North West Open 2017: Deathwatch Army and Tournament Review

I recently attended Bunker War 3 and the North West Open 2017 with my Deathwatch army. This post will take a look at the army that I took to the tournament and review how it performed during my games. I will also be reviewing the tournament itself, as well as the ITC missions, as this was the first time that I was playing them.

Army Review

As a reminder, my army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Master

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Pair Lightning Claws

Kill Team 1- 5 Veterans, Vanguard Veteran with Pair Lightning Claws, 3 Frag Cannons, Storm Shield

Kill Team 2- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Boltguns

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Boltguns

Kill Team 4- 5 Veterans, Meltagun, 3 combi-Meltas

Kill Team 5- 5 Veterans, 2 Frag Cannons

Rhino 

Drop Pod- Storm Bolter

6 Vanguard Veterans- 2 Pairs Lightning Claws, Power Sword and Bolt Pistol, 3 with Bolt Pistols and Chainswords 

3 Deathwatch Bikers- Power Axe, Power Sword

3 Deathwatch Bikers- two Power Swords 

Corvus Blackstar- Auspex Array, Hurricane Bolter, Twin Assault Cannons, 2 Blackstar Rocket Launchers

Vindicare Assassin

6 Command Points

I am finding the Deathwatch army quite a struggle in 8th edition at the moment. They are a small, elite army, but lack the durability of other elite armies such as Grey Knights or Harlequins (not the toughest, but that invulnerable save goes a long way). Their firepower output can be high, but you need to get to close range to make the most of the Frag Cannons, leaving the Kill Teams very vulnerable to counter-assault and being wiped out. 

North West Open 2017: Armies on Display

The North West Open tournament saw some fantastic armies at the event. Here are some photos of the painting competition. 

North West Open 2017: Game 5- Deathwatch vs Astra Militarum

The final game of the North West Open tournament would see my Deathwatch taking on Toby's Astra Militarum army, featuring a lot of Scions and a lot of Tauroxes. 

The mission for game 5 would be ITC scenario 4- The Scouring. For the Eternal War mission, there would be six objectives; two worth one point, two worth two points and two worth three points. The Maelstrom mission also featured 6 objectives; two objective 1's, two objective 2's and two objective 3's. The maelstrom table was:

1. Hold either Maelstrom Objective 1. 
2. Hold either Maelstrom Objective 2.
3. Hold either Maelstrom Objective 3.
4. Destroy an enemy unit.
5. Destroy an enemy unit.
6. Destroy an enemy unit.

Nice and simple. As usual, you generate three unique maelstrom objectives by rolling on the table and choose the two you want to perform. If you generate two hold objectives, you can swap them for holding three objectives for 3 points. Equally, if you roll two destroy an enemy units, you can exchange them for destroying three enemy units for three points. 

The tertiary objectives were Big Game Hunter (whoever destroys the unit with the highest power level), Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord. We would also be using Search and destroy deployment. 

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, 3 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 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

My Warlord was the Watch Master, who took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.

North West Open 2017: Game 4- Deathwatch vs Grey Knights

Game one of day two of the North West Open tournament would see my Deathwatch facing off against Daniel's Grey Knights army. 

The mission for game 4 was ITC scenario 6- Secure and control. The eternal war mission consisted of two objectives, one in each of our deployment zones. 

There were also four other maelstrom objectives; two labelled objective 1 and two labelled objective 2. The maelstrom table for this mission was:

1. Hold Maelstrom objective 1
2. Hold Maelstrom objective 2
3. Destroy an enemy unit
4. Destroy an enemy unit
5. Have a unit at least partially within the enemy deployment zone (Behind Enemy Lines)
6. Have at least 3 of your units and no enemy units at least partially within your own deployment zone (Hold the Line)

As with all the ITC missions, you generate 3 unique maelstrom objectives each turn by rolling on the table and choose the two you wish to try and achieve. If you roll up hold objectives 1 and 2, you can exchange it for holding three objectives for 3 maelstrom points. If you roll up destroy an enemy unit twice, you can exchange it for kill three enemy units for three points. 

The tertiary objectives were First Blood, Linebreaker and Slay the Warlord. We would be using Spearhead assault deployment. 

My Deathwatch 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, 3 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 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

My Warlord was the Watch Master, who took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.

North West Open 2017: Game 3- Deathwatch vs Imperial Knights

In the final game of day 1 of the North West Open, my Deathwatch found themselves going up against Nick and his army of Imperial Knights!

I must say, I was not expecting to see an army of 4 Knights this low down in the rankings, and I was certainly not looking forward to the game. My army struggles to deal with vehicles as it is, so four of them with that many wounds and that volume of firepower and combat ability was a daunting task. 

The mission for game 3 was ITC scenario 1- Retrieval. The Eternal War mission was to hold the four retrieval objectives. Two of the objectives would be the two maelstrom objectives for this game. The maelstrom table for this game was:

1. Hold Maelstrom Objective 1
2. Hold Maelstrom Objective 2
3. Have a unit at least partially within 12" of the enemy deployment edge (behind enemy lines)
4. Destroy an enemy unit
5. Destroy an enemy unit
6. Have at least 3 of your and none of your opponent's units in your deployment zone (hold the line)

As with all the ITC mission, you roll 3 dice at the start of your turn to generate 3 unique maelstrom objectives and pick two objectives to score. These can only be scored at the start of your following turn. In addtion, if you roll hold objective 1 and 2, you can exchange them to hold 3 objectives for 3 points. If you roll two lots of destroy an enemy unit, you can exchange it for kill 3 enemy units for 3 points.
The tertiary missions were Big Game Hunter (whoever kills the unit with the highest power level), Linebreaker and Slay the warlord.

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, 3 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 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

My Warlord was the Watch Master, who took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.

North West Open 2017: Game 2- Deathwatch vs Harlequins

Game 2 of the North West Open tournament would see my Deathwatch take on James and his Harlequin force. James had actually missed his first game due to traffic, but one of the shop staff members had stepped in and secured him a win for game 1. It would be interesting to see how well matched I was with his army in round 2.

The mission for game 2 was ITC scenario 5- Big Guns Never Tire. In this, the primary mission was holding the four objectives and killing Heavy Support choices. Each objective was worth 3 points to whoever controlled it at the end of the game, with each slain Heavy Support choice worth a bonus point.
For the maelstrom mission, each player had two maelstrom objectives (numbered 1 and 2). Each player had to place their maelstrom objective 1 in their own deployment zone and maelstrom objective 2 in their opponent's deployment zone. The maelstrom objective table was as follows:

1.  Hold maelstrom objective 1 in the enemy deployment zone. 
2. Hold maelstrom objective 2 in the enemy deployment zone. 
3. Hold maelstrom objective 1 in your own deployment zone.
4. Hold maelstrom objective 2 in your own deployment zone.
5. Destroy an enemy unit
6. Destroy an enemy unit

As per ITC rules, you could only score maelstrom points generated at the start of your following turn. In addition, if you roll two of 1, 2,3 or 4, you can exchange for hold 3 objectives for 3 points. If you roll up 5 and 6, you can exchange it for kill 3 enemy units for 3 points. 

The tertiary objectives were Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker and Ground Control (control or contest 2 or more objectives at the end of the game). We would be using Front Line assault deployment. I actually ended up on the same table as game 1, so would be familiar with the terrain! 

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, 3 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 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

My Warlord was the Watch Master, who took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.

North West Open 2017: Game 1- Deathwatch vs Tyranids

A few weeks ago, I attended the North West Open tournament at Wargames in Southport. This was an ITC tournament and the first of its kind that I had attended. The tournament took place over 2 days and 5 games, where I would see if my Deathwatch could compete with the other armies in 8th edition. 

The first mission was ITC scenario 3- No Mercy. This mission featured a mixture of maelstrom points and eternal war points with bonuses for tertiary objectives. 

The Eternal war mission was kill points, with points being awarded for each enemy unit destroyed equal to their power level in the index. Maelstrom missions used the ITC maelstrom objective table. In this table, you roll three times at the start of each of your turns to generate three unique maelstrom objectives and choose which two of the options that you rolled you want to try and achieve. For this mission, the table was:

1. Hold Maelstrom Objective 1
2. Hold Maelstrom Objective 2
3. Hold Maelstrom Objective 3
4. Have more units further than 12" from your deployment table edge than your opponent does from theirs (Advance)
5. Have a unit at least partially within 12" of the enemy deployment table edge (Hold the Line)
6. Have at least 3 of your and none of your opponent's units within 12" of your deployment table edge (Behind Enemy Lines). 

What is interesting about ITC maelstrom objectives is that you score them at the beginning of your following turn. For example, if you roll hold maelstrom objective 1 and 2 in turn 1, you have to be holding them at the beginning of your second turn in order to score them. This forces you to plan ahead and can allow your opponent to try to stop you scoring in their turn. In addition, if you roll two hold objective results, you have the option to exchange them to hold all three objectives and score 3 maelstrom points. 

The tertiary objectives were First Strike (destroy a unit in the first turn, both players can score), Slay the Warlord and King of the Hill (have more units/models within 6" of the board centre than your opponent). 

I hadn't played these missions before, so it would be interesting to see how I performed in them in 8th edition. 

My Deathwatch 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, 3 Stalker Boltguns (KT2)

Kill Team 3- 5 Veterans, 2 Missile Launchers, 3 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

My Warlord was the Watch Master, who took the Tenacious Survivor warlord trait.