Steamroller/Journeyman Results

So, I took second place in overall gameplay points for the Journeyman League. It was quite a shock to me, since I lost most of my games. It's also humbling, since I had the privilege of competing against many great players. If any of you are reading this, thank you. It was quite an honor.

As for the steamroller...things didn't work out as well as I'd planned. My first match was against Cryx. My opponent was running:

• pAsphyxious
• BLT
• Erebus
• Bane Thralls
• (2) Deathripper
• Bile Thralls
• Warwitch Siren
• Necrotech & Scrap Thrall

Needless to say, he had an ass-ton of models on the board. He had a large hill in the center of the board, and I opted to move my Marksman onto it, so I could hit his Deathrippers. Sadly, I wasn't able to really do enough damage to them. I moved the Widowmakers around and tried to take them on as well, while trying to stay out of charge range on BLT. Everyone always seems to concerned with taking out my Widowmakers, but I have had very little success with them. They were continually missing his 'jacks.

I moved the Rifle Corps up, and kept Kovnik Joe behind them to buff them up. I let the Man-o-war Kovnik and the Destroyer hang back. I got Drago and the Juggy into position to feat, but even with boundless charge, I just just out of melee. Both of them attracted some unwanted attention, and Drago was soon down. The Juggy managed to take a good amount of punishment, and was soon covered in attacking Bane Thralls. I took the opportunity to have Vlad to pop BoK (Blood of Kings). He then ran to the other side of the board. He then took the opportunity to finish off the Juggy, and move towards my Destroyer and Kovnik. After some well-coordinated attacks by my Rifle Corps, Vlad walked up to BLT, and sent him packing. By this time, I was low on time, and tried to get Vlad into a good position to either charge Asphyxious, or at least make a last-minute assault before time ran out...or his horde of Bane Thralls caught up. Unfortunately, my timer went off.

It's a shame I didn't have more time. I'd have liked to see the outcome.

We didn't have an even number of people, so I sat the next round out. Technically, that counted as a win. It also gave me a chance to learn about Heavy Gear, which may just be the next game I invest in (sorry Dystopian Wars).

My next game was against Cygnar. My opponent was sporting the sleek, new Storm Strider battle engine. It's a really great-looking model. His list consisted of the following:

• Siege Brisbane
• (2) Defender
• Storm Strider
• Black 13th
• Major Katherine Laddermore
• Alexia, Mistress of the Witchfire

I was quite excited about this match, since I'd been looking forward to seeing both Alexia and the Storm Strider in action. I moved the Marksman and the Widowmakers into position to attempt a shot or two at Brisbane...and to keep them away from the Black 13th. I moved Drago and the Juggy towards his Defenders with Vlad in the midst. The Destroyer and the Kovnik moved towards the side, and well out of range of the Storm Strider. Kovnik Joe and the Rifle Corps moved up the middle.

I completely underestimated Laddermore and Alexia. Laddermore charged into my Widowmakers, and decimated them, with the exception of the unit commander. This allowed Alexia to drop three Thralls, who then got into the mix with the Rifle Corps. This kept me a little off-balance, so I ended up being just out of melee on my charge on feat turn (again). My Rifle Corps made most of their tough rolls, and were able to kill off Alexia's Thralls. By this time I was able to score a decent hit to Brisbane with the Marksman, and get the Destroyer into charge range for one of the Black 13th. Vlad hung back, and look on Alexia and Laddermore. He took some serious damage, but was able to kill Alexia, and un-horse Laddermore. Brisbane rushed up to the Destroyer, and was able to take out his gun, but not his axe.

It was at this point that my opponents timer went off. Technically, I had won the match, but I didn't really feel like I'd won. We chose to play it out, and Vlad was able to take out Laddermore. Brisbane took out the Destroyer, and we both met in the middle. As the dust settled...Vlad stood victorious.

It was a fantastic game.

My next opponent was another Cygnar player, who was running the following:

• pStryker
• Squire
• Stormclad
• Black 13th
• Stormblades w/ UA
• Storm Lances
• Stormsmiths

I'm pretty sure that was everything. Honestly though, all Cygnar seem the same. They're either "Storm-this" or "Hammer-that." It can get confusing.

Fresh off my victory, I chose to through caution to the wind, and play more aggressive. I moved the Marksman up to cover, and failed an attack on his 'jack. I then positioned my Widowmakers to pick off the Stormblades, and stay out of LOS of the Black 13th. I kept the Rifle Corps with Kovnik Joe close by, and the Destroyer with his Kovnik just behind. Vlad, Juggy, and Drago went the other direction.

It was at this time that I remembered the range of the Black 13th, and noticed that my Widowmakers were easily within that range. A well-placed mage storm took three of them out. I passed the command check on my last Widowmaker, which was a good sign that I might be able to salvage the situation. My Juggernaut became a nice target for the Storm Lances, and they were able to bog him down while Drago tried valiantly to get to Stryker. Sadly, Drago didn't last long (curse your ARM 18). I got a nice headshot on one of his Stormblades, and the Juggy took out two Lances. The Destroyer got up close and personal with one of his Black 13th. I decided to use the same strategy that I used in my first game. I rushed around some terrain, and placed Vlad in the midst of his Stormblades. My plan was to chop my way through and towards Stryker. A result of this move was putting Vlad into range of the Stormclad. Vlad eventually fell.

Overall, it was a hell of a tournament. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and had a chance to play against some great people. Hopefully next month's tournament is just as fun.

Steamrollin'

There's a 35 point Steamroller tournament at Dragon's Lair tomorrow. It's a great way to wrap up the Journeyman League. There are no restrictions, so I decided to use the following list:

• pVlad
• Drago
• Juggernaut
• Man-o-war Kovnik
• Destroyer
• Widowmakers
• Widowmaker Marksman
• Kovnik Joe
• Winter Guard Rifle Corps

I've never actually used the Rifle Corps. I have a full unit that's been sitting around for quite some time. I thought I'd toss a half-unit in, and see what they can do. The plan is to marshal the Destroyer to the Kovnik, and have him drop bombards while my Widowmakers and Marksman pick off enemy infantry. The Rifle Corps will get a boost from Kovnik Joe, and drop their suppression fire AOE to funnel wayward units towards a speedy demise. Meanwhile, Vlad, Drago and the Juggy will be running up the field for the win.

That's the plan anyway. We'll see if the reality matches it.

I finished painting Kovnik Joe and Vlad today. I was hoping to get the Rifle Corps finished, and then work on the Man-o-war Kovnik, but time got the best of me. For all of my models, I use Bob Ross black gesso to prime them. I tend to be a bit heavy-handed with the gesso from time to time. For Joe and Vlad, I tried to use two light coats, rather than one ginormous coat. For their bases, I used Elmer's glue and sandbox sand. Once that dried, I used two coats of watered-down Muddy Brown. It's part of Reaper's "Master Series." I prefer Reaper for cloth, because the matte finish is very smooth...and looks like cloth. I'll probably add some flock just before I clear-coat them.

For the base of Joe's coat, I used Greatcloak Gray from P3. I followed that up with some Blood Red by Reaper. The boots, medals, and sword were done in GW paints. The gun handle and Joe's gloves are more Muddy Brown.

I am horrible at faces. I've often thought about contracting them out. Joe has a very expressive face, so it was slightly easier than others have been. I find the Khardic Flesh to be a bit too dark, so I mixed a bit of Morrow White into it, and applied it. I followed that up with some GW Chaos Black for the beard.

For Vlad, I wanted something different than the standard Khador red armor. I went with Chaos Black and Dwarf Bronze, with a little bit of Boltgun Metal.

Vlad's cloth leg things are painted in Blood Red. I was going to use Carnage Red from Reaper, but I liked the way the Blood Red contrasted with the black.

So far, I've only done one light coat of armor wash. I'll probably add a few more to Vlad, so I can dull the bronze a bit more.