Monday, December 28, 2009

2010 Events

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and got cool gifts. I didn't do too badly with getting Imperial Armour Volumes 5-7, the Seige of Vraks, compilation with maps/posters. I'll post pictures when I have the posters up. Now, onto the topic at hand; Here are the proposed games for the new year so you will have time to build/paint/customize:

January: By popular demand, Planetstrike! Tyranids incoming (new Codex lands around the planned game date)!

February: Fantasy Battle, because we haven't played in a while

March: 40K, just a couple of games to break up the Apoc games we've been having

April: Fantasy Teams - Adepticon 2009 scenarios for teams. 2 Player teams, only need 1000pts per player.

May: Turkey Hunter Tourney - Fantasy Tournament (Who's the best WHFB General?); Adepticon 2010 scenarios

June: 40k Apoc

July: Race Day - Bring both a 40K and FB single model. This is a deathmatch race to the finish line. Details to come later.

Aug: 40K Teams, 2 Player teams, 1000pts per player.

Sept: Adeptus Turkiecus - 40K Tournament, Adepticon 2010 Scenarios

Oct: Zombie Hunt - Fantasy, single model/survivor

November: Turkey Hunt - 40K, single squad or model (TBD)

December: Revenge of the Snowmen, Santa's Return (Apoc or Fantasy Legendary battles)

Comments?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

White Scars Pictures

Again, by popular demand, here are a couple of pictures of my White Scars. There are some battle damage from playing at the Tourney and I haven't repaired them yet.

This is my Storm Seer Librarian. He was originally a White Scars Commander, but I shaved his topknot and blade from the staff off. I placed a shoulderpad over his head after I filed down the sides and drilled 2 openings on top to represent a psychic hood. For the force staff, I placed a Space Wolf head on top with 2 SW tails along the sides. A little green stuff to help secure the three items. I added some more green stuff down the staff too. Got a couple of complements for this conversion.

This is my standard bearer. I used a Bretonnian standard from the Knights of the Realm box and mounted it to the base of the bike antenna. Got a lot of attention from other modelers, with at one of the GK veterans confirming that he's stealing this conversion idea.

Here's the army lead by the Kor'Sarro Khan on the left and his Storm Seer on the right. Behind them is the command squad, and behind that is Tactical Squad 3 (Combat) with their Twin-linked Heavy Bolter Razorback. On the left is Bike Squad 1, with the Powerfist Sergeant leading a full squad with 2 plasmaguns and a heavy bolter attack bike. On the right is Bike Squad 2, with a multimelta attack bike, 2 meltaguns, and a powerfist sergeant. Behind the Razorback is 3 autocannon equiped Predators. Flanking the army is the 2 Land Speeder Typhoons with heavy bolter and missile launchers.


Game Kastle Tourney Armies

By popular request, here are a couple of pictures of the armies that played at Game Kastle. These are only the ones that competed in the painting contest.

Those wolves are huge.





This Orks army won best painted.

And here's a picture of my White Scars trying to beat back 4 Dreadnoughts and 3 Razorbacks with twin-linked plasma and lascannon from the center.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Game Kastle Tournament Results

So I was able to make it to the tourney, with only 5 hours of sleep total from Thursday night to Saturday's tourney. I was able to complete the army, built with only one landspeeder not undercoated. However, I'm going to have to make a lot of repairs after this event, the bikes weren't nearly as secure on their bases as I would have liked and some of riders arms need repairs. The rest of the repairs will be needed to the army list and my ego.

We played the Adepticon 09 scenarios in sequence. The armies I saw was Tau, Ultramarines, and Space Wolves. The majority of the players has Space Marines or MEq types. The terrain was closer to 1/2 to 3/5 of the 6x4 table was covered with LOS blockers. The number of buildings was also a surprise.

The first game was against a Sniper Tau army. Three 2-suit squads of Broadsides was the core, with another 3 squads of 2 crisis suits (plasma rifle and missile pods) supporting an 8-man pathfinder squad with Devilfish, 2 12-man Fire Warrior squads, 1 Devilfish, and 2 12-man Kroot. Round 1 saw one of my bike squads flee off the table after failing their morale. In the end, too many small units and too little time (only played 4 rounds) didn't allow the bikes to get into position to roll up through the backfield. Total score: 0 pts.

Game 2, pick up match since someone left after the 1st round. The player is known to be a "cheese" specialist. Ultramarines with a Master of the Forge and a Thunder Cannon with 3 Razorbacks mounted with Las/TL Plasma, 2 Land Speeder Storms with Scout Squads with Missile Launchers and Powerfists, 2 Plasma Dreadnoughts, 1 Ironclad, and 1 Venerable Dread. I was able to pop a Dread, Land Speeder, and the Thunder Cannon. Otherwise, I lost a Speeder, 1 full bike squad, a Razorback, the Librarian, a Pred, and the Command Sqd. Turn 4 determined that the goal was highest number of scoring units in the middle. We finished by Turn 5 with most of his army within 12 inches of the middle and my army looking in at 2 Techmarines holding the center with tactical marines inside their Razorbacks. Total score: 0 points.

Game 3 was against a Ragnar Blackmane led armored spearhead. A LR Crusader with a 3 Lascannon Pred, 2 Las Razorbacks, a Dread with Drop pod, and Vindicator. Not really sure what infantry was being carried. They only came out to hold an objective, or to deal biker death to me. In the end, he strung 1 Grey Hunters unit across 2 objectives, and parked his combat squads on the remaining 2 objectives. I was blown off the field of play by piecemeal due to my terrible reserves rolling. Total score: 0 points.

I went perfect for the day and I've learned quite a bit about tournement 40k army builds. Not sure if I want to do it again, I'd have to really think about it. No swag either, the random draws for $25 gift cards didn't land in my pocket. The players were nice, the 3rd player felt terrible about blowing my army away in 1.5 hours (2 hour sessions). Only about 1/3 of the players were regulars at GK, according to my opponents. I did take some pictures, so I'll post them up later. Top 3 were Orks in 1st, and 2 armies tied for 2nd (1 was CSM: Nurgle?, didn't hear the other one). Best painted was an Ork army.

Next up, Santa's Workshop apoc game.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Redemption


(A space marine is strapped to a table covered in blood.
A robed figure places another sharp knife under the skin of the man on the table, twisting it in.
........AAAGH.........PLEASE..........NO MORE...no more, no more, no more
Let it out brother, it is impurity leaving your body......soon you will know redemption.
The robed figure begins to carve.
AAAGHHHHH............ MERCY.......

But this is the future and there is no mercy here.

The defenses are ancient and impenetrable ........ but there is a shadow in warp.


Imperial Bastion

Icarus pattern lascannon.

Imperial Quad Gun


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Battle for Arrakis: Phase 1

Orangenemo (Tyranids) and IBM (Dark Angels) fought a battle on Saturday.

Points: 1000
Rulebook: Planetstrike
Mission: Forlorn Hope
Attacker: Tyranids
Defender: Dark Angels

Tyranids:

Hive Tyrant
Lictor
Termagaunt Brood (16)
Spinegaunt Brood (14)
Genestealer Brood (9)
Tyranid Warrior Brood (5)
Zoanthrope
Gargoyle Brood (8)
Spore Mines (5)
Ripper Swarm (5)

Dark Angels:

Librarian
Tactical Squad Alpha (5)
Tactical Squad Beta (5)
Tactical Squad Delta (10)
Razorback
Predator
Whirlwind
Rhino
Devastator Squad (5)
Attack Bike Squadron (2)

Arrakis, imperial desert planet

An advanced Tyranid strike force is attempting to plant a homing beacon. This guide the first wave of Tyranids in to establish a beachhead on the planet. The Imperium has taken no chances with the defense of key areas of such a valuable planet as Arrakis and have called in the lengendary Dark Angel space marines. Their mission is to prevent the Tyranids from planting this beacon... at all costs.

Deployment:


Awaiting the Tyranid attack they know is coming, two space marines atop the Fortress take the opportunity to break the ice with a particularly grizzled veteran.

"Maximus," whispers one, "get his attention."

"No, you get his attention."

The leather-faced marine overhears his comrades-in-arms and decides to be nice. He decides to initiate the conversation. "So, what do you want to hear? You want to hear about how I once saw a man cut in half by a Leaper, you wanna hear about a man slowly melted by gallons of xeno stomach acid or do you want to hear about Captain Jack?"

"Who is Captain Jack?"

The grizzled veteran looks thoughtfully out beyond the parapets into the distant desert. His eyes lock on some imagined scene unfolding somewhere out there on the plains. "He's a smart bastard, that's what he is. You think xenos are all dumb animals? This one is cunning. I ran into him twice before. Both times I was the only survivor. The last time we met, he gave me this." The man turns and reveals a face half-encased in metal. Embedded in the center of this metal plate is the red lens of a bionic eye. "He likes to get in amongst you and believe me, you don't want him getting close enough to touch. And, you think you are safe here in this fortress? Think again, no fortifications I've ever seen can keep him out. He'll tear this hunk of concrete down around us."

The man pauses for a moment. His eyebrows suddenly arch. He looks upward. The two young marines follow his gaze skyward where a dozen specks now pepper the sky. "That'll be them," says the veteran, "pucker up boys!"

Turn 1:

The Tyranids begin their assault with 6 Firestorms and a spore mine bombardment. The barrage leaves both quad guns on the bastions in smoking ruins, both lascannons destroyed, the whirlwind immobilized and its missle launcher destroyed. Critically, the bastion housing Tactical Squad Beta was pummeled to dust leaving several marine brothers dead, but the squad collects itself and readies for the Tyranid advance.

The Tyranids lose both the spinegaunts and genestealers on the drop, dropping the beacon in the middle of the battlefield.















The Rhino rolls in from the Tyranid deployment area and unloads Tac Squad Delta. The termagaunts go down under a hail of fire.

The rippers suffer horrendous casualties from the devastator squad and Tactical Squad Beta. The Razorback shoots at some rustling leaves in the oasis but seems to have missed the elusive Lictor.

The heavy bolters on the remaining bastion gun down a Warrior.







Turn 2:

The gargoyles drop in, take some shots at Tac Squad Delta and kills a couple marines. Captain Jack charges the Predator and explodes it. The Lictor and rippers charge Tac Squad Beta, the Lictor kills some marines.

The Zoathrope summons the power of the hive mind and explodes the remaining bastion with a warp blast. The Tyranid Warriors shoot down some more marines from Tac Squad Alpha. The combined psychic screams from Captain Jack and the Zoanthrope are too much for Tac Squad Alpha and they flee.








The sergeant in Tac Squad Beta crushes the Lictor with one blow from his powerfist. The remaining ripper is killed by his squadmate. The marine attack bikes zoom onto the board and shoot down the Zoanthrope with their meltaguns and bolters. Tac Squad Delta attempts to wipe out the gargoyles with rapid fire and flames but one gargoyle survives. Devastator shots at the Tyrant are ineffectual.

Tac Squad Alpha remembers that they are marines not guardsmen and rally.

The missile silo opens and a salvo is unleashed on the Warriors who, when the dust settles, are left with one model and one wound.







Turn 3:

The Tyrant grabs the beacon and charges the Fortress attempting to knock it down and subsequently plant the beacon on that objective. The tower proves resilient and resists the pummeling.

The Warrior charges the now rallied Tac Squad Alpha killing one marine. The gargoyle, continuing its delaying tactic, charges Tac Squad Delta doing no wounds but suffering no wounds in return.





Tac Squad Delta finally kills the last gargoyle in close combat. The rhino shoots down a drifting spore mine. The Devastators and the Marine Bikes, which have now moved closer to the Tyrant, unload on the Tyrant. Only the two meltagun shots are able to punch through the Tyrant's Warp Field and deal two wounds to him.

After trading blows back a forth with no result the last marine from Tac Squad Alpha bludgeons the Warrior to death with the butt end of his lascannon.







Turn 4:

The Tyrant tries another tactic and moves onto the missile silo, planting the beacon there. He turns to the Fortress and this time manages to topple it. The Devastator squad inside are reduced to two marines.















The Bikes move in and Tac Squad Beta moves in. The entire marine army unloads fire onto the Tyrant hoping to destroy him but no wounds get through.

In a suicidal charge, Tac Squad Beta engages the Tyrant in close combat only to be slaughtered to a man.












Endgame:

Beacon has been planted and was not cast down in the opponent's turn. Tyranids win.

The veteran looks around at the rubble that was once the mighty fortress. A few meters away are the broken corpses of his two young friends. He shakes his head.

The Tyrant screams. The veteran's ears begin to bleed, but that is the least of his concerns. He knows what is coming. The sunlight dims as overhead thousands of xeno pods blacken the sky.

I Saw Daddy Vaporizing Santa Claus...

I've put up a rudimentary scenario for our next game (19 Dec) up on Google Docs here. Comments, questions, suggestions via the normal channels.

Also, I've set up a poll for based on Orange Nemo's poll (and added in WFRP, since a few of us have played that in the past).

Saturday, December 5, 2009

RPG Session


I've heard murmurings of possibly playing an rpg. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks. I'd be down for any game set in D&D 3.5 (maybe D&D 4th, don't know anything about it though), World of Darkness (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, Mortals), Dark Heresy or Call of Cthulhu (Delta Green or regular). Let me see if I can get a poll up and going. I can run a game if needed.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tournament Roster

Hi All,

With encouragement from the wife, I've been bust trying to complete a build and paint of my White Scars army for the Game Kastle 40K Tourney on Dec 12th. It's a 1850 point game using the Adepticon scenarios that we ran for Adeptus Turkeicus. Here's my list that I was considering:
HQ: 700pts
235
Kor'Sarro Khan with Moondrakken Bike (All units get Outflank, him and his unit get Furious Charge and Counter-attack)
280
Command Squad on Bikes with Company Standard, Champion, and 3 power swords for the Vets
185
Epistolary Librarian on Bike, with Might of the Ancients and Vortex of Doom

Troops: 760 pts
600
2 identical bike squads of 8 with Heavy Bolter Attack Bike, 2 Meltaguns, and a powerfist
115
Combat squad with powerfist in a Twin-linked Heavy Bolter Razorback

Heavy Support: 210
3 Autocannon Predators with Pintle-mounted Storm Bolters

Fast Attack: 180
2 Land Speeder Typhoons (Missle Launchers)

Thoughts and/or comments? Any recommendations for tactics based on how you did in the tourney?