Tales of a Malifaux Blogger Month 1 - Playing and Painting Lilith

Greetings once again!

So unfortunately this past month was fairly hectic on the real life side of things. I did manage to get the Mother of Monsters crew box started on painting. I just have the dry brushing, details, and bases to go. I haven't actually decided how I'm going to base them yet, but I'll worry about that later.

The hectic real life stuff mostly effected my ability to get any gaming in with this crew (most of my gaming was with Arcanists for events, since I don't have enough points of Neverborn yet).

I did manage to get in one game against a Rasputina crew. We were both running our respective crew boxes with a couple of upgrades. The Strategy was Turf War. I don't recall the full Scheme Pool, but I had Breakthrough and Murder Protege (I think), neither were revealed. The Turf Marker ended up being on top of a building, but there was enough space around it that the 6 inch ring included plenty of ground space.

So I am a learn-through-doing kind of person. I can read the cards repeatedly, but until I field them, it doesn't sink in. I knew Lilith's crew had the Black Blood thing going on, which means that if they are wounded, any non-Black Blood models within 1 inch take 1 damage. I also knew that the Terror Tots have the chance to grow with the proper upgrade and some good old fashioned slaughterings (and proper models available).

What I didn't realize is that Barbaros pushes his opponent away after damaging them...every time. It is not a trigger, it is part of his attack. This didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, until I realized that the Terror Tots have the Pounce ability, which allows them to deal damage out of Activation. It still seemed to make Barbaros charging a bit useless, since he pushes his foe out of his engagement zone. I also need to work on making sure the Tots are in good placement for taking advantage of this.

That being said, my opponent and I had a great time with some Ice Gamin vs. Terror Tots. It was two of each engaged with each other. Rasputina kept doing her long-range casting through the Gamin at the Tots, which damaged them, causing damage to the Gamin through Black Blood. Which led to the Gamins' demise, which caused them to explode, which killed the Tots.

Towards the end of the game, it was down to Lilith facing off against Rasputina, with the Wendigo running around dropping markers. Lilith very nearly took down Rasputina with her blade, but Rasputina managed to survive through the remaining turns. My opponent took the victory, 8-3.

I am looking forward to running my Lilith crew again soon. I really like her ability that allows you to draw and discard an additional card. Her upgrades are pretty sweet as well. My favorite is the one that extends her sword's reach an extra inch, which can be the difference between her opponent having 2 attacks or just 1 because they had to walk closer.

For this month's addition, I got a box of Nephilim, which comes with 2 Young Nephilim and 1 Mature, so that my Terror Tots have something to grow up into.

In closing, I am enjoying painting Lilith's box and am looking forward to continuing to learn how to field her.

I'll be back next month with more on Lilith!
-WenchWoman

Crimson Slaughter, Sentinels of Terra, Reclusiam Command Squad! Report!

     Happy day after St. Patty's everyone! Hopefully we all came home safe and sound and had an excellent time! But moving on, beer is great and all but we're here for some 40k talk. Over the weekend I had the pleasure to play against my good friend and Weekend Warrior Nate! We decided to pull out some special stuff and have a fun old time with some new units. He took the Crimson Slaughter supplement to heart, and I play tested a Reclusiam Command Squad using the Sentinels of Terra supplement for a core set of tactics, why? Why not!? It's new and fun, isnt't that the spirit of the game? We didn't have our cameras out, so there won't be any video or pictures, sorry I'll make sure to do it next time this is my first full Report after all!

     We went for a basic 1850 set up, no allies, and allowed supplements and Data Sheets
      The Musketeers(Sentinels of Terra)
      1 Reclusiam Command Squad
               1 Chaplain in Terminator Armor with Digital Weapons and the Angel of Sacrifice and Spartean
               1 Command Squad, Champion, Apothecary, Standard bearer
                         All with Power Weapons and Storm Shields
                         1 Banner of Staganda
                1 Razorback with Twin Linked Lascannon and Hunterkiller Missile
      1 Ten Man Tactical Squad
                 Veteran Sergeant w/ Chainsword
                  Grav Gun
                  Heavy Bolter
                  Drop Pod
        1 Ten Man Tactical Squad
                 Veteran Sergeant w/ Chainsword
                  Plasma Gun
                  Heavy Bolter
                  Rhino
        1 Five Man Devestator Squad
                  Veteran Sergeant w/ Chainsword
                   2 Missile Launchers w/ Flakk
                   2 Plasma Cannons
        1 Five Man Devestator Squad
                  Veteran Sergeant w/ Chainsword
                   2 Missile Launchers w/ flakk
                   2 Las Cannons
        1 Three Man Centurion Devestator Squad
                   2 Twin-Linked Lascannon
                   3 Missile Launchers
                   1 Grav Cannon w/ Grav Amp
                      Omniscope
        1 Landspeeder w/ Multi-Melta and Heavy Bolter
        1 Storm Talon w/ Skyhammer Missile Launcher


        Forces of the Crimson Slaughter(Chaos Undivided)
        1 Lord w/ Blade of restless battle
              Daemonheart
              Prophet of voices
              Mark of Slaanesh
         1 Deamon Prince w/ armor
              Wings
              Psyker Level 3 (Warp Speed, Doom Bolt, Leech Life)
              Mark of Tzeentch       
         1 Ten Man cultists squad no upgrades
         2  Seven Man Possessed w/ mark of Nurgle
         1 Eleven Man Possessed w/ mark of Slaanesh and Icon of Excess
         2 Three Man Obliterator Squads with Mark of Nurgle
          1 Helldrake with Baleflamer

Special Rules for the supplements obviously play a hefy role in these games as we have two supplements going and a Datasheet.

        Sentinels of Terra
               Close Range Bolter Drill - Replace Bolter Drill with reroll all misses at less than half range for bolt type weapons, does not include Hellfire, Vengeance etc.

                  Angel of Sacrifice - +2 Str AP 4 Concussive, Melee, Only In Death
                           Only In Death - If the bearer of the Angel of Sacrifice loses his last wound in the Assault Phase, he is not removed as a casualty until after all close combat attacks have been resolved, and can thus still attack if he is slain either by Overwatch or by a close combat attack made at a higher initiative step.
                  
                  Spartean - Bolt Pistol, Master Crafted, Ignores Cover

                  Banner of Staganda - Grants bearer Counter-Attack and Crusader and Units within 12" with same Chapter Tactics reroll Morale and Pinning

          Reclusiam Command Squad, Cost 25pts + Models cost
                    Grants Crusader
                    As long as the Chaplain lives also grants Relentless Zeal
                    Relentless Zeal - Whilst the Chaplain is alive, all models in this formation can re-roll misses in every round of Close Combat.


          Crimson Slaughter
                 All models cause Fear
                 Possessed can be taken as troops
                        New Table for Possessed  traits Roll a D3
                                   1- Shrouded
                                   2 - Beast
                                   3 - 3+ Invulnerable Save and Rending

                Blade of the Relentless - Stats as Power Sword - Keep Track of total kills by this model
                           1 or more = +1 STR
                           3 or more = AP 2
                           5 or more = Additional +1 STR
                           10 or more = Gains Instant Death

                  Daemonheart - 2+ Save and It Will Not Die

                   Prophet of Voices
                          Gains Deamon, Fearless and Fleet - Can only join Possessed Units

     For this mission we decided to roll on the Crimson Slaughter Mission chart in order to spice things up! We ended up with Storm of Spirits. This turned out to be a huge boon to Nate as it puts everything he has right in my face! Deployment is lengthwise with the Chaos player getting 12" in from BOTH board Edges, his opponent(me) gets the remaining 24" in the center. You then determine board halves and each player takes it in turn to place three objectives within their board half, this is also necessary for determining where your reserves will come in.

     In this mission the Chaos player also controls the Hurrican of Spirits! It starts in the center of the board, on every Chaos turn roll 2d6 the Chaos player then moves the Hurricane in any direction that number of inches. It then inflicts 2d6 STR 3 AP - hits on any non-chaos units within 12". It's not necessarily devestating to Space Mariens but it sure is annoying, and if you roll bad it's even worse!

     So for deployment Nate went ahead and put his possesed even space out on one side and the Obliterators and Demon Prince on the other along with the lone Cultist Squad, and his Heldrake in Reserve. I responded by Combat squading out my Plasma Squad with the Rhino in an attempt to put Heavy Bolters in Fire positioin and the Plasma at the Obliterators. Knowing that he had to close I put my Devestator Squads in the tops of Ruins so that his Possesssed would have to move into and then charge through cover, hopefully giving me at least a turn to level some firepower at them. My Reclusiam Squad started outside of the Razorback in order to close with the Deamon Prince and not have to spend a turn disembarking. I wanted them to Lock the Prince in combat, and given their load out I was fairly confident they would be able to do this. The Land Speeder, Storm Talon and Drop Pod Remained in Reserve.

     I was unable to seize the initiative, so Nate got first turn per the rules of the mission. Rolling his Possessed Traits one got shrouded and the other two, who also happened to be nearest my devestators, got Beast. So he was able to close through cover in the first turn and assault my Devestators before they even got to fire a shot! I accepted Challenges with my Sergeants and then began the painful process of fighting those Possessed. His Deamon Prince flew to my Reclusiam, managed to cast Warp Speed, but failed Doombolt and I denied his Leech Life. On the Charge my Reclusiam got their Counter-Attack off! and so began the combat, my Champion stepping to the Fore and initiaiting the first Challenge, and promptly dying. His Obliterators marched down and proceeded to gloriously whiff when it came to shooting my Rhino and killed 2 of my Centurions, only to punch them to death in the Assault. His third possessed merely marched forward and also joined the charge on the doomed Centurions. His cultists hid behind a wall, where they would remain the whole game. The Hurricane  managed to hit three squads, but my armour held firm.

      My first turn I called in my Drop Pod, behind the unengaged Possessed and leveled my Heavy Bolters, Grav Guns and bolters at the possessed, gloriously killing one. My Close Comabts proceeded to lose one Marine Each and the Challenges continued, this time with my Chaplain Dying, and the Veteran Sergeants against the possessed continuing to hold their own. In a hilarious twist Nate's Warlord managed to kill his first Marine this Asssault and gain his +1 STR. It was to be the only kill he got the entire game.

     Second turn no reserves for Chaos, and the assaults continue, the Obliterators at this point leveld the Razorback, and the unengaged possessed charged into my Tactical Squad from the Drop Pod. The Assault phase went horribly this time around on both sides with no one losing models in the possessed assaults, including challenges. The Deamon Prince managed to kill one more Marine as well lowering my Squad to an Apothecary, who declined a challenge, a Banned and a Marine, the Hurricane claimed a soul from the Drop Pod Tactical Squad as well. Continuing into my turn my Land Speeder arrived,  and killed an obliterator, two left! At this point the challenges with the possessed and the squad of devestators were killed off, and the Tactical Drop Pod Squad was also slaughtered, leaving me with my Reclusiam, a Rhino, and the five man Heavy Bolter Squad!

       Third Turn, Chaos moves their hurricane, and it proceeds to wipe out the Reclusiam, Five hits, Five Wounds, Three Failed armour Saves and Three Failed Feel No Pains and poof they disappear. His Helldrake arrived and proceeded to eat a Rhino, and his Obliterators shot my Land Speeder out of the sky. The Remaining Possessed from the Drop Pod and the Obliterators Shot and Charged the Last Tactical Squad, killing all but one. Total of Marines Left on the board, One...... Third Turn my Storm Talon still refuses to come into the game, and my Lone Marine is clapped between two Obliterator Power Fists. Ending the game. Win to Chaos, tabled me in three!

      Looking back, the mission was certainly a huge factor, given deployment there's pretty much no way to avoid close combat by the First or Second turn. My force simply wasn't geared right to deal with that kind of punishment. My Reclusiam also presented an interesting issue in regards to Challenges. At first it looks like a big nasty melee unit, and it certainly is! But when a Deamon Prince is able to challenge his way through a squad, it essentially negates their usefulness. What I should have done is deny the second challenge after my Champion died so that I could have four other guys beat on him. I would merely be losing a Chaplain or an Apothecary from the actual attacks, but I would get to keep their special rules to re-roll misses and Feel No Pain. Overall I'd really like to see how the Crimson Slaughter plays on a normal mission, them having to close could certainly pose a huge problem to the melee heavy army. But with rules like 3+ Invuln or the ability to move 12" in a turn, or even shrouded the Possesssed are definitely going to find a way to close. The warlord would definitely be interesting to see in action with the blade of the relentless as well, making him devestating in Close Combat provided he's wiped out a squad before he gets to his opponents big hitters. For myself, I really like the feel of the Reclusiam, but I'm going to have to refine my play style with them. Locking them in combat with a character really hampers their usefulness, and they would have done much better had I had them engage the possessed to leave my Devestators open to deal with the Deamon Prince. All in All, I really enjoyed this game, and I think the Supplements are definitely a great addition to players looking to alter their play styles! I highly recommend picking it up if you are a Chaos Player!

-Weekend Warrior Matt

My Thoughts on Nids

    So here we are fellow warriors, on the eve of another big old army release, IG/Astra Militarum, one of my armies! It got me thinking, I never posted anything about the Tyranids, so this can't be left alone a moment longer! I've been out of the loop of blogs and hobby for about a month, a newborn daughter can do that to you, but before I get my hands on that particular release I'll rant a bit about the last big army release, the one before Crimson Slaughter and the Imperial Knights which I'll have to rant on about later. So, without further ado, Tyranids!

     I LOVE the new Tyranids, I think they're exactly what the game of 40k needs at this time. We've seen tons of massive updates to armies, we've had super units and lists put together for tournaments, Eldar and Tau being a massive favorite to deploy cheese. I think that the Tyranids, and to an extent the Space Marines Codex, shows that GW is finally stepping out and trying to make a balanced game. I know that they love their models, and they make tons of new units and new rules to sell those models, but at their core they still have to sell an army. You can make one unit completely amazing, but you still need to sell that tactical squad that's sitting on the shelf, so you better have a rules set that makes you have to take it and makes it useful.

     When I look at these codexes, and play games with my Marines or Guard, and I play against Tyranids, I see a pretty balanced selection of units. There is no one definitive unit in the Tyranid Dex that is the be all end all of the tyranids. You're basically forced to take multiple units to compliment the other units in your army. If you want to make a shooty list you can, and there's tons of units to do that with, and options to buff them. If you want a melee list you can do that too, and yet again options are there to buff them.

     Venomthropes are a powerful buff for your army, that bonus 2 to the cover save can go a far way, and as long as you're playing on a field that actually has terrain that can translate into 3+ or 2+ saves for your units! Sure, there are options in other armies that negate cover, Thunderfire cannons, or Markerlights, etc. But you can lock those units down as well with your deepstrikers. Mawlocs come to mind instantly. Deep strike underneath that pesky unit and BAM str 6 AP2 twice!? That's nuts! even if you miss on the strike and pop up next to that unit, they still have to deal with a Mawloc before it resubmerges and tries again. The whole time your army moves forward, slowly closing that gap of range.

     Zoanthropes provide a wonderful boost to your punch, multiple warp blasts from a unit is devestating. The HQs and Characters are nothing to be laughed at either.  Swarmlord has Instant Death Weapons and you put him with some guard, now that's a total of 10 wounds that need to be done to a unit that can have feel no pain every turn and has a toughness of 6. That's a hard nut to crack for anybody. People have complained that Tyranid Warriors are no longer awesome because they lack Eternal Warrior, but they do have 3 wounds. And even though a Krak missile can instant death one of them, how many strength 8 weapons is your opponent leveling at them a turn to get rid of them? How many of those units of his AREN'T shooting your Exocrine, or your Tyrant? If he chooses to shoot at those units, then your Warriors are closing.

      The Tyranids to me are a constant threat army, your opponent has to constantly choose what is the most important thing to shoot at. In the back of his mind, he has to know that he can't kill everything, sooner or later something is going to get far to close for comfort. The Tyranids are designed to constantly apply pressure and I feel that this is something that has been sorely lacking in games. Every game I've played against other players is pretty straightforward. I instantly know exactly what my biggest threat is, I eliminate it and I move down the chain. Tyranids provide me with a laundry list of threats, that are all very real. I find them to be a difficult army to play against, and I feel that as time goes on we are going ot see more and more Tyranids players starting to win as they figure out what works for them.

     On that note, that's another thing that has made me truly happy with this release. It has taken a severly long time for people to come up with a list that is overpowering for Tyranids. There is no Deathstar, or Jetseer, there's nothing that anyone has been able to agree on. It's forced the community to really talk with each other and figure out what they want to play and what works. And even in the case of some of the lists out there, there's still a massive debate as to exactly how awesome they are. We're finally starting to see some life in the community in regards to list building, no more one list wins all. In my opinion we need more Dexes like the Tyranids, and I sincerely hope the IG/Astra Militarum Codex this next month is the same type of layout. I want to see a whole bunch of varied lists more and more, no more standard tournament winners and power game lists.

     What do you guys think? Feel free to let me know here, or on my personal blog www.313cadian.blogspot.com - it's where I post my painting and more random thoughts/stories ;) - Weekend Warrior Matt