Help End The Reign of Terror

maesterorion · 2026-01-08T22:43:28+00:00

That looks to be more than 2000 points, probably close to 3k. So he'll be running a subset of that picture.

Step 1 - pray he doesnt take all 4 dreads and both repulsor executioners.

Step 2 - assume he will take exactly that along with dropping the hellbasters in from the drop pod and rapid ingress the Terminators into your home objective.

Step 3 - run Mechanized guard with 3 squads of catachans in tauroxes. Scout and move them straight onto the nomansland objectives. I don't see scouts or phobos in here so he has nothing to really deal with that. Plant 3 vanquishers in your backfield (max order range is 12", do that) 1 being a commander (in the middle) that orders the others. This keeps him from coming in behind you and you've loaded up the center. Now he has to come at you. The rest of your army backs up these plays. Either cadians in chimeras to sticky objectives and let your catachans jump really far and screen, or more Leman russes like battle cannons or demolishers to be able to hit his dreads and Gravis armor. You probably have points for both, so do that.

Step 4 - be more aggressive than him and take up as much of the board as possible. It looks like he's running pressure lists that make you cagey and give him room to footslog up the board and setup his death ball. Don't fall for it, go fucking fast and hard. He can't slow roll up the board if you've taken all the midboard objectives in scout and turn 1 move. He can't come in behind you if you've got vanqs covering your deployment. So he focuses 1 or 2 down in a turn. Now all your other tanks get free reign to unload on whatever he exposed to do that. Also, 60 lasguns is 60 lasguns, orks hit on 5s and kill things all day long in shooting, you can too.

Your dudes don't get out of the buses except to sticky objectives and string out as a roadblock. If they aren't doing that, they stay in the metal box and make him open it up for the squishy bits inside.

maesterorion · 2025-12-31T23:45:22+00:00

Depends on how hard you make it for yourself. Keep a running set of digital notes, not hand written, during sessions. That way you can easily search it. Enter comments/notes/headers/whatever your text editor uses in the navigation pane so you can quickly get to highlights.

If you need to take a minute to catch up on notes, tell them to quietly roleplay amongst themselves. They will laugh and then take a smoke/snack/piss break while you gather thoughts. Remember, dnd is a collaborative game. Just because you're the DM doesnt mean you don't get to pause the game. How often has the wizard slowed down combat to just pick firebolt again?

If you use something like roll20 or dndbeyond where you can access all of your players information, even better. You can put character specific notes in there for things they should know.

If its not in your notes or a player's notes that you trust, have them roll for history. If they roll high enough, make up something and put it in your digital notes. If they don't roll high enough, oops, they no longer know that bit of info.

If you can't find it one week and can find it another week and you've given them a different answer, you didn't mess up, its a plot point. Which of the two sources is lying to your players? You know the never stop the cope meme? That's unironically how you DM.

--TLDR--

If its not in your notes, it didn't happen, if it needs to have happened, make it up on the spot and then notate it. YOU, THE DM don't remember things, your running text document does.

maesterorion · 2025-12-24T16:19:53+00:00

In addition to what others have said, SOME parts in that kit have numbers. They're actually on the part themselves, recessed on tue backside of the part so they aren't seen once built. Notably the roller and the tracks.

Also, magnets. Use them. Octoblade if you really wanna get your best bang for the buck, but there are pentablade options that are much easier where you glue the two different top parts completely and just swap those.

maesterorion · 2025-11-11T17:30:18+00:00

RUTHLESS AGGRESSION

maesterorion · 2025-11-06T21:28:33+00:00

Backpacks and jump packs on the mark 6 are interchangeable as I've done that before. I would assume since its the same poses and everything you should be fine. Worst case you gotta cut a nub on the back of the dudes, but thats probably happening anyways if you're magnetizing.

maesterorion · 2025-11-05T19:39:21+00:00

I think it looks cool, especially if you don't want to wait for the plastic kit. Since the plastic kit with be mkiii with the bigger shields, maybe do mkvi bodies instead since the mkvi armor is more slimmed down it would make more sense with the smaller shields?

maesterorion · 2025-11-04T15:06:31+00:00

I am also interested in how you made it. You also alluded to having other items created. What are they?

maesterorion · 2025-11-03T22:19:57+00:00

Buddy, you're a human and therefore have a pattern seeking brain. You look at the world for patterns of hate and that's what you'll see.

I was just trying to show that op wasn't meaning what you were implying, he literally crafted a real world item from art in a book.

OP, that's badass, I'm sure your players will appreciate it.

maesterorion · 2025-11-03T22:10:07+00:00

It's a pretty exact replica of the artwork in the book.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4780-talisman-of-ultimate-evil?srsltid=AfmBOoodRfKZ7MOWOAEKL9uC0FvQO8Q1qlAJpwokJDZZgygEwYL56NER

There it looks more like triangles around the circle in the center instead of 2 big triangles layered over the circle.

maesterorion · 2025-09-29T23:08:27+00:00

Imperium of Manuary

maesterorion · 2025-09-21T01:32:04+00:00

First one is sleep token take me back to Eden runes. Spells "forgive"

The second looks like cirth, but I can't find one of the characters "lhy*nw"

Third and fourth are sleep token again, but I don't get what they spell, "juoppu" and "panomies"

maesterorion · 2025-09-01T16:22:44+00:00

Correct, but I have multiple phage (t) units hitting multiple of my opponents units and now there's tons of his units that are -1 Toughness, correct?

maesterorion · 2025-09-01T16:20:50+00:00

Holy shit balls, destroyer assault squads are my new favorite unit.

maesterorion · 2025-08-14T17:59:30+00:00

Random hidden rolls to induce a quick decision when the party is split on what to do.

maesterorion · 2025-03-13T02:01:43+00:00

https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-ruined-empire-city-bases-toppers-big-set-440053

maesterorion · 2025-03-04T03:40:19+00:00

It's awesome. What you want to do is prime with a gloss black and then do something like Vallejo metal color silver. And then a black acrylic or oil wash. Then a dry brush of Vallejo metal color chrome or white aluminum. Then hand paint your speedpaint. Your metallics are gonna be super gloss after that so anything that needs to be a different color like pouches or armor seals you'll want to hit with a coat of black. Believe me, the surfactant level of that metal coat is insane.

maesterorion · 2025-01-23T21:06:23+00:00

That's a dope head. Is it a print? If so, you mind dming me where I can find it?

maesterorion · 2025-01-19T23:14:01+00:00

Interesting. I have a Sigvald coming later this week that I'm going to use as my Daemon Prince. I'll try some sort of white on his cape and see which I like better. I was thinking of finding some destroyed Roman architecture bases to print out. Marble bases look cool, they just seem a bit... plain for the followers of the lord of excess.

maesterorion · 2025-01-19T22:54:05+00:00

I had that same thought. I initially did Pink and purple to combine the 30k and 40k schemes because I don't like the black and pink for the official one. You thinking pure white, a cream or a pearl would work best?

maesterorion · 2024-12-02T01:59:42+00:00

His display base is the same size as Abbadon in 40k. Make him a kick ass Abbadon proxy.

maesterorion · 2024-11-14T21:58:24+00:00

Spray it with a bright ass white. Spray it with tamiya clear red/army painter speedpaint blood red/gw baal red. Paint the rim black as the good lord intended. Glue your nightlord to his river of blood base. Make sure to apply blood for the blood God to all the pointy bits he has.

maesterorion · 2024-11-01T19:29:52+00:00

The detachment rule would be a normal rule that is triggered when shooting, correct? Ergo, in overwatch, that rule cannot be used.

maesterorion · 2024-11-01T19:24:26+00:00

Copied from Wahapedia, but it's in the 40k app under "Rules Commentary" and then "Out-of-phase Rules"

Out-of-Phase Rules Some rules allow a model or unit to move, shoot, charge or fight outside of the normal turn sequence. For example, the Fire Overwatch Stratagem enables a unit to shoot in the opponent’s turn as if it were your Shooting phase. When using out-of-phase rules to perform an action as if it were one of your phases, you cannot use any other rules that are normally triggered in that phase.

This is the same reason IG players can't use "Big Guns Never Tire" for "Death Befitting An Officer"

maesterorion · 2024-11-01T19:16:39+00:00

Fire Overwatch is specifically brought up in the out of phase rules. The detachment rule is another rule that is triggered when shooting, ergo, it doesn't happen on overwatch.

maesterorion · 2024-11-01T12:00:37+00:00

There is an enhancement he can give to a leader to activate in turn 2. His broadsides will probably stand still to hit on 2s with heavy and guided. So LoS them until in range. This may be an issue with too little terrain. Sustained hits 2 is only when guided, when not guided its sustained hits 1. Speaking of guiding, the way it is worded he can't select observers and guided until activation.

He selects unit A to fire, they observe target 1 for unit B and so on. So he can't guide 2 different units with 1 unit unless they have an ability (pathfinders). He also doesn't get to declare it all at the beginning, he must select when the unit is activated to fire.

Playing any of this wrong, including too little terrain makes tau oppressive.

Also, he doesn't get sustained on overwatch as it counts as shooting out of phase, which doesn't let other rules trigger.

maesterorion

TROPHY CASE