One of the neat things about the tourney is that you got 4 re-roll tokens if you paid / list in on time. You could use these, one per game, in any game except game 5.
My list
Slann - General / BSB
Cupped Hands
Divine Plaque of Protection
Becalming / Mystery / Focused
Lore of Light
Scar Vet - LA / Shield
Burning blade of Chotec / Glyph Necklace
Scar Vet - LA / Shield / Cold One
Dragonhelm / Dawnstone / Venom of the Firefly Frog
28 Saurus - FC
25 Saurus - FC
10 Skinks /w Blowpipes
6 Chameleons
6 Chameleons
5 Terradons
1 Ancient Stegadon
2 Sallies with Extra Handlers
2 Sallies with Extra Handlers
Game 1 - Steve Haver - Beasts - from MI
Great guy. Just started playing in tournaments this past year and having a blast. Since the organizers said they wanted fun lists, he brought a real fun list. Since there were not any rules to enforce this desire this was just a pipe dream so I brought a list that could compete.
His list
Beastlord
4 x Lvl 1's with Herdstone
Doombull on Flying Carpet
Big Block of Gor
Medium Block of Gor
Big Block of Bestigor
2 units of skirmishing Ungor
Unit of Harpies
1 x Razorgor
2 x Razorgor
I shot his razordons early and used the salamanders to thin the big blocks until I just couldn't avoid them anymore and the saurus, buffed by light magic, made quick work of them. He killed a unit of chameleon skinks. Sadly, our lists were not anywhere near the same caliber but he smiled and had a fun game through the pounding. Nice guy, would love to play him again with lists on a little more even footing.
And thus ends my pictures. Not sure why but I just quit taking them.
Game 2 Dan Ruud - Demons - Table 3
Thirster - Re-Rolls, 3+ AS, Spellbreaker
BSB Herald On Jugger
Herald on Foot
Lvl 2 Tzeentch Mage - master of sorc - Heavens
2 big blocks of letters in Horde form
6 Hounds
4 Juggernauts with Banner
I didn't like the looks of this list from the get go. Having played Toms Khorne demons a zillion times I always have fits with the thirster. It didn't help that we were playing a modified Blood & Glory scenario (dropping below Break point didn't end the game but you could getting bonus points for dropping the enemy). I knew I had to take my time getting into combat and use magic / shooting to wither his units down to something I could handle. Straight up combats with Demons is not a great idea.
He deployed right on the line the full 18" in which made me smile like a fiend. I deployed on the backline to give my shooting / magic some time to do its work. Chameleons deployed in the backfield with their eyes on the Tz. caster who had not learned "How Not to be seen". Turn 1 to Lizards.
Chameleons take out the Tzeentch caster and put some wounds on a unit of letters. Big spell of this game was Banishment. Turns out, Banishment punishes Bloodletters. I was killing 7-10 per round with that spell. Forcing them to re-roll ward saves is huge. My slann did miscast on Banishment and rolled a 10 on the chart which could have been bad. I used my re-roll here to turn it into a 7 and just lost some PD and took a wound. Much better than losing levels and banishment.
On his turn 1 he advanced up the thirster to threaten the lone slann and on my right flank advanced up his other unit of letters and parked the dogs in front of it. Juggernauts slowly advanced around my left flank (after failing LD test to march).
Lizard turn 2 - I took this opportunity to block up the right flank by charging out my Scar Vet on Cold One at the Dogs. I didn't expect to win but did expect not to break. This would keep both the dogs & the big horde formation tied up for hopefully a few turns while I shot it up. My slann hid behind the other unit of saurus which had advanced but only a bit. I made sure to put the thirster so he would have to charge the front of the slann but left him no where to land. Scar Vet did a wound to dogs and they easily passed their test. Combat held. Peppered the big unit of letters down more with magic & shooting.
Demon turn 2 - He wanted to charge the slann and when he couldn't he asked me to put his Thirster in a spot. I hate having to do this so I was very careful and made sure he was very exact in where he wanted him and his facing. He was wanting to get a Slann charge so positioning here was huge. Dan also took his BSB out of the unit that was getting shot to death and move him into the big unit that was blocked up behind the dogs / scar vet combat. Dog / Scar Vet combat draws off again. Juggers charge a sallie unit who flees and gets away.
Lizard turn 3 - Everything moves up except the slann who pops back a bit to be in 12" range of the saurus (should they see combat) yet out of LoS of the Thirster. Shooting / Magic finishes off the 1 Letter unit and starts to focus on the other. Hound / Scar Vet combat stalemate - this is working beautifully and continues to lock up his right flank.
Demons 3 - Dan finally charges a unit of saurus (on my right flank) in the rear with the thirster. His BSB also charges out at my lone hero holding up his dogs. Thirster does quite a few wounds, saurus hold on Steadfast with Slann nearby and reform to put him in the front. This could go poorly if my lone hero is killed as then I will have dogs / letters in the rear of that unit. Scar Vet challenges and puts a wound on the BSB. BSB no wounds - stalemate combat still.
Rest of the game - I continue the assault with shooting / magic on his other bloodletter unit until I wipe it out. The thirster is locked in combat with saurus for the rest of the game which he failed to completely kill. I only managed to put 2 wounds on it. I killed everything except for the thister and juggernaut unit (which played chase the sallies far too long to ever see combat). Massacre Victory for me.
Game 3 - Johnny Hastings - Beastmen - Table 2
I'd been hoping to meet Johnny in battle as it had been a long time since we last played.
His list (roughly)
Lvl 4 Shadow
2 x Lvl 1s - Scroll / herdstone
Beastlord
BSB
Big unit of Gor in Horde form
Big unit of ungors
Big unit of Bestigor
6 Minos - FC
Harpies
2 Chariots
Johnny deployed in a straight line and denied me anyplace good to place my chameleons. I decided simply to use them as bait to get stuff out in the open.
High points of the game
Minos charge a unit of sallies and the sallies kill 3 minos. Minos whiff and get sent running. I spent the rest of the game chasing these guys, they never made it off the board and 1 was left alive (though now that I type this he should only have insanely rallied....) and managed to rally denying me those points. Horde of Gor hurts. I used a big unit + steg to kill it but lost a ton of models in the process. This paniced the ungor unit which was hiding all of the mages. It also ran alot but got to the board edge and rallied.
I spent the game shooting up the Bestigor but never got them killed.
Turn 4 I had him on the ropes and was up roughly 500-600 points he knew it and wasn't overly happy about it. This too, soon would change.. I got greedy going for the big win and paid for it. Johnny finally realized he should be trying to cast pit of shades on my slann. He got it off, I failed my Init. test but used the re-roll which kept the slann on the table. I could have gotten out of range on my turn but was still being greedy. Slann / Steg stayed near the bestigor trying to finish them off for points.
Turn 5 Johnny pitted the Slann and Turn 6 he pitted the steg. 500 point win for Johnny - 7 - 13. Second tourney in a row where getting greedy and NOT getting out of uber spell range cost me the slann. Someday I'll learn???
Game 4 - I was supposed to play Johnny again on Table 2. Obviously this could not happen so I got swapped to Table 3 (I was amazed my loss did not move me very much in the standings) to play one of my favorite opponents Miel Vermulen from Milwaukee, WI. Miel is no slouch and always gives me one of the hardest fought games - I love this challenge.
Scenario was wonky. Diagonal deployment. IF only on the doubles based on round. Round 1 = IF on Double 1's. Round 2 = IF on Double 2's, etc... Miscast still only on Double 6's. This meant my becalming wasn't that great as it saved his Vamp from miscasting ever. I needed to suck the 6's though to keep my dispel opportunity alive.
His List
Vamp - Lvl 3 - Full Lore of Death - 4+ WS
Necro - Van Hels / invocation / Bound item (cant recall)
BSB - Drakenhoff
40 Ghouls horde form
20 Skellies - FC Vamp here
15 Skellies -FC Necro Here
5 Wolves
3 Bats
34 Grave Guard - FC - BSB here
5 Wraiths
Black Coach
Deployment - I deployed so as to completely ignore the ghouls. I thought I had won the deployment phase but my salamanders were a little to close to the black coach and couldn't flee without fear of going off the board.
Turn 1 to Miel. Coach charges a sallie unit. Wraiths charge the other sallie unit which flees (It had lots of room to get away). Coach kills a sallie and does 2 wounds. Sallies hold with Slann within 12. GG advance up. Ghouls make a big vs. charge terradons (I made a STUPID move with vanguard) and make it. (he was also within 6" of an idol of gork which would have let him re-roll). Terradons hold though!
Lizard turn 1 - Cold one Scar Vet charges coach. Saurus unit with Burning Blade hero charges coach in the flank. Coach dies - Saurus unit reforms so as not to get flanked by grave guard. Slann miscasts and rolls an 11 which is passed to the necromancer who loses both spells and is now a Level 0 wizard. Shooting commences with the chameleons whittling away at the generals unit. Steg gets into position to charge the generals unit turn 2.
VC turn 2 - Miel charges the saurus unit that just popped his coach. He needs a 9 and what do you know, that lucky son of a gun rolls it. With no combat buffs up the GG eat that unit alive and overrun into the sallie / Scar vet still sitting there. His vamp lord moves to the smaller unit so as not to be in combat with the Stegadon.
Liz turn 2 - Steg charges Skellies. Saurus unit positions itself to get GG charged. Shooting peppers his VC lord unit down further. Steg wins combat but is locked in combat with that unit for a while. Speed of Light & Pha's go off on the saurus unit. This enables them to tie up the GG unit for quite a few turns.
VC turn 3 - Lord heals his unit back up. GG / Saurus stalemate with light magic buffs up. Skellie - Steg combats sees the steg kill more skellies, chippin away.
Liz turn 3 - Slann comes out to see the Vamp unit. Shooting / Magic kills the unit off and puts 2 wounds on his vampire. Buffs attempted but only got Pha's off after failing to cast and ending the phase. Saurus hold though but take a beating.
VC turn 4 - Stuff. More skellies die. More Saurus die. Combats stalemate. My chameleons have been peppering the ghouls the whole game but finally got charged after failing a march test. They got away. Vamp cast Doom & Darkness on the slann.
Liz turn 4 - More of the same stuff except that the GG get freed up.
VC turn 5 - Vamp charges the slann since his unit is dead and all of the other units he could hide in are locked in combat. Grave gaurd whoop up on the saurus who still hold with the slann in 12" Skellie unit finally beaten by the stegadon who reforms from victory to rear charge the vampire in combat with slann. Vamp puts a wound on the slann and wins by 1. He thought he might have me with D&D still up but the slann holds. GG charge a salamander unit who gets away.
Liz turn 5 - Rear charge the vamp with the steg. Salamanders rally and are in a position to burn up the GG unit which will then get peppered by 2 skink units bowfire. I was really hoping Miel would not challenge my slann and he did not. Halfway through resolving the combat he starts banging his head on the table as he realized his folly. We had quite a crowd at this point and I started giggling uncontrollably while the onlookers were looking at us perplexed. Vamp died due to the steg charge. This forces crumbling which ends up killing the wraiths (who I never would have got), the bats, also never would have got and turns what was going to be quite the loss into a minor win for me (100+ points). 11-9. Another hard fought and fun game from Miel. I only won because he forgot to challenge. I'll take it (especially after my previous loss due to a mistake).
Game 5 - Nick Loaf - Warriors of Chaos
Watchtower scenario, also slightly wonky. The only units that could ever occupy the Watchtower were units that were 20 or less models. This was really the only fault I found with the tourney. A change this big to a std scenario should have been advertised.
his list
Lvl 4 on Disc with puppet
Lvl 2 on Foot with eye of Tzeentch (Spell stealer thingy)
BSB
Big block of khorne marauders with flails
2 Big warrior blocks - 1 Tz / 1 Khorne - both had halberds and the Tz unit had the banner of rage
1 5 man marauder horse unit
2 Hellcannons
I don't recall a lot of the details here except that I got my 10 skink unit in the building (which only had 3 models left). He never charged the building. I used shooting / magic to thin down CW units before fighting them and then used Light buffs to keep my units in the alive. He used the item 1 time to cast pha's protection on one of his units and I proceeded to keep my Slann out of LoS for the rest of the game. 13-7 win for Lizards.
All of that got me a 5th place overall finish. More importantly I got the same sports score as the guy who won best sportsman. I was really tickled with that especially since I had a really hard list and brought my A game to all of my opponents. I'm really more proud of that score than my overall placement.
Bretonnians (Mike Gerold) won Overall
Johnny Hastings went on to win Best General
Dennis Gunia won Best Painted
Jake Murphy won Best Sports
Joe Rogers won Players Choice
"The Legend" of HPB fame won a best Comp award as well
As usual, the HPB's cleaned up! Congrats to them!
I had an amazing weekend. It really reinforced my decision again to come back to the game. I had 5 great games with 5 great opponents.
I really was sad I'm not playing with an army converted / painted to my current skill level to be able to compete for appearance / Players Choice. This is something I HAVE to rectify. Met lots of great new folks outside of my games as well and got to put faces to a lot of guys I know from the internet. Got to spend time with some great friends I had not seen in quite a long time now.
I'll wrap up with some random pics (I really failed at picture taking here). I will have to work on it some more.
