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

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

Shaking things up, the next club day will instead be a Team Tournament with randomized pairings.  Games will be played in typical tournament format.  3 games, top seeds playing for 1st.  Missions will also be something different, geared to team format.

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

Army composition is per standard force organizational chart per person (not team)
Army Size, each person will need a 1000 point army

Rules clarifications

• Transports cannot carry models from a teammate.
• Army wide abilities that are “Chapter Tactics” or affect “Your Army” such as Vulcan’s ability to reroll melta shots do not confer to a teammate. (They aren’t part of your army after all)
• Abilities that target or benefit “Friendly Models” such as Pedro Kantor’s Inspiring Presence ability will confer to your team mate.
• Independent Characters cannot join units from your teammates army.
• You can’t shoot your teammate.  No matter how funny it would be.

Team Tournament Hints/Tactics

• You do not need to load up on troops.  Since each army needs a typical 2 troop choices, there will be a guaranteed minimum of 4 troops per team.
• Watch out for “Your Army” vs. “Friendly Units” wording.  Post here if you have a question about any rule.
• Chaos marines and Chaos Daemons both have “Chaos Icons” and can be used between teammates if you are lucky to be paired together.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.  If you plan a horde army it does not play well with a gun line blast marker firing army.  You’ll shoot your own guys.

If you have other questions about rules or want to share some tactics help, please post in the forum.

Tournament Scenarios

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.

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



This month we are forgoing the standard tournament format and making this a “Club Day”.  What does this mean?  It means that it will be an organized day of organized gaming.  But 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 and tracking it 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 1500 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.

Cheer on your local winners, Scott, DC, and Dickey this weekend as they attempt to smash all comers to bits down in Greenville, SC at Borderlands.

Semi Final Scenarios

Preliminary Round Results

40K ‘Ard Boyz (2010 Rules Posted): Page 3 | Games Workshop

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

Coming up in May, several stores (hopefully in your local area) will be hosting the ‘Ard Boyz tournament.  The ‘Ard Boyz tournament is a very competitive tournament hosted in three parts for the right to be the best player in North America.

Preliminaries on May 15, 2010
Semifinals on June 12, 2010
Finals on July 17, 2010

The local store over here, Parker Banner Kent Wayne, will be one of the sites hosting the ‘Ard Boyz this year.  It is where I will be playing and helping make sure the event runs smoothly.  It also may take the place of our normal monthly 40K tournament in May.  Still to be decided on that.  Either way I hope to see as many of you at the store as I can.  So make sure you register early.

If you are in NC, but PBKW is not close to you, there are other locations across NC and beyond.

The Hobbit 910-864-3155 Rick/Fleiet/Al NC
Hobby Chest 910-353-4473 Dan NC
Rules of Engagement 252-652-6538 Ed NC
HTU Charlotte S: 704-509-5717 Liem NC
Hit Point Hobbies 910-692-8447 John/Breck/Chris NC
Game Connection 919-217-5795 Ron NC
Parker, Banner, Kent & Wayne 704-892-4263 Matt NC
All Fun & Games 919-233-7727 Mike NC

So what is all the hype about ‘Ard Boyz, and what do you need to know if you are planning to participate?

First, this tournament is 2500 points and the quality of paint job does not matter.  The event is all about skill with the game.

Second, the tournament is a GW sponsored event.  All models must follow the typical rules for Grand Tournaments and such sponsored by GW.  That is they need to be Games Workshop models from either the Fantasy or 40K line.  Unfortunately, even Lord of the Rings models by GW are not allowed (licensing restrictions).

Third, think long and hard about what it means to win the tournament.  What you are doing is winning the opportunity to compete in the Semifinals.  And you have to provide your own transportation.  The Semi-finals are unannounced where they will be at.  The finals will be in Chicago.

When you attend ‘Ard Boyz you want to prepare yourself to play any list and any type of player.  The armies will be heavy hitting, and the players will be both fun and challenging.  So put your big boy pants on and I’ll see you at the table.

Location: Parker Banner Kent Wayne, 8301 Magnolia Estates Dr, Cornelius, NC 28031
Time: April 24th.  Registration begins at 10am, games begin at 10:30am
Entry Fee: 10.00

This months tournament will be different than normal.  Be sure to read the details below!

Now for the details!
1776 Points (very bicentennial)

No Named Characters

FOC
1 HQ
4 Elites
4 Fast Attack
2 Heavy Support
3 Troops

Elite Units can hold objectives / Troops cannot hold objectives

Troops are without number (not transports)

Game ends at end of turn 5 on roll 1-3, automatically on 6

1st round – HQ Hunters!!! (pitch battle setup)

No more than 50% reserves

Killing opponents HQ 10pts

Wounding opponents HQ 5pts

HQ unwounded 10pts

HQ wounded 5pts

2nd round – Acid Atmosphere!!! (spearhead setup)

All AP weapons are -1 (ap 3 becomes ap 2)

5pts for every unit in opponents deployment zone (table quarter)

3rd round – Massive Battlefield!!! (dawn of war setup no sight penalty)

Open terrain is difficult terrain, difficult terrain is dangerous. Everything has FLEET.

5 objective markers (1st player places first objective then alternate)

7pts per objective

Games will have a strict 2.5 hour time limit.  There will be 1 hour between the 1st and second game, 30 minutes between the 2nd and 3rd game.

You must have a clean written army list with you to show your opponent. It’s unfortunate that this needs to be reminded to people.

You can help us plan by preregistering at Parker Banner Kent and Wayne before the event.

Forum Link

Adepticon is over now and I’ve made the 11 hour drive back plus a nice full day to unwind.  Overall, Adepticon was an absolute blast.  It was amazing to see how many people were there, literally in the thousand plus.  Here’s my overall thoughts.

Swag – Lots of stuff.  For the price of admission ($25) there were three black library books, one of which was a hardback Courage and Honour, and one was an unreleased novel we got early.  There were a couple decent miniatures and some not so decent.  Armorcast included a package of cinematic effects.  There were several different bases.  Discounts for online stores. Sabol Designs included a fortune cookie that gave you a chance to win something at their booth.  That turned out to be a big mistake because the changes to win were more than they expected.  You basically turn in your fortune for a change to pick a number and roll 2d6.  If you got the same number you won $100 worth of stuff.  I didn’t go try until the second day.  By the time I got there they were in very bad moods.  Turns out a lot of cookies had 3 or more fortunes in them, and a lot of people were winning.  They may have given away more than they sold.

Vendors – There were plenty of vendors there.  But in some sense I was still a bit disappointed.  Three or so online based stores where there selling some stuff at normal to 10% off and usually were also selling sprues from various box sets.  Battle foam went all out with a mascot running around, giving t-shirts away, and combined with the 40K radio guys, they had the largest display. 

While Gale Force 9 was giving some small demo’s on Flames of War, they were not actually selling anything.  I looked all over the convention and not one intro box set and I was pretty disappointed.  However I quickly forgot about it when I got to the Mantic booth.  They had put some sprues in the swag as well.  They are a new line of minatures that are fantasy themed.  One of the guys from Mantic was helping me pack swag before the convention and we chatted a bit about how he left Games Workshop and was recruited by Mantic.  These miniatures are great and evil looking.  I got a huge deal for a regiment of 60 undead ghouls and skeletons from the guys at Mantic.

I found in general this was the best kind of shopping.  Where you can actually talk people down to your price.  Felt like I was back in India at a market place.  Over at Armorcast, I was checking out their terrain pieces and their new awesome new 3d tiles that can be used for Space Hulk on the last day.  I talked them down on several packages of trenches to fill up one side of a table for almost half off since I was buying in quantity and they wouldn’t have to take it home with them.  Vendors don’t like to have to lug stuff back home which is why everything is cheap on the last day.

Warhammer 40k Championships – What a fun time I had at the championships.  And I had a pretty good run at it too.  Here’s a brief overview of my three rounds at the tournament.

Round 1:  Chaos Daemons VS Eldar, Standard Kill Point Mission

This opponent was running the standard Eldrad, but it was not an Eldrad and Seer Council.  Instead Eldrad and one warlock were in a large unit of Wraithguard.  He also had a large unit of Scorpions with Krandras.  This was by far my most fun game of the day.  The guy was super nice although still being into the game (he wore mirrored sunglasses like it was poker).  He did however make a mistake by placing only Eldrad and the Wraithgruard in and keeping the rest in reserves.  I managed to land both units of flamers on opposite sides of the terrain he was hiding in and toasted him early on.  Everything else came in piecemeal only to be destroyed.  Here’s what it looked like in Turn 3, do you see any hope for a comeback?  I ended up scoring all but 4 points worth of bonus tatical points.

Round 2:  Chaos Daemons VS Eldar (again), Capture Terrain Elements, Dawn of War

This was a tougher game against a smarter opponent.  He ran a more standard list.  Eldrad in a unit of Gardians.  3 Fire Prisms and the Avatar.  He was also very annoying though, talking all through my turn about nothing to do with the game.  After a while it was starting to feel like he was stalling me and twice I forgot to either deep strike somebody or make a shot.  At first we spent several turns fighting over the center terrain piece which he was holding with deployed troops.  Then we both were taking elements on our sides while trying to shoot troops out of the other side.  In order to capture terrain you needed to have the whole unit in the terrain.  He made the mistake of not reading the rules and had a couple models hanging out in order to keep the unit from charge distance from my blood crushers.  I won the Primary Objective, but he won the secondary in that he managed to kill both my HQ’s.  Points wise it was a draw favoring me by a couple.

Round 3:  Chaos Daemons VS Space Wolves, 3 Objectives

Another very nice guy to play against at first.  However he really started to get bummed out at the game went on.  Seems people seem to think the best tactic to deal with an all deep striking list is by putting everything in reserves.  Turn 1 he put nothing on the board.  I managed to land everything and run to prime spots to wait for him to walk in.  His reserves killed him and again things came in piecemeal that I had half my army able to focus on one thing at a time.  I was really feeling bad for him.  He actually gave up on turn 5, conceded the game and went home.

I ended the tournament a major victory, draw, major victory.  I don’t know where I placed among the 250+ people playing in the tournament, I’m still waiting for results to be posted.

Here a some photos of some of the armies at the Championships.