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In this Warhammer 40K Escalation Video Bat Rep, Raw Dogger and Reecius try another game of Escalation this time with IG and a Baneblade and Orks with a Stompa!

Nice report, didnt seem too insane. Did you take a big mek or do you know if the KFF works on the stompa currently? I remember it used to.

As a side note I bought my ticket for the LVO today, should be a blast (hopefully not a D blast).

Two mistakes from the Orks
~Warboss can't bosspole himself!
~The Stompa isn't an assault transport as far as I know

But great report, agree that da D needs to go

I posted in your other thread on SH's so I'll not bog this down with any of that thread's direction on D-weoponry. What I did find completely interesting is that with the SH's on the board, there was little to no mention of the game's normal objectives. I noticed this in relation to a pretty common problem I have to remind friends whom I game with about and that's focusing on the objectives that will win you the game. Granted, the SH's and GC's confer VP's, but with such attention to the SH's themselves, you'd think that the lists involved would be created in such a way that they could either defend their own or destroy their opponent's SH's in the most efficient or fastest way possible.

Neither list looked focused on the SH's as being a threat to the primary, secondary, or tertiary objectives. It looked like they just put one in each list and started rolling dice. I think this is indicative of a violent meta shift. No one really knows what to expect. Most don't even know the names of the units much less what they can do. I get that. I praise these batreps for just such a reason. I've learned loads of helpful tidbits from Dakka, JY2, and your Frontline crew.

Lists are going to start hitting the net very soon. Lists showing success vs. these new nightmares (as some would put them) or gifts (as I would put them). It should prove for a fun and exciting 2014 Tournament season. Tournament List balance appears to be in the hands of having so much variety that there will be no "1 list to rule them all" no matter what we think. I hope that is so. If it is so, then people are going to need to see these lists in action so that perhaps we can once again see a Tier system present itself.

@Thanatos

See you at the LVO!

And I thought about it but didn't bother, honestly. I think it does count, though which would help a lot.

@Dakkamite

Glad you liked it! And we didn't assault out of the Stompa, the charge happened the next turn after they'd been out of it a turn already.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Super Heavies are crazy and yeah, you can see that Raw Dogger didn't even know their names, as you pointed out.

I think they could have a place but this is such a huge change that it is leaving most of us scratching our heads as to what to do in the near future.

Nice batrep. Overall looked like a fun game.

You might want to note the stomp attacks are blast (not large blast). Stomps are nasty but they are not that nasty.

I am looking forward to you guys showing the new fort networks and even more so your new urban mat whenever you get a prototype in.

BTW the actual objectives in the game become somewhat meaningless when one side is essentially tabled. The SH which can carry scoring troops actually may be even more useful than the D weapon SH (at least post meta shift). They are however much more fun to play against as well.

Yes, good point on the stomp, it is small blasts.

NP you can repay me with showing off your new mats when they come in...those sexy sexy mats.

Will do!

@Dakkamite

And yeah on the pole on the Warboss, thanks, I always play that wrong! Haha, mine has punched himself in the face more than once when he shouldn't have!

That actually seemed like a fun alternative way to play. Just avoid the D-weapons.

Seems like a good time, but still a very different game. As someone already mentioned, games using superheavies will revolve almost entirely around those 1-2 models. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but it's not my cup of tea.

I know there's a lot more testing to be done, but I'm dying to see one of two things:
1) A regular 40k army (as of a week ago) vs an army using one of the "lesser" superheavies. How will your Stompa fare against a balanced Nid list, I wonder...

2) Let's see some Gargantuan Creatures! Gargantuans vs super heavies, gargantuans vs "regular" armies, etc.

Thanks for these reports!

Siphen wrote:
Seems like a good time, but still a very different game. As someone already mentioned, games using superheavies will revolve almost entirely around those 1-2 models. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but it's not my cup of tea.

I know there's a lot more testing to be done, but I'm dying to see one of two things:
1) A regular 40k army (as of a week ago) vs an army using one of the "lesser" superheavies. How will your Stompa fare against a balanced Nid list, I wonder...

2) Let's see some Gargantuan Creatures! Gargantuans vs super heavies, gargantuans vs "regular" armies, etc.

Thanks for these reports!

Unfortunately so far, there are only 2 gargants allowed in Escalation - the Transcendent C'tan and the Harridan.


Well.....it's a good thing I've got both.


I'm going to bring my C'tan + necrons the next time I go to Frontline Gaming. Would love to have another go at the Revenant. Wouldn't mind playing against the Stompa either.

Siphen wrote:


2) Let's see some Gargantuan Creatures! Gargantuans vs super heavies, gargantuans vs "regular" armies, etc.

Thanks for these reports!

Here's some game footage of a Gargantuan Creature vs a "regular army from a tournament here in Japan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug-W8IH_FMM

The gargantuan creatures can be REALLY difficult to bring down WITHOUT D weapons in any game.

Honestly if they ever allow Zarakynel in the game, she is nigh unstoppable. If you can direct enough firepower to kill her in ONE turn, then sure. But if she ever makes it to combat, she will heal herself back up to full.

Now it really seems like whoever goes first wins the game...
Shooting D weapons into the enemy titan until it dies seems to be the way to win...
That's really sad...

Honestly, the best part about this report is that we got to see both IG and Orkz, haha! Seemed like fun though. Themed lists in a friendly game like this really shows off the potential of Escalation, for all the flaws it has. Tournaments are going to have to do some soul-searching and adjusting, but for those of us just playing casually and who want to try this out, seems like there's potential! Thanks for the report.

I think the Gargantuan Creatures might actually be worse than anything we've tried, honestly. I want to see the Haridan in action, I have a feeling that will be gross.

@MWHistorian

Yeah, it was fun! You just have to bring the right spirit to the game.

@Siphen

It 100% does revolve around those models but that could just be because we are not used to them, too.

@Makatsu

The potential Alpha Strike certainly did get more powerful, no doubt.

@Talore

Haha, we were thinking that, too. It was like hey, these armies are fun with Super Heavies! They can be quite frustrating otherwise.

Glad you liked it!

This bat rep seemed far more stable. I think many people are blowing escalation out of proportion in a way, but it doesn't seem ready for any large scale competitive environment

I wonder what happens when a stompa goes against a jetlock council or O'vesa star. Hmmmm.

thanatos67 wrote:
I wonder what happens when a stompa goes against a jetlock council or O'vesa star. Hmmmm.

The seer council has a chance to hurt it in combat, especially with multiple castings of the +1 S power, though they should lose a few warlocks in the process. The O'vesa-star, on the other hand, will have to rely on shooting to try to do anything to it. If they get locked in combat, the O'vesa-star isn't going to survive for very long.

 jy2 wrote:

thanatos67 wrote:
I wonder what happens when a stompa goes against a jetlock council or O'vesa star. Hmmmm.

The seer council has a chance to hurt it in combat, especially with multiple castings of the +1 S power, though they should lose a few warlocks in the process. The O'vesa-star, on the other hand, will have to rely on shooting to try to do anything to it. If they get locked in combat, the O'vesa-star isn't going to survive for very long.

Well the stompa is init 1 so if i dont charge through cover I'm getting 7 S10 (6 smashes from both tides and the onager) attacks and farsights 5 s5 armorbanes, all likely with tankhunter at that point. But yeah past that I'm dead in cc.

I must say, while the last game the demon army was hopelessly mismatching to an investment that runs even basic tank spam (no real anti-tank)

But this time you had two decent armies, both well balanced, both well made, and look-it worked great!

Stomps are not that bad, and neither are D weapons, they just need to be answered quickly.

@BoomWolf

They can be dealt with but they can make the game no fun, too, IMO. If you buff them up with defense though psychic buffs, rerolls, etc. they can be super unenjoyable to play against.

I don't dislike them at all, just feel that the D is too much for normal games.

Reece,
Made a decision on the LVO yet? Probably too early for you. Just keep us up to date. Bought my pass, just not the plane or Bally's yet. I'm more stoked just that its happening. Always thought letting hundreds of nerds loose on Vegas would be epic! Star Wars costumes, craps, and comped drinks! I think this is gonna be huge.
Grover.

@Doktor G

http://www.frontlinegaming.org/2013/12/11/las-vegas-open-poll-results-and-where-were-going-in-the-midst-of-the-current-40k-changes/

Results on the poll there!

And yes, Vegas is going to be a blast! We're going to have so much fun.