Pete's Place: The Battle for Carrollton


Battle Report #3 Battle for Carrollton

On the first Saturday of every month, there is a 40K tournament at Fantasy and Sci-fi Games (formerly Generation X) on Marsh Lane in Carrollton, Texas. While I had played there several times in the distant past, I had never been to the tournament before, and I was eager to see how my Blood Angels would fair against their cheesy tournament-winning armies.

It was quite a delight! The players there were reasonable, and instead of cheesy steam-rolling armies, I found that every opponent I played against had a very balanced army - the kind that score high for selection at GW tournaments, you might say.

So each game was 1500 points, no special characters, etc., etc., scored in the manner typical for GWUS grand tournaments. We rolled on the advanced mission selction table, and played for about two or two-and-a-half hours per game or until the game was over.

Rich, the Dark Eldar player, came out on top with 47 points. I came in close second with 42; and I was very pleased that I was granted second place in painting.

The Heroic Blood Angels (1499 Points)

HQ

Chaplain Gregor - equipped with jump pack, bolt pistol, frag grenades, melta bombs and the usual crozius arcanum and rosarius.

Death Company (variable size) - equipped with jump packs and usual array of close combat weapons. All Death Company also have frag grenades.

TROOPS

Tactical Squad Brutus (10 models) - lead by Veteran Brother-Sergeant Brutus, who carries a storm bolter and purity seals. The squad has a plasma gun and a lascannon.

Tactical Squad Gabriel (10 models) - lead by Veteran Brother-Sergeant Gabriel, who carries a bolter, meltabombs, and a power sword. The squad has a plasma gun and a missile launcher.

Tactical Squad Stilgar (10 models) - lead by Brother-Sergeant Stilgar, who is armed with a bolt pistol and chainsword. The squad has a flamer and a heavy bolter and is equipped with frag grenades.

Scout Squad Lister (6 models) - includes shotguns, bolt pistols and swords, as well as frag grenades.

FAST ATTACK

Attack Bike Squadron (2 models) - equipped with heavy bolters.

Assault Squad Adorno (10 models) - one brother carries a plasma pistol. All the other models are armed with bolt pistols and close combat weapons. In addition, the squad has been issued frag grenades and meltabombs.

HEAVY SUPPORT

Dreadnought Imperius - carrying an assault cannon and power fist with a built-in storm bolter. Imperius also sports a smoke launcher.

Predator Annihilator - twin lascannons in the turret with heavy bolter sponsons, extra armour, and smoke launchers.

Game 1: The Imperial Guard

The first game was a pleasant break from my usual. Instead of being outnumbered 3-1 by Sean's Tyranids, I was being outnumbered 3-1 by Doug's Imperial Guardsmen. (95 K)

IIRC, there were over 150 men in his army - luckily, though, I didn't have to face any tanks.

What made it so special, though, was that is was a mission I had never played before: Breakout! (see White Dwarf 245 for an excellent example of this mission played by none other than Andy Chambers and Jervis Johnson)

Because of my high strategy rating, I was able to choose to be the attacker; although I have to wonder what it would have been like to be the defender in this game.

Here you can see my Blood Angels caught in the middle between two hordes of Guardsmen (70 K)

The Mordian lascannons managed to immobilize my Annihilator pretty early on as I made my push across the board. (65 K)

While the Death Company and Squad Adorno cut a swath through the puny Imperial infantry, Squad Brutus bravely stayed behind to help the Annihilator fight off the approaching enemy. (71 K)

Despite taking heavy losses due to the clever use of plasma and melta weapons by my opponent, I managed to all but vaporize the entire Guard contingent on one side of the board and squeeze five units off for a victory in the sixth and final turn.

Game 2: The Imperial Guard

My second opponent was the infamous Bill Zalman. A veteran of the Chicago Grand tournament, Bill's Imperial Guard were easily the most spectacular miniatures present that day. I don't think there was any question that his army was the best looking, and indeed, he won first for "Best Painted."

The mission was a standard "Cleanse" operation, and he pinned me far back in my corner by placing one of his Chimeras near the center of the board. I got a little nervous when I saw the Sentinel squadron, but Bill assured me that due to their weak armour, they seldom last past turn 2.

Despite taking some frightening losses (including five members of Squad Brutus to a demolition charge!), I was able to push all of his units out of my deployment zone and contest the other three quarters of the board for a narrow victory.

Game 3: The Sisters of Battle

For my third game, I was to be matched up against this heavily armoured Imperial Guard army. Luckily, there was a last minute change of orders and I put my meltabombs away while I prepared to battle the wayward forces of the Ecclesiarchy. (72 K)

My third opponent, Mike (shown here in deep meditation prior to our game), had a large Sisters of Battle army.

Mike's Sisters were wonderfully painted; the only thing that kept him from competing as a painter was that only a few of the models in the game that day had been completed.

The mission was "Rescue", and after placing all six objective tiles, we deployed our troops on the board, positioned in a race to retrieve them.

Together with an Eversor Assassin, Mike's Seraphim really put the hurt on my forces, completely wiping out Squad Adorno. (79 K)

My forces retaliated, and although we had combined fire from two attack bikes, Squad Brutus, and the Predator Annihilator, we succeeded only in killing the Seraphim. The Assassin lived to plant a meltabomb on my tank. D'oh! (69 K)

In the end, though, a sandy-haired beekee from Squad Brutus retrieved the valuable article from the wreckage of a nearby Predator Annihilator, and I won the game. (68 K)

Everybody Else

The Land Raiders were out in force that day, much to the delight of Rich, the Dark Eldar Player, who no doubt had fun vaporizing them with his Disintegrators and Dark Lances.

Here's a suitably disgusting Nurgle Land Raider. (89 K)

This Space Wolf Land Raider ended up putting the hurt on the Nurgle forces... (65 K)

... by dumping a mob of Space Wolves out into assault range! (66 K)

I wish I had more time to photograph all the cool models, and indeed all the players that were there. Unfortunately, the camera was a loaner, so I'll have to weasel its owner into coming to the next tournament with me...

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