Unit Analysis: Noise Marines

Word Hurt Too Part 1

So this week I wanted to talk about my favorite unit in the 40k universe, the Noise Marines. Now anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m completely dedicated to Slaanesh, so it makes sense why I love them so. If any of you have read the book “Fulgrim” you’ll know what I mean. I just love everything about them, their fluff, their color scheme, the weapons, the god like drug habits, etc. so when this toilet paper worthy codex came out those oh so many years ago I knew I had to use them; and I must say, they perform outstanding.

Now I know what most of you will say and think. I understand the current meta, and I know how many others play CSM. But I do things my own way, and I’ll be damned if I don’t have a unit in any army I field. (though I’m serious about the damned part, I think Slaanesh is watching me) So lets see…where to start…

Well the first point many use against me is that they aren’t the best troop unit we CSM generals have at our disposal. Okay, true. Noise Marines have some stiff competition in the troop slot. There’s Plague Marines and Khorne Bezerkers, hell even regular Chaos Space Marine squads can have more optimal load outs. But hear me out. Let us start with the points.

Noise Marines are only 20 points a model, more than CSM but less that other cult troops. Just like other cult troops they’re fearless, and they get the Mark of Slaanesh whish boosts their initiative to 5. So that’s 5 points more that CSM for fearless and I5, I’ll take it. The I5 makes sure that they are perfect for assault, both giving and taking (yes that’s supposed to be an innuendo). With it they will most likely be striking before everyone else, and having 2 CCW as well as any power weapon option attacks means you’ll be able to soften the blow coming back your way.

“Dan, WTF?! Zerkers are I5 on the charge and have more attacks!! And Plague Marines have a higher toughness with FNP and defensive grenades!!!” Yeah, I know, thank you for stating the obvious. I understand that KB are monsters in CC and that PM are amazing at soaking up pretty much everything. But Noise Marines shine in other ways. No they can’t take Melta Guns, but you know what they can take? Wait…wait for it…Sonic Weapons!!!

I love sonic weaponry!! And the codex allows you to kit out your squads in lots of different ways. First there’s the good old reliable Sonic Blaster. For five points you get an Assault 2 or Heavy 3. Notice the or? I understand that it’s an extra five points, but the versatility it provides is unparalleled for anti-infantry guns. This now allows you always fire up to 2’ whether you move or not. Now we shall break for some mathhammer…

So, lets look at a regular marine shooting a bolter at another marine. That means you need a 3+ to hit, a 4+ to wound, and then get through a 3+ armor save. It gives you a 8.84% chance to wound per shot. With a full Tactical squad, lets say with only bolters, firing at full range you’re scoring about .8 wounds.

So now, with sonic blasters, you’re getting twice that…1.6 wounds. And that’s at 2’, not 1’. And if you don’t move obviously you’ll get 3 shots, and that’s 2.4. We all know that the more dice you roll the better, or closer to average, and that’s what Sonic Blasters gives you.

Another option Noise Marines can take is the Blastmaster. This gun also has 2 profiles that you can fire it as. Either a 36” S5 AP4 Assault 2, Pinning or a 48” S8 AP3 Heavy 1, Blast, Pinning. Obviously you’re gonna wanna remain stationary with this bad boy. The gun speaks (literally) for itself. I have to admit that I don’t really have that much experience with using them because, well, they cost 40 pts and you can only take up to one per unit. Is it good? Yeah, it can be. Is it worth it? No, not really.

Now the last in the armory, and my personal favorite, the Doom Siren. For those who don’t know it’s a S5 AP3 template weapon. That’s right, a AP3 template!! Is there really any downside to it? Well, it’s only available for the Noise Champion. That means that you need to spent 35 pts just to access the gun, which is another 15 pts. It’s completely worth the 15 pts, but it does make your Champion 50 pts, and that’s before any power weapon options. The pay off is amazing. This single gun takes the unit from being above average to down right hellish.

So lets recap quick. Noise marines are cult troops which means that they’re Fearless. They also come with the Mark of Slaanesh which gives them +1I, so a 5 instead of a 4. We covered their armory which basicly goes like this – Sonic Blasters, yes; Blastmaster, no; and Doom Siren, hell yes! That’s it for this week. I’ll be doing a second part later this week going over some basic tactics that focus on Noise Marines and their synergy with the rest of the CSM codex.

'Ard Boyz 2011

It's time once again for the craziest tourney around, at least I think so, 'Ard Boyz!! I finally decided to try my hand at it. Now it's not till this weekend, but perperations must be made. I'm still gonna be running Chaos Space Marines, dispite their downfalls and one dimensional style.

I've played a couple of games, using the givin mission rules, and have had alot of success. Like almost all of my lists the one that I'm running is kinda random. I spent one whole night trying to compile a list, figuring out what I want to bring, what I thought I needed to bring, etc. Eventually I threw every thing out and went to sleep. The next day when I showed up to play I just threw together what I knew/liked/had. Oddly it litterally just ended up being my 1750 list with two Chosen and Biker squads. So here's the list:

2x Slaanesh Daemon Prince with Lash of Subbmission

2x 5 Chosen with 5 Melta guns

10 CSM with 2 Flamers, IoCG, Champ with PW in Rhino
7 PM with 2 Plasma Guns, Champ with PF in Rhino
8 NM with 7 Sonic Blasters, Champ with Doom Siren and PW in Rhino
8 KB with 2 Plasma Pistols, Champ with PF in Rhino

2x 3 Bikers with 2 Plasma Guns

Delider with 2 extra DCCW
3 Obliterators
Vidicator with Daemonic Possesion


Now I realize the additions aren't great, but lets realize that this is a 2500 pt list. I'm not used to large point limits like this, so I'm a n00b in a way. I've played my 1750 list for years now, and think I've perfected it. In and of itself it's solid, so I don't really know what to add to it. Why not more shots? I wanted to do an MSU CSM list, but the codex doesn't really allow it. So I stuck with a solid core that I know and understand, and add things I've always wanted to try.

The Chosen are amazing at what they do. 5 Meltas?! There is a very small chance that anything they shoot at will live. Also, their Infiltrate ability (which can only be used in the first game) really adds to the survivability of everything else. In addition to that they can outflank in the second mission. I realize they're footslogging it, but they took out a Tervigon.

As far as the bikers are concerned, I'm still on the fence. I feel like the shock value alone is enough, but let me defend them. Are they over priced? Yes. But what they can do is why they're worth it. They have relentless, so you always get to shoot at max range. They also can turbo-boost, which lets you get those shots in the right place faster as well as contesting objectives and the like. Running two of them allows for a bit of MSU target priority gimicks.

Thats it for today, I'll keep you cultists updated on the development.

Demotivational

So I figured out how to make tone of these, and this is the one I've made so far.

A Gem in Miles City

The other day I decided to wander around Miles City, Mt. Ya know, get a feel for the place where I will be stuck for the next 2-3 months. To my suprise there was a game shop, which was unfortunatly closed on the day of my adventure. However I went back the next day, just to see if there was ANYONE in this town that played 40k. The initial answer was no, yet I spent the next 3 and a half hours talking with the store owner, Tom, about how much he wanted to get Warhammer into his store.

Now this is what I love about the gaming community, they are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet. In the first 3 hours of meeting Tom he offered me a permenant place to paint my models, since I have no place to do it at my uncles. This includes a safe place to store all my paints, models, modeling supplies, etc.

I went back yesterday, models in hand, back to T&J games. I arrived at about 2:30 p.m and was there until close. I swear to god this has to be the coolest gaming store I've ever been to. I got to show off my models, in which the reply was always "Holy shit, I could never do this." In which I would have to respond, "Its not that hard, I just spend way too much fucking time on my models!" And after talking with Tom for an hour about the Horus Heresy, and all the Primarchs (this guy doesn't own a single 40k model, but has read a rediculous amount of Black Library material) he walked me thourgh all the things he wants to do with the store when he gets some 40k and Fantasy stuff in. He's even talked about buying an Epic scale Dread and have ME paint it.

Now this is all speculation and hope, but he has talked to a distributor. And if this all pans out I'll be doing game demos there 3 days a week, and painting workshops, the whole 9 yards.

I know this isn't really that important, as this isn't about tactics or anything, but I just had to share the awesomeness of being a founding member of the first wave of 40k in a new gaming community.

I'm finally back!

I know its been awhile since I've posted anything but there is good reason. First I was in Spain for 2 weeks, then back in good ole Minne-snow-ta where I still didn't have internet, then was in North Dakota where there was still no internet I could connect to! Now I'm finally settled at my uncles in Miles City Mt, and finally have the internet.

As well as not having been online in over a month, I've also sadly not been able to play a game of 40k in about the same amount of time. Now I hope to get vassal running again, but something is screwed up on the vassal site that lets you download it. Anyho, I've been asked by a friend of mine (it is facebook official!) to help his girlfriend build a list for their local escalation league. So while I can't be there in person, I can play vicariously through her.

Now I've given it much thought and so far have only written one list down that I think will work well, especially at 750. So here it is-

HQ - Daemon Prince, Wings, Mark of Slaanesh, Lash of Submission - 155
This choice is pretty easy to explain. The stat line of the DP is already amazing, add in the movement bonus of wings, and thee most annoying psychic power in the game, and you've got yourself a winner. At this point limit this guy/girl/it really has the chance to shine, which should help her get a feel for both its strengths and weaknesses.

Troops - 5 Plague Marines, 2 Plasma Guns, Aspiring Champion w/ Power Fist - 200
Because of the small points limit I had to go with the minimum. This is the usual loadout I have for my PM, just with 2 more, however like the DP this squad should do just fine at 750. They are pretty self explanitory, stand and shoot and if anything gets too close then punch it in the face. Also note that this squad has a Rhino, so they will be able to run around double tapping with 4 Plasma shots, or sitting back and using the Rhino as a mini fort.

10 CSM, 2 Melta Guns, Icon of Slaanesh, Aspiring Champion w/ Power Weapon - 220
Once again this squad also has a Rhino, which will help them zip across the board and get into melta range and then into cc where their Icon's bonus should provide a good edge against other marines. This squad should/will act as the more aggresive unit in the army and if supported correctly should to fine. Either by the Plague Marines and/or the DP. They have enough bodies to really to some damage, meanwhile they should be able to take up some amount of time and energy to kill.

HS - Predator w/ Autocannon turret, Heavy Bolter Sponsons - 100
Originally I wanted to give this Lascannon sponsons, but it put the list 25 points over, and really it would be a bit over kill at this level. At 750 the Autcannon should be able to bust open enough transports from a safe distance to make its points back. The added benifit of this guy is it's AV13 front that should and probably will take alot of energy on the opponents part to kill, which will help the survival of the Rhinos and DP. As well as popping transports while moving 6" a turn, once the pinata is opened and all the candy spills out this guy can lay down 8 shots a turn, which should be more than enough to help widdle down some of even the toughest squads.

Final Thoughts
Now this is just the first draft of this list, yet I think it will work wonderfully. It combines some of the most important list building fundamentals, Redundancy, Flexability, and Synergy.

1) Redundancy - there are 3 tanks and a DP. All of which take a considerable amount of
concentrated amount of firepower to take down. This means one of two things wil happen, either your opponent will concentrate all their rescources on killing one of these things or will take pot shots at all of them which probably wont do much to anything. This forces your opponent to constantly be making tough choices, and usually leads to more and more mistakes as the game goes on until you wear them down, mentally.

2)Flexability - there is alot of flexability in this list. Each element of it can, if you want to, opperate independently, each spliting up to take on a seperate part of the opponents army. Yet it can also work collectively as a whole is you so choose, or even as two diffferent groups. Besides just being tacticly flexable, each unit has flexabilty when it comes to their role. For example, the Predator will act as this forces main transport popping machine, however if there arn't any transports left or none to begin with it can easily act as a infantry killing machine. Same for every other unit in this list, each can be effective at range as well as close up. And because of this ability to switch roles between turns this list shoulc be able to handle anything that they come up against.

3) Synergy - this concept is a little bit more difficult to understand, kinda. It basicly means that every unit in the list flow together. For example, every unit is able to move up to 12" a turn. Also each unit is able to fill the role of another if the first unit fails at popping a tank or taking out that one last marine. If need be each unit can back up another one.


Yeah so thats it, for now. Please comment as you like. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree?

First BatRep

So I've alrady written a battle report, but blogspot won't let me copy my word document into these posts...so I've posted it on dakkadakka.com. I'll give you all the pics, but if you want the whole story then just follow this link - http://http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/290943.page

Vassal40K

I showed my friend Derek this the other day, and while he wasn't impressed, I can't get enough of it. For those who don't know what it is, it's basicly 40K on a computer. Not Dawn of War or anything, but actually the table top game. Now there are some issues, like the fact that the program is illegal and was shut down by GW, and that it hasn't been updated since the IG codex (I believe). But this program is amazing. It lets you take any unit you want, just write a list and play. You can do it online against someone or with yourself.

This program is also really good for doing batreps, which I plan do now do more of. In the mean time I'm going to play one with Vassal against myself using the new BA codex, so stay tuned. And for your enjoyment here are a couple of pics from a few games I've played so far.

First Vlog!!!

This is my first Vlog. Thought I'd try one out and see how it went, hope to make it a regular thing.