Death Korps of Krieg - Evaluating the Ups and Downs

Hey all. After a hiatus due to college stuff, I'm back for the attack. However, I may have been idle with my writing, but I certainly haven't been absent from the gaming scene. This time I'll be looking at my new pride and joy: The Death Korps of Krieg!

I've finally found out that Forgeworld has a downloadable PDF of the DKOK codex for 6th ed. So with this newfound knowledge, I've been able to write a list for an actual Death Korps army, not just generic Imperial Guard. However, there have been some pros and cons to reformatting my list.

Starting with the biggest downside, there are certain models I've bought with IG in mind, but for whatever reason, Krieg can't take. For example, I'm gonna be doing a LOT of footslogging. I have three Chimeras, all are assembled and one is painted. In addition, two actually have a Krieg gunner figure with a Forgeworld heavy stubber which honestly look pretty badass. BUT I can't use them!

 

All I get is the Centaur Artillery Tractor. This is a five-man, open-topped transport armed only with a heavy stubber. Let me tell you, for any type of Guard codex, it is very hard to get a squad down to five men. There's a commissar-less platoon command squad, or an regimental advisor-less company command squad. That's pretty much it.

Also, I have an Armageddon Pattern Medusa from Forgeworld. I got it specifically for its enclosed crew compartment. However, once again, I can't take it simply because Krieg can't take mobile artillery.

Now I know it seems I've been bashing the Death Korps, but really it's just my own mistakes that I'm upset at. All things considered, Krieg is damn awesome! I'm gonna highlight just two of my favorite units here, but there is so much more that I like about their gameplay (not to mention their model sculpts)!

First off, there's the Engineer squads. This is a really cool unit. They come with shotguns instead of lasguns, and they also have specialized grenades: the Acid Gas Bombs. These are poisoned (4+) throwing grenades with AP 6 and the "Ignores Cover" rule. Not fantastic, but the fact that they're poisoned means they can take out bigger targets, while ignoring cover certainly helps against, say Tyranids within range of a Venomthrope or what have you. Also, they can form a heavy weapons team with a Mole Launcher.

The Mole Launcher looks like the missile launcher that Krieg can't get, but it's very different. It has a minimum range of  8" and only shoots as far as 24". At strength 5, AP 5, its pretty good against a lot of things. However, one of its special rules, "Subterranean Barrage" (yes it is also a Barrage weapon), means that against models with Armor Values, it always strikes against the lowest facing regardless of where the shot is actually coming from. So theoretically, it can hurt even a predator, without needing to get behind it.

Another thing that makes the Engineers so great is the transport that they unlock: the Hades Breaching Drill. This device is comparable to a Tyranid Mawloc in that it damages things from below when it deep-strikes. It is equipped with a Melta-Cutter Drill, which damages vehicles and troops via ramming or tank shock at strength 8, AP 1. My advice is to deep-strike under a vehicle. With the Melta rule, it should be easier to ram than to tank shock your way in.

I know I've been saying a lot, but there's one last thing I've been saving for the end. The Death Riders of Krieg. The Death Riders are sort of like the IG's Rough Riders, but a LOT better. Stats go something like WS4, S3, T3, W2, I3, A2, (3 for Sergeant), Ld7/8, and Sv4+. On top of this, there are various awesome perks and special rules that they have. Augmented mounts lets you re-roll failed dangerous terrain checks. They have a 6+ Feel No Pain save. And by the way, they are taken in platoons. That's right: PLATOONS! That's a total of 66 Death Riders as a single Fast Attack choice!

Well I've said too much, so I'm gonna stop for now. I hope to soon have some pictures of my Kriegers real soon, but for now I'll leave you with this: