Tuesday, December 3, 2019

WZA 2019- The Death Korps Rides (and fails their charges)

I know it is a month after the event, but finally getting round to posting my WZA coverage.

It was an awesome event. Really well organized and some pretty awesome tables. The location was super convenient right at the airport. Terrain was good quality and nicely varied. LOS blocking without just relying on NOVA Ls or Adepticon Walls. 

SO here is the list I ran. Remember this list/post when I rant about CA2019 next post. I decided on my Krieg for a few reasons
1- The paint rubric (I maxed it)
2- I needed a reason to paint my Metal Stormtroopers (I still have another 40 or so to paint)
3- I haven't used them since the Adepticon 2018 Friendly (pre-rule of 3)... when Deathriders could still be taken EN MASSE and the game wasn't quite as unfavorable to DKK yet. But I digress. Point is it had been a while, so I figuered I had to play with my toys in some capacity.

Necromundan 4th Irregulars (Death Korps of Krieg counts as)
2k pts, 10 CP
-This is an army I have built and converted to look like 2nd Ed/Rogue Trader Guardsmen, but I use DKK rules for them as its the only way to field mass cavalry)

DKK Battalion
HQ- Marshal Karis Venner- 69: Warlord
HQ- Marshal- 37: Chainsword, Hot-shot Laspistol, Relic- Kurov's Aquilla
Elites- Combat Engineers (10)- 89: Watch Master (WM) w/ Power Maul and Shotgun; Vox; 9 x Shotguns, acid grenades
Elites- Death Rider Command Squad- 68: 4 x Laspistol, 4 x Lance
Troops- Grenadier Storm Squad (10)- 113: WM w/ Chainsword and Hot-shot Laspistol; Vox; 7 x Hot-Shot Lasguns, 2 x Meltagun
Troops- Grenadier Storm Squad (10)- 91: WM w/ Chainsword and Hot-shot Laspistol; Vox; 7 x Hot-Shot Lasguns, 2 x Grenade Launcher
Troops- Grenadier Storm Squad (10)- 91: WM w/ Chainsword and Hot-shot Laspistol; Vox; 7 x Hot-Shot Lasguns, 2 x Grenade Launcher
Fast Attack- Death Rider Squadron (10)- 160: Ridemaster w/ Hotshot Laspistol; 9 x Laspistol, 10 x Lances
Fast Attack- Death Rider Squadron (10)- 160: Ridemaster w/ Hotshot Laspistol; 9 x Laspistol, 10 x Lances
Fast Attack- Death Rider Squadron (10)- 160: Ridemaster w/ Hotshot Laspistol; 9 x Laspistol, 10 x Lances
Heavy Support- Heavy Weapons Squad (3)- 30: 3 x Mortars
Dedicated Transport- Trojan Support Vehicle- 98: Heavy Bolter

DKK Supreme Command
HQ- Death Rider Squadron Commander- 45: Demo-charge, Hot-shot Laspistol, Lance; Relic- Laurels of Command
HQ- Death Rider Squadron Commander- 45: Demo-charge, Hot-shot Laspistol, Lance
HQ- Death Rider Squadron Commander- 45: Demo-charge, Hot-shot Laspistol, Lance
Lord of War- Shadowsword- 562: Two Pairs of Twin Heavy Bolter + Lascannon Sponsons, Heavy Stubber, Volcano Cannon, Twin Heavy Bolter

Astra Militarum Vanguard
HQ- Primaris Psyker- 46: Force Stave, Laspistol, Power: Nightshroud, Psychic Barrier
Elites-  Astropath- 26: Laspistol, Power: Nightshroud
Elites- Techpriest Enginseer- 30: Power Axe, Laspistol, Servo Arm
Elites- Death Rider Commissar- 35: Chainsword, Laspistol


Heads up- this post focuses on a lot of my bad luck and inability to connect. That is not to say my opponents were not good talented opponents. I think of my Ls, I only would have had a shot of a W in rounds 2 and 3. 1 and 4 were always going to be losses. But some of my bad luck was almost comical (rerolling everything on a shadowsword full profile and doing 0 damage), and really set the theme for my weekend.

Game 1- LOSS vs Custodes/Admech
Quite possibly my best opponent of the weekend, though they were all great (espeacially rounds 4 and 5 as well), but this player went on to win best Sportsmanship, so no real surprise. While I had fun, the way this game played out really indicated to me how the weekend was going to go and made me wish deep down I had brought my Custodes. I had to go second. Lost my Shadowsword top of 1 before I could use it. Then proceeded to fail multiple Death Rider charges against vehicles, even with a Reroll. I wasn't tabled and managed to get a few points, but I took a big L.

Game 2- LOSS vs Space Wolves
This is the game I felt had only 1 of 2 things gone differently I could have given my opponent a run for his money.
1- If I had gone first/seized
2- Had I not failed a charge vs Veteran bikers
So going second stunk because there is nothing you can do to mitigate what 2 invictor warsuits will do to Death Riders and a Spartan Quad laser does a lot of damage to a Shadowsword. Had I seized, hit invictors and spartan would have promptly been dealt with. As it was though my sword managed to barely survive T1 and take out a Spartan loaded with Wulfen, but it died promptly after that. And failing a charge vs bikers meant what should have been a massacre with my lances, freeing up a squad to go tie down those wulfen, turned into a 4 round battle of attrition. Was pleasing to see later on my Engineers gun the Wulfen down, but by then I was a spent force. Once more not tabled, scrapped up a few secondary points myself, but ultimately utter defeat.


Game 3- LOSS vs Imperial Knights/Ultramarines
Once again I went second. But my Shadowsword survived unscathed T1 this game and destroyed a knight... to only be charged by a knight with a Thunderstrike Guantlet T2. And actually not charged. Consolidated into and then he used a fight again stratagem, so no overwatch. Had I gone first, I likely would have won, because a macro-weapon would kill a knight a turn given the chance. and would have left him a spent force.
Highlight of the game though was a storm trooper krak grenade finishing off that knight.
Lowpoints included 17 wounds vs Intercessors with my Engineers 2D shotguns only to watch my opponent make 16 saves. Also charging Guilliman and then doing basically no damage and having the squad wiped in return. Once more an appreciable loss, but not a tabling.

Game 4- LOSS vs Chaos (Magnus/Morty)
Another AMAZING Opponent. Only game I got tabled, but one of my higher scoring games I believe because of my secondaries. But to continue my luck this game, I had my Shadowsword unscathed first turn and on full profile rerolling all hits and wounds from Vengeance of Cadia do a grand total of ZERO damage to Magnus and Mortarion. I did more damage to morty with a democharge. And I charges Magnus with a full 10 man DR squadron... and did 0 damage. There seems to be a theme this weekend about me trying to wound primarchs...
Highlights of the game though were nuking a Daemon Prince with my engineers and having a squad of DR come in later and actually make a charge to clear out a backfield... until Blood Letters came in and cleared me back out.

Game 5- WIN vs a Warhound Titan
This was my one win, and it happened top of Turn 1. Only game I got to go 1st BTW. My opponent fully expected this, because he gave me a box of snacks and comics explaining that the game was likely going to be over super fast, so since I paid to be there, I was at least going to get something out of it. BUT in ended because I had a MACRO weapon (volcano cannon) vs the Warhound. And I made sure to save that for last, lowering its voids with various other weapons first.

So a few take aways
1- Don't take DKK to a tournament
2- Don't take a non-Tallarn IG superheavy to a tournament
3- Don't take a Warhound to a Tournament
4- Have better luck than me
5- Notice, I didn't mention my Grenadiers once. Hold onto that for my eventual CA rant.

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