So...
I got back to the club last night after a long drought and played my first game in ages: 2000pts Vs Necrons. My opponent (let's call him 'Ant') and I were running late but we still figured it'd be fun to see how far we got into the game. This isn't a battle report - just thoughts with pictures.
Both of us had brought generic, non-beardy lists and we'd agreed that it was a game to try stuff out and have a laugh. I'll post my list separately soon.
We rolled 'Capture and Control' with 'Pitched Battle' deployment and I chose to go second. In essence, two of Ant's units (wraiths and an awesome tomb stalker) rolled-up my right flank and took me apart unit-by-unit. My Guardsmen put up a valiant fight but ultimately sthey really struggled to hurt Necrons...who just went a got back up again anyway. We had to wrap up half-way through turn four, and although I would've drawn at the end of turn 4, by turn 5 I'd've been mincemeat.
Photos First:
My left flank and objective - note new HQ Salamander to the rear of the ruins:
My 'sacrificial' right flank - sacrified for fun rather than tactics:
Ant's right flank (my left) with his Destroyer Lord (I love the shiny 'bug' carapace painting!):
Ant's centre:
Ant's left flank sweeping inevitably and inexorably in toward my right:
Here's Ant's fantastic Tomb Stalker:
And here's a very lonely grenadier shocked to discover that he alone of his platoon is still alive ... alive and charging past the Staker to a glorious bayonetty death in the Necron lines:
Post-Game Thoughts (in no particular order):
- Ant was a shrewd and very sporting opponent - one of those who's really pleasant to play against;
- I got to field my new Salamander - hooray! It did fine.
- Ant generously deployed in a very conventional, non-beardy way, and I did my best to mirror this: I didn't play the old Guard trick of castling up solely on my (corner) objective and making his cool units trudge the length of the board: I deliberately spaced units across to make it a bit more fun. I'm glad too - it did!
- My missile launchers were crap all game...not for the first time;
- Necron Destroyers are awesomely useful, if surprisingly vulnerable;
- My mortar team did well...and even pinned a unit of necrons!
- Marbo's deployment was fun (to Ant's dismay) but I foolishly placed him behind cover, thus affording his demo-charge victims a 4+ cover save: rats!
- My Platoon command squads aquitted themselves well; as did the autocannon squad;
- Yet again, my Devil Dog was surprisingly useful;
- Resurrection Orbs are horrid, horrid devices. I love their rules...except that the (otherwise 'dead') Lord lies there prone on the ground for my entire turn without my troops being allowed to,say, destroy him or tear his body apart for souvenirs...and then he pops up again on a 4+ (and again the next time...). Grrr.
- My Primaris Psyker did okay;
- I combined all three squads in one platoon. Not because it made tactical sense, but because it's something I don't often do; it'd make gameplay quicker and it'd be a juicier target for Ant's awesome tomb stalker. I did; it did and they were.
- Wraiths are good at their job;
- Ant's army is very nicely painted;
- My reserve rolls were good;
- Yet again (see left) my Penal Legionnaires had a good game;
- My scatter rolls were almost all bang-on: always encouraging!
- My grenade launchers were less useful than they often are.
- My Leman Russes did a good job - they were there to die but put up a bit of a fight.
My main conclusions are as follows:
- The Tomb Stalker (as well as being an awesome model) is very intimidating and a real monster against squishy guard - predictably it wiped out my combined squad (even though it only killed three!) Essentially I had nothing that could hurt it in close combat apart from my Penal Legionnaires and my Sentinel(!) and they were both busy with higher priorities. Shooting too: str 3 weapons simply cannot wound toughness 7 - full stop.
- The game was enjoyable and instructional. I could've taken a far more anti-Necron army, but that's not the game we were after, and it's not my style. We both wanted non-tailored lists, and sadly, I just couldn't kill enough of the blighters comprehensively enough!
- Given the army, mission and set-up, I could have deployed more ruthlessly and fought to an eventual draw, but it would've been a very dull game - especially for his tomb stalker, which would've defeated the object of the game somewhat.
The saddest thing was this: at the end of the game, Ant helpfully advised me that a useful anti-Cron tactic is to force a Phase-Out. I didn't have the heart to tell him that that's actually what I was trying to do as best I could with the weapons I had in range...I just utterly, utterly failed to achieve it! I couldn't even stop the buggers from WBB-ing!
Looks like my lads' lasguns may finally have met their match...
Thanks for your time, readers,
- Drax.
PS: Heres another pic of James's awesome Ork army - here in action against Daemons on the next table:
I realised last night that I'm too late to register for the tourney I was intending to not take awfully seriously: 'Plymouth At War 2011'. 
...and it can still work as a basilisk, should the need (ever) arise:
Ant's left flank sweeping inevitably and inexorably in toward my right:
Here's Ant's fantastic Tomb Stalker:
And here's a very lonely grenadier shocked to discover that he alone of his platoon is still alive ... alive and charging past the Staker to a glorious bayonetty death in the Necron lines:
An Ogryn! (more importantly, one of the new, cool-looking ogryns)...but wait, there's more, for in his kindness he also sent me a gift to join the ranks of my own forces:
A female IG model (Guardswoman?)! Awesome! What makes her even better is the following: (1) it's a good cast; (2) she's not all breasty, scantily-clad and 'high' fantasy, and (3) she looks [point 2 notwithstanding] not unlike Mrs Drax...but in flak armour. Awesome. Sorry about the ropey pics.
