Post: #1

Well it's been a few days since being back and I really slightly recovered from the weekends GT finals. So it's time to sit down and , like Jessica Fletcher, I find myself facing a keyboard with some typing to do. So here goes...

Army list - After much deliberation, testing, tweeking, chopping and a few too many losses, I had 2 lists written for the finals. 1 involved Konrad and therefore slightly less magic. The other was basically the list I qualified with a subtle change. I went with the tried and tested. Konrad is a lot of fun but I needed consistencey for the finals.

Vamp Lord, Master, Forebidden, Summon Ghouls, Skull Staff, Helm, +1 level.
Hugo, Dark Acolyte, Summon Ghouls, Arkhan, BsB
Percy, Dark Acolyte, Summon Ghouls, Periapt, Scroll
Steve, Dark Acolyte, Summon Creatures, Staff Damnation.

11 Ghouls inc Ghast
10 Ghouls inc Ghast
10 Ghouls inc Ghast
20 zombies & standard
5 Dire wolves
5 Dire wolves
1 Unholy Lodestone Corpsecart

3 Fell bats

7 Cairn Wraiths inc Banshee

Changes to qualifying list were 1 unit of Ghouls swapped for 20 zombies. The 20 zombies would be very useful for blocking entire sections of the board. Also IoN is more efficient than raising from nothing. 1 unit of bats was removed and replaced with an extra Cairn Wraith. Flyers couldn't capture anything in the GT. Making my most expensive and hardest hitting unit larger could only be a good thing.

Game 1. Breakthrough v Dark Elves

Worst opponent for game 1, a dark elf army of shades, riders, hydras and Pegasus mounted level 2s. A tough match up but I should be able to over power him with magic. I choose the secret mission where you kill more enemy special and rare.

He spread his army out and bunkered left of my centre. Plan was to march towards his deployment zone whilst a huge unit of zombies would hold up his hydras. I would then use magic missiles to take out a couple of shade units and claim the 400 points for the secret mission along with the 375 points for the Wraiths in his deployment zone. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out like that. A sneaky wall of fire on my 20 wide zombie-thin-line finished off all bar 4! His shooting did the rest! The hydras got into the flank of my bunker unit which, although didn't worry my vampires, did prevent them from using magic missiles against his softer dark riders and shades! I had the chance to charge my Wraiths into the flank of his hydra early on. But, unfortunately, I choose to continue moving them to his deployment zone. I was blinded by the potential to score 375 points. Had I countercharged the hydra I would have almost certainly got 400 points for completing the secret mission. It would have also meant I had a choppy unit closer to the rest of his entire left flank that had moved towards my deployment zone. In his last turn he even managed to get an irresistable blade wind off on my Wraiths, resulting in 16! hits. After the dust had settled I had a wounded banshee left! Annoyingly at the end of turn 5 I was ahead with 2 complete units in his deployment zone and a unit of his shades fleeing. However, with 10 minutes left, we had enough time to play the last turn and it was all over. He completed his special mission 'Hills' and had some shades and dark riders in my deployment zone. He won 793 points to 271. Bah! no GT win for me then...

Game 2. Battle for the Pass v High Elves.

Oh well game two and a combat orientated High Elf force. My opponent was a friend of a friend and a thoroughly nice chap. The mission was a simple pitched battle but played lengthways with a very slight chance of boulders falling on units within 6" of each edge. His force was as follows...

2x level 2s
1 fighty noble
The Pheonix Guard special character.

1 large unit of spearmen (noble and 1 magic user in here)
1 small unit spearmen
Big unit of Pheonix Guard
Small Sword Master unit
6 Dragon Prince's
6 Shadow warriors
Lion Chariot.

His deployment zone contained a large piece of scenery which meant he bunched his forces up - which suited me down to the ground. I could block him in with large Ghoul/zombie blocks. I choose the 'Capture Woods' special mission.

I was able to counter his magic very easily and could pretty much do what I wanted with regard raising etc. I hemmed him in with a large zombie block and through increasing one of the Ghoul units hugely. Some rocks fell on top of his swordmasters, reducing their number by 5 models! My Wraiths worked their way up my left flank and took out the shadow warriors, a magic user and finally capturing 1 of the woods. I also captured a wood with a unit of wolves after sitting them on a hill for 5 turns! He even sent a small unit of spearmen to my hill to try to prevent me capturing it, just to have my wolves sneak past into the wood! His army got bogged down behind one another and I was able to flank his large spearmen unit, which fled and got chopped down. His Pheonix Guard were basically ignored and kept busy with zombies. Result = Victory to the Undead 1610 v 346. Things were looking up.

Game 3. Fog of War v Lizardmen. Lizards are a bogey army for me. At my local GW I am lucky enough to have one of the best Lizards players in the country - so I am used to losing to them quite regularly. I just cannot seem to cope with Temple Guard/Slann/Engine combo's. Also the Slann power that negates 6's on 1 magic user is a nightmare. His army...

Slann
Skink Priest on Engine
Scar Vet on foot
Skink Priest hiding at the back with the diadem
Temple Guard
2x Fliers
1 unit Chameleons
Several small Skink units.

this game I deployed in a bunkered formation to the left of my centre. He was spread out as I had drawn my positions. Game went as expected. he had 8 dispell dice and knackered any 6s my lord rolled! Twice I defeated his Stegadon in combat, with him failing his Break test once. It out ran my Ghouls and promptly rallied. I couldn't get to all of his skirmishing Skink units but over powered anything that got into combat with me. It was a very close game but it ended with him sitting on a couple of hills for an extra 400 points. I had also choosen hills and got 1 unit onto a hill, along with a unit of skinks. The other hill was occupied with the chameleon skinks. In the last turn my bats over ran and missed landing on the hil by 1". 1 Bat on the hill would have denied him 400 points! The result was annoyingly close Lizards 878 to my 548. It would have been a draw for an exra 1" of overrunning or if my ghouls could run a tiny bit faster. Another loss but not all over.

Game 4. Dawn Attack (random Deployment) v Wood Elves.

This game is a bit odd as you roll for each unit and hero/lord. The result decides in which of 3 deployment zones your units end up in. This affects some armies worse than others. You could have your entire army set up on the right of the board, only for your lord to be over on the left! This was going to be a grudge match as my opponent and I had met on game 4 of the qualifiers for last years GT heat! He was a tough but friendly oppoent and I had pulled a win from the jaws of defeat in a thoroughly enjoyable game. He said it would be his turn this year and indeed it was to be the closest game with the see-saw of luck swinging back and forth! He took...

Treeman Ancient + Nettlings
BsB on Eagle
Scroll Caddie
4x 10 Glade Guard
2x 3 Tree Kin
2x 6 Wild riders
1 Great Eagle

No Dryads or Wardancers! An unusual and interesting list. His most expensice unit was 1 of the Wildriders who had the War banner. I targeted them with my special mission. The random deployment did not effect him at all. The majority of my deployment was fine... I bunkered right of centre. However Hugo and Steve must have miss-read my Lord's instructions and they set up on the far left, with only 3 fell bats for company.

The game started with his archers targeting Ghouls units with little sucess. I raised my ghouls up to nice large levels and moved forwards to engage. He charged 2 units of Treekin into 1 unit of ghouls and Charged a unit of Wildriders into a ghoul unit on my extreme right who were guarding a hill. The ghouls on the hill suceeded in surviving the charge then wounding back. The held long enough for the Wraiths to flank charge the riders, wiping them out and denying him a hill. the treekin were slowly eating through my ghouls, who couldn't wound back at all. Eventually they were helped by the Wraiths who slammed into the Treekins flank.

The big battle involved my bunker unit. A Sneaky charge by the Treeman got him into the Bunkers flank. The charge was assisted by the second Wild Riders hitting the bunker in the front. Oh well, atleast his most expensive unit was in reach. In the ensuing combat the combined attacks from his treeman and Wildriders managed to kill a total of 2 ghouls! I couldn'e believe it. My Vampires fluffed their attacks and only took out a couple of wild riders. With no ranks I lost combat but only by a little bit. In the following turn a sneaky use of the Flaming sword saw his Wild riders reduced to 0, hooray that's 400 points to me! However his treeman continued to stamp on ghouls and reduced their numbers further. He had used scrolls to prevent me raising into the bunker. The following combat saw the treeman wiping out all the ghouls leaving my Lord stood next to Percy, who was stood next to the Treeman! Percy was looking nervous to say the least. Steve and Hugo were still getting back from the left flank. Now this is where something that nearly cost me the game occured which was a lack of me knowing the rules. My lord, holding the Flaming Sword was out of base to base with the treeman. The Treemn offered a challenge, hoping to use the nettlings to prevent Percy hitting him back. He was in the flank and was outnumbering me, so he was hoping to pop my lord through combat res. I declined the challenge with Percy and swapped him with my Lord. Now the Flaming Sword always hits on a 2, however the Annoyance of Nettlings makes you hit on a 6. We rolled a dice and it fell in favor of the treeman. My Lord still hit once and did 2 wounds. His Treeman missed his attacks and caused only 1 wound. This meant he won combat by 1 but hugo was close enough to use the Army standard to prevent my Lord from losing any further wounds. In his following phase he dispelled the flaming sword. My lord couldn't hit and got promptly squashed. My amry passed it's crumble tests and the time ran out. It was turn 5. If I had had to have another turn I would have certainly crumbled and lost the Ghouls on the hill, which would have given him 400 points. What I didn't realise was that by Percy declining the challenge, NO CHALLENGE WAS TAKING PLACE! This meant my Lord should have been hitting and wounding on 2s, pretty much killing the flamable treeman in a couple of pokes! The Result was a win for Vamps 1311 v 737. However if the Treeman had been popped by my Lord he wouldn't have got 450 points and I would have had full points for his treeman and general. This put me on 2 wins and 2 losses. A couple more wins would have me climbing the table nicely.

Game 5. Table Quarters v Lizardmen.

Bah! Lizards again and a horrible list.

Slann
2x Skinks on Engines
Temple Guard, flanked by the engines
3x Skinks
1x Chameleon Skinks

This game basically involved his Temple Guard/Engine bus stomping down the centre of the board, blasting me apart with comets and burning alignments. He countered my magic and knackered my Lords ability to roll 6s. He kept his skinks hidden well out of range. I sent my wolves up my right flank along with the Wraiths - who cleared out his Chameleon skinks. I had choosen the mission to get 3 units into his deployment zone and at the end of turn 5 I had 2x wolves and the Wraiths in his zone. My bunker unit was stuck in combat with his temple Guard, which also denied him capturing my table quarter. On the last turn I just needed to raise enough Ghouls to have 5 left after combat and I would win... 8 Attempts to raise resulted in 3 successfull IoNs, which raised the total of 4 Ghouls! To make matters worse my 3 remaining vampires with 10 strength 5 attacks, hitting & wounding on 3s, managed to kill 1 Temple Guard. He twatted me back and my lord went pop. In the resultant crumble tests I lost both units of wolves. So he got 300 points for my table quarter, 100 for 1 of his and I got absolutely nothing. Once again I had been winning on turn 5, only to lose on turn 6. Lizardmen 400, Vampire Counts 0. Looking back on this game I should have sent Steve up the right flank with the Wraiths and wolves, to get them moving quicker. This would have threatened his Skinks a lot more. Also I should have been more agressive with the Wraiths. The unit of 7 models hitting an engine from the flank, with 18 strength 5 hits, would have taken the Priest out at the very least. Isn't hidesight lovely.

Game 6. Pitched Battle v Warriors of Chaos

The final game and I needed a win to match last years result. I was facing the perfect opponent. A troll themed army with no magic users or scrolls! My opponent, a very nice man I might add, took the following...

Valkyia, Khornes consort, a miny Blood Thirster.
Throgg the Troll King
2x Disc mounted combat characters
3x3 trolls
2x Warshrines
2x Chaos Chariots
2x 5 Chaos hounds

He got the first turn and marched forwards. I stayed back and raised and raised and raised. All three ghoul units were up around 30 models by the end of the game. My zombie unit had been raised to 100 zombies. I had so much magical dominance I stopped casting towards the end of the game. I decided to play more agressively with my Wraiths who accounted for 2x chariots, 1x 3 trolls and Valkyia (with a double 6 banshee howl). My dire wolves killed both units of chaos hounds. My bats chased fleeing war shrines and trolls from the board, after having fleeing disc riders sent into them. Even Percy and Steve got into the action, magically blasting Throgg to his doom and netting me 400 points for the Assassination special mission. When the dust settled he had lost everything and I had all 4 table quarters, his army standard and his general for a total of 2998 points! He got 20 for half a unit of wolves trampled when capturing a fleeing chaos chariot. I nearly got the bloodiest victory award. My massive unit of 100 zombies got a lot of attention from passers by, but I reckon i could have got all 156 zombies onto the board under the circumstances.

Overall I finished higher than last year by a massive 6 places! 60th instead of 66th. I had an enjoyable time, despite being so close to winning each game. Had I been more agressive with my Wraiths from the start I might have turned a couple of the game around, especially the one v Dark Elves. I didn't get to play any of the Daemon armies that made up 25% of the armies in attendence. neither did I get to play any fellow vamps, although I did get to meet JonnieB and his wonderful Samurai Vampires.

My biggest mistake was in changing my list. I had qualified 12th with my original list and if it ain't broke... By taking out the second unit of bats I completely knackered the manouvrability from my army. With 2 units of bats I could have threatened the Dark Elf shade and dark rider units, even their Level 2s on Dark Pegasus. Against both Lizard players I could have used the bats to great effect versus his units of skinks that were able to capture hills/table quarters.

Ah well, tickets go on sale in July... But what will have happened to the rules in between? I have a feeling magic isn't going to be as effective as it currently is. Hmmm

Post: #2

Actually in the treeman example, if all ghouls were wiped out, you would have had 3 separate units, each of one character. So you couldn't decline a challenge, but your lord would be safe and out of combat.

Nice report, really enjoyed reading it.

Post: #3

I wasn't toatally sure of the ruling. I have since had a quick check in the second part of the Warhammer Rulebook FaQ. It states that characters who have the unit, they are in, wiped out around them, remain as a unit until the start of their next movement phase, where they will seperate if they can do so.

It was a bit of a funny one. I am just really glad that I didn't lose the game due to a rule that I got wrong. That happened a couple fo years ago when my Skaven screaming bell unit flank charged a unit of 3 Empire Knights and the enemy general. The general was three models away, and the impact hits wiped all of the standard knights. He then moved his general over into contact with my unit and attacked my Grey Seer, killing him. A few minutes after the game I was reminded that he shouldn't have been able to attack. Losing that game cost me a qualification place.

Post: #4

Nice reports- thank goodness you still beat the Wood Elves! I had a crappy game a couple of years back at a Heat when my opponent "accidentally" told me that Netlings protected his Lord's Dragon as well. But you and that guy's mistake sounds perfectly innocent, just the kind of thing you miss completely in the middle of a game and then slap yourself about afterwards. Good work on the wins- so frustrating to lose on such small things a lot of the time (Though sadly I can trump you, three of my games would have been wins rather than losses/draws if only my stone thrower hadn't exploded in 5 of the 6 games, and gifted my opponents the +400VPs as almost all of them took the special/rare mission !).

Post: #5

Maybe they should institute clocks like they do at chess games, so you don't run out of time. Usually someone's thinking or another, and for rules queries, should be mutual. I've found in tourneys some people are just so damn slow at moving, casting, thinking... I dunno. Its unfair to run out the time, even if it's not on purpose. Going first/second is a big deal in strategy as normally it determines who has the last turn, many times just as important as the first turn.

Post: #6

Flapula, were you using a Blue themed O&G force? I think you were next to me during a game or two.

Post: #7

Nah, that was another Orc player... I was way down lower

One thing they've put in the rules pack for their doubles GT this year is a suggestion not to bring a massive army in case it slows the game too much. It's only really a problem in my mind when someone has a gunline or some other style of army that benefits massively from a shortened game. I think one of the biggest problems is this is a social hobby with many friends kicking around, in my first game, against a Skaven army (So 300+ models on table) I had to politely ask people who came over to see how it was going to bugger orf as we were on turn 5 with 10 minutes to go, playing the mission where getting all 6 turns is the most crucial...

Post: #8

We really must think up some effective strategies against those cursed Dinosaur armies.

Nice report

Post: #9

I just think I was too cowardly against the twin stegs. A flank charge by the Wraith unit would have done for the Burning alignment, especially if the Helm is in range.

18 Attacks, hitting on 3s = 12 hits.
12 hits, wounding on 2s = 10 wounds.
10 armour saves, passing on +4 = 5 kills on the Skink Priest and no more burning alignment. He only out numbers, where as I have flank and the two wounds.

Oh bugger, why did I not charge? Hidesight is wonderfully cruel sometimes. If I had been more positve and got stuck in, rather than pussy footing around... Oh god, it gets worse. Having taken out the Skink, he would have been down 2 dispell dice and 3 power dice. I would have had magical domination.

Post: #10

Yeah, but at 7-wide, you can fit all 7 models in (100mm wide, +2 more on corners), so he'd just challenge el Banshee and you'd be left in limbo awaiting alignment. I won a qualifying game thanks to an opponent positioning his Engines in such a foolish way so as to disallow me space to fully maximise, meanining I could actually refuse the challenge and move my banshee to the back rank. Unless you can refuse the challenge, a charge on an Engine just aint worth it!

Post: #11

Gah! Curse those damn engines...

The thought of taking Wraiths without a Banshee is just completely foreign. Hmmm, perhapes MORE Wraiths for the future... 2 Units 10 strong? a mere 1050 points then.

My thought for next year was a truely undefeatable army, however I think any changes to magic would scupper the idea.

Lord stays the same. 3 Lesser vamps all get Master of the Black Arts. Core choices are 1 unit 10 Ghouls + Ghast. Everything else is a unit of 20 zombies + Standard. I think I could get 10 units on the board. The magic phase is basically IoNfest on the zombie units, with the aim of bogging down enemy combat units and simply boring my opponents to death. "What you've killed my 20 zombies? Here have another 40 instead". Army generates 17 power dice. Lord can take any magic lore, so Lesser vamps simply IoN the zombie units. They simply cannot stop all the units getting into table quarters etc. 20 zombies stood in a wood, then send 2 units of 20 at the other wood. Of course should the lord die it would be horrendous. I might even give this army a go on Tuesday but even I will have to proxy some zombies!

Post: #12

Your first game must have been vs a swedish guy named Stefan. Never played him myself, but evidently he´s quite good. He has won the last 2 big tournies here in Sweden. Read his report and remembered that blade wind thing .

Post: #13

Yep, it was Stefan. Was a gorgeous army to look at - if not to face in the Breakthrough scenario. I am assuming his battle report is in Swedish? If not, I'd love to read how he got on in his other games. The first game at the GT finals is always a bit nervy. I made some tactical decisions that completely messed up the game for me. The big one in not bringing the Wraiths back to counter charge his Hydra.

I've just remembered... Stefan owes me cake! He said if I filled Goliath, my 20x5 zombie movement tray, that he would buy me cake. Final game, Goliath filled and I have witnesses! Please pass on my regards and my demand for cake!

Post: #14

Quote:My thought for next year was a truely undefeatable army

Time for DoC then?

Quote:Lord stays the same. 3 Lesser vamps all get Master of the Black Arts. Core choices are 1 unit 10 Ghouls + Ghast. Everything else is a unit of 20 zombies + Standard. I think I could get 10 units on the board. The magic phase is basically IoNfest on the zombie units, with the aim of bogging down enemy combat units and simply boring my opponents to death.

You know you'll get a turn 1 Gateway in the face of the Ghoul unit first game

Quote:my 20x5 zombie movement tray, that he would buy me cake. Final game, Goliath filled and I have witnesses! Please pass on my regards and my demand for cake!

T'is true, I saw it.

Post: #15

LOL, I´ll be sure to pass the message to Stefan :mrgreen:. His reports were in swedish yes and pretty brief. I belive he won 3 games, lost one against a lizardmen army and had a draw vs a WoC army.

Check the druchii forums. He usually posts there under the nickname "benmannen".