Weekly Finds

Necron Tomb Stalker by Tyler M. from Mengel Miniatures - I've always been a fan of Tyler Mengel's miniatures. All the way back to his Sons of Dorn that featured in White Dwarf. This conversion is no different. I am particularly interested in the graphite appearance that he has achieved.

The Deaconess by Lasgun Packer from Pinterest - This is such an awesome conversion. There aren't enough female miniatures in our small hobby. And nearly all of those that we do have are out of proportion which makes some sense in a future that has gene-enhanced soldiers and servants. Can find more Inquisimunda styled conversion over on Pinterest.

Night Goblin Boss on Arabyan Carpet by Xoxtile from Tale of Painters - Cute isn't the sort of word used in game clubs across the word. Especially, not for the vile Night Goblins. But when I imagine a flying carpet I picture the one from Aladdin.

Simple Undead Paint Scheme by Rob from Games Workshop: Belfast - Such as simple, yet effective colour scheme for an undead army.

Weekly Finds

Less than a week to go till Christmas is upon us. What sort of things do my Imaginary Friends have planned for the festive season?

Necron Cryptek Conversion by Garfy from Tale of Painter - A creative conversion that shows how easy it is to throw in some flavour to Necron Characters. I particularly like the way he went about showing us what parts he used to bring his creation to life. I suspect this miniature will find its way to the White Dwarf teams inbox along with his Goblin Wolf Rider Standard Bearer. Both represent true kit-bashes as opposed to the head swaps we regularly see in White Dwarf.

Horus Heresy Death Guard Killzone Team by Dave Taylor from Dave Taylor Miniatures - The Horus Heresy bug has clearly spread across the interwebz from forums to blogs. It is interesting that several years ago collecting a Forge World army was a daunting task to anybody that didn't want to be divorced. They were viewed as expensive luxuries that only the rich or socially withdrawn could afford. Now, that seems to be changing... unlike Death Korps of Krieg, they aren't strictly an all resin army. Dave Taylor's growing collection illustrates this nicely with a blend of resin and plastic components spread throughout the army.

How to Paint the Hobbit Miniatures Series by Garfy from Tale of Painters - I've included several of Garfy's The Hobbit tutorials in the past. He has collected links to all of them in one place. A must read for anybody that picked up the Goblin Town box set.

Craftworld Mymeara Painting Guide by GMort Nigel Bartlett from GMorts Chaotica - A guest's authors painting guide on one way to painting Craftworld Mymeara. The painting of the canopy window particuarly interested me. It seems like a great way for any painter that uses objective source lightening to add to the illusion.

Mismatch of Bolts and Bolters by coldfyre from Bolter & Chainsword - An indepth look into the inconsistencies between the Warhammer 40K background and the miniatures that we see on the table top. In this case the size of our much beloved bolter and the rounds of ammunition used within them. In the comment sections there was also a link to Phil Sibbering's website. I've not read through all of it. But it offers an interesting look into the Warhammer 40K Universe. For example, his illustration below helps challenge the misconception that Space Marine's shoulders aren't wide enough to fit inside Power Armour. 

White Dwarf 390 June 2012 - Aerial Assault

Inside this month's issue:

Stormtalon Gunship: An official update to Codex: Space Marines. 

Ork Bommer: An official update to Codex: Orks. 

The Battle for Cardrim: Robin Cruddace presents the background to the White Scars' invasion of the war-torn world of Cardrim. 

Ultramarines Stormtalon Gunship: Chad Mierzwa, veteran painter of the Studio's Hobby Team, shows us how to paint the new Stormtalon Gunship in the colours of the Ultramarines Chapter. 

Battle Mission: Scramble: Can you defend the airfield long enough to launch all aircraft? 

Army Project: White Scars vs Evil Sunz: This month Duncan Rhodes and Steve Bowerman show us how to paint to great armies: Space Marines and Orcs. 

Army Project: Orcs & Goblins: Duncan Rhodes revisits his Orcs & Goblins army, showing us how to paint the new Savage Orc Big Boss to add to it. 

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases and news, plus a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area.

White Dwarf 389 May 2012 - Necrons

Inside this month's issue:

Tomb Worlds Unleashed: We showcase the latest reinforcements for the Necrons, and Codex author Mat Ward offers some tactical tips and insights about how to use them on the battlefield. 

How To Paint Citadel Miniatures Part Two: In the second part of our comprehensive painting guide, the Hobby Team show us how to paint everything from Dark Eldar Kabalite armour to the rotting flesh of a Crypt Ghoul. 

Army Project: Necrons: Army painter Chris Peach returns to his Necron army, showing us how to paint models from the Nihilakh Dynasty. 

Colours of the Empire: Each of the Empire's provinces maintains its own standing army of state troops, all of whom proudly wear their state colours. In this article we show you how to paint them all! 

Uniforms & Heraldry of the Empire: Demigryph Knights: Neil Hodgson and Robin Cruddace present an extra chapter for the Uniforms & Heraldry of the Empire, exploring the various Knightly Orders that ride to battle atop fearsome Demigryphs. 

Tome of Battle: Night Of A Thousand Arcane Duels: Magical mayhem descends upon the Empire, complete with a new scenario, spells and artefacts for Storm of Magic. 

Death World's Scenery Showcase: To accompany the new Death Worlds Battle Missions in last month's White Dwarf, Chad Mierzwa made two great scenery sets. We take a closer look at the finished pieces. 

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases and news, plus a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area.

Weekly Finds #67

Building Backdrop by Jakob Rune Nielsen from miniaTEXTures - A WiP that has me thinking of relatively cheap ways to add lots of terrain to the table. Particularly terrain that blocks line of sight. This is something that tournament organisers and game store owners should take a look at. Especially, since most tables have maybe one or two piece of terrain that offer skimmers and flyers any form of cover.

White Dwarf 385 January 2012 - Vampire Counts

Inside this month's issue:

New Releases: The latest releases from the citadel forges. Or should that be grave yards?

News: All the goings on in the hobby world. This is really just some advertising for Black Library, Codex Pictures and Fantasy Flight Games.

Born of Blood: The Vampire Counts muster their armies of the dead and march to wage war on the living. Simon Grant takes a look at some of these denizens of Sylvania including background, rules and army lists.

The Dark Arts: Simon Grant examines the dark magicks of the Necromancers that plague the lands of the living with shambling hordes of the Undead.

'Eavy Metal Showcase: The 'Eavy Metal team showcase some of the awesome Vampire Counts miniatures that they've painted. Lots of eye candy but little in terms of painting advice.

War in the Border Princes: We present the background, scenario and even a battle report based on Mannfred von Carstein's evil plan.

Standard Bearer: This month Jervis talks about never winning games. Or possibly an excuse on poor rule writing. 

Tactica: Necrons: Freshly awakened from his hibernation, Mat Ward shares his tactics and grand strategies for how to (re)conquer the galaxy in the name of the Necrons. Remember boys and girls, this is White Dwarf, so tactics are more like a summary of the unique rules available to Necrons.

Painting Workshop: Ghorgon: In this painting guide, Chad Mierzwa puts his monster painting skills into practice with the Ghorgon. End result is a table top standard that the average painter can achieve with the right paints.

Warhammer: Civil War: Jervis Johnson presents a brand-new set of rules for fighting civil wars, pitching brother against brother on the battlefields of the Warhammer world. What looks like an interesting expansion for Warhammer Fantasy which includes both rules and background.

Sorcerous Pacts: The dread counts of Sylvania are not the only generals to command the restless dead - when a Storm of Magic howls even mortal Wizards can summon the dead.

Games Day: It's the start of a new year and a new season of awesomely fun Games Days! We present the complete calendar of upcoming dates, as well as the new Games Day model. I may attend this years Games Day... have to wait and see if the missus is interested in going along.

Armies on Parade: Dan Harden's from What's New Today army of Haradrim.

Battlefield Terrain: A look at some of the terrain available from Games Workshop. 

Painting Workshop: Mortis Engine: Steve Bowerman shows us how to paint the Mortis Engine, and offer tips for painting the legions of the Undead. A step-by-step tutorial that will produce a great looking Mortis Engine.

Hall of Fame: Kevin Chin nominates a model for the Hall of Fame.

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases and news, plus a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area.

Weekly Finds #60

Only two more sleeps and it is Christmas for those of us in Ozlandus. Be jealous. No plastic or resin crack under the tree this year for me. Although there is some books from Black Library in the mail. Despite it being a holiday season the interwebz has not been quiet...

Painted-On Looking Decals by Stahly's from Tale of Painters - From the tutorials I've seen this product creates amazing results with decals. However, due to the difficulty of getting Micro Sol and Micro Set in Ozlandus will have to order direct from Microscales Industries.

Weekly Finds #59

Painting Chipped Metal and Rust on Terrain by Cameron from Rust and the City - Starting to become a big fan of Cameron's work. His tips on terrain are great for any gamer out there... especially, tournament organisers. This particular tutorial reminded me of this one done by the guys over on Massive Voodoo... minus the need for an airbrush. Everything used in this tutorial can be found laying around the house or picked up cheap from the shops. Great tutorial for tournament terrain pieces.

White Dwarf 384 December 2011- Warhammer Monsters

Inside this month's issue:

Denizens of the Forest Depths: Siegfried Grant ventures deep into the Drakwald Forest to tell tale of the foul denizens that dwell there - the Beastmen and their monstrous ilk.

Blood in the Badlands: In the first of three battle reports, Andy Hall battles his arch-rival the beardless Kevin Chin in an exciting game of Warhammer siege. 

Unleash the Beasts: We explain how the new Beastmen monsters work on the battlefield, as well as presenting Scrolls of Binding for the Ghorgon, Cygor and Jabberslythe.

Warmongers: The White Dwarf writers take on the designers in a huge Storm of Magic game. 

Blanchitsu: The Legendary John Blanche talks about his approach to painting models. 

Crucible of Flame: We take a fresh look at the Apocalypse Expansion and present six new Apocalypse datasheets for the Dark Eldar, Grey Knights and Sisters of Battle.

Slaughter on Schrödinger VII: Mat Ward presents the first part of a campaign that pitches Imotekh and his Necrons against the Black Templars under the command of High Marshal Helbrecht.

'Eavy Metal: The 'Eavy Metal team are the best miniatures painters in the world, and we showcase their favourite miniatures.

Modelling Workshop: Skullvane Manse: Chris Peach shows us how to paint the latest additions to the Warhammer scenery range, Skullvane Manse. 

Modelling Workshop: Monsters: With the monsters released recently we cornered Chad Mierzwa to find out how best to paint such big kits.

Dragon Hunt: And to round off the battle reports for the month, Dáin Ironfoot gathers his trusty warriors and sets out to slay a Dragon in this The Lord of the Rings battle report.

Painting Masters: We take a look at the miniatures of 'Eavy Metal's Neil Green and talk to him about how he got started. 

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases and news, plus a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area.

Weekly Finds #57

What I've learned about varnish and powders by Ron from FTW - I've been following Ron's series of articles on using weathering powders as can be seen here and here. It is interesting to see Ron's process in experimenting with varnish, hair spray and alcohol. That sentence could easily be taken the wrong way out of context. It was a good idea of Ron to ask Mister Justin to share his own thoughts and give a video tutorial... I was wondering how long it would take for Mister Justin to get involved. As I pointed out here he is an advocate on the use of varnish and he provides a wealth of options on his webstore when it comes to weathering pigments. Check out the new release of tank traps at a dollar each and don't forget the sack of skulls.

Weekly Finds #55

Knight Baron by Adeptus Custodus from The Bolter & Chainsword - While looking for details in Knight Titans came across this post on the B&C. Was a very nice surprise. This is possibly the best quality Knight Titan I've come across to date. It looks like the right height, as it dwarfs a Dreadnought. The limbs are bulked out. My only issue is the feet. However, using Dreadknight feet would solve that problem as seen here.

White Dwarf 383 November 2011 - Necrons

Inside this month's issue...

New Releases - Aside from the new Necron miniatures there is also the huge Skullvane Manse kit, Paint Station + and new Grass Tufts. Some while stocks last products are also available including the annual Custom Army Case and special edition dice cubes. 

The Great Awakening - Newly revived, author Mat Ward talks about the rise of the Necrons and their plans for galactic domination.

Building the Machines - Designers Dave Thomas, Dale Stringer and Tom Walton reveal the secrets of the bioforges.

’Eavy Metal Showcase - Joe Tomaszewski and the 'Eavy Metal team showcase the Necron miniatures they've been busy painting.

The Rulers of War - We present a sneak peek at the rules for the Necron Catacomb Command Barge and the Doomsday Ark.

Standard Bearer - Jervis talks about struggling against the odds.

Skullvane Manse, lair of the Astromancer - Simon Grant takes a look at the latest Warhammer scenery piece, Skullvane Manse, Lair of the Astromancer.

Tactica: Infantry - In the final part of his The Lord of the Rings tacticas, Simon explains howto get the most out of your men.

Tactica: Ogre Kingdoms - The big-bellied brute returns! No, not Jeremy Vetock, but the Ogre Kingdoms in this month's tactica.

Attack on Traitor's Gate - Trazyn the Infinite and Imotekh the Stormlord attempt to steal the ancient Stars of Khaine, unless Captain Sicarius and Farseer Eldorath Starbane's alliance can stop him.

Armies on Parade - We take a look at Mark Bedfords Ork army.

Army Workshop: Sisters of Battle -  Duncan Rhodes shows us how he painted his Sisters of Battle army, whilst Robin talks about the various Orders copy and paste of the old fluff.

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases and news, plus a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area. I was surprised to find something 'free' included in this months issue... a booklet with gift ideas and gift list.

Necron Discussion

This was a discussion over on The Bolter and Chainsword in regards to handling a Necron army. Unlike places like Warseer and Dakka Dakka the advice given by some is relatively solid. To sum up the discussion...

1. Ignore the monolith. Don't bother with melta weapons, it ignores the "Melta" special rule. Any lascannons you're firing at the thing are better spent laying waste to Destroyers and Warriors.

2. Ignore the Night Bringer and the other C'Tan. He will rain all over your parade when he shows up anyway, so there's no reason to go looking for him.

2a. Spread out your heavy support so that the NB has to travel (if that's what he comes at you with).

3. Get into melee as quickly as possible. He doesn't get WBB rolls against losses due to a unit breaking and running (unless there is a Res Orb).

3a. Pile two Crusader squads against every one of his warrior squads. Gang up on him because in all likelyhood you will have to kill more than a few of them multiple times, therefore it is in your best interest to wipe him asap to avoid casualties.

Your goal every game should be to phase him out.

- Head Mook

Within the discussion there is also a link to Marshal Wilhelm's Necron Tactica which takes a look at the codex and it flaws such as Phase Out.

Terribad Destroyer Wing

Althought this list represents what a true Destroyer Wing is with the inclusion of Destroyers for Fast Attack... it has Monolith. Thus, it is terribad and will be looked down upon as if it is pox ridden...

In addition to my nightmare shroud build, and experiments with a fun wraith wing I’ve been revisiting the tried and true destroyer wing which I feel has been bumped up a few notches with the move to razorback spam everywhere on the table. In this article I’d like to present the good and the bad so you can adapt the idea to your own Necron army. Necrons are far from dead, well actually they are, you know what I mean…

Definitions. By definition a destroyer wing does what the Necrons do best- shooting and survivability. As a core it maxes out on destroyers (15 in total) with the rest of the army being built around this core concept. A destroyer based army is attractive because it puts a number of T5 models on the table with WBB, fires three S6 shots a model at a range of 36” plus 12” of jetbike like movement. S6 is the “sweet spot” for Necrons throwing a number of wounds on infantry, monstrous creatures, and most importantly penetrating hits on all those razorbacks flooding the table. Remember all 15 of those Destroyers are stuck in 3 squads... this means your killing 3 Razorbacks/Rhinos/Chimeras/Trukks a turn. Sure it is 3 reliable kills, but it is far from crippling. Added to the core of destroyers is a lord, group of immortals, warriors, and a monolith. At 1750 points the list looks something like this: a Lord, 8 Immortals, 15 Destroyers, 20 Warriors and a Monolith.

Click for Army List

Functionality. The army deploys and works the same regardless of the mission or your opponent. It looks to start in the center of the table with the monolith in the center, immortals plus the lord in front, destroyers ranked behind them, and finally the warriors trailing behind. With only 4 'real' threats on the board this list makes target priority very easy.

Is there such a thing as alpha-strike Necrons? I very much doubt it. And going by the definition used by Danny Internet here, it is hard to imagine the above Necron list being able to perform the requirement. This idea comes as close as it can to such a plan, and the destroyer wing likes to go and deploy first. After you set up in the center of the table, and your opponent has deployed you look for which side is weaker in terms of models and long range shots- this is the side that the destroyers and immortals shift over to attack first, which leads to target priority. Resist all temptations to shoot your destroyers at anything other than AV 11. Once your opponent is on foot, then you can switch to other targets. As for the AV 13+ tanks and vehicles, it is up to the immortals to handle that threat, if it really is a threat.

Against tanks you are looking to shake them to stop them from shooting as in facing vindicators or dakka flame baal preds, or to immobilize them as in land raider with deathstar units (more on this in a bit). Veil of darkness can help you get a bit closer as needed to try and get those glances. From there it is just going down the target priority line and adjusting it for the mission.

Second to the destroyers, the monolith is also the powerhouse in this list, but played a bit differently- it is a WBB factory over a deepstriking capstone or particle whip blaster. The ‘lith is there to WBB your destroyers as needed to get that extra 4+ chance of getting back up. Keeping the destroyers up and running is key so shifting the monolith to the weak side and always making sure your destroyers are in 18” is key. The good news about this is that most of the Internet community has dismissed monoliths and popular wisdom states to just ignore it- which is good advice, your opponent should be shooting at the destroyers, which means the monolith is free to help with WBB. Ignoring the Monolith is always good. It is not worth wasting resources in an attempt to take it out, it presents a very small threat to a well built list. Finally there is the hidden gem of the list- solar pulse. In a dawn of war deployment or nightfight turn pop off the pulse for a free round of shooting, in games without it, start off attaching the lord to a group of destroyers to pop the pulse and protect them from any return fire, depending on how your army shifts over.

Weaknesses. Every list of course has its weaknesses but this list has a crap ton of them. Firstly, it has very little in dealing with Land Raiders or other high AV threats. Secondly, it has two fragile scoring squads that are also very important to ensure the army doesn't fall apart from Phasing Out. Thirdly, it is hoping that your opponent doesn't have a good shooting turn which sees a good portion of your Destroyers wiped out... Some can be countered with a good list, others with solid tactics, but some just can’t be fixed, and the outdated Necron codex is one of them. Here are some things to watch out for…

With only two warrior groups (I’d like at least three, but the points are needed elsewhere) they are a tempting target. Target them in 66% of the standard missions and the Necrons can’t win. Focus on the Necron mobility and anti-tank first and then take out the Warriors in the later turns. If the mission places a high importance on scoring then your target priority may change. Based on your opponent’s army you have to ask yourself if you can deploy them or if it is better to keep them in reserve. Be aware that the monolith might also have to portal them through to keep the numbers up, and be aware of where your lord is to he can potentially VOD himself and a group of warriors out if needed.

You also have to be keenly aware of any deathstar units your opponent may have coming your way. Without a C’Tan or tomb spyders to speed bump them you may have to shift your target priority early to immobilize the DS deliver system, like a land raider, speed bump with the immortals, or just plain old spray and pray shooting sign of a bad list as this one falls into the R/P/S of 4th Edition everything and then dumping the particle whip into them. Unfortunately the same goes to any remotely dedicated assault unit that might be running your way. Like what nearly every codex has to offer in some form or another... imagine what will happen against Dark Eldar and Blood Angels with their insane mobility. Deep Striking Space Marines can drop in ontop of the Necrons, weather a turn of shooting and then get stuck in. Imagine what a Dante Wing could do with some Vanguard Veterans with Feel No Pain and shields for Invulnerable Save... the Devastators in the back field would play havoc with the Necron Target Priority.

Now back to the tomb world, time to start awakening those destroyers and warriors, soon the harvests will begin again…

- Fritz from Fritz 40K in Necron Destroyer Wing Revisited

Wraith Wing

The second list by Fritz. Once again it has serious issues that a competent general will be able to exploit to their advantage... take out the mobility and anti-tank.

While we are talking about “wing” based Necron armies another variant is the wraith wing which still packs some punch but is a bit harder to use on the table given a lower model count and the vulnerability of the wraiths themselves.

A wraith wing list is built around a core of fast moving wraiths backed by Necron destroyer lords and heavy destroyers. Here is the list and how it plays out:

The List

To sum it up there is are 2 Destroyer Lords, Warriors, Wraiths, Heavy Destroyers and Spyders... there is some anti-tank but as Fritz points out this has some serious weaknesses.

The main issue of the list is that wraiths occupy the same slot as destroyers and this list needs to crack open transports so the wraiths can get at the guys inside plus there are all the other reasons you want to kill mech- this leaves single shot heavy destroyers for the task, at least you can get those heavy destroyers on the table. While they aren’t bad per se, the problem is that you only get a single shot, and the models come in units of only three. It means at best your killing two, maybe three, transports a turn from shooting... Imperial Guard and Razorspam players are able to dominate the shooting phase. This is a problem my Black Templars face... but to a lesser extent.

The two lords each get attached to a wraith unit for some added punch and to take a few wounds on the way in if needed. Wargear is up to you, but solar pulse on one is 100% mandatory- not so much for night fight this time, but more so to protect you from shots on the way in.

Warriors are there for “scoring” and three are taken over the standard two for variants lists like this since there is no counter assault or speedbump unit. Let’s now look at deployment:

Standard Wraith Wing Deployment…

Ok, let’s start with the back of the table and work our way up. Warriors are spread out on the table- one on the left, once center, and one on the right. Being spread out means your opponent has to divide their forces up to get to your warriors. The tomb spyders go in-between each group and poop out a single swarm for wounds and then get into cover. This way when one warrior group falls to shooting, etc. the spyder is the bridge to WBB those warriors over to another group. Be prepared to shift warriors on the flanks and the spyders over if your opponent looks to hit the center warrior group.

Ahead of them are the heavy destroyers. They start in the center of the table so they have range to everything and operate as a “pack” so you can get WBB rolls when a unit goes down. Their job is to crack open the tanks for the wraiths to assault. The final layer is the wraiths who also start front and center and then flank the weak side. They too also operate as a pack with the lords, with the non-lord wraith group piling in on one of the assaults to make sure combat it won. The idea is to kill a unit or two in the assault, and then zip away to the other side of the table as opposed to wading through combat after combat like they are terminators or something- which they are not. The wraiths and lords are a surgical strike, looking to hit and run, keep your opponent busy moving and shooting trying to react to them so your warriors can slip in RE mission objectives.

- Fritz from Fritz 40K in Necron Wraith Wing

There is little to say as the obvious problems with this list have been pointed out... anti-tank has been sacrificed to play a themed list.

Nightmare Build

The first of the three builds that Fritz has put up on his blog. All three are very different to the sort of lists that Stelek has shown and this may help explain why Fritz made the suggestion of reserving Warriors while Stelek uses the same deployment every single time. Keep in mind Stelek does use alot of hyperbole...

So this is a build that I used to use extensively in 4th edition and now adapted for 5th edition play- the nightmare build. Making extensive use of flayed ones, pariahs, and tomb spyders backed by the golden one it is all about synergy and fun. Note the word fun and the inclusion of a C'Tan. I don’t think I have to point out that this is a fun/themed list to give you some variety in your Necron games, and not a “competitive” list. Props to Fritz for making the differentiation, this isn't the only great thing about the article, with another to follow soon. The goal of this army is to scare your opponent with non-competitive list and make them run away crying like little children. Nothing is funnier than seeing Space Marines consistently run away turn after turn.

Pariahs’ are the lost child of the Necron codex. ‘Cron players so want to do something with their souless ability but struggle based on the over the top point cost, 0-1 limitation, and the fact that they aren’t Necrons. This theme builds on them and gives you a reason to put them down on the table. So here is the list at 1750 points…

The List

To sum it up there is a C'Tan, Lord, Pariah, Flayed Ones, Warriors and Spyders... there is a complete absence of long range anti-tank in this list. 

Deployment…

Regardless of the mission the army needs to stick together and work as a core unit- think of a Roman legion formation marching and fighting as one giant block. Tomb spyders are in the front with a second rank of flayed ones, pariahs, and the C’Tan. Behind them is the lord and your two warrior groups.

If you are familiar with Necrons right away you are asking yourself what is in the list to pop all those spamy razorbacks that are going to be coming your way.

Nothing! But hear me out…

In the best of cases you have ranks of destroyers and maybe even a heavy destroyer group mixed in. With this build we just don’t have the points for them, and to take a single group of min destroyers isn’t going to do anything so we just aren’t going to bother trying to stop the opponent from crashing out ranks- but remember the idea of sticking together. The second thing that Fritz has done that deserves props... the inclusion of something to illustrate what he is talking about.

You want to deploy where you can enter and be in terrain. In the front ranks the spyders will begin pooping out scarabs swarms that get into cover and now you have a T6 unit with a 3+ cover save. Position them so a “net” is cast around the rest of your units granting them a 4+ cover save.

At the start of the game your warriors and pariahs move to the front to get the 24” range of shooting so maybe you can get lucky at immobilizing a vehicle. With shooting for the first few turns you can even go to ground for the 3+ cover save- keeping units alive is important for now. Keeping the P’s up is key so be ready to attach the lord and pop off solar pulse to cut down on a round of shooting if needed.

As those legions of razorbacks come forward why would they with superior shooting? they will hit your wall of tomb spyders with two options. Crash through and tank shock or stop just before and rapid fire. If they crash through you are fearless or LD 10 and if they get out and rapid fire you take it with the T6 or WBB rolls. By now the interwebz should understand the importance of staying inside steel coffins. If they move up to then assault next turn through your ranks, then you assault the transports first and swarm for the emergency disembark. Hold the line and take the crash. A bunch of 5 man squads that have jumped out of Razorbacks charging into Necrons... way to assume the other guy is a complete idiot. Plus there are all those other equally good lists.

Now when those marines get out for whatever reason they are in the pariah bubble- LD 7 as you hit them with the C’Tan powers, visage of the flayed ones, and the shroud of the lord. Mob those units and pile in the assault. Once you are in the assault, you are then protected from shooting so you want to encourage that as soon as possible… and a good opponent will know this and will avoid combat. Especially, with the C'Tan in your list.

Wraith wing, destroyer wing, and the nightmare build can all give you some new fun and different games while we wait for that new ‘dex, especially if you are playing the battle mission books and variant missions.

- Fritz from Fritz 40K in Necron Nightmare Build

Necron Warriors

It was partially established in the previous post that Necron Warriors suck... it is because they cost 18 points each, are minimum sized squad of 10 and are the only troop squad in the Codex. They also have short range guns that got nerfed during the change to 5th Edition. Below are Fritz' thoughts on how to keep Necron Warriors alive long enough to hold objectives.

One of the main problems with the current Necron codex is with the Warriors. As the only "troop" option in the 'dex combined with the fact that you need "troops" to win two out of the three standard missions means the 'cron player is kind of in a loose/loose situation. Load up on lots of troops and your army has next to no punch- the only real "viable" units being immortals, destroyers, and the C'Tan, and if you only go with the minimum of troops to spend the points on other toys your army can be eliminated by just taking out the two troop choices.

That said, we are kind of forced into taking the minimum of troops and spending the rest of the points on other models just to try and hold out own on the table. Right away you have to figure that your opponent is going to try and strike your troops to gain the win, so we have to use this knowledge to our advantage.

Ways to keep them alive longer? Cover of course! I’ve long talked about forgetting you even have a WBB roll and that it should only be though of as a last layer of defense to help keep your group up. Keep those warriors in cover so when you get hit by plasma you at least have the 4+ before going to the WBB roll next turn.

Reserves.

Face it, warriors only have punch at 12" and then in mass of 2+ groups to really do anything. Why even have them on the table for the first few turns where they can be shot at? Reserve them as standard and have them walk on the table, go into cover, and hold objectives on your side. Contest the other with your scarabs and destroyers, or VOD/ destroyer lord as another layer.

If you know your opponent is going to be going for the warriors to cripple you, make sure that you line up your C'Tan and immortal block in such away that they have to go through them first- often not making it to your warriors at all.

Fritz from Fritz 40K in Necron Warriors: Only 2 Units

The next three army lists that each represent different Necron themes are by Fritz and will show why he suggest reserving his Warriors while Stelek makes other suggestions.

Destroyer Wing - Alone in the Dark

This is the newer version of Stelek's Destroyer Wing that has more of a close combat punch...

So, what is the one thing I want in a Necron army that I can’t find?

A decent CC unit to protect myself from enemy assaults.

Something you can put out in midfield to both speed bump an enemy army and push them back out of your half of the board.

Well, carefully crafted, you *can* do this.

You still need to be extremely careful, but at least you can suck it up and hurt people instead of wondering where you can run to.

This is a very carefully crafted army.

No, it won't work at lower levels.

It will work at higher levels (add destroyers, hurr).

At any rate, let's get to it:

2000 Pts - Necrons Roster - Necrons - Alone in the Dark

Notes: Rather than depend on craptastic units to destroy, defend, or otherwise annoy the enemy-give them a solid target to deal with.

Where is the Res Orb, you ask? It’s nowhere really, it's on a Lord in case you really really need it, but most of the time you won’t and it will just be used to save your Lords. I've learned from playing my Necrons, that I don't *need* it very much. People who are stupid and shoot my Warriors in cover figure out quickly my Warriors don't do much and to shoot other things instead.

The bold was added by me to emphasis the point that you should focus your fire power on Necron Mobility and anti-tank... so shot the crap out of Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers. With them dead it is just a matter of Phasing Out the army... and yes still ignore Monoliths because as we know they suck thanks to costing a crap tonne while offering very little (read: none) anti-tank support. 

Like the Destroyers. They do most of the damage. I'd rather have more, but bringing along 2 Lords and a Pariah unit is expensive.

Will some units just walk through the unit? Of course. Black Templar Termies with Furious Charge and Lightning Claws comes to mind. Nasty stuff. Be jealous biatches. That's what the Scarab Swarms are there for.

So, why Pariahs? Well, I was spending about the same amount of points on Immortals, which are great speed bumps against most units but aren’t so awesome against anyone that swings a blade.

Pariahs get two things you don't normally get-they get 2D6 armor penetration, and they make the Lords fearless.

They do need cover saves though, and that's what the Scarab Swarms are for. In a pinch, you can attach one (or both!) Lords to the Swarm unit and go hunt down IG tanks, who hate this unit with a passion. As subpar as those Lords are, they can still beat up many units in CC.

Anyway, you zoom the Swarms in front of your Pariahs and engage annoying units with them, and the Lords. If there's a target that you can kill and get into cover after killing it, you should. Even if it looks questionable, do it anyway. If you face a nasty CC character, suicide a Lord onto him. Worst that happens is you lose the Lord but you kill all of that guys buddies, and he runs away. Are you likely to catch anyone? Not particularly, but hey at least you have 4 units that can stop combat squads from laughing your army away.

I'd say however that this army is a fraction of it's potential, and works best at 2500 points when you can:

Max out all 5 Destroyer units, the Pariahs, the Scarabs, and give the 'other' Lord a Nightmare Shroud (combine with Soulless for fleeing enemy units) and a Phase Shifter. That's exactly 2500 points, btw.

And that's the best Necrons can do, is 'scare' people with Pariahs. Doesn't work on everyone, but those it does work on don't like them one bit. Make sure you get the charge by sacrificing the Scarabs, and take hits on your Lords whenever possible to conserve your strength, and things will work better than usual.

Way better than the normal way, which is usually 'back in the case, boys!'. lol

- Stelek from YTTH in Necrons: Rebuilt (and Alone)

Destroyer Wing Deployment

Following on from the last two Necrons' post is this deployment guide by Stelek which I have alluded to...

A how-to visual guide on how I deploy my Necrons.

Sadly, because of the limited nature of the Necron army–I pretty much deploy this way whether I’m going first, second, third, last, sideways, quarters or upside down.

Suffice to say it’s predicatable, but no less potent (or impotent, depending on the army it’s facing).

It does allow you to become quite proficient in it’s use, however–simply by making it repetitive in deployment and play.

It does tend to stymie the shit out of armies that can’t CC you, and that’s the way Necrons win.

Suffice to say, the Lord is always attached to the Scarabs.  No reason to take a risk running off the board.  Everything else is deployed to give cover wherever possible.  Essentially, you can use the terrain–but more often than not, the terrain is meaningless.  Protect your Warriors and Jetbikes as you can, but if you can’t…that’s fine.

Anyway, here’s the skinny, click the pic for a better view.  Oh and C’tans and Monoliths suck now, have always sucked, and will probably still suck whenever 2018 and the new Necron Codex is released.

The tentative title and subtitle for the book is “Necrons:  Dead and Buried”.

- Stelek from YTTH in My Necron Army: Deployment

Necron Tactics

Following on from yesterdays Destroyer Wing army list is this tactica by Stelek...

Much of the value of this tactica is based on this list and the tactics listed under the army list: Necrons in 5th.

I’ll start with the following advice:

Avoid close combat at all costs with anything but the Spyder/Lord and the Scarab Swarms.

Now for direct answers:

Yes, Necron Warrior squads are indeed important but overpriced at 19 points each. You have to bait and switch. Move up with them, make it look like you are going to let him rapid fire or assault them in a turn. Then on your turn, not only do you move directly away but you also run away. Throws people off every time, and time is what you buy with that kind of move. It’s not exactly easy to counter, even if you expect it. What are you going to do? Make the warriors not be 10″ away from where you wanted them? It’s all about experience, you need to play every list at least 10 times before you can really know how it works.

I’d pretty much always keep the Lord and Spyders together. If you are running the Destroyer Lord (personal preference for some) then you can change what you do with him after the first turn. He is actually quite dangerous to basic squads when he charges with a Warscythe + Destroyer, you can win combat against even tactical marines due to the power fist nerf. Just a heads up.

No need to turtle against assault armies. Setup in the middle of the board, and if/when you need to get away…zoom the wings out. Tomorrows post will hopefully help illustrate this idea. You can let him kill the middle of your army if need be, you don’t really want to lose it but if sacrificing it will get you more time to shoot your wings, might as well. Don’t be afraid to run your slower units away, not just the Warriors but Immortals and Spyders too. Better to run to the board edge and suck him straight in, than let him move diagonally and get movement towards your wings AND crush your center.

Against MC in a nid army, your target priority is: Gunfexes, Dakkafexes, then Tyrants with bodyguards. This was written back in 2008... so obviously target priority chances. You should not really care about stealers unless they are scuttling, then kill them (and most likely, his flyrant supporting them) first. Hormagaunts should be a top priority, because they will be on you faster than anything else in the game really. You don’t need to smash these units, just whittle them down so they can’t do enough casualties to win CC nor take the wounds you are going to dish out and survive long enough to lock you down in CC for stealers to arrive. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one that experience will teach you.

Against Tau, you need to learn to ignore hammerheads. Odds are they just won’t die. Devilfish should get your heavy weapons fire first. If he has crisis suits or broad sides, and you can see them….focus fire into them. Ignore FW picking at you from afar. Nullify Tau mobility (devilfish, crisis suits) and utility (pathfinders) and you stand a much better chance. Anytime you can hit any Tau infantry EXCEPT KROOT IN WOODS, with destroyers…you probably should. Always take the guaranteed kills if you can, most players try to kill the things they fear instead of whittling down Tau–and thus lose to them. You should also take all of your CC elements, and run them right at the Tau. Force them to kill them. If he has Hammerheads + Pathfinders, spread your scarab swarms out or risk them being annihilated in one go.

Against Deathwing, since they aren’t going to run away…you need to deploy as far out as you possibly can. Spread out in an anti-deeps strike formation in a table quarter, swarms in front. He can smush them, but you can focus fire into him and beat him down. You do need to get the terminators down to like 1 guy, then charge with your CC units and finish them off. Killing 2 terminator squads a turn should not be a problem for you. Just remember to keep focusing on each unit and have the CC unit standing by to finish them off.

I hope that helps.

- Stelek from YTTH in Email: Necron Tactica