The changes to my Space Marines

     My precious...  Everyone who's been into 40k for any amount of time has likely accrued and often even played with the flagship force.  I started there (and with the boyz-in-blue to boot!) and, like most everyone who's been into 40k, was very excited to get the codex.  Just like the Ork codex, it was sold out for a short bit and I was chomping at said bit to get it.  I got it!

  Immediately upon getting the book, I finished my dinner and dashed to digest the new rules.  Page by page, I furiously read and re-read to make sure that I comprehended every single sentence and paragraph (I'm in a bit of a 'rules-lawyer' mode with another game, so my brain-hole was primed for this!) and there were some surprises to be sure.  I also gained an understanding of GW's path forward, I think...

Detachments?

  The first thing I noticed was something very similar to the Orks codex that has been driving me nuts- there's a cheap detachment for every unit "type".  The detachments are wildly different in both of these books compared to the previous edition and show a specific focus on certain units.  For example- I can't make a Orks army list right this second because I don't know if I want to use Grots or Nobs or Deff Dreds as my core and there's a detachment for each of these.  The Space Marines do the same thing with detachments for Tacticus, Gravis, and Phobos units.  It's just a matter of choosing a bunch of little detachments based on all the units you'd like to bring, which I think is too much work.  What's more, that will leave certain units unaffected by detachment rules because it's not one of the "types" that are covered.  That Ork codex is making my 'combined arms' approach a bit more difficult and it looks like the Space Marines book goes the same way.  

  Beyond the crazy detachment model, the units were significantly changed!  Quite a few of them are obvious, and some others really change the way the units operate on the tabletop.  Being the consummate Astartes fanboy, I was very keyed in on figuring the differences out as a fun exercise and there was plenty.  Just like my post about the greenskins, I'll go through a few of those changes below: 

The obvious (everyone knows)...

  We all know that the entire codex had their Toughness and the strength of their weapons increased.  All Space Marines are at least Toughness 5 while Bolters have become Strength 5.  This was made a huge deal leading up to the release, but I don't see it as such a major thing.  I judge it by my Imperial Guard and what they need to Wound- 5s still?  Okay.  Unfortunately, the Necrons and Eldar may have something to say, but the jump in Toughness isn't the end of the world.  Oh, and all the first-born are gone.  Like, even the 'box-naughts' first-born.  All of them.  No more squat marines...  Ventris is gone.  Terminators got better.  Everyone knows this stuff.

Battleline!

  I've always complained that Space Marine players don't use enough Tactical Squads.  If it isn't Scouts filling the Troops role, it's a detachment rewarding Elite units and so-called 'hero-hammer' otherwise.  The rubricon didn't change anything and the Intercessor was left to languish in the land of playground pick-me's.  While the Infiltrators counted as Battleline, they were the option chosen.  Then last edition came out with some interesting options to get points off Battleline actions.  It still didn't work. 

  Which meant, of course, that I had to flip straight to the most disrespected unit in the codex first- the Intercessor Squad.  And I was quite surprised.  First, their Bolters have two different profiles- one of them is Strength 6 and Damage 2 so it can kill other marines, so that T5 mattered for no time at all against these guys.  Add the +1 to hit if on or attacking an objective.  Then slap in a couple of Grenade Launchers with rapid-firing Krak grenades.  Finally, top it all off with this squad not being restricted when preforming an Action.  Like, can do if they're engaged and even shoot while doing it.  Whoa!  And there's detachments focused on this unit, buffing their shooting even more!  Methinks that Intercessors will be making some appearances on the tabletop.

Dreadnought!

  With the retirement of the 'ol 'box-naught', the three Redemptor-style ones got a bit of an overhaul themselves.  The namesake class no longer reduces incoming damage (but there's a detachment upgrade that can give that ability back) and now is harder to wound from Strength 11 or higher attacks.  Downgrade.  The Balistus no longer buffs against fresh targets but gains Rapid Fire on its guns.  Upgrade.  Finally, the Brutalis lost its 'bowling ball' rule, but gains the 'ol Tank Shock strategem for cheaper, so mostly a side-grade.  Admittedly, this changes the reasoning for these armoured monsters in army selection and makes that Dreadmought detachment look all the more interesting.

Plasma and Flame

  If you're not aware, I have been the biggest fan of the ubiquitous plasma weapon since 3rd edition.  It's a high enough Strength to penetrate anything under a Land Raider and punish even heaviest-armoured infantry.  It adds Rapid Fire to a rapid-firing squad.  You can choose to melt soft-targets or become Hazardous to take down the tougher opponents.  Plasma is versatile.  Now there's no need to overcharge as the Damage 2 is for both settings!  Obviously, an extra point of Strength is still a good reason to 'push it', but now all plasma weapons are Damage 2 base!!!  That's a welcome change.  Except Hellblasters no longer shoot-on-death and instead are just better at those Hazardous rolls.  That makes me sad as a fanatical user of Hellblasters.

  Fire, on the other hand, is weird.  Flamers were always the most 'swingy' of weapons since the loss of the template.  That's gone as all Flamers have 3 shots.  Oh, and blast, meaning more against those hordes.  Infernus marines and flame-gressors seemed like they lost something but they really didn't.  In fact, the consistency of the number of shots means an average of more hits in this new version than ever before.  Unfortunately, the Infernus marines lost their Battleshock rule, so there was a bit given up.  Otherwise, flame-weapons are going to be a lot more common now in my forces.

Still a tad upset...

  A unit came out last edition that made me very happy.  This unit has been around in one form or another since the beginning of "Chapters" and was specific to the Ultramarines.  The Codex appointed them and the return of the Primarch rejuvenated their purpose.  The honour guard for the Ultramarines is called the Victix Guard and they're led by my last captain- Cato Sicarius.  When the unit first came out, they had four wounds each with their artificer armour and the new 'Surge' rule.  Smurf-haters whined up a storm and forced GW to take away an entire Wound to balance them out, but that really nerfed the squad as there are plenty of 3-Damage weapons to plink models quickly.  That drop in survivability is a very strong one.  That still didn't change in this codex.  Worse, the direct comparison I have is the Company Heroes.  That squad had a better... everything, including a Damage 3 Heavy Bolter and 4 Wounds each!  The heavy weapon is back down to Damage 2, but nothing else was adjusted.  They still have 4 Wounds, even if they are wearing standard Tacticus armour- it's about that damage-to-model ratio for me.  And being a fan of plasma and only getting UP TO Damage 3 on the vehicles...  well, that upsets me still.  

Finally, those characters

  In the 90's, I played with Captain Agemman of the 2nd company.  That model will always be one of my favorites.  Then the Battle for Macragge happened and he was promoted to the First Company while his role was filled by Captain Sicarius.  Then the Cicatrix Maledictum happened and he was lost to the warp and Captain Acheron filled in.  Then Sicarius returned, Acheron died, and Captain Titus got promoted to take over the 2nd campany (again) while Sicarius was given the honour guard.  Whew!  Master Calgar was nearly killed by Abaddon and went through the rubicon, gaining new armouir and abilities, then he got different new armour.  The Primarch himself was returned.  Tigurius... didn't change.  And I have them all!  Let's look at each one:

-Captain Titus has fight-on-death and buffs his unit's melee attacked with Sustained Hits.  What's crazy to me is that he has more Wounds than any other character at the Captain level- six!  That's Chapter Master level and equal in this book to only Marneus Calgar himself!    Pretty good, even if this model's rules are just trying to capitalize on the success of a certain video game...

-Cato Sicarius is pretty much the same, including the ability to be attached to Master Calgar's squad.  His sword has a huge amount of variety for all the opponents, he still gets the tactical maneuver, and his artificer armour puts him above most at his rank.  And that model is super-schmexy!

-Tigurius just keeps getting more awesome each edition!  He has that invulnerable save and hits in melee with the same stats as an Autocannon!  Best yet- he's a Level 3 Psyker, meaning he can toss out some magic like no one else (so far)!  And now, he even generates Command Points like Captains- he's a boss!

-Master Calgar went down from 8 to 6 Wounds.  I get that it's the 'Chapter Master standard' and all, but Titus has the same.  I would think that the greatest non-Primarch hero of the entire Imperium might get a little glow-up in survivability.  But alas, twas not meant to be.  There is quite a shiny silver-lining, however, as he gained an anime-style downswing in melee that is brutal (d3+3 Damage at Str 14!!!) and stole Ventris's old ability to give a unit Deep Strike.  Oh, and his guantlets can be used while engaged like pistols!!!  Minus two Wounds for all that?  Okay, I'll take it!

-Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the XIIIth and Lord Commander of the Imperium of Mankind... is a beatstick!!!  He's up to 16 Wounds on Toughness 10 with a 2+/4++/5+++.  This matters because he lost his resurrection and doesn't have a fights-on-death ability.  He is still affected by all the Doctrines and can stack Doctrines on another unit.  But now Guilliman is now a walking aura of rerolls, buffing everyone around him (as he should).  And the weapons must be mentioned- his shooting is better than an Assault Cannon and can wipe out half-a-squad of marines reliably with a lofty ceiling of 24 Damage, and his sword swings with the might  of his father, finally!  The stronger hit is only 7 Lethal Hits attacks at Strength 14 and 4 Damage, while the sweep attack is 10 attacks with Cleave 2 and Devastating Wounds, wounding marines on 2s.  That means that he'll consistently demolish a full squad of regular Astartes that dare to touch him in the Fight phase.  I've always used the Lord Commander as a 'super-dreadnought' and now his rules make him just that.  I ain't mad other than he's still 300 points.  He may be a beatstick, but he ain't a Knight!

  I am so geeked on this book!  While the Ork codex has my brain-hole totally fried with the army construction part, this Space Marine codex has me excited to pull out the units and get them battling!  The changes are drastic from last edition and actually pretty good.  It's not overpowering (that's for the Custodes codex coming soon) but there is some re-alignment with how units work.  I can't wait to use those detachments to build my armoured-assault force or my power-armour force, or my Gravis-for-fun force.  This book is awesome!  Let me know if you've had a gander and agree or not.

Happy Gaming!

by Peakpx (?)

What did they do to my Orks!?!?!

   My son comes home to surprise me with the new 40k Ork codex.  At the time, I was focused on digesting the new rules for Necromunda (and having a bear of a time as this is way different from N95 and certainly not similar to N17, but I digress) and ripping through the new starter kit models, so my focus had nothing to do with anything 40k.  We had resigned to wait for a bit as the codex had been sold out and the Space Marine one was coming out already, but that patience disappeared when the book 'o rules for those greenskins finally appeared on the shelf.  He dropped that book on me mid-read and my attention immediately shifted.  And then I went crazy.

  You see, I had been used to playing my Orks with a particular style.  One could even argue that I copied the pointy-ears with the style, but that could be offensive...  I like to use speshulists in trukks supported by clankin' walkers in the form of Meganobs and Deff Dreds.  My armies used those rokkit-boyz and Burna-boyz, supported by Lootas.  I even had wagons to roll over da enemies when the Meganobs wanted a ride.  And all the regular boyz- dey's shootas!  But dey'z dere to be a distraction for da Dreds and nobz.  

  Well, all that made me happy, so GW saw fit to change it or outright remove it.  Let's look at how they personally stabbed me in the back on my play style:

First, the Loota were completely removed from the codex.  I had 15 because I didn't build the Meks when they weren't mandatory many bad moons ago.  Then I built those because a new edition required them and I had three squads of five Lootas.  They're cheap and downright random, but they work great when you're trying to pop off a squad of beakies holding that objective.  I was already annoyed that my Bad Moons special rule was removed, then my squad composition was reset, but now they just disappeared! 

Second, they removed my Burna-boyz.  I loved by Burna-boyz.  Stop me if youi've heard this one- I had 10 because I didn't build the Meks when they weren't required.  Then I built those because a new edition required them and now I had two squads of Burnas.  They're cheap and very random, but they were key in wiping out those 'oomies in droves.  I was already annoyed that they were going down to 3 shots, then my squad composition was reset, and now they've just disappeared!

Third, they removed my Deff-rollas.  The iconic front-end attachment known to all Ork vehicles since the beginning of time (1987) was once a mainstay in every army.  In fact, they were so important to every Ork player that GW capitalized (and I say that literally) by making it a separate upgarde sprue that had to be purchased outside the Battlewagon box (definitely a brutally cunning move)!  The rules were phenomenal and made short work of all but Terminators when on the move.  I heard a rumour that the sprue has made its way back into the box, but it no longer matters as the big gun options have been narrowed in the codex, and the Deff-rolla is outright gone.  I want my Deff-rolla!!!  It ain't a true wagon without one.

Fourth, they destroyed my Power Klaw delivery system known as Warbikers!!!  The nobs no longer get Power Klaws and their bikes no longer have dakkaguns...  WHAT!?!?!?  Every Ork army that ever hit the battlefield has Warbikers delivering that tasty Klaw right into the enemy, even chasing down vehicles and delivering that slap.  But no, now there's rokkits on the bike (which I really don't hate) and the nob has a weapon with the same stats (but it's not a Klaw!)....  I don't understand.

Finally, there are too many Ork detachments for too cheap.  Building an army now requires either the War Horde or three other detachments, which are too specific.  You want a bunch of runts- there's a detachment for that.  You want to use a ton of Dred's- there's a detachment for that.  You like Meganobs- detachment!  This means that army-building is now more complicated that ever and that's annoying.  

  I'm very annoyed at what has happened in this new 11th edition codex.  My greenskins are feeling anguish right now for a number of reasons.  My wallet is dreading the muster.  My rules are betraying me.  First, my son surprised me with the codex.  Then the codex surprised me with this stuff.  Let me now what you think and if you've felt this way.  

Happy Gaming!   

The Radiant goes down!

 

  We had returned from ReaperCon, where we'd spent considerable time on Relic Knights, but we didn't do anything for a week in rest.  That was unacceptable and my wife angrily demanded a game.  Better, she wanted to change sides and give the Radiant faction a go.  That means I was going to play the Void faction for this battle.  Oh yes- a warband based on manipulating the enemy?  This is gonna be fun!

Deployment and stuff

  This battle is taking place in the defense compound, found deep among the rocky terrain of this planet.  Therre's plenty of cover and choke-points, and even elevation to take advantage of if you're inclined to fly or climb.

  Bang-bang's Sundown Enforcers immediately took cover near the center of the board and created an anchor-point for the rest of the Radiant's forces to threaten most of the objective markers.  

  Meanwhile, Tahariel's forces deployed to spread around the perimeter and threaten Bang-bang from all directions at once.  Bang-bang isn't dumb, so she set up a support element parallel to make an ambush corridor.  The two Knights were certainly working to out-smart each other.

Game start!

  Immediately, the Void jumped out to start locking down the good guys.  Alibaster was even able to charge and slap Bang-bang herself a bit before tucking into the same cover to stay engaged.  This was bad start for the Radiant force as this took away her support and damage role.  Unfortunately, Bang-bang's knuckles aren't soft...

  Cordelia used her flight to dash to an objective, but was immediately wounded as Dark Pinions also dashed in the opposite direction and took the opportunity to shoot.  Coordinated attack has its advantages...

  Mikel charged out to grab the enemy's attention, luring out Ms. Kaylee and staging for a helpful charge into Bang-bang.  What Kaylee didn't realize was that Tahariel had skated behind to attack her while she was distracted, creating that sense of fear that her kind rarely feels.  

  During all of that commotion, the Dark Pinions continued their advance to shield Tahariel's claim one of the objectives and give the Void the lead.  Worse for the Radiant, Mikel joined the melee against Bang-bang and overwhelmed the Knight finally, also stacking that lead for the bad guys.

  After some shenanigans between Cupid and Cordelia, another objective was finally claimed by the Radiant, but it resulted in the near loss of Ms. Kaylee.  The Enforcers were tossed around by the Priestess of Puirty, while she and Mikel gleefully glided from their small victories toward the central objective. The Sundown Enforcers, a severely wounded huntress, and even Mr. Milky realized how close they were to defeat and tried respond as quickly as possible.  

Finale

  With a quick move, Mikel locked down the Cypher and watched as Tahariel skated right up the last objective to lay claim and win the game.  In a flash, it was over.  The Void forces had easily outmaneuvered Bang-bang's team to claim this compound and teach those good guys their lesson.  The Radiant forces were shocked, especially at the loss of their Knight so early in the battle.  

  My wife was not happy with me for a couple of days.  She did also have some very poor card draws for a number of turns in a row and it didn't help.  In fact, Cordelia has (for the second game in a row, mind you!) failed to do any real damage with that huge rail gun- it seems the cards can be as brutal a mistress as the dice gods...  It was fun, for at least one of us...  

Happy Gaming!

Returned and exhausted!

 

  Well, THAT was a weekend!  We made the short trek northward, survived the construction, settled into a very nice suite, and went on a 48-hr journey of awesomeness.  There was so much community and support in the crowd and so many activities and classes to do!  Through perseverance (and a drinky-poo or two) and the desire to improve our painting skills, we survived it all only to return to our regular work-lives for the week.  We're exhausted, but I have to share because, well, it's what a Chaplain does!

The Paint Competition

  This was the primary reason for our trip- we wanted to enter some models and establish that 'base-line' to improve for years to come.  I was originally going to paint up and enter a dragon, but many obstacles appeared along the way.  The universe is more than happy to let you know when you've bitten off more than you can chew...  You can see the start of that project here and I did take the model and some supplies to do more work while at the Con.  Little was accomplished.  I did also paint up a couple of other models- the Paladin and 'Goeffrey'- you can see the progress in the last post from before we left.  My wife painted up GW's Grove Guardian and entered that- she did good!

  It must be noted that this is not a 'competitive' competition.  ReaperCon uses the 'open' format where you're judged and awarded individually based on your skill and presentation and then you get picked overall as the 'Best in Show' for your categories.  Think a game like golf or bowling versus a ball game like football- you're playing against yourself more than your opponent.  Everyone gets a Participation Certificate at minimum, and dozens of participants all receive each bronze, silver, and gold medals within each category.  The medal is based on your individual skill, not how you compare to others.  

  My Goeffrey model was the one chosen (the Paladin was relegated to title-screen duties for the ceremony- an honour itself!) and I got exactly the score I expected- a "2".  That's a bronze medal right there!  Woohoo!  I received my award and immediately returned to teaching a gentleman how to paint (I was sneaking away from the ceremony to give paint lessons!).  I wanted a silver but I know that the tunic and face weren't my top work.  But now I know that this standard is the 'floor' in my skill level.  Crap, that means I have to put in effort...

  Mty wife also entered the paint contest and lacked all the confidence she could.  Despite years of painting with me and learning those techniques, she still thought that she didn't have the skills to achieve anything good.  She put weeks and hours into the Grove Guardian, blending and layering and arguing with herself about highlights.  No matter my encouragement, she kept disappointing standards.  

  Her model was an instant hit!  I thought she did a fantastic job and the judges agreed- giving her a "3"!  That earned her the silver medal- and I missed it!  I stepped away for the paint lesson and the judges called her name!  She retrieved me immediately and I was very bitter and apologetic.  I knew she'd get at least a bronze, but to earn the silver on her first go was awesome!  

Activities and Classes

  The second purpose to the Con for us was painting lessons.  They offer lots of different classes by extremely talented painters and the retail offerings are aplenty and good!  We each signed up for four or five classes and focused on specific skills.  We both took a class for 'bigger models' and the blending aspect, and we missed one for mixing oil and acrylic paints on this medium (we were just too exhausted by that point).  My wife did a great job and learned tricks for painting faces and blending that now matches my skill- that's how good the classes are!  My favorite class was a "big eyes..." class that focused on the cel-shading paint style.  The instructor was so good that I'm thinking of entering that part of the paint competition next year!  We plan on signing up for more classes next year, for sure.

  There's a ton of activities to do as well- I have to throw a shout-out to the Gummy Bear Painting Challenge in honour of Kathy Wappel.  I knew Kathy (and her husband Jim) personally and give them credit for teaching me how to paint metallics and I helped them build their blog-site from back in the day.  That one was personal and I had to participate but I gotta admit that my wife's little bear was absolutely awesome.  It was nice to think of her again and all those years in the Chicago Battle Bunker.  Good people, good times...

  Finally, the whole event is such a fantastic time because they FORCE socializing on you.  During the classes the professors will interact with the students regularly (no 'lecture' style here!), the staff were 100% amazing the entire time, and the role-playing aspect to the Con was neat- we had to choose 'factions' which led to some neat little contests.  Most prevalent, however, was the 'ribbons'- you received small ribbons for meeting certain people or achieving certain objectives.  There were miniature rubber ducks and raccons scattered about like a 'scavenger hunt'.  There were costumed characters that you had to conversate with.  And there were just fun little activities that would gain ribbons like playing a game with the hotel bartender.  This turned into a contest between some folk (my wife and me!!!) and even more fun was to be had. 

  Earning these ribbons through all the activities and socializing became a sign for which attendees were social and which were particularly focused.  These ribbons, attached to the event badges, stretched down to the ground and further so that it created a tripping hazard.  Despite some glad-handing, deal-making, and overstimulated participations, my wife still beat me tthrough even more cunning.  Across the weekend, she was able to accumulate more ribbons than me, making more friends and learning more things with proof.  And to brag about it for months to come.  Next year...

 The social part

  At one time, I was the head of all the gamers.  I taught shiny devil winners regularly and learned from more that I was blessed to work with.  I retired from that world 15 years ago and didn't practice my skills at both the hobby and social aspects.  While I've still painted and played, even buffing my paintbrush output through trying new styles, I haven't gone into the game crowds and become integral like the old days.  This Con was big on that, both between last year's underwhelming experience due to my illness to this year's contest to talk to everyone everywhere.  The community is more important than sales or anything like that.  

  Where I felt that the most was during the paint contest ceremony.  Everyone in the Con attended, and I mean everyone.  Chairs were having to be dragged in from the lounge area and there was still only standing room.  Every one of the over 1,000 entries was showed on the big screen above and every single participant was named and their model shown off.  For a couple of hours, we all stuck around to see everyone and clap and cheer and give everyone their due credit.  You could feel the connection between everyone in the room and their appreciation of the hobby.

  Even through all of that, I still got to do some of those old things that I used to do.  First was my ability and time to run an intro game of Relic Knights with a great guy named Cary.  We got kicked off the table eventually, but he very much enjoyed the game and took to it very quickly.  Check out my own work in the short time with this game here and you'll see the models are amazing (and great to paint!) and the rules are a lot of fun.  I will have much, much more to say about that game in another post, but it was more awesome to see Cary enjoying a new game!

  I also spent a lot of time with a young kid named Paul that also happened to work in the restaurant within the hotel.  He wasn't really into the painting part, but he had collected a ton of skeletons that looked cool.  I could not let him come to a miniatures painting convention and not teach a couple of skills!  He brought a great set of paintbrushes and some miniatures and sat with me during the ceremony to learn basecoating, wash-shading, and even lining-in.  He got it so quickly that we started some 'slapchop' technique in-between me dashing back-and-forth to see the contest entries.  Paul definitely has some talent and I think he'll be really good by the time I see him next year.  

  I'm not social anymore, but I definitely enjoy it a bit.  I love to see other people's enjoyment of the hobby, their commitment to the artistry of it all, and the focus on sharing experiences in the process.  If I manage my time properly, I may even try to get involved with the events and activities next year (let's just say the '80's were the best decade) to generate even more of that.  But that's all the social stuff that I'll think about later- I really need to focus on what I'm going to paint for next year.

Stop chatting already!

  Okay, that's really about it.  We're so exhausted and just trying to rest up a bit today before the football season kicks off and takes over half the weekends for next seven months.  The Con was such a good time that we would very strongly suggest people (especially want to meet others in the hobby) check it out.  Last year was the 'observation year' and this year was a 'test the water year'- try everything and see how it all works.  Next year, the wife cannot beat me in ribbons or painting medals- I'm bringing it...

Happy  Hobbying