Im Back?

Well, 3 weeks into fatherhood and I finally got an evening where I could sneak down to the hobby shop. Got 3 more stormvermin converted, minus the green stuff and heads. 

That leaves 4 guys left in the unit plus the 3 unit fillers. 

Hobby Delay

You may have noticed a void in this blog. My daughter came early and ive been slammed. Will return when I can. Still have SAWS games to write up at least

Adepticon - Wrap-Up

Ah man, this year was a blast.  I actually think this was the best Adepticon I’ve been to yet.  Both in terms of how I did (for sure the best), but also in terms of the actual enjoyment of the event.  Good food, good company and the ability to see the people I’ve met over the years.  I hope that they manage to expand the event so that we can all learn the full potential of the event.

Next year I’m going to have to remember to go back to the Brazilian restaurant that I went to Sunday night.  Expensive, but amazing.

I left the end of the weekend thinking that my list was perfect the way it was.  I’ll probably switch it up for SAWS (and by the time this posts its probably after SAWS), but that is due to the comp system.  Because I’m missing QCR this year (most likely), besides SAWS I may not play this list again until North Star.  Going to have to make sure I get some practice games in so that I don’t lose my touch.  After a year and a half of playing Dark Elves I feel that my skill with them is starting to approach where I was with Skaven in 2012.

My final Standings:

1kAM                   2/38                   Best General

1kPM                   4/26

Team                   10/119                   Best Good/Evil Alliance

Warhammer Championship                   15/146

Final Record for the weekend was 12-1-1

Even if I felt the desire, I don’t think there is any way I could complain about my performance during the weekend.  Except of course for my failure to read the missions carefully.

Dark Elves – 11W/0L/1D

Empire – 2W/1L/0D

High Elves– 4W/1L/1D

Singles – 14W/2L/2D

Doubles – 3W/0L/0D

Overall – 17W/2L/2D

Adepticon – Warhammer Championships– Round 5 – Rick Replogle – Dark Elves

Rick and I were the top dark elf players, but there was one of table 5, so one of us needed a big win still to ensure that we kept our top of race prize.  To not get a big win would be to allow Mike to jump us should he win.

Terrain:  All forests are mysterious.

Due to the not full point win I find myself again on table 4, with that stupid terrain piece.  Rick and I talk and come to the same conclusion as my last game – move through but not stop on pillars.

Deployment: Battleline

Bonus Points

+3 for having the most fortitude within 12” of the center of the table

(Plus 3 Points for Terrain)

The List

Dreadlord, repeater crossbow, heavy armor, sea dragon cloak, shield, dark steed, ogre blade, talisman of preservation, other trickster’s shard

Supreme Sorceress, level 4, lore of dark magic, dark steed, dispel scroll, talisman of endurance

Master, BSB, lance, repeater crossbow, sea dragon cloak, shield, dark Pegasus, cloak of twilight

Death Hag, sword of anti-heroes

12 Witch Elves, musician banner, banner of eternal flame

5 Dark Riders, musician, repeater crossbows, shield

5 Dark Riders, musician, repeater crossbows, shield

10 Dark Riders, full command, repeater crossbows, shield

24 Executioners, full command, gleaming pennant

Reaper Bolt Thrower

Reaper Bolt Thrower

Reaper Bolt Thrower

Reaper Bolt Thrower

5 Doomfire Warlocks

5 Doomfire Warlocks

This is a beastly list.  4 bolt throwers and 20 dark riders made for a good chance of matching my shooting (3 bolt throwers and 24 dark riders).  In addition, my fighty characters couldn’t be relied upon to take out the executioners with their killing blow.

Magic

I rolled caress and spirit leech along with searing doom.

Rick took Power of Darkness, Word of Pain, Bladewind and Black Horror on his dark caster.

Deployment

With the exception a single unit of dark riders on the right flank, Rick put his entire army in the left corner, with the blocks more towards center.  He put the bolt throwers across the back edge, many behind the hill.  There was one that I thought couldn’t see and I couldn’t get Rick to actually get down and look, true line of sight style.  Eventually I had to go around and check myself to get it done.  Based on the cross bar it shouldn’t have been able to shoot over the hill, but I just made him give hard cover.

I spread out on the right flank, so that I could make him spread his blocks apart.  I left my fighty bunker on the left side to give him something to think about as the bulk of my army came through his deployment zone.

I vanguarded strong, limiting his options.  I put my bunker behind the hill for protection, took the left edge and swarmed the right side of the board.  He squeaked up on the right and held on the left.

I got the first turn, which I think was critical as it would give me first strike against his shooting.

Turn 1 – Dark Elves (Me)

With everything vanguarding, I didn’t have any charges to make.  Having an entire army that vanguards is awesome by the way.

I moved on the right to claim the half of the table.

My magic didn’t start out well with an 8/9 magic phase.  I got a 3D irresistible soul blight on some dark riders.  A 2D soul blight went on a warlock unit and a 3D caress was dispelled.

With my magic having set up for a good shooting, I opened fire but only managed to kill 3 dark riders and 1 warlock for a very disappointing shooting phase that basically negated my advantage.

Turn 1 – Dark Elves (Rick)

Rick moved to try to counter me with his shooting.

A 6/4 magic phase had me dispelling a 2D word of pain on my bunker.  A 2D soulblight goes on my bunker and a 1D PoD to pick up more dice fails.

He then opens fire and kills dark riders off each unit.  I fail 1 panic test.  I lose 1 doom fire warlock on the bunker unit.

Turn 2 – Dark Elves (Me)

I charge the bolt thrower on the right.  The dark rider unit gets a flank charge on a unit of warlocks, which I don’t think Rick saw me doing.

A 7/5 magic phase starts with Rick dispelling a 2D caress at a bolt thrower.  A 2D spirit leech kills a bolt thrower.  A 3D doom bold fails.

I kill the last of the right flank dark riders and a witch.

I kill the bolt thrower in combat, leaving him with 2.  My dark riders kill 3 locks and lose 1 and I clean up the unit and move past the counter charge.

Turn 2 – Dark Elves (Rick)

Witches charge a unit of dark riders, which don’t do anything on the stand and shoot.

A 7/4 magic phase starts with a fail 3D doom bolt.  A 2D Word of Pain onto the dark rides in combat is allowed, making them WS1.  I dispel the 2D power of darkness.

I lose a dark rider unit to shooting, and the part of the second in combat, though I kill 3 witches.

Turn 3 – Dark Elves (Me)

My bunker unit rears the witch unit.

A 6/6 magic phase has me failing to cast a large doom bolt.

My bolt throwers kill his solo BSB and 3 warlocks.  I also kill a dark rider.

I kill the witches but only lose 2 dark riders preventing the warlock bunker from over running out of range of the executioners.

Turn 3 – Dark Elves (Rick)

The executioners counter charge the bunker.  They lose 3 to the stand and shoot and make it in.

A 5/4 magic phase contains an irresistible word of pain, on my bunker, but I get lucky and it only drops WS/BS/S/I by 1.  Nothing comes from the miscast though.

Shooting kills dark riders.  The Hag and my extra dread lord go into combat and kill each other off.  I kill 8 executioners and he passes his steadfast.

Turn 4 – Dark Elves (Me)

My warlocks charge the bolt thrower.

A 6/4 magic phase has me trying to snipe the last bolt thrower from my first combat but the first spell is dispelled and I draw the scroll.

I kill the bolt thrower and run off the table.  I lose 2 warlocks and kill 7 executioners which then break and get run down.

Turn 4 – Dark Elves (Rick)

Moving to counter only.

An 8/6 magic phase magic phase has a 2D word of pain on the fighting bunker for -2 WS/BS being allowed.  I then dispel a 2D soul blight on same.  A 3D doom bolt fails.  My dispel scroll was off the table, so I got lucky.

Shooting kills 2 doom fire warlocks.

Game could have ended right here.  I would have had a win with full points.  It continued.

Turn 5 – Dark Elves (Me)

Caster bunker comes back on and moves to try to take out last bolt thrower.

A 9/6 magic phase has me casting 3 spells with 3D each.  Caress at the BT is dispelled, doom bolt at the warlocks is dispelled.  Spirit leech on the bolt thrower only does 1 wound (which is lucky as he was 2LD higher than me).

My shooting is ineffective.  In my movement I have hidden my last fortitude in the center area which limits my shooting and abandons my casters in case the game ends.

Turn 5 – Dark Elves (Rick)

Moves to try to catch the caster bunker.

A 5/3 magic phase has a 4D irresistible soul blight on the wizard bunker.  He loses 1 doom fire warlock.  A 1D power of darkness fails.

Again, at this point I’m winning at full points but the game doesn’t end.

Turn 6 – Dark Elves (Me)

I still can’t move, but try to take out that bolt thrower.  He had blocked my ability to charge it.

A 7/6 magic phase has a 4D soulblight going on the dark riders and him dispelling the caress at the bolt thrower.

In shooting I put a wound on his wizard.

Turn 6 – Dark Elves (Rick)

He leaps his bunker over to the center.  Theoretically this is the right play, as if he can panic one of my units he can claim the bonus points.  The 3 model dark rider unit was at long range and -2 for hard cover.  The general’s bunker had enough 1+ armor saves to make enough to even cause a panic test unlikely.  Even then I would be at leadership 10.

A 5/5 magic phase had a 2D soulblight dispelled.  A 2D word of pain is likewise dispelled and the last 1D power of darkness is scrolled.

The bolt thrower kills my wizard.

The game automatically ends on turn 6 with a draw and no one getting the bonus points.  Very disappointing as killing that bolt thrower would have either saved my wizard or saved the three bonus points as the dark riders would have had to choose who to deal with.  If he hadn’t killed the wizard I would have picked up the win as well.  Just a few turns of disappointing dice.  Rick played a good game, and I think I did as well.