I'm not sure this really qualifies as a "battle" report, since it's not just my experience at the event (I was the
TO), so if it belongs elsewhere, could it please be moved
Annually, the top 12 ranked players in New Zealand are invited to a "Masters" event held in early December. This year, 8~9 of the top 12 were all from Christchurch (a smaller city on the South Island). Since Masters was set to be held in Hamilton (a city in the North Island) most of the local (Christchurch) players declined to attend - it was too expensive to fly up north, and pay for food and accommodation just to play the same guys you play at the club every other week.
Since i've run 1~2 events annually over the last 4 years, i offered to run an 1850 point invitational event for the top 12 local players who were also in the top 20 nationally. The local scene is pretty relaxed, and generally avoids the worst of the combinations that can be made from
GW rules, in favour of the sort of list that would be both fun to play and fun to play against. That said, the event did a few restrictions - no "Come the Apocalypse" allies, no 7" or 10" blasts that are S10 or S D AND
AP 1 or 2 AND ignore cover, and lastly, no Hellstorm templates that also have the torrent special rule.
One of the invitees, a tattoo artist, offered to let us use a couple of shipping containers on his rural property and then set about transforming them for our use
We packed four 8' by 4' tables into each container, and used the spare 2' to hold armies and beverages.
Most of those images were from a local player not in the top 12 but he wasn't able able to capture every turn of every game for individual write ups. I can assure you that all the ridiculousness that we've come to expect from
40k was in full effect for the whole weekend. From the poor Tau player who's entire army had failed moral and run off the table by the end of Turn 2, to the flying Hive Tyrant pictured below - It's turn 1, and the flyrant had a 2+ cover save (ruins, and stealth from a malenthrope). It got shot at by an Imperial Knight with an Avenger Gatling Cannon. The dice next to it in the photo are his saves
There was also the Imperial Knight player who, through miraculous luck, had never played Eldar before and ended up drawing both Eldar players at this event
It didn't go well for him.
After the 1st 3 games, we all spent the night camped out, having a few beverages under the stars, and even had catering from another of the locals who wasn't in the top 12 but was keen to hang out (old school
40k players will find his pose familiar)
His orks and my dark eldar even managed a game
We were going to play 5 missions, but weather got in the way (hail, thunder and lightning) so ended up only playing 4. The missions are a combination of Maelstrom of War, Eternal War, and some other stuff we've come up with over the course of the year
Mission 1:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18nJfdJ6CVQw-64cx8KHLAVA8JYu1UFkiYWBy6bUTmHw/edit?usp=sharing
Mission 2:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K8aIP-GyEWjpsudhWleDADqx8roJK7P8tsNju2REpes/edit?usp=sharing
Mission 3:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-9_362c37UGbPbawj7sI-o9ZhqGMKsECer0DUCejre4/edit?usp=sharing
Mission 4:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EbMnw4c6pzZd9lDdNvVvs3pso_GXt9zbELKUS3Rye3w/edit?usp=sharing
Mission 5:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dHL-RZvZ66M18ezA6V2HU2-D0OV4cqfbla--Gic17Xs/edit?usp=sharing
Regardless, after 4 missions, only one player was undefeated, and was awarded bragging rights until next year.
