6th edition bikes vs Terminators

More from guest poster Doc Railgun! JB

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My Astropath this time sends forth yet another message about the Warhammer 40,000 6th edtion rule changes. As we all know, the new rules have breathed some life into quite a number of units and armies abandoned by many players.

This time the matter for discussion is the humble Space Marine biker. What makes a Marine bike interesting again? We should go over the basics:  Bikers add +1 to the model's Toughness statistic. Unlike in the last edition, that unmodified T is now ignored, so Marine bikers are not instantly killed by S8 or S9 attacks anymore (if they have more then one Wound, of course).

They move 12" in the movement phase, are not slowed by difficult terrain, but treat difficult terrain as dangerous.They may shoot a weapon for each rider - so a Marine Attack Bike has two shooting attacks per turn and may fire Heavy weapons on the move (they are Relentless). This special rule also allows them to charge after firing rapid-fire weapons.  Alternately, they can Turbo -boost instead of shooting, moving up to another 12" if they choose.  The Jink special rule gives bikes that move any distance in the Movement phase a 5+ cover save until their next Movement phase (in the earlier edition, bikes only had special movement-bases cover saves if turbo-boosting).. If they turbo-boost in this edition, bikes have a 4+ cover save.

In the Assault phase, bikes do not have to roll for difficult terrain but still must make a dangerous terrain test - barricades and such also cause a dangerous terrain test if a bike charges through it to get to an enemy model. Bikes also have the Hammer of Wrath special rule, so a bke that charges is allowed an attack at Initiative 10 in addition to its normal attacks at its normal Initative score.

So, a Space Marine bike has a 3+ save and a 5+ invulnerable save so long as it has moved. Of course, that cover save will unfortunately  not protect the bike in close combat, but the free attack at I10 may make up for that. Most bike units will have the ability to add a special weapon (a plasma gun, a melta gun, et cetera) or two and likely a special close-combat weapon as well.

So, does this match up to the new darlings of the game: the Marine Terminator? Basic Terminators have a storm bolter (Assault 2, S4 shots at 24") and a power fist, have 2 Attacks (so, S8 attacks at I1), a 2+ armor save and a 5+ invulnerable save. A basic Space Marine bike has a twin-linked bolter (2 S4 shots at 12" or 1 at 24"), and a bolt pistol. So, they have a S4 close-combat attack at I10 and a S4 attack at I4, a 3+ armor save and a 5+ cover save outside of close combat (but against Overwatch shooting). The Terminator's advantage is that the 2+ armor save protects the Terminator from the now AP3 power weapons (which used to ignore armor saves), where the bike is still vulnerable to them. However, the T5 bike is wounded by a S4 weapon on a 5+, where a Terminator is wounded on 4+.

What shenanigans can we do with bikes?
Codex: Space Marines bikes can be taken as Troops choices if a Captain on a bike is chosen as an HQ choice. A command squad on bikes can also take four special weapons - plasma guns, melta guns, et cetera. Four plasma guns can rapid-fire eight S7 AP2 shots at 12" and still charge in the assault phase.
Space Wolf bikers are only WS3, BS3 but get +2A on the charge. Send a biker Wolf Priest along and they get Preferred Enemy (so, they can reroll failed to-hit rolls in both the Shooting and Assault phases).
Blood Angels and Codex: Space Marine lists can include seperate attack bike squadrons without standard bikers.
Black Templar bikers cost seven more points per bikers than their later-Codex counterparts, but can take three special weapons (a BT  biker with a plasma gun is two points less espensive than a SM/BA plasma biker). Unfortunately, a  BT attack bike is fifteen more points than one from the SM or BA codexes.

So, in closing - is the high mobility and I10 attack of the bike better than the immunity to the new power weapons, the always-on 5+ invulnerable save and S8 I1 close-combat attacks of the Terminator at 2/3 of the price? Perhaps not for the Blood Angels, but for players using the Space Marine codex - why not take both?

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WarTV and Lamenters WIP!

First of all, here is a shot of my WIP Lamenter model!

More on him in a bit.

This coming weekend is going to be a fantastic weekend of gaming over on WarTV!  Smurf will be bringing you live gaming straight from Historicon!  Thats right. He will be showing you the convention sights, and bringing you live footage of Gnomewars. Provided of course that the technology works.  Look for live footage from Jim Friday and Saturday night from 7pm on, plus sporadic updates throughout the day! You never know what you might find being piped in live to WarTV, so check in often!

Also, at the home front, Fritz and myself will be doing a live 6th edition broadcast. Our first, the first ever live broadcast game of 6th edition, was an outstanding success. This time though we have a possible sighting of Brother Captain James to join the fun!  I will be playing a Blood Angels list with some sort of allies and I believe Fritz will be packing some Space Marines of his own.  Check back tomorrow with a complete schedule of the weekend once Smurf confirms the workability of his live efforts at Historicon.

OH, and yes, there will be giveaways!  We are planning a live show every month, but I will try to gather up big giveaways for every other show.  So this week will be a bit smaller than last time, but should still offer up some nice loot!

Stay tuned for more info.

And speaking of Feast of Blades, That is going to be my next major appearance aside from Gamesday. It is time for me to venture out away from the East Coast! I cannot wait to land in Denver and go out for a Mountain Pie. I will be playing in the FoB Open tournament and Doubles, though it is up in the air who my doubles partner will be. Smurf might be making the trip with me!  I am planning on doubles with either Goatboy or Brent.  I owe both of them a tournament.  More on FoB soon.

Oh and I will also probably be hitting up DaBoyz in November.  There has been a shuffling of the East Coast GT dates so as it looks now, the only one I am going to be able to hit this fall is DaBoyz!  More on the tournament scene as I continue to gear up this summer.  I am planning on Adepticon too... :)

So back to my Lamenters!

Why?  I wanted a new challenge.  I have painted red to death, and believe I have successfully developed my skills.  I want to move on!  But also, I want to compete for Best Painted at Feast of Blades.  Lofty goal with the hundreds of dudes who will be there!  Like last year I am setting my sights on a goal and going in with a plan.  My Blood Angels fell just short of Best Army, but still won Best Single Mini at Nova. This year I am hoping for equal success.

The idea is a Lamenters bike/jump pack army.  Only, since Lamenters are known for their bad luck, I want to have mishaps strife throughout the force.  Marine bikers face planting over their handle bars, jump packs falling off in mid air, guys disembarking from a drop pod into a flaming pit of lava... you know... bad luck!  At the very least it will be a lot of fun to build and play.  I have always wanted to run a Biker force.

So I am painting up a test model for my Lamenters paint scheme. Here he is!

He is totally a work in progress. Assault marine sergeant. The lamenters shoulder pad is amazingly hard to paint. So the paint on mine is pretty thick and chalky. I had to repaint it a few times. But I think I figured it out!  As I paint them they should be better.

I did the yellows with new GW paints.  Here is my Lamenters painting recipe:

Prime with Chaos Black Spray
Base with Averland Sunset
Wash with Cassandra Yellow
Layer with Yriel Yellow mixed with a bit of Glaze Medium
Layer with Flash Gitz Mized with a bit of glaze medium (Valejo)
Reapply wash into certain necessary spots
Highlight with White.

It takes a long time. I freehanded the checkers on the shoulder and the heart. I am doing the gun and wing on fist in Jawa Grey NMM.  The rest of the details are my standard tried and true techniques.

So what ya think? I am fairly satisfied with the yellow for my first go.  I know after I have done 30 or so bikers and 20 assault marines I will want to sufficiently slit my wrists. I love a challenge!

Jawaballs

6th Ed. Initiative steps

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 Greetings, Battle-Brothers.
Warp storms have interrupted the psychic conduits, but now that they have cleared I am able to send missives once more.
This time I have a vital message about small changes to the Warhammer 40,000 6th edition rules that might have been missed during quick read-throughs. I would like to point out changes to the Assault phase of the game, starting on p. 20 of the new rulebook.
First, let us examine the obvious but still important small details on p. 21:

 - Charging models (which can now charge 2d6") cannot move through gaps (in terrain) smaller than their base, cannot move through friendly or enemy models, and cannot move into base contact with units they are not charging (more on that later).

- A charge begins with moving the closest model from the charging unit to the charged unit (as measured by the shortest possible route, going around impassible terrain, friendly models, and enemy models in other units). This initial charger must move to contact with the nearest model in the enemy unit being charged, using the shortest possible route even if that takes the model through dangerous or difficult terrain. If the model goes through dangerous terrain it must test as normal and if through difficult terrain it rolls 3d6 and uses the 2 lowest dice for the charge distance. Further, all the charging unit's models then attach at Initiative 1.

 - Once the initial charger is in base contact with the closest model in the enemy unit, the rest of the attacking unit moves. The charging models can move in any order, but they must follow several rules - a charging model must end its move in unit coherency with a model from its unit that has already moved; if possible the charging model must end its move in base contact with an enemy model in the charged unit that is not already in base contact with another charging model, failing that the charging model must move into base contact with an enemy model from the charged unit that is already in base contact with a charging model, failing that the charging model must end its movement within 2" of a model in its unit that is in base contact with an enemy model from the charged unit. This is a good time to point out p. 28 (Multiple Combats): a model is not permitted to move into base contact with a model from a secondary target unless it cannot move into base contact with a model from the primary target.

 -There are now 10 Initiative steps. At the beginning of each such step, models with Initiative values equal to that step perform a pile-in move of 3". These models must move into base contact with an enemy, failing that they must move within 2' of a friendly model in base contact with an enemy, or failing that to get as close as possible to an enemy model. This 3" of movement is not slowed by diffcult terrain (but can still cause Dangerous terrain tests) and cannot be used to contact units not in the assault. The pile-ins and the subsequent fighting happen at each Initiative phase, not all at once. So, assaulting can be a bit more complex than in 4th edition.

An example: A unit of Blood Angels consisting of Dante at I6, Tycho at I5, some Assault marines with chainswords (at I4) and one with a power fist at I1 use their jump packs in the assault phase to charge a unit of traitor Guardsmen at I3. Let us assume that the charge succeeds. The Blood Angels get one attack each as base Strength at I10 from the Hammer of Wrath special rule. So, all of the unengaged Blood Angels make a 3" pile-in move. The Blood Angels attack as normal, wounds caused must be allocated to an enemy in base contact with a model attacking at that Initiative step, if there is none then it must be allocated to the next closest model, and so on. Once the I10 wounds are resolved (allocated, saved, etc.), then Dante piles-in at I6 as necessary, performs his attacks, and resolves any wounds as normal. Tycho piles-in at I5 if he needs to and goes through the process, then the chainsword-wielding marines pile-in if they need to at I4. If there are any Guardsmen remaining they pile-in at I3 and perform their attacks in response. Finally, the I1 Blood Angel piles-in and attacks with his power fist attacks. Of course, this will be much simpler when there are models with only one or two different Initiative values. How is this different than in 5th edition? In the last edition there was only one pile-in: by the charged unit after the charging unit finished their initial movement. As the rulebook points out, pile-ins are 3" by the attacking unit and 3" by the defenders, so it is unlikely that there will be unengaged models by the end of an assault. However, if pile-in moves are unable to bring any models together, the assault comes to an end. Of course, here may well be ways to string out units to make it more difficult to be be wiped out in close combat, perhaps by stretching out units tp the maximum coherency. The downside is that though the combat may be over, the loser may still be destroyed in a sweeping advance - even if the losing unit is too far away to be contacted in the actual assault.

I will leave the implications of all this and exploiting of these new rules as an exercise for the reader.

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WarTV broadcasting Tomorrow Morning 10:00 AM

Hey Folks,

So Smurf will be over here tomorrow and WarTV will be  broadcasting live as we chat about and paint Tau!

Allies are the hot thing, and Tau are the hottest. We have both decided to make them our first foray into the world of allies.  So tune in tomorrow, July 12, at 10:00 am EST!  Who knows what we might come up with.

Jawaballs

WarTV broadcasting on Thursday this week!

Hi Folks!

So WarTV will be broadcasting again this Thursday as Smurf and myself paint up some Tau Allies!  Here is your chance to catch us painting up some Tau as we do a step by step breakdown of painting Tau Fire Warriors, Pathfinders and Broadsides.

Why Tau? Simply put, I have always loved the models and now allies gives me the chance to play them.  Since they are battle brothers, Jim is going to add a group to his Ultramarine army, and I am painting up mine just to have them.

What do you need?  Well get your Tau!  If you wish to paint along, I have mine assembled, and sprayed with Army Painter Rat Fur, then given a liberal wash of Devlan Mud. (Or the new version.) You have a couple days to get your models ready to go, or just pop in to chat! Look for us around 10 AM EST.  I know, weird time, but we are both teachers so sorry! We will be recording the fun if you miss it.

More to come.

Jawaballs

The Anatomy of a Drop Pod

Due to the amazing amount of ignorance in the comment section of my last BOLS article, I figured I would take some time today to offer a little clarification on how drop pods work. I made a reference to how drop pods became more dangerous because of the increased amount of disembark space. Previously, a model could disembark 2" away from the hull. Now they can be within a 6" radius.  That pretty much doubles their range and greatly reduces the impact of a poor scatter roll.  Oh and by the way, I wrote that BOLS article Sunday morning, the day after 6th ed was released. It was called "First Impressions."  It is laughable to see some of the commenters complaining that I admitted that I did not have a full grasp of the new rules, mere hours after their release.

Well, my devoted cadre of BOLS comment fans couldn't help but tear me a new one. (I don't post over there very often so I bet some of them were in withdrawal. Especially Warboss Stalin since he is banned from commenting here for being a total dick!) 

Any way, you can read the comments for yourself, but I was getting accused of cheating, feigning ignorance to get an advantage, abusing kids in tournaments, and making douch-bag interpretations.

All based on the fact that I said you measure from the FIN when you disembark from a pod. It seems some of the more anxious commenters jumped the gun before fully digesting what I said. (Pointing at you Flekso!)  But others actually ignored the words I used, and inserted their own. "He meant door." Despite the fact that I clearly used the word FIN.

Well kids, lets take a look at some drop pod pictures and I will explain to you what a fin is on a pod as opposed to a door, and how the rules work for measuring and I will try to break down disembarking from a drop pod based on the new rules.

First, here are some rule book quotes:

Page 79:

"Place the first model in base contact with one of the vehicles Access Points." 

"The model can then make a normal move, but it must end it's move wholly within 6" of the access point it disembarked from."  This "normal move" is part of the disembark.

I may have described it as a 6" disembark, when actually you disembark base to base with the pod then move up to 6", but there is really no difference. 

To be thorough, I tried to see if there were any rules elsewhere that would limit this.

On page 36 it discusses Deep Striking and DS transport vehicles.  It says that deep striking units cannot move any further (In reference to what happens after they deep strike) other than to disembark from a deep striking transport vehicle. 

Since it does not elaborate, we must assume we are to use the normal disembark rules on page 79 that I just listed.

With me? 

So a Dreadnought that comes out of a pod is placed base to base with the access point, then moves up to 6" so that it's base is wholly within that 6", measured from the access point from which it disembarked.

Now we get to the meaty part. 

On a drop pod, what is considered hull? What are the access points? One dude exclaimed that "A drop pod has access points, you disembark from the access points! After calling me a cheater."

First of all. A drop pod is an open topped vehicle. 

Page 82:

Open Topped Transports.

Open-Topped vehicles do not have specific Access Points. Instead, all of the vehicle is considered to be an Access Point, regardless of any base they may have.

Translation:

You disembark from any part of the drop pod because a drop pod has NO access points, the entire pod is an access point.

Now, I could not find any information about how to handle open doors such as a Land Raider's front ramp, a Rhino's back ranp, and yes, a drop pod's five doors. But I can say that, from my experience, it is universally accepted that you do not measure from the extended door, but instead you measure to the point it occupies when closed. On drop pods, this means that you pretty much ignore the doors once they are open. But to really look at it, based on the rules I found for 6th edition, it could be argued that the open doors actually are part of the hull, and are what you measure from. I could not find word to the contrary. Perhaps you could help with this?  TO BE CLEAR, I am not advocating using the doors as your measuring point for disembark.

We can accept this as truth right?

Well what's all the hubbub bub?

 Lets look at my first picture. This is a top down view of a closed pod. It looks like a rounded pentagon. There are five little protrusions, one from each point of the pentagon, extending out about half an inch. I call these FINS for lack of a better word.  Fins are considered hull.

Here is a side view of the closed pod. As you can see, the fins make up a major portion of the hull of the vehicle.

Here is the pod now open. Ignoring the doors, what do you actually have to shoot at? Just those fins! They are pretty much the ONLY thing a drop pod has for hull.

Here is a pod with it's doors open. Again, we ignore the doors completely. Deploying from the tips of those doors would be pretty outrageous, silly and broken. Good thing that is not what I am telling you to do! It is amazing that since I did not directly point that out in the article, so many people jumped to the conclusion that I was trying to cheat.

So lets break it down.

Drop Pods are Open-Topped. I could not find any thing in the book to clearly define the issue of where to disembark from a drop pod. BUT I could find this...

The picture on the right appears on page 79 and has to deal with emergency disembark. This is only relevant for two reasons. First, it explains that a unit uses the normal rules for disembarking, then goes on to show the maximum 6" radius and all of the models within that radius.  But more importantly, it shows a model placed base to base with the tip of the dozer blade tooth, then moved normally. This is important because it shows clear precedent for what is considered hull and how to use it.

In fact, I don't believe that previously dozer blades were considered hull... interesting. Regardless, they certainly are now.

So how does this affect drop pods?

Here is a dreadnought about to disembark from a pod. Since pods are open-topped, any part of the hull is considered an access point. Roger?  (Again, we ignore the doors.) And we have clearly shown that the fin is indeed hull.

That means based on the rules for disembark, you first place the dread base to base with the fin as pictured above. Sure, you could place the dread between the fins, base to base with the pentagon side, but this is not necessary! Is this using an interpretation of the rules for advantage? If you are a glass half full sort of gamer, but look at the picture in the book... A model is using the very tooth of a dozer blade in the exact same manner. In the second picture you see that the dread has moved out 6" from the fin, just like the guardsman moving out 6" from the dozer tooth. Granted, that is a picture of emergency disembark and this is a picture of drop pod deep strike disembark, but they are essentially the same thing for purposes of this conversation.


If you are going to call me a cheater, then you have to call the guys who wrote the book and drew the diagrams cheaters too.

There are actually times when it may be more advantageous to keep the dread between the fins, like in an attempt to grab a cover save from enemy return fire without popping smoke. But the point here is that based on the rules, we have that option. But we can indeed place that dread base to base with ANY part of the HULL (Fins), because any part of the hull is considered an access point on open-topped vehicles.

The only unclear part here is do you move the dread or do you leave it base to base since the pod deep striked? I think that until we find a clear answer to this question (FAQ), we MUST play it as above.

At the very least, this article should clear up the question of what is considered hull, and where you measure from when disembarking.

Jawaballs

EDIT:
FYI I enabled comment moderation. Your comments will not post right away any more. I will need to ok them first. This is the only way I can enforce a block of a certain ass hat who cannot seem to accept the simple rules of posting on my blog. Be respectful. You are welcome to share your opinion and tell us all how you feel, but you have to adhere to the basic rules of civil interaction. Just because you can post online, it does not mean you can say whatever you damn well please. I check my email often throughout the day so you should see your comment posted within hours.  Thanks for your support!

WarTV a smashing success!

So we completed our first episode of WarTV yesterday with only a couple of issues.  We had one computer crash which dumped a bunch of people as I was going over the prize support. And the HD camera we were going to use to film closeups and create a nice batrep with had no charge and was out of action.

Aside from that, it was a fantastic day!  We played two games of 40k and gave out a ton of prizes donated by Spikey Bits and The Gamers Gambit. I want to thank Rob and Justin for their support.

First the numbers. Throughout the day we had over 200 registered viewers pop in, and I believe the max at one time was about 130.  Prizes were handed out on the fly and as best we could with all but the new rule book going only to dudes who were actually in the broadcast.  It was rewarding and fun to call out the winner then watch the chat fly as dudes waited for the guy to claim his loot!  And then cheer when he did not respond... good stuff.

But the prizes are secondary to the grand prize of the day. We got a hard core crash course in 6th edition.  The only way to learn the game is to open the book. So as we played we were looking up rules at the table while viewers were doing so at home.  It was an interesting situation as some interpretations were introduced and rules were discovered and hashed out.

For example, "look out sir" was a good one.  As it appears now, wound allocation is applied to the unit starting with the model closest to the shooting. Then that model keeps making saves until he is dead and the wounds continue down the line?  What happens if your commander is leading the charge?  He is the only one who takes bullets?  I let him take the first wound, then attempted to use Look Out Sir to apply the rest of the wounds to the honor guard.  Without me scouring the rule book does any one have a clear understand of the situation they can share?  I admit being in the front is dangerous, but it seems wonky that the front model has to make each and every save until he dies.

Another huge discovery for me was disembarking. It seems there is now a 6" radius bubble within which I can place my model when my pods land.  That is HUGE!  It allows my stuff to completely jump behind walls or tanks for cover or back shots.

We didn't even look at psychic powers or allies yesterday. There was too much to worry about with just the rules.  So my mission today is to clean up the mess, finish a banner then sit in the AC with my rule book and read.  There is a lot to learn so I can get to work trying to break it.  :)

I am most excited about allies. Not for the broken part though. I like the opportunity to play Tau or Eldar for example along with my Blood Angels.  It's exciting!

Our next show is tentatively scheduled for July 21 or so.  We have to clear it with the wives.  We plan on doing a monthly live show with several smaller scale shows through the weeks.  Next week Jim and I are going to get together to paint some Tau as we start reworking our lists.

Thank you 6th edition.

I want to apologize to any folks who may have missed out on winning prizes because they were not in chat. We did not anticipate the problem people encountered when watching the feed from our site WarTV.tv. The only way to see the chat was by watching the feed directly from our Ustream channel, not the embedded feature on WarTV.  This did not become clear until I checked email after the show and saw messages from a winner who was unable to respond. Sadly at this time all results stand, but we will try to make it up to the couple of people who encountered this problem in the future.

Jawaballs

WarTV launches Tomorrow!

That's right folks!

Tomorrow you get to see live televised games of Warhammer 40k 6th Edition!

We launch WarTV.tv and you get to see what should be the first live televised games of 6th edition in the world!  Fritz, Smurf and I will be taking Q and A and playing a few games for your viewing pleasure. We will be doing circumstantial demonstrations as well. Questions about how assault works? We will set up an assault for you and demonstrate it!

Fritz and Smurf are going to be starting to organize around 1:00 PM EST. So you may get to log in early and catch some pregame chat!

I personally will be down at the Greenwich Village GW store in NYC entering my Blood Angels in the Armies on Parade competition.  I will hurry home and will be playing the second game of the day.  If you are in the city stop by and say hello!  The voting should be around 2:00 PM.

We will be giving away prizes throughout the day, with the Grand Prize being a Warhammer 40k 6th edition rule book!  In order to be eligible to win prizes, you must be registered on our MAILING LIST.

Sign up on the list, and join the show!  See you tomorrow.

Jawaballs

Jawa-Banners at Wargamescon!

I didn't make it to Wargamescon this year, but part of me did!  Here is a picture of one of my banners, I painted for a client who created his own chapter the Shiner Marines!  Can you guess what it was based on?  I was waiting to show this one off because I wanted him to have the pleasure of unveiling it at the con.  Glad you enjoyed it man!  I hear there were two other jawabanners there. Any one have pics?

I will be heading to Gamesday this summer with my 4th entry in their Banner Competition soon.  Hopefully you will catch up with me there if you care to chat!

Here are some close ups of the WIP.

Don't forget to tune in this weekend for your chance to win a 6th edition rule book!  WarTV! 3:00 EST.

Jawaballs

Win a 6th Edition Rulebook!

Win a 6th Edition Rule Book!

On Friday I announced the launch of WarTV.tv scheduled for this Saturday, June 30 at 3:00 PM EST.  Well make sure you are part of the historic fun!

Join us at WarTV to view what will probably be the first live televised games of 40k 6th edition in the world!  Fritz, myself and Jim the Stout Smurf will be breaking down the rule book and playing games LIVE for your pleasure.

But also what is a live launch without loot!  We will be giving away prizes throughout the show, with the grand prize of the day being a Warhammer 40k 6th edition Rule Book! To win the loot you need to be watching the broadcast and sign up for the MAILING LIST, but all you have to do to be eligible to win the grand prize is enter your name HERE.  We will give away prizes all during the broadcast to viewers who are on the mailing list, and later during the show draw a name from the mailing list for the grand prize.  It will be shipped free of charge to your door.  


Don't miss the show!  


Jawaballs

Announcing WarTV.tv!

It is time.


 For years, Fritz and I have been bringing you gaming content with our own little twists of fun and insight.  During that time, we have been threatening to launch our own broadcast site.  Well, that time is now.

WarTV is here! And so is your chance to win a free 6th Edition Rule Book!

The advent of 6th edition brings with it unprecedented opportunity to grow and evolve. And WarTV will be helping you through the process by bringing it right to your computer in High Definition.

We have done live broadcasts in the past, but never before like this. Join us as we broadcast live at least once a month.  Jim the Stout Smurf is joining us to give a third perspective.

WarTV will bring you what we are known for. Fritz will be delivering his usual tactical expertise while I provide my unique, creative problem solving and painting skills.  Jim, The Stout Smurf, a proficient gamer in his own right, brings his own years of experience to the table. Known for developing the game Gnome Wars, he already has a loyal following from the historical gaming genre. But what he brings to WarTV is the angle of a nooby 40k player applying what Fritz and Jawa teach, and using it to win. (He has beaten me every time we played... shhhh)

We will be doing a monthly show through our USTREAM channel together. Two of us will play a game while a third offers commentary, and fields questions from the chat.  We will play the games from an instructional point of view. Discussing strategy and plans, and seeing how they work.  We will walk you through each game, and you will get a feel for what it is like to see 40k through our eyes!

Many of you have been at tournaments or stores and seen games being played, and had questions, but felt uncomfortable to interupt the players. Plus many gamers make it obvious that they are NOT interested in explaining the game to inexperienced players. Well, not us! We will answer those questions before you even know you want to ask them!  Some of you would love the chance to go to a gaming club of your own, but live too far away from any organized group to make it on a regular basis. Well this is your chance to get the gaming club experience right in your own man cave!  You will be able to ask questions and aquire insight as we play, and even play a role in our decision making. That's right, you will be able to suggest strategy, and we will give it a shot!

But we won't be stopping there.  During the free broadcasts, we will be shooting High Definition video, getting in close to the action and models, and producing batreps unlike any you have seen before. We will then be making this bonus content available for you to download from WarTV!  Miss a show? Don't worry about it, you can download the HD footage and watch it at your leisure.

In addition to our gaming group night, we will be making available special segments from our own areas of expertise. You will get Fritz producing video on his analytical and tactical briliance. I will be making available exclusive "How to Paint" videos as I reinvent my own artistic style, and tactical videos of my own as I ever try to stay ahead of the 40k curve.  And Jim will be bringing you his own flavor of analysis of the game, by providing you his own insight into how he implements his trial and error and becomes a force in the 40k world. But also, you get the other side of gaming. Jim travels to many historical conventions and runs Gnome Wars sessions, a game he invented. He is an outstanding hobbiest and is known for his seminars on "Painting the Three Footer."  Teaching you how to paint a model to look good on a table, with minimal effort and talent.

You will also get our usual variety of fun. Trips to Gamesday, Feast of Blades, Nova, and so on. You get what we already are known for, plus lots more!

Oh, and we won't be doing just 40k. Look for us to explore WHFB, Gnome Wars, Warmachine and Flames of War as well!  It is going to be your complete gaming central!

So join us for the first broadcast of WarTV on Saturday, June 30 at 3:00 PM EST as we bring you the first televised live games of Warhammer 40k, 6th edition.  It is going to be a fantastic day full of give aways with the grand prize of the day being a new 6th edition rule book!  Thats right! Join our mailing list and watch our show, and get stuff.  :)

Sit back and Relax. WarTV is here!

In order to be eligible to win next weekends grand prize of a 6th Edition Warhammer 40k rule book, you need only be signed up on our MAILING LIST. It is a yahoo group for now. You know how they work. We will randomly draw the winner of the new rule book during the show from the names in our list at the time.

There will also be other loot as the three of us delve into our shelves that we will be giving away to people viewing throughout the show. (You will also need to be on the mailing list.)  So watch all day and score prizes!

Come watch the war!

War to come...

Jawaballs

JawaForge Resin coming through!

It always tickles me silly to see my efforts bear fruit!  Even though I have more or less abandoned selling resin bases, here are some pics from a customer who had bought some with his buddy for use in a Dual Wing army for doubles. They won Best Painted, I think at Miniwargaming. These were my Industrial Ruin bases.  I'm proud that something I made helped some one else succeed.  Thanks for sharing Andy!

You can check out more of their work HERE.

I discontinued the base business because it was not really cost effective for me. Plus, I hate to admit it but too many other guys were making way better bases than I was.  It simply required too much time for me to compete, and with the Jawa Baby, that was one commodity I did not have.  Plus resin is a very finicky material. I live in New England, the land of 100 degree summers with 100% humidity.  Resin is not a fan.  I had to pretty much shut down during the summer!

I still have most of my molds though, so they are still sort of available on a limited basis.

Besides, we have WAY better planned for you starting very soon.

Stay tuned!

Jawaballs

Ugh.. Allies are back...

Well we had a brief respite from Codex Cherry Picking when GW removed allies from the game.  The only thing it did was allow an already strong army to fill out units from other books to make up for their weaknesses, IG for example.  It was annoying and abused.

Now, based on what I have read, allies are back.

Oh well. If you can't beat em, join em!

So from what I understand, we will be able to use a second FOC to take allies. So a minimum of 1 HQ and 2 troops.  What a fantastic way to fill out a point starved codex like Blood Angels!  What would I take?  Well this is the dawn of the psyker.  GW is selling a whole set of cards full of psychic powers. Who are the true masters of the psychic?  The Eldar of course!  Who has cheap and relatively effective troops?  The Eldar!  Eldar pathfinders are simply impossible to kill without taking the chainsword to them.

So I take my Librarian and two assault squads, a Farseer on a jetbike decked out with the Eldar cheat runes, and bring my troops up to four by taking two pathfinder squads.  Awesome!  Especially if the rumors for sniper rifles are true. (Shooter picks out targets.)

But this is not just a WAAC paradise friends. This is a chance to create some truly unique armies with sweet themes.  I guess we will see what pans out in a few days!

Make sure you tune in to see what Fritz and I cook up on June 30th.

Jawaballs

I.. hurt myself today.. to see if I still feel...

I don't know why but Hurt by Nine Inch Nails makes me think of Psychic Devastation. And when I think about psychic devastation, I think about the 6th edition fun I will have with my drop pod army.  First of all, hello second librarian!

The Librarian was already the best budget choice in the Blood Angels codex for an HQ. Yes Mephiston is fantastic, but I don't know how effective he is in a truly competitive army. When I won Mechanicon, it was done with a simple Librarian as my HQ.

With what is believed to be the edition of the psyker, now is the time for the Blood Angels librarian to come into it's own!

Blood Angels terminator librarian

Could it even be the time put the terminator librarian with Storm Shield on the table?  

How about Librarian Dreads?

Hell, how about Mephiston?  

I am drooling about the prospect of playing a pair of Libby HQ and a Libby Furioso.  

We can only dream just yet. But soon!

Be Ready.

June 30th.  War is coming.  Will you be watching?

Jawaballs

Be Ready

So we will have 6th Edition in our hands on June 30th.  That is the day Fritz, Jim and myself change your world.



More to come.

Jawaballs

Staying ahead of the 40k curve... slowly.

So I have made a 40k career out of some how staying ahead of the curve while fielding unique and interesting armies.  The best example of this was my Death From Above: Stomp Stomp army from a few years ago that took advantage of weaknesses in the current 40k competitive meta, and a unique quirk in the Blood Angels PDF of the time.  I was able to play three Venerable Death Company Furioso Dreads.  Not only were they crazy hard to kill, but most guys at the time were only packing a couple of melta guns per army tops and fists and hammers were nonexistent.

That army, followed by my new codex Defensive mech list, earned me 3 Vegas Golden tickets and a number one ranking on Rankings HQ for a few months.

Horn tooted.

I'm getting to the point of the article, really.

Any way, I managed to pull this off by being observant of what I was facing at local tournaments, and trying to guess what I might face at upcoming GTs.

Enter 2012 and GK henchmen spam and DE venom dakka. Two armies that could not only blast you off the table with shooting, but finish the job with superior assault.

At a recent tournament I noticed that Blood Angels were having some success against GK spam by putting a furioso dread into a Storm Raven and turbo boosting it into the GK ranks.  Sure the raven would die, but it absorbed enough shooting to ensure that the dread lived. Next turn, the dread would tear into purifiers.  Fearless is a handicap for poor purifiers.  The dread will most likely kill 7 or 8 of them, and if they are unlucky one will live from the fearless saves. Locking the dread in combat on the GK turn, then freeing him next turn for the dread to assault another squad.

Single dreads were tearing through entire armies!

That got me to thinking about a cheaper and more reliable way of delivering dread death to GK armies.  The raven is too expensive and unreliable. It can be blown up before it even moves, stranding your dread on your edge.  So I figured pods were the way to go! Sure I would lose dreads due to GK dakka before they got to assault, but when you are running six of them, odds are one or two would survive!

Plus it would make a pretty cool army.

Plus plus, I had the models sitting around!

Now I get to my point. More on building the list later. First a cool pic for the blog rolls.

Librarian with Melta Pistol

I had the models sitting around.  I had lots of unused infantry from my ever changing lists. I also had the dreads, or enough store credit to get them and the pods.

With a minimal investment I had a full 2k point, 10 pod army, painted to table top standards ready to go.

That is the first step guys. The point has been made.  When starting an army on a budget, come up with your concept, and build what you can with what you have.  The idea is not to get an entire new army, and assemble 2k points of grey plastic and try to get in games.  Get your army table top, and go play.

The key is seeing what works.  I quickly learned that I needed more killy shooting upon landing for infantry.  SO I dropped a blood talon dread and added one with a heavy flamer and frag assault launcher.  Problem solved.  This minor change was easy, all I had to do was paint the launcher and mag it to a dread.

But as I play the list more, I realize I need more changes.  Here is where the slow adjustment of your army is key.  Eventually I want to play this army as a competitive force, that also competes for best painted. While I started the army using recycled models, I will eventually remake the entire force and paint it to my award winning standards. All while playing a table top army to learn how to do it.

So now as I make changes, I will be painting those models up to top standard.

Here we go!

First the recycling part.  I used models from my retired model case.

Ahh, the remnants of old armies and unfinished projects.

Some of my old black templars peeking out!

Part of my mountain of spare sprues full of GK, DC and SG bits.

I busted out the old case and started scrounging usable assault marines. My first drop pod list included a tactical squad. I figured based on the role I found them playing though, that an assault squad would do better since I could add more melta.

Most of these models were in the retired case. 

Behold, remember these guys?

The first five assault marines I ever painted, and 

remnants from my first Best Painted! 

The beakie was my first.

After finding what I could in the case, I had to scrounge a few odds and ends. Namely, melta gunners.

After scratch building one, and rearming another, I had my two gunners.  All models I am showing you now need to be scraped and cleaned by the way. Please don't say "I see flashing!"

Finally I had to add the sergeant upgrades.  Here is where I stay ahead of the curve.  Previously, I would always give my SGT a power sword, to take advantage of that initiative 5 strike. But with rumors of only fists being able to punch through Terminator armor in 6th eds, power fists will become much more important.  A ten man squad is a perfect place to hide a pesky fist.  You are going to see many more of these forgotten relics showing up soon!

Now to the cool stuff.  After a couple tournaments, I realized that my six dreads were overkill, and not quite getting the job done.  I needed a little more melta on landing, and I needed it to be able to take more than a single hit before dieing.  A psy dread can blast a dread off the table, but could easily fail to kill an honor guard model, let alone the whole unit.  But first I needed to upgrade the librarian model I was using.

I wanted him to have a melta pistol. So I used

one from the SG sprue.

A sword as well.  I used the books from a GK sprue

along with the head and back piece.

The body was SG and DC bits along with the back pack.

The cool cloak came from the Empire General box set. I had to cut it to fit.

Any way, with a little kit bashing, I had a pretty cool librarian. I gave him a SG shoulder pad, with the intent of using more to match the Honor Guardsmen.

Think ahead as you plan. This squad is going to actually become the centerpiece of this army as I paint it to my Best Painted standards.  It has to be interesting and unique. The kit bashing I am doing, as well as the matching shoulder pads will help create a look that adds to the greater sense of unity in the army as a whole.

Flamer.

More melta. Note the slightly different pose. This guy looks a little more 

dynamic as if he is about to charge into a fight.

Blood Champion. SG body with assault squad combat shield

cut and fitted to a standard pistol arm.

I wanted this guy a little more dynamic, so

I used the legs that had the skull and rocks, but cut them off,

and trimmed the foot on the bottom a bit to make him look 

a little more like he is stepping into combat.

And the priest.

I used a GK terminator arm. I cut the shoulder off and replaced it with a small one

with the apothecary shoulder pad.

Apothecary chest and back pack with DC legs and other bits.  

Not too shabby.

So after a bit of scrounging I have a new librarian, an honor guard and a ten man assault squad ready to go.  The squad needs to be completely repainted, and I plan on doing a video on how to.  The HG though needs more love. I will probably do them completely NMM gold.  A big job!  First I have to clean and drill them.  This will be my first unit in my competitive list I plan on bring to GTs like Feast of Blades.  Eventually I will completely replace the other models, but for now I can easily get them table top ready and playable.  I won't play this unit until it has at least been base coated with some basic highlights.  

What is that little blue guy doing there?

Here is a treat for you. Behold, the first model I ever painted... 

Not too bad if I do say so myself. Look at the super thick highlight,

thanks to that old GW "Fine Detail" brush.

Back then I was into using all the accessories. Scope and Bayonet!

I managed a fairly decent job on the lens.

Flashing? What flashing!

Check out my leet hand painting skills. I put a spade on his shoulder.  

I finished him with a heavy blast from some spray gloss varnish.  

Pretty sweet huh!

Ok, thats it for now.  

More to come as I work on this little project.

Jawaballs