So I've been doing some Real Life junk lately, so I guess I'll talk about that. Finished the semester with a 3.75, so that's cool. I've also gotten four games of 40k in over the weekend, which is four more than I managed over the course of the semester. Three games against my brother-in-law's (Brother's wife's brother, woo!) Newcrons, with a record of 1-1-1, and one against my brother's Tyranids, against which I lost embarassingly. I have come to a couple of conclusions:
1) Blood Angels are a fun army to play. I usually stick to the default Codex: Space Marines list, but now that my Dreadnought collection is growing, I'm nearing a point where six will not be enough. Furthermore, BA lets me play with different types of Dreads, different equipment, etc. I need to figure out how to work their non-Dreadnought units, though, because they definitely play differently.
2) I like the new Necron book. It's got a healthy mix of things that are fun and things that are dangerous (plus a few that are both). Things I hate to play against: The trash beam (auto-kill my dreads on a roll of 6? Not a fan). Reanimation Protocols can't be negated by doubling out or power weapons (s10 ignores armor? Minor details). Things I've noticed Necrons have issues with: AP4 (their troops are no longer 3+, so it's fairly easy to take out a big chunk of them with a couple well-placed heavy flamers, or concentrated heavy gunfire). They suffer in melee, especially against walkers (against whom they don't seem to have many CC options). Their range is largely limited to 24", like Grey Knights, so outranging them with lots of heavy weapons could work.
3) Blood Claws are crazy-good. Almost too good for their own good (Good good good good). Every time I got a Dread with dual claws stuck in, it eliminated the unit it was fighting the first round of combat (the exception being a Trygon, against whom I first attacked thinking my WS was 6, and then when we redid the combat I forgot my to-wound rerolls). I'm so used to Dreadnoughts that can't do anything against MCs, and that rely on combat res and morale tests to take down large infantry blobs, that Blood Angels dreads almost feel like a different unit.
4) Even with Blood Claws, I suck at dealing with monstrous creatures. I just can't seem to shoot at them effectively thanks to an abundance of cover and a lack of mobile heavy weapons (read: tanks), and if I don't get the charge off on an MC, I am pretty much guaranteed to lose.
So, some lessons learned. Some good times had. Oh, and some dice scheduled for a date with the microwave.
I really like the new necron codex. I like it enough to start a necron army if I didn't already have 2 half built armies that need to be finished first. Warriors may have a 4+ save but immortals are still 3+ and pack a bigger punch. Necrons' weakness has always been close combat but now they at least have more tools for the job (watch out for those scythes) and a couple solid CC units. They also have ways of discouraging long range shooting and close combat units getting too close. Writing about necrons makes me want to start making them even more hehe.
ReplyDeleteThat game we played had some of the craziest dice that I've seen for both of us. They were pretty bad overall on both sides but they were also all over the place at times. I really think that you would have been better off starting everything on the table. You wouldn't have had to worry about coming in piecemeal and even though my deep strikers would get the first shots in, you would have your whole army to retaliate with before I could charge into close combat. There are also a ton of kill points in that list which didn't help you at all.
I was also pretty surprised at those blood talons, especially against my MCs. Those dreads will tear right through just about anything without an invulnerable save. We will have to get some games in more often once my table is built.
P.S. I don't like psychic hoods. /angryface