The Assault Phase

The notion of analyzing problems to find the best solution is something that I enjoy doing. I think there is something in every guy that finds this interesting and fun. And I think this is an aspect of War-Gamming that we often do when we are playing but don’t think about in terms of problems and solutions.

            Here is what I mean…When you are creating a list for your army or trying to decided what unit and HQ to include, don’t look at it like a simple model or troops choice, but instead look at it like a possible solution. Every game and battle we face and play in has its own set of problems. I.E. the mission objectives, the terrain, your opponent, your teammate…coughcough..Simon cough, deployment, etc. Now look at your army and tactics as the solution. Hopefully this will put a slightly different spin on the game. Now when looking at a unit in your army, think of it as a solution to a set of problems you might face on the battlefield.

            This can be a very helpful approach to someone trying to make a competitive army or really anyone desiring to win in tabletop war games. So when you look at your army list think about all the different problems you might face in battle, if you don’t have a solution for them, then I would expect defeat or pray to the dice gods for a match up you can handle. 

            The better of a player you are the more you will be able to incorporate into your solution when figuring out how to beat your opponent. For a beginner, their solution will be found by looking at their army for an answer to the problem of “how am I going to win this game”. They will see the mission objectives and look at their Army list for how to achieve them. The intermediate player will begin to look beyond their army for solutions. They will incorporate terrain and deployment and think about how to use the field itself as a means to achieve victory. The most competitive players will go even further. The will intentionally use not only terrain, deployment and their army as solutions, but they will also use turn and time control (this means playing for the turn you will actually be ending on, so if you know the game is 2 and half hours long and you will probable only make it to turn 4, realize you have 4 turns to win or loose). They will use their opponent as a weapon against himself, goading him/her into making mistakes in order to capitalize on the laps in judgment. This just gets more and more complicated.

            No matter where you are in your War – Gamming carrier the principle is simple. Problem/Solution. The problem is “how am I going to win this game and get the most points possible”, the solution is found in what army and experience you bring to the table.

Joshua

A lot of the time when I think about memorable games I have had in my 40K career, I think of moments in time that something awesome happened on the battlefield of the 41^st millennium. This past week I caught myself reminiscing while I was painting some models. The time I played Mark and his Lootas kept my Daemon Princes at bay with their range. The time I played Dave and we moved our tanks and units around the board like chess pieces, that game came down to the last roll and left me with a well deserved headache. The game against Scott in which I received my first and only loss with my Ork Horde. The list goes on and on.

As I pondered these 40K milestones I began to realize a pattern…in almost all of the games I fondly remember…I ended up loosing! This made me think about how I have defined my 40K value as a player. I consider myself a good player, I have played the game sense the end of 2^nd edition. I was there when Marines actually threw their grenades, Necrons were awesome and mysterious, and Dark Eldar ran threw a table of infantry in one turn. And yet with all the tournaments and games I have played the ones that stick out as being turning points for me are the ones in which I tried my very best and still lost. I think the reason I remember these games over any past win’s I have received is because these are moments in my hobby when I have had an experience that improved my ability as a player.

The point of this article is really to encourage all those out there who might feel like they are in a slump in their gamming lives. When you are in a dip in your hobby or really in any area of life, the important thing to remember is that like any dip, slump, valley or low you must keep in mind that it is positioned between two hills. The high that you experienced when you first started is most certainly going to be followed by a low when you realize you aren’t as good as you thought you were. But that is just before you get the first big win and feel like a champ again. The key is not giving up when you’re in the time between the mountaintops.

            This, in my opinion, is important to longevity with almost everything. So here are some tips I found helped me out of my 40k valleys.

1)    Don’t look at the dip like a flook, don’t blame it on dice. Evaluate how you got there and you will be able to find a better way out. I used to actually keep a 40k notebook of my wins and losses. I know that is a bit crazy, but it really helped me to see why I was loosing, and I didn’t make the same mistakes twice. I would write down my opponent, what army they played, the army list they used and how they beat me.

2)    Make sure you really understand why you’re playing the game and keep that at the forefront of your mind. For me, the reason I am playing is because I love the awesome models, I love strategy war games and I love the comradery of playing and competing. This has absolutely nothing to do with winning and loosing. If you are in this hobby to win, then I would suggest you stop playing.

3)    Spend time exploring the many different aspects of this hobby. If you hinge all of your experience with this game on one aspect of the hobby, it is easy to loose interest or become dispassionate for your hobby as a whole. Example: if you only like to paint and you find someone who paints better then you, you leave yourself open for frustration. If you only like playing and you go on a month long loosing streak you leave yourself open for frustration. If you like modeling and someone comes along with a totally customized army, you leave yourself open for frustration. Take time investing in the hobby as a whole you will never regret it. Learn about all the 40K fluff, we have the best background in town with books and books written by actual authors. Take pride in every model in the army. Name your HQ’s and hero’s. As soon as I named my three Trigon’s, “Emperor’s Bane”, “Mr. Tickle” and “Boo Radley” AKA “The Party Starters”, I started winning and having more fun with them.         

 Do what works for you. And have fun with your hobby.

 Joshua

Hello friends…long time no chat.

         Well this month is going to be fun for me, because as of right now I am going to get to come and play in the 40K team event. Because of that I have been thinking about how to best formulate a list and a few tactics that might come in handy when playing with a partner.
         When I was working for the school system here in charlotte I heard several people tell me over the years a simple and annoying solution to problems I would bring up at work. They would say, “well maybe you should think outside the box”, and I would say “well maybe I should kick you in the ear”….not out loud, but I said it all the same. And you know what, I came to a resolution when thinking about this supposed “box” I was being told about. And that’s that everything outside the box doesn’t matter, cause you have absolutely no control over it whatsoever. Not even a little bit. And if you think you do, then you my friend are living in a little place called Delusion, which I think is at the corner of Fantasy and NiceTry. But what does this have to do with 40k Joshua? I’m glad you asked Assaultphase readers. A team tournament is something in which there are a lot of elements that are going to be out side of your box. Who will you be paired with? What type of army will they have? Will they bring troops or all heavies? Should I bring assault units or my big guns? What if they all deep strike? Should I bring reserves? What if I roll all 1’s the whole day and a black warp tears down the fabric of time and space and all my dice get sucked into the time warp and then pop back out a second later BUT they’re all showing 6’s now! Is that CHEATING! IS IT!YOU KNOW THAT COUNTS! (then we all turn into orks)WAHHHHHG!
Sorry, all I am trying to say is, that when thinking about how to play in a game that already has a lot of random whosits and whatsits gallor, the best way to handle the unknown thing-a-ma-bobs is by keeping it simple.
          1) Stick to what you know. If you have a unit that you rock face with, use it.

          2) Make a balanced list, that way no matter who you are teamed up with you can complement their list to help their strengths AND you will be able to fill in where they are weak.

          3) Attitude. I hate harping on this one, but there is going to be a lot of unknowns and crazy 40K Shenanigans in a team event, so don’t freak if the two heavy hitters in the event get paired together, crap happens. You might get paired with your nightmare bizaro-world teammate OR you might get the guy (or girl, I’m looking at you Mrs.Nid) of your dreams. Either way, the picking of your teammate is outside of your control (outside your box) so don’t freak y’all.

         4) Have fun trying for crazy combos you have never had the chance to get. I.E. the Tau player who gets paired up with the Ork Mob OR the Daemon player who is fighting WITH the Grey Knights! Weird….yes, possible…likely.
Either way, enjoy the day the best you can because Team events at this level of play don’t happen often. So savor battles, relish running hand in hand with your sworn enemy for the afternoon and……with your powers combine(the rest is up to you).

Josh

Location: Parker Banner Kent Wayne, 8301 Magnolia Estates Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031
Entry Fee: 10.00

What is a “Club Day?  It means that it will be an organized day of organized gaming.  It is not about who finishes out on top.  We will be setting up the tables and terrain, providing scenarios, tracking results and kill points for everybody.  Prizes will be handed out based on other factors.  Random, fluff, new guys that beat up on a regular, etc. 

We will be playing 3 1250 point Warhammer 40K games.  There is no seeding , all games will be randomly chosen.  The only thing we will try through the day is to make sure you play somebody new and against an army you haven’t played against already.

After the gaming is over, feel free to stick around!  We will be meeting as a club to talk about possible scenarios, events, and planning the next tournament.  Everybody is welcome.

“What to write about” has been a topic of frustration for me over the past week or so. I have been accumulating topics left and right and have a stack pages deep waiting for me to address….but none of them felt right. Weird…I know, but then it hit me, that something popped into my brain and screamed “POW Right in kisser!” That something was; what it means in my opinion to be a full-spectrum-warhammer-40K-player. That was a mouth full, but o so sweet. This might be a little deep for some, and its going to be a bit more Warhammer philosophy then anything else, but….go with it.

What does it mean to be a 40K player? To me it means a lot of things, to you, maybe not. But when I look at the hobby that is Warhammer I distinctly see three separate aspects of the game that all have their place in the hobby as a whole. Those are…

1)    Modelings

2)    Painting                                       

3)    Playing

Modeling- this is the nitty-gritty. This happens with all those pieces of dull grey plastic that come in any box you buy. Here is an area of the hobby that goes most unnoticed and is usually something that very few players get into. The best of the best modelers however will ultimately have some of the coolest things on the table top. They have unique conversions and awesome models that are different from everyone else. One of the coolest examples of this can be found here…

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4nzgPbHlNo4/SpNxfgDvnsI/AAAAAAAAFwA/fBYjG6dsg_E/s1600-h/techno-tyranid-01.jpg

If for some reason the link does not work, then look up BoLScon winner, it is a highly converted Nid army that looks absolutely amazing.

 Painting- Whether we like to admit it or not, painting you minis is part of the hobby. It takes time, patience and a lot of practice to get right, but when you figure out how it’s done you will never go back. Check out coolminiornot.com for painting inspiration or just ask a question here and one of us will jump to help you.

 Playing- This is an aspect of the hobby that takes center stage for most people. Winning tournaments is the end goal of a lot of players. And that is perfectly fine, but I have to say that I think your missing out of a lot of the fun that the hobby has to offer if this is your one desire. Playing can be extremely rewarding, and to be honest, this is my favorite thing about the hobby. I love the contest and the competition that playing a worthy opponent brings. I love honing my skills with different armies and tactics. But this also has a dark side…DUM DUM DUUUM! (lightning crack). Loosing. When this is the only part of the hobby you enjoy its easy to start hating your hobby when you lose. And here’s why. This is the only part of the hobby that is contingent on someone beside you. OR, put simply, this is the only part of the hobby that we are not in complete control over. No one else besides you dictates how you paint your minis or convert your models into 40K masterpieces. But, winning games can be shattered by an opponent, or a new rule, or a mission, or a scenario, or by crappy dice that seem to hate you, or by running out of time when you just needed that one last turn! Or by not getting enough sleep the night before, or by being late for the tournament and it fills up OR BY…..fill in the blank!

            This is why being a Full-Spectrum-Player is important to me personally. Because I really like this hobby and I really want to enjoy it. Is it wrong to have a favorite part of 40K……absolutely not. Is ok to hate painting? Yes. But if your going to enjoy this hobby to the fullest extent it has to offer, then you have to at least try the different aspects that make up Warhammer 40,000.

Location: Parker Banner Kent Wayne, 8301 Magnolia Estates Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031
Time: May 29th.  Registration begins at 10am, games begin at 10:30am
Entry Fee: 10.00

Also known as “40K in 40 minutes”.  For our typical end of the month tournament, we will be running a combat patrol tournament.  This is a great way for new players to get involved in the tournament scene.  With only 400 pts of models needed, everybody should have enough play that army they never got around to finishing.

Details

- 400 Point Army List
- No HQ’s required, no more than one HQ allowed
- At least one Troop choice
- No named characters
- No model may have more than 2 wounds
- No model may have 2+ or better save
- No mandatory choices required.  All other unit restrictions apply (ie. 0-1)
- No vehicles with a total Armor value greater than 33. This is calculated by adding the Front, Side and Rear armor numbers. (Only count the Side once).
- No psychic tests may be taken.  Though you may take psykers for other benefits (ie. synapse range).

There will be 5 games with various scenarios including kill points and objectives.

Combat Patrol – Registration
  10:00 AM-10:30 AM
Combat Patrol – Game 1
  10:30 AM-11:15 AM
Break
  11:15 AM-11:30 AM
Combat Patrol – Game 2
  11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Lunch
  12:15 PM-1:00 PM
Combat Patrol – Game 3
  1:00 PM-1:45 PM
Break
  1:45 PM-2:00 PM
Combat Patrol – Game 4
  2:00 PM-2:45 PM
Break
  2:45 PM-3:00 PM
Combat Patrol – Game 5
  3:00 PM-3:45 PM

Awards
  4:00pm

Games really shouldn’t last more than 40 mins each.  But basically there’s 45 minutes per game.  15 minute breaks between for score entering and pairing.  A 45 minute lunch break.  5 games and out of there by 4pm. 

Discuss this in the forum

Rumor as mentioned on DakkaDakka is that the Forgeworld group was demostrating a WWII game that they are intending to release next year.  This is mention in the latest Wargames Illustrated (http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/).

DakkaDakka – Warhammer 40K Forums – Forthcoming GW WWII game reported | One Snotling on the Pump Wagon of the internet.

Location: Parker Banner Kent Wayne, 8301 Magnolia Estates Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031

Stop in to paint with us.  Everybody is welcome.  There will usually be some expert painters around to give tips on painting and modeling.

The valuable Imperial hive world of Romero V has been the site of a vicious conflict for a decade, with different races vying for control. The Nurgle Lord Typhus had enough and released the Plague of Unbelief, turning the majority of the human populace and alien invaders into mindless zombies. Through a dark ritual he has also shrouded the planet in a warp storm that has made communication extremely difficult, psychic or other wise. The survivors, human and xeno, have been running for their lives and searching for a way off the planet. The opportunity for that has just arisen.

A shuttle making a last run to recover some important data has set down in the zombie infested hive Primus. Through intercepted transmissions the surviving military units have learned that the shuttle will be stuck planetside until some repairs are made. The units also learn that the Inquisition has declared the planet lost and ordered Exterminatus. This Shuttle is the last means of getting of this planet of the damned. The options are clear, fight through a city of undead or lie down and die. Which option will you choose?

More Details

Recently we got to sit down and play an apocalypse battle. The points were 8000 per side and we played on 3 tables representing an assault onto an imperial city by the forces of chaos.  To add some unique elements in the center of the table would be a chaos gate that, when entered, would transport troops by deep strike onto a chaos themed table.

Along with the formations chosen by each side, the following strategic assets were also chosen, each player coming with an asset.

Chaos

• Strategic Bombardment
• Blind Barrage
• Vortex Grenade

Imperial

• Disruption Beacon
• Supreme HQ
• General Staff

Deployment

With a lucky roll of the dice during deployment chaos had a good majority of the battle field.  There was some worry about the open space in the desert where the many basilisks  while Imperials were clustered into the city, where they immediately began to bunker in.

The Chaos forces set up first and nearly half the army went into reserves or deep stuck.  The Defiler formations, and tanks with troops all lined up right along the no mans land line.  The thought here was to mad rush into contesting objectives while blasting away at troops as this was an objective game.

The Imperials places several troops behind barricades up front, but also placed Creed and a large number of heavy support troops into the Shrine of the Aquila.  Leman Russ tanks set up in a corner of the city and behind the shrine and out of view were a large number of basilisk too.

The imperial stratagems also were placed.  The disrupter beacon in the Shrine and the command center out behind.

Initial set up, assault on the imperial city
 

The Daemon Gate and Ryan as an Objective Marker
 

Chaos Turn 1

• Scheduled Bombardments destroy the disrupter beacon in the Shrine
• Soul Grinders deep strike with a lucky roll into the middle of the front lines.  Giving them immediate fire targets and screening much of the chaos army from the leman russ tanks.
• Fateweaver and Skarbrand try to take up supporting positions but deviate too far to be any good for much of the game.
• Defilers blast a command platoon
• Land Raiders move forward and pop smoke at the IG barricades
• Line breaker vindicators attack troop positions and do a small number on them.

Imperial Guard Turn 1

• A basilisk with homing beacon takes out the lead defiler
• Rest of the shilling ruins the chaos gun line inflicting heavy damage on the first wave and destroying several Soul Grinders and Defilers.

 
  

Chaos Turn 2

• A 40 troop squad of Pink Horrors deep strike into a ruin with objective.  They fire at guardsmen behind a fortified wall, only killing 6 troopers.
• The Khorne Lord comes out of his land raider and rapes through a command squad and follows up into the shrine.
• Chaos manages to kill only one Leman Russ and Basilisk
• Obliterators and Terminators deep strike into the throng of Leman Russ’s
• Obliterators run into the chaos gate

Imperial Guard Turn 2

• Two units, including veterans, charge the Defiler.  Both fail moral checks and were slaughtered running away.
• The Khorn lord is gunned down by remaining guardsmen
• The Daemon Prince is also gunned down by lasgun fire before contributing to the battle.

Chaos Turn 3

• The Mask uses the Strategic Redeployment asset and redeploys into the middle of the IG troops.  She begins her dance of the Grand Pavane and DC rolls snake eyes.  Grand Pavane basically being a Lash attack that effects everybody up to 48 inches, only goes off 8 inches.  Since she can’t deploy within 12 inches of the enemy, she is left sitting out in the open.
• A squad of Plague Marines run into the chaos gate landing on the objective there.
• Chaos generals forget to move two rhinos filled with troops that have been in cover nearby two uncontested objectives waiting for the end of the game (which we decided was going to be this turn)
• Terminators and Obliterators begin clearing out the Leman Russ’s in the rear.
• Terminators charge from a Land Raider into IG troops, gaining benefit from Skarbrands assistance.

Imperial Guard Turn 3

• Veterans and Infantry squads chase after the gate.  One lands right on the objective in the Chaos world.  The other is lost in the warp and comes out on the other side of the table.
• 2nd Company command squad runs and claims an objective after shelling on the Plague Marines holding it.
• Veteran squad and 1st squad kill a couple terminators
• It takes two squads, a command squad, Chimera, Pask, and 2 Basilisks to kill 3 terminators.

Conclusion

We made turn 3 the last turn instead of turn 4 after not getting the game started as quick as we could have, and others needing to attend to “life responsibilities”.  Both the Imperials and the Chaos forces controlled two objectives.  The Chaos gate objective was contested. Due to absent-mindness, the chaos forces missed the chance to claim to uncontested objectives.  This ended the game with a tie.