Welcome to the first battle report from my recent trip to the Bunker War tournament, held at Battle Bunker in Sunderland.
This tournament was a one-day, three-game event, featuring armies at 2000 pts. The games would be three random Eternal War determined on the day. Due to time constraints in playing with my other armies, I took my Deathwatch to the tournament, as they were the only army I had really had much experience with in 8th edition.
My army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Watch Master (W)
Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Pair Lightning Claws (W)
Kill Team 1- 5 Veterans, Vanguard Veteran with Pair Lightning Claws, 3 Frag Cannons, Storm Shield. (KT1)
Kill Team 2- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 2 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)
Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Infernus Heavy Bolters, 2 Stalker Boltguns (KT3)
Kill Team 4- 5 Veterans, Meltagun, 3 combi-Meltas (KT4)
Kill Team 5- 5 Veterans, 2 Frag Cannons (KT5)
Rhino (R)
Drop Pod- Storm Bolter (DP)
6 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Pairs Lightning Claws, Power Sword and Bolt Pistol, 3 with Bolt Pistols and Chainswords (VV1)
3 Deathwatch Bikers- Power Axe, Power Sword (DB1)
3 Deathwatch Bikers- two Power Swords (DB2)
Corvus Blackstar- Auspex Array, Hurricane Bolter, Twin Assault Cannons, 2 Blackstar Rocket Launchers (CB)
Vindicare Assassin (V)
6 Command Points
6 Command Points
This army is based on a review of my previous tournament Deathwatch army. There were a few modifications based on the models that I had available.
The Vanguard Veterans had lightning claws, power swords and chainswords. I had hoped to have them all armed with pairs of lightning claws, but didn't have the models available. Also, I planned to take two units with two Missile Launchers, but two of them hadn't arrived yet, so I substituted them for a couple of Infernus Heavy Bolters.
Adam's army consisted of:
Battalion Detachment
Farseer- Singing Spear (F)
Archon- Agoniser, Blaster (A)
Haemonculus- Crusible, Tools, Liquifier Gun (H)
10 Guardians (G1)
10 Warriors- Dark Lance, Blaster, Phantasm Grenade Launcher (KW1)
10 Warriors- Dark Lance, Blaster, Phantasm Grenade Launcher (KW2)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R1)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R2)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R3)
4 Grotesques- 2 Liquifier Guns (G2)
Ravager- 3 Dark Lances (Rv)
Vanguard Detachment
Succubus- Acrite Glaive, Agoniser (S)
5 Trueborn- 4 Blasters (T1)
5 Trueborn- 4 Blasters (T2)
5 Trueborn- 2 Dark Lances (T3)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V1)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V2)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V3)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V4)
7 Command Points
The Archon was the warlord and took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.
A lot of vehicles for my army to try and take on. Even though they were only T5 in most cases, they would still be difficult to shift given the number of shots that I had. In addition, the added mobility would cause some problems for me trying to catch up to them.
The first mission was Retrieval, the one with four objectives to grab. In addition, we would also have to record our kill points for the game (based on the points values of the units and not number of units killed). The deployment was Vanguard Strike.
We placed the objectives as shown below:
I won the roll for picking table side and chose the side with some good cover and access to two of the objectives on deployment.
The deployment order was as follows:
I deployed two of the Kill Teams next to the objectives, both in ruins to benefit from 2+ armour saves. The Vindicare went towards the back of my deployment zone, his rifle giving him range to get to most of the enemy army. The rest of the army deployed forward, hoping to get quickly into range of the soft Eldar targets opposite them.
TURN 1- AELDARI
Catching their Deathwatch opponents unaware, the Aeldari units surged forward on their transports, moving into the protection of the ruins as they levelled their guns at the enemy force.
The Farseer cast Fortune on the nearby Guardians to help them survive the enemy attack.
The Dark Eldar opened fire at the Deathwatch. One Raider fired its Dark Lance at the Bikers, but failed to hit with the shot. One of the squads in the Venom targeted the Bikers. The Dark Lance hit, annihilating one of the Deathwatch Bikers. The rest of the squad opened fire with their Splinter weapons, wounding twice. I failed both my 3+ saves and another Biker perished.
A second Raider fired its Dark Lance at the Corvus Blackstar, hitting and wounding it, taking two wounds from it. The squad inside fired their Splinter weapons at the lone Biker, wounding three times, but this time failing to get past his armour. Another squad fired at the Biker, wounding him three times, but I made all my armour saves again. Their Venom transport opened fire at the Biker, but it too failed to get past his armour. Another squad opened fire on the lone Biker, wounding him twice, but I made both saves once more.
The final Raider fired at the Rhino, wounding it four times with the Dark Lance. The squad embarked fired their weapons at the transport as well, taking another four wounds from it. Finally, the Ravager fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team, slaying three of the squad with its Dark Lances.
A tough first turn for the Deathwatch, but it could have been a lot worse! After failing my first two saving throws to lose a Biker, I didn't fail an armour save on them for the rest of the turn (the only casualties came from weapons where I did not get a save). Adam threw a ton of Splinter fire at the last surviving Biker to get first blood, but he managed to weather the storm incredibly well.
TURN 1- DEATHWATCH
The Corvus Blackstar moved up towards the Guardians in the Aeldari deployment zone, joined by one of the Bikers. The other unit of Deathwatch Bikers moved up towards the ruins in front of them. The Rhino advanced, albeit at a very slow pace thanks to the damage it had suffered from the Dark Eldar weapons.
Kill Team 2 fired their two Krak Missiles at the Raider in front of them, hitting with only one shot (after I used a Command Point re-roll). The rocket hit the enemy vehicle, but only took a single wound from it.
With few infantry targets available, the Vindicare fired his Rifle at one of the Raiders, hitting but failing to wound.
The two squads of Bikers fired at the Venom, wounding it three times. The nearby Kill Team fired their Infernus Bolters at the Venom, but failed to wound it.
The Corvus Blackstar fired its Hurricane Bolters at the Guardians, killing four of the squad. The rest of its weapons fired at the Venom beside it. The Assault Cannon spat fire the Venom, wounding it four times, but Adam made three of his 5+ saves! The Blackstar rockets hit the transport three times, managing only a single wound (despite only needing a 3+) and taking a wound to leave it on one left. Annoyingly, I had come so close to first blood.
The Corvus Blackstar charged the Venom, while the single Biker charged the Raider. The overwatch fire of the Raider failed to hit the Biker (Adam even used a Command re-roll to try and kill him). The other squad of Bikers charged a Venom beside them.
In the assault phase, the Corvus Blackstar hit once, but failed to wound. I used a Command re-roll to make the wound, but Adam made his 5+ save yet again! So close to first blood, but denied by the Venom's invulnerable save once more.
The squad of three Bikers managed a single wound on the Venom, the other Biker did no damage.
In the morale phase, the Guardians lost one more member of the squad. At the end of my turn, things were still in the balance. I realised that I had completely forgot about my reserves for this turn. Would these units have given me more of an edge in this turn?
TURN 2- AELDARI
The Aeldari reacted to the Deathwatch advance. Two Venoms moved up besides the Rhino, with one Raider moving in front of the Deathwatch transport. In the ruins on the left flank, the Venom fell back from combat to the top of the ruins, while the Raider and Ravager moved up. In the centre, the Raider fell back from combat towards the ruins, turning to face the Corvus Blackstar, while the Dark Eldar Trueborn moved to support the Guardians in the ruins. The Farseer moved to the top of the ruins to gain line of sight on the enemy flyer.
In the psychic phase, the Farseer targeted the Corvus Blackstar with his Eldritch power, Dooming the flyer and taking three wounds from it with Smite.
The Guardians opened fire on the Corvus Blackstar, wounding it three times with their Bladestorm shuriken fire. The Farseer launched his Singing Spear at the flyer, hitting (after a Command Point re-roll), wounding and taking three wounds from it again.
The nearby Raider fired at the Corvus Blackstar, the embarked passengers wounding it three times thanks to Doom. I managed to make two saves and the flyer took a single wound. The Raider's Dark Lance fired on the Corvus Blackstar and was finally able to destroy it. One of the Deathwatch perished as the flyer crashed to the ground.
On the left flank, the Raider fired at the three Bikers, hitting with its Dark Lance, but failing to wound. The Ravager fired at the squad, killing one of the Deathwatch Bikers. The closest Venom fired at the squad, wounding three times, but failing to get past their armour.
The squad in the Raider in front of the Rhino fired at the Deathwatch transport, but failed to do any damage. The Raider fired at the Rhino with its Dark Lance, but failed to hit. The third Raider fired at the Rhino, hitting and wounding with its Dark Lance. Adam rolled for damage and only rolled a 1, leaving the Rhino on a single wound!
The Trueborn fired their Blasters at the Kill Team in the ruins beside them (Kill Team 2). Some poor rolling saw only a single Blaster hit and wound. Insult was added when I passed my 6+ save and the Deathwatch were unharmed. The Venom transport fired at the Rhino, hoping to take its final wound, but was unsuccessful.
In the charge phase, the Raider and Venom assaulted the Rhino, while a Raider assaulted the lone Biker (I only realised on writing this up that the Raider could not have assaulted the Biker, as it had fallen back from combat this turn).
In the combat phase, the Dark Eldar vehicles were unable to harm the units they charge, but the Deathwatch were equally unable to harm the Dark Eldar vehicles.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
Kill Team 1 advanced on the Guardians and Kabalite Warriors in the ruins, while the Watch Captain used his jump pack to target the Farseer.
The Kill Team in the Rhino disembarked, moving into the ruins to target the nearby Raider, as the Deathwatch Biker fell back to the north of the ruins. The two Deathwatch Bikers moved up to the objective. The Deathwatch reserves arrived, the Vanguard Veterans landed beside the Guardians, the Drop Pod and Kill Team landing besides the Ravager.
The Assassin fired at the Farseer, hitting him with his Exodus Rifle, but failing to wound (on a 2+!).
The Kill Team turned their Meltaguns on the Ravager under the guidance of the Watch Master, hitting and wounding three times (after using a re-roll) and destroying the enemy vehicle. The rest of the squad fired their Bolters at the Venom in the ruins, but failed to do any damage. The two Bikers in the ruins fired their Bolters at the same Venom, but failed to cause any damage.
On the left flank, the Kill Team in the ruins fired their Frag Cannons at the Raider, wounding it 5 times. The other three members of the squad managed to wound it once with their Bolters, but failed to get past its armour.
The two survivors of the Kill Team fired their Missile Launchers at the closest Venom, hitting once but failing to wound.
The Watch Captain threw a Frag Grenade at the Farseer, managing to wound him twice. The Kill Team in the ruins below fired their Frag Cannons at the Guardians, obliterating the squad. The rest of the squad fired their Bolters at the Trueborn Warriors, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Watch Captain assaulted the Farseer. The Farseer managed to hit the Captain with his Shining Spear in overwatch and took three wound from him! The Vanguard Veterans also managed to assault the Farseer (I was saving my re-roll to ensure the Vanguard Veterans made their charge. Annoyingly, they made it without the need for a re-roll, so I may have been able to save the Captain from harm after all). The Kill Team assaulted the Trueborn in the ground level of the ruins.
The Vanguard Veterans attacked the Farseer, putting two wounds on the Eldar warrior. Adam then used two command points to interrupt and attack with the Farseer. He struck at the Watch Captain, wounding him twice. I failed both saves and used a re-roll to pass one, leaving the Captain on a single wound. The Captain then struck at the Farseer, slaying him.
The Kill Team below killed three of the Trueborn for no loss in return. The lone survivor fled from combat (he was slain in the subsequent morale test).
The combat between the Raider and Rhino ended in a stalemate once more.
Turn 2 had gone better for the Deathwatch. I had dealt some powerful blows to the Aeldari lines, securing the objective in their deployment zone.
TURN 3- AELDARI
The Archon ordered his unit to disembark from their Raider. The Archon advanced on the lone Biker, while the Grotesques and Haemonculus moved to attack the Kill Team in the ruins. The Succubus disembarked from her Venom and moved up on the Missile Launcher Kill Team, while the Kabalite Warriors disembarked from their Raider and moved into the ruins to target the other Frag Cannon Kill Team, while the Trueborn disembarked to target the second Kill Team in the same ruins. The squads' vehicles moved into the cover of the ruins as well.
On the left flank, the Venom moved over the Drop Pod to target the Watch Master, while a Raider moved beside the Bikers holding the objective.
The Grotesques fired their Liquifier guns at the Kill Team in front of them, scoring 10 hits and 3 wounds. I passed two armour saves and a single Deathwatch Marine fell. A nearby Raider fired at the Kill Team, slaying the Vanguard Veteran.
The Trueborn on the left flank fired their Blasters at the Watch Master, wounding him twice, but his Iron Halo saved him from harm (after the use of a re-roll to pass both saves). The rest of the squad and Venom fired at the Meltagun Kill Team, but failed to do any damage.
The Kabalite Warriors in the Raider fired at the Bikers, killing one of the squad with their Splinter fire. The squad's Raider fired at the Kill Team in the ruins, slaying another of the squad.
On the right flank, the Venom fired at the Rhino, wounding it once, but I made my armour save. The Kabalite Warriors fired at Kill Team 5 in front of them, managing to kill one. The Archon fired his Blaster at the squad, killing another. The nearby Venom in the ruins fired at the squad, killing one more, leaving two in the squad.
The other Trueborn squad fired at the Infernus Kill Team, killing three of the squad with their Blasters. The squad's Venom fired at the unit, wounding three times, but the bonus of the cover helped me save all three wounds.
In the charge phase, the Raider assaulted the Biker, taking a wound from overwatch fire. The Venom on the right flank charged the Drop Pod. This was a great play from Adam, as the immobile Drop Pod could not fall back next turn, meaning I could not shoot it with my Meltaguns the following turn. The Grotesques assaulted the Kill Team in the ruins. The two Frag Cannons fired their overwatch fire, hitting and wounding 14 times. Adam took 7 wounds and two of the Grotesques were slain. Some great overwatch fire from the Deathwatch!
On the right flank, the Archon charged the lone Biker. The Raider also charged the two Frag Cannon Marines, suffering three wounds to overwatch fire (again, I don't know how I missed this, as it should not have been able to charge after falling back from the combat with the Rhino!). The Succubus assaulted the Kill Team with the Missile Launchers. The Trueborn assaulted the Rhino.
The Grotesques struck at the Deathwatch Kill Team, easily wiping them out. The Venom attacked the Drop Pod, but failed to do any wounds. The Watch Master was able to do a heroic intervention, wounding the Venom once, but Adam made his 5+ invulnerable save once more.
The Archon failed to kill the lone Biker, suffering no damage in return. The Raider did no damage on the Kill Team, while the Deathwatch managed to wound the Raider once.
The Trueborn struck at the Rhino, finally managing to take its last wound and destroy the vehicle. The Succubus killed one of the Kill Team she was in combat with, suffering no damage in return.
I passed all my morale tests that I had to take.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
The Kill Team in combat with the Raider fell back, as did the Biker in combat with the Archon. The lone Deathwatch Marine with the Missile Launcher fell back from combat with the Succubus. The second Biker fell back from the Raider, moving to the right flank, while the Watch Master fell back towards the Meltagun Kill Team.
The Meltagun Kill Team moved up on the Raider in the ruins, while the Watch Captain and Vanguard Veterans moved to engage the Venom in combat with the Drop Pod.
The Kill Team on the right flank fired their Meltagun at the Raider, hitting and wounding 4 times. Once again, Adam's invulnerable saves were on fire and he made three out of four 5+ saves. The one wound did 5 damage on the Raider, while their Bolters took another wound.
The Vindicare Assassin fired at the Succubus, missing with his shot (on a 2+). I used a command point re-roll to hit, but then failed to wound on a 2+ once more!
The Kill Team in the ruins fired their Infernus Bolters at the Trueborn beside them, wiping them out with their Heavy Flamer shots.
In the charge phase, the Biker and Kill Team in the ruins to the left assaulted the Kabalite Warrior squad. The squad's Dark Lance hit the Biker and wounded him, but only did a single wound. The Watch Captain and Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Venom, while the Meltagun Kill Team assaulted the Raider.
The Watch Captain struck at the Venom, wounding it once. The Vanguard Veterans managed to do two wounds to the transport, leaving it on one wound.
The Meltagun squad were unable to wound the Raider, while the Raider crew killed one of the Deathwatch Marines.
On the left flank, the Kill Team and Biker killed two of the Kabalite warriors, while the Dark Eldar managed to kill one of the Deathwatch Marines.
At the end of turn 3, things were looking tough for the Deathwatch. I had few units left to take control of the objectives.
TURN 4- AELDARI
On the left flank, the Venom and Raider fell back from their combats towards the objective, the Kabalite Warriors disembarking from the Raider to grab the objective in the ruins. The Grotesques moved towards the Vanguard Veterans.
On the right flank, the Archon moved up on the Biker, while the Succubus went to attack the Kill Team once more.
One of the Raiders fired at the Biker, but failed to hit him. The Kabalite Warriors fired at the Meltagun Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Grotesques fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing two of the squad. The Venom also fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing one more.
The Archon fired his Blaster at the Frag Cannon Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The nearby Venom fired at the Assassin, but failed to hit.
The Archon assaulted the Deathwatch Biker. The Raider assaulted the last Frag Cannon Deathwatch Marine. The overwatch fire managed to destroy the Raider as it assaulted, exploding it. The resultant explosion caused devastation, killing the two Kill Teams, the Deathwatch Biker, destroying the Venom, killing two of the Kabalite Warriors and wounding the Archon. That was some explosion! The other Raider assaulted the Biker on the left flank.
The Kabalite Warriors attacked the Meltagun Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Deathwatch attacked back, but failed to do any damage.
The Succubus killed the last of Kill Team 2. The Raider and Biker attacked one another, but failed to do any damage.
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
The Vanguard Veterans moved up to seize the objective being held by the Dark Eldar vehicles. The Deathwatch Biker fell back from combat, moving towards the nearby Kabalite Warriors. The Watch Master moved up towards the Raider.
The Vindicare fired at the Archon. I rolled a 1 to hit and used my last Command Point re-roll to hit. I then rolled a 1 to wound, completing the stellar performance for the Assassin in this game. The Watch Master fired at the Raider, but failed to wound.
The Watch Master charged the Raider, destroying it with his Guardian Spear. The Biker assaulted the Kabalite Warriors. The Biker and Deathwatch Marines struck at the Dark Eldar, but failed to do any damage. The Warriors were then able to kill one of the Deathwatch.
With that we ran out of time and the game ended.
VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 11 (3 objectives, First Blood and Linebreaker), 1128 kill points.
Deathwatch= 4 (1 objective, Linebreaker), 1035 kill points.
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Adam for a really fun game. Despite losing, I had a real blast and thought I might have had a shot at winning had a few more things gone my way.
Getting seized on will always put a crimp in your plans. Had I got the first turn, I most likely would have surged forward with most of my army, getting in the face of the Aeldari forces and actually maybe have done some damage to all those vehicles that I was facing. This really would have helped the Rhino squad, as they were pretty much stuck in my deployment zone thanks to the damage heaped on the Rhino in the first turn.
Again, the Corvus Blackstar seemed to underperform for me in this game. It struggled to take out even a simple Venom with its shooting. This does not seem to be entirely the fault of the flyer though, as Adam was rolling 5+ invulnerable saves like they were 2+! I simply couldn't believe it when I hit and wounded with 4 Meltagun shots, only to have 3 of them saved on a 5+. Had I destroyed that Raider, I think I would have been able to whittle down the Kabalite Warriors in combat to control a second objective and make the game a lot closer than it ended. His invulnerable saves also helped the Venom survive against the Vanguard Veterans and Watch Captain in combat.
I was actually surprised how close the Kill Points were in this game. Adam seemed to have a lot left on the board at the end of the game, whereas I had very few units. This was helped by having a lot of my units in cover. Getting a 2+ armour save in cover is huge for my army, making them highly survivable against weapons with no AP value, such as the Splinter fire in this game. Only the Dark Lances and Blasters were reliably killing my units when they were hitting and wounding.
On which, I must have been issued with the worst Assassin in the whole of the Officio Assassinorum. The Vindicare Assassin hits on a 2+ and wounds Infantry on a 2+. Over the course of 4 turns, he missed with two of his four shots (before re-rolls) and failed to wound THREE TIMES on a 2+! It seems that the Deathwatch Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher has met his match. I really hope that his performance improves in my future games. I would consider swapping him out for one of the other Assassins, but unfortunately, I had already submitted my list to the North West Open at this point. Annoyingly, he could have saved me some kill points if he had been able to take out the Archon or Succubus with his shooting. Unfortunately, I don't think a single shot doing D3 wounds most of the time is going to be the great character killer that I thought he would.
My army is still struggling to deal with massed vehicles, even lighter ones such as the Raider or Venom. The Aeldari warriors fell easily when I was able to fire on them, but getting to them is the issue. Also, all the vehicles having the Fly keyword meant that I couldn't even tie them up in combat to stop them from shooting at me.
Do Raiders have a special rule allowing them to charge after falling back? If not, I'll be pretty annoyed, as all three Raiders did so during the game. Annoyingly, one of them stopped the two Frag Cannons from firing in my turn. This firepower probably would have been sufficient to wipe out the Kabalite Warriors next to the objective on my left, or I could have gone after the Archon for slay the warlord. It may not have won me the game, but it could have shaken things up a bit, as I doubt the objective could have been taken from the Deathwatch on turn 4. Equally though, I don't think the Corvus should have been able to charge the Raider in turn 1, as I was in "zoom" mode.
One game in and already with a loss, I was hoping I could bring things back in the second game.
Bunker War 3:
Game 1- Deathwatch vs Aeldari
Game 2- Deathwatch vs Ultramarines
Game 3- Deathwatch vs Tyranids
Battalion Detachment
Farseer- Singing Spear (F)
Archon- Agoniser, Blaster (A)
Haemonculus- Crusible, Tools, Liquifier Gun (H)
10 Guardians (G1)
10 Warriors- Dark Lance, Blaster, Phantasm Grenade Launcher (KW1)
10 Warriors- Dark Lance, Blaster, Phantasm Grenade Launcher (KW2)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R1)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R2)
Raider- Blade Vines, Dark Lance (R3)
4 Grotesques- 2 Liquifier Guns (G2)
Ravager- 3 Dark Lances (Rv)
Vanguard Detachment
Succubus- Acrite Glaive, Agoniser (S)
5 Trueborn- 4 Blasters (T1)
5 Trueborn- 4 Blasters (T2)
5 Trueborn- 2 Dark Lances (T3)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V1)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V2)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V3)
Venom- Splinter Cannon (V4)
7 Command Points
The Archon was the warlord and took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.
A lot of vehicles for my army to try and take on. Even though they were only T5 in most cases, they would still be difficult to shift given the number of shots that I had. In addition, the added mobility would cause some problems for me trying to catch up to them.
The first mission was Retrieval, the one with four objectives to grab. In addition, we would also have to record our kill points for the game (based on the points values of the units and not number of units killed). The deployment was Vanguard Strike.
We placed the objectives as shown below:
I won the roll for picking table side and chose the side with some good cover and access to two of the objectives on deployment.
The deployment order was as follows:
- Guardians
- Kill Team 2 (Missile launchers)
- Raider
- Kill Team 3 (Infernus)
- Archon
- Rhino (Frag Cannon Kill Team)
- Farseer
- Vanguard Veterans (reserve)
- Raider
- Drop Pod (reserve, with Watch Master and Meltagun Kill Team)
- Raider
- Deathwatch Bikers (RHS)
- Venom
- Vindicare
- Venom
- Deathwatch Bikers (LHS)
- Venom
- Corvus Blackstar (Watch Captain and Kill Team 1)
- Venom
I deployed two of the Kill Teams next to the objectives, both in ruins to benefit from 2+ armour saves. The Vindicare went towards the back of my deployment zone, his rifle giving him range to get to most of the enemy army. The rest of the army deployed forward, hoping to get quickly into range of the soft Eldar targets opposite them.
Adam deployed much of his army behind cover, trying to avoid the worst of my firepower in turn 1. His Farseer and Guardians were bunkered in the ruins next to the objective, so I would need to make them a priority.
Adam rolled to seize the initiative. He failed, but used a command point re-roll and succeeded on the second attempt. This could be painful!
TURN 1- AELDARI
Catching their Deathwatch opponents unaware, the Aeldari units surged forward on their transports, moving into the protection of the ruins as they levelled their guns at the enemy force.
The Farseer cast Fortune on the nearby Guardians to help them survive the enemy attack.
The Dark Eldar opened fire at the Deathwatch. One Raider fired its Dark Lance at the Bikers, but failed to hit with the shot. One of the squads in the Venom targeted the Bikers. The Dark Lance hit, annihilating one of the Deathwatch Bikers. The rest of the squad opened fire with their Splinter weapons, wounding twice. I failed both my 3+ saves and another Biker perished.
A second Raider fired its Dark Lance at the Corvus Blackstar, hitting and wounding it, taking two wounds from it. The squad inside fired their Splinter weapons at the lone Biker, wounding three times, but this time failing to get past his armour. Another squad fired at the Biker, wounding him three times, but I made all my armour saves again. Their Venom transport opened fire at the Biker, but it too failed to get past his armour. Another squad opened fire on the lone Biker, wounding him twice, but I made both saves once more.
The final Raider fired at the Rhino, wounding it four times with the Dark Lance. The squad embarked fired their weapons at the transport as well, taking another four wounds from it. Finally, the Ravager fired at the Missile Launcher Kill Team, slaying three of the squad with its Dark Lances.
A tough first turn for the Deathwatch, but it could have been a lot worse! After failing my first two saving throws to lose a Biker, I didn't fail an armour save on them for the rest of the turn (the only casualties came from weapons where I did not get a save). Adam threw a ton of Splinter fire at the last surviving Biker to get first blood, but he managed to weather the storm incredibly well.
TURN 1- DEATHWATCH
The Corvus Blackstar moved up towards the Guardians in the Aeldari deployment zone, joined by one of the Bikers. The other unit of Deathwatch Bikers moved up towards the ruins in front of them. The Rhino advanced, albeit at a very slow pace thanks to the damage it had suffered from the Dark Eldar weapons.
Kill Team 2 fired their two Krak Missiles at the Raider in front of them, hitting with only one shot (after I used a Command Point re-roll). The rocket hit the enemy vehicle, but only took a single wound from it.
With few infantry targets available, the Vindicare fired his Rifle at one of the Raiders, hitting but failing to wound.
The two squads of Bikers fired at the Venom, wounding it three times. The nearby Kill Team fired their Infernus Bolters at the Venom, but failed to wound it.
The Corvus Blackstar fired its Hurricane Bolters at the Guardians, killing four of the squad. The rest of its weapons fired at the Venom beside it. The Assault Cannon spat fire the Venom, wounding it four times, but Adam made three of his 5+ saves! The Blackstar rockets hit the transport three times, managing only a single wound (despite only needing a 3+) and taking a wound to leave it on one left. Annoyingly, I had come so close to first blood.
The Corvus Blackstar charged the Venom, while the single Biker charged the Raider. The overwatch fire of the Raider failed to hit the Biker (Adam even used a Command re-roll to try and kill him). The other squad of Bikers charged a Venom beside them.
In the assault phase, the Corvus Blackstar hit once, but failed to wound. I used a Command re-roll to make the wound, but Adam made his 5+ save yet again! So close to first blood, but denied by the Venom's invulnerable save once more.
The squad of three Bikers managed a single wound on the Venom, the other Biker did no damage.
In the morale phase, the Guardians lost one more member of the squad. At the end of my turn, things were still in the balance. I realised that I had completely forgot about my reserves for this turn. Would these units have given me more of an edge in this turn?
TURN 2- AELDARI
The Aeldari reacted to the Deathwatch advance. Two Venoms moved up besides the Rhino, with one Raider moving in front of the Deathwatch transport. In the ruins on the left flank, the Venom fell back from combat to the top of the ruins, while the Raider and Ravager moved up. In the centre, the Raider fell back from combat towards the ruins, turning to face the Corvus Blackstar, while the Dark Eldar Trueborn moved to support the Guardians in the ruins. The Farseer moved to the top of the ruins to gain line of sight on the enemy flyer.
In the psychic phase, the Farseer targeted the Corvus Blackstar with his Eldritch power, Dooming the flyer and taking three wounds from it with Smite.
The Guardians opened fire on the Corvus Blackstar, wounding it three times with their Bladestorm shuriken fire. The Farseer launched his Singing Spear at the flyer, hitting (after a Command Point re-roll), wounding and taking three wounds from it again.
The nearby Raider fired at the Corvus Blackstar, the embarked passengers wounding it three times thanks to Doom. I managed to make two saves and the flyer took a single wound. The Raider's Dark Lance fired on the Corvus Blackstar and was finally able to destroy it. One of the Deathwatch perished as the flyer crashed to the ground.
On the left flank, the Raider fired at the three Bikers, hitting with its Dark Lance, but failing to wound. The Ravager fired at the squad, killing one of the Deathwatch Bikers. The closest Venom fired at the squad, wounding three times, but failing to get past their armour.
The squad in the Raider in front of the Rhino fired at the Deathwatch transport, but failed to do any damage. The Raider fired at the Rhino with its Dark Lance, but failed to hit. The third Raider fired at the Rhino, hitting and wounding with its Dark Lance. Adam rolled for damage and only rolled a 1, leaving the Rhino on a single wound!
The Trueborn fired their Blasters at the Kill Team in the ruins beside them (Kill Team 2). Some poor rolling saw only a single Blaster hit and wound. Insult was added when I passed my 6+ save and the Deathwatch were unharmed. The Venom transport fired at the Rhino, hoping to take its final wound, but was unsuccessful.
In the charge phase, the Raider and Venom assaulted the Rhino, while a Raider assaulted the lone Biker (I only realised on writing this up that the Raider could not have assaulted the Biker, as it had fallen back from combat this turn).
In the combat phase, the Dark Eldar vehicles were unable to harm the units they charge, but the Deathwatch were equally unable to harm the Dark Eldar vehicles.
TURN 2- DEATHWATCH
Kill Team 1 advanced on the Guardians and Kabalite Warriors in the ruins, while the Watch Captain used his jump pack to target the Farseer.
The Kill Team in the Rhino disembarked, moving into the ruins to target the nearby Raider, as the Deathwatch Biker fell back to the north of the ruins. The two Deathwatch Bikers moved up to the objective. The Deathwatch reserves arrived, the Vanguard Veterans landed beside the Guardians, the Drop Pod and Kill Team landing besides the Ravager.
The Assassin fired at the Farseer, hitting him with his Exodus Rifle, but failing to wound (on a 2+!).
The Kill Team turned their Meltaguns on the Ravager under the guidance of the Watch Master, hitting and wounding three times (after using a re-roll) and destroying the enemy vehicle. The rest of the squad fired their Bolters at the Venom in the ruins, but failed to do any damage. The two Bikers in the ruins fired their Bolters at the same Venom, but failed to cause any damage.
On the left flank, the Kill Team in the ruins fired their Frag Cannons at the Raider, wounding it 5 times. The other three members of the squad managed to wound it once with their Bolters, but failed to get past its armour.
The two survivors of the Kill Team fired their Missile Launchers at the closest Venom, hitting once but failing to wound.
The Watch Captain threw a Frag Grenade at the Farseer, managing to wound him twice. The Kill Team in the ruins below fired their Frag Cannons at the Guardians, obliterating the squad. The rest of the squad fired their Bolters at the Trueborn Warriors, killing one.
In the charge phase, the Watch Captain assaulted the Farseer. The Farseer managed to hit the Captain with his Shining Spear in overwatch and took three wound from him! The Vanguard Veterans also managed to assault the Farseer (I was saving my re-roll to ensure the Vanguard Veterans made their charge. Annoyingly, they made it without the need for a re-roll, so I may have been able to save the Captain from harm after all). The Kill Team assaulted the Trueborn in the ground level of the ruins.
The Vanguard Veterans attacked the Farseer, putting two wounds on the Eldar warrior. Adam then used two command points to interrupt and attack with the Farseer. He struck at the Watch Captain, wounding him twice. I failed both saves and used a re-roll to pass one, leaving the Captain on a single wound. The Captain then struck at the Farseer, slaying him.
The Kill Team below killed three of the Trueborn for no loss in return. The lone survivor fled from combat (he was slain in the subsequent morale test).
The combat between the Raider and Rhino ended in a stalemate once more.
Turn 2 had gone better for the Deathwatch. I had dealt some powerful blows to the Aeldari lines, securing the objective in their deployment zone.
TURN 3- AELDARI
The Archon ordered his unit to disembark from their Raider. The Archon advanced on the lone Biker, while the Grotesques and Haemonculus moved to attack the Kill Team in the ruins. The Succubus disembarked from her Venom and moved up on the Missile Launcher Kill Team, while the Kabalite Warriors disembarked from their Raider and moved into the ruins to target the other Frag Cannon Kill Team, while the Trueborn disembarked to target the second Kill Team in the same ruins. The squads' vehicles moved into the cover of the ruins as well.
On the left flank, the Venom moved over the Drop Pod to target the Watch Master, while a Raider moved beside the Bikers holding the objective.
The Grotesques fired their Liquifier guns at the Kill Team in front of them, scoring 10 hits and 3 wounds. I passed two armour saves and a single Deathwatch Marine fell. A nearby Raider fired at the Kill Team, slaying the Vanguard Veteran.
The Trueborn on the left flank fired their Blasters at the Watch Master, wounding him twice, but his Iron Halo saved him from harm (after the use of a re-roll to pass both saves). The rest of the squad and Venom fired at the Meltagun Kill Team, but failed to do any damage.
The Kabalite Warriors in the Raider fired at the Bikers, killing one of the squad with their Splinter fire. The squad's Raider fired at the Kill Team in the ruins, slaying another of the squad.
On the right flank, the Venom fired at the Rhino, wounding it once, but I made my armour save. The Kabalite Warriors fired at Kill Team 5 in front of them, managing to kill one. The Archon fired his Blaster at the squad, killing another. The nearby Venom in the ruins fired at the squad, killing one more, leaving two in the squad.
The other Trueborn squad fired at the Infernus Kill Team, killing three of the squad with their Blasters. The squad's Venom fired at the unit, wounding three times, but the bonus of the cover helped me save all three wounds.
In the charge phase, the Raider assaulted the Biker, taking a wound from overwatch fire. The Venom on the right flank charged the Drop Pod. This was a great play from Adam, as the immobile Drop Pod could not fall back next turn, meaning I could not shoot it with my Meltaguns the following turn. The Grotesques assaulted the Kill Team in the ruins. The two Frag Cannons fired their overwatch fire, hitting and wounding 14 times. Adam took 7 wounds and two of the Grotesques were slain. Some great overwatch fire from the Deathwatch!
On the right flank, the Archon charged the lone Biker. The Raider also charged the two Frag Cannon Marines, suffering three wounds to overwatch fire (again, I don't know how I missed this, as it should not have been able to charge after falling back from the combat with the Rhino!). The Succubus assaulted the Kill Team with the Missile Launchers. The Trueborn assaulted the Rhino.
The Grotesques struck at the Deathwatch Kill Team, easily wiping them out. The Venom attacked the Drop Pod, but failed to do any wounds. The Watch Master was able to do a heroic intervention, wounding the Venom once, but Adam made his 5+ invulnerable save once more.
The Archon failed to kill the lone Biker, suffering no damage in return. The Raider did no damage on the Kill Team, while the Deathwatch managed to wound the Raider once.
The Trueborn struck at the Rhino, finally managing to take its last wound and destroy the vehicle. The Succubus killed one of the Kill Team she was in combat with, suffering no damage in return.
I passed all my morale tests that I had to take.
TURN 3- DEATHWATCH
The Kill Team in combat with the Raider fell back, as did the Biker in combat with the Archon. The lone Deathwatch Marine with the Missile Launcher fell back from combat with the Succubus. The second Biker fell back from the Raider, moving to the right flank, while the Watch Master fell back towards the Meltagun Kill Team.
The Meltagun Kill Team moved up on the Raider in the ruins, while the Watch Captain and Vanguard Veterans moved to engage the Venom in combat with the Drop Pod.
The Kill Team on the right flank fired their Meltagun at the Raider, hitting and wounding 4 times. Once again, Adam's invulnerable saves were on fire and he made three out of four 5+ saves. The one wound did 5 damage on the Raider, while their Bolters took another wound.
The Vindicare Assassin fired at the Succubus, missing with his shot (on a 2+). I used a command point re-roll to hit, but then failed to wound on a 2+ once more!
The Kill Team in the ruins fired their Infernus Bolters at the Trueborn beside them, wiping them out with their Heavy Flamer shots.
In the charge phase, the Biker and Kill Team in the ruins to the left assaulted the Kabalite Warrior squad. The squad's Dark Lance hit the Biker and wounded him, but only did a single wound. The Watch Captain and Vanguard Veterans assaulted the Venom, while the Meltagun Kill Team assaulted the Raider.
The Watch Captain struck at the Venom, wounding it once. The Vanguard Veterans managed to do two wounds to the transport, leaving it on one wound.
The Meltagun squad were unable to wound the Raider, while the Raider crew killed one of the Deathwatch Marines.
On the left flank, the Kill Team and Biker killed two of the Kabalite warriors, while the Dark Eldar managed to kill one of the Deathwatch Marines.
At the end of turn 3, things were looking tough for the Deathwatch. I had few units left to take control of the objectives.
TURN 4- AELDARI
On the left flank, the Venom and Raider fell back from their combats towards the objective, the Kabalite Warriors disembarking from the Raider to grab the objective in the ruins. The Grotesques moved towards the Vanguard Veterans.
On the right flank, the Archon moved up on the Biker, while the Succubus went to attack the Kill Team once more.
One of the Raiders fired at the Biker, but failed to hit him. The Kabalite Warriors fired at the Meltagun Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Grotesques fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing two of the squad. The Venom also fired at the Vanguard Veterans, killing one more.
The Archon fired his Blaster at the Frag Cannon Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The nearby Venom fired at the Assassin, but failed to hit.
The Archon assaulted the Deathwatch Biker. The Raider assaulted the last Frag Cannon Deathwatch Marine. The overwatch fire managed to destroy the Raider as it assaulted, exploding it. The resultant explosion caused devastation, killing the two Kill Teams, the Deathwatch Biker, destroying the Venom, killing two of the Kabalite Warriors and wounding the Archon. That was some explosion! The other Raider assaulted the Biker on the left flank.
The Kabalite Warriors attacked the Meltagun Kill Team, killing one of the squad. The Deathwatch attacked back, but failed to do any damage.
The Succubus killed the last of Kill Team 2. The Raider and Biker attacked one another, but failed to do any damage.
TURN 4- DEATHWATCH
The Vanguard Veterans moved up to seize the objective being held by the Dark Eldar vehicles. The Deathwatch Biker fell back from combat, moving towards the nearby Kabalite Warriors. The Watch Master moved up towards the Raider.
The Vindicare fired at the Archon. I rolled a 1 to hit and used my last Command Point re-roll to hit. I then rolled a 1 to wound, completing the stellar performance for the Assassin in this game. The Watch Master fired at the Raider, but failed to wound.
The Watch Master charged the Raider, destroying it with his Guardian Spear. The Biker assaulted the Kabalite Warriors. The Biker and Deathwatch Marines struck at the Dark Eldar, but failed to do any damage. The Warriors were then able to kill one of the Deathwatch.
With that we ran out of time and the game ended.
VICTORY POINTS:
Aeldari- 11 (3 objectives, First Blood and Linebreaker), 1128 kill points.
Deathwatch= 4 (1 objective, Linebreaker), 1035 kill points.
 |
| End of the game. |
AFTER-BATTLE THOUGHTS
Thanks to Adam for a really fun game. Despite losing, I had a real blast and thought I might have had a shot at winning had a few more things gone my way.
Getting seized on will always put a crimp in your plans. Had I got the first turn, I most likely would have surged forward with most of my army, getting in the face of the Aeldari forces and actually maybe have done some damage to all those vehicles that I was facing. This really would have helped the Rhino squad, as they were pretty much stuck in my deployment zone thanks to the damage heaped on the Rhino in the first turn.
Again, the Corvus Blackstar seemed to underperform for me in this game. It struggled to take out even a simple Venom with its shooting. This does not seem to be entirely the fault of the flyer though, as Adam was rolling 5+ invulnerable saves like they were 2+! I simply couldn't believe it when I hit and wounded with 4 Meltagun shots, only to have 3 of them saved on a 5+. Had I destroyed that Raider, I think I would have been able to whittle down the Kabalite Warriors in combat to control a second objective and make the game a lot closer than it ended. His invulnerable saves also helped the Venom survive against the Vanguard Veterans and Watch Captain in combat.
I was actually surprised how close the Kill Points were in this game. Adam seemed to have a lot left on the board at the end of the game, whereas I had very few units. This was helped by having a lot of my units in cover. Getting a 2+ armour save in cover is huge for my army, making them highly survivable against weapons with no AP value, such as the Splinter fire in this game. Only the Dark Lances and Blasters were reliably killing my units when they were hitting and wounding.
On which, I must have been issued with the worst Assassin in the whole of the Officio Assassinorum. The Vindicare Assassin hits on a 2+ and wounds Infantry on a 2+. Over the course of 4 turns, he missed with two of his four shots (before re-rolls) and failed to wound THREE TIMES on a 2+! It seems that the Deathwatch Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher has met his match. I really hope that his performance improves in my future games. I would consider swapping him out for one of the other Assassins, but unfortunately, I had already submitted my list to the North West Open at this point. Annoyingly, he could have saved me some kill points if he had been able to take out the Archon or Succubus with his shooting. Unfortunately, I don't think a single shot doing D3 wounds most of the time is going to be the great character killer that I thought he would.
My army is still struggling to deal with massed vehicles, even lighter ones such as the Raider or Venom. The Aeldari warriors fell easily when I was able to fire on them, but getting to them is the issue. Also, all the vehicles having the Fly keyword meant that I couldn't even tie them up in combat to stop them from shooting at me.
Do Raiders have a special rule allowing them to charge after falling back? If not, I'll be pretty annoyed, as all three Raiders did so during the game. Annoyingly, one of them stopped the two Frag Cannons from firing in my turn. This firepower probably would have been sufficient to wipe out the Kabalite Warriors next to the objective on my left, or I could have gone after the Archon for slay the warlord. It may not have won me the game, but it could have shaken things up a bit, as I doubt the objective could have been taken from the Deathwatch on turn 4. Equally though, I don't think the Corvus should have been able to charge the Raider in turn 1, as I was in "zoom" mode.
One game in and already with a loss, I was hoping I could bring things back in the second game.
Bunker War 3:
Game 1- Deathwatch vs Aeldari
Game 2- Deathwatch vs Ultramarines
Game 3- Deathwatch vs Tyranids
Good battle report. The Vindicare still suffers from being poor at his one job. (In 7th you could at most take 2 wounds from something. His gun should be D6 damage vs characters to make him relevant.)
ReplyDeleteAs for the Raiders they have the fly keyword, this allows them to fall back, then shoot/charge in the same turn with no penalty.
Hi Kenneth, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, the Vindicare did struggle in this game (and in most of my games).
DeleteAs far as I am aware, the Fly keyword only allows you to fall back and still shoot, not assault.
Time to go and read the rulebook again I think.
DeleteI've had a tau player doing this with his devilfish to my troops. Charging in at the end of his turn, lurking in combat till the end of my turn then running away, my troops get shot and the damned thing charges back in again.
I'll chalk it up to not playing enough games of 8th yet. Everything getting hit & run without the chance to be caught by a sweeping advance hurts assault based armies. (I think I need to get myself a Skarbrand model as that'll stop 'em running)
agree, can shoot but no mention of it being able to assault
DeleteEven without getting to assault, fly on vehicles is incredibly good. Makes it tough to cut down their firepower, as you pretty much need to destroy them or surround them sufficiently that they are unable to fall back (very difficult to do seeing as they can move over your models).
DeleteA great read Mike!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see two armies that actually look like armies. I played at a doubles event down at Birmingham a couple of weeks ago (so no flyer FAQ used) and it pretty much destroyed any enthusiasm I have for 40k (it was all flyers and Knights).
Seeing armies like this actually stirs up some interest in my withered old soul ;-)
How are you finding the Bikers? I ask because I usually run Bikers in my Chaos army and I keep looking at running 3 man squads rather than the 6 man unit I used to run in 7th (the 4+ FNP was very good for Slaanesh Bikers). With their loss of jink (and FNP) I'm struggling to see a use for them. Do you find their Power Weapons useful? I've been looking at Melta for mine and maybe a Power Weapon, but their fragility puts me off them somewhat.
Cheers Castigator, I always try to build a nice balanced or thematic army in my games. Hopefully your own gaming group can change things to keep your enthusiasm up.
DeleteThe Bikers are really good, but most opponents know that and target then very quickly and eliminate them. They are fairly durable and took a lot of punishment in this game. The downside of the Deathwatch Bikers is that they can't take special weapons, though the special issue ammunition mitigates this to some point. The Power Weapons are pretty handy, but with only 2 attacks each, they can be wasted a bit. Fortunately, they are pretty cheap, so its not a total waste. I'm looking forward to trying the Space Marine Bikes. Cheaper Bikes and special weapons on the squads should be more useful.
Hi Castigator, from what I read Chaos can be very good in the new edition and with the Codex that is on the way. I ordered mine yesterday and am very much looking forward to it. Give it another shot but maybe don't go to a tournament if facing highly optimized armies isn't you cup of tea :)
DeleteI know I don't really go to those anymore (and prefer much more balanced Infinity tournaments instead but that's neither here no there). But 8th is still great and I have a blast playing my friends / in our club.
Hi Chris
DeleteThe new Chaos Codex looks like it will open up plenty of options for tournament play. Unfortunately, what it gives with one hand, it takes away with the other, rumour has it that my Noise Marines can no longer be taken as troops (which effectively kills them as a viable option) and that my Chaos Lord has lost his Bike. This will keep me away from tournaments for quite a while, as I no longer have a legal army without Noise Marines as Troops.
I'm still optimistic that tournaments can be fun though, especially now that GW have introduced 'Boots on the Ground' to tone down Flyer spam.
I'm with you there Castigator. The new Space Marine codex has pretty much removed all my HQ options I have for my White Scars army. I know you can technically still use them from the Index, but it's not the same.
DeleteYeah, it doesn't sit right with me using the Index when they've just released a Codex. If that's GW's thinking, then why not just put them in the Codex to start with?
DeleteIt all seems a bit half-arsed on GW's part.
Raiders can retreat and still fire but not charge. Fly does not allow you to do that, so your opponent was playing it incorrectly I'm afraid
ReplyDeleteA bit unfortunate, but I'll know for the future!
DeleteHey Mike, thanks for the cool batrep! I enjoyed it a lot even though I like Aeldari even less than Deathwatch haha. But your armies are always a joy to look at in the pics (which can't really be said for the Eldar force ugh).
ReplyDeleteToo bad your opponent played the FLY keyword wrong, and too bad both of you whiffed on getting First Blood. But at least you still had an enjoyable game which is the most important thing.
I'm curious why you brought a Vindicare Assassin though - single shot weapons still are a big no-no for me 99% of the time. Although I would like to see your Terminator back in action, I still remember his overwatch heroics :D
I've been told by a few people that you really need to bring 2 Vindicares if you want them to work, build in a little redundancy with the single shot.
DeleteI don't think the Deathwatch will be seeing any more tournament games from now on, but my Cyclone Terminator may see some casual play to see if his aim improves or if it is only in Overwatch where he shines!
Vindicares can be amazing in multiples, but a single one seems to always run foul of Murphy's Law.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just need to get a second one (and get Rob to paint it up too!).
DeleteGoing first is a big thing now I reckon. I can't believe how detailed your BatReps are. Great write up.
ReplyDeleteCheers! For certain armies it can be essential to go first. However, I find I still lose quite a few games even when I go first. Depends how strong my opponent's army is and how weak I think the Deathwatch have gotten.
DeleteI've gotten really good at taking quite notes during the game and plenty of photos. Allows me to put in a level of detail I don't often see in any other battle reports.
It's rare for me to see Sunderland mentioned in anything but bad footy reports, but as a Sunderland native, and with the Sunderland GW being my local, and my almost daily haunt, I hope you were made to feel welcome!
ReplyDelete