As I previously mentioned, there is a Grand Tournament taking place for the first time in recent memory here in Minnesota. The Dark Star GT is being put on by the same people that put on the hugely popular North Star Tournament. Being Minnesotan, there is absolutely no excuse as to why I cannot make to this tournament. Thus, tickets are purchased and my travel arrangements are made. Upon closer inspection, however, it looks like they reduced the player total from 80 to 60, so that is slightly disappointing. It also uses INAT FAQ, so that is also somewhat annoying. Still, a GT in Minnesota! It might be my last opportunity to show off the old Black Templars before they are updated.
Before I get into the list itself and my discussion on it, some house-keeping things. If you sent me an email on December 5th or later, I've still not gotten to you yet. Its coming. I got through the prior two week's emails the past two days and I hope to make similar progress over the next couple of days. That is one of the downfalls of only having one person maintaining a website...sometimes you just cannot keep up with it. Especially when you don't open your email up for over a month...
Moving on then, we're going to build on the first part of my Dark Star GT discussion. When I was thinking about what I wanted to bring to this tournament originally, I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to bring something that I thought could win, bring a tricksy-rock army, or test out Darkwynn's list for myself. For the latter choice, I wanted to see if I could replicate his results with my own skills. This would prove that the list itself is decent, or at the very minimum, something that opposing players were not expecting to see. In the end, I didn't want to go this route because it ultimately didn't matter, as the codex was getting updated soon.
That left the rock army or one that I reasonably felt had a chance to win. I could have taken a rock army, but I felt that if I had won with it, I'd not get due credit because I squeezed into a niche that no one had an answer for. And of course, there would be someone calling my skills into question because of my army list choices. Or worse yet, the event itself. So that is out too.
What I originally came up with was a balanced all-comers list, based off my "Hybrid" Tony K fusion articles. That list was the one brought up in part one (link was earlier). However, I am worried about it. Why? Because it is a list that relies on close combat to finish things off. That wouldn't be a problem if it was what my list focused on and had the numbers to support it. At 1850 points, I simply don't have them. There are two units who rush forward under the cover of fire, while two remain back to hold objectives (or advance as needed). That is not enough mechanized saturation. If those front Rhinos go down, then my main punch in the list is walking. I can't have that. Not only that, those CC-Templars aren't going to really scare anything CC-oriented. Especially if they are armed with power weapons (i.e. Grey Knights, Sanguinary Guard, Incubi, Terminators, etc). You also have to worry about such things as the Necrons now, with their huge numbers of Telsa/Gauss weaponry and the ability to get back up. No, that isn't what I need.
However, the main thing that I'm considering when I'm looking at lists is what the boards look like. And this is what they looked like for the Dark Star's sister event, the North Star GT. Shooting galleries! While I don't think the boards will be quite as sparse at the 40k event, it does give me something to go on.
That means I need to either return to something I know works or try something new. I'm going to do a little of both. I like my gunline. I really do. The list works; I was perhaps a little too knee-jerk about my performance at Nova 2011. The terrain did negatively impact my list at Nova Open, however, it was too stationary from the beginning. And that is on me. But by making some slight tweaks, I can create a more mobile force that fills some of the holes my list previously had. All the while, I lose very little of the crucial firepower the list relies on (i.e CML-Terminators, Typhoons, Razorbacks). You might be familiar with those changes. If not, take a look at this article to update yourself. ;)
Yes, I know. 2000 points. Things need to change to scale down to the needed 1850 points. The most obvious place to start without destroying the core of the list (and really, its a core that is found in a bunch of my lists) is to remove one of the 200 point Crusader squads. At this point level, I think I can get away with only 3 troops. Its definitely a risk, but I'm willing to take it. I'd be more hesitant if there were more IG players coming, however, I'm seeing lots of MEQ. After all, this isn't Nova Open so I won't likely have to worry about the Tri-Mission goal setup either. There are a few other tweaks I made to make take some upgrades, but I'll give you the list then talk about those things in a second.
HQ:
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Heavy Support:
* Vindicator w/ Demolisher Cannon, Storm Bolter, and Power of the Machine Spirit. [155]
* Vindicator w/ Demolisher Cannon, Storm Bolter, and Power of the Machine Spirit. [155]
Total Points: [1850]
So what else changed from my 2000 point version? Namely, I took the Chain Fists away from the Terminators, trimmed the Neophytes from the Crusader squads, and took the Extra Armor from the Vindicators. I don't know this tournament organizer, so I don't know how finicky they are about the EA upgrade being "shown" on the model. Thus, I'm just going without. Where are all those extra points going? Well, if you didn't already notice: straight into PotMS for my Razorbacks. By doing so, I gain mobility while maintaining my full compliment of firepower. That will allow me to stay beyond the 24" sweet spot against armies such as GK and Necrons, as well as rapidly redeploy against Alpha Strike/Fast Enemies.
I already know the argument. Yes, it makes the Razorback extremely expensive when it already is. Yes, the Razorback only has one weapon. Yes, there is only three of them so redundancy isn't as good in this list. Moral of the story: While the Razorbacks and their troops squads may be the most tactically sound target in a particular game, it certainly is NOT the most dangerous or easiest to eliminate. And that is why the Vindicators are there. They will attract HUGE amounts of attention. Especially considering I can usually pull off a 1st turn shot with them. And there are two of them! These will be the bane of MEQ and heavy armor alike. Land Raiders? No problem. Anyone that has faced a Vindicator can note the amount of damage it can tally and they aren't exactly easy to put down. That's not even considering they have PotMS themselves. :)
The list itself combines a lot of the flavors that I enjoy in the Black Templars army right now: the ability to field an effective array of shooting elements in the army via the dual-CML Terminators and Typhoons, plus the durability/mobility promoted by the PotMS upgrades on our vehicles. In addition, the Crusader/Terminator squads have just enough "Oomph" with AAC that they can take care of business in close combat as well if its needed. Something that was seriously lacking in the previous edition of the list.
The list does change my configuration a little bit and I will have to purchase Vindicators to add to the army. I will also need to do a little bit more painting than anticipated, but as noted previously, I'm going to be doing a lot of that over the coming months. More of a distraction from everything else going on IRL, but we'll see how everything turns out. Fortunately, painting is not required in this tournament...so the pressure isn't there to put paint on things sloppy-like. I can afford to take my time on some of this stuff, but I certainly can't paint as quickly as some others I know...
Moving on then, we're going to build on the first part of my Dark Star GT discussion. When I was thinking about what I wanted to bring to this tournament originally, I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to bring something that I thought could win, bring a tricksy-rock army, or test out Darkwynn's list for myself. For the latter choice, I wanted to see if I could replicate his results with my own skills. This would prove that the list itself is decent, or at the very minimum, something that opposing players were not expecting to see. In the end, I didn't want to go this route because it ultimately didn't matter, as the codex was getting updated soon.
That left the rock army or one that I reasonably felt had a chance to win. I could have taken a rock army, but I felt that if I had won with it, I'd not get due credit because I squeezed into a niche that no one had an answer for. And of course, there would be someone calling my skills into question because of my army list choices. Or worse yet, the event itself. So that is out too.
What I originally came up with was a balanced all-comers list, based off my "Hybrid" Tony K fusion articles. That list was the one brought up in part one (link was earlier). However, I am worried about it. Why? Because it is a list that relies on close combat to finish things off. That wouldn't be a problem if it was what my list focused on and had the numbers to support it. At 1850 points, I simply don't have them. There are two units who rush forward under the cover of fire, while two remain back to hold objectives (or advance as needed). That is not enough mechanized saturation. If those front Rhinos go down, then my main punch in the list is walking. I can't have that. Not only that, those CC-Templars aren't going to really scare anything CC-oriented. Especially if they are armed with power weapons (i.e. Grey Knights, Sanguinary Guard, Incubi, Terminators, etc). You also have to worry about such things as the Necrons now, with their huge numbers of Telsa/Gauss weaponry and the ability to get back up. No, that isn't what I need.
However, the main thing that I'm considering when I'm looking at lists is what the boards look like. And this is what they looked like for the Dark Star's sister event, the North Star GT. Shooting galleries! While I don't think the boards will be quite as sparse at the 40k event, it does give me something to go on.
That means I need to either return to something I know works or try something new. I'm going to do a little of both. I like my gunline. I really do. The list works; I was perhaps a little too knee-jerk about my performance at Nova 2011. The terrain did negatively impact my list at Nova Open, however, it was too stationary from the beginning. And that is on me. But by making some slight tweaks, I can create a more mobile force that fills some of the holes my list previously had. All the while, I lose very little of the crucial firepower the list relies on (i.e CML-Terminators, Typhoons, Razorbacks). You might be familiar with those changes. If not, take a look at this article to update yourself. ;)
Yes, I know. 2000 points. Things need to change to scale down to the needed 1850 points. The most obvious place to start without destroying the core of the list (and really, its a core that is found in a bunch of my lists) is to remove one of the 200 point Crusader squads. At this point level, I think I can get away with only 3 troops. Its definitely a risk, but I'm willing to take it. I'd be more hesitant if there were more IG players coming, however, I'm seeing lots of MEQ. After all, this isn't Nova Open so I won't likely have to worry about the Tri-Mission goal setup either. There are a few other tweaks I made to make take some upgrades, but I'll give you the list then talk about those things in a second.
HQ:
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun & 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Power of the Machine Spirit. [220]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Heavy Support:
* Vindicator w/ Demolisher Cannon, Storm Bolter, and Power of the Machine Spirit. [155]
* Vindicator w/ Demolisher Cannon, Storm Bolter, and Power of the Machine Spirit. [155]
Total Points: [1850]
So what else changed from my 2000 point version? Namely, I took the Chain Fists away from the Terminators, trimmed the Neophytes from the Crusader squads, and took the Extra Armor from the Vindicators. I don't know this tournament organizer, so I don't know how finicky they are about the EA upgrade being "shown" on the model. Thus, I'm just going without. Where are all those extra points going? Well, if you didn't already notice: straight into PotMS for my Razorbacks. By doing so, I gain mobility while maintaining my full compliment of firepower. That will allow me to stay beyond the 24" sweet spot against armies such as GK and Necrons, as well as rapidly redeploy against Alpha Strike/Fast Enemies.
I already know the argument. Yes, it makes the Razorback extremely expensive when it already is. Yes, the Razorback only has one weapon. Yes, there is only three of them so redundancy isn't as good in this list. Moral of the story: While the Razorbacks and their troops squads may be the most tactically sound target in a particular game, it certainly is NOT the most dangerous or easiest to eliminate. And that is why the Vindicators are there. They will attract HUGE amounts of attention. Especially considering I can usually pull off a 1st turn shot with them. And there are two of them! These will be the bane of MEQ and heavy armor alike. Land Raiders? No problem. Anyone that has faced a Vindicator can note the amount of damage it can tally and they aren't exactly easy to put down. That's not even considering they have PotMS themselves. :)
The list itself combines a lot of the flavors that I enjoy in the Black Templars army right now: the ability to field an effective array of shooting elements in the army via the dual-CML Terminators and Typhoons, plus the durability/mobility promoted by the PotMS upgrades on our vehicles. In addition, the Crusader/Terminator squads have just enough "Oomph" with AAC that they can take care of business in close combat as well if its needed. Something that was seriously lacking in the previous edition of the list.
The list does change my configuration a little bit and I will have to purchase Vindicators to add to the army. I will also need to do a little bit more painting than anticipated, but as noted previously, I'm going to be doing a lot of that over the coming months. More of a distraction from everything else going on IRL, but we'll see how everything turns out. Fortunately, painting is not required in this tournament...so the pressure isn't there to put paint on things sloppy-like. I can afford to take my time on some of this stuff, but I certainly can't paint as quickly as some others I know...
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