So I've hit a wall of sorts.  I cannot for the life of me, figure out what to write about in regards to the Black Templar.  Well, that isn't entirely accurate.  I have some ideas in mind, but I'm not sure how well they would be received.  I don't want to spend the time working on an article if no one is going to read it.  ;)

That means I need your help.  Hit me up here with topics of conversation, subjects you'd like addressed, questions, or anything else you'd like related to the Black Templars.  I've got to keep the mill going and unfortunately, a negative byproduct of the BT 101 guide is limiting my future topics of conversation.  lol!  So let me know what you'd like from me.  Hopefully I'll get some good responses and then I can get to work on some of them.

Thanks everyone!  :D

Now that the Dark Eldar codex is "officially" in hand, I can begin to review the stuff inside.  This should be done within a week or so.  Expect my "Kabal in the Making" series to be fully re-written within a few days as well.  Any errors in my lists will also be corrected

While my area boasts 15+ stores that carry significant Games Workshop merchandise, I was surprised to find out the DE's tally after only a day of being released.  The manager of the LGS I go to told me that he ordered 25 codices (not counting pre-ordered ones) for release and by the time I got there at 5:30pm, they had sold 23 of them.  I bought the 24th.  Twenty-four codices in one day?  That is crazy!  On top of that, there was not a single Dark Eldar model left to buy when I got there.  Well over $2000 worth of miniatures disappeared within hours of the store opening I was told.  And this was a common occurrence I found out after I called around to the other stores in the area.  The Twin Cities area is cleaned out of Dark Eldar.  I can imagine the same will be across the USA from the accounts I've been hearing online.

I knew and prophesied that there would be huge drove of DE players out there that would emerge from the wood-work when they were re-released.  But how large this group of people actually is, is awe-inspiring.  I can only hope that GW doesn't take its usual knee-jerk response to attribute excellent sales to a codex being overpowered (for non-marine codices).  A perfect example was the Tyranid codex.  Sold very well, then got nerfed in the FAQ.  I believe that the Dark Eldar will dwarf that number and they deserve to remain untouched by the nerf bat after being forced to endure a 12 year hiatus.

I look forward to beginning the process.  My first order?  One Archon, two Warrior squads, and two Raiders.  Exactly enough for basic first 500 points.  :)

Unfortunately, I was unable to get in a game with my "No Survivors" list.  It was decided that due to our numbers, we'd play a doubles game instead.

All was not lost, however.  I did glean a couple of things from the game.  One of the units that I took was a Beast Master Pack.  Originally, I thought I was perfectly safe with all of the types of models in the squad, making it durable.  However, I did find a weakness to it.  It can be pinned and tank shocked.  That is a problem.  In the future, I will have to ensure it is much closer to the action and use them aggressively, or they will find themselves neutralized.  After all, the Dark Eldar are about bashing/blasting the crap out of your opponent, not hiding.  They are a very large unit, model wise, so the chances of getting hit by blast weapons is high.  Cover will be essential.

In addition, yet another game proved that Wracks are hard as heck to remove from cover (which is hopefully near an objective).  I don't think it is appropriate to take more than 4 such units, because they lack long range firepower.  However, a couple of them acting as objective holders will be hard for enemies to deal with on a consistent basis.

As promised, I tweaked my list a bit and I'm much more comfortable with the results.  To do that, however, I had to sacrifice quite a bit of CC-power by dropping an Archon and a Bloodbrides squad.  Because those units are gone, I also lose a Blaster and a Dark Lance.  I also dropped the Reaver Jetbike squad.  A steep price, but...

On the other hand, I gained a Haemonculus with a Liquifier.  This has proven to be a valuable tool in each game I've used it.  He will hitch a ride with the Archon-led Bloodbrides so they gain a Pain Token.  That should protect them from small arms fire until the unit is in charge range (potentially turn two).  It will also help protect them in close combat against weaker, but potentially deadly, enemy units.  The Bloodbrides were given Haywire Grenades, so they now pose a credible threat to vehicles of all types.

I also gained two 5-man Scourge squads with two Heat Lances each.  This gives me more melta in the list, which is always helpful, while still maintaining a reasonable amount of dakka.  These can be delegated to either AI or AT duties as required (isn't duality fun?).  They will likely find themselves the target of incoming fire, so make sure to keep them in cover.  They are relatively cheap for dual melta, so if they do die, its not a huge loss as they might have distracted your opponent from the other dangerous elements in your army.  In addition, every vehicle in the army now have Flickerfields for a small measure of protection.

Here is the list for your viewing pleasure:

HQ
* Archon w/ Agonizer, Blaster, Haywire Grenades, and Shadowfield.  [130]
* Haemonculus w/ Liquifier.  [60]

ELITES
* Hekatrix Bloodbrides (5x and 1x Syren) w/ 2x Shardnets & Impalers, 1x Agonizer, and Haywire Grenades.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [210]

TROOPS
* Warriors (10x) w/ 1x Blaster and Splinter Cannon.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [185]
* Warriors (10x) w/ 1x Blaster and Splinter Cannon.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [185]
* Warriors (10x) w/ 1x Blaster and Splinter Cannon.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [185]
* Warriors (10x) w/ 1x Blaster and Splinter Cannon.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [185]

FAST ATTACK
* Beast Master Pack (5x Beast Masters) w/ 5x Khymera; 1x Clawed Fiend; 6x Razorwing Flock.  [245]
* Scourges (5x) w/ 2x Heat Lances.  [134]
* Scourges (5x) w/ 2x Heat Lances.  [134]

HEAVY SUPPORT
* Ravager w/ 3x Dark Lances and Flickerfields.  [115]
* Ravager w/ 3x Dark Lances and Flickerfields.  [115]
* Ravager w/ 3x Dark Lances and Flickerfields.  [115]

TOTAL:  [1998]

I plan on playtesting this list this Monday evening.  Hopefully I get a good game in with the list.  Either way, I'll let you know of any glaring issues I found if I manage to get a game in.  :D