Papa Nurgle Is Visiting

My wife is sick. My baby has the first stages of pneumonia, my wife is really sick, my oldest is starting to get sick and NOW I'm sick too.

Children are like walking Petri dishes.

So I'm sorry that I haven't been as active in getting posts up. I know that there are several emails pending in my inbox too... rest assured I'm not ignoring you guys.

Email In: Help with Loganbomb

 Oh I'm sorry... where you using that Land Raider?

Masterslowpoke writes:

Heya! I recently won a smörgåsbord of Space Wolf infantry models, and
I want to put them to good use. A Logan list sounds like it would
require the least amout of purchasing to make, and would be rather fun
to play. I'm leaning more towards the "Loganbomb" idea, and I don't
know of anyone who would know Logan better than you. Here's the list
I'm thinking of making, it's at 1850:

----- HQ ----------------------------
Logan Grimnar

Playing Nids - Lessons Learned

 Ok, so a few of my thoughts after having gotten in a few more games.

-The hardest part is remembering to do everything in the correct order. Tervigons especially have a lot of things that happen at very specific places in the turn sequence (Catalyst, Spawning, Dominion, etc). In a tournament setting without being as practiced as I would like to be with the Nids we messed up the sequences quite a few times. I need to get more practice games in to overcome those challenges.

-So many Gants. Really, just... way too many Gants. Lol. Getting them all placed and moved is a real challenge, especially if terrain is tight or the board is getting cluttered. We were able to stay disciplined enough to not spawn until we needed them, but even then it was just... a lot of them.

-Feel No Pain is essential to survival, and Psychic Hoods easily stop Feel No Pain. Yeah, it's a problem. Especially when you can't seem to get a single psychic power off against a Hood in attempt after attempt. Stelek had talked about how necessary psychic defense has become in 5th edition. Effective psychic defenses can absolutely neuter a Nids army. I now have a lot of pity for my poor Nids opponents being faced by Njal's 3+ Runic Staff of "No really, fuck YOU."

Fuck Yeah Dawn of War

NardyPoontango said:

"I don't know anyone who's like "DoW, fuck yeah!" 

Well sir, I beg to differ: 

Yeah, I made that on Fuck Yeah Nouns, just for you.

Oh wait, you were talking about that shitty deployment type that everyone hates, not the PC game? Yeah, everybody hates that.

I actually said that during the tournament "I fucking hate Dawn of War." And got a chorus of the closest 2-3 people saying "Yeah, me too..."

GW Defender says:

"No, see, it's a narrative scenario in which patrolling forces meet in the pre-dawn darkness and rapidly call in..."

No. Just stop. I hate this deployment. Who's with me on this one?

Team Tourney Results

Ok, so we came, we saw, we conquered the majority of the time. It probably doesn't make for a great latin phrase, but it's still pretty good.

The Tournament  was using NOVA style missions. The only difference was that for two of the games the Objectives were deployed as per book missions rather than 5 centered in their respective NOVA locations. For the third mission the Objectives were deployed NOVA style.

Here was our lists:

Space Wolves

Logan Grimnar
Wolf Guard x 5, Terminator, Cyclone Launcher, Storm Bolter
Wolf Guard x 5, Terminator, Cyclone Launcher, Storm Bolter
Wolf Guard x 5, Terminator, Cyclone Launcher, Storm Bolter
Wolf Guard x 5, Terminator, Cyclone Launcher
Longfangs x 4, Lascannons x 4, Pack Leader

Hive Tyrant, Old Adversary, Heavy Venom Cannon, Tyrant Guard x 2
Tervigon, Catalyst, Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs
Hive Guard
Hive Guard
Hive Guard
Tervigon, Catalyst, Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs
Termagants x 10
Gargoyles x 10, Toxin Sacs

Prepping For Team Tourney

Drinking Beers, Painting Nids and watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand with my bud (and teammate).

Life don't get much better than this.

Spartacus is quite an awesome show, btw. Definitely not for the whole family, though.

I'm taking 1000 points of Loganwing, he's taking 1000 points of bugs. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Whoa... This is Awesome!

I had had a crazy thought about making a Silent Hill themed Daemons of Chaos army someday. Pyramid Head could be Skarbrand. Alessa on her bed would be Fateweaver. Blind Nurses as Daemonettes, etc. etc.

Cool idea, no?

Well someone apparently has done an amazing job already.  Go drool over these pictures. I'm not sure if he has done a Pyramid-head yet. I will have to chew through his archives.

Brilliant work.

Purgation Squads... Shooting Out of Land Raiders?

Thoughts on this? It's not something I would even try without seeing it FAQ'd, but it's one of those things that I 'feel' will be FAQ'd so that you can, indeed, shoot from inside of a Raider.

For reference, the rule says:

"the unit (and any accompanying character) can shoot at any enemy unit within range, even if they do not have line of sight to it or it is outside the distance they can see in a night fight. The target automatically has a 4+ cover save, (which cannot be modified by any means) against the attack. The squad cannot target an enemy unit that is embarked within a transport vehicle."

Now, the rule says the unit can shoot at any enemy unit within range. It goes on to clarify that this EVEN INCLUDES units that they don't have line of sight to, or are outside of nightfighting range. It doesn't limit the ability to ONLY those units that are outside of line of sight or outside night fight range. It says any unit within range. It goes on to make a single exception to this ability, which is if the ENEMY unit is embarked on a transport.

I'm not saying this is clear. I'm just saying I would lay 10 bucks on GW ruling that this can happen, along with some crappy little fluff statement of the 'bolts flying through the warp and materializing in front of the enemy" or some such. I'm not saying it's certain (and I certainly wouldn't try it without a FAQ)... but I think that's going to be the outcome.

So let's say that it does work? How do we feel about this?

2 Land Raider Crusaders with Psybolts, 1 Full Purgation Squad combat squadded with 2 Psycannons in each...? That's a lot of firepower that doesn't need to get TOO close to put a hurting on you.

Not sure how I feel about it yet, really. It sounds like "fun" but not necessarily "good."

The Crusaders with Psybolts themselves seem like a no-brainer for anyone wanting run a Rock Army. I would name one of the Raiders "Silver Rain," lol.

Hobby Innovation - Slotted Magnets, Part II

Alright, well there's been some progress on my quest to achieve "non-spinny magnetized arms" as described in this post.

I sent a follow-up email to K&J Magnetic:


As a followup, I understand that the magnet material itself would be too brittle to machine these shapes into easily. However I also understand that many magnets have nickel cladding around them. A slight thickening of the cladding on the top and bottom of the cylinder would allow you to machine those shapes into the nickel. 

Subsequently I received a reply email from K&J Magnetics, which follows:

The nickel plating (actually a three layer nickel-copper-nickel plating) is applied by an electrolytic process in a thin, even layer.  It's not really practical/possible to add a super thick layer selectively (on only one surface).

You are moving towards describing a solution, though.  With neodymium magnets, it usually makes sense to move the complicated parts to another part.  For example, one could glue on the extra feature you're talking about.

Best Regards,

Michael Paul
K&J Magnetics, Inc.
www.kjmagnetics.com

Good Followup Thoughts From N.I.B.

 Range anxiety. Not just for electric vehicle owners anymore.

Yeah, I know not everyone will get that. Oh well.

From this thread:

"My thoughts - the difference is small enough for the issue to come down to personal preference, so I'd still (probably) go with rending claws. I don't want to pay premium to have a unit with a potential 24" assault range, for them to 'be forced' to stay within 18" of Swarmy. It's that potential 24" charge that will disrupt enemy timing and cause problems. If they go down to 18" charge like many other Tyranid units, you're wasting their potential.

I probably value the independence factor higher than you purgatus."

Raveners and Rending Claws... The Analysis

This is a lengthy post. If you don't have time come back to it later, or if you don't want to read through an exhaustive analysis including much joyous maths, skip to the bottom.

Ok, so as promised I will go in depth on the reasons behind the omission of rending claws on my Raveners in this Ard Boys list. As per usual, my partner in crime SinSynn will be coming along shortly to tell you all how wrong I am. ;D

To begin, please rest assured that I did not arrive at this decision lightly. As with almost everything else around this game, I devoted approximately 10r quanta of effort to this decision, where r is equal to the amount of effort one should reasonably invest into something that is, after all, just a bunch of plastic dolls and dice.

That being said... on to the analysis!

People Say the Nicest Things...

Long story short purg, you're an inspiration. Best overall is one of 5 sites I link to from www.needsmoregrimdark.blogspot.com, including YTTH, 3++, HoP, and a local fellow.

Keep up the good work!

-Jalil

Well gosh, thanks!

It's really motivating to have people say nice things about the work you do. I greatly, greatly appreciate it.

Also, if you wanted a link to your blog posted in a semi-prominent place, there are worse ways to go about it... ;D 

Now I need to take some of this positive mojo, go finish a bike ride, and write a kick-ass analysis of Raveners and Rending Claws! 

Tyranids Ard Boys Thoughts - Swarmlord

Here's a stab at a Swarmlord list for Ard Boyz. It follows the rules for using Swarmy: make as much use of his unique abilities as possible and protect him properly. C&C are welcome, as always.

To start, you should read this post where I talk a bit about using the Swarmlord. I go into a pretty decent level of detail and I stand by my statements there. Here is a nice excerpt if you don't want to read the whole thing (but you should!):

"But I think if we take Swarmy it needs to be because it brings something to the army that you can't get in a Hive Tyrant (who is, frankly more survivable in most situations when you use the points you save to give him another Tyrant Guard or a Prime escort and/or a 2+ armor save, or something else that's scary for your enemy to worry about). Preferred Enemy bubbles are better support for Gaunt swarms. Yeah you have a little micro-Null Zone but you are better off using the points to buy a Bonesword equipped Prime and just tossing down more swings, right?"

More SinSynn

I had a pretty lengthy post here, but I've decided to shelf it for the time being. I am looking forward to SinSynn's list. There's a fine line between a debate and an argument and I want to be careful about that.

40,000... Page Views! (And 100 Followers)

This is a pretty big milestone. 40k page views. And 100 followers! Not bad for just a few months...

Pretty good time to say thanks to everyone who has been supportive of the blog in various ways.

To all you silent readers, thanks for sticking around. Now start commenting!

To everyone who contributes by way of comments, thank you very much. You may not know but bloggers sometimes get burnt out and lose motivation. Having comments on your posts lets you know that your readers are interested in what you have to say.

SinSynn Pities The Fool... (the Fool Being Purgatus In The Current Example).

What? 

That's an awesome article title!

Anyways, SinSynn has sent me another installment of his (now) three part instructional seminar on "how to not blow at Tyranids."


The crappy part was that he expected me to, ya know, provide some sort of input. And that takes time. And energy. 


Sigh. Anyways, I'll do my best. Here's his email with my comments snowmobiled in:

Dual Tyrants...done right? We shall see, worthy opponent!
By SinSynn

Weekend Update - Nids, Terrain and... biking?

 
Ok, I'm going to start with a minor rant.

Who. The fuck. Designed the Tyrant Guard?

This model, is completely impossible to assemble. The legs don't line up with the body. It's just a mess.

Anyways...  making some progress on painting, but trying to get those freaking Tyrant Guard assembled really has been slowing me down.

I have a lot of painting to complete before next Saturday.

I also picked up some terrain down at the FLGS. It's the Gothic City Ruins 1 kit from Pegasus Hobbies.

Rather than take a bunch of photos, etc. I'll just link to this nice review of the set.

Hobby Innovation - Slotted Magnets?

I just sent a popular magnet company the following email. Pasting it is easier than retyping all my thoughts.

Hello,

I am a hobbyist (as I'm sure many of your customers are), specifically in the 40mm miniature wargaming arena. I frequently magnetize components of my miniatures (often the arms) to allow me to swap out arms with different weapons. This requires me to use two magnets - one inserted into the torso of the model at the joint and one in the shoulder of the arm. Axially magnetized magnets offer free pivoting motion around said axis. In some applications this is desirable, such as magnetized turrets that you want to be able to spin freely. In other instances this results in models which will splay their limbs all over the place when they are handled.

No New Post Tonight

Had to catch up on some work, and I figure the discussion isn't really done on the last post from Sin. Until I see a part II from him, or have a good batrep for ya, I'm probably going to sit tight.

More Nids! SinSynn Schools Purgatus - Purgatus Takes It Like A Man

Hmmm.... well looks like 'someone' finally got enough time to write your's truly a thorough email to 'debunk' my Dual Tyrant test list. I will be "lightly" snowmobiling this email, just to correct any specific factual errors, but will suspend a full response until I see Part 2 (and 3? who knows...). As it stands it's a bit early to be rebutting his argument because I don't think the argument has really been fully made yet. 

Without further ado:

MAKING DUAL TYRANTS WORK, part 1

By SinSynn

:)

Let's take a look at Purgatus' Dual Tyranid list, and see if we can't identify WHAT'S WRONG, and fix it.

Donate to Support Japanese Disaster Relief

USAID provides this link for locating appropriate aid agencies to donate to. In disasters such as these the best support you can provide is cash donations to a reputable aid organization. This allows them to buy the supplies and pay the staff they need to get the work done.

Interaction Members in Support of Japanese Earthquake Response

And while the devastation in Japan is overwhelming, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ongoing emergency in Libya. You can find information on donating to Libya relief as well as to other needs here:

ReliefWeb

Both of the above sites are provided by referals through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a federal agency which takes the lead in providing outreach on behalf of the U.S. Government. The United States has long been an extraordinarily generous donor both publicly and privately to global need.

Even if you are prompted to donate (like I was) by a large disaster, remember that the best donations you can provide are "Where the need is greatest" rather than earmarking your donation for a specific emergency. For the record I made my donation to the American Red Cross which works closely with Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations globally to respond to emergencies.

I'm not going to turn this blog permanently into what it's not. This will be my last post here on this subject.

But in the midst of our wealth and prosperity, sufficient to allow us the luxuries of playing with plastic toys and pretending it's "serious business," it wouldn't hurt to donate "a blister" (or more) of funding towards a something a bit more serious.

Thanks for bearing with me. My prayers are with the people of Japan, Libya, and the countless other places in the world suffering for a myriad of reasons that the global media do not deem notable enough to make it to the nightly news.

And Now For Something Completely Different - Nuclear Safety!

This is an excellent article which clearly explains what happened (and is happening) inside of the Fukushima reactor impacted by the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami.

Did you read it? No. Go back. Read it.

It would be a true tragedy if our country were to turn away from one of the few cost effective, clean and safe energy options out there because of the fear-mongering of the media that knows they will get lots of viewers if they use scary buzzwords like "nuclear," "radiation," and "meltdown" (with lots of Chernobyl references thrown in for spice).

Finished My Home Gaming Table!

Well, finished enough to put models on!

I was just talking to Chappy about next steps, taping the seams with drywall tape, putting some texturing down etc. Then I need to start on some terrain - I have enough extra Masonite to get going on that too.

All in all, I'm really pleased. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's a pretty solid table, definitely not going to take a spill while playing. I'll put some comments into the photos to point out some of the pertinent details.

Ahhh... What the Hell Google?

Ok, so someone found my blog using the keyword search: "overall, good to be a jerk."

Sonofa... I mean I know I've been a little harsh lately but, well, dammit Google, you go too far!

Thoughts on 6th

Ok, well I might as well jump on this bandwagon. Everyone's talking about 6th edition. I'm sure you've all heard the chatter. The main topic of discussion is who will be in the starter box. Well, odds seem to be on Sisters and Chaos Space Marines, which would be fine. Or they could, ya know, release something completely different. Maybe traitor Guard as their own codex? Maybe they stumble across a lost human civilization that doesn't want to play nice with the Empire, like often happened in the Great Crusade?

Yeah, it's probably Sisters and Chaos. Whatever.

Here's my thoughts in a nutshell, I hope that this is more like the transition from 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons to 3.5 D&D, and less like the D&D transition from 3.5 to 4.0. Make sense? 

Ensure that it's backwards compatible. I'm not saying every awesome army list from 5th should be awesome in 6th. I'm saying that I don't want 5th edition codexes to be invalidated by the edition change. I think the designers can do this if they are thoughtful in their approach. Codex Creep is a fail approach to game design, and is not necessary if they do their work right. I think they've figured this out at this point, but who knows what the future will hold.

A few "wishlist" items:

-Make vehicles like Landraiders more survivable.
-Streamline the wound mechanic. It's not that it's unfair or broken or cheesy. It's really not. But it is time consuming!
-Move the storyline forward. Kill the emperor, save the emperor, launch a Black Crusade. I could give a shit less. Just move forward in some way.
-Give us a new Xenos race. Something different.
-Make cover additive with armor instead of substitutive. A Marine in cover ought to be more resilient against normal shooting than a marine in the open. I think that the 8th edition mechanism of reducing to hit rolls is a nice thought in that direction, plus it "feels" more realistic.
-A general commitment to balance and clarity. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Anyways, that's my .02 to add to the pile of pennies clanging around the internetz.

Pandorum Is a Kickass Movie - Also, Got Some Painting Done

Seriously, an awesome movie. The spiritual successor of Alien, for sure.

I'm sure it would have been a great movie to paint to - but wifey couldn't sleep so we ended up watching it together. It's the second time I've seen it, but it's still great.

Anyways, I'm off to bed. I finished assembling 10 Gargoyles, got my base colors laid on 2 more Hive Guard and a Tervigon, and started my carapace layering process on the Tervigon. Not bad for a night's work.

Anyone else get some hobby in tonight?

Painting Night Tonight...

Been working on my Tyranids for a few hours. Making good progress but it is highlighting how far I have to go. I'm not sure if I can get 1000 points of Nids AND 1000 points of Guardians done by the 26th, so I'm really hoping that the TO allows special characters so I can use my Space Wolves.

Anyways, I'm drinking a Rockstar and watching Hellboy on Netflix. Life is good.

I got some brand new brushes, and I'm trying to take good care of them. If anyone has any links to some good brush care tutorials, let me know.

Drop Pods/Loganbomb - Destroyed by FAQ-nerf?

 Logan bomb. It's only funny because no one got hurt.

From this thread, where I unveil my new, slightly more kick-ass than before Loganwing army, Lyracian commented:

"As I understand the new FAQ - Even with Logan the Long Fangs can not fire their Multi-melta's on the drop. So are you not just painting a massive target on their head? Is the idea to drop them into cover near the enemy and then snipe away?"

Your understanding is incorrect.

But don't worry, you have company in that.

I have heard this around the shop so many times since the FAQ...  can we please just squelch this bad info now? This is what happens when people read "for the gist of it" and key in on specific words instead of reading carefully.

Recruiting New Players - Doubles Tourneys

These ladies will PROBABLY not be attending our doubles tourney. But maybe.

So, I'm a pretty firm believer that 90% of the time tournaments are simply not great places for "new players" to be. I know that some TO's like to justify lower points levels by saying that it's more "new player friendly."

Well, "meh" to that.

It's not that new players should be actively discouraged from participating in tournaments, but a tournament is not the best place to be learning the rules of the game, can we not agree?

Plus, when you cater to newer players at your tourney, I think you often make sacrifices on the other side and more experienced players looking for a good competition leave unsatisfied. If you take away the tournament "end game" for 40k (yes I know not everyone likes playing tourneys, but that's how I think of them) then you take away a critical element of 40k.

Reader Email: Null Deployment Nids

Pretty long email, here it comes:

Hey there, just wanted to say thanks for the recent Tyranid features ; it’s getting harder and harder to find upbeat postings online about the bugs. Thought I might try to capitalize on that, and see if I could get some advice on the following tournament list. The tournament itself isn’t until the 26th, so I’ve got some time left to make changes.

Currently sitting at 1847/1850, it’s designed to be a null deployment army, although there are situations where I can see starting some of the units on the table. I went with null deployment because I still haven’t found a reliable way to get my swarm across the table without being shot to pieces. Really looking forward to hearing how your foot swarm does on that front. Anyway, on to the list.

HQ:
Hive Tyrant w/ Wings, lashwhip and bonesword, Paroxysm, Leech Essence, Hive Commander, TL BL devourers – 270

Well NOW I Feel LIke a Jerk...

Ghostin over at Midlife Gaming Crisis put up a post recently that made me kind of sad.

"Purgatus' comment about not reading much on this blog is pretty much spot on.  I don't have the play pedigree that Purg does - this is a blog about discovery, and not the viewpoint of a tourney vet... What I'm getting at is my maunderings probably shouldn't be taken as gospel in a head-to-head against a tourney vet; but by all means - discuss, question, flame, what-have-you away - we're all better for it in the end."

I already left a long comment on his blog, but I just wanted to make a few things clear.

I am a pretty sharp dude, and a decent writer. I think those things in combination are why people listen to me.

But I'm not a "tourney vet." I mean, sure compared to some maybe, I've been to my share of RTTs over the last few years and done well. But I've only ever attended ONE Grand Tournament.

One.

Reworking My Loganwing - Now With More Melta

The things you can do with the internets.

Anyways, I have a local tourney coming up later this month that I hope to attend. I will be bringing Wolves because they are my "finished" army.

Don't worry, progress on the Nids is both steady and in a relatively 'forwardish' direction.

But for now, Wolves.

So I've been giving this a lot of thought. I want to make best use of the model collection I have, but also take the army to the next level and make it a bit more balanced. Most of you probably read my  "Putting the Tools Back in the Toolbox" post and some of my followup posts as I explored ways to rebalance my Loganwing.

Strange Rules Question - Wargear Wolves in Assault

 Silly Wolves. The rules don't apply to YOU!

From this thread, Behemothh said:

"And I do understand the IC rules, but the wargear fens being a separate unit can be useful - more so than a retinue sometimes. Say your lord and 2 pets charge a unit of hammernators. Your opponent has to get into b2b with unengaged models in the reaction move, so you're basically mitigating a lot more damage than you could with a retinue, and you dont risk losing combat by a *ton* because at most, 2 fens are dying for your increased mitigation, thats all, for 4pts more per wolf. Sometimes it keeps things like hidden fists away for a turn too." 

Well, not having access to the rules or the codices at work (Yes, I wrote the list in that comment thread from memory. Yes, I am a massive dork for having the points values from C:SW memorized) I wasn't able to double check on something niggling in my mind about this statement.

Email in: Hybrid Space Wolves

Hi Purgatus,


Long time reader of YTTH, 3++ and now best overall here - and I've finally got a couple questions about a list, and I'm curious to get some additional takes on it. Overall, it is a mech SW list, but I want to get away from the scouts+WG that i'm getting so bored with in my elites slot. Also trying to make a play off thunder bubble. Thunder-wolf-bubble maybe. I orginally wanted 3 lords, each with 2 pups, each attacked to one Twolf with either Fist/Claw depending on what the lord had - but I just cant find the points to make it work. Maybe you can? I also originally had the dreads as combat-support but, eh, I think riflemen are better, and still able to tie units up until the lords get there to dig them out. need 30 points freed up for that, though.


2000/2000 as it stands

Gmort's Take on Swarmlord - My Response

"I am so fucking awesome." - Swarmlord

Gmort's List:

HQ: The Swarmlord (1#, 280 pts)
1 The Swarmlord @ 280 pts

: Tyrant Guard Brood (2#, 130 pts)
2 Tyrant Guard Brood @ 130 pts (Lash Whip)

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)
2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Elite: Hive Guard Brood (2#, 100 pts)
2 Hive Guard Brood @ 100 pts

Tyranids - SinSynn's Riposte (Reposted)

Yeah, I'm hilarious.

Anyways, SinSynn said this:

Purgatus, I'm sorry to say that neither of those lists has enough killing power.
I know furious charging, preferred enemy poisonous 'gants sound great.
They're not.

Two Hive Tyrants can be avoided, blocked, fed speedbumps, etc.
The Tervigons and T-Fexes, Hive Guard, etc. are fine, but you need something besides the Gargoyles and 'Gants to handle your assaults. You don't honestly think you're going to outshoot other armies with the Tyranids, do you?
Sorry to say, but that looks like your plan.

Save the Parasite for fun games, as well. Or run in him in a list built around him.

Can I recommend that you maybe hit the Tyranid Forums at YtTH? Or go hit Synaps3 or Mid-Life-Gaming crisis- http://midlifegamingcrisis.blogspot.com/
for list ideas?
Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm really trying to save you some frustration with the Tyranid learning curve.
DO NOT RELY ON 'GANTS FOR YOUR OFFENSE.
It's the most common mistake I see in Tyranid lists. 

Ahhh... a challenger approaches.

Which is great, by the way. I'm no Nids Guru. I can tell you where I see flaws, but that doesn't mean I have the answers. I'm much more comfortable with Wolves and Nilla Marines (but aren't we all, really)? And I'm not trying to avoid the Nids learning curve. That's why I'm here. ;D

A Little Bit O' Hobby - Working On My Gaming Table

Ever since we bought our own house, I've dreamed of having my own gaming table at home. This was always something I had thought about in the kind of vague "wouldn't it be great if.." type of way, but never really did anything about. But I was really inspired by Dan Nyhil recently when he posted about creating his own home gaming table. SO I set out to make my own. Here's what I am working with as a base: From Gaming Table

Tyranids - Let's Continue the Discussion, Shall We?

Alright, it's been a while since we've talked about Nids list building. I've been spending a lot of time painting the big bugs lately which has been satisfying, but after a while of seeing the basics of the army come together it makes me want to work on the army list and try some different things out.

This post over on 3++ by Archnomad got me thinking. I don't disagree with anything he said - he's laid out the problems of the codex in clear and succinct way.

The challenge of building a Tyranids list (and one of the reasons I like them so much I guess) is that you are really forced into lots of trade-offs. If you gain one thing here, you lose one thing there. And by the way, certain things you need only fit in certain slots. Sounds like a puzzle, huh? That's why I like it!

Anyways, I do agree that Nids face an uphill battle. But they are certainly not anywhere near, say, the current Necrons (though hopefully that's not the case for long!). Nids ARE an army you can compete with.

Saturday Night Gaming - 2 Mini Batreps (Loganwing vs Tau/Imperial Fists)

Well, having spent the better part of the last several days deep-cleaning and sanitizing my house due to my kiddo getting sick, I finally felt like I had the situation under control enough to do something other than scrub floors.

On a related note, I have been thinking about the Parasite of Mortrex a lot over the last few days. I think I'm going to write an article about that soon...

Yeah, yuck. Don't have kids, they are gross, lol. (Just kidding, I love my kiddos, but parenting is not for the weak of stomach).

Anyways, I headed out to my FLGS by way of Costco. ("Yes honey, I can do the grocery shopping. Say, while I'm in town I think I'm going to swing by the game store and maybe rolls some dice.")

Sneaky, I know.

IHOP Front Page Authorship... I Accept

Email from Lauby:

Purgatus -

As we continue to build up the HoP, we feel like we've pretty much got all the painting, modeling and lifestyle stuff we need for the moment and we're looking to add some solid tactical/gameplay authors (especially ones with P&M  street cred).  This is where you come in:

Dethtron and I really dig your stuff and we got to thinking -  We'd like you write for us.  We're pretty flexible as to the when and even the what (so long as its consistent and has a cool column name).  Most of what the column would be about is up to you and you don;t even have to do it weekly if you don't want.

Don't worry about hurting our feelings if you're not interested.  We're pretty tough guys.  Also our feelings regenerate at twice the normal rate of other men.

Anywho, just let us know.

-John/Lauby

Family Semi-emergency - No blogging for a bit.

I am dealing with a medical thing with one of my kids that's taking up every spare minute this week. I will be back as soon as I can. Sorry.

Old Stuff Day - Feedback?

I'm assuming most of you have read those articles already, since I got virtually no comment action... correct? Or are you all just bored?

Old Stuff Day - Following Your Heart, Using Emotions to Gain Victory in 40k Part II: Getting Into Your Opponent's Head

Another post for Old Stuff Day.  While not quite as funny as the first part in this mini-series, I think it still makes good points. Originally posted here on Yes The Truth Hurts.

You’ve all seen, I hope, this classic moment in modern cinema:

Indiana Jones, running through the streets of Cairo. Suddenly, in front of him appears a robed and cowled figure. The menacing individual pulls out a sword. Indy’s opponent proceeds to engage in a dazzling display of swordsmanship, whirling and slashing wildly at the air in a clear attempt to intimidate Indiana with his utter badassness.

Then, in what is perhaps one of the best moments of the film (an unscripted moment, by the way), Indy calmly pulls out his revolver and shoots the swordsman in the chest. He falls down dead, and Indiana runs onward…

Two points should be drawn from this scene:

1) If the swordsman had any buddies standing around at that moment, one can assume they were thoroughly demoralized.

2) We can achieve similar victories, and similarly demoralize our opponent, by doing the same thing that Indiana did.

So what did Indy do? He got into his opponent’s head and figured out how his opponent thought the encounter ought to go, and then refused to play by his opponent’s rules.

P asked an excellent question in this thread:

“A bit more on how to counter this n00b-hammer please? Even if it’s the guy’s entire army, a land raider filled with Terminators and HQs is scary.”

Old Stuff Day - Following Your Heart, Using Emotions to Gain Victory in 40k Part I: Bad Relationships

Wow that's a long title. I'm going to blow up some blog rolls with that one, lol. Here's another post for Old Stuff Day.


This is one of my favorite posts. It was originally posted here  on Yes the Truth Hurts. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Part I: Getting Out of Bad Relationships.

Old Stuff Day - Codex Creep Is Dead

Gx1080 asked for some of my Codex Creep posts. Turns out I've done quite a few on this topic, lol. Must be something I believe strongly in. 


For the record, having re-read what I said before, I still whole-heartedly agree with everything. The re-FAQ of Dark Angels and Black Templars only further expands and levels the "5th Edition Plateau" that most codexes are now on.

For the record,  I think the argument that there is an "anti-xenos" bias is a far more compelling one than the classic "codex creep" argument, which I think at this point is thoroughly disproven.

This article was originally posted here on Yes The Truth Hurts.

Old Stuff Day - Hobby Overload – Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Grey Armies (at least temporarily)

 BroLo, this one's for you man. I know how you've been struggling. 

Another for the "Best of Yes The Truth Hurts" section. I know a lot of people dug this post when I put it up last October. This post is in direct response to the "Old Stuff Day" celebration, which you can check out here. I'm scheduling this to go up EARLY in the morning, so hopefully it's not too late for some of you to participate.


Originally posted here, on Yes The Truth Hurts.


Re-presented here in all it's glory:

Hobby Overload – Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Grey Armies (at least temporarily)

What's Up With Purgatus, Old Stuff Day, Hobby, Etc.

Ok, well busy, busy, busy lately. The oldest kiddo has had a couple of basketball games in a row. That means getting home late, taking care of household stuff and then passing out. Combine that with the fact that I have been going in early to work to cover some short staffing issues and, well, posting is a bit thin.

But don't worry folks, I've got some good stuff in store for you tomorrow. I will be participating in Old Stuff Day, which is a nice excuse for me to dig through some of my older posts at Yes The Truth Hurts trying to find some long forgotten gems. I've found four that I think will amuse and entertain, and they are all scheduled to post up throughout the morning tomorrow. I hope you like them.

I also swung by the FLGS after work today for a quick minute, picked up some brushes, watched the opening maneuvers of a Tau vs IG game. Good stuff.

Chappy's birthday was today, so a big Happy Birthday to you man. Good friends are hard to come by, and particularly hard to come by are friends that live close by and share your passion for little plastic man barbies.

On a related note, Chappy and I have decided to build our own gaming table so we can throw down in a laid back environment with a few beers on a more frequent basis. It's tough for me to get out of the house with the family situation, even with the lovely and understanding wife that I have. Being able to stay in the house while getting a game in sounds like a dream come true. I have been thinking about this for a while, but Dan Nyhil really got the juices flowing with this guest blog post at Blood of Kittens.

Quick shout out. I know I've pimped Dan's blog over at YTTH, but if you aren't a reader yet, you are missing out. Check out his blog, Ten Inch Template. Dan's currently experiencing some medical issues which are preventing progress on his "Kabal of the Fursaken," but there's plenty of material there to read in the archives. Dan's a huge inspiration to me. Hope he gets better soon and gets with the posting.