Hi all!
I’ve been crook, so apologies with not getting my list up earlier – I’ll post it here with some comments, and then briefly run through the first three games. The army list is off my head lol, so apologies if its slightly incorrect (it adds up on paper!!)
Imperial Guard – 1,750 points, Cancon 2012
HQ
Company Command Squad
- 4x Plasma guns
- Chimera w HBolter
Company Command Squad
- 4x Plasma guns
- Chimera w HBolter
Troops
Veteran Squad
- 3x Meltagun
- Chimera w HFlamer
Veteran Squad
- 3x Meltagun
- Chimera w HFlamer
Platoon
- Platoon Command/3x Flamer/Chimera w HBolter
- Squad A w AutoCannon
- Squad B w AutoCannon
Elite
Psyker Battle Squad
- 6 Psykers total
Psyker Battle Squad
- 6 Psykers total
Fast Attack
Banewolf
- Dozerblade/Smoke Launcher/HFlamer
Banewolf
- Dozerblade/Smoke Launcher/HFlamer
Vendetta
Heavy Support
Manticore Missile Launcher
Hydra
Hydra
Commentary
HQ slots – 4x plasma guns are pretty expensive, but combined with orders from inside a chimera, they are also pretty effective. I mainly use these to initially become twinlinked against incoming rhinos (4 shots at bs4 twinlinked from 24inches), or making heavy infantry reroll cover (up to 8 shots at point blank). This means the Command Squads can sit further back in my lines and either move up to blast things, or suicide/force my opponent to kill them to avoid a second volley. They are also significantly cheaper than veteran squads whilst giving much more firepower. They can order my psykers to make opponents reroll cover, which given that when I hit, I ignore marine armour 50% of the time, with a 36 inch range heavy blast.. and the obvious twinlinking of my veteran meltas.
Troops - Veteran Squads – melta hunters. These chimeras have heavy flamers, because I really want to be extending these chimeras into the midfield and past my opponents lines (with support obviously). Platoon – standard sit back and shoot rhinos etc, use as screens if need be. Platoon Command mostly jumps in the vendetta for cheap scoring and 2+ cover saves on disembarking, flamers are just insurance.
Elites – Psyker Battle Squads. Mode A, anti infantry – with large blasts and 36 inch range, my opponent rerolling cover saves, these hurt a lot. Mode B, dropping leadership (Duh), with my chimeras and banewolves (and if need be, vendetta) running amok behind my opponents lines to force marines to continue running.
Fast Attack – Banewolves. These were a later addition to my list but they synergise very well. Given their low profile and smoke, they are easy to hide/get cover, are hard to hurt (side armour 12), can move behind my opponents army, and are an obvious and immediate threat (ap3 2+ to wound flamers!!). These can function as bookends to chimeras as well – either obscuring or hiding chimera side armour without too much effort. Love them. The gun is so good that it can reliably kill most of most units – meaning I can easily drop leadership/KO the unit through running. Vendetta – obviously killing light vehicles is the speciality here, going for side armours with scout, moving my platoon to an objective very early. Did well hitting a few monsters as well (avatar, wraithlord etc).
Heavy Support – Hydras. This pair isn’t in a squadron, which gives limited potential for my opponent returning firepower, gives me a very very solid range band to hit things/cause a few extra wounds (combined with HBolter)/pop vehicles, as well as cheap mech to contest objectives on my side if necessary. Manticore, my lovely. I really like this model, I converted it 2 years ago now and I still get a lot of great comments (pictures soon!!) – easily breaks open enemy vehicles of all kinds, fantastic for wound saturation against any target with multiple models, awesome range.. just a great weapon. Causes pinning if I really need to stop something (combined with psykers etc).
A word on Chimeras and heavy bolters – the majority of my chimeras have heavy bolters over heavy flamers, which isn’t what the internet usually tells you to do. I do have the 2 hflamers + the two banewolves double flamers, but the other 4 are hbolters. Why? Causing wounds on infantry from range. This allows me to more easily make units run essentially. By no means does this mean the chimeras are sitting still.. all chimeras bar the psyker unit stealing the platoon command are running for the centre of the board. You cannot play guard effectively sitting in a corner, you just won’t hurt your opponent enough if they are canny, and you will lose the mission.
Day 1
3 games at abit over 2 hours each. I won’t remember everything correctly, but you’ll get the idea.
First mission was spearhead, kill points as primary, table quarters as secondary (I think). Versed eldar, with an avatar/farseer, dire avengers, reaper unit, pathfinders, wave serpent, warwalkers with starcannons, wraithlord, wraithguard 10man unit.
First turn immobilised the wave serpent but not much else. Second turn killed the warwalkers, wraithlord, avatar, wraithguard and farseer (finished the wraithguard with plasma and double banewolves). He gave up end of my turn 3, after I killed most of the pathfinders and dire avengers. More or less he didn’t have the weapons to kill armour 12, he could only stun me at best.
Second mission was pitched battle, table quarters as primary, I think kill points as secondary. Versed eldar again, vs 2 or 3 wave serpents, avengers, asurmen and eldrad, warwalkers, wraithlord, shining spears, token guardian unit. Maybe some other stuff.
First turn shook 2x warwalkers to reduce incoming fire. He immobilised and stunned a hydra. Second turn I killed a warwalker, and a few shining spears, as well as bringing the hiding wraithlord to one wound. He immobilised and weapon destroyed the vendetta, and stunned a chimera (melta vets). Third turn my manticore broke eldars transport and killed a bunch of avengers, whilst my army killed his warlord and the next warwalker, also finishing off the shining spears. He surrendered after being told ordanance actually does work vs energy shields, though he was pretty bitter! All through the game, the guy was a pretty bad sport. He told me from the start he was going to take a dive, and my army would just piss him off, etc etc. He claimed that he came to the tournament to win via painting, battle, sports, comp etc – and whilst his vehicles were awesome in the extreme, units like his spears weren’t even past undercoat – so good luck there champ. Playing sports like he did, yeah. Fail man, fail. His army was obviously outmatched by my mech.. but you bring a knife to a gun fight, and have a sook?
Third mission was spearhead again I believe, and home objectives (thats one objective each) as primary, with table quarters as secondary. Versing spacewolves, a challenge! Consisted of terminators/logan in a mmelta landraider crusader, 2x rhinos with 10 man troopers/melta/fist (from wolfguard)/banner, 2x missile longfangs joined by 2x cyclone wolfguard, vindicator (yeah..), maybe some other stuff.
He was really hoping for first turn, but didn’t get it – I killed all but one longfang from one squad (including the cyclone) which helped alot, primarily with multilaser/heavy bolters. Had scouted to the right with my vendetta and killed his vindi. He ran forward and popped smoke with his landraider, whilst chaining the rhinos behind those. He knocked out one banewolf and stunned the other, that were running straight towards his longfangs (where they could veer off to hit disembarked marines). What he probably should have done was disembark logan and boys, and multiassaulting chimeras/at least mmelted a chimera. I’d positioned a melta vet on both flanks, and in my second turn I sent both full pelt towards them, disembarking and blowing away the landraider (making it reroll cover). The plasma command squads made him reroll cover, and killed most of the terminators with plasma fire. He retaliated by charging a chimera and veteran squad with the remaining 2 + logan (logan had absorbed a few plasma wounds with his invuln), but they failed to actually kill the vets whilst losing one wolfguard from vet attacks. The marines disembarked and killed the other vet squad, with the other marine unit gunning for the vendetta (I think they missed.. but the long fangs got it instead). My turn 3 has all my guns pointing at the two marine units (plus psykers), but when a chimera tankshocks the first unit making them break (double 6s), he surrenders (can’t rally at all). The other unit would have taken 2 psyker ld drops and all my firepower, whilst multiple chimeras guided them where to go.
So ends day 1! 75 points (complete massacres, all secondary objectives), 2 pretty easy opponents (double eldar?) and a possible challenge if things went badly (one objective each only, fearless termies and longfangs), but ultimately all my opponents chose not to at least push for a minor. You should never give up in games – that last game for example, whilst I had troops moving on to his objective, he only needed one unit to contest it to force a minor.. whilst admittedly that was unlikely, it was possible and would have meant a huge points difference.
3 more games today, 2 games tomorrow.
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