Maul in the Mall BatRep #1

Greetings! This weekend (7/23/11) Boxersaint, Legendary Gannon, and I drove up to Cleveland, TN to attend "Maul in the Mall!" The three of us brought, respectively, Imperial Guard, Orks, and Space Wolves. We had a great time, and Boxersaint won all of his games! I decided to take most of the pictures, so I suppose I'll be writing battle reports for my games. But before we dive in, here's my army, which I'm proud of considering this is my third month playing a table top game and first time ever assembling and painting an army.

Here's my list:

Bjorn with a Plasma Cannon
Rune Priest - Living Lightning and Storm Caller, w/Chooser of the Slain
2xDreadnoughts with TLLascannons and heavy flamers
3xWolf Guard(2xw/Combi-plasma, 1xw/Combi-melta and power fist)
9xGrey hunters(Mark of the Wulfen and Wolf standard, and 1xMelta gun) in a Rhino
5xGrey hunters w/1xplasma gun in a LasPlas Razorback
5xGrey hunters w/1xplasma gun in a LasPlas Razorback
5xGrey hunters w/1xFlamer
6xLong fangs w/5xMissile launchers, in a TLLC Razorback
6xLong fangs w/5xMissile launchers, in a TLLC Razorback
6xLong fangs w/5xMissile launchers, in a TLLC Razorback



There's the big man himself; the original Space Pimp!
Anathon Reinhold, my Rune Priest, canceller of psychic powers and caller of storms. A decent paint job for my first army, I think.

So anyway, on to the tournament! My first opponent was Michael, an experienced IG player with a solid list which was very well painted and themed!
His list as follows:

5th Explorator Fleet: Tech-Guard Detachment
Lord Commissar
Company Commander
Veteran Weapons Team
Master of Ordnance
Infantry Platoon with one autocannon (thee of these)
Special Weapons Squad with two meltaguns and a flamer
Heavy Weapon Squad with three lascannons (two of these)
Veteran Squad of 10 with three meltaguns (two of these) in a Chimera (two of these)
Psyker Battle Squad in a Chimera
Two Vendettas
Bane Wolf
Two Leman Russ Executioners
Manticore

The mission: Pitched battle with first and 6th turn night fighting with table quarters as primary. Secondary is Kill Points, and tertiary is getting units into deployment zones.

Great theme.

We roll off and we immediately have a rules dispute. I know he wants to go first and alpha strike. I lose the roll and re-roll with Bjorn's "ancient tactician." I roll into a tie and we roll again. I lose yet again and try to re-roll again, and win. He says I can't re-roll three times, but I claim the tie negates it and it's as if we never rolled. I know the INAT FAQ (which Shane, the TO, uses) clarifies that I can indeed to this, but nobody has it pulled up and the judges don't know for sure, but they do come over and say if the INAT says so that's what we'll go by. However, nobody wants to take time to look it up and I don't have it printed up. I give him the roll and he deploys first. I'm here to have fun and meet new people, not argue.

For reference, here it is:

"SW.49B.01 – Q: If Bjorn uses ‘Ancient Tactician’ to reroll
the dice to go first, and that re-rolled result is a
tie between the players. When the players roll yet
again to determine who goes first, can ‘Ancient
Tactician’ now be used again?
A: Yes it can [clarification]." (Page 92).

Sigh. Next tournament I'm printing off all of my army's INAT FAQ as well.

Anyway, he deploys in typical castling IG fashion in a corner. I reserve my 5 man flamer squad and a rhino with 10 GH/Wolf Guard.
ACTION SHOT! He's trying to influence my mind with a psychic power but Anathon is on the ball and denies his power with a roll of a 5.

That's the only time I'll roll that high this game, by the way. SPOILER ALERT!

I think about it and deploy far away in the corner and make him come to me, hoping he'll do so (even though it's table quarters). His executioners are only 36 inch range, so I know he'll have to drive up. I put Bjorn and his Dreadnought bodyguards across the table behind a building; a mistake as it turns out. Bjorn is notoriously hard to kill, but this game was so messed up luck-wise that it didn't matter.
He flies right up to me and unloads his melta gun vet squad right in Bjorns face. He hits with all shots, and rolls two sixes and a five. I fail all invuln saves and ask him to re-roll the damage result. He rolls as four, five, and a five again. Great. Bjorn blows up and remains on as an objective.
He blasts me with his manticore and psykers, hitting every single shot, never scattering save three times the whole game (I counted.)

Anyway, I get pounded first turn and he runs right at me, like I hoped. I still have five twin linked lascannons, two regular lascannons, and 15 missiles ready to rock, so no big deal!
Too bad, Stormcrow. I miss three times with twin linked with 6 rolls of twos, and fail to hit anything.
A better shot of what the map looks like when I open fire.
Anyway, I get a side shot on his Bane Wolf (Aptly named), and miss with a roll of a two and then a one. Whee! The above shot is me charging his remaining veteran squad members, and rolling three ones to wound. I had flamed them just before and lascannoned one. At least I hit that one. The only thing I do is immobilize his transport, blocking a tank. At least my long fangs can do something, but it won't be enough.
He moves up some more.
He blows up a razorback and stuns two others. I pass a few 5 up saves from Storm Caller but he rarely scatters and I can't stand up to his shooting for two turns like that (aka me not taking anything out for the whole game and him rarely missing).
So here's what's happening. He kills some long fangs up front and drives straight at me. My Dreadnought has side armor shots lined up. Bjorn has died first turn, and the dreadnought kills his two troopers and consolidates. Now it's my turn.
ACTION SHOT! Time to pop a tank/troop transports.
A solid miss-these are the twin linked shot results. Sigh.
Three razorbacks open fire! Misses on two, and the third rolls a one to penetrate a vendetta. That's the culprit dice. No, I'm not exaggerating. Mike is beginning to realize something is amiss and is really nice about the stomping I'm getting, so it's not that bad. He offers words of encouragement so the sting of failure isn't too annoying.
His turn three! He unloads some troops into my Dreadnought and tries to take a table quarter. He blows up the Dreadnought to no surprise to me. At least his army looks good doing so.
A shot of his other vet squad getting out. He realizes at this point they're safe as I can't hit anything, so he leaves them there. He kills some more Long fangs and another razorback on the far right side.
My turn! I get out and am ready to rumble. I realize I've lost so I need to at least work for a tie on the primary objective; I try to kill his troops. I shoot both razorbacks and all five Grey Hunters. Miss on all but one, which he fails his save. No dice on Jaws.
On the left corner I get out and try to annihilate his squad, or at least make them run. Normally I wouldn't do this, but I need to take his troops out or at least make him think about target priority. I shoot! Wound a few and a few die, but not enough. Sigh.
I pop a transport with one LF squad and unload on them.
My successful "to wound" rolls on the attack; my long fangs are on fire at least. However, he save all but three. Oh well.
A better shot of the aftermath of my barrage.
For his turn he drives away and plans to unload on my Grey Hunters with his executioners.
Here's what's left of my troops; he kills all of them.
A better shot of his deployment zone.
My flamer squad finally comes in from reserve and try to hold Bjorn.
They are about to get pulverized.
My last unit! I had another stunned razorback, but this was the only figure in fighting condition at the end of the game. He takes 22 points. We part ways amicably and he offers condolences for my luck. I wind up with...1..ONE...kill point.

I'd like to think that even someone who has never played before could at least get more kills than that with 7 lascannon shots (5 twin linked), 12 plasma shots(four combi plasma), and two melta shots(one combi melta), plus 15 missiles a turn if I need. Even if I line up and shoot and never move I should at least have a few more kill points. My dice were just atrocious that round, and was perhaps the worst game I've ever had luck-wise. He told me he is rolling better than he usually does. I'm like Castellan Crowe (buff my enemies and debuff myself). Mike was still a nice guy, and his army was really nicely painted. I would rather have played a non-IG army since that's mostly what I face at home from Boxersaint, but it was still an enjoyable experience. Oh-there were at least 8 IG players a the tournament. Whee!

Stay tuned for my other two games. Sneak Peek: My brand new dice decide to start working and my luck averages out and even goes my way a few times the next two games!