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.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Road to 2012 Begins...
It has been a while since I have done a proper update regarding my Dogs of War army and honestly, until recently I haven’t had anything to discuss. That changed over the past few weeks as I have officially registered for Adepticon 2012 and the Waaagh Casts January 2012 Tournament. Prior to registering for the Waaagh Cast Tournament, my plan was to focus on Tomb Kings and Chaos Dwarves for Adepticon, but since the Waaagh Cast Tournament is 2200 points, I knew neither of the mentioned armies would be at a point that they could be fielded at that size, so I returned to my beloved Dogs of War.
One of the first decisions I needed to make was that any preparation for the Waagh Cast tournament would need to pay-off for me at Adepticon as I don’t have the time to work on 3 armies. This meant that I needed to put the Tomb Kings aside for now as the Chaos Dwarves will also be used in the Team Tournament at Adepticon. With that decision made, the next one was coming up with a new theme for my Dogs of War army that fits the existing color scheme, but would contain all new models for Adepticon. The army also needs to be strong and creative to give me a chance at winning another award at the afternoon session of the 1000 point tournament.
To this end, I have decided to dedicate my time to building the cavalry army that I have dreamt about for the last few years. Generally speaking, I have thrown the idea of such a list around using different army books. Tomb Kings, Orcs & Goblins, Chaos, and Empire have all been potential options for me when it comes to this theme. In the end, Dogs of War just seems to be the proper list for this theme as I can do a couple of things that are not possible with the books I have listed (though Lietpold the Black does seem to be another potential solution).
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)