Game 53 - Empire - 2013/02/03

Game 2 - Empire - Dawn Attack

I have found out that Dawn Attack can be one of these scenarios that can throw any plans out of the window before the game started. Random deployment is bad not only because some of the regiments might end up on the wrong flank but also that they all might show up in the middle. With not enough space to deploy properly. On top of that I faced Empire, with their 1+ armor all around :)

Empire  - Army List

Archlector on War Altar
Wizard Lord, Level 4 - Lore of Life
BSB
Wizard, Level 1 - Lore of Light

40 Halberdiers, Full Command
2 x 8 Archers - Detachments
5 Inner Circle Knights, Full Command
5 Knights
4 Demigryphs
4 Demigryphs

Hurricanum
Steamtank
Cannon

Game 52 - Dwarves - 2013/01/28

Greetings!

This year I had another great opportunity to attend CanCon, probably the biggest gaming event in Australia. 3 days of various gaming activities held in 3 huge halls attracted a lot of attention. Some people came to watch, some to take part in participation games from various systems, some took part in tournaments and many came simply to buy new things.

This time I was not complete stranger and it was great to meet people I played against during various tournaments last year. I also was looking forward to meeting new players. This year CanCon attracted almost 100 players from different states. I guess Warhammers is not dead in Oz! :)

Similarly as a year ago we had a chance to play various scenarios and I must admit that it adds a new dimension to the game for sure. In general the scenarios were as per rulebook with a few additions which I am going to explain later when posting the report from particular game. Only watchtower was not played this time. In addition to battle points (0-160) one could earn points for sport (simple answer yes/no to 5 questions saw that done), painting (awarded by referees) and composition (up to 40 in total). Unlike last year comp (which was reduced by half in comparison to last year) was added once at the end of tournament. Hence pairs were determined only by the battle points.

Game 1 - Battle Line - Dwarves

In my first game I faced James and his Dwarves. I met James at WinterCon and then we played Battle for the Pass with a modification (objectives gave extra points). I managed to snatch a victory back then what was noted in the appropriate chapter of Book of Grudges. Just before CanCon it turned out that grudges could be issued for turn 1 and true to the form we challenged each other to play one more episode of War of the Beard.

Dwarves - Army List

James wanted to get more composition points and prior to the tournament asked people at wargamerau to rate his army list. After that he decided to bring the following force:

Runelord, Anvil of doom, Shield, Master rune of balance, Rune of spellbreaking, Rune of stone
Thane, BSB, Master rune of gromril, Master rune of challenge, Rune of resistance

Dragon slayer, Rune of fire, Rune of speed

28 Warriors, Great weapons, full command
28 Warriors, Great weapons, full command
10 Thunderers
21 Miners, Steam drill, full command

Cannon, Rune of forging, Rune of burning
Grudgethrower, 2 runes of penetrating, rune of accuracy
20 Hammerers, full command, master rune of grungni

Gyrocopter

Game 51 - Dark Elves - 2013/01/28

Greetings!

This it the report from the most recent game against GuessRange and his Dark Elves yet (To read GR's version, please, visit his blog here: Episode III - DE version. 

High Elves vs. Dark Elves - Episode III - Revenge of the Assassins

Guess Range was very kind to continue with our civil war as a part of my preparation for CanCon. I think it was also a good experience for him as he has never played scenarios before (8th edition that is) and I asked for Dawn Attack. This scenario can mess up with my plans both because some units might end up on the wrong flank and also because too many might be in the middle, making the deployment too crowded.

Another mystery was about GR's army list. I know he toyed with a few in between our games, one of which was led by Morathi herself but I was not sure what would be his choice. In the end he want for his trusty shooty army list with proper magical back-up.

Dark Elves - Army List

High Sorceress Melith, Level 4, Darkstar cloak, Dragon Bane Gem - Dark Magic
Sorceress Tabith, Level 2, Dispel Scroll - Death Magic
Death Hag Karena, BSB, Cauldron of Blood
Assassin Kalil, Rune of Khaine, Extra Hand Weapon
Assassin Sharik,  Rune of Khaine, Extra Hand Weapon

22 Corsairs, Full Command, Extra Hand Weapon, Sea Serpent Standard
28 Warriors, Full Command, Shields, Banner of Murder
16 Repeater Crossbowmen, Musician
5 Dark Riders, Musician, Repeater Crossbows

12 Shades, Bloodshade, Repeater Crossbows, Great Weapons
12 Shades, Bloodshade, Repeater Crossbows, Great Weapons

3 Reaper Bolt Throwers

Game 50 - Dark Elves - 2013/01/22

Greetings!

The practice for CanCon continues. I tried to get as many games as possible, given shorter time to do so. Fortunately for me I had a lot of friends around who were kind enough to offer me a game and this time I had a fantastic opportunity to play against Adam and his evil (but beautifully painted) Dark Elves. What is more we played that game on Adam's fantastic table! Real game with real miniatures on great table!   :D I must apologize, however, as not all the pictures I took were good enough to show, so not every turn is spiced up by the photo. I hope though that these I have are be good enough!

I met Adam at Hammer of Dave tournament but we didn't have a chance to play back then. Adam was playing Vampires and he also has Warriors of Chaos and Wood Elves but for out battle he chose Dark Elves. He designed his list with CanCon in mind to built a hard but fair army, which might not earn the highest comp but would not be asked for resubmission either.

We also wanted to play a scenario and since I haven't played Blood and Glory yet we picked up this one. At CanCon this scenario is going to be played with a modification. If the army is broken the game does not stop but the opponent earns extra 300 VP. I think it is an interesting twist as it adds a little extra to usual battle line (deployment wise too) but is not all-or-nothing scenario.

Army List and pre-battle considerations

As I have mentioned Adam wanted to give me a tough challenge and for that purpose he chose a magic heavy army. He also added some banners here and there to get more Fortitude points for that particular scenario.

Dark Elves - Army List

Supreme Sorceress, General, level 4, Pendant of Khaeleth, Darkstar Cloak, Lifetaker - Lore of Shadow
Supreme Sorceress, level 3, Dispel Scroll - Dark Magic
BSB with Cauldron of Blood
Master, Dark Pegasus, Shield, Lance, Cloak of Hag Graef, Dawnstone

35 Spearmen, Full Command, Banner of Eternal Flame
30+ Corsairs, Full Command, Sea Serpent Standard
12 Crossbowmen, Shields, Standard

12 Witch Elves
5 Harpies
5 Harpies
5 Shades
5 Shades

2 x Reaper Bolt Thrower

Game 49 - Empire - 2013/01/20

Greetings!

This time we decided to try and play Meeting Engagement as per rule book. Wardancer, who was my opponent again, decided to try out his cavalry based Empire army. I played against it some time ago and this is a very tough one indeed. The list itself was very similar with a few tweaks, downgrading it to 2400 point limit being the most important one.

Army list and pre-battle considerations

As I have mentioned the army is more or less the same. One less cannon and Pistoliers instead of Outriders too.

Empire - Army List

Wizard Lord on barded Warhorse, Level 4, Dispel Scroll - Lore of Heavens
Warrior Priest on barded Warhorse
BSB on barded Warhorse
Engineer, Pigeon Bombs
Captain on Pegasus
Captain on Pegasus

10 Inner Circle Knights, Full Command, Steel Banner
5 Knights, Musician
5 Knights, Musician
10 Huntsmen

5 Reiksguard, Musician
5 Pistoliers, Musician
5 Pistoliers, Musician
3 Demigryphs, Musician
Cannon

Steamtank

Game 48 - Lizardmen - 2013/01/13

Greetings!

This game was planned long time ago but only now I had an honor to play against frapermax himself. He kindly offered to provide me with a proper challenge for my CanCon practice. At the same time, however, he also brought a unique Slannless Lizardmen army. I was sure then that I am not only facing an excellent commander but also an army with a trick or two as well.

Army List and pre-battle considerations

Since there are scenarios to be used during the tournament we played Dawn Attack. This scenario is the one that can mess up with my plans big time since I have so many units and a chance to have a regiment on the "wrong flank" is significant. Hence a requirement to be able to improvise as anything could happen.

To an extend one could cope with it provided he is the second to deploy as players have to deploy their whole armies. But it still depends which regiment is about to be forced to go to particular part of the battlefield.

As I have already mentioned, frapermax brought his Slannless army to the field and it looked like this (I hope I got the items right but if I missed something, please correct me! :)).

Lizardmen - Army List

Saurus Oldblood, Light Armor, Shield, Cold One, Dawnstone, Sword of Anti-heroes
Scar Veteran BSB, Light Armor, Shield, Cold One, Burning Blade of Chotec
Skink-Priest, level 2, Dispel Scroll - Lore of Heavens
Skink-Priest, level 2, Engine of the Gods, Diadem of Power - Lore of Heavens

25 Saurus Warriors, Standard, Musician
17 Skinks + 2 Kroxigors with Great Weapons, Standard, Musician
10 Skink Skirmishers
10 Skink Skirmishers

5 Chameleon Skinks
3 Terradon Riders
7 Saurus Cavalry, Standard Musician

Ancient Stegadon
Slamander Pack
2 Razordon Packs

Game 47 - Skaven - 2012/12/29

Greetings!

Christmas break can or can't be a good period for some more games, depending how busy you are with family duties. Fortunately for me wardancer is always happy to be a sparring partner and we played game 2 of my preparation battles to upcoming CanCon. This time it was Battle for the Pass in the very same way as it is described in the Rule Book.

Wardancer used his slightly modified Skaven list he played with in our 2 previous encounters. Queek didn't want to give up and was eager to get his revenge.

Army lists and pre-battle considerations

It is always quite interesting to play against the same army and the same opponent with the same force. Previous tricks might not work and since the enemy learns quick too I need to come up with more ideas. At the same time the knowledge of the army to play against gained in previous battles helps too.

On top of that there is a scenario that often adds enough variety to change the outcome of the game enough to make it a completely new challenge.

Skaven - Army List

Queek the Headtaker
Warlord on bonebreaker, poison, halberd, Charmed shield , Dragonbane gem, Potion of foolhardiness 

Warlock, level 2, condenser, Ironcurse icon - Lore of Ruin
Warlock, level 1, Dispel scroll - Lore of Ruin
Warlock, level 1, Channeling staff - Lore of Ruin
BSB , Enchanted shield

30 Stormvermin (queek bodyguard), FC, shields, Banner of discipline
2 x 5 Giant rats with packmaster
40 Slaves with musician and pawleader
20 slaves with musician
20 slaves with musician

7 Rat ogres, 2 packmasters, Skweel gnawtooth
2 x 6 Gutterrunners with slings and poison

Warplightning cannon
2 x Doomwheel

Game 46 - Skaven - 2012/12/08

Greetings!

With CanCon in the near future it is about time to start some preparation games. And who better than my coach from the previous year to start it for me? :) Wardancer aka Eastern Barbarian was also eager to get a rematch so we were both excited about the upcoming game. We had to change our army lists from 2500 to 2400. Wardancer introduced some more changes to his army. For reminder, he is always using unorthodox forces so don't be surprised by his army. What is more, he decided to use Swedish comp for army list building and that too affected the final shape of his force (e.g. no Storm Banner).

Pre-battle considerations and Army Lists

The army I was about to face was nothing new to me in general but since I have played against it only once I could not tell I knew all the tricks it possessed either. I also knew that Wardancer was about to make some changes and I could only guess what it might be. Not long before the game he decided on the final list and among others I knew there were two doomwheels and 3 engineers! :)

Skaven - Army List

Queek the Headtaker
Warlord on bonebreaker, poison, halberd, Charmed Shield, Dragonbane Gem, Potion of Strength

Warlock level 2, condenser, Ironcurse icon - Lore of Ruin
Warlock level 1, Dispel scroll - Lore of Ruin
Warlock level 1 - Lore of Ruin
Warlock, Obsidian lodestone
BSB , Enchanted Shield

35 Stormvermin (queek bodyguard), FC, shields, ratling gun, Banner of discipline
2 x 5 giant rats with packmaster
40 slaves, musician
20 slaves, musician
20 slaves, musician

6 Rat ogres, 2 packmasters, Skweel Gnawtooth
2 x 6 Gutterrunners, slings, poison

Warplightning cannon
2 x Doomwheel 

Game 45 - Bretonnia - 2012/11/24

Greetings!

Please, accept my apologies for the delay but fortunately I have finally managed to find time to write the last report from the Hammer of Dave tournament. Last round I played against Murray (Adam's dad whom I faced in round 2) and armored might of Bretonnian army. :)

Army List and pre-battle thoughts

Bretonnian knights are always troublesome. Their high armor save and additional ward save mean they have a good chance to deflect even the mightiest blows. And their S3 in combats when they do not charge is still enough to kill lightly armored elves. Their great speed and formidable lance formation can be the bane of many units of regular size, even more so in the case of MSU type. But they often have quite a nice selection of heroes among regular knights and that makes things even more difficult. If you add to that trebuchets and bowmen who also can hurt small units then you can see that that match up is definitely quite tough.

Murray had a more classical approach to the army list building which means that there was a mixture of knightly units supported by reasonable number of bowmen and field trebuchets. Unfortunately I cannot remember many items his heroes carried and if I made a mistake then it is due to fading memory. I really should have written these reports quicker.

Bretonnia - Army List

Lord, Barded warhorse, heavy armor, shield, Virtue of Heroism, Dawnstone
Prophetess, Barded warhorse, Chalice of Malfleur - Lore of Life
BSB, barded warhorse, heavy armor, shield, Gromril Great Helm
Paladin, barded warhorse, heavy armor, shield, Morning Star of Fracasse, Dragonhelm
Paladin, barder warhorse, heavy armor, Enchanted Shield

9 Knights Errant, Full Command
8 Knights of the Realm, Full Command
8 Knights of the Realm, Full Command
10 Bowmen
10 Bowmen
10 Bowmen

3 Pegasus Knights, Champion

9 Grail Knights, Banner, Musician
Trebuchet
Trebuchet

Game 44 - Vampire Counts - 2012/11/17

Greetings!

Game 4 and another challenge in the form of another army of darkness - Vampire Counts. New Vampires have multitudes of options so it is not that easy to predict what the army will consist of. There are also so many new toys in the army list that despite the fact I have played some games against lords of undead there were still many mysteries for me to discover. Kaleb, who came down from Sydney for that small local tournament and against whom I had a great pleasure to play against this time, had a mixture of classic approach and a few new units he added to his army.

Army list and pre-battle thoughts

As I said it is hard to predict what VC is going to field exactly. I had a good training against them when I played against Gatti and his highly mobile forces. I also knew there is an army of VC with two Terrorgheists and a flying Vampire which would be a problem to deal with. Kaleb, however, had a different approach to the undead horde:

Vampire Counts - Army List

Vampire Lord, level 4, hellsteed, heavy armor, shield, Talisman of Preservation, Quickblood, Red Fury, Book of Arkhan - Lore of the Vampires
Necromancer, level 1, Dispel Scroll (?) - Lore of the Vampires
Wight King, BSB, Heavy Armor
Cairn Wraith
Cairn Wraith

44 Crypt Ghouls, Crypt Ghast
25 Skeleton Warriors, Full Command
Corpse Cart
22 Grave Guard, Great Weapons, Full Command, [i]Banner of Barrows[/i]
3 Vargheists, Vargoyle
5 Hexwraiths
5 Hexwraiths

Game 43 - Daemons of Chaos - 2012/11/15

Greetings!

In Game 3 I played against Peter and his Daemons. I met Peter before at CanCon 2012 where he defeated me with his Warriors of Chaos so it was a good chance for a rematch. On the other hand Daemons tend to be a tough opponent for many armies and when I saw Peter's army list I knew I am up to a challenge again. :)

Army lists and re-battle thoughts

Peter's Warriors were built around big units and his Daemons were similar in that regard. It also seemed that Peter prefers to build tough armies and make up for any penalties from composition score (10/25) with big enough wins against any opponent he faces.

Daemons of Chaos - Army List

Blood Thirster, Obsidian Armor, Immortal Fury, Spell Breaker
Herald of Nurgle, BSB, Noxious Vapours, Stream of Bile
Herald of Khorne, Axe of Khorne, Armor of Khorne
Herald of Tzeentch, Loremaster, Spell Breaker - Lore of Beasts
30 Blood Letters, Full Command
30+ Plaguebearers, Full Command, Icon of Eternal Virulence
7 Flesh Hounds
10 Horrors of Tzeentch
5 Furies
2 x 1 Fiend of Slaanesh

Game 42 - Lizardmen - 2012/11/10

Greetings!

In my game 2 I faced Adam and his very nicely painted Lizardmen. We played once during CanCon 2012 so it was a chance for a re-match. We had similar armies too, as Adam made a little changes in his list to accommodate Scar Veteran. Otherwise his army was quite the same. Another difference was the scenario. At CanCon we played Battle for the Pass while this time it was Battle Line.

Army Lists and pre-battle thoughts

Adam has an army which for me is a classic type with solid core and phalanx of tough Saurus warriors backed up by a nice section of support units. Unfortunately it still suffers from some comp penalties and Adam got 10/25 score for this list.

Lizardmen - Army List

Slann Mage-Priest, BSB, The Focused Ruminations, The Becalming Cogitations, Plaque of Tepok - Lore of Life
Scar Veteran, Cold One, Light Armor, Shield, Dragon Helm, Dawnstone (I think :))
Skink Priest on the Engine of the Gods, Dispel Scroll - Lore of Heavens

24 Saurus with Spears, Full Command
24 Saurus with Hand Weapons, Full Command
10 Skins with Javelins
10 Skink Skirmishers with Blow Pipes

7 Chameleon Skinks
20 Temple Guard, Full Command
3 Terradon Riders

2 Salamander hunting packs

Fast Cavalry Tactics

Greetings!

There are real gems among posts and articles people write on the forums or on their blogs. It takes some time to find them but when you do they are simply amazing read. I have two of such for you today. Just links to respective forums or blogs:

The death of chaff say it aint so - by Hinge

Hinge writes in a very informative but also very humorous way about the different roles of the fast cavalry a player may find useful to use. The inspiration to write it was the discussion on Orcs & Goblins forum where people discussed the current state of Warhammer and drew the conclusion that there is no space for fast cavalry in the game. Obviously, Hinge didn't agree but he was kind enough to write what this particular unit is good for.

Dark Riders can do it better - by KillerK

The article written by KillerK is more detailed and discusses examples where Dark Riders are featured but the principles he is talking about are applicable to any other fast cavalry unit. He provides diagrams that illustrate the case studies very well and I think it is one of the best tactical articles for 8th edition Warhammer.

Cheers!

Game 41 - Dark Elves - 2012/11/07

Greetings!

In my first game I faced Simon and his Dark Elves. Little did I know what kind of caliber of a player I am facing. Only later I have found out that Simon is actually the highest ranking player in NSW and will participate in this year Masters (a tournament for the highest ranking players in Australia, participation is granted by invitation only). He was invited to join ETC team for 2013 too. He decided to have a go at a small tournament in Canberra and was one of the two players who came from Sydney to do so. However, seeing his army list and playing against vile Druchii I knew was up to a challenge anyway.

Army Lists and pre-battle considerations

After 3 tournaments with composition scores in Oz I have noticed that in general players just take the armies they like. They are either hard but players aim at massacring the opponents or the lists are softer but the players can still be very tough opponents and can count on a little extra leverage for the overall scoring. It seemed that Simon prefers to crash his enemies as suits Druchii merciless warriors and make up for lower comp score with his outstanding results from battles. At least it was the case with this army :)

Dark Elves - Army List

Dreadlord on Dark Steed, Sea Dragon Cloak, Blood Armor, Pendant of Kaleth, Crown of Command, Biting Blade
Supreme Sorceress, level 4, Sacrificial Dagger, Talisman of Preservation - Lore of Shadow
Death Hag BSB, Cauldron of Blood
Sorceress, level 2, Dispel Scroll - Lore of Fire
Assassin

30 Corsairs, extra hand weapon, Full Command, Sea Serpent Standard
25 Warriors, Full Command
10 Crossbowmen

20 Black Guard
5 Harpies
5 Harpies
5 Shades

Hydra

Game 40 - Dark Elves - 2012/10/27

Greetings!

I have mentioned that already a few times that I had an opportunity to play a rematch against GuessRange and his DE. After massive beating I received last time I was more than eager to show that it is not going to be a regular outcome of our battles!

Pre-battle considerations and Army Lists

I knew already that I am against a very capable commander and an army that has quite a nice selection of tools that huts my army in particular. I was wondering, however, if GR is going to make any significant changes in order to test new toys. This is what he brought to the field of battle this time:

Dark Elves - Army List

High Sorceress Melith, Level 4, General, Darkstar Cloak, Crystal of Midnight - Dark Magic
Master Horkrim, BSB, Heavy Armour, Great Weapon
Assassin Kalil, Extra hand weapon, Repeater handbow, Rune of Khaine
Assassin Sharik, Extra hand weapon, Repeater handbow, Rune of Khaine

20 Corsairs, Full Command, Repeater handbow
20 Corsairs, Full Command, Repeater handbow
16 Repeater Crossbowmen, Musician
8 Dark Riders, Musician, Repeater Crossbows
5 Harpies

20 Black Guard, Full Command, Banner of Murder
5 Cold One Knights, Full Command, Standard of Discipline
8 Shades, Great Weapons

3 Reaper Bolt Throwers

Game 39 - Skaven - 2012/10/21

Greetings!

The first game I played over the weekend was against wardancer/eastern barbarian and his vile Skaven. However, unlike some time ago, a few of usual suspects were missing. Wardancer decided to build an army with special characters but more importantly, the one that could score a little higher than usual in the more and more famous Swedish Comp system.

Pre-battle considerations and Army lists

Skaven are one of these armies where you can have multitude of choices and still come up with a dangerous army. It was hard to anticipate what this one might have but wardancer showed his first draft early enough for me to start thinking about counters to his force. In the end he made some changes to the list he intended to use in the first place but the main idea remained the same. Here are the details:

Skaven - Army List

Queek the Headtaker
Warlord on bonebreaker, poison, halberd, pistol, Potion of Strength

Warlock level 2, condenser, Ironcurse icon - Lore of Ruin
Warlock level 1, Dispel scroll - Lore of Ruin
BSB , shield, Storm banner

30 Stormvermin (queek bodyguard), FC, shields, ratling gun, Banner of discipline
2 x 5 giant rats with packmaster
40 slaves, musician
41  slaves,musician

7 Rat ogres, 2 packmasters, master bred rat ogre, Skweel Gnawtooth
2 x 6 Gutterrunners, slings, poison

2 x Plagueclaw catapult
Warplightning cannon
Domwheel

Game 38 - Dark Elves - 2012/10/14

Greetings!

GuessRange, a frequent visitor to the warhammerau forum, was kind enough to offer me a game with his evil Dark Elves. Yet another game on the UB due to the fact it is far easier to have one online than to travel to another city, even in the same country. :) I was very happy to play against him as he often had very interesting comment on my own battles and I knew I would face a very good opponent. And I haven't played against vile Druchii in ages so it would be an interesting match up too!

GuessRange have already finished his account of that battle so if you are interested in how it looked from the point of view of the evil ones check out his great blog (the report is very good and it is a rare occasion when you can have two from one game so if I were you I would not think twice :)): 

GuessRange Gaming 

Pre-battle considerations and Army Lists

GR told me he didn't play much in 8th edition but I was not fooled by his "inexperience". His comments always showed great insight and very good understanding of the game so I expected tough game (in a very positive sense! :)). On top of that Dark Elves are very versatile army and despite the fact many armies tend to look the same they have many other good builds. However, GR told me he wanted to play with miniatures he has in his collection and which come mainly from 4th and 5th edition. That suggested that I might face more old school Druchii rather than some horde corsairs/crossbows, double hydras and pendant dreadlord. Not that it would made things anything different :) And to an extend I was correct as this is how his army list looked like in details:

Dark Elves - Army List

High Sorceress Melith, Level 4, General, Darkstar Cloak, Crystal of Midnight - Dark Magic
Master Horkrim, BSB, Heavy Armour, Great Weapon
Assassin Kalil, Rune of Khaine
Assassin Sharik, Rune of Khaine

19 Corsairs, Full Command, extra Hand Weapon
19 Corsairs, Full Command, extra Hand Weapon
16 Repeater Crossbowmen, Musician
8 Dark Riders, Musician, Repeater Crossbows
5 Harpies

19 Black Guard, Full Command, Banner of Hag Graef with Kouran, Crimson Death, Armour of Grief

5 Cold One Knights, Full Command, Gleaming Pennant
8 Shades, extra Hand Weapon

3 Reaper Bolt Throwers