Okay, I'm going to TRY to do this today...as my head-cold is getting worse, and moving down into my chest. Last time this happened, it turned into 2 weeks of borderline bronchitis...and I won't have the energy to pursue this. Bear with me, as I am tirrred...yesterday was long!
Edge and I got on the road around 6:45 in the am...after my wife was kind enough to cook us a nice, big breakfast. The ride up did take 3 hours (yay GPS, boo Google who lied to me by 30 min).
The last time I drove like that for an event was Ard Boyz 2010 semi-finals.
We almost got lost, at the very end...but managed to settle in just before 10. Found out the first round wasn't going to get started until noon-ish...so sat back to bullshit with new and familiar faces (a few people we'd met and/or faced at last years Ard Boyz no less...though at a new venue). I ran into my nemesis from last year (Scott-the-Vulkan) who toppled my run in round 6. The BS-ing increased!
I had seen the NOVA format pack (a year ago), but didn't examine it wholly in depth until I got to the event. I picked up the pack, and saw the order of the scenarios.
I'm not going to iterate them in their entirety here, but provide url(http://novaopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Primer-2011-GT-Missions-v3.pdf).
My list consisted of (Dark Angels sorta doublewing);
Belial
Terminator Squad (4x THSS/Chainfist SB/Apothecary/Cyclone)
Terminator Squad (4x THSS/CF+SB/Cyclone)
Terminator Squad (5x THSS/Cyclone)
Terminator Squad (5x THSS/Cyclone)
Terminator Squad (5x THSS/Cyclone)
Ravenwing Biker Squad (3 man w/2x Meltagun/Sgt+Meltabombs)
Round 1 was, indeed, scenario 1 from the pack; DOW/KP with tiebreakers.
I pulled an IG opponent who was playing (from memory, as I didn't manage to keep a copy of his list).
Luke Alexander
CCS melta squad
Chimera
Primaris Psyker
PCS melta squad
Chimera
Platoon w/3x squads (melta/AC)
each squad with Chimera
Banewolf (hull MM)
Banewolf (hull MM)
Vendetta
LR Executioner (hull HF)
LR (hull HF)
I won the roll to choose first, and deferred to 2nd (as it was Dawn of War the 1st turn night fight was going to gimp our first shooting phases, and I wanted to go last in case I couldn't get the 3kp spread and needed to contest last objectives etc etc).
He deployed his one Troop, blobbing his IG platoon with joined primaris (he blobbed for KP mitigation) nearly on top the center objective, and their Chimera behind the central terrain block. He reserved nothing, choosing to bring everything on his board edge turn 1.
Wanting to see where he went, I reserved my Ravenwing(to protect a soft KP) and chose to put nothing on table until I walked on bottom of turn 1.
Turn 1;
He brought the Leman Russes in behind a chimera wall center, with slight weighting toward my right flank. He moved his IG blob onto the center. Vendetta came in to my left. He ran the blob, to secure their shooting avenues and possession of the center.
I brought everything on behind/into the building in the right of my deployment. Running everything forward or into the ruins. I was setting up for transport sniping/easy KPs on turn two, but trying to manipulate his fire with LOS blocking and perceived cover.
KPs 0-0
Turn 2;
He shifted toward my right, and began to shoot. The Vendetta, and Executioner opened up on Belial and the Command Terminators (executioner was out of range). I lost a single termie. The chimeras opened up. I lost nothing. The Leman Russ fired...hit a single terminator...and I rolled a 1. (this would repeat EVERY time the battlecannon fired. Every single terminator hit with a Battlecannon round rolled a 1 on its save) :-o
I shifted up the right flank, and right board edge. I fired. I fired 10 crack missiles, at the banewolves. I shook/stunned the SNOT out of them...and did nothing else. This does not bode well.
KPs 0-0
Turn 3;
He moved the Leman Russes 6" toward my right (along his backfield). Shuffled a bit with the Chimeras and Banewolves to provide maximum cover to Chimera, and began shooting. I lost a Command Terminator to the Executioner, a standard Termie to the Leman Russ Battlecannon, and made the rest of my saves vs Lascannon etc. Okay, a little whittling but nothing egregious.
My reserve bikes came in, from my left side. I chose to threaten his furthest left chimera. My hope was a kill on the transport, and to draw fire off my terminators (as his best shooting bets there was a chimera, the blob, and the vendetta). I managed to kill his far Chimera. I knew the likelihood was it would be a 1 for 1 exchange...I just had to hope for the split fire to mitigate what he did on his turn.
My fire managed to kill a banewolf (finally) and strip the guns off the other one. I also killed a Chimera.
KP's now 3-0
Turn 4;
My bike gambit paid off. He brought a pair of Chimera AND the Vendetta around to deal with the bikes. They went poof, but it took all three units to do so. His Leman Russ/Executioner fire went wide and only forced a save vs one plasma shot...that I made. Chimera fire yielded 1 dead termie from my far right squad (which was now down to 3 termies). The weight of fire lost to dealing with bikes saved that squad.
I detached Belial from the command squad, and had him join the building squad (to prevent a concentrated fire round from possibly netting 2kp). I shuffled, and moved the furthest right squad into the far right table quarter. I fired. 10 crack missiles yielded...2 shaken chimeras, a shaken vendetta, and a shaken banewolf. This is getting tedious, as without a KP this round I'm suddenly out of the KP win window, and not holding enough objectives if things crash quickly.
KPs 3-1
Turn5;
He shuffles, and fires. I lose another terminator in the furthest squad (now down to 2, from that damned battlecannon again) and two terminators from an unwounded squad in my backfield.
I fire. I kill a chimera. I stun the banewolf (argh). I shake the vendetta. I shake my head. I only have another turn to create the buffer to win by KP, and he shoots next.
KPs 3-1
Turn 6;
He shuffles and fires...again. He does deploy (and then run) the squad in the vendetta (ccs? can't remember for sure). onto the far left objective. He sees what I see, that I may not be able to stop him from keeping the KP gap too close, and objectives is the 1st tiebreaker. I've been playing too conservatively, and not compensating for my lack of kills quickly enough. I may be in trouble. He now has 2 objectives to my 1, I can't shift his blob with an assault in time to break the center (with only 1 Termie squad that can reach at this point). Fortunately, his fire only takes out another termie from the far right squad (lone cyclone/THSS is now closing in on that obj, but is in range of EVERYTHING).
I push a 4 man termie into the far right quarter, backing loner boy. I shift my left/backfield squad forward to at least threaten the center (too little to late there, but I can hope it prompts a fire response) and shoot...and pray. I kill the vendetta and stun the banewolf. Thank Gawd, now I just need the game to end...and it doesn't, on to turn 7.
KPs 4-1
Turn 7;
I have the spread, and he knows it. Unfortunately, right now, he has BOTH tiebreakers...and just needs to close the KP spread. He fires...alot. I lose loner boy in the far right. Gap closed. I lose no other units (1 termie from backfield squad is all). It ends after my turn, but if I can't make a kill (which has been my game the whole way) I lose.
I've lost a cyclone, my fire is reduced...I move forward with the remaining right squad, closing in on the banewolf and an objective. I fire. I kill NOTHING. I stunned nearly every chimera left on the field, and the banewolf again...and kill nothing. I pray I'm close enough...I call a charge on the banewolf with the far squad...and make it with a 1/4" to spare. I pray again, and roll penetrations...the chainfist pays off...and I win.
WHEW!
Close one.
Luke was grand, and we smiled the whole way down the pipe.
On to round two.
(which will be it's own entry as well)
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