It's Friday!

I hope you all had a happy week. Here's a quick review of my week's gaming stuff! OMG Templecon is coming, and I'm not ready!



I came to the realization last week that I'm not ready for Templecon. I have a pile of models I need to get some paint and basing done on, which is really complicated since I haven't chosen a list yet!

So, I got some test games in on Vassal...something many prolific players will already know is that Daemons tend to do very well, or get blown off the table. I've had a lot of the latter games, when things just don't want to work and the opponent knows not to panic when facing daemons. I like those games, as I get to learn how to mitigate the chances of that happening again!

I had a few games on Vassal, including another vs. Neil where he beat my teeth in. Last Wednesday I did get a game with Neil that I actually didn't lose...very fun game. He used GKSS spam with Purifiers in Storm Ravens; I used reduced flamer/screamer spam with soul grinders and fateweaver. The game would have been a tie if it had ended on 5 or 6, but when it went to 7 my last surviving (though immobilized) Grinder blew his last troops off an objective, and Fateweaver turned the scoring Coteaz in to a Spawn...a fine ending, getting a win (finally!) vs. Neil and solidifying my love for the Grinders.

But, after more games, I've talked myself out of them, as there are just too many potentially bad matchups...but more importantly, I don't want to have to paint them in a week!

So, my second choice, Nurgling spam!

Fateweaver
3 units of 7 Flamers
3 units of 8 Screamers
3 units of 5 Horrors (All have Bolt, one has Changeling)
5 Plaguebearers
and 2 units of 9 Nurglings

They're not the greatest thing in the world, but those little poop-monsters are great at tieing down stuff and clogging up movement! I have to paint them, but they'll be quick and easy...base coating already done, just need some sores, guts, horns, and teeth and a brown wash, done!

I also got an 11th company league game with something completely different...Dark Eldar!

Baron
Duke
Eldrad
2 units of 3 Guardian Jetbikes
20 Kabalite Warriors with 2 Splinter Cannons, Champion with Phantasm Grenade Launcher
19 Hellions
3 units of 5 Wyches with Haywire Grenades in Venoms
and 2 units of 9 Reaver Jetbikes (with 3 Heat Lances in each)

I played against "drsheep" from 11th Company forums, who was using a new Dark Angel list comprised of a Command Squad with Banner of EVERYTHING SHOOTS SO MUCH! in a Land Raider Crusader flanked by two Tactical Squads in Rhinos. Two small Tactical Squads hid behind an ADL manning an Icarus, while 4 Land Speeders and a Shroudmobile provided fire support (all were Typhoon and Heavy Bolter speeders). His HQ were two Librarians with Prescience and 4+ Invuln Generators.

The Reavers were for the most part able to weather the initial storm of fire sent at them...they were the biggest threat...helped greatly by Invisibility from Eldrad. Wyches and Reavers killed the Raider; Splinter Fire was able to wipe the Command Squad. Hellions kept his backfield occupied while the dismounted Tacticals weathered turn after turn of splinter fire. When it ended, he didn't have enough bodies to keep the Guardian Jetbikes from contesting his objective, and wasn't able to get close enough to contest mine, so a decent win!  A very fun game...refreshing to play something other than Daemons, but I sure did miss my pastel meanies!

I'm still ranting about the Heldrake changes. I'm having a hard time coming up with any solid counters. I expect we'll see a lot more rhino/razor spam...at least make the Drakes work to get to the cookable innards...and probably a lot more Vendetta allies. Maybe even a resurgence in Night Scythes as well.

I'm anxious for word on this rumored Chaos Daemon codex. I'm still skeptical...there are so many older books in more need of attention...but hopeful that my Tzeentchy minions will have some Psycher shenanigans of their own now! I'm thinking about how Horrors work in Fantasy, where the unit is a Wizard...maybe all these Tzeentchy "shooting attacks" will become Psy Powers...units generate Warp based on how many models in the unit? That might be a lot of fun! I'd love to see some kind of Psychic Defense added in...opening your mind to the warp while standing next to a Lord of Change should not be a wise thing to do!

I haven't really absorbed the Dark Angel book yet. Most of the buzz I see/hear revolves around using the Banner of OMG EVERYTHING SHOOT SO MUCH with Land Raider Crusaders and/or Ravenwing (Relentless + Salvo 4 = Wow!). Also some buzz about the Power Shield Generator (as an allied contingent, there might be some fun there!) and Azreal in IG blobs. The Auxpex will be a piece of wargear you'll see everywhere now.

Still, they have no good way to deal with Heldrakes. Sigh!

I hope you have a great weekend! I'll be spending mine at my son's Wrestling Tournament and painting little poop monsters!