Regular FAQ PDF Updates for 40K

New FAQs are coming around the time of release of the new stater set. This will be the first of the regular PDF updates for 40K.

There was meant to be a massive FAQ update when 6th came out, but they only FAQ'd the psychic powers, which was a big disappointment for many people.

It would seem that the games designers made a last minute decision to allow everyone to digest the 6th edition rules for a while before making more alterations to the balance of the game.

Instead, the big FAQ roll out is coming in a couple of months. So you will have all your questions answered then.

GW is planning to maintain balance with regular FAQ updates and alterations. So, in the example I was given, I was told that Grey Knights Purifiers may have their rules changed or increase in points.

Playing a well rounded army is going to be more important than ever. If you put your faith in death star or the spamming of certain units, you could be in for a rude awakening each time a new PDF Update is rolled out.

Will we get the option to upgrade all our Missile Launchers to have Flakk Missiles in the next update? I reckon so, but only time will tell.

White Dwarf
In addition to the PDF updates, we're going to see a lot of new units and rules updates in White Dwarf. The Chaos Daemons bolt-on has just come out this weekend, but how all these updates are going to be managed and meshed together I'm not quite sure. PDF updates on the GW website may be the way forward.

Meanwhile, White Dwarf is taking a different direction when it comes to battle reports. Apparently we're going to start seeing some proper tournament style armies and seriously brutal battle reports from September.

So there's 2 good reasons to buy White Dwarf, when previously there were none.

Wolf and Sister Part 37

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Kabuki Models Celtic Knight

Check out the Kabuki Models Celtic Knight *cough*Leman Russ*cough*.

Imagine having this model to lead my pre heresy Space Wolves to glory!

Sure, the details could be a little crisper and the wolves will probably get swapped out for Thunderwolves or Fenrisian Wolves, but this is the best model we've seen to represent the Space Wolves Primarch.

And before anyone tells me that Leman Russ carried a sword and a bolt pistol, he was also known to have carried The Spear Of Russ as well as worn the Wolf Helm of Russ.

My only minor gripe is that while this would be a very impressive centre peice in a pre heresy Space Wolves army, would I ever get the chance to actually field it in a game?

Obviously not, unless I attend one of the Tempus Fugitives Horus Heresy campaigns.

But that shouldn't stop you from building and painting this model if you really really want it!

It's 40 Euros from Kabuki Miniatures and should be available in September.

Throne of Skulls 40K July 2012

Hi guys, just got back from the Throne of Skulls 40K July 2012 tournament having played 5 great games with James' Thousand Sons army - Boo, hiss!

Okay, so I didn't take Space Wolves, but what I did want to talk about is the 6th edition game and overall tournament experience. Oh, and how gunning down Space Marines with AP3 Bolters in the open is a wonderful feeling.

6th Edition 40K
For starters, let's take a look at 6th edition a little more, because there's a big difference between playing games with your mates and going to a weekend and playing 5 games against 5 totally different armies and opponents.

Overall I'm loving 6th edition. It's fast, it's fun and although there are concerns over fliers and fortifications, it seems pretty good on the whole.

Night Fighting is frustrating, because it seems to benefit infantry deployed in cover and does very little for vehicles.

And whoever gets the first turn, seems to blow up your transports very easily, regardless of you being in cover or not.

Mysterious Objectives never seemed to add any value to the game.

Mysterious Woods means people just steer clear of the woods most of the time, because nasty things tend to happen!

Warlord Traits never seemed to add any value to the game...apart from when a trait is PERFECT for a particular match up and you just so happen to roll it, like rolling and Stealth and Move Through Cover for Ruins and the whole board is a ruined city!

Getting out of transports is problematic for assault armies. Space Marines in particular.

I'm going to pick out particular points of interest from my games from disembarking and dying, to shooting down fliers and clinging to The Relic for dear life!

Game 1: Blood Angels
Some really interesting stuff happened in the first game.
Firstly, there were 3 9-man Thousand Sons squads in Rhinos and 3 5-man Blood Angels Assault Squads in Razorbacks armed with Assault Cannons all sat round the Objectives.

I couldn't hurt his tanks. But he could hurt mine.
However, he kept disembarking his troops first to go and sit on the Objectives. But it was only Turn 3. So whenever he got a squad out, I got a squad out and just AP3 Boltered them all to death. Also, I had the numbers (and the 4+ Inv Save) to just soak up the fire from his tanks and not worry about it. Bizarre!

But it was comical that without being able to fire melta guns out the top hatch of our transports, we couldn't really hurt each other. We just sat in our metal boxes, because you can't disembark and charge in the same turn.

Although I guess I could have just disembarked all 27 Thousand Sons at once, taken a round of fire and then ripped his tanks apart.

The other funny thing was that I just couldn't afford to waste shots firing at the Storm Raven while it was Flying. But as soon as it Hovered so it could drop off the Dreadnought, 2 Obliterators just walked up and melta'd it to death!

This happened in my second game against Necrons too. My opponent Hovered his Night Scythe so it could move more easily and bring all it's guns to bear. 2 Obliterators just walked up and melta'd it to death too.

Game 3: Eldar
I played this amazing guy called Jack Cross. He got 4 out of a possible 5 'best game' nominations. He just shot the hell out of my army with Shuriken Cannon spam and there was nothing I could do about it. When my 4+ Inv save and my AP3 Bolters and Psychic Powers counted for nothing in this game, I really wished I'd had my Wolves with me instead.

Still, I played very cleverly, sold the lives of my men dearly and clung to those Objectives. Had the game ended on Turn 5 I would have won. Had it ended on Turn 6, I would have won. But it went to Turn 7 and I lost it all.

I actually received a manly hug at the end of the game and Jack bought me a beer. It had been emotional. No really, it had! I was facing utter defeat from Turn 1 when ALL 3 Rhinos and the Defiler were simply glanced to death. But I played the game of my life and totally should have won it.

What did I learn from this game? That vehicle squadrons are a bitch to kill!
So for example let's say you rolled 2 penetrates and a glance on a squadron of War Walkers. Your opponent puts the 2 penetrates on the first walker and then a glance on the second. You don't roll to see if the first walker simply dies from the first penetrating hit. Because it effectively has 2 hull points, it's like allocating 'wounds' to a squad. So vehicles squadrons are very survivable compared to single units it seems.

Game 5: Space Wolves
In the final round I played Space Wolves blog read Darren who had brought his Fortress of Redemption along! No doubt you've read my thoughts on Fortifications for Space Wolves? I concluded that the Fortress is a poor choice for Space Wolves and in this game, it really was in one way.

The mission was The Relic and it was regular deployment (12" on from the board edge).
I saw what Darren had on the board and quickly realised that he'd spent 290pts on his Fortress. That was 290pts of Space Wolves that wouldn't be in my face, tearing through my army. Hmmm...

Then, he put a pack of Long Fangs in the bunker, a pack of 10 Grey Hunters (to man the 4 Heavy Bolters) and his Rune Priest on the battlements to create a fire base that with the Fortress typically produced a total of 35 shots per turn. This is loose maths based on my Thousand Sons getting a 3+ and a 4+ Inv save.

35 shots, hitting on 3+, 23 hits, wounding on 3+ (for easy maths), 8 wounds, 4+ saves = 4 dead guys per turn. So in theory, I could hold out for 6 turns if my guys were naked and in the open.

Also, facing the Fortress was far more preferable to Darren having 2 more packs of Long Fangs for the equivalent cost. Or simply more Grey Hunters.

As a result, the only units he had to try and wrestle the relic from me were two packs of 6 Space Wolves in a Razorback and a Land Raider along with 2 lone Thunderwolves - all of which were dispatched or I sat in combat with for a few turns to minimise casualties.

The game ended on Turn 6, with a single Sorcerer hugging the wreckage of the Rhino so no one could shoot at him, apart from the Krak Barrage Launcher on the Fortress, but mercifully, he passed his 4+ Inv save!

Which brings me on to...

The Relic Mission
I've been thinking about this game all wrong.
The Relic is too difficult to move, so why not think of it as the old Take And Hold mission? So why not keep an eye on The Relic for a few Turns and counter anything that comes to get it. Then you can go and grab it towards the end of the game?

In theory, this would have been much better for me that racing forward with all Rhinos, waiting for them to get blown up, then sitting and getting shot while countering any threats.

I could have waited until the Space Wolves left a unit in the open, driven up, disembarked, killed them all in the open with my AP3 Bolters and have taken far less of a beating in the process.

So in hindsight, I could have played much better. But the real point I wanted to make is that the Fortress is a big old points sink for an army like Space Wolves. Unless you put it at the back and fill it with Long Fangs. But that's quite a big investment!

Throne of Skulls Format
Everyone loved the simple Win/Loss/Draw scoring system. Because there were no real winners, you played 5 games at a leisurely pace and just enjoyed yourself.

After playing in tournaments were I need to complete 7 games in a single weekend, I'm sick of it all by the end of the first day.

This was just good, fun gaming. I don't care so much about the meta game any more. I'm just here to have fun, enjoy the hobby and have some great games against people who are there to play, not just to win. Because there's nothing that glamorous in winning at Throne of Skulls.

Space Wolves Allies

Who can ally with Space Wolves and which are the best allies for Space Wolves in the game? Sit tight as we take you through all the Space Wolves allies from recreating historical battles to themed lists and outright cheesy, tournament style armies.

It seems that Allies are now a permanent feature of Warhammer 40K, allowing you to shoe horn in some extra units to make your army more characterful and more competitive. This works better for some armies compared to others.

For example, Tau could ally with the Dark Angels to get some Deathwing Terminator Troops in their army to help them to claim and keep Objectives, while the Tau provide fire support.

Alternatively, Thousand Sons could ally with Tzeentch Daemons for a very characterful Tzeentchian force.

So how can allies benefit our Space Wolves? Well, essentially we just pick the units we always wanted from other Codex books to make our army better.

Space Wolves Battle Brothers:
Black Templars, Blood Angels, Imperial Guard and Space Marines

As Battle Brothers Space Wolves can add any Independent Characters from these armies to their units (and vice versa) while benefiting from a number of ability boosts from casting Psychic Powers one each other to special rules that benefit 'friendly models'. However, many abilities only target an army's own units, so check the FAQs before your Imperial Guard Commander tells Logan Grimnar to "Get back in the fight". He might just feed the upstart human to his Fenrisian Wolves!

Mephiston + 2 Sanguinary Priests + 5 Blood Angels Scouts:
The first thing many people thought of when allies were announced was how to cram Mephiston into their armies. Then people realised that could purchase a couple of Sanguinary Priests and attack them to Grey Hunter packs, giving them Feel No Pain. But let's not forget that those 5 scouts are great at holding Objectives and can be given Sniper Rifles too.

Blood Angels Librarian + Death Company:
If you ever wanted to run a 13th Company themed list or simply wanted a pack of Wulfen in your army, now's the time to purchase a Rune Priest and convert a whole pack of Wulfen Space Wolves and represent them using the Blood Angels Death Company rules. With Rage and Rending attacks it makes perfect sense!

Other Units You May Want to Add:
Storm Raven, Leman Russ Tanks, Valkyrie Vendetta, Storm Talon, Thunder Fire Cannon.

Just remember that you need at least 1 Allied HQ and 1 Allied Troops choice before you can start adding Elites, Fast Attack and Heavy Support.

Space Wolves Allies of Convenience:
Dark Angels, Eldar, Grey Knights, Sisters of Battle, Tau Empire

While you may not be able to share ability boosts and cast friendly Psychic Powers upon one another, there are still units from other armies you may want access to. Remember that the Dark Angels and Grey Knights also fought alongside the Space Wolves through some of the greatest battles in history!

Also, if you're a big fan of Wolf and Sister, then the chance to add some Sisters of Battle to your army to fight an army of Noise Marines may be too tempting to resist.

Belial + Deathwing Terminators + Land Raider:
If there's one thing that the Space Wolves have always lacked it's dedicated, hard hitting assault troops that are cost effective. Enter Belial and Deathwing Terminators armed with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield with an Apothecary (for Feel No Pain) in a Land Raider to deliver that close combat punch we always wanted. Is it wrong to use Space Wolves models for all this? Well, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Grey Knights Librarian + Terminators + Storm Raven
Similar to their Dark Angels allies, Grey Knights give you access to some hard hitting units as well as a flyer to get them there quickly. Because sometimes getting across the board and hitting hard and fast can be difficult for a Space Wolves army.

Other Units You May Want to Add:
Grey Knight Squads, Nemesis Dread Knight, Grey Knights Psyfleman Dreadnought, Crisis Battle Suits, Broadside Battle Suits

Just remember that you need at least 1 Allied HQ and 1 Allied Troops choice before you can start adding Elites, Fast Attack and Heavy Support.

Space Wolves Desperate Allies:
Dark Eldar, Necrons, Orks

Personally, I wouldn't touch any of these with a barge pole! For started Space Wolves really wouldn't want to ally with them, but because the Space Wolves don't trust their allies, if they get within 6" of them and roll a 1, they do nothing but watch the allied unit for signs of betrayal for a turn.

This could really screw up your game at the wrong moment. Sure, it's a small risk, but you know it's going to happen to your in a tournament at some point and lose you a game.

CONCLUSION
These are just a few suggestions for units to shoe horn into your army, but I'm sure you'll come up with your own killer combos and characterful additions.

Allies are a great way to fix your army's problems. Just check on how many points your spending to get access to these new units. After all, you don't want to spend hundreds of points on an allied HQ and Troop choice that's useless in your army just so you can get access to an awesome Heavy Support choice - because that really wouldn't be cost effective for your points.

But if the HQ and the Troops are the units you really really want (like Belial + Deathwing Assault Terminators), then you're using your points very effectively.

Best of luck out there and whether you're thinking of theming your army or simply making it more competitive, have fun!

Wolf and Sister Part 36

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Space Wolves Fortifications

Here we take a look at 6th edition fortifications and how the Space Wolves can use them effectively.

At the time of release, Warhammer 40K included 4 types of fortifications: The cheap and cheerful Aegis Defence Line, the Sky Shield Landing Pad, the boxy Bastion and the enormous Fortress of Redemption.

So while more fortifications will be released in due course, this article should give you some idea on how best to use fortifications for which Space Wolves units and why.

Aegis Defence Line
For many players fortifications are a much needed source of anti aircraft fire, which is why we're so keen on taking them. The Aegis Defence Line is perfect for the Warlord on a budget. For 50pts you get a bunch of wall sections that give your guys behind it a 4+ cover save and a 2+ cover save if they Go To Ground.

You can deploy it in a straight line, allowing you to safely set up a gun line of men. Or you can wrap it around, creating a little bunker of sorts.

Because you can deploy it however you like (so long as every wall section is touching another wall section), it's great for those battles where terrain is scarce.

It's also great for surrounding one of your objectives with, making your claiming unit more survivable. And while you cannot claim Objectives while inside a Fortification, because the Aegis Defence Line is not a building (so you cannot go inside it), this is not a problem!

Meanwhile you can pay a few more points for an Icarus Lascannon or Quad Gun. Which is better of the two weapons? Well, it often comes down to what you're playing against and how you're deploying.

For example, because the Icarus Lascannon has enormous range, you could set it up in the corner of the board, out of harms way from most of the enemy shooting while being able to fire it at virtually anything on the entire 48" X 72" board...provided you have line of sight of course.

Otherwise the Quad Gun is amazing for taking out light vehicles by glancing them to death with it's 4 shots, which are twin linked of course. However, it's shorter range may may it more vulnerable to enemy fire.

For simplicity's sake, we tend to prefer the Quad Gun, because it's more versatile for shooting tanks, troops and most importantly aircraft (using it's Interceptor and Skyfire rules).

So if you need a little extra terrain on the board, some cheap anti aircraft fire or just a place for your Long Fangs or objective grabbing units to stay safe, we think this is the best choice considering how cheap it is.

Sky Shield Landing Pad
Essentially a big raised platform. The Sky Shield Landing Pad does two things. First, it helps Deep Striking units to land properly, but since Space Wolves don't have any use for that, let's look at the Shield part of its rules and how that benefits us instead.

The Shield bubble gives any units on the Landing Pad a 4+ invulnerable save. So you'd imagine that you'd use it to cram as many units on to it for a 4+ invulnerable save as possible right?

Well, it's bot the best idea in the world, as Long Fangs would benefit from the Aegis Defence Line far better.

Also, with so many units crammed on it, you know the Landing Pad is going to be the target of every Battle Cannon or blast weapon imaginable.

So other than raising your heavy weapons high to give them a good field of fire (and totally expose them to the enemy), we're really not a big fan.

Other fortifications do it better for the Space Wolves, and besides; the Landing Pad can't take an Icarus Lascannon or Quad Gun anyway.

Bastion
Featuring 4 Heavy Bolters, 4 Fire Points and optional Icarus Lascannon, Quad Gun or Comms Array on top, the Bastion is an armour 14 box that doesn't come cheap, but seems alright.

Do you really need those 4 heavy bolters that are pointing at weird angles and likely to miss most of the time? Can you actually see anything our of those Fire Points? Probably not.

However, there's nothing to stop you putting a pack of Long Fangs up on the battlements for a 3+ cover save and a nice big field of fire.

Add an Anti-Aircraft gun and you're looking good. The Comms Array probably isn't something that Space Wolves will ever need, because the army has never done well by having lots of reserves.

However, just be aware that your opponent is still going to shoot basic weapons fire at the Long Fangs on the battlements. Meanwhile the Anti-Aircraft gun can be targeted separately too.

Just remember that because of the height of the Bastion, you need to measure down with your weapons while your opponents need to measure up! So if you have long ranged guns (usually heavy weapons), then you're laughing against the shorter ranged basic weapons which will have to get close to do your Long Fangs and AA gun any harm.

So be sure to stick your Bastion at the back with Long Fangs on top along with an AA gun.

Does this make the Bastion worth the price in points? We reckon so - especially when your Interceptor, Sky Fire, AA gun gets such a brilliant view from the battlefield up on high (and a 3+ cover save because it's on the battlements!).

Fortress of Redemption
Armed with a twin linked Icarus Lascannon and a Frag Storm Launcher, (which you're blatantly going to upgrade to the Krak Storm Launcher, effectively buying you a Battle Cannon) the Fortress of Redemption is effectively 3 Small Buildings and 1 Medium Building all bolted together - all for less than a Land Raider.

Featuring countless Points, plenty of Battlements and some deadly weaponry, this beast is perfect for any army that loves to sit and shoot. Because now they can do it in 4 Armour 14 buildings or in 3+ cover.

Only an army with a lot of melta and a lot of lascannons is going to be able to crack this beast of a building.

Otherwise you can simply deploy it in your HALF of the board (yes, right up the the central diving line that's 24" on from the board edge), fill it with Troops, Heavy Weapons and hide all your vehicles behind it and say "come and get me".

Obviously don't put it too far on the table that no one can actually get in it during deployment.

And let's not forget that the only entrance is a teeny, tiny door at the very back.

While Space Wolves are a mid-field army, the Fortress of Redemption doesn't work for them as well as it does for other armies like Imperial Guard, Grey Knights or even Tau. This really is a monstrous fortification that really benefits the super shooty armies.

CONCLUSION
At this time we don't know if fortifications are going to be allowed in tournaments.
However, BeakyCon has posted up how they are going to handle 6th edition rules for their tournament, with fliers, allies and fortifications allowed, except for the Fortress of Redemption and mysterious terrain, which have been excluded.

Personally I feel that the Fortress of Redemption is brilliant to fight over in a themed 'attack the enemy base' mission as part of a campaign, but otherwise it's just too big and abusable for a regular game of 40K. Just imagine if every player rocked up for a game with a fortress full of models? It would get really repetitive really quickly.

Aegis Defence Lines and Bastions on the other hand a great for giving your army a little boost. Just make sure that you don't need those precious points elsewhere.

Space Wolves in 6th Edition 40K

The complete guide to Space Wolves in 6th edition Warhammer 40K! Having played quite a few games now, while reading the whole rulebook cover to cover a few times and making plenty of notes while I go, here is everything you need to know about playing Space Wolves in 6th edition.

As a sweeping generalisation, in 6th edition, assualting is a little tougher, shooting is a lot better and tanks have taken a bit of a beating because you can just glance them to death. Meanwhile flyers and fortifications look set to ruin the game.

The great news is that everything in the Space Wolves army works in pretty much the same way. So you won't need to sell your whole army and start from scratch. Well, not until the meta game picks up again in about 6 months time.

But from what I can see, there's definitely more balance between infantry and vehicles.

The best way to do this is just to go through all the units and explain the good stuff and the bad stuff from there...

Warlord Traits
You get the choice of Command, Personal and Strategic trait charts to roll on for your chosen army Warlord. Command is all about inspiring the troops around you with Leadership boosts and the like, which Space Wolves really don't need.

Burt if your Warlord is a close combat badass, it's definitely worth takinge a Personal trait, as they're almost always designed for characters that like getting into the thick of the fighting.

Meanwhile, if you don't have a particularly killy close combat Warlord, the Strategy traits are perfect for augmenting your army as a whole. So if your army is led by a Rune Priest rather than a Wolf lord, I'd certainly recommending going down the Strategic route.

Logan Grimnar
Everyone likes Logan Grimnar and the old wolf gets a little better thanks to his Preferred Enemy and Tank Hunter abilities, although these now only take effect during your own turn.

The new Preffered Enemy allows you to re-rolls 1's to hit in close combat and from shooting, which is a nice little boost. It's not amazing though.

Bugt what is amazing is the new Tank Hunter rules. Attach Logan to a unit, announce you're giving them the Tank Hunter skill and re-roll all your armour penetration rolls.

That goes for glancing hits too, so you can reroll to make sure you really blow something up when you need to.

Obviously, this makes Missile Launchers brilliant. Lascannons and Multimeltas will probably glance stuff to death now anyway.

Njal Stormcaller
As before, Njal can cast 2 Psychic Powers per turn as well as his 'passive stormy powers'. The FAQ says that Njal knows all the Psychic Powers on page 37 of the Space Wolves Codex. But can you swap them for the new Biomancy, Divination and Telekinesis spells? I'd assume so and some of the Psychic Powers are definitely worth swapping, but more on that in the Rune Priests section below.

Unfortunately Njal's still horribly overpriced for what he does, which is why we're unlikely to take him.

Ragnar Blackmane
Ragnar is still essentially the same, except you no longer get +1 Initiative for Furious Charge.

Ragnar may have a 4+ dodge save, but he does tend to get smacked in the face by powerfists and the like. However, thanks to Precision Strike, he can pick out the Characters hidden in units likely to do him harm. Best of all, his Saga Of The Warrior Born (which gives him lots more attacks), means more chances of a rolling a 6 to hit in close combat and pick off even more dangerous enemy squad members.

Ulric The Slayer
We've never really liked Ulric and now that his Crozius Arcanum is a Power Maul (Strength 6, AP4, unwieldy), he's definitely better left at home.

Bjorn The Fell Handed
Vehicles have taken a bit of a beating in 6th edition and Dreadnoughts too. This means that despite his higher armour and Venerable ability, poor old Bjorn is likely to get glanced to death pretty quickly and become an extra objective for you to hold.

Wolf Lords/Battle Leaders
Wolf Lords are pretty much the same as before. Obviously the 2+ save makes them more survivable because Power Weapons are now only AP3. Thunderwolf mounts are a little better too, because their 'reach' is more consistent. But I'll explain more on that in the Thunder Wolf Cavalry section below.

Rune Priests
Everyone's loving the 4+, 24" dispel with the Rune Staff now that everyone has access to some better Psychic Powers.

And speaking of Psychic Powers, Space Wolves have access to Biomancy, Divination and Telekenisis. The question if whether or not you really want to swap Jaws Of The World Wolf, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane or Tempest's Wrath for them?

Well, the Telekenisis Powers simply don't stand up to what you're already guaranteed to get. Seriously, just write them off completely.

The Biomancy Powers are good, but they're either short ranged shooting attacks or combat boosts for your Rune Priest. Although casting Feel No Pain 24" on a friendly unit is definitely nice.

Meanwhile, Divination is much better if you're the kind of player that likes to augment his units. So you can cast these on friendly units and make them re-roll to hit, get a 4+ invulnerable save, re-roll their saves, get their weapons to ignore cover (great for Long Fangs!) or er...re-roll reserves, which isn't quite so amazing.

Just remember that if you roll a bad power, you can always swap it for the Primaris Power. In which case, Divination is probably the safest set of Powers to choose, because the Primaris Power 'Prescience' allows a unit to re-roll to hit.

Would I swap Jaws Of The World Wolf or Living Lightning for that? Okay, I'd swap 'Jaws' depending on what I was facing.


Wolf Priests
Wolf Priests give the unit they join Preferred Enemy against one unit type, which means you can re-roll 1's to hit for both shooting and close combat attacks.

This makes them far more versatile than before, because they can augment any unit, whereas they were better for close combat units before.

I'm still going to insist on keeping them in close combat units, because 100pts is a lot to pay just to stick an Independant Character in with a Long Fangs pack so they can re-roll 1's when shooting. You have better Rune Priest Powers (Precience!) for that.

The only difference is that now you probably want Wolf Priests leading your Wolf Guard armed with Combi-Weapons to really make those shots count (and help prevent plasma from overheating).

Wolf Guard
Wolf Guard are now Characters, which unlocks a number of new abilities for them.

The definition of a character isn't very clear, but Games Workshop give the example of Ork Nobz and Grey Knights Paladins as Characters, which also form units of Characters. So it's a little hazy. But because Wolf Guard can be unit leaders, they're Characters - just to clear that up.

Because they're Characters, Wolf Guard get the Precision Hits and Precision Strikes abilities. So if you roll a 6 to hit a unit, you can choose to allocate that attack to a specific model.

Also, because Wolf Guard are Characters, they can accept and issue challenges. So think of all the times your Grey Hunters have been in close Combat with a squad of Blood Angels and the Sergeant has a Powerfist? Well, now you can challenge him! So is it worth having the Powerfist, or is it a better idea to have a pair of Wolf Claws now? With 4 attacks on the charge (or counter-charge), it's definitely worth considering. Then you can make mincemeat out of the enemy unit once that Powerfist has been dealth with.

Next you've got Wound Allocation and because Wolf Guard are Characters, you can use the Look out Sir Rule on a 4+, even if your entire unit is made of Wolf Guard.

So if your Wolf Guard with the Cyclone Missile Launcher get hit, another of the Wolf Guard can dive in the way and take the hit on a 4+ instead, which is pretty cool.

And don't forget that the whole unit has Precision Fire, so you can allocate those krak missiles, combi-weapon and other high strength, low AP attacks at particular models within an enemy unit on the roll of a 6 to hit.

Finally, your Wolf Guard can be real heroes when leading units by accepting challenges (or issuing challenges) against lone models like Daemon Princes and get a re-roll for every 5 'buddies' in his unit who cheer him on.

Lone Wolves
Lone Wolves are much the same as before, except Feel No Pain is now a 5+ save. But because they are Characters, they can now issue Challengers, allowing them to cut down enemy Characters and Independent Characters with their token Chainfist...or simply achieve that glorious death they always wanted.

Now that you always hit vehicles in close combat on a 3+, this makes them the ultimate vehicle hunters as well!

Dreadnoughts
Like I said early in the entry for Bjorn, Vehicles have taken a bit of a beating in 6th edition and Dreadnoughts too.

Models attacking Dreadnoughts in close combat with grenades now roll against the Dreadnought's Weapon Skill rather than hitting on a 6. So they're not the immovable close combat threats they used to be. In fact, I wouldn't fancy their chances against a squad of Space Marines, because they'll just get covered in Krak Grenades and glanced to death.

Every Dreadnought is going to become a walking gun platform now with lots of autocannons.

Wolf Scouts
The only unit we're ever likely to keep in reserve are our Wolf Scouts. I've always said that with Space Wolves you need to just throw everything down at the start of the game. But units can no longer charge when they come on from reserve.

So all of you that invested in a full strength squad are going to be disappointed. Everyone who bought 5 Wolf Scouts with a melta gun with the intention of walking on, blowing up an expensive tank and then dying have nothing to worry about.

Space Wolves can't see in the dark so good anymore, but Acute Senses allows you to re-roll your Outflank roll.

Does that allow you to re-roll the Wolf Scouts' Behind Enemy Lines ability? Yes, because it's a variation of the Outflank roll.

Iron Priest
Like a Techmarine, the Iron Priest can repair vehicles and restore Hull Points. Unfortunately he's always been a bit fragile in this capacity.

The new wound allocation rules make him a really risky choice, because all it takes is just one failed 2+ save and he and all his Servitors and Cyberwolves get removed. So it's totally not worth it.

I never took one before because of this risk and now the risk seems to have gotten bigger. Although you do get the Look Out Sir 4+ rule for him.

Grey Hunters
The most versatile unit in the game just got a whole lot better thanks to the Wolf Standard. This is because it allows you to re-roll all 1s during an Assault Phase. That includes charges, dangerous terrain, Overwatch, close combat attacks, wounds and armour saves.

That helps takes the random nature out of charging a little bit, while making your Ovwerwatch that little bit better.

And let's not forget that you can Counter-Charge after shooting on Overwatch. So Grey Hunters are the ultimate objective holding unit.

However, things get a little trickier for Grey Hunters going on the offensive because of how transports work.

Now you can't charge out of a vehicle unless it has an Assault Ramp or it's Open-Topped. So you have to get out and be shot at for a turn before you can make it into the safety of close combat.

Are you going to get out off that Rhino? Heck no! Driving up and firing two Plasma Guns out of the two seems rather appealing though.

And let's not forget that you can move and Snap Fire with your Bolters are range 24".

Suddenly the Las/Plas Razorback spam Space Wolves armies with 5-man Grey Hunter packs carrying a Melta Gun in each tanks looks better than ever. Just remember that an overheat on the Plasma guns causes a Glancing Hit on your tank!

The other snag is that vehicles tend to get glanced to death very quickly now. But at the same time, Lascannons and Plasma Guns are more effective than ever. So it really seems to come down to who shoots first.

Blood Claws
Nothing has really changed here. Wolf Priests are still most likely to lead these guys into combat, but their re-rolls don't seem to benefit them quite so much as a dedicated close combat unit. However, Saga Of The Hunter from the Wolf Priest can give the Blood Claws +1 to their cover save, which is pretty important when cover saves are much lower in 6th edition.

Swift Claws
Bikes were always pretty good, but now you get a free Hammer of Wrath I10 attack in close combat and a 5+ invulnerable Jink save. Otherwise nothing really changes in how best to use this unit.

Just don't drive straight into the enemy guns like you may have done before with the old 3+ invulnerable Turbo Boost save. Now it's down to 4+ you'll take a few more casualties, which can make all the difference.

Sky Claws
Kind of the same as before and like the Blood Claws they're typically led by a Wolf Priest for those re-rolls, which aren't quite so good anymore, because they're a dedicated close combat unit. But on the bright side, they do get a a free Hammer of Wrath I10 attack in close combat, so long as you don't use their Jump Packs in the movement phase. SO bit of a nerf all round really. I never took them anyway - because Russ taught the Space Wolves to fight with both feet firmly on the ground!

Thunder Wolf Cavalry
Thunderwolf Cavalry just became a lot more reliable and let me explain how and why.

First of all, they now move 12" in the movement phase, aren't slowed down by difficult terrain (although it's dangerous) have Fleet of Foot and Hammer of Wrath.

So you're looking at a fairly consistent 'reach' of 22". Thankfully the Fleet of Foot makes re-rolling the charge range much more reliable because you choose which dice you re-roll.

And of course, the free Hammer of Wrath I10 attack is a nice little boost too.

Landspeeders
I think we're going to need to take a different approach to Landspeeders. Just think of all the times you've Turbo Boosted them down the flank, passed a whole bunch of 4+ zoom saves, then survived a ton of glancing hits? Those glancing hits are now going to get said Landspeeder killed very quickly.

I think Landspeeder Typhoons with lots of missiles are going to be the new must have mobile unit for our already missile heavy armies.

Long Fangs
Everybody takes Long Fangs and you'll be pleased to know that our favourite Heavy Support squads just became even more awesome.

In the Big Guns Never Tire mission they can claim and benefit from Objectives, which is always nice.

When under fire they can Go To Ground and Snap Fire at targets, which makes them more survivable.

Also, because they can Split Fire, this allows you to pick off stragglers outside of their squads in cover by using Focus Fire. So while 4 of your Long Fangs are busy firing their frag missiles into a closely packed unit, the 5th Long Fang can fire a krak missile at a single model in Power Armour that's stood in the open.

And sorry, but Long Fangs do not get Flakk Missiles! It clearly states that this is an upgrade, which they (presently) do not have access too.

Land Raiders
Land Raiders are going to get glanced into oblivion - even by lots of krak missiles.

Personally I was never a fan of the Crusader or the Redeemer because I could never get it across the board without someone scoring a luck hit. Meanwhile other people seemed to drive their Redeemers forward, all my guns bounced off it and they passed every 4+ cover save under the sun.

Well, that's no longer the case, because now Glancing Hits take off hull points and the best cover save for a vehicle is 5+.

However, a Land Raider is the only way you can get a unit to charge straight out of a vehicle.

So I'm going to recommend my usual plain Phobos Land Raider with lascannons full of Wolf Guard Terminators with Combi-Weapons and various Power Weapons, a Cyclone and a Chainfist. It's very versatile after all. Plus you can Snap Fire those extra weapons when you move at speed, which is even better when they're twin linekd, meaning you effectively have a 1 in 3 chance of hitting rather than a 1 in 6, which isn't bad.

Predators
Does Snap Fire improve Predators? Not really, because their weapons aren't twin linked. Well, you can pay out for a twin linekd lascannon turret, but Long Fangs are still better.

Vindicators
Now that blast weapons remain at full strength when they hit an enemy vehicle, the Demolisher cannon is really dangerous.

On top of that, the general reduction in cover saves makes it more effective at wiping out formations of troops as well.

Is it still probably going to scatter off wildly? Yep.
Is it going to get glanced to death before it can fire? Probably...

Whirlwinds
Once again, the reduction in cover saves makes it more effective at wiping out formations of poorly armoured troops. But would you swap your Long Fangs for a Whirlwind? Unlikely.


CONCLUSION
And I'm spent! I was going to write this in seperate articles, but it seemed best to just go through all the Space Wolves units and comment on each and every one.

Overall, 6th edition Warhammer 40K is going to be pretty amazing for the Space Wolves, so long as you can claim objectives without being blasted off them by an army with greater firepower.

Assaulting is going to be tough without some fast units like Bikes or Thunderwolves. Although I get the feeling that we're all going to be running forward on foot, or just riding in Rhinos to bring out numbers up the field as fast as possible.

It looks like vehicles are out and infantry is in with 6th edition. Big blocks of versatile, durable infantry that is. But we all said the same thing when 5th edition came out...and 6 months later everything went mechanised. So we'll just have to wait and see.

But if there's one thing we know for certain, it's that flyer heavy aermies are going to give us all some serious trouble.

In the meantime, stay tuned for articles about Space Wolves Fortifications and Space Wolves Allies.

July Raffle - PRO PAINTED NJAL STORMCALLER!!!

$1 ticket buys you a chance to win a Games Workshop, Professionally Painted, NJAL STORMCALLER!

Please note: this is a Painted, AssembledNjal Stormcaller EXACTLY as seen in the picture. This is the model youre going to receive IF you are the winner of this month's raffle. The picture on the left is the actual model.

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.



A little bit about NJAL (from GW's website): Njal Stormcaller can bend the savage elements to his will. The skies are his to command, and he takes fierce delight in summoning ice-toothed blizzards and howling gales with which to scatter and destroy those who stand in his path.

WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED FRIDAY JULY 27th!!!

Played 3 Games and Read the Rulebook Cover to Cover

This weekend I played 3 games of 40K 6th edition and read the entire rulebook cover to cover, making notes as I went.

There is so much to cover for Space Wolves, it's pretty crazy. I have 4 articles to write about Space Wolves in 6th edition and all of them are going to be MASSIVE!

So while I could have just jumped right in with a whole load of speculation like all the other blogs, instead I spent my whole Saturday playing games for over 12 hours straight.

Then I had to read the rulebook cover to cover (again) Sunday morning, then spend my afternoon talking to James, Marc and Ian about it, go back and check the rules with a fine tooth comb and note down all the important stuff.

So get ready for some real insights into the new edition and how it really affects the Space Wolves, starting this Wednesday.

I'll be covering absolutely everything, including the new Rhino rush tactics, how to abuse wound allocation, why precision shots rock and why flyers might not be so bad after all...

And sorry, but Long Fangs do not get Flakk Missiles! It clearly states that this is an upgrade, which they (presently) do not have access too.

But it's not the end of the world...because you can still Snap Shoot when your Long Fangs have gone to ground. But more on cool Space Wolves tactics like that very soon!