BlogWars Game 1

So, BlogWars game 1, and I'm on table 1!  OK, the table draw was random, but still, table 1.

The mission and deployment selection was random, and round 1 saw us playing Capture and Control with Spearhead deployment.  My opponent was Rich (Mighty Simo - Cupboard of Nurgle) who had a Kharn the Betrayer Khorn Bezerker list.  
His list was:

Kharn

Daemon Prince with Wings, Mark of Slaanesh and Lash

5 Terminators with chainfist, power-fist, 2 combi-meltas and a Reaper Autocannon

7 Bezerkers with a Skull Champion with power-fist in a Rhino

7 Bezerkers with a Skull Champion with power-fist in a Rhino

6 Plague Marines with 2 plasma guns with a Plague Champion with power-fist and icon

2 Obliterators

2 Obliterators

Defiler with close-combat weapon

My list can be found here.


Summary

The short of it is that I managed to snatch the win at the end (it'd have been a draw if it ended on turn 5) in part due to Rich having some rotten dice rolls.  His Daemon Prince managed to kill itself with a Perils roll, and 3 terminators couldn't finish off 2 Grey Hunters.  Logan faced up to Kharn and won, but then died horribly to another squad of Bezerkers.  Rich was a great opponent and his army really looked good. 

The Game...

Rich won the roll-off for sides and deployment and chose to go first.  You can see the deployment and two objectives (standing stones, a last minute creation as I realised I needed them), his was in the top-left corner (my pov), and mine was bottom centre of the board in front of the two Rhino's in the image.  Rich reserved the Plague Marines for late game objective grabbing.  My LFs were behind ruined wall in the bottom-right, the rest of the force split either side of the large central terrain piece.

I didn't steal the initiative.

Turn 1

Rich moved most things forward trying to get across the board as quickly as possible.  The Defiler fired but the shot scattered off into the distance.  His Oblits were able to immobilise my Rhino that didn't have a Rune Priest in it.

In my turn, I started to bring my Land Raider across the board to deal with the two squads of Bezerkers.  The Rhino's with RPs in them move outwards to pincer his forces.  I had just about the luckiest turn of shooting you could imagine and one epic fail.  The Rune Priest on the right tried to Jaws the Defiler, but after successfully casting it I realised that the Defiler being a Walker was immune so it was a wasted effort, the RP on the left did take out Kharn's Rhino with Living Lightning.  The Long Fangs then proceeded to take 3 wounds off the Daemon Prince despite him being in cover, and blow up the Defiler with three 6s in a row.  Poor Rich just couldn't roll those cover saves.

Turn 2

Kharn and company piled down the left hand side of the board aiming for my objective, while the Daemon Prince jumped through the ruins to get to my Long Fangs.  Shooting from the Oblits stunned the remaining mobile Rhino on the left, but otherwise there wasn't much else.

There wasn't too much movement I could do, but jumped the RP out of the stunned Rhino so he could use a power, and brought the Land Raider around the Ruins and disembarked Logan and company in front of Kharn (see pic).  My shooting this turn was the exact opposite of last turn, neither RP did anything, and despite firing 5 missiles at the Daemon Price, the Long Fangs couldn't get that final wound from it - they were in a lot of trouble.  Logan and company charged the Bezerkers but Rich had been careful and Logan couldn't make contact with Kharn.  It was bloody with a whole lot of dice being rolled, but as you can see from the images below, despite a couple of Wolf Guard dying, Logan came through intact.  Kharn sadly actually died to Fearless wounds, pretty ignominious for him.

Turn 3

The Chaos terminators arrived and landed right next to my RP and Rhino at the bottom of the board.  The Bezerkers jumped out of their Rhino and got ready to punch Logan in the face.  The Daemon Prince jumped next to the Long Fangs - yep, in trouble.  Shooting was pretty good for Rich.  My RP at the bottom died to Oblit fire, and my other RPs Rhino got stunned.  The termies blew up the last Rhino lining up the charge nicely.  In combat, the DP killed a few Long Fangs but not all of them so was locked in combat.  The Bezerkers killed off Logan and all but the chainfist wielding Wolf Guard, and the termies killed a lot of my Grey Hunters, but in return they killed 3 of the terminators and held on.

In my turn the DP finished off the LFs, the Wolf Guard finished off the Berzerker and headed towards Rich's objective, and a couple more GHs died to the terminators and another terminator died.  There was now only the power-fist toting WG and the Wulfen left from my squad, and a power-fist and a power-weapon toting terminator.

Turns 4, 5, 6 (pictured) and 7

I'll summarise these as there weren't that much left on the board by this point, as you can imagine, Khorn vs Wolves had been suitably brutal.  The Daemon Prince, in an absolutely rotten piece of luck, jumped towards my objective, tried to lash my GHs and died to perils!

In the combat at the bottom of the board, the wulfen took out one of the terminators before dying to a power-fist, and in a bit of a shocker, Rich just couldn't finish off the WG who eventually managed to kill the terminator.

Turn 5 I tried to tank shock with my Rhino to either shift the Plague Marines off the objective, but at least contest it but I was about 1/2" short.  If the game ended here it would be a draw.  Thankfully it went all the way to turn 7.

I got the GH out of the top Rhino, charged one squad of Oblits, managed to wipe them out and consolidate closer to the objective.  Turn 6 I could get the Rhino into contesting position of Rich's objective, and on turn 7 the GH made it across the board to the Plague Marines firmly contesting the objective for the win.

Conclusion

So it was a win in game 1, on table 1, just about the best start I could ask for for my first ever tournament.  Games 2 and 3 coming up soon, and an army showcase from the painting judging.

Cheers - Andy