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To avoid burying the lede, the TL;DR is that I'm switching to Necrons. ----- Every game of 10th that I have played has been with Orks. I've managed to track every game since my third in the (excellent) Tabletop Battles app. You can see my stats below: As you can see, I've now played thirty games of 10th. And while I have a lot of thoughts about the edition in general, this post is about my experiences playing Orks, and my plans for the foreseeable future. Evolution of a List A quick rundown of how to win a game using the Leviathan mission deck: Ok, so scoring points and winning games with tactical secondaries is about putting units on objectives, surviving on those objectives until you can score, having units that can be in the right place at the right time and, of course, killing the enemy as needed. While you don't have to score the full 90 to win every time (just have to have more than your opponent, afterall), it's generally safer to have a plan on how to get the max. You can win the game by tabling the enemy, but you can also lose after tabling the enemy. You cannot lose by scoring the max number of points (though you can tie, hilariously enough), and you can max score without killing a single enemy unit (though that is so incredibly unlikely to occur). Over time, I learned these facts. I started early with Mozrog, pound-for-pound the best beatstick in the index, but I quickly grew so enamored with him that I had to add another Squigboss. I bought, assembled, and (barely) painted a unit of Flash Gitz, and converted a counts-as Kaptin Badrukk, after I played another Ork and saw how deadly that unit's shooting was (especially their overwatch, a tool I otherwise don't think Orks can make use of). I went from three trukks to four, then five, and eventually six, and I think if there wasn't a limit, I would have kept going. They are the right combination of fast, durable and cheap, and they consistently score me secondary objectives. And I've expanded my Squighog Boys unit from being mobile objective doers to being the primary hammer of my list. Some things haven't worked for me: Beastsnagga Boyz and the Beastboss. I've used this unit in the vast majority of my games, but I just can't help but feel like it doesn't do enough. Often, the best thing about it was the OC, which I can get cheaper from regular Boyz. The Beastboss has been especially disappointing, as he is so reliant on generating Devastating Wounds in order to do any damage, and even against vehicles, it's pretty easy to have a bad turn and not get enough 4+s. At least the Squigbosses are durable enough that when they whiff, they can be expected to stick around and get another shot at it. This is a recent drop for me, but I can't imagine I'll miss them. Nobz and the Warboss. I've gone back and forth on these guys, from running a full 10-man, to having none, to having two 5-mans (each with a warboss), and most recently, back to a full 10-man. The truth is, they are the best source Orks have for a large quantity of AP-2 attacks, something we sorely need. But they suffer from being too easy to kill; -1 to-be-wounded is nice and all, but 2W and no innate invulnerable save just make them too soft, and we can also slap a -1 to-be-wounded on any non-vehicle unit. This is a high-finesse unit and one I've been really trying to use well. Anything that shoots other than Flash Gitz. We just don't have enough support, our weapons are good enough, and we can't field enough of it to matter. In the end, this meant I've found the most success by making lists that focus on staying power over offensive burst; a few units can lay down the hurt, but the vast majority of the list isn't interested in killing the enemy as much as it's just trying to find points to score. And even those best, most deadly units, the Squigbosses and Squighog Boyz, are really about being ultra-durable and forcing the opponent to over-invest in killing them, lest they let my stuff get to them. That means it's very viable for me to keep my units on objectives but out of Line-of-Sight and force the enemy to over-commit to clear the objective. It's simple, it's effective, and frankly, it's a lot of fun. But, there's a problem. The Problem Sitting back on objectives and forgoing charging into the enemy isn't very Orky. There's room for kunnin' and I'm a Blood Axe at heart, but still, it will never feel right to go "my Squighog Boys are not going to move to charge that Dreadnought" and instead just score points by sitting there. But, that's what I'm often doing! And, again, I like it! Playing the game tactically and for the win is an enjoyable experience. It's just not what I signed up for when I selected the greenskins. There's a couple more: I cannot paint Orks fast enough to react to changing metas and my own preferences. I paint every detail on my Orks and use a lot of colors, and it just takes me forever, which isn't ideal when you want to quickly swap and add units. I hate the movement rules in the Charge and Fight phases. I just don't find it fun to do, and those phases being so key to my army's (meager) offensive output actively saps my enjoyment. So, what's the solution? The Solution Enter the Necrons. They have it all: Primarily a shooting army, so no need to perform charge/fight phase movement a dozen times per game. A quick paint scheme that I can bang out fast when my list needs to change. Similar overall strategy of holding objectives and just surviving the onslaught to score points. But most importantly; They play competitively like they are in the fluff. Currently, competitive Necrons are all about using "bricks" of either Warriors or Lychguard (or even one of each!), getting them on objectives in No Man's Land and just outlasting everything. They get killed and then just get back up, an implacable force that laughs at the puny weapons of the younger species of the galaxy. Their esoteric and arcane technologies allow them to make the laws of physics into tools for acts akin to magic, such as the teleportation of troops. And so on and on, fluff reflected on the tabletop in a manner that isn't just faithful, but is also good. It's for these reasons that I'll be switching to Necrons, a faction I didn't even consider at the beginning of the edition, as the name of this blog implies. In fact, other than painting the Indomitus set three years ago, and another five Immortals as a palette cleanser some time later, I never seriously thought about collecting the army, let alone playing them as my main faction. But then again, 10th is my edition of trying new things, so I should be less surprised. But for now, the Kharezt dynasty awakens, and marches to war.

Ok, finally closing out the Adepticon 2023 catch-up Game 1. Win v. Wolves I thought they had us in the early turns. It was clear they cross a lot of table quickly. Should we leave the sentinels forward and give the enemy the extra move, or just pull them out? I think it'd be helpful to pause on decisions and go through outcomes in practice games. here my thinking was that I wanted early pressure on the objectives. I also wanted to divert them to get some shooting in where possible before they reach me. I also set the bullgryns up to stall their advance, knowing they'd break through the sentinels quickly. The thunderwolves were very tough, but our shooting was able to overcome them. Maybe with a smaller squad size they'd have been able to hide better. We did effectively screen out their terminator reserves. They then held the back lines instead of causing more immediate problems in our lines. Once the thunderwolves were effectively nullified, we were able to shift our focus to launching out on to the midground objectives. Again terrain placement and type plays a crucial role. If we couldn't get 5+ tanks in LOS of thunderwolves, I don't know how we kill them. This could have been a big loss going the other way. There's an intellectual fog around where and when to deploy out of sight for me. I need to learn more here. This is one of those points of misunderstanding where I win a fair amount of games, but not reliably. Understanding line of sight, enemy movement speed, really knowing the terrain rules and reserve rules... it all comes together. Kasrkins also did outrageous damage. Yes, play the meta units... I've of mixed opinion on the rule change. On one hand it was a 'feel bad' or 'gotcha' type of unit. On the other hand, I'm not the receiving end of such units all the time. It's nice to have one of my own for once. Good game to start the day. Game 2 Win v. BA Tensions high in this one. It's important to remember it's just a game. So, the big question was who launches out to the midground first? I think our list was a bad match up for them. They didn't have a whole lot of long range firepower. Early charges failed creating some lopsided results. Even with a number of command rerolls they failed like 7 charges in the game. Being left in the open the results were as you might expect. Felt bad on this one. I don't know that they win outright if they make their charges, but it sure would have been a much different game. If they could have bounced from unit to unit in consolidation and pile-ins, it's really rough on guard. Anyway, we were able to move up and get some firing lines on them while they weren't really able to move out. Reserves coming in failed their charges too. Great team, great paint job. Winning two to start is unusual for us, we're in trouble now. Game 3 Loss v. Tau Completely annihilated. Not an ugly agonizing loss though. These guys were great fun to play. They won best tacticians overall (best battlescore). I like the magenta paint scheme too, really eye-catching. The player measuring in the photo below had just won singles the day before (I don't know how you play 7-8 games and then come to the team tourney... I'm getting old but my mind would be mush). The other player is a coach on vanguard tactics, and he's really great too. So, any lessons here? Hard to learn when outclassed to such a degree. Issue: In the back right top of the photo is a giant terrain piece. It's obscuring. His army can move shoot move. Effectively I have nothing that can shoot them. In their turn they jump up, shoot me, and jump back behind cover. We're dead in the water. I don't think a token manticore or field artillery does much. They might have helped some though. I might have reserved some tanks to come in from the sides. Adepticon team tourney does have some special rules so CP was very limited. A regiment trait or tank ace to get a trait might have helped the reserves issue too. Still, assuming I come in like it's T3 and get a good shooting angle - I get one round of shooting and I'm toast. Not necessarily a good trade. If used reserves in conjunction with indirect fire, perhaps I'd have been able to limit some critical mass of enemy shooting. Though as orders are in the command phase, I should think that my shooting from reserves would not have really been that effective anyway. I'm not killing a riptide with 1-2 lemans. Vanquishers would normally be a solution, but they have shield drones - all high impact shots would be wasted. I also could have went full steam across the table with mechanized orders - possibly taking cover at other terrain pieces. But, this highlights a multi-part failure. I needed to understand what terrain would do. I needed to understand what their army could do with terrain. I needed to plan my own terrain defensively, and offensively as to how I might get across the table. Perhaps with precise terrain placement and selecting small forward deploy units, I might have put some objective pressure on them. Army list construction - the banesword can't maneuver or get line of sight. maybe the answer would have been to just stay off the table till T3. They didn't move out anyway. Let them fill the board and just come on in to a shooting gallery. Again the CP limits might have caused this to not really work, but that might be the best option. Game 4, Loss to Custodes What I didn't want to happen was to have bikes inside a densely packed backfield. I figured they'd be there turn 2. They instead played very conservatively. I pushed out on the right flank to try and get less bunched up while not opening up too much to a counter charge. Also, they were going to be up on points. Terrain as always is a crucial part here. If we'd agreed that the first floor was line of sight blocking I don't think we kill a custodes. Instead, it was a fairly close game. Once they got some squads on to objectives, it was just nearly impossible to get them off. Late game we did break out and started doing real damage, but it was too little too late. It was a good one. We all talked through multiple ways it could have gone. We also talked for sometime about the state of the game. They'd been in 40k since 4-5th edition. They noted how hard it can be to have a good tight game. I might slaughter a new player. I then get slaughtered by somebody going to weekly tournaments. That player then gets butchered at the top tables. There's levels to players and often there's a complete mismatch. When people talk about balance, this is not discussed. The hyper competitive side of the game isn't necessarily good for the hobby overall, or keeping new players. It's a weirdly time and money intensive hobby that doesn't translate well to sports or other activities. Game 5 Win v. Thousand sons and Guard I wasn't real sure what to do with deployment. I knew they had a lot of reserves, so I didn't want them getting in behind us. Thankfully they didn't have a bunch of indirect fire to wipe out our infantry. First turn they didn't want to over-expose themselves. We were able to move out and cause some real damage. Also, perfectus orders to bullgryns pushed out reserves... a lot. So their terminators and magnus came in, but maybe not in the best position they'd hoped. The terminators have good shooting, but the tanks weren't the optimal target. Their psychic powers are very good. But, Magnus whiffed his rolls to do any real critical harm when he came down. And, he came down immediately in front of our whole army. BBQ time. The banesword fulfilled it's purpose this game. Summary So, with 4x player teams, I think the other half went 3-2 as well. Looking at the overall results then, we're down a bit to 91 teams this year. We came in at 256 battle points, or 16th place in gameplay alone. That's much higher than usual for us. Big win. Some years we're near the bottom. Some we are in the middle. In appearance we got 116/125 points. That puts us tied for 6th with three other teams. Get those decals on there! Work on those blends and glazing! On theme we 100/100. Tied with 4 others for first on that. I really enjoyed making the army list, operations order, krieg costume, and wax seals. Put in a lot of work there, and we got recognition on it. In display we got rank 5 in which points are awarded, and a team can be invited to the showcase. Tons of work here, and very happy we got the invite. In player theme we got 29/30. This is just other teams ranking us. In total hobby score we got 250 points, putting us at 3rd place in hobby alone. And, actually there was a tie for first place. I thought we were well out of our league, but the judges were really kind. For overall/combined scores then we got 5th place. Super excited for that. Last year we were wild that we got 29th place. Didn't come home with any awards this year, but we were super close to best display, best appearance, and best imperial. The appearance score of 116/125 made all the difference. I think we were lucky in gameplay - realistically getting to grips with what we know, what we don't know, and what we don't know we don't know... we'd need to do tournaments at least every month. I think we're very far away from reliably winning more games (not to say we shouldn't try). Epilogue Afterwards motivation has remained high so far. I haven't sworn off the game, as happens after some lopsided tournaments, or skewed edition rules requiring building a completely new army. For now I like the idea of continuing to work on the display board. I think it'll be fun to take out to other tournaments, though it might be a bit much to show up in costume with a zeppelin to a local tourney. I want to cut the board up a bit, and add some real changes to the layout - do what I my actual vision of the thing was before time ran out. Doing more tournaments might also help me get to know some of the local players. I'm not part of any groups and see familiar players once every 9-12 months. I've got a lot of ideas for the next board, but without seeing the tyranids yet... I'm just not sure what the story is going to be. Well, one teammate has 10,000pts of orks so we could just to orks. But, organizing the team is always difficult. Would hate to start in on building a 15sqft board if it turns out we don't have 4 players. When I was young I had time but no money. Now I have money but no time. In any case, I can probably start sketching out the board now. If it doesn't go, it doesn't go.

Krieg Display Board 2023. Spotlights. This year I wanted spotlights. The forgeworld version are long OOP, and when they show up on ebay every other year they're about $50+. Zinge makes great spotlights. However, I also need a stand for the spotlight. Kromlech makes a great heavy weapon base with a tri-pod. It's a bit too tall for my liking, but it'll work. I chose to put it on a 65mm base because I wanted to hook up electrical. I gave it a quick zenithal with the airbrush on Castellan green working up a bit with layer colors. Importantly I had to drill out the wiring holes prior to assembling the battery and LED components (only the wires would fit through drilled holes, not the LED or buttons). I set the button up on the base itself as the base isn't deep enough to hide everything. So there's a little push button on top there. Evans designs for electrical - works perfect. I'm sure if one was tech saavy it could be constructed cheaper than a pre-made kit. And they Work! Sand Bags! Way cheaper than green stuff. Roll out logs. cut small bits. Depress those bits with cloth for texture. Cut the sides and add a little flair for the cinched opening of the sand bag. Board Construction. Basically it's the same as last year. I'm not happy with that, but it's a practical reality. I put a lot of effort into the altantic wall/maginot line style defense, but it still reads very similar to last year. If I'd started earlier in the year, I might have had more time to think over what works and what doesn't. A vision rarely matches the actual product. Oh well. Experimentation doesn't always work out. I didn't have time to run planks down the trenches, so it's lacking some detail too (though this can be added now). I will say I do l like the texture more this year. Wood glue and sand - not mixing in plaster as it looks too sloppy. Rather, plaster ended up looking like plaster, and I want this to look like sand. I have no doubt there are many great recipes for mud and dirt out there in the diorama world. I think I also want to experiment with some grass and trees for more detail. Getting ready for judging! Hi everybody! Here's me. I finally went off the deep end and and joined the costume club. I'll post separately on that. So, this was an early morning. We'd stayed up very late and worked hard hours leading into it. I'd made most of the board, and brought it down to finish at the hotel. The team really stepped up and helped slather some paint all over the board for me. I was too far behind to finish it alone. For the team tournament there's judging starting at 7 am and 12 noon. We go with the morning spot because it's easier to get situated in the morning instead of after game 1 at lunch time when everybody is moving around. It's chaos at noon. However, noon is also when all the hobby stars, youtubers and games workshop is walking about. The fun part of the day is looking across hundreds of gaming tables and seeing the zepplin still standing on the sidewall. Lots and lots of players are really great, and come over to introduce themselves to get pictures.

So here's another tourney report for you. Phew, that was a slog and an absolute ing waste of my time, money, and bolt shells. Let me explain. Today, I ran the following list and placed 7th out of 12 with one win and two losses. I really wanted to play my Iron Hands instead if I'm completely honest, but I was convinced to stick with my Chaos since that's what I've mained so far in 10th and I'm most familiar with its rules and units. Oddly enough, my Chaos actually has more defensive abilities than my Iron Hands, but my Hands are better against armor . . .which is what I needed. Sigh. - Terminator Sorcerer (Warlord) with 5x Terminators (Slaanesh) in deep strike - Exalted Champion with 10x Chosen (Khorne) in a Land Raider (Nurgle) - Sorcerer with 10x Legionaries (Tzeentch) in a Rhino (Nurgle) - Master of Possessions with 10x Possessed (Undivided) - Havocs with lascannons (Nurgle) - Helbrute with lascannons (Nurgle) - 10x Cultists (Nurgle) - Noctilith Crown (Nurgle) Game One: Imperial Knights (Loss, 71-41) Summary: If you reference my prior report on 12AUG2023, you may remember I played Knights in my first round then too. Same guy, slightly different army. He still had a mass of Armigers and a Vindicare, but this time swapped his two big boys for a Porphyrion. He also had Inquisitor Karamzov and two groups of Inquisitorial Henchmen. The general trend of the game was "Chaos Marines leap across the midfield, seize objectives, then get blasted." I was actually ahead on points going into Turn 3, but it was a rough start -- bad dice (this is going to be a theme) means that all my gunfire only killed one and crippled one Armiger on my first turn. The Porphyrion then steps out, and despite my best efforts, promptly blasts the Crown to smithereens while the bracketed warglaive got himself a toehold inside the 12" "no shooty" effect of Dark Obscuration, plugged the Land Raider with his thermal spear, then charged and finished it with his chainsword. The Vindicare of course sniped out my MoP as soon as possible, but it didn't stop the Possessed ripping up one flank with a little help from the Legionaries. My Havocs kept rolling low damage as usual; the one chance they had to do something amazing was an Overwatch against Karamazov as he ran onto an objective. I rolled three sixes which Sustained into six hits and four wounds. . . and he promptly saved all four hits. Disappointing. By the end of the game, I was down to just the Legionaries and Sorcerer, while only killing three Warglaives. Lessons Learned: Most of the army ran like clockwork mechanically, even if the dice weren't behaving. Chosen killed a Knight in combat, Possessed killed a Knight in combat, the Legionaries held my flank for five turns. . . the only disappointing element was the new additions, the Terminator drop squad. Granted, they didn't have exactly good targets, but I figured if I could get them into combat with Sustained Hits on chain & power fists they could at least account for something. Nope. Failed their charge on the drop even with a reroll and got slaughtered by mass Helverin autocannon fire. My opponent was wise to my tricks from last time and worked around some of them. I'll admit that while a disappointing finish, it wasn't unexpected -- I consider this opponent a friend and he's very good. Game Two: Chaos Knights (Win, 100-38) Summary: Having an 0-2 record in 10th Edition against Imperial Knights, I wasn't too sanguine fighting a Tyrant, Stalker, two Brigands, two Huntsmen, an Executioner, a unit of Nurglings, and Shalaxi Helbane. Turns out, I needn't have worried too much. My opponent started off without much luck; due to terrain and objective layout, most of the War Dogs had to Advance and thus weren't able to shoot. What shooting he did get off resulted in the drum total of three wounds getting knocked off the Noctilith Crown. My first turn was the exact opposite. My shooting killed two War Dogs; the Possessed killed a third and the Chosen dragged down a fourth (the Legionaries alone -- and just their shooting -- left one War Dog on 1 wound. Not bad for a bunch of bolters!) After that, I coasted a bit. About half the Possessed were killed as they advanced on the Tyrant and Shalaxi murdered what was left of the Chosen (though they pulled down about half its wounds thanks to Eternal Hate), but at the end of Round Three the only thing left of the Knight army was the Nurglings cowering behind a ruin in the corner. Lessons Learned: Once again, the Terminator drop did Jack and -- and Jack left town. Combi-weapons aren't worth much if you don't have infantry targets to shoot at, and they failed their charge even with the free reroll from the Sorcerer again. It didn't have much effect on the outcome, but that was a very disappointing failure. With the bad out of the way, let's look at the good. The Legionaries once again pulled more than their weight, earning me CPs and laying down such a rain of fire that my opponent needed a bucket to catch the lead. The more I play Legionaries, the more I like them. I'm prepping three more squads -- one equipped to capitalize on each Mark -- but that's a project for the future. The Helbrute's aura is still amazing, and I'm going to find space in the army for at least one more; I try to keep him positioned between the Land Raider and the Havocs so both benefit and all get the Crown's invulnerable save and it seems to work pretty well. Lascannons go fwash. It took the Possessed longer than I thought it would to bring down the Tyrant, but they managed it and are still probably the fastest, scariest hammer I have ever run in a 40K army. Game Three: Death Guard (Loss, 96-76) Summary: I'm not going to cast aspersions. . . okay, I'll cast a few aspersions. My opponent was a very fast talker. He was throwing out abilities and numbers left and right at a stupendous pace and anytime I tried to ask for clarification or questioned an effect, his response was something along the lines of "That's how it works! You can look it up if you want but I'm going to keep doing X." I can't say he was cheating but I honestly couldn't tell because I didn't catch half what he said or did because he was just blowing through everything so fast! It was not a fun game and I left the store with a sour taste in my mouth over his shenanigans. In any case, he ran Mortarian, Typhus, two PBCs, three Blight Crawlers, two Bloat Drones, Deathshrouds, a Helbrute, a Defiler, and a Land Raider. Oh, a unit of Cultists. Man oh man, my dice turned to straight garbage. I swapped them out twice to no effect. My Possessed carved out the middle of his army, ticking the last of the life from the Land Raider, surviving the return from Typhus and his bodyguard, then slapping back hard. The MoP got to use the anti-psyker ability on his staff for the first time so that was nice. They'd kill the Helbrute too before Mortarian double-backed and removed them. My Legionaries finally let me down, doing only mediocre damage to the Defiler and rolling garbage on their saves -- at one point, I rolled four 1s and 2s on AP1 D2 attacks -- forcing me to commit the Terminators to that flank. The Defiler was on three wounds -- just three -- and rerolling a 9" charge is about 50/50 odds to land. I didn't get it Game One. I didn't get it Game Two. Game Three's the kicker, right? Wrong. They got the Defiler the subsequent turn, but not before I lost the objective. Meanwhile the Helbrute died to concentrated fire (one turn of his aura was enough to trigger an instant "kill that thing!" decision) and, surprisingly, the Havocs became a priority target after that. My Chosen tried to shore up my center and right, and accounted for a Bloat Drone and half of a PBC, but Mortarian swung back over to kill them. I flopped the Eternal Hate rolls for my power fists and ended up only putting six wounds on Morty while the Land Raider was busy failing all of its Invulnerable saves to the Blight Hauler multimeltas. We only finished three rounds and I wanted to just call it, but my opponent started a "talk-it-through" of the last two rounds but again, he was going a mile a minute and assuming results of moves and attacks in very bad faith. I'd already had enough of his crap so I just let him run his mouth and tally up points. We were close to being tied when the dice went down and I think I was even up a little bit so I should have just told him to piss off but again, frankly, his demeanor the entire game had just put me off so much I just. Didn't. Care. So of course he tallies himself up a whole bunch of extra VPs for a 20-point win. Whatever. Lessons Learned: I've run the Sorcerer-Legionary package now in six tournament and three casual games, and in nine events this is the first time their performance has been disappointing in any way -- but again, that what the dice's fault. They failed to roll successfully on the Eye of Tzeentch, they busted saves, they were missing shots, etc. Such is life, and the overwhelming evidence is that the package works well. The Terminators on the other hand are absolutely zero-for-three in my book and are getting pulled. I figure I can fit in more Havocs and/or a second Helbrute instead. They failed their drop-charge every time, and while they did kill the Defiler it only had three wounds left. The subsequent turn they charged into a Blight Hauler and couldn't even kill that thing in one round! The Possessed literally caved in the Death Guard center and penetrated all the way to their backfield objective, and it took Mortarion to sort them out. The real pressure came from his big daemon engine brick -- one Hauler, both Drones, and both PBCs hooked to my right and my rolls for my lascannons just could not get it done. The Havocs biffed two turns in a row and it took the Chosen smashing down a Drone and a PBC to actually give me a fighting chance on that flank. Overall Lessons Learned: I've used the word "disappointing" quite a bit already, but that seems to be the theme of today. The Terminators did nothing for me. A quick rejig in the WH app lets me swap that package out for a second Helbrute and a second squad of Havocs with 15 points to spare. I'll have to build more -- my other painted squad is autocannons and I want more lascannons -- but that gives me heavier firepower and another double-dip Helbrute aura. The Legionaries and Possessed are still my absolute MVPs and I love them both; the Chosen were functional last tourney but this time around they really laid out a lot of pain so they get to stay in. As I expected, the balance slate change to Devastating Wounds had no real effect on the Possessed since they don't dole out single big hits but lots of small ones, and the mass-rerolls on them with Profane Zeal is just *chef's kiss.* I missed having the free-stratagem on the Chosen that came from a Chaos Lord but honestly, the Khorne Enhancement works a lot better on the Exalted Champion. He already gets +d3 Strength when Dark Pacting inherently; tacking an extra +d3 Strength and +d3 Attacks from the Talisman of Burning Blood just cranks up the hurt. At one point he was heaving eight S10 attacks into Shalaxi Helbane. Those left a mark, let me tell you! I'll keep testing and refining and we'll see where this all ends up. Thanks for reading!

Morning all. I'm one of the many long time admirers of Templars who has finally jumped in with new supplement. But now thanks to a Twitter poll I'm planning on taking my Templars to the 40k Grand Tournament at Warhammer World in February. Thought it would be fun idea to document my progress to hone my list and paint it in time. This will be the biggest competitive event I've ever attended so advice on list composition would be greatly appreciated. I'm not neccesarily out to win the whole thing but I'd like to win atleast a couple of my games. First job though is to get the 2021 grand tournament mission pack and study the missions so I can put together lists that can achieve the objectives. On the painting side I have a few units in progress so far, with these five assault terminators being the closest to being finished. Now time for me to get to work.

Any fellow members attending this tournament? I'm travelling down on my own so it would be great to meet some fellow gamers down there.

I really enjoy both RG where I started, and DA, and reading the Horus Heresay books (I am about a quarter thru the 54 books on my kindle) is just reinforcing that. I went with DA for 9th edition, with a focus on tourney play, and while I acknowledge SM arent in a great place competitively, there are some options out there, and if nothing else, if I can master DA (and maybe RG) as a faction, in spite of never threatening top tables till the meta shifts, that will make for some fun games, and winnable ones at that often enough. With the loss of TTL as a secondary, and changes to Stubborn Defiance...my list theorycrafting has gone into overdrive while I am deployed here to a lovely spot in Europe. But no games played sadly lol. Im going to squeeze in a few via TTS here, and get my Army tweaked to reflect this list below but wanted some feedback, as Im not sure it is capable enough just yet. Patrol (-2 CP) - NFORG slot - Voidsmen x6 (for RND, backfield OBJ or screens) - Lazarus (for the 5++ vs MW and another RRHR1 bubble) - Infiltrators x8 with a helix (for a surprisingly long last stubborn defiance option with smokescreen as an option, and can be pulled up via the guerilla tactics for more RND access) - RW Apothecary (-1 CP) Chief, Selfless Healer - Multi Melta Attack Bike - Multi Melta Land Speeder - Eliminators with bolt carbine, las fusil - Eradicators x6 with HMR, MM that get combat squadded. DeathWing Vanguard (0 CP after refund) - Azrael, Warlord no trait - Interogator Chaplain in TDA (-1 CP) Chief, Wise orator - Relic Terms x5, LC, combi bolter, reaper cannon - Relic Terms x5, same deal - Relic Terms x10, same deal but seargent has the no cost power sword (will prob do same in other squads), and one guy has a chain fist due to left over points. ---------~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So my expectation here is to take stubborn defiance on almost all maps, minus the one that denies infiltration (and maybe even then, but it is a five point swing for missing that first turn!). RND with the voidsmen (6 so they auto pass), a squad of relics or a pulled up infiltrator in the second enemy quarter, or where that isnt practical map wise, RTB when it is the better option. With the new write up for Stubborn Defiance, it seems like an OBSEC termie unit can march up and replace the infiltrators, freeing up some options. I have the bike, speeder for added MM shots, speed, and as cheap feeder units for oath of moment (if I dont see a better third option). One jets up to claim center and take a pop shot while the other hides. It likely dies, rinse and repeat. All while some termies march up the center. The 10 man gets combat squadded into a deepstrik package with the better melee options, and the other five are double reaper cannon (good for defending an SD objective etc). I place one to two relic squads into deepstrik with the chaplain, who will use commanding oratory upon arrival to autopass canticle of hate for the charge bonus. Az has one wing, the side of the board with infils (to give them 4++ vs ranged), a combat squaded half of eradicators and the eliminators. Laz is on the other side (and these two wings are intended to be close so there is some overlap during any push up the board) giving more of the MW bubble to the relics on that side or pressing center/midboard. Erads are the only potential targets for transhuman. Infils rely on hiding, smokescreen, helix and their plussed up number to last. Elims rely on their fire and fade mechanic, cloaks on terrain, and range to be durable. Thoughts? Critiques? Previously lists included the anti infantry Talonmaster with arbiters gaze, but I swapped it to increase my terminator count. List should start with 4cp, with one very often being spent on voidsmen in strat reserve for RND (or one of the eradicators as an "arrive and pop someone," threat) so I am used to starting with 3cp in actual practice.

As the title says there's an Aeronautica Imperialis Tournament at Warhammer World in Nottingham in January, myself and a couple of friends are going to be heading up for it and I was wondering if any of you fine fellows will be there too? Ticket Link here Rules Pack here It's going to be my first AI Tournament although I've played in plenty of other tournaments for other systems, does anyone have any tips as far as competitive AI goes and if there's much of a "meta" to be aware of? Rik

Any fellow Fraters attending Throne of Skulls this weekend? I'll be be there repping the Black Templars sub forum and hoping to have a fun weekend.

I am going to my second tournament event in 9th edition, brining the Templars again. Draft list and targeted secondaries: HQ: Primaris Capt (Plasma Pistol, MC Power Sword) Primaris Chaplain (master of sanctity, reroll hits, +1 to Wound in CC, +2 inches advance and charge, Wise Orator, Crusader Helm) Primaris Techmarine Troops: 5 Infiltrators 5 Infiltrators 5 Infiltrators Primaris Crusader Squad (Sword Brother, 5 Initates, 4 Neophytes, Power Sword, 2 Power Fists) Elites: Redemptor Dreadnought (Plasma, Onslaught Cannon, 2 Storm Bolters, Rocket Pod) Redemptor Dreadnought (Plasma, Onslaught Cannon, 2 Storm Bolters, Rocket Pod) Redemptor Dreadnought (Plasma, Onslaught Cannon, 2 Storm Bolters) 5 Assault Terminators (4 Thunderhammers, 1 Lightning Claws) 5 Blade Guard Veterans (Oath of Sigismund) Judicar (Tannhauser's Bones) No Slot: Apothecary (Chief Apothecary, Master Healer) My plan for secondaries is roughly: - Oaths of Moment (if I have a center objective), or Grind them Down if not (hence the techmarine and apothecary to keep stuff alive) - Raise Banners (3 squads of infils on objectives turn 1) - Third choice depending on opponent (Assassinate, Bring it Down, Abhor the witch, or Shock Tactics.) Thoughts appreciated!

I'm taking the plunge to my biggest tournament yet! I'm under no illusions as to the likely placing I land at, but regardless for the London GT I'm taking my Ultramarines! I always like to theme but I have dropped a couple staples I would ordinarily go with in a slightly more effective outlook to roll with. Check it: What I've found in my tournament and competitive games is that am good on the ground making decisions to score points against lists that otherwise outclass me so I need to determine what those lists are doing that so outclasses my army. I've came to the conclusion my weakest parts are: • Lack of a Thunder Hammer on my Captain. If you're gonna fight, you don't want to rely on D2 weapons. • Lack of Troops. Bare minimum just means I'm holding onto like 3 guys for an objective. More men in each of the Tacticals, with the obvious largest pushing forward, seems prudent. • Lack of the hard edge to take out stuff that otherwise bothers Marines. To this end, I found it to be Mortarian, Leman Russ tanks, elite Heavy infantry, Knights, large Tyranids... adding the Vindicator Laser Destroyer, Attack Bikes and Kratos gives the army an offensive output in a much shorter time frame. Housekeeping wise... the Kratos might yet get a Multi-melta and might even get the Melta Cannon. I can drop a single Marine to make that happen.

My local group is having a tournament in a couple of weeks (short notice) and it's 1000pts 40k. There's a lot of new/inexperienced gamers, so it's staying small to keep things fast. Normally I take whatever I think will be fun, but this time I'm playing to win! 1000 Jump/Bike List 1500 Biker/Jump list (expanded version of above) From these you can kind of see what I'm comfortable playing. Attack bikes have been a staple of my armies since 5th ed, and combined with the priest they're pretty rad. The Opposition: I'm not sure exactly how many will be in the tourney, but we're looking at maybe 8-10. Knowing peoples preferences, the lists I'll probably be dealing with are: The knight player from my last game (2 knights + armiger in 1k) Slaanesh Daemons (Keeper, Syll'eske, blob of daemonettes) Dark Angels mixed Blood Angels Genestealer Cults +/- Tyranids +/-Scions air cavalry (hard at 1k?) +/- Death Guard The List: The natural evoultion of these two lists bring me to this, which is where I think I'll start planning my list. We have a strong base in attack bikes, biker smash captain, sanguard, the priest, if he can revive an attack bike per turn, effectively adds 5% to my points total per turn. My concern is that that army is then 25% characters, which seems a lot. I dont want to spend any more than that. Maybe I can make the priest the warlord and get him teeth of terra + arty armour to make him pull his weight in combat also. I then have to choose between Icon of the angel + gift of foresight and Imperiums Sword + Visage of Death on the captain. Thoughts on that? Unsure if the storm shield is even worth it without angel artifice/Indomitus. The big question marks are the outriders and the death company. The death co could be swapped for Vanguard or more sanguinary guard. Thinking critically, ignoring armour is probably worth more than weight of dice, though Death co dont even have weight of dice on their side due to the extra A on the Sanguard. You're looking at 6 s4 AP-2 D1 chainsword attacks on the charge for 25pts vs 5 s5 ap-4 D2 attacks from a Sanguinary guard for 30pts. What I've learned is that my armies are definitely based around multiple ~150pt units that move fast and punch above their weight. I could also add a whirlwind in there for anti horde and suppression fire. Alternatively, I go mad and chuck a librariain in there for null zone+ unleash rage, and lose the captain. My other units hit quite hard anyway. 1000 Jump/Bike List Thoughts, input and optimisation are welcome! I'll be ordering the SM and BA strat cards this week so I have them to hand for the game so no forgetting.

Figured we could generate some discussion! ++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Astartes – Raven Guard) [116 PL, 2,000pts, 7CP] ++ + Configuration [12CP] + **Chapter Selection**: Hungry for Battle, Raven Guard Successor, Whirlwind of Rage + Stratagems [-2CP] + Relics of the Chapter [-2CP]: 2x Number of Extra Relics [-2CP] + HQ [12 PL, 235pts, -2CP] + Primaris Chaplain on Bike [7 PL, 140pts, -1CP]: 1. Litany of Faith (Aura), 4. Mantra of Strength, Absolver Bolt Pistol, Benediction of Fury, Chapter Command: Master of Sanctity [1 PL, 25pts], Crozius arcanum, Frag & Krak grenades, Litany of Hate, Stratagem: Master of the Trifold Path [-1CP], Swift and Deadly, Twin Bolt rifle, Warlord, Wise Orator Primaris Librarian [5 PL, 95pts, -1CP]: 1) Veil of Time, 3) Null Zone (Aura), Bolt pistol, Force sword, Frag & Krak grenades, Master of Ambush, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter [-1CP], The Armour Indomitus + Troops [15 PL, 295pts] + Incursor Squad [5 PL, 105pts] . 4x Incursor [84pts]: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades . Incursor Sergeant [21pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Occulus bolt carbine, Paired combat blades Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]: Auto Bolt Rifle . 4x Intercessor [80pts]: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Intercessor Sergeant [20pts]: Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades Tactical Squad [5 PL, 90pts] . 4x Space Marine [72pts]: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades . Space Marine Sergeant [18pts]: Astartes Chainsword, Boltgun, Frag & Krak grenades + Elites [85 PL, 1,360pts, -1CP] + Aggressor Squad [12 PL, 240pts]: 2x Flamestorm Gauntlets, 5x Aggressor [200pts], Aggressor Sergeant [40pts] Centurion Assault Squad [18 PL, 285pts] . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion Sergeant [65pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Meltaguns [10pts]: 2x Meltagun [10pts] Centurion Assault Squad [18 PL, 285pts] . Centurion [65pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Meltaguns [10pts]: 2x Meltagun [10pts] . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion Sergeant [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer Centurion Assault Squad [18 PL, 285pts] . Centurion [65pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Meltaguns [10pts]: 2x Meltagun [10pts] . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer . Centurion Sergeant [55pts]: Centurion Assault Launchers, Siege drills . . Flamers: 2x Flamer Primaris Apothecary [5 PL, 95pts, -1CP]: Absolver Bolt pistol, Artificer Armour, Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary [1 PL, 15pts], Frag & Krak grenades, Reductor Pistol, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter [-1CP] Vanguard Veteran Squad [14 PL, 170pts]: Jump Pack [2 PL, 12pts] . Vanguard Veteran [26pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Lightning Claw [3pts], Storm shield [4pts] . Vanguard Veteran [26pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Lightning Claw [3pts], Storm shield [4pts] . Vanguard Veteran [26pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Lightning Claw [3pts], Storm shield [4pts] . Vanguard Veteran [26pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Lightning Claw [3pts], Storm shield [4pts] . Vanguard Veteran [23pts]: Astartes Chainsword, Frag & Krak grenades, Storm shield [4pts] . Vanguard Veteran Sergeant [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [8pts], Storm shield [4pts] + Fast Attack [4 PL, 110pts] + Attack Bike Squad [2 PL, 55pts] . Attack Bike [2 PL, 55pts]: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta [10pts], Twin boltgun Attack Bike Squad [2 PL, 55pts] . Attack Bike [2 PL, 55pts]: 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades, Multi-melta [10pts], Twin boltgun ++ Total: [116 PL, 7CP, 2,000pts] ++ https://www.goonhammer.com/competitive-innovations-in-9th-lvno-winner-hobart-gt/ Rumors of Assault Centurion's deaths' were greatly exaggerated

To start just some pics of a few of the tournaments tables. They were designated Heavy, Medium, and Light. I have detailed pictures of the first game I'll post below. In each case the opposing team chose to have the Raven Guard player fight the Knights ... I assume because, you know ... Centurions. In the first game it was Assault variety and the second with Grav/Missiles. I did win the roll to see who went first 5 out of 5, so that helped a little lol. My first opponent deployed aggressively with Incursors and Invictors. I would have also, given the middle Ruin Obscured 75% of the boards LoS from one side to the next. The positive side is it was tall enough to deny true LoS also. I wasn't worried so much about his board presence as his Reserves. I knew the Knight-Lancer could wreck the Invictors while the other Knights could shoot up the Incursors. The Aggressors and Impulsor loaded with a Chapter Master, Blade Guard and Judiciar held back die to Thermal Cannons I assume. I pushed up guaranteeing he would deep strike something behind me. A number of things happened here. First of all my original plan to melee the Invictors to death with the Knight-Lancer became moot when I was able to get two Knights to touch the middle ruin and shoot through it.They did enough damage to the Invictors that when one blew up it also insured the death of the second. This left the Lancer in the open and the prime target for the Centurions. As it happens I focused the Paladins fire that blew up the Impulsor, weakening the Blade Guard, Chaplain, Judiciar, and killing the Chapter Master, My opponent thought he had brought the Centurions in T2 but my pictures show they arrived T3. Promptly killing the Lancer. But now his heaviest firepower was cut in half. The Paladin took a beating from the Blade Guard and Aggressors, but they were both reduced in size that made Grind Them Down throughout rest of the game. I withdrew as far as possible from the Centurions rest of the game after taking the Grav-Marines and Drop Pod out. At all times either camping on or rotating Knights from one Objective to the next. Summary: I think my opponent (who won best looking army) needed more ObSec, more ObSec and better use of SftS. I'd have hidden everything I could and brought down a 1000 points T2. I'd lose a couple hundred points in Infiltrators but thats why you toss as many MSU of ObSec out as possible (using Infiltrator strat). I also believe straight Raven Guard is a better way to go than Successor in 9th. I'm a fan of Long Range Marksman and Master Artisan too, but with the coming changes I think giving up the full benefits of the Raven Guard abilities and Relics isn't worth it. It's why I'm painting my Warhawk version of Shrike. I was going to go through my second game with a different Raven Guard player (no photos) but it's late. I'll go through that one tomorrow. If you look at the initial set of pictures its the one with the reddish brown ruins and stacks of pipes on the field. I forgot until just now that in this game the other team chose the table I got to choose the opponent. They gave me the choice of Raven Guard or a 120+ Ork list. I didn't feel I had enough bullets for than, and knowing Raven Guard so well meant my team mates wouldn't be surprised by our shenanigans. I find it strange players aren't more in tune with what RG do considering LVO last year. No way I'm buying all the Codexes like I use to in 3rd and 4th edition, but using Battlescribe in between games to get a feel for what your opponent has is a great tool ata tournament. Back tomorrow

Grey Knights take it once more at recent tourney! Army list winners: https://spikeybits.com/2020/10/top-3-40k-army-lists-fall-brawl-tournament.html All GK infantry, over 75 models, including a Brotherhood Champion, 10 Interceptors, 15 Purgation, 20 Strikes....AND 30 Purifiers! So cool to show GK army has potential for a variety of competitive builds now. Even surpassing runners up: - 3rd Place DA Deathwing Army (majority Terminator models) - 2nd Place Necrons Army (the beastly Silent King included) Again, so cool!

I'm taking my Ultramarines to a tournament in January. My list choice is pretty set because of models available but I wanted to start a discussion on what sort of hurdles Ultramarines will have to overcome to win our games? Major challenges such as gun lines lead by Guilliman is a particular worry for me. Imperial Guard/Astra Millitarum with ALL the tanks could be a problem. Hmmm what else? Dark Angels and Blood Angels are superior to us in most games so I think a balanced list of either is going to be difficult for me but if they specialise their armylist along shooting and close combat respectively I actually fancy my chances. Here's my list: It's struggling points wise to make many changes without losing a crucial attack force and I know the Terminators need their Captain for added punch when I drop the Vanguard and Terminators onto the enemy. The Techmarine was included simply because he was cheap and helped my Dreadnought more than a Chaplain would help the Sternguard and Captain. The Culexus Assassin is amazing and a trump card. He's the reason I had to ditch my lovely Captain in Cataphractii armour. Anyway, you can see that my list has large numbers and a mix between attacking potential and a shooting support base. I have used to it defeat a friend's Grey Knights who is a highly competetive player (as well as other less competetive players). I fancy my chances against most Marines lists. I reckon I can beat Tyranids except maybe their gun line armies. Like I said, it's things like Guilliman protecting a gunline. My attack force will meet a Primarch and probably die when I need it, along with my shooting, to take out the gunline.

Hey guys, The other weekend I took guard to a local event and ended up winning!! Checkout the tournament report: https://youtu.be/zrHdwRv672Q I hope you enjoy :)