So apparently that repeat offenders training was scheduled, not so much for Wednesday, per se, as it was for Tuesday. Luckily enough I caught my mistake in time, but it means I've got two posts about police stuff in a row. To make up for it, I at least have finished another 40k list, so its a mix this time.
The Repeat Offenders Section (formerly Repeat Offenders Program Experiment, ROPE) is based on a bit of criminal analysis that indicates that a disproportionately large number of crimes are committed by a disproportionately small number of criminals. Thus, by keeping an eye on a certain select group of individuals, you can stop these crimes before they happen. If there's one thing politicians love, it's (...money, but if there's a second thing, its...) pro-active enforcement, and ROS gets the job done.
The Section serves three primary roles, all of which overlap. The first is 'case enhancement'. This is where a person suspected of committing a crime is put under surveillance in the hopes that additional evidence will come to light against them. For example, the detective speaking told a story about a suspected bank robber who, while under surveillance for a previous robbery, was stopped in the middle of committing a second. Cases like that are essentially open-and-shut. Prosecutors love that.
The second is picking up warrants. This confused me a little, since I worked (way back in the beginning of the summer) with the Fugitive Unit, and they do much the same thing. Apparently the difference is that ROS follows people who are about to get warrants around, and then picks them up as soon as one's issued, whereas Fugitive just works through outstanding warrants and takes the ones they have leads on.
Finally, there's what they call 'investigative' surveillance. This is when they have a group of similar crimes that match a known offender's MO (modus operandi, or "method of operating" in Latin. Heck yes, AP Latin Poetry!). Basically, they'll just follow him around and try to catch him in the act (or, I suppose, rule him out, if it happens again without his involvement). This happens regardless of whether there's any sort of evidence linking him to the crime besides a slight similarity in methods.
Yes, it seems slightly Police State to me, as well. I've found I don't mind that as much as I used to, as long as I get to be the Police. That's either Nietzchean (way to define your own morality, Kurt!) or just some good old-fashioned Power Corrupts (Spider-Man's uncle would be so ashamed...). I think it boils down to this: I'm one of the very few people I trust. If anyone should be running around with a badge and a gun, it should be someone I trust, and thus, for lack of better options, it should be me.
Oh god, I'm sounding like a fascist again, aren't I?
Anyway... I was originally going to write a list on the Space Marines. These guys are essentially the 'base army' of 40k, the one they pitch to kids who are just getting into the hobby. There are many reasons for this: the models are fairly simple to paint, the troops are durable and jacks-of-all-trades (thus making it a very forgiving list to play), and, perhaps most of all, its easier to sell idealistic kids on an army of elite superhuman warriors defending humanity from evil.
Because the majority of people who play 40k start out playing Space Marines, they get most of the fluff written about them, and are incredibly common opponents (despite being rather rare, in-setting), especially when playing beginners. This leads to the perception (by me) that Space Marines are a 'novice faction', and its not entirely untrue. However, there are a great many very good SM players, and also a great many different ways to field an effective army.
Also because of their huge popularity, the Space Marines have no less than 4 extra Codexes, each representing a certain Chapter (in-setting, a group of SMs that operate independently) that can be played as stand-alone factions in their own right. Each Chapter has certain traits that make it unique, while still essentially fielding the same sorts of units as a standard Space Marine army.
So to start out, I picked one of these seperate Chapters to write a list for, in the hopes that after doing each speciallized group, I'd be better able to write a list that shows the more general Space Marines without stomping on any of the special Chapter's turf, so to speak.
First up, then, are the Black Templars. Space Marines are already based on the sort of 'Knight in Shining Armor' fantasy archetype (with the standard heaps of Grimdark thrown in), but in case you didn't get the imagery, the Black Templars Chapter is here to show you just how knightly they really are. Crusader-ly, in fact, as they're based (loosely) on the Knights Templar from good ole Real Life.
So, what makes the Black Templar different? I've written this list to help explain:
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Black Templars - Mechanized Crusade
HQ [note#3]
Emperor's Champion (90)
-Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds (50)
Heavy Support [note#1]
Land Raider Crusader (265)
Troops [note#2]
10 x Initiates (160) + 4 x Neophytes (40)
-all with Bolt Pistol & Close-Combat Weapon
8 x Initiates (128) + 1 x Neophyte (10)
-all with Bolt Pistol & Close-Combat Weapon
-w/ meltagun (10)
-mounted in Rhino (50)
8 x Initiates (128) + 1 x Neophyte (10)
-all with Bolt Pistol & Close-Combat Weapon
-w/ meltagun (10)
-mounted in Rhino (50)
---------------------------------
Note#1:
This list is a lot shorter than usual, and here's the reason: a 265-point vehicle. Still, what kind of crusade would this be without a Land Raider Crusader? (a more effective one, possibly...) The LRC is one of three Land Raider variants, probably the best, and the Black Templars are unique in that they can field them as dedicated transports for their basic troop units, meaning in a high-points-level game you might be facing off against six or seven of the buggers. That's bad news, because with maximum armor all-around (AV14, for those of you playing along at home) they're the second-hardest vehicle to kill in the entire game, so even one is a tremendous pain.
They also mount the very excellent Twin-linked Assault Cannon, which is arguably the best all-around weapon in the game (ignoring things with blast templates, since they're trickier...). TL'ed-Assault Cannons mow down infantry in droves, and due to the Rending special rule are better than a twin-linked lascannon against armor, and with the ability to negate the armor saves of heavy infantry to boot. Seriously, they're good. Also, the sponson-mounted Hurricane Bolters count as Defensive Weapons (Strength of 4 or less), and so may be fired along with the Assault Cannon (often abbreviated 'ass-cannon', a practice I have declined) even if the LRC moved 6" that turn.
However, the biggest advantage of the LRC is its abilities as a transport. It has a huge capacity (15 models, for Black Templar), is impervious to all but the most powerful weaponry, ensuring the squad gets to their destination safely. Furthermore, models disembarking from it may make an Assault in the same turn they disembarked(!!), meaning they can potentially assault from 20" away (12" move + 2" deploy + 6" assault). It's even equipped with a handy Frag Launcher, which lets you count as having frag grenades on the turn you assault out of it (negating the opponent's initiative advantage for being in cover).
The only downside of this fantastic vehicle is the fantastic points cost that goes along with it. In fact, a lot of people would consider them impractical at lower points levels (like the 1000-points that this list is built for). However, there's a counterpoint to this, in that the number of things that can actually hurt a Land Raider are similarly limited in such a small game. Mostly, I took it because it's one of the 'signature units' of the Black Templars, but I do think it will serve admirably on the tabletop as well.
Note#2:
That first note just went on and on and on... Anyway, the main focus of this list is on mechanized assault infantry. The Black Templars (according to fluff) generally fight by running towards the enemy and then stabbing them until they die. This list has three squads that do just that. The larger one will mount up in the Land Raider Crusader, while the smaller two, mounted in Rhinos (RHINOS??) will follow it in. The smaller squads are equipped with meltaguns for at least a little anti-armor, which can either be fired out the Rhino's top hatch or on the turn they disembark, since unlike the LRC, normal transports cannot unload troops directly into an assault.
The unique thing that seperates Black Templar Initiates from normal Space Marines (which have an identical statline), besides their awesome robes, is that Neophytes (similar to SM Scouts) are bought as extra models in the same troop choice. This means that the maximum squad size is 20, rather than the traditional 10 Space Marines. True, these extra guys don't fight quite as well, but they're extra wounds that can be sacrificed instead of your Initiates, and extra attacks in close combat. Every squad has at least one Neophyte, just so you can take full advantage of Wound Allocation peculiarities.
Note#3:
Finally, the HQ 'choice': an Emperor's Champion, mandatory in every single Black Templars list. Don't worry, though, this guy is a decent fighter in close combat, and is especially good at offing enemy Independent Characters. Additionally, the Vow he takes (Accept Any Challenge, which is practically the only one anyone actually uses) grants every other Initiate the Preferred Enemy special rule (re-roll To Wound in close combat), making them a fair bit more deadly. He'll be attached to the large squad in the Land Raider Crusader (notice how there's an extra seat left just for him?)
____________________________________
As far as strategy goes, this list plays fairly simply: 1) drive vehicles up to enemy position, 2) jump out of vehicles, 3) stab enemy until they stop moving.
However, there are some specific tactics that come into play. First, try to keep the Rhinos close behind the Land Raider Crusader in order to get a cover save against incoming fire. That way, they'll be forced to either shoot the Rhinos and miss half the time due to cover, or shoot the much-tougher LRC. Either way, you win. The Rhinos can also split off to grab distant objectives, as with a Crusader full of angry guys with swords bearing down on him, your opponent probably has bigger things to worry about. Just don't get isolated; the Rhino squads are fairly vulnerable is left be themselves.
Second, remember that you've got meltaguns in those Rhinos, so if someone leaves a tank within 18" of them, drive on up, hop out (if necessary - if he's within 10" you can just shoot him through the hatch) and pop the tank. This list is already extremely light on the anti-tank; no need to make it worse by forgetting you have meltaguns. Another thing not to forget is your extra Zeal move whenever an opponent causes casualties by shooting at you, not to mention the fact that you can (and should) Run rather than shoot during your Shooting phase. Even if your transport gets blown up, Black Templars have rather fast-moving basic infantry, so don't despair immediatly.
Another 'tactic': when possible, assault two squads at once. The large LRC group should have no problem getting one of their 15 models into contact with a second squad, and the sooner you tie up his shooters in close combat, the longer you'll live. Also, when possible try to let him survive the first turn of combat (i.e. the assault) and then beat him in combat during his own turn, since this lets you avoid a turn of him shooting you. With a little luck, you might go the whole game without losing any of your main squad to enemy fire.
Okay, that seems plenty long to me. As you can see, the Black Templar do well in a Mechanized-type list. Next time, we'll look at the Blood Angels, another Space Marines Chapter that is also close-combat oriented, but uses jump-packs and deep-striking instead of vehicles.
Next Time (40k): Blood Angels, aka more Space Marines
Next Time (Philosophy): Religon and the Benefits of Curiosity, I swear!
Next Time (Cop Stuff): Hostage Negotiations, Aug. 13th
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