getting started in 40k - form some strategies

I've recently been pondering how best to help our new members. and I decided to share some of my own experiences from learning to play the game. So.. you purchased a codex and you started to create a list. aka, you picked some really cool guys you think will help you win the match. that's great, most important thing is that you should be playing the army and the units you like; Since there really is no wrong way to start an army.

Now that you have your list, schedule a match. An important thing to do when first starting out is to play matches. Lots of matches. At the club, we allow the new players to use cardboard cutouts to represent their forces for educational purposes. We do not want to turn anyone away from learning the game just because they can't drop the money for all the models right away. We are all about growing and learning as a community, focusing on the teaching side of the game, instead of merely hardcore beat downs. Club members will be more than willing to take you under their wing and play some practice matches till you get the hang of things.

Having said that, we will not go easy on you. Just because you are not playing with a fully painted, modeled army does not mean you can slouch for strategy and sound tactics. Use this as an opportunity to try out units and strategies so you aren't wasting money and time one models you won't field in the end; all along developing your skill and experience in the world of 40k.

(there will another article in the near future detailing how to start an army on a small budget)





Now, the point of all this introduction...

You need to develop strategies for your list. As a player you need to consider all the possibilities you army has and develop a few strategies to use depending what your opponent may field. Some units can outflank, infiltrate, scout, deepstrike, etc. How will those special abilities play into your decisions as the field commander. How many units do you leave in reserve? Do you leave any? Do you leave them all? These decisions are important to think about well before you take the field in a match. As Moros talked about in an article last week, the first 20 matches should be treated as teaching tools. So, I encourage all the new players to use that time wisely, have some strategies to try out, take notes on things that worked and things that failed. Always take into consideration the wrath of the dice gods when hind sight analyzing. (attached above you will find a photo of some of the sketches I used when developing the strategies for my army. I encourage everyone to do something similar. Have a game plan, execute, don't go in blindly, trial and error is the key, but simply throwing units on the field is not going to help you become a better player.

And don't be afraid to ask LOTS of questions to the more experienced players.

Fex Construction - Army Destruction

I spent most of my day this time assembling my Carnifex. I decided I wanted to have something to show for all of my time spent.

First I had to figure out what the heck the Fex is going to be. As you can see... ALL of the parts that came with the fex practically covered the table. I decided to go with a 100% melee build, as the fex has the worst ballistics and could not hit the broad side of a barn.

As you can see, I tried to get as many spikes as possible! His body easily attached to his legs and tail. Once I had his head on, it really started to take shape.

I wanted to see how he compared to some other large units I've grown used to seeing. Jon's poor units look so TINY!

Set of talons attached.

All arms attached.

and finally... epic showdown.

Fexes in your bases eating your manses!

In the end, I did not have enough time to plan out a good army for our 2k points, and the Necrons disassembled my army like scraps of paper. I never realized how much ranged power they have and I'll work to deal with them in the future. My possible units went from less than 20 to almost 40 with the new codex, and I simply need to read more and learn what every unit can do.

Terrain!!!

I spent the better part of the day working on some terrain for the club hope you all enjoy it. If its requested I can do a post on how I made each piece but for now I'll just put up the pics. Please excuse the poor quality of the pictures I had to take them with my webcam :P.

First we have the hill/plateau piece this one took most of today but I'm really happy with it.

The idea behind this piece was to make something that we could place smaller modular pieces onto but still have a concrete base. There is one slanted entrance onto it and the smaller part on the top has an entrance too. The Entire thing is made out of expanded poly styrene insulation.

the second piece isn't quite done yet. It still needs to be painted, right now all it has is a base coat. I know its hard to tell but the bent thing on top is supposed to be barbed wire. I made three lengths the same size and have the materials to make a lot more.

Hope you all enjoyed. I can't wait to use this stuff in a game.

-Forsaken Name