Eldar Wraiths

Wraithguard get a 4+ cover save for standing behind guardians. That's nice. What is even nicer is that Wraithguards are tall enough to obscure 50% of a Wraithlord (at least my older Lords). Though expensive, 10 WGuards are a scoring unit, very hard to kill (espcially if there is cover and a farseering casting fortune), can kill tanks, AND act as a shield to Wraithlords. The following screen works:

WG WG WG WG WG
.WG WG WG WG WG
..WL WL WL (had to put periods cuz blogger jacks my formatting)

Also nice: A screen of Wraithguard is tall enough to obscure the rear arc of a Wave Serpent on a short peg. So if you are tired of taking it up the rear after unloading a squad of fiery dragons, cover your ass with Wraithguards! But wait, that's not all: WG don't need to be within 6" of the enemy either. Deployment, plus base, plus range of weapon means you can park your back hatch 15" away from the target vehicle--hopefully far enough away to avoid an enemy assualt.

Order now!

Is this cheesy of me, or are others playing Wraiths like this?

El Testudo: A Slow Read

Okay, I'm slow, in more sense than one. So I'm creeping toward a foot-list. I may be a bit masochistic as well. I've been tinkering with a Footdar list (not finished yet), but I had a new idea last night that I wanted to air out, likely to be shot down as quickly and easily as the infantry referred to on said list. But first:


I. Ignoring annihilation missions, but considering other missions, deployment types, and then whether you place your objective(s) first or second, there are only 24 game types to consider. Assuming you always place the objective closely (because you don't have fast, outflanking, or deepstriking units) and that the opponent will always screw you during placement by spreading objectives, then there are only 4 out of 24 scenarios where the objective placement is disadvantageous to a foot army.


The question then is are there times when objective placement can be disadvantageous to a mechanized army? The answer is yes, in a few situations. One would be where the foot army has many squads with a decent chance to succeed on a death or glory bid, thereby mitigating the effectivenss of someone tank shocking their way in to contest an objective. (This isn't so much an advantage coming from objective PLACEMENT as it is from the fact that there are objectives at all, which will force the enemy to risk his vehicle by attempting to drive through squads of dangerous infantry.) Another situation where the foot list has the advantage is when the terrain and objectives are placed such that abundant vehicles start failing difficult terrain tests. Yet another situation which favors foot armies is any table that includes second and third stories in the buildings and ruins: a tank/transport can't drive up and contest/claim an elevated object. I'm sure there are other situations that can benefit infantry, but basically I'm satisfied that mech doesn't have an automatic advantage over foot just through objective placement; the 4 out of 24 scenarios that allow the faster army to screw the slower army through object placement are balanced out by other considerations.


II. One viable strategy for a Foot army is to camp out on/between objectives and hunker down. This makes sense for a tough army or one with a large body count. It doesn't sound like the best idea for Footdar. But if I were going to try it, basic tactics would be:


Find cover (including intervening models), go to ground, make use of Fortune as available, don't fail morale checks (use Avatar and embolden), and rotate the front line of meat shields as necessary. Also, can't let my "horde" get stretch too thin chasing tempting targets. So far as I know, a foot army has to sit and take a beating unless it has far reaching guns or a lot more models than Eldar can muster. Finally, as mentioned above, going for elevated objectives works more for me than a meched list.


III. Eldar ranged Anti-Tank is much less effective than that wielded within 12" or in CC. Several times more effective in fact. So this list includes almost no ranged AT weaponry (my "real" Footdar list is striving to be more balanced). Monstrous Creatures, Witchblades, Wraithcannons, fusion guns, Haywire grenades, Harlequin kisses, and star lances are much deadlier than Bright Lances or even combined Prism Fire. And the squads in this should be able to handle themselves (for a while) in close combat.

The main problem I see is the model count is only 111--Eldar are expensive. So would a true horde (Ork or Tyranid) overrun me? Will gunner armies (Guard and Tau) be able to shoot my 66 troops dead from a distance?

As I've said, this was a thought experiment, an extreme list meant to list all of one type in one place, but I am curious what people might think are worthy elements to include in a viable Eldar list.

Note: Except for the Guardians, everything in this list has a good chance of DESTROYING a Land Raider. Also, remember that 10 Wraithguard is a squad of troops. Finally, this list (accidentally) maxed out every slot of the force organization chart. Weird.

So here the list. If you are still awake, what do you think of it? (As you can see, I've buddied squads up to support each other. And yes, some of them will probably end up being suicide squads.) :(


2500 Pts - Eldar Roster - Footdar

1 Avatar @ 155 pts (Unit Type: Monstrous Creature; Fearless; Daemon; Inspiring; Molten Body; Wailing Doom; (pp.24 & 61 Eldar))

1 Eldrad Ulthran @ 210 pts (Psyker; Doom ; Eldritch Storm ; Fortune ; Guide ; Mind War ; Divination; Independent Character; Ghosthelm; Rune Armour; Runes of Warding; Runes of Witnessing; Spirit Stones; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; Staff of Ulthamar; (pp.50-51 & 61 Eldar))

10 Wraithguard @ 396 pts (Fearless; Wraithsight; Wraithcannon x10; (pp.46 & 62 Eldar))
1 Spiritseer (Warlock) (Psyker; Enhance ; Fleet; Spiritseer Upgrade; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))


1 Wraithlord @ 100 pts (Unit Type: Monstrous Creature; Fearless; Wraithsight; Flamer x2; Wraithsword; (pp.47 & 66 Eldar))
1 Wraithlord @ 100 pts (Unit Type: Monstrous Creature; Fearless; Wraithsight; Flamer x2; Wraithsword; (pp.47 & 66 Eldar))
1 Wraithlord @ 100 pts (Unit Type: Monstrous Creature; Fearless; Wraithsight; Flamer x2; Wraithsword; (pp.47 & 66 Eldar))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 Guardians @ 135 pts (Fleet; Shuriken Catapult x10; (p.39 & p.64 Eldar))
1 Warlock (Psyker; Conceal ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))
1 WP Conceal
1 Weapon Platform (Scatter Laser)


14 Storm Guardians @ 167 pts (Fleet; Close Combat Weapon; Shuriken Pistol; Fusion Gun x2; (p.39 & p.64 Eldar))
1 Warlock (Psyker; Enhance ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Singing Spear; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))

5 Fire Dragons @ 80 pts (Fleet; Fusion Gun; Melta Bombs; (pp.32 & 62 Eldar))

4 Swooping Hawks @ 122 pts (Unit Type: Jump Infantry; Fleet; S-Hawk Wings; Lasblaster; Haywire Grenades; Plasma Grenades; S-Hawk Grenade Pack; (pp.35 & 65 Eldar))
1 Swooping Hawk Exarch (Unit Type: Jump Infantry; Fleet; Intercept ; S-Hawk Wings; Lasblaster; Haywire Grenades; Plasma Grenades; S-Hawk Grenade Pack)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10 Guardians @ 135 pts (Fleet; Shuriken Catapult x10; (p.39 & p.64 Eldar))
1 Warlock (Psyker; Conceal ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Witchblade; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))
1 WP Conceal
1 Weapon Platform (Scatter Laser)


14 Storm Guardians @ 167 pts (Fleet; Close Combat Weapon; Shuriken Pistol; Fusion Gun x2; (p.39 & p.64 Eldar))
1 Warlock (Psyker; Enhance ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Singing Spear; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))

5 Fire Dragons @ 80 pts (Fleet; Fusion Gun; Melta Bombs; (pp.32 & 62 Eldar))

4 Swooping Hawks @ 122 pts (Unit Type: Jump Infantry; Fleet; S-Hawk Wings; Lasblaster; Haywire Grenades; Plasma Grenades; S-Hawk Grenade Pack; (pp.35 & 65 Eldar))
1 Swooping Hawk Exarch (Unit Type: Jump Infantry; Fleet; Intercept ; S-Hawk Wings; Lasblaster; Haywire Grenades; Plasma Grenades; S-Hawk Grenade Pack)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14 Storm Guardians @ 167 pts (Fleet; Close Combat Weapon; Shuriken Pistol; Fusion Gun x2; (p.39 & p.64 Eldar))
1 Warlock (Psyker; Enhance ; Fleet; Rune Armour; Shuriken Pistol; Singing Spear; (p.27-28 & p.60 Eldar))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 Harlequin Troupe @ 130 pts (Fleet; Flip Belts; Furious Charge; Hit & Run; Holo-Suit; Harlequins Kiss x5; Fusion Pistol; Fusion Pistol; Shuriken Pistol x3; (pp.48-49 & 63 Eldar))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Shining Spears @ 132 pts (Unit Type: Jetbike Infantry; Turbo-boosters; Eldar Jetbike; Laser Lance; TL Shuriken Catapults x2; (pp.37 & 65 Eldar))
1 Shining Spears Exarch (Unit Type: Jetbike Infantry; Turbo-boosters; Eldar Jetbike; Star Lance; TL Shuriken Catapults x1)

Black is the new Black

Black is dé·mo·dé? Nonsense. It has been and ever shall be the best color for a backdrop. This is just as true for a blog as it is for a picture of Elvis painted on velvet. Probably because black is the best color in the universe. Just ask Darth Vader. Or Mr. T. Black isn't back--you are!

Ok, so I ordered a check clock today. Mostly for my games of 40k, but I couldn't help but add a tournament chess set. Getting the chess bug again. Wonder if 40k has enough tournament players to implement an ELO rating system yet?

Also getting the itch to own 120 Guardians. Yes, it is possible my new job is driving me mad. More on that later...

Back...in action? Well, that's putting it a little strongly...

I am alive.

Moved to WF
Got a job
About to buy a house

I've had no time to read what people are thinking, but I'm coming back to the hobby with a strong suspicion: Meching up the Eldar is wrong. No time for an elaborate post, so here are the big reasons:

1) My tanks are too large and tall and oddly shaped to take advantage of good cover. Compare a Falcon on a peg to a rhino and you'll see what I mean.

2) 2 of my tanks do not screen 50% of a third tank, unlike human's boxy vehicles. And if somehow I can finagle the cover, I've denied the screened tank LOS from its guns.

3) My tanks are pricier

4) My infantry multitask better than my vehicles.

Is this old hat? Is my thinking straight on this?

There's more, but I'm starting to think that 8 points for a guardian is pretty good, especially since I can upgrade him in different ways for fairly cheap. Anyone ever heard of a Guardian horde working?

Ok, more later...

Leper, Outcast, Unclean

One bright side to being unemployed is you have time to read the morning news. This morning I read that employers, doubtful about economic recovery, are replacing full time employees with temps by the tens of thousands. I have been wondering why all those new faces were appearing in my department the last couple of weeks. Now I know!

Another possible bright side may be more time to play/paint. I'll certainly be writing more. Mostly cover letters to prospective employers, but just to keep the typing fingers limber, I may get to dash off a few lines here from time to time. My unemployment has occurred at a low point in my personal finances, so I may not even be able to scrape together tournament entry fees, BUT at least relocating to WF will put me in closer promity with my brother (who has all of my paints!) and his burgeoning Ork horde.

And now, Dear Reader(s?), here is where we sort the dedicated among you from the chaff: a poem, written at work whilst completely oblivious to the termination coming at the end of the week... (Yes, it's turned into that kind of blog.)

“Dead-ends”

I loitered too long in school;
I learned to think on my own.
This is sometimes a liability.
I thought I could pass for a drone, but
years in a box taught me different.
I have forgot how to march with men.
Now who knows what good I am?
So I seek a solitary path.
A vessel of wrath
or a vessel of mercy?
I walk the line,
A mesel of verse.


Who knows? Perhaps I would not have been cast out if I didn't have these burning, itching, and sometimes scrofulous desires to scribble every once in a while. God save us from the cubicle.

And now for my shower...

Rebel Without a Cause

So I've already dropped out of the Build Up event at Galaxy. I am disappointed because I was looking forward to one-upping Jawaballs and fielding an 11 drop pod SM army. (That's right--mine goes to 11!) Unlike his Blood Angels, I was looking forward to dropping 6 pods around Half of the Objectives Plus One on turn one and then playing defense from within my wall of fully armed pods and 6 dreadnoughts. C'est la vie. Probably not a viable strategy anyway. School is crazy, and as soon as this semester is over, my wife may be bedridden for weeks from a back surgery, so building a new army and committing to playing several games a month is a little to ambitious for me. Especially considering the rate at which I do anything. "A man on a mission...a very slow paced mission", remember?

So what is the mission now? Man, I don't know. I just picked back up the Eldar codex, and it sure looks sweet after spending the last few weeks trying to fine tune my strategy for a drop pod army. (You wouldn't believe the number of circles and triangles I've drawn. Mathhammer can definitely be taken too far, but I at least proved that if you drop of enough pods around a triangle of objectives, the randomization of any one pod scattering is offset by the rest of the group. I dropped out of the Build Up before completing the final proof, but it is looking like 12 is the perfect number of pods to be guaranteed (greater than 95% chance) to construct an impenetrable wall around an Objective Triangle. But that's not terribly useful knowledge for an Eldar player...)

I celebrated my escape from the Imperial Stategicum by throwing myself headlong into a defense of the Swooping Hawks over at Brent's. I didn't even convince myself. Ok, so there is ONE more possibility I want to check out...hopefully it won't take very long to run the numbers...

But I really do need to give some serious thought what I actually want field since I should be playing some pretty tough games in upcoming tournaments. (I don't think defending the Hawks counts as serious thought.) :)

I confess, I was a little disappointed that I dropped out of the hobby for a few months, buried my head in a notebook with pencil and calculator, figuring every unit and gun's best use and then started putting together my killiest list, only to discover that this had all been done to some extent or other and was posted online for all to consider. True, it was a bit gratifying to see my Theoryhammer vindicated by others' experience, but it seems like now I must decide between showing up with a netlist and a good chance to compete, or a longshot list that allows me to express myself creatively. Who knows, maybe that explains my mad fascination with Hawks right now!

Anyway, I wrote all this...because I'm procrastinating. But now my homework calls. What is your excuse for reading this far? ;)

Ho Leak Rap

So apparently having a hobby, or even a life at all, is too ambitious. I'm taking an online class right now. Maybe rape is too strong a word. Maybe.

When I'm done the state might think I am fit to instruct the youth of this nation. Might.

The Man has his way with us, doesn't He? Hail the Emperor!

(And you wonder why I started with Eldar?) Anyway, I DID play a 2500 pt list one month ago. It wasn't particularly competitive and I have let a month pass without playing another 2500 pt game. So. I am failing in my modest undertaking. There is good news, however, so stay tuned. (Don't let the commercials scare you away! Oh wait, you are American...nevermind.)

My opponent won a minor victory. That's what I get for not reading the secondary objectives. But I can't complain. My two squads of Hawks performed admirably, which must have been a fluke. The 6 rounds of Nightfight helped the Hawks out (crazy 'Ard Boyz scenario). I meant to do a BR on that game, but honestly, it wasn't that exciting. We unwittingly ruled a piece of terrain as impassible early in the game, and it ended up keeping our best CC units out of CC. D'oh!

I have played a few smaller games. Fun. Not fast. I think I'll buy a chess clock. That will help me in practice and intimidate any slowplayers in tournament games, because I'll have evidence against them. But the good news you've (the hypothetical you) been waiting for:

I'm signed up for a "build up" to the 'Ard Boyz tournament. 3 games per month in addition to a tournament every month. 1000 pts in December, more every month. I'm playing Space Marines. Not Eldar? No. It's cool. I think I've got an angle on this that should prove interesting. I don't know if I can share my progress through the months or if that will tip my hand. But if I give into the madness, there should be an interesting story by next summer.