Tuesday 10 January 2012

Blog Wars 2 - Game Three

Game 3: Grey Knights vs Blood Angels + Dante (again) (Dave Crawford - Friend of From the Fang)

Another game, another Blood Angels list! considering the wide array of armies on show in the tournament I was disappointed to be facing more Blood Angels with the same special character - I'd like to have had a go at one of the 'Nids, Guard or Ork lists. However as I set up, I realised this list would play totally differently from the previous list and Dave seemed like a really fun opponent to play. We were both out of contention at this point, so the game was more relaxed and friendly than a typical tournament game and we both just had a laugh.
The third scenario was a custom scenario with 5 objective markers - 2 in the "attackers" deployment area and 3 in the "defenders" - The Special Character counted for 2 points if claiming an objective.

I won the roll-off and decided on being the defender - I played a pretty sneaky game by using Draigo's Grand Strategy to give my two Strike Squads and a Dred Outflanking. With the Paladins deepstriking all that was set up on the board was my assassin and my other Dred! This was quite a risky strategy, as i could easily be taken out, and if i rolled badly for reserves id be left coming in piecemeal while my opponent could concentrate fire. However I think it paid off and the game was probably the best tactical game i played all tournament.

The first couple of turns I was basically plinking with my assassin and my Dred – I managed to immobilise one of his dreadnaughts and kill a couple of marines. He advanced two squads of assault marines down my left hand flank, with a squad of scouts taking cover on the roof of an abandoned church in the SW corner, next to the objective. Dante Arrived with his retinue in the SouthEast corner, taking out my assassin, and getting in combat with my Dred – luckily the plucky Dred managed to survive and even bashed a marine!
I rolled for reserves and received my two strike squads – the first flanking from the east and the second from the west. The eastern reserves arrived at the very north of the table, in my opponents deployment zone – ready to take the objective there, the western squad arrived to bolster my defences in an attempt to claim the objective being contested by Dante. The two squads of marines by the church split up, with one going to intercept my strike squad in the north, and the other camping on the objective in the South.
Dante continued to struggle in combat with my Drednaught and the strike squad disembarked, while their Rhino moved to claim the objective in the centre of my deployment zone.

My next Reserve roll brought on one squad of Paladins+Draigo and my remaining Dred – leaving only one squad left still to come. The Paladins landed between the combat in my deployment zone and one of my opponents Dred’s – My Dred came on the Eastern Flank near the northernmost objective. After some successful Dred on Dred Shooting (My Dred Popping his!) My Paladins began advancing towards Dante in the hope of clearing him off the objective. In retaliation to my outflanking attack, my opponents remaining Dred preceded to pop my own in equally dramatic fashion lol Dante finally crushed the Dred he was fighting and consolidated towards the Strike squad claiming my objective. The table was divided on turn 4 with me controlling the two northernmost objectives, contesting the SW objective, holding the S Objective and contesting the SE objective.
As we went to turn 5 and my final squad of Paladins arrived I felt fairly confident about taking the match fairly easily – however things are always unpredictable. Draigo landed on the Western Flank and took out the marines contesting the objective – however the Scouts proved a more difficult task, with one pesky scout hiding behind a chimney being impossible to shift. Dante’s squad tore through the squad on my SE objective and as a special character claimed it for 2 points. As Draigo was stranded contesting an objective (stupid scouts) I couldn’t get a 2 point claim and the game ended very close! I think it ended 3-2 to me, with a minor victory in VP’s.

This was probably the most fun game to play, and was very story-like with lots of twists and action throughout. If only I’d have been able to kill the one remaining scout I’d have ended the game 5-2 controlling 4 of 5 objectives.

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