Dark Eldar First List and Initial Thoughts

Dark Eldar are an army that I've had my eye on for some time now, but the story of how I manage to buy a full force starts not that long ago, when I was starting to realise that my guard aren't really working in terms of playstyle for me, that my Space Marines had taken a back-burner and that my small collection of Tau would probably not be ressurected even if the promised codex did come out which we've been waiting for due to rumours for almost 2 years now...

So, essentially, when GW came out with the megaforces, I was quite intrigued as I'd had some interest in necrons but looking at people's opinions of the contents I wasn't too impressed, however, I was potentially going to buy the megaforce and start necrons. But then I had a little ponder, and realised that GW had realeased megaforces before, and since I wouldn't be able to make an army that I necessarily liked from the necron box, maybe I should just take a look at other armies. And voila, here you go, a dark eldar megaforce pops up on my google search. I look at the contents and like what I see. I compare it with the other potential competitor to be my new army - i.e. tyranids - and the decision ways down strongly with the dark kin, who not only have a megaforce to kickstart me, but also I won't have to paint as many figures, and I get to play a super-fast shooty but also possibly assaulty force.

By the way I had also looked at daemons, as they would offer a completely new way to play compared to my other more or less point-and-shoot style armies, being fully assault, but then I thought that since it's the new best thing, it will soon be replaced by another new best thing and won't appeal to me as much in the long-term.

So with that I've now got a dark eldar megaforce and lots of stuff off ebay (10 kabalite warriors, 15 hellions, succubus, bits to make trueborn, 5 venoms and a razorwing). I proceeded to think about lists and do research on colour schemes. After some initial lists using what I have, I then asked for a second opinion on Imperius Dominatus and the new edited army will be as follows (for 1500 with lots to use to scale up):

Baron Santhonyx
Haemonculus

5 wyches with haywire in Venom with splinter cannon

5 wyches with haywire in Venom with splinter cannon

5 wyches with haywire in Venom with splinter cannon

10 kabalite warriors with blaster and splinter cannon in Raider (probably with disintegrator cannon)

12 hellions

6 Reavers with 2 heat lances and cluster caltrops

Ravager with Flickerfield and Night shield

Ravager with Flickerfield and Night shield

Void Raven Bomber (I'll start by probably using a razorwing but I've been informed that this is better)

In terms of colourschemes I'd like to emulate the classic dark eldar scheme (as seen on the box) but failing that (which is quite probable) perhaps just a similar-style one with a greenish/bluish tint and red accents but we'll see after some tests. (although I also like the idea of a purpley army) Basing will be urban/snow so that I can a) make and b) use the same display board for both my guard and DE. 

On a related note, my holidays have now officially started so I hope to at least get some of these built over the next few weeks, although I'll probably initially be making my Tau/Ultramarine combo as that needs less stuff to be finished, so if there are any upcoming tournaments I'll be able to go with something I like, rather than my now about-to-be retired guard - at least until I figure out what I'm doing with them. Plus if I do the cloaked veterans I'll need a lot of time for the conversion work, as I would like to do them properly, rather than just cobble together a rushed effort.

Space Marines with Tau allies list

Ok so time to put away the guard (at least until I decide what I'm going to change... although there are a few cheeky daemon allies ideas going round the interwebz, and while I'm tempted I really shouldn't be buying new models since I've just acquired a large load of dark eldar - army list later) and dust off the space marines and more specifically my tau.

The tau are going to need a repaint and some weapon changes but at least I have all of this except for 1 single broadside which I can always buy.

So the original idea I was having for SM in 6th was to continue with my sternguard flying around the field accompanied by a gated librarian, but after a few lists that I didn't really like I tried to experiment with bikes and then realised that they cost loads of points. I then attempted to make a hybrid bike and tac marine list to be similar to the one I faced in Offence 6th, and it didn't really look so threatening.

After my last tournament I finally know what I'm doing or at least I hope so...

Librarian (null zone and another power which I'm not decided on yet but suggestions are welcome)

Assault terminators with thunderhammers and stormshields

Tactical Squad with Multi-melta, meltagun, combi-melta, powerfist, rhino
Tactical Squad with missile launcher (might switch for a plasmacannon) and plasmagun, rhino

Stormtalon with typhoon missile launcher and assault cannon

Stormtalon with typhoon missile launcher and assault cannon

Thunderfire cannon

Allies:

Shas'o with cyclic ion blaster (will switch to twin/single missile pod if cheaper but don't have codex on me), plasma rifle, and shield thing that gives him an invuln (plan to probs change)

3 crisis suits with plasma rifle, missile pod and target lock (thing that lets them shoot both, one might get multi-tracker or whatever lets it shoot a different unit)

6 firewarriors (honestly as many as fit, if points allow in the end would take 2 squads)

3 Broadsides

Fortification: Aegis Defence line

This list is in the region of 1750 pts, but I haven't really managed to include everything I want but it's the best one I've managed to make so far in my opinion. While I would love to add a land raider, a quad gun, some pathfinders and a few autocannon dreads - I can save that for higher points values.

Now to explain everything...

3000pt Doubles Tournament Report: Call to Arms

On Sunday, Paul, Ilya and I all went to a 3000 point doubles tournament. You were allowed to go on your own and Paul and I went as a team with Blood Angels and Imperial Guard and Ilya was on his own with Orks. It wasn't going to be a big tournament with 11 players signed up originally but there were 8 of us altogether on the day.

1750 Orks vs Chaos Space Marines Proxy Madness

Mission: Emperor's will, Deployment: Diagonal 

Paul can't be bothered to do this batrep so from now on it'll be from me as far as I remember (Dimitry): 

Coach-wars continue as not all the orks fit onto the table so the reserve pile mounts up.

Ilya's list is several 30 man squads of orks each with a power klaw nob and three rokkit launchers. The terminators are nobs I think.

On Paul's side there's:

Typhus

2x Hellbrute with multi-melta and powerfist

2x 5 man plague marine squad with 2x meltagun
2x 5 man plague marine squad with 2x plasmagun
Plague Zombies x16 (proxied as guardsmen)

2x Maulerfiend (flying stands)
Defiler (drop pod)

n.b. for this battle each paint counted as an ork.

Paul's recently renovated dreadnought strides into battle (as a hellbrute)

Imperial Guard in 6th list change ideas

As you probably know if you read this blog, my IG haven't been doing very well despite some very interesting, close-fought games, resulting in a in a 6th ed w/d/l record of 1/3/5 so far, which quite frankly isn't very good. Especially if you compare it to my 5th ed record of 7/2/4.

My win/loss now therefore is 0.2 compared to the 1.75 in 5th, so I've been thinking about how to change this. As you may or may not know I follow Ailaros and he's been thinking about using conscripts in 6th and how they work. While I had considered this idea when first making my army in 5th ed, I can't really bring myself to make models that are basically recyclable cannon fodder. I do have 30 spare guardsmen lying around not yet assembled, but I think I'd much rather build veterans rather than conscripts. Not only are they more useful, but the conversion possibilities are lot better. My third option is something I've been thinking about for a while and that is adding a small outflanking blob with either meltaguns or flamers.

Scratch-built Terrain: Generator Finished

Just finished off the scratch-built piece of terrain, long-time readers will remember this. Here's how it was built if anyone is interested. Basically a pretty simple paint job, lots of washes, drybrushing, static grass and some vallejo water effects. Tried to add the patchy, weathered rust sort of idea to it and I think it worked to an extent. Oh and of course no piece of terrain is finished without a generous dolloping of static grass. :)

What I really need to add is maybe a highlight to the water effects, and maybe use the gw ones because they don't come colour-specific (unlike this where I need to mix blue with yellow and that loses some of effect I think). Oh and the whole thing may be a bit too dark for my taste so maybe I'll drybrush some boltgun metal over the top. Still quite good for a "free" piece of terrain.

Building process can be found here...

1750pts Imperial Guard vs Battlewagon Orks - the Scouring

Apologies as pics somehow seem to be missing/not in the right order... Don't know why. Anyway, so it seems that we have now progressed to bed wars... Don't ask why! (lol) I used the same list as last time, which can be found here.

Ilya was running orks. 

Wazdakka

A few bikers

2x 22 (yes I know they don't fit in a battlewagon but he was being very persausive and by the time Paul came and told me that transport cap is only 20 we were halfway through the game) boyz with rokkits in there as well as some klaws

21 orks with rokkits and a klaw or two

3 dedicated transport battlewagons

1 heavy support battlewagon 

(all proxied bar 1, have same gear)

2x dakkajet (stormraven stand and empty flying base)

Mission was scouring with the diagonal deployment (how do people mark this by the way??)

Terrain placement involved me setting up a nice defensive perimeter in one corner with the rest of the field being pretty open. I also managed to disrupt some of Ilya's side. However he got his revenge by placing some barricades in the bunker that was meant to be occupied by my blob, making things quite annoying simply in terms of placing models for me.

Objectives: Most were placed towards my side which was good for me. We unveil them and I get 4, 2 and 2, with a one in the small bunker nearby and a 3 in the centre. Ilya's hidden objective is a 3. Things look good for me :)

As I said pictures are missing but basically Ilya deploys first and goes first. Battlewagons bunch up in the middle and bikes zoom from behind them behind the small bunker and alunch an assault on my plasmavet's chimera. Gretchin stay behind on objective. Chimera dies, veterans spill out. Blob takes a few casualties. He has first blood

I retaliate and kill wazdakka and all the boys with some focussed fire and do some minor damage to 2 of the battlewagons (the ones with the boys). Here I'm hoping to get them down in the centre to stop any nasty charges from coming at me, while shooting a few blasts at them while they bunch up as they come out of their transports.

Turn 2

He then continues to push up, killing the executioner with a dethroller attack. A few guardsmen die in the blob and the trucks generally move forwards. Also combined rokkit launcher firepower destroys the vanquisher cannon.

My two vendettas arrive and I really start to do some damage to the battlewagons (it helps shooting back armour too. Boys spill out and I manage to rout one squad and kill many orks in another squad.
My backfield shifts around a bit too