On the Bench: Necron Cryptek

Welcome to 2018 and a return to me posting on my blog.  To kick-off the new year, I have decided to dip my toes back into Warhammer 40K and see if I am interested in returning to the game after taking a leave of it a few years back.  Since I am a deep-end of the pool type of person, my return to the game will be in the form of playing in a small tournament this coming weekend.  Since the game has radically changed since last I have played, I decided I needed to do a bit of updating to my very old necron force if I was going to bring it out of retirement.  To this end, I decided to start the revamp by adding a fully painted Necron Cryptek.

When it came to officially adding a cryptek to my army, I had the option of either going with one of the Finecast models or creating my own using various bits laying about the Kaiju Lounge (aka my hobby room).  While I like some of the existing models, in particular Illuminor Szeras, I decided to start by just converting one and see where I am with things after a few games.

The conversion I settled on was a combination of parts from the Immortals/Deathmarks and Lychguard/Praetorians kits.  Specifically, I used the head and upper body off the Deathmarks kit and the legs and weapon from the Praetorians kit.  When it came to assembling the model, I elected to put together the whole body and prime it and the head separately.  Once everything was primed, I painted the inside of the "hood" and the back of the head.  Once those parts were painted, I assembled the complete model and finished painting it.

With the model painted, I need to now decide on a new basing scheme for my necrons as I would like to update the army a bit just to make it feel a little less dated.  I also need to build a first round display board that will be used until I have time to create a better one to go with the updated army.

Episode 39 - Aftermath Michigan GT

This episode kicks off with two Johns talking about the latest Tyranid release from Games Workshop.  We review each of the options for the new Tyranid kit and discuss the impact they will have on the 40K meta.

Next, we have a special Marshaling the Host where we discuss our experience at the Michigan GT.  We talk about the missions, discuss our games, and review our experience at the tournament.

Lastly, we introduce a new segment, Waaagh Ontto.  In this episode, John O talks about the Morkanaut and Gorkanaut.  He reviews how he uses them, their role on the battlefield, and what to watch out for when playing them.

Episode Timeline
00:01:45 - New Tyranid Models
00:30:00 - Marshaling the Host (Aftermath: Michigan GT 2014)
01:36:30 - Waaagh Ontto (Morkanaut/Gorkanaut)

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Tournament Tuesdays - NIMGC Fall 40K Tournament (Part 1)

A few pictures from the first round of the October 2012 NIMGC tournament.

1st round of the tournament was my necrons vs chaos daemons.

Battle Report: Necrons vs Orks (1000 Points)

It had been many years since the Necrons had returned to the K’Enosha sector. Since that time, the orks had settled into a routine of watching grot produced fireworks displays and raising miniature squigs with massive mohawks. They had forgotten what it meant to face the purple menace. 


In this battle report, Ernie and I face each other in the first of a series of games intended to teach us 40k 6th edition. Before the start of the game, we agreed that we would only use the basic rules and not include any flyers, psykers or fortifications. We also decided to set the game at 1000 points as not to overwhelm ourselves with a massive first battle under the new edition.

Ernie’s List
Warboss on bike
3 Nobz on a bike
Ork commandos
Trukk with boyz
Boyz
Dethdread
Zzap guns


John’s List
Necron Overlord w/ voidblade
3 Crypteks w/ tremor staffs
10 Necron Warriors
10 Necron Warriors
3 Scarab Swarms
1 Tomb Spyder
1 C’tan w/ Writhing Worldscape & Time Arrow

 
Early Rounds

Ernie began the game by moving forward his bikers and trukk and then following it up with a few shots from his Zzap guns. I responded in my turn by pushing a little forward and losing an immortal to a sabotaged objective. The second turn saw Ernie continue to advance and bring his ork commandos onto the table. On my second turn, my C’tan assaulted the Dethdread while the scarabs flew into the Zzap guns. The dread stood strong, but the grot manned weapons were chased from the table.
Middle Rounds
The middle of game revolved around Ernie attempting to charge my forces and me holding them back via good rounds of overwatch shooting. By the time we ended turn 4, Ernie only had his one unit of boyz holding the objective left on the table. We decided to call it a game at this point.
Conclusion
The game ended with my necron’s winning 5 to 3. After the game, Ernie and I discussed how things could have gone differently and how if he had brought a single flyer I would have likely been gunned down. We also got a good laugh at the boxing match between the Dethdread and C’tan.

Looking back on the game a week later, I feel I also got lucky with the fact that Ernie didn’t bring more long range shooting. He played his orks like a true warboss, but if could have sat back a little more, I would have been stuck footslogging my way across the battlefield. I also think that I got some really good rounds of overwatch shooting that hindered him from assaulting me. Overall, it was a tight game that taught us both a lot about the new edition.

Necron Codex Unit Review: Lychguard

Of the new units in the necron codex, the Lychguard has been one of the more fascinating ones for me. In particular, I really like the option of arming these guys with dispersion shields as I find the new models very appealing and the rules for them fluffy and fun. Driven by this interest in them, I wanted to explore how I would potentially use them on the battlefield.

Generally speaking, the biggest challenge when fielding these guys seems to be the point cost of them. At over 200 points for just 5 of them with shields, fielding them in any real numbers can be difficult unless they are intended to be the focal point of the army. Even as the center of it, they are still expensive enough that any supporting units need to be selected carefully. Bottom line is that for the cost, these guys cannot be treated as a throwaway unit.

Another interesting thing about Lychguard is that they can be armed with either a warscythe, granting them +2 Str power weapon in CC, or a power weapon and the before mentioned dispersion shield. The dispersion shield is an interesting option as it gives the model a 4+ invulnerable save and can reflect shooting attacks stopped by the invulnerable save at another enemy unit within 6” of it. Not a game breaking ability, but one that can have an impact and potentially cause an opponent to second guess whether or not to target them. Between the two choices, I believe the PW/shield option is the better choice since each model has Str 5 and 2 attacks, thus wounding most things they should target on a 3+. The warscythe seems more suited for monster/vehicle hunting, something that I feel the Lychguard would perform poorly at on the battlefield.

Elite Strike Force

One approach that I intend to experiment with is using a reasonably sized unit (6 – 8 models) of Lychguard as an elite strike force in games at or below 1500 points. In these types of games, I would likely mount them in a Night Scythe for increased mobility and a little extra protection before deployment. Once deployed, I believe my primary tactic would be to use them to contest objectives that my scoring units would be incapable or less likely to capture.

When it comes to using lychguard in this fashion, I anticipate the biggest challenge being when their Night Scythe is destroyed before they are deployed into position. I like that the Night Scythe rules allow for the unit to return to reserves, but depending on when this happens, I could find the Lychguard to be useless because of their location on the battlefield.

The Reflective Wall of Difficult Choices

Another approach I am interested in trying is to use multiple units of Lychguard as a barrier between large units of warriors and immortals that would be marching behind them. My tactic here would be to push forward with everything until my shooting units are within the magical 24” range of their weapons. At this point, the Lychguard would continue to move forward and engage the enemy as needed. I like this approach to using Lychguard in bigger games as I feel their ability to be an elite killing unit diminishes as more big stuff floods the table.

Overlords & Royal Court Characters

When it comes to including a model from the royal court options, I think it would be useful to include a Necron Lord with a Rez Orb in each unit of Lychguard in order to increase their survivability and maybe add to their damage output in CC. I don’t think any of the Cryptek options would be ideal, but I could see using one with the Veil of Darkness as an alternative approach. Finally, when it comes to including an overlord with them, I can see the pros and cons either way and think it really depends more on how the overlord will be used than the actual presence of the Lychguard. However, with any of these options the overall cost of the combination should weigh heavily into decision of whether or not to attempt it.

Special Operations: Killzone

I am a little behind on my Killzone rules, but I am really considering one of these guys as the centerpiece to a Killzone team. In my experience, Killzone games tend to be close and personal affairs, so the shield's ability to reflect shots seems like it could pay-off quickly. Typically, I don’t believe I would include more than a single model of them, but maybe 2 or 3 with some warriors for support could make for an interesting team.

Ultimately, my goal is to include these guys in some fashion every time I field my necrons. Like Pariahs from the last book, I am simply in love with the idea of them and hope to figure out how to apply them every time they take to the battlefield.

Equinox's Necron Codex Review

Between the new Necron codex and Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos, I have had plenty to read on flights this month. While I am still digesting both books, I thought I would share some of my thoughts about the new Necron codex. I have been a long time fan of the necrons, still owning a full size army from back when they were released in second edition. The concept of machine men who could repair on the battlefield and had mysterious motives was just one that grabbed at my imagination. When the full codex was released in 3rd edition, I quickly developed a new color scheme and built a force that fit my approach to the game. I enjoyed playing them for years, but eventually my interest in 40K waned and the necrons went into storage. Now, two editions later and a new book in my hands, I am again exploring whether or not to crank up the Pink Flyod and sing along to “Welcome to the Machine”.

One of the first things noticeable about the new book is that GW was determined to expand every aspect of the necrons. From the fluff, to the models, to the play styles, the necrons have more options than ever before. While in general this was a good idea, the execution could have been better on all accounts. When it came to the fluff (die kitty, die), there are some interesting changes, but the handling of the C’tan was such a swing in the opposite direction from the last book that I found it disappointing. While the changes to the C’tan were disappointing, the changes to how the necrons travel about the galaxy and the idea of the Dolmen Gates was such a huge departure from prior fluff that I found myself angry the first couple times I read it. Outside of those points, I general like the new fluff and think the addition of tomb worlds and different dynasties was a smart one and can only help broaden the appeal of the army.

Moving past the fluff into the actual army list, I felt a sense of subdued excitement as I read each unit. I was happy to see new things, but most of the new stuff felt old already and with the exception of the new flyers and lychguard, nothing that grabbed at me or sung for my attention.

(Side Note: Since I have noticed a recent spike in new followers, I just want to mention that I tend to focus more on what interests me from a modeling or hobby standpoint than an actual tactical one. I do look at and explore tactics, but my first impressions are based more on what makes me want to sit down and paint and write stories than what will win me battles.)

I think the problem for me when it came to most of the new units was that GW didn’t take any real risks with them. What I think I was hoping for were units that were scary, but balanced in some fashion to the old phase out rules. You didn’t have to beat the whole army, just enough to scare them off. I know a lot of people didn’t like phase out, but I always thought it was a very cool army rule and forced me to play differently from other armies. The new units just seem more like an exercise in designing stuff to meet a checklist. Necrons need a couple of transports, check. Necrons need another troop choice, check.

Moving past my initial disappointment, I do admit that I like the new tesla rules. I am toying with ideas on how I can build an army themed around the new weapon type. I also think that the new flyers are very cool, but since they were not part of the first wave of releases, I will hold off on including them until a proper kit is available. Finally, I think the crypteks and lycheguards make for some fun additions and give the army a couple of cool ways to play. I especially like the dispersion shields and cannot wait to use them on the battlefield.

In the end, the necrons are still my favorite army in 40K. The new book gives me more options, even if many of those options are not that exciting for me. I think from a tournament standpoint, the new book is competitive, but more on the scale of the new Dark Eldar book and not the Grey Knights. As a person who likes to design different themed armies, I can see potential with the new book and look forward to developing them as more models are released.

Aftermath: N.I.M.G.C. Tournament

This past weekend was the N.I.M.G.C. Spring Tournament in DeKalb, Illinois at On Board Games. It had been a few years since I had been out to this store and this was my first tournament hosted by the N.I.M.G.C. crew.

Leading up to the tournament, I was debating about which army I was going to bring to the tournament. I was aiming to bring the Emerald Eye (chaos daemons), but I decided that since the tournament results were based on battle points only, I would instead bring a painted army and not worry about winning. To this end, I decided to bring necrons, as I expected no one else would dare field them in a battle point tournament.

My list
Deceiver 300 pts
4 Pariahs 144 pts
7 Immortals 196 pts
10 Warriors 180 pts
10 Warriors 180 pts
4 Destroyers 200 pts
2 Wraith 81 pts
2 Wraith 81 pts
1 Heavy Destroyer
1 Heavy Destroyer

Round One
The first round of the tournament involved a mission to control the most objectives spread evenly across the table. My opponent was fielding a Nidzilla list that was optimized for the tournament.


I spent the first turn of the game basically doing nothing, as I didn’t really have a game plan. My opponent was quite the opposite, dropping each of his pie plates on me using the maximum wording of the rules.

The next few turns were basically me making small advances and him killing units. By the time we reached the fifth turn, I conceded the game as I could not capture any objectives. I had not phased out or lost my supreme general, so I felt good about the result considering all things.

Round Two
The second round was against Jeff F and his Imperial Guard. His army was impressive and by far the best painted army at the event. For this game, we each had one objective that we placed within our deployment zone. The goal was to protect our objective while capturing our opponent’s one.

The game was interesting and by far the most fun I had at the tournament. The end result was a solid draw, with me losing one battle point for my supreme general dying and Jeff getting one for his living. I cannot rave enough how much fun Jeff was as an opponent. The game had the kind of casual feel that I prefer when playing.

Round Three
The last game was also against a great player. This game also had that casual feeling. The only difference between this game and the one with Jeff was this game didn’t come down to the wire. By the end of the game, he had a badly wounded carnifex and three stealers. I had everything but my wraith and c’tan.

At the end, I came in 9th place out of 14 players. A nice finish for the “worse” army in the game.

Place - Player (Battle Points) - Army - Round results - Opponent Battle Points
1st - Tom Crzi (20) - Eldar - WWD - 35
2nd - Andrew Delso (20) - Space Marines - WWD - 25
3rd - Jeff McConnel (19) - Black Templar - WWD
4th - Tim Waeyaert (19) - Tyranids - WWL
5th - Andrew K. (18) - Chaos Space Marines
6th - Mike Rios (12) - Black Templar
7th - Jim Slagstad (10) - Tau - WDL - 50
8th - Greg Chyson (10) - Space Marines -WDL - 35
9th - John Gaszak (10) - Necrons -WDL - 32
10th - Carl Swieton (10) - Space Wolves - DDL
11th - Ricky Neyens (9) - Tyranids
12th - Jeff Florido (7) - Imperial Guard
13th - Jason Chyson (6) - Tyranids
14th - John Keehn (2) - Chaos Space Marines

So, what did I learn from the tournament? It never hurts to bring a painted army. Jeff, my second round opponent, won best painted and received a cool Battle Foam t-shirt for his efforts. This is especially cool since the best painted category was never announced.

If I bring the necrons to another tournament before a new codex, I think I will focus everything on close combat. I figure I will finish painting 10 pariahs. I am also going to add a really big unit of flayed ones. Don’t know if I would swap the Deceiver for a CC necron lord, but it is something to consider. The reason I want to do this is purely because you never see this kind of army. It just seems like a cool army if you don’t care about winning.

Another lesson I learned was I cannot play the snail game. My play style is like the Chicago Bears’ playbook. I play not to lose. I am thinking that I really want to try an army where I send everything running at the enemy instead of my usual piecemeal and hold approach.

My thoughts on the tournament are very positive. It had been a few years since I went to a 40K event, and had my reservations about going to another. The end result though was that I had two really fun games, and one that was fair. The fair game was a reflection of my usual comments about the game is about the person, not the army. That said, I will try my best to make the next tournament as I think it was worth the drive. If you live within the area, I highly recommend attending the next tournament if you like casual tournaments. The guys of N.I.M.G.C. know how to put on a fun time.