Horror, Harlequins, and a Vivandière - a Painting Update

  I have been painting... a little bit... 

The first two items are things I actually painted a couple months ago, but just didn't get around to posting. I was waiting for... something else...? to get finished to post along with them, but that just insn't happeneing and i want them off the workbench. 

Now that I look at them, they probably need some grass tufts to truly be finished... But that isn't done at the painting table, and I just want to get these OFF the painting table... 

Vivandière from Matchlock Miniatures

Horror from Reaper Miniatures. 

All the Harlequins and other Eldar on the workbench. I've got most of the first new troupe of Harlequins done and the other two that I have are well on the way (and the final troupe should be arriving soon!)

These three are pretty much done. 

These three... just about there... just needing a detail or highlight or two...

Ugh... Why did I think harlequins would be a good idea!? 

I Did a Thing

 In a moment of flagging impulse control...

So I guess I WILL have that 50 Power - Incursion Level Battalion Detachment of Harlequins after all... Y'know... If I EVER get them all painted!? How hard could it be!? It's 24 miniatures... 24 highly-detailed, wildly patterned miniatures... 

Bonus - there are two more than I need for a troupe of six - which means I can swap out a couple of the others I have that are bearing more esoteric weapons that the Harlequins are no longer allowed to use (like the one with a laspistol and weber...!") 

I guess I better get to work on the Harlequins (and other Eldar) that I already HAVE then! 

Game Plan 2022 - Q2

I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I came up with the Q1 Plan for this year back in... like... mid-December of last year!? Feeling absurdly optimistic about the end of the pandemic, perhaps..? 

Some of it worked out... 

Most of it...? 

Not-so-much... 

A lot of that had to do with a whole new wave of Covid and the provincial government just deciding it was "over" and dropping all public health requirements and "moving on". They won't even publish information about the state of things (mostly because they don't know - because most testing has stopped). Through most of February and March the death rate in Saskatchewan has been as high or higher than any point in the pandemic in so far. Through much of it the death rate was the HIGHEST IN CANADA - and for a week or two higher than the next two highest, COMBINED - and that included Alberta and Manitoba!? 

So we didn't do a LOT of gaming with people outside of the family - only had the occasional friend over - mostly others who have relatively small "bubbles"... 

50 Miniature Games

This has not happened... Instead of a miniature game (and GAME REPORT) every week, I played ONE miniature game...

5x5 (Quarterly) Challenge

I did play some other games, though, and did try to do the challenge - play five different games five times each. 

I had guessed I might play:

1. Silver Bayonet
2. Frostgrave or Stargrave or Rangers of Shadowdeep
3. Wingspan 
4. Other Board Game
5. Other Board Game

I DID manage to play five different game at least five times... but it ended up being... 

1. Five Tribes x7
2. Wingspan x7
3. Azul x6
4. Terraforming Mars x6
5. Carcassonne x5

Other games I played included:

• Splendor x2
• Wrath & Glory x2
• Bananagrams x1
• For Sale x1
• Marrying Mr. Darcy x1
• The Silver Bayonet x1

Wargaming Birthday Bash/February Game Weekend

I'd had some wild plans for a Great Big Birthday Bash for the big FIVE-OH.... But, for a number of reasons, that just didn't happen. (Covid... General Malaise... Despondency... ) 

TOONCON

There IS a ToonCon going on this year. It's actually NEXT weekend. 

I'm totally not going. 

OTHER EVENTS

Nothing much else has happened thus far... I did sign up for the Hunters of the Warp 40K Spring League... but I have my doubts that I'll actually get any games in.

PAINTING

I DID paint a few things... I did spend a LOT of time and energy re-basing a lot of miniatures - mostly 40K, and mostly Eldar. But some other stuff as well. 

What did I get painted?

• 1x Gug
• 7x Napoleonic French Naval Officers and Crew
• 13x Regency Monster Hunter
• 1x Lifeguard Cavalryman
• 3x Treasure/Clue Tokens

Not a lot... 

On the plus side... I didn't really BUY much either... and don't really have any plans to!? 

One Regency Monster Hunter arrived that I'd ordered in 2021 and wasn't shipped with the rest of the order (that showed up in December!?) 

I bought Warhammer Underworlds: Harrowdeep – Blackpowder's Buccaneers (5 miniatures) and teh Warhammer 40000 Kill Team : Nachmund box which included ten Corsair Voidscarred and ten Chaos Space Marine and some terrain... and that's it!? 

Q2 GAME PLAN 2022

So... the next three months... 

5x5 (Quarterly) Challenge

I will attempt to play five different games, at least five times each... Do I have ANY idea what those might be? Nope. 

One might be Five Tribes. There seems to be a resurgence in interest in that. 

Terraforming Mars and Wingspan seem to not be slowing down. Not sure if both will end up part of the Q2 5x5 Challenge, but I'm sure they will be played at some point this Quarter and they'll definitely end up as part of the 2022 10x10 Challenge... 

I REALLY WOULD like to get some miniature games going on... Could I get Kill Team back on the proverbial challenge map!? Or some 40K Combat Patrols? I don't know... we'll see... In two weeks one of Finnegan's classes wraps up and then he'll only be doing two, so hopefully we'll find some time to play then! 

OTHER GAMES 

MINIATURE GAMES

As I said, I REALLY WOULD like to get some miniature games going on... REALLY!!! Kill Team and 40K are of most interest at the moment. Warhammer Underworlds too. And Warhammer Quest - both Blackstone Fortress and Cursed City (though the latter would still require a lot of painting!). Necromunda...

I feel like it's been a little too long since I've played ANY and will likely have to do a lot of re-reading of rules... So I MIGHT just stick to ONE - or maybe TWO - Kill Team and 40K.. 

BOARD GAMES

There are a handful of boardgames that I wouldn't mind playing as well - but probably NOT five times... Some just because I haven't played them in a while... Others... well, also because I haven't played them in a while, but also one or two more plays would move them to the Five List (5+ Plays) to the Dime List (10+ Plays) on Board Game Geek. 

Century Golem: Eastern Mountains, Robo Rally, Marrying Mr. Darcy, and Hive - Pocket edtion - all just need one play to move to the Dime List (I'm SURE I've played Robo Rally WAY MORE than that... but that was all LONG BEFORE Board Game Geek was a thing...). Pax Renaissance also only needs one play, and I LOVED playing that, but I'm pretty sure it would require a lot of re-reading rules (and not exactly light and easy-to-read rules) to play that again... so... it's on the list, but I'm not holding my breath

Agricola, Castles of Mad King Ludwing, Hellboy: The Board Game, Monty Python Fluxx, and Samarkand all have 8 plays recorded (so, needing two to make it onto the Dime List...).

Maybe, like what happened with Five Tribes, one or two of these games might be hit and actually get played a few more times and make it onto the 5x5 Challenge list...? 

PAINTING (and purchasing?) 

Eldar and Chaos seem to be the priority, at the moment. Both for 40K and Kill Team. 

There's other stuff waiting in the wings... (SO MUCH stuff)... but I haven't really been spending a LOT of time painting this last bit and that doesn't seem likely to change, so I think it would be best if I rode the mild wave of enthusiasm for Eldar and Chaos stuff and FOCUS on getting stuff DONE for that. Maybe some of the 40K Terrain, too!

(Well... I haven't been painting a lot of MINIATURES... I have been doing a lot of PAINTING and drawing PICTURES!)

The first things I'd like to do is finish up the three troupes of Harlequin Players I have - because that's ALL the Harlequins I have and then they'd be DONE!

Then there are two guardians and three Howling Banshees I need to finish off complete units of those and would give me a lot more options for Patrol Detachments. 

After that...? maybe some MORE Assuryani (Craftworld Aeldari) - Ideally 15 Rangers, 3 Warlocks, 5 Swooping Hawks - as those would finish up what I'd need for an Incursion level Battalion Detachment. 

Or maybe focus on finishing up some more Kill Teams (or options for Kill Teams): assorted Veteran Guard, Orks Kommandos, T'au Pathfinders (TWO teams - one mine, one Finnegans), Eldar Corsairs and Chaos Space Marines. 

Then maybe painting up enough of the Chaos Space Marines I have to have an Incursion Level Force (Battalion Detachment) and extra options...? 

Purchasing...? 

I'll be lucky if I get half of this stuff above painted, I REALLY don't need any more... 

The new Necromunda Ash Wastes box looks SUPER COOL! Not buying it. I have SO MUCH Necromunda stuff yet to paint... and loads of post apocalyptic minis I could use for denizens of the Ash Wastes - if I felt the need to play out there (I MIGHT buy the book separately... MIGHT...)

The ONE THING I can think of that I'd like is six more old metal Harlequins - to make ONE MORE Troupe - which would bring me to a full 50 Power Rating - Incursion Level - Force of JUST HARLEQUINS! 

In the same vein, I wouldn't mind tracking down one more old metal Dark Reaper - to complete a unit of five. 

There will be another Warhammer Underworlds Warband... I MIGHT buy it... and there's to be a two team box at some point this year. Just because there is so little being produced for this "season" it wouldn't be hard to get it all,  so I might just do that in hopes that AT SOME POINT this year I get painting and playing again. There is NO CHANCE I'm going to be buying into any of NEXT Seasons stuff if I don't get painting and playing Harrowdeep, tho!? 

At some point during Q2 there will e another Kill Team box... I can't even imagine a pairing that would motivate me to buy that... Maybe if it was and Inquisitorial Kill Team fighting against all new NOISE MARINES... I'd totally buy that... Otherwise...? meh.

And that is it for my "plan". More like some very flexible "guidelines".

March Games

 

We played games this month. Here's what we got up to...  

Saturday, 5 March 2022

Saturday I picked up Five Tribes: Whims of the Sultan - so we can play Five Tribes with... well... FIVE. I guess I picked it up FOR Finnnegan, as Five Tribes is HIS game. 

I also picked up the new Aeldari Codex. 

In the late afternoon Amanda and I PLAYED Five Tribes... but it was just the two of us (as Finnegan was still running his D&D game), so we just played with the base game 

We played one game and I eked out a narrow victory, despite Amanda's protestations that I was abosloutely "destroying her" (219-209)

She had some time before she was going out to hang out with some friends, so we played again. 

Again, she was quite certain that I had won by "a lot", but it turned out that she had won - and by a much wider margin than I had in the previous game! (215-186)!!

Saturday, 12 March 2022

The following Saturday we played... 

you guessed it MORE Five Tribes! 

Once again, we played TWO games... 

Math is hard. I did each of these a few times because I kept not getting the same totals!? (I was pretty tired). eventually I busted out the calculator on the phone and added them up - and even THEN I was getting different answers!? so I kept doing them until I got the same answer three times in a row... then I figured it was safe enough to post withont someone with too much time on their hands adding it up and realizing I'd made a mistake and pointing it out in the comments... (please don't. I'll probably cry...) 

STILL hadn't tried out Whims of the Sultan, at this point, though... And, now that we'd played it five times, I kind of wanted to focus on playing a few other games to get THOSE to five plays for the 5x5 Challenge (Azul, Wingspan, and Carcassonne seemed most likely, at this point..). 

Friday, 18 March 2022

Friday evening Finnegan agreed to play Five Tribes with me and Amanda. 

It was a long, tiring week for Amanda. 

Once we got going, she livened up a bit. 

We were trying out the Whims of the Sultan expansion with it. I picked it up because Finnegan had said he was interested in playing this a lot more... and Amanda suggested this would be fun to play with Kurtis and Tanya... but that would be five if we ALL played together, and the base game only plays four. Whims of the Sultan, in addition to new, different tiles and the Whims of the Sultan cards (yet ANOTHER way to gain points!?), it adds components for a fifth player.

I thought we'd try it out with just us before trying to play with FIVE!? 

These goofballs... 

 

This ONE TILE netted me fifty points. With this one Djinn, I was able to add palm trees to the oasis, pretty much every turn... and the Oasis was adjacent to The Great Lake - a new tile, which is impassable (no meeples start on it or can be placed on it during the game) that DOUBLES the value of trees and palaces in adjacent tiles... so EACH of those palm trees were worth SIX points?! 

Yeah, I totally won that one... but not by much. We had a lot of laughs along the way... 

Saturday, 19 March 2022

The next evening Kurtis and Tanya came over to play... but then Finnegan decided NOT to play!? We played with Whims of the Sultan, anyway. 

Four player games (and, presumably five) are a whole different kettle of fish!? Because there are more players snapping up tiles and making use of meeples, you get a LOT FEWER turns at doing things before it's all over! So you really need to focus on... something.. in two player - and even three player games, I usually end up with a bit of everything. This game I ended without a single Djinn or ANY market goods card - which usually accounts for a large part of my total points... I still won the game. Amanda only controlled three tiles (out of potentially eight one can control!?) and had a single Djinn and not market goods... but she DID have the most Viziers, and in a four player game, that's a LOT or points (points + number of viziers you have + 10x the number of players you have MORE viziers than! so 30+ if you have the most in a four-player game! 

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

Amanda took a few days off this week and we actually played a game on Wednesday evening. 

Hadn't played Wingspan in a while so we busted that out. 

Amanda rocked the round end goals... In most cases she beat me out by ONE!? 

Mostly because I was too busy trying to fill my Forests and Grasslands with birds of ascending wingspans... The two bonus goal cards I had. That and the eggs and the Nectar just edged me ahead in the final tally! 

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Thursday, I somehow convinced Amanda to not only play ONE game of Carcassonne... 

but TWO games of Carcassonne!? 

She has admitted it's "not [her]favourite game"... But was "willing" to play... 

Friday, 25 March 2022

One more game of Carcassonne...

Saturday, 26 March 2022

Saturday Amanda suggested we play Wingspan in the afternoon... and then the games went SO FAST, we ended up playing THREE games!? 

Game One. At this point we were planning to just play ONE game - just to kill some time in the afternoon... 

pretty even spread on teh round end goals 

I got a BUNCH of points from bonus point cards... but Amanda eked out a win (I think from having a few more higher point birds) 

The first game went so fast, Amanda suggested we play again! 

This time I dominated the round end goads... and, well I DID win... by two points... but initially Amanda was suggesting that I was going to win by a LOT and when we initially tallied the points, SHE'D actually won - but then I remembered Id had a bit with a END GAME ability that would have put out more eggs on a all the birds in the wetlands, which pushed me past her. 

By the end of game two it was clear we were NOT going to get out and do any errands or projects about the house (it was really cold out. We were tired) and decided to play a THIRD

Again, I rocked the turn end goals, somehow!? 

But Amanda won this one, in the end, as well... 

It was a fun way to spend a cold lazy Saturday afternoon. 

I have a feeling Wingspan is going to be our most-played game again this year. We'll probably hit 50 plays by the end of the year (we are at 38 now!?) 

Monday, 28 March 2022

Keiran joined Amanda and myself for a quick game of Azul. 

Amanda just ROCKED the game - Yeah, that's her fillingalmost the ENTIRE BOARD with tiles - there is ONE SPACE left... she scored almost as much as me and Keiran together.. !? 

I didn't do TOO badly... probably one of my best games ever - I scored 118 points! Keiran did really good too, scoring 90-something... Amanda has 190-something, though!? it was CrAzY!? 

Thursday, 31 March 2022

On Thursday, Tanya, stopped by to exchange some stuff with Amanda and stuck around to play Azul... 

As with the last game (or so..?), Amanda and I were trying out the unprinted side - where you get to make up your own pattern. I tried to get fancy and not just do them on a diagonal (just like on the printed side, but in a different order) because my brain finds patterns amusing... 

This did not help me win. 

First game went so quick, Tanya stuck around for a second game! 

Still trying "funny" patterns. I did much better in the second game. But then so did everyone else... 

And that's IT for March!? AND the first quarter of 2022!? WTF!? 

Stay tuned, I should soon be posting my Q2 Game Plan... if it can even be called a "plan". 

40K - Harlequins - Troupe of the Eternal Lament

I decided, with the new Aeldari Codex including the rules for Harlequins, it might be time to expand the Dance of the Midnight Effusion Kill Team into a full 40K Patrol Detachment - or even a Battalion!? Also, the new White Dwarf (#474) includes revised rules for Harlequin Kill Teams, so that required some reorganization. 

40K

The Current Troupe - Troupe of the Eternal Lament

(The Dance of the Midnight Effusion was the name of the Kill Team - which amounts to a single Troupe of Players. So I thought I'd keep that name for the Troupe of Players and say they are part of the larger Troupe of the Eternal Lament). 

So far, all I've done is re-base miniatures I already had. These are harlequins from the original box set that I bought back in the late 80s. I rebased all of the Character models onto 32mm bases - to differentiate them from the Harlequins of the Troupe dancers. 

Troupe Leader - Dwol'yyk'faldyl'ven'yaksak'de - the Master of Ceremonies - armed with .Shuriken Pistol and Aeldari Power Sword. AS with most of the Character Models in the force, The MAster of Ceremonies will likely be given a Pivotal Role, but I haven't selected one yet. 

Shadowseer - Vylindal'min'zyl'fadyll'wenyl - Vision of the Dark - Shuriken Pistol, Mistave, Hallucinogen Grenader Launcher (This is the biggest "counts as" - as none of the weapons this model is carrying really matches what the current Shadowseer is supposed to be carrying... Ah, well, I probably won't EVER be playing competatively with these, so hopefully no one will care!) 

(Actually, I think this is currently the ONLY "Counts As" - I do have a lot of unpainted harlequins carrying odd weapons - laspistols, WEBBERS, etc!? - Any of those with weird things, I'll just call Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade - the Standard Gear) 

Solitaire - Klin'fylindil'myrsutyl'zenob - The Lonely Loner - Solitaire's Weapons

Fun thing about the 9E Codex - Solitaires in the previous edition were armed entirely differently than this original Solitaire and so it would have been odd fielding this one, clearly armed with Harlequin’s Kiss and  a Neuro Disruptor when the standard-no-options-loadout was Harlequin’s Kiss and Harlequin’s Caress. But in THIS edition, the standard loadout with no options is "Solitaire's Weapons". I wish MORE troops has more generic sounding weapons listed.... 

Death Jesters - these are all independent Character models (i.e. each is a separate Unit), from left to right: 

• Mal'wynairfel'Zenvodnyl -- Harvester of Sorrow - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade
• Reafryln'adyl'prybt - Fearless Reaper - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade
• Brakyl'dylil'narfatess - Remorseless Scythe - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade

Troupe - Dance of the Midnight Effusion  

• Wilk'nes'fyl'ori'nos'del'ven - The Bard - Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Me'del'wik'felyk'pard'trum - The Merchant -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Embrace
• Wilk'nes'fyl'ori'nos'del'ven - The Bard  - Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• El'wisq'vi'gwith'nel'nor - The Queen - Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Dar'lyk'vel'fro'dow'nyel'zen - The Witch -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Vok'no'fel'pred'zyl'wen - The Prince -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Mya'den'freg'lad'zyp - The Maid -  Fusion Pistol and Harlequin's Kiss 

For now, I can currently field them as a Patrol Detachment:

HQ (1-2)

• Troupe Master (1) - Shuriken Pistol, Aeldari Power Sword, Plasma Grenades - 4 Power
• Shadowseer (1) - Shuriken Pistol, Mistave, Hallucinogen Grenader Launcher - 5 Power

Troops (1-2) 

• Troupe (6) - Assorted Weapons - 4 Power

Elites (0-2) 

• Death Jester (1) - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade - 3 Power
• Solitaire (1) - Solitaire's Weapons - 6 Power

This is only 22 Power, but any of the character models can be given a Pivotal Role - which gives them an additional special rule (that only ONE can take in an entire force) for one extra Power Rating. So I can make it a 25PL Detachment by making three of them Pivotal Role characters. 

I do have enough minis to make three more Troupes, which would mean I could field them as a battalion detachment, if ever I got around to PAINTING them!? 

If I had the additional 18 minis painted to make 2-4 more Troupes, they could be fielded as a 40 Power Battalion Detachment:

HQ (2-3)

• Troupe Master (1) - Shuriken Pistol, Aeldari Power Sword, Plasma Grenades - 4 Power
• Shadowseer (1) - Shuriken Pistol, Mistave, Hallucinogen Grenader Launcher - 5 Power

Troops (3-6) 

• Troupe (6) - Assorted Weapons - 4 Power
• Troupe (6) - Assorted Weapons - 4 Power
• Troupe (6) - Assorted Weapons - 4 Power
• Troupe (6) - Assorted Weapons - 4 Power

Elites (0-6) 

• Death Jester (1) - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade - 3 Power
• Death Jester (1) - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade - 3 Power
• Death Jester (1) - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade - 3 Power
• Solitaire (1) - Solitaire's Weapons - 6 Power

Again, Pivotal Roles could be given to six of them for a total of 46 Power... I guess I need ONE more group of 6 Troupe Players to make 50 Power... (I should probably worry about painting THE ONES I HAVE before seeking out any new ones, though...) 

KILL TEAM

The most recent White Dwarf included new Kill Team rules for Harlequins! So far I have only glanced at the Kill Team organization rules. So, the Dance of the Midnight Effusion Kill Team has been reorganized as follows

• Wilk'nes'fyl'ori'nos'del'ven - The Bard - Lead Player -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Me'del'wik'felyk'pard'trum - The Merchant - Player -   Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Embrace
• Wilk'nes'fyl'ori'nos'del'ven - The Bard  - Player -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• El'wisq'vi'gwith'nel'nor - The Queen - Player -  Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Dar'lyk'vel'fro'dow'nyel'zen - The Witch - Player -   Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Vok'no'fel'pred'zyl'wen - The Prince - Player -   Shuriken Pistol and Harlequin's Blade 
• Mya'den'freg'lad'zyp - The Maid -  Player - Fusion Pistol and Harlequin's Kiss 
• Vylindal'min'zyl'fadyll'wenyl - Vision of the Dark - Shadowseer - Shuriken Pistol, Mistave, Hallucinogen Grenader Launcher
• Mal'wynairfel'Zenvodnyl - Harveter of Sorrow - Death Jester - Shrieker Cannon, Jesters Blade

Next Up? I have units of Howling Banshees and Guardian Defenders on the workbench (along with a hundred other things - but the Howling Banshees and Guardian Defenders are closest to the front and most likely to be worked on...) that I only need to finish 2-3 minitures for to complete units - and then have a complete Aeldari Force that's useable with the new Aeldari Codex. 

Kill Team: Nachmund

 I did a thing... 

I had kind of sworn I wouldn't get another one of these until I painted a few of the Kill Teams that came in the LAST TWO boxes I bought... but FOMO got the best of me.

I think I really am done buying these... I can't think of a combo that could possibly get me THAT interested again... 

Well... maybe if there was an INQUISITION Kill Team... An inquisitor with a rag-tag group of acolytes... and their opponent in the box were NOISE MARINES!? If they did THAT match up in a box, I would totally break down and buy that. But what are the odds of that...? 

So far they've done Imperial Guard and Ork Kommandos in Octarius, Sister Novitiates and Tau Pathfinders in Chalnath, and now Aeldari Corsairs and Chaos Space Marines in Nachmund. 

In the White Dwarfs they've included advanced rules for Mechanicus, Thousand Sons, Harlequin and Genestealer Cult. 

What will be next? What haven't they done...? Drukhari (though the Corsairs are kind of related and include Drukhari...), Necrons, Space Marines, Death Guard, Daemons, Talons (Sisters of Silence and Custodes)...? 

Something completely different?! Like the Rogue Trader box they did for the previous edition of Kill Team!? 

I'm a little surprised there hasn't been ANYTHING for Space Marines - especially considering how people crowed on about how their old Space Marine Kill Teams weren't playable... 

I've had Harlequins on the workbench all week - just re-basing the last of the older , previously painted ones - so I could use them with the new Kill Team Rules in the latest White Dwarf - or as a Patrol Detachment in an Aeldari army - with the new Codex. 

40K - New Aeldari Codex

 Well I did pick up the new Aeldari Codex Saturday... I've really only had the briefest of looks through it. 

(TL/DR: Eldar being reorganized, stay tuned for pictures later this week, maybe) 

There are things I like about it, so far.  

Others... well... 

I DO like that the Assuryani and Harlequins and Ynarri and Corsairs are all included in this book. And it looks like there is lots of cool new stuff for narrative Cursade Campaigns. 

There have been some changes to the troop types, however, that are going to throw a BIG OL' SPACE WRENCH into my traditional force composition!? 

A LOT of my troops have suddenly become "Elites" in the new codex. I now have a FEW TOO MANY Elites and not enough Headquarters... or... other stuff... Are least not to field proper core detachments (the ones that refund you the Command Cost of the detachment if your warlord is included in it)... 

Warlocks went from being Headquarters to Elites...

Dire Avengers went from being TROOPS to being Elites...? 

Wraithlords went from being HEAVY SUPPORT to being Elites!? 

Ugh... it's the 8th Edition Astra Militarum Codex all over again. (or was it 7th when the basic Troop element went from being an entire PLATOON to a single infantry squad and EVERYTHING ELSE in the platoon became separate Elite elements!?)  

So... for headquarters... you can now have Farseers.. Autarchs... the GIANT FREAKING AVATAR OF KHAINE... and Phoenix Lords.... In the fluff, these are all commanders of entire ARMIES!? 

If you want a small, up-to-platoon-sized Patrol Detachment, it's going to be a Farseer, Autarch or PHOENIX LORD leading it!?  

If you're wanting to field something between a platoon and company sized force (a "Battalion" detachment), you're going to need at least TWO of them.  

If you want a full-sized/reinforced Company sized force ("BRIGADE" Detachment) you will need at least three!? 

They really seem to want to turn the game into HIGH POWERED HEROES leading around a small host of... other things... and it'll probably come down to a throw-down between those heroes...? 

All we need is CHALLENGES to return. Remember those? Maybe it wasn't a thing in 40K, but I'm pretty sure it was a thing in Warhammer Fantasy where your general could issue a challenge to the opposing general, if they were within a certain distance and the whole battle would stop and the two would fight their own little duel and the winners army would gain a huge morale boost and the losers army would melt away... and if you didn't accept the challenge, pretty much the same thing happened anyway...? Was that Warhammer Fantasy? Am I thinking of something else...? 

I digress... 

Then there are the Dire Avengers. Aspect Warriors are the Professional Warriors of the Craftworlds, and Dire Avengers are the bog-standard, Shurican-Catapult-armed-shooty-bang-bang, foot soldier of the Aspect Warriors. These used to be TROOPS. They made up the core of the warfighting professionals. Well now they are ALSO ELITES...

Troops now have to be made up of Guardians (either Guardian Defenders or Storm Guardians), Rangers or Corsairs. Guardians have been, for the last few editions, just citizens of the craftworlds, that have taken up arms in dire times - usually to defend the craftworld itself!? Rangers are outcasts that technically don't even belong to a Craftworld anymore, wanderers, doing their own thing, but are sometimes called upon to show up on a battlefield if they happen to be in the area or have some specific knowledge and are leading the rest of the army to an objective... 

And then there are the Corsairs - Pirates, that are DEFINITELY NOT part of a craftworld (can can't even be used to fulfill the basic troops requirement, so it's really just Defenders and Rangers...) 

Finally Wraithlords... These three hard-hitting, muthafukkin' wriathbone constructs powered by souls of dead Eldar, pretty much WERE my Heavy Support (along with a single unit of three Dark Reapers) now they are Elites... and each has to be fielded as a separate until 

So... 

I went from having 4-6 units of elites (once all the minis I have are painted), depending on whether two options are fielded as two units of five or a single ten  (all being easily fit into a Battalion or Brigade Detachment). Now I will have 10-18 units when everything is painted (again, depending on whether units are fielded as multiple units of less than maximum size or a smaller number of units at their maximum size. EVEN IF they were fielded at MAXIMUM SIZE, I have TOO MANY for even a BRIGADE Detachement (the largest Core Detachment) and no longer have enough Heavy Support options to field a Brigade... 

I know... I know... WHO CARES!? I could just play Open War games with forces designed around scenarios and completely ignoring "battle-forged" force compositions... 

I do like the idea of being able to field a force that actually conforms to the current rules (but that also fits a narrative and "makes sense" fluff-wise) - just in case I actually played against... someone else outside of my home... or in a league... or if I went to a tournament again someday... 

I'm not crying or making any sort of claim that GW is just doing it to fuck over the older players and making us buy more toys... I can even kind of understand why they made some of those changes. Some having to do with changing fluff as the narrative of the 41st millenium continues to develop... Some having to do with aesthetics and style of play... Its just annoying to have to try and make the shift... I'm NOT going to have to run out any buy ANYTHING new... I just won't be using some units as much as I might have... and other units I thought would only be used in scenarios, if it fit the narrative, are now going to be staples in the army (Guardians).

So given the current situation, what CAN I do... 

Here's what I have painted (or... very nearly painted!): 

• Farseer x1 - Headquarters
• Guardian Defenders x10 (one unit of 10 with weapons platform) - Troops
• Rangers x15 (2-3 units of 5-10) - Troops
• Warlock Conclave x2 (one conclave of two) - Elites
• Dire Avengers x20 (2-4 units of 5-10) - Elites
• Howling Banshees x10 (1-2 units of 5 or 10) - Elites
• Wraithguard x5 (one unit) - Elites
• Wraithlords x 3 (3 individual units) - Elites
• Warp Spiders x10 (1-2 units of 5-10) 
• Dark Reapers x4 (one unit - need one more to make COMPLETE unit of 5) - Heavy Support

This totals about 96 Power Level. With this what can I field...? A Patrol Detachment! (like the 25-Power Level Biel-Tymm Patrol Detachment I put together last September to potentially start a .. but with a bit of a different make up) 

A Patrol Detachment includes 

• 1-2 Headquarters
• 1-3 Troops
• 0-2 Elites
• 0-2 Fast Attack
• 0-2 Heavy Support
• 0-2 Flyers
• (up to one dedicated Transport for each Infantry unit taken) 

So, I can't even put together the same Patrol, as THREE of the units in that detachment are now Elites (Warlocks, Dire Avengers, Wraithlord) and a Patrol Detachment limits Elites to two... In addition to that, the Power Ratings of a few of the units have increased and it would now be a 27 Power Level force... 

The Farseer will now be my only Headquarters. 

Currently, Rangers will fill the Troops requirement - 1-3 units of 5 or 10 - They've increased from a Power Rating of 3 per five rangers to 4. I COULD include the Guardians... but I feel like a Combat Patrol, lead by a Farseer, should be made up of professional warriors, not cooks and poets and janitors pressed into service as "Guardians" 

A maximum of two Elites could be chosen from Dire Avengers or Howling Banshees or Wraith Guard or Wraithlords (though the Wraithlord has also increased in Power Rating)... 

Warp Spiders could be taken as a Fast Attack Option

Dark Reapers could be taken as Heavy Support... but the unit is now understrength so I probably won't be taking them at all for a while until I can source one more... 

A few options for 25 Power Level Combat Patrols:

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Warlocks (2) - Elites - PR 3
• Warp Spiders (5) - PR5

or

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Dire Avengers (10) - Elites - PR6
• Wraithguard (5) - Elites - PR10

or

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Warlocks (2) - Elites - PR 3
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8
• Warp Spiders (5) - PR5

or

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8

or

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Howling Banshees (10) - Elites - PR8
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8

(Technically, I can field THREE Warlocks for PR3, so I could paint up a third to include with the two indicated in two of the options above...) 

I like the first option, as it's basically the Ranger Element of Maesenir's Rangers Kill Team, with a Farseer, Warlocks and a handful of Warpsider. Narratively, it could be seen as Maesenir finding something needing to be dealt with and calling upon the Biel-Tymm Fleet for a little bit of back-up and Farseer Thymiltelyir shows up with his Warlock entourage and a rapid reaction team of Warp Spiders... Yeah. I think that might be the one I use... 

To field ANY larger force, I would now have to finish up the other Farseer that I have (and/or the model I'm hoping I can pass off an Autarch). With that, however, I could instantly field a Battalion Detachment, which increases the number of Elites I can field to six... which, could be MOST of the ones I currently have painted... but not all. Even fielded at their maximum sizes, I'd have EIGHT Elite units: Warlocks (2), 2x Dire Avengers (10), 1x Howling Banshees (10), 1x Wraith Guard (5), 3x Wraithlords (1) 

Incursion Level (Power Level 50) Battalions could look like:

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Warlock (1) - Elites - PR 2
• Wraithguard (5) - Elites - PR10
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8

or

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Guardian Defenders (10 + Weapons Platform) - Troops - PR5
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Rangers (5) - Troops - PR4 
• Warlocks (2) - Elites - PR 3
• Dire Avengers (10) - Elites - PR6
• Dire Avengers (10) - Elites - PR6
• Howling Banshees (10) - Elites - PR8

STRIKE FORCE (Power Level 100) would require deciding which Elites to take, which to leave behind, and require a few more NOT-ELITE units to be finished up... but could look like... 

• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Farseer (1) - Headquarters - PR 5
• Guardian Defenders (10 + Weapons Platform) - Troops - PR5
• Rangers (10) - Troops - PR8 
• Rangers (10) - Troops - PR8 
• Rangers (10) - Troops - PR8
• Warlocks (5) - Elites - PR 5
• Howling Banshees (10) - Elites - PR8
• Wraithguard (5) - Elites - PR10
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8
• Wraithlord (1) - Elites - PR8
• Warp Spiders (10) - PR10
• Swooping Hawks (5) - PR4

(This would require painting 15 Rangers, 3 Warlocks, 5 Swooping Hawks) 

(Y'know, instead of just using the Dire Avengers and a third Wraithlord That i COULD have in the previous edition...) 

The Rangers above COULD also be fielded four units of five and one unit of ten

I COULD have fielded a Brigade Detachment in the past - once everything was painted (or even just a few more units were painted) but now I'm going to have a hard time making up that minimum three Heavy support requirements... I'd need second unit of Dark Reapers or another War Walker - if I'm wanting to keep it all METAL... 

Maybe I'll just stick to big battalions and be limited to six Elites - three of whom will be Wraithlords. 

What I WILL have when all the stuff I currently have squirrelled away is painted... 

• Farseer x2 - Headquarters
• Autarch x 1 - Headquarters
• Jain Zar (Phoenix Lord) - Headquarters
• Fuegan (Phoenix Lord) - Headquarters
• Baharroth (Phoenix Lord) - Headquarters
• Karandras (Phoenix Lord) - Headquarters
• Guardian Defenders x20 (two units of 10) - Troops
• Rangers x30 (3-6 units of 5-10) - Troops
• Warlocks x5 (one conclave of up to five) - Elites
• Dire Avengers x20 (2-4 units of 5-10) - Elites
• Howling Banshees x10 (1-2 units of 5 or 10) - Elites
• Striking Scorpions x 10 (1-2 units of 5 or 10) - Elites
• Fire Dragons x 5 (1 unit of five - unless I find three more) - Elites
• Wraithguard x5 (one unit) - Elites
• Wraithlords x 3 (3 individual units) - Elites
• Warp Spiders x20 (1-4 units of 5-10) - Fast Attack
• Swooping Hawks x5 (1 unit of five - unless I find one or two more I need to make 10) - Elites
• Dark Reapers x4 (one unit - need one more to make COMPLETE unit of 5) - Heavy Support
• War Walker x1 (on unit) - Heavy Support

All of this adds up to about 188 Power Level.. (which is about 3600 points...?) The LARGEST games are "Onslaught" which are played at 150 Power/3000 points. I think most tournaments are built around Strike Forces which are 100 Power/2000 Points? So I have LOADS to play around with... 

The ONLY thing I'm even considering trying to track down would be ONE metal Dark Reaper to finish up a unit of five.  

It doesn't even include the Wraith Knight (another 23 Power Rating) it is a plastic model... buuuuuut, I'd be okay using it (or tanks, if ever I got some) with this force. 

It also doesn't even include my Harlequins - which are included in this book. I haven't read far enough to determine if they have to be included in separate detachments... 

ALSO, I have a SECOND Aeldari force I'm kind of working on... in a large lot that Keiran and I bought off a local guy (for some metal stuff to finish up units) I ended up with a bunch of plastic stuff and a resin Eldrad Ulthran. So I thought I'd try to put together a separate Ulthwe Patrol Detachment, lead by the Big Elf himself! (If ever the Corsairs Ill be getting in the Kill Team box are used in 40K, they will probably show up in THIS detachement!) 

• Eldrad Ulthran - Headquarters - 8 PR
• Guardian Defenders (10 + weapons platform) - Troops - 5 PR 
• Guardian Defenders (10) - Troops - 4 PR 
• Corsair Voidscarred (10) - Elites - 8 PR

I also have an extra Warlock I could paint as Ulthwe I could add to this... If ever I got all these done and wanted SOME kind of additional options, I might pick up some of those sweet new Storm Guardians! 

Hopefully in the next week, I'll finish up the few final minis I need to finish up the Howling Banshees and Guardian Defenders - as well as the second Farseer, that I apparently now need - and post some pictures of these complete forces... 

Then I need to come up with some opponents - either my own guard, or maybe help Finnegan reorganize/finish up some of his T'au or Orks or Deathwatch... and THEN we can actually try these theoretical options out!? 

(I suppose I should read through the Harlequin options and finish rebasing those, too, at some point!)