1850 Light Mech Review

1850 Light Mech v1

Ahh, spring break.  Let’s see if I can’t get this critique knocked out.

I’m constantly tweaking lists (I use Google Docs spreadsheets which I can access with my Droid at the LGS, very convenient) and haven’t quite had that “Ok, this is a list I can field long term” feeling… until this list.

Well, the basics of it anyways.

Here’s a photo of the list:

The Vindicators are the core of this list.  Vindicators make their money by nuking units of infantry, particularly the heavily armored kind.  Enemy armor should be its secondary target.  So unless your nuking infantry, they aren’t worth fielding.  For that reason, they need to be supported by other ranged AT weaponry.  The Laserbacks and Typhoons fill this role.  PotMS increases both the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Vindi.  The offensive improvements consist of increased effective ranged, immunity to shaken and stunned, and improved accuracy.  The defensive improvements are just as important but aren’t as easy to see.  Because of the ability to move 12″ and shoot the Vindi can find better angles to maximize the usage of it’s front armor.  This makes the Vindi more survivable, and since the Vindi is a fire-magnet, this makes my entire army more survivable.  Add to that suppression immunity and you have a vehicle that’s taking a lot of fire away from lighter armor.  The speed also helps defend against assaulters.  While I’ve still lost vehicles to assault since equipping PotMS, that number is waaaay down.

Next are the Typhoons.  Multi-melta Landspeeders are deadly, but they’re usually one shot weapons that are either fielded first turn and go flat out as fire-magnets, or they deep strike and attempt to take out heavy armor.  Typhoons are versatile versus both vehicles and infantry and they’re effecting the battlefield on the first turn.  These things are golden and as soon as my third Tempest models comes in I will be fielding a third.  Which, speaking of a third Typhoon, should have been what I added to the 1750 list.

Typhoons alone are not enough ranged AT, so I went with four Laserbacks.  The PotMS was a last minute upgrade, and for the most part it’s worth it.  The downside is obviously cost (and Victory Point scenarios, ugh!).  At 120pts it’s as expensive as a Wave Serpent but far less durable.  However, they do provide solid AT fire.  The nice thing is, again, their speed.  I have two load outs for the Crusaders inside.  The first fields just a meltagun.  Combined with PotMS on the Laserback, this unit can speed forward 12″ and shoot both the TL-Lascannon and the dismounted meltagun, and at separate targets if need be.  The second load out is AI.  In my opinion, power weapons are better for 5-man squads.  The flamers were a last minute change as well and they were worth it.

Why have 5-man squads equipped for close combat?  Well, I just can’t bring myself to field all heavy weapons.  I really enjoy close combat and I think it’s a powerful aspect of the game.  Yea, I know, 5 Crusaders in close combat are not powerful, but they have a little bit of bite.  To be honest, if Sword Brethren were scoring, I would field them with lightning claws and a meltagun instead of Crusaders.  I also think heavy weapons are out of place for this more mobile list.  In terms of pure speed this list doesn’t compare to others, like Blood Angels or Dark/Eldar.  However, when you consider moving while shooting this list is just as effective as those armies.

Then, of course, I field a Venerable Dread, which isn’t mobile.  A drop pod would kind of increase it’s mobility, but it’s also an easy KP, which I want to avoid since I have plenty of them already.  However, the Venerable is great for counter-assault and protecting Crusaders on objectives.  He’s also a pain in the ass to kill, which is just fun.

So, after some changes, the current 1850pt list:

1850 Light Mech

The big question is still, how will this list do versus multiple Landraiders?  I changed the Venerable to a tank hunting TL-Lascannon.  Though the multi-melta is nice to have, a S10 Lascannon is just so reliable.

And since I’m planning on attending NOVA this summer, a 2000pt version:

2000 Light Mech

I’ll be play testing this one over the next few months, but I’m liking what I see.  Again, can I deal with heavy armor?  I think I’ll be alright, but if need be I’ll put a multi-melta on a Typhoon or two.

And lastly, a 2500pt version for ‘Ard Boyz:

2500 Light Mech

Genghis Con 2011

I traveled up to Denver this month for Genghis Con and competed in the 40k tournament run by the Fort Collins War Party.  I want to thank Tony (Baron Tuman), the TO, for running a great event!  This is the second time I’ve driven 12+ hours in a weekend for a 40k event in Colorado and really enjoyed myself.  The 40k players in Colorado continue to impress me and I look forward to my next trip up there.

Four of my five games were really good and deserve a fleshed out analysis, but that would make for an extremely long post and I already tend to be long winded.  So instead, I’ll hit a couple points in each game and spend more time evaluating my list.

Here’s a link to the tournament scenarios.

Game One – Orks

My first game was against Orks played by Andy.  This game makes 2 games against Orks in as many weeks, and also accounts for my overall experience against Orks since my return to 40k almost 2 years ago.  His army consisted of Ghazgkull, Mekboy with KFF, Mega Nobs, 4 Mobs of Boyz, 3 Battle Wagons, 2 Trucks, a unit of Killa Kans, and Kommandos with Snikrot.  My list for the tournament was as follows:

My game plan was decent and was similar to that from my previous post about fighting Blood Angels.  I deployed a few units on the board in order to occupy my opponent and hopefully reduce his mobility.  The remainder would come on from reserve.  While Andy rolled solidly above average for his KFF saving throws, he also gave himself the chance (an important concept in 40k) for good luck by remaining disciplined throughout the game in keep units within 6″ of the Mekboy’s battlewagon.

My first wave of reserves arrived and drove onto my left corner as per my plan.  Here I learned out quickly Orks can sometimes move.  Two battlewagons had been destroyed (which included Ghazgkull’s, but not the Mekboy’s) but the Trucks were still alive.  Both moved 12″ towards the newly arrived reserves, the Boyz dismounted, used Ghazgkull’s Waaagh, and assaulted.  That’s a 27″ move to assault.  I was impressed!

The last of my reserves arrived on Turn 3 and I used them poorly.  They included a Typhoon and the Emperor’s Champion, Crusader Squad, and Rhino.  In an effort to try to kill Ghazgkull I placed these units near the center of the board, not in my left corner.  Each unit would die and earned 1 KP in return.  In hindsight, I should have placed all these units in the corner with the first wave of reserves.  Though I wouldn’t have been able to kill Ghazgkull, I would have given myself a better chance at overall victory.  The game ended in a loss, 5 KP to Andy’s 12 KP.  Minus the 4 misused-KP, that’s 8-5.  It was a damn good game and only fell apart when I ventured away from my game plan.  Andy was a great opponent and would go on to win Best Overall.  Congratulations Andy!

Game Two – Tyranids

Derrick was my opponent’s name, IIRC, and he wasn’t a very good player.  The only copy of his list must have been turned into the TO because he didn’t have one to show me.  He also mumbled and I couldn’t understand him in a room with 70+ people.  At least this game was a rout and I earned the maximum battle points, 54.

He had a battle force list with a Hive Tyrant, Trygon, Tervigon, 2 Carnifexes, Tyranid Warriors, Gargoyles, Genestealers, and a Termagaunts.  I had the firepower to handle his list, and on top of that, I used the terrain and he didn’t.  The EC and Crusader Squad took his objective, and I held mine.  His only KP would come from Genestealers assaulting a Vindicator.  The only highlight of the game was an assault by the Venerable Dread against his Trygon which deep struck near my objective and had 2 wounds remaining after my shooting.  The Trygon penetrated the Venerable before I could strike but after a reroll the Venerable was only shaken and finished off the Trygon.

Game Three – Space Wolves

Chris was my opponent’s name and the scenario was Victory Points.  He had a solid Space Wolves list with 2 Runepriests, 4 Grey Hunter squads with Wolf Guard in Rhinos, 3 units of Long Fangs (3 missile launchers, 2 lascannons each), and a single Razorback.  He won the roll off and I wasn’t able to steal the initiative.  His first turn shooting hurt as he was able to destroy half of my heavy weapons.  I did my best to use terrain and what firepower I had left, but I fully expected him to play defensively for the easy win.  However he didn’t and on Turn 3 he advanced towards me with Grey Hunters in Rhinos.  We talked after the game and he thought that I was going to hide behind a castle-looking piece of terrain in the center of the board, so he came after me.  Doing so gave me a chance at victory.

The game was close and came down to Turn 6.  He was finally able to destroy both Vindicators and another Laserback (a total of 440 points) which solidified his victory despite the fact that I had more KPs than him.  More on my list later, but Victory Points is probably the worst possible scenario for me.

In Albuquerque we don’t have any Space Wolf players (crazy huh?), so this was my first battle against triple Long Fangs.  I wasn’t as impressed with their firepower as I expected to be, and I look forward to fighting similar lists in the future.

Game Four – Blood Angels

Shane was my opponent’s name and the scenario was Seize Ground.  He had a dual Redeemers with 4 Assault Squads, 2 Priests, 2 Librarians, 2 Razorbacks, 2 assault cannon Baals, and a Typhoon.  Dual Raider lists were something I expect to have trouble with, so I was looking forward to seeing how my list would actually do.  I chose to go first in the hopes of immobilizing or wrecking his vehicles, especially those Redeemers, on his side of the board.  In hind sight, considering his list and the mission, going second would have been better.

Shane would hold the mid-ground for most of the game as well as my left flank.  I focused on the right flank where I planned to claim objectives.  I think Shane lost sight of the mission when the action started to heat up.  Had he used his Troops more effectively, he could have won this game solidly.  However, he was also faced with the downside of dual Raider lists (fewer Troops) which is compounded by putting Troop choices inside Landraiders.  To play offensively, he’d have to dedicate the two Troops inside the Landraiders to combat me, which left 2 Troops against my 5 Troops to capture objectives.  Add to that the Emperor’s Champion who dismounted by himself, assaulted through dangerous terrain, killed a Priest and a Librarian, and held in close combat 2 Assault Squads.

On Turn 6 I claimed 3 objectives and my opponent claimed 2, however my opponent’s Typhoon was still alive despite my efforts and was able to contest one of my objectives.  The game ended in a Draw.

Game Five – Tyranids

The scenario for game five was Spearhead with a single objective in the center of the table.  My opponent, who’s name I can’t remember, was fielding a flying Hive Tyrant, 2 Trygons, Hive Guard, Tervigon, Genestealers, Doom of Malantai, Terma and Hormagaunts.

This battle was a bloody slugfest, as should be expected with a single objective.  KP were heavy on both sides.  I did my best to maneuver, but the terrain and scenario didn’t allow for much.  The game ended in a very close Draw.  Had a meltagunner survived three hormagaunt wounds the game would have been mine.

My only complaint about this game was my opponent.  It’s the fifth game in two days and we’re all tired, but zoning out and putting into their case 13 termagaunts in the middle of a timed game is ridiculous!  However, with a little prodding we were able to get through turn 5.

Summary

This post is long enough, so I’ll critique my list on another one.  Otherwise to summarize this tournament, beyond the g’job to FC War Party, is to say:  Know your enemies!  I played fairly well and have a good handle on Black Templar capabilities and rules, but I don’t have that same understanding of other armies.  That could have made a difference at this tourney.  So that’s what I need to do.  Study and put Vassal to good use.

Tournament Victory

Success at a tournament last weekend!  I really liked my list and thought I played solidly (well, mostly), so I’d like to post about the experience.

My List

Battle One – Tyranids

Against these Tyranids the scenario was Dawn of War and Capture and Control.  My opponent won the roll off and deployed two units of termagaunts (with devourers) and a flying Tyrant at the midpoint line.  Coming on from the back he had two Tervigons, a unit of Hive Guard, a unit of Zoanthropes, and more termagaunts.  Outflanking he had a unit of Genestealers and ‘infiltrating’ he had Ymgarl Genestealers.  His objective was 12″ from his edge and about in the middle.  I placed my objective far to my left just at the corner of some ruins.

I was really worried about the Hive Tyrant, probably not justly so…. but he was flying and already halfway across the board.  Fortunately, he was halfway across the board which made him easier to see through the darkness.

In reserve I held the Champion’s Rhino and the Venerable Dread; everything else came on first turn and I refused the left flank.  My hope was to draw my opponent towards me and away from the objective, at least with the MC’s.  If that worked hopefully the Champion, his Crusader Squad, and the Ven Dread could take and hold my objective.  If the Champion and Dread weren’t able to do that, at least I had the mobility (while maintaining firepower because of PotMS) to move in that direction to help.  As for my opponent’s objective, I didn’t give it too much thought.  Not out of confidence, but out of negligence.  Fortunately, despite half my army not being able to see the Hive Tyrant, I was able to kill it.  I should have spent that last point on a searchlight!

My overall plan was good, but my execution of it wasn’t.  On turn 2 the Ven Dread arrived and with no targets nearby I ran him towards the ruins near my objective.  I had briefly considered where the Ymgarl stealers might arrive and figured they’d arrive near the middle of my deployment zone in some woods.  It made more sense for them to be near my objective to cause problems, but that didn’t click until they actually arrived there and assaulted the Venerable.  With furious charge, rending, and the Ymgarl bonus to Strength they got 5 penetrating hits!  Two results were shaken, two results were weapon destroyed, and the fifth was Destroyed.  Here I made what I consider my biggest mistake.  I chose not to reroll the destroyed results.  My thinking was that if the Ymgarl were locked in combat I couldn’t shoot them, and without the DCCW I wouldn’t be killing them anytime soon.  However, my shooting would have caused only a couple casualties and consisted of the EC, Crusader Squad, and Rhino.  And I wouldn’t have been able to charge.  The decision was a bad one made only worse when I was told later that my opponent would not have been able to use the Strength bonus on his Ymrgl next turn, plus no more furious charge.  The lesson?  Know thy enemy!

Here’s a picture before Turn 2:

Opposite my left flank my opponent advanced a Tervigon, a growing number of gaunts, Zoanthropes and Hive Guard.  Protecting my opponent’s objective was the other Tervigon and gaunts.  On my right flank the genestealers arrived, assaulted, but did nothing.  In an effort to destroy the genestealers amongst my tanks I targeted them with a Vindicator and Typhoon.  As was ‘necessary’ for this shot I put my back armor facing a large number of devourer gaunts, another mistake.  The next turn they would immobilize it and destroy all its weapons, leaving it helpless for genestealers to wreck.  The Vindicator missed and instead immobilized the Typhoon.  I was lucky it wasn’t destroyed.  I should have prepared for this and shot the Landspeeder first!  However I wasn’t thinking and “shot the template weapon first”.  Sometimes those hard fast axioms have to be ignored.  The genestealers would also destroy the immobilized Typhoon.

To complete the action on the right flank, I would advance a PotMS Laserback and Typhoon, while my opponent countered by advancing his defensive Tervigon.  The Laserback would end the game contesting his objective, but not before losing his lascannon.  The Laserback’s occupants were sacrificed trying to kill the Tervigon.

On the left flank things were tense.  A Tervigon, three units of gaunts, a single Hive Guard model, and those damn Ymgrl were going to make taking my objective difficult.  Despite not being in cover, that Hive Guard wouldn’t die.  Either I missed or didn’t wound on at least 4 twin-linked lascannon shots.  The game continued to turn 6, which gave me a chance.

At this point I had plenty of firepower to bring to bear but it wouldn’t be easy to get him off my objective.  To deal with the Termagaunts I had two units of Crusaders with Flamers.  I flamed what I could but four gaunts remained to be assaulted.  The closer squad rolled for difficult terrain… double ones!  Not good.  The second Crusader Squad, the further at about 4-5 inches, was able to assault (thank the Emperor) and wiped the gaunts off the objective.  By now I had assaulted the Tervigon, which was not in contesting range, with the EC and Crusader Squad.  In return my opponent assaulted me with the Ymgarl who were now contesting my objective.  Despite the EC taking his final wound, I won combat by two.  The Tervigon fell to No Retreat and the Ymgrl were forced to take a morale test.  If the Ymgrl stay, my opponent wins.  He has me beat on KP, which is the tie breaker, but… he rolls double sixes!  The game is mine.  Damn that was close.

A close game, but it shouldn’t have been.  My opponent’s list was far from optimized and he wasn’t the most skilled player.  I just played badly.  It all came down to that last Morale test and the Dice Gods looked favorably upon me!

Battle Two – Blood Angels

Ah, my frequent adversary Bryan and his Blood Angels.  Bryan runs two Stormravens, each with a Dread inside (Libby and Furioso), a Chaplain with Honor Guard, and two Assault Squads with Priests.  The scenario was Spearhead and Annihilation.  Great.  Annihilation versus Blood Angels; not my preferred match up.  I won the roll off and chose to go second.  Now, this may seem counter-intuitive.  Ideally I should try to get as many shots off at the Stormravens before they can move.  However, if I choose to go first he can just reserve them.  Instead, I would use Reserves (which had worked against Bryan’s list earlier this week).  Bryan deployed both Stormravens and left his jump packers in reserve.  In my corner, behind some ruins, I deployed both slow Laserbacks with Crusader Squads (PW, Flamer) and the Venerable Dread.  I hoped to draw Bryan as much as possible into my deployment zone and bring everything else onto my far right flank.  The key to this strategy was killing his SRs, but he would still have plenty of mobility with his jump packs.  It all depended on where he dropped his Assault Squads.

I wasn’t able to steal the initiative and the Stormravens went flat out towards my corner but stayed mostly in the center of the board.  His limited shooting destroyed the weapon on one Laserback.  It looked like he was mostly taking the bait but his ASMs hadn’t come in yet.  During my shooting phase I was able to destroy one of the Stormravens!  Good start.  All of his reserves arrived on Turn 2 and it became clear that the bait worked.  All of the jump packers dropped in my spearhead deployment zone within 12″ of the left table edge.  The remaining Stormraven was near my long table edge and moved 12″ further into the corner.  Due to the threat of the Vindicators arriving and nuking his ASMs he chose to run with both squads.  The remainder of his shooting was effective, but not very influential as he wasn’t able to open up the Laserbacks to plasma cannon the squads inside.  His Libby Dread assaulted my Venerable.  At the same initiative he wrecked me while I immobilized him.  That’s a good enough result!

Half of my reserves arrive and with a nice mix of firepower.  I deploy heavy on my right side and destroy the second Stormraven.  In the left corner, both PW/Flamer Crusader Squads dismount, shoot and assault an ASM.  There were no casualties from shooting, but the assault killed about 4, including the Priest!  Again, that’s a good enough result!  My opponent has taken the bait and his mobility is severely reduced.  Despite being behind in KP, I had control of the battle, now I just had to avoid screwing that up.  Things were looking good.

Bryan cleans up everything in my left corner and he has 5 KP to my 3KP.  The best course of action for Bryan is to use terrain, play defensively, and ride me out.  Instead, possibly because he thought it would be cheesy otherwise, he advanced towards me.  There was no more shooting on Bryan’s part for the remainder of the game.  Nothing would have range.  I kept my distance and was out of range for a few Vindicator shots, but it was enough.  I won by 3 KPs which included the Champion dismounting to assault and kill another Sanguinary Priest.

Battle Three – Orks

Finally!  Orks.  I haven’t played Orks since my return to 40k and 5th edition, so I was really excited about this game.  Also, as you’ll see in the picture, we were playing on the desert board.  So, the Battle for Armageddon it is!  The scenario was Seize Ground (5 objectives) and Pitched Battle.  Gavin’s horde was led by the named Weirdboy and a big Mekboy and consisted of 3 large mobs of Boyz, Lootaz, Burnaz in a Truck, a squad of Kans, and 3 Deff Dreads.  I won the roll off and chose to go first.

A majority of the objectives were on my left flank, but because of my good mobility I deployed most of my combat power on my right flank.  Much like the game versus the Tyranids, I would move in a right to left direction as the game progressed.  On my left flank I had a slow Laserback and the Champion’s Rhino.  Opposing my right flank my opponent deployed a mob of Boyz led by the Mekboy and most of his walkers.  In the middle using a building as cover was the Truck with Burnaz.  Opposing my left flank were the Lootas, the Weirdboy with Boyz, another mob of Boyz and a Deff Dread.  Gavin failed to steal the initiative and braced for impact, which really wasn’t necessary.  My opening volley only brought down one Kan, killed a single Boy, and immobilized the Burna Truck.  My second turn’s shooting was similarly unimpressive which resulted in the first two turns boiling down to the Orks advancing and myself maneuvering to avoid being Waaagh’d.  Someone at this point made a comment about my moving backwards towards my board edge.  I can’t remember exactly what was said, but it spoke about how un-Templar-like I was being.  Nonsense!, which I would prove on Turn 3 with three separate assaults.

Quick educational side note regarding shooting before assaults.  Think before you shoot!  If you’ve never played a tournament opponent (like I hadn’t with Gavin), the safest approach is to assume he’s smart enough to remove casualties that keep you from assaulting.  However, if you have the opportunity in previous turns, or in the same turn, test your opponent.  This requires a decent ability to estimate assault range.  What you do is move your Templar squad so that you’re 6″ away from the second ‘rank’ of his squad.  You want to make sure you can assault after shooting, but you also want it to look iffy enough that if you’re opponent removes first ‘rank’ models that you might not be able to assault.  Once you’ve moved to this distance, shoot and see which casualties he removes.  If he removes first ‘rank’ models he’s smart and you know for future assaults that if you’re barely within assault range to the first ‘rank’, it’s best to avoid shooting altogether.  If you’re opponent doesn’t give it a thought and removes models closest to his board edge, it’s possible that in future assaults you can shoot all you want and he won’t remove those models that would keep you from assaulting.  Risky still, but shooting or not shooting before an assault could mean the difference between victory and defeat.  Hopefully that all makes sense??

In the middle of the board, I would assault the Burnaz with the Venerable Dread and a large mob of Orks with a 5-man PW/Flamer Crusader Squad.  On my left flank I assaulted the Weirdboy and his Boyz with the Champion and Crusader Squad.  My shooting prior to each of these assaults was limited, which effected the PW/Flamer assault the most.  Due to smart casualty removal I didn’t shoot the flamer and ended up losing this combat, and eventually the entire 5 man squad.  The Champion took down the Weirdboy and the Crusaders caused plenty of wounds against the Boyz, with 5 more dying to No Retreat.  The Champion would fall during the next assault phase to a power klaw, but the Crusader Squad would be unscathed and spread out to capture two objectives before the game ended.  The Venerable was locked in close combat with the Burnaz and would be assaulted by a Deff Dread next turn.  This walker versus walker fight is best described as a S10 slap fight with Burna spectators!  The Venerable was immobilized and stunned multiple times while the Deff Dread was immobilized, lost 3 or 4 arms, and was stunned multiple times.  Eventually, on the fourth or fifth assault phase, the Deff Dread pulled out the victory and destroyed the Venerable!  It was an exciting fight!

Here’s a picture shortly before the Venerable’s fall:

From this point on, Gavin tried to claim objectives but I just had too much combat power left.  The black Deff Dread (a troop choice) was destroyed and the Mekboy with a Nob contested another objective, but were taken down by chainswords in close combat.  I won the game with 3 objectives to Gavin’s 0.

I want to do a review of my list, but it’ll have to wait.  I’m heading up to Denver tomorrow for Genghis Con and just don’t have time to finish it tonight.  Thanks for reading.  Maybe someday I’ll learn to write shorter posts…. or not.

New FAQ: PotMS

The first thing I’d like to cover from the new Black Templar FAQ is potential of Power of the Machine Spirit.  It’s something not a lot of people are talking about, but seeing as Templars can equip Vindicators and Predators with PotMS, I think it deserves a little attention.

Vindicators have always been good platforms for PotMS but now they’re great platforms for it.  They now have slightly improved accuracy with BS4.  They are also immune to being stunned and shaken (assuming you also take Extra Armor).  But the real benefit is increased mobility and effective range.  PotMS Vindicators can now move 12″ and fire the demolisher cannon.  This effectively makes the range of the demolisher 36″ which only the Blood Angel Vindicator can match.

The downside to the Vindicator is cost and side armor vulnerability.  Despite its increased effective range, it still needs to advance to engage most enemies which exposes that AV11 side armor.  Starting Turn 2, Vindicators become very vulnerable, and apart from immunity to stunned/shaken, do not like vehicle damage results.  I think realistically a player can expect 2 shots from each Vindicator before it is combat ineffective.  That’s 80pts per shot, so you better make them count.

But there might be a better option.  Predators.  Until this new FAQ putting PotMS on Preds was just a waste.  Even with twin-linked Lascannons, BS2 isn’t going to hit very often.  But now we have BS4 PotMS (except for the Drop Pod which still has BS2) and I think PotMS might be worth taking for Predators.

My first choice would be the Las/HB Pred.  Like the Vindicator, this configuration has duality.  Unlike the Vindicator, this configuration can utilize that duality in the same shooting phase.  While the heavy bolters engage infantry or light tanks, the twin-Lascannon engages heavier armor.  This tank also doesn’t need to advance to be effective which means it’s more survivable than the Vindicator.  At 165pts with Extra Armor, protecting that side armor is a good thing.  Also, PotMS allows this Pred to be ‘fast’… well, sort of.  If need be this Pred can move 12″ and fire the twin-Las, hopefully into side armor or to negate a cover save, even if it’s stunned.  Or, it can move 6″ and fire it’s full complement of heavy bolters.  You get the idea.  I will be testing this configuration this week, but at this point in theory, I’m really liking it.

My second choice is the Tri-Las Predator.  This configuration with PotMS and Extra Armor clocks in at 180pts.  This is the same cost as a Blood Angel Tri-Las with very similar capabilities, however it can’t be completely suppressed.  The ability to split fire can still be useful, but generally it’s better to fire everything at a vehicle to make sure it’s destroyed.  For this reason, while I think PotMS could work with the Tri-Las, I’m not sure it’s worth it.

I don’t consider the Auto/Las suitable for PotMS.  The Autocannon or a single Lascannon isn’t really worth splitting off against another target, nor do I think the same weapons are great for moving 12″.  This configuration is best left without the upgrade and the same goes for the Dakka Pred.

The LRC has always been a good choice for Templars and now it’s an even better choice with the ability to move 12″ and shoot, and split fire.  I think the LR Godhammer is now viable if you can utilize both its firepower and transport capacity.

The nice thing about PotMS is that it costs nothing in terms of real money to play test, so I encourage people to try these configurations.  Maybe they’ll fit well into your lists and play-style.

Black Templar Unit Guide: Heavy Support

Regardless of the type of Black Templar army you intend to field, you need fire support.  Even for assault oriented lists, sometimes it’s better to send a bullet instead of a body.  You also need to split open transports to get to the juicy insides.  Heavy Support slots excel at this role.  While Elite and Fast Attack slots can also provide fire support, these slots are often taken for other purposes.

There are two different kinds of fire support:  Anti-Tank and Anti-Infantry.

Anti-Tank

• Auto/Las Predator (Autocannon turret, Lascannon sponsons)
• Tri-Las Predator (Twin-linked Lascannon turret, Lascannon sponsons)
• Godhammer Landraider (Heavy Bolter and Lascannons)

At first glance the Godhammer-pattern Landraider (LR) seems like an awesome choice.  It has Lascannons, AV14, Power of the Machine Spirit (PotMS), and is an assault vehicle.  You’re paying a high price for these abilities, however, and they don’t directly increase the LR’s ranged lethality.  In terms of points spent for pure anti-tank fire support the LR is lacking and leaves the Predator as the better choice for putting rounds down range.

Predators are reliable and point efficient fire support.  Their long range allows them to remain in the backfield and make the most of their AV13 front armor.  This not only makes a Pred more survivable, but negates the ability of S5/6 weaponry to suppress it.

The Auto/Las and Tri-Las configurations fill the same anti-tank support role, so which one is better?  The first step is to compare mathhammer. We find that the Auto/Las is marginally less effective than the Tri-Las at killing and suppress enemy armor (3% less likely to destroy AV11 and 5% less likely to destroy AV13).  The question becomes, is 5% worth 20pts?  In my opinion the answer is No, the opportunity cost is too high.  If you’ve taken 3 Tri-Las Preds, downgrading to Auto/Las Preds frees up 60pts which is almost the cost of a Landspeeder with a Multi-Melta.  For me, the better anti-tank choice is the Auto/Las but if you’ve designed a list and have 20pts sitting around without a good home, upgrade to the Tri-Las.  Taking multiple predators in a list is strongly suggested.  Ideally you fill all three slots with identical configurations, but fielding just two can work depending on the list.

The downside to Predators is a lack of mobility.  In order to unleash their full fury they need to remain stationary.  Remaining stationary means predators will generally be shooting at your opponent’s strongest armor, the front, which reduces the killing power of the Preds in relation to other weapon systems.  The best place to deploy Preds to utilize AV13 and minimize the effects of immobility is in the corners of the table where they are likely to get flanking shots on armor as it advances (if it advances).  You can choose not to deploy in the corners to provide better fields of fire, but you increase the opportunity for flanking shots on the Pred’s AV11 side armor.

Anti-Infantry

• Dakka Predator (Autocannon turret and Heavy Bolter sponsons)
• Vindicator
• Land Raider Crusader

As with the Godhammer, the Land Raider Crusader (LRC) is not the best platform for putting the most possible rounds downrange; it has more important uses covered later.

The Dakka, like the other predators, is a very reliable fire support platform.  It provides good support at range, has AV13 front armor, and the same mobility limitations.  The only real difference is what it targets:  Infantry.  In one shooting phase the Dakka has the potential to cause 8 wounds, but on average will only kill 1.3 MEQ and 3.8 GEQ.  However multiply this by three Dakka Preds and five to seven game turns and you’re looking at a good number of casualties.  The Dakka Pred can also effect up to AV13 armor, mostly in the form of suppression.

Unfortunately, the Dakka Pred is costly in comparison to updated Marine codices.  Black Templars pay 25pts more for the exact same Predator with the exact same capabilities.  After purchasing three Dakka Preds that’s an opportunity cost of a single MM/HF Landspeeder.  In my opinion, though solid fire support, Dakka Predators come with too high a cost.

Vindicators are a strong choice for Heavy Support selection.  S10, AP2, large blasts are comforting to have.  Furthermore, our dated codex allows Vindicators to be upgraded with PotMS which allows it to ignore shaken and stunned results in order to deliver that large blast.  While the S10 of the Demolisher Cannon is tempting in an anti-tank role, its primary role should be taking large chunks out of infantry units.

That large blast comes with limitations, the biggest being range.  In order to engage targets the Vindicator needs to move forward, but in doing so becomes more vulnerable to flanking shots.  Because of both its potential for carnage and limitations, Vindicators should be factored into your plans as psychological weapons and not reliable death-dealing machines.

Crusader and Godhammer

In order to really take full advantage of these armored beasts, both their firepower and transport capacity need to be utilized.  For this reason, taking either configuration in a purely fire support role isn’t recommended.

Overall, the LRC is a better choice than the LR for three main reasons:  it can be a dedicated transport, it has a higher transport capacity, and it has powerful, short ranged weapons.  The unit most commonly found using an LRC are Sword Brethren Assault Terminators, who being unable to equip frag grenades, benefit greatly from the LRC’s frag assault launchers.

As Black Templars, we have the old PotMS rules and therefore can’t fire any weapons when we move 12”.  That creates a decision that must be made between providing fire support or moving forward as fast as possible to deliver assaulters.  Generally, the more points being transported, the less the LR/C will be looking to provide fire support.

Though the Assault Termie/LRC combo is powerful, I think there’s an underutilized middle ground where the contents of an LR/C aren’t so expensive or necessary to the game plan and can be used in a QRF (quick reaction force) role.  This allows the LR/C to provide fire support throughout the game before delivering a small unit of Sword Brethren or Crusaders into a key close combat fight.  This is where I think the LR might find an effective role in mechanized and other lists.

Black Templar Unit Guide: Troops

Crusader Squads

Crusader Squads, our only troop choice.  Fortunately, it’s an adaptable unit so no matter what kind of Templar list you’re building, you won’t feel angry for having to take them.

Crusader Squads have immediate wargear options with the minimum squad size of 5 Initiates.  Without having to purchase more bodies, Crusader Squads (CS) are able to equip 2 pieces of special wargear.  This is rare and considered by some to be one of the major strengths of our dated codex.  Due to its lack of bodies, these CS are usually equipped with heavy and ranged special weapons.  The popular configurations are:

• Multi-Melta and Flamer
• Lascannon and Plasmagun
• Lascannon and Flamer

These configurations are usually used in conjunction with a list building approach called MSU (multiple small units).  This approach focuses on saturating the enemy with lots of small units usually riding in vehicles.  Each unit is almost ‘not worth killing’ in the eyes of the opponent because of it’s small size and duplicity.  Though individually insignificant, when fielded in mass their firepower can be deadly.

The Multi-Melta (MM) and Flamer is an MSU configuration that is used inside a Rhino to create a “MM Bunker”.  These numerous ‘bunkers’ are designed to speed into the midfield where the Rhino itself is used for blocking tactics and the shorter range of the MM and flamer isn’t a factor.  The melta threat bubble further complicates target priority for an opponent and the flamer gives this unit Duality.  This approach takes advantage of the vehicle damage chart to some degree.  A shaken result does not allow the MM to shoot (though the flamer can dismount to do so) but leaves the Rhino mobile to continuing blocking the enemy.  A weapon destroyed result is effectively ‘ignored’.  As for immobilization, hopefully the Rhino is in a blocking position and without a shaken result, the MM and flamer are able to fire.  Both destroyed results are a mixed bag.  Assuming pinning tests are passed, the MM will be able to fire from cover next turn, and the crater or wrecked vehicle creates difficult terrain in a choke point.

The Lascannon/Plasmagun (LasPlas) configuration is used in a fire support role and can be taken individually or with MSUs in mind.  In Black Tide lists a transport isn’t used while in Mech lists a Laserback (Razorback with a twin Lascannon) is usually fielded.  This unit’s position is behind the front line and is used to capture nearby objectives.  The unit can either be mounted inside the Laserback or work independently of it.  The plasmagun is taken instead of the meltagun because of its greater range and ability to kill both infantry and light armor.

The Lascannon/Flamer configuration is a versatile hybrid of the above two.  This configuration gives up the penetrating power of the MM for the range of the Lascannon.  If mounted in a Rhino it can act as a defensive ‘laserback’ or advance into the midfield to act as a blocking unit with Duality.  When paired with a Laserback this configuration is used as near-field objective holders.  Usually the CS will start dismounted to take advantage of the Lascannon, but can be mounted when mobility or anti-infantry firepower is more important than anti-tank firepower.

The traditional Crusader Squad is designed for close combat and fills a Rhino.  Usually seven to eight Initiates and two to three Neophytes are taken.  This unit is designed to rush forward in the Rhino and fight for the mid-field and will often times be supported by ICs.  A meltagun is standard for this squad as you want to be able to deal with armor in the midfield, especially transports whose occupants can be assaulted by the Crusader Squad.  Because this unit will be moving and in close combat, a power weapon is preferable to a heavy weapon, and there’s two choices:  powerfist or power sword.

The powerfist only provides one base attack but with Accept Any Challenge it’ll usually hit with a very good chance of wounding.  Against enemy ICs, the powerfist has the ability to instant kill.  It allows a CS to take down dreadnaughts or other walkers, though that isn’t an ideal use for a CS.  Lastly, the powerfist is great when assaulting vehicles since Black Templars have to buy Krak grenades (which is not recommended).

The power sword is not a bad choice, however, and is the better choice versus armies with Toughness 3 or small amounts of mechanization.  Mathhammer wise the power sword and power fist are about even, but the power sword has the potential to kill a maximum of one more model in a turn than the fist.  The power sword also strikes at I4 whereas the powerfist is at I1, which gives the power sword the ability to strike at or before the models that are about to kill it.

In my opinion, the powerfist is the better choice and becomes mandatory when the Crusader Squad is joined by a friendly IC.

Increasing in size we get to a 14-man Crusader Squad that fits inside a Landraider Crusader (LRC) and makes room for one IC.  Putting a CS inside a LRC is not ideal, however, as the killing power that a CS deals doesn’t warrant such an expensive transport, even with an IC attached.  Sword Brethren units should be given LRC-priority over Crusader Squads.  At this size, a powerfist becomes mandatory over a power weapon as you don’t want your larger squad to get tar-pitted fighting a walker, especially with an IC attached.  The meltagun remains standard.

The final CS configuration is 10 Initiates and 10 Neophytes.  This is the core unit for Black Tide lists and is often led by a Chaplain.  A meltagun remains the standard special weapon choice and the powerfist is mandatory as, again, you don’t want to be tar-pitted by a far less expensive walker.

Crusader Squads can purchase Frag grenades, Krak grenades, and Crusader Seals.  Never buy the Crusader Seals, they aren’t worth it.  An attached IC’s seals work for the entire unit and that’s usually enough.  Krak grenades aren’t worth taking either.  Just use the powerfist.  That leaves Frag grenades which are always nice to have but not mandatory.  I rarely purchase these for Crusader Squads and haven’t found it to be a hindrance most of the time.

Bolters vs Chainswords.  Everything that isn’t a heavy, special or power weapon should be a bolt pistol and chainsword, but that’s just my opinion.  Larger, close combat Crusader Squads should definitely have chainswords.  As for the smaller, fire support squads, if you have bolters use them but you’ll be alright with chainswords.

Although Crusader Squads are good at close combat, they are far from being powerful.  For this reason, pick your assaults carefully and avoid the truly strong assault-oriented units that are found in the Elite or Fast Attack slots of most armies.  Ultimately, Crusader Squads fill three roles in a Black Templar army:  fire support, capturing objectives, and mutual support of ICs.  Use them in these roles and you won’t be disappointed with their capabilities.

Stormtroopers

There is actually another Troop choice option:  Inquisitorial Stormtroopers.

Now, fluff wise this isn’t something you’d likely field.  Having to coordinate with an Inquisitor, who is likely psychic, would be repulsive to Black Templars.  We’d never ask them for help and if they offered it we’d likely tell them to shove it.  However, at a competitive event where fluff is secondary, an IST or two can do well in Templar mechanized lists.

There’s only one setup to consider for IST in a competitive setting:  5 men, 2 meltaguns, and a Rhino.  This unit fills the anti-tank and blocking roles and does so more effectively for a cheaper cost than organic Black Templar troop choices.

Black Templar Unit Guide: HQs

Emperor’s Champion.

For a majority of games this HQ choice will have to be taken.  Fortunately, the EC is a strong close combat character and worth the obligation.

The EC will find himself in three different close combat situations:  vs Monstrous Creatures and Special Characters (like Grimnar and Mephiston), vs other Independent Characters (ICs), and vs Units of varying close combat prowess.

‘Strong’ is of course a relative term.  Against MC and SC the EC is weak.  He doesn’t have the wounds, defenses or initiative to take these models on in one-on-one combat, so avoid them.

Against a majority of units in the game, though, the EC will do well, but like all ICs he needs to be wary of power weapons.  While the EC has a 4+ invulnerable save in close combat, relying on good dice rolls is the wrong approach, especially since he only has 2 wounds.  Its better to avoid power weapons all together and the best solution is supporting the EC with a Crusader Squad (CS).  This CS support also helps protect the EC from torrents of non-power weapons which, in spite of his 2+ armor save, he will eventually fail.  The minority of Units in the game are elite close combat specialists who wield more, if not all, power weapons.  Our own Assault Terminators are one such example.  The EC should not go against these units even with CS except in the most dire of situations.  This holds true for most ICs.

The EC’s strength and success versus other ICs involves too many variables to go into here.  Generally the EC will do well, but you’ll need a little luck to defeat those ICs tricked out for close combat.  Something to remember is the EC’s special rule, Slayer of Champions.  With this rule, if the EC makes it into contact with the enemy, he will be forced into base-to-base contact with enemy ICs.  Most of the time this is beneficial, such as against Sanguinary Priests, but sometimes it can be detrimental.  Just remember that though the EC has to be in base-to-base with ICs, his attacks don’t have to be against this IC, so try to position him such that he’s in base contact with the enemy ICs supporting squad.

Of the four Vows, only two are really worthwhile:  Accept Any Challenge and Abhor the Witch.  While the 6+ invulnerable save and pinning resistance of Uphold the Honour are tempting, 4+ cover are plentiful in 5th Edition and a Commander’s Rites of Battle provides better protection versus the occasional pinning test.  I’ve tested Suffer Not as well, but the reduction in Initiative, especially for ICs, is just not worth the bonus to strength.

Abhor the Witch is usually chosen for gunline Black Templar lists.  At 20pts it’s relatively cheap and gives you some useful psychic protection.  Accept Any Challenge (AAC) is the most commonly chosen vow, and rightfully so.  Preferred Enemy is amazing in close combat, and while it doesn’t quite make up for the numerous power weapons that Space Wolves can take, or the resiliency of Feel No Pain for the Blood Angels, it keeps us deadly in close combat considering the shortcomings of our dated codex.  A trick to remember with AAC is that unlike other re-rolls in 40k, you are allowed to re-roll your successful hits in order to miss.  This can be used to stay in close combat and avoid your opponent’s upcoming shooting phase.  While difficult to achieve, staying in close combat during your opponent’s turn and assaulting again doing your own can be game changing.

Commanders and Chaplains.

The first question to ask yourself is whether you need to take an additional HQ choice at all.  While the EC doesn’t take up a HQ slot, he can fill the slot required by the force organization chart (FOC).  Often times the EC will work just fine as the only HQ choice.

ICs generally play a supportive, utility and/or force multiplication role on the battlefield.  The best IC choices are the ones that alter the FOC (which Templars have none of) or have table wide effects.  Apart from the EC, the only IC we have with a table-wide effect is a Commander with Rites of Battle.  This makes the Commander a better first choice than the Chaplain.  Rites of Battle increases the LD value of every Templar model on the table, which is useful considering Black Templar units take morale tests for a single casualty.  Our ICs lack the necessary wargear options to be supportive with shooting so this means most are equipped for close combat where they can make a difference.  Realize this makes Rites of Battle a temporary bonus as the Commander is more likely to die, so plan accordingly.  Chaplains are very useful in any army, but since their Unmatched Zeal only effects one unit, taking one is not always the best use of points.  Chaplains, however, excel at leading Black Tide lists where both Unmatched Zeal and Litanies of Hate (for Neophytes) are fully utilized.

In terms of offensive wargear a power weapon of some kind is mandatory.  I prefer a pair of lightning claws, but for the same price, more versatility, and slightly less killing power you can take a power sword and plasma pistol.  Holy Orbs are a nice piece of additional wargear.  Generally it’s a bad idea to equip power fists and thunder hammers as it offsets one of the strengths our ICs, Initiative 5.  For defensive wargear I prefer artificer armor and/or a combat shield.  For defense against armor piercing or instant death shooting the IC should be amongst a squad for protection.  At the same time the artificer armor can be used to divert weaker wounds and save the lives of squad members.  In close combat the best defense against power weapons is not being in base-to-base with them.  This can’t always be avoided so I think the combat shield provides a nice balance of protection.

Helbrecht and Grimaldus.

I have yet to field Helbrecht.  He looks to be a beast in close combat so if I ever use him I’ll be sure to update this article.

I have used Grimaldus on occasion and will again in the future.  At 195pts he’s pricey but when you break down his wargear and special rules he’s actually a bargain.  If you start with a bare bones Reclusiarch and purchase the same wargear that Grimaldus comes with, Grim actually gets his special rules for free.

Grimaldus’ special rules allow for some theoretically interesting scenarios.  For example, Grimaldus can soak up an infinite number of wounds at an Initiative value (an entire TH/SS Terminator squads worth, for example) before rolling his Only in Death does Duty End leadership test.  Remember that this rule does benefit from a Marshal’s Rites of Battle.  Also, Grim’s Unmatched Zeal radius can give units Fearless and allow them to regroup when they otherwise would be unable to (within 6″ of the enemy for example).  Though broken units have to fall back during the movement phase, they don’t have to do so at the beginning of the phase.  This allows Grimaldus to move within 6″ and help them rally on the same turn.

However, bargain or not, if you don’t take advantage of his wargear and special rules, he’s not worth taking.  Being a Chaplain, Grimaldus is most useful in Black Tide lists where his 6” Unmatched Zeal radius can effect multiple units, but depending on your list and play-style he might find a home in other builds.

Close Combat: BT vs BA/SW

Between Black Templars, Blood Angels, and Space Wolves…. who fields the best assault army?

The general opinion is that Black Templars are weak in close combat.  We’ve been discussing this on Bolter & Chainsword.  Back during May of this year there was a similar thread on Warseer.  Over 6 pages of posts there are some good points made, but the discussion really boiled down to opinions.  No where will you find any mathhammer and while mathhammer doesn’t explain everything, it does have its place.

Kirby also posted about this topic back in May.  To him it was mainly a comparison between Blood Angels and Space Wolves.  For the most part Templars were considered the same as Vanilla marines in close combat.  To be honest, the annoyance for that lack of respect, as unimportant as that really is, is the driving force behind this post.

I firmly believe that Black Templars are a strong assault army and deserve more respect than their given.

Let’s first start off by comparing Black Templars to Space Wolves since it’s easier than the Blood Angel comparison.

First let’s compare commonly used Troops:  Grey Hunters vs Crusader Squads.  I’m not including Wolf Guard as troops (though would be willing to amend this post with a common Wolf Guard troop build if someone were to oblige).  I also won’t be including Blood Claws because they aren’t common in competitive lists.

Since this is a competition of sorts, lets have these units assault each other.  For the calculations I’m using the Heresy Combat Calculator.  I’m rounding decimal places to determine lost models.  For the Space Wolves I’m assuming Counter Attack LD tests are made and Wulfen rolls a 6 every round.  In return, Black Templars pass all their Fearless/No Retreat armor saves.

For the Grey Hunters we have:  9 models, Meltagun, Power Weapon, Wulfen, Wolf Guard with a Wolf Claw, all in a Rhino.  Total cost is 233pts.

For the Crusader Squad we have:  8 Initiates, 2 Neophytes, Power Fist, Meltagun in a Rhino with Smoke.  Total cost is 238pts.

Note:  I have amortized the cost of Accept Any Challenge (50pts divided among an estimated 25 benefiting models equals 1.5pts).  Also note, I have not purchased Frag Grenades for the Crusader Squad.  I personally do not purchase the Frags but some people do.  They would be an additional 10pts.

The Grey Hunters assault!
The Grey Hunters kill 4.7 Templars.  On the defensive, the Templars kill 2.6 GHs.  Lets go another round.  Grey Hunters kill 2.9 and the Templars kill 1.6.  Another round, Grey Hunters kill 2.6 and the Templars kill 0.9.  After three rounds of close combat, the Templars are wiped out.  The Grey Hunters have 4 models left (Wolf Guard, Wulfen, PW, Chainsword).

The Crusader Squad assaults!
The Templars kill 4.3 and the Grey Hunters kill 4.7.  Another round, Templars kill 1.6 and the Grey Hunters kill 2.7.  Another round, Templars kill 0.9 and the Grey Hunters kill 2.4.  After three rounds of close combat, the Templars are wiped out and the Grey Hunters are left with 3 models (Wolf Guard, Wulfen, PW).

When receiving a charge without Counter Attack, the Grey Hunters still win combat but with only 2 models remaining chosen from the Wolf Guard, Wulfen, and Power Weapon.  Without the Wulfen (or with the minimum attack rolls) and when assaulting, the Grey Hunters win the combat with 3-4 models remaining (their final round kills are 1.6, which is close to a 50/50 chance that the Templar Powerfist dies or kills a model before leading to another round of combat).

The real strength of the Space Wolves are the multiple Power Weapons.  During each round of close combat they chip away at MEQ units and over the course of several rounds they finally win.  The disparity between the 4-6 Power Weapon attacks and 2-8 Rending attacks to the 1-2 Powerfist attacks is interesting.  You’d think the Grey Hunters would lay waste, but instead it’s a slug-fest for several rounds.  It’s a testament to the strength of Accept Any Challenge.

Verdict:  Grey Hunters defeat Crusader Squads, but it’s a slug-fest..

On to the remainder of each codex.  Space Wolves are able to field one more HQ slot than Black Templars, though that capability is rarely utilized.  They also have nice special characters with versatile rules.  Other than that, both codices provide for strong melee HQ slots.  In the Elites slot, both armies can field assault units, but it’s the Black Templar Assault Terminators that claim the ground here.  Space Wolves have much better Fast Attack options in the form of TWCs and neither codex has assault oriented Heavy Support units.

The better codex belongs to the Space Wolves.  There’s far more versatility to field the type of army you want to play.  But in terms of assault capability, the Space Wolves are not as deadly as most consider and the Black Templars deserve more respect than they’re given.

On to the Blood Angels.  For the Assault Marines we have:  10 models, 2 Meltaguns, Lightning Claw SGT, with Jump Packs or a Rhino.  The total is 225pts.

For the Crusader Squad we have the same load out as before:  8 Initiates, 2 Neophytes, Power Fist, Meltagun in a Rhino with Smoke.  Total cost is 226pts.

For this scenario, I’m assuming the ASM has Priest coverage, but is not part of the combat.  Since the Priest coverage is ‘free’, I am not amortizing the cost of AAC into the Crusader Squad.

The Assault Marines charge!
With FC, at I5, the ASM kills 4.1 and in return at I4 the Templars kill 1.3 against the FNP.  Next round the ASM kills 1.9 and the Templars kill 1.3 again.  Next round the ASM kills 1.8 and the Templars kill 1.0.  Next round the ASM kills 1.6 and the Templars kill 0.7 if the Powerfist lives.  After four rounds of combat, the Assault Marines wipe out the Crusader Squad with good combat power remaining (6-7 models).

The Crusader Squad charges!
The Templars kill 2.8 on the charge and the Blood Angels kill 2.1 in return.  Next round, Templars kill 1.4 and Blood Angels kill 1.6.  Next round, Templars kill 1.2 and the Blood Angels kill 1.2.  Starting with this fourth round, each squad kills one model for another five rounds until the Powerfist is killed before he can strike.  The Blood Angels are left with 1-2 models after about 4 game turns of combat.

Verdict:  Blood Angel ASMs defeat Crusader Squads when assaulting with plenty of combat power left to pick another fight.  They also win on the defensive, technically.  Blood Angels are weak in close combat, yet resilient, unless they get the charge.

On to the rest of the codex.  In the HQ slot the Blood Angels have some fierce special characters as well as the ever popular Librarian.  In the Elite slot they have most notably the Sanguinary Guard.  This unit is very comparable to BT Assault Terminators, but has the advantage of being more mobile before an LRC is purchased.  In the Troops slot you have Death Company and the DC Dread.  Both are powerful units but have their counters (rage toward your table edge and my Landspeeder you oversized sarcophagus!).  The Fast Attack slot is again where the newer codices trump the Black Templars.  Vanguard Veterans can be useful and BA Bikes are coupled nicely with ASMs in Blood Rodeo lists.  What clenches the Blood Angel codex as the best Marine codex (at least in terms of an assault army) is the Heavy Support slot where they have Dreadnaughts and the Stormraven.  The Stormraven is a powerful tool for an assault based army.

On top of the codex opportunities, Feel No Pain is a major advantage.  It creates greater resiliency which can either increase the power of a good player, or cover the ass of a lesser player who makes more frequent mistakes.  Either way it leads to more Blood Angels reaching close combat.  The new rulebook FAQ somewhat closes that FNP gap for Black Templars.  Being able to go to ground and zeal out of it effectively gives an entire Black Templar army storm shields.  They’re a ‘ghetto’ version, as they require cover (which is not necessarily rare), but they’re free and even the lowliest Neophyte gets one.  I would prefer FNP, but I’ll take what I can get.

Fast Vehicles.  I would not kick this rule out of bed for eating crackers.  There’s great tactical opportunity with a rule like this (like completely shifting an attack to another flank).   But it’s when combined with assault vehicles and/or open topped transports that this rule directly effects power in close combat.  Without that fierce combo, fast Rhinos and Razorbacks are annoying, but not all that scary.  In comparison, we Templars have old smoke rules which increases the likelihood that our Initiates get into close combat.  Would I prefer old smoke or fast vehicles?  Uhhh, Stormravens please.

Black Templars are not without tools and options for being strong in close combat, but that’s a topic for another post.

Of the three armies, I think Blood Angels deserves the most respect as an assault focused army.  This has less to do with their cool rules and more to do with the versatility of their codex.  To quote Chumbalaya who commented on Kirby’s post:  “SW, BT and SM perform a lot better as a more balanced army, while BA can do pure assault quite effectively.”  It’s the FOC choices that allow BA to be effective at purely assault.

Black Templars are not the best assault based Marine codex out there.  You might not even consider our codex ‘good’.  Regardless, I think the Templars deserve a little more respect when it comes to our close combat prowess.

Stelek and Righteous Zeal

I got sucked into an argument with Stelek yesterday about Righteous Zeal.  I say ‘got sucked in’ because arguing with Stelek is… interesting.  The best analogy I can make is going to the state fair where you see someone so ugly that you can’t stop staring.  That’s about what it’s like arguing with Stelek.  Mesmerizing, yet oh so painful.

So, with this post I plan to do two things:  show how Stelek is skewing the rules, and more importantly, describe the correct way to Righteous Zeal.  This will likely be a long post, so grab a drink.  Also, reading my other post Gone to Ground and Righteous Zeal might be helpful, though it’s not necessary.

Is Righteous Zeal forced movement?  Yes.  This distinction didn’t matter before the new rulebook FAQ so most people just said that you didn’t have to move.  Effectively they’re right;  technically they’re wrong.  RZ says you must move, but the Consolidation Move aspect of the ruling makes the distance optional.  Since RZ does not state a minimum movement, simply touching a model in the unit (and thus microscopically moving the model) satisfied the movement requirement.  Since you effectively don’t move most people just short-hand and say you don’t have to move.  Unfortunately, if you don’t have to move then RZ does not break Gone to Ground because the new FAQ specifically states that only ‘forced movement’ allows a unit to move normally after being GtG.

It is irrelevant if you support the GtG/RZ position;  it is no longer acceptable to slack off and say that you don’t have to move for RZ.  Technically, RZ is forced movement even if that movement is microscopic.

An arguing point between Stelek and I became the word ‘Unit’.  Stelek argues that RZ does not state that every model of the unit must move toward the enemy.  Therefore, according to him, this allows just one model from the unit to fulfill both the move requirement and the ‘toward the nearest enemy’ requirement.   Once one model from the unit is moved toward the nearest enemy unit, the remaining models in the squad may move “however the hell I want”, up to the distance rolled, as long as they don’t move away from the enemy unit.

To quote Stelek from post 26:  “Whenever the rules say not just ‘you must move 0.000000000000000000…00001″ inchest towards the enemy’ but also say ‘all MODELS must end up closer to the enemy’ and ‘ALL movement used must be used in a straight line’, then YOU will be correct.”

He also says in the same post: “At the end of my consolidate move, did a model in my unit end up closer to the closest enemy unit? Any model, not just the closest–because this isn’t the fucking assault phase and closest-to-closest has no meaning, despite you saying it does, it doesn’t.  So long as I move and my ‘unit’, measured as the closest model AFTER I’ve moved, is CLOSER to your closest enemy unit than I was before, then I’ve satisfied the requirements of RZ…“

An example of his logic would be:  5 Initiates are within 1″ of the enemy unit while the 6th Initiate is 2″ away.  4″ of movement is allowed.  The 6th Initiate moves closer to the enemy unit.  The remaining 5 models stay at 1″ from the enemy and move 4″ laterally around the enemy.  In fact, the 6th model can do this lateral movement with his remaining 3″.  This would be a legal move according to Stelek.  Sounds pretty shady to me.  Are you, reader, willing to try that at a tourney?

With these quotes Stelek eludes to (but doesn’t actually quote as quoting rules to support his argument is beneath him, or so he says), as best I can tell, pg 3 under MEASURING DISTANCES, second paragraph.  Unit to unit measurement.  As you’ll see, this doesn’t support his argument, but it does help us determine which enemy unit we must zeal towards.  Thanks Stelek!

The key to his ‘every model’ argument is the interpretation of what a ‘unit’ is, so let’s take a look at that.  A unit is never clearly defined, but we do have in the rulebook Pg 3 under UNITS: “A unit will usually consist of several models that fight as a group…“.  On the next page there’s also, “A typical unit of infantry is between five and ten models but can be much larger.” So, when a rule refers to a unit does it mean every model in that group?  Yes, I think that’s a good interpretation.  This means that it is not necessary in the BT codex for the RZ rule to say that ‘every model in the unit must move towards the nearest enemy’ because it’s understood that every model is the default meaning of ‘unit’.

So back to RZ.  We now understand that ‘unit’ effectively means ‘every model in the group’ so lets cut and paste into the RZ ruling:  “… and passes it, then every model in the group must move towards the nearest visible enemy unit.“  This means that individual models after the One may not move in any direction as Stelek suggests.  (As a side note:  yes, technically, you must microscopically move each model in the unit.)  The correct application of RZ means that each individual model in the unit must move towards the enemy unit determined to be nearest.

Stelek’s response would be:  if a model moves 0.1″ closer to the enemy, it fulfills the ‘towards’ and that leaves 5.9″ that can be moved in any direction, laterally for example, so long as you don’t move away from the enemy unit.

To quote Stelek from post 24:  “However you choose to move, as long as you end up closer to the nearest enemy unit you are fine.  This means I can ‘move’ a model a hair, and ‘count’ as moving towards the nearest enemy unit.  This also means I can move 5.9″ sideways as long as I move 0.1″ towards you and none of my movement moves me AWAY from you.“

The same example with the 6 Initiates works here, so I won’t repeat it.

Rightfully so, GW has not taken the time to define every word used in the rulebook.  They strive for a balance between being clear with their intent, charging players with having some common sense and a basic understanding of the English language.  At this point, we need to look at the word ‘towards’ cause that’s really the key here:  what is meant by ‘towards’?  Webster’s Dictionary defines towards as:  in the direction of.  Cut and paste:  “… and passes it, then every model in the group must move in the direction of the nearest visible enemy unit.“

How do we determine if a model is moving ‘in the direction of’?  The rulebook doesn’t tell us.  So do we just make up whatever we want like Stelek?  No, the most likely intent is to take an Initiate and a model from the enemy unit and draw a line between them as suggested by MEASURING DISTANCES.  Along that vector is the direction you must move.  In reality the movement isn’t that strict.  There is some play as to ‘in the direction of’.  As Stelek says, the movement doesn’t have to be in a straight line (hence his 0.1″ and 5.9″ example).  Stelek actually seems to interpret ‘towards’ as ‘closer’ which isn’t the same thing.  To determine this ‘play’ requires a little bit of logic, which doesn’t work for Stelek.  The following ’45 degree argument’ isn’t in the rulebook and is therefore invalid, or so he says.  Remember, this mentality leads to increased costs for GW and $80 Rhinos for players.

My ’45 degree’ argument to define ‘in the direction of’ states that a majority of a models movement must place it closer to the enemy unit (in this case).  We’re talking basic high school Trig here, minus the math.  Up to 45 degree angle away from the enemy unit allows you to argue that a majority of your movement is toward the enemy, and therefore qualifies as moving in the direction of.  An angle of greater than 45 degrees means you’re proportionally moving towards something else, and in the situation of RZ, that isn’t allowed.  Moving laterally would be greater than 45 degrees and not allowed.

I don’t think such a move is the spirit of the rules, so I wouldn’t suggest using it.  But it is an exercise in the logical extreme of defining ‘in the direction of’ if moving directly towards the enemy unit isn’t competitive enough for you.

Stelek’s logic just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.  His arguments take all kinds of forms and strike from every shadow, so I’m not going to cover all of them.  His strongest are countered here so that’s all that’s really necessary.  The whole of our argument on YTTH is linked to above.

The rulebook, codices, and FAQs do their best to explain the rules, but they aren’t always clear.  Sometimes getting this deeply into a rule is the only way to understand how that rule really works.

RZ is one rule among hundreds; why all the drama?  Because Stelek’s an ass and a hypocrit (which is really just a minor annoyance).  But when he instigates?  Well, then I’ll oblige and intellectually corner him.  In the linked thread you can tell he knows that he’s wrong, hence the heavy intimidation tactics.  He’s cornered and has nothing left to do but make me quit the argument.  Smells like victory.  Unfortunately, it also begs the question, how many other players has he intimidated in person when he’s screws up a ruling?  Or skewed a ruling in his favor?  I get the feeling ‘common’ might be an appropriate word.

Gone to Ground & Righteous Zeal

I’ve posted my thoughts on this topic on several forums.  Hopefully now my thoughts and my way of explaining it are refined.

With the release of the new Rulebook FAQ, there’s some confusion as to whether Black Templar infantry can Go to Ground (GtG) voluntarily and if they pass a Righteous Zeal (RZ) morale test and move forward, will be able to act normally for the next turn.  The short answer is Yes.

The FAQ says:

Q: If a unit that has gone to ground is then forced to move,
other than to fall back, do they return to normal or still count as
having gone to ground? (p24) A: They will return to normal.

Some people disagree that Templars can Zeal and return to normal and they site the word “forced”.  They argue that RZ is identical to a Consolidation move and a C-move does not force you to move, therefore the short answer is No.  So lets take a minute to look at Righteous Zeal.

In general, the current way that RZ is described is “it’s a consolidation move”.  Templar players go on to say that movement isn’t necessary because C-move states that you ‘may move up to D6″‘.  They go on to say, if you do move, it must be toward the closest enemy unit. So, basically movement and distance are optional while direction is not.

I’d like to go through the process for getting to this interpretation, using colors!  As we read RZ in the BT codex we get to the third paragraph and we find out that if we pass the morale check we must move towards the nearest enemy unit.  The next sentence says “identical to a Consolidate move”, so we’re off to the BRB.  And it said identical.  Ok, got it.  Identical. There we read that a unit may move up to D6″ in any direction.  Now when we come out the other side of the Rule Interpretation Factory, we should be identical to Consolidate (all blue).  Cool, now what’s the interpretation we have again?

After passing a morale check, a unit may move up to D6″ which must be towards the nearest enemy unit.

I don’t see all blue, so what happened?  Well, we cherry picked, and when it comes to rules, inconsistency is rightfully frowned upon, so we need to fix that.

That damn “identical” word is causing the problems, but it’s such a strong word, so lets go with it.  We’ll be consistent and use it as the basis of the interpretation.  Now we’re back to all blue.  We may move up to D6″ in any direction so I pass a morale test and Zeal away from the enemy.  Wait, does this sound like Black Templars to you?  Me either.  This obviously goes against the intention of the rule.

RAW is better than RAI, but in this situation RAW isn’t possible.  So the only logical solution is for everyone to take a pen and scratch out the word identical in their codex.  Once you do that it becomes easy to see the proper interpretation:  when you pass the morale test, you must move towards the nearest enemy unit, but the distance moved does not have to be the full distance rolled. Movement and direction are required, but distance is optional.

So the short answer, Righteous Zeal is forced movement and Yes, we can move normally after having gone to ground.

Don’t leave yet, we’re not done!  Sorry.  There’s two points to make about GtG vs Pinned.  Since RZ doesn’t apply to Pinned units this needs to be discussed.  First, FAQ quotations:

BRB:

Q: If I find a reference to a unit that is ‘pinned’, does it
mean a unit that has gone to ground? (p24)
A: Yes, ‘pinned’ is simply a short way of saying ‘gone to
ground by failing a pinning test’.

BT:

Q. What is a ‘pinned’ unit?
A. A pinned unit is simply a unit that has failed a
pinning test and has gone to ground.

The first point is:  Pinned, according to the following FAQs, is the same thing as GtG.  In other words, Pinned actually becomes GtG.  Pinned transforms into GtG.  This means Pinned is not actually a condition or unit status.  Units can never be “pinned” but they can be forced to “go to ground”.  If Pinned is not a status then the word “Pinned” under the RZ rule in the BT codex can be ignored and BT infantry would Zeal forward when GtG and move normally next turn.

The other argument is that Pinned and GtG are not the same rule and not the same condition.  Most people think the opposite and use the above FAQs as proof that Pinned and GtG are the same thing.  They’re wrong, but most of the time in game it doesn’t matter.  The only time it does matter, in perhaps the entire scope of the game, is for Righteous Zeal.  It’s pretty simple really, GtG is missing one key ingredient to being Pinned…. a failed Pinning test.  If you haven’t failed a pinning test, then you’re not pinned.  Its that simple.  Here’s a visual:

When I say Pinned is GtG but GtG is not Pinned, this is what I mean.

So, either way you slice it, the short answer is still Yes, we can Zeal out of Gone to Ground and move normally next turn.

Suffer not the Unclean!