn in order to keep up with your force.
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Lash Whip and Bone Sword: The Lash Whip and Bone Sword are standard and are pretty awesome for the Tyrant’s support role. A winged Tyrant can easily use them to move to a potential combat that might be difficult for his dedicated cc unit, join into the charge and lower the initiative of the biggest threat just by being in base to base with it. The bone sword helps further by possibly inst-killing those pesky Librarians before they get to swing on your trygons! They can be handy for the walking tyrant as well, but I think his limited movement will make these weapons less than ideal.
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Scything talons: With the naturally high WS of a tyrant, the standard set is usually enough (now he only misses on 2’s). Two sets will make him re-roll everything, though the effectiveness of this over one set with bone swords and lash whips is negligible.
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Devourers with Brain Leech Worms: Perfect for the Flyrant who wants to drop in and either gun down a low LD squad and make them run or for the tyrant who wants to come in and shake vehicles. Two sets make you even shootier, but also make you more expensive. One set with the Lash Whip and Bone Sword can make for a multi-purpose tyrant, but I would rather stay with the standard build.
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Deathspitters: Even twin-linked, I would leave this one alone. I have played Tau before and if I wanted some Fire Warriors, I would just play them again.
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Heavy Venom Cannon: So, you want to snipe vehicles? This is a good option for the walking tyrant as he can walk around with his guard and stun, immobilize and pop enemy transports and tanks. It isn’t too bad for the winged tyrant in theory due to rear armor shots, but you will likely be in assault most of the time and all the cannon does is jack up the points-cost of an already pricey tyrant.
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The Stranglethorn cannon: This weapon gives you the chance to pin enemy units down and while it sounds really good, you have other means available to the tyrant to nerf enemy units, so why not use them. If you do want to try it out, run it on a walking tyrant and have plenty of other units that can pop vehicles so he can take advantage of the troops – but I would generally leave this weapon at home for the tyrant.
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Biomorphs
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Adrenal Glands: Tyrants can already drag down and enemy’s initiative, but can he reliably pop heavy tanks in combat? This is a good upgrade for a winged Tyrant if you have 10 points.

Toxic Sacs: Not really a great choice for take-all-comers because you basically choose from wounding on 2 most of the time or re-rolling 4’s … I’ll take the 2’s.

Acid Blood: A fancy trick and an expensive one. Most units that are going to single-out a tyrant and try to kill it in CC will have to be quick to get away from being counter assaulted and likely won’t worry too much about this upgrade.

Implant Attack: Another expensive fancy trick not needed for most tyrants.

Toxic Miasma: Expensive and not a big need for it in take all comers lists.

Regeneration: Very expensive for something that MIGHT work on a 4 wound model, combined with Armored Shell, it can be annoying, but most of the time, this upgrade is not needed.

Armored shell: Expensive, just take guard if you are that scared of taking wounds.

Thorax Swarms: Very expensive for what little they do. I would leave this option at home as well.

Examples:
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The Flyrant: Hive Tyrant with Wings, Bone Sword, Lash Whip, Scything Talons, Hive Commander, paroxysm, leech essence (255)

This Tyrant is geared for a multiple deployment army (an army that can do well on the board or can be nasty deep striking). Throw him in with a trio of Trygons, some outflanking genestealers and anything else that is fleet and large enough for him to hide behind. He can then either come up the board behind them, ready to provide paroxysm or lash support against hammer units, take out a transport for the trygons to eat and can be in multiple places quickly. He can also deep strike in with all the big nasties to provide a “shock and awe” assault against gunline armies. His scything talons mean he will seldom miss when adding his two cents to assault and if needed, he can provide outflanking abilities to a squad of troops that normally don’t have it. This tyrant is all about flexibility and choices, both in field functionality and in terms of deployment and gameplay.
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If you want to remove Hive Commander, try Old Adversary and drop down and surround him with podding gribblies to protect him, just watch out for the old Master of the Fleet, as your DS won’t go exactly as planned. Also, never run Old A with a bunch of Trygons, as it wouldn’t make much sense!
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The Walking Tyrant: Hive Tyrant on foot, Bone Sword, Lash whip, Heavy Venom Cannon, Paroxysm, Leech essence, 2x Tyrant guard (315) or with only 1 guard (255)
This Tyrant can be expensive, but it will walk down the field, stunning vehicle for your hordes to mop up. Anything that gets too close, will suffer from paroxysm. This build’s primary benefit is the fact that the enemy is going to dump shots into it to make it go away while it hopefully manages to pop a vehicle or two. The downfall is that it moves slower than most of your army (trygons fleet, hormis bound, ect.), which is why I left out Old Adversary. Honestly, if I wanted to make a cheap tyrant, I would give him the basic layout, a guard and run every shooting phase until mu army got where it needed to be. Unfortunately, this will likley leave my enemy out of paroxysm range the turn my army gets to the enemy - which is why we suck it up and pay for wings. Not being able to drop in hurts this build a lot and if I had to, I would pick the flyrant everyday.
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In Conclusion: Damn this is a long article! Alright, in conclusion, you have a lot of choices, but the strength of the tyrant is in his ability to open up your deployment options to fight your opponents on your terms – making the Nids possibly the most flexible (and maybe the most competitive) armies in the game. His support capabilities are outstanding and his presence on the field can push the game in your favor and make the enemy curse through his teeth. I obviously prefer the winged Hive Commander and I think that layout is the optimal build for this unit, but I encourage you to try other builds, try them some more and then come to your own conclusions. Never forget that he is a SUPPORT element and should fill that role as best as possible. Have fun and Happy Feeding! Comments always welcome.

Tower of Skulls: Old School's Favorite Conversion Returns!

Alright, Old School here and for those of you who remember the Tower of Skulls Conversion Commission I did before Adepticon last year, you will also remember the lamentation I felt letting it go to the client without painting it ... well, as the saying goes, I let it go and it has come back to me - so, naturally, I have started to paint it. These photos are of just the tower part of the tank, the baneblade chassis is in the closet waiting its turn. There are still some details to pick out (primarily in the top and the impaled skulls and there is plenty of washing left to do, but I am so exited to have this model on the painting table, I had to post some WIP photos of it. Enjoy.

Here is the shot that shows off all the stuff I have yet to finish, but by the time you will have read this, that should no longer be a problem.

I wanted to go with the look of the ToS from the Apoc Re-Load book, though with some slight changes. I liked a little more brass work in this one as well as a fleshy cannon covered in spikes (which need to be washed).

I also picked out some tube for the blood which powers this thing to flow through.

There it is so far - hope you all like it. It was one of my most epic conversions, so I love it. Feedback is always welcome

Tyranid Tactica: The Beginning - Synergy!

I picked up the Tyranids as a second army when the new codex came out and since then, they have been on the table top more than any other army I field. I have fallen for the vast amount of tactical opportunities and challenges available in the codex, which is why I get so disappointed when the forums and some of the Internet pundits say that the codex is garbage or is a "faildex". .
In my experience with them so far, I think the problems folks have with playing Nids breaks into two categories - 1) the old Nid players who claim that the codex has been nerfed and are having a hard time adjusting to the changes (It really is a completely different style of play) - or 2) guys who are new to Nids try to run them the way their Marine Army(or select random traditional Codex) runs, which is not the way this codex is meant to operate. Let's face it, they made it a much more finesse and skill-oriented codex that it used to be and it takes a new mind-set to play it competitively.
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With that in mind, I am opening a series of tactical articles geared toward Tyranids. I plan to cover them with unit reviews complimented by army lists that use the principles from each review. As the series goes deeper, articles and lists will advance.
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With that all being said, let's talk about the single most important theme that makes the difference between a terrible Nid army and a terrifying one - Synergy.
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Aside from being a horrid business cliche, Synergy refers to a group's ability to compliment and amplify the skills of all of its members to create a powerful, singular focus. In the old days, Eldar were the only army overly concerned with this concept, but now, synergy is the concept that Tyranids live or die by.
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The first consideration people can find synergy at work in is synapse. Synapse creates fields of control for the lesser creatures in your army, benefits their LD through Fearlessness (and vice verse by moving away) and allows you to control what they do rather than the dice.
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While Synapse is built into a creatures profile, there are elements of synergy needed for a successful Nid army that are less obvious:
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Movement: "Can Support Unit A keep up with Combat Element B?" If yes, then there is synergy, but if say - your Hormagaunts outpace you venomthropes - then there is no synergy and you need to consider better support options.
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Combat: We have a ton of great creatures for CC, but what if they are out-initiatived? What if they have to swing simultaneously? Are they still that good. What options can you add through biomorphs and support units to make them function better and meet their CC objectives?
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Deployment: Nids can deploy in more ways that any other army: From the ground, the board edge, from the sky and even via the Ninja Smoke Bomb (Lictors), so think about how you can use that to add options to how you fight. Do you build a Hivefleet just to sit and shoot or run across the board - or do you build one that can do that or outflank or dig and drop in. An army that can be successful while offering enough options to give your opponent uncertainty is also an army that wins many battles before they take the field. Now the question becomes "How do your units work together in different styles of deployment and CAN you deploy in multiple styles with the same list?"
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For a basic rundown of how I build a list in general, check out this post. This is a practical guide to how I developed my current competitive 1850 list with full optional deployment and a mindset toward Support and Combat roles.
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As we move through the Tactica articles, I will identify units as Support or Combat, biomorph options that can change that status and then give options for how best to synergize those units into an army. Throughout the process of writing these article, I would really appreciate feedback as one man cannot surely think of every possible arrangement or situation.
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The next article will be on the Hive Tyrant!

A Blog of Note: Eldar Addict's Shrinky Dink Bone Swords Pave Way for New Conversion Techniques!

Old School here to promote a great post from Eldar Addict. He used a kids craft kit called Shrinky Dinks to make Bone Swords for a Swarm Lord - but the great idea here is that you can design something at 3X size (like chapter symbols, chaos icons, hard to carve parts) and then shrink it in the oven. This means that folks who are just starting with plastic card or folks who have trouble carving small details in card can now create their work in a larger format and then shrink it down. I have never seen this before in all my blog and forum whoring, which means that this is one hell of a great discovery by Eldar addict and I am very happy that I have been following his blog these many months.
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Don't take my word for it, look at these photos and then go check out his guide here.

Starting with a 3x sketch, he begins to design his bone sword.

He cuts them out of the Shrinky Dink material.

After baking, he has a sword!

Adepticon Blog Wants Your Input, Kill Zone Confirmed For Adepticon!

Old School here with two peices of news for Adepticon and a batch of links to get you started on the road there. First and foremost, Big Jim from Galaxy in Flames and B.Smoove from A Gentlemen's Ones, along with a council of members of our blog community, have managed to get their ongoing project: Special Operation Kill Zone into Adepticon for 2011! Depending on how it fits in with my tourney plans there, I may have to start my Kill Zone team ASAP! Dark Future Games and the Evo Club will be rolling deep this year and I think we may have to join in to represent the Blog as well as mid Michigan!

In addition to that bit of great news, The Adepticon Developers have a blog up with the following purpose defined in their first post:

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Welcome to the AdeptiCon 2011 Development Blog! This site will serve as a means to disseminate information regarding the development and planning of the convention as it enters its ninth year. Additionally, this site will allow us to discuss things such as event history, theory and the convention’s take on certain ‘hot button’ issues that might not truly be considered news in relation to the convention proper. Much of what is to follow has been in the works for many months and is the accumulation of hundreds of constructive emails, adaptations in game systems, conversations with other event organizers and most importantly attendee feedback.

While the contents of this site and the ideas of adaptation are nothing new for the organizers of AdeptiCon, we felt it would be a great way to reach out the community at large and move beyond the point of ideas being resigned to emails, planning meetings, buried in forums or lost in comment systems.

There has been a ton of great discussion out there lately concerning the nature of certain game systems, the structure of events and the validity of tournament formats. Over the past few years we have also seen the independent scene explode with a number of fantastic new events. We find all of this incredibly exciting and invigorating for both the community and AdeptiCon. As Archibald Tuttle so eloquently put it, "Listen, kid, we're all in it together".
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Alright folks, so between the Kill Zone news and the fact that we now have a public blog forum to exchange ideas, it's time to make our voices heard and get involved in the next Adepticon! I had a lot of fun there last year and look forward to seeing many of you there this time around! Go, now follow the Adepticon Development Blog, follow Galaxy in Flames and A Gentlemen's Ones and have your voice be heard!

Dragon Forge releases New Oval Bases in Various Sizes!

Old School here with a quick post to let everyone know about the new oval bases from Dragon Forge.
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They are Blank-Oval 150 150mm Oval Blank 1 for $8.00.
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Blank-Oval 175 175mm Oval Blank 1 for $10.00
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Blank-Oval 200 200mm Oval Blank 1 for $12.00

The Prices seem pretty reasonable to me and just yesterday, I had folks at the FLGS asking if I knew where to find the perfect base for their Blood Slaughterer or a Chariot model ... here they are.

Check out Dragon Forge for these bases and more!

Kharn Commission

Just finished up a Kharn commission for a guy at the LFGS. I tried some more experimental colors on the skin and used some sheer fabric technique to get the vein in his arm to look like it is under the skin versus just painted on top of the skin. With the skin effect I washed with red and then with purple to get more of a 'sore' kind of look that I would imagine people who are constantly assaulted by chaos would eventually look. Other than that, the base coating was done with the airbrush to get the deeper reds on the armor and the fade on Gore Child. Hope you like the pictures!

Paulson Games releases Power Scythes, Tau Railguns and T-Wolves!

Old School here with some new GW alternative items from Paulson Games, including these Power Scythes for Space Marines. Want to build Death Guard with the New Forge World Pre-Heresy kits? Here are the power weapons you need. Scythes of the Emporer? Even cooler. I think Paulson hit the nail on the head with this kit.

Here is a look at them as they come to you. The only thing that seems like it might be rough is actually getting them into a model's hand.

Up next is the alternative railguns. If you have ever played Tau (like me 3 years ago), you know that one of the crappiest things about broadsides is keeping those giant metal railguns on that plastic battlesuit - here is the Paulson answer to that.

Here is the short version. I am not too sure how that would work - maybe IA rules, but it looks pretty good.

Finally, I am sure these have been out there for some time, but Paulson has Thunderwolves too. Paulson Games has come a long way in the last 2 months - check them out here.

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Let us know what you think.

The First Step to a Great Game is a Little Pre-Game Ritual

Alright, we all know that whether its a pick-up game or a tournament, players can get a little heated at times on the table. One of the things I noticed in my recent experience as a judge is that 4 out of five times, the serious beef comes from people not knowing the other person's list or from them not being introduced to the opponent's army as it was deployed - then finding themselves suprised by a conversion or by what was in that Land Raider during Dawn of War deployment.
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This can be remedied with a little pre-game introduction and talking across the table at the start of the game - afterall, we are all human and we should be happy to play a gamne whether it be with a friend or with a stranger who shares our interests in playing with little space men.
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I usually start by explaining my list and offering the opponent a chance to look it over if they want. Most people don't, so I deploy and as I do, I just let them know what's in the vehicles, what any and all conversions are (this is a must if you proxy or count as too), so there is no confusion about what any of the models are or what they represent.
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I hope the opponent does the same for me and they usually do. If not, I just ask what stuff is - no big deal. I also use this opportunity to joke around with them and guage their mood, manner and whether or not we are going to have fun or if we are just going to stare at each other for 3 hours (I like to laugh and have fun while I play so hopefully, the opponent isn't planning to do the later).
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With a little bit of talk, you can dispell any assumptions about the opponent's army, you have achieved a mutual understanding and can now carry on to a better game of 40k.
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That's my two cents - what do you do with your opponent when you start a game? Are you all friendly or are you super serious? Do you disclose or do you hide your toys and hope to dupe an opponent for the victory?

Forge World Berserkers on Plastic Juggernauts!

Old School here with some Forge World Berserkers riding plastic Juggernauts! The other day, when I made the metal lord, It sparked something in me. I started staring at him with my Forge World bitz box in hand and I knew something awesful was going to come of his creation ... then Evolution Games got a few boxes in for the End of Days and I just had to buy a box.
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So far, these two fellows have come from this merger - One with a set of claws and one with a giant, cavalry-style hammer!

Alright first up is the Thunder-hammer and shield Zerk. He is riding one of the new plastic Juggers, which are a pure joy to put together (I timed it at 7 minutes, clipped, cleaned and glued for just the juggernaut). Anyway, I wanted a Zerk who looked like he is ready for a siege and ready to take on the biggest thing on the field with a giant hammer. The shield is from the Chaos Knights cav box. The body and shoulder pads are from the FW World Eaters conversion set. The head is the bare head from the FW World Eaters Terminator conversion set, The hammer shaft and arm are the icon pole from a Chaos Space Marine set, the actual hammer head is made from two pieces of sprue glued together. I then added the brass and card to dress it up a bit. There is obviously a little glue to be scraped off there.

From the back, you can see his trophies. That is something I wanted every zerk to have on his jugger and I think if you have earned yourself a juggernaut, you must have a great skull-taking career. His rack includes a Marine, a rotten head, a skull and a tyranid warrior skull.

The new jugger kits are light and offer so much more frexibility in terms of dynamic position. This one's front legs don't even touch the ground. I have read a few different books where cavalry used hammers and they were either very short in the handle or very long. I thought it would look really awesome to give this guy a long hammer - the better to stamp the icon into skulls!

Here he is from the front, I cut a bolt pistol arm to fit the shoulder the way it does here, so that his arm is held out as if he is bellowing out a challenge as he charges forward. The basing here is not done, but I have been using floor laminate tiles to achieve this effect.

The second Zerk is this fellow here with the huge claws. I fought hard with myself about using these claws because they are huge - they are meant for a termie. So I cut the down and although they are still very huge, I think they work well for the aggression captured in the model.

Alright, you can see he boasts the head of a Sanguinary Guard, amoung a collection of more mundane trophies, though the other marine head comes from the Commander kit.

Once again, the leaping, charging aggression in these plastic juggers really makes them look vicious!

And here he is from the front. I used the FW kits of course for the body and pads, the bare head from the FW Lord Zhofur kit, the claws from the chaos Terminator lord, the pack is from the possessed box and overall, I am pretty happy with this model.

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Putting these together was really fun. The juggers were a breeze to assemble, leave virtually no mold lines, the kit has sooo many extra parts, like extra heads for the juggers, tons of hellblades and head variants for the bloodletters who were meant to ride these. An awesome icon and an instrument - pretty well worth the cost.

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Having all the forge world stuff on hand was really great as it allowed me to assemble some models I have always thought would look so cool. I think I may just paint these guys and see what happens from there. I can say that these guys have gotten me out of a funk I have been in the last couple of weeks and have inspired me to pcik up the brush again to finish off some projects I have laying around (well, I might just paint one of these guys first .... maybe !)

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Feedback is always welcome, let me know what you think. Official End of Days info and details will be up tomorrow!

End of Days: It's Over

Well, End of Days is over, congrats to the Unholy Pups for winning, congrats to Team Lolz for 2nd, Alex for the Taker of Skulls, The Judge for Castellian, Austin for Headhunter and to Team Ramrod and Team How Many SHots for winning third. Everyone was so awesome and the group of players that showed up from across Michigan really made it easy for me and Farseer Rerolls as TO's.

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Tomorrow, we will post photos and talk turkey about everything, but for right now, I need another drink and I need a good night's sleep!

End of Days Tomorrow - Register now Maggot!

Wargamers of Michigan! The time to register for End of Days is NOW! We have already registered a TON of teams, but there are plenty of tables to fill, so sign up! Don't have a partner, but want to go? We have a few folks who are purposely waiting to see who they can be team up with the day of to make the event even more challenging for their team ... so there is no way you should be sitting on your hands not writing a list!

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If you do have your team mate, then shoot us your list via e-mail at DarkFutureGames@gmail.com , walk it into Evolution Games tonight or just show up tommorrow early and get in on this unique tourney! Prizes are hitting the roof and the door money is only going to make it crazier! Jersey Giant Subs will be on site selling combo meals cheaper than you could ever get them in their store! We have ordered new kits and are still busy setting up terrain, checking lists and finding ways to make the tourney even more fun!

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We are giving prizes to the winning team, the second team, the person with the most KP, the person who held the most objectives and more! There is a giant knife in the prize box! Sancrosanct Records is giving away CDs! Even if you don't win, you will have a crazy time with armies on the table that were never meant to be fielded! Come down and join in!

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The tourney starts at Noon, the FAQ is here, bring the heat!

Kitbash: Khorne Khavalry Lord!

Old School here with some photos of a little kitbashing I did on the Warhammer Fantasy Chaos Khorne Lord on Jugger. I know it isn't the hot new plastic, but the kit has been in my house for over a year and a half and with all the stress of being the head tourney Organizer for End of Days this Saturday (also the first tourney representing the blog name) and all the headaches that go with it - I just needed to grab a good looking kit, some bitz and go to town.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it when I sat down, but I loved everything but the original helmeted head (I already used the horned head), so I built it that way. Then I said hell, let's make it a 40k model. So I tore of the jugger's head decoration and added the spiked-through Ork skull. Then I went through about 12 heads before I decided to glue the forge world zerk head on there.

I was really liking where this was going so I started giving him trophies, including the skulls up front, Captain Sicarius's helmet on the back, along with some severed human heads ...

... then I figured a half a corpse from the shield arm would be pretty awesome! It was still missing something, so I gave him a back pack from the possessed bits I have laying around and decided he would look really good on a dreadnought base..

I have settled for calling him a Khorne Lord on Juggernought (thunderwolf) armed with Blood (runic) armor, a storm shield and a Blood (frost) Axe. I know, the Khorne Wolves have probably been done before, but it was a lot of fun to build and I feel pretty good about painting it in the next week or sao, along with the last of my Legion of the Damned commission and the Tower of Skulls (whoops, did I just let the cat out of the bag?)

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Comments and critisism is welcome as always!

End of Days FAQ update

Old School here with a FAQ update for End of Days. I know the last FAQ went final two weeks ago, but as I predicted a couple of last minute questions came up that really need to be addressed prior to the tournament. I will address them first and then re-post the full FAQ in this post, so if you would like, you can copy/paste it and print it all together. Here are the new questions:

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The GW FAQ states that Grey Knight Terminators cannot embark in a Valkery. Will that count for all terminators in End of Days?

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We support the GW official FAQs for this tourney and in the spirit of that ruling, Terminators of any type will NOT embark in Valkeries or Vendettas.

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How does Daenomic Assault work when the team mate also has deep striking units?

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Pure and simple, the daenomic assault is seperate from any other reserves. The daemon player will split his force per the daemon rules, only counting daemon units, as an example - The daemon player has a daemon army and his extra unit is a squad of Chaos Terminators. The terminators do not count in any way toward or against the Daenomic Assault. The terminators deploy per regular deep strike rules or on the table as the player sees fit.

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How does a unit of codex daemons taken as an extra unit deploy?

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If you are taking a unit of Codex Daemons in say, your Space Marine Army as your End of Days Choice, they are automatically their own prefered group and will come in turn 1.

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How does Brother Corbulo effect a daenomic assault, can we re-roll for prefered group?

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Once again, we are trying to keep in the spirit of an existing FAQ with this ruling and since the Blood Angels FAQ ruled that he could not re-roll the deployment dice, we will rule for this tournament that he will not be able to allow a re-roll for preferred grouping during daenomic assault unless his model has already been deployed.

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How do Drop pod assaults take place if two team mates are space Marines from different codices? Do they add up all the pods and then deploy accordingly?

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No, the two armies are treated as seperate forces for the purposes of drop pod assault, so if each team took a drop pod and each one is taken from a codex that is subject to drop pod assault, then both pods would come in turn 1.

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Alright, that takes care of that, here is the rest of the FAQ for the third time:

End of Days tournament FAQ
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This FAQ is designed to answer some of the basic questions that have come up since the announcement of the Tournament back in May. This FAQ is designed to supplement the current FAQ rulings available on Games Workshop’s Web site and of course the codices and Big Red Rulebook! Remember that the golden rule is to have fun and to make sure both you and your opponent are having a good time.
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HOW DOES THIS WHOLE THING WORK? – TEAM QUESTIONS AND GENERAL END OF DAYS TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS
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Q. When taking the optional units from a separate codex, may I also take the unit’s dedicated transport if available? If not, then can units from different codexes ride in different vehicles?
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A. No, you may not take the dedicated transport, but unless it states in the unit’s entry that they cannot ride in vehicles (lesser daemons ect.), then units may ride in any friendly transport on the field with the following exceptions:
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1. Monstrous Creatures may never use a transport.
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2. If the vehicle normally may only transport 25mm based models, then they may only transport those models. If a model is capable of transporting 40mm bases, then they count as two models for the purpose of transport (same as they would in a Land Raider or Ork Trukk).
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3. Models with jump packs and jump infantry may only ride in transports that allow jump infantry such as the Storm Raven.
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Q. “How do psychic powers work when shared across different armies? Example: Can Eldrad Uthwe cast fortune on Daemons?”
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A. It is important to read your codex entry for this one as it applies not only to psychic powers, but also to other effects and powers. If your codex says in the entry for a psychic power that it can only be used on a certain army type, then that is how it will work in the End of Days. Example: Fortune in the Eldar codex states “Nominate 1 Eldar unit within 6” According to this ruling, only an Eldar unit may be targeted by and benefit from Fortune. – And no, Dark Eldar don’t count as Eldar for this purpose, nice try though!
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The same goes for things like Monoliths. A monolith may only transport Necrons according to the wording of its entry – though it otherwise would function normally.
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Q. What about Necrons? Can any Necron units be taken as the OTHER CODEX units and if so, wouldn’t they just phase out?
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A. For the purposes of being able to field those units of Necrons and including them as viable choices in the End of Days, individual units of Necrons bought as additional units by armies fielding separate codexes will not phase out – However, armies composed of Necrons will still be subject to the phase out rule.
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Q. How do allies work for Guard, are they going to be normal per The rules set forth in the printed Inquisition rules or are they going to be gone as in the PDF rules?
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The End of Days are desperate times indeed, as such, Guard, Daemon Hunters and Witch Hunters may take their allies per the rules in the printed codices BEFORE selecting their separate End of Days units.
Example – I am a guard player and want to take an Inquisitor Lord. After picking my compulsory Guard HQ and then the Inquisitor Lord, I may then take a unit of Ork boyz or whatever the separate codex unit is I wish to take!

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QUESTIONS ON MODELING, COUNTS AS AND ANYTHING ELSE
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Q. How loose are the rules for actual models being WYSIWYG? Can I bring heavily modified or converted models to the tourney under the condition that they count as something else? “IE, I don’t want to own any Tyranids models, but I want to run the Doom of Malan’tai. Since I am an Ork player, I wanted to run a Weirdboy instead; is this possible?”
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A. The rule on stand-ins is simple. To make it easy for everyone, your stand-in model or conversion should be on the same size base and should be roughly as tall and as wide as the original model. For the example, the Doom of Malan’Tai is a form of Zoanthrope, thus your wierdboy for this tournament should be on a 40mm base and either raised up on some rocks or maybe hovering. This makes it fair and lends itself to a cool conversion idea. If all else fails, buy a zoanthrope!
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The second half of this answer concerns WYSIWYG. If a model is supposed to be armed with an autocannon, but you have him armed with a missile launcher, you are violating WYSIWYG, If he is supposed to be wearing a jump pack and you have him wearing a regular pack, you are violating WYSIWYG. – However we will not be so evil as to say that grenades must be modeled AND if your codex entry gives you bolters, bolt pistols and close combat
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Q. There are a number of models that do not exist right now that have rules in the GW codexes, like the Storm Raven, Thunderwolf Cavalry, Tyrannofexes, Tervigons ect. What base size should those be?
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A. Look, the purpose of this tourney is to have fun and I would hate for people to spend the whole tournament getting bent out of shape about base size and stuff like that. I can also see the point in setting a standard so that there are no shenanigans like “Hey this dire wolf on the 25mm base is a Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf, FEAR ME!” The key is to use common sense. Here is the baseline set of rules for the models that don’t exist:
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Thunderwolf cav – bike base minimal, 60mm base max.
Tyrranofex, Tervigon, Harpy – 60mm base minimal, Large Oval Base max
Daemon Chariots – Chariot Bases period.Storm Raven – Given its transport capacity, a valkery is a good stand in model and should be a decent representation for size (just imagine the assault ramp on the front). There will be no rhinos on flying stands representing the Storm Raven and any Storm Raven conversions will be mounted on the valkery base and stand and the model will be subject to the rules for close combat and debarkation set forth by the Imp Guard FAQ, with the exception of the fact that it is an assault vehicle.
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Alright, print it, save it, playtest your teams and don't forget to register via e-mail or in person at Evolution Games. We also have a number of folks who will be looking for partners on the day of, so we could e-harmonize you to someone if you don't have a partner already, but remember the tourney starts at noon!
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We have really great prize support for the overall winners, the second place team and for the individuals who take the most kill points and objectives (including a Marine K-Bar plaque!). Don't forget cash for entry and the 50/50 raffle and for food and drink! We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Counts as: Counts as annoying or counts as awesome!

I know that both OST and my self are currently working on a counts as army. I'm not sure if it is because of our recent dive into the world of counts as here as DFG making me more aware of it, but I've seen a few others cropping up. Is this because of hard economic times coupled with GW's price bump that we're making armies to use under multiple codex's? Is it because the hobby side is picking up? Is everyone just lining up their winter project? Over all I'm wondering, is the counts-as idea growing?

With that my follow up to the blog community is this: How do you feel about the counts as? Do you think it's awesome and great for the game? Or do you hate it when that crazy army shows up and you can't keep straight what unit is what because it's so obscure? Do you think it's just a dick way of saying 'proxy'? Tell OST and myself how you feel about our recent venture into the world of counts-as. I'm interested to get a gauge of how people will feel when my space marines on dinosaurs show up as space wolves or when OST's orks are rocking a 3+ save.

Get signed up for END OF DAYS 2010!

The first ever End of Days Tournament is this Saturday at Noon! If you haven't heard of it already, this is a doubles tournament with a twist; You choose your partner - Each of you must draw an army of 1000 points from a different codex (so, Orks + Space Wolves are OK, but Orks+Orks isn't) - Each Partner must have an HQ and one troop Choice, but after that, the standard Force Org Chart applies to each partner - From there, each partner MAY choose a unit from a different codex, this unit will draw from the force org chart and be applied as it would in it's own codex. The players may not choose units from the same codex. This means that each doubles army might have units from four codices in it.
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This tourney is designed to be fun and to provide the participants with the kind of stories that will last a lifetime. If you think this is too much and it will be horrible, then you don't have to show up - it's not for everyone. For those who do wish to show up, we have tons of tables and you can register between now and Friday either at Evolution Games in Lansing or through E-mail at DarkFutureGames@gmail.com All you have to do is send you and your partners names, lists and Team name to us or give them to Larry at Evo. We prefer to have the lists BEFORE the tourney so we spend less time tourney day worrying about checking the lists, but if for some reason, you just can't get your lists in, we will take them up until 11:30 am Saturday.
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It costs $10 a team to play and all the cash goes to prize support! We are anticipating 16+ teams, so there will be at LEAST $160 at stake in prizes! The more the merrier!
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Aside from the tournament, there will be a couple of Raffles. The biggest Raffle of the day will be the 50/50 raffle. If you have never done a 50/50 raffle, it goes like this; Anyone can buy raffle tickets for it. At the end of the day, the amount of raffle money that went into the 50/50 through ticket sales is raffled off, the winner keeps half and the store keeps the other half. So, if the store raised $300 in the raffle, the winner gets $150. The rest goes to store terrain, store improvements and prize support.
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For those of you who are too lazy to click your way to the FAQ, I will repost it below. Here it is:
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End of Days tournament FAQ

This FAQ is designed to answer some of the basic questions that have come up since the announcement of the Tournament back in May. This FAQ is designed to supplement the current FAQ rulings available on Games Workshop’s Web site and of course the codices and Big Red Rulebook! Remember that the golden rule is to have fun and to make sure both you and your opponent are having a good time.
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HOW DOES THIS WHOLE THING WORK? – TEAM QUESTIONS AND GENERAL END OF DAYS TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS
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Q. When taking the optional units from a separate codex, may I also take the unit’s dedicated transport if available? If not, then can units from different codexes ride in different vehicles?
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A. No, you may not take the dedicated transport, but unless it states in the unit’s entry that they cannot ride in vehicles (lesser daemons ect.), then units may ride in any friendly transport on the field with the following exceptions:

1. Monstrous Creatures may never use a transport.
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2. If the vehicle normally may only transport 25mm based models, then they may only transport those models. If a model is capable of transporting 40mm bases, then they count as two models for the purpose of transport (same as they would in a Land Raider or Ork Trukk).
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3. Models with jump packs and jump infantry may only ride in transports that allow jump infantry such as the Storm Raven.
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Q. “How do psychic powers work when shared across different armies? Example: Can Eldrad Uthwe cast fortune on Daemons?”

A. It is important to read your codex entry for this one as it applies not only to psychic powers, but also to other effects and powers. If your codex says in the entry for a psychic power that it can only be used on a certain army type, then that is how it will work in the End of Days. Example: Fortune in the Eldar codex states “Nominate 1 Eldar unit within 6” According to this ruling, only an Eldar unit may be targeted by and benefit from Fortune. – And no, Dark Eldar don’t count as Eldar for this purpose, nice try though!
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The same goes for things like Monoliths. A monolith may only transport Necrons according to the wording of its entry – though it otherwise would function normally.
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Q. What about Necrons? Can any Necron units be taken as the OTHER CODEX units and if so, wouldn’t they just phase out?
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A. For the purposes of being able to field those units of Necrons and including them as viable choices in the End of Days, individual units of Necrons bought as additional units by armies fielding separate codexes will not phase out – However, armies composed of Necrons will still be subject to the phase out rule.
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Q. How do allies work for Guard, are they going to be normal per The rules set forth in the printed Inquisition rules or are they going to be gone as in the PDF rules?
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The End of Days are desperate times indeed, as such, Guard, Daemon Hunters and Witch Hunters may take their allies per the rules in the printed codices BEFORE selecting their separate End of Days units.
Example – I am a guard player and want to take an Inquisitor Lord. After picking my compulsory Guard HQ and then the Inquisitor Lord, I may then take a unit of Ork boyz or whatever the separate codex unit is I wish to take!


QUESTIONS ON MODELING, COUNTS AS AND ANYTHING ELSE
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Q. How loose are the rules for actual models being WYSIWYG? Can I bring heavily modified or converted models to the tourney under the condition that they count as something else? “IE, I don’t want to own any Tyranids models, but I want to run the Doom of Malan’tai. Since I am an Ork player, I wanted to run a Weirdboy instead; is this possible?”
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A. The rule on stand-ins is simple. To make it easy for everyone, your stand-in model or conversion should be on the same size base and should be roughly as tall and as wide as the original model. For the example, the Doom of Malan’Tai is a form of Zoanthrope, thus your wierdboy for this tournament should be on a 40mm base and either raised up on some rocks or maybe hovering. This makes it fair and lends itself to a cool conversion idea. If all else fails, buy a zoanthrope!

The second half of this answer concerns WYSIWYG. If a model is supposed to be armed with an autocannon, but you have him armed with a missile launcher, you are violating WYSIWYG, If he is supposed to be wearing a jump pack and you have him wearing a regular pack, you are violating WYSIWYG. – However we will not be so evil as to say that grenades must be modeled AND if your codex entry gives you bolters, bolt pistols and close combat
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Q. There are a number of models that do not exist right now that have rules in the GW codexes, like the Storm Raven, Thunderwolf Cavalry, Tyrannofexes, Tervigons ect. What base size should those be?
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A. Look, the purpose of this tourney is to have fun and I would hate for people to spend the whole tournament getting bent out of shape about base size and stuff like that. I can also see the point in setting a standard so that there are no shenanigans like “Hey this dire wolf on the 25mm base is a Wolf Lord on Thunderwolf, FEAR ME!” The key is to use common sense. Here is the baseline set of rules for the models that don’t exist:

Thunderwolf cav – bike base minimal, 60mm base max.
Tyrranofex, Tervigon, Harpy – 60mm base minimal, Large Oval Base max
Daemon Chariots – Chariot Bases period.Storm Raven – Given its transport capacity, a valkery is a good stand in model and should be a decent representation for size (just imagine the assault ramp on the front). There will be no rhinos on flying stands representing the Storm Raven and any Storm Raven conversions will be mounted on the valkery base and stand and the model will be subject to the rules for close combat and debarkation set forth by the Imp Guard FAQ, with the exception of the fact that it is an assault vehicle.
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Once again the key to this thing's success is that everyone comes to have fun and enjoy the atmosphere and the gameplay. We already have confirmed a few folks from outside of the Lansing area so this is a great opportunity to network and meet folks interested in the hobby from all over the area! If you have any questions, please e-mail us or post a comment!