Initial Night Spinner Tactica

Why is this an Initial Tactica? Because I've only used it once in a game. I know it's not a good idea to post a Tactica on a unit you've only used once, but hear me out. The game in where I used the Night Spinner was an epiphany, it really opened up my eyes. I feel that with GW just giving one new unit to the Eldar, they have been updated and have a better chance against the big boys (Guard, BAs, SWs). After using the Night Spinner, my mind has been working overtime thinking of new ways to use this awesomely versatile tank.

First off it's Barage, so you don't need LOS. It has a range of 12-72" and with this vehicle being a Fast Skimmer, you can reach out and touch who ever you want. Str 6 with Rending Large Blast is more powerful than you think. I know there's no AP on the weapon but so what. Most of the time you will be rolling 2s to wound infantry and the random Rend thrown in there is pretty sweet as well. I feel that the kicker to this weapon is against vehicles. Str 6 Rending on Side Armor is nothing to scoff at. This weapon will reliably pop open transports. If you're going up against an army with some vehicle squadrons (I'm looking at you Guard), even better because you only need an Immobilized in order to get a kill.

The Spinner Weapon's base stats on it's own is nice but the Monofilament Web is the real star of the show when it comes to the Night Spinner. Anything getting hit with the large template has to make a Difficult AND Dangerous terrain check next time they move for any reason. Re read that last sentence and let it sink in for a bit. Giving an ability that slows down your opponent to the fastest army in the game is such a huge advantage it's not even funny. This makes Eldar even faster then before because of the Difficult and Dangerous terrain checks your opponent needs to make. By being even faster than you opponent, you open up a brand new book of tactics involving setting up your opponent by out maneuvering him/her. Being able to slow down that 30 Boy Ork mob by just an inch could give you another round of uncontested shooting or a chance to get that Wave Serpent moved over to a flank.

Maneuvering is one advantage, but making your opponent make those Difficult and Dangerous terrain checks is huge. Your opponent might only fail one or two Dangerous Terrain checks for infantry units but think of it as a free kill. Your weapon is supposed to do the killing, anything else you get from the Web is a bonus when it comes to Infantry. Now even if that unit has to fall back they still have to make those Dangerous terrain checks, so if your opponent makes a really bad roll, you might get lucky and wipe that unit out.

The Web rule against vehicles is the true strength of the Night Spinner. Immobilizing a vehicle can really put a damper on things. Keep in mind the rule states anything HIT with the Web has to make the terrain checks, you don't need to wound or glance or pen. I have been thinking of using this to my advantage against Mech Guard. They tend to clump up their tanks real close to one another so I would be able to get multiple tanks with one Night Spinner hit. It's also good for high AV tanks. For example you have a Land Raider that you know is going to be rammed down your throat. If you hit it with the Spinner and it fails it's Difficult Terrain, it's Immobilized, and we all know that a Immobilized LR is a huge blow to it's owner. Now if there's a squadron of vehicles (Killa Kans or Leman Russes), you will destroy a vehicle if any of them get Immobilized.

You get all of this versatility for only 115 points! I think GW has done an amazing job with adding this tank to the Eldar arsenal and I honestly feel that just adding one unit makes a huge difference to an army. Please GW, do this with other armies.

So what are your thoughts? Any tips or tricks you can think of? Are you one of people out there thinking this tank is overprice, or overpowered? Sound off and let us know!

Order of Operations, or How Do You Write Your List?

List writing, probably the most important part of 40K. Without a list you simply can not play a game of 40K. Now I'm not going to talk about min maxing vs themed fluffly lists, I wanna talk about how you make a list, not what type.

Where do you create your lists? Are you the type that sits down and uses the old school pen and paper or are you the type that uses Armybuilder? I am the type that uses the basic text editor on my Mac. I just sit back, put on some tunes, light up a cig and get to work. I have contemplated getting Armybuilder but it's not available for Mac and I don't want to have to use my netbook all the time to make lists. I also wouldn't be able to use Armybuilder with home brew codexes. 

Now that we have the setup out of the way, let's get to the main point of the article. In what order do you write your list? I mean specifically is there a specific order you write your list? For about 95% of my lists I always start out with my HQs. I think this might be a force of habit because I'm a Black Templar player and it's mandatory to have The Emperor's Champion in any list over 700 points. Even when I'm making an Eldar list I normally start with the HQ choice. I tend to use Eldrad a lot and when I do I center the whole list around him because he is such an effective HQ choice. Now if I go with an Autarch, I'll still put him in first because odds are if I'm running one, I'm playing the reserves game. If I'm running a Seer Council I'll put them in first because they are the primary focus of the list, everything else supports them. Even if I'm running multiple HQs, I still normally put them in first. I'll throw a Chaplain in a LRC with a squad of 10 Initiates and 5 Neophytes so that way the whole squad will be rerolling to hit on the charge (Neophytes don't benefit from the EC's preferred enemy vow). Depending on the situation, I'll split the Chaplain off from the squad when they disembark from the LRC in order to take something else out (Leman Russ Squadrons hate my Power Fist Chaplain). 

I think the only time I don't base a list around my HQ choice is when I'm running a LRC full of Furious Charge BT Terminators with Twin Lightening Claws. They are such an effective hammer unit I have to be able to use them to their full potential, so everything else in the list supports them. 

I don't think I have ever really made a list where I put down my troops first. I have heard of a lot of people doing so but I guess I'm just different in that regard. Maybe there is still a portion of 4th Edition inside of me that refuses to let go.

So share you thoughts or techniques with us. Do you write lists in the same manner as I do? Am I totally missing the boat by not starting out with troops? How do you get in the zone to write lists? Does anyone start out their list with Fast Attack or Heavy Support?

A Change of Pace or How to rid your reliance on the +3 Save

So my buddy Rich (or Tricky Dick if you listen to DLT) has a problem. I think he finally realized that he is burnt out on Space Marines. I would be too if that's all I played since 3rd Edition (not counting his stint in the Navy). Granted he switches things up and plays Chaos Space Marines and Necrons but in my book they are all the same type of army. I kind of know where he's coming from because my main army is Black Templars and I get burnt out with them as well from time to time.

The thing that these armies have in common is the awesome +3 armor save. Marines and their equivalents (necrons and other MEQs) are all tough as nails because of toughness 4 and armor save of +3. They also have a high ballistic skill of 4. I know almost all of you already know this but when you compare those stats to other non MEQ armies, their stats are pretty damn good.

I feel that people who only play MEQs rely on those stats too much and it kind of becomes a crutch. When said person goes up against an army that is built around solely killing MEQs, they become lost and helpless in a way. Their safety net is taken away from them because a good MEQ killing list does whatever it can to strip away the +3 save.

This is why I am a huge supporter of having a second army. Not just any kind of second army (I'm sorry but Blood Angels or Space Wolves don't count if you are already playing Vanilla Marines) but a non MEQ army, preferably Xenos. This is what I did by going with Eldar as my second army. Something that is totally different from what you normally play. I had a hard (but fun) time learning how to play an army that was toughness 3 and did not have +3 armor saves. It's a fact that if you try to play Eldar in the same manner you place Space Marines you will get your ass handed to you. I eventually learned the tricks of playing Eldar and I loved it because it was so different from my Templars. I was no longer burnt out and when I eventually went back to playing with my Templars I honestly felt like I became a much better player. I knew first hand how it feels not to have power armor to rely upon so I had to make smart tactical decisions and learn how to deploy and move and use cover. The jumping back and forth between my two armies is what keeps me fresh and eager to always want to play 40K.

So if Rich or anyone that is in his predicament is reading this, give a second army a whirl. Be warned, there is a high learning curve when you switch from MEQs to Xenos, but it is greatly rewarding. It will make you a better player in the long run and will prevent you from being burning out. I also hear the new Tyranid Codex is just begging for someone to figure out the hidden gems that are inside so give that a shot! (I honestly believe it is not as underpowered as everyone makes it out to be, but that's another topic).

So what's your second army, or what do you plan on using as a second army? Were you in the same predicament as Rich? How did you get out of your slump? Share your thoughts :D