Necromunda! I'm back!!!

Tonight’s the night for reliving my teenage years. I get to play Necromunda after such a long, long time. This time it will be in a pub basement with other grown men. It won’t be on a large slab of MDF supported by two trestle tables in my best friends room.

When Necromunda first came out, we played practically non-stop. We played with the Orlocks and Goliaths from the box. We didn’t know any other gamers and, most of the time, couldn’t be bothered to go to a Games Workshop to play. So we played each other, over and over again. We would usually disband our gangs from time to time and start again. This kept things a little fresh. In the end, we both brought ourselves a new gang each. I plumped for Van Saar while The Dude bought Cawdor (he also got a Delaque gang too). This saw the rising of my Reservoir Frogs and The Dude’s Witch’s’ End Receptionists. As per usual with the other games that we played (it’s also true today), I was mostly on the losing end. Mr Brown could not get his Van Saars to hurt the likes of Beelzebub and Barabbas in a truly bad way. In fact, Barabbas became a one-man gang in the end. He was a highly skilled machine just loaded with weapons (including a Mono-sighted Missile launcher)! The Dude’s tactic was usually sit back with everyone except for Barabbas, who would race forward and severely bruise my jump-suited wimps.
But tonight, it will be like starting over again. It’ll be like opening the box to reveal the cardboard scenery and those static-looking Orlocks and Goliaths with anticipation of this new game. Except that beer would be involved this time. There’s about a dozen players, including myself, in this campaign. I’m having to take over from another player who will be away for the next couple of months. I’ll will be using his Ratskins which should be fun as I’ve never played with an Outlaw gang before. It shouldn’t be so different, but this will be someone else’s miniatures. They will have a little character already as they have gone through a couple of preliminary missions. They will most likely have been painted already. As mentioned in the previous post, I will be getting my own Ratskins so that I may carry on with them after I give them back to Bill.
But still, the next couple of months might give me the impetus to bring the Reservoir Frogs name out of retirement. Hopefully this time, they can actually do the bruising.

A flurry of activity.

After some absence from gaming, I'm back. But I find myself troubled.

My gaming brain has been led astray by the many gaming systems I wish to involve myself in. This year, I’m starting off with Necromunda as there is a bit of a campaign going on at the club. I was fortunate to be part of it as I started while I was away on my honeymoon. But then someone dropped out. A fellow gamer, Marcus, immediately put my name forward as a replacement. The organisers said yes, but only if I took over the Ratskin gang of the guy who dropped out. I accepted, but was disappointed not to be able to use my Van Saars. So now I’m playing with a totally new gang (but having said that, even if I used my Van Saars’, it would be like playing with a new gang because I haven’t played Necromunda for over a decade). But then the idea struck me, that when the campaign is over I would have to give the gang back to their rightful owner. I would have a small gap in my heart without them. So I did something bad. I went to evilBay and scored myself a lot of Ratskins! This means that I can replace the gang with my own models (maybe change the names) and keep the gang alive. I hope this isn’t a foolish thing to do. At the same time, I am also thinking about beefing up my Van Saars. I am most likely going to add some reinforcements.
Next on the list, is Monsterpocalypse. I have been building up my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes forces at a very steady rate. I now have more monsters to choose from (including a lot of Mega forms and Quantum King Kondo!!!) and a fairly flexible amount of units. I am hoping to get some games in down at the club soon. I now have made the conscious decision to not spend anything on MonPoc until Series 5 is released in a couple of months time. This is because I would like to get back into Warmachine.
Recently I purchase the Warmachine MKII rulebook and Menoth MKII card deck. All I need now to carry on the momentum would be a new warjack or unit. This would be ideal when the Necromunda campaign finishes. But then, this will be undermined by yet another gaming system. Infinity.
I have seen a few games of Infinity being played at the club recently and it looks to be a slightly more tactical game. I’ve been looking at the models for the various forces and have been taken in by either the Combined Army or the Yu Jing (most likely Yu Jing). This would mean getting a starter box and possibly the rulebook (I may just keep with a pdf that I printed). But starting with a new gaming system, means less time for 40K.
I will be adding some Destroyers and Warriors to my already large Necron force. This would be really great, as I like playing with an armada of Destroyers. They can really cause some problems during some games. While on the subject of 40K, I am still waiting for the Dark Angels to get a new lease of life in the shape of a new Codex (hopefully). Until then, I have quite foolishly entertained and old idea to have a small force of Deamonhunters. There have been a couple of deals recently (one at the club and one on evilBay) that I just missed out on, that really could have started this off. So now this idea goes back onto the shelf in the back of my mind. With all of these gaming paths to follow, I almost forgot about Warhammer Fantasy.
At the end of last year, I bought a load of Dwarfs that will make my own small force (heh) into a much larger (and legal) throng. I even bought the rule book as well. Who knows when I‘m going to get the time to learn how to play this amongst other games.

As a result, I just have no idea how this year is going to pan out. I think I have worked out a priority list of what I want to do, but that might be thrown out the window fairly quickly. One thing is for sure, the year will start with Necromunda.

Meet the Radicals.

Here is a bunch of nice guys who have found their way into my gaming heart. My Empire of the Apes and Terrasaurs. When I first saw King Kondo (the one with the scars) I fell in love. The look of rage on his face convinced me that I NEEDED to start up yet another army in yet another gaming system. Me and a few guys down at the club decided to club together and get the Monsterpocalypse Series 4 Mega Box and divided up the goodies. I chose the Apes and happen to be very happy with my lot. Since then I bought a load of Terrasaurs from E(vil)-bay. I aim to be buying more throughout the year too!

 Here are the Empire of the Apes.

At the head of the family is King Kondo in his Alpha and Ultra forms (Mega form is currently sitting on my desk at work in all of his golden shinyness). Next to him is Gakura, again in his Alpha and Ultra forms.
Then the little children are made up of:
1 x Howitzer Ape
1 x Howitzer Ape Elite
1 x Command Ape
2 x Airbourne Apes
1 x Airbourne Ape Elite
5 x Glass Airbourne Apes (not pictured as they arrived on my desk this morning)
1 x Stealth Ape.

Next we have the Terrasaurs commanded by Terra Khan (Alpha and Ultra) and Tyrranix (Morphers and Ultra form - Mega form not pictured as again they just arrived). They are accompanied by:
5 x Pteradactix Elites
3 x Pteradactix
3 x Pteradactix Shadows (just arrived today)
1 x Carnidon Elite
5 x Carnidon
2 x Bellower Elites
1 x Brontox
1 x Spikodon
1 x Raptix Elite
1 x Raptix
                                                                                     2 x Green Fury Van Elite Shadows (just arrived)

 I've only played one practise game so far but think I have concentrated on flying units a little too much. Hopefully I can make it work once I get back to the club and playing every week.

No games over the Holidays, and now no games for a couple of months.

After making several calculations, I can safely say that I will not play a single tabletop game until late February. This is due to my Honeymoon at the start of February and the need to save every penny for a bit of spending money. Having said that, this didn't stop me from buying the 40k and Warhammer rulebooks and a dozen Monsterpocalypse models as soon as payday came around. But this could probably have been spent on going to the club every week.
Now all I can do is go home after my French classes and go through the rulebooks. Which is actually a sensible thing to do as I don't think, in all of my gaming history, I have ever entirely read any set of rules and got them stuck in my head. I might actually win every now and then if I do.

State of Play 2010.

The festive holidays are here, which means a fair bit of must be devoted to family. This, in turn, means a lot less time devoted to gaming. Which is a shame really as I do not want to end the year with a loss (damn those untrustworthy rusty Necrons). Having said this, I think that another game between now and New Year is not going to happen.
So it has to be time to look to the future. In the coming year, I seriously hope to not lose as much and I aslo seriously hope to actually read some rulebooks and get things to stick in my mind. I also hope to take part in another tournament or two. This would most likely be for either Warmachine or 40k (the Tanelorn London Riots was good fun), but I would be open to other themed tourneys. Campaigns at the Cross Gaming Club will be a must and I hope to take part in as many as I can.
As for the collecting side of things, I will be hopefully be making a few purchases here and there:

• I'm not going to add to my Dark Angels. They don't need anything else, unless a new Codex comes out with some spanking new must-have models.
• I want to add some more Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers to my Necrons. Maybe some Warriors as well. I think I have enough Elite units to cope.
• As I have just made a significant Dwarf purchase, I now have a LEGAL force that I can use. New units here and there will be a must.
• My Protectorate of Menoth have what sounds like a cool unit to be released soon, so I may have to get me some of those. I still want a Castigator and a Fire of Salvation, and possibly a new Warcaster too!
• I will definately add to my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes for MonPoc. I will hope to play more games in the New Year.
• One of my friends has a blister of Van Saar Gangers and one of Juves that I'm hoping to take off of his hands. May try and find a Bounty Hunter and/or Scum to add to the fun.

As usual, there isn't going to be much painting being done but a little more effort will be made. I can't wait to get back into the gaming.

Why did I do that for?

Like any other gamer, I play in a few different systems. Actually, it's only since I've been attending Charing Cross Gaming Club that I have branched out into other systems. Before, I was just loyal to 40K with my Dark Angels and Necrons. But now, I play Warmachine with my Menoth, Monsterpocalypse with my Terrasaurs and Empire of the Apes. In the past, I have also collected Fantasy Dwarfs and Warriors and Daemons of Chaos, but those flirtations never became any thing.
Until now! I managed to get rid of my Chaos horde (all those Warriors, Knights and Horrors) but for some reason kept my Dwarfs. I have seen an opportunity to make my Army of Smaller Persons into an actually legal force. I have never played Fantasy. I had no inclination to play Fantasy. So why did I agree to take on even more Beardy Midgets? I have trouble remembering the rules for 40k and Warmachine. I've just started to take MonPoc a bit more seriously and also don't want to lose touch with Necromunda. So why do I have the urge to start playing with Dwarfs?

I guess I have all of next year...

Necrons vs Orks (Planetary Empires) - 17/11/09

After a long absence flirting with various Privateer Press games, I dusted off my Rusty Ruiners (not sure that’s a good word/name) and got back into 40k. As mentioned previously, I signed myself up to take part in a Planetary Empires campaign down at Charing Cross Gaming Club. I had chosen to challenge Paul (EdSmahsa) and his Ork army. Before the game, Paul had gone through what bonuses I could get for holding certain tiles on our map. I was holding a Hive City and other bits, I would be receiving + 150 points to add to my army, a bonus for my reserve rolls, and a chance to give up to three of my units special abilities.


Unsure of the make-up of Paul force, I took the following:

Necron Lord with Resurrection Orb and Destroyer Body.
3 x Wraiths
6 x Immortals
14 x Warriors
13 x Warriors
13 x Warriors
4 x Destroyers
3 x Destroyers
3 x Heavy Destroyers
2 x Tomb Spyders

I felt fairly confident with this list as I had a shooty core of Warriors and Immortals, and then my Destroyer Flying Circus to move around and cause a bit of trouble. That was until I saw what Paul was taking! Paul hasn’t mailed me his list yet, but from what I can remember there were:

Four trukks full of Boyz
Four Bike including big boss guy (forget his name)
Shokk Attakk Gun plus lots of Gretchin.
Snikrot.

We rolled for deployment (Spearhead), mission (thingy kill points thingy) and set-up (Paul won and I couldn’t seize the initiative either). The Trukks and bike all set-up in a line almost at the edge of their deployment zone, making sure that at least one Trukk was looking to try and out flank me. The Shokk Attak Gun stayed back but it was close enough to threaten me from the start. Snikrot stayed back in reserve.

I set up two small cores of firepower (one of two units of Warriors and the other with the Immortals and remaining Warriors) in the centre of my zone, while the Wraiths looked to cover my left flank and my Flying Circus to go out to my right.

TURN 1

Paul made a general (and scary) advance towards my front line. One Trukk went to hunt my Wraiths and another went to hold up any potential Destroyer advance. There was some cannon fire from the Trukks but with very little effect. The Shokk Attak gun surprised everyone with an accurate shot, but gave no surprises when my Warriors shook it off.
I decided that my core units were not going to move at all and just sit and fire. The Wraiths took cover from the oncoming Trukk on my left flank. The Destroyers moved out and poured fire into first immediately into the first visible Trukk (which subsequently blew up and killed half the Boyz onboard) and then into the bikes (causing a miserly single wound). Their shooting could have had a calming effect on me by being a tad more effective. As it were, it was down to the massed fire power of my Warriors and Immortals. Combined they managed to disable a single Trukk and take out the weapons on another. No comfort to be had there either.

TURN 2

Paul was forced into disembarking two of his Trukks, but didn’t mind as they were pretty much in charge range. Which is what they did. 24 Boyz charged directly into the centre of my force. The Trukk on my left advanced and unloaded, while the ejected Boyz on my right charged the Destroyers. The bikes also made a charge on my Immortals. A little bit of shooting saw the Shokk Attak gun surprise again. This was also an accurate, but ineffectual shot. The large mob of 24 Boyz decided to shoot before they engaged. This had managed to put some of my tin pots on their backs temporarily. Combat came along and hurt me very much. My Wraiths 3+ Invulnerable saves were no match for 11 Boyz, not including the Nob (44 attacks!). To my right, the six Boyz who were thrown from their destroyed Trukk charged the first unit of Destroyers and took down two. The bikers charged into the Immortals with devastating results. Not one of the Elites were left standing. Then came the big one Pauls two units of Boyz charged forward as one. They targeted my Warrior unit. Paul and I decided to treat this as one big combat. 24 of his Boyz vs 14 of my Warriors. We worked out that without the Nobs, Paul would roll a hefty 88 attack dice. I can’t remember how many of my trashcans fell but it was about a quarter of them. Naturally they just wanted to rest a little.
My turn was fairly easy. No Wraiths on my left. My Immortals gone. My Warrior core engaged. All that I could do before resuming combat was to move and fire upon Paul’s bikerz. My Destroyers managed to whittle the Speedfreeks down to the Nob and one other. My Destroyer unit that was engaged got cut down which unfortunately meant the those six Boyz would be able to charge next turn and cause more havoc. My only hope would be for my Warriors brave warriors to allow themselves to be killed which could possibly set-up a kill-box allowing my two remaining units of Warriors to catch the Orks in a deadly cross-fire. Sadly this didn’t happen due to a good saving throw and a Tomb Spyder nearby. Only half of the unit now remained.

TURN 3

This turn like last turn saw Paul fail his reserves roll which meant that Snikrot could not come in and damage my fire base. Paul then looked to cause more mayhem with his bikes as they charged into my Destroyers with his Power claw wielding Nob taking a couple down. The Boyz in the middle finally took down the Necron roadblock only to look down more than two down Gauss Flayer barrels. On my right, Paul’s ‘Destroyer-Hunter’ Boyz engaged another unit (this time my Heavy Destroyers) with good effect. None were left standing/hovering.
My turn was looking very bleak indeed. With most of my Flying Circus down and out and my Wraiths and Immortals dead as well, outcome of the fight would come down to how long 26 Warriors and a Tomb Spyder could hold out against a practically unscathed Ork horde. The shooting phase was over pretty quickly as I only had a total of 52 to hit rolls to make. The C’Tan were not smiling on me as most of the shots bounced off of the Orky armour plating (!?!?). But several Greenskins DID die, but not enough to cause a Panic test in either mob. This left the last of my Destroyers to fight off their opponents. They proved that they are not combat specialists and were torn apart. There also was the last charge of my Necron Lord against the Warboss on his bike. He managed to wound the big guy, but was then lost the last of his own wounds.

ORK WIN

As it was nearing closing time at the club, we had to wind our game up here. Which I was quite thankful for as I didn’t want it to be a complete massacre. Paul getting the first turn was my downall. He was able to get all of his Boyz in and do what they do best and chop enemies to pieces. I was also thankful for not facing Snikrot. While never coming up against him before, I know that Snikrot can be quite a painful fellow. If I had first turn I would have properly set up a kill zone to trap the Orks, probably making it easier for me. My Wraiths didn’t have the chance to be as effective as the last time I used them. The Flying Circus would have tried to take down the Trukks before they reached me, causing the Greenskins to come to me on foot. Thay also could have zoomed around and been a general nuisance.

A heavy loss for me allowed Paul to try and take one of my territories on the map, which he did successfully. I now have to make this up against some one else. The bright side of this battle was the fact that my Metal-heads did not phase out. Could this be the start of a good habit.