6 Nations Round 1: Norn Iron

Or Northern Ireland as most people would know them. Following on from FIFA there's two teams from the island of Ireland. Thankfully, as the song suggests, they're not Brazil they're Northern Ireland: at the ETC they finished lower than Ireland last year so we were reckoned we could beat them but it looked a hard task as their armies looked impressive on paper.

I'll take the time now to thank the Nordie team for actually allowing the game to go ahead. I'd gone with Eoin, Caolán, Chris, and some of the boyos from Way-ells the night before and ended up drinking gin & o.j. till half 11 before stumbling off home. My phone died when I got back and fell asleep on the couch so I slept in as I had no alarm, had a quick shower and a puke, rang a taxi and headed up there. When I finally arrived 45 mins later I made my apologies and was told that the Nordies' Dave Mc was still willing to throw dice even though they were fully entitled to take a 20-0 win (I wouldn't have complained to be honest).

So thanks again to Captain Jonny and the lads, but especially Dave, for their patience.



Game 1 vs Dave McCurdy's BA.
Primary: 5 Objectives
Secondary: KP
Deployment: Pitched Battle

Dave's list was from memory:
Libby with Rage, Shield
2 Priests
Dakka Dread
2 x Furrys with Magna-grapple, 2 Claws, EA in Pods
3 x 5 Lasplas Razor Assault Squads with Melta
5 man RAS Pod squad with Melta
2 Baals with Asscan and Heavy Bolters
Dread with Missile Launcher and Asscan

Mine was:

HQ
1:Wolf Lord (100) Thunder Hammer (30) Storm Shield (30) Saga of the Bear (35) Runic Armour (20) Thunderwolf Mount (45) [260]
2:Wolf Lord (100) Wolf Claw (20) Storm Shield (30) Runic Armour (20) Thunderwolf Mount (45) [215]
3:Wolf Lord (100) Frost Axe (25) Storm Shield (30) Saga of the Warrior Born (35) Runic Armour (20) Thunderwolf Mount (45) [255]
4:Wolfguard Battle Leader (70) Power Fist (25) Storm Shield (30) Thunderwolf Mount (45) [170]

Elite
1: Wolf Guard
3 Wolf guard (54) Power Fist (75) Combi-Melta (15)
1 Wolf guard (18) Combi-Plasma (5)
[152]

Troop 1: 5 Grey Hunters (75) Meltagun (5) Wolf Banner (10) [90] in Transport 1
Troop 2: 5 Grey Hunters (75) Meltagun (5) Wolf Banner (10) [90] in Transport 2
Troop 3: 5 Grey Hunters (75) Meltagun (5) Wolf Banner (10) [90] in Transport 3
Troop 4: 5 Grey Hunters (75) Plasmagun (10) [85] in Transport 4

Fast 1: 11 Fenris Wolves (88) [88]

Heavy 1: 5 Long Fangs (100) 4 Rockets (40) [140]

Transport 1: Rhino [35]
Transport 2: Rhino [35]
Transport 3: Rhino [35]
Transport 4: Rhino [35]

[1750]

Dave had 1st turn and choice of table. I didn't get any photos as I'd forgotten my camera so you'll have to use your imaginations for once.

There were 5 objectives scattered across the board. Dave put his shooty Dreads in a wood on my right, his Baals on my left and his Lasbacks in the middle of his lines.

I deployed everything but 2 Rhino squads near the centre so they could make a last turn dash for coins. The Fangs were in the middle of my backline and the TWC would be able to race through anything that dropped. Like his 2 Furiosos with a pair of Snippy claws and magna-grapples. And Meltas.

The Furries both dropped turn 1 and did sweet FA to my tanks/Fangs so I nuked one with Meltas while the Hammer Lord rushed the other. After 3 turns of combat the Lord was fighting a 1-armed Furry, took a wound, rolled a 10 and ran off the board. The same turn the WGBL took a wound from a Furioso, blew it up and died in the explosion. Very, very shitty.

He held them both up for 4 rounds of combat. Legend.

I was able to chew through the Lasbacks and Preds with the TWC gradually before they died and because I was targeting Dave's Troops with mine he was down to 2 at the bottom of Turn 5. It went on.

He carved through one of the Hunters with his Libby, Sang Priest and RAS. I had 1 objective and 1 contested and one of my hero Wolf Guard managed to take out another scoring unit while being pummelled by 3 Marines and 2 Dreads on my right. As a result Dave was now down to 1 Troop. I had a win if it ended but it went on. Sigh.

He killed off a squad and Libby but not Father Ted.

A 7th turn meant that the Libby, Sang Priest and 2 Marines were able to reach my Grey Hunters on the objective on my left and a Razor moved to contest the objective near the centre which my Plasma squad were parked on. Despite casting Rage the Libby & co fluffed their attacks and I managed to whittle them down to a solitary Sang Priest that had to take an armour save. Which Dave failed. But then passed with FNP. It was down to the Plasma Hunters rushing the Lasback but they fluffed it.

As a result we tied on Primary but Dave won the Secondary despite losing 2 KP in his last turn. I suppose it was only fitting that he managed to get the win. Karma and all that. After adding up all the other scores for the round we'd managed a draw.

Short and sweet. Onto round 2 with the Barbarians.