Impromptu Annihilation – Part 1

Oh, wait, this is happening? ARGGH!

Being Children of The Game, I am sure you will all agree with me that our hobby takes time. I am sure you will also agree with me, that finding time for it can be difficult, especially as you get older and have more 'responsibilities'. In the spirit of this, every Tuesday we make time to run our club at a local school hall, which Sgt Slaughter has connections with.

So this being said, you can imagine our annoyance this week when we discovered that the school had decided to put on an 'impromptu' play. I say 'impromptu' as we hadn't been told about it, so I am assuming they had obviously just decided to pop up a set and let a group of suspiciously well choreographed kids sing and dance on the stage. This fiasco left 30 odd unhappy geeks pottering around outside, mumbling to each other about the price of magic cards and whether they should put on their own play, with lazers, and tanks and milkshakes (geek moans are hard to filter, so I tend to just hear what I want).

I hear you ask, what's the point Zombie? Well, as it happened Sgt Slaughter has enough room for a 8” x 4” board at his barracks, so the OB team went round and played a filthy 2,250 point, 3 v 3. That's the point!

We rolled for the teams, and it ended with myself (Shaltari), Mega Mike (Scourge) and GettodaDropship (Shaltari) on Team Alien. The other side, Team Human(ish), was Edchopp (UCM), Sgt Slaughter (PHR) and Skullsword (PHR). I bet you'll spend hours working out how I made those team names up (I had already spent my allotted imagination allowance on doodles at work).

Each player had 750 points to play with, and were limited to a Skirmish army selection (which for the record, is sooo limiting. It's like having all your fingers stapled together and typing out a 10,000 word essay. If you ever play a 1000 point game, play with a Clash selection for a better game). Here are the army lists:

ZombieState's Shaltari	GettodaDrophip's Shaltari	Mega Mike's Scourge
Swordpoint = 262 4 x Tomahawk 2 x Tarantula	Swordpoint = 244 3 x Tomahawk Firedrake	Vanguard = 349 3 x Stalkers, 1 x Champion (CV3) Harbinger 3 x Reaper, Marauder
Warrior Clan = 64 Braves	Warrior Clan = 128 Braves Braves	Warriors = 148 Warrior Horde, Intruder Alpha 1 x Reaver
Warfist = 240 2 x Jaguars, 1 x Shaman (CV2)	Warrior Clan = 64 Braves	Occupation Patrol = 250 8 x Prowler, 2 x Intruder Beta Destroyers, Intruder Alpha
Gates = 175 2 x Eden 1 x Spirit 2 x Haven	Court of Elders = 145 Coyote, Shaman (CV2)
	Gates = 175 2 x Eden 1 x Spirit 2 x Haven
Total = 726	Total = 741	Total = 747

Edchopp's UCM	Skullsword's PHR	Sgt Slaughter's PHR
Armoured Formation = 290 6 x Katana Eagle	Battle Pantheon = 129 2 x Ares, Neptune	Battle Pantheon = 288 2 x Phobos 2 x Angelos, 2 x Immortals
Legionnaire Corps = 254 Legionnaires, Raven A (MP) 3 x Rapiers, Condor	Battle Pantheon = 171 2 x Phobos, Neptune	Hand Of The Sphere = 182 Zeus, CV3 2 x Janus
Expeditionary Group = 196 4 x Wolverine B Praetorians, Raven A (MP)	Immortals = 237 2 x Immortals, 2 x Juno A1, Neptune	Immortals = 104 Immortals, Triton
	Heavy Pantheon = 175 2 x Odin, Neptune	Heavy Pantheon = 175 2 xOdin, Neptune
Total = 740	Total = 712	Total = 749

Now, the more astute, pedantic, or rules lawyerish of you out there have probably noticed that half of our armies aren't legal in some way or another. My gates v squads ratio is too high, Mega Mike can't take a support with his Warriors, and Edchopp also can't have a support with his Legionnaires. Nobody realised, and it made not one ounce of difference in the game!

We played with an 8”x 4” board, and fought for four focal points (one in each corner, in a 40dp building) and three objectives. The objectives were in three buildings on the 24” line; two were 40dp, and the central one was indestructible (and also Mega Mikes spanky new Monorail station from Blotz! We can droll over this another time though). Everything started in readiness.

Here is our warzone:

I have separated it into three sectors, for ease of reading. Also, I will be merging a teams whole turns worth of activations into one go, as it seems daft to go back and forth.

Turn 1

Initiative was won by Team Alien in the first turn, and was worked out by each player rolling a dice and adding the number together (as we were all CV1, because commanders were off the table, this didn't come into play). We let Team Human(ish) deploy a battlegroup first. On each activation, every team member activated a battlegroup and moved-shot-moved at roughly the same time.

Skullsword brought down his 2 Aeres in the open in Sector 1, Phobos on his left of Sector 2, and flew his Troops into Sector 1 but did not drop the Junos. His Odin's were dropped on the edge of Sector 2 by their Neptune.

Skullsword's Odins deploy behind Edchopp's Rapiers.

Edchopp deployed his Rapiers into a good coverage zone in the middle of the board, Sector 2, and parked his Legionnaires behind a building. He then valiantly flew his Praetorians right up to the monorail station in Sector 2, and drove his Wolverines onto Sector 1 and shot one of our focal point buildings, causing a little bit of damage. Lastly the Demo Squad, his Katanas and Eagle, stormed on in Sector 2 and blew chunks out of the damaged building.

Sgt Slaughter's Zeus, Phobos and Janus stomped onto the edge of Sector 3, and shot at our other focal point building. This caused a little damage, but nothing serious. His Neptune carrying the Odins moved up down the middle of Sector 3, and his Angelos skimmed on the far edge of the same sector.

Activating second meant we got to react to their deployment, a battle group at a time which was handy. GettodaDropship ported his Tomahawks on in through an Eden in Sector 1, and hid them next to a building from the Ares. His second Eden moved swiftly up the side of Sector 1, and his Spirit sprinted behind the 

The Shaltari deploy!

central objective building. His Firedrake floated on, and casually dropped a template on Skullsword's Ares, removing a DP of each. This was the first blood of a very productive game for the Firedrake!

I brought in my Jaguars via my Eden's near the middle of Sector 2 to set up a fire base, and hid my Spirit behind a building near the Jag's. My Tomahawks drove on and shot the enemies focal point building in Sector 1, hurting it a bit, and my Tarantulas and Havens stayed of the board for next turn.

Mega Mike zoomed the Warriors' Intruder next to the objective building in Sector 3, and his Destroyers' Intruder loitered on the edge of Sector 2, so it could either go to the monorail station, or to the objective building in Sector 3 next turn. Next, he brought his Reapers Marauder up to the central building in Sector 3 and deployed them, with the idea of shooting down the Odin's Neptune in turn 2. His lone Reaver and Prowlers moved up the flank on Sector 1, and the Stalkers Harbinger settled at the back of Sector 2, due to Team Human(ish)s' large AA bubble between Sectors 2 and 3.

Turn 2

For initiative this turn, each team added all the CVs on the board together and one member from each team diced off as normal. With our superior CV of 5 to 3, we got the win and set about having the turn 2 of our lives!

Seriously, it was savage.

Mega Mike's Reapers show off the easiest way to kill an Odin.

Having the jump, Mega Mike zoomed his Hunters around the building and opened fire on the Odin's Neptune. They brought it down easily, and took one Odin with it in the crash landing! His Reaver took advantage of the lack of AA in Sector 1, and nonchalantly took out a couple of Wolverines. His Warriors jumped into the objective building in Sector 3, and his Harbinger moved up to a mid-table building in Sector 2, but didn't drop the Stalkers. The Destroyers followed the Warriors into Sector 3, and the objective building. The Prowlers Intruders took advantage of the missing Rapiers (this will make sense in a moment), and whipped around the back of Sector 1, towards Sector 2.

GettodaDropship aimed to finish the Ares this turn, and didn't disappoint! His Firedrake aimed it's cannon

once more, but rolled a one, shooting somewhere off table instead. His Tomahawks were value for money however, deftly skimming round into view of the Ares and finishing them both off! One squad of Braves jumped into the objective building in Sector 1 via the Spirit, and he also got a Haven out of an Eden.

A fair representation of my dice rolls on turn 2

I shuffled my Jaguar's forward, and used both of their AA to bring down the Praetorians' Raven next to the monorail station. As valiant as they may have been, it unfortunately didn't save them from a firey death. When the Ravem crashed landed I rolled 4+ for both bases of Exotics, wiping them out! The Jag's then turned their attention to the three Rapiers, hit once on each tank and blew them all up. I would say I'll never moan about dice again, but it just wouldn't be true... My Tomahawks used the Power To The Engines card and flew forward 14”, ready for turn 3. My Tarantulas deployed just behind the monorail, to further solidify our position there. I also moved my one braves squad into the monorail station (which had become occupied in an earlier activation by Edchopp) through the spirit, and deployed a Haven through an Eden. This finished a very defining turn!

The Demo Squad roll up

This wave of carnage did happen over the course of the turn though, and Team Human(ish) did do their best to stop us! Edchopp, somewhat aggrieved to have lost his Praetorians and Rapiers, decided to take his frustrations out the medium building masking the Harbinger. His Katanas hammered the structure, and the Eagle finished it off without wasting a DP (they caused 20 damage to the building!). His Legionnaires flew to the monorail station and jumped in to become the occupier.

Skullsword did his best to deliver some vengeance on the Jaguars for the Rapiers demise, and hit with all 4 shots. My dice were on fire though, and I saved three shots! The shot that got through caused 1 dp to the commander Jag. The Phobos on his left of Sector 2 took full advantage of the Harbinger stranded in the open, and blew three DP of it.  

Sgt Slaughter used his Zeus and Angelos to shoot the objective building in Sector 3, containing the Warriors

Uhh, where did the building go?

and Destroyers. They did a little damage to it, but in a previous life the building must have been a mine factory, as the falling masonry damage was excellent! Two wounds were caused on the Warriors and a point on the Destroyers (who quite promptly shrugged it off with a successful passive save). The Janus ran up a road and the lone Odin, having been shot out of it's Neptune earlier in the turn, had simply deployed up to 3” from crash site. Last but not least, his Phobos opened fire on the damaged Harbinger and shot it out of the sky. Unfortunately for Team Human(ish) Sgt Slaughter rolled a 1, and the dropship landed allowing the three Stalkers on board to disembark behind the rubble safety.

To highlight the different emotions spewing forth from each team at the end of turn 2, just have a look at this post-turn picture:

This is everything for now, and the remaining four turns will be told in the next post. Adiós for now!