Where else to start with Slaaneshi Daemons but their most iconic unit? Nimble and deadly, these beautiful horrors can cut a swathe through an army without even breaking a sweat. That’s if they can get there first though.

Graceful yet Deadly.

I really love Daemonettes. These fast but very effective killers are probably the armies best troops unit, due to just how good they are in the assault phase. Coming with Weapon Skill 5, Initiative 5 ,two attacks and rending for just 9 points a model really is a steal, when you consider how all of their downsides (poor save, low leadership, low toughness) tend to be shared with the other troop choices of the army.

Now by themselves they are a pretty effective troops killer – I find it hard to believe that anything that has Toughness 3 will have much of a chance of standing up to them, or running away from their either. Attack +3″ to the units run move, that can then be re-rolled thanks to Fleet is something not to be underestimated and it means units will positively fly up the table.

I’ve seen games where players have managed to pull off a two wave effect, with a few units deep striking in to cause havoc, leaving an opponent to decide if they need to deal with the units about to assault them this turn, of the units that will assault them the next one. It’s a great psychological tactic and one that’s only so effective due to how fast the unit can move.

Metal Daemonette models, painted by Redbeard of Dakka Dakka.

Excess or restraint?

Now I recommend taking them in large numbers, or else having lots of small units. First of all, their base cost is so good, it would be a waste not to - a unit of 20 with a champion and a banner is just over 200 points, which is a steal.  Secondly, with only T3 and a 5+ Invulnerable Save, you will be losing a fair few models before you get to combat, so its best you either split an opponents fire with multiple small units, or have large units able to soak up that firepower.

As with Plaguebearers, I recommend the ‘less is more’ trend for what to give your Alluress. A single Lesser Reward roll is all you will usually need to give her some extra combat kick, if you even decide to get one at all due to the unit being so great at combat to start with. I suppose it may be useful to draw any hard-hitting characters into a challenge, where they will be denied inflicting damage on the unit for a turn- more often than not there’s a good chance you may be striking at the same time due to the champions great Initiative stat!

Now whilst their base stats are nothing to be sniffed at, to reach their full potential of nightmare inducing hellions, they need the addition of a Herald.

Converted Daemonettes and Fiends, by isotope99 of Warseer.

Masters of pain.

Where to start? Shall I lead with the amazing stats, the Locuses that give them so much flexibility, a pretty great set of psychic powers, or that all of this is available for 45 points base?!

Okay, okay, I’ll calm down. Exciting as all of the options you have for your Herald of Slaanesh, it’s also the main weakness of them, as you can easily find yourself adding more and more rewards until have a 150+ points monster…that still has only Toughness 3 and a 5+ save.

So its finding the best way to compliment the unit you are adding the Herald to and deciding what role you want the model to fulfil and sticking to it rigidly. For me, that means you should probably stay clear of the Psychic powers as they will slow down the unit and focus on having the Locus.

The Games Workshop Herald of Slaanesh model.

Again, theres no clear winner here, but if you want a cheap unit upgrade that helps with them getting to combat, you can’t go wrong with the Lesser Locus of Grace. Giving the unit they join Move Through Cover, means terrain is no longer a hindrance and you can safely shelter behind it, knowing that next turn you can comfortable walk through it and assault the following turn. The Greater Locus of Swiftness isn’t as useful because of their natural Initiative 5 (Initiative 7 for the Herald), but then if you feel like being able to strike in combat before almost everything else in the game, you couldn’t go worse than this.

Now onto the last Locus, the Exalted Locus of Beguilment. This is a good one, letting you choose your challenge opponents (which cannot be refused) and giving the Herald and the unit it joins re-rolls to hit in combat. It’s probably the best of the lot, but coming in at two thirds of the base cost of the Herald, it’s only worth taking if you have a large unit, to spread the cost of the upgrade out.

In the end, if you are thinking of taking a Mono Slaanesh army, well you lucked out with one of the best troop choices in the game.

If you can avoid cover as the unit have no grenades, a full unit of Deamonettes should have very little to fear except excessive firepower. I’ve seen these lovelys kill everything from Greater Daemons to those pesky Storm Shield Terminators. No go forth and enjoy!

Daemonettes are available from Firestorm Games, for only £16.20

My lord, what a stunning unit. Lithe, fast and very, very deadly. If you wanted a killer unit, you could go a lot worse. A canny opponent knows it too.

I’m taking a ride, with my best friends…

Do you like Daemonettes, but just get annoyed that they don’t move fast enough? Say hello to the Seekers of Slannesh. Daemonettes with an 18″ move, they WILL be assaulting your opponents units turn two, something really bad happens. Now admittedly terrain is still a bugbear, as you have no grenades and treat all difficult terrain as dangerous.But considering you are getting Actue Senses, Outflank, Cavalry movement and an extra attack for only 3 points more (on top of the very respectable Daemonette stats and abilities), its something that can be overlooked.

For the points, its mighty tempting to take a unit of 20, which will cost you just over 200 point and net you 120 attacks with Rending a turn. Thats painful for anything in the game and even units with 2+ saves are statistically likely to lose a large number of their squads. Throwing in a Rapturous Standard and Heartseeker almost seems like overkill.

A Pain That I’m Used To

After all the advertising of how good they are, it may come as no suprise that as soon as you plonk them down on the table, a smart opponent will make them priority number one. Even in a unit of 5-10 models, they can cause carnage, so the last thing they will want is a unit of two getting their uninjured. This is why you need to start getting tricksy.

The metal Julian Diaz Seekers of Slannesh, painted by LadyCassandra

For a start, unless you are over 2000pts, have several smaller units. If you are going to be running a mono Slaanesh force, its not as if you have anything else to fill Fast Attack with anyway. Outflank at least one unit with a Herald- it will allow for a multi wave approach and keep your opponent guessing what table edge you will be attacking from. With Acute Senses, whatever hole in their defences your opponent reveals, you should be able to exploit it.

Now talking of Heralds, like Daemonettes, they can have an important role to play in making the unit just so much better. Mounted on a Steel with the Locus of Beguilement probably enhances the units potential most, with a Herald and Heartseeker probably being able to rip the heart out of a combat focused squad whilst the Seekers (probably hitting on 3+’s re-rolled) mop up the rest.

Due to the squads speed, I’m even tempted to give them Pyschic Powers, as there are powers from both the Excess and Telepathy disciplines that rock. You are more likely to get something usable out of the Excess powers, but Telepathy makes up for it with some really powerful powers (Invisibility to name one) that synergise with a Seeker and Herald squad, should you be lucky enough to roll them.

Whatever you do, use terrain to your advantage and try to lock down an opponents movement before they can get into some and use it to negate your advantages. Seekers are still squishy and S3, so you need to use your speed to channel enemy units and more importantly, attack where you can do the most damage.

Daemonettes on Seekers by slaanesh-goddess

My next article will focus on the few models that break the S3/T3 barrier for Slaaneshii models- Fiends of Slannesh.

Seekers of Slannesh are available from Firestorm Games for only £15.75 . 

In between recording podcasts and working in real life, I often get into lengthy conversations about miniature wargames on Twitter (My handle is @ATT64 if you wanna say hi). The other day I made an interesting comment (for once lol) and I would like to explain in further detail what I have planned.

“We live in a golden era of miniature games, go forth and play ‘em all!” (The Voxman Pledge)

It should come as no surprise to any avid miniature wargamer that there is an absolute colossal ton of games now available to buy. With dozens of successfully fundraised kickstarter projects and entrepreneurs looking to make a name for themselves in the industry, its an exciting time to collect miniature games. The competition between these new games is frantic and often brutal as the general population dictates the ultimate fate of these new projects. We have the power to change the landscape of miniature wargames for the better

Over the break, I thought about my relationship with the games I currently own and play:

Warhammer Fantasy: Empire | Skaven | Dark Elves

Warhammer 40,000: Tau | Orks

Warmachine: The Protectorate of Menoth | Convergence of Cyriss

Firestorm Armada: Terrans

Dust Warfare: Sino-Soviet Union (SSU)

I realized that my relationship with games has changed significantly over the years and the free time I have available to me is much more restricted. I started off playing massive battles of 40K with 4 childhood friends on a ping-pong tale, using cardboard boxes to create expanding cities. I eventually transitioned to playing Warhammer Fantasy, which allowed me to further design detailed ranked up miniatures in the form of my Empire Averland State troop focussed army and my 210 Skaven horde. Overtime I desired more variety in my gameplay and tired many things both in 40K and fantasy, but I always found that it felt the same regardless.

I tried multiple small units, monsters, all cavalry armies and even using only one Hellpit Abomination (rebel). I discovered Warmachine around 2010 and even though I slowed down playing Fantasy, I still retained a deep love for that game. Now with regards to 40K, I really found that while I still appreciated the universe and the built-in complexities within the established codices. I didn’t like actually playing it. I am a firm believer that the fun focus of that game is around list construction (for tournaments or causal play) or potentially creating a thematic army. I just felt that the game was usually over in 30 minutes, but played out for 2 1/2 hours. Keep in mind that I don’t hate 40K by any means, I just realised it wasn’t the game for me.

I have played Warmachine for several years now, but for some reason I have been beginning to feel burnt out. Maybe, its the sole focus of the competitive scene or the sheer flood of new miniatures being added to the game, but for some reason I entered a hobby slump. Don’t get me wrong, if you phone me up and have an army I will play you! I love the game, but I guess I am tired of it’s one direction approach and needed some more variety. I played Dust Warfare and Firestorm with varying degrees of success, but with their scattered release schedules and rule hiccups. I have decided to wait and see.

Recently though, I have had a rather profound realization about my hobby. I want to try everything. That’s really it, I am tired of trying to be “The Tournament goer” or “The Hobbiest” or even “The Fluff Gamer”. I want to have fun, it’s really that simple. For so long, I have prided myself by bringing the best list I can make for a tournament or building an entire army around a narrative or trying to be a better painter/modeller. But where was the fun? When I played Blood Bowl, Dreadball and even to a lesser extent X-Wing, I realized that I had been so focussed on a particular aspect of this hobby that I ignored what makes a game fun and engaging.

I don’t have to own an entire complete range of miniatures or even be a hobby completest, I just want to have fun like I have always done playing miniature games.

So I say unto you fellow Wargamers and Warmongers, that I will try to play every and any game I can during 2014. I don’t have to own or buy every miniature, heck I don’t even have to be that good at playing the game. I just want to have the willingness to try to open my mind to other experiences that these new/old games are offering. At the very least I want to trim down my collections and gradually have a variety of miniatures from several game systems. Now of course, common sense and reality are also important here. I’m not throwing pots of money at every game system. At the heart of my goal is to at least try every game and if I like it, then perhaps collect a small amount for that game. Simple, nothing complicated.

So I ask you then? Are also going to take the Voxman Pledge? Are you going to investigate other games and explore what makes them fun and enjoyable?

If not? That’s ok too, because there’s always a variety of ways to have fun in this hobby, just promise yourself to try to have fun during 2014.

Cheers!

Adam, aka Mr Voxman

Whilst hardly the toughest of units, for a mono Slaanesh army, this is now your linebreaker, capable of delivering a knockout blow to your opponents forces if played right. All wrapped up in one, at least to me, ugly package.

Games Workshops ‘fiendishly’ ugly model. I’m so funny.

Swift and deadly

Coming in at 105 points basic for 3  Fiends, the unit does seem like a big initial investment. But when the unit has 9 wounds between them, its not too bad of a thing. What’s better is the Strength 4 the unit comes with, meaning that any non rending wounds will have a better effect on enemy units than the average  Strength 3 of most Slanneshi models.

The key part of this though is the delivery system. Being Beasts, Fiends can move 12″ and aren’t slowed by terrain in the slightest. Add a D6+ 3 run move and a 3D6 charge range (which can be re-rolled thanks to Fleet)  and they will be competing with Seekers of Slannesh as the fastest models in your army.

Its something I’m tempted to use as a one two punch, letting the main army advance up the board, whilst Seekers and Fiends  go up the flanks, confident they can keep up. That, or send them ahead as advance scouts, to wreak havoc on the enemy lines, confident they can keep them busy whilst the rest of your army (which won’t be far behind) catches up.

Fiends of Slannesh conversion by DrunkenBoxer on Dakka Dakka

Dazed and Confused

I haven’t even gotten to the best part of them yet either. Though a little reliant on the right circumstances, unless your opponent is Initiative 6 or better, even if charging a unit in cover you will be striking, at the very least, simultaneously, thanks to  Soporific Musk.

A unique special rule that means that any unit charged by Fiends will strike at -5 Initiative in combat. Its perfect for ganging up on one unit, as this will affect the entire combat, meaning that friendly units will also get its benefit.

I’ve even seen a somewhat sneaky interpretation of their rule too. As any unit reduced to Initiative 0 cannot attack that turn, most units will be unable to strike back in the first turn you charge them, which is a great is a great way to demolish a large number of the games best assault units. I wouldn’t use the tactic myself, but its something you can perhaps exercise when playing a very competitive person.

Slannesshi artwork from the Daemons Codex

So there you have it- a unit with a trick in its tail, Fiends of Slannesh are a great way of adding versatility to a force. Though a little squishy compared to the other gods’ elite units, they do enough to justify their inclusion in any Slannesshi force. The only problem for me is finding an alternative model!

Fiends of Slannesh are available exclusively from Games Workshop for £15.50

I have no idea what this is for, if anything, but it’s a Crimson Fist kicking, what looks like, a Word Bearer shitless.

montyreviews on YouTube takes a look at the new Warhammer: Visions magazine. Which saves me the time, money and bile…

In the first episode of 2014 there’s no shortage of things to talk about. Hobby progress, which makes Ashley mad. Games Workshop news, which makes Ashley mad. The new Tyranids release, which makes Ashley mad. And accounting, which makes Ashley mad.

Basically this is the episode where the gang, especially Ashley, channel me. Step in to my web!

Keep listening to the very end of the episode and you’re in for a very special Ashley related treat.

As always, episodes of ODAM are intended for grown-up ears and contains adult language and content from the start.

Listen to the episode here.

I’m a big fan of the Horus Heresy novels. I’m also a big fan of the Horus Heresy range of miniatures that Forge World are producing. And whilst I sit patiently waiting for Roboute Guilliman, Corax and Lion’el Johnson to be released  I look at all the various tanks and other curio that get released with the detached appreciation of someone who has accepted an all Forge World pre-Heresy Space Marine army is something that’ll happen to other people. However when I heard word that Kharn was being released I did consider putting some money aside from my Salute fund to pick him up. Of all the various secondary characters in the series, he’s one of my favourites. Far more complex a soul than any could appreciate, his descent into madness is more poignant than most.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from the model but I’m a bit disappointed. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s a lovely model with some gorgeous, subtle, detail but I would have liked to see less of the mindless killer facet of his personality and more the rage forged master warrior. Basically I don’t feel like it does enough to separate him from the 1998 box of Khorne Bezerkers in pose. And the un-helmeted head is a bit sucky.

That said, it still looks pretty bad ass but sadly not bad ass enough for me to buy him. Kharn will be available on the 28th February 2014 priced £30.

Next to my bed is a bedside unit. It’s a bit tired and one of the draw handles is busted and basically the whole thing needs replacing. Atop the unit, along with a lamp, the baby monitor cradle, loose change and my Salute ticket (I know, I know), is Horus Heresy: Mark of Calth. It is unread. It is unopened. And now slightly dusty. Despite me thoroughly enjoying Know No Fear, and the books that followed it, I’ve been struggling to find the desire to read it or any of the other Black Library novel. It seems, for the time being, I’ve had my fill of Bolter Porn. It took over a decade but it had to happen sooner or later. It’s not to say that I won’t go back – if nothing else I need to read Vulkan Lives by friend of The Shell Case, Nick Kyme.

A recent decision of mine, coupled with my bolter apathy got me to thinking; I’ve experienced this saturation point before…

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away Mat & I have started playing the X-Wing Miniatures Game. Whilst researching the timeline for the pre & post game narrative (because I just can’t help myself) I started to realise two things. 1. How long it had been since I’d indulged in this rich and fascinating Universe and 2. How much had changed, how far the story had moved on and how out of touch I’d become.

I started reading the Star Wars novels at the tender age of 13, with X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael A Stackpole being the first (thanks to my brother convincing me to pick it up). It was this book, and the others in the X-Wing series that were to follow, that kick started my love of reading and, I suspect, licensed fiction. I even took a stab at writing some myself. The file is still tucked away in a folder, unopened for half my life on the hard drive of the laptop I type on. Having migrated from 4 previous computers. Tisk tisk.

Looking back, I realise that the gulf I found growing between me and that Galaxy far far away was down to the prequel trilogy not living up to my – I think – pretty modest expectations and the New Jedi Order series (which came out around the same time) introducing far too much change for me to cope with. I’d found my stride with Star Was. I’d gotten to know all the characters, and some I outright admired. So when they started killing them off and blowing up planets I took it quite personally. My hormonal teenage mind could only take so much disappointment and my late teens had quite a bit in it already.

Back there and back then I thought it was easier to walk away and halt the story halfway through the third New Jedi Order novel, happy to focus on the era of the timeline I liked the best. I realise now how very…GW that was of me. As the years ticked by – 13 of them as it goes – I started to hear things that piqued my interest, plot developments that were radical, beloved characters being killed and brave plot twists that would incense the die-hard fans. But I ignored them, determined to keep my distance, determined to do nothing to threaten the happy little bubble within which the Rebels overthrow the Empire, they form the New Republic and they all live happily ever after. Until now.

As my excitement around the X-Wing Miniatures Game grows ever higher – which has nothing to do with Mat and I texting each other slightly more than is healthy about next purchases – I found my eye wandering increasingly to those novels that first introduced me to the Universe I loved so dearly and that I once again find myself calling home.

So as I put Mark of Calth back on the shelf with a pat on the spine knowing that I’ll be seeing it again soon, I turn to pick up X-Wing: Rogue Squadron. The book responsible for my love of Star Wars and the book responsible for all the other books in my life. Today is a good day to be me.

The rumours surrounding the Imperial Knights have been kicking around for ages. Since the rumours of the new Codex Space Marines start floating around in fact. Even to the extent that the rumours were pointing towards the Knight being in the Codex. As you know, we don’t get involved with rumours on The Shell Case so we’ve been waiting for some form of confirmation that the Knights are coming out. And now we have it.

I gotta say: they look pretty cool but also kinda like Warjacks…just saying. It is nice to see the Knights back in the 40k Universe. I had dozens of them back in my Epic/Titan Legion days. The recreation has been largely faithful which is kinda nice, but it’s good to see they’ve moved the design on.

I’m just braced for the price. Because it’s going to be a lot.

With just 5 days for us to take out small loans, rinse our credit cards, raid our children’s piggy banks or steal their new shoe money the Games Workshop have released a teaser trailer for the new Imperial Knight.

As per usual it shows feck all and gives us know indication of price but, hey, it’s gotta a pretty crest.

After a loooooooooooong wait Chaos Space Marine players can rejoice that a multi-part plastic Helbrute is finally on its way. By the looks of the leaked photos below there’s only one body option but several head pieces so kinda like the plastic Venerable Dreadnought for their loyalist counterparts. And, of course, a bunch of weapon options including plasma cannons, big smashy hammers and big smashy fists.

Interestingly it looks like they’ve opted for corrupted versions of the current Space Marine Dreadnought rather than a pre-Heresy/Contemptor version. I’m not disappointed perse it just would have been cool to see a wibbly Contemptor Dreadnought stomping about gaming boards.

The Imperial Knight really does look a bit awesome. And it’s release, judging by the cover shot below, is imminent. Spare underwear at the ready…

There’s a WIP shot of the kit below as well which gives you an idea of the scale, the posability of the model as well as the big shooty bang bang-ness of the weapons. And the copious amounts of air that you’ll trap inside the model once it’s built.

It’s time to break out the bondage gear, zip up the gimp masks, and think on the kinds of  Slaaneshi lists one could construct.

Overall when you go for mono Slaaneshi lists, it’s not a case of if you can build a fast army, it’s just asking yourself how fast you want it to be. Because make no mistake, Slaaneshi units are some of the fastest units a daemon player can field and an entire army of them will be across the board in three turns at most. But with that comes vulnerability, namely a low Toughness stat across the board for all of its aligned units.

So around this thought comes my first potential list. As per my Nurgle list article, all of them will be 1500 points.

The Fast and the Furious

Superbly painted models, posted by gonzosbignose on Warseer

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. Wings, Psyker level 2, exalted reward

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. Wings, Psyker level 2, exalted reward

3 Fiends of Slaanesh

3 Fiends of Slaanesh

10 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos. Alluress, lesser reward

10 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos. Alluress, lesser reward

10 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos. Alluress, lesser reward

6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

 6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

Seeker Cavalcade. 3 Seeker Chariots

Total: 1486 points

Fragile but deadly and almost entirely mounted, the idea of this army is for it to smash into your opponents army before they have a chance to take advantage of this lists fragility.

The Daemonette units with Instruments of Chaos are to help with not only Deep Striking, but to reduce the effects of a bad roll on the Warp Storm table, which will affect this type of army more than most.

The inclusion of chariots is a bit of a hypothetical at the moment as I’ve not gotten the chance to using them in a game – I hope to remedy that soon!

Death by 1000 Cuts

Herald of Slaanesh. Greater reward, Exalted Locus of Beguilement

Herald of Slaanesh. Greater reward, Exalted Locus of Beguilement

Herald of Slaanesh. Greater reward, Exalted Locus of Beguilement, Steel of Slaanesh

18 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

18 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

18 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

18 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

18 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

15 Daemonettes. Alluress, lesser reward

6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

Total: 1500 points

This army is very much the hoard, relying on cheap Deamonettes to do most of the work. Throw in the odd Herald or tougher unit like Seekers to deal with or delay any tough units the army encounters and the jobs a good’un.

Killer Queen(s)

Keeper of Secrets. Greater reward, level 3 psyker

Keeper of Secrets. Greater reward, level 3 psyker

12 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos

12 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos

12 Daemonettes. Instrument of Chaos

Soul Grinder. Mark of Slaanesh. Warp Gaze

Soul Grinder. Mark of Slaanesh. Warp Gaze

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. Wings, Psyker level 2, exalted reward, Warp-forged armour

Total: 1499 points

If you will forgive the slightly ludicrous title, this is a Monstrous Creature heavy list. A small few units of Deamonettes are around to act as objective holders whilst the heavies do their job and scare the bejezus out of your opponent!

Bringing it all together…

A balanced Slaanesh force painted by ArbitorIan from Dakka Dakka

Keeper of Secrets. Greater reward, level 3 psyker- 250 poin

Herald of Slaanesh. Greater reward, Exalted Locus of Beguilement

Herald of Slaanesh. Greater reward, Exalted Locus of Beguilement, Steel of Slaanesh

12 Daemonettes.Icon of Chaos. Alluress, minor reward

12 Daemonettes. Icon of Chaos. Alluress, minor reward

12 Daemonettes. Icon of Chaos. Alluress, minor reward

6 Seekers of Slaanesh. Heartseeker, lesser reward

3 Fiends of Slaanesh

Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. Wings, Psyker level 2, exalted reward

Total: 1496 points

Soul Grinder. Mark of Slaanesh. Warp Gaze

Having a more balanced force has its advantages. By combining the many different elements, you can get the hard-hitting and staying power of Monstrous Creatures and the speed of Seekers of Slaanesh. The only problem is fitting it all in  a 1500 point limit!

And with that, I’m done with Slaanesh for now. Come back next week when I will start (finally!) talking about Khorne. He’s already angry he’s been waiting his turn this long, so it will have to be a good one – or else!

The Slaanesh range from Games Workshop, along with many alternative models,  is available from Firestorm Games for a minimum of 10% off!

Play.
It.
Fun.

Three words, and a simple message, but for me at least they mark the beginning of a journey to reconnect with the roots of why I got into this fantastic hobby of ours in the first place.

“Fine”, you might say, “but why, Rob, are you bothering to tell the rest of us this?” Fair question. Over the last few years I have been more involved in the hobby and my local gaming community than at any time of my 25 years, or so, involvement in the hobby, and over the last 3 years in particular I have noticed (and this is particularly prevalent in the 40k community) a trend towards win at all costs gaming and a discourse mono-focused on the tournament scene as the arbiter of ‘what counts’ as a game of 40k and whether a new release is good or bad. Let me be clear about something up front: I have participated in the tournament scene in many ways over the years and I enjoy tournaments for the different focus they give to my games and approach to list-building. I have never gotten to the stage where tournament participation is the be all and end all of my gaming though and that seems to be where many in the community have ended up today. Again, if you are a player who enjoys tournaments so much that it’s the focus of your hobby then all credit to you, I am not sitting here criticising anyone else’s approach to the hobby. What I am concerned about, though, is the effect that the shift in emphasis towards tournaments as a primary mode of playing games does to new players entering the hobby.

The On-Ramp to Gaming Goodness

More and more, players are coming into gaming with the tournament scene forming their first impressions of what this community of ours is and what they should expect from joining it. This is worlds apart from the situation when many of the ‘old guard’ (and depressingly I probably have to count myself amongst them) [And me. -Ed] got into wargaming for the first time. Like many, I got into the hobby via the Games Workshop on-ramp; no-one can deny that over the years they have done a fantastic job of producing a product that sells brilliantly to the teenage market and draws us into the wider wargaming community. The ramp no longer exists in the way that it once did, and I think that’s a bad thing, because Games Workshop used to deliver something that independent stores find more difficult, simply because they aren’t focused on one company’s games.

Gone are the days where you would begin your journey by playing an intro game at Games Workshop and then maybe bring a squad or vehicle to join in on a Saturday in one of their huge battles with your friends, pitting yourself against the wits of the store staff on some crazy mission dreamed up by a key-timer whilst hung-over on a Saturday morning (yup, in the dim and distant past, I was that key-timer) [And me. -Ed]. You would complement these games with games against your friends at home, on the dining table, or floor, with crap scenery (everyone remembers books under tablecloths as hills, right?) and no aim other than to use as many of your models as possible and shoot loads of stuff. The rules, whilst not unimportant, were usually second fiddle to the cultivation of enjoyment.

In Games Workshop stores certainly, the rules were often tertiary. Staff would be called upon to arbitrate in occasional disputes during the “veterans” evenings (that have long since departed) and often store managers, in lugubrious mood, would cock an eyebrow and make up something on the spot that bore little relation to either the initial dispute or the rule book. But it didn’t matter, because the game was isolated from some ‘wider world’ of “the rules” vs “the fluff” (which seems to have become the medium of the back and forth between players these days.) These were the days when Games Workshop ran huge campaigns, like the Eye of Terror, Armageddon (for 40K) and The Storm of Chaos, Albion and The Nemesis Crown (for Warhammer) and it felt like they had the resources and the desire to engage the community as a whole and not solely ‘as customer’. Of course it would be naive to think that they weren’t aiming for a financial return off the back of these events, but at least as a gamer it felt like they were trying to involve you in something bigger than your local store and the ‘usual suspects’ that inhabited it for hours over the weekends and school holidays. More importantly it set the tone of new gamers’ understanding of what it meant to be a wargamer, to have a bloody good time, laugh a lot and maybe win. It simply doesn’t work this way any longer, and the shift in emphasis that the Games Workshop are bringing with their one-man store model is making it harder for new gamers to get anything other than a tournament-centric introduction to the hobby.

Where does it all begin?

There has been an explosion of independent gaming club/store combos in the last few years and this hybrid model, which let’s face it is modelled on the Games Workshop approach to combining gaming and selling spaces, has led to a massive increase in the number of tournaments run. Shops need to bring players in and tournaments are a fantastic vehicle for doing so, unlike Games Workshop, you can’t just set up a store in every town to increase your pull. To get the players they have to offer good prizes to make the travel worth-while, and prizes breed the kind of competitive approach that leads to net-list armies and “can’t be bothered” paint-jobs.

For me, the tournament scene works best as a way of delivering that sense of something ‘bigger’ than your local players and club hobby community, which we used to get from better engagement from Games Workshop and their big campaigns. Unfortunately, community and competition don’t always make comfortable bed fellows, and it is especially difficult for new players to pick their way from those first few friendly games at their local club through their first tournament with nothing in between.

What do we need to do?

It’s definitely not all doom and gloom though, and several of the podcasts I listen to (The Independent Characters, The Overlords, Dwellers Below, Garagehammer, ODAM (of course!), and many others) are already either trying to diagnose why things are “going bad” and or discussing how to turn this situation around. In both 40K and Warhammer scenes there is a general dissatisfaction with painting standards and the approach to playing the game, but we can meet this with positivity and attempt to shape the way it ends up, unlike the Games Workshop release schedule or codex content this is something we have a say in and, in fact, control over. Games Workshop has, quite obviously, never had any interest in the tournament scene. We do have an interest in the tournament scene; it’s our main way of meeting new gamers, playing different kinds of army and learning about how others approach the hobby. It’s also become the main ‘next step’ for new gamers, which is why it’s so important that we find a way to change our approach collectively.

What is Games Workshop doing?

We also have the recent positive developments from Games Workshop itself. There are three things I would bring up in this context: White Dwarf Weekly and the shift to weekly releases, the new Community Manager role, and the Imperial Knight release.

First up, White Dwarf and the weekly release schedule. After five weeks I think this has proven to be a good move. Ff course back in the old days, releases were always done this way and White Dwarf, whilst a monthly magazine, had a different role to fulfil. The tone is right in White Dwarf Weekly, focused on the hobby and the models with a smattering of rules content. I’ve heard people complain that they’d never buy a model without getting the codex/army book first and that the weekly schedule is a mistake. I disagree completely. For one thing there is already more talk (and it is positive talk) in the community about the releases each week, not less. Secondly Games Workshop are releasing rules alongside the models and they are the right rules, that give an insight into the army as a whole without giving the whole game away; they are the ‘right’ rules to be giving away in that they generate more talk and give all stores an opportunity to be a hub for chat about the hobby again, though I still believe that until they address the problems that the one-man staffing model causes in this regard, they won’t really be able to take the maximum advantage from it.

Secondly, the new community manager role. If taken at face value this promises to give Games Workshop a chance to listen and to adjust a few things. Now, of course, you could be negative and say it’s nothing more than lip-service to make it look as though they’re listening. I see no point in adopting that perspective, it brings us nothing and only serves to potentially dampen the impact that whoever gets that role will have. This role will report to the CEO, it will have the ear of the right people to effect the right changes and that has to be a positive thing. I have my own ideas what they could do, but we’ll just have to wait and see, it will obviously be a balance between risk and reward for Games Workshop.

Thirdly, the Imperial Knight release. Why? Well, just look at the social media channels; they are on fire with positivity about this release. It’s a classic “do no wrong” release, it’s straight out of the rich tapestry of background material that Games Workshop have to draw upon. It comes with a book that itself extends and expands that background and brings it to life with a model that is spot on. Finally I love it because of what it shows the top-tier of the company – that if they let their studio deliver content that is based on what they know the community love that it will sell by the bucket-full. For me, it’s as if someone in the main studio said “Hey, how about you let us act like we work at Forge World for a month and release that?”, someone (a very smart someone) said “sure why not” and the result is the awesomeness that is currently causing all of us die-hard gamers, who were last week depressed about how crap everything was and how Games Workshop were going out of business and couldn’t get it right, to cream our collective pants.

So, slowly, I believe changes are being made that will help us rejuvenate some of the jaded inhabitants of our community and we should take these changes as positively as we can and push them further through our clubs and events.

How to Play It Fun

So, Play It Fun, what is it? It’s not complicated, there’s no mandated approach, it’s not a demand to never play in tournaments, or to do more painting or anything specific. It’s simply a call to arms for anyone who wants to recapture that initial spark that got them interested in gaming in the first place, it’s a prod to get you to look at your and your opponent’s models on the table top and yell “this is frickin’ cool!” Bring this enthusiasm to your club, to your next tournament and encourage others to do the same.

As a friend recently said to me, the moment you start pretending to yourself that you aren’t just a 6-year-old shouting “pew-pew!” with toy soldiers is the moment you may as well pack up and go home. You’ve forgotten why you’re there.

Well, this all looks interesting…

Khorne units seem deceptively easy to use. Blunt, simple and direct, but there’s more nuance to them than first meets the eye.

The first thing you will probably notice about a unit of Bloodletters is that Strength 4 and Weapon Skill 5 they’re packing. Combined with Furious Charge and a close combat weapon with AP3 leaves no doubt as to how they are intended to be used in the game. It goes some way towards explaining why the unit will cost more at base than other Troop choices in a Chaos Daemon army too.

But regardless of this, they have some fundamental weaknesses and redundancies that make me unsure if they are the combat powerhouses people take them for. Make no mistake, they’re very awesome for a troops choice. But they are only good at one type of combat alone, so I would hesitate to say they are as good as something like Daemonettes, which stand a better chance in all sorts of combat situations.

Bloodletters, painted by the MyTraitorGuard blog

Regardless though, the unit still has a darn impressive stat line – even if Toughness 3 is something that means that Imperial Guard stand a good chance against them in combat with sufficient numbers. Still, with Ballistic Skill 5 you can be assured that any daemon army that needs some protection from fliers can look no further. Khorne cares not where the blood flows from after all, even if it takes a while for it to fall from 50,000 feet.

I’m tempted to take the unit in large numbers to not only terrify your opponent, but to also soak up the losses that having a Toughness 3 and only a 5+ Invulnerable save brings. It also means that if the unit encounters something with a 2+ save, there’s more wounds to soak up the damage whilst the mandatory champion upgrade with the Etherblade upgrade hacks through them.

It’s either that or Deepstriking smaller units in, letting faster units like Bloodcrushers with icons create precision strikes.

Converted Bloodletters, by Alex Kolodotschko on Dakka Dakka.

When it comes to including a Herald in the unit, whereas other Heralds add different dimensions or utilities, the Khorne Herald just makes then better at killing things. The Greater Locus of Fury never seems to bring enough of a benefit to outweigh its negatives and whilst the Exalted Locus of Wrath is fun, I would be tempted, if going for a mostly infantry force, to stick him on a Blood Throne of Khorne instead. Whereas the cheap and cheerful Lesser Locus of Abjuration can make a large section of your army pretty resistant to Daemonic Instability.

In the end, Bloodletters can be seen as a specialised troops choice for taking out medium to heavy infantry units. They will suffer against anything too hard due to their low toughness, high cost per model, and AP3 in combat – but will give everything else a run for their money. They’re a unit that needs other things to work alongside them to let them fulfill their role well.

But when you manage to pull something off with them, your opponent won’t forget in a hurry.

Bloodletter artwork used by Games Workshop for the Daemons Codex.

Next time I’ll be taking Flesh Hounds of Khorne

*Lets not talk about the token 6+ save wooo, Bloodletters are safe if one day Imperial Guard rifle butts negate invulnerable saves.

Bloodletters are available from Firestorm Games priced £16.20.

It seems that the Imperial Guard are no more. At least not in the sense that we’ve known and loved them all these years. It seems they are now the Space Army – or Astra Militarum. I suspect this is the catch all organisational term applied to the Imperial Armed Forces – so the Guard, the Munitorum etc etc.

Either way, the cover is gorgeous. This may have to be a purchase. And may well mean I finally collect my air cavalry army.

And just to emphasis the departure from the traditional guard here’s a shot of the new Taurox and the Tempestus Scions. The former looks like some God-awful kitbash from a WWII half track, some Sister of Battle kits, an Ork Wagon and a few spare Imperial components. Tha latter look like a merging of the awesome Kasrkin models and the atrocious original plastic Stormtrooper models. I strongly urge Guard players the world over to buy up as many Kasrkin models as you can because I think there’s going to be some quite iffy models to accompany this release.

It looks like this Codex could be the biggest army shake up ever.

The Flak Tank looks awesome and is a welcome, and long-awaited, addition to the Imperial Guard arsenal. The Ogryns kinda look like the love children of Sloth from the Goonies…

Sloth Love Chunk…y guns.

Allegedly called Darog’s regiment the range includes a Ogryn officer – presumably Darog and a grizzled veteran type with a very well-kept moustache. The models are pretty heavily stylised, with lots of chap angles and lots of little nods towards the Ogre Kingdoms models. Particularly with regards to the footwear and a penchant for protecting the gut area.

The Hydra looks way cool. I can see this kit being a big seller as gamers the world over will want to add it to their Guard (Militarum) armies as well as make use of all the cool bits for conversions. I’d happily stick that turret on a Rhino. Sadly, from the picture, it looks like the rumoured replacement Guard is a fiction and the Basilisk, that could really do with an update, is also staying as is.

I have absolutely no details, just this snapshot of a model that can only be the arch-traitor himself. Looking pretty fecking awesome. Whilst I’ve liked all the Primarch models none have moved me to the buy them. Until now. For the first time ever I can say I need this model…and the painting ability to do it justice.