Midwest Rampage 5, -Part 2

Midwest Rampage 5 @ Grand Hotel, Peoria, IL 5/22.23.

The Jester Vampire Versus my Steam Tank

Here are the Battle Recaps for my games at Midwest Rampage, I was a bit more festive than usual this weekend, not sure how the extra curriculars caught up with me. Can’t say I’m not disappointed with the results. Despite a solid list and strong Dogs of War choice, I went 1-3-1. Matching my Adepticon showing this year but dropping an the extra game. I stupidly gave game 2 away being greedy, and had the worst luck imaginable games 4 and 5…again that damn artillery dice makes me nuts..anyway I for am looking forward to 8^th edition for a change of pace. My tournament record this year is 2-5-2 with Empire…pretty poor considering I win 75%-80% of my pick up games.

Overall all my opponents were great and I no problems in any games..on my personal scale all 5 games were Fun 5, Sports 5, Comp 5, Despite my horrid luck even game 4 was fun and even thou it was double Plague Furnaces, I can’t really ding the guy on my personal comp rating as I would rather have a second furnace than Jezzails or an Abomination, it was all good! Anyway here’s the rundown on the games.

Empire List.

General of Empire, Helm of the Ratslayer, Great Weapon, Holy Relic

Warrior Priest, Icon of Magnus, Great Weapon, Armor of Meteoric Iron

Battle Wizard, Level 2 Rod of Power

Battle Wizard, Level 2, Seal of Destruction

24 Swordsmen, FC, War Banner

2- 9 man Free Company, Detachments

10 Handgunners, marksman, HLR

10 Crossbows, musician

10 Free Company, FC

Great Cannon

5 Knights of the Inner Circle, FC, Steel Standard

5- Pistoliers, Musician, Outrider with Repeater Pistol

Helblaster Volley Gun

Steam Tank

Dogs of War Choice (Games 2 and 3) 13 Braganza's Besieger's, FC.

Game 1 Vs Sean L, Vampire Counts

40 Ghouls is always tough

Army List

Lord- Summon Ghouls, Red Fury, Dreadknight, Sword of Might, Helm of Command, Cuirass, Crown.

Vampire- Dreadknight, Staff of Damnation, Balefire Spike.

Necromancer, Corpse Cart, Balefire, +1 Spell, Dispel Scroll, Biting Blade

Wight King- BSB, Sword of Kings, Nightshroud, Barded Steed

22 Ghouls, Ghast X 2

10 Ghouls, Ghast

Corpse Cart

19 Grave Guard, FC, Banner of Barrows

18 Grave Guard, FC Banner of Strigos

3 Wraiths w/ Banshee

Good general, good game…I’ve played VC enough that I know how to win, you just got to go out and do it .I hid some huntsmen behind a hill in his backfield with my Scout deployment that I knew would draw out his Banshee and Wraiths. I needed to keep them from tying up the Stank all game so they were bait and it worked, My Wizard with Burning Gaze is right there and I lit them up twice only getting 3 wounds before I got chased away never getting another shot but they were out of the game, (but did grab my objective) I plow the Stank Into the VC General, between low impacts hit, and his Strength 7 return attacks I couldn’t close the deal..and eventually he hacked the Tank down, I put a ton of wounds on the VC General (12+) and, in the end most I ever got him down was to 1 wound, he just kept making his saves. I had the Wight BSB on ropes numerous times as well, but with 3 wounds and the Battle Standard he’s very hard to kill as well, I was always 1 wound away and as a BSB you take one less wound so I could never close.. Two Corpse Carts was a hassle for the ASF’s I took both out but not before I suffer some tough ASF rounds In CC. In the end, I killed quite a bit of his stuff but no Vampires and that’s where all the points are, he Killed the Stank and all my support stuff…and was up about 500 or so in the end, I could do much different here other than convert opportunities I just fail to convert. Loss 0-1

Game 2 Vs Marty G, Wood Elves.

Marty's Dr Seuss , puff ball army, counts as Wood Elves The Lorax was done by none other than James Wappell.

Army List

Spellsinger, Level 2, Calaingor's Stave, Scroll

3- Branchwraiths, Netlings, various spites

14 Dryads, with Nymph X 3

3 Treekin w/ Elder X 3

8 Wardancers, Bladesinger

Treeman

5 Ogre Bulls, Dogs of War.

My second time playing Marty Gaska in a tournament and its always a pleasure. I don’t mind losing my first game, but always want to win my second game for sure…Marty and I had a relaxed game we started off by getting a beer around 1pm..I wanted to give him a great game and I tried. I ran my Knights into his Ogre DoW unit (which Killing whom where the major objective) and killed them turn two. I also put the Stank into the Treeman early and did 3 wounds on the charge..then doing another two. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the last wound, and my greed to get full points for the treeman cost me big time. Wardancers come charging into the flank of the Stank to help, I try to charge my Inner Circle Knights into the Treeman from the rear figuring I’ll get that one wound, Of course- I fail my damn terror check!! and they run, and the Wardancers get enough hits that I have a bunch of 3+ Armor Saves to make I fail and the Steam Tank pops, Treeman still alive.

I had done a good job of managing the Dryads and my Generals Block was eating up the Treekin in the middle of the table, At the bottom of turn 4 I was up enough points to win the game, all I had to was play defense get some table quarters and the game was in the bag.

Suddenly (maybe it was my 3^rd beer in one game?) I failed my own stupidity check and blew the game. The Wardancers overran when the Stank popped and next turn charged my freshly rallied knights, Who fled from the treeman the previous turn. There are only 6 of them and I figure I can pull it off. Marty goes for the extra attack…I have 1+ armor saves against elves and am strength 4, but these guys have killing blow and marty rolls 6 wounds but 4 killing blows! I make the other two saves kill one wardancer but need a 3 on my break fail and lose my Knights for 190 points, In turn 3 Braganza’s Besiegers, where doing pretty good on the hill in my left flank., they held there own and broke some Dryads on the charge, but instead restraining, I pursue trying to finish them, I charge them again, they get away, finally they rally and recharge me!. I whiff on the Stand and Shoot, don’t do so well in combat this time and break, I do get away..but fail to rally on a damn 9!!!, and run off the freaking board as I am on the flank and table edge is right there, Stupid!!, keeping them alive is the Major Objective of the Scenario…I lose almost 600 points with the 2 Banners I drop that turn…now the games is a Draw, and he's ahead on points.

Desperate on my turn 6, I do something incredibly stupid..I run my Pistoliers up and try to shoot the treeman, going for a lucky shot to get that last wound..I totally forget about Strangleroot!!...The Pistoliers of course dont get the kill and in tunr.and get wiped out by the Treeman’s shooting attack the last turn another 115 points Marty’s way, it still looks pretty close but when we add it all up with table quarters and banners, Marty’s up by a couple hundred over a draw, so the game goes to the Wood Elves…god I am ass for losing this game!!. Loss 0-2

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Marty's DoW, unit where these Ogre Bulls, protesting the Empire intrusion into the forest, a nasty cavarly charge, put an end to them..the Wardancers however..had their vengeance.

Game 3 Vs Kyle C, Dark Elves

The Dark Elves, Cult of the Spider God, I believe they were called.

Army List

HighBorn, Dreadlord

Noble, Master

Sorceress x2

20 Warriors , Spears, Shields, FC X 2

10 Repeater Crossbowman, Guardmaster x 2

20 Corsairs, FC

15 Executioners, FC

5 Cold One Knights, FC x 2

War Hydra

Repeater Bolt Thrower x 2

4 Ogre Iron Guts, Standard, Dogs of War.

Kyle was a great guy, good opponent, but his all combat DE army could handle the magic and shooting my Empire had, I had rolled both my # 6 spells Wall of Fire and Cleansing Flare this game, and the Helblaster was on fire, my Cannon misfired and blew up as it would in the next 3 games but it didn’t matter, His Sorceress' where both on foot and he could protect them, I killed both very early with basic shooting attacks. he had no magic phase by turn 2,, it was bloody fight, and only his Corsairs managed to survive. His Bolt Throwers put enough wounds on the Steam Tank early that it was a none factor but survived the game to keep me points. I wounded the Hydra turn 1, with 3 wounds and had no problem finishing it off in turn 3. A couple failed stupidity checks late game really hurt Kyle. In the end we didn't need to add this one up clearly a solid victory or even massacre with table quarters and banners for The Empire. A good Win 1-2.

This didn't end well for either the Flaggies or those DE Knights..all slaughtered to the man.

Saturday night was a hoot, and much fun was had, I kept on drinking Corona and Sam Adams until around 1 in the morning.

Just a bunch of Zombies, courtesy of Gobbos.

Game 4 Vs Greg D Skaven

Double Plague furnace, Censer Bearers, Plague Claw Catapult, basically this game was akin to WWI France with all the poison gas going around.

Army List

Plague Priest w. Plague Furnace , 27 Plague Monks, FC X 2

Warlock Engineer, Level 1, Scroll

20 Clanrats, FC x 2

20 Slaves x 2

12 Giant Rats, 2 pack masters x 3

7 Plague Censer Bearers

Assassin with 7 Gutter Runners, and Death Runner

Plague Claw Catapult.

I meet Greg bright and early Sunday morning, shocking I am not too hungover but my dice are. Greg has two Plague furnaces, and rolls up some nasty spells ( Plague, Wither) This is my toughest game yet, but not if I can blow up those furnaces early. Well my dice said- screw you, my first Cannon shot, "misfire!", first Helblaster barrel 1 shot- "misfire!", and a “1” explodes, gone, Second cannon shot, "misfire!" Wizard #1 turn 1= miscasts, Wizard # 2, turn 2, =miscast, Wizard # 2 turn 3 miscast. In addtion to this comedy of errors, my dice rolls were just bloody awful across the board, couldn’t hit or wound anything.

I did plow the Stank into one furnace and pop it, but the Priest was still alive..the Second furnace Run down my whole right flank and I was powerless to do anything. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do. Loss 1-3

Ok, This didn't end well, Not a good idea...I tried to escape this actually. But there was no way around it.

Game 5 VS Joe G, Warriors of Chaos

Chaos Warriors, a cool objective marker, Joe cut out of steel with a torch.

Army List

Daemon Prince, Level 4 Sorceror, Mantle of Chaos, Fury of the Blood God, Mark of Tzeentch

Chaos Sorceror, Level 2, 2 Scrolls, Conjoined Homunculus. Chaos Steed.

15 Warriors, FC, MOS x 2

15 Warriors FC MON

8 Forsaken x 3

7 Forsaken

4 Chaos Trolls

Joe’s unconventional Warrriors of Chaos army was a pleasure to play and so was he, definitely my Favorite opponent other than Marty. This was really fun game. Its didn’t start out so well for me thou as I won the dice off and let Joe go first and he proceeds to Fireball my Crossbowmen who take three kills and then fail their panic check, when they flee they just clip my Pistoliers, who now also must check and then they fail their Panic check and run off the table, Sloppy Deployment on my part their cost me me big.. Joe’s Daemon Prince has Gateway, Treason, Call to Glory and Flickering Fire, he throws a 5 die Gateway at me turn 1 and he miscasts!, but rolls boxcars on the Miscast chart..so the spell goes off Irresistibly. But is gone from the game.

The Gateway put 5 wounds on the stank with Strength 8 hits..I make no saves..the Tank is now a paper weight for the whole game. On my first turn I rally those 7 crossbowmen who end up being the game MVP’s but in my shooting phase my first cannon shot is a misfire and “1” kaboom. from my turn1 on I played this game with no Pistoliers and no Cannon, and the Stank totally useless. So it was basically 1700 points vs 2250m the whole game, Things didn’t improve that much for me as the game went on- I shoot up the Daemon Prince with the Helblaster roll an amazing 28 shots, hit on 14, and would have normally done an awesome 11 wounds, but Joe gave him the “Mantle of chaos” which since you don’t see that many DP’s around these days, I had forgotten about..the D3 is a “5” So my strength 5 hits are now Strength 2, so only 3 wounds.he makes 2 of his 5+ saves, for 1 wound. That aside, some things did go right from me, I killed almost all his forsaken and I used his frenzied Nurgle troops against him, drawing them into charging my General and Detachments where the unfrenzied Slannesh blocks were out of range..with no Ranks due to my detachment flanking, he was quickly on "Snake Eyes" and I ran him down getting behind the other two blocks of Warriors..eventually my Fire Wizard got run down by the Prince and but my Crossbowmen finished off his mounted level 2 On the last shot of the game..getting me full points..with the banner I picked up from the Nurgle Warriors. In the end the final tally was less than 100 points in Joe’s Favor for a Draw. I end the event 1-3-1

My guys with a Daemon Prince in their rear quarter...not a good thing but he was more interested in my Wizard than charging a block of 25 with two characters

Again, I have to say this was tourney was great time, I wish I did a bit better and not sure where I placed overall as full results have not yet been posted. Dennis G’s Warriors got Player’ Choice and Best Appearance which was definitely due, he's been up there losing to James Wappel the last couple events and JW wasn't in attendance this day.… Domus"s Woodies always rule The appearance awards as well, but as that Army has won 19 Tournament Appearance awards, it was time for some new blood. I’m sure I did pretty well on that front,..and there were a few other notably great looking armies there as well. Conversions had a lot to do with your final appearance score in this event and I just don’t have that many. My pal Aaron’s fully converted Warrior army got major props from everybody and 10 out 10 points for conversions, which was great since he was only primed. Aaron went 2-3 in his first tournament so congrats to him, Chris, whose played in almost as many events as I have in recent years, went 2-3 with his Wood Elves as well, getting some tough match ups. Chris always up there for Best Sportsman award, I’m sure he was up there for the Gentleman Gamer award but as I mentioned full scores aren’t up yet. We all had a great time and looking forward to next year for sure!, Thank You, Jim Emerick!

Another great Empire Army by Derek Reeverts, The Hounds of Averland. I loved it.