Adventures of UltraBob

Bros Grimm Charity Tourney 9/18/10

2010-09-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my list for the Bros Grim Charity Tourney this Saturday

Librarian: Null Zone, Avenger

3xDreadnought: 2 TL Autocannons

Tactical: 5 marines; sgt. pistol and ccw

-Razorback: LasPlas

Tactical: 5 marines; sgt. combi-flamer

-Razonrback: LasPlas

Tactical: 5 marines; sgt. combi-flamer

-Razonrback: LasPlas

2 Speeders: Multi-melta, Heavy Flamer

2 Speeders: Typhoon, Heavy Bolter

3xPredator: Autocannon, Lascannons

TOTAL = 1850

NOVA Wrap Up/Battle for Salvation Tourney

2010-09-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

By UltraBob,

Well now,

I have a lot of info to write about. I failed to post more updates about my army like I wanted to, but I did end up getting the army painted to play at NOVA. Which is a success seeing how I had really only a few weeks to do so. Now the army is clearly not finished, BUT, I am proud to say it looks really great on the table top. I spend a ton of time on the actual Marines, which ironically, barely see the table because they are usually mounted! :D

The left pic you can see my display board. Simple, looked good and got the job done of transporting my models around for the day. It was really simple to make. Its just foam board, half inch thick. They sell like 2x2.5ish ft rectangles at Michaels for 3 bucks. I bought a can of textured spray paint for 5 bucks. This instantly textured it, and then used some paints I had already owned to color it. The frame was about 5 bucks at the Christmas Tree shop. So for under 15 Dollars I had an effective display board. Oh and the rocks were given to me by John DLR from our club. I just dry brushed them!

The Pic on the right is my army in action. You can see the marines have been taken to the next level, where my tanks were just base coated and dry brushed. I did this because I needed to get them up, but now they are primed for further work.

BTW I dont think I painted more for a tournament in my life. My hands and forearms were falling asleep from keeping my models up at my eye level for so long. Dont remember where I found this pic but that was pretty much me August 12th at midnight lol:

So In the morning of the 13th, Danny Internets, Ed, and Eddy Jr, met up at my house. The drive down to Virginia was fine. No real issues with traffic. It really wouldnt have mattered because we were all really pumped to see how this weekend would go.

As Im sure you all heard from others NOVA feedback, the Hotel, Expo Center, Staff etc. were great. Thanks to Mike Brandt and all the people who helped make this event possible. Having run tournaments before I can tell you that level is no easy task. It was executed really well.

We met up with Chris when we reached the hotel.

The Friday night events were a spectacle. From the fact they were live streaming games (warhammer is a spectator sport now), to the "Celeb" turnout, everything was great. Now Im not a drinker but some like that option. Everyone was having a blast.

On to Saturday, I think I will write up Battle Reports for my 4 games, but all of my opponents had relatively competitive lists. Everyone came with the intent to win, yet none of them played to waac. It was really refreshing to play 4 COMPETITIVE games with great opponents at a tournament.

The main thing about Saturday, again Im not gonna really comment on much because most people know all about NOVA by, was that it was FUN. No one I played, saw playing, or had friends play, was a Jerk. Plain and simple, everyone had a great time playing 40K.

At the end of Saturday I was 3-1. I think I was around 24th place overall. I had gotten killed in the Renaissance Man side of the tourney because of paint. Now, my army was not done. But there was paint on everything. I fully blame my lack of points here on Brother Captain James. He said he had painted Ultra Typhoons and clearly from the pics above were lacking. So I think I got a big fat 0 on the "Are all your models painted to the 3 color standard" box.

Well either way I wasnt in the running for best painted, and Dan and Chris both took 1st and 2nd respectively in the Ren Man Competition. Dan got a sweet trophy and some loot. Not too shabby for BFS.

That Brings me to my next topic. At the club, we had been planning a GT for Columbus day weekend. We wanted to wait and see how the NOVA was run before we made any decisions on format. Clearly, this is a progressive move towards a more competitive tournament scene. SO we are emulating Mike Brandts idea and going with a NOVA style GT here in NY.

So for all you out there who wished you could go to NOVA but couldnt, here is a chance to experience some competitive games.

battleforsalvation.com

This link will explain to you, everything you need to know for the tournament. We have some hotel accommodations as well for you out of towners. We have our primer packet with scenarios up so you can start to practice. This is something I plan on speaking about soon.

Final thoughts:

NOVA was a huge success. Every event has its flaws and NOVA did too. There was some issues of the points accuracies of one players list. Albeit very small. There were also a few complaints about the function of the Impassable terrain as some of you may already be aware of. These are all correctable things, and Im sure the NOVA staff will address them for the future. It doesnt take away one bit that this was the best, competitive event for Warhammer 40k in recent history. Perhaps ever. Grats to them. Now onto Battle for Salvation.

Road to Nova 2010-Update

2010-07-22T18:33:00.001-07:00

So to sum things up, the last week and a half there was no 40k time. However, I plan on doing some painting this weekend and I will get pics up soon. I had one test battle with the Calgar list. Despite the fact that I won, I saw some glaring weaknesses that a solid list or general would exploit. Mainly, I had no mobility. Wherever my pod with Calgar landed, that was where I was trapped.

So my new list is completely different. I am trying to utilize the most firepower possible. This is a list that spams predators, rifleman dreads, and speeders:

HQ) Librarian: Null Zone, Gate of Infinity..........................................................................100

Elite) Dreadnought: 2 Twin-linked Autocannons...............................................................125

Elite) Dreadnought: 2 Twin-linked Autocannons...............................................................125

Elite) Dreadnought: 2 Twin-linked Autocannons...............................................................125

Troop) Tactical Squad (10): Flamer, Missile Launcher, Sgt. Bolt Pistol, Chainsword..........170 -Razorback: Twin-linked Lascannon...............................................................75

Troop) Tactical Squad (10): Flamer, Missile Launcher, Sgt. Bolt Pistol, Chainsword..........170 -Razorback: Twin-linked Lascannon...............................................................75

Troop) Tactical Squad (5): Sgt. Combi-flamer...................................................................100
-Razorback: Twin-linked Lascannon...............................................................75

Fast) Land Speeder Squadron (2): Typhoon Missile Launcher, Heavy Bolter.....................180

Fast) Land Speeder Squadron (2): Typhoon Missile Launcher, Heavy Bolter.....................180

Fast) Land Speeder Squadron (2): Multi-melta, Heavy Flamer..........................................140

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons.........................................................120

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons.........................................................120

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons.........................................................120

I will play around with some variations but this is pretty much what I want to run. I think it can outshoot most armies and still be mobile enough to stay out of combat. More to come.

Road to Nova 2010-List Version 1

2010-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight I will be playing a practice game with my good friend James. Using most of the stuff I have built right now, I am attempting to build a competitive space marine list. Now in this list I am using Marneus Calgar. I don't really think hes worth his points, and I have only used him once or twice since the codex came out. However, I think he has some potential because of his "God of War" rule. This is the rule that allows your whole army to choose whether they want to pass or fail any morale test.

When I have used him, and to my knowledge, how people play him in our area/club, they treat this rule as subject to the "No Retreat" rules in the 40k Rulebook. Basically if I lost combat and choose to pass, I would have to take wounds (similar to being fearless). This was kinda like the old synapse creature rule where they passed any morale test while under synapse range.

The Nova Open, however, came out with their own FAQ for the tournament. In my opinion they cover a decent amount of material and still make it manageable to be read in about 15 minutes. For the SM codex they say that the GoW rule is not subject to No Retreat wounds. Do I think that Calgar is worth 265 points? No not really, but I feel that with this ruling, and the right list surrounding him he can be pretty effective. Im not dead set on using him, or any character for that matter, but I do want to give this a try.

Some benefits that I see by taking Calgar:
-Passing all tests and not being subject to the No Retreat wounds gives me many tactical options that aren't really available to other SM armies. If I am facing a tough complex unit like Blood Crushers, Nob Bikes, or Seer Council, I can charge with a tactical squad and terminators. I charge with tacticals first and engage many models; then charge with terminators engaging one. Only tacticals will get owned and termies will get all their Thunder Hammers off. This tactic im sure is well known and explained best here:
http://www.yesthetruthhurts.com/2008/11/how-to-kill-nob-bikers-seer-councils.html

Now, Stelek warns that you will end up losing combat but the amount of damage you cause will be great enough to compensate. With Calgar, I wont lose anything valuable. At most a tactical squad.

-Also, leadership modifying abilities, like Psyker Battle Squads are useless against my whole army. Not just a squad thats fearless but the entire army. But most importantly, I still can fail, if I want to.

So what I'm saying is that, I think that Calgar can give me a boost that no other Character can give me, despite being the same points as a land raider. The list I plan to try out tonight is version 1. Here it is:

HQ) Marneus Calgar: Armor of Antilochus........................................265

HQ) Librarian: Null Zone, Gate of Infinity.....................................100

Elite) Assault Terminator Squad (6): Thunder Hammers, Storm Shields............240

Troop) Tactical Squad (10): Meltagun, Missile, Sgt. Combi-melta, Meltabomb.....190
-Drop Pod: Locator Beacon....................................45

Troop) Tactical Squad (10): Meltagun, Lascannon, Sgt. Bolt Pistol, Chainsword..185
-Rhino.......................................................35

Troop) Tactical Squad (10): Meltagun, Lascannon, Sgt. Bolt Pistol, Chainsword..185
-Rhino.......................................................35

Troop) Tactical Squad (5): Sgt. Combi-flamer...................................100
-Razorback: Twin-linked Lascannon............................75

Fast) Land Speeder: Multi-melta, Heavy Flamer...................................70

Fast) Land Speeder: Multi-melta, Heavy Flamer...................................70

Fast) Land Speeder: Multi-melta, Heavy Flamer...................................70

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons................................120

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons................................120

Heavy) Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Heavy Bolters, Hunter Killer Missile.......95

 TOTAL POINTS = 2000

Depending on what Im facing, the mission, or whether or not I go first, I can deep strike the speeders for their flamers or if I have to meltas. If I go second with this army, I have enough marines to prevent an alpha strike, but then again I don't have a death star unit to be that worried about. The terminators will generally always teleport in. That's where Calgar's teleport homer will come into use. Either that or the Beacon on the Pod. I will most likely stick Calgar in the Drop Pod because it will give me a threat early against something like Guard or Tau where I am the aggressor. I think games where I need to hold back will be slightly more difficult. I will post up a bat rep sometime this week. Any comments are welcome!

Road to Nova 2010-Inventory

2010-07-10T20:53:00.001-07:00

No pics, the camera is MIA. When I find it I will post some up.

With roughly 5 weeks until the Nova Open and tons of work still to do, I figure that I should plan out my course of action. This will help me see where to start and prioritize things in the next few weeks.

First I am going to look at what I have at my disposal. Since I want to play with Space Marines, this will mean I need to paint and build quite a bit. This is the only option though since my Imperial Guard are really geared toward 4th edition and Necrons just plain suck.

I have 3 categories for what level my Marines are at. Inventory as follows:

1) New In Box
-Predator
-Razorback
-Rhino
-Drop Pod
-10 Tactical Marines
-5 Scouts
-5 Assault Marines

2) Built
-All HQ Choices and Ultramarine Characters
-2 Predators
-1 Land Raider (Regular)
-1 Razorback
-3 MM/HF Land Speeders
-5 TH SS Termies
-5 Black Reach Termies

3) Base-coated
-30 Tactical Marines
-2 Rhinos
-1 Drop Pod
-1 Dread MM/HF
-1 Dread Autocannons
-1 Land Raider (Crusader/Redeemer)
-5 Scouts, sgt power fist
-5 Scouts, snipers, telion

For most of these I have all the options available. Some like the speeders, and black reach stuff I do not or the options are glued in. I also have a ton more scouts but they probably will never again see the light of day.

The next step will be to find some lists, play test, and find a list to paint. Now I will be painting before I finalize my list because there are some things I know I will use, like Tact Squads.

Tomorrow I will post up some list ideas, and Monday I will be play testing. Once I do finalize my list, I will start to prepare a display board and smaller details for the army.

Road to Nova 2010

2010-07-07T13:20:00.001-07:00

So I have gotten the itch to blog again. Its been a while, with no real progress on my army, but I did do well in the Ard Boyz this year. I won the prelim I went to and was hanging in until the end of the semis, but Daemons got the best of me. Since I had some success with marines, I have decided that I want to finish painting the army. In order to do this I would need some fire under me. I need to force myself to finish. Thus, I have booked myself a ticket to the Nova Open.

The Nova is the GT in Virginia that is being promoted on many of the blogs out there. I was drawn to it because of the elimination style pairing. Finally, a tournament where the winner will be decided in a final game between the top two players. I am psyched about it and I am going to be posting about my preparation. I have a bunch of things planned including display board, list building and practice games (and yes, I know its only 5 weeks away!).

I hope it turns out to be a success will inspire others to finish their own armies too. I will be happy so long as I'm not pulling my hair out painting the night before! Lets pray it doesn't get that far...

Army Progress 1

2009-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

Battle Report vs Fritz

2009-11-09T08:15:00.001-08:00

What Works For You? Subject: Power Fists

2009-10-31T20:50:00.001-07:00

So I was at our regular gaming night, at Battle for Salvation, play testing an Ultra list, when I noticed Ed had brought back an old marine army he had. What startled me was that he completely changed around his list from all drop pods to a mech marine list. I looked at it and realized it was very similar to mine. Ed and I always talk after gaming nights about lists and tactics and it was this night I realized something.

He had some preferences that I dont do, like how we outfit our predators. Also he uses a Crusader, I like the Redeemer. But those are little things. What struck me the most was the tactical squads. He usually combat squads them and takes razorbacks. I can not stand combat squads! I seriously hate them with a passion! I give my sergeants powerfists and throw them in rhinos. Now, I have read enough blogs to know that its probably best to drop the fists and get points back, especially if I plan on using assalut terminators for my CC.

Ive never been a huge fan of terminators. And actually in the beginning I wasnt even a fan of Space Marines. But now my tacticals have been my "everything units". I like troops. They are my favorite pieces in any army. Im a dork and I like teamwork! Im a fan of the lowly trooper becoming a hero. IDEALS.... Anyway, Im definitely a pragmatist when it comes to this game. I believe you should do what works best for you. Ed is a great player, and for him this is how he uses his tactical squads.

Now just because something works for you doesnt mean its a good choice. I think people go from habit to habit. Once you find something you like you need to replicate it because you feel you will get the same response. Sorta like drinking or drugs. GO DARE! Or being a Phillies fan...Only until you have some realization that what your doing could be improved will you change your list. I still see people going nuts with plasma guns all the time. If its what makes them happy then they should do it, but they should acknowledge it may not be the best choice. I know with the new lists ive been working on, my tacticals dont need fists, but I like them. And theres nothing wrong with that.

Ed did a nice job persuading me to try them without fists and instead give the sarge a melta bomb just incase I do need to deal with a vehicle, or if a dreadnought tries to get funny with me and assault. I wouldnt have even considered the switch until Ed talked it over with me that monday night telling me how I may spend my extra saved points.

This is why I am writing this post. This is a series where I will ask the question: "What works for you". I will wish to continue this segment and get feed back on this because I like to see the way other people think. I have my ways that Im set in when I play Warhammer and you do too. The only way people will mix things up and get out of their set ways is to learn from other peoples strategies and ideas. And personally, I think everyone likes to give and recieve a little advice. So let me know if you think dropping powerfists on my tactical squads is a good or bad choice.

Captain America would be an Ultramarine, right?

2009-10-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Captain America, the greatest Marvel comic book character, has a lot in common with the Ultramarine chapter. As a matter of fact, there is so much in common that if he were to exist in the forty-first millenium, he would undoubtedly be an Ultramarine Captain.

First, think about it. Hes a human, so cross off Eldar, Dark Eldar, Nidz, Daemons, Orks, Necrons, and Tau. That leaves the Imperium and CSM. And with just a quick thought of Cap' you can immediately discard CSM.

So why not a guardsman officer like Straken or something like that? Because hes altered by the super soldier serum. And if im not mistaken, last time i checked Space Marines are SUPER SOLDIERS, genetically altered to be the pinnacle of human ability. So cross off sisters, and when you think about it Daemon hunters. Not that he couldnt be a grey knight but he isnt geared to fight just one type of enemy. He somehow finds a way to beat all kinds of nasty bad guys that other opponents that would be more "strong" cant defeat. Thor even lets CAP lead in the Secret Wars!!!

So okay hes a space marine. Because his shield is unquestionably a storm shield, and it actually saves him all the time, it cant be a dinky BA DA or BT storm shield. No offense but they are behind the times. Since ive never seen him paling around with a wolf (correct me if im wrong) im going with the codex marines.

Now why Ultramarines? Because something about the honor Ultras have, the following of the codex, the Boy Scout outlook. Some say they are too goodie goodie but those are people that dont appreciate the chivalry and the honorable path! I say hed be an Ultramarine because hes well rounded and capable enough to beat anyone.

Now i know im kind of being silly about this so if you want Cap to be a frodo Ratling in your mind then go for it. Just thinking out loud.....

Current Tournament List

2009-10-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have been playing in a bunch of tournaments, none with marines though because of painting. I rocked the Nid'z at the past few Brothers Grimm tournaments and took 2nd and 3rd to my surprise.
This is an army that's almost complete. Just gotta build the predators and well...PAINT!

HQ)
-Librarian: Terminator Armor, Vortex of Doom, Null Zone=125

Elite)
-5 Assault Terminators: 2 Lightning Claws, 3 Thunder Hammer and Storm Shields=200

-Dreadnought: Multi-melta, Stormbolter=105

-Dreadnought: Multi-melta, Stormbolter=105

Troop)
-Tactical Squad: Meltagun, Missile, Sgt. Power Fist, Combi-melta; RHINO=245

-Tactical Squad: Meltagun, Missile, Sgt. Power Fist, Combi-melta; RHINO=245

-Tactical Squad: Meltagun, Missile, Sgt. Power Fist, Combi-melta; RHINO=245

Heavy)
-Land Raider Redeemer: Assault Cannon, Sponson Flamestorm Cannons=240

-Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons=120

-Predator: Autocannon, Sponson Lascannons=120

TOTAL POINTS=1750

Let me know your comments and ideas!

Brothers Grim Tournament List

2009-06-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

So this weekend there is a tournament at the Brothers Grim in Long Island. I have decided to play Ultramarines however, as shown in the last post, my army is under construction. In order to not get 0 points on paint, battle brother Scott let me borrow his army! Scott is a long time friend but has been out of 40k for some time and most of his army was geared for 4th edition. I am pretty much using all wysiwig though. Couple of proxies are the predator/razorback, and razorback/rhino and the Dread has a multimelta. The only figs missing are the drop pods, but they are my own. The BEST THING about this list is that it all fits in one case!!!!!

Anyway the list is as follows:
Space Marines - 1750 Points
HQ
Captain
1 Captain
Terminator Armor, Stormbolter, Power Weapon
140
Librarian
1 Epistolary
Force Weapon, Combi-melta, Psychic Hood
165
Psychic Powers: The Avenger, Gate of Infinity
TROOP
Tactical Squad
10 Marines, Drop Pod
7 Bolters, 1 Meltagun, 1 Missile, Sergeant; Combi-melta, Power Fist
255
Drop Pod: Locator Beacon, Stormbolter
Tactical Squad
10 Marines, Rhino
7 Bolters, 1 Meltagun, 1 Missile, Sergeant; Combi-melta, Power Fist
245
Rhino: Stormbolter
Tactical Squad
10 Marines, Razorback
7 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun, 1 Lascannon, Sergeant; Combi-plasma,
275
Razorback: TL Lascannon
ELITE
Dreadnought
1 Dreadnought, Drop Pod
Multi-Melta, Stormbolter
150
Drop Pod: Locator Beacon, Stormbolter
Terminators
6 Terminators
4 Power Fist + Stormbolter, 1 Assault Cannon+ Power Fist
270
Sergeant; Power Weapon, Stormbolter
FAST
Land Speeder
1 Land Speeder
Assault Cannon, Heavy Bolter
90
Land Speeder
1 Land Speeder
Assault Cannon, Heavy Bolter
90
Land Speeder
1 Land Speeder
Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer
70

TOTAL POINTS
1750

Battle reports will follow. This will be a good experience because i have been meaning to change up my list and its similar to this.

New Beginnings

2009-06-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

So as

soon as I begin my blog, school went crazy, work became never ending, I got a dog, and we had our Battle For Salvation Tournament. Phew! So now with the summer about to be in swing I am devoting myself to the Ultramarines more. Currently they are sharing attention to Imperial Guard because their codex just came out, but my guard are pretty much done. Enjoy the pictures, they show the current state of my army and what I plan on doing with them.

CONFLICT GT 2009 PICS

2009-01-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

So some guys from Battle for Salvation and myself hit up the Conflict GT in Nanuet this weekend. There were some pretty cool armies there. Here are a few. All of them are good except for that Blood Angel one. That one is great. He is a friend of mine and plays with our club. Some may know him as Jawaballs. He actually won the best painted.

Test Post

2009-01-16T16:04:00.001-08:00

Test post 1