The Monks March to War

That's right, the Da Boyz GT kicks off today with the 40k and Fantasy team events. Since each of the blog authors have been busy over the past week trying to finish their armies, touch up their display boards and stocking up on alcohol we decided that we would compile our posts into one blog that sums up our thoughts going into the weekend. We are also planning on posting updates to either this blog and/or our forums page at http://thegrandstrategery.proboards.com/ so be sure to check out the sites periodically as each day progresses. So without wasting any more time, let's see what each monk has to say...

 Calypso2ts:

I had been pretty set on the list I was going to bring to Da Boyz - partially because I liked some of its anti-meta traits - but also because it fit within my painting schedule.  However, after the last GT qualifier I was left really unhappy with the way the list played overall.  The Fiends I had been using just never seemed to make up their high cost by inflicting damage - and were prime missile bait.  The Skull Cannons could not defend themselves and tended to eat only 1 or 2 Strength 8 shots before exploding and I felt I was running out of gas by Turn 4 in many games.

To rectify this I rethought the elements I liked in the list and I evaluated what I could get painted in time for the GT.  This new list - similar to last year’s list actually - is the result of that work.

Adding the final coats of paint to the display board

 HQ
Fateweaver
Khorne Herald on Juggurnaut w/ Exalted Gift, Locus of Wrath

Troops
16x Daemonettes
10x Plague Bearers
10x Horrors

Fast Attack
16x Flesh Hounds
16x Flesh Hounds
16x Seekers w/ Heartseeker

Heavy Support
Soul Grinder of Nurgle w/ Phlegm
Soul Grinder of Nurgle w/ Phlegm

The core of this list remains similar to my previous armies, with some swaps.   I think the Flesh hounds put out a lot more damage than Fiends do on a point for point basis.  I also swapped to a Locus of Wrath because I found the hounds in combat - being charged - more often than I thought I would.

From a troops perspective I always had a Horror unit sitting in the backfield - usually Deep Striking in - that failed to do any appreciable damage.  At least Plague Bearers can protect themselves to an extent and T4/Defensive Grenades make them more durable.  They can also Deep Strike near enemy units and get 2+ cover from Shrouded, Defensive Grenades and Area Terrain to make them ideal to eat overwatch or threaten to lockup a gunline.

Finally the big change is the loss of the Skull Cannons for Soul Grinders.  I like the Slaanesh variant a lot, but I wanted a long range gun and for that Nurgle is ideal.  They can also defend themselves, nearby objectives or troops from threats while bringing some AP2, S10 to the table.  From a durability perspective, it is hard to beat a 2+ cover save against anything that happens to be in a 6” melta range (provided some area terrain).

The biggest challenge is going to be playing this list for the first time at Da Boyz - but that is essentially what I did last year too.  It seems to be in my nature to be fickle when it comes to creating army lists.  Maybe that is why I enjoy playing Daemons so much.

Crimthaan

CRIMTHAAN GOES TO WAR!
Alright, so maybe it isn’t as dramatic as all that, but this weekend is something that I’ve been really looking forward to these past two weeks. Due to the new teaching job (first year teacher) I’ve been insanely busy, as my complete disappearance from the blog can attest to. I didn’t think I could make the tournament (between getting my army all painted up, based, updated, ext.) until a good friend of mine offered to let me use one of his many armies.

As such I will be bringing a Grey Knight army allied with Imperial Guard.  My friend Chris has done a fabulous job painting all of his Imperial armies as Inquisition so they truly do look like allies and great on the table, but for those of you going you’ll see this in person!

Here is the list that I am taking.

Primary Detachment:
HQ:
Inquisitor Coteaz

Troops:
12x Henchmen squad.  5x Warrior Acolytes, 3x Plasma Cannon Servitors, 4x Psykers,
5x Grey Knight Strike Squad w/ Daemon Hammer
6x Grey Knight Terminators w/ 2x Daemon Hammers, 3x Force Halberds, 1x Falchions

Fast Attack:
Stormraven w/ TLLC, TLMM

Heavy Support:
Dreadknight w/ Great Sword, Heavy Incinerator, Teleporter

Allied Detachment:
HQ:
Company Command Squad w/ Astropath, Voxcaster, and Mortar Team

Fast Attack:
Vendetta Gun Ship w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons

Troops:
Infantry Platoon
Command  Squad: Melta Bombs, 4x Flamers
Infantry Squad w/ Power Axe, Melta Bombs, Auto Cannon
    -Attached Commissar
Infantry Squad w/ Power Axe, Melta Bombs, Auto Cannon
Infantry Squad w/ Vox Caster, Lascannon

Heavy Support:
Manticore

Fortification:
Aegis Defense Line w/ Icarus Lascannon

All in all it’s an insanely fun list. I’ve played against a variation of it multiple times when Chris brings it to tournaments so I know what it can do and can’t do. I’ve got two troop choices that will hang back on my side of the board in the henchmen and strike squad, the infantry platoon can hang back or push up as a blob as the mission calls for, and the terminators and platoon command squad in Vendetta can move forward to take enemy objectives. All in all I think I’ll have fun. Do I think I’ll win?  No, not with lists with multiple Wave Serpents or Riptide/Wraithknight combos. But I WILL have a lot of fun.

Which is the other part of why I am looking forward to this weekend so much. I have made a lot of friends through playing 40k, and a lot of them I only see twice a year. Once at Adepticon and once when DaBoyz holds their yearly tournament. I’ve already signed onto getting one group of out-of-towners a half keg for the tournament (I of course drink all I want to compensate me for my troubles) and I’m sure I’ll be asked many more favors.

All in all between playing the game I love and hanging out with some great friends I am looking forward to a truly epic weekend.
-Andy


Crispy

Having posted pictures of the army leading up to Da Boyz, here’s a quick rundown of my final list.

Black Orc Warboss w/ Charmed Shield & Talisman of Preservation
Savage Orc Great Shaman w/ Lucky Shrunken Head
Night Goblin Shaman w/ Dispel Scroll
Savage Orc Bog Boss (BSB) w/ Obsidian Trinket
Savage Orc Big’Uns X38 w/ Full Command
Night Goblins X28 w/ Bows & X3 Fanatics
Trolls X6
Spear Chukka X2
Wolf Chariots X3
Savage Orc Boar Boyz X5 w/ additional hand weapons
Arachnarok Spider
Doom Diver
Doom Diver
Rock Lobber
Manger Squig

From previous renditions, I’ve changed up some of the Special & Rare selections. Coming off of the Colonial, I found that the Savage Orc Boar Boyz don’t really have the hitting power that I’d hoped they would. I’m still keeping a small unit around (mainly because they’re painted well and because I don’t have that much to add), but in the future I think they’ll be replaced with Spider Riders.  Filling in those points, I’ve included a few more warmachines to help deal with high armor/multi wound problems units.

There’s also a few other smaller tweaks. I used to run the wolf chariots in units of 3, but I found that I’d rarely get 2 into combat. If those 2 didn’t kill their target, all 3 chariots would get grown down. Now all 3 are their individual units. I also switched up some of the wargear selections for the characters. It seems like that no matter what I give the Orcs, they have great damage output. Even naked, they do well. The area in which they lack is staying power. The Warboss received a 4+ Ward Save, while the BSB is rocking a +1 Magic resistance which stacks with their ward save. 4+ against magic isn’t too shabby.

Final Thoughts: I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ll be at the Fantasy Team Tournament on Friday rocking a scaled down list, and my teammate will be bringing Chaos Warriors. Hopefully he’ll be able to show me a few pointers on how the play the game. I’m hoping for a ‘not terrible’ showing.  We’re also bunking with a big group of local guys, and I’m thinking about making pulled pork for a Friday Night meal. I just need to scour the local stores for pork butt.

Well, if you see me there (or just recognize the army) stop and say hi.
-Crispy


Grubnards

I finished up all the minor touch-ups and bases in time for the event. There are a few more things that I would have like to have added to the Heldrake but it seems like there just never enough time to get everything done.

Display Board
I have completed the display board and worked in the tattered banners for the Word Bearers. I had originally planned to add in some burnt Ultramarine banners but that will have to wait until after the GT. I also thought about picking up a few spare space marines and paint them up as Ultramarine casualties as well but again time did not agree with me.

40k Team Event
For the Da Boyz team event I am pairing up with Chris L (aka sinistermind). Chris and I have played in many team events over the past few years and when the Da Boyz announced the team event format we immediately knew we needed to partner up. Like all great teammates (Han and Chewie, Superman and Batman, Chocolate and Peanut butter) we will be a nigh-unstoppable force come this friday. Just like those famous words uttered by our hero, Macho Man Randy Savage - what are you going to do when team “Just Here for the Beer” goes wild on you!

Sinisterminds List
spiritseer
5 wraiths w/ scythes
serpent scatter,cannon,holo
5 dire avengers
serpent same as above
 7 rangers
 2x fire prisms
-2x holo fields

Here is Sinistermind's paint scheme. He will be using all of these ships in his full GT list.

Grubnards list
Farseer with Runes of witnessing
Warlock
5 Dire Avengers
Serpent with TL Scatter Lasers, Holofields
5 Dire Avengers
Serpent with TL Bright Lances, Holofields
15 Guardians with Scatter Laser
6 Warp Spiders
2 War Walkers with Missile Launchers

Grubnard's 1000 point Eldar Team List

As you can see, this list has a lot of fire power, vehicles, and bodies. Between the two of us we have 6 scoring units and plenty of serpents to protect them for the first couple of turns. If you are attending the team event, just look for the two guys in the bright blue tee-shirts that say “Just here for the beer” and feel free to introduce yourself.

Final thoughts going into the weekend
I am feeling pretty good with my list and I am hoping that I can walk away with at least 2 solid wins in the singles event. I am anticipating a lot of Eldar/Tau team ups and I am not sure if my army is equipped to deal with multiple units of Wraith knights, Riptides, or fast daemon lists but I think that my painting and theme will help with my final score. My final prediction is that I will place about middle of the pack, around the 67th spot. But regardless of the final outcome, I am looking forward to a weekend of fun games and I hope that all of my opponents have a good time as well. I hope to do a brief recap of the event in next week’s blog post and then a more in-depth breakdown of my thoughts on my games and the event in the following weeks.


Hyv3Mynd

Final thoughts
Just some quick updates as I pack up and head off to the GT.  Here’s a wide shot of the army on its new display board.  Here are some random close-ups:

Theme Shirts
We also made up some shirts with Goatboy’s artwork to promote my army for the “theme” award, as well as our gaming club (The Grand Strategery) and blog.

Smoking Boots Terrain Prize
I also built a set of terrain to be awarded as the “Smoking Boots” prize for whomever comes in dead last in the 40k GT.  I figure if they need the most practice, they may as well do it in style!

The set comes with 12 pieces total which is enough to meet the average terrain density results.  There are two smoking craters with flickering LED lights, 2 large BLoS/impassible boulders, and 8 pieces of jungle area terrain with varying height some of which can totally hide land raider sized models.