2 Very Brief Batreps

[Prot]

I just had a couple more games....

1. VS. Tyranids: Maelstrom 1850:

Short version: I won.

Long version: My goal in testing all of the Auxiliaries at least once within a Gladius only, is nearly complete. That game I finally took 1st Co alongside the Demi-Co and LibCon. My opponent's list looked very good, but I had first turn, and I think the entire game came down to this:

- He made a deployement error. I took a long shot, but it's what I do.... Tiggy + LibCon + Sternguard + Sicarius came down in a pod right behind his warlord in his corner of the table. He did not bubble wrap properly and gave me too much room behind him.

I took the chance, and deviated right behind his Melanthrope/warlord. I did get off 'deny cover' with Tiggy but he actually blocked it with a lucky roll. Next I twin linked the squad, chose poison rounds and saturated the Melanthrope with wounds.... Scoring First Blood/Slay the Warlord/and line breaker in one turn plus an objective. He was severely demoralized and I felt bad, but I can't..... not try...

Anyway he continued to play without his warlord, and made a very good comeback as usual with Ultra's I have poor close combat resistance. I felt it was my opening turn that won me the game.

My opponent accused his army at being too bad at Maelstrom, and accused mine of being too strong..... what else is new?

GAME 2:

Vs. Blood Angels.

- In this game I faced a formation I hadn't seen before. It was apparently out of a White Dwarf and it was really good.... 3 Stormravens came in and unleashed a pile of ObSec stuff on me in turn 1 from reserves. Honestly, it caught me off guard and I was in big trouble.

- I went back to Strormwing Aux for my Gladius with LibCon, but I made a mistake....I actually hate telepathy but I fished for 'Invis' and of course didn't get it so my expensive LibCon was fairly mediocre.

- The game went back and forth a lot, I gave up first blood when his three Stormravens concentrated every shot on my Centurion Squad. Wow.... that was some serious firepower. Those guys went down like a Popsicle in July. I was in trouble...

- My flyers all came in but he had first turn so I got to fire evreything at full BS but he jinked all but one glance... more problems...

- His stuff has a special rule: If a deep striking unit comes down between 2 of the 3 Stormravens, he can assault out of deep strike! This was more pain.... I had Ultra's falling every where, and I did pick up the odd point but we were tied going into turn 3.

- Side Note: ObSec was so huge in this game, we actually had a moment where we both had a card for Objective 3 which we were both sitting on, pouring ObSec troops into to stop a potential swing of the game.

- I use LibCon, + Tacticals + Sicarius as a mop up squad and start kililng his remnants. I could not kill anything all game with shooting... even twin linked shooting. It was rough.

- Finally LibCon and Sicarius meet up with his HQ, and 2 remnant squads, but I get lucky and smoke through them...But his HQ Libby and Sanguinary Guard are a different story. I just have nothing to go against AP 2 combat... it's the greatest weakness of Ultramar's 'greatest swordsman' Sicarius. lol

- I make a massive tactical error....so used to fronting Tiggy in LibCon I should have challenged with my AP3 sword wielding Libby instead. But no... this would cost me my Warlord, Tiggy.

- I pull out a 5 point turn, and he can't recover the game ends just in time.... I get the win. Great game though.

- Moment of Ultramarine History Never to be Remembered: 5 Assault squad members with 2 flamers from my Gladius gloriously try to rush into ruins to save the day from the BA.... 5 of them land on the second floor, I roll 4 x 1 for their difficult terrain. Now I roll 4 more 1's for their armour saves, and they die! That's 8 ones in a row! hehe.... so with only the Sarge left (That's how it worked out) He looked at his dead buddies.... promptly failed his moral test and broke, running 11".... about an inch from off the table!

I just... don't like that squad... and if it weren't for filler in Demi-Co they'd be gone.

Anyway... 2 more games this week but I may take hiatus from Ultra. Might be time to pull out Crons or Grey Knights.

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From the game :

I wanted to show my own photoshop elite skills off here.... and this was a perfect opportunity.

My friend plays Blood Angels and I was playing my Ultra's and in past games I always accused him of using his "Chapter Formation" far too often. I accused him of taking the form of his chapter icon too literally when forming up in a defensive stance on the battlefield. He literally didn't know what I was talking about, but low and behold in this game he did it again!

I had to stop the game and take a brief picture to illustrate the awesome defensive maneuver of Baal's finest and email it to all our friends.

This guy seriously does this nearly every game, and typically when he's in front of flamers. He literally makes sure that it would be nearly -impossible= to miss ANY of his squad with a single 'tear drop' shaped template.

[Jolemai]

Angel's Fury Spearhead Force from White Dwarf 47. At 1020 point base you pay dearly for it but it is one of our more powerful Formations. Always nice to see a BA report, so thanks :)

[phoenix01]

Yes, I have always wondered why players group their squads into tight little bunches. It is so much better to spread out to minimize the effect of template weapons, but of course I always end up with a clustered "frag missile target" squad no matter what I start off with.

[Ishagu]

Ah, great read as always!

You're lucky to have a wide variety of opponents, I haven't fought Tyranids in a while :-(