BA Today

[SnorriSnorrison]

Hey folks, not been doing too much, but I was able to re-base my old assault squad and then proceed to get all the fast attack choices primed yesterday, namely the outriders and attack bikes! Not sure if RAS will be effective or efficient this edition, but they will have AP-1 in close combat and 2 wounds a pop...could be fun to try them out.

 

 

I'm fully prepared to chop off a hand here and there to give the outrider sergeants hammers or fists if they get updated in the new codex, fingers crossed!

 

Also, if my calculations are correct, attack bikes might be quite good this edition. If they also get the extra wound, that should take each bike up to 6.   (4 from the riders, 2 for the "bikes"). Not to mention that both heavy bolters and multi-meltas have received quite the buff with their extra damage.

 

More to come. :)

[Karhedron]

I would not count on an extra wound for the attack bikes since they are already 4W. However even so, I think MM attack bikes will be tasty!

 

RAS could actually be OK in this edition. They have received buffs to both durability and offense. It looks like 9th edition will favour units that can come in natively from Reserve to snag Objectives late game.

[Midnightmare]

Been busy on my Redemptor today -

Still very much wip, but I thought this looked quite ‘arty’ !!

[The Unseen]

Got 2 500 pt escalation league games in

Feel a lot like my concerns that 500 pts would lead to skew lists were entirely proven true.

Lost first game vs a nid player who brought a 6 man squad of zoanthropes buffed with some custom hivefleet traits and a neurothrope that meant they healed 1 wound a turn, spat out a 24" D3+3 smite at +1, and rerolled 1s on psychic tests, and never failed casting catalyst.

Was so running psychic scream and regular smite on the neurothrop.

So you have 18 T4 3++ 5+++ bodies floating at you, spitting out 3d3+3 mortal wounds a turn, backed up by 4 warriors for filling a patrol and a single biovore, who he deliberately kept moving so it would miss MORE often, because then he could plop the spore mine down and score engage on all fronts with them.

 

I lost pretty hard because the zoans are basically unkillable, and the mortal wound output meant I was tabled turn 3, as I just didn't have the shot volume to kill them and they rolled hot on 3++s all game.

 

Tried out 3 bladeguard but in that game they charged into the zoans and I think managed a single wound, and then they were immediately mind-bulleted.

 

2nd game I went 2nd and tbey got hit by over charged weapons of a dark age plasma talons and evaporated, 7 wounds, passed 4 4++, but 3 damage apiece meant they were just dead.

 

Turned that one around though thanks to auto intercessors clearing 2 scout squads and indomitus captain face tanking Sammael for 2 turns.

 

The other lists thats done absurdly well is raven guard running an invictor and 3 eradicators which are pretty absurdly undercosted, so if he wins the 50/50 roll off you basically just lose.

 

 

Summary: I don't recommend 500 pt games, lists are too constrained by points and the need to be on multiple objectives simultaneously, and skew lists are entirely too dominant because others will lack the points to build a well-rouded list capable of handling weird stuff.

[Xenith]

I lost pretty hard because the zoans are basically unkillable, and the mortal wound output meant I was tabled turn 3, as I just didn't have the shot volume to kill them and they rolled hot on 3++s all game.

 

 

Odd to say but I feel justified. A lot of the nid community poo-poohed Zoanthropes at the dawn of 8th due to low damage output, but they ignored the multiple wound 3++. They are an unkillable wall. In larger games, you could just shoot the thing that didnt have catalyst, but in these smaller games, ouch. It's a real mini-deathstar. I presume the hivefleet traits were the reroll a psychic test per turn one?

[SnorriSnorrison]

I concur, Zoanthropes have been quite the gem of the Tyranid codex in my opinion. 3++ saves are terrible to get through, as we know too well from our stormshields. Combined with their considerable mortal wound output, they're prime targets from the start. Whenever I can, I open fire with damage 3 weapons in hope of getting a wound through...

[Jolemai]

New Unit of the Week entry:

• Relic Deredeo Dreadnought

[Xenith]

I concur, Zoanthropes have been quite the gem of the Tyranid codex in my opinion. 3++ saves are terrible to get through, as we know too well from our stormshields. Combined with their considerable mortal wound output, they're prime targets from the start. Whenever I can, I open fire with damage 3 weapons in hope of getting a wound through...

 

Yea, I think that's the only reliable way, especially as they can regen wounds via neurothropes and the BoB hive fleed adaptation. You have to kill outright. 

[SnorriSnorrison]

 

I concur, Zoanthropes have been quite the gem of the Tyranid codex in my opinion. 3++ saves are terrible to get through, as we know too well from our stormshields. Combined with their considerable mortal wound output, they're prime targets from the start. Whenever I can, I open fire with damage 3 weapons in hope of getting a wound through...

 

Yea, I think that's the only reliable way, especially as they can regen wounds via neurothropes and the BoB hive fleed adaptation. You have to kill outright. 

 

My thoughts exactly. One-turn-kills would also work - shower in S4/5 attacks both in the shooting and fight phase to get through that 3++ save with the help of statistics. Easier said than done though, they're usually shielded by big nasties.

[Xenith]

 

 

I concur, Zoanthropes have been quite the gem of the Tyranid codex in my opinion. 3++ saves are terrible to get through, as we know too well from our stormshields. Combined with their considerable mortal wound output, they're prime targets from the start. Whenever I can, I open fire with damage 3 weapons in hope of getting a wound through...

 

Yea, I think that's the only reliable way, especially as they can regen wounds via neurothropes and the BoB hive fleed adaptation. You have to kill outright. 

 

My thoughts exactly. One-turn-kills would also work - shower in S4/5 attacks both in the shooting and fight phase to get through that 3++ save with the help of statistics. Easier said than done though, they're usually shielded by big nasties.

 

 

Even then, you need ~21 CC attacks easily done on the charge from BA, even on a depleted unit) to take down a single thrope, and 27 bolt shots. 

[The Unseen]

Starting on the building of my assault intercessors from Indomitus, giving the sarge a BA head and one of the 2-handed eviserators and paint it differently than the regular chainswords, so if he does get options later I can say its *whatever* as it'll clearly be distinct. But if GW makes us all sad and they're stuck with chainswords, well, he has a chainsword.

Also noticed the heavy bolt pistols are almost exactly the same dimensions as an old-school bolter, so think I'm gonna chop up some spare DC bolter arms and swap them out for suitably blinged BA "Heavy Bolt Pistols" and do the same for the chainswords. Hurray for deep bitz boxes.

[Majkhel]

That's true with the bolters' size. Assault Intercessors chainswords are noticeably longer though, but I'm sure this will be lost in a crowd.
Nice idea with the eviscerator. I wonder how will you pose him with it.

[Leonaides]

Oh my... that was a nice little watch. Confirmed dc assault intercessor option, whether in separate unit or mixed weaponry units.

[Blindhamster]

Oh my... that was a nice little watch. Confirmed dc assault intercessor option, whether in separate unit or mixed weaponry units.

looked to be mixed, the one with grenade launcher was mixed in

[VanDutch]

It’s that or it’s just one 5 man squad of standard and another 5 man squad of assault. Or did I miss something in the actual reveal presentation?

[The Unseen]

That's true with the bolters' size. Assault Intercessors chainswords are noticeably longer though, but I'm sure this will be lost in a crowd.

Nice idea with the eviscerator. I wonder how will you pose him with it.

Well, reveal today showed that he can have some power weapons, so that works.

And the chainswords are a little longer but not by much

I had to put them side by side to see

 

We get the first supplament brothers.

And even if heavy intercessors are pricy, I can see a firebase made of them backed up by a SoS ancient is going to be brutal.

[SnorriSnorrison]

Not too much actual news, since most of this was sort of leaked already - but it's good to know that painting AI's black won't be a bad decision in the actual game. :)

All in all, it seems to me that Firstborn with JP are still superior for us. Depending on the stratagems we get in the supplement, of course.

 

I hope we can actually make use of the Chapter Command rules. Most of our characters are unique, so best thing we can hope for is upgraded techmarines, captains and maybe lieutenants and judiciars? Would be cool to make use of that!

[Indefragable]

 

 

The winged dude in the upper left has the sword+chalice and in a pose similar to the Sanguinor, but also has a Death Mask that looks closer to “standard” Death Masks in the Sang Guard kit...but it also has the tubing/ribbing/cabling going into the jaw ala Dante’s Death Mask of Sanguinius.

 

There is absolutely no way that could possibly be artistic interpretation by a freelanced illustrator who may have worked from a short brief instead of years of rabid collection, kitbashing, and painting the faction.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Indefragable

[Warhead01]

It’s that or it’s just one 5 man squad of standard and another 5 man squad of assault. Or did I miss something in the actual reveal presentation?

At first I thought the same thing but the consensus we came to is that it's two different squads. 

Which for Primaris seems to be the usual template for weapons options. 

 

Now... Give us Heavy Intercessor Death Company.......   Laughing in Dracula. 

[Indefragable]

Especially if it’s just a data sheet and not it’s own box (which is unlikely), I would like to see them make DC Intercessors able to take any and all weapon options from all variants of Intercessors....including each have a Chainswords to power weapon/TH.

[SnorriSnorrison]

The winged dude in the upper left has the sword+chalice and in a pose similar to the Sanguinor, but also has a Death Mask that looks closer to “standard” Death Masks in the Sang Guard kit...but it also has the tubing/ribbing/cabling going into the jaw ala Dante’s Death Mask of Sanguinius.

There is absolutely no way that could possibly be artistic interpretation by a freelanced illustrator who may have worked from a short brief instead of years of rabid collection, kitbashing, and painting the faction.

That looks like a stormcast-kitbash of the sanguinor, to be fair! The torso just screams AoS with the hard line below the ribcage and the way the pectorals are sculpted.

 

On an unrelated note, I finally got through to buying the blood angels Contemptor from FW. Highly excited, the Relic Contemptor is an absolute unit at the moment!

[Majkhel]

WHERE ARE THE JUMP PACKS?? 

On another note - the chalice in the low-right corner looks to be either held by the DC (but why??) or that dude in the back, which might make him a Primaris Sanguinary Priest perhaps?

[Pathstrider]

The winged dude in the upper left has the sword+chalice and in a pose similar to the Sanguinor, but also has a Death Mask that looks closer to “standard” Death Masks in the Sang Guard kit...but it also has the tubing/ribbing/cabling going into the jaw ala Dante’s Death Mask of Sanguinius.

 

There is absolutely no way that could possibly be artistic interpretation by a freelanced illustrator who may have worked from a short brief instead of years of rabid collection, kitbashing, and painting the faction.

 

That winged "dude" had such....err... enhanced pectorals I thought it was a sisters of battle living saint for a moment...

Edited September 12, 2020 by Pathstrider

[Vermintide]

Today in BA I may have come to terms with the fact that Intercessor squad I've had sat on the painting shelf since last Christmas are probably never getting painted, since I laid eyes on the multi-part Assault Intercessors.

 

Thunder. Hammer.

[SnorriSnorrison]

WHERE ARE THE JUMP PACKS?? 

On another note - the chalice in the low-right corner looks to be either held by the DC (but why??) or that dude in the back, which might make him a Primaris Sanguinary Priest perhaps?

Right?? The lack of jump packs in the new releases is quite disturbing! Primarines don’t use them too much, they’re the slow and steady shooty kind of marines...

 

The helmet of the marine you mentioned looks yellow, could be just artistic freedom, since there seem to be lots of chalices in one picture...