40K: For The Emperwar- 2500 ‘Ard Boyz Tournament Review
Here’s some ‘Ard Boyz Action/ Adepticon Prep.
I played in a 2500 ‘Ard Boyz Tourney over the weekend at Groovy Geckos Comic and Games in Williamsburg, VA. It’s a pretty cool store, and has a new owner who is very motivated and cool to be around. If you are ever on vacation in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (Yorktown, Norfolk, Va Beach, Hampton, Newport News, etc.) I reccomend you check the store out.
I played my Looted Guard and maxed my list out to 2345, because I wanted to keep close to the 2250 total for the Adepticon Gladiator Tourney in a few weeks. Overall it worked well, and I think it can handle some big threats like Angroth, and the Titans I’m sure to see soon.
Here is the list I ran. I’ll be slimming it down to 2250 shortly.
HQ: Company Command Squad (175 pts)
Meltagun x4; Astropath; Chimera- HF
HQ: Inquisitor Lord (115 pts)
Psychic Hood; Psycannon, Hierophant 2 Mystic
Elite: Psyker Battle Squad (145 pts)
Chimera- HF
Troops: Veteran Squad (190 pts)
Plasmagun x3; Veteran Weapons Team- Lascannon; Chimera- HF
Troops: Veteran Squad (190 pts)
Plasmagun x3; Veteran Weapons Team- Lascannon; Chimera- HF
Troops: Veteran Squad (175 pts)
Plasmagun x2; Veteran Weapons Team- Lascannon; Chimera- HF
Troops: Veteran Squad (185 pts)
Meltagun x3, Shotgun x6, Demolitions; Chimera- HF
Troops: Veteran Squad (95 pts)
Meltagun x2; Flamer x1, Shotgun x6
Troops: Infantry Platoon (270 pts)
- Platoon Command Squad Lasgun x4; Chimera-HF
- Infantry Squad- Commisar
- Infantry Squad
- Infantry Squad
Heavy Support: Manticore Rocket Launcher (1#, 160 pts)
Heavy Support: Manticore Rocket Launcher (1#, 160 pts)
Heavy Support: Hydra Flak Tank Battery (3#, 225 pts)
Fast Attack: Vendetta Gunship Squadron (1#, 130 pts)
Fast Attack: Vendetta Gunship Squadron (1#, 130 pts)
Total Roster Cost: 2345
The competition was good, and I actually lost the first game and still finished 3rd. Pretty good I think for a three round battle points only tourney.
They were running the 2009 ‘Ard Boyz missions from the first round of games, with a few changes to the locations of objectives.
Game 1- 5 Objectives Spearhead vs. CSM
I set up in my corner in my standard formation, Chimeras in front of hydras, in front of the Manticores. (see pic, not from this event) Since I had the big block of Guardsmen with Kommissar I put them on the left flank, and used them to protect the tanks in case I could not crack my opponents Rhinos, or drop his Daemon Princes.
What I learned:
- Incoming! Order. Casting it on the guardsmen block in cover (giving them a 2+ cover save) is invaluable for both taking objectives, and surviving an opponents whole shooting phase. Also makes a great speed bump for anything trying to get to the Chimeras.
- Psychic hood on the Inquisitor is amazing. You win the roll vs LD10 psykers 50% of the time, and that can really throw them off their game if they are depending on those guys.
- Cover saves. When you opponent is on fire with cover saves and it takes all of your fire to cause just 3 wounds on a daemon price, you will lose. That round of shooting allowed to much of his stuff to close with me and I lost the front line of chimeras.
- Bail out! When you do lose the front line of chimeras, if they are wrecks you should be able to still generate enough fire to destroy the threat as they try to find their way past your wrecks. I recommend anything that can fly gets picked of first *wink*.
- Don’t give up. I actually knocked my opponent down from a massacre to a minor victory because I was able to contest an objective with my Vendetta, and blow a scoring unit off an objective last turn. I was only beat by one objective.
Result: Loss + 1 BP
Game 2- Modified Annihilation, Dawn of War vs Imperial Guard
I ended up matched up against a foot guard army, with very few tanks. We had to set up all HQ and troops so I massed up on the 18″ line and went at it. I set up similar to the pic (again not from this event). I used my spotlights first turn to knock out a big block of guardsmen massing on my line, and then picked apart the high killpoint choices at will. I even managed to get a vet squad up into his flank and burn down two Leman Russes.
What I leaned:
- Incoming! Order– Used against me I really don’t like it, lol. But after a few rounds of Manticore hits not much will survive regardless.
- Lascannons vs.. Leman Russes– Takes way to long to destroy armor 14 with a Lascannon. Two full turns of shooting with my Vendettas finally dropped a Pask Leman Russ. If I hadn’t had to use the Manticores to drop the guardsmen, I would have been dropping that Russ first.
- Commander Pask– If you take him you will roll a “2” to hit and be sad. My opponent did this twice against me, and when he did manage to hit, he couldn’t pen the armor. Very poor, performance for the points that tank cost.
Result: Massacre +4 BP
Game 3- Conquer and Control, Dawn of War vs Orks
This was going to be a slugfest beacuse I was staring down over 100 orks, and had to not only keep my objective but get his… Oh and it was Dawn of War, so I was hoping to go second and actually be able to see some of his squads before they hit me. I set up in a line on my back edge, more than 18″ away from him just in case (similar to the pic, but more stung out). All my units near my objective on my left flank were expendable, as I was going to try to swing my hard hitters over from my right flank and burn him down as he mobbed up on my objective. Then I’d shoot my vendettas over right to left to contest/ control his objective.
What I learned:
- Spam in a Can- Shooting your nob squad up to my lines and getting surrounded by guardsmen using Run! Run! Run! is embarrassing enough, but losing the Trukk to a multi-laser shot is the icing on the cake.
- WTF Sir- The same squad will not survive getting assaulted by 30 shoota boyz, and 30 Slugga Boyz. But they do cost way less that 10 nobz and a warboss….
- Burn, B#&@*es- That same amount of orks will die to 3 Heavy Flamers, and 2 Manticores.
- Protect this House- a Chimera full of vets, surrounded by 3 more Chimeras will hold down an objective from a ton of enemies.
Result: Massacre +4 BP’s
Well that’s it. Like I said I finished 3rd overall, and have a pretty solid list ready for Adepticon Gladiator. Ill be posting up my new 2250 list soon and maybe some playtests as well.
What do you think of the list, and how it played? Should I add a super-heavy for the Gladiator, or just roll with the modified Mech?
