Slowburn Month 2: 2v2 Games Day at ITE Central

It is the end of Month 2 for the Slowburn League at Titan Games and this time we had the opportunity to participate in a Games Day. This was held in conjunction with the Campus Game Fest held over at ITE Central. Starting at 12PM, we broke off into groups of 2. Owing to the size of the venue, each 2v2 grouping only had 4x4 play space. It was a little cramp but overall it turned out excellent. 

Keeping the games simple, these were the rules we played to:

1. 500 points per player. This army must be fully painted with completed bases.
2. Armies should be composed using detachments or formations found in the main rulebook or faction specific books.
3. Two Rounds of games with random pairing per round (i.e. you will be playing with a random player each Round). Pairing will be drawn out of a hat.
4. You will be playing two of the six Maelstrom Missions from the main 40k Rulebook. The mission will be randomly determined on the actual Games Day itself.
5. The pair will score and are treated as one individual throughout that pairing.
6. The pair will nominate a Warlord for that Round and declare it to the opponent.
7. For the duration of the pairing, both players share Maelstrom Mission Victory Objectives and Points.
8. Faction restrictions remain the same (e.g. Come the Apocalypse remain Come the Apocalypse – all restrictions remain).
9. Power Dice for the Psychic Phase will be determined based on 1D6 and this will be shared by the pair.
10. For the purpose of the 2v2, the pair will use the Tactical Mission Objective cards instead of the faction specific cards.
11. Win: 3 points, Lose: 1 point, Draw: 2 points. Tie breakers are determined using the difference in Maelstrom Mission Victory Points so do keep track of your round scores and report it to the Organizer. 

The Participants were:
1. Wei Ming
2. Samuel Kan
3. Mark Ong
4. Edward Goh
5. Austin
6. Timothy Dorville
7. XY
8. Charles Lee
9. Raymond Tan
10. Marshall Sim
11. Rico Chia
12. Melvin Cheng
13. Alan Maybury
14. Tze Min Lim

With 14 players, it meant 2 players had to duke it out as a 1v1 which turned out to be excellent. It created a scenario where you need to bring balanced lists! 

Here are some pics of the event and some of the games I played in. 

The first mission was Contact Lost, forcing us each to capture Objectives in order to generate more Tactical Objectives

My first match up was with Charles and he brought Grey Knights. Our opponents were Alan and Defeng who played Dark Eldar and Imperial Guard. It was a close game and at the end, we lost by 1 VP! If that Drop Pod had survived, we would have secured Line Breaker and drew the game! 

The table to my right had Rico (Necrons) and Sam (Nids) paired up against Marshall (IG) and Edward (Chaos)

More games at the back with White Scars by Zim vs Necrons by XY. Not too sure who were the others. 

Rico as always pulling out best painted stuff! So sickly sweet! 

We played on Table 1 and this was aptly named. We kept rolling ones.

Glorious last stand by Librarian Xavier (Charles Xavier, get it? X-Men reference right there)

After consolidating the results, YC (whom I have to thank for the excellent job of creating a powerful spreadsheet with Defeng to monitor the results) put us into our next pairs. I was teamed up with Tim and played against Alan (AGAIN!) and Marshall.

The second mission was The Spoils of War, where each side will "share" Secure Objective cards, effectively allowing you to "steal" the opponents' Tactical Objectives.

Tim and I decided to play the Refused Flank strategy and went for the objectives from turn 1.

Behind me, Zim was playing with Melvin and Charles was teamed up with Defeng

First Turn

This game was extremely hard fought with the game going strong early. I have found a new hero in my list and he will be getting an Honour Roll for his armour. His name is Hiron and he will be promoted!

Brother Hiron's unit disembarked from his Drop Pod together with Sergeant Gorro. It was deep in enemy territory and he had a desperate mission. Gorro opened fire on the Chimera hidden behind the ruins and managed to take it out with his Combo Melta. Subsequently, the Guardsmen realised the threat and opened up on the unit, taking everyone out except for Hiron. Brother Hiron threw himself through the wall, punching through the broken door and came face to face with the enemy Warlord. Picking himself up, he fired with his Bolt Pistol and let out a resounding shout to the Emperor and charged right in. Sanguinus was with him that day. He struck true and felled a Guardsmen. The enemy was caught surprised by the moment and having seen what the embodiment of the Emperor could do, quaked in their pants. The enemy Warlord would have no more of this and fled the battlefield. Brother Hiron picked himself up, leaped up to take cover in the ruins. Mission was a success. 

Brother Hiron's actions managed to secure the Tactical Objective twice and scored my team 3VPs for Slaying the Warlord. A true hero.

Brother Calistus joined up with the Wolves to provide some good Feel (No Pain). 

After tabulating the scores, the top scoring players were Tze Min and Edward. Tze Min came out as numero uno due to VP scores while Edward came in 2nd. Marshall came in 3rd.

It was an awesome day. Not only we managed to play with different people, but the hall was full of other gaming goodness. I hope you guys all felt the same way too!

750 points for next month! I will be working my lists to play at the 1000 point Games Day we will be running at the end of Month 4 so stay tuned! 

Tyranids vs Grey Knights, Week 7 of the Shield of Baal Exterminatus

Got two games in with Stephen who plays Grey Knights. He is about to leave Singapore for good so I thought I would get some games in with him. This would be the game for the last week of the Shield of Baal Campaign. 2,000 points aside, let's rumble! 

I brought mostly beta strike units and the army was designed to hit hard in the 2nd turn. 

Flyrant with TL Brainleech Devourers 

Flyrant with TL Brainleech Devourers 

Flyrant with TL Brainleech Devourers 

Hive Guard x3 in Tyrannocyte

Lictor

Lictor

Lictor

Mucolid

Carnifex with TL Brainleech Devourers in Tyrannocyte

Mawloc

Mawloc

Mawloc

Exocrine in Tyrannocyte

Stephen brought an Alpha strike list

Librarian L3 in Terminator Armour and Storm Bolter [Warlord]

Paladins x4 with Apothecary 

Terminators x5 with 1 Psilencer in Land Raider Redeemer

Dreadknight

Dreadknight 

Kaldor Draigo

Knight Errant

So the game started with Tyranids deploying first then followed by Tyranids. Imperials will get to choose who goes first and Stephen decided to start. 

I only deployed the Micetic Spore and 3 Lictors

I was under the impression that the Lictors could take the punishment the Grey Knights will met out. Oooooh how wrong I was.

With the Warlord Trait that prevented the unit from scaterring, Draigo and friends wiped out the Nids out and won the game

In total it took me more time to set up than to play! So we decided to replay this mission in a double or nothing bet.

This time I chose to deploy all my Mawlocs as well (apologies for the proxies)

Stephen took first turn and shunted the Dreadknights forward

This time the GK did not manage to wipe me from the table

Thus allowing me to play! 

Escapee

While I lost most of my army, I still had quite a bit in reserve

Turn 2 and all my units arrive

Managed to whittle Draigo's unit down but didn't manage to take him down

Flyrants really went to work but the rest of the army not so effective

Draigo and gang charges into the Mawloc and killed it

While the other Mawloc died to the Dreadknight

The Imperial Knight took out the Exocrine

And the other Dreadknight takes apart the Carnifex

My army was falling apart fast with the high number of Force weapons running around. I am getting this feeling that Monstrous Creatures do not work against these Grey Knights

Stephen manages to clear my backfield

I committed everything I had at Draigo and friends

There was little I could do to change the outcome

And Stephen sends his Warlord off the battlefield to net him 3VP 

While the rest of his army holds mine back

The Flyrants were really causing problems for the Grey Knights but they took apart the rest of my army

Bit by bit I lost more units

More Tyranids fell

Leaving me only with the Flyrants

Flyrants finally managed to down the Imperial Knight but it was too late

Stephen scored 1 VP for each unit in my table edge at the end of the game. He had 3 units and the 3VPs from the escaped Warlord. I had only managed to bring his Imperial Knight, Draigo and another unit of Terminators down for 3VPs.

The game was over and Stephen managed to score the win. He scored 8 Campaign Points for the Imperials.

I have learnt quite a bit from this game. Most importantly is that Monstrous Creatures do not work against Grey Knights. Always opt to bring some light creatures because they help tie the Terminators and Dreadknights up. With combined fire, the Imperial Knight can be killed.

Onwards and upwards! We will be preparing ourselves for the coming apoc this 26th April! Look for the next post! 

Shield of Baal: Exterminatus Week 1 - Hive Fleet Leviathan vs Grey Knights 1850 Points Batrep

Managed to get another game for Week 1 and this time against YC. He brought Grey Knights which is actually the first time I am playing against this force. His force is almost WYSIWYG except for the weapon armaments on the Stormravens (both have Twin Linked Autocannons and Heavy Bolters). 

Castellan Crowe and gang

I brought the same list I played Jason yesterday. Felt that it had the staying power and could handle most situations.

Knowing that I would go 2nd, I put everything within the Ruins to get 2+ Cover (Shrouded Malanthrope and 4+ Ruins)

My Warlord Trait was to force 3 units to take Pinning checks the turn they enter which YC promptly failed due to Shadows

Except the Dreadknight which was unpinnable.

I spawned 7 Gants and JAMMED!

 I am going to need to apply some of this on my Tervigons...

A salvo left only 1 Justicar standing

Moved my Hormagants forward to hold the centre ground

Spread them out while keeping the chain close to my Malanthrope

Turn 2

YC moves his unit up to threaten the smaller gribllies 

And charges them

And simultaneously charges the other Hormagant unit

What a beautifully painted mini

His lone Terminator charged in as well

My 2nd turn saw the coming of the squad of 30 Gants

And the Toxicrene (I have begun working on this model)

While separated, the unit of Hormagants did their best to do something

And managed to kill the Terminator. They now consolidated towards the Dreadknight

The heroic last stand

Turn 3

YC's Stormravens has still not turned up leaving him very little to do. He did manage to kill off the White Gant unit earning him First Blood

I then charged my Gants into his 3 strong unit

My Warlord Flyrant came in and I angled him so that he can dart forward in the next turn when YC's Stormravens arrive

Toxicrene charged in

To do only 1 wound and dies in return. I tried to dispel his Force but failed hence my dead Toxicrene

Turn 4
We both imagined that the Flyrants and the two Stormravens were battling elsewhere somewhere high in orbit.

Finally free of the distracting Flyrant, the Stormravens arrived

In typical YC style, he rolled fantastic rolls.

My turn saw the arrival of The Shark which gunned for the Silver Raven

Taking it down and killing 9 of it's passengers. The Exocrine then shoots another 6 shots into the unit and kills off the Warlord netting me Slay the Warlord.

We were currently tied in secondary objectives. It would be the primary objectives that would determine the game for us as YC lacked anti air guns to take my Warlord down.

The combat between the Dreadknight and the Hormagants continue

Table view

Justicar on his own! 

Unfortunately being non-painted they die easily

Combat goes on

 Turn 5

YC moved his Red Raven closer to the objective after dropping its occupants off

In my turn I moved my Hive Guard up and out to attempt to take middle ground

While the two Flyrants concentrated on the unit of Grey knights close to the objective.

And killed off majority of the unit

We rolled the die and a 2 emerged. The game was over!

Leaving YC out of range at the end of Turn 5 

Just out of the 3"

Tyranids captured

Unclaimed

Tyranids captured

Unclaimed

It was a victory to the Tyranids.

Final score:
Tyranids: 6VP + Slay the Warlord = 7VPs
Grey Knights: First Blood = 1VP

Tyranids score another 3 Campaign Points for a total of 10 Points now! Marshall played a 2K game yesterday and won for another 4 Campaign Points. Week 1 seemed to belong to the Nids. Buahahahha *evil laugher*.