Product Review: Wargames Factory Skeleton Warriors

The following review is no longer accurate. Wargames Factory has retooled their skeleton sprues and supposedly many of the concerns mentioned below have been addressed. I haven't tried their new Skeleton models yet, but have heard good things so far. Let me know if you have experience with their new skeletons. ~ CI

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Today I have a review of Wargames Factory's box of Skeleton Warriors. I've already reviewed their two boxes of Shock Troops, and have been pretty happy with them. I actually picked up the Skeletons even before them, but hadn't assembled them yet as I haven't been working on my Vampire Counts much.

Tournament Report: Conclusions

At the end of the day, I had two convincing wins and one resounding defeat. I ended up coming in 6th out of 17, which is the best I've ever done. In addition, the Dark Eldar player who tabled me went on to win the tournament. I can't feel too bad about that loss.

My Executioners won the award for Best Painted army, which was really pleasing. There were several other well-painted armies there, and I take it as a great compliment that my army was chosen. I'm not sure how I'll try to top myself next year.

Tournament Report: Game 3

With one win and one loss, I came up against a player using Eldar with Dark Eldar allies. His list ran along these lines:

Eldrad

Maugan Ra

Asdrubael Vect

10 Dire Avengers

6 Eldar Jetbikes w/  Shuriken Cannon, Warlock w/ Destructor, Singing Spear

10 Guardians w/ Starcannon, Warlock w/ Witchblade, Conceal

10 Dark Eldar Warriors w/ Splinter Cannon

3 Trueborn w/ 2 Splinter Cannons

10 Harlequins w/ Troupe Leader, Shadowseer, Death Jester, rest with Harlequin's Kisses

5 Fire Dragons w/ Exarch w/ Crack Shot and Tank Hunter

Night Spinner

Bastion w/ Quad Gun

Tournament Report: Game 2

Game 2 was against a Dark Eldar player with Eldar allies. His list was something like this:

Baron Sathonyx

Maugan Ra

5 Warriors w/ Splinter Cannon, Venom

5 Warriors w/ Splinter Cannon, Venom

3 Eldar Jetbikes

3 Eldar Jetbikes

3 Trueborn w/ 2 Dark Lances, Venom

3 Trueborn w/ 2 Splinter Cannons, Venom

3 Trueborn w/ 2 Splinter Cannons, Venom

5 Fire Dragons w/ Crack Shot, Tank Hunter Exarch

Large Beast Pack (mostly Khymerae, with a few Razorwing flocks)

Ravager w/ 3 Dark Lances

Razorwing w/ 4 Monoscythe Missiles

Bastion w/ Quad Gun

Tournament Report: Game 1

Last weekend, I took part in a three game, 1,850 point tournament. I decided to take the Executioners, as I've been having a lot of fun playing with them lately. Based on my previous experience, I took the following list.

Amra the Lion (aka Lysander)

10 Tactical Marines w/ Plasma Gun, Multi-melta

10 Tactical Marines w/ Plasma Gun, Multi-melta

5 Scouts w/ Camo Cloaks, 3 Sniper Rifles, Missile Launcher, Sgt. Telion

5 Terminators w/ Assault Cannon, Chainfist

9 Sternguard w/ Power Fist, 2 Plasma Guns, 2 Combi-meltas

9 Sternguard w/ Power Fist, 2 Plasma Guns, 2 Combi-meltas

Thunderfire Cannon

Predator w/ Autocannon Turret, Lascannon Sponsons

Predator w/ Autocannon Turret, Lascannon Sponsons

Total: 1,842 points

Commission: Ultramarines Devastators

This is a small batch of models, with 2 plasma cannons and a lascannon. It was kind of refreshing to paint such a small batch, as it went quickly and I had time to work on something else (a Baal Predator) as each layer dried.

Commission: Ultramarines Tacticals

Here's the latest batch of Ultramarines, another three bolter marines and three special weapon troopers.

Ward vs Kelly

I've been hearing a lot of talk lately about what codex author people prefer. Nobody likes Robin Cruddace's books, but people seem really split on Matt Ward and Phil Kelly. I think this all started as a joke with the Church of Kelly, but people seem to be discussing it seriously. The overall perception seems to be that:

1) Ward codices are cut-throat competitive but one dimensional, producing only one or two good builds.

2) Kelly codices are fluffier, more well-rounded, and have more competitive builds. It's argued that they stand the test of time better.

Battle Report: Executioners vs Blood Angels 1,850

I was able to play a game with my Executioners last week. I took this list:

Librarian

10 Tactical Marines w/ plasma gun, multi-melta, Rhino

10 Tactical Marines w/ plasma gun, multi-melta, Rhino

5 Scouts w/ camo cloaks, sniper rifles, missile launcher, Telion

9 Sternguard w/ power fist, 2 plasma gun, 2 combi-meltas, Rhino

8 Sternguard w/ power fist, 2 plasma gun, Rhino

5 Terminators w/ assault cannon, chainfist

Predator w/ autocannon, lascannon sponsons

Predator w/ autocannon, lascannon sponsons

Thunderfire Cannon

Total: 1847

My opponent was playing Blood Angels. His list was more or less this:

Librarian w/ jump pack, Blood Lance, Shield of Sanguinius (with jump Assault Marines)

10 Assault Marines w/ power axe, 2 flamers, jump packs

10 Assault Marines w/ power fist, 2 meltaguns, Land Raider Crusader

 7 Scouts w/ sniper rifles, missile launcher

 5 Devastators w/ 4 missile launcher

5 Terminators w/ assault cannon

 2 Attack Bikes w/ multi-meltas

 2 Attack Bikes w/ multi-meltas

 Furioso w/ frag cannon, heavy flamer, Drop Pod

Brother Corbulo (rode in the Land Raider)

Sanguinary Priest w/ jump pack (walked with Terminators)

Here's the table.

Game Review: XCOM Enemy Unknown

I've never done a video game review before. I'm really not that dedicated a video gamer; it's really something I do to take a break from painting or wargaming rather than a wholehearted hobby. In addition, even when I find a game that I really like, it doesn't seem appropriate to my blog.

2,500 point Vampire Counts Army

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Due to the holiday, I really haven't done any hobbying. However, I thought I'd post up the Vampire Counts army that I'm currently building towards. 

Valkar Ejszaka
Vampire Lord (524 points)
Ogre Blade, Other Trickster's Shard, Talisman of Preservation, Heavy Armor, Shield
Red Fury, Quickblood, Dread Knight
Level 4 Wizard, Lore of the Vampires

Severus Ejszaka
Vampire (191)
Sword, Dragon Helm, Dawnstone, Heavy Armor, Shield
Fear Incarnate, Aura of Dark Majesty
Level 1 Wizard, Lore of the Vampires

Vincent Deathmarch
Necromancer (145)
Sword, Dispel Scroll
Level 2 Wizard, Lore of the Vampires, Master of the Dead

Tomb Banshee  (95)

40 Skeleton Warriors (255)
Swords, Shields, Light Armor, Full Command
Screaming Banner

40 Zombies (130)   
Standard and Musician

20 Skeleton Warriors (130)
Swords, Shields, Light Armor, Full Command

 5 Dire Wolves (40)

5 Dire Wolves (40)

5 Dire Wolves (40) 

8 Crypt Horrors (314)
Crypt Haunter

4 Vargheists (194)
Vargoyle

Varghulf (175)

Terrorgheist (225)

Total  2498

Amra the Lion

This is Amra, First Captain of the Executioners. I posted his background here, and this is his finished model. I went for gold armor with him, mostly so that he would stand out given that he's a fairly standard model. I also used a slightly brighter gold for his helmet. It doesn't really stand out, but I think it's a subtle way to draw attention to the model's face. The storm shield is from a Fantasy Warrior of Chaos with the chaos symbols shaved off, and the axe is my standard pattern with a skull modeled onto the shaft.

Background: Amra the Lion, Captain of the First Company

Brother-Captain Amra has lead the Executioners’ First Company for over two hundred years, having earned his rank by defeating all other claimants following the death of the previous Captain, Sergius. Amra is a massive warrior, even when not wearing his Tactical Dreadnought armor and his skill in close-combat is unparalleled within the Chapter. There are few that doubt that Amra would be High Executioner were he to challenge for the role.

However, Amra has no desire to claim that mantle, and readily praises Tytos Solomon for his skillful command of the Chapter. Amra is more than content to lead the First Company to earn greater and greater honors on the field of battle. In addition to being a juggernaut in his own right, Amra drills his warriors continually, and the First Company displays marksmanship beyond that of even other veteran Astartes. Amra was given the title “the Lion” by Thulsa Kane, who likened Amra’s stubborn hunting of enemy champions to the dominance displays of the extinct lions of Terra.

Vampire Lord Valkar Ejszaka

I'm slowly trying to turn my collection of undead into a viable 2,500 point Vampire Counts army so I can get back into Fantasy. I blame Ben and Tom, hosts of Bull City Wargaming, for reigniting my interest in Fantasy. Check it out if you haven't yet. They cover a variety of games, but they do seem to have a Fantasy bias.

Executioners Terminator Squad Cormac

Here's my latest addition to the Executioners, and an integral part of the 1,850 point list I'm planning. They really demonstrate the brutal, moody look I've been going with for my Executioners, and I think they're my favorite squad yet.

Background: Executioners Wargear

A man that treats his tools well will get good service from them in turn.

-Thulsa Kane

The bulk of the Executioners hail from the barbaric world of Aquilon. No matter what tribe they belonged to, they are taught early on that a dull blade or rusted armor can mean death. This belief has been thoroughly adopted by the Executioners Chapter, and each marine is expected to maintain, and often improve, his own equipment. The Chapter possesses the prescribed number of Techmarines, but they concern themselves primarily with maintaining the large number of tanks used by the Chapter. In addition, they also create and maintain the more esoteric equipment used by the Executioners, including the older marks of power armor preferred by many of the Chapter’s veterans.

Commission: Ultramarines Tacticals

Here's the next set of Ultramarine Tactical Marines. I don't have much to say about them, as I've been painting a bunch of them.

Product Review: Wargames Factory Heavy Weapons Teams

Progressing on my plan to build a detachment of Armageddon Steel Legion, I picked up a box of the Wargames Factory Heavy Weapon teams. The kit comes with enough models to build 3 teams, as well as two commander models. Weapon options include a laser cannon, missile launcher, mortar, and heavy machine guns. I assembled mine as heavy machine guns, which I'll be using as autocannons.

Commission: Ultramarines Tacticals

Here's the latest batch of Ultramarines Tactical Marines. These are the first models that I've assembled personally, which makes a difference because I prefer to paint the bolters separately from the rest of the model so I can get to the details on the chest.

6th Edition Descent of Angels Lists

Based on the ideas of the previous two posts, I've put together a couple lists that should work well. I haven't play tested these lists; they're hypothetical lists that I will be building and hope to test in the near future. Until they're built, I' be concentrating on playing the Executioners.

List 1:

Blood Angels Detachment
Reclusiarch w/ power fist and jump pack                                                               170

Librarian w/ jump pack                                                                                           125

2 Sanguinary Priests w/ power swords and jump packs                                          180

10 Assault Marines w/ power fist, 2 meltaguns, jump packs                                   235

10 Assault Marines w/ power sword, 2 meltaguns, jump packs                              225

10 Assault Marines w/ power sword, 2 meltaguns, jump packs                              225

5 Assault Marines w/ power sword, meltagun, infernus pistol, jump packs            140

6th Edition Descent of Angel Pt 2

A Human Moment by Andrew Dobell

Happy Halloween!

In the last post, I described the problems I've been having playing DoA Blood Angels. In summary, I can't dedicate enough points to the deep striking portion of my list in order for it threaten the enemy. I was looking for ways to reduce the cost of the units that need to deploy on the table, but nothing really stood out. Even minimum strength Scout squads became expensive when I took enough to allow a decent deep striking force.

I was shamelessly complaining about this to Dardreg one day, and we eventually came to the conclusion that allies were the answer. I've been resistant to the idea of allies since the release of 6th, primarily because I wanted to learn how my armies function in isolation first. However, allies seem like the best option for making a Descent of Angels army work.

6th Edition Descent of Angels Pt 1

A Human Moment by Andrew Dobell

As I've written before, playing a pure (or even predominantly) DoA list with Blood Angels really doesn't work any more. I've been trying to for a while, and it suffers from one fatal flaw. Only half of your units can deep strike, so half must start on the table. Those who start on the table fall into two categories:

1) Numerous and scoring. This includes Tactical Marines and Scouts. They are resilient enough to stand up to the fire that will come across the table before the deep strikers arrive. However, they generally don't have too much firepower.

2) Strong shooting units, such as Predators and Devastators. These will be able to deal damage to the enemy, but are prime targets and will usually take most of the enemy shooting early in the game.

Both of these units types have trouble supporting your drop units. Tacticals in Rhinos can help, but if they try to advance too early, they will get shot off the board. In order for this to half of the army to hold objectives, survive enemy fire, and deal damage to the enemy, it needs a fairly even blend of resilient and shooting units. So far, so good.

I'm not dead yet...

Hi All,

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting for the last week or so. I went on vacation and I scheduled enough posts to keep the blog running until my return. However, I picked up some sort of illness in my travels and I haven't had the energy to write anything since I've been back.

I hope to resume normal operations soon. Please bear with me.

-CI

Commission: Ghost Knights and Crusaders

I took a bit of a break from the Ultramarines to work on my Grey Knights commission. It mainly consisted of three Ghost Knights, which were interesting to paint. The client gave me free reign to represent ghostly Terminators, but requested they be blue to fit in with the rest of his army. I decided to go with tinted metallics as I've never seen ghosts painted that way and it fit with Grey Knights.

Blood Angels in 6th: Dedicated Transports

Rhino:

The Rhino is the ubiquitous Space Marine transport, and it was quite common to see large numbers of them on the table in 5^th Edition. Despite what many have said, the Rhino is still quite durable in 6^th. Dedicated shooting will kill them, but it always would. However, the Rhino’s role is less important in 6^th Edition. Squads with rapid fire weapons can fire at full range even when moving, meaning that the Rhino is no longer crucial for squads to reach their optimal firing range. Rhinos are almost useless for assault-oriented squads, as they can never assault when disembarking. Rhinos are also less useful for protecting your squads, as squads cannot score from within vehicles. In general, transports are most useful for short-range shooting squads in this edition. In our case, this is pretty much limited to Sternguard.

Product Review: Wargames Factory Shock Troops

I recently picked up a box of Wargames Factory Shock Troops as stand ins for Imperial Guard models. The models have a very WWI German look to them, with great coats and gas masks. They could easily be painted up as Death Korps of Krieg or Armageddon Steel Legion, and I plan on doing the latter. Unlike the GW models for those armies, these models are quite affordable, retailing for $20 for 18 infantry models.

Commission: More Ultramarines

Here are the last of the starter set marines I'll be painting for this commission. I will be happy to paint some models with more interesting poses. Here they are, including a flamer and a sergeant.

Blood Angels in 6th: Heavy Support

Dreadnought:

The standard Dreadnought is still a fine fire support unit. Its front armor 12 is respectable at range, and it avoids the main pitfall of assault walkers in 6^th Edition, being easy to hit with grenades. The standard loadout of double twin-linked autocannons is still a solid all-around choice, stripping hull points from light vehicles and putting consistent wounds on infantry. It also averages just over 1 hit a round against fliers, which is great for a platform without skyfire. The twin-linked lascannon is also a choice that deserves consideration, as it has become better at killing vehicles thanks to being AP2. With the higher number of heavy tanks I’ve been seeing in 6^th, it may be worth taking.

Mephiston

I picked up a metal model of Mephiston before he was re-released in Finecast, and I've been painting him on the side while I work on the Ultramarines. Maybe it's because I've been painting so much blue lately or maybe it's because he's such a unique miniature, but I'm really in love with the way he came out.

Commission: Ultramarine Tactical Marines

Here's the next batch of starter set marines for the Ultramarines army commission.

The model on the left has my first freehand attempt of the Ultramarines' logo on his left shin.

Blood Angels in 6th: Fast Attack

Vanguard Veterans:

Vanguard Veterans are probably the only squad in the game that really benefits from random charge length. Blood Angels Vanguards are already better than the standard Marine version because of Descent of Angels, but it was still hard to drop a squad within 6” of the enemy. Random charge length means that you still have a chance to use Heroic Intervention even if the squad lands a bit further away from the enemy. Sadly, they can’t use their jump packs to assault on the turn they land, but they still are more likely to make an assault than last edition. In addition, the Deepstrike Mishap table is more forgiving now, so we can be a bit more aggressive without endangering the unit.

Solomon Kane Release Cities

Last week, I posted about the upcoming release of the Solomon Kane movie. The list of cities has just been released, and it's pretty short. I doubt there will be much advertisement for it, but if you're in an area where you can see it in a theater, I highly suggest it.

You can find the list of theaters here.

And a special shout out to Best Overall for posting this information first.

Review: KR Multicase Backpack 2

For my recent birthday (29... getting old), I received a KR Multicase Backpack 2. This was desperately needed, as my old Sabol Army case couldn't fit multiple armies and constantly caused broken miniatures. It really caused problems for any models that project out of the rather small slots. Thus, I was very excited to get a KR case, and chose two sets of Space Marine Set G foam. This seemed like the best option for me, as they each hold a Predator, 2 Rhinos, 18 Terminators, and 100 infantry. However, I was very worried about all my jump infantry; they often have trouble fitting into standard infantry slots.

Commission: Ultramarine Tactical Marines

I put up my test model for the Ultramarines a while back, and here's my first batch of Tactical Marines. The commission included quite a few basic marines from the past two starter sets, so I decided to paint them up first. This will provide a good base of bolter marines and allow me to assemble the Tactical squad kits to provide the most options for each squad.

My clients wants a very traditional looking 2nd Company force, with a bit or weathering added in. I'm pretty excited at how these first 5 marines came out; I think they have a classic look to them but are still gritty and intimidating. I'm becoming more comfortable with the paint scheme and I think this army will really look impressive when it's done.

Discoveries about Codex: Space Marines

I've mostly been playing my Blood Angels lately, trying to figure out how to get an assault based army to work in 6th Edition. It's not easy, and my last two games have been fairly solid losses against a Sisters of Battle army with Space Wolves allies. I know most people talk down on the Sisters, but they seem to be a solid list  when played well. In both games, I've been able to launch pretty solid assaults, but they are worn down over a couple turns. This seems to be mainly due to taking more casualties as I advance from bolter fire (and not being able to stop Exorcists from shooting without killing them) and taking significant casualties from Overwatch fire (multiple flamers are nasty). This has led me back to thinking about my shootier army, the Executioners.

As I've gone over the rules for Space Marines and how they interact with 6th Edition, I've discovered two new nice buffs that I've never seen any one discuss online. They're both pretty minor, but it's good to see the Space Marines getting some advantages over their more themed brethren.

Return of the Sternguard

My games with the Executioners in 6th Edition have taught me a couple things about Sternguard. First, they're an excellent unit, able to deal with almost any threat due to their Special Issue Ammunition. Second, they now work very well on foot and don't need a Rhino. This means that the heavy flamers I have modeled on my Sternguard aren't too useful. I need weapons with more range. Because I want the squad to stay flexible, I decided to switch the heavy flamers for plasma guns. Using the points saved by not having Rhinos, I can add a couple extra members to the squads.

Based on these ideas, here are the new additions to Sternguard squad Niord.

Bad Moons Nob

My seldom seen co-blogger, Dardreg Gargant, recently visited for a Doubles tournament. That's been documented elsewhere, but while he was here he also painted up a model. He wanted some tips on layering, so I grabbed a model I had standing about, a Nob from Assault on Black Reach. Here's the final product.

Movies of Interest

Though it's not my usual MO, I wanted to draw everyone's attention to two movies that are being released soon. Both of them are based on properties that have inspired my wargaming.

The first, and most well-publicized, is Dredd 3D. Dredd is based on the Judge Dredd comics from the British comic 2000 AD. It follows the adventures of a lawman in a dystopian future, where most of humanity is crammed into humongous Mega-Cities while some people live in the nuclear blasted Cursed Earth. If you're wondering why I bring this up, it's because of these guys:

Playing Multiple Systems

As is obvious from my blog content, I'm primarily a 40K player. My Blood Angels and Executioners dominate my painting time, and one of them comes to the gaming shop every time I get a game in. However, this really was never my intention. I've got a decent sized Vampire Counts army for Warhammer Fantasy, and I have a good start on a Protectorate of Menoth army for Warmachine. Despite owning the models and the rules, I rarely get around to painting the models and never play these games. I don't have anything against the game systems; for years, I thought Fantasy was superior to 40K.

Blood Angels in 6th: Elites

Chaplain:

The Elite Chaplain is still a good choice for a squad support character, but is overshadowed by the Reclusiarch. The Chaplain fulfills the same role but takes up an Elite slot rather than an HQ slot and is somewhat least durable and hard-hitting. I expect the Chaplain will only see use in large games where your HQ slots are full but you need extra characters to support your squads.

201st Post!

It turns out that my post this weekend on the new FAQs was my 200th post. Not a terribly exciting post for my 200th, but a useful post I think. 

First off, I'd like to thank everyone that's been following my blog. It really is gratifying to know that people actually want to read my articles and see my miniatures. I'm planning on continuing my series on playing Blood Angels and Space Marines in 6th Edition, as well as displaying my miniatures for both armies as I complete them. I'll also be showing my commission work as I get it (expect lots of Ultramarines soon).

New Round of FAQs

There's a new round of FAQs up, and it doesn't look like it has the rumored access to flak missiles or other skyfire weapons. However, the Blood Angels update does finally clear up what Dante's and  Astorath's axes are, as well as glaives encarmine. They count as what they are modeled as (axe or sword) with the added master-crafted rule.

You can find the FAQ here.

Commission: Ultramarines Test Model

My next commission is a roughly 1,850 point Ultramarines army. Now that the army has been delivered to me, I've been itching to get started and paint up all that bare plastic. Here's my first model to test out the color scheme.

Some New Executioners

As I mentioned when I was writing up my lessons learned from the last tournament, the Executioners need some new models added to old squads to change their options for the next edition. I've just finished painting up the first batch of these.

First off is sergeants with bolters. These guys represent that same sergeants for my Tactical squads, previously armed with Executioner's Axes (power fists) and combi-meltas. Taking the sergeants with just bolters keeps the squads much cheaper and means they don't get killed immediately in a challenge.

Commission: Grand Master Mordrak

I've been painting a fair number of Grey Knights for a client, and the goal with them was to match his current army scheme. This is fairly standard table-top quality, as evidenced by this Terminator that I painted.

Commission: Crusaders

Here are a pair of Crusaders I painted for my client's Grey Knight army. I've always loved these models, so I really enjoyed painting them. They're the finecast versions, and they were pretty good except for a large bubble at the tip of one sword. That was a little tricky to sculpt over with green stuff, but I don't think anyone will notice it.

Blood Angels in 6th: Troops

Assault Squads:

 Assault squads have been the stand-out choice among Blood Angels Troops for the last edition, but they’ve taken a pretty serious hit in this edition. Jump infantry became a bit more effective in general, but Assault marines don’t do much damage on their own. Their sergeant deals most of the damage, and he can be pulled out of the combat with challenges. Losing the extra initiative from Furious Charge really hurt them too, as they can’t kill off enemy marines before they can strike back. Finally, Assault squads really need attached characters (mostly Priests and Chaplains) to take on most enemy squads. These characters are now harder to kill in combat, which is great, but this really hurts their ability to deep strike as each character counts as a separate unit.

As far as Assault squads in Rhinos, this has been hurt because they can never assault when disembarking from them. Given the changes to rapid fire and heavy weapons, Tactical squads are a much better option for a Rhino mounted squad.

Assault squads are still valuable to adding bodies to an assault and carrying fast special weapons, but they can no longer just hurl themselves at the enemy and rely their initial charge to push the combat in their favor. Rather than masses Assault marines, I expect most assault forces to include a squad or two backed by heavier assault units.

Commission: Culexus Assassin

Here's the last model of my first commission, a Culexus assassin. This guy was a lot of fun to paint, as he was an exercise in painting a primarily black model and still keeping it visually interesting. I think he came out very well.

My next commission (from the same client) is Mordrak and 4 Ghost Knights, along with 2 Crusader models. I'm still thinking about the best way to represent Ghost Knights, so let me know if you've got any ideas or have seen any cool models I could use for inspiration.

I've also just started discussion about an 1,850 point Ultramarines army commission. This would be a huge commission for me, but between my Librarians and Dire Avengers, I've got a decent amount of experience painting blue armor. I think it will be a great experience.

Finally, I added a new page to the blog detailing my pricing scheme for commissions. You can find it at the link at the top of the blog or here. If you've got models you need painted, check it out.

Team Tournament Lessons Learned

The team tournament was a bit too busy to take the pictures and notes that I normally take, so I won't be doing my normal in-depth battle reports. Also, we didn't do so well and I'd rather not revisit the games in detail. However, I did learn a few lessons that I thought we worth sharing. 

1) Jump infantry have gotten better at covering distance. However, they are a bit better when they can use their packs in the assault phase. Not only do they get extra hammer of wrath attacks, but they can re-roll their charge and make sure they can get into combat. Trust me, jumping 12" and failing to charge tends to leave the squad in a very bad position.

2) Challenges still really hurt squads fighting monstrous creatures as I talked about earlier, but they also really hurt any squad that relies on one character for its hitting power. A naked sergeant can take an Assault squad's power fist mostly out of the fight, which neuters them against any decently tough squads, such as marines. I even had 5 Devastators hold up an Assault squad this way. This makes squads with good hitting power on many members (such as Death Company, Sanguinary Guard, or Terminators) the only real reliable assault forces.

3) On a similar note, putting power fists in Tactical squads is now basically useless. Better to take a bolter and add more firepower or a bolt pistol and chainsword to try and kill an enemy power fist in a challenge.

Scout Sgt. Taurus

Here's the latest addition to the Executioners, Sgt Taurus. He's a count as for Sgt Telion, and named for another character from "The Tower of the Elephant." He's been used in 6 games so far (practicing for and participating in the team tournament), and he's certainly proven to be a great addition to the Scout squad.