What's on a Brother-Captain's Mind

[Hackbar]

It occurred to me yesterday that I'm having a very hard time with the new codex because of the large number of different abilities and psychic powers available to me and the disparate times and methods by which they may be activated. I penned down a quick chart of the steps in a game and then started adding in all the extra items a GK player might need to remember. Before long, I decided a legible, typed copy might be useful, and typing led to formatting, formatting led to HTML practice, and before I knew it I had a pretty useful little document for myself. Italics are used to indicate the numerous actions specific to Grey Knight players, bold picks out the stages/phases of the game, and plain text indicate the normal steps of the game for players of any codex. Without further ado, I submit the document for your comments and criticism:

 

 

Pre-Game Actions

Build Army List

Find Opponent

Set up Table

Roll for Grand Strategy and choose which role to apply to which unit(s). (note that this is done before you know whichdeployment zone you will be using, much less how your opponent might deploy)

Roll for first turn, pick deployment zones

Deploy Servo Skulls (note that you do this before either player deploys, and that your opponentmay therefore take your servo skull placement into consideration when deploying)

Deploy per mission rules

Deploy Infiltrators

Move Scouts

 

Turn Phase:

 

Start of Movement

 

Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless. Check for fleeing units, fall back or regroup (with the benefits of ATSKNF) as appropriate

Psychic Powers:Psychic communion (GK Turn)Quicksilver (GK Turn)The Summoning (GK Turn)Warp Quake (GK Turn)Reconstruction (GK Turn)

Roll for reserves, (remember mordrack comes in automatically on turn 1)

Roll for "I Shall Not Yield" If Thawn is down on the field

 

Movement Phase

Psychic Powers:Fortitude (GK Turn)

Remember Interceptors and Teleport-equipped Dreadknights move as Jump Infantry and mayuse once per game 30" teleport shunt (GK Turn)

Remember that Storm Raven can use Shadow Skies (GK Turn)

Remember to remove servo skulls when an enemy moves within 6" (enemy turn)

 

Start of Shooting Phase

Psychic Powers: The Shrouding (enemy turn)

 

Shooting Phase

Psychic Powers:Smite (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)Vortex of Doom (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)Warp Rift (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)Holocaust (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)Sanctified Flames (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)Astral Aim (GK Turn)

Remember to keep track of which units carry Psybolt/Psyflame Ammunition and which do not

Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless and must take Pinning tests as appropriate

 

End of Shooting Phase

Remember most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless and must take morake checks for 25% casualties in the shooting phase

 

Start of Assault Phase

Psychic Powers:Might of Titan (GK Turn)

Sanctuary (enemy turn)

 

Assault Phase

Declare Assaults

Assault Moves

Defenders React

Roll for Psychostroke Grenades if present

Use Empyrean Brain Mines if presenr

Declare 'mode' for The Perfect Warrior if Brotherhood Champion or Crowe is present

Psychic Powers:Hammerhand (either player's turn)

Dark Excommunication (either player's turn)

Cleansing Flame (either player's turn)

If Thawn is present, remember that he posesses Psychic Mastery 2

Make Attacks in Close Combat

Remember to take into account frag, blind, rad, and psyk-out grenades where appropriate

Remember to take into account Master Swordsman if Crowe is present

If Thawn is present, remember that his WS differs from the rest of his squad

Remember to take into account Titan's Herald if a Brotherhood Champion or Crowe is present

Remember to take into account any Brotherhood Banners present, both for the extra attack and the sutomatic passing of psychic tests to activate force weapons

Remember to inflict hits on Daemons attacking models with Truesilver Armor

Psychic Powers:Zone of Banishment (either player's turn)Heroic Sacrifice (If Crowe or a brotherhood Champion dies in Assault)Activate Force Weapons (either player's turn, must decide to attempt or forfeit after first usnaved wound is inflicted)

 

End of Assault Phase

Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless. Make leadership tests for lost combats, take armor saves where ATSKNF or Fearless apply

 

I was lazy and used a BBcode converter rather than try to learn BBcode while I'm still shaky on HTML. Original HTML follows for anyone interested.

 

<html>
<h3>Pre-Game Actions</h3>
Build Army List<br/>
Find Opponent<br/>
Set up Table<br/>
<em>Roll for Grand Strategy and choose which role to apply to which unit(s).</em> (note that this is done before you know which
deployment zone you will be using, much less how your opponent might deploy)<br/>
Roll for first turn, pick deployment zones<br/>
<em>Deploy Servo Skulls</em> (note that you do this before either player deploys, and that your opponent
may therefore take your servo skull placement into consideration when deploying)<br/>
Deploy per mission rules<br/>
Deploy Infiltrators<br/>
Move Scouts<br/>
<h3>Turn Phase:</h3>
<h5>Start of Movement</h5><br/>
<em>Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless. Check for fleeing units, fall back or regroup (with the benefits of ATSKNF) as appropriate</em><br/>
Psychic Powers: 
<em>Psychic communion</em> (GK Turn)
<em>Quicksilver</em> (GK Turn)
<em>The Summoning</em> (GK Turn)
<em>Warp Quake</em> (GK Turn)
<em>Reconstruction</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
Roll for reserves, (<em>remember mordrack comes in automatically on turn 1</em>)<br/>
<em>Roll for "I Shall Not Yield" If Thawn is down on the field</em><br/>
<h5>Movement Phase</h5>
Psychic Powers: 
<em>Fortitude</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
<em>Remember Interceptors and Teleport-equipped Dreadknights move as Jump Infantry and may 
use once per game 30" teleport shunt</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
<em>Remember that Storm Raven can use Shadow Skies</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
<em>Remember to remove servo skulls when an enemy moves within 6"</em> (enemy turn) <br/>
<h5>Start of Shooting Phase</h5>
Psychic Powers: <em>The Shrouding</em> (enemy turn) <br/>
<h5>Shooting Phase </h5>
Psychic Powers:
<em>Smite</em> (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)
<em>Vortex of Doom</em> (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)
<em>Warp Rift</em> (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)
<em>Holocaust</em> (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)
<em>Sanctified Flames</em> (GK Turn, Psychic Shooting)
<em>Astral Aim</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
<em>Remember to keep track of which units carry Psybolt/Psyflame Ammunition and which do not</em><br/>
<em>Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless and must take Pinning tests as appropriate</em><br/>
<h5>End of Shooting Phase</h5>
<em>Remember most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless and must take morake checks for 25% casualties in the shooting phase</em><br/>
<h5>Start of Assault Phase</h5>
Psychic Powers:
<em>Might of Titan</em> (GK Turn)<br/>
<em>Sanctuary</em> (enemy turn)<br/>
<h5>Assault Phase</h5>
Declare Assaults<br/>
Assault Moves<br/>
Defenders React<br/>
<em>Roll for Psychostroke Grenades if present</em><br/>
<em>Use Empyrean Brain Mines if presenr</em> <br/>
<em>Declare 'mode' for The Perfect Warrior if Brotherhood Champion or Crowe is present</em><br/>
Psychic Powers:
<em>Hammerhand</em> (either player's turn)<br/>
<em>Dark Excommunication</em> (either player's turn)<br/>
<em>Cleansing Flame</em> (either player's turn)<br/>
<em>If Thawn is present, remember that he posesses Psychic Mastery 2</em><br/>
Make Attacks in Close Combat<br/>
<em>Remember to take into account frag, blind, rad, and psyk-out grenades where appropriate</em><br/>
<em>Remember to take into account Master Swordsman if Crowe is present</em><br/>
<em>If Thawn is present, remember that his WS differs from the rest of his squad</em><br/>
<em>Remember to take into account Titan's Herald if a Brotherhood Champion or Crowe is present</em><br/>
<em>Remember to take into account any Brotherhood Banners present, both for the extra attack and the sutomatic passing of psychic tests to activate force weapons</em><br/>
<em>Remember to inflict hits on Daemons attacking models with Truesilver Armor</em><br/>
Psychic Powers:
<em>Zone of Banishment</em> (either player's turn)
<em>Heroic Sacrifice</em> (If Crowe or a brotherhood Champion dies in Assault)
<em>Activate Force Weapons</em> (either player's turn, must decide to attempt or forfeit after first usnaved wound is inflicted)<br/>
<h5>End of Assault Phase</h5>
<em>Remember that most Grey Knights are no longer Fearless. Make leadership tests for lost combats, take armor saves where ATSKNF or Fearless apply</em>
</html>

[Valerian]

Good job; that'll actually be a handy little crib sheet to have on hand.

 

Valerian

[biglou666]

*print*

 

thanks bud, im sure that'll come in usefull, i mean, i even forget to roll red thirst with my blood angels! lol

[Freman Bloodglaive]

Seems like a normal army for me.

 

It's not like you'll be using all of those things at the same time anyway. You won't have Crowe, a Grand Master, and a Librarian for example.

[Hackbar]

Seems like a normal army for me.

 

It's not like you'll be using all of those things at the same time anyway. You won't have Crowe, a Grand Master, and a Librarian for example.

 

Well, no, you won't be using every single rule on the list in a given game, and I'm not trying to make Grey Knights out to be more complex than other armies. Still, when every unit on the board has at least 2-3 psychic powers to choose from, used at different points in the game, and can each only use one power per turn, having a cheat sheet should make it easier to keep track of what needs to be done when. I also threw in some notes for players of the old Daemonhunters codex who, like me, may be confused by the concept of non-fearless, potentially jump infantry Knights with actual force weapons and grenades etc., etc. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong, but I find I use at least 3-4 different unit types in a given army, plus a librarian and/or grand master. That means 5-6 different sets of psychic powers to keep track of each turn, and that's a lot compared to the 0-1 psykers i'm used to having.

[Grand Master Tchezzarus]

Verey, very, VERY USEFULL!

Well thought & well done.

Thanks a lot!

 

but you forgot something...

Last step : Don't forget to Copy/Past after reading!

 

Tchezz.

 

PS : as a side note what is the "Shadow Skies" ablility of the stormraven?

[Hackbar]

PS : as a side note what is the "Shadow Skies" ablility of the stormraven?

 

Same as the "skies of blood" on the BA raven, IIRC. units can jump out the back if it moves flat out, and jump infantry can even do so without risking their necks. Would be a very interesting ability if only Dreadknights could be transported in the dreadnought slot. As is, though, I see no reason to ever pile Interceptors in there.

[Inquisitor Lord Sean]

Gonna print this out and use this it's great just one question what's with the HTML code it's a stupid question but I have no idea if I should print that out to. Thanks

 

~Inquisitor Lord Sean =][=

[Hackbar]

The HTML version, if opened as an HTML file, comes out formatted slightly better than the version I was able to post. Personal preference, though, really.

[SamaNagol]

Just a note that Grand Strategy is rolled for and assigned at the start of the game, before the forces are deployed. Not before you roll for deployment and first turn.

[Hackbar]

Just a note that Grand Strategy is rolled for and assigned at the start of the game, before the forces are deployed. Not before you roll for deployment and first turn.

 

I'm not sure about that. Servo skulls specifically state that they are before deployment but also after sides have been chosen. Grand Strategy's text makes no such distinction that I recall, and I did have the actual codex in front of me Friday when I wrote the initial list.

[SamaNagol]

Well the 'Start of the game' is actually after scout moves have been made.

 

So by the exact wording of Grand Strategy 'Start of the game, before forces are deployed' would need you to go to the point of the 'Start of the game' and then rewind back to where you deploy forces. That is after the roll for 1st turn is made.

 

Another point regarding the specific phrase 'Start the game', which you can find in every deployment description in the BRB. You start "the game" after Scout moves are made. And as Personal Teleporters allow you to shunt 'once per game' you CANNOT Shunt during the Scout move as "the game" has not begun.

[Justcar]

A quick note:

 

Hammer Hand can be used in either player's turn!

[Hackbar]

Another point regarding the specific phrase 'Start the game', which you can find in every deployment description in the BRB. You start "the game" after Scout moves are made. And as Personal Teleporters allow you to shunt 'once per game' you CANNOT Shunt during the Scout move as "the game" has not begun.

 

By that argument, smoke launchers also cannot be used as they are 'once per game.' Scouts says you may make a move "exactly as in their movement phase..." You can use the shunt in your movement phase, just like you can smoke grenades in your movement phase. 'once per game' doesn't come into it.

To look at it another way, if scout movement isn't part of 'the game' then the 'once per game' limit on smoke launchers and shunt moves doesn't count scout moves!

[hmk17]

The way I read no shunt in Scout Movement is the "normal move" clause in the Scout Rule.

 

The Personal Teleporter entry states "instead of moving".

 

Pretty simple.

[Justcar]

The way I read no shunt in Scout Movement is the "normal move" clause in the Scout Rule.

 

The Personal Teleporter entry states "instead of moving".

 

Pretty simple.

 

No it isn't simple.

 

People have been endlessly been arguing semantics on this and no one has a clear advantage.

 

It needs to be FAQed.

 

On the other hand, why would you want to send a maximum of three units right into your enemy's deployment zone? They'll be surrounded and destroyed while the rest of your units are jogging over there.

 

I think scouting storm ravens would work better. You get there fast, can use shrouding, and have heavy support.