May 6th, 2012 Dragon's Lair 1850pt Tournament

Today was the monthly 40k Tournament at Dragon's Lair; 1850pts~ three rounds, Swiss style, three equally weighted objectives per round. I've been completely focussed on Chaos at the moment getting ready for Alamo GT in two weeks so this was a good opportunity to take the Nurgle out for a test run. To be honest, I am not nearly as excited about this army as I was when I started it, and the prospect of a new and exciting codex in just a few months is only making the old stale Codex seem older and staler... but enough naysaying; ONTO THE TOURNAMENT REPORT!

ROUND ONE
Space Wolves (Brandon)
Pitched Battle
1) Seize Ground
2) Kill a Single Enemy Troop of Your Choice
3) Capture and Control (except with two diagonally opposite table quarters)

~this is going to be the format of Wargames Con so it is really nice getting used to the Mission format as well as the objectives themselves. Three equally weighted objectives each game with the possibility to split most of them. 

Brandon took a somewhat "elite" Space Wolf list; Bjorn the Fell Handed, tricked out Lord on Thunder Wolf w/ 4 Thunderwolf Friends, Run Priest w/ Living lightning w/ Longfangs; 5 missiles and wolf guard; cyclone, two 5 man Grey Hunters w/ melta and wolf guard with combi-melta in HB razorback, two units of 5 wolf scouts w/ wolf guard, and 5 grey hunters w/ flamer in drop pod.

I decided to mark one of the units of Grey Hunters w/ melta gun since I assumed it would be most likely get close enough to use his special weapon while Brandon marked the Lesser Daemons. Brandon used Bjorn to get first turn and get up Long Fangs w/ Ruin Priest and Bjorn in the center of his table edge with the Thunder Wolf Friends on an extreme flank. I hid one Rhino w/ plasma guns in a Ruin on an objective with the other three making use of cover facing the Thunder Wolves. The Oblits, and Daemons were all in reserve.

The first two turns Brandon spot all those missiles and Living Lightning fingers at my Rhinos (claiming cover) but only managed to immobilize or stun them. This meant that his Thunder Friends charged into APCs and not the juicy innards. I countercharged with my entire army into the Thunders and Killed all of them but the Lord in one round, the Lord went down two turns later after malling (but not completely wiping out) two Plague Marine Squads and the Possessed.

With the only combat unit in his army destroyed and most of my Rhinos now immobilized or destroyed the rest of the game was spend trading shots and trying to maneuver onto objectives. One unit of Wolf Scouts came in behind the Plasma Squad on objective, but with the help of the summoned daemons I was able to hold, while the other unit came on to threaten two Plague Marines sitting on another objective but a Nurgle Lord intercepted them and rolled like a boss, killing all 6 at I6 before they could swing back!

I won objectives, I killed his melta squad and we tied the table quarters.

Chaos 25VP and Space Wolves 5VPS


ROUND TWO
Nurgle Chaos Space Marines (Josiah)
Dawn of War
1) KPs
2) Single Objective in the Center
3) Get Any Unit within 6" of Enemy Board Edge

Josiah took almost the exact same list as me (not a deep pool of possible Nurgle units in the book unfortunately). Typhus in Land Raider, Summoned Greater Daemon, 4 Plague Marine units, 2*double melta and pf, double plasma, and double flamer, and 7 Nurgle Marked Terminators.

Josiah and I almost never have a hard fought game, someone always stomps the other's army into the ground and this was no different. Considering how similar our lists were, would it surprise you that I was tabled in 7 turns having only scored a single KP? Yep that's what happened, oh well.

Me 0VP Josiah 3VP


ROUND THREE
Imperial Guard (John Cook)
Dawn of War (again really?)
1) Seize Ground
2) Kill an Enemy HQ
3) Capture and Control
how similar does this look to the first mission to you?


John was really bummed cuz the lost a couple of this Pretorian models somewhere after the first round, sucks, NTM he plaid Josiah game one so this was his second match against Nurgle... in my opinion IG is the best possible match up for Nurgle ~ masses of lasguns, heavy bolters, multi-lasters, flamers and auto cannons are pretty useless against Plague Marines and he didn't have a single plasma gun.

Command HQ in Chimera w/ Lord Commissar and Officer of the Fleet, Command Squad in Chimera, two infantry Squads in Chimeras just with an Autocannon, two three man Lascannon teams near Commissar for Ld boost, melta Vets w/ demolition charge in Vendetta, 10 man unit in Valkyrie, Psychic Battle Squad in Chimera, two Hydras and Manticore.

Dawn of War meant he could still set up his entire platoon, but I deployed first with a Rhino w/ Plague Marines and Lord dead center. I moved up and popped smoke; he shot his ENTIRE ARMY at that single Rhino and unit inside. When the dust settled I had a pf champion and the Lord left (I told you PMs can soak up IG fire). Those two models moved up and each killed an infantry squad in return. Turn two John shot his ENTIRE ARMY at those two models finally killing them (good for him).

While he was focussing all that shooting at 400pts I was able to move my other units into pretty good position close to his lines unmolested. The Possessed rolled Fleet for their Possession and, despite having to come in from my board edge were able to get a multi-charge off on three units on turn three.

By the end of the game we had both done a number to each other's armies, but because my army has so little shooting both his Fliers were alive allowing him to last turn score/contest. We ended up tying Seize Ground, tying Capture and Control, and we both killed each other's HQ...

Chaos 20VP and IG 20VP 


~three games with the Chaos today and I went 1/1/1 which has been about my average the last two years at Alamo there is still room for improvement. Josiah ended up winning the tournament with his Nurgle Chaos, good for him, so there might be hope for me at Alamo with a similar list!