XBA: The Spear of Telesto

[Xenith]

Hey Xenith, have you seen this?

https://www.shapeways.com/product/34C3JJVNS/ba-4th-company-banner?optionId=204196339&li=shops

 

We're living in times of wonder

 

Haha, oh lordy! Someone's been on the B&C for ideas!

 

Also, sold, next time I order. 

 

Edit: Taking a look at their shop, there's some cool stuff there, these look radical:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/LSP5KS8RF/ba-greek-skull-veteran-helmets?optionId=202163992&li=shops

Edited March 15, 2021 by Xenith

[Xenith]

So I got the first game of the tournament in last night, in the end this is the list I went with:

++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Blood Angels) ++

+ Configuration +

**Chapter Selection**: Blood Angels Successor, Tactical Withdrawal, Whirlwind of Rage

Battle Size: 2. Incursion (51-100 Total PL / 501-1000 Points)

Detachment Command Cost

+ Stratagems +

Stratagem: Angel Ascendant

+ HQ +

Sanguinary Priest: 2. Artisan of War, Artificer Armour, Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Jump Pack, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Angel Exemplar, Teeth of Terra, Warlord

+ Troops +

Incursor Squad
. . 4x Incursor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades
. . Incursor Sergeant

Infiltrator Squad: Helix gauntlet
. . 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. . Infiltrator Sergeant: Quake Bolts

+ Elites +

Sanguinary Guard
. . Sanguinary Guard: Angelus boltgun, Power fist
. . Sanguinary Guard: Angelus boltgun, Power fist
. . Sanguinary Guard: Angelus boltgun, Encarmine sword
. . Sanguinary Guard: Angelus boltgun, Encarmine sword
. . Sanguinary Guard: Angelus boltgun, Encarmine sword

Vanguard Veteran Squad: Jump Pack
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power sword, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Lightning Claw, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Lightning Claw, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Lightning Claw, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power sword, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power sword, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power fist, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power fist, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran: Power fist, Storm shield
. . Vanguard Veteran Sergeant: Storm shield, Thunder hammer

+ Fast Attack +

Attack Bike Squad
. . Attack Bike: Multi-melta
. . Attack Bike: Multi-melta
. . Attack Bike: Multi-melta

++ Total: [55 PL, 4CP, 999pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

So you'll see lots of familiar, comfortable units, and cramming as many melee monsters into my elite slots as possible. The original version of the list had an extra 3 sanguinary guard and no incursors, however after deeply looking at my list I saw that it really lacked backup scoring. While the infiltrators were good, I think in at least one game I'll have to sacrifice them which will hurt my scoring, especially if I have to do scramblers, or homer or something. 2 Phobos units allow for easy scramblers and some guerilla warfare shennanagins to get onto objectives so my main guys dont have to think about it.

From left field, this is also technically a Blood Angels Successor chapter, as I eschewed the Red Thirst as so much stuff seems to ignore it (DW) or counter it (DG) or render it not needed (e.g. powerfists v infantry). Statistically speaking, +1 to hit is the same as +1 to wound in terms of failed saves, but also 2 hits on a 6 is the same as +1 to hit in terms of average number of hits, so I felt confident that I could take Whirlwind of Rage and it would give the same overall wound distribution, but actually be better for fists/hammers. Whirlwind, unlike duellits or the other +1 to hit one works when charged, which is the big one.

The other thing I'd found is that being stuck in combat and not getting charge bonuses severely hampered my damage output. A vanguard veteran going from 4A on the charge to 2A isn't good, especially if I'm charged myself, so I went with tactical withdrawal, to allow me to fall back and charge. Combined with The fall back and shoot for bikes strat, my whole army could be engaged at the start of my command phase, fall back, and remain at peak affectiveness.

His list 5CP

Dynasty of free 6" move before the game starts

Overlord - res orb, magic res orb of 4+ res

Skorpekh Lord - trait/relic of +1 wound/turn regen on top of L.Metal

Nightbringer

16 Warriors

5 Scarab Swarms

3 Skorpekh Destroyers

Tournament rules have been decided on minimum sized tables of 30x44", and grand tournament only secondaries with codex secondaries banned. I think this was due to some grumbling from others, but they forget that they're a part of the rules and marines pay for access to them.

Mission: Incursion 31: Rise of the Machine Spirit
Primary: Take and Hold
My secondaries: Engage, Scramblers, WWSWF (attack bikes, vanguard, sanguard)
Opponents' secondaries: Cut off the head, Engage, Grind them Down

BAT1

Not too many pictures from this one as I was focussing on the game. Mission was table quarters with a large obscturcting duin in the centre. Infiltrators on my south west home objective, Incursors on south east uncontested, opponent on northeast. Infiltrators scrambled on my objective. I perhaps unwisely split my forces and went for the kill early on. His 6" pregame move exposed the Skorpekhs to the attack bikes which nuked them. One chaliced vangurd went into the warriors, the other unit into the skorpekh lord. Skorp lord was killed, but reanimated with a strat and got back up with 2w. vanguard killed 14 warriors almost wiping the unit, then consolidated into the lord.

NT1

Lord then used res orb in his turn and opponent rolled 12 4+'s on 14 dice, and suddenly 14 warriors were there, swarming the vanguard. Nightbringer floats toward my priest and infiltrators. Skorpek lord regens 2 wounds, charges vanguard that killed him, killing one. Nightbringer slaps mortals onto a few things. Scarabs go onto northwest objective.

BAT2

Infiltrators guerilla warfare the hell away from nightbringer and appear 9" from the scarabs. Incursors scramble in no mand land. Sanguard jump to lord and assault him. Priest resses a vanguard and heals a wound on the sanguard and 1 vanguard. Vanguard units move to engage the warriors, priest lands between. Bikes shoot and kill the skorp lord, who cant use the strat again and dies forever. Sanguard murder the overlord, 2x vanvets, priest and bikes charge into the remaining warriors, but fail to kill all, leaving 5.

NT2

Scarabs sit on objective, nightbringer moves towards priest, does a bunch of mortals to stuff. As I charged the attack bikes into combat, I'd opened up a 40mm gap between the priest, vv's and bikes. Nightbringer declared a multicharge needing a 10 to hit the priest, bikes were in combat so no overwatch. Nightbringer rolls....an 11! Insane. All his attacks into the priest, doing something like 11 wounds which cannot be saved, the vanguard unit gets lucky and knocks 3w off him with fist and claw. Take the head to the necrons.

BAT3

Things are looking thin. I have 2x2 Vanvets, 3 atb's and 4 sanguard all within 6" of a ctan on 6 wounds, or in combat already, plus 5 infiltrators, near the scarabs and 4 incursors. I do hold 2 objectives to one though. Incursors guerilla onto my home objective, sanguard fly back into cover onto the objective the incursors were on, infils move to the scarabs, on 2 man vv unit falls back from the ctan and move to the infiltrators to thin the scarabs, the other VV's fall back onto the opposing DZ objective and deploy scramblers, completing it. Atb's fall back, use the hit and run strat to fire into the ctan, knocking 3 more wounds off, leaving him on 3. Infiltrators shoot then charge the scarabs, VV's fail the charge. One scarab base remains.

NT3

Nightbringer regens to 4 Wounds and then moves to the bikes, insane mortal wound CTan power of roll 3 dice, each 4+ is D3 mortals drops 6MW on the sanguard killing 3. NBringer charges the bikers, and I declare overwatch, one last roll of the dice...6 multimelta shots...3 HITS! All wound, all saves failed, knocking Bringer down to 1 wound. Bringer then murders the bikes in return. Infiltrators finish off the scarabs.

BAT4

Things are swinging! I'm on all 4 objectives, done my scramblers, nightbringer is vulnerable. I bring the 2 vanvets from north to south to charge him needing a 4, and the last sanguinary guard moves to 1" away. Infiltrators guerilla warfare to the opposing DZ for LOS to the nightbringer, one last chance to take him down. Northwest VV's go onto that objective, far far from the nightbringers abilities. Infiltrators shoot, fail, save. Quake bolt misses. Incursors rapid fire, fail to do anything. Vanguard with hammer and claw, charge, all saved. Sanguinary guard charges with 5 fist attacks, 2 hits, 2 wounds, 2 failed saves. The Nightbringer is down.

BA on all 4 objectives, Necrons tabled.

Results end of T4:
My Objectives:
Take and Hold - 10+15+15+15 (45)
Engage - 2+2+3+3 (10)

Scramblers - 10 (10)

WWSWF - 10 (attack bikes, vanguard, sanguard) (10)
Painted - 10
Total - 85

Opponents' Objectives:
T&H - 10
Engage - 0
Cut off the head - 10

Grind them Down - 3
Painted - 10
Total - 33

Debrief

I took a gamble on whirlwind and tactical withdrawal and I think they really paid off. Yes there were a few instances where I could have done with wounding the nightbringer on a 2+ with a fist rather than 3+, but there were more instances where I rolled a double 6 to hit with a fist and got a bonus 2 hits. As I said at the start, it's all pretty much a wash in the end, i think statistically the damage is identical, unless you wound on a 2+ naturally, like fist vs marines, where whirlwind comes out on top. Fall back + charge was also really useful, allowing me to leverage additional attacks in the protracted combat with the never ending warriors, and keeping my attack bikes in the game by disengaging from targets for them, before charging back in. On the small table, I didn't really miss the +1 to charge. I rarely advance anyway. This is really just underlining how...bad the BA chapter trait is compared to others. White scars is by far the best and would work perfectly with my army, but then I wouldnt get to use the priest or sanguard - but could take more vanguard, who would then get D2+ in turn 3. Basically, WS should get fall back and charge, BA should get advance and charge.

My plan of the phobos units being a nuisance worked, and I used guerilla warfare almost every turn to keep them moving about and the pressure on. The small table also meant they could move on from a board edge and be almost on top of the objective. I need to protect the priest better, although it was a 10" charge, low probability, that saw him dead this game. That said, if the ctan had charged the attack bikes and killed them all in t2, then I wouldnt have been able to cripple him in the next 2 turns, so swings and roundabouts.

I'm still unsure between engage/Linebreaker and scramblers/Homer. Scramblers requires investment from a 100pt or so unit which can them not contribute that turn. Scouts are ideal for homer, but with my army I might not get it until t3, but that's still a potential 15pts. Scramblers is also end of turn, while homer is command phase, so you have to survive.

Linebreaker need me to be in their DZ, and offers more VP in total, but I might have to sacrifice board control. In this game I'd have only got 8 points from linebreaker as I ran away from the ctan, but if I'd taken it I may have left another unit in there to get the 12.

Tournament

That's a win under my belt. The format for the tournament is double elimination, so winners play winners, losers play losers, and you're only out once you've lost 2 games. Armies in the tournament are

Thousand Sons - Mixed (L)

Slaanesh Daemons - GD circus (W)

BA - 8th ed style list (L)

Death Guard - dread and drone list (W)

Custodes - ? Biker captain, 3x3 units, dread? (W)

Knights - 2 big ones and an armiger (L)

BA - Me (W)

Necrons - nightbringer (L)

Dark Angels - mixed wing <- plays the Death Guard next

Necrons - barge party <- plays daemons next, then I play the winner of that game.

GSC+Nids - Swarmlord + stealer friends <- plays custodes next

I had a semi-bye, and our game should have occurred in the second round, but we played early, meaning I get a week off and my opponent for the next game has to be decided, but it's between the Slaaneshi daemon circus run by a very competitive gamer, and another Necrons force run by someone with less experience/desire to win. My money is on the Slaanesh. The army I think pretty much looks like this:

Shelaxi Hellbane

Sylll-eske

2x 5 fiends

10 Daemonettes

+/- other stuff?

That's 2 greater daemon type things in 1k, that can all advance+charge and always strike first. At least I have a week to plan!

Edited March 16, 2021 by Xenith

[Xenith]

Update time! I've done some decent painting since the last upload, and here it is:

Flesh Eaters Invictor

Base colours are down, washes on, I'm doing some detailing, the need to shade the red and glue the pilot in before doing the abse and weathering.

Flesh Tearers Blade Guard

The FT member of my Bladeguard squad is coming along nicely, these models to look goood in FT colours.

Lamenters Eliminators

These guys are pretty much done bar drybrushing the stirland mud. As you can tell halfway through the unit I changed my mind on the texture paint, I'm not sure if I like astrogranite debris, it doesnt really look like either flat concrete or rubble Normal astrogranite might work better for a flat concrete style base, otherwise I think I'll go with my faithful stirland battlemore over urban themed plasticard and sector imperialis bases, which will work better with my other BA forces, but not my nids.

Sanguinary Guard

The Flesh Tearer was done first, but now so is the rest of the unit, bar the banner. No pics of them yet though

So far, this guy has done well and punched a C'Tan to death in y last game (see above).

[Xenith]

Back to attacking my Indomitus set, I've managed to add a Multimelta to an Eradicator, and It's looking pretty good I think! Hopefully they're still good in-game by the time I get paint on them...

Someone in my gaming group linked us to 'Pile of Potential' a model painting/tracking site for motivation. As one of my goals is to get Indomitus done, I stuck them in:

Getting there 4 Months to go until I've had this boxed set for a year (July release I think??)

Edited March 19, 2021 by Xenith

[Xenith]

My Invictor is pretty much there:

Just need to tidy the cables at the back, and then get a good photo.

[Majkhel]

My Invictor is pretty much there:

Just need to tidy the cables at the back, and then get a good photo.

Nice work on the walker!

Could you be persuaded into painting some cracks on the rockrete radiating from the stompy foot?

Edited March 22, 2021 by Majkhel

[Xenith]

That's a great idea! I'll have a go, but unsure if my skill level matches the ambition... 

[Majkhel]

Personally i'd do some black lines, with matching light-grey lines to suggest depth of cracks and highlighted edge. Alternatively - some light-grey lines with finer black lines in the middle of them. And not too many.

[dread05]

Tactical Squad Venusian, 1st Squad of the 4th Company of the Blood Angels.

The first tactical squad, led by Veteran Sergeant Venusian, are veterans of the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon, and have adapted their tactics to fighting the Ork. With the honoured position of being first through the breach, Squad Venusian is equipped with multiple flame weapons to roast the Xeno from it's redoubts.

The Flamer Bearer is particularly pious and vocal in his detestation of the alien, the mutant and the heretic, has been earmarked for greatness by the Chapter Chaplains, and been initiated into the Reclusium, the honour reflected in his black painted left arm armour.

Never noticed that squad before Xenith, looks like a different colour scheme from the rest and one I'd really like to know about.

[Xenith]

Tactical Squad Venusian, 1st Squad of the 4th Company of the Blood Angels.

Never noticed that squad before Xenith, looks like a different colour scheme from the rest and one I'd really like to know about.

I think in this case it might be more the lighting darkening the appearance. Those guys are the GW standard Mephiston red over a black undercoat, then an agrax+lahmian medium recess shade followed by a chunky edge highlight of evil sunz. I don't think I went further than that. I start painting them at this point in the thread, which has some closer up pics. It's functionally identical to the rest of the units (below), apart from squad 3 & 4 which were painted earliest and before GW changed the paint range. These were mechanicum red base, multiple layers of blood red, then red ink over the top.

[dread05]

Yea it could be the darkness but they def look more crimson and less red if you get my meaning.

[Xenith]

Nice work on the walker!

Could you be persuaded into painting some cracks on the rockrete radiating from the stompy foot?

Lets see if this will keep you quiet, @Majkhel:

On the whole model, it's subtle, but really adds to it, so thanks for pushing me!

Edited March 24, 2021 by Xenith

[Majkhel]

Now <I can't say> 

[Xenith]

Finally finished the big beastie. Guns magged and arms still posable:

Edited March 26, 2021 by Xenith

[Rhavien]

Gorgeous! I like it from fragstormlauncher to toe :)

[Xenith]

So in a weird twist, the Slaanesh Daemon player who I thought was a dead set to win their last game and be a tricky opponent for me lost their game against a mixed Necron list, and went into the losing bracket for the tourney. The game was close as far as I can tell and was just a few points in it, despite the Necrons being mostly tabled, the Slaanesh player was playing to kill, rather than playing the mission, and lost the game for it. 

 

That leaves me, the necrons, the mixed GSC/Tyranid army I played (and beat) before, and a Death Guard army, the natural enemy of the BA.

 

The necrons have a command barge, annihilation barge, probably a unit of warriors, immortals, small unit of scarabs, and one of the new crypteks. I'm recalling one of the doomsday stalkers, and maybe a tomb Spyder. Thankfully no C'Tan this time! Nothing massively scary there, but an experienced player so It'll be a good game.

 

The Death guard is an odd list featuring only armour: 1 Plagueburst crawler, 2 Hellbrutes, 2 bloat drones (could be the FW version), backed up with a unit of 3 quad bolter rapier platforms. I forget what the HQ choice is, but as far as I can tell, it just looks like a regular marine. Maybe it's a proxy for the darmon engine HQ DG get?

 

The GSCNids are revamped since last time I played them, I think now with Swarmlord, 10+ genestealers, ~30 devourer gaunts, Neurothrope, Abominant, 5 atalan jackals, 5 acolyte hybrids, probably some other stuff. 

 

Win Bracket:

BA (Me) vs Necrons

GSC+Nids vs Death Guard

 

The other games in the Lose bracket are:

 

Thousand Sons v Custodes (should be interesting)

The necrons I beat v another BA force 

Danger Slaanesh vs Imperial Knights

 

Things are hotting up!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job.

[Xenith]

Thanks Bjorn!

 

I managed to get my next tournament game in, against another Necron army

 

++ Patrol Detachment 0CP (Imperium - Adeptus Astartes - Blood Angels) ++

+ Configuration +

**Chapter Selection**: Blood Angels Successor, Tactical Withdrawal, Whirlwind of Rage

Battle Size: 2. Incursion (51-100 Total PL / 501-1000 Points)

Detachment Command Cost

+ Stratagems +

Stratagem: Angel Ascendant

+ HQ +

Sanguinary Priest: 2. Artisan of War, Artificer Armour, Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Jump Pack, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Angel Exemplar, Teeth of Terra, Warlord

+ Troops +

Incursor Squad
. . 4x Incursor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades
. . Incursor Sergeant

Infiltrator Squad: Helix gauntlet
. . 4x Infiltrator: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Marksman bolt carbine
. . Infiltrator Sergeant: Quake Bolts

+ Elites +

Sanguinary Guard
2 Fists, 2 Swords 1 Axe

Vanguard Veteran Squad: Jump Pack
Vanguard Veteran Sergeant: Storm shield, Thunder hammer

3x Vanguard Veteran: Power sword, Storm shield
3x Vanguard Veteran: Lightning Claw, Storm shield
3x Vanguard Veteran: Power fist, Storm shield

+ Fast Attack +

Attack Bike Squad
3x Attack Bike: Multi-melta

++ Total: [55 PL, 4CP, 999pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe

 

 

His list 5CP

Dynasty of free 6" move before the game starts, everything ObSec

Catacomb Command Barge, Voltaic staff

Royal Warden - relic gauss blaster?

Cryptek - Chronomancer? Veil of Darkness.

20 Warriors with Gauss Reapers

2x 5 Immortals, Gauss

5 Scarab Swarms

4 Scarab Swarms

Annihilation Barge

 

Mission: Incursion 32: Reconnaisance 
Primary: Take and Hold
My secondaries: Engage, Recon Sweep, Tele Homer
Opponents' secondaries: Cut off the head, Engage, Recon Sweep

 

A short game again. Mission was reconnaisance, so 4 objectives, table quarters, mission secondary looked easy so we both went for that, and it tied in with engage. Lots of actions to do in this mission, but I had my action monkeys to try an get it done.

 

I get SW quarter, he takes NE. We both deploy aggressively, almost to the edge of the no mans land circle in the map. He has immortals on each flank, warrior blob in the middle with the scarabs in front, CCB and AB right at the back with the Cryptek. My VV's are up front, in a circle around the priest (after last game), ATB's to their right, SG to their left. Infils went behind a ruin in the NW, Incursors on the SE objective. I win the roll for first turn. He makes his pre-game move towards me with the scarabs and warriors, the immortals push into the NW and SE quarters. 

 

BAT1

Priest grails the VV's and Chalice overflows the SG. VV's jump over the bastion in the middle to land 1.5" from the scarab screen, and 5" from the warriors behind, with space to get between them on the charge. SG jump close to the other scarabs and immortals. Priest lands in the middle of the VV to keep him safe, bikes tuck in behind. Infils move out onto the NW objective, Incursors move north onto SE. Bikes bolter the scarabs for not much, and multimelta the Anni Barge, getting 3 wounds but he popped the strat for a 4+ invun, and rolled 556, meaning it lived for now. Infils quake bolt the 20 man warrior unit, killing one, while the rest shoot the scarabs, doing not much. Then the hammer falls. VV's multicharge into scarabs and warriors, priest goes into the scarabs, SG go into the NW scarabs and Immortals. Warriors overwatch with the set to defend protocol, 40 gauss reaper shots kill 2 vanguard, but they get a 7 and make it to combat. Priest attacks killing 2 bases vanguard cannot all get into the warriors, so 1 fist hits the scarabs leaving one alive. 7 Vanvets hit the warriors, Thammer, 3 claws, 2 fists, Sword. 32 attacks with +1 to hit and exploding 6's managed to wipe out the remaining 19 warriors...just...meaning they can't get back up. That was close. I keep forgetting to use Hammer of Wrath even with the cards this time, which would have dropped another 3-4 mortals onto the Warriors, making things easier. I need to do better on that. 

 

Sanguinary guard went 2 swords +fist into immortals and axe+fist into the scarabs, wiping them all. The one remaining scarab base then blew up, but failing to wound my Priest Olburoc. I get 2 for engage.

 

Score is BA 2 - 0 Necrons

 

Necron T1. 

My opponent was a bit dismayed. Crypek veil of darknessed onto my home objective where he would be safe, CCB flew at my VV's on a mission to kill the priest, not much else.  Immortals shoot the incursors, I smokescreen and they kill 2. Tesla destructors shot the VV's, getting a million hits, dynastic code of 6's to hit is -1 AP, but storm shields saved the day, and they took maybe 1 wound. Malevolent arcing put a mortal onto the ATB's and my priest. Voltaic staff, gauss blasters and a bunch of other stuff shot the attack bikes, killing 2 and taking the last to 1 wound. CCB then multicharges the VV's, priest and ATB's rolling a 12. The long nose of the CCB can just slide through a gap between an attack bike and a Van vet to get within 1" of the priest. Bloody hell. One voltaic staff to the sternum later, and my priest is dead  Vanguard strike back with lots of attacks, seeing as they were charged, and take the things down to 2W. Necrons get 13 points for cut off the head and 2 for engage. 

 

BA 2 - 15 Necrons.

 

BAT2.

 

I'm now on 3 objectives to the necrons 1, so a big 15 to start. The incursors also start a recon sweep. Infils dot do anything. They shoud have guerilla'd somewhere. VV's fall back from the CCB towards the AB, SG jump over the CCB to land between and equidistant from the Immortals and CCB. Attack bike falls back. 

 

Hit and run warfare on the attack bike, which multimeltas the hell out of the CCB, killing it. SG charge the Immortals, wiping them, and the VV's charge the AB, taking a wound or two going in from overwatch, but largely failing to do much due to quantum shielding hampering my hammers and fists. The Necrons only have the AB and Cryptek left, I get 3 for engage, 15 for holding 1, 2 and more, and 3pts for 1 recon sweep.

 

BA 23 - 15 Necrons

 

Necron T2

Crytek holds the SW objective for 5. Cryptek moves forwards and lances the attack bike, killing it easily. Barge shoots into my VV's killing 1. VV's wipe it out in melee in return. After that, with only the cryptek remaining versus 5 sanguard, 6 vanguard, 3 incursors and 5 infiltrators, my opponent called it. 

 

BA 23 - 20 Necrons.

 

Playing through the rest of the game, I had 4 super mobile units, and had 3 turns to do actions. I'd get 3x repair homer, and finish the table quarters recon sweep, at the expense of dropping a point in engage. 

 

 

Results end of T2 (theoretical end of T5):
My Objectives: 
Take and Hold - 15 (45)
Engage - 2+3 (13)

Repair Homer - 0 (12)

Recon Sweep - 1/4 (15)
Painted - 10
Total - 33 (95)
 
Opponents' Objectives: 
T&H - 5 (10)
Engage - 2 (2)
Cut off the head - 13 (13)

Recon Sweep - 0 (0)
Painted - 10
Total - 30 (35)

 

At this point I think I'm definitely in the top 4 - If I lose both my next games I think I finish 4th overall. My next opponent will be between the GSC/Nids mash or the Death guard hellbrute army, whoever wins their game - I get a week off at least! Both will be tough, if I face DG, they will have 3 wins under their belt, and the GSC player will have 2 under theirs. In a weird twist, the Daemons player lost against the knights on points and is out. I really didnt think that would happen, the daemons have so much fast scoring. Weirdly, I feel the strongest list remaining in the lower bracket is the necrons with Nightbringer I faced in my first game. That player has definitely learned from it, and if we meet again, it'll be a hell of a tough match up!

Edited March 30, 2021 by Xenith

[smileyjim]

Nice. Whys your list blacked out?

[Xenith]

It shouldnt be? It's in spoilers so I dont have to keep repeating it, but there might be a background on it from battlescribe.

Try now?

[Majkhel]

Congratulations! A good game, although it seems it could be "interesting", if you lost the roll-off to go first.

[Xenith]

Congratulations! A good game, although it seems it could be "interesting", if you lost the roll-off to go first.

 

Potentially, I'd have taken fire from both Immortal units and another round from the Annihilation barge. I dont have a photo of the board, but I was pretty well covered with LOD blocking terrain in the middle, his unit of warriors could only really have targeted my bikes, unless he veil of darknessed them behind me (didnt think of that one). If I'd gone second, I'd have lost the attack bikes (opponent was focussing on them), but the rest of my assault units would have been largely ok. 

[DistractionTacMarine]

How did you charge the VV in T2 after falling back? Great win!

[Xenith]

How did you charge the VV in T2 after falling back? Great win!

 

My guys aren't BLOOD ANGELS but BlOoD AnGeLs, a successor, using the Whirlwind of Rage and Tactical Withdrawal traits. I go intothe theory behind it a few posts above, but I think that the BA traits are actually pretty weak this edition, especially as they're so easily countered or turned off, and playing on small boards mean I rarely need the +1 to charge. I rarely advance stuff so that part of the rule is useless, while fall back and charge keeps me from being in protracted combats and boosts mobility while not sacrificing killing power. 

[Quixus]

Can we mix and match traits now too? I thought that was only for vanilla marines. What do we lose in that case?