Friday, August 29, 2008

Apocalypse Floor wars

Iron Wolves Battle Report Apocalypse

START TIME : 12ish
Apocalypse Battle – Floor Wars

Mission: Take and Hold : 1 Major objectives, 2 minor
Battle Field setup:
Main Objective : Take and hold the War Titan
Minor Objectives: Take the enemies Bunker/or Trench , Enemy Head Quarters
Special Rules: Specific pilots are nominated from each team. Nominated pilots (squad or Independent character operate (teleport engineers/pilots) and use the Titan : 6 inches from the objective controlling player can operate the Titan.

At the center of the Town is a broken Titan, abandon from the last battle. Trenches and buildings was setup near the forested area of the town. Approximately surrounded by the Trenches , ruin buildings and 4 Battle bunkers . heavily fortified surroundings makes the objective an easy target to well trenched units from any direction and attack or taking and holding it would not be easy as it is within 18-48 inches of the trenches.

Armies :
( Ultramarines supported Imperial Guards) Deadeye(ultramarines with IG) , Commisar Alfred (Armored Company with Banebaldes) Total of 6250 pts. vs. (Space Marine – Wolves ) Henri ( Space Wolves- Iron Wolves), Jesse (Pre-Heresy Luna Wolves) 6000 pts.

Deployment:
Wolves won the bidding on who deploys first

ALLIES Deployment:
The Imperial Army deployed in a phalanx formation of Alternating Heavy Armour and heavy infantry support from left to right . Group Left a group of IG infantry supported 3 to 5 Tanks (2 Leman Russ and Predator and Vindicator) , The Allies Center was made up of a Space marine contingent (Librarian) and some Heavy infantry (mostly Deadeyes contingent) While Commisar Alfred’s Armour was concentrated into 2 formation the Center– Right was given 2 Baneblades with some light infantry support from Deadeyes light infantry While the HQ was being held by the rest of the Armoured company.

Reserves: IG units have between 5-7 Airmobile infantry formations/including suicide squads (Deep Strike), 4 other IG infantry formations and 2 Terminators squads.

WOLVES Deployment :
The Luna Wolves and Space wolves decided a defensive Formation deploying heavy infantry (Long Fangs and Devastator Squads on/in or near the trenches). An infantry unit was left to defend the HQ (unfortunately it was the deepest of our line which we almost regret on the last turn)
So from left to right we evenly deployed 3 Long Fangs, 3 scouts with sniper rifles and 3 Dev squads throughout the our defensive line. In the Center –Left the Luna wolves concentrated most of our Heavy Armour ( 3 Land Raiders), Terminator squad/s – with intention as being our Titan destroyer(as we expected the Allies Attack using their sheer amount of numbers and overwhelm us and probably take the Titan while we fire on their units at long range and slow them down then use Deep strike and drop pods to finish them).
Our Reserves : Luna wolves : terminators Deep Strike
Iron Wolves 4 Drop Pods(2 Dreadnoughts, Wolf Lord w retinue, Grey Hunters), 1 Vindicator and 3 Rhinos(Rune Priest, Grey Hunters,2 BC)

Turn One:
Wolves :
Movement : heavy infantry moved to better position (trenches and ditches) intention to shoot on the second turn:
Luna wolves sent in a unit with Plasma grenade (with the intention of destroying one of the Super heavy tanks).

Mobile units moved in at the rear of the IG Left Line (manage to disrupt part of the IG Armour units that was to support the Librarian.
Fire support: No major Gunfire - we realized none of our heavy weapons will reach the IG current position.
Although we manage to get 1 wound from the Librarian which he saved !!!

Allies:
Movement : Ultramarine Librarian dashed towards the objective on his bike- the rest of the intended strike force move up to support
Allies is just 4 inches away from the titan. Dropped in his terminators near the Titan covering his Librarian to take the objective- (2 turns and the titan will rise and will be used against us).

First Shots from the Allies mostly misses but manages to some of our troops (minor losses) but many shots falls short!!! But the Luna wolves Dreadnought was Hit and lost his last Cannons.
While a unit of airborne infantry dropped behind our lines and Blew up the Land Raider Terminus. “ Holy Crapp that’s the only tank we have that can stand up to the Titan, the 2 remaining Baneblade” !!! Luckily it hit the squad the blew it up- as consolation- unfortunately it also killed a sniper from my wolf scouts. . . Its force decision next turn for the wolves.

Close combat continues with terminators and dreadnought edging the Ultramarines 1-2.

Turn Two :

Wolves:
Deployment of reserves :
Drop pods Moved in to surround the Cut off units of the Ultramarines from the rest of their Army – we must stop that Librarian!!!. The Units from the Luna Wolves was posed to hammer the Isolated Ultramarines. While we give supporting and covering fire (also effectively covering the line of Site from enemy tanks against the bulk of our units :D ) From our drop pods . using them as shields from heavy long range fire support of the IG – Heavy Guns .

Movement
My Rhinos and Vindicator from the Flank started to stem off the armour support units

Shooting :
The Luna Wolves hit the Ultramarines Hard but failed to Finish off them off . The iron wolves gave whilthering fire to destroy the remnants of his force (the librarian is down to 1 wound. – ( Next turn or else TITAN LIVES!!!)
Sniper shots were fired at IG infantry units :which was pinned , Psychic attacks – did some damage to enemy infantry but other Shooting did minor damage to the enemy units
Destroying a tank and damaging a Leman Russ. (Forced the Allies to turn and attack the units. The scout blew a Leman Russ Battle cannon .
Rune priest Called the storm on him giving him 5+ cover – save

Assault. Assault by the Luna Wolves on the Ultramarine units deciminated its numbers to 1 and as the Ven Dread Helped finish him off with Power fist attack . Close combat have started to tilt the favor on our side.

Allies Turn :
Reserves comes in for the IG – This time they had the advantage Drop behind enemy lines at lease 4 airborne squads 2 1 turn from our HQ which was under defended (1-5-man squad), then just behind my disembarked units Loads of Infantry (4 -10man IG squads ) popped from their deployment zone to shoot at my units behind: (THIS MOVE Created a problem for us our own HQ will be overrun!!! in the next few turns and with no possibility of counter attack from any of our forces …Tactically outstanding for the IG Kudos!!!)

Flank action:
Shooting the whole Allies where busy – immobilized my Rhinos and destroyed my Vindicator battle cannon – Scouts and Grey hunters to lest than 2 units each!!!
The 4 IG troops choose the Rune priest as their target Miracles do Happened !!! He survives 40 Shots with his last wound!!! 30 Misses from 2 laspistols , 3 meltagun shots. And saved on a cover save on the Plasma Pistol shot !!!
“ All that shots for 2 wounds!!!” – “Alfred use your battle cannon against the blood Claws .. “ Deadeye answered
Left me with 2 units left to fight 4 squads the 3 – Blood Claws and the Priest

Center of the line
Heavy Fire support was given to the Ultramarines from long range Battlecannon to great effect almost halve if not destroyed the Luna wolves attacking units (infantry 3 terminators was lost and 4 Space marines !!!

Fire from IG attacking the lines from behind : almost killed off a Luna wolf unit of Infantry and killed 2 Long fangs with M. Launchers… Its the Allies turn to smash our lines from behind!!!

Turn 3
Wolves Movement :
Not much movement this time for the Wolves Busy thinking of which to shoot hehehe !!!

Shooting :
Center:
Shooting Action we finally Finally Killed the Librarian

Flank Action :
Shot the hell out of 2 IG squads – one was down to 3 the other 6

Backend action:
shooting heavy fire fights between IG units starts – Luna Wolves hopped to turn the advancing airborne units and hold the HQ. to no avail only got 1 IG out of 6 not enough to stop them.

Assaults: BC attacked and destroyed the remaining IG troops in front the Rune Preist and the 2 grey hunters whipped the 6 man strong but manages to run !!!

Turn 3 – Wolves Hold the the Center But no pilots available to use the Titan!!(he got killed during the assault) The Iron wolves pilot was busy fighting IG n the flank!!!.

ALLIES
Movement :
Here we saw the movement of the 2 baneblades and all IG tanks towards the center to retake the Titan .. (a bit little to late )

Shooting : the open fire at all visible targets :D
Unlucky shots 1 shot by the baneblade misses and killed the IG from behind – saving the Power armored Luna Wolves to hold the HQ objective – Lucky miss!!!
But they manage to knock down my Dreadnought and blew up the Ven Dread !!!

Dead eye decided to move and shoot instead of assaulting my BC formation. Deciminated it to 4 units. While the shooting comes to an end!!! Failing to take the HQ and drop pods Held the Tanks where they are as it needed to take a detour to reach the target :D effectively blocking the Advance


Almost a Win for The Wolves on the Last Turn
LAST Turn
Wolves move in for the kill destroyed the most the isolated pockets of IG .from our backside .
I on the other hand consolidated my position and took the objectives

Allies Last hurrah !!!
Comisar Alfred already decided to withdraw but the ultramarines energized to salvage a devastating last turn to take as many wolves as he can and continued the last turn shooting at anything that isn’t IG :D He was able to kill the rune priest and finish off 2 more Luna wolves in PA and destroyed the scouts and the remaining Blood claws.


RESULTS:
Wolves Win 2 objectives to 1
END TIME 6PM

Monday, August 04, 2008

Support Your Local Store

Warhammer 40K 5th Edition is now out along with a bunch of other new goodies from Games Workshop. Now I understand we are all giddy to get our hands on that new book, that new codex, that new tank, that new laser pointer (well, maybe not that one, except if your name is R_m_) or whatever is that new product that takes your fancy, but first let me have a talk with you entitled “Support Your Local Store”… so if you’re ready now boys and girls, here we go.

First, our group is called “101st Galleria Regulars”. So what is in that name? 1) 101 is just a number we plucked out of the air. 2) Regular is true now, because we play regularly… almost. 3) Galleria is for the mall (duh!) in which we play in. The name of the group sounds like an army regiment name, so that it won’t sound nerdy and for that macho and coolness factor some of us all so desperately need… plus it is way better to say a name that answers two questions at least (ie where do we play and how often) and gives an impression of huge numbers, than simply referring to ourselves as “our group”… and you better thank your lucky stars we are not named “The Emperor’s Pink Dice Chuckers” or maybe even “The Happiness Club”. Having said all that, we are not an organized group as in one with a president, treasurer, muse… we are just a bunch of persons (boys, men, girls, women, gays, lesbians – catch all so I won’t alienate anybody, just in case) who enjoy playing with toy soldiers together. And we are all equals (regulars… get it?). It may seem someone is boss sometimes, but that is just because that someone is like that anywhere he goes… just his own personal “airness”.

Now, we can’t just walk into Galleria, put some tables in there, put table cloth on top of it, and then terrain, and then go ahead and play. We need to have a store there who would host us. Or else the guards would kick us out in a jiffy. That store, in case you still don’t now yet, is Neutral Grounds (NG). And if you don’t know the owners of NG yet, please take time to know them so you know when to yield that chair (private joke... if you don't get it, contact me).

NG hosts us because NG sells the toys we play with. The NG staff helps us in setting-up those tables because they want us to play, because theoretically the more we play the more interest there is in the game, more products sold, and eventually there is money that flows to their paychecks. Also, us playing in Galleria exposes us to the “mall traffic” that would eventually generate interest (but the chance of enticing a new player into this hobby we have is really small, given it’s nature… you know, money-time-effort intensive).

We, on the other hand, like to be able to have that place we can all look forward to go to, on a weekend or a holiday, to play toy soldiers with like minded, sensible, mature persons. I personally like the air-conditioning, accessibility to all types of grub and drink, rest rooms, and the SIGHTS, which we usually don’t have in the comfort of our own homes / garages / basements / construction sites. I don’t have anything against playing anywhere else, but I like the 99% probability of seeing a pretty face. Whatever your reason is, I think we all agree that the best place for us to play together is in Galleria. Either that or we go ahead and change the name of our group.

So, before we think about getting that new toy somewhere else that we all want right now, let’s think about that store-player relationship thinghy that we have. There is really a lag in the arrival of GW stocks at NG, but that is a business / economics supply and demand thing that I’d rather not discuss. I’d like to think that eventually, if we buy more stuff, frequency of GW stuff coming in may increase. I am not prohibiting anyone to get their stuff somewhere else (I myself have gotten some from “pasalubongs” on occasions, etc.), but if you can get your toys at NG, please do so. My idea on this is nice and simple. I play in the store, I better get my playthings from the store. There is also this thing called "respect" that goes a long way.

I suggest, while you are waiting for that book / tank / marine / codex from NG to arrive, you may :
1) Put that money you have in something and roll it over to earn some; or
2) Keep that money in your bank account, save for a rainy day (rainy day being the day when the GW stuff arrives)
3) Go out on a date and get some... sun.
4) Treat your mom/dad/sister/brother to dinner.
5) Paint that stuff you got a year ago, damn it.

That concludes it, girls and boys. This is my personal opinion and not that of the whole 101st Galleria Regulars, but some of you may agree with me in whole or in part. This definitely is not a ruling. This is just me on a boring, lazy, rainy day.

Carry on.

P.S. I’ll be away from 40K for the whole of August doing some card flopping. See you in September. Watch out for the Emcee Stag Party 40K mini-tourney, maybe in late October or early November.
Next project - finding a new after gaming watering hole

Saturday, August 02, 2008

HGR Journal Entry No. 065 - 5th Ed Official...

Date: August 2, 2008
Venue: Robinsons Galleria
Regulars Present: Kyuzo, Kuneho, Ebon, Pepelu, Deadeye, BattleCaptain, Commissar Alfred with special appearance from John
Other Players Present: Justin
Highlights:

Alfred and Jesse arrive with a 5th Ed rulebook! That pretty much throws 5th Ed games out of the HGR Beta testing. So let the games begin! :D

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Game1 - Pepelu(Tau) vs. Kyuzo(Black Legion)
2000pts Secure and Control Gamma (4th Ed Rules)
Pepelu Wins! Kyuzo taps out bottom of 5th

Pepelu's back to his gaming ways due to a sports injury after winning the first HGR mini-tourney. We agreed to play 4th Ed scenarios and rules, with Pepelu's mind still set on the coming GT. In the ensuing game my Chaos got outgunned by Tau and was a difficult uphill climb to come to level terms with them. One CSM squad and my Chaos Lord on bike was able to get into close combat but was not able to cause significant damage to reverse the inevitable defeat. With a termie squad surrounded by plasma toting crisis suits and gun drones and a CSM squad swamped in combat and far from securing any objective, I tap out on the bottom of fifth turn. Good game.

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Game2 - Kuneho(Tyranids) vs. Ebon(Deathguard)
2000pts Capture and Control, Spearhead (5th Ed Rules)
Draw!

Two veterans went at it. Not much to report on highlights coz I was playing, but I heard Kuneho had two Hive Tyrants and five(!) Carnifexes on the rampage against the tough Deathguard. Only in the taking of objectives did the carnage end up in a draw.

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Game3 - Commissar Alfred(Armoured Company) vs. Deadeye(Ultramarines)
2000pts Capture and Control, Dawn of War (5th Ed Rules)
Deadeye Wins! Ultramarines controlling AC objective.

Frankly, Armoured Company on 5th Ed is at a disadvantage considering all of their Troop slots are tanks which can't score. So Commissar Alfred's options are more to go for the draw or obliterate the enemy entirely. Commissar Alfred seems to be on the right track with his Leman Russ's first shot deviating on Deadeye's Biker Librarian and reducing him to a 215-pt crater. Hehehe... But Ultramarines were able to bounce back slowly taking out tanks and move his squads on Rhinos forward. Ace move would be Ultramarines parking one Rhino an disembarking their tac squad on the AC home objective with the Rhino denying any Armoured Company units from contesting for the win.

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Game4 - Kuneho(Tyranids) vs. BattleCaptain(Luna Wolves)
2000pts Seize Ground (5 Counters), Dawn of War (5th Ed Rules)
Draw!

Noteworthy of Luna Wolves reducing Tyranids to 1Carnifex and 1 Zoanthrope. That's six(!) tyranid monsters dead from Luna Wolf shooting and close combat. But the mission was all about objectives and one Luna Wolf squad could've pulled out the win if it were not for the fact that they were not close enough after staying in place for a chance to shoot at the lone Carnifex.

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There might be no gaming this next Saturday to give way to a major card tourney. We all agreed to keep in touch in case we find an alternative venue to play.

Gaming ends 8:15pm.