Victory!

     HUZZAH! I've won my first 40K tournament! I'm so very excited, and I'd really like to share that experience with everyone, even though it might not be a very big deal to most, I'm just about on cloud nine and I gotta do a little boasting.

     I headed out to my CLGS on Saturday to see if I could get a game or two in. Most of the day was spent helping a friend learn 40K with his spanking new Sisters army. Later in the afternoon, a married couple asked if anyone wanted to play a team game against them so they could practice for a local tourney. One of the regulars, Dan, said he'd be willing to give it a go and asked me to team up with him. I brought my Orks, and he pulled together a list from his fairly new Chaos Demons army. We each had 1250 and a shared force organization, so 1 HQ, 1-3 troops, 0-1 fast attack, 0-1 elite, and 0-1 heavy support. Floating between the two players was the extra fast attack, elite, and heavy support. While I can't speak to Dan's specific list, here's a run-down of mine:

HQ

     Warboss: Bike, Power Klaw, Attack Squig

Troops

     Nobz (6): Bikes, Power Klaws (2), Big Choppas (3), Waaagh Banner, Boss Pole, 

                     Shoota/Skorcha. Painboy

     Boyz/Boyz' Nob (21): Big Shoota (2), Choppa/Slugga (18), Power Klaw, Boss Pole

Elite

     Kommandos (6) & Snikrot: Burna (2), Choppa/Slugga (4)

     Lootas (8)

Heavy Support

     Deff Dread: Dreadnought CCW (4)

Fast Attack

     Deff Kopta (3): Twin Linked Rokkit Launcha (3)

Total Points: 1246

     After a good game, which we ended up winning, Dan asked if I would be interested in entering the tournament. I had nothing to do the next day, so I agreed. I met him the next morning and we headed out to the tournament location.

     We had three rounds, each with only an hour and a half to play, and two 15-20 minute breaks between. Each round had different objectives, and actually they just used some of the Adepticon missions from the team tournament this year. Here's how our games ended up (roughly):

Round 1 - Victory

     Space Marines (10th Company themed) and Eldar (Mech/Eldrad)

     Points: 8 out of possible 10

Round 2 - Victory
     Space Wolves and Chaos Space Marines
     Points: 29 out of possible 30

Round 3 - Victory
     Imperial Guard and Orks
     Points: 28 out of possible 30

     I might be off on the total possible points there, but it was pretty close. I must say, all of the competitors that we played were top notch sportsmen. I've heard people talk about how cool people are, even in most competitive environments, but I didn't really believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. The few rules issues we had were handled pretty quickly and fairly. I think everyone enjoyed the games. Most of the games seemed much closer than the points portray, and I think the gab between us and second seemed hard to believe. We didn't field the most power-gaming combinations. I think my Nob bikers were the most min/max thing we had, but we had some great rolls go our way, and that made all the difference.

     The cherry on top was that my Warboss was selected as the "Best Painted Unit" which really put a smile on my face. I was super happy about that because I'm a hobbyist first, or at least it's really starting to seem that way.

     I can't say enough how much fun it was playing those games and meeting those awesome gamers. There was a real sense of enjoyment there and I gotta thank the organizers, the players, the store, and my teammate for a fantastic event.

Free Hugz!

     An update at last! Sorry for the little bit of down-time. I've been pretty busy. I completed eight Lootas, and this here Deff Dread. The Lootas, I'm afraid, haven't been photo'd yet. I'll get around to taking some pics of those in the future. Right now, I need to plug ahead. I would like to talk about this big-bad-blender right here, in the meantime. The Deff Dread kit model is the best kit I've assembled in 40K. The options are awesome, and the assembly was a breeze. They need more kits like this one for sure. Painting him was an absolute blast. I don't think I've had more pride upon completion than I had with this baddie. If you're an Ork player, and you're on the fence about this model, let me just say that if you pass this up, you're crazy! Even if you NEVER run him in your army, you just got to get one for the sheer coolness alone.

     Now, on a non-Ork related note: I've got an interesting plan for my Space Marines. My hope is to put together a Blood Angels variant list, using mostly my current SM models. My 1850 point list should include the following new models:

-5 man honour guard (including Sanguinary Novitiate)

-2 Sanguinary Priests

-1 New Space Marine Captain

     With just those models, I'll have a VERY different list to play. I'm trying not to spam uber-units into the mix because that's not really what this army is about. After playing some games with my Orks, I'm beginning to feel that they're just a bit TOO powerful. I'm not saying that I can't lose, not at all. What I'm saying is that it sucks a little bit of the fun out of the game. My most memorable games tend to be with my Space Marines, and that list is FAR from competitive. My other problem is that, right now, my Orks are a little too "two dimensional" in that they are nearly completely about close combat. Granted, they're Orks, but I really think that there's something to be said about the more silly, certainly less competitive Ork units and HQs that have nothing to do with close combat. The Shokk Attack gun, for example. I'll get around to adding this layer to my Orks eventually, but for the near future, I think this Blood Angels variant list will do just fine.

     Here are some detail pics of the Deff Dread for your viewing pleasure: 

Dats wut we's need for a proppa WAAAGH!

     I've completed the assembly of my Deff Dread. This new model is supremely awesome. The options are plentiful, the bits are bountiful, and the end result is properly menacing. The model is freaking massive to boot. I took a pic of him along side a standard Space Marine dread for size comparison. The pic above shows him with the four close-combat arms, but I spent quite a bit of time magnetizing the other weapon options. I'm thinking I'll most likely run him with a Kustom Mega Blasta and a Skorcha. That will allow him to sit back on an objective (being that he'll be a troop choice) and just pester the opponent. Should anything take the time to shoot at him, that means they're not shooting at my Trukk or my Nob Bikerz. At only 95 points, he'll be a nifty little trick to throw at my opponent. Basically, I don't plan to play him aggressive unless I absolutely have to. In addition, I'm hoping to have a mek in the back-field hanging around with the Lootas. This gives me the potential to effect repairs. Wouldn't that be Orky thing to do? Regardless I've got an awesome model to assemble, paint, and show off. If it happens to pan out in the game, that's just sugar on top as far as I'm concerned.

     I had another great game on Saturday. I managed to squeak out a victory against  my buddy's Eldar army. We played yet another Battle Missions game. That book is paying off big time. Thus far I've had nothing but interesting games out of it. I had a good time, got to play some of my newer Orks, and punched a few Space Elves in the face. Nothing wrong with that. Watched a few interesting games. Had to leave early though as my wife was getting out of work earlier than she normally does on a Saturday, so I wanted to spend some time with her.

     Here are some detail shots of the mighty Deff Dread:

'Os Da Boss?

     He's done! This represents a true mile-marker for me. This is my first Forge World model that I've purchased, assembled, and painted. I'm completely thrilled that it came out as well as it did. His little squig partner looks like he's enjoying the ride back there, so I think that was a proper addition to the model. I've actually decided NOT to glue the Warboss down. This is mainly because I painted quite a lot of detail on his chest, and I'd hate to just leave it covered up forever. I've got eight lootas sitting there to be painted next, but I think I'm going to take a small break from just straight unit painting and try adding a little flavor to my army along the lines of a nice barrel of fungus beer to ride in the back of the Trukk. I'll take some time to start assembling the Deff Dread just a bit, getting a feel for the model.

     That's all I got for now. I'm looking forward to putting this bad boy on the table. Here are some detail shots and some nice size comparison shots:

Speaking of Bikez... I have Bikez!

     I'm nearly finished with the bike for my Warboss. I think she is coming along excellently. I'm pleased that the end product is looking very much as it did in my mind before I started painting it. I still have a few touches to work on, but for the most part, this thing is done. I tried a slightly different approach to weathering. I used a tiny bit of sponge, dabbed it in a very dark brown, then pressed it to parts of the orange paint. I then highlighted near these marks with the base orange mixed with some Bleached Bone. I think the effect is really nice. It gives a slight hint of a 3rd dimension.

     Though I was slightly daunted by the complexity of this model, I think I've been most inspired by it. I'm yearning to get some more of this Ork army over and done. Here are a few more detail shots:

Hogz for Nobz and Games for Me

     Can you smell the exhaust fumes? That could actually just be the primer. Regardless, my Nob Bikerz have doubled their numbers and my little biker gang now boasts two power claws, three big choppas, and a painboy. I pieced together the Painboy from the Ork Nob box consisting of the saw arm and one of the Cyb-ork heads. I think he came out alright. All of my bikes are unique, which is pretty sweet. I green stuffed one of the big choppa arms so that he's holding the weapon lower to the ground and away from his body. I think it gives a little appearance of speed and, in my mind, represents him speeding towards his next assault.

     This weekend was most excellent. I managed to get in a teaching game (my Marines got slaughtered by my Orks at approximately 550 points), an 1850 point level battle mission game, and a Kill Teams game. I won the last two. I enjoyed teaching, but I don't know if the guy from work got much from it. One thing I can say for sure is that it is supremely annoying when you're trying to teach the game and people keep stopping by and offering tips and tricks, side-tracking me and trying desperately to clean up what knowledge they're spilling. Just being enthusiastic about something, doesn't mean you're an excellent teacher. Just KNOWING a lot about something doesn't make you a great teacher either.

      My 1850 game was absolutely perfect! I played against a fantastic opponent. He was gracious, gentlemanly, and played the game for fun, not just to win. His list is very fluffy and well painted/converted. He has an entire Thousand Sons list with a Demon Prince as the lead. We played the "Pillage" mission from the Chaos Space Marine Battle Missions, and I have to say that it is one of the best missions I've played thus far from the book.

     My Space Marines, at 1850, are severely lacking. I've essentially hammered it together, stretching my anemic army to get to that value. I throw in my Grey Knight terminators simply to soak up some points (which is what they do best, frankly). Imagine my surprise when they actually started earning their points back! They performed admirably given my expectations and their previous record. The big BIG VIP of the game, however, was my sniper scouts. I think I might even have to say it was mostly Telion. He was a right bastard to those Thousand Sons. I managed to kill the Demon Prince and THREE sorcerers with my sharp shooting. Telion's ability to assign the wounds is PRICELESS in these situations. Furthermore, if you get those rending hits, you're a GOD! Even with the 4+ invulnerable saves, you're going to fail eventually.

     Kill teams still seems enjoyable to me. I enjoy the faster pace, and the unique strategies. I think I've found the list I enjoy playing the most. I take a five man Sternguard squad, and a five man scout squad. You're really only taking minimum gear, but you have some deadly firepower in these choices. Once my Orks are finished, and I've started back towards my Space Marines, I have a few ideas for making a themed army for Kill Teams.

     Lastly; I purchased my Deff Dread. I just can't wait to get this guy put together and painted. I have a really fun idea for some customization that I know people will enjoy. In the meantime, I've primed my eight lootas and my Forge World Warboss, so look forward to those within the next week or two. I leave you with some more pics of my new bikes: