The Simple Lasagna Plan

First of all, happy Thanksgiving!
Today, I bring you a semi-food related article to honor this fattening holiday. When I say "Simple Lasagna Plan", I speak not of meaty, cheesy, deliscious regular lasagna, but of my Eldar list/tactic that I call "The Simple Lasagna Plan". I know, you're probably like "Oh my god, what an awesome name!", but I actually got this name from misreading an article about a 'Simple Lasagna Pan' in Skymall. Now, onto the bulk of the article...
My Eldar have evolved quite a bit. I used to be a dedicated mechdar player, but now I am devoted to the simple lasagna. Before I go into the tactic, I will proudly state that my Eldar are undefeated. I have only had them for about a year, but that still counts for something.
Now, the simple lasagna plan has led to great success for me. It involves taking 3-6 10 man guardian squads for troops, fire dragons for elites, an avatar, and Eldrad.
Here's my 1500 point simple lasagna list:
HQ:
-Eldrad
-Avatar
Elites:
-10 Fire Dragons (x2)
-10 Striking Scorpions, 1 exarch w/ scorpion's claw
Troops:
-10 Guardians w/ a scatter laser (x5)
Heavy Support:
-3 War Walkers, scatter laser/shuricannons
TOTAL: 1497 points

Now, the key to simple lasagna is to split your army into two groups. Some of you are already thinking I'm a nut, but trust me. One of these groups will be offensive, and the other will be defensive. I've found that you need synergy between these two groups, or it may crumple.
I will now sum up the units in my army on how they use the simple lasagna plan to win.

-(Eldrad): I keep him with the scorpions. He is a part of the offensive group with them. His job is to advance about 4" behind the avatar, keeping the scorpions and avatar fortuned. Once he's slogged across the table with his retinue, they can pack a serious punch.

-(Avatar): I deploy him as far forward as I possibly can, as he is in the offensive group. If he's fortuned, he won't die. What's great is that the enemy will shoot at him over your squishy stuff, which is key to simple lasagnas. His primary job is to get shot at, and since he is so scary, he will do his job every time.

-(Fire Dragons): These guys will lurk around the flank through cover. They are in the offensive group, and their primary job is to suicide bomb hard targets. Always take your time and make sure these guys are behind the avatar, or they may take some fire. Don't be afraid to go to ground. These guys won't have much attention paid to them since the avatar is going maximum speed at the enemy, but they can pack a serious punch when they get there.

-(Striking Scorpions): These guys chill with Eldrad and advance with him. Keep them fortuned, keep them in cover. Once they get to the enemy line with Eldrad, they will chew through a lot of units.

-(Guardians): In the defensive group. If they can't really hurt anything, keep them out of line of sight. Their scatter lasers should bang up a lot, but always keep them in cover. If they take fire, always go to ground. These guys are the last thing the enemy should be shooting at if the offensive group is still alive, but they may get shot at occasionally. Their true purpose is to hold objectives and have an insane counter-attack. Not many infantry units can survive 20 S6 shots and 90 S4 shots.

-(War Walkers): Defensive. Keep them in cover, possibly behind some of the guardians. Their main job is to knock out transports for the offensive group and help protect the guardians.

Well, that's my simple lasagna plan. It has worked amazingly for me so far, since in all of my games using it, I have never lost more than 5 models. It has also won every game I've played with it. Remember, synergy is key, and never believe that mech is the only way to use Eldar!

Ork tactics (Part 5 of 7): Fast Attack

Sorry for not posting more, I have recently had a pile of work to complete, but now that's over and done with, so time for more!



Stormboyz:

Sort of like a poor man's assault marine, stormboyz strike hard, strike fast, and then die. At 12 points per model, they aren't cheap. They do have the potential for a first turn assault, but there is a 1/6 chance of that. You can still get the shock and awe effect from including boss Zagstruk, but that means that your rather expensive unit suddenly becomes a death unit, and Zagstruk himself is 85 points, which is way to expensive for my pocket!

On the tabletop: The most commonly used method I have seen for this unit is to include Zagstruk , and then suicide on top of a manticore, or some other scary anti-infantry tank, but that inevitably means that your 150+ point unit is being wasted on a tank that is not nearly that expensive.

No, what I see is, don't take Zagstruk, and just take a unit of 10 oth them nilla, and use the opportunistically. See that little devastator squad parked in the enemy's backfield? Use a well-timed Waagh!, a lucky roll for extra move, and you can kill that unit, and then, if you choose to include a nob with a powerklaw, you can take out that Manticore, and hopefully not die.



Warbuggies:

These guys are no less deadly than they ever have been, but, sadly, have been rendered superfluous due to the new Deffkoptas. Even so, there are some things that Warbuggies can do that Deffkoptas cannot. For one, they can be upgraded to Skorchas, which, as everyone knows, are good, because orks having to roll to hit= points not being earned back.

On the tabletop: You are going to want to upgrade them to Skorchas, no question. Not even the mighty Deffkopta can take the dreaded Skorcha. I would say, a unit of 3 Skorchas should be sufficient for burning non-marines out of cover.


Warbikers (giant pics, ftw)

One of the better options in the Ork codex. Though not as durable or hard-hitting as nob bikers, they are probably a better option for 1500 and under point games, as they are about half the price of a biker nob.

On the tabletop: A cheap, fast-moving, hard-hitting unit is always great, but with a 4+ cover save at all times? Invaluable. Use them as your spear point, to slam into the enemy line before all others. And, remember, you can have an army of them if you take Wazdakka!
Deffkoptas:

Definitely on of the best units in the Ork codex, Deffkoptas bring the firepower where you need it most, quickly and efficiently. Being jetbikes, they can completely ignore terrain for purposes of movement. Add this to the fact that they come with twin-linked big shootas, and are only 35 points base, you can see why they are so popular.

On the Tabletop: Deffkoptas are the most mobile unit in the ork codex, and they are also very useful. If I were playing them, I would take a unit of 3 of them with twin-linked shootas and buzzsaws. That way, though they are very expensive, they can also take on tanks and armored infantry.

Ork tactics (Part 4 of 7): Troops

Hello, again, everyone, for part quatro!Ork Boyz:

Undoubtedly one of the best troops choices in the game, ork boyz are the meat of any ork army. They come equipped with a Slugga and a Choppa, but I would definitely upgrade them with shootas, for free! Why shootas? Well, you're sacrificing one attack, for an 18" ranged assault 2 weapon which, in the proper quantities, can tear apart the enemy in a torrent of highly inaccurate fire.

On the Tabletop: The best configuration for Ork boy mobs is probably to get 15-20 of them with shootas, and 1-2 rokkit launchas, and stick them in a Battlewagon. They are your objective claimers, so you want to keep them alive for as long as possible. The answer to this is to not give them 'eavy armor, but to just keep them in their open-topped battlewagon, and use them as a mobile firebase.Gretchin:

Oh, how I loath these pests. They sit on a home base objective, and then you can ignore them for the rest of the game, and win. Having played against Gretchin many times, i can tell you, they might not be that good, but they are one of those units that you can rely on to sit on an objective, and get ignored for the entire game. And, with a Ballistic Skill of 3, they are also the most accurate unit in the Ork army!

On the Tabletop: Gretchin are good as a supporting unit, but Gork help them if they get into combat with even a partial squad of Space Marines, or even Guardsmen, because they will fold faster than a poker player with a bad hand in combat. With shooting, they may cause a couple of fluky casualties, but I wouldn't count on it. The best thing you can do is just keep them out of harms way, to annoy the enemy where possible.

Ork tactics (Part 3 of 7): Elites

Hello, there again. You might have noticed that there are now going to be 7 parts of this tactics series. That is because I looked at the Ork codex recently, and it had a few more Heavy support choices than I originally thought, so i decided to divide it into two articles, because if I write a long article, it turns boring at about the 5th unit. You also may have noticed that I skipped Nobz in this article. That is because I have already written a tactics article for them If you want to read it, you can search in the search box above right.
Meganobz:

What could possibly be better than Terminators? The answer is: Orks in Terminator armor! Well technically, it's Mega armor, but that's pretty much terminator armor that comes with a twin-linked shoota, and a powerklaw. And no invulnerable save. but still, pretty cool. They're slow and purposeful, so put them in a Battlewagon or, if you're feeling particularly saucy, a trukk.

On the Tabletop: In small games, I have seen three of these guys slaughter 6 Lictors (It was a kill team mission). No joke. In larger games, however, these guys seem to take the short end of the stick, or, rather, the demolisher rounds. At 40 points a very killable pop, they are very pricey, and if their ride gets crippled early on, that's a big chunk of your points moving at the rate of about 4 inches per turn. If you must take them, get them a Battlewagon, to survive longer, or a trukk, which, if id doesn't die, will take them into easy turn 2 assault range.


Burna Boyz:

Probably the most versatile unit in the Ork codex, armed with a flamer that doubles as a power weapon, they are a bargain at a mere 15 points per model. Taking unit of 12 Burnas in a trukk is a very good idea, and I have seen it win many a game.

On the Tabletop: At first glance, you may be tempted to throw this unit toward the nearest Tactical squad/Termagant brood and have at it, but, believe it or not, there is a more subtle way of using them. Hold them behind your battline and, when the inevitable 1s start falling, use them to fill in any gaps in the line, and watch as they either chop up those pesky Sanguinary Guard, or burn any little alien critters that try and have a go!Tankbustas:

Tankbustas are probably one of the most useful, and most overlooked, units in the Ork codex. Seeing as they come with rokkit launchas and dumbed-down meltabombs as standard, you would think that they got more of a look than they do. Alas, it is not to be. Though a standard Tankbusta is good, their upgrades are pretty good as well. Bomb squigs, as well as being amusing, are simply very good at what they do, which is being a suicide unit. Don't want to have to get into combat with that Dreadnought? A squig will be happy to blow it up for you.

On the tabletop: As with all orks, tankbustas have the quantity, and the quality, but not the accuracy. The best thing you can use Tankbustas for is to use their high strength, low AP weapons to bring down Monstrous Creatures, and transport vehicles. People tend to ignore Tankbustas for some reason, so you will almost certainly be able ot bag 2 or 3 targets before they get obliterated.

Lootas:

A truly wonderful unit, I have seen plenty of winning armies that include 45 lootas. They lend much needed long-ranged fire support to the rest of your army, which, being orks, will tend to be more close-ranged. In a unit of 15, ther D3 shots means that on average, you will be firing 180 shots per game! That's a lot of dead tanks.

On the Tabletop: The best thing you can do with lootas is to treat them like a Space Marine devastator squad; Find the highest point on the table, with the greatest fire lanes, and fire away! Be careful, however, that you target tanks as a priority, seeing as lootas are about the only unit in the ork codex that can reliably destroy armor 12 and under tanks.

Kommandos:

The oddball unit of the Ork codex, Kommandos don't seem to have a point. They aren't particularly good at tank killing, they aren't particularly good at killing infantry, and they aren't troops. Sure, the fluff is cool, but they just don't seem to have a point.

On the Tabletop: If you must take them, the very least you must do is to giv ethem a Nob with a power klaw, a burna, and hold them in reserve to outflank. Then, you head straight for the most important unit in the backfield, say a Manticore that has been bugging you, and give it a ride to orky hell, courtesy of the power klaw.

Eldar HQ Choices (part 2)

So, part 2 in the post series about Eldar HQ. This one will take a look at the Phoenix Lords. The Phoenix Lords are immensely awesome and crazy, with some serious killing powerwith S4, T4, 3 wounds, 4 base attacks, 2+ save, initiative, weapon skill and ballistic skill 7. They are also fearless, eternal warrior, and make their unit fearless. In addition to this they all have tons of cool little toys.
With this epic statline, you're probably like "But Kasrkar, why aren't ALL Eldar players running these guys?!"
The sad, sad reason, is that most of them lack an invulnerable save. They are also about 200 points each. I've had some good fun with them, though, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Let's start with:

-Asurmen- Well known as the least versatile and probably worst Phoenix Lord alive, and the leader of the Dire Avengers. He has both defend (all enemy models fighting against his unit have -1 attack) and bladestorm (+1 shot on each gun in his unit, but they can't fire next turn). He also is the only Phoenix Lord with an invulnerable save (4+), which is pretty much his only perk against the other Lords. In close combat, he pretty much has a power sword that re-rolls misses and can inflict instant death. Doesn't seem too bad, right? Well...he's 230 points. Way too much in my book. Probably the 6th best of the 6 Phoenix Lords. -Baharroth- So basically, Baharroth is pretty bad. Maybe not as bad as Asurmen, but just maybe. He has all the wargear of a swooping hawk, (he's their leader) and he has a power weapon. That's about it. Other then giving his unit hit and run, he has a cool S5, 3 shot gun. Not much to say about him. He's fun, but not worth 200 points really. He DOES have a cool model, though. (shown below)
-Maugan Ra- The leader of the dark reapers, Ra is actually not that terrible. He has acute senses, and a really neat gun that can either have an extra shot, or re-roll to wound and ignore cover. His gun also has a S6 power weapon on it...so yeah. Now more about his gun, its S6, AP5, and has 4 shots. It is also rending, and pinning with a 36" range. He's also one of the only Phoenix Lords under 200 points at 195! I would actually consider taking him if you need some long range and you don't have your HQ picked out yet.

-Fuegan- Basically, he's a pretty awesome Fire Dragon exarch. He has a S9 AP1 meltagun with 18" range that ignores cover, too, so that's nice. He also has feel no pain, making him slightly more survivable against weapons that don't ignore his armor. He also has S5, and attacks as a monstrous creature. That means he's ignoring armor and rolling 2d6+5 for killing vehicles in close combat. He's good, but I wouldn't take him since he's 205 points and probably won't do a whole lot.
-Karandras- This guy is actually pretty good. He and his unit have infiltrate, move through cover, and stealth. He also has a whopping 7 S9 power weapon attacks on the charge. He and his unit of Striking Scorpions could probably do a lot of damage. At 215 points, I would actually consider using him if you have some striking scorpions, and like to sneak around.

-Jain Zar- She is the cheapest Phoenix Lord at 190 points, as well as the Howling Banshee leader. She is pretty amazing in close combat. I've actually taken her before, and she did a lot, including killing the Emperor's Champion before he could attack, as well as dicing up a handfull of marines. With furious charge, she gets 5 S7 power weapon attacks at I10. She also has a 3 shot throwing weapon with S5 AP2. Not too bad, I would actually consider using her again if I had 190 points laying around.

Well that concludes part 2, I hope I've informed you of the Phoenix Lords and their sad points cost. Part 3 will be coming soon.

Eldar HQ choices (part 1)

Today, I bring you yet another Eldar post. This will be the first of the posts about HQ in the Eldar codex. I will not be covering the Phoenix Lords yet. They deserve a post of their own. So, let's begin with the most well known and popular HQ choice...

- The Farseer: (Shown above)

Now, with a typical 'commander' statline, the farseer may not seem very special, other then the witchblade and 4+ invuln save. He is only 55 points, but this quickly adds up to around 150 as you give the farseer the wargear he needs. The Farseer is special in that you can give him as many of the multiple psychic powers available as you want. a few of these powers include: fortune (re-roll all failed saves on a friendly unit), doom (re-roll all failed wounds against a single enemy unit), guide (re-roll all failed hit rolls in the shooting phase against a single enemy unit), and eldritch storm (a S3 large blast template that is pinning). Able to use up to 2 powers per turn when upgraded with spirit stones and ride a jetbike, the farseer turns into the greatest support HQ in the Eldar codex, and possibly the game. My favorite layout, coming in at 155 points is the following: Farseer with runes of warding, runes of witnessing and spirit stones who knows doom and fortune. Probably a 4/5 on the usefulness scale.

- Eldrad:

Eldrad Ulthran is a special character farseer. He is very similar to a regular farseer, but with a lot of subtle upgrades. He has +1 toughness, a power weapon that wounds on a 2+, may use 3 powers per turn, and knows all psychic powers available to a farseer. He also allows the eldar player to redeploy D3+1 units before the game starts. I take him in almost every game I play, despite his 210 point pricetag. In my eyes, he is worth every point. A 5/5 on the usefulness scale. Not kidding, this guy works miracles.

- The Autarch: (Shown above)

The autcarch is a typical HQ. He has a really awesome statline, and can get equally awesome weapons. Other then adding +1 to your reserve rolls, he doesn't do anything for the army. All in all, he can have like a bajillion power weapon attacks, as well as a meltagun, so I can't complain. This guy can also ride a jetbike. This guy is able to get so many options, I won't even make an example. Basically, he can take any weapon in the Eldar codex that isn't heavy, and have any transportation method. A 2/5 on the usefulness scale.

- Yriel:

Prince Yriel is another special character. He however, is the autarch version. Basically, he is 155 points I believe, and has a few more tricks then a regular autarch. For one, he has a power weapon that wounds on a 2+ and counts as S9 against vehicles. Oh, he also has 4 base attacks. That's pretty much it. He can also choose to put a large blast template over himself instead of attack. S5 AP3 or something. This guy is pretty much a one-trick pony. He's good in close combat, and not really anything else. I've never taken him, and I'm not saying not to take him, but I think I'll stick with Eldrad. 2-3/5 on the usefulness scale.

-The Avatar of Khaine: (Shown above)

So basically, this guy is awesome. First of all, he's a monstrous creature. If that doesn't say enough, he's Weapon Skill 10, S6, T6, has 4 wounds, a 3+ save, 4+ invuln, has a meltagun, I6, and oh yeah, he only makes every unit with a model within 6 inches fearless. Able to wipe out entire units of space marines and their transport without getting hurt in return, and basically making an entire army fearless, you'd think this guy would be super expensive, right? Nope, hes 155 points. The same price as Yriel. Easily one of the best options in the codex, I highly suggest taking this dude. There are 2 down sides. The first is that the model is pretty stupid, the second is that you can only take one. Probably a 5/5 on the usefulness scale due to his cheap cost. He will likely make his points up to you every game, in addition to saving your guys from running off of the table.

Hope you enjoyed this post. If I don't forget like I did with my last post series, the next Eldar HQ post should cover the phoenix lords.

Ork tactics (Part 2 of 6): Ork HQ

Hello again, folks! Today, for part two of the ork tactics series, we will look at the Ork non-special HQ.Warboss:

The Warboss is probably one of the most versatile choices in the game. Not very often taken, they are still a little gem of an HQ. The most popular configuration for a Warboss, when taken, is generally in Mega armor, making him a lot harder to kill, and if you want to splurge, you could also get him a Cybork body, to save him from those nasty Sergeants with powerfists, or power weapons squads.

On the tabletop: Usually, they are used as close combat support, and with their ability to make a single Nobz or Meganobz squad troops, a popular tactic is to have a Warboss in mega armor with a unit of 5 or so Meganobz just slaughter their way to an enemy objective, and dare them to try and take it from them.

Big Mek:

Probably the most commonly seen Ork HQ, these guys are very versatile as well. Their versatility, however, lies in their ability to be defensive, making them the polar opposite of the more offensive Warboss.

A popular configuration for the Big Mek is to give him an expensive Shokk Attack gun which, as well as being entertaining as heck, is also very effective at taking out large units, due to the 5" blast. This seems obvious, but it bears repeating, seeing as people now tend to focus on destroying vehicles. Another thing you can do is to give him a Kustom Force Field, and then put him in the middle of your Battlewagon wall, to help protect against all those melta/lance weapons that seem to be everywhere nowadays.


Weirdboy:

Not a very good choice, overall, simply for his unpredictability. Upgrading him to a Warphead lets you control him a little, but they are simply too unpredictable. They have some close combat ability, and they aren't super expensive, but still...

On the tabletop: Again, I personally wouldn't take one, but if you are willing to take a bit of a risk, then some of the powers he has access to are pretty useful. Nothing puts an enemy in his place like 30 shoota boyz teleporting behind their prize unit.

Commissars: How to use them and how NOT to use them

Hey Folks!
It seems lately that a lot of people have been having problems using commissars...
Commissars have one purpose in my eyes. That purpose is to keep your silly little guardsmen from running straight off the table if something scary is within a 50 foot radius of them. Commissars also ensure that your 50 man guardsman squad doesn't get cut down as they run away.
So, let's take a glance at the commissar rules, shall we?
Basically, leadership 9, 1 wound, 2 base attacks, 35 points. He also gives his squad stubborn. If you fail that stubborn leadership test, he shoots the model with the next highest leadership value, and you can re-roll the test. A lord commissar has the same stuff, but leadership 10, 3 wounds and 3 attacks. However, the lord commissar is also an independent character, where the regular commissar is an attachment to a squad...
Now, that is one of the main reasons to never ever take a lord commissar, they can get picked out of a unit. They are also 70 points base, with no upgrades.
Now, you can only take a commissar in a platoon command squad, or an infantry squad. Never take one in a PCS, because he will end up shooting your platoon commander, and not really doing anything. The key to regular commissars is putting them in a 30-50 man combined infantry squad. Here is an example:
-50 guardsmen, 5 autocannons, attached commissar
This unit comes in at about 335 points for 51 dudes. It will toss out LOTS of shots, and won't completely crumple in the assault. This is the only place to use a regular commissar, and probably a commissar in general.
The only place to use a lord commissar would be with ogryns probably, which we all know sorta' suck.
-Diagnosis:
-Regular Commissars: Use them in giant infantry squads. Anywhere else they are just a waste of points.
-Lord Commissars: Don't even bother. All the enemy has to do is throw a single S6 attack at this guy and he dies. Then your entire squad of whatever he was with runs off the table, costing you 2 kill points.