Friday, 22 June 2012

Not another 6th Edition Post!

I'm not dead!

Hopefully later today the the deposit for the mortgage will go through, and me and the Mrs should be back in 40k Mecca (Nottingham) by the end of July.

And what better time to be back in strike range of Warhammer World!

Now like most of you I have been keeping a eye on the various rumours/leaks etc about 6th Edition 40k.

I for one cannot wait for it to be in my hands, what I do dread is the insuring internet hate and whinging.

To quote Zach from the Independent Characters Podcast:

""If one little rule change is going to make you rage then in you're in the wrong game!"

Till next time/when I move!

Monday, 21 May 2012

Blog Wars 3: Catachans Assemble!

So here's my army for Blog Wars 3 - Catachan Super Friends!

Colonel Straken,
Guardsman Marbo,
Gunnery Sergeant Harker
Colonel Griess (counts as Creed, Strakens Old Mentor),
and Captain Rock (Count as Al'Rahem - who remembers the old Catachan codex eh?) -
5 characters, badasses all, but unlike the Avengers they are all green and mean.


HQ: (445)
Colonel Iron Hand Straken, Medic, Camo Cloaks, 3 melta guns, 2 Bodyguards, Astropath = 285

Colonel Griess (Creed), Camo Cloaks = 160

Elites: (65)
Trooper Marbo = 65

Troops: (1240)
Catachan Devils (Veterans), Gunnery Sergeant Harker, 3 Grenade Launchers, Heavy Bolter = 150

Ambush Platoon: (560)
Captain Rock (Al’Rahem), Platoon Command Squad, 4 melta guns = 140

Ambush Squad (Infantry Squad). Melta Gun, Sergeant has a power weapon & melta bombs = 75
Ambush Squad (Infantry Squad). Melta Gun, Sergeant has a power weapon & melta bombs = 75
Ambush Squad (Infantry Squad). Melta Gun, Sergeant has a power weapon & melta bombs = 75
Ambush Squad (Infantry Squad). Melta Gun, Sergeant has a power weapon & melta bombs = 75
Ambush Squad (Infantry Squad). Melta Gun, Sergeant has a power weapon & melta bombs + 1 Commissar with a power weapon = 120

Bait Platoon: (450)
Platoon Command Squad, 2 Flamers = 40

Baiter Squad (Infantry Squad): Lascannon, Flamer = 75
Baiter Squad (Infantry Squad): Lascannon, Flamer = 75
Baiter Squad (Infantry Squad): Lascannon, Flamer = 75
Baiter Squad (Infantry Squad): Lascannon, Flamer = 75
Baiter Squad (Infantry Squad): Lascannon, Flamer, Commissar = 110

Deathworld Veteran Patrol Squad (Counts as Penal Legion) = 80

Total = 1750

Lots of outflanking, scouting, some infiltrating, no tanks, and only 7 real ranged guns and lots of lasfuns and short range firepower.

If you want to check out where I got my Ideas, names, and theme from you can download the old Catachan Codex from the GW site:
www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1180160_Codex__Catachans.pdf

Since I cannot ambush like in that old codex I decided to use and rename Al'Rahem as it's probably the best way to represent that mechanic, and keeping it fluffy at the same time.

I could of even gotten Nork Deddog in there too as Colonel Griess was his first ever bodyguard detail.

To set you an ambush you need some bait too! Baiter squads is from a nice little bit of fluff in the Catachan Codex, where squads would bait a Ork Horde on to a massive canyon that had been covered and would only collapse when enough weight would be applied!

Shame I cannot take booby traps in the Guard Codex :(


Welcome to the Jungle!

Sunday, 20 May 2012

War of The Roses: A Quick Aftermath Summary

Due to work and sorting out buying a house this is only a really quick wrap up of my games, so sorry for my unusual shortness of a post.

Game 1 Vs Dan Eatch's Eldar

Dan is a member of the roll with it club at Maelstorm Games and i have been down a few times but never met him, so here's to some more games against him in the future as it was great fun! He had Eldrad with a Seer Council on foot with Yriel in a Wave Serpeant, 3 Dire Avenger unkillable Falcons, Fire Dragons and Banshees in Serpeants as well.

The mission was kill points primary with 3 objectives all in mid table. To sum up the game it normally took all my shooting to the last shot to kill something, but normally that something was rock hard. Somehow it ended up 6 all on kill points and with 1 objective each and 1 contested. Highlight was Straken spending 4 rounds in combat with Eldrad and neither being able to kill the other.



Game 2 Vs Gareth "Fat Boy" Donnelly - Black Templar Terminator Missile Spam

Tournament Marathon Man Gaz wasn't using his Grey Knights which was a big relief for me but 4 units of Double Cyclone Terminators still wasn't a pleasant sight for my Guard! But Gaz only had around 10 games under his belt with this army so it was going to be a lesson for us both.

This mission was table quarters primary (scoring units count double) and kill points secondary. Since Gaz set up first I reserved everything and come my turn 2 he had been so aggressive I realised I could drive in 12 pop out 2 and be in rapid fire range! So I did, and he was a unit of Terminators down before he had fired. He had walked and ran down the middle so I did the old split flank Guard tactic and he split his forces so I torrent his 5 man units down bit by bit. I managed to get 3 table quarters thanks to my numbers and mobility, but he had it on kill points.

Gaz is a very good tournament player and a regular, but most of all he was a top bloke to play against who I play again anytime anywhere!


Game 3 vs Gary "The Voice" Percival's Necrons

Gary of 40kUK podcast fame - so it was fair to say I knew his list. But he was running 2 units of Destroyers instead of Scarabs/18 Wraiths.

The mission was 5 objectives but 2 counted towards the secondary of bore draw. It was Dawn of War so after swapping lists Gary put two units of 5 Warriors with a Destruc-Teks with Lances right up to the 24 inch line, so turn 1 involved my hellhounds driving on and dropping a unit. My first 3 turns where devastating to the necrons, but Gary hung in there but by turn 3 or 4 he managed to immobilise all my forces heading for his and the middle, and if I had gotten one more turn of movement it was going to be more burny hellhound fun for me. By the end all I had left was 1 Russ and 5 guys from a special weapon squad left and my age old problem vs Necrons of there's a lord on my objective and he wont die. I left open with my Russ who nicked a wound of the lord and fortunately the 3 melta guns and 2 lasgun managed to drop the lord with the last dice rolls of the game. SO I had lost but I manage to grab some points back from it.

Funny thing was it wasn't until turn 6 that I noticed things had gone from very good to bad for me as it was such a interesting tactical game.


Game 4 vs Gordon Wilson Grey Knights

I saw 2 Grand Masters, 3 Dreadnoughts, and 20 Terminators and thought Draigowing, but it was not!

The mission was 5 objectives primary and2 of them as bore draw secondary.

Like against the Templars I reserved everything. Gordan had dreadful luck in this game and to sum it up the first 2 and last 2 dice rolls of the game sum it up: firstly in using Psychic Communion to keep his outflanking Terminators off the board both his Grand Masters suffered from perils and lost a wound each, and in turn 3 one of them took another wound!

Despite Psychic communion I manage to keep all bar 1 Russ and a unit of Veterans off the board till turn 3. When Straken came on he shoved his Chimera up my left flank taking cover behind my hellhounds making a beeline for his objective which was held by 2 scoring Psyrifle dreads Straken ate them for Breakfast.

It came down to me trying to shift one of his units off the middle of objective to win the game. He charged a Grandmaster into a unit of Veterans who fled and shot him down as they fled some more. His other Grandmaster and middle unit of Terminators multi-charged my massing forces and he couldn't immobilise or stun my chimeras and to top it off the Grandmaster on 1 wound cut down all but 1 special weapon squad Catachans and in turn took a Catachan kiss to the face and died.

And that last dice roll of the game he rolled a 10 for his LD9 Terminators when I tank shocked the middle unit of terminators. All he had left was a immobilise weaponless Dreadnought and 10 Terminators who only damage was taking a multilaser of a chimera and stunning it - his luck was that bad.


Game 5 vs Dan Sackett - Grey Knights/Cotez Henchman spam in Stormravens.

It was table quarters and kill points, and i got bummed. This sort of GK build just rips mech guard to pieces I just sat in the corners trying not to die and just survived but didn't win.

His paper suffocated my rock.



Game 6 vs Alex West, Space Wolves

This was a really fun game as Alex is another great but nice guy to play and even though I lost in the end it was a game full of highs and lows for both forces. I set up my 2 Russes and reserved the rest so I keep his Long Fangs out of the game. But his Rune Priest had other ideas. Boosted by Logan his Rune Priest only ever got 1 or 2 shots but he destroyed whatever he looked at. It was like he had a finger of death!

One thing I learned was that in future I'm taking Runic armour on my Priests in the future as Alex rolled so many 2's for his armour saves it was silly! I tried the same drive on and rapid fire trick to his Logan bomb which worked well but due to wound allocation there where survivors and I lost a unit of Veterans but it mangled the unit up enough to kill it's overall effectiveness off.

Straken got stuck into a unit of Grey Hunters and had them for Breakfast, but mainly due his body guards taking power fist hits for him, but that's what they are there for.


I came 40th out of 60 but I had some really great games against good but pleasant players who I would all play again may it be in competition or for fun.

Next up is blog wars 3 and a super silly and fun army that I will post up tomorrow or mid week at the latest.

Saturday, 5 May 2012

War of the Roses

I'm not dead! Just buying a house.

Anyway my next tournament is next weekend and it's the English team's ETC fund raiser - War of the Roses. I'm using a similar IG list than I did for Open War but with a few changes. I added Straken, and only taken 2 Leman Russes instead of the 4.


HQ:
Company Command Squad (50), Colonel Straken, 4 melta guns, 2 bodyguards = 215
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Troops:
Veterans (70), 3 Plasma Guns, Sergeant has a plasma pistol = 125
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Veterans (70), 3 Plasma Guns, Sergeant has a plasma pistol = 125
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Platoon Command Squad , 4 Melta Guns = 70
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Infantry Squad, Autocannon = 60
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Infantry Squad, Autocannon = 60
Chimera, Multi Laser, Heavy Flamer =55

Special Weapons Squad (35) 3 Melta guns (30) = 65

Special Weapons Squad (35) 3 Melta guns (30) = 65

Fast Attack:
Hellhound, Smoke Launchers, Searchlight = 136

Hellhound, Smoke Launchers, Searchlight = 136


Heavy Support:
Leman Russ Exterminator, Heavy Bolter = 150

Leman Russ Exterminator, Heavy Bolter = 150

Manticore = 160


Total = 1,847

So I dropped down to 2 Russes as squadrons as they are Command Barge bait, and  I've added more plasma veterans for the range and the ability to kill Marines/Grey Knights. If it wasn't a true competitive event I might of kept the other 2 Russes.

As I said earlier I am in the process of buying a House so I've got all the legal crap to go through, but hopefully I could be back in Nottingham by mid June. So obviously any blogging is on the back foot for a while.

Till next time!

Sunday, 22 April 2012

Army for Sale/Trade!

I've grown bored of Fantasy, and I haven't played in yonks, so I just want rid of this lot:

20 Metal Black Orcs with full comm
14 Plastic Black Orcs/with full comm
20 Night Goblins, Hand weapons and Shields, full comm
60 Skull Pass Night Goblins with Spears and Full comm

Grimgore Ironhide (metal)
Plastic Orc BSB
Metal Orc Warboss (games day mini I think)
Savage Orc Shaman (metal)

Orc Shaman
2 Night Goblin Shamans
20 Skull Pass Night Goblins with Short bows/full comm
3 Night Goblin Heroes (plastic Skull pass ones?)
1 Skull Pass Troll

34 (19+25) Orcs. Choppas and Shields/2 full comm

1 Plastic Warboss on old style boar (broken arm)
1 metal shaman on old style boar
5 Plastic Boar boyz, + 1 unmade
1 Black Orc Warboss (metal) missing axe arm.
3 Plastic Fanatics.

Some movement trays
New, Hardback O+G army book
Small paperback 8th Edition Rule Book

Rough Retail/Ebay price up comes to just over £340, but I'm open to any offers/trades for a 40k army.


Pics:
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/ ... 20Goblins/
Most pics are doubles - with and without flash on.




So let me know on the following thread on the Warhammer Forum:
http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=101075

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Open War Game 3: Draigoooooo!!!

So on to game 3 and my opponent was the very same chap that Grazer from Claws and Fists played in his second game - so time for some pay back for my club mate!

It wasn't quite your typical Draigowing, but it was still a powerhouse of pain:

Draigo
Inquisitor Karamazov (aka the Pope-mobile/Walking Cathedral)
10 Paladins maxed out with wound allocation fun
10 Purifiers
5 Man Strike Squad
Vindicare Assassin

Now there's no libby but Karamazov stops the issue of mass tank shock vs Draigowing with a Orbital Bombardment relay and a master crafted multi melta, as well as auto passing/failing morale tests.

The mission was 3 objectives going across the board in a diagonal line from top left to bottom right with one in the middle, but each player after turn 1 scored 100vp's for holding each one with a scoring unit. Deployment was pitched battle but each side had the zone extend up to half way and in 12 from the left hand side. This side was only 12 away from the other armies "starting" objective so all where under threat from the word go. Most Vp's from kills and objectives held wins.

On the same table that I had my first game on vs the Battlewagon Orks, my opponent yet again won the roll for deployment (3 out of 3!) he set up with his Paladins and characters in the little part of the deployment zone that stretched out to half way all the way over on my right. He had his Purifiers on his starting objective behind the massive GW landing Pad. The Strike Squad was in reserve. For his Grand Strategy he choose Hammer of the Righteous (re-roll 1's to wound) on all his units so bizarrely putting the Purifiers on his starting objective made no sense.

So with his Death Star of Paladins all the way over on my right flank I set everything up on my left and most of it up near the half way line. I hid my Demolisher and Eradicator behind some BloS terrain in the middle of my zone of it covered "my" objective and the middle one, as well as the way his Paladins would have to come. I also put the Hellhounds in front of these so if he shot the real danger to his army the Demolisher I would at least get a cover save if he got past the Armour 14. The Manticore hid in the left corner and my Chimeras set up behind my Exterminators who where ready to rush the Purifiers.

My Opponent takes his first turn and moves his isolated Paladins back towards the fight now. His Purifiers move so only the Psycannons could see a Chimera between the Exterminators. The Vindicare blows up the Exterminator that had its front armour facing him! The Purifiers shake the chimera.

In my first turn I push the last Exterminator and the horde of Chimeras into the Purifiers faces. The Manticore lets loose with 2 shots and kills a Paladin. The Hellhounds are both just in range of the Vindicare and burn him out with ease!

In the GK turn 2 the Paladins run closer and the Purifiers charge the Exterminator and blow it up, but now they are in range of multiple heavy flamers, plasma veterans and the demo charge....

.... which in my turn 2 is exactly what happens! After plasma gun fire kills 2 or 3 Purifiers the little demo charge toting nutter who has spent 2 games twiddling his thumbs lets loose his bag of fun and drops 7 Purifiers in one go! The Manticore drops another Paladin as I get a few wounds upon the unit.

Turn 3 sees the Strike squad still off the table so the Juggernaut of Paladins roars closer and one model is just in charge range of my Hellhounds. The one Paladin rips of the turret and that's his turn. He would of done more damage but by conga lining his unit out to avoid mass pie plate hits he minimized the number of models who could assault.

My turn 3 sees the Special Weapon squad and a infantry squad take "his" starting objective and sit there for the rest of the game. With his Paladins in my flank now I commit everything in this turn. Chimeras move forwards, veterans pile out and masses of ordinance, plasma, and melta is let loose into Draigo and his cronies. The dust settles and the result was somewhat not very impressive, but multiple Paladins are wounded, Draigo is wounded and Karamazov is wounded too.

His turn 4 sees the Strike Squad arrive and cower behind some LosB terrain the Vindicare was in. The Paladins multi charge so they hit the damaged Hellhound, 2 Chimeras and a single Paladin makes it into the Veterans. One Chimera is destroyed and bizarrely only 1 Chimera and 2 Veterans are killed, more annoyingly the Veterans hold in combat on a 4! This seemed bad but it actually worked out for me as only 1 more Paladin could pile in as the Veterans where sat between 2 Chimeras.

In my turn 4 I break off the Demolisher and Eradicator is go after the Strike squad and reduce it down to a single man. In the middle everything that is mobile retreats and sets up a new line after the veterans die, but they live, and escape to fight another day!

Turn 5 sees the Paladins chasing shadows in the form of fast moving Chimeras, but by diverting a few towards the middle objective I force where he goes as I am racking up the VPs from the other objective I hold. The Paladins charge and destroy a Chimera just (again Conga lining limits his assault power).

My turn 5 sees the Veterans rally but only after "Get back in the fight, but it's plasma guns back in the fight. I send more ordinance, melta and flames at the Paladins and at this point Draigo is down 2 wounds (half VPs!) and so is Karamazov, and more importantly the last 6/7 Paladins are all on 1 wound too. I manage to take another wound of both the Characters and drop the Paladins down to 6. I need a turn 6 to see a certain victory.

There is a turn 6!

The Paladins kill the units I sent into the middle but with my last few plasma and melta guns I take down Paladin number 5 - half Vps for his 700 point unit! The game ends and we total up VP's

Including the Vps for 1 objective held for 3 turns I come out exactly 600 points in the lead! So a solid victory for me, but not a total bloodbath on paper, but on the table all he had left was 5 wounded Pladins and Draigo on 1 wound, and Karakmazov on 1 wound too.

So 3 wins out of 3! But where does it leave me in the final placings?

Well after a lonngggg wait and a superb raffle I wasn't top 3 so when the placings where handed out I was 4th! Joint 3 on Battle points but I was knocked down to 4th on VPs earned over all 3 games.

I look back at the mission pack and 601 points in my last game was the next point bracket up, and then I remembered that lonely strike squad marine hiding! If I had killed him I would of been over 601 points and taken 3 place! So while on paper it looked like I was 750VP's behind 3rd I was really 1VP away from 3rd, maybe even 2nd!

1. Victory. Point.

But despite that I cannot say I'm disappointed, in fact I'm ecstatic! It's the best I've ever done, and ever more so I had 3 great games, against 3 very, very, different armies, including my first game against Draigowing. No Dreadnoughts but that blob of Paladins is a real pain in the ass, but it can be beaten!

So onwards and upwards after my disappointing GT with my Space Wolves. I will take IG to War of the Roses as well as Blog Wars (well maybe I might go crazy for blog wars).


Up, up, and away!

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

Open War Game 2: Imperial Guard BBQ

So after a solid win vs Battlewagon Orks in game one I moved on to game two against another Imperial Guard Army.

I was expecting Leafblower as I looked over and saw two Vendettas put down, but it was more infantry based with a Leman Russ and a Demolisher and 3 Armoured Sentinels with Plasma Cannon.

So the opposite IG list was:
Company Command Squad
Lord Commissar
Marbo
Platoon Command Squad
2 Infantry Squads with flamers
Heavy Weapon Squad with Missile Launchers
2 Special weapons squads - one triple flamer, one triple grenade launchers)
3 Armoured Sentinels with Plasma Cannons
Leman Russ with Plasma Cannons, and a Lascannon
Demolisher with Multi Meltas, and a Lascannon
2 Vendettas
2 Veteran Squads with Melta Guns and Demolitions.

So 6 major threats in the Russes, Vendettas and the Veterans.

The Mission was Kill Points Dawn of War.

Again my opponent won the roll and set up his platoon and HQ fairly centrally with the missile team on my right in some woods. After much thinking he decided to bring the Vendettas on normally. I choose deploy nothing but bring everything on first turn.

His first turn basically saw him fully deploy. A vendetta on each flank filled with the melta veterans, his Armoured Sentinels on my right next to the regular Russ and his demolisher on the right.

I brought all my stuff on my left flank lead by the Exterminators, the Demolisher and Eradicator on my right (well middle) with the Hellhounds taking the lead in between with my chimeras behind.

Turn 2 sees him let loose with all his lascannons and nothing happens. His Sentinels shake a Hellhound and the missile team pop a chimera.

In reply I stun lock both Vendettas, Burn a squad with a Hellhound.

Turn 3 sees him bravely move a Vendetta flat out after my Demolisher and the Sentinels and Leman Russ bounce off my Hellhounds. In reply I manage to wreck the fast moving Vendetta and the Demolisher and Eradicator demolish and eradicate the veterans inside. First two threats dealt with.

My Exterminators open up and take down the other Vendetta, and then my Hellhounds BBQ the Veterans who came out of that wreck. Threats three and four dealt with.

His Turn 4 sees his Demolisher come into range and scatter away from my Demolisher. Marbo turns up and kills the Infantry who had lost the Chimera in turn 2, and again the Sentinels again bounce of the Hellhounds.

My Demolisher fires back and kills his, the Hellhounds BBQ yet another squad and the Exterminators kill one and shake the other 2 Sentinels. I start to pile forwards with my Chimeras now that the Vendettas had gone. Marbo survives a lot of lasgun fire only to fall over to a single meta gun.

In turn 5 he charges the Sentinels into the Hellhounds and the Leman Russ finally killed one, but the Sentinels literally bounce of the Hellhound this time. In reply my Exterminators get into the soft side of the sentinels and wipe them out as the Hellhound BBQ's another squad of Guardsmen and parks it self in front of the Leman Russ to block it sight. The Eradicator and Demolisher start shooting at the Missile Team killing one and a few men from the command squad behind it.

Turn 6 Sees his Missiles and Leman Russ bounce off my Hellhound. In reply my Manticore fires in Danger Close at the Russ and just missing my Hellhound an rips of the Battle Cannon. The Eradicator and Demolisher finish off the command squad and the missile team and the Hellhound and Chimeras kill his last Squad and Lord Commissar.

The result is 15 - 2 on kill points.

This was a game where my opponents dice deserted him completely he pretty much always failed to penetrate by 1, but my deployment and only ever giving him hard targets to shoot at greatly reduced what he could actually hurt and then he needed 5's or 6's on one or two dice.

Again the Hellhounds, Russes, and the Manticore proved to be so effective, but how will they do against Marines or Terminators?

Well you can find out tomorrow as I take on the man of the moment, the internet hate figure, and his batch of Cronies in the form of Draigowing!