Thunderer Siege Tanks

As I work on my all Death Rider army, I took a small break and made their armoured support: a pair of Thunderer Siege Tanks! First rule of Forgeworld- Why buy one when you can get two for twice the price!

These are fun little tanks. These turretless LR Demolishers act essentially like up-armoured vindicators on the battlefield. I can't wait to see their 8th edition stats!

I went with these because I
1- LOVE the models
2- Think the imagery of a low profile tank with a large front cannon advancing in support of an all cavalry army just looks right. WWI style for the win.

This was a great little kit to work on and each vehicle took me a single night to do, so relatively easy to. The cast was stupendous (specifically pulled for me while they were out of stock for delivery at Adepticon, so that may have something to do with it). I really can't wait to use these two tanks. I just wish the Imperial Mine Plough was still a kit because I totally would have used that instead of a traditional dozerblade.

Opinion: 8th Edition missed the mark with 2d6 charges

First of all, I understand that the leak on the charge phase is being seen without the full intricacies combat phase right now, and more importantly, the entire rules. With that said though, this really has nothing to do will the full interaction of combat or overwatch or morale etc. etc.

It really comes down to this: Why is charging still 2d6 inches?

With the reintroduction of movement values, GW had a great opportunity to make units truly feel faster or slower with the modification of the charge mechanic.

As it is right now, I could have a unit that can move up to 12" then charge 2" where a unit that can only move 4" or 5" charge 12'! Sure there are averages to consider, but those really don't make sense.

First of all,we can reasonable assume that the military units in warhammer are "trained". The point of training is to ensure consistent, and ideally peak, performance. This includes physical fitness. So we can deduce that a unit TRYING to close to close quarters battle with the enemy, ie A CHARGE, will push themselves striving for "above average" performance.

Then there are things in 40k that are essentially blood crazed. Khorne Bezerkers and Death Company for instance. These guys will ALWAYS move AS FAST AS POSSIBLE towards the enemy. There is no cautious advance.

But as it is, I could have a unit of ponderous Mega Armour Nobz move 12" while my Death Company trips and moves 2".

It just doesn't make sense and was a great opportunity to really make use of the movement statistic.

They could have made charging d6+movement or perhaps have implemented a table like this:
-Move 1-4, charge 1+d6
-Move 5-8. charge 5+d6 or 4+d6
-Move 9-12, charge 9+d6 or 8+d6

This would have had some randomness still but really have capitalized on the inclusion of the new stat AND made units more consistent with both their fluff and purpose. It would also have better fit the design teams intention for bespoke rules and a unique feel for each unit.

New Rumor Engine Picture + Design Studio Conversation

So In case you haven't seen it, this is the latest Rumor Engine Picture from GW.

Got me thinking about a possible conversation that was had..........

Designer    "Yo boss do you think we are being too literal?"

Boss           "MORE LION"

Designer    "But...."

Boss           "Only a colossal Johnson would wear a Lion cloak!!"

Designer    "Again too literal?"

Boss           "Remember what we did to Logan?"

Designer    "Oh God No"

End result

Primaris Space Marines: More Questions than Answers

So, GW is making new space marines. They look cool. Their profile doesn't seem super broken. I don't generally mind the release. But, I still had this gut feeling of "wrongness" about them. After giving it some thought, here is what I got

1- First of all the name "Primaris"- as in Primary. This means they are first or before Space Marines... that Space Marines are modeled after them. Shouldn't they be Secundus Space Marines, or something suitable "secondary". Unless they really did come first... which means...
2- Are they just new Thunder Warriors? I really hope so, because there needs to be some downside, some fatal flaw to them. Thunder Warriors embodied that idea of "The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long." They expired. They burnt them selves out. They were magnificent while they lasted however. This sounds perfect for a stop gap measure during the Imperium's darkest hour, and gives reason to why Chapters wouldn't just fully switch over.
3- If they did get made first and ARE NOT Thunder Warriors, but have just been "on ice"- why didn't the Emperor use them during the HH? Why didn't he let Corax rebuild his legion with them? Or why not use them in the first place? Or if they weren't ready for the HH, why not during the Age of Apostasy or The Beast Rises, when the Imperium was on the brink? So really, there is no plausible reason for them to be "Primaris". -EDIT: So they were commissioned AFTER the Heresy. BUT that still doesn't answer, why have they been on ice until now. And if it really did take 10k years to make them, why? I assume the Imperium can still make Custodes, why would it take 10 millenia to make something similar. And how awfully convenient for them to be ready just now...

So without them being really "primaris", and if they aren't just Thunder Warriors 2.0, then there are a ton of questions their existence creates

1- How did one random priest, Cawl, unlock the mysteries of the geneseed and make newer better space marines. And how did he do it virtually overnight?
2- Why were Primarchs (Corax) unable to figure this out? I know the Alpha Legion tainted his stuff to ruin the marines he was making, but he wasn't making them "better" to begin with, just faster.
3- HOW HAS FABIUS BILE BEEN UNABLE TO DO THIS IN 10,000 YEARS?!?!?! He is literally the most knowledgeable person when it comes to Marines and geneseed after the Emperor himself. 10k years later the mysteries of the geneseed still elude him AFAIK. So once, more, how did Cawl manage where he failed?
4- If Cawl is SOOOOOO great, why is he not the Fabricator General?
5- If these guys don't have some sort of fatal flaw, why ever make normal Space Marine again? Why not just from here on out make super-duper marines?

6- Lets assume it is just REALLY REALLY hard to make them in sufficient numbers and that is why there will continue to be normal marines. But now look at the Grey Knights... They are already really rare and super worth anything AND are not made on a large scale. So why ever make normal GK again. Why not just fully switch them over to Primaris from here on out?
7- Why do they need their own dreadnought. That is just a machine that literally anyone can interface with. The only reason it is ever marines is because it is rare and hard to make dreads and a marine is worth it and can live forever inside one. But ultimately, the neural architecture is like that of a Titan. So once more, why ever make normal dreads again? Why not just use what ever new super dread these guys will get? And if it is possible to make new super dreads, why aren't they making Contemptors regularly. I thought those went out of favour because the technology was just too hard to do. So will these new dreads be worse then Contemptors?
8- Where are they recruiting the candidates from? This is like the hardest thing for current Space Marines- finding genetically compatible candidates and then getting them to survive the process of becoming a marine.
9- Assuming that they keep making "normies" and then primaris, and considering bullet 8- who is getting access to this precious resource of flesh first? And if primaris take longer to make, what is the input/output trade off of both?

Their rules aren't that bad, but if all they are is a 2 wound SM then what was so hard about making them?

10- And if they are just really two wound marines... what makes them so special anyway?!?!?!?!

All this makes me feel like these are really just a marketing ploy and the fluff was just made to not anger all the players overnight that their current army was no longer to scale. I really hope I am wrong on that front and they answer some of these questions. But from what the are releasing I am worried that it will not make sense and that these will just be "Better" marines, which means with time my current ones would be pointless.

5 Things to Change with Harlequins + My Harlequins

So Harlequins have been around for awhile. From their standalone chapter approved release way back when, to being a foot note unit in other Eldar armies, and to finally their own "Standalone" codex that exists today.

They're Ninja clowns that pop out of stargates, that wear masks projecting your own distorted face back at you as they dance on your face.

They also have cool coats 

I didn't get into them until they became a footnote unit, so I don't have any of the super cool retro models. Just the really well done metal ones.

Like this guy

Currently Harlequins exist through a couple units, with only a handful of pages to play with. So there's not much to go over when it comes to changes. So I'll keep my listing of issues brief.

1. HQ Choice

Troupe Masters and Shadowseers used to be HQ choices. Why not still?

Keeping those two as elites, not making any HQs, made it impossible to field min units to pull out voltron death-star rules. So I'm not to angry about it.... but it really did hinders the ability to field standalone Harlequin armies.

It would have been nice to have a chaptermaster equivalent. Just maybe a warlord character that was more then 2 wounds......

Maybe something that will happen now that we know Deathstars wont be thing anymore.


2. USR run charge

Rising Crescendo should just have been a USR for all harlequins and not something detachment dependent. Eldar have Battlefocus, Dark Eldar have Power from pain, and Space Marines have "Pick your special USR".

Giving Harliquins that ability to run and charge naturally just makes sense for what they are. It should have just been a simple "units made up of only models with this rule" get it, they could have even bundled Hit/and/Run into it which would have cut down on Faction rule sharing. But that just didn't happen.


3. Another Unit

Harlequins don't really need other units, they kind of have most things an army like them would actually field, but it would be cool to field them in different ways.

Troupes for example come with a ton of bits including the ability to build duel pistol wielding models.

Sound like a cool Elite Unit? I think so and it wouldn't require any new kits to be made. Literally just a page that says X amount of models come armed with duel pistols, can upgrade them to the other pistols, and no ccw options. Maybe throw in Precision shoots or something.


4. Skydancer

Skydancers are expensive. Right now they have a bunch of rules that kind of don't mix. They want to be in assault, but they have a lot of shooting potential. This was another unit I wished they had split into two. A close combat version and a shooting version. I wouldn't make either cheaper but give them more focused rules.

CC version would get skilled rider and maybe grenadesd, but would lose their guns. Maybe even just switch to a dual shuriken catapult.

Shooters would lose cc weapon option but would gain skilled rider and the ability upgraded to a prism cannon. Or at least make the bolas not one shoot weapons.


5. Heavy Support Changes

Death-jesters used to be here in a Harlequin army. You could keep IC versions in Elites, so you can create the classic unit we've mostly seen over the years, and then there'd be a a unit of 1-3 DJs as a Heavy option. It would have definitely made the goofy detachments more interesting to field. Maybe the option to get lances back would be nice too.

And

Void-weavers are just hilariously bad. They're paper bag tanks with weaponry that just doesn't justify their position. For the most part the are just the clown transport, minus the ability transport, with a gun that looks neat. Bonus it has a weird tail gunner rule that encourages you to stupidly drive backwards.

For the most part all that needed to happen was the cannon needed to be 1 point stronger in Str. I don't expect Harlequins to have predators or lemon russes, but they at least needed their heavy support platform to have at least a str 8 gun. Especially when it ended up being required for almost every single detachment option Harlequins ended up getting.

Everyone was excited over Ynnari Scatbikes, 

I was just happy to run clowns without this guy.
Can't even be bothered to find its gun.

So we know Harlequins will remain a standalone faction in 8th, what to expect from that is any ones guess.

My only hope is that they become a actual standalone faction. Recently the Ynnari did breathe new life into Harlequins, but mostly for the wrong reasons. It encourages you to field the bare minimum to get the best advantage you/I can get with fielding Eldar units, just like before, just a lot easier.

Fingers crossed that isn't the case in the future.

Discordian's Model Spotlight: Ta'Unar

Rules, new rules, bad rules, rules guesses, and rules wants. Are the words in the air right now, but we're only getting a tid-bits, and half-truth wish lists being reported as all truths....., so for now lets talk about something else. Models.

Cool Models.

I like building things, usually not to correct specifications. But every once and awhile I find a model I can't do much to, because they are just really well made. Ta'Unar is one of those models. Outside making him safer and easier to move around I had no intention changing him.

Love him or hate him, this model is fantastic. While I had preferred FW had made a Tau version of a Baneblade, this guy was a great kit. FW definitely wanted create a premium version of a Storm-surge (without a silly driver skylight). It was one of the first FW kits I bought that came with actually useful instructions.

Each part of him had a full instructional booklet using the CAD design files 

The arms had holes designed in for magnetizing.

There were only three things I did which were off script. I put a rod in to connect the chest and the legs so that the model would be easier to pack up, reinforced the base because this sucker was warping the base, and magnetized the back weapon because they hinted at other options.

Simple metal dowel pin and hole

Grinding wheel I picked up at home depot

Magnets mostly just secure it, the friction in the assembly holds it there

Haven't gotten around to purchasing its Heavy Rail cannon, but it will happen sooner or later. 

Allies of Inconvenience Episode 4: Our Favourite Best Worst Models and 8th Edition Confirmations Discussion

This month Chris, Ian, Jason and myself do a really quick (less than 10 minute) discussion on our hobby progress, reminics about both our favourite best models and favourite worst models. Those models that you have no right liking but you absolutely love them anyway. After that we dive into the first week of GW 8th Edition 40k confirmations and their implications for the next edition of the game.

Listen/Subscribe with iTunes 

00:00 Intro

01:10 Hobby Progress

09:48 Our Favourite Best and Worst Models

29:38 8th Edition 40k Confirmations Discussion

Songs and Soundclips

Blue Mark- Atlan

Urtag Kaap mere- Bugotak

Clip 1 - Lego Movie

Clip 2 - Dodgeball

Clip 3 - The Dark Knight

Adeptus Custodes Guardian Squad

Just a quick update on my Adeptus Custodes so far (follow us on Instagram for better and more frequent updates). I actually finished these a little bit back, but finally got good pictures of the squad. Just wanted to share really quick since I am not done editing the next podcast episode yet (it will release tomorrow! Check out current episodes by clicking here!) I will try and get more/better pics of them in the future.

The bases were done by hand, using a technique similar to this link here. I basically flattened Green Stuff and pressed in a brass rod for the grout line. The models themselves were painted using the Warhammer TV paint scheme/tutorial by Duncan Rhodes. Really great pallet for them and good results IMO.

I have more on my desk, just need to get to them. Expect a full 30k army of them by years end (and Adepticon 2018!)