Weekday Warrior Session Twenty Two

Date : March 28, 2007
Venue : Same ol' Jobsite Conference Room somewhere in Makati
Attendees : Romy, Obi, Kim, Arvin, Patrick, Chris
Grub : Other than KKB, it was KFC and Wendys for a few. Plus some chicharon for the cardiacally adventurous! (hehe... thanks Kim)
Cox Consumption : 1.5L + Cox that came with the value meals +P
Games of Choice : Warhammer 40k, WFB, WOWCCG

Highlights :

Obi first to arrive. Time for my Emperor's Children to come out of the box after a long while. Plus a chance for some newly painted daemonettes to stretch their legs. >:)

Warhammer 40k Games Results:

Game 1 - Obi (Space Marines) vs. Romy (Emperors Children)
2000pts Secure and Control Alpha (2 Objective Markers)
Result - Romy concedes at the bottom of 5th turn, with Obi having two scoring units on one objective marker against Romy's non-scoring daemon prince left on the table.

The space marines might have won this one, but at least it's comforting to know there's one Chapter out there that has two vacancies for the Chaplain position. >:)

Pat Palma and Chris in da haus! Their first time to visit the Sessions, they get a proper welcome by playing a little WFB, Weekday Warrior style.

WFB Games Results:

Game 1 - Kim (Khorne Daemonic Legion) vs. Pat (Skaven)
1250pts Standard Pitched Battle
Result - Pat Palma concedes on the 5th turn.

Pat Palma and Chris also got a quick introduction to WOWCCG. Arvin, who lent his decks to some blokes in LB, tried out my quickly constructed Paladin gay-ness and pitted it against Obi da Gorebelly to prove that its the card player and not the cards... >:)

WOWCCG Results:

Arvin(Graccus) vs. Obi(Gorebelly) : 2-1
Kim(Kayleitha) vs. Obi(Gorebelly) : 2-1
Kim(Kayleitha) vs. Romy(Ta'zo) : 1-0 [Kainis, muntik-muntik na si Kylie sa akin!!! Damn that Gouge. Grrr! +P]

Pat(Ta'zo) vs. Romy(Elendril) : 0-1 [Demo Game]
Pat(Elendril) vs. Romy(Ta'zo) : 0-1 [Demo Game]

As usual, Jacob's conveniently absent. Lamang na lamang na si Obi sa smacktalk! A comedy of lapses by the boyz as well. Kim forgetting the asscan arm, Arvin forgetting to bring an RHGC shirt for Alex, Romy forgetting to take pictures(argh!), and Jacob and Mike forgetting to show up... +P

Next time looks like we have enough players to try out poker or heck, maybe even badminton sometime... Lolz.

Session ends 12 midnight.

Weekday Warrior Session Twenty One

What : Weekday Warrior Session 21
Date : March 21, 2007
Venue : BataIsip21's Jobsite Conference Room somewhere in Makati
Attendees : Romy, Obi, Ian-shink1m, Ian-Sigis, Arvin, Marlo, Ian-Beefcake, with special appearance by Alex and the Geloman +P.
Grub : Pizza c/o Sigis! Yummy...
Cox Consumption : A whopping 3.5L (2x Cox 1.5L + Cox 500)
Games of Choice : Warhammer 40k, WOWCCG

Highlights :

Sigis in da haus! It's his first time to join in the WWS. And he bought pizza for the boyz too! Thanks lots man! Also, Beefcake arrived after a month-long absence. Kinda cool to realize all the Ians are here. Alex (aka shieldbreaker) was also in attendance though passing through only. ;)

Sigis brought his 96-man all-infantry list for a little 40k action, Weekday Warrior style.

40k Game Results:

Game 1 - Sigis (Black Templars) vs. Obi (Space Marines)
2000pts Take and Hold Alpha
Obi Wins - after assessment of the table after 3 super long turns (combined with pizza intermission and its no joke trying to move 96 marines across the table! ^_^)

Kim's Kayleitha on a rampage! Romy's Ta'zo got swept twice by Kylie and Gobi. And Marlo did not bring a deck?! Huh?

WOWCCG Games Results:

Obi(Gorebelly) vs. Kim(Kayleitha) : 0-2
Kim(Kayleitha) vs. Romy(Ta'zo) : 3-0
Obi(Gorebelly) vs. Romy(Ta'zo) : 3-0
Kim(Kayleitha) vs. Marlo(Grennan Stormspeaker) : 1-2
Obi(Gorebelly) vs. Romy(Elendril) : 1-0

With the timely arrival of Geloman (a little past 11:30pm) there wasn't much to do then but hang out for a few minutes before calling it a night.

Session ends 12mn.

Tactica Astartes: Status et Contendo (Part 1 - HQ)

Tactica Astartes: Status et Contendo
"Space Marines on a Static Shooting Army"
by: Interrogator-Chaplain Obidus the Punisher

To a Space Marine, the boltgun is far more than a weapon; it is an
instrument of Mankind’s divinity, the bringer of death to his foes, whose
howling blast is a prayer to the gods of battle.
- Psi-conduit 7717

There are three basic designs that Space Marines players could select from when creating an army list based on their preference or game style. I will be referring to them as the bashy config, the shooty army, and the hybrid list. The bashy configuration favors the assault phase and mostly composed of units geared to have advantages in close combat. The shooty army, on the other hand, capitalizes in the shooting phase where it focuses on amassing the amount of firepower it can throw against the enemy. The hybrid list is an amalgam of both ideas, maintaining a proportionate number of shooting and close-combat components.

For this strategy guide, I’ll be concentrating on the design of my preferred game style, the shooty army. It still can be further subdivided into two: the mobile shooty army and the static shooty army. However, since I personally haven’t got much experience fielding a mobile shooty army, my focus on this article will be more about the battlefield effectivity of every Space Marine units on a static shooty army.

A static shooty army depends a lot on having its shooting units deployed on a spot where several open lines of sight are available. Deployed that way, a long-range weapon could maximize its threat potential, give it several target options, and cover several areas at a time. Always be mindful on where to put these units because most likely they will be staying where they were deployed until the end of the game. When fielding your firepower, just remember that it should be positioned in such a way that it’ll be shooting at something valuable on most of your shooting phases OR lacking such spots, it should at least be able to maintain a threat on an open corridor that can be used to your army’s advantage along the game.

With these basic principles in mind, I will proceed on evaluating the roles of every Space Marine unit on a static shooty army and how should they function in battle.

The HQ Choices

A good commander does not need to take risks – he merely waits for his foe to do so.
- Tactica Imperium

Commander (Master and Captain)
The only reason to field a Commander in a static shooty army is to capitalize on his “Rites of Battle” special rule. With a Master’s considerably high Leadership of 10, the army’s shooting components would be extra difficult to pin or cause to fall back, things that would waste a turn of their much-needed shooting. If you’re really scrimping on points, say on a small pointage game, the Brother Captain is a cheaper alternative and his Leadership of 9 is still more appreciable than a regular Space Marine’s 8.



Battlefield Role:
A Commander does not have much option on packing a threatening ranged weapon. Even with his high Ballistic Skill (BS) of 5, it will be a waste of the Commander’s high Weapon Skill (WS), Attacks (A), and Initiative (I) if he’s only going to be tooled up for shooting any of the bolter variants available to him. Thus, the only function he can fulfill on a static shooty army is as a counter assault unit.

A Space Marines army can never outshoot all armies in Warhammer 40K and sometimes, it is better to take the battle to the enemy than to stay put and watch your entire strike force to be withered on a lopsided shootout. However, shooting units were never meant to engage in combat, much more to be mobile and waste its firepower. This is where counter assault units are required. On shooty armies, there should always be at least one or two units tooled up for combat. They can act twofold: 1) as barriers if an army of bashy config should threaten to overrun your firing lines AND/OR 2) as direct assault options to engage enemy units that are inferior in combat without utilizing your shooting units for that role. Usually, counter assault units should just lurk around your deployment zone, their purpose is to charge at the enemies before they could assault your shooting units and disrupt their chance to shoot on the following turns.

The most efficient weapons to arm a Commander for counter assault purpose are a power weapon and a bolt pistol. Never give a power fist to an Independent Character lest he could be picked out in combat before he strikes back. A power weapon makes better use of a Commander’s considerably high Initiative of 5, hitting first most of the time. A bolt pistol is a cheaper choice to provide an additional Attack for having two close combat weapons. You can ought to exchange it for a plasma pistol if you have the points to spare, but be mindful of the “Gets Hot” risk.

Since there is a need for counter assault units to be fast reactive to approaching threats, there are several options I could recommend to accomplish this: 1) take a Jump Pack, 2) give him a Rhino or a Razorback or 3) ride him in a Space Marine Bike. Of those, I favor more the use of a Jump Pack. Apparently, Jump Packs and Bikes are more outright in carrying your counter assault unit to where it should be. Rhinos and Razorbacks have limited maneuverability because of their models’ size. Commanders in Jump Packs and Bikes can operate alone (although I prefer it leading a squad of Assault Marines or Bikers) while before he can be given a transport vehicle, the rule would require a Commander to join a Command Squad first. While a Jump Pack is cheaper than a Space Marine Bike, the latter gives an extra Toughness (T) to the Commander and grants him the ability to Turbo Boost up to 24” – the fastest movement available to a Space Marine. So, choosing between a Jump Pack and a Bike is basically dependent on how much points you want to spend on your HQ choice.

On the other hand, the advantage of having a Commander in a Rhino or a Razorback is that you’ll immediately have a counter assault unit resilient enough for combat in the presence of the mandatory Command Squad. This will be further discussed on the Command Squad entry of this article. For now, it’s just for you to know that a Commander-led Command Squad is one of the good choices to fill up the counter assault role and that a Rhino or a Razorback should be taken to give this squad mobility. The Rhino can be utilized as a “shield wall” to block threats to your more valuable units while the Razorback can also be used for that purpose PLUS it gives you an extra heavy weapon to boot. Rhinos and Razorbacks will also be further discussed on their respective entries on this article.

Another option is to don a Commander in Terminator Armor but this is only effective as a counter assault unit if he is joining a squad of Terminators (see Terminator entry on this article). Doing otherwise is just putting too much points on an already expensive unit which will not be much effective on a counter assault role.

Author’s Analysis:
I’d rather not field a Commander. There are more cost-effective alternatives that can perform the counter assault role better. His only use in a static shooty army is for his “Rites of Battle” special rule and if ever I am to field him because of it, I’d stick with giving him the basic weapons – bolt pistol and chainsword – and don him with a Jump Pack so I could have him join an Assault Squad instead of being a footslogger and have a hard time chasing bashy units (which are often fast moving!). With it, I can make him at least useful and in the same time, maintain his only advantage over the other HQ choices sans his special rule – a cheap HQ.

*****

...next entry: Chaplain (Master of Sanctity and Reclusiarch)

Weekday Warrior

Basic Information:

Name : Romeo R. Estrella, Jr.
Nickname : Romy
Job : Construction Manager in a condominium project somewhere in Makati
Birthdate : July 2, 1970

Hobby Questions:

How did you know about this hobby?
I came across a Neutral Grounds store then in Robinsons Lagro. Saw the miniatures and started asking around. Further research on the net convinced me to buy my first blister.

How long have you been into miniature gaming?
Almost five years now.

What was your first purchase? Your latest?
First purchase was a blister of Dark Elf Shades. Other than bitz, the last purchase I ever bought for myself was a couple of Daemonette blisters.

What gaming systems do you play and what armies do you have?
I started out with Warhammer Fantasy Battles using Dark Elves. A couple of years later I started playing Warhammer 40k using Dark Eldar. Shortly after, I started playing the first Warmachine games with Kim and Emp using Protectorate of Menoth. Most of the Dark Elf and Dark Eldar models I particularly liked and luckily I had help in acquiring a second hand army (Dark Elves) from Ronald as well as the use of another guy's army (Dark Eldar). Currently I'm in the middle of completing an Emperor's Children army for 40k and eventually build a Dark Eldar force painted by myself. Menoth's a little slower to build since I'm not as active in getting the models I need, and I'm thinking of building an Empire army for WFB and maybe a super secret 40k army in the next million years. +P

Why pick these armies?
I'd say primarily because they were to me the coolest models in the lot, per gaming system.

They say, your choice of army reflects back to your personality. Is it true for you? What element of your armies' characteristics can be attributed to you?
Hehe... I hope not. Most of my armies are one of the most evil and ruthless in their respective game systems, fluff wise. I think I just want to say to myself that I can play an army according to its fluff, no matter how opposite it can be to my personality. Mabait akong kalaro, promise.

What particular miniature model are you currently working on?
I'm currently painting a squad of noise marines. Have a lot of stuff to paint before I can complete a fully painted Emperor's Children army. Ouch.

What's your favorite fig in your collection?
Probably my converted Highborn on foot for WFB. It's a simple conversion yet I'm happy with how it turned out, considering it was a first for me.



Any plans on starting a new army?
After Emperor's Children? Maybe I can resume my Dark Eldar project next. Empire for WFB looks nice. We'll see...

Any hobby-related tips you wanted to share with us?
Just one. TAKE YOUR TIME. Assemble and paint at your own pace.

Extras:

What other hobbies are you into aside from miniature gaming?
Recently I got into WOW CCG. It's a refreshing alternative to miniature gaming sometimes. I still get to play badminton at least twice a month, I play billiards whenever I can. Airsoft I hope to try at least once. Bahala na.

How do you manage your time doing all these stuffs?
Try to find time to indulge in my hobbies at least once a month. Saturdays I still get time to play as long as work permits. Billiards I play whether with friends or by myself at a local billiard hall. Still in search of that elusive break and runout. Sundays as much as possible I spend at home.



What are the odds of you being the first to introduce a girl into miniature gaming here in the Philippines?
That's a toughie. May prize ba? :D

Bonus Question:

Who do you think should win on the upcoming Presidential election?
Whoever he or she is, I have yet to meet. We'll see in the coming weeks.

Weekday Warrior Session Twenty

Date : March 14, 2007
Venue : Same jobsite conference room somewhere in Makati
Attendees : Kim, Romy, Justin, Obi da Gorebelly, Arvin, Marlo da Punisher, Little Johnny
Grub : Not much. Heck, we even forgot to turn on the aircon! Lolz.
Cox Consumption : 2.0L (Cox 500 + Cox 1.5L)
Games of Choice : Warhammer 40k, WOWCCG

Highlights :

Kim arrives first with 2000pts of Necrons! C'Tan and monolith madness sure to ensue! Looks like Necrons are out for blood...

Arvin arrives with Marlo and Little Johnny in tow! Looks like a lot of WOWCCG games will happen in the next couple of hours. Arvin and Marlo were able to help out in the tweaking of the player's respective decks. Leaner and meaner with some tips on card play as well as card management. As a result, Justin suddenly pulled a fourth round win against Johnny! Another Mad Cow in the making. Marlo and Obi went on a marathon match of 8 games only to end in a tie!

40k Games Results:

Game 1 : Kim (Necrons) vs. Romy (Emperor's Children)
2000pts Seek and Destroy Gamma
Massacre by Kim!

Game 2 : Kim (Necrons) vs. Obi (Dark Angels)
2000pts Secure and Control Omega
Kim Wins!

WOWCCG Games Results (order of play not confirmed):

Obi (Gorebelly) vs. Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 3-4
Johnny (Elendril) vs. Romy (Elendril) : 2-1
Johnny (Elendril) vs. Romy (Ta'zo) : 0-2
Johnny (Elendril) vs. Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 1-2
Marlo (Omedus the Punisher) vs. Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 2-0
Johnny (Elendril) vs. Obi (Gorebelly) : 1-1
Obi (Gorebelly) vs. Marlo (Omedus the Punisher) : 4-4
Kim (Kayleitha) vs. Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 1-2
Kim (Kayleitha) vs. Romy (Elendril) : 1-0

Session adjourned 1AM. Till the next session.

Weekday Warrior Session Nineteen

Date : March 8, 2007
Venue : In a jobsite conference room somewhere in Makati...
Attendees : Justin Deckmaster, Warrior Boy Obi, Arvin da Mad, Dizzy Lito, Fluffy, Kyuzo
Grub : Pagkain ni Obi! Mas masarap nga pag libre! Si Lito at si Fluffy amoy chico na nung dumating! Lolz.
Games Of Choice : WOWCCG

Highlights:

Only WOWCCG games today mostly because most of the people who came over were either late in coming or were not able to bring an army entirely. Tuloy pa rin ang ligaya!

Arvin and I helped Obi get started with a Gorebelly deck using our current card pools. Of course, Obi got properly "introduced" into WOWCCG courtesy of Arvin's "Mad Cow" deck in less than 6 turns! Lito got a pleasant surprise with his Corruption spell being transferred back to him courtesy of my Focal Sword. Now he wants one! Lolz.

Fluffy in da haus! Hopefully he can bring an army in the next session that he gets to attend.

WOWCCG results:

Romy (Ta'zo) vs. Justin (Elendril) : 0-2
Romy (Elendril) vs. Justin (Ta'zo) : 2-0
Obi (Ta'zo) vs. Romy (Elendril) : 0-1
Obi (Gorebelly) vs. Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 0-3
Lito (Dizdemona) vs. Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) : 0-1
Romy (Ta'zo) vs. Lito (Dizdemona) : 0-1
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Romy (Ta'zo) : 3-0
Obi (Gorebelly) vs. Justin (Ta'zo) : 2-0

Session finished around 11:30-ish.

Weekday Warrior Session Eighteen

Date: February 28, 2007
Attendance: Justin, Kim, Obi, Ronald, Arvin, Jacob, Gelo, Romy

WFB Games Played:

Game 1: Obi (O&G) vs. Kim (KDL)
1250 pts. Pitched Battle
Result: Minor Victory for Kim

40k Games Played:

Game 1: Justin (Black Legion) vs. Ronald (Space Wolves)
2000pts Recon Alpha
Result: Win for Ronald

Game 2: Justin (Black Legion) vs. Gelo (LATD)
1000pts Secure and Control Gamma
Result: Massacre for Gelo

WOW CCG Games Played:

Romy (Ta'zo) vs. Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) - Justin Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Jacob (Elendril) - Arvin Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Jacob (Elendril) - Arvin Wins
Romy (Ta'zo) vs. Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) - Romy Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormpeaker) vs. Romy (Elendril) - Arvin Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Jacob (Ta'zo) - Arvin Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Jacob (Ta'zo) - Arvin Wins
Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) vs. Jacob (Ta'zo) - Arvin Wins
Kim (Elendril) vs. Romy (Grennan Stormspeaker) - Kim Wins

+++

40K RANKING

29 Romy (Emperor's Children, Dark Eldar)
23 Art (Space Wolves)
22 Ian Beefcake (World Eaters)
20 Gelo (Lost and the Damned) +6
20 Justin (Black Legion) +2
19 Owen (Witch Hunters)
14 Jun (Tau Empire)
12 Obi (Dark Angels)
10 Ronald (Space Wolves) +8
09 Adrian (Space Marines)
09 JP (Imperial Guard)
06 Kim (Necrons)
06 Lito (Witch Hunters)
05 Joseph (Black Templars)
04 Dick (Space Wolves)
02 Emcee (13th Company)
01 Ryan (Deathwing)
01 Tads (Night Lords)

+++

World of Warcraft CCG

60 Romy (Ta'zo, Elendril, Grennan Stormspeaker) +8
43 Arvin (Grennan Stormspeaker) +31
40 Kim (Kayleitha, Elendril) +5
34 Justin (Grennan Stormspeaker) +7
10 Lito (Dizdemona)
05 Jacob (Elendril, Ta'zo) +5