Tournament batrep

[revnow]

So I went to a big regional tournament this last weekend with my Daemonhunters. The list I took is a modified version of my standard 4 Rhino build, and while I think it worked well in this situation, I'm not sure how it would turn out in a more standard competition. The setup was a 1500 pt base army with 2 250 pt. side boards that could be chosen from after looking at your opponent's list.

 

My Core army was

 

HQ

GM (Hammerhand, Sacred Incense, Grimoire, Storm Shield, Hood, Mastercrafted NFW) 220

GKT Retinue (5) (Incinerator) 245

 

Troops

IST Squad (5) (Melta, Flamer, Rhino (Smoke, EA) 123

IST Squad (5) (Melta, Flamer, Rhino (Smoke, EA) 123

 

Elites

(5) GKT Squad (Incinerator, BC (Storm Shield)) 270

 

Heavy Support

Land Raider Crusader (Smoke) 258

Land Raider Crusader (Smoke) 258

Total 1497

 

Detachment 1

(7) Troop Grey Knights ((2) Psycannons) 250

 

Detachment 2

(7) Fast Attack Grey Knights ((2) Psycannons) 250

 

The reason for these detachments instead of just going full mech and taking 2 more IST squads will become clear. In addition, there is an exceptionally high concentration of Daemon players in my area, so I felt that taking troop Grey Knights with psycannons in the first detachment was a good balance became playing towards the meta game, and having enough troops to try and pull off wins in objective games. Also I decided I wanted to go do other things with my Friday night instead of painting another Rhino.

 

Game 1: Dark Eldar

"1,2,3 Rock!. . . Oh, I see you have Paper today sir."

Some of these lists might be off, but here's the layout to the best of my remembrance

 

HQ

Close Combat Archon

Troops

(10) Warrior Squad (2 Dark Lances)

(10) Warrior Squad (2 Dark Lances)

(10) Warrior Squad (2 Dark Lances)

Raider Squad (Lance, Webway, Raider(Lance, Nightshield))

Raider Squad (Lance, Webway, Raider(Lance, Nightshield))

 

Elites

(6) Wych Cult (Agonizer, Blaster, Raider (Lance))

(6) Wych Cult (Agonizer, Blaster, Raider (Lance))

(6) Wych Cult (Agonizer, Blaster, Raider (Lance))

 

Heavy

Ravager (3 Devastators)

Ravager (3 Lances)

Ravager (3 Lances)

 

Mission was 5 objectives, 1 in the middle, the rest placed as per normal Seize Ground! rules. We're playing on a fairly urban and ruins saturated board.

Minor- 1 player controls more objectives (18 points)

Major- 1 player controls 3 more objectives (22 points)

Massacre- 1 player controls 4 more objectives (30 points)

Secondary- Kill opponent's HQ- 10 bonus points

 

So yeah, I'm playing double Raider DH, and game one I'm staring down 19 dark lances and 5 fast troop choices. This is going to be ugly. I pick my first detachment and we roll for sides. Luckily, I win the roll and make my opponent go first. He deploys in spread formation and leaves all three Wych cults and the Archon in the Webway. I choose to hold every in reserve in an attempt to avoid a first turn of shooting, reduce the number of turns that dark lances will be shooting at my Raiders by two, and force a greater degree of uncertainty on my opponent. My hope is that reserves will keep me safe enough until I can drive on and use the DE's lack of resilience to force a minor win. The 5 objectives are spread in an X pattern in the middle of the board, with almost all the objectives no more than 18" from the center.

 

Turn 1- Elves Noire

He shifts around back and forth and pushes up his raiders and Ravagers a bit to gain better board coverage and exert a bit of control.

 

Turn 2- Emo Space Pirates

Most of the raiders and Ravagers move just enough to get the cover save, while still maintaining their zones of control. The two troop raiders deploy their portals. One center left (my left), one back right.

 

Turn 2- Knights

I get lucky on my rolls and the Grey Knights and 2 Rhinos come in, but not the Raiders. I move all three units into my far left corner with the hopes of controlling the objectives on that side while pushing for contention on the other 3 using the Raiders in the coming turns. The Rhinos are moved onto on either side of the building holding the objective so as to provide cover for the Raiders next turn and the walking Knights; they pop smoke. The Knights come in between them.

 

Turn 3- "Hold still for a few seconds, I want to show you my stormbolter."

One of the Wych squads (+WS combat drugs) pops out of the Webway on the left side of the board and jumps up to the Grey Knights. 10 dark lances and 3 devastators are fired at the Rhinos to no effect (besides a shaken result and a blown of stormbolter) thanks to the wonders of god mode smoke. The Wyches unload, and wonder of wonders attack the Grey Knights. All the while, 2 10 model warrior squads on the far back right of the board push up to start controlling the objectives. Combat ensues, and I get a lesson in the stupid pain-assedness of fighting Wyches. At least the weapon skill 5 allowed me to hit on 4s. Combat is tied with 2 dead on either side.

 

Both of the Crusaders drive on, but the Brother Captain's manages to immobilize itself on the side of the building holding the objective. A excellent start :), but I console myself in the fact that I now have an AV 14 Behemoth with almost the entire board as a fire zone sitting on top of an objective, growling ominously. Thankfully the GM's Crusader passes it's DT test and moves up the full 12" near the middle of the board and pops smoke. The BC Crusader wrecks a Raider with the assault cannon and the Hurricanes while the BC and squad pop out to go help out their bros fighting with the naughty space pirates. The IST Rhino nearest the bogged down Crusader hits the Raider's occupants with a flamer/stormbolter, and I get lucky, kill 4 of them and force a failed Ld check. The BC on the other hand is too busy polishing his NFW to be bothered with actually participating in the shindig. The squad roll's a 2 for their assault distance, needing a 3 to attack another Raider, the squad that jumped out of it, and help out their homies. The GK lose combat to the Wyches by 1 making 3 Wyches to 4 GK.

 

Turn 4- "Jam down the Accelerator with your NFW, hold the steering wheel straight and pray to the God Emperor."

This turn sees 1 dead Rhino on the far left side, and a stormbolter blown of the one on the right heading towards the back left objective. Thankfully, god mode smoke again manages to save the GM's Crusader forcing a whole lot of stunned results. The remaining Wych squads get on to board and move into the back right and back left quarter, so that the Archon can procede to give the finger to my oncoming Rhino. The DE player in starting to lock down the zones of the board and things are looking grim. The Wych battle continues with some added support from the disembarked raider squad. I elect to hit the raiders instead of the Wyches, and manage to win combat by two after losing another GK to the damn agoniser. Neither DE squad fails morale.

 

I drive the GM's ride into the dead middle of the board on top of the objective, while the BC's ride fails to do absolutely anything with all of its guns to 2 raiders parked by my objective. The GM Crusader manages to pen a Ravager with it's MM and then rolls a 1 to blow a Dark Lance off. The remaining Rhino opts to move 6" to about 8" from the back left objective and take a pot shot with a melta at the Archon's Raider. I manage to glance it, and again blow a lance off. The BC finally manages to join the Wych party, but not before the jumpy little crackheads finish off the GK. That remaining psycannon sure would have been useful for trying to pick up the secondary bonus points next turn.

 

Turn 5- "I got the invitation to your party, consider this storm shield my favorable RSVP"

I'll say right now that I got really lucky. The DE player shot almost every lance he had at that Raider and just could not stop it. He even managed a 2 penetrating hits only to blow off the MM and shake it. The far left 10 model warrior squad moves up to try and hold the back left objective, but opts to shoot their lances at the incoming Rhino instead of run. This wrecks the Rhino and forces the stormtroopers to disembark. Luckily they don't fail their pinning check. At the end of the DE turn its 2-0 objectives wise.

 

It's time for the GM to actually participate in this game. The Crusader rolls into the middle of the right side objective triangle and disembarks the terminators on top of the back right objective. Meanwhile, the stormtroopers slink back to the back left objective all "don't mind us, we're not doing anything" like. The GM and squad assault the 2 10 model warrior squads and drive both off of the right side objectives. Time is called and the game ends.

 

The back left warriors end up being 1" away from their objective, and an immobilized raider is 1" away from contesting the one the stormtroopers are now camping on.

Daemonhunters minor win with no secondary, 1 objective to 0. 18 pts.

 

Sorry for the delay, I'll finish up the other two games and post some pictures a bit later in the day.

[Alanter]

congrats, DE are nasty.

 

More pictures and reps are appreciated!

[revnow]

Apparently the only good picture from game 1. I think It's the bottom of 3 since the GM Crusader has smoke on it. I've circled the objective locations in yellow for ya'll.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn5/revnow85/DSCF0713.jpg

 

Alright, Game 2 Against Daemons

Mission is Capture and Control (bases) on Spearhead (Table Quarters)

Minor (control more objectives than your opponent) 18

Major (control both objectives) 22

Massacre (control both objectives and get more killpoints) 30

Secondary: Kill your opponent's fast attack. Your own Fast Attack must be on the board and not fleeing at the end of the game to get these points. 10 bonus points (hence why I took Fast Attack Knights as my second detachment).

 

Against Tzeentch Daemons

HQ

Fateweaver

Lord of Change

 

Troops

Horror Squad (5)

Horror Squad (5)

Horror Squad (5)

Horror Squad (5)

 

Heavy Support

Daemon Prince (MoT, Wings, (some powers I don't remember)

Daemon Prince (MoT, Wings, (some powers I don't remember)

Daemon Prince (MoT, Wings, (some powers I don't remember)

 

This game was quick and dirty, and just as much of a Rock, Paper, Scissors match as the previous one, except that my opponent was Scissors this time.

 

I go first and put my objective on a wall near the back of my Quarter. My opponent puts his on the watch directly opposite on the other side of the table. I put my GK up on the wall with good fire lanes through 3/4 of the table and park an IST RHino just behind the wall. The Crusaders go as far forward as possible and I leave the other Rhino in reserve.

 

Turn 1 Knights

The Crusaders just move forward 12" towards my opponent's objective and pop smoke.

 

Turn 1 Daemons

My opponent gets his preferred wave which is the 2 HQs and 3 Heavies and deepstrikes all of them in between the Raiders and the GK/IST Rhino. Nothing comes out of shooting and he runs the rest. Unfortunately, the lack of terrain on the table minus walls in all four corners, a huge Pyramid in the middle and some medium sized hills means that Fateweaver is out in the open. I think you can guess where this is going to end up.

 

Turn 2 Knights

The Crusaders move back about 7" and unload both the GM and the BC squads. I start by opening up on Fateweaver with the psycannons. He takes three wounds, just like the math says, and disappears back to the warp. The rest is all by the numbers. A mix of Hurricane Bolter, Assault Cannon and Incinerator fire drops one of the DPs and takes a wound off another. The terminator squads assault another DP and the Lord of Change (the GM is in base with the Prince). Some bad rolling leads to the Lord not doing anything while the GM zaps the DP. The LoC does happen to make some impressive saves though and ends up with a wound left.

 

Turn 2 Daemons

Two Horror squads Deepstrike by my opponent's objective, and the Daemon Prince assaults the Grey Knights on the wall. Because it assaults GK at I1 the GK get to assault first. A good turn of rolling puts three wounds on the DP, killing it. The terminators finish of the LoC leaving only two squads of Horrors on the board. My opponent concedes having ontl a couple of reserve horror squads and facing 2 incoming Raiders in the next turn.

Massacre with the bonus. 40 pts

This game was really ugly, and a weak matchup, but was worth some desperately needed points after my lackluster first round. It also serves to show what exactly a Daemon v. Daemonhunter matchup can turn into. Especially when psycannons are involved.

[jeffersonian000]

Good Batrep! I too recently faced Dark Eldar (in my case for the first time) with my pure GK army, and did about as well (kill points, minor win for me). What intrigues me about your 1st report is the tactic of keeping all of your units in reserve. Do you feel this worked out well for you in this instance? Is it something you would do again in a similar situation? (I've never tried that, yet it seems to have had a positive effect).

 

Your 2nd game sounds like a walk over. What would you have done different (if at all, seeing as you did roll the daemons)?

 

SJ

[revnow]

I'll get the 3rd batrep up sometime I promise, especially seeing as how I faced Tzeentch Daemons and Fateweaver again.

 

@jeffersonian000: I think the tactic works, especially in large objective games. By keeping everything in reserve I minimized the amount of shooting my opponent could put into the Crusaders and forced him to spread out to cover the entire map, allowing me to react to him instead of the other way around. I think that's especially important in a pitched battle games when you are going 2nd. Because neither of the Raiders rolled on until turn 3, my opponent only had 1 turn of shooting in which both of the Crusaders we on the table and were not smoked. It's all about giving your opponent fewer opportunities to break the Crusaders and maintaining reactive control. I also just got kind of lucky that he didn't pop the GM's ride.

[Empty Bolter Clip]

Very cool reads.... looking forward to more! Congrats on smiting the daemons back to the warp so successfully. :D

[Grabsnikk]

Sounds like two well desrved wins, though with the amount of raiders and ravagers that you dark eldar opponent had its a wonder that he didnt deploy everything on the table at the start and then use the 2 turns movement he had when you had yet to come onto the board to line his army up down you table edge. This would have given him a win straight away. Oh well, thank the Emperor that he didn't realise this.

[Archon_77]

Heh, I was actually AT this tourney and had a chance to watch almost all three of these games. The second was over very quickly.... but I won't ruin the surprise.

 

 

Just make sure you also post when you get that Hector Rex painted... I'm eager to see how he turns out.

 

 

P.s. Yes, that is bottum three.

[Uncle Mel]

Both nice reads, i always like a couple of batreps.

 

Got me curious about the next though...

 

Mel

[revnow]

Sorry I never actually said hello and introduced myself. I always feel bad when I meet and talk to people and never actually spend a few minutes socializing. And I'll definitely post pics when the army and especially Rex is painted.

 

So, here's round three.

Against,

Fateweaver Daemons, duh duh DUHHHHH!!!!

 

Mission is Killpoints and Dawn of War

Minor- Score more KP than your opponent

Major- Score twice as many KP as your opponent

Massacre- Score 3 times as many KP as your opponent.

Secondary- Kill your opponent's highest point cost unit.

 

Opponent's list is

 

HQ

Fateweaver

 

Troops

(10) Bloodletters

(10) Plaugebearers

(10) Horrors (Changeling)

 

Fast Attack?

(3) Flamers

(3) Flamers

 

Heavy

Nurgle Prince (Wings, BoC, Cloud of Flies, Unholy Might)

Slaanesh Prince (Wings, Boon of Mutation, Pavane, Unholy Might?)

 

I elect to go first.

 

I really wish I had pictures of this game, but I was so involved that it just totally slipped my mind. The board was thematically perfect for a CD v. DH grudge match throw down with a huge Daemon Cauldron in the center and a massive fortress in one corner (eventually my far right). I pick the side with the Fortress, which as you will quickly see was a mistake in retrospect. I take the GK as Troops so that I can deploy them and drive everything else on. They go on on the top of the fortress (3 levels up). I'm hoping this gives them good firing range to all the Daemons coming in, and especially Fateweaver. Then Rob (the TO, who deserves mad props for putting on the whole thing) comes over and tells us we're in the hunt, which makes me a little fidgity.

 

Turn 1- "To busy paying attention to my reflection off the polished psycannon."

I start by driving the Knights on to the left side of the Fortress and the Rhinos up the back end to protect from a second level deepstrike by the Flamers. If I can keep the GK alive, they can smoke Fateweaver on turn one again, and it will be smooth sailin to another massacre as long as the GM can control the Princes. Or at least that's what I think. Everything pops smoke.

 

The Daemon player gets his preferred wave, which is composed of Fateweaver, the Horrors, one Flamer squad and the Slaanesh Prince. A good balanced choice of a wave split. The flamers hit dead on at the front of the fortress, the Princes ends up a bit behind them and then Fateweaver rolls a mishap onto the DP. Every prayer to the god emperor was for a 1 or a 2 on that one, but no such luck when a 3 hits. I put Fateweaver right next to the Cauldron and out in the open for the psycannons to deal with next turn. The Horrors end up in the building about 18" from the fortress. So, anyone want to guess my first mistake? Normally I'm really solid on the rules, but one thing I didn't know was that units with jetpacks could flame any level of a building. I put the GK on the 3rd level to protect them from BoC and specifically the flamers, and drove the Rhinos up behind to prevent a 2nd level deepstrike attempt. OH SNAP! Flamers be jump infantry! The DP Pavanes the GK into a nice tight formation for the flamers, then the flamers jump up and straight smoke the entire GK squad. Well crap, there goes that plan.

 

Turn 2 "No whammies, no whammies!"

With the GK squad gangsta'd by the flamers, it's time to improvise. The Crusaders surround Fateweaver, DP, the horrors and the screamers and disembark everything. Grand Papi always said "If you're already screwed, go for broke." The good thing is that now it's a fight, and one hell of a fight at that. Here was my second major mistake. I really should have known my opponent's Codex better, and asked to see the rules instead of just barreling forward. I'll go into more detail about the important lessons later, but suffice to say that in late rounds when everyone is tired, it's good not to get over eager and instead just take a deep breath and slow down (enough to chill out, not actively slow the game). I open up on Fateweaver with Crusader 1, and my opponent tells me that any unit within 24" of the Changeling must take a Ld test to shoot, and if they fail he gets to choose the target, vehicles count as Ld 10 for this. Because I vaguely remember reading something like that in the Codex and all my stuff is Ld 10 anyways, I move on confident in not failing a Ld 10 check. The Land Raider rolls an 11 and proceeds to fire on the GM's squad, killing a terminator. After I got home, I checked the rule, and found that it was actually a power that had to be used at the start of my shooting phase, and that the changeling had to pick a single unit within 24" to target with it, and that I could opt to not shoot. Anyway, Crusader 2 steps in and blows away the flamers. I then open up on Fatweaver with the GM's squad. I get a little lucky with my shooting and manage to put 3 wounds on him with the stormbolters and 1 with the incinerator. He fails 2 of the 3 +3 invulnerables and fails one of the two re-rolls. Check one is passed on a 6, and then my opponent rolls boxcars(12). Whew! Fateweaver is off the board and I still have a squad with an incinerator left to shoot. They act like the champs they are and manage to wipe out the horrors and changeling with a solid round of shooting and follow up assault.

 

Daemons roll on the second flamer squad and the Bloodletters. A nice deepstrike roll puts the flamers in good position again, and the DP follows up with another Pavane on the GM's squad. BoC hits the squad and smokes all but the GM who takes a wound. The DP tries to assault the GM, but ends up failing the Rights of Exorcism test on a 4 needing a 5

 

Turn 3- "Baby, you and I are going to do great things!"

Crusaders move up towards the right table edge, killing the second flamer squad and a few bloodletters. Now that his squad is toast, the GM joins up with the remainder of the BC squad (BC, incinerator termie and a normal termie) to go jack up the DP whose been pushing around all his friends. Only the GM manages to make combat though, so it's a one on one grudge match. It manages two wounds on the DP, one of which doesn't save. In turn, the DP rolls hot and drops 4 wounds on the GM, 2 of which make it past the storm shield. Before collapsing to meet the darkness, the GM hits the "on" button on his force weapon with a 3 on the psychic test, and turns Mr. Big Ugly into a smoking pile of ash.

 

Nurgle Prince decides to join the party, but ends up too far away to really target anything with BoC. The Bloodletters are to far away from the GKT to attempt an assault, and so move around the fortress to get some cover and have at the Rhinos instead. Here's my 3rd big mistake. I should have moved the Rhinos around the left side of the fortress at the beginning of turn 2 to put them in the Crusaders' shadows.

 

Turn 4 "C'mere!"

BC and crew load back into a Crusader that heads around the far side of the fortress after the Bloodletters and DP. It manages to pick off a few Bloodletters. I drive the other Crusader around the bottom left side to try and trap the DP while moving the Rhinos off the fortress ramp for protection from the Raider.

 

Prince and Bloodletters have a go at the rearmost Rhino to no avail while Plaguebearers come in way over on the other end of the board to avoid turning themselves into a KP.

 

Turn 5 "I'll get you yet!"

Crusader 1 moves around the far side of the building, but fails its DT test (right, so this may end up being harder than I imagined). Crusader 2 circles around the bottom left towards the DP, picks off a couple of Bloodletters and puts a wound on the DP with the MM. The Rhinos try and make their break for it, getting as far as the front of Crusader 2.

 

The Daemon player manages to glance both Rhinos with Breath of Chaos, and rolls double 6s for damage, immobilizing both. The DP assaults the rearmost and blows it up. Meanwhile, the remaining 2 bloodletters try and hide in the shadow of the Fortress.

The game stands at 5-4 KP Daemonhunters, we roll a 3 to go on

 

Turn 6 "This is gonna be a close one!"

The BC and crew roll out of Crusader 1 and finish off the Bloodletters with the incinerator and stormbolters. Crusader 2 is blocked by the immobilized Rhino, and opens up with the MM on the Prince but fails to hit it. I dump the IST squad's melta onto the Prince and put another wound on it, 2 to go.

 

The DP wipes out the IST squad and consolidates into the shadow of one of the fortress ramps.

Game stands at 6-5 Daemonhunters, we roll a 4 to go on.

 

Turn 7 "Last chance baby!"

Either I kill the Prince or it ties up the game by blowing up the last Rhino, so I decide to go for broke and disembark the last IST squad. It puts a 3rd wound on the DP with the melta, but no luck searching for 6s with the other weapons; so sad.

 

The DP kills 2 of the ISTs in combat. Ah Ha! A chance at redemption! But alas, it was not meant to be and the ISTs fail to wound the DP. I need a 6 to pass Ld and stay in combat ftw. I roll a 7 and the ISTs head off the board.

Game ends 6-6 KP. Tie, both players get the secondary (Fateweaver and the GM GKTs).

 

This game got crazy at times, but was still cool as hell. Every turn was dramatic (and some cinematic), and both of us played as hard as we could. Besides just being a great game it was an incredibly valuable learning experience. Sometimes it's really important to just chill out a little bit and avoid rushing into things. Generally a good idea, but especially so when you're at a competitive table in late rounds. A fundamentally sound and detailed knowledge of the rules will also help in avoiding deployment mistakes. Had I known jump infantry could target the GK, I would have chosen the opposite board side and just castled the vehicles around the psycannons on turn 1 with good fire lane coverage. Having the squad alive on turn 2 would have made that game a lot easier from the get go.

 

Both of the other "in the chase" tables had really close games as well, which surprisingly resulted in my winning Best General. Although, there was a 2nd Best Overall, so I'm fairly sure I was actually 3rd in Battle Points. Still, not to shabby for Daemonhunters.

 

I know a lot of them don't check forums, but still. Thanks to Rob O'Byrne for running the tournament, all the different groups that provided terrain (all the boards had great coverage and well put together sets), and Michael, Richard and Mike for three great games. Especially that second one, you've got to be a real dude to take a game like that and be chill about it.

[Alanter]

Amazing batreps, best General!

 

I really enjoyed reading them. Flamers are nasty folks. :P

 

---> Pics please

[revnow]

Sorry, that pic from game 1 is the only one that turned out, and I was so focused I totally spaced taking pics of game 3.

[Archon_77]

Actually, the lighting as a whole was very very poor, and was the only real knock I had on the whole tourney, as it was very difficult for pics and sometimes hard to see certain units (*ahem* Brown GKT's). As for socializing, I didn't hold it against you, entirely too busy and an entirely long day to deal with. Nonetheless it was a great tourney, and an extremely well played list Rev.

 

Planning the same for Genghis, or are you taking someone new and exciting? (can't hurt to get some advanced intel, as it will be my first tourney :lol:)

[revnow]

Thanks,

 

It's likely I will play DH at least, although I may play Nightlords, we'll see what the Wrecking Crew chaps put together for scenarios. I'd like to play it fully painted and with a nice display board at at least one major tournament this year. If I can get the Guard army painted In time I may also run that, but I think its unlikely. It'll just come down to what's painted and what isn't.