Killzone Team: Brotherhood of Blood

I've started in on a Chaos Khorne themed Imperial Guard Killzone team. I haven't really delved into the Brass, Blood and Skulls side of Chaos so I thought I begin by converting and painting my Leader. I've chosen an Ogryn Bone 'Ead as my leader even though he only has a leadership of 8. This isn't a requirement however as the rules say "preferably with the highest leadership." I wanted something beastly leading my squads. Something huge and massive and deadly. Since there are no Monstrous Creatures in Killzone the closest thing would be something with 3 wounds (Ogryn).

Giving it Resilient gives it a T of 6 but giving it Blademaster would give it 5 rending attacks base. I'm not sure which way I want to go: Tough or Strong. That aside I will be giving him frags so terrain isn't a huge problem and his ripper gun will be represented by a chain that splits into 3 parts each ending with a skull (kind of like the old Eldar Dark Reapwer Exarch wargear). What are your thoughts? Should I go with Toughness of 6 or 5 Strength 5 rending attacks standard?

Special Operations: Killzone

I have always loved seeing the creativity of wargamers. Be it converstions, house rules or terrain features that boggle the mind. In the absence of a desire (In this case a skirmish or smaller scale of 40k that doesn't take place in the hivespire of Necromunda) a game was created by Big Jim and B. Smooth. This is Special Operations: Killzone.

Now first off I'd like to point out that Necromunda is a great game. It allows me to withdraw to my young second edition playing self and enjoy the 40k universe while throwing unit coherency out the window. There is a drawback though. You are confined to the spire, never knowing the sheer joy of warriors that far surpass your own: Space Marines, Tyranids and Eldar to name a few. I'd also like to note that this is by far not the first 40k skirmish supplement that I've seen. My criticism is that most of them that I've seen are built off of the old Kill-Teams game from the back of the 4th edition 40k rule-book. This is alright if that's your bag but I just want to throw my guys at my opponent and have him throw his back without any of this "Oh no! We've alerted the sentries!" nonsense.

What Killzone does is introduce new army-book specific errata and new rules about moving/shooting/combat that streamlines the game even more. No longer do you roll for moving through terrain. Your gun that fires more than 1 shot can spread the shots out into a "Killzone." They also introduce new equipment upgrades that you can give to your models to improve their stats and give them new abilities. The equipment really adds a personalization to each model. "This is Sergeant Killsalot. He's a blademaster with close-combat accessories and he's here to mess you up!" You can then take this and model a figure with the appropriate equipment mods to really make your force stand out.

I think the thing that stands out about Killzone is it's playtime. To quote Harsh Rhettoric "You can play like 5 games in a night! It's awesome!" This is a boon for players that just don't have the time to play through a whole game of 40k or just have a super busy schedule. I'd really like to thank Big Jim, B Smooth and all the contributors that helped develop this game.

Mordheim Warband: Possessed

Here's my starting Possessed warband:

Magister w/Bow, Hammer, Knife, Lure of Chaos (*rolls a 4* Yes!) 83gc
Possessed 90gc
Possessed 90gc
Mutant w/Tentacle. Hammer, Knife 63gc
Mutant w/Horrifying, Hammer, Knife 68gc
Brethren w/Bow, Knife 35gc

Brethren w/Bow, Knife 35gc
Brethren w/Knife 25gc

I realize having possessed with no mutations is kind of lame but I didn't realize until I had read the rules thoroughly that your rewards are rolled based on your surviving hero models. This would mean with I would have in the range of 4d6 or 5d6 if I had won.
The Magister will be floating around as support for the CC possessed/mutants, taking control of enemy team members. *Evil Laughter* The best thing about Lure of Chaos? It's 12" range but doesn't require line of sight so I could have my Magister fully in cover whispering the sweet temptations of chaos to the enemy warband. "Two daemonettes for every cultist..." The other brethren will also act in support of the CC element of the warband and hopefully I can get the Brethren with just the knife to stab some people.

Specialist Games: I Mordheim

I'm going to be writing some articles about the Games Workshop Specialist Games. I've chosen to write about Mordheim because the sudden rise in Warhammer Fantasy due in part to the release of 8th Edition.

First off, Modheim is the skirmish version of Warhammer fantasy set in the ruined town of Mordheim. Players command warbands that battle each other to capture the valuable resource known as warpstone. Huge amounts of the element were scattered into the city when a twin tailed comet crashed into Mordheim. Each warband has it's own unique feel and flavor from the Empire Mercenary groups to the Chaos worshiping Possessed. The player purchases his warband members and equips them with weapons and armor from tailored lists.You can make a warband on the fly in a one up game or play a campaign game. Campaign games are very enjoyable and you become much more attached to your warband. This is due in part to you members gaining new skills and increased stats as they get experience from battle. They can also sustain injuries that effect them in battle but I look at this as just adding more realism to the game. If you warband fights of course they'll have battle scars!

The rules (without going into specific details) are very close to Warhammer fantasy in regards to moving/shooting/combat. The rules are here in pdf form on the Games Workshop site. If you've learned to play Warhammer Fantasy then you will find no problem picking up Mordheim. Magic is fairly easy and is closer to Psychic powers rules in warhammer 40k currently.

The main selling point for starting a Mordheim warband, for me at least, is that it costs very little. The rules are free for download and each warband starts at anywhere from 7-11 members depending on how you equip them. That's less then a small unit in Warhammer fantasy, grab a box and maybe a few metal blisters for unique characters/leaders and you're good to go. Of course you could start with any of the warband kits from the GW. They aren't that expensive, all models are metal (which could make them harder to convert to having different weapons etc) but they only run roughly $5-6 American a piece (bought as a whole of around $40 for 8 models). If you or your local gaming store has a bits box: even better! Fish out the pieces and mash together your members for an even lower price. The customization and character you add to each model only increases your ability to really get attached to your warband.

Overall if you're looking for a good casual game to start playing with your friends and you really like the feel/stories of the Warhammer Fantasy world then I would suggest playing Mordhiem.

Team Shiv Battle Report: Chaos Space Marines vs Space Wolves

Our first battle report. TheGodOfNothing vs Dave (not formally of Team Shiv)

Video quality is a little choppy cause I was still learning how to edit the video clips. They'll get better. I promise.

Pit Fighters!

So I've decided that I'm putting together a stable of Pit Fighters using the rules printed in the Fantic magazine. The PDF is available for download online here. I've been running through the rules in my head and after deciding that Slayers/Ogres are out I'm going to have the following stable:

Flamma
Chaos Pit Fighter (Secutor)
WS: 33 S: 33 T: 30 I: 34 W: 10

Celadus
Skink Pit Fighter (Retiarius)
WS: 33 S: 32 T: 30 I: 35 W: 10

Theseus
Witch Elf Pit Fighter (Modified Murmillo)
WS: 40 S: 30 T: 30 I: 30 W: 10

Models hopefully forthcoming.

New Forge World Model: Wasp

Brand new Eldar model and it's accompanying experimental rules up on Forge World. I really like the mechanics of this walker. It takes the War Walker and gives it more tactical options in the way of deployment and movement. I feel like this would be a very good FA portion of an Eldar army. What's your favorite Forgeworld model?

Stick-to-itiveness

                                             WIP "Thousand Son" and "Noise Marine"
       

Under my own and outside pressure I've been focusing on using/fine tuning the same army instead of leaping to another army at the drop of a hat. The army I'm on right now is Chaos Space Marines. Here is my list:

HQ: Daemon Prince w/Mark Of Tzeentch, Bolt of Change, Warptime, Wings 200pts

Chaos Sorcerer w/Mark Of Slaanesh, Lashwhip of Submission 125pts

Greater Daemon 100pts

Elites: 5 Chosen w/5 Plasma Guns 165pts

5 Chosen w/5 Plasma Guns 165pts

Troops: 8 Thousand Sons w/Bolt of Change 209pts

8 Thousand Sons w/Doom Bolt 194pts

8 Noise Marines 7 Sonic Blasters, 1 Blastmaster, w/Champion w/PF 275pts

8 Noise Marines 7 Sonic Blasters, 1 Blastmaster, w/Champion w/PW 265pts

Heavy Support: 2 Obliterators 150pts

2 Obliterators 150pts

1998pts

At first glance it is very obviously a Foot Chaos list. This list has gone through various changes. It initially had Plague Marines instead of Noise Marines. There used to be champions in the Chosen squads for the Greater Daemon to pop out of but the timing never seemed to work. In practice this army has been working much better than initially planned. It's survivability is always much greater than I've assumed for a non-mech army. Every game has been a learning experience and this lets me respond to situations that come up in game. For example my Thousand Sons squads can act as a very effective cushion against low count, high power attacks (Thunderhammers, MCs). They don't last as long against high count, high initiative attacks (Bloodletters, Hormagaunts, Orks). The Noise Marines at a stand still put out a massive amount of firepower to include a plasma cannon equivalent. I've been surprised time and again at the destruction a single squad of the Noise Marines lays out.
A couple of things I've been looking at are trying out either Chaos Spawn (I just like the look/feel of them) or Lesser Daemons. The only problem is that I don't know what to let go to add them to army. Here's to continued success in refining this army.

Crazy Ideas In The Modeler's Mind

So in my Chaos Space Marine army I have a Greater Daemon which is representing an American Battle Suit that operates in space. Basically jump jets, close combat weapons etc. I want it to look like a somewhat different version of my Tin Man which represent a Daemon Prince.

                                                                          WIP Tin Man

With that in base I kind of want to steal an idea I saw on the Games Workshop site where a Deff Rolla was used to make Killa Kans:

It looks a little like a Chaos Space Marine dreadnought but I really like the feel of the spikes and the patched surface. It feels to me like quick patches for a space-borne mech. Hopefully I can get a hold of a Deff Rolla soon. *Itchy Modeling Fingers*

Choosing Units From A Codex: A Personal Bias

Often I find myself wonderin why I chose the armylists that in do. Typically you won't find me fielding the common, the popular or even (to my usual dismay) the effective. When I read through a codex I take in the fluff and the rules and weigh them equally. This leads me to my own opinion on a unit not solely based on fluff or stats. I know most players chose units that are pure power. The unit or model is chosen because of it's value in the mechanics of the game.
Now when I consider what is a "good" and a "bad" unit I find my opinion crafted at the moment I read the codex. I lean towards units that "feel" or sound cool. From the outside this might appear to be along the lines of when we were kids and chose models because they looked cool. Let me explain how it's different. In the Chaos codex I like Greater Daemons. I don't recal the last CSM player that I've seen w/a Greater Daemon. Sure you see Daemon Princes but the GD is just not seen as good. I've heard that people don't use it because it costs a champion model. I don't see this as a detriment or an increase in points or even a waste of a champion. I think this is awesome! If you have 4 units of troops roaming across the board and a Monstrous Creature bursts out of it's ranks to charge the turn in comes in? Sign me up!
Another example would be the Pyrovore in the Tyranid codex. No one uses them. I have never in my gaming experience seen any Tyranid player use them. I love Pyrovores they have Heavy Flamers an Power weapon attacks. On top of that they blow up. They blow up! It's rare but I played a game where Pedro Cantor blew himself up by powerfisting a Pyrovore. That's 100% awesome! Why wouldn't you want stuff like that to happen? Admittedly I'm the craY guy who cheers on the opponent and wants him to blow up my vehicles. I just enjoy the odd rules and the crazy possibilities in a game where you generally see the same thing over and over again.
This is what usually drives me to determine what is goods and what is bad.

Freeform Miniatures Game: "CRAHMS"

I've had this idea floating around for a while. It's mainly an effort for people to bring a handful of models to the table and have a system that allows them to be able to play each other. The system of the models doesn't matter, just the size. Basically there's a base set of stats for each model and you pay points to get better stats. You agree upon a point total and you just build your army.

Stats:
Combat: X/Y X is the Number of attacks and Y is the Skill. That is the number of dice you get to roll per attack. Each 4+ is a success.

Ranged: X/Y/Z X is the X is the Number of attacks, Y is the Skill and Z is the range of the attack: (Close, Short, Medium, Long, Extreme, Unlimited)

Armor: The number of rolls a model gets to counter the number of successes in Combat/Ranged attack against it (None, Light, Medium, Heavy)

Hits: The amount of damage each model can take.

Morale: The number of rolls a model gets representing the ability of the model to stand it's ground in regards to enemy success, the disturbing or all around fear.

Speed: The rate at which the model moves(Slow, Normal, Fast)

So right now the base stats of a model are as follows:
    C    R   A   H   M   S
   1/2   -    -    1     2   6(Normal)

I've got tentative points set up and more rules and hopefully a short PDF will be on their way soon.

Forge World: Malcador Infernus

So Forge World is gearing up for their new Imperial Armor book. One of the models that stands out is the Malcador Infernus. In appearance it looks kind of like "your grandfather's" Hellhound. It's the Hellhound that Pask's father wanted to pass on to him in high school but he wanted a brand new shiny "Fast Vehicle." I can even hear him complain:
"Come on dad! The fuel supply isn't even built in! You have to drag it behind you! The other kids will make fun of me! They'll call me an artillery man's son and call my Hellhound a Centaur!"
Appearance aside I really like the rules. Screw Pask. This is the 41st millennium! Older things work better son! The S7 AP3 is delicious! It's like an autocannon (which I have a personal love of for opening light vehicles) but it doesn't need to roll to hit and it's striking area is huge! Space marines cower in fear and run to... no cover because it's a template! *evil laughter* True there are some odd aspects to it like it's penchant for breaking down and it's massively explosive character but I don't see those as flaws. I see those as unique and interesting aspects of a treasured model. I can hear Harsh Rhetoric speaking over my shoulder as I write this:
"Dude. You love to use units that suck." Yes yes. I get the point but when I come screaming across the board with my "grandfather's Hellhound," burning your marines from cover what are you going to do? Shoot me with meltas when I get close? My response? To quote Dirty Harry:
"Go ahead...make my day."
*APOCALYPTIC EXPLOSION!*

Armylist Exercise: Ulthwe

I've started to make army lists with our Texan friends over at http://dissentingdice.blogspot.com/ Here's Bryce's first challenge was a traditional Guardian heavy list so that's what I've done. Here we go:

HQ: Eldrad 210pts

10 Seer Council w/2x Embolden, Enhance, Destructor 305pts

 Troops: 19 Guardians w/ Brightlance w/Warlock w/Conceal 222pts

19 Guardians w/Scatter Laser w/Warlock w/Conceal 207pts

20 Guardians w/Eldar Missile Launcher w/Warlock w/Conceal 220pts

20 Storm Guardians w/2x Fusion Guns w/Warlock w/Conceal 212pts

20 Storm Guardians w/2x Fusion Guns w/Warlock w/Conceal 212pts

20 Storm Guardians w/2x Flamers w/Warlock w/Conceal 212pts

Heavy Support: 2x D-Cannons 100pts

2x D-Cannons 100pts

-200pts
Yes yes. I realize that it's pretty bland and I'm sure there's some of you screaming "GUARDIANS SUCK!" but take note that there are no aspect warriors of any kind. Anyway thoughts are always appreciated!

The New Blog Begins!

Here we have the first post on the blog of the gaming crew Team Shiv. We began our humble roots in console gaming but have rapidly advanced into other games: miniatures, board, card etc. Our effort is to have fun and to win while doing so. The team's name comes from our penchant for placing high honors to those who can dispatch the enemy with melee attacks from behind but we are by no means backstabbers when it comes to trust or friendship. As the blog advances we'll introduce more and more of our members and articles about our various exploits into gaming of all types. I'll leave you now with our motto: Stab Hard! In Vivo!
-TheGodOfNothing