25 replies to this topic

[spyrer2000]

Brother Wolves,

Today I participated in a RTT at my friendly local game store. This RTT was a bit more involved than most - the store was putting one of the new RTT trophies up for grabs, and the competition was fierce.

Now, before you get the wrong idea, realize that when I say "the competition was fierce", I mean there were a lot of good-to-great looking armies and good-to-great sportsman competing. Of course, there were a few hardball armies as well (the Swift Horde included!)

I brought my 2,000-point Swift Horde (use the Searchy Skull for details) - nothing in it had changed since the 'Ardboyz tournament. Afterwards, I considered that maybe sometimes going with what you know is a good thing!

Speaking of the 'Ardboyz tournament a while back, I had invited Matt Davio (my first opponent and winner of the Best Army award at that tournament) to come participate. Matt not only showed up with his awesome Word Bearers army, he brought two other players with him. It was great to see Matt again, and his friends were pretty damn good players too, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Many of our locals were also involved - we had 14 players in all, a pretty darn good turnout for our area. My friend Don (Raptous on these boards) was competing with his Dark Angels, Nick brought his newly-painted Orks, and there were several more familiar faces.

The first mission was Cleanse II, and my first opponent was one of Matt Davio's friends, a fellow named Ben Cash. Ben had a nicely painted 1,000-sons force, so we were set up for a grudge match from the beginning! Ben's 1KSons had an interesting "grape" purple paint scheme, and he had placed his statured Daemon Prince on a flying disk! Very cool stuff. Ben was a very friendly fellow - the kind that's a real pleasure to game with, since every ebb and flow in the game turns out fun.

Ben's army included a Rhino full of 1KSons, the aforementioned statured Daemon Prince (dark blade, daemon icon I think), a Defiler, two Chaos Predators with possession, a squad of Horrors, a Chaos Lieutinant with three thrall wizards, and two squads of Thousand Sons with Sorcerer champions (sporting spiky bits and master-crafted powerfists!!!).

(Side note #1: I know I promised more detailed battle reports, and I intend to try and live up to that promise. However, please try to keep in mind that I just got home from three games in a row, so I'm pretty drained and there may be an important detail or two that still slips through the cracks!)

Ben deployed the Rhino on the far left, added in the first Predator right next to it, sat the second predator behind a hill on the left, placed the Defiler behind a hill near the center, and filled out the center and right with his Thousand Sons units and the Chaos Lieutinant.

I deployed my Long Fangs with LOS to the Defiler and one Predator, placed the Wulfen and Storm Claws behind a massive hill in the center, stuck Red squad of Grey Slayers on the right, and the White Squad with the Rune Priest on the left. As usual, my Wolf Lord led the Storm Claws and the Wolf Priest led the Wulfen.

Wolves 1 went on the left facing some ruins, Wolves 2 and 3 ended up just right of the center. In my pre-game move, I advanced with pretty much everything and was looking pretty close to his lines on all fronts.

I won the die roll to go first (woot!).

Turn 1: 13th Company
Wolves 1 zooms into the ruins on the left, Wolves 2 and 3 fleet forward, but only Wolves 3 makes it close enough to assault. The Wulfen struggle through the hill on the center, while the Storm Claws hunker down behind the hill for now. Red squad advances towards the Defiler, while the Rune Priest and White Squad teleport over behind the Rhino and Predator on the left. In the shooting phase, the Predator on the far left is melta-gunned to death, and the other Predator is immobilized. Wolves 3 assaults one unit of Thousand Sons and begins laying down the law.

Turn 1: 1KSons
On the left, the Rhino skirts around the ruined Predator and disgorges the 1KSons inside along with the Sorcerer, while the Daemon Prince moves up behind White Squad - White Squad is now sandwiched between the 1KSons from the Rhino and the flying DP. I'm sweating and thinking "please don't have Wind of Change!"

In the center, there is a bit of shuffling around (the 1KSons rolled a 2 for movement!), but little else. After the Defiler and the Predator fire on Red Squad, only four Slayers are left - the WGPL, two meltagunners, and a single bolter Slayer.

The 1KSons sorcerer does indeed turn out to have Wind of Change - and so does the Daemon Prince! Between these two deadly templates and the bolter fire from the 1KSons, White Squad is wiped out, leaving only the Rune Priest. The DP assaults the Rune Priest and cuts him down, but the Rune Priest scores a Wound on the DP with his dying blows.

Turn 2: 13th Company
Wolves 1 pours down out of the ruins on the left towards the 1KSons, while Wolves 2 moves up towards the centermost squad of 1KSons. The Wulfen and Wolf Priest make it over the hill and are threatening to be in assault next turn. The Storm Claws hold position, while Red Squad advances towards the Defiler.

Red Squad's meltaguns annhilate the Defiler, while the Long Fangs destroy the other Predator! Go Long Fangs! With only one tank left on the board (the Rhino), things are looking up for me. Wolves 2 charges the center 1K Sons - all three 1K Sons units are now fighting Wolves.

In assault, Wolves 3 fight well, Wolves 2 fight averagely, and Wolves 1 just seem tired, scoring only a single Wound. In return, many models in Wolves 1 succumb to the 1KSons bolter stocks.

Turn 2: 1KSons
The Daemon Prince drifts towards Wolves 2, while the Rhino scoots out a bit in order to fire at the Wulfen. The Chaos Lieutinant and his thrall wizards move a bit and fire his bolt of change twice, killing two Wulfen. In assault, Wolves 3 drags down several 1KSons with them but is wiped out (5 1KSons remain plus the champion), while Wolves 2 and Wolves 1 are steadily losing ground but holding. Ben realizes he forgot to summon his Horrors!

Turn 3: 13th Company
The Storm Claws scoot left to contest a table quarter. Red squad and the Long Fangs combine firepower to wipe out the rightmost 1KSons squad. Red Squad is under half, so cannot hold the table quarter. The Wulfen charge into combat with the 1KSons in the center, helping out the sorely hurt Wolves 2. In a vicious combat, most of the 1KSons are destroyed, but a few remain. On the left, Wolves 3 is wiped out by the 1KSons (my Wolves were hungry for Chaos-tained flesh, but there just wasn't any left inside the Rubric Marines' armored shells!). The 1KSons consolidate to try and hold the table quarter.

Turn 3: 1KSons
The DP charged the Wulfen. In a massive scrum, the DP loses another Wound, four Wulfen fall, but the 1KSons squad is wiped out. Ben fails to summon his horrors, and time runs out.

Ben has only one scoring unit left in the lower left table quarter, but that quarter is contested by the Storm Claws. No scoring units remain in the upper two quarters, while the Long Fangs hold the lower right quarter. I control 1 table quarter, Ben controls Zero, and I win the game by the skin of my teeth!

Ben was a great opponent, and I gave him and his army top marks. Hopefully, Matt will bring Ben around again for more games with his "grape" 1KSons! It doesn't get much closer than our game for a grudge match! Matt congratuled me on having an "anti-summoning field" (Matt's Furies also failed to show up during the game we played at the 'Ardboyz).

Game 2 up shortly!

Edited by spyrer2000, 21 March 2005 - 07:38 PM.

[galaxyzen]

Sounds like great fun, Spyrer! By the way, whereabouts is your FLGS? Curiousity getting the best of this old wolf.

GZ

[spyrer2000]

Game 2 was against Bret, a local Speed Freeks player. Bret placed in the top 3rd in the Baltimore GT, and I've got a record of 0-1-1 against him. Bret's an excellent general and has many times surprised me with his effective armies.

Bret's army has a Deathkopta, a Basilisk, a mega-armored Warboss and retinue of Nobs in a trukk, a zzap gun Battlewagon, a fighta-bomma raid, and lots of trukk-mounted squads (I know he's got 'Ardboyz inside the Battlewagon, but I'm not sure about the rest of his squads, I know he's got at least one squad of Tankbustaz and a Burna Boyz squad, but that's all).

Game 2's mission was Battle in the Eye of Terror, where one non-vehicle unit can Deep Strike at the beginning of each Movement Phase. Woo, along with The Gate, I can now teleport two squads a turn!

I deployed Wolves 1 on the left facing some ruins (terrain was very sparse on this board), White Squad and the Storm Claws behind more ruins in the center, the Wulfen just to the right of them, Red Squad on a hill, and Wolves 2 and 3 on the far right.

Bret placed his Basilisk out of sight behind a hill, placed the Deathkopta next to it (I have no idea why, the Deathkopta never moved or did anything the rest of the game...perhaps he forgot about it?). His Battlewagon was in the center, with Trukks spread out around the rest of the Deployment Zone.

Bret won the roll for 1st turn (chanting "I need first turn" several times in a row must've really helped!).

Turn 1: Speed Freeks
The Fighta-bomma raid killed 3 Wolves, but was otherwise uneffective. As expected, most of the Trukks moved closer, although the Battlewagon merely moved in place. Bret hit dead on with his Basilisk shot, killed several Wulfen, and pinned the squad! D'oh! The Burna boyz on the left moved up and eradicated Wolves 1 completely, while a few Slayers here and there were picked off with more shooting. Wolves 3 fell back from the shooting, but were going to rally in my turn without a problem.

Turn 1: 13th Company
Red Squad and the Rune Priest used The Gate to appear over by the Warbosses Trukk, while White Squad deviated using the mission's Deep Strike to land in the front of the ruins. The Storm Claws and Wolf Lord moved into the ruins behind them, while Wolves 2 scooted behind the ruins. I was loading up the center of the board while trying to hold the Orks off on the right and things weren't looking too good to start with, since the Wulfen were pinned. Wolves 3 moved up on the right, but were still far away from the fighting.

Red Squad destroyed the wrong Trukk (I made a small misjudgement in my targeting!), while White Squad was just out of range to fire. The Long Fangs, on the other hand, blew the Battlewagon sky-high and entangled the 'Ardboyz inside. I wounded the passengers 11 times, but Brett made 10 4+ saves! D'oh! The Long Fangs split fire also managed to stun and blow the weapon off the Burna Boyz' trukk.

Turn 2: Speed Freeks
Bret decided to Deep Strike his Warbikes, and the group appeared just in front of the Long Fangs near the center of the table next to Wolves 2. The Burna Boyz advanced towards the center, while two Trukks (full of Tankbustaz and Slugga Boyz) moved up towards the ruins in the center. The Warboss and his pals jumped out to face the Rune Priest and Red Squad. The Warbikes shot Wolves 2 nearly to death, but few other shooting was effective. However, Bret dropped ANOTHER Basilisk shot dead on target to the Wulfen, killing all but 4 and pinning the squad AGAIN! D'oh!

The Assault Phase began, and I started to worry - but that all changed soon. The Warboss and his retinue charged the Rune Priest and Red Squad, but were chased off in disgrace - only the Warboss survived, and only a handful of Red Squad fell to the powerklaws of the Orks. Scratch up one combat for the Swift Horde! In the center, White Squad wiped out the Tankbustas and lost 4 Slayers in the process - swinging first at 3+ to hit is nice! The Storm Claws also had a stellar round and wiped out the Slugga Boyz, losing one Storm Claw in the process. The Storm Claws consolidated towards the Warbikes, while White Squad moved towards the Trukkboyz on the right. Bret was very shocked to find out he had lost three assaults when HE charged ME. It certainly gave the Swift Horde a better chance to pull of a win!

Turn 2: 13th Company
White Squad and the Rune Priest moved towards the Trukkboyz, while Red Squad chased the Warboss. The survivors of Wolves 2 and the Storm Claws headed for the Warbikes, while Wolves 3 tried to get closer to the battle.

The Long Fangs blew up another Trukk, while White Squad and the Rune Priest wiped out some Trukk boyz in shooting and assault. Red Squad failed to damage the Warboss' ride, so settled for some rude gestures towards the massive greenskin. The Storm Claws and the Wolf Lord eliminated the Warbike threat, leaving only the Nob, who failed to inflict any damage with his powerclaw. Combat would continue in the center.

Turn 3: Speed Freeks
The Burna Boyz approached the Wolf Lord and the Storm Claws, while the 'Ardboyz made it out from behind the wrecked Battlewagon and took aim at White Squad. The Warboss got out of his trukk and headed for the Rune Priest.
Bret landed a third Basilisk shot dead on, slaying the last of the Wulfen, leaving only the Wolf Priest standing in a cluster of craters. At least I wasn't pinned this time! The Warboss charged the Rune Priest, while the 'Ardboyz shot ineffectually at White Squad (so might as well charge 'em, eh wot?) .

Assault this time around was bloodier - the Rune Priest put a Wound on the Warboss (this is starting to become a habit) before he died, and White Squad was wiped out by the 'Ardboys after cutting down several of the greenskins. The right side had collapsed (save for the last two members of Red Squad), but Wolves 3 was approaching...

In the center, the Burna Boyz got into a losing battle with the Storm Claws, although the Wolf Lord fell to the Nob's power claw.

Turn 3: 13th Company
The Wolf Priest approached the Warboss, but was too far away to have any effect. Red Squad moved up behind a Trukk and blew it apart, while the Long Fangs destroyed another Orky vehicle. Wolves 3 moved to charge the 'Ardboyz (ignoring the Warboss).

In assault, the Storm Claws and Wolves 2 wiped out the Burna Boyz but were wiped out in turn by the last Warbiker, while Wolves 3 took the 'Ardboyz below half strength, and time ran out.
The Wolf Priest was my last surviving HQ, I had one Wolf squad at half strength and the Storm Claws below half strength. The Long Fangs were still a scoring unit.

We totaled up Victory Points and it was a draw - about as close a draw as you can get, since Bret's VP's were within 50 points of my own total. A very bloody game, but a hell of a lot of fun! One onlooker exclaimed "Dude, 13th Company vs. Orks - that's like two bricks slamming into each other head on!" And, it was.

Edited by spyrer2000, 21 March 2005 - 04:57 AM.

[spyrer2000]

GZ - my FLGS is Other Realms, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Best game store in Maryland, for my money.

http://www.other-rea...om/otherrealms/

If we can get a venue, I'm trying to organize an Indy GT - we'd love to have you come join in. I'll be sure and let you guys know if we can get this thing off the ground.

[galaxyzen]

I was there last feburary for a RTT...it snowed at the end, and was a biatch to drive home in. I would love to come, if I still lived out there; I moved to San Diego last September (would move back in a minute though...gas prices out here are insane!). Oh, well, mayhaps I will get off my but and finish my 13th company for a May RTT...

GZ

[spyrer2000]

Hmm, so I've tied twice against Bret. It would appear that he and I are pretty evenly matched. Considering Bret's placement at the GT, I consider tieing him to be a darn good result!

(D'oh! Just realized that Bret never rolled for his looted Basilisk to go nuts. I have to remember that next time around...)

On to game 3. It was a pleasant surprise to discover I would be playing against Nick's Orks! Nick and I have had quite a few really fun games, and Nick is an outstanding sportsman - so a fun time was virtually guaranteed. I normally get worn out in the third game, but this time I was a lot more relaxed and enjoying myself than usual.

Game 3 was the Suicide Squad mission. This mission is one of my favorites - basically, both sides nominate one unit as the "Suicide Squad". The unit must be an Elites or Troops choice, and if the unit survives the game, you lose 150 VPs. If the unit dies, you get +150 VPs. I love this mission, since it encourages you to play a little more recklessly than you normally would.

Nick's Ork army includes a mega-armored Warboss with a rokkit launcha-shoota, a Big Mek with a kustom force field, some Stormboyz (Nick's designated Suicide Squad), two Trukk Boyz units, some Slugga Boyz, some Shoota boyz, a big unit of 10 Warbikes, a big unit of Grots, a Basilisk, and two units of 3 Killa Kans.

I deployed Wolves 1 on the far right next to Wolves 2 facing some ruins (lots of ruins on these tables!). The Long Fangs went on a hill near the center (I've learned from bitter experience that Nick will make me pay for it if I place my Long Fangs in an elevated spot on the far left or right...much better to be a bit exposed and still get some shots!). White Squad and the Storm Claws faced a big hill (the other side of the hill from Game 1, same table, just opposite side). Red Squad (my Suicide Squad) went into the open to the left of the hill, with the Rune Priest standing just behind them. The Wulfen and Wolves 2 and 3 rounded out the right side.

Nick placed his Basilisk behind a hill on the far left (identical to Bret's game), next to one unit of Kans and a Trukk. In the center, he placed the Shootas on a hill, with the Sluggas and Burnas behind a screen of Grots behind the other Kans just to the right. The far right he loaded up with Warbikes.

Nick won the roll for first turn and took it.

Turn 1: Orks
Nick moved up pretty much everything. The Warbikes moved down on the right to get a good LOS to Wolves 1, much to my chagrin...I think I was counting a tad too much on getting the first turn! Nick wisely held his Stormboyz back a bit, waiting for a better opportunity to get the squad killed.

The Warbikes hit Wolves 1 pretty hard, but the Wolves held (Go Wolves!). Nick's other shooting was a bit uninspired, but his Basilisk dropped another pie plate on my Wulfen. My poor Wulfen! I lost six to the earthshaker shell, but the squad passed the pinning check (whew!)

Turn 1: 13th Company
Wolves 1 and 2 zipped forward to threaten the Warbikers, while Wolves 3 headed over the hill with a brilliant Fleet and difficult terrain check to threaten the Shootaz on Nick's hill. Red Squad and the Rune Priest made a risky The Gate move over behind the Trukks and next to Nick's Basilisk. I was actually hoping to scatter into a squad or off the table - that would be a quick and easy way to kill my Suicide Squad. Sadly, the unit deviated only slightly, but was in a great position to threaten Nick's left flank.

The Wulfen and the Storm Claws moved up the middle, while White Squad moved up onto the hill. The Long Fangs destroyed all three of the Killa Kans in the center (unfortunately depriving the Wulfen of anything in charge range - D'oh!). The Rune Priest and Red Squad blew up the trukk in front of them, entangling the Trukk Boyz inside. The explosion killed a few Trukk boyz and also three members of Red Squad! An auspicious beginning to their Suicide Squad career! Wolves 3 charged the Shootas, while Wolves 1 and 2 charged the Warbikes.

Wolves 3 savaged the Shootas, but enough remained to keep from fleeing (Nick made an awesome Mob Size check). Wolves 1 and 2 leapt forward like a furry storm of teeth and bone-chilling howls. In a frenzy of feral rage, seven Warbikes were killed and the rest were torn apart due to being Fearless and outnumbered. Yes, you heard right - 14 Wolves ate 10 Ork Warbikes. GO WOLVES! Nick's eyes were wide and round...apparently the dice were giving me some karma for my previous bad luck against Nick.

Turn 2: Orks
Nick moved up the Kans on the left (ignoring my poor, neglected Suicide Squad...sniff), advanced the Grots and Boyz in the center, and moved a massive 20-Ork mob towards the panting, victorious Wolves on the right. The Stormboyz zoomed over towards White Squad on the hill. Nick was being a little more cautious after that debacle with the Warbikes!

Nick's shooting was a little less effective this time around, only dropping a few Slayers from White and Red squads. Red squad had four members left after all this, all boltguns and the WGPL. Darn that Suicide Squad! Why won't they just die!?

In assault, the massive mob of Sluggas slammed into both Wolves squads and began chopping them up. 9 out of 10 Wolves succumbed to the Choppas, but the last survivor made his leadership check to keep fighting. Good boy! The Stormboyz were less fortunate, and White Squad saw them off with little trouble, although White Squad was down to five Slayers at the end of it all. White Squad consolidated towards the center, while the Wolves up on the hill continued to eat Shootas for breakfast.

Turn 2: 13th Company
The Rune Priest seperated from Red Squad to move over towards the Basilisk, while Red Squad assumed firing squad formation behind the dismounted Trukk Boyz. Wolves 2 leapt into the massive combat in the ruins to try and rescue the last Wolf survivor of Wolves 1. White Squad took aim at a nearby Trukk and blew it up, while the Wulfen and the Storm Claws headed up the center. The Long Fangs blew up some boyz behind the Grots, and Red Squad gunned down 6 Trukk Boyz, leaving only 3 left. The Rune Priest assaulted the Basilisk and sliced it apart with his Frost Blade, while the Wulfen charged into a nearby unit of Boyz and began feasting on the remains. Wolves 3 finished off the Shootas and consolidated a bit for the inevitable countercharge.

Turn 3: Orks
Nick's army was beginning to shrink a little. He moved one unit of Sluggas up the hill towards Wolves 3, moved the Killa Kans towards the center some more, and shot ineffectually with the Grots at the Wulfen. The Orks in the ruins finally finished off the last surviving Wolves from units 1 and 2, while the Sluggas charged onto the hilltop into Wolves 3, hitting hard but taking some losses.
The Trukk Boyz survivors on the left charged the Rune Priest, who contemptously cut them all down and consolidated back towards Red Squad.

Turn 3: 13th Company. The Suicide Squad attempted another risky The Gate move, aiming to land right next to the Warboss. Instead, the unit landed back next to a unit of Burna Boyz, and bolter fire slammed into the unit to drop four more Orks. The Long Fangs blasted apart a few more Boyz, while White Squad headed down the hill towards the advancing Killa Kans. The Wulfen leapt into the ruins in an attempt to take revenge for their fallen Wolf brethren, while the Storm Claws hurled themselves into combat with the Grots. Predictably, the Grots were torn apart (the survivors fled and would not be able to rally), while Wolves 3 held its own on the hilltop. The Wulfen fell defending the Wolf Priest, although many Orks also dropped in the massive melee. Weapons flashed back and forth, war cries were bellowed, and the Wolf Priest stood alone against 10 Orks at the end. White Squad was similarly unlucky, unable to harm the Killa Kans with a meltagun, and dying to the last man in assault against the massive machines. The Kans consolidated a bit towards the center.

Turn 4: Orks. Nick moved the Killa Kans past the wrecked trukk in the center, but immobilized two of the machines in the process! The Warboss and the remaining Orks charged the Wolf Lord and the Storm Claws, while Red Squad was once again ignored (sniff). The Wolf Priest fell in combat, while the Orks consolidated only one inch (so remained more or less where they were). The Wolf Lord and Warboss faced off, Space Wolf snarling at the roaring greenskin monstrosity. The Frost blade darted in and out, scattering Orkish blood everywhere. The mighty beast was wounded, but not dead, and raised his powerclaw to smash the insolent beaky who dared stand in his way. Nick rolled 4 hits, 4 wounds...and I made every single Belt of Russ save! Amazing! Onlookers were whistling in admiration as the Wolf Lord managed to survive the Warboss' brutal onslaught. One of the Storm Claws' powerfists smashed the Warboss to bits, and the rest of the orks were routed and run down by the victorious Space Wolves. Wolves 3 was whittled down to 3 remaining Wolves, but held the Sluggas on the hill. Go Wolves!

Turn 4: 13th Company. The Wolf Lord and Storm Claws headed up the hill to help out Wolves 3. Red Squad moved to the ruins to charge the Orks inside. The Long Fangs shot the Killa Kans but did no significant damage.

In assault, the Wolf Lord, Storm Claws, and Wolves wiped out the Sluggas on the hill, while Red Squad failed to kill themselves once again by charging into the Orks. Although the Orks swung at the same time, Red Squad was merciless and took the squad down to 4 Orks with bolter stocks and a battering thunderhammer. Time was called.

When victory points were added up, it was clear that the Swift Horde had racked up an impressive victory. I still had my Wolf Lord, Rune Priest, Storm Claws, Long Fangs, and my Suicide Squad (although under half strength), and one under-half-strength Wolves squad. Nick had one Ork unit under half strength, one Killa Kan, and two damaged Killa Kans.

With this victory under my belt, I congratulated Nick on a very well-played game. Nick was smart to ignore my Suicide Squad, but my doomed unit managed to succeed against all expectations. The units of the match were clearly the Fenrisian Wolves - 320 points eliminated 10 Warbikes and 20-some odd Orks, plus tied up several units of Orks for the majority of the game. Amazing!

Nick's a hell of a player, he just needs a few more nobs in his Ork mobs.

[spyrer2000]

Aftermath:
When everything was totaled up, the awards were given out as follows:
My friend Nelson (Iron Warriors) won Best General - Nelson was undefeated at this tournament.
Bret won Best Army - his Speed Freeks have some very impressive conversion work!
Don (Raptous) won Best Sportsman, and he deserves it - the guy is amazingly friendly and fun to play against.

Matt Davio won the Overall prize! Matt's Word Bearers are simply awe-inspiring, and he's got some new Chaos Terminators with sculpted flames that simply have to be seen to be believed. Matt's also a fantastic sportsman, so there's no doubt he deserved the overall win.

When the scores were placed up later, I realized that I had come in 2nd overall, one single point behind Matt. I came in second behind Matt Davio, and that's an honor.

Interestingly, Ben (my first opponent) was only a few points behind me, making him the third highest player overall. It was an awesome tournament, and I hope to see more events of this caliber in the future. Thanks for reading.

13th Company Swift Horde - 2nd Overall

[spyrer2000]

So now I've got 3 overall wins (the 'Ardboyz and two RTTs) and one 2nd Overall win. It might be time to think about retiring the Swift Horde for a while... until I get the urge to go all werewolf on someone again.

[galaxyzen]

Sweet! Awesome read, my brother. Keep it up!

GZ

[Drakkar Windrider]

Very good read, and you did pretty good!

Gotta love those wolves. I've always thought the wolves are the one of the greatest assets the 13th Co has. Nothing like 30 or more wolves charging at your enemy to make them soil their pants (or power armor) !

[Evilmerlin]

Was your Wolf Lord using the frost blade or the twin lightning claws? How did those work out?

[Wolf Lord Duregar]

Brilliant spyrer2000, just brilliant!
It was an awesome read, sitting here, drinking some coffee and waiting to go to work and reading this, what a great way to start the day (and week! )!

Fenrisian Wolves are one of the best units ina 13th Co. list, I remember the first time I used them against my Grey Knight/´nilla opponent, he just took a quick look at the and probably thought "fodder" (I only had ten by then) and ignored them, the next moment they were gnawing on the bones of one oh his eight men Grey Knights Squads...

Sad to hear you´ll retire them for a while... Why not up the challenge a bit instead. perhaps try out an Wulfen army or a Storm Claw Biker variant or something (or mainstream Space Wolves..? )? What can be cooler than playing Space Wolves..?

Oh, and congratulations by the way..!

[spyrer2000]

Evilmerlin, I'm still using the frost blade Wolf Lord. I keep finding it difficult to justify spending 30 points for my Wolf Lord's armament.

Bizarrely enough, I've got the model all done. Hm. I suppose it's time to shake things up a little and work him in somehow. I've got a game on wednesday and there's a couple more tournaments in the area next month, so...I guess we'll see.
Thanks for reading, Duregar, and maybe I'll take your advice to try out some new thoughts (I always said I wanted to, after all).

[Wolf Lord Duregar]

Yes, do that! And ditto for lightning claws...

Lightning claws on the Wolf Lord is very mean, but like you said, hard to justify for 30p... A bolt pistol and frost blade is cheaper and atleast as good or better than the claws in my book. However, I have one Wolf Lord model with claws as I like the look and it feels very fitting for a 13th Co. Wolf Lord.
They have slightly better chance to wound T5 dudes but that S5 is hard to give up... I´ve killed Killa kans and Wraitlord (-s!) and even a Demolisher with my frost blade, something the claws can´t do... (but he can still have melta bombs AND claws)

In my last two games I tried a very nasty unit though, a Wolf Lord w. frost blade (and bolt pistol) and the mark and a ten men Storm Claw Bodyguard w. 2 fists and a Wolf Guard Leader w. lightning claws and a Mark of the Wulfen (surprisingly, I had points to kill in a 13th Co. list!! ). Expensive but tore up anything it touched.
Just an idea, but I´m sure you´re able to think up a nasty unit by yourself...

By the way, were you satisfied with this list or did you want to change anything..? I know you have used it a lot, but was there anything you missed during the game..?

Cheers!

[spyrer2000]

Overall, I was very satisfied with my list for this tournament.
The Wolf Lord sliced things apart real good in combat, but then, he usually does (except for game 1)
The Rune Priest made several good teleports, missed with his combi-melta once, died the first two games but did some damage first.
The Wolf Priest was useless in the second game, did well in the first and third game.

My Grey Slayers did well in all three games, blowing up tanks, taking on Ork Warbosses (and winning!), gunning down lots and lots of Orks or whuppin' 'em in close combat.

The Wulfen did real well in the first game, got killed in the second game for no benefit, and did well in the third game. Normally, my Wulfen are my MVP's, but this tournament they didn't do quite as well. Still, they served their purpose when required.

My Storm Claws did nothing in the first game except contest a table quarter (and thus garner me the win). In the second game, the Storm Claws handled two Ork units and some Warbikes, so good job. In the third game, the Storm Claws slaughtered some grots, walloped some boyz, and helped kill the Warboss.

All three units of Wolves did good-to-great. The Wolves were good in the first game, tying up his shooty 1KSons and doing some damage, but ultimately getting torn up by bad die rolling. In game 2, the Wolves didn't do very well, but still added in some help for the win. In game 3, the Wolves were clearly MVP.

The Long Fangs were a bit of a mixed bag (like the Wolves). In game 1, the Long Fangs took out an important tank. Game 2, they took out a battlewagon and some trukks (helpful for VPs). Game 3, they blew up a lot of Killa Kans and helped thin out the boyz. I lost my Pack Leader early on most of the time, but I still think they earned their points back at least in almost every game I've put them in thus far.

In the end, I am satisfied that this is a good list. I'm nagged by the feeling that it could be better, and right now I am leaning towards replacing the footslogging Storm Claws with some bikers somehow (maybe put the Lord on a bike and add them in as a retinue? Drop a unit of Wolves, beef up the other two?).

[Evilmerlin]

Thats a great idea for the Storm Claw's Wolf Guard! I've got to try to work that in. Best of both worlds really, the Wolf Guard with MotW isn't too shabby at CC either.

[tzeentch2003]

Ben was a great opponent, and I gave him and his army top marks. Hopefully, Matt will bring Ben around again for more games with his "grape" 1KSons! It doesn't get much closer than our game for a grudge match!

Thank you for the kind comments and the great game! This was easily my favorite game of the day, as well as being my only loss (coincidence?). It's actually a fairly rare event for someone to hang a loss on my Sons, so you may rest assured that the Grape Apes will be seeking you out for a rematch in the not-too-distant future!

Regards,
Ben/Tzeentch2003

... who actually painted his models blue. No, really. It says so on the bottle. I have no idea why they look purple in real life ...

[Gyson_Vore]

... who actually painted his models blue. No, really. It says so on the bottle. I have no idea why they look purple in real life ...

Bad Basecoat or bad color.(Ever see Shadow "Gray"? I rest my case.)

[Skjold Bloodmaw]

Even Codex Grey has a bit of a blue tint.

[Bounty Hunter]

Excellent reading. You covered all the parts so thank you for more details this time.

In game 2, do you think it went "bad" cause of the lack of terrain or was it that it were Orcs you faced?

[tzeentch2003]

... who actually painted his models blue. No, really. It says so on the bottle. I have no idea why they look purple in real life ...

Bad Basecoat or bad color.(Ever see Shadow "Gray"? I rest my case.)

Actually, all that happened is I put Midnight Blue over a black basecoat. The resulting combination is sort of purplish under natural lighting, and definitely purple under fluorescent. By that explanation isn't as amusing as saying I have no idea how it happened.

I've thought about going back and redoing the army so that they actually look blue, but that would be a big undertaking and a serious pain in the neck. More importantly, I'm really amused by my army of Purple People.

T2k3

[Skjold Bloodmaw]

To quote Mitch Hedberg;

"When it comes to racism, I hear people say, I don't care if they're white, black, purple or green.

Aw, hold on now. Purple or green? You gotta draw the line somewhere.

To hell with purple people! Unless they're suffocating."

[marcus]

Great read spyrer. Congratulations on the placing

[spyrer2000]

Bounty Hunter,
There wasn't any one factor I can point to and say "this is why the game was a draw", but I'd have to say that the terrain was pretty sparse, yes.

Another thing I could've done differently is to place Wolves 2 in the ruins with White Squad and the Storm Claws in the center to form a countercharge reserve... but this is all monday morning quarterback stuff.

[the_forgefather]

What's the army list for your 13th Company Wolves?