Interplanetary 2017 After Action Report

Well, I've just about recovered from another Interplanetary. As always it was a fun event with too much food and drink, but too little sleep! For those seeking a bit of background, you can read about the lists I took here and my exploits from last year here.

This time the event had expanded to 116 people playing 5 games each over three days and featured players from all over the globe. Last year I took my Steel Phalanx with me, with a suspiciously similar army list, and came 4th. How do you reckon I did? Better or worse? Well, read on...

Quick note on army lists: Phoenix's link consisted of Phoenix, Machaon, my Chain of Command Officer (with Shotgun) and a Myrmidon with Chain Rifle. Eudaros' link consisted of Eudaros, my Lieutenant Officer (with Combi) and two Myrmidons with a Combi Rifle and with a Chain Rifle.

Got to say a quick prayer to Toni before the games!

Wayland Tournament Report

I'm still trying to hit my stride with writing tournament reports, so please do let me know if this is the sort of thing you'd like to read more of. :)

In addition to all the seminars happening last weekend there was also an 8-man ITS tournament on the Sunday run by Paul Quinn. Never one to pass up the opportunity to play against some new faces I signed up.

It was an unusual format - 200pts with a Spec Ops - and the missions were Supplies, Frontline and Annihilation. 200pts is normally a very restrictive format as it can be difficult to get a good mix of specialists and decent attacking units whilst retaining a full order pool, but using a Spec Ops frees up your points significantly as it provides cheap Chain of Command, heavy weaponry or hacker/doctor/engineer support as necessary.

As a complete aside, we ended up watching Celebrity Juice and Release the Hounds on the Saturday night. When did TV get weird?

Apparently this is a thing. Would be better with Antipodes though.

The Clash at the Crags - Part Two

The Armies

The forces of Khorne (commanded by myself)

• Dorrin Blissbane - Dwarf 10 Hero with Chaos Weapon 'Lustdrinker'
• Melondil Nightnoon - Dark Elf 5 Hero 
• Marta Hartmann - Human 10 Hero
• Hermann Foerster - Beastman Champion
• 7 Beastmen - Light armour and shields
• 7 Skaven - Light armour, shields and spears
• 8 Humans - Bows and light armour
• 8 Levy Humans - Spears
• 6 Giant Wolves

Dorrin with retinue and Marta leading the village militia

The retinue of Fergus (commanded by Fimm)

• Fergus - Fimir 5 Hero with Chaos Weapon
• 5 Fianna Fimm - Light armour
• 6 Shearl
• 10 Humans - Shields
• 5 Witch Elves - Additional hand weapons and poison

Fergus & Co.

The Clash at the Crags - Part One

Well, Fimm and I didn't manage to continue our campaign at the Expo as expected so instead the much-delayed next chapter was played out this week.

Prologue

Slowly the village folk unbarred their doors and started emerging from their homes and hovels, their sense of curiosity outweighing their fear now that the fighting appeared to be over. The Beastmen had started dragging the dead Fimm to the centre of the village and began to create a pyre whilst the Skaven busied themselves tending the wounded.

Proof that my photography skill needs work.

The Battle of Otten Village - Part 3

Suddenly everything had fallen quiet, the last frantic blows of the battle had been struck and all that was left to do was count the dead.

In total I had four Skaven, three Beastman and one of the Trolls knocked out, but luckily every one of my models recovered with only minor injuries. Fred, the bull-headed Beastman, had an eye injury which reduces his Ballistic Skill (oh no!) and the yellow Troll, who has been named Nars, suffered a broken nose. Given the description of a nose injury in the book, I am less than worried:

"The character's nose is smashed in and looks really awful. This doesn't affect the game, but the Champion's youthful looks are ruined forever."

Lars and Nars. Due to this injury, Lars is now considered the 'pretty' one.

The Battle of Otten Village - Part 2

The Battle

No fluff today, just battle report goodness. You can find the introduction and army lists in part one.

Turns 1 to 3
The fimir won the dice roll to move first and we were off. My opponent did not hold back in the slightest as the fimm warriors moved into the centre, no doubt hoping to hold up the beastmen and skaven whilst Fergus and his retinue of fianna fimm (their elite troops) start swinging around the flank. The door to the house is on the far side from them and they wanted to get some captives whilst the chaos forces were distracted.

Dorrin's band moved in towards the middle of the battlefield also hoping to flank the fimm regiment with one of the units and wipe them out quickly. There wasn't much excitement in the first few turns as the trolls repeatedly fail to show up, they were too busy contemplating the meaning of the universe whilst picking their noses probably. Melondil shot with his crossbow, hit despite the swirling mists, but failed to cause a wound. This would be a recurring theme of the game for him.

Turn 3 - Jostling for position - also in shot is some fine tape measuring action.

The Battle of Otten Village - Part 1

This week I played my first game of Warhammer Fantasy in over three years, and my first of 3rd edition in much longer than that, with Fimm McCool. No doubt we both made a lot of mistakes and we played a little fast and loose with the rules but a great time was had. Read on for an introduction to the battle.

Prologue

A woman came screaming and stumbling through the woods, almost blundering straight into Dorrin "Help us, help us! The deamon-fiends - we can't hold them off!" She took a look at who she had run into and she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. An angry, winged dwarf with a retinue of beast-things were not who she was hoping to come across.

Dorrin was about to tell the woman to be gone as he had more important things to do, there were still Slaaneshi worshippers to run down after all, but the whisper told him to stop and consider her. "Were her people not like him," the whisper said "unable to return to their homes, their families murdered? Would they not also desire vengeance and relish spilling the blood of their tormentors?" Dorrin thought on this for a moment then walked over to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aye lass, we'll help you - take us to your home."

She looked up at him and the surrounding company, considered her options and decided the they were favourable to the marauding deamonfolk. After all, aren't dwarves meant to be good, and there was an elf too, aren't elves meant to be kind? She'd never met either an Elf or a Dwarf before and she wondered if all dwarves have wings, or maybe only those that live above ground like this one. Certainly all the folk tales she knew suggested that both dwarf and elf were benevolent, so she stood up, dusted herself down and - being unsure how to address a dwarf - did a curtsey. "My Lord my name is Marta, Otten lies this way, please hurry." 

Classic Warhammer - lining up to fight at a jaunty angle.