Sweeping Advance

Pondering Early Retirement

2010-02-22T21:54:00.000-08:00

Every time I have a bum game at the table I think about quitting. I've spent so much time and money on the hobby already, even though I've only really been in it since the Space Hulk re-issue. I constantly try and figure out an acceptable timeline. When is too early to know? When is it too late?

I walk away from bad games feeling soured on every aspect of the hobby. I'm not one of those people who can turn to painting for a while when I'm on a bad run, because I'm primarily a gamer. I enjoy competitive gaming and that's the biggest draw of the hobby for me. When I get bummed at the table, I question why I spent all the money and time on the preparations for just getting there.

I keep track of how many games I play, what the results are, and whether or not I have any fun when I'm playing them. Out of 33 games played, I have had fun in a total of 8 of them. 24% of my games have been fun, for one reason or another. That's ridiculous. I quit WoW a few years back because I only spent about a third of my time actually doing things I enjoyed - why shouldn't I do the same with tabletop gaming? If you take into account the time painting and modelling, two things that I do primarily as a means to an end, I'm getting way less of a return on my investment than I did with WoW, a game that I quit and never looked back.

Is it time to give that a try? Walk away and see if I get sucked back in? Like WoW, the biggest draw of the hobby for me was the game itself, but the social elements quickly took over. I enjoy hanging out with other gamers and having a game to talk about. Shouldn't it be a game that I actually like, though?

I'm really unsure what to do with miniature gaming. The other elements of the hobby have failed to reel me in. The games leave me wanting. It's expensive and murderous to my free time. Tournament play has turned out to be a very different experience from what I was hoping it would be.

On the other hand, I love the world and I love the toys. I've got a board's worth of terrain being built for me right now and it looks fucking awesome. Seeing minis on a the table is a gaming experience unlike any other. I've met a bunch of rad folks already, and I'm sure that could continue if I stick with it.

So, what am I supposed to do with myself? I think my experience with WoW served me well, and it's time to give walking away a shot. We'll see if I come back.

Dundracon After-Thoughts

2010-02-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

The Dundracon RTT has come and gone and the results are currently being tallied by a dedicated team of grots locked in a convention hall. Those organizers deserve a special thanks for putting on a fantastic tournament. Terrain was awesome, things ran smoothly and punctually, and they obviously know what they're doing.

I learned a lot from my experiences today, especially in relation to my earlier article about tournament prep. I picked up a lot of good things from the comments and I tried to apply them as much as possible at the event.

Read the missions! I can't tell you how little "playing the mission" most of the players today did. I include myself in that - I barely paid attention to them, instead focusing on tabling my opponent. If I had played the missions 100%, I have no doubt that I would have done better.

Know other codexes. If you own them, bring them along. In my second and third round games, I had issues with codex knowledge. Either I didn't know the codex well and got taken advantage of, or I took advantage of knowing the codex and how it interacts with the base rules.

DO NOT FEAR. I mean this in several different ways, but most important is this: Do not be afraid to question your opponent. If, for example, they pick up hits/wounds instead of misses, do not be afraid to ask them not to do that so you can see the roll. Do not be afraid to question them if something seems wrong. Do not be afraid to ask for a judge to rule on something that seems unclear. Do not be afraid of a very scary list, because there's a good chance it won't be played well. Do not fear. Fear is the little death.

Play vigilant. Cheating is a lot more common than I expected. Do not just notice it, call it out and do not allow it. I let some things slide in a game that I really should not have done - you will be amazed once the game is over how much a slight movement cheat or a simple rules "mishap" can affect the scoring overall. You also do your opponent a disservice by letting little things slide; everyone should play this game to the best of their ability, and being relaxed about cheating prevents that.

Enjoy yourself. Socialize with people that you don't get a chance to play with or hang out with often. Tournaments are a great way to catch up and hang out, and you really should take advantage. You can also get some tips and tactics from different corners of the gaming sphere, which is never a bad thing.

Play for the clock! Don't let your opponents take forever on their turns, and do them the same courtesy. Don't rush yourself - that's not the idea. Play deliberately and pay attention to the board at all times so that you can make good decisions.

The last bit of advice I've got is this: Ignore sportsmanship and comp scoring unless they're a specific goal of yours. Play nice, play fair, and play the game you want to play, and don't worry about what other people have to say about it. There really needs to be a better solution for this in tournament play than relying on the person you just tabled to give you a good sportsmanship and comp rating, but in the meantime just deal with what we have the same way you deal with a Necron Monolith. Ignore it.

Dundracon was a good experience, and I'll have a lot more to say about it in the future.

Dundracon Eve

2010-02-12T22:38:00.001-08:00

On the eve of my first 40k Rogue Trader Tournament, I'm feeling woefully unprepared. Most of my army isn't painted - I'm coming to the table with an unpainted HQ, an unpainted unit of Thunder Cav, two unpainted Rhinos, an unpainted Land Raider, an unpainted Vindicator, and an unpainted Predator. The sad thing is that I had plenty of time to prepare before the event, but a gnarly eye infection has prevented me from really being able to paint for the last couple of weeks.

I'm hoping that my opponents are understanding of the bummer circumstance. I've been told to expect maybe one of my three opponents to have a fully painted army, so maybe I won't feel so bad then, but right now I'm dreading it.

I also experienced a weird form of "army list block" that I wrote about a bit already. I'm almost always changing my lists for casual play and I haven't played very many games at 1850, so I haven't really found something that I like. Rather than trying to be hyper-competitive, I'm going to have to approach this tournament as another list-building test. I say that now in the hopes I will be able to stick to it during the event. I likely won't.

Wish me luck.

Searching For Excitement

2010-01-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Try as hard as I may, I have had a very difficult time getting excited about working on my Space Wolves lately. I have been enjoying 40k more since I took a few weeks off, but when it comes to working out a new list or getting my things painted, I just haven't been able to muster up the resolve to get 'er done.

On the painting front, I thought I was making great progress when I got all of my troops basecoated and shaded, but the steam just went right out of me shortly after. A lot of this has to do with my playing of different style lists that would require a lot more assembly and purchasing - dramatically increasing my painting queue. Just thinking about the money and time I would have to spend sucks the energy right out of me!

I'm looking at running a lot of Razorbacks, where as a noob I bought only Rhinos. I want to start running more Wolf Guard Terminators, and since I didn't magnetize my old ones, I need to get more. I want to run Thunder Cav, obviously, but the conversion nightmare and hunting for a suitable Wolf miniature sounds entirely unappealing. It's really nice to have a core of basecoated troops that I can field and not feel too bad about, but the rest of my models have just been sitting in the foam.

On a more positive note, I have finally found a points level that I like playing at consistently. 1500 point games are great - they give you enough room to squeeze a neat trick or two in, but the games still play very fast and don't often drag past the 2.5 hour mark. It's a shame so many tournaments and events are 1850-2000, because I really don't like the games as much.

My lists are finally starting to coalesce around a few solid choices that I've learned to use well. My Vindicator continues to prove itself despite only taking one. My Predator Annihilator works wonders for getting transports open and giving Thunder Cav something to eat. My troops choices could use a bit more tweaking, but overall I'm very happy with three squads of Grey Hunters. Rune Priests are starting to see less and less play for more consistently awesome HQs and characters like Arjac. I still love the little psykers, but Living Lightning and Jaws just aren't reliable enough for me. Murderous Hurricane is still fantastic, though!

My Chainfist/Storm Shield Lone Wolf is a beast. I haven't been taking a pair of Fenrisian Wolves with him yet, because he has yet to be shot down by anything but the luckiest of rolls. He acts like a mini-Dreadnought, charging across the field and sending troops scattering to get away. I usually screen him with a Rhino or two and then send him around the side to tear shit up.

Despite all this, I'm having a hard time writing lists I like. I end up just tossing 1250 or 1500 points together and seeing how individual things perform, trying out units or characters against different armies. Though I've played at least a half dozen lists at any given points level, I'm never finding one that reaches off the page and says "PLAY ME AGAIN, MOTHERFUCKER!"

I'll keep tryin.

1250 Tournament Coming Up.

2009-12-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Looks like I'm going to be participating in a 1250 point tournament over at Great Escape Games (their website kinda sucks) in Sacto. Here's a link to their rules, along with some more links at the bottom to comp/paint/sportsmanship scoring. Their comp scoring looks kind of awful, particularly for a Space Wolf player. With that system in mind, I'm going to try and come up with a 1250 list that works well. Here's a shot at it:

HQ
Rune Priest w/ Living Lightning, Jaws of the World Wolf - 100

ELITES
Lone Wolf w/ Terminator Armor, Chainfist, Stormshield, 2x Fenrisian Wolves - 105
Dreadnought w/ Assault Cannon, Heavy Flamer - 115

TROOPS
Grey Hunters x 5, Meltagun, Razorback w/ Lascannon, Twin-linked Plasma Gun - 155
Grey Hunters x 5, Meltagun, Razorback w/ Lascannon, Twin-linked Plasma Gun - 155
Grey Hunters x 5, Meltagun, Razorback - 120
Grey Hunters x 5, Meltagun, Razorback - 120

FAST ATTACK
Land Speeder w/ Heavy Flamer & Multi-Melta - 70
Land Speeder w/ Heavy Flamer & Multi-Melta - 70

HEAVY SUPPORT
Vindicator w/ Dozer Blade- 120
Vindicator w/ Dozer Blade- 120

Total points = 1250

Now, I'm almost 100% positive that I'm not going to run this list, because I just don't have the models for it. I'd have to buy all new Razorbacks (since I don't own any), another Land Speeder, and another Vindicator. Then I would have to paint them all. Yikes! Considering how slowly my own painting is coming, I don't think this is a very good idea.

The other thing is that I don't think the list is very good or Space-Wolfy. It's kinda close to something I would play, but I feel like it would get picked apart by anything with mobile anti-vehicle. That's been a recurring problem for me, so I will have to figure out a way around it regardless, but I'm not sure I would take this to a tourney. What do you guys think?

Space Wolves Soundtrack Mk. II

2009-12-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

Time to bang your heads, motherfuckers.

Eluveitie are Swiss Celts playing a respectable brand of folk metal complete with a hurdy gurdy. The real fun for this band is seeing them live, but it's still a good listen.

I'm not going to post a link to Bathory's M-A page, because you already know who they are and everything about them, right? Good. Blood Fire Death is absolutely fucking mandatory.

This album changed how I thought about music. I is one of the biggest surprises of the past few years and I can't say enough good things about them.

More to come.

Rewilding

2009-12-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a rough copy of the current 2k list I've been running:

Njal leading a buncha WG Terms, usually 5-7 with varied wargear depending on what I feel like trying, rollin' with a LRC.

Grey Hunters x 10, 2x Meltaguns, Rhino
Grey Hunters x 9, Meltagun, Rhino, and a Rune Priest
15 Blood Claws in a LRC with two flamers
Vindicator
Predator Annihilator

Now, if you look at it, you might wonder why I'm not playing a normal Space Marine chapter. In the whole list I really only take advantage of N'jal, a Rune Priest, and the Blood Claws' extra attacks on the charge. There's not a lot of that trademark Space Wolf uniqueness to be had, here, and I'm determined to mix it up. It's also a huge points list, which needs to be changed. Njal and two Land Raiders is so silly.

A disapproving glare from Fenrisian kin!

Step one: Get rid of some of my vehicles. I have been getting great results being Mech'd up and all, but I just don't think it's what the Wolves are supposed to be doing. We have fewer vehicle options than vanilla Marines; we should be using our tanks to supplement our force, not serve as the backbone thereof.

That I've been doing relatively well with so many really speaks to the power of mech and Marine vehicles more than the Space Wolves themselves. My list relies on the presence of lots of armor and I'm not sure I like it. I'm using my basic troops less and less, and the Grey Hunters and Blood Claws are some of the best basic troops around!

Step two: Add more Space Wolf-specific units. I want Lone Wolves, Wolf Guard, and Thunderwolf Cavalry, and I want lots of 'em. I'm having a problem with Thunderwolves and finding an appropriate, varied, and cost-effective model, but I'm sure something will sort it out soon enough. In the meantime, I'm using my bikes for "counts as" cav.

I'm likely going to skip Blood Claws and their variants in this step. Swiftclaw are fantastic and I love them, Skyclaw are pretty scary in the right hands, but I'm just not interested in extra attacks on the charge alone. If I were also taking Ragnar or Wolf Priests I would be set, but those units don't really appeal to me. The extra attack on the charge is cool and all, but not really something that stands out of the Wolf dex as being particularly flavorful. I will have to explore ways to kit these squads up as I play.

Zzzzzzzzz.

Lone Wolves are such a great fluffy unit, I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't taken them more. I think it has something to do with my third game, a crushing defeat at the hands of a local vet who killed my Lone Wolf with storm bolters from two Drop Pods. What the fuck. Well, I'm reinstating my Chainfist/Storm Shield Lone Wolf, and giving him some Fenrisian Wolves to run with once I can find some models for 'em.

I also really need to take advantage of the Wolf Guard. I'm going to run Logan as an HQ and take them as troops, both in and out of Terminator Armor. Drop Pods and Land Raiders and all sorts of nastyness abounds. I've been looking at the "Wolfwing" lists that the internet is so fond of, and I think I'm going to give my own a try. Hopefully it will come out a bit different from the cookie cutters, but we'll see! Historically my Terminators have rolled more 1's on saves than anything else, so I'm a bit leery of this idea, but I figure I have to try.

Step three: Read a Space Wolf story. I haven't decided which one, but I'm going to try and take my own advice and get inspired by the fluff, no matter how bad it is. Any suggestions?

Do I have to? Ugh.

Step four: Take ideas from the audience. Fire away!

Victorious March

2009-11-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

Time to skip ahead a bit and talk about something more exciting, my first 40k win. After two hard-fought draws and a terrifying loss I eeked out a win at 1,000 points against Chaos Daemons.

My list was pretty simple, adapted down from my earlier 1500 point list by dropping the Land Raider and the Terminators, then tossing in some different wargear and weapon loadouts. My Grey Hunter packs gained Mark of the Wulfen, Wolf Standards, and swapped in Plasma guns for the armorless Warp-fiends.

I apologize for the lack of pictures of the game - I will start taking my camera with me and snapping as much as I can, though in test runs it produces less-than-great results

The game was a pitched battle deployment with five objectives. I lost the roll for deployment, and my opponent chose to deploy first. I, of course, failed to seize the initiative.

Fresh off the heels of my humiliating defeat, I tried to learn from past mistakes and deploy a bit tighter. On my right flank I had my Long Fangs set up with my Dreadnought protecting them. A foot-slogging Grey Hunter squad, accompanied by my Rune Priest, held the middle and an objective. On my left flank were my two Rhinos, Blood Claws along the outside and the second Grey Hunter squad on the inside.

I had intended to bait my opponent with the Grey Hunters Rhino and then come smashing into whatever attacked it with the Blood Claws close behind. The Dreadnought on my right flank was solely designed to protect the Fangs from getting chewed through early on, but that would prove to be wishful thinking at best.

With his first turn, my opponent set out a delicious, irrestible trap for me, bringing a squad of Daemonettes just out of range of the Dread while a second squad of Daemonettes and a Keeper of Secrets camped out in cover nearby, waiting for precisely the right time to strike. Would I give in to temptation and charge my Dreadnought at the enemy, spewing flamer fire and leaving my Long Fangs to their own devices?

Fuck yeah, I would. For the Wolftime, motherfuckers!

Look for this guy in an upcoming Space Wolves Soundtrack post. Obviously.

In the bottom of Turn 1, my Dread went straight for the bait, taking out five Daemonettes with his heavy flamer and another two with his assault cannon. Trap or not, I was pretty happy with the result. Left unguarded, my Long Fangs let loose with heavy bolters and a missle, knocking a few wounds off of the second Daemonette squad but failing to leave as lasting of an impression as their mostly-dead walker buddy.

My foot-slogging Greys opened up with their bolters on the hermaphroditic monstrosities, but despite having moved to the objective, only a small handful were within range. I didn't get to throw enough dice, and cover saved the day again. My Rhinos advanced on the action and we moved to turn 2! This is where things get a little ugly for both of us.

Deep striking turned out to be a bit of a pain for my opponent. What I think was a unit of Fiends of Slaneesh didn't get to enter play and another squad of Daemonettes were destroyed by mishap. I guess that's the risk you take with deep striking armies! One group of Fiends did enter near the objective and my combat with the Keeper of Secrets.

Now, I don't really know a lot about the different armies in 40k. My opponent was gentlemanly enough to explain just what each of his units was good at and what I should worry about both before and during the game. Hearing it out loud and seeing it in action are two differen things, though, and I was amazed at just how far his units could move to get into assault range.

His Keeper of Secrets charged out of cover and closed in on my Grey Hunters, taking out a total of six with his massive number of attacks. My Rune priest fired back with his Runic Axe and inflicted two wounds of his own, but things were still a bit scary in the middle of the board for me.

Elsewhere, my Dreadnought had scattered the first squad of Daemonettes while the Fiends advanced on my Long Fangs and tore them apart, killing them all. (My Rhinos were still a bit outside of range, I believe) Oh well, lesson learned there. Don't leave my Long Fangs alone! I haven't really been able to use them that well yet, as they seem to draw the attention of any deep striking/high mobility unit around.

When my turn came up, I had to stop and think about how to act.

This is pretty much how I look at the table the entire time I play.

Higher initiative really terrifies me as a Space Wolf. My second game was against an Eldar army, and the Howling Banshees really did a number on my Terminators. When you take into account the high number of rending attacks in the Chaos Daemon army, I was a bit reluctant to close the gaps and get into melee. Ultimately, I decided that their high mobility would have drawn me into close combat no matter what I wanted, and I might as well fight it on my own terms. If I could at least draw a bonus for charging, I'd be happy.

My Dread turned and faced the second squad of Daemonettes, content with reducing the first to a shadow of their former selves. Another flamer shot added a few notches to his belt, with the assault cannon not really living up to it's earlier effectiveness.

My second Grey Hunter squad disembarked and charged into the Fiends, killing about half and taking minimal casualties. My Rune Priest and his squad were wiped out by the Keeper, who then ran off to fight my Dreadnought. Rattling the cage of their Rhino, my Blood Claws didn't see any action this turn, though their mounted Storm Bolter did manage a casualty on the second Daemonette squad.

At the top of 3, deep striking again failed my opponent as his final squad failed to enter play. When five penetrating hits from the Keeper were rolled on my Dreadnought, things were looking pretty damned grim. Then they all came up 1's and 2's, and I got to swing a gigantic fist back and finish that damned thing for once and for all. The dice gods were apparently pleased with my Dread's earlier display of reckless abandon!

With the Keeper of Secrets dead and both Daemonette squads reduced to less than four members apiece, it was up to the Fiends to do their best and carry the weight. Unfortunately, my Grey Hunters proved too much for them.

At this point my opponent had a tactical choice to make. Does he charge with his remaining Daemonettes and hope to finish off my Grey Hunters, or does he scatter to the opposite end of the board, living to fight another turn? In the spirit of the game, he decided to try and duke it out, which I thought was awesome. It was a very friendly contest, and I was having a really good time rolling so many dice and seeing so much close combat, and he kept the game going strong. It might not have been the most tactically sound decision, but it was certainly fun to finish off the game in assaults.

Aaaaaaaaaaah!

When my turn came up, I did end up finishing the game with close combats. I rolled great saves after the higher initiative strikes and managed to do enough damage to down his remaining troop squads, leaving him with nothing capable of holding the objectives in the subsequent turns. We could have played the game out from there, but we elected to call it a win for me and a good time all around.

We talked for a while afterwards about our thinking and tactics, what we could have done differently and what we thought worked well. For my part, I was really impressed with his positioning and movement around the board. Daemons are already very mobile, and he made excellent use of that strength to keep them threatening. I felt like I deployed a lot stronger and got to actually make use of all my units with one exception.

Poor Blood Claws, not ever getting to leave the comfort of the Rhino and take some skins for their dorm wall back at the Fang. I deployed them far out on my left flank on purpose, hoping my opponent would send something towards those objectives that they could sink their swords into, but he never came that way. Instead of glorious battle they just camped the objective at the end of the last turn, still buckled into their transport seats and probably chomping at the bit for some action. Next time, guys, I promise!

My HQs have died in every game thus far and I continued the trend with my Rune Priest. I need to learn to keep his squad out of the mix, but I really can't help it! It just feels so damned *right* to get stuck in with the Wolves. Next time he'll hang back and blast away with Living Lightning/Murderous Hurricane while his squad brings hot plasma death.

Once again I forgot to make a pre-game crib sheet with my weapons, number of attacks, and other info. I keep meaning to do this and then just cranking out more lists instead, and so far I have relied on my opponents to tell me what I'm hitting and wounding on with every roll. While I appreciate their willingness to help a new player out, I think it's time I started relying on myself so that I can learn the numbers.

The award for game MVP definitely goes to my Dreadnought. Taking out about ten Daemonettes on his own as well as finishing off the Keeper of Secrets while shrugging off rending blows left and right. I hadn't really been able to use him properly until now, but this time he really paid his dues. His Heavy Flamer was the best 10 points I spent in that list.

In other wargear notes, Wolf Standards didn't really do much for me, as I didn't really roll enough ones in the round that I activated it. I'll use them a few more times before making my final judgments. Mark of the Wulfen proved useful when I rolled a 6, earning my Grey Hunters a few more precious attacks to defeat the Fiends in close combat.

All in all I'm really happy with the win. The game was tremendous fun and I had a really good time fighting the Chaos Daemons. They're a really cool army with some fun tricks that keep you on your toes. I can't wait to do it all again, and hopefully next time I'll have some more paint on the table!

Space Wolves Soundtrack Mk. I

2009-11-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

The Space Wolves are an army with plenty of character to go around. When it comes to Werewolf Vikings in Space, you have to be fairly careful in your approach to aesthetics. Most of you are going to end up on one end of the spectrum (BOK link) with the beardo losers who couldn't swing a sword if their lives depended on it or on the other side. On the other hand, if you have an ounce of good taste in your body, you'll play your army like Russ intended; a bunch of blood-thirsty, xeno-wasting, berserk viking motherfuckers without any of the new-agey nonsense or furry affiliation.

(Dressing up like animals to have sex? Bjorn the Fell Handed would eat these babies for breakfast.)

In order to help you avoid turning yourself into the portrait of an ineffectual nerd, I'm going to give some recommendations for Space Wolf-inspired listening. The music makes the army, motherfuckers.

We'll start with the aforementioned Amon Amarth. Yes, they're terribly popular and well-known to metalheads, but they're also one of the finest viking metal acts around. Twilight of the Thunder God was one of the best albums of 2008, full to the drinking horn's brim with viking mythology and crushing riffs.

Fuck yes. It's obvious, but it's still so fucking good.

All of their back catalog is worth listening to and they've got a DVD, Wrath of the Norsemen, complete with dudes fighting on stage in full viking regalia. I watch this while painting. Get the fuck into it.

For slightly more esoteric viking metal we turn to Enslaved, and in particular last year's transcendent Vertebrae. Enslaved is a band that has never been afraid to experiment with their sound, but none of the results have been as phenomonal as Vertebrae. 1996's Frost is a black metal masterpiece, but Vertebrae is something else entirely. Experimental and progressive without ever becoming masturbatory or boring, Vertebrae is a perfect metal album. It's challenging, atmospheric, and varied. Play it when you're making lists or talking Wolf tactics; it's a bit more cerebral than the rest.

Enslaved videos have always been so damned hilarious. Please just pay attention to the music here.

That's all for now, more will follow soon!

A Mediocre Debut

2009-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Don't let the title fool you; I had an excellent time playing my very first game of 40k. I rolled into Endgame with my army packed inside a Space Hulk box, freshly assembled without even a drop of primer in sight. I mistakenly set up on one side of the gaming area - directly opposite from all the actual 40k players - and started diligently studying my rulebook.

Once I realized my mistake, I approached a couple of players who were setting up a Space Marine vs. Chaos Daemon game on a table and asked if I could watch them play. I explained that I had never played 40k before and was new to the hobby, and I was hoping I could get an idea of how the game plays by watching someone else. They were very friendly and told me to pull up a chair, so I went to get my things.

On my way back over, I was intercepted by some folks painting around a table and I got offered a game of my own! Of course I accepted, eager to start rolling dice and pushing plastic. We settled on a points amount of 1250 based on what I had brought with me and sat down to get things together. I explained that I would need a lot of hand-holding and help with the rules, but my opponent was a very gentlemanly sort who was eager to help a new player out. A great start for me!

Our game ended up being Marines on Marines, Space Wolves facing off against the iconic Ultramarines. I brought two squads of Grey Hunters along with some Long Fangs, a Land Raider Crusader stuffed with Terminators, and a Rune Priest leading the way. I only had a single Rhino modeled at the time, but I was determined to put it to good use. We each had a single Dreadnought.

Aren't these guys just begging for a frost axe in their smug little faces?

Rolling for mission type and deployment we came up with a two-objective pitched battle. My opponent placed an objective in the north east (from my position) corner and I put mine closer to the middle of the board in the west. When the time came to deploy, I let him go first so that I could observe and see how he positioned his forces. I was pretty clueless on how to do this effectively and I thought I could get a decent idea by watching someone else.

The Ultramarines set up camp on their objective with a Tactical Squad and Vindicator. Meanwhile, a pair of Rhinos containing more Tacs & his Dread made ready to charge my objective.

For my part, I set up with my Long Fangs atop a hill, behind cover and with a clear line of sight to the objective, ready to pop the incoming Rhinos with Lascannons and then open up with Heavy Bolters on the contents. My first squad of Grey Hunters was foot-slogging their way towards the objective from the same hill, armed with the only special weapons I had modeled at the time - a pair of plasma guns. The second went in my Rhino a bit further east, capable of reinforcing my objective if things went bad or turning towards my opponent's if I thought I had a chance to make it. My Land Raider sat firmly between the two groups.

At the time of this writing the game was over three and a half weeks ago. I had wanted to write about it but was so wrapped up in playing that I forgot to take detailed notes, so what follows is more of a rough summary than a genuine battle report. Those will come later, hopefully with some illustration to make them more interesting.

On the first turn my opponent moved in on my objective with his Rhinos and Dread and stayed camped out on his own. There wasn't much shooting to speak of, and so the turn passed to me and I got to make my first 40k moves. I closed in on the objective with my Grey Hunters while my Long Fangs took shots at the Rhinos, immobilizing one and glancing off the other. Our Dreadnoughts met in the middle and started swinging at one another, neither doing much damage.

Dramatic re-creation of our heated Dreadnought battle.

My Rhino inched toward the objective, but I didn't know the rules well enough to remember I could have moved a full 12" rather than just 6".

My Land Raider moved closer to the objective to reinforce both squads of Grey Hunters, staying carefully out of range of the Ultramarine's Vindicator, but again I only moved 6". At least I got to take some shots with the mounted multi-melta & cannon, missing the Rhinos by an embarrassingly wide margin.

Eventually I finished off his advance on my objective, though it cost me my Grey Hunters, my Rune Priest, my Rhino, a fair amount of my Wolf Guard Terminators, and my Dreadnought. His walker got the best of mine, but my lascannon-wielding Long Fangs stepped up and took revenge mere seconds later.

When the battle for my objective was said and done, I had my Long Fangs, about a half-dozen Grey Hunters, my Land Raider, and three Wolf Guard Terminators. When the battle started to turn my way, my opponent started to move his Vindicator up into the mix, forcing me to counter with my Land Raider. After some disappointing shooting from my tank early, I was hoping to show that little snub-nosed bitch (the Vindicator, not my opponent!) what's up.

The Vindicator's Siege Cannon: Size Matters?

Unfortunately, the Vindicator had other plans. A shot from my multi-melta missed yet again and then the Vindy fired back, exploding my Land Raider with a single siege shell. I will forever live my life in fear of those bulldozer Saturday Night Specials on treads.

The game ended before I could slog my way close enough to contest his objective and secure the win. Blowing up my LRC really screwed my plan over, but I suppose I only have myself to blame. There were far more effective ways to maneuver my tank towards the objective, I simply chose the simplest and most direct route.

I went home feeling pretty good about getting a draw on my first game. I met a lot of friendly folks and had a really good time actually playing the game, which is always important. I also learned a lot about the game systems and how to make my army work. I learned that points value does not always mean a unit can trump another, similar unit (260 point LRC vs. 125 point Vindicator) and that I need to be more careful in how I move around the board.

The rest of the night I spent trying to figure out ways I could have won the game. I was hooked hard, and I couldn't wait to get in another game. Isn't newbie enthusiasm adorable?

Space Wolves List #1 - 1500 Points.

2009-10-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Time to take a break in the story for a Space Wolf list! I designed this list to be fun, capable of winning, and to include as many of my assembled toys as I could for the point cost. Let's get right to it, shall we?

HQ
Rune Priest (100)
Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane

ELITES
Dreadnought (115)
Assault Cannon, Heavy Flamer

Wolf Guard Terminators x 5 (220)
Chainfist, Thunderhammer + Stormshield, Heavy Flamer, Wolf Claw

TROOPS
Blood Claws x 9 (208)
Wolf Guard w/ Power Fist, Flamer, Rhino

Grey Hunters x 9 (205)
Meltagun, Power Weapon, Mark of the Wulfen, Rhino

Grey Hunters x 9 (228)
Wolf Guard w/ Power Fist, Meltagun, Power Weapon, Rhino

HEAVY SUPPORT

Long Fangs x 6 (160)
Missle Launcher, Lascannon x 2, Heavy Bolter x 2

Land Raider Crusader (260)
Multi-melta

Total : 1496

Now, some tweaks. You could drop the Rune Priest (who attaches to the Grey Hunter squad without a Wolf Guard, obviously) and turn him into a Wolf Priest to accompany the Blood Claws and crank up their output. I'm not in favor of this really, because you're losing out on all of the awesome Rune Priest psychic abilities.

Speaking of those, feel free to tweak them to your play style and opponent. Jaws has been pretty fantastic for me on at least one occasion, so I will probably sub out Murderous Hurricane every once in a while.

Wargear on the Wolf Guard Terminators is for preference, really. I always hesitate to take a TH + SS model, (because the points cost is almost that of another squad member!) but I also really like how they look. I definitely welcome advice on how to kit out my Wolf Guard, as it's one thing I've really struggled with.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the list. I've got a few heavy flamer templates to throw down, some meltaguns & lascannons for the inevitable tank bustin', and a lot of cool Space Wolf toys. It could use a good tweaking and some games under it's belt, but it looks good on paper!

Guardians of Asgard

2009-10-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

Despite the allure of Space Hulk, it wasn't really until I was buying paints down at Endgame that I knew for a certainty that playing 40k was in my near future. While asking for some advice with the paints, I noticed that they had a copy of the new Space Wolf codex behind the counter.

I knew the Space Wolves from my previous experience with Dawn of War. They're a color choice in the Army Painter, and even though I kind of loathed the color scheme that now graces this blog, I felt compelled to investigate them a bit. I knew that they were the sons of Leman Russ, who was apparently some big fancypants in the 40k world, and that they liked having big, scary wolves along for their fightin'.

Danzig approves of the Wolftime.

I never got much further than that, but they seemed like an okay lot for Space Marines. Chaos and I were still holding hands and skipping merrily through the battlefield together, picking skulls for the skull throne, and nothing was going to ruin our love.

Then I saw the cover to the new Wolves codex up close. Uhm, holy crap.

Turns out that the Space Wolves are more than just an ugly color scheme, they're motherfucking rune magic-slinging Space Vikings with huge goddamned axes and furs everywhere.

Now, I listen to an awful lot of metal, and some of my favorite bands either sing about vikings, dress like vikings, or both. I've got a big beard, I wear t-shirts with the eldar futhark written all over em, and I listen to prodigious amounts of extreme music. The Space Wolves and I, we're going to get along just fine.

If you're a Space Wolf player and you don't listen to Amon Amarth, you should probably kill yourself for doing it wrong so hard.

To prevent myself from doing anything stupid, I force myself out of the store without ordering anything and go home. Unfortunately, the internet is at home, and the internet is full of pictures of the awesome new wolf kits. Before I even know what's happening, I am on the Endgame forums putting in a preorder for a bunch of the new Space Wolf stuff. So much for resolve, eh?

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I've got my first boxes in hand. I start putting together some Grey Hunters and Blood Claws, along with a few Wolf Guards in Terminator Armor. This is where I start to make rookie mistakes. I don't really think about the weapon loadouts I'm giving my Wolf Guard.

If I could do it all over again, I'd take the time to get some magnets and put them inside the arms so that I could swap them out easily. Oh well. I was very excited to start modeling and playing, and my enthusiasm got the better of me. Hopefully it won't happen again!

I also made a few mistakes and modeled some Blood Claws poorly. I made one with a Plasma Pistol and Power Sword, a wargear combination that I don't think I will ever actually use in a list. I ended up just breaking his arms off later on and replacing them, but I still wish I hadn't done it wrong the first time.

Building my first army taught me to be patient. It's really exciting to get your guys together and start playing with them or painting, but a little bit of research into weapon loadouts or a little bit of preparation for future flexibility goes a very long way. Have a good idea of your list and unit makeup before you start putting these guys together; the amount of options can be pretty staggering!

Dawn of Warhammer

2009-10-18T23:27:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm playing up the whole "new guy" angle quite a bit, but I wasn't coming into the hobby completely blind. Back when I lived in Milwaukee I had a couple of friends who frequented a now-defunct FLGS called Napoleon's. They played 40k, Mordheim, and Necromunda, though I couldn't really say how often. My buddy Andrew roped me into a Mordheim and Necromunda game apiece, and I had a decent enough time playing that I thought I might enjoy 40k.

I picked up a box each of Fire Warriors & Pathfinders and put em together soon after. Even started painting the little guys, though I did a pretty terrible job at it.

The hobby didn't take that time around, though. My early/middle twenties were a terrible time for anything that required a significant investment on my part, either in money or hours. There were just too many other things that needed doing, too many other cities to visit and adventures to have. Alas, my beloved Tau soon became the de facto property of Andrew after sitting in his house unloved for so long. I wonder what ever happened to those guys!

Years pass and I pick up a copy of the original Dawn of War for my PC. Games Workshop's licensing would see me return to the 40k universe for another crack at fandom. This time I really enjoyed myself, though that's hardly surprising. I've always been a big RTS fan, and Dawn of War was a well-designed and unique game that really took advantage of the setting.

I kept up with Dawn of War for as long as it was supported, buying each of the four (!) expansions and playing multiplayer games over Hamachi with some internet buddies for weeks at a time. Eventually I'd get bored and stop playing for a while, but I always came back to DoW at one point or another. There are very few games I've revisited as often, and that speaks volumes.

An oldie, but a goodie.

Dawn of War served as an excellent introduction to the armies and universe of Warhammer 40k. I loved the Orks and their low-tech weapons, but Chaos was my jam from day one. I favored the Tau once they came along in the Dark Crusade expansion, thanks to the loveable smashy Krootox and pewpew goodness of Fire Warriors. When Soulstorm came out, the Sisters of Battle charmed me with their love for heavy flamers and creepy mechanized units. Unfortunately, bugs and balance problems marred that particular expansion so fiercely that I never really got to enjoy my time with them. Perhaps another time, Repentia!

Fast forward a bit to the release of Dawn of War 2 this last February. A redesign from the ground up based on the Company of Heroes model for RTS gaming? Intriguing! I bought this game on day one, of course.

Dawn of War 2 didn't really light my fire, but it did do some interesting things that kept me playing for a while. Multiplayer was just too competitive and broken at launch for me to get really into it, and Warhammer 40k fell out of my world once again, only to return with the relaunch of Space Hulk.

Tomorrow: Buying my first army! Maybe even a bonus list, my very first published on the internet. Exciting shit.

The Beginning of the End

2009-10-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

At first glance, Warhammer 40,000 and I are not a very good match. It's a science fiction setting; I generally prefer fantasy. It has pretty high barriers to entry; (more about those in a second) and I think that accessibility is one of the most important traits a game can have. There's a strong artistic element to the hobby; I can barely draw a stick figure, much less paint one.

So how the hell did I find myself spending hundreds of dollars on little plastic Space Marines? It's kind of complicated, but it also makes a certain kind of sense.

When I was a little kid, I owned a copy of this board game called Space Hulk. I didn't really know much about it, and I think I only managed to get my brother to play me in it once or twice. I would have been about 13 at the most, and he would have been 10. A lot of the finer points of turn-based tactical boardgaming were lost on us, but we couldn't care less. We had power swords and heavy flamers and swarms of aliens at our command!

Those of you familiar with the game of course know that it's set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. I didn't realize this until this last year, when I read that Space Hulk would be re-released and a rush of childhood memories hit me like a chainfist. I had to have a copy of that game again!

I found myself in Games of Berkeley, looking for a few D&D sourcebooks to help get my new campaign started and giving my new friend Tre a quick tour of gaming stores in the area. Two other gentlemen of obvious nerd pedigree were standing nearby, talking about some game or another. After a few lines of strained dialogue, I realized that they were talking about Space Hulk. One of them uttered "You should probably buy it. There's only three copies left."

Glancing over to where they were standing, I saw a copy perched on the shelf between them. With the sudden alacrity of a fat cop going for the last doughnut, I darted into their midst and laid my mitts on the precious box. "And now there's two!" I cackled.

(On an unrelated note, it was during this trip that I received the best service on any trip to Games of Berkeley. Could it be that attending with a female friend who can clearly hold her own in RPG supplement-related discussion had some bearing on the way the staff treated me? Shocking!)

Only once I got the box home and popped the lid open to play my inaugural game did I realize that there would be assembly required. I should have known, of course, but I wasn't really prepared for it. Back to the store I went to pick up some plastic cutters, glue, a knife, some files, oh and why the hell not? I'll pick up some paints & brushes too. If I'm going to do this thing, I'm going to do it right!

I settled on some P3 paints, because I had heard good things about them during a brief stint internet-flirting with Warmachine/Hordes a couple years ago. I picked out some appropriately Space Hulk-y colors and some Reaper brushes, went back to my house, and got to work.

Roughly an hour into the assembly I knew I was in trouble. I was putting together a Blood Angels Terminator, complete with a gigantic Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield when it hit me. Not the Thunder Hammer, mind.

I was having more fun putting that little dude together than I had playing most other boardgames I'd touched in the last few months. How fucking awesome is that? It's a snap-together model, not even something that requires any posing or skill on my part, but the sheer attention to detail of the figure and the zen-like focus you get when cutting and filing all the tiny plastic bits really resonated with me. That's when I knew I was bit, and I'd probably have to start looking into playing a real tabletop wargame.

Up next: While My Wallet Softly Weeps - First Steps to 40K.

Hail and Kill!

2009-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sweeping Advance, a collection of sagas from a new Warhammer 40,000 "general". And when I say "new", I really mean new. I'm 28 and just getting started in the hobby, which is a bit of an oddity from what I've gathered, so I have lots to learn and write about. Expect battle reports, stories about assembly and painting, army lists, 40k tidbits, and whatever else I can come up with.

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Grey Hunters in the banner image were painted by Irondog Studios & used with permission, of course)