The DZTV Open Day is over, and it was an absolute blast.
More of which later. But first, let's have a battle!
This weekend, I was in Element Games in Stockport, for the first ever Deployment Zone Open Day. It was a brilliant time, Winters and Liam make for a great hosts, the venue itself is fantastic, and the place was crammed with gamers and hobbyists of every stripe. It was probably the most Warhammer-saturated day I've experienced, and I can't wait for the next one.
There was also the chance to play a couple of small games during the day. As this was an open day for the channel, rather than a tournament, there were a number of supporters who had played little or no 40k before. They were given green wristbands. Other people who were considered to know what they were doing (somehow I fell into this category) were given red wristbands. When the games started, green wristbands found red wristbands and away you went. It was a good system and made for a great social.
I put both squads of Inceptors into deepstrike and grouped everything else into the right-hand flank.
The basic plan was the run forward at the super-heavy tank and, whatever survived, would punch it. Mercifully, I got the first turn.
Accordingly, everything advanced (except the Redemptor) forwards and threw all their shots against the infantry. I took out one squad and two-third of the missile teams, so that got me First Blood.
The Guard drew cards that weren't that useful (they weren't inclined to Advance out of their deployment), since most of them involved getting objectives in my deployment zone. But there was at least one home objective to defend, which a squad moved to camp out on.
The real fun and games were the shooting phase - most of the infantry's weapons missed or bounced off my armour, though a well-aimed krak missile killed an Aggressor. Then the Baneblade spoke, wiping out another three with ease. Even with Know No Fear, my Bolter Aggressor Pack Leader didn't fancy sticking around and made his excuses.
In my second turn, I dropped in the Inceptors - Bolter ones on the left flank, to harass all those squishy guardsmen, and Plasma ones on the right, to take a crack at the Baneblade's armour. Everything else continued forward, still out of charge range of the tank.
The Bolter Inceptors did some fine work - splitting fire resulted in the entire heavy bolter weapons team getting wiped out and seven of the squad defending the objective getting shot to pieces. The Plasma Inceptors risked overcharging their guns and, with the aid of the Lord's reroll, stripped off ten wounds from the Baneblade (which still remained on its top bracket, the monster).
There was no combat, since the infantry squad that had hosed down by Assault Bolters had now lost enough of their number to be out of the Inceptors' charge range.
That same squad took their morale test before the steely gaze of the Lord Commissar. Two more of them ran away, but alone hero stood firm and claimed the two points for defending the objective.
On the Guard's second turn, they drew another defend objective - this time on the far end of the table. So the third and final infantry squad made a dash for it, urged on by Creed's Move! Move! Move! order. Lurking by the Baneblade, the Enginseer put two wound back on the steel behemoth.
In shooting, the Baneblade split fire across all three units of Space Wolves facing it - the Plasma Inceptors escaped unharmed, the Flamer Aggressors lost one of their member and the Redemptor was smacked down to three wounds remaining.
On the other side of the field, all the remaining small-arms went into the Bolter Inceptors, taking one of them down (the killing shot came from the lone Guardsman - what a hero!)
For the third turn, I had ditched Oath of Vengeance and instead picked up Unleash the Wolves (make two charges - that was my plan!).
The Bolter Inceptors went chasing the last infantry squad, and gunned them all down, so they wouldn't be getting the defend points. The Redemptor plinked off the last missile launcher team, and the Plasma Inceptors (once again surviving the overcharge) took another four wounds off the Baneblade (still on top bracket!).
I opened up the charge phase with an easy one: Bolter Inceptors against Creed and the Lord Commissar. They missed, and I was saving my reroll for when it mattered - against the Baneblade.
The Plasma Inceptors were volunteered to eat the Overwatch against the superheavy - an expensive choice, but they were most likely to make the charge, and I needed the Aggressors' power fists in combat. Unfortunately, the four heavy flamer sponsons proved a useful precaution, and I lost the entire squad to the Overwatch (when most of the weapons do between 3-6 damage, it doesn't need that many lucky hits).
Having seen that, the Aggressors decided they didn't want to face the Overwatch after all, and the Wolves remained stubbornly leashed.
An interesting development for the Guard's third turn - Kingslayer was drawn, and if the Baneblade took off the handbrake and rolled forward, my Wolf Lord would be the closest enemy unit (it's hard to screen when you only have seven models left).
On the other side of the battle, Creed scraped together what was left of his force (there were still a special weapons team with melta and plasmas) to shoot and charge the Inceptor Squad. By the time the power swords had done their work, only one Inceptor was left, clinging to his last wound, though the Lord General wasn't looking too healthy either (ditch the cigars, boss).
The main event was on the other side of the field: the Baneblade got the Wolf Lord in his sights and opened up with everything on him. I was relying on the Belt of Russ invulnerable save, but a few of the shots crept through, and he lost six of his seven wounds to the titan-killing firepower.
With that much at stake, the Baneblade commander decided he had to run over this Wolf Lord. Surprisingly undeterred by my pistol overwatch, the tank rolled directly into the enemy general, screaming Crush Them! as he did so.
With the Baneblade's nine attacks (nine!) hitting on 2+, I was going to need a thick slice of luck to protect my last wound. And I got it! I made five of my Belt of Russ saves, and used a reroll to make the last one.
He just took a superheavy tank on the chin! I was so busy dancing for joy, I forgot to make any attacks back.
But that was crucial - running over my warlord was the right play. Killing him would have unleashed a tide of victory points and exposed the rest of my army. But now the Baneblade was locked in combat, I could put all my remaining units into it without fear of Overwatch.
Which is exactly what I did. The Aggressors and Redemptor smashed into the side of the tank, and with shock assault, added to the newly-increased number of attacks for their power fists, the Baneblade was instantly turned to scrap. I then consolidated into the Enginseer, who failed to avenge the loss of his beloved machine.
Creed didn't get much of a chance to lament the battle's turn, as the final Inceptor jumped out of combat and gunned down the Cadian mastermind.
That one turn secured me all three of my objectives, and essentially decided the game.
We played it out until the end - the Enginseer did knock down an Aggressor, before he was pummelled himself. The Lord Commissar, lone Guardsman and remains of the special weapons team combined to bring down the last Inceptor, before bearing away Creed's wounded body to the medics. It ended with both surviving forces on opposite ends of the field with no ranged firepower, and the game ended on the fifth turn.
I'm sure the Lord Commissar was already wondering who to blame for the defeat, and with only a handful of boots left on the field, the odds weren't good for that hero Guardsman.
For all that, I really enjoyed playing with the new-rules Gravis marines. That extra wound really helps to keep them in the game and the extra attacks for the Aggressors makes them fearsome. The Wolves don't get all the combat doctrines that their brother marines get, but I'm quite happy with the shock assault, thank you very much.
But it was a cracking battle. I loved the challenge of taking on a Baneblade. DiscoDolly was a great opponent - and aside from me suggesting a few orders and stratagems (I know the Astra Militarum ones better than the Space Wolves deck), it was more like a real game than a tutorial.
A great start to the DZTV Open Day! And if you want a flavour of the day, someone gave this drunk a camera:
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| The thousand-yard stare of a man more accustomed to meeting his supporters one at a time, in a small room in Swindon. |
This weekend, I was in Element Games in Stockport, for the first ever Deployment Zone Open Day. It was a brilliant time, Winters and Liam make for a great hosts, the venue itself is fantastic, and the place was crammed with gamers and hobbyists of every stripe. It was probably the most Warhammer-saturated day I've experienced, and I can't wait for the next one.
There was also the chance to play a couple of small games during the day. As this was an open day for the channel, rather than a tournament, there were a number of supporters who had played little or no 40k before. They were given green wristbands. Other people who were considered to know what they were doing (somehow I fell into this category) were given red wristbands. When the games started, green wristbands found red wristbands and away you went. It was a good system and made for a great social.
Cadians - Astra Militarum
My opponent was DiscoDolly, a returner to 8th Edition who had played lots of Kill Team, but this would be her first game of 40k.
The army was Cadians, led by Lord Castellan Creed himself with a battalion of grunts and some heavy weapons teams. But the real centrepiece was the Baneblade. An absolutely stunning model, the product of a year's work of airbrushing, weather powders, fine detailing and picking out every single rivet. I could have looked at for hours (which was a good thing, because I didn't bring any anti-armour, so it wasn't going anywhere for a while!)
The army was Cadians, led by Lord Castellan Creed himself with a battalion of grunts and some heavy weapons teams. But the real centrepiece was the Baneblade. An absolutely stunning model, the product of a year's work of airbrushing, weather powders, fine detailing and picking out every single rivet. I could have looked at for hours (which was a good thing, because I didn't bring any anti-armour, so it wasn't going anywhere for a while!)
- Lord Castellan Creed (HQ) (Warlord)
Two hot-shot laspistols, power sword - Lord Commissar (HQ)
Boltpistol, Power sword - 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
Plasma gun, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword - 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
Flamer, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword - 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
Flamer, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword - Tech-Priest Enginseer (Elite)
Laspistol, Omnissian Axe, Servo-Arm - 6 x Special Weapons Squad (Elite)
2 x Plasma gun, Melta gun - Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy)
Mortars, Lasguns - Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy)
Heavy Bolters, Lasguns - Heavy Weapons Team (Heavy)
Missile Launchers, Lasguns
The Jotunheim Pack - Space Wolves
Here comes the Gravis train! I have no idea how this army is going to perform, but it's going to be easy to handle, which should allow for more social playing, which is the key.
Lots of Inceptors, lots of Aggressors, a Wolf Lord with hitty relics and a Redemptor to back them up. No long-range firepower, but do have twenty-one power fists, and an absurd number of combat buffs, so I just need to run forward as fast as I can and punch things!
Subtle as a Fenrisian Ice Troll.
Lots of Inceptors, lots of Aggressors, a Wolf Lord with hitty relics and a Redemptor to back them up. No long-range firepower, but do have twenty-one power fists, and an absurd number of combat buffs, so I just need to run forward as fast as I can and punch things!
Subtle as a Fenrisian Ice Troll.
Vanguard Detachment - Space Wolves
- Kveldulf - Wolf Lord in Gravis Armour (HQ)
Boltstorm Gauntlet, Master-Crafted Power Sword
Warlord Trait: Saga of the Bear
Relic: The Wulfen Stone - 5 x Aggressors (Elite)
Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher - 5 x Aggressors (Elite)
Flamestorm Gauntlets - 5 x Inceptor Squad (Fast)
Assault Bolters - 3 x Inceptor Squad (Fast)
Plasma Exterminators
Deployment
We were playing the basic Cleanse and Capture mission, with Front Line Assault deployment. The Guard parked the Baneblade in the top-right corner of the table, and spread out the infantry across the line.
I put both squads of Inceptors into deepstrike and grouped everything else into the right-hand flank.
The basic plan was the run forward at the super-heavy tank and, whatever survived, would punch it. Mercifully, I got the first turn.
Battle
To begin, I drew the cards Behind Enemy Lines and Stuff of Sagas (kill a vehicle or monster), so High Command clearly agreed that I should run at the Baneblade. The third card was Oath of Vengeance, where I had to kill an opponent-nominated character (in this case the Tech-Priest hiding behind the tank, so that wasn't going to happen).Accordingly, everything advanced (except the Redemptor) forwards and threw all their shots against the infantry. I took out one squad and two-third of the missile teams, so that got me First Blood.
The Guard drew cards that weren't that useful (they weren't inclined to Advance out of their deployment), since most of them involved getting objectives in my deployment zone. But there was at least one home objective to defend, which a squad moved to camp out on.
The real fun and games were the shooting phase - most of the infantry's weapons missed or bounced off my armour, though a well-aimed krak missile killed an Aggressor. Then the Baneblade spoke, wiping out another three with ease. Even with Know No Fear, my Bolter Aggressor Pack Leader didn't fancy sticking around and made his excuses.
In my second turn, I dropped in the Inceptors - Bolter ones on the left flank, to harass all those squishy guardsmen, and Plasma ones on the right, to take a crack at the Baneblade's armour. Everything else continued forward, still out of charge range of the tank.
The Bolter Inceptors did some fine work - splitting fire resulted in the entire heavy bolter weapons team getting wiped out and seven of the squad defending the objective getting shot to pieces. The Plasma Inceptors risked overcharging their guns and, with the aid of the Lord's reroll, stripped off ten wounds from the Baneblade (which still remained on its top bracket, the monster).
There was no combat, since the infantry squad that had hosed down by Assault Bolters had now lost enough of their number to be out of the Inceptors' charge range.
That same squad took their morale test before the steely gaze of the Lord Commissar. Two more of them ran away, but alone hero stood firm and claimed the two points for defending the objective.
On the Guard's second turn, they drew another defend objective - this time on the far end of the table. So the third and final infantry squad made a dash for it, urged on by Creed's Move! Move! Move! order. Lurking by the Baneblade, the Enginseer put two wound back on the steel behemoth.
In shooting, the Baneblade split fire across all three units of Space Wolves facing it - the Plasma Inceptors escaped unharmed, the Flamer Aggressors lost one of their member and the Redemptor was smacked down to three wounds remaining.
On the other side of the field, all the remaining small-arms went into the Bolter Inceptors, taking one of them down (the killing shot came from the lone Guardsman - what a hero!)
For the third turn, I had ditched Oath of Vengeance and instead picked up Unleash the Wolves (make two charges - that was my plan!).
The Bolter Inceptors went chasing the last infantry squad, and gunned them all down, so they wouldn't be getting the defend points. The Redemptor plinked off the last missile launcher team, and the Plasma Inceptors (once again surviving the overcharge) took another four wounds off the Baneblade (still on top bracket!).
I opened up the charge phase with an easy one: Bolter Inceptors against Creed and the Lord Commissar. They missed, and I was saving my reroll for when it mattered - against the Baneblade.
The Plasma Inceptors were volunteered to eat the Overwatch against the superheavy - an expensive choice, but they were most likely to make the charge, and I needed the Aggressors' power fists in combat. Unfortunately, the four heavy flamer sponsons proved a useful precaution, and I lost the entire squad to the Overwatch (when most of the weapons do between 3-6 damage, it doesn't need that many lucky hits).
Having seen that, the Aggressors decided they didn't want to face the Overwatch after all, and the Wolves remained stubbornly leashed.
An interesting development for the Guard's third turn - Kingslayer was drawn, and if the Baneblade took off the handbrake and rolled forward, my Wolf Lord would be the closest enemy unit (it's hard to screen when you only have seven models left).
On the other side of the battle, Creed scraped together what was left of his force (there were still a special weapons team with melta and plasmas) to shoot and charge the Inceptor Squad. By the time the power swords had done their work, only one Inceptor was left, clinging to his last wound, though the Lord General wasn't looking too healthy either (ditch the cigars, boss).
The main event was on the other side of the field: the Baneblade got the Wolf Lord in his sights and opened up with everything on him. I was relying on the Belt of Russ invulnerable save, but a few of the shots crept through, and he lost six of his seven wounds to the titan-killing firepower.
 |
| He's basically clinging on because of that FAQ update. |
With that much at stake, the Baneblade commander decided he had to run over this Wolf Lord. Surprisingly undeterred by my pistol overwatch, the tank rolled directly into the enemy general, screaming Crush Them! as he did so.
With the Baneblade's nine attacks (nine!) hitting on 2+, I was going to need a thick slice of luck to protect my last wound. And I got it! I made five of my Belt of Russ saves, and used a reroll to make the last one.
He just took a superheavy tank on the chin! I was so busy dancing for joy, I forgot to make any attacks back.
 |
| Fire up the sagas! |
But that was crucial - running over my warlord was the right play. Killing him would have unleashed a tide of victory points and exposed the rest of my army. But now the Baneblade was locked in combat, I could put all my remaining units into it without fear of Overwatch.
Which is exactly what I did. The Aggressors and Redemptor smashed into the side of the tank, and with shock assault, added to the newly-increased number of attacks for their power fists, the Baneblade was instantly turned to scrap. I then consolidated into the Enginseer, who failed to avenge the loss of his beloved machine.
Creed didn't get much of a chance to lament the battle's turn, as the final Inceptor jumped out of combat and gunned down the Cadian mastermind.
That one turn secured me all three of my objectives, and essentially decided the game.
We played it out until the end - the Enginseer did knock down an Aggressor, before he was pummelled himself. The Lord Commissar, lone Guardsman and remains of the special weapons team combined to bring down the last Inceptor, before bearing away Creed's wounded body to the medics. It ended with both surviving forces on opposite ends of the field with no ranged firepower, and the game ended on the fifth turn.
I'm sure the Lord Commissar was already wondering who to blame for the defeat, and with only a handful of boots left on the field, the odds weren't good for that hero Guardsman.
Result: Victory to the Space Wolves!
The Skalds can sing about it, but that was a ridiculous amount of luck on my part. By all rights, the Wolf Lord should have died once the Baneblade set to work on him, and that would have been curtains for the Sons of Fenris.For all that, I really enjoyed playing with the new-rules Gravis marines. That extra wound really helps to keep them in the game and the extra attacks for the Aggressors makes them fearsome. The Wolves don't get all the combat doctrines that their brother marines get, but I'm quite happy with the shock assault, thank you very much.
But it was a cracking battle. I loved the challenge of taking on a Baneblade. DiscoDolly was a great opponent - and aside from me suggesting a few orders and stratagems (I know the Astra Militarum ones better than the Space Wolves deck), it was more like a real game than a tutorial.
A great start to the DZTV Open Day! And if you want a flavour of the day, someone gave this drunk a camera:
I watched the DZTV drunkard video on YouTube last night, Element have really bought up the space, I had a few friendly BlogWars tournaments there but it looks a lot more 'decorated' now. Looks like you all had some fun!
ReplyDeleteI've been in a few hobby stores, but Element really did take my breath away. Next time I'm going there with a cleared painting desk, some saved-up cash, and a very big carrier bag!
DeleteGreat Report Stylus. Sounds like a great day, and a great idea for the experienced players to take on the new ones. I think it's quite intimidating if you've never played before, so having friendly experienced players give you a good game is such a great start.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really good part of the day that could so easily have been overlooked, but I'm glad it got taken into consideration. I know how I'd feel if I were a new player going to an open day where I didn't know anyone.
DeleteAnd I really enjoyed it. For next year's event, I'd happily do it again.
Does this mean your Wolf Lord is now Captain Banebladebane?
ReplyDeleteOr that his axe is called the Banebladesbane Blade?
DeleteIt took me four attempts, but I finally have a Space Wolves character worthy of a saga!
DeleteThat's properly cinematic that - I love it when games hinge on such a dramatic moment.
DeleteSounds like a really great event and a fun battle to boot!
ReplyDeleteIt really was (including the stuff they couldn't put on camera!)
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgD8OP04RE
ReplyDeleteWolf Lord Brock Samson XD
Haha!
DeleteStylus was a true gentleman and his guidance was very helpful, I had not played 40k since 3rd Edition and found the noise of the room a bit distracting, which is code for "the old dear is a bit mutton". Anyway I have been inspired enough to enter a GW friendly tournament and I'm busy painting up some more guard to replace the Monster, although I do have some other tanks, tanks are ace.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, it was a really enjoyable game. Best of luck at the tournament - Guard are always a lot of fun to play with and against.
Delete