Venerable Dreadnought as a Space Marine HQ

During our most recent game night, we decided to allow deviations from the standard Force Organization Chart in exchange for certain tradeoffs. Jon (playing Orks) felt absolutely no need to do this, nor did Bryce (playing Tau). I ended up being the only one who modified his Force Organization, exchanging one unit of Troops for an Elite unit. In many of our games I've found myself maxed out on Elites but with plenty of room in all the other slots.

I've often felt that one of the greatest weaknesses of C:SM is how packed its Elites slot is. HQs are too expensive to take more than two, I can't ever see myself reaching my Troops limit, Fast Attack is a little tighter now that we have the Stormtalon, but it doesn't feel overloaded, and the Heavy Support slot is freed up by the fact that the Land Raider can be taken as a Dedicated Transport for Terminators.

It's the Elite slot where you start to have problems. Assault Terminators are practically an auto-take since they're your close combat specialists and they get you a Land Raider as a Designated Transport. Then you'll probably want to bring one of the three types of Dreadnought. And Sternguard are very appealing with their special ammunition, especially given the sudden increase in monstrous creatures (the leaked stats of the Wraithknight are downright scary). Then... oh, I've run out of room, haven't I? There are still Tactical Terminators and two other types of Dreadnoughts left (I don't think many of us think about taking a Techmarine or the Legion of the Damned).

Tactical Terminators aren't too great compared to their counterparts, although it would be nice to have a shooty squad to soften up targets before sending in the assault experts (and a second Land Raider as a Dedicated Transport wouldn't be too bad, either). What I really want, though, is the ability to take another Dreadnought. Several Marine codexes allow Force Organization Chart changes through HQ choices (e.g., the Dark Angels have two HQs that make Terminators troops), but all C:SM has is the ability to move Dreadnoughts to the Heavy Support slot if you take a Master of the Forge. I don't really want a relatively vulnerable Dreadnought to take the place of a Predator, Vindicator, or a (reasonably priced) Devastator Squad, nor do I necessarily want to take an HQ as specialized as a Master of the Forge.

It was while reading a Horus Heresy novel, Galaxy In Flames, that I came across the character of Ancient Rylanor, an Emperor's Children Dreadnought. Despite being interred in a Dreadnought's sarcophagus, Rylanor held a significant rank and had various responsibilities outside of combat. Similarly, the Dreadnought Agrippan acted in a leadership role alongside Chief Librarian Tigurius when Captain Sicarius was wounded on Damnos. While I already knew that Bjorn the Fell-Handed is an HQ choice for Space Wolves, these other instances show that Dreadnoughts in other Chapters/Legions can also hold positions of authority. What better way to follow the fluff while opening up the Elite slot than by creating a Dreadnought HQ choice?

Ideally, a Dreadnought HQ would be a Venerable Dreadnought with boosted stats and a matching points value. For some extra character, you could allow him to join a squad in exchange for some special rules. Personally, I would like a Venerable Dreadnought to give Slow and Purposeful to any squad it joins that doesn't already have the Relentless special rule. Specifically, I'd love to place a Dreadnought HQ in a Devastator Squad to allow them to move and shoot with their normal Ballistic Skill. I think it's reasonable to suppose that a squad joining a Dreadnought would have the limitations imposed by Slow and Purposeful given how difficult it would be to fight alongside such a large machine. At the same time, the Dreadnought's steady pace and targeting systems could be used to aide its fellows while on the move.

An HQ Venerable Dreadnought's stats might look like the following:

Unit	WS	BS	S	Front AV	Side AV	Rear AV	HP	I	A	Ld
Venerable Dreadnought (HQ)	5	5	6	13	12	10	3	4	3	10

Special Rules: Venerable, Independent Character (can be independently targeted, doesn't benefit from Look Out, Sir!), Slow and Purposeful (if it joins a non-Relentless squad), Shield Generator (5+ invulnerable save).

Some of the above stats and rules were inspired by those of Bjorn the Fell-Handed and Forge World's Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought.

Now we have to determine an appropriate points cost. The C:SM Venerable Dreadnought currently has a base cost of 165 points while Bjorn comes in at a mind-boggling 270 points. The Venerable's cost in 5th Edition was based mostly on the durability of the Venerable rule while Bjorn has a higher front armor value and a variety of special rules, including the Venerable rule and a 5+ invulnerable save. However, the introduction of hull points in 6th Edition has significantly decreased the value of the Venerable rule. This is reflected in the 6th Edition Dark Angels codex, which charges a mere 125 points for a Venerable Dreadnought. While I previously suggested changes that could justify the Venerable's cost in 6th Edition, I expect the upcoming edition of C:SM to follow the example of C:DA and drastically lower the cost. A 20 point premium for WS5, BS5, and the ability to re-roll on the damage table (especially if you take a hit from an AP1 weapon) seems pretty fair to me.

The Contemptor Dreadnought costs 175 points. Although it has a lower ballistic skill and less attacks than my proposed HQ Venerable, it also has a rear armor value of 11, S7, and Fleet. (These are all based on the experimental rules still found on Forge World's website.) Even with these benefits, the Contemptor seems overpriced given the relative vulnerability of walkers in 6th Edition.

However, I think 175 would probably be a good base cost for the HQ Venerable I laid out above.

Space Marines 6th Edition Codex Wishlist, Part III

Rumors are suggesting that the 6th Edition Space Marine Codex (C:SM) is due before the end of the year. While there are plenty of changes I'd like to see (and have discussed in Part I and Part II of my wishlist), the Space Marine Codex is admittedly pretty good and doesn't need much more than a few tweaks to bring it up to date. From what we've seen with the Dark Angels Codex, I think it's safe to say that there won't be too many significant changes other than some points adjustments, a few new rules, and a handful of new models. I suspect that the Dark Angels Codex (C:DA) is a good indicator of what to expect for certain units, which puts a damper on some of the items on my previous lists.

In Part III, I'll add be adding a few more things I'd love to see in the 6th Edition C:SM, some of which were inspired by the newer codices.

More Dakka!

C:DA has the Banner of Devastation that allows squads within 6 inches of the banner to fire their bolters as Salvo 2/4 weapons. Similarly, the new Tau codex created ways to allow Fire Warriors to fire more shots while also changing the rules for other weapons (e.g., burst cannons went from Assault 3 to Assault 4). The trend in 6th Edition codices is to make it easier for armies to bring more troops (by reducing their costs) and then giving them more firepower to shoot those troops down.

There are probably a few ways to increase Marines' firepower, although it's unlikely that the Astartes' venerable weapons would see the kind of changes that the Tau weapons did. It's a lot more likely that GW will maintain the weapons' stats while introducing upgrades or modifiers as they did with the Dark Angels' Banner of Devastation. One rumored change would make heavy bolters more appealing and increase their presence on the table...

Sternguard Heavy Bolters
Last year there was a rumor that heavy bolters might be revised and that several variations were in play testing. The rumor indicated that all heavy bolters might become Salvo 2/3 and that heavy bolters for certain elite units (e.g., Sternguard) would be upgradable to act as Assault 3 at 18" or Heavy 3 at 36". The other possibility was that normal heavy bolters would remain the same and that the Salvo 2/3 option would be the upgrade. While the rumored date of October 2012 fell through and the Dark Angels received no upgrade to their heavy bolters, I think it's still possible that Sternguard could be running around with mobile heavy bolters. This could explain why GW's Sternguard weapons pack includes a heavy bolter, which is the only heavy weapon in the kit.

Deathwatch Kill-teams, which were predecessors of the Sternguard, had a suspensor unit upgrade that made heavy bolters Assault 3 at 18". If the 1st Company Veterans do get such an upgrade, the implicit link between the Ordo Xenos' Deathwatch and the Sternguard would become even stronger. This is perfectly fine with me since I'm modelling two members of my in-progress Sternguard Squad with shoulder pads to show that they're Deathwatch Veterans. I've also included a heavy bolter in the squad in the event that this rumor is true.

Supporting Fire
Tau gained the Supporting Fire rule with their new codex. This rule allows friendly units within 6" of a charged unit to contribute to their Overwatch fire. I've been thinking that this idea could easily be applied to Space Marines in a fluffy way.

Among their various responsibilities, Vanilla Marine Tactical Squads are supposed to support other units; e.g., protecting Devastators or striking after an Assault Squad's initial charge. It would definitely fit their job description if Tactical Squads could provide Supporting Fire for charged units within 6". The fact that C:DA Tactical Squads don't have such an ability suggests that C:SM wouldn't get it either. However, Dark Angels put a lot of emphasis on their 1st and 2nd Companies, and even their other companies have entire squads of veterans. One could argue that Vanilla Marines depend on their Tactical Squads a lot more and entrust them with greater responsibilities; e.g., protecting other squads.

Alternatively (or additionally), it would make a lot of sense if a Combat Squad could provide Supporting Fire for its companion Combat Squad. In that case, I think we could start seeing 10 man Devastator Squads regularly split into Combat Squads with each squad supporting the other.

Considering that Codex-compliant Marines are supposed to fight as a cohesive force, it would only make sense that squads could support each other when one of their own is attacked.

Shooty Terminators
I've been using a five man squad of shooty Terminators from the Black Reach starter set almost since I started playing. On Bryce's advice, I converted one of them to carry an assault cannon, which is pretty much the only thing that makes the squad remotely worth its points.

There's several problems with shooty Terminators. First, a handful of storm bolters just isn't worth a whole lot, especially since the standard bolter isn't affected by movement under 6th Edition. Shooty Terminators try to be jacks of all trades; combining ranged attacks with strong close combat attacks but mastering neither. The fact that they have ranged weapons suggests that they should be put out in the open to take advantage of their guns but leaves them exposed to any number of AP2 weapons. Their 5+ invulnerable saves weren't much of an insurance policy when I played against three Obliterators firing plasma cannons during a recent game.

Compare the schizophrenia of the shooty Terminators to the single-mindedness of Assault Terminators. Assault Terminators are only geared for close combat; there's no temptation to let them roam outside of the safety of their Land Raider transport until they can assault. Each model can choose to take lightning claws to increase his number of attacks and to re-roll fails to wound or he can take the thunder hammer and storm shield combination. The latter is identical to the shooty Terminator's power fist in terms of number of attacks and strength, but the 3+ invulnerable save can be a lifesaver for both the wielder and his squadmates.

Second, the only close combat weapon in a shooty Terminator squad that doesn't strike at I1 is the Sergeant's power sword. Now that 6th Edition power weapons have AP values, the Sergeant has become an extremely mediocre model with a storm bolter and a Strength 4 weapon that does little against Terminator armor, artificer armor, etc. For the same cost, an Assault Terminator Sergeant has the same weapons options as his squad, all of which are better than the power sword/storm bolter combination.

Shooty Terminators could be improved in several ways. First, give the Sergeant a decent weapon like a relic blade. AP3 isn't so bad when it's Strength 6. Second, allow a five man shooty Terminator Squad to carry two heavy weapons, two heavy flamers, or a mix. Being able to replace two out of five storm bolters with more potent weapons could make Marine players more willing to take shooty Terminators over Assault Terminators.

Another possibility appeals to me even more; allow Codex-compliant Marines to emulate the Dark Angels and merge the two types of Terminator Squads. The idea of running a ten man Terminator Squad with three thunder hammer/storm shield models, five models with lightning claws, and two models with heavy weapons and power fists makes me giddy. Oh, and throw in a Terminator Chaplain for extra fun.

I want this squad

This last option would probably step on C:DA's toes a bit too much for GW's tastes, but a Vanilla Marine player can dream, can't he?

Combi-Flamer Conversion

Last year I commented on the questionable Sternguard weapons kit put out by GW. Not only did the overall quality look poor, but the combi-flamer and combi-plasma designs were underwhelming. Sternguard have access to cheap combi-weapons and I was interested in using this kit to arm my in-progress squad. When GW's own promotional images couldn't make the Finecast weapons look good, I gave up on them.

I already had a plastic combi-melta and a combi-plasma from the Space Marine Commander box, but I could have used more. What annoyed me most about the whole situation was that GW flubbed a kit that represented the only way to get an Imperial combi-flamer outside of Forge World's Character Conversion Set. It's odd that GW hasn't included a plastic combi-flamer in any kit since combi-weapons only get a single shot with the non-bolter part of the weapon; the combi-flamer is the only one that's guaranteed to hit with that one shot.

In case you're wondering, I decided against the FW kit since I would have to pay for a bunch of parts that I don't really need. Also, in the heat of battle I need obvious visual cues to remind me to maneuver, protect, or use special weapons or models. The FW combi-flamer is too similar to a standard bolter for me.

A new item for my wishlist: the Plasma Blaster

Anyway, I looked at several different ways to make my own combi-flamer but couldn't see how to do it to my satisfaction without a lot of conversion work that could easily produce a very awkward looking weapon. Even GW's professionally designed plastic combi-weapons seem a bit unwieldy to me, especially the combi-plasma. Later, while researching Captain Agemman on Lexicanum for my counts-as-Lysander model, I came across an entry on his predecessor, Captain Invictus. Invictus carried a plasma blaster; a twin-linked plasma gun that was represented by two truncated plasma guns mounted side-by-side. It soon occurred to me that a side-by-side combi-weapon might be easier to make than a stacked one.

Later, I saw Forge World's Space Marine Terminator Weapon Set. Like GW's Chaos Terminators, FW's Horus Heresy era Terminators are typically equipped with combi-bolters (i.e., two mechanically joined bolters that fire as a twin-linked bolter) but can also carry other combi-weapons. (The Chaos Terminators' combi-bolters are ridiculously similar to Loyalist Terminators' storm bolters.) While the combi-weapons carried by Chaos Terminators look very different from their combi-bolters and generally stack the special weapon above the bolter portion, the FW combi-weapons simply replace the right-side bolter with the secondary weapon. The FW Terminator combi-weapons look great and are very similar to what I had been considering.

The other night I finally dug through my bits box and pulled out the storm bolter I saved when I converted a Black Reach Terminator to carry an assault cannon. Luckily, the box magazine on this storm bolter was asymmetrical. The symmetrical magazines or the dual curved magazine storm bolters don't look quite right after the conversion because they're obviously meant to be feeding bolts into both sides of the gun. Of course these magazines could be replaced with an asymmetrical one from a vehicle storm bolter, but I used those up when I made my Sternguard bolters.

The body is from a Black Reach Terminator storm bolter

The work on the storm bolter itself was very straightforward. First, I cut the wide double barrel and the bayonet lug off the front of the gun. I used a razor to slightly flatten the side that was going to be the flamer part of the weapon so that the promethium tank would fit better. I chose the left side of the gun for the flamer since the magazine's protrusion to the right suggests that the right side should house the bolter.

The flamer section is on the left since the
bolter magazine protrudes to the right

Next, I cut a single barrel off a vehicle storm bolter I used for a Sternguard bolter conversion. This required a lot of caution; not only is the barrel small and easily damaged, but I knew that I would never find it again if I dropped it on the carpet. I glued the barrel onto the face of the gun on the right side.

The bolter barrel comes from a vehicle storm bolter

Finally, I cut the end off a flamer and glued the end to the face of the storm bolter parallel to the bolter barrel. I wanted to make it look like a promethium tank is welded onto or recessed into the side of the combi-flamer, so I cut the tank off the flamer and removed the side of the tank. I glued the tank to the side of the gun and used some Testors Contour Putty and small amounts of glue to fill in the crevices.

Glue and Testors putty fill the crevices. A small patch on top
of the bolter section was used to cover a defect in the bit.

Since this combi-flamer is based on a storm bolter, it lacks a forestock and only really works as a one-handed weapon. I didn't want to chop up more bits than necessary, so I decided to use an arm that usually wields a bolt pistol. And while I would have preferred to mount the gun on the Marine's right hand since the magazine protrudes to the right, the fact that the storm bolter was originally meant for a larger Terminator hand means that the back of the weapon extends a bit farther onto the wrist than usual. The standard right-handed Space Marine bolt pistol arm is bent far enough that the back of the gun would interfere with the shoulder pad. Since a left-handed bolt pistol arm is nearly straight, it works a lot better with the converted combi-flamer. And it lets me use one of my many grenade-wielding right arms on the final model.

Tyrannic War Veterans WIP, Part II: Sternguard Bolters

The box magazine protrudes slightly
from under the lower receiver

I guess I exaggerated when I said, "coming soon" with regards to Tyrannic War Veteran (TWV) updates; I ended up working on other models that I thought were more useful than Sternguard. On a whim, I played five Tactical Marines as a small Sternguard Squad during our recent Cabal tournament. The squad's special ammunition made short work of the Tau and did some major damage to the Orks. The next game night, when I played the same squad, I used their Vengeance rounds to wipe out Carl's Interceptors. When a group of only five Sternguard Marines proved to be an outstanding success, I decided to move up my plans for a ten man squad.

While the white helmet and shoulder pad trim show a Codex-compliant Marine to be a 1st Company Veteran, there is one simple detail that has become symbolic of the Sternguard: the large box magazine holding various types of special ammunition. While these magazines aren't absolutely necessary to show that a Marine is a member of the Sternguard (GW's site designates the Tyrannic War Veteran models as Sternguard, despite their seemingly standard equipment), the box magazine is a quick indicator that a Marine is carrying special ammunition.

The box magazine extends
up to the upper receiver

I had intended to forgo the special magazines when building a squad from plastic Marine parts since I didn't know where I could get the appropriate bits. However, I decided to attempt a conversion when I found that several modelers had built Sternguard bolters using standard bolters and box magazines taken from vehicle storm bolters. I wasn't entirely happy with some of the conversions since many modelers were simply cutting off the original curved magazines and gluing the box magazines directly below the lower receiver. Although this arrangement seems to match the line drawing of an Astartes Mk IIIsx bolter in the Space Marine codex, the result seems awkward to me.

The lower receiver extends
all the way to the forestock

Rather than replicate the Mk IIIsx bolter, I used the bolters on GW's Sternguard models themselves as a guide. The first thing I noticed is that the box magazine is roughly L-shaped. The right side of the magazine (i.e., the side that usually faces away from the Marine) covers the side of the bolter's lower receiver and extends all the way up to the bottom edge of the upper receiver. The bottom of the magazine (i.e., the portion that feeds ammunition into the bolter) runs under the lower receiver and protrudes slightly from the other side.

The easiest part of the conversion involved modifying a bolter by cutting off the curved magazine from the lower receiver. The switch on the side of the lower receiver had to be scraped or sliced off to avoid interfering with the new magazine. I usually removed the bolter's grip at this point, too.

Modified Space Marine bolter

Like the other modelers, I used the box magazines from the vehicle sprues. (When you realize that the storm bolter upgrade on a Land Raider costs as much as the multi-melta and that a storm bolter on a Razorback or a lascannon Predator is mostly a waste of points, you find that you have plenty of bits with which to do this conversion.) All Marine vehicles' storm bolters have two magazines, one on each half, but you have to watch out for the Land Raider Crusader's storm bolter. The Crusader's magazines are more ornate and only the right side magazine shows the bolts pointing the correct way.

Front and back ends of a vehicle storm bolter cut
away from the section with the magazine

After cutting the magazine free of the storm bolter, I made a horizontal slice parallel to the bottom of the magazine and immediately below the hole used to mount the storm bolter to the vehicle's pintle mount. (I apologize for the lack of photos here, I lost them in a computer crash a while back.) I had to be careful with the depth of this cut; the blade tended to accelerate once the cut got far enough. I frequently checked the depth of the cut against the width of the bolter's lower receiver.

Once the horizontal cut was made, I removed material to complete the L-shape with a series of vertical cuts. This was somewhat like slicing a loaf of bread. During this process, I frequently checked the fit of the magazine against the lower receiver. When I had removed the bulk of the plastic and had the shape I wanted, I scraped the vertical and horizontal surfaces to smooth and flatten them in order to get a close fit. When a dry fit showed that the magazine was correctly shaped, I glued it into place. The magazine had to be pushed up against the bolter's forestock to fit properly.

Front view of a modified bolter and magazine. The magazine
was carved into an L-shape to fit around the lower receiver.

Box magazine in place. Note that
the magazine contacts the forestock.

Box magazine in place. Note the slight protrusion
from under the lower receiver.

With the magazine in place, it's obvious that the lower receiver on a standard bolter is slightly different than that on GW's Sternguard bolters. Specifically, the plastic bolter has a small space between the lower receiver and the forestock. I filled the space with a small amount of Testors Contour Putty, which is easily scraped into the desired shape once dried.

I converted seven bolters using this method. The end result is close to GW's, although the magazines are a bit wider. Considering that GW shows Terminators using three different kinds of magazines within the same squad (mankind's ability to standardize equipment in the 41st Millennium is poor, apparently), I didn't feel too bad about not perfectly replicating their Sternguard bolters.

My other Sternguard members will be carrying either combi- or heavy weapons. Unfortunately, the combi-weapons that come with the Space Marine Commander box are not well suited to this conversion, so the Marines with the combi-melta and combi-plasma will have to settle for standard magazines.

Heresy! Ultramarines Captain Lysander Agemman

I've been using my Black Reach Captain since I started bringing my own painted figures to the table. I usually play him with artificer armor and a relic blade for 145 points. I often use him as a human shield for a Tactical Squad and, more recently, for a stand-in Sternguard Squad. However, once my opponent breaks out the AP2 S8+ weapons, my Captain doesn't have much confidence in his 4+ Iron Halo save and is content to let his loyal subordinates throw themselves in the line of fire. The same goes for when he's down to a single wound. This is fine when the subordinate is a Tactical Marine, but less so when the Marine is a member of the Sterngaurd. In a recent game against Bryce's Tau, I let 50 points of Sternguard die before I finally declared that the Captain was a coward and should be taking his own saves.

Thinking that a Captain with a 3+ invulnerable save would make a better human shield, I recently gathered the parts to build a relic blade-wielding, storm shield-carrying Captain. With artificer armor, the model would cost 160 points. Before I could start building him, though, it occurred to me that 160 points was a lot for a model that can still be instantly killed by melta weapons, railguns, lascannons, etc. if he doesn't make his 3++ save. Even more disappointing is the fact that a plain Captain doesn't do much more than shield the other members of his squad: no nifty abilities, no modification of rules, nothing. A Librarian has various powers while a Chaplain is cheaper and gives his squad Liturgies of Battle. So what does a plain Captain do for you?

In that moment of doubt, the seeds of heresy were sown.

Shielding a Tactical Squad is all well and good, I thought, but I'm starting to field Sternguard. Not only do I want to protect them, but I want to buff them too. Isn't there a character that can do that? At first I thought that the one I wanted was Pedro Kantor, but all he does for Sternguard is to make them scoring. Our group tends to play annihilation games, so making units scoring doesn't matter too much. As I looked through the codex, I found who I was looking for: Captain Lysander of the Imperial Fists 1st Company.

Does he come in blue?

For a mere 40 points more than my proposed relic blade/storm shield Captain I could get a four wound Captain with Terminator armor, a storm shield, and a master-crafted thunder hammer that hits at Strength 10 and adds +1 to rolls on the vehicle damage table. He brings his Bolter Drill rule to any unit he's with, meaning that the squad re-rolls failed to hit rolls for any bolter-type weapon. Sternguard special ammunition looks even better when their bolters are effectively twin-linked. Lysander's Bolster Defenses rule could help out just about any squad, especially Sergeant Telion's snipers. Finally, Lysander has the Eternal Warrior rule; weapons that inflict instant death mean little to him.

My problem was that Lysander is the Captain of the Imperial Fists 1st Company. Although the codex specifically allows you to rename a character and use his rules for any Marine Chapter, I had previously vowed only to use known Ultramarines characters. (I have all the named Ultramarines in pewter, although only Telion has been finished). Early on I intended to quickly finish Sicarius, Captain of the Ultramarines 2nd Company, and to field him as my HQ. But with a Captain already done and my army desperately needing reinforcements elsewhere, Sicarius got pushed back. Now I'm not in any hurry to finish his model; although he has some interesting abilities and rules that can affect the entire army, I don't feel that any of them would significantly improve my game right now. Although artificer armor and feel no pain make him more resilient to small arms fire than almost anyone, he only has a 4++ Iron Halo save and can still be instantly killed. I don't think I'll be investing 200 points in Sicarius until I have a Command Squad with a couple storm shields to protect him.

Lysander, on the other hand, doesn't really need protection and has some amazing wargear and abilities that I envy. Out of curiosity I googled "Ultramarines Lysander" and found that a lot of players were using the model's rules to depict Agemman, Captain of the Ultramarines 1st Company. Other than his name, the fact that he was promoted from 2nd Company Captain to 1st Company Captain after the Battle of Macragge, and a few other snippets from a handful of novels, we know little about Agemman.

I love the idea of fielding the Captain of the Ultramarines' Veteran Company, even if I have to borrow another model's rules to do it. Since GW hasn't given us a description of Agemman's wargear and abilities (although some rumors suggest they might), here's my homegrown backstory to justify using Captain Agemman as a Lysander stand-in:

Armor and Resilience: At the time of his death defending Macragge's Northern Fortress, 1st Company Captain Invictus was wearing a suit of armor known simply as the Regent's Armor. This suit of Terminator armor had been passed down within the Ultramarines Chapter from 1st Captain to 1st Captain for millennia. Like Captain Sicarius' Mantle of the Suzerain, the Veteran Company Captain's armor had been known to enhance the resilience of the wearer. Upon recovery of the armor, Chapter Master Calgar requested that it be restored by the Ultramarines' Master of the Forge himself.

While Captain Agemman has been known to wear a suit of artificer armor when mobility or agility is essential, he typically wears the Regent's Armor both for the honor associated with it as well as for its enhanced protection. The Regent's Armor, combined with Agemman's natural resilience, grants him four wounds and the Eternal Warrior rule.

Weaponry: While Agemman wears the armor of his predecessor, he has chosen not to wield a power fist as Invictus did. Shortly after receiving the Regent's Armor, the Captain chose a set of wargear from the Ultramarines' armory that befit the commander of a Veteran Company. While the storm shield he chose was an ordinary one, the thunder hammer was found to be different.

While many heroes of the Astartes wield legendary weapons with portentous names, Agemman merely refers to his weapon as Malleus (i.e., "hammer" in High Gothic). Originally believed to be a standard (although somewhat ornate) thunder hammer whose origin has been lost, Malleus was found to strike with unusual strength and effectiveness. Whether this is due to some long lost technology incorporated into its design or because the weapon has found a worthy owner is unknown. Malleus is a master-crafted thunder hammer that strikes at S10 and adds +1 to rolls on the vehicle damage table.

Bolter Drill: Agemman expects more from his Veterans than he did from his rank and file Marines in the 2nd Company. Bolter-type weapons are some of the most basic and characteristic weapons of the Space Marines; Agemman expects his men to show more than simple proficiency with them. This is particularly the case with the Sternguard Squads since special ammunition is too precious to throw away with missed shots. Agemman therefore requires all his squads to perform regular bolter drills while personally running similar drills on those occasions where he finds himself leading members of other companies. He has found that very few Marines are willing to disappoint the 1st Company Captain. Any unit Agemman joins can re-roll fails to hit with any bolter-type weapon.

Bolster Defenses: The Ultramarines and the Auxilia spent the bulk of the Battle of Macragge trying to hold their ground against the Tyranid swarms, suffering heavy losses. Although the 1st Company inflicted irrecoverable losses on the Tyranids during the battle for the Northern Fortress, the Veteran Company was annihilated in the process. Agemman has vowed that his Veterans will never meet the same fate as their predecessors. With the help of the Chapter's Techmarines, the 1st Company Captain has learned the art of reinforcing defensive positions. Thus, Agemman has the Bolster Defenses rule.

Telion, Scouts, and Cover Saves

Yesterday morning I was preparing for the second half of our Cabal's 1250 point mini-tournament that was to be held that evening. (After a brutal bloodbath, Jon and I ended up in a draw.) Part of my force was a five man Sniper Scout Squad led by Sergeant Telion. While I was reading through several forums discussing the use of Scouts, I found something that I had completely missed.

Prior to the release of 6th Edition, the description of the camo cloak found in both the Space Marine and Imperial Guard codexes said that "A model wearing a camo cloak has the stealth universal special rule." Camo cloaks could be purchased for Scouts at 3 points each. However, a player had the option to upgrade his Scout sergeant to Sergeant Telion. Telion didn't have a camo cloak as part of his wargear, but he had the stealth rule. As the 5th Edition FAQs clarified, if a single model with the stealth rule were part of a squad, the rule was conferred to the whole squad. Thus, bringing Telion made camo cloaks redundant. As long as the Sergeant was still alive, all models in the squad benefited from +1 to their cover saves per the stealth rule.

Of course he has a camo cloak.
That's not just a fancy cape.

Shortly after the release of 6th Edition, the revised FAQs made a few changes to both camo cloaks and Telion. The one I noticed at the time was "Add Camo cloak to [Telion's] wargear". This made no sense to me; the FAQ hadn't deprived Telion of the stealth rule, so why add a completely unnecessary camo cloak? What I had missed was the redefinition of the cloak's effect. Both the Space Marine and Imperial Guard codexes had been revised to say that "A model wearing a camo cloak has +1 cover save".

It wasn't until yesterday that the implication of these changes hit me. The camo cloak doesn't confer the stealth rule anymore, it improves a model's cover save by 1. Instead of being a redundant piece of wargear on a model that already has the stealth rule, the effect of the cloak is to improve cover saves that have already been modified by the stealth rule. The result is a model that has +2 to its cover saves. When GW added a camo cloak with the revised wording to Telion's wargear, they effectively gave him the shrouded special rule. Thus, if Telion takes cover behind a wall, he gets an impressive 2+ cover save. When I wondered why they didn't just give him the shrouded rule, it occurred to me that they didn't want Telion to confer shrouded onto his Scouts; they want us to pay for it.

Now here's where it gets really crazy. Since Telion confers stealth to his Scouts, and since a camo cloak now grants +1 to a model's cover saves instead of giving it the stealth rule, you can purchase camo cloaks for the rest of Telion's squad and give them the same awesome cover saves as their sergeant. Telion doesn't simply replace camo cloaks now, he can make them better. However, if you need to save a few points you can forgo the camo cloaks and settle for +2 to Telion's cover saves and just stealth for the Scouts.

Apparently, the stacking cover saves for Sergeant Telion and the fact that his squad can benefit from them too by purchasing camo cloaks has been relatively well known since last summer. I don't know how many games I've played since then in which Telion would have been saved by the revised rules. He benefited from his improved saves for the first time last night, but his men had to go without cloaks since the Cabal's tournament lists were locked in two weeks ago.

Under 5th Edition, I found a lot of people who considered a Scout Squad, particularly one with Telion, to be too expensive. Although they had the scout and infiltrate rules, Scouts had a poorer weapon skill, ballistic skill, and armor save than a Tactical Marine while costing 13 points versus a Marine's 16 points. Once you added a camo cloak, a Scout cost exactly the same. If you took the base cost of a five man Scout Squad (75 points) and subtracted out the cost of four Scouts, you'd find that a basic Scout sergeant cost 23 points; a mere three points less than a Tactical Marine Sergeant who has identical stats but is equipped with power armor. When you bought the 50 point Telion upgrade, you ended up with a 73 point model with some awesome special rules but only a single wound, a 4+ armor save, and a 3+ cover save in most circumstances.

By changing the definition of a camo cloak and adding one to Telion's wargear, GW gave the Sergeant a 2+ cover save in many circumstances without increasing his cost. And since the effect of cloaks now stacks with stealth, his Scouts can also have 2+ cover saves behind walls and ruins for only three more points per model. The icing on the cake is the ability to purchase fortifications and emplaced weapons in 6th Edition. A 50 point Aegis Defence Line can give your Scouts a 2+ cover save in a location of your choice. For 50 points more you can put Telion on a quad-gun, making it BS6 and giving it precision shots. Or, for a mere 35 points, you can give Telion a 96" range Icarus lascannon for sniping enemy HQs or other important targets (with BS6 he'll be hitting over 86% of the time). The cost of Scouts in general, and Telion's cost in particular, seems a bit more reasonable now.

Immediately on the heels of the FAQ, the following setup started bouncing around the Internet:

10X Scouts (8 with sniper rifles): 140 points
Sergeant Telion: 50 points
9X Camo Cloaks: 27 points
1X Missile Launcher or Heavy Bolter: 10 points
Aegis Defence Line: 50 points
Icarus Lascannon: 35 points
Total: 312 points

Now this is a fairly high price tag, but it makes for a pretty impressive firebase that's manned by ten models with 2+ cover saves, eight 36" range sniper rifles that wound anything on a 4+ and can rend, a missile launcher or heavy bolter (with Hellfire shells), and a BS6 sergeant who always makes precision shots and who will be hitting his chosen targets with an extra long range lascannon 86% of the time.

I look forward to testing this build out, although it obviously has a few weaknesses. Most apparent is the fact that you'd have to keep certain units away from the defence line. Heavy flamers or equivalent would eat this squad alive if allowed to get close.

Misunderstanding the Stormtalon Escort Rule

In a previous post I stated that the Stormtalon's Escort rule made little sense in the context of 6th Edition flyers. Under the impression that the Escort rule worked somewhat like a teleport homer or a locator beacon and that an escorting Stormtalon had to arrive within 6" of the escorted unit, I said the following:

The flyer's minimum movement of 18" complicates the requirement that it arrive within 6" of a unit of infantry or a ground vehicle coming in from the table edge. The flyer can't come on to the table from the same point as an infantry unit since it would outpace them. If it accompanies a vehicle, the vehicle has to move at cruising speed to keep up with the Stormtalon and is therefore of limited use. If the Stormtalon comes onto the table some distance away from the escorted unit's entry point in order to end its movement within 6", it will most likely have to stop at an angle that could leave most of its weapons facing away from the enemy.

I've found a number of forums where posters also assume that the rule requires the flyer to stick close to the escorted unit.

However, when I read the slightly revised Escort rule in Death from the Skies and then reread the rule in White Dwarf, I realized that I had misunderstood it. Here's what the "Aerial Assault!" issue of White Dwarf said about the Escort rule:

If this is done [i.e., escorting], do not make reserve rolls for the Stormtalon. Instead it arrives at the same time as the unit it is escorting. The Stormtalon must move onto the board within 6" of the point that the unit it is escorting entered by. [emphasis mine]

The phrases "must move onto the board" and "the point that the unit it is escorting entered by" indicate that the rule has nothing to do with where the Stormtalon or the escorted unit end their movement, but with where they begin their movement. In the rulebook, a phrase such as "move onto the table" refers to the beginning of a unit's movement as it arrives from reserves. And "the point that the unit it is escorting entered by" is so obvious that I'm embarrassed that I misunderstood it. I had been reading the rule as if it said 'the Stormtalon must end its movement within 6" of the escorted unit' when the models could actually end up relatively far apart as long as their starting points were within 6" of each other. My prior complaint about escorting infantry or vehicles was invalid.

Now that I understand the rule, I can see why the revised version found in Death from the Skies prohibits the flyer from escorting outflanking units. I found on several forums that some players had been assigning a Stormtalon to escort an outflanking unit and then using the Escort rule's requirement that the two points of entry be within 6" of each other to allow the Stormtalon to outflank as well.