Daemon Rules Ahoy!

Howdy all, Learn2Eel here with a first look at the new leaked Daemons rules! I am really excited to discuss these, as it is clearly obvious Chaos Daemons are a much different army - and one that I feel is much more powerful and balanced, too. Now, as the rumours I've found are congested into a massive pile, I have decided to break each unit or section down and analyse them individually with regards to the old codex and what this could mean in the meta. Thanks all, I hope you enjoy!

This compilation comes by way of Bell of Lost Souls courtesy of Hero. Enjoy!

L2E's High Elves Tactica - Lords and Special Rules

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here! I'm back to discuss the mighty High Elves, one of the more difficult armies in Warhammer Fantasy to master, but a very powerful force if used correctly. With outstanding melee units, brutal magic users and effective, cheap war machine hunters, the High Elves are a mobile force that relies on smart play and magic to win the day. As my first Warhammer Fantasy Tactica, I hope this article is both enlightening and entertaining for you!

L2E's Tyranid Project Log - Part 3 - Batch Painting (ugh)...

Terrible, just terrible.

Hey guys, JT here with another update to L2E's Tyranid Project Log; where I will, unfortunately, be discussing batch painting and I will be sharing some tips and tricks to get those large blobs of critters/ 'umies painted in record time and to a decent standard.

Click the 'read more' link to view the article.

The first Imperator Guide!

   Hey guys JT here with a very special announcement - until now we have been steadily producing content on the blog and over at BoLS to help everyone in the community with their wargaming; however, we are geared towards helping the beginner's amongst us or those who are interested in really getting to know the game's systems as deeply as possible. To help us achieve that end, and to produce something you guys can take away (literally) from the site - we are producing a comprehensive Starter Guide for Warhammer 40,000 that will be available in PDF format for you to download, print and distribute to your hearts content.

    The guide will be designed to help ease the shock new player's may experience upon first entering the world of tabletop wargaming - and to offer helpful hobby tips, army list design tips as well as every thing else a new player may need to help get them started.
 
   As of now, we have no set - in -stone release date for the guide and we are very much looking forward to getting feedback from the community about what you would like to see put into such a guide. We will be treating the guide as a living document that will be updated by us regularly. If you would like to contribute to the guide, or would like to edit it - let us know in the comment section below or over at the BoLS Lounge.

Creating a Home Brew Chapter - Colour Schemes

I AM QUARTERED!

Hey guys, JT here with the next article in our series covering the creation of a Space Marine army for your games of Warhammer 40,000! Until recently, every single army I had ever created followed a home brew colour scheme - that's a lot of different schemes over the years (I am a hobby butterfly by nature) and over that period I've learnt some tips and tricks to help you create that all - important colour scheme and make it look good. Not all of us like the rigid nature of established chapters, and the home brew indeed does provide the ultimate freedom of expression to the budding Chapter Master.

Click the 'read more' link below to view the article.

We are Elite!

  Hey guys, JT here to update on the slight lay-out changes we've implemented as well as the revamped colour scheme to help make the site a lot more visually appealing and easy to navigate - this is part of our constant re - evaluation process that all sites follow; particularly if they're like us and are only a very young site! Either way, we're also proud to announce that we have been incorporated into the +Bell of Lost Souls Alliance Elite blogroll which is remarkable to say the least - and we are extremely thankful for this opportunity to get our name out there and spread our helpful articles to those who need it. We're very happy to be part of the BoLS family and we appreciate the continued support we're receiving from both the community and Bigred; look for us in the lounge and feel free to talk to us!
Feel free to let us know what you think of the new scheme and if you can suggest any improvements. Cheers everyone!

Chaos Daemons White Dwarf Impressions

Hey all, Learn2Eel here with an early preview of the new Chaos Daemons for Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy! Today I will be looking at the new kits, my impressions of them, and give a preview of some of the rules we have seen for them so far. Enjoy!

MegaV Reviews - Ravenwing by Gav Thorpe

Hey guys, Megavalhalla here with my personal review on the book Ravenwing by Gav Thorpe.  As a rule of thumb I won’t be giving away any spoilers. Even though I am a massive 40k fan, I won’t be judging this book based on how much shooty death kill action in the grim dark future, but the author and how it is written.


Hey guys, JT here and I'd like to officially welcome Megavalhalla to the Imperator family, he will be bringing a wealth of knowledge and humorous insights to our little family and we are very pleased to have him on - board ; He is a long time friend of both L2E and myself and we feel his contributions will go a long way to helping us to help you. Thank you Megavalhalla =D

What the Hobby Means to me

What does it Mean?

Hey guys - JT here with something a little bit more personal then we'd usually like to discuss in the realm of the internet - but it is something close to my heart. I was having a chat to a friend today about the state of the hobby and how the price increases were effecting our purchases (or not, in my case) and why - in the face of the rise of online gaming - we continue with the hobby in a day and age that has largely forgotten about it. For me, the hobby represents something deeply personal and special - but does that apply to everyone else?
I would like to share just what the hobby means to me, and maybe - just maybe, get you guys thinking about the same thing as we evaluate in an honest manner what exactly keeps us stuck to our little model soldiers.

Click the 'read more' link to view the article.

Daemon's Confirmed

Hey guys - JT here to confirm that Daemon's are indeed being released shortly, and thankfully - we will be here to provide our take on the codex/army book when it comes out, and should have the tactica's available right here within a week of release. We will update you guys on a release time table for the latest tactica series by L2E; as I'm sure many of you would like to know his thoughts on the latest Chaotic force clawing its way onto our tabletops.

Dark Eldar in 6th Edition - How do they work?

Gimp-Dar.

In 5th Edition, the new Dark Eldar were a breath of fresh air in an environment where armies focused on spamming the most powerful units in each codex - essentially each army always had a handful of units that were obviously superior to others, and thus were taken in great numbers at a competitive level for redundancy. The Dark Eldar codex bucked this trend - unlike most other codices, the army had an exceptional internal balance offset by strong external balance, making them a delightful army that rewarded the usage of nearly every unit in the codex in some capacity, with very few exceptions. As a rule though, the best Dark Eldar armies were - and remain to this day - mobile forces that relied on their strong alpha-strike and sheer speed to deal significant amounts of damage early in the game and get up close to minimize the damage as fast as possible. Popular armies often revolved around the use of Wyches in a role that would tar-pit enemy units, preventing them from firing on the more valuable transports in a game where kill points where usually the most common form of victory.

So, with 6th Edition, how have the changes to both the rules and, subsequently, the meta affected the Dark Eldar? This is a question that has given me a lot of trouble, as there is no doubt they are very much a different beast than they were before, and for the most part seemed not to have taken too well to the new edition - at least in terms of what units are useful. So, firstly, let's take a look at what used to be the name of the game for Dark Eldar - their transports and Wyches.

Wraithwing - The Eldar Variety

Howdy all, Learn2Eel here, and I'm eager to talk about an army list I've long wanted to do - the Eldar Wraithwing, a force so tough and small that it really defines the term 'elite force'. I hope you enjoy my thoughts on how to use such an army!

Elf ghosts in space!

Rumours and the Meta - Tau/Chaos Daemons

Previously, on Gundam Wing...

Rumours are rumours, so the saying goes. You shouldn't believe in them until you have tangible proof of their validity, regardless of their source. But, for a moment, let us pretend that these rumours aren't just that - let us look at how some potential rules for upcoming codices could potentially impact the meta, if they are indeed correct. Even if these rumours are completely inaccurate or only partially on the spot, they are still worthy of consideration - could they be an indication of where 6th Edition Warhammer 40,000 is heading in terms of balanced play, or just the latest in a line of codices attempting to out-do one another? You decide.....

Today, we are looking at some very recent rumours about both the Tau Empire and Chaos Daemons - for the moment, we will discuss the Tau, particularly their shiny new rumoured monster, as their codex should be at least a few months away, and these rumoured rules would likely be less accurate. Chaos Daemons, on the other hand, are seemingly only a fortnight away from release - we can only hope!

A note - this article features significant references to rumours. Please do not take the information presented in the article as gospel. 

Space Marines - Home Brew vs Canon Chapters

MAXIMUM FISTING.

   Hey guys, JT here with a discussion on Space Marine armies, with an unbiased discussion about choosing a colour scheme / chapter and the pro's and con's of using a Home Brew Chapter or adopting a pre - existing one; this discussion can be applied to almost any army; but I feel Space Marines offer the most unique and versatile embodiment of the varied colour schemes - if you guys like this article series, then feel free to send in your own Home - Brew chapters/forces/war bands/swarms to be featured right here on the site.

   The amount of choice we are presented with when starting a new army, or first getting into the hobby, is simply astounding; so much so, we can overlook some of the more important details - such as really planning our army out before we purchase; we have two articles with helpful tips on this process here and here. One very important choice is the colour scheme and the theme of your army, regardless of whether you are a competitive player or a fluff bunny - we can take the (seemingly) easy route of just using a pre - existing scheme, or we can develop our own.

Click the 'read more' link below to get our tips and analysis on this matter.

Tyranid Tactica - 6th Edition

Tyranids
Hey all, I'm back to give you some fresh insights into the terrifying Tyranids, an army that has under-went some major changes in the new edition of Warhammer 40K. So, let's jump right in with my thoughts on each unit in the Swarm. Consume!

If you want more Tacticas concerning some of the big players in 6th Edition, feel free to let us know which ones you'd like us to do next!
We are open to any and all critiques and suggestions. Thanks again!

L2E's Tyranid Tactica - Part 4 - Heavy Support & Fast Attack

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here, and I'm back to give my final thoughts on Fast Attack, Heavy Support and the Tyranid codex as a whole - all in one article for your viewing pleasure. We are trying out a new, different format for this article to see which you prefer - do you like the smaller, more spread out articles or this larger one for convenience? Thank you for all the critiques and support, I hope this has been as enjoyable a read for you as it has been writing it. Thanks again!

L2E's Tyranid Tactica - Part 3 - Troops

Troops

The core of a Tyranid army, Troops choices are where the majority of your mostly necessary bodies will come from, either in the form of tough Warriors, droves of Hormagaunts and Termagants, amazing Tervigons, or a mixture of all. The most competitive combo usually proves to be Termagants paired with Tervigons, though Hormagaunts are always great, whilst Warriors and the like fit into a wide variety of lists. Usually, you don't want to upgrade your Troops choices that much - though they are generally the best units to give upgrades to. Just don't go overboard and remember that greater numbers usually win with these units.

L2E's Tyranid Project Log Part 2 - Power Head Swords

   Hey guys, JT here with an update to the Tyranid Project Log, the first part can be found here where I discussed my method of doing blood and stuff (thus the title) and generally whinged about the huge mound of painting I need to complete - an article about finding time to paint will be going up shortly - today I will be discussing my method of painting power weapons, why L2E decided his Tyrant needed a power sword on its head, as well as a quick insight into how your choice of colours could mean more then your ability to highlight properly.

Click the 'read  more' link below to view the article.

Making time to Paint

   Painting is a chore. 


   If you're thinking that thought, as many of us have - you're in a bit of a tough spot. You may have spent hundreds, if not thousands on a shiny (grey) army of plastic goodness, then looked at it as a whole and felt over-whelmed by the sheer amount of work you will have to complete to paint that thing up to a decent standard. I understand this problem, deeply.

Oh...That's...Just...Too Much

   After a brief hiatus from tabletop war - gaming to deal with various health and personal issues, I launched myself back into the hobby with the release of the Blood Angels - those Sanguinary Guard models were just too pretty to resist, and I diligently painted them to the best of my (rusty) abilities at the time. I then bought the metal Astorath and conveted him into a roman-esque spear - wielding psychopath to lead my display army - I never intended on playing with my pretty boys. Then the Storm - Raven came out, I just had to have it. Then I worked out I could create a cool little strike force if I bought a Furioso Dreadnaught to lug around - but I did need some assault squads to have a more realistic army - and hey, what about some land speeders to float around after my Raven?
   Before I knew it, I'd amassed a terrible, yet playable army - and soon found myself being gradually sucked into the addictive cycle of gaming and buying to improve my army - with my half - painted and ugly miniatures rolling around against other similarly ugly armies. Some disclosure, I'm a painter before a player and I love the feeling of whipping out a nicely painted army to play with every so often - when I go to my local GW, you can find me at the painting table working away on a commission or my personal stock, with a game maybe once a month.

Damn Viruses

   Hey guys, JT here with some rather...annoying news - my primary computer has been infected with a rather nasty virus and I am busy rectifying this issue - i'll be posting the next article from L2E's Tyranid Tactica shortly, however it will not have any of the pic's I had hoped to share - there will also be a new Project Log article.
   Sorry for the delay guys, I will be working hard to fix the issue over the next few hours.

L2E's Tyranid Tactica - Part 2 - Elites

Thats just...Awesome!

   Hey guys, Learn2Eel here with the second part of seven-section Tyranid Tactica! This time, we are looking at Elites - home to some of the best units offered in the codex, so much so that you will often struggle to fit in all the units you want. I hope this article is both helpful and entertaining for you!

Click the 'read more' link below to view the rest of the article.

Change of Plans - and Thank You!

THIS IS NOT RELATED

   Hey guys, just a quick update - we'll be launching part 2 of our Tyranid Tactica at 2pm EST, which is 10pm in New York, 7pm in LA and 3am over in the UK. We're still working on when the best time to be launching our tactica's will be, as we are only a new site - there will be frequent changes such as these as we fine - tune our release corridors to deliver the best information at the most convenient times to you; our loyal readers.
   We would like to thank everyone who has been checking out the blog, even though it is still largely in its infancy and not entirely complete - without you, we would not be so inclined to keep working to give you the content - and we appreciate every single view we get that has helped make our independent little site a resounding success.
   As always, we extend our invitation for you to share your suggestions, critiques and discussion points here on the site - help us to help you.
   Thank - you again, and watch this space for part 2 of L2E's Tyranid Tactica!

L2E's Tyranid Tactica - Part 1

Tyranids

Hey all, I'm back to give you some fresh insights into the terrifying Tyranids, an army that has under-went some major changes in the new edition of Warhammer 40K. So, let's jump right in with my thoughts on each unit in the Swarm. Consume!

L2E's WH40K; Basics for a Beginner

Hey guys, Learn2Eel here! 

It's O'Shavah!

I'm here today to discuss starting new armies and how the potential cost and challenge can be mitigated through considered and in-depth study of the main rulebook and the codex pertaining to your chosen army. Obviously, building up a new army and taking to the field of battle poses many challenges - how do I write up an army list, which units should I take, how do I make this unit work, etc, etc? Ultimately, the decisions you make are never going to be easy - understanding a new army requires both patience and tactical application - traits which are not easily acquired, especially for one new to war-gaming. This is where I feel my experience with starting multiple new forces, and in particular the Tyranid swarm, will be a useful tool for any budding war-gamer.

Click the 'read more' link below to view the article.

Tyranid Tactica Coming Soon!

Hey guys, JT here - L2E's been working like a mad man (the weather is terrible at the moment here in Sydney) on a Tyranid Tactica! We're working on collating all of our tactica's into one, easy to find hub for your viewing pleasure - remember that all of our articles are available on your smart - phone or tablet, so you can take our words of wisdom with you to your next battlefield.

I'M HUNGRY

If you're curious about starting a new swarm, have an already existing force or merely want to know what you're up against - these guides will contain al the information to help you have the best game possible.
The first part of his tactica will go live, here, at 11:00pm EST on Monday, which will be about 6:00am for you Americans, and some - time in the afternoon for our friends in the UK. Remember to watch this space for all of the latest news, reviews and helpful guides to help you game at your best!
Nobody like's losing right?
We are hoping that these articles will be up on +Bell of Lost Souls in the near future, be sure to check them out to see some exclusive articles from the mad mind of Learn2Eel.\
Remember to leave your suggestions for future articles and guides here or on the BoLS lounge, or find us on facebook - remember to like us - presently we have received a request for some Dark Eldar related information, what do the rest of you guys think?

Semi - Pro Basing: Static Grass vs GW 'Tufts'

Trash Bases - Available from Microart Studios

Hey again, JT here with our first post in the Semi - Pro Basing series of articles that will be available right here on IGuides for your viewing pleasure; I'm sure you'll notice we're in the process of launching several 'series' of articles to cater to hobbyists and players of all skill levels - be sure to check back regularly for updates on your favourite IGuides series!
   For Semi - Pro Basing, we will be providing information and handy tips to help produce those awesome looking (and usually over-looked) bases for your little soldiers/psychopaths/fish men/fungus to help give them just that little bit of extra flair to really make your lovingly painted models pop.
   We acknowledge the existence of several awesome, manufactured scenic bases available for purchase on the web and possibly at your FLGS, however - we also wish to help those who simply don't want to buy pre-built bases and would like to build their own.
   Today we'll be discussing GW's range of pre-made static grass Tufts and how they stack up v.s regular static grass, as well as providing an easy guide to using both types.

Click the 'read more' link below to view the article.

This Just In: Strategy Gaming helps with...Strategy?

   No, it's not really news - I made that up; but it might be news to some people - but I've found through personal experience that playing digital strategy games periodically has really helped foster my knowledge and skills in the tabletop war-gaming realm and could be an invaluable tool for many players.

OMG WTF IS HAPPENING!???

   My game of choice is Starcraft 2 - a game that, to the outsider is unbelievably competitive and difficult to master, with many complex systems and a lot of hardcore micro - play - which is what most outsiders would say about Warhammer 40,000. To date I am a Top 25 Gold Player on the SEA servers in 1v1 multiplayer and a top 8 Platinum in 2v2 multiplayer with my dedicated gaming partner - this puts me above the average player by a decent margin, but I am by no means one of the best - in fact, I lose quite often.
   As my skills at Stracraft 2 have progressed and I've moved up the leagues, with a lot of hard work and practice, I've found my understanding and strategy and tactics in a general sense has increased and am now performing much better in my Warhammer 40,000 games - so the question is, how can this help you?

Paint Station Review

The Paint Station+ - Available around Christmas every year.

Hey guys, JT here to talk about the Games Workshop Paint Station and to offer a review for those of you thinking of picking one up from your FLGS or local GW store. I had the luck to receive the PS+ from my wonderful parents as a Christmas gift - they're aware of my love of painting, and are also acutely aware of the lack of space I have in my apartment - my desk being consumed by computer peripherals and work - related stuff. The PS+ is only available around Christmas, and it seems to be a regular thing with GW - annual re-releases of the same product with different colours for the holiday season; in the mean time you can always pick up the plain grey regular Paint Station - which is essentially the same product - minus the cutting mat, palettes and water pots that come with the PS+. For the purposes of this review I will be using the PS+, but will include a point on pricing if you had to purchase all the elements seperately.

L2E's Tyranid Project Log Part 1 - Blood and Stuff

Completed Trygon

Hey guys, JT here with a rather confusing post - i'm launching a project log for Learn2Eel's Tyranid army, as it is a rather large project with some 90(!) gaunts, 7( =[  ) monstrous creatures, and a host of other gribblies that all need to be based and painted up to a decent tournament standard; L2E (who doesn't paint anything, ever) has commissioned me to paint his swarm so he can use it in tournaments.
Although i'm not an exceptional painter by any means, I thought that this would be helpful to offer some insights into the amount of work it takes to paint up a tabletop standard swarm of alien bug - things. Along the way i'll be offering some helpful tips, which hopefully will encourage the new hobbyists among us or perhaps jump - start your latest project; and maybe provide some insights into techniques you may be unfamiliar with; or share my (rather extensive) experience in utilizing those techniques.
A disclaimer; I use only GW products in my projects, this ensures that there are no overly-complex materials and all the techniques, tools and paints I use can be easily replicated and obtained by even the greenest young artist - feel free to offer any critiques or ideas in the comment section, I'm always on the look-out for good ideas to improve my own skills!

Chaos Space Marines Tactica

Hello again, JT here posting another one of Learn2Eel's popular tactica guides, the first in his series published on the wonderful +Bell of Lost Souls ; an excellent site with a wonderfully supportive community - be sure to check out Bell of Lost Souls if you're passionate about our hobby or would like to keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip and rumour-mongering.
About the Author: Learn2Eel, aka Jack White  is a talented writer whose helpful guides have recently been published on +Bell of Lost Souls , his original home. Learn2Eel is a founding member of IIndustries and a regular contributor to Imperator Guides. He finds time to write guides in between reading books and staring at screens until his eyes bleed; you can find him often arbitrarily rolling copious amounts of dice, for no reason discernible to anyone else. Be sure to look for him in the lounge over at BoLS, or contact him here.

Click the 'read more' link below to view the guide.

Dark Angels Tactica

Hey guys, to help kick off the blog, we will be re-posting all of Learn2Eel's lauded tactica guides for Warhammer 40,000 in one easy to find location. Today we're featuring the Dark Angels Tactica originally written and posted on +Bell of Lost Souls; an excellent site with a wonderfully supportive community - be sure to check out Bell of Lost Souls if you're passionate about our hobby or would like to keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip and rumour-mongering.
About the Author: Learn2Eel, aka Jack White  is a talented writer whose helpful guides have recently been published on +Bell of Lost Souls , his original home. Learn2Eel is a founding member of IIndustries and a regular contributor to Imperator Guides. He finds time to write guides in between reading books and staring at screens until his eyes bleed; you can find him often arbitrarily rolling copious amounts of dice, for no reason discernible to anyone else. Be sure to look for him in the lounge over at BoLS, or contact him here.

Click the 'read more' link below  to view the guide.