Eldar...Feeling like Tau without reason

I wanted to write a post to help reinvigorate my fellow Eldar players. I still believe Eldar to stand on equal footing with the best of the other armies. so without further interruption I would like to do a comparison  of a simple troops choice, The Dire Avengers.

The true strength of every Eldar unit is how specialized it is. The dire avengers aspect is the first of the many who exemplify my point. The Dark Eldar put up similar number of shots, the advantage is their ability to always wound on a 4, but keep in mind these weapons cannot hurt a tank. Short of a blaster hiding in the squad you have no chance to damage a vehicle. The imperial guard can put up the same amount of shots but have a lack of leadership and their save isn't as good as the dire avengers without upgrading. No marine variant can put up near the same number of shots. The tau are impressive at shooting but they lack the ability to fight in close quarters, worse than dire avengers.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, more of a short list of examples of the comparable units. Many of these units possess the ability to stand up in situations where the dire avengers are rendered useless, but I wish to point out is that the dire avengers can pose a serious threat in the situations they were designed for. Which brings me to the bigger point I want to convey.

Eldar have superb specialization. While this point has its faults, (i.e. a certain lack of versatility) the craft world’ers can still dish out some pain. In the given situations where the aspects where designed to perform.....they still do. The tactics of Eldar involve getting your opponent to do what you want them to do.

The last thing I’d like to point out is some of the units who still stand tall.

Fire Prisms still command respect in every game, not one opponent scoffs at a tank with that much maneuverability and fire power in one package. Eldar battles are won with the devastating fire power these puppies can let loose.

The Wave Serpent is another great unit, no army has both the speed and dependability that the wave serpent rocks out. Energy shielding makes any shot that gets additional dice to penetrate usually find no purchase against the front or side of these fine transports.

The Fire Dragons command respect from every general. There aren’t any squads or even tanks who boast 10 melta gun level weapons at once.

The also have access to the best psychic defense in the game bar none. Even Njal’s staff has the drawback of range.

The Eldar still boast two of the greatest offensive psychic powers, Guide and Doom. These powers are near unrivaled in their usefulness. Doom makes an effective turn into a devastating turn. Guide while slightly more limited makes almost every shot find home.

The psychic power Fortune is the strongest defensive power in the games, Making up for the Eldars lack of durability that comes from toughness 3. This power is most commonly seen on the next unit in my list.

The Warlock Council. Each opponent that decides to deploy against the Eldar expect to see these guys and rightly fear them. High weapon skill, high initiative, decent amount of attacks, good leadership along with the ability to re roll, the scariest non-powered weapon available, high power template shot, and god forbid you encounter these guys mounted up on jet bikes. Versatile and powerful, the warlock council fears little as long as they are fortune’d up.

The last but not least of all Eldar has to offer. The hqs, heart and soul of the army, are powerful indeed. A Farseer is all but required to lead the ancient race into battle. Each Farseer brings the aforementioned powers Should you find yourself in a pickle, bring the big daddy, Eldrad Ulthran. Point for point perhaps the scariest single hq in the game.

This is the list of the things I find to be most important, the units I did not list, while many of them effective have certain drawbacks that couldn’t drive my point as poignantly. I just wanted to point out that the Eldar are not dead yet, just has arthritis now-a-days.

If you feel that I missed a major point from the glorious Craft world Eldar, feel free to help me remind everyone that the Eldar haven’t burnt out yet.

Double Duty

Well looks like I will be multi tasking.  I was invited to be a writer at Dark Future Games.  So in addition to my 40K high jinks here I will also be posting blogs over there.  The Craftworld is still my primary focus though.  I will still be posting articles about tactics and projects.  My other 3 authors will also be posting, especially when the semester is over for 2 of them, tactics and projects about orks, Necrons and Fantasy.

I will be heading up the the FLGS tomorrow night so I hope to have some battle reports and some new conversions done to show off this weekend.

Until next time.....

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well to everybody Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Craftworld Lansing. I have been busy this week with all the crazy crap that happens in retail, even auto parts, the week of Thanksgiving. I have been busy though rekindling my hobby bug.

Since I am an alternate on Team Deathstar for the Adepticon Team tournament I have been putting together a 1000 points of death starry goodness. I have decided to go with the Craftworlders. I think to make a proper deathstar, the team theme, you need a beefy unit that can take the pain and dish it out. So I have decided to do a project I have been putting off for quite a while now. The Bike Council. I have the Farseer already done. I have begun work on the Warlocks. I have 4 in primer and need to get 3 more jet bikes.

I am using the Chapter House Studios Warlock and Farseer on jet bike conversion kits. I have 6 more to get and I will be ordering soon. Keep your eyes peeled on eBay as I am going to be putting some of my Forgeworld up for sale. I have already sold my Revenant Titan, tear....., and I will be putting up some smaller tanks and Eldar bits I have sitting around gaining dust.

My Ork horde will also be gaining some new models as I continue to build, very slowly, the Kabal Of Da Big Teef. The Judge has made me an offer I can't refuse for some trades. So happy Turkey day. I will post some more pics as I get jet bikes painted. OST really hit the nail on the head when he started his Deathwing. Having an army that is small is easy to transport and a lot quicker to paint.

Until next time...

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

forgeworld to the rescue

Picture From Forgeworld

Forgeworlds newsletter presented a induction to the Phoenix court.....kind of. as it turns out he has already disappeared faster than a wayward primarch.

but we did get some rules to represent him. sporting a heavy three strength seven AP two weapon is nothing to point and laugh about. he has a standard Phoenix Lord stat line and price tag, but instead of being like asurmen who has a invuln and is setup to jump into your opponents face, Irilliyth gains some durability outside of twelve inches with a four up invuln (being a five up inside the bubble).

I don't have much time and my phone doesn't want to edit properly but prepare for a new post about what the Eldar still have to offer that none of the other kids have poached yet

The Hobby Rut: I Has It

I find myself in a rut. Between hellish work weeks, school and a general feeling of laziness I have been unable to get myself out of my hobby rut. I have a backlog of projects just filling up the table. High Elves, Orks and Dark Eldar. I even have Eldar that need some attention.

Since I have been unable to make it up to Lansing and the FLGS I have also not been able to take part in the New Fantasy escalation league at Evolution Games. They are rekindling the hobby portion by doing league games on Fridays and building and hobby nights earlier in the week. Being on the Path of the Outcast sucks. I plan on moving back to the Craftworld, Lansing, this spring.

Until then I am going to get the ball rolling on getting out of my rut. A friend of mine who plays in the area has recently created a unicorn in the form of his Lovely Girlfriend Angela. He is an avid Iron Hands player and I was greatly amused by the fact his new unicorn likes Xenos armies. Green Xenos armies to be exact. She is currently building an Evil Suns Speed freak army. I am always one to encourage new players and people interested in starting in the hobby. Hell it was my job at GW back in the day.

That said we are going to have a designated night we all get together and build and paint models. This is the first step. As I think back, when I first got back into the hobby the two motivating factors were a good FLGS to play at and one night a week The Stormlord, Mr. O, Mrs Stormlord and I all painted and put models together as a group. There were snacks and refreshments, lets face it hobby night is always better with a pint, and good times were had. This is how I got 5000 points worth of Eldar painted in 4 months. I think its easier for people to work on stuff like this when its a social gathering. You can show off stuff and get advice from more experienced hobbyists. It also distracts you if you have some sort of aversion to painting.

So A new hobby night is going to be instituted here in Ypsilanti. I plan on carrying the tradition back with me when and if I move back to Lansing. Its time I got back to my roots. I started this whole crazy hobby by simply collecting and painting. I guess its time I get back to that. Getting back to the fun aspects always helps recharge your batteries. I hope to have some pics once the first night has happened.

Until then....

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Are Ancient: The Eldar Are Showing Their Age

Well its bee a crazy week, thus my late week post. Work has been crazy and I had ASE testing this week, but I digress. I played in the “End Of Days” tournament last weekend at Evolution Games in Lansing. Sadly Vogrin and I were not at table one at the end of the tournament like last year, granted we won the last partners tournament so no big in retrospect. We went 1 and 2. We faced some some rather creative lists and unit combinations. My favorite was a Warboss and Nob deathstar flying into the fray in a Storm Raven by Craftworld Lansing’s newest contributor BigMek SkrapKlaw. Yes there was even a Def Dread in tow.

I am not writing about the tournament though. The tournament did get me thinking though, as did the release of the Necron Codex the same day. That thought was that the Eldar Codex is now the oldest. Before you start pointing out that the Tau or Dark Angels are older, remember they got an update in the FAQ that was quite substantial, especially in the case of the Dark Angels.

I was feeling the age of the Eldar codex in the tournament and while reading about the new atrocities the Necrons can unleash upon the battle field. Despite Eldar still doing decently well in tournaments across the world, I ask the Question, How much longer are they going to actually be competitive?.

I have been playing the Eldar for a long time, as long as I have been playing 40K in fact, and I have never seen them not be able to kick some major butt. The butt kicking is on a major decline, and victory is very costly anymore. Between the high point costs and nerfing of certain weapons and powers in 4^th edition I am dismayed by how much I have to work for a victory against a solid player, or even a mediocre player at this point.

Maybe I have grown use to winning consistently with the Dark Kin. The Dark Eldar have their faults, but they are a solid codex and very competitive. I can overcome the weak areas fairly easily. This is getting harder and harder with the Eldar. I am looking forward to 6^th edition purely for the fact the Eldar will be at the forefront. This and the return of Chaos. I know OST is looking forward to that.

So I think I am going to shelf the Craftworlders for a while as I contemplate their place and await 6h edition and a new codex. The Dark Kin are going to finally get the paint job they deserve. I think I am going to really start working on my Orks as well. I am now in no hurry. Financial issues have assured that I will not be playing in the GT at Adepticon. I will still get the army painted and ready just in case, but my focus will be on building a small force for the Team tournament as I have been asked to be an alternate on Team Deathstar. Samsquatch Monster, Lord Solar Steve and The Judge from DFG are 3 out of the 4 members. I am hoping to be the 4^th.

So I am finally going to build a Seer Council on bikes for my Deathstar. This will be a side project as I work to get the Dark Kin painted. Snow has finally hit the ground here in Michigan so its painting season.

Until next time..............

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Imhotek... Imhotek... IMHOTEK!!!

I finally got my mitts on the new codex. Already, everyone is bitching about how overpowered the Necrons are now, and how cheesy the army is, and blah, blah, blah... I say it's about time that the Necrons became a competitive army again!

The first thing that struck me was the reduced point costs. Last time I played the Necrons, SeerK handed me my butt. The reason I bring this up is the fact that I had 36 models in my army, while he had over 75. Now model counts will be more in line.

I am a little confused about the new "we'll be back" rule. Now, by themselves, resurrection protocols and the everliving make sense, but what confuses me is why most IC's and HQ have BOTH powers. It would seem that the everliving would make the resurrection protocols superfluous... Maybe there is something I am missing in the reading.

The new weapons are pretty boss. Having the tesla weapons do an additional 2 automatic hits for every 6 rolled on the to hit roll is beefcake.

The Monoliths became a little bit less powerful. The portal gained some power in the fact that a unit does not need to be within 18" to be pulled thru, however, it can no longer pull a unit put that is engaged in combat. Fair enough, that tactic was pretty dodgy.

Resurrection orbs now only affect the unit they are with, giving their resurrection protocols roll to a 4+, and not any model within 6". I'm kinda sad to see this, but there can now be multiple orbs out on the field now with the royal court. We will see how this shakes out.

And my last thought for the day: Imhotek the Stormlord - Baller at large

I was already enthralled with the fact that I had a namesake to put in my army, but damn. Humiliating defeat makes that model so sweet. (if a model loses his last wound to Imhotek, you get to add d3 additional hits to add to your combat result). This is gonna make him a hand to hand beast. Then his superior strategy makes him seize the initiative on a 4+. Finally, the Stormlord makes the first round night fighting and has the ability to keep this effect up.

Well, that's it for now. I am typing this on the blogger app, and it's making my thumbs sore.

I need to stew on the scarabs. I think with their new rules I can think of some really heinous uses for them.

-Stormlord

Necrons Awaken!: SeerK's Thoughts On The New Codex

I am writing this live from Evolution Games.  I have in my hands the New Necron Codex.  Although there will be buzz around the net like crazy for weeks to come I wanted to add my two cents before The Strormlord Hijacked the blog and went to town on the new codex.  Where to begin.

I have to say it was a major overhaul.  Previously Necron players were faced with very limited choices, especially in the troops department.  Now Immortals are in the troops slot alongside warriors.  The other slots have expanded like crazy.  So here are my top 5 choices of my favorite additions.

First lets get to the one that may seem benign, but will play a part in strategy for Eldar and Grey Knight Players.  Tomb Spiders, or Canoptek Spyders as they are called now, work slightly differently.  They ass a base of scarabs to an existing unit and, much like the Tervigon, will cease to produce swarms with a roll of a 1.  It also has a vehicle repair ability much like the Ork MeK.  Weapon destroyed and Immobilized results can be repaired on a roll of 4+ thanks to the addition of a Fabricator Claw Array for 10 points.  The real bump out of left field though is the Gloom Prism upgrade.  Psychic powers that target the Tomb Spyders or a unit within 3" may be nullified on a 4+.  So basically you have a defensive psychic hood.  Offensive powers or powers like Doom can be nullified as long as they target the unit.  I can see some arguments arising over the wording on this.

The next bit involves a unit that should have been cool in the last codex but kind of rode the fail boat. Wraiths.  These guys have been beefed up.  They now sport a 3+ invo save, are jump infantry, they automatically pass dangerous terrain tests and ignore difficult terrain.  They are also 2 wounds now and have the rending rule.They are only I2 now, but you can take more than 3 in a unit now.  It has doubled to 6 in the unit.  Add in the fact they now have Lash Whips, whip coils, and you have a pretty effective unit.

Number three is the Entropic Strike rule.  Any unsaved wounds caused by a weapon with this rule cause the model that took the hits to loose its armor save for the rest of the game.  Any hits inflicted on vehicle cause it to loose a point of armor on a roll of a 4+.  So basically units like Canoptek Scarabs can just fly into a vehicle and eat it.  Anybody who says this codex does not have enough anti tank is a damn fool.  There is plenty of anti tank to go around besides this little treat.  A full unit of scarabs is 10 bases.  Thats 50 attacks on the charge.  I am not a math guy but that sounds scary.  somebody good at mathhammer calculate 50 attacks hitting then also "wounding" on a 4+

The next favorite is a new unit.  The Triarch Stalkers.  So we have a nice walker with living metal, move thru cover and quantum sheilding.  Not only that but is has a heavy 2 multi melta.  He can also tag a unit, marker light style, when he hits a unit and all other units shooting at it count as twin linked.  This is a nice elites choice, although Necron players are now faced with several choices in each slot so I see some major decision making, but also major flexibility with the the codex.

The last of the top 5 is another new unit.  The Night Scythe.  This supersonic transport can carry 15 models.  It can also carry jump infantry ( counts as 2 models) and jetbikes ( counts as 3 models).  So you can actually carry a unit fo 5 jetbikes in this thing.  Necrons now have a Jetbike unit, Tomb Blades, which look to be able to really cause some trouble.  On a side not the Tomb Blades have an upgrade which boosts their BS to 5.  Can anybody say Eldar Crystal Targeting Matrix.


There is a ton of stuff i want to talk about, but I want the Stormlord to have first dibs.  I now leave you to prepare for the End of Days tournament.  I have a list to hammer the kinks out of.  I will post the results tomorrow after Vogrin and I win.


Until then...........



Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "End Of Days" Is Nigh: DFG's End Of Days Tournament

Well this Saturday Dark Future Games will be holding its 2nd annual "End Of Days" partners tournament at Evolutions Games in Lansing.  Vogrin and I will be attending.  I am breaking out the Craftworlders with some Dark Eldar back up while Vogrin will be bringing the guns of the Imperial Guard with some Grey Knight support.  Psychic domination is assured.

 I have find the concept of the tourney pretty cool.  You each get 1250 points to work with.  You both use the same force org chart with the addition of 1 HQ slot.  You both may take one unit that is from a different codex.  You cannot take a unit from your partners codex nor can you both take the extra unit from the same other codex.

I think there will be 3 or 4 missions that are multi tier.  I wrote the core for one of them so we will see how it got changed to fit the scoring structure.  So I hope to see some of you there Saturday.  I think dice start rolling at 11 am. 

Until then...

Blood Runs, Anger Rises, Death Wakes, War Calls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!