Death From The Skies: Is the Storm Talon viable now?

Death From The Skies is here and we are starting to learn the new rules. Even stuff released recently has some sort of change, and that includes the nifty Storm Talon. Is it enough to bring new life to the smallest of the Space Marine Flyers? well for starters it is the same AV11 with 2 hull points paper plane, not exactly a flying fortress. But hey, now it's cheaper, still brings good dakka and we know Flyers are pain to deal with by many armies. Let's have a look.

The first thing to notice is that now the Storm Talon costs 110 points, which seems more reasonable than the previous 130. It carries a  a twin-linked assault cannon, a fine gun which is both reliable and versatile. Interestingly it is underslung so it can shoot targets behind the 'Talon, just mind 24" is not a lot. The secondary weapon is a twin-linked heavy bolter, and while it adds more weight of fire, is really meh against most things in the game. Luckily GW has also lowered the cost of what is probably the most versatile weapon in the hangar deck, the skyhammer missile launcher. 15 points for 3 S7 shots is a good deal, and leaves our chibbyhawk at 125 points. That sounds like a deal. It is not auto-include by any means, but it's not a bad addition. It will provide some AA (at least, if it gets to play after the opponent's) and if not, it can pound ground infantry and light mech targets alike. Just make sure you deal with its nemesis (Quad-guns) before the Talon gets to play, or it will not get far.

The other two options (TL lascannon and TML) are too expensive for what they do. The lascannon could still find its place in a meta full of AV12 flyers but the TML is awfully expensive for what it does.

Consider the alternatives. Space Marines do not get access to flakk missiles or AA weaponry of any kind in their ground forces, thus relying in twin-linked which is still an ineffective way to deal with Flyers. So allies and fortifications aside, it boils down to the Storm Raven or Talon. The Storm Raven is obvioulsy better, if a tad more expensive, and can still transport the cheap SM hammenators or an ironclad. 

What else there is to it? the escort option isn't very enticing to say the least, and strafing run is cute but you already have BS4 and a twin-linked gun. Now that the Storm Raven is available to most Space Marine chapters (sorry 'bout that, Wolves), it has the size to potentially block LOS to the Talon but that is already an expensive proposition. It has been clarified now that it can hover, but keep in mind this will likely end with the Talon hitting the ground or exploding in the air.

Conclusion

The changes to the Storm Talon costs make it an interesting option now to help fill the AA needs of Space Marines, especially now the Helldrakes, Vendettas and Scythes are wreaking havoc. And are versatile enough to deal with other targets should you come across armies without Flyers. It is still a glass cannon and will not survive many dogfights, but it can win your troops a couple of turns of safely sitting on objectives.

Games Day 2012 Space Marine Captain Showcase

Howdy! this is the Games Day 2012 Space Marine Captain limited edition. A fine sculpt by Juan Díaz, who unsurprisingly was there (GD Spain) ready to talk to all the fans who attended - a rather large mob I have to say!

As most of you know this is a homage to the 2nd edition of 40k that featured this audacious fella in the box cover. 2nd was the very first edition that I have (and still unpainted lol) so it felt good that now 6th edition is a go, we remember the good ol' days.

So with this in mind I painted the mini as a bog standard BA captain, although decided to pass on most of the yellow areas (bar one knee cap) as it would not really fit well with the rest of the army. This is also a fine figure should you want to use Tycho in games - that mini is pretty old and you only need to add a combimelta. Of course I magnetized the backpack and bolter arm.

Enjoy the pics and feel free to post your comments / questions!

The Stormtalon is here!

Blue Thunder or Apache?

Everybody is going crazy these days with the new 40k flyers. Not only by the model themselves, but also because they are likely to anticipate what 6th edition is going to be about.

So onto the Storm Talon. It's a fast skimmer with all around AV11 (meh), nerfs melta, decent weaponry and a couple of fancy rules. It comes standard with a TL assault cannon and TL HB, which can be upgraded to a TL lascannon, Typhoon ML or a new ML type (Str 7 Ap4 heavy 3). Provides a decent dakka although the assault cannon is only 24" and that forces the stormtalon be close enough to the enemy to fully utilize its potential.

Something odd (especially for GW's revenue) is that it can't be taken in squadrons for additional protection and redundancy. 9 storm talons in a list?  Also not happy about being limited to C:SM, which means the Wolves will keep on fighting on their feet , as Russ intended, and that we won't see any crazy aircav list with tons of 'Ravens and 'Talons with Wagner's music blasting off the speakers. Sorry 'bout that, Wagner.

The new rules

The Storm talon comes with a couple of nifty rules that might anticipate what's yet to come. One is about being able to come in reserve together with the unit it escorts, so it does help not arriving from reserve piecemeal. I'm sure people will find some interesting combos.

The other new rule is about not moving in a turn to gain a +1 to the BS against most targets, and adding the Pinning rule. This would mainly benefit the ML as the other weapons are already TL, and again suggests a long range gunboat approach in which the AC sees no use. 150 points for 2/3 BS5 missiles? I'll pass thanks.

Early thoughts on how to use

The HB+AC combination provides good ranged anti-infantry and the occasional anti vehicle, with a TL AC that should get side shots easily. The price is still a big steep but assumible yet.

The new ML has a nice profile and again can benefit from the high mobility to easily access the tanks side armour. Even more tasty if the new cover saves go down to 5+. On the other hands, a 5+ cover save will make it even an easier KP, at least with 5th ed rules..

The escort option of arriving from reserves with a unit (not if DS) is a nice one, with the ability to bring 2 units at the same time. Looks like an interesting option for spearhead, where you can bring 2 units to support your main advance, or send them to the other side of the board.

Now, taking 2 of those is going to be almost 300 points. For less points we can get 3 dakka preds, which of course occupy a different placement in the FOC and are far less mobile, but much harder to get rid of at range.


Conclusion

I really like the new model, maybe because it reminds me of the Blue Thunder. It's amusing how alike the 41st millenium war machines look to the 20th century ones.

In terms of competitiveness, we will have to wait for 6th ed to find out. I suspect the rules will benefit flyers so GW can keep their cash cow healthy. I just can't understand why not all codexes have access to it, which is bad for both the players and GW. Really, and it's something I do as my full time job (product manager). And a final digression: will the rise of the flyers be countered by some special anti air rules, and   finally plastic kits for the hydra and riflemen?

Get ready for air battles!