NOVA Open and 6th

Given a number of the rumors floating about regarding 6th edition, it seems a less vehicle friendly place than it was before, at least to those light vehicle armies that we know and love. Given that supposition*, I'm seriously considering taking The Host of Hope's Demise to the NOVA Open, my all Nurgle based Chaos Daemons army. They've always excelled against a meat-bag based army, and have struggled against a metal based one. Could my tide of rotten flesh and rancid thoughts shuffle it's way to victory? It's hard to say, but it's fun to have an extra 250 points to play with**. I'll have to see the new mission structure, and how that will affect the NOVA's scoring, but I don't think it will be too much of a sea change.

My only concern is how to deal with flyers, who seem to have significant buffs to their defensive capabilities, but I've also heard rumors that flying monstrous creatures will also receive these buffs, and I'll likely have at least two of those. Of course, we're all guessing until the 30th, so who knows?

*And the fact that I love their paint job.
**I usually play at 1750, and the NOVA is at 2k.

A Note to My Great Unclean One

Dear Sir:

If you are to continue your current practice of arriving late to the battle field on all occasions, then I shall be forced to downgrade you to a Middling Untidy One.

Showing up on turn five does not count as timely attendance.

Sincerely,
The Management.

The Fun Army

At this point I have four fully purchased (but not fully painted) 40k Armies, my Flesh Tearers (Blood Angels), my Celestial Lions (Codex Marines), my Valhallan 42nd Imperial Guard, and last, but not least, is the Host of Hope's Demise, an all Nurgle based Epidemius army, full of Nurglings, Plague Bearers, and assorted corpse yellow goodness. The 42nd and the Flesh Tearers are competitive minded, and I consider the Celestial Lions and the Host as "for fun".

What makes a "fun" army? That's the nebulous part, since fun is different for everyone. For me, the fun army is one built with form over function. You have to look at the army and say "Yes, that makes sense from what I know of the background of 40k.", not "How the hell did he shoehorn that nonsense in?".

In that mind, I created a list that I still think will win games, but due to thematic elements, will likely have vulnerabilities that most tournament savvy players will exploit.

Host of Hope's Demise - Chaos Daemons

HQ
Epidemius 110
Great Unclean One Cloud of Flies Aura of Decay 185


Troops
Plague Bearers, 7 Chaos Icon 130
Plague Bearers, 14 Chaos Icon 235
Nurglings, 7 91
Nurglings, 7 91
Nurglings, 7 91
Nurglings, 7 91

Heavy Support
Daemon Prince, 1 Wings Iron Hide Mark of Nurgle Cloud of Flies Noxious Touch Daemonic Gaze 235
Daemon Prince, 1 Wings Iron Hide Mark of Nurgle Cloud of Flies Noxious Touch Daemonic Gaze 235

Points Summary:
HQ: 295
Troops: 729
Elites: 0
Fast Attack: 0
Heavy Support: 470
Total: 1494

So, we have an army that's random, and controlled by the whim of the Chaos Gods, but if the right wave comes in first, it will start murdering any ground troops available, adding to the Tally of Nurgle straight off. Then, when the Nurglings come in, the little nasties will hopefully have Noxious Touch straight off, and will be wounding on a 2+ in close combat. This army is highly vulnerable to mech, with only three models being able to pop armor (the two daemon princes, and the Great Unclean One). Any high toughness foot army needs to watch out, though! So that's nids and Eldar Iyanden Armies, then, I suppose. For that exact reason, it's not exactly a take all comers list, but it makes for great moments. Moments like nurglings murdering a Bloodthirster in close combat because they wound on 2+ with no armor save. Just avoid Sisters Of Battle and Vulkan Marines. Template weapons will clear you out in a hurry.

Chaos Daemons on Parade

I liked my librarian picture so much, I decided to take pictures of my Chaos Daemons outside as well. See more pictures here.

What's the story? Part 2

Continuing with my clever plan of: a. writing to a non-existant audience, and b. not writing at all about my Valhallans or Flesh Tearers, I present to you my back story for my Chaos Daemons army, The Host of Hope's Demise:

“...It is here, aboard Hope's Refuge, that we meet our end.”

The sound of the bolter round echoed around the small chapel, its doors bound in this world and the other, the first by the finest locks, and the second by the hexagramatic wards that burned in the eyes of those with the sight. A second bolter round was heard, followed by the slam of meat hitting cold steel, and then, all was silence. Three figures watched the horrors that had unfolded with surgical detachment, the glare from the hololith illuminating them with its harsh light.

“Turn the recording off, Charles. Destroy the 'lith. Take all the standard precautions.”

“Yes, your Holiness.”

Even though Charles had been in Inquisitor Kranz’s service for years, the sight of the taint of Chaos so rampant still turned his acolyte's stomach. The ‘lith left nothing to the imagination. Watching the junior officer's transformation from man into plaything of the Diseased One had been bad enough for all three of them. But to see him take the ultimate step to salvation, and shoot himself not once, but twice... Well, that was a man of the Emperor to the last.

Tech Priest Wanohfour spoke aloud the Inquisitor's thoughts. “It was brave of the organic to terminate functions before the onset of Final Stage Warp Necrophage Majoris. Reanimatic possessions are difficult to terminate.”

Kranz turned a wry eye to his red-robed companion. “Nurgle's Rot can be a bit of trouble, yes.” The Techpriest, for all her bluster about organics, still made the sign of the Machine God with her mechandrites when he mentioned the Lord of Plague by name. “Hope's Refuge was hospital ship in the Segmentum Pacificus, in support of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, correct?”

“Yes, Inquisitor Kranz. It was lost to the Emperor's Light during a warp jump. We originally believed that there were saboteurs on board, who interfered with the Gellar fields. In light of this new evidence, it is my supposition that WMN and an unwitting carrier are a more likely culprit.”

“We've seen this before. The Rot spreads and infects not only its passengers, but the ship itself. The ship will have wards of succor, but given such repeated exposure...”

“Yes, your Holiness. It is likely the Hope's Refuge itself has been tainted, stem to stern. The post-incident encounters with the ship have all been the same. An Imperial ship, off course and lost in the warp, takes damage and casualties, encounters the Refuge, who reports to be lost in the same Warp storm. All appears normal; though scan reports from that time offer evidence of danger. The crew must be beguiled by some unknown force to ignore them. The Officers and medical crew are drawn off, to who knows what fate, and then the Refuge attacks the leaderless and medically depleted ship. Boarding parties consist of Class 1, 3 and 5 Abominations who seem to seek more raw genetic material to infect. Named and known Abominations are known to frequent these attacks.”

“Spread word throughout the Sector. Reclassify the ship as the Hope's Demise, and alert the Commissariat that officers that do not take hostile action against the vessel are to terminated at will. Let them blow through a few clips until they find someone willing to draw up a firing solution. Order them to double the amount of purifying incense in the bridge of any vessel that finds itself operating alone...”

“So shall it be done, Lord Kranz. Now, I must anoint the hololith's memory buffers, lest any taint remain...”