Welcome to the June 2010 Army List Challenge here at Warpstone Flux. The idea of these challenges is to design effective and themed army lists to take on a particular scenario, or opposition (etc.). This month, it is going to be about a unique scenario.
Briefing.
Alien xenos are believed to have a valuable artifact / standard template construct datacrystal / yummy DNA / slave / cloned left thumb of Horus (delete as appropriate) in their possession. In order to take it from them, you're going to have to pry it from their dead fingers / prehensile tentacles / sucker pods / cloned thumbs. The only problem is this: you don't know which of them has hold of it. Your intelligence agencies have narrowed it down to three possibilities...
The Game.
The game will be fought over a standard board (4' x 6') with a mixture of scenery available for cover saves. The opposition has nominated three models who may be in possession of the object you seek, but only 1 of the 3 models is the correct one. Each of the models is contained in a non-HQ squad with 5 or more models. To win the game, you need to remove the correct model from play. Sadly, you don't know which of the three models is the right one - you will only find this out at the end of the game.
The twist is that opposition is trying to also do the same to you as well! Hence, you must protect the model who is carrying the object that they seek as well. If the scores are tied (i.e. both sides kill the target model, or neither do), then the outcome of the game will be decided by kill points.
Rules.
(1) Design a 1500 points army from any codex to take on this mission.
(2) Nominate three of your miniatures as possible "targets" for the opposition to hunt down. Nominate one of these three as the "real" target. The real target will only be revealed when the game ends. The nominations must be contained in non-HQ squads and inside a squad of 5 or more miniatures strong.
(3) Post your army lists as a comment to this posting and suggest why they're well suited / well themed to this mission and why you've chosen your nominations the way you did.
(4) Entries close at 01:00 GMT (i.e. 1AM GMT) on June 14th.
(5) On that same day, I'll open a poll for Warpstone Flux readers to judge which army list they consider to be the "most effective army list that also best articulates the theme" (whatever readers interpret that to mean) out of all entrants.
(6) Winner will be tallied and announced on June 21st (and entered in to the hall of fame!).
(7) One entry per person please.
Remember that there are no prizes for these contests, beyond kudos, honour and entry in to the hall of fame.
Good Luck!!!
Briefing.
Alien xenos are believed to have a valuable artifact / standard template construct datacrystal / yummy DNA / slave / cloned left thumb of Horus (delete as appropriate) in their possession. In order to take it from them, you're going to have to pry it from their dead fingers / prehensile tentacles / sucker pods / cloned thumbs. The only problem is this: you don't know which of them has hold of it. Your intelligence agencies have narrowed it down to three possibilities...
The Game.
The game will be fought over a standard board (4' x 6') with a mixture of scenery available for cover saves. The opposition has nominated three models who may be in possession of the object you seek, but only 1 of the 3 models is the correct one. Each of the models is contained in a non-HQ squad with 5 or more models. To win the game, you need to remove the correct model from play. Sadly, you don't know which of the three models is the right one - you will only find this out at the end of the game.
The twist is that opposition is trying to also do the same to you as well! Hence, you must protect the model who is carrying the object that they seek as well. If the scores are tied (i.e. both sides kill the target model, or neither do), then the outcome of the game will be decided by kill points.
Rules.
(1) Design a 1500 points army from any codex to take on this mission.
(2) Nominate three of your miniatures as possible "targets" for the opposition to hunt down. Nominate one of these three as the "real" target. The real target will only be revealed when the game ends. The nominations must be contained in non-HQ squads and inside a squad of 5 or more miniatures strong.
(3) Post your army lists as a comment to this posting and suggest why they're well suited / well themed to this mission and why you've chosen your nominations the way you did.
(4) Entries close at 01:00 GMT (i.e. 1AM GMT) on June 14th.
(5) On that same day, I'll open a poll for Warpstone Flux readers to judge which army list they consider to be the "most effective army list that also best articulates the theme" (whatever readers interpret that to mean) out of all entrants.
(6) Winner will be tallied and announced on June 21st (and entered in to the hall of fame!).
(7) One entry per person please.
Remember that there are no prizes for these contests, beyond kudos, honour and entry in to the hall of fame.
Good Luck!!!
Interesting idea, but I think that the requirements for the "target" are a bit harsh. Not only will some armies have a colossal advantage here (yeah, three Land Raiders with squads shoved in them, held in reserve. Good luck killing that), but some armies simply do not have anything resembling a reasonable choice. (Tyranids seem like an obvious one here, since their "tough" units can't be fielded in squads of five or more.)
ReplyDeleteAnother cool and interesting army list challenge!
ReplyDeleteSeriously - where / how do you keep coming up with these?
Hi AbusePuppy -- I agree with you. Warfare is often not symmetric.
ReplyDeleteThere are other options to think about though: what about fielding 3 land raiders (as a bluff) but have a fourth squad in an inconspicuous rhino?
Tyranids could also be very cool: is the target in one of the several of squads of gargoyles flying in, or the large genestealer brood that are flanking on to the board late in the game? There could be a whole lot of bluff associated with this scenario for any army! And I reckon that the winner of this contest will be one of those who does a non-obvious thing that neither of us have thought of - I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with!
Hi Heinz -- Glad you like this challenge and am looking forward to hearing what you come up with :)
ReplyDeleteI largely come up with these ideas through thinking about a twist (or narrative) on a regular game, or via boredom of playing annihilation games too many times...
I'll cheerfully admit in advance that the following list is probably not the most competitive response to the challenge. It's a bit light on units to seek out and destroy the opposing 3 objectives, and the approach I've taken to hiding and protecting the item is also almost certainly not the most effective approach.
ReplyDeleteBut it should be a list that would make for a very fun game to play.
Ork Hide-N-Seek List - 1500 points
HQ1: Big Mek w/ KFF
HQ2: Big Mek w/ KFF
T1: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
T2: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
T3: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
T4: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
T5: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
T6: 19 grots, 1 grotherd
E1: 5 Tankbustas, 2 squigs
E2: 5 Burna Boys, 2 Meks
E3: Painboy, Nob w/combi ML & ammo runt, Nob w/klaw, Nob w/klaw and combi ML, Nob w/Waaaagh! banner
Battlewagon w/ Zzap gun, red, rolla, plates, riggers, 2 big shootas
H1: 3 Kans w/ RL
H2: Looted Wagon w/ red, riggers, plates, 2 big shootas
H3: Battlewagon w/ Kannon, 2 big shootas, red, riggers, rolla, plates
That should come out to 1500 on the nose.
The three designated models will all be (and you've probably guessed this by now) grots - one from each of the first three troop selections. It doesn't really matter which of the three is the actual target, since all are identical choices with identical statlines.
The play concept for this list basically involves setting up the units with the target grots so that they are relatively well shielded by the non-target grot units, and in terrain if possible (and covered by the KFF meks if not. The units will be spread thin to avoid as much template damage as possible, and will be positioned as far from each other as possible. The grots will most likely spend the bulk of the game gone to ground.
The burna boys go in the second battlewagon, the tankbustas go in the looted wagon, the nobs go in their own wagon.
The tankbustas and their open-topped vehicle will try to move to intercept oncoming armored assaults heading for the target units. (With priority given to units heading toward the wrong target.) The burnas and the nobs will try to deffroll the heck out of everything in sight, and assault units that are not in tin cans. The RL kans can provide anti-armor support, and/or additional walls in front of grots.
Seriously, I think this list is probably one of the better options that an Ork player would have in this scenario. There are effectively six objectives in play, and the 'arder ork units are just slightly too pricey to be able to effectively use given the point limit. Confusing the opponent enough to outlast the time limit strikes me as the best chance for at least a limited amount of success.
And even if it doesn't work, it should still allow for a hugely memorable game while my opponent dodges deffrollas while trying to find and kill the right gretchin.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI really like the army challenges and followed the entries a long time. This month challenge looks very interesting. I might play it myself at our local club if I get an willing opponent i.e. victim ;).
As the list from TQA, I am not seeking an "upper competitive" list but rather a list which has enough firepower to hunt down the opposing target units and protect/hide your own army from the enemy while still being a "fun" list. I would like to choose Eldar for my list (I actually play Eldar and could play the list with my own army).
I hope you like the list too, so here it is:
HQ:
Autarch w/ FusionGun, PW, Mandiblaster, WJumpGen
Farseer w/ Jetbike, RoWarding, SpiritStones, MindWar, Fortune
Elite:
Firedragons (5)+ Exarch w/ Firepike, TankHunter, CrackShot
(go in Falcon)
Striking Scorpions (9) + Exarch w/ ScorpionsClaw, Shadowstrike
WaveSerpent w/ TL BL, SpiritStones, StarEngines
Troop:
Guardian Jetbike Squad (4) w/ 1xShCannon + Warlock w/ SingingSpear, Conceal
Guardian Jetbike Squad (4) w/ 1xShCannon + Warlock w/ SingingSpear, Conceal
Heavy:
Falcon w/ EML, ShCannon, HoloField, SpiritStones, StarEngines
That's 1499 points.
The whole army is quite mobile and hit the enemy where needed or hide if possible.
The three designated units are both jetbike squads and the warp spiders.
The autarch attaches to the unit of warp spiders and both come in via deep strike (Turn 2/3?) and use "hit and run" to bait the enemy. The Farseer attaches to one of the jetbike squads and uses Fortune on them. However, he can detach mid-game and join the other jetbike squad or fight alone if necessary, gaining are more active combat role. This might also confuse the enemy which unit actually holds the "trophy": the later coming warp spiders, the farseer attached jetbike squad, or the "lone" jetbike squad? I pick the last one and maybe attach the farseer to the squad late-game.
The two elite choices and under some circumstances the autarch / warp spiders are the head hunters which can deal with heavy tanks as well as mass infantery and power armour. Furthermore, the Wave Serpent and the Falcon give them enough protection and additional firepower. The star engines are used for multi-purpose: fast repositioning,(additional) tank shocking and hide maneuver/defence of designated unit.
While not having the numbers for a massed assault this army relies on "hit and run" tactics and sneaky tricks to "luckily" pick of the right target. If it is not possible to isolate and destroy the designated units, than try to hang back, hide and avoid the enemy, confusing him about the right trophy unit and deny him the kill and the secondary object. If the enemy units got stretched in the chase, maybe one can find a good chance to pick of some targets.
In my opinion this army has a lot of options to use depending on the opponent and has a good chance of achieving the primary objective.
So, try catching some fast-flying, sly Eldar, mon-keigh! :P
Hi TQA -- that sure is a whole load of grots!!! It could be a whole lot of fun so long as they manage to avoid big template hits!
ReplyDeleteHi schuelerliu - Glad to hear that you like these challenges and am excited that you've decided to give them a go! The eldar list certainly has lots of options to play around with!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought about that a little. I figure that if the opposition has few cover save-denying weapons, I can tight-pack the grots in good cover, and have them go to ground, hopefully producing a 2+ cover save. (In that case, large blasts won't scare me much.)
ReplyDeleteIf packing them in cover is unlikely to work (either because there are lots of cover save killers or insufficient terrain), plan B is to spread them out so that they are barely in coherency, and depend more on the 4+ cover save that they'll get from the KFF-gone to ground combo.