Posted 2:28 PM by Tim
Given that my other journal is too much of a place for me to put my real thoughts and feelings now... I figure I'll try to put more of the silly things in my life in here.

Last night, I managed to get two games of Warhammer 40K on. Both were 40K in 40 Minutes, but that's considerably better than what I have been playing the last few months - namely, nothing.

So, here's what's spurred this bit of playing on. I want to play a game at the local Bunker. To do that, I have to meet the store paint standard. Three colours minimum, and the base has to be at least painted. I've got a single unit which meets that standard. So, to force myself back into the hobby, I put out a challenge. Get 400 points of 40K in 40 minutes together, get it painted to store standard, then go down to the Bunker and play.

Making the list was step 1. I bantered around different ideas for the three armies I currently collect. Dark Eldar, Sisters of Battle, and Imperial Guard (the Penal Legion). I even briefly considered Chaos (Slaaneshi), but it would cost me too much to properly outfit a unit... even only 400 points. I just don't own enough of them to make a real go of it.

I thought about the Sisters. Good force, fair mid-range shooting, and can handle marines with sufficient firepower. Trouble is, I don't own the models I'd need to make a viable list. No cash for buying them either. So, they're out.

IG was another idea. I like 'em, I've got the models I need, and they've had a head start on the painting for a while now. I do have a rather limited painting time budget. Only so much of my evenings can be allocated to painting, and the number of models that need finishing is greater than the amout of time I could give them. So, I could field these guys, but I deceided against it.

So, we're left with just my original force. The Dark Eldar. Nobody else is playing them, so they're a good enough force to toss out there. Just for sheer shock value, if nothing else.

I figured I'd go with a themed army. Something that really captured the spirit of a patrol force. A little raiding party. I figured, I'd keep everyone from ever needing to touch the ground. All flying, all the time. That's raiders, skyboards, jetbikes and the like. I noodled with points for a while before settling on a rather skimpy list. 2 Raiders squads (5 man each with sybarite and toys), Dracon on skyboard, and 3 jetbikes. Not a lot of guys for 400 points. I figure that if I'd gone with foottroops, I could have easily put down an extra 8 to 10 guys. It'd give me a little more survivability, but it would be as nice to the theme.

So, the force is built on the idea of applying whithering firepower to focused locations quickly, and then bugging out of there to apply it somewhere else. As long as I remember the plan, and stick to it, I should be ok.

The others of the group, just FYI, are Imperial Guard, Chaos (Khorne), Chaos (Iron Warriors), and Ultramarines.

I played against Khorne last night as my first opponent. The game went quick. His side had a Berzerker squad of 8 with champ, a lieutenent on juggernaut with hound, and three bikers. 13 models to my mere 17.

We were playing on a battle strewn field (Khorne and the IG had just fought it out on here, and the IG had managed to win). There was some cover, but not much. A building on each flank at each end, and a couple of busted Chimera littered the center field.

I deployed the raiders in the center, the jetbikes in the building on the right flank, and the Dracon in the building on the left. He deployed the Berzerkers opposite my Dracon, and his bikes and Lieut held the flank opposite of my rightmost raider.

I took first turn, and raced the raiders forward together. The Dracon hopped her building, the bike hopped theirs also. The whole force had just moved 12" towards the enemy. Rush Khorne? You bet. The raider lances hit and killed a biker each, making my job with them that much easier. His forces ran forward, the bikes and lieut keeping pace with each other. The bike let out a shot at a raider, but it couldn't connect.

Second turn, both raiders move to the right flank, facing the lieut and bike withing charge range. The jetbikes crossed over near the Dracon, who made a short hop behind a chimera to take complete cover. The Raiders each let out their lance, and the full compliment of crew weapons. A blaster, splinter cannon, 2 splinter rifles and a splinter pistol. The lieut the bike and the hound all snuffed it. The Jetbikes fired on the Berzerkers, but couldn't wound. The Berzerkers moved forward, fired a pistol round and missed.

Turn three, the raiders both hopped over towards the Berzerkers, while the Dracon and jetbikes moved to charge range. The entire army fired into the Berzerkers, felling 4, and leaving the other four open. Dracon and Jetbikes charge in, doing some damage and killing two more Berzerkers. The jetbikes lose two members as well. We messed up the rules a bit here, and the other biker takes a leadership test and flees. On Khorne's turn, the Dracon kills the other berzerker, leaving only the champion. The champ squishes the Dracon with his power fist, and ends up looking down the barrels of the Raiders.

Turn four, the Raiders let him have it, and he is killed. Total annhilation for the Khornates, but they did manage to get some damage in.

Second game was against the Imperial Guard. I had the same list, the IG had 1 Infanty Squad (command, 2 troop squads and a 6 man remenant), a commissar, and an 8 man unit of stormtroopers.

Against the IG, I had a plan. Keep out of the raiders, and try to outshoot them. Stupid plan in retorspect. Keeping out of the raiders is a good idea, but trying to outshoot them wasn't.

His side has three rocket launchers, and two plasma rifles. Plus two power weapons, and probably a plasma pistol as well. Needless to say, this is an uphill fight.

My deployment jetbikes on the left, Dracon on the right, and the raiders in the middle. This time I'm playing the opposite end of the table. He puts the Stormtroopers opposite my jetbikes, and his infantry spread over the reast of the frontage, held in place by the commisar and the command squad in the center.

I'm given the first turn this time, and rush my forces forward. The men pile out of the raiders as a precaution. I fire the lances into the command squad, forgetting he has a commissar, and thinking that two early deaths may drive off the command. With the command gone, the rest of the army can be easily shot up enough to break them. Also, if the command goes, they'd take the power weapons and a rocket with them. One of my troop squads fleets forward, the other I"m hoping is in range so I hold. They're not. His troops hold the line except for the stormtroopers who advance. The infantry launch a rocket onto the Dracon (killing her), and downing one of the raiders with the other two. Nothing else has range on anyone.

Second turn, I re-position the surviving raider, and hop the jetbikes further ahead, hoping to get to charge range on the stromtroopers. The warriors walk, and let go with splinter cannon fire. It's all focused on the stormtroopers. The raider and jetbikes fire in as well. When the smoke clears, there's just one plasma rifle left. His nerve holds, and he sticks around for the IG turn too. Two missiles down the other raider, and the third blows away half of one squad of Warriors. Plasma melts two jetbikes, and lasguns shoot down the last one. It's looking bad for me.

Turn three, the warriors huddle towards a Chimera, and lay fire partly into the plasma gunner, killing him, and partly into the command squad, killing all but the commissar. The commissar leaves the battle line, to try to advance on the enemy. His bolt pistol kills one man, a missile takes out another leaving only the sybarite who chooses to stick around. The rest of the guns are silentas the warriors are hiding.

Here's where I make mistakes. Well, more mistakes anyway. The Warriors come out from behind cover, hoping to make quick work of the commissar in battle, and maybe reach glorious combat at last. Rather than using fleet to ensure they get to combat, they take the time to shoot some, and do it very badly, messing up pretty much every shot. They're just short of charge range and are totally stuck out in the open against 20-some guard. three missiles, a bolt pistol, and numerous lasguns and a melta eradicate all traces of the Dark Eldar, save one sybarite, who promptly loses his nerve and runs away.

In the end, a wretched showing of how easily such a small force can be mishandled and crushed. Still, a fun game. I'm looking forward to more.