Da Bolts - A Blood Bowl Update

Well, it's been a while since my last post and even longer since I last posted about my Blood Bowl season. A lot's happened, my Orc team, Da Orkanapolis Bolts have completed the 12 games of the pre-season tournament and are now in the perpetual league proper. Their final record stood at 4 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws anchoring me firmly to the middle of the table. Not great but it's not all about the winning, it's also about staying alive and developing your players!

I have two Blitzers with 5 skills between them, one's a pure hitter, the other is a safety, another is on the path of the bash with mighty blow and the fourth is going to be a support player with guard as his first skill. The Black Orcs have not been as quick to skill up with one with block and another with jump up (I couldn't waste the double), unfortunately the third has done enough to puck up guard but has been move broken twice and I can't justify keeping him around at movement 2!

I also suffered an agi bust on my thrower who has skilled up with block so I had to let him go, hopefully it won't take too long to get the new guy up to speed because they make pretty good ball carriers. Of the two linemen in the team I rolled doubles for the only skill between them and chose diving tackle because nothing beats me faster then those damn nimble elves!

Later on in the pre-season I gathered enough gold to hire a Troll and a Goblin, the Troll is one casualty away from his first skill which is nice and the Gobo has yet to step off the bench! The combo is really only there for the potential of a one-turn TD but the big fellah is nice when facing other big guys, particularly Minotaurs who really put the hurt on the Bolts early on in the season.

But Blood Bowl is about even more than just winning and book-keeping, you usually get some good stories, the main one for the Bolts in the pre-season has been the emergence of their star Blitzer, Slash Spleenspilla who came in as a replacement for a “fired” move busted blitzer on game 4 and set the score-board alight. Da Bolts had been having major problems just picking up the ball in the early part of the pre-season even with their normally sure-handed thrower, but whenever the ball bounced Slash's way it just seemed to stick to him and turn into a score! He ended the season with 8TDs and 31 star-player points over just 8 games.

I've been painting the guys over the course of the season so here's how the finished team look:

Blitzers

Black Orcs

Linemen, Goblin & Thrower

Troll with Re-Rolls & Turn Counter

Now what's better than one Blood Bowl team?

Two of course! We're well into the second intake of teams going through another pre-season round robin tournament. I'm doing a Norse team called the Asguard Thunderers in this one, we're four games in so it's a bit early to tell but I'm at 2 wins and 2 losses and so-far I've only suffered a move bust on a lineman but I've managed to roll a strength boost on another! Combined with the two strength 4 Ulfwerners (Norse Werewolves) it makes a bashier team that much more bashier (?)! One thing I am struggling with though is scoring. I was expecting them to be significantly faster than the Orcs, and while they have shown promise with a couple of quick flank-run TDs, getting the ball back is proving to be something of a struggle at the mo. I'll have to keep working on it if I'm going to realise my goal of having a truly explosive offence!

As with the Orcs I'll be painting these guys as I go and four games in the initial roster is painted, but I've still got a couple of skill players to do who I'll pick up later in the season, and, of course, the counters:

Runner, Thrower, Beserker & S4 Lineman

Linement & Ulfwerners

Linemen

Turn Counter, Re-Rolls & Score Tracker

Monday Musings

Just another Manic Monday

6th Edition Rumours

We don't do rumours here at C&F - other sites are much better at ripping off Warseer than we could ever be. However, I have seen a couple of interesting things that I thought I'd comment on...

a) The potential return of allies. I've always loved the idea of allies ever since the White Dwarf Army List that said Space Wolves had even fought with the aloof Eldar Aspect Warriors. I think it's a brilliant way of trying a new army without having to buy a whole one and it gives you a good excuse to buy models you like but that you might not otherwise get a chance to use. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that someone will come up with some broken combos that will mean that it will never make it to tournament games, but it would offer some nice variety to friendly games.

b) Hardback Codexes. I'm one of those guys who likes to buy every new codex as it comes out. I like to read the fluff and keep up on what other armies can do in case I play them at tournaments. However, if they all go hardback, as the WFB ones have done, then I'm not so sure I could justify the cost. The irony being that if allies came back, I'd probably be more likely to buy models with the codex and not just the book.

The Meta Game

Mick asked an interesting question last Monday, which implies whether Necrons would have an effect on the so called "meta game". Now, Mr Sutton often talks about their being no meta game and I happen to agree. However, there's no doubt that if you build a tournament list specifically to beat an vehicle heavy (possibly MEQ) army then you'll win more games than you lose. Looking at the entry lists for recent tournaments, it's amazing how many Marine armies there are (with GKs being the current preferred flavour)

I was thinking about this last week when I was playing Graham's Marine horde as it was a list completely different to anything I'd faced before. You'll see from the battle report how badly I was beaten but it was just the fact it was something I hadn't factored into my list building.

And that's the thing with the "meta". If you build a list to beat all of the top net lists currently in circulation, you can easily come undone in a first-round random pairing when you come up against someone's left field army.

Looking forward to 6th ed? Come a cropper against a really unusual army? Let us know below the line...

Theoryhammer - Killing Necrons Part 2

This blogpost will self-destruct in 5 seconds

I realised that there was something very important I missed from my post yesterday:

Play the Mission

So, this has become the manta de jour around here recently and it's just as important now that the new Necrons have arrived. In the past, you'd see Necrons across the table and instantly think "Phase Out" With the removal of that rule you can no longer rely on making your opponent's army disappear in order to win the game.

A relatively minor point but potentially a huge step-change from a psychological point of view...

Theoryhammer - Killing Necrons

Molten metal - the best way to kill robots

In case you hadn't heard, the Necrons have a new codex out. It seems that everyone in the Blogroll to the right has done some kind of initial codex review and/or some first stabs at army lists. Well, it's time to fight back! Having had a week with the Codex, here are my initial thoughts on how to beat those evil natured robots...

Combat is King

With We'll Be Back getting beefed up into Re-Animation Protocols, it's become even more important to wipe out whole units, thus denying them the chance to get back up. Well, with their incredibly bad Initiative, probably the best way to do this is in combat. Their standard troops also have a pitiful 1 attack each so aren't going to be doing much back to you. However, all Necrons are a minimum T4 and with a 4+ Save, 5+ RAP and Ld 10, you need to make sure you hit hard with the initial strike or you risk being locking in combat.

Don't forget that the Necrons also have a couple of quite useful counter-attack units in their Elite section. If they do charge you while you're locked in with a unit of Warriors or Immortals then you're going to lose a lot of guys to Power Weapon attacks. Plus, with the Elites being T5 with a better save you're probably not going to do much back to them. Best thing to do is focus on the Troops, pray to the God-Emperor and hope you win on Combat Resolution (note - praying and hoping are incredibly popular tactics here on C&F!)

Focus Fire

Living Metal is going to change how we shoot at vehicles - usually, with Tanks, we're happy if they can't shoot  and with Transports if they can't move. Since Living Metal allows Necrons to ignore both of these effects on the roll of a die, we now need to make sure that we do some proper damage with our shooting. The combination of Living Metal and Quantum Shielding really lessens the impact of our Missile Launchers but we should still have sufficient Melta to be able to destroy vehicles.

As mentioned above, it's really important to wipe out Necron units to prevent them getting their RAP roll. This means, keep shooting at a unit until it gone, not just until it will no longer have an effect in game.

Acute Senses

Never forget about this. We're going to see a lot of Night Fight shenanigans from the new Necrons so don't forget that most Space Wolf units can re-roll the distance they can see at night. Also, all of our vehicles come with Searchlights as standard so remember to use them to illuminate the enemy (this is especially useful against a Solar Pulse since it only lasts for a player turn so the enemy don't get the benefit of being able to see your vehicle)

Conclusion

We can still see well at night, we can still blow up vehicles with Melta and we have Krak which gives us options at range. We're better in combat than Necrons and have a good chance to Sweeping Advance and wipe out units. However, we need to be careful of where the Necron counter-attack unit are. Hmm, t'was ever thus.

Anybody played the new Necrons yet? Please share any tactical tips below the line...

Date With The Night

She shouldn't be here. Alena Nightdancer lowered her hood and looked both ways down the street, it was still deserted. She dashed from one doorway to another, constantly looking around her. She wasn't quite sure how she had made it this far, and yet...

And yet, this was probably the safest place she could possibly be. No-one would dare touch a Farseer here in the streets of Commorragh. Not even the roughest gangs would go anywhere near her for the vengeance that her Craftworld would bring down. The mon-keigh had a word for it - irony.

She still worried though. She had heard many tales of this place and now, seeing it up close and personal, she knew all the rumours were true.The hardest thing had been blocking out the thoughts of the dead and the dying, even though her training made it almost second nature.

Finally, she arrived at her destination. As she reached up to knock on the door, it opened and two hands reached out to pull her into the darkness. She was bundled across a darkened hallway, through a large wooden door and onto her knees. She looked up at the back of a chair behind a desk.

"Alena Nightdancer, Farseer of the Alaitoc Craftworld. I've been expecting you. In fact, I've been watching you since you arrived in the Dark City"

He slowly turned around and nodded at the two Incubi who left the room. He gestured towards the empty chair across from him. Alena stood up, brushed herself down and sat.

"So, my dear, what brings you here?"

"Our Rangers have discovered a slumbering Necron Tomb World and I'm here to call in a debt that your bloodline owes mine since the War in Heaven"

"I don't think that debt is valid any more"

"You think The Fall absolves you of your responsibility?"

"You'll have to do better than supposed blood debt to have me send my Kabal against the Necrons"

"You need a reason? Have you ever seen a Necron fight? They're almost impervious to all weaponry. You put them down and they get back up again and again. How much would the Wych Arenas pay for such gladiators?"

He let the thought sink in. She was right, they would make perfect combatants. He nodded sagely, "What's the plan?" She leaned across the table and handed him a data sheet with star charts and timings on. "Okay, we're in. You'll come with us; getting out of Commorragh won't be as easy as getting it" With that he pressed a button under the desk and the Incubi returned and escorted her out. She solemnly bowed to the Archon and left the room.

Once she was gone, a figure stepped out of the dark corner of the room, holding a black sceptre.

"Did I do well Lord Vect?"

Vect absent mindedly played with the sceptre, "Yes, you did very well"

"And you want us to go along with her plan?"

"Yes. There is a lot we can learn from these Necrons"

"One question my Lord, what is that?"

"This?" He waved the sceptre again and laughed, "Its is a Null Rod. It prevents our friend there from sensing me psychically"

And with that he was gone, leaving the Archon alone to make his battle plans...

10 Week Challenge - Week 2: 99 Problems

Jason Zed

So, this week I'm facing off against Graham's million man march with my MSU Rhino Rush. Now, this is the first time in a long time where I've known exactly what I'll be facing before a game so let's use the knowledge to think through a few tactics.


First things first, killing 99 Space Marines is not an easy task. Hence, I'm not going to do it. However, I am going to try and take advantage of the Space Wolves' most glaring weakness - Leadership. Basic Ld 8 on Grey Hunters makes a big difference compared with normal Marines Ld 9 and Chaos Space Marines Ld 10. How am I going to use this information to my advantage? Tank Shock! With a lot of troops on foot, it's possible that I'll be able to Tank Shock 2 or maybe even 3 units. The lack of Melta in the GH squads mean that I don't even have to worry about Death or Glory attacks back.

I also need to try and take advantage of space and mobility. With nearly 100 miniatures to put down, Graham will have to spread out. This gives me the opportunity to deploy in a refused flank style and prevent him bringing too many men to bear at the same time. With my 6 Rhinos, I should be able to out-maneuver Graham's foot based troops.

However, those Rhinos aren't going to last long with 3 packs of Long Fangs around so I really need to do something about them. Hopefully, I can deploy in such a way that all three packs don't have good fire lanes. Then, I can try and use my "alpha striking" Drop Pod to block off their LoS even more. If they have to spend a turn shooting my Drop Pod, it's a turn that they're not shooting everything else. Meanwhile, they'll be target number 1 for my BEL Wolf Scouts.

I'm also got some Wolfy tips and tricks to use. My Choosers of the Slain will be able to prevent Graham's Scouts from Infiltrating too close (although they could then BEL which is a whole different kettle of fish compared to 2 Melta shots at Rhinos) I'm also going to try and cast Murderous Hurricane on the lead unit of Grey Hunters as early as possible. Not so much for the potential kills from Dangerous Terrain tests but just to slow them down and hence, slow everything else down behind them as well.

One final thought, and it's one I had while thinking about Frag Missiles probably being more useful that Krak in this match up as Graham's troops will be clumped up so I should hit a lot of them with each missile and even if a missile misses, it should still hit something. Now, this is quite a risky thought - Drop Podding the Rune Priest who has Jaws of the World Wolf. Normally, Jaws isn't that hot against MEQ armies but if they're all lined up then the potential for lots of initiative tests would be difficult to ignore.

I think this is going to be a tough game, especially if it ends up being Kill Points. At least we might get an answer to Mick's question.

Hordes are one of the things Wolves don't deal with that well. A Marine horde is even tougher. All hints & advice greatly received...

10 Week Challenge - Week 1: After Action Review

Gav celebrates his win in Week 1

Well, that went remarkable well. When the worst thing that happens in a game is that your squad don't get wiped out by a Dreadnought so that you can shoot it to death you know you've had a good one. Usually in these articles I'd be beating myself up about small tactical mistakes but I'm actually feeling pretty good about myself and here's why

Deployment

I'm usually rubbish at deployment. However, I seemed to have an epiphany last week where I actually thought about where all of my vehicles were going to move in the first 2 turns. Normally, I'd stick my Rune Priest Rhinos at the front so that I can shoot unimpeded out of the top hatch. This time I realised that if I stuck them behind two of my suicide Melta Rhinos then not only could they not be blown up if I had the initiative seized but I be able to move the two front vehicles out of the way on turn 1 and still be able to shoot with the Priests. I did all of the simple things right - set up pretty centrally opposite from the enemy Objective and didn't spread my army too thinly. I was able to have a vanguard of three Rhinos backed up with shooting from the Rune Priests and Long Fangs while the other Rhino protected by right flank.

The one thing I didn't think about was the Space Marine Scouts. In the end I was out of charge range because they couldn't roll a 5 on their assault through cover. Obviously, I didn't know that they would be outflanking when I deployed but I should have given it some consideration.

Attack Vectors

This is the thing I really love about this army. The Wolf Scouts and the turn 1 mini alpha strike from the Drop Pod, backed up by 3/4 Rhinos of disposable guys means that I will have something in my opponent's face by turn 2 at the latest. The fact that Dave had to turn his Terminators around to take care of the 1st squad of Scouts meant that they never had a chance of getting near my Objective.

Small Squads

I was a little unsure about these and, in many ways, I still am. However, I do love the 5-man squads who sit with the Priests since I feel that I can have them sit on an Objective all game without thinking that they're a huge point-sink that I should really be sending at the enemy.

Focus Fire

As I've said before, a useful mantra is "Play the Mission"  and for once I actually lived up to this Golden Rule. Usually, with my Long Fangs, I'd be quite haphazard with my shooting. In this game I decided early on that I was going to focus my fire on one Tactical Squad until it was destroyed and then I'd start on the second. With 14 Missiles per turn, I knew I could do enough damage to both squads so that my Scouts could finish them off in assault. Plus, I knew that if I concentrated on them then I couldn't lose the game since they were never going to be able to get to my Objective in sufficient strength to hold it.

Army List

One final point, more about Dave than myself. We arranged the game pretty late and I only informed him that it would be 1750 points after we got to Warhammer World. I assumed that he'd used the same list he used the other week against Keith but instead he took his tried and tested 1500 point list and added a Land Raider. This gave me a big juicy target for my Drop Pod Combi-Meltas. This meant that his Termies had very little impact in the game and I was able to ignore them for nearly all of the game. Normally, they Deep Strike in and that could have worked out much better for Dave. As it was, he had nothing that could really get anywhere near my Objective.

Is thinking about deployment cheating? Ever had a near-perfect game? Did you get the subtle Frankie Coccozza reference?