About My Blog

Ave Omnissiah!

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My blog is primarily my own personal fluff in the Warhammer 40,000 universe regarding the Draconis system such as the Knight House Yato in Ryusei, their Household Militia, the Draconian Defenders, and the Forge World of Draconis IV with its Adeptus Mechanicus priesthood, Cybernetica cohorts and Skitarii legions, and the Titan Legion, Legio Draconis, known as the Dark Dragons.

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Retrospective: Imperial Knights

Today, we're going to a Retrospective on...Imperial Knights! I mean, this is primarily an Imperial Knight blog, so obviously if I'm ...

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Imperial Knights Faction Focus

Unfortunately, I've been working on finishing my dissertation and a new writing project, so I ended up not being able to paint my miniatures before I return to Singapore. Oh, well. It is what it is. I was also too busy to write Faction Focus articles for the Imperial Guard and Adeptus Mechanicus, but unfortunately, I have too many things to do. Ouch.

However, I will make time for Imperial Knights because they are my primary faction. Okay, one of these days, I'll write about the Astra Militarum and Skitarii as well, and my thoughts on them, but for today, before I fly off, let me write about Imperial Knights.


First, let's direct you guys to the link in the Warhammer Community. You can read the full rules here, but I'll try to provide a brief summary.

It appears that we've kept a simplified version of our Code Chivalric from our 9th edition codex.


Lay Low the Tyrant and Defend the Realm (now Reclaim the Realm) are back, with a few adjustments. No more Protect Those in Need or Refuse no Challenge, but let's be honest, these two are the most commonly taken (I do take Refuse no Challenge though). And if you perform a deed, you get Honored, with the benefits of 3 Command Points and other stuff. Like...


Hell, yeah! This is a big buff! As you guys probably know if you've been following my blog, I mostly use the House Taranis Household Tradition for my Knight House, giving them a 6+++ Feel No Pain, and it's back, better than ever! Better yet, it has been buffed - the Feel No Pain applies to mortal wounds as well! So Knights are more durable than before! And if you get Honored, then you get an improved 5+++ Feel No Pain! Awesome! I can't wait to play Knights once more! Woohoo! This is just amazing!

Sorry, I'm waffling like Valrak now.


Armiger Warglaives are now Toughness 10 and OC 8. Nice. We also have a buffed thermal spear, which is Strength 12 and now it's Melta 4. 4! That's D6+4 damage if you're within 18" of your target! And Strength 12 too! Nice. Just nice. Meltagun is also Strength 9, but I think that's standard.


Won't say much because I'm more of a Crusade guy and so I'm not a fan of Named Characters, but this does hint toward the weapons we might have. I doubt the Thunderstrike Gauntlet will be as powerful, but while it's most likely going to remain Strength 20 and Strength 10, but I think it'll be 8 Damage for the Strike. Las-impulsor remains at high strength of 14 and 7 and damage of 4 and 2, though the AP has been nerfed a bit.


This is cool, but just to remind you guys, the anti-monster and anti-vehicle means you get Critical Wounds against monsters and vehicles on 4+. And that means you're dealing 12 mortal wounds on wound rolls of 4+ against monsters and vehicles because of the Devastating Wounds rule. Yes, that's insane.


Like all battle cannons, the AP has been nerfed to AP -1, but there's a lot more shots now. D6+3, and now it's 2D6+6 shots if you're within 36" of your target. Sure, you have less AP, but that's a lot more shots. I think it's an incredible tradeoff and worth it.


This Stratagem probably is a replacement for Machine Spirit Resurgent and it's no longer tied to Questor Mechanicus, so that's good. Plus you can use it twice if your Knights are Honored.


This Stratagem can be pretty strong, but if you fail to kill your target, then you can't use it again. Good tradeoff, if you ask me. I think it's nice.


Bondsmen abilities return, and apparently Knight Paladins give your Armigers Lethal Hits and Lance abilities (I believe Lance gives you a +1 to the Strength to your melee weapons for the turn you charge) and Knight Gallants give Armigers rerolls to hit rolls and charge rolls. Cool!

I can't wait to see what awaits Imperial Knights in 10th edition!

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Another Warlord Titan

I bought and assembled a Warlord Titan today. Yay! We will see how it goes, but I'm planning to get him a Conversion Beam Extirpator eventually, hence the volcano cannon and Apocalypse missile launcher load out. Yay!


Otherwise I would have bought the plasma variant, but we will see!

Note to self - the best magnets for Warlord Titans are 3/16" x 1/16" sized ones.

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Dark Angels Praetor

And so Percival makes an appearance! The Knight-Commander of the First Company, 89th Chapter, Deathwing Initiate, he was among those in Caliban who got flung into the 41st Millennium and now fights at the side of the Lion to expand his Protectorate that is centered on Avalus. I suspect that's a reference to Avalon. Mike Brooks has a lot of references to Arthurian and Camelot lore in his novel, The Lion: Son of the Forest. Cool.

I don't intend on making a full Dreadwing army or Deathwing for that matter. The Dark Angels serve as auxiliaries to my Knights, fighting alongside them. Knights allying with Knights, heh. Fitting, eh?

Now to finish off my pile of shame before I return to Singapore next Thursday!

Adding to my Knight Household Army

I have made additions to my Knight Household Army! Yay! Two Cerastus Knight Castigators and two Questoris Knights Magaera or however you spell it. This means I have 3 full Knight Lances, plus the two auxiliary banners of Acastus Knights. Two Porphyrion and 1 Asterius right now. On any event, welcome!


I sold my Cerastus Knight Acherons and a banner of Acastus Knights Porphyrion to my friend because he needs it more than I do, and my Knight House doesn't really use flamers anyway. That's why we rarely use Knight Acherons or Knight Valiants. We prefer plasma and laser weapons and volkite if there are any. Plus the Knight Castigators have cool looking swords that sort of fit into my Knight House theme of samurai and Bushi. So yeah. Anyway, I will do my best to paint them before I return to Singapore next Thursday. Till then!

Monday, May 8, 2023

Dark Angels Risen

The Thunderhawk screamed as it descended sharply. Not for the first time, I cursed the pilot, Frederic, for his less than impressive flying skills, even as I crashed against my harness. The Techmarine seemed not to care about the passengers' wellbeing, so long as he accomplished his duty and set us down on planetary soil.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at my brothers. For the most part, their expressions remained inscrutable, mainly because their features were masked behind the black and silver helms that were so common to our legion.

"What's the matter, Drago?"

"Nothing," I muttered. Knight-Commander Percival must have noticed that I was staring, but I wasn't exactly enthusiastic on sharing my anxieties with the Deathwing commander. Unlike me, he was Caliban borne, clad in enormous Cataphractii-patterned Terminator armor and wielding a Calibanite sword. I sagged against my harness and glanced at my plasma incinerator.

As an Interemptor, I had been prepared to be burned out by the radiation emitted by the older patterned plasma burners, but apparently things had changed over the last ten millennia. When my unit was spat out by the warp during the Breaking of Caliban, I found myself in an unfamiliar universe. My old plasma burner was no longer in use, but when we somehow established contact with an explorator fleet from Draconis IV, we were able to replace our antique plasma weapons with the newer MKIII Belisarius patterned plasma incinerator. I had to admit, it matched my MKIII power armor, so I had no complaints.

That, and I no longer had to worry about burning my life out from intense radiation from my own weapon. I was half expecting to be entombed within a Dreadnought after a few decades, but funny how things worked out.

"You sure?"

Percival was still staring at me. I nodded, staying silent. It was a trait common to my brothers of the 1st Legion, not just me. We were ever a reticient bunch, always keeping our thoughts to ourselves. The Dreadwing, to which I belonged to, embodied that unapproachable trait the most, having been assigned the bitterest of duties. In fact, most specialists or officers would refuse being assigned to my squad because of what we were expected to do. Apparently, my predecessors said they were from the Host of Bone, but despite being from Terra, I wasn't old enough to remember such a time.

Shaking my head of unwanted memories, I deflected the Knight-commander's question. "Yeah. I'm just wondering if the astropathic message was genuine. It's...not a trap from our younger brothers, is it?"


"I do not believe so," Percival replied quietly. "But even if it is, we have to take the risk. If our gene-sire has truly returned..."

He trailed off, but I understood. We all shared the sentiment, which was why we traveled together. It had been a coincidence that I was able to locate my unit shortly after finding myself alone 10,000 years after the Breaking. It had been disorientating to say the least, especially when I caught sight of the ugly tear in the heavens.

The Great Rift, as Percival and the others told me. Several of them had emerged decades before me. Oakley, in particular, had been hiding from our younger brothers for four centuries before he finally encountered us. He was the one who rounded us up, our old Sergeant clinging to fragments of the past while staying two steps ahead of the Space Marine Chapter who had inherited our Legion's name.

But then the call from Avalus had reached all of us, and when we rushed toward the system, we ran into more of our brethren. Known collectively as the Fallen, so many of us had been scattered, yet with this astropathic message, we were all gathering in numbers unprecedented. Percival, had managed to locate Deathwing Knights from ages past and rallied them to his banner aboard his stolen battle barge, the Indestructible Logic. While trying to find a way off the planet Percival and the others found me on, we chanced upon the Indestructible Logic translating from the warp, contacted the Deathwing squadron there, and joined them in their journey toward Avalus.

But whatever blighted the galaxy had caused travel through the warp to be uncertain and perilous, especially in the beleaguered section that was now called Imperium Nihilus, so we ended up making short jumps instead of rushing straight to Avalus. Consequently, we ended up in a system that was supposedly being retaken by the newly reunited Dark Angels under a figure calling himself Lion El'Jonson.

Needing to know the truth, we had joined up with the rest of the fleet and made planetfall on the world below. Avalon had been assailed by a Chaos warband, and the Lion had answered the planetary governor's request for aid, vowing to include Avalon within his growing Protectorate.

That alone was what convinced me more than anything that it was truly our gene-sire who was leading the assault. For surely there was no one else capable of forming a Protectorate in Imperium Nihilus?

There was a shriek and I caught sight of a Heldrake through one of the portholes. Flames washed over the heavily armored transport, but Frederic swerved the Thunderhawk about to veer away from the swarm of Heldrakes that were pursuing us.

"Persistent beasts!" The Techmarine snarled. "By the Omnissiah, I swear...!"

The rest of his words were drowned out by the roar of a turbo laser, and an explosion caused the Thunderhawk to shudder. I realized I had not asked for the name of the transport I was riding in, but there wasn't any time to find out. The hatch was lowering, and Percival and the others were throwing off their harnesses to lumber out the ramp as our ride crashed downward.

"Uh, aren't we still too high up? And there are still Heldrakes out there."

"That's precisely why we're getting off right now."

The next few minutes flew by without me remembering what happened. Apparently, I had followed the Deathwing Terminator squad off the Thunderhawk, jumping out before Frederic brought his bird back up to continue fighting the pursuing Heldrakes. The exit was calculated, for there was a spire tower right below us. The roof broke under the tremendous weight of Terminator armor, but Percival and his Deathwing unit were somehow able to land on the level below without suffering much damage. My Interemptor squad followed shortly after, our more nimble power armor allowing us to vault into the tower without making a huge mess.

We spread out immediately, our weapons flaring and incinerating swathes of stunned Cultists who didn't expect Angels of Death to descend in their midst. Butchering them with plasma and volkite, we fought our way down, massacring the mortals before they could regroup. The Deathwing Terminators were still wielding ancient volkite, which thankfully were still being produced, maintained and repaired by the Tech-priests from Draconis IV. Meanwhile, the Interemptors wielded new plasma incinerators that fired superheated streams that instantly vaporized flesh and bone.

I had to get used to the new weapon, which no longer unleashed a fiery torrent like the older plasma burner, but I didn't mind. Not only did the Belisarius plasma incinerator not poison me slowly with radiation, it had a longer range. Though with its relatively lower volume of fire, it meant I had to club screaming and frothing cultists with my steaming weapon or gauntlets as I made my way through the deranged mob.

By providence, we found the Lion fighting on the level just below, our Primarch having led a decapitation strike on the warlord who ruled over this rabble. Unlike the Cultists, the enemies here were far more dangerous. Clad in power armor not unlike ours, but having transformed over the ages, warped with fleshy potrusions, spikes and organic horns growing over cracked ceramite plates, the ancient Traitor Astartes were engaging a group of knights equipped with black and silver power armor similar to ours. The red-armored lunatics were wielding chainswords, chainaxes and an assortment of other brutal melee weapons, preferring close combat and the gifts of mutation that their dark gods had bestowed upon them.

"He's real," I breathed when I caught sight of Lion El'Jonson, the first Primarch in the middle of a duel with five Terminator-clad berserkers who attempted to hit him with chainfists and power axes. That graceful maneuver, that superlative swordsmanship, the incredible speed with which he evaded his opponents' punches, and the power behind his counter as a single bash from his shield sent a Chaos Terminator - a Terminator! - flying across the level, crashing into the wall and disappearing underneath a pile of rubble.

Most of all, that bearing...and the air of authority he exuded. I couldn't mistake him for anyone else.

"Support him!" Percival commanded, and we obeyed. The Deathwing Knights charged into the fray, their power swords glowing as they cleaved apart power armored foes with astonishing ease. Though not expecting us, the other black-armored Knights who were surely from our Legion had adapted, flowing around the wedge that the Cataphractii Terminators drove into the debased Traitors and striking from the flanks.

We weren't far behind, but we had other targets to take care of. While Percival's Knights butchered ancient Astartes in close combat, we took up positions around a pedestal, hefting up our plasma incinerators and opening fore. Streams of plasma cooked legionnaires, melting their armor and boiling their flesh. They howled as they dropped their boltguns, the barrels warped and fused to their deformed hands. Those who still stubbornly pulled the triggers ended up having their weapons blow up in their faces.

Thanks to our reinforcements, it appeared that we had somehow managed to eliminate the Traitors far sooner than the Lion anticipated. He nodded at us, sheathing his power sword - which I didn't recognize - and removing his helm. I frowned. What happened to the Lion's Sword that our father used to wield? Why was he using a new weapon?

"Knight Commander Percival. Deathwing Initiate, First Company, Eighty-ninth Chapter."

"That's right, my lord."

"And you are the Dreadwing Initiates, Fourth Interemptor squad from the Forty-fourth Chapter."

"Yes, my lord." Oakley had also removed his helm, and now he knelt. Following his example, we all bent our knee. The Lion shook his head and gestured for us to rise.

"Stand, my sons. You kneel to no one, least of all me." His expression was grave as he gazed over us. "I assume you received the astropathic message."

"We did, my lord." Percival nodded as he reluctantly straightened. "We meant to head for Avalus, but when we emerged in this system, we picked up vox transmissions and learned of your presence here. We thought it would be wiser to offer our assistance."

"And I am grateful to you for that."

"We will stand with you, lord." Percival placed a hand on his chest. "We've heard the messages, listened to the whispers. What occurred on Caliban...it was a tragedy. But we have also learned...that your fleet was fired upon first."

"Even so, I had erred," the Lion insisted. "I should not have unleashed my wrath upon all of you. Though only recently, I have realized my folly. Not all on Caliban was against me. Many of you have been misled. I...rushed to a judgement without thinking. I will not ask you for your forgiveness, but I wish to make amends. And in return, I ask that you fight by my side. Of course, I understand if you cannot trust me, and I will promise no retribution should you wish to leave."

"It need not be asked, lord," Oakley said with a smile. "For if we did not desire to fight by your side, we would not have journeyed here to meet you."

The Lion laughed. "Perhaps, and I appreciate the sentiment. But there are also a few among my sons who only wish to confirm the truth of my presence, yet have no intention of rejoining my efforts to protect humanity."

"Don't worry, dad. We're all here to help." I raised my plasma incinerator. "We'll claw the Imperium back from the claws of the Despoiler!"

"....what did you just call me?" The Lion's brow furrowed. I coughed, embarrassed.

"Excuse my low Gothic. I meant father."

"...I see." He studied me for a bit, and then tilted his head slightly. "Drago, if I recall?"

"That's right, dad...father."

He tried not to roll his eyes. "I welcome you to our ranks. In this dark age, we will need every bit of help that we can get."

"That's why we are here. You have my sword." Percival bowed and held up his sword. The Lion waved him away.

"You will have need of your blade later, Percival. This is just the beginning." He raised his eyes toward the broken ceiling of the spire. "In return for pledging yourselves to me, I name you Risen. No son of mine will judge or censure you, not without my approval. Let us all rise together, and ensure the survival of humanity against whatever dangers the galaxy has in store for us."

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Explaining Gambits

Ever since Games Workshop announced on Warhammer Community the inclusion of Gambits in 10th edition, I've seen a lot of people whine and complain about it. Most of their complaints stem from "this is going to cause feels bad moments when your opponent comes from behind to win a game on a lucky dice roll" or "this creates a situation where a totally outplayed opponent wins on a lucky roll of a 12!"

I'm not saying the system is perfect, but a lot of the whining comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what Gambit does. And, quite frankly, these whiners sound like very unpleasant people to play with. They're literally complaining, "How dare you win just because you rolled a 12 despite only having a 1/12 chance of making that roll, even though I've been outplaying you the entire game?!" Personally, if my opponent somehow rolls a 12 and overtakes my lead, I'll congratulate him/her, because just based on defying those 1/12 odds alone, he/she deserves to win. This isn't simply about sportsmanship (I mean, the sheer arrogance of assuming you've been outplaying your opponent the entire time aside). I understand the frustration of losing, but to be blunt, if your opponent somehow overtakes your lead with a Gambit, then you clearly haven't been outplaying him/her as much as you thought you did. A lot of these whiners sound like Win At All Costs players who want easy wins or simply to maintain a lead they built at the beginning of the game, and then blame Gambits, luck, balance or everything except themselves when they lose.

However, if you've been outplaying your opponent, then the Gambit wouldn't matter. Let me explain. First, let's start from one example of a Gambit.


For your opponent to succeed in a Gambit and get to roll that 2D6 in the first place, he/she has to have at least one unit within 9" of a corner that's not his/her deployment zone. And he/she has two turns to do that.


Furthermore, your opponent can no longer score Primary. So he/she has to stake everything on that 2D6 roll to score 30 points - and that's assuming he/she is able to plant a unit on a corner outside his/her deployment zone and keep it there until the end of the game. So you essentially have two turns to stop him/her from deploying in a corner - block the paths, destroy whatever units are in the corners, or just let your opponent score the Gambit while building up an insurmountable lead with your own Primary.

I mean, let's look at the scenarios in which you are supposedly outplaying your opponent. Since he/she can no longer score on the Primary, you essentially have two turns to build a 30 point lead to negate whatever advantage he/she earns through rolling a 12 (and again, that's kind of risky, staking everything on a 1/12 chance of rolling whatever he/she needs).


Here's an example of a Primary Mission. Essentially, as long as you control three objectives - objectives that your opponent can no longer score on - you can get a maximum of 30 points over the next two turns. There is no reason for you not to max out on those 30 points in the final two turns. Your opponent will be too busy trying to carry out his/her Gambit, and if he/she is somehow in a position to contest the objectives and deny you those points, then why in Holy Terra would he/she be using a Gambit in the first place? Like, there's literally no benefit for them to use a Gambit if he/she is somehow still able to contest and deny you Objectives - they might as well proceed as planned. And if they are able to do so, what makes you think you are outplaying them in the first place?

The only scenario where an opponent is most likely going for a Gambit is if you're so ahead of Primary and there is no practical way for them to steal the objectives from you from the third turn onward. For example, you're holding 3 out of the Objectives, and they have no feasible way of contesting them because maybe their units have less Objective Control than you. For example, my Armiger is less than one-third of his wounds and only has an Objective Control of 3, and there's no way I can feasibly kill your 10-men squad of Space Marines on an objective, who have an Objective Control of 20. Or another example - an Alpha Strike takes out the majority of their army and they only have 1 or 2 units left on the table, which means they have no way of seizing three objectives from you and outscoring you on the Primary.

I mean, what other scenarios are there? "Oh, this is turn 3, and we both have 30 points on Primary. However, attrition has reduced my army to 2 units to your 3, and I don't think I can outscore you on Primary." This is a very calculated risk, and quite frankly, even if they can roll a 12 on 2D6, you still have ways to prevent that or negate their lead by maxing our your own Primary. No matter what, you're probably going to max out your Primary anyway, so even if you account for your opponent being lucky with rolls, then the only way for your opponent to somehow win with that roll of 12 is because somehow you're behind on Secondaries. And if you're behind on your Secondaries, then are you really outplaying your opponent? There's a reason why we have Seconaries in the game.

Also, it's not like this is "imbalanced" or totally luck-based. You whine about losing even though you "outplayed" your opponent just because he/she had a lucky roll. However, for that defeat to happen, the following factors have to happen:

1. You somehow let your opponent waltz into the corners outside his/her deployment zone and fail to do anything about it (destroy the unit, for example).

2. You didn't have a big of a lead you thought you did. Considering that you should be able to max out on Primary over the next two turns because your opponent should be busily carrying out his/her Gambit instead of contesting Objectives, I dunno how you threw away that 30 point lead.

3. If you maxed out on Primary, and your opponent's lucky roll and 30 points allowed him/her to also max on Primary and still somehow overtake you, then it means that you fell behind on Secondaries. So is it your fault for falling behind on Secondaries, or are you going to continue blaming it on luck and insist that you've outplayed your opponent even though he/she was ahead of you in Secondaries?

4. Your opponent has to roll a 12. Even with the +3 bonus if he/she somehow got units in all 4 corners, that's a 25% chance. And if you let him/her get all four corners, then refer to Point 1. What were you doing? Focusing on maxing out your Primary? Then refer to Point 3. Why was your opponent scoring more Secondaries than you?

5. If your opponent and you are similarly skilled, and the scores are fairly even, then I'm not sure why your opponent would be taking a Gambit because there's an 11/12 chance of it going wrong. Let's say he/she takes a Gambit because he/she has not enough units left after turn 3 to contest the objectives. Again, refer to the example above - both of you have 30 points on Primary by the end of turn 3, so if your opponent takes a Gambit, there's no reason for you to not max out on Primary over the next 2 turns, while your opponent only has a 1/12 chance (or 25% if you're generous enough to let him/her get to all four corners) of maxing out on Primary. Whatever the case, even if your opponent gets lucky and both of you max out on Primary, then refer to Point 3.

6. Your opponent was somehow able to muscle you off your objectives and deny you scoring. Wait a second, then why is he/she using a Gambit instead of just sticking to the Primary? He/she would score more if he/she was able to contest and steal Objectives from you, so why bother staking it all on a 1/12 roll? Also, that doesn't sound like you were outplaying him/her, and that you would have still lost even if your opponent didn't take a Gambit.

7. You're absolutely crushing your opponent and have built up such an insurmountable lead that even if you give your opponent the 30 free points without needing to roll the 2D6 for it, you'll still win. This isn't actually a scenario where you lose, but I thought I should still raise it because I want to illustrate a point: the Gambit gives your opponent at least something to play for rather than be stuck in a despairing situation for the whole game where there's absolutely nothing he/she can do to change the outcome.

Quite frankly, the whining sounds more like, "I've built up a lead and I want to keep it. I don't want to give the opponent any way to catch up." I'm sorry, but that's not how gaming works. The game doesn't revolve around you alone. You can't expect your opponent to surrender right at the start just because he/she was "outplayed." Every player deserves a chance to continue fighting to the very end. And if you truly claim to be outplaying your opponent or claiming that you're tactically superior, then prove it by continuing to outplay them until the every end. There's a reason why games go for 5 turns, and don't just end the moment one player takes a lead. If you claim that you're outplaying your opponent, then the onus is on you to maintain that lead right until the end of the game. This whole "I'm better than you, I should have won! How dare you win because you rolled a 12?!" just smacks of poor sportsmanship and refusal to acknowledge that you weren't outplaying your opponent as much as you thought you were. Not only that - who are you to decide you're outplaying your opponent? And whining about how you lost because your opponent rolled lucky even though you're the "superior" player...man, that's just arrogant and unsporting.

What does it mean by "outplaying" your opponent, anyway? Denying him/her objectives? If that's the case, then your "outplaying" strategy should shift from denying him/her capturing the Primary Objectives to denying him/her from achieving his/her Gambit. Or you can focus on building an insurmountable lead because your opponent gave up scoring in the final 2 turns and you can take the chance to max out your Primary, do your Secondaries and make sure that even in the worst-case scenario that your opponent scores his/her Gambit, he/she still will not be able to overtake your lead.

If you just want an easy win where the the result is clear after you Alpha Strike your opponent off the table and dominate the table with indestructible, resilient units that are hard to shift off objectives, then sorry, quite frankly, you're an unsporting and insufferable Win At All Costs player. You aren't winning by "skill" or by outplaying your opponent, you are winning by abusing the most powerful weapons and units. You complain about "Feels Bad" moments, but you completely disregard the opponent "Feeling Bad" when he/she is getting absolutely crushed and have no chance to get back in the game.

"But if he/she is outplayed, then he/she deserves to Feel Bad!" You cry. Well, right back at you. If you somehow allow your opponent to achieve his/her Gambit and threw away a lead, then you probably deserve to Feel Bad as well.

Now I'm not exactly a huge fan of Gambits, to be honest. I think it's too...swingy and unreliable. Nothing feels worse than to achieve the Gambit after much effort...only to not roll a 12. I understand the logic behind it, though - obviously, if you automatically get 30 points from achieving the Gambit, then there's no reason for players to not take Gambits any chance they have, especially if they turn out to be easier to score than the Primary. Of course, this doesn't take away the fact that your opponent who sticks to Proceeding as Planned can still negate that advantage by maxing out Primary in the last two turns, but it will be a little ridiculous if everyone constantly throws away the Primary Mission for a Gambit - they are meant to be a comeback mechanic, not a replacement. Obviously, you shouldn't be basing your game plan on Gambits. It's not like you know which Gambit you'll end up discarding. But it does give a badly losing opponent a chance to come back in the game, or at least give him/her hope that he/she can do something, one last hurrah. And if you are bitter and resentful of giving your opponent a chance to come back in the game, then...I'd say the problem is you, not the game system. The system might not be perfect, but the sentiment behind it at the very least is sound.

Please remember - you might be playing a tournament and aiming to be a champion, but in the end, Warhammer 40,000 is a game. A tabletop game. The point is for both players to have fun and to enjoy themselves, not for you to ruthlessly and cruelly crush your opponent to the dirt just so you can massage your enormous ego.

I mean, just look at the ego and condescending tone of this guy.



I probably wasn't mature enough, and yeah, I could have worded it better, but Holy God-Emperor, some people are really arrogant and condescending. So you're telling me my opponent massacring me is different from him outplaying him? By the way, it was James Kelling who "massacred" me with his Drukhari - and I'm pretty sure many tournament players will recognize who he is. I have no issues losing to him because he truly is an amazing player who has won tournaments. He's even on Goonhammer, you can check out his articles there. I might not be a top tournament player (I probably can't even be considered competitive), and I certainly am not an expert on balance or whatever, but c'mon. No need for that condescending and belittling tone. Especially with the mocking emoji spam. Throne on Terra, this dude (I'm not immature and petty enough to out him in public, so I'm not going to expose his real identity) is just Herman von Strab reborn. I certainly hope I don't run into him if I ever take part in a GT in future.

Also, I'm not telling you guys how to play or offering tactical advice. I'm simply explaining how the system works, the sentiment behind it, and that it doesn't give an unfair advantage to the losing player based on luck alone.

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Adeptus Titanicus Campaign Sheet

Greetings, fellow Princeps and Knight Commanders! I have created an Adeptus Titanicus Campaign Sheet for all of you to use freely. You can access the Campaign Sheet here, download the PDF and/or print it. I have created copies for both Titan Legion Battlegroups and Knight Household Battlegroups, so use whichever you prefer.


Let me know if the link isn't working or something, and I'll try to upload it again. But yeah, it looks something like this.


I have no idea how useful it will be, but I hope it'll help you guys who are trying to run Adeptus Titanicus campaigns (like I am). It'll help you guys keep track of your Titans and Knights. When reading the Adeptus Titanicus Campaign Compendium, I found out that it's a lot like Crusade in Warhammer 40,000 9th edition. Your Titans and Knight Commanders gain experience points and get upgrades. Even Knight Banners can get Veterancy status and gain a single reroll per game. I honestly have no idea how to represent the Damage for Titans, but I guess you'll just write the number of structural points you have left and move your marker on the command terminal accordingly in the next game. Also, make a note of any critical damage you sustain (just write yellow, orange or red).

Also included a "number of games played" and Honor Points section so that it'll be easier to tally them as the campaign progresses. This way, you can determine who's the eventual winner when the campaign ends. Theoretically, anyway.

This might sound obvious, but please use a pencil and an eraser when recording your Titans and Knights, as well as Games Played and Honor Points, because you'll be constantly updating them. Also, if your Titan gets destroyed (Catastrophic Explosion or Magazine Detonation) or you lose an entire Knight Banner, you can just erase them completely. And then replace them with a new one if you have sufficient Armory Points. In any event, I hope this Campaign Sheet will be useful for those of you who intend to run an Adeptus Titanicus Campaign. I plan to run one myself when I return in the fall (I'll be returning to Singapore for the summer, and God-Emperor willing, there won't be issues with my F1 visa, I-20 or getting an offer letter from the university), and so I came up with this. I'll be posting about it when I get back and run it, as usual...though, I think I'll be narrating the whole thing in my usual story format. Heh.

Ave Omnissiah, and see you on the battlefield!

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Getting bashed by The Outer Circle

Ouch. If you guys remember, I was super happy to see Games Workshop announce the release of a plastic Cerastus Knight Lancer on Sunday. Hell, yeah! I'm definitely getting one, especially since my current resin model is in pretty bad shape, and because...Knights. And I'm a Knight player.

Then I saw this video in my Youtube recommendations.

I...don't know what to say.

I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan of The Outer Circle. I think he has a great point, and he has made many amazing videos, including his Getting Started videos. I've watched a few of them, particularly the Thousand Sons, Mechanicum and Questoris Knights one. He has some good advice, and I take them to heart.

Unfortunately, the rest of his videos are so...uh, how do I put it politely, negative.

Look, I'm not exactly the most positive person. I dunno, actually. I don't think anyone has called me a shill because I don't exactly go around praising Games Workshop, but I do whine quite a bit. Sorry about that. So maybe I might sound hypocritical, but I'm not exactly fond of spending like 30 to 40 minutes listening to The Outer Circle (or is his name Macca? According to Reddit, anyway) bashing Horus Heresy. Yeah, I know the rules team "overcorrected" and I'm pretty annoyed at every blast weapon being nerfed to AP 4 so that Marines are more survivable. I mean, my Knight Paladin's rapid-fire battle cannon is AP 4 now, and it sucks against Marines. Oh, and the Avenger Gatling cannon being AP 4 now too, even if it kept Rending. It used to be a Marine killer, but now my super-heavy Knight has trouble mowing down infantry in power armor because...quite literally, plot armor. Yeah, I know Contemptor Dreadnoughts and Leviathan Dreadnoughts are a major problem, my Knights - yeah, seriously, my Knights - having fallen victim to them in a one-sided game.

But Reactions? I still remember The Outer Circle bashing Reactions. Oh, and that long rant about MKVI power armor? I don't think he's so much annoyed about it being against the lore, but some weird thing about MKVI now becoming the face of the Heresy even though they came (pardon the pun) Full Circle because (I actually found this out from Arbitor Ian, who in my opinion is a far more pleasant Youtuber to watch regarding Heresy lore and stuff) MKVI was actually the original power armor that Space Marines were depicted in way back in the 1990s, before everything was fleshed out. Macca or The Outer Circle strikes me as being a bit overzealous in gatekeeping sometimes, and I remember raising my eyebrow when he told viewers not to put purity seals on their 30K Space Marines even though Dan Abnett's Luna Wolves were doing that in Horus Rising when they had their Oath of Moment. Okay. I don't think he's nearly as bad as...Crablezworth on Dakkadakka. Now, I don't think they are wrong, and I don't expect everyone to love Horus Heresy 2.0. There are definitely flaws. But being overly negative and...uh, looking for things to bash for the sake of it just seems pretty...bad. They have valid criticisms, but most of them are buried under lots of...salt. Crablezworth, for example, talks about how Horus Heresy 1.0 is a much, much, much superior version (his words, not mine), and often calls for a return to it. Like...what? As much as I'm annoyed by the nerfs to AP 4 everywhere, are you seriously telling me that invincible Sekhmet Terminators with rerollable invulnerable saves, Magnus dropping Strength D plates everywhere, Mechanicum's plasma and Haywire spam, Strength D weapons erasing entire units off the field, Armored Ceramite rendering melta almost completely useless, and ridiculous psychic phases with convoluted warp charges mechanics are much, much, much better than Heresy 2.0? Dreadnoughts I'll find a way to deal with eventually, and I have alternatives to AP 4 weapons for my Knights (melta weapons, yay), but c'mon, the older edition is...not the perfect model that Crablezworth makes it out to be.

But I digress. Onto my own salt. Now Macca makes a video telling everyone how Knight players like me are pretty niche, how we're only 1% of the Horus Heresy population, and pretty much...don't matter. And that we shouldn't be getting a plastic Knight Lancer first, and that we should instead prioritize infantry squads, melee weapons, assault squads. Okay, I'll grant you that. I wouldn't begrudge Space Marine players getting their infantry stuff first, and I might even jump on the hype train to convert Dark Angels Destroyers.

But I don't know, man. This video left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when he made another video about "entitlement" the other day, about listening to customers or whatever. Y'know, about people getting upset about Imperial Fists and Sons of Horus getting new characters while Iron Warriors, Raven Guard, Salamanders, etc. still haven't gotten their unique Characters or Praetor models. Now I didn't write anything about that because I kind of agreed with him, but when I saw him making this video writing off us Knight players, I felt...I dunno, betrayed? Stung? So we Knight players don't matter because we're a niche base who make up only 1% of the group (and he admitted pulling that number out of his ass, saying he's not going to make a poll). He has never seen Knight players at Horus Heresy events? Barring the fact that I bring my Knights to every Horus Heresy event I've been to (if you've been following my blog, you'll see that I play Knights in every Renegade Horus Heresy event and even the ones run by my friends). Well, maybe because we don't really have much support and options at the moment, especially since most of them are Forge World resin? What do we have? Armigers and Questoris Knights. That's it. The Cerastus Knights are resin. The Acastus Knights are resin. Even the damned Mechanicum Questoris Knight variants (the Styrix and the Magaera) are half resin.

Don't you think that's precisely why you don't see as many Knight players? Because, I don't know, man, Marines have far more support and options, and Knights don't? Maybe the plastic Cerastus Knight Lancer is pushed toward helping us get more options and encourage more Knight players! This video didn't sit right with me, because I felt like he was dismissing us Knight players. Like, if you're trying to fight for Raven Guard or Iron Warriors Characters even though those Legions aren't as popular as, say, Imperial Fists or Sons of Horus, you shouldn't pick and choose who gets plastic kits, early releases or options (in the form of resin Characters). All of us deserve to have early plastic kits too! Including Knight players! We matter as much as Raven Guard or Iron Warriors! And what's this about us not showing up in the Heresy as often? We were in Mechanicum and all over the place during the Schism of Mars and Forge World battles that erupted all over the Imperium. How about Doom of Molech, which appeared in an early White Dwarf article way back, before finally before written by Graham McNeill in Vengeful Spirit (which, I'll admit, was not one of my favorite Graham McNeill novels)? Not to mention we are increasingly mentioned in all the Adeptus Titanicus narratives. Knights show up wherever Mechanicum armies (and Titans) appear - you telling me that Mechanicum is a niche player base too? And they shouldn't get plastic kits before, say, Assault Marines?

Oh, and the weird point about this being geared more toward 40K players than Horus Heresy players. I play both because conveniently enough I can play my army in both systems. I still can't tell you which system I like more, but currently I'm leaning toward modern 40K (though that might change in 10th edition) because they feel a bit tougher there, and...quite frankly, vehicles - even Super-heavies - are pretty bad in Heresy. That's not to say my Knights don't do well in Heresy - barring hard counters like Iron Warriors with their +1 Strength against vehicles and 5 Thousand Sons Dreadnoughts with that Telepathy power that pretty much automatically pins my Armigers - they actually do quite decent against most other Space Marine armies. I dunno, maybe it's because of Crusade that I prefer modern 40K. There's something about seeing my Knights rank up and Tanaka (my self-insert) being promoted from a lowly Armiger bondsman/retainer to a Questoris Knight noble/bushi over a Crusade campaign. However, I do sometimes swing toward Heresy because it gives me a reason to play my Cerastus Knights, which don't actually do anything in modern 40K (hopefully 10th edition changes that). But I honestly don't think it caters more to 40K players than 30K. Armigers used to be available easily ever since 8th edition...until Heresy dropped, and Liber Mechanicum made them mandatory Troops where you had to take 2 of them for each Super-heavy Knight (Lord of War), and suddenly they're all sold out. For months. I don't know when they'll be restocked. The Age of Darkness Armigers? Not back in stock yet, even after 5 months. How do I know that? Because I've been keeping tabs and trying to get my own bloody box so that I can field 3 Lords of War eventually. In 30K, obviously, because I already have my 3 Questoris Knight Crusade army for "modern" 40K. If you've been following my blog, you probably know that.

So...who says this Knight Lancer caters more toward 40K players than 30K? I mean, sure, you can make an argument that they will grab this for a Freeblade, but you can pretty much do the same for 30K - Age of Darkness Detachments or Force Organization Charts allow you to take a Lord of War from practically any faction - there you go, your very own Freeblade Knight.

Anyway, I don't want to rant too long, so I apologize. I'm just here to provide a counterpoint to The Outer Circle. Knight players exist. I'm here. I'm evidence of an existing Knight group. Are we a niche playerbase? Perhaps, but isn't that because most of our options - especially the Cerastus variants - are resin, and therefore we're priced out? I had to spend almost 10 years to build up my current collection of Knights, saving here and there. I think I bought my resin Knight Lancer secondhand, and less than 5 years later, he's...in pretty bad shape. Whereas my plastic Questoris Knights have followed me around faithfully for almost 10 years without needing as much repair and maintenance. So yes, I'm very glad about the plastic Knight Lancer kit, and I'm grateful (I'm not shilling, before you throw that accusation at me). I'm just a Knight player, and I'm happy that we are not forgotten, that Games Workshop cater to us despite us being supposedly "niche." Sure, I understand the pains of plastic infantry, and I agree that they should push those out faster, release them quickly, but not at the expense of us Knight players. If we get our plastic kit first, I think that's a cause for celebration. And also I'm relieved they finally announced assault squads - the uncertainty was...not fun, but to have official confirmation means that they are coming, even if they might take some time. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of them waiting until Winter 2023 for assault marines and Spring 2024 for melee weapons, and I wish they would release them earlier, but throwing shade at us Knight players and saying that they should give us more plastic Marines at the expense of us Knight players just feels bad, man. And then you post a video about "entitlement" like the next day (I didn't watch the videos in chronological order). You know what's the funniest thing? The Outer Circle/Macca was complaining about how Games Workshop should listen to the customer in his entitlement video, but before then he was whining about the plastic Knight Lancer being ill-timed (?), even though we - the customers - have been asking for plastic kits of the Cerastus Knights for years. That's right, years before Horus Heresy 2.0 came out, we were already asking for plastic kits, and I remember reading somewhere about how the Knight Lancer is among the most popular Forge World Knight model. So...way to contradict yourself there, Macca. They certainly are listening to their customers. I'm not sure why you're picking and choosing who among the customers they should listen to. You? They shouldn't listen to us Knight players because we're niche and make up only 1%? I don't know, man, maybe you should consult their market research team before pulling those numbers out of thin air.

I'm not trying to bash The Outer Circle, I just disagree with him and I want to let everyone know that we Knight players exist, and we do appreciate getting a plastic kit before the assault squads (though ideally we should get all of them together).

#KnightPlayersMatter

Monday, May 1, 2023

Exodites for Kill Team?

I don't know if Games Workshop social team is just teasing, but when they had the Kill Team trailer up and I commented, "Exodites?" This was their reply.


Of course, they could just be teasing me, and it might be Striking Scorpions or Warp Spiders or other Shrine Aspect Warriors. But hey, I just thought it would be fun to post the social media team's response to my comment.

But if the new Aeldari Kill Team really turns out to be Exodites, that will be cool as hell! I mean, we had Corsairs for an Aeldari Kill Team last year, so it's not impossible that they'll be exploring other Aeldari factions that don't really show up in the lore...like Exodites! The last one they had was Drukhari. But I don't know how Exodites fit into Kill Team without their dinosaurs.