Saturday, May 8, 2010

vs. self Warhammer 40K trial

I don't have real Warhammer models yet, but I will! I used Heroclix as stand-ins (don't ask what I used for the Devilfish). Played this out this morning against myself. Had to check the manuals every 30 seconds so it took a couple hours. Check it out:
Tau List – 500
XV8 Shas'el
PLasma Rifle, Missile Pod
Targeting array (BS 5)
Multi Tracker (can fire two weapons in one turn)
9 fire warriors: 90
1 devilfish: 80
1 shas'vre broadside with twin-linked rail rifles: 80
1 broadside with twin-linked plasma rifles:80
10 kroot

Necron List – 500
Necron Lord w/ Solar Pulse and Gaze of Flame – 140
10 Warriors – 180
10 Warriors – 180

Let’s roll for a mission: 4, Capture and Control. Each of us will have a base to defend. I think in my previous simulations I have defaulted to the Annihilation mission.
Roll for deployment: 3, Spearhead. We roll to see who chooses the first player, 1-3 Tau, 4-6 Necron: 5, Necron chooses to go first. They must deploy in one quarter more than 12” from the center. The Tau chooses a quarter on the opposite long edge. Do the Tau units have any special rules, like Infiltrate or Scouts?

Yes, the Kroot have Infiltrate but I didn’t think of it during deployment. It wouldn’t have made much difference.

I didn’t have a full-size table (6x8) so I used what I had, 2x4. Since it was 1/3 the size, I used 1/3 the terrain. I only had 2 not 6 pieces. I made one impassable terrain and the other difficult. Since the Necrons went first, they deployed behind the difficult (swamp). The Tau deployed behind the impassable. The Tau’s Shas’El Commander and Broadsides fired plenty of shots, but the Necron casualties were negligible, and the did well on their We’ll Be Back rolls.

One unit of Necrons fired several volleys at the Devilfish before it dropped the Kroot in their faces. They only got one glance though and I don’t think the destroyed weapon result had any effect. The Kroot assaulted them but didn’t score any wounds. The Necrons retaliated and dropped two Kroot. The Kroot failed their Morale test and routed; the Necrons gunned them all down the next turn. The Devilfish turned sideways and completely blocked the pass on that side of the table, forcing all Necrons to pass the Commander and both Broadsides before engaging the Fire Warriors at the objective.

The Fire Warriors never fired a shot because, although the Necron Lord meleed the Commander for a couple turns and dropped him and the Warriors knocked out both Broadsides with Rapid Fire bursts, the Fire Warriors held their objective and the Necrons never got back to theirs. The game ended after turn 6. Tau win.