I got my Imperial Guard codex this Friday. I’ve been able to look it over and get familiar with some of the units and how the thing is laid out.

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Described in one word: evocative.

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The book has great art– some classics and some new art. But each picture evokes a certain feeling, like a picture of a valkyrie screaming over the battlefield after just dropping off an elite squad of storm troopers.

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There’s not a single thing I don’t like about the army list. It is chock full of goodies.

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First off, starting with Orks, then with Space Marines, and now with Imperial Guard, GW has been powering up each army. It’s not so much raw power, but giving lots of tactical options. I would say, though, that those three armies are intrinsically more powerful than the other lists.

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The first thing I like about the new Guard are the orders. There are like six types of Orders, which are issued during the shooting phase and require a leadership test to take effect. A Company Commander can issue two of them, and can choose from all six. A Junior officer (which can be part of a platoon ie part of a Troops choice) can issue one order a turn and has a more limited list.

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This definitely adds a huge layer of tactics to this list. The orders aren’t a small thing. My favorite one, “Take it Down” can be leveled at a vehicle or monstrous creature giving twin-linked to the target unit, for example, a unit of Lascannon teams.

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One thing I was glad to see is that Veterans are a troops choice. So, you don’t have to take whole platoons. I wish I still had my Lions Rampant! They would have done well under this list.

Storm Troopers (elites) hellguns are AP3.

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The thing I like the most is that tanks can be taken in squadrons, groups of up to three. Even valkyries can be taken in squadrons of up to three PER SLOT.

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Most troop choices cost less per model. Penal troops are 4 pts per model, your basic guardsman is down from 6 pts to 5 pts. And veterans are only 7 pts (this is a great value for +1 BS plus a load of options).

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Like other new codexes, this one has no Wargear section. All the options are written in the army list which is a lot clearer.

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The book is laid out very well, with header bars and page reference numbers.

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I predict that the hot unit of the book is going to be the battle psyker squad. This was the whipping boy of each previous incarnation of this list– a joke in the last one. But now they are just absolutely insane, a huge potential for shooting. And nevermind their key power, twhich is to reduce the leadership of enemy units.

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A battle psyker squad can have up to nine members plus an Overseer. The strength of their Soulstorm attack is equal to the number of psykers in the squad; 36″ AP (d6 roll) Assault 1, large blast. Need I say more.

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The other unit which you should “not leave home without” is the Master of Ordinance. He costs 30 points, and is an advisor to the commander. Every turn he can drop an unlimited range S9 AP3 large blast anywhere on the board. The only downside is that it scatters 3d6″ (1d6 less if he can see the target). That’s insane.

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The list also includes a ton of models that were normally only in Forge World supplement books. They can now be used in a normal army list.

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And on top of all that, the Guard list is traditionally the go-to for non-traditional figures: humanoid xenos, squats, and renegades (chaos-corrupted guard) to name a few. I would love to make a renegade legion using this list.

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The only problem with this codex is that yo’ll have a devil of a time settling on what units to include in your army. They’re all so cool!

If you read past blog posts, there are a lot of good deals and specials going. As follows:

There are four armies on the block. Here are the prices for this week, until May 25:

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Oceanic Eldar $1700 (buy it this week and get a matching Aeronautica Imperialis squadron of five forge world models)
Lizardmen $1200
Heru Sky Raiders $950
Space Wolves $250
Dark Elves $1450

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I have some Bretonnians that are 90% off if you commission them, 50% off if you just want to buy them.

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I have been taking stock at the studio and I have various bins full of goodies; unpainted figures mostly new in box/sprue. Warriors of Chaos, Lord of the Rings, Space Marines, and Bretonnians are the principle actors..If you are interested in commissioning at least half of the Warriors of Chaos (pretty sure at least enough here for two armies) you get the materials at half off. Total retail value here is $626..Unit Name QTY
Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount (2008 release) 2
Harry the Hammer Limited Edition 1
Lord of Nurgle on steed 2
Lord of Tzeentch on disc 1
Nurgle Chaos Sorceror (2008 release) 1
Wulfrik the Wanderer (2008 release) 1
Khorne Chaos Lord on Juggernaut (2008 release) 1
Warriors of Chaos (12 models) 1
Marauder of Chaos 76
Chaos Warhounds (10 models) 3
Marauder Horsemen (5 models) 2
Chaos Knights (5 models) 2 .If this were my army I would put the Harry the Hammer on foot and use the extra basework parts as embellishments on the chaos knight bases.

PS- I am on the hunt for an Ultraforge vulture demon.

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Would you like a Tau army painted in this color scheme? Get 10% off your painting during the month of May for picking this color scheme. Check here for prices or contact bluetablepainting@gmail.com for a quote.

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I was up and ready to go at 5:30am and so I started answering emails. I am completely on top of them, answering each one as it comes in. That’s how it should be. A goal I set some months back.

I arrived before Sarah this morning, an oddity. She was wearing her nerdly glasses on account of an irritated eye (from contact lenses?). We caught up on weekend events, got the place in order, and did a Morning Show.

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The weather got up into the 90s, way too hot for my taste, the first inkling of summer.

My wife came by with lunch (roast beef sandwiches, chips and hummus). I took Griffin across the street to the corner store for some candy. He loves to ride on my shoulders and says hi to everyone. He’s king of the world up there.

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I am currently booking projects for June. Now is the time, folks!

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There are four armies on the block. Here are the prices for this week, until May 25:

Oceanic Eldar $1700

Lizardmen $1200

Heru Sky Raiders $950

Space Wolves $250

Dark Elves $1450

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I don’t normally like to part with my armies, nor put them on the block for less than a decent price, but it’s time to clear out and catch up on some bills!

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I also have some slots open still for the Imperial Guard and Tank specials (see below).

Saturday night I collapsed from complete exhaustion and slept soundly through the night.

I like Sunday because I don’t do any work. It allows me to get away from the constant thrum of business concerns and focus on family and spiritual matters. And to read books (including army books!). As I mentioned, I have sworn off financial/political stuff for the rest of May. That has been harder than I thought. I realized how much politics I consume every day: probably two to four hours a day of books, TV, radio, internet (articles and video); with no stripe omitted (conservative, liberal, libertarian and even conspiracy theory stuff).

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I’ve been reading General Conference and some stuff by S. W. Kimball. I am also picking my way through C.S. Lewis’s Perelandra (third read– feels like the first), and a book of Aesop’s fables.

I’ve been working on a few articles for the blog about religion (temples and cosmic stuff). But I don’t think anything is going to come of it. If at least three people request it, I’ll put the rough draft up here later.

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I have had a profound personal transformation for the better recently. I can’t get into too any details, but it’s significantly changed my outlook.

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I got two of the kids ready for church in like five minutes; Kenna and Griffin came with me and we claimed our pew. Griffin was crawling all over me, literally up on my shoulders and almost upside down. So, we went out for a walk about halfway through. The baby and other son arrived later. My wife’s hair looked different and I liked it a lot, commenting about how great it looked on her, but she explained that it was not washed nor treated in any way, just thrown together. Well, she cleans up well. Isn’t that how that works.

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Joseph’s family was out of town so we had him over to dinner; corn on the cob, beef, artichokes, tamales, guacamole, washed down with crushed ice and home-squeezed lemonade. We played Magic until it was two hours past the kids bedtimes. My wife had fallen asleep in the other room.

So I got the kids to bed and laid to rest for the new week.

Here’s the list for the Bone Knights.

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HQ: Space Marine Captain (6#, 400 Pts)
1 Deimos @ 400 Pts
…in Power Armour; Command Squad
1 …in Power Armour @ [175] Pts
Frag Grenades; Iron Halo; Krak Grenades; Power Fist (x2); Digital Weapons; Artificer Armour
3 Command Squad @ [225] Pts
Bolt Pistol (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Lightning Claw (x1); Power Fist (x1); Thunder Hammer (x1); Combi-Plasmagun (x1); Plasma Pistol (x1); Apothecary; Company Champion
1 Apothecary @ [23] Pts
Bolt Pistol (x1); Chainsword (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Narthecium; Power Armour
1 Narthecium @ [0] Pts
1 Company Champion @ [0] Pts
Combat Shield; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Power Weapon

Troops: Tactical Squad (10#, 205 Pts)
9 Dronios @ 205 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x9); Bolter (x7); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer; Heavy Bolter
1 Sergeant @ [58] Pts
Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Fist; Combi-Meltagun

Troops: Tactical Squad (10#, 205 Pts)
9 Toruos @ 205 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x9); Bolter (x7); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer; Heavy Bolter
1 Sergeant @ [58] Pts
Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Fist; Combi-Meltagun

Elite: Sternguard Veteran Squad (6#, 230 Pts)
4 Ustaeos @ 230 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x4); Bolter (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Special Issue Ammunition; Combi-Meltagun (x3); Drop Pod
1 Sergeant @ [50] Pts
Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Special Issue Ammunition; Power Fist
1 Drop Pod @ [65] Pts
Deathwind Missile Launcher; Locator Beacon
1 Locator Beacon @ [0] Pts

Elite: Terminator Assault Squad (5#, 200 Pts)
4 Inayos @ 200 Pts
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield (x4)
1 Terminator Armour @ [0] Pts
1 Sergeant @ [40] Pts
Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield (x1)
1 Terminator Armour @ [0] Pts

Fast Attack: Assault Squad (5#, 140 Pts)
4 Beleos @ 140 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x3); Chainsword (x4); Frag Grenades; Jump Packs; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer
1 Jump Packs @ [0] Pts
1 Sergeant @ [58] Pts
Chainsword; Frag Grenades; Jump Packs; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Thunder Hammer
1 Jump Packs @ [0] Pts

Heavy Support: Devastator Squad (5#, 190 Pts)
4 Aditia @ 190 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x4); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Lascannon (x2); Missile Launcher (x2)
1 Sergeant @ [23] Pts
Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Signum; Chainsword
1 Signum @ [0] Pts

Total Roster Cost: 1570

Created with Army Builder
Copyright (c) 1997-2006 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved

I finally got to play against Renn’s Bone Knights today. It will take about four days to get all the video edited and up on Youtube. He’s going to send me his list later. Here is the list I played:

1500 Pts – Eldar Roster

HQ: Autarch (1#, 138 Pts)
1 Autarch @ 138 Pts
Unit Type: Jetbike Infantry; Fleet; Independent Character; Master Strategist; Turbo-boosters; Banshee Mask (BM); Forceshield (FShld); Eldar Jetbike (EJB); Power Weapon; Shuriken Pistol (Sp); Reaper Launcher (RL); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat) (x1); Haywire Grenades (HayG); Plasma Grenades (PG)

Troops: Dire Avengers (11#, 287 Pts)
9 Dire Avengers @ 287 Pts
Fleet; Avenger S-Catapult (ASC)
1 Dire Avenger Exarch @ [44] Pts
Fleet; Bladestorm (BS); 2 Avenger SC
1 Wave Serpent @ [135] Pts
Energy Field (Wave Serpent); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat); TL Bright Lances (TL-BL)

Troops: Dire Avengers (11#, 287 Pts)
9 Dire Avengers @ 287 Pts
Fleet; Avenger S-Catapult (ASC)
1 Dire Avenger Exarch @ [44] Pts
Fleet; Bladestorm (BS); 2 Avenger SC
1 Wave Serpent @ [135] Pts
Energy Field (Wave Serpent); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat); TL Bright Lances (TL-BL)

Fast Attack: Vyper Squadron (1#, 75 Pts)
1 Vyper Squadron @ 75 Pts
1 Vyper @ [75] Pts
Bright Lance (BL); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat)

Fast Attack: Vyper Squadron (1#, 75 Pts)
1 Vyper Squadron @ 75 Pts
1 Vyper @ [75] Pts
Bright Lance (BL); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat)

Fast Attack: Vyper Squadron (1#, 75 Pts)
1 Vyper Squadron @ 75 Pts
1 Vyper @ [75] Pts
Bright Lance (BL); TL Shuriken Catapult (TL-Scat)

Heavy Support: War Walker Squadron (3#, 240 Pts)
1 War Walker Squadron @ 240 Pts
Scouts
1 War Walker @ [80] Pts
Starcannon (StrCan); Starcannon (StrCan)
1 War Walker @ [80] Pts
Starcannon (StrCan); Starcannon (StrCan)
1 War Walker @ [80] Pts
Starcannon (StrCan); Starcannon (StrCan)

Elite: Striking Scorpions (6#, 123 Pts)
5 Striking Scorpions @ 123 Pts
Mandiblaster (Mb); Scorpion Chainsword (SCs); Shuriken Pistol (Sp); Plasma Grenades (PG)
1 Striking Scorpion Exarch @ [43] Pts
Mandiblaster (Mb); Scorpion Chainsword (SCs); Scorpion Claw (SClaw); Plasma Grenades (PG)

Heavy Support: Night Spinner (IA) (1#, 200 Pts)
1 Night Spinner (IA) @ 200 Pts
Twin Linked Shuriken Catapult; Night Spinner; Holo-Field (Vehicle) (H-F); Spirit Stone (V:SpStn); Vectored Engines (VE)

Total Roster Cost: 1500

Created with Army Builder
Copyright (c) 1997-2006 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved.

Check out these two Chaos Lords.

I think this would be a great color scheme for a Chaos Space Marine army, too.

Remember, we have a Warriors of Chaos army on the block