Tabletop Teacher

Summer's over, and so is my free time. Apologies for not having the latest Kill Team guide up yet, but I had 3 unexpected 2 hour meetings today. However, here's a grab bag of comments that should be highlighted. I try to respond to all commenters on the blog, ad if I don't get back to you it's usually because the comment is on an older post and gets held for approval. Hey. Regarding the vertical movement. I was just wandering, since I am quite a noob, what is an advantage of having a Reiver go to higher ground? He is then usually far away from everybody else with no help and most of enemies can shoot him (sometimes with -1). Hwo to use properly higher ground like scond floor of a building? Anonymous on  Kill Team Guide: Tips for the Psychic, Shooting and Melee Phases. Thanks for commenting! The big advantage is effectively ignoring walls, and changes in height. Whereas other models would need to use up their move value going up and down, the Reiver just ...

Primaris Marines do two things well; take a hit and be easy to collect . They might not be as flash as Tacticals or as unique as Scouts, but they'll be a strong anvil to throw at the enemy. And they do have their own tips and tricks too! In talking about the units in detail I run the risk of reproducing the  Core manual , which then skirts dangerously close to copy write infringement. As such I will try to include as many details as needs to be clear, but if you want more you will need to buy the book. What will be included is: Name of the unit Different models in that unit (maximum number in brackets) Wargear options (but keep in mind they can’t carry everything at once!) Abilities Specialisations Any other important pieces will be included in the analysis itself. Right, let’s get started. Intercessor Models: Intercessor, Intercessor Gunner (2), Intercessor Sergeant (1) Wargear: Bolt rifle, Bolt pistol, Frag and Krak grenades, auto-bolt rifle, Stalk...

Space Marines have a frighteningly broad range of strategies available to them, as you would expect from a Faction which needs to contain quite a few Chapter themes and identities (close combat Blood Angels and sneaky shooty Raptors as opposite combat styles come to mind). I’ve written way more than I wanted to on this post, so settle in… this is going to be a long one. And we’re only covering Scouts and Tactical Marines! In talking about the units in detail I run the risk of reproducing the Core manual , which then skirts dangerously close to copy write infringement. As such I will try to include as many details as needs to be clear, but if you want more you will need to buy the book. What will be included is: Name of the unit Different models in that unit (maximum number in brackets) Wargear options (but keep in mind they can’t carry everything at once!) Abilities Specialisations Any other important pieces will be included in the analysis itself. Right, l...

We’re kicking off our look at the Space Marines by analysing their tactics first, before we get into speaking specific units. I’ve written way more than I intended to on this topic, so settle in! The tactics for the Space Marines fall into two general categories: general ones usable by anybody and model specific tied to a particular model. Whilst it might look like they have more Tactics than other factions on the surface, the majority are quite situational, and you’ll probably be looking to use the Basic Tactics first. General Tactics Tactic: Death to the Traitors Use when you select a model to fight in the Fight phase To hit rolls of 6+ result in an extra attack against that model Only useable against Heretic Astartes Cost: 1CP This is a similar, more restricted version of the Zealot tactic. I’ve gone over that one already in the Zealot specialisation post and the same criticism applies here. It’s not one I’d spend precious CP on, unless I had tooled u...

So we've had a look at Background Lore, the Troops, and Key Elements to the Blood Angels army. Now let's look at getting you your first 500 point patrol! If you don't want to think about it, and are just itching to get into games, the Start Collecting Kit from Blood Angels will give you enough for just under 500 points. In brief: Terminator Captain with Thunder Hammer Baal Predator with Twin-linked Assault Canon and Heavy Bolter side sponsons 5-Marin tactical squad with Combi-plasma and plasma gun 5-Marine tactical squad with Power weapon/hand flamer sergeant and a heavy or regular flamer I'm not going into detail on that force though. Each individual component is fine, but they don't work well together. The Captain is slower than the Tacticals, and wants to get into melee. He's the only one who can Deep Strike, but suicide missions aren't great for your Warlord. The Tacticals would prefer to get some  But that's not to say it's a b...

The Blood Angels are a brutal close assault army, but they're not exclusively melee. They have some great ranged firepower options to support your Red Thirst induced charges. Just like the red angels you command, your effectiveness as a commander will be your ability to resist your more violent urges in applying firepower, before ripping off heads! The goal of the following section of the Complete Beginners Guide to Blood Angels is not to give an all encompassing discussion of every unit and combination in the codex. Instead, it'll be looking at the unique flavours of the faction, and the primary strategies or tactics you'll be using in your first few games. Amazing picture by zmanwoo Overall Army Aim Just like any Space Marine army your goal will be to dictate the flow of battle, using your more flexible troops to counter enemy plans. You won't have the numbers to absorb a lot of damage, but you should be able to mitigate a good deal of it through assaulti...