It's here 6th is here the wait is over ( well nearly)

:p

We have to make the best with what we've got tbh I don't have a problem with any of the new rules sep the allies but we will see could win me over. I like the new terrain rules ammo dump etc I like added randomness makes the game more fun I like the movie ish feel to the new rules with with troops bunkered down in terrain as the want to hold it insted of just for a four up save or objectives that go live on certain turn numbers I don't care about rules changing as long as we have fun 40k for the last 6 months just hasn't been fun for me

My gleaming new rule book arrived today and my man bag, well worth it I feel!

Just flicking through the rules, I see a lot if things I like!

Just had mine yesterday, and been reading the whole thing since! I gotta admit, I'm a big fan of most of it.

Leman Russes are now awesome and work in squadrons! Squadrons of mobile vehicles are still useless sadly (immobilised = dead if decide to abandon it and move later on) but at least there is no more non sense like "leman russ is 25" away but I can still kill it in close combat"...)

Wound allocation is very different now, no more shenanigans with Beastmasters You can still use characters to allocate wounds, but it's a lot harder and requires clever positioning (might be even worth buying more Beastmasters rather than Beasts themselves for example)

The wound allocation is now more realistic which puts forward the positioning of the attack unit (the attack won't have the same effect if you attack the "weak" side of the unit). Look out sir makes ogryns units and the like more powerful (couldn't allocate before), and Nobz bikers are now INSANE !!!

I like the challenges in general, it brings a lot of caracter to the game. I do find a bit annoying though that a Hive tyrant can charge a Space Marine squad, issue a challenge to the power fist guy that will have to die or sit this one out, making the whole turn an auto win for the Monstrous creature (as now either the rest of the squad can't attack or it is the power fist guy that can't)...

Psychic powers are great and Deny the Witch balances the arnies that don't have much access to psykers. Haven't really had time to look for some nice combos... yet...

Flying MC are freaking awesome but still are not unkillable.

Waiting FAQ on my battle psyker's squads and on the Forgeworld units

Jump infantry and bikes are very good now, altough jump packs require a bit of calculation as you need to choose if you use the jump pack during movement or assault.

Hammer and Anvil deployment is gonna make the outflankers happy (even though they can't charge anymore when arriving)

Allies are definitely not broken. Haven't found any silly combos (nor have I read about any) but it's rather about buying units depending on their utility (more anti tank, AA, access to psychic power, psychic hoods, cheaper troops...) Not a big fan of the 2 FOC at 2000 points, but it might actually be quite fun to have more heavy support than Fast attack or a big elite army... We'll see when we start showing or silly army lists.

25% to obscure vehicles (and even 3+ if you've well hidden) is quite hard (easier to get cover saves), but I believe the downsides (AP2/1 more powerful, the Hull Points wrecking vehicles, dreadnought hit with grenades at weapon skill, no more disembarking and charging in the same turn...) makes up for it.

.... Still got the flyers to read (i kept the best for the end )

With challenges, I'm pretty sure you cannot specify who you want to challenge. You can merely challenge the squad and the opponent opts who he wants to accept the challenge. Page 64, 4th paragraph "Nominate one of the characters in your unit to be the challengee."

Yep I know, but if you attack a squad with just the Sergent with a PF being a character, he either dies answering the challenge (and his squad can't do anything) or he avoids combat and can't use his PF (and his squad gets murdered). It's just the mechanic with only one character in the squad that i find a bit silly. I would have prefered if only IC had to answer a challenge and unit characters could get away with it like in WHFB.

Me and Steve played our first game today lots of grenades shooting and bikes crashing into troops and even a challenge to boot I had fun very kool

Can't wait to play... Regret I'm playing Blood Bowl now

Found a couple of nice combos on internet.

Primaris Psyker + Psyker Battle squad: weaken resolve + Psychic Shriek (3D6-Ld wounds no save or cover save)

Culexus + Psyker Battle squad (12" Assault 11 S5 AP1 Weapon)

They can be negated with Deny the witch though and the battle squad can't do their power embarked so they're pretty fragile...

Realised that the Hydra isn't as good (snap fire against anything not flying or skimmer)... But the Manticore is potentially 3 St10 templates deadly for vehicles!!

Couldn't find anywhere that allies can't have a Special Character, so I guess that opens a few more possibilities.

Player auto lose if there is noone on the table at the end of any game turn...

Oops, got it wrong on the squadron bit: now if one vehicle is immobilised the other ones just split.. Awesome!!!!

tbh I'm looking forward to playing a 40k game, but my fantasy army needs more love and attention.

Played our first game with Tom last Friday. Boy, reading the rules every 5 minutes made it a long game... Had a big headache between Move through cover, fleet, running & charges; got there in the end though.

We had a couple of things wrong (wound allocation with blasts - it should be added to the wound pool and not rolled straight against the models) and the wound allocations was ... time consuming. Just realised I could have assaulted with the Genestealers during my first turn as I was going second (you can't assault during the first turn - which means "the first player turn")

Got to say Nids are much much better. Broodlord in a Stealers unit is now viable and worth their points and they are very scary. Well charging Vect and 10 Bloodbrides out of cover with 1 Stealer and the Broodlord wasn't gonna cut it, but the idea was there. Psychic powers make him scary (Biomancy powers have some pretty good ones and with 2 powers available, there is a good chance to get them - Fnp, and It will not die? Iron arm?). Same for the Tyrant that was so far quite over priced, but now has access to nice buffs to both him and around (6" preferred ennemy bubble is very good for the hive guards)

Tried to make a few things different and interesting like runnning the Zoanthropes as a support unit rather than an attacking one that was... Different, maybe not the best way to run them, I might try it again with Biomancy rather than Telekinesis.

Lack of Inv save still sucks though and I really suffered in combat; hence the importance of Feel no Pain buffs given out by the Tervigons or Biomancy powers.

Fliers were annoying, nearly unkillable really with Nids... But to be honest it didn't do much damage in return either so I just ignored it most of the game and tried to shoot it when I had nothing else to do.

Overall balance hasn't changed much so far. Still I lost with nids but this time I didn't think it was over from the start.

That was a very good game and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Also, forgeworld is becoming official which is great as they seem to have the best units to counter the fliers. FAQs are already up which means we can try them out ASAP

From what I remember monsters with wings can pull them out of the sky

Yep, but it's only D3+1 hits at unmodified strength. So on average 2.5 hits glancing on a 4+ at best and then he's still got 5++; which is not great, just about ok I guess. And it implies I would also need to put some wings on them now and they would have to give up the new buffed death star with tyrant guards to do so... I'll definitely try it, but the Tyrant is to expensive and too fragile to be left in the open alone I think.