Ok so I have been playing a lot more Warhammer as of late, this is a good thing though because I feel much better knowing that one of my favorite hobbies has been revived (by me). So once again it was the Tau vs. the Space Marines in an 1800pt game this time.
We played a seek and destroy mission using the Gamma rules. I can’t really use Alpha especially since some of my guys deep strike in when it is helps me. This is a new mission since they revamped some of the rules and put it into a hard cover book so this objective was simple; Annihilation!
Turn 1: The Space Marines take out 2 Kroot and the Razorback kills a fire warrior while the Veterans take out 2 more from another squad.
The Tau’s Hammerhead takes out 4 Veterans with the submunition round and the Fire warriors take out 2 more. The second squad of fire warriors take out 2 marines from the command squad.
Turn 2: SM- The land speeder squadron deepstrikes in and kills 2 fire warriors from squad 1. The Razorback takes out the devilfish and one of the dreadnoughts kills 3 vespids. A marine squad kills 4 kroot and 2 kroot hounds.
The Tau deep strike in the stealth team and takes out 3 veteran marines and the second fire warrior squad takes out one as well. The first fire warrior squad destroys 2 speeders.
Turn 3: The space marine razorback fries a pathfinder and the dreadnought kills a kroot then so does the marine squad killing 4 more. Another dreadnought kills 2 vespids. In the assault phase the assault marines plant their meltabombs on the hammerhead and destroys it then a lone sergeant from what’s left from the veteran marines squad assaults the stealth team and kills one.
The Tau deepstrike in the gun drones squad and kill 2 assault marines. The first fire warrior squad destroys the last speeder. In the assault phase the kroots charge the marines squad and the stealth unit kills the sergeant.
Turn 4: The assault marines kill 5 gun drones and the dreadnought kills 2 of the sniper drones. The razorback kills a pathfinder and the other dreadnought kills a fire warrior and then so does the scouts. In the assault phase the assault marines wipe out the rest of the gun drones and the command squad wipes out the rest of the kroot.
The Tau fire warriors (Squad1) kills 3 scouts and a crisis unit deepstrikes in. The stealth unit destroys the whirlwind.
Turn 5: The assault marines kill the strain leader and the command squad kills the shield drone from the stealth unit. The dreadnought kills 5 fire warriors and the scouts take out the rest. In the assault phase the assault marines attack the crisis unit and kill him.
The Tau deepstrikes in the commander.
Turn 6: The space marines scout kill a pathfinder and their marker drone. The razorback takes out the commanders shield drone and the captain of the space marines kills the commander of the Tau. 2 of the stealth units get taken out by the marines squad. In the assault phase the dreadnought kills 2 stealth units.
The Tau fire warriors squad 2 kills an assault marine.
End- There was no need to count victory points because the space marines almost had a complete shut out with the exception of the Ethereal, half a fire warrior squad and the spotter from the sniper drone squad.
Once again I have decided to challenge my youngest brother last night. It was my Tau vs. his Tyranids again but this time we played a 1500pt game instead. We got a Take and Hold mission with Gamma rules. My personal opinion here is that this mission is definitely in favor of the attacker and the defender is screwed. Our objective we decided was a two story building with a tower in the center (Necromunda piece). We rolled a 5 for random turn length.
I have decided to hold off on my Tactica for the Tau for now until I get some more experience with them. In the meantime enjoy my battles and check out http://us.gamesworkshop.com/games/40k/tau/gaming/tactica_tau/default.htm for their expert tactica advise. I have also realized that I should tell you all when something happens in the assault phase as to not confuse anyone.
Last night my brother and I had a battle of 1200pts. The mission was a Cleanse again and we used the Gamma rules again because he had infiltrators and I had deep striking.
Turn 1: The Tau setup first and go first again. The pathfinders deploy from the Devilfish and the Vespids use fleet of wing. The Space Marines (Ultramarines actually) turn The Veteran squad kills 2 Kroot, the Command squad kills 2 and the Razorback fries 1.
Turn 2: The Tau deep strike in the Crisis team and they kill a veteran marine and so do the Kroot squad. The Fire Warriors kill 2 marines from the tactical squad. The Ultramarines deep strike in 2 Land speeders who take out 3 Kroot. The tactical squad destroys the Devilfish and the Scouts take out 1 Fire warrior.
Turn 3: The Tau deep strike the Stealth unit in and takes out the remainder of the Veteran squad. The Crisis team immobilizes one speeder and the Kroot destroy another. The hammer head destroys the remaining speeder and the Fire warriors wipe out the scout squad. The UM’s deepstrike in an assault squad and they destroy a marker drone. In the assault phase they wipe out the Stealth team.
Turn 4: The Tau have nothing special to do besides move and fleet of wing. The UM’s Razorback takes out a Crisis suit and the Command squad kills 5 Kroot.
Turn 5: The Tau Crisis team kills 1 marine from the command squad and so does the Kroot. The Crisis team assaults and kills one assault marine. For the UM’s the command squad kills 3 Kroot and then in the assault phase the assault marines kill the remaining crisis suit.
Turn 6: The Tau Vespid’s kill a marine from the tactical squad and then they charge in assault with the assault marines. The Ultramarines go right into assault phase and the Force Commander Captain kills all of the Vespids.
Results: The Tau come out with 1 quadrant and so do the Space Marines. Tie on that front, however, victory points say that the UM’s win by 200pts (Tau:430/SM: 630).
So, this weekend I decided to challenge my brother to a 1200pt game. It was me using the Tau against his Tyranids. I must say though before I get into the battle report that the Tau are really neat to play. I still love the quickness of the Eldar and the deamons that the Chaos get to use but the Tau are a nice change. I will cover a tactica of sorts tomorrow. We rolled on the chart for missions and we got a Cleanse mission and we decided to use the Gamma special rules because we both had deep strikers. The Tau get to pick a quadrant, setup and go first. Here is the report:
Today will be class day except that I do not have a degree nor do I have visuals. But I am sure I have mentioned in one of my other painting posts that you can always get hints from the Games-Workshop site.
Miniature Painting
Miniature painting involves a specific process that a painter follows. Not only does miniature painting involve a process, but it also requires extreme patience and a lot of time. In order to paint miniatures you will need certain materials to start the painting process. The few materials that are needed include; at least 2 different size brushes, a modeling knife, strong super-glue, a paint cup, primer, gloss, and most importantly a nice variety of different colored paints. All of these materials will be explained later.
First, you must make sure that the miniature(s) you are working on are fully assembled and properly glued together. To assemble the miniatures simply take the modeling knife and carefully cut it out of the plastic sprue. A sprue includes all the parts of the miniature such as, the head, torso, legs, arms, weapons, and whatever other accessories that happen to come with it. The first time I showed my brother how to assemble a miniature, he sliced one of the plastic arms right in half with the modeling knife. After the miniature is cut out of the sprue it must then be glued together. One important thing to remember is that not all miniatures are plastic. Many of the miniatures are made of pewter mixed with a couple other metals. Therefore, if your miniature is not plastic simply just skip this step and go directly to the priming process. After the glue has dried, evenly spray the undercoat or primer to the miniature.
Make sure that when you are priming the miniature to do it in an open space like the backyard. The fumes from the primer can be dangerous so make sure that you use the primer in a well-ventilated area.
Next, when the miniature has finished drying it will be time to actually start painting. Apply a thin coat of base colors to the miniature. You can always go back and but another coat on if the first coat was too thin. Depending on what type of miniature you are painting will indicate what the base colors you will need. Afterward, the miniature will then be ready to be either “washed” or “dry brushed”. Washing is a relatively simple process. Take a little cup and pure a couple drops of water in it. Then take whatever color paint you want to wash the miniature with and pour that into the cup as well. Mix them together and apply it to the desired position on the miniature. According to a Games Workshop article, darker colors usually add more depth to the model when washed onto the desired spot on the miniature. Washes tend to sink right into the cracks and crevices of the model. (3) Many people mix up the terms “washing” and “dry brushing”. There are absolutely no similarities between these two terms. “Dry brushing” is when you take a desired color and brush it over the particular area that is being painted. This is done with a dry brush, which means that the brush can not be wet at all. For example, if my miniature had a skull somewhere on his body, I would paint the skull brown first. Then I would dry brush an off-white color on it to make the skull appear to look real.
Finally, after the miniature has either been “washed” or “dry brushed”, it will soon be time to work on the small details of the miniature. All miniatures need detail work because, they all have markings, insignia’s, or other features located on them that may have been missed when the base colors were applied. For instance, my miniature has a necklace of skulls around his neck that I didn’t paint when the base colors were first applied to the miniature. Therefore, I would just paint the necklace whatever colors I wanted and the detail work would be complete. Then at last, the miniature is ready to be glossed. Gloss is virtually the same thing as primer, except gloss is put on after the miniature has been completed. Once, I grabbed the wrong bottle of spray paint and instead of glossing my miniature as I intended; I primed it. I was so angry that I didn’t repaint the miniature until the next day. Don’t rush to try and get it done. Look and think about what you are grabbing to determine the right spray for the job. Again, when you are glossing your miniatures it is a good idea to spray them outside, so you do not inhale the fumes from the spray can.
All in all, painting is supposed to be a fun hobby, so don’t rush into finishing the model right away. If you rush, you may miss important steps and the miniature won’t look good. Miniature painting does require a lot of patience, but in the end all of the hard work and patience will pay off in the end.
Sorry for the delay.
Round3
For the imperial guard the leader and the commissar from the command squad run for cover. The battle cannon from Russ3 slays a zoanthrope and a sentinel takes out 2 warriors. Russ1 wounds the carnifax. In hand to hand combat the lictor takes a wound. For the tyranids a squad of termagants slay two troopers and a Warrior takes a shot at the Demolisher and hits but the result is only crew shaken. The leader and his commissar are killed by a spore mine. The Hive Tyrant assaults 3 cadians and kills them but the commissar survives. The carnifax completely destroys the Demolisher. The last of the sentinels gets hit with a weapon destroyed and then immobilized from a squad of genestealers.
Round4
For the IG Russ3 hits and vaporizes 3 genestealers. The Tallarns nuke 2 genestealers. Then for the Tyranids another commissar gets taken out by genestealers. The Hive Tyrant kills 3 cadians. A wandering spore mine nukes the last of the mortar squad. A warrior with a venom cannon takes out the demolisher. The carnifax assaults the Ogryns and takes one out after taking a wound himself. The Hive Tyrant kills another commissar and a sergeant. A warrior kills another trooper.
Round5
For the IG Russ 3 attempts tank shock but the genestealers and the lictor run out of the way. Russ 3 shoots the lictor with a plasma cannon but it saves. A warrior is taken out in hand to hand combat by a commissar. For the tyranids a genestealer takes out a sentinel for good. At this point the board is looking pretty scarce.
Round6 (Final)
For the IG the Tallarn sergeant takes out a spore mine. The tryanids turn and they are doing very well. A genestealer injures a sentinel again. A wandering spore mine takes out 5 Tallarn troopers and the Lictor takes out Russ3
Final Victory Points: NIDS- 2066 IG-840
Until next time...
The mission is a Recon set at 1500 points, even though it isn't a recent game it was the only battle report I could find and it was a good game as well. The report was recorded by our friend Brian and we played at the Game Room in Brick, NJ.
IG- me
Tyranids- My friend Dave
Round 1
IG win the die roll to go first and the chimera takes a chunk out of the Hive Tryant. The Leman Russ misses and scatters so it fails to wound the Zoanthrope and the Carnifax. The 2nd Leman Russ hits and kills the Zoanthrope this time. Tallarn squad with autocannon wounds the Biovore and the Mortar team misses the Lictor. The 3rd Leman Russ nukes two genestealers but misses another Zoanthrope. However, the command squad nukes the Zoanthrope anyway. For the Tyranids turn the Hive Tyrant blasts the Chimera and disables it. The Tyranid Warriors hits the 2nd Leman Russ but it does nothing. A Zoanthrope fries the flamer in another Tallarn squad. The Biovore shoots a spore by the Mortar squad then the Lictor takes out a heavy bolter before charging into hand to hand combat.
Round 2
Another squad emerges from the wounded chimera and the 3rd Leman Russ misses the Zoanthrope with the Battle cannon and misses again with a hunter killer missile into the Carnifax. The Demolisher wounds the Carnifax but it saves and then gets hit again with a hunter killer missile but it saves again. The command squad totally misses the Carnifax with a Krak missile. Then the 1st Leman Russ fries a squad of Gargoyles but misses the Carnifax with a hunter killer missile. The sentinels then fire a volley of laser hits at the warriors and one dies. The Ogryns go into hand to hand combat with the Carnifax. It takes one wound and the combat goes on locked. The Lictor slays two more troopers. The Warriors bombard the sentinels and skills one and disables another. The Hive Tyrant destroys the chimera and the spore mine takes out the mortar squad and pins the rest. The majority of the command squad gets wiped out by a spore as well and only the Captain and a Commissar survive. The Carnifax kills two Ogryns and makes the last one run away from combat. The Lictor is still tied up in hand to hand.
Round 3 to come tomorrow...
As promised here is the rest of my friends Tactica Imperial guard.
Seriously consider a comm-link for the HQ at least because it adds to the other troops on field's morale. Sure all of the troops within 12" of a standard bearer can use the officer's leadership score, but what about the poor slobs that are in the furthest trenches. Well that is simple don't just equips the HQ with a comm-link but equip everyone that can carry one with it. I can hear some people saying that a veteran sergeant can do the same thing for fewer points- but what happens if the initial roll fails? The Good: the ability to lend morale support to troops out on the perimeter, The Bad: it is somewhat expensive as it will take up no less than 20 points of comm-links to communicate.
If you will be taking them into the thick of the fighting consider a Veteran Sergeant as mentioned already above. I always upgrade to the veteran sergeant. His ability to take additional weapons from the armoury is an asset. The Good: Can provide some additional leadership support as well as some additional equipment from the armoury to kit out the HQ. The Bad: The 10 points might be better used elsewhere, such as another full squad.
The medic isn't a bad choice either for commanders that will ride in the Chimera, or sitting back for support, as he will be able to watch over the others. If the unit will be getting close to where the action is it might just be better to equip another trooper for hand to hand. The Good: The ability to heal wounds, etc, is very nice. Especially when things are getting a little hot for the Command HQ. The Bad: If the unit gets into hand to hand combat this fellow can become useless until it's all over- and then it could be too late.
Whatever you do take a standard bearer. The ability of those close to this fellow to take a re-roll for failed morale can't be overstated. Realize though that it doesn't need to be a flag of some sort. In the book "First and Only" about the IG regiment know as Gaunt's Ghost's their standard seems to be a set of bagpipes! For mine I scanned the Imperial Eagle and cut it off the piece of paper and then glued it onto a notecard and then glued it to a wooden dowel. It's on my website actually. www.angelfire.com/nj2/commissardave. The Good: The ability of those within 12" to retest for morale checks can't be talked about enough. The Bad: There is not really much down side to this option that I can think of except the restriction of the regimental standard being limited to the Colonel's HQ.
Special and heavy weapons such as the flamers and heavy bolters are best to be though out. Don't take the flamer if all you are going to do is hang back and shoot. Also, don't think to take a weapon "just in case". More often than not you've wasted the points and had one less trooper shooting. The plasma rifle is a better choice here because it has better range.
Here the Imperial Guard's HQ picks up some serious punch ability. The HQ may take up to 5 heavy weapons squads. My recommendation is to take no less than 3 as your forward assets will need all of the support they can get. Let's begin with the Mortar squad. I highly recommend no less than one squad of these bad boys. The ability to hit any enemy in range, and pin them is highly useful. Of course you have to be good at guessing and you have to pray that the enemy isn't immune to pinning either. Remember though it's not always vital to kill on every shot, but if you can get the enemy pinned down they are far less effective and you may not have to even deal with them. The next weapon squad would be the anti-tank. The most versatile weapon at their disposal is the missile launcher. With the rules for tanks and vehicles what they are in this edition a Krak missile actually has a good chance of doing some damage to vehicles, and hard to kill personnel. For me I love the Lascannon and a squad of three has so much potential for damage. Now we look at the fire support squad. This is the unit that will be the primary direct support of your troops versus your opponent's troops. With a squad of heavy bolters it is possible to rain down 9 heavy bolter shots, plus three more lasgun shots, per turn. The Auto cannon is another one of my favorites and is also a good weapon versus stubborn targets such as light vehicles, and tough troops. With the mortars you can pin them (as already mentioned), with the heavy bolters and auto cannons you can take out hard targets, and the anti-tank squads can deal sufficiently with most vehicles. The Good: The ability to place heavy weapons in a sector that needs them most is very valuable. You also have some flexibility as to what heavy weapons are in the squads, and where they get placed. The Bad: The heavy weapons in these squads are more expensive points-wise. If you have enough heavy weapon squads it is actually possible to expend enough points that could have been an additional infantry squad.
The sentinels are another serious consideration. Could you imagine a dozen of these vehicles striding around across the field? The sentinel is a very useful weapon platform in that it has the maneuverability, some armour resistance, and the ability to get some support weapons to a needed area of the battlefield more quickly than it's foot slogging cousins. The Good: The ability to move heavy weapons to an area that needs support quickly, and the increased resistance to small arms fire. The Bad: It is a vehicle so it can be targeted easier, and it's open topped (some).
Lastly, commissars are good support for the Captain. They have similar abilities and access to the armoury. They also can help a unit that is faltering- which is very bad for the Captain. Personally I have one per squad. The Good: The ability to beef up the Command HQ, and subsequent leaders with additional equipment from the armoury. Not to mention the higher leadership to get the men moving again. The Bad: The Commissar will shoot the other officer if they fail a leadership test. They take out a leader of your troops and thus provide the enemy with victory points (if that's the scenario) and also remember that nobody gets points if the Commissar shoots the other officer. Their increased leadership value does not come into affect until the unit they are attached to fails their leadership test.
All in all, I love playing the IG and there is so much versatility troop wise it's amazing. I use most of the human races from Necromunda as my troop types. I also have a strict Catachan army as well that does pretty good. The best advice I can give to fellow IG players is to bulk up on troops sometimes another squad is much better than taking a vehicle. However, for opponents such as the Chaos Marines and the Space Marines you need squad types that will pack a punch like many tanks and Ogryns. For any other race go with the extra troops but experiment as well that is the fun of the IG afterall!
Until next time...
Some of the tactics I was using for awhile came from my friend John Houchins. Here I will recount the same advice he gave me and I might add or subtract from the original but here goes.
Overview
It is of the general opinion that the IG are the weakest, most vulnerable, and under powered basic trooper in the game of Warhammer 40K. When taken as an individual this is most certainly true. Their stats show this, their armour protection shows this, and the bugzapper that they carry shows this. There are some troop types out there that may be worse in any one area, but overall the generic IG trooper is at a distinct disadvantage against any other race- with the possible exception of the grots, but they are backed up by their larger cousins the Orks. The strength of the IG lies in their numbers, and the shear ability to bring mass firepower to bear upon the enemy. To my knowledge no other army list in the game has the flexibility that the IG has when it comes to support weapons and vehicles. When playing the IG you can never fear the taking of casualties, what you must never let happen is the infliction of such upon the enemy. Use the IG's numbers to hold the line, absorb casualties, and just plain tie the enemy up. Use the flexibility of the heavy weapons squads to maximize firepower where/when needed. Use the IG's tanks, APC's, and sentinels to react to a hole in the line (yours and the enemies). Most importantly do not let the enemy dictate the battle. You must maintain the initiative by making him react to your moves when and where you want him. Whenever the IG tries to play the enemies game they will lose. We can't out race the Eldar, we can't out endure the Marines (Chaos included), and we can't out fight the Orks in hand to hand combat. In each case you must use the IG's flexibility to exploit weaknesses (both perceived and actual) of the enemy. No one army "list" will be able to adequately deal with each opponent. The trick is to learn how to maximize what you have, in the environment you are in.
Please not that I did use the term flexibility in relation to the Imperial Guard's ability to react to your opponent. Although the IG has a rigid command structure, it has a wide array of units at it's disposal. Static defense is just waiting to be flanked and overrun. A slow attack group is just waiting to be annihilated before it becomes effective. The battlefield is rarely a static place, and you must adapt to the various challenges that comes your way.
HQ
Here is the crown jewel in the IG's flexibility. No other army has an HQ selection that equates to what the guard can do here. It is possible to incorporate hand to hand equipped troops, a vast array and amount of heavy weapons, and you can even incorporate some fast attack capabilities. Here is going to be the only place for hand to hand combat troops, mostly it's going to be the Commissar's. It is important to remember the core philosophy of the IG- there is strength in numbers and the mutual support of other units. Never leave a unit isolated, especially the Command HQ.
It is important to remember that your Captain will never be a death-dealing super ninja. His bodyguard just isn't up to the task. If your style is to charge into the thick of the fight with your Captain decked out the HQ to suit it, and don't forget the Commissar and/or Preacher to back them up. If you prefer to sit back and shoot up your foes equip them as such. For me the HQ is the morale backbone of the army. The Captain (which some only take if it is a 3,000 point battle but I take one if it's more than 1,500) leads from the front, but not the vanguard of the attack. He is there to provide direction, and inspiration to his troops. He is not there to engage the enemy in hand to hand combat, nor is he to be the main defender in a rifle pit. The Good: The Captain has extra bodies to soak up some casualties. He can provide leadership from afar with the proper equipment in his group. The Bad: they will not be able to stand up to serious hand to hand combat opponents for very long. Like all IG units they need other units for mutual support.
Tactica IG continued tomorrow....
Sorry for the delay, homework calls. Anyway, I have created a scenario for Warhammer 40K and have taken the name from a GWAR song called the Obliteration of Flab Quarv 7 off of their album entitled This toilet earth. Here it is enjoy!
Assault on Flab Quarv 7
Overview
Both sides are attempting to sweep the area clean of opposing troops. Roving forces must be on the lookout to seek and destroy any enemies they may encounter.
Scenario Special Rules
The assault on Flab Quarv 7 mission uses the Deep Strike, Infiltrators, and Victory points special rules.
Mission Objective
Both players must attempt to eliminate the enemy without losing too much of their own strength. The player with the highest victory points at the end of the game wins.
Reserves
None.
Game Length
The game lasts for six turns.
Line of Retreat
Troops which are forced to fall back will do so towards the nearest board edge of their deployment zone, using the normal fall back rules.
