TSHFT Batreps: Day One

In an effort to subvert Fluger's legendary tales, I shall place my own Saga of the Team Awesome's Wolf down for your judgment.

So, my TSHFT story starts way back in December with a certain buddy of mine who posted his German WWII themed IG army up on these boards. He was met with some rather hilarious debate involving Godwin's Law, but through this he decided to bring the army down to TSHFT for people to judge it in person. Well, with me being the little fire starter that I am, I decided that I would assemble my own team to go down to TSHFT mostly for the reason of giving him a hard time about a very beautiful army that is hardly worth the controversy. With this in mind, I gathered all the remnants of old 40k marines I hadn't placed paint on from my parent's storage in N. Carolina and coerced some buddies into playing 40k with me (one of which purchased a full Death Korps army so he could come).

This pretty continued how one would expect (have interest, lost interest, repeat) for a few months until it was suddenly March and I had to get my butt in gear. In the last week and a half before the tournament, I put three colors on: One Razorback, one Rhino, one Predator, 13 Grey Hunters, one Iron Priest on Thunderwolf plus his four Cyberwolves, Njal Stormcaller, a Drop Pod, and six scouts. This was in addition to the five bikes plus attack bike, six Long Fangs plus termie CML WG, ten Grey Hunters, and display board that I finished that week (not to mention the Lone Wolf and cubs plus extra Grey Hunters I rotated out of the list at the last second). The paint didn't turn out too horrible and it did what I wanted it to do which was to give me a bit more practice working with rounded surfaces, extreme highlighting, and armored individuals after all this time spent on Fantasy.

My list was as follows:

Njal Stormcaller in Terminator Armor

6xWolf Scouts
-Meltagun
-WG w/ Combi-melta+Power Fist

Iron Priest
-Thunderwolf, Wolftooth Necklace
-4xCyberwolves

8xGrey Hunters
-Meltagun, Wolf Standard, Power Fist, MotW
-WG with Combi-melta plus Power Fist
-Drop Pod

10xGrey Hunters
-Meltagun, Wolf Standard, Power Fist, MotW
-WG with Combi-melta plus Power Fist
-Rhino

5xGrey Hunters
-Meltagun
-Razorback w/ TL Lascannon

6xSwiftclaw Bikers
-Meltagun, Power Weapon
-Attack Bike w/ Mutli-melta
-WG w/ 2xWolf Claws plus Meltabombs

6xLong Fangs
-5xMissile Launchers

Predator
-Sponsoned Heavy Bolters

Predator
-Sponsoned Heavy Bolters

There was quite a bit of fat in my list that I had because I wanted to use the models (the bike squads and the Scouts being chief among them). Were I to go again, I'd probably change things up considerably, but I was happy with what I brought in the end as it was very dissimilar from the other wolves I saw there.

Game One: Kenny and his Lashaddon

I have all of my opponent's exact lists in my car, but I'm lazy and typing this instead of doing school work so just take it all with a grain of salt (just ONE!).

Lash Sorceror
Abaddon
8xPlague Marines in Rhino
8xPlague Marines in Rhino
9xThousand Sons in Rhino
3xOblits
Possessed Vindi

Kenny had a very, very nicely painted army with an absolutely gorgeous Abaddon conversion. I won choice to set up and took first turn. Setting up in a castle on my right hand quarter, I was hoping to better utilize the ruin and hill that was over there. The only unit I had break from the castle was the bike unit who decided to set up by his edge in case he brought in his reserves from there. Surprisingly, Kenny decided to not reserve anything but Abaddon and the Oblits. The game went how you'd expect with me popping the Rhinos early with my 48" fire while Kenny tried to slog it over to me. Coupling that with some bad rolls on his part, it was just a slaughter with the Space Wolves losing nary a dude which was terrible considering it was Kill Points. Late in the game, Abaddon got close to Njal and, feeling the need for at least one combat this game, I attempted to charge the little clone. With a double two for my difficult terrain test, I dutifully failed at this attempt which was followed by a prompt '1' on the game ending roll. Pity, really

I ended up getting two points for the secondary (have more Fast Attack than your enemy) and both the tertiaries (which were about having more kill points and having the unit with the most kill points)

Result: 18 points to me

Game Two: Gerry and his Blood Angels

Gerry's list I could tell was going to be trouble, but us wolves never back down from a fight!

Lemartes
10xDeath Company
5xTactical Squad w/ Meltagun and TL Lascannon Razorback
5xTactical Squad w/ Meltagun and TL Lascannon Razorback
5xTactical Squad w/ Meltagun and TL Lascannon Razorback
5xTactical Squad w/ Meltagun and TL Lascannon Razorback
3xAttack Bikes w/ Multi-meltas
3xAttack Bikes w/ Multi-meltas
Baal Predator
Baal Predator
Baal Predator

Just a brutal list played by a very competent general.

The mission was to set up three objectives in your opponent's quarter (setup being Spearhead) which you had to get to with tertiaries for contesting all of your opponent's objectives and getting the fewest kill points. I won the roll and decided to go first.

Now, before I get into the battle, let me say that I fully realized my mistake in choosing to go first, but decided that I would make the most of it in and hope that Gerry just failed his reserve rolls which would give me plenty of time to blast away at a list that just contained no fat at all.

I started by full deploying except for Njal's pod, the scouts, and my Rhino full of dudes while Gerry deployed nothing. Njal dropped onto two objectives and set up a perimeter of cover just in case I would need it while the rest of my army set up for cover saves around the hill in the center and the forest on my left. Now, I did do one thing that seemed to confuse everyone there which was slap my bikes on the table edge opposite my own quarter. Gerry asked me why I did this after the game and the answer was simple: the Death Company. What I mean is that I had set up a you-cannot-enter zone opposite my Gerry's objectives that was flanked by difficult terrain. If Gerry decided to ignore my bikes with his DC and instead just attempt to shoo me with the rest of his force, I would destroy what he placed over there piece by piece (hopefully, at least). Gerry being no fool decided to counter my bikes with the Death Company and Lemartes which, while affective, had the side effect of leaving the Death Company no where near my own objectives and right on his table edge where I could shot at them freely as time went on. Towards the end of the game, we had had quite the brutal match with the DC mulching through my units while my shooting downed Razor after Razor. This all culminated in a late turn turbo boost by Gerry onto my objectives with his bikes and destroying my last Dakka Pred that valiantly tried to contest Gerry's objectives and the game ending turn five.

I don't think I would've won had the game continued, but it was a great game nonetheless. Gerry is a quality general that really helped me with my understanding of 40k in 5th.

Result: 7 points to me

Game Three: I can't remember his name, but will change it later when I have my sheets and his IG

Ah yes, it was about time for some IG fighting! This list was very vet spammy and I shall correct any mistakes I make later.

Command Platoon in Chimera
Inq Lord with three Mystics
10xVets w/ three Plasma Guns in Chimera w/ hull mounted Heavy Bolter
10xVets w/ three Plasma Guns in Chimera w/ hull mounted Heavy Bolter
10xVets w/ three Meltaguns in Chimera w/ hull mounted Heavy Flamer
10xVets w/ three Meltaguns in Chimera w/ hull mounted Heavy Flamer
8xRough Riders w/ the Khan
Manticore
Leman Russ Demolisher
Basilisk

This list was not messing around so neither could I. The mission was Echelon deployment with four objectives (one in each deployment zone and one each in no man's land) with secondary giving points for killing choices from each part of the FOG (notice my opponent has no elites, though) and a tertiary giving points for owning all of the no man's land and/or deployment zone objectives. I lost the roll to go first and was given second so I chose to deploy nothing while he castled up in the right hand corner. Turn one, I slapped Njal down right next to his castle for an alpha strike. As I had made his army -1 BS that turn, the mystic-guided demolisher cannon did nothing but scare off some rabbits. Njal's squad, on the other hand, was more effective as they blew up the commander's Chimera and scared off the squad inside. On the following turn, he unloaded into Njal not hitting with too much, but I balanced this out by failing every last save I rolled which left just Njal to fight off the castle.

Njal charged and (barely) killed the Inquisitor who had attempted to back off the hill away from him. Now, if I rolled over a two, I could get off the hill and inbetween his Basilisk and Manticore who would be trapped by both the hill and Njal so they could not give the rest of the army the chance to fire at my little mystical man. Of course, Njal rolled a one and decided that death by every damn gun on the planet sounded nice which the IG were only happy to provide. The rest of the game went on with me failing to hurt any of the tanks while all of my reserves sans the Razorback and the Long Fangs stayed off the board until turn five. Some of the funnier moments were my scouts again deciding to come in where THEY wanted and not where I wanted them only to attempt a charge through difficult terrain and have the dice again fail me. But the funny part with the scouts is that they all died except for the meltagun which started falling back towards my lines always with a tank within 6" of him which he would then blow up, fall back and blow up another tank. Amusing to say the least.

My opponent was also cursed by bad luck through out the game with his pie plates veering off to no where or, on the turn they finally hit, failing to kill either of my scoring units remaining and thus giving me the tie. An amusing battle caused by dice rolls that would've done nothing but sour my day were this the Fantasy TSHFT.

Result: 13 points to me with the draw

Thus ended day one with me thinking I couldn't roll any worse than the game I had just had. Day two would go on to prove me wrong, but that's a post for later.