Participating in the Nova Open’s Narrative event has left me hungry for more 40k, so I’ve set my sights on attending the Crucible 8 GT this weekend. This will be my first time attending Crucible, and I’m pretty excited!

Down south in Kissimmee, Crucible is Florida’s longest running wargaming convention. Although it started as just a Warmachine tournament, their 40k GT has quickly grown to be one of the premiere tournaments in the region. It’s the third stop on the Armageddon Series, a league of tournaments from around the Southeastern US, which aims to promote events in this starved region and offers prizes to people who place well across the series. The GT is a 6 round event with standard ITC Champion’s missions. Thankfully the games are split 3/3 across the weekend, as playing 4 games on a Saturday sounds like murder.

My List

It has been years since I’ve done a real, actual, competitive event, and this is what I came up with for my first go around:

Army List - Click to Expand ++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [39 PL, -2CP, 711pts] ++ + No Force Org Slot + **Chapter Selection**: Bolter Fusillades, Master Artisans, Ultramarines Successor + HQ [10 PL, -2CP, 177pts] + Chapter Master in Gravis Armor [6 PL, -2CP, 108pts]: Adamantine Mantle, Boltstorm gauntlet [12pts], Master-crafted power sword [6pts], Stratagem: Chapter Master [-2CP] Primaris Lieutenants [4 PL, 69pts] . Primaris Lieutenant [4 PL, 69pts]: Master-crafted auto bolt rifle [4pts], Warlord + Troops [20 PL, 375pts] + Infiltrator Squad [5 PL, 110pts]: 4x Infilltrator [88pts], Infiltrator Sergeant [22pts] Intercessor Squad [10 PL, 179pts]: Bolt rifle . 9x Intercessor [153pts] . Intercessor Sergeant [26pts]: Power fist [9pts] Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 86pts]: Auxiliary Grenade Launcher [1pts], Bolt rifle . 4x Intercessor [68pts] . Intercessor Sergeant [17pts] + Flyer [9 PL, 159pts] + Stormhawk Interceptor [9 PL, 159pts]: 2x Assault cannon [44pts], Icarus stormcannon [10pts], Two Heavy Bolters [20pts] ++ Spearhead Detachment +1CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [28 PL, 582pts] ++ + No Force Org Slot + **Chapter Selection**: Bolter Fusillades, Master Artisans, Ultramarines Successor + HQ [5 PL, 92pts] + Chaplain [5 PL, 92pts]: 5. Recitation of Focus, Jump Pack [1 PL, 18pts], Litany of Hate, Storm bolter [2pts] + Heavy Support [23 PL, 490pts] + Eliminator Squad [4 PL, 74pts] . Eliminator Sergeant [26pts]: Camo cloak [3pts], Instigator Bolt Carbine [5pts] . 2x Eliminator with Bolt Sniper [48pts]: 2x Bolt sniper rifle [6pts], 2x Camo cloak [6pts] Repulsor Executioner [15 PL, 324pts]: 2x Fragstorm Grenade Launcher [8pts], Heavy Laser Destroyer [40pts], Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon [30pts], 2x Storm bolter [4pts], Twin Heavy Bolter [17pts], Twin Icarus Ironhail Heavy Stubber [10pts] Thunderfire Cannon [4 PL, 92pts] . Techmarine Gunner [37pts] . . Servo-harness [11pts]: Flamer [6pts], Plasma cutter [5pts] ++ Vanguard Detachment +1CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [35 PL, 707pts] ++ + No Force Org Slot + **Chapter Selection**: Bolter Fusillades, Master Artisans, Ultramarines Successor + HQ [5 PL, 101pts] + Librarian in Phobos Armour [5 PL, 101pts]: 2) Scryer's Gaze, 5) Psychic Shackles, Camo cloak [3pts], Force sword [8pts] + Elites [30 PL, 606pts] + Aggressor Squad [10 PL, 222pts]: 5x Aggressor [105pts], Aggressor Sergeant [21pts] . Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher [96pts] Redemptor Dreadnought [7 PL, 156pts]: 2x Storm Bolters [4pts], Macro Plasma Incinerator [31pts], Onslaught Gatling Cannon [16pts] Relic Contemptor Dreadnought [13 PL, 228pts]: Cyclone missile launcher [38pts], 2x Twin lascannon [80pts] ++ Total: [102 PL, -2CP, 2,000pts] ++

I’ve added a few new units to my army for this tournament. I knew that I wanted to try a Stormhawk Interceptor pretty shortly after the Ultramarines rules came out. Counting as stationary, whether through Big Guns Never Tire or the Ultramarines Doctrine, means that it is putting out better firepower than an Inceptor squad, can start from Turn 1, and the movement speed means getting an early Recon point can be way easier.

This is a chaplain that I saved from a dark corner from the Toledo Game Room’s cavernous booth at Nova. I’m not quite as hot on Chaplains as every other Space Marine player is — I’d almost rather have a second Librarian with Might of Heroes — but being able to give out +1 to hit relatively freely is a nice and probably better option. Remembering to actually use it at the start of the battle round is going to be hard for me, though. At the very least, having a Chaplain means that in my last game when I’m beyond caring, I can give him the the relic crozius and smash some heads in before I get tabled.

My last new unit, and one that I just finished painting, is the Thundefire Cannon. Being able to throw 4d3 heavy bolter shots nearly anywhere on the board sounds like a key ability in ITC missions. This, along with the Suppression Fire and my Stormhawk, means that it might actually be possible to gain an lead with an early Hold More.

Crucible 8 has 85 registered players, and at least 40% of the field hails from the venerable Brohammer team. They have tournament-topping members like John Lennon and Richard Siegler in attendance, so the competition will be fierce. The lists just now been publicly released so I scrounged up a few interesting ones to showcase.

Tim Pinney’s Iron Hands

The Army