Last friday was my friend Jay's birthday, and he wanted to play Apocalypse for the afternoon. I was all for the idea and worked things out to have the afternoon off. So, we ended up with a 4 player Apoc game, 6K per side. Jay showed up with 3K of his Howling Griffons, Chris showed up with 3K of Ultra Marines, and I showed up with 6K of the Dead Tau project. We used some fairly straightforward rules to make sure the Apoc game was fun, and not too far over the top.
- 1 super heavy per side
- 1 flyer per side
- No orbital bombardments or the like
- No flank-march stratagem
We got started and began our afternoon of playing. I will say that although this was only my second game of Apocalypse, I really enjoy playing the games. The large number of models on the table create an environment where when things get interesting and the combat starts, there are so many opportunities for "cinematic moments" that its mind blowing. Also, walking around the tables and seeing the views from different perspectives, all of fully painted terrain and armies, is inspiring for 40K games.
Something about the way Apocalypse is played frees my mind to look at the fun aspects of the game and create opportunities for fun combats as opposed to looking at the tactical means of winning the game. I think part of this is the fact that at larger points, trying to be tactical on the whole board is overwhelming to the point of being absurd. In our game, from my perspective, one of the best moments was watching at the bridge between tables as the Phoenix court of Khaine (my favorite Apoc formation) charged a solid line of marines and tanks, including the disembarked terminators attacking the Avatar. That would have been a fantastic battle to see, had we had the time to play on into the next turns.
At the end of the day, the most important goal was achieved. We all had fun, we got to field some truly large models (2 titans on the table), and everyone left having enjoyed a day of 40K. I realize this makes me sound a bit like Jervis in his Standard Bearer articles, but I have to admit I am starting to find that side the most important part of my games lately.
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I would have loved to see this battle, the phoenix court scrap would have been immense! As an eldar player, seeing such a huge army of them on the board would be a true sight (especially as my army is much smaller and unfortunately largely unpainted) as in my opinion the eldar have some of the most beautiful models in the range, especially their vehicles.
ReplyDeleteI agree that having fun is the most important part, but I would be interested to know who won the battle? A victory for the glorious eldar host or did the foul monkeigh steal the day from us?
Its funny, but I was not really focused on who was going to win by the end of the game. Most likely the Marines won the game. From a discussion standpoint, they were the winners as 1. They were probably going to win and 2. I made the comment at the end of that game that because it was Jay's birthday, and we were ending when we did, They were going to win anyway.
ReplyDeleteWe never actually took the time to add up objectives at the end, and the Eldar did not do everything during the final turn and the Marines never took their final turn.
Next up, Bill vs Chris, the apocalypse game which determines once and for all which is the lesser of two weevils.
ReplyDeletewhat have ur eldar got against tau hahaha
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