More GSC previews

[WestRider]

11 hours ago, Andrewgeddon said:

I'm considering a Tyranid detachment, but a spearhead with a lot of Carnifexs.... or whatever the plural for Carnifex is.

GW says it's "Carnifexes". IIRC, the actual Latin plural would be "Carnifices". But then that probably changes depending on where it is in the sentence and who you're speaking to and the phase of the moon, because Latin. That said, my favourite is one that is categorically wrong, but like the way it sounds: "Carnifexen". Besides, semi-randomly mixing up Germanic and Romance language elements is more or less the definition of English 😉

[Ish]

Carnifices is actually the English plural of carnifex, it’s an archaic word (for a butcher) these days but it is English. Yes, it has a latin root, but latin is just one of many languages that we’ve pilfered words from. As a general rule, when an English word ends in a final -ex or -ix sound it becomes -ices. Index, indices; appendix, appendices; codex, codices; vertex, vertices...

But, sadly, people have grown lazy over the last century or so and stopped teaching all the formal rules. Because dicronries are descriptive and not postcriptive, we’re seeing them label abominations like “indexes” and “codexes” as acceptable... 

I’m dreading the day when “mouses” and “deers” become commonplace.

(For the record [and to make my mother happy] the Latin plurals of “carnifex” would be carnificēs, carnificum, or carnificibus depending on declension.)

[Lyraeus]

https://youtu.be/34wConvy5p0

 

Geoff Robinson reviews the codex

[dalmer]

.... new GSC models posted on the Community page

[WestRider]

7 minutes ago, dalmer said:

.... new GSC models posted on the Community page

Not really. The post today just showed the ones that are up for pre-order now, all of which we've seen before. Some of them might be new pics, but they all look pretty familiar to me.

[dalmer]

... ah, sorry!

[pretre]

Codex: Genestealer Cults is almost here (in fact, you can pre-order it right now!). Last week, we showed you some previews of their rules, but today we’re taking a look at how you can put them into action. For that, we needed an expert. Conveniently, we know a Nexos that has been hiding in plain sight for a number of years – Genestealer Cults fanatic, and one half of the Warhammer Live USA team, Geoff Robinson. Over to the man himself…

Geoff: Greetings everyone, and Happy Ascension Day to you all! With the release of the Genestealer Cults, we are introduced to an extremely thematic, powerful and tactical army that utilises unique deployment mechanics and offers ample opportunity to surprise opponents and gain the advantage.

First of all, I’d like to talk about the Cult Ambush ability and how you can overthrow your local oppressors on your path to welcoming the Star Children and their many gifts.

Cult Ambush: The Ambush

With Cult Ambush, there are two deployment styles you can utilise. You may decide to set up some of your units in hiding, which takes advantage of the ambush markers with the codex. This allows you to deploy units without saying what they are. Denying that information to your opponent is a great way to begin the wave of confusion. Even if your opponent has the first turn, they cannot destroy or move within 9″ of these markers. This grants you a powerful advantage in being able to keep adversaries away from your deployment zone during deployment and the first turn.

With the Nexos, you can even move one of these markers after he is revealed, furthering the confusion and changing up what your opponent thought to be true. If you liked that idea, the Meticulous Uprising Stratagem that allows you to move three of these markers up to 12″ – wow! That is a lot of area denial and deployment trickery that will make your opponent struggle to know where things are and how they can react. You’ll also have access to the Scanner Decoys Stratagem, which falsifies the number of ambush markers in your deployment zone.

Games are often won and lost in deployment, and servants of the Four-armed Emperor will rejoice in our thematic and unique ways to confound our oppressors during this crucial stage.

Cult Ambush: Setting Up Underground

It wouldn’t be a proper uprising if all we did was throw our foes into a state of confusion. We are also equipped with aggressive ways to get our engineered weapons where they need to be so that we can crush and destroy those who would oppose us. Setting up underground means that an Infantry or Biker unit can appear anywhere on that battlefield that is more than 9″ away from any enemy units.

At first glance, this doesn’t seem particularly special, but when you consider the ample ways to enhance the effectiveness of that deployment – such as the Clamavus adding 1 to the charge rolls of nearby units – you can begin to see its devastating potential.

However, that’s not all! With the fiendish Stratagem, A Perfect Ambush, one of your units – say, a hulking group of Aberrants or Purestrain Genestealers – can move D6″ after arriving from underground and still make a charge move. Alternatively, you can use this Stratagem to give the face of your rebellion, the dreaded Kelermorph, a free opportunity to shoot. With a Kelermorph’s Character-killing potential, that’s certainly a handy trick to have up your (three) sleeves.

Without giving it all away, I will tell you there are plenty of other ways to enhance these charge rolls to help us get the jump on our enemies. But if clobbering your foe with an industrial-grade weapon isn’t your idea of fun, perhaps consider some of the shooty-er options? First, take a full unit of 20 Hybrid Acolytes with hand flamers.

When they pop up from underground, use the Lying in Wait Stratagem – now that unit is just 3″ away from your target. They may well forfeit their ability to charge, but how is that a problem when you’ve just immolated the enemy unit with an average of 70 hits from your hand flamers? Alternatively (or in addition to), throw the Extra Explosives Stratagem into the mix for the ability to throw up to five demolition charges, each with D6 attacks at Strength 8 and D3 Damage – yikes!

Codex: Genestealer Cults offers us a fun, original and exciting way to engage our opponents. We are tricky, surprising, and if they aren’t careful we will spill out from every corner of the board and overwhelm our adversaries with a mixture of claws and crude weaponry! So go forth and pave the way, for our day of ascension is at hand! May the Four-armed Emperor bless you with its many gifts. 

Thanks, Geoff! We’ll have more from our evil genius soon, so keep your eyes out. Remember, Codex: Genestealer Cults is up for pre-order now, along with the Nexos, Clamavus, and more besides. And if you’re after a Kelermorph, you can grab one with Starn’s Disciples, in stores and online now!

[pretre]

Hello. 

 

We have managed to get our mitts on the new Codex Genestealer Cults for review. 

 

 

Genestealer Cults are possibly what I consider the best looking army in its totality, in the Warhammer 40K Game System currently. The new releases have perfectly filled in and expanded the existing range to a fantastic level. 

 

 

The new Codex shares some new information on lesser Cults such as the black and yellow Sons of Jormungandr who are subverting the Thalassi sector and the Behemoid Undercult who ritually Scar their faces, in reverence of Old One Eye. 

Learning about new Chapters/Regiments and Cults are one of the best things about new Codex. 

 

 

 

Locuses 

This new unit acts as a bodyguard for Cult Characters. They are described quite impressively. They have the Quicksilver Dodge special rule (5+) and always fights first in the fight phase even if it did not charge. That’s pretty cool. 

 

 

Achilles Ridgerunners

This vehicle is my favourite item from the new range. It looks absolutely fantastic. I hope we see rules for it ported to Necromunda eventually as it is described as a vehicle employed by Geological Surveyors and Mining Guilds. The Heavy mining laser which it sports is especially nasty. 

It has a Flare Launcher too, which means it pretty much gets a 6+ invulnerable save against every wound that is lost. 

 

 

There are some great art pages which you expect to see in the Codex. I do love a cult tide. 

 

 

 

Once again, a great Codex from Games Workshop. The Genestealer Cults look amazing. 

[WestRider]

afj;fasj;asfadfsj;af;oinbafn;oibaef i cant even

need this here already

[Inquisitor66]

Can't wait to purge the new xenos

[SPaceORK]

Took a brief look at the codex today. Still seems like a solid utility army with some great tricks and horrifying close combat options. I personally enjoy dropping 20 hand flamers 3" away for 160ish points.

[WestRider]

I've been watching my way through The Fast and the Furious franchise, so I may well have to to do something similar with my Bikes 😄

[pretre]

The Genestealer Cults are now officially out in force, but how do you use your shiny new miniatures on the battlefield? Well, fear not, for help is at hand. In Part 1 of his Genestealer Cults Tactica, honorary Nexos Geoff Robinson discussed the myriad uses of the army’s Cult Ambush ability. Today, he’s breaking down the turn, phase by phase, to take a look at how you can maintain the advantage you gained from your initial ambush. 

Geoff: Hello everyone! The new codex doesn’t demand you play the Genestealer Cults in any one way. In fact, it empowers a good general to employ armies of very different styles and compositions. Today, I’d like to break down several phases of the game and discuss how to focus your efforts according to your choice of units – and look at some of the key Genestealer Cults units we can best utilise in each phase.

The Psychic Phase

The Magus is a great HQ option and will probably find its way into a lot of lists. With its Spiritual Leader ability, the Magus offers some formidable psychic defence in addition to its own innate ability to deny a psychic power. On top of that, the Magus can cast one power (or two in one turn of the game with a Familiar). I like Mass Hypnosis, as it inflicts an enemy with -1 to hit and an inability to fire Overwatch that can come in handy considering how often a typical Genestealer Cults army wants to engage in close combat.

Another HQ that will commonly be taken is the Patriarch. Not only is it deadly in melee, but at Leadership 10, it’s the best candidate to harness the Mental Onslaught psychic power. We also have a number of ways to lower enemy Leadership and even raise our own (like with the aura ability from the Clamavus), making this a power you should look to make use of, as it can take down some surprisingly powerful foes in the Psychic phase.

An Abominant, while not psychically inclined himself, does come with a special Mindwyrm Familiar that inflicts a penalty to Psychic tests for enemy Psykers (other than our beloved Tyranids) within 12″. This is fantastic as your Abominant should be in the thick of the fray anyway, so that large area of effect comes into play very often!

Finally, I want to mention that this codex has some fantastic psychic powers and begs you to go with a wide variety. For example, if your opponent is kind enough to field an Imperial Knight against you, why not use Mind Control to take command of it for a turn…?

The Shooting Phase

Genestealer Cults have ample access to ranged weaponry with solid Strength and AP characteristics such as mining lasers, allowing them to knock down enemy vehicles and monsters with relative ease. Achilles Ridgerunners offer fast, inexpensive ways to mount a heavy weapon and can guard key objectives while putting out powerful damage. Accompany your Ridgerunners with a Jackal Alphus and use its Priority Target Sighted ability to boost their shooting effectiveness against a key target.

If massed shooting is the order of the day, you can charge your Neophyte Hybrids with the task of autogun fire, empowered by the heroic Kelermorph. While by themselves Neophytes only possess an average level of accuracy, firing first with your deadly gunslinger and targeting an easy model to kill with one of his guns means you can then re-roll hit rolls of 1 for all friendly units within 6″ of him for that phase. You can take this even further and have a Primus join the ambush. The turn it shows up, you can nominate an enemy unit to re-roll 1s to wound too, against a single enemy unit.

Of course, we wouldn’t be much of a revolutionary force if we didn’t recognise the importance of removing key figures. Is a pesky psyker ruining your day? Why not see what the Sanctus can do about it? Equipped with a silenced sniper rifle, this assassin can do great damage to enemy characters – especially those tainted by the warp. Give your Sanctus The Gift From Beyond relic and you could be wounding said characters on a 2+ (while causing an additional mortal wound on a 4+) before triggering a Perils of the Warp. 

The Combat Phase

Our beloved Purestrain Genestealers are the obvious mention here. While they don’t benefit from Cult Creeds, they do get to join in the Cult Ambush by deploying underground or as an ambush marker. Given how fast these predators move, your opponent will rightly fear where they’ll turn up. Being able to start them 9″ away from an enemy model means they’re already dangerously close, but combine that with the A Perfect Ambush stratagem to get them D6″ closer, ready for the charge. If you set up a Clamavus nearby, you’re also increasing their charge range by 1. Very few things in this wonderful game welcome the charge of 20 Genestealers…

Aside from this, I’d be remiss not to mention the Aberrants here. Surprisingly difficult to kill and packing a hefty wallop, these fiends will destroy infantry and armoured targets alike. I prefer to run them with power picks and combine buffs like the psychic power Might from Beyond with a permanent power-up from a Biophagus. You can’t lose with Genomic Enhancement – a boost to Attacks, Strength or Toughness will dramatically improve your Aberrants regardless of what you roll.

Don’t forget your Acolyte Hybrids, too. They’re a scary unit at close range, with each of them having the option to take a hand flamer while still remaining effective in close combat – I just love their utility! They also have a huge variety of powerful melee weapon options that can augment their rending claws. When properly equipped, there isn’t much in the game they can’t kill.

In Conclusion…

As I write this, I am cackling with glee at how much how much more there is for you all to discover – I’ve barely even begun to scratch the surface! The full range of units are fun to use, but can just as easily be fielded competitively. Cult Creeds are diverse and powerful while our relics, Warlord Traits and psychic powers are interesting and tactical. 

Thanks, Geoff. If you’re not cackling maliciously while playing with your Genestealer Cults, you’re probably not playing in the spirit of the army anyway! If you’re looking to reinforce your collection with some of the units Geoff suggested, you can pre-order your Abominant, Biophagus, Aberrants and Achilles Ridgerunners now, while all the other units are in stores and available to order online.

[PumpkinHead]

Stupid kellermorph only being in a $65 box. 😞 Looks like a cool character to try out. Now I just have to find one thru other means since I don't want to buy the whole box for 1 dude.

[WestRider]

36 minutes ago, PumpkinHead said:

Stupid kellermorph only being in a $65 box. 😞 Looks like a cool character to try out. Now I just have to find one thru other means since I don't want to buy the whole box for 1 dude.

Random Acolyte plus a couple of extra Autopistols from wherever plus a few minutes with a knife and some glue 😉

[Guest]

On 2/11/2019 at 9:47 PM, WestRider said:

Anyone else reminded of an old pewter knight model with a bent lance? 

[andy]

9 minutes ago, paxmiles said:

Anyone else reminded of an old pewter knight model with a bent lance? 

Needs orange armor, a crew cut and circle beard. Oh yeah, horn-rimmed glasses, too.