6th edition starter set minis

For those who haven't seen them, there's some starter set pics & videos floating around. And a crappy official video from GW. Anyway here are the piccies. Think Advance Order is up in a week or so with the following included:

Chaos Hell Brute
Chaos Lord
6x Chosen
20 or 18x Cultists

Dark Angels Company Master
Librarian & Chaplain
10x Tacticals
5x Deathwing
3x Ravenwing

Deathwing (Dark Angels) as Allies within light of new Rumors

Dakka

We've just got a nice new batch of Dark Angel rumors in what is supposed to be a two month old playtest copy. Yes, Games Workshop does playtest and yes they do make changes (I'm sure most people say the 36" range Psycannon Grey Knight test leak - complain about Psyfledreads now!). Anyway, currently one of the best Allies out there is Dark Angels thanks to scoring Thunderhammer/Storm Shield Terminators who can take a Cyclone Missile Launcher. Not only are they durable and very scary in combat but they come with good shooting. What's not to love? Their special character is also a decent challenge man and at 130 points + 235 per Deathwing squad (215 base + 20 for CML), you can get three squads + Belial for a paltry 835 points (600 if you don't want the Elite squad).

Thunderfish - Tau & MEQ Terminator Allies

Escape Theory

Let's start looking at some Ally combinations. We'll start with Tau - an army which has some serious perks but serious weaknesses, too. The goal of the Allies is to obviously cover those weaknesses as best as possible whilst minimising the impact upon the perks. Tau have excellent shooting but lack in two key departments - scoring and close combat. Most Space Marine armies have excellent scoring units - they are all MEQs after all and some excellent combat units (TWC, TH/SS, etc.). Can we combine the two and make a half-way decent list?

Email in: Army List question

"Hi Kirby

I’ve been having problems beating a 750 guard list (witch ironically I build), with my Dark Angels. I must admit I’m not a terribly experienced player, and would like whatever help that you can give me.

The IG list-
HQ- CCS (Commander has a Boltgun, Sniper Rifle x2, Autocannon)
TROOPS- Infantry Platoon
-PCS (Flamer, GL)
-IS
-IS
-HWS (Autocannon x3)
Troops- Veteran Squad (sgt-bolt pistol, Metagun x 3, Chimera w/Heavy Stubber)
Heavy-Basilisk
Heavy-Leman Russ (HB sponsons)

Email in: Best Space Marine (or Dark Angels) units

"Hi Kirby,

Looking at Abusepuppy’s post on “Evaluating Bad Units” made me think of what I think of as the best Space Marine or Dark Angels units

Here are my thoughts

HQ

Space Marines (Librarian, Terminator Armour, Storm Shield)

Dark Angels (Belial, TH/SS)

Email in: 1850pt DeathwingStar

"Kirby, I've been thinking about going to a RTT toward the end of June, and I've been trying to come up with a list based around the concept of a Deathwing deathstar. I know a lot of people have problems with deathstars, but I'm looking for a fresh new way to play my deathwing. The problem is, I'm having trouble fitting everything I need into an 1850 pt list (I'm actually not entirely sure that's the point limit for the tournament, as they still have not posted any details other than the date but that's what it was last year.). I'm stumped as to how to make this concept work effectively, so I'm turning to you for help. So here's the basic setup for the DeathwingStar.

Email in: Dark Angel Veteran list, help please!

"Dear Kirby,

I've been a long time reader and huge fan of your site for several years, and was hoping you'd help me build a Dark Angels list that focused primarily on veterans and plasma. Certainly not optimized, but something that still had a chance to win. Here is a very messy and fat filled list that I would be very curious to see you trim whilst still trying to keep a few components that I know are absurd.

(2070 points)

Email in: 2000 points Deathwing!

"Hey Kirby-

I've been following your blog for a few months now and really like the content that you and the other contributors have posted. I find your tactics and army list articles to be top notch along with some of the most detailed and professional-looking battle reports out there! Recently my roommate purchased about 15,000 points of 40k (legit 15,000 points- true story) for a ridiculously low price ($700) from a guy who just needed the space in his apartment. In the lot is a collection of 20 Deathwing Terminators (with DA Forgeworld shoulder pads). My roommate will be selling me these at a deeply discounted rate since my birthday is coming up soon. I already play Mech BA's and Tyranids but I can't pass up such a good deal! Especially with the rumors of a DA codex soon (although rumors are rumors...). So here is a list I came up with for 2,000 points combining Deathwing with a bit of Ravenwing.

Email in: 2K Deathwing

Dakka

"Hi!

First off love the blog and it is now almost daily for me to check and see what you guys have to say about my favorite game. So Thanks! Now my local shop has seen an influx of Grey Knight players and I wanted to some input on my Deathwing list. The Grey Knight players locally don't use any melta what so ever so I was thinking of running a dual Land Raider Deathwing list to take advantage. It is as follows -

Collect and paint an army in 3 weeks (Part 4). Finally got pics taken!

So boys and girls, once again, it has been a while!

What to tell you? Well, I finished painting the army on time and then took it to the Mayhem Mayfest Tournament in Tolworth! Once I'd been to the tournament I had one of my MSc case studies to do (in only four days, which was not good), I got that done and since have had my feet up!

The photo to the left is the "Team" I am a part of and we are familiar faces on the tournament circuit, particularly in the South of the country, Team: Not Arrogant, Just Better (for this tourney we renamed ourselves Not Arrogant, Just Morphed).

Email in: Hi 40k comp army build

"Hi I heard from a friend you are pretty responsive to emails and from looking at your site I see lots of experience posted throughout. So that said it brings me to my questions, I need one of my armies to be competitive in 2000 and 2500 point areas as long as on a national level. I will learn the tactics but the army build needs to be as competitive as can be call it cookie cutter if you want but winning is winning in my book and thats where the fun is for me. I have 2 options with lots of routes in my eyes....

Marines - Differences Between Codices

With four 5th edition and two fourth edition Space Marine armies out there battling, players looking to invest in some poster-boys of 40k have a lot of choice. Now a lot of people think some of these choices suck such as Dark Angels or Space Marines but thanks to good codex design within the 5th edition books and some recent and decent FAQs for Black Templars and Dark Angels, this is not the case. In this post we'll do a quick breakdown of the strengths and weakness of each codex and look at generally effective builds as well as themes within the book. This will give players a better understanding of each book and where one might like to start within the Marine family. Later posts will look at general codex comparisons in a broader sense of the word and focusing on two armies and the major differences (i.e. Space Wolves and Space Marines).

Before we dig into each army we'll look at the overall similarities. Each Marine codex has a core of WS/BS/S/T/I 4, W/A1, Ld8/9, Sv3+ models all of which have And They Shall Know No Fear (ATSKNF) and wargear focused on bolt weapons. This makes them expensive but very sturdy Troops most effective at range but no push-overs in combat (generally limited by their own lack of attacks). Whilst ATSKNF isn't fearless, it can quite often be better and forces your opponent to escorting fleeing units off the board or wiping them out completely. Each army has access to cheap vehicles based on the Rhino chassis and for 35 points base, these vehicles are a steal and quite popular. Marine armies in general are very flexible and their units excel at being generalists with specific units to support them in particular roles. Overall, each Marine codex presents an army which is flexible, good at both shooting and combat and very durable.

Email in: Mech Dark Angels

SitW

"Hi! Grand Master Raziel here, regular contributor to Warseer and B&C, but this is my first time throwing something your way. I've been reading your blog a lot lately, because I love 40K. I'm pretty good at the game, but could be better, and it seems like reading your blog will help me get better.

One of the things I read with some interest was a sample Mech Marine list. Being a DA player, I got to wondering if I could do something similar with Codex: Dark Angels. I imagine the obvious question is why would I bother? Well, we DA players are stubborn sunzabitches, and we'd rather take our gimped old dex and beat you with it than stoop to using Codex: Ultramarines. Besides, it was an interesting exercise in list-building. So, with that in mind, here it is.

1500pt hypothetical Dark Angels tournament mech list

Collect and paint an army in 3 weeks (Part 2). Sponge is your friend,

Hi again people!

Only a short update today but there is some news to report upon!

The poll showed a definate edge to Dark Eldar and Deathwing as what people wanted to see, those were the armies I was leaning towards but I just couldn't find a way of making the venoms I liked or thought would have enough time to replicate, as such the Deathwing were chosen!

Collect and paint an army in 3 weeks (Part 1). The sleeper has awakened!

Hi again folks! It’s time I did a new army!

Last year I had a pretty solid year tournament wise and ended the year ranked 18^th in the UK (more by luck then skill in my opinion) but nevertheless I’m hoping to try and emulate that level of success this year.

I have the Mayhem tournament which is in Tolworth South London/Surrey which is being held in association with Heroes and Legends Games just around the corner (3 weeks I believe). As always I’m thinking about new armies and as always I can’t decide what to take!

There’s a few options on the table, Grey Knights, Deathwing, Space Wolves and I was keen on Dark Eldar but I can’t work out a cheap way to
make venoms (I’m not poor, just don’t like the viper/raider chop shop).

This particular tournament is what is typically referred to as battlepoints, those points being awarded for controlling objectives and as such there is a heavy emphasis on scoring units, as such my 4 TWC lord, 2 troop choice wolves are out of the window, the current list options are:

Vindicators are Alright and Other Crazyness

The Vindicator is really quite underrated. Also, it’s a problem that I’ve been mulling over for quite some time.

I started out using vindicators, and they might be my favorite tank. I love the design. I love the concept. What I never really liked, however, were their rules. For what is ostensibly a siege tank, the vindicator sure seems to be equipped with paper armor, especially against canny opponents who can get those side shots off.

But I liked them. So I kept using them. Even after a brief stint running dakkapreds instead, I came back to the trusty Vindicator, and eventually mastered them. The key is in a few rules you should try to NEVER break.

It’s important to understand a few things about vindicators, before we go into their use:

Email in: Starting Dark Angels: Need help

"OK – I’m struggling here and I need help. I’ve been infatuated with the Biker themed armies for a while, and while I do like the Space Marines/White Scars armies I just keep getting drawn to the FOC breaking Attack Bikes and the cheap Land Speeders of the Dark Angels. With the recent FAQ I’m also inclined towards Terminators and so I’m starting to think a mix of Ravenwing and Deathwing on the field.

I have a Ravenwing battleforce, a crap terminator squad (Powerfist & Storm bolters only – no options o.0), and that’s about it. Thankfully my tax return should come this weekend, so I’ve got some cash that I’m about to sink into models & bits.

You're going to be buying so that's that haha. Ravenwing battleforces are great buys but we'll see what you need first. Doublewing is a great and usable concept but depends a lot on the points value. Deathwing is nearly always better as the Troop choices because they are so hard to remove.

Email in: Has Belial made all other Space Marine Terminator armies obsolete?

Hey Kirby,

Your site helped me a lot in building my Space Marine army. Basically I have a standard twin rock armylist after following your suggestions. Sometimes I'll swap in a Librarian instead of Vulcan, or a Rifleman instead of the MM Dread, but I have been doing better lately when using the Salamanders' Forgefather.

190 Vulcan

215 Tactical Squad x10 (Meltagun, ML, Rhino)
215 Tactical Squad x10 (Meltagun, ML, Rhino)

Email In - Doublewing 2000pts

Going to follow Kirby's trend of responses in italics purple, as it seems to be popular

Hi SneakyDan, it appears that you are running the Dark Angels conversation on 3++ so I'm sending you a Doublewing list idea.  It seems to me that Deathwing and Ravenwing were so obviously meant to be combined that it's silly not to.  I mean, one teleports, the other comes with Scouts and teleport homers.  Duh.  The only reason Doublewing wasn't that good till now was the nerfiness of the DWT stormshield and the Cyclone/Typhoon missile launchers in the DA codex.  I'm still not sure that it's the perfect list, but it's much better than it was, and I'm pretty confident that it would work better than pure Deathwing.

It still isn't -that- good, its just not super horribad anymore. Its playable, but nowhere near on par with something like IG or C:Marines. Also, afaik, DA bikers can only scout move, not scout turbo boost, as that didnt get FAQ'd.

Email in: 1500 points Doublewing

"Hi Kirby,

Greetings from Perth

I like your Blog

Have you got any ideas for 1500 points of Doublewing?

I’m thinking of

Belial (with Thunder Hammer)
3 Deathwing Squads (Assault Cannon, 2 Chainfists, 3 Thunderhammers)

Ravenwing squad
2 Meltaguns
Power weapon (my sergeants don’t have power fists)
Attack bike with Multi-melta