Warhammer Fantasy Battle Report: Orcs vs. Tomb Kings

A Tale of X-Gamers.....This seems to be a revolving number of players in the Berks-Pa Gaming Club that are participating in a Warhammer Fantasy Battles uprising.    I myself first got my start in table top wargaming outside of Role Playing Games with Warhammer Fantasy.   My Dwarfs of Clan Steel Thunder were my original army.

Now with the release of 8th edition, a year later, 7 or 8 of us in Berks are looking to get back involved with Fantasy Battles.    So, following a format of the classic "Tale of 4 Gamers" from the White Dwarf magazines, we are doing something similar in our game club.   The initial plan is to construct 500 point armies, build them, paint them and play at least one game with them within 6-8 weeks. 

Now that I finally got on to this project, I had opted to go with the arch enemy of my beloved Dwarves, and roll with Orcs & Goblins.   The decision was easy, as first of all, it is the classic enemy to my favorite army.  The other determining factor was that I had over 1500 points of unbuilt, unpainted Orcs & Goblins laying around on shelves in the "Man Cave".   So it just was econimically smart to get this project under way.

Like any true "fluff" player, I had to come up with how I was going to go with the background of my army.   Deciding that a young and upcoming Orc Big Boss would start to assemble units of his warband into his own Waaagh! one day, I decided to keep it simple.    So here came Big Boss Gorlab (Balrog spelled backwards).     No Orc Boss is worth his salt without a few bands of orc boyz along, so I threw in a mob of Orc boyz and Orc Arrer boyz I had sitting around.    To fill out final points I added 7 of the Forest Goblin Spider Riders from the old Battle For Skull Pass boxed set.

My army looked like this:
* Big Boss Gorlab: Shield, handweapon, Shrieking Blade (causes fear), Armor of Fortune (Heavy armor and 5+ ward save).
* Boyz Mob: 20 boyz, extra hand weapons, shields, light armor, musician, standard bearer and Boss.
* Arrer Boyz mob:  15 Orc Arrer boyz  (hand weapon, bow, light armor)
* 7 spider Riders:   (hand weapon, short bow, spear, shield).

And that totals up to a simple 500 points.    My opponent this month was my friend Colin Galen who brings with him Tomb Kings.   However, due to timing, he had to play this game with the old rules and due to the costs and numbers, he was at a disatvantage.

We played a mission from the book, where you must capture a tower in the center of the board.   We used a ruins structure I have that would work well for the main objective of the game.

The Tomb Kings set up to the far North, a unit of skeletal archers centrally located and a unit of warriors with a Tomb King or Guardian of some sorts just to the East of them  (Orcs facing North, deploying from the South).   The leader was not attatched to a unit but using walls for cover and also was a sorcerer of sorts.

The Orc Arrer Boyz set up to move into the ruined structure, preparing to garrison it.  To the South East I had the unit of Orc Boyz flanked by the Spider Riders that I was planning to use to move through the woods as fast cavalry and close the distance on the skeletal archers.

Tomb Kings turn 1:  They moved, took range at the orcs, only to miss with all of their shots or failing to wound on any of them.

Orc turn 1:  Gorlab himself was attatched to the large mob of Orc boyz, leading his troops into battle.     As fate would have it, the Orc Arrer Boyz rolled animosity, but rolled a "6", and got "we'll show 'em!" and surged forward into the ruined building, setting up their garrison and the movement put them in range of the skeletal archers, allowing them to fire at the archers and taking out 2 of them.

The other units simply advanced under march trying to close the distance with their enemies.

Tomb Kings turns 2 & 3:  These pretty much saw Skeletal Archers shooting at Orcs, and very rarely wounding them and when they did score wounds, the orcs usually managed to save the wounds.  I think a total of 3 orcs died in 3 turns of shooting.    The Tomb King Sorcerer kept trying to cast his spell upon his archers, aiding them in their attacks.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes I managed to dispell it.

Orc turns 2 & 3:   Orc infantry and spider riders continued to advance through the woods.    Orc Arrer boyz continued to whittle down the skeletal archers, who kept mananging to regenerate a few each turn or their Tomb King sorcerer would reanimate a few each turn.

Tomb King turn 4:   As orc forces continued to close the distance, the skeletal foot soldiers prepared themselves to be in a position to avoid a charge by the advancing orcs.    The sorcerer continued to reanimate fallen skeletal archers and managed to stay out of Line-of-sight so that he could not be targeted by Orc archers.

Orc turn 4:  Forest Goblin spider riders closed the gap on the skeletal archers.    Orc arrer boyz were doing enough damage that the sorcerer could not reanimate them all fast enough.    Sooner or later the skeletal archers were going to fall.    The Orc infantry boyz kept closing the gap, moving slowly through the forests in their path.

Tomb King turn 5:  Again more repositioning, the skeletal warriors prepare for the orc assault, reforming just to hopefully be at the edge of charge reach for the orcs.    The skeletal archers took out some of the spider riders but cause them to flee far enough away.

Orc turn 5:  Orc infantry boyz and Gorlab fail their charge against the skeletal warriors.    The orcs now prepare themselves to be assaulted.   Orc archers manage to finish off the skeletal archers along with aid from the spider riders, who were forced to flee.

Tomb King turn 6:  The Skeletal Warriors with a Guardian or something, assault the Orcs.   Gorlab calls out a challenge and the Skeletal leader accepts.    The fight is burtal, and ends in drawn combat.

Orc turn 6:  Arrer boyz finish off skeletal archers.    Gorlab, in single combat, cuts down the skeletal tomb king sergeant/veteran.    The orcs win the combat but the tomb kings remain locked in combat.    The sorcerer looks for a safe place to hide.

Tomb King turn 7:  More skeletal warriors die but hold their ground.   Things look grim for the Tomb Kings.

Orc turn 7:  Gorlab has fun killing skeletons.   The combat again is drawn, and the orcs find the Tomb Kings to be tough opponents in close quarters.    Game ends here, Orcs in control of the Garrisoned tower.   A win for Gorlab and  his Orc Boyz!

Warhammer 40K Battle Report: Imperial Guard vs. Orks

Warhammer 40,000 Battle Report




A Fall of Masuda campaign battle report:

Round 2: Cadian 17th vs. Da Red Finga (Orks).

Mission: Blitzkrieg (Ork as attackers). Terrain: Ruins.

Points: Orks: 1200: 1050 + 150 Mercenaries, Imperial Guard: 1150: 1000 + 150 Mercenaries (Orks)

Looking to press their advantage around the mountainous region where they had made their base, the Imperial Guard forces of the Cadian 17th are looking to purge the immediate area of evil and filth.

3 Objectives set out. Deployment is spearhead, so objectives were center of board and center of line from corner to corner on non-deployment zone sides.

Orks have pressed on into the ruins and region to the East. Colonel Colwyn Dray saw the incoming threat of “Da Red Fingaz”. Scouts had been watching them and their continued harassment of loyal imperial forces. More importantly was how the information on the Red Orks whereabouts came from.

Unlikely allies, spies or mercenaries, depending upon one’s point of view. A unit of what can be termed as “commandos” arrived with a message from their “Warlord”. The message, while crude, was legible and detailed locations, forces and equipment of a ‘rival’ ork clan. The message had one final part to it:

“Help is on itz way to help you fight da Red Orks. For Da Emporror…..Warlord Krogg”

Uncertain exactly what that meant, the first part of the message was clear, Ork forces were on their way with the intention to strike. Colonel Dray figured to cut them off half way. Selecting a strategic section of one of the ruined city sections, Gunships were dispatched to help channel and guide the outriders of the incoming Ork force.

Relying more upon stronger defenses, Col. Dray selected a counter-strike team to help him with this mission. A lone sentinel scout walker was set forth to outflank, while sappers and a recon team of the 501st had scouted ahead and affixed bombs and booby traps to key locations within the ruined city.

Commissar Vilken Mortimer joined the Colonel and took command of the Infantry Platoon consisting of 3 squads and Lt. Ozgood Derg. Derg and Mortimer would combine the squads with Mortimer holding the units together in one strong regiment and Lt. Derg would help usher the other supporting forces through the ruined city.

Ork turn 1: Ork scout forces led through the ruined city streets with two squads of Deffkoptas zooming through the streets. They found no Cadian forces to fight, as the Colonel held all of his units back in reserve. The Ork units crept up towards the back side of the Cadian deployment zone in hopes of denying room and space for battletanks and the large unit of men to deploy.

IG turn 1: Seeing the ‘dirty trick’ employed by the Orks, Col. Dray was ready to counter every move of the Orks. A veteran of the Pillars Of Hatred, the Colonel had become a wise tactician. Of the roaming scout sentinels he dispatched, one of them arrived early.

• In Blitzkrieg missions, only Fast units can deploy, everything else goes into reserve. Also, any fast units in reserve may arrive on turn one on a roll of a 4+ on a D6.

The Scout Sentinel arrived on the Eastern Flank, behind a trio of Ork Defcoptas. The driver opened fire with his multilaser, damaging one of the walkers. He then brought his walking machine into an assault with the Deffkoptas, that were not armed with a buzzsaw, and thus no way to damage the walker.

Ork turn 2: Two massive units of Ork boyz made their arrival from the far North. They would simply just start moving as far as they could. The Ork Deffkoptas tied up in the assault remain locked up, as they were unable to pull away with their “hit and run” skill at this time.


Cadian Turn 2: Commissar Mortimer arrives with his triple combined squad of 30 men. The Punisher tank and heavy weapons team also arrived. The Punisher tank opened fire with its Gatling cannon and took out the two roaming, rocket-armed deffkoptas. As for Commissar Mortimer, his units added their numbers to the fight and took down the remaining deffkoptas that were engaged with the Sentinel Walker. Despite Ork attempts at sabotage, the Punisher remained un-hindered in its duty.



Ork turn 3: More orks forces arrive, all the orks can do at this point is run and move. Big Mek Arrives with unit of grots and a Shokk Attack Gun in the North West.


Cadian turn 3: A Leman Russ Battletank also arrives and lends its firepower to the fight. Combining fire with the Punisher tank, they cause some casualties on the orks. The Commissar takes his unit North and West, the Sentinel trying to draw fire from the orks. Heavy weapons teams lay down supporting fire with Heavy Bolters. Ork units seem wary to enter any buildings for fear of booby traps (and they are correct in assuming that).


A Chinork transport Copter had arrived behind the Cadian lines. At first, Colonel Dray thought he was being outflanked himself, his command squad arriving in a Vendetta Gunship. They had landed prior to the battle starting, and it was his reinforcements, the Ork Mercenaries from Warlord Krogg. The leader, a Noble ork, or “Nob” as they are called, named Moosh, led the troops around the southwest towards the ruined building where Da Red Finga Orks were clinging to an objective in the ruins.

Ork turn 4: Ork warboss finally arrives with a contingent of troops. All other orks continue to move and run, but are doing such slowly in the runined land scape. (Terrible running rolls by Ed..) Orks to the Northeast had a solid hold on the objective there. Cadian forces had secured one in the center of the field of battle and were making a screen against incoming orks. To the southwest, one more objective lay and a mob of orks had entered the ruins and set off the booby traps, taking a couple casualties. Despite the heavy volume of fire directed at them, the orks were able to hold up and keep that objective somewhat secure.

Cadian turn 4: The arrival of Ork mercenaries bearing shootas was a strange one for the Cadian forces to endure. However, Colonel Dray finally arrived with his command squad and reassured his men that the orks were indeed in their employ and the perfect counter-strike unit to the fungus born filth that was already entrenched in the southwest ruins. The colonel figured that if he had to, he had enough flamers and heavy flamers available to flush out all of the orks after the fight was won.

Tanks continued to pour fire into ork mobs to the North, hoping to thin them out a bit. Heavy bolter teams also attempted to thin out the gretchin mob that was screening the Big Mek. The Sentinel Walker moved into the central ruins, detonating their own booby trap to allow Cadian Forces to enter safely and claim the middle objective.

Ork turn 5: Ork mobs in the north continued to close in on Cadian forces. They had the Northeast objective secured. The warboss was urging his men forward, pushing south into the central ruins where the second objective lay, firmly in the hands of Lt. Derg and the remnants of a veteran flame squad that was on the move. In the Northwest, The Big Mek and gretchin mob had separated, with the whittled-down grots leaving because the Ork did not want to chance the Big Mek having to take a break test.

The orks in the southwest ruin were about to be engaged by the mercenary orks, who were looking to assault them and pull them off the 3rd objective. They were preparing to be assaulted.

Cadian turn 5: Playing the war game tactically, Colonel Dray issued some orders to his men. Commissar Mortimer moved his large unit of troops to screen the Infantry command squad of Lt. Derg. The goal was to prepare to hold out against a combined ork assault long enough for the Cadian troops to maintain the central objective while the other forces pushed Da Red Finga troops off the southwest objective, thus securing a win for the Cadians, 2-1. Lasguns and Flamers opened fire into the orks, taking out a few, but still two mobs of about 15-20 Orks each yet, and the Warboss.

Fire support from the Battle tanks was lackluster, the Orks finally managing to sabotage the Punisher tank as a grot oiler managed to disable the guns for this turn. Colonel Dray ordered his own squad, the Autocannon crew in particular to “fire on my target” and they targeted the Ork Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun. Wounds from this weapon would cause successful armor or cover saves to be rerolled. The veterans in the command squad fired, scored two hits and two wounds. The Mek made one save and failed another, as he was still behind the gretchin mob. Thanks to the Colonel’s order, the Mek had to reroll his successful save, and promptly failed it, and thus he was taken down with autocannon fire.

The Ork Mercenaries from Warlord Krogg stormed the ruins to the southwest. They fired their guns and assaulted the Red Finga Orks inside, but lost a few of their own in the process. Though they now outnumbered the Red Finga Orks, they remained locked in combat.

****Game ended on turn 5, both armies in control of 1 objective marker*****

Had the game gone to turn 6, Da Red Finga for some reason think they had a shot at winning this. The Cadian 17th disagree for the following reasons:

• A 30 man, stubborn unit with commissar was in range of being assaulted by orks. While they would have died, I think that the unit would have passed leadership and kept their ground, thus tying up orks from the Northeast objective, or at least leaving them just away from the middle objective.

• Central Objective was held by 2 units and the 30 man mob was screening them (above)

• One more turn for the assault in the southwest ruins had the heavy weapons teams joining the assault in a battle where the Ork Mercs of the Cadian 17th already outnumbered the orks of the Red Finga. I think the Cadian 17th could have forced a morale check for Da Red Finger and chased them off of that objective, giving the Cadians a 2-1 win.

This battle going to turn 7 may not have held out so well for the Cadians. As it was, it lasted 5 turns and resulted in a draw. Both armies lost the territories they were looking to keep the enemy off of, and no one gained a territory.

• Colonel Dray however, gained some battle experience and as such, part of this campaign, earned some new skills and gained +1 to his Weapon skill, giving him a WS of 5.

Battle Report: Imperial Guard vs. Space Wolves

A Fall of Masuda Campaign Battle Report:

Cadian 17th vs. Berek’s Great Company.

In the aftermath of the False Hope Crusade where several forces were fighting over the False Hope Sector, the forces of Order serving the Imperium had swayed the tide of most of the systems towards orderly control, if not peace. Many Xenos and forces of Chaos had been vanquished, but still others had managed to lurk and slip through the cracks of the defense networks established by the so called “Forces of Order”.

The False Hope sector has been ravaged by unending wars since the beginning of the last decade of the 41st millennium. Occupation of each of the systems is continually contested. To the galactic south of Sebastian’s Straits lies the planet of Masuda.

This once lush planet was suspected of being an Eldar Maiden world. It was also suspected of housing an ancient warp gateway that allowed the denizens of chaos to enter this reality unabated.

Whatever Masuda once was, today it stands in ruins. Lord General Militant Gaven Therarius’ last crusade to reclaim the False Hope sector for the Imperium saw no less than 24 decisive battles fought on this world. This constant state of warfare attracted Chaos and xenos alike, perpetuating the bloodshed.

One final push to claim the planet for the Imperium was initiated. Space Marines and Imperial Guardsmen fought side-by-side to rid the planet of traitorous Marines and Orks. But in the midst of battles, those who were once considered allies were suspected of deceit.

And history repeated itself again. The curse of the False Hope Sector is not its unusual location above the galactic planet. It is not that the Emperor’s Astronomican Light cannot always be seen. The curse of the sector is that, for some reason, brother seems to always turn against brother when fighting over a planet.

Could it be the work of the Chaos Gods to instill distrust on those who dare trespass on their ancient planets? Could it be a more sinister power at work? Or is this what happens when the Emperor’s Light can no longer be seen?

Colonel Colwyn Dray of the Cadian 17th had successfully led a Recon strike force into battles against various forces during the Pillars of Hatred Campaign. This stalwart combat veteran would be called upon once again to send his forces into battle into territories against forces unknown. They are in dangerous territory, the Havaria Sector clearly under disarray and chaos from the various battles and forces that have waged war here over the past decade.

Following their commander’s orders, the forces of the Cadian 17th Recon detatchment started establishing a centralized grid of operations. Using their experience as both a recon force and stalwart defenders, they had selected primarily mountainous terrain also located around portions of a ruined city. Col. Dray felt that his units would have an advantage in the higher grounds. Using Valkyrie and Vendetta transports they were able to establish a centralized base and start monitoring the other forces that have been arriving to Masuda.

“We’re going to have to prepare for anything men”, the Colonel had told his officers. “If we learned anything, it is that no one can be trusted, especially after that debacle with the Pillars of Hatred. We lost some good men and some of them to supposed Allies. At least we won’t have to worry about that cursed renegade Inquisitor, Lord Aki.”

The Colonel looked hard and long at his assembled officers before him. He knew this would be a series of long and hard fights. But he knew, after the trials, temptations, and tribulations that they had faced, he could rely upon them without question.

“We have sent word through our own networks for reinforcements and allies. It will be some time until they can arrive to assist us. So, under my orders, unless they are flying our banner or using our code, all forces are to be considered enemies. Even those forces of the Astartes. After our last encounters with them, even they are not immune to the temptations of evil. Your orders will be to obey me, and sometimes those orders may put us at odds with those who seem loyal to the Imperium, but again, we are not to trust ANYBODY! Do I make myself clear?!”

Of course the Colonel’s men all agreed in unison. They had witnessed their commander first hand, take them through dark times and come out better than they imagined. Yes, they would trust nobody else, save their own men.

As the forces of the Imperial Guard established their presence on Masuda, their surveillance network had already detected scout forces moving in on their location. Reports came back of ‘hostile intentions’ by the Space Wolves known as “Berek’s Great Company”, a near-renegade chapter of Space Wolf Astartes Marines who were taking to the field under the command of Wolf Lord Bulveye.

Looking to intercept the forces of Berek’s Great Company before they could become a nuisance, Colonel Dray led a small strike team through the mountains and intercepted the Space Wolf warriors in the Mountains, near a Command Bastion they had recently taken possession of.

The Plan was simple: Prepared Assault. Colonel Dray would establish a fire base in the mountains and than rely upon scout and recon forces to intercept and outflank advancing troops. The addition of a Leman Russ Executioner tank would further strengthen the bombardment. Col. Dray expected that the rough terrain of the mountains may create low-visibility situations and felt that the shorter ranged, yet massive firepower of the Executioner tanks Plasma Canons would seal any hope he had of a victory against so cagey an opponent.

1000 Points: Imperial Guard vs. Space Wolves, Imperial Guard go first.
IG turn 1: Preparing to do the most damage they could but still trying to control critical positions on the battlefield so as to allow them to possibly take the Bastion away from the Wolves. Colonel Dray took up positions in a ruined town square that was overgrown with a variety of foliage. Taking two snipers, a lascannon team and Major Thomas Gunns, a Master of Ordnance officer, Col Dray was happy to see his men along with a quintet of Ratling Snipers unload some fire power into an advancing squad of Sky Claws, the Space Wolves Jump Infantry.

The Valkyrie “Warthog” boosted over the enemy lines, executed a 180 spin and roll and also fired multiple rocket pods into the Sky Claws, effectively breaking their moral and forcing them to fall back.

Space Wolf 1: Evaluating their situation the Space Wolves looked none-too-pleased with the Imperial Guard taking a fight to them. A rune priest along with a unit of Grey Hunters secured the Western Flank. The priest called out with the “Living lightning” and only managed to shake the Valkyrie. A drop pod arrived, slamming home close to the command squad of Col. Dray.

Long Fangs atop a mountain bluff unleashed their fury of missle launchers also into the Valkyrie, but the extra armor on The Warthog kept it mobile and moving. The Blood Claws in the middle of the battlefield attempted to assault the Valkyrie, but to no avail. Also, the Sky Claws fled the field of battle, clearly not ready for the trials of combat.

Imperial Guard 2: The ‘Warthog’ moved North East and unloaded its cargo: Veteran Squad Delta, who unleashed Plasma-hell upon the Long Fangs on the mountain bluff. All seven shots hit (3 Plasma guns and a plasma pistol for good measure. Four of the Six Long fangs failed to retain their footing).

With the drop pod and Wovles so close, Colonel Dray ordered his men to fire upon his target and selected them. All of his troops combined their fire into the six man squad. Snipers, ordnance, pistols, a squad with a Heavy Flamer, all made short work of this unit of Space Wolves, leaving just one man in the mob, who smartly turned tail to fall back as well.

On the Western Flank, the scout sentinel walker and a squad of Kasrkin stormtroopers arrived, and they also combined fire into the Grey Hunters, and took them out to a man thanks to the Hot-Shot lasguns of the stormtroopers. Only the Rune Priest remained and he was also injured.

Space Wolf 2: One lone Long Fang remained. He aimed his missle launcher at the Valkyrie, scored a penetrating hit, but again only stunned, it and the extra armor on the Valkyrie was its saving grace. The Rune Priest attempted to use “Jaws of The White Wolf” on the stormtroopers and killed one with a melta gun.

The lone grey hunter near the command squad regrouped and turned around to assault the guard unit that gunned down his friends. He ended up taking a few of the guardsmen down with him and remaining locked in combat.

Imperial Guard 3: Concentrated fire from the Lascannon team destroyed the Drop pod in a brialliant explosion that killed off a few more guardsmen too close to the vessel. On the North Eastern zone, the veterans of Delta Squad moved again and finally finished off the last Long Fang atop the mountain bluff. The Valkyrie, unable to fire, moved to receive a cargo full of troops next turn.

The Sentinel and Stormtroopers finished off the Rune Priest and repositioned as the Wolf Lord, Bulveye himself broke free of his once large squad of Blood Claw troops, who were trying to hold their ground under the continued pounding fire of the Leman Russ Executioner’s Plasma Cannons and the sniper attacks of both the Ratlings and the command squad. Slowly but surely, the Space Wolves were running out of troops.

Space Wolf 3: Blood Claws scurry to attempt to control 2 objectives. Wolf Lord Bulveye moves through the woods looking to close in on the Sentinel and Stormtroopers in the West. They are powerless to stop the Leman Russ and troops again fail to do any damage to the Valkyrie.

Imperial Guard 4: Stormtroopers turn their hot-shot lasguns on Lord Bulveye. They desperately try to gun him down and manage to kill his Fenrysian wolf and inflict a wound upon him. Executioner tank and Valkyrie continue to rain down fire into the Blood Claws. Delta Squad starts to run towards the next objective.

Space Wolf 4: Wolf Lord Bulveye closes in on the stormtroopers squad. He charges them in a heated frenzy, killing several of them and running the rest of them down, scattering the squad in a sweeping advance. Blood Claws desperately try to hold off closing forces of the Imperial guard, killing one of the 3 remaining men from Veteran Squad Epsilon, the ones that took the brunt of the explosion from the drop pod.

Imperial guard 5: Concentrated firing kills off 4 more Blood Claws, leaving just a handful of troops left. The Sentinel attempts to shoot the Wolf Lord as well as snipers, who fail to do any more harm to him. The Sentinel engages the Wolf Lord in an assault, but fails to hurt him.

Space Wolf 5: The remaining Blood Claws try to consolidate their position in the middle of the field inside a forest, desperately trying to hold onto their objective. The wolf lord manages to immobilize the Sentinel but is still locked in close combat with it.

Imperial Guard 6: The rest of the Imperial Guard forces combine all firepower into the few remaining blood claws. Sniper rifles, plasmas cannons, lasguns, melta guns and rocket pods target the woods. When the smoke clears, no more Space Wolf troops can be seen.

Veteran Squad Delta secured the Northern most objective. The remnants of Veteran Squad Epsilon also secured the central objective.

Space Marine turn 6: The only remaining model for the Space Wolves is Bulveye. He finishes off the sentinel walker in a specatular wreck. The game would end here, Imperial Guard: 2 Objectives, Space Wolves: 0.

Due to the campaign rules and such, the Imperial Guard selected the Command Bastion territory owned by the Space Wolves. (in the campaign, I needed to roll an 8+, and rolled a 10, thus gaining a new territory).

Lamenters Battle Report

Lamenters Battle Report:   In our local game club:  the Berks-PA Gaming Club, we are finishing our a rather lengthy campaign, called the False Hope Crusade.

I have been working on my Lamenters for a while off and on now and finally have enough models with paint on them that I would be able to field a 1000 point list of Lamenters fully using the Blood Angels codex.   This would be my first time ever using them as Blood Angels, as I was using a combined force with Salamanders and running them as normal Codex Space Marines.

With the Berks-PA Gaming Club hosting a large tournament in May (I'm the head Tournament Organizer), we kept the game to a simple 1000 points and randomly selected one of the missions from last year's event.   The mission selected was "Messengers".

In a spearhead deployment (table quarters), your mission is to get your three messengers, which each are like individual 1-model units, to escape across your opponents table edge.    Their statistics are simple:  ST:3  BS:3, I:3, AT: 1, W: 2, and a 5+ Invlunerable save.

My list build was nothing really extravagant, and I pretty much have a rule of thumb that I try not to field models unless they have some kind of paint on them.  It's just a personal preference.


HQ:  Captain with Powersword, Stormbolter, and Melta bombs
Elite:  Sanguinary Priest with Power Weapon
Troops:  Tactical Squad, 10 space marines with Missle Launcher, Plasma Gun, Sgt with Powerfist, Rhino w/ extra stormbolter
Troops:  5-man sniper squad, camo cloaks, 1 missle launcher, SGT w/melta bomb
Troops:  10-man Assault squad, 2 x flamers, SGT w/Power Fist  ***Land Raider Crusader (Twin-linked Assault Cannons, sponson mounted Hurricane Bolters, Multi Melta)

In an attempt to be the first to carry on a special message on to local arriviung Inquisition commanders, the Lamenters find themselves competing against another Astartes chapter, the Space Wolves.

The Wolves under Berek's command are a cagey sort, and made short work of the Lamenter's messengers, subsequently gunning them down. Deployed (in a most un-fluffy) cookie-cutter formation, three squads of space wolf troops armed with a melta gun and combi-melta all in Rhinos spread out.

The space wolves were smart and ran a rhino as a screen down the western flank. The Lamenters had seized the initiative on the space wolves, and made an attempt to run their messengers North along the Eastern flank.

A tactical squad in a fast Rhino lead the spearhead, and towards the center, a Land Raider Crusader fully loaded with a 10-man Assault squad, Sanguinary Priest and Captain Xavier Raymond looked to hold down any opposition in the middle, looking to bring their multi melta to bear upon the lighter armored Rhinos.

The “Lone Wolf” of the Space Wolves continued to charge at the Lamenter messengers. Several units opened fire into him, including the 5-man scout sniper squad. Defying the odds, the Lone Wolf managed to catch up and finish off one of the messengers, another one fell to enemy fire.

The Long Fang squad armed with six missle launchers, and their ability to split their fire between different targets proved to be a constant thorn in the Lamenters side. Eventually they or a melta gun found purchase on the Lamenters Rhino, causing it to explode. The tactical squad inside had already disembarked with their Rhino haven been stunned the turn prior. They successfully managed to gun down the Lone wolf, but would take a few casualties. The last Lamenter Messenger was trying to run around the screen of yellow armored bodies to freedom, but would fall to concentrated fire from the pintle mounted stormbolters mounted on the rhinos.

As the space wolf rhinos closed in for the kill, the Land raider Crusader opened fire with its twin-linked assault cannons, causing the Space Wolf rhino to explode and take a few of the troops inside with it. The Lamenters tactical squad would be wrapped up in an assault with the Space Wolves and eventually would take out one of their squads, but themselves would fall to the second Rhino squad.

As the Space Wolves continued to move their trio of messengers south ward down the Western Flank, the Lamenter sniper scouts with a missle launcher failed to do any harm to the Rhino running a screen. The Land Raider Crusader “Bloodheart” made a u-turn and started churning in the direction of the running messengers. Rumbling its way through forests, river, and rocks, the lumbering beast of a machine delivered its cargo where it needed to go.

In a lucky round of shooting, The land raider along with the scouts managed to pick apart the Rhino running the screen for the Messengers and this slowed it up enough for the Land Raider Crusader to catch up to it. Assault ramp dropping down and the Assault squad inside, led by Captain Xavier Raymond charged the offending tank. Brother Sergeant Dutch of the assault squad managed to score a critical hit with his power fist, wrecking the drive wheels of the Rhino. This forced the Space Wolves to clamber out the opposite side door, as Lamenter troops were crowded around the rear and side of the Rhino. Because the troops had gotten stuck on their emergency disembarking, they were entangled and counted as being pinned.

This was the lucky break the oft-cursed Lamenters needed, as they were able to pull around and draw a bead of fire into one of the messengers. Captain Raymond separated from his squad, climbing over the wrecked Rhino and pouring storm bolter fire into the Space Wolfs. Flamers from the assault squad directed at the first messenger singed it but also killed off the other two. As the Blood-Raged Assault squad charged in, the Sanguinary Priest bellowed his charge and the Lamenters hit the Space Wolves with a rage they had not expected.

The assault phase at the top of turn 6 saw the rest of the messengers killed off. The Lamenters won the assault but the space wolves would stick it out, and remain locked in combat through the remainder of the combat.

The game would end, all six messengers killed. Both teams lost a full squad and Rhino, the Lamenters Captain fell in battle, but the Space Wolves also lost their lone wolf and another Rhino. The victory points were so close this would have been a DRAW no matter how you scored it.
Still it was a fun game, and I was excited to get to try out my Lamenters as “Blood Angels” for the very first time.

Running A Tournament: Berks Spring Assault 2!

Well, Spring is upon us and I have been flooded with requests to run another version of 'Berks Spring Assault'.     This is now becoming our annual (2nd to be exact), main event for the Berks-PA Gaming Club, located Reading, PA, the heart of scenic Berks County.

I myself have been playing in a number of tournaments over the past few years, from Warhammer 40K Grand Tournament style events, Blood Bowl tournaments and smaller events at club days and Games Days and the like.    As our local club in Berks was growing, I wanted to bring the competititve 'feel' of the tournament scene to our local club.

The first event I held was Battle For Berks, held in January 2010.   We were limited on space and held it to just 14 participants, each playing 4 rounds of Warhammer 40,000 using 500 point armies on a limited force-organization chart.    We held a fund raiser for the club to help generate funds for prize support.    As such, we had a great turnout, great fun, and with such a small event, we even featured Themed battlefields, where each table had its own special quirk or rules.    Such fun ideas was the Ork Village that featured grot snipers hiding in buildings taking shots at those who ventured too near or inside.

With only 14 slots, I had to tell several folks not to attend.   Even after turning away 6 potential players, we still had 19 people show up, hoping that there would be some openings.     It was a good day of fun and we were even able to offer a Battleforce for 1st place prize.   

With the overwhelming success of this event, we moved onto Berks Spring Assault, and it just grew from there.    We went into an event, still new to the venue and I didn't realize how much hlep I was going to need for an event this size.   We held it in a hotel conferrence room, and found a way to fit in 20 tables, opening the event up to 40 players.    38 showed up on time, with a total of 45 players showing up later in the day.   

Admittedly there were a few technical difficulties.   We again held the fund raiser to support the event, and we undersold it (on purpose) to ensure a good turnout.   Our prize support was impressive and rivaled that of the local GT style events that were going on in the area.    For a fraction of the cost, we pulled it off, 4 games of Warhammer 40K played with 1000 point armies.    Yes, the computer program used for scoring broke down, yes, we ran into delays and problems with pairings, and yes, we ran into issues with lunch and were overcharged.

However, as frustrated as I was with the problems we were having, the staff helping me were incredible.  They helped save the day and make it all work.   And while I saw the problems for what they were, the players only saw it as a slight delay and didn't know all of the details.   In fact, the players used the time to enjoy a break and socialize with other players.   

We also featured a painting competition called the "Golden Grot" for our players and we held a raffle as well offering more prizes and helping generate for funds for our gaming club.     All in all, folks had a good time and many people went home with lots of prizes.

So....now what do we do?     We learned from our (my) mistakes last year and as I have been around the tournament scene locally in PA, several folks and clubs have been asking me if we are hosting Berks Spring Assault again.    When I heard the feedback from people, saying things like, "That was the most fun I ever had at a tournament" and similar comments, I started to get excited.    I knew that we were onto something special.

So, now we have created a committee for our game club.   We discussed options and ways to correct mistakes, how to imporve upon last year, and cut down time delays and the like.   And now we have Berks Spring Assault 2!  in the workings.     

I am looking at May 14, 2011 to hold our event.  We secured a Fire Company's old engine room and social quarters for our venue and have four times the space that we did last year.    We are using an amazing program called Tournament Overlord to run the scoring and rankings and it should eliminate all of the challenges we had last year in that department.    I have been agressively contacting potential sponsors and have had a LOT of success, with around 15 total sponsors now for our event.  Some of these sponsors make wargaming terrain and will be featured by having their own dedicated table featuring their own terrain and advertising and of course prizes for either the main table or the raffle-drawing.   Some of these companies are TerranScapes, Hazeknight.com, and Art of War Terrain, just to mention a few.

Not only will we have our main prize table, but we will have a chinese-auction style raffle.    The main prizes will be for Best Overall, (1st, 2nd, 3rd), Best Sportsman (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and Best Appearance (1st, 2nd, 3rd).  We will also feature a "Players' Choice" award for the best voted in theme, composition, and apperance as by their peers.   We will also feature two youngblood awards for Best overall (14 and under) and best youngblood in appearance (if appropriate).

We will have somewhere around 12-15 items on the main prize table.   When someone wins an award,  based upon the order of seniority, they will get to choose their prize, after all awards are handed out.   Any prizes remaining will be thrown into "pot luck" for the raffle drawing.

To help generate funds for the club, we will feature another 10-15 items available for a Chinese Auction.   We will offer raffle tickets to everyone and those who purchase them can than put as many as they like into each individual basket for each item.    After the main awards are done, we will start pulling raffle tickets and offer more prizes for everyone.

We are also recognizing Army Domination awards by codex.   The Best player of each codex will be recognized for his/her accomplishments by overall scoring and will receive a certificate for Army Domination.   In addition to that, a local store that has expanded to table top games, The Last Level, has offered to give out $5 gift cards to coincide with the Army Domination awards.

And finally, we are hosting the Golden Grot competition once again.    However, since we are running a one-day event, we are limiting this to just one entry per player.  The model can be from anything and any game, and will again be voted on by their peers.   The top 3 winner will receive a Golden Grot Trophy and gift cards to another store, The Adventurer's Guild in Harrisburg, PA.  

This looks to be a rather amazing event, and we have expanded our seating to 60 players.    We are already 1/3 full and have 2 1/2 months to go until the date of the tournament.   Some of my committee members are suggesting we open this event up to 70 players.    We shall see.    All I can say is that we are doing our best to make this the BEST event in Berks county for wargmaing.

For a fraction of the cost of a GT tournament, folks can come out and play 4 games of Warhammer40K, hopefullyl against new players and armies that they have never faced before.   Lunch in included with the price of entry and we will have rather amazing prize support.   We have something special going on here and plan to keep taking it to the next level each and every year we can run every year!

Warhammer 40K Tournament: Berks Spring Assault 2!

Date: May 14th, 2011

Time: Registration 9:00am-9:45am

Location: Berkshire Heights Fire Company: 808 North Park Rd, Wyomissing, PA 19610

Warhammer 40,0000 tournament: 1000 points. 4 rounds of Warhammer 40K, Lunch included.

$30 entry fee, $25 if pre-registered.

Berks-PA Gaming Club Elite members get an additional $5 discount with club member card shown.

We here are Berks-PA Gaming Club will be hosting our second round of Berks Spring Assault. Last year was an amazing success, despite some issues on planning, as we were new to hosting tournaments. We have a bigger location, better support and lots of fun being planned this year.

Sportsmanship will be key to scoring this year, as much as last year. Details will be posted once we finalize all tournament information.

For now we can tell you this:

1,000 point Warhammer 40K armies from all standard codex and Chapter approved allowed

Games will be played on 4' x 4' tables, so expect a lot of bloody action! This is Berks Spring ASSAULT!

You will need Six (6) copies of your army list: 1 for the Tournament Ogranizer (me), 1 for you , and 1 copy for each of your opponents. If your list is not legal, you will lose points, be asked to leave, or have your scores adjusted as we see fit.

You will need a copy of the 40K rule book, your codex, all dice and templates and rules associated with your army.

We will play 2 rounds, break for lunch and play 2 more games.

Lunch will be included with your entry fee

We will have 9 prizes available: Best overall, (1, 2, 3), Best Sportsman (1, 2, 3), Best Appearance (1, 2, 3).
We will also recognize Army Domination by best in each codex with a minor prize from one of our sponsors.

We will operate on a much tighter schedule this year and NOT use the same problematic tournament program we had last year, so that things will run a lot smoother.

Last year we had 45 people show up, 38 were players. We will have the capablities to going to 50-60 players this year if needed. we are only 2 blocks away from where the tournament was held last year at the Country Inn & Suites hotel.

Valentines Day Gift

I got this email from MiniWarGaming and I had to laugh.    It is an advertisement for shopping for Valentines Day.    The best part is how it is written.  I really got a chuckle out of that and enjoyed the 'thought' so much that I am copying it to my blog.

This is the email I got from them, and it is true, they are running a sale on Battleforces:

Hey, Mike.  Are you looking for that perfect Valentine's gift for your significant other?
Can't figure out what to get her (or him)? Forget chocolates, flowers, and perfume - all those say are "I only bought you this because it is Valentine's day!"

Instead, show her how much you care by buying something that you would really want to keep yourself. Something that says, "Let's spend more time together assembling and painting miniatures!"  Something that says, "I love you."  This weekend, all that is possible with our super-awesome 40k Battleforce and Fantasy Battalion 25% off Valentine's Day Sale!


All 40k Battleforces and Fantasy Battalions will be marked down to 25% off of the normal retail price.

This sale starts tomorrow, Friday, February 11th and ends on Monday, February 14th (at noon Eastern time).


You can see everything that will be on sale here:  http://store.miniwargaming.com/category/battleforce-sale/

Don't miss out!
And Happy Valentine's Day!
Matthew, Dave, and all the staff from MiniWarGaming

97 Terrace Ave, Welland, ON L3C6K1, CANADA