Longtime Dakkanaut
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I was in a bit of a bind when I decided on what to take to the Big Waaagh. I'd just got my trash kicked at the Invitational with my Daemons, and last year at the Big Waaagh had been even worse, with my Decepticrons ending 4th edition with a miserable 60/100 BP. Player A also got thumped at the same tournament, even worse, with arguably a better list.
Thus, the only fierce list I'm currently fielding (Daemons) was a proven fail, while the Big Waaagh seemed to have it in for me. I decided to go for something way off the road.
I decided to bring a noncompetitive list, get it looking real pretty, and resign myself middle of the road standing. I don't mean I wasn't going to play as hard as I could, but I'd be bringing a sissy list and fighting from a deficit. I want to emphasize that I wasn't abandoning the tournament, its just that my observations convince me that the worse the list you bring to the Waaagh, the better you do. Why fate the trend? I looked around for something no one used, and there they were, Chaos Terminators.
I scraped around for Terminators, and ended up with the following list.
Abaddon
Typhus
5 CSM w/Icon of Chaos Glory
5 CSM w/Icon of Chaos Glory + Rhino w/daemonic possession
10 Chaos Terminators with Icon of Tzeentch, 2 Reaper Autocannons, 2 combi-meltas, 2 combi-flamers, 2 Chainfists
10 Chaos Terminators with Icon of Slaanesh, one pair of lightning claws, 4 combi meltas 2 combi flamers 3 chainfists, 2 power fists, 2 reaper autocannons
Land Raider
I wanted Mark of Nurgle for the second terminator squad, but couldn't get them done in time, so I had to borrow the MoS Terminators.
So there I had it, a list based around the spam of a noncompetative type (other options included Flash Gits, Nid Warriors and Possessed, along with the MechaGodzilla crons). With this list I determined the following goals:
#1: Beat my score for last year, that is, get > 60 Battle points.
#2: Beat Player A's competitive Tzeentch Daemons.
#3: Make someone complain about the cheesy Terminators.
#4: Go undefeated (that is, get at least as many points as my foe in every game, not necessarily get 20).
I accomplished 3 out of 4. Batreps/tourney rep to follow.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Game #1:
Deployment: Spearhead
Primary: Kill Points
Secondary: Pick an HQ, kill him
Tertiary: Have more kill points left alive
Fourthary: Have more units in their DZ than they have in yours
Assessment:
Awww nuts, this is my best mission. I was counting on getting KP with my low KP army against a tough foe later on. Wasting it in round 1 isn't ideal. In any case, this is somewhat worse for me than straight up KP, as the foe can probably beat me in having more units in my DZ and having more points left alive.
The enemy:
Chaos Daemons
Fateweaver
Skulltaker
Epedemius
Soul Grinder
Soul Grinder
3 flamers
12 plaguebearers
12 plaguebearers
13 plaguebearers
8 Bloodletters
My assessment: This list isn't terribly tough for me. One of the things the Termies do is pop Grinders with chainfists and meltaguns, and we can certainly beat up the plaguebearers before the Count gets too high. Kairos will be trouble, though. He could spawn Abaddon. Going to have to focus fire on him ASAP, play a move and fire game. So long as I don't let the flamers or the letters get my Terminators I should be alright.
I select Skulltaker as my target, he takes Abaddon.
He wins the roll to go first.
Deployment: I put the marines in the LR and the Rhino, and put Abaddon and Typhus in the LR. Terminators in Deep Strike reserve.
He elects to bring in Fateweaver, Epedemius, 2 units of Plaguebearers and a Soulgrinder and the flamers, gets the wrong half, so a unit of bloodletters w/Skulltaker, a soulgrinder and a unit of plaguebearers comes in.
Top 1:
They land, stand around, run a bit, generally surround me.
Bottom 1:
I take the CSM out of the vehicles and open fire on the bloodletters, do some damage. Typhus gets out of the LR and flames them. The LR moves 12", drawing in the Grinder. All told,we kill all but 3 bloodletters, thanks to some nice invulnerable save.
Top 2:
He gets in nothing, which is basically game, and splits his charges. He puts the bearers into the CSM, the letters into the other CSM and Skulltaker into Typhus. Skulltaker beheads Typhus (twice), and the letters slaughter the CSM. The other CSM hold after losing 2 to the plaguebearers.
Bottom 2:
My Slaaneshy Terminators come in off Abaddon's icon, as do the Tzeentchy ones, who melta the Grinder, destroying it (it missed the LR). Abaddon gets out and jumps the bearers, while shooting from the LR and Rhino takes out the skulltaker.
Top 3: He gets a unit of plaguebearers and flamers, both land nearby. They flame the heck out of the Tzeentchy Terminators, reducing them to low #'s, then charge in the letters, reducing them still further, but losing 1.
Bottom 3: A multi-charge from the Slaaneshy terminators brings everything into one combat, he loses by 14 and it crushes all his units.
Rest of game Kairos + Epedemius come in, far from each other (wtf?), but it's too late to really matter. Slaaneshy terminators kill Epy + his goons, while Abbadon drives past Kairos in the Land raider into his DZ. I get all the objectives to start things off with a nice 20-0 win.
Wow, my opponent had some bad luck. He was a scrub, didn't really know how to play, but if he'd gotten his preferred half in and rolled decently on reserves his list advantage might have kept him in the game. Typhus getting chumped while Abby did the work was a trend that would continue all day long. Shouldn't have slacked off in Eternal Warrior school, Typhus!
Elsewhere, Player A got a 20, and another Atlanta player who had twin lash got a 0 (Big Waagh syndrome), while our Guard player did alright...I think 10, not sure precisely.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Game #2:
Well, I'm in the winner's bracket for the moment. Probably my best odds on meeting a tough foe who'll scrape the floor with me, unless of course I win again.
Mission #2:
Primary: Each place 3 objectives, you need to get the 3 they place.
Secondary: You need to get the 3 you place (they have numerical values, and are weighted accordingly)
Tertiary: Have more VP's on their side of the board
Fourthary: Kill more troop choices
My foe is a member of the Blade n Bolter Boys, usually a source of fierce games. He's got a pretty good list too, a bit of above my list's level but not entirely out of my league. Notably, he shares my paucity of scoring units.
Steel Legion (Space Marines)
Lysander
5 Storm Shield Terminators w/Land Raider Redeemer
Ironclad w/drop pod
2 rhinos with full tac marine squads, melta heavy
1 foot tac squad with missile launcher/melta
2 Vindicators
It'll be tough, but possible. Neither of us have the points to take both side's objectives, so I can expect he'll go for one half or the other. I'll put my guys on whichever side he doesn't go for, and split those objectives, then its just a matter of putting my big Terminator squads on his side, and driving Abaddon + the Land Raider over there.
Deployment: I've got Abaddon in the LR with the troops, and a rhino fulla joes. Everyone else is in reserve.
Top 1:
Ironclad drops in and shoots at the rhino (or maybe LR, forget precisely), doesn't kill it. Other than that he drives south.
Bottom 1: My guys drive north, LR front and center, Rhino west. We smoke
Top 2:
He chases after the LR with his dread, can't pop it. He shoots his Vindy's, but they are parried by the smoke. Lysander and the rhino troops are coming right over the objective I put the most points on, dangit.
Bottom 2:
Time for first blood. The LR delivers Abaddon to his footslogger troops, he kills 5, they are stubborn (Hah, good one Lysander!). Elsewhere, Tzeentch Terminators land in front of the Vindy, immobilize it and shake it.
Top 3:
He chases after the Land Raider with the Ironclad, still can't get it, mighty unlucky. He also blasts the Tzeentchinators with everything he's got, reduces em to 5 strong (bad scatter on the other Vindy's shot), and charges in with Lysander & Co, crushing them. His Rhinos head for my side, thank goodness. Abaddon slaughters more guys, leaves just one marine alive, still stubborn, doh.
Bottom 3:
I get the other Terminators + Typhus in, they open up one of his troop rhinos, and it pins the squad. Abaddon finishes his meal and massacres south, between the Ironclad and the Lysander squad, though out of their range.
Top 4:
He sends the Ironclad in, and meltas the LR open at last. I put the guys down wrong, and he's able to charge them, killing 2. Dangit! He also shoots open the rhinos and pie plates the other troop squad to death. Uh oh. He kills Typhus with a melta from somewhere or other, as you do.
Bottom 4:
Abaddon forgoes the showdown with Lysander to chase after the Ironclad, tearing off its arm, stunning it and immobilizing it. That troop choice its munching on is precious to me. The Slaaneshinators destroy the pinned troop squad, massacre after the Rhino of the last one.
Top 5:
Lysander and Co get back in the LR, he does some ineffective shooting, Abaddon and the Ironclad miss each other. He gets his rhino on the objective, back a bit so I can't' charge with Terminators.
Bottom 5:
I chase the Slaaneshinators after the rhino, contesting the objective. Abaddon and the Ironclad still fight, it can't hit the CSM and he can't finish it off. His circling Vindy's can't fire because of the combat.
The game comes to an end. Between Abaddon and the Slaaneshinators, and the half CSM squad I"ve got 815 points on my side of the board, he's got 810 on my side, think it was Lysander + the squad + the Redeemer + a Vindy.
So, no one is anywhere near the objectives (well, I am, but an Ironclad is sharing my space, and he's in a similar situation with the Rhinos + Slaaneshinators).
Nobody gets primary or secondary, I get tertiary and fourthurary. So, 9-0. A rough game for both of our tournament ambitions after our previous 20's, but I was prepared for it.
I achieve one of my objectives in this game, he complains bitterly about my cheesy terminators. Them and the Flayed Ones, dude.
In other news Player A gets crushed, apparently rough reserve rolls and wrong army half, and his opponent's "lucky" dice box. He gets 0. Guard player does well, twin lash massacres 20-0.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Game #3:
Primary objective: Kill enemy highest point unit
Secondary objective: Have more troops units alive than foe
Tertiary objective: Have most points near objective
Fourthuary objective: Keep enemy troops out of deployment zone
Deployment: Pitched battle
Enemy list:
CSM (mirror match, neither have any cult troops or Oblits...except he's got better stuff)
Lash sorcerer
6 CSM units with 1 melta in rhino with combi melta
3 Chosen units, one with 4 flamers, one with two meltas, one with 2 meltas, all have rhinos with combi meltas
3 Vindicators
Yikes! 3 pie plates that AP my terminators, and a lash! Nightmare game. 12 rhinos will also be trouble. Big Waaagh, work your magic!
Deployment: He gets to go first, and makes me do so, doh. I get the objective scattering into my territory. Call it even. I actually deploy my Terminators on the board this time, in long lines on the west side, as far south as possible, in cover. He's got to kill the SLaaneshinators. Idea is to draw his Vindy's over this way, keep em away from the objective. He'll have trouble concentrating points with all those cheap vehicles. A thin hope, but its what I've got.
Top 1: I shoot at his vehicles, I think I immobilize a rhino with autocannons, and take a weapon off one with my lascannons. I also send a troop unit in a rhino up the east side on an end run, to make him send some guys back by threating his DZ.
Bottom 1: He drives south, smokes. He immobilizes a rhino in terrain.
Top 2: I shoot again, again not doing much, I think I popped a rhino and shook a Vindicator. He'll be in lash range next round, which will be game. I advance the Terminators for the heck of it.
Bottom 2: He moves south, tries to Lash, but boxcars and perils. Doh! He shoots the Vindy's, killing one Slaaneshinator, heh. His other shooting is generally not useful, doesn't really take anyone out.
Top 3: I move the end run rhino past his, towards his zone. Typhus drops in, kills no one. Land Raider shoots down a rhino, Terminators get closer to the enemy, shoot the Lashers rhino. It explodes, and he and his goons are pinned. Heh. Awful luck to fail 2 morale tests in a row, but he's a lasher, so no sympathy. The flamer squad (his most expensive) gets knocked out of a vehicle as well.
Bottom 3: He shoots again, pulling his tanks back to avoid a charge. He's forced to offer his most expensive chosen unit to keep my Tzeentchinators from killing his Sorcerer, they move forward a bit and rapid fire, not in range for his flamers. He does immobilize the end run units rhino.
Top 4: I take the bait, sending in the Tzeentchinators to get the primary and letting him lash next round. Slaaneshers move up, shoot some stuff.
Bottom 4: He lashes the Slaaneshi into a ball and piles on the Vindicators, gets most of em. He also blasts the Tzeentchinators, does serious damage with lots of rapid fire and meltas. He destroys the immobilized rhino and kills some of the end runners, he's got 2-3 rhinos fulla joes after them. He also gets a chosen unit on the objective with their rhino.
Top 5: Abaddon drives his LR up to the chosen and crushes them, Tzeentchinators get the lasher and his unit, and are locked in combat.
Bottom 5: He drives up some stuff, but can't really outpoint Abaddon + a LR. He focuses on the primary, burning down the Slaaneshinators, and does so. He also kills my end runners, at last.
Game ends.
So he has more troops (duh), killed the primary and kept me out of his deployment zone. I took the primary, kept him out of my delpoyment zone (basically because he had no incentive to go there), and took the objective. I think he got me 16 to 15. I'll take that result, though it ruined my resolve to go undefeated. Game was a lot of fun, good guy.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ah, next was the nefarious "4th mission", mentioned in every comment thread ever.
Special rule: Your 2 most expensive units start in reserves...and can't come in till turn 3. Yikes! For me, that's both of the Terminator squads.
Objective #1: Kill enemy's most expensive unit
Objective #2: Kill enemy's most expensive vehicle/MC/HQ, depending what they've got
Objective #3: Do more Vp damage than the enemy
Objective #4: Keep your most expensive unit alive and on the board.
Units can run off the enemy's board edge. Units that do this retain full VP value for scoring purposes. To win the 4th though, you've got to keep em on the board. It didn't come up in our game, neither of us tried to leave the board.
Opponent: Fairly optimal CSM:
Yikes!
He's got:
2 lash sorcerers
2 units of Plague Marines in rhinos
1 unit of Berserkers in rhino (most expensive unit)
3 units of 3 Obliterators (GAH!)
2 lashes, 9 plasma cannons! UGH.
Deployment: I put Typhus and Abaddon in the Land Raider, along with a scoring squad, and the other scoring squad in their rhino. All are on the starting line. His PM and Zerker squad are off the board, but he puts his 3 units of Oblits on the starting line, with 2 lashers in them, to avoid lascannon fire from my LR.
I get first turn!
Top 1:
I drive north, smoke
Bottom 1
He moves south (big gamble here, he's trading short range multi-melta for needing to pop the LR on his first or second shot), his first unit fires from 13" out, they don't do anything. Then comes the Oblits with the first lasher.....NOTHING, not even a glance. Boo yah! One lasher down, and the other has to fire at the LR, he didn't split em out from the units, in case I survive and lascannon him. The next volley explodes the LR, but it hardly feels bad. Abaddon and Typhus are within 12" of his lashers!
Top 2:
They move up and charge. The other guys shoot bolters and sit around, while the rhino drives up to give them a cover save from the non-charged oblits. Typhon gets force weaponed by his lasher (wimp), Abaddon kill his lasher and 2 Oblits. Perfect.
Bottom 2:
He shoots + charges the Rhino with his last Oblits, the other ones fire at the guys with a lash + plasma guns, but the lash doesn't get em out of cover, and they go to ground, and survive. Abaddon finishes the last oblit and massacres towards the Lasher + Oblits.
Top 3:
Abaddon jumps on the lasher/Oblit unit and crushes them. This is going great! The Tzeentchinators drop in and fire on the other oblits and do...one wound? Gah!
Bottom 3:
Zerkers come in, his rhinos circle and pound the Tzeetnchinators, as do the plasma cannons, they do some serious damage, then charge in, taking a loss of an Oblit and doing even more damage.
Top 4:
Slaaneshinators come in, shoot up most expensive rhino (taking secondary), Abaddon charges them and finishes them off, taking primary. Tzeentchinators lose like chumps to Oblits.
Bottom 4:
Rhinos shoot Abaddon, as do PMs (other unit came in), ultimately kills him with the Oblit's twin linked plasma guns.
Top 5:
Multi-charge of the Slaaneshinators, crushing the Plague Marines (after an oddly effective round of bolter fire kills 4), and leaving us locked with remanant squads. They save like chumps though, losing 5.
Bottom 5:
His rhinos shoot down the scoring units, and he charges the Oblits into the Slaaenshinators (who are locked with one pfist Plague Marine). He kills them all...I'm tabled.
Ugh. I killed him on the throwback, so if I had held on with even one terminator I'd have had the game, if it ended this round. (messed up the time, this was round 6, which was the first round this could end.)
Anyway, he gets full points for a tabling. I just get taking out most expensive unit and most expensive vehicle, for 10 points.
Really, everyone but Abaddon let me down this game. He killed 2 lashers, 2 3 man Oblit units, and 8 berserkers, and the rest couldn't manage to win? Sissies! At least they combi-meltaed down the mega-rhino.
The other player was a fun guy, not what you'd expect from 9 oblits and 2 lashes. We had a blast, I don't begrudge him the 20 (well...maybe a little).
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Final battle!
Primary: Table quarters
Secondary: Don't kill their highest point HQ
Tertiary: Take an objective they place
Fourthary: Take an objective you place
Enemy:
Orks, Green tide style
KFF Mek
KFF Mek
30 slugga boys
30 slugga boys
30 slugga boys
30 Shoota boys
30 Shoota boys
15 Burna Boys
Battlewagon with ram, 2 big shootas, extra armor
3 Killa Kans
3 Killa Kans
My assessment: Huh, this'll be hard. At least I only have to not kill a Big Mek, that'll be easy points, those things never die. But I need to take an objective to beat my score from last year. Tough...
This game can be best described in a narrative, rather than a turn by turn.
He sets up the slugga boys in a phalanx, with Kans across the front and the Big Mek I need to not kill in the eastern unit. He's got the slugga boys and battlewagon burnas in reserve, ready to drive onto one of the objectives. I decide that fortune favors the bold.
I send Abaddon and Typhus into his slugga bosy on the far west, with a drive + place 2" out + charge move, only possible because of the way the spearhead mission. They hit the Orks and start slaying. He has to counter charge with his center unit, kans scarping at the LR.
Ultimately he loses this struggle, unsurprisingly, and has to send in a shoota unit to finish things up, which leaves just one set to take on my terminator unit over his objective.
How awesome is that, 2 lords back to back in a sea of Orks, and they take out 68 (including 2 PK Nobs), before they fall. This guts his wave, and when I take out his Cans with combi meltas and chainfists it pulls in his last mobile reserves, he has to charge the burnas in. He's only able to drive the BWagon onto one of the objectives at the end, and I have the other.
He gets primary, but since Abaddon died he doesn't get secondary, and he doesn't have any other objectives. Thus, 6 points for him. I get Secondary (didn't kill that Mek), and have his objective for another 5 points, though he shocked onto the other at the last round.
So my final score for the tourney is 64, 20 + 9 + 15 + 10 + 10.
I beat Player A, who got two Guard lists on the second day and reprised his 50 (not a fan of the 4th mission, played a douche), and also all the other Atlanta players (more proof of the Big Waaagh theory).
I beat my score from last year!
I didn't go undefeated though, I was 3-2.
Ultimately, a high mediocre score from a mediocre list, I'll take it. It's about what I expected, though I was shooting for 70. I had a good time at the Waaagh, some minor drama aside, and heartily recommend it, though I warn you to expect odd missions.
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(8% painted)
(99% painted)
(82% painted)
