Help me pick my NOVA list!

So I am currently scrambling to finalize my list for the NOVA Narrative Event.  When I registered, I completely missed the part about submitting my list ahead of time.  The draft primer can be found here, but the main highlights are:

2000 points (NOT 1999+1) with full use of Double FOC and Allies
Forgeworld is allowed, but no Superheavies/Gaurgantuan Creatures (could be interesting)
8 Points for completing two Missions each round
8 Points for KPs each round
10 Theme points for modeling/converting to match the narrative
"Infamy" points for completing random objectives (probably my main goal)
Painting Score (not much I can do about that in three weeks with the upcoming move)

New Loot!

My wife and I drove into town last night to do some shopping, and we both came away with some nice stuff.  She ended up with a new Galaxy III, but I think I still came out ahead...

Necron Deathstar... the missing piece! (Or not...)

Destroyer Lord... now a team player

I started working on my Necrons in late 5th Edition and never settled on a list that I really like.  A big part of that is I always felt they were missing something, specifically in the anti-tank category.  However, the new vehicle rules makes both Gauss and Tesla much more useful at killing tanks,  which means Surf Lords, Scarabs, and Lanceteks are no longer "required" to kill tanks.  Now almost any unit in the codex can do a decent job of killing tanks, which really increases the number of viable builds.

EDIT:  I incorrectly thought Destroyer Lords were Fearless... which completely breaks my analysis.

More Playtest Thoughts

Hail to our new 2+ Save Overlords!

It's been a crazy week, so I have not had a lot of time to blog.  However, I played my 2K Space Marines against a Dark Angels list on Thursday, and it was a very interesting game.  I am still learning a lot of the nuances of 6th and it really looks like details matter even more now than in 5th.  My opponent took the following list:

Belial with LCs
Librarian (Had the Divination Primaris Power and the Overwatch Power)
Deathwing with Banner, Apothecary, TH/SSs and CMLs
Deathwing with TH/SSs and CMLs
Deathwing with LCs and CML
Tactical Squad with PP, Flamer, and ML
Ravenwing Squad with PF, MGx2, and MM AB
Land Raider Crusader
Veteran Squad with lots of PWs and SS

Tactical versus TH/SS Terminators

From Google (not mine... yet)

In my Second Company blog post, Rau said:

"I kinda get the comparison you're making between Assault and Shooty terminators, but I don't think you worked out the 'true' difference very accurately.

1st off, against vehicles, Thunderhammers offer no advantage over Powerfists. No more autostuns. Vs infantry, you reduce them to I1, but aside from mega-deff characters, you hit them with a thunderhammer, they should be dead. So this rule comes into play maybe 25% of the time. Therefore, for comparative purposes, pretty much the sole difference between Assault and Shooty Termies is having either a Stormbolter, and thus a shooting attack, or a Storm Shied, and thus an invulnerable save.

Quite clearly, on a points vs usability scale, the Storm Shield wins every time, Those 3++ saves being invaluble. However, now power weapons are nerfed, the need for an invunerable save on Terminators has reduced considerably.

For me, the main difference between Assault and Shooty Termies is that Shooty Termies can operate on there own and still be 100% effective. Assault termies need a land raider minimum, and generally they need an IC in there too. If we exclude the IC requirement, just the Raider more than Doubles the cost of the unit. Ok, you're not JUST getting a transport with a raider, but to use your termies effectively, that raider has to throw caution to the wind and get up nice and close, which means melta time.

Those points spent on the raider would get you, well, another unit of Terminators! Plus HQ upgrades for both. Lets not forget 'normal' terminators are still putting out 3 S8 AP2 attacks each on the charge. With an assault cannon, they’re also putting in 12 shots before the assault to boot. If you’re doubling your numbers by loosing the Land Raider, well the numbers just get silly.

I think the changes to Power Weapons and vehicles put Shooty Termies out front in 6th, for me anyway."

My reply was going to be a bit long for a comment (and I was hurting for content), so I figured I would do a full post to reply.  He makes a lot of good points and admittedly, I was pretty torn between Tactical Terminators and TH/SS when I was writing up the list.  However, I decided to stick with my 5th Edition staple for the following reasons:

A Few More Second Company Pics

Second Company locked and loaded for 6th Edition

Papa Smurf about to bring the pain...

One of these days I will put together a better picture station, but for now these will have to do.  It was pretty humbling to look back over a lot of my older models and how I "magnetized" and painted them.  It probably took me an hour to touch up the stuff that was too terrible-looking for me to stand.  Maybe one of these days I will get around to stripping them and remodeling/painting, but for now they work as a nice trip down memory lane.  Now just to get some games in with them...

Painting Update

Air Superiority... a beautiful thing

 I spent the past two nights updating my Second Company and Honor Guard to reflect my new lists.  I built/painted a Stormtalon and rekitted the Stormraven to be a Dakka machine.  I did not magnetize the Stormraven when I first built it, so it took some doing to magnetize it without doing any damage to the model or the paintjob.  I learned from my mistake though, so all the Stormtalon's weapon options are pinned for easy switching.  I also assembled and painted the Quad gun and some Aegis lines.  I still have a few more barriers to do, but the pieces I currently have should be enough to work until I can finish assembling/painting the rest.  My next goal is to get some well-lit pictures of both armies tomorrow night.  More pics below:

Updating the Honor Guard for 6th

I am already very happy with my Honor Guard list, so I really only see making minor tweaks to bring them into 6th Edition.  It was already a solid list with a lot of flexibility, so it made the transition pretty well in its current form.  Yes, all the units lost AP2 Force Weapons, but that isn't a deal breaker.  My current list is:

Draigo
Paladins (5) with DH x2, Halberd x2, Pyscannon x2, and Banner
GKSS (5) with Pyscannon and Pysback with SL
GKSS (5) with Pyscannon and Pysback with SL
GKSS (5) with Pyscannon and Pysback with SL
GKSS (5) with Pyscannon and Pysback with SL
Venerable Pysfleman
Pysfleman Dread
Stormraven with TLMM and TLPC and SL
Dread Calgar with Teleporter

The main units that had some changes include:

Second Company in 6th Edition....

Papa Smurf is BACK!

When I started 40K about two three years ago, I chose Ultramarines Second Company as my first army, so it is only fitting that I start with them for 6th Edition.  While my Battleforce Marines are a good starting point, I think I am going to start from scratch to see how I can best take advantage of the new 6th edition rules.  For the first iteration, I am focusing solely on "pure" Space Marines without allies until I get a better handle on how things are going to shake out.  At first I was making this a 1999 list, but decided to put on my big-boy pants and just go to 2K.  I doubt the second FOC is going to really make any armies really OP.  A few older books might get a boost, but I figure a well-built list will be able to handle any shenanigans.  (Warning... this is a long post, so feel free to skip ahead)

HQ(s):

When I build a Space Marine Army, I generally start with the HQ because of the FOC and Chapter Tactics shenanigans.  In my opinion, there are four main HQs that fit my playstyle and are worth considering for the list:

List Building Process/Plan for 6th Edition



These guys are probably making a repeat appearance soon...

Warning:  This is my own personal plan for 6th Edition and may or may not have anything useful for everyone else.

Now that 6th Edition is out, it is time for me to start tweaking my lists.  As I have mentioned before, I am a very middle of the road player.  I really don't focus on or excel at any one aspect of the game.  I spend more time playing than painting and have been making an effort to field fully-painted armies for all of my games.  Because I try to take a balanced approach to 40K, this really affects how I build my lists and design my armies.

I lean more towards the playing/competitive side of 40K, but really don't get the chance to really pursue that too much due to my location.  I haven't been to GTs yet and I really don't even get to go to that many local Tournaments.  That may change after I move this fall, but I doubt it will change how I do approach the game.  Right now, I have no desire to build rock-hard or spammy lists.  I am not bashing anyone who does, because I think that min-maxing is a very valid skill and builds effective lists.  However, those are overkill in the small, local metas I play in, so I have been able to get by with more offbeat lists.  I personally like big, splashy models like LRs/Stormravens and melee beatsticks.  I also like building lists that get their redundancy by mixing slightly different units with overlapping abilitys.  I also get bored painting the same thing again and again.  Different strokes for different folks.  With that in mind, this is how I plan on approaching 6th Edition:

Some things I missed the 1st time around...

I have had a little more time to digest the rules and picked up on a few things I had missed:

1.  Flying Monsterous Creatures are not as bad as I thought.  When I played my first game, my opponent and I overlooked the "Grounding Rule."  That makes a significant difference in their survivability, because ANY hits (not wounds!) causes the FMC to take a 3+ test or be grounded.  Tossing a few low-strength shots at a FMC can knock it out of the air long enough for the real firepower/assault to take it out.

2.  I am still trying to figure out the Stormraven... I think its awesome, then find a new rule that makes me think it's crap, and back and forth.  I initially thought it was a death trap, then realized I could use it as a Fast Skimmer which would avoid the S10 AP1 hits when it crashed.  However, it must start in reserve and cannot disembark anyone if it moves more than 6", so the earliest anyone is getting out of it (barring the special deepstrike) is Turn 3.  Land Raiders have similar issues but at least don't have to start off the board.  I think the LR actually benefits from the new rules because the occupants slingshot ahead, hopefully leaving the LR outside of melta range.