Game Year Wrap-Up

For you who have been reading my blog over the years, you may remember that I benchmark the start of the gaming year at August 15+/-, coinciding with what had been the former, long ago, mythical HardBoyz tournament prelims.  The following is my W/D/L record for the past five years.

2014-2015 Record for Third Company Ultras/5th Company Blood Angels:

25 Wins 4 draws 9 Losses
2013-2014 Record for Third Company: 19 Wins 1 Draws 11 Losses
2012-2013 Record for Third Company: 21 wins 3 Draws 17 Losses
2011-2012 Record for Third Company: 18 Wins 7 Draws 15 Losses
2010-2011 Record for Third Company: 35 Wins 10 Draws 30 Losses

As last year's blog post, I have normalized each year to get a measure of improvement, giving a win 3 quality points, a draw as 2 quality points, and a loss as 1 quality point. The game year averages then become:

2014-2015 QPS = 2.421
2013-2014 QPS = 2.258
2012-2013 QPs = 2.097
2011-2012 QPs = 2.075
2010-2011 QPs = 2.066

The first thing that really sticks out is that I'm average (Still a solid "2") and still improving. Pretty much on average every game could have been a win at this point. Anyone reading my reports could come up with the same conclusion.  Most of my games can hinge over a single deciding point or set of dice results (or draw of a maelstrom tactical objective card), which remains for me, pretty cool.  I'd rather have fun games than one-sided struggles.

Another way to normalize the data is as percentages:

2014-2015 = 66% W; 10%D; 24% L
2013-2014 = 61% W; 3% D; 36% L
2012-2013 = 51% W; 7% D; 41% L
2011-2012 = 45% W; 18% D; 38% L
2010-2011 = 47% W; 13% D; 40% L

One aspect of the numbers above is not apparent...I'm still playing in fewer tournament games (similar to the prior year).  Things have been really busy and keeping me away from local events.  Another factor not included is that some of the people I considered some of the best in the game - are not playing 40K at all. On the other hand, maybe I am playing better with Blood Angels than I can have imagined...

One aspect of course that I'm enjoying is that in 7th Edition 40K is that my Blood Angels and Ultramarines have proven to be really good with Maelstrom Missions, and the game sizes have been somewhat smaller (1500 to 1850 points in size).  Of course that is also more of a qualitative observation than something I've collected data on.

Another aspect is that there have been a few rare new players coming in, and frankly I hate to try to beat them in friendly games.  Case in point...

Photos from the LAST GAME of my Gaming Year!

Yep! The Blood Angels find Necrons infesting a Calth-class planet.  I'm using the same list as the last few games - I've deployed here, just the preds and razorbacks and DC.  Everything else is in reserves! Notice I went deployed just on the wings.  The Necrons emerged from the ice in a long, thin, metallic line...the mission was the maelstrom version where you only get cards for the number of objectives you hold...Necrons went first.  I wanted to see where they'd go...My opponents were a father-son pair - the dad wanted to learn how to play 40K, and the son had an experience necron list.  I just wanted to make sure everyone had fun!

The necrons saw I had three units on my right flank - so their army moved in that direction.  The C'Tan and the Ark (carrying the praetorians and Overlord) would eventually lead the attack on my right flank...which is what I thought might happen...

      Bam...down slams the pod on the left flank.  At this point, I'd lost one predator - if anything, I should have hiddent them behind cover better on deployment, but my objective in this game was to have fun!  The pod has a deathstorm launcher and beacon.  It landed next to an objective and the Triarch Stalker...

Into turn 2...the necron's flyer arrives from reserves, and the Necrons are still mostly fixated on my right flank.  The death company was restrained as bait behind cover...

Bam Bam BAM! In comes the Angels Wrath formation!  Nothing like dropping in 27 assault-ready marines on your flank...

Turn 4...The necrons had actually assaulted the death company and eliminated them, but by then my Razorback and demi-tac squad were already someplace else (the center) to grab objective points. The Necrons on my left flank were getting the "we won't be back" treatment...the Angel's wrath formation started rolling up the flank while everyone else looked for points.  I actually had been behind in points till now...

I would have liked to seen this assault completely played out...

Last photo before my opponents called the game due to time constraints...we ended as a DRAW! Tie game!  Overall, it was a great time, and not only did we talk alot about how the game is played, we also talked about how tactics come into play (like building a trap and getting the opponent to go off in the wrong direction).

Well, it was an AWESOME gaming year - my best since I've been tracking them!

Am looking forward to my next game...might be time to use the Ultramarines battle company...

E Tenebrae Lux Vow Results

Just thought I'd re-share these all here. My pledge over at Bolter and Chainsword was to paint 600 points of models...but instead I used it as an opportunity to get a bunch of additional stuff done!

My pledge was for Chaplain Lemartes, a Snguinary Priest, 5 Vanguard, and 5 Assault Marines.  But then this happened - 16 additional assault marines...

This is my Lemartes counts-as.  It is the older, heavy, all metal model.  Not bad, makes a great Lemartes.  The model was tricky - even after priming and dry brushing, the model still kept showing flashing and mold lines.  I think its at the point where I might be able to hilight more and more details with time to make the model stand out better.  You can't see them from here...but wings and other details were added.

One thing I realized at the end is that I have way more assault marines painted than the 5th Company Blood Angels allow.  So - these two squads may be assigned to 6th Company.  I'll have to start painting a bunch of small, green teardrops on the pauldrons...this sergeant has an axe taken from the Sanguinary Guard box, and other details to make him fancier and heading the way up to first company or the Sanguinary Guard...

Both squads have melta.  But based on recent games, I'm thinking I need to get more plasma...About half the guys have metal blood angel shoulder pads, the others have plastic "sanguinius" shoulder pads.

The Sanguinary has a power axe and an auspex - probably more valuable than a pistol...

These guys have been fun to get into games so far!  Dangerous, deadly, shiny...

Hope you enjoyed the shots.  Look for them in future battle reports!

For all the hours, I earned this:

Plasma Miasma, or, playing vs the new Dark Angels

I played my Blood Angels vs the new Dark Angels last night.

I Lost.

I loved it.

It is better to have lost and loved than to never have lost at all?

The cool thing about the Dark Angels is their total access to plasma weaponry - it was so iconic!  It hearkens back to the day in the original 40K artwork where we see hordes of dark green armored Astartes tearing around just pouring plasma fire onto their enemies.  I love it when the opponent's army list is so cool and fluffy. There was certainly some learning to get from this match-up!

On to the pictures!

Here is the 5th Company Blood Angels - Shield of Ball Detachment and Angels Wrath Formation.  we were going to play at 2,000 points, Maelstrom Mission #3 (escalating tactical cards).  My warlord, Angelus, as warlord, rolled up having rampage.  Overall, this list was just what I had lying around for 2,000 points, its not optimum - I'd merely expanded upward from 1850 by adding a DC dread (with no pod) and a melta bomb on a sergeant.  

Here is the OPFOR - its actually three Dark Angel unit groups:

Formation #1 - There are two biker squads of Black Knights (plasma and grenade launcher), a Dark Angel Biker Command Squad (plasma where possible), and Samael's Landspeeder, 2 attack bikes.

Dark Angels demi-company Detachment - led by a Chaplain (acting as the warlord), a plasma gunned (3) command squad in a Rhino, a demi-plasma cannon (3) squad, three tactical squads (2 podded, one in a Rhino) - all with plasma gun / plasma pistol where allowed, and a veteran squad (plasma...) in a pod, and a jump-pack assault squad with plasma.

Formation #2 - Landspeeder a plasma-gunned bike squad.

   

Here we are after deployment...I have too unit groups in reserves - the podded assault squad and the entire Angels Wrath formation plus Angelus and Marus (the Sanguinary Priest).  I set up first - my opponent was to go first.  My deployment anticipated his reserves of podded units coming in to my deployment zone...what I did not know was that his biker units and Samael ALL had outflank...Otherwise I'd have maybe deployed differently (like strong to my right).  I had placed the vehicles to protect their rears and maybe force the opponent back a bit - which was nice for defending against shorter range melta but not plasma...My opponent reserves everything but foot-bound devs and rhino-carried squads.  His Devs were set too far back, and other than acting as a threat played no major combat role in the game.     

Here we are more or less at the end of turn 1.  I was feeling pretty good, the score was 0-2.  The OPFOR's podded units took about 17 MEQs as casulalaties, and I'd lost 3 DC marines and a hull point or so on razorbacks. My biggest failures were missing the assault by the DC on some broken DA tacticals, and that my own podded meltacide squad had deviated away from its intended target.    

Here we are at the end of turn 2.  My opponent's reinforcements had arrived by outflanking and thing went bad quickly!  I lost my Baals, and for all my effort, my opponent survived my responses due to the ability to cook up 3+ jink saves, and ability to overwatch at a 5+ or regular BS per the DA special rules.   

Here is just another shot - Angel's Wrath came down.  Angelus whiffed all of his Psychic powers.  For whatever reason, I just could not take down the solo tac marine lurking in front of my damaged razorback, or the attack bike.  Those little issues became bigger...I did finish off one tac squad - using the DC dread to do it, and shooting took out the DA jump pack assault squad.  

This is around the middle of Turn 4.  The score is about 3-5.  I still cannot kill off the last attack bike, and in a combined assault, I'd wrecked the landspeeder, but failed to take out that last surviving tac marine (who'd wrecked the razorback earlier in the turn).  Off in the distance, my assault squad was stuck in HTH with a tac squad, and Angelus, Marus, and the Vanguard were rushing that way.    

I tried to take out the Chaplain's Rhino, whiffed it, and then got a plasma shower. 

Turn 5 nearing the end.  Angelus and Marus, the Vanguard, were all taken down by plasma fire.  

I called the game at the end of turn 5.  Final score - 9 to 3.  

    My opponent had about 23 different plasma weapons in his list, some twin linked.  Plasma hurts.

Things I could have done better were to recognize how much plasma fire was there and react accordingly.  I might also have been able to use my assault units more carefully to make sure they had cover, or concentrate them better to finish off opponent units.  I wasted a lot of dice trying to address some of his units, either through my bad attack/wound rolls, or his great saves.

I'm already looking forward to the next game!

 

An Untappd Life

I've been away on a short vacation.  During that time I brought nothing related to Games Workshops' IP. I read nothing and did nothing 40K related.  But I did pursue my other hobbies - surf fishing and beer.

Soon (late August) will be the time I review my 40K gaming year.

Now is the time I can review my beer drinking year.

I use the APP called UNTAPPD to keep track.  It is really cool, and I get badges as rewards for beer exploration.

In the past year (or as long as I've used the APP), I have checked in 229 times.  I've drank 160 DIFFERENT beers.  I've been awarded 94 badges for my efforts.  

Badges have various levels, usually based on getting another 5 beers in that category.  The badge I've progressed on the most is "Land of the Free" (I'm at level 29).  You get that one for drinking distinct different American beers.

My favorite badge is..."Drinking Your Paycheck" which I'm not sure how I earned...maybe beers on Friday?  Who knows.

Maybe my next badge will be "Weekday Warrior"?

Anyway, its back to 40K.  I still need to get my E Tenebrae Lux pledge completed.  I was working on that last night - painting Blood Angels.  Tonight is "Club Night" so i hope to get a game in and maybe start some talk on scheduling and getting commitments for the Standish Standoff (Tournament) event to be held in the Fall.

Happy Drinking!

But then again - remember its just a hobby:

 

A day in the life of Epistolary Angelus

Epistolary Angelus reveled in the midnight hour.  He liked this time best, because the night was usually the quietest and calmest of times.  The lack of nearby active mental activity from the surrounding environs, and the usual silence except for the slow cooling ticks given off by engines and gun barrels made for a good and soothing time for meditation and review.  On the distant horizon, far to the east, the dark night sky was slowly starting to turn from starlit black to deep blue, as the sun for this planet would soon begin to rise to another day at this location.  

Angelus mused, that with enough speed, the Battlebarge above could orbit this planet at a location yielding a perpetual dawn and no night at all, or in the shadow of this world stay suspended in perpetual midnight.  Even here on the planet surface, midnight was a qualitative event - that only meant something for that moment in time for that location.  It was something that the few planet-bound citizens for whom the Blood Angels fought, could ever realize.  In space, there was no real midnight, dawn or dusk. Only the march of time.  

Just before nautical dawn - or the point of time at which the sun would begin its rise above the horizon at this point on the planet surface, Angelus, Sanguinary Marus, a squad of First Company Vanguard, and two 5th Company assault squads boarded their Thunderhawk gunships for the transit back to the battle barge.  Sanguinary Marus made the sign of the Aquilla across his chest plate and he walked past the small shrine at the boarding ramp.  Angelus followed.  On board, servitors advanced to each Space Marine and conducted their service protocols, re-arming each Space marine with bolter ammunition, battery and power packs, grenades, liquids, coolants, nutrient supplements, and removed waste products and spent materials. Angelus removed his helm and jump pack and advanced to a table set off the side of the seating area for a brief repast.  Rare beef, cakes, and deep red wine.

Some time later, the Thunderhawk was clamped within the hold of the battlebarge.  Angelus, Marus, and the senior Vanguard marine had dismounted, walking briskly across the Hangar deck to Tactical Command. There, they received their briefing on "yesterday's" actions and successes.  Renegade Space Marines were the opponents here, some form of dark armored machine cult.  The goal was to finally break the remaining renegade force, and collect the survivors for the Inquisition.  

Within the hour, Angelus, Marus, the Vanguard, and two assault squads were back in their Thunderhawks, ready for a deep strike insertion by jump pack.  Nearby was an assault squad in drop pod, ready to discharge from the Barge's hull at a moment's notice.  

At the solar maximum over the insertion point, the battlebarge fired the drop pod at the planet surface.  In a wrecked industrial facility below, the ground element of 5th Company was fixing in place the renegades.  The drop pod, descending from space, was maneuvering to keep itself within the corona of the sun, so that its approach would be masked from intercepting fire.  Right before impact, at the rear of the renegade line, retros fired and the pod slammed down.  The beacon immediately began send its signal as the assault marines dismounted to protect the beacon.  

Angelus' Angels of Wrath formation approached the drop zone.  Angelus reviewed the tactical situation on the ground through his helmet pic-cam.  The 5th Company below had fixed the enemy and had advanced, but at the cost of damage to several predators and razorbacks.  Angelus noticed that the renegade command were on bikes, grouped around a cadre of three ancient dreadnoughts.  With barely a thought, Angelus changed the insertion point from near the drop pod, to a clear area immediately adjacent to the renegade command.  

With a huge rushing roar, all of the Blood Angels ran out of the zooming Thunderhawks, each firing their jump packs as they cleared the spacecraft.  Angelus, Marus and the Vanguard slammed down, fairly close to the intended coordinates, immediately followed by the assault squads. Their meteoric appearance seemed to surprise the renegades further.  Angelus and the vanguard powered up their weapons immediately, shooting into the dreadnoughts as their primary target.  The dreadnought, with its back to the arriving marines, was wrecked.  One assault squad went after a nearby transport, while the other assault marines began to shoot into the other two dreadnoughts.  

The renegade command squad on bikes appeared bent on getting distance between then and Angelus' strike force, zooming off towards the advancing 5th Company units.  In the mean time, the remaining dreadnoughts, nearby renegade tactical marines, and nearby centurion fire support team put all their firepower onto the Angels of Wrath units, and immediate casualties climbed rapidly.  Angelus realized the Centurions, something the Blood Angels did not field, were the next most dangerous unit, and immediately targeted them the Vanguard and half of the assaulting units. But first, renegade marines were in their way, and Angelus and the Vanguard, their battle lust rising, hacked them all to oblivion.  Nearby, combined fire from the advancing 5th Company and one of the assault squads, wrecked the remaining two dreadnoughts.  Death Company marines advanced maniacally towards the renegade command bikers.  

Grav cannon fire from the centurions caused Angelus and his assault elements casualties for every meter.  Calling on his warp-powered archane magiks, Angelus boosted the fighting might of the assault element and they charged into the Centurions from three different angles.  The Centurions tried to blunt the assaults, but were taken down quickly.  Their massive powered suits were no match for the rapid, skilled, and furious blood angels. 

With the shock of the assault spreading through the renegades, the command bikers seemingly gave up the fight and advanced towards Angelus.  The knew what the outcome would be, should they continue to fight, and for these renegades, life was better than the alternative.  With a salute, the bikers, including their captain, dismounted from their bikes, and removed their helmets.  

Angelus's strike force accepted the surrender of the renegades.  Soon, a large shuttle appeared on the horizon, a swift, blocky shuttle in the colors of the Holy inquisition.  With little fanfare or conversation, the renegades were marched under guard to the shuttle, and soon the Inquisitorial units left with the captured renegades to parts unknown.  Al the while, Marus and his medical servitors tended to the wounded, and offered the Emperor's Grace to those sorely wounded renegades yet alive on the field.  

In the distance, the sun had reached its xenith and began to sink below the horizon.  In the coming dusk, Angelus would send of his reports, review the day's events, meet with local planetary leaders, and prepare to depart the surface to return to the barge in space above.  As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Angelus faced the sun, and made the sign of the Aquilla.  Again, the Emperor Protects, he thought.  Work to do, Angelus moved of to the nearest Razorback to check on repairs...soon, the night would come, with his favored calm and silence.     

        

       

Blood for the Fish God

Librarian Angelus watched the live Vid feed on his helmet screen.  The ground forces he'd been training with back on Baal at the Mordheim Training Grounds were going to get destroyed if this mission became unraveled.  Angelus was traveling in the Crimson Spectre - one of the five Stormravens at his disposal - the five craft - at high altitude, were moving swiftly towards the battle zone, and a high altitude jump pack insertion was required due to the anti-aircraft fire accuracy of the Tau forces below.  Besides himself and Sanguinary Priest Marus, there were 25 additional jump marines - including 5 Vanguard from First Company.  The Vanguard would lead a precision drop, themselves guided, hopefully, by a beacon below, on the flank of the Tau.  7th and 8th Squad assault marines from 5th Company would also make the jump, guided in by the Vanguard.  The assault element would then roll up the Tau gunline.  A green light flashed in the hull of the Stormraven, and the door ramps began to open...below, the battle was fully underway....

Maelstrom Mission #2 - Lost Contact -  1850 Points
Terrain - Fractured ice planet.  All hills of ice would be considered difficult terrain (dangerous to jump packs), but offer no real cover except where blocking LOS (5+).  The few structures would also provide LOS blocking, and the tops of the two Bastions could have 4+ cover.  One area of rubble was the only other 4+ terrain on the table.    Where as I placed objectives around in open areas, my opponent was content to place them on the top of the icy spires.

OPFOR - Tau Xenos - Combined Arms Detachment
See the following picture for details - the Tau include Longstreet, a Riptide, two groups of Kroot, battlesuits, drones galore, a heavily armed flyer, pathfinders, firewarriors, and skimmer tanks.  Most of the Tau infantry sported blind grenades, and the vehicles sported anti-assault upgrades.  The Riptide itself sported the ability to pull off a FNP roll and an invulnerable save.  All of his troop units and dedicated transports were objective secured.

5th Company Blood Angels - Shield of Baal Detachment and Angels Wrath Formation
This list is a first draft of why I'm painting more marines for the E Tenebrae Lux over at Bolter and Chainsword.

Shield of Baal Detachment
Epistolary Angelus, Force Sword, PP, jump pack (Warlord)
Sanguinary Priest Marus, PAxe, Auspex, jump pack
Assault Squad, 5, 2xMG, 1 MB, Drop Pod, Deathwind, Beacon
Death Company, 6, PF, PSword
Tactical Squad, 5, FL, Las-Plas Razorback / w PMSB
Tactical Squad, 5, FL, Las-Plas Razorback / w PMSB

Baal Predator Crimson Blade, TLAssCan, HB Sponsons

Baal Predator Crimson Hammer, TLAssCan, HB Sponsons

Angels Wrath Formation
Vanguard (5), 4x twin Lightning Claws, 1 x Thunderhammer, jump packs
Assault Squad, 10, 2xMG, 1 IP, PAxe, jump packs
Assault Squad, 10, 2xMG, 1 IP, PAxe, jump packs

Warlord trait: XXXXX - the plasma pistol becomes twin linked.

Sanguinary Spells:

My opponent won the roll to choose deployment edge.  I won the roll to deploy first and go first.

I deployed with Angelus and Marus attached to the Vanguard in reserves (with the full Angels Wrath Formation).  The two Baal predators had been deployed with the Death Company and Squad 1 on my far left to head towards a cluster of three objectives; Squad 2 was deployed on my right to be near an objective and get good cover.  In response, the Tau deployed in a solid gun line; Crisis/suits and warlord opposite my Baals, pathfinders in the center, Longstreet in the right corner, and fire warriors flanking the pathfinders in their hover tanks.  The kroot infiltrators were placed, one group near the center to go after the midfield objective, and the other near Longstreet (to cover another objective).  

Somehow I missed a post-deployment photo.

My opponent failed to seize.

Turn 1 and On - I'm Going to need a Bigger Boat

Here we are in the middle of Turn 1.  I'd drawn one card (destroy an enemy vehicle).  The drop pod rammed down right in front of a Tau tank, at a locations that offered some cover.  The meltacide squad dismounted, and spread out a bit to try and mitigate plasma blast damage.  Squad 1 dismounted to cover an objective on the left, and the same with squad 2.  The Baals and far razorback began shooting at the opposite Tau suits and drones, eliminating a few drones, but doing not much else.  The meltacide squad fired on the Tau tank, only giving it one dent for a hull point, and also getting it to Jink.  Between Squad 2 and the deathwind, the kroot in the center were eliminated.  I score a single point for first blood (Kroot).

Closer shot of the meltacide squad in action:

In response, the Tau also begin to move forward.  Their Maelstrom card was for something difficult to achieve.  Ultimately, in shooting, I lost hull points on pretty much every tank and drop pod, AND the Meltacide squad was eliminated. Score 1-0.

In turn 2, the Angels Wrath Formation arrives.  I had two objectives, and the two cards yielded the difficult slay the warlord and an objective grab.  The terrain made it difficult to place everything.  The Vanguard arrived first off the pod's beacon, followed by the 7th Squad and 8th Squad assault marines, of course in TIGHT deep strike formation.  With meteoric impact, the nearby kroot squad took several casualties and broke, but only dropped behind the terrain (to rally in the Tau turn).  In shooting, I took a hull point and jinked Longstreet's tank, ran the Vanguard /Angelus / Marus to disperse them, and caused a few other casualties.  On the far left, I moved forward, but overall shooting was again ineffective.  I scored another point.

In response, the Tau pushed further forward to re-take the center objective, and to line up to shoot the Death Company, my tanks, and ultimately Squad 7.  My opponent had 2 cards, for an objective and for winning an assault.  At the end of his turn, I'd lost 3 DC, one Baal, a few more hull points, and the Tau scored a point.  We both forgot to roll to bring his flyer from reserves.  He'd moved the Jinked Longstreet, down a hull point, into the corner to try and save it.  Score 2-1.

In Turn 3, I had 2 objectives - this card was for my Warlord to die in assault.  Squad 8 jumped forward to go after Longstreet in the corner.  The Vanguard +Angelus and Marus jumped over the Tau line to multi-assault the Tank and surviving kroot. In the far left, the surviving Death Company jumped in to assault the Tau that had been shooting them.  At the end, the Death Company pretty much wiffed (losing another squad member, while not wounding a single Tau suit or drone), Longstreet was wrecked, the Tank was wrecked, and Kroot eliminated.  The fire warriors dismounted adjacent to the pathfinders.  I earned another point.

My opponent was able to draw 2 cards.  Nothing tremendous.  The flyer fails its reserves roll.  He worked to try and take down my tanks some more, and tried to shoot up the Vanguard.  I lost the Baal and the Razorback.  This photo is during his movement phase.  The Tau tank in the center - dismounts its fire warriors, and then moves forward to try to block my advance or move to take my objective...he scored points though.  Score = 3 to 3....

In my turn 4, Squad 8 jumps forward to assault the dismounted fire warrior squad, and the Vanguard / HQ moves to assault the pathfinders.  I wipe the pathfinders out BUT, the Fire warriors are not eliminated - they get down to one model, and do not break.  Squad 2 moves forward, and successfully assaults the Tau tank, wrecking it.   

My opponent owned two objectives at this point.  In shooting, things went bad for the diminished Tau.  His flyer zoomed on, and tried to damage the Vanguard - but the blast deviated way forward covering the assault...killing the last fire warrior and some marines. In the assault phase, the two remaining death company accomplished their mission and stayed at the objective...

His Warlord and drone jumped off to try and take down the Death Company survivors, while the Riptide tried to shoot up the Squad 1 survivors...

At the end of his turn, we were still 3-3 (tie)....

In turn 5, I got 4 cards...and the Vanguard/HQ unit moved forward to go after the remaining Crisis Suits in what had been the Tau gunline center.  My assault marines also pushed forward to the center.  The Tau just crumbled away (Casualties being sorted out in the lower right...3 suits and 5 drones, half of that from the enraged librarian)....

And then the end, final score 7-3.  At the end, the Tau were down to the flyer, Warlord, and Riptide...Blood Angels for the WIN!

Aftermath
It was a fun and difficult game!  One of the things about Contact Lost as a mission, is that if you don't get objectives, you are not scoring!  You need the cards!  It accounts for a low score game every time I play it, and every point counts.  Overall, I think my opponent could have done better by getting more objectives early, and not forgetting a reserve roll (which might have helped).

I pretty much made a huge amount of tactical, if not strategic, blunders.  The Death Company were played about a turn behind where they needed to be.  The Angels Wrath Formation lost a third of its strength (10 assault marines) on the turn they landed due to a large Riptide-boosted plasma blast.  Stuff like that can cost you a game!

Overall, it was fun to play this list.  I think there are many point inefficiencies in it though, like having storm bolters on the razorbacks, too many claws on the Vanguard, and the auspex on the Sanguinary Priest was never used.  I think when I go through this list Rev2 will be stronger.  It all depends on what I can build for a better Blood Angel Vanguard Squad....

All for now!  Have a great weekend!

Mixing and Matching - Epic Thoughts for 40K

One of my earliest Warhammer Games was Epic 40K.  I just loved it, and would drive to Greenhouse Games in Gardner, Maine (back when it was truly located in a former Greenhouse) to play.  There are a bunch of analogues between today's 7th Edition, and Epic 40K of 1995...

Overall, myself, and others, have considered playing a game of 40K at the Epic scale, using 40K rules - in part because we can play large games, and also that we can use our 40K scale titans and other similar units too!

Overall, for all you "youngsters" out there - army organization in Epic back then used company scale detachments with attached support formations.  Sound familiar?  Its one reason that as a TO wannabee, I'd like to see 40K armies for tournaments be required to field one Detachment minimum, followed by X formations.  If your detachment is unbound, you cannot take any formations at all (e.g., your entire army is considered unbound).  Overall, in this newest codex, they show a detachment consisting of formations...(and again the concept of added special rules for taking full vehicle squadrons).

Playing 40K at Epic scale simply requires a few translations to consider:

1.  No range changes. Its more true to scale.

2.  Template weapons instead cause D6 wounds to an infantry unit (single stand), no cover, etc.

3.  Small Blast weapons cause D6 wounds to a infantry unit (single stand), cover or other special effects per the weapon's profile.

4.  Large Blast weapons use the small blast, D6 wounds to every stand partially under the marker.

5.  Apocalyptic blasts use the large blast marker, scale the inner rings down from that as needed.

As most infantry stands start with the equivalent of 5 models, simply use dice to mark remaining wounds on a stand.  Use dice for marking remaining hull points.  

Unit coherency remains the same.  10 models in an infantry unit typically equates to 2 stands, so those stands stay within 2 inches of each other.  A squadron of three tanks stay within 4 inches of another tank model in the unit.  

Always take wounds/HPs off the closest stand / model per the current rules.

I'm pretty ready to make a go at it...I just need to drag the models out of storage.  I don't think it will be a quicker game, as the numbers of dice rolled remains the same.  If anything, movement might be a tad quicker due to fewer models to move.  Keeping track of infantry model weapons might be a tad more difficult - but not insurmountable - for example, assume that the stand containing the sergeant in a tactical squad contains the special weapon, and that the heavy weapon is in the other stand.  An added bonus could be that buildings can go from undamaged to ruins if you have them modeled...

In another train of thought -

I have been reviewing the new Space Marine Codex - and have seen some very interesting things that a Blood Angels player can consider - (oh, and that one wish of mine came true)...

In the Blood Angels codex, there are special rules that apply only to infantry (such as the red thirst, or fast tanks).  For everything outside those needs, some of the new Space marine codex formations can be integrated directly into your Blood Angels lists.  Here are two easy examples:

Stormwing - aka the Skies of Fury - the formation that includes 2 Stormtalons and a Stormraven - Since I always have a Stormraven in my list anyways, for 1750 or larger games, I can see upgrading to include two stormtalons. The Stormraven then gets staffing run.  (this formation is changed slightly from the former dataslate version).  Of course, that really tempts you to add hurricane bolters to the Raven'!!! (Sadly, the former dataslate granted something like "ignores cover" for the Raven', and that might have been better than Staffing run...)

Suppression Force - aka the Long Range Bombardment Group - the formation requires a squadron of landspeeders (1-X) and a squadron of Whirlwinds (2-3),  The formation grants the whirlwinds range to any target within 18 inches of the a landspeeder in the formation - this is the old Apocalypse formation!  The speeder acts as the target spotter for the whirlwinds!  I'd definitely would consider taking a full 3 Whirlwinds, as three in a squadron provides another special rule (they get shred and more!!!).  Having a squadron of three landspeeders only grants another 6-inches to their turbo-boost range, so not a big deal.  Overall, the formation is really cool - applying 2-3 large blasts onto a xenos unit in cover with shells that ignore cover and shred?  Yes please!  

There are other formations as well in which to boost your applicable Blood Angels army without applying a new paint job. I'd encourage you to go take a peak...as a reminder, they started to pull in language that Faction/Chapter-tactic specific formations lose their special benefits if you put a character in them that does not belong to that formation/detachment...that might be an interesting twist to look out for in FAQs and future codexes.

Updates on Painting for E Tenebrae Lux:

     Here the models for the 650 Points I promised are all built...

And now primed...most of the jump packs are magnetized.  The Sanguinary pries is holding a auspex sensor to reduce a targets cover saves...kinda handy...Also a full assault squad equivalent and a Vanguard Squad with lots of claws and a hammer.  Now I'm out of Army Painter Red Primer...