Heavy Inlisterator - Winning List from 2011 NOVA Invitational

As seen on baldandscreaming.com, here is the Nathan Nanavati's winning list for the 2011 NOVA invitational:

HQ
Inquisitor Coteaz

Elites
5 Purifiers, 2 Psycannons, Hammer
  - Rhino, Dozer Blade

5 Purifiers, 2 Psycannons, Hammer
  - Rhino, Dozer Blade

5 Purifiers, 2 Psycannons, Hammer
  - Rhino, Dozer Blade

Troops
5 Strike Squad GKs, Psycannon, Hammer
  - Razorback, Psybolt

5 Strike Squad GKs, Psycannon, Hammer
  - Razorback, Psybolt

5 Strike Squad GKs, Psycannon, Hammer
  - Razorback, Psybolt

5 Strike Squad GKs, Psycannon, Hammer
  - Razorback, Psybolt

Heavy Support

Dreadnought, TL AC x2, Psybolt

Dreadnought, TL AC x2, Psybolt

Dreadnought, TL AC x2, Psybolt

1,750 pts

***

The very first thing that stood out to me in this list is the selection of Rhinos and Razorbacks. It's a decision I've been flopping back and forth on (which units to give what transport to, how many to take and so on) and I think Mr. Nanavati made a pretty smart and interesting choice for his MSU Grey Knights list. While it doesn't necessarily convince me either way (mostly because I'm rather indecisive) the success of his army speaks volumes to this theory of GK transportation.

The question for me was always do I go with the Rhino with two firing points so I can shoot my powerful Grey Knight weaponry out the top as I move and carry a full ten-man squad? If so, I must be ok with the fact that after the troops are unloaded I'm left with a mobile piece of terrain that has a stormbolter sticking off the top of it. Or do I go with a psybolted Razorback with no firing points, a max capacity of six but a S6 heavy bolter with 36" range that's good even after I drop off the troops inside?

For Nanavati, the answer was if you have one psycannon, you get a Razorback, but if you have two Psycannons, you're going inside a Rhino so you can assault 2 those baddies out the top of your tank as you ride in to own some Xenos. Now without asking we don't know if the decision was ultimately more based on point values (squeezing in the most troop value of his points) or if he decided that this was the best way to trick out GK MSU with dedicated transports. If it's the latter, the decision does seem to make a good deal of sense. He still gets 4 psybacks roaming around after the foot soldiers get out but when he's advancing and shooting from inside his vehicles 4 S7 rending shots at 24" and 3 S6 twin-linked shots at 36" seem to be fairly equal threats.

Notice the HQ choice that Nanavati took. Not a week ago, I raved about the beast Coteaz and how he was simply far and away the best low-cost HQ a Grey Knight army could take: anything less being damn near a waste of the points. While I don't know what unit Coteaz went in, my guess would be one of the Purifiers and that by keeping his units clumped close together Nanavati could hit most of them with Sanctuary.

Twin-linked bang bang

Nanavati filled out the rest of his army with Psyflemen Dreads, my alter ego grumpy-old-wargamer's least favorite GK unit but the hands down easiest to use and highly effective heavy support choice. These need no introduction.

I also like how Nanavati gave his scoring units transports with Dozer Blades, meaning they could pretty safely traverse most terrain without fear of getting immobilized on a tree stump and stuck foot-slogging it to their destination, hoping they don't get shot to pieces.

Read More

Let the Internet Teach You How to Draigowing

From Terminus Est: Interview with Blackmoor, who played Draigowing at the NOVA Open


from 3++ is the New Black: Draigowing Guest Article


from Ultramarine Blues: Draigowing Nuts and Bolts


from Heresy Online: Draigowing Tactica


from Grey Knights of Titan: Draigowing Bat Rep & Tactica

Read More

Nemesis Mathhammer - Statistically Speaking, You're Going to Die

As still a fairly new-ish player (or someone who plays often enough like they were new) I have the occasional tendency (especially when I'm fielding new units) to be a tad overzealous with my charges and placement. To put said unit directly into harms way under the misguided assumption that they are "awesome" and are about to "melt face." It's not as if it happens often, but it can be easy to forget that with such a low model count in the Grey Knights army (and with how bad-ass the Grey Knights seem).


Consider this a friendly reminder from the dice gods.


The scenario is to see, basically, how many S4 rapid fire shots (we'll ignore AP as bolters, shootas, etc. don't have enough to penetrate any MEQ or better armor) would it take statistically to take a model or unit down. One wound might not seem like a lot but in a Grey Knights army of 200-225 pt Terminator squads (5 models) and Monstrous Creatures that can be up to 200-250 pts (Dreadknights), it can hurt a lot more than you'd like to think. Let's even throw in Castellan Crowe and a Strike Squad GK.


I'll show the math the first two times, then after that I figure everyone will get the idea.


Grey Knight (MEQ: Toughness 4, 1 Wound, 3+ armor save)
@ BS 4 (66.6% of shots will hit, 50% of hits will wound, 33.3% of wounds will not be saved) = 11.1% of bolter-equivalent shots will kill a GK, meaning, statistically, 4.5 bolter-equivalents at rapid fire will kill a Grey Knight every time, all the time
@ BS 3 (50% hit, 50% wound, 33.3% fail saves) = 8.3% bolter shots kill, 6 S4 rapid fire guns kill an MEQ
@ BS 2 = 9 Bolters


Terminator (T4, 1 W, 2+/5++)
@ BS 4 = 9 Bolters
@ BS 3 = 12 Bolters
@ BS 2 = 18 Bolters


Dreadknight (T6, 4 W, 2+/5++)
@ BS 4 = 108 Bolters (ok, this one's a bit silly)
@ BS 3 = 144 Bolters
@ BS 2 = 216 Bolters


Castellan Crowe (T4, 2 W, 2+/4++)
@ BS 4 = 18 Bolters (to kill)
@ BS 3 = 24 Bolters
@ BS 2 = 36 Bolters


Translate this to S4 close combat hits, where almost everyone is hitting on 4s, and it looks like:


Grey Knight
in CC = 12 attacks to kill an MEQ


Terminator
in CC = 24 attacks


Dreadknight
in CC = 288 attacks


Crowe
in CC (without defensive stance) = 48 attacks

That's a lot of numbers some of which seem pretty high, but when you start to unpack it, you can get out a couple of things. Firstly, it's that this is often the best case scenario. Something hitting you at S3 is rare, so you should be expecting the equivalent of bolter fire plus a few shots of something worse.

Where these numbers hurt the most is in terms of Terminators. When you look at how quickly a 5-man unit can fall to a similarly priced group of Ork Boyz or just straight up bolt pistol fire, Terminators start looking a lot more like specialist units to tie up small, elite groups without power weapons and AP2 guns or hold objectives. Dropping them right into the heat of combat seems like a way to get them very quickly killed and leave you out 200+ points.

You also have to consider when and where you might use a grenade-kitted Techmarine. A 10-man squad with the equivalent of bolt pistols can wipe out 130 odd points in a single turn if your Techmarine's alone. Even a 2++ in CC is capable of being torn through with just 24 attacks.

Read More

Kirby on Grand Strategy

Grey Knight Grand Masters on 3++ is the New Black

Kirby on 3++ is the New Black goes through the pros and cons, uses and techniques for the different abilities that Grand Master can give to your units, and sums up why I'd basically tell anyone it's always worth the points to get a Grand Master over the Brother-Captain. In the comments, you can see people rising to the defense of Shield of Blades.

Read More

Heavy Inlisterator - 1,500 Friendly for Saturday

There's going to be a friendly game of 40K this Saturday at the FLGS between myself and the grey dudes and a buddy of mine who runs with Orks. It'll be a solid fifteen-hundred points and I always like to try to bring something new to the table, both to keep the games interesting and to test out new lists and unit combinations. Fun times are sure to be had by all. As he has no idea yet that I'm keeping this blog, I can post here with impunity and trust he'll still be caught unawares by my daemon hunting madness. This is the list I'm thinking about bringing. It's in a slightly different format than that usual which I hope will help convey my setup a bit more clearly.

[Troops] 10-man Strike Squad, 2 Psycannons, Psybolt [240]

   - [HQ] Inquisitor Coteaz [100]

[Troops] 5-man Terminators, Psycannon, 4 Halberds, 1 Daemon Hammer [225]

   - [Elites] Techmarine, Warding Stave, Psychotroke, Rad [140]

   - [FA] Storm Raven, TL MM, TL AssCan, Hurricane Bolters [235]

[Elites] 6-man Purifers, 3 Halberds, 2 Psycannons, MC Hammer [170]

   - [HQ] Brotherhood Champion [100]

[FA] 5-man Interceptors, Psycannon, MC Hammer [155]

[HS] Dreadnought, AssCann, TL Autocannon, Psybolt [135]

[1,500 pts]

Mostly foot-slogging, which means I'll be planning on hopping behind and into cover a.s.a.p. The idea is going to have the Storm Raven flat-out down one side of the board or the other and drop the Dreadnought off midfield somewhere where he can hopefully have a decent shot at whacking some side armor with the AC. If I'm careful the flat-out drop (per the special rules) should be pretty safe, as it counts as a Deep Strike with an extra dangerous terrain roll.


I'm really hoping to see a big advantage from having double Hammerhand casts in all my Grey Knights units save the Interceptors. The Techmarine should be a vicious CC machine, having both the awesome GK grenades and being tough to kill at 2+/2++ saves.


Common internet wisdom is a naked Storm Raven is the best Storm Raven, but for thirty points, unless it's getting shot down turn one, I have to think the Hurricanes Bolters will easily be able to make their points back, especially if I'm pairing them with the Assault Cannon while Power of the Machine Spirit is aiming the TL Multi-melta at an enemy vehicle. Obviously, I have forgone Psybolt ammunition on the Storm Raven so the Hurricane Bolters still counts as Defensive Weapons, meaning I could have a vicious opening salvo with the TL Assault Cannon, both Hurricane Bolters (with it's speed I should be able to arrange it head on at an enemy unit) and 1-4 small S4 small blasts from the Mindstrike Missiles.


The Interceptors hopefully will be able to get some sneaky shunt moves to put them facing vulnerable back armor and blast some vehicles away. While I've never been that impressed with a Brotherhood Champion in close combat, having Hammerhand and giving re-rolls to hit for the entire unit when charging seems like it could be a hell of a wicked charge. Hopefully, Sanctuary from Coteaz will help me get that off.

Read More

Whiskey 40K's NOVA 2011 Livestream

Spread the word, see the sights!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-11th-company

Read More

Grand Strategies - The Beast Coteaz

Grey Knight Inquisitor Coteaz is a beast. One-hundred points of such absolute, cost-efficient awesome that I really think anyone gunning for a "cheap HQ" and taking just a naked Inquisitor is robbing themselves of not only a sexy sculpt, but a great unit. You get a load of wargear and special abilities at a really great price, though it's not as if he's outrageously undercosted. Check out Coteaz and a comparable Ordo Malleus Inquisitor:

Coteaz

• 2+ armor save
• MC Nemesis Daemon Hammer
• Psyker (Level 2!!) with Hammerhand, Sanctuary and Dark Excommunication
• Stormbolter-esque Psyber-eagle
• Free shots at enemies arriving from reserve in a 12" radius
• Re-rolls on all Seize the Initiative attempts

100 pts

Bald eagles in the grim-dark future

Comparable Malleus Inquisitor

• 2+/5++ terminator armor
• Nemesis Daemon Hammer
• Psyker (Level 1) with Hammerhand
• Stormbolter
• Can Deep Strike
• Can take a Psycannon at an extra 15 pts
• Oddly, appears to lose frag and krak grenades and can't ride in a Rhino or Razorback

95 pts

Coteaz is fairly even in bonuses vs. price, although with a few clear advantages and it's hard to put a price tag on Henchmen groups as Troop choices. Sanctuary, I would argue, is a pretty big deal and the fact that he's a Psyker level 2 means he'll be Hammerhanding with your Grey Knights on your turn and potentially thwarting charges on the next.

Close Combat

There's no doubt that Inquisitor Torquemeda Coteaz is an HQ that is a boon to any unit that expects to be getting into close combat. Sanctuary can help insure that you get the charge and Hammerhand at Ld10 means you'll probably be hitting real damn hard. He's got a Master-crafted thunder hammer and even is sitting in artificer armor which means anything not a power weapon has about a snowball's chance in, well, not hell, but maybe West Virginia... during the warm months. With so much to offer, it'd be a crime not to let him see combat. But should he be in base-to-base.... or just in the background cheering the rest of your units on and throwing his Hammerhand into the ring?

Because at T3 with no invulnerable save, the Inquisitor will be going down fast to any power fist or thunder hammer coming his way. One intrepid power klaw swung in his direction and that's 100 pts down the drain. What I think this means is you have to choose what close combat encounters Coteaz will be getting into or even might be getting into so you can judge whether to lead with him out in the front and reap those MC NFH swings or tuck him safely in the back as part of the cheer team. Of course, it's hard to completely control what models he gets into close combat with but with Sanctuary and a little forethought you can maximize his utility without getting him turned into a fine red and gold mist.

I personally like throwing him in with the Grey Knights: Purifiers or even with GKT in a Storm Raven or Landraider. There's absolutely no reason you should not take him in an other all GK army that has no or only a very small handful of henchmen. The Inquisitorial Henchmen as Troop choices is a bonus and not a requirement. What's nice about him is if you do in fact decide to go the Henchmen route, you can chip him in a unit of Death Cult Assassins and he can make them hit even harder at S5! Don't forget the utility of his grenades and Stubborn rule too.

Shooting

Coteaz doesn't offer much shooty potential just on his lonesome. The D6 Psyber-eagles are more cute than powerful and while I'd say they're on the whole better than bolters it's not by a ton. His I've Been Expecting You special rule offers some closer examination, however, as it has some thematic meshing with Strike Squad and Interceptor's psychic ability Warp Quake. With a little clever positioning you can create a pretty sizable danger zone that might force your opponent to deploy his DSing reserves on the distant peripheries of battle. Nothing earth-shattering, to be sure, especially since Deep Strike is not oft used in 5th ed. anyways (quite risky) but these abilities are there whether you use them or not and with a little foresight and planning you can incorporate them into your strategy without much change to your plan of attack. You have the cards, might as well know how to play them.

Let's face it, you just can't Torquemada anything...

The best bet for a punchy pewpew Coteaz would be to bunker him up in a Chimera with Servitors and a Jokaero or two or Melta acolytes and roll them up all in the center of your force along with the rest of your army. You'll have Sanctuary to make charging your own guys difficult and if you push up far enough you can extend that cone of I've Been Expecting You to the table edge that your opponent might be deploying reserves in from. Not a reliably solid strategy by any means but a possibility that could help push your dominant position over the edge.

Utility

Um, Coteaz gets you Henchmen units. As troops. Up to six, without having to field an Inquisitor for each. The utility here speaks, nah screams bloody murder for itself as Henchmen troops can be designed to fit a lot of niche purposes that regular Grey Knights might have problems filling (shooting past their 24" bubble, for example). Coteaz also has Dark Communication which is fluffy and a bit specific too but, hey, you never know. It's not something certainly you'd ever take on a Librarian so for the Inquisitor it's just a seldom used bonus the existence of which one should not forget.

Really his relatively low cost can't be stressed enough too. For small point games where you don't want to get Crowe and a naked Inquisitor to you seems as a waste of even 25 pts (it is, unless you're having him feed Servitors or take a Henchmen unit in your army as well), he's a relative beast of an HQ. That he has Stubborn as a special rule and (never forget!) frag and krak grenades are bonus points in his favor.

Advantages

• Point cost that's almost a steal
• Psyker (Level 2) with great abilities for both your opponent's turn and yours
• Master-crafted hammer and solid armor save
• HENCHMEN HENCHMEN HENCHMEN
• He's stubborn

Disadvantages

• No invulnerable save
• Easy to slay by instant death

Read More