...in which I discuss 40K ideas, and review a local store.

So the other Necron player in the area that I know loves to go heavy on the Necron Destoryers to basically out flank and riddle his opponents with gauss fire. It is pretty effective, as I have been on the recieving end of that fire myself. I also hear it's a really popular tactic, so that makes me want to steer clear of using it. I like to be more innovative with my armies, and definitely make my opponent second guess his tactics against me.

So, after much thought, I've come up with an army list I'd like to try.




It may or may not be a new idea, but tactically I think it will catch a lot of local players off guard. It will be a while before I can field this army, mostly due to having to buy a lot of these pieces yet. Here's the concept:

2 Units of 12 Warriors
2 Monoliths
2 Units with Necron Lords
        - One Unit 5 Pariahs, and a Necron Lord with a Warscythe, Veil of Darkness, and a Destroyer Body
        - One Unit 6 Immortals and a Necron Lord with a Staff of Light, Veil of Darkness and a Res Orb.
1 Necron Tomb Stalker

When I originally did this list, I had some Heavy Destroyers in place of the Tomb Stalker, but I'm jonesing to try that unit out, so as long as my opponent is cool with Forge World, I'm running it!

The tactics are fairly simple. Use the two Monoliths to block line of sight to my lords and their units, and face the portals away from my opponent. If any of my units get into trouble, I pull them thru. With the Lords, last game I used the Veil of darkness/Immortal concept to move and shoot, and it worked really well. I want to use that same idea for the Pariahs. Now, I do not think I can assault on the turn I teleport, but teleporting them behind enemy lines for them to fire will still be effective. Any psychers on the field will have a really bad day. The gauss flayers will wreak their own havoc, and next turn having 6 warscythes in assault range will easily tear down any heavy artillery or Terminators. Warscythes do not allow saves of any kind, including invulnerable, and when they strike a vehicle they roll 2d6+str for their pen. Add to this mix 48 shots a round from my 2 squads of warriors, 2 particle whips from the monoliths, and a Tomb stalker running wild... I think it will be pretty gruesome.

So, SeerKarandras sealed my fate with the Imperial Guard. He gave me three boxes of Greatcoat troopers. These are not "GW" models in anyway, but they do look almost identical to the Death Korp of Kreig models. 52 troops are already in the works.

The kits are really neat, as they come with enough spare parts to completely trick out and mod other mini's. After looking at some of the heavy weapons teams, I am confident I can just buy the basic GW ones, and cut off the heads and swap them for some of the spares I have. Vehicles are the same, I'll just have to adjust the paint scheme. Aquillas and Iron Crosses. Of course, I'll probably splurge on the forgeworld command group and a Gorgon... but we shall see....


On to the store review!!!
21st Century Comics and Games
515 E Grand River
East Lansing, Mi 48823
http://21stcenturycomics.com/

Alright, I'll admit it. I'm, a little biased here. This is one of my favorite stores in Michigan. They have a wide selection of games, GW product, Reaper Mini's, and comics. They also have Battletech Mini's (One of only two stores in the entire state of Michigan that I've found!), and hobby supplies. They carry not only the Gale Force 9 stuff, but Woodland scenics as well. The staff is really cool, and if they don't have what you're looking for in stock, they will order it. They also have a used RPG section, so you can buy RPG books cheap, or sell the ones you are no longer using. Plenty of gaming space too.

The 2 big advantages here are the customer loyalty program and the Battletech pods.
-For the customer loyalty program, you get a stamp on your card for every $20 you spend. On anything. After 10 stamps, you get a 20% discount on your next purchase. Their stuff does run MSRP, but if you are like me, you will pick up a few odds and ends here and there (comics, brushes, paints,books, RPG aids, etc.) , and accumulate your stamps quickly. I turn around and then do a massive purchase (usually of GW stuff) at 20% off. So cool.
- Battletech pods. Yeah. Exactly the same as the ones at Virtual World. A huge cockpit that you climb into, strap in, and are immersed in a full simulation of a mech battle. They have 4 pods, so it's always a great way to spend an afternoon with some friends.

Now the draw back. And it's a doozie. The only reason this place is not my FLGS and my store of choice is that it is right across the street from Michigan State University's campus. You have to pay for parking, and that can get expensive, especially on days that their are big football or basketball games. The traffic that also comes with the sports is pretty heinous too, so I steer clear of East Lansing on those days whenever possible.

Still, the store itself is pretty damn awesome. It's not their fault MSU is a Big 10 school.

5 Stars

 

 

Till next time.....

When I will hopefully have another battle report, and maybe even an evaluation of the Tomb Stalker's capabilities!