Tuesday, March 29, 2011

From the Tables... ~Attack on Sulaco~

Played a 1,500 point Spearhead Annihilation v. Kings' Mantis Warriors...

In 943.M41 a Mantis Warrior Strike Force under the command of First Company Captain Hoenir encountered the Tyranid Splinter Fleet known as Chupacabra. The Tyranids were engaged in an assault on the Civilized world of Sulaco, but had not yet defeated the local PDF. The Chapter still remembered the sting of the loss it suffered to this same group of Tyranids on the planet Durjah in 935.M41. Captain Hoenir himself led a force onto the planets surface. There they took up defense in the ruins of the city Mansolos and awaited the Swarm.


Kings reserved a large portion of his army and I was able to Infiltrate pretty close with the Genestealers. The Tactical Squad below moved onto the board, but failed to do much damage to the Genestealers, even though they were rapid-firing.

So both Genestealer units got off a Turn 2 charge...

The Doom came down into the heart of his deployment zone via Mycetic Spore and was a big headache for Kings all game.

The Genestealers meet up with the Doom after they finish off Kings first Terminator unit...

My play on his backfield probably would have won me the game if his Devastator unit hadn't so effectively pinned down my Monstrous Creature force. As it was, Hoenir (Sicarius), delivered his Coup de Gras attack on the Doom, insta-killing him, and securing Kings a 1 KP victory.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Army List: The Angel and Demon take Flight

This is the list I am planning on taking to this years GT season. It is hard-hitting, with possibilities of Alpha-Strikes, and enough boots on the ground to not be screwed in objective missions. The units in the list work well together, and I am fairly versed in the chemistry Sanguinor and Mephiston have. Anyway, here is the list at 2000 points...

Sanguinor
Mephiston
Furioso w/ Blood Talons, Heavy Flamer
Furioso w/ Blood Talons, Heavy Flamer
Sanguinary Priest w/ Combi-Flamer, Melta Bombs
10*Assault Marines w/ 2*Meltaguns, Power Fist, Rhino
10*Assault Marines w/ 2*Meltaguns, Power Fist, Rhino
9*Assault Marines w/ Flamer, Storm Shield, Rhino
Stormraven w/ Multi-Melta, Lascannon, Extra Armour, Searchlight
Stormraven w/ Multi-Melta, Assault Cannon, Extra Armour

For 1850 one 10 man unit is replaced by a 5 man Jump Pack unit w/ a Melta Gun, and one Dreadnought loses its Heavy Flamer. Played the smaller version in a game today and it did very well against a Dreadnought spam, Mephiston list. I went first, then made all six 'Flat Out' saves I was forced to make on his turn 1 and then all my stuff got into it. My Mephiston did 4 wounds to his Mephiston before it got to strike thanks to the Priest giving him higher Initiative, my opponent then killed himself with a perils test when he went to strike me back. I had him pretty well mopped up by turn 3.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Brother-Librarian Sygovax


Brother Sygovax was a member of the Lamenters Librarium from 435.M41 until 989.M41, when he was nearly killed during the Battle of Alamnos, a valiant last stand in a war torn and destructive land. Sygovax has been interned in his Dreadnought, the ancient master artifice known as Psylum for less than a decade. The fact that he has spent so little time interned means he is quite lucid. Brother Sygovax is one of the wisest individuals in the Chapter, and has been trusted adviser to both Chapter Master Phoros and Captain Eurico before, and after, his internment.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Assault Squad Zosinos


The third squad of the second Company, assigned to Strike Force Iltempus, is lead by Veteran Brother Zosinos. Known as The Hallowed, Squad Zosinos is usually sent into the most volatile war zones as a spearhead unit. Zosinos himself is a bit of an oddity in the Lamenters, as he is a strict adherent to both the Codex Astartes and the holy teachings of the Sanguinarian Cult. He encourages his unit to display their many battle commendations and honorifics, as well as their Sanguinarian mementos. Recruited from the jungle-dwelling savages of the feral world of Svento X, Zosinos is a loud, boisterous commander, who never shies from a fight.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Dragon's Lair 40K Tournament 3/5/11

So I made the time to go to the local 40K tournament this month with my Lamenters. I really wanted to get a chance to use my new Stormraven. I had to work late the night before so I only got a few hours of sleep, but that is usually when I do best. Tournament filled up fast, capped at twenty-four by 10:20. I used this 1850 list:
Menoloth, the Lost One (Mephiston)
Ancient Tyrus: Furioso w/ Blood Talons
Calix Abraxes: Sanguinary Priest w/ Combi-Flamer
Squad Rigio: 10*Assault Marines w/ Powerfist, 2*Meltaguns in Rhino
Squad Ignacio: 10*Assault Marines w/ Powerfist, 2*Meltaguns in Rhino
Squad Volare: 9*Assault Marines w/ Storm Shield, Flamer in Rhino
'Iconoclast' Baal Predator w/ Flamestorm Cannon
'Instigator' Baal Predator w/ Flamestorm Cannon
Squad Malaga 5*Devastators w/ 4*Missle Launchers
Squad Vigo 5*Devastators w/ 4*Missle Launchers
'Heaven Fall' Stormraven w/ Extra Armour

So it went down like this...

~The Purging of Tanis~
Game I v. Frank's Chaos Space Marines

3 Objectives (one in middle), Kill most expensive HQ

First round I drew Frank and his Chaos army. I have played against Frank in a lot of tournaments over the years, usually he plays his Ultramarines. His army had Abaddon with a Berserker unit in a Land Raider, a Lash Sorcerer, two Berserker squads in Rhinos, a Plague Marine squad in a Rhino, a Defiler, and a Vindicator. I got first turn and put both my Devastator squads in a piece of cover in one corner. Frank used a nice refused flank which pretty effectively took the Devastators out of the game. But that meant that they were covering the objective in his deployment zone, and I zoomed a Rhino over and parked on that objective. The other two Rhinos parked on the central objective in a big building. My Stormraven just zoomed up into his lines, using a building as cover, and its cargo started causing havoc, but was mostly just a huge distraction, managing to tie-up, destroy, or disable the Vindicator, a Berserker squad, the Defiler, another Berserker Rhino, and Abaddon and his Land Raider. My central squads managed to kill the one squad of Berserkers that challenged them. The Plague Marines contested my objective that I had claimed early, while the Stormraven contested the objective on my side which Abaddons Berserkers had run over to. I didn't kill Abaddon, but I got the primary win.

~The Loss of the Calvacade of Baal~
Game II v. Chris' Descent of Angels
Table Quarters, HQs claim middle, Kill Troops
So Chris had a nice Descent of Angels list with Sanguinor, Dante, Sanguinary Guard w/ Banner and two Infernus pistols, two Jump Pack Sanguinary Priest, a Jump Pack Chaplain, 2 ten man Assault Squads w/ 2*Meltaguns, Power Fist, and a Vanguard squad all with Power Weapons and Storm Shields, one with a Power Fist. I held back everything but my Devastators. He had first turn and nothing from either of out armies came in turn 2. Turn 3 everything came in. He landed Dante with the Guard (and Priest) and the Vanguard to attack the Devastators. The Vanguard charged and killed one of the missle squads. He landed his big squads and Sanguinor farther back. When my reserves came in Menoloth and the Furioso killed Dante and the Guard while my Assault squads killed the Vanguard. Then Menoloth and the Furioso got one his squads that advanced towards my lines (along with a Chaplain and Priest). He held Sanguinor in the middle of the board to claim the bonus point. I contested the quarter he had with his remaining squad and claimed another two. Primary win to me.


~The Fortuna Retaliation~
Game III v. Chris' Dark Eldar

5 Objectives, Kill Points

Chris and I have played a lot of games between these two armies recently and they have all been bloody and close affairs. This game was somewhat different, almost entirely due to Chris' horrible rolls, which turned it into a very lopsided loss. I won't break it down completely but I'll give you a few examples so you understand. He didn't pass one flickerfield save all game. Vect got insta-killed by a Flamestorm cannon when he tried to save a Bloodbride with his Shadowfield. He got one three inch difficult terrain which prevented a key charge and another which made a Wyche squad unable to embark in a Raider. By the time my Stormraven (with over 500 of my points in it total) arrived Turn 3, he only had 3 units left (one of which was the squad who failed to embark, who promptly got charged by Menoloth and Ancient Tyrus). Full point to me.

With the other two players who got three wins not getting full painting points it left me in 1st, hadn't done that in a while.

List analysis: I like what the Stormraven does. The way I used it in this list it was effectively a force multiplier for Mephiston because it meant he couldn't be engaged at range. With the rest of my army just being support (scoring and mobility) and the big bird being such a distraction it really had a nice balance to it. This list doing well makes me question making the list with the second Stormraven (and Sanguinor in it), as it just doesn't have near the amount of support.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

From the Tables... ~The Aratusian Exception~

Played an 1850 Capture and Control v. Kings' Mantis Warriors....

In 998.M41 the Lamenters force known as Strike Force Ostro, led by the mad Epistolary Menoloth, encountered a Mantis Warriors
Strike Force while on crusade. The Mantis Warriors were in the midst of their own Pentinent Crusade, and they parlayed on the world of Aratusia IV. While the leader of the Mantis Warriors, Captain Mantodea, had expected to meet a noble and proud Space Marine leader, he instead met with the dark and twisted Menoloth, the man known as the 'Lost One'. Upon observing the Lamenters blade, the daemon sword Walach, Mantodea immediately took exception, and ordered attack on his brethren. What followed was an unexpected and bloody conflict in which the Lamenters routed their estranged brothers in arms.

Devastator Squad Vigo claimed a high vantage point for the battle. In the battles waning moments their krak missles laid low the noble Captain Mantodea.

Ancient Tyrus arrived on the battle via the Stormraven 'Heavenfall', which wrecked a Mantis Warrior Rhino with its missles as it arrived.

Menoloth slaughtered the occupants of the Rhino, while
Ancient Tyrus saw off the Assault Terminators

Assault Squad Volare secured the enemy supply dump and won the battle.

Ancient Tyrus

Brother Tyrus was a Chaplain from 505.M41- 701.M41 when he was mortally injured by an Ork Nob on Slaughterhouse III. Liberated of his mortal form Tyrus has withstood the Rage as well as any Brother of the Chapter. During the Badab War he fought upon the Mater Lachrymarum killing over fifteen brothers of the Minotaurs Chapter, before being immobilized by a melta shot to his right leg. Despite the Minotaurs salvage rights, it was determined that Dreadnoughts with still living Brothers would be returned. In more recent years Tyrus has become counselor to the deranged Epistolary Menoloth, and, as such, currently does battle with Strikeforce Ostro.