Friday, January 14, 2011

Black Templar - Russell Crowe Style

                        
"On my signal, unleash Krak Missiles. Yes, with Tank Hunters."

So you remember the opening scenes of Gladiator? Maximus is in the barbarian lands of the north bringing them "into compliance with the imperial edict" (heheh). The barbarians come to pick a fight. Maximus instructs his men "on my signal, unleash hell." Remember the battle that followed?

Yes, I agree it was the coolest scene in the movie. But that's neither here nor there.

What I wanted to focus on was the Roman army's strategy. They unleashed an absolute deluge of firepower on their foes, arrows and ballistas and flaming oil. And they slowly but implacably advanced behind this onslaught of firepower. And once they got to their weakened foes they chopped them to bits.

That's pretty much how this army works. It's been talked about before, but this update makes them, in my opinion, a million times better. Tell me what you think.

Castellan, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield, Lightning Claw
Castellan, Terminator Armor, Storm Shield, Lightning Claw
Emperor's Champion, Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds
Terminator Command Squad x 3, Tank Hunters, Cyclone Launcher x 2
Terminator Command Squad x 3, Tank Hunters, Cyclone Launcher x 2

Sword Brethren Terminators x 5, Tank Hunters, Cyclone Launcher x 2
Sword Brethren Terminators x 5, Tank Hunters, Cyclone Launcher x 2
Sword Brethren Terminators x 5, Tank Hunters, Cyclone Launcher x 2

Initiates x 5, Neophytes x 2, Power Weapon
Initiates x 5, Neophytes x 2, Power Weapon
Initiates x 5, Neophytes x 2, Power Weapon
Initiates x 5, Neophytes x 2, Power Weapon

1993 Points.

So that's... 20 Relentless Krak Missile shots with Tank Hunters. That ought to do er. Plenty of anti-infantry too.

You can tweak it a bit. If you want the extra wound and point of leadership on the Castellans you can upgrade them. If you want weapons on the Initiate squads you can probably find the points. But the basic frameworks is just... brutal.

Oh, what a great time to be playing 40k. The new FAQs have injected a new life into some very old codices. There are of course so many new lists to think about but this particular army (albeit the Assault Cannon spam version) has always had a special place in my heart.