Knights Officially Revealed

GW is finally advertising the White Dwarf containing the rules and background for the Imperial Knights. Of course, all of the more obsessive fans already knew what was coming. I just might have gotten my hands on a copy of the White Dwarf a day or two early and have already pored over it.

The Fluff
As expected, the magazine discusses the fluff of the Knight Houses. For the most part, this is shown to be similar to that of the original Imperial Knights from Epic. However, the revised Knight fluff now divides the one-man Super-heavy Walkers into factions. Although the Knight Houses predate the Imperium, and still remain relatively independent, most have chosen to align themselves with different groups. There are effectively three types of Knights: Imperial-aligned Knights, Adeptus Mechanicus-aligned Knights, and the independent Freeblades.

At this point, there is no difference in the rules for Imperial, Mechanicus, or Freeblade Knights; the difference appears to be cosmetic. The Imperial-aligned Knights tend to forgo the imagery of the Adeptus Mechanicus, decorating their walkers with Aquilas and the emblems and colors of their Houses. The Mechanicus-aligned Knights sport a predominately red color scheme. They also bear the logo of their House, although this symbol inevitably incorporates the Cog Mechanicum. Freeblade Knights are independent of any House, each having its own individual symbols and colors.

The Decal Question
A short while ago, the rumor mill revealed that a sheet of Imperial Knight transfers was going to be sold separately from the kit. This inevitably caused an uproar among those who are perpetually looking for a reason to complain about Games Workshop. As expected, they immediately assumed the worst and decried the greed of GW for selling the decals separately, not once thinking that perhaps the separate sheet was supplemental to one included in the kit.

A sheet of transfers is indeed included in the kit and is shown in full detail in this issue of White Dwarf. The variety of decals on this sheet puts those included in other kits to shame. It contains imagery specific to three Imperial-aligned Houses, two Mechanicus-aligned Houses, and one Freeblade Knight in addition to multiple Imperial, Mechanicus, and generic symbols.

As good as the sheet included in the kit is, the one that is being sold separately is even better. It's an enormous A4-sized sheet (i.e., about letter-sized) that covers four additional Imperial-Aligned Houses, two additional Mechanicus-aligned Houses, and four Freeblades. There are also a huge number of symbols used by the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Interestingly, the sheet includes personal heraldry for Imperial-aligned Knights, some of which include imagery from Space Marine Chapters such as the Ultramarines and the Imperial Fists. Although I'm not usually a fan of water-slide decals, I'm actually tempted to buy this sheet if only to get the Mechanicus logos.

The Model
Although I had already seen plenty of leaked images of this issue of White Dwarf, those low resolution images didn't capture the level of detail and the thought that have gone into the Knight models. For starters, the weapons have lifting lugs on them. The designers envisioned the pre-Imperium Knights' as all-purposes walkers. Since they might be used for heavy labor one day and combat the next, the walkers' arms were designed to accept any number of tools or weapons. Lifting lugs on the arms would have aided in swapping out the various equipment.

Also, one image in the magazine and the accompanying blurb show that the GW design team modeled a highly detailed frame underneath the Knight's armor plating. The idea is that the Knights were originally fielded as skeletal machines in support of their various Houses. As time went on, armor plating, heraldry, and decorations were added.

I was happy to see that the models come with a selection of three heads. One is patterned after a medieval knight's helm, one looks like a stylized skull mask, and the third has a cybernetic look that is clearly meant to resemble a skull.

[Update: Images on GW's pre-orders page shows that the cybernetic skull isn't a separate head; it's the head used on all Knights. You can either go with the bare face or you can cover it with one of three face plates: either a stylized skull mask or one of two masks resembling medieval helms.]

What am I Going to Do?
For starters, I'm buying at least two right off the bat. I intend to field them as an Allied Detachment alongside my Ultramarines. And I'm definitely building Knights Errant. The Paladin's rapid-fire Battle cannon isn't particularly interesting to me given how much difficulty an S8 gun has at taking out vehicles with heavier armor. Plus, the Knights have Hammer of Wrath and their Reaper chainsword is a close combat D-weapon. Clearly they're meant to get in close and do some real damage; the long-range Battle cannon doesn't exactly complement that strategy. Now, a S9, AP1, large blast, 36" range weapon with the Melta rule is a different story. The Thermal cannon is the next best thing to a D-weapon.

The paint scheme is a less obvious decision. I like a lot of the Imperial-aligned imagery and the fact that some of the personal heraldry incorporates symbols of Space Marine Chapters suggests that a few Imperial Knights have earned the respect of the Astartes. But I'm also a fan of the Adeptus Mechanicus and I would really like to have a group of red Knights sporting the Cog Mechanicum stomping alongside my Marines.

[Update 2: Pre-order photos let us see how tall the Imperial Knight really is. Although the GW website is currently saying it's 8 inches tall (i.e., about an inch shorter than a Wraithknight) a little Photoshop work shows that it's actually about 6.5 inches tall (which is what I guessed before). I created the image below by matching the base sizes of the Space Marine and the Eldar Guardian. I then used the width of the 25mm bases to determine heights.]

More On Imperial Knights

Another image has been leaked which may give us a better indication of the height of an Imperial Knight:

This photo suggests that the Knight may be about an inch taller than a Trygon. The Trygon and the Riptide are very nearly the same height, which would make the Knight slightly taller than I had previously guessed. However, I suspect that the Knight Paladin is actually in the foreground of the image, making it look slightly larger than it actually is. I think I'll be standing by my guess of a 6.5 to 7 inch tall Imperial Knight.

I also neglected to mention the rumors that the Imperial Knight codex (whether it's in the form of a White Dwarf or possibly a Dataslate) is supposed to contain instructions for fielding an Imperial Knights army, a Mechanicum army, or a Freeblades mercenary army. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find out what any of that means. I'm not sure if it's a fluff-only difference or if it affects force organization.

Imperial Knights Incoming

Shortly after it was revealed that Escalation only allows the Primary Detachment to bring the Lord of War, Bryce was able to convince me to sell him my unbuilt Baneblade and Shadowsword models. I had every intention of saving the money for a Thunderhawk, but then the following images from an upcoming White Dwarf leaked:

Knight Errant: I love the model's skull-shaped head

Knight Paladin: the Avatar of Khaine in
the foreground gives an indication of size

Knight Paladin

Back when Apocalypse 2.0 was still just a rumor, there had been whispers of so-called Imperial Knight models. (Knights are essentially Adeptus Mechanicus mini-Titans.) I was sorely disappointed when these failed to materialize. Now that these images have leaked, I have to wonder if the rumor-mongers were correct that GW was working on Knights but wrong about the release dates or if this is just a coincidence.

The Models
The look of the models is exactly what I would have hoped for; i.e., hunched, aggressive-looking, and fantastically garish. I guess my only complaint is that I had hoped that they would be a little taller. The Forge World model of the Avatar of Khaine seen taking on a Knight Paladin is about 4.7 inches tall, which suggests that the Imperial model is somewhere between is 6.5 and 7 inches tall. This puts it at about the height of a Riptide.

Although I had been hoping for something closer to a Wraithknight in size, the model will easily dwarf my troops and Dreadnoughts and should be adequately intimidating. And the bulk looks like it will easily make up for any lack of height.

The Rules
Images showing the rules for the Knight Paladin and the Knight Errant have been leaked and are readily available. I don't know if there will be other Knight variants with this release, but what we know so far suggests that we will only be getting these two.

The Knights are relatively small Super-Heavy Walkers and have a lower points cost than the Super-Heavies found in the Escalation book (each is about 50% more than a Land Raider). Both are equipped with a D-strength Reaper chainsword. The Knight Paladin also carries a two-shot Battle cannon while the Knight Errant has a Melta weapon called a Thermal cannon. This weapon, which I find a lot more interesting than the Paladin's armament, has slightly more range and greater strength than other Melta weapons, in addition to being a large blast.

The Imperial Knights' armor values are middle-range, although they benefit from a 4+ invulnerable save granted by an Ion Shield (which has no effect in close combat). This shield protects a single facing during any given turn; the player chooses which facing is protected at the start of the opponent's shooting phase.

At first glance, the Knights seem to be lacking compared to other Super-Heavies, and I was a little concerned that a single model would have a hard time surviving long on the table. However, only a short while after I first saw the rules for the Knight Errant, I saw another image from the White Dwarf revealing that the Knights aren't Lord of War choices at all. Instead, a player can take three to six as a Primary Detachment or he can take up to three as an Allied Detachment. Individually, an Imperial Knight might not cause an opponent too much worry. A pack of two or three would be a different matter.

Unfortunately, as always seems to be the case with the 40K hobby, the new models were immediately compared to Wraithknights and Riptides, with any number of players griping that the Knights are overpriced for what they do and that nobody will buy the models with those rules. Well, call me "nobody" since I was already determined to buy one regardless of the rules. And once I found out that I could field several, I decided to buy at least two. Despite the certainty of some people, there are plenty of us who are modelers first and foremost; if a great new model has awesome rules, then they are merely the icing on the cake.

White Dwarf Rules?
Now, it's certainly possible that the complainers are right and the Knights won't work well under their current rules. That's why I think it's interesting that these rules are being released in White Dwarf. Given what a big release this will be (pun intended), and that GW is going as far as allowing players to form Primary Detachments of Knights, I would have expected at least a digital codex to accompany the new models rather than a few pages of rules in a magazine. There's also a lot of fluff that could go with the Imperial Knights that a single issue of White Dwarf probably won't be able to get into. For these reasons, I think that these are essentially glorified beta rules meant to allow players to use the brand new model as soon as possible.

Similarly, the Stormtalon's original rules were included in White Dwarf upon its release. Less than a year later Death from the Skies was published and the Stormtalon saw a decrease in points cost, it was given the unit type of Flyer, Hover, upgrade costs were revised, and the Hover Strike rule was deleted and replaced by the Strafing Run rule. All these changes seemed to be in response to players' experience with the model.

Here's my theory; as with the Stormtalon, GW is reluctant to set down the Knights' rules in a more permanent format until they can polish them and ensure that their expensive new model is adequately competitive. It's also possible that the new kit is merely the first in a line of Adeptus Mechanicus models that will eventually get their own official codex.

Land Raider Crusader WIP, Part III

The Land Raider Crusader continues along, slowly but steadily. As I tend to do with all my models, I started with the most detailed components and will eventually finish with the large, simple surfaces.

Late last month I finished the interior, which got a lot more attention that any hard to see region ever should. I pulled out my Razorback so that I could make sure that the Land Raider's interior matched that of the previous vehicle; i.e., a Fortress Grey base, with Charadon Granite bench structures, Chainmail details, and a Badab Black/Nuln Oil wash:

Last time, I was unhappy with how obvious the brush strokes showed up in the wash. This time I dry brushed the base coat back over the wash to hide the brush strokes, which is also how I clean up washes on exterior surfaces:

Once I finished the interior, I moved on to the hurricane bolters and the twin-linked assault cannon. These are nearly complete, which leaves the exterior engine compartment as the final area with any significant detail.

Land Raider Crusader WIP, Part II

Much to my disappointment, between the holidays, a vicious cold that ran through my family, and burnout from finishing my Terminators, I got very little done on the Crusader between late November and this weekend. However, I found myself wishing for a Land Raider in nearly every game I've played over the past two months. Thus, I decided to buckle down and get some painting done.

With three to four hours of work per night, starting Thursday evening, I finished the majority of the interior. The logical portion of my brain understands that much of my work will be difficult to see, but I've since found that the logical portion of my brain isn't the part that determines whether or not I'm satisfied with the results.

Since I finish off the interior the same way I finish the exterior (i.e., with a heavy wash and then a dry brushing to clean it up), most of my work isn't quite photogenic yet. However, I've very nearly completed the engine:

I experimented with Typhus Corrosion on the various pipes leading away from the engine block and was very happy with the result. The new technical paint is perfect for recreating the brownish crusty look you find on exhaust pipes, turbine blades, steam generators, etc.

The 2013 40K Cabal Tournament

[The following post was graciously provided by Sam, the Cabal's Necron player. Your humble blog administrator has made a few additions and edits where appropriate]

Cabal Escalation 2013 was hosted by Bryce on December 7th. The tournament was staged as “combat patrol” style battles with gradually increasing point limits. The final victory was awarded according to accumulated victory points.

The combat patrol style restrictions were based on the Adepticon rules, with a few variations. The rules were as follows:

• Force organization at all point limits thusly:
  
  • 0-1 HQ
    
  • 1-3 Troops
    
  • 0-1 Elites
    
  • 0-1 Fast Attack
    
  • 0-1 Heavy Support
    
  • 0-1 Wild Card (used to supplement some other category)
    
• No unique characters
  
• No model with more than 2 wounds
  
• No unit sizes greater than 20
  
• Vehicle restrictions thusly:
  
  • Dedicated transports may have armor values up to 12.
    
  • All other vehicles may have armor values up to 11.
    
  • To accommodate Necrons the vehicles were treated as having no Quantum shielding (effective armor 11) and given a point reduction.
    

I will present the armies, scenarios, and highlights of each game by round. Unfortunately, as I was playing Necrons, I don’t have the full details from the other games.

Scenario 1 – Eternal Darkness (400 Points)
While deploying to an uncharted area, you have missed your drop zone by many miles. All sensors are unfamiliar with the territory and the area is bathed in darkness. Your scouts have informed you that they have spotted an enemy force of unknown size in the area. It is your job to capture an enemy unit for “questioning” to further your knowledge of the enemy forces.

Victory Conditions: First Blood, Line Breaker, Kidnap Enemy Unit (2 Victory Points)

Kidnap Enemy Unit – To kidnap an enemy unit, the kidnapped unit must have been beaten in close combat by 2 or more unsaved wounds AND have at least one model left in the unit. If these conditions are met the unit is considered captured and the player who captured the unit cannot capture any further units for the rest of the game.

Imperial Guard:
1 Platoon:

• 5 Man Platoon Command Squad; Commander w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• Chimera transport w/ Heavy Bolter and Multi-Laser
• 7 Man Infantry Squad; Sergeant w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• 9 Man Infantry Squad w/ 1 Grenade Launcher; Sergeant w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• 1 Heavy Weapons Team w/ Heavy Bolter
  
• 6 Man Special Weapons Squad w/ 3 Demolition Charges
  

1 Scout Sentinel Squadron w/ 3 Scout Sentinels, each w/ a Multi-Laser

Ultramarines
6 Man Tactical Squad w/ 1 Flamer
6 Man Tactical Squad w/ 1 Flamer; Sergeant w/ Plasma Pistol & Chainsword

• Razorback transport w/ TL lascannon

5 Man Devastator squad w/ 4 Missile Launchers, Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

The Guard render the Razorback weaponless very quickly and secure First Blood by blowing up the embarked Tactical Squad with Demo Charges. However, that Razorback survived and started tank shocking the Guardsmen left and right. The Scout Sentinels and Devastators traded fire for most of the game, ending with the Devastators dead and the Scout Sentinels in Linebreaker position. The second Tactical Squad gets charged by two units of Guardsmen and loses the Sergeant when his Plasma Pistol overheats during overwatch [this seems to happen more often than not]. The Ultramarines pull through in the end, winning the combat and capturing the remaining Guardsmen. The game ends with carnage strewn across the battlefield and 2 victory points apiece.

Necrons
5 Warriors
8 Immortals w/ Tesla Carbines
2 Heavy Destroyers
1 Annihilation Barge w/ Tesla Cannon

Grey Knights
5 Man Strike Squad w/ 1 Psycannon and 1 Daemon Hammer

• Razorback transport w/ TL lascannon

5 Man Strike Squad w/ 1 Psycannon and 1 Daemon Hammer

• Razorback transport w/ TL lascannon

Necrons cower for the first round and the Grey Knights can’t do much with the high value targets in cover. The Destroyers come out and try to burn a Razorback for First Blood, but are ineffective, while the Barge does minor damage. In turn two the Lascannon fire burns through the Annihilation Barge, awarding First Blood, while Storm Bolters and Psycannons start to pick away at the Necron infantry.

The Destroyers manage to blow one Razorback before succumbing to fire along with the Warriors. The Immortals recognize that only Linebreaker will award a tie and begin a mad rush for the enemy. They take heavy fire, but some lucky resurrections get them a few inches closer. They barely make it into combat with one of the Strike Squads just outside the Grey Knights deployment zone. The remaining Razorback takes up a blocking position, hoping to keep the Necrons out.

In the final turn the Necrons kill the last two Marines who barely fail their armor saves. The Immortals need 6 inches from consolidation to get one robot into the deployment zone around the Razorback, and they get it! The game ends with 1 victory point apiece.

Orks
20 Boyz w/ 19 Shootas and 1 Big Shoota
20 Boyz w/ 19 Shootas and 1 Big Shoota
10 Lootas

Tau
9 Man Fire Warrior Team
3 Man Stealth Team, each w/ a Burst Cannon
3 Man XV8 Crisis Team, each w/ a Burst Cannon & Missile Pod
1 Piranha w/ Fusion Blaster

*No data returned; all combatants presumed KIA.*
[As I understand it, the Green Tide rolled over the opposition, as usual.]

Scenario 2 – Interrupt reinforcements (500 Points)
While scouting the territory, you encounter an enemy insurgent. Knowing that they are aware of your forces you know you must stop all communications with their command to prevent any enemy reinforcements to the area.

Victory Conditions: First Blood, Line Breaker, Destroy Communications Tower (2 Victory Points)

Communication Tower - T7 , W2, Sv3+, Stealth

Imperial Guard
1 Platoon:

• 5 Man Platoon Command Squad; Commander w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• Chimera transport w/ Heavy Bolter and Multi-Laser
• 7 Man Infantry Squad w/ 1 Grenade Launcher; Sergeant w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• 9 Man Infantry Squad w/ 1 Grenade Launcher; Sergeant w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• 1 Heavy Weapons Team w/ Heavy Bolter
  
• 6 Man Special Weapons Squad w/ 3 Demolition Charges
  

1 Scout Sentinel Squadron w/ 3 Scout Sentinels, each w/ a Multi-Laser

5 Man Storm Trooper Squad w/ 1 Meltagun

Necrons
5 Warriors
9 Immortals w/ Tesla Carbines
2 Heavy Destroyers
2 Canoptek Wraiths w/ 2 Particle Casters
1 Annihilation Barge w/ Tesla Cannon

The first turn progresses as a comedy of errors. Necrons steal the initiative and move aggressively towards the Guard. This backfires as 1 of the Destroyers bashes his main processor out on some difficult terrain and the other fails to hit anything. The Annihilation Barge and Immortals unleash the Tesla guns on a squad, hoping for First Blood, but only kill a few Guardsmen. Least effective steal the initiative ever.

The Guard respond by blowing away the remaining Destroyer, claiming First Blood. The Heavy Weapons Squad then tries to end the Wraiths with three Demo Charges. Two hit, and kill a Wraith, but one hapless Guardsman scatters his Demo Charge directly back, killing half his squad and stunning the Chimera.

In turn two the last Wraith makes a leap for the Comm Tower and assaults while the Barge brings the love, numerous hits resulting in one glancing hit and 5 penetrating hits on the Scout Sentinel squadron. Kaboom! The Immortals blast away at the hapless Guardsmen. The Guard forces are diminishing quickly, but respond with their ace in the hole: the Commandos accurately Deep Strike right onto the Necron Comm Tower, but fail to damage it. The Chimera rushes by the Guard Comm Tower and steals it from the Wraith while the remaining Guardsmen manage to destroy the Barge after a tactical error in which the Necrons trade a Jink save for higher fire power.

In the next Necron turn the Warriors and Immortals backtrack to protect the Comm Tower and start to whittle away the Commandos while the Wraith again charges the Guard Comm Tower and destroys it. The Guard are looking thin, but make their bid for victory. The Commandos again try to take down the Necron Comm Tower, but fail. In the last turn the Wraith takes up position to destroy the Chimera within the deployment zone, the Immortals and Warriors cut down the Commandos, and Bryce calls the game. Final Tally: 1 point to Imperial Guard, 3 points to Necrons.

Tau
9 Man Fire Warrior Team
3 Man XV8 Crisis Team, each w/ a Burst Cannon & Missile Pod
3 Man XV8 Crisis Team, two Battlesuits w/ a Missile Pod & Plasma Rifle and one Battlesuit with two Plasma Rifles
1 Piranha w/ Fusion Blaster
4 Man Pathfinder Team w/ Markerlights & Pulse Carbines

Grey Knights
5 Man Strike Squad
5 Man Strike Squad
1 Vindicare Assassin
2 Razorbacks w/ twin-linked Lascannons

The Vindicare Assassin is put to good use killing Battlesuits and the Tau retaliates by destroying one Razorback. The remaining Razorback and the Strike Squads bring down the Comm Tower and completely destroy the Fire Warriors. The game ends with 3 points to the Grey Knights and 1 to the Tau.

Ultramarines
6 Man Tactical Squad w/ 1 Flamer; Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

• Razorback transport w/ TL lascannon

5 Assault Terminators w/ 1 Stormshield & Thunder Hammer and 4 pairs of Lightning Claws
5 Man Devastator Squad w/ 4 Missile Launchers; Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

Orks
20 Boyz w/ 18 Shootas and 2 Big Shootas
20 Boyz w/ 18 Shootas and 2 Big Shootas
10 Lootas
3 Big Gunz w/ Kannons, 10 Gretchin, 1 Runtherd, & 3 Ammo Runts

[Sealed by the Inquisition; it's best that the degree to which the Ultramarines were stomped not be revealed. Suffice it to say, the Ultramarines had no confidence that their 500 point list could take on a horde and were proven correct.]

Scenario 3 - Exterminatus (600 Points)
You have just intercepted a message from the Imperial Battleship Triton stating that the planet that you are on has been slated for Exterminatus. A Nova Cannon blasts the planet's surface each turn at a specified beacon location (center of the board). A single unit can capture the beacon and if held for an additional turn (until the end of the controlling player's turn) that unit is immediately teleported off planet.

Victory Conditions: First Blood, Slay the Warlord (highest leadership unit), Teleported Unit (3 Victory Points)

Nova Cannon S10, AP2, Small Blast*, Barrage
*Small Blast scatters 2d6 inches from beacon location at the beginning of each players turn. Hits from the Nova Cannon are resolved prior to the movement phase in the given turn.

Ultramarines
10 Man Tactical Squad w/ 1 Flamer; Sergeant w/ Melta Bombs, Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

• Drop Pod transport

5 Assault Terminators w/ 2 Stormshields & Thunder Hammers and 3 pairs of Lightning Claws
5 Man Devastator Squad w/ 4 Missile Launchers; Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol & Chainsword

• Razorback transport w/ TL lascannon

Tau
9 Man Fire Warrior Team
2 Man XV8 Crisis Team, each w/ a Burst Cannon & Missile Pod
3 Man XV8 Crisis Team, two Battlesuits w/ a Missile Pod & Plasma Rifle and one Battlesuit with two Plasma Rifles
1 Piranha w/ Fusion Blaster
3 Man XV88 Broadside Team, each with TL Heavy Rail Rifle & TL Smart Missile System

The Tactical Squad lands in the first turn, mostly survives a round of shooting from the XV88s, and assaults the Broadsides by the second, tying them up for the rest of the game. The Razorback explodes the Piranha, earning the Marines a Victory Point for First Blood. The Terminators sit on the objective and absorb multiple missiles, Burst Cannon rounds, and plasma shots from two squads of Crisis Battlesuits. For the most part the Storm Shields keep the squad in the game despite the amount of AP2 coming their way. However, the Sergeant is eventually lost, giving the Tau Slay the Warlord. The Devastators keep the heat off the Terminators by picking the Battlesuits off one by one. Two Lightning Claw Terminators are left standing when they are finally teleported, gaining the Astartes 3 Victory Points for a 4 to 1 victory.

Imperial Guard
1 Platoon:

• 5 Man Platoon Command Squad; Commander w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• Chimera transport w/ Heavy Bolter and Multi-Laser
• 7 Man Infantry Squad w/ 1 Grenade Launcher; Sergeant w/ Laspistol and Close Combat Weapon
  
• 9 Man Infantry Squad w/ 1 Grenade Launcher; Sergeant w/ Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon
  
• 1 Heavy Weapons Team w/ Heavy Bolter
  
• 6 Man Special Weapons Squad w/ 3 Demolition Charges
  
• 6 Man Special Weapons Squad w/ 3 Demolition Charges
  

1 Scout Sentinel Squadron w/ 3 Scout Sentinels, each w/ a Multi-Laser

5 Man Storm Trooper Squad w/ 1 Meltagun

Grey Knights
5 Man Strike Squad w/ Nemesis Falchions, 1 Psycannons & 1 Daemon Hammer
5 Man Strike Squad w/ Nemesis Falchions, 1 Psycannons & 1 Daemon Hammer
2 Razorbacks w/ twin-linked Lascannons

*No data returned; all combatants presumed KIA.*

Orks
20 Boyz w/ Shootas
20 Boyz w/ Shootas
20 Boyz w/ Shootas
10 Lootas 3 Big Gunz w/ Kannons, 10 Gretchin, 1 Runtherd, & 3 Ammo Runts

Necrons
8 Warriors
10 Immortals w/ Tesla Carbines
1 Triarch Stalker w/ twin-linked Heavy Gauss Cannon
2 Heavy Destroyers
1 Annihilation Barge w/ Tesla Cannon

The Necrons knew that they couldn’t hold the Boyz off the objective. The Tesla and Gauss slingers simply formed a line to try blasting Boyz as they approached the marker. But with half the army geared for killing tanks and some poor rolling, they just couldn’t make a statement. The Boyz marched forward with only slight losses, while the return fire from so many Shootas and incoming support from Lootas and Kannons cleaned the Necrons out by turn 3. With every Ork unit still on the board to claim the Transport Beacon the game ended with 5 victory points to the green hoard and the undead skulking back to their tomb world with nothing to show for their effort.

[I can't remember the exact scores, but Best General went to Jon and his Orks.]

Escalation and 40K Formations

Just over a week ago I jotted down some preliminary thoughts on Escalation. Now that people are finally getting their copies, we have a little bit more information. My biggest question has finally been answered, and it wasn't the answer I was hoping for.

Army Detachments and Lords of War

As is obvious to regular readers of this blog, I play an Ultramarine army. Although the Space Marines don't generally have direct access to Baneblade or Shadowsword variants, Super-Heavy tanks operated by the Imperial Guard or a PDF often accompany the Astartes into battle. In the story of the Battle of Macragge, we're told that the Ultramar Auxilia had a Baneblade called the Pride of Hera that was eventually destroyed by a Carnifex brood.

Although the Baneblade and Shadowsword variants are Imperial Guard Super-Heavy tanks, I had hoped that Astartes armies would be allowed to bring one as their Lord of War choice. Barring that, I had assumed that I would be able to bring an Imperial Guard Allied Detachment (which I would depict as the Ultramar Auxilia) that would supply the Lord of War. Unfortunately, the word is now out that a Lord of War can only be provided by the Primary Detachment.

Before this month, I wouldn't have been surprised by how strict Escalation is. For the sake of balance, it would have made perfect sense to me that only the Primary Detachment would be allowed to supply the Lord of War, although I still would have been disappointed that my Ultramarines would only have access to a prohibitively expensive model. However, it's hard to explain the relative conservatism of Escalation in light of the no-holds-barred nature of the recently introduced 40K Formations.

40K Formations
For those who are unfamiliar with the new 40K Formations, the idea is that, in addition to the Primary Detachment and any Allied Detachment, an army can also take along an additional detachment composed of a specific group of units. This Formation interacts with the Primary Detachment according to allies rules (e.g., a Space Marine detachment would treat a Tau Formation as Battle Brothers) but it is otherwise unaffected by normal Force Organization rules.

One word: "Broken"

Our Cabal is pretty open-minded, but Formations immediately worried us. The concern lay in the fact that they completely bypass the Force Organization of an Allied Detachment. The only thing that had previously limited allies was the fact that you were required to bring an HQ and at least one Troop. Once you had paid this "price of admission", you were limited to selecting a single unit from each of the remaining slots. This forced the player to make some hard choices about what tradeoffs he was willing to make and prevented him from loading up on only the best units from another army.

However, Formations eliminate most of the drawbacks deliberately designed into the allies rules. The first Formation revealed, Tau Firebase Support Cadre, consists of a Riptide Battlesuit and six Broadsides. It doesn't require a player to sink points into an HQ or Troops that he doesn't necessarily want. Instead, as long as he has the points and the relatively liberal Allies Matrix allows it, he can add a very powerful Elite choice and two Heavy Support choices to his Primary Detachment. Unless an opponent has brought some Formations of his own, it could be a very uneven and unenjoyable game for him.

I appreciate that GW wants to open up their rules for those who want more options (they seem to be producing a small-scale form of Apocalypse), and I'm sure that there are plenty of players who will have a lot of fun using Formations, but the Cabal has made a gentleman's agreement not to use them just to keep our games friendly.

Back to Escalation
As I was saying, the philosophy behind the Escalation rules and the concept of Formations seem to be at odds. In a game where my Ultramarines can take a Firebase Support Cadre free of any of the usual limitations that come with an Allied Detachment, why can't Marines with Imperial Guard allies bring a Baneblade? Not only is this inconsistent from a gaming perspective, but it's entirely contrary to the fluff.

I was really hoping to bring this in an allied force

I have two theories on why GW might have decided to go this way. My first is that the writers of Escalation and the writers of the Formation rules weren't quite on the same page. I assume that the authors of the former actually wanted to limit Allied shenanigans (e.g., no Tau Primary Detachment accompanied by a minimal Eldar force and their Revenant Titan). It's also possible that they wanted to increase the diversity of units on the tabletop. Given how inexpensive Baneblades and Shadowswords are (both monetarily and points-wise) and since IG can ally with just about everyone, a huge number of Escalation games could easily end up with both sides bringing some form of Baneblade.

My second theory has to do with business. Obviously, the primary intent of both Formations and Escalation is to make money. I'm sure that the rules writers and model designers also want us to enjoy the game, but at the end of the day they like to eat and have a roof over their heads, too. I previously suggested that the point of introducing Super-Heavies into regular games of 40K was to increase the demand for large plastic models. I think that the restrictions of Escalation support this idea and may indicate the imminent release of additional models.

With its high points value, the
Revenant Titan is bargain

If I worked at GW and were asked to increase demand for large plastic models, I think I would come up with something like Escalation. Not everyone has the time or the money to play huge Apocalypse games, so I would introduce Super-Heavies into the regular game. And what if the company was interested in releasing plastic versions of existing resin models, but didn't want to proceed until they were certain that there would be sufficient demand? Since many of those who play an army without its own plastic Super-Heavy (e.g., Space Marines, Tau, Eldar) would simply bring an IG allied force with a Super-Heavy tank if given the option (and might even be reluctant to buy their faction-specific Super-Heavy when it was finally released), I would require that the Lord of War be specific to the Primary Detachment.

Escalation and the Legendary Plastic Thunderhawk
To be able to compete in Escalation, some players might end up buying a resin Super-Heavy from Forge World. Fortunately, the new supplement limits armies to bringing only the "smallest" Super-Heavies. At the current exchange rate, the Tau Tiger Shark is $244, the Eldar Revenant Titan is $319, and the Tyranid Harridan is $384. These prices are much higher than the $160 GW charges for a Khorne Lord of Skulls or a Necron Tesseract Vault, but I can actually see many serious gamers saving up for them.

After looking over a few of my 2000 point lists, I've calculated that the total monetary value of the models in each list is around $650. That means that the price of most Escalation-legal Forge World models is about half that of a 2000 point Space Marine army. (And who owns only 2000 points, anyway?) At $319, the 900 point Revenant Titan turns out to be a pretty good value. It costs about 50% as much as a 2000 point army while its addition to that army would increase its total points value by 45%.

Where we really run into a problem is with the Lord of War for GW's most popular faction; i.e., Space Marines in their various incarnations. The Thunderhawk is worth 685 points and can reach a value of 775 points with the Turbo-laser destructor upgrade. The model, while admittedly much larger than many other Super-Heavy models, currently sells for over $650. That's more than twice as much as a Revenant Titan and four times as much as GW's most expensive plastic model. An upgraded Thunderhawk would cost as much as an entire 2000 point army but add only 39% to the points value of the army. In other words, Escalation limits players of GW's most popular armies to the resin-only model with the least bang for their buck.

When it comes to 40K I'm pretty stupid with money, but even I can't justify a $650 price tag for a single 775 point resin model.

Why would GW limit C:SM players to the Thunderhawk?

I think the primary reason why GW limited thousands of Space Marine players to fielding the prohibitively expensive Thunderhawk is because it won't be that expensive for much longer. My theory is that Escalation and its restriction against Space Marines taking an IG Super-Heavy in an Allied Detachment will have finally created the demand GW wanted/needed to justify making their largest plastic kit ever (which will still be smaller than some of the model airplanes I put together as a kid). I wouldn't be surprised if we saw the mythical plastic Thunderhawk by the first anniversary of Escalation.

What Do We Do Until Then?
I predict that many Astartes fans who want to participate in games using the Escalation supplement will choose to field a single Guard Command Squad and two squads of Veterans as their Primary Detachment just so they can play with a cheap Super-Heavy tank. Their preferred army will be represented by a maxed-out Allied Detachment. In fact, about a week ago I made a theoretical 2500 point IG list that included a Super-Heavy tank and Ultramarine allies just in case the Lord of War was restricted to the Primary. Even with a Baneblade or a Shadowsword, the minimized IG Primary Detachment only took up about 35% of the total points value.

Bryce has already offered to buy my Baneblade and Shadowsword models for his own Steel Legion. If I knew for certain that a plastic Thunderhawk were on its way, I would strongly consider it. Right now, though, I'm actually rather fond of the Guard Super-Heavies and will probably end up buying a minimal Guard army just so I can use them.