I have returned from the 2 day WHFB tournament 'Warhammer World Series' (WWS) with pictures to show and tales of failure to tell. WWS was held last weekend at the Hampton Games Club and featured 7 games over 2 days.
"So?" I hear you think, "What's so good about that?" you continue.
Well I'm glad you asked, as I am going to tell you. WWS is not a standard tourney. It is one where the game tables are already set out with 2 armies, each balanced against the other. You do not bring your own army... you roll off for which one you would like to play with and the opponent decides the table sides.
Now before I start throwing images up here you can find all the match ups and army lists here at the organisers blog http://hoodlinghole.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/warhammer-world-series-armies.html
The above is so I don't have to explain what army contains what in detail, you can do all the leg work athankye very much.
So, let my record of this tournament commence!
Arriving Saturday morning, tired, hungry (no breakfast, go me!) and excited / nervous I perused the hall checking out all the tables and making mental notes as to which army I would like to play (and then subsequently throwing those notes into my mental bin).
Before too long a screen set up in the hall displayed the first rounds match ups... and I was playing a chap named Tim in an Empire vs Vampire Counts on table 7. Then the timer on said screen began to count down from 2:00:00
Now I can't remember who won the roll of to decided who played what, but I ended up with a mageless, cannonless Empire army and my opponent was playing the Monster Infantryless, Vampireless Vampire Counts.
Setting up pretty much direct opposite from each other, I basically just run forward. I cut an early break with Tim failing an important Black Knight charge against my knight block, allowing me a counter charge and wiping them in 1 round.
It didn't take long before men were beating down zombies, skellies and grave guard. One of my witch hunters lost in a 3 turn challenge with a guard champ and one of my warrior priests barely scraped through an arduous tussle.
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| stacks on! |
The below shot is the last turn. Tim only managed to kill 1 of my witch hunters where managed to do the opposite, leaving only his 2 necromancers alive (hiding beside the sphinx on the left). Go me :p
1st round score; 17 - 3 win!
Round 2 !!
Dark Elves vs Tomb Kings on table 17:
If I remember correctly I chose to play as the Kings this turn. Why? *shrugs* I don't like elves?
My opponent James obviously didn't play the Kings.
Same fare here as above, we both lined up though I was more spread out and he wasn't. I had a priest and prince in the skeleton block and he had a mage in his crossbowmen and mounted bsb in a corsair block.
Note much to report here, his corsairs became stuck in combat with my Giant and then eventually broke from a charge of skeletons. The elves just could roll high enough to wound the big brute before that happened.
My bowmen found their mark fairly often clearing off the crossbows, harpies and some dark riders.
In the end, his Kharibdyss charged the flank of my sphinx, lost combat and ran (then next turn was caught), his Cold One knights smashed some of my chariots and my mage had his throat cut in combat.
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| Kitten chases down the rabid sea snake |
End result, 13 - 7 win!
Round 3 !!
High Elves vs Dark Elves, table 5:
This battle had the old enemies the High and Dark Elves face off in an almost identical match up.
My opponent Hieu and I just looked at each other and laughed... this was going to be a close fight we thought. Both of us really didn't know what most of the stuff did either, but we gave it a shot.
To add to our puzzlement of how this match would play out, our magic phases were both very simple. I had a magic missile and teleport spell form High Magic, he had vortex and power dice recoup from Dark Magic. Now seeing as he can only use six dice to cast his vortex, the power boost was a bit of a waste.
Early on also, my mage miscast and lost his magic missile, leaving only the teleport... to teleport nothing as it was either in combat or not wanting to be in combat -_-
Hieu only managed to cast the vortex once or twice regardless of how hard he tried.
Both of our bolt throwers almost always failed to hit and when they did, failed to wound anything... except at the very end. The below pic shows how I lined up a charge into his knights... before a lucky bolt pierced and killed both my General and BSB... those guys sucked anyway.
The above disaster resulted in a 5 - 15 loss for me,
Round 4!!
Tomb Kings vs Lizards, table 14:
Getting towards the end of the day, I was starting to feel really tired and could not think straight.. so I decided to play as Lizards seeing as I've already played as Tomb Kings. My opponent Chris didn't get a say and went with the kings.
How's this for a game start.. turn 1 his catapult targets my steg, hits, wounds, kills steg. Turn 1. I haven't even moved yet.
There really isn't much to report here.. the game was over in an hour just about.
His sphinx charges my slann and saurus block, so what do they do?
During the last turn (turn 3 or 4) my D3 desiccated block is charged by chariots and necro knights.. Chris drops the mic, I throw in the towel.
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| yep.. D3 off their stats.. sucks to be them |
End result 0 - 20 loss
I was done. Couldn't be arsed and just wanted to survive the drive home so I could rest my weary mind. I really didn't think I could go another day of gaming.. but I did.. 'cos I'm awesome :p
Day 2 and round 5 !!
Sunday Bloody Sunday and I'm feeling refreshed and surprised that I felt like gaming! Positive vibes coursing, I tackled round 5 with gusto and nerves.
Ogres vs Skaven, table 6:
Winning the decision to choose armies, I went with Skaven over Ogres as the rotund beasties are a main army in my collection and I wanted to play something different. Plus, I've played Shamps' rats enough times to hate being on the wrong end of their overpowered toys.
The first couple of rounds, my opponents Hannes loses his Yhetees and Mournfang to a Doomwheel, Slaves and Censer bearers. We were both surprised when my slave block managed to kill a mega cat (or Mournfang if you wanted to use their proper name)... but then we realised it was because they were equipped with great weapons and he just had to roll 1's and 2's for his armour saves.
I found it amusing that I misfire with the Doomwheel and as a result, gain an extra die for its random movement rolls. Woo! Outdated rat rules FTW!
Below is what the end of the game looked like. He ended up destroying my priest block and he lost everything bar his Lords / Heroes (with 1 wound a piece >.<). We both found it incredulous when my doomwheel made an unlikely 19 inch charge into the rear of his irongut block and then shot it's lightning killing off the last of that unit.
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| Awes looking Yhetees |
Round 6
Beastmen vs Lizards, table 16.
Rolling off I went with the Beastmen while my opponent Jabe, went with Lizards.
This game was the most annoying, frustrating, amusing game of Warhams I'd played in a long time.
I had resigned my win early on when I lost my bsb to an amber spear and my units thought they'd be better off fleeing the battle then standing to fight.. jerks.
The game had 2 almost completely different games within itself... the first games was my main block advancing while his retreated, eventually getting into combat and then him tearing them apart. It was at that time I realised the block were only equipped with shields for armour and were strength 3.. yeah.. I wasn't winning that fight.
The 2nd game was my Jabberslythe flying about the place pinging wounds of his skinks (making one unit flee) using it's madness aura. I also had a skirmish ungor unit throwing blunt arrows at another skirmish unit (skinks) who're dodging the charge arch of a frustrated spawn and ungor combined. It was comical at the very least to see 5 - 6 turns of ungors moving in arc, shooting, missing, spawn lining up, failing charge & skinks moving out of the way .. repeat. Good times :-)
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| the chariot who fled most of the fight rallied .. to be charged by a steg :p |
End result 1 - 19 loss
Final Round !
Skaven vs Gobbos and squigs, table 1.
Firstly, this was one fantastic looking table, brilliantly depicting an underground battleground. Secondly, my luck still sucked. Or perhaps it was my opponents (Mark) good luck.
In the first turn of the game, Mark runs his scouting rats forward in a wide line to force reveal my fanatics from both goblin blocks. Yes the fanataics kill the rats but now I've 4 fanatics in my way preventing me from advancing.
Next Mark gets the spell 'Scorch' off and causes a couple of wounds off a goblin block with mage.. to which the fail the panic check, fail the re-roll and run off the board... turn 1. I hadn't even moved yet.
Taking a deep breath and the attitude of 'F*ck it' I move everything that I can towards whatever the units can engage.. then I fail animosity and my trolls suffer stupidity. Urge to kill rising.
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| rats deployed in the Warpstone mine (centre) and run forward to unveil fanatics |
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| the final round and last stand of goblins |
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Coming up at the club this Friday might be a game of Triumph & Treachery and Necromunda (yet to be confirmed regarding dates?). There is also talk of Mordheim being run alongside the Necromunda campaign which should be good.
Well I've hoped you've enjoyed this tournament write as I've enjoyed playing it. As always feel free to comment and make me feel loved and if you've pics or a write up yourself @ EWA, shoot it through to me via email and i'll edit and pop it up :-)
Cheers,
-Bensome
Sounds like a good variety of games, and you got some cool photos. Thanks for coming!
ReplyDeleteIndeed I did. Thanks for organizing and running it :-)
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