Metagame shift?

So I've noticed a pretty big shift in the metagame of 40K recently; namely, the switch to fully mechanized armies with lots and lots of melta weapons. This definitely means that the Imperial Guard have skyrocketed to the top tier, but it also means that the humble Tau are now back in the ring.

With S10 Railguns everywhere and S8 Fusion Blasters that are also melta lying around everywhere, the Tau suddenly find themselves close to something of a competitive army once again due to the prevalence of armor. Don't get me wrong, they still have their problems, but in the hands of a skilled player, Tau can win. They could before, but even more so now.

I've been building up both my Guard and Tau force ever so slowly; I've decided to go ahead and "finish" my Tau; but I've also discovered that you'll never truly finish any of your armies, so let's just say my income that is dedicated to the hobby is currently dedicated to expanding the Tau :-p

I'm sure I'll get back to Guard eventually, and especially if I ever do a tournament. I like Tau, and I do think they're close to competitive again, but a good mechvet IG list will always bring the pain, and in more ways than the Tau can cope with effectively.

As for my specific plans for expansion; another XV8 and XV88 are called for, certainly, and perhaps another Piranha or two.

The Guard list is significantly larger; Leman Russes, lots more Guardsmen, Valkyries, Devil Dogs/Hellhounds...

When will the madness end?

What's on the table and first impressions of the IG

Well, after a lengthy hiatus, I return to writing in this blog. Woo.


I have assembled, and partially painted, two Imperial Guard Valkyries, one being a Vendetta. They are awesome models, and are fearsome on the tabletop. In my last game, the Valkyrie decided it didn't want to live anymore and suicided itself on a Leman Russ's battle cannon shot. The Vendetta, however, lived to discharge its Grey Knights and unleash a withering fusillade against a Rhino and a Razorback, neither of which survived (Sorry, S). The models are a real pain to put together, but I feel they make up a big part of the new metagame for Imperial Guard and give your opponent something else to look at other than the big shiny Leman Russes at your table edge.

I've also discovered that in 40K, Melta is the new hotness. Lascannons, yeah, take em, but if you don't have at least two things running around with melta weapons, you're not going to be able to effectively kill any heavy armor. I ran a melta veteran squad mounted in a Chimera, and they made short work of an enemy Land Raider Crusader, which disgorged its contents to be shot at by my Grey Knights and Plasma wielding Veterans.

Now, I'd like to add a Psyker Battle Squad for fun times with Nob Bikerz and Boyz under 11 models, and to mess with a SPESS MAHREEN every now and again. I'd also like to add a Devil Dog to the repertoire, just to continue to with my whole strategem of target saturation. It also allows me to deal with any enemy METAL BOXES (Read: Rhinos) that may charge at me filled with Bezerkers, since I often play with a friend that loves the God-forsaken things.

However, the thing I'm most excited about is the Vanquisher turret that just arrived in the mail from Forge World. This little tank, when outfitted with Knight Commander Pask, will do a number on most any armor he can get his hands on at BS4. Even considering throwing plasma sponsons on him so he can do something else if all the armor's dead :-p

I'll post pictures of the interior of the Valkyrie soon, and maybe some background on the 501st Inquisitorial Drop Troopers. One of these days. Thanks for reading!

First Post

Hello all.

I'm beginning to this blog to detail the adventures of my Warhammer 40K armies, the Aloh'Por sept of the Tau Empire and the 501st Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Division of the Imperial Guard.

I'm working on the fluff for these armies as I speak (further along on the Tau than the Guard) and getting them all assembled and painted. The Tau are mostly done, for now. I'm sure I'll keep collecting bits and pieces hither and yon along the way, but I have about 2500 pts. of fury for the Tau'Va.

The Guard are an army I'm in the process of starting. I look forward to the different aspect they will bring to the table for me.

I'd write more, but it's 2 AM! Pictures and more details, including battle reports from my local gaming group, will be up soon!