tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12529028405923826262024-03-05T00:04:22.538-08:00Rumors of Warwintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-53539460861384989742012-09-29T01:31:00.000-07:002012-09-29T01:43:28.566-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings. Been awhile. Sorry I suck at blogging regularly. Lets all hope I improve in this regard and move on.<br />
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So 6ed has been out for awhile and I've been stewing on a number of hot topics. I'd eventually like to talk about the state of tournament 40k and all the hubbub regarding mission formats, the meta etc. First though I think its worth talking a bit about 40k's new catch phrase: <b>Forging</b> <b>a Narrative</b><br />
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<a name='more'></a>What is it about this phrase that makes us mock it so. I swear every game there's at least one time I'll say something silly like "Alright I'm gonna forge a narrative on yo ass". Its what all the hipsters are doing. I am sure there's some meme being created or already circulating. <br />
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I think we all recognize that this new rule set is trying desperately to inject this idea into every bit of the rule set. Our warlords are now pivotal in the success or failure of a given mission, whether we like it or not. Models can now jump out of buildings. Various units now slam into their opponents when they charge. The list goes on. All in all I think changes like the ones listed are quite good and seemingly in the name of helping forge a narrative. Despite this there are still rules that seem counter productive to creating a story while playing the game. Single characters tanking wounds for a blob of guardsman. The inability to assault when coming on from reserve. And it is these that seem to make mocking the new catch phrase all the more easier.<br />
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One of the obvious examples and something that annoys many to no end is the host of new randomness. The threat range of our assaults are now much more dependent on the roll of the dice. Endless dice rolls and cross referencing charts before a game can even begin. Numerous instances of Hail Mary options via Snap Fire and Overwatch that sometimes seem like more dice rolling for the sake of dice rolling. Why does GW seem so enamored with adding all this randomness? Surely we have enough probability generation to separate Warhammer from chess? I imagine they have pretty strong feelings that these new rolls makes for a fun game; an element that will keep people coming back for more. Yet it's this randomness that seems to generates a ton of ire, whether it's a particular unit like Possessed Chaos Space Marines (reviled by all) or 6ed rules like Warlord Traits (which often do jack all). Are the developers off their rocker and not in touch with their player base?<br />
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I think not.<br />
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Now I have to say I was (and still in many ways am) solidly in the camp of disliking randomness like warlord charts and psychic power generation. In fact it seems quite counter productive to forging a narrative. I mean one game my warlord with the dust of a thousand worlds is suddenly furiously charging into his enemies? Why not let me forge the narrative with my selections rather than having dice decide for me? Then one day, while considering all this and the ramifications for the missions I was working on for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheHarvester40kGT">the Harvester</a>, the reason became clear. <br />
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What is it that most any player will talk about regarding a game? Consider the discussions while people are waiting for pairings or results. The chatter at lunch during an event. The long drives home talking about the games. The small talk at game night when a particular game comes up. Inevitably there will be some crazy story of impossible happenings. Long stretches of failed 2+ saves. An unlikely wounding of a monstrous creature by lowly grots. A failed re-rollable morale check on a Death star unit, forced to run off the table via a lucky tank shock. It is in fact the random nature of our game and those unlikely but quite possible outliers that truly spark the real narrative being forged on the table top. I mean think about it, do you convey to your buddies the moments your units performed in a typical fashion? You roll six armor saves on your tactical squad and fail two, that's not something that sticks in your mind. Fail all six or pass twenty-four in a row and I bet you might even still recall the happening and the circumstances. I'd posit that it's from these outlying events that the real narrative is forged and it is why there are so many new ways in which to invoke them. <br />
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Consider also the suspense that is created with many of these new rolls. I know as well as any the anticipation of needing 6's to rend having ran genestealers for so long. It is without a doubt suspense that drives a narrative. Without it a story has no substance. So any additional way one can create suspense is going to help forge a narrative. Under that premise, those 6's to Overwatch are doing more then just making assault units weaker -- they are creating tension for both players! Even those damnable rolls on the psychic charts make more sense, where you are hoping for Invisibility and praying you get something better then Mental Fortitude. <br />
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So with this revelation in mind I will expand into other hot topics that interest me in the future. In particular missions and tournament gameplay formats and the upcoming Chaos Space Marine codex. <br />
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Till that time, God Luck and Good Speed.<br />
--winterman<br />
<br />wintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-46960597591128936412012-08-16T21:31:00.002-07:002012-08-16T22:18:57.165-07:00Blowing the proverbial dust off of things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whelp its been over a year since I last posted here. Lets see if I can't do a bit of sprucing and get this started up again. I can't promise regular posts but I am more and more interested in blogging about my trials and tribulations as a 40k gamer and tournament organizer -- so hopefully that translates to more content to my meager readership.<br />
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So the last year for me hobbywise in a nutshell? Apathy. Goes without saying but I lost all motivation to post here. I also lost a lot of interest in 40k in general by summers end. SpoCon last year sucked much of my interest in 40k with little return. I think the few folks who showed up had a good time but I think I took it too personal when the majority of locals choose the abominable 'Ard Boyz over a GT style event in their own hometown. I shouldn't have taken it as hard as I did though, that is no ones fault but my own. It was still a big let down for me and I think led to very little interest in the hobby overall. If it wasn't for guys like <a href="http://marspb.blogspot.com/">Mars</a>, <a href="http://desertraiders.blogspot.com/">Tallarn</a> or FLGS' like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gamers-Haven/334826499574">the Gamer's Haven</a> I'd have cashed in and moved on from the hobby long before 6ed came out.<br />
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That's cause my apathy wasn't just the subpar turnout at SpoCon. Or the somewhat lame state of the game near the end of 5ed. I have had a pretty rough year since my last post, starting with several incredibly difficult family crises in the Fall and ending (hopefully) with me being laid off at the end of May. It's hard for me to hobby when there's that much stuff going down. Thankfully I am now happily re-employed, the family issues are under manageable control and, most important to this blogs readership I am sure, -- my hobby interest is reinvigorated by the new edition.<br />
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So with that I hope to make more regular updates regarding my hobby progress, tournament comings and goings and musings regarding 40k and the related internet community. Thanks for reading.<br />
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--wintermanwintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-56718509351640172192011-06-28T11:16:00.000-07:002011-06-28T11:16:17.337-07:00Battle report: Tyranids at 1500 point tournament -- Game 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL-9g4Peca8rhNYx-ZxgC89_5r7WouTWDMHUJ55lTCgHGmbX8kr1fVpc35N2Hqz-KeovuvbONh8Uwxb0I6a976gHerPQxkgvS2CpEhCt7YEIswMPgm9W8m5xUgy8NWUqH-971o2UlUKk/s1600/Stealer_resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL-9g4Peca8rhNYx-ZxgC89_5r7WouTWDMHUJ55lTCgHGmbX8kr1fVpc35N2Hqz-KeovuvbONh8Uwxb0I6a976gHerPQxkgvS2CpEhCt7YEIswMPgm9W8m5xUgy8NWUqH-971o2UlUKk/s320/Stealer_resize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So after winning the previous game I find myself on the top tables facing a Dark Eldar army. This is the first game I have had against Dark Eldar. My non-tournament games are against a small group of friends who either don't play DE or have yet to get them table ready. In tournaments I've dodged them till now. However I've been reading the codex and various forums and blogs and have my own plans for a DE army, so while not experienced I am at least well informed.<br />
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The mission is another 2010 Adepticon Youngblood mission, <em>Into the ash wastes</em>. Deployment is <em>Spearhead. </em>The primary objective is kill points; the secondary is Adepticon style quarters (scoring units claim, any unit contests, random determine if not wholly in a quarter) and the bonus points are for your least expensive unit surviving and for having a scoring unit above 50% in your opponents deployment zone. Like last game there was also an added rule -- on turn 4 onward you rolled a d6, on a 4+ that turn and the rest of the game is played under night fight. So more of a hindrance for my opponent, as even though he has Nightvision my army's limited shooting is all 24"or less anyways.<br />
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My list is of course unchanged but for reference:<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tyranid Prime w/ Boneswords (x2) and Toxin Sacs</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 Hive Guard Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 Hive Guard Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 Zoanthrope Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">18 Genestealer Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">17 Genestealer Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">10 Termagant Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">10 Termagant Brood<br />
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My opponents list was roughly the following:<br />
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Archon w/ Blast Pistol 15, Ghostplate Armour, Combat Drugs, Djin Blade, Shadow Field (might have had other stuff though)<br />
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Haemonculus w/ Venom Blade, Liquifier Gun, Webway Portal<br />
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3 Kabalite Trueborn, 81 pts = 3 * 12 (base cost 12) + Blaster x3 45<br />
^Venom, Splinter Cannon x2<br />
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4 Wracks<br />
^Venom, Splinter Cannon x2<br />
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10 Kabalite Warriors w/ Blaster, Dark Lance<br />
^Raider w/ Darklance, Flickerfield<br />
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9 Wyches w/ Haywire Grenades, Agoniser<br />
^Raider w/ Darklance, Flickerfield<br />
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10 Wyches w/ Shardnet x2, Haywire Grenades, Agoniser<br />
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5 Scourges w/ Heat Lance x2<br />
6 Reavers w/ Heat Lance x2<br />
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1 Ravager w/ 3x Darklance, Flickerfield<br />
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It is admittedly a collection of units my opponent wanted to play with and not a cohesive list with a particular bent. At higher points it sounds like there's more shooting emphasis, but he decided to not go that route for this tourney (new finecast wracks and haemonculus to play with which as an aside were quite nice). <br />
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In all honesty before the game began I was not too worried about the list -- except for its mobility. I could be in trouble if he kept out of my threat range and used his superior shooting range to get ahead in kill points. Anything aggressive on his part would give me the advantage due to the KP difference (both in terms of numbers and durability) and my armies close combat focus.<br />
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The table<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C_ctdldnmp0Yh8iu5kAn7p4AkUW3rG9qfHKQLbn54UeWDpmjcANOLfoEFTwvXr67cfneC2nEnVaevv2XKEIdN0voj2QAyGo0JvSPoexhDQbWuM4S2KT8zHTowpk9CyDmBAkxjXEpNPg/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4C_ctdldnmp0Yh8iu5kAn7p4AkUW3rG9qfHKQLbn54UeWDpmjcANOLfoEFTwvXr67cfneC2nEnVaevv2XKEIdN0voj2QAyGo0JvSPoexhDQbWuM4S2KT8zHTowpk9CyDmBAkxjXEpNPg/s640/IMG_0301.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
My opponent wins the roll and deploys as such. My deployment and infiltration is also shown.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKON1FWklDMPEEfmaAa4gBWibGufxK7l8DZGU9Hhe3NGQwoMhHOAfvthWPh5TAz3fw0rN_zrcAC_bAD6kcqSCV5IZ43bktmLWdYZifBSHnKd_tTC6zNEvnF79H04pSnea0VPk37qgBkk/s1600/G2_turn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKON1FWklDMPEEfmaAa4gBWibGufxK7l8DZGU9Hhe3NGQwoMhHOAfvthWPh5TAz3fw0rN_zrcAC_bAD6kcqSCV5IZ43bktmLWdYZifBSHnKd_tTC6zNEvnF79H04pSnea0VPk37qgBkk/s640/G2_turn1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>So my opponent sets up rather aggressively. Seems like he wants a webway portal planted near my army so his Archon and maybe his scourges can play. I am not overly concerned by this, I have options to deal with them. I am a bit concerned that if I deploy too close he will be on my shooting units pronto so I try and stay out of his average threat range. The tervigons I deploy so they should get cover from his heavy weapons unless he seriously redeploys. I decide to infiltrate the stealers in the quarters next to my deployment, near enough to get catalyst from the tervigons with some shifting. <br />
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He gets the 3d6 run roll drug. I roll to seize and get a 6! Been a long while since I have seized, and what better time then against DE.<br />
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<strong>My Turn 1:</strong> Stealers move up onto platforms, ones on my left get a good roll, ones on right not so much. Tervigons and stealers move such that the stealers get Catalyst cast on them. Hive guard smell elf blood and move up. I shift the zoanthropes and prime such that the prime should get a cover save if the unit is shot at. In shooting I explode the raider with WWP and a few wyches die (FnP helps). Zoanthropes try and shoot the wyches, not sure of the result. Runs by the stealers are anemic if I recall. That about ends the turn, then I remember the wyches and haemy still need to make a pin test. They fail!<br />
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<strong>Opponents Turn 1:</strong> He turbos the reavers over my stealers on the right and onto the platform with the water towers -- kills maybe 1 or 2 after cover and FnP. The wrack venom shifts closer to my stealers so as to get a shot on my tervigon. The true born move up 6 so they and the venom can shoot. The warriors stay put. The ravager shifts over behind the pinned wyches. His shooting does very little, I think I took a wound on a hive guard and maybe some stealers? No assaults.<br />
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<strong>My Turn 2:</strong> A unit of termagants comes in from reserves -- they are put into my back corner. The stealers on my right get a good DT roll so back-track to the rear to go after the Reavers. Stealers on my left make their way towards the wrack venom in case it gets destroyed. Since the WWP didn't get deployed I move hive guard up to get in range of his ravager and other vehicles. Zoanthropes move up into lance range and also to provide cover save to the tervigon. The tervigons move so they can give catalyst to the stealers again. Shooting nets me the ravager (zoanthropes if I recall) and both venoms (although the trueborn venom might have lived for one more turn). Run for the wracks was a 1 so no assault possible there. Run toward the reavers is a 6 so the stealers are able to make that assault with a 5 on DT roll. I get the 5 and get stuck in. The reavers go first and fail to kill anything, the stealers in turn wipe them. I get a poor consolidation but try and make my way back to the tervigon.<br />
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<strong>Opponent Turn 2:</strong> He gets both units. Archon and wyches come in within assault range of the stealers that just vaped the Reavers. The scourges deepstrike behind those stealers and the tervigon, on the corner of the water tower platform. His wracks move away from the stealers, wyches and haemy move behind the building and he tosses the WWP to block LOS and assault to them. The warrior raider stays put again. In shooting he puts 3 wounds on the tervigon on my right (the one supporting the stealers that is about to get assaulted). He runs the archon and wyches instead of shooting, since he realizes I'd deny him the assault with casualties. He forgets to run the wracks. In assault his archon completely whiffs, 7 attacks and no wounds. Stealers and wyches slap fight each other for a couple of casualties each, but I do get the agonizer and a shardnet in the process and the archon loses his shadow field on his first save (ouch). They stay locked.<br />
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<strong>My Turn 3:</strong> Termagants do not come in this turn. The wounded tervigon spawns gants and they go after the scourges. It also gets catalyst off on the stealers in combat. The gants fail lurk and hold tight. Zoanthropes and prime move toward the center to go after trueborn and eventually the haemonculus + wyches. The other tervigon moves to give the unmolested stealers catalyst. Those stealers head off toward the wracks. Shooting kills the true born and I kill some scourges. Stealers get a good run roll and make it into assault with the wracks, as does the gants with the scourges. Against the wracks I get only a few stealers into combat and they kill 3 -- the last one holds. The spawned gants are able to wipe the scourges thanks to poison from the tervigon. The archon does a bit better this round, but the stealers kill all but 2 wyches. I think I wound the archon and have 9 or 10 stealers left.<br />
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<strong>Opponent Turn 3:</strong> He moves the haemonculus and wyches that were hiding in the middle up to counter assault my stealers attacking the wracks. His raider with warriors stay put. Shooting does nothing that I recall (maybe a hive guard?). In the multi-assault with wracks, wyches and stealers I think I still fail to kill the wrack and maybe a wyche. The haemonculus I think picked up a wound here. I lose a couple of stealers but still have the bulk of em left (and they are all now in position to attack). In the other assault I finally kill the archon but am still locked with the last of the wyches.<br />
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And that is when we found out there was 7 minutes left in the round. I was kind of surprised that we had run out of time. I think we could have sneaked in another round (wasn't much to do except resolve the assaults and resolve some move and shoots related to the raider and warriors) but I left it up to my opponent. We called it. I had KPs easily since I lost only 1 (termagants in reserve) and gained 8. For quarters the stealers locked in with the wrack and wyches was in his quarter and the one to my left. We roll and they are claiming the non-deployment one, mean we tie the secondary for 2 points each. I get both bonuses (stealers are still technically in his deployment zone, and I have a unit of termagants alive). My opponent gets 1 point (wracks are still alive).<br />
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<strong>Post game analysis:</strong> Game ended early but it was kind of decided before it began with that seize roll. Granted my list is not exactly an alpha striker but I still struck a solid blow to his army and getting FnP up early is always nice. In hind sight I am not sure the loss of WWP was all that bad for my opponent. Had he placed and used it I would have had most of my army situated to deal with the stuff in reserve. As it was he hit my flank and had the best chance of doing anything serious with that unit.<br />
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I think one potential/arguable mistake of mine was reserving the termagants. They should have been providing bubble wrap against his assault elements and could have been handy when I did end up seizing. My thought was they'd provide too easy of a KP, but hindsight, not having them there left my army vulnerable and without another bit of board control. Didn't end up mattering though. Also I didn't consider the his archon and wyches coming in from reserve, should have been pulling away from his table edge more. Other then that I can't think of any other things I'd do differently. Well, I do need to play faster. Too much recounting of dice or losing track of who was attacking what in the combat, I guess?. Maybe I need to lay off the booze at lunch.<br />
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His biggest mistake and the one that cost him the game was not using his range and mobility. I should not have had shots on his vehicles turn 2 (maybe even turn 3), but either he wasn't considering effective range or didn't know there was a mismatch there. I imagine most of the time he's the one with the range disadvantage. There's other stuff too in hind sight but that one stuck out during the game.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed game 2. In Game 3 I face off against another Hive Fleet for genetic supremacy. </div>wintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-42743871029455277492011-06-22T17:19:00.000-07:002011-06-23T11:49:43.528-07:00Battle report: Tyranids at 1500 point tournament -- Game 1<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL-9g4Peca8rhNYx-ZxgC89_5r7WouTWDMHUJ55lTCgHGmbX8kr1fVpc35N2Hqz-KeovuvbONh8Uwxb0I6a976gHerPQxkgvS2CpEhCt7YEIswMPgm9W8m5xUgy8NWUqH-971o2UlUKk/s1600/Stealer_resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnL-9g4Peca8rhNYx-ZxgC89_5r7WouTWDMHUJ55lTCgHGmbX8kr1fVpc35N2Hqz-KeovuvbONh8Uwxb0I6a976gHerPQxkgvS2CpEhCt7YEIswMPgm9W8m5xUgy8NWUqH-971o2UlUKk/s320/Stealer_resize.jpg" width="320" /></a>A new type of post for the blog today -- Battle Reports! Something other then SpoCon musings Enjoy!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This weekend I took my Tyranids to a 1500 point tournament at the Gamer's Haven in Post Falls, ID. It was just a one day thing but was quite fun. No overall award at this one, just Best General (Battle points), Best Sportsmanship (Fav opponnent and Thumbs ups) and player votes for Favorite Model and Army. The missions were direct ports of the 2010 Adepticon Youngblood ones.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here is my army list:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tyranid Prime w/ Boneswords (x2) and Toxin Sacs</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 Hive Guard Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 Hive Guard Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 Zoanthrope Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">18 Genestealer Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">17 Genestealer Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Tervigon w/ Adrenal Glands, Toxin Sacs and Catalyst</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">10 Termagant Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">10 Termagant Brood</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPHqyCDpqoakZjRZH1klVE_ajSAFGpt8gM7MgICo3yJOQf_00OhL-pUoZGF0WI7-Cnji19M4NG-drHLL41C5XAHHEcSR-ro1bJ7N5QTRpABvyUbFTxWed4RP4QqAzpjbBjDpaD_vrXmg/s1600/1500_Stealers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPHqyCDpqoakZjRZH1klVE_ajSAFGpt8gM7MgICo3yJOQf_00OhL-pUoZGF0WI7-Cnji19M4NG-drHLL41C5XAHHEcSR-ro1bJ7N5QTRpABvyUbFTxWed4RP4QqAzpjbBjDpaD_vrXmg/s640/1500_Stealers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hive Fleet Cancer, iteration 312B.01</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
Game one saw me matched up against a pretty strong looking Space Wolves list.<br />
<br />
Rune Priest w/ Jaws and Living Lighting<br />
<br />
Dreadnought w/ 2x TL-Autocannons<br />
4 Wolf Guard w/ Combi-Meltagun and Power Fist<br />
1 Wolf Guard in Terminator Armour w/ Cyclone Missile Launcher<br />
<br />
6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun<br />
^Rhino<br />
6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun<br />
^Rhino<br />
6 Grey Hunters Pack w/ Mark of the Wulfen and Meltagun<br />
^Rhino<br />
<br />
5 Long Fangs Pack w/ Missile Launcher x4 40<br />
^Razorback<br />
5 Long Fangs Pack w/ Lascannon x2 Plasma Cannon x2<br />
^Razorback<br />
Predator w/ TL-Lascannon and Lascannon x2<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So not 'net approved' optimized but some really strong elements and some stuff that could really hurt the core of my army (Jaws specifically).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The mission was <em>Earthquake!</em> Basically a Dawn of War 4 objective Seize Ground (worth 10 points) with killing your opponents HQ as the seconday (5 points, achievable by both opponents). There were two bonus points for controlling at least 1 quarter with scoring units and eliminating your opponents Troop units. However it wasn't so simple -- there was a special rule to represent earthquakes that caused vehicles to take dangerous terrain tests anytime they moved and turned any difficult terrain test into a dangerous test as well. To</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCzJjlF6Gf4tdM-EIICXiZClAvpgO3iAZ1Y1Nfipm_Pyd0JWk-6r93fyEgVTOR9bjBH2_iV5_-BiivmvBS_4KrQi5SElHefmX9lJCnC9a_A0u04_KMxz01JyLiphluR_qZYlNlEgYji8/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCzJjlF6Gf4tdM-EIICXiZClAvpgO3iAZ1Y1Nfipm_Pyd0JWk-6r93fyEgVTOR9bjBH2_iV5_-BiivmvBS_4KrQi5SElHefmX9lJCnC9a_A0u04_KMxz01JyLiphluR_qZYlNlEgYji8/s640/IMG_0302.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiOG21rOfELim9V7cyXNP_FNreO7cl6h5ckZfKcRXATrpHngq-uJ_EAXmc0cP4slWNi161CYkhdexo8kvwN8LnZgxDmRbHdgYNmsrtrBKu1EaqaHVS7HkhVFFulzHETAYKVp2IuNBwnw/s1600/IMG_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiOG21rOfELim9V7cyXNP_FNreO7cl6h5ckZfKcRXATrpHngq-uJ_EAXmc0cP4slWNi161CYkhdexo8kvwN8LnZgxDmRbHdgYNmsrtrBKu1EaqaHVS7HkhVFFulzHETAYKVp2IuNBwnw/s640/IMG_0303.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This was roughly the table layout. I didn't get pictures of the tables till after the tournament and didn't notice the table was messed up till now. Really all that is 'wrong' is the ramp in the center of the last photo was in front of the statue. The 4 objectives are placed as marked below.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My opponent wins the roll and takes first turn. He proceeds to start deploying his long fangs into the large red building when I remind him the deployment was Dawn of War. His response was one of defeat, "Well you win. I can never win Dawn of War." Kind of a bummer that he felt he lost before we even began. Any event he removed them and deployed his army as noted below, everything else coming on Turn 1. My deployment in response is noted also, with my army also coming on Turn 1. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwKJB8RvwUs9fWFa_xk_ES-YqXRbKh-biKgTq1BuCiKo5Zl5yMu_LLo_k5D-yqr-QHJDlN9pmmpg47-Mo3sK6uCdIwTYpJuqAbSFKITck8xK2dqybCW5ze9hi4WlWFZUcaVbOWcpHu1o/s1600/G1_deploy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwKJB8RvwUs9fWFa_xk_ES-YqXRbKh-biKgTq1BuCiKo5Zl5yMu_LLo_k5D-yqr-QHJDlN9pmmpg47-Mo3sK6uCdIwTYpJuqAbSFKITck8xK2dqybCW5ze9hi4WlWFZUcaVbOWcpHu1o/s640/G1_deploy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I wanted to put pressure on the Rune Priest so as to keep him from dropping Jaws on my Tervigons, so I put a unit of stealers as close to him as possible. They weren't in a great way as far as cover but clear shots would require coming in away from the main action and likely have issues with night fighting (depending on spotlights). In order to keep them from getting focused off the table I put that other squad as close as I could to my opponnets army and his board edge but away from the objectives -- sort of a feint. I knew this put them in some jepordy, since they were not in any cover and would not be getting Feel no Pain, but I hoped that enough of his army would be diverted away from where the game would be won or lost. I do not attempt to seize and my opponent takes his first turn. <br />
<br />
<strong>Opponent Turn 1</strong>: He deployes his 2 empty razorbacks directly in front of my stealers by the red building, then left of them the Rifleman dread, then left of it the rhino with Grey Hunters, who get out to double tap. The pred deploys left of them, then the 4x ML long fangs with CML termie. The two empty rhinos deploy centrally. His LC/PC long fangs come in a bit left of center. I think one of the RBs immobilize this turn due to Earthquake (TO ruled that they could get just on the board before immobilizing). The other two deployed Grey Hunters shift some but nothing dramatic that I recall. He shoots the 2 razorbacks, the rifleman, the grey hunters and various storm bolters at the stealers and only manages to kill 4. Just shy of a moral check. He living lighnings the 18 man stealer and kills 1 or 2. No other shots are made that I recall and no assaults.<br />
<br />
<strong>My Turn 1:</strong> I bring on just about everything between that black building and raised platform with statue. Exception is the zoanthropes with attached prime, they are on the right side of that black building to get clear move and shots at the pred and others. The remained of the 18 stealers heads straight for the raised platform where the Rune Priest is hanging out with Grey Hunters. The remained of the 17 stealers makes a b-line for the grey hunters that shot them this turn, with most of the unit trailing away from them. I forget catalyst, which I thought would cause some issues for the 18 man stealers. No shooting, just running. In assualt I get a nice clear shot with several stealers but the bulk is trailing away and not engaged in the combat. I kill a few, he kills some more and then the fist goes and wins the combat. I make my test and we pile in.<br />
<br />
<strong>Opponents Turn 2: </strong> He proceeds to roll 4 1s in a row for his vehicle moves, meaning his RBs and Rifleman are stuck away from the battle without LOS to anything but the stealers that are locked in combat. My feint proved to be quite effective due to some bad luck. Only 1 rhino and the pred retain any mobility. That rhino makes a beeline for the objective on my right (the one obscured by the black building in the pic above). His long fangs continue to move to get LOS. His rune priest and Grey Hunters moves back some, afraid to get close to the stealers. His shoots at my stealers and kills a few. His pred fires at the zoanthropes and I make my save. In combat I wipe the Grey Hunters before they get to strike and consolidate towards the grey hunters.<br />
<br />
<strong>My Turn 2: </strong>Remainder of the 18 make a move for the platform but will need a 6 on the run roll to make any sort of assault. The victorious stealers line up on the grey hunters. I have a unit of gaunts make their way toward the objective on my far left. One tervigon stays relatively well hidden behind the black building while another moves up to support the stealers and aforementioned gants. My shooting explodes the rhino near the objective but not much else. I don't get a great run roll to get on the platform so they just hug the edge to get cover. My other unit though is successful in getting locked in. I don't recall the exact results but we stay locked.<br />
<br />
<strong>Opponents Turn 3:</strong> He moves his long fangs with terminator and the RP+Grey hunters to counter charge. He continues to shuffle the LC/PC long fangs along to my left. Because of the desire to counter charge I only get shot by the predator and take a wound on the Prime. This might have been the turn he got LOS from his rifleman to my Tervigon also but no wounds were caused. His GH+ priest fail to make it into assault, but the long fangs do. I focus as much of my attacks onto the Grey Hunters and the WG and 2 bolters remain. But the stealers are then wiped. <br />
<br />
<strong>My Turn 3:</strong> The other stealers make their move against the RP and Grey hunters (losing a few in the process) The more exposed tervigon fails to give catalyst to the stealers and makes 14 or so termagants but craps out. The other tervigon is just barely in range to grant catalyst to my stealers and not get rune weaponed. My prime move and attaches to some hive guard out of LOS in the black building ruin. Shooting sees the 3 man GH squad wiped. I get a great run roll on the stealers and setup for assualt. In assault the Rune Priest does not end up in base to base (in hindsight he should have had the movement to get there, I just didn't think about it) but the GH do a decent amount of damage, but then my attacks back are pretty brutal and I think I kill most of the GH, leaving the RP more or less alone.<br />
<br />
The rest is really just clean up. The Rune Priest eventually dies, he keeps moving the long fangs around. He has no troops and I am able to get gants or stealers on to all 4 objectives. He might have been able to contest 1 objectove with the pred or maybe with repaired rhinos (he refused to try and repair them). We call it at some point on Turn 5. I end up with full points (10 for the objectves, 5 for killing his HQ, 1 for troops and 1 for controlling a quarter) but in hindsight I didn't technically earn one of the bonus points (he had 2 immobilized rhinos left when called). <br />
<br />
<strong>After-action Review:</strong> Overall I though it was a challenging game to deal with all that armor and a Jaws Rune Priest, but I don't think my opponent was really into the game once he realized it was Dawn of War. Personally I felt like he still had some opportunities but his placement and setup with the long fangs cost him dearly. They should have been in the RBs so they could have gotten somewhere decent quick and the terminator deployed at the start imo. But the table and special rule was kind of a bitch for his army, while it was perfect for mine. <br />
<br />
Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading. Coming next is my first game against 5ed Dark Eldar (yes really).wintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-5013325992208481932011-06-20T19:36:00.000-07:002011-06-23T11:49:09.476-07:00SpoCon: 1750 points. Just right?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://faithfitnessfun.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/goldilocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" i$="true" src="http://faithfitnessfun.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/goldilocks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So I am back after a long hiatus. Shouldn't have any more long breaks between posts, at least until after SpoCon.<br />
<br />
So is SpoCon really 1750 points? Yes it is. I get asked this a lot and have read or heard comments along these lines: "1750? What an odd point level." I kind of agree, in that its a point level we don't see around here. Usually tournaments or pick-up games run 1500 or 2000; the later being the most standard point level here and seemingly everywhere in the US. However 1750 really isn't all that odd. Here's a couple of fun facts:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul><li>The last official Games Workshop GTs in the US were 1750 point affairs. For a time a number of events were running at that point level, just not locally. Except for...</li>
<li>The first SpoCon 40k tournament was 1750 points. I was asked to run it like the GTs that year and they were 1750. For whatever reason the points were increased to 2000 for the following two years. </li>
<li>Much of the world runs 1750 as standard. I know Canadians seem to play 1750 quite a bit, as does much of Europe and the UK. <a href="http://www.rankingshq.com/etc/">ETC</a> is another example of a long running 1750 point event.</li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/co...n=&aId=9200008">Throne of Skulls</a> will be 1750 for the next while, including here in the US presumably.</li>
</ul>So as odd as a 1750 point tournament seems to be at the moment, it may become much more common in the next year or so. Although to be honest most of the above really factored into the decision. Perhaps I felt a bit of nostalgia for 1750, but really I had planned on 2000 points early on. However it become evident that wasn't going to work. <br />
<br />
From the outset I wanted to run four games on the first day. That way we avoid having to use battle points to crown a winner amongst several undefeated players, like we would running a 3 game event. That also means the bulk of the event could take place on that first day, leaving the option open to people to attend a Sunday 'Ard Boyz qualifier. The problem then was available time and space. The room has to be cleared out by 7PM, leaving very little time for 4 games -- 2.25 hour rounds to be exact. I don't know about anyone else, but I rarely get a 2000 point game done in 2.25 hours. They might roll like that down in Austin, but to me that just isn't enough time.<br />
<br />
So 2000 was out. What about 1850? Probably doable for vets, but there's been at least 1 relatively new player at every SpoCon. For them, 150 point difference isn't going to alleviate the issue much.<br />
<br />
Then why not 1500? You know, I considered it for quite some time. I actually enjoy 1500 point games and it does have some popularity here. However there's a number of folks that simply do not like 1500, and I think some codexes just don't function well at 1500 in 5ed.<br />
<br />
So to me the obvious compromise was 1750. Not quite as restrictive as 1500. Not quite as time consuming as 1850-2000. Just right? I sure hope so!wintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-78372578812914114322011-05-15T16:30:00.000-07:002011-05-15T16:30:01.215-07:00SpoCon 40k Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fraternalclipart.com/Clipart/ROJ/images/hear-ye_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" j8="true" src="http://www.fraternalclipart.com/Clipart/ROJ/images/hear-ye_jpg.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>Below is the general announcement I am sending out to the internets. If you have found your way here you have probably already read it, but just in case here it is.<br />
<br />
Greetings,<br />
My name is Dan Winters; my usual internet handle is 'winterman'. I have been asked to organize the 40k tournament this year at SpoCon. I was the TO for their 1st 40k event back in 2008 and look forward to organizing another successful 40k event for SpoCon's 4th year. <br />
This year SpoCon's 40k event is being redesigned from the ground up to match the current trends in competitive game play. Game play will be similar to that found at this year’s Adepticon championship and points scoring and awards are similar to the NoVa Open last year.<br />
<br />
Some basic info:<br />
--<a href="http://spocon.org/">SpoCon</a> is a full spectrum Sci-Fi Fantasy convention held annually in <a href="http://www.visitspokane.com/">Spokane, Washington.</a><br />
--This year the convention is being held at the <a href="http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/SPCC-DT-Doubletree-Hotel-Spokane-City-Center-Washington/index.do">Hilton Doubletree Hotel Spokane Center</a> over the weekend of August 12th-14th.<br />
--<a href="http://www.spocon.org/registration">Registration</a> for the convention is currently $30 (increased to $35 as the date approaches). There is no additional fee to attend the 40k event.<br />
<br />
For the event itself:<br />
--1750 point armies.<br />
--Main event tournament consists of four 2.25 hour games on Saturday August 13th. This tournament will be a swiss style W/L/D style format with some extra points available.<br />
--Missions inspired by Adepticon's Championships this year but refined and adjusted a bit (e.g. KP will be NoVa Style spread, VPs will be used in some games, etc)<br />
--Best 8 by record/performance are invited to compete for the new 'Warmaster' award on Sunday. This tournament will be a seeded, bracketed single elimination tournament. <br />
--Fully painted armies are required but the minimum requirements are not stringent.<br />
--Unlike previous years and GTs of the past, the Overall Event Champion will be determined by an equal part game play, appearance and sportsmanship. Those familiar with the NoVa Open format will recognize this as similar to the Renaissance man award.<br />
--Although the main event takes place on the same day as the 'Ard Boyz qualifiers, several local shops will be holding their qualifier on Sunday. For a truly epic weekend of 40k? Attend both events!<br />
--You can find the full details in the <a href="http://www.spocon.org/files/SpoCon_40k_rulespack_v1_2.pdf">rules packet pdf file.</a><br />
<br />
Signing up for the tournament is easy. <a href="http://www.spocon.org/registration">Register</a> and email me with the confirmation number at <a href="mailto:winterman.row@gmail.com">winterman.row@gmail.com</a>. Space is limited so register early!<br />
<br />
Rumors of War will feature discussion on the tournament format so check back here for more info.<br />
<br />
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to post them here; email me ( <a href="mailto:winterman.row@gmail.com">winterman.row@gmail.com</a> ) or comment on other blog posts.<br />
<br />
Regards and I hope to see you all sign up!<br />
--wintermanwintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-45001095492090739742011-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:002011-06-23T11:50:19.765-07:00SpoCon 2011 40k Event: Why am I the TO?Greetings,<br />
<br />
So I finally got the official announcement up regarding SpoCon's 40k event this year. There's postings <a href="http://www.spocon.org/gaming/miniature-gaming">here</a> and <a href="http://www.spocon.org/forum/spocon-2011/gaming-con/table-top-and-miniature-gaming/2011-warhammer-40k-event">here.</a> The full rules packet is <a href="http://www.spocon.org/files/SpoCon_40k_rulespack_v1_2.pdf">here.</a> Feel free to post up feedback or questions regarding the event in the comments section of SpoCon related posts or you can <a href="mailto:winterman.row@gmail.com">email me.</a> I'll make a more formal post on the tournament itself on the blog later but first.<br />
<br />
So why am I organizing this event?<br />
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Well for one, I was asked to. Chris (aka BigChris) who organized the event the last 2 years, was 'promoted' (voted for or whatever they do, not sure) from gaming chair to overall chair. There was no way he could do it again this year and other concom members or interested parties had other obligations. I had been the TO for the very first SpoCon 40k tournament in 2008 and had ran some successful tournaments at a local store years ago, so I guess I was the next best thing.<br />
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Another reason why, I have a bit of a soft spot for the event. I've wanted to see it grow out of being a glorified RTT (which is sadly what it was when I ran it in 2008, for various reasons) to something bigger. Certainly not the size and depth of Adepticon or NoVa exactly, but something special none the less. Last year the event came very close to that mark in my opinion. We saw new players from outside the area for the first time and I personally had the best time so far. So I wanted a chance to continue that growth and hopefully improve upon what Chris and others at SpoCon have started. Since SpoCon made the jump to being a hotel based event I thought what better time then now? And frankly I wanted another shot at it since that first year had been sort of lackluster in a lot of ways -- I'll get to that in another post though.<br />
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Finally, the main reason I am a TO can be attributed to a conversation I had years ago at another 40k event. I was attending <a href="http://www.astronomi-con.com/">Astronomi-con</a> in Vancouver BC and between rounds struck up a conversation with one of the organizers. We got on the topic of various ins and outs of tournament rules, some of which we had some obvious differences in opinion. He was not defensive in the least though, frankly he had some of the more well reasoned responses to things like comp, sports, etc. Anyways at the end of the conversation he had this to say (roughly from memory): <br />
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"Have you organized a tournament? No? You should." He had more to say (which I am saving for another post and another topic) but those words in particular stuck with me and are why I even considered organizing tournaments years ago.<br />
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Anyways thanks for reading!<br />
--wintermanwintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-39106707647093353272011-04-27T14:39:00.000-07:002011-06-23T11:50:43.207-07:00Adepticon Championship: Dominated by Space Wolves and Guard?<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXegAtYnbQpuGeeGyy1dHMTJqTccuow6hc_QH06y8EJ8T882AaDFf3LaSWl_EtZbHAcTDDpuCCLVw6tZbGJZXxop-6yTdUo83slwtQNHlwcHDm8FDYU9watXsrWQ47vU6UP8pk-6rEAWI/s200/statistics.jpg" width="200" /></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span class="postbody"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So in case you guys didn't know I like looking at the results from big events and seeing how different codexes performed. Not sure why, the inner scientist in me perhaps. Its seems like some folks feel that having IG and SW in the final at Adepticon just goes to show that they are the best Codexes. I'd like to see if the numbers bear that out -- or if 40k isn't just a tad more balanced then some think. <br />
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The analysis below is far from scientific. There's also 4 players that Adepticon still lists as 'undecided'. Been waiting for a promised update to the results but still nothing. I'll update this if we get that info but without it the percentages are obviously off on a couple of armies. Also of note -- the </span><a href="http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2011/04/40k-state-of-meta-post-adepticon-2011.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BoLS metagame analysis</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> appears to be incorrect -- they have too many total armies listed (255 -- only 243 actual players showed up and one dropped mid way through). But if the fact that there are numerous numbers being thrown about makes me wonder the validity of any analysis. Lets trudge on though with what we've got and see if there's anything of interest.</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDcabRnCftbKI7HSLbR7kWXdRY4nmP3iTzFF71tGPprQjra1QkbMkunhcYY255fjYqo8thKwYQO8ebDyqz7Sz6B6LN1-6kQhg0bOKpycbV-QnZ0oy5J3AbH5SYsyFYhvcJSKN9qkaeHw/s1600/adept_undefeated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDcabRnCftbKI7HSLbR7kWXdRY4nmP3iTzFF71tGPprQjra1QkbMkunhcYY255fjYqo8thKwYQO8ebDyqz7Sz6B6LN1-6kQhg0bOKpycbV-QnZ0oy5J3AbH5SYsyFYhvcJSKN9qkaeHw/s1600/adept_undefeated.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span class="postbody"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">First thing I'd like to present is a comparison of each armies % that went undefeated vs the % overall that went undefeated. In other words, if 5% of the all players went undefeated, then about 5% of the players of a particular army should also go undefeated -- assuming all variables are equal (e.g. codexes are equal, equal skill spread, no favoritism for an army from mission or terrain, etc). I think this stat more accurately reflects how strong a showing a particular codex has, rather then just the raw numbers.<br />
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Thirteen players or 5.34% of the 243 attendees went undefeated (4-0). Note that because some armies had less then 13 players using them (eg less the 5% of attendees actually played them), the likelihood that any of these would go undefeated is slim (assuming again equal variables). For the purpose of this analysis, I have removed any army that didn't have at least 6 players using them (eg at least 2.5% of attendees played the army). That leaves out Black Templar, Dark Angels, Demonhunters and Witchunters. Kinda arbitrary I guess, but just know that none of the armies I left out went undefeated.</span> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Couple of things to consider:</span></div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although Space wolves had 3 undefeated players there were many of them to begin with. If all things were equal we'd expect 2-3 SWs to go undefeated and that's exactly what happened. Similar results for other armies, except...</span></div></li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Orks have a pretty significant number here. 1-2 players going undefeated would be more expected then the 3 that did. Wonder why? I have ideas...</span></div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are a couple of armies that did not have undefeated players. Of these:</span></div></li>
<ul><li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The 'elves' both had pretty small numbers of attendees, so honestly its not too surprising that neither army had an undefeated player. Seeing this I was interested to see how many of the players were still in the hunt so to speak (eg 30 or better, or records of 3-1-0; 3-0-1 or 2-0-2). I expect they do at least as well as the overall %, if not greater.</span></div></li>
<li><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CSM had more players and should have had at least 1 player go undefeated. Like the elves I am interested to see how they stack up in the 30 or greater BP analysis below.</span></div></li>
</ul></ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp2gYIXbfBOD9e3J3GXvBuKImrV7y2kqe_mkzCq3Tje5In5Ixrnh-Uc9IU_MD0dLNbTHviijsURDS7osLBt3AxEKxvcC8OeCwx99oyqy4clTuH6eYULWxqIk4WwQDmesPloEkW8uoSeg/s1600/adept_30ormore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp2gYIXbfBOD9e3J3GXvBuKImrV7y2kqe_mkzCq3Tje5In5Ixrnh-Uc9IU_MD0dLNbTHviijsURDS7osLBt3AxEKxvcC8OeCwx99oyqy4clTuH6eYULWxqIk4WwQDmesPloEkW8uoSeg/s1600/adept_30ormore.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">So the other analysis is a bit more broad. It is comparing the % of all players that had 30 battle points or better with the % of players for each army that had 30 or more battle points. Again we'd expect no difference between the two numbers if all things were equal. Of the 243 attendees, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">27.57% of the attendees had 30 BPs or more. e.g. That is the % that went 4-0, 3-0-1. 3-1-0 or 2-0-2.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With these numbers I think we get a much more accurate picture of relative codex performance compared to just the undefeated. We get more data points involved with a more broad sampling. There's still not enough for any real statistical analysis (although I have not performed any fitness tests).</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A number of things stand out:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><ul><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So here we see Orks and SWs are showing they did quite a bit better then most armies and the average. Stronger numbers then I expected to be honest. Orks specifically considering their codex is only strong in local events without Internet celebrities *snicker*</span></li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">DE jumped up quite high here. Out of the 8 total DE players, 3 had 30 BP. While there weren't a ton of DE players I think the few that showed up did pretty well. Note also that 2 of the DE players are ETC alumni, and well known BoLS contributors (Darkwynn and the American team ETC captain Spacecurves).</span></li>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tyranids had an incredibly poor showing here. Although it was nice to see a Tyranid player make a go of it and end up in the semi-finals -- most Tyranid players had poor records and only 2 of the 13 had 30 or better. Whether this is just an anomaly due to the sample size or a real show of their deficiencies is hard to say.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">IG are another army much like Tyranids that had an undefeated and yet didn't have many others do well. Could be a lot of factors, like everyone gearing up to deal with them like most players for for Space Marines in general. Could be the missions and/or tables as others are theorizing.</span></li>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">--winterman </div></div>wintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1252902840592382626.post-60697396241330814632011-04-27T12:32:00.000-07:002011-06-23T11:51:08.027-07:00Welcome to Newbieville -- err Rumors of War. Population me and you.<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfSI5NV69ClN0OSOYk56Wz5GUQjUgDxO1mA-F06maTymkSIpLmfiVH2ySg_hc0GdP0nP-lrTTTLyzaOuWw6PAQuWcmdwFm5mYNVGote6lChSxKMmxOx1J9VPmVs0c9JzWN02T5MzTPos/s1600/newbie-seo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 237px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;"><img border="0" height="200" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfSI5NV69ClN0OSOYk56Wz5GUQjUgDxO1mA-F06maTymkSIpLmfiVH2ySg_hc0GdP0nP-lrTTTLyzaOuWw6PAQuWcmdwFm5mYNVGote6lChSxKMmxOx1J9VPmVs0c9JzWN02T5MzTPos/s200/newbie-seo.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>Welcome to Rumors of War -- my attempt at blogging about miniature wargaming. Its been awhile since I first setup the blog. I had intended to kick it off with posts regarding some of the tournaments I attended this Winter but I never followed through with it. Procrastination, oh how I loathe thee!<br />
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Any event, as the picture here implies, this blog will be newbie-ville for awhile while I get comfortable writing in a blog style, as opposed to forums where I usually post my views. Please bear with me (all one or two of you).<br />
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The original vision I had for the blog was to focus on tournament discussion: how to run one; tips when attending them; reviews on them from myself or links to such reviews, etc. What I wanted to create was more of a resource for those interested in tournaments and less of an editorial or tabloid style take on the subject. Since I am currently organizing a GT style tournament locally, this seemed like a good idea all around. The blog would give me a chance to lay down my reasons as to why the event is setup the way it is and provide yet another way for potential attendees to contact me and discuss the event. All while hopefully giving something of value to the community.<br />
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While I intend to remain focused on tournaments I have decided in the interim to broaden the scope a bit. Interspersed among the tournament posts will be rules discussions, game play tips, batreps, hobby articles, painting progresses, etc. Main reason for the change is to ensure there's regular content. I check out a blog less and less if it has long periods of stagnation and I'd like to avoid that by having a more topics to touch on.<br />
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Also the format and design of the blog will likely change as I figure out how to use Blogger. Please bear with me.<br />
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That's about if for now. Actual content coming soon! Thanks for reading!<br />
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--wintermanwintermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02387213368473553942noreply@blogger.com0