Battlefield Birmingham 16 musings

So Battlefield Birmingham 16 is done and dusted and I thought I’d share my musings with, well me probably!

First up I have to say I love the event. It’s got solid armies with no easy games but good guys to play against. The level of dickery is low which is good because I’m at an age where I can’t be arsed to argue over a game of toy soldiers.

For this event I took my wolves which are decent but not top tier.

If I go 3-2 at an event with them then I consider that I’ve done well.

My list was:

Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [1,039pts]

+ HQ +

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack, Saga of the Beastslayer, Storm shield, The Wulfen Stone, Thunder hammer, Warlord

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer

+ Troops +

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

+ Elites +

Wulfen [273pts]
. 5x Wulfen: Thunder hammer & Stormshield . Wulfen Pack Leader: Frost claws

+ Dedicated Transport +

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [484pts]

+ HQ +

Njal Stormcaller in Runic Terminator Armour [153pts]: 1. Living Lightning, 2. Tempest's Wrath, 5. Storm Caller

Wolf Guard Battle Leader [109pts]: Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer

+ Troops +

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment (Imperium - Imperial Knights) [468pts]

Household Choice: Questor Mechanicus
House Krast

+ Lord of War +

Knight Crusader [468pts]: Heavy Stubber, Ironstorm Missile Pod, Thermal Cannon, Avenger Gatling Cannon w/ Heavy Flamer

Total: [1,991pts]

So how did it do?

Game 1 was vs a Custodes player who had a solid army, using the old forge world points and rules. In my favour was the fact he had no troops so couldn’t score on the mission and I could hide one unit so I’d always have more objectives at the end of the game. In the end I took a minor loss because I buggered up my charges on his tanks and then was on the back foot. My mistake for sloppy positioning but lesson learnt.

Game 2 was against Necrons with a bunch of stuff but based mainly around 3 doomsday arcs. This was a good example of what happens when you get charges right (positioning, pile in moves and fighting twice stratagems). I weathered some early firepower which made quite a dent but then on turn 3 I got THE charge off which killed 6 destroyers, 10 of the jet bike things, his warlord, his other character, a squad of troops and a spider walker thing. After that the game was mine and I took a  32-26 win.

Game 3 was vs a plague bearer army. He had 3 units of the damn things. Luckily he made a positioning mistake which let my wolf lord kill 2 daemon princes at the same time as combi charges from pretty much my entire army (shout out to controlled aggression strat for the knight!) took out 2 of his units of plague bearers. The Knight was the MVP here after taking out his castellan equivalent with help from the headsmans mark. In the end he crumbled and I took a 40-16 win. I’m not sure he appreciated just how many attacks claws get on the charge and when they’re supported by the characters they’re pretty solid at taking down lightly armoured stuff even with negatives to hit.

Game 4 was against an Ultramarine gun line using the new codex. They are nasty and Calgar really helps them dish out damage. I passed some saves at crucial times but personally a few things stood out to me:

1. He moved towards me to get better los which was a big mistake. It meant I was on him a turn sooner than I otherwise would have been. I’m not sure he appreciated how fast the rhino rush wolves are when you factor in all the bonus movement in the assault phase. He lost a lot of stuff in one turn and didn’t really have much left to counter that afterwards.

2. It takes precision to play a gunline and he got a bit flustered, target priority was a bit off and his moves backed him into a corner which let me pin him in a small part of the board so I could score objectives.

3. Most important it kind of highlighted what my coach says in that armies like that will always have a weakness. Mine does too and I’ll waffle about that in a separate blog post. It did highlight I’m right to change armies if I want to look for a reliable 4-1 or better result at events with some degree of consistency.

Anyway, I was able to take a 37-12 win from the game which gave me my 3 wins for the weekend!

Which was just as well because game 5 was vs Orks.

I’ve never played Orks really in this edition so whilst I knew a little about them from reading the web and watching some battle reports I didn’t truly appreciate what they can do. And for me, they are the perfect counter to my list (see point 3 above).

I can blame being tired, I can blame a lack of knowledge of opponents army and I can blame switching off a bit after having got my 3 wins for the event but whichever way I cut it, I took a beating, losing 32-18 in the end.

I could probably have done better, especially if I appreciated just how fast the characters on bikes (apologies to my knight! 😂) and played the mission a bit better but honestly I’m not sure I could beat that army with mine. It just doesn’t have the tools to do it. Or maybe I should say, at the moment I can’t see how it has the tools to deal with it.

Anyway, overall I went 3-2 and came 35th out of 98 which with wolves isn’t too bad.

I also won best in faction, besting the other wolf player in attendance (call me the great wolf?) and got nominated for best painted despite not really having finished my army.

Great weekend overall and now I’m looking ahead to the team event at Warhammer World in October...

Danh Bokor - Voodoo Dolls Rogue (Witch) Doc

The Sump Swamp of Stranglevine Creek is a dank and dangerous place. Grapple Weed, Barbed Venomgorse and Shardwrack Spines thrive in the swamp's fetid environment, deterring all but the most fool hardy or desperate. Even the most experienced of locals occasionally fall prey to the sump-snakes, sludge-jellies and the myriad other fauna of Stranglevine Creek. Those who venture deeper into the sump swamp face the greatest risk of all, the Voodoo Dolls of House Escher.

Despite this, one man moves freely throughout the region, impervious to the dangers that Stranglevine Creek holds....Danh Bokor.  

Rockridge News! Calm descends upon Rockridge

The Rockridge Herald

Rumours abound as off-worlder seeks audience with Voodoo Dolls Leader

Rumours about an enigmatic off-worlder being escorted by the Voodoo Dolls through the Tunnels of Payne's Labyrinth were circulating last cycle. Witnesses claim that the mystery figure had an otherworldly air about him and spoke with a distinct accent. "Whoever he was, he gave me the creeps, had eyes that seemed to bore right into ya." Declared one witness from a local drinking hole.
"He tipped real good, so he ain't all bad!" Stated the owner of said drinking hole.
A spokesman for the Guild of Coin refutes the claim that the Dolls are negotiating an off-world trade deal, adding that "They'd be in serious trouble if they didn't run it by us first!"
The local Enforcers confirmed that there was no new investigation involving the Voodoo Dolls although they asked the Herald to convey that there is still a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of any gang members.
Further rumours claim that he was an agent of the Magos Biologus researching the flora and fauna in the Underhive. Witnesses report that he had an 'unnatural way' with the local wildlife, with one witness describing him as "all freaky like....as spooky as a Ratskin Shaman on Shrooms!"

Whatever the truth is, he picked the wrong district to meet up with the Voodoo Dolls. The Kindred had chosen that time to make a move for the rights to Payne's Labyrinth.



Continued on Page 2.....

Rockridge News! Cycle of violence sweeps through the Underhive.

The Rockridge Herald

Clean-up Crew mess up rescue attempt.

The Clean-up Crew discovered the whereabouts of their missing champion Dexter. The Goliaths launched a bold strike on the Marionettes in the newly discovered district of Dustmere. As the Clean-up Crew closed in on the Marionettes, Dexter seized his chance amidst the turmoil and broke free from his bonds.

Pausing only to retrieve his weapons, Dexter charged into the Marionettes champion and quickly took him out of action.

The Goliath's victory was short lived however, as the Puppet Master plunged his Shock Stave into the back of the Goliath champion's skull. The Clean-up Crew watched in horror as their champion's lifeless body plunged into the sump swamp below, leaving the Renegade Mech firmly in control of the collapsed dome of Dustmere.

Ambush at Guilder's Reach.
The Voodoo Dolls met with a stranger of dubious character in the Tech Bazaar of Guilder's Reach while under the watchful gaze of the Kindred of the Dawn Shadow.

As the mysterious stranger approached, the Kindred opened fire on them. Their contact made a swift exit leaving the beleaguered Escher to the attentions of mining syndicate.

As the Voodoo Dolls attempted to break out from their predicament, they were mercilessly gunned down....

......leaving the Escher gang with little choice but to flee Guilder's Reach and leave the Tech Bazaar in the firm control of the Kindred.

To add insult to injury, the Dolls' juve Cinders had to receive treatment from the Kindred's doctor. The young juve was said to be recovering well but the Escher gang's reputation was severely undermined.

Continued on page 2.....

Breaking Herald News! Perpetual Campaign Medic.

The Rockridge Herald

Miners dig deep to help Rockridge.

A spokesman for the mining syndicate of Grubbers' Heights has asked the Herald to issue the following statement:

"The Kindred of the Dawn Shadow would like to share their recent good fortune by offering free health care to all inhabitants of Rockridge. At the beginning of each night cycle the Miner's Chirurgeon will open his doors to those in dire need of medical care. The Kindred believe that health and prosperity should be available to all and hope that this service will go some small way to helping the inhabitants of Rockridge achieve that."

The Herald applauds the Kindred of the Dawn Shadow and thanks them for this philanthropic gesture.

Necromunda Terrain Tile 9 - The Mine Shaft

Greetings sinners!
I've been busy working on our terrain just lately. Most of it has been free standing pieces ranging from coolant towers to walkways and scatter terrain. I finally got around to finishing off the old mine works that I started 18 months ago.

Herald News - A Cycle of Prejudice

The Rockridge Herald

A cycle of intolerance sweeps through Rockridge.

A dispute between the Marionettes and the Kindred of the Dawn Shadow erupted last cycle in the recently unearthed region of Greyspore Choke.

Witnesses report that the Kindred were in the process of erecting a temple to the Four Armed Emperor and the Marionettes took this as a slight to their Omnissiah. 

The Mechnicum Explorators had already completed an extensive survey of the Choke's needle ways and made great use of them during their attack.

Despite the Kindred stepping up security measures during construction....

.....the Marionettes moved into position with relative ease

The sentries were quickly neutralised by the Puppet Master with his Rad-Cannon.

While the remainder were quickly dispatched by the rest of the Marionettes gang. 

Allowing them to tear down the effigy and giving them control of Greyspore Choke and its Needle Ways.

Continued on page 2....