Why My Hard Boyz List Sucked...

(Send it to the Chop Shop!)

Okay, so the army I took to Hard Boyz sucked pretty hard.

I could probably end the post here and everyone would understand, but let's take a look at it and try to understand what went wrong. Other than the obvious that is: I shouldn't have changed my list the day before, regardless of the good reasons I had. Anyway, here's the list...

2500 Pts - Chaos Marines Roster - Hard Boyz List 2009

1 Abaddon the Despoiler @ 275 Pts
Drach'nyen; Talon of Horus; Twin Linked Bolter; Fearless; Personal Icon; Mark of Chaos Ascendant

1 Chaos Lord @ 170 Pts
Blood Feeder; Bolt Pistol (x1); Fearless; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike; Mark of Khorne

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Khorne Berzerkers @ 171 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Fearless; Furious Charge; Personal Icon; Mark of Khorne
1 Skull Champion @ [61] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Fearless; Furious Charge; Mark of Khorne

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Bikers @ 248 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Twin Linked Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike; Chaos Glory
1 Biker Champion @ [73] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike

1 Land Raider @ 245 Pts
Twin Linked Heavy Bolter; Twin Linked Lascannon Sponson (x2); Dirge Caster; Dozer Blade; Extra Armor; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Havocs @ 185 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Lascannon (x1); Missile Launcher (x2); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Havocs @ 150 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x4); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Summoned Lesser Daemon @ 65 Pts
Close Combat Weapon; Fearless

Total Roster Cost: 2499

Let's break it down.

Abaddon and the Berserkers in the Land Raider = Good
Khorne Lord w Bloodfeeder on Bike with supporting Bike Squad = God Awful
Chosen w Lascannon popping out of a Rhino x3 = Good
5-man core units w PF and melta gun popping out of a Rhino x3 = Average
5 Daemons = Poor
Havoc squad with melta guns popping out of a Rhino = Good
Havoc squad w Lascannon and Missle Launchers popping out of a Rhino = Poor
The Rhino Spam theme = Good
Screwing up the Rhino Spam theme with some poor choices = Priceless

So, I had 8 Rhinos and a Land Raider, which in all 3 games were great. I wasn't sold on the idea of bare-bones tanks until I tried it, now I'm a convert. 35pts works if you use a lot of 'em. That part of the army worked, but there was a supplemental.

That is, the idea of KEEPING THE SQUAD IN THE RHINO and secondarily using the hatch to turn the Rhinos into pillboxes. All this was to the good, but you have to do it right.

So let's take a look at one example of poor execution, the Havoc squad with 3 heavy weapons. Two points here: 1) having 3 weapons encouraged me to disembark the squad, which is counter to the strategy, and 2) I didn't realize more than 1 weapon could fire from the top hatch.

How's that for stupid? I change my army and didn't actually know the rules that applied to the new force I was playing. You can see this mistake in the choices I made. Since I can have two weapons shoot from my cheapo pillboxes, why not give the Havocs two lascannons and stick them in a Rhino? This is better than having the Chosen in the same role with only one.

I could go on, but let's look at the true elephant in the room, the Khorne Lord with the Bloodfeeder and the Bike Squad he accompanies. This, my friends, is over 400 points of stupid. On paper... it's still stupid... but let's look at it the way I did. I have the models, but more importantly the Bloodfeeder can add 2d6 extra attacks! That gives me a close combat character to match Abaddon. Well, it doesn't, but that's actually what I was looking for, a close assault or counterattack option to balance Abaddon. Notice these two units are the only CC element in an army primarily designed to be a gunline, so I figure they have to be good. Truth be told, even discounting how the Lord won't fight if he rolls a 1 on either dice, the option just doesn't work. It's a power weapon, true, but it simply won't hit or wound enough for me to build a significant portion of my army around. He doesn't come close to being an Abbaddon.

Okay, those are the primary problems with the list. Even then, it did pretty well, with 1 win and 2 good losses; nobody rolled over me. How much better, then, would my performance be had I practice enough with the concept to tighten it up some, or (even better) played the army I was familiar with, the Eldar?

I think that's pretty obvious.

So my goal now, for the coming year of tournaments, is to apply a critical mind to what I'm doing, be it lists, changes, strategy, tactics... any and all aspects of what I'm doing.

Next post, I'm going to change up the list, see if I can make one along the same principles that's obviously better.

Take care - Brent

Bell vs YTTH V2.0; Commentary.

(Note: since writing this, I saw the apology JWolf sent Stelek. It doesn't surprise me that Jon did it; he seems like that kind of guy. Notice also that Jon doesn't make any distinctions about his post in the way others have for him, including me. Stelek said he thought it was appropriate for Jon to post this on Bell's frontpage, but I'm not sure I agree. The comment wasn't made there.)

http://www.yesthetruthhurts.com/2009/09/apology.html

Okay, Hard Boyz is done... well, except for the latest feud between Bell and YTTH.

"What?" you say. "Yes!" says I. Man, I had to pry my forehead off the table with a crowbar. I know there are some guys in Austin sorry they took the bait.

(Now, as I finish this post the deal is pretty much done, so I'm not trying to instigate anything further, but I do feel it's worth commenting on, given the direction I tend to take the blog.)

Yea, Stelek dropped a line and someone had to bite that sucker. Which is counter to what I know was the agreed-upon strategy when dealing with Stelek; that is, say nothing no matter what.

That's what the boys had to say at BOLSCON. I believe that was the right strategy: YTTH is a little fish; Bell is a big fish. The Fly Lords had zero to gain on allowing Stelek to get a rise out of them. Not that I believe Stelek was doing it deliberately, but the dude simply can't help what he is.

And there's the rub. It was PREDICTABLE. No sooner had Nick won Hard Boyz than I told all concerned that Stelek wouldn't be able to resist having a go at.... what? I really wasn't sure.

The tables were set up with similar amounts of terrain. The judges used scenarios right out of the book. I thought Stelek would bitch that any event that had Orks fighting it out on the top three tables must by definition suck; except all three Ork players lost.

So Stelek went after the army itself. There are two ways to feel about this. You're either thinking it's nitpicky to rip apart an obviously tough list or that it was useful to see how a tough list could be made better.

Understand, I'm in the second group. Nobody does list critique or building as well as Stelek, and it's what has propelled YTTH into the blogosphere so quickly. Again, words mean something: I'm saying that of the people that do it, he's the best. Sure, there are plenty of tough, smart players out there who can craft a list or a winning strategy, but Stelek is the one that DOES it. He also hasn't wavered in what he stated up front was his goal, so I have no reason to doubt his good intentions.

But he can be a horse's ass, no doubt. I think there is something in him that couldn't resist pulling the trigger. Again, it was predictable. His pseudo-intellectual arguments for why he did it are a good example of circular logic (and I say that very deliberately, not because Stelek is stupid, 'cause he ain't, but because it would have been more honest for him to say, "Man, those guys irritate the shit out of me," and then blast 'em). Think about it. Stelek doesn't like Bell masquerading as a strategy and tactics site but when one of their own wins a national tournament he's critical of how it was done. The biggest fallacy in Stelek's argument has always been his assertion that the average reader is incapable of filtering information for himself. I call bullshit on that.

It should be said that nothing Stelek posted in his 'Leaf-Blower' critique was that terrible, but it wasn't a stretch for him to realize his supporters would read into it.

I don't know - maybe I'm reading more into it than was intended, but there you go.

I actually believe Stelek is influencing the hobby in the way he wants, but this stuff takes time. I do think there is a large pool of readers who are resistant to evidence pointing at a need for them to change. I myself fall in this category. My next post will be called, "Why My Hard Boyz List Sucked," and try to analyze my failings as a tournament player. Hopefully I'll also illustrate what I need to do to improve.

Moving on. Mkerr told me the Fly Lords have been concerned about the increase of emphasis on competitive gaming as the primary way to play the game, and he said, and I quote here, "We've had a lot to do with that in the past. We're not blind to what our influence has been on events like Gladiator."

So what's my point there? Bell and YTTH are going to be on the opposite sides of numerous issues over the years. I actually think the Fly Lords are developing away from a mindset Stelek espouses.

...what?

...there's more?

Oh, yea - the big blow blow of the whole thing wasn't a comment aimed deliberately at all, but rather was a tasteless joke told on an Austin forum. The Flylords have been blamed, but it was actually someone else who wrote the line.

I won't bother looking it up - to paraphrase it was something like, "...if Stelek's wife the blowup doll can hold the jello." Obviously a reference to the miscarriage Stelek opened up about on his website.

Now I have to be really careful here. Since this is 'the' issue of the whole thing, I've decided to give my opinion, but I run the risk of giving offense where I'd rather not. So here goes.

It was a tasteless joke, but the internet has a dehumanizing effect on our behavior. It is difficult for people to behave online in the same manner they would IRL, for obvious reasons. Bottom line, you're not face to face with anyone when you're sitting in front of your computer screen typing away. This is such an obvious effect it's hardly worth the explanation, but there you go. So much of our social behavior is feedback mechanisms and pattern matching that online we tend to behave badly, almost as if we're alone and spitting out our thoughts in private.

Before you think I'm completely full of shit, I actually believe this stuff. Ever wondered why I don't use a nick, but rather post my real name, home town, and club all over my blog? Hell, there are pictures of me up here... I believe in accountability; it keeps me honest. Not that I mind nicknames, but I do think anonymous posting is pussy bullshit.

The joke sucked. Had someone directed that my way regarding Jenn, who had a miscarriage last year, I would have been hauled to jail for breaking someones jaw. Now, online is a different environment; I'd have been pissed, but it wouldn't have affected me the same way. The virtual world lacks that sort of immediacy.

My (longwinded) point is while it is important to monitor our behavior it is equally important to keep some perspective. The Flylords I have met are all really decent dudes; this is bringing more heat than merited. Also, I can't get why JWolf has been lumped in. What he said is a very valid point: anyone who works hard to make himself a public figure needs to be careful what doors they open onto their private life. That's not the same thing as telling the joke, or even agreeing with it.

Stelek has blown rage all over folks in numerous different forums - he can hardly cry foul at every low blow. What he can do, and did, is repost the material on his site and generate a huge amount of publicity. He's a smart dude; let's not feel too sorry for him. His actions are that of someone who knows exactly what he is doing.

So, like I said, I've run the risk of offending people. Wasn't my intention, but... well, you know my name and where I live. :)

Take care guys - Brent

An Open Letter re: Hard Boyz

(I wrote this on YTTH re: Darkwynn's Hard Boyz win.)

Okay folks, this is some bullshit.

The Flylords have every right to roll out the red carpet for one of their own winning a major US tournament. There is zero wrong with that; had someone here at YTTH done the same, you can bet they'd post it. None of this is 'crowing from the rooftops' or bragging, and you can't minimize this away: for right now, with the scene the way it is, Hard Boyz is THE competative tournament.

Now Stelek is planning a tournament next year that promises to, if all goes well, take that spot. I believe he can do that; I'm planning on attending. But that's then and this is now.

Getting to the tournament isn't easy, no matter how you cut it. Sure, the first round can be hit or miss, but by the time you play in Round Two you've got to wade through some nonsense. Placing is an accomplishment, and certainly luck is involved in doing it. Luck is also useful in winning the whole thing: who you play, choice of move, maximizing points, et cetra. Keep in mind, there was no special rules in this last round.

Each scenario was right out of the book. The scenery was spread evenly on every table. The judges deliberately didn't want anyone claiming they'd win Hard Boyz 'if only I didn't play in table 10...'.

I'm guessing some of you are thinking you'd have won if only you'd been there. And I call bullshit. It wasn't a soft event.

Now, all that notwithstanding, I've got no beef with Stelek taking a shot at the list - it's what he does. Frankly, I don't think anyone else does army creation better (and I had my nose rubbed in that last weekend, thank you very much), so it's always interesting to visit YTTH.

Just keep some perspective. The King has it right; congratulate the man before you have a go at him.

Anyway...

In Round Three the top table was IG v Ork, IG v Ork, and Ork v Eldar. I took a picture and frankly was thinking it would be funny to Stelek, figuring it would be hard for him to say Orks weren't competative after all. So then what happens? The Orks all lose.

I found that pretty interesting, considering that the best armies, with of course the few odd exceptions, made it to the top tables.

Anyway, enough of all that. As always, take care all - Brent

(And of course I put some pics up there to look at...)

An Opinion About GW Prize Support

Bruce said...

I can understand that this was a free tournament, but with the money that was spent with airfare, hotel, and food I would have liked to have walked away with something other than a small patch. Last year everyone got a figurine, and they gave away a ton of prizes. I wouldn't have cared if someone else got a prize, it would have been nice just to see some people win something. I did have a great time meeting gamers, and enjoyed getting stomped, but I would not have gone knowing that the prize support was going to be crap. I'm sorry I did forget that the two guys that had a table fall over destroying there armys got some compensation prizes. Next year if I am lucky enough to make it to the big dance, I won't even consider going.

So what do I think?

GW supports the Indy circuit, so it's willing to give away product as a loss-leader. I think someone dropped the ball on this one.

And some random pics...

Nick (Darkwynn), one of the Flylords from Austin, takes home first place.

A sighting of the infamous Blowfly... The Greenblowfly that is. That's my buddy Bruce on the right; they played in round three. I had fun predicting GBF's behavior based on his reputation from the internet, but truth be told Bruce said that he was pretty cool and he enjoyed the game. He said he had some strange habits, such as batch rolling and then randomizing the casualty, that Bruce didn't care for, but he thought that more a personal quirk than any sort of attempt to gain advantage.

Me and Bruce at Hard Boyz. Bruce ironed his patches to a hat, which he wore all weekend. On the plane, and I swear this happened, I heard a man tell his wife he thought Bruce must be an adult film star in... a subculture... of the genre. I'm still laughing about it.

There were mirrors all around the room, and some strange guy kept taking pictures of me. I took this 5 minutes before the table right next to me crashed to the ground, sending a Daemons and CSM army crashing to the ground, shattering the miniatures.

Hard Boyz is done!

I'm not going to post the name of the winner, since I know Bell is working something up and I don't want to scoop them.

Not that anyone actually reads this blog...

I did okay, winning one and losing two. I lost the first round to the guy on table one who played orks... he lost to the Hard Boyz winner...

Anyway, after losing Game One I didn't work too hard but rather enjoyed the day. I'm going to be posting the games here, of course.

So, did I make a mistake changing armies? Yes and no. My army worked well except for the Khorne lord and bike squad, which sucked hard. That element of my army didn't work at all and I would have known that had I had practice with my list. I think I would have probably done better with my Eldar, but I'm not sure it would have made a difference as far as placing.

Be ready to hear some bitching about prize support. As in, there wasn't any. Only the top three spots got anything.

Anyway, more tomorrow, including pictures.

Brent

Comments from Chicago

Okay, the image is here because I don't like to post without pictures. You have to get something out of coming here...

So, Bruce and I are here in Chicago. We visited the Battle Bunker this evening and all I can say is wow.

It's like the Mecca for game-geeks. Gonna get my fix on tomorrow during the event.

The terrain in the main room is incredible; we got in a quick few rounds on a really cool Ork-themed table, just I can try out my army. For the record, here it is.

2500 Pts - Chaos Marines Roster - Hard Boyz List 2009

1 Abaddon the Despoiler @ 275 Pts
Drach'nyen; Talon of Horus; Twin Linked Bolter; Fearless; Personal Icon; Mark of Chaos Ascendant

1 Chaos Lord @ 170 Pts
Blood Feeder; Bolt Pistol (x1); Fearless; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike; Mark of Khorne

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Chosen @ 160 Pts
Bolt Pistol (x5); Bolter (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Infiltrate; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Khorne Berzerkers @ 171 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Fearless; Furious Charge; Personal Icon; Mark of Khorne
1 Skull Champion @ [61] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Fearless; Furious Charge; Mark of Khorne

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

4 Chaos Space Marines @ 170 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x1); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Chaos Glory; Rhino
1 Aspiring Champion @ [55] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Bikers @ 248 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Twin Linked Bolter; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike; Chaos Glory
1 Biker Champion @ [73] Pts
Bolt Pistol; Power Fist; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bike

1 Land Raider @ 245 Pts
Twin Linked Heavy Bolter; Twin Linked Lascannon Sponson (x2); Dirge Caster; Dozer Blade; Extra Armor; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Havocs @ 185 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Lascannon (x1); Missile Launcher (x2); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Havocs @ 150 Pts
Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Bolter; Meltagun (x4); Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Rhino
1 Rhino @ [35] Pts
Twin Linked Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers

5 Summoned Lesser Daemon @ 65 Pts
Close Combat Weapon; Fearless

Total Roster Cost: 2499

So it's a pretty big change. The army hearkens to the days of 3rd edition, and the beginning of 4th, when 5-man units were king. The general idea is 'the tank-as-unit.' With the exception of the Havoc squads, the men are meant to stay in the Rhino, and I'm leaving it up to my opponent to force them out.

Obviously, I have two heavy duty combat characters, but at Hard Boyz you have to have the counter-punch. I just want to make sure mine is better than my opponents.

I really don't know how it will work; like I said in a previous post, it can give up a lot of KP's. I can't worry about that. It will be what it will be. The army is really Stelek inspired, though I don't think he's a fan of Havocs, but I added those simply because I wanted to spam the tank theme. I think I have to add the caveat that if the army does well he deserves some credit, but if it doesn't that's on me: it's inspired by his game theory, but I trust my instincts as well. I have to play it.

Now, I'm saying that I don't really know how it will work, but that doesn't mean that I don't think it won't work well. In fact, I'm pretty much betting it will work really well. We'll see what happens.

Take care all - Brent

PS Some well-known hobbyists and bloggers are in attendance. Darkwynn stopped by and said hi, Jon Shaffer is one of the judges at the event, and I understand two of the WC are here, including Green Blow Fly. GBF evidently has a reputation for nonsense; this according to scuttlebutt this evening. Now to be fair, this is complete hearsay: I don't personally have any experience, positive or negative, with the dude.

I'm just name-dropping. :)

Off To Chicago

I'm off to Chicago this morning for Hard Boyz Round III... wish me luck!

Of course I completely changed my army; nothing unusual for people who know me, but in this case I think I made the right decision.

You see, I just couldn't come up with an Eldar combination, with the units I had available, that I felt completely comfortable with. Had I another 100 bucks to invest, I'd have been okay, but with school starting and having to purchase a plane ticket I just didn't have the money to spend on it. I know of at least 2 Eldar armies that will be there, both of whom have better lists than mine (in the context of this tournament), Adam and Peachykeen. Adam's army has about ten Serpents and a ton of mobility while Peachy runs a dual council list.

If I'm going to this tournament, I wanted to to have a plan and an army to execute it, and for several reasons went back to the well with Chaos. I don't have time right now to write a longer post, but basically Abaddon is going to lead a MSU Rhino SPAM. The downside is it can potentially give up a ton of Kill Points, but it should make up for that in other ways.

Hopefully I won't lose all three games...

Take care - Brent

PS: Here's some pics from Galaxy Games, including a nice little Flesh Tearers army.

I saw this great pic on a site I ran across today:

http://thinkingoutsidetheboxof40k.blogspot.com/

Peachykeen will be in Chicago this weekend, having taken 1st in the previous round. He has a particularly potent double-Council list that is a great example of competition builds. I agreed with and appreciated his POV on tournament play: give it a read if you have time.

Here's my view on tournaments:

There is a difference between the type of list you'd take to your FLGS and what you'd take to a serious competition. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win, so bring your best and throw down. Honor is a much derided concept these days, but it deserves mention. I won't cheat or bend rules, I won't fuck over someone with softscores or vote-block a friend in, and this is my minimum expectation for my opponent. But it is MY responsibility to protect myself; I can't assume someone I've just met holds to the same morals I do. I won't let someone walk over me, regardless of if he has a smile on his face or not. There are plenty of players on the circuit who let their ego override their good behavior.

Which is not to say mistakes don't happen. I've played since Rogue Trader, like many of you out there. When you've seen that many editions its hard not to screw up the occasional rule. Call me on it, if I'm wrong I'll apologize. I'll call you on it if I think you've made a mistake. If I think you're deliberately cheating... that's a whole new set of standards.

I don't mind if the dude on the other end of the table isn't a nice guy or a lot of laughs. Of course I prefer to play someone chill with a sense of humor, but at the end of the day that's my standard, not his - who's to say he needs to like me? Nothing, period. Not everyone gets along. So while I try to get along with everyone and pride myself on being a good sport with a sense of humor, I won't try to force camaraderie that doesn't exist, but I do expect common courtesy. If someone is deliberately goading me, that's a problem that doesn't have anything to do with a game of toy soldiers.

Basically, I try to follow the Golden Rule, but with Brent's Corollary: 'Some People Are Just Chowderheads.' You know who I'm talking about; these are the people whose parents didn't beat them enough as children.

And to be PC I mean punish, not abuse. Stupid school teaching me standards...

By following this standard, I tend to really enjoy the events I attend. I want to win but I don't mind losing a fairly played game. At the end of the day, it is just a game, and I do this stuff because I enjoy it and it's great stress relief.

I hope to meet and play a lot of great players in Chicago this weekend! I haven't finalized a list yet - as I've said here, I've been really struggling trying to update my Hybrid style. I'll post on that later this week, I'm sure.

I also have three more games from BOLSCON to cover!

Take care all - Brent

Game 4, BOLSCON... Finally...

JAWABALLS!!

Heh.

I just get a kick out of saying that. I think I’m going to stalk him… he’s a big-sexy Yankee type, sans accent.

What’s that you say? I’m married and strictly hetero?

What’s that got to do with the price of tea in China on Thursday afternoons after a brisk rainstorm you didn’t need your slicker for?

Mancrushes are in this season: ask around. And I’m always on the cutting edge of fashion.

Get it – cutting edge?

Heh.

Okay, I’ll get on to actually writing about Game 4 of BOLSCON…

Game 4: Hybrid Eldar vs. Blood Angels

Chris has a lean and mean Blood Angels list whose fighting weight is actually 1750, so he added some units for this event. It really defies convention, fielding units and in numbers that are unexpected. For example, he uses only the free Death Company and he runs his marines in 5 or 6 man squads. (I’m writing this from memory, again not having access to the lists.) Chris has his own website and blog that are far more popular than my own, so I’ll let the reader (all 7 of you…) visit the Jawaballs blog for more details, but I’ll say that it reminds me of the Multiple Small Units builds in Warhammer Fantasy.

I’ve already said it was my favorite game of the weekend, but why?

I think primarily because it was a good match of personalities. I tend to match my opponent, unconsciously I think, so since Chris is such a laid back guy I was able to relax and just play the game.

As an aside, Game 6 was against the aggressive and energetic Joe Cherry, so we went after each other pretty good.

I like that Joe Cherry!

But I digress. This game also taught me a new way to play Warhammer 40K – it isn’t some secret, since Fritz, Jawa, Stelek, King, and others have referred to it on numerous occasions, but it is a paradigm shift, and one I had to see in action (and then test) in order to fully understand its use.

I mean, of course, the Full Reserve.

So, table quarters and I honestly cannot remember if I went first or second… how often can you say that? It’s because Chris reserved everything but a Tac squad in a Rhino, so the opening turns didn’t amount to much. I remember when he came on though. Notice this, my opening (those tanks of his are about to come on the board, but aren't on yet) and how I spread (my legs) out nicely (for him).

(Do I need the 'Adult Content' warning? Consider yourself warned, I like crass humor.)

This was a real surprise to me, and it shouldn't have been. It was the second of the major mistakes I made that weekend, and the one I walked into for no other reason than I was blissfully ignorant. On Table Quarter missions, reserves are available along the FULL length of the opposite table. I should have known this, I know I've seen it before, but frankly I play so many pitched battles - you know the type, 12inches on, the 'standard' - that I frankly wasn't prepared to see this. Chris told me this surprises a lot of people. Damn, I hate that I was one of them, because that's not a dodge-ball team you want on...

This is after his turn, and he managed to immobalize the two Wave Serpents, grounding the Fire Dragons.

The orange squad of Fire Dragons jumps out and wants to target a tank, but since my other shooting wasn't so effective, I turn by 9 Fusion guns on Dante instead. That's why his armor is gold, you know - 'cause I cleaned it all nice for him. Didn't do shit else, the lucky mug!

His reserve of Speeders drops behind my lines, looking to light up my Guardians holding the objective. This was a part of the army he added to bulk out to 2000 points. I actually could tell, since he wasn't as surgical with them as opposed to the other units. This won't hurt his feelings, me mentioning this - he knew it, I think.

We had a great fight in the upper right (from my perspective) board edge, mostly because I had to. It's where he came on in reserve and downed my Serpent, so I felt I had to engage him there to hold up his advance on my objective. It had its ups and downs, but I saw the wisdom of his MSU's... gave him some flexibility. The pictures don't really show it all, I'm afraid. Harlequins and the Avatar fought with the Furioso and Death Company in some epic duels. Good stuff. He kept Corbulo behind his units to offer support to all. I wouldn't of thought this was effective, but he wasn't easy to get to so it proved surprisingly so.

Jousting!

A wide-angle shot of... his crotch... damn. Ever notice that? Take pictures of the game table and someone's stuff is always there. Ah well, sorry mate - I'll edit the picture if it bugs you, but believe me nobody reads this stuff but me! Anyway, I'm outgunned here, but really I just wanted to keep as much tied up as possible, away from the objectives. I want to do the ol' Eldar Objective grab at the end. Of course, he knows that, Fritz being his buddy.

I really, really wanted to pay Dante back for making a mess of all my toys. You can see how Eldrad did... that's with Fortune! I think I killed Dante by the end of the game, but I could be mistaken. My Avatar was playing monster in the backfield.

So here's what it all comes down to! I've done what I can, practically cementing a tie! I just have to hold this objective... I shoot, but cover saves him, so I charge just to tie him up...

...and I lose combat, fail my Leadership, and he runs me down! Oh, the shame!

It was a great game - I had an absolute blast. I think I would have done much better had I known what to expect, but that's preparedness for you: he was and I wasn't! But I learn, my friends, I learn... You see, I understood the tactical reasons behind his deployment, and with speed on my side I can do it as good or better! Since BOLSCON, I've started reserving my entire army, every game, every mission. It's changed the way I play, and for that I thank you Jawa!

An Interlude Between Posts...

I'm sorry my blogs are so few and far between this month. I started my senior year, so I have an internship at the State Hospital on top of my school schedule. I'm really enjoying it, but it will be a bit before my life levels out enough to post on a more regular basis. Meanwhile, I got a comment from Nick... Check out his website, order a thing or two! It's great stuff, as I saw up close and personal from a butt-kicking!

http://chapterhousestudios.com/webshop/

nvillacci said...

Wow, Im Famous!

Glad to have finally seen your blog, believe it or not I looked for it the day after the con, but couldn't find it. Somehow my business partner in Sweden found it and PM'd it to me today.

Great game rundowns, and thanks for the compliments. I to was surprised to actually cast Null zone against Eldrad, the 3d6 psychic test usually gets me!

Hope to see you next year, and if your ever in Dallas, drop me a line.

Nick Villacci

September 9, 2009 5:00 PM

Brent said...

Good to hear from you!

You're not really famous though - nobody reads my blog. I've had a few pity-posts, but that's about it...

Good luck with your company - you've got a fantastic product and deserve all the best.

Brent

BOLSCON Games, Continued...

Okay, so I didn’t really know I’d be playing Salamanders when I went to lunch… I put that in my last post as dramatic license. I was feeling good about my previous two games, and looking around at all the set up armies I didn’t see anything I thought would prove a huge mismatch if I played them. I felt good about my army.

Boy, though, there were some armies that can give you army-envy! Beautiful conversions, cool models, unique lists – that kind of thing and more was all present. I was happy that my army was painted to a decent standard, but certainly I’m far from done with the paintbrushes. I’m planning lots of freehand details on the tanks and better detail work on the individual models. That said, I paint armies – that’s my focus. It’s more important to me to finish stuff and move on than it is to spend tons of time on one awe-inspiring creation. Not to say I don’t appreciate it, but it’s not for me.

So perhaps you can see from the pictures the basic idea for my paint scheme. I’m running an Altansar army, characterized by the Crimson red color. I then decided to avoid painting the Aspects in their standard schemes, instead choosing a black armor with Aspect-colored helmets to pick them out.

I was happy with this at first, but after looking over the pictures I decided the Aspect helmets weren’t working. The Fire Dragons have an orange squad and a yellow squad – add that to the Harlequins and the army is starting to bleed colors. I decided to simplify. I’m currently repainting my Fire Dragons with red helmets to match the Guardian-red army color. Black and red will be the primary army colors, so hopefully as I start the details it will unify the force more. The Harlequins I’m happy with, in their color-spray paint-scheme. I’m probably capable of painting all the diamonds and checks and stuff, but I don’t have the interest in doing it.

Man, I’m easily distracted… I haven’t even started on Game 3 yet. Maybe I’m avoiding it… God, I sucked it off bad…

(Yea, I went there…)

Game 3, Hybrid Eldar Vs Salamanders

Okay, Nick Villacci brought his beautifully painted Salamanders, complete with custom bits from his own start-up company, and won the coveted ‘Best Painted’ award for the event. (Somebody may have to correct me – was it ‘Best Army’ or ‘Best Painted’?) He also had a nice little list and a unit whose potential I’d never seen…

Vulkan
Terminator Librarian w Null Zone and Vortex
10 Sniper Scouts
3 10 Man Tac, 1 w Drop Pod
2 Ironclads w Drop Pods
Terminator Assault Squad
Land Raider Redeemer

I liked this list quite well. It’s potent but fluffy enough. I do think it could be maximized better, but that’s opinion more than huge holes in the list. My own list wasn’t my best, but rather a last-hurrah for my Avatar, so I’m not poking here, just observing.

That said, and with all due respect to Nick who knew what he was doing and was great fun to play, my army smacks this one around 9 times out of 10 – it’s what I created it to do! I play against Salamanders all the time and MEQ the rest, so what happened?

Well, I did! I didn’t give this army its due and deployed and played with total disregard for what it was capable of. This was the 1st of two major mistakes I made during this event, but the difference between this one and the other, which just so happens to be in the next game, is that I knew better on this one!



Let’s look at the game. It’s Dawn of War setup, so I place the Avatar and the Guardians on the midline, forcing the Salamanders back. This is my standard deployment in DOW, but normally I back off and play the edges, softening up the opposition some before committing to the fight. This time, with good beer in my belly and a Round 2 win against Salamanders (with Lysander no less!) in my favor, I push my entire army straight down his throat, playing uber-aggressively.
Well, on comes the Land Raider… I’d got too close. The LRR deposits its payload right in my face; meanwhile, Drop pods rain out of the sky, including a nicely placed Tac Squad in the center of the board, and I’m fighting for my life against the best elements of the list on his side of the table! Even then, I think I would have been okay… but Eldrad lost the psychic duel with the Librarian.



Two things happened. The Librarian was able to cast Null Zone despite the Runes of Warding and I was unable to cast Fortune, twice, because of his Psychic hood! It was the most complete failure Eldrad ever handed me. Null Zone… oh how bitter it is! I have to reroll successful Invulnerable Saves? I much prefer it my way with Fortune…



*sigh*

What more needs be said? I recouped where I could and starting picking away at the edges. I was losing on VP but doing okay on Kill Points, but at this point I needed the game to end early and it didn’t. Nick played his game and fully deserved the win.

Don’t get me wrong, even though I’m concentrating on my inferior play, I don’t want this to seem a slight to my opponent - like I said in the previous post, it's these details I feel best serve as instructional, thus the time. Nick was great fun to play, really courteous, and his army was so well-painted it was great just to sit across from it. I was really happy for him when he got called up for the prize on Sunday.

…

JAWABALLS!!!

Who doesn’t like saying that?

Game 4, Hybrid Eldar Vs The Shit



Chris Dubuque is better known by his net-handle Jawaballs, and I met his Blood Angels in Game 4, the last of the day on Saturday. This was my favorite game of the event by far, and that’s saying a lot considering some of the gents I met.

This game was the most fun and, equally important, it’s the game that will forever improve my play. As an aside, the pictures online don’t do justice to this army – it’s incredible. It was actually my choice for ‘Best Painted,’ and that’s saying something, since I really like Mike’s Tyranids (the army you’ve read so much about) and Nick’s Salamanders.

But as far as the actual game, I learned a ton in this one. It’s literally changed the way I play.

To Be Continued

BOLSCON Games, 1 and 2

Apologies all around; my comments re: BOLSCON are a bit late hitting the scene. That said, maybe that’s for the best. There has been a ton of comments made about the event, the armies, the attendance, the performance – anything and everything that can be commented upon. I’ve made a few, all in support of an event I enjoyed more than any I’ve previously attended.

No press is bad press, I suppose, but I was there and I’ll be as honest as possible regarding MY games and performance to be as useful as possible to the readers out there. I’m not going to be critical of my opponents; frankly, I’ve nothing to be critical about. I’m sure the ‘bad, good, great’ scale has made the rounds – I’ve seen comments on it – so you’ll understand what I mean when I say I scored all my opponents ‘great’ and meant it. Does that mean all the games were so great they deserve a ton of ink and all the opponents so masterful they’re every word should be dissected for tactical insight? ‘Course not, but this can’t be said of your not-so-humble author, either… What I mean is simply once one makes allowances for a TOURNAMENT setting, these games, my opponents, the scenarios, and the results were great.

And I really mean that. I think it’s important to remember that the dude you’re playing in a tournament is not the same guy you’d play at the FLGS. I’m not. I’m a pretty chill player, but I’m much more so in a casual game where the primary point is having fun. Let’s not be dense: the primary point of a tournament game is to win, not to have fun. The point of the event is fun, but the individual games are meant to be won. There’s nothing wrong with this! If that’s not why you’re playing the tournament, pick another event. From what I understand, the narrative games were a blast and the prize support was in fact more available per player than in the campaign tracks – nothing wrong with that.

Folks like Stelek maintain that the competition as it stands now in the tournament scene is lacking, and he makes it his goal to improve it. More power to him. Mkerr told me at the bar that Friday that he and the boys were concerned that power-gaming was a detriment to the hobby as a whole, so they wanted to improve the hobby side of things. More power to him, too!

Is that contradictory? I don’t think so. I enjoy all aspects of the hobby, but lately I have come to believe that there is no such thing as a ‘wrong list.’ In the old days, the local tournaments gave out points for composition, encouraging the fluffy builds. I don’t have a problem with this, but I’m glad those days are over. If an army can be built legally with a codex, let’s not waste time calling it cheese. Frankly, I’m glad those days are over. I still like experimenting with different builds, but if someone wants to play the toughest build they can tinker with, great!

Blah blah blah – enough with all that…

Game One, Hybrid Eldar vs Nurgle Demons

This was the first game of the event and I couldn’t have asked for a better opponent. Brian was a very chill guy playing in his first tournament. He had a nice Nurgle Demon (notice the Americanized spelling, ‘cause I ain’t in England no mor’ bitches) army with some great Soul Grinder models. I say I was lucky because it takes me a game just to get my head in the tournament – I’m a bit slow getting going, so I tend to do better late in the day.

(Note: this game back to bite me right after lunch… but I digress.)

Has anyone mentioned the goodie-bag? Awesome stuff!

We were playing over objectives and all terrain was dangerous. Either the secondary or tertiary objective required more units in terrain than your opponent… I sense another interlude – will I ever get this done?

Here’s my confession: I was late to understanding just how important the secondary and tertiary objectives were to the outcome of the event. I did not properly maximize my points and I should have memorized the scenarios – hell, played the scenarios – prior to the tournament. I was grossly unprepared. I’ll say right from the outset that I did well at BOLSCON, playing in the championship bracket and having chances for the money, but that I didn’t quite get their was entirely my own fault, being unprepared and inconsistent. I don’t say this out of anything stupid like ego or to diminish the guys who beat me - I don’t see things like that – I say it only as something to learn from to improve my performance in the future.

Such as at Chicago! I tell you 3 times; this event was great practice for Hard Boyz Round III, since I shook off the dust and made my rookie mistakes already (where I made them – see inconsistency!). I’m primed, I am.

Back to Game 1: We were fighting over objectives and I had mobility my opponent did not. I did the old Eldar swoop-n-contest at the end; the outcome was never really in doubt, though as stated above I didn’t maximize the points the way I should have. I’m trying to think what my opponent could have done differently, but it’s hard to. He could have been more aggressive with his troops, but I say that more as an option than that I believe it since I don’t think he could have caught me. It was a tough matchup for him, but I’m very grateful that he was such a decent guy, since it was the best possible way to start the tournament.

Game 2, Hybrid Eldar vs Superfriends Salamanders

As I write this, I don’t have access to my notes or the army lists… my hope is to edit this post and add those things in later. So forgive me that I don’t remember this gentleman’s name, but I certainly remember the game. This was the 1^st of the two best games I played all weekend in terms of actual high-level play, and it was certainly the more aggressive of the two games I’m referring to (Games 2 and 6). As an aside, again, I don’t mean that as a knock on the other games I played, I mean only that bad mistakes, outside factors, or tough matchups didn’t play a factor, just two armies played properly for the best chance at a win.

The internet and blogosphere have been hopping with talk about the pros and cons of the BOLSCON scenarios. I understand where some of the criticism is coming from – there is something to be said for letting two armies go at it without a bunch of restrictions determining the winner… I get it. Hell, I like that just fine, but what’s wrong with the other way? In my mind, contending with a variety of objectives and challenges is what makes a win worthwhile. Maybe I’m biased, but I really enjoyed the scenarios the Flylords used. I was told they play tested each many times over months and that certain scenarios tended to create certain types of games. I believe it. This scenario was aggressive. The primary objective was kill points, but you wouldn’t collect any unless you killed your opponent’s HQ choices! To encourage bravery, either the secondary or tertiary objective gave points if your HQ never embarked in a transport – things like that. My HQ was Eldrad and the Avatar, while my opponent played Lysander and Vulcan. See where this is going?

We both elected to go for the extra points. I won’t get too deep in game specifics, but we went after each other pretty good. I set up my foot troops in cover of the central building with my tanks flanking my position. He placed his mech in a line and drop-podded his Sternguard center forward, targeting the Avatar. I got a bit nervous, since even with the Avatar I failed some saves. Lysander was running alongside his Land Raider loaded with (what else) Assault Terminators when I spotted my best chance of killing him quick. I swooped in with my Wave Serpent and dropped my full-size Fire Dragon squad in range, then sprayed fusion gun fire all over Lysander. I whiffed hard and my opponent made his crucial saves. I was really disheartened, to say the least, as I’d left my squad swinging in the breeze. Sure enough, Lysander put paid to the Dragons next turn.

I’m ignoring the middle-board scrum. The Avatar and Harlequins assaulted the Sternguard from the drop pod, who I had first Doom’d then softened up in the shooting phase. I was pretty aware that the Sternguard were baiting the center of the table for the Assault Terminators, but sometimes it’s best just to trip the trap and fight it out. Sure enough, I was counter assaulted pretty hard, but it was my opponent’s turn for a round of poor luck. I won the combat, which wasn’t terribly surprising though it could have gone either way that first round, but the Terminators failed their LD test and I failed to lock them in combat (reasoning it was the best way to avoid Vindicator and Land Raider firepower). They end up running. I survived the return shots, then spent the rest of the game strategically placing something within 6 inches of the Termies each round to keep them running off the board – do you blame me? Those mothers are tough, tough, tough. Anyway, the Harlequins were free to pick off Lysander, with the help of Doom, and the Avatar started destroying things in the center of the table, starting with the Land Raider.

It was fairly downhill for my opponent after that. He came within a wound of killing the Avatar and never let up on Eldrad, going after him hard with his Land Speeders and Tactical Marines. I kept Eldrad in the mix, but kept feeding units in blocking maneuvers so he couldn’t get great shots on him. That, combined with Fortune, worked pretty well. I finally chased down Vulcan to complete the Primary Objective and actually score all those VP’s I’d been racking up. Kudos to my opponent; he’d said before the game that my army seemed designed to kill his (yup) but he ratcheted up the pressure and kept it on all game. I was proud of this win.

So when I noticed I’d be playing Salamanders next game, I was confident. I went to lunch and had a beer.

(You see what’s coming?)

To be continued.