Unit Analysis: Doomsday Device (DDD) Part 1

So this week I wanted to talk about another unit I love. It’s the Doomsday Device. Now most of you may not have heard about it, I didn’t until I randomly got a pdf of it, and sequentially fell in love with it. As you may have guessed it is a Apocalypse unit, a super heavy in fact. It costs 400 points, has AV14 all around, and three structure points. It’s not a tank, and it doesn’t move. All you do is set it up during deployment and then wait for it to shoot.

So…what are its uses? Well for starters it’s only 400 points; pretty cheap when you think of other Apoc units. Now by itself you may not find it very useful. I mean, it is Apoc, and a single AV14 super heavy doesn’t really stand a chance. But with multiple of them you can decimate armies in every single shoting phase. You have the chance to do either Apoc Barrage (4) S8 AP3 Pinning anywhere you please, a single 72” S D AP2 Heavy D6, or D3+2 Apoc Blast S10 AP1 Pinning blast templates anywhere you want. Sound awesome? Yeah, that’s cause it is. Now there are a few downfalls, as there are in anything in life.

First off they don’t move, you deploy them at the start of the game and then sit and wait. This cuts down on your ability to ever get a better firing lane, so you gotta make sure to put it somewhere not too in the open but not too secluded either. In the end there is only one shot that you can get that you need los for, all the others are blast templates anywhere on the board. Second, they don’t automatically fire on turn one. Basically you roll a D6 and add the turn number to it, if the total is a 7 or higher it activates and all is fine and dandy, till then though it’s aggravating as hell. Third, once activated it can blow up in your face…literally. Besides rolling all those different awesome shooting attacks you also have the chance to either:

1 – Become a dud. Meaning its completely useless for the rest of the game.

2 – Add +1 to next turns roll. Not the worst, just sucks not shooting for a turn.

3 – Blowing up and everything within 6D6” takes a S8 AP3 hit. This just sucks, that’s it.

4 – Going nuclear. Now it doesn’t happen right away, but in your next turn everything within 6D6” is removed from the table. Terrain, models, objectives, you name it.

Lastly, and this is my favorite part, DDDs don’t explode, they can only become wrecks. Nay, instead of rolling on the Catastrophic Damage table you roll on the Chart of Devastation and get one last shot off. And you get to do this regardless of whether or not you’ve activated it. So in the end, if your opponent decides they’re gonna eliminate it turn 1 you’ll still have a chance to do something with it. Last game I played one of mine was destroyed by a Carifex, and then it took out an entire 10 man White Scar unit who was flanking me on the other side of the table.

So there you have it. The pros and cons for the doomsday device. I figured I’d write this part first just to give you all an intro into this awesome piece of chaos weaponry. I’ll be back soon to discuss the tactical uses for it, as well as my first modeling/WIP article cause I’m currently working of two, possibly three of these because I always take multiple in any Apoc game. So look forward to those in the next few weeks, hope this was insightful and if you have any questions feel free to ask/email me. Deuces.

Unit of the week #3 Dark Eldar Trueborn

omfg! haha watching some show and this sasquatch commercial comes on and it shows some guy in like night vision and you hear AWHOOO or some weird sasquatchy noise, and hes just like "LOVELY"...Sorry thought I had to add that in,

*disclaimer* Im doing this from a competitive aspect. KthnxBai

So yeah trueborn, lets start with some +'s and -'s eh?

Positives:
Lots of options
Fairly cheap
Accurate
Sick looking :P

Negatives:
Some options are pitfalls
Can get expensive
Have some retarded builds you dont wanna use
Have the usual DE survivability

Now if blood brides are your veteran CC unit then the trueborn are your shooty veterans (for you noobie power armour kids out there, think sternguard).

Lets look at some of the options available for them!

(gets off couch to go to game room and get codex)

I will rate these 1-5, 1 being a horrendous choice IMO and 5 being Insta take.

Splinter pistol and CC weapon: 1
Remember them being shooty units?...Well they are...dont take it unless its for fun.

Shard carbine: 3
 Interesting choice, could be combined into a giant anti infantry killing machine if thrown into a large group with similar load out and the duke. Expensive

Shredder: 3
Cheap, short ranged anti infantry. I would take these only if the whole squad was armed with them and you were lacking Anti infantry in the rest of your list.

Blaster: 5
I love blasters, they kill everything! Great choice if given to a min squad and put into a venom very popular also. Only problem is the range but if your any good with DE it shouldnt be a problem.

Heavy weapons selection.

Splinter cannon: 3
Anti infantry again...would only take if your lacking in other places which would be rare in a DE army.
It also suggests static gameplay which is boring IMO.

Dark lance: 2
I know I know, lots of people like this option. I hate it, inspires static game play while pouring more points into a easy to kill squad. Sure you get 2 more lances but its more expensive then a ravager! (in certain builds of this unit)

Plasma grenades: 1
Why? Why would you take assault grenades on a shooty squad that you dont want in CC?

Hay wire grenades:2
The only reason I gave it a 2 is because of the visual of 5 trueborn rocking up in a venom, hopping out, blasting the tracks off a tank and running up to plant haywire grenades on it and blow it up. Wouldnt take these in a competitive game.

Character options:
Dracon:1
5 points for one more attack? NO THANKS

Only viable option I could think of for taking him is for a blast pistol for just that one more blaster shot, but 20 points is steep.

Transports:
Raider:3
I could see someone taking a raider only if they have enough AI in the rest of the army, I have an undenied love for venoms so I cant say much.

Venom:5
Cheap, shooty shooty shooty, and fast. I love venoms, they also look visualy cool as your trueborn should get their own pimpin ride. Almost always take one.

Now lets look at some common trueborn builds.

*insert weapon name* born:
These are usually 3-4x trueborn all armed with the same weapon, either shredders or blasters jammed into a venom and rocketed up the field to hop out/stay in and blast tanks. This is what I run, keep it cheap and it can add great amounts of AT or AI into your list. I prefer blasters but thats because I can never seem to kill tanks (except against space wolves,but thats because they deserve it)

Lance born:
3x trueborn with 2x dark lances in either a venom (if lacking AI) or raider to make a pseudo ravager. I dont like this build because I like moving fast, and it encourages static gameplay. (dumb Grey knights...)

Cannon born:
3x trueborn with 2x splinter cannons (dur). In a venom to complement their target range. Never seen these run as blaster born are more versatile.

Gun boat o' doom!:
9x trueborn in a raider all with shard carbines, and 2x splinter cannons. The raider has splinter racks and the squad is joined by...DA DUKE! Never seen this run before but thought it would be fun to run. Almost any infantry unit that comes in 18 inches of this stationary vehicle will probably die. (unless its wearing the Ward armour, oh I mean power armour :P)

Common tactics used with trueborn.

The poisoned tip:
This is a common tactic that I use. It involves your trueborn at the tip of your flotilla shielded by a horde of hellions (because their fun to use). It looks like this:

The wracks are in the very middle to zoom out and capture objectives, but thats for another time.

The trueborn venoms are the 2 in the very front so they can pick the prime targets (tanks). Once those are cracked open the rest of the fleet can draw LOS on the biologicals that spill out of the bawks and promptly gun them down.

Tips to using trueborn.
Always be open to versatility. I learned this from a recent tournament (which allowed me to win). If their is infantry that needs to die (scoring GK in my example) shoot them with blasters! Never be afraid to use them outside the box

Always use cover.
(should be obvious for DE but still) When you move your trueborn up to kill something, always consider what terrain is near by. If theres a ruin, make sure you can disembark 2 inches into the ruin WHEN your transport dies. If it explodes you dont have to worry haha.

Decide when to suicide.
Suiciding is (to me) going 12 inches hopping out and blasting something, only to promptly die to return fire as you left your invincible paper airplane. Consider ranges, I do this all game. Remember your blaster born have a 24 inch range with the venoms 6 inch move, you dont always have to suicide!

Thats all for now, im sick and really dont want to be typing this as before it deleted my entire post -.-.

Tutaloo...

Unit Analysis: Noise Marines

Words Hurt Too – Part II

Right, so in the first part of this article “series” I discussed all the options that Noise Marines can take and what they really do. So for this part I’m going to cover their battlefield applications. Now I need to state that I’m not trying to convince anyone to play an all Noise Marine army, hell I don’t even do that. I’m writing this because I feel that Noise Marines are often overlooked and under-appreciated. So with that I shall start with some tactics.

Many people see Noise Marines as a singular purpose unit. What that means is that you either equip a Blastmaster and/or some Sonic Blasters and just sit back and shoot, or you do the other extreme with a Doom Siren and Power Weapon/Fist Champ and drive up into assault. While either load outs might work in their own right I feel like there should be a compromise, a middle ground. So I run mine as follows:

8 Noise Marines, 7 Sonic Blasters, Champion with Doom Siren and Power Weapon in Rhino – 275 pts

“Alright Dan, now that’s just stupid.” Yeah, I know it is. But you know what?... It works! No joke. I know the internets has its theories and that it’s all about list building, and if you use that school of thought, then yes this configuration makes no sense. And this is why the internets with all its beloved trolls are wrong, its all about how you run/utilize units. Especially this one.

Now let me explain before you all troll me, okay? I’ve been running this set up for years now and I understand it through and through. The strength of this unit is its maneuverability and its massive firepower, but as you can see it lacks a very key asset most units need in this edition, anti-tank. This is why I never let them go out alone (after all they are children and they need supervision). I run either CSM with dual melta in Rhino, or Plague Marines with dual Plasma with them to help them out. Cause 9/10 times the only thing that is standing between my Noise Marines and absolute slaughter is a metal box.

Like I said earlier this unit has massive amounts of firepower, more over massive anti-infantry firepower. This units sole purpose is to rupture internal organs, through power and flak armor alike. Not only does 14-21 bolter shots cripple Gaurdsmen and Wolf Scouts, just drive up closer and play that funky music white boi. The closer this unit gets to you, the deadlier it gets. And a CSM general you just have to give them the opportunity and they will shine, like the 4th of July, cause baby they’re fireworks (sorry, had to do it).

This brings me to my second point. You don’t need me to bring up any more stats or numbers. If, by some chance you do, /facepalm yourself and go back to your Twilight books. This unit is semi-situational. It isn’t the all around Swiss-army knifes of other units in the codex. They don’t have any reliable can-opening abilities. So this is why you include Oblits, or Havocs, or Predators, or anything for that matter. Just open those tin cans and let tem play Bach’s 8th symphony of Death. This unit also plays very well with Lash. Whether you have a Blastmaster or a Doom Siren, bunch ‘em up and blow ‘em to bits.

In conclusion…Noise Marines are a very beefy shooting unit, able to out shoot any other unit in the codex when properly equipped. Now they aren’t completely well rounded in all aspects, but they have their place. I’m not saying build an army around Noise Marines, in fact quite the contrary. Build a solid army first, and then add a dash of Noise Marines to taste. They’re an all around infantry butcher squad, so that’s what you should use them as. Perfect for standing and shooting, and also as a charge and counter charge unit. Give a whirl and see what you think. Trust me its fun, and if not me trust Slaanesh he/she/it knows how to rape people (just ask the Eldar).

Unit Analysis: Noise Marines

Word Hurt Too - Part 1

So this week I wanted to talk about my favorite unit in the 40k universe, the Noise Marines. Now anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m completely dedicated to Slaanesh, so it makes sense why I love them so. If any of you have read the book “Fulgrim” you’ll know what I mean. I just love everything about them, their fluff, their color scheme, the weapons, the god like drug habits, etc. so when this toilet paper worthy codex came out those oh so many years ago I knew I had to use them; and I must say, they perform outstanding.

Now I know what most of you will say and think. I understand the current meta, and I know how many others play CSM. But I do things my own way, and I’ll be damned if I don’t have a unit in any army I field. (though I’m serious about the damned part, I think Slaanesh is watching me) So lets see…where to start…

Well the first point many use against me is that they aren’t the best troop unit we CSM generals have at our disposal. Okay, true. Noise Marines have some stiff competition in the troop slot. There’s Plague Marines and Khorne Bezerkers, hell even regular Chaos Space Marine squads can have more optimal load outs. But hear me out. Let us start with the points.
Noise Marines are only 20 points a model, more than CSM but less that other cult troops. Just like other cult troops they’re fearless, and they get the Mark of Slaanesh whish boosts their initiative to 5. So that’s 5 points more that CSM for fearless and I5, I’ll take it. The I5 makes sure that they are perfect for assault, both giving and taking (yes that’s supposed to be an innuendo). With it they will most likely be striking before everyone else, and having 2 CCW as well as any power weapon option attacks means you’ll be able to soften the blow coming back your way.

“Dan, WTF?! Zerkers are I5 on the charge and have more attacks!! And Plague Marines have a higher toughness with FNP and defensive grenades!!!” Yeah, I know, thank you for stating the obvious. I understand that KB are monsters in CC and that PM are amazing at soaking up pretty much everything. But Noise Marines shine in other ways. No they can’t take Melta Guns, but you know what they can take? Wait…wait for it…Sonic Weapons!!!

I love sonic weaponry!! And the codex allows you to kit out your squads in lots of different ways. First there’s the good old reliable Sonic Blaster. For five points you get an Assault 2 or Heavy 3. Notice the or? I understand that it’s an extra five points, but the versatility it provides is unparalleled for anti-infantry guns. This now allows you always fire up to 2’ whether you move or not. Now we shall break for some mathhammer…

So, lets look at a regular marine shooting a bolter at another marine. That means you need a 3+ to hit, a 4+ to wound, and then get through a 3+ armor save. It gives you a 8.84% chance to wound per shot. With a full Tactical squad, lets say with only bolters, firing at full range you’re scoring about .8 wounds.

So now, with sonic blasters, you’re getting twice that…1.6 wounds. And that’s at 2’, not 1’. And if you don’t move obviously you’ll get 3 shots, and that’s 2.4. We all know that the more dice you roll the better, or closer to average, and that’s what Sonic Blasters gives you.

Another option Noise Marines can take is the Blastmaster. This gun also has 2 profiles that you can fire it as. Either a 36” S5 AP4 Assault 2, Pinning or a 48” S8 AP3 Heavy 1, Blast, Pinning. Obviously you’re gonna wanna remain stationary with this bad boy. The gun speaks (literally) for itself. I have to admit that I don’t really have that much experience with using them because, well, they cost 40 pts and you can only take up to one per unit. Is it good? Yeah, it can be. Is it worth it? No, not really.

Now the last in the armory, and my personal favorite, the Doom Siren. For those who don’t know it’s a S5 AP3 template weapon. That’s right, a AP3 template!! Is there really any downside to it? Well, it’s only available for the Noise Champion. That means that you need to spent 35 pts just to access the gun, which is another 15 pts. It’s completely worth the 15 pts, but it does make your Champion 50 pts, and that’s before any power weapon options. The pay off is amazing. This single gun takes the unit from being above average to down right hellish.

So lets recap quick. Noise marines are cult troops which means that they’re Fearless. They also come with the Mark of Slaanesh which gives them +1I, so a 5 instead of a 4. We covered their armory which basicly goes like this – Sonic Blasters, yes; Blastmaster, no; and Doom Siren, hell yes! That’s it for this week. I’ll be doing a second part later this week going over some basic tactics that focus on Noise Marines and their synergy with the rest of the CSM codex.

Till then, billie_joe out, oh and Death to the False Emperor.

unit of the week No.1! Imperial guard Veterans

Ahhhh veterans, the Swiss army knife of the
Imperial guard and the back bone of any mechanized Imperial guard army.

Veterans are different than basic guardsmen in that they have BS4, and a sergeant with Ld 8. But what makes them the star of the show is the ability to take three special weapons, making them the anti-tank squad of choice along with the CCS, all mounted in either Chimeras or Valkyries. The sniper rifle is a complete waste on the veterans, and flamers and Grenade Launchers can be gotten for cheaper elsewhere (a PCS or SWS, perhaps), leaving the Plasma gun as the other top notch option for the Vets. The downside to the Plasma gun is their ready availability in platoons, Leman Russ Executioner, and even sentinels (well, the last two are plasma cannons, but they share a common target pool). One veteran can take a Heavy Flamer instead of another special, but like in command squads, the cost in both points and opportunity is too great for anything other than a fun choice. Veterans can take a heavy weapon, and the decision of whether or not to take advantage of that will no doubt be the source of much future debate, but my current rule of thumb is: never for Airmobile squads, always for foot squads, and sometimes for mechanized squads. If you’re packing melta guns in a chimera, you might expect to move full speed, but you also might stay put to shoot with the chimera. In those times, packing an autocannon for 10pts is simply a good buy. Further, vets with three plasmas and a lascannon run only 135pts, and can tuck into cover or a Chimera to provide great cover fire.

Veterans can take one of three doctrines: Carapace armor, camo cloaks and defensive grenades, or melta bombs and a demo charge, all for 30pts. Carapace armor is overpriced as always, but provides a good way to use Kasrkin models without having to swallow the awful Storm Trooper rules. The camo cloaks are also quite pricy, and defensive grenades are nice but not enough to save veterans from anything but the weakest charging unit. Demolitions add a nice mix to the squad, and while 30pts is a lot of points for a demo charge in an airmobile squad that charge can often reap huge benefits. Melta bombs are also generally good.

So all in all veterans are an AWESOME inexpensive troops choice but remember to not spend to much on them because remember they are a T3 unit with a 5+.

The Emperor Protects