WTF Dust?

So Battlefront was supposed to take over marketing and distribution for Dust starting this month, but nothing has happened.  Not even a "Hey something big's coming!".  All we got was the press release a few months back, and then nothing.   I'm sure Fantasy Flights selling off their existing stock still, but when that's gone what happens?

Oh well.  Guys at the south side Games Preserver are throwing a Dust Warfare tournament on July 20th at 10:00 AM.  I'll try to make it, but I'm not sure what the point level for the tournament is.

Space Elf Hoverboards

Still playing around with Blender to make me some Space Elf hover boards to print in 3D.  I've been making some progress, but I'm still learning the tool.  This is what I've got so far...

It's two linked together to save on the printing costs.  It's still a little rough.  The underside is pretty devoid of detail.  I don't want to add to much more because it will up the volume and the price.  Right now these two together will cost roughly $7.50 to print.  Throwing in a box of guardians to make the riders, a squad of 6 would cost about $60.  Still a bit more than I'd like, but it does save $20 bucks off of buying 6 Jet bikes directly from GW. 

It may be cheaper to print off a single set, and then cast more with a basic resin casting kit from the hobby store.  The lack of underside detail may be beneficial in that case since I could get away with using a one sided mold.  

Though getting the Guardians to make the riders are still the bulk of the cost.    

Wow - You did something good GW? Keep doing it. Less of the other stuff please.

So GW is releasing some digital content for devices other than the iPad.  When I first heard about it, it was only some 15 page fluff supplements for 5 bucks each.  Not very useful.  But now they added the Eldar Codex to the list.  For only $32.99.   That's like what a codex should cost in a sane world.  I'm floored.  An actual reasonable business choice that benefits their consumers.  Does this mean there's a new power behind the throne at GW?

This format apparently doesn't have the bells and whistles of the iBooks version.  Still, way worth it for the reduced cost.  Kind of sucks that they didn't release it until three weeks after the codex proper hit the shelves and most of us probably either already bought the print or previous digital edition.  I hope that this doesn't lead to poor sales for this version and hurt the prospects of future releases like this.

Of course, I rather like the iBooks versions.  While it's unfortunate that they are the same price as the physical book, the cross-referencing, automatic FAQ updates, and quick navigation make them very useful.  Especially in this edition where I've found that I need to double check some of more tedious special rules and tables frequently.  

Man of Awsome

Just want to let everyone know to ignore the reviews on Man of Steel.  I'm usually pretty trusting of the rottentomatoes score, but this is the bizarre exception to the rule.  I think it took a 15-20% percent hit because too many critics are overly invested in the old Reeves/Donner films.

MoS isn't a perfect movie.  It's got a few clunky issues, but overall it's a decent movie.  It has less problems than the latest Trek movie, and it easily beats out the non Robert Downey Jr. equipped Marvel films.  It's got none of the ironic snark of the Marvel films.  It's a much more serious move.  All the actors involved turned in great performances.  Crowe and Costner where awesome, and Shannon's Zod was one hell of a villain.

It's also the first time in live action where superman is actually super.  The action matches what he can do in animation and the comics.   A frakin' deisel locomotive gets thrown at someone's head!

Worth watching,  

Anyone Not Going to Tippcon?

Just wondering if anyone was going to be around Indy this weekend for 40K at G2D4.

How about some Eldar list with the new codex?

I put together a few 1850 point lists with the new book.  They look a lot like the lists I tried to run before the new codex came out.  That's what happens when a codex doesn't really do much to fix its internal balance issues.

Farseer w Spear, Runes of Witnessing
Karandras(or Asurman depending on my mood)
1x Warlock
5x Firedragons in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
5x Firedragons in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
9x Dire Avengers in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
9x Dire Avengers in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon

20x Guardians with 2 Brightlance platforms

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

This probably the first list I'm going to try out this weekend.  It's pretty balanced, but neglects anti-air.  I'm hoping laser-locked Scatter Lasers on Serpents will be semi-effective in that role.  Farseer, Warlock, and the Phoenix Lord attach to the guardian squad.  Pretty tough with stealth, shrouded, and hopefully Fortune from the Farseer.

Farseer w Spear, Runes of Witnessing
Karandras(or Asurman depending on my mood)
1x Warlock
5x Firedragons in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
5x Firedragons in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
6x Jetbikes w 2 Shuriken Cannons
6x Jetbikes w 2 Shuriken Cannons
6x Jetbikes w 2 Shuriken Cannons
6x Jetbikes w 2 Shuriken Cannons

20x Guardians with 2 Brightlance platforms

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

I like this a little better than the last one.  I just need to scrounge up the 24 jetbikes to pull it off.

Farseer
Karandras(or Asurman depending on my mood)
1x Warlock
8x Striking Scorpions
20x Guardians with 2 Brightlance platforms

10x Rangers

10x Rangers

10x Dire Avengers in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon 

10x Dire Avengers in a Waveserpent with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon 

5x Warp Spiders

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

Fire Prism w/ Shuriken Cannons

More of a foot hoard.  The Avengers go on foot in this list, and the Serpents act as pure gunboats. 

I'm not supper excited about these lists.  They're weak against flyers.  The Eldar skyfire options are just a little too expensive to take with out hamstringing the list against everything else.  I'll have  to hope I get lucky from Guide, Prescience, or Waveserpents.  I'm also thinking of tweaking these just a little to get the 15 points per serpent to give them Holofields for the +1 cover.

Eldar Codex Review Part 2 - Review Harder

I've been musing some more on the new units.  I'm still disappointed that there are some issues with the army that I thought should be addressed, but weren't.  Though it's not all doom and gloom.  I think some decent lists can be built from the codex.  So here's some stuff that's probably worth taking.

Farseers -  100 points for a level 3 psycher who gets divination, telepathy, and one of the Eldar tables.  You get enough rolls that you should get at least one good power.   The Farseer casting both prescience and  guide is probably the best way to get anti-air firepower in the book outside of a Crimson Hunter.

Phoenix Lords - Just Asurman and Karandras.  Don't know which one I like better.  Karandras hits harder with 5 S8 AP 2 I7 attacks in melee and has stealth and monster hunter.  Unfortunately he doesn't have an invul.  Asurman has a 4++ and can go to a 3++ in a challenge.  He also gets 3 rolls on the warlord table.  The only one you really care about is the one that lets you re-roll 1's on saves.  I want to use them to tank for  Guardian blob squads.

Scorpions - They get stealth now.  Their Exarch is also a pretty decent hitter and challenge specialist if you want to spend the 30 points for the Scorpion Claw.

Wraithgaurd/blades - I haven't looked at them too in depth, but they look promising.  The upgrade for flamer templates is pretty pricey.  I haven't considered them too much since I don't have any of the models.

Dire Avengers - I still like them.  Pseudo-rending Avenger Catapults are pretty nice.  Too bad the Exarch options are so expensive.  He has access to the probably the best upgrade list of any of the Exarchs, but it cost just too many points.  Dire Avengers and Guardians probably benefit the most from the new army wide rules.

Gaurdians - Very good.  BS4, plus catapult upgrade, plus 1 weapons platform per 10 guys makes them much improved.  Sad that I only have enough for one squad of 20.

Jetbikes - Very very good.  Wish I had 30.

Rangers - Priced better this edition.  I don't think taking Illic and upgrading to pathfinders is worth it.  Cheap sniper unit with stealth.

Waveserpent - Holy Snikeys. With a scatter laser and a Shuri-Cannon upgrade it gets 7 ST6 and d6+1 S7 shots twin linked.  And the S7 shots ignore cover.  That's your gun tank right there.

Spiders, Hawks, Spears - I'm on the fence about all three of these units.  I think each of them can work in the right list now. Better than they were, but not quite better enough.  We'll see.

Crimson Hunter - Maybe, 160 points for armor 10 is a bit underwhelming.  It does look ridiculously good at killing other flyers.  You'll have to deal with any interceptor units quickly before bringing it on the board.

War Walkers - Another unit I wish I had a dozen of.  Still a glass cannon, but a more appropriately costed glass cannon with a 5++.

Fire Prisms - The gun is better, and you don't have to sacrifice another prism's shooting to make it work.

Darkreapers - Better, but still way expensive.  Could work in the right list.            

Eldar Codex Review: or Where am I going to find $320 worth of jetbikes

Well I'm disappointed. I was hoping that I could un-box some of my neglected Eldar units, but if it was bad in the old codex it's still bad in the new one. The book really suffers from "the designers don't play this game"-itis.

The Good:
Pseudo-rending on shuriken weapons is pretty nice.  Costing on the heavy weapons for vehicles has also been fixed.  There seems to be a place for every heavy weapon in the army based on ability and prices.  The missile launcher seems a little costly, but not overly so.

Jetbikes are stupidly cheap in points.  For the cost of a marine you get a bike that's better than the marine equivalent.  The only problem is I'm not spending the ridiculous amounts of money it would cost to get a decent amount of them.

Overall the troops sections of the book is pretty strong.  Between Wraiths as troops and guardians you can go quality or quantity for scoring units.

The Meh:
Vehicle upgrades are overpriced.  Not that they're not good, it's just that with the cost of the vehicles in the codex, it seems like your making an overpriced option more overpriced.

War-gear in general is overpriced by 5-10 points per option.  The relics are the worst offenders here.  How can you justify 30-40 points for ap dash CC weapons that's good effects only trigger in a challenge?    Exarch weapons are also pretty annoying.  You're speeding about 26 points for the Exarch, then it's 15-20 points for a decent weapon, and a further 10-15 points per Exarch power.  The challenge effects from the powers are pretty cute, but spending 50+ points on a T3 1 wound model is not a smart play.

AP2 in Melee is very expensive in the army.  Which is probably a good design goal to have.  But keeping Necrons in the meta really screws up any attempts at a more reigned in design approach.  What's the point really?  Every army has the problem where they can play their own units, or ally in a Necron unit that does the same job better for cheaper.  

Really expensive skyfire options.

The heavy support slot is way overcrowded. It's where most of the good options are.  They should have not bothered with being able to switch Wraithgaurd to troops and should have instead done so with Aspect Warriors.  Banshees, Scorpions, and a few others might be worth taking if they where scoring.    

Random Psychic powers.  Not quite as bad as it could be since the BS boost to the army and having decent primus powers.  However, more than a few units only get good if you can manage to roll a particular power.

The Ugly:
The fundamental misunderstanding from the design team on how to fix Eldar.  They gave the army big offensive boosts and raised point costs as well.  Offensive power was never an Eldar weakness.  Even with how over-costed the last book was you could still put out a terrifying amount of good shooting.  The problem with Eldar is that they where too expensive for being T3 models with 4+ or 5+ saves.  The army needed either a points reduction or boosts to their survivability.

Codex by Copy-Paste.  They didn't bother to change anything about the Autarch.  I was mildly surprised they even remembered to remove their special rule about strategy ratings.  Banshees got some token changes, but not the rending or furious charge they would need to be remotely playable. There's barley enough changes in the book to justify a FAQ update.  It feels very much like a half assed or rushed effort.  I really feel cheated out of 50 bucks.

Edit: And there's a day one FAQ nerfing Shadow Weaver batteries.  Go figure.  One less thing to fight for a heavy support slot I guess.

Edit: Edit: Review Continued in Part II