Painting Log!

So here are some pics of some models I finished painting. One Sanguinary Guard squad and one Assault Squad down!

Tau FAQ Rule Clarification... Bummer

So, as you probably know if you spend time on the internet, the new round of FAQs are up. I'd like to say that I had a part in them, as I sent multiple emails into the FAQ department asking what "resolved normally at an assumed BS of 5" actually means. You know, since normally could mean either snap-firing or firing at a regular BS. And... they ruled not-in-favor of Tau. So, Seeker Missiles are still oh-so-worthless :(

So, sadface. It looks like Garnet and some of the other bloggers I discussed this with were right.

Vassal Tau vs Imperial Guard 1500 pts Batrep! Also, How I Managed to Not Lose to the Flyer!

Hello and good morning!

I am excited, as I finally got around to getting my first vassal game of 6th edition in. As I am at heart a tau-fan, I played my favorite blue-skinned feudalists. I don't know that I can honestly call them communists, but that is a discussion for another time.

As I approached list-building for this game, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Consequently, I built the most balanced list I could and hoped for a competitor that wasn't running a fighter wing. And... I was in luck! I drew a dude playing a cadian Imperial Guard list!

As far as lists go, my force composition did actually change from my traditional 5th edition list. I dropped piranhas as 3+ to hit in combat kind of negates their blocking role and 2hp is not much for 75 pts apiece. I also dropped kroot hounds as my goal was to shoot as much as possible. Shooting is king and all that. I also added some more blast marker goodness and Fire Warriors! I love the models, and with the changes to rapid fire shooting I can actually justify their use! So, lists after the break.

Dawn of War Configuration Woes, and the Solution!

So I decided on a whim to reinstall and begin playing through Dawn of War, Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, and Soulstorm. As my current laptop only packs a measly 8400m GS, I'm not currently in a situation to enjoy the wonders of Dawn of War 2. Anyhow, I ran into a nasty, nasty frustration that only applied to Dawn of War and Winter Assault: they wouldn't run! They gave an error about 'missing spooge driver: ensure directX is properly installed,' or some such nonsense. Let me tell you, I was ticked! So I started cruising around the web, and I found the solution!

It turns out that Dawn of War and Winter Assault share a protocol that blocks the game from running on older video cards or drivers that were outdated at the time. However... because the permission list is explicit rather than implicit, drivers or video cards that are too new also fail the video check prior to the game running. So, Windows 7 and Geforce 8m series be hanged, this game won't run!

After some more digging, I found the solution, buried in a forum behind a login. And, after having taken advantage of the fix, I figured I should share the love with the world! So, what you do is replace the spdx9_config.txt in the drivers folder under your Dawn of War installation with a new one you've created using the below text. Once it is replaced, you should be ready to rock! Here is the text you should put in that text file, oh and more content after that:

A Second Look at Tau Unit Efficiency: Evaluating Seeker Missiles Against Other Options.

As they enter their third sphere of expansion, the Tau Empire has an uphill battle ahead of them. With the introduction of flyers, and the loss of target locks on infantry models, there are now more targets and less ability to allocate the necessary firepower to the highest priority threats. Consequently, there needs to be an evaluation of which weapons on which units are strongest against which types of targets. This article will examine the proposal that seeker missiles be purchased and allocated against flyers, and determine whether they are a worthwhile weapon purchase. This will be determined by determining the glance and wound percentages for the available anti vehicle weapons and examining where seeker missiles fall along the scale. As this is a new edition, perhaps it is time to renew this discussion.

The Tau Answer to Flyers

Hello everyone!

Welcome to 6th! Since the last time I have posted, an edition has both gone (5th) and come into being (6th). 

Also, I'll be starting grad school soon! But enough about real life. I'm here to talk about the thing that others are talking about: Flyers. They are fast, they are dangerous, and they are hard to hit. Namely, they require 6's to hit. However, they are (thus far) av11 or av12 on average and wobble and crash if you can manage to land anything on them. And, without using allies or fortifications, Tau might have a way to combat fliers. 

I am proposing that Seeker Missiles might be the answer. Okay, go ahead and laugh. Do it, it is good for you. Ok, lets go back to thinking about this. I think that they may be the way to not waste tons of firepower while at the same time knocking the birds out of the sky. Alrighty, let's begin. 

Seekers can only be fired by Markerlights, so we'll discuss them first. When packed by moving Pathfinders, they only hit on 6s due to the 'snap fire' rule. So if we hit the flyers with the lights, we aren't losing anything. At 30 inch range, plus 6 inch move, the planes could likely be painted coming or going. Unlike most weapons, moving markerlights do not have any wasted accuracy on fliers.

Now, we will check the Markerlight rules. A token can be expended to fire a Seeker Missile, which is resolved at an assumed ballistic skill of 5. To recap, you shoot the Markerlight which can then trigger another shot at a specified ballistic skill. So, a shooting attack triggers a special ability which is like a shooting attack. But more importantly, its a specified ballistic skill. Why is that important? Because codex trumps rulebook! 

So, there you have it. Markerlights and Seeker missiles might be the ticket to clear out flyers. And the best part is, you don't need any new units! Seeker missiles can just be tacked onto whatever vehicles you are currently using and fired using the Pathfinders you already are using. I'll be trying this tactic out once I can manage to get some games in. Until then, 

Keep it real. 

~ Shas'el Mike

I'm the soulweeper...

Batrep! Angels Encarmine vs Plague Marines 1300pts

Figured it was about time to get a game in, so my buddy and I met over at Comic Asylum in the Richardson, TX area. Unfortunately, it was a Tuesday. And we all know what that means: everyone is ready to go home, so everyone closes shop early. But, gamers can only sometimes be choosers so we decided to make a go of it. To be honest, I don't know why we played at 1300 points, its a weird point level, and any army list likely to come out of it will not be usable anywhere else. But, weird encourages flexibility, so I'm not opposed to it. So, here is my list, and below is his, to the best of my memory:

librarian: jp
x2 sanguinary priests: x1 jp
2x10 assault marines: x2 mg, pf
x7 death company:  th, pw
drop pod (for DC)
3x5 devastators: x3 ml

x2 demon princes: wings, wind of nurgle
2x7 plague marnines: champion, x2 melta
2x rhinos with icons
2x 7 or 8 zombies (counts-as demons, i believe)
greater demon
2x obliterators