The Importance of Being Idle: How I Love the Credit Crunch

Never give up. Never surrender. Never have too much to do

Those are the three ideals of the standard gamer. The Three Ns if you will. It's important to never have too much to do, on a hobby and game perspective, and it's also important to never surrender, again from both a hobby and game perspective

Case point: My Eldar army. Back in April 2008, I purchased 3 Falcons, 20 Dire Avengers, a Farseer, and 6 Fire Dragons. That wasn't a problem for me to paint up, and dammit I knew! That was, until I realised that I had a Battle Company to get on with as well, and only had the cash at that point to buy one type of spray paint

I chose the WHITE one. And then I was careless... the ENTIRITY of both projects were botched up and suddenly I have a problem on my hands. Need to think about how to patch it up. That's another story though - the point is, you budget and you scheme and you think from every angle. Happily enough, I chose to take some time (a year later) to finish the force, and that made up for the mistakes.

Oh well... we'll see

White Dwarf Archive!

Games Workshop has snapped!

See the WD Archive here!!!

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/blogPost.jsp?aId=2300001a

EDIT: I'm just adding the GW feed now, lol

Herald Highlight: Dice is Life

Words are Ours. Warhammer is Ours. Dice is Life... is it?

Math-hammer is a core component of the game for many people, indeed I use it sometimes myself. For example, you're in the Ork Codex and you want Zogwort. What is the chance you'll get the power? What is the chance that Zogwort's Curse will go off? What is the tactical uses for each of the powers? Who would you be using it on?

It's a question of tactical chance...the chance to do something advantageous, or the chance to damage you. Everything needs to be weighed out, tactics need to be chosen before the game even begins, you need control of the game, you need control of the field. Another example, Wood Elf Dryad armies. Too much Treesinging, expensive troops... incredible amounts of options. That is, until you reach a board that isn't based around trees... then you find the tactical options limited to that single set of trees you get free at the beginning of the game

How do you adapt? Can't precisely ask your opponent if you can add 20 sets of trees at the beginning of the game... but you can't ask for a few of them to be removed either? Difficult. Stop praying for your dice gods, and start praying for an all-rounder list. Pick a race that won't crumble in Khorne's heat. Pick Warriors of Chaos - everyone knows they're a Cold list (see BoLS), which doesn't need good rolling to win. That's the sad effect of Mathammer - you pick the list that won't need calculation, or have to pick a list that relies upon such calculations. How does that work out for the hobby? Answer - not well. Not well at all.

So end it. End the mass calculations. Now

My Sons Shall Destroy You All...

Over the past 2 years, I have amassed a small Nurgle Force. This force is nearing it's end... or at least, the end to the Infantry. Now begins the task of adding the mechanised support, and Apocalypticizing it...

The key points of my army are obviously all Sacred Number based. For example, my plague marines total to 49 models. My Terminators focus force against the seven most important targets. My tanks must be prepared to fight seven at once. That sort of thing, really. Then there is the doctrine of the Death Guard - namely, the lack of Heavy weaponry, and the fact that they are a trench force. That is why my army is hard... and slow. Your assault units don't have any reason to come to me, and I have no reason to come to your assault units

But the army itself? I don't do images (yet) but I do enjoy making lists. This is the list of my models:

• Typhus the Traveller, Herald of Nurgle
• Chaos Sorcerer of Nurgle (FW model)
• 13 Terminator Champions of Nurgle (squads of 7)
• 7 Chosen of Nurgle (Melta support)
• 14 Possessed of Nurgle (Pray for FNP)
• 49 Plague Marines (including options for 5 Meltaguns, 5 Flamers, and 1 Plasma Gun)
• 4 Champions (1 PW/PP, 2 PF/PP, 1 PW/BP)
• 4 Bikers of Nurgle
• 10 Chaos Spawn
• 21 Havocs (That's 9 Missile Launchers, 2 Lascannons, 1 Heavy Bolter)
• 3 Possessed Vindicators (2 new, 1 old. Old one is Command Tank)

That's the stuff. I think it translates to at least a fair few points (lol). Should be interesting to field

Nurgle Progress

Well. I've finally returned to the Death Guard... and I didn't need to buy a single damned model

Over the years i've been in the hobby, i've picked up a fair few models that I don't like. Whether it's a bad model or a bad paint job (or both :O), I will keep it

And this is when it pays off

I use them as Plague Marines. Bit of green stuff, modelled with whatever is handy (I used a knife with a small bit taken off, to allow for easier sculpting). Out of the 49 that i'm making, i've done 14 so far

But this wasn't all

I've finally used my Vindicator, from about a year ago. Large GS on it, to show Nurgle 'tri skull' symbols. Might post that eventually, lool

But hey. Thats 7 left until i've got 49 GS Plague Marines

Herald Highlight: And I looked down upon my new dominion... and I thought it good

Temptation strikes from all frontiers, being the single unseen enemy of all hobbyists. One cannot deny this, being such an overwhelmingly obvious fact. Therefore, it stands to reason that this must be crushed - inevitablility must crumble, under the stern gaze of the hearts of good, strong, men!

Out of the long words (aww!) now. That's the key fact of the hobby, which will be covered in this highlight of the hobby. The first key fact to be covered in Hobby Academy Summer 2009. A new section on the site, I believe

It's the first thing we need to overcome each and every day that we take part in the hobby. That creeping feeling at the back of our heads... calling. Planetstrike looks pretty nice. Space Marines get reinforcements - you like that, remember! Don't give in!

Thats the point of every project, work in progress, plan, or army you will do. If you fail to gain any control over your hobby... then the hobby will have the chance to gain control over you. Believe me, we've all purchased something we didn't want... some more than others... and no-one wants to go back on that road!

So look for the signs. Listen for the pains. Consult your doctor for possible side effects. Remember to take the pills. This is one enemy you must defeat, by all costs!

The Shadow Dancers: Chaos Army

In order to gear up for Planetstrike, each blogger had to restart an old army, and make it so that the force could work for both Attackers and Defenders

Therefore, I decided to look back at my Daemons army... and I wept

HQ:
Fateweaver
Herald of Khorne
Herald of Khorne

Troops:
10 Bloodletters
10 Bloodletters
10 Bloodletters
10 Plaguebearers
10 Plaguebearers

Fast Attack:
5 Flesh Hounds
5 Flesh Hounds

Elites:
9 Flamers
9 Flamers
6 Fiends

Heavy Support:
Soulgrinder
Soulgrinder
Soulgrinder


This is the basic force, before anything is added...

Getting Started with Planetstrike

Games Workshop has recently released the article 'Getting Started with Planetstrike', but there are some things it doesn't tell you about...

How do you form effective armies? How do you play a game awesomely?

All of these need to be answered. But how? You can't particularly say everything necessary on the internet without GW ripping the blog apart... so we have to sit in silence until PS gets the same amount of article time as everything else

Check out our Planetstrike tag for information

Planetstrike: Power of the Eldar

Dark Eldar

Eldar

Chaos Daemons


All of these armies benefit from this new expansion. But how, you ask. Well then, it's time we look at the abilities you can get

The Dark Eldar have the BIGGEST bonus of all the races from the expansion - the ability of Hellish Cacophany. This allows you to deduct one from your opponent (defenders) leadership each turn - sure, Fearless and Stubborn people have no problem, and you need Three Objectives in order to purchase it, but it is well worth it against any non-Tyranid or Crimson Fist force!

Eldar gain the next biggest advantage. Sure, you need to have a deep strike heavy army... but Webway Assault is far better than Hellish Cacophany when it comes to deployment. Rerolling the scatter dice for ANY deep strike, as well as being able to roll for reserves all at once, and then allocating them yourself, is brilliant! I can't wait to test this out...

Chaos Daemons don't even need a unique bonus... their special rules are simply boosted here. Thats right... the whole army has Deep Strike. This means that, while you can technically use the Drop Zone (making the deployment more constant,) you could also use the Deep Strike and then CHARGE. Khorne Wept...

Anyway, that's a brief overview of benefits... and thats before you look at the normal stuff

Herald Highlight: So this is Planetstrike... and what have we done?

So this is Planetstrike? I guess we should look back to a month or so ago

I made so many predictions of what would be involved - the assault of Deep Striking specialists, the idea of tunnel systems.... and I have to admit that I think i've got it right. Planetstrike DOES allow units with the Deep Strike special rule to assault on the turn they arrive - giving Raptors an actual use - but it doesn't technically allow Drop Pod marines to do so as well

There ARE tunnel routes, but these are Strategms - Escape Hatch is awesome, by the way

But this isn't the point of this article. This article is about how i'm looking at starting a new army, just for Planetstrike! I am, of course, talking about Dark Eldar

BUT WHY??? You exclaim. Dark Eldar suck, don't they? True - in a normal game, they'll be ripped apart 1 2 3... but in Planetstrike, they finally gain a purpose. You see, Dark Eldar always have to be an Attacker in all missions they take part in (this is an ancient rule that was lost in the 4th-5th change over), and this means that they don't have to think about the mediocre Defender strategies that can be put into place. Also, they have the living terror that is the Lance Army - which is perfect for taking out the objectives

But this isn't it, mind you! You see, i've always admired Dark Eldar really - well, in 4th Ed I did. The fact that they could only have Troops as scoring in 5th, and man are their troops mediocre, it meant that I didn't see the point to them anymore. It wouldn't work!!! So with the whole fact that EVERYTHING scores, it really makes up for it

But what army can someone do with this sort of stuff?

Well, i'd start with HQs. I feel like someone who can kick ass from the word go - so i'll use Lelith. Deadly

Next, we have the Fast Attack. I choose Hellions - jetbikes, or something, so they can Deep Strike. Add some Raiders for DS warriors!

Etc etc... it works... good