Caledonian 2014, MarkyMark with the Screamer Council

So the list is submitted, the draw is done and theres only a few days left to get my toys looking shiny! (for some reason decided to rebase my whole collection, currently done the 70 horrors and now onto the screamers then the supporting cast after).

  So my list for Callie is

Fateweaver
Herald Tzeentch, lvl 3, Disc, exalted reward
Herald Tzeentch, lvl 3, Disc, exalted reward
Herald Tzeentch, lvl 3, Disc, lesser reward, locus of conjuration
Herald Tzeentch, lvl 3, Disc, 2 lesser reward

11 Horrors
11 Horrors
11 Horrors
10 Horrors
10 Horrrors

8 Screamers
8 Screamers

Bastion

So lots more troops then I usually use and two screamers, why? Redundancy thats why!.  Never in one game have I lost all the screamers in the first turn, the best anyone did was Karl Bickley taking out 8 and a half screamers after seizing on me :(.  So using that logic, plus BLOS terrain and the bastion I am banking on not losing that much, or at least that much that will hinder me for the rest of the game.  I.e in one game I lost 5 screamers turn 1 and then struggled as the heralds started to outnumber the screamers.  In this list if one screamer unit gets hit hard I will pop into the other unit and use the spare screamer unit as a contesting/line breaking/troop killing unit rather then a second deathstar.

  The horrors, well 5 scoring troops and 3 of them kicking out 3d6 of shots and other two dishing out 2d6 of shots add in the portal for small units of horrors here and there.

Bastion is purely there for BLOS on turn 1 and for flying Fateweaver on behind it.


  So game 1.  I have Davy Sabo who I have been told is Belgium ETC player who is coming along with ETC big dog Tom Adriany (who is also in the table for best daemon player!).

His list is as follows.

PRIMARY DETACHMENT: tau
HQ1 :Etherial (50) : warlord [50]
HQ2 : Commander (85) Iridium Battlesuit (25) ) Puretide Engram Neurochip(15)Command and control node
(15) multi-spectrum sensor suit(20) Vectored retro trusters(5)flamer (5)flamer(5)neurowed system
jammer(2)

[177]
Elite1 : Riptide (180) Ion Accelerator (5) Twin-linked Fusion Blaster (-) Early Warning Override (5)= [190]
Elite2 : Riptide (180) Ion Accelerator (5) Twin-linked Fusion Blaster (-) Early Warning Override (5) = [190]
Elite 3 : Riptide (180) Ion Accelerator (5) Twin-linked Fusion Blaster (-) Early Warning Override (5) = [190]
Troop 1 :10 kroot(60)hounds(5)[65]
Troop 2 :10 kroot(60)hounds(5)[65]
Troop 3 : 10 kroot(60)[60]
HS1: 3x Broadsides (195) 3 Early Warning Overide(15) 3 Twin-linked Smart Missile System (-) 3 Twin-linked
High Yield Missile Pod(-)4 missle drones(48)[258]
HS2: 1x Sky ray missle defence gunship (115) twin-linked smart missle system(-)blacksun filter(1) [116]
HS3: 1x Sky ray missle defence gunship (115) twin-linked smart missle system(-)blacksun filter(1) [116]
ALLIED DETACHMENT: eldar
HQ1 : farseer (100) jetbike(15)rune armour(-)shuriken pistol(-)witchblade(-) ghosthelm(-) [115]
Troop 1 :3x windriders [51]
Troop 2 :3x windriders [51]
6 swooping hawks(96) [96]
2 vaul engines(60): shadow weaver(-) [60]


  So a quite nice balanced TauDar list, not the best opponent for game 1!.  At the moment we do not know what the first mission will be, that will be decided just before we kick off.....

  So, my plans for this list.  For a start turn 1 will be interesting, I am planning on deploying defensively no matter if I am going first or second, a seize from this list will hurt and so will going second.  I am hoping for a nice amount of terrain and some BLOS pieces to tally up with the bastion to create a larger BLOS area for me, this of course depends on terrain and deployment type but still either or I can do this quite well.

  I will possibly be deploying the heralds, two into a horror unit each and the grimoire and forewarning heralds into a screamer unit each, now this will matter a little as then the heralds wont have the 2++ from FW and grimoire but a sieze is a bigger issue as he only has small blast str 7 barrage which is easily counted against.

  Personnaly I think my troops are better then his, abelit not as mobile, kroot will die in droves to str 5 ap4 FF from the horrors, fatey and heralds.  Jet bikes will also suffer that fate and both will be having to take LD tests quite early on.

  The hawks again are 4+ armour save which isnt good against my ap4 shooting....

Skyrays?, bar markerlights and first turn alpha strike (will negate their first turn shooting without moving if possible, espically against the screamers), other then that I dont really worry about them, if possible I will be happy to leave them alive for a bit until my plan comes together.....

  My main issue will be the broadsides, I will be gunning for them stright away really, the plan being trying to set up a nice multicharge with the skyrays and broadsides, and would love to get a riptide in there as well..... I will be winning the combat and hopefully be winning by a lot thanks to pens counting as 2 wounds on the skyrays.

  Of course, knowing my opponent is high caiblre player means he wont be letting me do that, which is a shame!.

Etheral, now stubborn will be a issue, for this I think prescision shots from the 4 heralds onto the Etheral to take him out early on will be a wise move, plus its a primary VP for killing him so he has to go!.

He also lacks markerlights other then his skyrays, yes he has the farseer for double giude/prescience but still removing cover will hurt the second screamer unit and the horrors going to ground for 3+ cover RR 1's.

  Few mission break downs from my point of view.

Crusade and Kill points.  Dawn of war.  So 5 objectives for primary, as said above I expect to kill his troops off and score at least two.  Kill pts he has 16 kill pts I have 12 kill pts before thinking about the portal.  First turn and terrain will be important for me there.

Kill points and Scouring.   Vanguard. Kill pts as above.  Scourging he has 1 fast attack unit which I expect him to hide, again I think my scoring will be better then his based on how quickly I kill off his broadside unit.  I can outrange his broadsides and  hide from his skyrays here so will be happy for that possibly deploying less troops in this mission.

Emperors will with 3 relics and kill pts.  Hammer and Anvil.  Will probably deploy just the heralds and screamers in this as again I can hide from his skyrays and outrange his broadsides here, bikers will be annoying pulling the relics back but I plan to contest his emperors will objective and bubble wrap the hell out of mine and possibly put the grimoire herald into a unit of 11 horrors and pick up at least one of the relics.

Scouring and kill points, Dawn of War.  Pretty much as the reverse above.


Kill points and big guns never tire, Hammer and anvil.  Best mission to pick up HS kills, again think I have the advantage here due to deployment type and the extra KP's for the HS kills (broadsides, 2 skyrays and support platform meaning max of plus 4 for HS kills, plus 1 for Etheral and whatever objectives I get).  Hoping for this mission really.

So, wish me luck guys!, this will be a tough tourny for the screamers as the scoring system is very harsh and I doubt I will be getting any 20 nils this tourny....