I am trying to remember every army that made it through to the knockout stages I think it was
SpaceMarines/Spacewolves Reece
6 ravager DE Frankie
Fateweaver Demons Liz
Eldar with tau allies Adam
Suit heavy Tau Paul
Chaos Mike
I'm missing one so apologies to that player but I think it was another Tau player with a beautiful green army.
I was looking forward to the mission as it was the scouring with DOW which my army is great at and was also hoping to finally play something that didn't have loads of AP3 or ignore cover or both.
So bad news in the draw on both fronts!!
The mission was changed for a long table edge 3 objectives mission (can't remember exactly why) . My list does not like long table edge missions so I was pretty disappointed by this especially as the game the previous day while very tactical was very much a stand off at range.
and I draw Tau again Boo. But Paul was another absoloute gentleman to play... so how did the game go? Read on....
Army
1 Ion riptide Intercept
3 Tetras
3* 8 firewarriors
2* 10 Kroot + hound
Commander helpful in a 3 man crisis bodyguard+ drones
Shadowsun with 2 man plasma unit
2 plasma unit
2 plasma unit
2*2 broadsides with 4 missile drones Intercept
Skyray
So tons of range, good outflankers / deepstrikers a very solid list ... gonna be tough!
Setup
firstly I am an idiot and forget that this is short table edge setup D'oh
I win the role for objectives and put one in an LOS building on the far right side A
Paul puts his diagonally opposite in a building (near left side) B
I put my last one on the near right side behind a big high hill C
Powers: Pauls warlord gets no scatter deepstrike (great for this mission), my warlord gets nothing good again (redeploy)...he needs to get with the programme and roll well for once! Unfortunately my Spiritseer also flubs again enervate and conceal - both pretty useless against tau.
I win the turn to go first the baron saving me once again.
I take the near end of the table and my view is something like the image below red squares show where the objectives were.
I set up my Wraithguard and Wraithseer behind terrain out of range of pretty much all guns. Statement being this objective is MINE :)
The warriors take the top level of the building with objective B and the Wraithknight backs them up.
The Hornets and walkers outflank and the spiders deepstrike.
Paul sets up all his broadsides out of LOS with some firewarrior buddies, the riptide and Skyray hangout around the LOS terrain as well.
Turn 1
First turn I shuffle around but nothing much. Paul steps his Riptide forward a little and boosts his tetras down the right flank. End of turn. ooh exciting
Turn 2
All of my reserves show up (this is bad this early) . My bikes all hide / stay back on my baseline the hornets, warwalkers outflank to shoot at the Tetras. The Warpspiders however have an awful time finding anywhere that is even moderately useful and moderately safe. In the end I have to deepstrike them in high risk locations . Fortunately for me the Broadsides SMS's only kill a handful and the riptides large blast scattered off. Whew.
It took the combined fire of the Warpspiders / Warwalkers and Hornets to kill the 3 tetras. Awful rolling but got there in the end (48 S6 Bs4 shots) So first blood for me. The other warp spiders scattered a bit too far and had a few pot shots at the side armour of the Skyray 1 pen, rolled a 1 damn would have been nice to destroy those missiles oh well! They do manage to jump away but only 2 make it behind a hill for safety
As expected Tau guns are pointed at the only unit in the Tau half of the table and blast all but the 2 hidey warpspiders away. A small squad of firewarriors comes on the board edge to try and kill the warpspiders but they have a charmed life.
Down my end of the table the Tau's reserve rolls are poor but the 2 kroot units and the 2 man crisis suit team turn up (shadowsun & the commander stay off) I'm not sure if that is good for me or not. Pauls kroot come on the left flank between the warriors, spiders , warwalkers and hornets.
The first kroot squad fluff killing warp spiders - revenge will be sweet! The plasma crisis do 4 pens on the warwalker squad killing 2 of them). the second kroot squad crowd around the crisis squad to prevent the charge of an angry nearby wraithknight.
Turn 3
With no reserves and little movement I am all of a sudden I am faced with a wall of kroot. The remaining war walker, kills a bunch of the first squad who break and run, this opens up the charge lane for the Wraithknight who looks pissed that his little buddies got blasted he subsequently flings them around like the little suits they are one of them does get off a double 6 to put a wound on him though git! The warpspiders showed the second squad how dakka works, then charged the remnants of both squads and wiped them out. This was actually a bit of a tough call as I was in charge range of both broadsides and I could have taken both of them out with some luck as they were very strung out. The kroot were scoring though so I went for them, but I regreted not taking the chance. The warpspiders in the top corner also charge the little firewarrior squad (I forgot to shoot them) 1 dies from overwatch and the other falls over to a single wound.
The broadsides start to make the long walk into range of targets.
The skyray takes a few shots at the Wraithknight and does nothing. The crisis team drop in and shadowsun and her crisis team do the same... Shadowsun and crisis manage to kill both hornets and the warwalker (ouch). The commander and his squad do one better and kill the Wraithknight. Which he was anticipating and I certainly wasn't 12 shots needing 6's to wound, he did have monster hunter but he hit with everything and rolled 5 6's on his first batch of shooting. Damn it I had great plans for him!! The warpspiders are reduced to just a few models too by broadside fire.
Turn 4
As my left flank starts to collapse I start the wraithseer over to that side (should have done it last turn) with FNP up. My remaining warriors, and 2 bike squads prepare for the charge.. tau are crap in combat right??
I have no ranged shooting now aside from the wraithseer who puts his D cannon on the commanders head, it scatters away hugely though.
In the charge I lose 2 of 4 warriors in Overwatch. The bikes have chosen their angles well and can't really be overwatched with more than a handful of shots and they all make it into combat . The bikes /warriors who charge shadowsun do almost nothing. The Warriors are picked on and die but the bikes holdfast. In the other combat The bikes have chosen a great charge angle a crisis suit dies . I pass my saves.... the commander passes his leadership test on an 8.... oh that would have been awesome oh well. He hits and runs out of combat.
The last unit of crisis suits lands in front of the wraithguard realising there really is nothing else for them to do.
The Tau commanders unit takes down the bikes and the last of the warpspiders with some help from the broadsides. The other broadside unit fires at the wraithseer with snapshots does 2 wounds, I fail both and then fail both 4+ FNP. Colour me unimpressed with my dice!
In the combat shadowsun and the bikes fluff at each either with no wounds (hold fast my friends the wraithseer is coming!!
At the end of this turn Paul has one objective safely, I have one objective safely and neither of us have a chance of getting the last one unless my bike squad gets saved by the wraithseer. I have first blood, he has linebreaker and I have no chance of getting line breaker. So I think that makes for a tight game. The
Turn 5
My Wraithseer realises that the commander is closer than shadowsun and much more likely to make the charge as its 8 inches open versus 9 inches through cover . I dither a bit about whether to give him fleet or FNP(it would have been a no brainer if he had 4 wounds!!) I go with the latter. First though the DCannon gets another go , and scatters 6 inches (at least it kills a drone). I then face overwatch from the unit (1 crisis, commander and 3 drones. He does 2 wounds with the plasma (double double 6 -GRR) I then fail both of my 5 up invulns and fail both my FNP. Wow Epic fail. He had such a great chance of getting me warlord there via challenge or via killing everything else. I am disappoint.
The Wraithguard put a full volley of 10 wraithcannon into the 2 man crisis team (in cover) and kill...1.
WTF??? seriously annoying. So I charge them, kill them and consolidate back to the objective.
Shadowsun and the bikes hold out for another turn of combat.
The Tau are now faced with the daunting task of closing in on the wraithguard unit. The commander, riptide (who has been very quiet in this game without markerlights) and broadsides start heading for them. Fire from the whole lot kills one Wraithguard. Shadowsun and the bikes beat on each other again ineffectually.
Its 1 objective each and 1 BP each so a Draw (not supposed to happen in a knockout!!) roll for the game to go on and it does.
Turn 6
with nothing to lose I try a long shot... the baron leaves the wraithguard and gets himself in easy charge range of a strung out broadside unit. if I can hit and run or win combat it leaves me with a chance of linebreaker or even contesting his primary objective. Unfortunately he fails his 2+ rerollable shadowfield save at the second attempt from 4 overwatch hits. Boo bad Baron. The wraithguard kill the nearby riptide easily this time.
The rest of the tau army close in. My saving even with fortune up is pretty abysmal and I lose about 5 wraithguard and the spiritseer.
The Bikes and shadowsun combat finally breaks with my bikes getting run down and destroyed.
End of turn 6 and it's still a draw (even if I am getting pummeled) those who play me often know I have won games with 3 models on the table!! We roll the dice and the game ends.
Hmm a conundrum.
Someone needs to win but there are no rules for same. Now I know I am not going to be able to play the last round anyway (were I to win the next game) so I said to Paul that should it come down to a decision between the two of us that I'll let him go on. I'll say here again that he was an absolute pleasure to play, one of those games where we both know exactly what the other is doing so reminded each other of the odd thing the other person was forgetting.
So we go to the head ref Rob.
Rob makes the call to play another turn, apologizing profusely but it's really ok with me, he has to do something.
Turn 7
Last roll of the dice.
My last jetbike unit turboboosts once again around the objective. Nothing can really threaten it without alot of luck (big jetpack moves) and they are well hidden. Assuming I can slow down shadowsun and the commander.
Up steps Bel Ananth and his few remaining Wraithguard. The Wraithguard go to shoot and charge the commanders unit and Bel Ananth turns on his magic flamer and follows up with the charge.
The wraithguard hit and fail to wound. They then fail their 4" charge woo hoo.
Bel Ananth takes out his AP2 flamer and bathes shadowsun and co in corruscating flames and fail to wound (wounding on 3's). He then charges gets hit by one plasma cannon and fails his 4+ reroll. even more awesome. I really don't know what I did to deserve this!!
So that gives Paul warlord and the win.
To wind it up shadowsun shoots at the bikes does a few hits, one fails the 3+ save. And knowing the battle is lost the unit breaks and runs off the board leaving the objective behind.
So at the end of tense game where the Tau hammer certainly met the wraithguard anvil I end up being wiped out with the last roll of the dice. Paul progresses to the next round. Where he faces Adams Eldar and Tau combo.
Rob comes down to me after the game and apologises again and gives me a few extra mini prizes like cutout (DE, Tau, Space marines, Chaos, Dark angels) objectives, an oval eldar microart base and a 20 euro microart voucher. Which was very gentlemanly of him. I just missed out on a titan (2,3,4 place prize was a dreamforge titan) but that was a nice consolation prize.
For the obectives I gave the marines one to Jacek (game 2) and the Tau one to Paul (game 4). Alan from DGG got the DA objective and Peter the conquering ETC general gets the chaos one. Happy homes for all :)
So with that I got out the tissue paper and wrapped up my models. I spent a good while watching the semi finals and wandering the floors for photos.
Reece (marines / Space wolves) v Frankie (DE - 6 ravagers) turned out to be very one sided. Reece played well but Frankie's dice were abysmal.
Paul (Tau) v Adam (Eldar Tau) looked to be a very balanced game and I watched alot of it before having to head for my flight. Adam took the game in the end but man did it look touch and go. The matchup with Adam would have been better for me as he had little to deal with the T8 monsters/ wraithguard so was a little bit disappointed I didn't get the shot !! But I have to say I was pretty happy with my I guess 5th to 8th place finish (given I drew technically I guess that gives me 5th :P )
Anyway next and final post on the tourney will just be a set of photos of some of the beautiful armies and display boards.
Ciao for now!
