NOVA Open (Thursday)

Thursday night I played in the Whiskey Challenge match against Andrew E. Sutton.
I had thought about taking Footdar (Foot Eldar) to this match. Then, I thought to myself what I would accomplish bringing Footdar. Answer? Nothing. I would likely lose, as they are not that great of an army; I could blame a loss on "playing footdar". I decided to challenge myself and bring my NOVA Open list. Here it is:

Command Platoon w/3 Plasma Guns, Astropath, Officer of the Fleet
Chimera w/Hull Heavy Flamer
10 Veterans w/3 Meltaguns
Chimera w/Hull Heavy Flamer
10 Veterans w/3 Meltaguns
Chimera w/Hull Heavy Flamer
Platoon Command w/3 Flamers
Chimera w/Hull Heavy Flamer
Infantry Squad w/Autocannon, Flamer
Chimera
Infantry Squad w/Autocannon, Flamer
Chimera
Infantry Squad w/Autocannon, Flamer
Chimera
Special Weapons Squad w/3 Meltaguns
20 Conscripts
Valkyrie w/Multiple Rocket Pods
Vendetta
Vendetta
Leman Russ Demolisher w/Hull Heavy Flamer
Manticore w/Hull Heavy Flamer
Manticore w/Hull Heavy Flamer

Andrew E. Sutton's list:
(Wait, isn't that Stelek from YesTheTruthHurts.com? Well, no. While Andrew is indeed the Stelek from that site, I feel like I played and hung out with an entirely different person. Andrew was fun, talkative, interactive, and pleasant. A big departure from his Internet persona, in my opinion)

Wolf Guard Battle Leader w/Thunderwolf Mount, Powerfist, Storm Shield
8 Wolf Guard w/8 Combi-Meltas, 2 Powerfists (Fists w/Wolf Scouts, others with Grey Hunters)
Razorback
5 Wolf Scouts w/Meltagun
5 Wolf Scouts w/Meltagun
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
5 Grey Hunters w/Meltagun
Razorback
1 Thunderwolf Cavalry w/Powerfist, Storm Shield
1 Thunderwolf Cavalry w/Powerfist, Storm Shield
5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers
Razorback
5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers
Razorback
5 Long Fangs w/4 Missile Launchers
Razorback

Andrew and I played a Dawn of War, Annihilation as Primary
Our game was captured on the 11th Company Podcast (Which was awesome, BTW)
I went first and Deployed nothing, Andrew deployed a Thunderwolf HQ out of line of sight.

I moved all of my stuff on Turn 1. I went up the middle with all of my vehicles and brought the conscripts in behind them to bubblewrap against the inevitable Wolf Scout bum rush. Andrew then moved his Razorback Horde on the board followed by the Long Fangs. In my first turn, I killed about 3 Long Fangs(?) and nothing else, despite trying very hard. In Andrews next turn, both Wolf Scouts arrived, much to the dismay of the Officer of the Fleet. He destroyed all 3 fliers, Pinned the Special Weapons Team, Exploded a Chimera, killing 7 of the Veterans and breaking them, and then wrecked another Chimera. It was kind of downhill from here. Andrew easily defeated me. (I conceded at the Bottom of Turn 4, or top of Turn 5.)

I made a huge mistake in my deployment. Coming on the board into the center allowed Andrew to get side shots with around 6 Heavy Bolter Razorbacks. They accounted for a lot of the Chimera/Infantry destruction. This was my first game with this complete list. (Although I had played several at 1500) and served as a valuable lesson in what not to do. Had I refused a flank, I could have limited the efficacy of the Heavy Bolter Razorbacks. In the next 8 games, I did not make this mistake again. I actually thanked Andrew on Sunday for that lesson.

Andrew, you were an excellent opponent, and it was great to meet you.

-Mike