NOVA Open, Game 3 BatRep

Game 4 vs Sam P (finished 4/88 on day 1, 4-0. finished 5th overall with 5-2 final record)

Sam kicked my ass. There's not a lot of picks here, but I'll try to identify how he did it, what he did right, and what I did wrong. Yes, his dice were rolling well and mine were atrocious, but even without that, he still would've beaten me - it just wouldn't have been a tabling.

NOVA Open, Game 2 BatRep

Game 2 vs Bob S (finished 24/88, looks 3-1 from his score)

>>> WARNING <<<
Do NOT click pics to see zoomed version - you will think you need glasses. This is the last time I try to use a phone camera for pics (who cares if it's 8 megapixels if you can't see %#@*?).

The Next Big Thing

So here's the next army I'm working on. Right now it's all proxies - I want to solidify my feel for the game before I buy that many more vehicles.

It's Blood Angels - and it's kind of AV13 MSU. Kind of... anyways, I don't feel the need to keep it secret, so here goes:

Searching for Mr Goodbar... er, Trueblood

I'm hoping that someone out there knows Joseph Trueblood. I played him on Sunday at the NOVA Open against his Blood Angels. I have some questions I'd like to ask. If you could direct him here or have him send me an email at john[at]yesthetruthhurts.com, that would be awesome.

Thanks!

NOVA Open, Game 1 BatRep

Game 1 vs Nathan M (finished 69/88 looks like 1-3)

His list (doing this from memory/pic now will double check list I have at home tonight):

NOVA Open - Army Pics, the Return of the Blurry Pics

Last of the blurry pics (that aren't part of a batrep) - I swear!

NOVA Open - Army Pics, pt 2

More army pics, more to follow...

NOVA Open - Army Pics, pt 1

I have no idea whose armies these are, so don't ask... I just went around when they were setup for paint judging and took some pics. 90% of the players weren't at their tables - they were doing the same thing I was.

I present to you, in no particular order, pictures of armies I found interesting, be it theme, paint, or conversions. Click the pics for the large versions, I apologize for blurry pics - apparently my phone has an 8 megapixel camera, but no image stabilization.

NOVA Open: Army Thoughts

So I had a great time and went 3-1 with my army... but I need to add a disclaimer: my pure Sanguinary Guard army is NOT competitive.

Yes, I beat 3 tournament armies and 2 friendly games as well. But I lost spectacularly to Sam in round 3 because, unlike my other opponents, had A) had a good list and B) wasn't dazzled by my army deep-striking all around him. Not to say the other 3 were noobs or had bad lists, but they either didn't have the low AP guns or power weapons, or they just weren't able to isolate and remove threat elements.

On day 2, I was asked to play Joe Strongblood's Blood Angels for his placement round, because his opponent had left. He also had a decent army list and knew how to protect his stuff - he never gave me the chance to use my 2+ armor with FNP. It was a slaughter.

I knew this coming into the tournament. I had decided to take it as a fun list... and I had a TON of fun and got lots of comments on it.

So as a final warning:

DO NOT TAKE THIS LIST AND EXPECT TO DO WELL!

Heading Home

Well it's time to head on out.

I would really like to thank Mike Brandt for working with us and keeping pushing so that we made the trip. Honestly, the cost was nearly the same as our trip to Vegas for the 2008 GT (travel was $200 more, food $25 less, event $100 less, and lodging $100 less - so we came out on top!).

The event was a blast!  I met a lot of great people - practically every one of them would be someone I would hang out with and would DEFINITELY play a game with.

Special props go out to Bob, Sam, Nathan, and Michael (my opponents), and Chumby, Islyfe, Mobious, and the rest of the Grim crew.... and especially Mike (again) and all his wonderful crew (except John - you'll be getting a bill from my ear doctor, holy hell man ;-) ).

NOVA Open Results!

Stelek is an Ace and going to day 2.

Danny Internet won Renaissance Man - ticket to Vegas and all that.

NOVA Open, Round 4 Results

Objectives win conditions, I end with 4 to his none, 1895 bps to his 990, and 3 quarters to his one.

Highlights included Mephiston going nuts and killing a grey hunter squad, twc lord, and some twc before going down. My dice returning and deciding to make up for horrid rolling the game previous. And the general look of surprise on his face as my army dropped down and only scattered 1d6.

At the bottom of 6, he had 3 drop pods left.

NOVA Open - Round 4 Opponent

Michael Johnson with Drop Pod Space Wolves. Great guy, but I'm a little disappointed that I've played 4 marine armies. Ah well.

Pitched Battle deployment, objectives win condition. I won the rolloff and have made him take the first turn.

NOVA Open, Round 3 Results

Got tabled. Lol.

Game highlights include... him playing a strong game, and my dice abandoning me. I made 2+ saves like they were 4+, couldn't hit (like EVER) in assault (master-crafted power weapons? Who has those?), and when I *did* hit, no wounds were forthcoming.

Don't get me wrong, Samuel still played a good game. I think it would have been close going into the last round with the nod going to him for number of units and ability to claim quarters... but as it was - it was U-G-L-Y.

NOVA Open, Round 3

Samuel and his Space Wolves. Funny - he played on table next to me for round 1 and said, "I do NOT want to play your list..."

Karma man, karma.

NOVA Open, Game 2 Results

Won Game 2, objectives win condition.

I had 3 objectives to his 0, 3 table quarters to his 0, and 1695 vp to his 640.

Highlights included him never really shooting at Mephiston - so he killed a vehicle a turn. His dreads tying up a couple units of mine for pretty much the whole game (until Mephiston freed one unit at the bottom of 6 to claim the center objective. And Dante's squad shooting his Libby squad, putting enough wounds for the Libby to take a save - who promptly failed it and dies because of Dante's curse... and then the squad fails Ld and ran off the table.

More to come...

Start Game 2

Bob Sinnot - Ultramarines.

Table 9.

NOVA Open, Game 1

Game 1 vs mech Blood Angels.

VP win conditions.

I win 1771 - 570. Plus get 3 (out of 5) to his 0 objectives and 3 table quarters to his one.

Highlights included his Mephiston killing my Mephiston. Me only failing 3 2+ saves all game (out of maybe 60). He only got 3 vindicator shots off and 2 deviated off my squads completely. And him only getting 3 rends total with all his assault cannon shots.

Full(ish) batreps to come when I get back.

Stelek v Dash

... I can't tell who's winning, everything is jumbled on the table. But I can tell you this, it has been a killing field - in slow motion. Holy hell this game is taking long.

Oh btw, I tabled Chumby - but the game was a blast (and not just because I won). But when we ended our game, Stelek v Dash was still on turn 2.

DashOfLiquor

Dash brought his bottle of Morgan to drown his sorrows in his breakdown.

Chest of Gold

My highly sophisticated army transport system. Yes, that is a shoebox.

By the Pricking of My Thumb...

We've arrived in D.C.

Midas Touch

Ack, the gold! Hey, the army was just primed on Sunday.

Super NOVA

I'm about to head home from work to go pack up my army and clothes (in that order of importance) to go to the NOVA Open. Our flight leaves at 6am, so I'm crashing at Andy's house tonight.

I promise some form of pics, batreps, and other coverage - I may even see if I can figure out how to do some of it from my phone over the weekend (but I aint promisin nuttin'!). If I can't or don't have the time, then I'll have a fun-filled few days of reporting when I get back.

Nerd Rage

So I have been invited to play in the NOVA Open's Friday Night Fights. I have been paired up against Chumbalaya of Blackjack & Hookers fame. He sent me an email telling me how great it would be to trash "a true follower of Stelek." You know what? Screw you.