Another glorious victory for the Dark Angels, this time against Black Templars.
He had "The Mob", 18 models with a mix of marines led by a Chaplain and neophytes, a squad of 8 in a rhino led by an Emperors champion and a 5-man assault squad .
I fielded my usual force.
Take and Hold mission on a building in the centre of the battlefield.
My two Land Speeders nailed the Rhino on the first turn, then the marines that stumbled out on the second and third turns (I couldn't see them, unfortunately, as they came out of the vehicle on the first turn alas!). The Emperors Champion, however, disengaged from the unit and charged my Dreadnought. Not the sharpest tool in the box, that one. Although he could technically damage it (needing to roll 6 armour penetration) he ended up locked in combat with the Dread for the rest of the game. I counter-charged him with my Chaplain and assault squad, thinking I might have a chance through sheer weight of numbers.
Meanwhile, his assault squad landed and attacked my Rhino, only to find the hull tougher than expected. They then came under fire from my Tactical squads, losing two of their number, but were able to destroy the razorback. The final squad member failed his leadership test and started heading homewards, only to be unable to rally (I advanced the rhino to stop him from being able to!) then was finished off by the Land Speeders in the final turn.
The mob had moved forward at an astonishing rate during all of this, taking a couple of casualties from here and there. They charged into my assault squad to try and finish them off.
With only two turns to go, I had my two speeders as scoring units, plus one combat squad on the opposite flank to the fracas, all who could make it to the objective. I also had two combat squads on the right, close to the Mob, which at that point was still a scoring unit. So I did the only thing I could - the two combat squads charged in - not something that my opponent was expecting! In the ensuing mess that is multiple combats, I lost most of the two combat squads and all the assault troops, but I did reduce him to three marines and the champion.
Battle Honours go to:
One of my Veteran sergeants who had the coolness of nerve to extricate himself from the melee with his one surviving squad member, then recharge on the final turn...
The Dreadnought who managed to kill but one neophyte, yet kept locked in combat the Emperor's Champion for four turns.
The Land Speeders for killing the rhino, the squad inside it and then the assault squad almost entirely on their own. As usual, well worth their points.
Things learnt:
Units in multiple combats do not Sweeping Advance, so do not cut down opponents that break off from combat.
Black Templars move ridiculously fast, especially if you shoot them. If they take a casualty, they take a leadership test. If passed, they move toward the firing target, if failed, they break. This can, as you might think, be used to draw them away from your lines by shooting from behind, however the Chaplain means they can choose which enemy unit to move towards.
And They Shall Know No Fear allows the marines to not only pass their leadership test, but also to move and fire normally when they do (including charging!)
Emperor's Champions are nasty little buggers with a 2+ save.
Things my opponent learnt:
Take more anti-tank infantry. One hunter-killer as the only long-range weapon is not good. This particular one will henceforth be known as the "Thing that went ping"
Marines can (and will) fight in hand-to-hand if they need to.
Ignoring Land Speeders is suicide.
Don't let a unit of marines and neophytes with S4 and no power fists get into combat with a Dreadnought with Front Armour 12 (I recall us both learning that one the hard way!)
How To Use a Tape Measure. This was the guy who will move the front rank 6", then leap frog the second rank over the first.
Putting marines at the front of a squad, and the neophytes at the back for casualty removal doesn't work when the 12" range only covers the marines!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Oblivion - Those who are about to die salute you!
Well, Zauna's progress has been ever going onwards and upwards, literally so with the Oblivion Gates opening up all over the shop. Several have now been closed, however not without incident.
Boris and Doris managed to get lost in one of the Oblivion Planes I visited. On popping out of a door to find that the narrow bridge ahead had not been lowered, it transpired that the lads had been placed where the bridge wasn't, if you see what I mean. Cue hysterical laughter as the two of them spend a moment frozen in mid air, cartoon like, before gravity remembers they are there and they drop several hundred feet. I didn't seem them again until leaving that plane, but I suspect they had great fun running around on lava and getting to know the various beasties wandering around. I think it does them good to go out on their own every now and then! Fans will be glad to hear that they turned up after the gate was closed looking rather sheepish. And strangely silent about the whole affair. Since then, jokes about looking before you leap have not gone down well.
Another gate of note was the Bruma gate, where the local constabulary are all up for taking out the gate, but need to know how to do it. If you have an Oblivion Gate problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the Zauna-Team. Of course, the foray into the Plane had a terminal effect on most of the City Guards (apart from their invincible leader) Any allegations that the guards were killed by Blue-on-Blue friendly fire are untrue. It's not my fault the two magical staffs, one with an area-effect fireball and the other target-only, look identical. These things should be more carefully labelled so that mistakes aren't made in the heat of battle (no pun intended). Anyway, the people of Bruma seemed to be impressed, even if the official investigation into the incident continues. In Zauna's favour, however, is the fact that of the three surviving witnesses, two won't find their way home if they say anything and the third was unconscious after being clobbered by the Storm-atrach that was the real intended target of the giant ball of fire.
After those little jaunts, Zauna took a little R&R in Imperial City, and ended up as Grand Champion of the Arena in a little over two days. It would seem that starting these 'quests' at level 20 makes the whole thing a little easier - especially if you have a Paralysis-enchanted Wizards Staff. Yes, that's right. The gates go up, and the combatant runs towards you. One blast from the staff later, and they are on the floor. Finishing them off is then relatively easy (if a little one-sided). Of course, you can be given a nasty surprise by those that have some immunity to paralysis...
So Zauna (or Dragonheart as her fans call her) is now Grand Champion, and even has her own Adoring Fan. He's been tentatively christened Onion-head due to his hair-do, but I'll try and come up with something more catchy later. In the mean time, the little runts enthusiasm to lick clean my boots or give a back rub is going to get to me soon. I haven't the heart to send him on his way, as the scope for fun in devising ways to ...er... bump him off is too tempting (coming soon to this Blog! - a new miniseries titled Killing Onion-Head!). Yes, he's as un-killable as Boris and Doris! Alas, unlike the Thompson Twins, Onion-Head really is a complete wuss and runs at the first sign of trouble. However, since he insists on carrying a torch as soon as it gets dark, he makes a great decoy when exploring underground - any monster in the area sees the light and attacks on sight. Since Onion-Head's instinct is to run, and the monster's is to chase, it is therefore easy to wait for it to pass, then turn around and hit it in the back. Hey, it's not dishonourable to stab evil things in the back.
Along with a couple more completed side-quests, Zauna has also invested in the largest house available to buy. The manor in Skingrad is very nice, with the bonus of a hidden treasure in the basement. Expensive to add all the furnishings, however, which has led to an unexplained run of burglaries in the neighbourhood, starting with the weapons shop next door with the adjoining balcony. Damn cat burglars. A word to the wise, however; don't assume every house is going to be populated by one or two sleeping people at two in the morning. The house opposite the manor was full of undead! Not the sort of thing you want to meet when sneaking around without your armour on. There really should be a law against that sort of thing. Someone could get hurt.
The adventures continue...
Boris and Doris managed to get lost in one of the Oblivion Planes I visited. On popping out of a door to find that the narrow bridge ahead had not been lowered, it transpired that the lads had been placed where the bridge wasn't, if you see what I mean. Cue hysterical laughter as the two of them spend a moment frozen in mid air, cartoon like, before gravity remembers they are there and they drop several hundred feet. I didn't seem them again until leaving that plane, but I suspect they had great fun running around on lava and getting to know the various beasties wandering around. I think it does them good to go out on their own every now and then! Fans will be glad to hear that they turned up after the gate was closed looking rather sheepish. And strangely silent about the whole affair. Since then, jokes about looking before you leap have not gone down well.
Another gate of note was the Bruma gate, where the local constabulary are all up for taking out the gate, but need to know how to do it. If you have an Oblivion Gate problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the Zauna-Team. Of course, the foray into the Plane had a terminal effect on most of the City Guards (apart from their invincible leader) Any allegations that the guards were killed by Blue-on-Blue friendly fire are untrue. It's not my fault the two magical staffs, one with an area-effect fireball and the other target-only, look identical. These things should be more carefully labelled so that mistakes aren't made in the heat of battle (no pun intended). Anyway, the people of Bruma seemed to be impressed, even if the official investigation into the incident continues. In Zauna's favour, however, is the fact that of the three surviving witnesses, two won't find their way home if they say anything and the third was unconscious after being clobbered by the Storm-atrach that was the real intended target of the giant ball of fire.
After those little jaunts, Zauna took a little R&R in Imperial City, and ended up as Grand Champion of the Arena in a little over two days. It would seem that starting these 'quests' at level 20 makes the whole thing a little easier - especially if you have a Paralysis-enchanted Wizards Staff. Yes, that's right. The gates go up, and the combatant runs towards you. One blast from the staff later, and they are on the floor. Finishing them off is then relatively easy (if a little one-sided). Of course, you can be given a nasty surprise by those that have some immunity to paralysis...
So Zauna (or Dragonheart as her fans call her) is now Grand Champion, and even has her own Adoring Fan. He's been tentatively christened Onion-head due to his hair-do, but I'll try and come up with something more catchy later. In the mean time, the little runts enthusiasm to lick clean my boots or give a back rub is going to get to me soon. I haven't the heart to send him on his way, as the scope for fun in devising ways to ...er... bump him off is too tempting (coming soon to this Blog! - a new miniseries titled Killing Onion-Head!). Yes, he's as un-killable as Boris and Doris! Alas, unlike the Thompson Twins, Onion-Head really is a complete wuss and runs at the first sign of trouble. However, since he insists on carrying a torch as soon as it gets dark, he makes a great decoy when exploring underground - any monster in the area sees the light and attacks on sight. Since Onion-Head's instinct is to run, and the monster's is to chase, it is therefore easy to wait for it to pass, then turn around and hit it in the back. Hey, it's not dishonourable to stab evil things in the back.
Along with a couple more completed side-quests, Zauna has also invested in the largest house available to buy. The manor in Skingrad is very nice, with the bonus of a hidden treasure in the basement. Expensive to add all the furnishings, however, which has led to an unexplained run of burglaries in the neighbourhood, starting with the weapons shop next door with the adjoining balcony. Damn cat burglars. A word to the wise, however; don't assume every house is going to be populated by one or two sleeping people at two in the morning. The house opposite the manor was full of undead! Not the sort of thing you want to meet when sneaking around without your armour on. There really should be a law against that sort of thing. Someone could get hurt.
The adventures continue...
Monday, April 02, 2007
Oblivion - Dear Diary
Dear journal,
Well, I thought that this journal entry would have been written in our home, Weatherby, but alas that was not to be.
Whilst Reynald and I were thrilled to be re-united, and further rejoiced at thinking Zauna would take us to our home, my enthusiasm is beginning to wane.
I am not sure Zauna knows where she is going.
I would not say a bad word against her; she is of a brave heart, and will make an effective and honourable Knight (assuming people can overlook her insistence of looting every monster corpse we come across). Also, she seems to be unable to remember names very well. She persists in referring to us as Boris and Doris, with no consistency applied to which of us is which. Sometimes she refers to us as Molly and Polly, and at other times as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. So strange.
She also has no ability at all when it comes to reading a map. She clearly has Weatherby marked on there, and yet we have been travelling for nearly two months and we haven't reached it yet. We've been from Bruma to Anvil to Leyawiin and back. We even ended up in an Oblivion plane at one point. From what we can piece together, she is on some sort of quest vital to the Empire, but what this may be escapes me.
She also seems to disappear at times. There have been times and places when I know Zauna had to have been with us, and yet I cannot remember her being there. Instead, I recall a figure in a grey mask.
One benefit both Renald and I have found is that our fighting skills are increasing! Whilst I was always keen to avoid combat wherever possible (and hence why we asked Zauna to kill the trolls at Weatherby for us) in these dangerous times it has been necessary to defend ourselves, and aid Zauna in exterminating the evil creatures that threaten our Empire.
Well, I must end this journal entry here. Zauna is sure the way to Weatherby lies to our west (an area I am sure we covered last week. Or the week before). Still, I have to trust that she will take us there soon.
Germain.
Well, I thought that this journal entry would have been written in our home, Weatherby, but alas that was not to be.
Whilst Reynald and I were thrilled to be re-united, and further rejoiced at thinking Zauna would take us to our home, my enthusiasm is beginning to wane.
I am not sure Zauna knows where she is going.
I would not say a bad word against her; she is of a brave heart, and will make an effective and honourable Knight (assuming people can overlook her insistence of looting every monster corpse we come across). Also, she seems to be unable to remember names very well. She persists in referring to us as Boris and Doris, with no consistency applied to which of us is which. Sometimes she refers to us as Molly and Polly, and at other times as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. So strange.
She also has no ability at all when it comes to reading a map. She clearly has Weatherby marked on there, and yet we have been travelling for nearly two months and we haven't reached it yet. We've been from Bruma to Anvil to Leyawiin and back. We even ended up in an Oblivion plane at one point. From what we can piece together, she is on some sort of quest vital to the Empire, but what this may be escapes me.
She also seems to disappear at times. There have been times and places when I know Zauna had to have been with us, and yet I cannot remember her being there. Instead, I recall a figure in a grey mask.
One benefit both Renald and I have found is that our fighting skills are increasing! Whilst I was always keen to avoid combat wherever possible (and hence why we asked Zauna to kill the trolls at Weatherby for us) in these dangerous times it has been necessary to defend ourselves, and aid Zauna in exterminating the evil creatures that threaten our Empire.
Well, I must end this journal entry here. Zauna is sure the way to Weatherby lies to our west (an area I am sure we covered last week. Or the week before). Still, I have to trust that she will take us there soon.
Germain.
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