Tales from Titan: Downsizing

 Welcome back to the Vault! I played a 1500 point game of 40K with my Grey Knights on Friday against the new Eldar. And got utterly battered. It was an enjoyable game but I made a lot of mistakes, starting before the game with poor secondary choices, continuing in deployment and then right through the game.

There were some poor dice rolls (at one point we worked out I'd done more wounds to myself via Perils than I'd caused to my opponent's forces), but ultimately I played like a muppet. Back to Initiate training for me!

I'll be concentrating on 1500 points for a while as this is the level for the Mayhem tournament, and I'm intending to take the Grey Knights as I haven't used them at a Club event before.

The majority of my recent Grey Knight games have been at 2000 points; I'm having to downsize for Mayhem (hence the title of the post).

Friday's list was heavily focused around providing Objective Secured (Sword Bearers Brotherhood):

• Grand Master Dread Knight *Unyielding Anvil* First to the Fray 
• Librarian (Mortal Wound variant) *Noble Death* WT Psychic Epitome 
• 2x Strike Squads
• 6 Termies
• 2x Interceptor Squads
• 2x Dread Knights

(The * abilities provide extra ObSec.)

The Mortal Wound Libby is a staple in a lot of Grey Knight lists but I found loading him with damaging spells left me bereft of key utility powers.

This force has dropped 3 units compared to my 2000 point list, and I took two action based secondaries (Purifying Ritual and Deploy Teleport Homers). I think this was another mistake; you have to sacrifice a lot of casts for Ritual (which is fine is the bigger games) but one of the other psychic secondaries may be more sensible in future games.

So I've written a bunch more 1500 point lists to play around with. The first is focused on trying to get Charges (Blades of Victory Brotherhood) off!

• Grand Master Dread Knight *Vanguard Aggression* First to the Fray
• Librarian (Support variant) Gem of Inoktu, Fury of Deimos 
• 2x Strike Squads
• 6 Termies
• 2x Interceptor Squads
• 2x Dread Knights

This variant gives a pre-game move to a couple of units, and provides charge re-rolls via the Brotherhood power. The Librarian provides a lot more utility with a support spell selection and the Relic Storm Bolter (6 shots at AP -2 Damage 2). The Gem gives +2 to casts for clutch powers.

The next variant sacrifices the 6th Termie and some upgrades to add an extra Character; the Brotherhood Champion (Blades of Victory Brotherhood):

• Grand Master Dread Knight *Vanguard Aggression* First to the Fray
• Librarian (Support variant) 
• Brotherhood Champion: Hammer of Righteousness, Blade of the Foresworn 
• 2x Strike Squads
• 5 Termies
• 2x Interceptor Squads
• 2x Dread Knights

I quite like this variant; for 70 points the Champion is a bargain. He grants the list an extra cast, ability to do actions, etc. and is pretty pokey in combat. In this combination I've invested 2CP in a relic and warlord trait; the sword is +1 Str, -3 AP Damage 3, whilst the trait grants +1 to wound rolls. So he's wounding T4 on 2s, and T5 on 3s. Oh and fights first against characters.

On a more whimsical note I've got the Grey Knight equivalent of a Tank Company (Preservers Brotherhood):

• Grand Master Dread Knight *Vanguard Aggression* First to the Fray
• Librarian (Mortal Wound variant) 

• 3 Dreadnoughts (including  1 Charge of the Ancients upgrade)

• 2 Venerable Dreadnoughts
• 2x Dread Knights

9 models, and a bunch of fun tricks; everything is Core apart from the 2 characters, so we can exploit the Stratagem to give re-roll hits or wounds aura on a Dreadnought each turn. The Dreads have -1 Damage built in, and the Brotherhood power gives them a 6+ Feel No Pain, 

Finally I find the idea of Gating a multi-melta wielding Dreddy into a backline before charging in with a Damage 4 close combat weapon quite amusing. However this list gives up a metric ton of points in secondaries!

There's plenty to play test; time to get some more games in!