40k Scale Void Spinner.

I finally finished it.  I'd been working on it off and on for a few months, mixed with some other projects, but now she's finally done.  The void Spinner.  I'd been inspired to try and track down an old Forgeworld Night Spinner kit and convert one of these for over a year, but it wasn't until a couple months ago that  I saw the parts come up on ebay and snatched them up as quickly as I could.

Below I have pictures of the finished conversion next to my other painted Vaul's engines, and next to its smaller cousin the Night Spinner.  The flash blows out the layering in the yellow on the void spinner array, but it looks quite nice in person.  once I get a basic Scorpion done and dusted I'll have the entire quartet of Vaul's engines.

Below are the rules I developed with my friend Saunders, a constant opponent, for the Void Spinner.  I really liked the description in the epic rules about the Void Spinner being another weapon that the Eldar consider somewhat horrific to bring to battle because it mixes their terraforming technology with their most gruesome form of weaponry.

Void Spinner 700 pts

Super heavy fast skimmer tank

Hp 9

Shuriken cannon and upgrades, see scorpion.

Void Spinner Array

Range 60" str 8/7/6 ap 3/5/- primary Weapon, apocalyptic mega blast, barrage, ignore cover, pinning, monofilament, abomination.

Abomination: The bacteria and wraithbone parasites, normally used for terraforming, unleashed in the monofilament salvoes are horrifying to behold as they reduce, metal, stone, flesh, and bone to organic compost. Pinning tests caused by wounds from this weapon are taken at -3 ld.

I'm also reprinting the Storm Serpent rules from a prior post, for those who missed it, since it's visible in the top picture.

Storm Serpent 475 pts

Super heavy fast skimmer tank transport*

HP 9

Pulse laser

Shuriken cannon and upgrades, see scorpion.

Up to 6 units with the infantry, Jetbike, fast skimmer, or walker unit type may be embarked upon the Storm Serpent at the start of the game. No units may embark upon the transport once the game has started.

Wraithgate: each turn up to 3 units embarked upon the Storm Serpent may disembark from any point along the front or sides of the Storm Serpent's hull. If the Storm Serpent is destroyed the embarked units suffer no negative effects and are instead immediately placed into ongoing reserve.

Spring Thaw

7 months to the day that I completed revamping the Guardian Defender unit Winter's Wrath, I have completed revamping and expanding Spring Thaw.  I've sized up the unit to a full 20 man squad, revamped the highlighting and basing and changed the breastplates to be bone white to make the unit visually stand out more.  In two weeks time I have an Apocalypse game scheduled, and I made two lists... one that worked entirely with models that are painted, and one that forced me to finally complete my work on this unit and also paint two more Farseers.  I still need to get the Farseers done, but this unit, which has been hanging over my head for quite some time, and had been put aside for shinier projects, is done.  Below I have an image of the original way they looked for comparison to the revamped look.

Even though my horde of infantry will probably die very fast I hope it looks truly impressive on the table before getting churned to little pink clouds of mist.

Gaming Aid for Psyker Units

As an Ulthwe player I was a big fan of the old GW psychic app, which helped me keep track of my psychic powers.  Once 7th launched they killed the app, changed and expanded the powers, so the old app doesn't really assist all that much.

That being the case I've created a handy sheet to help me for larger games.  I have a draft of the Farseer one in progress, but this is the Warlock/Spiritseer sheet.  It's a sheet with pictures of all my models with check boxes and I laminated the page so that I can use it  over and over again.

All in all it should make book keeping during a game that much quicker, and speed up my game.  Feel free to use this idea to make your own.

One Year On - Unit Review: Troops

I've been recovering from my injury, but it has considerably slowed all my hobby work.  Hopefully I'll have some big things to show off soon, but it's all slow going right now.  In the mean time, here's the next part of my review:

As I've said before, I'll be covering the Wraithguard and Wraithblades in troops as I think they are nearly always taken with a spiritseer in order to convert them to troops.

I may be alone in this belief, but in the future I'd like to see Wraithguard simply moved to troops.

Guardian Defenders

This is a unit that, prior to the release of the dex, I expected to become about 6 pts a model. GW went a different way and boosted their BS, WS and Ini to a standardized elf level, and gave the bladestorm buff to catapults, and battle focus rule all for a single point. For a T 3 model with a 5+ save I'd say they got the unit right, and the change to allowing full size squads to have a second heavy weapon felt like it was too slow in coming, but was a welcome change nonetheless.

Game Play – I tend to use this unit one of two ways. My preferred style is a full 20 models with 2 heavy weapons that can unleash a hellish amount of firepower to units brash enough to deep strike nearby. With battle focus they actually have a prayer of getting in range to shoot despite being on foot. If I need them to remain steadfast on an objective a model with a Shard of Anaris backs up the unit well. When I attach a warlock I enjoy giving them a singing spear, for some dreadnought threat, or for synergy with a dual bright lance unit, dropping some serious threat to transports considering getting close. Alternatively a minimum squad or squad with heavy weapon and warlock make for a good unit in a Wave Serpent. Not quite the same threat range as Dire Avengers, but their speed can catch a foe off guard. Don't forget the unit now has Plasma Grenades so if you're close enough it's good to throw one for that blast. The T5 of the weapon platform will generally make no difference to the unit, but the 3+ save can be a life saver against small arms fire. I can think of more than one occasion it's been able to tank 5 or more wounds on a unit, all but nullifying incoming fire.

In 7th: They are essentially unchanged in their performance and use for 7^th edition, though in a standard combined arms detachment they gain Objective Secured, which, of course makes them a difficult nut to crack when placed on an objective in cover.

Dire Avengers

The frontline unit for the eldar and most common aspect, this unit got a bit of a price bump, but also got some noticeable buffs battle focus, bladestorm (a vast improvement over their old power), counter attack, changes to wargear such as the improved shimmer shield.

Game Play – A lot of players like to use a 5 man squad with no upgrades as a Wave Serpent tax. I didn't like that tactic to make scoring falcons in 5^th (stupid that units could score sitting in a vehicle) and I like it just as little now. My preference is to use a full squad of 10, occasionally in a serpent, but generally I prefer them holding the front line, or pressing forward on foot, under the protection of a shimmer shield. I'll often run them with an Autarch that has a shard to make them fearless, or two units with an Avatar supporting them. All those 5+ invul saves can be a tough nut to crack.

Phoenix Lord - I have not used Asurmen, but I have faced him multiple times from multiple players. All but I think one or maybe two times he managed to get that reroll 1's on the save, effectively giving him a 2+ rerollable. It required low AP weapons to take him down as he was all but immune to small arms fire. He is no joke, and to have a “remove model from play” weapon can occasionally shock cahracters like Lysander, and synergizes with terrify and horrify.

In 7th: Counter Attack is automatic now, which is a blessing for me because I always forgot to test the LD until after. I can't imagine I was the only one. Otherwise, the CAD bonus rule makes them a unit to be reckoned with and they're as reliable as ever.

Storm Guardians

This unit is certainly solid, but they just don't fill enough of a stand-out role for me to use often. They can support better units in combat, but they can't do too much on their own. In the prior book I loved the unit in a Wave Serpent, with two flamers and a Warlock with Destructor. In 6^th the unit took a bit of a hit when DTW made Destructor unreliable. Then it became a randomly acquired power, and then harder to cast. However, the bump to BS made the fusion gun a more tempting option, plus the bladestorm rule means they can be flexible enough to do some extra damage to units with good armor.

Game Play – I have a friend that uses a unit of 20 to support his wraithguard, but units like the wyvern or phoenix bomber just erase them from the board. I use 10 in a wave serpent, nearly exclusively with dual flamers. The idea is to hit as hard as I can with a round of shooting against a unit in cover, and then tie up said unit.

In 7th: The same as 6^th really.

Wind Rider Jetbikes

A unit I liked at the launch of 6^th because they got that wonderful 5+ jink meant I could give the warlock leading the unit destructor. At the new book's release I often defaulted to conceal because they could get a meaty 3+ cover save or 2+ going flat out.

Game Play – I like using units of 6 with two Shuriken cannons and the firepower they put out is gross. I usually take a Warlock with singing spear to give the unit the option of conceal and a singing spear. They have the speed to get around to the weak armor on a vehicle and any opponent that ignores them is mad.

In 7th: Jink has changed, which means they can often have their firepower reduced (thankfully their weapons are twin linked), but it means with conceal they're pulling in a 2+ save and their speed means they're a beast in Maelstrom missions.

Wraithguard

A dependable unit when shifted to troops in the old book, but then they got Str 10 weapons back (thrilling in that they can more reliably splat characters) along with a price drop. They also got the option for D-scythes. I have used scythes, but have been horribly unlucky with them. That said I have heard them described by some as “pure wrongness.” No ability to mix weapon types is kind of a bummer.

Game Play – I feel like smaller units are too fragile to get the job done when on foot, so I tend to use units of 5 in a Serpent, and almost exclusively so for scythes. Send them after a specific, high priority target and try to devastate it. Be warned, thanks to the bladestorm rule mirror matches are especially punishing to Wraithguard units.

In 7th: The same as in 6^th, but a unit this tough is a pain when they have objective secured.

Wraithblades

A new variation for 6^th it finally created a close combat variation for Wraithguard. I do wish you could mix and match weapon types.

Game Play – I play with 5 of either variations, but I have come up against 10 strong squads of both, and the Axe version is incredibly survivable.

In 7th: The same as in 6^th, but a unit this tough is a pain when they have objective secured.

OVERALL

Eldar have some of the best core troop options in the game. It can make for very difficult decisions when building an army, and even though the Storm Guardians are roughly the worst option of the bunch, there really aren't any bad options.

BUILDS

Guardians: 20 on foot with two bright lances. Sit back and hold an objective.

Dire Avengers: 10 on foot with an Exarch with power weapon and shimmer shield. If at all possible give them fearless and take the centre of the table.

Storm Guardians: 10 in a Serpent with two flamers. Go after the most vulnerable units.

Windrider squads: 6 with two cannons. Attach a Warlock with singing spear. There is virtually no wrong way to use this unit other than sacrificing them for no gain.

Wraithguard: 5 with D-scythes in a Wave Serpent. Fly them out towards their target quick. Don't take the chance of getting stranded with an immobilized vehicle. If you can get on an opponent's victory spot in cover people will NOT want to charge you to clear you out.

Wraithblades: 5 with axes on foot. Hold them back and use them to counter the opponent's units that make headway into your deployment zone.

St Kelly's Day Massacre

For GW's Birthday celebration in Australia the shop ran a special game wherein all the shop regulars got to partake in a bring and battle, setting up a pack of Imperial Knights to take on a Phantom Titan in a 2 out of 3 clash to see if they could destroy the monstrosity.  What resulted is what one of my friends referred to as the St Kelly's Day Massacre.  It was an absolute riot of a game.

As a bonus rule any knight that wore a party parasol got a special rule, once it had been destroyed the player got to roll 2D6 and in the event of doubles the Knight miraculously survived with a single hull point remaining!

While at the shop I mentioned that I kind of felt like I was in Aliens, attempting to gun down Xenomorphs before they got to me, and any game where Imperial Knights are being compared to Xenomorphs for their numbers and relentlessness is a uniquely fun experience.

The music is a shortened Dual of the Fates from The Phantom Menace and the quotes are from Henry V, Macbeth, Hamlet and King Lear respectively.

Enjoy the frivolity!

One Year On - Unit Review: Elites

First off, I'd like to say I'll be covering the Wraithguard and Wraithblades in troops as I think they are nearly always taken with a spiritseer in order to convert them to troops.

I may be alone in this belief, but with the WraithKnight in Heavy Support I'd like to see the Wraithlord moved to Elites.  It would reduce the burden of Heavy Support, keep it more slot appropriate (compared to a dreadnought) and could see Wraithguard simply moved to troops.

None of that really influences my thoughts on these units, but I think over this whole review it's important to disclose my thought process in regards to the dex overall as I go.

Howling Banshees

This is a unit that, at first, felt like a missed opportunity, but after actually using them I find them quite good.  They're incredibly fast thanks to the acrobatic rule.

Game Play - Other players WILL underestimate Banshees in a serpent... why?  Because they'll forget about Bladestorm.  Any time you can deny the enemy an armor save you'll start putting real pressure on them.  Bladestorm has made the Eldar pretty much the masters of short range firefights, second only to the Tau.  Deploying them out of a Wave Serpent gets them across the board insanely quickly.  However, using them requires precision and thought.  They are not ideal for sending in to dug in opponents and clearing objectives.  However, they will tear through a unit trying to cross the board or units that are threatening to assault your units in your deployment zone.  Banshees tend to benefit more from other units providing synergistic help.  For instance Jinx on terminators makes them fear the charge of banshees (not to mention that they should be wary of any unit with a shuriken weapon).  While it may be tempting to put a Spiritseer that can boost their strength in the unit, or an Autarch to give them a combat cornerstone to build on, but doing so will lose you Acrobatic, so I would advise against it.

Phoenix Lord - Jain Zar is nasty with AP2 attacks and shred, but the Triskele makes her buff the units shooting considerably, not to mention her warlord trait giving them an extra inch on the run, and believe me, every inch counts and let's not overlook her ability to tank wounds with her 2+ save.  Her mask gives her the best chance at dominating on the charge, and she's generally not afraid to issue a challenge, though be aware the true monsters of combat, like Lysander, or any Chapter Master with a storm shield and thunder hammer will probably win out in short order.  Use your mobility to pick your fights carefully.

In 7th: Banshees in a Wave serpent have lost 2" from their disembark, but they're now a scoring unit, which makes them flexible, but capable of quickly sprinting to an objective.  In an edition that is more geared towards shooting the banshees can hold up pretty well in part because they can do some damage with shooting and are likely enough of a threat in combat that the unit you want to assault won't assault you first.

Fire Dragons

A lot of people freaked about the leap in points for Fire Dragons, but they needed a raise in points, and I think the return of their 3+ save makes them really worth it, and their firepower is still impressive and reliable

Game Play - I've seen people use them on foot alone, but I find they're such a threat they need some type of transport to get to the biggest threat priority.  When tanks explode they have a real chance to survive the blast now... assuming they don't take a D to the face from blowing up a super heavy... but, really, in most cases it's worth the sacrifice.

Phoenix Lord - I have not used Fuegan in the new book, but I have one friend who refers to him as "boss" and absolutely loves him.

In 7th:  AP 1 is even more valuable and the dragons are reliable.  They can do quite well on their own, as aspect warriors should, but Guide and Doom can help them all but guarantee to liquify whatever target you throw them against.

Striking Scorpions

This is the unit that brought me into the game and in the new codex they received had a lot of the old upgrades that were all but required to make them usable built in from the start.  The mandiblasters operate a bit closer to older versions, and while the loss of the bonus attack might make me frown it's well worth the trade off for them being so all around good.  Also... powerfist that strikes at initiative!

Game Play - Scorpions are incredibly flexible, but for me I tend not to put them in vehicles as it drives the cost of the unit so high.  Using them to infiltrate, usually in ruins, can force your opponent to either cede ground to them or move to deal with them.  Either through board control or directing your opponent's hand it is a potent option.  The ability to outflank should also not be overlooked.  Much like the banshees their firepower can really surprise people, and don't forget they have plasma grenades, so they can get a Str 4 AP 4 blast in that volley as well.

Phoenix Lord - Karandras is my favorite.  He has a power fist that slams down at Str 8 at initiative and gets a bonus attack for a second weapon.  Well worth the loss of the ability to go to ground.

In 7th:  They're still awesome and they can now score, which should not be overlooked on a unit with stealth and a 3+ save.  If you don't have Karandras they can infiltrate to a mid board objective in ruins and just go to ground for a 2+ cover save on a unit that most people won't want to charge to try and clear out.

Harlequins

This unit is a missed opportunity, not in that they are a bad unit, but in that they don't feel particularly up to snuff compared to the standard units and I feel that keeping them in both the Eldar and Dark Eldar dexes has prevented them from being appropriately moved into the new edition as GW strives to keep the unit the same in both books, thus making them stagnate, however the bladestorm rule was a boost that eased some of the restriction from the unit rules being unchanged.  The addition of Battle Focus makes Harlequins feel a little odd because they feel like a unit that doesn't have the same personality of either of its parent dexes.

Game Play - This unit is incredibly fragile, but they're not slowed by difficult terrain, and can be the unit that takes on those 2+ save units or 3+ save units in cover that your banshees shouldn't be charging.  Always, Always take a Shadowseer.

In 7th:  Like the other Elite selections the Harlequins are scoring now.  Ultimately the change to the psychic phase has quite the impact on them.  When the unit is in combat he provides spare warp charge to the rest of your force, and if you cast on a single die there's no chance your Shadowseer will perils, and even on two dice you are half as likely to perils now that double 1's don't force the perils, and when it does happen it doesn't automatically kill your model.

OVERALL

Eldar elites are much more tempting in 7th now that they can score.  it really hindered them in the past.  

BUILDS

Banshees: 10 in a Serpent (vectored engines) with Jain Zar and an Exarch.  Throw them head long at a vulnerable part of your enemy's lines.

Fire Dragons: 6 in a Serpent with an Exarch with Fusion Pike and Fast shot in a Falcon (vectored engines).  Throw them head long at a unit that absolutely, positively has to die.

Scorpions: 10 with Karandras and an Exarch.  Infiltrate and control a portion of the board, or outflank if you can attack a vulnerable enemy up close and personal.

Harlequins: 10 with a Shadow seer and a handful of Harlequin Kisses.  Keep them in cover every moment you can and get them in combat with a priority target as quickly as you can.

One Year On - Unit Review: HQ

Well, due to an injury I'm a bit behind some of my painting and modelling projects.  That said I thought I'd use the time I have recovering to discuss the units available, section by section, and how they have transitioned to 7th edition.

HQ:

The Avatar of Khaine

The Avatar was a unit I used often since the release of the new codex.  With the notable exception of the invulnerable save it pretty much just got a ton of buffs.  Higher BS, more wounds, higher Initiative, fleet, more attacks, and access to a number of exarch powers.

Game Play - The Avatar is a key piece in a foot based force.  I like to use mine to anchor foot lists.  Placing it between 2 full size foot units of Dire Avengers with shimmer shield helps make the most of his fearless bubble, and he'll either draw fire that would otherwise go to more precious units or your opponents can ignore him at your peril.  One thing I would have liked to see is for the wailing doom to be +2 str and have armourbane in CC as it would have been thematic to the shooting version of the weapon.

In 7th: The changes to smash took some of the sheen off the Avatar for me as it really limits what I'm willing to throw him against, but he's still a beast overall, and with Fast Shot he's worth taking, but you really need to design a build around him from the beginning.  Aggressive play is key to getting the most out of the Avatar so have a plan to use him at the start of the game and hold true to it.  Do not be disturbed when he takes a couple wounds and worry about protecting him.  Throw him forward and force the enemy to respond to his threat and pressure.

Autarch

Initially billed as the Eldar take on Batman in 4th edition the Autarch lost some stock with me in the new codex.  Not much has changed for the Autarch itself, however some of the wargear available, such as mandiblasters, substantially changed, thus altering, and in many ways reducing the Autarch's usefulness.  The requirement for the Autarch to replace a weapon to get a Remnant of Glory isn't a big deal, but the fact that he only comes with a shuriken pistol is.  It means if you want the bonus attack for having two close combat weapons you must, at the very least, add a 3 pt tax on to your model.  3 points might not seem like much, but it can make adding the Autarch in to your list a real pain in the but for rounding out your army totals.  In the prior codex the Autarch had a rule that allowed him to benefit from unit rules outside of infiltrate.  The loss of that rule was also a loss of synergy for the Autarch as his inclusion is a negative for Swooping Hawks and Howling Banshees, and that's a shame really.

Game Play - The build you choose can really define the roll the Autarch plays.  For instance I really like giving an Autarch a banshee mask and shard of anaris.  the banshee mask paired with plasma grenades means you're all but guaranteed to go first on the charge.  Add in the shard and you have a good chance to ruin the day of any character through a challenge.

In 7th - The Autarch has real appeal for me in 7th, in part because the bonus to reserves makes the null deploy list that much more potent, though it requires careful deployment and planning for the units that start on the table as they have to survive.

Farseer

As an Ulthwe player saying the Farseer was my go to choice was a bit of an understatement.  I'd often run two.  The new codex not only boosted their mastery level from a possible two to three, it also made the farseer dirt cheap.  The points I invested in farseers essentially dropped in half, though part of that was that runes of warding and runes of witnessing were nerfed to garbage.  If they were 5 pts each I think they'd be more reasonable, or if they weren't one use only they'd be really tempting at their current cost.

Game Play - Farseers are a premier support unit for the Eldar and their use can really change quite a bit based upon what powers you get.  The ability to alter your gamestyle to get the most used out of whatever combination the farseer gets is paramount if you play very different lists from game to game.  If you're playing the same list all the time you're most likely hoping for the same spells as often as possible.  I wish they'd give Farseers a second base attack, but alas, GW seems deaf to my longing here.

In 7th: The changes to the psychic phase has pulled some of the rug out from under Ulthwe armies.  In the past I'd all but guarantee three powers per Farseer.  Now I have to be much more selective.  When I first heard about the new psychic phase I was fairly unhappy because I saw how it would limit my force.  With only a single D6 getting added on to the total WC I figured it would scale really poorly, and I still feel this is the case.  That said, it means I need to be much more strategic with the powers I choose to cast and can lead to a cat and mouse scenario when facing down an opponent.  7th has also opened up Daemonology powers, of which I've found Santic works very well for Eldar.  Not to mention the option to get a bonus power through Psychic Focus.  I don't use Farseers as much now, but when I do I back them up much more at the army building stage and I keep each one to a single discipline, which means I'll have as many powers as possible to choose from and keep myself flexible, and it means if I get a power I won't cast it feels less damaging to my overall selection of powers.  I feel I should also make a special note here about the Runes of Fate, as only Farseers can take them.  the Runes of Fate were harsh to have so many powers at WC 2 in 6th, but in 7th, because I can get additional psykers to act as batteries for warp charge it makes having a Farseer dedicated to Runes of Battle less problematic.  However, Death Mission, which was the worst power in the game in 6th, has actually become worse in 7th.  With the addition of a new phase to the game it means there are now 8 rolls between castings, which means with average rolls you will only have a CHANCE of casting it a second time (ie living through a single turn) 1/3 of the times you cast it.  I don't find the benefits in any way meet the ludicrous costs of the spell.  Another special mention is the GhostHelm, which in 7th only ignores a wound caused by perils... and until a FAQ hits to say it fully ignores perils it will have some wonky interaction (lose a power, but not a wound, etc).

Spiritseer

The new kid on the block is a step between warlock and farseer.  It comes stock with a witch staff (which I would have liked to see as an option for Farseers), but is mostly a warlock with plus one wound and leadership.  It also has the spirit mark ability that on first read seemed like a throw away ability tossed on to the model, but I've used it to such good effect (and surprisingly don't often forget it) that I really respect it now.  It doesn't require LoS, or a roll to hit, or a leadership test to work.  It's a really cool passive ability for those of us that tend to roll 1's when shooting wraithcannons.

Game Play - The spirit seer is the only way to get conceal into a Wraithguard squad.  It also has access to telepathy, so most folks will probably hope for invisibility.  Note that if you go full Runes of Battle it means the Spirit Seer has an impressive 6 powers to choose from.  If you're using a spirit seer you're probably running Iyanden, so there's a good chance you're giving up conceal for twilight voice, which does not have a mirror power, but is impressive in a wraith list.

In 7th - Like Farseers they have accesss to Daemonology, which once again means access to Santic.  Sactuary can give a Wraithblade unit with axes a 3++, which makes for a seriously tough unit.

Warlocks

While not technically an HQ I'm including Warlocks.  They are the backbone of an Ulthwe force.  They are the same cost or slightly cheaper than in the prior book, depending on the power you purchased and with random powers they're not as dependable as before.  The randomization of powers has really altered the unit's dependability and they are no longer a separate unit and a unit upgrade.  They now work similarly to the 3rd edition book, being broken off from the squad and attached to another unit.  They also lost access to a wave serpent, which makes them extremely vulnerable at the start of the game.

Game Play - I don't have any experience with a squad of bike mounted warlocks, and on foot they are capable, but the unit requires Farseers to back them up and make them truly formidable.  Without that synergy they are a point sink.  Knowing that it means they must be used aggressively.  A unit of three Farseers and ten warlocks are approaching the point totals of a titan, so they have to be used just as aggressively.  force your opponent to deal with them.

In 7th - There is some win/lose for Warlocks.  For instance they can't attempt to cast the same spell more than once in a unit.  I used to love having three warlocks with destructor.  At the start of 6th that took a hit because it could suddenly be denied.  Then with the new codex it took another hit because it became random.  Occasionally I'd end up with more copies of destructor, but most of the time less.  In 7th it's now flat out not allowed and is a bit sad.  I don't think I've cast destructor a single time since I've moved to Australia. Then 7th disallowed units in a transport to cast powers on themselves, so they are forced to stay on foot.  That said, they have access to Santic, so once again that +1 to invul save is a possibility, but more important to them (considering invisibility can be an adequate replacement for Sanctuary + Fortune) is the possibility of Infinity Gate.  Deep Striking the unit makes them a terror for any army to deal with once they are tooled up (Gate of infinity plus prescience or guide on a unit all armed with singing spears is absolute nightmare fuel).  Powers like Jinx or Misfortune also make opponents quake once they've been on the receiving end of a full on council charge.  With the restriction to one attempt per unit it means you will most likely have many redundant powers in your warlock squad, which ultimately makes the other members important because they'll be warp charge batteries for your most potent spells.

OVERALL:

Without covering Special Characters, the Eldar have a rather strong selection of HQ choices.  Most of them are fairly utilitarian, but give you access to force multipliers.

BUILDS

My two favorite builds centered around generic HQs are as follows:

1) 2 CAD including 3 farseers, 1 unit of 10 warlocks, 1 unit of 3 warlocks, Hemlock.  Disseminate 3 warlocks among guardian squads and when all your units are on the table you've got 23 WC.  Most of my lists are designed to own one aspect of the game and otherwise be as flexible as possible and this build is designed to own, as much as Eldar can, the psychic phase.  Some armies can still dominate this build, but they can't casually do it, they need to build their force from the ground up to do so.

2) 1 CAD including 2 full size units of Dire Avengers with shimmer shield Exarchs and an Avatar.  A Farseer can be added for taste in this build (fortune can make that 5++ extremely potent), but ultimately I use it for position control.  Keep marching forward and take the ground you need.

I hope people found this enjoyable and maybe informative.

Video Battle Report 2000 pts Eldar vs Chaos Space Marines

I'm continuing my Myrddin Campaign experiment to create a narrative string that runs through random opponents.  My idea behind the current list is that it's thematically a strike force of Autarchs leading aspect warriors.  This is at the initial stages of the war, before any Eldar forces have been marshaled to hold ground or make up for the lack of bodies the Eldar generally bring to battle.  It's essentially the special forces leading the way.

***

Eskalia prepared the Dire Avengers under her command for their work.  They would strike the flank of the Space Marines and retreat, leading them in to combat with the true enemy.

"This will not be a prolonged engagement.  Strike, retreat, and leave a trail for them to follow.  The forces of Chaos are masking their presence from their unsullied brethren, and we must correct this."

Before she could complete her orders she could feel the disturbance of a warp tear nearby.  Her brother Elthelio had appeared, accompanied by Khaine's Wrath, the Warp Spider shrine to which he had once been a member.

"I do wish you would stop risking your soul in such a manner," she said.

"Neither of us have time for your reprimands," he responded.  "Things are worse than we feared.  We do not have the luxury of re-directing the mon-keigh.  They would be slaughtered against this foe and the fears of our seers would come to pass.  They are not ready," he said.  He was her twin, yet they were so dissimilar, two ends of a spectrum.

"Our plan is flawless.  What madness could cause us to deviate?" she asked brusquely.

His words echoed in her head, "Daemon machines already walk this world."

40K Scale Storm Serpent

This project has been in progress for a while.  For people that weren't following my old plog on Warseer, this has been a project in the works for a little over a year.  When I ordered the Cobra there was an issue.  It arrived badly chipped and FW responded remarkably by sending a replacement hull. This left me with a spare Cobra hull that I started to convert to a Storm Serpent.  However, I was never happy with my plasticard work, and the project was shelved until I finally decided to get the parts I needed by buying a Scorpion kit and mixing the two to complete the conversion.  I've also tried something new by painting the cockpit.  This was actually because the canopy has to be glued on and filmed up the inside and looked horrible.  I'm sort of ok with it, but now I have to consider if this is something I want to run with or not.  If only GW still sold the canopies separately I'd get a handful of them to swap out old cracked canopies and such.  Below there are photos of the completed conversion and rules for using it in game.

Storm Serpent          475 Pts

Type 
Super-Heavy vehicle (Fast, Skimmer, Transport)

Wargear
Pulse Laser (See Codex Eldar)
Shuriken Cannon (See Codex Eldar)

Transport Capacity
Up to six units with the infantry, jetbike, skimmer (that is not also a tank), or walker unit type may be embarked upon the Storm Serpent at the start of the game.  No units may embark upon the Storm Serpent once the game has started.

Special Rules
Eldar Titan Holo-fields (See Warhammer 40,000 Apocalypse)
Wraithgate: Each turn up to 3 embarked units may disembark from any point along the front or sides of the Storm Serpent's hull.  If the Storm Serpent is destroyed the embarked units suffer no negative effects and are instead immediately placed into ongoing reserve.

Options
The Storm Serpent may replace its turret mounted Shuriken Cannon with a:
Scatter laser ...................10 pts
Eldar missile launcher ...15 pts
Starcannon .....................20 pts
Bright lance ...................30 pts

The Storm Serpent may take the following upgrades:
Vectored engines............40 pts
Star engines....................30 pts

A Classic Unit Revamped.

It's been a few weeks since I posted, but that does not mean I've been dormant.  I have a number of big projects I'm working on that will be revealed at the right time.  For now, they shall remain in the dark.

One of those projects is now done, the re-vamp of the Warp Spiders.  When I first came up with this color scheme it was in 2nd edition and I thought it would be cool to give them a scheme that made it look like they were frost based, since they had template weapons but weren't firing fire.  The scheme was ok at the time, but hasn't held up.  Now that i'm working to redo the bases for most of my force I took the chance to also redo their paint scheme to something more related to the classic colors, and to add two more members to the unit.

I've included a pic of what they used to look like:

And the current look:

One exarch has gone dormant and his shrine returns to rest, yet another shrine awakens once again.  They are the Shrine of Khaine's Wrath, and the rune on the banner represents Isha, Khaine, and Vaul, in that drama which resulted in the crippling of Vaul.  I'm hoping the new, brighter colors will mean I remember to move them in both the movement and assault phases now, as it has often been something I forget about with this unit.

Second Wraithknight Completed

With the growing acceptance of larger models, most specifically the imperial knight, I find myself less worried about running a second Wraithknight occasionally.

I've got the second game (opening chapter) of the Myrddin campaign filmed, but I haven't edited it, and I'm thinking the games could lead me in a direction that has me hold off one one of the knights, as it could be a plot point to introduce it. In the mean time here are the pics:

As an added project, people that read this blog regularly will know I have been revamping bases in my army an occasionally I've been moving some really significantly unorthodox aspect shrines closer to their more common color brackets at the same time. I've just started to do this with Warp Spiders:

The process is in its early stages, but I'm hopeful I can get them done within 2 weeks.

Video Battle Report 1500 Eldar Vs Ultramarines

I'm trying a small experiment about, essentially to see if I can create a narrative from mostly random opponents.  To kick it off I've set up for a scouting force at 1500 pts to act as a prologue to the story.  I crafted a scouting force and my opponent opted to play along and designed an armored column.

If you like the additional close-ups I've been trying to splice in and other changes I've made please comment.  I think it would surprise most people to find out that even now the level of editing involved to improve sound and add in cut-a-way shots it actually takes more time to edit and finalize the video than it does to play the game.

***

Aaravynn pressed dirt between his finger and thumb.  Once a verdant and beautiful maiden world, Myrddin's rich soil had been processed and compacted to the point that it was little more than ruddy clay.  Given time they would simply pave it over.

"Filthy-" before he could finish his slur the audio unit in his ear barked into life.  The War Walkers, maneuverable and responsive as they were, given their size, made excellent reconnaissance vehicles, but were far from stealthy.  A small group of initiate space marines had been patrolling the flanks of the noisy tank column and, through dumb luck, had stumbled upon the walkers and alerted their well trained battle brothers to the Eldar presence.

He quickly called in reinforcements as a squad of marines armed with heavy ballistic arms took up a defensive position with a vantage almost as good as his.  The short, loud bursts of jump packs filled the air as a unit of assault marines, laden with decorations, took a forward position.  One of them, clearly the officer in charge, started to direct the trundling tanks to take up forward positions and take the fight to the enemy.

Retreat was no longer viable.  If they tried to melt away into safety then the marines would run them down before they could find sanctuary.  They had to hold the line long enough to make the marines withdraw in order to regroup and reinforce.

Then Aaravynn could order they retreat like shadows from the dawn.

Weekend Project

A few things underway here.

Revamping my second guardian defender squad to update bases, painting, and have a full 20 models. 

Then I received a care package from the states and inside were two Ulthwe farseers I converted to witch blade farseers (I can't always come up with 5 points for the spear and really wish both options were on that model).

Video Battle Report: Ulthwe Vs 7th Ed Orks

In this report I take on the new Orks.  At my opponent's request he doesn't appear on screen, and the final discussion, which had been an odd back and forth with him behind the camera was a corrupted file so I had to re-shoot the after match thoughts and tried to make it a little interesting for viewing.

I've been making a concerted effort to add in more close-ups for the reports so let me know if you guys like them and I'll make sure to keep it up and maybe try get more in game.

Units of Note for this game:

2 Gorkanauts

Lynx

CC Wraithknight

Thoughts on the game **Spoilers**

This was my first time against the new Orks and I think they'll help shake up the scene a bit and make people consider assault at the list building stage.  They are pretty reliable once they get to assault and giant mobs lead by characters tend to stay on the field rather than run away.  The new Mob Rule meant a wave of Orks just kept coming at me and he only suffered 4 casualties from the rule the entire game, yet refused to run from combat and never got run down.

We both got a 1 on the Strategic Warlord table.  It was my first time using that table and I found it incredibly powerful.  At first I had thought Stealth (Ruins) was just for the Warlord and unit, but when I learned it was army wide I was shocked.

I have faced invisibility before, on terminators, and thanks to some blast scattering it really made no impression on me.  It was kind of meh.  This was my first time using Invisibility and I cast it on a Wraithknight tooled up for Close Combat, which is truly a nightmare scenario.  Meganobz should sort of shrug indifferently as they quickly beat a wraithknight to death, but that power allowed me to pretty much dominate the center of the board.

While the Lynx wasn't super impressive because it lacks durability, I made a sacrifice play with it, essentially daring him to move to take it on, but put himself out of position.  I also think using it to punish the Lootaz was the right choice because I've faced them before and know they're pretty point-and-kill for my tanks, able to easily HP them to death.  It may not have directly made up its points, but once it went down I was able to aim my whole army at his Warlord and friends and take them down, which denied him the chance to call a Waaagh!

The Gorkanauts will take some getting used to, and the two I faced did not have KFFs, so that may have added to their demise.  Both were killed with lucky dice.  the first when the WK caused two pens in CC and rolled a 6 on one.  The other when I had exhausted nearly all my army's guns, but could not damage the surviving Gorkanaut until my guardian squad fired off its lances, hit once, penned and then rolled a 6 on the chart.  The only reason I shot at it was because the nobz were out of range.  The explosion managed to kill off 10 boyz.

I think Orks need a couple of transports in their lists.  My opponent had none and it meant not only that he had to hit my line in waves, but also that once he had pushed forward his objective was all but abandoned.  If I'd remembered to move my Warp Spiders in turn 3 I would have turned the last remnants of the squad to pink mist, but that mental lapse just slowed down their demise in a game that was quickly being decided.

All in all it was a very fun game and I hope to see more Greenskins hitting the table because of the unique emphasis on assault they bring to the game.

Weekend Terrain Project

I've completed a major yep in my effort to  have my board ready for action. I picked up an 11" mdf wooden "placemat" to revamp the Miniature Scenery elven way gate to more appropriately fill in as a Skyshield Landing Pad.

Because the wider disc looked a little bland I added and painted some sand for texture.

I'm quite pleased with the overall look. The larger spacing between the leg pieces left me with extras and I used an mdf coaster to get an extra piece of terrain out of it:

And I finally finished the Eldar Aegis line I had gotten some time back from Micro Art Studio:

I think I still need another couple pieces, but it's progressing nicely.

The War Panoply Grows

I finally got around to finishing the Lynx armed with a sonic lance.

All in all I'm happy with the kit, even though I'm not sure when I'll be able to try it out. It's a nice compliment to the cobra and I'm especially happy with the free hand rune panel.

With the changes to D weapons I feel this  is really a worthy alternative weapon now, much like in 4th edition when pulsars had to roll to hit.

8 Years, But I Finally Completed This

I have completed a major milestone.  Both Dire Avenger units are done (revamped in one case).  The squad that was initially completed is now revamped in whole with the flashier bases and I'm hoping my focus on revamping troop units pays off long term.

Original Photo:

Here are the two units together.

 

This marks the dormancy of Exarch Vanesh, but the re-awakening of Exarch Rowendey and the Shrine of the Ebon Spirit.  Hopefully he'll be a fine complement to Exarch Tuithador of the Unblemished Fury Shrine.

Wraithknight 2 WIP

This last weekend I set out to film a battle report for the blog. I faced off against Ultramarines in a tight 9-6 game that was the first time I faced off against an Imperial Knight. Unfortunately the battery in the camera dropped dead half way through the second turn, so no video report. I will say this though, my opponent played extremely well, and what should probably have been a narrow loss for me turned into a narrow victory due to one lucky round of rolling by me. His tooled up Grav Centurion unit absolutely lit up my Wraithknight, and since I was trying out an Iyanden list he was also my warlord.

By virtue of a reroll on the warlord trait table he had FNP. After the Centurions levied 14 wounds against me I rolled 7 scatter shield saves followed by 5 FNP saves. Despite this demoralizing moment he continued to play for the win and kept me on my toes, especially with the knight, which did a fair job of collapsing one of my flanks pretty much unsupported.

After the game I bought a second Wraithknight to bolster my Ulthwe forces, but I don't know that I'd run the two together outside of an apocalypse game because I feel just a single one dominates the game too frequently against some forces.

This one is a pure stock build and I've set the arms in a pose that I felt looked dynamic, almost as if it had a silhouette for wings. I'm not super happy with the angle of the pic, but I'll try get some better shots after the GS dries.

Weekend Update

I got a number of things done this weekend and was quite happy with my overall productivity. Firstly, I made the cards from my prior post. Secondly I'm half way through updating the original Dire Avenger squad:

Lastly I shifted where the magnets were on the shoulders of my original Ulthwe WraithKnight. Instead of at the point where the supports attach to the gun I moved it to where the support meets the shoulder, which looks better and allows for a more appropriate swivel on the cannon:

Hopefully I can finish up the Dire Avenger squad this week and then I can get on to finishing this guy:

Remnants of Glory Cards

Having been happy with the way my re-using the outdated psychic cards went I've re-used a few more to create cards for the standard Remnants of Glory.

I was particularly happy with the back of the cards:

I'm not sure if I'll get around to the Iyanden ones, but I probably will. Between the photoshop work, printing, cutting, glueing and laminating the process, even for 7 cards, takes hours, so I'll give myself some time before I venture to that, plus I'm planning out how to make laminated Apocalypse Strategem cards.