Adepticon 2010 After-Action Report

I returned from the great convention in the Midwest of the USA known as Adepticon 6 days ago and it has taken this long for me to catch my breath! To sum up in the briefest way possible, wow.

Fear not intrepid reader, I will not leave you wanting for more information, I am here to blog, describing how the DTP did in the tournaments, and to provide pictures of the amazing things seen. Over on the Gamers Lounge podcast you can hear me waxing philosophically on events that happened along with listen to the interviews we conducted with some amazing guests during the weekend. Here, however, we duck our heads and focus on the DTP, less the Autarchs decide we would make the fitting sacrifice as the next young king.

I will be sharing pictures I took at Adepticon as we continue on through this post, but for a quick reference now, you can see the whole set of 150 pictures here on Flickr. Now on to the report.

The Dead Tau Project took part in 2 tournaments during Adepticon 2010, the Friday Combat Patrol and the Sunday 40K Championship. I was also lucky enough to get in a late Friday night game vs CSwizzy of Dice Like Thunder fame and his Black Templars.

Combat Patrol
So Friday found me in the room with 400 points of Eldar for Combat Patrol. Combat patrol had 3 very interesting missions and I had 3 excellent games with great opponents. I ended up placing slightly above the middle of the field at 26th out of 59 players. I scored 40 battle points out of a possible 90 points. I also (apparently) maxed my sports and paint score with 9 points in each. I am not entirely clear on how ties were broken on these, although I do know there was a Players Choice selection during the tournament.



Game 1
My first game was vs Anton and his Crimson Fists. I did not grab a copy of Anton's list, as (if I remember correctly) he was notified at the last minute that he had made it into combat patrol and he was not completely prepared. The mission was as follows:

• Deployment - 12 inch deployment zones across the "long table edge".
• Special Rules - Established Defenses - Outflanking units may not enter the table from the enemy deployment zone. Each Deep Striking model or vehicle arriving inside the enemy deployment zone must take an immediate Dangerous Terrain test (failing on a 1 or 2).
• Primary Objective - Breakthrough - Have at least one scoring unit wholly within your opponents deployment zone. 
• Primary Bonus Points - 
• Draw them out: if your opponent has no units or vehicles in his deployment zone at the end of the game
• Hold the line: if your opponent has no scoring units wholly within your deployment zone at the end of the game
• Only the strong: if your most expensive unit is in your opponents deployment zone at the end of the game
• Secondary Objective - Dead Soldiers can't fight back: The player with the most kill points wins secondary objective
• Seconday obejctive bonus points:
• Crush their spirits: if you destroy your opponents most expensive unit
• Crush their skulls: if you destroy an enemy unit within your deployment zone at any point during the game
• Self-preservation: limit your opponent to only scoring 1 or less kill points

This was an interesting game, as by the start of turn 3 I had killed his sternguard and we both thought the game was well in hand for me to win. Then, during the end of turn 3 both my Bikes and Dire Avengers failed leadership checks and broke, running from the board. This left me with 1 unit remaining, which was a non-scoring unit. This game ended as a hard fought win to Anton.



Game 2
Games 2 found me facing Josh's Eldar. Once I met my opponent and saw his army, I was very excited about playing this game. In my local area I get very few chances to play against other Eldar players, so I have very limited experience playing against them. Here was a chance to truly match my Autarch's prowess against another Autarch!
Josh brought a heavy walker list, as follows:

Troops

5x Dire Avengers
5x Dire Avengers

Heavy

2x War Walkers's (ScatLsr, StarCan / ScatLsr, ScarLsr)
1x War Walker (StarCan, StarCan / StarCan, StarCan)
1x War Walker (StarCan, StarCan / StarCan, StarCan)


The mission was as follows:

• Deployment - Table Quarters, 4 objective markers
• Primary Objective -Control the Depots: claim more objective markers at the end of the game than your opponent. If both players fail to claim any objective markers, then score this objective as a loss for both players (not a draw).
• Primary Bonus Points - 
• Cheap and Dirty: if your least expensive scoring unit controls or contests an objective marker at the end of the game
• Work for it: claim or contest more than one objective marker at the end of the game
• Lead by example: Have your commander within 3" of a controlled or contested objective marker at the end of the game
• Secondary Objective - Costly Units: destroy the opposing players most expensive unit.
• Secondary objective bonus points:
• Sever the head: If you destroyed your opponents comander
• No enemy too small: Destroy the opposing players least expensive unit
• There is no glory in hiding: You decline to take any cover saves (including obscured) throughout the entire game

I knew this would be a tough match-up as I needed to eliminate his Avengers while knocking out his walkers. Through the game I was able to unleash a bladestorm against one walker, immobilizing it, Destructor the squadron, blowing up one of the walkers and then assault the remaining walker to witchblade it into a wreck. I was also able to unload my own scatter-laser walkers into his Avengers, wiping out one squad and maneuvering for the other. He successfully eliminated my bikes and warlock while only picking apart a couple dire avengers. At the end of the game I had made a play to stretch my avengers across 2 objectives to pick up a 2 to 1 win. I ended up about an inch short and did not pull it off, leaving the game at a tie.



Game 3
Games 3 found me facing Dan's Imperial Guard. I should point out that through the day the star of most armies appeared to be the IG Hydra Flak Tank. I was relieved to see I would not have to face one of these during my game vs IG.

Dan's list, as follows:

Troops

Vets w/ Shot Guns, Power weapon, Bolt Pistol, 2x Flamers, Heavy Flamer
Chimera w/ hunter killer
Pernal Legion

Heavy

Medusa

The third mission was very different. See as follows:

• Special - Before deployment zones are determined, both players secretly select a primary mission objective from the 3 below. Declare the primary mission to your opponent.
• Deployment - Per mission: 
• Mission 1: Take and Hold - 12 inch deployment zones along "long table edge"
• Mission 2: Assassinate - Table Quarters
• Mission 3: Disrupt and Report - 1/2 board deployment
• Primary Objective -
• Objective 1: Take and Hold - after your deployment place 3 objective markers outside of your deployment zone, at least 12 inches apart. You must claim or contest two or more objective markers at the end of the game to win the primary mission.
• Objective 2: Assassinate - destroy the opposing players most expensive unit
• Objective 3: Disrupt and Report - have at least one scoring unit wholly within your opponents deployment zone at the end of the game
• Primary Bonus Points - 
• Clear the LZ: have no enemy units within any part of your deployment zone at the end of the game
• Error on the side of carnage: achieve the 'Wipeout' criteria as described in the warhammer 40K rulebook by the end o turn 4
• Forward Base: Have your most expensive scoring unit finish over 50% starting strength wholly within your opponents deployment zone
• Secondary Objective - Get Some!: stop your opponent from accomplishing his primary mission
• Secondary objective bonus points:
• Mission's FUBAR, Kill Everything: if you did not win your primary mission and have more kill points than your opponent.
• Dead in his Grave: if you destroyed your opponents commander within his/her deployment zone
• Self-preservation: limit your opponent to zero kill points

This game went against Dan throughout the 5 turns we played. I chose Assassinate, with his Medusa ending up as the target while Dan chose Disrupt. I had bottom of the turn and reserved everything, leaving two turns for him to spend along on the board. His penal legion came in and shot at my Avengers, who promptly failed a leadership check and ran off the back of the board. This left the legion open to the bike squad and warlock's destructor. My walkers outflanked onto the board and promptly knocked the guns off his Medusa. After some maneuvering, I knocked the medusa out with some well placed rear shots. His Chimera immobilized itself rolling into difficult terrain in my deployment zone. At the end of turn 5, I fired my last shots and ended up winning via wipe-out conditions. Dan was a great opponent, and after a very minor hiccup we had an excellent game!

Sum total, I really enjoyed my combat patrol games, even though I apparently played them backwards (starting with a big loss, then a tie, then a massacre). These games were the first time I have failed so many leadership checks and had so much of my small army run off the table.

I certainly plan to play again next year. Hopefully the Eldar codex will be updated by then (although I think it is very competitive in 400 points now). If not, it will be a tough call to take Dark Eldar (who should be getting a new Dex this year) or the DTP.

I will get the Championship coverage posted tomorrow!