But onto the real reason you are here. Heresy! Plastic MkIV marines, Cataphracts and Contempotors, Oh My! How long have we been wishlisting for this?
Really freakin' long, that's how long!
But it's here, and the new kits are exquisite! The marines are brilliantly designed, and fit enough cool extras and special weapons (not to mention the revamped missile launcher and drum-fed heavy bolter!) to gear up squads however you please! The Contemptor, while being practically mono-pose without some clever converting, is no less a brilliant kit, and comes with the option of a Multi-Melta...
...which is perfect for my Salamanders, or a Kheres Assault Cannon, which, if you can beg, borrow or steal one from another hobbyist, makes Mortis Pattern Dreads an incredibly simple (and brutally effective) conversion!
That's not mentioning the brilliant characters or the option-laden sprues of the Cataphractii Terminators!
So, here's what we are going to do, you and I! Each post, I am going to tackle a different Force Organisation Slot and review what options are available, what's good, bad, and downright useless (although, to be fair, pretty much everything has its uses). Legions along with their Rites of War, characters and unique units will get their own post as I work through them! It's gonna be a long road, but a fun one!
So, let's tackle HQ first.
Legion Praetor:
This guy is your biggest, baddest character, with huge stats, access to a variety of Rites of War, and so many options for wargear, that his damage output can be tailored to deal with any threat. Unless you're taking a Primarch or special character as your warlord, this fine fellow should be your go-to-guy!
Legion Centurion:
Centurions are your building blocks for ALL of your secondary characters, able to purchase upgrades to fulfil different roles spending on your needs. Legion centurions have almost as many upgrade options in regards to wargear, not to mention some 'Consul' upgrades come equiped with wargear built into their costs.
The first upgrade is Chaplain. For 35 points, you get a Crozius Arcanum and the Zealot USR, which is a big deal in 30k, because these armies aren't rocking ATSKNF. This makes leadership really important, especially if you find yourself in a bad situation. These guys are good frontline combat characters.
The Master of Signals is the polar opposite, preferring a defensive, backfield role. The Master, being most at home in a gun line, comes with the tools to amplify that play style. His first force-multiplier is a Cognis-signum, giving one nearby unit +1BS, making their shooting phase more accurate and more effective. He also rocks a Nuncio-Vox, allowing him to be the eyes for friendly Barrage weapons. To top it off, he can call down D3 S8 Ap3 large blasts once a game to hammer a position from orbit. Top notch character, and worth every point in my mind, IF he is in the right list.
The Legion champion is pretty self-explanatory. He gets an extra Pip of weapon skill for being such a boss at sword-fighting, he can choose a weapon to be master-crafted, must always issue challenges and can re-roll Heroic Intervention. This guy is a little more specific in his role, seemingly being designed for going after other Consuls.
The Vigilator is a total bad ass, being basically a Batman-Consul. Scout, Sniper, Infiltrate, Move Through Cover and everything in between, this guy has the tools to play complete havoc if used well. But therein lies the tricky part; he is hard to use. His recon armour makes him much easier to kill than a power armoured Consul. He comes with a special-ammo bolt gun, which makes it undesirable to replace it with another, perhaps more useful, weapon you have to pay points for. The one great rule he has, though, is Sabotage, where this Ninja plants a demo charge on an enemy unit and blow it sky-high before the game even starts. This S6 bomb hits rear armour on vehicles, making them prime targets! Used correctly, this fellow can cause complete carnage and remain a thorn in any General's side.
Librarians are pretty straight forward. They can be raised to Mastery Level 3 and choose a single psychic discipline. Useful, but expensive. This choice, I think, will come down to fluff and background for me, and personally, I probably won't use one.
A Forge Lord comes with Artificier armour and a Servo Arm. He can purchase items from the Techmarine equipment, and comes with Battlesmith. Iron Hands, anyone?
The Primus Medicae is your Consul-level Apothocary, who can also deny VP's claimed by the enemy from nearby friendly Infantry. Not a terrible choice, but much more affordably accessed through Elites for less points and a very minor tweak in special rules.
The Siege Breaker is one brutal demolition man! He and his unit's heavy weapons gain Tank Hunter and Wrecker, he comes with a Nuncio-Vox as the Master of Signals does, and can take Phosphex bombs! To further impose his love of brutally inhumane weapons, he can stock any Medusa Siege Tanks with Phosphex shells! Taking this guy will determine where a large chunk of points is to be spent if you want to get your money's worth with this cold-hearted chap.
Last and certainly, CERTAINLY not least, comes the Moritat, a Chem-fuelled gunslinger capable of quick-firing his way out of any duel. This guy comes with Scout, Counter-attack and Rad grenades. He can only join Destroyer squads. And he rocks two pistols. This is where he gets silly. Upgrading either to two plasma pistols or two Volkite pistols, your Moritat can 'Chain-fire', basically blasting away until they miss (with BS5), or they kill whatever they were shooting at. This can be a clutch move, and well worth investing points into!
That's all for tonight. You'll notice the admission of Command Squads. Fear not, I have not forgotten them. They will be in the next post!
Thanks for reading,
Gabriel
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