#183: Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game 5 - Legion of Azgorh vs Flesh Eater Courts

Alright.

We'd finally reached the last round of the tournament. I was sitting on three major wins and a major loss, and was feeling confident that I could maybe jag a 4-1 end result if the match up was kind.

It wasn't.

I drew up against Wes and his Gristegore FEC (at the height of their meteoric rise to the top of the meta). Hitting FEC at this point wasn't a huge surprise, as over 10% of the field was FEC, and all were well and truly in the top half. I knew it was going to be a tough fight, but there was no point wasting any time! Load those cannons!

There weren't too many surprises in the army list, with the exception of the Chalice of Ushoran, which (if used well) can have a huge impact on a fight.

The scenario was Escalation, which was a blessing and a curse. My Magma Cannons, which would be vital to bringing down the big beasties, were stuck at the back of the board, but so were the two Ghoul Kings on Terrorgheists. Thanks to being Battleline, the two Royal Terrorgheists started on the front line. Yikes...

It should also be noted that we both played the scenario scoring from turn 1 (instead of 2). This was a mistake on both our parts, but by the time we realised, we were a full turn and a half into the game, and as we were both playing to the same scoring, we decided to just push on. Short of re-racking the entire game, we felt like that was the easiest solution, as it was still an even playing field. 

My opponent handed me first turn, and I had to form a plan and stick to it. I pushed each unit of Fireglaives to just within 6" of each objective, capping all three for maximum points. Knowing that they were going to be devoured in no time at all, I left a big gap between them and the rest of my army. The idea was that Wes would have to commit to combat to get the numbers advantage with single models like Terrorgheists, and then I could push up fast bodies (hounds, Kdaai, etc) and take back the objectives without having to get into fights I didn't want to. That was the plan, anyway! 

The next couple of turns showcased just how mental FEC's rules are. Making full use of the Command Ability that allows monsters to pile in twice with impunity, the Activation Wars turned into a bit of an activation massacre. The riflemen on the left objective held strong against the first round of fighting, but the second activation from the Royal Terrorgheist was too much to bear. 

The centre objective was really where my undoing lay, however. The Fireglaives had died predictable swiftly, but I was poised to put a lot of damage on the GKoTG, and wipe out the Ghouls with the K'Daai to re-establish numerical dominance on the objectives.

On the left, my plan worked to sling the Warhounds in to claim back the objective, but it didn't take long for them to be nuked off the board too. Wes summoned in a Vargulf Courtier for free to park on that objective, leaving the Royal Terrorgheist to go join the brawl in the middle of the table. 

And here is where my plan fell apart. That bloody Chalice of Ushoran! I didn't really pay too much attention to it, until it was at the nexus of a raging melee! Ghouls and K'Daai kept the Chalice topped up, while the Chalice and Courtier kept the Ghouls topped up in a vicous cycle of bloodshed and healing. Over the course of the game, I managed to put almost 30 wounds on Wes' general GKoTG, but being on the wrong end of a double turn meant that by the time I had an opportunity to dispel the Chalice, it was too little too late.

The melee swirled on, the K'Daai were shattered, and the Taur'ruk was bitten in half like he was a regular old not-murder cow. When fully buffed up with extra pile-ins, striking first, extra attacks and so on, that GKoTG is pretty obscene. The Skullcracker showed his worth, surviving a double pile-in on a single wound, before sawing a Royal Terrorgheist in half. The Magma Cannons finally got into range of juicy targets, and blasted the second Royal Terrorgheist into ash.

But the ploy was up. I'd left the Chalice on the board too long, and it was enough for Wes to weather the worst storm I could throw at him! The last couple of turns of the game were a matter of mopping up the survivors. 

Despite the absolute carnage inflicted, I'd managed to put a pretty healthy score on the scoreboard, tagging objectives and sacrificing units for literally any scenario points, but in the end Wes managed to creep outside of the minor win bracket to claim a Major Win. 

I've not played against FEC lots, but always seem to hit them in Game 5 at events. This game was prior to their minor changes in the FAQ, and it felt pretty overwhelming. I'm glad this game was with someone I knew and had a laugh with, because there were moments where it felt pretty un-interactive. Being on the receiving end of two GKoTGs piling in twice and just deleting whatever they touched wasn't the most fun I've had, but Wes and I weren't playing for sheep stations, and weren't too phased by who won. 

This wrapped up my BrisVegas Open weekend sitting on 3-2 and sitting in 31st place out of 100. I was actually pretty happy with my overall standing. I would have loved to crack the top 25, but I was happy with the overall performance of the Legion of Azgorh.  

While that finished up (finally!) the BrisVegas Open battle reports, I've got plenty more on the way, as I report from my games at War in the West! 

Thanks for reading,

Gabe

#182: Rune Axe Team Championship 2019 Players Pack V1.0

This Player Pack contains all the important information relevant to the Rune Axe Team Championship 2019.

DATES & VENUE:

Saturday 2nd November - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Fitzy's, Loganholme

SCHEDULE:

SATURDAY

8:30 - 9:00 AM - Registration

9:00 - 11:45 AM - Game 1 - FOCAL POINTS

11:45 AM -12:45 PM - Lunch

12:45 - 3:30 PM - Game 2 - PLACES OF ARCANE POWER

4:00 PM - 6:30 PM - Game 3 - STAR STRIKE

SUNDAY

9:00 - 11:45 AM - Game 4 - TOTAL CONQUEST

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM - Lunch &

12:45 - 1:00 PM - Paint Voting

1:00 - 3:30 PM - Round 5 - KNIFE TO THE HEART

4:00 PM - Prize Ceremony

WHAT TO BRING:

* Your army
* Sufficient dice, tape measures and measuring gauges
* A copy of your army list
* Any Battletomes/literature/expansion books relevant to your army
* 3 Pieces of Terrain (not including allegiance terrain such as Herdstones, Wyldwoods etc)

ARMY LISTS & TEAM COMPOSITION

A team will comprise of four armies, each being no more than 2000 Points using the Battlehost requirements listed in the GHB 2019.

A team cannot include more than one army of the same Allegiance, though there is no restrictions on players using armies from the same Grand Alliance (Death, Destruction, Order and Chaos).

Any Warscroll (including Endless Spell warscrolls) and Realm-specific Artefacts can only be used by one player per team. For example, a Tzeentch and a Nurgle player on the same team cannot both use Chaos Marauders in their armies. If one uses Chaos Marauders, the other may not. This includes units taken as Allies and Mercenaries.

Mercenaries are permitted at the Rune Axe Team Championship.

All units with a current Matched Play profile at the time of list submission can be used at this event. Units and Battletomes released after the list submission date may not be taken.

Teams must submit all four army lists via email to gabrielhanna90@gmail.com

All four lists must be included in a single email, and are required to be in Warscroll Builder format. Lists must include all relevant details, including General, any Temples/Skyports/Chambers etc, traits, artefacts and so on. Prayers and Spells do not need to be specified and can be selected at the start of each game.

Realm Spells and Realmscape Features will not be used at this event.

List Submission deadline is 8:00 PM Friday October 18th

ARMIES:

All models (including Endless Spells and Terrain) in an army must be fully assembled, WYSIWYG, based on the correct size base (according to the Warhammer Community Basing Guide), and fully painted to a three colour minimum. Primed models with spot colours is not sufficient

While third party models and conversions are welcome, these must accurately represent the warscroll and MUST be approved by the Tournament Organiser.

Unapproved proxy models and unpainted models are not permitted and will be removed from the table.

Modelling for advantage will be highly frowned upon.

TERRAIN:

Each player must place their 3 pieces of terrain before determining deployment zones. Players shall roll off, and alternate dropping terrain pieces.

Terrain that is already set up on the table should not be moved.

All terrain on the table will be Mysterious and must be rolled for at the beginning of each game.

Saturday games will use Terrain Table 1 from the GHB 2019, while Sunday games will use Terrain Table 2.

TIMING OUT:

There is an expectation that players complete their games in the time allowed to the best of their abilities. We understand that there are many factors in a game, including player experience and time intensive armies, and we don't want to punish that, but we do want everyone to have an enjoyable experience and an opportunity to compete in a 5-turn game.

If you and your opponent are unsure if you can complete another battle round in the time allowed, make a note of the score before the battle round begins. If time is called before that battle round is complete, the score recorded before the battle round began will be the final result.

If you feel that your opponent is slow playing for advantage or to stall the game, notify a Tournament Organiser. Battle Point penalties may be applied to players who are found to be consistently slow-playing.

SCORING:

BATTLE POINTS:

Each team is capped at 60 Battle Points per round.
Major Win - 15 BP
Minor Win - 10 BP
Draw - 8 BP
Minor Loss - 5 BP
Major Loss - 1 BP
Secondary Objective Completed - 3 BP

If a team scores four major wins from their four games, they will receive the maximum of 60 Battle Points, with any points over that (secondary objectives) being discarded.

There are a total of 300 Battle Points available to each team over the course of the 5-round weekend.

SPORTS:

Each player will give each of their opponents a score of up to 5 points, using a check-box system that will be included on your score sheet at the event.

There are 20 Sports Points available each round, for a total of 100 over the course of the weekend.

HOBBY SCORE:

Each player's army will be given a score of up to 25 Hobby Points using the paint matrix found below. There are more points available than the cap of 25, and this is to allow players to achieve a high paint score regardless of their hobby strengths and areas of focus.

There are a total of 100 Hobby Points available to each team over the course of the weekend.

TOTAL SCORES AND FINAL STANDINGS:

At the end of the weekend, teams will be ranked using their total score from Battle Points, Sports and Hobby combined out of a maximum score of 500 (300 BP,100 Sport, 100 Hobby).

In the event of a tie, the Hobby Score will be ignored to determine which team in the tie wins.

THE MATCH UP:

After two teams have been matched against each other for a game, the Captains of each team must follow these steps:

1: In secret, each Captain must note down a Champion. The Champion may not be put forward until the last step of the match up.

2: Opposing Captains roll off, re-rolling ties. The losing Captain must put forward one of his team's armies (Champion excluded), and the winning Captain can select one his his three armies (Champion excluded) to fight it. The winning Captain picks one of the four tables for that battle to take place on.

3: Step 2 is now reversed. The winning captain must put forward an army, and the losing captain can match one of his armies into it, and choose a table to play on.

4: At this point, each team has two players remaining. Each team's player who is not the Champion are matched against each other, with the winning Captain picking the table.

5: Opposing Champions are revealed, and will face each other on the last remaining table.

HOUSE RULES:

UNIFORM DICE:

While there are an abundance of different dice designs out there, be they club dice, allegiance-specific dice or anything in between, we strongly encourage players to use the same type of dice to reduce or eliminate confusion for their opponent.

We encourage players to use one "type" of dice (e.g. Symbols are 6's) and be clear with their opponent at the start of the game what their dice mean.

LAW OF DREDD:

The Rune Axe Team Championship maintains zero tolerance when it comes to foul play or foul conduct. The Tournament Organiser reserves the right to remove any player or spectator from the event immediately on this basis. Anyone removed from the event due to foul conduct or play will not be compensated in any way, will not be eligible for any prizes or awards and may not be welcome back to future Rune Axe Wargaming events.

PAINT MATRIX:

COMPULSARY:

15 PT - The army is painted to a 3-colour minimum
2 PT - Basic details have been painted (spear tips, gems etc)
1 PT - All models are based
1 PT - Army is visually cohesive
1 PT - Army is on correct round and oval bases

OPTIONAL:

1 PT - Army contains minor conversions and kitbashes
2 PT - Army includes advanced conversions
1 PT - Army has detailed basing
2 PT - Army is also presented on a display board
1 PT - Army displays examples of freehand
2 PT - Army displays exceptional freehand throughout
1 PT - Army displays shading, highlighting or blending
2 PT - Army displays non-metallic metal, OSL, wet-blending and other advanced techniques

An army's Hobby Score is capped at 25.

PRIZES:

Winning Team - Highest overall score
2nd Place Team
3rd Place Team
Wooden Spoon - Lowest Battle Points
Ironclad - Player who lost fewest Kill Points
Glass Jaw - Player who lost most Kill Points
Pillow Fist - Player who killed fewest Kill Points
Chosen of Khorne - Player who killed most Kill Points

Best Army Nominees X 10 - Chosen by Judges
Best Painted - Chosen by Judges from Nominees
Best Painted Runner Up - Chosen by Judges from Nominees
Player's Choice - Popular vote from Nominees

More prizes to be announced.

#181: Battle Report - BrisVegas Open Game 4 - Legion of Azgorh Vs Gloomspite Gitz

After finishing Day 1 on two major wins and one major loss, I was pleasantly surprised to be facing a second Gloomspite Gitz, this time piloted by Connor "The Condor" Armstrong. His army was absolutely stunning, and compared to the sheer numbers brought to bear by my game three opponent, Connor's list included two Manglers for some reckless damage output! I was stoked to be playing Gloomspite twice, as that was the one allegiance I really wanted to play against.

Here's what Connor was rocking.

There was still no shortage of bodies on the table, but we were playing Gift from the Heavens. So, his objective could drop into nowhere, or it could drop directly on his Loonshrine in the centre, wrapped in 80 Gobbos! The dice would decide.

Connor easily outdropped me, and without knowing where the objectives would land until turn two, he deployed pretty defensively, bunkering up around the Lookshirne. He had a unit of Gobbos on each flank to rush out to a wayward objective, and the cheeky teleport spell if needed. And with a couple of units of Fanatics tucked somewhere in the army, he could afford to be a little bit cagey. 

My deployment was quite the opposite. I was spread right out, making sure I had bodies and threats the whole way across my deployment zone. Gift of the Heavens is 100% about being able to react well, and I didn't have the tricksy movement shenanigans that Gitz had in their spell lore. 

I made sure to put a Magma Cannon on each flank (one conveniently within towing range of the Skullcracker), as well as Fireglaive units on each possible objective location. The K'daai, fresh off their absolute rampage in the last game, deployed front and centre, ready to launch into whatever was foolish enough to get in their way. I didn't worry too much about screening in this scenario, as the only units that could unquestionably bulldoze something were either well out of threat range, or would have to be slingshotted into a position that was wildly precarious.

Connor gave me first turn, knowing that there wasn't a great deal I could do with it. My only real moves were to shuffle everything forward to try and lure him into over-extending, and to slide more dogs up each flank to push back any possible teleports.

The Magma Cannon was towed into range, but couldn't really find a decent target. The Fireglaives made it their business to make sure that there was no viable spot to drop in on my back board edge, and with that, my turn was pretty much over.

Connor's turn one followed much the same theme. He threw out a couple of spells, which I tried to stop, with varying levels of success and failure. Most notably, he dropped the Scuttletide into the centre of my army, and began trying to chip wounds off my Taur'ruk. The Scuttletide is an absolute standout spell, getting in the way and trickling mortal wounds!

Then Turn 2 priority rolled around, and I won the roll off. Much to his dismay, I handed Connor the turn. This was for two reasons. The first is that, because he'd remained defensive, and because only his objective would be on the table, it was essentially another enemy turn where he didn't know where to launch an offensive against my deployment zone. The second was that, while I was wasting his double turn, I was also going into a possible double turn with both objectives on the table.

My biggest fear in this game was put to rest, when Connor's objective landed on a flank, rather than directly on top of the Loonshrine. A unit of Gobbos raced over to claim it, while an 'Ash Storm'ed Mangler Squig plodded over to support. The rest of the Gitz force began a very wary advance, with the central unit of Gitz having just about every buff under the sun. 

In my turn two, my objective dropped in the centre of the board. Excellent! The 20-strong Fireglaives in the centre, and the Fireglaives and Warhounds on the right flank pushed in to stack that objective with bodies. The Daemonsmith, no longer needed for the extra range, joined his comrades to give them a nearby source of Battleshock immunity. The Magma Cannon on the right found itself not really able to get to the objective, and it wanted no part of the Scuttletide, so contented itself  taking pot shots at the twenty archers in the area terrain on the right. 

In the centre of the battlefield, I was intent on clearing as many bodies as I could. The K'daai wasted no time in brawling with the main line of Grotz, using their 3" reach and some cheeky pile ins to not only draw out and avoid the Fanatics, but also stay out of range of the pesky netters (at least for one activation. The Magma Cannon being towed by the Skullcracker also made a vital play! It turned its infernal firepower on the Loonboss on Mangler Squig, slamming it with 5 mortal wounds and dropping it to its very lowest bracket. This could not have happened more perfectly. I was terrified of the Manglers, and with Kill Points not being a tie-breaker or secondary at BrisVegas, I was quite content to leave that Loonboss hobbling around with terrible profiles until I knew for a fact that I could finish him off. 

On Connor's objective, I'd raced the hounds up the flank, with Fireglaives advancing as quick as their legs would carry them. I made a cheeky charge with the Skullcracker into the Grotz, but between their nets and some truly awful rolling, they stood firm and held the objective. If only I could land that double! 

But it was not to be! In a harsh counter-attack, and with Da Bad Moon squarely in the centre of the board, the full wound Mangler Squig cannonballed into the Skullcracker and unleashed absolute carnage! After the dust had settled, the Skullcracker was on a single wound... With the nearby Grots sharpening their toothpicks, I made a last stand and put as many attacks as possible into the Mangler. In a stroke of complete good fortune, two attacks snuck through, and did a total of five wounds. Now, BOTH Manglers were sitting in their lowest bracket! 

Elsewhere on the table, the Taur'ruk finally decided to join the party by failing a re-rollable charge. Fortunately, the Magma Cannon made short work of the now-exposed Fanatics (drawn out by the K'Daai earlier), or else that little confrontation may have gone very, very differently! 

The K'Daai had quenched their thirst for slaughter for a brief moment. Damage was starting to add up on them, but they had done their part by removing bulk bodies from the table. Now, hopefully they stayed off the table and didn't pour forth once more from the dank tunnels beneath the Loonshrine!

The back and forth of battle had begun to shift in my favour. The Fireglaives and Magma Cannon blasted away at the Gitz, allowing the Warhounds to claim the objective (until the Mangler wandered over to enjoy some raw dog meat). 

The K'Daai managed to kill the Loonboss, landing my secondary objective of killing the General, but on the wrong end of a double turn, it was at great cost! Only two K'Daai were standing at the end of the game, as they took wounds and mortal wounds from every possible source in Connors army. A Command Point made sure they hung around, which inadvertantly denied Connor his secondary of killing the highest-points-value unit on the table (and the K'Daai weighed in at a whopping 480 points!).

I say whopping... but they're worth every single point! 

The game ended with the Legion well and truly on top of the scoreboard, as I'd held my home objective all game and had either denied or robbed Connor of his objective.

Connor was an absolute delight to play, and his army is absolutely stunning! 

I was happy with how the flow of battle went. If his objective had landed on the Loonshrine, I would have had to assault the bunker, which is no small task, but I was very lucky. He also didn't manage to bring back any units through the Loonshrine, despite having plenty of chances and re-rolls etc. Lady Luck was not his fan this day. I managed to put Connor in an awkward position early in the battlefield, and was able to keep pressure on for the remainder of the game. 

Once again, the 3" reach and cheeky pile ins helped me negate so much of what makes Grotz painful to fight for a round, but that round was all the Fire Daemons needed to flail their way to murder! The Taur-ruk in this game did sweet nothing, partly because I was holding him back to counter attack any surprise attacks on my objective, and partly because he just sucked at rolling charges...

This left me on three major wins and one major loss. I was stoked, as my 3-2 goal was already complete, and if I got lucky, I could even squeak a 4-1.

Check in soon for Game 5 of BrizVegas Open, closely followed by all five games from War in the West! 

Thanks for reading, 

Gabe