Let's Talk About Oath of Moment

I've been meaning to start this back up again, and with Warhammer Day and the release of the Space Marine Codex tomorrow, this seems like a good time.  I'm still struggling with my health, and I'm still trying to put as much time and energy as I can into my big project, but this hiatus has gone on long enough.  Plus I made a new Tumblr and it's time that got some love.

So let's talk about Oath of Moment.

When Oath was first unveiled in the previews leading up to 10th Edition, there was more than a little gnashing of teeth from the community.  GW had claimed they wanted the game to be less lethal and have fewer re-rolls.  But then they dropped Oath of Moment giving Space Marines full re-rolls to hit and wound.  More astute players weren't as phased by the unveiling, seeing the limits behind the rule and room to play around it.  But many people couldn't see past the apparent power on display.

As things have been, Oath has definitely been powerful.  It essentially lets the Space Marine player delete one unit off the board each turn.  It's particularly powerful when combined with Indirect Fire platforms such as Desolators and Whirlwinds.  But Space Marines have plenty of ways to get around the board and secure good firing angles.  So unless a player is really reaching they'll almost certainly kill their Oath target.

But while I think you'd be hard pressed to call Oath of Moment a weak rule, or even say that Space Marines lack good rules period, none of this made the faction overpowered.  Space Marines kicked off 10th Edition pretty close to a 50% win rate and only fell from there.  While they never approached the kind of levels that armies like Votann and Death Guard suffered, they struggled to hang with the more potent armies in the game.

Now unlike those other armies, this was almost certainly a pure points issue.  Space Marines definitely have rules, of which Oath of Moment is only one.  But this does seem to suggest that Oath of Moment really wasn't overpowered.

So why did GW change it?

If you somehow haven't heard, do I have a spoiler for the Codex release tomorrow!

Oath of Moment is no longer granting re-rolls to Wound against your chosen target.  This may be the most significant single nerf a faction has ever received.  Losing the re-rolls to Wound is definitely losing the better half of Oath of Moment.  Space Marines normally hit on 3s.  So while re-rolling Hits is definitely a buff, Space Marines still hit decently well without it.  But in a world where Plasma and Melta are wounding big targets on 5s, re-rolling Wounds is huge.  Add in abilities like Dev Wounds, and it becomes really big.

Chances are that well built Space Marine lists will still be able to eliminate their Oath target each turn, but harder targets are now going to take a lot more work.  This also shifts weapon priorities in Space Marine lists.  Combi-weapons have suddenly dropped in value while weapons with Lethal Hits or Twin-linked really matter.

Do you hear that?  That's the sound of thousands of players snapping off arms and guns.

Unlike other rules changes, GW has been pretty quiet about this one.  Because of this, we can only really guess why they decided the rule needed to be nerfed.  While I know there are some people seeing nefarious intentions here, I'm pretty sure the goal is to make the game easier to balance.

When GW is writing rules for units or deciding what their points value will be, they need to take Army and Detachment Rules into account.  The more powerful these rules are, the harder the unit is to balance.  We can see this illustrated plainly with Aeldari, the faction that arguably has the best rules in the game.

Even before we get to the new rules in the new Codex, Space Marines already have two good sets of rules.  Not only is Oath of Moment a good rule, but so are Combat Doctrines.  So when balancing Space Marine units, GW has to add in these rules.

But to make matters worse, both of these rules spike a Space Marine unit's power.  If the rules were bonuses that applied consistently, the design team could just lump them in with what the unit can do.  But not only does Oath of Moment apply to a single enemy unit each turn, each Combat Doctrine is also only once per game.  So when balancing something like the new Jump Intercessors, they have to not just consider what the unit can do on a turn by turn basis, but also what happens the turn they have Assault Doctrine and an Oath target.

By removing the re-roll Wounds, it becomes much easier to balance Space Marines.  Now their units will still spike occasionally, but it won't be as huge a spike.  This also helps internal balance as well.  Units that GW wanted to make good at killing certain targets with re-roll Wounds now matter more.  Why take a unit that gets re-roll Wounds against Monster and Vehicles when you're probably going to get it from Oath of Moment?  Now that unit has a definitive purpose in the army.

But let's not sugar coat it.

Regardless of why GW made the decision to nerf Space Marines, this is still a nerf and they're going to feel it.  There are some interesting rules to play with coming in the new Codex, though Gladius is probably still going to be the Detachment to beat.  But none of these rules are going to make up for the change to Oath of Moment.

Space Marines have gotten further points changes, and there are some significant buffs, but they weren't looking like an A Tier army after the last balanced pass.  While it remains to be seen just how bad this is going to be, I feel like Space Marine players have a bumpy road ahead of them.

Warhammer 40,000 - Astra Militarum Imperial Armour Part 2

Almost done with my data entry, then I'll finally get to move on to logic and algorithm.  Though I'll likely need to take a break this week as I have a lot of doctor stuff coming up.  In the mean time, we've still got another Astra Militarum download to go through.

DATASHEETS

Avenger Strike Fighter - 130 pts

Time for the forces of the Imperial Navy!  Aircraft in 10th Edition aren't doing very well right now.  While they get the same benefits as Towering, they usually have to start off the board.  This means you don't get any chances at some good Turn 1 shooting with them.  Additionally, because of their movement rules, every model has a predictable "flight path."  Smart opponents have learned how to use this to avoid any bomber abilities and even keep completely out of line of sight.  The end result is that Aircraft need to either be very flexible, have awesome guns, or useful special rules to consider including.

This has none of these things.  While relatively inexpensive for its profile and the guns it's carrying, its main ability is to shoot back at an enemy that destroys one of your units.  The fact this keys off the Fly keyword isn't bad, but the fact it only triggers when a unit is destroyed is an issue.  Like I said, you can play around Aircraft pretty easily.  The number of times an opponent is going to destroy one of your units within 6" of an Avenger, and the Avenger will be able to do anything meaningful will be zero.  I don't even think the threat of it will affect your opponent's game plan much.

130 pts isn't bad for the body and guns it has, though.  If it didn't have to start off the board, it'd be a pretty nice vehicle on its own.

Voss-Pattern Lightning - 130 pts

While the -1 to Hit is nice, I don't feel like the hellstrikes make up for the loss of the bolt cannon and heavy stubber.  This just isn't bringing enough damage.

Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter - 190 pts

The shooting on this will be much more effective, at least when targeting enemy Flyers.  At BS4+, that +1 to Hit really helps.  But it's not a large enough improvement in toughness and fire power to justify being that much more than an Avenger.

Vulture Gunship - 225 pts

The fact this has the Hover keyword immediately makes it more interesting.  When your Aircraft has Hover, you can essentially treat it as Knight with better movement.  At that point, the question becomes whether it can survive to get its value in.

And unfortunately, I just don't see it happening.  It's not tough enough to survive enemy shooting and it just doesn't put out enough of its own.  If you're going to take one, I definitely think you take the gatling cannons though.  Those will at least reliably let you force some Battle-shock tests.

Marauder Bomber - 345 pts

I'm sorry if this is feeling really negative, but unfortunately Aircraft just really aren't in a good place, and this really isn't helping.  The fact you have to specialize its bombs really reduces its usefulness.  Your opponent could already easily play around the bombing run, now they don't even have to worry about it for all their units.  Even if you could reliably make the bombing runs, you're going to be doing a total of 6 mortal wounds on average during a game.  That just does not justify that price tag.

Marauder Destroyer - 375 pts

This at least is better.  The 6 average mortal wounds per game goes up to 8 and now threatens your opponent's entire army, and you get way more guns.  I'd definitely say this is the better of the two bombers.  However, the price tag is still way too high.  On a guess, I'd honestly say its at least 100 pts too much for what it will do.  That's the kind of cost issues we're running into with some of these.

Tarantula Battery - 35 pts per model

I've always kind of liked these, even if they've never been particularly good.  I think it's because I've always liked sentry guns in movies and games.  However, as cheap as these are, they're still too expensive.  A single gun in your deployment zone doesn't do a lot, even if it's a good gun.  GW may be charging a little too much for movement, but not being able to move a model is a big deal.  If you've got the points free, grab one of the demolition vehicles.  These are a pass.

Rapider Laser Destroyer Battery - 30 pts per model

Okay, now those Tarantula's really look bad!  These however are actually pretty good!  You'll need to get them into position so that you can use that Heavy ability, but then you'll be blasting away with a pretty good gun.  It's too bad Guard doesn't really have order splashing anymore, as you'll nearly always have better targets than this.  But if you want a cheap screener or list filler, this is actually a good deal.

Hades Breaching Drill - 110 pts

Interesting!  While I think this is overpriced, Deep Striking any Infantry unit is huge.  I especially like the fact that the setup range on this is 9", as it means you can potentially crowd in a large number of models around it.  No matter what unit you bring in with Subterranean Assault, you'll probably manage to successfully deploy it.  If you like the idea of making a gigantic block of Infantry to try and hold the mid board, this might reliably get it there.

Trojan Support Vehicle - 80 pts

I like this too!  It may have to wait until Guard vehicles are in a little better spot, but once they are this will be a useful piece of tech.  It's nice and cheap and it doesn't put out anywhere near enough shots for your opponent to want to shoot at it.  When they do, this is just tough enough they'll be grinding their teeth at the amount of fire power they have to use to take it down.  So this will either spend the game healing and buffing vehicles or taking shots that are meant for them.  Honestly not bad for 80 pts.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This might have seemed a little hum drum, but it's honestly just that Aircraft are in a bad spot, and half of this was Aircraft.  Honestly, if you really want to take some fighters, 130 pts isn't bad for the Avenger.  You're really going to have to work to feel like it's contributing much.  The rest of these were fun though, even if GW is asking way too much for the Tarantula.  I'm especially curious to see if anyone is making Breaching Drills work.

Warhammer 40,000 - Astra Militarum Imperial Armour Part 1

Over the history of Forge World, the model line has been used for many things.  Its original purpose, of course, was selling titanic figures that couldn't be cast in plastic or pewter.  But as GW finally abandoned pewter, discovering it could use fine cast resin as an "adequate" replacement, they expanded the Forge World line.

Guard are one of the factions that have historically "benefited" from the existence of Forge World.  Not only are they the original faction to receive rules for using Titans, but their super heavy tanks were originally Forge World kits too.  As GW focused more and more on Cadians as the pattern for most Guard regiments, other classic regiments ended up going to Forge World.  This tentatively allowed GW fans that didn't want to go with the now standardized regiments to still get some official models.

Now there are far more options available for customizing the look and feel of a guard army, and GW has decided they don't want Forge World to be a supplement for their basic games anymore.  The Baneblade has been out in plastic for some time now, our first heavy plastic tank came out in 9th with the Rogal Dorn, and we've finally gotten plastic Krieg as well as the return of Rough Riders.

Still, Forge World models aren't a thing of the past yet.

DATASHEETS

Death Korps Marshal - 60 pts

For 10 points more than their Cadian counterpart, the Marshal loses the ability to take a bolter, gets a 5+ FNP which they share with their unit, and a free Insane Bravery.  For some reason, the Insane Bravery is capped by this rule to twice per phase, but it's still nice to see the unshakeable nature of the Death Korps represented in some way.  I just don't think it's worth more than a Castellan.  It's not much of a tax, but its till feels like a little bit of one for taking a proper Leader for you Death Korps.

Death Rider Squadron - 70 pts for 5 models (14 pts per model)

By contrast, their Riders are 10 pts cheaper.  Their melee isn't bad either, and their Ridemaster can take a plasma pistol.  They can also reposition if an enemy gets too close, though this is not going to keep them from being shot off the table and the Attilan ability to Fall Back and Shoot and Charge is superior.  Still, 14 pts for fast moving, hard hitting, 2 wound models is pretty good.

Death Rider Squadron Commander - 60 pts

And if you take a unit of Death Riders, you should definitely take one of their officers.  For the same price as the Marshal, you get a faster and hard hitting model that grants Infiltrators to their unit.  In addition, you get DEV WOUNDS on the charge, for some extremely good melee threat.  I think Death Riders are actually really good.

Carnodon - 160 pts

For 35 pts less, the Carnodon isn't quite as tough as a Russ but is a little faster.  Unfortunately its weaponry is pretty underwhelming.  Autocannons just aren't what they once were, and none of its other weapons really have much output either.  You could potentially consider loading it up with some volkite and hoping to spike out some mortals, but I just don't think its worth it.  Guard vehicles, other than indirect, are proving to be over-costed, and this is not exception.

Cyclops Demolition Vehicle - 25 pts

This thing actually might be worth taking now.  With an 8" move and 4 wounds, you can use this as a mobile screening unit and there's nothing stopping it from running secondaries either.  You can only take three of them, but that's 75 points for 3 units deterring movement, scoring missions, and eventually turning into a one time smite.  They're honestly not bad.  At worst they're decent point fillers.

Malcador - 250 pts

The Leman Russ's big brother is bigger and tougher, but certainly isn't meaner.  They have similar loadouts but the Malcador trades a pair of Autocannons for an inferior main gun.  If the Leman Russ were properly priced, and it's not, I'd say this needs to be at least 15 pts cheaper.  As things stand it's probably at least 25-40 pts more than it should be.  Even then, the Russ is a smaller target that punches just as hard.

Malcador Annihilator - 270 pts

The Demolisher cannon has certainly proved itself to be worth at least 20 pts more than a standard battle cannon, and the Malcador didn't even have that.  Additionally, this tank gets IGNORES COVER if you get close, which is fantastic in 10th Edition right now.  Though with the loss of Armour of Contempt from the basic Malcador, it'll be harder to get in range.  This is unfortunately still overpriced.

Malcador Defender - 310 pts

For 40 pts more than the Annihilator you lose some heavy firepower but pack a whopping 21 heavy bolter shots.  You also get improved Overwatch, but Guard already have good Overwatch units that are far cheaper.  While this will make an impressive road block, you don't spend 310 points for a screening unit.

Malcador Infernus - 235 pts

Our least expensive Malcador variant actually comes it at only 15 pts more than a Demolisher.  However, what you're actually comparing this to is a Hellhound.  The inferno gun is a bit of sidegrade from the inferno cannon.  It does pack more guns though, including the ability to still bring two autocannons or lascannons.  However, its only special rule is to get a final shot with its inferno gun with a 3+ on death.  Take the Hellhound.

Earthshaker Carriage Battery - 80 pts

At first I thought this was just a mini Basilisk that couldn't move very well.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing, you don't need to move these.  Then I noticed that they only hit on 5s.  That part's not as good.  Now they're Regiment, so you can target them more easily with orders.  But do you really want one of your regimental officers kept babysitting these?  Unfortunately I think the full sized Basilisk is probably better.

Medusa Carriage Battery - 80 pts

An alternative to the Earthshaker, the Medusa is a bit of a side grade.  The weapon is all around more powerful, but doesn't have anywhere near as much board presence.  And at Move 4, you're not exactly rolling it out onto the board.  Additionally, Battle-shocked is usually not as useful a debuff as shaken is.

Stormblade - 415 pts

Now this is a big tank!  Basically a Baneblade that's been modified to carry a Titan's plasma blastgun, it has similar firepower to the other Baneblade variants.  The Shadowsword currently seems to be the most popular variant, so that's the one I'm going to compare this to.  Now the plasma blastgun is certainly no volcanno cannon, but it's still a good general purpose weapon that can threaten both Infantry and Vehicles.  My only problem is I'm struggling to find a place for it.  It's just not really bringing anything your army really needs.  Still, it's the most affordable of the super heavies, so if you really want to field one and don't want to spring 25 points more for a Shadowsword, it's not a bad option.

Macharius - 310 pts

The classic heavy tank option has a chassis closer to a Baneblade than a Rogal Dorn, but firepower similar to it's smaller cousin.  So basically you're trading toughness for fire power at a cost of 25 pts.  Again, now that we've gotten a chance to see how Guard vehicles are performing, I'm feeling like this is just too expensive.

Macharius Vanquisher - 285 pts

Okay, now we might be getting somewhere.  While the vanquisher cannon is a single shot weapon, you get re-roll hits and wounds with it to drastically improve its reliability.  And if you've got someone that can give out orders to tanks, you can further improve that reliability.  Honestly I'd take this over a Rogal Dorn.

Macharius Vulcan - 310 pts

A tank with a vulcan mega-bolter!  This thing can absolutely shred infantry, but so can tons of other guard options.  Again, it's a lot of points for something Guard doesn't really need.  I like that it doesn't suffer any penalties for Big Guns though.

Praetor - 275 pts

The power of indirect is you don't need to be in the line of fire, so the tougher chassis doesn't really help this thing.  So we're left looking at just its gun to justify taking it over any of the other indirect options.  The first nice thing is that if you've got a source of tank orders, it's hitting on 2s with Take Aim.  The foehammers are also pretty interesting, wounding big targets on 4s even with its low strength.  But again, you'll want your indirect to be sitting back and firing without needing orders, and you have other ways to get that bonus.

Crassus - 180 pts

You're actually getting a bit of a discount on transport capacity with this.  In exchange for the mobility and flexibility of multiple Taurox, you get a tougher model that can transport a ton of guard in bulk.  And while not as fast, it does have Fire Support, which I'm very fond of.  However, I'm struggling to figure out how all those guard are going to disembark from this thing.  35 models is a lot!  Still, if you need to transport a full Infantry Squad with command, attachments, and bodyguard, this will do it!

Colossus - 160 pts

Huh?  A direct fire mortar?  What?

So unfortunately that means we're comparing it to the Leman Russ, which is tougher and has more guns.  However, as weird as the gun is, it's not to be sneezed at.  Any big target you get a decent hit on is probably going to be taking mortals.  This means this thing can pretty easily punch above its weight.  It's pretty swingy for 160 pts though.

Valdor - 285 pts

Again, we're trading toughness for guns with the Rogal Dorn again.  Only this time, we've actually got a pretty good main cannon to justify it.  Hitting with 2 shots on 3s with HEAVY, the Valdor punches at S16, AP-4, and DmgD6+1.  And as a kicker, if you're targeting a Monster or Vehicle, you get to re-roll the damage.  It's probably a little overpriced, but I feel like this is a little closer to fine than the other options are.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are many guard players out there that long for the day when they can field a wide variety of different vehicles and regiments for their army.  We're getting there again with the infantry, and we've started getting better access to vehicles too.  But unfortunately guard is in a position where their vehicles are struggling to make up their cost.  It doesn't help it's far more difficult to get buffs on tanks now, and they even took away Ursula's ability to give strats to them.  I feel nearly the entire Forge World line needs to come down in price.  Yes, both prices.

However, Death Riders look like a lot of fun, and there were a few vehicles that might make cool alternatives for roughly the same value as their plastic counterparts.  Hopefully we'll see a bit of an overhaul soon.

Warhammer 40,000: Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Armour

I'm slowly starting to feel a little better.  While recovering, I've been putting little bits of time into some brainless parts of my various 40K projects, and I'm hoping now I can get some more serious work done.  But for this blog today, we're doing Titans!

Who doesn't love big stompy robots?  And 40K has some of the biggest and stompiest!  Titans, unfortunately, are usually relegated to casual games and often then only the largest scale ones.  Even the smallest Titan takes over half your army to field in points, leaving only a few units to actually play the game with.  And for all their grandeur, the 40K Strength/Toughness system does mean that they will eventually get shot down.  Now at least, the vast majority of weapons will be wounding your Titans on 5s and 6s while still allowing your Titans a decent save against them.

Without further ado, let's see what the surviving Legios of the 41st Millennium can field.

DATASHEETS

Warhound Titan - 1100 pts

Costing over half of a Strike Force army, the scout titan of the Legios comes with 40 T13 Wounds, a 2+ Sv, a 5+ Invuln against ranged attacks, and two massive guns.

You might be wondering why such a massive piece of tech only gets an Invuln against ranged attacks.  This is to represent both the main means of protection Titans have and their primary weakness in the lore.  Titans are protected by a bubble of warp distorted space called a void shield.  Void shields are fantastic at deflecting and destroying incoming projectiles and energy attacks, but they can be traversed by properly protected infantry and vehicles.  They also take a tremendous amount of energy to power and can be overloaded.  In past editions, void shields provided better protection but could collapse just as they do in the lore.  For 10th edition, GW has decided to just represent this with a plain 5+ Invuln.

For our guns, we have the inferno gun: a 24" flamer that hits at S7, AP -2, and Dmg3.  Averaging 10.5 hits, this thing will scoop even tough 5 man units and has a decent chance to pull 10 man units off the table too.

For slightly larger units, we have the vulcan mega-bolter.  While not as good against elite infantry, even Space Marines will have to fear the shear number of shots it puts out.  Anything not wearing power armour is going to take massive damage, obliterating many 10 man units.

For monsters and vehicles, we have the plasma blastgun.  At an average of 10 shots and the BLAST ability, this thing is a serious threat to Infantry too.  But even on its basic profile, it hits at S9, AP-3, and Dmg4.  That number of shots means that even wounding on 5s, this thing can melt most vehicles.

Finally we have the turbo-laser destructor: D3+3 shots at S20, AP-3, and Dmg2D6.  While outclassed by many anti-vehicle weapons in the game, that will still reliable reduce even the toughest vehicles in the game to scrap.

Let's not forget that as a Titan it has Towering and so it can strike nearly anything on the table with everything but the inferno gun.

The Warhound also comes with two abilities.  The first is the second price you pay for fielding a Titan that we saw in the Faction Focus.  If you want to use a Stratagem on a Warhound, you'll have to pay twice the CP for it.  This effectively means you're likely not using any strats on it.  The second is flank speed, which allows it an automatic +8" on an Advance, making it a pretty fast piece of tech.  However, you're likely going to just put two plasma blastguns on it, stand it where ever you can fit it in your deployment zone, and use every turn to blast away with it.

Now here's the part where you're expecting me to tell you that despite all of that, it's just now worth it.  Except . . .

Here's the thing, most opponents will have enough fire power to bring this thing down.  Especially with other Towering and Titanic units being so potent right now, every army has to have an answer to something like this.  But this thing has twice the wounds of many of those rival units.  More than likely, it will survive the first round of firepower, after which it will remove two threats from the board.  That makes it more likely to survive the next round and allow it to scoop up two more threats.  There will definitely be games in which this thing earns its points back before your opponent manages to bring it down, if they even do.

The main problem is that this is over half your army.  It will be sitting in your deployment zone, scoring your backfield objective, and that's it.  You likely won't have a lot of units to play Tactical Missions, so you'll be relying on Fixed for Secondary scoring.  And you'll have to hope the units you're blasting off the board are enough to make sure you're winning on Primary.

There is legitimately a world in which you can play competitively with a Warhound Titan, but you're definitely going to have to work for it.

Reaver Titan - 2200 pts

The only Titan I've faced across the table in an actual game of 40K, many moons ago in the days of 2nd Edition, Reavers are definitely scary.  Reavers go up to T14 and have 60 Wounds to the Warhound's 40.  They come stock with an apocalypse launcher and can pick two other guns to fire with.  We'll start with that apocalypse launcher.

Like the Basilisk, this gun has the range to hit your friends army on the other side of the LGS.  It's an INDIRECT FIRE weapon, but that doesn't really matter.  Unless you're on a board specifically designed to allow units to hide from Towering, you're going to be direct firing this.  Still, it allows a little proof against terrain.  With 3D6 BLAST shots at S7, AP-1, Dmg2, it's a serious threat to all light infantry.

For heavier armour, you've got the gatling blaster.  Firing 12 shots with SUSTAINED HITS 1 at S8, AP-2, and Dmg3, even Terminators are going to need to worry about this thing.

The laser blaster is next with 8 shots at S20, AP-3, and DmgD6+2.  This is probably the go to weapon for the Reaver, as this will allow you to deal with most armoured threats, including enemy Titans, but still has enough shots to deal with Infantry.

Next is the melta cannon: D6+2 BLAST shots at S13, AP-4, Dmg6, or Dmg10 at 24".  Honestly this is just such an odd duck.  While the high AP is nice, you're going to want to stand back in your deployment zone and blast across the board, so you're never really going to get much use of the MELTA rule.

Then there's the volcano cannon, which you might have seen on some other kits.  It can still hit the next table over with 120" range, D3+1 BLAST shots at S24, AP-5, Dmg14.  Honestly, if you're in a game where you can bring a Reaver, you probably want at least one of these.

Finally, you can give a Reaver a power fist, striking with 6 S20 attacks at AP-4, Dmg14, or sweeping with 12 S12 attacks at AP-3, Dmg6.  You're not going to do this though.  Not only are the guns better, but this hits on 4s.  Even if it hit on 3s, I still wouldn't take this.  Those big stompy feet will punish anything that tries to tie this up in melee, and the Reaver can Fall Back and Shoot and Charge.

Unfortunately my calculous for the Reaver doesn't work out as well as the Warhounds.  Basically, this is a Warhound that has a better chance of lasting through the game.  But you're going to be removing, at most, a third unit off the table each turn.  And honestly, that's not going to happen very often.  You may still want to bring this in truly massive games where you know there will be other Titans.  But unless that's the case, this just isn't worth the cost of two Warhounds.  And even if there are enemy Titans, we have another challenger to consider on the next datasheet or so.

Warbringer Nemesis Titan - 2600 pts

For only 400 pts more than the Reaver, the Warbringer has 20 more wounds and can bring all the same weapons, other than the apocalypse launcher and the power fist.  But instead of the apocalypse launcher, the Warbringer brings 2 anvillus defence batteries, 3 ardex-defensor maulers, and either a quake cannon or volcano cannon.  Let's start with the small guns.

Both the anvillus and ardex-defensor are statted for anti-infantry, though the anvillus can also do pretty well against light flyers.  You get a total of 34 shots between them, but crucially it's 5 different guns so you can split their fire as you need.  This gives the Warbringer some automatic ability to deal with infantry, allowing you to focus the rest of its weapons on removing armour.

And I just got a massive sense of deja vu there . . .  Did they preview this bad boy earlier?  Oh well!  On to the big gun!

For the Warbringers carapace weapon you can take either the quake cannon or an upgraded volcano cannon.  The volcano cannon is the same as the one you can get for its arms, but strangely doesn't have HEAVY and gets 2 more shots.  Honestly, this makes it only moderately better than the arm cannons, which will normally be hitting on 2s.

The quake cannon is more general purpose, firing D6+6 BLAST shots at S16, AP-4, Dmg4.  This makes it good against nearly all targets, though you'll miss the higher damage against enemy Titans.  It also has INDIRECT, though again, you have Towering.  Finally, it has an absolutely silly range!  480"  That's 40 feet!  Most local game stores won't have a room that big!

But wait!  There's more!

It has the rule Titanic Fire Support!  This lets you pick some lucky unit that survived this things Shooting and grant your army improved AP on Critical Wounds.  It's honestly not much, but it will still help.  And if your army has a lot of ANTI-X . . .

This thing is so much better than a Reaver.  And in any game where you'd field a Reaver, it will just purely outclass it.  If you're playing a massive game where you know your opponents will have Titans, this is what you bring.  Otherwise, you're probably still better with a pair of Warhounds.

Warlord Titan - 3500 pts

Finally we arrive at the big boy, the mightiest unit you can field on the table.

At least until we get an official model for the Warmaster.

And then maybe one day the Imperator.

But for now, this is the largest single model in the game.  Also, it's ironically the one you're most likely to have?  Although this thing costs as much as some used cars, if you're going to save up for a Titan, you might as well save up for this one.  Also, the NOVA Open Charity raffles have given one of these away at least once a year for a bit now.  I think they're technically giving two away this year, though as a diorama.

But that's 3500 pts!  That's more than even an Onslaught game of 40K!  Can this thing possibly justify itself?

So in case you didn't check out the reveal, let's start with that wound count.  The Warlord skips over T15, and goes straight to T16 and 100 Wounds.  Plasma will only be wounding this on 6s.  Nothing but a dedicated anti-tank gun will wound it on better than 5s.  Even at 3500 pts, an army is going to struggle to bring it down.

And this thing brings some truly frightening fire-power!

You start with two of either the apocalypse launcher or the laser blaster.  Interestingly enough, the laser blaster on the Warlord is completely inferior to the Reavers.  But still, you get two of them.  The apocalypse launcher is all upgrade though, firing 20 attacks at S8, AP-2, D2.  So you're scooping two 10 mans a turn.

The Warlord then gets a pair of those ardex-defensor maulers the Warbringer has.  So there's even more anti-infantry you can use to deal with smaller threats.  It then gets two ardex-defensor lascannons.  These are just normal, single shot lascannons that can poke at a bigger target each round.  Now, let's get to those arms.

The Warlord can take an arioch power claw.  You're probably not going to, but this is an all around better option than the Reaver's power fist.  First, it doesn't cost you a gun, firing 20 attacks with SUSTAINED HITS 1 at S6, AP-1, and Dmg2.  Again, you can kill a lot of infantry with that.  And should something be stupid enough to get close, it sweeps with 12 attacks at S12, AP-3, Dmg8, or strikes at S20, AP-4, and Dmg24!  There's not much in the game that can survive that.

Still, you've got big guns you can put on this thing, and that's probably what you're going to do.

The macro gatling blaster puts out an eye watering 30 shots with SUSTAINED HITS 1 at S9, AP-2, Dmg3.  This will take out nearly any infantry unit and most vehicles too.

Next is the mori quake cannon: 3D6 shots with BLAST at S16, AP-4, Dmg 6.  Another decent all purpose weapon that won't kill huge blobs of infantry but will wreck most other things on the table.

Then we've got the sunfury.  This one is another all rounder, firing 2D6+6 shots with BLAST at AP-3.  Its standard shot hits at S10 and Dmg5, while supercharging it goes to S12, Dmg8.  Any of these guns would be extremely useful on the table.

But let's face it, if you've got a Warlord there's a good chance your opponent is bringing something big.  So you know you're going to take at least one belicosa.  This absolute beast fires D3+3 shots at a whopping S32, AP-5, and Dmg18!!!  An invuln and some extremely lucky die rolls is your only chance to survive this.

So despite being a massive 3500 pts, if you're play games with Titans a Warlord is actually your best pick.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

So while I was writing this up, Exile Con started.  I stopped working on this to relax and enjoy the live stream.  But my head started plucking away at the numbers.  And, well, when my head starts doing that . . .

So between presentations and during ones I was a bit less interested in, I pulled out my damage calculator, looked up the units that have been dominating top tables at the big events recently, and plugged the numbers.  Then I saw how good they were at taking down these bad boys.  I then tested the Titans against each other.  I had to fudge some things, like Unparalleled Foresight and Lay Low the Tyrant.  I've still got a more sophisticated method for doing these calculations coming.  But for now, these numbers should be close enough.

And honestly, I was really surprised!

GW said they had come up with new methods for determining pts that should provide more balance, and for Titans they actually seem to be working!

Each Titan saw an increase in efficiency and survivability roughly in line with their points cost.  So a Reaver is actually roughly equal to two Warhounds, Warbringers are just that little bit better than Reavers, and Warlords do make up their massive points cost.  They're still not as good as the best units in the game, but they're honestly not bad either.

You've got some real threat to deal with if you try to bring one though.  Aeldari and Custodes in particular just laugh these things off the board.  Necrons and Tau are also a really serious threat, especially Doomsday Arks and Broadsides respectively.  For Knights, it really depends on their loadout.  Beast Snaggas were the real surprise for me.  They've actually prompted a future blog in which I look at my worst calls so far.  They're almost as good point for point at taking these down as Eldar units are!  

And then, of course, there's Shalaxi.

But overall, I was really pleased with the theoretical performance of the Titans.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Titans unfortunately don't have a place in competitive play.  Competitive games of 40K are nearly always fought at 2000 points, so Warhounds are your only option.  The games use dense boards with ample cover, and many events have begun making sure some of that cover provides resources against Towering.  You'll be struggling to fit your Warhound's massive frame in your deployment zone, and you won't have the units to score the objectives you need to win.  And if all that wasn't enough, there are other units out there right now that are way better at dealing damage then the massive guns a Titan brings.

But if competitive play isn't your thing, there's no reason not to enjoy some casual games where these big boys come out to play.  They're honestly not bad units, just not the best ones.  And if you and your opponent have agreed to setup a game where they can be fielded, you can make sure the terrain allows you to actually deploy and move them.  Any such game that includes an epic duel between two God Engines is sure to be memorable.

Well That Just Happened!

Wow!!!

Space Marine Range Update

I'm seriously stunned, and honestly cursing out loud about this!  This is both unbelievable and shocking news, and I know that there are fans who are going to be extremely upset over it.

The Space Marine codex is a behemoth.  After constantly receiving new miniatures throughout 10 Editions of this game, there is just an incredible number of Datasheets that need to be rewritten each edition and then balanced as people play.  Yet Space Marines are the game's most popular faction.  It's seriously not even close.  Now there are things GW could and should do to bring other factions up, but the simple fact is that Space Marines sell.  To not make new Space Marine kits is to leave money on the table.  But there eventually comes a point where you can't feasibly add more to the game.

So GW has apparently decided that 10th Edition will come with the sunsetting of many Space Marine kits.  And some of the ones they've chosen are jaw dropping.

Now I'd normally guess in many cases these are kits that are getting a refresh.  Some of these are extremely old and in desperate need of an update.  But why would they announce the kits are being retired before they announce the new models?  That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  So this really makes me wonder if these units are just going away to make room for new models and units.  Even then, the fact they announced this before revealing the new miniatures is flabbergasting!

Some of these units make perfect sense.

The Iron Clad Dreadnought.  I did not even know this thing existed.  I think it looks ridiculous.  I know I'm not going to miss it.

The Stalker and Hunters.  Again, I'd never even seen these, though I've at least heard of them.

The Thunderfire Cannon.  This one I knew and have even faced across the table.  But slow moving heavy weapons don't have much of a roll in a faction with so many fast assets.

Even the Company Command Squad makes at least some sense in a game that's become more about single heroes.

I'm sure there is probably a player out there that really loves one or more of these.  But at the end of the day, I don't think many players will complain about GW no longer selling them, save for generic complaints about fewer options.

But those are only a few models on this list!

Let's start with the ones that at least have some obvious reasons behind them: the Scouts and Techmarine.  

These are ancient kits in desperate need of a refresh.  But I'm sure everyone was expecting a refresh; everyone was expecting to see the new Space Marine Scouts when the new model reveals come in.  I guarantee, no one was expecting either of these to be consigned to Legends.  And they're both integral parts of Space Marine lore.  It's hard to imagine not being able to field them in your army.

But from there the choices just get eye watering.

Bikes could use a refresh; they're both pretty old kits too.  But they still hold up pretty well.  And Space Marines on bikes are still a very popular theme.  Hell!  Arguably there's an entire Chapter dedicated to them!  I know we have the Primaris bikes, but they have a pretty different feel from the older ones.  I know there are going to be people who are really upset to see these go!

The Librarian!  This is actually a really cool model!  It's even a plastic kit!  But it looks like it'll only be Primaris Libbies from now on.

But by far the ones that have my jaw on the floor are the Land Speeders and the Assault Squad.  Like, I seriously don't have words.  How can I even explain how iconic these two units are?  And I know they're popular!  Space Marine players love their Land Speeders!  Maybe we don't need multiple variants of them, but I just can't imagine Space Marines without them.

And the Assault Squad?  The most requested new Space Marine unit has to be a proper Primaris jump pack unit.  People love the concept of a force of fully armoured Space Marines slamming down on the enemy from on high!  Assault Marines are extremely beloved!  Even if there are new Primaris versions coming, I know people are going to be upset to see the old ones go.

But I guess that's where we are.  All and all fourteen kits leaving the store and becoming either Legends or "counts as."

This is gonna be a rough week.

Warhammer 40,000 - Adeptus Custodes Imperial Armour

Today we have a Forge World list with bit more meat on it.  Adeptus Custodes have been historically quite dependent on their Forge World datasheets.  As a faction active now in both the 40K and Horus Heresy settings, they received rules for both games.  Originally, Heresy was almost purely supported by Forge World, so Custodes ended up with a lot of resin.  Now that Heresy is moving to plastic and Custodes is being represented more in 40K, we'll probably see many of these pieces eventually move to plastic too.  But for now, Custodes players often have to try to get  their hands on these harder to find, more expensive, and often more difficult kits.  Let's see how they shape up.

Custodian Guard with Adrasite and Pyrithite Spears -

5 models for 325 pts (65 pts per model)

That's . . . that's a lot . . .  That's 100 pts more than a standard unit of Custodian Guard.  Let's see what you get.

Right off the bat, those spears have considerably stronger firepower than your standard guardian spear.  The adrasite feels more like a sidegrade than an upgrade.  While it hits with a pip more of Strength, Damage, and AP, it's also only one shot at shorter range.  That might be worth more than a guardian spear, but not by that much.  The real tech here is the pyrithite spear, a MELTA 2 weapon that your Guard will need to get really up close and personal to use.  Not necessarily a bad thing, as Custodes has been setup now as more of a melee army.  However, once in combat, these are still just guardian spears.

This version of Custodian Guard still keeps Stand Vigil, so they're still absolutely fantastic at holding objectives.  However, you'll more often than not want these units to be charging forward to get to grips with some big prey.  When they do, No Foe Shall Stand will help get around the now lesser Strength that Melta weapons have.

I'm just not sure that's worth 20 more pts per model!  I think I'd have to give these a pass.

Sagittarum Custodians - 250 pts for 5 models (50 pts per model)

The ranged Custodian Infantry strikes with 3 attacks at S5, AP-1, Dmg2 with SUSTAINED HITS 1.  Saturation Volleys hands out the suppressed debuff to an enemy unit you hit with them, and Disintegration Beams gives you one Shooting Phase of DEVASTATING WOUNDS.  You're giving up some melee power, but misericordias are still a good combat profile.  Shooting is currently very strong in 10th, so I think these earn their extra 5 points over standard Guard.

Aquilon Custodians - 230 pts for 3 models (~76.67 pts per model)

The more traditional style Custodian Terminators come with some interesting alternate weapons to their Allarus brothers.  While their are arguments for or against the various guns on these Terminators, I feel the solerite power gauntlet is a pure upgrade over the Allarus melee choices.

I don't like their rule though.  Of the ranged options, I feel the twin adrathic destructors are probably the better option, and those already get re-roll Wounds.  Still, if you want to go with the classic storm bolter options, 4 shots each with re-roll Wounds of 1 will get some damage in.

I'm not sure these are worth 35 pts more than Allarus, but I do think they're still viable.

Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought - 155 pts

For 30 pts less than the Venerable, you lose the ability to take a multi-melta or assault cannon and gain the achillus spear and some smaller guns.  But the big loss here is Unyielding Ancient.  Standing a dreadnought back up isn't anything to sneeze at.  Instead you get to hand out some mortals in melee, which is where the Achillus wants to be.  I feel like this is on the more expensive end of fine.

Agamatus Custodians - 280 pts for 3 models (~93.33 pts per model)

Vertus are already really spendy (Misreading their Quicksilver Execution had me hyped on them, but they've proven overpriced in practice), these need to bring something to the table to be even more expensive.  And honestly, they kinda do.  I like the twin las-pulsar and a once per game move shoot move is pretty nice.  I think I like them over the Vertus, but I just don't think they bring enough damage for 280 pts.

Venatari Custodians - 235 pts for 3 models (~78.33 pts per model)

The jump back Custodes are more expensive than the Terminators!  Remember how I keep saying GW is constantly charging a premium for mobility?

The combat stats here are quite comparable to your standard Custodian Guard, though I do think the weapon swap for the pistol and buckler is interesting.  Rules wise, they get Fall Back and Shoot and Charge, which is always good, and a free Rapid Ingress.

I mean . . . they're cheaper than jet bikes . . .  But that is just so much to pay for that mobility upgrade.

Pallas Grav-Attack - 120 pts

Finally something a bit new to think my teeth into.  The main index doesn't really have anything like this.  This fast and mobile gun platform puts out a ton of shots all with the potent combo of TWIN-LINKED and DEVASTATING WOUNDS.  It also gets a finishing blow ability for +1 to Wound, but I've never been fond of those.  Again, I feel like this is on the pricey end of fine.

Telemon Heavy Dreadnought - 235 pts

The big man on campus of the Dreadnought world comes with some very nice weapon options and a suitably tough profile, including -1 Dmg.  I wish it had a bit more AP on its weapons though.  I think I like the idea of marching it into combat with that storm cannon and caestus, but one sitting back with two accelerator culverins could be a pain to deal with.

Again, I feel like this is on the expensive end of fine.

Caldius Grav-Tank - 215 pts

Here's some high AP firepower!  The twin-arachnus blaze cannon can puts out 4 shots at S12, AP-3, Dmg D6+2.  It even gets LETHAL HITS against Monsters and Vehicles.  This isn't the best special rule for it, but it'll still be useful against larger targets.  Still feels on the upper end of fine, but I think I like this best as a firing platform so far.

Coronus Grav-Carrier - 200 pts

A budget transport option for your Custodes, you give up a little bit of fire power and the amazing Assault Ramp rule and instead get more room for your Infantry and a 5+ Invuln.  I personally really like the Fire Support rule, too.  Honestly, while the Land Raider is still better for delivering a unit into combat, I love these for getting your units into forward positions.  I think this might be my favorite Forge World unit so far.

Orion Assault Dropship - 690 pts

Oh boy!  Here's a tough one.  This thing can transport a lot of Custodes and even a Dreadnought.  It also comes with some incredible fire power to help soften up targets as it does so.  I mean that is a lot of Fire Power!  In many ways, this feels comparable to a Knight.  I wish I had a better clue about how big that base was, because I think this might actually be good if you can put it on a table.

I really don't like its rule though.  It's got that weird one where if you take a turn to keep it stationary, the units that disembark can advance and charge.  I just don't see ever using that.  There's also a very real possibility your opponent manages to blow this up turn one, though it should be able to survive long enough to get into position and get some damage off.

My gut is telling me this is just a little bit too expensive to reliably get its points back though.

Ares Gunship - 580 pts

This is basically a Knight.  Like a Knight, you can shoot at basically everything and everything can shoot at you.  You're going to put it in hover mode and move it into a good position and try to blast everything you can off the board until it gets shot down.  Again though, you're really paying a premium for that mobility.

I'm pretty sure that this is just going to be too expensive at the end of the day to justify it.

Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought - 175 pts

Our more dedicated melee Contemptor feels really lacking.  While it gets a lot of attacks in combat, and they're definitely good attacks, I just don't think they justify this being more expensive than an Achilus.  At least -1 to Wound will help it get into combat pretty reliably.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Custodes are in a decent spot right now, though that's mostly based on the value of their Infantry and Characters.  Lists that are performing well right now are often including a lot of Imperial allies to make up the slack for board control and Tactical Mission play.  The simple truth is that right now many Custodes units are a bit too expensive, and their Forge World units aren't any different.  I think we need to see a sprinkling of points drops before their other units will start seeing more reliable play.

Warhammer 40,000: Grey Knights Imperial Armour

Still doing the family thing while potentially struggling with this bug.  Unfortunately it might have become an infection, so I'll have to keep an eye on things.  Still, we have another quick one today.

Grey Knights have unfortunately not been doing well.  Though their army rule allows for a great deal of mobility, they seem to lack the power to take advantage of it.  They have also not enjoyed the changes to their psychic abilities.  I haven't heard enough about the faction since I did my Live Blog for them to know exactly what they need for sure, though I can guess.  Obviously points drops can always help, but some rule changes might be needed to help preserve the faction identity.

Land Raider Banisher - 255 pts

Grey Knights are already getting a slight discount on their Land Raiders.  The iconic vehicle not only doesn't synergize with, but also doesn't receive any benefit at all from their army rule.  By contrast, not only can a Space Marine Land Raider benefit from Oath of Moment, but they can be a tool for making sure your best units have access to your chosen target.  Honestly, Grey Knights Land Raiders could probably stand to get an even bigger discount than what they have.

The Banisher is one of the less expensive variants, trading out the lascannons for heavy incinerators and the twin heavy bolter for a twin psycannon.  The psycannon is nearly a complete upgrade, its only drawback being the Psychic keyword, which has the double edged sword of allowing for the use of Radiant Strike but also letting armies get FNPs against it.  And lets face it, you're not using Radiant Strike on this.  The heavy incinerators are much better, being pretty good Torrent profiles.

But at the end of the day, if you're taking a Land Raider in Grey Knights, it's as a firing platform.  And that means you probably want the classic.  The Banisher isn't bad, it's just not bringing anything that Grey Knights need.

Grey Knights Thunderhawk Gunship - 805 pts

The Knights of Titan get a much better discount on their Thunderhawk, coming in at just over 4%.  However, that still doesn't bring it to the point I think it's worth taking.  The Grey Knights Thunderhawk is identical to the Space Marine one, only now it doesn't get to shoot its guns at a target with Oath of Moment.  Grey Knights get a few more options for good things to load into the gunship, as nearly their entire army has Deep Strike.  But this still comes with the same problem that you need to find a spot on the board for the model to land and then fit all the units its transporting too.

If you can do it, however, that's potentially three units of Grey Knights that can all make turn one charges!

FINAL THOUGHTS

At the end of the day, neither of these models bring anything that Grey Knights need.  Of the two, the Thunderhawk probably has the most to offer, providing some nice big guns that the faction lacks and some potential for some charge shenanigans.  But it's still a massive target that you have to somehow get on the board to begin with.  What the Grey Knights need is to get some of their old striking power back, so that they can take advantage of all their new mobility.  Spending half an army to get a different kind of mobility and some S20 shots isn't going to help them.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines Imperial Armour

Today we start going over the Imperial Armour Datasheets I missed for the factions I'd already covered before they were released.  I'll be doing each one in turn, using the order on the WarCom article like I usually do.  I'll be skipping Tyranids though, as they'll be getting some special treatment soon.  It's a quick one today, which is good as I'll be spending a chunk of the weekend with family.  We're doing a long overdue Birthday celebration for my Brother From Another Mother and I.  We're hoping to check out the Oppenheimer-Barbie double feature, though we might have to settle for one or the other.  I might pause to air my thoughts on whichever we see.

You've probably already heard that Space Marines are doing very well.  While they're not the powerhouses that Aeldari, Knights, and Genestealer Cults are, they're still incredibly potent.  Both Oath of Moment and Combat Doctrines are potent rules that allow them to easily punch above their weight, and their massive list of Datasheets is filled with synergies and combos.  And, of course, Desolation Marines are continuing to be a nightmare to deal with.  With the many threats that are already in the Index, we haven't heard much from the Imperial Armour options.

But then, it is only two sheets.

The Astraeus - 525 pts

Right off the bat, it's hard not to compare the Space Marine Super-heavy tank to the Repulsor Executioner.  For 230 pts, the Executioner is absolutely bristling with guns, packing an answer to basically anything it might run into.  Now the Executioner is likely too cheap at its current cost, but that's the competition we're working with.  The Astraeus is more than double the cost, and while it has more big guns, those guns aren't as good as the heavy laser destroyer.  

It is significantly tougher, sporting a 2+ Sv and a 5+ Invuln against shooting.  Additionally, while the las-ripper pales in comparison to the laser destroyer, the macro-accelerator cannon is a hell of a gun.  While it's missing AP, the sheer number of shots it puts out at range more than make up for it.  And it suppresses its target, handing out a -1 to Hit.

Still, when you combine the fact that this is a massive model you're going to struggle to move around a board with its massive cost, I think you have to give this one a pass.

Thunderhaw Gunship - 840 pts

Everyone's most requested plastic kit comes with a pts cost that's almost as much as its real dollar cost.  Models this big are always hard to judge, but this gets even tougher for flyers and transports.  

For 840 pts you get:

• 30 T12 Wounds with 2+ Sv (no Invuln)
• Hover
• Either D6+6 S10, AP-2, Dmg3 shots or D3+1 S20, AP-4, DmgD6+6 shots (both with Blast!)
• 2 lascannons
• 4 twin-linked heavy bolters
• Either an anti-fly gun or a mortal wound bomb for an average of 4 mortals
• The ability to transport up to 30 Space Marines

Obviously I think it's the last one you're paying the premium for.  Additionally, if you load any Marines with Deep Strike, such as Terminators, they can disembark after you fly them up the board and still Charge.  The Thunderhawk is also the only Space Marine transport that can carry Mounted units like bikes.

It should also be pointed out that Aircraft get the same benefit as Towering, allowing them to shoot (and be shot at) regardless of any ruins in the way.  And with a 96" range gun, you can basically put those shots anywhere.

Unfortunately, you're not going to get much use out of this.  Unless you're facing something like a Knight player, there's not gonna be space on the board to drop even the 15 Terminators that would make the most use of this.  And while you'll be able to do some nice damage if you go first, this will not survive your opponent's shooting phase.  I'd give this two battle rounds at most, at which point you've lost nearly half your army.  It's just too much to pay for the potential of getting some Turn 1 charges off with some heavy hitters.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While both of these are absolutely amazing models, if you can deal with the Forge World resin, they're just too expensive (in game and out) for what they do.  This honestly isn't too big a loss to Space Marine players.  They have plenty of extremely good Datasheets with lots of tools to make up for what these would bring.  If you're lucky enough to have one of these beautiful models, enjoy them in some friendly games with your crew.  But keep them off the meaner tables and leave them displayed proudly on the shelf.

Warhammer 40,000 - Imperial Agents Index

Although I'm doing much better than I was, it's obvious I'm still not where I want to be.  These conventions have been absolutely wiping me out!  While I spent most of the day resting with a relaxed session of Factorio, I did get the first 5 miniatures from Leviathan assembled.  I also spent a lot of time just cleaning up my painting station.  It's gotten quite a bit cluttered over all this time, and I needed to get some of my pill bottles from the Broodlord cleared so I could use them for the Neurogaunts.  

I also pulled out the next piece for some more delicate work, the tail of my Trygon Prime, or as I've come to call it, THAT %#@<*^& TAIL!!!  A tip for anyone working on a Trygon/Prime or Mawloc kit: do not assemble the tail before painting.  It is such a pain to work inside that freaking coil.  This thing isn't the reason this project is so behind schedule (that would be migraines) but it's not helping.  The next big part of the project I'll be doing more grunt work alongside is painting the final chitin marks on this thing.  It's going to take forever, but it'll be so satisfying when it's done.

Until then, let's finally finish up Imperium!

DATASHEETS

Imperial Agents don't really have Army or Detachment rules.  The closest thing they have is the Assigned Agents rule we've already seen.  It's honestly going to be a bit of a challenge to judge some of these Datasheets.  Many of the Characters can join any Imperium Battleline unit, so the combo potential is crazy.  I'm definitely not going to go back through all those units to see where the best fits are.  I'll be saving that analysis for the armies I actually play (starting with Tyranids).  Still, let's see what the Imperium's greatest champions can bring to the table.

Vindicare Assassin - 80 pts

While listening to some Art of War today, I heard the line that Imperial Knights should just always take one of these to complete the Oath for Lay Low the Tyrant.  While 80 pts might seem like a lot for that statline, we've already begun to see just how mean Lone Operatives can be.  A Lone Operative that can take out nearly any Character with a single shot?  Yeah, Vindicare are good.

Culexus Assassin - 85 pts

This single model might prevent Psykers from ever dominating the meta.  While probably still not as good at taking them out as a Vindicare is, that 2+ FNP combined with an incredible chance to Battleshock a Psyker unit is brutal!  Also, like Shadow in the Warp, you can use it during any Command phase.  This means you can use Lone Operative to Evade your opponent, then rush this assassin in to Battleshock bomb a bunch of their units in their turn.  My only complaint is that I don't think it should be more expensive than the Vindicare.

Eversor Assassin - 75 pts

The slayer of organizations, movements, and command structures is . . . fine?  That SUSTAINED HITS 3 ability feels pretty spiky, but that's about it.  This strangely feels like more of a threat or dare than an actual assault piece.  You put it near an important objective or section of the battlefield and make your opponent decide if they want to deal with it.

Callidus Assassin - 115 pts

Wow, that's a lot of special rules!  The fact this comes with a Vect is very nice.  The neural shredder and phase sword feel more deadly than anything we've seen so far besides the Vindicare's rifle.  Honestly, this is where I'm sure everyone wants free Overwatch!  They're definitely good, but I'm not sure they're worth 25 pts more than a Vinicare.  Actually many of these rules would be priced at 25 points alone, so this is probably really good.

Rogue Trader Entourage - 4 models for 105 pts (26.25 pts per model)

This is definitely interesting.  They honestly look okay on their statlines alone, like a character leading a three model unit.  But then they can join other units to form an even larger unit.  I'm worried about what they can join though.  I wasn't impressed with Breachers in the Faction Focus.  They also have this weird redeploy ability that only works for Battleline.  This is definitely an interesting piece of tech.

Voidsmen-At-Arms - 5 models for 40 pts (8 pts per model)

I still don't understand why these and breachers have a Ld 8+.  That LETHAL HITS ability is nice though, especially when combined with the Rogue Trader's games.  But they've got literally no AP.  I have no idea why they cost more than a Guard squad.  You're only taking these if you need some cheap chaff infantry.

Imperial Navy Breachers - 10 models for 105 pts (10.5 pts per model)

Yeah, this ain't it either.  Neither of these units should be worth more than a basic Guard Infantry Squad.  These might be justifiable at the cost of a Voidsmen squad, with the Voidsmen being cheaper.  But I think you're paying a lot for the ability to put them in any army.

Subductor Squad - 11 models for 110 pts (10 pts per model)

This is better.  Not only do they have a proper Ld, but they have a 3+ Sv.  They still don't look like they do much damage, but they might be tough enough to at least get something done before they're removed.  The AP-1 on the shock mauls definitely helps.

Exaction Squad - 11 models for 75 pts (~6.82 pts per model)

Oh wow!  This is so much better!  For just a little bit more than Guard, you get a 4+ Sv, a 5+ FNP, and can inflict a Battle-shock penalty.  How is this so much better than anything we've seen so far?

Vigilant Squad - 11 models for 105 pts (~9.55 pts per model)

Did . . . did GW list the wrong points for the Arbites squads?  I feel like this should be 75 pts and the Exaction Squad should be 105.  Actually, the Exaction squad shouldn't be 105, but this definitely shouldn't be 105.  For 5 pts less than the Subductor Squad, you get some slightly better shooting and much worse melee.  Oh yeah, and you lose the Invuln!  Seriously, what?

Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus - 75 pts

For 75 pts, Draxus brings some pretty good anti-infantry power and can protect her unit from all shooting outside of 18".  She's particularly good against Xenos targets, making her a bit situational.  I feel like she's okay.

Inquisitor Coteaz - 75 pts

Okay, at first I thought Coteaz was completely inferior to Draxus.  But his Spy Network is really cool.  Lots of armies are going to bring units that can help them generate and regen CP, so this will almost always be useful.  He can also hit decently hard in melee.

Inquistor Greyfax - 65 pts

Do you have a Battleline unit you absolutely do not want to suffer Battle-shock?  For 65 pts you can make them nearly immune to it.  If you've got re-rolls, say from Guilliman, you're practically guaranteed to pass.  She can also occasionally just snipe away an opponents Character, and armies with Psykers will hate her.

Inquistor Karamazov - 130 pts

Damn!  Karamazov looks really good!  He's basically a 130 pts walker with an aura that both buffs your units against Battle-shock while inflicting a penalty on your opponent.  He then gets to hand out a Battle-shock test during your Shooting phase.  He's not gonna do a lot of damage if he gets tied up in combat, but that melta has a solid profile.

Inquisitor - 55 pts

I'm not sure you want to take the Psychic Gifts.  Yeah, the force weapon is better and Psychic Shock Wave seems decent.  But then you lose the 5+ FNP against Mortals.  And the only other thing the Iquisitor brings to the table is a CP regen ability.  Just not sure they're worth it even then.

Inquisitor Eisenhorn - 65 pts

If you're bringing a Daemonhost, you're probably going to want to bring Eisenhorn.  Other than that, he has decent combat ability and the ability to nerf enemy shooting.  But he's probably not worth it otherwise.

Inquisitorial Henchment - varies

I almost want to cheer this on because it's the closest we've gotten to an older style 40K Datasheet.  The Acolytes are 10 points a model, which is honestly pretty good for 2 W infantry with decent firepower.  It kinda sucks you have to take the Gun Servitors and Mystics together, as the Deep Strike denial is nice but it feels  like you're paying a tax for some mediocre heavy weapons fire.  The Jokaero and Daemonhost are both definitely worth it though.  I would take one of these alongside Eisenhorn.

FINAL THOUGHTS

And that's that!  Other than Forge World, which I likely won't go through, that's all the Imperium units.  These were always destined to be odd ducks.  Assassins are nice because they can help deal with enemy characters.  Of the four, the Vindicare and the Callidus seem the most useful.  But the rest are meant to fill a hole in your army, such as a lack of screening units.  But they all come with the drawback that they won't get any of your faction's rules to enhance them.  The navy units are frankly all trash.  Two of the Arbites are okay, but you're probably still better using your own units.  Coteaz and Greyfax both look useful, one to help with CP generation the other to help protect a unit from Battle-shock.  Karamazov would be a good unit in any army, but I think you're getting the discount since he won't be getting any Army rules.  The same is probably true of the acolytes.

I think that the most likely use you'll see for these units is for Knight armies that need to spend a few more points.  If you're stuck with 135 pts or less, there might be a combination of retinue and Inquisitor here that will fill that hole well.  I also did wish we could get proper Army Rules, as we're starting to get to the point where you could legitimately make an force out of these.  The main thing this Index is going to be used for is Narrative (and the occasional brave competitive player) that want to field the forces of the Inquisition.

Warhammer 40,000 - Imperial Knights Index

One difficulty of trying to do this blog blind is that just because I'm not looking up information or watching videos, doesn't mean information doesn't reach me.  Additionally, I'm still trying to keep up with news and sometimes that might contain spoilers.  And with that has come one piece of information that has been almost impossible to avoid.

Knights are STRONG!

Potent, long-ranged firepower combined with the new Towering rule have made Knights, and the Imperial variant in particular, an absolute menace on certain tables.  An almost binary condition has emerged for the faction.  Either the table has plenty of solid ruins for units to hide behind and a somewhat balanced game of 40K can be played, or the table has classic style ruins with plenty of windows and the Knights blast their opponents off the board.  Combine this with generous points that I imagine reflected either the former board state or tried to account for the difficulty of moving these large miniatures around, and you've got some frustrated players.

GW says they're going to look at the Towering Keyword and adjust it some time in the near future.  For now, let's try to imagine a state in which Knights are playing by something resembling 9th Edition line of sight as we proceed.

ARMY RULES

We already saw Oaths in the Faction Focus as well as Indomitable Heroes.  These two rules are both fantastic, granting potent buffs to your Knights with the potential to make them even better.  I still think that Reclaim the Realm is a really good Oath, but with the current rules most players are probably using Lay Low the Tyrant.

We also get three additional rules, two of which we've already seen in the Chaos Knights Index.  Super-Heavy Walker is the identical rule which grants our Knights a limited ability to move over other miniatures and terrain, while Free Blades is our equivalent ally ability that allows other factions to field either one Titanic unit or up to three Armigers.

Completely new is the Bondsman ability.  This ability is used by your big Knights in the Command Phase and allows you to select an Armiger to share a buff with.  Each Knight can use their ability on a single Armiger, and each Armiger can only receive one bondsman ability each round, though I'm guessing we're going to see a Stratagem or Enhancement that will change that.  I'm curious to see what the different Buffs will be.  Chaos Knights had some fun ones.

ENHANCEMENTS

Revered Knight - 20 points

Knights have good Leadership, though Armigers look like they get Ld7+.  If the meta ends up heavy with Battle-shock tests, and you like taking Armigers, this deserves a closer look.

Mythic Hero - 25 points

Here's the enhancement that lets you give a second Armiger your Bondsman ability.  If Questoris have a particularly nice abilities, you'll always take this on one.  Otherwise it stays home.

Mysterious Guardian - 35 points

Deep Strike is powerful, and this lets you Deep Strike a Knight twice.  You don't have a lot of models, so the ability to rapidly respond to a different section of the board is huge.  This is probably a must have.

Banner of Macharius Triumphant - 30 points

This tribute from the late Lord Solar gives you sticky objectives.  That seems like a lot for one Knight to get it.  Unfortunately, this might just be auto-include due to the difficulty Knights have with board control.

Unyielding Paragon - 40 points

Armour of Contempt is potent.  If Questoris are good, than this is going to be good.

I find it weird that Knights get five enhancements, two of which are specifically for Questoris.  The enhancements also seem a bit pricey, with one of them feeling almost like a tax.  Granted, these are small costs in relation to the Knights themselves.  But both Mysterious Guardian and Unyielding Paragon seem powerful.

STRATAGEMS

Shoulder the Burden - 2CP

Our previewed Stratagem is still awesome.  Your Knight does have to survive to your Command phase, and your opponent probably isn't going to let that happen.  But as I've said before, this forces your opponent to overcommit.  Additionally, as a Knight player you'll see another interaction.  Unlike other armies, where your opponent might end up pouring the fire power of two or three units into one to stop rules like this, a Knight might take a significant portion of your opponent's forces to take down.  This leaves them with a tough decision to make.  Do they take what they have left and try to chip at another Knight, knowing you can use this?  Or do they hold their fire until the next turn?  That is the real power of this Stratagem.

Thunderstomp - 1CP

This isn't as situational as it might appear.  Your Knights are likely well equipped to deal with Monsters and Vehicles.  It's the hordes of Infantry, possibly guants toting around LETHAL HITS against Vehicles, that you have to deal with in combat.  This allows some of your damage to spill over and take out some of those softer targets.

Squire's Duty - 1CP

Um . . . wait what?  At first I thought this was the Imperial version of the War Dog strat I loved so much.  But though I think it was intended to only work for the chosen enemy unit, it just flat out buffs all of your Armigers.  This is almost certainly an oversight.

Rotate Ion Shields - 1CP

It's still the old strat, but now it always costs 1CP.  You will use this a lot.

Trophy Claim - 1CP

Our other previewed strat is very cool, though a bit situational.  I honestly thought we'd see more like this, or more Honored interactions, but we've gotten a mix of strats.  I think on the whole it's a good balance.

Valiant Last Stand - 1CP

1CP Fight on Death!  This is fantastic, and very needed.

I really like these strats.  Though what is it with Knight Indexes and weird layouts?  Regardless, you have a good mix of strats here that cover a few different playstyles.  The only really odd one is Squire's Duty.  If that one doesn't get errata'd, expect to see a lot of pure Armiger lists.

DATASHEETS

Armiger Helverin - 145 pts

While this is probably feels like a situational pick, do I need to explain why this is still good?  If you're not taking this, it's not because this isn't a steal . . .

Armiger Warglaive - 140 pts

Our revealed Armiger looks even better now.  Seriously, how is this only 140 pts?

Knight Paladin - 390 pts

Okay, enough talking about points on these.  I think at this point we all get it; Knights are under-costed.  Let's instead focus on the Bondsman abilities.  LETHAL HITS and LANCE probably aren't going to be too impactful for Knights.  I could be wrong; after all there are plenty of enemy Knights in the meta so an average of one or two more wounds could be useful.  But for many armies, you're not going to have trouble wounding.  The free re-roll per phase is very nice though.

Knight Errant - 375 pts

This, however, is fantastic!  Knights need all the help with movement they can get, so having both re-rolls for Advances and ASSAULT will be very impactful.  You're going to want an Errant.

Knight Gallant - 400 pts

Gallants fortunately get a little extra movement to help with their primary role of being melee bruisers.  Their Bondsman ability also gives them re-rolls on Charges to help seal the deal.  Though I find it hilarious, they then also get a -1 to Hit once they're in melee.

Knight Warden - 420 pts

If, however, you want to go for a more gunline approach, -1 Dmg is huge for Knights.  They also get DEVASTATING WOUNDS on smaller targets for free.  This probably makes them better ANTI-FLY than Helverins.  But you're probably combining them if you're doing a gun line.

Knight Crusader - 415 pts

With most Knights hitting on 3s, their ability to get and grant +1 to Hit is fantastic.  This also helps if you want to go with Icarus pods, even though Knights aren't currently having a lot of trouble with line of sight.  The SUSTAINED HITS for Remaining Stationary can possibly add up to a lot of additional damage.

Knight Preceptor - 375 pts

This is an interesting model.  Its main purpose is to try and hold down objectives.  And since the Bondsman ability affects it and one Armiger, that's possibly two objectives the Preceptor can make really hard to take.  Its second ability to give itself an Oath of Moment against a single enemy unit is much more situational, and may not synergize well with what this Knight is doing.

Knight Castellan - 495 pts

The terror of 8th Edition is looking really good.  It feels like a pretty balanced choice, granting Cover to nearby Armigers while also getting the rare re-roll Damage against Vehicles and Monsters.  Granted, this means that it's also going to attract a lot of enemy firepower . . .

Knight Valliant - 490 pts

The Valiant gets our only Battle-shock rule, forcing a test on one unit it Hit in Shooting.  I think the Castellan probably has better rules, but the Valliant can take the Thundercoil.

Canis Rex - 405 pts

Canis Rex is definitely good at this cost, as all Knights are at their respective costs.  However, he doesn't synergize as well with the rest of the army.  If you're going to take a Freeblade, this is definitely your go-to choice.  The fact that you can't take both an Armiger and a Questoris really hurts there.

IMPERIAL ARMOUR DATASHEETS

Acastus Knight Asterious - 730 pts

For 235 pts more than a Castellan, you get 6 more wounds . . . and that's kinda it?  The conversion beamer is somewhat of a side-grade from the volcano lance.  Its rule is also very similar, with the extra effect against Fortifications being very situational.

Acastus Knight Porphyrion - 645 pts

This feels much better, though I'm still not sure it's worth taking over a Castellan.  The twin magmas are very nice though.  Again, we get a Knight with LETHAL HITS, which is a much less valuable rule when you have so many high strength weapons.

Cerastus Knight Lancer - 430 pts

This, however, is an interesting pick.  The Cerastus is a little tougher than Questoris are, and the shock lance is pretty mean in melee.  It also gets a Bondsman ability for the always potent Advance and Charge.  The free Tank Shock is honestly gravy.

Cerastus Knight Castigator - 425 pts

Another interesting pick!  The Bondsman ability here grants both SUSTAINED HITS 1, which is great on high strength weaponry, and a rare and potent AP buff.  The -1 to Hit from suppression makes much more sense here.  All and all, a pretty solid choice!

Cerastus Knight Acheron - 385 pts

Cerastus patterns are looking really good, with the only serious drawback being the loss of two Enhancements.  This Cerastus not only has a much stronger Battle-shock ability than the Valiant does, it also strips cover, which can greatly improve the effectiveness of other units.  Being a flamer focused Knight, it's also a great Overwatch target.

Cerastus Knight Atropos - 385 pts

If Knights stay a potent choice, this is going to be practically auto-include.  That's two decent anti-vehicle weapons and two great rules against enemy Knights.  And it's still generically good against vehicles and monsters.

Questoris Knight Magaera - 390 pts

One of two Forge World Questoris, this is a bit of an odd duck.  It's obviously meant to charge in close and crush things in combat.  But it also grants IGNORES COVER with its Bondsman ability.  To make things even weirder, it heals in your command phase.  Strange, but still potentially fun.

Questoris Knight Styrix - 425 pts

Huh!  I wonder if we have copy/paste error.  This one has the same Bondsman as the Magaera but it feels slightly, if only slightly, more appropriate here.  The pinning effect is definitely nice on this one.  Of the two, I'd definitely take the Styrix despite the increased cost.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yeah, Knights are a thing and I can definitely see why the Imperial variant in particular is doing so well right now.  The Bondsman abilities feel like a decent skill check for both army building and piloting.  It definitely makes me want to try and squeeze in three Knights with as many Armigers as I can get instead of running a single Knight.  Unfortunately, that likely means the Castellan and Valiant are staying home.  But there is definitely some real power in this index beyond the Towering rule.