You might have seen me talking about the list I was taking to an event the weekend of the 16th August – no fusion pistols, no transports, mostly foot slogging harlequins! Well the event is done and dusted and I had a pretty great weekend… lets take a look at the games!
Game 1 – Sweep and Clear (pg52 GT2020)
The pairing gave me one of the best players in the room for round 1 – playing an army he was extremely comfortable and familiar with – Custodes. We tend to play at each event we both attend at some point and it’s about even for who wins. It’s a small, elite force and that culexus will be a pain. Secondaries are picked – he took Grind them Down, Raise the Banners and Direct Assault for his secondaries while I went Engage on all Fronts, Raise the Banners and Direct Assault. Basically, the same missions except I wanted board control and he wanted to kill more of me than I did of him.
Strategic reserves see him put the terminators and venatari into reserve. We roll off and he gets to pick the board edge and then gets first turn… On to the list.
Patrol (Adeptus Custodes – Dreadhost)
HQ: Captain-General Trajann Valoris
HQ: Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike : w/ Hurricane Bolter, Misericordia
Captain-Commander : Indomitable Constitution, Warlord: Superior Creation, Relic: Auric Aquilis
Elite: Culexus Assassin – Agents of the Imperium (no slot)
Troops: Custodian Guard Squad : 3 Custodians w/ Sentinel Blade and Storm Shield
Troops: Custodian Guard Squad : 3 Custodians w/ Sentinel Blade and Storm Shield
Elites: Aquilon Custodians : 6 Aquilon Custodian w/ Lastrum Storm Bolter, Solarite power Gauntlet
Elites: Vexillus Praetor : w/ Storm Shield, Misericordia, Vexilla Magnifica
Fast Attack: Venatari Custodians : 5 Venatari Custodians w/ Kinetic Destroyer and Tarsus Buckler and 2 Misericordia
Heavy Support: Telemon Heavy Dreadnought : w/ Illiastus Accelerator Culverin, Spiculus Bolt Launcher, Telemon Caestus, Twin Plasma Projector, Eternal Penitent
The game started well with just the telemon able to engage me at range and then failing to wound the void weaver it targeted thanks to the shadowseers auras. The custodes had spread out to claim objectives but left themselves outside of the centre objective – I assume to avoid a charge T1 from the clowns. I had deployed centrally behind the largest LoS blocker and had made sure that I could reach multiple objectives T1 and set up T2 and T3 pressure. At the start of my opponents T1 I had also heroes path’d my expendable trio of heroes which allowed me to score Engage on all fronts with ease for 3 points in my own T1. Speaking of my T1, I poured fire and psychic into the Telemon and ended up having to charge it with the solitaire and Shadowseer who (in classic fashion for my solitaires) left the darn thing on a single wound AND it then hit and wounded the solitaire twice, I failed both 3++ saves and he died. Typical solitaire for me.
In his T2 he left the telemon in combat with the shadowseer and reduced her to a single wound in the shooting phase. The terminators dropped in and combine with the bike captain saw a squad of my bikes dead and a second down 1 model. The Venatari also deployed, killed 2 void weavers with shooting and then charged a squad of harlequins. They killed 3 but lost 3 in reply thanks to the Troupe Master aura. The seer survived the combat with the telemon and then bopped it on the head to kill it in his t2. My T2 I press the attack with the troupes making charges across the table though I did leave 1 big squad behind to help try and hold back the terminators. The 5 remaining bikes joined the shadowseer and charged the vexilla while the 3 troupes charged the 2 custodian guard squads backed by my shadowseer main and the troupe master. I killed both squads and reduced the vexilla to a single wound. The venatari also all died to the troupe master in a single round of epic death dealing.
T3 the terminators gunned down the death jester (who was trying desperately to hide to keep holding an objective) and then charged the big squad in my back field wiping them out, while the bike captain charged my 5 bare troupe only to manage just 1 kill. Trajann managed to slay the shadowseer on 1 wound but that didn’t save the vexilla from the bikes. My T3 and I charge Trajann and the culexus with a wall of clowns killing both. All that’s left is the terminators and bike captain. T4 he kills off the small squad of basic troupe with the bike captain but the terminators only mange to kill 6 of 10 in the troupe they charge who then pass morale. My T4 I throw my weight into the terminator unit delivering 150+ attacks and reduce them from 6 to a single model on 1 wound – who then fails morale and flees! T5 the bike captain catches and kills the last void weaver but its all about the secondaries for me so I ignore him and max out Engage on all fronts and Direct Assault.
I still had some 25 harlequins, the Troupe Master and Shadow Seer main on the table as well as 3 bikes so had plenty in the way board presence to control the objectives and pick up the win!
Harlequins Win (45/15/5/15) 80 vs Custodes (30/6/2/8) 46
Game 2 – Surround and Destroy (pg44 GT2020)
The pairings gave me another old rival for game 2 – who pretty much always plays guard, or Astra Militarum as they are known these days. He is a born and bred Tread Head to boot so he had tanks… lots and lots of them. No less than 7 Leman Russ Tanks and 6 Hell Hounds! Where did I leave my fusion pistols again? He picked Engage on all Fronts, While we stand we fight and Assassinate while I went Engage on all Fronts, Bring it Down and Deploy Scramblers. No reserves for either of us, I picked the table edge but he went first.
Army Name: “The Foxes Own”
Detachment: Astra Militarum Spearhead
Regiment: CUSTOM – The Foxes Own – Gunnery Experts, Spotter Detail (Psychic Awakening – The Greater Good)
HQ: Tank Commander, Punisher cannon, Lascannon HK Missile, (Warlord – weapons expert) Relic: Kurov’s Aquilla
HQ: Tank Commander , Punisher cannon, Lascannon HK Missile, (Tank Ace – weapons expert
FA: Hellhound x3, Heavy Flamer x3, Inferno Cannon x3
FA: Hellhound x3, Heavy Flamer x3, Inferno Cannon x3
HS: Leman Russ, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon (20)
HS: Leman Russ, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon (20)
HS: Leman Russ, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon (20)
HS: Leman Russ, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon (20)
HS: Leman Russ, Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon (20)
Ok, this could be very very bad for me. Again I popped heroes path and that saw my opponent spread the tanks out to deny my backfield deployment of the trio which left me deploying midfield behind the large LoS blocker – not great but it did move the tanks out of position. Thanks to the range reduction and line of sight, I lost a single troupe from the 5 model squad and that was that! My army surged forwards to the hell hounds who had positioned themselves to block in and delay my army having popped smoke. The first hell hound died to a volley of mortal wounds in psychic then to hallucinogen grenades in the shooting phase. The first demolisher to die did so at the hands of the 9 Bikes while the second hell hound was destroyed by the bikes charge after being reduced to 1 wound from the trio of void weavers. The 2 hell hounds both exploded and the blasts probably managed some 15 mortal wounds between them.
As the game wore on I pushed the right flank forward and managed T2 and T3 to get a number of key charges, killing his warlord and 2 more hell hounds as well as 2 more demolishers and leaving one trapped and surrounded in combat on 1 wound. It hadn’t all gone my way with the bikes all dead and 1 void weaver being downed with a 1 shot lascannon from down town. Closing out the game the remaining 2 void weavers along with the shadowseer main killed his second punisher and the troupe master sacrificed himself to draw out the overwatch allowing my last few troupes (4 and 2 respectively) to finish scramblers as well as wrap the last demolisher. T5 all he could do was get a couple of points for engage on all fronts while I snuck out the kill on the last demolisher to deny him the last 5 points of While we Stand. The game ends and its carnage. 1 hell hound is undamaged while the other is on half wounds. I have the death jester (who spent the whole game chilling earning me 5 points a turn, the shadowseer main, 4 and 2 troupe models left and a pair of half dead void weavers – a super close game.
Harlequins Win (40/11/15/10) 76 vs Astra Militarum (40/6/0/9) 55
Game 3 – Vital Intelligence (pg42 GT2020)
With 2 wins under my belt I was checking the rankings to see what I would end up paired against. 3 Lords of Skulls? Necrons? Emperors Children? Mass Daemons? Sisters? Lots to chose from. Turns out it was Death Watch and yet another veteran of the community. He picks Engage on all Fronts, Deploy Scramblers and Grind them Down for his secondaries while I go Engage on all Fronts, Deploy Scramblers and Data Intercept.
The mass combi plasma, 1 watch captain get in the drop pod while the leviathan and the 10 intercessors decide to teleport in.
I get the choice of deployment zone and for the first time actually get to go first!
++ Battalion Detachment (Imperium – Deathwatch)
+ HQ +
Watch Master : Lord of Hidden Knowledge, Warlord, Tome of the Ectoclades
Watch Master , The Beacon Angelis
+ Troops +
10x Intercessors, 10x Bolt rifle, Intercessor Sergeant: Bolt rifle, Thunder hammer
9x Veterans, 9x Combi-plasma, Storm shield
Veterans Mixed Squad
3x Terminator w/ Cyclone missile launcher, Combi-melta, Power Fist and Meltagun
5x Veteran: Storm Bolter, Storm shield
2x Veteran: Combi-melta, Storm shield
Veterans Mixed Squad
3x Terminator w/ Cyclone Missile Launcher, Storm Bolter, Power sword
6x Veteran: Storm Bolter, Storm shield
+ Heavy Support +
1x Rapier Carrier: Quad launcher, 2x Space Marine Gunner
1x Relic Leviathan Dreadnought, 2x Heavy flamer, 3x Hunter-killer missile, Storm cannon array, Storm cannon array
+ Dedicated Transport +
Drop Pod: Storm bolter
My opponent and I both knew this would be a long shot for him to win. He didn’t have the board control I had nor the numbers. I spent my turn 1 moving to control 5 of the 6 objectives, starting my secondaries, using heroes path to redeploy the heroes three and then wiping out the only squad I could see – the cyclone/sword unit. The Pod lands in his turn 1 and using the beacon he pulls the cyclone melta squad over to the landing site. The combined fire kills 2 units of bikes and the quad launcher kills 1 bike from the 3rd unit.
My T2 and I have 40 troupe models with the full auras from the characters charge the 20 marines and the pod. I couldn’t get the watch master due to the pod sadly. 200 attacks later and the pod and all the marines are dead. The solitaire used blitz this turn to charge the quad launcher and made short work of it. That left 2 watch masters on the table going into his turn 2. A single combat squad of intercessors landed T2 and completed scramblers while the 2 watch masters declared suicidal charges, killed a troupe model or 2 and then died to mass attacks. This was actually an interesting tactic for my opponent – that way he could ensure all I could kill was 1 unit in my next turn and if he could kill 2 he would then score Grind them down. My t3 I spread out across the table, killed the 5 intercessors, scored more secondary points and waited. His T3 the levi drops in as do the last 5 intercessors. The Intercessors land in my deployment zone to complete scramblers. The Levi lands midfield and proceeds to kill my DJ and SSeer from the heroes path trio.
My T4 I line up on the leviathan – I already have max points for primary, scramblers is complete and I know I wont quite max out my other objectives but I had to kill the Leviathan – It was a matter of pride! I used a stratagem to redeploy a squad of harlequins into reserve to arrive next turn (with the hope of killing the last 5 intercessors) and then lined up the last 2 haywire bikes, 3 void weavers, solitaire and away we go. The haywire did 4 wounds but the void weavers were on fire with all 3 lances hitting and wounding reducing it to a single wound and the shuriken cannon on the last void weaver finishing the job. The Leviathan proceeds to go critical, deal 6 mortal wounds to the bikes (dead unit), 6 to the solitaire (dead) and a couple to one void weaver and a nearby troupe. T4 he hides the last 5 intercessors. T5 I drop in the 2 harlequins and then despite rerolls, fail the 9” charge. His T5 he uses a stratagem and guns down 9 harlequins before rolling them in combat when he charges them. Game over but the result isn’t in doubt.
Harlequins Win (45/13/10/13) 81 vs Death Watch (0/0/10/12) 22
Results and final thoughts
So, going 3-0 was a great feeling! I finished 4th of 50 overall with 3 other players scoring more than my 237 (of 270 max) total – the winner being necrons with 260 total! The top 6 were (in order) Necrons, Emperors Children, Craftworld/Harlequins, Harlequins (me!), Sisters of Battle and Triple Lord of Skulls Chaos. All undefeated at the end of 3 games.
I’m really pleased with how the harlequins performed on the weekend and while I assumed I would feel the loss of fusion and transports I never once missed them. Yes the second game might have been a little easier on me but the other 2 games would have been much worse.
Where to from here? More games, hopefully more events and more killer harlequins doing their thing!