750 pt. Escalation

[Walk]

Hey so I'm doing an escalation league (very open rules). The 500 pt game came as a close loss that came down to his ability to make 11 4+ saves out of 11 in a turn and my inability to save a thing. So I'm running a similar list but bulked up this time. This is what I was thinking (note there is a lot of cheese going on this league so I don't feel bad about my hq).

Hq:
Pask in punisher
-lascannon
-Exterminator buddy
-heavy bolter sponsors

Pts:370

Troops:
Infantry Platoon
-two squads with auto cannon in each
-auto cannon in pcs

Vet squad
-3 flamers
-chimera transport

Pts:300

Fast attack:
Scout sentinel
-auto cannon
Scout sentinel
-auto cannon

Pts:80

Total:750


The basic plan is for the small blob squad to camp back in a building with the pcs and just harass the enemy, hopefully drawing any close combat units away from my tanks (unlikely I know but it has happened several times). The vets will sit back until later in the game then move forward to flame and claim an objective. Each od the sentinels will out flank and no work rear armor/give line breaker/divert fire for a turn. The tanks will most likely split fire with Pask going after any tanks/transports and his buddy popping transports and hunting infantry.

[cdrwattz]

Hey! I'll just give you my opinion or a few things.

Your HQ is sweet just keep in mind the different ranges on both main guns. they are quit different. I'd put the heavy bolters on the punisher and the lascannon on the exterminator. (or maybe not even run the las cannon)

Your infantry platoon isn't that useful in my opinion. It has too little numbers to be a worry and too little shooting to be a big threat. My suggestion if you're going to use a static gun line would be vets with forward sentries with auto cannon (or whatever heavy weapon you'd prefer) or have a massive combined arms squad.

Vets are awesome because of their bs4. Its kinda waste to give em flamers.

As for sentinels I would avoid them. 10 armour all round with bs3... hitting 50% of the time. I don't like them.

Just my opinion.

Here's a alternate list:

HQ:

Leman Russ Punisher - Pask, Heavy bolters sponsons.
Leman Rus Exterminator

CCS - Auto Cannon, Chimera. (Senior officer orders are amazing - Tank hunters/monstrous creature hunter - ignores cover!)

Troops:
Vets, Forward Sentries, Auto Cannon
Vets, Forward Sentries, Auto Cannon (Put both squads in cover and they get plus 1 for camo cloaks)

That leaves 115 points for you to play with. You could even insert those sentinels back in and upgrade some of those auto cannons to a missile launcher or lascannon.

Hope this helps!
Good Luck and let us know how you go.

-Cdr.Wattz-

[Walk]

Spot on. My game got pushed to today instead of this weekend so I am just now reading this, but most or your changes would have definitely helped. I ended up playing another guard player (our resident guru for all things guard) who brought either 3 or 4 vet squads (two in chimera), a ccs with a psyker in chimera, and additional psyker by himself, and a manticore. I actually faired very well militarily (I killed all the chimeras early and one complete squad plus a few extras) but wasn't mobile enough to secure all the objectives I needed to. He also rolled two 6s on the "roll d3 victory points" cards which is what screwed me in the end. I ended up only losing a tank and two guardsmen but lost by 3 victory points.

[cdrwattz]

Ahhh! I've never actually played maelstrom missions. They defiantly seem to lean more toward mobile armies. You might just wanna hold onto those sentinels in that case. All good thou, probably all my suggestions and a advise are nothing compared to the experience you gained playing.

How did his manticore fair? I've thought about buying one for a while now.

So what's next? Another 750 point game? Different list? Or do you move up in points?

Remember, if you win you'll be happy and if you loose you will learn! (it's a win win!)

-Cdr.Wattz-

[Walk]

Next up is 1000pts and we do not have to build on our current list. Like I said, this escalation has very lax rules as it is just meant to be a friendly competition. The only thing new is that at this level we can now bring flyers and lords of war so my vendetta may be making an appearance. Also, his manticore rolled very poorly but still managed to pop both of my tanks. I actually run one quite a bit in bigger games and have had a lot of success with it. D3 strength 10 large blasts are definitely useful.

[cdrwattz]

Make sure you let us know what your new 1000 point list is and how you go in your next game.

Yeah I'll probably end up getting a manticore down the road.

[cdrwattz]

Any updates on your escalation league?

[Walk]

Unfortunately kind of fizzled out with school starting for the youngins and dealing with school starting for the older ones (I fortunately fit in the middle). My 1000 point game was against another guard player (again) and this time came off as a resounding victory for my Tracian forces. If memory serves me I fielded a similar list as at 750 but with added hell hound and an extra squad with chimera in the platoon (this one acted separately from the main blob and was used to grav objectives as needed). We played maelstrom again so it was all about drawing the right cards.

He was running a very mobile mech force backed by a manticore (similar style as the previous player) with Yarrick as his hq and a psyker or two for good luck. I also found some points for an armored sentinel with plasma cannon as I wanted to try one out, knowing full well that it usually underperforms. Well not this game, it kept the manticore pinned down for the first 2 turns with 2 penetrating hits (despite being in 4+cover which my autocannons could not get through) which caused it to snapfire and thus not allowing it to shoot off its missles. Then turn three it scrapped the final glancing hit needed, thus making back it's points nearly 3 fold.

Other than that, my pask in punisher and his exterminator buddy ripped open his transports early (I was rolling well and he was not) and the hell hound and flamer vets mopped up what came out. His Yarrick attempted to charge with his squad towards my vets chimera but, not only did they fail their charge, but the two shots I got to put out in overwatch (just found out embarked units can fire over watch from the firing ports) put two wounds on Yarrick, neither of which was saved somehow and only one was "look out sir"ed. The blob held one objective that I drew twice while pouring autocannon fire into his transports, immobilizing one turn one. I ended up beating him something like 13 to 4. One of my better games I must say though I really have to thank both of our dice rolls.