Implausible Nature
  • Home
    • Links and Contact Page
    • Site Index
    • Site Primer >
      • Casual vs Competitive Players -- Healing the Divide
      • Laeroth's Take On Building Fluffy Armies
  • Laeroth's Blog
  • The Njesta Crusade
    • Black Templars Army Lists
    • Njesta Crusade Fluff >
      • Black Templars Background Literature
  • Black Templars 101
    • BT 101: Where to Start >
      • BT 101: Unit Analysis
      • BT 101: Building Low-Point BT Armies
      • BT 101: Commonly Used Abbreviations
    • BT 101: Building an 9th Edition List >
      • BT 101: Building A Competitive 9th Edition List
      • BT 101: Building Another Competitive 9th Edition List
    • BT 101: Assembling Your Crusade
    • BT 101: Playing With Your New Army >
      • BT 101: Tactics
      • BT 101: Duality
    • BT 101: The Conclusion
  • Painting and Modeling
    • Black Templars Gallery
    • How To Paint Black Templars

Escalation Leagues: What are those?!? D:

11/13/2011

3 Comments

 
As the title says, I don't really specialize in lower point games.  I know what you need in a force that size, but if you must pick a weakness, smaller point games are mine.  Its kind of like fumbling in the dark.  When you're so used to 1500-2000 points games, you forget how to play everything else!

So that is what makes this interesting for me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, my local store started up an Escalation League to get some new players into the game and/or get people buying new armies.  So far, its sounds like its working for them.  Last week was the first games played and I guess they are increasing the point totals by 100 points each month.  So a relatively tame amount.  Well, I don't think I'll have enough of my Dark Eldar stuff assembled by then or else I'd take them.  Need motivation to get them painted (mini-rant later) anyway.  This will also make the army building process relatively "cheap" (as its spread over time) and will keep me from making purchases of Necrons, which I've had to prevent myself from doing several times now.

Anyway, there aren't really any rules for the Escalation League other than the basic 1 HQ and 2 Troops.  Nothing real fancy with the missions, just roll out of the book.  Terrain can be a little sketchy, as there are quite a few people sharing it...but with 500 points, I can live with that.  So here it is. 

HQ:
* Emperor's Champion w/ AAC.  [140]

TROOPS:
* Crusader Squad (6 Initiates, 1 Neophyte) w/ 5 BP & CCWs, Meltagun, and Powerfist.  Mounted in a Rhino w/ Extra Armor and Smoke Launchers.  [189]
* Crusader Squad (5 Initiates) w/ 3 Bolters, Plasmagun, and Lascannon.  [101]

FAST ATTACK:
* Land Speeder Typhoon.  [70]


TOTAL:  [500]


The list is pretty basic.  Two units that provide the firepower and one close combat unit.  At this points level, there really isn't much on the board as far as vehicles.  Maybe a Chimera/Raider/Rhino or two.  That should be enough for whatever shooting I need.  If an emergency comes up, I have the meltagun.  The Emperor's Champion should be able to handle almost all the threats in close combat, but just in case, I'm giving his squad a power fist.  There was a Nid player there last week, so I'll be prepared for him.  :P

I'll also have a home objective squad, which will be pretty hard to dislodge at 500 points.  Provided I don't fall back randomly due to Righteous Zeal.  Should be fun.  :D

If I take the Dark Eldar, this will be the list they'll be using.  Or rather, what I'll be using.

HQ:
* Haemonculus w/ Shattershard.  [65]

ELITES:
* Incubi (5) w/ Klaive.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [180]

TROOPS:

* Kabalite Warriors (5) w/ Blaster and 4 Splinter Rifles.  Mounted in a Venom w/ 2 Splinter Cannons.  [125]
* Wracks (5) w/ Liquifier Gun and Dual-Poison weapons.  Mounted in a Raider w/ Flickerfields.  [130]


TOTAL:  [500]


The Haemonculus will ride with the Incubi to give them FNP and then they'll run off to play in CC.  The rest of the list just does what it does best, shoot and survive.  Not a huge amount of AT firepower, but again, there isn't a whole lot out there at 500 points.  But I do have plenty of AI.  If I don't finish the army by the time they increase the points level (to 600 points), I'll simply drop the Shattershard and add a Ravager with Flickerfields.  :)

Which brings me to my mini-rant.  I...hate...the new resin finecast models.  They are a huge pain in the ass to remove from the sprues due to the flashing, cleaning mold lines is tedious, and super-gluing them together is annoying at best.  Took about 30 minutes to properly put together and clean my Haemonculus tonight.  I'm not a fan.  Give me them in good old fashioned plastic.  Not looking forward to assembling those Wracks.  At least they are in one piece...I think.  *grumbles*

3 Comments
Algesan link
11/12/2011 10:42:52 pm

They only way I take the EC at 500 points is if the rules say that I must keep the same units as I escalate. Otherwise I bring a foot list.

1xReclusiarch (BP/PW, Frags, Krak) [99]
1xCrusader (5/0, ML, 4xBolters) [90]
1xCrusader (6/4, Melta, BP/PF, BP/CCW, Frags) [171]
2xLS-Typhoon (HB/Typhoon ML) [140]

Reply
Marshal Laeroth (Admin) link
11/14/2011 01:59:30 pm

I've since replaced the EC with the Reclusiarch and used the points to fill out my CC unit. I thought about trying to fit in another Typhoon, but decided that I much prefer the mobility and cover that the Rhino provides me.

Reply
Devjon link
11/15/2011 01:55:49 am

Thinking about 500 point lists in general for Black Templars, I'm kind of at a loss for what to do; namely between trying to make a list that is a reflection of the 2,000 point lists or trying to do something gimmicky.

Gimmicky doesn't work for 2,000 points because it is so easy for a list to bring the needed tools to handle just about anything, but at 500 points we might have some options.

Things like Deathstar units, sure they still suck up your options and give you a Single Point of Failure, but that's still a unit that takes effort to kill it while your opponent doesn't have as many options in terms of weapons and he can't just feed it units to slow it down.

Or taking two Crusader Squads in Rhinos with Heavy Weapons (at least one being a Multi-Melta), a Typhoon, and a Castellan. Taking three Typhoons as you main force with a couple of naked Crusader Squads to hold objectives. Only Infantry and going for a Horde (Reclusiarch and four Crusader Squads with a Power Weapon and a Meltagun and Frags or three Crusader Squads with three Neophytes, a Power Weapon, a Meltagun, and Frags) and hoping that your opponent simply didn't bring enough firepower to kill them all (and that you could win in Close Combat, and that he doesn't have swift vehicles).

None of them seem perfect and all have obvious, crippling flaws (unlike, say, really well built Gunlines), but maybe that's just 500 point lists in general (or gimmicky lists in general, as yours doesn't have obvious flaws aside from things that can't be helped except by adding another 1,500 points).

Anyway, good luck to you. Hope that you don't play any 5-Objective scenarios.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Laeroth's Blog

    This blog is devoted to the Black Templars chapter and the tactics, list building, and general musing associated with them.  Readers will see occasional posts from Marshal Laeroth.

    Check out the Implausible Nature YouTube Channel!

    Follow me on Twitter!

    Like what you see and want to help support Implausible Nature?  Click the link below and donate!

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009