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So, undeterred by the depressingly few comments and poll votes that my last report received, I stopped my uncontrollable sobbing over its neglect this morning, and went down to my local GW, which, as I may have mentioned before, is a lovely place. And while the more astute amongst you may have noticed I am sometimes prone to a little exaggeration, irony, even sarcasm on occasion in my reports, I'd like to state now in all sincerity that GW Shrewsbury is a shining example of what any gaming shop should be like with a manager who is genuinely welcoming and a top bloke (and can I have that tenner now, Brian?).

Anyway, my old foes the Black Templars arrived in due course and we ended up playing two games at 1750 points.

The games were:

Spearhead Capture and Control (I like Spearhead, detest C&C)
Dawn of War Annihilation (my favourite combo)

I brought:

Draigo
Librarian: (might of titan, quicksilver, sanctuary, the shrouding, warp rift), warding stave
5 paladins: 2 psycannon, hammer, stave, falchions, 2 swords
5 paladins: 2 psycannon, hammer, 2 falchions, 2 swords
Venerable Dreadnought: multi-melta, heavy flamer, psyflame
Stormraven Gunship: TL plasma cannon, TL multi-melta
Stormraven Gunship: TL plasma cannon, TL multi-melta


Will brought:

Brotherhood Champion
3 squads in Rhinos
5 terminators in a Landraider Crusader
Vindicator
Land Speeder
Venerable Dreadnought
Dreadnought

Remember... only Blood and Slaughter brings you two battles in one report. Twice the pain!


Will's Templars on parade:



So first up was capture and control. Will wins the roll-off and, to my slight surprise, chooses his table quarter, thus opting to go first. That means I get to go second, which I almost always prefer.

Templar objective - some crude semi-runic marking that they doubtless imagine has some ritual significance - is placed way in the far corner. I'm actually surprised Will didn't place it behind a Rhino as his army likes hiding behind Rhinos in objective missions. I place mine - Draigo's pet demon and my team mascot - in the centre building in my deployment area near the top where he can have a good view of events.

We both reserve everything. This is unusual, but Will hates it when I come on and blow up his Vindicator in turn 2. It also means turn one passes so quickly that you just missed it.

Turn Two

Will rolls for reserves, they come on shuffling, fearful and furtive. His dreadnoughts' limbs so frozen with terror they can barely run - Will always rolls poorly for dreadnought running in the early turns:



I fail both reserve rolls so...

Turn Three

More of the Templars come on. Note how they huddle together, like sheep to be sheared:



His objective is in the ruined manufactorum 'diagonally behind' his vindicator.



More of his stuff coming in and moving. Note how he keeps behind the 12" line, in morbid terror of my TL multi-meltas.



A rather lonely dreadnought plays in a crater on his right flank.

Paladins:

To the sound of my favourite tune on the shop stereo, I make both reserve rolls and the full might of Titan zoomes flat out up the table!



And unleash a double dose of TL multi-melta hell upon his Vindicator!

Sadly not much melting goes on, more of a gentle waft of warm air. Oh well.

Turn Four

A bit of manoeuvering from the Templars, all trying to fire at the Ravens.



Except for a Rhino that pops smoke, unsettling the photographer.



He shoots: Two missiles, two assault cannon (one twin-linked), two-multi-melta, one melta and the vindicator's big gun. All at Draigo's Raven (the left hand one).

The Librarian casts Sanctuary and thanks to that I make all necessary cover saves.

Will is not pleased. I, however am well placed and well pleased.

Are those assault termies with furious charge and preferred enemy in the LRC? If they are, then it could be nasty.

However, I still think you will take this one....or two. He just doesn't have enough shooting to take down your ravens in time before you hit his lines.

Unless, of course, you are playing Capture & Control and have to leave behind 1 unit to sit on your home objective, in which case it would be a tie.

Good luck.

Indeed they are assault terminators with FC and PE. Four with lightning claws, one with thunder hammer and storm shield. I think I've played about five battles against Will now - excepting these two - and in four of them the terminators have got into assault. In one they destroyed a paladin squad bar one, in the others, they didn't do so well, mainly because I either got the charge in thanks to Sanctuary, or they were depleted by Sanctuary. They are, however, one of the three major threats. The vindicator and the landspeeder being the others. Oh, I should mention, all Will's squads have meltagun and powerfist.

The Capture and Control Mission will be up first. Annihilation second. They both ended up being rather strange battles for different reasons.

I'd be gunning for the Ravens if I were him. He needs to get into CC and those are your best options for preventing exactly that. He'd better get them in the first turn or two otherwise I think you've got him both games.

Can I guess? as I know the answers. They were very weird and wonderful games.

Templar Cross because your terminators don't have frag and krak?

They were strange games, these two. Not east because given the vast expanse of 6x4 available, the action concentrated in pretty much single 2x2 squares.

I may have misremembered odd details. Feel free to correct anything if you like.

Can't help feel a GK win but will cheer for Templars becauseI think they are so cool. Hope they get a codex upgrade soon and I'd love some squads with templar stuff soon so I don't have to buy the upgrade spur.