Sitrep (40k) Battle of Ratisbona 2012

Ratisbona is, I think, the closes Germany has to a GT. It is also the last date to make the cut for the German ETC team on merit alone. Making it a pretty tough field. Of the 100 places available at one stage they had 140 sign ups. On the day there was 98 players.

Round 1 Vs Roland Zaglauer

Deployment: Pitch battle

Primary mission: Seize Ground

Secondary mission: Assassination, enemy's most expensive HQ counts as an objective marker for the player if he is killed and you control his body at the end of the game.

Special rules: 1st round night fight, Infiltration, Outflank, Reserves, Scout

The enemy: Seize ground

The Baron

3 Haemonculuci

3 True Born Squads with blasters in venom

5 Wrack squads in Venoms

3 Ravagers

2 large beast packs

1 large Hellion squad

Dark Eldar line up

Roland brought a chess clock to the game to time rounds, which was a first for me.  Playing Venom heavy dark was not the best match-up for the Boyz. To make it worse the table consisted of impassable terrain and three small areas of terrain. Roland won the roll off and opted to deploy first. Leaving the Orks with only a small bush to hide behind.

The opening volley from the Dark Eldar was pretty heavy with Boyz and Kans dropping along the line. The Ork return fire was non existent due night fighting and flickers fields in the end only a single Venom was stunned.

Wild Boyz beat of beast pack

The second round of Dark Eldar fire was decisive. The Big Mek's kustom force field must have been overload since none of the Kans and very few Boyz passed a cover save.  The Orks tried to push forward aimed at destroying Dark Eldar scoring units and reducing the fire from the Venoms.  The Baron and his pack pounced on the screening Ork mob and quickly destroyed. Elsewhere a Beast pack tried to do the same but was badly beaten and fled.  Running out of Boyz the Orks opted to consolidate what they had. A mob got the drop on the Baron but were destroyed with little effort.

With the writing on the wall the Orks shot up a couple of Dark Elder scoring units. But it was not enough.

The Baron swoops on an Ork mob

Game result: loss Orks 17-3

I am not sold on the chess clock for 40K.  It works out both players get one hour and fifteen minutes play in the end I lasted fifthy five minutes Vs the Dark Eldar's hour and a half. It was possible to play down the clock in the Dark Eldar's turn with wound allocation and combats but what would be the point?.

Round 2 Vs Patrick Kampmann

Deployment: Dawn of Battle

Primary mission: Annihilation

Secondary mission: none

Special rules: Infiltrate, outflank, Reserve, Scout

The enemy:

1 Mawloc

2 Tervigon

Doom Of Malathani in a pod

2 broods of Hive guard

2 large packs of Genestealers

1 large pack of Homuguants

1 pack of gaunts

.

This time the table had plenty of cover, The boyz would have preferred less to allow for more shots at the bugs.  The Boyz won the roll off and opted to deploy first to deny the side with the most cover from the Bugs. Shoota boyz and Big Mek to deny the table to infiltrators with the rest of the army opting to roll on. In reply the bugs opted to all roll on turn one except the Doom who opted to pod in.

March of the Bugs

Turn one saw the Boyz consolidate their position with the lootas looking for the high ground.  The Bugs arrived and advanced behind a screen of gaunts in cover.  The Boyz open fire, destroying a hive guard unit, downing some genestealers and whittling down the skirmish line.  In response the Bugs pushed down one flank.  The Boyz continued to whittle down the Bugs while the Kans moved forward to engage them.  

Turn three saw the arrival of the Doom who podded straight into the Ork lines and started to mind drain Orks.  The Orks replied by assaulting him and beating him up pretty badly but he stayed standing. Else where an Ork shoota mob opted to assault destroy the Bug screen to take it out of play.  The bugs pushed forward using terrain to make up for the loss of the skirmish screen.  The Shoota mob was destroyed by Homugaunts and genestealers with depressing ease.  The Boyz beat up the Doom again but again he survived.

Doom of Malathani pods in

With the Bugs closing, the Kans moved in for the pin. But disaster struck with all three Kan mobs failing to make contact, leaving the Boyz open for Bugs assault.  Next turn saw the arrival of the Mawloc and the Bugs hit, destroying three mobs in combat. Freeing up the Doom in the process.  The badly damaged Bug mobs opted to hide out of sight of the remaining Orks. While the Orks in returned tried to repair their battle line.  The Kans again failed to make contact with the rampaging genestealers. In reply, one Kan mob was destroyed by the  Mawloc .  The Orks open fire whittling down squads but not getting any kill points.  The Mawloc ate another Kan mob. With that the game ended.

Mawloc eating kans

Result: Ork loss 17-3

Round 3 Vs Thomas Goeritz

Deployment: Spear Head

Primary mission:Capture and control

Secondary mission: Secret lovers? Nominate one unit in your army if it survives the game you count as scoring an objective. Also nominate one unit in your opponents army if it is destroyed you count as scoring an extra objective 

Special rules: Infiltrate, Out flank, Reserves, Scouts

The enemy:
1 Libarian
3 Purifier Squads, two with razorbacks
3 pysker retinue
1 Arco-Flagellant retinue in chimera
1 Assassin retinue
1 Melta gun retinue
2 Dread Kinghts
1 Dakka dread.

Thomas is a Dresdener and we had played before. The last time he had a fate weaver and bloodcrusher bomb. Unfortunately, it met the Sisters just after they had solved the Kairos Conundrum. Thomas is also an awesome painter/convertor and once ran his own sculpting line.

Orks line up for Grey knight attack

The Grey Knights won the roll and opted to deploy first. Their objective went into a forest while the boyz one went behind a hill. Dreadknights deployed in the flanks while purifiers went in the centre with the retinues behind them. The boyz deployed the shoota mobs behind some kans covered by a Big Mek. While the lootas opted for the high ground. 

Dread Knight advances

The Serect lovers had to be declared after deployment. Predictably both side picked units in the front line for their opponent secret lover, kans for the Knights and a squad of Purifiers for the Orks. While their own unit was hidden at the back of the army, Melta gun retinue for the Knights and a Big Mek for the Orks.. Turn one saw the Grey Knight destroyed the valuable Kans while the Dread Knights opted to move around the flanks. The remaining Grey knights moved into cover near the Librarian who prepared to cast Shroud to boost the cover save of near by units.  

In reply one mob of Orks assaulted a nearby Dread Knight, while the lootas destroyed the valuable purifier unit.  The rest of the boyz started shooting at transported with little effect.

 The Grey knights began to advance with pykser retinues laying down covering fire to whittle down the boyz. A purifier squad assault the mob attacking the Dreadknight and between it was quickly destroyed.  The remaining orks got no reinforcements this turn the lootas destroyed to of the knights transports while the boyz whittled down the purifiers.

The Knights continued to advance trying to threaten ork objective and the valuable Big Mek. Final the orks got some reinforcement in the form of two slugga mobs and a kan mob.  The kans targeted the Knights valuable meltagun retinue which was also conveniently guard the Knight own objective and destroyed it. A choppa mob attacked and destroyed a Dread Knight while another pinned the other Dread Knight in combat. The Lootas finished of another Purifier squad.   

Killa Kans over watch Grey Knight objective

The loss of two objective in one turn triggered a change in the Grey Knights battle plan. All of the Pykser retinues pulled back and raced to reclaim their objectives while the rest of the force tried to push on to the Orks objective. The Grey Knight dread raced to intercept the killa kans that covered the now empty Grey Knight objective. The purifiers backed up with the Liberian again decimated the orks with the surviving squad killing sixteen boyz in a single round of shooting.

Grey Knights advance

The Boyz grudging gave ground ineffectively firing at the grey knights while the lootas proved to be out of range of the pykser retinue. The last turn saw one of the retinue just make it into claim range of the grey knights objective. Final score was 3-2 on objectives

Results: Draw 12-8 to Orks

Mission Critical (FOW); Agmes 1944

Somewhere in France 1944

Introduction
The Allies have broken the Brocage and are racing through France.  German High Command has order the bridge over the river Meuse be blown and the 503rd tank recovery depot be redeployed. However, as the Greman prepare to withdraw British armour sighted.

Design notes:
This was originally based on battles games magazine issues 26 and the german crossing of the Meuse in the early war. However, I picked up an elephant tank destroyer and a JR ruined tank factory and was itching for an excuse to use them.

Terrain
The river is impassable except at the bridge (open terrain) and the ford (very difficult terrain)
Hill  103 is impassable to vehicles and very difficult terrain for infantry to move on to, except by the path. The hill top itself open terrain.
The woods are difficult terrain for vehicles and open terrain for infantry.
The village of Beacon and the repair camp is concealing terrain.

The Forces

Germans (Defending,. Confident Veterans, approx 1680)
At Agnes
Grenadiers company HQ with attached Panziershreiks and mortar section
1 grenadiers platoon with panzerfaust and three sections
1 grenadier pioneer platoon with panzerfaust and two section
1 Machine gun platoon with one section
1 grenadier anti aircraft gun platoon with 1 section

At Hill 103
1 grenadiers platoon with panzerfaust, 2 sections and one attached HMG
1 grenadier anti aircraft gun section (out of command section from the grenadier anti aircraft gun platoon at Agnes)
1 Luftwaffe anti-air assualt platoon with two section

At the repair camp
1 grenadiers section with attached HMG (out of command section from the grenadier platoon at Hill 103)
1 panzer platoon with 3 PiV (emergency tank repairs)
1 Tank hunter platoon with 1 Elephant (emergency tank repairs)
1 grenadier anti aircraft gun section  (out of command section from the grenadier anti aircraft gun platoon at Agnes)

At the bridge
1 grenadier pioneer section (out of command section from the pioneer platoon at Agnes)

In delayed reserve
1 Panzier platoon with 4 PIII

British (Attacking, Confident Trained approx 2080)
Tank Company HQ with 4 shermans
3 armoured platoons with 3 shermans
1 recce platoon with three Stuarts
1 Anti tank platoon with 2 section on M10s with 17pdrs
Infantry company HQ
3 rifle platoons each with three rifle squads
1 gun troop with four guns (off table with the observer on table)
Priority Air support (typhoon)

Special Rules;
Not ready
The Germans are in the process of preparing to withdraw and are not ready for a fight as a result all german units begin the game pinned.

Emergency tank repairs
The tanks in the repair camp need to be fixed before they can enter the game. At the start of the German tunr roll a D6 for each tank. On a 6 the tank becomes available and can move as normal. For the panzer platoon the first tank to become available becomes the command tank.

Deployment and who goes first
The Germans deploy at their starting locations. Andcan opt to dig in before the game
The British drive on from the western table edge.
The German delayed reserves come from either the southern or northen road. Roll a D6 when they arrive 1-3= South. 4-6 = North.

The British get the first turn

Game length:  The game last for twelve turns or until one side breaks contact.

victory conditions:
There are three objectives in this mission, Hill 103, the village of Agnes and the repair camp. All the objectives start under German control. By the end of the game who ever has the most objectives is the winner.

After action report;
For the game the british opted to attack by night. In hindsight it was more a hindrance than a help. grounding air support, slowing down the tanks and allowing the Germans time to unpin.

Table set-up

hill 103

Garrision at Brecon

 Tank repair station

 88's on overwatch

 British advance under cover

 Tanks roll out to duel with the 88's

Lots of tanks.

88's claim frist kill

followed by two more

 View from hill 103

Elephant was repaired but then destroy by allied air support on the way to the front (sounds familiar)

Later a PiV was also hit on the same road.

By day break the allies finally finished the 88's and rolled across the bridge

panzer 423 never managed to repair itself for the entire game

Newlz arrived PIIIs opted to out flank through the forest and hit the allies crossing the bridge in the flank

And succeeded in blocking the bridge with wrecks

Remaining allied tanks see of the PIIIs ad race to the tank repair station but the game times out with the german controlling all the objectives

PiP (FOW) The British are coming

Five days to the German version of the 40K GT. So why am I painting FOW British infantry? Not sure, but they look good.

The entire army went from blisters to finished over the two weeks.


Basing method
This was the first time I have done the base as part of the model before priming. Normally I do it afterwards using wood filler which dries to an earth color and saves me having to paint the base..

The models were assembled and cleaned as normal then glued to the base.
Wood filler was used to add texture to the base.
To customise the bases Cork Bark* was broken up to form large boulder.
These were added to the bases then modelling sand was added in patches.
The base was then coated with water down PVA glue to seal the materials

Painting method
P.= Plasicote sptray. P3.= privatter press, V= Vallejo, GW= Games workshop paint

Once dried the models were sprayed with P. primer grey
The bases were painted P3. battledress green.
The models were base coated V. English uniform.
The helmets and mortars were painted V. Russian Green.
The rifles and other wooden bits were painted V. German camo brown.
The boots were painted GW chaos black.
The gaiters, belts and backpacks were painted V. German camo beige
The guns and other metals bits were painted V. gun metal.
The  helmets was stippled PP. bloodtracker brown.
The hands and faces were painted V. Flat flesh.
The whole model was given a V. smoke wash.
Then the base were dry brushed V. midstone.

* Battlescapes sells cork bark rubble for 5 euro for a small bag. But bottle of wine with a cork costs 3-4 euro. You can break up the cork and use it for the bases. You get less cork but more wine so it is an okay trade off.

Company command plus snipers

2iC

Heavz mortars line up

HMG platoon

1st platoon

1st platoon command

1st platoon 1st squad

2nd platoon command

2nd platoon 1st squad

3rd platoon moves out

PIP (40K): Grot battle tanks

Method
GW = games workshop paint V = Vallejo paint P.=plasicote spray.

Grot battle tanks sighted

1. Under coat P. brick red
2. Fine coat P. metal finish*

1. The tanks were given a couple of wet coats of GW ultramarine blue.
2. Some of the panels were given a couple of wet coats of GW blood red.
3. The tracks, exhaust and weapons were painted GW thin bitz
4. The "dags" were painted V. off white

1. The windows and grills were painted GW chaos black then drz brushed V. gun metal
2. The tracks were dry brushed V. Gun metal. 

1. Transfers were applied before weathering using V decal softener
2. The whole model was stippled V, cavalry red and a bit of GW codex grey
3. The whole model was then given a V. smoke wash.

* A fine coat is a light spray from a distance. The metal finish acted as a varnish making the paint clump together. Generally this is a bad thing but for Ork vehicles it looks like the paint has chipped away to reveal bare metal underneath. Yet another reason why Orks are cool.

What the hell happened to 2011?...

...It was there last week..

So eleven months since the exodus and things are progressing.  Gaming and the blog took a hit with games played and blog posts down from 2010. On the plus side four new countries, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech republic have all been hit by a Green Waaagh. For 2012 the plan is to add a couple of more scalps.

Plan for 2012

Gaming wise the main goal for 2012 is to get into a regular club. The Hobby halle is the best candidate (fun players with a strong hobby twist). But it is a pain in the ass they meet of Friday nights, I usually have other things on Fridays and Saturdays. Also on the agenda is another Green Waaagh to foreign shores, Poland (ESC), Spain, Beglium and France (some form of GT) are strong contenders.

Terrain making, NWG 2012 is looking good. It is interesting that at a time when some events are discussing low painting standards NWG has 10+ players signed up to assembled and paint new armies just for the event. Some folks have already bought their ticket. I am hoping to create more scenery to début at this event. The initial target is every table to get a new terrain set it may not be achievable but just because it ain't easy does not mean it is not worth the effort. To that end more edible terrain is on the way. At the moment this mostly involves eating after eights and drinking wine (because I need the cork, honest). There are also  some concepts on how to make some Ikea class (flat pack) buildings for the event.

After Eight containers

More fun with Pringles tubes

Painting and modelling.

Painting wise I am now a convert to the wet pallet set-up, championed by Massive Voodoo and Le General. I wish I could say it was because it improved my blending but the real reason is it make paint last longer before drying out so I get more painted with less paint and so save a couple of euros.  I have also started to use two color undercoat. It was intended to be used on 40K vehicles but I kept forgetting and in the end it was used on the FOW infantry. Not much to see on 15mm men but I am going to stick with it for a couple of more attempts.

Two color undercoat? still undecided

2012 is looking good for FOW.  There has been a marked increase in the numbers of players/victims in Dresden and the new edition with FREE ruleset is expected out early this year. Over the Christmas, in between the after eights, I assembled and painted the bulk of a British rifle company. An army almost ready within a couple of days is pretty cool. I can now field about 50% of the British themed forces in FOW with the rifles and a couple of Shermans. For 2012 the Gebirgjaeger, HG grenadiers, Britsih rifles and Soviet pioneering companies need to be completed to make room for the Russian Partisans that are hopefully coming soon.

Perks of FOW, guts of an army ready to roll in a couple days. (Sod's law says it will take the rest of the year to finish)

2012 also see a new edition of 40K (maybe). The lack of information about up coming releases for 40K makes it harder to plan what to get for the game. I am also uncertain if the new edition will be any good. GW are pushing hard on the big kits, fliers, vechicle heavy lists and while I like them for novelty value I am less impressed if they become core to an army. Currently there is Imperial guard that do not include any guardsmen and Necrons that do not include any necrons. Hopefully the next edition will put the focus back on troops and signature units.  For 2012 the Dark eldar, aka the House of Pain needs to be expanded beyond its current 30 painted models into a fully fledge list. The Guard also might get a boost thanks to the new manufactures which are making counts as guard models plus rumours have forge world making a penal legion list that sounds awesome. 

Not sure what is up with Maelstorm? 

It took six months to get this dude posted out.  Obliviously that delayed all things Dark Eldar