Hive Fleet Nostromo

Another New Insane Project virtually completed!  (I say "virtually" only because no wargaming project is ever completed, is it ;-)

Anyway, here in all of its xenomorphic glory is my new Warhammer 40K Tyranid army, "Hive Fleet Nostromo".  Of course pretty much everyone recognizes the reference from the classic "Alien" movie - "USCSS Nostromo" was the name of the space semi-truck on which Captain Dallas (!) and the rest of the bunch served as crew.  Eventually I might write up some silly story about how the Rogue Trader vessel Nostromo made first contact with this particular Hive Fleet and how "First Officer Rellen Ipley" escaped that encounter and brought news of the Xeno threat back to the Imperium... but that's for another post.

For now, here are some pics of the new army.  They are all standard GW Tyranid models but pretty much all have been converted, either with Chapterhouse's excellent Xeno heads or with my own cack-fisted greenstuff head conversions.  They were painted in a very basic style - black undercoat, heavy drybrush of very dark grey, light drybrush of Space Wolves Grey, boltgun metal for teeth, claws and biomechanical bits, bright green for gooey parts.  I'm really happy with the groundwork colours - Bestial Brown drybrushed with two Ceramcoat colours - "Mudstone" followed by "Sandstone".

The army sits at a bit more than 2,000 points right now:

• Hive Tyrant
• Two Carnifexes
• Trygon
• Nine Warriors
• Five Raveners
• Twenty Genestealers
• Seventeen Termagants
• Three Ripper swarms
• Two Zoanthropes
• "Venomthorpe" (subspecies "Gav")

Tonight I finished some Hormagaunts, spore mines and objective markers, but I also have an unassembled Trygon too.  I'm looking forward to pitting the basic army against Mike's Space Marines (and eventually Dave V's Eldar if I get brave enough ;-)

Lonely Patrol for Battlefleet Gothic

A few months ago, I found on Kajiji an unpainted Imperial fleet for Battlefleet Gothic. The price was decent and I like the look of these little miniatures. So I bought them and I just finished painting them.


Now, the challenge is that: A. I don't know anybody else in Regina who plays Battlefleet Gothic. B. For the moment I don't have an enemy fleet to play against these. So the lonely little ships are patroling around the house trying to find enemies to do battle with.

This is so pathetic! I hope they can soon find an enemy to do battle with! Maybe Curt could help?

Command Stand for Greg

As many of you know Greg and Linda tied the knot this past weekend - congratulations you two! I was honoured to be asked to be one of his groomsmen and so had a great time catching up with Dallas, Greg and his brother Clinton (all the while making sure Greg did not get a wandering eye for the rear exit at the last minute).

For this past month, in getting prepared for the wedding, I was at a loss trying to figure out what kind of gift to get Greg. Finally, it dawned on me that he needed some officers 'to-the-manor-born' (to lead his new Austrians to their destruction) and so I made up a command stand depicting Archduke Charles and some of his aristocratic funkies from an old pack I had from Foundry.

I based them up to be compatible with many of the 'Grande Manner' rulesets that have been published recently. I also made sure to heavily pin all the figures to their mounts and quadruple-coat with the varnish just in case Greg feels the need to fling it across the table when my French roll over his boys-in-white... ;)

Smack Mode: 'Off'

Blitzkrieg - Leichte Panzerkompanie

Foolishly, I was standing in Imagine Games & Hobbies when Wendy received her order of yet to be released Blitzkrieg materials from Battlefront, for Flames of War. In addition to the rulebooks they received a boxed set containing an entire Leichte Panzerkompanie - a German Army Light Panzer company of 22 tanks. Photos and commentary regarding this boxed set can be found here and here.

Long story short, I bought the thing. The models fit together well, and the paint job will be pretty easy (prime black, spray Panzer Grey, then wash with Devlin Mud).

Yeah, right.

Here's the contents of the boxed set:

Headquarters
Company HQ - 155 points
1 x Panzerbefehlswagon
2 x Panzer II C (early)
1 x Panzer I

Combat Platoons
Leichte Panzer Platoon - 200 points
1 x Panzerbefehlswagon
2 x Panzer II C (early)
2 x Panzer I

Leichte Panzer Platoon - 200 points
1 x Panzerbefehlswagon
2 x Panzer II C (early)
2 x Panzer I

Panzer II Platoon - 225 points
5 x Panzer II C (early)

Panzer III E Platoon - 390 points
3 x Panzer III E

Anyway, it's an interesting force; enough tanks to assault a dug-in infantry platoon, lots of light firepower. Light on anti-tank, but I also have a trio of Stukas already, used for Check Your 6!, that can be pressed into service as air support.

ETA: I also ordered 4 x Sd.Kfz. 10/5's, to add a Luftwaffe light anti-aircraft platoon of self-propelled 2 cm. guns.

I don't remember offhand - are there FoW rules for ramming with tanks?

Eldar Tactics - critique and some GT thoughts

I read an interesting blog post on YTTH, here. The writer discusses his use of his Space Wolves army at the recent NOVA Open 40K tournament in the Washington, D.C. area. He analyzed how he used the different components of his army during his games at NOVA Open. I thought that it would be an interesting exercise to examine how I should be handling my Eldar.

The latest incarnation of my 1500 point list is as follows:
Farseer - Fortune; Doom; Eldar Jetbike; Runes of Warding; Singing Spear
Autarch - Eldar Jetbike; Banshee Mask; Laser Lance; Fusion Gun
6 x Dire Avengers - in Wave Serpent w/ TL EML
5 x Dire Avengers - in Wave Serpent w/ TL Bright Lances
5 x Fire Dragons - in Wave Serpent w/ TL Shuriken Cannons
5 x Fire Dragons - in Wave Serpent w/ underslung Shuriken Cannon and TL Shuriken Cannons
3 x Vyper Jetbikes in a squadron - each w/ Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
5 x Warp Spiders - including Exarch with dual Death Spinners
Night Spinner artillery vehicle

Following the above-noted article's lexicon, I have three types of units available to me:

1. Assault - These are units going forward to destroy, delay, and distract the opponent: Warp Spiders, Fire Dragons in Wave Serpents
2. Support - These are units sitting back and providing heavy fire into the kill zone or otherwise supporting the rest of the force: Farseer, Vyper Jetbikes, Dire Avengers in Wave Serpents, Night Spinner
3. Security - These units are there to fight off counter-attacks and kill or delay enemy reinforcements: Autarch

Looking at Astronomi-con, there are examples of both good and bad execution of my planning.

An example of mostly good execution is Game Six - Temple of Doom. I used the central temple to mask the initial deployment and movement of my skimmers. I protected the rears of the skimmers with jump infantry and jetbikes, so Charles dropped the Daemon Hunter Terminators into the northwest table quarter, to deal with the inevitable arrival of my mounted Apects, who were placed to move up west of the temple. However, this deployment put the Terminators into the kill zone of the Vypers, who ended up torrenting the Terminators away. The second Avenger skimmer moved east, to draw fire away from the three-skimmer phalanx coming up the middle/west. That lone Serpent had a Bright Lance, so it could not be ignored completely. As it turns out it was destroyed, but by using terrain and each others' hulls for cover, the rest of my transports and their Aspect Warriors got where they needed to be - in the face of the enemy Grand Master.

Bad execution was evident in Game Five - Sulfur Flats. I already mentioned the boneheaded consolidation move I made. I needn't have made it all, though. In hindsight, my deployment of the Vyper Jetbike squadron was very bad. I had thought to use it to get the attention of the Guard vehicles/infantry on the western table half. However, the missile launchers of the infantry could reach the Vypers, knocking out two of them, and Brock wouldn't conveniently maneuver his tanks to give me shots at weaker armour facings. Rather, the Vypers should have been deployed in the southeast table quarter, giving support fire onto the Guard lascannon squad. I could then have left the Eldar HQs behind the rocky outcropping to the east, threatening a counterstrike against Straken and his command squad. Time and distance would have kept the western Guard vehicles and infantry out of most of the fight.

I've started thinking about the Las Vegas invitational next year. I am inclined to take this list using these models, since the tourney will probably be at the 1500 point level.

Some Astro alumni have told me that this particular Eldar force is not optimized for non-Astro style scenarios. However, I've used it with success in basic scenarios from the main rulebook and from the Battle Missions book.

I would appreciate any constructive thoughts regarding tactics or list construction.

Cheers,

Dave

Completion of Project Trafalgar

In the Summer of 2009, I bought the newly published rule book Trafalgar at Pendragon, in Winnipeg. A few weeks later, Curt offered to play a game with a few ships he bought. Somehow, I got hooked and I told myself: "I want to paint enough ships for the battle of Trafalgar." This represents over 70 sail ships if frigates and smaller vessels are to be included. So back in January 2010, I candidly announced my insane project. In May, I was about 2/3 done. And now, eight month later, here is an overview of the completed work.


I like to fit everything in a banker box. When the box gets damaged for any reason (water, fire, or even worse: kids), it's easy to replace. After the last ship was painted, the whole collection would occupy the surface of three shelves in a glass cabinet. Now seeing how eight month worth of painting fits neatly into this little box helps me better understand poems written by Charles Baudelaire about the futility of life...

These upright trays were built on purpose to store the ships. There is provision for expansions, in case I want to revisit the Age of Sail in the future. The magnificient vessels of Louis XIV's navy come to mind, especially the Soleil Royal. But if hulls are fun to detail, this modelist needs to take a serious break from making sails. Painting decent sails and rigging the masts consume about 2/3 of the time it takes to make one ship.

Here are some of the pieces from the collection. The H.M.S. Victory has been introduced before. Now behold the Spanish heavy hitters: the first rate Rayo (100 guns), Santa Ana (112 guns), Principe de Asturias (112 guns) and Santissima Trinidad (136 guns). These four giants of the sea combine 460 guns. By comparison, there were a total of 417 guns at Austerlitz. And we are talking mostly about 24 and 36 pounders, not silly 12 pounders or smaller. Anyway, it is unlikely that a Napoleonic land army will neatly line up on the beach to challenge these monsters into an artillery duel.

Let's compare the 120 gun Orient, one of the largest sail ship ever launched, to a 74 gun third rate, a 36 gun frigate and an 18 gun brig. Arming ships with more guns often meant to simply add a deck so from the gamer's point of view, a 3 decker does not appear significantly bigger than a 2 decker. Since at 1/1200 it is very hard to distinguish ship classes, the length of the base can serve as a visual clue to the power of the ship.

When you think sail ship, you also think pirates and I could not resist making a few of them. Along the merchantmen Beagle and Hudson's Bay come the Black Pearl (tm) with black sails and the Flying Dutchman, glowing in ghostly green. I thought that if I am to introduce younger players to the game, leading the Black Pearl (tm) would be a lot more appealing than commanding the Polyphemus...

To make the gaming experience more enjoyable, I gathered these accessories:
- Sinking ship markers
- A few boats.
- Movement gages in centimeters.
- Firing gage. The stick goes from yellow to red as the range gets "hotter".
- White smoke to indicate that cannons have been fired and black smoke to indicate fire on board.

My evil plan for the future is to introduce the game to as many players as I can. Then, probably sometime next summer, I will invite them all on a Saturday to a Battle & BBQ (& Bed?) to recreate the engagement at Trafalgar. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. and will end when it ends, however late it goes into the night! One game to bring them all and in the darkness bind them! Mwa ha ha ha!

As for my next project, I have to confess that I can be obsessive compulsive after I set myself a goal. In the past, I have blindly followed insane ideas like: "I am going to collect all the Epic armies!" or "I will build downtown Montréal in 1/300!" (Sadly, ferocious field mice infested the paper made downtown Montréal stored at my friend's place; there were no survivors.) These huge enterprises were fun, but when they last over a year the lack of diversity starts to kick in, especially for my fellow gamers. In the next few days, I am going to complete Curt's commission. Curt asked me for some buildings for the battle at Aspern's church. The church is done and sits unpainted in his kitchen (?). Not long ago, Curt challenged me to build a Warhammer army. If the challenge is still open, that will be my next project in line. I've occasionally painted 25/28mm figures in the past, but never a whole army. So this could be an interesting first for me.

Identify these Foundry Napoleonics!

Ostensibly from the War of 1812 range? Americans perhaps? I've got a bunch of the old Foundry "line-drawing" catalog pages but I can't ID the officer holding the pistol - therefore am in doubt about the rest of the models.

If someone could positively ID them, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!

Some Rat Poison!

With the prospect of 150 clan rats overrunning a much lesser number of knights and peasants (each worth about 1/2 a rat in a knights opinion) I decided I need a trebuchet. The GW one is technically unavailable (Maelstrom doesn't sell it) and I think the money required to buy it would be better spent on food and shelter. After seeing some plans for making your own on The Round Table forum, I decided to give it a shot. I'm quite happy with the result so far. I just need to fill the gaps with greenstuff and add some details to it. My only concern is that it's rather large, but I guess that's in keeping with the new epic stature of 8th edition FB.

AstroPeg 2010 Day Two: Game Six - Temple of Doom

Overview: It's one of those days. You know the ones. Where you're ordered to an area and even your commanders won't tell you what's going on until you get there. What the heck is that Inquisitor doing on that temple? How does it affect your own goals? What are the enemy forces who showed up trying to accomplish? There's no way to know. You just have to do your best to achieve your own objectives and see if you can throw a wrench into the enemy’s plans along the way.

The sixth and final game was against CharlesJ and his Daemon Hunters:
- Grand Master, in Terminator Armour, w/ Icon of the Just, Sacred Incense and Hammerhand
- Retinue of 4 x Grey Knight Terminators w/ Incinerator, all riding in a Land Raider
- 5 x Grey Knights, w/ Psycannon
- 5 x Grey Knights, w/ Psycannon
- 5 x Grey Knight Terminators, w/ Incinerator
- Ordo Malleus Inquisitor
- Callidus Assassin
- Dreadnought, w/ TL Lascannon and Missile Launcher

Objective: Your mission objective is selected randomly and is hidden from your opponent until the end of the game unless revealed.

In the centre of the table was a temple, protected by an energy field. Inside it, Inquisitor Lord Edvardus Heft and his retinue were performing a ritual in the temple and would not leave until it had been completed. They would defend the temple against all who ventured too near.

Players drew, randomly and secretly, one of four missions:

1. Protect the Inquisitor! - If the Inquisitor is in the Temple at the end of the game you have achieved your objective.
2. Kill the Inquisitor! - If the Inquisitor is dead at the end of the game and you have moved a HQ model into base contact with the prisoner you have achieved your objective.
3. Control the Area! - If you control more table quarters than the enemy at the end of the game, you have achieved your objective.
4. The Assassins - If you eliminate the enemy commander you have achieved your objective.

Each objective also allowed certain advantages if they were revealed. However, you would gain +2 Battle Points if you did not reveal your mission until the game is over, and +1 BP if you revealed your mission during play. This is a very interesting scenario. The different missions require vastly different tactics to complete. Part of one's apprach might be to try and bluff the other player into thinking your mission was different than the one actually drawn.

I drew the mission The Assassins. So, nothing else mattered but killing the Grand Master. Not the third-party Inquisitor, not Eldar losses, nor the enemy’s.

I lost the initial roll and set up the Night Spinner behind the temple. Charles set up everything but the 5 Terminators and the Assassin. Below, Charles can be seen scrutinizing the scenario rules:



From west to east Charles set up a Grey Knights squad, the Land Raider with the Grand Master and his retinue embarked aboard, the Dreadnought walker, the other Grey Knights squad, and the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor:



Charles started by moving forward and shooting at Inquisitor Lord Edvardus Heft and his retinue. Charles' mission was most likely Kill the Inquisitor!, but he chose not to reveal his objective at this time.

Meanwhile, the Night Spinner pot shotted targets of opportunity throughout the game.

The Eldar rolled well for reserves (thanks to the Autarch's Master Strategist ability) and received everything except one Fire Dragon Wave Serpent. The Vypers came on to the southwest to shoot at heavy infantry. Two Wave Serpents came on in the centre, with their rears protected by the Warp Spiders, to prevent Deep Strikers from shooting at the vulnerable rear armour; the Dragon Serpent moved Flat Out, garnering a cover save, and it capstoned the other Serpent and the Night Spinner with its hull. The Bright Lance Serpent came on to the east, its rear protected by the Farseer/Autarch duo.

Given no obvious soft targets, the Terminators entered via Deep Strike in the northwest table quarter, supporting one of the Grey Knights squads.



Grey Knight shooting and the Callidus Assassin cleared out the temple. If Charles' mission was as I expected, the Eldar had to prevent the Grand Master from getting into the Temple, preferably by killing him.



The second Dragon Serpent came in from reserves, moving Flat Out beside the temple. The Missile Launcher Serpent moved up in echelon beside it, shielded by its hull from the bulk of Daemon Hunter return fire. The other Dragon Serpent moved Flat Out right up to the Land Raider, hemming it in and setting up the disembarkation of its Dragons next turn. The Vypers moved north slightly, targeting the Terminators. The Bright Lance Serpent moved north, to the east of the temple. The Spiders and the Eldar HQs moved up to the energy field, targeting the Callidus Assassin.

Eldar fire killed the Callidus Assassin and most of the Terminators.



The Dreadnought blew up the Bright Lance Serpent, leaving a single Dire Avenger alive in the wreckage. His morale held, and he vowed revenge...



The northernmost Dragon squad disembarked and moved up to the Land Raider, then their Wave Serpent moved slightly west; the other Dragon Serpent moved up in support. The Warp Spiders, Farseer and Autarch moved into the temple. The lone Avenger ran northwest.

The Terminator and Grey Knights to the west were killed by massed skimmer fire. The dismounted Dragons blew up the Land Raider with point blank melta fire.



The Grand Master and his retinue killed the dismounted Dragons in a hail of bolter shells.



The Eldar skimmers converged and the other Dire Avenger squad dismounted. Massed Eldar fire wiped out the Grand Master, his retinue, and the rest of the Grey Knights. The solo Dire Avenger killed the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor with a burst from his Shuriken Catapult. The Eldar HQs moved up to attack the Dreadnought, sensing an opportunity to completely table the Daemon Hunters, but the walker survived, albeit damaged.

The Eldar had fulfilled their objective. Charles revealed his mission, to kill Inquisitor Lord Heft, so the Daemon Hunters' objective had been met, too. By this revelation, Charles was also no longer required to have an HQ in contact with the prisoner in the temple. However, this would cost him a Battle Point.

In the last action of the game, the Dreadnought knocked out the Farseer, exacting some measure of payback.



Result: Draw

For the draw, I gained 7 Battle Points. By not revealing my mission during the game, I gained +2 Battle Points, for 9 BPs total. Toward the end of the game, I made yet another error. If I had re-read the secondary objectives (as I should have!), I would have realized that I could have gained another BP for having a unit in the temple. The obvious unit would have been the Farseer, who could still have provided Doom support to the rest of her forces. As MikeM says, always re-read the scenario around turn 3 or 4.

This was an event-filled game, whose outcome was not clear until close to the end. Game MVP should be shared between the sole Daemon Hunter survivor, the Dreadnought, and the last member of the Blood Redeemers - surely Exarch material for the Dire Avenger Shrine.

***

With a W-L-D record of 3-1-2, I was unsure of where I stood on the leader-board. Several door prizes, including Forge World items, were drawn for. IIRC, MikeK won more than one door prize in the silent auction. In due course the results were announced, which I posted here.

Below is a photo of the tournament organizers, KeithG, MikeM, and ChristianA:



Below is a photo of the winners and the TOs (in front, Mike; kneeling, myself and MarioR; standing L-R, KevinN, GraemeB, MikeK, DaveG, BrockJ, DaveS, Keith and Christian):



After the tournament, several of us went to Boston Pizza for fellowship and good eats.

Again at an Astro event I had a lot of fun playing six interesting games against some great players. I look forward to attending again in the future.

AstroPeg 2010 Day Two: Game Five - Sulfur Flats

Overview: War is hell. This place proves it. Stinking sulfur vents, flows of the yellow mineral that crack under you and drop you into scalding volcanic water. It's terrible place for a battle, but the tall cliffs and deep fumaroles to either flank make it the only way through. There is movement ahead through the yellow veils of sulfur smog. The enemy knows that this is the only way too and you won't be passing without a fight.

This game was against BrockJ and his traitor Imperial Guard, "The Ikarus Colonial Alliance, IDF Force 656":



- Company Command Squad led by Colonel Stranki (counts as the special character Straken), 3 x Flamer, Heavy Flamer, 2 x Bodyguards, riding in Chimera w/ Multilaser and Heavy Flamer
- Infantry Platoon
- Platoon Command w/ 4 x Plasma Guns, riding in Chimera APC
- 10 x Guardsmen w/ Flamer and Autocannon
- 10 x Guardsmen w/ Flamer and Autocannon
- Heavy Weapon squad w/ 3 x Lascannons
- Heavy Weapon Squad w/ 3 x Autocannons
- Vet squad, 3 x Melta Guns, Missile Launcher, Shotguns, riding in Chimera APC
- Penal Legion squad
- Banewolf fast tank w/ Chem Cannon and Multimelta
- Leman Russ Battle Tank w/ 3 x Heavy Bolters
- Leman Russ Demolisher w/ Plasma Cannons

Brock fielded a balanced force; lots of bodies, hits hard from range, and has close up capability with Straken and his boys.

Objective: You score Victory Points for destroying enemy units. (Personal note: "Ah, old school objectives.")

The terrain was scattered with sulfur deposits impairing movement and visibility. The sulfur flats (bright yellow ground) were difficult terrain, and provided a 6+ cover save.

The prevalence of difficult ground limited the Eldar movement options. I won the roll off and decided to go second. Brock has set up everything except the Penal Legion in a gun line across the northern table edge. From west to east was the Banewolf, the mounted Veteran squad, infantry squads, the mounted Platoon command, the Autocannon squad, the Leman Russ, the Lascannon squad, Straken's Chimera, and the Demolisher:



I declined to set up, using reserves denial to prevent two turns of Guard shooting at the Eldar. Not much happened for the first couple of turns, until the Eldar started moving onto the board.

There was some empty space in the northeast quarter. I decided to push up the east flank, and demonstrate with the Vypers to the southwest. That way, the Banewolf would be out of the fight for most of the game, and I could hopefully get in some ground action away from the bulk of the Guard infantry.

I tried deep striking the Warp Spiders beside the Lascannon squad - each S6 hit could quick kill one of the heavy weapon stands! However, they mis-aimed their jump due to the sulfurous mists, and landed south of their intended drop zone. I pushed the two Fire Dragon skimmers Flat Out, aimed straight at the Leman Russes, moved the Farseer and the Autarch fast up the eastern table edge, followed more slowly by the two Avenger squads and the Night Spinner in the southeast table quarter. The Vyper squadron failed to come on board.



The Night Spinner killed some Guardsmen. Then, a lucky shot from the Bright Lance armed Serpent destroyed the Demolisher!



In response, a Dragon Serpent got blown up by heavy weapons fire. The Fire Dragons were forced onto the ground, to try and hoof it towards the distant gun line.



The Lascannon squad had to go. I Fortuned the Farseer/Autarch duo and assaulted the Lascannon heavy weapons squad, wiping it out.

To consolidate, I pushed the pair 3 inches north. The photo below shows the Autarch and the Farseer. The ghostly figure is a WFB figure I use as a marker to signify a unit having "Fortune" cast on it.



In retrospect, this was a fundamental error. I knew Straken was on the board, but I just moved the Eldar leaders into charge reach of that IG monstrous creature. I was hoping to shield them from more tank fire. What I should have done was pulled them away - just outside the Guard charge reach, but well within their own.

More guardsmen and weapon teams died from long range Night Spinner fire. IIRC, that tank killed and/or broke a few squads of IG during the course of the game.



The Penal Legion appeared on the western table edge. Straken's team dismounted, shot at the Eldar HQs, killing the Farseer and leaving the Autarch with only one remaining wound. The Autarch fell in the assault phase of the turn.



The Vypers appeared to the southwest and killed some more guardsmen. I was hoping for side shots on armoured vehicles, but Brock moved his tanks so as not to reveal such weakness. Everything else I pushed north and east.



Eldar fire killed off all the Company Command squad except Straken. Of course.



In a risky move, I ran the dismounted Dragons and tried to assault the remaining Russ and a Chimera with Melta Bombs. Even an average die roll on their assault move would get them into contact, but they fell short.



By this point of the game, both sides had taken significant casualties. Making a quick calculation, we realized that we were within 150 VPs of each other - if the game ended now (due to random game length) Brock and I would draw.

Brock rolled, and the game continued.

A very good turn of IG shooting followed, resulting in the Dragons being burned down by the Banewolf, two more Wave Serpents destroyed, and a squad of Avengers dismounted and broken.



The game wound down with the Eldar maneuvering as best they could. The Avengers eventually rallied, and a couple more Guard units were wiped out, but it was too little, too late.

In the end, the Eldar had destroyed half of the Imperial Guard (in Victory Point value), but had lost over two-thirds of their own force.



Result: Imperial Guard Win

This was an exciting, action filled game. After the destruction of the Demolisher, both sides basically traded off, killing unit after unit. It turned into a war of attrition, not at all what the Eldar are good at. Brock handled the Imperial Guard forces well. As it turned out, this was my only loss of the entire weekend.

Please click here for Game Six - Temple of Doom

Wild 'n' Crazy Conscripts

Last night we celebrated Conscript Greg's impending nuptials with a party and wargame - back to the old school with Warhammer 40,000 "Rogue Trader" - Greg's Perry Twins Guardsmen versus my RT-era Ork army.

Careful deployment of the troops - I have set up the Orks in the "Devonian Gambit" configuration countered by Greg's "Emperor's Cuirass Defence".

My Orks before the slaughter began. Unfortunately they were the "slaughter-ees."

Some of Greg's very well painted Imperial Guardsmen... the original plastic set.

Cam demonstrating some of the finer points of 40K deployment to Dave V.

"They'll be comin' round the mountain when they come... they'll be driving Orky Scorchas when they come..."

This was fun - a Human Bomb! Now you see him...

Now you don't! And half of the Ork squad is gone too. Where'd they go...?

Outside for brandy and cigars after the game...

Greg expounds his views on Wolverine, C-3P0 and dwarfs...

Wes scans the sky for extraterrestrial spacecraft...

An excellent time was had by all - thanks to those Conscripts who made it out, and especially to Cam for introducing us to the Food of the Gods - Doritos Late Nighter Cheeseburger chips. Om nom nom - so good!!