Tournament Prep: I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Welcome back, today we're talking about how my tournament prep is going for the upcoming Birthday Bash 2.0 event at the end of February. Things should really be starting to be pick up for myself at the moment, particularly in getting my army ready, unfortunately new shinies always seem to get in the way of actual progress...

So what's been happening? Well first off, I have only managed to rebase paint the carapace on my Necron Doom Scythe. I really should at least get the edge highlighting done soon,  but I've been distracted by both the Mistweaver Saih, and Canoness Veridyan (this all stemmed from my recent article on Female models in wargames... It happens sometimes).

Progress by baby steps

First up we have the Mistweaver Saih,  and I've been watching some YouTube videos on how to improve my painting. Unfortunately I feel that I have spent an inordinate amount of time on her skirt, but damn I think it looks fine!

As you can see I have started to work a bit on the staff,  but the next major point to work on is reapplying Abaddon Black to the legs, and start adding Celestra Grey to the smoke she is held aloft on.

Next up, is my version of Canoness Veridyan. A beautiful sculpt, but one I felt would have benefited more from being in plastic. I had some issues with getting her glued together (Yes I did wash the model first), and may have caused some major rage on my part. The only other major issue is the wiring attached to the skull on her power armour,  power plant.  This is a ridiculously small component,  which unfortunately did not survive the model getting accidentally knocked off my work station by the mother in law (and back to the gluing we went...), which resulted in the part going missing. For now I'm happy to just not look for it and get the model done.

Painting wise,  I have gone for a slightly different tone with the Canoness. Similar to the colour scheme of the Order of the Argent Shroud, I have started with a base of Celestra Grey, wash with Coelia Greenshade,  then progressive light dry brushing of Celestra again before a glaze of Ceramite White. There is some more glazing to do, so I haven't decided whether extreme highlighting will be required or not. I am very pleased with how her face came out it's just a shame I can't get a decent photo! Still a lot of work to do but I'm very happy with it so far.

Post the slightly failed, attempted trip to Warhammer World, myself and Ian from over at krakaddict.blogspot.co.uk will be heading up to Element Games to get a test game in with each of our forces for the Birthday Bash, all being well I can try and get some sort of battle report from this up and we can see how the Maynarkh Dynasty fares against the Space Wolves! Pray to the Omnissiah that overzealous tech priests don't delete the "scrap code" from my equipment again hahaha!

How is your hobbying progressing? Have you a deadline that you are looking likely to miss,  have you got a plan? Let us know in the comments.

Until next time
Jonathan

History of the Maynarkh Dynasty

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we delve into the History of the Maynarkh Dynasty,  what many consider a return to the unknown eldritch horror that once defined the Necron race before the rise of the named Necron characters, specifically set down in the 3rd edition codex.

Renowned in the deep past of the Necron race, the Maynarkh Dynasty were abhorred and feared for their ruthless nature, particularly in the fight against the old ones during the War in Heaven against the Slann. The Maynarkh Dynasty were at the forefront of the battle against the C'tan at the closing of the War in Heaven when the Star God's were considered at their weakest by the Silent King.  For their part in the breaking of the C'tan and particularly Llandu'gor the Flayer, the Dynasty was cursed by the flesh hunger, with the first flayed ones arising within the ranks of the Maynarkh legions.

For there destructive nature's both in the War in Heaven,  and the the downfall of the C'tan,  many influential dynasties counselled the Silent King to damn the Maynarkh upon entering their stasis crypts, a quiet death for the horrific Dynasty. They had shamed all of the Necron race by they're actions... Yet the Silent King allowed them to endure,  they would be needed in times to come...

In the closing stages of the 41st Millennium the death of the Caracol Binary Star, erupting in a supernova would be the clarion call for the Dynasty to arise from their 60 million year slumber.  The Orphean Sector would soon bear the brunt of the horror of the Necrons. Only the forces of the Death Korps of Krieg,  and the Minotaurs Space Marine Chapter would be able to stand in there way.  Indeed at the end Lord Asterion Moloch would fight against Kutlakh the World Killer aboard the bridge of his Cairn-Class Battleship, and both would be blown out into the deep of space. But the Chapter Master of the Minotaurs has survived worse,  and Necrons are not known to die so easily....

*  *  *

So I hope you all enjoyed the above and are maybe considering picking up Imperial Armour 12. The book, though out of date is still an amazing piece of background, and the effort put into it really shows. I decided not to go too far in, as its perfectly paced and is a great read and I would suggest it on these alone. Other great things with the book, is that it includes Legendary Battles for you to play as the Necrons attack the Orphean Sector and are just like time of war missions,  perfect for the hobbyist who likes to try their hand at historical battles. I had originally expected these to be designed at Apocalypse scale,  but actually are designed from 1500pt battles up, which was great to see. Also for the narrative and campaign players,  we have the usual campaign system which also looks a lot of fun especially using the legendary missions. It's great to get into the events of the universe, a trend Age of Sigmar is really embracing,  and I hope 40k continues to do the same!

Until next time
Jonathan

Unit Perusal: Canoptek Tomb Sentinel

Welcomes Back Ladies and Gents,  we're today we continue our look at the new (the book and models have been out a while - Evil Daemon-Monkey on Shoulder) units for Necrons in Imperial Armour 12.

Today we look at the little brother of the Canoptek Tomb Stalker,  no not the Canoptek Spider,  this bad boy...

The Canoptek Tomb Sentinel, is a variation on the Tomb Stalker construct,  cited as one of the final war machines designed by Toholk the Blinded (maybe this means he is also responsible for designing the Stalker as well...). With a comparable statline and special rules to the Stalker, also being a monstrous creature, the Sentinel however forego's 2 attacks to gain the Exile Cannon.

The Exile Cannon is a 12in StrX, Ap- Heavy 1, small Blast, weapon with the exile blast rule. Now this does not look good until you look at the rules for exile blast,  which state that all models under the template equate to the number of hits resolved against the unit. Randomly determined models must then pass a strength test or be removed from play,  with units with no str value auto passing. Vehicles and buildings suffer an automatic penetrating hit with no saves possible.

This works beautifully with the Tomb Sentinel's Deep Strike, outflank and fleet special rules and could be considered to be a great way to deal with enemy armour and elite units. Twinning the Sentinel and the Stalker together as well, could make a great combo for hunting super heavy vehicles and Gargantuan creatures. And with non-vehicle Lords of War,  a great way to remove pesky units that could be a major hindrance. Chapter Master with Shield Eternal, no problem,  one failed straight check and buh-buy. At 39 melta bombs I feel this unit is an absolute steal. It might not have the close combat output of the Stalker,  but I feel keeping Rampage nicely offsets this downside. Overall I think this unit might actually be slightly better over all compared to its brother. Also always make sure to have the points to take sepulchral scarabs to increase its survivability.

Of all its rules,  only the ability to take a gloom prism needs amending for use with the current codex as the way the equipment works now is different to how it was in IA:12. Just use the current codex ruling and this will slot straight into any Necron list nicely in the heavy support slot. I feel it would also work brilliantly in a themed battle where you have another mecha-bug to defend your Tomb Complex (which funnily enough is what we will be looking at next time).

What do you think of the Tomb Sentinel,  good? Bad? Meh? Let us know in the comments.

Until next time,
Jonathan

Fantasy Poster Girls in the Age of Sigmar (...Sort of... ... Mostly...)

So Ladies and Gents,

Its been a wee while since I last dipped my feet into the well of possibilities that is Age of Sigmar. So today I thought we would have a look at,  in one of my opinions,  one of the game systems strongest attributes - strong female representation.

Now I won't get into the mirky mess that is, feminism in gaming, and the lack of strong female character models in other gaming systems, as this has been covered by people more knowledgeable than myself,  though for myself I have great expectations for Warhammer 40,000 in particular with the re-release of Saint Celestine, in her beautiful new cast (I can't wait to get my hands on her model...  Wait...  That doesn't sound quite right... Swif-tly moving on...), the Geminae Twins and, what this may mean for the return of Sisters of Battle.

So getting back to the Age of Sigmar,  this foundation of representation of female characters could only be achieved by the stellar work that was put into the Old World and exhibiting it with Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

...Thrums Melodic Harp... 

If we take a trip back down memory lane (for me,  what are you doing here in my head? Wait for me to type it...), just before the End times were upon us in WHFB, I was in a hobby rut,  so I did what any heathen and Heretic would do,  and started looking at other gaming systems.  Not wanting to stray too far from the pack,  I began looking into the fantasy range of miniatures by Games workshop.

But making such a decision is always hard to make,  so I turned to the most important person in my life,  my other half Kelly. After much humming to and fro over what army to start we settled on the Dark Elves, primarily because of the amazing hairdos that the Witch elves had (you can imagine which one if us used this as the major deciding factor... Bonus hint I am going bald 😝).

That's some proper rockers hair there,  bring back memories of being able to mosh

But if we look past the hair for a moment we can see a breakthrough in the development and production of these figures. No longer was dynamic and accurately (for the time) body proportions used outside of character models,  but to showed that games workshop could design the female form for base units, without necessarily being used for titillation as many other companies were, and are won't to do even today (I'm looking at you raging heroes - yes they look amazing but they are just miniature titillation).

At this point it would be remiss of me not to mention the Bloodrack Medusa,  also produced at the same time as the Witch Elves, and the infamous breast that was brought up at the time on the Internet.  But if we look at the concept of the model, that it is aiming to show the twisting of, what is considered to be beautiful, to the horrific, we can see that showing of what maybe consider taboo has gone beyond merely physical to something more psychological and deeply troubling. Maybe I'm reading into this too much,  but I like to think these sort of considerations go a long way to making a great model,  and personally I think the medusa is.

Who says snakes can't be blue

At the start of the article I showed a picture of my WIP for Valkia the Bloody, another great model (but one I wish they had kept in metal, only because her spear Slaupnir really would benefit from pinning due to the small joint at the wrist). She is our power fantasy for females, and in my opinion the best character in the Bloodbound Battletome. Just like how she plays in the game she is aesthetically modelled to be fast,  agile and utterly deadly. A misconception I have seen previously, is that power fantasys are usually limited to the over-muscled killing machine,  and though Space Marines fill this aspect nicely nine come close as Skarr Bloodwrath. Dude is ripped, so ripped he looks like he burst out of his skin.  So I love the juxtaposition of these characters, diametrically opposed aesthetically,  but filling the same outlet as a painter and a gamer.

Games Workshop has a great opportunity coming up with the highly anticipated Aelves releases for all of the previous iterations (High,  Dark and Wood), which has been shown with the recent Mistweaver Saih for Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower,  to really make some astounding female characters. I look forward to seeing what they bring us soon.

Soon my pretty... Soon it will not be too wet to base spray you... 

Until next time
Jonathan

Unit perusal: Canoptek Acanthrites

Good Evening Everyone!

Following on from me looking at some of the units from Imperial Armour 12, I have decided to look at the rest of the units presented for the Necrons as part of the Dark Harvest list for the Maynarkh Dynasty.

Today we will look at the Canoptek Acanthrites. A new addition to the mecha-bug aesthetic for Canoptek Constructs we have a locust-styled unit, comparable to a space marine captain statline, with standard power armour and an additional point of toughness, rounded out with the standard slow initiative that follows the fluff of the Necron race.

Starting as a unit of 3 at the cost of 30 melta bombs you gain a jump infantry unit,  with fearless, stealth, a void blade (this has the entropic strike special rule so follow the current codex ruling on this), and a cutting beam per model.  Cutting beams are s6 ap2 assault 1 and have the melta rule, so they do have a good chance to pop some vehicles, but your going to want to get up close and personal with max range the same as max charge range. You can also take a further 6 Acanthrites per fast attack slot past the first 3, though this would be an epic point sink for a single unit (almost a 3rd of your available points in a 1500pt game. Maybe a unit like this would definitely be suited more to either Unbound or Apocalypse. These units really want to be hugging the scenery,  running back field disruption.

As always with Canoptek Constructs they do not have re-an so their durability versus standard Necrons is slightly less. These units are fighting for the same slots as other strong units such as destroyers in the Necron Codex m,  where they can be taken,  and with the Maynarkh Dynasty. . I feel they would play great in a fluffy themed game for a Tomb raid,  where Scarabs,  Spiders,  Wraith, Stalkers and Sentinels are a protection force led by a Cryptek. Hmmm... I might just throw something like that together once I get a few of these in the future.

©Games Workshop 2017 

Model wise they look absolutely gorgeous,  as is the standard with Forgeworld, though I really hope the flying bases are pin mounted and not ball mounted as I have had some serious issues with these in the past,  otherwise there looks to be little fiddly bits past the levitation orbs and stalks on its back. You get a unit of 3 Canoptek Acanthrites for £42.00 plus shipping or your regional equivalent,  just stop by forgeworld.co.uk.

Next time we'll look at the brother of the Canoptek Tomb Stalker,  the Canoptek Tomb Sentinel!

Until next time
Jonathan

Update: Awaken The Dolmen Gates... We we make for Warhammer World!!!

Update: looks like Warhammer World won't be happening quite yet,  Ian called up for some tables and the events team had the gall to be running an event... How dare they do their jobs 😝

Anyways playtesting will still be completed just not in the hallowed halls of nerd heaven,  I'll update again once we know where we're headed. 

The Antechamber whistled with the cold brush of air on metal and stone. The occasional dripping of what could possibly be water punctuated the silence. This was a dead place.

No.  This was a place of the dead.

Soft, sickening lights shimmered from the recessed pillars on the floors, glyphs of magma-level complexity and mathematical impossibilities shone to life upon their surfaces. One by one, the procession of pillars lit up with the light of dying suns in the wake of a giant. The heavy clanking of footfalls echoed dolorously, as they lead up to a fresco at the back of the room.

Silvered motifs of the Dead Necrontyr race adornrd the fresco facing. Depictions of the triumphs of the Dynasty in its heyday of power. Framed in the centre, what could be considered to be a humanoid female, sat resplendent upon a throne of cold metal, the bodies of her enemies under her boot heels. Her face belied her inhuman nature, eyes dispassionate and dead, compared to the life in the imagery of the rest of the fresco.

As the giant approached the wall,  the soft hissing of mechanical limbs came from the deep corners hidden in shadow as the wall began to run like mercury.  Slowly but surely the females form pulsed outwards as the rest of the metal flowed with her, until a goddess of death was all that remained. Sitting upon her throne.

Like the chiming of soft bells, she said, "It is time,  summon Toholk to awaken the gates".

None would have thought the chiming of soft bells would herald the death of a world.

*  *  *

Good Evening (or Good Morning/Day depending on where you are in the world)!

So, the Legions of The Maynarkh Dynasty (along with me), are headed to Warhammer World in Nottingham on the 28th of this month! The plan for the visit for myself, is to get a game or two in with my current list for Dave Westons Birthday Bash 2.0 Tournament (it looks like I'll be good to bring this to the event! 😁 WOOOO!!!!!!). I'll be up with my friend Ian from Krakaddict.blogspot.co.uk,  so if you're there say Hi! Other items include having a refreshing tipple in Bugman's Bar, torturing myself in the forgeworld store, and the standard trip around the Hobby Museum.

I've been once before, just after the release of the Warlord Titan,  so I am looking forward to seeing what else in new in the exhibits whilst in there.  That should give me roughly 3 and a half weeks to post about the visit and how the list played (not that I will be changing it!).

There is a good amount of fixing up to complete for the army in relation to being table top ready but a week off prior to the tourney should be more than enough time (fingers crossed).

I'll update on the progress of each unit as the weeks progress,  and I hope you pop by to see!

Until next time
Jonathan

Flash back - First foray into blogging

Good Evening Everyone,
In a little bit of self agrandisement,  I present to you my first proper blog article (not counting my introduction article) which did not even feature here on Dragons Eye! This post originally appeared on the Krakaddict.blogspot.co.uk, run by one of my best friends and gaming buddies,  I sincerely hope you pop over there and give it a look.  This is what started it all off for me,  and having jumped from barely having any page views in the first few months here on Dragons Eye up to a whopping 6269 page views just last month (not sure if I should trust bloggers counting,  but I'm still amazingly proud)! I hope you all enjoy,  and I promise to keep trying to bring you all new and exciting articles as often as I can!

* *  *

Azrael,  He doesn't deserve Eternal Warrior

Hello again, thy gorgeous unclean masses! Put away your flaming brands, and pitchforks as I regale you with my words of wisdom.

I once more stand (sit... I'm sitting...) before this pulpit of communication known as the interwebz, to tell you that the mighty Azrael, Supreme Grand Daddy of the First Legion Astartes... (Ahem... Emperor preserve me I've got a cough)... the First Chapter of Dark Angels!, does not deserve the Eternal Warrior Special Rule!

Now, before the weeping and gnashing of fanboy teeth try to oust me from my lofty perch, I entreat thee to have patience, and listen intently.

Many a Dark Angels' player has lamented the lack of Eternal Warrior in Azraels' unit profile; and having put this down to "apparent" GW ineptitude.  However I feel this not to be the case. I see the reasons deep in the churling maelstrom of that vast bloated behemoth that is, the 40k universe (...hides third eye).

Those brooding visages of manliness that are the Dark Angels, hiding under their bathrobes (I'm wearing mine too right now it's a lovely mauve col...) are but a facet of a theological idea perpetrated by the imperium - read: GW.  This is an idea that harkens to that deep seeded need of the masses to be saved; be it man, god, or angels falling from heaven upon roaring pillars of flames!

The Dark Angels shun all spurious honours, not the fancy baubles and trinkets of other chapters for them! Honour and respect are fought for! They are earned upon the altar of adversity and sacrifice! And it is this which we must focus on.

Azrael is a Hero. No doubt.  For the masses to fully appreciate the sacrifices made for them, grand heroes must make that ultimate sacrifice and die, for otherwise there is no danger, no fear of what may happen.  There must be a cost. Azrael is that example, a sacrifice waiting to happen in the face of adversity; to put his life on the line to save the day! Chapter Masters come and go... But Azrael stands as a testament to an idea that not all men are created equal, some are more important in one moment, a moment that can change the course of many.

I put it to you that Azrael does not deserve the Eternal Warrior Special Rule, he deserves much much more...

ps.I'm an actual Dark Angels player myself, and in all honesty, I think I wouldn't change Azrael for the world. He's a dude. End of.

pps. Coming soon to a blog article near you soon!

Aesthetically Inspired: Step by Step Painting guides by Ian and myself! Tau are inbound...

Armies of the End Times!: Myself and Ians current armies, the progression of a hobby addiction!

Until next time, Keep those Braziers Burning!

 

40k Birthday Bash 2.0 Update: Faction Decision! (...Possibly...) Part 4 - The Finale

Hello Again Ladies and Gents!

Today we see the home stretch for me looking at the Maynarkh Dynasty and trying to see if anything needs amending for using the Force in 7th Ed,  and the current codex.  And to finish out this little exercise for now we will look at the MacDaddy of the Maynarkh Dynasty, Kutlakh the World Killer!

But before we get into the meat of Kutlakh's rules I think it would be good to have a wee look at this mechanical bad-ass.

Kutlakh to start is, not the leader of his Dynasty,  he is the highest ranking general of their armies,  and in his own right,  as powerful as some phaeron's of lesser dynasties. The leader of the Maynarkh Dynasty has only ever been referred to as the Mother of Oblivion,  and has been hinted to have been either romantically or physically connected with the Silent King.

Kutlakh has never been focused on the political trappings of the Dynasty structure,  preferring to put his efforts into his martial might. At the close of the war in heaven,  the Silent King ordered the most powerful of weapons to be turned on the C'tan after he realised their insipid betrayal. The Maynarkh Dynasty was at the front of unleashing these cosmically destructive weapons on the Star Vampires,  with many being shattered into the shards they are in the 41st Millennium. Of all the C'tan attacked and defeated by the Necrons,  none was so utterly obliterated as Llandu'gor the flayer,  personally falling to Kutlakhs hand. With this act all of the Necron race was doomed to the possibility of the flayer curse. None more so than the Maynarkh themselves. But of Kutlakh, devolution to a flayer has yet to happen, he still maintains the majority of his sanity... For now...

Ooooooohhh Drama!!! 😝
I hope that all got you tingling,  as now we move on to look at this bad-ass on the tabletop!

Statline wise the S, T, and WS all rock in at a Melta bomb with,  W3 standard Necron initiative,  and A of a melta bomb -1. He comes equipped with a staff of light and the Obsidax.  Special rules include, Independent Character,  Adamantium Will, Re-An,  Splinter of Madness, Phaeron,  and Ever-living; these last two in the vien of the articles so far will just be straight dropped. Kutlakh comes with the Death Incarnate Warlord trait as standard,  so refer to my thoughts on this from the first article in the series.  He also is rocking a 2+sv.

The staff of light does not have the specialist weapon rule,  which conflicts with the obsidax,  which does. I can't remember if the previous iteration of the staff had this rule, but currently it doesn't,  so we'll stick to the current profile.

The Obsidax is a beefed up Hyperphase blade. It's S user,  Ap2,  Melee,  Instant Death,  and as previously shown a specialist weapon.  Pretty tasty.

Coming back to the Splinter of Madness Rule,  this confers,  Fear and Fearless to Kutlakh and any unit he is attached to.

It also gives a little interesting aside as well...

First off Kutlakh must always fight in a challenge if possible both declaring and accepting.  Next at the start of the sub fight stage both Kutlakh and his opponent roll a d6 and add it to their ld value. If Kutlakhs total is greater,  the opponent has their WS reduced by the difference for that assault phase 😱! Such it Imhotekh and your hand removal fetish! 😝

Kutlakh is nothing short of a beast in combat. He wants to chase your chapter masters,  your chaos Lords,  your big hitters and mess up their day. I think he is a good character,  and is reasonably priced at 44 melta bombs. High shooting and blob squads may cause him lots of issues though.  Protecting him with the Charnal Lychguard is key.

What do you all think? Is Kutlakh worth it? Is he too OP? Would you change anything about him,  let me know in the comments!

Hopefully I will hear soon on whether I can run this list,  and I will follow up soon,  if not I'll be feverishly looking at something else soon...

Until next time
Jonathan

40k Birthday Bash 2.0 Update: Faction Decision! (...Possibly...) Part 3

Good Morning Ladies and Gents!
I hope you all got an excellent night sleep as we return to the horror of the Maynarkh Dynasty,  and the dread legions at they're disposal!

First things first,  Fast Attack and Heavy Support Choices. If you have read the previous posts we are looking at the choices as per my list for the Birthday Bash 2.0 Tournament, so once I've finished this set of rereviews I'll come back and visit the other units in these respective slots.

So I having selected to use X2 Heavy Necron Destroyers,  a Doom Scythe and a Doomsday Ark,  with the Imperial Armour book you are instructed to use the entry from Codex: Necrons,  so these will be the same as you all know and love.  Which leads us to...

The Elites
This is a fun section and presents units that may seem new to some:

Charnal Lychguard
Just like with the current codex,  Overlords can have their fluffy body guard unit.  A Maynarkh Overlord can take a single unit of these deadly close combat bots.  Rocking the same stat line as their codex counterparts,  Charnal Lychguard,  gain the rage and fear special rules.  Now I hear you cry out how can these be reasonable versus their counterparts? I'll tell you.  They cost an extra 22 melta bombs on top for basically rage and fear... In any other life I'd say drop that points value down to maybe another 5 melta bombs on top of the unit and you'd be grand,  but for now,  I think superceding the re-an special rule and leaving them as is,  is an excellent compromise for the tourney without being OP.

Canoptek Tomb Stalker
OMG A GIANT MECHA CENTIPEDE OF DOOM!!! 😝 The first ever Forgeworld model produced for the cash strapped customer (kudos if you have a Necron Pylon,  I secretly hate you lol) this is the beefed up cousin of the Canoptek Tomb Spider.  Rocking the Deep Strike,  Outflank,  Hit and Run,  Night Vision,  Rampage, Fearless,  Fleet,  Acute Senses, and War Construct special rules,  this beastie stat line comparable to a Carnifex,  hits just as hard,  but from many different directions. You can also purchase Sepulchral Scarabs for 4 melta bombs that give it IWND and it's a monstrous creature with X2 glass flayers.

So what is the War Construct Rule I hear you ask,  well it basically means any weapon that wounds on a flat value will only ever wound on a 6. This is a unit that can't be guaranteed to be poisoned to death. Now a lot of these rules really make it seem scary,  but like nid players know deep striking big gribblies into a tabletop can be very hazardous,  and as it draws a lot of fire,  getting isolated is a death sentence for the model with only the wounds of +1 over a base of Necron Scarabs. It's big it's scary,  but it can die very quickly and at the cost of 45 melta bombs.

I feel the unit is fine as it is.  Just like all Canoptek constructs this beastie does not have the re-an rule either so no need to worry about that here.

As I feel the unit is actually well balanced for its points,  and is more of a psychological terror unit for your opponent I don't think this needs amending and worst well within the bounds of the current codex,  but please,  please let me know if you think this unit is overpowered,  and if so what would you change? It's an amazingly sexy model and I think would be a great addition to the upcoming event.

Next time we will be looking at the final entry,  on Kutlakh the World Killer!

Until next time...  Game with the lights on...
Jonathan

40k Birthday Bash 2.0 Update: Faction Decision! (...Possibly...) Part 2

Welcomes Back Ladies and Gents to my random waffling on how to amend Imperial Armour 12, specifically in relation to the Necrons of the Maynarkh Dynasty,  for use with the current Necron Codex!

So today we are going first look at the list I am currently using,  the the following articles will look in depth at each section of the Force Org,  and what needs changing if necessary.

The List
1500pts CAD, No Allies, No Lords of War. Total Army Cist:1500pts

HQ
Kutlakh the World Killer

Elites
X1 Canoptek Tomb Stalker
X5 Charnal Lychguard with flensing scarabs

Troops
X5 Maynarkh Immortals with flensing scarabs
X10 Maynarkh Warriors
X10 Maynarkh Warriors

Fast Attack
X2 Heavy Destroyers

Heavy Support
X1 Doom Scythe
X1 Doomsday Ark

The List is quite elite and could be blown off the board by a lot of shooting.  The Maynarkh list really favours aggressive close combat armies, which isn't what you would normally expect from a Necron army! So with that out of the way,  let's start looking at these units,  first off today, the troops!

Maynarkh Warriors
Maynarkh Warriors are comparable to their Codex counterparts in every respect but one: they can take fencing scarabs. I won't be taking them as I do not have the points,  however as a unit they will be grand for tarpit purposes,  and hopefully some occasional tank hunting. The only amendment would be that the unit must use the re-an rule from the main codex.

Maynarkh Immortals
Again another unit which is comparable to its counterpart in the Necron Codex. The differences here is that you can only ever take one unit of Immortals (for fluff reasons) and the unit gains access to flensing scarabs.  I have taken the scarabs here as gaining shred for the first turn of combat should help improve the units killy ability. Again this only happens for the first combat phase not every combat phase. As with the Maynarkh Warriors the only amendment would be that the unit must use the re-an rule from the main codex.

Neither unit has access to any other rules, so not a lot to really reconsider here. Points wise there also is no difference between Imperial Armour 12 and the Necron Codex as it stands.

Otherwise the list can take Flayers as a troop choice, however they are distinctly inferior to their codex counterparts,  not having inherent shred,  less attacks and having to be taken in units of ten. For me I would have considered the Flaybers but I only have 5 so I'm happy to leave them for this time.

Let me know what you all think I the comments,  are these units reasonable? We'll next look at Fast Attack and Heavy Support,  and if there is time possibly the Elites as well,  before finishing up with MacDaddy cray-ray himself kutlakh the world killer!

Until next time
Jonathan

40k Birthday Bash 2.0 Update: Faction Decision! (...Possibly...) Part 1

Hello People's of the interwebz!!!

Today I come to you with some thoughts on what I may be taking to Dave Westons 40k Birthday Bash 2.0 Tournament! After much thought I have come to the conclusion that I would like to deviate a little from the standard armies that we are all familiar with to have a look at the Necrons of the Maynarkh Dynasty,  as presented in Imperial Armour 12.

The first thing to acknowledge is that using this list has not yet been checked or approved by Dave,  so I'll let him know then go from there (fingers crossed I'll hopefully be able to bring it for something a bit different). Secondly the army is, to say the least,  "bit " out of date. To this end I propose the following amendments and non-amendments (might not be correct grammar but let's roll with it) to the rules for the Maynarkh Dynasty, as found in Imperial Amour 12:

Warlord Traits:
1. Predictive Strategist
Reserve Manipulation +/-1 whilst Warlord is on the table. Many armies can use similar warlord traits,  so I don't think this needs amending for use at the event.

2. Dust and Ashes
Denying Slay the Warlord to your opponent nets you a victory point. Not too power inherently but can be a game changer.  I still think this is OK as is.

3. Blood of Ancients
Just like good old Chaos champion rule for challenges,  with the exception ICs killed in combat award victory points.  Really need Dave W to make a call on this one. Any suggestions for the communities opinion on whether this is too OP is also welcome (and if so suggestions to update).

4. Unbending Will
Reroll re-an's within 3in of an objective. . Not too shabby, I think this is grand as is.

5. Fire of the Heavens
During the shooting phase (every one!)  a unit which is a vehicle or artillery can resolve a single ranged attack at +1S! Doesn't exceed max S,  but is still a bit OP for a friendly tournament...  Maybe reduce this to one use a game.

6. Death Incarnate
Warlord and unit gain Crusader. Not too shabby,  so fine as is.

Army Special Rules

Reanimation Protocols
So IA:12 was originally written with the 5th edition codex (some call it the first 6th edition codex,  but that is neither here nor there) in mind.  To this end,  I would say all units with this rule,  must follow the rule as presented in the current codex: Necrons.

Flensing Scarabs 
Unit equipped with Flensing Scarabs has the shred rule for the first turn of assault in the game.  Doesn't seem to bad,  keep it as is.

Entropic Strike
Harks back to the previous codex where you could remove a models armour save or reduce the armour value for vehicles.  I suggest replacing this to the entry in the current codex,  as this rule specifically applies to scarabs (I haven't seen any other units that can make use of this rule in IA:12).

Living Metal
Wording same as in current codex. No need to dwell here.

Ever-living
The rule no longer exists in the current codex,  so for all intents and purposes this rule should be ignored for all units that have it in IA:12.

Mark of the Flayer
Roll a d6 if a Maynard overlord/or unit they have joined fails a moral check or wipes a unit in close combat. Immediately apply result from MoTF table:

Berserk
Basically what kharn does when he misses in close combat (at d3 auto hits). Hits himself if on his own for a wound.  Fluffy and not to powerful,  definitely a hazard to use Maynarkh HQs,  love it.

Remains in Control
No effect.

Transfiguration
Overlord gains fearless and rage. At end of the battle,  overlord counts as destroyed for the purposes of victory points and StW.
More of the same,  a hazard to take but love the fluffiness,  can stay as is currently.

Next time I'll post about the units I may take in the book ((depending on whether I can take this army) some units are massively over costed these days hahaha) and what it may look like for my list.

Please let me know what you think in the comments,  are the amendments reasonable? Have the things that stayed the same reasonable? Shout out and let me know!

Until next time
Jonathan

40k: Tournament Prep, Dave Westons Birthday Bash 40k Tournament

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all doing well now New Year is well and truly behind us now. And with the Holiday Season behind us it's time to get back cracking and get some prep done for the coming year.

In February,  I will be attending Dave Westons Birthday Bash 40k Tournament (link), it's 1500pts, CAD only,  no formations and limited Lords of War. So basically I have to decide what I will be taking to this event so that I am ready to get any necessary painting and or repairs done before the big day.

The Options
Khorne Daemonkin
A fun army to play,  I normally go a bit mental and run across the board like a lunatic to get to grips with my opponent (mission objectives be damned),  I'm sure you'll all agree this is the right way to play KDK. Currently I don't have enough any of the Bloodthirster variants,  but there is every possibility this could change...

Dark Angels
Hit hard,  hit fast, bring lots of Dakka, or maybe lots of Terminators (not very efficient but damn they look cool. I also have,  hopefully the opportunity to bring my plasma obliterator ad part of this list (as I feel it just suits the theme of the Dark Angels more than any other army), and it looks gorgeous to boot! More painting and repair work needed here,  and a severe lack of marines and scouts for a CAD only list needs to be rectified.

Necrons
Probably the strongest of the armies I currently have, but I will have to look outside my preference of the destroyer cult here. I've got more necron warriors than I could possibly need so its a case of theming the army based on other units I have (Possibly a retro wave list of warriors,  or a mecha bug list...). Still a tough nut to crack in any situation (need to check if I can take my Tomb Stalker).

Anyways,  many thoughts and vacillating is required for any person going to an event. I'll be doing some update articles as prep continues towards the big day! I will also try to get as many photos from the event too,  I can't wait 😝!!!

Other Tournament-wise,  I am planning to go to the Double-Trouble 2 Event in June,  hosted by Alex over at fromthefang.blogspot.co.uk,  in Element Games,  gaming hall,  another really interesting event,  and I highly recommend you check it out! Hopefully I can also find a good Age of Sigmar event this year as well as I really want to jump in with two feet on this new and upcoming scene! If you have any suggestions for events in the North West of England,  drop a line in the comments,  I'd love to hear about any events you attend or run!

Until next time,
Jonathan

Magnus the Red, Daemon Primarch of the Thousand Sons

Hello Again Everyone,

Welcome to the New Year! I hope you all had a happy responsible holidays with much hobby fun had! I myself have been beavering away on my latest project: Magnus the Red! But before we move on I just wanted to apologise for the way the first battle report ended...  In that it kind of didn't... Basically upon getting my phone looked at for a minor repair, it got reset to factory settings and I lost all of the photos of the actual battle,  so there was little point I felt in writing an article without any images. For those of you that want to know how it finished up, The Grey Knights won,  12-8 with both Renegade knights being destroyed and only a unit of blood crushers and a unit of Paladins with Draigo at the end (really need to focus more on getting rid of Draigo as soon as possible). It was an intense battle,  and hopefully I'll have much better luck with getting it posted up next time!

Anyways without further ado onto Magnus!

Magnus the Red,  Daemon Primarch of Tzeentch,  Games Workshop 2016© 

Magnus the Red,  BY ME!!! 

This bad boy has been my Christmas project, and while progressing well (and tabletop ready, sans-basing) I still have to finish off some of the fiddly bits like tipping all the wings with ceramite white.

I cannot espouse the use of the painting tutorial over at Warhammer TV by Duncan and has really helped pulling everything to a level even I am impressed with! I didn't quite follow the paint scheme Duncan used but I am quite happy with it (if you want further details just ask in the comments). Also I suffered from "MUST BUILD IT ALL" syndrome and didn't make any sub assemblies. It speaks to how well this model is designed that this didn't cause too many issues.

For now,  a little rest is needed to avoid burning out on one model (I find this works only if you have one other model to paint not "all the models" as I usually do), so I'll be putting some time into Cannoness Veridyan.  I'll update on her progress as it continues.

I can't wait to finish off Magnus and hopefully in the future get him fielded alongside some thousand sons (Ian over at krakaddict.blogspot.co.uk is building himself some Space Wolves I'll need to attempt to stomp),  until next time,  have a great year!

Jonathan