I would also like to add my thanks for five great games against Tom, Charles, Mike T, Horatio and Chris and to Steve / Dave for organising the event.
I took an only slightly 'experimental' Marine scout / drop army:-
the scouting force:-
- 2x Landspeeders, one carrying the SC
- 2x Warhounds
- Devastators
The off-table airborne forces
- Landing Craft carrying Terminators + Dreadnoughts + Chaplain
- Thunderhawk carrying Bikes + Chaplain
- ThunderBolts and Marauder Bombers
Brief notes (from a worn-out memory).
Game #1 Tom, superb Dark Eldar
There were a *lot* of them, all cheap and all mobile, with the two biggest off-table in the webway - one of whom had a dude with a mobile webway!! After I spread out my T&H objectives, Tom changed the right hand one for a 'Gate. This became my main target, the aim being to try to keep the off-table forces out of the game. Unfortunately the scouting force was unable to achieve this aim, were overwhelmed (despite the THawk + Bikes attempting to kill off the DE BTS) so I had to console myself with dropping the Termies on the DE Blitz.
I lost, 1-2
Game #2 Charles, Marines
With similar armies and strategies I think we were both expecting a fairly even game. After a series of tit-for-tat moves, my scouts were taking a pounding without being as effective in return. I tried a risky assault with the bikes which failed spectacularly. Then to add insult to injury, a single Hunter hit brought down the LC and Termies. Despite trying, Charles was not able to snatch a 2-0 win in turn #3, and after the dust settled in turn #4 I had a Warhound and one Devastator unit left on the ground . . . .
I lost 0-4, 30-23
Game #3 Mike T, AMTL
Mike came jumping out of the blocks moving one Reaver and a Warhound forwards, followed by his Warlord and a 2nd Reaver that camped on the ruins in the centre of the table where he had placed his two T&H objectives. My TH + bikes pounced on his other un-activated Warhound, my Warhounds and air force destroyed the advanced Warhound and supported the LC + Termies assault on the advanced Reaver, which suffered 5 points of damage, one of which went critical and then popped it in the rally phase. In revenge Mikes 2nd Reaver sustained with 3x Plasma Destructors on the remaining Termies and Dreadnoughts, gaining 9x hits and vaporising them. In the end, I was unable to take out his remaining 2x battle titans though I was able to contest the T&H objectives.
I won 2-1, 25-8
Game #4 Horatio, IG
Horatio spread his army out along the baseline, with his Tank company (BTS) on the left flank covered by a Warhound , Death-strikes and Hydra battery, while he had two mechanised companies on his right flank with a 2nd Warhound. I decided to grasp the nettle and killed the left-hand Warhound with the THawk and bikes. I retained, assaulting the LR company with the LC and Termies which left two broken tanks scurrying across to the other flank. In reply, the Deathstrikes vaporised a Warhound and the right hand mech company marched diagonally across the battlefield towards my Blitz and the central T&H objectives.
In turn #2 the Termies advanced to contest the IG Blitz breaking the other mech company in the process, while the IG mech company continued forwards to contest the Marine Blitz. Both sides found ways to counter these movements leaving the game drawn. On count back the Marines one.
I won 0-0, 32-36
Game #5, Chris AMTL
With a pair of Warhounds on each flank, Chris' Warlord advanced into the centre of the table. The TH + Bikes pounced on one near the Warlord, intending to continue the assault on a 2nd nearby. However that Warhound was routed away, leaving the bikes the option of retiring to follow the broken Warhound or charging the Warlord - which they did with remarkable success in an assault that lasted two rounds, gaining 3 damage on their mighty foe. The remaining scouts and air force destroyed the Warhounds on the right flank leaving the THawk and Termies to assault the Reaver, which was duly broken but not destroyed.
Chris decided to leave the Fearless titan in place. I wanted to land the THawk to pick up the termie remnants, but after much discussion it was decided that was not possible so they also remained in place. Then the AMTL won the SR for the 3rd turn and discovered that a rallied Warhound was just in assault range of a single termie. As the termies were still in B-B with the broken Reaver (which had not rallied), this was brought into the combat and they had to assault it again, and were wiped out. However the THawk had picked up the Devastators which were now able to land on the AMTL Blitz unopposed thus giving me another pyrrhic victory.
I won 2-1, 18-24
For the observant, the 2nd set of scores were the number of "1"s rolled by me and the opponent during each game. I decided to start counting after the 1st game with Tom as I threw a lot of "1"s, which had some impact on the game. So to add a degree of interest we counted any that were thrown irrespective of when or the impact. I intend to continue doing this (with the permission of opponents) into the future, to demonstrate that I still hold the title for the most "1"s - unless you know differently of course. . . .
So I can now give Horatio a token award for getting the most "1"s against me, though over the four games I managed a total of 95 against 91 so can still hold my head high
