Out With the Old…

Look on any social media platform today, and you’ll see a flood of comments about the newly announced upcoming Space Marine releases. Some positive, some negative — all strongly opinionated about how correct their beliefs are.

While I will be happy to admit I’m very excited about the full range, I do have a slight trepidation with the reconnaissance walker’s appearance, but that would be easily fixed with some conversion work if it looks wonky in person. I’m tempted to put mesh plating between the roll bars. And, all things considered, this is such a slight aesthetic concern that it doesn’t impact my reception of the announcement at all — I’m excited by the entire release. But that isn’t the point of this post.

My main issue I take is with many of the negative comments online that Games Workshop has somehow destroyed the Space Marine aesthetic, fluff, brand, and modus operandi in releasing units like these new Phobos-clad warriors. Childhoods are ruined, people are vowing pacts of vengeance, “Those aren’t my Space Marines!” they say.

“It’s not Grimdark anymore!”

“Tacticool Marines!”

“Update other armies!”

And this is supremely tiresome to me, for a number of reasons, because most of the knee-jerk reactions are so unfounded, it’s gotten to the point where I pity the Community Team for having to moderate and sift through those comments. I feel worse for the designers of the models who not labored over the sculpts, but went through what is likely a discerning approval process only to be absolutely shat on by a bunch of very vocal muppets online.

Let’s address the big one, and probably the most often repeated; the idea that these new marines aren’t grim-dark enough to satisfy whatever vision the consumer has of what Warhammer should be. That somehow the setting has been retconned or, worse, changed irreparably. For those that might not know, the term grimdark was largely fabricated as a direct result of Warhammer: 40,000. It’s a term to describe the particularly dystopian genre and hopeless plight of the inhabitants of the setting itself. “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” The term is now used widely among various settings and systems.

So what does “grimdark” look like? Is it armored warriors belonging to an oppressive regime, with skulls on their battleplate, skull masks, purity seals, ridiculously large weaponry (with skulls on them), and exaggerated physiques all sowing terror among enemies of the overbearing theocracy? Because that describes the new Phobos marines as much as it does the 20-year-old Astartes models.

Games Workshop’s vision of their universe’s setting is literally the benchmark for what it means to be “grimdark.” Whatever suppositions the consumer might have about aesthetics, we are just along for the ride — Games Workshop can (and should) do with their Intellectual Property as they see fit. Who are we to go on their Facebook page and write scathing comments and stamp our feet until the very successful corporation realizes Timmy from Salt Lake City wants a complete overhaul of their entire range of miniatures, years in the making?

My usual response to these sorts of outcries are that they are a vocal minority. And indeed they are, a vast amount of the player base likes the changes, from what I can gather. With a global brand that has turned immense profits recently through better consumer engagement, is there no trust in their vision? After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen radical changes in their model lineup.

BUT THE OLD ONES ARE BETTER!!!1!1

What about the other factions, you say? Surely the Eldar need new models, I hear you cry. I agree, they do. But one has to recognize that this isn’t giving the Space Marines more stuff on top of their old range. It’s effectively replacing the range. It makes sense that the company will fully revamp their flagship line and literal poster-boys before diverting attention to other armies. But even then, look at Sisters of Battle getting an entirely new plastic range. Look at Chaos Marines, look at daemons, all of the Age of Sigmar releases – they can only produce so much at a time, be patient.

Phasing out of the older marines is a hot-button issue. But I am flabbergasted when people act surprised that this is a possibility, even an inevitability. The writing has been on the walls for two years minimum, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that they won’t be around much longer. In my opinion, Games Workshop will continue to support the model line with rules, but I don’t see any new kits being produced for the “old-marines.” When the molds wear out (or sooner) they’ll be shelved for good — and I’m okay with that. But look at the glossy photographs in the newly minted Space Marine codex, you still see the old (old!) land speeder kits prominently featured, the old devastators, and many more kits that people thought would vanish. They’re still supported.

How dare they change the aesthetic!

Another point of contention I have is when people claim it’s all shoehorned and detrimental to the “established canon” of lore in making these broad, sweeping changes. Someone might say it’s absurd to concoct the Cawl story about 10,000 years of working on the Primaris Marines in a secret lab. And while I’m no expert on the minutia of Games Workshop lore, I do remember a time where the Horus Heresy was just a brief mention in a throwaway comment in a rulebook. It’s now a massively successful tabletop game, book series, and thriving setting all on its own. The first published Horus Heresy book was released in 2006 for Pete’s sake, that’s after the entire T’au army was introduced to Warhammer. I remember when we got a new plastic land raider model, when grav-cannons were brought into the tabletop game, I remember when all the armies got flyers of some kind. These were all introduced in the same way the Primaris Marines are — a cool concept developed and fleshed out to advance the setting while also selling a new product.

The difference is that the Primaris situation is one that is replacing existing models, iconic models, so people are naturally offended by this prospect. I think Games Workshop has done their best in mitigating the outcry with continued support of the rules for that dated line of marines. But it’s time to move on.

THE NEW MODELS LOOK SO BAD.

A closing thought I have regarding the Primaris issue, which I’ve brought up before, is that it’s what the people wanted. People will defiantly tell you this isn’t the case, and they always wanted marines the size of Gurdsmen – but look back a few years at the top-rated conversions, and what all the renowned hobbyists were producing: truescale space marines. They went through great lengths to make the existing marines bigger than a gurdsman. Say what you want about the story invented to justify it, but we got what we wished for. And for that I am happy.

This is obviously a divisive opinion piece and I in no way want to suggest my line of thinking is the only correct response. It’s simply me venting my opinions on the matter, where I welcome any and all differing opinions. You hobby how you want to hobby — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But don’t get caught up in a mob mentality online and bandwagon on an opinion because it’s the hotness to trash on Games Workshop. Hate the story they invented, hate the models; that’s all fine. But don’t claim Games Workshop is shitting on their own property, because they aren’t. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you — look what happened to Dawn of War 3.*

Enjoy yourself, but let others enjoy their hobby too.

*Dawn of War 3 is a fun game, post-patch. But it was declared dead on arrival because of the shit reviews people who had never even played it gave online. Relic abandoned the franchise as a result.

The Big FAQ, and Why It’s Good.

So let me open up with saying this: the “Big FAQ” is here and it’s glorious.  It marks a watershed moment for Games Workshop, in my opinion, and heralds an edition of gameplay that sees regular, consistent updates to the rules published in set intervals that we can expect.  Gone are the days of haphazard postings, obscure references, and byzantine scrying through the muck to find what you need.  It’s all clearly laid out at a set schedule.

What’s more, is that these are definitely influenced by player input. GW didn’t just arbitrarily show up and say the fundamental methodology of the game needs to change. These are all practical, real-world results of months (years?) of play-testing. This is not the knee-jerk reaction some claim it to be. Don’t let the vocal minority on forums and Facebook fool you; for every neckbeard complaining, there’s a hundred that are pleased with the changes.

But let’s get into the nitty gritty.  I’m sick of all the negative shit people are spouting off about this FAQ.  It’s ridiculous!  I’ll just dive right in and tackle the biggest issue people are having: no more turn one deep strikes.  Let me just start off by saying anyone that’s complaining about this is probably an awful tactician* and is relying on a one-trick-pony style army to win their games.  Warhammer is about playing the game and reacting to circumstances. At no point is it fun to just have this enormous synergy chain take an hour for the entire first turn and claim victory afterward. That isn’t a game. It’s you formulaically shuffling things around without any sort of pushback or challenge and reclining smugly to watch your opponent cope with the deathstroke.

To foster a game based on skill, tactics, and clever maneuvering, one must expect changes like this limitation on turn-one deep strikes to surface, for the betterment of the game.  Look at any tournament (or, for that matter, any other semi-competitive game of Warhammer 40,000) and you’ll see a trend: the games are decided by turn two, even as soon as turn one.  The function of the game should aspire to be, well, a game. If the entire thing is done and over in the first thirty minutes, that’s not a game, it’s a lopsided display.

If your entire strategy was “kill the entire enemy on turn one without a chance for enemy reprisal,” you’re not a good Warhammer player.*  It’s as simple as that.  You’re just using cold, hard mathematical advantage to win games (opponent can’t harm reserves, you drop in, strike first, game over, etc).  The reason I like the beta change is this: you can still use these strategies, but there is a significant risk/reward factor at play now.  Put half your army in reserves?  Better survive a full turn while they’re en route!

There are so many people wailing and gnashing their teeth.  The vitriol in the forums is insane.  INSANE.  I just have to ask these people why they think their entire army’s identity is built around a few deep striking units?  Sure, 8th Edition Blood Angels deep striking Death Company and Dreadnoughts and Chaplains and all sorts of nasties turn one was a great and effective tool to use for the infancy stages of 8th Edition.  But what about the tactical marines?  The predator tanks?  People were “net-decking” these one-hit-wonder armies and it was devastating to the health of the game, both gameplay wise and thematically.

But here’s the hilarious part: Did you know you couldn’t deep-strike in any previous edition of Warhammer 40,000 before turn two? And even then there was a chance it would fail?  And lets assume you made that reserve roll.  You then used scatter dice!  You could go off the table, and instantly lose your precious unit.  It was a risk.  It was a gamble.  When it paid off, it was great! Games Workshop tried allowing turn one deep strikes at the onset of 8th and it was so overwhelmingly lopsided, they’re going to back to a modified version of the old ways. A better version!

The risk of deep striking was largely, if not entirely, removed from 8th Edition deep strikes.  It was abused.  The beta changes are correcting that.

I’ve played a few games with these beta rules. And they’re amazing. Turn two deep strikes just feel more powerful. They’re rushed-to-the-battlefield-reinforcements, desperately arriving to turn the tide. My drop pod Sternguard squad laden with combi-meltas is still ridiculously effective. As someone that’s been playing Games Workshop games for over two decades, I thoroughly enjoy these beta changes and what they mean for the health of the game. Are they perfect? Of course not! But they’re an indication that the rules team is actively listening to feedback and is working in “real time” to make a fun, compelling ruleset.

But let me close with one final thought:

This shit right here has caused the most debate in our school club. I am happy to say the above validated every argument I’ve ever made on the topic, and thank God. It just makes sense! You’ll hear people lament, “But my all Khorne army!” to which I say, “Use your got-dang bolt pistols / grenades / bloodthirster whips / plasma pistols and make a fucking hole!” The volume of people that immediately jump to the conclusion of “no room, can’t assault = GG” is utterly depressing. Some even, laughably, say it makes shooting armies invincible. Why? Because a player placed a single unit of troops on an upper level? What if I place a melee unit completely behind a piece of line of sight blocking terrain? Is that an unfair disadvantage for shooting armies, who now have no way of shooting them? HOW DARE YOU UTILIZE THE TERRAIN TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE! It’s just such a bizarre stance.

Let’s pretend for arguments sake that the fortified unit is indeed invincible (lol). If one single unit in the entire enemy force, locked away on some tall building, is the reason you’re losing, have I got news for you! [Spoiler Alert: u bad].

Nevertheless, the mob has spoken, and the prevailing climate online is “dis dumb, no fair.” And it’s for this reason I both admire and worry for the utilization of the (awesome) WH Community Team. Will they just hear this vocal minority? Will those who enjoy these changes speak out?

What do y’all think? Let me know in the comments, would love to hear from all sides!

*Hyperbole. Don’t get too mad, nerds.

Fortifying This Position

As a loyal son of Dorn, and devout Imperial Fist, it is my sworn duty to build as many fortifications as possible, whenever possible.  That’s why, when I liquidated my Renegades and Heretics army on the eBays, I used a portion of the proceeds to comb through auctions to get a bunch of plastic at excellent prices.  I had always wanted a fortification for my force, both as something to actually pay for as part of the army, or to use as terrain on the table itself.

This is the epitome of Warhammer: 40,000 terrain.  I need it.

The Aquila Strongpoint always appealed.  Its massive macro cannon and enormous golden eagle wings swept around it just evoked the style of Warhammer: 40,000 to me.  It was big, ostentatious, grimdark, and killy.  At least, it was killy before 8th Edition dropped.  Now it’s a relatively underwhelming chunk of plastic, and so my dreams were dashed against the rocks, never to come to pass.  At Heavy D6 shots with a ballistic skill of 5+ it’s remarkably pathetic.  What’ll you get, an average of one, maybe two hits per turn?  And plenty of those turns you’ll miss entirely.  When it hits, its definitely good, but I really can’t stand the current 5+ ballistic skill for all fortifications (except some of the Forgeworld ones, which is intriguing).  Clocking in at strength 14, AP -3, and a damage between 3-6, it’s not terrible for blasting smaller hard targets, but putting out single-digit wounds on a titan each turn isn’t worth the 400+ points the fortification is worth.

Now, the fact that these fortifications can be crewed by 20 infantry with characters is great.  Because the rules allow you to shoot out of them even if the fortifications are engaged.  It essentially gives a garrisoned unit a massive shield (the building) that must be destroyed before their shooting can be compromised.  Putting a unit of Devastator Centurions inside is vastly appealing, with a captain and some other characters.  So this may be enough of a boost to make taking the structure worthwhile.  I did love that Aquila gun oh-so-much..

But then I noticed something I’d overlooked for years.  The Aquila Strongpoint has two options.  One for the main gun like you see on the box, but another statline for replacing the gun for a massive vortex missile battery!  It’s only 20 points more, but the profile is interesting (if admittedly still not ideal).  Heavy D6, and hitting on 5+ as usual.  But each hit causes an automatic D6 Mortal Wounds!  And what’s more, if the model is not slain by those mortal wounds, you roll another dice, and on a 6, it suffers an additional D6 Mortal Wounds! It looks to be fun, if not incredibly powerful.  Let’s see how it works out!

So I decide I need an Aquila Strongpoint.  But since I’m running it as the Vortex Missile Battery, the big golden eagle of doom cannon is out – which is a shame because that’s what I was so interested in.  This did, of course, open up modeling opportunities, because I’m not buying the Aquila Strongpoint if I’m not using that amazing eagle cannon.  So I did some thinking and research and discovered the Fortress of Redemption also has a built in missile battery, along with that hideous Dark Angels tower.  So I managed to find a secondhand Fortress of Redemption from one of my loyal Instagram followers, new on the sprue, even!  I also ordered a couple (okay, maybe 5) Imperial Bastions, the extremely versatile kit I’ve heard so much about.  And planned to convert the fortress into something more … Dorn-esque.

To my surprise, the dual lascannon turret on the Fortress of Redemption was able to be swapped for a second missile battery!  This was working out perfectly!  And the plinth of the ridiculous “Dark Angel” tower was the correct size to accept either a Bastion or even the Cityfight building sprues.  I’d wind up with a shorter, more squat and sturdy looking structure (above), which was great because it both aligned with the aesthetic I wanted while also making it more appropriate in size comparison to the actual Aquila Strongpoint!  Pretty soon my Imperial Fists would have a fortress worthy of Dorn!

A suitable outpost for Dorn’s finest!  But what color to paint it?

The Fortress of Redemption comes with two discs that cover the silo, and in true GW fashion for variety (seriously) they’re double sided. One showing the winged sword of the Dark Angels, for whom the fortress is originally designed for, and on the opposite side the standard Imperial Aquila. I was content to use the Aquila, but it started to gnaw at the back of my brain. This was going to be a purpose-built fortress for my Fists, they need iconography on it! So I’m talking with our Discord chat group (you are on our server, aren’t you?) I had the talented @little.plastic.people whip up a quick 3D render of a silo cover (picture below)! I then abused my position as a high school teacher and press-ganged a sophomore into using his home printer to run a test print 😏. Glad I’m able to add these little details, it adds so much to the model!

o that’s the current state of the project.  I’d say its about 90% done, with perhaps a little more detailing and doodads to throw on it.  I’ll definitely be painting some banners to hang from it as well, and I’m toying with the idea of transferring some of John Blanche’s iconic artwork onto the lancets in the alternating buttresses as a sort of fresco.  It’s certainly impressive, if I say so myself, but it wasn’t satisfying my desire for grand fortress.  I NEEDED MORE.

And more was had!  With the extra bastions, I was able to whip up something without too much planning.  The bastion kit is a dream to build, even more so than my administratum project.  These panels were designed to mesh seamlessly in many different combinations — the kit was intended to make some multiple level, terraced fortifications.  The possibilities are endless, and I’m more than tempted to get more to build a grand citadel wall!  What I need currently, though, are more floor plates.  Each kit comes with enough for a single 1×1 tower, as that’s all you’d need per box.  But if you get clever and make a wide building like me, I’m using more “wall” space than should be necessary since I’m not using anything on the interior.  I’ve only used ten wall sections, which is just 2.5 bastion kits worth of walls, but this requires six floor plates.

So I went to eBay and bought a few from Germany, of all places, which had decent prices.  There were only four available (all I needed), but that goes to show you how in-demand these actually are for such projects.  Scouring the internet, I couldn’t find any more.  None.  I’d almost suggest to Games Workshop that they need to sell these particular sprues separately for people building these kinds of structures, as you’ll always need more than what is supplied if you’re doing anything remotely large.

All of that being said, that’s the current state of the “Citadel” as I’m calling it (see above).  It’s a 2×6 bastion structure that will have a two-tall bastion tower in the center rear, providing a large terrace around the front of it to deploy defenders.  I’m debating running it as a Firestorm Redoubt, and adding the appropriate guns to it, but it could easily just be a plain Imperial Bastion.  The fun thing to note is that the Fortress of Redemption’s dual lacannon that I didn’t use fits on top of the bastion roof, so I could use it on either of my terrain pieces.

And that’s all for now.  I’ll post an  update later when my German floor plates finally arrive!

Bringing Down the House

Every gaming system has them, and you’ve probably used them before!  We’re talking about House Rules.  Did you know in Monopoly, you’re not supposed to collect the income and property tax money in the middle of the board for landing on Free Parking? That’s a very common house rule not covered in the official rulebook.  In this piece, I’ll speak mostly to the Games Workshop crowd, but the basic premise applies to all games.  I’ll also put a disclaimer in stating that a huge majority of players go straight Vanilla rules – which I do myself a majority of the time when not with friends.  I am well aware that the majority of games are played rules-as-written.  

House rules have always been an important part of Warhammer and Warhammer: 40,000 for me (and whether you know it or not, the community at large).  Like dialects of a language, you can see differences from venue to venue, each store or gaming location home to its own sets of culture, priorities, and way of life.  It’s this insular culture of the Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS) that makes the old-school mom and pop comic book shops so appealing.  It’s our culture with the games played how we think is best.  You can’t walk into a shop 100 miles away and lay down your Army and expect the exact same application of rules you had at your FLGS. In such cases you use the vanilla rules – it’s the expected and sportsmanlike thing to do.  

These tailored rules can range from the seemingly innocuous (but sometimes controversial) WYSIWYG, to the wholesale ban of particular aspects of a game.  I am a strong proponent of individual house rules, but I inwardly scream when I see surgical amputation of specific features like banning Stormsurges (or limiting Lords of War at all for that matter).  On one hand, I welcome fun, characterful house rules that add to the spirit of the game.  On the other, I bemoan the fact that some rules prohibit formations or models that are notoriously prickly.  I understand that they’re often “power-gamed” to hideous effect, but I feel banning them isn’t the answer.  

“A game is a social contract, an agreement between friends to each play by the same agreed upon rules.”

This inner conflict I have – trying to reconcile creating house rules against perceived abuse of this carte blanche power to limit what isn’t deemed reasonable – vexes me at every mention of tournament or matched play.  I have zero issue with tournament organizers outlining particular rule sets, but when these rule sets become the norm for “fair” play outside of highly competitive venues, I writhe in agony.  But then I remember the most important rule:

The most important rule.

 

What so many players seem to forget is what was printed here – wedged between how to measure distances and the proper use of dice – and printed in every iteration of the Warhammer: 40,000 rulebook.  The rules are a guide, and we can do whatever we want to enjoy the game in any way we deem acceptable.  A game is a social contract, an agreement between friends (or enemies!) to each play by the same rules to outmatch the opponent.  We are all in it to have fun,  after all, aren’t we?

So without further ado, here are a couple house rules we sometimes use, feel free to share your own ideas below!

• Hatred: Unpainted – All unpainted models have the Hatred rules applied against them.
• The Floor is Lava! – Any dice that fall on the floor are discounted, and the roll is an immediate failure (or perils of the warp, deep strike mishap, etc)
• Shoot ‘Em Up – You may fire into close combat if you pass a leadership test.  Any shooting rolls that fail to hit automatically hit your own models.
• Take Cover! – Cover saves are taken prior to (and in addition to ) armor saves. You get two saves behind cover in this case. (This can seriously alter gameplay – use with caution!)
• Eye For an Eye – Any First Blood action which awards a victory point will additionally award a point to the opponent if they qualify by the end of their next turn. 
• He Knows What He’s Doing – You may select your own Warlord trait instead of rolling a D6.  I mean, seriously.
• Who’s Counting Anyway? – Armies may go over their points by 1% of the total points agreed upon for a game.  Must be discussed prior to game day!