Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Escalation League: Month One


As you may well know, the entire TableTopWar crew is participating in an Escalation League at the Inland Empire's Best Gaming Store "Thou Shalt Game." The League's purpose is two-fold; the first is to bring some new blood into the 40K fold and the second is to provide some motivation for actually slapping some paint on our models. I decided on adding a DoA element to my current Angels Encarmine army and went about coming up with my initial 500pt list for the Leagues first two meetings. Here's what I came up with:

Jump Pack Librarian w/ Plasma Pistol (Blood Lance & Unleash Rage)

Jump Pack Priest w/ Plasma Pistol, Power Weapon, & Melta Bombs

10-Man Assault Squad: 1x MeltaGun, 1x Flamer, Sgt w/ Plasma Pistol, Power Fist, & Melta Bombs

500pts

The first thing I notice about the list is, you don't get a lot of Blood Angels at 500pts which means I will probably be out-numbered by all of my opponents. Secondly, I know there are a lot of Xenos coming so I bring the Flamer for anti-horde and all the Plasma for those pesky Scarab & Ripper Swarms and/or Monstrous Creatures I thought I might be facing. I don't expect to see too many vehicles at this point level but bring Blood Lance & some extra Melta just in case. With only one squad of Marines having the Priest was a necessity to make them more survivable and much scarier on the charge with the FnP/FC bubble. I had doubts about bringing the Libby but I didn't want to be surprised by any GK players that may show so I figured with Lance for anti-vehicle and Unleash Rage to make my 12 models extra-extra scary in assault AND the Psychic Hood, bringing him seemed like a good idea.

Our first round of games was this past Saturday. I didn't take a lot of pictures but I have a few of Game One and will recount the highlights from each of the 3 games. As players start showing up to the store prior to kick-off, I take the time to peruse what they brought with them and notice an Ork player with 60+ Boys (He ONLY outnumbers me by about 6 to1), a Deathwing player with 6 models and a Speeder (Yea!!! Someone with less models than me), and a CSM player with ACTUAL Chaos Space Marines... I hadn't seen a CSM list without Plague Marines since... well... EVER.

Game One match-ups are announced and go figure... I get the Orks.

The Green Tide Approaches

Mission:        Seize Ground w/ 3 Objectives
                    (Awesome... Outnumbered 6/1 and an Objective mission)
Deployment: Spearhead

I win the objective roll and spread out my two objectives as far away from each other as possible, my opponent places his roughly in the middle. I also win the roll to go first and concede it to the Orks. He deploys his entire Army in his corner opposite either of my placed objectives.

The Green Tide consists of an Ork Boss with a Power Weapon and some other wargear, two 20-man Shoota Boyz, and one 20-man Choppa Boyz mob. I reserve my Marines in the hope that he will spread out his Boyz so that I hit them piecemeal (No Red Thirst for me this game) Over the course of his first 3 turns (even with the reroll, my guys don't arrive in turn 2) my opponent spreads just enough to claim 2 objectives and sends his 3rd mob towards the last one in my home corner.

In the bottom of 3, my squad arrives and concentrates all its fire on the 3rd mob coming towards my objective. Unfortunately, I only kill nine so no break test is required. In T4, he pushes the lagging 2 mobs closer to me but still within "claim obj" range of his 2 objectives and the 3rd mob concentrates all of its fire on and then assaults the weekend squad with the melta gun. FnP from the nearby Priest helps immensely and when it's all said and done, I have one or two guys left. In my T4, I assault the tied-up mob and finish them off but take a few casualties of my own, then consolidate away from the advancing mob.

In T5, the Boss and Choppa Boyz move forward again but string out so that they still hold the center objective. The second full mob does the same with the objective on my right. I take some more casualties from shooting. In B5 I have 3 Regular Marines, the Priest, & the Libby remaining and am losing the battle 2-0. I take my 3 Marines and claim my home objective while separating off the Libby and Priest to assault the Shootaz holding my right objective. All I'm hoping for is that I can pull the Shootaz off of their objective and then the game ends after 5 so I can get a tie (which would've been a moral victory) for me. Sadly, the Libby kills himself with an over-heated Plasma shot (he was already wounded) and leaves the Priest to do it all on his own. The Priest misses with his shot but charges into assault anyway. 1 vs. 20, sounds like a fair fight to me. The Priest actually wins combat and the Mob takes a few extra Fearlees wounds. I successfully pull the mob off of their objective so now the game is tied.... I just need it to end NOW.... but it doesn't.

There Can Be Only One!

In T6.. and T7... the Choppa Boyz get into my 3-man squad and kill them off. The high point for me is that the Priest survives 5 rounds of close combat killing 9 Orks total. The game is still a loss (1-0) but turns out to be my favorite game of the day.

Game 2 vs. Veteran IG

Mission:        Annihilation
Deployment: Dawn of War

IG List: Commissar w/ Plasma Vets in a Chimera, 2x Veteran Platoons with Lascannons.

The plan here is simple; swoop in, claim an easy KP, and then run away. I hate to play this way but trying to take them all on while getting rapid-fired at between assaults seems like a losing battle. I win the roll for first turn again and concede it to IG. He spreads out across his entire back edge and places the Chimera in terrain behind a ruin. In his first turn movement, the Chimera immobilizes itself in a corner making my strategy that much easier. In T2/T3 my plan is half-way there. I manage to kill off the platoon at the opposite end of the Commissar led squad and fall back. Unfortunately, I can't get out of the way fast enough and my Priest is picked off by Heavy Bolter fire. The game ends in a tie, 1-1.

Game 3 vs. the "other, non-Mags led" Tyranids

Mission:       Capture & Control
Deployment: Pitched Battle

Tyranid List: 
Hive Tyrant w/ Venom Cannon, 4x Warriors w/ Death Spitters and alot of Genestealers in a single squad.

I win the roll for the first turn again, again (probably the first time that I've won all 3 rolls to go first in a tourney enviroment) and concede it to my opponent. IMO his deployment loses him the game. Instead of castling up or infiltrating his Stealers near my objective. He places his 4 Warriors on his objective and the HT & Stealers completely on the other side of the board near.. well... nothing. I reserve everything again planning to swoop down, kill off the Warriors, and retreat to my home objective leaving one combat squad behind with the Libby and Priest in case the Stealers manage to make it over to his objective. The plan almost works but I get tied up with the Warriors a little too long and the Stealers manage to make it into combat. This game is a matter of a 1/2 inch or so as that is about the distance the Stealers are short of multi-assaulting both of my squads. The HT is left in the dust and doesn't make it over until much later. I'm able to escape with my weakened combat squad back to my home objective while successfully tying up the Stearlers in combat. In my opponents defense, he rolled REALLY badly and I was making FnP saves LIKE A BAWSS!!. At games end all he has left is the HT in combat with my Libby and my 3 lone dudes are holding my objective by about 1". My Libby manages to put 2 wounds on the HT and tries to Force Weapon him to death but alas... he survives.... but I still win the game 1-0.

All in all it was a very fun day and I actually got home while the sun was still up, a rarity for me. For the day I earned 9 Battle points (5 for the win, 3 for the tie, and 1 for the loss). I'm near the bottom of the pack but there is plenty of time to catch up. The co-leaders are our own Magilla Gurilla and Dawson from the IVC Crew sitting at 13 BP's (2 Wins, 1 Tie). I believe Monster is sitting around 11 BP's but I can't say for sure exactly. Next month will be another round of 500pt battles. I plan on tweaking the list just a tad since there is only one other Marine player so stay tuned...

Until Then, Keep Rolling....
Snake Eyes





Monday, January 30, 2012

Gurilla's Garage: Tervigon #1 ready to paint

Having decided to play Tyranids in the Escalation League, I needed to find bits or tutorials on how to make some of the models that the range is missing. One of the most glaring pieces of the range that is missing is the Tervigon; well, it is glaring for me because I wanted three of them in my 2000 point list.
Looking around the web, I was very tempted to go with Granesh from Smells Like Wargaming and the fantastic Tervigon that he makes.


However, Granesh just finished a large order for me and will soon be saddled with another order from me, so I decided to go with Chapterhouse Studios and their add-on bits to make a Tervigon. Here is my thoughts:

  • The kit is easier than scratch building a Tervigon.
  • The kit looks thematically correct.
  • The kit requires Green Stuff!
  • The kit requires Green Stuff!
I have never worked with Green Stuff other than a little ball to hold together two bits of an old metal model. For this kit I had to do a lot of Green stuff work to make it match. There is still Gaps that someone with more skill and a much steadier hand could fix up on the model, but I am not that guy. So, if you get this kit, just keep that in mind. The kit does work and it does look good, I just think Chapterhouse needs to be a little more forthcoming on the amount of work that might be required by a novice modeler. After a coat of primer it looks okay, so lets see what it looks like with paint on it!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Weekly Hobby To-Do List: 1/29 - More Tyranids

The first week has come and gone and now it is time to make some new goals for upcoming week and to see how well I did with last weeks goals. Last week I stated I would assemble 48 gaunts and 12 genestealers. I will come right out and say that I did not make that goal. However, I did do a lot with my Tyranids, I just failed to stay with my specific goals. This is what I ended up doing:

  • Clean and assemble a Tervigon using a carnifex and Chapterhouse Studios Tervigon add-on kit. This goal took a lot longer than I expected as I had to do some green stuff work to make it fit and match-up. Which leads me to the second thing I did....
  • Used green stuff for the first time.
  • Assembled 30 Gaunts.
  • Assembled 8 Genestealers
  • Assembled 7 Ripper Swarms
  • Played 2 games at 1850
  • Played 3 games at 500 for escalation league.
All in all, last week was very productive in terms of hobby and gaming even if I did not manage to actually meet my specific goals, I exceeded them in my opinion.
This week, I have a very set of specific goals to accomplish if I am going to get my escalation league painted in time for next month...stupid hordes. Okay, this is my goals for the next week:
  • Assemble 6 gaunts
  • Primer and Paint Tervigon
  • Primer genestealers and gaunts.
As always, my goal is small but with four children, I know what I can accomplish during a regular week. Often I accomplish more, but for now it is smart to set reasonable goals.

Oh, stay tuned tomorrow for my fully assembled and green stuffed Tervigon!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Off to Escalation League

Table Top War is off to Escalation League.
All three of us have entered the local escalation league at Thou Shalt Game. Dawson from Imperial Voxcast Podcast is also attending, so it looks like a fun filled next 8 months.
I am painting up and bringing Tyranids.
Monster Rain is bringing Necrons and adding to his existing horde.
Snake-Eyes is painting up and bringing a DOA element for his Angels of Death.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

New Blog Banner and Art

Wanted to give a shout out to  Menzies Tank  and the new artwork he has done for the Blog. 
He made a new banner, a new avatar for me and a new Symbol for Table Top War.
The pictures now incorporate Monster Rain.

Decisions, Decisions


I have had a problem with the Necron codex since I first opened it, and that is the number of cool options in this book. I'll admit that this is a good problem to have considering that a lot of the complaints about some of the aging Codexes (Codices?) is that they are only competitive in one or two builds. This was certainly the case with the Necrons before their update! The issue is compounded by the fact that I have been collecting Necrons for years and have an overabundance of models that I have an inescapable craving to use, and yes, I've been buying the new model kits like a madman. With the introduction of the new FAQs I have even harder choices to make, specifically when it comes to the Headquarters section of the Force Organization Chart.

With the FAQ making Anrakyr the Traveller a bit less exciting, since he can't use his Mind in the Machine ability from inside the Catacomb Command Barge, I don't have as hard of a time deciding not to bring him. Still, that leaves Nemesor Zahndrekh, Vargard Obyron, and Imotekh the Stormlord. I'm even re-evaluating my stance on old Orikan the Diviner since it turns out that his Temporal Snares ability works in conjunction with Writhing Worldscape. This makes any game that features the Dawn of War deployment extremely risky during the first turn, and won't be a picnic for any opponent that relies on rapid movement early in the game. Last but not least is the Destroyer Lord, who when Deep Striking with some Canoptek Wraiths (particularly when they are brought in by Nemesor Zahndrekh into the perfect position) can be absolutely devastating on his own. Add Mindshackle Scarabs to make him even more brutal. Imotekh doesn't really require explanation; he brings Night Fighting, potential for devastating Lightning Strikes, and as time goes on I find myself more and more excited about the Staff of the Destroyer. His Bloodswarm Nanoscarabs even prompted me to pick up some Flayed Ones which are testing rather well so far, which made me have to further reconfigure my lists. Imotekh is actually a great example of what I'm talking about, here. He has great synergy with so many different units, even in the HQ section, that it's hard to decide on what to take. Do you bet that people are going to reserve many of their units to avoid the lightning and so pair him with Nemesor Zahndrekh? Do you use him as a central part of your army build in a more close combat/ short-ranged shooting army that will benefit from advancing under the cover of darkness? Whatever decision you make here will greatly effect the optimal loadout for your Royal Courts and the composition of the rest of your army.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Green Light To Game: The Next 5 Weeks!

The ebb and flow of gaming for a father of flow of four can be a very fickle thing. Just one week ago, I was trying to figure out how to squeeze in a couple of games in a few available hours; now however, things have changed.
The Great She-Dragon has given me the go ahead to game to my hearts content every weekend from now till the end of February...except my Daughters birthday weekend...of course! But still, that is 4 weekends of gaming!!!
Now the question becomes how many events can I fit in this time frame. I managed to find gaming on every single weekend from now till the end of my Hall Pass; amazingly enough, I even managed to squeeze in a Grand Tournament.
My schedule for the next few weeks looks rather full.
January 28 - Escalation League Month 1: 500 Points (Tyranids)
February 11 - 2000 Point RTT at Pair A Dice Games (GK)
February 18 & 19 - Broadside Bash
February 25 - Escalation League Month 2: 500 Points (Tyranids)
February 26 - 1750 RTT at Thou Shalt Game
I do have a tough decision to make: Whether or not I should try and fluff up my list in an effort to score higher at Broadside Bash and their subjective comp score. In the end, I decided to do like Reece - who last year just went and took his Missile Wolves to Broadside Bash. In other words, I will be taking my Green Knights as is to this 2K event.


Well, better get some rest, it is gonna be a long 5 weeks!