Monday 23 December 2013

A Festivus for the rest of us...

Good morning dear reader,

Sadly this will be the final post from me this year as EWA has closed it's doors... for 2 weeks. Which means the Festivus season has arrived and we all have 2 weeks to get our miniatures assembled and / or painted, ready for the new year and the games that it'll bring in 2014.

Last Friday went off with a pop with a few games of everything were on the go, the first of which was a massive 5000 point 40k game between dudes and non-dudes:

got dice?




On a couple of the other tables were some skirmish games:

Necromunda:



... and this one:


bringing the grey
 and the WHFB lads had a couple games of WHFB (in case you couldn't guess):

Ogres vs Orcs 'n Gobbo's:



and Tomb Kings vs Warriors of Chaos:




..which brings the first year of blog posts to a close. So, I'm going to take this opportunity to thank everyone who read this blog and / or comments. It certainly kept me going, seeing that page view count creep up and hearing the comments in person on a Friday after a post. Without YOU, the reader, I probably would have discontinued this blog, so thank you all for the interest :-)

To all the EWA members and readers I would like to wish you a Happy Festivus or Merry Christmas or whatever you're doing for the next 2 weeks. Please everyone, take care and make safe choices. I want to see everyone in one piece next year.

So until then reader, stay safe and have fun.

See you next year at the club,
-Bensome


Tuesday 17 December 2013

The end is nigh

Hello viewers!

How's it? I'm good thanks, just gearing up for the end of year festive celebrations. Speaking of which, this coming Friday will be the last EWA meet for the year and is set to re-open it's doors in January. If i'm not mistaken, the club will be closed for 2 weeks.

It's not closed yet though so all the games are still being played. Look I'll prove it to you with pictures:

New to the club (as far as I know) were a group playing some Star Trek, which was good to see a different game on the tables..






40k was also on the tables where an interesting match up of Daemon vs Landcruisinators.
Shane brought along the newly released rules for Be'lakor and for giggles, a host of greater Daemons. In response Andrew brought along a land cruiser and terminator opposition...






Another game of Malifaux was being played...



... as well as a very entertaining game of WHFB where I got to test my Cancon Lizardmen list...


this is the result of 10 skinks shooting with blowpipes. Poison FTW!


Frustratingly for Shamps, this happened twice. His Grail knights held up by 1 skink which passed a break test... twice.


... and the Necromunda campaign was being continued:



That's it! Only one more post until the end of the year! Lets try and make the last meet for 2013 a big one.

As always feel free to leave comments or critiques, they're a great help to make this blog feel less dead :p

Other than that, see you Friday!
-Bensome

Thursday 5 December 2013

Images of EWA meets past


Good Friday one and all!

First up, I apologize for not posting last week but there wasn't much happening at the club and it would of been a very small post. So I decided to merge 2 weeks into one... wait a minute... why am I apologizing? The reason why I didn't post was because YOU weren't there (only 3 games were on that week)! 
Seeing as I'm a forgiving, generous, kind and humble person so I'll forgive you this time :p

So, with your excuses and apologies out of the way, lets get down to viewing some piccies eh? Good.


Mmmkay, first off we've a game of something I'm not too sure of (EDIT: I've since been told that this game is Urban War)



... some hot 40k action, Marines vs Space Elves:



.. and good ol' fashioned WHFB match up, Warriors of Chaos vs Lizardmen:

skinks everywhere!

it took near 5 turns for this Daemon Prince to knock downs this Skrox unit!


we also have a couple of games of Necromunda which is in season right now:

Game 1.

The Predator?



Game 2.


and an inaugural WHFB game for one of our members, Warriors of Chaos (Slaanesh flavoured) vs Dwarfs:




For something a little different in flavour, Malifaux:



Over on the right of the bus you'll see a game of Warhammer 40,000 in mid flight...

the Eldar sneak into the Chaos base while the vehicles were asleep.




... and over on the left of the bus you'll see a game of Warmachine in action:



A game of Triumph & Treachery was on the table last week, the first of what I assume will be many games of this very enjoyable WHFB expansion.
Bretonnians with Skaven mercenaries vs Dwarfs solo vs Lizardmen with Chaos mercenaries:





So that's what's been happening at the club these past 2 weeks.
In store tonight will be yet another game of WHFB where I'll test out my Cancon tournament list and Necromunda continues it's revival. What else is on? *shrugs* You'll have to pop down and see.

Until then dear dice throwers,
-Bensome

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Warhammer World Series: A study of bad luck.

Mmmmmmmgood evening One and All!

I have returned from the 2 day WHFB tournament 'Warhammer World Series' (WWS) with pictures to show and tales of failure to tell. WWS was held last weekend at the Hampton Games Club and featured 7 games over 2 days.
"So?" I hear you think, "What's so good about that?" you continue.
Well I'm glad you asked, as I am going to tell you. WWS is not a standard tourney. It is one where the game tables are already set out with 2 armies, each balanced against the other. You do not bring your own army... you roll off for which one you would like to play with and the opponent decides the table sides.

Now before I start throwing images up here you can find all the match ups and army lists here at the organisers blog http://hoodlinghole.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/warhammer-world-series-armies.html

The above is so I don't have to explain what army contains what in detail, you can do all the leg work athankye very much.

So, let my record of this tournament commence!

Arriving Saturday morning, tired, hungry (no breakfast, go me!) and excited / nervous I perused the hall checking out all the tables and making mental notes as to which army I would like to play (and then subsequently throwing those notes into my mental bin).

Before too long a screen set up in the hall displayed the first rounds match ups... and I was playing a chap named Tim in an Empire vs Vampire Counts on table 7. Then the timer on said screen began to count down from 2:00:00

Now I can't remember who won the roll of to decided who played what, but I ended up with a mageless, cannonless Empire army and my opponent was playing the Monster Infantryless, Vampireless Vampire Counts.

Setting up pretty much direct opposite from each other, I basically just run forward. I cut an early break with Tim failing an important Black Knight charge against my knight block, allowing me a counter charge and wiping them in 1 round.



It didn't take long before men were beating down zombies, skellies and grave guard. One of my witch hunters lost in a 3 turn challenge with a guard champ and one of my warrior priests barely scraped through an arduous tussle.

stacks on!

The below shot is the last turn. Tim only managed to kill 1 of my witch hunters where managed to do the opposite, leaving only his 2 necromancers alive (hiding beside the sphinx on the left). Go me :p


1st round score; 17 - 3 win!


Round 2 !!


Dark Elves vs Tomb Kings on table 17:

If I remember correctly I chose to play as the Kings this turn. Why? *shrugs* I don't like elves?
My opponent James obviously didn't play the Kings.

Same fare here as above, we both lined up though I was more spread out and he wasn't. I had a priest and prince in the skeleton block and he had a mage in his crossbowmen and mounted bsb in a corsair block.

Note much to report here, his corsairs became stuck in combat with my Giant and then eventually broke from a charge of skeletons. The elves just could roll high enough to wound the big brute before that happened.

My bowmen found their mark fairly often clearing off the crossbows, harpies and some dark riders.

In the end, his Kharibdyss charged the flank of my sphinx, lost combat and ran (then next turn was caught), his Cold One knights smashed some of my chariots and my mage had his throat cut in combat.


Kitten chases down the rabid sea snake 

End result, 13 - 7 win!


Round 3 !!

High Elves vs Dark Elves, table 5:

This battle had the old enemies the High and Dark Elves face off in an almost identical match up.

My opponent Hieu and I just looked at each other and laughed... this was going to be a close fight we thought. Both of us really didn't know what most of the stuff did either, but we gave it a shot.

To add to our puzzlement of how this match would play out, our magic phases were both very simple. I had a magic missile and teleport spell form High Magic, he had vortex and power dice recoup from Dark Magic. Now seeing as he can only use six dice to cast his vortex, the power boost was a bit of a waste.

 Early on also, my mage miscast and lost his magic missile, leaving only the teleport... to teleport nothing as it was either in combat or not wanting to be in combat -_-

Hieu only managed to cast the vortex once or twice regardless of how hard he tried.



Both of our bolt throwers almost always failed to hit and when they did, failed to wound anything... except  at the very end. The below pic shows how I lined up a charge into his knights... before a lucky bolt pierced and killed both my General and BSB... those guys sucked anyway.


The above disaster resulted in a 5 - 15 loss for me,


Round 4!!

Tomb Kings vs Lizards, table 14:

Getting towards the end of the day, I was starting to feel really tired and could not think straight.. so I decided to play as Lizards seeing as I've already played as Tomb Kings. My opponent Chris didn't get a say and went with the kings.

How's this for a game start.. turn 1 his catapult targets my steg, hits, wounds, kills steg. Turn 1. I haven't even moved yet.

There really isn't much to report here.. the game was over in an hour just about.

His sphinx charges my slann and saurus block, so what do they do? Hold Run... ... ... for serious.



During the last turn (turn 3 or 4) my D3 desiccated block is charged by chariots and necro knights.. Chris drops the mic, I throw in the towel.

yep.. D3 off their stats.. sucks to be them

End result 0 - 20 loss

I was done. Couldn't be arsed and just wanted to survive the drive home so I could rest my weary mind. I really didn't think I could go another day of gaming.. but I did.. 'cos I'm awesome :p



Day 2 and round 5 !!

Sunday Bloody Sunday and I'm feeling refreshed and surprised that I felt like gaming! Positive vibes coursing, I tackled round 5 with gusto and nerves.

Ogres vs Skaven, table 6:

Winning the decision to choose armies, I went with Skaven over Ogres as the rotund beasties are a main army in my collection and I wanted to play something different. Plus, I've played Shamps' rats enough times to hate being on the wrong end of their overpowered toys.

The first couple of rounds, my opponents Hannes loses his Yhetees and Mournfang to a Doomwheel, Slaves and Censer bearers. We were both surprised when my slave block managed to kill a mega cat (or Mournfang if you wanted to use their proper name)... but then we realised it was because they were equipped with great weapons and he just had to roll 1's and 2's for his armour saves.

 I found it amusing that I misfire with the Doomwheel and as a result, gain an extra die for its random movement rolls. Woo! Outdated rat rules FTW!



Below is what the end of the game looked like. He ended up destroying my priest block and he lost everything bar his Lords / Heroes (with 1 wound a piece >.<). We both found it incredulous when my doomwheel made an unlikely 19 inch charge into the rear of his irongut block and then shot it's lightning killing off the last of that unit.


Awes looking Yhetees
Because of his surviving Heroes the game ended in 10 - 10 draw. Bugger! So close.


Round 6


Beastmen vs Lizards, table 16.

Rolling off I went with the Beastmen while my opponent Jabe, went with Lizards.

This game was the most annoying, frustrating, amusing game of Warhams I'd played in a long time.
I had resigned my win early on when I lost my bsb to an amber spear and my units thought they'd be better off fleeing the battle then standing to fight.. jerks.

The game had 2 almost completely different games within itself... the first games was my main block advancing while his retreated, eventually getting into combat and then him tearing them apart. It was at that time I realised the block were only equipped with shields for armour and were strength 3.. yeah.. I wasn't winning that fight.

The 2nd game was my Jabberslythe flying about the place pinging wounds of his skinks (making one unit flee) using it's madness aura. I also had a skirmish ungor unit throwing blunt arrows at another skirmish unit (skinks) who're dodging the charge arch of a frustrated spawn and ungor combined. It was comical at the very least to see 5 - 6 turns of ungors moving in arc, shooting, missing, spawn lining up, failing charge & skinks moving out of the way .. repeat. Good times :-)


the chariot who fled most of the fight rallied .. to be charged by a steg :p
 So a dismal display on my part it was still quite an enjoyable game. Love me some Jabberslythe maddness.

End result 1 - 19 loss

Final Round !

Skaven vs Gobbos and squigs, table 1.

Firstly, this was one fantastic looking table, brilliantly depicting an underground battleground. Secondly, my luck still sucked. Or perhaps it was my opponents (Mark) good luck.

In the first turn of the game, Mark runs his scouting rats forward in a wide line to force reveal my fanatics from both goblin blocks. Yes the fanataics kill the rats but now I've 4 fanatics in my way preventing me from advancing.

Next Mark gets the spell 'Scorch' off and causes a couple of wounds off a goblin block with mage.. to which the fail the panic check, fail the re-roll and run off the board... turn 1. I hadn't even moved yet.

Taking a deep breath and the attitude of 'F*ck it' I move everything that I can towards whatever the units can engage.. then I fail animosity and my trolls suffer stupidity. Urge to kill rising.

rats deployed in the Warpstone mine (centre) and run forward to unveil fanatics
In the end, squigs chomped through stuff, rats killed everything else except a squig herd and Mark holds the watchtower. Oh, I forgot to mention that this battle was using the watchtower scenario with a difference being that the mine (watchtower) was open ground and not a building... worth 800 points. So everything I killed on the field was made back because of that tower.. bleh.

the final round and last stand of goblins
End result 0 - 20 loss and a ranking of 31st out of 36. So not last. Yay! Go me :p

-----

Coming up at the club this Friday might be a game of Triumph & Treachery and Necromunda (yet to be confirmed regarding dates?). There is also talk of Mordheim being run alongside the Necromunda campaign which should be good.

Well I've hoped you've enjoyed this tournament write as I've enjoyed playing it. As always feel free to comment and make me feel loved and if you've pics or a write up yourself @ EWA, shoot it through to me via email and i'll edit and pop it up :-)

Cheers,
-Bensome