So I was up bright and too-early Saturday morning and with everything packed away I grabbed a quick breakfast and was on my way. I met one of the lads from the club along the way and when we arrived there were already a lot of players setting up their armies on trays to prepare. So as such I got a tray and set my own up. Draws weren't too long after this and for round one I got paired up against an old nemesis Alex Wills and his Orks. My Purifiers were smiling this morning.
There was wargear on the Warboss' obviously but I never got to find out what it was. Similarly other unit then the Boyz may have had more items too.
So the first scenario was Annihilaton Pitched Battle. Alex won the roll off and deployed spread across the board, with a heavy Boyz presense on the western side with the other slots more prevelant in the east. I took advantage of that and deployed heavily to the east so I could maximise my shooting before getting in combat with awl da boyz. I placed my Servo Skulls to force his Deffkoptas out in the open instead of allowing them to Scout down my flank and so they went Flat-Out toward my lines.
Thank to my good friend Coteaz I stole the initiative.
Turn 1
Not much movement; I moved a Chimera to flame the Deffkoptas (get something through the cover save at least) and redeployed the Razorback that hid behind it. The west Rhino popped smoke.
Anyway the army opened up on the Orks with great efficiency. The Dreads each accounted for a Looted Wagon, two being wrecked while one blew up killing 10 Grots and causing the rest to run off the board. The Chimera's Flamer took out a Deffkopta and the Meltaguns from the back of it took out the other. The Heavy Bolters then combined until the Trukk was taken out. The Vindicare finished up by unsuccessfully sniping the Waagh Banner from the now disembarked Nobs. I was now up 5-0 after just one turn.
All the Orks did in their turn was run at me.
Turn 2
A redeployed a Razorback and a Dread for firing lanes. Both units of Purifiers then disembarked and moved toward the Nob unit.
Shooting wasn't as eeffective this turn as it took almost the entire army just to take out a unit of Warbuggies while the other unit's Nob took a wound.
The Purifiers both charged in. The OXI threw her Grenades disorienting the Orks and causing one Warboss and 4 Nobs to strike out against their own. The OXI cast Hammerhand however Coteaz failed. The Purifiers then started hacking down Nobs and Warboss'. The OXI's unit managed to activate Force Weapons however the Knight of the Flame from Coteaz' unit failed trying and died to Perils. 3 Purifiers from Coteaz unit were killed in the return attacks, though not before 4 Nobs and both Warboss' were taken out. The remaining Nobs and their Painboy fled but were swept, Coteaz' unit consolidating back toward the Chimera and the OXI's unit moving behind cover.
The Boyz units kept moving east and running, bar two as one shot at Coteaz' unit killing one, and the other charged Coteaz' unit along with the remainging Warbuggies.
Cleansing Flame wiped ~12 of the Boyz while 6 more were killed by Purifier attacks after Coteaz' Hammerhand. All the Purifiers were wiped out however, but Coteaz survived and struck out, killing a Warbuggy. The Warbuggies fled the combat but got away as the Boyz held.
Turn 3-4
The OXI led her unit into the terrain to assault the Boyz. The Chimera near the action moved back full pace and popped smoke. Everything else just redeployed and then opened fire on the middle Boyz unit, killing 14 in total. In the assault 3 Purifiers were killed however the Boyz were wiped out.
In the other assault Coteaz fell and the Boyz consolidated toward a Razorback.
The Boyz that killed Coteaz surrounded the Razorback nearby. The rest of the Boyz moved toward the OXI's unit. The Warbuggies failed to rally and fled the table.
Alex declared the Waagh and the Boyz could now easily assault the Purifiers. In the ensuing fight all the Purifiers were wiped out as were all the Boyz (both units) leaving the OXI as the sole survivor of that combat. The other unit of Boyz blew up the Razorback exposing the Strikes inside.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...urn_3_Orks.jpgWith only two Boyz left in the entire army my army just shot them dead in turn 4 and won the game with a clear victory.
Conclusions
Well no illusions, Orks weren't ever going to do well against Purifiers. Taking out his AT after getting the initiative was important and meant that Claws were needed for AT duty. Of course with two units of Purifiers running around his army those Claws were more than a little busy.
That victory got me a 19-1 (15VPs short of 20-0) and shot me up the table 2 to play Kieran Waters' Space Wolves. Game 2 was Capture and Control Dawn of War. I had played Kieran once before at the summer Conclave with my Eldar in the same sort of mission and got a draw so I was confident for this one. His list had changed a lot since then however.
I was relieved to see no Long Fangs there but the unit of Thunderwolf Cavalry could be scary. I won the roll off and went with it. I deployed some Strikes in their Razorback in the ruins to the east where my objective while he did the same on the opposite side with some Grey Hunters. The Wolf Priest gave the Wolf Guard Preferred Enemy (Infantry) while the Joks gave my big unit extra armour save, and the small unit extra range. Kieran failed to seize.
Turn 1
I cast Warp Quake with the Strikes and then rolled the rest of the army on, failing to spot the Rhino with my Dread in the east.
Kieran's army rolled on with his Dread dropping midfield out of Warp Quake range. His Grey Hunters advanced while the rest of the army positioned.
The Dread spotted the Vindicare unfortunately and without cover he died.
Turn 2
Seeing as he had focused his army in the east, I put up the three Warp Quakes and then started heading east.
A Dread blew up the Rhino, pinning the Grey Hunters, and for the lack of anything better to do the Purifiers in the Rhino shot at them and killed one. The western most forces wrecked the Drop Pod while the more central forces destroyed the Ven Dread's Assault Cannon and Stunned him. The last Dread in my army shot at the Land Raider then, destroying the Assault Cannon.
Warp Quake finally paid off as the other Drop Pod came in and scattered within range, sendig it right back up into reserve. The Land Raider, Land Speeders and Thunderwolf Cavalry all rolled forward. The Land Speeders both shot at the Dread in the corner but missed.
Turn 3
Turn 3 is usually a good turn for me as some of you might have noticed throughout my reports, and this was no different. I put up two Warp Quakes (failing the eastern-most one) and kept rolling the western forces eastward. I moved a Chimera with the longer ranged Henchmen 6" forward to be within 12" of the Redeemer and let rip.
The Meltaguns from the back of the Chimera managed to blow up the Redeemer while the Chimera itself blew up a Land Speeder. A Heavy Bolters blew up the other Land Speeder and everything else in range shot at the Wolves, killing one and wounding the Lord. The rest shot at the now disembarked Wolf Guard or ran.
Still all that did was piss the Space Wolves off, and so they ran at me. The Thunderwolf Cavalry pelted at my objective and made it, assaulting the Razorback there. The Ven Dread also Shook my Chimera with its Heavy Flamer before charging it. The Wolf Guard tried to get in there also but rolled bad terrain rolls. The Vindicator also moved out to get shots.
Note the Drop Pod didn't come down this turn.
The Vindicator was the only shooting, shooting at the Chimera but scattering and thus only Stunning it. In the assault the Ven Dread penetrated the Chimera's hull twice but luck was on my side and it only rip off both weapons. Similarly, the Wolves only managed to Stun my Razorback.
Turn 4
I continue my trek eastward (after once again putting up Warp Quakes) with both Henchmen units getting out. The Razorback put up a successful Fortitude before the Strikes got out the back and moved toward the cavalry. The OXI's Purifiers followed suit. Both vehicles then moved out of the way, with the Rhino popping smoke so as to make sure it survived for the next turn's dash across the table.
The small unit of Henchmen had some successful shooting, taking down 2 Wolf Guard with a Dread taking down one more. The other Henchmen unit combined with another Dread also managed to wreck the Ven Dread.
Meanwhile the Purifiers and Strikes assaulted the cavalry, killing one, the Lord, and the wolf, losing 2 Strikes in the process. The last man stood.
The Grey Hunters began the retreat to the objective as disaster strikes; the Drop Pod comes down hoping to land on the Space Wolf objective instead of risking Warp Quake but scatters off the board allowing me to promptly place it in the North-West corner of the board where the unit will play no part in the game. The Vindicator continues to move around to fire, and the Wolf Guard shoot and assault the Henchmen.
The Vindicator is once again the only true shooting and it takes out both the large Henchmen squad and destroys the Multi-Laser of their Chimera. The Wolf Guard easily wipe out the Henchmen in combat and consolidate into the Redeemer's wreck, however the lone cavalry man gets cut down.
Turn 5-6
I don't bother with Warp Quakes anymore obviously and begin crossing the board to contest. The Purifiers and OXI enter their Rhino once again and trundle over the wreck before them, as does the western Chimera, while the other Chimera tank shocks through the Wolf Guard and Redeemer wreck. The remainder of the army moves to shoot...
...and shoot they do wiping out the Vindicator, the Wolf Priest, and the Wolf Guard.
All the Space Wolves could do is move both units of Grey Hunters toward their objective and hope the game ended, however it went on to turn 6.
Turn 6 ended simply as the Rhino tank shocked the Grey Hunters on the objective and they fled the table, so we called it there, as neither of us though any more victory points would be had out of it.
Conclusions
That was a tougher game alright, but it was obvious that luck was on my side, considering Kieran's awful damage rolls and the two mishaps. The Thunderwolf Cavalry almost cost me, as the plan was to roll out in turn 4, but they had to be dealt with in turn 4 unfortunately.
Well cest 'le vie and all that jazz. That victory was another 19-1 which put me up to table 1 for the final game against an awesome White Scars army. The army was commanded by Saoirse Bryne and was beautifully painted in the White Scars colours with the iconography to be had. The list wasn't optimised but had potential.
The mission was Seize Ground (4) Spearhead. Saoirse played a good gambit here, allowing the objectives to be set up in corners, and then after winning the roll-off for deployment picked the corners for deployment that had no objectives in them, thereby forcing me to split up my forces and allowing his force to fully utilise its superior mobility.
Note I rolled extra range for both Henchmen units. I also stole the initiative once again thanks to Coteaz.
Turn 1
I moved out the OXIs unit and a unit of Strikes toward the objective while I spread out my other vehicles. The Vindicare penetrated the Land Raider but only managed to blow off the Assault Cannon. One Dread managed to Immobolise and Stun the Command Razorback while a combination of other shooting wiped out three bikes.
All of the bikes moved toward the Vindicare, the smaller unit turbo-boosting around the back of the ruins. The Ven Dread also ran in that direction. The Redeemer swung out eastward toward the objectives while the Razorback repositioned.
The Razorback proved effective as it blew up a Dread with a single Lascannon shot. The bikes also forced the Vindicare to ground (needlessly as it would turn out), taking a wound from him.
Turn 2
Coteaz led a small force westward to combat the bikes while the OXI continued north. All shooting managed this turn was to Immobolise the second Razorback and once again Stun the Command Razorback.
The smaller Bike unit swung around the back of the ruins and killed the Vindicare. The larger unit came east and wrecked Coteaz' Rhino. The Redeemer continued east and the Razorback once again proved its worth, wrecking another Dread.
Turn 3
The eastern Chimera tried rolling over the crater but blew a track and got stuck. The Henchmen thus were forced to bail out in order to get to the Redeemer. The Strikes in the south made way to the center objective while the Chimera with them swung around the wreck of Coteaz' Rhino. Meanwhile, Coteaz himself led a charge into the Bike unit with the Captain.
Shooting was a bit better this turn, with a Razorback getting blown up. Coteaz' charge was rather successful, wiping out the Bikes and wounding the Captain, though 3 Purifiers died along the way.
The Chapter Master was now eager to call down the Orbital Bombardment so his unit disembarked so he could get the aid he seeked next turn. The Tac Squad moved toward the objective while the Redeemer moved to flame the Henchmen.
The Ven Dread fired its Multi-Melta at the Chimera and Immobolised it. The Command Razorback fired a shot at the advancing Strikes in the east and blew up their ride. Meanwhile the Redeemer tried to flame the Henchmen but only managed to kill the Jokaero. In the assault two more Purifiers fell but Coteaz managed to crack the Captain's skull with his Hammer.
Turn 4
The Grey Knights made some big move this turn. The Strikes in the center disembarked and Coteaz joined them, the last Purifier moving alone into the safety of the ruins. The Purifiers with the OXI got out and along with the Henchmen surrounded the Land Raider. Their Rhino then moved around the front of the ruins. The Strikes followed up, ready to jump on the objective next turn.
Despite 3 Meltaguns, 3 Psycannon shots and then 3 strikes of a S10 Hammer, the Land Raider only lost its Flamestorm Cannons. The Strikes and Coteaz managed to fell a Marine and their Razorback blew up the Command Razorback.
The Redeemer backed out of the circle of enemies and released its cargo, who promptly charged the Purifiers. The Tacs moved onto their objective and the Ven Dread repositioned for a side shot. The Orbital Bombardment was called down but scattered off target. Other shooting was also useless. In the assault, the Terminators were hit with a daze as the OXI dropped her Psychotroke Grenades on them, making them initiative 1. As such 3 of them were wiped out before they could strike, and though the remaining two got to kill 4 Purifiers, the Hammer killed them both, allowing the remainder of the unit to consolidate near the objective.
Turn 5
I moved the Strikes to the objective on the first floor of the ruins so the Land Raider couldn't Tank Shock me should I fail to stop it. Coteaz led his Strikes onto the central objective while his Razorback and the OXI's Rhino moved to contest in the north. The lone Purifiers in the middle moved out to slow down the Ven Dread. The other Strikes moved to contest also.
The Chimera's crew shot 4 Meltas at the Ven Dread but only destroyed its close combat weapon. A massed hail of shooting wiped out the Tac Squad and the Henchmen in the east Immobolised the Land Raider. In the assault the Purifier only managed to Stun the Ven Dread.
The Command Squad moved out and ran toward the objective. Shooting was ineffective and so the assault came quick. However I made my one mistake here and went for Hammerhand to try and kill the Ven Dread instead of just trying to hold him up, and as a result I Perils'ed and the Ven Dread was able to consolidate to contest the central objective and tie the game.
Conclusions
That was some intense game. The ending was amusing, if ever-so-slightly disappointing. I think Saorise played a good game and his only mistake in my mind was moving the Captain's Bike Squad in assault range of Coteaz and friends. Early on the trouble with the Land Raider made me doubtful about the outcome and indeed it took the whole game just to Immobolise it. To those who say a Land Raider is no good once Melta is on the table, let this tell you otherwise.
Anyway, despite the tie, I got a 12-8 for that game, and with 50 out of 60 points managed to win the tournament, with Saoirse coming 3rd, with Luke Osbourne from one of the earlier practice games coming 2nd. It was a great craic and I was very pleased with the list. My next endeavour is going to be King Kon, my first ever 2500pts tournament, so expect to see a list for that online in the weeks to come.
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