Sky Claws Considered

I've finished painting my skylaws. Unfortunately it has been too soggy outside to get the krylon finish on these guys. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed when I was told that I can't bring a wolf guard into my skyclaws. Really, it doesn't make sense to pay for any of the gun upgrade options (flamer, meltagun, plasma pistol) unless you intend to attach an HQ choice to the unit. On top of that the unit is likely to draw some attention which can be a good or a bad thing. My plan is to hide it behind my land raider and/or rhino initially and then position it behind drop pod units or terrain. Ultimately, I hope to see it reinforce the effort of another unit or use it to clear a contested objective. The challenge of using this unit strategically is that they are required to charge and it wouldn't be very thematic to have these guys carefully avoiding conflict until the fifth turn. They are the most inexperienced and reckless characters the space wolves have to offer.

Now that I've pointed out their weaknesses, lets consider some of their strengths. Five mobile marines in power armor with a power weapon and mark of the wulfen is only going to cost 120 points. That sounds reasonable to me. On top of that, this is the one unit where mark of the wulfen is stacked with furious charge for 4-9 rending attacks off of one model on the charge. This is one of those situations where my 120 points are going to clear one enemy unit and then die from one or two units shooting in the following enemy shooting phase. I'm cool with that. I like a game of bloody chess.

2k Roster

Wolf Guard Battle Leader, Term Armor, Pair of Claws, Wolf Tail Talisman

Rune Priest

Wolf Guard (7)
4 with terminator armor armor and 2 power fists, 1 assault cannon
1 with jump pack, power weapon and meltabomb
1 with mow
1 in power armor and power fist

Scouts (7)
3 sniper rifles, 1 heavy bolter

Grey Hunters (8)
powerfist, mow, drop pod

Grey Hunters (10)
powerfist, 2 meltaguns, mow, banner, drop pod

Grey Hunters (10)
powerfist, 2 meltaguns, mow, rhino

Bloodclaws (9)
power weapon, flamer, rhino

Skyclaws (5)
power weapon, flamer, mow

Land Raider

Whirlwind

Composition Rules Question

Wolf Guard Rules say "for every 5 models in the squad, one Wolf Guard mode in terminator armor may choose one of the following: replace his storm bolter with an assault cannon"

we don't round up for this do we? For example: If I run 7 wolf guard, detach 3 to lead other units, 2 of my remaining 4 wolf guard in terminator armor cannot be equiped with assault cannons. I am just asking because I have the extra assault cannon.

1500 Wolves list

I want to model some skyclaws. This is probably the list I would run them in:

Rune Priest with Chooser of the slain
I'll attach to the 8-man grey hunter unit and drop in the land raider

3 Wolf Guard
First one with Power Fist is attached to 8-man grey hunter unit
Second one is simply equiped with mark of the wolfen and attached to blood claw unit
Third is equiped with power weapon, meltabomb, jump pack and attached to skyclaws

First Grey Hunter Unit, 8 strong
1 meltagun, 1 power fist, 1 mark of the wolfen, will be put in land raider

Second Grey Hunter Unit, 10 strong
2 meltaguns, 1 power fist, 1 mark of the wolfen, drop pod with storm bolter

Third Grey Hunter Unit, 10 strong
2 meltaguns, 1 power fist, 1 mark of the wolfen, drop pod with storm bolter

Blood Claws Unit, 7 strong
1 flamer, 1 power weapon, Rhino with extra armor

Skyclaws, 5 strong
1 flamer, 1 power weapon, 1 mark of the wolfen

Land Raider- standard stuff

Whirlwind- standard stuff

----I have scouts (lots of options), terminator wolf guard (some options), a dreadnought (expensive weapon choices), and another rhino that are sitting out of this list

I just finished the trickster and the three models that I will be using to represent grey hunters with mark of the wolfen. I have to disagree with Jon at From the Warp. My 10 man squads look a bit different with 2 meltas and one power fist instead of the two power fists that I took from the old codex but I don't feel like I've lost anything in that change. His demonstration has failed to capture any of the opportunities of the new codex. At 1500 points, the old codex required you to run 2 hq choices, at 1501 points the old codex would require you to run 3 hq choices. I found that fact to be a burden. If you use rhinos and bolters (which I do/did) you are saving serious points in each unit. I eat most of that savings to add a mark of the wolfen (really fun models that I can't resist). Mark of the wolfen is just going to help plow through that unit that is thrown in your way to slow you down, it might help against the dreadnought that ties you up, and give you an extra shot at popping open a rhino.

Is there a power list in this codex? I don't play enough or have access to tournaments to answer this question. I will be moving south (back to civilization) mid November and hope to play weekly or at least a couple days per month but I doubt I'll be answering this question. I like balanced lists that are based in core troop choices. I think grey hunters and blood claws in rhinos and drop pods are fun and that those choices got stronger in the new codex. There just seems to be a lot of anxiety about the wolves lately in the blogging community. The truth is, I'm anxious to play them and can't (because I already took my army down to make sure it isn't crushed or lost when I move the rest of my stuff). For now I'm considering lists and painting.

Who let the dogs out?

Oops, I'm sorry. I'm supossed to be offended by all the cute puppy references. excited as you might expect, I placed my advance order and recieved my codex a couple days before the release date. As I look at my existing models from the old codex, I get a little disturbed by the missing true grit special rule. The new codex compensates by giving new grey hunters counter attack, bolt pistols, close combat weapons, and bolters. unfortunately, my models are all equiped with bolters and close combat weapons. So I've resigned to tell myself true grit is still in play.

My first trip to the bits box was to piece together 4 meltaguns and a mark of the wolfen option for my three grey hunter squads. The wolfen models are easy to convert. I'm putting bolters on mine which basically just requires that I chop off an arm and glue on a platic bolter wielding arm. I'm also painting lucas and ragnar while I paint these. I'll finish these pretty quickly (my painting standards are modest) and move onto 2 wolf guard with power fists and bolt pistols to attach to units.

I'm personally excited to be liberated from the mandatory hq choice every 750 points so I will be starting my lists with light hq choices and opting for a few more models and alot of options in the units (power fists/weapons, meltaguns, banners, mark of the wolfen). I am dead set on playing 2 full grey hunter units with the cheap 2 meltagun option, a mark of the wolfen, and a power fist. The other grey hunter unit will likely host my wolf lord or rune priest. In my blood claws I'm taking lucas. I know 40k radio hates the model but when i'm finished painting him everyone will be more concerned with how bad a painter I am. I will also be putting mark of the wolfen on a wolf guard and attaching that wolf guard to my blood claws. Right now I'm favoring a rune priest in grey hunter squad and a wolf guard leader in a small pack of wolf guard terminators as my hq choices. My elite options are dreadnought and scout squad but I can't fit them both in a 2k army list. I'm bothered by the lack of shotgun option in the scouts. I just think shotguns are pretty damn feral yet sophisticated for the more mature marine. My heavy options are whirlwind (to thin out those armies that grossly outnumber me) and landraider. Everything should fit into a transport. My transport list is 2 rhinos, 2 drop pods, 1 land raider.

Rune priests were my hq of choice before the codex and will likely continue to be my favorite. Thier stats are a bit less potent now but their psychic power is amped up.

My unpainted list right now includes my 2 drop pods, my whirlwind and about 12 models for converting existing units to the new codex.

When these things are done, I'd like to make a unit of Blood Claws with Jetpacks and a fourth unit of grey hunters. Oh wow, I just realized the holidays are just around the corner.

This is an update on life. The final semester of grad school/ admin certification has sort of pushed everything back. Despite this short pause, I have assembled my Whirlwind and base painted it and my drop pods. I have made time to snowboard two days and the list of things that I'm going to do when I'm finished with my paper is growing long. I've got a crap-ton of papers to grade and powerpoints to put together for lessons in my law and marketing classes. I have an internship portfolio that has to go together over spring break and two promised vacations (Virgin Islands and Sun Valley). I have to study and take my Texas admin certification test, and apply for jobs in Pflugerville, Round Rock, and Austin because I have family there, it is a great city, they need educators and therapists (wife) and they pay considerably more than Idaho. I have to move. We'll just see how long it takes me to get back to blogging. I certainly miss the hobby. 

Appologies, 

Wolf Lord Bill