BoLSCON: Pre-Tournament Thoughts

On Wednesday, I'll be leaving with a few friends to drive down to sunny (which isn't really very relevant, since we'll be inside the whole time) Austin, TX for Wargames Con.  Last year was a blast, and I really hope this year is as fun.  To add to the excitement, they tacked on an extra one-day tournament (for me, Warmachine/Hordes) on Friday, so that by the end of the weekend, I'll have played 12 total games.  Burned out is going to be a great way to put it :)



Results

Last year, I took 7th overall, with my PDF Blood Angels.  It wasn't exactly a bad result, but certainly not what I wanted.  I was on the 2nd table 3 times, and the 3rd table 2 others (none of which was my first game).  I just couldn't make the breakthrough required by a somewhat shoddy codex, and suffered for it.  This year, my codex is good, so no blaming that, lol.  My current goal is to win the whole thing, of course, but barring that, getting in the top 10 would be good.  If there are more than 160 people playing, it's gonna be pretty tough to get massacres every game to win (and after game 1 at the top table), but I'll certainly try for it. 

The List I'm Taking

As for my list, I'm not 100% sure it's the best Wolves can field, but it has good elements.  The list I'm taking can be found here.

What I've found is against horde/monsterous creature armies, my army does well, since I generally have lots of attacks at comparatively high initiative, and missles tear down MC's pretty quick.  Hordes I can drive up, rapid fire, and then counter-attack the charge pretty easily, and ork trukks are easily handled by Long Fangs.

It's the AV14 I have trouble with, since 6 melta weapons isn't much when you're playing against 2 Land Raiders, especially when I can only use 3 of the melta guns once each.  S10 Thunder Hammers do help even the odds for me quite a bit, however, since with my Thunderwolf squad I'll be getting 11 of them on the charge.  As long as I can pen it once, I have a reasonable chance at at least immobilizing it.  /shrug

Against marine variants, I'm not too worried, since everything in my army can kill marines pretty well, especially the Wolf Lords.  Null Zone will be my worst enemy however, since my storm shields won't do nearly as much good.

Eldar should be interesting, since I haven't played against them yet with this army, though in theory 15 missile launchers can punch through at least one AV12 transport a turn (and shake/stun others).  Tau should also be interesting, since they can play 'stay away' from me until I'm weakened to the point of dying.  Still, Long Fangs should help in that as well, stunning/shaking things and insta-killing suits if they can get LOS.

In other words, I think my list is balanced, though my lack of playtesting might potentially bite me.  My skill as a player will be tested more, since I won't know my army as thorougly as I would like.

Warmachine/Hordes

This should be an interesting event.  5 games, winner of 5 games takes it.  I don't think I've ever won 5 games in a row in Warmachine, especially not timed tournament games.  Still, I'll do what I can.  I'm going to order a Warpwolf Stalker in Austin, and assemble it before the tournament.  Heh, nothing like using models you've never played with before.  At least they won't be factoring in painting for the 'overall' prize.  I expect to have 5 games, and my goal is to win 2 of them.  More than that is... overly optimistic for me, since I really don't play enough to warrant better than that.

The Event Overall

I'm pretty sure it'll be fun.  Last year, it was my favorite tournament by far.  When I went to Adepticon this year (since it attracts so many players) I was pretty buzzkilled (is that even a word, lol).  BoLSCON was comparatively lots lots lots better overall, and I hope they maintain that standard.  They aren't helping matters any by changing the name to 'Wargames Con'.  If I ever have a con, I'm just gonna call it 'Sausage Con'... since that's what it is.  Or maybe just 'Fest Con' so the meaning is slighly hidden....

Anyways, wish me luck!  A little later before I go, I'll probably post a Blood Angels list I've been thinking of lately.  And after next weekend, expect a full writeup of the event, and some battle reports.  Hopefully I'll also remember to take some pictures too...