Thrones May'14 Time of the D

So I thought I would try and breathe some life into my old blog to try and unload some of my many thoughts trapped inside my head.  Apologies in advance for lack of pictures totally forgot to take many

So I recently attended my first throne of skulls event for warhammer 40k in May’14, this was on my wish list of things to do eventually and all though I have been down to warhammer world several times I had not tried their premier event. So this year me and my mate decided to book the event and give it a go, must admit was very excited to finally get to a two day tournament.  Along with a final send off for me of 6th edition

Below is a run down of the weekend’s events and some of my thoughts

The list

+++ Throne of skulls May'14 (1500pts) +++

+++ 1500pt Necrons: Codex (2011) v65 Roster (Primary Detachment)) +++

Selections:

Necrons: Codex (2011) v65 (Primary Detachment) Selections:

+ HQ + (275pts)

    * Anrakyr the Traveller (275pts) 

        (Counter-Attack, Ever-Living, Furious Charge, Independent Character, Mind in the Machine, Pyrrhian Eternals, Reanimation Protocols)

        Tachyon Arrow, Warscythe

        * Catacomb Command Barge

            (Living Metal, Quantum Shielding, Symbiotic Repair)

            Tesla Cannon (Tesla Weapon)

        * Royal Court

            * Harbinger of Transmogrification

                (Ever-Living, Reanimation Protocols)

                Tremorstave (Quake)

+ Elites + (245pts)

    * C'tan Shard (245pts) 

        (Eternal Warrior, Fearless, Immune to Natural Law, Necrodermis)

        Gaze of Death ( Gaze of Death), Lord of Fire ( Lord of Fire)

+ Troops + (440pts)

    * Necron Warriors (180pts) 

        * Ghost Ark

            (Living Metal, Quantum Shielding, Repair Barge)

            2x Gauss Flayer Array (Gauss Weapon)

        * 5x Necron Warrior

            (Reanimation Protocols)

            5x Gauss Flayer (Gauss Weapon)

    * Necron Warriors (130pts) 

        * 10x Necron Warrior

            (Reanimation Protocols)

            10x Gauss Flayer (Gauss Weapon)

    * Necron Warriors (130pts) 

        * 10x Necron Warrior

            (Reanimation Protocols)

            10x Gauss Flayer (Gauss Weapon)

+ Fast Attack + (330pts)

    * Canoptek Scarabs (105pts) 

        7x Canoptek Scarab Base (Entropic Strike, Fearless, Swarms)

    * Canoptek Wraiths (225pts) 

        Canoptek Wraith (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight), Canoptek Wraith (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight), Canoptek Wraith (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight), Canoptek Wraith (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight)

        * Canoptek Wraith

            (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight)

            Whip Coils (*)

        * Canoptek Wraith

            (Fearless, Phase Attacks, Phase Shifter, Wraithflight)

            Particle Caster

+ Heavy Support + (210pts)

    * Canoptek Tomb Sentinel [FW] (210pts) 

        (Fearless, Rampage, War Construct)

        Exile Cannon (Exile Blast), Phase Tunnelling (Deep Strike, Fleet, Hit & Run , Outflank), Sepulchral 

Scarabs (*)

Created with BattleScribe (http://www.battlescribe.net)

Day1: Saturday

Arrived for registration bright and early and greeted by the always friendly events team, got my number and headed for Bugman’s for a much needed nourishment (may haven enjoyed night before drinking and gaming until 1am a little too much J)

Game 1:

Opponent: John  (Space marine’s iron hands kind of)

Mission: Crusade 

Deployment: Vanguard Assault

So arriving at my table I find a war hound titan with duel turbo laser, two mortis pattern contemptors, two five man scouts and a librarian with allied inquisitor oh and a void shield generator. Let’s just say I was wandering the miniatures hall 40mins later. Only highlight was taking over my opponents war hound with the traveller and blowing the void and contemptors sky high   My opponent was a nice enough guy but this was my fear of coming to thrones and I thought if get beaten here will go down the tables to more my sort of game (more on that later)

Game 2:

Opponent: Steve (Tyranids)

Mission: Purge the Alien

Deployment: Hammer and Anvil

So after my first battering and realizing there is no Swiss system anymore at thrones, I rocked up to my next opponent. This list looked a little more engaging with 2 flying tyrants a crone a couple of exocrine and tervigon with brood oh and a couple of zonathropes.

Game started off well with me grounding the crone and destroying with wraiths in assault and knocking warlord hive tyrant to 2 wounds. Then the pain started as I realize I did not have enough firepower to knock out all the monstrous creatures and was rolled off the table by turn 5. Highlight this game was the traveller reanimating 4 times during the game.

This game I admit I played wrong and making my assault Necron’s list was always going to be a uphill battle but I got over eager and should of stayed back and used the deployment type to my advantage.

Game 3:

Opponent: Jon (sisters of battle with imperial guard allies)

Mission: Emperors will

Deployment: Dawn of War

So feeling a little deflated by my progress so far I move to my final game for day 1 and look across in horror at the list. 2 sister of battle squad’s min max special weapon, demolisher tank, vanquisher tank with IA1 special character? not too bad eh? Well add on a vulture gunship a avenger fighter and Valkyrie ok some flyers no anti air in my army but not ground shattering, then the la peste resistance a marauder bomber.

So scattering my forces across board as much as I could to claim objectives I began a 4 turn strafing run game which ended baldly for me with another tabling. Highlight stripping 4 hull points off bomber with gauss weapons before being hit 64 time with bombs.

 

After this last battering it was time to drown my sorrows into a pint and enjoy the Bugman’s quiz which I, must say was the highlight of my trip.  We did ok with the general 40k knowledge questions but was nice escape from the table dramas.

Overview day one:  the apparent escalation, strong point and allies concerns didn’t hit me until this tournament. I don’t mind losing as seem to become an infamous for it and doesn’t spoil my enjoyment but being tabled 3 times without much interaction in the game got to me I am ashamed to say.

So with a thankful later start time and some pancakes and blue berries I was set for day two.  

Game 4:

Opponent: Michael(Eldar)

Mission: scouring

Deployment: Dawn of War

So day two saw me facing the dreaded Eldar, opponents list contain void shield, wraith knight (warlord), wraith guard 2 units of 5 in serpents with spirit seer and a lynx super heavy rocking the D.  So this list performed similarly to the first war hound list in game one, and I had learnt a few tricks since this game. So spreading out over length of board to minimize the D and turbo boosting all my fast units into his void shields over two turns allowed me to have a game until turn 4 when his guns finally took down all my units. Must say I enjoyed this game more than game 1 even though opponent was maybe a little over the top making sure I was tabled and all objectives were his even when I had four warriors left and only win, loss, draw results, but each to their own I suppose. Highlight again was the traveller taking over another super heavy and destroying a wave serpent which was satisfying

Game 5:

Opponent: James(Tyranids)

Mission: Relic

Deployment: Hammer and Anvil

 

So my final game and after some confusion on tables. (Apparently last game could be grudge match, which don’t agree with first definitely) I found my opponent to be another nid player but this time playing a datasheet army of all lictors and genestealers. I basically castle in the corner around a derelict bastion awaiting the full infiltrating army to deploy 6” away from my lines gulp. This looked to be my type of game with a wacky army versus a wacky army.  Using my scarab bases as speed bumps and AV13 vehicles I held my own Game turn out to be a great laugh with ambushes and broadside ghost arks and actually gave me some hope for 40k gaming events in my future.  The traveller was a boss once again felling 5 Lictors with multiple charges on a chariot and reanimation. But the mission as always came down to the relic which I just couldn’t kill enough genestealers to make them drop the relic.

So with the event closing and the awards ceremony announce winners the event was over. I had very mixed feelings about this event as on the plus side got to get 5 games (6 if include Friday night) in a great backdrop. This isn’t my first or last event at warhammer world but I think my expectations of what thrones were going to be like were very different. As I have always said I have no problem with losing as if I did would have quit long ago, but not getting to interact in a game was a killer for me. I don’t want to come across to negative as still had an enjoyable time just weirdly not when I was gaming for the most part.

On reflection I think I would like to see the following in the future if could change things at all

1.       Bring back the Swiss system and let the top players play the top level, and leave poor old me out of it lol

2.       D weapons and void shields are brutal and I think 25% limit on lords of war or fortification would solve this problem, I mean one table had a 999 point greater lord of change L

Back into the Command Barge!

Hello All, 

Thought I would restart my blog again and track my life in the hobby once more 

Been on abit of a hiatus for the last year due to work commitments, but with a change of job and location I have much work life balance allowing me to fit in some hobby time :) 

So abit about me:

I have been in the hobby from about 3rd edition 40k on and off but always kept my toes in so to speak, I champion the forging the narrative side of gaming alot more and play mostly campaigns and events based around this 

I have setup an ran two successful clubs in the UK, which I am proud are still running strong now I have moved on :)

I am moving from the Durham County area to East Yorkshire area just outside of York for work and looking into getting back into a club and getting some games in the near future

Participating in the HCC challenge this year and excited at the prospect of finishing an army for which plan to take to Warhammer world campaign weekend

Current armies are:

Salamanders 2nd company: Aiming for company size force about half way there

Necrons Dynasty: made up own section in the galaxy where this dynasty calls home, basically a mixture of criminals, mercenary and prison worlds for "malfunctioning" necrons

Lamenters 8th Company: at the time of the badab war, though thinking of changing this to Hive Fleet battles

Harakonia Drop Troops: Drop Troop army currently at 3k

Armoured Company: insert name here, basically got an armoured company and super heavy company in boxes.....yes I horde lol Hoping people could help me push these forward with ideas etc

Think that's enough of my waffling 

Below is the background for my latest project:

Dynasty Background:

Necrons Dynasty The Custos of Poena:

The Necrons Dynasty The Custos of Poena controls a small cluster of fringe worlds on the edges of the galactic eastern rim. Also known as the Condemned Host, this small dynasty is both feared and distrusted by most of the Necrons race.

The dark and rich history of this dynasty starts during the great wars between the old ones and the C’tan. Not all necron people were willing to give there humanity and souls to the C’tans cause and many a rebellion was raised and quashed by the overlords of each dynasty. Even after these opponents were defeated and lobotomized, quirks and faults were common in these new warriors, some “malfunctioned” and attacked own forces other commands did not register. The fallout from these rebellions and aparentent faulty warriors was dealt with by the silent king. They would be sent to the outer edge of necrons vast realm and be the first to be tested for what later become known as the great sleep. Also many a experiment was conducted by the Cryptek to try and fix and improve the faulty units, the realm of Custos of Poena soon became a place of dread and legend for any overlord or Nemessor that overstepped their mark and be sent there for “atonement” and “reconditioning”

Tasked with overseeing this undertaking were a number of Triarch Praetorians, known as the wardens of the condemned. As the eons past the wardens waited for their kings commands, none came. Soon Necrons mercenarily groups and outcasts flocked to this seeming forgotten space of the galaxy, the wardens given no other command than to fix the faulty units did nothing to discourage this. It is rumoured even some of the Technoites hunted by the Silent King, fled to this realm and even now plot and scheme there revenge. 

Over the millennia many an intruder and explorer has attempted to claim the lands from the wardens and outcasts but all have been cast out and utterly annihilated to prevent information of its location being discovered.

In M37 the silent king returned and with him knowledge of a new threat to his people, the Tyranid race. The realm of Custos of Poena was one of the first he reach being on the outer edges of the known galaxy. His new instructions were the wardens prepare the armies of the condemned and fortify the realm ready for the coming swarm…

plan to add more in the future for the dark harvest list I am writing at the moment for the Independent characters Hobby Progress Challenge

the independent characters is a great podcast and I would recommend anyone in the hobby check them out

http://theindependentcharacters.com/blog/