There really isn't any other choice except for gimmick lists. Now some of them look like fun and might develop into something more, but for now, except for maybe a C:DA build of some sort, Guard bring a whole lot of what we don't have.
Who should Black Templars ally with? I've been reviewing my Guard fixation and what I've come up with is....there really isn't another choice. Who have we got? Other Space Marine codices? Sure, but is there anything we really, really bring to the table that makes us a great match. Not really. Yeah, there are a few nifty units for a small (350-600) allied detachment, but we don't bring much. The only one who matches up (and IMO, they matched up well with everyone) is Guard. They can be built flexibly to cover whatever holes you want covered. Sisters had some possibilities, but until someone figures out the huge retcon coming down over this "desperate allies" treatment, they aren't any help.
There really isn't any other choice except for gimmick lists. Now some of them look like fun and might develop into something more, but for now, except for maybe a C:DA build of some sort, Guard bring a whole lot of what we don't have.
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Yes, NOVA related. I've already thought of Mike changing the schedule to 3/3/2 (Fri/Sat/Sun) and going with three hours per game, but...to make it work would require some changes by both sides at the event, staff and competitors.
I don't know what to call these...In Search Of Archetypes? I'm trying to find concepts that click for me and, of course, having fun running out of points doing so. I'm trying to keep the points cut back to a minimum. One thing I'm running into in Theory Hammer, either I want the Assault Terminator Squad with at least seven bodies in it to back up foot Guards or the Guard are in Chimeras and don't need the cover of the Terminators. One thing hurting in the list building department: the HQ tax. Which means I want BT primary for foot lists (EC goes with the Guard blob for various reasons) and if I'm mechanizing the IG, then the EC is a waste of points.
Anyway, onto the lists: The "Why Bother?" list:
Reclusiarch (TDA), TkH [123] SB Term Command Squad (2xCML/SB/PF, 1x SB/PF, 1xSS/PW) TkH [237] Las/Plas Squad [101] CO Cmd Squad (PW, 4xSniper) [80] (Warlord) 3x Ratlingsx3 [90] 2x Plt Cmd Squad (AC, 2xFlamers, Bolter (Cdr)) [104] 4x Infantry Squad (AC, Flamer, Krak, meltabomb (Sgt)) [320] 7x Chimera with MLaser, HB [385] 2x SWS (GL, Flamer, Pg) [120] 2x HWS (AC) [150] 1x Vendetta w/ Heavy Bolters [140] 2x Hydra (HB) [150] The choice of all my list building right now. Currently, it is officially IG primary in all of them and even in the ones where it is BT primary officially, IG gets the bulk of the points while providing the bulk of the firepower along with the bulk of the scoring units. The main advantages that Black Templar bring to the table are about the same as those from 5th: Tank Hunting Dual Cyclone Terminator squads, cheap Drop Pods, and cheap Typhoon Speeders. We lost several of our strengths, which is why I no longer list our Assault Terminators as a chapter advantage, our Drop Pod rules or being able to use the EC as our HQ choice.
The funny part, the biggest determining factor on which set of initials comes first? Who needs the extra HQ. Given that, I'm swinging between 9xChimera bodies + Vendetta down to no vehicles at all but 250+ models on the table (no, you do not want to know, it won't quite work...well, not at 2k anyway) along with the various variations in between. Yes, I'm in list churning mode for BT right now, but unless I Heh, some people don't realize how big space is. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is the farthest object away from the Sun that we have ever sent. It is moving at a velocity of 17,060 m/s (61,400 km/h; 38,200 mph) and after 35 years is currently .002 light years out. Which means that if it was pointed to the Proxima Centauri (~4 light years away), it would arrive >70,000 years from now.
"It is the 71st Millenium. In the grim darkness of the far future, something has happened to the Emperor and Imperium of Man as a little speck of manufactured materials drifts onwards through interstellar space, hoping its solar panels will work when it gets somewhere so it can power up again." Heh, I wonder if God is laughing at us.... Short run: We got our Typhoon MLs back up to 5th standards, The Black Sword must be a sword, Abhor The Witch got a nerf (along with the rest of the psychic saves, you can only take one), We lost our ability to have PA HQs leading Terminator Command squads, Everybody got their Drop Pods back.
The big one...RZ moves must now be taken in full towards the nearest enemy, but no direct lifting of the 1" invulnerability rule. It could be argued from the wording that we get to ignore it if you roll high enough, but....I wouldn't do so. Major nerfage right there to have one without the other. It is now fairly easy to get pulled off an objective unless you voluntarily GTG. The overview got long, so I'm moving the commentary to another post. Pretty much, I was running a "five turn" list. The same basic list ran undefeated in 5th in casual play where it always got to at least five turns. In 6th, prior to NOVA, I lost three out of twelve games, but in each of those three I was stressing the list to see what would break it. Classically, by not dancing with a Ghaz/Kan horde list, but instead walking up to it and trying to win by superior firepower. In each case, it did a lot better than I thought and this helped me out in those short games with the close victory conditions. Five turns in 150 minutes wasn't a problem locally, but even with the great opponents I played against, there wasn't an automatic trust extended in the same way it is with the guys you play locally against. At NOVA, it took a bit more explaining on both sides. Nothing much, but it slowed down the games bit by bit.
Which tells me that if TOs keep to the same objectives/quarters type of scoring that NOVA used, the system is going to break down. First things first, Mike and his staff did a great job from what I saw. His people were kind, courteous, dedicated and worked to fix issues in a timely manner. They didn't always succeed and I'll list some of those issues in another post as well as where they dealt with the unexpected quickly. The NOVA team should cover most of that in their post event hot wash.
Here, I mainly want to discuss my actual experience playing in the GT. I went 1-5 with a close fight in the win, four losses by a sliver and once getting slaughtered. IMO, TOs for tournaments need to make some changes, because like Mike's idea that "well everyone can just play their 5th lists mainly" when he made the switch to 6th, I think there is a lot of wishful thinking going on. This is an overview, so I'm not going to break down each battle here. My list is here. |