BA Today

[Panzer]

Not that well to be honest. Pretty busy at work currently and my painting table is not ready to be used yet after moving. Also I'm going on a festival in about two weeks. I'll hurry to finish everything once I come back home but I won't vow more as I originally had planned. 

[BluejayJunior]

How are people getting on with their ETL vows?

I've only got the devastator squad, terminater capt, and primaris LT. I've got the base coat on all of them, but haven't been painting much lately. I need to get them finished so I can start on my Knights. I'm going to try to take a chunk out of them this weekend. 

[Majkhel]

I'm determined to complete the vow (Stormtalon) by Sunday. It will not be easy as I have 2 recording night session ahead of me. Oh and I wanted to try object source-lighting on the pilot. Never tried that before :P Edited June 22, 2018 by Majkhel

[Jolemai]

I'm determined to complete the vow (Stormtalon) by Sunday. It will not be easy as I have 2 recording night session ahead of me. Oh and I wanted to try object source-lighting on the pilot. Never tried that before

 

Here's a tl;dr from LutherMax's thread. Basically, search in there for this Stormraven to see the effect.

[Zebulon]

So, a couple of hours frenzied kitbashing and I have this:

 

 

https://i.imgur.com/nytjJEP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DyLwt9j.jpg

 

I think he would be a fitting start to my forthcoming third vow.

 

I am also considering a Captain Smash and a Terminator Ancient, and maybe a kitbashed Captain Tycho too... those four would make probably another 500 points to the cause? What do people think, good idea?

 

Edit: apologies for the very weird lighting on the photos...

Edited June 22, 2018 by Zebulon

[Jolemai]

 

 

http://fortressofunforgiven.homestead.com/ETL_VI_Top_Banner_.jpg

 

ETL VI - WEEK 7 UPDATE

 

 

 

 

http://fortressofunforgiven.homestead.com/ETL_6_Poster_01_Announcement_V2.jpg

 

+++ETL VI - WEEK 7 UPDATE+++

 

 

Week 7 is over, and we are officially past the middle point of the event! Currently we have collectively completed 71,402pts which is roughly 1/5 of the total points pledged. Overall 19k pts were completed in the week, and they were promptly replenished with new vows of equal value. 

 

As expected the Adeptus Astartes are in the lead but interestingly enough they are closely followed by the AoD with less than 400pts difference. Obviously the Astartes resources are vastly superior but that only matters if they complete their vows – something that historically has been a challenge. Be that as it may, Chaos and IFOR are pretty close too – although they have significant distance from the other two and Xenos are in the last position. Given the limited resources of the latter, it is imperative to achieve i) high completion rates especially among the first vows and ii) increase their re-vowing rate from 15% currently to at least double that.

 

Let’s see in detail:

 

E TENEBRAE LUX VI – Week 7

Faction/ForumParticipantsVowsPoints pledgedAvg. Vow Completions CRSCRAdeptus Astartes 185 234 153,505 65528,745 18.8% 5,390 Space Marines 6685 47,761 562 8,897 18.6% 1,657 Blood Angels 45 5938,972 661 7,078 18.2% 1,285 Dark Angels 45 53 37,452 707 7,445 19.9% 1,480 Space Wolves 29 37 29,120 787 5,32518.3% 947 IFOR 67 81 74,663 922 10,95314.7% 1,607 Adepta Sororitas 6 7 4,303 615 519 12.1% 63 AdMech 13 17 11,093 653 2,232 20.1% 449 Astra Militarum 21 26 20,888 803 4,863 23.3% 1,132 Imperial Agents 12 13 21,676 1,667 894 4.1% 37 Grey Knights 2 2 2,658 1,329 0 0% 0 Deathwatch 13 16 14,045 878 2,445 17.4% 426 Realm of Chaos 67 87 58,544 673 10,611 18.1% 1,923 Chaos Space Marines 55 72 44,715 621 8,690 19.4% 1,689 Chaos Daemons 4 5 4,145 829 738 17.8% 131 LatD 8 10 9,684 968 1,183 12.2% 145 Xenos 41 47 30,173 642 4,294 14.2% 611 Aeldari 10 11 3,492 317 718 20.6% 148 Necrons 10 12 7,507 626 1,787 23.8% 425 Orks 4 5 3,600 720 600 16.7% 100 T’au Empire 13 14 12,458 890 931 7.5% 70 Tyranids 4 5 3,116 623 258 8.3% 21 AoD 47 65 56,401 868 16,799 29.8% 5,004 AoD-L 26 36 31,409 872 10,400 33.1% 3,444 AoD-T 21 29 24,992 862 6,399 25.6% 1,638 Total ETL VI 407 514 373,086 726 71,402 19.1% 13,665

 

BLOOD ANGELS:

The Blood Angels had a relatively slow week, but they could afford it. With a re-vowing rate of 31% they utilise their resources quite effectively although the completion rate of 18% is about the average of the Faction. Their main weakness of the relatively low average vow seems now less important as the gaps keep narrowing as the event progresses. The best strategy for them going forward is to intensify the completions of first vows and keep re-vowing at roughly the same points’ values. If they can keep the pace, they are in a position to threaten the top! 

 

 

 

Following some hefty completions elsewhere, we've fallen down to sixth this week but don't let that dishearten you as we're well and truly in the mix! with just under six weeks to go we need to get these outstanding vows completed and squeeze in some more - we still have the third highest points pledged which means with a strong completion rate and a few more vows we can threaten the top!

 

Blood Angels have a reputation for the arts for a reason, show the B&C what we're made of!

 

[Zebulon]

So, counts-as Seth and Captain Smash kitbashes are 90% complete, or thereabouts. I need to add a Terminator Ancient with thunder hammer, and a counts-as Tycho and by my calculations those four figures will be ready for a third ETL vow of circa 490 points!

[Indefragable]

 

 

I'm slow

 

 

I have been making progress on my ETL vows in the past few days. My thing is I tend to do one color at a time: black on ALL the models, then metallic on ALL the models and so forth.

 

[Indefragable]

Theory:

 

15x DC w/ jump packs and Bolter & Chainsword (hey!) cost 300pts.

 

3x Captains with jump packs and twin lightning claws cost 315pts. Give them Death Visions of Sanguinius...

 

15x DC produce 8.89 unsaved Wounds on MEQ

Hidden Content

60A x .67 to hit x .67 to wound (Red Thirst) x .33 getting through 3+ Armor

 

2A base + 1 chainsword + 1 Black Rage

 

3x Capt w/ twin lightning claws produce 10.48 unsaved Wounds on MEQ

Hidden Content

6A each hitting on 2’s re-rolling wounding on 3’s re-rolling and bringing enemy armor to 5+

 

4A base + 1 for 2x LC +1 Black Rage

 

The Captain Blender build is also almost completely self-sufficient, able to re-roll all To Hit (WS2+ re-roll 1’s) and To Wound (LCs). But they cost 1CP each to upgrade. But they’re Characters.....

 

 

....hmmmm....

[Brother Cruoris]

Do the math for 10 DC with power swords. Should be around 15 unsaved wounds. For 240p. Even better. ;)

 

Edit. Points cost was wrong. =D

Edited June 25, 2018 by Brother Cruoris

[Majkhel]

DC also get a round of shooting, which captains lack.

[Silas7]

bolters against 3+ would probably snatch a few more wounds but still a very close match up.

[Arkhanist]

How are people getting on with their ETL vows?

 

Slowly, still working on the detail of my first 5 DC. Yesterday was my first day off this month (work overtime, a wedding and my twin toddlers birthday). July is a lot clearer so I should be able to pick up the pace a lot, though it's still going to be tight I think.

[BluejayJunior]

I'm slow

 

 

I have been making progress on my ETL vows in the past few days. My thing is I tend to do one color at a time: black on ALL the models, then metallic on ALL the models and so forth.

 

I batch paint like that, too, but I do it on a per-squad basis. That helps break things up for me. I've been going slowly lately, too. Just been too lazy to paint after work. I only have 7 models left to paint for my first vow. 

[Indefragable]

Making slow-but-steady progress on ETL vows.

 

On a different note, a boring start to the summer has gotten me the chance to play quite a few games in the past 1.5 months or so.

 

I am 7-0 at the moment, one the best streaks I've had.

 

I have fought:

• Salamanders assback/predator spam
• Black Templars w/ Leviathan Dreads
• Salamanders balanced list w/ multiple Stormtalons
• Tau gunline with lots of Longstrike+Hammerheads and double LoW
• Slaanesh daemons + Chaos Space Marines
• Ultramarines Contemptor Dreadnought + terminators + scouts + re-rolls spam
• 1 other I'm forgetting

 

Here's the list I've been using in 2000pt games, going 6-0 so far:

 

List A

Hidden Content

1997pts 13CP

 

Blood Angels Battalion A +5CP

HQ:

Captain

-jump pack

-inferno pistol

-thunder hammer

 

Lieutenant

-jump pack

-inferno pistol

-thunder hammer

 

TROOPS:

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

HEAVY SUPPORT:

Predator

-predator autocannon

-lascannons x 2

 

FLYER:

Stormraven

-stormstrike missile x 2

-twin assault cannon

-twin heavy bolters

-hurricane bolter x 2

 

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Blood Angels Battalion B +5CP

HQ:

Mephiston

 

Lemartes

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

ELITES:

Death Company  x 15

-jump packs

-bolter + chainsword x 12

-bolter + powerfist x 3

 

 

 

...and here's the list I used yesterday in a 2500pt game, affectionately called "Angry -ers" b/c it deliberately includes Lemartes, Mephiston, and an Eversor assassin and would have also included Astorath if I had actually built the model:

 

List B:

Hidden Content

 

"Angry -ers"

 

2500pts 14CP

 

Blood Angels Battalion +5CP

 

HQ:

Captain

—jump pack

—inferno pistol

—thunder hammer

 

Lieutenant

—jump pack

—bolt pistol

—power axe

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

—boltgun x 4

—Sgt boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—boltgun x 3

—heavy bolter x 1

—Sgt boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

HEAVY SUPPORT:

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

FLYER:

Stormraven

—stormstrike missile x 2

—twin assault cannon

—twin heavy bolter

—hurricane bolter x 2

 

 

Blood Angels Battalion B +5CP

 

HQ:

Mephiston

 

Captain

—jump pack

—lightning claws x 2

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

 

Blood Angels Vanguard Detachment +1CP

 

HQ:

Lemartes

 

ELITES:

Death Company Marine x 15

—jump packs

—boltgun + chainsword x 13

—blowgun + power fist x 2

 

Death Company Dreadnought

—blood talons x 2

—melta gun

—storm bolter

 

Vanguard Veterans x 5

—jump packs

—storm shield + chainsword x 3

—inferno pistol + chainsword

—Sgt. inferno pistol + chainsword

 

 

Offico Assassinorum Vanguard Detachment (Execution Force*) + 0CP

 

ELITES:

Eversor Assassin

 

*With latest FAQ, single Assassins can be taken in Vanguards with no HQ with no effect on CP, so you neither gain nor lose any CP.

 

 

Many factors have aided me in using both, mainly going 1st and having great Deployment maps (played combos of Maelstrom, Open War, and Chapter Approved).

 

The biggest takeaways (lots of words, be prepared):

 

Hidden Content

-If you are using Death Company and not using Forlorn Fury, you need your Club Baal membership card revoked. My opinions on DC are a bit counter-culture around here (TL;DR: I don't think they are quite as good as their reputation says they are), but the ability to get into combat Turn 1 as reliably as any power-armored force can is absolutely key.

Hidden Content

Part of my gripes with Death Company is the Lemartes Tax: when doing any sort of comparison to other units, you have to include the 129pt cost of Lemartes since his buffs are an almost indispensable force multiplier to the performance of DC. So a unit of 15x DC w/ bolter + chainsword actually cost 28.6pts/ea (129/15)

DC can really stack on the attacks (duh!), but the 6+ FNP is a piddling resiliency boost at best (duh). They will die, even just to Overwatch or in doing their very job (punching as many things as possible), and that's the best case scenario. Emperor help you if they get caught in the open. Enter Forlorn Fury. IMHO, it's half the reason to take DC.

 

-A Back to basics approach has also helped quite a bit. This is where the the Tacticals and Rhinos have really helped out. MSU Tacticals get 2+ save in cover and are virtually immune to Morale. That is excellent for holding midfield objectives. And 93pts gives you 2x plasma guns, 7A w/ +1 To Wound, and 3x bolters to chip off a wound or two. I had forgotten just how wonderfully disposable this unit setup can be.

 

-Back to basics part 2: Rhinos. Again, I had forgotten just incredible Rhinos are right now. They are arguably the most utilitarian unit in the Codex:

• They are vehicles, so they take an annoying amount of firepower to easily kill. Emphasis on "easily" because in 8th ed anything you want to die will die easily, but a Rhino is rarely a threat priority, hence making it an awesome nuance.
• They are highly mobile: 12" move + advancing. No surprise there, but that's a major force multiplier for running off to capture OBJ
• At 12" they churn out 8x bolter shots each. That's almost a Tac Squad's worth. And that's perfect for chipping down light/annoying units.
• They can transport Scouts (more on that below).
• They block line of sight for infantry
• They eat overwatch for other units and are great for tying up enemy shooty units
• Stuffing them full of bodies means less drops, which means better chance of +1 to go first (crucial)
• With 2x stormbolters they cost less than a Tac squad with a special weapon

...so what does all this mean? They are expendable. This is key because so much of how BA play is about going for broke: all-or-nothing 1st Turn charges, burning 12CP in Turn 1 (There are two kinds of BA players in this regard: those who have, and those will) and the like. Rhinos are an incredible compliment our army because they provide so many utilitarian options, able to directly support the banzai OR support the conservative take-and-hold objective game.

 

-Rhinos can transport Scouts. "Yea, no kidding. So what?" you may be thinking. But keep in mind the utility this provides. A squad of CQC Scouts can then either Infiltrate to either apply pressure to the enemy, deny your opponent's infiltrators valuable DMZ turf, or start the game on an OBJ. Alternatively, they can hop in a Rhino and charge the enemy, gaining a 9" movement (6" + 3" for disembarking) the turn they hop out. This turns Scouts into yet another unit that both eat overwatch for other units and chip away with their 11x +1 To Wound attacks.

 

-there are two kinds of things you want to spend points on: maximum killiness or maximum resiliency. Anything else is a distraction. This goes for wargear, warlord traits, and Command Points. Another reasons why Forlorn Fury is so useful: it can be used either to get DC into optimal choppin' range or to get them out of LoS to survive for another turn.

This is part of the reason why I have been leaning towards taking a Captain w/ TH + inferno pistol over the more popular TH + SS. A foe that wants to kill him will find a way. So your choices are to either have him go out in a blaze of glory, taking down as much stuff as possible (never forget you can shoot target A and then charge target or give him the Gift of Foresight + SS to make him last as long as possible. Both have compelling use cases and figuring out the right build for your specific purposes is something only you can figure out.

This is another reason why "back to basics" has been such a refreshing experience for me: expendability is a function of resiliency. Having Rhinos, Scouts, and Tacticals dying instead of your DC, SG, HQ's, etc... is the core of the game. Brutally simple and obvious, but something not to be forgotten

 

-knowing when to go for the kill vs when to tie up as many enemies as possible is crucial. In my own weird gaming vocabulary, I call this the Intentional Foul after the basketball term for purposely committing a disadvantageous move in order to gain a separate benefit. Most often you want to kill an enemy as opposed to just wound him, especially if the opponent can simply Fall Back and blow you away on his following Turn. However, there are times when you want to just pull as many into combat as possible. When do you want to do that?

• When you are confident you can survive the enemy unit's CQC attacks
• When you have follow-on forces that can finish them off (again, think CQC Scouts, Tacticals, etc... I think of this scene from 300 where troops behind the main battle line finish off the wounded foes).
• When you want to springboard a unit even further into enemy territory

Hidden Content

short version of springboarding: using the Charge distance to gain "free" movement to set your unit up for the next turn. Creative positioning and use of Pile-In moves can help to make sure you don't actually kill an enemy unit.

 

Lazy diagrams using x's for your unit and o's for enemy:

 

"Normal" way of assaulting when you want to get as many attacks as possible:

 

oooooooooo

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Deliberating reducing the # of attacks so that you can "swing" your unit further forward:

 

Contact:

oooooooooo

               xxxxxxxxxx

 

...after pile-ins:

                       xxx

ooooooooooxxx

               xxxx

 

 

-first and foremost, I have found that Turn 1 is about sowing chaos (small "c"). Almost even more importantly than eliminating threats is the effect of gaining and maintaining the strategic initiative. Smashing into the opponents lines, whether to kill things or tie things up, and genuinely just getting into his face will typically have the effect of throwing him off his game and making him react to you. As many of my points in this post, that may seem obvious, but it can't be emphasized enough. Because if he is spending his mental power and turns countering your moves and reacting to you, you can have a Scout or two lazily holding OBJ or running away with the Relic, netting you a nice little cushion of points regardless of the outcome of the main clash(es)

 

 

TL;DR: 40k is glorified chess. You want to force the enemy to take your Pawn with his Knight so that you can then use your Rook/Bishop to take his Knight, etc...

This is why a "back to basics" approach with expendable units has been quite effective for me

Edited June 25, 2018 by Indefragable

[Charlo]

Good read buddy and glad to see you are performing well.

 

Some excellent points on Rhinos too, they do seem rather useful these days.

[Deathwalker]

Making slow-but-steady progress on ETL vows.

 

On a different note, a boring start to the summer has gotten me the chance to play quite a few games in the past 1.5 months or so.

 

I am 7-0 at the moment, one the best streaks I've had.

 

I have fought:

• Salamanders assback/predator spam
• Black Templars w/ Leviathan Dreads
• Salamanders balanced list w/ multiple Stormtalons
• Tau gunline with lots of Longstrike+Hammerheads and double LoW
• Slaanesh daemons + Chaos Space Marines
• Ultramarines Contemptor Dreadnought + terminators + scouts + re-rolls spam
• 1 other I'm forgetting

 

Here's the list I've been using in 2000pt games, going 6-0 so far:

 

List A

Hidden Content

1997pts 13CP

 

Blood Angels Battalion A +5CP

HQ:

Captain

-jump pack

-inferno pistol

-thunder hammer

 

Lieutenant

-jump pack

-inferno pistol

-thunder hammer

 

TROOPS:

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

Tactical Marine x 5

-plasma gun

-Sgt. combi-plasma + chainsword

 

HEAVY SUPPORT:

Predator

-predator autocannon

-lascannons x 2

 

FLYER:

Stormraven

-stormstrike missile x 2

-twin assault cannon

-twin heavy bolters

-hurricane bolter x 2

 

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Rhino

-storm bolter x 2

 

Blood Angels Battalion B +5CP

HQ:

Mephiston

 

Lemartes

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

-bolt pistol + combat knife x 4

-Sgt. bolter + chainsword

 

ELITES:

Death Company  x 15

-jump packs

-bolter + chainsword x 12

-bolter + powerfist x 3

 

 

 

...and here's the list I used yesterday in a 2500pt game, affectionately called "Angry -ers" b/c it deliberately includes Lemartes, Mephiston, and an Eversor assassin and would have also included Astorath if I had actually built the model:

 

List B:

Hidden Content

 

"Angry -ers"

 

2500pts 14CP

 

Blood Angels Battalion +5CP

 

HQ:

Captain

—jump pack

—inferno pistol

—thunder hammer

 

Lieutenant

—jump pack

—bolt pistol

—power axe

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

—boltgun x 4

—Sgt boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—boltgun x 3

—heavy bolter x 1

—Sgt boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

HEAVY SUPPORT:

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

Predator

—predator autocannon

—lascannon x 2

—hunter-killer missile

 

FLYER:

Stormraven

—stormstrike missile x 2

—twin assault cannon

—twin heavy bolter

—hurricane bolter x 2

 

 

Blood Angels Battalion B +5CP

 

HQ:

Mephiston

 

Captain

—jump pack

—lightning claws x 2

 

TROOPS:

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

Scouts x 5

—bolt pistol + combat blade

—Sgt. boltgun and chainsword

 

 

Blood Angels Vanguard Detachment +1CP

 

HQ:

Lemartes

 

ELITES:

Death Company Marine x 15

—jump packs

—boltgun + chainsword x 13

—blowgun + power fist x 2

 

Death Company Dreadnought

—blood talons x 2

—melta gun

—storm bolter

 

Vanguard Veterans x 5

—jump packs

—storm shield + chainsword x 3

—inferno pistol + chainsword

—Sgt. inferno pistol + chainsword

 

 

Offico Assassinorum Vanguard Detachment (Execution Force*) + 0CP

 

ELITES:

Eversor Assassin

 

*With latest FAQ, single Assassins can be taken in Vanguards with no HQ with no effect on CP, so you neither gain nor lose any CP.

 

 

Many factors have aided me in using both, mainly going 1st and having great Deployment maps (played combos of Maelstrom, Open War, and Chapter Approved).

 

The biggest takeaways (lots of words, be prepared):

 

Hidden Content

-If you are using Death Company and not using Forlorn Fury, you need your Club Baal membership card revoked. My opinions on DC are a bit counter-culture around here (TL;DR: I don't think they are quite as good as their reputation says they are), but the ability to get into combat Turn 1 as reliably as any power-armored force can is absolutely key.

Hidden Content

Part of my gripes with Death Company is the Lemartes Tax: when doing any sort of comparison to other units, you have to include the 129pt cost of Lemartes since his buffs are an almost indispensable force multiplier to the performance of DC. So a unit of 15x DC w/ bolter + chainsword actually cost 28.6pts/ea (129/15)

DC can really stack on the attacks (duh!), but the 6+ FNP is a piddling resiliency boost at best (duh). They will die, even just to Overwatch or in doing their very job (punching as many things as possible), and that's the best case scenario. Emperor help you if they get caught in the open. Enter Forlorn Fury. IMHO, it's half the reason to take DC.

 

-A Back to basics approach has also helped quite a bit. This is where the the Tacticals and Rhinos have really helped out. MSU Tacticals get 2+ save in cover and are virtually immune to Morale. That is excellent for holding midfield objectives. And 93pts gives you 2x plasma guns, 7A w/ +1 To Wound, and 3x bolters to chip off a wound or two. I had forgotten just how wonderfully disposable this unit setup can be.

 

-Back to basics part 2: Rhinos. Again, I had forgotten just incredible Rhinos are right now. They are arguably the most utilitarian unit in the Codex:

• They are vehicles, so they take an annoying amount of firepower to easily kill. Emphasis on "easily" because in 8th ed anything you want to die will die easily, but a Rhino is rarely a threat priority, hence making it an awesome nuance.
• They are highly mobile: 12" move + advancing. No surprise there, but that's a major force multiplier for running off to capture OBJ
• At 12" they churn out 8x bolter shots each. That's almost a Tac Squad's worth. And that's perfect for chipping down light/annoying units.
• They can transport Scouts (more on that below).
• They block line of sight for infantry
• They eat overwatch for other units and are great for tying up enemy shooty units
• Stuffing them full of bodies means less drops, which means better chance of +1 to go first (crucial)
• With 2x stormbolters they cost less than a Tac squad with a special weapon

...so what does all this mean? They are expendable. This is key because so much of how BA play is about going for broke: all-or-nothing 1st Turn charges, burning 12CP in Turn 1 (There are two kinds of BA players in this regard: those who have, and those will) and the like. Rhinos are an incredible compliment our army because they provide so many utilitarian options, able to directly support the banzai OR support the conservative take-and-hold objective game.

 

-Rhinos can transport Scouts. "Yea, no kidding. So what?" you may be thinking. But keep in mind the utility this provides. A squad of CQC Scouts can then either Infiltrate to either apply pressure to the enemy, deny your opponent's infiltrators valuable DMZ turf, or start the game on an OBJ. Alternatively, they can hop in a Rhino and charge the enemy, gaining a 9" movement (6" + 3" for disembarking) the turn they hop out. This turns Scouts into yet another unit that both eat overwatch for other units and chip away with their 11x +1 To Wound attacks.

 

-there are two kinds of things you want to spend points on: maximum killiness or maximum resiliency. Anything else is a distraction. This goes for wargear, warlord traits, and Command Points. Another reasons why Forlorn Fury is so useful: it can be used either to get DC into optimal choppin' range or to get them out of LoS to survive for another turn.

This is part of the reason why I have been leaning towards taking a Captain w/ TH + inferno pistol over the more popular TH + SS. A foe that wants to kill him will find a way. So your choices are to either have him go out in a blaze of glory, taking down as much stuff as possible (never forget you can shoot target A and then charge target or give him the Gift of Foresight + SS to make him last as long as possible. Both have compelling use cases and figuring out the right build for your specific purposes is something only you can figure out.

This is another reason why "back to basics" has been such a refreshing experience for me: expendability is a function of resiliency. Having Rhinos, Scouts, and Tacticals dying instead of your DC, SG, HQ's, etc... is the core of the game. Brutally simple and obvious, but something not to be forgotten

 

-knowing when to go for the kill vs when to tie up as many enemies as possible is crucial. In my own weird gaming vocabulary, I call this the Intentional Foul after the basketball term for purposely committing a disadvantageous move in order to gain a separate benefit. Most often you want to kill an enemy as opposed to just wound him, especially if the opponent can simply Fall Back and blow you away on his following Turn. However, there are times when you want to just pull as many into combat as possible. When do you want to do that?

• When you are confident you can survive the enemy unit's CQC attacks
• When you have follow-on forces that can finish them off (again, think CQC Scouts, Tacticals, etc... I think of this scene from 300 where troops behind the main battle line finish off the wounded foes).
• When you want to springboard a unit even further into enemy territory

Hidden Content

short version of springboarding: using the Charge distance to gain "free" movement to set your unit up for the next turn. Creative positioning and use of Pile-In moves can help to make sure you don't actually kill an enemy unit.

 

Lazy diagrams using x's for your unit and o's for enemy:

 

"Normal" way of assaulting when you want to get as many attacks as possible:

 

oooooooooo

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Deliberating reducing the # of attacks so that you can "swing" your unit further forward:

 

Contact:

oooooooooo

               xxxxxxxxxx

 

...after pile-ins:

                       xxx

ooooooooooxxx

               xxxx

 

 

-first and foremost, I have found that Turn 1 is about sowing chaos (small "c"). Almost even more importantly than eliminating threats is the effect of gaining and maintaining the strategic initiative. Smashing into the opponents lines, whether to kill things or tie things up, and genuinely just getting into his face will typically have the effect of throwing him off his game and making him react to you. As many of my points in this post, that may seem obvious, but it can't be emphasized enough. Because if he is spending his mental power and turns countering your moves and reacting to you, you can have a Scout or two lazily holding OBJ or running away with the Relic, netting you a nice little cushion of points regardless of the outcome of the main clash(es)

 

 

TL;DR: 40k is glorified chess. You want to force the enemy to take your Pawn with his Knight so that you can then use your Rook/Bishop to take his Knight, etc...

This is why a "back to basics" approach with expendable units has been quite effective for me

 

All of this falls under the K.I.S.S. doctrine.

Don't get me wrong, you are right to point all of this out in extended verbiage, because, as you note people often forget the basics when put under pressure in a game and make their own "self goals" by ignoring the things that actually get them points. If I have ONE marine left, but more points than you, I win.

The goal in most matches is not a wipe, but a points based win.

[Jolemai]

New Unit of the Week series entry:

• Hunter

[Jolemai]

 

 

http://fortressofunforgiven.homestead.com/ETL_VI_Top_Banner_.jpg

 

ETL VI - WEEK 8 UPDATE

 

 

 

 

http://fortressofunforgiven.homestead.com/ETL_6_Poster_01_Announcement_V2.jpg

 

+++ETL VI - WEEK 8 UPDATE+++

 

 

Week 8 was markedly slower than Week 7 on the completions front. However, there was a lot of activity in the background which creates high hopes for Week 9. The total completed points increased by 12k to 83.6k and were replenished for the most part by 11k pts of new vows. As such total pledged points reached 384k. 

 

The Astartes retain their first position in terms of ETL score with the Blood Angels taking the lead from the Space Marines – even if it was only for 45pts – which goes a long way to show that every little helps. In the second place, the AoD which had a fairly slow week, yet still have a score more than twice that of Chaos with their strong 31% completion rate. Chaos on the other hand, although 3^rd, does not have a safety distance from the IFOR which is only 346pts behind and with a much lower completion rate. That means that i) IFOR has more points completed in absolute terms and ii) they have more resources available to them still. Lastly, the Xenos had a very, very slow week, with only 163pts completed among their 5 Forums… I sure hope they regain their momentum in Week 9 as the event is gradually entering its final stage. 

 

No let’s see Week 8 in detail:

 

E TENEBRAE LUX VI – Week 8

Faction/ForumParticipantsVowsPoints pledgedAvg. Vow Completions CRSCRAdeptus Astartes 185 241 156,249 64834,304 22.0% 7,531 Space Marines 6689 49,900 561 10,662 21.4% 2,278 Blood Angels 45 5938,853 659 9,501 24.5% 2,323 Dark Angels 45 55 38,032 691 8,634 22.7% 1,960 Space Wolves 29 38 29,464 775 5,50718.7% 1,029 IFOR 67 83 75,778 913 12,77016.9% 2,152 Adepta Sororitas 6 7 4,303 615 519 12.1% 63 AdMech 13 18 11,285 627 3,126 27.7% 866 Astra Militarum 21 27 21,811 808 5,786 26.5% 1,535 Imperial Agents 12 13 21,811 1,667 894 4.1% 37 Grey Knights 2 2 2,658 1,329 0 0% 0 Deathwatch 13 16 14,045 878 2,445 17.4% 426 Realm of Chaos 67 89 59,390 667 12,179 20.5% 2,498 Chaos Space Marines 55 74 45,551 616 10,258 22.5% 2,310 Chaos Daemons 4 5 4,145 829 738 17.8% 131 LatD 8 10 9,684 968 1,183 12.2% 145 Xenos 41 47 30,173 642 4,457 14.8% 658 Aeldari 10 11 3,492 317 718 20.6% 148 Necrons 10 12 7,507 626 1,787 23.8% 425 Orks 4 5 3,600 720 600 16.7% 100 T’au Empire 13 14 12,458 890 1,094 8.8% 96 Tyranids 4 5 3,116 623 258 8.3% 21 AoD 47 68 62,451 918 19,849 31.8% 6,309 AoD-L 26 37 33,874 916 11,120 32.8% 3,650 AoD-T 21 31 28,577 922 8,729 30.5% 2,666 Total ETL VI 407 528 384,031 727 83,559 21.8% 18,181

 

 

BLOOD ANGELS:

The Blood Angels had a very good week. With the highest completion rate among all Astartes and the highest score within the Faction (albeit with a small margin from the SMs) and with the most points completed in the week than any other Forum, they have every reason to feel good about themselves. More so since they are doing better than Chaos Marines! But the differences are small and can change easily in the span of a week. The key is to maintain their re-vowing rate (currently at 31%) at high levels – especially when compared with the SMs (re-vowing rate at 35%). But so far, so good…

 

 

 

Boom, phenomenal effort folks!

 

We've now moved up to third outright (having pipped C:SM and C:CSM) this week, with possibly a "completion" behind AoD-T in second - we're also now in the driving seat for our Faction's Primus Inter Pares title. For the next few weeks we will be jostling for position with these forums as completions come in, so we need to keep the pressure on and crank them out. History is on our side for high completion rates and with that comes everything, but it remains in our hands and it's down to YOU, the Frater, to bring us success.

 

We will prevail, but it's down to you.

 

[Majkhel]

Has anyone been using drop pods with open ramps in area denial role? I mean: 9" denial zone for the purpose of deep strikes extends from hull. I'd think that ramps would count.

[Panzer]

No and I never ever will. That's just cheesy and really bad rules writing from GW. I'll never consider doors as part of a model for anything and especially not for Drop Pods.

[Majkhel]

I admit it might be considered cheesy. However considering drop pods point costs and workings under current rules... I wouldn't say this breaks the day for anyone really.

[Panzer]

It's not about how strong it is in this case. It just feels wrong. Place one in the middle of the board and you practically denied all of your opponents reserves with basically no efford. That's just no fun for anyone.

[Jolemai]

Wait, are doors relevant again? :huh:

 

Best take this to the OR forum for more discussion.

[Brother Cruoris]

OR forum?

What's that? =)