Wolf and Sister Part 32

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Bran Redmaw

Unit Name: Bran Redmaw

Unit Type: HQ Choice.

Unit Deployment: In a transport or in reserve

Unit in play: Assault orientated HQ

Unit is most effective against: Infantry and light tanks.

General Discussion: We have a new addition to the list of space wolf characters that have been immortalised as a playable model, Bran Redmaw is here and he is interesting.

For 210 points you get a very decent return on your investment in my opinion. He has a generic statline for a Wolflord, nothing crazy here. On the whole, he has a good load out of wargear and his codex equipment puts him at 190 points without trying to put a price tag on any of the special rules or support powers. He comes with a decent set of saves 2+/4++ which leaves him fairly solid from incoming fire especially when he is in a squad. Bran’s weapons are fairly average for a Wolf Lord. With a bolt pistol, a special two-handed frost axe and a wolftooth necklace he can get in the hits in against even the toughest characters.

Redmaw has quite a few little buffs that maximise your army. He gives one squad of Grey Hunters the ability to infiltrate or outflank. This is an amazingly useful ability. I like wolf scouts, but I would prefer if they could be a scoring unit and were Grey Hunters instead. When I drop a squad of ten Grey Hunters with an attached Wolf Guard in your half of the board with two meltaguns you need to be worried. Immediately Redmaw’s army puts the pressure on the enemy and if you can get a solid deployment you can rip through some choice targets.

If you enjoy harassing the enemy in their own half of the board then you will love Bran’s last little trick. He has Saga of the Hunter and can outflank with Fenrisian Wolves. I do find these wolves sometimes hard to use but I think this may make them simpler to work with. You will lose the ability to charge them a foot but they are really here to be a Redmaw delivery system. This squad would be a great harrier of fire support and once the commander has a turn for the strange even vehicles will not be safe.

The Curse of the Redmaw is divisive rule and I am still in two minds about it. Depending on the roll of a dice your commander may mutate from an interesting space marine to a powerful Wulfen beast. Instead of a commander with 1+D6 attacks you receive a statline that would walk through all but the toughest models with all of the best survival boosting rules. The beast is a Monstrous creature with Furious Charge, Fleet, Eternal Warrior and Feel No Pain. It will do a great deal of harm to even the toughest armour and makes a pack of wolves outflanking a major threat. The Redmaw has one let down it lacks any saves. While Feel no Pain offers some mitigation it is not enough. As an independent character with an effective 4+ save you need to keep the number of models in base to base contact low otherwise he’ll be easily dragged down by weight of numbers.

When it comes to playing him as a unit Bran Redmaw is problematic. While the Lord is better at weathering fire he is slower moving then the Redmaw and is useless at eliminating vehicles. His added extras are quite interesting but in general I think that he makes the army far more difficult to play if you make full use of his abilities. It makes the list highly dependent on situations, it will make a guard player shake in his boots but space marines or grey knights will just tear you apart. I would make full use of infiltrating Grey Hunters but I think keeping the Redmaw in one your Grey Hunter squads is a better use. Even if you just buy him to infiltrate or outflank a unit then I think he is worth it.

Redmaw’s Great Company: I want to take a second to talk about the other part of Space Wolf fun in the latest Imperial Armour volume. There is an IA formation available of either Bran Redmaw or a Wolf Guard Battle Leader leading a group of Landraider mounted Grey Hunters for an extra 25 points. I really liked the look of this straight off the bat. Landraiders are very, very hard to kill and having four of any flavour on the board makes it rather interesting. I wouldn’t use Bran Redmaw with the formation as he doesn’t gel with the army. His points make him a little bit too pricey for the list and his buffs and powers don’t match the feel of the army list.

The formation must deploy within a foot of the Landraider that the HQ choice is sitting in but that isn’t a major loss. With a little care you can place the tanks in such a way to ensure good fields of fire and ease of movement for your opening turn. Keeping two land raiders close together as they charge forward allows you to turn your Space Wolves a little feral. Any unit within 12” of the HQ model or his tank get Furious Charge. For an extra few points on top of the base cost of the entire formation this can improve the efficacy of your units by quite a bit on the first turn of combat. There is another rule to take into account; the entire formation suffers from the Rage rule while within 12” of the enemy. This is a little trickier then you might think but it allows for a sneaky pre-measure in the movement phase to see if the rule applies. It appears to me you get the best of Space Wolves and Blood Angels with this list.

I enjoy moving two ranks of Landraiders across the board. Using the machine spirit to the full nothing is safe. Crusaders can rush forward and pop smoke to keep themselves safe. While usually the idea of car-park lists makes me nervous but by taking a mixture of Crusaders and Phobos pattern Landraiders you can make a strong go of tearing apart anything you could face. The Godhammer lazcannons can make mincemeat of most armour while the crusaders pulverise troops before the Hunter squads charge into the fray. It is an expensive way to play but I can’t see anything but Titans and Super Heavy thanks making a dent in them at range. Meltaguns up close are always a threat but you should have the troops unloaded and up in their faces by then. It is fun to play and while I need more time to tweak it I would be happy to try it out in a tournament that allowed IA.

Wolf and Sister part 31

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4 Simple rules to help start your Space Wolves army

Last year I had grown tired of my old army, I wanted something new that could offer me a range of possibilities in how to play and that would allow for a diverse army rather than a box of cookie cutter units. I enjoy modelling and painting my pieces as much as playing with them so I relished the idea of an army made of individual heroes, so in the end it had to be Space Wolves. Being a student I don’t have the budget to invest in a major purchase or the time to solidly build, paint and play-test a new army. Instead I took a longer view as I didn’t need to have all of my models straight away.

While I waited to get the rest of the army I could work on those pieces that did I have and play smaller points games to get to grips with the codex.

When I wanted to put my shopping list together I looked at forums, blogs and borrowed a copy of the codex to come to grasp with which models worked and what I thought I wanted in my list. After a lot of thinking and searching I came to a decision about what I want in my army. With the easy part finished I moved onto acquiring this wealth of Fenrisian warmongers, through my time putting together this army I have learned a few lessons that will help you when it comes your time to forge a great company.

1. Never pay the list GW price.
2. Never buy anything that is not on a sprue /unassembled (finecast & metal) and don’t buy anything with paint on it.
3. Learn how to convert models.
4. Get friendly with your local game store or gaming club.

The reasons for each of these I will explain and let you know what caused me to think this way.

1. Never Pay the list GW price

Let’s be honest while this is a great hobby and it gives us hours of joy it is a bit pricey at times, a new army can run up to 300 or 400 euro and since not everyone that collects has a job these days you may not want/be able to cover that outlay.

Online retail is a great thing you can order GW products right to your door but independent traders are where the real savings are to be made. Firstly these traders’ sites offer discounts on the GW list prices and secondly they sell based on GW UK prices which can bump that to being a 30% saving if you live in the Eurozone. Unfortunately there are some pitfalls to watch out for when buying large orders from websites, customs and excise duty can be an unexpected cost that you may be forced to deal with, so be aware that this can wipe out all the savings you have made. If possible don’t buy from abroad or anywhere that may incur this cost and if in doubt the information is available online through revenue or customs websites.

To get even greater value for money you can turn to the worlds biggest bring & buy sale EBay. These auctions can drop the price quite a bit but there are two things to keep in mind when using EBay; figure out your upper spending limit and to stick to that limit no matter what. The limit I use is the lowest cost you would have to pay for the item and it’s P&P from an online retailer, you should take care not to cross this line because every penny beyond that is just wasted money.

Post and packaging are two words that can be problematic with EBay, as many people try to bump their profit by upping the costs. Be realistic about what it should cost, if it sounds too high it probably is. Another point to remember is to never bid for an item without clearly labelled P&P. I made this mistake and had to fight with a seller who wanted more in P&P then I had paid for a Rhino’s sprues. In cases like that don’t get into a position where you may feel beholden to the seller, ask them what they’ll charge to deliver if it is not listed and don’t even bother to bid until they tell you. Disputes over payment cost you exp points on EBay so you can end up looking untrustworthy and people may not except offers from you or want to send items by registered post.

My last point is not to bid on more copies of an item then you actually want to own, it could happen that after bidding for 5 Canis wolfborns you win them all, if you accidentally go over the number you need remember there is a withdraw bid procedure you can use.

That covers buying in general but something you should also be aware is that there are certain pieces that you will have to get your hands on by other means. Missile launchers and meltaguns are in high demand, everyone wants missile wielding long fangs and a meltagun in a Grey Hunters pack is mandatory but unfortunately you can’t buy them individually in plastic. Though you can get some GW metal meltas and Forge world have a nice little package of assault weapons and missile launchers they are not cheap. While these options are there I found that it was easier and faster to just search online for the parts themselves. There are ebay sellers and some dedicated “bitz” websites who sell the parts you’ll want. I took the sellers because I prefer to have plastic models for ease of gluing, also while Forge world make some beautiful models I don’t like their Space Marine heavy and special weapons.

2. Never buy anything that is not on a sprue /unassembled (finecast & metal) and don’t buy anything with paint on it.

This may sound silly but I am a modeller 1st and I’m never happy if I include a model I didn’t make in my army. While this makes me sound a little obsessive I have found that models that are sold assembled online may be on sale for a reason. A 5 man squad of assault marines I bought rather cheaply to flesh out my grey hunters were so badly glued that most of their features were destroyed and I could the his jetpack and legs from each man. The images looked fine on the website but in person the truth was plain to see. Despite all of that, with a few pieces from the Wolf sprues and a Death company sprue I had lying around those models are now powerfist and combi-melta wielding Wolf Guard.

I want my army to look its best and I enjoy painting the models to the best level that I can. When you buy models that have already been painted they don’t match your colour scheme or you may get models that have been caked in excess paint during base coating, when this happens you have no choice but to strip the paint off. Despite my best efforts stripped models never give as good a finish as starting with a clean plastic or metal body. Metal models required industrial solvents and when cleaning up plastic it took an eternity with weak solvents and elbow grease to clean. In the end it is not worth it for a model you know you could have painted better.

3. Learn how to convert models

When I started out playing 40K there was a lot more metal models and people used to spend weeks filling, shaping and sculpting to get the desired look on their characters. These days it is so much easier and faster as plastic models have a broader range of poses and can include a large amount of optional extras on their sprues that can be worked into models. The easiest conversion work you could do is to swap out the standard scout heads for those of wolf scout and while it is a very small step it can give you a feel for how simple it is to slightly alter a model to make it tie in better with the rest of your army.

Why does this skill matter? The reason it matters is because it gives you the opportunity to equip your characters as your want, you can add a distinctive look to your models and you can produce the wargear that you need. While you could just buy a rune priest to lead your army, you can put one together as I did with some of the weapons and flare in a Space Wolves pack. The internet and this blog is full of “how to” guides that show you the means to easily and quickly model the characters one needs to play the game. If you feel more adventurous and have played with Green Stuff before you can produce a model resplendent in wolf pelt or with rune etched armour. My second rune priest began life as Cypher but could pass for a son of the fang with a huge axe and a fur cape. These two models cost me very little as they are just plastic parts, some green stuff and a metal body I pulled out of a bitz box.

If you have a local gaming or hobby shop you should drop in some time and see if they have a bits box. These treasure troves have allowed me to turn 2 Space Wolves packs into 40 space wolves. With all the extra heads, chest plates and arms that you are given on the sprues all you need are a few sets of legs, torsos and backpacks to make even more warriors. The few models that look a little sparse on fenrisian flavour I decked in some furs and wolf tails rendered in green stuff.

Another thing to remember is that while you can buy things like combi-meltas there are resources that show you how to make your own. When it came to these items an infernus pistol is just as good as a metlagun for a conversion and they are much more common. Conversions make it easier to get the pieces you want and let you do it for less than a fraction of the cost of a fine cast models or ordering specific parts.

4. Get friendly with your local game store or gaming club

Once you have started assembling some models you need to get experience with your army as soon as possible. My advice is to go and find your nearest gaming club. Many wargaming clubs have all the terrain and sundries needed to play a game and they may also run beginners’ competitions or gaming sessions to encourage and develop new players. Most stores have a wargaming club that meet regularly as this is great for business. You can also see if a nearby college or university has a club and allows external members to play. If none of those options are available just start one yourself with a few friends, really all you need is a kitchen table and you’ll be fine.

Even if you are getting the army in drips and drabs you still want to get to grips with how it plays. Gaming clubs and stores are always happy to have people play small skirmishes to test out different things plus they’ll be very lenient on if models are painted and the level of “counts as” units in your list. As you practice you can get a feel of how certain units and unit combinations work before you commit to buying them. Maybe you want to run half a dozen land speeders or have two landraiders in your list, the only way to try it with “counts as” models is at your friendly local gaming institution.

While I am no stranger to the game it was beneficial to start off at 500pts and build my list to 1500pts while trying different units and tactics. Those games let me get to grips with the Space Wolves strengths. The only way to know your list, codex and the rulebook by rote is to get as many games under your belt as possible and to talk to experienced players. I can’t think of anywhere better to learn a new army then with a dedicated group of gamers.

So those are my tips on how to build a space wolves army for a reasonable price without losing the image and characters and how to avoid some of the problems that I encountered. Good luck and have fun with a new and interesting band of warriors.

Wolf and Sister part 30

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How to Beat Tyranids with Space Wolves

Beating Tyranids with Space Wolves isn't too much of a challenge when you consider that the Space Wolves Codex was practically designed to kill monstrous creatures.

Every Tyranid player is terrified of our Rune Priest's "Jaws Of The World Wolf" psychic power. But while our Grey Hunters can gun down hordes of Gaunts and our Long Fangs can take down monstrous creatures with Krak Missile Salvos before charging everything into a massive close combat, there are plenty of things that the Tyranids can still do to us!

Just be sure to soften up a Tyranid army with plenty of shooting before you do charge in to finish them off. Because charging in with chainsword in hand, thinking the bugs will be a push over in close combat will certainly get you killed.

So this is one of the times when the Space Wolves need to rely on their shooting and only charge into close combat to clean up or when the conditions are absolutely right.

Based on my gaming experience, I'm going to explain how to beat a typical Tyranids army with Space Wolves, while explaining what to look out for and how to best utilise your units to deal with each threat.

Oh, and watch our for those Tyranid Shrikes!


TYRANID ARMY STRENGTHS

Numbers
The Nids can throw down a lot of bugs and that's before those Tervigons starting makin' babies. So expect to get drowned in fodder if you're not smart with your bolters and frag missiles.

You're going to love the Heavy Flamers on your land speeders for being able to mop up a Gaunt squad whenever you need it.

Close Combat
Just because you've got a better Codex doesn't mean that you're going to beat Tyranids in close combat. They can throw way more dice than Space Wolves and get rerolls on practically everything. Don't forget that Tervigons can cast Feel No Pain on Gaunts too. So your Grey Hunters will get ripped apart if you're not careful.

Shoot first, fight later. That's the best approach against the Nids.


TYRANID ARMY WEAKNESSES

Shooting
For all their speed and close combat craziness, Tyranids aren't great at shooting. Sure, they've got the Hive Guard which are pretty good for popping your Rhinos transports and Zoanthropes aren't bad either. But in the game of mechanised armies, they're not that great. Also, a Tyrannofex is a massive points sink, even if it is a weapons platform.

Just watch our for massed 'living ammo' fire which can completely obliterate your infantry if they happen to get caught outside of their transports.

Lack of Vehicles
Every gun in your army can hurt something! Even your bolters can bring down Monstrous Creatures, so make each and every single shot count - you're gonna need them.

Synapse
First of all, Synapse makes units Fearless. That's great, because it means when you do get into combat it should only be at the right time (you should be shooting, shooting, shooting otherwise) to give you a decisive win. So when you do give those Tyranids a sound thrashing in close combat, they'll have to take even more armour saves for it...and Tyranids aren't known for their great armour saves.

The other flip side of Synapse is that the Tyranid player is often forced to move his army a cohesive whole in order to keep all the little critters in Synapse range of a big creature. This gives your Space Wolves more tactical flexibility that a Tyranid army. It also means that if you can take out the Synapse creatures you can effectively restrict your opponent's movement...or watch all their creatures instinctively wander off towards the nearest tree or run forward into your waiting guns.


TYPICAL TYRANID ARMY LIST
Everybody seems to take lots of Trygons, Tervigons and Hive Guard and who can blame them when they're easily the best choices in the book. The Tervigons sat back and spawn lots of Gaunts each turn to drown you in an endless sea of cheap models, while the Hive Guard blow up your tanks and finally, all the little creatures just hold you up so that the Trygons can slither up and stab you in the face.

Tervigon (HQ)
2 Hive Guard
2 Hive Guard
2 Hive Guard
Tervigon (Troops)
Tervigon (Troops)
10 Termagaunts
10 Termagaunts
10 Genestealers
Trygon
Trygon
Trygon Prime


Tyranid Strategy VS Space Wolves

As already stated, the Tervigons sat back and spawn lots of Gaunts each turn to drown you in an endless sea of cheap models, while the Hive Guard blow up your tanks and finally, all the little creatures just hold you up so that the Trygons can slither up and stab you in the face.

So how does that work in pactice? Well, basically the Tyranid player eats up half of the board (claiming any objectives) and does their best to minimise damage and multiply rapidly in the first two turns of the game.

First they want to blow up your transports with the Hive Guard. Then they want to get all those Termagaunts and Trygons into firing range and hose down your Grey Hunters with as many 'living ammo' shots as possible. When all those shots are re-rolling to wound, your Space Wolves can be wiped out very quickly.

Once the Space Wolves have taken enough casualties the whole swarm will sweep in, turning the game into a long, drawn out, close combat while the Tervigons keep pumping out new Gaunts to grab and objectives.

Space Wolves Strategy VS Tyranids

You're going to have a tough time as the Space Wolves player. You've only got so many models and you've got to make every gun count.

So for you this game is about concentrating your firepower to take down one threat at a time. And be sure to always deal with the immediate threats and systematically work your way up the Tyranid army in this way.

That way you'll do your best to stay out of close combat and ensure that you get off as many shots as possible each turn.

So frag missile barrages from your Long Fangs against Gaunts, followed by Rapid Firing Boltguns from your Grey Hunters should mop up Gaunt swarms.

Meanwhile all lascannons need to be targetted towards the Trygons and stack wounds for a couple of turns until they get close enough for your Grey Hunters to finish them off with Melta Guns.

Long Fangs really shine against Tyranids, because they can also pour Krak Missiles into monstrous creatures.

The same goes for Land Speeders who can finish off monstrous creatures with their highly mobile Multi Meltas before burning swarms with their Heavy Flamers. They also make great bait units of course!

And not forgetting the infamous Jaws Of The World Wolf Psychic Power which is well worth firing at Hive Guard and even Trygons. Because there's always a chance of instantly removing one of these models from play.

Most importantly, you'll just have to ignore the Tervigons who are likely to be sitting at the back anyway. Once you've wittled down the Tyranid swarm enough, you can begin to make your way up the field firing, charging and killing in the best way that Space Wolves know how.

And as always, make sure that when you charge you outnumber your foes and wipe them out in a decisive close combat. You can't afford to get bogged down or you will be quickly overwhelmed.

Finally, by the time you've up the field and near to those Tyrgons, let Jaws Of The World Wolf do what it does best and see the Tyranid player cry. But when you consider that Tervigons have 6 wounds, it really isn't effective aiming all those Krak Missiles, Lascannons and Melta Guns in their direction, otherwise the Space Wolves would take most of the game trying to kill them.


CONCLUSION
Beating Tyranids with Space Wolves is about using your firepower strategically before being able to advance. It's a tough match up, make no mistake. Just remember to focus your anti-infantry firepower on one threat at a time. It's all about target priorities and taking out what can threaten you each turn.

So do your best to deploy in a way that minimises these threats (spreading out is best) while giving your units a good field of vision so that they can back each other up with their guns and drive back the Tyranid swarm as a united army.

Once you've killed enough Tyranids with your guns, you can press the advantage and rampage through their army. Just expect to take a lot of casualties in doing so!

Wolf and Sister Part 29

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Long Fangs - Revisited

Unit Name: Long Fangs.

Unit Type: Heavy Support Unit, 2-6 man squad.

Construction: There are a few methods to make a squad of Long Fangs. Either kitbash a squad of devastators with some Space Wolf parts or purchase the heavy weapons from ebay and arm them on models made from the Space Wolf sprue.

Unit Deployment: In cover with the greatest vantage of the board possible.

Unit in play: 24-48 inch range, line of sight. Unit is most effective against: Depending on the load out the unit can be anti-tank, anti-infantry or both. Heavy bolters are for troops, lazcannon & mulitmelta for armour, plasma & missile launchers for both.

General Discussion: The Space Wolves Codex has some fantastic choices in its Heavy Support category. The best choice is by far and away the Long Fangs. For fewer points than a Predator costs and you can have five guns firing at two targets. The only problem with Long Fangs is choosing what to arm them with, every weapon has a role but they also have disadvantages.

What to carry into battle?

The one man that is in every pack is the squad leader. This model should never have any wargear or upgrades as his role is solely to allow you to split fire. He is the one that you put as many wounds as possible on as he doesn’t have a heavy weapon and he can’t fire if you want to make use of Fire Control. Basically, if you have a situation where he could fire at a target you are doing it wrong. Long Fangs are supposed to sit on the sides and pelt the enemy with fire until there is nothing left, you should use the rest of your army to keep them free from being assaulted.

For the rest of the squad the question is which guns to choose. Do you want to take on armour or mow down the infantry; do you mix your guns or take one type only? Firstly let’s look at the guns, you need to choose the role your Long Fangs will play and arm them to suit it. Each weapon has advantages and disadvantages so let’s take a quick run through them.

Missiles are the weapons conventional wisdom tells us are the best choice. The way I see it the missile launcher is the jack of all trades but king of none, it can do every job well but other guns can make a slightly better job of one or another aspect of the meta-game. You get two weapons for the price of one with missile launchers. The Krak missile is able to take out light armour and Space Marines, very good for taking out any units caught in the open. Strength 8 weapons are good for Monstrous Creatures and for instant killing those pesky Space Marine characters. Frag missiles work on hordes and on bunched up units, they can cut down poorly armoured units like a chainsaw. When it comes to Tau who I play against regularly, Frag missiles take care of the Kroot and Crisis Suits love the kiss of a Krak. They have the range and strength to do what you want with decent armour penetration or a blast.

What are the weaknesses, you might ask? When it comes to armour 13 and 14 your chance of penetrating the armour is low to impossible, the chances of taking out a land raider in six turns is less than 1% with missile launchers. A final thorn is that 2+ armour saves will make your life very difficult, it is very unlikely you can take out a five man squad before they get into combat.

Plasma cannons are another mixed role weapon. These guns can take the light armour and drop a hard blast with great penetration on squads of units. The real use of these guns as I see it is to take out squads of terminators or other similarly armoured units. The plasma cannon has some drawbacks, it has less range, less strength and costs more than a missile launcher. The weapon has no hope against heavy armour and while it can take out terminators it hasn’t the stopping power I would like to see when dealing with grey knights. The lack of an instant kill makes me wonder about using it at all. The biggest problem I have with plasma cannons is that with five of them you are going to get some Gets Hot rolls and I prefer my guns to take out the enemy only. It is a small chance but gets hot has cost me models in their droves in the past.

Lazcannons are the king of imperial weaponry as they have range, strength and penetration. They excel at taking out armour and heavily armoured troops. Lazcannons can instant death your grey knights and have the best shot at range of taking out heavy armour. The disadvantages are that they cost 25 points and can only ever take out one model at a time. Their cost is a major factor that lies against them; they drive the cost of the unit through the roof and offer only a minor benefit for their use. While they can punch through the toughest personal armour the ease by which infantry acquire cover saves these days makes them worth a lot less when it comes to taking out deathstar units or tackling a foot slogging army or killa can walls.

When it comes to multi-meltas you are rarely going to get the opportunity to get to use them to full effect, they have the shortest range of any of the weapons and while they will outstrip a Krak missile they will only do so at less than 24”. They can kill from a glancing shot on a roll of a six but that is of little comfort when a target is thirteen inches away. The range is the biggest problem with these guns. They are not the weapon of choice if you want to take control of the board unless you stick them in Drop Pods and launch them all turn one into the centre of the board. While they can create a no go bubble on the board for armour, that is rarely going to stop a well rounded army.

Heavy bolters are the most straight forward gun to look at; they throw out lots of shots every turn and by pure weight of numbers can chew up most infantry on the board even with good armour saves. They have no power when it comes to armour, you can try all day but if you do take a tank out with one I’ll eat this article. Weak armoured mobs will rue the day they tried to run down five heavy bolters but they do nothing else. Any unit armed with 2+ & 3+ saves will have little trouble with heavy bolters unless the rolls go against them. Space marines and the like will still require something harder to wipe them from the board.

So when it comes to range, cost, versatility and efficacy I would choose missile launchers. Heavy bolters have their role too but I think they would be what I would put in a 2nd or 3rd squad definitely not my first choice. Lazcannons are great but you can have Razorback and a squad of missiles for the same points and I find that to be a better choice as it is more targets on the board and a re-roll is always better then two shots. The first time I played with 2 squads full of missile launchers I was shocked by how well they did, every tank on the board was dead by turn two and after that they went through squad after squad of space marines, that was a bit of luck but they are usually my men of the match.

Should they all have the same weapon?

Now the biggest question is should I split my load out. I suggest not doing this, if you want to have an anti-tank and an anti-troop unit, that is perfect but unless you load out with missiles you can’t do both well. While the squad can split fire it is not something to build a unit around. It is folly to think that you can shoot your two lazcannons at armour and your heavy bolters at some troops because the first man you want dead in that squad is the one that give you the ability to split that fire. I find that having the same gun on each man allows me to bring weight of numbers on a target to ensure that my target is dead. If you want to take on heavy armour and hordes of troops take two squads with two different loadouts. That being said if you want to have two types of weapons make sure that they can fulfil the same roll. Certain weapons complement one another, a squad of plasma cannons and heavy bolters would sweep through troops and when you have a chance you can shoot up some light tanks with the cannons. A pair of lazcannons can give you the anti-armour edge in a squad of missile launchers and can give two definite kills when shooting at troops. Be aware that range is an issue when you mix weapons, if you use missiles and plasma you will have lots of situations when you either have to give up a turn of shooting to move or have an under strength round of fire.

Whatever you do make sure you do not take one of every weapon choice, this is something I have seen and it does not work out very well. You can’t bring the full wrath of the unit to bear on one target and ensure a kill as some of the weapons may be out of range or too weak to punch through the armour.

Should Long Fangs have a transport?

Long Fangs don’t really need a transport as they will probably spend most of the game in one spot. Drop Pods are a definite no from me, the squad is small and will be on its own in no man’s land, a hard round of fire will see them never getting to shoot and that’s your fire support gone.

I think that in general transport is only needed in a Dawn of War setup because it can let you get the squad into a position 8-18 inches from the edge of the board. A Rhino is fine if you don’t have any points to spare it will get them there but after the Fangs are in position what does it do? I would rather spring for a Razorback, you can put some twin-linked fire into the enemy and compliment the Long Fangs with a different gun and it allows you to take on a 3rd target. As Space Wolves I would avoid the laz/plaz option for the Long Fangs, give them a twin-linked lazcannon to bolster your anti-armour or assault cannons to power through the troops.

Conclusion:

Long Fangs are great fire support as they can fill whatever roll you want on the board when it comes to shooting. They can take any gun bar mulit-meltas and make them work for you. They are better than Devastators as you can have more guns and if you’re stuck for points you don’t have to take five men before you can have a heavy gun.

My personal choice for a load out for my Long Fangs is two squads of 6 men with 5 missile launchers mounted in a Razorback with twin linked lazcannons. This means I can hit six targets with heavy fire in the first round of fire, when it comes to dawn of war I have two lazcanon shots and can run the fangs into position after the tank has moved at cruising speed. Take care of your Long Fangs, equip them well and you will be drinking mead in the halls of victory with them after every battle.

May Raffle, Apologies, Etc.

Wolf brothers, you have my sencere apologies for not being here for the past week! Life on Terra (as in my real life) got in the way but I am back to Fenris now and will get things going as they should! So first thing first: Our May Raffle is for a weapon system that every wolf lord should have at his disposal: The mighty Landraider Srusader! the only Landraider version worthy taking into battle (as per yours truely) is the Crusader! So without any interuptions, here is the official raffle decleration:

$1 ticket buys you a chance to win a Games Workshop, new on sprue, Space Marines Landraider Crusader (or redeemer, its the same set).

Please note: this is a brand new, unpainted, unassembled Land Raider Crusader / Redeemer. The picture on the left is for illustration purposes only.

People who submit articles which get published, will automatically be entered into that month's Raffle without having to make a donation (10 entries per article). Obviously, this does not relate to any paid writers for the blog.

And Now to last months Raffle winner: Chad Farley from Florence, AL!

Congratulations Chad. You should be receiving the package in the mail within a couple of weeks.

Moving on: Some of you complained about the fact that all we publish lately are: HOW TO BEAT articles (nobody complained about Wolf & Sister...). I will try to spice things up with other types of articles. I was under the impression that everybody enjoyed the HOW TO BEAT series... So your messages were heard and expect some new material about: Painting, Modeling and other aspects of strategy. Also, feel free to submit ideas for articles you would like to read. Send those to me via eMail.

THE WINNER OF THE LANDRAIDER RAFFLE:

Jonathan Torres from Austin Texas!!!