Mechani-Kon – 40K Tournament

Last weekend a local game convention, Mechani-Kon, was held at the Canad-Inns Polo Park here in Winnipeg. Sunday was a 1500 point 40K tournament. The scoring was interesting. The full details are in the rules pack, here:
http://www.mechani-kon.com/Downloads/MechaniKon2009_Warhammer40k_Tournament.pdf

Game play over 4 games counted for 1/3 of your score, with a variable amount of points available for scoring a Major Victory, a Minor Victory or a Loss. Another 1/3 was sportsmanship, scored by your opponent – scoring both your army and you as a player. The final 1/3 of your score was based on the army appearance – painting, conversion, coherency (banners, fancy army lists, movement trays, non-playable figs used as objectives, spell markers or tokens), etc.

I ran a themed Swordwind list:

Farseer - Doom; Eldar Jetbike; Runes of Warding; Singing Spear
Autarch - Eldar Jetbike; Fusion Gun; Mandiblaster; Laser Lance
10 Dire Avengers - including Exarch with Bladestorm and 2 Avenger Shuriken Catapults
Wave Serpent - Spirit Stones; Shuriken Cannon; Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons
10 Dire Avengers - including Exarch with Bladestorm, Diresword and Shuriken Pistol
Wave Serpent - Spirit Stones; Twin-Linked Missile Launchers
10 Howling Banshees - including Exarch with Executioner
Wave Serpent - Spirit Stones; Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons
9 Fire Dragons
Wave Serpent - Spirit Stones; Twin-Linked Shuriken Cannons
5 Warp Spiders - including Exarch with 2 Death Spinners

Total: 1500 Points

It was designed to be a riposte host. I would use Reserves Denial to not set up and avoid first-turn (and hopefully second-turn) enemy fire, identify a suitable location in the enemy's formation, and then get up close and personal with the Aspect Warriors. Their vehicles and terrain would be used to limit enemy fire and counter-assaults. It’s the largest model count for a 1500 point mechanized list that I’ve ever fielded. I downgraded Wave Serpent weaponry and upgrades, and kept Exarch upgrades pretty lean, all to get more bodies. The Aspect Warriors’ basic skills, weapons and gear would have to get them through.

I finished the Autarch figure early the morning of the tournament. We all know what happens to new figures.

Game One – Planet Fall

Opponent: Ben’s Tyranids:
Winged Hive Tyrant – TL Devourers, +1 BS, Warp Field, Toxic Miasma, and Flesh Hooks
Broodlord – feeder tendrils and 8 Genestealers in retinue
32 Gaunts
12 Genestealers
30 Hormagaunts
Carnifex – Barbed Strangler, Spine Banks, Flesh Hooks, +1 sv, +1W, +1 BS, +1 T

Scenario:
Setup was on a ruined city table, in opposite table quarters, 12” from board edges. Two markers were placed in No Man’s Land. Scoring units within 6” would control an objective, otherwise units would contest. We set up two objective markers about two feet apart in the centre of the table.

Major Victory: control at least one objective, control or contest the other
Minor Victory: control one objective, or contest both

Tyranids set up first. Eldar declined to set up, indicating that the Banshees would try to come in separately from their ride, and that the Spiders would Deep Strike. Tyranids set up everything as far on the table as they could in the northwest table quarter, infiltrating the Broodlord and retinue in the southwest quarter. After a couple of turns, the Tyranids controlled both objectives.



Despite adding the Exarch’s +1, only the two Dire Avenger Squads showed up. They dismounted deep in the southwest corner, in a wedge between their two Serpents. Two Bladestorms and some Shuriken Cannons destroyed the Broodlord's retinue, but the Broodlord itself remained alive. Uh oh.



The Tyranids advanced across the board in a deep skirmish line: going from west to east the Hive Tyrant, Gaunts, Genestealers, Hormagaunts and the Carnie anchoring the eastern flank. The Broodlord contacted the Diresword Avenger squad, killing several.

In the bottom of the turn, the Banshee’s Serpent, the Fire Dragons, the Autarch and the Farseer arrived. The other Avenger squad mounted up and scooted north. The soon-to-be-dead Avengers' boat went flat out, blocking most of the space between two buildings, leaving a fire corridor to the Tyrant. The Fire Dragons’ Serpent moved on 12”, spun right and the Dragons dismounted, blowing away the Tyrant with one volley. The Farseer moved up in support. The Autarch contacted the Brood lord. In the ensuing melee the Avengers were destroyed and the Broodlord was left with one wound.



Next turn the Gaunts charged home, wiping out the Dragons and wounding the Farseer. Nursing a broken arm (or maybe it was a fingernail), she routed off the table to save her skin. The Autarch and Broodlord struggled on to no memorable effect.

The surviving Avenger squad boosted north and the empty Dragon Serpent slid east. The ML Serpent flew northwest behind a building to try and contest the eastern objective. The Banshees finally showed up and easily defeated the Broodlord with their 30 power weapon attacks.

More bug advancing. The Gaunts charged home, killing the Autarch (ah, "new figure syndrome") and some of the Banshees, who killed several in return. Bug morale held.

The ML Serpent moved flat out to the other side of the central building, contesting the eastern objective. The surviving Avengers stayed mounted and moved north of the western objective. The Spiders deep stuck near the other objective, shooting up the Hormagaunts with S6 fire. With the Flyrant and Broodlord dead, the Hormagaunts broke and ran back north. The Banshees defeated, broke and ran down the Gaunts with their power swords. The Spiders used their second jump to teleport northwest, behind a building, rolling doubles and thus losing one to the warp.

Due to the proximity of the ML Wave Serpent, the Hormagaunts continued to flee north. The Genestealers moved to control the western objective. The Carnie moved north but failed to hit with its shooting.

By this point time was running down and the Eldar had only the bottom of the turn to do anything. The Avengers dismounted right by the objective. The Spiders managed to survive jumping into the middle ruined building. The Banshees fleeted north, within charge range of the Genestealers. The EML Serpent stayed put, contesting its objective. The other Serpent moved to a street east of the stealers. Massed S6 shooting from three Serpents and the Spiders killed most of the Genestealers. They were finally wiped out by another Bladestorm, leaving the Eldar controlling one objective and contesting the other.



Result: Eldar Major Victory

Next post, Game Two: Supply Run: Eldar vs. Death Guard