Lone Wolves

[Decoy]

Okay. It's been a while since I've posted anything, or even played a game. However, I feel compelled to bring this up.

 

 

I played my first New Wolves game a few weeks back, and I was testing an experimental list comprised mostly of Grey Hunters, relying heavily on plasma, mid-to-short range shooting, and generally going against my standard grain of "KILL EVERYTHING THAT MOVES!" in close combat.

 

However, it was as if Leman Russ himself descended to guide me on my correct path, as every main shooty element of my army was annihilated. What happened next was nothing short of amazing.

 

 

One Lone Wolf cut through ten Ultramarine Terminators, a Chaplain, and Lord, two Ten-man regular squads, and a Land Raider. Another dropped a Leman Russ (allied), a Dreadnaught, an Inquisitor with full retinue, and a 10-man Vanguard Vet squad.

 

... For eighty five points each, this is patently absurd. TDA/SS/TH Lone Wolves, annihilating over 600 points of enemy army, EACH?

 

Now, I know I've always had decent luck, and a 2+/3++ is nothing to scoff at, but I didn't even take a wound with any of these guys, despite shooting and close combat; If I failed an armor save, the FNP took care of it, and generally, a 3++ invuln holds up pretty well.

 

Are Lone Wolves really this good? It's not just me, right?

[Joasht]

As long as you follow the long list of things you cannot use FNP against, then thats a perfectly valid result :D

[CarlSkaven]

FNP?

[Bearboy]

Feel no pain A universal special rule.

[TiguriusX]

Did you have any S8+ weapons (PF/TH/Krak missiles etc) or AP1 (melta) or AP2 (LC/Plasma)?

 

FNP is nice but doesn't work against everything

 

Hell the list of things the LW killed should have stepped back and rapid fired and odds favored a regular bolter putting a wound on him.

 

If you can kill 2+ terminators with SS you can basically kill a LW

[Xeenos]

One Lone Wolf cut through ten Ultramarine Terminators, a Chaplain, and Lord, two Ten-man regular squads, and a Land Raider.

 

So.. that first one killed 33 models? The 20 Tack Marines, then 10 Terminators with 5+, then the two HQ both with 4+, AND a land raider which you need a 6 to damage? Hmm.. How many turns did you say this game was? Becouse you get at most 5 attacks a turn, 3 if you charge, 2 in the oppenents turn.. So if the game lasted say, 7 turns.. you could have at most 35 attacks IF you managed to charge every turn. Sure is alot of 'Ifs' there Hahaha.. If your that lucky, might is sugest investing in Lotto Tickits.

[Decoy]

One Lone Wolf cut through ten Ultramarine Terminators, a Chaplain, and Lord, two Ten-man regular squads, and a Land Raider.

 

So.. that first one killed 33 models? The 20 Tack Marines, then 10 Terminators with 5+, then the two HQ both with 4+, AND a land raider which you need a 6 to damage? Hmm.. How many turns did you say this game was? Becouse you get at most 5 attacks a turn, 3 if you charge, 2 in the opponents turn.. So if the game lasted say, 7 turns.. you could have at most 35 attacks IF you managed to charge every turn. Sure is alot of 'Ifs' there Hahaha.. If your that lucky, might is sugest investing in Lotto Tickits.

 

You've got it essentially right, Xeenos, but we played until Annihilation; we didn't keep track of turns. Our only goal was killing off one another, and we swiftly lost count of the turns. I think we ended on turn 9, ultimately... Neither of us was willing to give up while we still had models on the field, a trait I respect in an opponent. Plus, we were both bound and determined to see what would happen with the Lone Wolves, as essentially they were my only close combat units on the board. He was curious about their power, and I wanted to see how far they'd go before they finally petered out.

 

Hm. Anyways, thanks for the clarification, folks. I'm still trying to find out the downside to these behemoths of close combat...

[stinkenheim]

power weapons are their downfall. a 3+ inv save is really nice, but your striking last and are going to fail on average 1 in3. that means only 6 wounds will kill your lone wolf as he doesn't get FNP against CC attacks which ignore armour saves, nor againts attacks which are double his T, or AP 1/2.

getting shot at by a full tac squad will likely take at least a wound from him too, unless he has 2 wolves acting as ablative wounds, but even then its only stopping two wounds from landing on him.

 

lone woves look good, and im sure in the right circumstances they are pretty tasty but you got more than extremely lucky during that game

[Bartali]

Hmm, I can't be bothered to work it out exactly, but the chance of a Lone Wolf killing all of those models without taking a wound is probably equivalent to winning the lottery whilst being struck by lightning at the same time.

[Chucku]

Does a Lone Wolf get FNP against weapons that would cause Instant Death since they also have Eternal Warrior which makes them immune to the effects of Instant Death?

[bloodred0114]

Hmm, I can't be bothered to work it out exactly, but the chance of a Lone Wolf killing all of those models without taking a wound is probably equivalent to winning the lottery whilst being struck by lightning at the same time.

 

lol that sounds about right... now can I get that kind of luck anywere...please?

faced a guy the other day with an army that had a few lone wolves in it... I did not fare well lol lost in an epic fasion... so I could use some of that luck :P

[styx]

Buy a lotto ticket and rub it on that model. Pray to Russ. Send me a precentage for this advice. :P

 

Serious, that was a stroke of good luck but the secret to a lone wolf is using them correctly. If you don't have them in the right spot at the right time, they die quickly. I prooved that point last week, a friend had Wolves with one, I had IG, I held in reserve and had lots of flanking. So he got two free turns (going first) he advanced up the Lone Wolf try try to catch a tank or two before getting killed...instead I hosed him with melta guns and ended his short career.

[Vassakov]

Lone Wolves are certainly nasty, but their sweet spot seems to be in either holding up/wrecking enemy units with no way of getting through 2+ FNP (Ork Boyz, Small Nids, etc) or with the SS/CF and taking on the nastiest enemy unit you can find and hoping that the rerolls and generally nastiness of the unit can take it down.

 

Sometimes they'll wreck havoc, other times they'll face a single unit in a shooting match and keel over. But overall they'll be worth the madness and terror they can achieve amongst the enemy, even if its only "OH-GOD-KILL-IT!!!"

[TiguriusX]

Does a Lone Wolf get FNP against weapons that would cause Instant Death since they also have Eternal Warrior which makes them immune to the effects of Instant Death?

 

No...the rules don't have any type of synergy

 

He can't be instant killed but it still negates FNP. Seriously...a simple PW against the LW and he has no FNP and is relying on the SS.

 

Slaughtering an entire SM task force is an abnormality

[Daffydd Fireclaw]

2 Lone Wolves causing that much devastation? That's got to be the best luck anyone has ever had with the dice. Still, if they can do that when they have whole armies shooting them, imagine the damage in kill teams :D I think I need to try out a couple of LW in my 2K force :)

[HERO]

One Lone Wolf cut through ten Ultramarine Terminators, a Chaplain, and Lord, two Ten-man regular squads, and a Land Raider. Another dropped a Leman Russ (allied), a Dreadnaught, an Inquisitor with full retinue, and a 10-man Vanguard Vet squad.

 

What a joke! Either your opponent was god awful, or your dice was blessed by the gods! Either way, this is unheard of.

[Raulmichile]

My LW took down yestarday a Bloodthirster with 3 wounds remaining, received the charge of Skulltaker and 10 Bloodletters surviving Skulltaker's attacks but dying to the massed power weapon nastiness of the Bloodletters. Anywayy it was good because he delayed them for one turn giving the rest of the army time to redeploy and shoot the bejesus out of the Bloodletters next turn. A truly heroic death!!! :D

[MaveriK]

you all seem to forget, this is Decoy were talking about! the man and his great company disappeared, and came back from the warp.. kickin (bleep) and taking names all in the name of Russ!

[whitewolfmxc]

Good one Decoy ! Any real batttlerep or pictures ?

[sonofwaranddeath]

Wow, I have been wanting to know how well these guys were, and this answers it well!

[Decoy]

Good one Decoy ! Any real batttlerep or pictures ?

 

I bloody wish, mate. I've finally got a camera, but I'm a technological barbarian; if it doesn't work when I punch it, I generally give up.

 

I could write up a batrep, but it's a habit I've kind of fallen out of. Moreover, with my army composition in this battle, it'd be a fair embarrassment to the Wolfy way; Almost completely shooty, no tanks with three Long Fangs squads. The only intriguing elements of the game were the three Lone Wolves I had. I guess I'm just meant to be 13th Company. No matter the edition, I'm destined to go tooth and claw into the enemy, full-tilt, forgoing most manners of shooting. :P

 

 

@ MaveriK

 

Good to see you too, Mav. :P You give me too much credit. Good to know I still have a reputation around here, even if it is as a rabble-rouser more often than not.

[Xeenos]

I just hate the walking aspect of them.. If you could put one in a Drop Pod.. now that would be sexy..

[Athalus]

what was your final list? Always interested in what my fellow 13th brothers are running. I am going to be running lone wolves as well, such monsters for their points

[Decoy]

Eh, it was a list I whipped up on a McD's bag in pencil in about twenty minutes. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, Athalus. However, the general gist was:

 

Njal

Lord w/ Wolf Claws/Belt

 

 

10x Grey Hunters Plasma/Plasma/P-pistol

10x Grey Hunters "" "" ""

10x Grey Hunters "" "" ""

10x Grey Hunters "" "" ""

10x Grey Hunters Meltagun/Meltagun/Powerfist

10x Grey Hunters "" "" ""

 

Lone Wolf: TDA/TH/SS

Lone Wolf: TDA/TH/SS

Lone Wolf: TDA/Wolfclaws

 

6x Long Fangs: 5x Missile Launcher

6x Long Fangs: 5x Lascannon

6x Long Fangs: 5x Missile Launcher

 

 

Anyways, that's the rough outline. I was just testing out the feel of Grey Hunters as a 13th Company "Grey Slayer" substitute, and was oddly let down. Leadership never became a problem, even as every Grey Hunter squad on the board was wiped out over the course of the game... Methinks a Wolf Guard army would serve the 13th far better.

[Athalus]

I am gonna be trying out some wolf guard, the two attacks mimic the slayers pretty well - and its cheaper than the slayers were. Very similar to lots of troops and longfangs, cept I use as many cyclone missile launchers as I can throw in =).