Bjorn's Boys

So, I'm playing Andy's Orks tomorrow and I felt like using something a bit different from the norm. I thought about running a Logan list but I couldn't come up with one that I was either happy with or that I had the models for. Plus I think it would have been rather unfair to run that kind of lists against Orks. So, I have come up with something a bit different; Bjorn the Fell Handed backed up with three other Dreadnoughts. I make no claims whatsoever that this is an optimal list but it hopefully should be pretty fun to play and to play against.

Bjorn the Fell Handed

Dreadnought, Assault Cannon

Dreadnought, Twin-Linked Autocannon, Twin-Linked Autocannon

Dreadnought, Multimelta, Drop Pod

The irresistible force and the immovable object. A nice mix of shooting and combat plus a anti-Battlewagon Dread in a Drop Pod.

10 Grey Hunters, 2 Meltaguns, Power Weapon, Wolf Standard, Rhino

When I first got back into the game in October, I always ran my Grey Hunters as 10 man units. Then I learned the ways of MSU and never looked back. However, Michael had some succss with his 10 man squads and with the Wolf Standard I'm not worried about getting these boys stuck into combat.

5 Grey Hunters, Flamer, Razorback

5 Grey Hunters, Flamer, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannon

5 Grey Hunter, Razorback, Twin-Linked Lascannon

But the MSU boys are still there :o)

Land Speeder, Multimelta, Heavy Flamer

Land Speeder, Multimelta, Heavy Flamer

Those Orks don't half hate those Heavy Flamers.

Vindicator, Siege Shield

Predator, Heavy Bolter Sponsons, Stormbolter

I've been having no luck with my Long Fangs for last couple of weeks (not their fault) so I thought I'd give them a week off. Big pie plate + lots of dakka hopefully = lots of dead Orks. I was slightly tempted to take my Whirlwind since I've still not used it but decided against it in the end.

3 Swift Claws, Power Weapon, Heavy Bolter Attack Bike

These guys always under perform but I couldn't think of anything better to spend 120 points on. The plan is to hide them behind a wall of Rhino Chassis and then charge round one side to try and delay the inevitable Ork assault.

It's a good list but not a great list and I'm not 100% confident of its success. It does at least have a bit of a theme and with some luck it should do well.

Slow, slow, slow, quick

Well, apart from this, I made a couple of really stupid errors this week that, although they didn't cost us the game, left us playing catch-up form very early on. Having said that a 10-5 win where two of the opposition kill points came from Lone Wolves that were still alive can't be too bad. In fact, had the game gone another turn, we wouldn't have been that far away from tabling Andy and Graham. However, one of the reasons I started this blog was so that I could point out my mistake, no matter how trivial, in an attempt to learn from them.

Long Fang Placement

Now, in my mind the Space Wolves work better as a proactive army rather than a reactive one but I was still happy enough to give up first turn as it would force Andy into making a decision on where to place his Drop Pod Dreadnought. In Warhammer 40,000, the more decisions you force your opponent to make, the more likely they'll make the wrong one. Andy placed his Drop Pod very sensibly though as he figured I'd wan the hill to place my Long Fangs on. How right he was. The week before, I'd had no raised terrain at all and my Long Fangs hadn't been their normal game changing selves. Still, I figured with two Land Speeders, a Lascannon Razorback and an Assault Cannon Razorback I'd be able to take out the Dreadnought my Long Fangs would be kings of the hill. Was it a risk? Clearly it was. In retrospect I should have placed them on the right flank where they would still have had a good view of the battlefield but the Dreadnought wouldn't have bothered them.

Land Speeders

I had some severe difficulties when I first started using Land Speeders but until recently I'd been having some success with them. Okay, the Baal Predator coming on in turn 2 and on the left flank was unlucky, but in 40K you have to try and mitigate luck as best you can. It was also pretty stupid of me to try and speed down my flank and attack the Squats on the hill as they were bound to take me out before the Speeder got there. The problem was that I'd deployed the Land Speeders to take out the Dreadnought instead of deploying them with their real target in mind - the Land Raider. Multimeltas are the best way to take out AV14 and with 12" move and 12" Melta range, you've got a 24" threat bubble. I think I've said before that it's important to have a plan for every unit and to try and stick to that plan. When I wrote my list the Speeders were to take out AV14 but because of my hill obsession, I deployed them badly and they did practically nothing all game.

So that was 2 of the kill points we conceded. The thing is, if I put my Long Fangs on the right and we'd have put the two Rune Priests in the middle, the Long Fangs would probably have taken out the Airship (S8 against AV12 would have meant more pens and less glances) while the Rune Priest could have cast Living Lighting against the Squats with heavy weapons (and, since they blew up the Razorback, we wouldn't have lost any kill points - gotta love theoryhammer)

On the other side of the table, I have to say that I'm still not convinced that the Squats are killy enough to be honest. Andy's hammer unit were unlucky to lose a couple of members to a stray Plasma Cannon shot and I don't think his Librarian got a power off all game (more power to Michael for making all of those 4+ rolls. I still don't think I've made one since I started playing again)

Still, it felt like once we'd gotten a foothold in the game, there would only be one winner. To be honest though, we had a one man Long Fang pack, a two man Grey Hunter squad and an immobilised Land Speeder (ignoring the fact it should have been destroyed as per previous post)left at the end of the game so that should really have been 3 more kill points conceded. Also, we had a three man Grey Hunter pack and three Rhinos whose paint jobs weren't even scratched. Annihilation is a tricky mission though, it's about finding that balance between racking up the kill points an stopping your enemy doing the same. We Immobilised the Dreadnought, destroyed the Predator and stunned the Airship pretty much all game so I feel that we did the latter and once the enemy gets into that 12"-24" sweet spot, there's no escape from the jaws of the wolf.

Meh

The girlfriend's at work so I've get her house to myself so I should really be taking this opportunity to catch up with some painting but I've got no drive at all. It may be the world cup fever I've got or it may just be the weather but I just can't seem to get motivated. I'm not sure what it is but for some reason I see 40K as a winter hobby. As my mother would have said it's far too nice to be couped up inside painting toy soldiers. Although it's not as if I'll go outside, I'll just end up having a couple of beers and watching the football. October, and by extension Open War, is only three months away but I feel like I need a kick up the arse to actually sort out the painting and modelling I need to do. Maybe if GW released some Thunderwolf models I'd feel the urge...

In the heat of battle

While writing yesterday's battle I realised that we made a couple of elementary rules errors. It was nothing deliberate but they both went the way of the Space Wolves. At the bottom of turn two, 5 Grey Hunters got out of a Razorback shot another Razorback with a Meltagun and immobilised it. They then proceeded to attack in close combat and blew the Heavy Bolters off it. Obviously, you're not allowed to assault out of a moving Razorback. The Heavy Bolters could have shot up the Grey Hunters of tried to finish off the Long Fang pack so they could potentially have won another kill point. Also at the top of turn three the Squat heavy weapon platoon managed to immobilise the Land Speeder. Since it had travelled flat out in it's previous movement phase it should have been wrecked. This would have been another kill point won plus the Speeder could not have taken out the Razorback later in the game.

It annoys me making such basic mistakes even though they wouldn't have made much of a difference in this battle. The thing is in a closer game, they could have made all the difference. It would be easy enough to blame off table distractions (ie my girlfriend turning up at that time) but this is why it's important that every player is not only up to speed on the rules but also paying attention. Imagine, if that had happened to you at a tournament, you'd lost the game and only realised when you got home. How gutted would you be? So, stay vigilant people (especially me!)

Purge the Xenos

The two Rune Priests sat side by side in the great drinking hall upon the Strike Cruiser, each with a tankard of ale in their hand. "This is most troubling news" said the first. "Yes, Space Marines allied with xenos". "And what of the other rumours? That the planet below is a Squat stronghold" "Hmm, it would appear that they aren't quite as extinct as we'd been led to believe" For a moment they were both quiet as they each reached into a small leather pouch at their waists. They both pulled out a set of runes and cast them upon the wooden table. Without a word they looked at each other, nodded and stood up. The drinking hall went silent and all of the eyes in the room fixed on the two Priests. "Brothers", said the first, "eat well and drink well." "For tomorrow", continued the second one, "we make war." A huge cheer went up and the Rune Priests allowed the merest of smiles to crack on their lips.


We were playing doubles; Michael's and my Space Wolves versus Andy's Blood Angels and Graham's Squats. 1000 each standard FOC. We rolled up Annihilation with Dawn of War deployment. We won the roll off and decided to go 2nd.


As the very first rays of sunlight began to pierce the dark sky, the sound of a Land Raider engine broke the early calm. Struggling to keep up with the armoured behemoth a Squat heavy weapon platoon moved into position atop a hill. Svengril watched all through the eyes of his Psyber Raven, "that's it", he thought, "keep coming, right into the jaws of the wolf".


Turn 1


The Space Marine Drop Pod screamed through the higher atmosphere, its retro rockets slowing its decent as it got nearer to the ground. The second it touched down the doors were blown and out stepped a Furioso Dreadnought. He looked around, slightly bemused as there were no enemy troops on the battlefield yet. Behind him, the Land Raider, filled with a Librarian, Sanguinary Priest and an Assault Squad moved up. Ever further to the rear a Razorback zoomed on the field of battle and a Squat airship floated menacingly into place.


With a great howl, the two Lone Wolves led the Space Wolf charge. On the left a squad of Long Fangs took up a firing position while two Land Speeders flew overhead determined to stop the Dreadnought before it could charge them. In the centre the two Razorbacks and 2nd Long Fang pack moved into position. On the right flank the two army commanders entered the field, one in a Rhino, one on foot, supported by two further Rhinos. The two Rune Priests both cast Living Lightning against the Airship and managed to prevent it from shooting. On the left flank, the two Land Speeders both fired their Multimeltas, and the two Razorbacks both fired at the Dreadnought but they only prevented it from shooting as well. The initial Space Wolf strike had not gone well and now they would face the reprisals.


End of turn 1 0-0:




Turn 2

On the Space Wolf left a Baal Predator added its engine noise to cacophony of sound already permeating the battlefield. Everything else moved into prime shooting position apart from the Furioso who readied himself to charge the Long Fangs. The Baal shot down one of the Land Speeders and the Squat heavy weapon platoon manged to sun a Razorback. The Land Raider's Flamestorm cannon brunt through the rocks and managed to kill a couple of Long Fangs but they had seen much worse than this before and stood firm. The first close combat of the battle saw the Furioso charge into the Long Fangs and cut them all down with its Blood Talons.


The Space Wolves had suffered their first losses and were now determined to make up for it. The remaining Land Speeder moved down the left flank ready to attack the Squats on the hill while the Lascannon Razorback moved out of range of the Dreadnought. In the centre the other Razorback disgorged its passengers, ready to attack the enemy one. On the Space Wolf right, the Grey Hunters got out of their Rhino and prepared to stare down the Land Raider with their Meltaguns. Once again, despite all of the firepower at their disposal, the Space Wolves shooting did minimal damage. The Dreadnought, Land Raider and Razorback were immobilised but no damage was done to the Airship. The lone Wolf with the Thunder Hammer managed to rip the Assault Cannons from the Land Raider and the Grey Hunters did the same to the Razorback. It seemed that the Wolves of Fenris had lost the favour of the All-Father



End of Turn 2 0-2:





Turn 3


The Assault Squads in the Razorback and Land Raider lept out, hungry for combat. Instead they found themselves under fire from their own side as a Plasma Cannon blast from the airship scattered off target. Meanwhile the Heavy Weapon Team immobilised the Land Speeder and blew off its Heavy Flamer, saving themselves from the Emperor's righteous promethium. The Power of the Machine Spirit of the Land Raider, angered by the impetuous Lone Wolf's attack fired it's Flamestorm Cannon on the Long Fangs, killing two more. Behind them a squad of Squats moved up, ready to support the Space Marine attack. Inspired by the Sanguinary Priest, both Assault Squads and the Librarian piled into combat. However the larger Grey Hunter Squad unfurled their Wolf Standard and the combat ended in a stalemate. In the combat around the Razorback the Space Marines caused enough damage for the Grey Hunters to make a tactical withdrawal. The victors consolidated their position but could see they were about to be charged by a Lone Wolf.

With still no sign of the three Wolf Scout squads, the Space Wolves realised it was time to start doing some damage. Assault Cannon fire strafed the Squat Heavy Weapon Team's position but they stood firm despite taking casualties. The two Rune Priests once again managed to stun the airship much to the relief of the enemy Space Marines. At the rear of the battle, the Lascannon Razorback turned its attention the the Baal Predator and reduced it to little more than scrap metal. Finally the Space Wolves had destroyed an enemy unit! In the centre the two Lone Wolfs joined the fray. The one with the Lightning Claws cut down the enemy Librarian, tilting that combat in the Space Wolves favour while the Thunder Hammer armed one cut down a couple of Assault Marines but the remaining member of the squad stayed locked in combat.

End of turn 3 2-2:



Turn 4

As the Land Raider moved round to get better position for its Flamestorm Cannons, it managed to immobilise itself on the terrain. With the Space Marine charge faltering and their reinforcements still not here, the Squats decided that they had to get into combat themselves. The Squat Heavy Weapon Team once again proved accurate with their fire as they destroyed the Assault Cannon Razorback. What remained of the large Assault Squad fell back towards the trees while the Airship tried to gain some protection form the almost constant Living Lightning barrages by hiding behind the same tree-line. The Thunder Hammer Lone Wolf was unable to win his combat and so stayed locked. The Squats launched their assault into the Grey Hunters and second Lone Wolf and while their losses were heavy, they stubbornly stayed in the fight.

Things were starting to look up for the Space Wolves and they were determined to press home the opening they had been given. With a howl, all three units of Wolf Scouts entered the fray, one on the left flank, one on the right and one directly behind the Squat Heavy Weapon Team. A meltagun blast destroyed the enemy Drop Pod and the remaining Razorback wrecked the Land Raider with a well placed Lascannon shot. Despite the tree cover, the Squat Airship was once again stunned and so unable to fire. The two Rune Priests exchanges rueful glances, next time they would just bring a pin and be done with it. The Thunder Hammer Lone Wolf finally managed to cut down the last of his opponents and started looking around for his next foe. The 5 man Grey Hunter squad from the Rhino stepped out and charged the final Space Marine squad. Both combats in the centre of the field were bloody but remained unresolved. At the rear of the Squat forces the Wolf Scouts charged into combat hacking down Squats encumbered with heavy weapons but they still stood firm.

End of Turn 4 5-3:

Turn 5

The end of the battle was nearing and both side realised that any move now could prove decisive. The Squat Termite finally arrived and drilled up near the large Grey Hunter squad deep in Squat territory. The still immobilised Dreadnought managed to shoot a Grey Hunter in the back but there was little else the enemy could do. The two Squat combats remained resolutely locked but the Space Marines got the upper hand over the Grey Hunters who decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

The Wolf Scouts on the left flank managed to blow an arm off the Dreadnought while the Airship was once again stunned. The Land Speeder which hadn't fired since it had been downed fired its Mutlimelta at the Space Marine Razorback wrecking it. The large Grey Hunter squad and the Scouts on the right flank pooled their fire and cut down most of the Bezerkers just as they had emerged from their Termite. They them teamed up on the remaining bezerkers and the Termite and managed to wipe out the Squats and immobilise their vehicle. The other Wolf Scout squad finally finished off the Heavy Weapons Team but couldn't do any damage to the other Squat squad that had charged them. In the final Squat combat, the Priest was cut down but two members of the squad still remained.

End of Turn 5 10-5:

The Squats knew that the battle was lost and made hast back to their stronghold. The remaining Space Marines and their Dreadnought knew that they would be shown no mercy and so took their own lives in hope of gaining some level of forgiveness from the Emperor. The Space Wolves let out an almighty cheer at their victory. Tonight they would drink well. Tomorrow, their was a Squat stronghold still to storm.

Double Trouble

Doubles tonight, myself and Michael, a fellow Space Wolves player verses Andy's Blood Angels and Graham's Squats, 1000 points each. Since I've never met Michael and I'm not sure what type of list he'll bring, I'm going to put together a balanced army and see how we get on. In fact, I've decided that the best bet would be if I cut down my regular 1750 list:

Rune Priest, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane

Living Lightning should hopefully be able to stun-lock any Airships that Graham brings and the Runic Weapon should make it more difficult for Andy to get off any psychic powers from his Librarian (Surely he'll take one in a 1000 point list?)

5 Grey Hunters, Plasma Gun, Rhino

5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannons

5 Grey Hunters, Razorback, Twin-Linked Lascannons

The MSU heart and soul of all of my armies. Long range firepower and objective sitting, what more could a table-top general ask for?

Land Speeder, Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer

Land Speeder, Multi-Melta, Heavy Flamer

Tankbusting, infantry burning, charge blocking, fast and can fly.

6 Longs Fangs, 5 Rocket Launchers

So, normally I take two squads with a Lascannon in each but due to points I've gone with just the one and the duality of the Rocket Launcher. Hopefully I can find then a decent vantage point this week unlike last week.

6 Wolf Scouts, Meltagun

Lone Wolf, Terminator Armour, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield

The fun, fluffy bit of the list. The Scouts go behind enemy lines and take out any heavy weapons teams and the Lone Wolf stands around in midfield and smashes anyone stupid enough to get close to him.

Not a bad little list for a 1000 points. I'm really looking forward to this evening as it's been ages since we played any doubles...

Dwarves in Spaaaaaaace

Playing Graham's Squats tonight. It's based on the Imperial Guard Codex with a few changes. Since, he's essentially playtesting I'm going for a balanced list:

Rune Priest, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Murderous Hurricane

Rune Priest, Chooser of the Slain, Living Lightning, Jaws of the World Wolf

Lone Wolf, Terminator Armour, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield

5 Grey Hunters, Plasma Gun, Rhino

5 Grey Hunters, Plasma Gun, Rhino

5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback

5 Grey Hunters, Meltagun, Razorback, Twin-Linked Assault Cannons

5 Grey Hunters, Razorback, Twin-Linked Lascannons

Land Speeder, Heavy Flamer, Multi-Melta

Land Speeder Heavy Flamer, Multi-Melta

10 Fenrisian Wolves

6 Long Fangs, 4 Rocket Launchers, Lascannon

6 Long Fangs, 4 Rocket Launchers, Lascannon

I was slightly tempted to go with 4 Rune Priests all with Jaws of the World Wolf because the Squats all have low Initiative but I thought that wouldn't really be fair.