Sunday 28 July 2013

Golden throne GT: a test run


I am currently visiting the bay area in california and as I am here next weekend two I decided I would sign up for the Golden Throne tournament. So I brought my toys with me transatlantic once again (I don't know if there is many armies out there with more airmiles than mine).  I dropped up to my good friends at Frontline gaming to see if I could get a game in with anyone who was about.

So first a few things about the tournament. It is 2000 points double force org and allows forgeworld 40k approved. So writing a list is a litle convoluted as you just have sooooo many options to choose from.
I am also expecting some horrendous cheese at this but given I will unlikely be able to play through all 7 games (I have to hop on a flight to San Diego on Sunday evening) it doesn't really matter to me.

I'll bring a good list and just hope to have some fun.

So after rocking up to frontline gaming Frankie said he would fancy a game himself.

Being a proud cheesemonger of chaos he decided to bring just about my worst match up and most peoples worst nightmares.... 6  helldrakes in one list!! supported by 4 cultists, Abbaddon (warlord) 3 oblits and a chaos lord on a bike (for abaddon slingshot) and a comms relay.

My list is
Bel Ananth (mymeara farseer who is expensive but comes with fortune as a default)
Wraithseer with D-cannon (forgeworld also)
Spiritseer
9 Wraithguard
3* 3 bike squads
3 warwalkers (scatterlaser / starcannon mix)
2 Hornets with shurikens)
Wraithknight
2* 8 warpspiders
Baron sathonyx
10 DE warriors with splinter cannon
Ravager with disintegrators

so a list that can generally deal with either ignore cover or mass ap 3... however both together is not cool. baleflamers and vector strikes are not my friend!! It is also quite a mixed bag of units but heh that means lots of tools.


Pregame:
I win sides and first turn and it is not night fight.
Spiritseer powers are a bit lame so switch to conceal  and keep enervate (-1S)
My warlord trait was deepstrike in 6 is no scatter ... don't remember Frankies but is abaddons standard one.
Mision is 3 objectives Vanguard strike.
I set up my wraithguard unit and IC's in the middle - wraithseer and wraithknight on left flank, ravager in building in the corner and warriors in a 3 layered building. - spread out my little friends!

frankie sets up with 1 unit of cultists and the oblits/ abaddon / bike lord in the center.

First turn
Ravager, wraithknight and wraithseer target abaddon and co. Good saving from Frankie means only 1 oblit dies (to the D-cannon), 1 wound to abaddon. Hmm not so good.
I also move up in the center. Putting abaddon in charge range at about 16 inches (he has the bike lord so this isn't far) I am hoping that he either fails the charge or I challenge out either the lord / abaddon and lose a few wraithguard but then slingshot onto the comms relay.

Frankie does indeed charge with Abaddon and co.
I put another wound on an obliterator on the way in and frankie rolls just 4" which is just enough to both keep him in and enough to keep my spiritseer out of combat BOOOO. So the baron has to accept the challenge of the lord (putting 1 wound on him) and abaddon gets to go all smashy on the wraithguard killing 5  and the spiritseer (first blood) eek!.
On the plus side the tactic isn't a complete fail as I hit and run to beside the comms relay as planned and abaddon and co. are in the open in front of my army.

Turn 2
reserves 1 warpsider comes in (the other came in too but had a mishap back to reserves), The hornets and 2 bike squads.

Warpspider 1 deepstrikes in beside bel ananth and they open up on abaddon... killing 1 wounded oblit, the hornets add their fire and do 1 wound to the other oblit. The wraithcannon hits and wounds abaddon but he makes his invuln, the Dcannon scatters off .
The dissie ravager then steps up.. does 8 hits and then rolls....1 wound...  BAH!
At least abaddon has the good grace to take that 1 wound to the face. So after all that shooting I did 3 wounds - nice work guys! I'm sure Abaddon is bemused by the woefully arranged fire power!

Bel ananth, the baron and the remaining 4 wraithguard charge the cultists killing them... so at least no rerolls for the 6 helldrakes.

In the chaos turn 4 helldrakes turn up and 2 cultist units (who head for the comms relay area). 3 of the drakes vector strike the wraithguard killing the troops but the 2 characters survive. 13 wounds rolled up so good saving by the baron / bel ananth. Frankies vector strikes were hot the entire game as well.
The helldrakes then flame the warpspiders 3 times killing them all ( 1 uses demon forge and takes a wound) and the final flamer is put on bel ananth and the baron doing 2 wounds.  Unfortunately the baron fails his rerollable 2+ but heh he made about 10 saves this turn so not terrible.

Abaddon and his bike lord buddy decide they can take on the wraithseer who flames them on the way in putting another wound on the lord. The wraithseer challenges out abaddon and proceeds to cleave him in two with his wraithspear.  Warlord earned. The lord on a bike stays in combat but looks very nervous...

Turn 3.
Warpspiders 2 show up and deep strike in beside bel ananth who joins them. They do 1 hull point to the nearest helldrake in the rear. The last bike squad and the warwalkers also show up. The warwalkers do a few hits but no hull points and the hornets fail to hit at all.
In other shooting the wraithknight penetrates a helldrake but rolls a 1 for a stun (at least he failed his ignore stun roll)
The ravager hides behind a building as he has no targets.
In combat the wraithseer rips the chaos lord in half easily and moves off towards the comms relay.

Chaos turn - the 2 remaining helldrakes and last cultist unit turn up and vector / flame warpspider 2 to death.
The stunned heldrake vector strikes the warriors and kills 3. The remaining heldrakes each head for a bike squad. all 3 demon forge and kill all 9 bikes... uh oh looking light on troops now.
Bel ananth is still alive after all the warpspiders get killed around him.. charmed life! he then gets charged by the cultists and in the ensuing challenge nothing happens. Fortunately Bel Ananth is surrounded so the other 2 units can't charge him as well.


Turn 4.
The wraithknight and wraithseer head for the cultists  (getting behind the helldrakes) . the Ravager gets rear arc on another helldrake as do the Hornets. Both Hornets, the 3 warwalkers and the ravager put 1 hull point on the heldrakes between them. The wraithknight also gets another pen. but once again rolls a 1.
The Wraithseer carries on down the middle and kills a few cultists with his d cannon. Bel ananth and the cultists slug it out again this time bel ananth kills him so an open space allows for another charge.
The wraithseer also makes a charge and kills a unit of culitsts.

Chaos turn 4.

The warriors get vector striked into oblivion - I am now officially troopless.
The  warwalkers  are also killed off as 4 of the helldrakes leave the table.
A second squad charges bel ananth but he challenges again killing that champion.


Turn 5
Wraithseer kills off another cultist squad and  Bel Ananth survives another round of combat with the last remaining unit of cultists. The

2 remaining heldrakes leave the table and all 4 returning ones vector strike and flame the wraithknight... they do just 5 wounds so he stays alive. Chaos only have 6 troop models left at this point and all of them are in combat away from objectives.


The turn ends and the dice roll throws up a 1!!

The eldar actually manage to claim a victory as I have Warlord and linebreaker versus first blood for Frankie.

Good fun game against a fun player in the end but I really have no great desire to play 6 heldrakes again next weekend!



















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