Shadow War Armegeddon: Rules for All Factions Available Now

Of course Space Marines and Orks are not really in there, and will be in the box set. Did someone mention a table of contents? lol. Anyhow, all the factions seem to be there except for the ones contained in the box.
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Come the Apocalypse GT 2017 Poll

As we begin preparation for our Come the Apocalypse GT in September we have created a survey for interested participants to determine the type of event they'd like to participate in. If you are planning to attend the event please take a moment to take our survey and give us some input. You can find the survey by clicking here.

Come the Apocalypse will be hosted on September 15-16 in Dothan, AL at the Clarion Inn & Suites Hotel. For more information check out our website.

https://cometheapocalypsegt.blogspot.com

Ep 189 Combat Phase podcast - Adepticon news, recap & Interviews w/GW Community, Shapeways, & more!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/combatphase/Ep_189_-_Adepticon_news_recap_WH_Community__interviews.mp3

Kenny was a tad tired, less of voice from shouting celebrations at Adepticon and the internet hated us so these edits should fix 97% of all that (I hope). We talk news then really Adepticon--news, notables, links and games played. GW seminars, AoS meetings and more.

Interviews are first the fabulous Mr. Eddie Eccles of Warhammer Community (the calmer bloke next to Rob :) ) with tons of great things to say, then Shapeways wins Kenny over, then the awesome retailer Landmine gifts us with his presence before Robert interviews Hyacinth Games. Links below, and as always, ENJOY!

GW 312 pics from event

www.warhammer-community.com (scroll down for event calendar)

www.shapeways.com

@ministomp

www.ministomp.com

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/03/07/all-good-in-the-hood-eddies-fallen-angels/

Matt: www.ephyragroup.com

www.popgoesthemonkey.com

2v2 Tournament - Part 3: War with Friends

This would be the third installment of the series. 

Game 3

Final game was against Andrew and Melvin (the Lim variety). Another T&D member, this is like playing with our club mates! And what a difference it was. The atmosphere was relaxed, we were chilled and generally having a real good laugh as we brought out our models. There was a strong sense that this was gonna be a very chilled game. Little did we know our two opponents were in strong contention for 1st place! But this is what gaming should be like. Regardless of how well you are doing, it should always be in a state where all of us are happily working towards telling a good story. Thanks goes out to Andrew, Melvin and my Battle Brother Daryl for making this an excellent experience. 

Our opponents brought a Shield Generator and hid their Baneblade within that bubble

Going for the biggest threat, my Grav Marines went after the Baneblade

First breaking through the Shield Generator, I rolled a good amount of 6's which surprised all 4 of us. The Baneblade then went nova and took out a small number of the opponents' army - I thought I would have caused more damage but we were both pleased we managed to remove that threat early on.

However, on hind-sight I realised that I didn't have to drop my Grav Marines so close. I had 24" range but by deploying so close to their army, I was now in prime charge range of their entire Ravenwing force with Plasma guns etc. Yikes

By Turn 2, I barely had much left on the table as our opponents gunned me down pronto. 

Leaving Daryl wi the unenviable task of trying to outscore them

Despite the loss, this was probably the one game both Daryl and I enjoyed the most. So much that we unanimously declared them our most fun game in the Sportsmanship score.

The start of the day

Against a backdrop at the end of the day

After tabulating the scores, Andrew and Melvin emerged the victors! Congratulations!
Meanwhile, Chris and Gavin came in 2nd.

So we played both the Champ and Runner Up. Hah! We eventually scored 6th overall.

And then the organizers declared the Best Painted. Daryl and I had won Best Painted! Woohoo! 

Here are some photos taken with my phone and an SLR. 

There are some details that I still have to add to them

And I will snap another shot of the army once they are detailed. This time in a lightbox

Daryl's amazingly painted stuff

Apologies for the focus!

An army wide shot

Bagged a neat little voucher and bought myself a box of Deathwatch Bikers so supplement my Strikeforce. 

Would have loved a trophy but this will do too!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. Tiring and full of ups and downs but I enjoyed it overall. T&D is sure well represented! 

2v2 1000 Point Tournament - Part 2 Some Tense Gaming

Moving into Game 2, this would be a very different vibe from the first one that we played. Not only were our opponents experienced, this would be my very first experience playing with someone who was quite notoriously known for fudging in the tournament scene. 

It took me quite awhile considering if I should release this piece because I don't want to cause fractures in the community. However, I thought it would be best to share my honest experience rather than keeping it mum. 

Game 2

We drew against Chris and Gavin for our next game. This was probably one of the draws that was the tougher of the lot especially since both of them has a lot of tournament experience.

Downside was there was some dodgy shenanigans going on. I'll explain.

Demons vs St Celestine, so much drama in this shot

So we had a few friends come and watch the game as they were going on. Some walked pass and started asking me to watch one of our opponents. Some silently watched. While others, caught sight of very dodgy measuring and voiced their concerns over WhatsApp.

This is basically an excerpt of the chat we had in one of our WhatsApp groups. And I quote:
[14:12, 3/12/2017] witness: His d weapon platform scatter 5"                    
[14:12, 3/12/2017] witness: Still manage to hit mauler                    
[14:13, 3/12/2017] witness: Which is preping to charge his team deathstar                    
[14:14, 3/12/2017] witness: That deathstar had no way to handle that mauler

Just one of the few infractions that occurred. I am very concerned when this tournament was meant to be a relaxed event. I was way more concerned when Chris didn't know the rule but confidently claims knowledge of a rule that benefited him, even when it was clearly not correct (which his partner would point out). This happened a number of times. I give him the benefit of doubt and still think he is a good person generally, but claiming knowledge of something when you clearly don't is misrepresentation. Thank goodness their team had another member. Gavin was quite honest with his rulings and provided the counterpoint to Chris. I lament playing against a gamer like Chris in a full-on competition 1v1 where you have to be 100% aware what's going on. Not only your own rules, his rules but also stay on point with the dice that are being rolled, the strange exceptions to the rules and measuring. This makes it quite stressful no?

I still harbour the hope that with the right coaching and with the community pointing this negative behaviour out to him, it will help him improve his own "gamer brand".

Angels & Demons working together to take on the Eldar and Imperials

That being said, it was still a game that helped me learn a whole heap about my own army and the armies opposite the table. I respect Gavin a lot for his honesty and willingness to own up to models which were not modelled properly - namely the jetbikes which were missing bases. He allowed both Daryl and me to decide to use whichever ruling that benefitted us since their models were incomplete. Just one of the few examples of good gamer etiquette.

Long distance shooting

The game went on and I continued to focus. Daryl didn't seem particularly perturbed that we were losing. I guess we were both quite determined to make a good stand but both felt that we may not get out of this alive. We made the best of what we had. 

Some action going on at our table

One of the biggest mistakes I made was probably being suckered into taking out the Wraithknight first. Looking back, I realised that pouring our alpha strike into the unit of jetbikes would have made more sense. The WK was at the most able to take out 3-4 models a turn while that unit of jetbikes was mowing through quite a large number of our units. It also contained their General which was worth another point.

A shot mid -table

Pesky jetbikes without supplied bases. This is a tournament right? 

What a showdown - demon vs angel

We eventually lost this game 9-16, a 5 point gap. Both Daryl and I were both pleased that we didn't get trampled into the ground. Although very stressed with everyone telling me to watch out for out of play actions and rulings, I still managed to learn a lot from this game. 

I just hoped at this point that our next game wouldn't be so stressful again as it was really taking the "fun" out of the afternoon. 

2v2 Batrep - The Danse Macabre

A storm was gathering above the planet Gerexus, making it hard to differentiate friend from foe. Many parties had previously fought over the bountiful rewards on offer, with few being able to claim absolute victory. As the walls of reality weakened, armies of the Imperium, wanderers of the Webway, newborn races, Traitor Legions, and denizens of the Warp all converged on the planet yet again. In the ensuing battle, none would be able to truly tell friend from foe....

Mork and I entered the 2v2 tournament held at Gamersaurus Rex over the weekend. We eventually settled on a combined Ynnari and Death Guard list. Much as I dislike the fluff behind it, soulburst brings a whole new way to punish lists which get an alpha strike in, while Mork's Death Guard added some resiliency for securing objectives.

The forces of the Danse Morkabre gathered.

Game 1 (Opponent: Ravenwing/Imperial Guard)

Our first game was against fellow T&D members Andrew and Melvin. They brought a Baneblade hidden within a void shield and layers of disposable guardsmen, along with a Ravenwing Strike Force.

Look at all those 2+ rerollable jink bikes! The Ravenwing deployed right up on the line, with the Imperial Guard hiding within the void shield.

The Wraithknight sets his sights on the Baneblade. A combination of the Ravenwing movement and Death Guard shooting meant that the Wraithknight could get a Turn 1 charge in.

The Wraithknight will make quick work of that Baneblade, though the titanic explosion will wipe it out in turn.

The Death Jester took careful aim at a squad of black bikes, chuckling to himself as departed spirits guided his aim, and he heard the words "Use. Force."

The jester's first shot made a biker jink. The second hit a rock and sent it hurtling into another biker's eyepiece. As the rider reflexively put his hand to his eye, the bike careened into the third member of the squad. The ensuing explosion sent the surviving biker far off course, almost crashing into an onrushing Wraithknight. As the lone survivor shouted oaths of vengeance, the Death Jester sketched a mocking bow...

The opponent's game plan was simple. Get in the opponent's face with the massed plasma and grav of the Ravenwing, while the Baneblade removed large chunks of the opponent's army from the aegis of the void shield. While the Death Guard could weather the firestorm, the cover ignoring Baneblade would earn its points, clearing out large swathes of our army. The Imperium forces managed to take a commanding 6-0 lead in their first turn thanks to a good draw of cards, though it seemed like their luck ran out and we managed to catch up.

A key moment was the Death Jester Soulbursting and killing off two bikes from one Ravenwing squad, forcing them to run towards the Wraithknight and Solitaire using the "Death Is Not Enough" special rule. This set up another Soulburst in our turn and allowed the Wraithknight and Solitaire to get a Turn 1 charge in on the bikes and the Baneblade. Another key moment was being able to keep my characters alive and denying several interromancy psychic powers, stopping the Imperium from extending their lead.

We ended up losing by 1 VP (I blame the Dark Angel's heresy), which was a great result, considering the lead Andrew and Melvin had built up.

Game 2 (Opponent: Skyhammer/Tau)

Our second game was against another set of T&D members, Lum and Melvin (unrelated to our previous opponent). With a strong Skyhammer/Tau combination, this was a tough matchup. While the previous opponents had both durability and firepower, Lum and Melvin's list was all about obliterating us in a storm of firepower. With a Stormsurge, Ghostkeel, and loads of grav in drop pods, deployment and positioning would be key to keeping our units functioning as long as possible.

Deployment. The Ynnari and Death Guard spread out across the board, while the Tau cluster to try and maximise the benefits of their overwatch/run and shoot special rules. The Skyhammer is ready to come in on the first turn.

The Eldar charge out of their lines on Turn 1, and the Skyhammer prepares to retaliate.

The Skyhammer rapidly kills off Death Guard to try and contain prevent our team from racking up the Maelstrom objectives. The Wraithknight and Solitaire prepare to Soulburst and charge the Stormsurge.

The Stormsurge braces for impact.

Wraithknight and Solitaire both make it into combat.

Both promptly get slaughtered by the Stormsurge! A failed 5+ Invulnerable and 5+ Feel No Pain sees the WK removed from the Stormsurge's attacks, while the Solitaire gets stomped flat with a single 6!

The Stormsurge pilot felt perspiration drench his collar as they manoeuvred desperately to avoid the onrushing Eldar. With their attention focused on the towering Wraithknight, neither pilot noticed the prismatic blur sprinting around the ballistic suit's churning legs. Damage alerts and sparks warned of several systems failures as the Eldar construct slammed its shoulder into the Tau suit, but the Tau retaliated, smashing the barrel of their pulse driver cannon into the chest of the Wraithknight. The lucky strike cracked the pilot chamber and the soulstone interface at the same time, shutting the Wraithknight down completely and leaving it inert. 

Dancing a victory jig, the Tau pilot was not even aware of the suit's stabilising foot landing with crushing force on the Harlequin Solitaire...

As expected, our opponent's firepower was hideous, with both Death Guard and Ynnari dying with equal ease. From start to finish, the whole game revolved around tying up the Stormsurge and trying not to die to the Skyhammer. The Tau Commander proved surprisingly resilient, surviving till the end of the battle despite being the focus of attention since we were trying to get the D3 VP for Kingslayer. Interestingly enough, the Ynnari did not manage to make their Turn 1 charges, and had to hunker down and weather the firepower for a turn.

There were several key moments in this game; the Wraithknight surprisingly survived the Skyhammer drop thanks to the Devastators splitting their shooting and me making several invul saves. The Solitaire and the Wraithknight both managed to charge the Stormsurge before it could eliminate more than the jetbikes, but both fluffed their attacks and got killed by the Gargantuan Tau. For shame!

Still, we managed to continue scoring Maelstrom points using Death Guard Terminators, of all things, and we walked away with a 7 point victory.

Game 3 (Opponent: Daemons/Skyhammer)

The final game of the day was against Keith's Daemons and yet another Skyhammer captained by Fauzi. Keith was the Invitational 2016 champion, while Fauzi was an experienced player, so this was always going to be an uphill battle after a whole day's worth of games. Keith brought a Burning Skyhost with a whole heap of Screamers, while Fauzi's Skyhammer brought a mix of grav and multi meltas.

Yet another Skyhammer combo, this time paired with Daemons. The Eldar again flood up the board, leaving the Death Guard to secure objectives.

I apologise for the lack of pictures as the hour was late and we were rushing to finish up the game (we only got to Turn 2). The details are a bit hazy, but the soulburst again managed to push the Wraithknight and Solitaire into their Turn 1 charges, and the Solitaire chased down the daemonic Warlord, pushing the Herald and his squad of Screamers into the far corner of the table. The Death Guard and Daemons entered a scoring competition, each trying to outdo the other, while the Skyhammer and Ynnari ended up killing off each other pretty good. At the end of the game, all I had left from my list was the Solitaire and the Death Jester.

Key moment of the game: the Solitaire again fluffed his lines and did not manage to kill the Herald! As a fellow T&D member commented, walking away from close combat with a Solitaire is something to be celebrated. 

After the final scores were tallied, we lost to Keith and Fauzi by 4 points. 

Conclusion

After all the games were settled, Mork and I came in 5th out of a field of 12 players, sneaking into the top half! Woot. It was great fun playing in a 2v2, and I particularly liked the fact that it allowed for slightly less optimal lists and play, while still retaining an element of competition. The games were all relatively close, and all our opponents were good sports. Having said that, Ray's experiences were different, so go check his posts on the tournament out ;)

Special thanks to Mork for pairing up with me, the T&D members for the games, and Gamersaurus Rex for organising the event! Next up, the 1000pt 1v1 on April 15. 

Happy wargaming!

2v2 Tournament Part 1 - Friendly

So after finally painting and working on my army for the past 2-3 weeks, it was time for the actual tournament. Daryl is my buddy and he brought a beautifully painted army. 

It's a 2v2 tournament with no repeat formations.

Here is my list:

Skyhammer Formation

• Assault Squad: 9 Marines + Sergeant with Power Weapon - all with jump packs
• Assault Squad: 9 Marines + Sergeant with Power Weapon - all with jump packs
• Devastator Squad: 9 Marines + Sergeant - 4 Grav Cannons
• Devastator Squad: 9 Marines + Sergeant - 4 Grav Cannons

The following will be the three games Daryl and I had with some commentary

Game 1

The first draw we ended up playing with Lum and Melvin who are also regulars at T&D, our gaming club. This was hilarious! We just played them last week and in that practice game, it helped me hone my list. 

We rolled for first turn and in our previous game, Lum made the mistake of letting me go first, thus reducing Tau effectiveness. This time they rolled and managed to choose to go first and Lum promptly took first turn. 

Only to have us seize the initiative! 

Both Lum and Melvin visibly slumped and we had a good laugh about it. Some good old fashion luck certainly helped.

I really love this conversion! He actually used FW Ghal Vorpal and gang

Overview of the battle

Just love this amazing shot. Those Marines are dying in the droves and the Demons mop up

It was truly a war of attrition! 

While Daryl's Havocs get threatened by Lum's assault squads

My job was simple. Just go in and pull all attention to me thus allowing my partner to mop up on the objectives. Daryl got really lucky with the spawning and we managed to get all the right demons. Eventually we managed a good win, 16 to 6 - 10 point differential.

Stay tuned for Part 2

Ep 188 Combat Phase podcast - Peter Fehervari on Genestealer Cults, Fire Caste & more!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/combatphase/ep_188_-_Peter_Fehervari_Genestealer_Cults__Fire_Caste.mp3

We talk loads of GW news, hobby and games played. TL;dr: Adepticon prep panic final days. Kenny WON his first event, and with old/current pointed Fyreslayers! Robert's Malifaux pales in comparison.

Finally....while many of you make the trip to Chicago for Apdeticon please enjoy this interview with excellent author Peter Fehervari who discusses Genestealer Cults, Fire Caste, Mechanicus stuff and more.

Enjoy!!

www.blacklibrary.com

Hachisnaxreads blog interview

http://hachisnaxreads.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/hachisnax-interviews-peter-fehervari.html

Some new semi-DIY terrain for my table finished.

In my new series, EAT FOOD MAKE STUFF, I built some new things!

I find the GW kits work best when you chop them up and add them to other things, like a Milo tin or a 710ml can of 'V' for example, it's also a lot better at LoS blocking too as most GW kits are pretty easy to see through. So yeah, knocked these two bits up and a couple little hill type things. 

I also got my BB team out of the foam and put them in the display case, pretty happy how these guys came out. Speaking of, I started a Dwarf team too tonight. I love the armour and most of the poses are pretty dynamic compared to the humans, orks and even skaven.