Getting the hang of It

Our local FLGS, Crossroad Games, is asking we experiment at playing for now using Power Levels as we all get the hang of the new 8th Edition rules.  They plan for a July 80-point tournament for the new Warhammer 40K, and we have about three more weeks till then.

In the mean time, its has been interesting!

I've played three games now as Blood Angels - two on opening day and one this week.  Here is a rundown:

Game 1
Essentially right as I walked in the door!  Picked up my book and walked into a game.  80 Power points of Blood Angels vs Mechanicus. I basically quickly cobbled together what would be a 78 point list - Battalion Detachment (6 command points)

Dante
Sanguinary Priest
Sanguinary Guard
Assault Squad
Assault Squad
Death Company
Tactical Squad, Razorback
Tactical Squad, Razorback
Tactical Squad, Razorback

My opponent had a Kastellan Robot list supported by a crab, snipers, and some real nasty electo-priests.  In this game we were each fighting over an objective placed in each deployment zone.  We were fighting toward a draw, until the last player phase when his Kastellans and Walker took the last wound off the rhino, it exploded, and then he basically through hot dice to put mortal wounds on the character and assault squad there, eliminating the units.  Game ended with my loss, 4:1.  I could not advance on the Kastellans.  72 dice or so in firepower (4 robots, buffed to doubling their firepower). Big mistake for me in the game was that the Electropriests got a charge off on a small depleted tac squad and wiped them out - changing their invulnerable save from 5++ down to 3++.  It then took alot of effort to get rid of them!  My opponent also forget a unit he'd held in reserves.  He had been hoping to get them in on my home objective for the straight up win.  IIRR his Kastellans killed a razorback, death company squad, and sanguinary guard, just by weight of fire.  It just goes to show, LOS blocking terrain is very important.

Game 2
Same day, same list, vs Orks.  This game was alot of fun.  4 objectives, you get points each round for holding objectives.  My opponent started off with a big lead, using cheap grots to hold objectives while our larger units battled each other.  At the end, the Orks had a Morkanought, Battlwagon, and psycher on the table.  I had about half my units remaining but depleted.  I lost the game by 1 point. The score was about 14-13.  Again in this game, in a key combat phase - I had three units of 5 marines plus a razorback in assault with a 30-boy mob.  I took a few losses of infantry, gave a good bloodletting in return, and then the Nob killed off the razorback.  It exploded on a 6, and after the rolls for mortal wounds on each unit - I was down to one sergeant vs 14 or so Orks. Another highlight was the battlewagon literally grinding its deathrolla on another Razorback blocking its way. Somehow that lasted for about three combat phases.  The game also had my razorbacks shoot down a DakkaJet.  The Razorback was blocking the short route to an objective I was holding.  As you may recall, in setting up a game, I always state that tracked or wheeled vehicles cannot climb vertical surfaces - which I think is important.  My opponent COULD have just backed the Battlewagon up and gone a different route, or led with the Morkanought.  

Game 3
The Relic.  Same list.  Vs a Chaos Marine Player.  The relic was on the top of a large pyramid, very thematic.  The deployment had us buth 9 inches from the objective.  My opponent led his demon prince from the front.  I got to go first, and a Sanguinary Guard got the relic.  The game was a slog, and I was able to kill off the Chaos demon prince (shooting), defiler (assault), and mobs of cultists (flamers, shooting, assualts, and chaos bikders (assaults), and psycher character (shooting). We ended after three full turns with me continuing to jump away holding the relic.  My opponent had just a landraider, chaos champion, and a depleted chaos marine squad.  I had just a bunch of depleted squads plus Dante and the Sanguinary Priest. Blood angels for the win! At least in this game now vehicles exploded.

Dante was a pretty good buff and a beast in CC. He survived all three games.

The Sanguinary priest was good, gives a great buff, and actually doubled his value in healing marines each game.  He was toast in Game 1.

Overall, as we were playing using power levels, I got smarter on wargear each game.  By game three, the razorbacks were sporting HK missiles and PMSBs, which clearly helped.

Lets see how tonight goes!

Overall I'm bummed that Blood Angel Assault squads don't have access at the moment to meltaguns. I have to create a bunch more flamer marines though!

All for now!

 



 

Just a speedbump

Well, it was as amazing a fight as any.

1850 - Blood Angels vs Orks, the last game I'll play in 7th Edition.

Standard deployment, 3 maelstrom cards per turn, ability to steal the objective cards from the opponent.

I deployed first, decided to go first.

Apparently I did not know the orks could Waaaaugh! every turn with their detachment of choice.

My opponent had a simple warboss with his 30 bodyguards, three trukks full of boyz, 20 stormboyz, 3 groups of 5 Lootas, a trukk full of heavy armored boyz, and a bucket of grots.  Something like 160 models in total.

I had just 40 models...

Here are the photos.

 Setup underway

I'm deployed.

Oks and 

Orks

Furioso drops in on the right to flame trucks full of boyz.  About 12 boyz and a hull point for the effort.  

Wauugh! Charge right into the center. Walk, run, charge with reroll. Nasty.  I was only about 22 inches apart - apparently easy for the orks to get that far when juiced up on Waugh. 

Furioso was charged too.  More damage, but gone. 

Turn 2 reinforcements arrive, get charged. The drop pod would explode and take out 4 marines and 8 or more orks in the explosion. 

Consolidating, flaming, more orks off the table.  

Bottom of turn 3. It is getting pretty thin, but the fight goes on. 

Beginning on Turn 5.  I'm down to Dante and no other survivors.  

Grots just hanging out and looting stuff.

Overall, I'd whittled the orks to about half of their numbers, and all I had left was Dante.  The score at the end was about 13 to 6.  

The biggest mistake on my part was just moving forward in the center - although that probably just would have slowed the outcome a turn.  About the time I'd dealt with the first wave (4 mobz and trukks), the second wave hit (warboss, his 30-boy mob, and the 5 mega-armored nobz). 

We mused at the end how the orks might have a harder time with vehicles in 8th edition. Other than that, they should get very happy! 

All for now!

Till 8th!

     

I am the Windshield

Or the bug?  I dunno.

Tonight is my last 7th edition game.

Blood Angels vs Orks.

Against my long term nemesis.

I'll likely use the same list as last week, because I've been lazy.

Dante
Sanguinary Guard
Sanguinary Priest
Assault Squad
Assault Squad
Furioso Dread, Pod
Death Co Dread, Pod
Tac Squad, Las-Plas Razorback
Tac Squad, Las-Plas Razorback
Baal Pred
Baal Pred
(49 models)

My opponent will likely have something like 150 orks, including shooty ones, Kans, Trukks, Nobz, grotz, jumpy ones, the entire kitchen sink.

I'll be outnumbered like 3:1 or more.

Been there before.

I'm not going down without a fight!

He'll try to just keep me in a corner and assault the crap out of me.

I'll just spread him out, keep him guessing where to head next.  Make him make a bunch of fear tests...

LOL, its gonna been fun! (Tragic but fun).

Eye of Terror Candy

Just getting some game shots from this Spring off my phone....

1000 Point force...probably my last 7th Edition Tournament day...2 wins, 1 loss.  The loss was to a kid playing Genestealer cult min-maxed with demo charges.  He's pop units off the table at the end of a turn and make them reappear, roll on the chart, try to get them danger close, plus summon more...The other two games were a lot more fun...I ended the date in the middle of the pack. Probably the first time I had used Dante in a tournament list...if his stats prove worthy in 8th I'll continue that...unless I drop everything and run to the shiny new Ultramarines and Roboute the Primarch Reborn.

OMG...Orks...swarming around Thor's (from Creative Twilight) biker...

More Orks...

Photo from some random game I lost vs the new Yinaeri Eldar.  IIRR I was wiped off the map.

Earlier in the game (deployment...)

Some other earlier game.  Vs. Necrons...IIRR I won by a point...or lost horribly.  I think at the end I was trying to beat his Necron warlord and failed...its fuzzy...His double formation / detachment allowed him to put scarabs and warrior units back into the game...sort of a never ending swarm...I won't miss that detachment...

Chaossssss.s.....s..s.ss.sss......

Chaos from above.....

Well...that's all I have.

8th edition now has a pre-order date, and today i started to see leaked pages from the rulebook hitting the web.  A lot of people are excited. I'm looking forward to it.  Just lamenting all the cards and books I bought for 7th edition. I am getting the bug to get back down into my own "beats lab" and get some unopened models built and painted...it looks to be a great summer!

MING

 

Most Tyranid Players are Babies

Just wanted to say that.

I've known some great Tyranid players in my time.  The great ones show up, and in a totally bug-trance state just consume your army and win, then move to the next table.  Repeat. They understand the concept with emotionless candor, that bugs should play as bugs.  The more bugs the better. A few large flying bugs is just a point sink from getting you more / dozens of additional bugs. A few bugs creating distractions or improved cover.  Fast bugs to pin you down.  Big bugs to destroy you.  Other bugs that make more bugs. They hit your army in a tidal wave.  They don't really care for cover, nothing.  In Maelstrom games they don't even care for objectives.  They control the pace of the game and their huge swarms just gain ground. Opponents just react to them. Recoil from them.

Bad to mediocre Tyranid players are more common though.  They whine. They always complain they can't win. They always complain that their army lists all look the same. Right now you will see them comment on forums about their hates for the current 40K edition and their dreams for 8th.

I thought about being a Tyranid player.  Once. Painted about a baker's dozen of Genestealers. Then decided to go back to the more human-side of the game.  After all, even though I know that bugs can win and be awesome and fearful to behold, I just cannot connect with them. Psychologically I cannot make the bugs win. I hate bugs.

In real life, I go out of my way to crush ants.  Use pesticides on their nests.  Or better yet, drown them with water.  Flood the nest with a hose.  One of the best things I ever saw was those videos of guys pouring molten aluminum down into ant nests and after all the hissing and popping stops, digging up the mass of aluminum as art.  Shiny and chrome.

Its why I have no empathy for the bad to mediocre Tyranid players.  Tyranids have no real characters.  They have no history.  They have no real background.  They fight for nothing other than to consume carbon-based life.  Remember every Hive Tyrant, no matter how awesome, at the end of that planetary invasion just itself wades into a digestion pool and gives its biomass back to the hive fleet.  Its genetic material and carbon transferred to space and eventually turned back into something else.  It is that cold fact that some Tyranid players embrace.

I'd say that the ideal Tyranid player, after winning a tournament, would just destroy their army and start over.  Recycle the plastic. Go to the FLGS. Buy new boxes. Start over. Glue. Airbrush.  Paint eyes, claws. Teeth.  Invasion.

Overall, even the great Tyranid players stop playing Tyranids.  I think it is because of the monotony of their success.  Without fluff, without history, consuming can only get you so far.  Some go on to play Demon armies.  Some go on to play orks.  Some just quit active play and hide in the background, looking for a new reason to rise and come forward, deploying their hordes to the table again.

Will 8th Edition bring the great ones back out?  Time will tell.

MING




  



 

 

Blood Angels FTW

As we get closer to the dramatic changes that will be 8th Edition, I'm still getting in a game here and there.

This last week I got in a game using my Blood Angels against a combined (new formation) of mixed Black Templars plus Ultramarines at 1000 points.

The local FLGS has been pushing 1000 points as a entry level size, capping this coming weekend with a three-game tournament.

OPFOR
BT Emperor's Champion (WL)
BT Terminators (5), all TH/SS
BT Landraider Crusader
UM Techmarine, Bike
UM Tac Squad, 3, MG, Bikes
UM Tac Squad, 3, MG, Bikes
UM Tac Squad, 3, MG, Bikes

The benefit of the detachment is that when any of the Tac Bikers are removed from play, on a roll of 5+ (or so), they go into ongoing reserves.

Blood Angels (CAD)
Dante (LOW, WL)
Sanguinary Priest, PAxe, Jump pack
Sanguinary Guard, 5, 2xPF, 2xIP
Furioso Dreadnought, frag cannon, DCCW, HF, Drop Pod
Tac Squad, 5, FL, Las-plas Razorback
Tac Squad, 5, FL, Las-plas Razorback

Mission
We played maelstrom #5 - 3 hidden mission cards, etc.

Overall, it was a fun game. Dante's tactical warlord trait was to get an extra maelstrom card on turn 1, which did not help much. I deployed just the razorback squads (objective secured as a CAD).  Dante and the rest were kept in reserves.  My opponent deployed everything.  The terrain was hills and wood, with a river bisecting the table at an angle, and a bridge across the center.  The river was deemed shallow, and only difficult (not dangerous) terrain.

On turn 1, I might have scored a point for an objective in my deployment zone.  The pod slammed down in the far right, near two bike squads and the river.  The dread's frag cannon and HF killed off three bikers.  My opponent then reacted by wrecking the drop pod and shaking the dread.

Turn 2 saw Dante and his retinue drop in on the left flank, but deviated the full 6 inches away from the BT Landraider.  The Dread assaulted the nearest biker squad and eliminated it.  In response, the BT landraider spins around and the Champion and terminators dismount, ultimately charging Dante's group.  After the assault, I'm down to Dante and one SG, and the BT's are down to 4 terminators.  Dante uses hit and run to get away. On the right flank, the Dread gets wrecked from MG/MM fire.

Turn 3 and I send Dante towards the center, while shooting up some bikers.  Dante eliminates the techmarine biker.  Two previously eliminated UM biker squads come back in from reserves.  I eliminate another UM biker squad, and they fail their come back roll.  Dante and his SG buddy weather the wrath of the Crusader.

Turn 4 and I get Dante and SG behind a building on my right flank, to start heading up the table.  The OPFOR has a biker squad getting over the river on my left flank, and into assault with the razorback there, wrecking it.  The BT landraider (and terminators) gallop back into the BT deployment zone to help score some points. It is a tie game.

Turn 5-7 We keep on fighting.  Eventually Dante is in the OPFOR deployment zone.

Blood Angels win with a score of approx. 13 to 12.  

 Learning moment of the game:  5 SG are no match for 5 TH/SS Terminators...





  

Roboute? Is that You?

Hey there faithful / faithless readers!

As Spring encroaches ever more and ski season comes to its annual conclusion, I have been able to get some 40K games back on the schedule!  Throughout the Winter time, I have been dutifully reading White Dwarf magazine (returning to the best again in its updated format), and picking up the new Campaign Supplements as quickly as they get published.

As for the latest of the books, it is awesome to see conclusion of this three book set.  Of course, the writers (again) jump the shark with tales of huge losses and compressed time scales that border on the "not well mapped out".  It is awesome to see the Ultramarines 3rd Company engaged and great photos.  And ultimately, Roboute Guilliman is healed from stasis and returns as a living Primarch to the game system.

Of course, I am going to get Roboute as a model, and soon will have him on the tabletop for battle. If you are a pro-painter, and want a commission, just let me know how much a Roboute commission would be, and maybe I'll get back to you!  As a centerpiece model, he'd be awesome for your portfolio and my travel case! As you know I can paint my own stuff to table top goodness pretty quickly, but sometimes you just need to consider the alternative!

One of the issues that immediately arises is how RG will show up in games.  Since apparently 40K is losing its "constraints" we now see all of these new characters seemingly able to join in other factions as replacement HQs/MCs/WLs.  That will ultimately be crazy.  Example - within hours of the model's release, my favorite characters at the Long War were podcasting list ideas having RG accompany a Spacewolf CAD mostly full of wolves.  Later on, after they might have added some thinking to it, they came up with list ideas having RG in an Ultramarines CAD with Tigurius in a conclave, all to make him into a teleported/shunted/invisible bludgeon that crashes into the opponent on turn 2.

At my local FLGS, I have only seen one player with the model...(so far)....

I worked to get paired with him for club night, in part to get in a game with an old friend, but also to see RG in action!!!

1500 Points - Maelstrom, Contact Lost
Blood Angels vs Ultramarines

I used "an older list" - euphamistically named Fratris Rev2:
(Nothing says I can hurt you like a Baal Strike Force)

Librarian, Warlord, level 2, FS, PP, JP
Sanguinary Priest, PAxe, JP

Sanguinary Guard (5), PFs(2), Angelus Boltguns(3), Encarmine Swords(3), Infernous Pistols(2), Death Masks, JPs

Death Company (6), PAxe, PF, PS, JPs

Assault Squad (5), 2 MG, MB, Drop Pod, SB

Assault Squad (10), Veteran sergeant, PF, Infernous, 2MG, JPs

Tac Squad (5), FL, Baal Razorback w/ Las-Plas

Tac Squad (5), FL, Baal Razorback w/ Las-Plas

Predator, TLAutoC, HB Sponsons

Baal Pred, TLAssCan, HB Sponsons

So yeah, the purpose of this all-comers list is to get in to assault you, with a few small fast units to get objectives. My warlord trait was useless (BA#6) for this game.  Librarian Spells were from the Sanguinary deck - Quickening, Shield, and Wings.

OPFOR - Ultramarines CAD

MC - Roboute Guilliman / Warlord

HQ - Chapter Master w/ PS, orb bom

Elite - Sternguard (5), double melta, PS, Drop Pod
Elite - Sternguard (5), double grav, PS, Drop Pod

Tactical (10), PG, PC, one marine as the SM special marine swap-in.
Tactical (10), PG, PC

Heavy - Whirlwind Scorpius

Heavy - Sicaran w/ HB Sponsons

Heavy - Dev Squad, 2xPC

Terrain was an ice planet with a few ruins.  One objective was placed on a hill near center - the others were all placed around, most in the open or on a hill.  The Blood Angels won the roll to choose sides, and grabbed the side with the most objectives.  The Ultramarines set up first, and went first.  The Ultramarines deployed with RG in the center, the Scorpius opposite the BA lef, and the remainder of the force concentrated on the BA right.

Strategic decision - I decided to hold the jump pack units all in reserves.  The reason being, I figured that until the scorpius was eliminated, nothing was safe from its 1+D3 AP3 small blast templates.  At that point, I should have just decided to come in from the deployment edge rather than Deep Strike, but did not with consequences to come.

Strategic decision - I decided to keep away from RG.  There is no reasonable way to eliminate that model from play. He is slow, the opponent has no way to make him move faster.

Turn 1
The Ultramarines MG / pod squad came in on my far right flank to pop the tac squad's razorback. First blood.  He also damaged/immobilized his Sicaran on a hill, and also damaged/immob'd my predator and damaged the leftmost razorback.  My rightmost squad's razzorback was exploded and the squad pinned. RG stomped his way towards the center. One point for an objective.

In response, I dropped my pod at the Scorpius on an objective.  The MG squad dismounted.  Scorpius exploded. Shuffled other stuff about a bit.  Shot a few rounds here and there.  Scored an objective - score is now 2:1.

Turn 2
The other Grav-Stern Pod squad comes in...deviates off the board and the Mishap result has me place it in the far upper right corner.  RG continues to stompo towards the center.  On the far right, the MG Stern line up to charge my dismounted troops.  Charge goes in, we are stuck in combat.  Both sergeants kill each other. Scores an objective point.

The BA 10-man assault squad arives from reserves.  I drop it opposite of the left-most UM tac squad, hoping to wipe them out or break them.  I cause casualties but they fail to break...still has the PC. Crap. I score nothing.  Score is now 3:1.

Turn 3
UMs reposition, RG holding the center.  Attention is placed on my assault squad (10) and podded assault squad.  In the end of shooting, I've lost 8 assault marines. In the far right, I lose assault with the Sternguard, but we are still holding.  RG uses fleet to pull off an 11-inch charge to reach the assault squad - wipes them out with the Emperoro's blade at I6.  The UMs score about 5 points - Assendancy and others.  On my turn, the Librarian/Sanguinary Priest/Guard deep strike at a great location on the right flank.  I deviate onto the ongoing combat.  Mishap roll of 1.  420 points of army just evaporates. Crap.  The death company comes in to the same exact spot.  Sticks the landing. In the shooting phase I finish off the UM tac squad, and I can see RG is itching to head after the isolated units remaining on that table half.  I score maybe 2 points for objectives. Score is now 9:3 (including STWL for the UMs due to my mishap).

Turn 4
RG lines up to crush my drop pod, other units move forward to try and lock down or engage the death company.  I lose the drop pod in assault, and just one DC marine.  On my turn, I move up to clear the last sternguard from my depluyment zone, and my remaining assault marines head for the far left corner, away from RG.  Other shooting does some damage but not much.  The DC kills the remaining sternguard in assault, and moves to cover awaiting the UM response. Score is like 10:4.

Turn 5
RG moves to the upper left but fails the charge on the 2 hidden assault marines.  The Chapter Master of the UMs drops his Orbital Bombardment template on the DC - it deviates a bit and I lose two.  4 DC remain.  No points scored.  My DC advance to attack the nearest (other) tac squad.  Shooting support and such sees them wiped out in the assault phase.  With that and a few other objectives (assendancy).  The score is now 10:7.

We both get linebreaker as the game ends.  11:8.  Ultramarines win.

Overall, it was a fun, fast paced game. Underall, it sucked to lose nearly a third of my force to a mishap. Had that dice been different, the game could have reached a different conclusion!

It was cool to play in a game vs RG. That said, My opponent could have been much more aggressive with the model!  And yes, I did shoot at RG when there were no other targets, but he made every saving throw. Good win for the Ultramarines!

Overall, I still think this list for Blood Angels is a good one.  I just got to get better at playing it right! That said, when do I start playing UMs again?  Soon....maybe....

MING