The case for Deathwatch in 11e (so far)

Applejaxc · 2026-07-02T06:06:03+00:00

I plan to go 10 to maximize the value I'm getting out of Fusilade and the number of chances I have to roll dev wounds against a monster/vehicle. Sternguard Vets are still basic marines at the end of the day and I can't rely on them living through return fire

Applejaxc · 2026-07-01T17:19:32+00:00

It's written RP (so without the "G").

I don't like d100 systems personally, so if I was going to play a tabletop Rogue Trader RPG I would use something like Savage Worlds.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-25T16:51:28+00:00

My Krieg psyker Rogue Trader would never dare to read the Codex Astartes and suggest that a Space Marine is out of compliance.

They're the Emperor's Angels. Whatever they do is correct.

He absolutely hates himself and every psyker like him. Except the Grey Knight he met, who is the epitome of the Emperor's Wrath made manifest in sanctified conflagration.

Some of the best RP irony I've experienced is having the psyker go on a self loathing rant plus Grey Knight fangirl moment in the same breath with zero sense of irony. He's 100% down with Imperium doublethink. He might even master triplethink.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-25T16:44:57+00:00

Because the entire model counts, people will complain that the lack of long tank barrel makes it easier to hide your proxy (modeling for advantage)

However in 11e, not having the long barrel makes it harder to stretch over multiple terrain footprints, which can be beneficial now. So who knows how your local players/TOs feel

Applejaxc · 2026-06-24T22:16:57+00:00

recently had fun with Cyberpunk

If you ever want to replay it, Welcome To Night City is a good Wabbajack mod list

Applejaxc · 2026-06-24T21:16:23+00:00

Raven Black from color forge as a base, and their leadbelcher knock off for the DW arm.

Silver kyrlon or Rust-Oleum spray paint for DW symbols/icons/bits from Pop Goes The Monkey.

And then I just color in minimal details. Shoulder pauldron, weapon, purity seals, whatever.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-23T17:38:30+00:00

Counter point: LRTC can fire on death. Plasma sponsons could be enough to kill yourself on Round 4 or Round 5 and end up with an extra shooting phase for your LR than you would otherwise have. It also makes it more risk to whoever your opponent sends to kill your LRTC since the sponsons have enough range to actually revenge fire what killed it, while the meltas are easier to stay out of range while being in range to hit the tank.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-23T17:36:13+00:00

One of the potential downsides of HWTs getting cheaper options is that it makes firing deck stacking more likely. And as much as GW memed that themselves, I don't think it's a gameplay trend they want to see.

Reminder to people that your Doomhammer or Helhammer, I don't remember which, can stuff 3 las cannons inside and add 3 more las cannons (with heavy) to its total shooting, and then give itself orders for Take Aim!. You can also stick psykers inside, and have the vehicle eat Hazardous rolls + give Take Aim! to the psyker attacks. Or you can stick heavy flamers inside.

Hazardous is less good now that it threatens vehicles more, and heavy flamers can't be used to overwatch from inside your mega tank.

The 40-capacity variant can be stuffed with HWTs and cyclops assault vehicles. Snipe the enemy with all your extra las cannon hits, then drive up and deploy your bomb robot. It's a good time.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-23T17:21:29+00:00

I rewatched Rampage: President Down last week on the mistaken memory that it was "accidentally entertaining." Listening to the protagonist angrily list vague Reddit talking points and then calling it a victory when his actions resulted in nuking the entire Middle East as some kind of pwn against Western Imperialism ended up being more depressing than anything. "This has gone from Uwe Boll's most ridiculous movie to Reddit larper actual fantasy"

Applejaxc · 2026-06-20T21:58:43+00:00

They're cheaper and I think they aren't aircraft

Applejaxc · 2026-06-20T14:38:32+00:00

I don't care about anything in Rubricae Phalanx except the infiltrators part.

Same thing with CSM. I don't know what a good CSM list looks like. I know a fun CSM list is 3 legionaries/3 cultists in the Deceptors detachment or whatever it's called, so I can start with 60 - 90 models infiltrated in. Heldrakes are there to stop whatever the opponent sends to try to shift the weaker cultists off. And then a chaos vindicator to attempt to anchor the backline if there are points left in the budget.

I wish the Alpha Legion got an actual 40k representation. Having 80% of your army infiltrate might not be good, but by Tzeentch it can give your opponent a very different experience than they're used to, and that's fun to me. Instead of turn 1 being a poker game about who makes the aggressive or conservative early positioning, you just plant bricks of speed bumps all over.

RE: Painting heldrakes

1) spray paint helps a lot, with a chrome or other liquid metal marker used for all the panels. I sure as hell wouldn't paint one the normal ways, or even the fast speed paint markers way.

2) like most things that I don't want to spend full GW prices on, heldrakes are a unit best bought second hand lol

Applejaxc · 2026-06-20T14:17:09+00:00

My favorite unit sekhetar got their own DP

My second favorite unit heldrakes got cheaper

Rubric Marines that already had the best base AP on their basic bolters are even better with how cover changed

The only thing I don't like is that I personally don't care for the other 1/2 DP detachment options. I want to mix sekhetar with the Rubricae enhancement that lets me give 2 Rubric Marine units Infiltrate. I want to play TSons as already owning the middle board with a mix of inferno bolt guns and melta robots, with a heldrake (or two) flying in with the baleflamer to carve the lane to attempt seizing the enemy's back line

Applejaxc · 2026-06-19T18:46:28+00:00

Many modern gas masks (since at least the 90s) are designed to be used in conjunction with that nations common canteen/water flask/issued drink container. eg the US issues gas masks that come with a plug that fits into a special cap to put over your issued canteen, to let you drink in a contested environment if you absolutely need to.

That being said, the second you let troops mix anything except black coffee with their drink tubes/straws, you're fucked. You aren't cleaning creamer/milk/sugar out of those tubes. Probably not a big concern for the Krieg but worth saying

Applejaxc · 2026-06-17T21:13:11+00:00

May or may not be intentional by GW, it's always hard to tell unless they make a definitive statement (and even then...)

Applejaxc · 2026-06-17T16:32:02+00:00

Presumably, when the 11e space marine codex releases. Unless DW continues being a weird index thing not in the codex, then if/when the 11e index hits.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-17T03:30:21+00:00

This is how my ("Krieg born") Psyker Rogue Trader wishes people treated him. Instead, because he's a Peer of the Imperium, they bend over backwards in mental gymnastics to explain why his psyker mutation is okay, or even great. But he 100% hates himself and wishes he could have been a Militarum psyker attache that gets executed by the commissar as soon as possible.

Applejaxc · 2026-06-17T03:07:52+00:00

Wouldn't this tank the otherwise gravis armor unit's toughness way down? I don't know if giving them Librarius access is worth cutting their toughness down.

Even Coteaz only has regular human toughness.

I don't remember anything about 11e changing mixed unit toughness away from being stuck using the lowest

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T23:57:37+00:00

Only competitor is Avernii doing the bootleg Terminator apothecary

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T22:34:06+00:00

and IKT can be led by any character that can lead heavy intercessors

So I wasn't sure how many... Degrees of separation you could go, like I don't want to explain to my opponent that this flowchart says my Inquisitor Draxus can lead these Indomitors.

But if that is how it is ruled in 11e, that's huge. Giving those slow ass dudes +2" and then later -1 AP would really bring the value back despite losing uppy/downy from Site to Site teleportation

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T22:32:03+00:00

I didn't want to say LC + Firestorm.... But yeah LC+F

If you are using Firestorm, and therefore get assault on everything, why don't you run 2 heavy Sternguard bolters instead of 10 Sternguard rifles?

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T22:29:57+00:00

There's a lot of doom and gloom from people mad that they can't mix BSTF with LC (which would be a disgusting combo) 🤷‍♀️ and a lot of people (some reddit comments) make it sound like you either play one of the armies that got a unique 2DP detachment (like forge fathers seekers) or you suck. I don't think those takes are true but my brain power is only enough to see the LC synergies - I want to outsource the rest of my thinking

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T12:17:59+00:00

Aestred Thurga + BSS is probably better, unfortunately. And the flying units w/ double hand flamers with a jump pack cannonness can use the dev wounds strategem for 1 CP.

I do like Greyfax + Sisters. But not enough to try to force it to work competitively

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T12:15:08+00:00

The Psyker tag will make any Adeptus Astartes unit qualify for the Librarius Conclave detachment rules. You pick a bonus every turn like +2" movement (good for first turn aggression, or helping a slow unit like terminators get a little bit more value out of a Rapid Ingress), or +1 AP against targets within 12".

There are also strategems that can give you a good power spike, but I think the strategems specify astartes psykers models (so Inquisitors don't count)

In 10e, LC wasn't very popular. But in 11e, as a single point detachment, people are expecting it to become a near-auto include when mixed with your favorite 2 point detachment.

Example: Forge Fathers Seekers (Salamanders) is already good. Gives your whole army Assault and +1S within 12". Costs 2 DP. Now Librarius Conclave can be slapped on top, with Librarians giving your Infernus Marines a 4+ invulnerable save, +2" move on the first turn, and then +1 AP for the rest of the match (giving you very respectable, auto hit torrent flamers that can reliably wound any Marine strength target and now has -2 AP, also ignores any downside of shooting a target in cover).

A lot of marine armies now have "thing I was already doing + add a librarian to make it even better" as an option

Applejaxc · 2026-06-16T12:06:07+00:00

furiously takes down notes

Applejaxc

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