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

Hobby Update 29/05/19- Genestealer Cults Atalan Jackals Complete

Today's Hobby Update sees my completed Atalan Jackals unit for my Genestealer Cults army. This unit has been armed with Shotguns, a grenade launcher and demolition charges. This should provide a mobile unit for the army, with some decent firepower. 

Here are some WIP shots of the models. 

Deathwatch Tactics- Special Issue Ammunition vs Bolter Discipline

The recent FAQ removed the ability of Deathwatch units to use Special Issue Ammunition and the new Bolter Discipline rule in combination. This has led many Deathwatch players to ask which is better to use in which situation? I've run the numbers and here is a rough guide to what Bolter type to use against a variety of foes. 

In each of the tables below, the average number of unsaved wounds caused is listed for each ammunition type against a range of common model types. Each example assumes that the shots are being made out of rapid fire range, so single shot for SIA and two shots for Bolter Discipline. In addition, the effects of re-rolls (Watch Master, Watch Captain or Mission Tactics) are not taken into account. It also assumes the unit did not move, in order to gain the benefit of Bolter Discipline.

In the section for Hellfire bolts, the first number is for vehicles, while the second number is for monsters.

EDIT- This information only applies at long range and not at rapid fire range, where Bolter Discipline has no effect. I did not feel the need to spell this out, but a lot of people have been commenting to point this out in other groups that SIA is better at rapid fire range. I didn't feel this was necessary to specifically point out as I thought it was an obvious conclusion, but do so now just in case there was any confusion. 

Deathwatch Veterans

The examples below assumes 5 Deathwatch Veterans armed with Bolters. 

As can be seen from the table, the Bolter Discipline is better or equal to Vengeance Bolts in almost all situations. Only for models that are T5 or above (and not vehicles) are the Hellfire shells a better option. Once you factor in re-rolls, the Bolter Discipline is superior, simply due to a higher number of shots, so more chance of getting to use re-rolls. 

40k Video Battle Report- Deathwatch vs Tau

Today I have another video battle report for you. This warhammer 40k battle report sees my Deathwatch army take on Mike's Farsight Enclaves Tau army. This was a blast of a game, very strategic and tactical. Remember to like and subscribe to the channel if you enjoy the games to keep up to date on all the latest reports. 

Battle Report 178- Genestealer Cults vs Sisters of Battle

This week's battle report sees my Genestealer Cults take to the field once more to take on Angus' Sisters of Battle and Astra Militarum force. This was a 1750 pts battle, as Angus wanted to practice for Vanquish, a tournament held in Bristol last weekend. 

We randomly rolled for each mission. For the Eternal War mission, we got Vital Intelligence. In this mission, there are 5 objectives. At the start of each battle round, roll a D6. The corresponding number is the active objective (on a 6, all objectives are active). At the end of each battle round, players scored a point for each objective held, getting 2 points for the active objective. In this game, I think we forgot about only having 5 objectives, so scored for objective 6 as well. We also varied the objective placement, different from the places specified in the scenario. 

The maelstrom mission was Disruptive Signals. In this mission, you draw up to four cards per turn. This mission features the Signal Intercept stratagem. For 1CP, you can select a card in your opponent's hand and they cannot score it for that turn. We were also using Dawn of War deployment. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion (Rusted Claw)

Patriarch- Monstrous Rending Claws, Warlord, The Crouchling, Shadow Stalker, Might From Beyond, Mental Onslaught, Mass Hypnosis

Primus- Alien Majesty

Magus- Familiar, Mass Hypnosis, Psionic Blast, Biomorph Adaptation

20 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Heavy Rock Drills

10 Acolyte Hybrids- 2 Heavy Rock Cutters, 2 Heavy Rock Saws

10 Acolyte Hybrids- 4 Demolition Charges

Clamavus

Nexos

Battalion (Rusted Claw)

Primus

Magus- Mental Onslaught, Might From Beyond

10 Neophyte Hybrids- 2 Mining Lasers, Autoguns

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Heavy Stubber, Grenade Launcher

10 Neophyte Hybrids- Shotguns, 2 Flamers

Goliath Truck- Twin Autocannon, Heavy Stubber

Heavy Weapons Team- Mortars

Vanguard Detachment (Rusted Claw)

Jackal Alphus- Sniper Rifle

8 Genestealers

5 Aberrants- Power Hammers

Clamavus

Nexos

Sanctus- Sniper Rifle, A Gift From Beyond

For my Cult Creed, I tried Rusted Claw for the first time. This gives my infantry +1 save against AP0 and AP-1 weapons. This gives me a 4+ armour save against Bolters and against most infantry in combat. 

I decided to mix up the army now that I have the new characters to add to the army. I went with double Battalion and Vanguard detachment to give me 14 CP to start with. I took the Broodcoven stratagem to give my three characters warlord traits. The Patriarch took -1 to hit, the Primus took the +3" to aura abilities and the Magus took +1 strength and attacks. I also took an extra Relic, taking the sniper rifle relic on the Sanctus and the Crouchling on the Patriarch. 

The new characters were the two Clamavus, the Nexos, Jackal Alphus and Sanctus. These should hopefully provide some nice buffs and abilities to the army. I decided to take a big unit of Aberrants to take on any vehicle threats in the enemy army, along with trying out a big unit of Acolyte Hybrids. 

Hobby Update 08/05/19- Genestealer Cult Reinforcements

Today, I have a few models that needed finishing off, namely some Neophyte Hybrids, Acolyte Hybrids and Familiars. 

I had painted up the Neophyte and Acolyte Hybrids a while back, getting up to the first highlight stage with the models before stopping. While painting up the new characters, it was a perfect time to finish off these models. 

The Neophytes are just armed with Autoguns and can be used to expand my squads I already have. 

Hobby Update 07/05/19- Genestealer Cults Sanctus

Another hobby update for today sees my completed Sanctus for my Genestealer Cults army. This model is a great Assassin for going after enemy characters, particularly Psykers. 

Again, this model features a pretty simple colour scheme. I decided to go with the blue overalls and a black camo cloak for the Sanctus. I figured that the bright orange overalls would look a bit out of place on a model that was meant to be stealthy.