Monday, January 10, 2011

HobbyGame: Planetstrike

My friend Jason challenged me to a game of Planetstrike. Planetstrike is a very fun game when used as such. Planetstrike is not for tournament play, but is perfectly suited for campaigns and narrative games.
We played Saturday, January 8th, 2011.
2000 points each. Jason is the Attacker, I am the Defender.
We decided to play the first mission in the Planetstrike book, Planetfall.
For those of you unaware, each fortification is an objective and the player with the most objectives (by models in Base-to-base) wins.
I decided to bring the Eldar, since they were in my car from playing the day before.

-Eldrad
-Maugan Ra
-Prince Yriel
-10 Dire Avengers w/Exarch, Power Weapon and Shimmershield, Defend
-10 Dire Avengers w/Exarch, Power Weapon and Shimmershield, Defend
-10 Dire Avengers w/Exarch, Diresword and Shuriken Pistol, Defend
-8 Harlequins w/8 Harlequins Kisses
-10 Striking Scorpions w/Exarch, Scorpions Claw
-5 Dark Reapers w/Exarch, Eldar Missile Launcher, Fast Shot
-Wraithlord w/Wraithsword, Eldar Missile Launcher
-Wraithlord w/Wraithsword, Eldar Missile Launcher
-Wraithlord w/Wraithsword, Eldar Missile Launcher

Jason brought his Legion of the Damned.

-Chaplain w/Terminator Armor, Combi-Melta, Meltabombs, Digital Weapons
-Chaplain w/Terminator Armor, Combi-Melta, Meltabombs, Digital Weapons
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Powerfist
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Powerfist
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Meltagun, Multi-Melta, Powerweapon
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Meltagun, Multi-Melta, Powerweapon
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Meltagun, Multi-Melta, Powerweapon
-7 Legion of the Damned w/Meltagun, Multi-Melta, Powerweapon

I set up terrain using a Fortress of Redemption and 2 Bastions with a big ruin between them. This is shown in the photo below.
For my stratagems, I put a void shield on the tower, and a power generator on the Lascannon portion of the Fortress. I had an escape hatch ready on the gray bunker and a krak attack for when Jason Deep Striked his forces.

Jason chose the long table edge as his "DZ", but it was irrelevant. I set up my forces, I put a Dire Avenger squad in each annex of the Fortress. In the tower, I placed Eldrad, Yriel, Maugan Ra, and the Dark Reapers. I placed the Scorpions in the darker Bastion and the Harlequins in the gray bastion with the Escape Hatch. I deployed my last squad of Dire Avengers in the ruins between the Bunkers manning 2 interceptor auto-cannons.
Two photos of my deployment.


Jason informed me that he was using the Stratagem, "Approaching Absolute Zero" which is a Stratagem from GW's website that reduced the Armor Save of all units by 1. It also lowers the Armor Value of all Vehicle units by 1. Ouch.
Jason then launched his Firestorm, of which he received seven shots.
He manages to put two wounds on the Yellow Wraithlord next to the Fortress.
He then commences the Planetstrike
Turn 1:

Jason: 4 of 6 units arrive from reserves. ( 3 Multi-Melta, Melta(MM/M) and a Heavy Flamer/Flamer (HF/F unit plus Chaplain).
I unleash the Krak Attack and kill 1 from one of the MM/M Squads.
The Interceptor guns manage a monstrous 6 casualties on another MM/M squad.
Jason then unleashes another of his stratagems, "Teleport Attack" on my main tower.
Maugan Ra, Yriel, and the Dark Reaper Exarch all die. (~450 points, ouch.)
Jasons Multi-Meltas then explode the Lascannon Annex, 3 Dire Avengers die in the explosion.
Another MMM squad puts the last wound on the wounded Wraithlord, he dies.
The HF/F squad and Chaplain combine to kill two more Dire Avengers.

Me: I doom 2 squads and Guide the Dark Reapers. I pop the "Escape hatch" and the Harlequins run out towards the 6-man MM/M squad. The Dark Reapers and Dire Avengers combine to kill all of the HF/F squad except for the Flamer and Chaplain, who takes a wound.
The Harlequins charge and wipe out everyone from the wounded MM/M squad except the MM model himself, the Harlequins lose 1 model.

Two pictures from the bottom of Turn 1:


Turn 2:

Jason: The last two squads of Reserves arrive for Jason (MM/M and HF/F + Chaplain)
They get excellent Deep Strike rolls.
The MM's remove the void shield from the tower and stun the tower.
The Heavy Flamer and Chaplain kill 4 Dire Avengers, only the Exarch remains.
The newly arrived unit of HF/F+Chaplain charge the Harlequins.
The Harlequins kill the final MM model out of one of the original MM/M squads, but they lose 3, break, and run off the board.

Me: The Dire Avengers hop out of the Missile Annex. The gray Wraithlord moves up towards a MM/M squad. The Dire Avengers roll awesome and kill all of the HF/F+C squad except for the HF, the Fist Sergeant, and the Chaplain (who has a wound). The wraithlord double flames the MM/M squad and kills two. He then charges in and does nothing 0-0 draw.

Two pictures from the bottom of turn 2.


Turn 3:

Jason: Jason separates his Chaplain off towards the Dire Avenger Exarch, the Fist Sergeant and HF move toward the Wraithlord. The Chaplain bolters the Exarch to death. The Fist and HF charge the Wraithlord, but miss. The Wraithlord also misses. 0-0 Draw.

Me: Eldrad fortunes his squad. He Dooms the Fist/HF unit and the MM/M unit.
The Automated weapons kill the Chaplain. The Dire Avengers kill a bolter and Melta from the MM/M squad, the Autocannons and Reapers finish off the rest.
In the assault, neither of us do anything to each other.

Two pictures from the bottom of Turn 3:



Turn 4:

Jason: The Chaplain uses his Combi-Melta to remove the Interceptor gun from the Tower. He then assaults it and Meltabombs it into a wreck. The assault is still 0-0.

Me: I guide the Dire Avengers. They kill the Chaplain. Eldrad Mind Wars the MM guy to death. The Dire Avengers assault the HF but nether do any wounds.
The second Wraithlord enters the fray. They kill the Fist and HF.

Two pics from the bottom of Turn 4:



Turn 5 and on: All of Jasons models are locked in assault. The Dire Avengers kill the HF on his turn 5. After that it is just the Wraithlords punching the Legion of the Damned, but at the end, Jason did not lose every model.

I end up controlling three objectives to Jason's zero.
Here are 3 pictures from the end of the game:




1 comment:

Unknown said...

These strategems that Jason used sound completely ridiculous. Talk about gamebreaking.