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Hey guys.

Just played in the Onslaught GT at Templecon this weekend. Keith has done a great job getting 40k and Warhammer expanded into real events with proper terrain and good player base at Templecon, which is primarily a Warmahordes-oriented event on the wargaming side. I had an excellent time and five fun opponents. I'll post some results/details later, but for the moment here's the list I ran:

HQ
Mephiston = 250
Librarian () with Jump Pack (), Unleash Rage, Shield of Sanguinius, meltabombs () = 130

Elite
Sang Priest () with Lightning Claw () =65
5 Assault Terminators (), 4 Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield () = 220
Land Raider Redeemer (), Multimelta (), Extra Armor (= 265

Troops
10 Assault Marines (), 2 meltaguns (), Power Fist on the Sgt () = 235
8 Assault Marines (), meltagun (), Power Fist on the Sgt () = 189
Rhino (), AM discount (-), Hunter-Killer (), Dozer (), Searchlight () = 31
5 Assault Marines (), meltagun (), Power weapon on the Sgt () = 125
Razorback (), AM discount (-), Lascannon/TL Plasma turret () Dozer (), Searchlight () = 61
5 Assault Marines (), meltagun (), Power weapon on the Sgt () = 125
Razorback (), AM discount (-), Lascannon/TL Plasma turret () Dozer (), Searchlight () = 61

Heavy Support
Predator (), Lascannon Sponsons (), Dozer Blade () = 140

Fast Attack
2 Attack Bike squadron (), 2 Multimeltas () = 100

Total: 1997

Curious how it went.

Ditto. Waiting for results.

Are you asking for feedback here or you just telling us that you used this list?

The list itself makes sense but is not a standard mech BA list. Nevertheless, its all-comers.

mercer wrote:Are you asking for feedback here or you just telling us that you used this list?

I think he's just telling us about his list, as he has already used it.

Tactics then maybe?

Mostly just telling that I used it, although I'm not nearly as experienced with my Blood Angels as with my old Chaos, so I'm open to feedback as well. I've got a ton of different list ideas and archetypes I want to try out at some point.

The mission structure at this tournament was based on the ETC-style model. You had a primary objective which could be won or drawn, worth 8pts if won or 4pts each if drawn. You had a secondary objective worth 4 if won, 2 if drawn, and you could earn up to 8 more points based on the VP or KP differential at the end of the game. I think 4 of the missions had VP differential and 1 used KP differential. As i recall if your VP scores were within 300pts you were each getting 4 on VPs, then it went in 250pt blocks, so 301-500 was 5/3, 501-750 was 6/2, 751-1000 was 7/1, and you needed a 1000pt+ differential to get 8 and leave your opponent with zero. KPs topped out at an 8 KP differential.

So you had a total of 100pts available, but you really had to achieve multiple objectives and crush people to maximize them. 30pts were also available for painting, and Sports used the Pass/Fail method + favorite opponent votes.


Round 1
Opponent: Joe Nardo from my local store in NH
Fielding: Codex marines. Roughly: Pedro Kantor and Terminator Librarian in Crusader with 5 TH/SS terminators. Two Rhinos with 8 Sternguard, each with fist, 2-3 combi-meltas. Two 10 man tacticals with ML, melta, combi-plasma on the sgt, and assault cannon razorbacks, and a couple of AC/HB predators.

Mission was spearhead, holding table quarters based on VPs, with two objectives in the neutral quadrants as secondary, and VP differential for bonus. Joe played solid, my shooting and cover saves were crap, and he refused to fail storm shield saves. His terminators, with null zone support + extra attacks from Pedro, ate Mephiston (thanks to a long Difficult Roll, as I tried to bait him into going after Mephiston through a ruin on one flank and leave the other flank open for my landraider and jumpers to go after half of his army), and my assault terminators afterward. I managed to kill his sternguard, LR, Pedro, but got torn up pretty badly. He won the Primary, we each held an objective for a Draw on the secondary, and he took VP differential 5/3. So I started the event with a 5pt loss. Okay, well, pressure's pretty much off. Let's see how the rest of it comes out...

Round 2
Opponent: Cardin Corbit, also from my local store.
Army: Chaos Space Marines, featuring Lash Prince, Lash Sorc in combimelta Rhino w/7 plagues with fist, icon and double melta, 7 more plagues in combimelta rhino w/fist, icon & double melta, LD squads of 7, 7 and 6, two pairs of oblits, a Defiler, a dreadnought w/missile launcher & CCW, a squad of 4 terminators with heavy flamer, chainfist, 3 combi-plasma, and a squad of 5 terminators with fist, heavy flamer, 4 combi-meltas.

So Cardin was running something very similar to what I run in Chaos, only with a bit more durability and a bit less shooting. Which is obviously a big help to me, as I knew the army very well.

Mission was Dawn of War, each of us having three objectives on our half of the table. Primary was to hold more objectives on your opponent's half of the table than he held on yours. Secondary was to kill a Marked for Death unit in your opponent's army (chosen before deployment) while keeping yours alive. Tertiary was VPs. In this one I got the luck I needed in popping his vehicles from range, and managed to shoot his defiler, dread, and prince to death in the first two turns (while immobilizing one Rhino, then popping the other around T3 still on his side of the table) then finish his oblits shortly thereafter. I had to spend Mephiston to get one of the squads of Oblits, but it was worth it after Cardin's combi-plasma termies put four wounds on him. I eventually managed to lock down and grind out the sorcerer and a squad of plagues in HtH, and killed 1-2 squads of lesser daemons. The other plagues and remaining LDs were his survivors; my casualties weren't bad as I managed to hood an early lash/plasma cannon combi, and suppressed his shooting and mobility early, which let me choose my assaults. I wound up with a 20pt win.

Round 3
Opponent: Aaron "Buddha" Beeson, also from my local store.
Buddha was running a foot horde Dark Angels army using the vanilla codex. Thirty devastators mostly with missiles. Twenty shooty scouts. Thirty tacticals and Cato Sicarius. Also a landspeeder tornado (AC & HB).

This is obviously not a power list, but can be very resilient, and was actually suited to the mission. We had pitched battle deployment, and D3+2 objectives (we got 5), only instead of holding them at the end you accumulated one Control point for each objective you held at the end of your opponent's turn, starting on turn 2. And units in transports could not gain control points. So not ideal for my largely mechanized force. Secondary objective i'm completely blanking on. Bonus points were based on KP differential- so should be good for him.

The terrain was the tournament's "showcase" table; a gorgeous cityfight with around 10 large three story ruins. This was a mixed blessing; i had more cover for my advanace against his shooting, but he was able to get up on upper floors and have 4+ cover everywhere for his horde of power-armored dudes. Other than my Redeemer Flamestorms (if I could get them in range), my shooting was basically going to do nothing to him. A number of craters and jersey barriers also meant there were few lines of advance for my tanks which would not eat Dangerous tests to immobilize. Thankfully everything which could had a Dozer, but sadly LRs can't take them. The only really clear path for the LR was guarded by a tactical squad with a Tankhunting (thanks to Sicarius) Lascannon, so I got out of their LOS and decided to risk crashing through buildings.

Long-story short, I got first turn and didn't immobilize myself, and he just did not do enough damage early. He did blow up/stun/immobilize some of my light transports, but I used those squads to jump on objectives while everything that was still mobile rushed for his half to either assault or contest his objectives (including my Predator), since I wasn't going to do jack for damage to him by shooting. I started racking up objective points reasonably fast, and prevented him from getting any decent number, then I was in assault. Buddha got a little too aggressive with his scouts, too, which let my jumpers and Mephiston get to him that much faster. Mephiston was an absolute beast in this game, going through ~25 marines, 10 scouts, and Sicarius. Ugh. 20pt win, as I just BARELY got the 8KP differential thanks to tabling him.

Round 4, Sunday morning.
Opponent: My Cold Steel Mercs teammate, Keith Girard.
Army: Mostly-Kanwall Orks. Ghazkull + 10 nobs + KFF Nob in Battlewagon. 9 Kans. 90 Orks with Rokkits and Klaws. Gorgeously-painted and pretty nails hard.

Mission was Spearhead Capture & Control, Secondary was to have an HQ within 5" of the opponent's objective at the end, and Bonus points for VPs.

He went first, and I deployed to try to flank around both sides, get side shots on the BW, while he rushed it up the middle through some ruins. Turn 1 I blew up the battlewagon with my attack bikes, which was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because that's exactly what I hope for them to do. A curse because my objective was all the way in the corner, and Keith made a calculated decision that his odds of getting to mine were too remote. So he decided to camp his and take the Draw. :( I was not willing to accept this, as it would have been excessively-boring, so I attacked on both flanks. Terminators, Mephiston and jumpers around one flank, light transports and predator on the other. The idea being to split his forces, try to kill a bunch of Orks in assault and draw him out enough to permit some 18" tank-shocks onto his objective to steal the win. Sadly, after those Attack Bike shots my dice decided their job was pretty much done, and did not cooperate with this plan. I got rolled in assault, and Kans outshot my lascannons and meltaguns on the other flank. Of course it was always a long shot, as Keith knows his tactics, and that army is darn tough to do any real damage to when the units are able to support one another. I wound up losing everything but Mephiston (who broke from a combat around turn 4 and managed to Rally on 7, then kill Ghaskull on the bottom of the last turn), my priest, my 5 man squads, and my three light transports, which were all Immobilized. So it was a Draw on the primary and Secondary, and I got 2pts to Keith's 6 on VP differential, leaving me with 8pts to his 12.

Round 5
Opponent: Rick James! Rick is a cool and funny guy who I've seen at a bunch of events in the last year or so, but not gotten to play yet.
Army: He was running double-SR Blood Angels. Each contained a terminator/storm shield Librarian, a priest, and 9 assault marines with melta and either fist or power weapon. Also one Furioso w/Claws. He also had three assault cannon razorbacks, containing two 5 man assault squads and a 6-man Tactical, and an Outflanking Baal with AC.

Mission was Pitched Battle, each of us had to nominate two scoring units before deployment to be carrying Supplies. Whoever had more of those units in his opponent's deployment zone at the end would win. Secondary was to have more KPs, based only off non-scoring units. Bonus was VP differential.

I got first turn and Rick decided that Reserving the Ravens was too much of a risk, and he'd rather gamble a bit with my somewhat limited 48" shooting and his Shields of Sanguinius. I knocked one down (the more central one, with the Furioso) and moved up a bit out of reach of the other, along the opposite side of a large ruin in the middle of the table. My predator and one Razor kept to the right, but back, to keep shooting the remaining SR, while my other Razor (carrying supplies) and Rhino (also) shot around the left side of the ruin accompanied by Mephiston, my LR with terminators, and my attack bikes. He advanced his dismounted squad on foot and moved up his living SR to center table, shooting. Blew up my other Razor and drove two of his Razors (one carrying supplies) down the table edge to my right. He also had supplies in his living SR, and I felt like I could probably knock that down and intercept those guys around the center of the table with my assaulters, and he would have a hard time intercepting my two units hauling backside down the left side at 18"/round, while my main assault elements were between them and Rick's assault stuff. Turn two my Attack Bikes again proved their value and blew up the Furioso. I Immobilized the other SR and jumped on his dismounted squad with terminators. Once his other SR was immobilized he had to dismount around midfield, and then I was able to catch him with Meph, my jumpers, and eventually my terminators as well. His storm shield librarians proved very durable; the first I thankfully broke, thanks to terminators not being able to sweeping advance. The second took 4 rounds of combat to die, fighting my ten man jumpers, librarian, mephiston, and 4 TH/SS terminators. Yowza. On the left flank my supplies-bearing units + attack bikes prevailed over his Rhino squad and late-arriving Baal, and on the right flank his other two Razor squads nearly escaped, but my other razor squad (and exploding Predator) weakened them and Mephiston eventually reached them. At the end of the game Rick had a weaponless Baal, and I still had most of my army. 20pt win.

It was a great time, and well-run event, at a very fun convention. My opponents were all a lot of fun, even if I could face most of them any week at my local store. That was just luck of the draw, though, as about ten guys came down from my store in around a 50-60 man event, and on day 1 Keith was deliberately not pairing teammates, and I had Cold Steel Mercs lists as my team, not Game Castle.

I didn't see the scores before I left, but Keith advised he thought I had 7th overall, and he had 6th. So those two points did matter. But not as much as having a fun game, for me, since I wasn't in contention to win it anyway.

Cool, thanks for the battle report. Anything you think you'll change about your list for next time (other than getting better dice)?

Well, for feedback, you don't need a claw on your Priest. You never want a Priestin base to base contact as this is their weak point.

Also you don't need power weapons on the melta units. They cannot charge after getting out of a vehicle, which is what you will most likely doing. Also you don't want your anti tank using possibly engaged in close combat.

Nice games btw and hope my feedback helps.

The claw may go at some point. Having a priest hide in a vehicle, maximizing his radius while minimizing danger, usually is the best option. That being said, there are four factors which incline me to give him a claw or power weapon.

1. If your opponent pops the vehicle with shooting on his turn, he is then able to shoot the priest to death that same phase before it joins a unit again.
2. When the priest is out of a transport and actually fighting, you can resolve his combat first then consolidate or pile in in such a way that you get him in radius of a second combat further away from the transport.
3. He's got WS5 and the pw or claw costs the same as it does on a sgt. It feels a bit of a waste not to use it.
4. Just as a matter of fluff/style points.

My 5 man squads definitely don't "need" power weapons. It's really a question of how much you intend to hide them. I do find that they beat up light/small units pretty well, especially if they're near the priest or got the red thirst. I think our Adepticon lists will have squads without the power weapons, so I'll have to play around with that and see how I like it

---------------------

In terms of what to change for next time, the next archetype I want to try is double Storm Raven.

If I were just looking to adapt/improve on this concept in another 2k event, I'd probably drop the land raider and terminators in favor of some cheaper additional assault elements. For those points I could get another 10 man jump squad and another Rhino squad. I might alternately take some death company in a Rhino with Chaplain or Reclusiarch, and still have enough points for another predator, a couple more attack bikes, or a speeder or two.

1. Your Priest will die either way and the claw won't save him. More than likely the tank will be blown open and the Priest shot before assaulted.

3. It does seem that way, though I would rather lose a single round of combat killyness (because that's what it would be) instead of having a dead Priest. I like fnp all game .

Well, if they don't 'need' power weapons then why they got them? My point is they are tank hunting with meltas, right? You don't want them engaged in combat. Assault Marines are alright, but a flamer and power weapon kills infantry really thanks to the flame softening things up. If anything I would add infernus pistols onto that unit.

I think the list isn't too bad, just needs tweaking and I am sure you will probably do well.