Blood Bowl 5th Edition Unboxing
It’s Black Friday, and I went to local games store AFK Games in Holt, MI, to pick up a copy of the new Blood Bowl box set, and Death Zone: Season 1, the supplemental book! I’ve never opened a new box set on fourstrands, so it’s time for my first unboxing!
In a future post, I plan to read the new rulebook, line by line, and compare it to the old Blood Bowl Living Rulebook. I’ll outline the biggest changes I see. But first, let’s take a look at that box!
I really like the art. You get that it’s a football game, but also much more violent than ordinary football. The goblin looks a bit goofy though.
Let’s flip the box!
A basic explanation of the game. One thing that I looked for in the store and found conspicuously missing was a listing of the models contained in the box set. I’ll list those when I look at the models themselves.
Now, to open this precious oyster to find the pearls of… something related to football… ok bad metaphor…
Jam packed full! Already I can see Human miniatures in blue, Ork in green, and templates in gray. There’s also some dice. First, let’s get those miniatures out and get up close and personal!
Here are the humans. Poses for these guys are a bit odd. The linemen on the left side sort of have their arms out. It’s half “COME AT ME, BRO!” and half “I believe I can flyyyyyyy…” I’m also not a fan of the dancing catcher, who is doing a saucy pirouette with the ball. The Blitzers are also oddly posed. I’m digging the thrower though. Good pose for making a long pass. What I’m a bit disappointed in is the lack of variety in the minis. The above sprues are identical so you get 2 of each pose.
Speaking of which, here’s the list of Human minis:
- 2 Throwers (identical)
- 2 Catchers (identical)
- 2 Blitzers (identical)
- 6 Linemen (3 different poses)
Now, for the Orcs!
The Orcs are in more pieces, so it’s harder to see their poses, but they are much more violently posed. Many are winding up for a good punch, while others are actively charging. The Thrower is a bit awkward and has a weird look on his face. One of the linemen has that silly pose that the Human linemen have, but he’s squatting a bit more so he looks WAY sturdier, as if preparing for a charge. All in all, these are the superior minis, with the same identical sprue problem. Another problem that arises from this: how do you differentiate your players BEFORE you paint them? If you go back and look at the back of the box, you’ll see that the game can be played unpainted. If both your throwers look identical, things could get confusing…
Here’s the model count:
- 2 Black Orc Blockers (identical)
- 2 Blitzers (identical)
- 6 Linemen (3 poses)
- 2 Throwers (identical)
Next: we replace the old clear acetate templates for some plastic ones that kick ass!
Better in every way than the old acetate ones. The pass template even breaks down into two parts for storage! Fantastic!
Woo. Bases. Glamorous. Moving on.
Here’s the box with the above items taken out. To protect the board and cards, a dividing paper was placed between them.
On the other side was an ad. I suppose we’d better get used to this. Instead of the last page of the rulebook or assembly instructions, full sheet ads like this are being placed in all new GW boxes. Oh well, at least you can toss it.
…wait, what’s that?
There’s an app? I have not gotten it (look for a future post) but hopefully it can level up your roster, even sharing it with a tournament coordinator so there’s no cheating!
Next, the item I have been waiting for: THE MAIN RULEBOOK!
Cover art isn’t the most awe-inspiring. Someone must have rolled a 12 on the weather table, and this shot was taken just before the Blizzard rolled in, as it’s very foggy. Also, the Orc looks surprised to see the Human running at him. “Hey, man, take it easy!”
Inside, we start with some classic art.
Bob and Jim! It wouldn’t be a Blood Bowl rulebook without these knuckleheads. To further the wackiness of the Blood Bowl setting, the book is festooned with comical asides, such as this one:
As for the rules themselves, once again, that’s a later post. As for now, I have a powerful need for some dice!
Both players get a full set of dice including three new block dice that look fantastic! You also get two D6s with the 6 replaced with the Blood Bowl logo, a D8 for scattering, and… could it be? YES!
A D16!
*one change of pants later*
Ah, much better. Good, now I don’t have to roll a D20 and re-roll all 17+ when rolling for MVP.
Enough of the small objects, let’s get onto the pitch!
The pitch is big! Bigger than the old Blood Bowl pitches! Now large based minis won’t have so much trouble fitting on those tiny squares. You’ll need a bit more table space though…
The pitch has a few details that make it more than just a field. Here’s a hatch to the dungeons below!
…and a poor Goblin who didn’t make his landing roll when thrown…
Even better, unlike the old pitch, the flip side is a completely different pitch!
Orcs tend to play on a rougher field, with bare bedrock in some places.
Next: some cards! They’re bigger than I’d expect. The bonus of such big cards is the text is easily readable.
Among these cards are reference cards for the Human and Orc teams, and the Star Players both teams can employ.
In addition there are two Special Play decks, much simplified from the optional Special Plays in the LRB.
Next there’s… another ad? Oh, well at least this one is super worth it if you want to play the Blood Bowl videogame on Steam. It includes a code for 50% off Blood Bowl II, and another code for unique DLC for that game. My codes are edited out (sorry!).
Next… OOOOOOOOOH!
BAGGIES! They perfectly fit the dice and oversized cards. Excellent addition! They are thicker and stronger than your bog-standard sandwich bags. Great idea!
There’s a double sided easy-reference guide. It’s great but… WHERE ARE HANDOFF AND FOUL? (check rules) OH, they’re there! This guide is only for beginners…
Up next, a sheet of the oft-unused waterslide transfers, but these are very high quality! Both Orcs and Humans get Black and White versions of the transfers, so it works with any color scheme you choose, except perhaps camouflage.
Next, another must-have, the dugouts! Each dugout has a Human side and an Orc side. I really like that the K.O.d box has an 8-9 and the Injury box has a 10-12, to remind you of where you go when injured! The art is also very fun. There’s a scoreboard up top, rooms, and then the familiar turn counters and re-roll markers.
…and that’s it for the box set! It looks like they had a lot of spectacular ideas, such as the baggies, reversible boards, dice for BOTH players, and fantastic templates. It’s a bit lacking in the variety of minis, and the quality of poses, as well as some of the art being bland.
…but wait, we’re not done! I also purchased Death Zone: Season 1! The main rulebook only has rules for making an Orc or Human team. DZ:S1 has Dwarfs, Skaven, Nurgle, Elf Unions, High Elves, Wood Elves, and Dark Elves, bringing the total of teams to 9! They’re missing my precious Lizardmen though…
There are also rules for leagues, conspicuously absent from the main rulebook!
Minor nitpick, if this book was released at the same time as the box set, are they “new” rules? Wouldn’t they be concurrent? I guess all of them are NEW, but most of them are like old rules… *grumble grumble*
Next: a definitive breakdown of the rules, as compared to the old LRB! We’ll see what’s new, what’s old, what’s great, and what’s questionable! After that, I’ll try to see how the App is!
Highland Library August Game 2 – 1500 Purge the Alien – Azure Flames vs. Tau
Game 2 was against Dominic, a frequent player on this blog who once demoed Epic Armageddon with me! Today, Dominic brought his Tau. I was feeling lazy, and so fielded almost the same list (transports were swapped). We rolled for mission and surprise! Got Purge the Alien AGAIN! Oh well, it’s a good mission.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders Flameblade from the Angels of Death supplement) – 1500pts
Flameblade Strike Force
- Battle Demi-Company
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Tactical Squad x 5, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
- Razorback, Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasma Gun
- Assault Squad x 5, 2 x Flamer
- Drop Pod
- Devastator Squad x 5, 4x Heavy Bolter, Auspex
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Ironclad Launchers, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
- Drop Pod
- Flamebringers Formation
- Land Raider Redeemer
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Dominic – Tau
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Commander, Iridium Crisis Suit, Flamer, several upgrades that make him the traditional “Buffmander”
- Pathfinder Squad x 4, Recon Drone
- Devilfish
- Pathfinder Squad x 5, 2x Marker Light Drones, Blacksun Filter
- Fire Warriror Strike Team x 12, Shas’ui
- Fire Warriror Strike Team x 12, Shas’ui
- Fireblade
- Tidewall
- Tidewall Gun Emplacement
- Riptide, Ion Cannon, Stims, E.W.O.
- Crisis Suit x 3, 6x Plasma (2 per suit), ATS, 3x Marker Light Drones
- Hammerhead, Smart Missile System, Submunitions, Disruption Pod
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Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)
Setup – Hammer and Anvil (short board edges, 24″ deployment)
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Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Land Raider and Razorback move up and pop smoke. Devastators run toward the silver building. Leonidas and the Assault Squad arrive, and Leonidas splits off. Their flamers kill most of both of the Fire Warrior Squads. Tactical Squad also arrives via Drop Pod, scatter behind the Hammerhead, and blow it up.
Advance!
A deadly Alpha Strike ruins the Fire Warrior’s day, and eliminates the Hammerhead. The Assault Squad is reduced to two men thanks to the Riptide’s Interceptor shot, but those two were the Flamers, so that was worth it!
Turn 1 – Tau
Devilfish moves up, but fails to harm the Razorback. Fire Warriors shoot the Assault Squad, kill a Flamer, and the other one breaks and flees! Riptide trains its remaining guns on Leonidas, but does no damage. Emplaced Railgun does a crew shaken to the Land Raider Redeemer.
The Devilfish menaces the Razorback.
I’m getting out of here!
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas blasts the other Fire Warriors again, causing them to break! The Assault Marine runs, and the Tactical Squad tries to maneuver out of the corner. Razorback fires ineffectually at the Devilfish. Ironclad Dreadnought arrives and its Heavy Flamer kills most of the Pathfinders in the ruins, while the Drop Pod finishes the last two.
The Devilfish laughs off the Razorback’s fire.
Pathfinders don’t like fire!
Because the Tau are smart enough to password protect their gun emplacements, Leonidas cannot fire this railgun that the Fire Warriors abandoned when they flee.
Turn 2 – Tau
Buffmander and the Crisis Suits arrive (is that an indie rock band?) They blow up the Razorback with plasma, which explodes and kills a Devastator. Riptide moves off, but can’t hurt the Ironclad. Devilfish kills the last Assault Marine for a kill point!
Buffmander and his boys blow up the Razorback, stunningly!
The Riptide can’t hurt the Ironclad.
Lone Assault Marine is toast!
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Tactical Squad in the Land Raider disembark. Shooting and assault kill everyone but Buffmander, who is locked in combat with the squad. Ironclad charges and does three wounds to the Riptide, but it kicks off his power fist in return!
Buffmander is all alone, and in a pickle!
Epic fight between the Ironclad and Riptide!
Turn 3 – Tau
The Ironclad does one more wound to the Riptide. Pathfinders get out of their Devilfish and shoot the Devastators, killing one. Buffmander takes one more wound.
The Pathfinders attack!
Buffmander hangs on…
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Buffmander is killed. An underwhelming combat has no effect with the Ironclad and Riptide. Devastators charge the Pathfinders, killing two, breaking them, and running them down! Land Raider’s Multi-Melta blows up the Devilfish, and a Drop Pod Storm Bolter kills the two Drones that pop out!
This side of the board is cleared.
These guys must be tired, they are just standing around doing nothing.
Turn 4 – Tau
The Riptide tries to use its Nova Reactor, but it overheats, killing it! Tabled.
Hey, where did my friend go?
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Final Score
Azure Flames – 9 plus Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker = 12
Tau – 1
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Dominic made one mistake: Buffmander did not start on the board. Had he been around, he and his Crisis Suit buddies could have punched back against the Alpha Strike. He could have also been hanging out making everyone better. Other than that, the list was good and Dominic didn’t make any mistakes.
Next: hopefully some Gothic Demos and more batreps!
Highland August – 1500 Purge the Alien, Azure Flames vs. Deathwatch and Imperial Fists
Time for Highland Game Club again! I played two games. My first was with a new player, Cam, who has only been playing for a few months but shows a remarkable familiarity and flow during play. Most new players can’t remember what phase is which. He brought the new Deathwatch models! I’m lucky to get to play against an army so new!
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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders Flameblade from the Angels of Death supplement) – 1500pts
Flameblade Strike Force
- Battle Demi-Company
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st company (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Power Fist, Meltagun, Multimelta
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 5, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
- Razorback, Lascannon and Twin-Linked Plasma Gun
- Assault Squad x 5, 2 x Flamer
- Devastator Squad x 5, 4x Heavy Bolter, Auspex
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Ironclad Launchers, Heavy Flamer, Chainfist
- Drop Pod
- Flamebringers Formation
- Land Raider Redeemer
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Cam – Deathwatch with allied Imperial Fists – 1500pts
Deathwatch
- Deathwatch Formation
- Librarian, Lv2, Terminator Armour
- Aquilla Kill Team x6, 1x Bike, Special Heavy Bolter, Storm Shield, Xeno Blade, attached Librarian, Lv2
- Land Raider (Phobos Pattern)
- Furor Kill Team x7, 1x Terminator, Heavy Flamer, Melta-Fist, 2x Combi-Melta, 1x Frag Cannon, Blackshield, Attached Chaplain
Allied Imperial Fist Space Marine Combined Arms Detatchment
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Librarian, Lv2, Bones of Ossrak
- Tactical Squad x 9, Drop Pod
- Tactical Squad x 10, Veteran Sergeant, Bolter-Melta, Heavy Bolter
- Rhino
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Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)
Deployment – Dawn of War (long board edges)
Setup not pictured. Cam put his Furor Deathwatch squad in the Land Raider, and also deployed the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino. For this game, thanks to the new Salamanders rules, Leonidas got an additional Warlord Trait and gained outflank, taking the Assault Squad and Land Raider Redeemer with him! The Devastators and Flamer Squad in the Razorback deployed.
Lucky! I seized the initiative!
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Turn 1 – Azure Flames
One of the Tactical Squads and the Ironclad Dreadnought deep strike. The Ironclad gets a lucky shot and explodes the Land Raider! The Tactical squad pours fire into the Deathwatch Furor team, but unbelievable invulnerable saves by the lone Terminator cause no casualties! No other shots have effect.
The Aquilla terrain represents the ruin of a Land Raider. The squad inside is unharmed, thanks to the Terminator tanking two Melta hits.
Turn 1 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Furor Deathwatch team enacts swift revenge on the Tactical Squad, wiping them out! The other Imperial Fists squad arrives, and their Librarian casts Enfeeble on the Devastators. Bolter shots kill one Devastator. The Sergeant of the Imperial Fist squad in the Rhino fires his one-shot Melta out of the hatch, but misses the Ironclad.
The Imperial Fists arrive to make trouble on this side of the board
The Tactical squad pays the price of upsetting the Deathwatch!
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Assault Squad arrive in the Land Raider Redeemer, outflanking behind the Rhino. The other Tactical Squad also arrives. The Rhino is exploded, and the occupants are annihilated by the Land Raider’s sponson Flamestorm Cannon and the Dreadnought. The 5 man Flamer squad wipe out the newly arrived Imperial Fists with amazing Flamers, Heavy Bolters, and the Las-Plas from the Razorback.
The black wall is the ruin of the Rhino, and its occupants have shared its fate.
The Tactical Squad fared no better, thanks to +1 strength on Flamers and the Tactical Doctrine.
Turn 2 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
Aquilla Kill Team arrives via deep strike and kills a few Tactical Marines, aided by psychic powers. The Furor team advances and penetrates the Ironclad with a Frag Cannon shot that causes Crew Shaken.
The Aquilla team arrives, arranged painstakingly to maximize their ability to soak fire. How did they get that bike in the Teleporter? DON’T ASK.
The Frag Cannon makes use of rear armour on the Ironclad, but can’t do more than Crew Shaken.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Combined fire from several sources severely damages the Aquilla Kill Team, reducing them to two members and a wounded Librarian. The Land Raider Redeemer advances cautiously and peppers the Furor team with fire, killing a few. The Flamer squad charges the Imperial Fist Drop Pod, causing 2 glances.
The Dreadnought fails to charge after the Aquilla Team is whittled down.
The Land Raider is afraid of the Meltafist, and so maintains a discreet distance.
This Drop Pod is sturdier than it looks!
Turn 3 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Flamer Squad finishes off the Drop Pod. The Aquilla Team makes use of a once-per-game ability, is removed, and re-Deep Strikes within 6″ of the Furor Team.
Not sturdy enough!
Emergency Teleport!
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Fire from the Land Raider and Dreadnought kill the Furor Squad’s Terminator. Turn not pictured.
Turn 4 – Deathwatch/Imperial Fists
The Aquilla Squad charges the first Azure Flames Drop Pod, and glance it once. The Furor Squad, now three strong counting the Librarian Warlord, charge the Ironclad. Re-rolling Melta causes the Librarian to die from Overwatch, and as a result, the charge fails!
Slay the Warlord achieved in Overwatch!
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Flamers destroy the remaining Furor Team, while the Ironclad and Land Raider destroy the Aquilla Team. Tabled.
With the heavy hitters gone, Leonidas mops up the rest.
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Final Score
Azure Flames: 11 plus Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker = 14
Deathwatch/Imperial Fists: 1
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Cam is just trying out the Deathwatch list, and so didn’t access the full swath of cheese therein. His list required units that perform specific things, like the Furor Squad which was meant to be a Death Star. The Imperial Fists were a bit weak, as they didn’t have a clear battlefield role. Cam also could have hid the Raider behind a hill, so that a deep strike to Melta it would have had to risk scattering off the board edge.
Next: another batrep!
Golden Rhino Tournament 2016
The time has come. Will I be able to pull off wins two years in a row? Read on to find out!
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Game 1
Opponent: Andrew – Riptide-heavy Tau
Mission: Time is of the Essence – Dawn of War deployment. Beginning on turn 2, objectives score points = current turn. After the game, lose one point for each of your units destroyed, cannot go below zero.
Game started off good, as Leonidas and the Terminators got a turn one charge!
However, their victory was short lived. Reducing the unlucky Riptide to one wound, the Riptide commits suicide by using its Nova Charge! With the Riptide removed, the Terminators are vulnerable to a charge. Worse, the Ironclad is lost to overwatch fire during a charge. In the end I was completely tabled by the bottom of turn 4.
In the end, I didn’t have what it takes to kill three Riptides and a Stormsurge. Worse, this Riptide formation let them re-roll a huge amount of their failed Nova Charge checks, and gave them a one turn feat to shoot even more. Honestly, I’m not sure how to make a tournament list to deal with this sort of Riptide spam. Some people mentioned the right psychic powers, but I didn’t have the points for a psyker this time.
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Game 2
Opponent: Zach – Tyranids on foot
Mission: Maelstrom of Confusion – Vanguard Strike Deployment. Gain 3 Maelstrom objectives each turn. At the end of your turn, after discarding, any objective not scored is SCORED NEGATIVE AND DISCARDED! Objectives 11-16 are from the book, not your codex. Any D3 for scores for objectives is assumed to be a “2.”
Zach’s Tyranids somehow brought an Aegis Defense Line, and hid behind it. This was no match for charging Terminators and Drop Pods. The highlight of the match was a deep striking Mawloc eating all five Terminators, right behind Leonidas!
However, at the end of the game, only the Swarmlord and his buddies the Tyrant Guard survived. Zach drew the absolute WORST objectives, and did not score until turn 5, whereas I drew like a god and scored positive every turn, with one turn scoring 7 points!
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Game 3
Opponent: Michael – Imperial Guard with Creed and a Stormlord Superheavy tank
Mission: Right Place at the Wrong Time – Hammer and Anvil deployment. 6 objectives. When an objective is identified, roll a D6. On a 1, it explodes and is removed! On a 2-3 it is removed. On a 4+ it is identified as a Mysterious Objective as normal, but all results of “1” are re-rolled.
To start us off, all 3 objectives in the deployment zones were fake, revealing the three in the center as real! I rushed in to smash the Guard quickly.
Most of my army converged on the Stormlord, inside of which was all but 2 of the guard squads. When it exploded, most of Michael’s army went with it…
I tabled Michael by the top of turn 3. It was insane. I have played Michael with a list similar to this before, but I’ve never seen a victory this one sided. This is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket.
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Final result:
I got 7th out of 16 players. Ah well, it was pretty fun! the winner was Josh, who played his Tau with lots of marker light drones and moving defense buildings!
Big thanks to Ian and Dawn for organizing this insanely complicated event. Thanks also to all of my opponents and fellow players!
Next: painting hopefully!
Battlefleet Gothic – 1500 Blockade Run – Dark Eldar vs. Imperial Navy
Stephen and I finally got our schedules to sync up and we got to play Battlefleet Gothic. I brought my Dark Eldar. Will they finally get a win, or will they continue their embarrassingly long losing streak?
(sorry about the picture quality, my camera was NOT behaving)
Blockade Run -1500 points
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Bozeman – Dark Eldar – 1500 points (defender)
-Dread Archon (Ld+2), 1 Re-roll (aboard The Bliss of Pain)
-Torture class cruiser The Bliss of Pain, Launch Bays, Mimic Engines
-Torture class cruiser Osan’gar, Phantom Lance, Mimic Engines
-Torture class cruiser Aran’gar, Phantom Lance, Mimic Engines
-Corsair Escort x4 Red Teardrops, Phantom Lance, Mimic Engines
-Corsair Escort x3 Razorlace, Torpedoes, Mimic Engines
-Corsair Escort x4, The Chosen, Impaler Assault Modules, Mimic Engines
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Stephen – Imperial Navy – 750 points (attacker)
-Admiral (Ld8) (aboard the Lance Dauntless)
-Lunar class cruiser
-Dauntless light cruiser, lance
-Dauntless light cruiser, torpedoes
-Sword class frigate x3
-Sword class frigate x3
-Cobra class destroyer x3
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Setup
Due to my Mimic Engines, I took a free move before the game began.
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Turn 1 – Dark Eldar
Lucky me, I got first turn! Razorlace goes on Come to a New Heading and fire Leech Torpedoes at the Torpedo Dauntless, causing a Brace and two Leech effects. The Osan’gar and The Bliss of Pain do three damage to the Lance Dauntless. The Chosen take out one of the Cobras with batteries, while their Impalers and the Aran’gar destroy one of the Sword squadrons. The Red Teardrops cripple the Lunar.
Leech Torpedoes put the slowdown the Torpedo Dauntless as the Lance Dauntless takes fire from two cruisers, crippling it.
The Swords are wiped out, and the Lunar takes some severe damage, smashing its bridge!
Turn 1 – Imperial Navy
Surviving Sword squadron locks on, but does only one damage to the Osan’gar. Remaining fire is under the effect of Brace For Impact and so can’t really do much. Torpedo Dauntless rolls spectacularly and fixes both Leech results!
Leech Torpedoes put the slowdown on the Dauntless as the Swords try Lock On to damage the Osan’gar. Good brace save protect it mostly.
Brace for impact plus being crippled equals not a lot of firepower.
The Cobras make a break for it.
Turn 2 – Dark Eldar
Razorlace reloads and fires regular torpedoes which eat it in a blast marker. Most of the rest of the fleet finish off the Lunar as The Chosen remove the Cobras.
Torpedoes have little effect when they don’t get there due to stupid Blast Markers.
The Lunar is reduced to a blazing hulk.
Cobras are no more.
Turn 2 – Imperial Navy
Torpedo Dauntless goes on All Ahead Full to get away, as the rest of the fleet makes a break for it.
RUN!
Turn 3 – Dark Eldar
The Osan’gar boards the Lance Dauntless and takes it out. Fire from Razorlace removes the Swords.
Here comes trouble.
Turn 3 – Imperial Navy
Surviving Dauntless goes on All Ahead Full.
Will he get away?
Turn 4 – Dark Eldar
Spoiler: no. Stephen refuses Brace for Impact so he can try to get off the board next turn, but Razorlace and Osan’gar finish it off with a lucky critical hit to the engines.
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Final Score:
Dark Eldar – 750 points
Imperial Navy – 0 points
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I got very unlucky and 2/3 of my fleet was in the right 1/3 of the board. Stephen could have taken advantage of this and gone up his left side. I also got lucky and got 1st turn, turning my Mimic Engine move into a lethal Alpha Strike.
Next: more painting and a tournament!
Highland June Tournament Prep part 2 – Maelstrom of Confusion
My second prep game was against Drew, who brought his Space Wolves! Sadly, Drew will not participate in the tournament due to job issues. This is a damn shame because Drew was a delight to play against and his list was fun, fluffy, and challenging! We played mission 2: Maelstrom of Confusion.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Drew – Space Wolves
- Combined Arms Detatchment
- Ulrik the Slayer
- Murderfang
- Berserker Dreadnought, Shield, Axe
- Blood Claws x5, Flamer
- Razorback, Twin Linked Lascannon, Dozer Blade
- Grey Hunters x5, Plasma Gun
- Razorback, Twin Linked Lascannon, Dozer Blade
- Predator Squadron x2, Twin Linked Lascannon, Spnson Lascannons
- Sicaran Battle Tank, Reinforced Ceramite, Dozer Blade, Heavy Bolter Sponsons
- Wolfkin Formation
- 40 Fenrisian Wolves
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Mission: Maelstrom of Confusion
As per all tournament games, terrain is set up by players rolling off and then alternating placement. All boards will have one large impassable line of sight blocking terrain, 2 ruins, 2 forests, 1 crater, 1 lake or other water feature, and 1 medium building that has the special rule: At Any Cost Necessary – This building may be targeted by shooting or assault regardless of who holds it.
Deployment: Vanguard Strike
At the beginning of each player’s turn, they generate 3 tactical objectives. If it is impossible to achieve (i.e. casting a psychic power but you have no psykers) you must immediately discard it and draw another. At the end of the player’s turn, they may discard one objective. After discarding, any objective that is not achieved is SCORED NEGATIVELY and discarded! This negative score cannot bring your victory points total below zero.
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Setup
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Uncharacteristically, I seized the initiative!
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Land Speeders try to gain objective 5, and one gets immobilized in terrain! Ironclad drops in, stuns the Shield/Axe Dreadnought. Land Raider advances, pops smoke. I score -7 points, which does not bring me below zero.
One Land Speeder crashes to try to get objective 5
Land Raider menaces the right side of the board.
Hey! Wanna be my friend?
Space Wolves – Turn 1
Sicaran glances the Ironclad to death. Blood Claws occupy the building. Wolves with Ulrik attached advance. Lascannons immobilize another Land Speeder.
Wave of wolves!
In hindsight, I should have positioned the Ironclad so that its rear armor faced the board edge.
The Land Speeders take fire.
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Remaining mobile Land Speeder tries to shoot the Razorback, but does nothing. Leonidas and the Terminators charge the Blood Claws in the building, wiping them out. Tactical Squad blasts Murderfang and it explodes!
The Terminators take the building as the rest of the army advances.
Tactical Sqaud takes out some wolves.
Space Wolves – Turn 2
Wolves with Ulrik surround the building, but on snake eyes cannot charge the Terminators! Sicaran kills a few tactical marines, and backs up to control the objective. Land Speeder glanced by lascannons.
Wolves needed a “3” to charge. Guess what they got?
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Leonidas and the Terminators hang out to hold the building. Combined fire from Leonidas, Land Raider, and Tactical Squad decimate the wolves. Land Speeder and Stormtalon fire on Razorback, taking out its lascannon. Land Speeder Storm comes in and destroys the Dreadnought.
Wolves are severely weakened.
The Razorback takes severe damage.
No more Dreadnought!
Space Wolves – Turn 3
Grey Hunters glance the Land Speeder Storm. Ulrik and the remaining wolves charge the Tactical Squad, destroying them. Sicaran takes down the Stormtalon and lascannons fry the Land Speeder. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Scouts get out and charge a Predator, destroying one sponson lascannon. Leonidas and the Terminators charge Ulrik and the wolves, killing all wolves! Ulrik survives against all odds.
Scouts harass the Predators.
Ulrik is on his own!
Space Wolves – Turn 4
Shots from the Grey Hunters break the Scouts and they flee into the lake. Lascannons bust the Land Speeder Storm. Ulrik goes down.
Glub Glub
Ulrik is slain!
Azure Flames – Turn 5
Terminators break off to charge the wounded Razorback, and smash it. Leonidas charges the other Razorback and breaks it. Scouts regroup and charge the predator, glancing it.
Scouts won’t give up!
A one…
…and a two!
Space Wolves – Turn 5
Sicaran puts two wounds on Leonidas. Lascannon kills one Terminator. Game ends.
Ouch!
Ouch again!
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Final score
Azure Flames: 8 + Slay The Warlord + Linebreaker = 10
Space Wolves: 11 + First Blood + Linebreaker = 13
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This was a very fun game. There were one or two moments where I cursed a bit, such as Drew being able to shoot the Stormtalon being only able to see a wingtip, or hitting rear armor on the Ironclad because I didn’t think of placement. I also didn’t get access to objectives well because they were set up by a 3rd party. I also repeat my claim that Maelstrom is not as good as straightforward missions. Had I drawn (or rolled D3s) better this would have been a tie or win, and you know how I feel about randomness. However, this was still one of the best games I’ve played in a while thanks to Drew who knew 7th ed like the back of his hand!
Next: more painting, a display board, and the tournament!
June Highland Tournament Prep part 1 – Time is of the Essence
Michael and I got down to it to prepare for the Highland tournament next month. We played Time is of the Essence, the first mission which is… a bit brutal.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Michael – Imperial Guard
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leman Russ Vanquisher, Pask, Hull Lascannon, Sponson Plasma Cannons, Fire Barrels
- Wyvern x2, Fire Barrels
- Stormlord
- Imperial Guard Platoon
- Command Squad, Lascannon
- Infantry Squad
- Infantry Squad
- Infantry Squad
- Heavy Weapons Squad, 3x Lascannon
- Techpriest Enginseer, 5x Servitors w/Servo Arms
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Mission – Time is of the Essence
As per all tournament games, terrain is set up by players rolling off and then alternating placement. All boards will have one large impassable line of sight blocking terrain, 2 ruins, 2 forests, 1 crater, 1 lake or other water feature, and 1 medium building that has the special rule: At Any Cost Necessary – This building may be targeted by shooting or assault regardless of who holds it.
Deployment: Dawn of War
After setting up terrain, but before deployment, players take turns placing 6 total objective markers. Starting on turn 2, at the end of your player turn, you score a number of victory points equal to the current turn (i.e. on turn 2 each objective you hold is worth 2 victory points). At the end of the game, you lose victory points equal to the number of your units that were destroyed, broken at the end of the game, or still in ongoing reserves.
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Setup
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Michael seized the initiative!
Turn 1 – Imperial Guard
Fire from the Stormlord and Wyverns kill 2/3 of the Land Speeders and Pask shoots the Multi-melta off of the Land Raider Redeemer.
Can’t hide from the Wyvern fire!
Pask fires a shot, and the Land Raider is down one Multi-melta.
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Ironclad Dreadnought drops in and puts a hull point on the Stormlord. Last Land Speeder goes for an objective in the forest. Land Raider goes up and pops smoke.
The Ironclad Dreadnought threatens the Stormlord.
Smoke is our only hope!
Turn 2 – Imperial Guard
Lascannon squad aboard the Stormlord takes out the Ironclad Dreadnought. Wyverns destroy the last Land Speeder. Turn not pictured.
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Terminators disembark, and destroy the Wyverns. Tactical squad arrives via drop pod, combat squads, and takes two objectives. Scouts arrive via outflank and take another objective.
The Wvyverns are toast!
Objectives secured.
The Land Speeder Storm takes another objective.
Turn 3 – Imperial Guard
Fire from the Stormlord kills one Terminator. Sponson plasma cannon on Pask’s Leman Russ suffers an overheat!
30 shots kill only one Terminator. Meanwhile, Pask has trouble with his Plasma.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Terminators blow up Pask’s Leman Russ, but one Terminator is killed in the explosion! Land Raider backs up to protect the Tactical Combat Squad holding the objective in the open.
Pask is toast. The Land Raider acts as a wall to protect some bolter marines.
Turn 4 – Imperial Guard
Three Infantry Squads and the Command Squad disembark and bubble-wrap the Stormlord. Precision shots do a wound to Leonidas and the Stormlord kills one more Terminator.
The Guardsmen form a wall to prevent a Terminator charge on the Stormlord.
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Leonidas splits from the Terminators, and his heavy flamer kills the entire command squad, as well as most of the red squad. Leonidas charges the red squad, breaks them and wipes them out. The Terminators charge the yellow squad, break them, and consolidate onto the objective. Fire from the Stormtalon is ineffective.
Leonidas accounts for two units in one turn, and consolidates to the side of the Stormlord.
Terminators claim the objective. Beneath them, two guardsmen flee a pitiful two inches.
Turn 5 – Imperial Guard
Green squad and Stormlord wipe out the Terminators. Techpriest and Servitors charge Leonidas, but with a heavy flamer on Overwatch, and good attack rolls, Leonidas kills them all before they even get a chance to attack! Lascannons do a glance to the Land Raider.
Leonidas prepares the avenge the Terminators.
Turn 5 – Azure Flames
Leonidas burns the Green squad, but can’t make it to the objective. Lucky Assault Cannon shot does three hull points to the Stormlord! Stormtalon risks a hover to claim the forest objective.
Objective just out of reach!
Turn 6 – Imperial Guard
Stormlord does one wound to Leonidas. Lascannons destroy the Stormtalon.
Leonidas stands up to 30 shots.
The Stormtalon is toast!
Turn 6 – Azure Flames
Leonidas charges the green squad, kills them, and takes the objective. Land Raider Assault Cannon does one more glance to the Stormlord. Game ends.
Leonidas grabs the objective.
Last lucky shot.
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Final score
Azure Flames: 57 points + Slay the Warlord + Linebreaker – 3 lost units = 56
Imperial Guard: 7 points + First Blood – 8 lost units = 0
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When event organizer Ian heard about our score, he was shocked. Playtest with this mission had both sides routinely scoring 40-50 points. Why, then, did Michael do so poorly? In his own words, he created his list to be a tabler. He wanted to win by killing everything in the opposing army. This is hard at 1500 points. Had even one of my models survived, I would have kept all of my victory points. Michael only scored 7 points, and only by my urging that his squads hold an objective on turns 3 and 4.
Next: another battle report! Stay tuned!
Chapter Tactics: Azure Flames – Chapter Approved Custom Chapter Tactics (part 1)
All three people who frequently visit fourstrandshobby.com are familiar with the Azure Flames, my Space Marine Chapter. You have probably read the Chapter Approved for the Azure Flames that describes their backstory. However, new developments have come about.
My friend Ian recently became the manager of the Games Workshop store, newly opened in Ypsilanti, MI. Games Workshop had a contest to see which manager could drive sales for the Space Marines’ 30th Anniversary. Ian’s idea: every person that purchases a Space Marine unit, vehicle, and character could create a Chapter Tactics for a chapter that they invented. To do this, they either choose a Chapter Tactic from the Space Marine codex, or the special rules from another codex for a specific chapter (such as Blood Angels). You would then remove one of the special rules for that chapter, and replace it with another special rule to make your new chapter similar to their parent chapter, but unique.
In addition, the unit, vehicle, and character that you purchased could be used as a Dataslate for an army chosen with your unique Chapter Tactics. This works even if the particular unit is not in your codex (such as an Imperial Fist successor being able to take a custom Dark Angels Nephilim Jetfighter). As a bonus, each Dataslate can change or add one special rule, to fit your chapter.
Finally, your Dataslate will be compiled and printed by Ian who has recieved from Games Workshop the OFFICIAL CHAPTER APPROVED STAMP. That’s right, the actual, physical, rubber-and-ink stamp, with which he will stamp YOUR DATASLATES and make them OFFICIAL AND LEGAL IN ANY GAMES WORKSHOP STORE IN THE WORLD.
Of course, I couldn’t say no.
So, this article is the first of four articles detailing all of my official rules (in a first draft form). Soon, the Features bar to the right of the main articles will feature Codex Supplement: Azure Flames, a PDF scan of the Azure Flames Chapter Tactics and the three Dataslates that go with it.
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Chapter Tactics – Azure Flames (Salamanders Successor)
Adhering to the teachings of their Primarch and parent Chapter, the Azure Flames emphasize close range firefight and flame based weaponry. However, the Azure Flames were formed just over 400 years ago, and for the majority of their existence have been a mobile Crusade based chapter, unable resupply without the help of the Departmento Munitorum. As such, they lack the relics and master crafted weapons common in their parent chapter. To make up for this, they fight each battle with the dogged determination that even one small victory can change the galaxy.
Flamecraft: Adherents of the Promethean Cult, the Azure Flames follow the rules for Flamecraft from the Salamanders Chapter Tactics in Codex Adeptus Astartes p. 190.
Never Give Up, No Matter The Cost: The Azure Flames believe that the battle you are currently fighting is the most important battle. Despite the relatively short time their chapter has existed, they are known for turning an overwhelming loss into a bitter stalemate, and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. A player that has his Warlord chosen from an Azure Flames detachment may choose to play another full game turn (consisting of one player turn for each side) after the game is supposed to end. This special rule does not apply for missions that end due to a certain event (such as the assassination of a character or the destruction of a building). This also does not apply to a game which has ended due to a pre-arranged time allotment (such as a Tournament game). In the case that this additional turn is the 8th or higher turn, any effects that rely on the turn number simply treat the new turn as the highest possible turn number. (i.e. if a mission tells you to draw 7 mission objectives on turn 7, but has no instructions for turn 8, simply treat turn 8 as another turn 7)
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Next: IX Sqaud, 1st Company: the Bearers of Hope, a character squad with a big surprise for big targets! Stay tuned!
Highlander May Tournament Prep part 2
As stated in the previous post, I played Right Place at the Wrong Time with one other opponent; Josh who I had not seen before at club but was a pleasure to play against. He brought his Tau, of which finished models such as his Stormsurge are fantastically painted. Here’s another batrep! Once again, please excuse fuzzy pics due to camera troubles.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Josh – Tau
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Commander with no weapons and all of the wargear that gives his unit unspeakable buffs. (Note: Josh’s commander is in pieces, so his Commander this game is proxied with Forge World’s Moratarion)
- XV88 Broadside Battlesuit x3, High Yield Missiles, Smart Missile system, Velocity Tracker
- Riptide, Velocity Tracker
- Fire Warrior Strike Squad x5
- Devilfish, Seeker Missile
- Kroot Carnivores x10
- Stormsurge, Velocity Tracker, 4x some kind of missile that is ridiculously strength D
- Drone Net VX1-0
- Drones x4, 4x Marker Lights
- Drones x4, 4x Marker Lights
- Drones x4, 4x Marker Lights
- Drones x4, 4x Marker Lights
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Mission – Right Place at the Wrong Time
Players alternate setting up 6 numbered objectives. When an objective is first claimed, roll a D6. On a 1, the objective explodes, causing D6 S5 AP4 hits to the squad that claimed it, and then the objective is removed from the game permanently! On a 2-3, the objective is removed. On a 4+, the objective is “real” and is rolled for as a Mysterious Objective, re-rolling all results of 1.
If 3 objectives are removed, the remaining 3 are “real” and if 3 are identified as “real” all others are removed (assume they are deactivated). Objectives are worth 3 points at the end of the game. First Blood, Linebreaker, and Slay the Warlord for one point each.
For this game with Josh, we played with a short board edge deployment.
Setup
This is the first time I have played a tournament scenario with this club in which I went first, even counting last year.
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Azure Flames – Turn 1
Ironclad drops behind the Devilfish and glances it with the Heavy Flamer, but the Meltagun is jink-saved. Land Raider with Leonidas and his posse move Flat Out while the Land Speeders chill by an objective.
Ironclad shakes up the backfield, but a lucky jink save spares the Devilfish from melta doom!
The Land Raider risks extra movement in lieu of using Smoke Launchers. The Land Speeders cower by the objective.
Tau – Turn 1
Marker Lights turn the Land Raider into an Xmas tree, and then four Strength D missiles wreck it. Leonidas and the Terminators take fire from the Kroot, but are unscathed. Battlesuits unleash fury on the Ironclad, doing 2 glances. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Leonidas splits off from the Terminators, burns 4 Kroot, and charges the rest, breaking them and wiping them out. Land Speeders emerge from cover to fire at the Stormsurge, but lucky Invulnerable saves negate their shots. The Terminators charge the Stormsurge, doing 6 wounds and narrowly avoiding stomp attacks! Ironclad charges the Suits, but one glance from overwatch fire wrecks it!
Leonidas takes the Kroot out as they flee.
Undeterred by the loss of their Land Raider, the Terminators charge the Stormsurge! It’s stomp attack doesn’t catch them off guard.
One more missile makes the Ironclad give up.
Tau – Turn 2
The Riptide uses marker lights to turn the Land Speeders into crushed beer cans. The Devilfish advances on the central objective. Terminators finish off the Stormsurge.
The Land Speeders taste Tau firepower, as the Fire Warriors go for the gold!
Hey guys, how’s it going?
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Terminators lose two models to overwatch fire, but survivors kill the suits and the commander! Stormtalon arrives and puts one more glance on the Devilfish. Tactical squad arrives and combat-squads to hold the objective and menace the Devilfish.
Commander and suits are now roughly the consistency of medium-spicy salsa.
Tactical squad is finally on the job.
Tau – Turn 3
Riptide lays into the Terminator survivors, but good invulnerable saves protect them. Fire Warriors and Devilfish kill two Tactical Marines, breaking the combat squad!
The Tactical squad has to fall back before the Tau onslaught.
Riptide tries to put the hurt on the Terminators, but they’re just too hard!
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Melta firepower from the Tactical squad explodes the Devilfish, and the Stormtalon kills four of the Fire Warriors, breaking them. The Terminators take the objective by the lake.
The Tau are driven back.
Objective secured.
Tau – Turn 5
Terminators survive another round of fire. Game ceded.
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Josh’s Tau list relies a LOT on Marker lights. They turn a moderately-sized CAD into a can’t miss scalpel, able to kill any target with devastating precision. Worse, if you take the time to kill Marker Light Drones, you’re not killing things that can kill YOU. The Stormsurge is a great super heavy, but it can’t hold up to a kickass melee unit like Thunder Hammer Terminators.
Next: Modeling projects, painting, special rules, fluff and MORE! Stay tuned!
Highland May Tournament Prep part 1
Good news! I played two more missions in preparation for the upcoming tournament!
Bad news. I forgot my camera at home, and was forced to use my phone’s camera, which is nowhere near as good.
Oh well. Here’s a condensed Batrep against Kyle, a foustrandshobby.com veteran! Please forgive fuzzy pictures.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
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Kyle – Astral Drakes Space Marines with Imperial Knight Ally (special chapter, counts as Salamanders, but loses master crafted weapons and instead gains ability to take Heavy Flamers and other special units).
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Special Chapter Master on Firedrake (counts as Wolf Lord with Thunderwolf, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, and throwable S10 AP2 Hammer)
- Immature Firedrakes x2 (counts as Fenrisian Wolves)
- Firedrake Cavalry x3 (counts as Thunderwolf Cavalry, 2x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, 1x Wolf Claws)
- Tactical Squad x10, Flamer, Combi-flamer, Heavy Flamer (note: this is allowed due to unique Chapter Tactics)
- Sternguard x5, 3x Combi-Flamer, 2x Heavy Flamer
- Promethean Rhino (unique unit, counts as a Rhino that gives any infantry model within 2″ the Torrent special rule for any weapon that is a “flamer” according to the main rulebook)
- Devastators x5, 4x Missile Launchers, 4x Fireball Missile upgrade (special Chapter Tactics missile, S5 AP4 small blast ignores cover, +15pts/model)
- Scouts x5, 5x Sniper Rifles, Camo Cloaks
- Special Chapter Master on Firedrake (counts as Wolf Lord with Thunderwolf, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, and throwable S10 AP2 Hammer)
- Allied Knight Detatchment
- Knight Gallant (Knight Chainsword and Power Fist) with Meltagun
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Mission – Right Place at the Wrong Time
Players alternate setting up 6 numbered objectives. When an objective is first claimed, roll a D6. On a 1, the objective explodes, causing D6 S5 AP4 hits to the squad that claimed it, and then the objective is removed from the game permanently! On a 2-3, the objective is removed. On a 4+, the objective is “real” and is rolled for as a Mysterious Objective, re-rolling all results of 1.
If 3 objectives are removed, the remaining 3 are “real” and if 3 are identified as “real” all others are removed (assume they are deactivated). Objectives are worth 3 points at the end of the game. First Blood, Linebreaker, and Slay the Warlord for one point each.
For this game with Kyle, we played with a long board edge deployment.
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Setup
I deployed Leonidas and the Terminators in the Land Raider Redeemer, with the Land Speeders around them. Kyle had the Tactical Squad and Devastators in a forest, with the Sternguard in the Rhino Promethean. The Chapter Master and Firedrake Cavalry were to the left of the Knight Titan (from Kyle’s POV).
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Turn 1 – Astral Drakes
The Chapter Master and his Firedrakes move out towards the Land Raider. The Knight takes cover behind some terrain.
We have 4 attacks for some reason! Here we come!
Knight seeks cover among the flatiron rock formation.
Turn 1 – Azure Flames
Leonidas and the Terminators charge the Firedrakes. Lord challenges the Terminator Sergeant and kills him, but Immature Firedrakes die as well as a couple wounds from one of the Firedrakes. Two other Terminators are killed by Firedrakes. Ironclad drops by the squads in the forest and kills the Promethean Rhino. Drop pod kills one Sniper Scout.
Leonidas and the Terminators throw themselves at the counts-as Thunderwolves to slow them down. They succeed pretty well.
Hey, that was a really nice custom Rhino!
Drop Pods are always so annoying…
Turn 2 – Astral Drakes
Good saves by the Terminators mean only one Terminator dies. Knight rolls triple 1’s for difficult terrain, and so cannot charge the Ironclad this turn. Tactical squad charges and a few die, but keeps the Ironclad in a tarpit. Before the charge, Krak missiles do a Crew Shaken result to the Ironclad. Scouts charge the Drop Pod and do one glance.
Leonidas toughs it out as the Firedrakes do more damage.
Awful roll prevents the Knight from charging the Ironclad.
Drop pods are REALLY annoying…
Turn 2 – Azure Flames
Leonidas takes one wound from the remaining Wolf Claw Firedrake. Land Raider and Land Speeders move up behind cover to hold an objective. Ironclad kills all but one Sergeant in the tatsquad. Land Speeder Storm arrives. Drop pod and Land Speeder Storm kill two more sniper scouts, breaking the squad.
Leonidas has lasted much longer than I expected him to.
Waiting to rush the Knight…
The Scouts flee from bolter fire!
The Ironclad still takes on the Tactical squad.
Turn 3 – Astral Drakes
The last Terminator is killed, as Leonidas takes one more wound, just barely hanging on! The Knight charges the Ironclad, destroying it but taking two hull points with it.
Leonidas barely holds on…
The Titan turns the Ironclad into shrapnel, saving the Tactical Sergeant.
Turn 3 – Azure Flames
Leonidas succumbs to the Firedrakes. The Land Speeder Storm, Land Speeders, and Land Raider team up and just barely manage to remove the last wound from the Knight! It explodes and takes the last Tactical marine with it! The Stormtalon blasts all but one of the Devastators.
The Chapter Master finishes Leonidas and prepares a nasty surprise for the Azure Flames vehicles…
Now THAT’S how you kill a Knight!
Turn 4 – Astral Drakes
Chapter Master charges the Land Raider, doing 3 hull points. Remaining Sterguard turn their flamers on the Land Speeder Storm, killing it and ALL of the Scouts inside before they can even disembark! Two remaining Sniper Scouts charge the Drop Pod and take one more hull point.
That Drop Pod…
A S10 Thunder Hammer puts the hurt on the Land Raider
Turn 4 – Azure Flames
Tactical Squad finally arrives. Shooting takes care of the Chapter Master, Firedrake, Devastators, and Scouts. Having only one Sternguard squad of 4 men, Kyle cedes.
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Thunderwolf Cavalry is hard, but even a weaker but still hard melee unit can really slow them down and make them less scary. Knights can also be very scary. Kyle told me after the battle that I did EXACTLY what you need to do to a Knight; hit it from multiple sides with dedicated anti-vehicle weapons.
Next, I take on Josh and his Tau Markerlight madness!