Musings about the "New" Vampire Units in WD 379

Posted by Ranillon on 21. August 2011 12:28

Since I personally own a Vampire Counts army (it's my oldest and therefore least well done so I admit I don't play it often) and that our main "demonstration" army for Warhammer here at 40KOrigins is likewise VC I was naturally quite interested in the "official" update to the army book that came with White Dwarf 379.  Since I've been thinking about it anyway I figured now would be a good time to reveal my thoughts in a new blog post.

The Zombie Dragon/Terrorghiest

Naturally, given that it's (drawn) picture is on the front cover and that inside there are impressive images of it the new combination Zombie Dragon/Terrorghiest kit is the first thing that grabs your attention.  Looking like a partially digested flying lizard badly needing a visit to the local beauty salon, this new model is quite impressive.  By choosing between two sets of heads and a few other similar bits you can turn it into either a classic Zombie Dragon or into the new Terrorghiest.  In terms of appearance both make for great centerpieces, but in terms of rules there are important differences.

The Zombie Dragon uses the rules already found in the VC book -- flying, terror, breath weapon, 6 toughness, nasty stats, and a 5+ scaly skin armor save.  The Terrorghiest has the same basic abilities and is in fact rather close to the Zombie Dragon is many ways, but it does switch out the breath weapon for a death shriek that can be used every round (instead only once in the cace of the breath weapon) and 6+ regeneration for the scaly skin.  Beyond that the Terrorghiest suffers from a WS of 3 and one less strength and attacks, but then again receives +1 Initiative and Wounds. 

"Say, does anyone have a really big breath mint?"

However, perhaps the biggest difference is that the Terrorghiest is 50 points less despite being roughly as effective.  That's 50 points that can instead be used for, say, vampiric powers for the rider -- which in this case is limited to a vamp with the Ghoulkin power -- or other units.  Obviously then, the Terrorghiest is a possible mount for your "Ghoul King" vampire lord, but you can also purchase it as a rare choice.  Either way it makes for an attention grapping model and thus is worth taking you best effort to paint up well.

The lower cost of the Terrorghiest is potentially more vital than you may think.  Given that the minimum price for a vamp lord on a Zombie Dragon is 480 points and that your points ceiling for Lord characters is 25% of your army trying to take one for your typical 2000 point force is already barely doable.  Note that's without any of those extra magic items or vampiric powers that turn your vampire lord from badass to living god -- an important consideration as his effectiveness and survival is key to you winning the game. 

By comparison, taking a Terrorghiest as a mount gives you more points to work with under the cap (although half of it does admittedly have to go toward Ghoulkin so you'd want to take an army that could utilize it well) while be about as overall effective.  Likewise, unlike the Zombie Dragon you can take also take a Terrorghiest as a rare choice.  Thus, unless you are going to go around playing high point games where you can comfortably get away with a ~600 point vampire general, I'd recommend using the new kit to do up a Terrorghiest.

The Tomb Banshee

Now is when we get to the worst "new" unit in WD 379 -- the nigh worthless Tomb Banshee. 

You think I am being a bit harsh?  If anything I'm being nice -- the original Banshee was already not worth the points, but this new hero choice version is even more expensive (at a whopping 95 points!) while otherwise not having been upgraded at all!  She has the stats of an Empire spearman except for an extra wound, being a little faster, and having a lower leadership.  Without any special melee attacks you can't expect her to do anything in close combat, which is the prime reason for including a character in a unit.  Yet, even with her ethereal nature you don't dare use her as a lone character as she'll be an instant kill thanks to combat resolution if charged by an enemy unit of any size and/or ability.

 
"Stop!...In the Naaaame of Deathhhhhhhhh!  ...Before I eeeeat your heart!"

Of course, her only claim to fame is her Ghostly Howl ability, but if you sit down and think about its effectiveness you quickly see it doesn't have much.  To use it she has to take aim at a unit no further away than a meager 8" and then role 2d6+2 and compare that to the target's leadership.  For every point above that she'll do a wound, but the simple truth is that on average that won't be much if anything.  Consider that thanks to heroes or a nearby general and/or their intrinsic leadership score most units  in the game can be guaranteed of at least a 8-10 leadership value.  Since the average result for 2d6+2 is 9 that means that on average she'll do a whopping one wound -- and she could easily do nothing on average, especially if dealing with dwarves or elves.

She'll just target a more vulnerable unit you say?  That's going to be hard when the range of her ability is that pathetic 8".  A smart opponent isn't going to let a vulnerable target -- say, a monster with a low leadership who likes to wander away from his general -- anywhere near a Tomb Banshee.  Or, in the case of horde armies, he'll just send in a huge group of guys who can lose 1-4 soldiers and not even notice.  Worse, since she has to get in so close just to do anything that leaves her much more vulnerable to being charged or becoming the target for special attacks/spells that will ignore her ethereal nature.

Now, compare this to the Tomb King's Casket of Souls that has a similar sort of effect, but is far better at using it.  The Casket makes the target test on 3d6 which means an average roll of 10.5 (that is, alternating between 10 and 11).  Also, due to the differences in probability between rolling two and three dice, it is twice as likely that the Casket will produce a result 11+ than even the 2d6+2 of the Banshee (~50% versus ~25%).  Likewise, the upper limit of the Casket is higher -- you have a 2.7% chance of maxing out the Banshee with a result of 14 while you have a 4.6% of a 16 or better with the Casket. 

Even more importantly the Casket of Souls has a fantastic range of 48" meaning that it is far easier to pick out your enemy's most vulnerable units to be zapped.  And, on top of that there is a 66% chance that after ravaging your first target the attack hops on to another enemy unit within 6" and starts the whole process again!

In short, the clever/lucky use of the Tomb Banshee's howl might get you 1-3 dead enemy soldiers compared to the clever/lucky usage of the Casket of Souls that might get you 6-10 dead!

Admittedly, the Casket of Souls' Light of Death power is a Bound Spell that can be dispelled, but being a spell also has its advantages.  Likewise, the Casket also costs half again as much, but for that you get an extra 1d3 power dice every of your magic phases, a couple of kick-butt guards to defend it, and the ability to blow up in the face of any unit that destroys it (this could also claim any nearby Tomb King unit, but given that the Casket is highly unlikely to die until late in the battle when the TK units have wandered away the risk is minor).  All of that is easily worth the extra points so when comparing Ghostly Howl and Light of Death the latter is clearly superior -- and, more basically, actually useful.

In short, don't use a Tomb Banshee.

Carn Wraiths

By comparison, a hero choice Carn Wraith is pretty good.  He gets everything the Banshee receives (save the howl, of course), but has 3 attacks and a great weapon.  That means that he can regularly kill 1-2 extra enemy in close-combat when leading a unit (which he should always be doing).  That may not sound like much, but as I've learned from experience getting those extra few kills so as to win close combat resolutions is a must have if you want your blocks of skeletons to be successful. 

What you eventually turn into if you have really bad posture

The fact that he always goes last might be a problem if he wasn't ethereal -- being immune to normal attacks means he is far more likely to survive to use his scythe.  You do have to watch for magic using characters aiming for him, but against regular opponent's he does a good job while providing a source of terror to send units running.  Just as importantly he is only 2/3rds the cost of the Tomb Banshee and the de facto cheapest character you can get for a VC army (a vanilla 1st level Necromancer is 5 points less, but when are you going to field one without at least some toys?).  That means you can easily slip him into your army list to help fortify your otherwise vulnerable blocks of skeletons.

More Demons and Dark Eldar -- With Some Commentary About Prices

Posted by Ranillon on 20. August 2011 03:38

Games Workshop has just released a number of new or redone models for you to buy -- and a new all-daemon battleforce. Here are some pictures:

The quality of the models looks as fine as ever, but when you go to check their cost you're likely to -- once again -- experience sticker shock.  I bring that up because over the last few weeks as I've wandered the Internet reading about the hobby I've run into an unusual amount of anger over GW's latest price increases.  This is especially so given that most people seem -- rightly or not -- to see this new move to Finecast as being at least partially an excuse to raise prices, something that is counter-intuitive as the assumption has long been that moving to plastic/resin should have lowered GW's costs.  In other words, a change that should have at least prevented a price rise if not led to a price cut has instead been apparently used to jack up prices and widen profit margins.

Now, a number of other sources have explained that the seeming combination of shifting to plastic/resin and the (now yearly) price hike was a coincidence rather than just a tactless attempt to gouge customers, but at the very least it was clearly a bad PR move on GW's part.  Likewise, without a doubt costs of materials have gone up quite a bit.  Nevertheless, what I find both interesting and worrying is that the anger toward Game Workshop prices seems to have hit a new crescendo.  Sure, it's always been there, especially since GW made price increases routine -- and dreaded -- events, but I don't think the level of vitriol has ever been as high as I see now (at least in my unscientific assessment).  If so it's not surprising -- the economy stinks, people are trying to get by on less, and yet GW is seemingly trying to price themselves out of existence (or so the rant goes).  When you see things like a group of five Blood Knights -- even if they do look fantastic -- costing $99 (yes, that's what I said) it certainly makes it easy to believe the worst about GW's intentions and (lack of) business acumen.

The truth is certainly more complicated than such easy black-and-white explanations, but it does show that whatever good will the miniatures community has toward GW may be experiencing a serious drop off.  I want to see both GW and miniatures gaming get better and better -- which is why I hope that the company will start to take steps to improve their standing with their core audience.  If nothing else I am getting tired of the instant anger and even rage I see whenever the topic GW and their prices comes up.

Using the New Grey Knights as Deathwing, Part One

Posted by Ranillon on 1. May 2011 22:48

The new Grey Knight codex has been out for a while now and is, in my humble opinion, pretty damn cool no matter how you look at it.  Certainly, for someone like me who already owns most of a terminator chapter the notion of getting even more termies with even more options and even more things that go boom is irresistible. 

Of course, the problem there is that I've been using my terminators primarily as a Deathwing force.  Before that wasn't a problem as I could include Grey Knights with any allied Imperial force (like, say, Dark Angels) thanks to the handy-dandy rules included in the old Daemonhunters codex.  Only, the new replacement has absolutely zero such rules in it.  Thus, it is now technically impossible (except in cases like Apocalypse when you can mix and match pretty much however you like) for your Deathwing to pair up with your Grey Knights to put the smack down on the nearest convenient anti-Imperial target.

So, rather than be consigned to paint up two different forces of terminators just to fit the two types of (mostly) all terminator forces the obvious solution is to see if you can't just use one paint scheme and flip between the two rules sets as necessary.

Not too long ago I would have said just stick to the Grey Knight rules and just "count as" Deathwing without a second thought, but thanks to the latest Dark Angels update the Deathwing finally, FINALLY!!!..

...gets access to all the nice upgraded goodies we've seen in available for Space Marines for a while (like 2 shot Cyclone Missile Launchers or Storm Shields with continuous 3+ saves).  Thus, using the "old" Dark Angels rules is now actually a viable choice (at least in terms of effectiveness -- you might have used the old rules anyway for the sake of nostaglia regardless).

Nevertheless, there are still numerous advantages to using the new Grey Knight rules as "count as" in place of the straightforward Deathwing rules, most notably because you get a wider range of still appropriate models, more powerful units, and lots of nifty abilities.

Speaking of Which...

There are a number of Grey Knight units that directly mimic what the Deathwing can take:  Terminators as troops and improved Terminators as Elites; dreadnoughts, venerable and normal; all three types of Land Raiders, and; a selection of HQ (generic and to a lesser extent characters) choices.  These can be used pretty much on a one-to-one basis although the Grey Knights tend to be more expensive, but likewise more capable.

Then there are a few other choices that are near duplicates of current Deathwing units, but which I think will fit in quite well:  Dreadknights and Stormraven Gunships.

Dreadknights are no brainers -- basically terminators on steroids (that is, terminators with better strength and toughness) with a nice selection of nasty ranged and close-combat weapons.  They can teleport down into battle (and even teleport once again if you pay the rather hefty 75 points for the ability) while having the punch to take on anything else on the battlefield.

Yet, the true gem is the ability to have Stormravens.  The primary reason is that they are just simply cool as Hell.  The secondary reason is that they are akin to flying Land Raiders, but with the ability to carry any type of infantry and a dreadnought at the same time as well.  Being a fast skimmer it allows you to turn a normally fairly slow Deathwing army into a speedy strike force -- and without losing any firepower thanks to all the guns the Stormraven can take.

Both of these two are natural additions -- at least in concept -- to a Deathwing while likewise giving you a couple of new "centerpieces" for your army.

More to come...

Doing Some Spring Upgrading...

Posted by Ranillon on 27. April 2011 22:20

Just a quick comment just in case any of you are wondering why the website looks different than before -- we've upgraded to the newest version of the blog software we use (Blogengine).  This is a major upgrade with a lot of added features.  Most are "behind the scenes" stuff that makes it easier for us to manage the website. 

However, it also gives us greater compabilities than before -- such as the ability to post polls like the one to the right.  Above all, it allows us to plan for bigger things in the future, not least of which is that Origins is now just two months away.  I can't wait!

Your Milage May Vary (Dedicated Transport Rant)

Posted by gbprime on 8. July 2010 11:09

In running this year's Origins events, we had a number of interesting rulings come up, as you might expect.  Most of them we ruled correctly on, a few we got wrong, and one in particular I WISH I had gotten wrong, but didn't.

I'm talking about dedicated transports.  The problem is, the main 40k rulebook just doesn't have much to say about them.  They're a squad option now, other units can use them but not start the game mounted up in them, and (thanks to the GW FAQ) we know they count as separate units for purposes of shooting.

But what about victory points or kill points?  Or unit cohesion?  Well apparently, they leave that up in the air.  The rulebook just doesn't address it.  Some of the newer army books do (the ones written since 5th Ed), but the older ones (and their online errata/FAQ's) do not.

So here's the problem, an actual case study from the Origins RTT...  Daemonhunters army, an Inquisitor and Retinue (150 points) picked a Land Raider (250 points) as their dedicated transport.  At the end of the game, the character and retinue died to a man, but the Land Raider was unharmed.  And the game was decided on Victory Points.

Now Codex Daemonhunters (print or online PDF), being a 4th Ed army book, does not say anything extra about dedicated transports, so we go to the 5th Ed Rulebook to figure this out.  The transport isn't listed as a separate unit, so it counts as an option purchased for the squad.  So the opponant who killed the inquisitor and retinue but not the Land Raider has inflicted 50% or more casualties on the squad, but has not wiped it out.  So according to page 300 of the rulebook, he gets 50% the total value of the squad, which is 200 points.  (Half of the character and retinue, and half of the undamaged land raider, because it is a purchased squad option.)

But any 5th Ed Army book will say in the description of the dedicated transport that it doesn't take up a force org slot BUT OTHERWISE COUNTS AS A SEPARATE UNIT.  So not only is unit cohesion crystal clear on that one (thanks guys!), but Victory Points are back to the classic way of doing it.  The 150 point squad with a 250 point dedicated land raider in the above scenario is worth 150 victory points.

But the real problem... is that we are counting victory points differently depending on which Codex the army is from.  Same body count, Codex Daemonhunters gives up 200 VP while Codex Space Marines gives up 150 VP.  (Codex Tau Empire, for example, is in the same boat as Daemonhunters, so don't assume it's just the PDF-only army books that are subject to this.)

The solution... would be for GW to insert one sentence on page 67 of the rulebook, either in an errata or an FAQ, the same sentence they're putting in every new army book.  "These vehicle choices do not use up any force org selections but otherwise count as separate units."

And if GW hasn't done this by next year's Origins RTT, expect a house rule to that effect.  Victory points should never be calculated differently depending on the army being used.  That way madness lies.