Circuit First Event:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/257461.page
Circuit Events Two and Three:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/265823.page
I took Nob Bikers to the 4th Circuit event. It fits my requirement to field a new list at every event, while simultaneously being a dead 'ard list that gives me a decent shot at winning. Additionally, I'd won Best Sportsmen at the last 2 events...got to give someone else a turn.
List Assessment:
Nob Bikers is very much a list check for the enemy. If they brought a list that can take care of you, they'll table you. If they didn't, you'll table them. There's really not much more to it than that. If they've got Lash,
PBS, a throng of walkers, what have you they'll take you out, if they don't you'll obliterate them. Basic troops aren't even speed bumps for the Nob Mob.
List:
Warboss on Bike w/attack squig,
PK, cybork body, boss pole
Warboss on Bike w/attack squig,
PK, cybork body, boss pole
10 Nobs w/bikes, cybork bodies, 2 combi rokkets, 2 combi skorchas, 1 boss pole, 1 Waaaagh banner, 2 'uge Choppas, 4
Pks, Painboss
10 Nobs w/bikes, cybork bodies, 2 combi rokkets, 2 combi skorchas, 1 boss pole, 1 Waaaagh banner, 2 'uge Choppas, 4
Pks, Painboss
3 Deff Koptas w/combi rokket, buzzsaw
3 Deff Koptas w/combi rokket, buzzsaw
10 man Grot unit w/squig hound herder
Venue:
Phoenix Games is, to my mind, the nicest physical store in Atlanta. There's competition now that Tower has moved, but I'd still probably give it to Phoenix for the integration of their hobby section into the overall layout. It's a nice setup. I go there to play on the weekends, which is probably the strongest endorsement I can give. I still consider myself a Gaming Pit player primarily, but Phoenix is a close second.
Game #1:
I didn't get a game #1. I was the last to show for the tourney, so that left me fighting a bye. We had some folks drop out, so we had an odd number. Not sure why there wasn't a ringer, but I guess in a circuit that might not be fair. I had to chill out for the first game, which was far from ideal, but the
TO didn't really have anything he could do about it, so I don't hold it against him.
The way they did the scoring was that I was put in the middle of the pack for round 2, and my score on that round would be doubled. That's definitely the fairest way I know. The idea was that the last place guy after round 1 would play the bye on 2, but somebody left mid round on 1 (hope everything's alright, guy! I heard it was a family emergency. Let us know things are ok when you can!), so there was no need.
Game #2:
Twin Lash Chaos
Lash Prince, wings
Lash Sorcerer, wings (modeled as wings, natch.
GW fails at
FAQ!)
Plague Marine unit, melta guns, fist in rhino w/combi melta
Ksons w/warptime sorc w/melta bombs, in rhino w/combi melta
Zerk unit w/fist in rhino w/combi melta
Zerk unit w/fist in rhino w/combi melta
2 Oblits
2 Oblits
Defiler
7 Lesser Daemons
Mission:
I don't even care. I'm playing Nob Bikers.
Deployment: Table Quarters
Pre-Game: I get the first turn, so I scout my Koptas right up in his face. He's dropped back into a corner to fortress up, give himself maximum time to Lash and get things sorted.
Top 1:
I boost the Bikers over into his grill, showing no fear or respect. I'm in easy lash + charge range. My Koptas close in on his rhinos. For lulz I fire the rockets...and end up destroying them both. Ugh...whoops. The plan had been for a multi-charge, hopefully destroying/shaking/stunning all 4 of them, and leaving his infantry behind a wall of koptas for a round. Instead he's got a unit of zerks and plagues dismounted, but the others are free to tank shock out if they want to.
In a fit of pique my one kopta unit charges the zerks. I'd wanted to charge the plagues, as the lasher is in there, but they got wrecked instead of exploded, so they are safely back. Anyway, the Kopta vs. Zerker fight goes as expected, my guys get wiped out but kill 2 zerks.
Bottom 1:
He flies the lasher out to do business, along with his Prince. His plan is basically this: Prince lashes Bikers over to his Defiler, Warboss first, while the Sorc lashes the other unit back into some terrain, so they can't assault or turbo boost. His first lash, the Prince's, goes off, but he only gets to move them 2 inches. Combined with a one inch fleet this leaves them 4" away from the Defiler, far from certain. He decides to make sure, and uses his Sorc's lash on the unit as well. He pulls another Nob round the warboss, putting him 1" out from the Defiler, and simultaneously in charge range of the Prince.
This leaves the other unit free to charge the zerks(who just killed my other kopta unit, hope the objective isn't keep your
FA alive or something) and the Plagues. I guess he never liked those guys anyway. He shoots his oblits at that squad, but good cover saves block all the lascannons. Good to be green. (Team ATL has long observed that as soon as a player puts Orks on the table his dice become addicted to 5+'s)
The Defiler charge + Prince charge goes about nowhere. I've been lashed into a string, so most of my klaws can't swing on the Defiler, while it's attack only gets one wound through, clipping the no-wargear guy. The Prince does another wound, but it was to the guy who got clipped, while he takes 2 wounds from the Warboss. It's a draw, or maybe we win by one due to a shake on the Defiler. Whatever. Pile in gets all 4 claws in.
Top 2:
Other Nob unit charges Zerks and Plagues, in such a way that the Zerks get wiped out and we stay locked with the Plagues. I lose a Nob or two to enemy claws, the guys who got wounded by their
cc attacks.
First Nob unit kills Lash Prince (warboss) we take 2
CCW and immobilize the Defiler, but can't kill the dang thing. We pile in around the Defiler. The Warboss at long last is forced to base the creature, hopefully it's last attacks will miss. We've taken most of em with damage results.
Bottom 2:
He goes all in this round, sending his last Zerker unit and his ksons into the Nobs stuck with the
PB's, as well as both units of Oblits. Meanwhile the Lash Sorcerer charges the Warboss.
He guts the Nob unit with his infantry, their retaliatory swings maim the zerks and
PB's. He stays locked, but its' just a Warboss and 2 wounded
PK Nobs left now. It was a bloody combat. I forgot to mention that I killed one of the Oblit units, that was very useful.
Meanwhile his Lash sorc gets 3 hits, one wound on my Warboss, ruh roh. I fail my invul save and brace for the Force weapon. He rolls an 11. Gork looks out for his own. The warboss double klaws him, and the ladz finally finish off the Defiler with 5 pens.
Top 3: The big Nob squad joins the big fight, and when the dust clears all he's got left is some thousand sons.
Bottom 3: The last 2 rhinos leg it, while the last 2 Ksons are torn apart.
Top 4: Nob Biker units chase down the fleeing rhinos and rip them apart.
I get full points, doubled, to vault in one stride to the top of the standings. Looking good. With these points the only way I can lose the circuit is if Fargo does well in the last round, and I really fall down.
Game #3:
Vs. balanced Orks. (Guy I beat to win the first tourney in the circuit. Guess he wants some payback)
He's got:
Biker Warboss (same as mine)
Big Mek w/
KFF
4 x 30 Orks w/
PK BP Nob
2 x 15 Lootas
3 x 3 Killa Kan units
1 x Deff Dread
Mission Objectives. No one is reading this.
Pre game: I get the first turn, send the Koptas flying around the flank of his wall.
Top 1: Koptas move up, shoot and double charge an Ork unit, breaking it and taking minimal damage. Nob Bikers move up cautiously and shoot twin linked dakka guns at a Killa Kan unit outside of
KFF range, killing one and shaking the other two, taking one's fighting hand off.
Bottom 1: He shoots one of his lootas at one of the Kopta units, charges the other with a Kan unit, crushing them. He shoots the other at a Nob unit, along with his Grotzookas.
Top 2: I shoot one of my dakkagun units at the weakened Kan unit, reducing it to one immobilized Kan. The other unit switches fire to a
KFF protected Kan, really doesn't get much done.
Bottom 2: He shoots everything at the wounded Nob unit, pushing it down to 6 Nobs left, only 3 with Klaws.
Top 3: Ok, fine, I grab them mission. I"m not tabling this guy.
Dang, it's
KP, some other stuff but that's the primary. I'm already down and not getting closer. I'll need to go for a surgical strike.
I move the healthy Nob Biker unit down on him. Multi charge his infantry unit w/Warboss and the immobilized Kan unit. That goes well, except that in a moment of Orkiness I put my warboss on his Warboss. I get klawed, he makes 4 Cybork saves, but breaks and runs off the board along with his ladz. I massacre a ways away from his line.
The other half of my plan is the wounded Nob unit, I put em straight into the midst of his Kans, the hope is to crush one of the units, and soak up the counter assault, leaving my other guys free to launch another attack or flee, as the situation demands.
Bottom 3:
It goes about like I'd figured. He sends his Kans in on the diminished unit (which didn't finish off its unit, due to wound allocation fu walker squadrons are such a pain) He also puts a unit of Boys in on em. He puts the other unit of Boys into my big Nob unit, along with the Dread.
The sacrificial squad is duly mauled. The Warboss is still alive, but has to leg it and gets run down by one of the pursuing can units.
The other unit, is, surprisingly, also mauled. He rolls his ass off and my dice fail me. The Deff Dread hits and wounds with all 5 of it's attacks, and I fail all my cybork saves, it gets shaken by one glancing hit in return. The Orks don't do mcuh, though i think their klaw gets another Nob. These guys get run down as well.
Top 4: I move my Grots behind cover, hunker down.
Bottom 4: He blasts them off the table. Doh.
So, I've been tabled. Full marks to him. I guess it's true that all Nob Biker games end in a tabling, one way or the other.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention dice. In my first game my foe was unlucky (Lash 2 inches, force weapon failed psychic test, dual charging oblits + 2 squads fail to wipe out diminished Nob Bikers) while I was lucky. In my last game I was still lucky (dakka guns in one memorable occasion literally all hit) while my foe had godlike luck (all 4 5+ cybork saves made, all
KFF saves made, all dread attacks hit and wound, Lootas shoot 8 times, 5 are 3 shots each) Looks like the more Orks you have on the board the more your dice love you.
Anyway, Fargo had run afoul of Player A, and gotten I think 11 points. He's got 66 points or 68 points, so he's up by 6-8 points on me. I try and figure out if he can beat me at the circuit.
The way I see the scoring, as long as no one comes between us he'll just gain back the point he lost in round 3, so I'll be up one on him. If one guy is between us it'll be a draw on circuit points, if there's 2 he'll win.
As it turns out, however, he's lost points on sportsmanship and painting, to the point that I end up in second place overall. (Final standings, Horde Ork player, Me, Fargo, Player A)
I think that makes me first on the circuit, as with a second place finish the only person who gained on me was #1, and he only gained by a point and I went into the last tourney 12 points up on him.
I gotta say, the tournament circuit was awesome! We had 4 tourneys in 4 months, and most of the players showed up for each round. We got to see each of the stores in North Atlanta (Treefort, I hear you guys will be in on the next one, it'll be cool to see what the South can do!). I took a different list to each event, so I didn't get jaded playing the same foes over and over.
I understand there's plans to do a
WHFB Fantasy circuit in the spring. Bring it on!
Major props to Primarch, who got the ball rolling on this and maintained its momentum throughout. We used to mess with Nato that they were old schoolers who just talked about how great they'd done a trillion years ago. It'd be tough to say that nowadays, and I think Primarch deserves most of the credit for their clubs renewed enthusiasm. Good on ya.
.....Bay Area Open GT 2013 - Best Tyranids 
.....LVO GT 2014 Team Tournament - Best Generals
