intro

A random series of articles on war gaming in 40K, FOW and other systems. The headings are, WiP; Conversions and models in various states of assembly. PiP; Paint works on various models. Mission Critical; scenarios or missions to bring a bit of a twist to a normal game. MiA; rules for units and characters that could/should/might appear in a game. Dig In; How to guides on making various types of terrain for different game systems. Sit Rep; Battle reports and after action reports on games played

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sitrep (40K): The battle for Tilburg aka the Dutch GT 2011

“You got to follow the GTs” a crazed Ziwi once said.  The Dutch GT has the added advantage of being run in English so less like to have a lost in translation error.   The rules pack is a bit thick at 26 pages, with hundred points of games and seventy points for “soft” scores   including a dread quiz, (What is the emperor's middle name?, kind of thing).  Still worth a " you got to follow the GTs".

So the green tide was off again to foreign fields.

The Green tide at 1750 points
HQ1: "Son of Gork" 1 Big Mek (35) kustom force field (50) cybork body (10) [95 pts]
HQ2: "Son of Mork" 1 Big Mek (35) kustom force field (50) cybork body (10) [95 pts]
Troop1: "Red uns" 30 Boyz (30x6, shootas) rocketx3 (30) Nob (10) power klaw (25) bosspole (5) [250 pts]
Troop2: "Blue uns"  30 Boyz (30x6, shootas) rocketx3 (30) Nob (10) power klaw (25) bosspole (5) [250 pts]
Troop3: "Greeen uns"  30 Boyz (30x6, sluggas) rocketx2 (20) Nob (10) power klaw (25) bosspole (5) [240 pts]
Troop4: "snazzy uns"  30 Boyz (30x6, sluggas) rockets2 (20) Nob (10) power klaw (25) bosspole (5) [240 pts]
Troop5: "wild uns"  30 Boyz (30x6, sluggas)  Nob (10) power klaw (25) bosspole (5) [220 pts]
HS1: 3 Killa Kans (3x35) 3x big shoota (3x5) [120 pts]
HS2: 3 Killa Kans (3x35) 3x big shoota (3x5) [120 pts]
HS3: 3 Killa Kans (3x35) 3x big shoota (3x5) [120 pts] 

No major changes, the slugga boyz loss 5 rockets from the Prague pillage.

Round one Vs Marines played by Sam Williams
The enemy:
Vulkcan
1 librarian
1 squad 5 terminators hammer and shield
1 Land raider
1 squad 5 Vets with 2 meltas/2 combi meltas in a drop pod
1 squad 5 Vets with 2 H flamers/ 2 combi flamers in a drop pod
1 squad 10 scouts with Teflon, sniper rifles and rocket
1 squad 5 scouts with sergeant and power fist
1 squad 10 scouts with shotguns on a land speeder storm
1 squadron 1 land speeder melta/flamer
1 squadron 1 land speeder melta/flamer

The Orks won the roll of and opted to go first, forcing the marines into an empty table corner.  Fearing flamer drop pods the boyz spread very evenly across their deployment zone. Two Big Meks with two shoota mobs, two kan mob and one slugga mob was all that could fit in the zone with the rest of the army going in reserve.  The marines responded by out flanking with the small scout squad while the rest of the army set-up hiding behind the land raider. 

Orks deploy

The Orks moved off spreading out to minimize flamer casualties and protect the kans from melta attack. The Marines reacted with the flamer pod deep striking near a shoota mob.  All available marines units opened fire and killed twenty six of thirty boy mob.  While the landraider moved to engage the other shoota mob.
Ork reinforcements arrived in the shape of a slugga and a kan mobs.  The rest of the boyz moved to engage the marines.  The kans opened fire and immobilized the land speeder storm. The depleted shoota mob with just three rockets and a nobz opened fire on the flaming marines and killed mob.  The rest of the marines were buried under a tide of boyz and kans. For go measure, one of the kans destroyed the pod. 

Orks engage Stern guard  

The out flanking marines scout failed to make an appearance but the melta vets land near a kan mob.  The landraider moved and debussed Vulkcan and the terminators ready to assault to the second shoota mob.  The thin the ranks the marines opened fire and killed all the orks in assault range . The speeders shuffled forward and flamed a few orks. The melta vets opened fire and destroyed two of the three kans with kustom force feild saving some of the shots.


Vulkcan's last stand

The Orks went Waaagh. Vulkcan and the terminators went down to a hail of choppas and shootas. The melta vets and their pod also when under choppa.  One mob of kans moved after the land raider while the rest opened fire on the speeders immobilizing one.

Terminator trying to stop the green tide

With Vulkcan and the terminators down the marines tried to break contact. The landraider carrying the librarian immobilized itself right in front of the approaching kans.  There was limited shooting as Teflon and scouts still tried to get the marines first kill point.   The Orks kept up the pressure with the kans assault and destroying the landraider and the mobs down two land speeders.
The game end with the scout final killing a kan mob.  While the librarian get stuck in combat with a shoota mob.

Result: Win Orks 20-0

Round two Vs Eldar plazed Joe
The enemy
1 Farseer
5 Fire Dragons
5 Fire Dragons in a wave serpent
5 Dire avengers in a wave serpent
10 Dire Avengers in a wave serpent
10 Dire Avengers in a wave serpent
2 Fire prism
1 falcon

Eldar

Eight highly mobile tanks with limited anti infantry payload vs the tide.  The Orks won the roll off and opted to go second. “Are you sure?” Joe asked very keen to go second for a last turn tank shock on to objective.  The Eldar deployed on the side with the most of the cover.  While the Orks were squeezed into their deployment zone. 

Tanks, lots of tanks,

Joe was nominated for best painted army probably due to some great free hand work and the transports are marked with the aspect of the troops they carried.

The opening shooting from the elder was heavy with the boyz being densely packed.  In return the boy sprinted forward more to spread out then capture any objectives.  The Eldar continued to fire blast weapons at the approaching mobs but the boyz were now better spread out and moving through cover. 

Guile vs the pile

Painstakingly the boyz moved through terrain towards the objectives all the time taking fire from the elder.      A cheap rocket attack succeeded in downing  the Fire Dragons wave serpent.
Running out of the time the Eldar turbo boosted on to objectives hoping for an early game end.  The orks replied by securing two of the objectives.  The game rolled on.

Contesting tanks

The game went into the death or glory phase with grav tanks trying multiple tank shocks to be countered by death or glory rocket armed boyz.  Most of the rocket boyz were killed but not before destroying two more grav tanks.  In response the Orcs assaulted the tanks that contested the objectives and were two shy of clearing all of the objectives.  The game end with two grav tanks contesting objectives while the boyz attempted to pummel them.

Non contesting tanks

Result Win Orks 16-4

Round Three Vs Brahme
Vulcan (again!)
2 predators with autocannon/lascannons
2 squadrons of two speeders with melta/flamer combo
3 tactical squads in rhinos with flamers
1 dakka dreadnought
1 close combat dreadnought

 The mission called for three objectives, One in the centre of each deployment zone and one in the table centre. The centre obective ended up on a massive pyramid that dominated the table. The Orks won the roll off and opt to go second. The plan being to refuse flank aganist the marines to limit their fire power. In the end refused flank did not seem to work with hundred and sixty one models.  The marines rushed forward to seiye the centre objective. The Speeders turbo boosted to get a cover save while the predators and dreadnoughts opened fire on the kans damaging and stunning a few. 

All terrain LAV

The Orks countered with a general advance.  The kans and a shoota mob destroyed a speeder and stunned two more. Every one else ran towards the pyramid.  Start of turn two the marines claimed the objective in their zone and the centre objective the active speeder burnt a few orks while the predators and dreadnoughts destroyed a few kans. Vulkcan and the marines guarding the centre objective opened fire and killed a dozen orks.

Hold fast

In reply the orks captured the objective in their zone.  A choppa mob attacked an speeder squadron failing to do damage and grouping up nicely for a flamer attacker.  A slugga mob assualted the pzramid but could not bring the numbers to bear to win combat and lost several orks due to fearless.  
The speeder squadron toasted the bunched up slugga mob causing them to flee.   A dreadnought and tactical squad assualted the orks on the pyramid to help vulkan.  While the marine transport moved to block the other mobs advancing on the pyramid.  The marines won the combat for the pyramid reducing the slugga mob to a few models which fearlessly hung on.

Hand of Gork claims a marine

Another ork slugga mob joined the assault to the pyramids while the shoota mobs finished of the speeders.  The kans all ran to suport the battle for the pyramid.
The second marine dreadnought assaulted a shoota mob to pin it in combat. While the predators tried to whittled the kans down to three active models.  The battle for the pyramid raged on with Vulkcan's troops putting up a stubborn resistance to draw combat.  With time running out the knas and the second shoota mob all charged into combat final destroying the defenders.  The shoota mob fighting the dreadnought got a luck hit and destroyed it.  In the last turn the orks claimed all the objective to claim a win.

Kings of the hill

Result; Ork Win 20-0

Day one had ended with the orks on 56 out of 60 points but tomorrow was the dreaded quiz and even worse... 

...Demunz

Sunday, October 16, 2011

WiP (40K), Nice kans

Ominous portents from the Eagles Nest. Increased numbers on DHL packs arriving, orders for more plastic card and green paint, mutterings of “needz more rivets” points to new Waaagh.

First up is the forged world units in assemble is the scheisse panzer skaudron. Also in assemble is “Da beast” with “da uver beast” still in its box.




The frist beast "as is", the next one will get a bit more converting

The armour is being supported by cheap Mexican labour made from puppet wars Mexican heads and GW bodies. A second mob of Wild boyz is also in the works just waiting for some maxmini feral heads to arrive.  The plan is to try to get the Waaagh ready for Hamburg in November.

Via Dakka
 Wild Unz


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Sitrep (40K); Absinthe without leave, battle for Prague pt2


Round three b (or who is tougher Orks or Ogryns)
Primary Mission: Annilation
Secondary none
Deployment: Pitched battle
The enemy; Vit playing Imperial Guard
The army:
Commissar lord
1 squad or 10 Ogryns
2 Vendettas
4 squads of ten vets in chimeras
2 squads of hyrdas

After day one we went to nearby restaurant that does the best steak in Prague with the longest wait timing to go with it. Vit's nickname is the Mad Hampster. he is a bit crazy and was convinced Ogryns could take on the green tide. There was only one to settle this so back to the venue

The green tide won the roll off and opted to go first with two shoota mobs and a big mek opting to go up front with the rest opting to roll on. The Mad Hamster opted delploy a single squad of vets then steal the initiative and roll everything on. A hail of bullets killed hail a dozen orks, return fire took a out a couple of tree, scratched some paint work but that was about it.
The deployed vets opted to suicide themselves to take out a squad of killa kans which approaching the ogryns led by the Commissar Lord. Elsewhere the guard opened fire on the kans trying to remove the instant ogryn death weapons, some kans where destoyed but by and large they where intact.
The orks responded by attacking the vets and their chimera, the vets went down fast but the chimera exploded and took out half the mob. Mean while the boyz opened fire and down a vendetta.



The ogryns pushed forward and fired ogryns their rippa guns decimating a shoota mob. The nearest kan mob got hit with everything available and lost a kan while the other two mobs were destroyed.
The Kans went into the Ogryns killing two with the commissar lord passing both his invulnerable saves. The guard responded by moving into range flaming the closing orks. The ogyrns pulled the arm off on the killa kans..
The Orks waaaghed. hitting pretty much everything in the guard army. A slugga mob hit the Ogyrns, killing the Commissar lord and wounding an ogryns while the kans missed with everything. The respond the Ogryns also missed with pretty everything. To make it worse they failed their leadership test and tried to flee only to be ran down by the boyz.

Orks Vs Ogryns

With that the Mad Hampster conceded that orcs were tougher than Ogryns, complaining killa kans and unsporting orks :)

Round Four
Primary Mission: capture and control (multi objectives)
Secondary Kill points
Deployment: Pitched battle
The enemy; Jan playing Marines
The army:
1 Chaplain
1 librarian
1 tech marine with thunderfire cannon
1 squad of devastators with 4 missile launchers
1 squad of 5 terminators with Hammer and shield
1 squad of five marines in razorback with las/plas
1 squad of marines ten marines in two combat squads one with lascannon
1 predator with auto cannon and lascannons
1 typhoon speeder
1 attack bike squad with 2 bikes
1 rifle dread
1 ironclad dread in a pod

The green tide won the roll off and opted to go first with two slugga mobs up front with a big mek. The marines responded with some combat squads deployed near objectives. The marines then stole the initiative. The Ironclad arrived near a slugga mob while the rest of the marines walked or ran into place.
In reply all the orks rolled on ran forward. The big mek left the slugga mob to join the other mob further from the ironclad. The other slugga mob then went for the iron clad ripping off its hammer and loosing a few boyz in return.
The Marines replied with the chaplain leading a combat squad and the bikes into an assault to support the dread. Most of the boyz were kiled but enough survived to pin the squads. The Thunderfire cannon lived up to its name mauling the other slugga mob. The anti weapons went hunting kans with little effect.


Orks and terminators face off

The Orks opted to Waaagh, a shoota mob joined the melee with the iron clad while the damaged slugga mob assaulted a nearby combat squad. One marine survived and fled but the mob rolled badly for its free move, elsewhere the Chaplain suffered a fatal klaw to the face while his squad was destroyed and the bikes opted to flee.
The bunched up mob of slugga boyz was to good a target to miss the thunderfire cannon fired and reduced the mob to a single wounded Nob. Elsewhere the anti tank guns where beginning to make their presence felt destroying three kans and badly damaging a few more. The attack bikes moved into position to finished a kan squad but failed to damage leaving it open to attack by a weaponless kan. The Ironclad finished off the first slugga mob but stayed locked in combat with the newly arrived shootas. The Liberian opted to gate and moved a scoring unit on to an uncontested objective while the terminators closed on the wound nob.


Ironclad vs Power klaw

A slugga mob assault the drop pod to get an extra few inches of movement. The result was a weapon destroyed drop pod and a badly grouped up mob of Orks. The armless kan wounded the bikes who predictable ran away leaving the kan to go after the now scoring combat squad. Elsewhere the last kan mob sited the sole survivor from a marine combat squad and gunned him down.
Again the grouped up mob was to tempting a target to miss for the thunderfire cannon this time there no survivors including a big mek. The anti tank weapons now started to fire at the wounded nob who went to ground to stay alive. The Ironclad finally was destroyed, freeing up the shoota mob to go after the scoring marine squad. The combat squad was assaulted by the armless kan but quickly destroyed it with krak grenades while. The terminators got in an assault on the last kan mob.
The orcs respond by blowing up the drop pod and moving to recapture the marine held objective. The kans and terminator when into each with the kans coming out the worst for it. The libarian left the scoring squad and moved to block the advancing green tide. The thunderfire cannon fired on the threatening mob killing several. But this turned out to be a mistake because al the casualties took the librarian out of assault range preventing him from pinning the squad.
In the final turn the orks assaulted the scoing unit destroying their transport and leaving sole survivor contesting the objective. The marines respond by turbo boosting the landspeeder into cover(????) to contest the Ork held objective.

Result Win Ork 14-6

Round five
Primary Mission: capture and control (two objectives)
Secondary Kill points
Deployment: pitch battle
The enemy; James playing Chaos marines
The army:
2 sorcerers with lash
2 squads of 5 hurgel marines
2 squads of three Obliterators
2 squads of ten marines in rhinos
1 predator

Green on Green action

The final round had the orks in eighth place with a possible top three finish if they could get a good result. The final game was against double lash. To make it more interesting the lashes were on the sorcerers hidden in units so the boyz could not snipe them early in the game.
The green tide won the roll off and opted to go first The orks were spread evenly across the deployment not knowing where the marines might go. Strangely the marines abandoned their flag opting instead to bunker up in one corner.

So games are an absolute treat to play with Orks and unfortunately for James this was one of them. The boyz surged forward the lashes fired and group the boyz tightly but the obliterators failed to deliver. By turn three the boyz hit the castle. The first wave consisting of a single badly damaged mob faired badly and was cut down, But that was just the first wave in turn three slugga mobs backed up by two kans hit the castle and it was carnage. Marines killed dozens of boyz but the was always more. On turn five the castle collapsed and marines were forced to fight in isolated pockets. By turn six the marines were down to a single immobilised and weaponless predator locked in combat with a power klaw nob. The game ended before the noby could strike the death blow to the marine army. The highlight of the game was when a shoota mob managed to congo line across the table to claim both flags while the slugga mobz beat up the marines.



Orks congo to capture two flags very snazzy

result. Win Orks 19-1

When the dust had settled the orks had came fourth in battle and overall. The main losses were driven by missing a game and not getting the army scored for painting. The ref doing to painting scores called over while the mobs were in transit, ie boxes, and not being able to see the models their score was not too impressive. Overall great craic the czech were good fun to play. Rumour has it of a Czech tournament with a cash prize of 500 euro. Tempting but I think it might just bring out the worst in players but then again 500 euro to play 40K?

Doh for got the picture link

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sitrep (40K); Absinthe without leave, battle for Prague


Prague is the nearest capital city to the Eagle's Nest. Sooner or later it was going to have a 40K event and sooner or later I was going to hear about it. Vit from the Czech ETC team sent on the details with just enough time to arrange a trip. So the green tide was off to Prague. 

 The event is 1800 points. 50 points less than I am use to but still worth a go.


The green tide
2 Big meks with Curva mak'as and cybork bits
3 kan mobs each with three kans with big shootas
3 mobs each with 30 boyz, 3 rockets, sluggas, nob with klaw and pole
2 mobs each with 30 boyz, 3 rockets, shootas, nob with klaw and pole

The venue

round one:
Mission; Rescue the Sea witch
£%$” An odd number of players meant I got the bye buster. Vit offered to switch but that meant he would miss a game which did not seem fair either. None of the refs had a bye buster army so default draw. To pass the time the head ref, victor set up a battle of dread fleet between his helper monkey , John, and me. I drew the Grand Alliance fleet and was given one ship with orders to rescue another, the Sea witch. Not a good start further challenged by the fact My ship was the only active ship in play meant I got hit with pretty every sea monster going. I free the Sea witch but the game end before she could make good her escape. Nice intro to a pretty interesting game.

Results: loss, possible further hit to the wallet

Round two
Primary Mission: Annihilation Kill points
Secondary; capture and control (multi objectives)
Deployment: Pitched battle
The enemy; Mirck playing Great knights
The army:
Grand Morkar (ghost dude)
Inquisitor lord in terminator army with fancy cannon
2 squads of 10 terminator with all the trimmings
2 Dread knights.

Ork line up

The green tide won the roll off and opted to go first, it spread out evenly across the deployment zone with the shootas boyz screening the slugga boyz while the kans and big meks deployed in the centre. The knights replied by deploying in one corner to minimise the number of Orks mobs they were facing.
The Green tide opted to move and run, moving 9-12” to the knights intent on doing some damage. The Knights replied by decimating one of the shootas mobs. The orks replied by falling in behind the advancing kans while the decimated mob opted to secure a near objective out of storm bolter range. The orks moved slower this turn but still closed the gap.

Grey knights

The grey knights replied by switching fire to the Kans with considerable less success. Turn three saw the boyz getting into weapons range Kans and shootas opened up on Mordrak and were rewarded with knocking of two his wounds. The knights had a bad habit of allocating wounds to their grand master in the hope of getting extra terminators. The extra knights arrived but the cost was soon to to haunt the Grand Master. With the orks begin to arrive the Knights went on the offensive. Storm bolters and pyshic cannons opened fire damaging kans and killing a few orks. The terminators prepared for an assault. Mordrak attempted hammer hand but suffered perils of the warp and was slain. To add insult to injury his retinue of ghost knights were also removed. The loss of Mordrak ended the knights phase with the rest of the units being out of range.
Sensing weakness the orcs close in. One mob got the hop on the inquisitor lord who had join a squad of terminators. The lord was slain but the boyz got pummelled by the terminators. Elsewhere the knights fought back. A mob of killa kans was destroyed by a dread knight. While the hiding shoota mob was finished off by the second terminator squad.
The boyz destroyed another dread knight but lost a mob in return. The game ended tied on kill points with the orks holding most of the objectives with less than 250 vp in the difference. Annoyingly, Mordark's retinue of ghost knights did not concede a kill point.

Result 12-8 to the boyz

Knights engaging the green tide

Round three
Primary Mission: capture (single objective)
Secondary capture and control (multi objectives)
Deployment: Spearhead
The enemy; Phillip playing Chaos marines
The army:
2 Daemon princes one with lash
3 squads of obliterators
1 squad of 3 terminator
3 squads of marines in rhinos
1 squad of 12 berserkers in a land raider

Ork second line

The green tide won the roll off and opted to go first. Kans screened the shoota boyz who screened the slugga boyz with the big meks opting to go with the shootas. In response the traitor marines deployed far back with the terminators opting for deep strike.

Chaos Marines deploy

The orks moved forward more cautiously this time with every rocket and big shoota pointed a the lash prince. By the time they had finished firing all that was left was a very amused and undamaged prince. The traitors responded by lashing a shoota mob into plasma cannon range and destroyed half the squad while the other obliterators and lascannons from the landraider destroyed a now exposed kan mob. The Orks again edge forward, another full round of shooting was rewarded with a single wound on the prince.

No Ork mob likes seeing lash princes on the table


 The lash fired again draw ing the damaged mob into flamers range of the obliterators while the berserkers and a squad of marines went after one of the approaching mobs. The obliterators again decimated the shootas boyz who thankfully decided to stick around. Else where lascannons fired on the kans destroying a few. The berserkers hit hard nearly destroying a mob in a single turn but fortunately enough survived to pin them in place. The orks opted to Waaagh The pinned berserkers and their supporting marines suffered attention from two slugga mobs and some kans while the badly damaged shoota mob went for pay back on the prince. The other prince went down in a hail shoota fire. All of the marine units survived the combats leaving the orks locked in place and the obliterators and land raiders with no targets
One squad of scoring marines sneaked in to claim an objective. The surviving berserkers and friends final went down under a hail of choppas with the orks moving after the obliterators. The lash prince also went down to a klaw to the face.
About to be swamped the marines broke formation the land raider opted to move to contest a near by objective but found its path blocked by kans. Obliterators switched to flamer and cleansed a mob while another went after a mob to contest another objective or more likely to try and pull the garrison mob away from the three objectives it controlled. The terminators tried to put in a appearance but suffered a mishap and ended to far away to do anything useful. The game ended with land raider trapped in a wall of kans while one mob of obliterators was destroyed and another was pinned in combat.


Result: win 17-3

 Renegade Guard (mantic ghouls or zombies I think)


Next game who is tougher Orks or Ogryns?