Review/Drinking Game: Warhams 40k 7Ed: Send Help

[Koumei]

Well, I don't really know what to do with a bunch of non-Relentless T 3 Armour 3+ models with short range heavy weapons, as I mentioned before, and we don't know how the Knights are going to turn out. Emails for backers suggested they are going the heavy firearm route with some melee weapon options for squad leaders, but it could still end up looking like they're wearing power armour.

So until I can decide what to do, I'm just leaving them out.

As for Exorcist squadrons, they're supposed to be pretty rare. I know, "so are Land Raiders", but I might leave "three Exorcists" to special formation options in the Mandatory Decurion.

[Username17]

Ladies with multimeltas and power armor are one of the few models that actually exist for Sisters of Battle, so obviously you're going to want to allow people to take them in squads. Retributor is as good a name for such as a squad as any.

Now, the Multimelta is actually kind of a dumb weapon in 40K. Its super tank busting range is only 12", and as a heavy weapon that means that your super tank busting range is actually no larger than that of a regular melta gun on foot. (6" oftank busting after a 6" move us still 12"). And you can't follow up on your tank buster blast with an assault or extend your range with troop transports or jump packs.

This is not to say that the multimelta doesn't have strategic utility. If you place some multimeltas at a point your opponent has to (or wants to) approach, you can do your tank busting shot without moving towards your opponent. And you can kill terminators out to 2 feet, which ain't nothing. If you spent the first turn moving them into position to contest an objective, they'd make sending hard targets after that objective into a dicey proposition.

Really it just comes down to cost. An all-multimelta squad isn't as tactically useful as a squad of Firedragons, but it has a 3+ save and if it's competitively costed it would make a decent enough objective holding unit. If you wanted them to have abilities that benefited their role, you could give them things like improved cover saves or the ability to contest objectives at under half strength. But really it comes down to the fact that if they cost less than Fire Dragons they are probably worth taking.

-Username17

[Koumei]

That sounds reasonable, actually. I mean, if I bullshit up a reason for them to be Shrouded, then they can sit in a shrubbery and have a 3+ Armour AND 3+ Cover, there are few things that utterly bypass both. The things that can also tend to have to be within ~6" because the weapons are Flamer Templates, and they also tend to be armoured things that Multi-Meltas love to blow up.

[OgreBattle]

How about they can deep strike and fire heavy weapons on the same turn so they multi-melta a squadron of tanks off the board (before dying to return fire). Can name them after the pillars of fire that YHWH likes to use to communicate with humans.

They can use drop pods or have jump packs.

[Koumei]

There we go, Retributors are a thing now. When their Faith Rating gets high enough, they can scratch out the normal effects and become harder to kill with regular Low AP weapons (including assault). They're more expensive than regular sisters by a fair amount, cheaper than Fire Dragons, and basically have a specific role.

[Username17]

How about they can deep strike and fire heavy weapons on the same turn so they multi-melta a squadron of tanks off the board (before dying to return fire). Can name them after the pillars of fire that YHWH likes to use to communicate with humans.

They can use drop pods or have jump packs.

There's no reason for such a squad when the army already uses regular meltas. Jump pack troops with melta guns are better than jump pack troops with multimeltas. Not to mention that the multimelta models don't have jump packs. But if you can move 12" and fire your assault melta guns, that's 18" of tank busting, compared to only 12" of firing multimeltas.

The only purpose of having multimeltas at all is to put them in a defensive position. Anything involving derp striking could be done better and with less special rules using the regular melta troops.

Multimelta + Shroud and Infiltrate would be pretty boss. But even with a bullshit "can fire heavy weapons while derp striking" rule, they'd still be flatly inferior to Seraphim with inferno pistols - which the army also has. Yes, coming down from the sky and laying the hate on an expensive enemy vehicle is cool, but Seraphim inferno pistol squads can already do that, and if they survive the next turn will be able to do something more effective by moving long distances and firing again (and then assault with melta bombs afterwards, if appropriate).


As long as this model exists, there is by definition no use for the multimelta model in a deep strike or assault role.

-Username17

[Koumei]

Multimelta + Shroud and Infiltrate would be pretty boss.

I was tempted to add Infiltrate. But I could only thematically justify Shrouded as an Act of Faith, and Infiltration implies that these power armoured warriors with weapons the size of their torsos are either sneaking ahead of the main force (like Scouts. Apparently you should always do a coinflip when deciding which of those rules to give because there is no "This is caused by X flavour thing, that is caused by Y") or are actually infiltrating by schmoozing with the local (potentially xenos or heretical) populace, getting some pointers and maybe a lift, and hiding amongst the enemy for a bit.

When the enemy can look like this:


It was just one of those "How do I justify it?" things. Besides, with the delay on their Shroudedness, it's actually better for them to spend 1-2 turns moving into position and not shooting. I think that should be okay, As much fun as it can be to deploy someone with a vehicle-exploder and a 3+ Cover Save really close to enemy vehicles, I'm resisting the urge to do just that.

[Koumei]

LORD OF WAR CHOICES

The Hieromartyr, Saint Celestine (250 point)


Very little is known of Celestine’s life before she was declared a Living Saint, but following her apotheosis during the Palatine Crusade she became a warrior imbued with the divine power of the Emperor.

Celestine is borne aloft on a column of divine radiance and attended by cherubs and doves. She is clad in a suit of shining golden armour, and wields a blade wreathed in fire – a blade so bright none can bear to look upon it. All of noble heart who gaze upon Celestine and dare meet her eyes are filled with adoration, whilst those whose souls harbour evil and corruption are struck with terror. Celestine’s influence upon the Orders Militant, for whom she has become the focus of total veneration, is indeed miraculous. She is now a Living Saint, a mysterious warrior who appears in times of great need and whom the Sisters of Battle would willingly follow to the centre of the Eye of Terror were she to lead them there.

Saint Celestine has fought at the vanguard of numerous Wars of Faith, and hundreds of thousands of heretics have met a bloody end at the hands of her armies. It is said that she has fallen in combat several times, having been dealt a mortal blow by one of the Imperium’s many enemies. However, each and every time she has miraculously returned to life, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. To the astounded faithful that see her rise again, Celestine has stated that she will die only when the Emperor himself claims her, and not a moment before.

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Saint Celestine	7	7	4	5	4	7	4	10	2+

Unit Composition: Saint Celestine (Unique)
Unit Type: Jump Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Wings (treated as Jump Pack), Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades
Special Rules: Faithful, Guidance, Fearless, Hit & Run, Martyrdom, Shield of Faith, Eternal Warrior
Warlord Trait: Beacon of Faith

Miraculous Intervention: Saint Celestine the Hieromartyr will only die when claimed by the Emperor, and no sooner. If she is removed as a casualty, leave a marker in her position. At the beginning of your next Player Turn, make a Leadership Test using Saint Celestine's unmodified Leadership value. If the test is failed, remove the token: she is permanently removed as a casualty, and Victory Points can be awarded as normal (such as for First Blood or Slay the Warlord). If the test is passed, place Saint Celestine back into play, as close to the token as possible without entering Impassable Terrain or being within 2” of an enemy model. She regains 1d3 Wounds, and the opposing player is awarded no victory points for her death.

Blazing Fury: Saint Celestine is one of the few who is without a doubt supernatural in nature. She can sweep through enemies like a hurricane and collide with enemy forces with an almighty explosion that causes sheer terror.
If Saint Celestine's Faith Rating is more than 7 and she is not attached to a unit, she may ignore the regular effects. If doing so, she gains the Stomp special rule, and the Ardent Blade gains the Deflagrate special rule for both profiles.

Holy Relics:
The Ardent Blade: this flame-wreathed blade is said to be the Emperor's wrath made manifest. Regardless of the veracity of this statement, it can deliver the wielder's wrath effectively against most foes.
This weapon has two profiles:

• Range: Template S 5 AP 4 Assault 1 Torrent
• Range - S +2 AP 3 Melee Master-Crafted, Specialist Weapon

Armour of Saint Katherine: ever since this revered suit of armour was anointed with a vial of blood from the martyred Saint Katherine, it has been believed to have sacred powers of protection.
The Armour of Saint Katherine confers a 2+ Armour Save and a 4+ Invulnerable Save.

How do I model her? Either use Saint Celestine from GW, or... there's a close equivalent with Anima Tactics if you really want, or use Erzebel from TGG2.

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Liberator Super-Heavy Battle tank (500 points)



All made to broadly similar yet never identical specifications, only from *mostly*-salvaged STC data, these massive tanks are extremely rare even by the standards of Baneblade variants. Requiring entire squads of Adepta Sororitas crew just to keep them fully active, they are a huge investment with an equally huge pay-off: the ammunition they unleash into their enemies can astound and horrify, and with each variant using different armaments, there is no one tactic for staying safe. Often seen leading columns of Immolators, they can demolish entire city sections and send enemy forces fleeing - a futile effort to escape.

Model	BS	FA	SA	RA	HP
Liberator	4	14	13	12	9

Unit Composition: 1 Liberator
Unit Type: Super-Heavy Vehicle (Tank)
Wargear: Smoke Launchers, Searchlight, Hull-Mounted Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter, Turret-Mounted Vulcan Mega-Bolter
Special Rules: Shield of Faith

All Power to the Main Gun!: if the Liberator remains stationary in the Movement Phase, then in the Shooting Phase it may fire the Vulcan Mega-Bolter twice, whether at the same target or two different ones. This rule has no effect if the Vulcan Mega-Bolter is exchanged for a different weapon.

Options:
The Hull-Mounted Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter may be exchanged for one of the following:

• Twin-Linked Heavy Flamer (free)
• Twin-Linked Multi-Melta (10 points)
• Flamestorm Cannon (20 points)
• Avenger Bolt Cannon (35 points)
• Inferno Cannon (50 points)

The Turret-Mounted Vulcan Mega-Bolter may be exchanged for one of the following:

• Titan Inferno Gun (25 points)
• Titan Melta Cannon (50 points)
• Hellhammer Cannon (75 points)
• Volcano Cannon (100 points)

Up to two pairs of Sponsons may be added, each sponson equipped with one Autocannon and one of the following:

• Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter (40 points per pair)
• Twin-Linked Heavy Flamer (40 points per pair)
• Twin-Linked Multi-Melta (50 points per pair)
• Twin-Linked Volkite Culverin (50 points per pair)
• Flamestorm Cannon (60 points per pair)

Any pair of Sponsons may exchange the Autocannons for one of the following:

• Multi-Meltas (free)
• Assault Cannons (10 points per pair)
• Lascannons (10 points per pair)
• Flamestorm Cannons (15 points per pair)

The Liberator may take up to two Exorcist Missile Launchers (80 points each)

Any of the following may be taken:

• Up to two Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolters (10 points each)
• A Hunter-Killer Missile (10 points)
• Laud Hailers (25 points)
• Holy Iconography (25 points)
• Inferno Shells (50 points)
• Blessed Ammunition (50 points)
• Holy Promethium (50 points)

How do I model this? Start with the Super-Heavy kit of your choice and just mod the fuck out of it. Alternatively you could go mental using card stock and constructing your own beast, just adding weapons from your bits box. It's actually pretty easy to make an acceptable-looking thing out of card and stuff for the massive tanks.

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Freja Class Battle Engine (350 points)



Supposedly named after a Saint of times past, these war machines resemble Imperial Knights, although others draw uncomfortable comparisons to the Penitent Engines and the bizarre titans of Khorne. Nonetheless, the comparison to Knights is *probably* the most apt, and they hold a similar role, using a variety of powerful (yet not Titan-class) ranged weapons alongside destructive melee weapons. Unfortunately lacking the ion shields, they are also known to have unstable, overtaxed reactors, and a propensity to act of their own volition, the machine spirits willing to sacrifice themselves if it would mean killing more enemies.

Model	WS	BS	S	FA	SA	RA	I	A	HP
Freja Battle Engine	4	4	10	13	12	12	4	4	6

Unit Composition: 1 Freja Battle Engine
Unit Type: Super-Heavy Vehicle (Walker)
Wargear: two Reaper Chainswords, one Inferno Cannon
Special Rules: Shield of Faith, Flank Speed, Hatred (Forces of Chaos)
*Forces of Chaos: anything taken from Chaos Space Marines, Daemons of Chaos, or a supplement which treats either of those books as a parent Codex.

Uncontrollable Frenzy: at the start of the controlling player's Movement Phase, they may declare the Engine is going berserk. Roll 1d3, and subtract that many Hull Points, with no saving throws of any kind allowed. If this reduces it to zero Hull Points, it automatically suffers a Titanic Explosion. Otherwise, it adds the number rolled to its Initiative and Attacks characteristics and all movement distances (including Run and Charge) until the end of the Player Turn. However, until the beginning of the controlling player's next turn it completely loses all benefits of the Shield of Faith rule.

Options:
The Battle Engine may exchange one Reaper Chainsword for one of the following:

• An Avenger Bolt Cannon (10 points)
• An Avenger Gatling Cannon (25 points)
• A Thermal Cannon (50 points)
• An Acheron Pattern Flame Cannon (50 points)

It may exchange the other Reaper Chainsword for one of the following:

• A Thunderstrike Gauntlet (10 points)
• A Tempest Warblade (50 points)
• A Reaper Chainfist (75 points)

How do I model these? start with one of the expensive Imperial Knight kits, and just make conversions more or less as you see fit. You can take it in a cathedral-topped direction or a "Massive Penitent Engine" direction or just a "Knight with Adepta Sororitas iconography and paint scheme" direction.

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So what next? Well, the remaining five Special Characters. Also I really should go back through everything and add a paragraph or two of flavour text for each unit.

[OgreBattle]

Deflagrate feels like what soulblaze should've been. People violently erupting into flames and setting their friends on fire as they run around screaming also fits the imagery of the Sisters. Perhaps it can be something that activates via Faith Points.

[Koumei]

UNIQUE CHARACTERS (HQ CHOICES(

Prioress Serenity (125 points)

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Prioress Serenity	5	6	3	3	3	4	2	10	3+

Unit Composition: Prioress Serenity (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Power Armour, Rosarius, Power Sword, Frag and Krak Grenades
Special Rules: Faithful, Guidance, Stubborn, Shield of Faith, Independent Character, Martyrdom, Ascendant Guidance
Warlord Trait: Inspiring Orator

Paragon Blessings: much like the legendary Saint Helena the Virtuous, just to be around Prioress Serenity is inspiring and supernatural, driving allies to fight harder. If she is attached to a unit of Infantry, the entire unit gains Shield of Faith.

Holy Relics:
The Imperial Crystal Sceptre: crafted from one solid piece of crystal, this rod houses a power generator that allows it to channel beams of light towards enemies. However, it has been known to overload and injure even the user with deadly feedback.
This weapon functions as a Power Maul, but can also be fired as a ranged weapon:
Light Rays: Range 18" S 5 AP 2 Assault 3, Blind

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Canoness Amity (100 points)

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Canoness Amity	4	7	3	3	3	4	2	10	3+

Unit Composition: Canoness Amity (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Power Armour, Photon Flares, Bolt Pistol, Auspex
Special Rules: Shield of Faith, Guidance, Faithful, Independent Character, Ascendant Guidance, Martyrdom
Warlord Trait: Inspired Tactician

The Unseen Hand: somehow, Canoness Amity can arrange things so that people arrive where needed right on time. Stranger still, her plans always seem to go ahead without her taking overt action. She is always Obscured, as is any unit she joins, thus gaining a 5+ Cover Save. Additionally, select one friendly unit of Infantry. That unit gains the Infiltrate special rule - if she begins the game joined to the unit, she gains the rule as well.

Holy Relics:
Aqua Rhapsody: looking to most like a finely-crafted Ryza-pattern Storm Bolter, this actually requires a special fuel and power source as it unleashes bolts of pressurised gases at temperatures close to absolute zero. Enemies subjected to the intense cold bursts released when the ammunition de-pressurises against them are barely able to act.
This has the following profile: Range 24" S 4 AP 4 Assault 2 Concussive, Strikedown, Pinning

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Saint Ravia (100 points)

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Saint Ravia	5	5	3	3	3	4	3	10	3+

Unit Composition: Saint Ravia (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Power Armour, Rosarius, Frag Grenades, Melta Bombs, Purity Seals, Chainsword
Special Rules: Stubborn, Faithful, Shield of Faith, Guidance, Independent Character, The Passion
Warlord Trait: Pure of Will

Catechism of Celerity: Saint Ravia has the Hit and Run special rule, and bestows it upon any unit of Infantry she joins.

Aura of Sanctity: all models, friend or foe, with the Daemon rule lose the benefits provided by it when within 6" of Saint Ravia. The benefits are re-gained when more than 6" away. Additionally, friendly models that attempt to Deep Strike to a point within 6" of her do not scatter.

Holy Relics:
Mars-Pattern Flame Projector: crafted on Mars based on an STC salvaged by Ravia herself, this weapon can scour the surrounding area with flames or unleash them in a longer-distance burst, hitting with greater fury.
This is a Flamer, however it can also be fired with the following alternate profile:
Range Template S 5 AP 5 Heavy 1 Torrent, Rending

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Palatine Litira (100 points)

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Palatine Litira	6	4	4	4	3	5	3	10	3+

Unit Composition: Palatine Litira (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Power Armour, Bolt Pistol, Frag and Krak Grenades
Special Rules: Fearless, Shield of Faith, Faithful, Guidance, Independent Character, The Passion
Warlord Trait: Holy War

Field Prowess: if Palatine Litira begins the game attached to a unit of Infantry, that unit gains the Fleet and Crusaders special rules for the rest of the game.

Holy Relics:
Shock Gauntlets: although they appear to be relatively small power fists, they seem to harness the lightning without having power cells - they truly channel electricity from unknown sources.
The Shock Gauntlets are a pair of Lightning Claws with the Haywire special rule.

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Sister-Sabine Mina (100 points)

Model	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Sister-Sabine Mina	5	6	3	3	3	4	2	10	3+

Unit Composition: Sister-Sabine Mina (Unique)
Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
Wargear: Power Armour, Melta Bombs, two Volkite Serpenta
Special Rules: Stubborn, Shield of Faith, Faithful, Guidance, Independent Character, War Hymns, Precision Shots
Warlord Trait: Indomitable Belief

Armour of Zeal: such is the joyous zeal and vigour of the Sister-Sabine that she re-rolls all failed saving throws granted by Shield of Faith, as do all friendly models within 12 inches.

[Koumei]

Okay, all but the Sailor Senshi have descriptions now, even if they're pretty short.

Some time tomorrow I will do the Decurion which will, in accordance with Imperial Doctrine (ie the whims of GW when making these), be both arbitrary and unbalanced.

But I'll at least try to keep it under a certain threshold of arbitrary and unbalanced, where people say "At least it's not as bad as the _____ one".

Meanwhile, here's a freebie review:

They're releasing new "START COLLECTING" box sets, which are $140 AUD but something like $85 USD because fuck Australia amirite guys? In the case of Tau this is almost 50% off buying the individual units, but I think even the "worst" deal is 10-15% off. Because I like assembling and painting, I'm probably going to grab one, but each of these comes with a special "Here you go, you can field these as a formation, plug and play!" datasheet. Which isn't a terrible idea. And somebody leaked them, so let's get started:

AD-MECH - Dominus Mantiple

Wait, if it's Skitarii there, why is there a Dominus?" "To deliver pizza."

So it's Skitarii (vanguard + Onanism Dunecrawler) with a Cult Mechanicus Tech Priest Dominus. Apparently their books are getting combined into one later this year. Anyway, here's what the formation does: (each turn?) in the Shooting Phase you can select one enemy unit within 18" and LoS of the Dominus. Everyone else in the formation is Twin-Linked against that target. This is handy and useful in a generic way.

This is also one of the contenders because I kind of like the imagery and would like to paint some green.

TYRANIDS - Hive Vanguard


Hive Tyrant + Gargoyles + Warriors. Presumably there's nothing stopping you from making it a Flyrant, which is the only correct choice (the Internet said so). If the Gargoyles are close to the Tyrant at the start of the turn you can immediately pull them from the field and redeploy them via Deep Strike. I don't think it heals them or anything, you can just pull them out of assault or fling them across the board. If they land near the Warriors, they don't scatter. That has its uses but they're just Gargoyles.

This is one of the contenders because I already have a bunch of (pink) tyranids and would be happy to add more.

NECRONS - Retribution Phalanx


Overlord + Warriors + Scarab Swarms + Triarch Stalker. Any time the Scarabs or Warriors are destroyed (as in, the entire unit), at the start of your next turn you can just redeploy them next to the Overlord. So enemies have to kill him first. Nothing stops you from taking five of these formations and just having a force that's very hard to kill off. Has its uses.

This is one of the contenders because Necrons look rad, and I want to either go for a metallic green glow, or a metallic pink glow (with the "solid colour" things like the orb and the Stalker have just pure pink, not metallic). Only drawback is I already have that exact same Overlord.

ASTRA MILITARUM - The Armoured Shield


One infantry squad, one heavy weapon squad, one Commissar (Lord?), one Lemon Ruski. What a mess of pieces there. The infantry all get a 4+ Cover Save when standing next to the tank.

This is not a contender for my choice.

TAU - Ethereal Honour Guard


One Ethereal on hoverdrone (YEAR OF THE HOVERBOARD PEOPLE), three Crisis Suits, squad of Fire Warriors (either flavour, with turrets and stuff). This lets you sort of slingshot your Fire Warriors around a little bit: pick one model that's close to the Ethereal. Remove the rest of the models, then place them back on the table in coherency. So you can get some models to move over 12" that way, but it's kind of fiddly and situational.

Even though bold pink crisis suits might look really cool, this is not a contender for my choice.

SPESS MEHRINS - Firespear Strikeforce


Terminator Captain, Tacticool squad, Venerable dread. In the Movement Phase, one unit close to the captain can shoot instead of moving. Then shoot again in the shooting phase.

This is not a contender for my choice.

There you go. Those were short and easy, kind of like your mum.

[Stahlseele]

So, what, did the AdMech decide:"Defiler eh? Take out the Demon and the Arms and WE WANT THAT!"?

[name_here]

Presumably a Defiler is what you get when a daemon gets its hands on the AdMech thing.

[Koumei]

DECURION: BATTLE MISSION OF THE ADEPTA SORORITAS

A Battle Mission has, at its core, at least one Core Choice (a Deliverance Conclave, although future books may offer additional Core Chocies). For each Core Choice, it may optionally have one Command Choice, up to six Auxiliary Divisions and one Extremis Division.

Formation Benefits:

Guided Strategy: if the Warlord is chosen from this formation and rolls on the Adepta Sororitas Warlord Table, she may choose to re-roll her Warlord Trait.

Resolute Faith: all units in the formation may choose to ignore any or all modifiers to their Faith Rating on any turn, whether ignoring penalties or ignoring certain bonuses to reach a specific number the controlling player desires.

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Core Choices (1+)

Deliverance Conclave
1 Palatine or Canoness*
0-1 Sororitas Command Squads
0-1 Ministorum Priests
1-2 Celestian Choirs
3-6 Erelim Choirs
0-2 Schola Initiates
0-1 of: Hashmalim Choir, Seraphim Choir, Chayot Choir
0-1 of: Retributor Choir, Ophanim Choir, Mehabelim Choir
*In place of the Canoness or Palatine, you may select Prioress Serenity, Canoness Amity, Saint Ravia, Palatine Litira or Sister-Sabine Mina

Formation Benefits:
Trigger Discipline: when firing on Overwatch, models in this detachment fire at Ballistic Skill 2, and weapons with the Wall of Death rule score one additional automatic hit.

Dedication Through Sacrifice: if the Palatine or Canoness (or replacement Character) is attached to a unit of Erelim from this formation, the unit may choose to burn themselves out for their cause: they may use Divine Guidance more than once per game, but each time after the first, their weapons also gain the Gets Hot rule.

Command Choices (0-1 per Core Choice)

Battlefield Guidance Conclave
1 Canoness*
0-2 Palatines**
0-1 Sororitas Command Squads per Canoness or Palatine
1-3 Celestian Choirs
*Instead of a Canoness, you may select Prioress Serenity, Canoness Amity or Saint Celestine.
**Instead of a Palatine, you may select Saint Ravia, Palatine Litira or Sister-Sabine Mina.

Formation Benefits:
Battlefield Resolve: any friendly unit within 6" of at least three units from this formation is Fearless and Relentless.

-

Sacred Coordination Point
1 Canoness
1 Sororitas Command Squad
1 Imperial Bastion
1 Aegis Defence Line

Restritions: the Canoness and Sororitas Command Squad must begin embarked upon the Imperial Bastion, and the Aegis Defence Line must be placed within 12" of the Imperial Bastion.

Formation Benefits:
Hallowed Ground: the Imperial Bastion gains the Shield of Faith and Faith-Inspiring rules. If the Aegis Defence Line has a Gun Emplacement, it gains the Shield of Faith special rule, as does any unit attached to it.

Firestorm: once per game, if the Imperial Bastion has not been destroyed and the Canoness is embarked upon it, the controlling player may issue a firestorm bombardment, using the following profile:

Range Infinite S 6 AP 3 Ordnance 1 Large Blast, Barrage, Ignores Cover, Soul Blaze

Line of Sight does not need to be drawn, but no Ballistic Skill is ever subtracted from the Scatter value, even if the Bastion can draw Line of Sight..

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Auxiliary Divisions (0-6 per Core Choice)

Divine Intervention Division
0-1 Palatines*
3-5 Seraphim Choirs
0-1 Avenger Strike Fighter Squadrons
*Saint Celestine may be taken instead of a Palatine.

Restrictions: the Palatine must have a Jump Pack. The entire formation must start in Deep Strike Reserves, except for the Avenger Strike Fighter Squadron which may begin in regular Reserves.

Formation Benefits:
Descent of Angels: when rolling for Reserves, roll once for the entire detachment. Once they enter play, first place the Palatine or Saint Celestine, if included. If Saint Celestine is included, do not roll for scatter. Afterwards, place the Seraphim Choirs. If they are placed such that at least one model is within 6” of the Palatine or Saint Celestine, they do not scatter. Finally, the Avenger Strike Squadron, if included, enters play normally. After all units have arrived, all friendly units within 12” of any part of the formation instantly Regroup if they were retreating.

Air-to-Ground Suppression: for the duration of the Player Turn in which the formation enters play, the shooting attacks of the entire formation gain the Pinning special rule.

-

Rapid Response Division
0-1 Canonesses*
2-4 Hashmalim Choirs
0-2 Chayot Choirs
0-1 Ophanim Choirs
0-1 Lightning Fighter Craft Squadrons
*Prioress Serenity or Saint Ravia may be taken in place of the Canoness.

Restrictions: the Canoness must begin play attached to one unit of Hashmalim, Chayot or Ophanim from this formation. Every unit of Infantry from this formation must take a Dedicated Transport.

Formation Benefits:
Scout Force: the entire formation gains Scouts. The entire formation (except for Lightning Fighter Craft Squadrons) must either start on the table or start in Reserves. If in Reserves, roll once for the entire formation. In the turn in which they enter play from Reserves, all Vehicles (except the Lightning Fighter Craft Squadrons) are Fast and the Infantry embarked upon them count as stationary no matter how fast the vehicles move.

Priority Disposal: select one enemy unit at the start of the game. The entire formation gains Preferred Enemy against that target.

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Crusade of Penance
0-1 Palatine Litira
0-3 Ministorum Priests
3-5 Sisters Repentia Squads
1-3 Penitent Engine Squadrons

Restrictions: the entire formation must be deployed such that each unit is within 6” of at least one other unit in the formation. If part of the formation is held in Reserves, the entire formation must be held in reserves, rolling one Reserve roll for the entire detachment each turn. If Palatine Litira is chosen, she may only join units of Sisters Repentia.

Formation Benefits:
Unstoppable Onslaught: any unit in the formation within 6" of one or more Ministorum priests from this formation has the Hatred and Furious Charge rules. Furthermore, any time a Ministorum Priest from this formation successfully uses War Hymns, one unit of Sisters Repentia or Penitent Engine Squadron may also benefit from War Hymns, choosing a different benefit if the controlling player wishes.

-

Majesty and Machine
3-5 Exorcists
1-3 of: Avenger Squadrons, Lightning Squadrons, Freja Class Battle Engines

Formation Benefits:
Mighty Foe Hunters: the formation gains Preferred Enemy against all Vehicles, Monstrous Creatures, Flying Monstrous Creatures, Super-Heavy Vehicles, Gargantuan Creatures and Flying Gargantuan Creatures.
-

Shock and Awe Division
0-1 Canonesses*
3-5 Retributor Choirs
0-1 Exorcist Battle Tanks
1 Immolator for each Retributor Choir
*Canoness Amity may be selected

Formation Benefits:
Shield of Divinity: the Retributor Choirs may fire Overwatch on behalf of the vehicles in this formation, providing they are within 6” of the vehicle in question. When doing this, they fire at Ballistic Skill 3 instead of 1.

Inspirational Firepower: if an Exorcist is included in the formation, it becomes Faith-Inspiring. If it is within 6" of a Retributor Choir using Divine Shroud, it also gains the Shrouded rule for the duration.

-

Message of Damnation
0-1 Canonesses or Palatines*
2-4 Mehabelim Choirs
0-1 Celestian Choirs
*Prioress Serenity or Sister-Sabine Mina may be taken instead of a Canoness or Palatine

Restrictions: no unit from this formation may take a Dedicated Transport, nor may they begin embarked upon a transport vehicle.

Formation Benefits:
Holy Words: any Mehabelim Choir within 6" of the Canoness or Palatine (or replacement Character) gains the Shred rule for their Arcaballista. Against models with the Daemon rule or a Mark of Chaos, they also gain the Deflagrate special rule.

Hymns of Joy and Praise: every model in this formation is Faith-Inspiring.

-

Holy Trinity Legion
1 Hashmalim Choir
1 Chayot Choir
1 Erelim Choir

Restrictions: every unit in this formation must take a Dedicated Transport, and begin embarked upon it.

Formation Benefits:
Advanced Mechanised Assault: all units in this formation gain the Mechanised Assault special rule. They must either all be deployed on the table or all held in Reserves and rolled for as one unit.

Holy Storm: if all three units are within 12" of the same target in the Shooting Phase, then instead of shooting normally they may resolve their shooting as a special storm with the following profile:
Range 12" S 5 AP 3 Assault 1* Blast, Ignores Cover, Melta**.
*If there are at least 20 models remaining between the three units, it is instead resolved as Assault 2. If there are 30 models remaining, it is instead resolved as Assault 3.
**The Melta rule applies if any of the three units is within 12" of the target.

---

Extremis Divisions (0-1 per Core Choice)

Requiem Heavy Division
3-5 Immolators
1 Liberator Battle Tank

Restrictions: the Liberator must not take a Volcano Cannon. If it takes a Vulcan Mega-Bolter, the Immolators must all have Twin-Linked Heavy Bolters or Twin-Linked Gatling Bolters. If it takes a Titan Inferno Gun, the Immolators must all have Flamestorm Cannons or Twin-Linked Heavy Flamers. If it takes a Titan Melta Cannon, the Immolators must all have Twin-Linked Multi-Meltas. If it takes a Hellhammer Cannon, the Immolators must all take Twin-Linked Missile Launchers.

Formation Benefits:
Demolition Tactics: if three or more Immolators from this formation target a Building, they are more effective: if using Multi-Meltas or Melta Missiles, they hit at +1 Strength and gain a further +1 modifier on the building damage table. If using Heavy Bolters or Gatling Bolters, nobody embarked upon the building may fire weapons or leave the building on their next turn unless it is destroyed, forcing them to disembark. If using Flamestorm Cannons, Incendiary Missiles or Heavy Flamers, each Immolator hits the inhabitants for 1d6 hits at the same Strength and AP values as the original weapon. If the weapon is Twin-Linked, it re-rolls failed rolls to Wound as normal.

Utter Annihilation: if three or more Immolators from this formation are within 6” of the Liberator, then instead of shooting, they may provide supporting fire to the Liberator. They must be able to draw Line of Sight to the target, but it need not be in their range. The main Turret-Mounted weapon used by the Liberator gains the Pinning special rule for that Shooting Phase.

-

Revelation Armoured Force
3 Requiem Divisions
1 Liberator Battle Tank
3 Exorcist Battle Tanks

Restrictions: the Liberators of the three Requiem Divisions must have a Vulcan Mega-Bolter, a Titan Inferno Gun and a Titan Melta Cannon respectively (with their Immolators limited to specific weaponry based on those restrictions). The remaining Liberator must take a Volcano Cannon or Hellhammer Cannon.

Formation Benefits:
Command Tank: the Liberator not included in a Requiem Division is the Command Tank. Against Super-Heavy Vehicles, Gargantuan Creatures and Massive Fortifications, it has +1 Ballistic Skill.

Scorched Earth: if Immolators from a Requiem Division in this formation use their Demolition Tactics and the building remains standing, then for the remainder of the Shooting Phase, the Command Tank may re-roll on the Building Damage Table against that target. If all other Liberators fire upon the same unit, all using Utter Annihilation, then the Command Tank treats its main weapon as Twin-Linked against that target. If the target unit consists of Super-Heavy Vehicles, Gargantuan Creatures or Massive Fortifications, it can also re-roll failed Armour Penetration rolls, To-Wound rolls, and rolls on the Destroyer Weapon Table.

-

Sanctum Conclave
2-4 Imperial Bastions
1 Macro-Cannon Aquila Strongpoint
1 Void Shield Generator
0-3 Aegis Defence Lines
0-2 Wall of Martyrs Firestorm Redoubts
0-2 Wall of Martyrs Vengeance Weapon Batteries
0-2 Wall of Martyrs Imperial Defence Lines
0-2 Wall of Martyrs Imperial Defence Emplacements
0-2 Wall of Martyrs Imperial Bunkers
0-1 Promethium Relay Pipes

Restrictions: every part of this formation must be set up within 2" of at least one other part of the formation.

Formation Benefits:
Inviolate Holy Ground: enemy units may not attempt to Deep Strike to any point within 3" of any part of the formation, and if they scatter into that range, they suffer a Mishap. The entire area is also treated as both Difficult and Dangerous Terrain for enemy units. Every Building in this formation is Faith-Inspiring, the benefit even applying to infantry embarked upon the buildings.

[maglag]

The sailor sisters seem kinda really fragile, no 2+ saves, no eternal armor no decent invulnerables except for Serenity. And any of them besides Litira can't really hope to win challenges agaist half-dedicated melee charactes. Granted, the Sailor Sisters seem more geared to shooting the crap out of stuff. But at 100+ points each I think they could use a few buffs.

Some suggestions:
Serenity gets some more range in her scepter. 12 is awfully short. Or let the scepter work as a AP 2 weapon in melee (that combos with her power sword for +1 attack in melee). Or a power maul at least so she can choose to either be AP3 or AP4 with +2 Str.

Amity able to manipulate reserves?

Ravia being able to use her flamer even if stuck in melee, for chance of friendly fire? (pun intended)

Litira Gets S 4 (she's supposed to be THE STRONGEST!) and I5 (fast as lighting!)

Mina being able to snipe stuff with her volkite serpenta? Every faction needs their sharpshooter champion.

Also a common mechanic they could share is "transformation sequence", where you can secretly choose a squad at game start, the heroine doesn't start at the table, but then at any moment you can reveal your choice and claim "hahaha, sister #14 was actually Litira's secret identity, now the reveals her true self and gets placed in the table!" That would make them harder to nuke out with a blast before being able to do anything. Also thematic, the sister scouts fight for the good of Luna Terra and don't want personal glory, so they pretend to be normal sisters of battle until they're truly needed to turn the odds against evil!

[Koumei]

Well currently, the idea of Serenity is she chills with either some Chayots and gives them Tank Hunter + Shield of Faith, or hangs about some Erelim and gives them Shield of Faith plus (if Warlord) a second turn of Rending. As leadership goes, I think that's pretty good as it is. But I suppose making the sceptre also work as a Power Maul isn't out of the question just for putting some personal power there. The Plasma Cannon profile of the sceptre is obviously a call-out to the Imperial Silver Crystal in Sailor Moon and how when used as a boss-killer it also more or less kills her.

Amity is basically designed to be attached to one unit of Retributors, who Infiltrate with her. Then then have their 5+ Cover Save from the word go even in the open, until it becomes a 3+ Cover Save. And she can tell infantry to stay still and not do anything. That combined with her Auspex and Warlord Trait is probably enough tactical/unit-boosting. Honestly I was tempted to nod to Ami's actual training to become a doctor by making her a Canoness of the Order Hospitaller, giving her a Vivisector. But that would basically come at the price of the weaponry, so she'd just be "unit becomes very hard to kill and is Infiltrating".

I'm not sure about letting Ravia fire while in combat. Maybe Hit & Run so she can carry her unit out of combat at the end of the turn, then turn around and torch them? The idea is for her to chill with some Hashmalim, of course. Not just because Fire goes with Fire, but because that puts her forward in the midfield, where she can lock Seraphim to her own coordinates. And yeah if she's the Warlord you want her to be out in the face of the enemy psykers to shut some of their powers down.

S 4 I 5 Litira makes sense, sure. Needless to say, you generally put her with a close combat unit like Repentia or close combat Celestians, then run up ahead and start wrecking shit with the whole unit. Although if you DID put her with heavy weapon users and she's your Warlord, they're Relentless which isn't nothing.

I suppose giving Mina Precision Shots hardly hurts. Remember that if she's the Warlord, she has a re-rollable 5++, but even without it you basically shove her where she can extend her re-roll out to as many SoF models as possible.

[CapnTthePirateG]

Koumei, you are making me feel bad for painting my Necrons black and steel.

Though I may have to grab a stalker now.

[OgreBattle]

The Sydonian Dragoon/Ironstrider Ballersaurus is one of the coolest new kits to come from GW, so not getting one in the AdMech starter set is disappointing.

[Koumei]

It's also one of the most expensive, which is kind of weird.

45-75 point Ironstrider: $83 AUD (same as a 125+ point Basilisk or 150+ point Eldar Falcon)
Wraithlord: $74 (120-185 points)
Any flavour of Dreadnought: $74 (100-175 points)
Adepta Sororitas metal fucking monstrosity Penitent Engine: $55 (80 points)
Daemon Prince: $55 (155-355 points)
IG Sentinel: $50 (35-50 points before adding Camo Netting or whatever)

Greater Daemons and Wraithknights are a little more expensive... but not by much.

Cool looking kits, but super expensive, it's crazy.

[OgreBattle]

Damn I just assumed it was Sentinel priced. Is it that much bulkier than a sentinel?

Is it actually more plastic than a dreadnought?

[Koumei]

Judging by the pictures on the website, it does appear to have somewhere between 1.5-2x as much sprue going on - depending on the size of the sprues. It has two that appear to be rather big (80 parts), whereas the Sentinel has two (smaller?) sprues and is 59 parts, and an Ironclad Dread is 58 parts and two (smaller?) sprues.

I wouldn't say it's bulkier than a Sentinel, but it is certainly taller, and with more... sticky-out bits.

[OgreBattle]

Been thinking of the wound allocation rules in various editions of 40k, particularly for units made up of models with different toughness/saves. Do you think there's any particular edition that does it well, or is it all crap

[Koumei]

Well, you don't want the 5E Orks thing where you get four 2-Wound models, each with slightly different wargear, and thus track wounds as 0-0-1, 0-1-1, 1-1-1, 1-1-X. You want a system that stacks the Wounds on the same models until individual models are killed, and ideally you don't want to be splitting your dice rolling into multiple pools.

I'm kind of okay, for the sake of game speed, with just going "take the T value and Save of the majority models" and rolling all at once and then taking casualties off that way, although it does penalise "putting one hero with a blob". Possibly "casualties HAVE to be taken off the majority models first", basically meaning the Chaos Lord is invincible until his cultists die (and also meaning once he's down to just two buddies, they're actually dragging him down because he's using their T and Sv and incoming fire is probably going to deal 3+ Wounds so he needs to ditch those losers who proved how lame they are).

Admittedly, this path leads to "Why not just make the unit one actual blob that has one statline and is all locked together and not sort-of consisting of individual dudes? Why not just go Epic Armageddon?"

Also Space Wolves are getting some updates and stuff in the new campaign book, and I don't care very much. It also has a Daemon Decurion that mostly exists to lessen the badness of Instability and Warp Storms (ie "These were terrible ideas but we're stuck with them until we write a new codex"), and that allegedly has stuff for all the Chaos Gods, but only Big Match JohnKhorne has been revealed so far.

Again, I don't care very much. Next time there's a new actual codex I might look over it and give it the rageview treatment.

[Koumei]

So welcum to Darbleyew Tee Eff Mowmunts for Gee Darbleyew: Start Collecting sets!

The Chaos Space Marines of Khorne one is pretty underwhelming so I'm just going to skip it entirely.

Start Collecting: Blood Angels!


Now here's the thing: if you were going to expand your force with all the necessities, or actually start collecting, then this box contains things you want to take anyway: a Troops squad that forms your basic backbone, a Baal Predator (always tasty), and a Captain. In Terminator Armour. The Astro-Boy "Captain with Jump Pack, Assault Squads as Troops, ZOOM" thing has fallen out of favour anyway, sadly.

So as long as all you're doing is getting the models to put in an army, you have a discount there and everything is good. But if you specifically wanted to use the formation?

Once per turn, if the Captain is alive, he gives a one-turn buff to all units in the formation that are within 12" of him: Feel no Pain and It Will Not Die.

A) IWND only applies to the tank (and if you seriously want a tank to die, you don't plink off 1 HP per turn, you unload until you've wiped out all HP in one turn) and the Commander. The Tactical Squad gets IWND, but as single-wound models, it does nothing for them.
B) FnP only applies to the infantry. The tank still gets it, but FnP is a special save-but-not-a-save that applies to unsaved Wounds. Vehicles lose Hull Points, not Wounds, and yes that is seriously enough of a difference that the rule doesn't trigger. I don't know if that was intended with this formation.
C) If you purchase a Priest with Chalice for 60 points, you can attach it to any squad you want - maybe a Tactical Squad, maybe something more useful! - and IIRC can swap it about on a turn-by-turn basis, and it grants them FnP for more than just one turn. Indeed, for the entire game (or until he is killed). And also grants them +1 WS, which is better than the IWND they can't use. A Captain in Terminator Armour is more than 60 points, as is a Baal Predator.

So well done guys, you fucked up magnificently. But it's fine for just a discount on models you want to take individually and not put in a formation.

---

Start Collecting Militarum Tempestus!


So it's one Commissar, one Scion Command Squad, one squad of Tempestus Scions (5, but you could increase it to 10 if you have the spare models) and one Taurox Prime.

If the Commissar is alive and the Tempestus Scions squad is completely wiped out (no, you can't suicide it if reduced to 1-2 models), you "respawn" the squad into ongoing reserves. You decide if they wander on from the back and play no further role in the battle (maybe a backline defence to help hold an Objective?) or if they Deep Strike and risk smashing into the side of a cliff. Pretty sure that means they respawn again though. Remember that respawning into reserves means they don't just automatically jump in, you need to roll for it.

This does not regenerate the command squad or the vehicle. They're just extra stuff you have to take. It's not very good as rules go, but hey, if you wanted ten of those dudes and a taurox then buy this. It's cheaper than getting the individual components even before you add the commissar. If you just wanted one of those components and the commissar, then just buy the individual parts.

Start Collecting Eldar!


Three Jetbikes, one Farseer on a Jetbike, and one Prism Tank. Now let's make one thing clear: if you collect Eldar, these are all things you want to have. You could totally buy three of these kits to form the core of your army (9 jetbikes to form 2 or 3 Troop squads, with 1-2 Farseers turned into Warlocks to lead those squads, one squadron of 3 Prisms, and 1-2 Farseers as HQ). You could very easily want to buy it to take the individual things to expand your existing army. Overall, it's actually a great choice from that perspective.

The special rule is that the Prism is twin-linked against targets within LoS of the Farseer. That's nothing special, and the Jetbikes take no part in the special rules, but whatever. It's 100% models you want to take.

Start Collecting Dark Eldar!


One Archon, three Reaver Jetbikes, a unit of Kabalite Warriors, and a Raider. So, Warriors are the better Troops choice because you can stand 24" away and shoot enemies full of poison or shoot twice at 12" and just not worry about assaulting either way. Also they can take some heavy weapons. Reavers used to be good and they're not awful now. The Archon is going to have trouble keeping up with everyone else, however, because the Raider only holds 10 models.

Anyway, each turn you choose one enemy unit within LoS of the Archon. The whole formation gets Preferred Enemy against them, which is pretty handy given the volume of fire you can put out there, but Archons are easy to kill. Kind of boring, but if you did want to get into DE for some reason, you could do worse than picking those things.

[Koumei]

So, let's talk about what's happening lately in the land of 40K:

Apparently Matt Ward is back on the team. If he were to do all the codices at once, things would be reasonably balanced and there'd be some good variety. If he did one or two codices they'd be balanced against each other but not against anything else. And it wouldn't even matter because as much of a "lol wut" balance always was, it's even worse now. It's a fucking mess of stuff. If he did the fluff, alcohol sales would go up by a thousand per cent, and that's scary when you consider the UK may have to start paying a lot more for their booze.

More importantly, we've had a lot of "sort of a game" boxed sets and stuff - a bunch of "Here's a one page rule sheet on dogfighting, and a Flyer for each of two factions", the introductory Warhammer 30K Horus Heresy thing that will never be used for a board game as presented and will entirely be used for fielding HH armies (and now they sell the Contemptors separately, people will just be buying plastic contemptors for normal play), the older Assassins game that had a special "getting them before they're released individually" tax in the form of a board and some other shit...

Something with Space Marine Scouts vs Genestealers that nobody cares about...

Deathwatch vs Genestealer Cults! Here we go! (Note: it has its own rules as a boardgame thing but nobody will actually play that)



So, there are eleven named Space Marine heroes, including 6 Independents and a squad of 5, all with their own special rules and equipment (though in some cases that's stuff like "Has a Plasma Pistol and Power Sword and Stubborn", not unique special rules, and only a few pieces of truly unique wargear) except you can also take them as one unit of 11. Which includes 2 Jump Packs, 1 Terminator, 1 Bike and 7 regular Infantry. If they're one unit they have to maintain coherency, so the bike and jump packs have to plod along with everyone else.

The Terminator has a Power Fist that has an MC Melta Gun instead of a pinkie finger. It's not a 1-shot like Combi-Melta Termies, it's the full thing. His other arm is a Heavy Flamer. That's pretty rad. So is the new weapon, the Frag Cannon: it can be fired as an Assault 2 Template (S6 AP- Rending) or 24" S 7 AP 3 Assault 2.

If you take them all together as one unit that can't split up, your reward is they can all re-roll 1s to Wound or to Penetrate. Get used to reading that, for the record. It might come up later! It's 535 points to take them all together like that. That's just their individual prices added together, there's no discount or surcharge there.

Next we have the Gene Cult, which for the record isn't BFFs with anyone, not even Tyranids.



They get 1 Patriarch (giant Broodlord) with a hilarious little Familiar, WS 7 S 5 T 5 W 3 I 7 A 4 Ld 10 Sv 4+ and a pair of claws that give AP 3, Rending and Shred. Also it causes Fear, is Fearless and Fleet, has Hit and Run and Infiltrate and Move Through Cover and Stealth, and is a Level 2 Psyker (Telepathy, one of the best disciplines). The familiar adds 2 extra S 4 AP - Rending attacks per turn, at normal Initiative. Basically it kills you in close combat and potentially sneaks up all invisible when doing that.

There's the Magus, which is a 2-Wound human with an Auto-Pistol, Force Stave (so S 5 AP 4 Concussive, Force), an awesome little Familiar dude, and Psyker Mastery 2 (Telepathy).

The Primus is a 3-armed human with a big head, so he's a second generation. He has a Poison 2+ Pistol, Frag grenades, and a Bonesword (S 4 AP 3 Instant Death on a 6 to Wound). He's Rending (it's a Special Rule for him, so IIRC that applies to close combat and shooting), and a Zealot.

Next is a group of 12 Hybrids - 3 arms each and they just about look like truly bipedal genestealers, not "weird mutant humans". S 4 T 3 I 4 A 2 is... passable for an offensive-oriented thing. They get Rending claws (AP 5 when they don't rend), frags, CCW and Autopistols. Also they're Fearless.

Then there's the mob of 16 Neophyte Hybrids (3rd and 4th Gen pokemon stealerspawn). They look mostly human, just a bit weird in the head.

Really shitty statlines with I 4 and Ld 8 being the best things they have going. Cheap though. 110 points for the whole lot - 12 have autoguns, 2 have grenade launchers, 2 have mining lasers (24" S 9 AP 2 Heavy 1, so short range lascannons on BS 3 models). All have CCWs and frag grenades, too. These are your "throw deep into the field and let them waste enemy time" chaff.

A pair of purestrain princeling genestealers, looking pretty rad, are 30 points (for the two of them). WS 6 S 4 T 4 W 1 I 6 A 2 Ld 10 Sv 5+, so nothing too amazing, and they have the Rending Claws, Fleet, Hit & Run, Infiltrate, Move Through Cover, Stealth thing going.

Then 120 points for four Brothers Aberrant - the three-armed "very genestealerish" ones except huge. S 5 T 4 W 2 I 2 A 2 is all right I guess - they're holding Unwieldy weapons anyway, so w/e. They all have Rending Claws, but 2 have Power Picks (S +2 AP 3 Unwieldy), 2 have Power Hammers (S +3 AP 2 Melee, Specialist, Two-Handed, Concussive, Unwieldy). They have Stubborn and FnP.

There's a formation for taking all of them, and it equals 600 points, and gives Infiltrate and Stealth to everyone. Any of them that Infiltrate to start with are Shrouded until turn 2, and can charge on their first turn. The Patriarch and Purestrains can Infiltrate up to 1" away from enemies, even if they're in LoS - but that's only 3 models, and it specifies the Patriarch can't do this if he joins another unit other than Purestrains. They are banking on going first and still not getting gunned down by Overwatch. Finally when the Patriarch is alive, everyone has Adamantium Will and Fearless.

They're not actually that great, but people have been super-excited because they were released at all and people love genestealer cults. I kind of understand there. Some of them would make great models just for painting, too. Anyway, at 600 points you could arguably use them as a general screening first wave (all Infiltrated away from your main force) just to piss the enemy off while your real Tyranids (or Astra Militarum or whatever) get into position.

Next, available currently for pre-order, is another "fuck you GW just release the individual boxes we don't want your shitty boardgames" thing, of Harlequins (each thing is a unique unit which is an existing unit with specific wargear choices and some kind of small benefit like +1 BS for the vehicle or Shrouded for the Deathjester). But also with more Deathwatch - 1 hero, 5 Sternguard, 5 Vanguard, and 1 Dread, all with tasty upgrade options. And news is already in that they'll be releasing more kits in future that are basically "one box of [space marine thing] + Deathwatch upgrade sprue". And Codex: Deathwatch has basically been released already. There's some tasty stuff there, but I think I might leave it for a future post. A certain rule I mentioned earlier gets pasted everywhere, but mostly there are crazy customisation options such that you can get a lot of use out of your spare models.

You know, like they should have done ages ago.