It Came from Below, and it smells AWFUL!!!

It is offical! Hivefleet Shitthebed is on it's way from the deep, darkness of the Eastern Fringe!(a.k.a. Crossville, TN) For those of you not privy to the intricacies of 40k lore, 'shitthebed' is a low gothic insult synonomous to excessive facial hair and a smell worse than death. Who is the progenator of this new xenos threat you ask? The answer will probably suprise, nah!, shock you. The creator is none other than The Griz from ifitwearspowerarmor.blogspot.com.
Not only has Griz played almost every 3+ army under the sun, but his first army was Ultramarines so I grew up hearing some pretty powerful bug hate. We have had several conversations about how he could never play bugs....ever!
So what is the lesson for today, class? No matter how hard you try to fight it, the taint will catch up to you. One day you'll look around and you will realize that no matter the color or flavor, razorback spam is still razorback spam and ten marines in rhinos are still the same 10 marines in rhinos you've been playing with since you started playing 40k. You will get a thirst for something new, a way to re-invent the game you love. Thats why I play the armies I play. When I start a new army, I wanna start the whole of 40k fresh. That is why I play xenos, and that is why you will too. When you get that feeling, that is when you know, you've been Tainted by Xenos!
Everyone head over to IIWPA and congratulate The Griz on joining our illustrious brotherhood!!! The Griz has inspired me to write some articles about why it is so great to play Xenos as well as a comparison to help people decide which Xenos army they might play next. What made you pick a Xenos army over Space Marines? Why do you love playing your Xenos army? Is it the style, models, playstyle, or a combination of things?

My first Nid!!

Well, I am still workin on a name for their Hive Fleet, but I have the color scheme down,The beautiful, majestic, and National Championship winning colors Orange and Blue!

Chitin - Used a Necron Abyss for the basecoat, then drybrushed Regal Blue, then PP Trollblood, and finally PP Arccane Blue


Flesh - Valspar Fonda Copper satin spray paint
Then coated the whole thing down in Devlan Mud


---UPDATE---
Just finished a couple more, here are the finished products

So, what do you think? How did it turn out?

And Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Program

I know, I know, I haven't updated, and for that I apologize, some real life happened this week, and lots of stuff that I thought would never happen. It is official, The Grizz has been......Tainted By Xenos!!!! I know, please take a moment to pick your jaws off the floor and wipe away those tears of disbelief. It took me a little while to come to grips with it myself. 


After 13 years of wargaming and 40k, I have never owned a non power armored army save my IG, but that was still humans/imperium. I have never even thought about it till the last week or so. I sold all my stuff on eBay, bought what I needed for my Chaos/Blood Angels, and had a little extra left over. So I began lookin at the possibility of starting a new army and started goin down the list.


CSM - Already have
Chaos Daemons - too expensive, not consistent enough
Blood Angels - Already Have
Vanilla Marines - Already have
Grey Knights - Just sold them
Witch Hunters - Used to have and sold
Space Wolves - love rules, hate model range/fluff
Black Templar - too similar to BA/Vanilla
IG - too broke to do what i want to do - Death Korps of Krieg
Dark Angels - .......no.

Sounds like Dark Angels

I Then came to the realization that if I wanted to play a new army, it would have to be...dare I say it...Xenos. So then I broke down the Xenos Races. I wanted something completely different to the armies i currently play, yet at the same time having a familiar feel. I couldn't play Orks, as that is Pariah.Stevo's army, and I play against them too much to want to play them myself.

There can be only one...

 Necrons were marked off the list, with Eldar/DE/Tau never even making the list. Much like Highlander, at the end, there was only one - Tyranids. They were a horde, low armor, high tougness bugs, completely different to my current armies. Yet they felt strangely familiar, being assault based and short range. I began lookin at the model range and became as excited as a little boy who just discovered his first.....well, lets just say I was excited.


Every army I have ever owned I had some idea of how they worked. Oh ok that squad has bolters and power armor, lets put em in a transport and move em around. Not so with this new purchase. As I read through the codex, I became so lost, not knowing what any unit did or how to run them. I felt like I was starting 40k all over again. It scared the piss out of me, but at the same time, it excited me. I feel like I am looking at the game in a whole new way now. I received my first box of Gaunts yesterday, and got my first paint test done today. Tuesday, i should have sitting on my door step -


-2x Battleforces
-2x Trygons
-1x Carnifex


That gives me a pretty sizable chunk of stuff, and a lot to work on. So here comes the big question - Do you guys care about the Nids? I started this blog to talk about power armor, showcase my armies, and so on and so forth. Of course I never planned on havin a xenos army either. So, what I am asking you, the humble follower -

Do you want to see Tyranid Stuff on here, or keep it strictly SM/CSM stuff? Should I chronicle my rocky journey with this new army on IIWPA... or keep it straight Power Armor?

Knowing is Half the Battle, Part 2 of 4: Know Thyself!

Hello again. Today we are conutinuing our series on knowing what you need to know to be competitive in 40k. Last time we focused knowing the rules, a basic but important step. Today we will focus on knowing everything there is to know about your army.

Read your codex: Many of todays armies are built on synergy. You have to know what your army can do. If your army is losing a lot, it is probably missing something. Your codex should have something to fill that gap. This is also relevant when a new army is released. A good list is built to fight all comers so a new army release will usually cause you to shift your list. Example: Say you field two or three units of nobs in an ork list, which is currently pretty powerful. With grey knights coming out however, most units in the dex can kill a unit of nobs in one assault, no problem, and in many cases for cheaper points. Thats a very bad thing. The ork player has to change his list if he wants to remain a contender.

Know your army's rules: once your army is set, know how it works. All of it. Special rules, stats, weapons... everything.  You cannot play tactically if your too busy trying to remember how your army works. I've been struggling with this with my Dark Eldar. I keep forgeting to focus on getting pain tokens. So study your army. Know your special rules, verbatim.

Don't assume things. Question wheter a rule works the way you say it should work. I'm always surprised at how biased most people are during rules disputes. Example: many people tryed to say pain token USR's applied to beasts in beastmasters squads. Reading the codex it is obviously not true. Another Example: Deffrollas. Before they where FAQed, most people, as well as tournament organizers decided they didn't work against vehicles. Their only justification?: it would be too powerful. Funny how no one is saying that about the 30" scouting jumppack dread knight.Hmmm...?

I digress. The point is, know your rule, don't think you know it. Know your rules well enough to where you can argue and support why it works the way it does. If it is a grey area, search internet forums to see what others have said. If it is still a grey area, call event orginizers and get a rules call BEFORE the tournement. As a rules judge myself, I can assure I would rather have a few days to research a question as opposed to making it on the fly.

Read the FAQ: in tournaments the FAQ is just as valid as the codex, read it and know it as such. If the INAT FAQ is used, the same goes for it( stupid INAT). Also, print off a copy and keep it with your stuff( in fact, I recommend having every FAQ with you) Example: I went to a tourney a couple of weeks after the old marines got their big update. A friend was on the table beside me playing Black templar. The BT player had no idea about the FAQ. This guy was fuming by the time the game was over. Imagine playing a game where your codex is wrong and your opponent is the only one who knows what your rules are. Akwaaard!

Know your strengths and weekness: Every army has its strengths and weaknesses. Know what yours are. Dark Eldar are great against are great against nids, but can struggle against IG. Nids are great against non-mechanized assault armies like DOA blood angels, but struggle against shooty mechanizes lists. Your strengths and weakness will be specific to your army accordind to how you built it. Try to think about what your army will struggle against. Use this knowledge during games to identify threats and take them out accordingly as well as building stronger, more balanced lists.

That's it for today. Next time, will leave the basics behind as we get more indepth tatica in Part 3: Know Thy Foe!
What are some things you do to identify weaknesses in your lists? What do you do to prevent yourself from misinterpreting your codex? Have you ever misinterpreted a rule, only to have it corrected during gameplay by your opponent?

Knowing is Half the Battle!!! Part 1 of 4: Know ThyRules!!!

Wow. Sorry for the long dead period. To make a long story short: Mid-terms, Spring Break, Last-minute 13.5 hour drive to Naples, FL, Second degree sunburn, PC burned out, Now have crappy rent-a-mac from School that won't play flash:( , It's a Mac! :'''''( , joined and helped start Unbroken Gaming Club, currently handling t-shirt orders, car is leaking oil, won the Bash at the Barn tournament with my Orks( Waaagh!!!), just pledged to finish 2000pts of DE in 2 months, taxes and fafsa still not done, and i still need a job!!! Anyhow back to the action.

Today I want to start a 4 part series based on what I think is a major reason people do badly in competive play. Most people are pretty competent individuals. So why do some people constantly win top tournements, while other, equally competent players never seem to hit their stride. The answer: MISTAKES!!! How do we prevent ourselves from making mistakes? By become Knowlegable about the game we play. There are many different aspects to this. Today we will cover the first aspect. Know ThyRules!!!

Know the basic rules: This is one of those things you shouldn't think you would have to mention, but it is often overlooked, especially with "veteran" gamers. Many so-called vets fail to really learn the new rules after a new edition releases and often confuse rules between editions.  Do you remember the first time you played a game of chess and someone castled their king? How about taking a pawn en passant?

The Wookie let's Chuck Norris win.

A player must ask himself, 'How do I expect to master a game I do not know the rules of?'
When my brother-in-law first started playing, he lost alot.  He has always played his tau really well, but his tactics are very min-maxed. He would always try some caculated gamble only to realize too late that the rule didn't work quite like he thought. This would often result in a game losing failure. Being knowlegable about the rules is the only way to make tatical desicions on the fly and come out on top.

"What do you mean,  'The popular vote doesn't count'"

Examples: Do you still have to make last man standing checks? What happens if a squads transport is destroyed and they can't disembark out of the exit points? If a squad deep strikes into a multi-floored ruin, where is it placed? Can a vehicle drive through a ruin? Do jump infantry squads take dangerous terrian tests when leaving difficult terrain. How fast is cruising speed? Can you make saves off dangerous terrian tests. Can fearless models fail leadership tests?  I think you got the hint. If you don't know any of the above questions, look them up. One of the biggest weaknesses most players have is that they would rather ask 'that rules guy' or post a rules question on a forum instead of looking it up. Sadly, " That's what it said on Warseer" doesn't hold up well in a rules argument at a tournament. Don't be afraid to crack open the BBOR. You might learn something. Another way to familiarize yourself with the rules is to surf online rules forums for other peoples rules questions.

That's it for now. What are some ways you find to keep up-to-date and fresh on the rules? Tune in next time for Part 2: Know Thyself!!!

Papa Nurgle Protects...

well, my good buddy Pariah.Stevo won the Bash at the Barn 2500pt tourney with his ork army, Boss Redtoof's WAAAGH!!! I went 1-2, but more on that later. Tonight I have been working on my Nurgle army, so I thought I would share what I have finished.

What ya think?

Blood Angels It Is...

You can't kill me!! Look how shiny I am!!

The Grizz has finally decided, and the Crimson Vampires of Baal will be attending tomorrow's tourney. list;


-Sanguinor


-Sanguinary Priest
---JP, PW


-3x 10 man Assault Squads
---Melta, Flamer, Fisty Sarge
---2x Flamer, Fisty Sarge
---2x Melta, Fisty Sarge


-Chappie
-10x Death Co.
---6x BP/CCW, 3x PW, 1x Fist
-DC Dread
---Blood Talons
-Storm Raven
---TLAC, TLMM, EA


-Furioso Dread
---Frag Cannon, HF


-2x Baal Preds
---TLAC, HB sponsons


-2x Preds
---AC, LC sponsons


2495pts


This list has range, firepower, lotsa shots, an answer for those pesky long fangs/lootas, and a certified deathstar. Hopefully it translates to the table. Anyway, I'll be takin pictures tomorrow and will post the results!

Will the Grizz return victorious, or hang his head in shame? Did he make the right choice? Is his list a good 'un?

Proving Ground

One of these days...when I get my big boy job...

Tonight, our new gaming club is meeting to get some games in and such. I am takin the Chaos to give them a trial run, see how they do, and then make my decision on Saturday. The List;


-Abaddon
-7x Plague Marines
---2x Plasma, 1x Champion w/ combi plasma & PF
-Land Raider
---Daemonic Possession, Dozer Blade


-Daemon Prince
---Wings, MoN, Warptime


-Greater Daemon

-7x Plague Marines

---2x Plasma, 1x Champion w/ combi plasma & PF

-Rhino

---Dozer Blade, Extra Armor

-7x Plague Marines

---2x Plasma, 1x Champion w/ combi plasma & PF

-Rhino

---Dozer Blade, Extra Armor

-7x Plague Marines

---2x melta, 1x Champion w/ combi melta & PF

-Rhino

---Dozer Blade, Extra Armor

-7x Plague Marines

---2x melta, 1x Champion w/ combi melta & PF

-Rhino

---Dozer Blade, Extra Armor

-2x Oblits

-2x Oblits

2500pts on the nose

Cause Pimpin Ain't Easy.

Basically, I wanted a tough list, so the Followers of Nurgle was an obvious choice (not to mention that I have like 50 of the little buggers, so may as well use em!). I split melta/plasma that way I could take whatever comes at me. The Land Raider/Abaddon/Plague squad is gonna be a rock hard scoring unit/deathstar killer. The MoN/Warptime Daemon Prince w/ wings is one of my favorite units in the game, as it can move quickly, do some serious damage, and with a T6, he can take it to, all while rerolling to hit/wound.

I haven't used the Greater Daemon much, so this will kinda be a new addition. With the stat line of a DP, the ability to cross the board safely (staying in reserve, popping out of squad) all for 100pts + the cost of the Champ. Not too shabby. All anchored down with 2 squads of 2 Oblits. In my experience, 4 oblits is a good number vs. points cost. They always deal the damage and are mega survivable with a 2+/5++ and 2 wounds. More would be nice, but 4 is a good amount.

I think that at 2500 points you can eliminate alot of Chaos's weaknesses. You can take a pretty good amount of shooty, while having a pretty high model count army at the same time. Hopefully this will translate into wins on the table. Tonight will tell me a lot, and I will share my success/failure tomorrow!

Comments/Criticisms welcome? How do you think Papa Nurgle's minions will fare?

The Grizz is thinkin...quick somebody call for help!

God Bless the 80's

Saturday marks the biggest tournament that the Grizz has ever taken part in, a 2500pt affair at The Cookeville Battle Barn. For the past few weeks, I have been, analyzing, critiquing, and play testing the ever loving dog piss out of my beloved Sons of Sanguinius. So of course today, 3 days before the tournament, I pull out my old Chaos Space Marines and start mulling them over, and the itch to put them back on the field of battle to collect skulls for the Skull Throne and spread Papa Nurgle's gift becomes insatiable.

Now I have a decision to make. Do I play with the army I have prepared to play and have play tested and know will be competitive? Or do I offer up a prayer to the Chaos Pantheon, throw caution to the wind and unleash Abaddon on the Barn? Honestly, I have no idea. There is the smart decision, and what I wanna do, and they aren't the same thing


All of it boils down to the fact that I haven't played with my Chaos since the inception of Codex: BA. Chaos was my main army for the better part of 5th, and even through Gav and Alessio's poop filled masterpiece of a codex I saw something worthwhile. I loved the models, the character, and what they could do. After a couple severe losses in competitive play, however, I became disheartened. Then came C:BA, and the rest is history. So, I know that I want to get the ol Chaos out and dust them off, but is this the right time?

So what do y'all think? Children of the Chaos Gods or the Sons of Sanguinius?

Cleanin House

Well, the Grizz has made it back from the beautiful Caribbean Islands safe and sound. While he was gone, the new Grey Knights stuff was posted. As the Grizz began to browse through all the new models and think of new tactics he would use, he began to think about his poor Blood Angels that would be sittin on the shelf, as well as his barely started Salamanders army that would never see the light of day. This, as well as a chat with ol' Pariah.Stevo, got him to thinkin - is starting a new army really what I want to do right now?


I am really just now hittin my stride with my beloved Sons of Sanguinius, and am not quite ready to put them up just yet. There are also new models that I still need to get in order to get them where I want them. So I made the tough but logical decision - The Grey Knights are gettin sold. I will miss them, but I don't look at this as a farewell, but merely a "until next time". I still have plenty to keep me occupied with my Salamanders army being completely custom, so I think I will manage. 


After I posted my GK's on good ol' eBay, i started lookin around at all the stuff I have and never use. That led to more and more on eBay. So, I thought I'd share with y'all all the stuff I am gettin rid of, maybe y'all can get some use out of what I don't need.


My eBay Auctions


Man, does it feel good to get back in the swing of things, and to be back in the Beautiful U.S. of A.! Hope y'all didn't miss me too much, and keep posted!

I'm On A Boat!

Well Faithful Readers, I hope that you can survive a week without the Ol' Grizz, as I will be on vacation this week, floatin around the Bahamas with Mrs. Adams and soakin up the sun. So, for those who need the explanation, there will be no updates this week. I know I know, how will y'all ever survive without me? It won't be easy, I know, but you must persevere! But never fear, things will be back to normal next week. So until then, y'all stay classy!

Tournaments Pt. 2

God Bless America

We've all been there. Walkin into that game store with your little shoebox/tacklebox/toolbox full of hastily painted minis and looking out at the competition. Professionally painted armies, beautifully crafted show boards, gaming club shirts, the entirety of it almost stops your heart. 

You find a spot to place your things, and looking at the ridiculously well painted Daemon army on one side and the completely customized Ork army on the other side of you makes you wish you could just leave your own army in its box. 

Their Army

Your Army

They start reading off the turn one pairings, and you walk to your first table with sweat covered hands and a shortness of breath. You play through your games like a nervous wreck and before you know it, the day is over, and you can finally breathe. You look back at your games, at some of the stupid mistakes you made, and start playing the what if game. So, how can you avoid this at the nesxt tourney? How can you make sure you enjoy your first one if you have never been?

So the last post was all about getting you out to that first tournament. This one is all about what you need to do when you get there. My goal is to help you learn from mine and others mistakes so that you may be more successful at your first few tournaments.

1. Be Prepared

Why don't we go somewhere quiet where
 you can tell me more about that motto of yours...

In order to do well at a tournament, you must be prepared. Nothing is worse than being across the table from a player who forgot his tape measure/blast template. This looks bad on you, and can slow the game. It is not difficult to run through a checklist the night before and make sure you have what you need to play. A basic list includes - 

---List

---Appropriate FAQs

---BBoR

---Codex

---Measuring tape

---Dice

---Entirety of models required

---2 Blast Templates

---2 Large Blast Templates

---2 Flamer Templates

---3 objectives minimum

---Casualty Board

I always take 2 of each template, in case the opponent forgets theirs. Write your name with a permanent marker on all your templates/tape to ensure you get them back. Bring enough dice to play the game, scatter included.

2. Print off more than one list

When making a list, it is best to do it on the computer. I use Army Builder extensively, but you don't necessarily have to use it. I would encourage, however, taht you type it out and make it easy to read, for the opponent and the tournament organizer's sake. Also, print off more than one copy. If I am going to a 3 round tournament, I will print off 5 copies of my list; one for the organizer, one for each of my opponents, and one for myself. There is nothing more annoying than having to ask for your opponent's list 5 times during the game, because they only have one copy. It is not hard to do, and can save you some grief

3. Be on time. 

I typed "on time" into Google and this is what i get...
Whatever.

This one is a biggie. Being on time is imperative to having a good time at a tournament. If you are late, you will be rushing to get all of your stuff out and could delay the rest of the attendees. In larger tournaments, you might miss out on gaming that day all together. I try to show up 20-30 minutes before registration begins, that way I can get set up and enjoy the tournament. I then have time to purchase needed items from the store, as well as look at others' armies and chat with the other attendants. This will make your first tourney go a lot smoother.

4. Breathe. 

I remember my first tournament. I am not sure whether I took a full breath the entire time. This led to many mistakes on my part. Yes the games are timed. Yes you must play at a fast clip. You do, however, have the time to think things through and play correctly. Don't rush so much that you make stupid mistakes. Which brings me too my next point...

5. Practice like you play. 

Some practice to be a bi...

If you want to get used to playing in tournaments, then you need to practice like you are in one. Start playing your games with your friends with a time limit. Become accustomed to playing under pressure and with a specific amount of time. This will get you to think faster and play better, without feeling rushed and making rookie mistakes. You will also learn more about your army.

6. Don't Argue.

If there is a rule discrepancy, don't get into a shouting match with your opponent; Simply ask them to show you the rule. If there is still an issue, get a rules master/tournament organizer. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or to bring up rules. If you are not sure about something, look it up. You don't just bring your BBoR to look pretty, use it!

7. Have Fun.

Remember, you play the game to have fun, that's what tournaments are for. So, don't forget to enjoy it. Otherwise, what are we doin here? We all participate in this hobby because we enjoy it, so why should tournaments be any different? We go to enjoy our hobby with others of a like mind. Fun is the point, don't miss it.

Well, I think that is enough ramblings for now. So now you need to go out there and whoop some plastic booty!