Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Reader Email: IG Questions And Stuff

by SandWyrm


Jason Writes:
First off, I've enjoyed visiting your blog site (The Back 40K) for awhile now, and between it and your posts on Librarium Online, I have been happy to glean as much IG wisdom as possible.  A bunch of us locally are getting into 40k this summer, or like myself getting back into it after a long hiatus.  I like the feel of your lists and playing philosophy and it has certainly influenced the Mordian army I'm currently working on as it pretty much matches how I've wanted to play IG all along.  Although I admit I have a lot to learn in practical experience.

Hopefully you have time to answer a couple quick questions on the current lists you've been running.  Just little things as I've figured most everything else out.  Anyway, just wondering why you decided to go with a Regimental Standard in your CCS since around Adepticon instead of another melta as you've done in the past?  Also, it seems like you've leaving the smoke launchers off your Hellhound as well.  Is this one of the vehicles you use to distract your opponents with, and invite them to take shoots at in lieu of other targets?  Little things I know.  I'm almost sorry to bother you with such small details.

Really though, my main question/request for you today is on the hobby side of things.  I really like the way your decals/transfers blend in and are weathered on your IG tanks.  I'd love to hear more on how you do it, thanks.

Finally, I invite you to check out my own baby blog that I set up over the weekend.  I'm sure you'll quickly see your influence on my current projects.  :-)

http://derfeldmarschall.blogspot.com/

Thanks again,

Jason

SandWyrm's Reply:

Let's look at my Adepticon list:
    HQ
150    Company Command Squad w/3 x Melta, Reg. Standard, Chimera
70    Primaris Psyker
   
    Troops
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
155    Veteran Squad w/3 x Melta, Chimera
170    Veteran Squad w/3 x Plasma, Chimera
145    Veteran Squad w/3 x Flamer, Demolitions, Grenadiers
145    Veteran Squad w/3 x Flamer, Demolitions, Grenadiers
   
    Fast Attack
130    Vendetta Gunship
130    Vendetta Gunship
130    Hellhound w/Hull Heavy Flamer
   
    Heavy Support
165    Leman Russ Demolisher w/Hull Heavy Flamer
150    Leman Russ Battle Tank w/Hull Heavy Flamer

Total: 1850

The biggest change to my lists in the last year has been the addition of blocking infantry to protect my tanks from assaults while I move across the table. At 1750 or less, I take platoon infantry squads to do this. While at 1850+ I prefer the Flamer/Demo Vets that you see above. In either case, their role is simple. Prevent fast assault troops like Orks, Nob Bikers, and whatnot from getting multi-charges on my tanks. To do this effectively, they need to be durable enough to soak up some fire, and fragile enough to die or run when they're assaulted. So that I can shoot down the enemy on my turn.

Most folks would take a 20-man blob for this sort of thing and add a Commissar to keep them stubborn. That's great when they're being shot at, but what happens when they're assaulted? I don't want them to stick around and fight, I want them dead/running. So what can I do? If I put a wound on the Commissar to kill him, he might actually make his save and live. That's no good. Plus two Commissars is 70 points of overhead that I'd rather spend on a Primaris Psyker or some guns.

Instead I take a Regimental Standard for the CCS. It's only 15 points, and has less chance to screw me over. Because it lowers my chance of failing a LD8 check from 27.8% to just 7.7% when I'm being shot at. While if I've taken some wounds in combat and need a 4 or less to stay, it only increases my chances not running from 16.7% to 28.7%. So I both stay put and run when I need to.

If the CCS leads the advance, it also ensures that any Vets that get blown out of their Chimeras are very unlikely to fail their pinning and morale checks.

As for the decals, I use a vinegar and water mix to apply my decals The weak acid softens the decal and makes it conform better to the shape of the model. I then hit it with a Dull-Cote varnish to take away the gloss. As a final step I use an X-Acto knife to score the decal a bit so it looks like it's worn. You have to be careful though, as GW's newer decals tend to flake instead of scratch when you do this.

As for the blog, I like the look of your desert Mordians. They remind me of the Atreides troops from Lynch's Dune. :)

9 comments:

  1. Wow, no wonder I'm getting hits on my blog tonight. ;)

    Thanks a lot, I certainly appreciate your explanations on not only the Regimental Standard and its role in the CCS and the army in general, but also the info on your blocking unit tactics. One my local friends plays a very nicely painted Blood Angles force so I'm sure they'll come in handy when I learn to use them right.

    At this stage I'm not worried about being the newb again since I haven't really played 40k regularly since 1997. These days I lean more heavily to the hobby side of things, so I might have just put a Standard in the CCS because it looks cool. :)

    Still wondering about the smoke launchers bit though. In your battle report vs the Tau (5/25) it looked like you lead with your Hellhound and popped smoke with your Chimeras. Are you inviting your opponent at that point to take shots at your Hellhound and Leman Russes instead your troops?

    I'm glad you liked the Mordians. That scene in Lynch's Dune with where the Atreides troops are running after a huge banner while trying to fight off the attacking Harkonnen's is exactly what I have in mind when I'm painting up these guys. Expect lots of banners.

    Thanks again Sandwyrm, I'll be sure to try your technique out for the decals next time. Also I appreciate everyone has stopped buy my blog for a look. Don't be afraid to leave a comment. :)

    Thanks,
    Jason

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep. 90% of the time, the Hellhound is there to get in my opponent's way and get shot at. Chimeras don't have the same kind of speed. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My question is: if you're going to sacrifice your a 130 point tank 90% of the time, why not bring a Devil Dog with a flamer for 120, put smoke launchers on it and save 5 points over the hellhound. With a Melta cannon and heavy flamer, they can't ignore the devil dog and with a 4+ cover save, it will have a lot better chance to survive the round of shooting and then you have it around for another round of harassment before it dies. And at worst, it dies in the first round of shooting like the more expensive Hellhound.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isn't this list too frontal? Wouldn't some outflanking let you bypass any blocking units and threaten his backfield?

    ReplyDelete
  5. @JVo

    1) Orks, Nids, IG, etc. aren't scared stupid by Devil Dogs.

    2) The extra range of the Hellhound is everything. It hits automatically and usually wounds on 2's. It's almost always shooting on the first turn, so if I don't have the points for smoke it's not a huge deal.

    With Marines, it's just a blocking vehicle and Chimera shield that can put some wounds on a squad. With non-MEQs it's something that they HAVE to kill, or see their infantry erased. In spearhead deployments, I even get to run it in from the table edge and hit Lootas up to 30" in.

    You'd also be surprised at how long it lasts sometimes. AV12 on the sides is non-trivial for most armies. Just ask Spag how often his S7 lightning fails against it. Especially when they have to also consider the other targets I have like Russes, Vendettas, and the Vet Chimeras. It all competes for the enemy's anti-tank.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Korona

    It really hasn't been a problem at all. When I lose with this and similar lists, it's almost always either because I deployed poorly, or because I wasn't aggressive enough with it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @SandWyrm

    1) True that they won't be as scared stupid by the Devil Dog as the Hellhound. But get it close and it still can't be ignored.

    2) I agree that the Hellhound is a very scary tank when used against something it can kill easily.

    But against a MEQ army, it just seemed to be a lot of points to throw out there with no cover save against the big shooting that most MEQs can throw at it.

    I know that AV12 is no joke, but I also know that most good marine players will have a melta gun in most of their units so if you get too close, AV12 is little more than tissue paper.

    Thank you for answering my question! It gives me a lot to think about for my own list!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yeah the massive danger with outflanking is it becomes a crutch. It's too easy to sit back and wait for the reinforcements and you can't play mech guard that way. You need to be trying to engage as soon as possible. I've defiantly lost a few games recently because I was too passive.

    ReplyDelete

out dang bot!

Recent Favorites

All-Time Favorites