40K Army Lists: 1500 Point Tyranids for TrickyDick

So, one of the host of Dice Like Thunder, TrickyDick (aka Richard) is taking Tyranids for a spin and has posted in their forums a 1500 point list. I decided that since I have some experience with this codex to try to help him out and offer him an alternative 1500 point list that might be more playable. Remember my philosophies on Tyrnaids: Each unit has a specific purpose, use them for that. And, send big things to assault small things and small things to assault big things.

So here goes:

1 Hive Tyrant with 2 sets of Scything Talons, Life Leech and Paroxysm, and Wings – 260

As a monstrous creature, the hive tyrant doesn’t really benefit from the power weapon status of the bone sword and most things it could insta-kill are eternal warrior anyway, so why bother. And at I5 the Tyrant is normally faster then most units it is attacks, so the lash whip normally does nothing as well. However, the ability to re-roll all attacks, and unlike Preferred Enemy, the rules state re-roll all misses in combat and mentions nothing about ‘with a WS’ so you can re-roll vs tanks, is just more useful. The only time the I5 is a problem is if the Tyrant is in hand to hand with a special assault unit or an independent character. And if this has happened something has drastically gone wrong with your game, as this is not where you want your tyrant. Fly it with the unit of Gargoyles in front of it, providing a cover save and send both units after smaller, less threatening scoring units. Use the Paroxysm ability to lower the WS and BS of units you intend to hit and send in the gargoyles as well. With this combined unit, you should mow down most troop choices.

2 Units of 3 Hive Guard each – 300

No real explanation needed here. These are your transport busters, throwing out 6 STR8 shots at BS4. Remember that they do not require line of sight so you can hide them behind a building and still bust open those transports and eat the gooey insides! If there are no transports on the field, then these guys can double out any non-eternal warrior model T4 or below. Hello there Nob Bikers!

2 Tervigons with Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands, and Catalyst – 390

Just use carnifexes for these for now, heck, you’re not using them anymore. These guys are so good. First, these will be runs as troop choices that are T6 with W6. If you can get these guys in cover they are really hard to knock off by shooting. And if there is an assault unit on the way, poop out gaunts to slow them down. Some people like to sit back on objectives with these guys, and that is a good tactic, but I am also a fan of running them up with the boys and really using those gaunts to their full potential. Use a unit of Hive Guard in front of this guy for a cover save, surround by those gaunts to give the Hive Guard Cover, and try to keep at least on model of each Termagant Mob within 6”. All of a sudden those gaunts get pretty scarry on the charge, hitting on 4s, wounding on 4s and re-rolling wounds on the charge (vs T4 or worse), with feel no pain. Heck, with the ability to wound any model save for tanks on a 4+, this mob can take down almost anything!

Remember, in kill point missions, you do not have to use his Brood Progenitor ability. And even in objective missions it is tactically sound to hold this back for the first turn. I find that by running two of them, one will roll doubles and poop out round one, but the other will hang in there. If you are lucky, you’ll produce some where between 30 and 60 gaunts during the course of the game, which is a 150 – 300 point advantage to you!

1 15 Termagant Squad – 75
1 16 Termagant Squad - 80

Objective holders and can be objective takers. And with the tactics described above, can take down almost anything. Best used in large numbers to bog down units.

1 11 Hormagaunt Squad with Toxic Sacs – 88

A pretty mean unit if you can get them into hand-to-hand. On average they will need 4s to hit, re-rolling 1s thanks to their talons, and with the toxic sacs wounding anything on a 4+. No too shabby. I tend to run these guys in front of the Trygon in the list as a speed bump. However, they both have fleet and could really ruin someone’s day, if they get there. If nothing else, a scoring unit that will draw fire for a round or two.

1 12 Gargoyle Squad with Adrenal Glands and Toxic Sacs – 96

Used to run with the Hive Tyrant, but they are cheaper then homagaunts with a similar build with one less attack, can auto-wound on 6s in hand-to-hand, and on the charge re-roll to wound T4 or worse. One of the knocks on these guys is that they need a synapse babysitter, which the Tyrant will do just fine for. Their shooting is piss poor but they can be beasts in combat.

1 Trygon with Adrenal Glands – 210

I normally start these guys on the table. While their Deep Strike Ability is pretty cool, if you are lucky, they come in on turn 2 or 3, suffer a full round of shooting and are well on their way to being dead before you ever get to use them. Remember, these guys are fleeting monstrous creatures, so I tend to start them on the board, fleet, and really give my opponent something to think about. It is real easy to get these guys into hand-to-hand by turn two and if you are assaulting the right unit, you’ll be very happy with the results. You might also want to screen these guys with the hormagaunt squad to keep any units that might threaten it in hand-to-hand away for at least a turn. Send this thing at tanks and troop choices.


Total, 61 models to start with the potential for over 100, 1499 Points.

That's the list. Try it out and let me know what you think. Everyone out there, try it and tell me what you think! Good Luck Richard!

40K Rant: What Happened to the Tyranid Codex?

What happened to the menace of the 40K universe? Why has GW filed down the teeth and claws of the new Tyranids? How could an author who brought us such power as in the Imperial Guard Codex, bring such failure to arguably one of the coolest armies in all of 40K? Can anyone tell me how a Carnifex is worth 160 points base? Anyone? Why wings on a Hive Tyrant can be justified at 60 points? Why there isn't a single HQ choice in the whole codex with an invulnerable save in the shooting phase? And what in the hell is the use of a Pyrovore?

So I have tried, I really have, to make the argument that Tyranids are as competitive as the other 5th edition codices out there, but I can't do it any more. I can't honestly say that they can stand toe-to-toe with TH&SS Marine Lists, or Thunderwolf Calvary lists, or Leafblowers, or Fast Predator/Vindicator lists, because they can't. Now, I am not whining here, I can hold my own versus these lists and have beat, each and every one. However I have done so in-spite of the codex, not because of it. I have had to learn how to screen units better, and the use unit synergies, and new tactics that one must employ if they ever dream of keeping up with these lists. But why is it so different for the Tyranid codex then the others? Why do I have to keep up?

I plan to attend Adepticon 2011 and I was hoping to take the 'Nids with me when I started painting my army for 'Ard Boyz this year. However, the more I play my beloved 'Nids the more I realize that as far as updated 5th edition codices are concerned, my bugs got the shaft. Take a look at the other 5th Edition codices that have been released so far, Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Space Wolves, and Blood Angels. All of these armies can arguable be placed at the top of the 40K power creep meter right now. All of them top-notch, chiseled armies and ready to smash face on the tournament circuit, with Guard sitting on top in my opinion.

So what happened to the Tyranids? As I will go over in my overview of the codex in coming articles, the monstrous creatures are extremely over pointed, have no invulnerable saves and hence have little to no staying power, and can't hold their own versus similarly pointed units. For the rest of the codex, anything worth fielding is either too over priced to field, too small a unit to be worth it, or T4 that can be killed outright by a S8 or better weapon. Where are our Thunderhammer and Stormshield Terminators? Warriors with bone swords are about the same price and no one in their right mind would compare the two units as in the same league. Where is our cheep transports and leaf blower units? 160 Point Carnifexs that can't shoot a lick, are down to one gun, and you wouldn't dare put into hand-to-hand as anything worth sending it after can beat its brains in. Where are our Thunderwolf Calvary? Yes, the Trygon is an awesome model, that can easily be wiped off of the board in a single round of combat or rapid fire bolter fire.

Where is the umph to this army? Where is the punch?

Why did Genestealers get nurffed? Taking an attack away from one of the only units that people were still afraid of, oh, and removing the ability to better their armor save, thereby making them bolter bait.

Why can't I buy Warp Field for my Hive Tyrants or Tyranid Primes?

Tyranids are now a pretty much a short ranged shooting army who wants to be in hand-to-hand. However, once they get to hand-to-hand, they do not have the staying power to do much of any good. The whole army is a glass cannon.

The only way I have been able to run the army and compete is to run half hoard, half 'Nidzilla, and adopt a philosophy to the army:

'Big things hit small things, small things hit big things'

With this, the MCs hit smaller units that have little to no hope of really hurting them all the while I send mass hoards of toxin sac armed gaunts and gargoyles and hormaguants to bring down the higher toughness units. Lots a tanks? Still an issue for this army, but Hive Guard help. Too band I can only field three per unit. Zoanthropes are OK, but if you pod them in, the very next turn every gun in the army will blast them off of the board and if you walk them their painfully short range makes then less then a threat on the board. The Tyranofex is just too over pointed for a unit that hits half the time and can be brought down so easily.

I am not giving up on my 'Nids. I love playing them, I love painting them, and some day, two years into 6th edition maybe, a new codex will come out. It will possibly address these issues. And help make this more competitive army.

But until then I think I am hanging up the competitive claws of my 'Nids... and moving on to Eldar! I know, they are older, and have thier issues too. But I like the fluff and I am going to make a go of it. 1850 Points, built, painted, play-tested and ready for that Mecca of table-top wargamming, Adepticon!

40K Tactics 101: The Daisy Chain

So, you’ve been playing the game for awhile now, managed to win a game here and there, but the good players in your area still beating you down on a regular basis. You are beginning to look for that little edge that will help propel you into the next level of 40K domination. That is what 40K Tactics 101 is all about! These generic tactics will help you step up your game and make you a better 40K Player. A training course designed for new to mid-ranged 40K players.

This week we are going to review the Daisy Chain. This tactic was taught to me by the Great Scott Steva, formally of 40K Radio! The Daisy Chain is a simple tactic used to grant a unit a valuable cover save, all the while holding on to one or even two objectives that are out in the open. Another good used of this tactics is to give a heavy weapon a few extra inches of range and a clear line of sight, all the while holding on to that important cover save.

So, the basis for this tactics is the rule in the 40K Rulebook for how a multi-model unit receives a cover save, say a 10 man tactical squad or a 30 boy Ork mob for example. In order for that unit to receive a cover save from in-coming fire, the rule states that 50% or more of that unit must be in cover. Now, add this to the rule for cover saves provided by area terrain, which states that as long as the unit at least 50% in the terrain, then they will receive a cover save, regardless of line of sight.

So lets say that you are attempting to grab an objective that is seemingly out in the open, with a decent sized piece of area terrain about 7 inches away. In order to hold that objective, all you need is one model from that unit to be within 3 inches. The rest of the models can duck into the safety of cover. So, place one model on or near the objective. Stay in coherency and place your next model within 2 inches of that one. Continue this process until you have reached that precious area terrain. Then, place the remaining models from that unit into the area terrain. If more then 50% of the unit is in that area terrain, then the guys all the way out in the open will receive a cover save!

Take this one step further shall we. In the example above, let’s say you have a big unit of about 24 Gaunts sitting in that terrain and holding that one objective, deviously giving that little gaunt out there a cover save. Now let us say that about 8 inches away from that piece of area terrain, in another direction, there is a second, objective. As long as over 50% of the unit is still in the area terrain, you can swing that chain out to capture that second objective, in the same manner in which you grabbed the first. In a recent game, I managed to hold down three objectives with one unit of 30 gaunts, all of which were provided a cover save by a single piece of area terrain.

Now, eventually, you will be shot at. You need to selectively remove your casualties to ensure that the 50% of the unit is still in cover. If you drop below 50% at any time, the unit immediately loses all cover saves. Fair Warning!

Another use for this tactics, which does not directly relate to objectives, is placing your heavy weapon guy way out there to get a better line of sight for his shot, but still get a full cover save.

Well, that’s it. A pretty simple tactic that I use in almost every game, as my opponents have figured out to place their objective out in the open! I hope this helps, and I look forward to next week’s article, Selective Casualties!

So I will toss up a video demonstrating this tactic tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209

Got and idea for a 40K Tactics 101 article? Let’s hear it. Post a comment here and if your tactic is selected for a weekly article you will be given full credit for the piece!

R.I.P. 40K Radio 2007 - 2010

Time of Death May 24th, 2010

Well, as I predicted about a week ago on this blog folks, 40K Radio is officially no more. Apparently the backlash of losing Scott and Chipley to an ego trip, coupled with the return of Jar Jar the Racist Hobo, and some rather disgusting personal attacks on Spencer and his family (too low guys, seriously, attacking someone's miscarriage is just disgusting and you'll all burn for it), has been too much strain for the 40K podcast that started it all. Spencer Harding has officially posted what appears to be the final post on the 40K Radio website:

What a long crazy journey this has been! I want to thank each and everyone who listened to the show. You truly made it an enjoyable experience. Meeting you all at live events or on the chat or on the phone has been amazing. It is something I will never forget. In light of recent threats to myself and my family I have decided to close down the show. I did not start this to allow people a platform to attack my family. This is a show about little toy men….moving on little toy worlds. It was supposed to be fun. Personal attacks and threats take that fun away.

I will miss all of you.

Thanks for listening.

The show and all of its contents are for sale. If you are interested please send me an email.

So now a few questions of course will arise with the death of 40K Radio. For starters, and I think most importantly of all, what about the money??? With well over 1,200 Freebootaz chipping in $25 a year (that's $30,000 BTW!) will this money be returned to those who did not get what they paid for?

What about the sponsors who put in their money for air time, will they ever see a return on that investment?

Will the forum still stay up to those who paid into it or be moved to a more public forum?

Will someone buy the show from Spencer (at an inflated cost I am sure) and continue the show and its traditions? My guess, look for George Miller and Maldus to buy the show... just a guess.

Would Spencer sell the show to Scott, Chipley, and Phil?

Or is the show that started it all (with all due respects to Jeff over at Podhammer who is the real innovator) doomed to die a quick and painful death after some swift and ill conceived decision making? Coupled with an internet coward launching disgusting threats toward Spencer and his family?

I know I have been part of the vocal fans not too please with the direction of the show has been going lately. And the loss of Phil, the first straw for me, and now Scott and Chipley's one-show suspension that lead to their leaving the show, the last straw as it would appear, have shown that the show has been on a downward spiral toward this end for some time now. I have been critical of the show, yes, but out of a love for what it used to be. I personally criticized the show's content and decisions, but never crossed the line to dig into someone's personal life. I have criticized the show, but, as a fan, not a hater of Spencer, the staff, or the show. Only in the hope that my voice would be heard and changes be made to better the show.

I want you all to know I loved 40K Radio, and this announcement brings me no matter of joy. I am saddened today by the loss and I am happy that I was able to listen to the show from beginning to end (save for the episodes I had to pay to listen to!). All of the laughs, all of the tactics in their early shows, and all of the fun of 40K, made better with Spencer, and Phil, and later Scott and lastly Chipley. It is a shame it came to this, that people couldn't be grownups and deal with their issues. That some douche had to make attacks from behind a computer screen.

I will miss 40K Radio, I will mourn it. Lucky for me though, there are several other great 40K podcasts out there on the internet, Dice Like Thunder, 11th Company, Imperial Vox Cast, the Warbanner, and the Gamers Lounge. And I am sure in the wake of this demise, others will spring up from the ashes.

I hope this is not the last we will hear from old Eire Pa. Maybe one day, Spencer and Scott and Chipley and Phil will patch things up, hold a 40K Radio reunion, get back on the air and bring the show back to us. I hope for this. I really do. I hope that the guys can work things out and be friends again, regardless of the show.

So, when you roll dice the next time, close your eyes and remember the first time you heard 40K Radio. Remember how cool it was to find out that you were not alone in your geek-dom. That there were these guys out there on the internet who have a radio show and are just as geeky as you! That there were other guys and girls all around the world, like you, rolling dice, painting minis at obscene hours of the night, and playing with little toy soldiers, just like you. Guys out there that made it cool to play 40K. And remember 40K Radio... fondly.

So long guys... thanks for all of the tactics, all of the overviews and interviews, all of the stories from the battlefield and the laughs, the fun of being on your show, and for all of the memories. I will never look at this hobby without thinking about 40K Radio. What Phil, or Spencer, or Scott, or even Chipley had to say about this unit or that. Tactics learned, friends to be had, and memories to keep. And my hobby is a little bit emptier today without 40K Radio. I wish you could have worked it out... and I wish you a very fond fare well.

Bravo Goatboy and COMP in 40K

Hey gang, I wanted to let you guys know about a wonderful article over at BOLS. Goatboy over at Bell of Lost Souls put up a great article today on how not to be a gaming douche! I love it, it is a great article and I highly suggest you give it a read:

http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2010/05/goatboys-40k-thoughts-how-not-to-be.html

One of the things that he said that I especially agree with is that bringing a hard as nails list to a tournament, not a friendly game, a tournament mind you, is not being a douche, how you play that list is. I could not agree more!

Personally myself I do not feel that COMP has any place whatsoever in the game of 40K. GW, while they have made some mistakes and left a few units and rules out there that are capable of abusing holes in the 5th edition rule set, has done a fairly good job at keeping the game balanced, all things considered. If there is any kind of COMP structure that I would agree with, it would be a tiered point bump for obviously weaker armies, and not restrictions on armies that someone feels is unfair. For example, my poor beloved Necrons are far too weak in the 5th edition game to be competitive. We all know it. But what if in a 1750 tournament, they received a 200 point bonus? All of a sudden, maybe they could compete. Now, this is a loose system and I do not believe we should ever COMP 40K, but if we do, we need to bump up the weaker armies and not drag down those we deem as stronger. Those who claim that the 'Leaf-blower' lists, brought to you by BOLS, should be COMPed out of 40K are not being realistic.

I feel differently when I play for fun and when I play competitively. Fun is just that, fun. I could care less if I win, lose, or draw the game. I just want to have a good time with hopefully a friend or a new friend. Fun games is when I pull out those units I never use just to see how they do, or where I try out new tactics that I am unsure of. I do not take those games seriously at all, and neither should my opponent.

Tournaments are different, much different. It is a competition, it is meant to see on that day who is the best general, and I take that seriously. While I plan to have fun, and I hope you have fun too, I am there to smash in your face and place in the tournament. I could play my mom in a tournament and joke and laugh the whole time I am smashing her face in (my mom does not play 40K, yet...). I will not be a douche, I will have fun, I will joke around and laugh at my defeats and I will go out of my way to make sure my opponent is having as much fun as I am, but I play to win the game. So no list is to much, or too hard. If I get my head kicked in in a tournament by a list, I do not go home and cry about how unfair that list was. I develop new tactics, new strategies, and move to improve myself and my game. In the end, I am a much better player for it.

So think to yourself the next time you feel a list is 'broken'. Is it broken because it is obviously outside the rule set and not counter-able by anything anywhere, or is it that you were not prepared for it and you felt that your defeat to that list was unfair. Instead of claiming, 'we need to comp that', maybe go home, hit the lab, and build a better list to beat that list.

Codex Overview: Tyranids - Part One

We hold these truths to be self-evident…About Tyranids:

For my first overview of a Warhammer 40K Codex I decided to cover the codex and army that I know best, the Tyranids. When I first started playing this game in the tail end of 4th Edition with Necrons, I took note to my local game scene that no one around me was playing Tyranids. I told myself then that I would start the army as soon as I got board with Necrons. And when 5th Edition effectively killed that army, it accelerated my want to play another army that actually had a chance to win. I have played them pretty much non-stop since, although I do have a pretty impressive Space Marine Force I am saving to teach my boys the game with and plan to begin my Eldar army very soon.

So, where to begin with Tyranids? First I will say that these are my opinions of the army and should not be taken as ‘written-in-stone’. My tactics and use of units (or lack of) are based on my play style and how effective I have found them on the table. I am sure that there are plenty of people out there in the web-o-sphere who will disagree with me on many issues. Please do, I would love to hear what everyone else thinks and maybe you can change my mind. However this is my take on the army.

First, before we get too far in I want to lay down the ground work with some “Truths” about the Tyranids that as a player or opponent of this army you simply must accept.

Truth #1 – No Invulnerable Saves!

Save for the Zoanthrope, the Doom of Malan ‘Tai, and the way too over priced Swarmlord (hand-to-hand only), the entire army lacks an invulnerable save of any kind. In fact, to the best of my ability, I believe that this army is the only army currently in 40K without an HQ unit with an invulnerable save. This complicates things, especially for all of those nifty Monstrous Creatures we all want to run so badly, because it makes them susceptible power weapon attacks in hand-to-hand and AP3 or better shots in the shooting phase. Couple that with the fact that it is really hard to get a cover saves on a Monstrous Creatures and you can end up with some dead expensive models early.

One way to help combat these issues is unit screening. Use a unit of Gargoyles to cover your Flying Hive Tyrant, get a cover save, use a big unit of warriors to cover that Carnifex, get a cover save. Sorry Trygon, no help there. The model is big and beautiful and unless you get it behind a building or run it with a Venomthrope, you’ll never see a cover saver for this guy.

Truth #2 – Shoot the Big Ones

Your Monstrous Creatures are all going to die! Accept it now. It will be better for you in the end. Yes, they are a lot of points, and yes, the models look great on paper and on the table, but in the end, every gun that can wound them will shoot at them. And by turn 3 – 4 all of your Monstrous Creatures will have been blown off of the board. This is not a bad thing. Because while all of that concentrated fire did manage to kill both of your Trygons, the Carnifex Brood, and your Hive Tyrant, it did not touch those three units of fifteen gaunts holding three objectives and winning you the game. I have a friend at my local game store who, on a weekly basis, asks me why I run two or three Trygons in my lists. “Every time I see them they end up dead, seems like a waste to me” he says. This is very true, and while my Trygons may have bit the big one, I rarely lose the game. This might be hard for some of you to read, but your Monstrous Creatures are expendable! Use them to pull units away, distract your opponent, tar pit units, and contest objectives. I have sent Trygons out to the middle of no where and seen half an army shift off of objectives to go and get it. Great, because my hoard of gaunts was right there to grab that flag and hold on for the win.

Truth #3 Send the big ones after the small ones and the small ones after the big!

Select which units you send your Monstrous Creatures into hand-to-hand with very carefully. A Trygon will make short work of a 10-man Tactical Squad without a powerfist, but will be murdered by a 5 man Thunderhammer and Stormshield Terminator Squad in one round of combat. In the beginning phases of the game, during setup is best, determine the threat level of a unit in hand to hand. I tend to score them on a 1 to 5 rating, 1’s being easy to kill, 5’s being ‘stay the hell away from that’! If the unit has a low WS, no real power weapons to speak of or is a vehicle that did not move in the previous turn, ripe targets to wipe out. Walkers are midrange targets in my opinion, more then likely, with adrenal glands to help, you’ll have a higher initiative on the charge and will score several penetrating shots before they ever get to attack. But if your dice hate you and he gets to swing back, you might be in trouble. The special assault unit loaded down with attacks and power weapons, avoid that like the plague!

Conversely, with Toxin Sacs giving small point units a 4+ Poison Weapon, this has changed the game for Tyranids in my opinion, for the better. Now, all of a sudden, a unit of 20 Hormagaunts can lay down 25 wounds onto a 5 man terminator Squad, killing them before they ever swing back. Sure, the Avatar or Greater Deamon might manager to kill a few, but with their high toughness no longer protecting them, they will die awfully fast to little guys! Couple Toxin Sacs with Adrenal Glands, and all of a sudden your units get to re-roll to wound on units with a T4 or less. I have seen wave after wave of gaunts wipe out the toughest of assault units, simply by making them roll more dice. Eventually those ones and twos come, and there are dead models in their wake for a low point cost.

So send in those little guys and watch them do amazing things!

That’s it for this week. Next Week we will look into the first HQ unit, the Hive Tyrant!

Questions? Comments? Obscene Remarks? Post them here in the comments sections and thanks for the feedback guys!

40K Tactics 101: Ring Arround the Transport

So, you’ve been playing the game for awhile now, managed to win a game here and there, but the good players in your area still beating you down on a regular basis. You are beginning to look for that little extra edge that will help propel you into the next level of 40K domination. That is what 40K Tactics 101 is all about! These generic tactics will help you step up your game and make you a better 40K Player. A training course designed for new to mid-ranged 40K players.

This week we are going to review the wrap around technique. This tactic is used to kill a transport vehicle and the entire crew within the transport in a single assault phase, and without a single attack back. Now, keep in mind some transports are big, really big, and this particular tactics may not work on all transports, like a Land Raider. However I have had good results when assaulting rhinos, wave serpents, and chimeras. So here goes...

This technique has two basic forms, one where your troops are in their own transport and can use it to help block off exit points, and one where they are without and must do so themselves. We will explore the later first.

Essentially these techniques uses two basic rules from the 40K Rulebook, the emergency disembark rules and the ‘no enemy model within 1 inch’ rule, to force the unit within the transport to have no legal place to go once the transport is wrecked, and hence are destroyed outright.

Method 1 – Surrounded by Troops:

Basically all you need to do to get this trick to work is to surround the transport completely in the assault phase, having every model base to base and in contact with the transport, and completely covering every exit point. It is easier to pull off with Fleeting units, as it gives those extra few inches to reach the furthest points on the vehicle. This trick is a little hard to pull of if you run low model count armies, but is still feasible. Once the vehicle is wrecked the rules kick in to your favor:

1) The unit inside must exit immediately from the vehicles exit points, up to two inches away. By surrounding the vehicle, each exit point is cut off and hence the models inside can not exit from these points.

2) If they can not exit the vehicle in this manner, they may emergency disembark from the vehicle, anywhere within 2 inches. Here is where the kicker is, even if the model could manage to get to 2 inches away from the transport, they would still be well within 1 inch of your models and could not legally be able to place them there. 3) with no other method of escape, the models inside die.

Method 2 – The Drive Around:

This is essentially the same tactics as method one with one minor exception, using your transport to block an exit point. Basically at the beginning of the movement phase you would disembark your unit from their transport. Once this is complete, your transport is free to move its full distance in the movement phase and hence could swing around to the back or side exits and sit 1 inch away, blocking and exit point. Your troops would do the same as above, and surround the vehicle, assault it, and with any luck, kill every model inside.

Heads Up: So, you did just a bit better then you were hoping, you exploded the vehicle and the troops inside as now located inside the difficult terrain that is left behind. Maybe they took a few wounds in the explosion, maybe not. But now you can’t assault them. Now, if you were lucky and had popped the transport in the shooting phase, and I recommend you at least try this before assaulting if you can (my god what are meltaguns for anyway, you would be able to assault the unit that spills out. So be warned, if your guys are a bit over zealous, they might rob you of the kills inside. (That being said, the unit inside is still probably screwed, lets face it.)

Okay, I want to take a moment to give full credit where full credit is due, I just learned method 2 last night as my buddy DJ schooled me with this tactic. I thought it was so great that I’d write about it today. Thanks DJ!

This tactic or technique rather, is so much easier to show someone then tell them. So I will toss up a video demonstrating this tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209

Got and idea for a 40K Tactics 101 article? Let’s hear it. Post a comment here and if your tactic is selected for a weekly article you will be given full credit for the piece!

Situational Awareness - The 11th Company

Ok, so I admit it, I am way behind on some of my 40K Podcasts. I listen to so many, dropping one real big one lately due to some major douche-bag running the best co-hosts off of his sand hill. One of the up and comers, as far as 40K podcasts are concerned, that has really grabbed my attention is a Podcast out of South Carolina called the 11th Company.

http://www.tangtwo.com/11thCompany/News.html

In their recent episode 12 (recent to me anyway, I think this was taped like 5 weeks ago) they had a fantastic conversation about Situational Awareness in 40K. Dealing with not only knowing where you are and what is around you, but where your opponent is and what he/she can do as well.

I will not attempt to try to do a better job then they did, this segment is fantastic and I highly recommend heading over to the 11th Company and taking a listen for yourself.

40K Tactics 101: YouTube Videos to Release

Hey gang, I wanted to let you know about my latest YouTube project. Since I got bumped out of 'Ard Boyz early this year I decided to start a series of instructional videos on YouTube, targeted toward the new to mid-range 40K Player. These videos will demonstrate some of the basic tactics and techniques that have helped me become a better 40K Player, tactically speaking of course.

Got a suggestion for a video? Drop me an email or a comment and if your tactic is selected to be part of the series, I will give you full credit for the piece.

You will be able to find them all here real soon at my YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEvilEd209

Dice Like Thunder and Blood of Kittens

First I want to thank the boys over at Dice Like Thunder for the shout out on this week's show. I really appreciate it guys! I love your podcast, I really love your forum and I will continue to listen with enthusiasm!

Second, I wanted to point everyone (well, let's face it, his blog is more established then mine and I am a big fan!) to a fellow blogger who wrote a much more detailed and informative article on the whole 40K radio break up. The Blog is called Blood of Kittens and you can find the article here:

http://bloodofkittens.com/?p=3444&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BloodOfKittens+%28Blood+of+Kittens%29

I was happy to be informed!


Love your blog man!

An Early Bow Out of 'Ard Boyz... Round One.

Well, this did not go according to plan yesterday in round one of the 'Ard Boyz Tournament. I had loads of fun, met some good people, and some real ass-hats as well, and in the end I failed to place at 'Ard Boyz 2010.

So here is my overview of my first 'Ard Boyz Tournament!

ROUND ONE:

My fist round match up was against Chaos Space Marines running a double Lash Deamon Price list. I smiled when I got first set up and distributed my forces on to the field of battle. Because, aside from the Princes, it was an all mech list with two Land Raiders and I eat those for breakfast. Heck, even when he stole the infinitive I was not concerned.

So first turn, for whatever reason, he lined up both of his Princes in-front of my hormagaunt wall. I believe his plan was to lash them in and take them out in one round of combat. Well, toxin sacs showed him differently! He fail to lash with one Prince and the second on only pulled the squad close enough for one prince assault. No big deal, he whiffed on four attacks and only managed to kill one hormagaunt! My turn... :) My boys managed to hit him with three wounds and it quickly became apparent that he had made a drastic mistake. By the end of my turn one, the first Deamon Prince was dead and the second was at WS & BS 1 (thanks to the Hive Tyrant) and had taken two wounds to Gargoyles. By his half of round two, both Princes were dead. Score... well sort of.

You see the guy I played was good, and a hell of a nice guy to boot and he powered on. I held three of the five objectives for most of the game and on turn three he unloaded every unit from every transport and tried to gun me down in a hail of bolter fire. It almost work! But in the end he picked the wrong targets, two squads of Chaos Space Marines fired at a Trygon and did nothing (only to be charged in my turn and get wiped out), The other squad decided to not fire at my second squad of hormagaunt so that the could charge them (20 attacks at I5??? Ok, sure I'll do that) and They died almost without get in one attack... I think the powerfist survived that first round.

In the end I was killing the guy and he knew it. On the last turn, Turn 4 called due to time (2500 is just too much!), he pulls a desperation move and tank shocks his land raider on to one of the objectives I held and a busted up rhino on to another, giving him a two to one advantage. He had managed to break up my synapse base on the left side of the board and grab two objectives. I had hopes of charging the one squad with a Trygon but his fleet roll was less then spectacular and my Zoanthropes managed to perils themselves to death before dropping 2 STR 5 AP3 templates on to a juicy squad out int the open hold the other.

In the end, my hive guard failed miserably in blowing up the rhino, even when charging it, one lost objective, and my Tervigon could not manage to hit the braod side of a Land Raider and I lost that one too.

He beat be 2-1, he scored 900+ Victory points to my 1700... Totally one-sided game, save for the loss I took. But I smiled. I really liked my opponent, It was a great Tactical game ( I learned the power a tank shocking rhino on the last turn) and I knew I was still in the running at that point. So good game!

Final Result: (0-1-0) 10 Battle Points and 1721 VP

More to come...

'Twas the night before 'Ard Boyz

Twas the night before 'Ard Boyz, when all through the drop pod
Not a creature was stirring, not even Todd.
Our army was all hunkered down with care,
In hopes that brutal victory would soon be there.

The genestealers were nestled all snug in their spores,
While visions of entrails tingled their pores.
And Calgar in his power armor, and I with my bolt gun,
Had just settled in and were preparing for fun.

When out in the ruins there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my foxhole to see what was the matter.
Away to the safety of 4+ cover I went,
In hopes that not all of my rounds had been spent.

The moons on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of dusk to bodies below.
When, what to my watering eyes should I spy,
But a monstrous Trygon with a twinkle in his eye.

With its scything talons, so lively and spry,
I knew in a moment, 'we're all gonna die!'
More rapid than thunderbolts his murderous blows did they come,
And he hissed and he roared and slaughtered some!

"Die Space Marine! Die Blood Angel! Wolf and Templar!
Die Ork! Die Eldar, Tau, and Necron!"
Shred them, spear them, impale them all!
Now devourer them! Devourer them! big and small!"

And then in a twinkling I heard from above
The flapping of wings - surely 'twas not a dove
I drew tight my weapon and was turning around,
Down came a Tyrant with a earth shaking bound.

His chitin was all covered with blood and gore,
His lash whip and bonesword all ready to skewer.
A bulbous sac of poison venom on his back,
He looked like a nightmare, ready to attack.

His eyes-how they glared! his talons how scary!
His wings were pumping, which made us so wary!
His slobbering mouth was preparing to savor,
Our small band of troops; his favorite flavor.

With one fell swoop he barred his teeth,
I drew my powersword out from its sheath.
Our man with the powerfist was the first to die,
And quickly I realized so would I.

He tore through the squad with the greatest of ease
And impaled Brother Winston into the trees.
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon made me know I had everything to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And finished the squad, then turned with a jerk.
And lunging his bonesword into my chest,
Serenity overcame me, I'd soon be at rest!

Failing my leadership, suffering from instant death,
I looked to the sky and exhaled my last breath.
He sprang to the air and let out a shriek,
As I heard him exclaim...
"Happy 'Ard Boyz you nub, better luck next week!"

Scott and Chipley Leave 40K Radio!

So it has come down through the grapevine that after some sort of 'suspension' that Spencer was trying to hand out to the boys for not playing 40K in some time that they have decided to leave the show.

I have to say that it is my firm belief that 40K radio is now dead to me, and soon on its way out the podcast door. The two major reasons I loved 40K Radio was for my man Phil, and Scott. Spencer always seemed to have that, ‘Too cool for the room’ air about him, even when I was on their show on Episode 31. I was Necron Warrior back then. I have since left my 40K Freeboota persona behind as Phil’s departure pissed me off. Oh and that I learned that the boys over at 40K Radio have started to turn a profit that is not being re-circulated back to those who are dumb enough to join their forum.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure to meet Phil Johnson, he is a man among men! He really is. And Scoot was as well. I have not had the pleasure to meet Chipley but I am sure he is a good guy too. My point is, how is 40K Radio better without these men and better with Spencer at the wheel?

I made a few comments in the show notes of Episode 78 which must have hit home with Spencer as he deleted them all and closed the comments for public viewing. So, since I too have access to the 40K Public, I am going to reiterate what I said there to him that hit that cord:

“Spencer, I understand where you want 40K Radio to go and what you want 40K Radio to be. We all want that, we all want 40K Radio to be the best damn podcast out there. But how does this help that? Yes, I get what you are saying. That the boys not playing 40K in like six months is a big deal, but, is loosing the ‘professional’ relationships, let alone the friendships worth it? While I realize you are the host, and you make the big decisions, 40K Radio is not just you. 40K Radio is you and all your hard work, AND Phil, AND Scott, AND Chipley. What does it say about you if you get your podcast to the place where you want it to be by stepping on the necks of those who helped to get you there?”

This post must have pissed him off and he closed the comments down.

I loved 40K Radio, I really did. It helped me come into my own in the game; it was fun, tactical, and educational. I even drank the cool-aid and became a freeboota. And even after Phil left (who I can now just call if I want too) I still listened. But what has it become now? One giant commercial for this product or that fitted in where Spencer’s ego is not. He pushed Phil out, now his attitude has pushed Scott and Chipley out. Now we have the Spencer and Racist Hobo show. And I do not want to listen to that.

I am done with 40K Radio. R.I.P. Time of death, just after Scoot quit, and diagnosed terminal when Phil left.

Why do you want a BLOG?

Howdy gang and welcome to my blog. I will start off by saying that I am really writing all of this for me. This is a nice little place where I can collect my thoughts and get them down on paper. However, I do like the idea of networking with fellow 40K enthusiasts around the world. So I got myself a YouTube Channel, started this blog and away we go.

Over time we will discuss tips, tactics, tournament lists, painting ideas, frustrations, and much much more. This is just a quick how do you do. I will post a much more detailed intro later.

Until then, have a great one guys!