This Is A Helmet: Tournament Report: 3 Games of Stompy, Blasty, Fun!

Finally, the reports I've promised.

Note: Lost my notes from the games (bad me) so I’m doing this almost entirely from memory.

My List:

HQ-
Knight Commander Pask (Leman Russ Executioner) - Lascannon and Plasma Cannons
Leman Russ Executioner - Hull/Sponson Heavy Bolters

Troops-
Veteran Squad - Meltagun x3
Chimera - Multilaser and Heavy Bolter

Platoon Command - Grenade Launcher and Autocannon
Infantry Squad - Grenade Launcher and Autocannon
Infantry Squad - Grenade Launcher and Autocannon

Fast Attack-

Vulture Gunship - TL Punisher Cannons

Vendetta Gunship

Heavy Support-

Thunderer Siege Tank

Fortification-

Aegis Defense Line - Quadgun Emplacement

Imperial Knight Detachment-

Knight Paladin

Game 1 – Versus Green Raven Guard (No Pics, Sorry)

His List:

Captain – Powerfist and Plasma Pistol

Terminator Squad x5 – Assault Cannon and Chainfist

Dreadnought – Plasma Cannon and Heavy Flamer

Tactical Squad x10 – Flamer, Plasma Cannon, Combi-Flamer, and Meltabombs in a Rhino

Scouts x5 – Sniper Rifles, Missile Launcher, and Camo Cloaks

Assault Squad x5 – Plasma Pistol x2 and Power Axe/Plasma Pistol

Assault Squad x5 – Plasma Pistol x2 and Thunder Hammer/Combat Shield

Devastator Squad x10 – Lascannon x2, Multimelta, and Missile Launcher

Devastator Squad x6 – Plasma Cannon x2 and Heavy Bolter x2 in Razorback with TL Lascannon

Devastator Centurions – TL Heavy Bolter, TL Lascannon, Grav Cannon, and Hurricane Bolters

Aegis Defense Line – Quadgun

Deployment:

Short Edges – I deployed first and kept my infantry behind the defense line in a way that held three of the objectives from the word go. My Knight took the left flank, with a Thunderer and the Veterans in support while Pask and the other Thunderer took the right flank.

He setup his D-Line with the Captain and full Devastator Squad holding it. Rhino move opposite my knight (hoping to flame my platoon) and the Devastator’s Razorback took the right in order to avoid my nice (seems legit.) His Assault Squads and Terminators stayed in reserves to deep strike.

Early-Game:

His scouting and infiltrators tried to pressure my right but shooting trapped them in no man’s land where they’d hug cover for half the game. The Dreadnought came down and tried to push for Pask but Pask took him out first for First Blood.

My Knight moved up his side and got into combat with a mere tactical combat squad, eventually losing four hull points to meltabombs before he’d get free (grrrr!) The Thunderer starts taking pot shots at his Devastators so that they’d duck and have to snap shot my flyers with the quad. The plan works.

Mid-Game:

His remaining reserves come on but junk rolling means 3-4 guardsmen die on the turn they come in only for them to be cut down before they get anther turn. The Drop Pod would survive most of the game and give them a locator beacon though so he didn’t ever have to risk a mishap. The sudden action in my backfield also caused me to turn my Veterans around to help out so the Knight is mostly going it alone.

My flyers come on and wreck face. The Vulture finishes his small devastators and then the scouts. The Vendetta starts thinning the Centurions which are trying their best to be annoying. The Knight continues his slap fight for now.

End-Game:

He’s out of reserves and I've no lost a single whole unit so I go aggressive. The Knight, freed from a mere five marines, throws battle cannon fire at the remaining devastators, snagging the Captain to good luck on my part, before charging the other combat squad (mostly to get extra movement) and slaughtering them. Both my flyers will go into hover in his backfield which nets me the better version of Behind Enemy Lines with the Knight. They also finish his devastators and Centurions, which tables him and nets me all but one possible point for the game…the painting score I can’t get.

WIN TO IMPERIAL GUARD

Game 2 – Versus Traitor Guard (I swear, they’re the traitors)

His List:

Knight Commander Pask – Battle Tank with Two Battle Tank bodyguards

Veteran Squad – 2 Meltaguns in a Chimera

Vendetta Squadron x3

Banewolf

Devil Dog x2

Deployment-

Short Table Edges

My Side

His Side

Early-Game-

Immobilization traps his fast tanks in mid-field, where they’d eventually be taken out. The Knight advances up his side, even running so that he can come to blows with Pask. His Veterans stay in cover the whole time so they do nothing but I can’t get at then either.

Mid-Game-

His Vendetta Squadron come in and ace Pask (vengeance!) despite his smoke, which failed to go off the first time. My Vulture would come on and would turbo-boost onto his field. Snap shots and the Quad-Gun stun all of his planes but kill none. The Knight continues to bear down on the enemy, getting closer J His Pask butcher’s my Chimera but the Veterans are ok.

Late-Game-

His flyers collide in mid-air thanks to stuns, killing one, and snap shots prevent any more harm. My Vendetta comes on and between it to the front and the Vulture behind (Vector Dancer!) I take the squadron down.

This happens…

Muhahahahhahahahahahah! *Gasps for Breath* Muhahahahahahahahaha!

…and I laugh. The Knight would eventually kill them and he’d finally do something with his Veterans but I’d make enough Ion Shield saves to stay alive. Plus, this meant that his guys were out and about for my Veterans to get the jump on them before the Vulture and Knight finish him off by tabling him.

WIN FOR IMPERIAL GUARD!

Game 3 – Versus Necrons

His List:

Destroyer Lord x2

Warriors x5 in a Night Scythe

Wraiths x6 – Lash Whips (or Whatever)

Lightning Open-topped Skimmer Deal x3 (hate them.)

Deployment-

Long Table Edges

His Side, My Left

His Side, Middle

My Left

My Right

The Game-

I’ll be honest, this game was intense and I’m still reeling from it. Without my notes, I’m forced to reduce this to highlights and two poor pictures.

I lay into his wraiths but the Lords refuse to stay down, allowing them to still be a nuisance.
His flyers get the jump on mine so he has three that are still around at the end. Thankfully, I was able to keep forcing him to jink so they didn’t do much offensively.
Fearing his Gauss, I kept the Knight back at first, which worked out fine since the battle cannon really helped against the Wraiths. Eventually, the Knight feel to warriors (only once the whole tournament) but not before claiming a Lord, two Annihilation Barges (?), and five warriors in melee.
He makes more Jink saves that should be legitimately possible (at least 4/5), and even forgets that he failed a few (which I allow since I just want to move on and he already has a mild reputation as a cheater anyway.)
My Knight steps on one Lord to kill him and the other takes some melta fire to the face from my Veteran squad, who had already tackled an Annihilation Barge. The Veterans would go on to secure me linebreaker.
His Warriors would teleport onto my objectives that he needed but achieved 6/8 of his points on turn one which were all objectives in his deployment.
On the final turn we were tied (which would have had him taking first in the tournament and me around fourth) and he had achieved all the points he could (Pask was safe) while I had only one more available…causing him to fail a moral check. I figured my luck had finally run out but, just in case (because quitting is for suckers and xenos) I started targeting his warriors just enough to kill 1-2 and force him to fail a check. He passes one, then two, then three, and so on up to five checks of various kinds (Ld 10 and fearless makes Necrons hard to phase.) Finally, his last check is rolled and the dice stop on…five…and…six! This nets me the victory by one point despite his point lead from painting.

WIN FOR IMPERIAL GUARD

I end of taking the tournament as the only undefeated player and buy myself a Bastion to make an Imperial Strongpoint with.

Extra Pictures From the Last Game and Other Armies: