Brent Vs Evil Homer, Game II

If I have a nemesis, it's Evil Homer.  Regardless of the armies used - in this case, it was my Daemons Vs his Imperial Guard - it always seems like it's Brent Vs Evil Homer.  That's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is.

I think we are the two who want to win the most.  That's what it comes down to: in a store full of past big-event winners, we're the two who currently are pushing hard to win.  Personally, I know it's made me a much better player.

This was the army I was least looking forward to playing - not the GAME, mind you, 'cause that was Game III.  I didn't fancy my chances of ripping apart vehicles in close combat, so I had to hope my shooting was up to snuff.

He deploys...

...and takes his first turn.  He's leaving me a spot in his backfield, but it's a trap.  If I drop there's the chance of serious mishaps.  Also, he'll simply turn his army and pound the snot out of me.

So I take the bait and drop in his backfield.  Why?  It was still by far the best place to drop.  The above pictures don't show my Flamers and Herald, but they're to the left, lining up on the rear armor of the vehicles.  Two of my DP's scattered to the terrain piece (you can see them if you look - they're hiding), but I did delay a third through a roll on the mishap table.  Still, it was worth it.  I had a round of shooting at Homer's army.  And this is where he realized he made his one mistake.

He'd forgot to drop smoke.  It was his one mistake - you can ask yourself whether some of his moves were correct, but that's not the same as an out-and-out mistake - but boy, it was a big one.  Then we took 30 seconds to bitch each other out over dice rolling.  (Feel free to skip the next three paragraphs.)

Yup, we did.  He got pissy, I got pissy, so we scratched and pulled hair, verbally speaking.  Here's what happened.  Everyone has different ways of rolling dice.  Evil Homer, The Master Manipulator (every store needs one), and Little Barrera all roll on the table then pick up and reroll ANY dice that lands in ANY terrain piece - doesn't matter what it is.  I keep a dice that lands anywhere, as long as it's flat; if it's even a bit cocked, I reroll it.  Most of the time, terrain is lightly flocked and the dice is flat flat flat, so I see little point in taking the time to pick up and reroll a dice, but I've learned that's a habit that annoys Homer.  Why?  Because my opinion about what's flat and his may be different.  I don't think this has ever come up before, simply 'cause we are both consistent in our methods - nobody is doing it to gain an advantage, they're doing it because it's what they believe is the right way - and both of us are so above-board-not-cheaters it's just not been an issue.

But it was that day.  You see, the tables were really springy, so dice were rolling all over the place.  Then I dropped a dice - literally, was rolling three but dropped one - and snatched it up with a "Whoops, that's not my roll!"  It hadn't stopped moving, but Homer thought it had.  It pissed him off and he called me on it.  I was pissed at the insinuation and told him not to take his anger at forgetting the smoke launchers out on me and my dice rolling.  Blah blah blah, I know, but these things happen sometimes at events.  30 seconds later Evil Homer extends the olive branch and I take it, agreeing to keep my rolls in the dice box only.

I've given it some thought since then and don't think I'll change my rolling habits, in general.  There's nothing wrong with my way, since I do the important stuff religiously, like picking up misses instead of hits and giving my opponent time to review the dice - that kind of thing.  In Tournaments though, you have to be willing to give in some, and Homer had a legit issue.  Regarding our tone, hell, we're guys.  Sometimes you need to clear the air.  When it's done, it's done.

On my left flank, on Homer's side of the board, the Herald and Flamers dropped in the open while the Fiends diverted to one side.  My opening fire, on this flank, immobilized and shook the command tank (in gray, above) and shook the other Chimera.  (On the other side, the DP's destroyed a Manticore, among other things.)  Evil Homer turned his guns on me, including his Vendettas and remaining Manticore.  Worried, I think, about missing out on the firepower of the Chimeras and embarked squads, he decided to unload his command squad with Plasma Guns to help out against the Fiends. 

Ultimately, he didn't have enough.  My flamers and Fiends survived the top of Turn Two's firepower, and on my turn, the bottom of Two, the Fiends charged the closer Vendetta and pulled it down.  The command squad was shredded by concentrated fire from the Flamers.  At the top of Turn Three, Homer used the last weapon on his immobilized, turretless command Chimera - the Heavy Flamer - on the Fiends, reducing that squad to one, wounded beastie.  Good thing I had another unit dropping!

On the right flank, one Daemon Prince was brought down in Turn Two by Homer's concentrated fire, but the other managed to limp through the ruins and open up a Chimera.  The troops piled out of the wreckage and started firing.  Also on that flank, my Plaguebearers started appearing from the Warp, shambling toward the objectives.

Here's a middlegame shot.  My last unit of Fiends and my delayed Prince join the fight.  With Fiends, it's important to use their movement wisely.  There is little reason to drop close - they have plenty of speed to close the distances quickly.  The last DP would have perhaps appreciated a closer drop, but I aimed for a large, open area, reasoning I had enough initiative going to avoid a chancy deep strike.  On the right flank, in the upper corner, my Daemon Prince, with one remaining wound, circles the Veterans rather than charging them: the Manticore is the important target.  The Bolt misses.  The Manticore had moved forward, unloading a Heavy Flamer on the 'bearers in the ruins but primarily putting room between it and the Prince chasing it.

Homer turns his remaining Vendetta on the full-strength Daemon Prince.  The Vets in the center pour out of the Chimera, which had broke and axle trying to drive into the ruins; the vets aim at the Flamers, but the shifting stuff of the Warp must have made the nauseous since they failed to bring the unit down.

Here it is a few turns later.  The tanks in red are destroyed.  The Plaguebearers have solid control of the objectives in green.  The Fiends have charged the middle, destroying first the Chimera hunkering on the center, then the juicy troops inside.  Ultimately, the Vendetta and remaining squad is destroyed, ending all chances for the Imperium.

So the Daemons were 2 of 2, defeating the army I was most worried about.  Homer was gracious in defeat, though it's not like we aren't used to it.  It seems inevitable that we end up playing each other in every tournament, and the last time was last year, where he knocked me out of the running.

Unfortunately, the ultimate spoiler won his game on Table 1, and it was announced we'd have to fight.  It would be Daemons Vs Daemons, Brent Vs Jon... and I'd never actually managed to beat this guy.

He's that good.  I've always joked he's like my Kryptonite, showing up at our major events and almost always winning.  I can think of at least 4 times over the past few years where we fought in Game 4 for the top spot - and he won every time.  Believe me when I tell you I'm considered a crafty veteran, so how does this shit keep happening?

(TO BE CONTINUED)