Blog Wars Game 1: Bully vs Blood Angels

Righto chaps, my first report up from Blog Wars. For those that don't know - it was the event held by From the Fang inviting over pretty much most of the UK's bloggers for a rumble in Mansfield with their pretty Special Characters!

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and I say weekend as I got to meet Andy from Iron Wolves on the Saturday by happen-stance on the table beside us! I had an awesome doubles game with him vs Atreides and then some dinner and a trip around the Warhammer Hall of Fame. There's been a good bit of banter since the weekend, largely positive, while it is a little disappointing to see a couple of the comments, it can all be taken in good nature. But I think on the whole most people are really geared up for the second one, and really have a good idea of what they want to do (Ezekiel will be trying to Mind Worm Draigo in our rematch on Table 1 next time Marc!!).

Anyway, onto my report. I plan to do a mini-user profile of the guys I faced up against and spread the love a bit, all 3 rank up there with some of the nicer guys I've had the pleasure to play against.

GAME ONE: Capture and Control - Spear Head

I faced up against Andy (Fudal) from Claws and Fists and the first thing that struck me was how much more organised they were than us. With Ven failing to get us our T-Shirts, the C&F guys turned up with both the tee's and dice! 



Andy had a very nice Yellow Blood Angels army - we had a chat prior to the game about some of his painting techniques, and he got worried that I had some yellow rhino doors on my bases! So nice tips on his yellow - using Grypstone Sepia I believe to take that edge off his base coat.

His list - from memory was:

Mephiston

Sanguinary Guard - IPx2 Banner Fist
Sanguinary Priest - Jump Pack
Furioso Dreadnought - 2xBlood Talons

10xAssault Squad - Flamer, Fist Jump Packs
5xAssault Squad - MG LasPlas
5xAssault Squad - MG LasPlas
5xAssault Squad - MG - TL-LasCan

1xTyphoon - ML/HB
1xTyphoon - MG/HB

5xDevs - MLx4

So a nicely rounded list over all. Meph and the Sang Guard are beasts, and will eat my units easily on the charge if I give them the chance. Furioso's can be very nice support to other units, and I've had one bog me down, and I hate shooting at AV13 with CML's - so I was quite anxious to see how I could jockey around to try and pick off the threats.

DEPLOYMENT

 Andy won the roll to go first and took it.

Andy set's up with speed on both sides which I was wary off - while only AV11/10 both could zip in if left untouched to take out objectives. Furioso is spanked as far forward as possible - SH is great for a footslogging dread as he could have a T2 charge quite easily. RAS screening the Guard and Meph behind them.

So fairly simple set up for me. The 2 squads at the far left will be my "objective holders" and can run up behind to the midfield where, lets face it, all the dancing is bound to happen. Bikes start in regular reserve. Spear Head is horrific for outflanking really - especially given that big terrain would limit me to where I could turbo boost if I got the wrong side. The 3 squads in the terrain / around the terrain will be the ones to get the tango on in midfield / push his objective.

TURN 1:

Andy shuffles his RAS up close to that central tower, guard and meph shuffle behind, Typhoons zip out for some shots. He moves his front lasplas 12" and pops smoke (I think), moves the dread and pops smoke, the TLLC razor goes 12 and can fire, final lasplas moves 6" I think. In his shooting Andy manages to kill off a terminator from one of the "forward" squads with his Typhoon I think.

I annoyingly forgot to take a shot of my movement. I basically shuffle forward as much as possible - I am out of terrain, trying to coax that Furioso and RAS to charge my lines or move back - if he stood pat or shuffled around I'd probably get a 2nd turn charge. In my shooting I manage to rip of the CML's from the left typhoon and imob it and stun/shake the rear most razors.

TURN 2: 

So as we see Andy does in fact shuffle around. He moves that lasplas right up into my face, Furisoso is well within its charge range. However those RAS bunch back up and wait for the SG support. Out of shot the other tanks are stunned/shaken so don't do much (other than pop smoke). His shooting doesnt do much if I remember correctly, though I think a dev manages to pop another TH/SS - this time on the command unit. With that he goes for it - charges that Furioso into my command. In assault it doesnt go great. He does drop a TH/SS terminator, but I make the save on the follow up. It was a gamble, with so few attacks really, you need hot dice/bad dice to get through enough 3++'s, though typically he'd bog me down. However I got a bit lucky, I got a good few hits (command unit, so had 3 attacks on each TH) and managed to get a couple of pen's and a glance, and with that I explode the Furioso

I consolidate up forward, with my turn next, Belial and co have multiple options. Now I look at it I could have swung round and actually got through the gap to charge the SG, which might have been an idea (damn pictures are great aren't they!), but my initial thought was to go for the RAS.

In my turn, I move quite aggressively. Reserves saw both my bike squads come on, so I move them up adjacent to his mech line. With the positioning of his tank and RAS I have a chance to use some combat to "propel" my army. In missions like this it can be dead handy if I can get that extra free 6" assault + consolidation (in either my turn or his turn ... if I win combat that is) so I jumped on it with two units. I also pushed up another unit to take out that razor of my bikes came on. In shooting I wreck the other speed with my rear most squad, one MM manages to wreck his rear most razor (lasplas) through smoke, the MGx4 and MM and CML only stun his other lasplas and shake his 2nd lasplas, so looks like its combat for it!. Assault see's me use 2 squads to hit into the RAS, 1 set of bikes into the lasplas with some terminators. The bikes hit first and the Melta Bomb hits and explodes the lasplas. In the terms vs RAS combat I think I win without loss, killing all 10.

Consolidation was like so, Belial and Co are there to tempt the big charge, Belial will get eaten alive, but I might do some damage, even get stuck in combat (doubt it) but certainly would allow me a counter charge. The other terms adopt the classic flying V formation made famous by the kids of the Might Ducks.

TURN 3:

So Andy has a couple of units on foot now - they have few options, I am surprised he moved that RAS towards my bikes on the left, rather than his objective, but the others had little choice, other than to move back and support the other 5. Shooting doesnt see much action with only 4 ML's and a HB active now. My pictures start to get a bit sporadic here, apologies, but Andy multi assaults the unit on the left into my 3xBikes and the Attack Bike with the yellow hatch on the base, and the RAS on the right into the bikes that are just hidden out of view (you can see a small base there). Both these combats go on for quite a while, with minimal loses on each side, so I'll update when one actually wins! The big assault happens, Meph into Belial (*achievement unlocked*) and S10 insta deaths him with 5 wounds made lol. The sang guard wipe out the rest of the squad, I think for 1 loss, and consolidate back 6" right to his "objective building.

My T3 and I really have no option to push on. I have to take out those SG, they can keep flying in and taking out a unit a turn quite easily otherwise (serious power with FC, and all my AP1 is tied up). I throw the flying V squad forward, and the squad that took out the tank - I planned not to engage Meph, but I wanted plenty of terminators around there to be able to counter punch him if need be. In shooting my terminators a the back that were shuffling around very slowly take out the dev sarge (no more 2+ ML for you!) and the MM AB wiffs again on the razor - as does the other CML lol. Assault see's the two squads (4 and 5 guys) go into the SG, they take a couple of loses, the 4 man squad down to 3 and the other down to 4. I however manage to kill the entire unit and priest, and the PF misses on his return punches. I consolidate the 3 man unit up onto the objective, and the 4 man "screening" Meph - not that it would make much of a difference with his mobility.

TURN 4: 

Not much happening now movement wise, I'll give a few pictures.

Meph sizing up the field - 4 guys, 3 guys or peg it to my objective?

Shot of one of the wiff fests, I've managed to kill 1 guy in that nearest combat! That Razor is about to peg it right onto my objective!

Don't do it! That razor now tank shocks right onto of my objective. I forgot to take a picture, but I didn't death or glory (I never ever do anything with D or G! so now I take the cowardly route!) You can also see the other wiff fest, but this time he's killed one of my bikes!

In assault Andy chooses to hit Meph into my 4 man unit, he drops one before getting 4 wounds taken off him, fails LD on a 11 and runs towards his board edge. I consolidate up behind him.

In my T4 I don't really have all that much to do either at this stage. My now 3 man unit follows up to 6" near Meph, the other 3 man unit on his objective sets up to charge his devs (if I can roll a 3 to get upstairs) the MM attack bike rolls up behind the razor on my objective to fire off another light wind, and the terms on my objective surround the razor. Shooting takes all the CML's and MM to actually kill the think, and it explodes, so his dudes get out comfortably with no loss in the cater. I fired at his devs, but he makes cover saves. Assault actually see's his dudes win against the bikes that blew up his razor, and consolidate near to their buddies on the left. The terminators on my objective charge his dudes (just, both nearly tripped on their way in through terrain) and consolidate back out again (at this stage they decided they would stop skulking around and actually walk some where). I also made it in with the devs and killed them off after they had swung the missile launchers at my face, and consolidated back onto the objective.

 TURN 5:

Meph flee's the table!! With the remainder of his units, Andy motors the other squad that just won combat over and charges in! Good plan as at this stage they are the easiest VP's on the table, and these guys were worth a fair whack (95 for half unit!). Combat see's him drop a wound on the attack bike I think.

In my T5 there wasn't much to do, I nipped the Melta AB into 24" of that imob'd speeder, and the CML from the squad that ushered Mephiston off the table turn around to get into range of that speeder. One of the back field squads gets up to charge his remaining dudes. Shooting finally see's the attack bike do something and takes out the last speeder. Assault had Andy finally offing my attack bike - meaning half points again were granted, and the LC's and TH's came to bear.

The game ended with

Lone guy fleeing away.


Deathwing Win 2-0.

WRAP UP:

Andy was a fun chap to play against, and really thought a lot of his paint jobs and got some really good thoughts on what he's done, here is another close up I couldn't fit into the battle report!

There are some more pictures over at his (and his buddies) blog - Claws and Fists, he covers his Nipple Guard in his Fluent in over 3 million forms of communication? post - please check it out. On a note about his scheme - its quite clever, its very generic - could be Lamenters, could be Imperial Fists! Either which way gives him flexibility without eyebrow raising!

Cheers Andy for the game, you were the only Claws and Fists chap I got to play on the day, but I did get to speak to more from the blog crew, all great guys.

I believe Venerable will be posting up his first report versus the Nid's tomorrow, if not it will be Atreides with his battle with 3++'s very own Bro Lo - which I was fortunate enough to watch a bit of, looked like an absolute scorcher of a game!

See Venerable, I went a whole post without posting a picture of Belial .... RIBBON WINNING BELIAL!