Breaking the compact with the gamer

Games Workshop has gone and done it again.  No, not raising their prices, but I'm sure we're in for that again soon (insert sarcasm here).  This time I propose that they have done the unforgiveable.  GW has broken the sacred compact with the gamer, they have changed rules explicitely to make sales.

What's that you say?  Everyone does this?  Well, I will agree that this is not uncommon when versions of a game are released, but there is an unspoken agreement between the gamer and GW that a new codex or new edition with shake thing sup and then you (the gamer) can expect a slow decline in the ability of your highly priced models over the course of a few years before they become good again.

A few months back GW released new Flamer and Screamer models in plastic and a White Dwarf rules update.  What is truly amazing is that from reading the updates and the new codex at the same time you can tell that GW already had the codex done.  The WD update made flamers and screamers too good to pass up (thus selling losts of models) and then turned around a few months later once the models were sold and reduced their ability by an order of magnitude (100% worse or more).

I'm not upset that the new rules are underpowered.  I think they're a little more realistic now, but I am upset that we see such a blatant change of rules once they made their sales (and in such a short order).

Limited Edition Tzeentch Codex in the mail

Who buys this crap anyway?  I guess I'm a sucker.

It's in the mail according to an email I just got.

Flamers no longer OP

Flamer's of Tzeentch - painted by me

Late last year I said Flamers were not OP here.  The world, and Phil Kelly disagreed.

Pink Horrors Point Efficiency (part 1)

While screamers and flamers are the damage dealer in an all Tzeentch army, you have to take Pink Horrors to round out the army.  I like taking them in squads of 10-20 to keep them alive and deal some damage.  I routinely run squads of 20 horrors, which is a mixed bag.

Pros:
Survivable
Massed fire (60 shots at 18")

Cons:
Large deepstrike footprint
360 points that can mishap

More rules???

You can find the german translated rules on 4chan... or Warseer, or even Dakka at this point.  I am now in possession of "most" of the codex. I'll be happy to answer questions, if they were not addressed in the translation or if the translation is wrong.  If they were already addressed I will not answer the question.

Warp Storm Table Odds

I figured I'd take a look at the potential for each result on the Warpstorm table to occur.  The percentage chance of a result occuring at least once doesn't change with more rounds.  I started down that path initially but had to remind myself of come basic college math.  Now, the odds of a result occuring a specific number of times (greater than once) during a game of varying length does change.  I'll leave that for another day.

2.78% - All units take a Daemonic Instability test
5.56% - One daemon Character tests on Leadership with 3D6 and takes wounds like Daemonic Instability
8.33% - All daemons -1 invulnerable save
11.11% - Roll D6 for all enemies and nurgle units, on a 6 hit by a 5" template S4, AP5 barrage
13.89% - Roll D6 for all enemies and tzeentch units, on 6 D6 hits with S4 Ap3, poison, ignore cover
16.67% - Nothing
13.89% - Roll d6 for all enemies and khorne units, on 6 D6 hits with S6, Ap-, ignore cover, rending
11.11% - Roll d6 for all enemies and slaanesh units on 6 hit by a 3" template S8, ap3
8.33% - +1 invulnerable save for daemons
5.56% - one enemy psyker test on Leadership with 3D6, if failed he explodes and you get a new herald in his place (Perils of Warp, we are here!!!)
2.78% - a new troop unit of your choice (bloodletter, plaguebearer, horror, daemonette) is summoned, 2D6+3 models

So in any game, the odds of getting a 2 or 12 at least once is less than 3% each.  While this will happen, it will be rare.

Now, assuming that your enemy has at least 6 units on the board (on average throughout a game - for giggles) you'll have an 8.33% chance that an enemy unit will take a hit at least once during a game.  Granted it will be a random unit and a random hit type from the 4 types above, but that's still something.

Warp Storm Table

The winds of chaos blow madly in the 41st millenium.  During the course of a game of 40K involving Chaos Daemons each turn will find units affected by the Warp.  Here are the results (rolled on 2D6):

2 - All units take a Daemonic Instability test
3 - One daemon Character tests on Leadership with 3D6 and takes wounds like Daemonic Instability
4 - All daemons -1 invulnerable save
5 - Roll D6 for all enemies and nurgle units, on a 6 hit by a 5" template S4, AP5 barrage
6 - Roll D6 for all enemies and tzeentch units, on 6 D6 hits with S4 Ap3, poison, ignore cover
7 - Nothing
8 - Roll d6 for all enemies and khorne units, on 6 D6 hits with S6, Ap-, ignore cover, rending
9 - Roll d6 for all enemies and slaanesh units on 6 hit by a 3" template S8, ap3
10 - +1 invulnerable save for daemons
11 - one enemy psyker test on Leadership with 3D6, if failed he explodes and you get a new herald in his place (Perils of Warp, we are here!!!)
12 - a new troop unit of your choice (bloodletter, plaguebearer, horror, daemonette) is summoned, 2D6+3 models

Final thoughts on the current Chaos Daemons Codex

 
The tail end of 5th Edition and all of 6th Edition has been good for my Tzeentchy Chaos Daemons.  I've enjoyed the book for what it is - not like anything else.  My only real hope for the new book is that it continues to be very different from everything else.  Aside from that I'd love to see some real synergy between Daemons and Chaos Marines.  I'm still bummed that we didn't get DA Fallen and we don't currently get Traitor Guard in 6E; hopefully in the next edition of the book in a few years.

In my opinion the upcoming CD codex will be a success if (in no particular order):

• You can take viable mono-God builds for all 4 Gods and get rewarded for playing a fluffy army.
• If there is still a major random component to the army, but one that doesn't auto win or auto-lose.
• I'd like to see Tzeentch stay super shooty.
• It would be nice to see Nurgle and Slaanesh get a little shooty in their characters, etc.
• I'd like to see Khorne shut down psykers.  Something like Eldrad's powers wouldn't be OP IMHO or DTW on a 2+ (as an upgrade would be fine).
• Here's wishing, but let me mark EVERYTHING in the book that isn't marked (Soul Grinders, etc.)
• Daemonic Assault - or something like it that makes me play the game in a totally different way than everyone else.  Come on, we're fans of Chaos, don't make us play by the same rules!!!

Bad moon face returns!

Courtesy of Dice and Brush I have another picture this morning:

I have to say that the bad moon head on the herald is a great throw back and one that I can't wait to use.  Also, the fact that the Tzeentch chariot kit allows you to build a herald too is a great bonus.  I'm not in love with my finecast Herald on disc.

Limited Edition Chaos Codexes/Army Books

GW is releasing limited edition Chaos Codexes and Army Books this weekend for presale.  They will be $90 each USD and there will be 4 of each available, one dedicated to each of the Chaos Gods.  Sounds cool if you have the money and a strong preference for a particular Chaos God.

However, an email from GW to resellers says, "will go up for pre-order on the Games Workshop website this weekend.  because of the extremely limited nature of these itms we are expecting them to sell out this weekend.  Please do not take preorders or prepayments for these products, [customers] best chance to secure one of these items is to visit the website and purchase it themselves."