I'm not dead either... And Tau stuff! XV8 Crisis Suit Conversion, now with less disappoint!

Greeting and salutations readers!

I too have taken a long absence from blogging! I figure what with grad-school being a huge burden, and with all the cool blog-personalities doing it, might as well get on the train right? Well, there is that and 6th. You see, 6th and I have a love-hate relationship. But you didn't come for that, right? You came for Crisis Suits and their related conversions:

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.

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

Painting Log: To-Do List

Howdy Internet!

I actually am posting! While I have joined the throngs of bloggers who haven't been posting recently, it is hardly due to boredom with 5th edition 40k. Far from it, as I recently have not been able to play enough! I did get in a  game recently, where all went mostly well, which I will be blogging about shortly. But, I have to actually load pictures and create an orderly narrative, which I haven't completed yet. So for now, the painting log!

Upcoming Tourney this weekend!

So I haven't posted about it, but I've got a tournament this weekend! It consists of three missions: spearhead with four objectives, pitched battle with capture and control, and dawn of war with victory points. Pretty sure its that combination, if not its some other combination of those three. Oh, and its 5th edition rules (on account of it being 2012). So, now I've got a choice: Play Tau (my first plastic love), or Blood Angels (my second plastic love). On one hand, I like Tau, and I play them most. They're a challenge, and every fight has cinematic potential. On the other hand, my Angels are itching to go, and having a chance to devastate my opponent in the assault phase has me kind of excited. So which did I choose?

off-topic, then... Tau vs Drop-Melta and JotWW!

First, the off-topic stuff. I tend to patrol eBay regularly, looking for awesome deals. As a somewhat broke post-college student, I have to stretch every dollar as far as it will go. This weeks deal was a smashed-up Dante, that was mis-labeled. As any Dante fan will tell you, he has an axe with a wicked special rule, and an infernus pistol. (I had to look that up actually, so I guess I have to admit to being a Dante-poser.) However, I did have some leftover Sanguinary Guard bitz, and Death Company bitz... so, I rebuilt him. He's not taller, and he's still metal, but I like to think he looks more awesome! Due to privacy concerns I have used state-of-the-art technology to obscure the photographers identity: 

Team Tournament!

So, got a couple thoughts for you. There is a chance in my area to attend a 1500-pt team tournament, 750 pts per side. Each one has to bring at least one HQ and at least one troop choice. And, unless the special rule states otherwise, such as ethereals and morale check re-rolls, they apply to your allies army. Well, I own two armies: Tau and Blood Angels. So, I'm going to talk about combining them!

So... Necrons v Tau Strategies

So i've been thinking about Necrons. Specifically, that nexis between Solar Pulse, Imotekh, and av13-till-penetrated hulls and how that relates to my Tau. 

Tau are terrible at nightfighting. Sure markerlight hits can be expended to ignore night-fighting on a 1-per-squad basis, but first you have to get the markerlights to hit, which in nightfighting conditions with heavy weapons is not an easy task. Additionally, having a mainly av13 army can be a bit of a challenge for tau, as now it takes fusion blasters or railguns for even the lowliest of transports, even the Crisis squad's vaunted missile pods aren't much use. And then, when it all lets up, Necrons win at CC, so letting them get into assault range is a problem.

I'm musing a bit on whether my gameplan needs to change, as the Tau i usually play are completely helpless in extended night-fighting scenarios. Additionally, those random lightning strikes suck when you can consistently max out your force org chart.

What are your experiences with Tau vs New Necrons? Share them, oh Dear Reader!

~Shas'el Mike

One More, so I Don't Forget

Oh yes, and I did a bit of conversion work the other night. Generally speaking, I am bad with greenstuff, and I avoid metal models. However, in an odd conversion of improbability and rarity, I decided to play with both. I needed another Death Company with a power weapon, but I haven't bought magnets for my existing DC. Oh, and I had a metal torso from some Space Marine from an edition gone by. So what did I do you ask? Go on, ask. Its ok. So what did I do? I blinged it up! I have an army of helmeted guys, because I hate painting flesh, but I had this rebreather head I really wanted to use in some way. Also, I an inflexible boring metal body that needed something to spruce it up. So, I used greenstuff for some hair on the rebreather head, i used the arm-with-the-robotic-hand from the DC thunderhammer arm, some blood angel shoulder pads, a DC backpack and BLAM! there you have it. Here are the pics. Enjoy!

This Week: 1500 Tourament!

So apparently the 3rd weekend of the month is tournament weekend at Comic Asylum. I went, I conquered somewhat, it was fun. As far as armies, there were Blood Angels, Grey Knights, Space Wolves, Chaos Marines, Chaos Demons, Necrons, Vanilla Marines, and Eldar that I remember. The missions weren't published initally, so I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but I figured i'd bring my Blood Angels! They haven't seen a lot of use, due to the awkward nature of my model collection and my desire to only play with painted armies. By awkward I mean that my collection comprises most of the support/ fast attack/elite choices i'd want to play with, but i need another squad or two of assault marines. So, here is the list I went with:

1850 Tournament!

Love this pic.

And now for an overdue update: Last weekend I had the privilege of playing in an 1850 tournament at Texas Toy Solider. It cost $15 for entry, and was a success. Sisters of Battle, Eldar, Chaos Demons, Grey Knights, Imperial Guard, Chaos Marines, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, another Tau and two Vulcan Marines were present competing for success, plus whatever other armies slipped my mind. Oddly absent were Dark Eldar and Necrons, considering they are the newest of the zenos books. Also, (with no surprise) there was no Tyranids present.

While previously I have mentioned that the traditional monobuild of Tau is the only way to go, I've been playing around with a different setup. Basically, two-man Crisis squads and two 5-man Fire Warriors in Devilfishes. The reason for the Crisis squad setup is their abysmal leadership and the expense of squad upgrades. Crisis suits are jump infantry with poor leadership, and should they break less than 50% then they can never rally. Also, if vehicles are the target often one of the suits is wasting its shots. And lastly, 3 suits are tough to hid behind cover or vehicles, as one of them is bound to have something hanging out. So, i've been playing two-man squads. They may break, but they will never run off the map unable to rally due to squad size. Also, they're easier to hide. So, I used this strategy in my 1850 list. Heres the list, in case you are wondering:

"Penguins come from Antartica!"

Hello Internet! You can tell i'm glad to be posting because I personified the web of insanity that is the interwebz. Yes, you may now throw stones. 'Interwebz' is one of the stupidest words ever, and has gone from ironic to stupid due to overuse. By the way, I came up with a new joke today. Want to hear it? Glad you do, here it is:

1200 Tau v Nurgle Marines Thoughts

Beautiful Diorama

In the last week, i've managed to read all the battle reports involving my favorite Tau bloggers I could get ahold of. Between that and my musings, I've been interested in getting a game going.

Tonight one of my buddies and I got a game going at the local gamestore. We played 1200 points, him Nurgle Marines and I Tau. Unfortunately we got capture and control, pitched battle. I placed my objective in the open and his was placed in cover. My list was as follows:

shas'el: mp, pr, mt
2x2 crisis: mp, pr, mt
2x6 fire warrior
2x1 devilfish: dp
2x1, 1x1 piranha: dp, ta, fb
2x1 hammerhead: dp, mt, rail, sms

Swappable Blood Angels Furioso / Librarian

Finishing up assembling my new BA dreads and hit a quandary. The death dreads will stay as-is, I haven't come up with a list where I want anything besides basic guns and talons on them. The Furioso is a different story. I want it to have a hot-swappable left arm and torso. The arm is easy, a simple magnet will do the trick. The torso is trickier due to the hollow interior. So, if you know an easy way to accomplish this, please let me know. Pics and tutorials are both always good.

Until Next Time!

~Shas'el Mike

Tau @ 1.5k: not like I usually play

First off, a huge thank you for putting up with my touting my models I was selling here. I had my eye on three Furiosos, and the necessary bits to make 2 of them Death Company Furiosos, and one of them able to alternate between vanilla and Librarian Furioso. With some bitz-sells as well, I also picked up the bitz to finish my converted Vanguard Veterans. I'll do some posting about those when I'm done. However, thats all beside the point. For now, there shouldn't be any shameless commercial plugs. Now, on to other stuff.

More For Sale: Terminators w/ Converted Cyclone Missile Launchers!

Greetings readers! Just about wrapping this round's army-cleanup is another batch of Terminators! If you are looking at this post, then you will know I'm selling my terminators squad. I am not sure if they are AoBR, as the captain and a couple of the other guys look different than my other squad. I converted two of them to be packing CML's, and did a solid job painting them. They are painted as Blood Angels, specifically the Angels Encarmine. Because of the Red Thirst which figures so prominently in both the Blood Angel fluff as well as rules, I've painted the sergeant as if he's fallen to it. This time, that means somewhat ashen skin and my preferred glowy-white eyes. If you got a terminator squad and want to beef it out with a special-weapon guy, this squad is for you. Or, if you like the Black Templar rules, these termies are for you. Here are some pics. They're at full size, so if you click on one you can open it to a huge size. They'll be on eBay, i'll post the link shortly!

Oh, if you're curious as to why you'd need shooty terminators, they fit in any list where you need someone who is extremely resilient, absorbs a ton of shots, and can destroy vehicles and soldiers alike in the shooting or assault phase. Like this list at 1500 pts, for example:

For Sale: Blood Angels Tactical Marines!

Greetings readers! If you are looking at this post, then you will know I'm selling two squads of Blood Angels Tactical Marines. They started out life as  an AoBR Tacticals, and I've added the power weapon and bolter onto the Sergeants and done a solid job painting them. The backpacks have some simulated wear on them to bring a bit of life to them, as black is boring. They are painted as Blood Angels, specifically the Angels Encarmine. Because of the Red Thirst which figures so prominently in both the Blood Angel fluff as well as rules, I've painted the Sergeants as if they've fallen to it. Here are some pics. They're at full size, so if you click on one you can open it to a huge size. They'll be on eBay, i'll post the link shortly!

Oh, if you're curious as to why you'd need tacticals, they fit in any list where you need someone to sit on objectives, or to babysit something slower. Like this list at 1500 pts, for example: