Tauranga – A Tournament Review

Tauranga – A Tournament Review

First off what a great weekend (& not only because the event has been a good hunting ground for me!), I went down with two other members of team D.I.L.F Ant and John W.  We had a great laugh over the 2 ½ days.  Thanks to Blair and the locals for putting on the event which is in a great venue with a bar.  We stayed in a back packers round the corner and it can’t get much better.  If you haven’t been I would 100% advise to get to the next one. 

 Before I cover the games just a small rant… Outside of what I consider the “top players” the rules/game knowledge was pretty appalling.  I’m not sure some have even read the 8^th Ed rule book.  It is a complex game but when you are continually having to point out basic rules it can be tiring.  One of my favourite quotes was one guy asking Jeff if he had invented the double flee technique.  At times and I’m 100% sure Jeff found this the local players had zero idea of what you were going to do to their army.  I know there are all levels of players from competitive players (I’m in that camp), every now and then gamers and hobby heroes but increased rules knowledge only benefits the community so please guys read those rules books/FAQ’s if only for your own army. 

So congrats to Jeff finishing 1^st in convincing style and my fellow D.I.L.F Ant for putting on a fantastic day two run Heroic Killing blowing the world to finish 2^nd. 

I came in 3^rd just sneaking onto the podium with a hard fought win game 6 v Ross.  I called it day 1 I would play Ross game 6 and it happened.  So onto my games.  We played all six rule book scenarios, with mysterious terrain in full effect.  And when I mean full effect I mean magic circles, charnel pits, sigmarite shrines all over the shop.  I will just give a brief run down/cover some of the key points. 

Game 1 V Colin (Let the Lady Love Me) Bretonnians – Dawn Attack

Not being unfair to Colin I knew I had won this game before a dice was rolled or a model put down.  Colin had a 3 unit Bret army with no chaff or trebs revolving around 6 dice savage beasts.  Trouble was for Colin he was never going to fight a combat on his terms.  At one stage one of his busses was charged front/flank/rear in the same phase. Take it off.. I killed nearly every model in his army but I failed to catch his last lance T6 with 2 units needing 8 to get his L4, 2 paladins and the 1 man left out of 15 knights to get the 20-0.  I think I gave Colin more points myself than he killed by blowing up my ironblaster T1 (you’ll sense a theme over the weekend)  

14-6 W

Game 2 V Jeff (Midas) Kent Lizardmen – Meeting Engagement

Jeff had by far the best/hardest list at this event and it was going to be one of my tough match up’s.  Jeff is a good player and he deployed his cloud/party metal slann well.  My initial aim was to sweep/herd his skins across the table going from wide left across the board.  My Slaughter Master however didn’t show up so I had to leave the gutstar within 6 of the board edge and it totally changed my plan.  I was never able to really get going in this one, although killing his scar vet with 2 mournfang was nice.  It was always going to be tight Jeff picking off the iron blaster with poison and the other mornfang with searing doom.  I came close to getting his Sarrus but a well-executed swift reform into a building saved them.  I was happy with the result as I didn’t want to over commit and lose big game 2. 

Jeff basking in his glory..

  

9-11 L

Game 3 V James C (Best Sport) WOC – Battle for the Pass

On paper my worst match up – Flying L4 Death Nurgle DP.  Apart from the cannon I have nothing in my army that can reliably kill the DP.  I thought I was in real trouble blowing up my cannon again T1.  I however played for and got a number of key charges/moments.  Forcing a panic test on his BsB by killing a chariot watching him fail 8 on a reroll and then fail to rally and run off the board.. Amaze balls.  My maneaters killed his hellcannon in combat and mournfang cleaned up the chariots.  It came down to me beautifully (If I do say so myself!) double fleeing the crushers to set up the gutstar rear charge.  James tried to block me with a chimera but got his angles wrong – so I went through the Chimera with a potion of speed breath weapon and into the rear of the crushers. 

It did mean I would get the DP in the flank – 6 dice purple sun time.. It all came down to 6 dice sun – double 6 I lose the star but look out sir the characters due to look out gnoblar (5 points of awesome) and the DP sucks himself off.  Yes that was lucky and gave me the 14-6 win instead of maybe a 11-9 win but it is the perils of 6 dice.  I played some of my best warhammer in this game I felt.

14 –6 W     

Game 4 V Ant (Heroic Killing Blow) Kitson Bretonnians – Watch Tower

I hate playing Brets when played well and Ant had smashed me up in a practice game so I had though a lot about this match up.  I caught a break getting him in watch tower. 

I felt I got my deployment/plan spot on and once I got a Treb T1 with a cannon and the second T3 with a dog there was no fear of taking the building.  I held up his main bus with a double flees while gorgers created problems in the back field.  My fun blaster was also keeping his peg hero and third support bus out of the game on the right and a sneaky flee through impassable terrain stalled them. 

T4 after the Trebs demise my maneaters (who have been hiding behind the building to this point with the firebelly go in and clear out the 12 archers in the round and take the tower.  There is now no way Ant can get them out and I’ve got the 500 points in the bag. 

Ant decided to try and chase the game and threw his depleted Lord’s bus into the gutstar.  It didn’t go well for him and I ran them down.  We had random turn lengths and the game ended early.  Great game and Ant and I always give each other plenty of shit.

17-3 W   

Game 5 V Blair (Karl Franz) Empire – Blood & Glory

I was pretty dark after this game at the time but I sucked it up!  I needed to go for the 20-0 to have a chance of catching Jeff and this was a good scenario to do it in with the extra 500 VP’s.  Blair will admit it himself there is a big gap in player experience and I was controlling the game from T1.  I rail roaded his steam tank which I had to explain but despite it being a tactic that can upset some people is 100% legit rules wise.  Blair again reminded me of why wizards in knights are a bad idea when he blew up 10 knights with a miscast (5 dice) detonation.  He then tried to save points by bailing characters BsB/Karl Franz.  I ended up trapping them ready to bring my gutstar in but due to guaranteeing I held I threw 3 dice at regen on the bulls pinning Karl Franz and the Demigryphs in the rear.  You probably guessed it triple 6.  From that point I could feel fate taking over and I cascaded and my Slaughter Master sucked himself off.  That was worth 980 points for Blair – 480 for my general and 500 for the scenario taking a guaranteed 20-0 to me to a 10-10.  I asked myself a few times did I need to cast the spell, not 100% but the odds were so low and I needed all 20-0 to keep pace.  Alas it was not to be. 

Another point that I wanted to raise at this stage which I’m not a fan of was 4/5 people had gathered round the table at this point and started interacting.  Next time I might politely tell them to move away as it is not ideal. 

10-10 D     

Game 6 V Ross (International C&nt) WOC – Battle Line

The final battle!  Jeff had won at this stage due to me dropping 10 points last round – I knew that Jeff would likely win big v Blair due to the match up so it really came down to see if I could maintain a podium place.  It was not a game I wanted to have to win big as Ross’s list is rock solid and he is a good player. 

I knew this was going to be a dog fight with a Nurgle DP, flying BsB, hellcannon/crushers and a choppy block of Nurgle Warriors with Festus who are majorly scary. 

Ross got T1 and pushed it at me!  I saw an opportunity and it won me the game I believe in the end.  I charged the DP with 2 mournfang – not going to kill him but going to pin him at least for 2 rounds most likely.  I then set up a frenzy trap for the skull cruhsers.  I buffed the mournfang with +1 Toughness and they held.  This is the only second game out of 6 that my cannon didn’t blow up and I one shotted the Chimera which made me happy! 

Ross tried to limit the overrun with his flying BsB but by charging a unit of bulls into his bsb it cleared the path for the Gutstar into the flank of the crushers.  That is only ending 1 way and I picked up the unit of 5.  I however fail a charge with my maneaters again into the DP’s flank just to keep him tied up.  This leaves them in front of the nurgle warriors and Ross takes them off in a round.  The DP has finally killed the two mournfang and this sets up a front charge into my gutstar.  He takes it! 

In the meantime his BsB is stuck on 3 bulls as he can’t kill them quickly enough at only S5. 

This turned into an epic combat with me doing W’s to the DP and Ross rolling all the 6’s in the world to soulfeeder them back.  His BsB finally gets into the rear of the depleted gutstar while the Slaughter Master challenges out the DP. 

To cut a long story short my BsB at S7 kills Ross’s on the disc – 2W’s he fails both wards1& a 2 rerolls the 1 and gets a 2!  This was a big boost and pretty lucky.  The DP is going nowhere and I keep putting W’s back on the SM with spells and keep him alive with Regen. 

Another part of tactical play on my part that stopped the big win to him was gorgers – two flank charges on the Nurgle warriors (I’m unbreakable) held him for 4 rounds and stopped them flanking the gutstar.  This was the real difference between winning and losing.     

A cracking game and good play on both sides. 

In the end I was happy with my play and pleased to podium.  Any way enough from me.  Let me know your comments.