Arena Of Death - Castellan Crowe vs Duke Sliscus

That's "Duke" Sliscus, savvy?

Time to return to the Arena Of Death, to pit these two 150 point characters against each other...

Pre-fight: Rather than rolling three times for The Duke's Combat Drugs, I'm going to do it just the once and apply to all rounds. A 5 and a 3 give him the choice of +1S or +1A. Since he wounds on 2s anyway, I'll go with Adrenalight; +1 attack.

Round 1 - Crowe on the Charge

Garran snapped off two shots from his Storm Bolter as he charged at Sliscus. One hit but it failed to wound as Crowe prepared his Rapier Strike. A 3 on the D3 gave him 4 I10 attacks. Two hit and a rending wound was caused. However, The Serpent's Shadow Field was equal to it. Despite having 5 attacks, Sliscus failed to hit Crowe. The Brotherhood Champion of the Purifier Order again dropped into the Rapier Strike stance.With just two attacks this time, he still managed to hit twice. Again, thanks to his skill as a Master Swordsman the hit was a rending one and Sliscus's Shadow Field couldn't save him this time. Wounded and without his protective shield, The Duke struck back. However, three hits and two wounds just bounced straight off Crowe's Artificer Armour. Still in the Rapier Strike stance, Crowe scored three hits. These translated into two wounds, one of which was rending. Only Sliscus's Ghostplate Armour could save him now... The regular wound was saved but needing a 6 on the invulnerable, could only manage a 3, putting The Serpent down.

Round 2 - Sliscus on the Charge

Slowly, deliberately, The Duke pulled his Blast Pistol from the holster. His aim was true and Castellan Crowe's Iron Halo wasn't up to the task of saving him. The Serpent had just claimed the record for fastest kill in the Arena of Death.

Round 3 - No Charge Bonus

Dropping into his favoured Rapier Strike stance, Crowe struck first. Two attacks, two rending hits. Both saved by the Shadow Field. From three hits back, The Duke could only wound once but it got past Crowe's armour. The pain was clearly getting to Garran as he failed to wound with either of his two hits. The Duke managed two further wounds and again, Crowe's Artificer Armour let him down. With the last of his strength, he attempted an Heroic Sacrifice. He passed the Leadership test with ease and then, needing just a 3, rolled a 5 to give us the first ever draw in the Arena of Death 

A draw? How about that? Some incredible dice rolls in round 3 there, including thee 1s out of four rolls at one point. Maybe Mick is right about these C&F dice being cursed (I knew that we shouldn't have made them out of albatross bone) Round 2 was also a bit of a damp squib as we didn't get to see effects of The Blade of Antwyr. From what I've seen though, neither of these characters are out and out combat monsters. With Crowe, you'd need to get him into a decent sized squad in order to maximise attacks with Sword Storm for him to really do anything and them you just run the rick of him being dragged down by weight of numbers. It seems like he really is just a tax so that you can take Purifiers as troops. Sliscus on the other hand is pretty survivable with his 2++ save and he could tip a combat with his numerous poisoned attacks. However, he is going to need back-up. Much like Crowe, he's more about what he brings to the rest of the army; you can build a pretty good list around his Combat Drug bonus and having free Deep Strike options on your vehicles. Plus, he's a pirate and pirates are cool.

Crowe? The Serpent? Come and sit by the hearth-side and tell us tales of derring-do where you've used either of these characters...

Arena Of Death - Draigo vs Dante

If he dies, he dies - Dra(i)go

Welcome back to the Arena of Death; it's been a while! Since it's been so long we'll have a quick re-cap of the concept. Two 40K characters enter the Arena of Death and only one leaves. We roll real life dice to determine the winner rather than mathammering it. We have three rounds so each character gets the chance to charge with the deciding round conferring no charge bonus. We also don't deal with petty things like combat resolution. So, without further ado, let's head off to the Arena...

Round 1 - Draigo on the charge

Kaldor raised the Titansword to acknowledge the crowd before levelling his Storm Bolter and beginning his charge. Two hits would have caused a Wound if not for Dante's Artificer Armour. As they clashed, it was Dante who swung first. However, even after a Master-Crafted re-roll he could only hit once and even then he failed to wound his tougher opponent. Striking back Draigo cast Hammerhand successfully. However, Draigo's response was equally poor, again only hitting once. Then, needing only 2s to wound, he failed. Dante then manged to hit but still couldn't wound. Draigo saw his chance. He hit with two of his three attacks and wounded with both. One was saved by Dante's Iron Halo but the other got through. The Grey Knight closed his eyes and muster his concentration. The power of the warp flowed down his Force Weapon and claimed Dante's life.

Round 2 - Dante on the Charge

Dante's Infernus Pistol spoke death but, despite hitting and wounding, it bounced off Draigo's Storm Shield. Hitting with four of his six attacks, Dante caused two wounds, one of which got past Draigo's Storm Shield. Striking back Draigo cast Hammerhand successfully and managed to ignore Dante's Death Mask (although it had already reduced him by 1 in terms of WS, W, I & A) He needed his Master-Crafting to manage even a single hit although it did would until deflected by Dante's Iron Halo. Dante caused three more hits but again couldn't wound. Draigo could see another opening. Two hits caused two wounds and neither could be stopped. Lord Kaldor Draigo again used the Emperor's Gift and put down Dante permanently.


Conclusions

Okay, first an admission. I assumed that Dante has Eternal Warrior when I picked the combatants for the Arena. If he had then his Deathmask of Sanguinius would have been a real equaliser here. As it was, we saw how poor Strength 4 Power Weapons can be (especially against T5) Having said that, Dante is probably going to make mincemeat of most regular squads and a lot of Independent Characters with his magic mask. Similarly, Draigo with easily obtainable S6 is going to do a lot of damage and WS7, T5, 2+, 3++ means he's not going to take much in return. The other thing about these characters is the army builds that they unlock - Paladin troops and Sanguinary Guard troops.

Anybody used either of these guys much? We'd love to hear your stories below the line...

Arena of Death - Bjorn the Fell-Handed vs Old One Eye

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Erm, wrong picture

Round 1 - Old One Eye on the charge

Due to the Carnifex's Crushing Claws, Bjorn struck first. Hitting three times he caused two wounds. With an additional two attacks from crushing claws, Old One Eye struck back with 7 attacks. Only 2 hit and of those, only one glanced which turned out to be shaken. In Bjorn's turn, he hit twice and that was enough to kill Old One Eye before he even got a chance to use his Rapid Regeneration.

Round 2 - Bjorn on the charge

Bjorn's Assault Cannon spoke, hitting four times. All four wounded, with two being Rending hits. Fortunately for Old One Eye, the other 2 were saved. On the charge, he hit with just two attacks, causing a single wound. Howling with anger, Old One Eye hit back with 7 attacks (including 3 from his Crushing Claws) However, only two manged to hit but they both penetrated.. Bjorn's Ward of the Primarch failed to prevent either. One was an immobilised and one was an exploded result. However, due to Bjorn being venerable, it was re-rolled as a Stunned. At the start of Old One Eye's turn, he managed to regenerate a single wound, leaving him on 2. Bjorn now attacked three times, hitting only once, but causing a wound. In reply, Old One Eye hit three times. This despite rolling three 1s on the other dice but failing to do anything with his Scything Talons re-rolls. Of the hits, two were penetrating and Bjorn again failed to save them. They came up a Shaken and a Weapon Destroyed. Fearing the loss of his Dreadnought Close Combat weapon, Bjorn ordered a re-roll of the weapon destroyed. Unfortunately, it was enough to wreck him.

Round 3 - No Charge Bonus

Striking first, Bjorn hit three times and caused three wounds. In reply, Old One Eye got three additional attacks and, following re-rolls, hit 6 times! All 6 penetrated but 2 were saved. A Shaken, 2 Wrecked and an Explodes were the results. Re-rolling the worst results gave a Shaken, Weapon Destroyed and another Explodes! Old One Eye had won!


Wow, I thought that Bjorn had that sewn up after the first couple of rounds of combat where OOE couldn't penetrate despite having S10 + 2D6 pen. However, the single regenerated wound kept him in it and he won easily in the third fight. He also won despite me completely forgetting about his Berserk Rampage rule! He's clearly an absolute beast in combat, the only problem I can see is getting him there. In fact he has a lot in common with Bjorn since neither can take Drop Pods. Old One Eye is going to take plenty of Missile fire as he runs his way across the battlefield unless you can present a lot of alternative targets...

So, I've not really seen Old One Eye in (m)any lists. Anyone out there using him?

Arena Of Death On Tour

When I said I didn't take any photographs at the doubles, it wasn't strictly true; I took one. This is Ghaz stomping Guardsman Marbo. Needless to say, it was a very one sided combat...

Arena Of Death - Saint Celestine vs Commissar Yarrick

Why won't you die?!

If Yarrick dies, he gets back up on a 3+. If Celestine dies, she gets back up on a 4+. This could be the longest Arena of Death ever!

Round 1 - Saint Celestine on the charge

The living saint unleashed the flaming attack from the Ardent Blade at the Commissar. It automatically hit but failed to wound. With six attacks on the charge, she managed to hit with four. However, only one of those actually managed to wound. Striking back with his Power Klaw, Yarrick hit three times and wounded twice. Luckily for the saint, the Armour of Saint Katherine deflected both of the blows. In her anger, she could only hit twice but neither wounded. The Commissar scored a single hit but it did wound. Yet again, the Celestine's invulnerable save kept her alive. Again she struck and again she could only hit twice. One of her hits wounded but was deflected by Yarrick's Forcefield. Yarrick managed a single hit and a single wound and this time he put his opponent down. Unfortunately for her there was no Miraculous Intervention this time.

Round 2 - Commissar Yarrick on the charge

Yarrick levelled his Storm Bolter at his enemy and scored two hits. His Bale Eye was similarly successful. All three hits wounded and only two were saved - a Storm Bolter round taking a chunk out of the saint.  Through gritted teeth she hit four times but could only wound once. In retaliation, Yarrick hit twice and wounded once. Again, the Armour of Saint Katherine saved Celestine. This time, she did three hits and caused two wounds although one was stopped by the Forcefield. Yarrick, on his last legs, struck back and caused three hits. They all wounded and even though two were saved, the Saint was still put down. Needing a 4 to get back up, a 1 was promptly rolled


Wow, what an anti-climax. I thought we'd see lots of coming back from the dead zombie-style but obviously not. To be honest, I thought that the Saint would win if only because of her higher Initiative, lots of attacks and her invulnerable save. However, her lack of Eternal Warrior did for her as she got sliced in half by Yarrick's Power Klaw twice. Just goes to show; nothing's for certain in the Arena of Death...

Arena Of Death: Asurman vs Jain Zar

Welcome to the first semi-final in the Phoenix Lord Cup as the favourite, 230 point Asurman takes on the outsider, 190 Jain Zar...

Round 1 - Asurman on the charge

Asurman opened fire in a storm of blades, hitting with four of his five shots. Two would have caused wounds but were deflected by Jain Zar's armour. As he charged into combat, her Banshee Mask slowed him down but fortunately for him, her War Shot was ineffective. Going on the Counter Attack, Jain Zar hit with two of her four attacks and wounded with both. Due to his Battle Fate, Asurman was only wounded once. Striking back, he hit her with four of his five attacks but could only manage a single wound. With the effect of Jain Zar's Banshee Mask now over, the two combatants struck simultaneously. Asurman, hit three times and caused three wounds. With her last drop of strength, Jain Zar hit twice but could only do one wound meaning she had lost the first round.

Round 2 - Jain Zar on the charge

Hurling the Silent Death at her opponent, Jain Zar managed to hit three times. Only one of them wounded but Asurman's Battle Fate couldn't save him this time. She screamed her War Shot at the top of her lungs as she charged and it was enough to reduce Asurman to WS1. Seeing her chance she hit with all four of her attacks. However, with two 1s rolled, she only managed two wounds. One was saved, leaving Asurman clinging on. Asurman only managed to hit once in reply but following the re-rolls granted by the Sword of Asur, that became four hits! Only one managed to wound though. Reduced to a mere three attacks by Asurman's Denfend skill, Jain Zar still managed to hit twice. Both wounded and Asurman's invulnerable save wasn't enough. Even with re-rolls, he could only manage one hit back and while that managed to wound, he lost the second round.

Round 3 - No Charge Bonus

With her Banshee Mask still allowing her first strike in combat, Jain Zar managed two hits out of her three attacks. Both wounded but one was repelled. Striking back, Asurman matched his opponent with two hits but only caused a single wound. As the combat continued, Jain Zar it once but failed to wound. In reply Asurman, hit three times and did two wounds which was enough to win the semi-final.


Well, that invulnerable save proved golden in this match-up. I thought Jain Zar with her Banshee Mask-aided striking first ability would have a chance to win this one but that 4++ was big factor in meaning that it wasn't to be. It's also worth pointed out how useful Defend was - cutting down her attacks by one was a big help. He was the favourite because of points value but after today, I think we could well see Asurman lift the Phoenix Lord Cup...

Arena of Death: Baharroth vs Fuegan

Welcome back to the Arena of Death. It's been a while. If you're new, the Arena of Death is where we pit special charaters against each other in a best of three fight to the death. We don't use mathammer but rather real dice rolls to determine the winner. For those who aren't new, sorry about the hiatus but work has been rather busy of late.

Anyway, we're in the middle of the Phoneix Lord cup at the minute. In the first preliminary round Jain Zar beat Maugan Ra for the right to face Asurman in the semi-final. Tonight, Karandras awais the winner of

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Round 1 - Baharroth on the charge

Baharroth leveled his Haw's Talon and fired three times. Two shot hit but only one wounded which was easily saved by Fuegan's armour. Only two of Baharroth's attacks hit and only one of those wounded. Striking at the same time, Fugegan also hit twice but couldn't cause any wounds. Sensing hit oppourtunity, Baharroth hit with three out of his four attacks and wounded twice. With the last ounce of his strength Fugegan could only hit once, failing to wound. Baharroth has comfortably won round 1.

Round 2 - Fuegan on the charge

Fuegan fired hit Fire Pike. He hit his target but needed his Crack Shot ability to cause a wound after rolling a 1 initially. Two hits with hit Fire Axe led to a single wound leaving Baharroth on just one. Striking back he hit three time but cause just one wound. Fugegan was now pretty mad, he hit three times causing one wound. It was enough. Baharroth could only hit once in return and did no wounds leaving Fuegan the winner.

Round 3 - No charge bonus

The two initiative 7 characters struck as one. Fuegan hit three times and did two wounds. Baharroth struck back, hitting twice but just wounding once. Fuegan hit two more times, gettin the single wound he needed. Baharroth hit twice but could obnly wound once leaving Fuegan on just one wound - bloody but victorious.


Well, in the end the difference was the S5 power weapon. I think I said this after the last Arena of Death but these Phoenix Lords really need an invulnerable save.

Arena Of Death: Jain Zar vs Maugan Ra

Yes, like a Phoenix from the ashes, Arena Of Death returns. And what better way to return than with the Phoenix Lord Cup. So, we've seeded all of the Eldar Phoenix Lords based on their points value and over the next 5 weeks we'll find out who is the best. We start this week with the two cheapest characters, Jain Zar and Maugan Ra. So without further ado, let's enter the Arena...

Round 1- Jain Zar on the charge

Jain Zar had the briefest of glances at her opponent before throwing The Silent Death. The deadly Triskele hit twice and caused two wounds. She charged into combat striking faster than the eye could see. Hitting with three of her 5 attacks, she onlly needed 2s to wound since she was armed with an Executioner and had the Furious Charge special rule. All three attacks wounded and so Maugan Ra was killed before he even got to swing.

Round 2 - Maugan Ra on the charge

Maugan Ra levelled the Maugetar and being a Fast Shot, fired 5 times at his enemy. Only three of the shots hit but they all wounded and one even rended. Of the other two wounds, Jain Zar's armour could only save 1. However, as he charged in, Jain Zar's Banshee Mask enabled her to strike first. She also passed her Counter Attack roll giving her 5 attacks. 3 hit and they all wounded, meaning that once again, Maugan Ra had been taken down before he got to swing.

Wow, that was pretty comprehensive. That Banshee Mask is going to make Jain Zar a real threat in the semi-final. I think this really demonstrates the need for all of the Phoenix Lords to have some kind of invulnerable save. Hopefully, when the 'dex gets redone they'll get that (along with some nifty FOC changing tricks) Next week we'll have Baharroth facing off against Fuegan for the final place in the semi-finals.

Arena of Death - Claws and Fists vs Games Workshop

On Friday, GW posted this article up on their website. Hmm, Special Character vs Special Character? Called the Arena of Death? Now, where have we seen that before...

Picked up by the big boys - we must be doing something right :o)

Arena of Death - Arjac Rockfist vs Darnath Lysander

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This week in the Arena of Death, we have Lysander verses Baby Lysander...

Round 1 - Arjac on the charge

Arjac began the battle by hurling Foehammer at Lysander. Despite hitting and wounding, Lysnader managed to divert the blow using his Storm Shield. Swinging his Hammer and his Shield, Arjac hit Lysander 4 times but being Grimnar's Champion, he re-rolled his miss and that hit as well. He managed to cause 4 wounds but only one avoided Lysander's Storm Shield. Hitting back, Lysnader missed with all of his attacks and even his Master Crafted Thunder Hammer couldn't help. Arjac swung again, hitting once but that became twice with his re-rolls. Both hits wounded and another made it through Lysander's defences. Enraged Lysander hit back three times and caused two wounds, one of which was blocked by Arjac's Anvil Shield. Arjac hit twice and again his re-roll was successful bumping it up to three hits all of which wounded. Again, one got through leaving Lysander on one wound. Lysander managed to miss with all three of hit attacks for a second time. Arjac only managed a single hit but that became two with his re-roll. However, he could only wound once and that was saved. Lysander only manged to hit once but this time his Master Crafted weapon made it into two. Both wounded but Arjac saved them both. With Arjac and Lysander on a single wound apiece, they could sense the end of the combat was near. Arjac hit once before re-rolls which became twice afterwards. Both hits wounded and Lysander could only save one. With his last breath Lysander struck back, hitting twice but that became a Master Crafted three hits and three wounds. However Arjac saved all three, leaving him victorious.

Round 2 - Lysander on the charge

Lysander let out a roar and charged into combat, hitting four times. Two of them wounded and one managed to avoid Arjac's Storm Shield. On the Counter Attack, Arjac hit five times. Despite causing four wounds, all of them were stopped by Lysander's Storm Shield. In the second round, Lysnader hit twice and caused two wounds. Both of them were too fast for Arjac's Shield and he was left dead. With only three attacks, he couldn't take Lysander's four wounds and so Lysander was the winner.

Round 3 - No Charge Bonus

Arjac struck with three attacks, hit twice and caused two wounds. Lysander managed to save one but one got through. Attacking back, Lysander hit twice but could only cause a single wound. However, Arjac couldn't stop it leaving him on his last wound. Arjac let rip with Foehammer again, hitting three times and causing three wounds. However, Lysander was a master with his Storm Shield and he managed to save two of them. Hitting back, Lysander hit twice and caused two wounds. Only one got through but that was enough for Lysander to be declared victorious in the Arena of Death

Wow, the two wounds that those extra 12 points get you made all the difference. Well actually, the fact that he made a lot more 3++ saves was what made the difference. Both of these guys are going to be beasts on the charge, especially Arjac with a S10 AP1 shot at BS5 and then 5 attacks that hit on 3s and wound on 2s. Lysander though is a bit of an odd character. TH/SS marks him out as a combat monster but Bolter Drill and Bolster Defences are more kind of defensive skills.

Highway of Death - Kor'sarro Khan vs Wazdakka Gutsmek

Get your motor running, head out on the highway...

Sometimes the Arena of Death just isn't big enough and in this week's case, it wouldn't do justice to our two bikers...

Round 1 - Wazdakka on the charge

Gutsmek opened fire with his Dakkakannon at the Space Marine Captain. Scoring two hits, he managed two wounds. Khan failed one of his 3+ Power Armour saves and was instantly killed.

Round 2 - Khan on the charge

Kor'sarro squeezed off two shots from the Twin-Linked Bolters on Moondraken, hitting twice but failing to wound the Ork. Opening the throttle on his Bike he charged into combat. He caused three hits but could only do one wound. Blooded but unbowed, Gutsmek powered up his Klaw. Hitting twice he caused two wounds. Khan's Iron Halo failed to stop either and so he was cut in half by the Warboss.

Well, that was quick and bloody. I'd hoped that we'd see Moonfang's kill on a '6' special rule but it just wasn't to be. I'd also hoped that it would last a bit longer, giving the impression of a race to the death - a sort of cross between Ben Hur, Tron and Mad Max 2. Like most of the Space Marine characters, Khan is more notable for what he brings to the army rather than what he actually does himself. Being able to Outflank your entire army and gaining Furious Charge for a Command Squad on Bikes is a really nice bonus. Wazdakka I've never seen so I'd love to hear if anyone has been using him to lead their all bike Waaaghs!

Arena of Death: Tycho Vs Tycho

Can a man defeat his inner demons? Find out in the Arena of Death as Captain Tycho takes on Death Company Tycho...

Round 1 - Captain Tycho on the charge

Tycho levelled his Combi-Melta at the familiar looking face and pulled the trigger. He hit and wounded. Death Company Tycho's only hope was for his Iron Halo to save him. It couldn't and he slumped to the floor, dead.

Round 2 - Death Company Tycho on the charge

Death Company Tycho levelled his Combi-Melta at the familiar looking face and pulled the trigger. He hit and wounded but Tycho's Iron Halo saved him. DCT would have to do it the hard way. Striking first, he hit with three of his five attacks and wounded will all three. Two were saved by Tycho's Iron Halo. Striking back, Tycho also hit three times but could only do a single wound despite a re-roll from his Digital Weapons. However, it got through DCT's Iron Halo, leaving both combatants on 2 Wounds. Striking simultaneously now, DCT hit with three attacks but could do no wounds. Striking back, Tycho hit once and caused one wound which was stopped by the Iron Halo. DCT struck again, hitting twice and causing a other wound. However, it was again stopped by Captain Tycho's Tron Halo. Tycho could do no damage in return and they stayed locked in their never ending struggle. DCT struck twice but needed his re-roll to cause two wounds. One managed to get through the previously impenetrable Iron Halo leaving Tycho on his last wound. Tycho caused a wound from a single hit but it bounced off DCT's Iron Halo. Sensing victory, DCT hit three times and caused two wounds. Only one bypassed the Iron Halo but it was enough to put down Tycho. He tried to strike back with his last breath but missed with all three of his attacks.

Round 3 - No charge bonuses

Tycho swung the Dead Man's Hand three times but could only hit once and that failed to wound. In reply, Death Company Tycho missed with all four of his attacks. Tycho only managed one hit again but this time caused a wound. However, DCT's Iron Halo was equal to it. DCT could also only manage a single hit back and needed his re-roll to wound but Captain Tycho's Iron Halo blocked it. Tycho kept up his form for the round and hit once and caused a wound. Yet again it rebounded from the Iron Halo of his opponent. DCT could only hit once as well but he wounded and Tycho's Iron Halo finally failed him. Tycho hit DCT twice and caused a wound which also got through the Iron Halo. In his anger, DCT hit Tycho three times but could only cause a single wound. Tycho's almost perfect Iron Halo saved him yet again though. Tycho could only manage a single hit but couldn't cause any wounds. DCT hit once and wounded but again it was saved. Tycho hit once, wounded once but it was again saved. In reply DCT hit once but couldn't wound. Tycho again hit once but couldn't wound while DCT hit twice and caused two wounds. One bypassed Tycho's Iron Halo. Sensing the battle was almost over Tycho re-doubled his efforts. He hit twice and with is re-roll caused two wounds. Both were stopped by DCT's Iron Halo however. DCT hit twice but couldn't wound. Tycho hit twice, caused two wounds and they both missed DCT's Iron Halo taking his last wound. His final action was to hit once and cause a single wound. That was enough to finish off Tycho leaving the battle a draw.

Well, it seems that you can't beat your inner demons, you can only draw with them. It was interesting to see two characters enter the AoD who were of an equal points value. However, I thought that the Death Company version would win quite easily once he got into combat since he has an extra attack and better Weapon Skill. Clearly, that can't help with dice as bad as mine though :op In game terms, I think that DCT is harder to use since he's not an Independent Character.

Arena of Death - Commissar Yarrick vs Ghazghkull Thraka

So, the first Arena of Death of 2011 is this classic between these two hated enemies. With a whopping 40 points between these two characters, it should be pretty one sided but as we know that's not always the case in the Arena of Death...

Round 1 - Yarrick on the charge

Yarrick squinted and fired both his Bale Eye and Bolt Pistol at the hulking Ork in front of him. Only the Bale Eye hit but Ghazghkull shrugged it off. The two combatants both activated their Power Klaws and swung at the same time. Yarrick only managed two hits and even his re-rolls couldn't improve that. However, he did manage to cause two wounds both of which evaded Ghazghkull's Cybork body. Swinging back, the Ork Warlord hit Yarrick four times and caused three wounds. However, one of those wounds was deflected by Yarrick's Forcefield. Yarrick swung his Power Klaw again but this time could only hit once. It was enough to cause a wound but Ghazghkull's Cybork body saved him this time. Striking back, only two of the Ork's five attacks were successful. One wounded and Yarrick's Forcefield couldn't save him this time. Ghazghkull laughed and started to walk away, he had finally bested his nemesis. It was the Bolt Pistol shot thudding into his armour that made him turn around just in time to see the Commissar back on his feet and charging. Fighting through the pain, Yarrick failed to hit at all in combat. In reply Ghazghkull hit four times and caused four wounds. Even though one bounced off the Forcefield, Yarrick was put down again. This time Ghazghkull watched him get back up. He could see the murderous intent in the human's eye as once again the Bolt Pistol and Bale Eye failed to wound Ghazghkull. Yarrick once again only managed one hit in combat but thanks to his status as an Inspirational Hero he re-rolled the three missed and hit with them as well! All four wounded and even though two were stopped by Ghazghkull's Cybork body, two got through which was enough to finish him off. With his last breath, he hit Yarrick three times and caused three wounds. Both of them fell together. The last thing Ghazghkull saw was Yarrick standing up again.

Round 2 - Ghazghkull on the charge

He raised his eyes skyward and Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, prophet of the Orky Gods, let out an almighty Waaagh! Unleashing 7 attacks, he hit with just 3 but they all wounded and they all bypassed Yarrick's Forcefield. The Commissar could only manage one hit and one wound in return but that was easily saved by Ghazghkull. However, that was not enough to keep Yarrick out of the fight as his Iron Will got him back up again. Yarrick caused a wound with his pistol but Ghazghkull, filled by the righteous power of the Waaagh shrugged it off. Yarrick hit with two attacks in combat, both of which wounded and both of which bounced straight off Ghazghkull. The Ork struck back hitting three times and wounding twice, putting the Commissar down again. Yarrick, however, did not know when to give up. He failed to do any damage with his shooting but after re-rolls managed 4 hits with his Power Klaw. He caused three wounds but one was stopped by Thraka's Cybork body. Four hits came back in reply, causing three wounds although one was stopped by Yarrick's Forcefield. Yarrick stood up again. Ghazghkull couldn't believe his eyes. Yarrick hit with three attacks and caused a single wound, leaving the Warlord on just one. The Ork only managed to hit with two of his attacks but caused two wounds. Even though one was once again stopped by Yarrick's Forcefield, it was enough to put him down again. This time for good.

Round 3 - No charge bonuses

Hitting simultaneously, Yarrick hit with all three of his attacks and wounded with all three too. Thraka's Cybork Body saved one though and he was left on two wounds. Striking back, Ghazghkull hit four times and caused three wounds after the Forcefield re-rolls, enough to put Yarrick down. But not out. The old Commissar staggered to his feet. Failing to do any damage shooting, he charged into combat. Hitting four times and causing two wounds, left the Warlord on his final wound after one was deflected from his Cybork Body. Despite only managing two hits from his five attacks, Ghazghkull caused two wounds and put Yarrick down again. This time for good as the dice showed a 1. Ghazghkull had been successful in the Arena of Death


Wow, that was close! Yarrick was two dice rolls away from winning rounds 2 and 3. In fact, just for fun I rolled his two charges after dying and both times he took Ghazghkull's remaining wound. I thought Necrons were bad but that 3+ Iron Will that Yarrick has is awesome. It must be gutting to put him down time and time again only to have him stand back up. Ghazghkull meanwhile is an absolute beast especially on the charge. You either need to take him out before he Waaaghs or try and ignore him for a turn because you won't stop with a 2++. Anyway, here's to an exciting 2011 in the Arena and hopefully some new codices with new characters in so we can pit them all against each other...

Arena of Death - On Tour

Normally, the Arena of Death is a solitary affair, me against myself. However, last week we had a big game and we ended up with a natural Arena of Death as Mephiston charged into Logan Grimnar.

Round 1 - Mephiston on the charge

Mephiston levelled his Plasma Pistol at Logan and his squad but it overheated as he tried to fire. As he charged into Logan, he cast the Sanguine Sword on himself and also manage to transfix Logan with his gaze. With all of his re-rolls he managed to cause five wounds on the Great Wolf. However, thanks to his Belt of Russ, only two managed to get through. Gripping his the Axe Morkai in both hands Logan counter attacked. Only needing 3s to hit due to his Wolf Tooth Necklace, Logan proceeded to hit five times and wound with all five killing the so called Lord of Death.



Don't get me wrong, I thought that Mephy would cut down Logan before the Chapter Master got to strike but in the end it all came down to the invulnerable save - Grimnar has one, Mephiston doesn't. As I said the other week, in regard to The Swarmlord and The Sanguinor, I feel that characters like Mephiston are better suited to wiping out squads rather than trying to kill other characters that can possibly kill them back.

Arena of Death - The Swarmlord vs Mephiston

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They always say, "give the people what they want" Well, the people want Pacquiao vs Mayweather, Haye vs Klitschko and it was evident from last week, that people want Mephiton vs The Swarmlord. So, withoiut further ado, let's open the Arena of Death

Round 1 - Mephiston on the charge

Mephiston leveled his Plasma Pistol and even though he hit The Swarmlord, he failed to wound. He closed his eyes and attepted to cast The Sanguine Sword. Despite the presence of the Shadow of the Warp, he managed to get the power off. He also tried to cast Unleash Rage but he failed. With his 6 attacks, he managed to hit The Swarmlord 3 times, with all 3 wounding due to The Sanguine Sword giving Mephiston S10. The Swarmlord's Bone Sabres moved swiftly and he managed to block 2 wounds. With his sword stuck between two of The Swarmlord's ribs, Mephiston focused all of his psychic powers through his Force Weapon and killed The Swarmlord.

Round 2 - The Swarmlord on the charge

The Swarmlord begun his attack by trying to cast Paroxysm and Psychic Scream at Mephiston. Mephiston managed to cancel Paroxysm with his Psychic Hood but the Scream go through. Mephiston managed to roll a 4 and a 6 and so escaped unharmed. Once again, Mephiston manged to cast The Sanguine Sword but failed with Unleash Rage. Again, he hit three times but only managed to wound The Swarmlord twice. This time The Swarmlord managed to block both attacks with his Bone Sabres. The Swarmlord struck back with his 5 attacks, hitting 4 times and wounding with 3 of those which left Mephiston dead due to the power of the Bone Sabres.

Round 3 - No charge bonuses

For the first time Mephiston failed to cast The Sanguine Sword but he did manage to get Unleash Rage. He needed the re-rolls as he initially missed with 3 of his attacks. However, after the re-rolls he had managed to hit with all 5. Needing 4s to wound, Mephiston ended up with four 2s and a 3! Seeing his chance The Swarmlord hit Mephiston twice and wounded with both, killing him outright.

So, 2-1 to The Swarmlord. In the end it came down to the Shadow in the Warp and the fact that Swarmy has an invulnerable save and Mephy doesn't. Of course if The Swarmlord had been an Independent Character rather than a Monstrous Creature then Transfixing Gaze would definitely have swung things in Mephiston's favour...

Arena of Death - The Sanguinor vs The Swarmlord

Welcome to the Arena of Death, where we pitch named character against named character, ignoring such conventions as Mathammer and actually rolling some dice. This week, it's definitive article against definitive article. So, who is the best character that starts with "The"?

Round 1 - The Swarmlord on the charge

The Swarmlord began by summoning its psychic mastery and casting both Paroxysm and Psychic Scream at the Sanguinor. Both Psychic tests were passed which saw The Sanguinor reduced to WS1 for the rest of the turn, however, he managed to pass his Leadership test. Despite The Sanguinor's weakened state, The Swarmlord could only hit with 3 of its 5 attacks, although all 3 wounded. The Sanguinor passed two invulnerable saves and was left on 2 wounds. Striking simultaneously, The Sanguinor hit back twice. However, since he is an Avenging Angel he manged to hit again and using his Master Crafted Glave Encarmine he managed to get up to 4 hits with re-rolls (not bad for someone who is WS1!) He managed to cause 2 Wounds but The Swarmlord parried one with its Bone Sabres. In the second round of combat, The Swarmlord managed 3 hits but could only do 1 wound despite only needing 2s. Initially, The Sanguinor saved but those vicious Bone Sabres forced a re-roll of the invulnerable save and he took another wound. With a single successful re-roll, The Sanguinor struck back 3 times, causing 3 Wounds. Despite the whirl of blades from The Swarmlord, one still got through, meaning the combat was still in a deadlock. Angered by his latest wound, The Swarmlord hit The Sanguinor with all four of its attacks and managed to cause 4 Wounds! Despite his Unyielding Will, The Sanguinor still fell. With his last breath, he hit The Swarmlord with 4 attacks and while he managed to do 2 Wounds both were parried aside.

Round 2 - The Sanguinor on the charge

With a war cry from the very depths of its soul, The Sanguinor charged into the giant monstrosity. Initially hitting with 4 out of his 6 attacks, re-rolls improved that to all 6. However, despite only need 4s to Wound due to his Furious Charge he could only manage 1. Even with re-rolls that became a rather poor 2. The Swarmlord couldn't stop either of them though and so was down to 3 Wounds even before he got to strike. The Swarmlord fared even worse in riposte, hitting just once and failing to wound. Buoyed by his initial success, The Sanguinor hit The Swarmlord 4 times, causing 2 Wounds, 1 of which was saved. Swinging like a drunk in a bar room brawl, The Swarmlord missed with 3 of its attacks, although it did manage to cause an unsaved Wound with the one that did hit. Sensing his chance, The Sanguinor landed all 5 of his blows, needing just one re-roll. Initially causing 1 Wound, the Avenging Angel improved it to 2 and The Swarmlord could only parry 1. In return The Swarmlord hit twice and caused 2 Wounds. Even with the re-roll cause by the Bone Sabres, 1 was still saved. Both combatants were now down the their final wound! The end was near, it was the time for bold actions. The Sanguinor managed to hit The Swarmlord 4 times thanks to the help of his various re-rolls. He again needed his re-rolls as he caused no wounds initially but managed to improve that to 2 which was enough as The Swarmlord failed one of his saves. As it struck back simultaneously, The Swarmlord only managed 2 hits but both wounded. The Sangiounor failed one and both warriors fell at the same time.

Wow! Our first draw in the Arena of Death! I like to imagine it a bit like the end of Rocky II. I have to admit that the dicerolls for The Swarmlord were just awful in that second round. If he'd rolled anything like average he'd have won quite easily. His key advantage over The Sanguinor in a straight 1 on 1 fight like this is his higher WS and T6. Even with all those re-rolls, it's a tough ask for The Sanguinor. I think if these two ever came face to face in a real game of 40K, they'd be better off going round killing Troops rather than trying to face off to each other. The Swarmlord especially is better off against people without Eternal Warrior (which is one of the reasons that we didn't put him up against Mephiston, he'd have slaughtered him) Similarly, The Sanguinor is going to be the bane of regular HQs but I think that 5 Wounds was just a bit too much for him to handle. As we always say, a lot of these characters bring far more to the party than just their raw unadulterated killing power. The Sanguinor's Aura of Fervour makes Blood Angels even killier in combat while The Swarmlord's Alien Cunning lets you play the Reserve game and Swarm Leader makes one of you units better for a turn. The only other thing I'd say is that at 280 points, The Swarmlord is a very pricey model that has to walk everywhere. The Sanguinor may have been beaten here and he's only 5 points cheaper, but that Jump Pack makes it a lost easier to just run away from The Swarmlord.

Arena of Death - Lelith Hesperax vs Pedro Kantor

So, in this week's Arena of Death we have one of the newest characters against one of Andy's favourite ones. Now, they're both 175 points but as we all know sometimes you get more than just the character for those points. However, in the Arena of Death, all of the scoring Sternguard in the world aren't going to help you. Just in case you're new, the way this works is we pit two characters head to head in combat and we roll some dice. Anyway, onto the show:

Round 1 - Lelith on the charge

With no gun to shoot, Lelith charged straight into combat. Being a League Apart from the monkeigh, she has 9 attacks on the charge(!) Faster than the eye could follow her daggers darted back and forth, scoring 6 hits. 3 of them managed to wound and Pedro's Iron Halo was unable to save him from being slain.

Round 2 - Pedro on the charge

Dorn's Arrow spoke in a staccato bark, hitting Lelith 4 times. 2 shots were good enough to wound but Lelith was quick enough to dodge one of them. With her immense speed, Lelith struck first as Pedro charged in and charged up his Power Fist. Even though she only had 8 attacks she managed to strike with 7. 4 Wounds were caused and even though Pedro's Iron Halo managed to save one, the other three got through and that was enough for Lelith to be victorious.

2-0 to Lelith then. This was never going to go to a second round of combat as Lelith was either going to take out Pedro or he was going to kill her with his Power Fist. Although, having said that she does take away one of his Attacks and she has a 3++ save in combat. Pedro was a little unlucky in only making 1 out of 7 invulnerable save but this is a pretty brutal demonstration of how good Lelith can be in combat. Plus, we're assuming here that she doesn't have any Pain Tokens. She's going to be a lot more killy if she can get Furious Charge as her big problem is her low Strength. Of course, getting two Pain Tokens is easier said than done. As for Pedro he isn't really designed as a combat monster and he's more of a support character - "no, it's okay, I'll stay in the Rhino giving out my +1 Attack bonus"

So, that's this week's Arena of Death. I've got next week's edition planned but if anyone wants to see anyone go head to head let us know...

Arena of Death - Logan Grimnar vs Marneus Calgar

This is a new feature on C&F where we pit two similarly priced characters against each other in the

Arena of Death

(to be read in booming voice)

Now, rather than using boring Mathammer to decide who should win, we're going to roll some dice. Obviously this means that a few lucky dice rolls could easily tip it in favour of one of the combatants. Also, it's a bit unrealistic since the characters will be alone and have all of their Wounds as they enter combat. Anyway, with that out of the way, our first fight is between 275 point Logan Grimnar and 265 point Marneus Calgar - the clash of the Chaptar Masters. These guys look pretty evenly matched, WS6, A5 (MC for having two Power Fists) S4 T4, 2+ 4++ save, although Calgar has an extra wound. So, without further ado...

Round 1 - Logan on the charge

With the scent of blood in his nostrils, The High King declared Calgar his Preffered Enemy. He fired off two shots from his Storm Bolter, hitting twice. One shot failed to wound while the one that did deflected off the Armour of Antilochus. Logan gripped the Axe Morkai in both hands meaning that e struck at Initiative 1. Seeing this, Marneus drew his Power Sword. However, he only struck once and, despite his Titanic Might, he failed to wound. Logan stuck six times and caused six wounds. However, 3 were stopped by Calgar's Iron Halo. As the battle continued, Calgar switched to his Power Fists and managed to cause a wound on Grimnar. In return, he hit three times and then a fourth due to Preferred Enemy. He cause two wounds but both were saved. Then came the crucial stage of the fight. Calgar missed with all five attacks while Logan hit with three. e only caused one wound but it was enough to end the combat.

Round 2 - Marneus on the charge

Again, Logan claimed Preferred Enemy as Calgar fired the Gauntlets of Ultramar. He hit once but even with his Titanic Might causing a wound, Grimnar's Wolf Belt repelled the shot. With his Counter Attack proving successful, Logan decided to use his weapon single handedly so that he would strike before Marneus. He managed three hits and then another due his Preferred Enemy. However, he only managed 2 wounds despite striking at Strength 5. Both of them were saved by Calgar's Iron Halo. He struck back with his Power Fists and hit 5 times. At first glance it seemed he only caused 4 wounds but with his re-roll he cause a fifth. Logan failed 3 saves and so that was the end of the fight.


So, it finished 1-1. However, clearly both of these characters are taken for more than their combat prowess. Logan lets you take Wolf Guard as Troops and Calgar lets your entire army decide whether they want to pass or fail any Morale checks. Against more regular opponents these guys are going to be golden and don't forget that they'd both probably have squads to support them. Maybe we should have had Logan + Wolf Guard vs Calgar + Honor Guard in the Arena of Death. Plus, realistically, no-one is going to let either of these guys hit their lines with all of their wounds intact - they're combat monsters so shoot them first! However, in a vacuum, they're pretty even although I would say that Calgar's extra Wound would probably be the deciding factor since they're both Eternal Warrior.