2v2: Blood Angels, Imperial Guard vs Iron Hands, Black Legion

Finally time for my first game with the new CSM codex! Oddly enough it's my first 2v2 in a long time as well! Also... at the time I'm writing this preface I also don't know who I'm playing against either... I only know that the other players are Iron Hands, Blood Angels and Imperial Guard... And then a limit of 1000 points! So, tricky to make a list!

The only thing that I know for sure is that with two SM-players I will play against at least one of them. So therefore I decided to go for Veterans of the Long War for my whole army. After some thinking and looking at what I have available I went for three 5-man squads with a plasma each... but then I started tweaking around some since I realised I could get another plasma in if I replaced one of the squads with Plague Marines. Since Plague Marines come with a CCW by default they will be my forward unit, followed by one squad with extra CCW and a Champion with a Power Fist. The third squad I skipped CCW's on and went only for Bolters and the Champion got Melta bombs in case they're needed to take care of some tank. I plan to keep them back though, probably holding an objective depending on the scenario and then pushing forward with the other two squads.

At this point level the HQ is a no-brainer. A Lord it is. And to get Plague Marines as troops he also needed Mark of Nurgle. I didn't want to deck him out too much since 1000p is so limiting, so I went for a Power Weapon (he's modelled with an Axe so I guess that'll have to do, all though I'd preferred a sword to take advantage of his I5 but oh well), Sigil of Corruption to protect him and VotLW and Melta bombs. I've not decided if I want to run him with the Plague Marines or if I should run him with the Power Fist yet... On one hand I get a really hard uni on the other I get two units with Fearless... We'll see once the game starts!

Then on to Heavy Support. First three Obliterators. With Mark of Nurgle. Didn't have to think long on that. And then I decided to bring some armour, and in went two Predators. One with Lascannons and one with Autocannon. So cheap! I'm quite surprised by how much I managed to get into this list, as I only take old units. This should be a blast!


LISTS

Black Legion Chaos Space Marines
HQ
Chaos Lord - Gift of Mutation, Mark of Nurgle, Melta bombs, Power Axe, Sigil of Corruption, VotLW

Troops
5 Chaos Space Marines - +4 CCW, Plasma Gun, VotLW, Power Fist
5 Chaos Space Marines - Plasma Gun, VotLW, Melta bombs
5 Plague Marines - 2xPlasma Gun, VotLW, Melta bombs

Heavy Support
Predator - Autocannon, Sponsons w. Heavy Bolters
Predator - Twin-linked Lascannon, Sponsons w. Lascannons
3 Obliterators - Mark of Nurgle, VotLW


Iron Hands Space Marines
HQ
Librarian - Terminator Armour, Storm shield

Troops
10 Tactical Marines - Combi-melta, Melta, Missile-Launcher
+Razorback - Twin-linked Lascannon
10 Tactical Marines - Flamer, Missile Launcher, Power Fist
+Drop Pod
10 Tactical Marines - Combi-Melta, Melta, Missile-Launcher

Elites
5 Sternguard - 3 Combi-meltas, 2 Combi-flamers
+Drop Pod


Blood Angels Space Marines
HQ
Chaplain Reclusiarch - Jump Pack, Power Maul

Troops
10 Assault Marines - Jump Packs, 2 Melta Guns, Power Fist, Plasma Pistol
10 Assault Marines - Jump Packs, 2 Melta Guns, Power Fist
6 Death Company - Jump Packs, 2 Power Swords, Thunder Hammer

Elites
Scouts - Heavy Bolter


Imperial Guard
HQ
Company Command Squad - Standard, 3 Melta guns

Troops
Platoon Command Squad - 4 melta
Infantry Squad - melta
Infantry Squad - melta

Platoon command squad - 4 flamers
Infantry Squad - melta
Infantry Squad - melta
Special Weapons Squad - 2 flamers, demolition charge
Heavy Support
1 Leman Russ - Lascannon
1 Leman Russ - Heavy Bolter
1 Demolisher- Heavy Flamer


PRE

First we rolled for teams, and we got the black guys versus the others, ie Iron Hands and Black Legion vs Blood Angels and Imperial Guard. We decided to have one Warlord per army, so we rolled for that as well. Blood Angels got Acute Senses for Outflanking, Imperial Guard got +1 Charge range, Iron Hands got Scoring units and Black Legion got melee-weapons have the Soul Blaze rule. I then rolled for my Gift of Mutation and got Hammer of Wrath for my Warlord. Librarian rolled his two powers on Biomancy, he got Iron Arm and Enfeeble. Mission was Crusade with three objectives, and deployment Dawn of War. BA&IG got to chose sides and thus also place two objectives, but IH and BL won the roll off for deploying first and getting first turn.No Night Fighting, and the Imperials didn't steal initiative.

Deployment, Blood Angels have Death Company and half of the Assault Marines (Combat squaded) in reserve. One objective is on the far left, the other two in the middle.

Turn 1 - Black Legion & Iron Hands

Pretty much everything moved up and the Drop Pod with Sternguard came in close to the far away Leman Russ. The Sternguard shot their Combi-Meltas... and all three missed. Great. My Obliterators then showed how to do it and shot their Lascannons at the Demolisher and took two hull points off it at once. Unfortunately my las-pred couldn't do the same, nor could the Razorback. So it lived. My Autocannon-pred shot some Guardsmen, but the rest of my army ran forwards. The Librarian also used Enfeeble on the Assault Marines hiding behind the forest.


Turn 1 - Blood Angels & Imperial Guard

The enfeebled Assault Marines stayed put and the Guardsmen backed away a bit.

The Sternguard first suffered three wounds from lasgun fire... and two died. Then they got a Battle Cannon staring them down killing off the rest. First Blood to the Imperials. The Demolisher then shot at the most clumped up stuff on my side, which were my Plague Marines and CC-oriented CSM-squad. It killed 2 Plague Marines and 3 Marines.


The Librarian was then charged by one squad of Assault Marines, they had a Sargent with a Power Fist, so of course the Librarian challenged him. He decided to refuse though, since it was his charge and he wanted to get more attacks in. No wounds penetrated armour on either side however.



Turn 2 - Black Legion & Iron Hands

The other Drop Pod failed to show up. The Iron Hands stayed on the objective on their side for the most part while my army continued to move up (except for the Predators who stayed back). The Razorback got the honour of killing off the lethal Demolisher, thank you for that! One more of those S10 blasts would've hurt indeed. The explosion also killed off a few Guardsmen. My Laspred then got to prove itself as well, as it blew up the far away Leman Russ! My Obliterators then got to try their new shiny Assault Cannons on the IG Command Squad. Needless to say they were slaughtered. Slay the Warlord! The Autopred then shot off the Demo-charge off the unit hiding behind the hill, so none of that shenanigans! The rest of my army was still running forwards as the Imperial Guard kept their distance.

The Librarian then challenged again, and this time the Blood Angels Sargent decided to accept since he was no longer losing Hammer of Wrath and extra attacks... The Librarian forgot to cast Iron Arm, but he killed the Sargent anyway. The squad had the Red Thirst though, so they stayed.




Turn 2 - Blood Angels & Imperial Guard

Pretty craters showing up!

All of the reserves showed up, the Assault Marines on the lone objective guarded by the Iron Hands and the Death Company with Chaplain at the Chaos-side.

The earlier enfeebled Assault Marines moved forwards and tried to melta the Drop Pod for lack of other good targets. They hit and penetrated, but then rolled a 1 on the chart, so despite +3 they only got a Weapon Destroyed. Every other melta in the armies missed totally. One Plague Marine and two Chaos Marines went down to flashlight fire however. The Leman Russ which is deployed on the right side (not visible on the picture...) fired it's Battle Cannon on the Auto-pred but failed to penetrate. Continued stalemate between the Librarian and the Assault Marines.


Turn 3 - Black Legion & Iron Hands

The Death Company had chosen to shoot their pistols last turn instead of spreading out... Of course I couldn't resists shooting Plasma Cannons at them! One got hot, but no wound. Another scattered off, but one was a direct hit on all seven of them! Unfortunately I somewhat whiffed the roll and rolled three ones. And out of the remaining 4 wounds he made three Feel No Pain rolls! I continued to shoot all my Plasma weapons at them as well as the Autopred and eventually managed to kill 4 in total, but with the amount of ignore armour shots they should've been dead! I also managed some wounds on the Flamers who failed their morale test. The Iron Hands killed off a couple of Assault Marines on their side of the table. The Librarian then took a wound in the close combat, but he stayed.


Turn 3 - Blood Angels & Imperial Guard

The Shooting killed a few Marines, but not much happening. The Death Company charged the CSM squad without CCWs, my Champion challenged the Chaplain since he has too and actually wounded but it was saved. He was then cut down as well as the rest of the squad. The remaining Power Sword was enough, so the Thunder Hammer didn't even get to strike. Still tie combat between the Librarian and the Assault Marines, and one squad of Assault Marines charged the Tacticals holding the objective for another tie combat.


Turn 4 - Black Legion & Iron Hands

The Drop Pod showed up and dropped down in the Imperial Guard corner, and the Tactical made some guards start running. 

The Obliterators were determined to finish what they started, so shot twin-linked plasma guns at the Death Company. The Chaplain was in front, so he decided to use his 4++ but failed to save two of them. The Auto-pred then shot them from behind as well, killing the Power Sword guy.

My lone surviving Champion with a Power Fist charged a small squad of guardsmen, swept them and consolidated back to the objective. My Lord and his one Plague Marine charged as well, My Lord had to challenge his Platoon Commander, and actually killed him with his Hammer of Wrath attack. So my Gift of Mutation granted me another roll on the Boons Table! But I rolled unworthy offering, no surprise there since it was just a guardsman after all... The Plague Marine also killed a couple of guys, but the guards actually stayed in combat! Great for me, no shooting at my Lord next turn! The Librarian got inspired I suppose, as he also killed two guys in his combat.


Turn 4 - Blood Angels & Imperial Guard

The Obliterators had to suffer a lot of Lasgun fire, which they just shrugged off. The Chaplain and the Thunder Hammer also fired their pistols at them... and that of course caused a wound... The Special Weapons Team with Meltas moved up and blew up the Auto-pred. The Leman Russ in the corner didn't like the look of those Tactical Marines that showed up in front of it, so shot his Battle Cannon, it scattered off a bit and hit the Drop Pod and only two marines instead. Rolled double one for to wound and failed to penetrate the Pod as well! The most far away squad of Imperial Guardsmen also managed to snipe the lone Champion on the objective.


In the assault phase the Death Company and Chaplain charged the Obliterators, the Chaplain killed the Obliterator he wounded with his pistol. My remaining two Oblits then hit back and wounded with all four attacks, he decided to use his Chaplains 4++ on all of them since he wouldn't get Feel No Pain on the Thunder Hammer. He saved three of them. Here we made a mistake though, he should've rolled them one at a time since it might've been the first attack that killed him and then the Thunder Hammer would be dead too... ah well! Instead the Thunder Hammer killed one Obliterator, and as they're no longer Fearless the remaining Obliterator broke and was swept as well.


The squad of Assault Marines that had been sitting in forest for all game long decided to come out and play, as they charged a unit that had come out of the Drop Pod. They promptly failed and fled off the board instead. The Assault Marines on the far away objective had a tie combat yet again. My Lord and Plague Marine killed off the last remaining Guardsmen they were in combat with and the Librarian also finally killed the last Assault Marine.


Turn 5 - Black Legion & Iron Hands

I split off my Lord and Plague Marine so I could both Rapid Fire Plasma the last Death Company and charge him if that failed. The Plasma double killed him though. The Librarian cast Enfeeble on the Guardsmen on the middle objective and then charged them. Killed enough to break them, and then consolidated 6" and thus grabbing the objective since he's a scoring unit! What a champ!

I then got greedy with my Lord however, as there was a juicy squad of Guardsmen coming close to the objective on my side. I decided to shoot them and try to charge despite a 10" range instead of running closer to contest the objective. I failed to hit and charge.


Turn 5 - Blood Angels & Imperial Guard

Most of the remaining Imperial Guard are fleeing at this point, except for the unit that I failed to charge last turn who moved up and claimed the objective - and right behind them a Special Weapons team with meltas. The Lone Assault Marine with a Melta gun moves up behind my Laspred (which hasn't done much the last couple of turns) and shoots it, hits, penetrates... and then rolls a 1 on the chart. Again! So no real harm done. The Leman Russ shoots it's Battle Cannon at the Librarian hoping to both kill the Warlord and deny us 3 VP's - that would've been a winning move. But Terminator armour saves both the direct hit and the Lascannon.


In the Assault phase the Assault Marines on the far away objective manages to score two kills, but the Iron Hands stays put.


Does the game end? It does. So each side claims one objecvie and both has Linebreaker. The Imperials got First Blood, and the Obliterators killed both Warlords. So a close 6-5 victory for the Black guys!




Lessons Learnt

First off, don't mess up the rules. If one Obliterator had survived that would've been a big deal for the last turn indeed. But despite that, they were my mans of the match as usual. I wasn't affected by having to change weapons every turn in the slightest - I didn't even shoot the same weapon twice the entire game! However, the loss of Fearless did show as they were eventually swept in assault. But they still killed two Warlords and caused a lot of mayhem so I can't complain!


My list was a bit geared towards facing Space Marines, but since we deployed first I ended up facing the Imperial Guard. I really didn't have enough guns to really put the hurt to them, and in the mid-game I wasn't decisive enough either. I wanted to stay on the objectives as well as charging - I would probably have been better off charging despite losing about half of my forces when I got to the midfield.


Also, don't be greedy. In the last turn I was playing for another turn really. Had it been a turn 6 I'm convinced that my Lord would've routed those Guardsmen, but instead of capitalizing that I tried to go for it a turn too early. I'd been better off running to the objective and contesting it instead. I'd probably been shot by three meltas though, but they wouldn't Instant Death me and I had a 4++ so... Ah well!


Other than that I'm quite pleased with how my guys performed overall. Too bad I didn't get into more assault though! Oh, and +1Ld for Veterans of the Long War saved me from running 3 times. Definitely worth it's points even when against non-Space Marines. At least if you're going to play small units like I did in this game. Oh, and I totally forgot about my Warlord trait all game. I did get the least fun one so...

CARNAGE: Battle for the Duck Pond - Part II

If you haven't read part I all ready I highly recommend that you do so now. Not that it has much to do with this game, but you get more context that way! So since the first game was so much fun we decided to do another one! And as with the first game, this is based on my old notes. This was my last game of fifth edition. Great way to end the edition we thought!



SPOILER - if you don't want to know who won part I, don't read this section -


Since my Berzerkers claimed the pond in the last game I thought about making them "guard" the objective and charge everything that got too close automatically. But decided it'd be too much hassle for this time. But a funny idea for another game at least! So instead we simply used a Berzerker as the objective marker, standing in the middle of the pond (the same model that was in the middle of the pond by the end of the last game of course).


END SPOILER



Quick recap of the scenario, very old, every model is scoring, four players free for all with one objective in the middle. We used a Duck Pond counting it as Dangerous Terrain.

This time we also had two other players who wanted to take a bath. First we have the Blood Angels who fielded TWO Baal Predators. Ouch. Also a Librarian and some Devastators. The other new player was the Eldar Corsairs, with a flyer and all his Eldar-trickery he could stuff into 1000 points. The Orks then returned however this time with two Warp'eads and also returning were my Chaos Space Marines - but with Thousand Sons and Plague Marines in this game.


Let the Carnage begin!


The Corsairs took the first turn, but apparently Eldar can't see in the Dark, as the only thing that got a single shot of was the Nightspinner which made all terrain dangerous and difficult for a unit of Stormboyz that was so fresh that the primer had barely dried yet. Said unit then rolled a 1 for it's move and one boy died. Another 4 died to Dangerous Terrain. The Grots sitting in their Killa Kans has cat eyes though, they see everything and make sure that the Nightwing and the Nightspinner can't shoot next turn. One of the Warp'eads rolls a Deep Strike for his psychic power... and suddenly a large squad of Boys appear in front of the Chaos Troops and two Baal Predators. The Blood Angels take their turn first and didn't have to think long before torching 17 boys. My Raptors with flamers got inspired by the smell of BBQ and flamed some more of them before charging in. My Defiler then finds a unit of Corsairs that looked hungry, and decided to give them a pie plate. Half the squad died.

In turn two the Corsairs starts to shoot all their missiles. They have lots of them. But even without night fighting they can't hit anything after all. The Stomboyz then roll another 1 for their move so another dies... But they get close enough to shoot their sluggas at the Night Spinner... which dies! Revenge! As the battle between Orks and Eldar goes on (seems those Orks really doesn't like Eldars around their ponds) the Blood Angels turn against Chaos. He starts the shooting phase by trying to get a Bloodlance off, and he does... and on 4 dice he manages to roll 5" so thus misses everything... He does however manage to immobilize the Defiler and stun a Rhino. So Plague Marines jump out of the Rhino and manages to charge one of the Baals and kills it with Krak Grenades. The Aspiring Sorcerer with the Thousand Sons then fails to use the Bolt of Tzeentch to kill the other Baal.

Turn three and the war between Corsairs and Orks continued. Not going well for the Corsairs, as one of the Warp'eads gets his psychic melta off on the last remaining Nightwing that dies. On the other side of the board the remaining Baal flamed the Thousand Sons Rhino to death. The Rubrix-rines jumped out and slaughtered most of the Assault Marines coming for them in return.

The Eldar finally manage to cleanse the Stormboys off the board, but only has two decimated squads of Corsairs and their Prince left on the board. So the Orks decide it's time to move for the middle. The Assault Marines takes help from the Furiouso Dreadnought and charges the Thousand sons. The Aspiring Sorcerer has melta bombs though, and blows the dread to pieces. The entire squad of Thousand Sons are then wiped out because of Fearless-wounds and combat resolution though... The Plague Marines who have all ready killed one Baal goes for the other one. They manage to take a lot of weapons of it but it survives. The Defiler then fries five Marines in the back as well.

In turn five the Warp'ead who earlier in the game teleported away which is now the lone survivor of that group (perhaps they had offended him before the battle and that's why he put down the entire mob in front of two flamestorm cannons?) blasted his own head off... except that he actually survived! The other Warp'ead then also got a Deep Strike and pretty much joined up with the first one! Two of the boys managed to run into the Pond from there... and they actually survived!! The Blood Angels want none of that however, as their Assault Marines jumps over a building and drags them off the objective due to pile-in and away from his Tactical squad with the Librarian running in from behind as well. Orks didn't manage a single hit and are cut down with out mercy. Enough survived for them to still be Fearless though so they stayed. The Baal then finally dies to Plague Marines in the Blood Angel turn since he forgot to move it... In the Chaos Turn the Defiler finds it too tempting not to shoot at the large fight in front of it, unfortunately it scatters off and only kills 4 boys. The Plague Marines then join the fray since this large battle is in their way to reach the objective. They cause a wound on the Warp'ead and kills one Assault Marine and take no casualties in return. But everyone stayed in combat.

The Corsairs now make a run for it, the Prince is the only unit on the board with Fleet, so he shoots his blast weapon at the lone Warp'ead that it survives, then charges in and cuts him down no problem. He then consolidates right on top of the Berzerkers head! The Killa Kans who were the second closest to the objective (remember all models are scoring in this mission) didn't appreciate the joke and fired two rokkits at the Prince. Both hit... and then double one to wound! The remaining Warp'ead then gets another Deep Strike so he teleports his unit out of the close combat as far away from the Assault Marines and Plague Marines as they can but still staying close to the objective. So they want to show who's boss and fires their sluggas at the Prince... he gets to wounds through... and the Prince fails both his saves and dies!
The Tactical squad that are no longer in combat now runs for the objective and just reaches the edge of the pond. The Sanguinary Priest then gets chopped down by the Chaos Lord and they consolidate closer to the objective right behind the Tactical Marines. Then we reached the Chaos turn which could be the last turn of the game. I however got so eager to shoot the Defiler on the Killa Kans to get them off the objective that I forgot to make my move with the Plague Marines... Had I remembered that they would've been right on the objective! Instead the Defiler scattered off and killed 5 boys. I then also forgot to charge the Tactical Marines... We rolled the dice and the game ended!

At this time there are less than 15 models on the board, but who won? Both the Blood Angels and the Orks have units right at the edge of the pond and the scenario states that the player with a model closest to the objective at the end wins. Time to measure! Easier said than done though... after a lot of measuring we could however conclude that the Blood Angels Sargent was 1mm closer to the objective than the Killa Kans! An incredibly close Blood Angels victory!

CARNAGE: Battle for the Duck Pond - Part I

So, I found some notes on this game which is one of the last I played in fifth edition. Meaning, it was played before this blog was started. But this game, and the game following it were so epic that I've decided to put them on the blog as well. I only have my notes from them though, so this won't be as much in depth as my normal reports.

First off, a description of the scenario is in place. The name of the scenario is Carnage. It's a really, really old scenario that featured in White Dwarf ages ago. Basically it's a four player free for all with a single objective in the middle. This was played in the beginning of the summer, meaning the bathing season had just started. Therefore we chose to make this objective a Duck Pond - and counted it as dangerous terrain. So who would win the privilege of having the only place to take a bath in for themselves?

And then there was the dirty filth in need of a bath that were fighting. 1000 points each. In one corner were my Chaos Space Marines, and I had decided that my Berzerkers really needed a bath so I had two units of those. In another corner were the Dark Eldar, who're known to be the filth of the universe, are they not? And the third corner held Orks... I don't have to say anything about them, do I? And the fourth and final corner there were Iron Hands, hiding behind their Land Raider filled with assault Terminators... some people are fancy!

Let the carnage begin then!

Some of the deployment!

In the start of the game Night Fighting stopped most of the shooting going on. There were a few shots going off, but the most notable were Lootas that killed off my Defiler in turn one. If I recall correctly this was the first time I fielded it as well... My Predator killed a Trukk before that though. Other than that everyone just crept forwards.

In turn two Night Fighting stopped and Dark Eldar showed what they were made off. It felt like they shot away at least half of the Ork army in one round of shooting! Both the Iron Hands and Chaos just crept closer to the middle... watching as the remaining Orks charged the Dark Eldar. Things were really heating up on their side of the board.

In turn three the Dark Eldar were starting to fight back with mixed success against the Orks. They also tried a Dark Lance at the scary Land Raider but nothing happened. The Iron Hands then started to do some damage with their Melta guys who had driven up in a Razorback, shooting at my Predator. My Lascannons was gone. He thought he had then neutralized my tank... sad news for him! My weaponless Predator Tank Shocked his unit of Devastators containing his HQ the Master of the Forge. And they failed their Ld-test and ran off the board! Who needs guns anyway? One squad of my Berzerkers containing my Lord as well then kills off the Melta-squad that shot the Predator, the Lord didn't even get to strike before they were all dead. The close combat between the Orks and Dark Eldar was raging on, so in the Orks turn the only thing worth shooting for the Lootas was my Predator... they manage to stun it but miraculously it survives despite several penetrating hits!

Some time after the Tank Shock!

The Dark Eldar were in pain at this time, not much left on the board. The Iron Hands then decided to back away the Land Raider from the objective because he thought it'd be more fun that way (this objective being very old, even the Land Raider counted as a scoring unit). The Assault Terminators then jumped out and annihilated a poor unsuspecting squad of Dark Eldars. The immortal Predator is then back on track, and after it's success with Tank Shocking last turn it tries to ram the Razorback... but is found to be 1/2" too far away. Damn! There are four surviving Berzerkers in the middle... but since the champion has melta bombs and they're hungry for blood after having been shot up all game they chase after the Land Raider instead of going for the objective. Unfortunately the melta bombs missed. The Chaos Lord then wants to be useful too and shots his Plasma pistol at the Razorback... it gets hot...

The Dark Lance kept missing the Land Raider (how can you miss something that's so big?!). The last squad of Dark Eldar rapid fired one Terminator to death... in return they charge back. The Land Raider then shots its Lascannons in the back of the immortal Predator. But since it's immortal it of course is unaffected. There is also one remaining Iron Hands marine on the board who was fleeing last turn, he rallies 1" from the board edge and immediately starts his journey towards the middle to execute his revenge! In the Chaos turn the Berzerkers in the middle gets another chance to throw melta bombs at the Land Raider, and no mistake this time if goes poff! Mission accomplished! My other Predator with a Autocannon which has basically been stunned the entire game until now finally gets to shoot back at the Lootas who has been bothering it most of the game and manages to kill one. It then survives the return fire once again. Then from pretty much nowhere the Ork Battlewagon charges in towards the middle, it has been stunned for most of the game and stuck in a corner... but now it created a wall for a conga line of Boys behind it... The Boys also decided to shoot into the close combat between the Terminators and Dark Eldar, and due to randomness all three hits went on the Terminators... and one died!

The game continues to turn six, and it's getting really tense by now. The Dark Lance now no longer has a Land Raider to try to shoot and thus chooses the second biggest thing on the board. The Battlewagon on the objective! Turns out practising on a Land Raider helped out, because they wrecked it! My Berzerkers were very grateful as they no longer had to deal with that Deffrolla... The Iron Hands shoots what little they have left to shoot at the immortal Predator, only managing to immobilize it though. The last remaining Marine shots the Berzerkers though, and kills one! Vengeance has begun... In the Chaos turn there's not much to do, the squad of Berzerkers with the Lord that has been off to one side all game has finally reached the middle. They run to get into the Pond since it's potentially the last turn... I rolled just high enough to get one Berzerker into the Pond! ...and he failed his Dangerous Terrain test and died!! The Boys then inspired by the Berzerkers tries the same thing... one Boy reaches the pond... you guessed it. He dies as well!! Bloodthirsty ducks in ths pond apparently...

Does the game continue? Yes it does. Turn 7, the last one for sure coming up.

Both Dark Eldar and Iron Hands are basically out of the game at this point, neither can reach the middle any more. So the Berzerker squad that blew up the Land Raider now jumps into the pond to claim the objective... And one of the dies! Three out of four models that has entered the pond has simply died! The remaining Predator with the autocannon manages to shoot the last Lootas off the board. So all that remains at this point is for the larger squad of Berzerkers to try and do something useful. They charge the boys. The 'zerkers cleanse most of them and finally, finally the Lord gets to strike in close combat! I roll my +2D6A for my Daemon Weapon... and rolls a 1 and thus takes a wound and can't strike... D'oh. The Champion with his Power Fist kills the last boys though. The squad consolidates into the pond to rejoice in their victory... and two more guys dies to dangerous terrain... And that ends the game, with a Chaos victory!

At the end of the game the Orks are completely wiped out, the Dark Eldar have three fleeing models and one locked in combat with two Terminators, the Iron Hands has those Terminators as well as a lone Marine and a Razorback left. Chaos has two immobilized Predators (one with out guns), one Skull Champion right on the objective and another five Berzerkers with the Lord (who cut himself) left. The name of the scenario is Carnage, and that's exactly what we got indeed!

My (painted) army so far

So I had no electricity for a few hours today. What to do? Well, why not try my new camera? So here's what I have painted for my Black Legion so far. I am a bit annoyed by the fact that GW also decided to use a turquoise colour on their Black Legion for the alternative pictures to the Dark Vengeance box... so now it looks like I'm copying them! I actually started painting these guys a year ago! Ah well!

Progress is slow, but even so.

All of the painted Legion so far.

One of my two Berzerker squads, this Champion wit h a Power Sword. I also used parts from Empire Knights on these guys to add some extra detail.

Terminators! Their arms are actually magnetized, so all options for me!

Raptors... these guys are a real pain to make them stand up...

My Sorcerer in Terminator armour, he can replace his Combi-Melta with a Combi-Bolter.

Plague Marines. Have some attempts with greenstuff here as well as painting glowing plasma.

My latest finished addition. Really love this model, was great fun to paint. I went with blue Power Weapons in this army, and red ones were supposed to be Daemon weapons.. no more generic Daemon weapons in the codex though. Oh well. At least it makes him stand out!

The first model I painted for this army I think. At first I just bought the Be'lakor model to paint because I really like it. Then I decided to start a CSM army, so a Daemon Prince he became. Also my first attempt at painting lightnings on a weapon.

So on the shelf for "Work in Progress" I currently have a 10 man unit of Thousand Sons (very nearly done), another unit of 8 Thousand Sons with a custom Sorcerer, 4 Obliterators, 11 Chosen, 28 Cultists, Helbrute, Decimator, Defiler, 5 Possessed, Ahriman, Khârn, 10 Berzerkers, 4 Havocs and the Dark Vengeance Lord... And that's only one army! Also before the new stuff arrives... Gee I better start painting!

Tactica: Chaos Blitzkrieg

So, when I was looking at the different units in the book this tactic occurred to me. It's based around the change to the Dirge Caster which now prevents enemy units within 6" to fire Overwatch. Since sixth edition people have gone on about how Assault is dead thanks to Overwatch and random charges. So here we have an item to remove one of those issues... Now, since the bikers are also super-cheap for what you get in this codex that will be my assault unit of choice for the purposes of this article. I'll discuss some variations later on.

The obvious choice for which vehicle to stick the Dirge Caster on is the Land Raider. You drive up and unload and they don't get to overwatch. That's pretty limiting though, since you can only move the Land Raider 6" if you want to unload - and you have to get the Land Raider to within 6" of your target as well. Meaning that unless your enemy is moving towards you as well or has deployed too close you can possibly not get your assault off until turn 3. And even so, the Land Raider is really expensive for what it does as well.

What other options do we have that are not made of tin (Rhinos)? Enter Predators. The thinking here is that they're AV13 meaning they can take quite a lot of incoming fire without dying. So you build a wall with 2 or 3 Predators and deploy your assault troops behind them. In turn one you just turboboost everything forward and in turn two you position your Predators so that your target is within 6" preventing overwatch and then assault in with the bikers.

The thing is, even if your Predators die before they get to support your assault troops this most likely means your troops haven't been killed before they get into assault themselves. And if they do survive, which is reasonably likely since you have two of them you won't get shot up. So this is designed to deal with those armies that relies mostly on their large number of shots to deny assaults. And you don't pay a big price for it either, as a naked Predator with a Dirge Caster is 80 points. Now, since you're all ready sacrificing shooting with the Predators you might as well tank shock with them in turn 2 - this lets you control how your enemy stands somewhat. You can try to divide his forces or clump them up in the middle. Even against Fearless mobs like Orks, this is nice as you get some control over what will strike back. And since you're all ready going to Tank Shock, you might want to consider adding the Destroyer Blades for an additional 15 points to cause some damage before your assault hits. The thing that's really good with the Tank Shock though, is that it makes sure your Dirge Casters are in range. For some additional durability you might want to consider Daemonic Possession as well, since you're not going to shoot much anyway. But that's almost a bit too expensive.

Now, I wrote that Bikes would be my choice of assault troops. Why? They're probably one of the most cost efficient assault units in the game now. With Mark of Khorne and Icon of Wrath they dish out the same amount of S5 attacks on the charge as Berzerkers for pretty much the same points. And on top of that you get Hammer of Wrath, T5 and bike movement as well as Twin-Linked Bolters and the chance to take special weapons. Totally worth it in my book. You can also do the same with Raptors, for slightly cheaper but not quite the same benefits (no T5 or TL-Bolters).

For some extra support you can then also add a unit of Warp Talons that will Deep Strike behind your target. This is completely optional though. As they can make a unit Blind on the turn they arrive you hope they will arrive in Turn 2, making your target blinded when your assault hits. They get no overwatch, you hit him first and on 3:s and what he has to hit you back with hits on 5:s. I don't think there are many units that can stand up to this onslaught. This is random though, since your Warp Talons might not show up on turn 2, that's not too bad though. If they turn up later you should send them at some Devastators or Lootas or something like that.

So, I would take at least two squads of Bikes and two Predators with Destroyer Blades. That's a total of 710 points (or 750 if you want Meltas on the Bikes as well). Meaning you have plenty of points to spend on scoring units, anti-flyers and HQ. I would definitely consider getting a Lord on a Bike or Daemonic Steed to lead one of the units of Bikers and add some AP2 punch perhaps or support them in some other way where they're lacking a bit. A Sorcerer that can cast additional debuffs (Gift of Contagion or Symphony of Pain perhaps?) might also be useful.

Now, this does put some strain on your Fast Attack and Heavy Support choices, as it's two from each. This is why you might want to consider mixing it up a little bit to free up some slots. You could for example replace one of the Predators with a Land Raider taken as Dedicated Transport for some Assault Terminators. Or you could replace one of the Bike squads with Berzerkers in a Rhino, this does delay your assault a bit though, since you have to turbo-boost in turn 1, move 6" then get out and then assault in turn 3. This might not be a problem though, since it means you get a 1-2-punch - especially if you have Warp Talons arriving turn 2 they can team up with the Berzerkers. You might also give the Rhino a Dirge Caster as well, since it might actually survive since it's coming in behind the Predators - and this way you might get another Dirge Caster to disturb your opponent with in later turns as well.

It's obviously just a concept, and I haven't tried it. But I do believe you can overwhelm someone pretty badly with this, especially since it's not terribly expensive. Just make sure you spend the rest of your points on the areas where you're lacking.

First Look at New CSM: Heavy Support

So, to conclude my first look at the new codex. This section was always the hardest to chose from, with so many good options and a limit of three... So this is always interesting.

Havocs

With the new rules in 6:th edition these guys all ready got an upswing since they can take Autocannons. A very cheap option to deal with Light Vehicles and simply glance them to death. In this codex they got another buff. Now, as they're the same price as normal Marines without CCW's they are pretty damn cheap. Not only that, but their options got cheaper as well. Personally I've never felt the urge to use them since they compete with so many other good options in this slot. But now you can get a unit of 4 Lascannons for 155 points. Not bad at all. If you prefer Missile Launchers you get them for 135 points. They however doesn't include Flakk Missiles, that's another 10 points for each should you want them. I'm not sure that for the points it's worth it to take a full squad of Flakk Missiles, but however to take 1 or two in a squad wouldn't be too bad. It's not amazing against flyers since it's only S7 but pretty decent at least.

This is one of those units that gets a Champion as well, where he definitely isn't needed. I'd just ignore that he exists.


Obliterators

My favourite swiss army knives! I always loved these guys, and now they're better than ever! One thing that they used to lack was some crowd control weapons with longer range than flamers, the one hole in their array of weapons. But no more, as they now also have access to the Assault Cannon!  However, they can no longer fire the same weapon two turns in a row - the way I use them that's not really a problem though. I know people liked to sit them back and zap Lascannon shots with these guys - but that was never my style. I like to Deep Strike one or two behind enemy lines to utilize their twin-linked meltas, and now after they've popped a tank they can turn at any target no problem. However, what this new rule does is making their deployment more important than ever. If you misplace them so they are far away from any enemies they'll start getting problems since they have to change weapons every turn. So make sure you place them correctly from the start, and not too far away from the action.

Another huge boost is the ability to take Marks on these guys! There is only one mark that makes sense in my eyes, and that's the Mark of Nurgle. T5 Obliterators! Yes please! You thought they were durable before...

They have also lost Fearless, but I don't see that as a bog problem either. For one thing it means you can now Go to Ground if you need to. If you sit inside a ruin or forest this might really help you actually. The big problem is when you get assaulted though, as they'll no longer stick around forever if they lose combat. So if possible you should try to have something close by to help them out should they get in a sticky situation. This shouldn't be too hard since you need to keep them at midrange to be effective - so having a squad of Marines nearby shouldn't limit you much.


Defiler

This is one of the few Large Blast weapons you have access to in your army, perhaps that's why they're now much more expensive than they used to be. This is also a unit you need to deploy right to get it's full potential. You can be a bit more daring with it in this codex as it now has a 5++ save as well as a chance to regenerate lost HP's, but generally you won't get that many shots off him since he'll quickly become the prime target of your enemy. Good thing then that it also has gotten the Daemonforge rule, letting you re-roll all to-wound rolls for a turn - you should probably use it as soon as you get a good shot of lest you forget about it or lose the Defiler beforehand.

In this edition you actually have to think some about how you arm him as you can still fire snapshots after you've fired your Ordnance. I don't feel he has any amazing options for shooting though, since you still have to shoot at the same target as your Large Blast. The three Powerfists+Flamer seems to be the most solid build to me. As a Walker you can use the flamer for Overwatch to protect you some when Powerfists are getting close. And as a Walker he's pretty decent in combat as well, with Fleet you actually get the option to charge in as a last desperate effort.


Forgefiend

Two Hades Autocannons or two Ectoplasma Cannons. It's a though choice really. Whatever you go for though, it's pretty clear what to do with this guy. It's really lacking in options... So your choice is do you go for anti-infantry and Light Vehicles or AP2? The choice should depend on what the rest of your army is good at dealing with of course!


Maulerfiend

This thing seems even easier to use. Just charge it at the biggest thing you see. It's very fast and it has few but very strong attacks. Your only option is between Magma Cutters (super anti-vehicle) or tendrils (helps you survive when your opponent sends light infantry against you to stop you from reaching what you want to reach). Remember this guy has Move Through Cover, so you should really try to use that if possible. It might catch your opponent off guard, or at least keep enemies from charging you.


Vindicator

Your other option for Large Blasts, even stronger than the Defilers. However they only have a range of 24" which means you'll usually have some troubles to get more than one shot of before you're dead. But if you know that you're playing against someone who likes to take many vehicles and clumps them up this might be nice... with the S10 AP2 Large Blast you can probably catch two vehicles per turn. That's going to hurt pretty bad! It's also, weirdly, a lot cheaper than the Defiler. So this might be your first choice if you really need a Large Blast in your army.


Predator

This is without a doubt my favourite tank in the game! The thing is, it's not really dangerous enough for your opponent to focus on it in the beginning of the game but it's not weak either. So you'll most likely get a chance to snipe some stuff with either it's Autocannon or the Twin-Linked Lascannon before he has to turn his attention towards it. And it's also really cheap for what it does (even more so in this codex than the last one!). Generally I'd take the same kind of sponsons guns as the main turret, since you can't split targets. And in this codex you get three Lascannons for 115 points on a AV13 vehicle. Not bad at all! I would also consider taking an extra Combi-Bolter as well, not that it'll be good for killing anything - but it gives your main weapons some extra protection in case you suffer a Weapon Destroyed result. As a matter of fact, in this codex it seems you can actually take a Combi-Bolter, a Combi-weapon AND a Havoc Launcher as well. That's 6 guns on your Tank, meaning you'll always have something to shoot with...

If you go for the Autocannon/Heavy Bolters option I would also definitely consider getting the Warpflame gargoyles. Granting your infantry killing weapons Soul Blaze for 5 points is pretty sweet.

Also, since they're not super-dangerous by themselves you should really consider running at least two of them in the same list. This way they can help each other out a lot.

A funny tactic I came up with is also to simply ignore their shooting options and take Destroyer Blades and Dirge Casters as well as Dozer Blades. You take two or three for 100 points each, line them up and make them the spearhead of your assault. So you get a moving AV13 wall in front of your assault troops, you tank shock everything in their way and once you're up there the Dirge Casters will prevent Overwatch on your assault troops. Will it be effective? I have no idea, but it sure sounds like something I should try at least!

First Look at New CSM: Fast Attack

So you're telling me I have a Fast Attack section that actually have some valid options? Exciting times!


Chaos Bikers

Okay, someone has done something weird with these guys. For five points more than a normal Marine with Bolter, Bolt Pistol and CCW you get a Marine with a Twin-linked Bolter, Bolt Pistol, CCW, Bike (Meaning + Hammer of Wrath, faster and +1T). Now that's a bargain if I ever saw one! The only downside is that there's no way of making them Troops.

You also get the option to take up to two Flamers, Meltas or Plasma guns - but here you also get to chose if you want to replace the Twin-linked Bolter OR the CCW. Meaning you have to decide if you want to charge them in or stay out of combat pretty much. Personally I feel that the loss of a Twin-linked Bolter is nothing, so I'd go for that one. What to take though? Depends. The fact that they're really fast makes a Melta pretty inviting. Just drive up and blast something big. I think that option has the most appeal to me, especially as you can take two Meltas and a Combi-Melta on the Champion. So that's the basics of these guys.

Now there's Marks. The obvious one you look at first here is Mark of Nurgle. T6 Bikers. Indeed. It's not terribly expensive either, and here you have a super though fast unit that can drive up and tarpit pretty much anything. With the number of attacks they get on the charge they might actually even break a unit or two as well.

Another cool option with these guys involves taking a Lord or Sorcerer on a Steed of Slaanesh (I would go with a Sorcerer because I really like the Slaanesh powers) and joining him with them (meaning they'll have to be unmarked or have Slaanesh as well - and if you go for Slaanesh you might want the banner giving them Feel no Pain as well). The thing is that gives them Outflanking with Acute Senses. Nasty surprise for someone, eh?


Chaos Spawn

S5 T5 for 30 points each, squads of 1-5? Beasts and Fearless as well. And they can take Marks. If Bikes makes good tarpit units, then Spawns are now GREAT tarpit units. They also share a trait with the Possessed by rolling on a table for each Fight Phase, and there they have some good alternatives. Either they get more survivable, get more attacks or poisoned attacks. Pretty solid for the cost really. For Marks it's only the Mark of Nurgle that makes any sense. It all ready has Rage, and Slaanesh would bring it to I4 only and a invulnerability save seems wasted in this case... Not bad at all for a cheap unit!


Raptors

Jump Infantry! I have usually played these guys as a suicide unit, enjoying the fact that they could take a five man squad with two special weapons and Deep Strike. I usually go for Flamers, but Meltas are equally valid. This tactic still works, with the difference that they now have to take a Champion. But on the good side he can take a Combi-weapon so you can actually make them more effective!

The big change here however is that they're pretty cheap. 17 points per model for Jump Infantry that also causes Fear is not bad at all. Add two points for Mark of Khorne and I would definitely consider fielding a larger squad of 10-15 even. Have them led by a Lord with Lightning Claws and Jump Pack and you have a really scary unit (no pun intended) for not that many points! With an Icon of Wrath you can even give them Furious Charge. Not-quite-Berzerkers with Jump Packs for almost the same cost as normal Berzerkers!!


Warp Talons

The thought of this unit makes me happy. Each model has a pair of Lightning Claws and a Jump Pack. They're also Daemons so have a 3+/5++ save. They're really expensive though, especially if you want Marks and you can only take at most ten in a squad. But think on that. 10 pairs of Lightning Claws with Hammer of Wrath and Rage (Mark of Khorne). Imagine that you're also playing Space Marines and you have the Vetarans of the Long War. Carnage guaranteed.

Looking at their points again though that would be over 300 points. Perhaps 5 are enough, but it seems so easy to kill them all then...

They also have a funky special rule that whenever they arrive from Deep Strike all enemy units within 6" has to test for Blindness. This sounds really useful at first, but it's also contradictory. If they could assault from Deep Strike this would make sense, but they can't. So since they can't assault when they arrive, and they have no Shooting at all... why would you place them within 6" of any enemy units? Not only that, but the Blind goes away before the Warp Talons get a chance to charge anyway. I guess you could use this to somehow support another unit that will get it's assault for sure in the same turn. You're risking a pretty expensive unit for a pretty slight advantage though. Perhaps it could be useful for messing with Devastators and their likes or so, but I'm not sure!

The Champion can also take two Gifts of Mutation, which might be worth it for the same reason that it is for the Possessed.


Heldrake

So the long awaited flyer has finally arrived (hopefully that isn't a trend for it in play as well though...)! And it is expensive! The only option it has is to swap it's Hades Autocannon for a Baleflamer. To be honest that's not even an option I think, 4 shots at BS3 and S7 isn't amazing. A S6 AP3 flamer however will most definitely come in handy! For being a Flyer it seems to be pretty durable actually, with AV12 and a 5++ Daemon save as well as the It Will Not Die and 3HP enemies will have some troubles getting it out of the skies I think.

It's just too bad that it's not also equally good at taking out enemy fliers. This codex is somewhat lacking in the anti-air department, despite having a flier of it's own. It can make Vector Strikes, but only at S7. Even just an increase to S8 would help a lot in this case. You simply can't avoid a comparison to the Vendetta. The Vendetta is almost as hardy as the Heldrake but comes with three guns that are all stronger than the Heldrakes and can also upgrade to have another two (only S5 on those though, but it helps against weaker fliers) and all this for 40 points less than the Heldrake (30 if you take the Heavy Bolters). Ouch. In other words, stick to flaming marines with this thing. But by all means, if you get the chance do use your Vector Strike! Against flyers with less armour it's not bad. And you can always get lucky and get 4 hits. That should do something at least!

I am however left a little bit disappointed by this thing. It could've had so many more cool options!

First Look at New CSM: Elites

Okay, so time for some more theory. This is a big section, as the Elites choices are very, very full! So let's get started.


Chosen

In the old codex these guys were one of my favourite units for sure. But they have changed quite a lot. I still like them, because what's not to like with 5 special weapons in a squad? Unfortunately they now have to take a Champion, which means you need to make the squad 6 guys strong to get all 5 weapons. It's not that bad though, since the Champion can take a Combi-weapon so you actually can get 6 shots for one round!

Now it might feel odd to use these guys who has 2 attacks base to be shooty, but the thing is you have soooo many other assault options in your army anyway who does it better than what these guys can do. But a squad with 5 special weapons on the other hand is much harder to get, the other option being Havocs and they're not right for the job in my opinion since they can instead take 4 Heavy Weapons as well as they're competing with other Heavy Support... but that's for later.

So what I do is deck them out with five weapons of the same kind, making them specialists at killing something. Either meltas, plasma guns or flamers. Then you go to town. Since they used to have Infiltrate I know these guys are really good when Infiltrating or Outflanking, so if you get the Master of Deception Warlord-trait (or chose Ahriman or Huron who gets it automatically) these guys should probably be one of your D3 infiltrators! It is really satisfying to Outflank 5 Meltas and come up behind that pesky artillery and simply blow it up turn 2!


Possessed

These guys are still pretty expensive, but they have become a lot more reliable. I'd say they're probably one of the most solid assault troops in this codex! First off they're S5 base with 2 attacks each and Fleet. They're also likely to stick around since they're Fearless and has a 3+/ 5++ save. What makes them special is their ability to roll a D3 for each assault phase to see what they get. Their options are re-roll to wound, AP3 or +1A and +1I. Pretty solid options all of them! Just avoid Terminators and and they'll do fine against anything I think.

Their champion also has the option to chose TWO Gifts of Mutation. That's an additional 20 points on a 1W model though, so a bit risky. But if you have some extra points I'd definitely go for this guy before any other Champions at least!


Terminators

This is another one of those units that unfortunately has to take a Champion (well, all units has to, but it's extra unfortunate for these guys). Why is it bad? First because you pay extra points for him and gain absolutely nothing. He has the same statline as the normal guys, but worst of all... he has to take his weapons from the armoury. This means he pays 23 points for a pair of Lightning Claws compared to the 7 points of a normal Terminator... Why? I have no idea. So his every option costs more and doesn't benefit you. I'd probably stick a combi-weapon on him and keep his Power Weapon for that reason to get as much out of the squad as possible.

Speaking of Combi-weapons, you can no longer combine them on the normal guys with Power Fists for example. If you want a Combi-weapon you're stuck with the Power Weapon. So they're no longer very flexible. I always thought the Terminators were best for Close Combat though, so I'd go with Lightning Claws all around. Having one guy with a Power (or Chain) Fist and a Heavy Flamer. So nothing has changed in that department for me at least!


Helbrute

The replacement for the Dreadnaught then! So basically he's just another Dread but he goes Crazy if you shoot him. He might actually get to fire twice (and no more on your own units!) or simply get rid of Shaken and Stunned results. He wants vengeance on any who hurts him though, which means you can quickly lose control of him. It seems like a pretty 'fun' unit, but I wouldn't expect much from him to be honest. He does have some funky Close Combat options though, like a Flail that lowers opponents WS and the mighty Thunderhammer (for the first time in a Chaos book?!).


Mutilator

This is another unit I don't quite understand what the thinking was for. You can all ready take Terminators so what do you need these guys for? Especially since they're more expensive than Terminators and you can only take three per squad. You also can't use the same weapon two rounds in a row. Which I think will be a problem, since there's so few of them they can't muster that many attacks so they'll most likely be stuck in combat. Mark of Khorne would help with that on the charge at least though. However, if you misplace them or Deep Strike them and they scatter far off you're screwed because they're also Slow and Purposeful so they can't run. And with no shooting attacks that's one wasted phase per turn.

They have two wound though, so that's nice at least. I don't think I will ever take these guys.


Berzerkers

Jolly slaughter!  With these guys, as always, there's only one thing on your mind. CHARGE! Now more so than ever since they have Rage and Furious Charge. They're a bit gimped in the second round of combat now though, or if they get charged and fail their Ld-test for Counter charge which might turn out messy. On the charge though they're as dangerous as ever! If you have the points, consider putting them in a Land Raider, move up and launch your assault! Rhinos aren't a great options since you can just drive up, jump out and then be shot at before you get to charge. It's still all right, as you'll at least protect them from one round of shooting before they have to take it themselves but Rhinos suit shooty stuff better.

They have also got some new interesting options. The most obvious one is Chainaxes which grants them AP4 weapons. Ouch! Those are also model per model, so you can actually chose to spread them out a bit to save some points should you wish.They can also take the Icon of Wrath for whatever reason, as they all ready have Furious Charge it will only grants them +1 Combat resolution for 15 points. Almost completly useless for Berzerkers I reckon. If you get stuck in a combat where you need +1 you've all ready wasted your Berzerkers I think.

Like all Marines they can also take Veterans of the Long War, but why it's extra important for these guys is that if you know you're going to play against Marines then with this upgrade you also know that the 'zerkers will annihilate whatever they come in contact with...

Another much more subtle option is that your Champion can take a Combi-weapon. One of the main problems that Berzerkers can run into are Walkers. So it might be worth considering taking a Combi-Melta on this guy to help out some. It's a one-shot chance though, but it is cheaper than a Power Fist. Speaking of Power Fists, by the looks of it you can actually take two of them for whatever reason... Another interesting choice however is Lightning Claws, if you want a pair it'll set you back 30 points though, but one for 15 might be pretty nice indeed! I mean, it costs as much as a normal Power Weapon and if you decide to ignore the Walker-problem you might as well get yourself some re-rolls for no extra cost! And if you want a slightly cheaper option than the Power Fist there's always Meltabombs to add to that.

Oh, and worth mentioning that you can take these guys as Troops if your Lord has Mark of Khorne (this includes Khârn). It's obviously the only way to go if you want to focus your army at assaults. Just support them with something that can take care of vehicles reliably (Terminators with Chain Fists for example, or Maulerfiends).


Thousand Sons

Golems in suits of armour shooting AP3 Bolters and with a 3+/4++ save sounds really good in theory. Which is why you pay a lot of points for these guys. Their problem is however that they are Marine-killers and nothing else. More so now than ever since they come with the Veterans of the Long War included. But when stuff comes past that Rapid Fire range they're not so good. Especially since they can't fire Overwatch. Or when they have vehicles. They are not very versatile at all. In the old codex you solved this by choosing powers for your Aspiring Sorcerer to use as Special Weapons. But in this codex you have to roll for them. And since he is only Level 1 and has the Mark of Tzeentch it has to be one of those powers. Since he's Level 1 he can't use Breath of Chaos. So three spells left. Boon of Mutation has a 2" range, and he's a 1W character so it's a bit of a waste for him to use it on himself. So we're left with Doombolt and the Firestorm (Primaris). The Doombolt is what you want, since it gives them something to deal with vehicles at least. The Firestorm is okay for a second choice, and certainly better than the Boon in most cases I'd say. The only time I see the Boon being somewhat useful is if you're planning to run a Chaos Lord of Tzeentch in the unit - or maybe, just maybe run a Daemon Prince along side it. Like I wrote in the Daemon Prince entry I think it would really benefit from the Boons-table if you roll the right thing. But that's a lot of "if"s and "maybe"s so I'd go for the Firestorm if I didn't roll Doombolt most of the time.

You also pay 60 points for a 1W Sorcerer who has no protection against perils. It's too bad they can't take Spell Familiars at least. But the worst thing is of course that he also has the Champions of Chaos rule so he has to fight challenges. You really don't want him in a challenge... With his Force Weapon he might of course get lucky and kill something a lot more powerful than him, but he is no fighter so don't count on it. Never leave home without Meltabombs is my moto though. Something you get stuck having to charge a vehicle or Monstrous Creature so...

You can also take the Icon of Flame giving the units shooting Soul Blaze. They're pretty likely to wound stuff they hit with their AP3 Bolters so I reckon why not take this icon if you're all ready spending a lot of points on this expensive unit? It might cause some extra damage for sure.


Plague Marines

Ah, the prime objective holders of the game! Oh, wait. They're elites. Unless you take a Lord with Mark of Nurgle (Typhus included) of course. With T5 and Feel no Pain their job is simply not to die. They're excellent at this. They also have poisoned close combat weapons (4+) which means that where they used to be a tarpit they might actually win combats instead. That's just a bonus when defending their objective though. On the point of tarpits they can also take the Icon of Despair for a +1 combat resolution (and also makes them cause Fear but that's usually not a big deal), perhaps it's worth it if you know you will get charged a lot.

I also usually would take two plasmas so they can provide some decent covering fire. But I don't think I will ever take them as Elites as I don't feel like they bring anything that normal Marines can't do offensively at least, so only Nurgle armies for these guys.


Noise Marines

And then on to the sound junkies. This is one of the shootiest units in the codex I believe. If you're going to run these guys you really should upgrade the Sonic Blasters. Salvo 2/3 Ignores Cover is quite respectable. I would also take a squad of ten to get access to the Mighy Blastmaster. Either you stand still and gets a S8 AP3 Blast, Ignores Cover, Pinning shot or you move and get S5 AP4 Assault 2, Ignores Cover, Pinning. With the amount of shots they put out in total you can probably shoot any infantry, including Terminators, in one turn with a bit of luck. And if they don't die they will be severely decimated. Do make them even more lethal you can also upgrade the Champion with the Doom Siren. It's a S5 AP3 Template. Just do it.

The downside to this unit is that Sonic Blasters only has a 24" range, and you can't assault the same turn that you shoot them. The Blastmaster on the other hand has 36-48" range. So you end up having to chose where you want them to be. If you know beforehand exactly what you want to do with them you can obviously customise their load out. If you take them as elites perhaps you only want the Blastmaster and can then save points on the Sonic Blasters and Doom Siren. While if you want a unit that can get up midrange and stay out of charge go with Sonic Blasters and Blastmaster. Or if you want close range support, Sonic Blasters, Doom Siren and then perhaps Close Combat weapons - then you stay and shoot for a turn or two, and charge in where they're needed. If you're going for a themed army with a Lord of Slaanesh and take them as Troops perhaps you want all options for more versatility. They can also take Icon of Excess granting them Feel no Pain - personally I think I'd only take this if they were Troops though, as that way you get a Scoring Unit that's almost at good at not dying as Plague Marines.

I would also definitely consider getting a Rhino for these guys. Remember that you can shoot a Blastmaster and a Sonic Blaster from the access points, getting 4 shots at 24" range at least. And since they can be really good mid-range they might need the extra speed of a Rhino.



Speaking of Rhinos, they're the only Dedicated Transports in this codex, so I'll just put them here as well. Land Raiders can be taken as Dedicated Transports for Terminators as well, so I'll take that as well and then discuss some upgrades they have in common.

Rhino

It's the same metal box we all know to love and hate. It's not as effective in 6:th edition as it used to be, but it will still transport stuff around. It especially is good for shooty units, since you can jump out and still shoot but not assault. Putting Chosen with Meltas in one is not a bad idea at all if you know you will face heavy vehicles for example. They're pretty much the same old as always. Don't forget Dozer Blades if you want to avoid embarrassing immobilized results for driving over a bush or something.


Land Raider

So the glorified Rhino then! You can also take it as a Heavy Support choice (or rather, you HAVE to take it as a Heavy Support unless you want Terminators as well). I always thought it was too expensive for what it could do, and in this codex the points has gone up even more without any changes to it... Oh well. What does annoy me most though is that it only has a Transport Capacity of ten models (which is 2-6 less than the Loyalist ones), meaning 5 Terminators... or if I want a Character in there 4 Terminators. Not much of a Deathstar with that unit! I reckon having a unit of Berzerkers (with Khârn perhaps) is a better option for what to put inside of it.

It does also have Lascannons and a Heavy Bolter, but again it's lacking Power of the Machine Spirit like the Loyalist version has. At least the Lascannons are Twin-linked though! But since it's an Assault Vehicle that would be the main reason to take one and I'd not bother with any more weapons on it.


Upgrades

They actually have some new options though, unique for Chaos. The one that seems to have the biggest impact is the change to the Dirge Caster. Now it prevents all enemy units within 6" of the vehicle from firing Overwatch. Sounds big, but consider that 6" is pretty short and you can't assault directly from the Rhino anyway so it's not great for the Rhino at least. For the Land Raider however it can be pretty good! If you've all ready spent 230 points on the Tank you might as well spend another 5...

They also have gotten the option to add Soul Blaze to all their weapons... one of those upgrades for 5 points that you can take if you really have nothing else to spend them on I suppose.

Then there are two funny options. First one, that doesn't really benefit the Rhino that much anyway is the change to Daemonic Possession. Now it ignores Shaken and Stunned on a 2+, and in addition they've become hungry. Whenever a unit embarks you have to roll a dice. On a 1 the vehicle EATS one random model... WITHOUT ANY SAVES POSSIBLE. Then it recovers a lost HP. So my advice is to never, ever take this upgrade for Land Raiders. Especially not if you have Terminators and a Lord in it. A 1 in 5 chance and you'll lose your Lord, just like that. Hilariously funny, except that you have to take the test if you deploy in it as well meaning you might lose your Lord before the game starts... Not only that, you ignore Shaken and Stunned - but what use is this for a Land Raider? If you think about it, what you need to kill one is AP1 so that's +2... meaning the lowest you can get is a 3 on the chart. So if he rolls a 1 after penetration you can ignore it. Whoopiedo. It also lowers your BS, so your Lascannons gets less useful. On the Rhino however you might consider it. At 15 points it's a bit expensive for what it does though, but it might help you get your Rhino where you want it.

And then we have the Destroyer Blades. If you ever were jealous of the Orks Deffrolla this is the upgrade for you. It's only a light version of it though, at D6 S5 hits when it Tank shocks. But hey, with so many Fearless stuff around it's nice to have some use for those Rhinos after they've unloaded if they've survived for so long. It costs 15 points though, so it's another one of those "nothing else to spend on" scenarios I think.

First Look at new CSM: Troops

So, time to look at the troops! Not so many different units this time around.


Chaos Space Marines

So many different options it's almost ridiculous. Here you really have to decide beforehand what you want your Marines to do on the battlefield. The cheapest possible version is basically the Loyalist Marine, except they do not have And They Shall Know No Fear making the Chaos Marines significantly worse since they can die to Sweeping Advances. However, they're also a bit cheaper if you take them like that. Finally! They also have a lot of options, for one thing they have three different basic load outs. The cheapest one is either only Bolters and Bolt Pistols, but they can also replace the Bolter with Close Combat Weapons for free or they can ADD Close Combat Weapons. This is model by model choices as well, so you can mix and match as you want... Perhaps you decide you want just a little bit of covering fire while advancing your assault unit? Probably not a good idea, but you CAN do it.

So when you have decided if you want a Bolter unit, a CC unit or the ones you're used to fielding with both (probably my choice most of the time) you then also have to decide If you want to specialize them even more. They of course have the Special Weapons as usual, which is what making them extra versatile. Now, where Chaos Marines really outclass Loyalist Marines is traditionally in Close Combat. This is why I like the Boltgun and Close Combat option the most, because that means fighting Marines we're on equal terms while closing in - but once in assault I have the advantage. Now, you can make that advantage even greater. First off we have the Veterans of the Long War upgrade, which boosts Leadership but more importantly grants Hatred against Space Marines. So we have the edge when fighting the Loyalists, but there's other stuff out there as well and the plus to Leadership won't be all that helpful against that.

So what you do instead is upgrade your units with Marks of Chaos. Basically you're creating a light version of Cult Marines. If you go for the CCW+bolt pistol option and Mark of Khorne with the Icon of Wrath you have Berzerkers. Bolters and Mark of Nurgle and you have T5 Marines to sit on objectives. You prefer Feel no Pain on your objective holders? Mark of Slaanesh and Icon of Excess. You can't really recreate Thousand Sons though, but if you like burning stuff you might want to consider Mark of Tzeentch and Icon of Flame which grants all "Bolt-weapons" the Soul Blaze special rule.

Now, if you're really disappointed in the drop of Leadership of Marines, perhaps you want the Icon of Vengeance that makes them Fearless? Another way of making them Fearless AND give them Hatred is attaching a Dark Apostle to a unit. Then you also have to characters in the unit meaning your champion will fight them while the Dark Apostle hangs back and well... grants Leadership as well as re-rolls to the Boons when the champion wins.

Talking about the Champion he has the same old options as usual, meaning I'd give him a Power Fist. You can however also give him a Gift of Mutation... as good as I think this upgrade is for HQ's I feel like it's a bit wasted on a 1W model. I mean if I have nothing else to use it on then fine, why not I suppose but I'd look elsewhere first.

Oh, and of course the unit can take a Rhino should it want to. 


Cultists

Our new Troops really brings something we never used to have in the Chaos codex: Hordes! These guys are dirt cheap and can come in mobs of 35(!). Two different load outs for them, either CCW+pistol or CCW+autogun. As they're really weak anyway I'd say the CCW+pistol is the better option since it's cheaper. If you expect to get charged however the autogun might be worth considering since it's a Rapid Fire gun. I wouldn't really expect these guys to really kill anything, they're on the board for one thing only: Grab an objective and stay there. I'll probably throw in Flamers there since it's still cheap and then they might actually kill something.

Now, the Dark Apostle is obviously designed to go with these guys. So if you run him like that a couple of other options opens up. First off he gives them Fearless which is huge boost to their objective-holding. Second, he gives them Hatred. Now, what can we do with that? Why not throw Mark of Khorne on them and stick them at say, Terminators (or any other unit you want to delay) for example? They get a ton of attacks, and accompanied by the Dark Apostle they're Fearless AND re-rolls misses. A unit of 35 with CCW+autopistols, three flamers and Mark of Khorne gets 148 attacks on the charge (not counting the Dark Apostle). With Hatred they re-roll misses. They will probably kill something at least! Granted, you pay over 200 points for this.

The other Mark worth giving them is the Mark of Nurgle. Making them T4 really helps their survivability a lot. Here I would also go with the autoguns as well as they'll sit on an objective but maybe you'll get some shots of (or like I wrote earlier Rapid Fire Overwatch). The other two Marks are next to wasted on these guys I think.

Then we have Typhus, who can make Cultists into zombies. However, it seems they messed up a bit and with the wording of the rule they've capped the unit size to 10 models... I believe that will be FAQ:d though. But the question is, is it worth it? You loose all shooting but you do gain Fearless and Feel No Pain. Both of which are typically good traits for objective campers. However 5+ Feel No Pain on a unit that suffers Instant Death on S6 is not amazing. And also, since they're Fearless they can't Go to Ground either. So I think there are better options for objective camping. If you want a meat shield taking the Overwatch instead of your assault troops however...

First Look at new CSM: HQ

So, new codex new stuff. Needs a lot of new thinking. So that's what I'll do here, writing down my first thoughts to help me clear out what to try and what not. Only theory so far obviously, and I will probably compare a lot with the old codex. I'll just go through the list entry for entry. Here goes...

HQ

Abaddon

Oh wow. This guy used to be quite beastly in the 4:th edition codex, and now he got some more nasties... and got cheaper as well! So basically he has lost nothing from his Close Combat beastliness and also gained a boost against Space Marines, with both Preferred Enemy as well as Hatred. He then gets to chose to use either 5+D6 S6 AP2 attacks OR 5 S8 AP3 with re-rolls to wounds at WS7 and I6 once in combat... meaning whatever he faces will probably be dead after one turn and unless they're Eldar they probably didn't even get to strike back. Even if they do get to strike back he still has Terminator armour (and a 4++ thanks to Mark of Tzeentch) and the added boost of Eternal Warrior. So he's not going anywhere any time soon.

Another new trick up his sleeve is that when you take him you also get to take Chosen as Troops instead of Elites. Now this opens up a lot of possibilities. Chosen can take 5 Special Weapons per squad. With Abaddon you can take 6 squads of them should you wish. That opens up some funky options for lists for sure.

He is quite an investment at almost 300 hundred points, but I believe that if you get him into Close Combat he will get his points back every time...

Oh, and Blood Angels have Hatred against him. I don't believe that will help them much though.


Huron

Huron is a bit of a funky character actually. Thanks to the Hamdrya he is very random indeed. Each TURN you generate a new psychic power, meaning you have absolutely no idea what you will get for a game so you can't plan how to use him really. Or rather, you can't plan how to use him in a support role that is - because he is a Close Combat monster. He's actually even more versatile than Abaddon actually, since his Tyrant's Claw grants both Shred and Armourbane meaning he can deal with tanks as well and should he run into Terminators he can use his Power Axe instead. He doesn't get the +1A though since Power Axes aren't Specialist Weapons.

He also has the Master of Deception Warlord Trait, making it so that D3 units can Infiltrate. I really like that special rule. Even if you only give it to normal Marines you get Rapid Fire Bolters in turn 1. Or even Outflanking. You can make some mean stuff with that for sure!


Khârn

He's back! When 6:th first arrived he suffered a pretty big nerf as he was reduced to I1, but no more of that! So the monster we all knew from 4:th and 5:th edition is just like we remember him, except that he's angrier than ever! He now has Hatred against everything (also granted to his unit)! And also as a favoured champion of Khorne none of that psyker stuff is likely to work on him either, as he and his unit makes Deny the Witch-rolls on 2+ AND Khârn can't be instant killed by Force Weapons. He is still not terribly expensive and I'd say if you want a Berzerker army Khârn is definitely the way to go (as he makes them Troops as all characters with Mark of Khorne does).


Ahriman

I always felt this guy was too expensive for what he could do, so this one was very interesting for me to see. Has it changed? Well, for one thing you now have to generate powers instead of knowing what you have, and he has gained one level so is now Level 4. This means you can chose to generate 1 or 2 powers from the Tzeentch lore and the others must be from Biomancy, Pyromancy or Telepathy. The Tzeentch lore is pretty nice with 3 good powers, but of course you want Breathe of Chaos. With two roles on this one you have a 2/3 to get it. And if you don't get it on the first roll the Primaris is decent as well. He can also shoot 3 witchfires per turn... so that's a possible hailstorm of magic indeed. He does NOT have any protection against Perils though (I wish he'd have a Spell Familiar!). So I feel he is a bit random still, if you get the right powers he might be great but he might also end up not being very useful at all. For 230 points you want some kind of reliability I think...

Oh, he does have Master of Deception though (like Huron) which is very nice. And he does make Thousand Sons into Troops. A weird thing though is that his Force Stave isn't Concussive like normal ones, so I guess he's too weak to knock down people with it then!


Typhus

Two words. Destroyer Hive. Once per game you place a large Blast on top of Typhus. S4 AP2, can be used in Assault and does not hit Typhus. So you know this fancy unit of Termiantors you used to have...

Other than that he is a pretty strong Terminator Lord combined with a Level 2 psyker pretty much and he costs there after. I can see him working pretty well actually.

He also makes Plague Marines Troops as well as the possibility to make Cultists into Plague Zombies. Feel no Pain and Fearless on Cultists sounds nice at first, but you lose your shooting completely. I think a Mark of Nurgle is probably better if you want resilient Cultists, but more on that later.


Lucius

This one is pretty odd. I believe he got stronger from the last codex, but his big thing is whenever he makes saves in the Fight sub-phase he inflicts S4 AP2 hits back. Other than that he is good at killing stuff in challenges, but considering you can just deny challenges I don't see him being super-effective. Especially not as he's the same cost as Khârn.


Fabius Bile

This is a pretty good Light Infantery killer, as he has loads of attacks (5 base +1 for pistol +1 for charge) which inflicts Instant Death. No AP though, but I see this guy killing stuff like Nobs like a boss. On top of that he also has a shooting attack that is Assault 3 and Poisoned (2+). So loads of dead light armoured stuff indeed!

His ability to enhance Marines is also improved, as now it's no longer random and the points for it is on him instead of the unit you're upgrading. So now you can make one unit of Marines Fearless and +1S with no downsides. Pretty nice I'd say, can certainly help you hold critical objectives.



Now on to the funnier stuff, as I always liked the non-named characters better. Now I am a bit disappointed that there are no longer any generic Daemon Weapons as I loved those, but instead that's just a special rule... Oh well. Here goes.


Chaos Lord

Here came the first big surprise in the codex for me. 65 points base?! So cheap! And for that you get the same Lord as the 4:th edition codex, except for that he has lost his 5++ save (you can buy one though). This means a very solid statline and loads of options. I am sad that there is no "normal" Daemon Weapon to take, because that really made him into a boss. Now if he wants AP2 he needs to either take the Mark of Khorne and the Axe of Blind Fury (Which reduces his WS and BS...) or take a Power Axe of Fist (which reduces his I5 to 1...) and I'm no fan of either. One build that was really effective in the old codex that still works is to give him a pair of Lightning Claws and a Jump pack. In this codex it might actually be even more effective since you can give him a better support unit (Raptors are cheaper now or you can take the Warp Talons). Actually, if I'm reading this thing correctly you could actually take two Power Weapons or even Power Fists should you want to for some reason...

One cool change is that the Daemonic Steeds now grants bonuses more like they do in the Daemon codex. Which makes Juggernauts an awesome choice for 35p. They're actually Cavalry in this codex as well, making it even better. I also see Bikes as an valid option here, it's too bad you can't make Bikers Troops though.

So there's no pure Daemon Weapon, but there is the Black Mace. This is a Horde-killer for sure... First you'll kill stuff, then they pile in and then all enemies within 3" of the Lord has to pass a T-test or suffer one wound without saves... Scary stuff. It's only AP4 however, so against MEQ it'll probably not be worth the 45 points... And the other weapon for non-marked lords is a Murder Sword. Basically a Power Sword, except that you nominate one enemy character and while you're in base contact with this model the sword is double S and AP1. So... if you somehow end up in base contact with your target without being in a challenge this is your Terminator-killer. Considering that it's powers only work on one enemy character I don't see this being very useful most of the time (he can simply refuse challenges!).

He can also take Terminator armour of course, and everything that means. Basically a beefed up Terminator. I'm not a big fan of this option as it kind of just makes him into another troop. It's not cheap either.

Let's discuss some Marks as well. This is a big deal in this codex. Where it used to just boost your stats a bit it now unlocks Cult Marines into Troops. Meaning if you want a Cult Marine army the Lord is where you have to go. Important choice indeed. However, it only says that your primary detachment must include a Lord with the right Mark for this not that he has to be your Warlord. This means you can take two of them with different Marks should you really want to. Also, since there are no longer any Daemon Weapon to take the mark has less impact on the Lord himself. The biggest change here is the Mark of Khorne which is now slightly better than it used to be, and then the points costs. Mark of Slaanesh went up to 15 from 5... not sure it's worth it any more. Mark of Tzeentch is definitely not worth it by itself at least, not only does it NOT unlock Thousand Sons for Troops it also only grants a 6++. You can however combine it with a Sigil of Corruption (total 3++) or Aura of Dark Glory (total 4++) which is pretty nice if you want him to stick around. I reckon you mostly take the Marks because you want the Cult Marines however.

Now, the biggest downside with the Lord is that there are so many options that I might end up with an army consisting of only Chaos Lords...


Sorcerer

Okay, so here's another very cheap character with loads of flexibility. He starts at Level 1 but can be upgraded to Level 3, and he can chose from Biomancy (changed from Telekenesis for some reason), Pyromancy and Telepathy or the Chaos powers if he has the appropriate mark. Here's the first choice... all of the lores have good stuff in them. The addition of Biomancy was a nice surprise as well! I'm not really going to discuss the lores from the rulebook though as they're the same for all armies that can use them. Instead on to the Chaos Lores. Tzeentch is a very offensive lore with the possibility to do a lot of damage, Nurgle is more supporting by casting Maledictions that weakens enemies and Slaanesh is balanced as it has but buffs, nerfs and attack spells in it.

I feel like the lore of Slaanesh is the strongest one, because both Tzeentch and Nurgle have one spell each that I'm no big fan of (number one in both lores) while Slaanesh have three strong ones and one decent one. Note, that if you have two Sorcerers who both have Symphony of Pain you can cast them on the same unit as the effects are cumulative. This means they're -2 to BS and WS for a turn. And if you also happen to have Noise Marines they will shoot at +2S. Pretty nasty.

The other two are not without merit either. I feel like Nurgle will be pretty good against Horde armies. Nurge's Rot is still there, and if you're Level 2 you can also get a version of Breathe of Chaos that are shot with a Large Blast instead. Beware of scatter though as it's range is only 12"... However, the spell I'm not a big fan of is Weapon Virus, causing Get's Hot! on a units weapons - this will probably be very nice against Hordes with lots of shots. Bigger chance to roll ones! Tzeentch is basically the old powers again, so pretty solid.

The Sorcerer actually used to be pretty good in close combat, but now he has been put back in line with the Space Marine Librarian instead. That's too bad as I reckon it was something that made them stand out a bit more. However, what they do have is a lot of weapon options. So should you want to you can deck them out with a lot of weapons.This includes Terminator armour, and this time for only 25 points. Pretty nice I'd say! Especially if you go Mark of Tzeentch as that gives you a 4++.

Oh, and I almost forgot one of the biggest upgrades in my opinion. The Familiars are back, and better than ever. A Spell Familiar will let you re-roll failed Psychic tests! Yay!

Also, they're no longer Fearless which might be a problem.


Daemon Prince

My first impression of this guy is a really sad face to be honest. He used to be so good, and now I don't really know if he's worth it! And there's also some stuff with him that I simply don't understand.

First off, he's expensive. He has an amazing statline (except for Ld9, what's up with that?), but he comes without a save and he has lost some essential Special Rules. He's no longer Eternal Warrior, and he's the only HQ choice in the book that doesn't have the Champion of Chaos rule - he can take one Gift of Mutation though so all game he can possibly get ONE roll on the Boon of Chaos table (which could make him Eternal Warrior if he's lucky, granted...). Come on! This is a Champion of Chaos if ANYTHING is!

You can make him into a Psyker, paying 25 points per level up to level 3. Not sure why you would do that, since he's only Ld9 though, Sorcerers do it better (and cheaper!). He can chose Artefacts and Rewards (again, Gift of Mutation and if you make him a Psyker the Spell Familiar is a MUST). The only ones I see as remotely useful for him is the Dimensional Key, and Burning Brand (AP3-flamer on a Flying Monstrous Creature is always nice). You can, due to the Smash rule of Monstrous Creatures also give him the Black Mace turning it into AP2, and you have a Horde-killer that unlike if you give it to a Chaos Lord also works against MEQ and even Terminators. That is however another 45 points to an all ready expensive model, but perhaps an idea would be to do that and make him a Daemon of Slaanesh so he gets Fleet. You can also give him armour and wings.

You also have to upgrade him into a Daemon of a chosen God. These have different effects than the Marks do, and the weirdest one here is Slaanesh. Why would I want Rending on my AP2 Monstrous Creature that also can chose to make Smash attacks? The most interesting of the lot is probably Nurgle, as that grants Shrouded. Combine this with Wings and you get a 3+ Evade so you don't need to spend points on Power Armour.

When I first saw his statline I thought "Oh, well this will be a great character killer and then he'll get boons for doing it." But no, he doesn't get Boons, and that would've made him more useful I think since many of the Boons makes up for his weaknesses. As it is now I'm not sure he's ever worth his points really. Especially not since he's not that hard to kill.


Warpsmith

Okay! New exciting stuff! This I feel should be your choice if you want a HQ in Terminator armour (well he only has Fleshmetal, but you can buy an invulnerability for him as well). However he kind of has two conflicting roles, as he's both really lethal against enemy vehicles and helpful for your own vehicles. I'm guessing he will go pretty well together with Maulerfiends and maybe Defilers that are charging up. With a melta, a flamer and a Power Axe he can deal with pretty much everything, so it's just a matter of finding the right unit to support him. Other than that he feels pretty straight forward to use. Also very nice that he can lower cover saves in one area on the opponents deployment zone. Really cool feature that lets you control some of his deployment pretty much!


Dark Apostle

This fella is pretty cool too. As he's a Zealot he has both Fearless and Hatred (which makes me wonder why he can take Veterans of the Long War? He's all ready Ld10 as well so...) so he's a very supporting kind of HQ. Even more so since all units within 6" from him must use his Leadership as well. You stick him in the backfield with a large unit of Cultists and another one close by and you have two scoring units that aren't likely to run away while he is alive. And he comes with a 4++ (Can be boosted to 3++ with Mark of Tzeentch) so he's probably going to stick around for a while.

He also grants re-roll to the Boons of Chaos table after deployment for himself and his unit. But since I see him being in the backfield more often than not I'm not sure how often this will come into effect really. Of course you could stick him into a hardier unit that will charge forward, but as he's not that killy himself you're probably better off with a Lord for that job I think.


Boons of Chaos/Gift of Mutation

As I feel this is a pretty big thing I want to dedicate a part to that as well. Since you can simply refuse challenges most of the time they probably won't have a huge effect (the fact that you will challenge every time however might really reduce enemies characters since they may have to refuse or risk dying horribly...[and also you just need to kill characters with your characters, even if it's not in a challenge in those cases where that can happen]) this is why the Gift of Mutation upgrade is really nice for your more important characters. I reckon I will take it whenever I can on my HQ at least, especially as you're safe against Spawnhood. It's probably a waste on normal Champions though, but for your Lord every Boon might help a lot especially if you're combat-oriented.