Game Summit Weekend

What a great time!

Before leaving Sunday morning, I switched up my list a little, dropping the Farseer for an Autarch, and adding a 2nd Vyper. Registration was at 9am, with game 1 starting at 10am. Here is a quick recap of my games.

Game 1 vs Tau ("Nate").

What a nice army. Period. Awesome paint scheme and well painted. Had a total of I think 17 crisis suits, and one devilfish. Game was Dawn of War deployment and Annihilation, pretty straight forward. The issue for me, being my sneaky self, was the table. Shy of 2 buildings, it was devoid of anything that blocked line of site. Needless to say, the Tau thrived in this environment, with my tanks being "lite up" with markers every turn and my troops bravely doing their best to stay alive. The game went a full 5 turns, and was really gun, despite my loss of 6-3 in Kill points. Overall was still a fun game.

Game 2 vs Imperial Guard ("Lt. Walke")

Tanks, tanks, tanks and more tanks. Basically an armored company squished into the new guard codex. His fully converted and lovingly painted army consisted of 3 Leman Russ, a Demolisher, a Hellhound, Basilisk, 2 veteran squads in Chimeras, and some tank with super-special auto cannons that looked really sweet, can't remember the name. The mission was a tourney special, kind of a mix of Capture and Control and table quarters. Basically, one objective in the dead center to capture along with securing table quarters. "Lt. Walke" went first, and proceeded to "circle the wagons" around the central objective, thus contesting all 4 table quarters at the same time. Try as I might (and with only 2 bright lances in my force) I was only able to stun/shake most tanks, and destroy the weapon on the Hellhound. I did manage to contest all 4 quarters, and on the last turn forced his one remaining "scoring" troop unit to take a panic test, but they PASSED on leadership 7!! "Lt. Walke" pulled out a solid with even though I contested all 4 quarters, and we were laughing and joking the whole game through. A well played game and a blast for sure, despite my loss.

Game 3 vs Alpha Legion ("Anoobis")

What a gorgeous army. Subtle paint scheme, "chosen" unit painted to mimic ultramarines, and a great composition. The mission was Capture and Control, with Spear head deployment. Chaos went first and parked a Predator, tactical squad and Vindicator on the objective in his table quarter and then rushed up a Rhine and Land Raider (each with troops inside) towards the objective on my side. He also saw his terminators come in on turn 2 and deep strike close to my objective. The ensuing firefight was really back and forth, with the game hanging in the balance for a couple turns. I will state right now that his Land Raider was the star of the show, brushing off bright lances, pulse lasers and Fire Dragons to allow him to contest my objective. I did get a vyper in to contest his, but Anoobis was a smart general and pulled out the victory. We had a blast, playing the game and admiring our units lack of ability at times. Props to Anoobis for the balanced and fun Chaos Marine list to play against - no crazy lashes etc here.

So, 3 games down and 3 losses. Not shaping up to take the "Best General" prize home, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself and all the games. Maybe it was luck, or a testament to the Ottawa Gaming community, but I had yet to play any "beardy/cheesey" lists or players. On to game 4!

Game 4 vs Blood Ravens ("Missing Link")

BEST GAME OF THE DAY. I don't know what happened with this game, but damn was it awesome. Scenario was simple, Spear head deployment and 2 objectives placed in the center of the opposing quarters - combined with Annihilation. "Missing Link" had what can only be called a perfect example of a marine army. 2 Tactical in rhinos, a pair of Predators, 2 Dreadnoughts, and a command squad in a Razorback. Oh, and as we noticed AFTER the game, his list included a 10 man Assault squad that he had "forgotten" in his case ALL DAY - He hadn't fielded in in any matches, basically playing -250pts all day. When we discovered this, his face went as red as his power armor for a good 30 minutes, and much laughing and kidding ensued.

But to the game. Where do I start. I couldn't hit a thing. On one turn, for example, I fired every strength 8 or better weapon I had ( 2x Bright lance, 2x EML, 2x Pulse laser, Fire Prism ) at his one dreadnought and all I was able to do was immobilize it. CRAZY. My only consolation was that the Blood Ravens seemed to have picked up on the ineptitude of my force, and decided to one-up me by missing just as much - if not more! We had a memorable combat around on objective, with a storm guardian squad accompanied by my Autarch lasting 4 round of combat against a tactical squad and his command squad before succumbing. We were laughing so much that the outcome of the game never really seemed to matter. I did manage to squeeze out a victory, only by "Missing Link" failing a morale test on a tactical squad and it fleeing on the bottom of turn 6, so it didn't count as contesting. So, finally, in game 4, I won.


What a great day and great set of games. All my opponents were stellar players, and supreme sportsman. I thoroughly enjoyed the great tables and fully painted armies on them. I also managed to walk away with the "Best Sportsman" award - and some Phat Loot! A 10 man tactical squad, that may just be the start of a new Chaos Marine army, we'll see. I have loads of bikes to paint still.....but that's another story. Please check out the event at http://gamesummit.ca . It was really well run and a great time for all sorts of gamers. There is a winter one scheduled - so check it out. Photos of the event are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamesummit/ also so check them out.

Till next time...

Gaame Summit Approaches!

So, with the Game Summit Summer Skirmish ( http://www.gamesummit.ca/ ) approaching, and finding myself now playing in the 1750pt 40 k tournament, I had better get a list together and test it a bit. Here is what I have so far, and it is all painted:

HQ
Farseer w/ Singing Spear, Fortune, Guide, Runes of Witnessing, Spirit Stones - 138

TROOPS
5 Pathfinders - 120
10 Storm Guardians w/ Fusion gun x2, Warlock w/ Enhance - 132 Dedicated Waveserpent w/ Twin-linked Bright lance, Star Engines, Spirit Stones - 160

10 Storm Guardians w/ Fusion gun x2, Warlock w/ Enhance - 132 Dedicated Waveserpent w/ Twin-linked Bright lance, Star Engines, Spirit Stones - 160

Elites
6 Fire Dragons w/ Exarch w/ Fire Pike, Tank hunters - 131

6 Howling Banshees w/ Exarch, Executioner, War Shout, Acrobatic - 128

Fast Attack
Vyper w/ Starcannon, Spirit Stones - 80

Heavy Support
Fire Prism w/ Star Engines, Holofield - 165

Falcon w/ Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser, Star Engines, Holofield, Vectored Engines - 200

Falcon w/ Pulse Laser, Scatter Laser, Star Engines, Holofield, Vectored Engines - 200

-1746

So, thoughts/comments/suggestions?
I plan to try it out this Thursday night, and report back with another battle report.

Till then......

Fire Dragons

Fire Dragons

With their stellar record, and amazing firepower ever so evident last game against Kilroy, I figured they deserved to be finished up. While not totally there, they are starting to come together nicely. I appreciate any feedback comments on them. Here they are so far:

I'm thinking the guns may need a wash or ink - anyone have ideas?

Victory over Vulcan

Wow, what a great game. I played a long time pal, Kilroy's Boots, and his Vulcan lead Salamander Marine army. His consisted of (roughly): a pair of 10 man tactical squads in Rhinos, 10 tactical squad in drop pod, Dreadnought in drop pod, Land Raider Redeemer, 5 man Terminator assault squad (thunder hammers) and Vulcan himself (which meant all the meltas he had, and he had many, were twin linked - all of them!). It was a solid list, and close to what I would build as a marine player, mobility and deep strike are always a strong combo.

My eldar consisted of the following: a pair of Storm Guardian squads with fusion guns led by a warlock, both in wave serpents with twin linked bright lances, a unit of pathfinders (6), unit of Fire Dragons (6) with exarch, Farseer (attached to a storm guardian squad), a Fire Prism, 2 Falcons, and a Vyper. I only used so many tanks because my bikes are not painted yet, so I didn't want to field them. I plan to pull on of the units of storm guardians and one of the Falcons to fit a couple squads of bikes once they are painted.

The mission was Capture/Control (2 objectives) with Dawn of war setup. Here is how things looked the bottom of turn 1, as Kilroy kept everything in reserve as did I (apart from my pathfinders infiltrating into the bunker) and my 2 wave serpents deployed in once corner. I figured since he went first, I would be in position to take pot shots at his tanks as they came on the board.

Turn 2

Things got bloody very fast. Turn two saw Kilroy's WHOLE army come in (lucky bastard). He deep striked his Terminators and Dread right on top of my objective ( the little stash of crates to the right of the serpent in the pic above). This had me a little worried to be honest, as he also deep striked he tactical onto his objective. But then it was my turn, and I rolled for reserves.....and they ALL CAME IN! Wow, guess that makes two lucky bastards, as it would allow me to focus my whole armies fire power on the two units sitting on my objective. I would have to worry about his objective later....Bottom of turn 2 pic below.

From this pic, you can see that I have destroyed Kilroy's Dreadnought (the drop pod remains) and most of his terminators, and my other tanks are obscured from his view on the far side. They had clear line of sight to my objective, and this would serve me well, as Kilroy proceeded to send units towards my objective piecemeal, allowing me to focus fire and destroy them one at a time.

Turn 3 & 4

Turn 3-4 saw Kilroy send a 10 man tactical squad in a Rhino straight at my objective, only to get popped by Pulse Lasers and the squad moved down with scatter laser and fusion gun fire. His two remaining Assault Terminators did assault and wipe out the Fire dragons, but they had done there duty in destroying his dread and most of the Terminators. A valiant death! The pic above shows the one remaining Terminator and lone sergeant from the tactical squad. Also note my fleeing pathfinders, who decided it was better to book it and fight another day.

Turn 5 & 6

From the pic above you can see my Storm Guardians holding my objective and the rest of my army positioning for the moves to contest Kilroy's. You should be able to make out my Vyper that at the bottom of turn 5, jetted 24" to contest his objective. This was a solid plan, except when the roll came up, we found out that we were going on to turn 6! The only development for turn 6 was me moving my 2ND wave serpent with Storm Squad in to contest Kilroy's objective (in case he downed the Vyper) but it was not needed. The game concluded with me securing my objective and contesting the other, landing this virgin Eldar army its 2ND victory.

Props go out to Kilroy, who was not only a stellar opponent, but also one who plays at the rapid pace I do, allowing us to get a 6 turn game finished in under 2 hours. His army was solid, and I look forward to meeting it again on the field once he has his Storm Speeders finished - that will really add a challenge for me.

So, until next time, "Keep the dice hot and the beer cold".

Working on the Fire Prism

So, with the game tomorrow night against Kilroy's Boots and his salamander army approaching I have to take some time and "re-assemble" the fire prism. Here is a shot of the pieces. I will be using a dremel to drill out some holes and pinning it with some large paper clips.

Before Shot
click to enlarge

Notice that I just finished the black lining, but have yet to do the high lighting (light blue) and canopies. I will be drilling out both the gun pieces and either site of the turret, then gluing in small sections of heavy duty paper clips to form joints. This should reinforce the turret (preventing future breaks) and ensure the turret can move freely.

While working on the Eldar tonight, I am enjoying a few cold Mill Street Stock Ale. I highly recommend this beer, from a micro brewery in Toronto Canada. Here is a link to their site so you can check them out. It's a great summer beer, light and refreshing - damn I sound like I work for them! Anyways, I should get to it, my wife has taken our little one out for a walk to the shops (eek!) and I need to take advantage of the quiet time to get shit done. Pics of the completed Fire Prism to follow.

1st task with Eldar - Repairs and touch ups.

Before I start on the GW modeling shit, THIS JUST IN! PS3 "Slim" is coming Sept 1st for only $299 USD. For more info check this link.

Eldar News

So the army I got from "Lothlann" (see www.gamesummit.ca/forum to decipher the names I use - I post under "CA$H") was in good condition, with some minor breaks and such to deal with. Even though the Fire Prism was in 3 pieces, I elected to start with highlighting and "black-lining" the vehicles. I am a fan of the look you get when you black line the armor panels on a vehicle - it really makes the cammo pattern pop when it's on the table top. It involves putting black paint or wash between the crevasses in the armor of a vehicle (or any model for that matter). It can be tedious and time consuming, but I think the results speak for themselves. On the model below, Lothlann had completed the bulk of the painting, the cammo work, and the detailing. I added the light highlights, finished a few gems that were not completed and did the black lining. I would love any feedback:

click to enlarge

See how the armor plates are really well defined? I am a firm believer in the "2 foot rule". Since I play table top war games, the models tend to be a few feet away. If they look good from 2 feet away, they are well painted. I just want the army to look good before it gets destroyed. So work progresses, and I will update with more photos as things improve. Tomorrow night I am testing out my forces at the local Games Workshop store against Kilroy's Boots (another gamesummit forum guy) and I will post a recap and result (hopefully with pics) tomorrow night. I am going up against Salamander Marines, so this should be interesting, flamers and melta-guns everywhere. Stay tuned!

The start of something new.....

Where do I start? I am not sure where this compulsion to start a blog came from, but it has taken hold. I guess a number of things have contributed to it. For starters, I am the proud father of a 1 year old girl, and she puts a smile on my face every day without fail. I know it will seem cliche but its true, and odd. I say odd because a week never goes by without someone who knows me (and the stupid/irresponsible/hilarious/drunk things I have done in my "younger" days) saying "I can't believe you are a dad!" or "Wow, I never thought you would have kids". It has almost become a sick point of pride for me - See world! I can be responsible! Anyways.........

Why a blog? Part to chronicle my return to the world of Games Workshop war gaming, part to give a medium to my rants, and part to form a crude history of goings on in my life and household. So, with that said let's get started.



Warhammer 40k 5th Edition. I have returned. What brought me back? I'm not totally sure. I always loved the social aspect of gaming. Something getting rarer as time goes on, with social networking and such, I see people becoming more shut in and disconnected. For all its (social networking) praise, I think it may doom us to sit inside and type all day instead of getting out and socializing face to face. But I digress, back to 40k. If you have no clue what is it, check this link, I don't have the space or inclination to tell you. I am starting fresh (even though I have loads packed away in my basement from years past) with Eldar. The challenge of finesse and fragility is what caught me. I have many, many wins under my belt, and if returning offered no challenge, I probably would lose interest and not bother. I have picked up the bulk of an Eldar army from a good friend ( and now close neighbor ) and am working on building it out. I will be chronicling my work on this blog. I also plan to put up some battle reports, mainly to help myself remeber lessons learned and tactics that failed. It would make interesting reading for some I suppose. Anyways, enjoy the blog.