Product Review - Chapterhouse Studios

Well, as you may know, I am working on building up my Salamanders army, and i wanted them to have a custom look to them. So, I began to look around the Web to try and find cost effective methods of dressing up my Marines. I came across Chapterhouse Studios and made an order. As I have said, I am pretty pleased with them, and would not hesitate to order from them again. They have quite a variety of stuff for many different armies (with a lot of marine stuff) available. If you are looking for a low cost option to spiffy up that marine army of yours, you may wanna check them out at Chapterhouse Studios. Here are some pictures from the Chapterhouse Studio Website of the items just covered.

These images are the property of Chapterhouse Studios and were used without permission with no challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.

The BA Have Finally Fallen...

Welp, i finally suffered my first defeat to the Eldar of the Caribbean yesterday, and what a sad day it was. I met my good friend and gaming partner Pariah.Stevo at the Battle Barn yesterday to 'ave a go with his newest army, the Dark Eldar. A little on the Stevo - 


I got the Stevo into the hobby of 40k after he had watched my brother and I play a few games, and his interest in the hobby coincided with the release of an entirely new army, the 3rd Ed. Necrons. So, he built up quite a formidable phalanx and marched his silent, gauss guzzling minions onto the tables and tournament scene with considerable success. I have labeled Stevo as a strictly Xenos player, as he has always had aspirations to build a marine army, yet always ends up with a new xenos army, which keeps it interesting, that way it isn't marines on marines all the time. As 4th Ed. came to a close, He began to get entranced by the coming Green Tide, and then promptly built quite a substantial Ork army, Boss Redtoof's WAAAGH!! Since the release of 5th (and the Necron Nerf) this has been his primary tournament/casual army, which looks as good as it plays. Looking to get into a new army, he almost started a Black Templar army, going as far as picking up a box or two, but then his xenos heart saw the GW leaked Dark Eldar stuff, and quickly all marine thought vaporized. The Pointy Eared Pirates had him, and there was no turning back. 


So, over the past couple weeks, Stevo and I have been running a few games out, My BA against his DE. Now this is a Stevo with a brand new codex/army playing me with a army/codex that i have been tweaking for tournament play since the BA release, quite some time ago. So Stevo was basically throwing his High School ROTC cadets into a live fire drill against Navy SEALs. But this is the way me and Stevo like to do it, as with both my Blood Angels and my Chaos when i started out with them, i consistently played against Stevo and my buddy Kyle, veteran players with their tournament Orks and Tau lists respectively. You can quickly learn the rights, wrongs, ins and outs of a list/codex by throwing down against unforgiving, powerful, and experienced armies/players. In my personal opinion, i believe that this is not only influential to list building, but it makes you a better player as well. 


Anyways, after a few crushing defeats, with the last game being a wipe by turn 5, the Steve came in to the Barn Saturday with a brand new plan. So we roll for game and setup, getting Capture & Control and Spearhead. 
He ran- (steve correct me if i'm wrong)
-Vect
-Incubi
-Haemonculus
-Raider


-2 Raiders full of warriors w/blaster and Dark Lance


-2 Wrack Squads in venoms


-1 trueborn squad w/blasters
-venom


-20x warriors w/ 2 dark lances


-3x ravagers, 2 w/ dark lances 1 w/ disintegrator cannons.


I was running the same list that i posted 2 days ago. 


Basically, I didnt have enough shots, by turn 5 he still had 2 venoms and all three ravagers alive, allowing him to move scoring units very quickly to objectives, and being able to draw me off of mine. The Spearhead setup hurt me, as the DE are so mobile it gave them free reign to run around me if i couldn't blow up the raiders, which i didn't quickly enough. Also losing one of my 2 scoring units to a deep strike mishap really hurt me as well. At the end though, Steve had a good plan, and i didn't have the shots to stop him. Which has led me to begin thinking that i need some more shooty units in my army. May go back to using predators, maybe a Baal or two, we shall see.


All in all, though it was, as always when playing Stevo, a fun game, and a challenging one. I meant to take pics, but we were pushed for time cause he had to work, but the game has definitely got me thinking about making some changes and improvements. Well, i reckon that is enough for now, till next time...

Game Day Saturday!

Well, it just turned out that I will be able to make it to the local gaming spot, The Cookeville Battle Barn, this Saturday to get a few games in. I am really itchin' to throw down with my Salamanders lists, just to see how they do and get back into the swing of C:SM after almost a 2 year hiatus. I know for a fact, however, I will be bringin my bread and butter, the Mighty Sons of Sanguinius, led by none other than the Sanguinor Himself!!! Around here, we play 2000pts, so i have my BA down, but still pondering what all to put into that C:SM list
List One


2000pts Blood Angels


Sanguinor


Chappie
10 Death Co.
---1x Powerfist, 3x Power Weapons, 6x BP/CCW's
Death Co. Dreadnought
---Blood Talons
Stormraven
---Multi Melta, AssCan, Extra Armor


Sanguinary Priest
---Power Weapon


2x 10 man Ass. Squads
---Flamer, Melta, Fisty Sarge


Furioso Dread
---Frag Cannon, Heavy Flamer, Drop Pod


2x Dreadnoughts
---Melta, Missile Launcher, Drop Pod


Comes right in at 2000pts. Have had real good luck with this setup, as you can be very aggressive and do well with it. For pics of the army, Click Here.


Still not sure as what to take when it comes to the Salamander list. It will be centered around a Land Raider Redeemer filled with THSS termies and Vulkan, 2-3 tac squads/rhinos, and prolly 2 vindicators, but the rest is kinda free floatin. Still got a day to flesh it out. Anyways, I will try to post pics of the games saturday, and run through some tactica/game analysis. Until then, Stay Classy San Diego.

Welcome!

Hi everybody, Grizzly Adams, here. Just wanted to welcome all readers/visitors/lurkers/whatevers to the blog. This blog will be dedicated to talking about, looking at, and playing with everybody's favorite Warhammer 40,000 armies, the Space Marines! This blog is open to the discussion of all our power armored friends, The Loyal Marines (Codex and Others) as well as our more spikey, gooey brethren, The Forces of Chaos. We will discuss tactica, lists, modeling, painting, and all those other goodies that make up the thing that is the hobby of tabletop gaming.

Now, a word of caution, i am by no means, an expert, professional, or anything like that. I am like most of y'all, a casual gamer, in it for the fun. I am also definitely not a Golden Daemon painter either, but I have fun, and isn't that what it is all about?

Ok, now a little about myself. My name is Jake, and i have been in the hobby since the inception of 3rd edition, back in 1998. Since that day, I have played, in one incarnation or another, Space Marines. Currently, I have 4 armies, a DoA style Blood Angels army, A Nurgle themed Chaos Space Marine Army, a small and unused Grey Knights Army, and have just started a Salamanders Army. I am a regular tournament player, frequenting tournaments across the state of Tennessee when my schedule/wife permits me (wink). I try to play as often as I can, but, as most of you know, life often gets in the way, and things change.

Anyways, hope y'all enjoy, and if you like what you see, follow us by clicking the Follow button on the right side. Now on with the blog!

Angels of my heart...the Dark Angels FAQ and you

It should be no secret to any of my friends or opponents that I am a Dark Angel fan. My marines are painted as a successor chapter, The Guardians of the Covenant, and I use Dark Angel Iconography throughout their design.

Most don't know that when I started playing 40k (again) it was just as 5th edition was coming out, and it was using the codex Dark Angels. Many of you know the troubles that Dark Angels have faced since their initial release, but for those that don't, here is the skinny; Dark Angels are one of the last codices designed for 4th Edition. So their point costs and flexibility (high and none) were reflective of that. In fact chances are if you have only been on the scene for a few years, you have never seen anyone using Codex: Dark Angels, instead you have seen dark green marines with robes using the Codex: Space Marines. So sad...but I was one of those guys...

Flash Forward to the end of December 2010....the DA get FAQed, but in a good way! (See  Dark Angels FAQ  for details) Dark Angels get upgraded equipment! Dark Angels get Feel No Pain! Dark Angels get good POTMS! These things make us rejoice, not for our power armored brothers, but for our 1st and 2nd company!

Why do they care?

Dark Angels are unique in that they have special characters that open up Terminators and/or Bikes to be troops. The next caveat is Dark Angels Bikers (referred to by their proper 2nd company title Ravenwing) are slightly more expensive than standard SM bikes, but they gain Fearless and a special form of Scout. Oh and they also have another small addition that Terminators may care about.....all Ravenwing Bikers are armed with Teleport Homers. Thats right kids, not only do they scout but they all Terminators to not scatter if they want to land within 6" of a bike.

Now time for the next caveat, Terminators in the Dark Angels (referred to by their proper 1st company title Deathwing) are slightly more expensive than their smurf cousins, and can only be taken 5 to a squad. However, they have discounted cyclone missile launchers and can mix their weaponry within the squad, so you could have storm bolters, lightning claws, thunder hammers and power weapons all in the same squad, and still take a cyclone on one of them. Oh and they also have another small addition that you may care about...Deathwing have a special rule called "Deathwing Assault" which replaces Drop Pod assault for the Dark Angels Army, which allows half of your Deathwing squads held in reserves to arrive on the first turn!

So now you are probably trying to process this information...let me throw another wrench into the wheels. Taking the Deathwing Special Character Belial not only opens up the ability to have Deathwing as troops, it also opens up allowing one of those Deathwing Squads to be a command squad opening up the options for an apothecary (FNP) and a standard bearer (units within 12" may re-roll failed morale and the unit gets +1 attack).

Those scouting bikers dropping in terminators with cyclones on the first turn probably has your mouth watering a little, and it probably should. But remember, those are probably going to be smaller bike squads and those are definitely only 5 man terminator squads that are dropping. Even a 2+/3++ will fail from time to time.

Sample 1863 list for an upcoming tournament.
Guardians of the Covenant - 1863

1 Sammael, Master of the Ravenwing (HQ)    
Land Speeder TL Assault Cannon; TL Heavy Bolter

1 Belial, Master of the Deathwing (HQ)
Twin Lightning Claws

5 Deathwing Terminator Squad (Troops)
Cyclone Missile Ln.; Lightning Claw (x1); Thunder Hammer (x4); Lightning Claw 2 (x1); Storm Shield (x4); Terminator Standard Bearer

5 Deathwing Terminator Squad (Troops)
Cyclone Missile Ln.; Lightning Claw (x1); Thunder Hammer (x4); Lightning Claw 2 (x1); Storm Shield (x4)

5 Deathwing Terminator Squad (Troops)    
Cyclone Missile Ln.; Lightning Claw (x1); Thunder Hammer (x4); Lightning Claw 2 (x1); Storm Shield (x4)

2 Ravenwing Attack Squadron (Troops)
Meltagun (x2);
1 Ravenwing Sergeant @ [60] Pts
1 Attack Bike
Multi-Melta (x1)

2 Ravenwing Attack Squadron (Troops)
Meltagun (x2);
1 Ravenwing Sergeant @ [60] Pts
1 Attack Bike
Multi-Melta (x1)

2 Ravenwing Attack Squadron (Troops)
Meltagun (x2);
1 Ravenwing Sergeant @ [60] Pts
1 Attack Bike
Multi-Melta (x1)

1 Ravenwing Support Squadron: Landspeeder (Fast Attack)
Heavy Bolter (x1); Typhoon Missile

1 Ravenwing Support Squadron: Landspeeder (Fast Attack)
Heavy Bolter (x1); Typhoon Missile
1 Ravenwing Support Squadron: Landspeeder (Fast Attack)
Heavy Bolter (x1); Typhoon Missile

Models in Army: 32
Total Army Cost: 1860

Bonus: Some pictures of my Guardians. This reminds me....I need more pictures...