40k 8th edition, or is it 4th?

A long time ago, I wrote a contradictory piece about how every edition of 40K is broken.  It detailed all the editions before 7th and why they had been unbalanced.  But, there was a problem.

I was wrong.

Not about the unbalanced aspects of the various versions of 40K, but about the numbers.  For example, this upcoming edition of 40K is branded as 8th edition.

But what makes an edition?  Can a little tweak like Entanglement or Flyers really change the way the whole game is played?

In my opinion, no.  What makes an edition is the framework of the rules.  The “engine” of the game, so to speak.  Honestly, the update in the assault rules from the main 3rd edition rulebook to the revised assault rules for 3.5 released in White Dwarf was a bigger change than the change from 3.5 to 4.

Think about it.  How do you do things in 40K?  In 3, 3.5, and 4 you move troops 6″.  You shoot using the same rules.  But, from 3 to 3.5 you fight in assault differently.  The process was streamlined.  And, with a few tweaks, that system stayed around in 4th.

How much change happens between editions.  From Rogue Trader to 2nd, there was structure added.  More rules to make it a 1v1 game.  From 2 to 3, the to-hit grid and to-wound grid was added.  Units had rules based on Type, such as Infantry or Beasts.  Distances and ranges were always a multiple of 6″.  But, then from 3rd to 7th, these rules remained.  Sure, the Psychic Phase, Flyers, and D strength weapons were added, but if you add a room to your house, is it still the same house? It calls to mind the Ship of Theseus.  Philosophers may debate and say the ship is different, but it looks the same and still has Theseus tooling around on it.

It’s very telling that the 8th edition book is coming with a slate of source books replacing all the other codexes.  The last time this happened was…

…you guessed it.  3rd edition with the “black codex” rules in the very back for all of the previous armies.

Here in 8th, every rule has been changed.  Movement brings back the movement characteristic.  Shooting no longer uses the old 1-10 BS system, but instead a flat roll as a characteristic for each model, right in its statline.  Modifiers are back.  Cover saves are gone.  Just like shooting, Assault is a flat roll, abandoning the to-hit grid.  Vehicles are now glorified monstrous creatures.  Points have changed drastically, or have even been replaced entirely by Power Rating.

It’s a big change.

The third big change.

Making this 4th edition.

Whether this edition is good, or I like the fluff, big things are happening.

Let’s get into it.

Coming up soon: A big announcement from me and Lexington!  A new workstation for my painting! Stay tuned.

40K Combat Patrol Trio at AFK!

Good news, I just got a new place!  Expect to see a modeling setup post soon, once I get everything moved in.

Because of all the rigamarole in purchasing a house, I took this week off, which means that I was able to go back to AFK and get some 40K, which I have been sorely missing.  When I arrived, I met Bradley, the employee of AFK who is organizing the Combat Patrol 40K campaign.  Combat Patrol is as follows:

• 400 pts
• Modified Combined Arms Detatchment
  • 0-1 HQ
  • 1-3 Troops
  • 0-1 Elites
  • 0-1 Fast Attack
  • 0-1 Heavy Support
• All armour values 13+ are reduced to 12
• All vehicles with 4+ hull points are reduced to 3
• All Monstrous Creatures are reduced to 2 wounds
• No named characters
• Psykers can only take Warp Charge 1 powers (re-roll all others)
• Board size is 48×48″
• All reserves are rolled for one turn early, but arrive when they normally would (giving you one turn notice for when reserves arrive)
• Other monthly restrictions (changes each month)

Bradley needed to test out the rules for this format in some rapid-fire games.  Here’s what we did!

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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)

• Ory-Hara the Silent, Chief Librarian of the Azure Flames
  • Librarian Lv2, Pyromancy
• Tactical Squad x5
  • Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer, Auspex
  • Drop Pod
• Tactical Squad x5
  • Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Melta, Melta
  • Drop Pod

Bradley – Dark Angels

• Tactical Squad x10, Power Sword, Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter
  • Rhino
• Nephilim Jetfighter (games 1 and 2 only)
  • Ravenwing Darktalon (game 3 only)

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Mission 1 – Assassinate

Deployment – Table edges, 12″ in from edge

Objective – The first player to slay the enemy Warlord gains 2 victory points.  If simultaneous, award goes to current player.

Secondary objectives – Slay the Warlord (yes, you get another one for this!), Linebreaker, First Blood

Deployment

Azure Flames – Turn 1

Ory-Hara and the Melta squad deep strike.  Bad to-hit rolls immobilize the Rhino.

Dark Angels – Turn 1

Two combat squads pile out of the Rhino.  After shooting and terrible armour save rolls, Ory-Hara stands alone, his squad gone.  Turn not pictured.

Azure Flames – Turn 2

Flamer squad arrives via drop pod.  Shooting and psychic powers from Ory-Hara wipe out the Dark Angels marines.  Game ceded.

Conclusions: It was at this point that Bradley realized that Drop Pods could seriously ruin the game balance of a game this small.  On to game 2!

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Mission 2 – Follow and Support

Deployment – Table edges, 12″ in from edge

Objective – Slay enemy Warlord for 2 points, or destroy any unit for 1 point.  Capture the Relic (similar to Main Rulebook mission 6) yields no VPs, but is important for campaign points.

Secondary objectives – Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, First Blood

Deployment

Dark Angels – Turn 1

Rhino moves forward, drops off Tactical Squads.  One runs towards the objective.  Turn not pictured.

Azure Flames – Turn 1

Flamer squad with Ory-Hara moves in.  Psychic powers and shooting kill some Dark Angels, breaking the Sergeant’s squad and damaging the other one.

Dark Angels – Turn 2

Shooting at the Azure Flames is ineffectual.  Nephilim Jetfighter unloads some missiles, but fantastic cover saves protect the Tactical Squad.  Turn not pictured.

Azure Flames – Turn 2

Flamer Squad arrives, wipes out smaller Tactical squad.  Ory-Hara’s squad moves up to capture the Relic.

Dark Angels – Turn 3

The Jetfighter, unable to maneuver, flies off toward the board edge.  Remaining squad menaces the Flamer squad.

Azure Flames – Turn 3

Ory-Hara moves up with the Relic, to stay away from the Jetfighter.  Shooting kills the Dark Angels sergeant.  Game ceded.

Conclusions: The Nephilim Jetfighter did not arrive in the first game.  Bradley ceded due to the fact that rolling for reserves a turn early meant he knew the Jetfighter would not show (despite a +1 to reserve rolls!)  In this game, the fighter showed up, but its lack of maneuverability hampered it.  It got one turn of good shooting and then was forced to fly around the board like an idiot.  In our next game, Bradley swapped the Jetfighter for a Ravenwing Darktalon, which can hover!

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Mission 1 – Assassination (see first game, above)

Deployment

Azure Flames – Turn 1

Despite seeing rear armour, two Meltaguns and Ory-Hara’s psychic powers can only glance the Rhino once!

Dark Angels – Turn 1

Tactical Marines pour out of the Rhino and harm the Azure Flames squad

Azure Flames – Turn 2

Flamer squad and psychic powers kill all but two Tactical Marines

Dark Angels – Turn 2

Ravenwing Darkstar arrives in Hover mode, and drops a Vortex shot, but it misses.  All its other guns wipe out Ory-Hara and the rest of his squad.

Azure Flames – Turn 3

Flamer squad charges the Darktalon, destroying the Vortex gun, but leaving it alive.

Dark Angels – Turn 3

Darktalon hovers away and fires, but insane armour save rolls protect the Azure Flames.  Turn not pictured.

Azure Flames – Turn 4

Tactical Squad charges and kills the Rhino.  Turn not pictured.

Dark Angels – Turn 4

Darktalon zooms and bombs the Tactical Squad, causing no casualties but reducing its WS and I to 1.

Azure Flames – Turn 5

Tactical squad moves up and shoots the remaining two Dark Angel marines.

Dark Angels – Turn 5

Darktalon hovers again, killing 3 of the 5 Azure Flames left.  Turn not pictured.

Azure Flames – Turn 6

Darktalon is destroyed in close combat.  Tabled.

Conclusions: Bradley is seriously considering nerfing the Drop Pod Assault rule for the Combat Patrol campaign.  In a 1500 pt. list, you can take things to deal with an all-drop army, but it’s very difficult in a 400 pt. list.  Bradley, myself, and Dan, the owner of AFK discussed how best to combat an all-drop army, and hopefully they will have a successful campaign.

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As always, there were other awesome games going on!

More Combat Patrol wackiness with Nathan, a long time Four Strands ally!

HUGE game of Warhammer 30K: Sons of Horus vs. Imperial Fists!  Forge world EVERYWHERE and AMAZING paint jobs!

There was even a strong Warmachine contingent!  Some of my old friends from the days of 21st Century Comics and Games were throwing down.  Alex played Menoth (top) while Matt played Trolls (bottom).

What a night!  Next: look forward to seeing how I get my new paint setup ready!

Blood Bowl – 5th Edition vs. LRB, or cha-cha-cha-CHANGES

Got my main rulebook open, and I have the pdf of the old LRB on my laptop as I type.  It’s time to see what 5th edition has changed, rules wise.  Here’s a running tally as I find them:

• Handoff and Foul are not in the actions in the Basic Rules; they are instead in the Advanced section, later in the book.  This explains why they’re not on the quick start guide cards.  They are mentioned, though. (it wasn’t an oversight)
• Under causes for a turnover, the four minute time limit is GONE!  No more hourglasses or stopwatches!  This assists new players.  I bet it will make a comeback in an advanced book later. EDIT: It is in the Advanced section of the rules.
• Minor change: several of the rules use the genderless “they” or “themselves” to refer to players, when identical wording in the old book is “him” or “himself.”  I think this is for teams with female players, such as Amazons, who will hopefully be included in a later rules set (if only for the die-hard Amazon players!)
• Rules for team building do not include Skill Types for normal and doubles.  This is corrected in the Death Zone supplement.
• Human Catchers reduced from 70,000gp to 60,000gp.
• Assistant Coaches, Cheerleaders, and Apothecaries/Necromancers are no longer listed during team creation.
• Each player gets Special Play cards, randomly decided (1:1 card, 2-5:2 cards, and 6:3 cards).  A Magic Item deck is mentioned, but not present in the box set (expansions ahoy!)
• Because a D16 is added to the box set, you don’t need to draw chits from a mug!  Not that you needed to in the past, but you had to buy your own D16…
• Obviously, Cheerleaders and Assistant Coaches are not mentioned in the Cheering Fans and Brilliant Coaching results on the Kickoff Table.
• The Skills section is MUCH shorter.  Skills for teams that are not out yet have been omitted. (for example, Prehensile Tail is not listed as Lizardmen or other tail-having races have not been re-released) EDIT: most missing skills are in Death Zone.
• League rules are omitted, as they are in Death Zone.  On that note…

The following is a list of things from the League supplement, Death Zone:

• Skaven Gutter Runners now have the Weeping Dagger skill, which lets them hurt people better.
• Nurgle Warriors are renamed Bloaters in the Nurgle Teams, but are identical.
• Beasts of Nurgle are renamed Rotspawn, identical as well.
• “Elf Teams” are renamed Elven Union Teams.
• Wood Elf Treemen now have a new Extraordinary Skill: TIMMM-BER!  Knocked down models with this skill receive a +1 to the roll to stand up, if MA is less than 3.  A roll of 1 always fails.  Assisting models can’t be in enemy tackle zones (just like assisting a Block or Foul).  This extra skill does not alter the Treeman’s cost! EDIT: This rule has been invalidated by errata, see the bottom of the post.
• MVP is now LESS RANDOM!  This is an incredible advance on the old rules.  Now, select 3 players from your team and roll a D3 to decide which is MVP!  No more handing out MVP to dead players, or giving MVP to a useless player who already has too many SPP or can’t benefit from another skill.
• Under Inducements, Petty Cash as a concept is gone (which is good, because it was always confusing!) Instead, the coach with the higher team value can purchase Inducements with their gold, then the opposing coach gets gold = team value difference and can spend it.
  • Without the Petty Cash rule, a lower team could spend any amount in their treasury on inducements without penalty.  In the old Blood Bowl, Petty Cash added to your Team Value, and so lower valued teams could only spend their Inducement money and no more, unless they transferred to Petty Cash an amount GREATER THAN the Inducements, because Petty Cash added to their Team Value, and thus Inducements would be reduced by the amount of Petty Cash, making it useless.
  • In additon, higher value teams can now spend away, not giving their opponent any additional Inducement money!  This can mean that a rich team could go into each match with a bunch of expensive inducements.
• Bloodweiser Babes are now Bloodweiser Kegs.
• Halfling Master Chefs are gone…
• Igor is gone…
• Wizards are reduced to 100,000gp from 150,000gp.
• Special Play cards are changed, so that instead of drawing randomly, you draw X, keep X-1, and X increases as the value of the higher team increases.  You can also purchase Special Play cards, which increase the value of X for you by one (not your opponent!)
• EXPENSIVE MISTAKES are a new addition to the post-game sequence!  Now, if your treasury exceeds 100,000gp, your players tend to do stupid and/or expensive things.  The larger your treasury, the stupider they act, as the money goes to their heads!  You roll on a table and lose no GP if you avert the crisis, but if there is an incident, you lose some GP, sometimes most of it!  Hoarding GP is no longer a good idea!  Too bad for teams that have expensive “big” players that don’t buy them during Team Creation… Saving up for them is risky!
• Skills are all back, but skills listed below are in the LRB but not in this supplement:
  • Animosity
  • Ball & Chain
  • Bloodlust
  • Bombardier
  • Chainsaw
  • Diving Tackle
  • Fan Favourite
  • Multiple Block
  • Piling On (note: this IS in the book, but is listed as optional, as it’s been reported as OP)
  • Stakes
  • Titchy
• In addition, these skills are in Death Zone but not the LRB:
  • Monstrous Mouth (similar to Sure Hands)
  • Timmm-ber! (described above)
  • Weeping Dagger (if this model causes an injury of 11-38: Badly Hurt, roll a D6.  On a 4+, that injured player also suffers a Miss Next Game)
• COACH MODELS HAVE AN IN-GAME EFFECT!  When a player is sent off, roll a D6.  On a 6, the call is reversed!  On a 1, your coach is sent off, and you cannot argue again for the game, plus you get a -1 to Brilliant Coaching rolls!
• Assistant Coaches, Cheerleaders, and Apothecaries are back.

Note: Death Zone is a proper softcover book with a strong cardstock cover; much more sturdy than the main rulebook, which is a double-stapled booklet! (/print nerd)

…and that’s it!  I might try the App next.  Who knows?

EDIT: It seems there are three errata documents already!  You can find them here, at the bottom of the page. Here’s an analysis of these documents.

-Blood Bowl Main Rulebook FAQ

Most of these FAQs are straight from the LRB, some of which are even identically worded.  One notable exception is the first one: a player who is sent off for a foul, who then has their coach roll a 6 and reverse that call, still causes a turnover.

-Teams of Legend Supplemental Document

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

HOLY CRAP!  ALMOST ALL PREVIOUS TEAMS, PLUS A COUPLE NEW ONES ARE CONTAINED HEREIN!  The Konquata Monitors are now legal and ready to play!  Here’s a list of new stuff, including teams:

• New Chaos Renegades team: A team of up to 12 human linemen who can get the Mutation skills on a NORMAL ADVANCE ROLL.  IN addition, the team can have 0-1 of EACH the following: Goblin, Skaven, Dark Elf, Troll, Ogre, Minotaur.  Bring a Troll, Minotaur, and Ogre for three big guys on the front line, throw in a Goblin for Right Stuff plays.
  • QUICK THOUGHT: If a Chaos Renegades team has an Ogre (Throw Team-mate), a Troll (Throw Team-mate) and a Goblin (Right Stuff), can the Ogre move up in one turn, and then on the next turn, the Troll throw the Goblin, have the Goblin land next to the Ogre, and have the Ogre throw the Goblin for a double throw?  Such a play would be risky, but could potentially see a goblin go all the way across the field in one turn!
• New Underworld Denizens team: Skaven with Goblins instead of Gutter Runners, and a Troll instead of a Rat Ogre.
• Amazons have some name changes for their positions, but are otherwise the same.
• Chaos Dwarfs also name changes but nothing else.
• Skills, such as Animosity, Bombardier, etc. that apply to these teams are listed here, if they are not in the main rulebook.
• Chaos Teams are now called Chaos Chosen teams, and have a few name changes.
• Halflings are back, and underneath them the Halfling Master Chef is back!  Oddly, the Halfling’s Treemen have the Timmm-ber! skill, while it is purged from Wood Elf Treemen in the Death Zone FAQ (see below).  An oversight?  Perhaps the FAQ needs an FAQ?
• Khemri are now Khemri Tomb Kings, and have name changes.
  • In addition, Igor is back as an inducement, and can work for teams with undead players!
• Lizardmen have very minor name changes.
• Norse Werewolves are now called Ulfwerenar.
• Necromantic teams are now Necromantic Horror teams, and have minor name changes.
  • Both Necromantic Horror and Shambling Undead (see below) gain a Necromancer instead of a coach, that can give your team free zombies!  This is not new though.
• Undead teams are now Shambling Undead teams, minor name changes.
• Ogre Teams now have “runts” instead of Snotlings, so you can use Snotlings, Knoblars, or anything else thematic.  This makes the Ogre team canon with Ogre Kingdoms from Fantasy.
• Vampire teams have minor name changes.

-Death Zone Season 1 FAQ

Minor changes to skills, including the purging of any use of the Timmm-ber! skill from Wood Elves’ Treemen.

…and that’s all folks!

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

————————————————————————-

Mission – Purge the Alien (units destroyed = 1 VP)

Setup – Hammer and Anvil (short board edges, 24″ deployment)

————————————————————————-

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!

Golden Rhino 2016 Display Board

My forces are marshaled for war.  Tomorrow: the Golden Rhino Tournament at Highland.  1500 Highlander, three rounds.

I am ready.

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!