The Chirurgeon's Road to 2023, Part 8: Preparing for the KC Open (2023)

Welcome back, dear reader, I'm trying to document my journey in 2023 the same way I've been doing it for the past two years. The last time I reported on my experience at Warhammerfest 2023, I had a great time at the event and far exceeded my expectations with a 4-0 start and a 4-2 score. You can read this part of my journeyhere.

This time around, I'm gearing up for what could be my 9th final tournament, Games Workshop's 2023 Kansas City Open. Went to KC last year, had a blast, lost a series of brutal games to the Tyranids, but came out with Best Painted at the event (read here), I really like where GW goes, so I was excited to come back when they announced this year's event. Another important thing that made me excited about this event was that itteam work,This means that I will be competing with a 5-man Goonhammer team.

If you're not familiar with the team format, you should check it out - it's a really cool way to play 40k and one that really helps even out the competition. You can read about team eventshere.

Initially, our team consisted of myself, Scott Horras "Heresy", Shane Watts, Gunum and James "Boon" Kelling. So Gunum decides to play with his War Hogs team, and Boon has to give up the wedding. So we filled their spots with Thomas “Goatboy” Reidy and Norman. This means that our team is suddenly more disorganized and the offense is more uneven. Almost certainly, Scott took his Astra Militarum, Shane took Wotan, and Norman took his Chaos Knights. After some thought, the goat-boy decided to bring the Chaos Demon.

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choose my side

Team tournaments create interesting options, as a team can only hold each codex once. This means that Thousand Sons is out of reach for me as they need demonic support to really compete. This keeps Chaos Space Marines (bad), Death Guard (good) and World Eaters (good) playing. The only challenge is that my World Devourers aren't tournament ready yet - I have about 30 more models to design for the army before they're ready to go, and they're not particularly fast.

I play version 10 on KC

When I was in the Army, I got a message from Mike Brandt asking if I wanted to play version 10 on the KC stream. IabsolutelyI wanted to do it and I told him I was for it. The next step is to make a list, which isn't as easy as it sounds - GW is careful to share things like the cost of points for version 10. Despite what some [idiots] on the internet would have you believe, GW doesThat's it"Deliberate information leakage" for marketing purposes - they want to keep tight control over when and when information is released, and ensure that most of it is released at the same time as pre-orders go live. So instead they asked me what to bring to KC and the list of models I had available - the process here was they would make a 2000 point list for me and tell me which models to take and I would play the list when get there.

I told Mike I would get the World Eaters unless the drawing was late, in which case I would take my Death Guard. The Death Guard aren't as good as the World Eaters - especially in team form - but I just had fun with them at Warhammer Fest, I'm comfortable playing with them, and they've been painted to a decent standard, don't need Demons (although I wanted to do this with Transfigured Mammon, but the Goatboy leading the demons prevented it). After drawing 8 Kingdoms for a few more days, I had to accept that I couldn't make the deadline, so I told him I was going to play Death Guard - I wanted to bring Mortarion into the 10th edition game.

Mike sent me the list, and while I can't say how much the score is worth,ableFrom a model standpoint, it's bigger than I expected. It has some fun and exciting interactions, and while I don't know if it will represent a competitive Deathwatch roster in 10th Edition, it's at least close to something I'd want to test out early on.

On Thursday night's broadcast, I will face my teammate Goatboy, who will be playing Chaos Daemons. I'm excited to try out Death Guard in 10th edition, though I very much doubt it will keep up with my 9th edition game. But anyway, I kind of don't care about version 9 anymore. The game will be televised Thursday night at 7pm CDTWarhammer Twitch canal, so be sure to check!

KC Checklist (First Edition 9.)

This time I made some minor changes to the roster based on my Warhammer Fest experience. Also, I cast Toxic Plaguebringer and Vicious Plaguecaster for Typhus, which allows me to benefit from Chaos Lord Aura Reroll 1 and Double Roll Psyker. Unfortunately, with GW rules, it can turn off my ability to use Unrelenting Cunning, so it's a big tradeoff, meaning I'll be more defensive to avoid deep attacks, especially against demons. The good thing is that now I'm back with 4 characters and I haven't dropped the maximum kill points, and one of the characters is harder to kill, has more wounds and saves 2+/4++. I also cut some weapon upgrades to add more Poxwalkers. I keep forgetting to use them on my Terminator champions, so I decided to go with a more reliable option.

KC Death Guard List - Click to Expand

++ Squad Omen Ark (Chaos - Death Guard) [115 PL, 3CP, 2000 Pontos] ++

+ Configuration [6CP] +

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Omen Ark Required Type: Army

Battle Size [6CP]: 3. Attack Strength (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) [6CP]

Squad command cost

Game Type: 5. Approved Chapter: Chest of Omens

Plague Inc.: Relentless

+ HQ [14 PL, 255 points] +

Malignant Plaguecaster [5 PL, 90 pontos]: 1. Plague Miasma, 4. Rotten Vitality, Warlord

Typhus [9 PL, 165 pts]: 2. The Gift of Infectious Disease, 5. The Curse of the Leper

+ Troupe [30 PL, 450 Credits] +

Plague Marines [6 PL, 95 points]
.Plague Warrior [19 pontos]: Plague Knife, Plasma Pistol, Power Fist
.Plague Sailor com Disease Caster [19 pontos]
.Plate sailor with a knife【19 points】
.Plague Sailor with Flail [19 points]
.Plague Marine Corps Special Weapon [19 Points]: Fusion Gun

Plague Marines [6 PL, 95 points]
.Plague Warrior [19 pontos]: Devil Plague Blade, Plasma Pistol
.Plague Sailor with Flail [19 points]
. Plague Marine with Mace and Ax [19点]
. Plague Marine with Plague Spitter [19 points]
Plague Marines Special Weapon [19 points]: Plasma Pistol

Plague Marines [6 PL, 95 points]
.Plague Warrior [19 points]: Devil Plague Blade, Plasma Pistol, Power Fist
.Plague Marines with Rifles [19 points]
. Plague Marine with icon and sigil [19点]
. Plague Marine with Mace and Ax [19点]
Plague Marines Special Weapon [19 points]: Plasma Pistol

Plague Marines [6 PL, 95 points]
.Plague Warrior [19 pontos]: Plague Knife, Plasma Pistol, Power Fist
.Plague Sailor com Disease Caster [19 pontos]
.Plate sailor with a knife【19 points】
.Plague Sailor with Flail [19 points]
.Plague Marine Corps Special Weapon [19 Points]: Fusion Gun

Poxwalkers [6 PL, 70 minutes]
. 14x Poxwalker [70 Points]: 14x Simple Weapons

+ Elite [39 PL, -3CP, 700 points] +

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Blightlord Terminatori [20 PL, -1CP, 400 bodova]
. Blightlord Champion [-1CP, 40pts]：Bubotic Axe, Combi-melta, Kužna lubanja Glothile, Stratagem: Champion of Disease [-1CP]
Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]: Blight Launcher, Bubotic Axe
Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]: Blight Launcher, Bubotic Axe
Blightlord Terminator [40 pontos]: Corrupt Thresher
Blightlord Terminator [40 pontos]: Corrupt Thresher
. Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]：Bubotic Axe，Combi-plasma
. Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]：Bubotic Axe，Combi-plasma
. Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]：Bubotic Axe，Combi-melta
. Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]：Bubotic Axe，Combi-bolter
. Blightlord Terminator [40 bodova]：Bubotic Axe，Combi-bolter

Terminatori s pokrovom smrti [9 PL, 150 bodova]
Campeão Deathshroud [50 pontos]: Bell of Contagion, 2x Plague Outbreak Gloves
. 2x Deathshroud Terminator [100 bodova]: 2x Manreaper, 2x Plaguespurt rukavica

Ful Blightspawn [6 PL, -2CP, 85分]: 4. Arch-Contaminator, Revolting Fedor-vats, Cunning: Gifts of Decay [-1CP], Cunning: Plaguechosen [-1CP], Viscous Death [1 NP, 5 points ] ]

Tallyman [4 PL, 65 bodova]

+ Strong support [24 PL, 435 points] +

Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145 points]: 2x entropy cannon [10 points], Heavy Hitter

Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145 points]: 2x entropy cannon [10 points], Heavy Hitter

Plagueburst Crawler [8 PL, 145 points]: 2x entropy cannon [10 points], Heavy Hitter

+ Exclusive transport [8 PL, 160 points] +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80 points]: Melta Combi, Havoc bacač

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80 points]: Melta Combi, Havoc bacač

There are some mistakes in this list, but it's too late to change them. Ideally, I would trade the Rothail Volley Rifle Charger for more Plague Weapons for the Fleeing Vectors and the Harbingers for their Stratagem with Typhus. Things aren't ideal for Poxwalker either, my gut tells me I can drop to a 2×5 Blightlord or do a 2×5 Deathshroud and spend the remaining Blightlord points on more plague marines, but at this point I'm not playing anymore a 9th edition campaign and pass that we have a deadline, so I have to accept it.

make display boards

Considering the composition of our squad and players, the game will not beimpossible,But this is unlikely. On the other hand, the best overall is definitely something we can change if we get the best result after the first five rounds. As part of that, I'm making a display panel for my Deathguard. Following the method Scott used, I started with a 24×18 inch frame from which I removed the glass and glued the wood planks to the frame. The plan is to integrate the display panel into the frame to create something very light and beautiful. I also added a piece of foam insulation to build an elevated hill section for the army section. The first step here is to play something before starting any clips.

In addition to the foam, I also have four cork boards that I will be using to add a second sunken layer, mixing in some noxious swamp. This should help create extra color. At this point, I most need to know that everything will fit, and it does. There is a little warping on the foam board, it got dented in shipping, but I'll cut that out when I cut the hills. Speaking of which, it's time to turn on the foam cutter.

I cut the foam with pliers - I did this outdoors to avoid any toxic fumes - then it was time to glue everything together. I used Gorilla Glue for this, it's foam safe and doesn't take long to dry. I ended up leaking a lot from one of the seams and didn't have time to do a lot of patching. In the end, your army on the board isn't very visible, so I don't worry about it.

Then it's time to add the first coat of paint to seal the boards. The superglue and spray paint will eat the foam, so I had to make sure it was protected before I got to work. I used a can of gray latex paint that I mixed with Astrogranit Gray a long time ago. That done, I started adding extra details - wrecked barrels and chunks of ground, skulls, spiky ferns, and more.

Then I painted the entire board with PVA glue, and then sanded it with primer. Pour off the excess and let it dry. Once dry, I top it all off with Woodland Scenics Hobby Cement, which is a mix of PVA glue and water in a spray bottle, great for making sure the sand doesn't wash off afterwards. It takes a while to dry, but when I'm done, I can layer it properly. I spray everything with Mechanicus Standard Gray and dry with Celestra Gray.

Finally it was time for the details. The biggest one is the river, which takes less time than you might think. I start by painting with Castellan Green, occasionally adding Mournfang Brown and Death World Forest to the mix - as long as it's still damp - to create a nice green-brown mix. Always do this at the same level to create a sense of fluid movement and flow.

Then it's time to add lighter waves with Deathguard Green and Ogrym Cam, plus lots of little bubbles in Dorn Yellow. This gives you a diverse color palette and lots of interesting details. Finally, I top it all off with Nurgle's Rot, which is basically just a bright green coat. This gives everything a more saturated green hue, as well as making it bright and wet.

Then I add some tufts of grass and only one part remains, which are the trees. They're not too complicated - they're taken from the Twisted Copse field set - plus a third is Feculent Gnarlmaw. This will all be resolved quickly.

The end result is pretty solid, not amazing, but I'm pretty happy with it right now. I may come back and do more with it in the future, but for now it's very satisfying and should match some of the boards my teammates have put together for KC. It barely fits in an army, but it should be a no-brainer in checked luggage, which is the most important part.

Another training game and final preparation

Once the board was complete, I had a relatively small backlog in terms of things to do for the event. I have a Terminator model to paint for events, and a Plague Marine with a meltagun to fill out my list of things I have to track, and 4 more models for live games that I need with the Plague marines with burpers and list of sprayers that I have. It's not too bad - my schematics are easy to draw and build quickly, but I still need to tweak some models a bit to make them look nicer. One such example is my second Rhino, where I added a hand-drawn Death Guard logo on the top door. I also add more detail to my models like PBC where I can paint rivets and enhance highlights.

Finally, on the weekends I have extra time to train my regular sparring partner and KC participant (albeit on a different team) Erik. He runs Daemons, a game that helped me get a good feel for how the military uses Typhus without Blightbringer. The game itself is relatively close - Feeling Vectors is a good choice for its demons - but I played it too far early on and it hurt. It was effectively game over when I managed to screw up a turn kill on Bloodthirsty, and after he made some 7" saves on my finisher, he only took 1 wound.

I started off very aggressive with my PBC and ended up paying the price by having him back off every turn, and it was a far cry from my character trying to kill the bloodthirsty mid-game. It was a relatively close match (Mission: The Purification), but when I failed to kill the thirsty one, he just wiped me out and I ran out of gas. Still, I learned some good lessons and I think I got along pretty well with the Fiends, especially when they made the mistake of running Bloodletters.

Next time: KC Open

That's enough for this post, but join me in a week or two as I write about my KC Open experience. Until then, if you have any questions or feedback, drop us a line in the comments below or email us atPlease contact @goonhammer.com.

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