40K...UK...The Tournament Podcast!

Well, the 40KUK GT is over for another year and what an event it was!

After driving the 4 hours to get to Mansfield (damn traffic was awful), Bert, Ben and I checked into our hotel. Travelodge is the worst chain of hotels. I have never failed to be underwhelmed. I haven't seen a TV that was deeper than it was wide in such a long time. It was like something your grandmother uses. What is more it only had 4 channels. Good job we didn't expect to have a quiet night in! We diced off for sleeping arrangements ( I had to share a double bed with Ben and proved that your only gay if you push back and he swears that it wasn't about the sex, it was about the power) We headed off to Maelstrom for a few games and to see a few people we haven't seen in too long! (Hey Matt, Lee and Coop's!)

I had a quick game with Matt Robertson (him using a BA fast hull dready/meph assault list) I won the game pretty comfortably as I managed to kill Meph. Something which I normally struggle with. I actually Shut his powers down and nailed him. Matt conceded the game turn 4 after he lost some crucial combats to the trusty GH. Was a good lesson for both of us and it was the first time we have played each other (Matt is my Vice captain for this years ETC - he is a future captain I'm sure)

The other 'highlight was the Flame on Vs Dudley challenge! (ETC style team game) Flame on showed their quality by winning. Highlights were Gaz Donnelly's Attire (photo attached) and Paul Burke beating DE with daemons! What a shocker! We had a few drinks and a chat with some of the guys and retired back to the hotel for a night of slightly worried sleep.

The orGAZmatron himself in his team challenge attire

Day 1
Game 1
Karl Bickley - Eldar
Karl was a great guy to play! the list was 2 holo falcons, some fire dragons, Eldrad, war walkers and an avatar in essence. Was a total anti GK list and I thought that he might struggle vs wolves (I just shut his important decisions down with my priests) the game was 5 objectives/spearhead. the objective spread was pretty fair and Karl put me in the corner with no area terrain. Not that it mattered for me as ive never been that impressed with the pathfinders (he had 6 i think).

After a terrible shooting first turn (where I hit with, not shitting you, 1 rocket from all my ranged shooting at the fortuned/turboed falcons) it obviously bounced.
I did manage to take 2 wounds off the avatar tho which I know is the key to this kind of list (he hadn't fortuned him as he thought id go for the assault threat harlies in the falcons). I moved up after his second turn and did the leap of faith (12 inch move, turn, out nearly 3 with the guys that matter and and melta the falcons who had shot me so no turbo save!) I shut down the psy powers and end up killing the Avatar, killing a falcon, immobing the other one and assaulting some harlies with the banner popped (he lost a few to the explosion) I also fragged some path finders and managed to force enough saves to kill 3 lol! I like ones!
His scoring units (bikes) came on but got 'scouted' in the end and the war walkers got assaulted by said scouts after killing one of my 5 man squads. Eldrad was eventually assaulted and killed by a fist after the runic weapons stopped his fortune. It ended when the pathfinders died to murderous hurricane. Karl was a great guy to play and he knew his stuff. He eventually got some of his Grey Knight prey and ended up with the top Eldar player and 12th over all!

20 - 0

Game 2
Nathan Roberts - Dark Eldar
The fat angry geek from the podcast! O goody! but its not Kill points but it its home and away with a middle objective worth 2 points. Its a hard game this one. I go first. I deploy with my Tempest wrath priest pretty much bang in the middle. He deploys in the corner and tries to overwhelm one of my flanks by staying far enough away with venom's to pick on one pack at a time. He did this really well and managed to avoid quite a bit of fire. It amazing what can give DE vehicles cover! (nath was a classic venom spam with heeeeelions and Baron but had a razorwing and 2 ravagers in an effort to give him a shot at the new Necrons I guess - which he reserved in the hope of putting that big template on some GH who get blown out of the rhinos.

The game was a classic bore draw with me trying to deal with the helions and him avoiding tempests wrath damage like a machine! I think I got 2 immobed venoms from it all game. I paid for the helions with GH (best way for me to deal is to pop the banner and re roll ones and multi assault before they become fearless) Nath managed to auto kill one of my GH packs as they failed a LD check and had to double back = destroyed. The baron ended up passing a morale check and hit and running away in my turn 5. he moves into the middle with a re roll on the distance, a jump and a run to contest the middle in turn 5. Thats all we had time for. If I had the chance to kill him with my other guys I should have won as all else was either too far away or unable to get close enough to contest around my tanks + deckchair.  would have depended on his saves but the game had to end due to time. Happy with a draw in this mission vs DE as they are a real pain when played with decent/varied terrain and played by a very good player who gets lots of practice with other really good guys. Im just not quite shooty enough to deal with DE without trading blows and hoping my dice don't go cold (which they didn't thankfully).

10 - 10

Game 3
Martin Massey - Eldar
Another Eldar! this time its a classic Greg sparks style Foot guard list! Avatar, eldrad, wraithlords, Dire avengers, wraithguard and fire dragons, missile war walkers and guardians. Mission was home and away again but without the middle objective. He got first turn and deployed. I deployed opposite his objective behind a large blocker. He redeployed using Eldrads 'thing' and castled in that corner. Luckily I knew this was gonna happen. 3 big packs and 2 scouts + rockets can hurt a hell of a lot vs Eldar. I could just disregard my objective and just go for him. He would have to redirect everything to keep the wolves at bay.

I push forward from the off and pop lots of smoke/give myself cover. I stop the avatar's fortune and nail him with everything to which he dies (that's the key btw! Greg told me while I plied him drink at the ETC) Next turn the scouts come in and combi charge some dire avengers after some frags from the fangs and some dire avengers to help gang up on my lead squad+rhino (which nearly worked) The other GH pack with the priest in moves six and I risk a cheeky Jaws and catch a wraith guard, Eldrad and the wraithlord under the line after rolling 10 on 3 dice! 1 Wraithguard dies... SO DOES ELDRAD! YAY! If he wasn't it trouble he is now! wraithlord lives. Squad charges the WG and kill a few after some softening up with rockets and melta. and manipulate the potential charge with good unit choice of fire and force them out of cover for 80% of the shots directed at them for about a total of 4 dead dead guys. GH charge and clean up in 3 combat rounds. Wraithlord charges in on 2 wounds and I eventually kill him too. Scouts and the other GH squads get to charge the other units and eventually kill them all. game ends on turn 5 as he loses his last model

20 - 0

THE EVENING!

We have a lovely Barbeque (great weather and it was awesome) get some drink in with my chums and accidentally win the Quiz! (Free drinks for the win!) no one can compete with team 'Coop's is a speccy git'. Me and the Team Wales boys have a little meeting where we discuss the home nations and sort out travel and accommodation for the upcoming events. Thanks to Tim King for getting us worried about the details as apparently planes and hotels are filling up fast! We get some stuff sorted and carry on drinking til the early hours.

We get back to the hotel to engage in my hobby of sleeping with big sweaty men. The promised 'tequila girls' didn't show up at the GT so we had to improvise but its not the same licking salt off a hairy chest and the lemon tasted like it was shoved up someones ar...wait a second! you Horrible man Smith! Luckily I managed to avoid finding out that 'eventually the blood would act like lube' and that I would be fine in the morning. If it wasn't for the snoring it would have been a great night! (next time wake up when another man threatens to make you air tight Mr. Smith - you have been warned)

That's about it for the first day! Hopefully I can get some more in tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.