Specific Review of Codex: Chaos Daemons

Picture shamelessly taken from this BoLS post dated 3/3/13.

I suppose I could say "Yes" to to above question.  But the reasons for that might not be what you think.  As any cursory inspection of the blog will reveal, I am primarily a Salamanders Space Marines player.  I probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of 12k points of the flame loving crusaders, and I'm fine with that, or more accurately, my wife is okay with that.  On the other hand, even with that sort of diversity available within that codex, I was tired of playing power armored super-humans, and more importantly, I was tired of painting snot green (or whatever the hell the new color is called...I'm still using up my supplies of the "old" snot green).  I needed a new army that would maintain my interest in the hobby by selecting one that had: a different play style, a different "look", was something that wasn't too popular in my shop, and was something that I could get excited about.

Rather than go into excruciating detail about the specifics, I ended up choosing Tzeentch Daemons.  It is my preference to only play mono-god lists due to the influence of the past background material.  Perhaps in Apoc could I envision the Gods working together to accomplish a task, but never for something as trivial as a 1500-2000 point game sized force.  Yes, this was post White Dwarf update.  No, that was not why I selected them.  I had originally settled on Nurgle Daemons, but there were about a half dozen of the lads at the shop who played them.  A handful had Khorne and Slaanesh, and exactly zero people played Tzeentch.  Still, I think it's worth noting that as powerful as the Screamers and Flamers were in the previous update, I never took more than 9 of each in my three 1500 point games.

So, where did that leave me?  I made plans to attend Adepticon again after getting burned out on the Team Tournament.  I was to participate in the 40k Friendly event and the Combat Patrol.  I would bring my new Daemons, I wouldn't worry about award-quality paint jobs/conversions, and I would focus on fun.  I carefully selected my list, acquired the models, and got to work.

Here is the list I planned on taking:

Herald of Tzeentch w/Bolt, Disc, We Are Legion, & Master of Sorcery
Herald of Tzeentch w/Bolt, Disc, We Are Legion, & Master of Sorcery
(18) Horrors of Tzeentch w/Changeling
(8) Horrors of Tzeentch w/Bolt (Herald would accompany)
(8) Horros of Tzeentch w/Bolt (Herald would accompany)
(4) Screamers of Tzeentch
(5) Screamers of Tzeentch
(3) Flamers of Tzeentch w/Pyrocaster
(3) Flamers of Tzeentch
(3) Flamers of Tzeentch
Daemon Prince w/Flight, Might, Gaze, Bolt, & Mark of Tzeentch

That list was silly with sacred numbers.  I had 9 screamers, 9 flamers, Horror squads in sacred number denominations once the heralds were attached, and 9 total units altogether.  It was glorious.  I had anti-horde, anti-vehicle, anti-elite unit, anti-flier, a unique deployment system, gorgeous models and a solid ruleset  that I was beginning to fall in love with.  Short story long?  I enjoyed the hell out of them.  I was excited about my hobby again.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Enter the new codex.  Can I be nit-picky for a bit?  I hate hardcover codexes.  HATE them.  They should be softcover the way God intended.  There, I'm done with that for now.  There's plenty of press out there discussing the pros and cons of this new codex.  Those folks are likely much more qualified that I am to discuss this book in an objective manner.  That's not what this post is about.  This post is how the army that I carefully selected and built for a specific purpose is no longer playable in the manner it was when I selected it.

Here is my new list that I'll be taking up to the 40k Friendly event.  I haven't come up with my combat patrol list.  I just don't have the heart for it at the moment:

Lord of Change (Lvl 2 -Divination & Change) w/(2) Greater & (1) Lesser Rewards
Herald of Tzeentch (Lvl 2 - Divination & Change) w/Exalted Locus of Conjuration
Herald of Tzeentch (Lvl 2 - Divination & Change) w/Exalted Locus of Conjuration
(20) Pink Horrors of Tzeentch
(20) Pink Horrors of Tzeentch
(9) Screamers of Tzeentch
Burning Chariot of Tzeentch
Burning Chariot of Tzeentch
Daemon Prince (Lvl 1 - Biomancy) w/Mark of Tzeentch, Flight, & (1) Lesser Gift

There are some things that I find intriguing with the new book.  The Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes seem like they might be worth taking, but that's about it for me.  I hate that my horrors are so cheap, because now they're shit.  Yes, I can get twin linked S6 shooting from them now, but I lost a whole lot of total shots, any opportunity to overwatch (which has saved them from assault in the past), and a point of invulnerable save (even though I do now get to re-roll 1's).  Additionally, the move away from innate abilities towards psychic powers was a poor one in my opinion.  Now any army with any sort of Psychic defense (Grey Knights, Space Marines, Tyranids, Eldar, etc.), not to mention failing my Perils test or my opponents lucky Deny the Witch rolls, could conceivably shut down my entire army.  Talk about building a narrative.  I think the reason I'm so disappointed with this new codex is the changes to my Pink Horrors.  They were the backbone of my army, and they've changed so dramatically.  I can't even take squads of 9 anymore.  It seems like sacred numbers were an afterthought to the design of this book.

So, in closing, the book wasn't what I wanted it to be.  Not even close, actually, I consider it to be a great disappointment.  But, I had a very narrow definition of what I wanted, and I'm naturally a very unlucky person, so I'm not surprised that the list that I became attached to no longer plays the way I wanted it to.  All that said, I will play the lists at Adepticon since I had to register the army I was playing in the 40k Friendly, so I'm stuck with it.  I may even play a few games with them at the shop, but I doubt it.  I wouldn't play Apoc with this codex unless I absolutely had to.  Turns out the way to refresh my desire for my Salamanders was to sprinkle my Daemons with the salty tears of despair.  :)

My overall rating?  Inconclusive.  I had no desire to play anything but a limited mono-Tzeentch build so I can't speak to it's overall quality.  It does, however, lose points for being unnecessarily a hardcover book.

My specific rating?  1.5 stars out of 5.  This may go up or down as time goes on and I see what I can do with it, but my initial opinion of the units is poor, and my opinion of random charts for gifts and "warp storms" is very low.

Product Review: Promethean Sun

Front Cover of Sleeve

Back Cover of Sleeve

Signature Page & "limited edition" number

Authentic Salamander Hide, and I'll fight any man who says otherwise...

So clearly, I'm a big fan of the Salamanders.  It's not that I have any real bombshell of a reason, I just kinda like their reliance on flamer/melta weaponry, dig dragon motifs, and green happens to be my favorite color.  I sort of just fell into it I suppose.  Before anyone brings it up: Yes, I would still play them if their special character (who I don't always use) didn't offer up those sweet re-rolls.

All that said, it seemed pretty obvious that I would try and get this book.  I'm a big fan of the Horus Heresy series, so this seemed like a natural progression.  Unfortunately, by the time I got the email advertising this bad boy, the folks at Black Library had already put sales of it on hold due to intense demand.  So, like most colonials, I screwed up my calculation of time zones and did not get online right as it was set to go back on sale.  I thought I was done for, but it took about 5-6 hours for it to sell out completely, so I was in luck.  2235 out of 3000 to be exact.

There is some interior art, but not much.  Some rehashed pre-heresy art from the Index Astartes articles, and a fold-out version of the art on the cover sleeve.  I was a bit disappointed to see that actually.  It's essentially a 120 page story (written using 18 point font) with little extra to recommend it. 

All in all, I give this product 3 out of 5 stars.  And that includes the "salamander fan-boy" bonus I'm giving it.   The story was ok but not good or even great.  On the merits of the "special limited edition product" alone, it's not all that exciting for the cost I paid to get it.  While I've been relatively underwhelmed by Nick Kyme's previous Salamander work, the pre-heresy feel of this short story saved it from the bickering high school girl scenes common in "contemporary" space marine novels.  The details of Vulkan's early years and the importance of the Salamander's compassion were the two biggest draws for me.  The depictions of the Iron Hands and Death Guard are weak, but there's really not enough space for that kind of thing in a short story and it was nothing compared to the poor treatment the 888th Phaerian IG regiment received.  While not a famous regiment, they just seemed...contrived.  If you absolutely need it to fill out your collection, by all means, go find a copy.  I'm sure they'll be on E-bay if they're not already.  If you're just curious, however, you'll probably be just fine without it.

Post Update (5/26/11): check out the pic of the Salamander Dreadnought from Games Day France

A "brief" Review of Super Hero RPGs

It's Alive! Oh what a terrible creation I have wrought. I started this blog because...well, to be honest, I have no earthly idea why I did it, but not only have I brought the world of amateur blogging to my living room, I have conscripted Aerion (looking for a couple painting tutorials bro...) and now Genoside into the fold. Inspired by a not-so-obscure comic convention, he brings us some of his thoughts on various roleplaying games in the super hero genre:

I'm back, this time to talk a little off subject about roleplaying games. Most members of Team Snake Eyes sneak in a few games of Pathfinder when they can. It's basically what was left of the previous edition of Dungeons & Dragons. It's a great fantasy game but with the west coast Comic Con last weekend still buzzing in my head, I am here to talk about another genre of RPGs...super hero games. I am hoping in the near future to run a super hero type game for my fellow members, but having so many systems out there it can cause a lot of trouble picking one out.

First off super hero games can be a very daunting challenge for the Game Master, due to the scale of the heroes. You have to watch very carefully about allowing players the ability to drop buildings on giant robots or perhaps turning a bank robber's brain into goo with a single though. If you don't give them any power, however, the game is no fun for them. Most players do want to throw cars around and drop buildings on their enemies so a balance has to be found.

The most helpful choice is getting a game system that works for you. There is a ton of them out there for you to use, but finding one that doesn't have you digging in the books every five minutes is key. Second, you need to have an idea what universe you want to play in. Most systems are made for the major comic producers; this can be beneficial and hurtful to you at the same time. Villains are already made for you so it reduces the prep work. It also allows your players to interact in a world they read about in their comics. The downside of this si that players sometimes know more about the universe than they should. Example: Dr. Mega Villain can only be hurt by prune juice and it so happens that one of the hero's powers is the make juice of any type.

With that said, we come to our first system: Hero/Champions by Hero Games. This is the grand daddy of all super hero games. It's now going into its sixth edition and the system is very detailed and gives you about any option known in any game. But that is where its biggest trouble is. This game scares most new players due to the sheer volume of rules. Making a hero can take hours and with the million options available, most people will want to see each one so they don't miss anything. This game also has no major comic support, so there is no Spider Man or others in this game unless you make it yourself or find a home brew version online somewhere. There are a lot of non comic pre-made heroes in their source books but if you are on a limited budget it means you are the one having to build about everything the heroes encounter.. It i a good game for people that are used to the system, but newbies should be warned.

Next up is classic Marvel Heroes. This is one of the first hero games that I played. It has little standees, maps, and books of pre-made heroes and villains. The rules are made for rock-em, sock-em style games. It has very nice, basic rules that are very easy to learn, but now that the game is over twenty five years old, you can really feel the age in the system. It almost feels like an advanced game of Hero-Clix. If you want to give it a read, most of the books can be found online in PDF format.

Talking of Hero-Clix, this is really not a RPG, but I love to use the figures and maps for my hero type games. You can find online stores that sell singles very cheap, plus they produce Marvel and DC figures. With the cheap figs you can convert and make any hero or villain you want allowing you to run a game in whatever universe you want.

Back to classic games, next up is the MEG system. It can be found in the previous version of DC heroes by Mayfair games and the Blood of Heroes. It is a good, solid game with simple basic rules, but since it is out of print it can be difficult to find. That makes it harder for your players to pick up their own personal copy of the game supplements and almost impossible without dropping a bunch of money on eBay.

Then we have Heroes Unlimited. Players familiar with any of the Palladium systems will pick this up with ease. The biggest problem I see with this system is play can tend to be clunk due to its age. Also you can have players that may want to pull their RIFTS heroes over and destroy half the world. The Mega Arms Race is off and running.

Last we have Mutants and Masterminds. Now going into its 3rd edition, it is based off the OGL (open game license) rules. It uses a basic system as 3rd edition D&D and Pathfinder. I have not had a chance to see the new unreleased rules set, but this is the system I am leaning towards. Green Ronin now has the rights to DC heroes and is also planning to release a generic rule book to go with it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an Ultimate Powers book real soon. My only real complaint of the previous editions was the damage system. It seemed a little odd and hard to explain to new players.

So there are my thoughts. Please feel free to give any suggestions of game I may want to look at.

Editor's note: Genoside sent the picture with the article submission. I couldn't resist taking a jab with the title.

Product Review: Dark Arts Miniatures - Lava Bases

The folks over at Dark Arts Miniatures make a lot of stuff, but what I'm most familiar with is their line of Lava Bases which can be found here.

I feel they're adequately priced, and they come in the standard sizes for 40k bases (25mm, 40mm, & 60mm). There are 10 distinct designs in the 25mm size, 5 desings for the 40mm size and, unfortunately, only 1 design in the 60mm size. Slightly more troubling than that is my apparent inability to take a non-blurry picture of that base.




This blog is absolutely silly with pictures of my Salamander army on these bases, so if the three shown above don't suit you, I suggest you check out the posts labeled: HQ, Elite, & Troops.

Some of the lava bubbles appear "popped" whether thats by chance or design, but otherwise these resin bases are of excellent quality and any expansions of my army will be on these bases. Painting my miniatures is something I enjoy as much as playing the game. I know my limitations, however, and I would classify myself as a technician rather than an artist. If I need art, I call on Aerion. Bases like these really set your figures apart. This army received as many comments on their bases at Adepticon as they did for the great conversions.

These lava bases easily earn 5 stars out of 5 from me.

P.S. Make sure you check out my Blog Chain Give-Away. There's a transport of the winner's choice at stake, so read up and enter!

Product Review: Battle Foam P.A.C.K. 1520

The folks over at Battle Foam have a large selection of transports and custom foam available. I had 4000 points to transport, so I was only interested in their large transports. The "1520" is supposed to mean how many infantry models this case can hold. I have to say, it's probably pretty accurate. This thing can hold a lot of stuff.



The basics: It's got two sections, carrying handles on the tops of both sections, backpack straps, and thin pockets on both sides of both sections as well as the front of the larger section and on the interior of the upper section's cover. It's made of durable material, and the stitching on the seams appears quite sound.



Storage: The top section can hold 8" of foam, and the bottom can hold 14". I have all 4000 points of space marines loaded up in the bottom section. I used (1) 4" tray, (2) 3" trays, and (2) 1" trays to accomplish that feat. My infantry and their transports (8 rhinos in one tray!) are carried in stock trays, while the rest of the army is in custom trays designed with their innovative custom tray generator here. Something to be careful of is the bottom section of a tray isn't included in its description. Adding up my trays, I have 12" of foam. That completely fills a 14" compartment. Just something to keep in mind.


Extras: It has a lot of pockets, and as long as you're transporting something flat (mini-rulebook, codex, army lists, etc.) you'll be fine. Anything larger and you've got problems. There are no pockets big enough for dice. Really? Something that can carry well over 4000 points of 40k miniatures and there's nowhere to put your dice? Interesting design choice. I don't have enough models to need the upper section (yet!) so I just use it for things like my camera, dice, measuring tape, etc. Not sure what I'll do as my army expands, however, so it's still a work in progress.


Overall, I'm impressed. The larger trays, and the ability to get custom foam load outs is very appealing. The fact that I got it at a significant discount (last case on the last day of Adepticon = 25% off!) was also helpful. I won't lie, however, I'm disappointed in the P.A.C.K. 1520's lack of larger pockets. For something clearly designed for miniature gamers, not having dedicated pockets for bulkier items is noticeably missed. The last critique I have is the way the bag "carries". It sits oddly on the shoulders, but honestly, that's a minor quibble. I do recommend this bag, or any of the other Battle Foam products by proxy. A product with issues, but still very useful and the customer service I've experienced from the company has been top notch.

Grade: 4 out of 5 stars due to the lack of larger pockets.