http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/17.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net 40k Doubles Tournament. We built some new armies for this, and a lot of people have been following the P&M blogs over here...

ArbitorIan's Squats - http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/261424.page
Panic's Grots - http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/261148.page

We arrived at Watford Colloseum to find a big town hall full of people hawking their latest boardgames/fantasy novel. Tucked away in the corner were the five tables for the tournament.

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[b]OUR LIST - Squats (Imperial Guard) and Grots (Orks)[/b]

[b]
HQ: Engineer Guildmaster in Exo Armour[/b]
1 Techpriest Enginseer (Laspistol, Power Weapon, Power Armour)

[b]Elites: Squat Rangers[/b]
3 Ratlings (Sniper Rifles)

[b]Troops: Brotherhood Infantry[/b]
1 Command HQ (5#, Lasguns, 1 Plasmagun, 1 Heavy Bolter)
1 Infantry Squad (10#, Lasguns, 1 Plasmagun, 1 Mortar)
1 Infantry Squad (10#, Lasguns, 1 Plasmagun, 1 Mortar)

[b]Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron[/b]
1 Leman Russ Executioner (Plasma Sponsons)


[b]HQ: Big GrotMek[/b]
1 Big Mek (Choppa; Kustom Force Field; 'Eavy Armour; Cybork Body; Grot Oiler x1; Mek's Tools)
[b]
Troops: Grot Squad[/b]
15 Gretchin + 1 Runtherd (Grot-Prod x1, Squig Hound)

[b]Troops: Deff Kan [/b]
1 Deff Dred (BigMek = Count's Troop Troops; Dreadnought CCW x2; Big Shoota x1; Skorcha x1; Grot Rigger)
[b]
Heavy Support: Killa Kans[/b]
3 Killer Kans (Dreadnought CCW; Big Shoota x2; Grotzooka x1; Grot Rigger x3)

[b]Fast Attack: Buggies[/b]
3 Warbuggies (Twin Linked Rokkit Launcha x3)

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[b]SOME FLUFF[/b]

Karl Thurnisson clumped round the bulkhead corner and dived for cover behind a row of coolant tanks. He'd done it! Karl Thurnisson, of Gudrun's Brotherhood, outflanks the invading greenskins. One step closer to repelling another greenskin attack. Once step closer to finally getting out of the system and starting the reaving. One step closer to fulfilling the contract.

He looked through his sight - there were four little runt greenskins facing away from him. They thought they were in cover behind a makeshift barricade of floor plating and cable conduit, and snickered to themselves, occasionally taking potshots with some crude, rusty slug-throwers. This would be easy. Karl leant forward, and sighted along the barrel. His finger rested against the trigger.

"What in Briggi's name are you doing, Karl?"

Karl jumped out of skin, his finger squeezing on the trigger and letting a fusillade of lasbolts fly at the greenskins. The head of one was immediately pulped, another lost it's stringy little arm, and the rest of the bolts made tiny dents in the pile of plasteel decking. The remaining grots panicked and fled down a maintenance hatch.

'Hungry' Smurfsson sat down on the coolant tanks Karl was using for cover, his long-las resting on his lap. Karl wasn't going to ask how he got there - the few rangers attached to the Brotherhood forces were usually pretty good about that sort of thing.

"Smurfsson, what in the blind deep are you doing? I almost had them!"

"That's the outflanking force, Karl."

"What? I'm the outflanking detachment, Hungry - Gudrun sent me himself! And now the greenskins know we're here!"

"No they don't, Karl. Those were our greenskins. Or at least the last of them. Got here about ten minutes ago, through that rat-hatch. Someone's not been listening to the comms."

"OUR greenskins? But... Oh, bugger this, Hungry. It's all going to take a while to get used to. How am I meant to tell them apart? They all look the same to me."

Smurfsson plonked down onto the deck, hardly making a sound. The rangers didn't wear the traditional iron-shod brotherhood boots. Some might say they didn't have much care for the traditions at all. Too much time in the open air, probably. Sends your head funny, not having a proper stone roof over it. "You'll have to learn. Snorri was talking about making them wear the old brotherhood uniform, it's only rags but it might work."

"Bah, this is all Gudrun's fault. I'll bet he did receive the comms, but you know what he's like." Karl faked the gruff, throaty voice of Cheif Gudrun, the Brotherhood's commander, "I'm not taking orders from any stringy greenskin runt, no matter what side he's on".

"Well he's going to have to learn as well. We all are. You know what Master Frodosson said last month. He's got some plan brewing, I'm sure."

Karl grunted. "Yeah, well it wouldn't have happened if the Thane was still alive, that's all I'm saying. And i don't trust that two-bit greenskin engineer. It'll bring the eyes of the ancestors down upon us. Bring us bad luck."

Hungry looked up, apprehensive for a moment. "We've already got that, Karl. Can't say losing your Warlord before the expedition's even got out of system is exactly good luck. I think we should have returned for reinforcements. But you know the rules. The Guild have a stake in this, and that makes Frodosson second-in-command. Anyway, it's not like we're being dealt out of any action." Hungry paused, "There's another incoming. Better get back to the Brotherhood." And he turned, plodding away through the cargo hold, keeping to cover.

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[b]GAME 1 - Joshua & Lol - Eldar & Orks[/b]
Capture & Control / Pitched Battle

We played the first game against two youngsters - Joshua and Lol. They weren't too hot on the rules, but were very enthusiastic and their dads helped them out lots. They had a few good moments, my Executioner being destroyed by a War Walker and Panic's Killa Kans being taken out by some Warp Spiders being of particular note. However, they didn't manage to get anything near our objective and Panic's buggies were able to swoop in for a last minute objective grab. First win to us!

Autarch (Banshee Mask, Swoopin Hawk Wings)
10 Gaurdians (Scatter Laser)
8 Dire Avengers
5 Warp Spiders (Exarch)

Warboss
10 Boyz (Powerklaw nob)
10 Boys (Big Shoota, Rokkit)
Trukk
2 Warbikes
Scorcha

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[b]GAME 2 - Ian & Michael - Imperial Guard & Daemons[/b]
Take & Hold / Dawn of War

Our next game was against father & son team, Ian & Michael. We were initally REALLY daunted by their list, and by the fact that we'd have to deploy through Dawn of War. However, our armour survived the Vendetta's lascannons quite well, and the Soulgrinder was taken out by a massed Kan & Dred charge. The Masque tried an ill-advised charge against the Executioner, but was plasmad to death by th squats. Then our Infantry were decimated by Hydras and the (very effective) Primaris Psyker, but in the end the win revolved around a central objective. Their Bloodletters made a late game DS onto it, and we charged with everything we had, but in the end we just couldn't kill enough to force a win. We ended with a draw. This was probably my favourite game of the tourney...

Primaris Psyker in a Chimera
Veteran Squad (1 Grenade Launcher, 2 Meltaguns)
Vendetta (3 TL Lascannons)
Hydra Squadron (2 Hydras)

The Masque
1 Fiend of Slaanesh
12 Bloodletters of Khorne
Soulgrinder

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[b]GAME 3 - James & Michelle - Chaos Marines & Tyranids[/b]
Take & Hold / Pitched Battle

Our last game in the main heat was with James & Michelle, possibly the most serious players of all we faced. They had a much stranger tactic to boot. They won the roll for deployment, and opted to let us go first, and then put all their stuff in reserve (including some outflanking Genestealers). This meant we had the whole of our first two turns to move ourselves into a little fort around two objectives. On the third turn, some of their army arrived, but they hid it behind cover, so we were denied another turn of shooting. We got one round of rather ineffective shooting off at them when they emerged, and they went straight for a last minute objective grab, contesting two, and Lashing our infantry off of another. However, our army proved too durable to be cleared from any of the objectives, so we ended with a draw again!

Daemon Prince (Wings, MoS, Lash of Submission)
5 Plague Marines in Rhino
5 Plague Marines

Hive Tyrant
8 Gaunts
12 Genestealers
Carnifex

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We then had a really weird situation. The tournament had been divided into two halves. We played everyone in our half, but three of the teams in our half had the same number of points. How were we to tie-break so we knew who would be in the final/semis/etc.

In the end, the TO came up with some crazy plan where we rolled to see if we got a HQ or a Troops choice from our list, and then played a quick 'last-man standing' match where the winner was the one who inflicted the most wounds. Monstrously unfair, but we were all gme for a laugh so we went with it, and ended up with a three-way game between the Daemon Prince, the Primaris Psyker, and my entire Infantry Platoon!

The Daemon Prince wiped out the Primaris on the first turn and then lashed one of my squads into charge range. In a fair fight, I rekckon my plasma power would have had it, but he caused so many wounds on the first infantry squad there was no way I could score more than him. James & Michelle ended up in the final (and ultimately won the tournament) and we ended up going for the 3rd/4th place.

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[b]GAME FOUR - Marcus & Ross - Eldar & Space Wolves[/b]
Take & Hold / Dawn of War

Our last game was to determine 3rd/4th place between us and the other half's runners-up, Marcus and Ross. They had an interesting gambit with an Avatar and some drop-podding Assault Termies heading straight for our lines. In the end, though, they were so close to our board edge in their turn one that, once our army arrived on OUR turn one, we were able to bring numbers to bear. The Dread dealt with their terminators over the next few assault phases, and massed Plasma fire put the wounds on the Avatar, only to have it's last wound taken my a Grot's pokey stick! Their remaining infantry were advancing across the board, and we still had most of our army intact, but then we ran out of time and had to end the game. It was techincally another draw, but we played Paper Scissors Stone for bragging rights and lost. So our final positioning was 4th.

Runepriest (Hurricane) and 3 Wolf Guard Terminators in Drop Pod
5 Grey Hunters (Plasmagun)
5 Grey Hunters (Plasmagun)

Avatar
Dire Avengers
Dire Avengers
Dark Reapers

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All in all, a fun day. I had a little chat with Gav Thorpe, we were confused by Jervis's beard, we spent too much at the Forge World store, and got in more games than expected. I reckon we could have got 3rd place if we had a bit more time, and the tournament itself seemed a bit badly organised (especially the dodgy tie-break situation) but we had fun all the same.






]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1066264.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1066264.page GMT
Those pictures make my eyes bleed though - is there some sort of checklist that demands folks take blurry pics during a tourney? Or is everything with a cellphone camera now?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1066653.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1066653.page GMT
As for our tactics in the game against you guys- it really was the only way we could even try with all that terrorfying firepower around! That said we really enjoyed the game with you guys.

As I said at the time the tie-breaker was massively uneven so sorry once more! Had I not got first turn and the primaris psyker been in the perfect place for me to hide from you guys you would have definitely taken the prince down!

On the Primaris Psyker- I don't know what it was like against you but it never got less than 8 (!) shots off each turn in 3 turns of firing at us!

Finally, just to say I loved the squats- so cool!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1067883.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1067883.page GMT
As for our tactics in the game against you guys- it really was the only way we could even try with all that terrorfying firepower around! That said we really enjoyed the game with you guys.

As I said at the time the tie-breaker was massively uneven so sorry once more! Had I not got first turn and the primaris psyker been in the perfect place for me to hide from you guys you would have definitely taken the prince down!

On the Primaris Psyker- I don't know what it was like against you but it never got less than 8 (!) shots off each turn in 3 turns of firing at us!

Finally, just to say I loved the squats- so cool![/quote]

Hey James - thanks! nice to see you on dakka! We enjoyed the game as well, even if it was quite a strange one. Interetsing tactics, I don't think I've ever been defeated while only losing two models before!

The tiebreaker was uneven, but as we said then, the other option was rolling a dice, so at least it was more creatively uneven. The Primaris psyker was scary, though. We had exactly the same situation - he even managed 12 shots one turn. At various points, took out the most part of an infantry squad, and killed off some buggies.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1067958.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1067958.page GMT I enjoyed all the games we played.

The Kids played well and I think they learned alot.

Ian & Michael had very competitive Lists and gave us a really good game. My regrets in this game is that I didn't use the buggies to contest their objective...
they also provided me with my favorite part of the tourney the soul grinder KillaKan match up.

James & Michelle - I think had a clever trick to their lists which worked very well. (their list reminded me of Magic the Gatherings Mono-Blue decks!... I hated playing against Mono-Blue!)

Marcus & Ross - gave us a straight up fight, and I was gutted that we ran out of time! I think we had a good chance of winning that!


So what did I learn?
I love playing Grots!
I love squadrons of Kans... can't wait till I have all 9 painted
GrotZookas are made of win!
Grot riggers are a waste of 15pts in a Kan squadron... (they fix immobilised results..duh!) This is annoying as I bought the pack of 12 FW grot Techies to fix to my Kan squadrons!
With 18" Fast Buggies Squads Make excellent last turn objective denial... and with target saturation 10,10/10 Buggies squads are actually very survivable.

Panic...]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1068352.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1068352.page GMT
We enjoyed the day although had a few moments...

We hadn't expected to play short games (4 turns only) and probably wouldn't have played daemons if we had known this. Not getting into play until the 3rd of 4th turn with hlaf of Michael's army hurt.

I hope the two young lads did learn something - we had a long (time wise) game with them and tried to help with rules etc - the main one being to read the rules of the tournament and bring a legal list...

The game against the Orks and the demise of the Soul Grinder - well we had to chuckle.

My Psyker turned out OK but at only 70 pts was no way going to be competative in a match against a whole platoon and a Daemon Prince - a low point for my son who took it a little to heart.

Perhaps the organisers can use victory points to decide any ties in future - a much fairer method in that the conditions are set by the games played.

If anyone is in reach of Cranfield - this is where we play on a Monday night - 1800 - 2200 ish. Cranfield Social club is the venue with food and a bar and plenty of tables, scenery and people to play.

Details can be found at the website www.wargamesworkshop.com (run by Carl who also plays at Cranfield).

Good gaming all.

Regards

Ian]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1069631.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1069631.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1069684.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1069684.page GMT
As for the tiebreaker- with the way it turned out I just felt apologetic- everything fell for the lash prince and there was nothing that could be done about it! I agree that there are better ways of deciding who goes through- though I suspect that victory points would have been utterly marginal as well! (I think we won the final by under 50 vps which is a draw in anybody's book- though I recently discovered that scarabs are weapon skill 2 not 3 so I fell less bad about the margin as it would have been quite different if the carnifex had cleared them a bit faster)

The other thing was the scenery was far too expansive and complex (how on earth were we supposed to play the necromunda scenery- its neither ruin nor building)

That said, given the enormous time pressure it was still good fun- though I would have been a little peeved to go out in the shootout too! I think next time a straight knock out might work better-though then we would have played less games each- swings and roundabouts eh!

One thing I will say is that for a tourney with some pretty mean army lists it was really good natured- so thanks to everyone for making it so!

On a side note- I can't really play weekdays thanks to work but i'm always up for games at weekends even if I have to travel!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1071282.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1071282.page GMT 40k a bit more.

I am guessing that the new people came here to look at Panic and Ian's photos and write-ups at their invitation?

Glad everyone enjoyed it - maybe I should make the effort to play in a tournament myself - just need to find a teammate...

Nick... Nick? Get your arse over to my flat... We're gonna play that 40k game I've been telling you about!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1074360.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1074360.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1082119.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1082119.page GMT
I'd never heard of it until I saw it advertised on the frontpage of this here site. In fact, I think it's still up there - someone forgot to take it down!

It's in Watford, at the Watford Colosseum...]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1084811.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/262455/1084811.page GMT