9th Edition Maelstrom of War Cards Template

The new rules for maelstrom were released for 9th edition in this month's White Dwarf. The tactical objectives were presented in 6 new tables, which you roll on during the game. 

I decided to make up some cards to represent the tactical objectives during my games, as they will be much easier to deal with than the tables. I thought it would be useful for others to do the same, so below are the images that I used to print the cards. 

Once cut out, they fold in half to create the front and back of the cards. I then laminated them and used a cardboard guide to cut them out to the same size. This creates two decks, one for me and one for my opponent, to use during our games. 

These cards are for a standard 2000 pts game, so you may need to adjust the points or conditions if you are playing one of the other mission sizes (as detailed in White Dwarf 461). 

Enjoy!

9th Edition Maelstrom of War Review: Part 2- Stratagems and Missions

This part of the Maelstrom of War review will take a look at the stratagems and missions available in the new rules. 

Stratagems

The new rules have introduced four new stratagems to use in your maelstrom games. 

Fixed Determination (1CP)- Use at the start of the battle round, before generating Tactical Objectives. Select one of the Tactical Objectives that you generated in the previous battle round but did not score. That Tactical Objective is treated as having been generated for you this battle round and counts towards the limit of how many Tactical Objectives you generate in this battle round. 

A useful stratagem for ensuring that you can score big points in your turn. This reduces the chance of getting a random objective that you may not be able to achieve, and replace it with one that you are likely to score. For example, if you roll Tear Down Their Heroes or Cut off the Head in one turn and are not quite able to achieve it in one turn, but almost guaranteed to get it the following turn, such as removing the last model from a powerful unit or taking the last wound from a warlord or character. 

Probably not going to use it every game, but could certainly be useful to score points every once in a while. 

9th Edition Maelstrom of War Review: Part 1- Tactical Objectives

This weekend, I was able to pick up the new issue of White Dwarf with the new Maelstrom of War rules for 9th edition. I've been looking forward to this release since maelstrom was removed from the game. It was one of my favourite ways to play the game and I am glad to see it return. 

I'm going to take a look at the new rules and see how they compare. This first part will take a look at how the rules work and the six tactical objective categories that are given. 

Maelstrom of War

These rules once more simulate having to achieve random objectives each turn, this time through rolling on tables, rather than drawing cards. I am hoping that they release the cards in time, as it will save a lot of book keeping for both players as the game proceeds. 

There are 6 tactical objective categories that players can choose from in a mission. In most of the missions, each player selects three different tactical objective categories to draw from during the game; Objective categories Alpha, Beta and Gamma. 

At the start of the battle round, each player generates their specified number of tactical objectives (3 in most missions) by first rolling a D3 to determine whether the objective is drawn from the alpha, beta or gamma categories chosen. They then roll a D6 on the table to see which objective is active for their turn. 

Any duplicate objectives are re-rolled, as are any objectives that are unachievable- if your or your opponent's army lacks the keyword necessary to achieve the objective. 

As you can see, this process would be a lot easier with cards, but I think it will not take too long to get used to rolling for them in missions. You could even look to make your own cards to make things a bit easier. 

Each mission uses 6 objectives for a normal sized game, with each player placing three of them. Each objective marker must be wholly within your territory (your table half), but outside of your deployment zone. They cannot be within 3" of a table edge or within 12" of another objective. This forces players to move out, as they cannot simply sit in their deployment zone if they are going to go after the objectives. 

Tournament Battle Report: Warfare 2019: Game 5- White Scars vs Death Guard

Game 5 of Warfare 2019 would see my White Scars take on Rob's Death Guard in the final game of the tournament. The mission was Decapitating Strike with Search and Destroy deployment. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Captain on Bike- Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chogorian Storm, Master of Snares, Wrath of the Heavens

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Mantle of the Stormseer, Ride the Winds, Storm-wreathed

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Scouts Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns, Combat Knives

Battalion Detachment

Captain- Jump Pack, Master-crafted Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield

Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Axe, MC Bolter

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolt Pistol, Combat Knives

Spearhead Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litan of Hate

10 Vanguard Veterans- 5 with 2 Chainswords, 5 with two Lightning Claws

5 Vanguard Veterans- Chainswords and Plasma Pistols
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers

Thunderfire Cannon- Techmarine Gunner with Flamer, Plasma Cutter, 2 Servo-arms

Tournament Battle Report: Warfare 2019: Game 3- White Scars vs Imperium

The third game of the tournament saw my White Scars take on Aidan's Imperium force, consisting of Astra Militarum, Space Marines and Blood Angels. The mission for game 3 was Visions of Victory, using Search and Deploy deployment zone.

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Captain on Bike- Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chogorian Storm, Master of Snares, Wrath of the Heavens

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Mantle of the Stormseer, Ride the Winds, Storm-wreathed

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Scouts Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns, Combat Knives

Battalion Detachment

Captain- Jump Pack, Master-crafted Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield

Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Axe, MC Bolter

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolt Pistol, Combat Knives

Spearhead Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litan of Hate

10 Vanguard Veterans- 5 with 2 Chainswords, 5 with two Lightning Claws

5 Vanguard Veterans- Chainswords and Plasma Pistols
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers

Thunderfire Cannon- Techmarine Gunner with Flamer, Plasma Cutter, 2 Servo-arms

Tournament Battle Report: Warfare 2019- Game 1- White Scars vs Astra Militarum/Deathwatch

Welcome to my first battle report from the recent Warfare 2019 tournament held in Reading. In this tournament, I was taking my White Scars once more. I was still modifying the army after some tournament performances, so was interested to see if the changes would help to improve the Marines further. 

The first mission of the day was Strategic Gamble maelstrom mission using Dawn of War deployment. In this game, I would be facing off against Arran and his Astra Militarum and Deathwatch forces. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Captain on Bike- Twin Bolter, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Chogorian Storm, Master of Snares, Wrath of the Heavens

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Stave, Mantle of the Stormseer, Ride the Winds, Storm-wreathed

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols
5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Scouts Bikers- Twin Bolters, Shotguns, Combat Knives

Battalion Detachment

Captain- Jump Pack, Master-crafted Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield

Lieutenant- Jump Pack, Power Axe, MC Bolter

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolters

5 Scouts- Bolt Pistol, Combat Knives

Spearhead Detachment
Chaplain- Jump Pack, Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol, Litan of Hate

10 Vanguard Veterans- 5 with 2 Chainswords, 5 with two Lightning Claws

5 Vanguard Veterans- Chainswords and Plasma Pistols
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter
5 Devastators- Bolters, 2 Missile Launchers

Thunderfire Cannon- Techmarine Gunner with Flamer, Plasma Cutter, 2 Servo-arms

As you can see, a slightly modified force from my last tournament list.

To start with, I swapped the Khan on Bike for a Captain with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield to give him extra offensive and defensive capabilities. His warlord traits and Relic were unchanged, as this combination worked very well for me in the past.

I also took three units of Intercessors with Bolt Rifles. I decided to try these out over the Tactical Marines, to see if the extra durability and firepower would prove to be useful in the list. I kept the Scout Bikers to accompany the Captain, but dropped the Biker squad, as I didn't find the so effective in the previous tournament.

For the second Battalion, I took another Captain, this time with a Jump Pack, Master-crafted Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield for some more powerful combat ability. The Lieutenant and Scouts were the same as in the previous list.

I also added a Spearhead Detachment, which was led by a Chaplain. This was my first trial of the Chaplain and I wanted to see what his abilities would bring to the army. He knows the standard Litany, allowing you to re-roll hit rolls within 6" in combat, which should pair well with the Devastating Charge ability. He also took the litany of Hate, which gives one unit +2 to the charge and the ability to consolidate up to 6". Great for getting another unit into combat, along with the Ride the Winds psychic power.

I also took a couple of units of Devastators with some Missile Launchers for some more long-ranged firepower support, something my last list was missing. I took the ever useful Thunderfire Cannon and a couple of units of Vanguard Veterans to make use of their combat ability once more.

Video Battle Report- Orks vs T'au

Today I have another video battle report. This was actually the first time I've played the Orks since the codex came out all those months ago. In this game, they are taking on Chris' T'au in a maelstrom of war mission. 

Dark Artisan Open ITC Tournament: Game 5- Deathwatch vs Raven Guard

The final game of the Dark Artisan Open ITC tournament would see my Deathwatch take on Jordan's Raven Guard in a 40k maelstrom of war battle report. 

The mission for game 5 was Tactical Gambit. In this game, you must bet how many objective cards you think you will score in your turn (between 1 and 4). If you succeed, you score that number of bonus points, if you do not, then your opponent scores the bonus points. This allows you to wrack up a big score in your games if you bet wisely. 

My Deathwatch army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Captain- Castellan of the Black Vault (warlord trait), Jump Pack, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, the Tome of Ectoclades

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

Kill Team 1- 7 Veterans- Storm Bolters, Chainswords, 2 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

Kill Team 2- 7 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, Meltagun, Chainswords, 3 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Chainsword and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Storm Shield, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter, 2 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Outrider Detachment

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Sword, Bolt Pistol, Null Zone, Might of Heroes

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Teleport Homer

A fairly standard force for my Deathwatch. I decided to take two full Kill Teams, with a Terminator, Vanguard Veteran and Biker in each one to give me lots of options for falling back from combat and still staying active. I also added a couple of Veteran squads with Missile Launchers and Stalker Bolters for long range firepower, as well as a single Heavy Bolter to use the Hellfire Shells stratagem, and a Razorback for some anti-tank firepower. 

I took the Outrider for the extra CP. I decided to try the Librarian, as his powers would be of use to the Watch Captain. I took three units of Bikers. These should be useful for going after objectives and adding some strong firepower to the army. 

Video Battle Report- Genestealer Cults vs Iron Hands

A new video battle report sees my Genestealer Cults take on the Iron Hands in a maelstrom of war mission. 

Dark Artisan Open ITC Tournament: Game 3- Deathwatch vs Blood Angels

My third game of the Dark Artisan ITC tournament saw my Deathwatch take on Chris' Blood Angels army in the Strategic Gamble maelstrom mission.

In this mission, you draw three cards per turn. You can choose to discard two of your cards and draw one more. If you can score this in your turn, it is worth double the number of points.

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Captain- Castellan of the Black Vault (warlord trait), Jump Pack, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, the Tome of Ectoclades

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

Kill Team 1- 7 Veterans- Storm Bolters, Chainswords, 2 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

Kill Team 2- 7 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, Meltagun, Chainswords, 3 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Chainsword and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Storm Shield, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter, 2 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Outrider Detachment

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Sword, Bolt Pistol, Null Zone, Might of Heroes

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Teleport Homer

A fairly standard force for my Deathwatch. I decided to take two full Kill Teams, with a Terminator, Vanguard Veteran and Biker in each one to give me lots of options for falling back from combat and still staying active. I also added a couple of Veteran squads with Missile Launchers and Stalker Bolters for long range firepower, as well as a single Heavy Bolter to use the Hellfire Shells stratagem, and a Razorback for some anti-tank firepower. 

I took the Outrider for the extra CP. I decided to try the Librarian, as his powers would be of use to the Watch Captain. I took three units of Bikers. These should be useful for going after objectives and adding some strong firepower to the army. 

Dark Artisan Open ITC Tournament: Game 1- Deathwatch vs Necrons

Welcome to my first battle report from the recent Dark Artisan Open ITC tournament that I attended. This was a 5 game, two day event, to which I took my Deathwatch army. 

The tournament had some strong restrictions for army selection. It was 1750 pts, mono-faction, so no soup or allies at this event. Detachments were also limited to a single Battalion or Brigade and up to two other of the smaller detachments. 

I like this format, as I tend to run mono-faction armies myself, so was glad my Deathwatch would be on a level playing field at this event. I would have liked to have run a double Battalion for extra CP, but would need to make do with a reduced number of CP. 

The first mission of the day was Visions of Victory, facing off against Robert's Necrons. This is the mission where you draw four cards per turn. For every card activate, you draw two and your opponent gets to decide which one you keep. This means that you will likely be getting a lot of tough to achieve objectives during the course of the game. 

Note, this tournament was held before the release of the new Space Marine codex, so shock assault, drop pod rules, etc, were not in effect. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Captain- Castellan of the Black Vault (warlord trait), Jump Pack, Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer

Watch Master- Guardian Spear, the Tome of Ectoclades

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

Kill Team 1- 7 Veterans- Storm Bolters, Chainswords, 2 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

Kill Team 2- 7 Veterans- 3 Combi-Meltas, Meltagun, Chainswords, 3 Storm Shields, Biker with Twin Bolter, Chainsword, Vanguard Veteran with Chainsword and Bolt Pistol, Terminator with Power Fist and Storm Bolter

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Storm Shield, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolter, 2 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Outrider Detachment

Librarian- Jump Pack, Force Sword, Bolt Pistol, Null Zone, Might of Heroes

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Sergeant has Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Teleport Homer

3 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Chainswords, Teleport Homer

A fairly standard force for my Deathwatch. I decided to take two full Kill Teams, with a Terminator, Vanguard Veteran and Biker in each one to give me lots of options for falling back from combat and still staying active. I also added a couple of Veteran squads with Missile Launchers and Stalker Bolters for long range firepower, as well as a single Heavy Bolter to use the Hellfire Shells stratagem, and a Razorback for some anti-tank firepower. 

I took the Outrider for the extra CP. I decided to try the Librarian, as his powers would be of use to the Watch Captain. I took three units of Bikers. These should be useful for going after objectives and adding some strong firepower to the army. 

40k Battle Report 184- Genestealer Cults vs Salamanders Space Marines

This week's battle report sees my Genestealer Cults take on Chris' Salamanders Space Marine army in a maelstrom of war mission. This game was played after some of the reveals for the new Space Marine codex, so we decided to incorporate some of the new rules into this game. We would be using the updated Salamanders Chapter Tactics, as well as the Shock Assault rule. 

We were playing a simple Cleanse and Capture mission (3 cards per turn). 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment (Rusted Claw)

Jackal Alphus- Sniper Rifle

Magus- Force Stave, Mind Control, Might From Beyond

Sanctus- Sniper Rifle, A Gift From Beyond

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Autoguns, 2 Mining Lasers, Grenade Launcher

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Autoguns, Heavy Stubber, Grenade Launcher

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Shotguns, 2 Flamers

Atalan Jackals- Shotguns, 4 Demolition Charges, Wolfquad with Atalan Incinerator

Goliath Truck- Twin Autocannon, Heavy Stubber

Brood Brothers Heavy Weapons Team- Mortars

Battalion Detachment (Cult of the Four Armed Emperor, Deliverance Broodsurge)

Acolyte Iconward- Rending Claw, Autopistol, Cultist Knife, Icon of the Cult Ascendent, Augur of the Insurgent (warlord trait)

Magus- Force Stave, Mass Hypnosis, Psionic Blast, Inscrutable Cunning (warlord trait)

Primus- Bonesword, Needle Pistol, Alien Majesty (warlord trait)

Clamavus- Autopistol

20 Acolyte Hybrids- Rending Claws, Cultist Knives, Autopistols, 2 Heavy Rock Saws, 2 Heavy Rock Drills

10 Acolyte Hybrids- Rending Claws, Cultist Knives, Autopistols, 2 Heavy Rock Drills

10 Acolyte Hybrids- Rending Claws, Cultist Knives, Autopistols, 4 Heavy Rock Cutters

Vanguard Detachment (Cult of the Four Armed Emperor)

Patriarch- 2 Familiars, Mental Onslaught, Might From Beyond, Biomorph Adaptation (warlord trait)

Primus- Bonesword, Needle Pistol

Clamavus- Autopistol

Nexos- Autopistol

8 Abberrants- 4 Heavy Rock Hammers, 4 Power Picks, Rending Claws

10 Purestrain Genestealers

I decided to go for a couple of Cult Creeds for the army, as well as trying out the Devilerance Broodsurge Vigilus specialist detachment for the first time. 

I made one Battalion Rusted Claw. This gives the units in it +1 save against AP0 or AP-1 weapons, boosting the armour save of most units to 4+ (or 3+ in cover). This is generally the units I will deploy on the board, as the ground forces before my ambushing reserves come in. This contains three squads of Neophyte Hybrids, with some heavy weapons for fire support. It also includes the Atalan Jackals and Jackal Alphus. These units get to benefit from the Rusted Claw stratagem, allowing me to throw grenades at +1 to hit and +1 to wound, making the demolition charges very powerful. 

For the other two detachments, I took the Cult of the Four Armed Emperor, giving me +1 to charge and advance rolls on the turn that I arrive from reserve. The Battalion was also Deliverance Broodsurge, allowing me to re-roll charge rolls within 6" of the Acolyte Iconward (thanks to his Field Commander Warlord Trait). Combined with the Clamavus and Cult Creed, this gives me a 7" re-rollable charge from ambush reserves. This is a huge boost for the cult units, helping to ensure that they get into combat on the turn they arrive. 

I was able to take four warlord traits thanks to the Field Commander and Broodcoven stratagems. Combined with the Specialist Detachment and extra relic, this gave me 10 command points to start the game with, having used four already. One of my warlord traits gave me D3 extra CP, and I was fortunate enough to roll 3 for this, giving me 13 to start the game. 

I then took a unit of Aberrants and Genestealers to be the hard hitters in my army. These units should hopefully do a fair bit of damage to the Marines in combat. 

Schemes of War- New Maelstrom Rules Review

July's White Dwarf saw some new rules for maelstrom of war released. These are a modification of the standard rules, allowing you to bring an element of deck building into your maelstrom games. This review will take a look at the new rules and see what they can add to your games of 40k. 

Anyone who follows the blog will be aware that I am a big fan of maelstrom missions. I think that they give any army a chance to compete in the game and reward tactical thinking in your games, as opposed to just "kill everything in your opponent's army". I was excited to see the new rules that were presented to see if they would improve the game further (thanks to Doug for making me aware of the new rules in White Dwarf!). 

Schemes of War

Constructing Your Deck

When fighting a maelstrom of war mission, you must construct an objective deck, made up of 18 Tactical Objective cards. No more than one copy of each uniquely named Tactical Objective may be included in the deck. 

The new rules means that you are playing with half of the maelstrom deck in your hand. This allows you to choose the optimal cards that your army can achieve during each game, better suiting your army composition and playstyle. You can only take one of each unique card, so this only really applies to "Secure Objective x" cards, as there are two of these in each deck. This stops you from loading up on securing objective cards, though you can still take the set of 6 Secure and Defend Objective cards to play the objective game. 

Video Battle Report- Dark Angels Primaris vs Ultramarines

Today I have another battle report featuring my Dark Angels Primaris army, taking on Mat's Ultramarines Space Marine army. 

This game features the new maelstrom of war rules from White Dwarf, which introduces an element of deck building into the game. 

Rapid Strike Tournament: Game 5- Deathwatch vs T'au

The final game of the day at the Rapid Strike 40k tournament would see my Deathwatch take on Chris' T'au on the top table. 

This mission was Cloak and Shadows. In this mission, we get three cards per turn, but keep your cards secret from your opponent until you score them. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

I get 6 command points for the army thanks to the tournament special rules.

Chris' army consisted of:
Patrol Detachment (T'au, Viorla)
Coldstar Commander- Airbursting Fragmentation Launcher, 2 Fusion Blasters, Shield Generator
Ethereal- Academic Luminary (warlord trait), Equalisers,
Shield Drone
10 Breachers- Pulse Blasters
10 Kroot- Kroot Rifles
3 Crisis Suits- 4 Plasma Rifles, 2 Shield Generators, 2 Cyclic Ion Blasers, Advancing Targeting System
6 Gun Drones
6 Stealth Suits- 6 Burst Cannons, Advanced Targeting Systems
8 Pathfinders- 5 Markerlights, 3 Rail Rifles, Pulse Carbines
Piranha- Burst Cannons, 2 Gun Drones
Devilfish- Burst Cannons, 2 Gun Drones

A mixed T'au army with a lot of firepower. I was going to have to hope my power armour could keep me safe for long enough to hit the T'au lines hard with my own firepower and combat prowess.

Rapid Strike Tournament: Game 4- Deathwatch vs Black Templars Space Marines

The fourth game of the Rapid Strike 40k tournament saw my Deathwatch taking on Alex's Black Templars Space Marines. 

This game was Spoils of War. In this mission, you get three cards per turn. You cannot discard any "Secure Objective X" cards and your opponent can score any of these cards in your hand at the end of the turn. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

As per the tournament rules, I would have 6 command points to spend.

Alex's army consisted of:
Patrol Detachment (Space Marines, Black Templars)
Chapter Master- Terminator Armour, Thunder Hammer, the Shield Eternal, Iron Resolve
10 Primaris Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistol, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher
10 Terminators- 3 Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields, Pairs of Lightning Claws
10 Terminators- Storm Bolters, Power Fists, Power Sword

A small, elite force, mostly consisting of Terminators. When was the last time you saw that many Terminators in a tournament army? The Black Templars chapter tactics gave re-rolls to charge moves, which should help the Terminators get into combat. Alex spent 3 of his 6 CP to make a Chapter Master of his Captain, giving him full re-rolls to hit.

Rapid Strike Tournament: Game 3- Deathwatch vs Drukhari

Game 3 of the 40k Rapid Strike tournament saw my Deathwatch take on a tough Drukhari force featuring a ton of Grotesques and Talos engines. 

This game was Tactical Escalation, where you get one card on turn 1, two cards on turn 2, etc. This means you need to keep your army alive for longer in order to grab the objectives later in the game. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Joe's army consisted of:
Patrol Detachment (Drukhari, Haemonculus Coven)
Haemonculus- Diabolical Soothsayer, Electrocorrosive whip, Stinger Pistol, The Vexator Mask
7 Wracks- Acothyst, Haemonculus Tools
9 Grotesques- Monstrous Cleavers, Flesh Gauntlet
5 Mandrakes- Baleblast, Glimmersteel Blade
5 Scourges- Haywire Blasters, Shardcarbine
3 Talos- Chain Flails, Macro Scalpels, 2 Haywire Blasters each
Venom- Bladevanes, Flickerfield, Night Shield, 2 Splinter Cannons

A combat-heavy army with a lot of Haywire firepower for taking on my one tank. Much of the army would have a 4+ invulnerable save, so my high AP rounds were of little use in this game. However, the Hellfire Bolts would prove invaluable to taking on the tough Drukhari units. I would need to hope that my superior firepower could make a dent in the enemy army before they get to my lines.

Rapid Strike Tournament: Game 2- Deathwatch vs Black Legion Chaos Space Marines

Game 2 of Rapid Strike would see my Deathwatch take on Khyl's Black Legion Chaos Space Marine army in the Contact Lost maelstrom of war mission. In this mission, you get one card to start with, then draw one card for each objective you hold (up to 6) from turn 2 onwards. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Khyl's army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Black Legion)

Lord Discordant- Helstalker, Autocannon, Mark of Tzeentch, Indomitable

Master of Possession- Cursed Earth, Force Stave, Infernal Power, Mark of Tzeentch

10 Cultists- Autoguns

10 Chaos Space Marines- Mark of Slaanesh, Bolters, Autocannon

Greater Possessed- Mark of Slaanesh

Forgefiend- 2 Hades Autocannons, Daemon Jaws, Mark of Tzeentch

2 Obliterators- Mark of Tzeentch

Auxiliary Support Detachment (Chaos Space Marines)

Sorcerer- Terminator Armour, Combi-Bolter, Force Stave, Warptime, Weaver of Fates, Mark of Tzeentch

A Chaos force with a lot of infantry. The army featured a number of units from Vigilus that I had not faced yet. The Lord Discordant could prove to be a tough proposition, as could the Obliterators. It was a great looking Chaos army, and actually came in second in the best painted army competition. 

Rapid Strike Tournament: Game 1- Deathwatch vs Astra Militarum

The first 40k battle report from Rapid Strike 3.1 saw my Deathwatch take on James' Astra Militarum army in the Cleanse and Capture maelstrom of war mission. This was the standard 3 cards per turn maelstrom mission. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

James' army consisted of:
Patrol Detachment (Astra Militarum, Cadian)
Vigilus Defiant Emperor's First Tank Company
Tank Commander- Battle Cannon, 3 Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubber, Old Grudges (warlord trait), Hammer of Sunderance (Relic)
Tempestor Prime- Chainsword, Command Rod
Infantry Squad- Mortar, Lasguns
Tempestus Scions- 4 Plasma Guns, Hotshot Lasguns
Tempestus Command Squad- 4 Plasma Guns
Hellhound- Heavy Flamer
Leman Russ- Battle Cannon, 3 Heavy Bolters, Heavy Stubber
Wyvern- Stormshard Missile Launcher, Heavy Bolter
Taurox Prime- Taurox Gatling Cannon, 2 Autocannons

A vehicle-heavy army for my first game, not what I was looking for! This could be a tough contest, as I didn't have a lot of firepower to take on the Leman russ tanks. Hopefully, I could hide from their firepower for a while and take on the weaker infantry elements. The Tempestus units could also be a problem, with a lot of Plasma firepower to take out my Marines.

Rapid Strike Tournament- Army Overview and Tournament Format

Welcome to my army overview from the Rapid Strike 3.1 tournament that I recently attended. This was a one-day, 5 games, 1000 pts tournament held in Reading. Each mission would be maelstrom of war, and had some tight restrictions for army selection. 

At Rapid Strike, armies can consists of a single Patrol Detachment, with up to one auxiliary support detachment. The armies were "highlander" format, so each unit selection can only be used once in the army. Unit entries that were allowed multiple units per force organisation slot, such as Leman Russ battle tank squadrons, were only allowed to take a single unit in each case. Marine units were still allowed to combat squad. 

Each army also started with 6 CP instead of 3 to make up for the limited detachment selections. However, players could not use a command re-roll stratagem with their CP. Instead, players received 5 free command point re-rolls that could be used over the course of the 5 games. That was it, only 5 CP re-rolls for the entire day! 

This sounded like a fun format to try. I'm a big fan of maelstrom of war missions, and liked the army choice restrictions. I figured the Deathwatch would be a nice force to take to the event. The additional wargear choices for units and the special issue ammunition should allow me to deal with a wide range of threats I could deal with. That and the fact there would be no Imperial Knights meant I was looking forward to this one. 

My army consisted of:

Patrol Detachment (Deathwatch)

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Bolt Pistol, Castellan of the Black Vault, The Beacon Angelis

Kill Team- 7 Veterans with Storm Bolters, Chainswords and 2 Storm Shields, Terminator with Storm Bolter and Power Fist, Vanguard Veteran with Storm Shield and Bolt Pistol, Biker with Twin Boltgun. 

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Vanguard Veterans- Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Hand Flamer

6 Bikers- Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Twin Bolters, Chainswords

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter