3 Ways to troll people with your new Dark Eldar (i.e. how to lose friends)

THE INTERNET HAS SPOKEN and the collective neckbeard wisdom is that the new DE codex has been *nerfed*.  This is wildly inaccurate as there are many subtle builds that can be made from the new book.  However for those of you who seek a more a more immediate WAAC approach read on....

1. Take Multiple detachments / formations from the Coven book for maximum LD shenanigans.

From pg 50: "Freakish spectacle: Enemy units within 12" of one or more units from this detachment suffer a -1 penalty to their LD value" 

[Games Workshop Design Studio, Haemonculus Covens, (GW: Nottingham, 2014)]

The keen eyed among you will note that this stipulates the specific detachment.  It stands to say then that if you have two Covenite detachments in your force, both will place the LD penalty on an opponent separately.  Even better, the formations also have this rule (referring you to pg 50 quoted above).  Combine with deepstriking misery armour and tank shocking venoms for maximum troll value.

NB if you want to double down on the fear, throw in some 'terrify' from the Eldar Codex.

2. Adopt a hard 'RAW' approach to Soul Fright.

Main codex pg 105: "At the end of the Shooting phase...unit...must make a Leadership test...Wounds cannot be allocated to models with the Fearless or ATSKNF special rules (any excess Wounds are lost)" 

[Games Workshop Design Studio, Codex: Dark Eldar, (GW: Nottingham, 2014)]

The important bit here is that only models with the fearless /ATSKNF special rule are unaffected. There are a few repercussions here.  

•  Models with the 'Zealot' USR can be affected by the test.  The counter argument to this is that their unit automatically passes the 'Leadership' test imposed by Soul Fright.  To counter this, point out to your opponent that what it's asking them to do is take a 'Characteristic test' based on their Leadership.  Zealot means you automatically pass Morale tests; if GW wanted you to take a Morale test they would have specified.  Instead they used the capitalised form of Leadership, which has a specific game meaning.

• If you follow the above, you'll also now see in a big unit with one Fearless model, only the individual model with the Fearless USR is immune.  The whole unit may automatically pass Morale, Pinning checks etc., but Fearless does not confer the USR itself to the rest of the unit.  Again, this is not a Morale test (which they automatically pass) but a Leadership characteristic test.  Hence a big blob of Guardsmen are vulnerable (even if they have a Zealot-priest). 

• This also means that Daemons are vulnerable to Soul Fright, as are any units (i.e. Orks over 10 men) that "automatically pass Morale tests".  To state it one more time: Soul Fright doesn't ask for a morale test, it asks for a characteristic test based on "Leadership".  Say it enough times and you might start believing it yourself.

Here are the key passages from the BRB:

Morale Tests

"Morale represents the grit, determination, or (sometimes) plain stupidity of warriors in action. Morale checks are a specific kind of Leadership test."

Fearless

"Units containing one or more models with the Fearless special rule automatically pass Pinning, Fear, Regroup tests and Morale checks, but cannot Go to Ground and cannot choose to fail a Morale check due to the Our Weapons Are Useless rule. If a unit has Gone to Ground and then gains the Fearless special rule, all the effects of Go to Ground are immediately cancelled."

Zealot

"A unit containing one or more models with the Zealot special rule automatically passes Pinning, Fear and Regroup tests and Morale checks, but cannot Go to Ground and cannot choose to fail a Morale check due to the Our Weapons Are Useless rule. If a unit gains the Zealot special rule when it has Gone to Ground, all the effects of Go to Ground are immediately cancelled."

[Games Workshop Design Team, Warhammer 40K: The Rules (Digital Edition), (GW: Nottingham, 2014)]

One point it is worth noting here is that the Fearless special rule does talk about the 'unit' gaining fearless in the second highlighted section...

3. Use your Deepstriking Skimmers like Evil Drop Pods without fear!

This relies on a passage in the Skimmer rules of the BRB:
Moving Skimmers

"Skimmers can move over friendly and enemy models, but they cannot end their move on top of either.

Skimmers can move over all terrain, ignoring all penalties for difficult terrain and Dangerous Terrain tests . However, if a moving Skimmer starts or ends its move in difficult or dangerous terrain, it must take a Dangerous Terrain test. A Skimmer can even end its move over impassable terrain if it is possible to actually place the model on top of it, but if it does so it must take a Dangerous Terrain test.

If a Skimmer is forced to end its move over friendly or enemy models, move the Skimmer the minimum distance so that no models are left underneath it."

This combined with the fact that 1: Deep Striking units count as having moved in the shooting phase, and 2: when else would a skimmer be forced to end its move over friendly or enemy models? means that you can argue any DS skimmer which hits an enemy unit while scattering, does a Drop Pod and stops just short.

A WORD OF CAUTION

I do not recommend you use any of the above in games with friends/ever.  Doing so may make you a massive twat.

I will add more troll tactics to this page as they occur to me / the internet.

Enjoy!

How to teach people board games / wargames

As a keen board gamer / wargamer this is something close to my heart.  Not only that, but I am soon to start working in the UK's first board games cafe / shop.  In light of this, I recently had a conversation with a friend who expressed the sentiment that 40k is simply too complex to teach to new players.  In answer to this I present the excellent guide below (farmed from Monopolatte on reddit):

My university has a very detailed exam rulebook...

"Hey, folks. I work as a games teacher at a board game café, and I thought I would stop by to cover some basic rules I try to follow when introducing players to a new game.

DO

• Lead with the objective. As soon as you've set the tone with the game's theme, players should know what they're shooting for. When players know what their goals are, everything else falls into place. This will require some discretion: some games are straightforward enough that you can describe the whole goal in one sentence. Others aren't. If a game has a lot of stratified sources of points (ex. Terra Mystica), show some of the most important, and what the iconography for VP look like in the game. If the sources of points are impossible to describe without first detailing the mechanic (ex. Tigris & Euphrates), a quick explanation of the scoring will suffice (ex. "you win if you have the most points-- these coloured cubes-- at the end. Your final score will be equal to your weakest colour of points"). You can always be more specific later, but it's important to start with a focal point.
• Talk about their possible actions early in the game. Actions- or moves, or whatever the game calls them- are the main thing a player will actually be doing. The earlier you can describe their moves, the better. If you're teaching Pandemic, going through the action card together is one of the best ways to introduce a new player. If you're teaching a game with complex actions which take a while to resolve, mention all available actions before talking about the specific protocols for each.
• Describe the phases of a round in the order they happen. If an upkeep phase happens at the beginning of the turn, mention that, even if the actual demonstration can wait until you play it. People are good at grasping things that are presented in a linear way-- first this happens, then this happens, then this happens.
• Delegate simple set-up tasks to the players. If the cards need to be shuffled, get the players to shuffle them while you talk. If each player needs five bronze cubes, let them take these cubes themselves while you explain what they are. It's important to be engaged, and especially if you're not a very charismatic person, having something to work on is a quick draw-in for your gaming table. It speeds up the set-up, too.
• Engage with the game board. If the players have to go to the tavern, point to the tavern. If the players are collecting gold coins, hold up a gold coin. Board games are tactile, visual experiences, and you have to teach them in a way that accommodates that.
• Answer questions-- or at least validate them. Players asking questions is good, because it means they're paying attention. If they ask you something you can naturally segue into, or that would be quick to describe, answer them right away. If it's too big a question to address until you cover some other things, validate their line of thought: "That's a great question! Yes, it happens sometimes in combat. I'm going to talk about that part of the game in a couple of minutes, so hold on and I'll get back to it. Anyway, the third thing you can do..."
• Your homework. Understand a game fully before you take it to the table. Practice in the mirror if you have to. You want to make this as painless as possible, because if you're not better than the rulebook, there's no point in the players listening to you. Consider checking online video tutorials if you need help figuring out how to present the game-- whether you end up mirroring them, or avoiding mistakes they make.

DON'T

• Talk about exceptions before you're done explaining the rule. This is really distracting, and makes the whole process more complicated. If there's a role/race-specific power that changes the rule, don't even mention it until the end. Player-specific exceptions should always wait until the rest of the game is clear.
• Ignore the theme. You can have the best explanation in the world, but if the game seems boring? Why bother. Unless you're playing a theme-centric game like Betrayal: House on the Hill, theme doesn't usually take much effort to establish-- but it has to be addressed, because it's the spice rub on the meat of the game. Sometimes it helps objectives make sense, too: inLast Will, I can't imagine the disengagement of knowing that you have to be the first to spend all your money without knowing the thematic explanation why.
• Multi-task. If you want players' full attention, you should be giving them yours. It's hard enough to quarantine cell phones; you should have the television off and look as engaged and interested as you want your players to be.
• Forget the big picture. When you're talking about actions, you should be drawing parallels back to the objectives of the game. Not every What needs to come with a Why, but it helps when you can work it in.
• Cover every possible strategy. Not every eventuality has to be accounted for. There are a lot of games that offer many paths to victory, and you should do what you can to chip away at their beginner's handicap. It's helpful, for example, being reminded that in King of Tokyo, it can be dangerous to attack the monster in Tokyo if your health is low. It's less helpful hearing every possible problem you'll face in Arkham Horror, and the best strategies to escape for each role. You want the player to have enough information to be competitive, but not so much that they're overwhelmed with distracting information.
• Get frustrated with slower players. Not everyone is on their 32nd playthrough of Dominant Species. Playing a board game together means describing the game at the speed of the lowest common denominator. If your "modern Euro worker placement classic" is too much for a newbie, maybe you should have lead them through a couple gateway games first. We all started somewhere!

That's all the general tips I have. Remember: every game is different, and every time you teach a game, you get a little better. I'm going to use this last line to shamelessly plug our café, which I work at as a server. If you're in the Ottawa region, feel free to ask for Kurt. :) Happy gaming.

Tl;dr: Okay, so you can talk about things. Like. You can talk about action points. Oh. The game is- the game is about- it's set in the present, and you're teaching games. You have to talk about games, so you can talk about action points sometimes. Except the cleric, who can't because it's a weekday but you guys aren't playing the cleric.

(This post is an x-post from /r/HelpMeExplainRules, which could use some more love!)"

(Taken from http://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/2csl51/how_to_explain_games_a_guide_from_a_professional/)

How to get the most out of your Grotesques [Updated]

So I've played three  games with the new codex and supplement so far. I have won two and drawn in another. The game I drew I was facing a tournament list with a decidedly noncompetitive build so early signs are good.

Grotesques and how to use them

Grotesques ate fantastic. Aim them at anything toughness 4 or Multi-wound with toughness 6+ to get the best from them. This will either mean they are wounding on 3s with rerolls or they have a chance for their instant death buff / fixed poison wounding comes into its own.

I have been running four in a Raider with a Succubus and vanilla Haemonculus. On the charge against a tactical squad they get 5 attacks plus d3 for rampage each. Add liquifiers to taste.

This throws out roughly 26 attacks at BS4, wounding on 3s with a reroll. If you're taking them out of the codex, furious charge means you're rerolling to wound on a 2+ against Marines. 

The Succubus gives you some nice ap2 high iniative attacks to compliment the bludgeoning grotesques; I have been using this to snipe any models that might be problematic (instant death weapons etc) with her pile-in step. The unit gives her an average toughness of 5 which is phenomenal. 

Acothyst or not?

Taking a scissorhand on the Acothyst (if you want one) is a decent route.  Against a lot of enemies he will be rerolling to wound, giving him more chance for rends.  This is especially true if you are taking grotesques from the main codex (and thus have the chance for a furious charge).  An agoniser is very good as well (rerolling to wound at AP3 against Marines), but 70pts for a squad leader is a little hefty. 

I've found an Acothyst valuable for protecting the Succubus from anything which might instagib her in a challenge, but he is not necessary for the success of the squad.

An HQ Tax?

The downside of Grotesques is that to get the most out of them you should really take them on the PfP table from the coven book as otherwise their first two turns of PfP grant them nothing. This does mean you lose the s6 charge, but for fearless and zealot it's a good trade. 

The only issue with this is it imposes an HQ tax on you: the standard Cohen detachment requiring 2 HQ and 2 Elites. A better option is probably go for the 'Grotesquerie' formation (which also gives them some nice boons) but this does require you to take two squads of them. Minimum points cost for this formation would be 275pts for vanilla everything. 

Potential Loadouts

The best route would probably be to take the 'Grotesquerie' formation outlined above.  Here is a potential loud out and tactica for their use:

•  4 Grotesques in one squad riding with a Succubus in misery armour and wielding an archite glaive
•  3 with Haemonculus totinng liquifier in the other (give these Grotesques liquifiers if you have the points to).

 Zoom the Succubus squad up the board in a Raider causing a nuisance (perhaps using advanced aethersails), aiming for a turn 2 charge backed up by deep striking units.  The liquifier unit can either deepstrike behind enemy lines with a WWP (providing the anvil to the Succubus' hammer) or zoom up the board with the Haemonculus. 

Doubling down on the fear

Once your Raiders have unloaded their contents, be sure to use them to tank shock units in the back field.  Once empty they will likely stop being a target priority, so be sure to use them to good effect.  If the Raiders have been bought from the Coven supplement they will cause -1 LD.  Combine this with the Misery Armour to scare deep lying devastator squads etc. off the board (requires grisly trophies / shock prows).

Complimentary Units

If you are big on coven units, a Webway Portal deep striking 'Dark Artisan' detachment will give your Grotesques some valuable buffs on their FnP (if you take the Spirit Syphon).  Deepstrike them in next to your grots; liquifier and spirit syphon the enemy before a charge with the grotesques.  There isn't a huge amount in the game that can withstand this and the talos provides you with valuable vehicle popping abilities (take a scissorhand on the Haemonculus so he can help out).  This will also help to spread the fear a little wider for your tank shocking Raiders (using their -1 LD bubble).

Grotesque / Wraithguard Conversion [update]

I have been busy at work since the new Dark Eldar codex release working on some new horrors to inflict upon my opponents.  Here's an update on how my Grotesque / Wraithguard conversions are going.

Quad Machine from the Quake 2 Soundtrack provides a perfect accompaniment to painting Grotesques. 

  

I now have 5 fully assembled, one fully painted and two who are a WIP

The best thing about this photo is the Wicket W Warrick mug in the background...

I have been using some of the tips from the Raiders of Commorragh painting guide that came with my new Archon edition.  The book is well worth the investment if you're interested in the painting side of things and contains some ideas for special characters. 

An Abberation with an agoniser is now a pretty gruesome concept (rerolling to wound at AP3 against most marines). I have also been toying with the idea of fielding a Grotesquerie formation from the Covens supplement. This throws a few nice buffs their way.

Add in a Chronos and you have 4+ FNP Grots who reroll all 1s when making their FNP throws.  If you wanted to be even more disgusting you could throw in a Spiritseer and roll on Runes of Battle. Worse case scenario you get some shrouded Grots; best case perhaps +1 S? This would make them fearsome vehicle smashers.

How are you planning to use Grotesques in the new edition?

If anyone wants details on how to make / paint up these models, drop me a private message. 

VECT LIVES!

Stark

Coven Supplement Formations

[EDIT] I have now placed information on the new Coven formations below.  See comments for questions.  Any queries pop them in the comments. [/EDIT]

Like Ronseal... exactly what is says on the tin.

Post any questions in the comments below and I will get back to you asap.

However I am unable to answer the most obvious question (i.e. why did I spend £150 of my hard earned cash on 3 books...)

Stark

Does Urien get any special detachments?

Coven Coterie Detachment 

Urien

 Haemi

Raider (DT)

Venon (DT)

Wracks

Grots

Talos

Cronos

from the above select a min of 2HQ and 2 Elites

Lets you reroll warlord traits

Enemy units within 12" suffer -1 LD

Below are formations

Grotesquerie

Urien/Haemi

2x Grots

After warlord traits roll on the following table  All units of Grots gain the corresponding result:

1 +1 Strength
2 +1 T
3 Fleet
4 Shred
5 Rage
6 FnP 4+

Scarlet Epicureans
Haemi
Cronos
2x Wracks

All Wracks have precision strike (if within 12" of Haemi)
PfP is one turn higher.  Cumulative with other boosts.

Haemi automatically has master Epicurean warlord trait: (if WL is slain by a AP2/1 weapon gain D3 victory points)

Scalpel Squadron
2x Wracks
2x Venoms

If unit from formation gets first blood - D3 VP
All wracks start on venoms and begin in reserve.  They must DS in turn 1 by Deepstrike.

Corpsethief Claw
1x Talos unit (of 5 models)

Every time a unit from this formation destroys an enemy non-vehicle unit in CC gain 1 VP.  In missions where players earn VP for completely destroying enemy units controlling pkayer gains 1 additional VP every time the above conditions are met.

Talos also gain Scout.

Dark Artisan
1 Haemi
1 Talos
1 Cronos

All units must be fielded as a single unit (although this is not usually allowed).  Models with the IC rule cannot join this unit.

Formation's Talos / Cronos add 1 to their WS

If Haemi is your warlord, his trait is all talos / cronos with 12" reroll FnP rolls of 1.

This is ASKING to have a WWP thrown in...

Coventine Fleshcorp

1 Haemi
3x Wracks
3x Raiders

Master of pain rule (+1 to PfP) affects all units in formation, not just those within 12"

Warlord + wracks he is in unit with have FnP 4+

Carnival of Pain
1x of all the above

As long as Urient / Haemon from Grot formation is alive, PfP +1 turn for all units.
All non-vehicle models reroll to wound rolls of 1 in combat.

Haemonculus Covens Cover Leaked

Some dastardly capitalist hoping to make a quick buck from a desperate 13 year old with his parents PayPal details has listed the Covens supplement on eBay before it is released commercially.

 Dr. Dr. I feel like a pair of Curtains!

Come the revolution obviously this capitalist pig will be the first to be liquidised.  In the meantime, we can all have a gander at the new cover.

Enjoy.

If you enjoyed this why not discover why AP3 Huskblades are nothing to worry about?

Coven Supplement Rumours

Starting to hear some whispers about the new Coven Supplement. The below is taken from thedarkcity.net and should be seen only as a rumour at present.

I will be providing a full update to this on Saturday morning when I pick up my copy of the Supplement.

"From a 100% reliable source wishing to remain anonymous (confirmed by pics):
COVEN Supplement

Power from pain - by turn number.
1 – nothing
2 – Fearless
3 – Fear, Fearless
4 – Fear, Fearless, it will not die
5 – Fear, It will not die, zealot
6+ - Eternal Warrior, fear, it will not die, zealot

This is a straight copy from the book - yes some of the powers are omitted on purpose as they are not listed in the chart every turn

Warlord chart 1 – talos & chronos reroll FNP rolls of 1 within 12”of warlord
2 – warlord plus any grotesques he joins gain it will not die
3 – add or subtract 1 from reserve rolls
4 – If your warlord is slain by an attack/weapon with AP 1 or 2 or with the ID rule, gain D3 VP
5 – Warlord plus wracks he joins gain FNP4+
6 – Warlord gains preferred enemy

Artifacts 10pts – pick one of the following at the start of your turn which lasts until your next turn – IWND, fleet, poisoned 4+, rampage (used each turn)
10pts – fighting in a challenge – opponent suffers -5 to initiative
25pts – 8”range, S1, AP2, assault 1, blast, instant death, no effect on vehicles (used as a grenade in shooting phase)
10pts – Additional D6 attacks at S3, AP- at initiative 10, grant an additional pile in move at this step, no bonus applicable for furious charge, rending etc
20pts – IWND 4+, only wounded by poisons special rule on 6
35pts - +1 to FNP rolls, negate first wound suffered if it has the ID rule but when this happens, the item is lost

Coven Detachment Required – 2HQ, 2 Elite
Optional – 4HQ, 6 Elite, 4 Heavy Support
Units that are available in the detachment – Urien, Haemonculus, Raider (DT only), Venom (DT only), Wracks, grotesques, talos, chronos

Benefits – if this is the primary detachment you can reroll warlord chart from this book. All enemy units within 12”of 1 or more models from this detachment suffer -1LD

7(!!!) formations as well!"

If the above is true I will certainly be taking a primary Coven and combining it with another Combined Arms detachment to benefit from the Archon's leadership penalties too.  Getting enemy units down to low LD levels and then pinning them may even make a Wych charge viable.

If you enjoyed this, why not find out why AP3 Huskblades are nothing to be concerned about? 

http://shitedwarf.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/im-ok-youre-ok-ap-3-huskblades-are-ok.html

I'm OK; you're OK. AP 3 Huskblades are OK.

A simple bit of guidance that has served me well on many a battlefield: poncy Dark Eldar Lords  should avoid thick jawed, heavy armoured, low intellect instagib specialists.

This will not end well...

Dark Eldar are an army of piratical raiders.  Using them well involves striking where the enemy is weak and applying your full force against part of theirs.  That's the fluff and that's what we do best.

The above is why I am mystified by constant complaints about Huskblades going to AP3... If you were charging your Archon headlong into squads of Terminators on turn 2 then you have chosen the wrong army. In the fluff, an Archon arrives in their position as much out of political astuteness as their abilities in combat.  In the crunch this is well represented through their t3 & 5+ armour save.  

We have all had Lelith Hesperax slice through a Combat Squad only to receive an autocannon in the face.  It is all part and parcel of being Dark Eldar.

If you just want to froth at the mouth while running various beatstick HQs blindly in the direction of the nearest enemy, try the Early Learning Centre option of Space Marines (or use Drazhar).

For the Emporer!

When you could rely on Fortune from an Allied Farseer (i.e. pre 2013) dancing with Terminators was maybe possible (although very cheesy).  This is no longer the meta .  Randomisation is the new black; this means relying on things that you know you can do well with drugs/psychic powers etc. as an extra boost (unless they are Primaris).  

An AP3 Huskblade is not something I will use in all likelihood. For my money the newly poisoned Agoniser is probably better (depending on points cost).  But both will serve admirably in dicing Tac Marines / Fire Warriors / Guardsmen (the sorts of things you should throw an Archon at). 

 Let the opponent deep strike his Terminators and then run away from them.  While they're slogging 6" a turn across the board, zoom away with glee and pick them off with Splinter / Dissies / Ossefactors or well placed insults.  Maybe let your Archon swoop in to clean up the last couple and claim the glory once he's mulched a few captains to feed his Soul Trap.  But only maybe.  And probably only as a last resort.

"And I was like OMG die you Imperial Terminator Scum!"

"And then he was like s8 Powerfist Bitch"

"And then I was like... wtf even is that gtfo.  I need a regen booth :("

There are loads of reasons to be optimistic about the new book. So don't let lobotomised neck-beards and thirteen year olds get you down.  I have played through 2.5 codexes and 2 decades of Dark Eldar.  I am more optimistic about this release than any other before it.

I will be posting tactical advice here over the next few days to help ease your transition into the new codex.  Check back and keep your head up fellow Dark Kin.

Grotesque / Wraithguard Conversion

In anticipation for the new Archon/Succubus models being released I began work today on an escort for them to drop down with the WWP.  I wanted to keep my options open, so I've gone for a Grotesque/Wraithguard unit.

Deepstriking D-Scythes would be lovely, however, I would like the flexibility to use them as Grots as well (especially given the rumours I am seeing about them).  

The head comes from the Talos/Cronos kit, as does his arm and the probes sticking out from his neck. 

I took the end of a Shardcarbine and fitted it on to the D-Cannon he came with to make it look like a more natural one-handed weapon.  

The back of his head I filled in with liquid green stuff and the magazines surrounding his gun come from the Talos' chain flails.  I may well sand them down a bit and paint them up as liquid containers. 

The model has a great powerful / ancient feel to it which should complement the scrawny DE Lord very well (and give him an average toughness of 5/6 depending on how I run them).  Throw in a spiritseer with protect and boom! T6 S5 Terminators with AP2 flamers dropping with precision into enemy lines...

How should I paint these up? Any criticism / comments are welcome!

Stark

News from the Codex: [Confirmed]

News!

So, a bright young chap on the Dark City has his copy of the book and has answered a few questions users had.  The original thread can be found here.  The ever zealous moderators have confirmed with photos that he has the sacred text itself...

AP3 HUSKBLADE YOU SAY?!? ENGAGE NECKBEARD RAGE

Here is a summary of his findings:  (I have put big buffs in bold)

• Cronos & Talos are 1-3 in a unit (but can't mix)
• Kabalites are now 8pts.  PGL gives soulblight.  This means they have no way to get defensive grades.  Weapons etc. remain the same
• Razorwwing is 130 points and can only take nightshields.  It is a fast attack choice & Dark Lances cost 5 more than Dissies.  No vector dancer.
• Agoniser is AP 3 poison (+4) - This is a HUGE buff!
• Arena champions may only take power swords / agonisers as power weapons.
• Wyches have 1 attack base.
• Klaivex powers are gone.
• Ravagers still AV11, but no Aerial Assault
• Haemonculus Ancient is in (ie replaces old Haemonculus).
• 1 formation in the book (grants  6+ cover on first turn/any night fight turn to all units and 5+ to troops).
• Lhamean loses her ability to give poison to Archon.

• Grotesques have the same stats but, no longer blow up, have Flesh Gauntlets + CCW and Rampage. Flesh Gauntlets are: S user, AP-, ID on a 6 and poison 4+
• Scourges can take 4 heavy weapons in a squad of 5; the cost for 4 with HWB is 120 pts.
• Other squads may not enter the WWP once used.  It grants a non-scatter DS to the HQ + unit + transport he is with.
• WWP is 35 points Archon/Succubus/Haemon can have it.

• Transport capacities are the same.
• No HQ can take a board or bike.
• Trueborn are still in & can take the same weapon combos from the last dex
• Mandrakes have stealth, shrouded + baleblast from the start.  Baleblast is assault 2 St 4 Ap 4 Soulblaze
• Wyches have no haywire (other than Succubus) & dodge only in the fight subphase.
• Incubi can't get grenades..
• Clone Field is a 4+ Invun 40pts (Archon only)
• Venoms can take double Spl Cannon, but can only have Grisly Trophies and Chain Snares
• Only the Hekatrix, Succubus and Archon have access to HWG.
• Harlequins are not in the book (other than fluff).

Some additional RUMOURS (not confirmed):

• Urien is only 140 points.
• Each Grot can take a liquifier

Dark Eldar Codex Leaks: Images [Updated]

I am starting to find a trickle of images coming through...  Below are two that have been circulating on a Spanish blog.

The original post can be found here.

There are a few changes here: I have put these in bold below.

Archon:  no change
Drahzar: no change
Haemonculus: WS 5 BS 5 W 3 I 5 A 3 LD 9
Lelith: A 5
Medusae: Sv 3+ (?)
Urien: I 5 W 5 A 4 (?)

The obvious winners here are the Coven units with Urien going up to an impressive 5 wounds and the Haemonculi taking on the statline of the Haemonculus Ancient of old.  I'd imagine this will come with a corresponding points increase.

The second picture is a little too blurry my eyes to make anything out; if you spot something pop it in the comments and I'll add your observation to the blog!

Here is a translation of the Spanish post:

An anonymous reader who wants to remain anonymous has contacted me to give me some breaking news. I think it's quite clear:

"Hi! I have the codex here and I can tell you that asdrubal isn't in it..."

He's also sent me this image. It looks like this reader clears up any doubts. Asdruval Vect isn't in the new Dark Eldar codex and consequently there are only three special characters left: Drazhar, Lelith and Urien. All of the rest are out as they don't have miniatures and Vect, even though he's had a miniature up until now, isn't in it anymore. They've withdrawn the old one and they haven't brought out a new one. What's more, the Dark Eldar don't have a Lord of War. They're the first of the new codex not to have them. The photos have been taken on a phone but they're clear.

I'm afraid he doesn't show up anywhere. It's confirmed then. He also adds this: "Now only the leader of the witches can use disruption grenades" "motorbikes don't do passive (?) damage in turbo" "despite this, a lot of things have had their points reduced. A unit of 5 azotes (possibly undead?) with 4 burning lances costs 120 points"

120 points for a deepstriking squad with 4 heatlances does sound an interesting prospect...

Check back on Fri/Sat when I will be going through my new Archon Edition and Haemonculus Supplement!

A new name

After some deliberation I have changed the name of this blog.  I am sure the literal tens of loyal fans I have will appreciate my reasons for doing so: basically some other berk had a similarly named blog to me.

Shite Dwarf is the future.  The concept can be easily summarised by the below two diagrams.

Exhibit 1: Dwarf

Exhibit 2: Shite

7 steps to win with Corsairs in 7th Ed.

I have always loved the idea of Corsairs.  As I often run Dark Eldar & Eldar together their piratical streak seems to encapsulate perfectly the vicious opportunism of different Xenos factions coming together for personal gain.  This fits perfectly with the approach of the Somalian Space Pirates my DE/E strike force.

The corsair rules are a little old now (IA 11) but they translate wonderfully to a 7th edition environment.  Below are some thoughts on a basic battle plan with them; see my next post for a battle report from where I tried the list out.  Any thoughts or criticism are welcome.

Corsairs: Eldar weaponry - Dark Eldar fashion sense.

Preamble

The following assumes you are familiar with the Corsair rules

So a few things struck me about 7th edition.  The first was the improved jink save, the second was the removal of the reserves limit and the third was the improvements to deep strike.

With this in mind I want to build an army around a Corsair Prince's ability to force night fighting for a turn, with an autarch and the Duke for reserves and deep strike manipulation.

Battle Plan

Here's the battleplan in 7 easy steps.

1.  Start with min units on the board (preferably hidden) enough to make sure I'm not tabled (include the Corsair Prince.

2.  Turn two, deep strike EVERYTHING possible into the enemy ranks. This is done via duke S's rule and also the 3x deep strike the Prince confers.

"Holy shit Sarge, that's no Scourge!"

3.  Possible units to do this with: Kabalites in Raiders with SR, Corsair Guardians with 2x SC and 2x Melta, Scourges with Heatlances (+ ablatives), Talos (benefiting from the Prince's ability?), and then some meaty assault units on raiders - 9x wyches plus Autarch (or something similar)

4.  Hopefully get a DE flier or two on - if current rumours are true, the Void Raven might be quite tasty for this.

5.  Shooting phase the Kabbies let rip into anything soft, Corsairs/Scourges blast vehicles and Corsair Prince brings down nightfight.  This grants the Raiders all a nice 3+ jink for the turn 

(NB if the rumours to the change to night-shields are true, this may be skippable).

Alternate take: use the s9 AP 2 pie plate the Prince can drop to soften up some charge targets for next turn / cream some terminators / pop a parking lot.

Surprise!

6.  The fliers who have arrived missile spam (with the pinning missiles) into as many units as possible.  This combined with torture launchers (can't recall their name) on the Raiders should hopefully leave at least some units pinned ready for a charge next turn - no overwatch.  

Again if the rumours about the new DE armour which grants fear to all enemies within 6" and -2 Leadership is true this would be a great combo.  Use a WWP to DS an Archon behind enemy lines (farewell Duke) & within 6" of as many units as possible.  Shooting the animus vitae to try and get the Wyches all 5+ FnP for a turn 3 onslaught might also be wise.  If you really wanted to start messing with the opponent, throw in some of the terrify available in the Eldar codex. 

7.  Opponent faces target saturation in his own lines.  Do you shoot the Kabbies in Raiders or the assault units who will be charging next turn?  Hopefully some of his units are snap firing due to GtG and any nasty vehicles have been haywire/fusion gunned to death (a Corsair squad puts out 2 melta and 6 s6 shots... YMMV)

This seems relatively fluffy (I love the idea of the lights going down just as DE launch their strike) and would bother most armies. 

Your main danger is the risk of tabling on turn 1.  Hide the Corsair Prince well and maybe sprinkle some wracks in cover?

See my next post for a battle report using this strategy