A Little Local Tournament...

I played this past weekend in a small tournament at my FLGS, Galaxy Books and Comics.  Little Barrera ran it using some battle missions he pulled from the internet.  I'm on record as saying I'd like to see less complexity in tournament missions, since 6th Edition and the glorious number of new Codices and products adds dimension enough.

Video: Terrain as Per the Book in a 2K Game

The Mighty Mighty Carlos and I played a game last week at 2K; me with Sisters and allied Eldar and he with double Bastions and Imperial Fists.

My 2K Sisters has four squads of Sisters of Battle, four Exorcists, Jacobus with Crusaders and Assassins, Celestine, a Farseer (for psychic defense and jankiness), Pathfinders, and a Fortification with a Quad Gun.

Necrons Generalist Review Part II

Picking up where we left off last time...

So my man Nick (his mother named him Darkwynn, but that's because he's a superhero in his spare time) isn't so fond of Necrons.  In the comments, he double-downed on his opinion:

Necrons Generalist Review Part I

I got all hot and heavy over the Necrons not too long back, even picking up Gauthic's old army in trade for Tau.

(Speaking of, Gauthic old chum, 4-weeks is an eternity in blogging... how about an update?)

I built up a list though numerous practice games, but set them aside a couple months ago... and not because it wasn't going well, 'cause it was!  Seriously, the Necrons have everything I like about an army.

Mixed arms approach?  Check! 

Solid troops?  Check! 

Tactical options?  Check! 

Solid strategy?  Check! 

Counter-attack options?  Check! 

Not MEQ?  Check check check!

Daemons 2012 Part III

So what about the Fateweaver?  My view is, "I'm not a fan... but..!"

Let's just get that out of the way now.

* * * 

As most of my longtime readers know, "I'm not a fan."  Since taking on Daemons due to the machinations of Evil Homer in Exile and the Master Manipulator (every store needs one), I've had a few rules of thumb - developed due to hard experience - that served me well...

1. Bolt is a requirement
2. Fiends do the heavy lifting
3. Soul Grinders are a red herring
4. Fateweaver is too inconsistent

My motto is Competitive is Consistent.  I'm not out to win a game - my goal is to win four in a row.

Or more.

* * * 

Interestingly, it's one of those things I have a hard time explaining to the Client Pimp in Question, our local young prodigy-in-training.  There's a world of difference in my standard game and my wanna-win game... but in most of my standard games I'm exploring an idea or concept to test its validity.

Some of that's for this blog or that - such as trying out the Soul Grinders in our last local tournament - but most of it is working out strategies for 'wanna-win' games.  Not that I'm throwing games, but I'm not so invested that I care whether I win or lose.

The Client Pimp..?  He's in a different place.  I'd wager he knows exactly how many games he's won or lost, against whom, and if those were inside a tournament or not!

It's a phase; most of us have been there.  For my part, I no longer have anything to prove.  Frankly, it's the same for most of us at the FLGS...

...sadly, we're most of us firmly in middle age!

(Speak for yourself.)

All that said, that habit of mine has bitten me in the butt on more than one occasion, where I was sort of lackadaisical with a tournament list and was frustrated after getting blown off the board.  On one occasion, the Bugs! were swept by Evil Homer in Exile's Dark Eldar with nary a fight.  On another, more recently, I suffered through a last round matchup against Little Barrera.

And his Dark Eldar.  

* * * 

My thinking on this almost exactly matches Hulk's; check out this post from They Shall Know Know Fear.  He's also exploring Daemons at the moment, just like me and just like Goatboy.   Remember to check out the other blogs in the Read Up To Keep Up roll!

* * * 

"I'm not a fan... but..!"  So ol' Kairos the Fateweaver doesn't pass my primary test for tournament-list inclusion.  He's simply not reliable...

...over four games!  He can be incredible; of that, there's no doubt.  The Fate-Crusher build is rightly feared; if Kairos and the Crushers get the appropriate wave on the board, and if Kairos avoids too many leadership tests, then certainly this is a combo that can roll the board with anyone!

Lot of 'ifs' though.

From Wargamer Hub

In one-third of the games you won't get the Wave you want.  In four games, you have a very strong chance of losing Kairos to a failed Leadership test - and I've had Darkwynn actually run the math on that one!

But!  As a Codex gets older it requires aggressive play, sound strategy, sharp tactics, and a perfectly optimized army list to seize victory for itself.

More than anything, though, you'll need aggressive play:  take the initiative early and force your opponent to play the game on different terms!

As much as it pains me to say this, Kairos can be a route to all of this, making him - in my humble opinion - a more valid choice now than even a year or two ago.  Back then, balance and sharp play yielded better results.  Some of those tools are just no longer available.

(Bye-bye, Daemon Prince of Tzeentch!  I loved you long time I did!)

* * * 

Let's explore a list; is there something else beyond the Standard Fate-Crusher?  A Hybrid Build?

I'll leave it to you to decide whether this is an effective option or not, but personally I prefer it to the current Fate-Crusher ideal of three units of Juggernauts - largely due to the speed of the Fiends and their ability to nail down units from a distance and destroy multiple tanks on the charge.

I prefer the cheaper Herald in the Daemons 2012 list I developed - and will publish tomorrow - but the Skulltaker is almost a design requirement here.

Why?

Think anti-GK's and you'll follow the train of thought.  Dark Excommunication removes Gifts, but the Skulltaker's Rending isn't one, meaning even if he loses his Power Weapon he can still rend out Grey Knights with a 4+.  With less in our toolbox, he's more important in this build.

That's the thought, anyway.  I'd probably drop Skulltaker with the Hounds and the Herald of Khorne with the Crushers, but you can certainly double-up either way if the table dictates it.

Thoughts?

Daemons 2012 Part II

Click for the link!

Know this, up front: I'm a long way from there with these ideas.  Consider this a work in progress at best.

But it's good.

* * *

So Goat called yesterday and we got in a conversation about Daemons.  He had some interesting ideas I hadn't thought of - and I'm not sure how!  How did I overlook it for so long?  It's so simple!

Why not drop the Herald of Khorne with a unit of Flesh Hounds?

Darn it all!

What, you aren't following?

Okay, a Herald of Khorne can be a monster close combat threshing machine.  The problem has always been the delivery system.

The first step is Chariot or Jugger... and there is only one good answer.  No, it's not 'chariot.'

Necrons and the New Competitive

I've been excited - impressed even - with the Necron Codex since its release...

...but as always, I seem to disagree with the prevailing opinions available online.

...

I know, I know!  

It's an easy statement to make - since you can find anything online to support a premise that broad - but some of those opinions are from worthy sources, such as my friend Darkwynn.  Last I read, he contends the 'Crons aren't going to be (and I wish I had the exact quote, so this is paraphrasing) Top Tier.

And he's probably right in a very broad sense.  They won't knock Imperial Guard, Space Wolves, and Grey Knights off their perch... but do they have to?

As the Blood Angels.  As the Dark Eldar.  Hell, ask the Black Templars!

Or ask Daemons.  

Help a Bugs! Out

So after a few weeks of downtime I finally uncollapsed the collapsible table and started work on the hobby again.

It's fair to say Strictly Average has been as quiet as it's ever been these last few weeks... and it's also fair to say I needed the break!  There was way too much real life *SELF-EDIT* going on and I needed the mental break.

Still, it's important to note I was also drifting in the mire of 'I Dunno Know' - meaning I wasn't quite sure what to work on.  When I realized my Bugs! army was going to take a lot more work to get something playable ready, I tried to go to a backup army.

That's when I realized my backups need backups.  Besides Daemons, I don't have anything competitive...

...and since Competitive is Consistent (coming soon to a trademark near you), you can read that as I didn't have anything I thought could play Cardfather Ty's Space Wolves then turn around and play The Ruiner of Games Evil Homer's Dark Eldar while standing a decent chance of winning.

This sucks.

I have some ideas, but until then I need your input.  Here's a draft of a 2K Bugs! idea.  I sent it to the Master Manipulator (every store needs one) and Evil Homer and both provided valuable insight.  I'm hoping you can do the same.  Let me know what you think, and I'll drop the updated list here tomorrow.

Adepticon Championships, Game 3 (Tyranids!)

Let's get back to the blind luck of a 256-person national tournament.  Here's Game 3 of the Adepticon Championships.

Let's interrupt the blind luck of a 256-person national tournament.  I just wanted to point out some interesting conversations happening in the Blogosphere right now.  The Back 40K has an interesting piece on Orks which interestingly I both agree and disagree with, but it's informative and the tone is open to a dialogue.  I always dig that!  Next is Whiskey and 40K, where Mike draws a comparison between two army lists; I like this one because I've been pushing my Competitive is Consistent mantra lately and Mike's theme touches on mine some.  Carry on!

Adepticon Championships, Game 2 (Mech Guard!)

This was a tough match up - a very tough match up.  While this isn't the Guard army I would build, it's still a great build... but worse, from my point of view, it seemed custom made to beat me.

He had three units of two Hydras with Heavy Bolters and Heavy Stubbers: Str6 Twin-Linked, Str5, Str4... and separated across each third of the board.  Most of the game they pivoted and fired, pivoted and fired.  And that's just a portion of the army - you can see the rest in the picture.

Adepticon Championships, Game 1

I have a lot to say about the games I played at the Adepticon, both from a generalist and army specific standpoint... I just don't have time to say it all right now!  To that end, I'm going to quickly cover Game 1 and we'll use it as a starting point to the the rest of the conversation.

My opponent was a true gentleman, a very nice dude and sportsman.  This is always good, since I'm usually a wreck for the first round of any event.  (It's a combination of nerves and a bad leg.)

Bugs! (Tyranids): First Thoughts Part Two

(A nifty Tervigon Conversion.)

Okay, so I had a chance to play the Bugs as opposed to just read about them online and Theory Hammer out a strategy.  Here's my updated initial thoughts...

...and I'm glad I'm getting to a point where I can at least speak intelligently about the book.  Frankly, I think you have to play an army to know an army, but that's a story for another time.

Bug Prime:  I'll take two please.  Thanks!

Turdlets of Random 40K Wisdom, Part 1

From Strictly Average: The Blog

In an attempt to improve upon a New Media offering, our hero takes the first steps in developing a new form of video blogging.

You'll no doubt hate it.

Featured here are the Mighty Mighty Carlos and Brent himself, lifted from various videos and interpreted by Elle-drag, the infamously and not-really-that-famous Slanneshi-themed Farseer and obvious Eldrad ripoff.

Enjoy or Not, your option.

Bug Help From Hive Mind Synaps3

Hello again boys and girls, children and Unicorns of all ages, I have a special treat for you today!  Being a completely ego-free Empty Blue Digital Headache myself, I'm quite prepared to beg ask for help when I deem it necessary, so I shot an email to a successful Tyranid tournament player and blogger, hyv3mynd.  What follows is the response he wrote on his site synaps3.  

Brent from Strictly Average and Bell of Lost Souls honored me with an email today:

Tyranids in My Future... What's Up With That?

Okay, I'm stepping on myself a bit with this post, but I need some direction.  As I mentioned last night, we're doing a build project in our local area again, meaning all of us are starting or (picking up again from scratch, in some cases) new armies.  Last time we did this it was random, and I rolled Daemons - this time it's a personal choice.

Here's my acquisition - bagged up like drugs!

Taking the Bait: Dishing 'Advice'

I started the new job this week - yea me.  The money is okay but the benefits are unreal.

Yes, I sold out.  Big Brother is watching me.  I work for the State.

Strictly Average is taking a bit of a backseat this week since it'll take me a bit to develop new blogging routines, but I did want to take a moment to address some questions.  The last post was one of those awesome rarities: the comments were far more interesting than the article.

Not because articles are universally great but because comments are hard to come by.  People live busy lives; they'll read your stuff, but they're probably not slowing down to chat about it - that's true of every blog.

By the way... King: You're always free to comment with whatever is on your mind!  I know where it comes from, so don't sweat it, my man. 

Recap: Competitive Daemons

I'm struggling to fix the storage issue for pictures here on Strictly Average.  As most of you know, I'm a big believer in always giving the audience something to look at, so practically all of my almost 400 posts have had pics.

Big pics.  I also like giving you the option of clicking on them and zooming in!

Anyway, this post will take advantage of pics I already have on the server, plus I was inspired to write after reading GMort's comments on Yes, The Truth Hurts.

Here are the links in question:

GMort's Blog - it's in the links, of course.
Yes The Truth Hurts - was in the links; I had to update it.
The Daemons Forum at YTTH

Breaking Down an Idea: Part II of III

Does it seem pretentious to make this a 3-parter?  It does?

Good!  It's what I was going for.

CliffNotes: Brent does a pretentious and media-poor Part II 'cause he's gotta get ready to drive to the Comic-Con today!

Competitive is Consistent: Initial Thoughts, and on Daemons

CliffNotes: Brent answers a reader's question about Daemons!

Before we get started, check out my article on Blood of Kittens: The Int'l House of Paincakes Serves Up Pain!

Tom said...

Hi Brent, long time reader first time writer.  At least you wrote - that's a free blog post for me, so any of you fine folks out there wanna write, DO IT!

I too play daemons, though perhaps not as well as you. So true, so true... I'm super awesome I am.  I had a thought about a different way to build heralds, and wondered what you thought.