Thursday, June 21, 2012

Dropping the Hammer - An Idea for Enhancing 40k Balance in Competitive Events


Hammer-Fäustel-spanische Form-1500gr 1


In an effort to find creative ways of improving balance in organized play, I was kicking around the following idea. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

The Hammer Drop Rule for Tournament Play

Using this rule, each player is required to bring a standard 1500 point list. Additionally, they must bring a 250 point "hammer" list. The hammer list must fit into the same FOC as the base list, so if a player fills all of his heavy support slots in the base list, his hammer list cannot have any heavy support choices. The hammer list must consist of entirely separate units from the base list. You cant use the hammer list to beef up one or more units in the base list.

At the beginning of the event, each player is given a token with their name on it to represent the use of their hammer. In the event that they elect to employ their hammer in a particular game, they must give this token to their opponent. Players will collect these tokens throughout the event as they get "hammered".

The hammer list represents additional forces that a player can bring to bear in only one match in the event. Once it is used, it cannot be used a second time.

At the beginning of each round, after examining the opponent's army list, the participants in each match secretly determine whether or not they wish to "drop the hammer" in that game if they have not previously expended it. The players' decisions are revealed simultaneously. If only one player elects to use his hammer, his opponent immediately has the option of doing so as well if he has not previously expended it. However, if neither player employs their hammer, the decision cannot be changed and neither player can use it in that game.

At the end of the event, the number of hammer tokens a player has collected (including his own if it was not expended) could be used as a tie breaker where multiple players have the same record.

Since lists perceived to be OP will be hammer magnets, the incentive will be for players to bring lists that will be perceived as balanced and not hammer worthy.

What do you think? Would you play in an event organized in this fashion? How would it impact the list you bring?

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Bugeater GT Game Six Vs. Vanilla Marines

My opponent was running a fluffy vanilla marine drop pod list. Since I feared those drop pods, I null deployed. He had first turn and dropped in the command squad and some sternguard vets next to one of the three objectives. Frankly I don't think this was the optimal move for him.


I rolled very well and brought most of my army onto the board on turn two. My buggies roared onto the table to face off with a vindicator on the far side of the table.


 One of my trukk mobz gunned the engine and closed with the objective at the center of the table. It was perched atop the natural bridge.


My battlewagons roar into enemy lines. The deffrolla and burnaboyz make short work of the command squad. Ghaz and the meganobz hoof it toward the sternguard after their ride gets popped.

The kommandos come in on turn three and take the battle to my opponent's board edge.

The surviving marines are surrounded on all sides by Ghaz, the battlewagons and the kommandos. 

There they are boyz!

The trukkers finally finish scaling the heights of the center terrain piece and claim the final objective for the win. Orks win!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Bugeater GT Game Five vs Blood Angels

My fifth round opponent had a gorgeous Blood Angels army on a detailed display base. This was going to be a good one.


I got second turn and outflanked the kommandos and the koptas.

Ghaz storms the center f the board and a dread lands in a drop pod right in front of him.

The Death Company skulks behind a building.

The wagons close with the dread.

The meganobz' trukk is slagged by the dread. Ghaz and the nobs are left in the resulting crater.

 One of the koptas comes in and take a pot shot at one of the dreads.

Ghaz charges the vindicator after smoking the dread.

The trukk takes a shot at using the wrekkin' ball to hit a stormraven. Epic!


The koptas are in the sights of the outflanking blood angel tank.


The buggies line up their shots.

The raven finally takes a dive.


The death company gets revenge on Ghaz.

Then the burna boyz barbeque the death company.


Game over. Orks lose by a narrow margin.


Day 2 BE pics will be up soon!

I was trying to get the Bugeater review written up and posted. I'll have day 2 pics up soon.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Surprise delivery!


A note indicating hat I was eligible for best painted was delivered to me during game 4. Woo hoo! I know my painting skill isn't up to the standard I have seen on some of the other armies here, but I think my cohesive appearance and multiple conversions were noticed.

I wish that I had spent more time on my display board.

Wagons breakthrough. Orks Win!!!

Kopta two

Deff koptas face off against the Blood Angel bosses.

Mega weapons...

Scratch one assault squad and two razorbacks.

Da sneaky gits

Eh boss, we is in da open! (insert sound of enormous KA-BOOM)

Koptas strike from reserve...

...and do exactly nothing for the umpteenth time today.

Da Plan

Rush em!

Wots dat boss?

Dats a big booma...

Game 4 vs. Blood Angels

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that IS seven las cannon razorbacks. (and two vindicators)

Final result narrow loss

At least I am on the board now. We tied primary objectives, they won secondary (table quarters) and we tied tertiary (kill points.

More Deffkopta fail

The koptas fail again to do anything to the rhino, in spite of firing point blank at the rear and assaulting with a buzz saw.

Ghaz annihilation

Ghaz and the termies mutually annihilate each other and the librarian dies.

Outflankers flunk

The koptas fail to pop the rhino, resulting in the ignoble death of the kommandos at the hands of the tactical squad inside with their flamer and bolters.

Right flank follies

The trukkers on the right flank smoke the scouts, the get sliced up and eaten by the dreadnought.

Scrum on the left flank

The battles escalates on the left as Vulcan and his storm shield terminators charge in with a librarian. The trukk boys wipe the tactical squad only to be barbequed by a speeder.

Battlewagons deploy!

Game 3 vs Vulcan and the Salamanders

Ghaz wastes no time charging across the board after some tactical marines.

Ghaz vs the Berzerker Lord (Eversor)

After 3 rounds of combat Ghazgull goes down to humiliating defeat at the hands of the stumpy. Ugh!

Ghaz is comin' for ya umie'

And I ain't had breakfast yet!

There he is boyz!

Ghaz and the Meganobz should make short work of one puny little 'umie right boyz?

Ghaz speeds toward the Paladins...

..but the ramshackle table takes a hand and he kareens away to meet his fate in a desperate battle with an assassin.

Trukkers come on from reserve...

Then get barbecued by a barrage of missiles from the Stormraven.

The pumpkins, err squats pile out.

Is that a Land Raider?

It's a redeemer chock full of Paladins.

Deffkoptas scout ahead...

Then Zach seizes on me and they get smoked without doing anything.

Game 2 vs Squats?!?

Game 2 I played versus Zach from the Independent Characters podcast. He was fielding Squats as Grey Knights. Check out that Stormraven!

Game 1 Loss

The boys couldn't hit the broad side of a squiggoth this game. I was tabled except for the kommandos. Great game though. Thanks to Matt Root, my first round opponent!

Ghaz on Ghaz!

Are those burnas in that wagon?

Uh oh boyz...