Armand's Crusade for spoons

[Closet Skeleton]

I have a one day 1750pt tournament next weekend between two bigger tournaments. Last weekend I gave my Death Guard a retirement outing at warhammer world and at the end of the month I'm bringing Tyranids to Cardiff but that's a 2000 point tournie so I can't practice for it at the 1750 event. Since this is a nearby one day tournie I can take whatever army I want without worrying about spending money on hotels only to get my ass kicked.

But my Black Templars were built for 5th ed and then late 7th ed and I only have one week to get my crusade ready.

Marshall Armand and his loyal chaplain brother Roul were rebased onto 32mm earlier this year, they haven't really been on the field since 5th ed. They need a little work.

I picked these up as my souvenir from the GT. I could vow them in Knightfall but they're going to be split up as unit champions.

Then I just have a bunch of other guys to get ready to join my existing models.

[Hawklynn]

Good luck.

[Marshal Vespasian]

I'm using old metal swordbrethren for my crusader squads. Its a great look, really cool models. I also really like your standard bearer.

I will be interested to hear your input on templars in 8th as a returning tournament player. I havent played a game since AOBR was current, so I am always keen to hear more experienced players input.

[Closet Skeleton]

Two new plasma gunners and some sword brethren crusader squad leaders for the crusade.

Got to get them undercoated tonight to be ready on time.

I was going to bring my old fighting company champion, but since he's a character now I thought he shouldn't be the only plastic one in the army. So instead of my Marshall's bodyguard here's a new Castellan and his champion. I wanted to give the champion an elevated base so I put together some spare front bits from the Venerable Dreadnought kit that should look like a buried wreck once I add the snow effects.

I will be interested to hear your input on templars in 8th as a returning tournament player. I havent played a game since AOBR was current, so I am always keen to hear more experienced players input.

They're marines, marines aren't great. I've been using Chaos marines who are slightly better.

[Closet Skeleton]

I got to about this state on wednesday before papa Nurgle decided to get revenge for me shelving my Deathguard army and struck me down with a nasty cold.

I've made quite a lot of progress despite being unable to do little more than sit in a chair all day but whether or not I'll be well enough to leave the house tomorrow is unknown.

Updating for 8th ed isn't all about adding in more plasma and comb-weapons-

-but it is mostly about that.

Knightfall vow

Here's my planned list for non-competitive zealotry

Player Name: Alex Cable

Army Faction: Black Templars

Total Command Points: 12

Total Army Points: 1750

Battallion Detachment, Black Templars Chapter [1152 points], +5 cp

HQ1: Captain (74), power sword (4), storm shield (15) – Warlord

[93pts]

HQ2: Lieutenant (60), master crafted boltgun (3), chainsword (0)

[63pts]

TR1: 9 Intiates (117), 1 sword brother (13), 9 neophytes (99), power axe (5), meltagun (17), power maul (4), combi-melta (19), 15 chainswords/combat knives (0), 18 bolt pistols (0)

[274pts]

TR2: 9 Intiates (117), 1 sword brother (13), 9 neophytes (99), pair of lightning claws (12), meltagun (17), power sword (4), 10 chainswords/combat knives (0), 18 bolt pistols (0), 5 shotguns (0)

[262pts]

TR3: 9 Intiates (117), 1 sword brother (13), 9 neophytes (99), combi-plasma (15), plasma gun (13), power sword (4), rocket launcher (25) 16 boltguns (0), 18 bolt pistols (0)

[286pts]

EL1: Company Ancient (63), storm bolter (2)

[65pts]

EL1: Apothecary (55), bolt pistol (0)

[55pts]

EL1: Company Ancient (40), combat shield (4), master crafted power sword (10)

[54pts]

Battallion Detachment, Black Templars Chapter [598 points], +5 cp

HQ1: Chaplain (72), bolt pistol (0), crozius arcanum (0)

[72pts]

HQ2: Emperor's Champion (75)

[75pts]

TR1: 4 Intiates (52), 1 sword brother (13), 2 plasma pistols (14), plasma gun (13), plasma cannon (21) 1 boltgun (0), 4 bolt pistols (0), 1 chainsword (0)

[88pts]

TR2: 4 Intiates (52), 1 sword brother (13), 2 grav pistols (14), grav gun (15), heavy bolter (10) 1 boltgun (0), 4 bolt pistols (0), 2 chainswords (0)

[106pts]

TR3: 4 Intiates (52), 1 sword brother (13), power axe (5), plasma gun (13), power sword (4), 4 bolt pistols (0), 4 chainswords (0)

[88pts]

DT1: Rhino (70), storm bolter (2)

[72pts]

DT2: Rhino (70), storm bolter (2)

[72pts]

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Your models look good.

[Closet Skeleton]

Well this was a while ago.

Not sure I'll bother with the full tournament report but I had this written just when the forum went down so might as well copy and paste what I have saved.

I couldn't find any snow, so my new models had to go to the tournie unbased.



Some of the upgraded models had bases, others made do with a whitewash.



Game 1 was Contact lost vs Sisters and Knights




Turn 1-2 I lost my 19 man bolter squad and Fighting Company Ancient to Celestine and 2 units of Seraphim, but did okay holding ground with the rest of my army. 3 characters ran back into my deployment zone to get me Hold the Line.




2 Crusader squads charged in, one merely harassing an Armiger while the other hacked apart a wounded Repressor despite suffering heavy damage from overwatch.



After doing 1 wound with his first round of attacks and a few more with 3cp on fighting again, the Emperor's champion stuck big on the second turn of combat and cut the Gallant down.

However my perfidiuous opponent poured a bunch of command points into making the Gallant blow up, taking the Castellan, Emperor's Champion, a 5 man squad and a few flamer Dominions with him.



Turn 4 I had two models on Defend Objectives, but foolishly discarded one of them in the assumption that I could not hold it. His two armigers then rolled awfully and my battered Crusader squad survived while their paired unit finished off Saint Celestine (but not permanently).

We ran out of time, thanks to his Seraphim running into my deployment zone for Linebreaker the game was a draw 4 to all. I had about 15-20 models left.

[CastellanDeMolay]

Sounds like a close battle, you had some tough breaks there. 

[Closet Skeleton]

Game 2, can't remember the mission, something maelstrom.

Catachan deployment:

Templar deployment

This many marines made it up from the footslogging detachment.

The heavy bolter crusader squad came out from their rhino to charge a Leman Russ. The Emperor's Champion failed his charge to support them while other characters from the same rhino spread out.

The Marshall and Lieutenant managed to work together to kill a single Leman Russ Punisher in melee (probably finished off a sentinel at the same time, can't remember).

Straken then charged forwards and killed the Emperor's Champion. Two other characters (can't remember which ones but it wasn't the Marshall) then charged in and died in valiant combat against the man of adamantium while the others were dishonorably shot to pieces.

Chaplain Roul dueled a sentinel for a bit before getting gunned down by artillery.

[Brother Christopher]

A true record of heroic deeds! The games look extremely fun. Thanks for sharing!

[Closet Skeleton]

A true record of heroic deeds! The games look extremely fun. Thanks for sharing!

Game 2 was kind of a depressing forgone conclusion but embarrassingly losing 3 characters in melee to Straken at least made it a little more interesting than simply removing my models. I lost a ton of marines a turn every game but that Guard army was just on another level.

Game 3 Armand finally found some perfidious Xenos to purge.

Templar Deployment, two 5 man crusader squads in the top rhino, other rhino had a bunch of characters.

Tau 'Empire' Deployment, there were also some Kroot hounds hiding at the bottom and a ton of drones in deep strike.

Turn 1 Tau drew I think Kingslayer and or Assassinate, so they called Mont'ka and went in for the kill.

But Armand was able to proudly present his Stormshield to the cowardly Xenos assasasins and survived their fusion guns on 1 wound.

The 5 man rhino squad got out along with the Emperor's Champion and Chaplain Roul to help the lieutenant/Castellan deal with the Tau assassins while Armand bravely hobbled off to join the apothecary and the rest of the advancing Templars.

The bottom crusader squad surged forth to take the Tau Fireblade (their warlord)'s position and three units of firewarriors advanced to meet them in rapid fire range.

But the foolish Xenos underestimated the ceremite might of the Imperium and enough crusaders were able to charge through their hails of fire to finish off their hated foe.

The cowardly Tau warlord before the crusader squad overwhelmed his position and claimed some points dragging out the equally craven marksman who had held ground only in that he had hid rather than run. The sons of Dorn stood defiantly even as they were felled from afar.

The Tau firebase re-positioned, forcing the advancing crusaders to temporarily shelter in the central swamp land. Armand found his men torn apart by the thunderous might of the alien war-engines, but thanks to his men's sacrifice, a trusty storm shield and the apothecary's touch he was able to once again weather the storm. Armand sneered, knowing that the foul aliens hatred for him could not match his own.

The xenos firepower was almost entirely overwhelming, nether the less the Fighting Company Champion bravely held his shield eternal up high against the onslaught, covering Armand and his loyal apothecary regretfully moving away to spite the Xenos' perverse desire for his head.

I threw a bunch of characters in a rhino for protection for a turn while they caught up from having finished off the coldstar assassins but foolishly left the Emperor's champion out so he got smulched.

The battered crusaders were unable to make a mark against the miasma of drones buzzing around the xenos' battlesuits, but flaunted their opponent's attempts to drive them from the field.

Meanwhile Armand was able to maneuver around the mesa he had been dishonourably forced to cower behind and redeemed himself by charging a lone unit in the Tau lines, scoring a maelstrom card and linebreaker for the crusade.

Not a photo of bigfoot honest, this is actually my Marshall and his warlord and a bunch of drones.

That was the end of the tournament, so we counted up points and somehow Armand's last ditch charge had swayed things into a draw.

With 2 draws and one loss, I failed to come last and was 20th out of 24 instead. But it turned out there wasn't a wooden spoon anyway.