Blue Hawk Down - EA Battle Report

So Tim and I had our final game for a while (back in early March) as he’s moving away. I felt so sorry for him having to move that I let him win… maybe not.

So it was a 3000pts tournament game, Tim Biel Tan, me Air Assault Space Marines, so no surprises there.

Tim had finished some Epic scenery and dumped it on the table, forming a little bazzar in the center. Later on in the game there was a satori regarding the movie Black Hawk Down and the bazzar in that. 

Hence the name of this BR.

Set up occurred with no great surprises. 

I set up my SC Tactical formation on my Blitz in a corner (not realising it was no longer my BTS as it was in the 4000pt army I’d been recently playing) and kept the Warlords and Land Speeders close enough to lend a hand if any first turn madness occurred against my Blitz.

Tim set up in a beautiful symmetrical pattern around his own Blitz, erring on the side of defense should I unleash any first turn madness.

First turn started with teleports on both sides (didn’t realise you put one unit down at a time – meh), and madness was unleashed.

Terminators awaiting the initiative roll.

We rolled for intiative with breath baited, my intention was to come in hard on the first turn and continue rolling up Tim’s force from (my) right to left. Everything depended on the first turn initiative roll; and I lost it.

It was a good game, if a little short, but it pretty much ended there and then for the Marines.

So Tim shoots the Terminators with his Revenants, wiping out the entire captain’s formation, then engages the remaining formation with the Avatar.

I rolled like a trooper needing '3s' for macro weapon close combat...

Oh yes I did! Then this happened...

Broken remnants of the Terminators run away into the nearest ruins.

Desperate to do something I broke with my plan and came in on the other side of Tim’s army – why? I have no idea. Will I ever learn? But at least took out his tanks.

Then this happened and I was down a Thunderhawk and two formations of Devestators as well – crikey!

I conceded at the end of turn one as my main offensive units and half my army had been shredded, but Tim has an evil and unsportsmanlike streak and made us play on.

At the beginning of turn two the table looked like this.

Stuff happened and the SMs were being worn down. Tim got my BTS taking out the Warhound pair.

At the beginning of turn three the table looked like this.

Then in the last activation Tim landed an awesome looking Eldar lander and I didn’t get a pic of it! But alas there was a massive assault over my Blitz which destroyed my Supreme Command Tactical formation and gave Tim the Blitz – but only just, as he nearly broke himself in the process.

But it is Epic and that was an epic way to end the last turn of the last game we’ll have for a while. 6-0 to Tim.

I’m not going to whine about the Marines this time (I had already had a wee cry before hand, asking Tim not to bring a developmental list). I was happy facing what Tim put on the table and it seemed a manageable match. If the initiative roll had gone the other way, I’m pretty sure it would have been a close game. Them’s the dice.

One of the things I should have have spent a bit more thought on was forming the army list. I’d just taken a 4000pt list and sliced bits off to make a 3000pt list. Not a good idea, all sorts of things happen, like only having three formations on the table in the first turn. Like the BTS switching to an offensive formation – the Warhounds.

But this speaks volumes about resilience.

This was the only SM unit left on the board. A loan Terminator which had sucked up at least 7 activations as Tim tried to destroy it outright; from turn one no less. I feel a Terminator list coming on.

I’ll miss you Tim. Be safe out there on the roads!