Salamander/40k update

Hey hey hey

Its been a wee while since an update, and a very long time since the Salamanders were mentioned (yes they are still kicking around).

So in between buying the core of the army, having a few games and getting started on the painting a new edition dropped and all of a sudden I had to change tact. No longer was I going to be tinkering with Tigerus allies for divination/telekinis shenanigans, I have opted for pure Salamanders.

Pictures for the picture gods!

Black undercoat. Directional Spray of Army Painter army green. Black wash, Warp stone glow drybrushing. repaint black parts - either drybrush or smudge runefang silver. Hashut copper on stuff. Adeptus battlegrey highlights for skin/cloth. Wash the black/silver/copper areas with nuln oil. Edge highlight with Hashut Copper. Boom!

So simple but looks great (except for ipad camera on shiny table...)

Joel's authoritative take on the new edition:

I thought the internet was at its worst when this edition dropped "ahhhh the sky is falling" blaa blaa blaa. Unbound armies cannot contest objectives and are by PERMISSION ONLY. ie - they are as optional as the allied rules in 8th ed WHFB. The psychic phase can be either heavily invested in, or ignored. It is the same as before (effectively) - there is now a good chance the power wont activate. To increase activation chance = throw more dice = less is cast (WHFB language there) = meh.

40k is an interesting game. Cool aesthetic, fluff etc - but the game of late had devolved into cookie cutter options and no brainers. In a game with few to no movement based tactics, complicated combat with no real incentive to do it, super sniping characters, easy to blow up vehicles, but no multi-wound weapons to deal with monsters (that are immune to low strength fire), there needed to be something done to shake it up.

Enter the new targeting rules, order of fire rules and jink saves. Boom! - Either/or decisions, and positioning is important. Combat still isnt that great (in fact the 1 rule that kept it around - challenges - has been nerfed...) but has uses and your special weapon guys will now make it in!

The vehicle damage chart changes have made ye ol' transports better. With better jink this has potentially made some things really good - until you see that jink is declared BEFORE rolling to hit = there is a tactic in forcing the either/or decision because even if your shooting bounces off the jink = less coming back at you (unless people are now running stripped down wave serpents with minimal shooting so they can zoom stuff onto objectives :P)

Salamander stuff

I think Salamaders are well positioned to maximise the potential impacts of the new rules. Mastercrafted Melta weapons (oooo - sternguard get mastercrafted special ammo if shot from a combi melta!) and the marine arsenal of Twinlinked Lascannons gives options.

Better transports mean the real scary short range stuff can get into range quicker (and contest objectives etc). Lascannons are scary from range.

My rundown of how to up the anti with Salamanders:

• Vulkan  - Rather self explanatory. Can tank (ish), ok in combat, has heavy flamer and mastercrafts melta. DONE.
• Command squad with melta and apocothary in a droppod. -Vulkan needs a) a posse and b) be close to the action. This option does both - oh and will wreck people's days.
• droppodding Ironclad - the biggest distraction EVA! Salamander fluffy and should be reasonably hard to kill. Either way t1 shooting is not aimed at your other stuff!
• multiple Lasback marines with combi melta and flamer/melta. Oh hi tl lascannons. Oh hi objective holders, oh hi versatile squads.
• Combi melta, melta marines in droppod - the objective capturing unit that also blows stuff up
• Combimelta scouts in MMelta storm - another threat that captures objectives - Vulkan makes them very good
• Landspeeder typhoons - only in the larger games, but effective and points efficient s8/5 shooting is nice. another good option to force jink decisions - and has the speed to get good positioning. 
• Gravturions - best unit in the book. Range is a problem - but add on missiles and they are good hullpoint strippers/anti horde while getting into range. 
• Lasturions - most points efficient heavy firepower in the book. 3 TL lascannon + 3 missiles for less than 300pts. This is a serious threat unit that can politely sit back and "force the decisions" on jinking units. I'm surprised these guys dont get more internetz time
• Knights Errant - woah! Imperial knights are now an official part of the FOC = take the melta version duh! No Tlinked from Vulkan, but still amazing!

Basically I think of list writing as adding guns. I aim for a minimum of 6 tlinked lascannons, and as much melta as possible. Attack bikes are another cheap MMelta option to consider...but look stupid!

Ok - I'm sure there is a strong argument for "adding in AEGIS defense lines", "you need to landraider redeemer up fast!", "where's your Stormraven??", "only option is to go whitescars and have unkillable chaptermaster on a bike"...but I'm purposely going down another route.

Anywho that's me. On the painting table currently are more lionhelms (sigh a 3rd unit), Wildrider unit #3 and more marines.