IG Hobby Progress and Some Cool Models

Ok before anyone says hey thats not IG, that is true but he is for my IG army so it counts.  Yep thats my brand spanking new inquisitor, all assembled and primed, ready for some paint.  I don't like the way he holds his sword outstretched in the standard look so I rotated the sword arm to have to look like he is resting it and more focused on the shot than looking cool.  The needle pistol(thats what its supposed to be) is made from a Dark Eldar pistol, the magazine from the boltgun he comes with and a scope from the tactical marine kit.  And a bit of green stuff.  No crazy conversion work, but I really like how it looks, he just seems a little more menacing now and the pistol has the right proportions, the boltgun he comes with just looks too big the way he is holding it.  I plan on painting him the same color scheme as my storm troopers, you can see them in my older post on basing, they are in the pictures there.  A maroon red on black with bronze and other metallic highlights, and go from there.  He should look great when finished and will go well with my Storm Troopers (New Codex please let them be useful).

IG allies and Happy Holidays

First off I want to thank everyone, all your comments and support has been awesome and keeps me doing this blog thing.  Its nice to know that there are others out there that enjoy and believe in the same things when it comes to our hobby.  Though I make it a point not to bring my personal life onto the blog I will make an exception here.  For everyone here in the states I hope you are all having or had a great thanksgiving, no matter where or who you spent it with.  I just got back from visiting my wife's family, long drive but it was a good time.  Good to be back home though and get back to warhammer.  To those of you heathens not in the states, well I hope you all had a great week and things are looking up.

Thoughts on Counts-as

Well today I want to talk about my thoughts on Counts as/proxy, whatever you want to call it.  I know there is some controversy over it and I will admit there is some parts of Counts as that can get me going as well.  But I think counts as can be ok as well, it comes down to why you are doing it and what you are using.  For me this goes back a while, as I have been around the block with 40k and remember a time where the use of models on the board was very loose.  You could bring proxies/counts as as you desired, the age old deodorant land speeder comes to mind, the only thing that mattered was What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG).  That used to be what mattered, WSYIWYG, not if you had the actual model.  Ok your cardboard box with wheels is a leman russ, does it have a battle cannon? Check.  Does it have a lascannon? Check.  Is it about the right size?  Check.  Alright then looks good.  Now adays its not as important, and you know what thats not a bad thing in and of itself

Imperial Guard & Inquisitorial Storm Troopers

Ok so today I want to talk about one of my favorite units in the Imperial Guard, though they are not my favorite on the tabletop despite my desires.  That unit is the ole glory boys, the big toy soldiers, the Storm Troopers (Kasr Kin if you are Cadian).  I love the fluff of these guys, the orphans of the Imperium's wars and selected for a life of service in the elite shock troops of the Imperial Guard, given the best training and equipment the Departmento Munitorum can offer.  Sadly they don't perform so well on the table and I will talk more about that later.  I really want to talk about their fluffyness and the armies I would like to see them in.  The release of the Inquisition codex has also gotten me in a Storm Trooper mood, as I love the look of the Inq STs and have really wanted to do a Inq ST army for a while.  Unfortunately the rules to now have not made that easy.

Imperial Guard Rumors: Steal Legion & Mordians

Latest and greatest from the rumor mill is that the Steel Legion and Mordian Iron Guard will be receiving plastic kits come the new release.  Now I can see the steel legion but the mordians are little out of left field, but I know they have their fans.  I can see this coming to place as steel legion have always been popular and wouldn't need too much to get a plastic kit going for them.  A new infantry squad and an upgrade sprue would be enough for you to get an army going, same for the mordians.  The IG are really hard for GW since they have so many different regiments, and unlike space marines they look drastically different from one to the next.

The Shadow Grows Closer: Fighting the Tyranids

With the shadow growing ever closer, we will be facing the Tyranid menace once again and many guardsmen will die for the emperor to hold back the great devourer.  Tyranids are rumored to be released next month and with it the upsurge of the army being seen in play.  Now the tyranids have been always a unique army, and each new codex brings pretty decent changes to how the army functions which can make it difficult to prepare for.  But there are a few things we can expect to see as well based on the trends of the 6th ed dexs that have been released so far.  Now I have been fighting tyranids for a long time, my buddy that I got into gaming with played them so as you can imagine they are one of the armies that I fought and learned to counter early on.  I know, I'm awesome.  In all seriousness though they are a tough army to beat when wielded correctly.

Hobby Quick Tip: Using Techincal Paints for Basing

Ok so I recently got the Agrellan Earth technical paint and it is actually pretty awesome and you can make some pretty neat bases using it real quick and easy.  As you can kind of see, when it dries it cracks and makes a cool cracked earth look, like a mud flat that dried out or a desert.  If you are unsure what to base your army with or just don't want to do all the gluing then this is a great option.  I know people like to get on GW for how much their stuff is, but look at what they are coming out now with.  The paints over all have improved greatly over the years and continue to expand.   Here is how it looks once its all dried.

The Fall of the Imperial Guard

Or is it just the rise of the Xenos(and other armies) that have contributed to the supposed decline of IG.  First off I don't think the IG have declined at all, the army is still great and more than competitive on its own, even more so with allies.  I think there is a few things going on here that are contributing to this "decline" though.  First is simply that other armies have gotten better, across the board, all the new codex's are competitive, some more so than others (Tau).  What this means is that IG is no longer king of the hill with all the undesirables beneath it.  Now we have to share the table and sharing sucks.  I personally have had to work a little bit harder to win recently, and I like it.  Are the uber net builds hard to beat, yeah and you will struggle against it.  But most people don't play that way, or even have the models to do those builds. 

Hobby Progress and Thoughts on Allies

Well it has been a busy week so far, unfortunately did not get any games in, my buddy had work issues and by that time I was geeking out too much over the Inquisition and how to ally with my IG army to really get in a gaming mood.  I did get a bit of hobby stuff done and as you can see above, I have some servo skulls ready to be painted and added to the army.  I have my inquisitor and all the bits I want on order and can't wait, I am hoping to have them all ready for a game this weekend, but at least I will have models, if not painted.  I really am getting more excited about inquisition the more I read and think about it.  It is such a godsend to IG and in my opinion puts IG back at the top table (though we really didn't leave, just have been sharing it lately IMO).  You can build in CC units, anti-psyker and anti-daemon defenses, awesome weapons and gear (psychotroke grenades :)) and are only limited by the points you want to spend, and the great thing is you don't have to, for less than a primaris psyker you get three servo skulls and prescience, that is really huge.  Anyways on to other hobby stuff

IG and the Inquisition:The Sun is Shining Through the Clouds

Well I have finally had a chance to really go through the codex and I have to say, despite it now being everything I was hoping for, there are some great bright spots to it that make this a great supplement to the IG army.  After sleeping on it I have gotten over that assassins are not in here and have taken a hard look at what it does bring.  First off as I mentioned in my first thoughts last night is that the inquisitor is all you have to take, and he can always be your warlord no matter what.  And you really want him to be, because the warlord table for all the Ordos are fantastic, there is not a single bad choice, just ones that are a little less good.  They all share the first three traits, which boil down to the SM chapter master orbital bombardment, warlord and unit can choose to pass or fail morale checks, roll two dice and choose which you want for reserves, outflank, mysterious objectives and terrain.  In short awesome.  Then you have three specific to each Ordos, Hereticus has preferred enemy(psykers), adamantium will, and infiltrators cannot set up with 24" of your warlord.  Again awesome.  Malleus has preferred enemy(Daemons),  daemons suffer a -1 to invul save (min 6+) if within 12" and it is cumulative, and last is an extra warp charge(not mastery level) if psyker, or adamantium will if not.  Xenos has preferred enemy to xenos races, 6+ invul and make one weapon +1 strength and rending, and Hatred.  So in short no matter what you roll, awesome!

Inquisition: First Thoughts

So I have had a good start to my hobby weekend.  I got a few tanks repainted from my old paint scheme into my new one.  Getting my armored IG regiment ready to fight is no small task, but hopefully by next week it will be all painted and ready for battle.  Hoping for a game tomorrow, but I also have death watch to look forward too, so either way I'm getting some juicy 40K in.  Also I updated the Counter Drop Pod Tactics post, added demonstration photos and a few other things, check it out along with my other tactics articles.

The meat of this is that Inquisition was released a short while ago, and to be honest I am a little underwhelmed.  I was really hoping for more than just henchmen and an inquisitor.  But this does not mean it is horrible. The force org rules make up for the lack of other options.  You can have your normal detachment, allied, and then an inquisitor on top of that, who can be your warlord if you want.  They are cheap base cost, so that is a big plus in that you don't have to spend a lot of points on them, and if you are looking for a psyker, they still end up being not only cheaper than a primaris, but are also better.  Not as good as I would like but saving those few points means more power weapons and krak grenades on your infantry.

Imperial Guard Tactics:Counter Drop pod/Deep Strike Tactics

So this comes as a guest request, and once I got thinking about it, became hard not to want to write about.  So Sjb, here you are as requested, tactics to use  against a Drop Pod/ Deep strike heavy army.  These armies are very hard to face as IG, they are prob one of the best hard counters against the IG, one of the reasons blood angels in 5th did so well against IG.  They bypass the deployment and come down right in front of you and don't allow you time to attrit them down to a manageable number.  They tend to be 3+ drop pods coming down turn one, and bring lots of firepower and can be devastating alpha strike.  However they have a few weaknesses, the first being only half of the drop pods can arrive turn 1, the rest have to wait in reserve.  The other is the fact that they have to commit fully to the drop pod list, spending points on this to make it effective.  This makes it strong, but also means that it is limited in what it brings.  What you will find is these armies have a critical mass they have to achieve, if they don't they peter out and lose quickly.  Now all is not lost, there are a few things you can do to mitigate the drop pod armies strengths and turn it to your advantage.

Funny Hypocrites and Power Gamers

Now don't want the picture to make you think I am hating on Tau, they are just a  good example of some of the things going on in the meta right now.  Now I have recently started listening to lots of different 40k pod casts.  I like hearing the different opinions and subjects they talk about.  However while listening to a few of these I noticed a trend among them.  Firstly they all tend to bemoan the state of the game and the tournament scene, how certain builds are so prevalent among players and tournaments.  Usually its about tau, screamer star, wave serpent spam etc.  Then they also usually talk about what they have been doing in the hobby.  This is where I start to laugh, as these guys who are complaining about those builds, are making them or playing with them themselves.  I just find it funny, and then of course comes the excuse of "well I play in tournaments to win so I have to take it" blah blah blah.  Which in my opinion is an excuse for mental laziness.

New Inquisition, The Imperial Guard, and You

Greetings to all and I hope your week is going well.  Mine is and part of it is because I am a little bit excited about the inquisition codex set to be released this weekend.   I have always wanted to do an inquisitorial army but I am more of an Ordo Xenos guy and the Grey Knights and previous codex's focused too much on killing deamons for my taste. But with this supplement/codex I may finally be able to do my alien hunters.  Now if you are a guard player, you really should be excited about this, as if what the rumors are true, or even close to being true, then there is a lot of gooddies to be had.

Imperial Guard Tactics: Quick Tip Against Tau

I have had a pretty good weekend, no tabletop but got our first game of deathwatch in.  Was a lot of fun and I had a great time being a space wolf.  I am def lucky that we have a good group that meshes well and that we all picked good classes that ended up complementing each other very well.  It was fun, if I haven't already said that.  If you haven't played any of the Fantasy flight RPGs, I seriously recommend that you do.  OK now on to the meat of what I want to talk about.  Something that I am sure you are aware of but I rarely see this taken advantage of is the Tau signature systems.  What I mean by taking advantage of is that a single model purchases the upgrade.  Now that gives the ability to the unit, but like other wargear, banners, etc, when that model that has it dies, the unit loses the ability.

Imperial Guard Tactics: Fighting Eldar

Alright as many are aware, the eldar are up at the top right now.  They can bring some great units to the field and when combined with their special rules and psychic powers, can be very powerful.  Fear not though, the IG still has the tools to take this army apart and there are some strong units that can counter what the eldar bring to the table.  Also what is key is understanding how the army functions and what to target to remove their force multipliers.  The eldar continue the trend of synergy that 6th has brought about and they are no different from Tau, Deamons, CSM, and DA.  Once you take apart their force multipliers, they become just a regular non MEQ army with ok shooting.

40K Hobby: Soul Drinkers!!

Alright, so I know I am a IG player, and that is what this blog is mostly about.  But like just about everyone in the hobby, I have a place in my heart for Space Marines.  One of my favorites stories in 40k is that of the Soul Drinkers chapter.  I love how it skirts the line, at once they deny the Imperium and Chaos, taking sides with neither and eventually going to their honored doom.  So my brother and I have decided to start a joint army, the Soul Drinkers.  We have both donated models and have more marines on the way to create them.  I personally love to kit bash and can't wait to make Graveus, Luko, Sarpedon, and even Iktinos, and of course Lygris.

The army is going to be an assault heavy, sticking with their theme of a boarding and fast orbital strike force.  Plan on seeing lots of Drop pods and Storm Raven's, Psykers and Tacticals and even the maligned assault marines.  I don't plan on making just a cool show piece army though and have thought a lot about how to play them.  I like the drop army and I think the Sentinels of Terra CT's will work very well with them, getting those twin linked bolter weapons be all I need.  So on to what we have made so far:

Imperial Guard Tactics: Carapace Armor

Now the imperial guard is not known for the quality of the armor it provides to guardsmen.  The standard issue cardboard seen as good enough, but for some there is the ability to take carapace armor.  I personally love carapace armor, and like the idea of my elite shock troops going into the fight and standing a small chance of surviving.  Its small but they at least have a chance.  Now I have visited some forums and for whatever reason, the general consensus among IG players is that carapace armor is worthless.  I completely disagree.  Is it over costed? Yes.  However the current meta makes it very useful and worth its points completely and here is why.  Ignores Cover.  With the rise of armies that can just ignore cover, the 4+ save means that many of those weapons that would just kill a regular guardsmen outright, now you have a chance of surviving.  Now yes there are helldrakes and other weapons that beat the 4+, but they autokill most things anyways so nothing you can do about that.  The big thing were this comes in is against small arms fire.  Boltguns, pulse rifles, flamers, shootas, etc.  The vast majority of small arms in the game have AP5, so now instead of just dying, you get an armor save.  This also comes even more into play against the armies that have abilities to ignore cover.

Imperial Guard Hobby: Basing

Okay I have been away for a while, but I have a very good reason.  So I have up till now had very few models that were actually based.  So starting late last week I began the project of completing my army's basing.  Above you can see my sentinels and my heavy weapons teams.  And a box of ground beef, but I didn't base that so its not important.  I went through each tray that I had, one at a time and worked my way through it.  I spent about 12 hours last sat on them.  After that I was burnt out, but not to fear, I made it through and completed them all.

New 40K Expansions

There are now going to be two new releases in the near future for 40K supplements.  The first is pretty simple, it adds a FOC slot for a single superheavy.  The other is a fortification supplement.  Now I admit I have mixed feelings about the super heavy supplement.  Personally think that is the reason Apoc exists and that is where it should stay.  But it is also something that I don't see as a huge issue as well.  The fortification one sounds nice and is kinda in the same boat as the super heavy one, its not really needed but isn't really a bad thing as well.  At first I heard about them and thought that it was going to far.  But then I realized that its not going to be a huge issue and here is why.

Imperial Guard Rumors: what they mean

Alright, there are some New IG rumors from Naftka that look very good, and also some I'm not so excited about.  Now most you are probably coming from faeit so I'm not going to just repeat what he said in the rumors.  The basic rundown is that new artillery kit with all missing artillery tanks, new tank kit (heresy era), plastic stormtroopers and veteran kits, maybe new heavy weapons kit as well.  As far as the rules and army itself, HQ is rumored to be changing drastically, losing multiple options and having to start with  Command Squad, then you can replace commander with commissar, psyker can be bought as additional adviser.  New rule mission objectives, some sort of special order that sgts can issue, most likely something along the lines of Sgt Bastone in the current dex.  Priests getting new rules to help them out. Same for techpriests.  Vendetta/valkyrie getting put into one unit, points increase and maybe losing squadron rules.