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Sunday, June 29, 2008

MOATaB: Carnage on a Saturday Afternoon




Not an infantryman in sight as 10,500 points of Imperial armored might clashed with 8,000 points of the enemy. As the tanks thundered to the start lines, the battlefield was choked from end to end with all manner of armored behemoths – 6 Baneblades, a Shadowsword, 2 Warhound Titans, 10 Land Raiders, 12 Predators, 15 Leman Russ, 14 Dreadnoughts, a Brass Scorpion and around 40 other AFV.

In the 3-hour mayhem that ensued, much carnage was to be had as tanks and other machinations from all sides clashed in mighty battle, blazing guns, roaring engines, thundering blasts and screaming commanders barking orders to their charges over the din of battle.

The phrase “much carnage was to be had” is no understatement. Within the first 60 seconds of battle, 6 Leman Russ were destroyed in quick succession, prey to a pair of Warhound Titans.

A formidable line of venerable dreadnoughts hurling themselves at the enemy were pulverized as they crossed open ground. Astartes Land Raiders and Predators faced off against an armored company as the might of IG gunnery took their toll on the Marines.

A Chaos Brass Scorpion skittered across no-man’s-land with amazing speed and hit the Space Marine gun line, miraculously not killing its targets, while nimble Land Speeders and Sentinels weaved amidst the carnage to deliver their disproportionately deadly munitions.


As Space Wolves reinforcements arrived, a communiqué rang across all the commanders’ headsets. “The enemy is amongst you! Turn your guns! Turn your guns!” Friend became foe as former allies set upon each other, individual tank commanders forcing their charges into impossible manouvers to bring guns to bear. A Space Wolves venerable dreadnought could be seen charging headlong into a Space Wolves Land Raider, utterly tearing it apart.

Suddenly, a blinding shaft of white light descended from the heavens as a lance strike from an orbiting battlecruiser hit home, instantly vaporizing a Baneblade and 2 escorting Leman Russ (the battle actually paused for a moment as the shock of the blast seared into the commanders’ minds).

As the battle continued, the frenzied Brass Scorpion was finally put down, and the resulting explosion claimed a Predator and a dreadnought which had the misfortune to be within 10” of the monster.

The comm-net buzzed again, this time re-affirming that the original allies were indeed true and loyal, and once again guns swung to acquire fresh targets. One of the Warhound Titans had advanced ahead of a Baneblade company, and came under fire from the rear and beneath void shield coverage. It did not stand a chance.

In the last few moments of the battle, a final dreadnought charge took out the last mobile Baneblade on the field.

As the smoke began to settle and noise of the battle began to die down (as the gamers were starting to lose their voices), scribes and servitors began the grisly task of counting the cost of the battle.


Of the 10 super-heavies that started the battle, only 3 survived, the Shadowsword, a Warhound Titan and a Mars-pattern Baneblade – both the latter were immobilized and heavily damaged, the Titan with one primary weapon remaining, the Baneblade with only its pintle-mounted heavy stubber still firing.

The commands of Azim, Han and Faris were all wiped out (for Azim, that’s 2,500 pts worth of the Emperor’s finest tanks). Quake, who started with 13 tanks, was left with 2 Leman Russ and the Baneblade, all heavily damaged. Jo, whose dreadnought line looked so menacing, was left with a couple of dreadnoughts and a Vindicator. Antu’s Monoliths were almost untouched, and his last surviving Predator still had 1 serviceable lascannon, though it couldn’t move. Firaya’s gloriously brave dreadnought unfortunately bit the dust, but the Shadowsword survived, as the enemy couldn’t be bothered to shoot at it after its primary weapon got knocked out. Iz’ glorious 344th were reduced to 1 Russ, 2 Chimera, a Hellhound and a couple of Sentinels. Peter’s menacing force was also badly mauled, with only the Titan remaining.

And from the ashes rose a new Legio Tank Ace, whose deeds shall be spoken of in ages to come, indeed the stuff of legends. The first recipient of the Legio Malaysia Purity Seal for heroic deeds upon the battlefield is the Son of Russ the Space Wolves Battle Leader Syamael. All hail Syamael!


(even as he has to explain to his Wolf Lord why one of his dreads took out one of his own Land Raiders).

To everyone taking part in and helping make this the amazing event that it was, I personally thank you all! It ranks as among the best wargames experience I've had in a long time. Let’s do some more!


Check out Peter's pics of the battle here, and more of Syamael's shots here.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Event Update: MOATaB

Hey folks!

For those of you planning to attend the MOATaB with your Flames of War tanks (if any), we have decided for our first event to limit the scope this time to 40K. So, there will NOT be a Flames of War tank battle happening on Saturday.

Instead, we have begun planning "Kursk II", a massive "what if" tank battle that will be exclusively for Flames of War participants. Once we get the particulars nailed down, we'll let you know when this will be held. Also, keep your eyes open for our announcement on the first Flames of War League we'll be running shortly. It'll be a blast, and a great way to get games in and see how you rank up with the rest of the Legion.

Sorry if this spoils plans for any of you, but we wanted to make sure any event we do, we do right. We look forward to seeing 40K tank fans tomorrow at noon for the Mother of All Tank Battles- MOATaB!!!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Flames of War Tournament, August 2nd



That's right tournament nutters, the good folks at Imagine Games are running another FoW tournament on August 2nd. It's a mid war, 1250 point tourney that will be fought over three rounds. Check out the events calendar for more details, or email Imagine Games and they'll give you the low down.

Get your WWII game on! :)

Spore Con 40k Scores

This just came in from Singapore. Nice to see that Malaysians make up half of the Top 10. Also see below how the scores are generated.

1) 72.3 Quek YH - team MY
2) 71.5 Azlan Ramli - team MY
3) 71.3 Tsui
4) 70.0 Peter Cheah - team MY
5) 69.0 Lord AK - team MY
6) 66.3 Iskazri - team MY
7) 59.2 Chang Wiloon
8) 58.5 James N.
9) 58.0 Abdullah
10) 58.0 Bernard Low
11) 57.8 Zach
12) 56.0 Doc Selvam - team MY
13) 53.5 Alvin Huang
14) 52.5 Azim Azman - team MY
15) 52.3 Keh Win - team MY
16) 51.5 Joe - team MY
17) 50.2 Dann Toh - team MY
18) 49.7 Nick Leong
19) 49.3 Sean
20) 48.7 Kenny
21) 48.7 Marc Chong
22) 47.3 Shazli - team MY
23) 46.3 Bryan Yong
24) 44.3 Chee Yong
25) 41.5 KC
26) 35.8 Ralph Chiam

And here's how the scores are tallied:

Gaming: 40%
Painting/Theme/Sports: 60%

For games, you earn points for margin of victory:
1 - Loss
2 - Draw
3 - Solid Victory
4 - Crushing Victory
5 - Victorious Slaughter

So your game score is bascially X/15 x 40

For example, if you got a Crushing Victory, draw and Loss, your score will be 7/15 or 18.7%. A person who wins 3 times does not mean he's going to be way better, especially if his margin is not high enough. Take someone that has 3 solid victories, that is 2 wins more than you, but he only has a score of 9/15 = 24%, only a 6% difference from the above example.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Black Coach + Hobby Night = Good Times

Howdy folks!

For those of you who missed it, we had a fantastic hobby night Friday with excellent turnout and lots of gaming to be had. We also held our 2nd club meeting, and worked out a bunch of cool stuff including some hobby teams and what we're going for our July 26th main event. Stay tuned for details on what "Iron Painter" is all about. For now, all I'll say is that the Iron Painter competition is an AWESOME way to get that pesky army completed that you never seem to find time to paint...

I played my first Warhammer game in Malaysia against Iz, and we had a blast. Not only was it my first Warhammer game here, it was also my first game using the new version of the Vampire Counts army book. I really liked the new Black Coach rules, and the Varghulf (Otto von Carstein in my army) was also a great addition. I've ordered more Wraiths so I can field the new skirmishing unit in the book. Good stuff, and a great game. Iz's Orcs and Goblins list was a fun army to play against, and only some luck with the Giant prevented the Vampires from a potential defeat. Thanks Iz!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Fear not aspiring members...

The new batch of dice have already arrived from the US, a stunning six days after I ordered them! So, if you're interested in becoming a lvl 2 or 3 member, we have the dice you're looking for!

For existing 2 & 3 members, we really need your shirt sizes, please. If you haven't given them to us please do so ASAP. We are ready to order the first t shirts, but we can't do it until we know what size you are.

On a personal note, I've brought my Vampire Counts army to the factory, and I'd love to get a game in on hobby night. It's fully painted, and I've even added a new Varghulf to the mix as of last Friday. It's been a while since I played, so be gentle! ;)

Cheers!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

My best hobby night

What a cool night!

Not only was overall attendance close to 20 souls, we also signed up another member. "Doc" Selvam snatched the last set of Legio dice from me, but fear not, more are on the way from our supplier. We had some great 40K gaming as per norm, but Doc and Iz also cracked out their Warhammer armies and duked it out.

As for me, I had an awesome hobby night. I came up with the final color scheme I'm going to use for my Death Korps of Krieg army. I'm really happy about that! I also got a chance to use the new Citadel Washes, which are very nice. I also managed to assemble, putty, prime, AND paint the newest addition to my Vampire Counts army, a Varghulf. Next week, if anyone is interested in a game of Warhammer, I'll have my army there...

Don't forget that next week is the monthly club meeting folks, so if you're a member (or want to join), please be sure to show up if at all possible. Among other things the biggest topic of discussion will be the formation of the NOv 1 40K RTT Hobby Team.

Ave Legio!

Friday, June 13, 2008

MOATAB - Mother of All Tank Battles


For miles afield, the ground trembled as the air filled with the thunderous rumble of massed armor grinding incessantly forwards to do battle. In the hot and sweaty confines of the more primitive Imperial tanks, crew made ready for battle, readying shell and ordnance, checking energy, weapons and drive systems, shouting to hear themselves above the din of roaring engines.

On 28th June 2008, at precisely 1200 hours, mighty armoured forces will clash at the Legio. The Mother of All Tank Battles is loosely based on Warhammer 40k Apocalypse rules with the following Legio Event Rules:

Tank Ace:
The tank that scores the most number of kills (enemy vehicle destroyed) AND survives the battle, will win the Legio Malaysia Tank Ace Honorifica. Note that only one individual tank will win the Honorifica. You can bring and play as many tanks as you wish (in fact, the more the better), but only 1 tank will win the Honorifica. Super-heavies or any vehicle with structure points will not qualify for the Honorifica if they lose even 1 structure point.

Who Can Play:
Anybody who turns up with Eligible Models. This is a Legio Monthly Event, so you do not have to be a member to participate.

What Models Can Play:
Any model with an AV value and no W value. Chimera, Dreadnoughts, Wave Serpents, Baneblades, Titans, etc. EXCEPTION: Tyranid players may use Monstrous Creatures or larger creatures. All models must be painted as per typical tournament rules (3 colors, etc.).

Deployment:
As per Apocalypse rules, except both sides deploy simultaneously to save time. Players will be given a time limit to deploy. Models not deployed at the end of the time limit will not enter battle. There will be no reserves in this battle.

Apocalypse Strategic Assets/Cards:
MOATAB will not be using any Apocalypse Strategic Assets. As you can see, we are keeping this as simple as possible to ensure maximum carnage.

Objectives:
There will be 5 objectives – all in no man’s land. And trust me, you’d want to capture these …

Monday, June 9, 2008

Singapore 40k Tourney - How to Spend a Weekend

After an almost uneventful drive to JB (almost – a Legionnaire actually forgot to pack something truly crucial and had it couriered same day to JB), we met up with Quake at Pelangi Mall, who guided us to the hotel.

And the place, Compact Hotel, is pretty cool. At RM99 nett (shared 2 to the room), it overlooks the Causeway, is clean, has running hot water, is comfy and totally recommendable. It’s even got a funky car park (you should check it out just for that). Plus I had a Tzeentchy room number (1602).

As most of us didn’t have much sleep the night before (painting mah), it was only natural that we immediately went out looking for food and drink as soon as we checked in. Ok, Dann actually stayed in for a couple of hours to paint his Monolith, but we did all eventually go out for some makan.

Doc tried to tempt us with excessive amounts of Tiger combat drugs, but we managed to eventually pass Ld and went back to the hotel at a reasonable time. Lord Akkarin managed to unleash some killer dispel scrolls and got past lash of submission to join us at the hotel just before lights out.
=At precisely 0530 hrs on Sunday 8th June, I was packing up stuff in the room when the guys called from the lobby, raring to go (!). We left one of our transports at the hotel, and packed into 2 vehicles to make the crossing.

We were at the Singapore Immigration checkpoint when Ravenscream revealed that this was the first time he had been anywhere outside Malaysia. How about that? The first time overseas and it’s for a 40k tourney! How cool is that?

Traffic was lighter than expected and we arrived at Chua Chu Kang Community Center at around 0645 hrs, and were delighted to find that parking is free on Sundays! We messaged the organizers to let them know we’d arrived (“what, already?”) and went off to get breakfast. And we had what was simply the best roti prata telor and kopi ever (at RM6+ it had to be good, yes), and the team feasted well.

Antu joined us at the venue, where 40k tables occupied about a third of the hall, with the rest occupied by WFB tables, Warmachine, Catan, a couple of card game and boardgame things, as well as demo games for GW core games, and even FoW (by none other than the Edwin himself).
At around 0930, the 40k gamers were asked to display their armies, and everyone was given a form to vote for their top 3 painted and top 3 themed armies (you can’t vote for yourself). Judges were also going table to table scoring the armies for painting and theme.

This was one of my favourite points of the whole thing. I was able to check out some really cool armies that you don’t find back home. There was a Daemonhunter army with Krieg troops and Land Raider Mk.II from Forgeworld, a nice-looking Iron Warriors army and a great all-infantry IG Drop Trooper force (with only 3 Sentinels for armoured support), among others.

Dice started rolling for the 40k tourney itself at around 1000 hrs. I won’t get into the details of the gaming side, suffice to say that it was 9 hours of furious battle filled with the clatter of dice-chucking, the huzzahs of the victors and the howls of the vanquished. Ok, maybe not so dramatic, but something like that.

What was certain was that we had a great time gaming with people and armies we had not played against before (2 exceptions which couldn’t be helped – round 2 Excise vs Asco, round 3 Quake vs Executor), with nice terrain and interesting scenarios.

The scenarios themselves were nicely conceived. The first one – Dawn of War – was a modified cleanse, with our objective markers offering lots of bonus VP (only infantry can capture those – it’s like raising the flag in the PC game). The second one – Fog of War – was purely objective-based, each player must take 2 objectives, with one of them kept secret to the opponent and only shared with the judges. The last one – God of War – was an excellent no-holds-barred total annihilation scenario.

I must say that the tourney was very well run. Nothing was delayed. Breaks and lunch and dinner were just the right time – not too long, not too short. The staff, despite being obviously snowed-under, were friendly and helpful. Lots of good marks all-round.

The last dice was chucked at around 1900 hrs, and while we were waiting for the results to be tallied, we had lots of pictures taken of the team. And not just by our own cameras. It seems that 11 people turning up in the same black shirts attracts a lot of attention, and for a good 10-15 minutes, there was a galaxy of camera flashes that kinda blinded us. Nice to feel like a celebrity once in awhile J. Legionnaire Dice caught some attention too – not only because they look great, but also because it became obvious that a bunch of people were using the same dice. We also took the opportunity to spam (legally) the flyer pre-announcing Legio Malaysia’s RTT in November.

All in all, we had a great time. Most of Team Malaysia were tourney noobs, and it’s good to see the team have a good time. I haven’t got the detailed results, but this is how the team members’ games went:

Player Army Wins Losses Draws
Quake Eldar (chaotic) 3 - -
Ravenscream Tau 3 - -
Lord Akkarin World Eaters 2 - 1
Asco Imperial Guard 2 1 -
Executor Chaos 2 1 -
Excise Blood Angels 2 1 -
Doc Dark Eldar 1 1 1
Danntoh Necrons 1 1 1
Antu Necrons 1 1 1
Joe Necrons 1 2 -
Spunkybass Thousand Sons 1 2 -

And the final results? Wow. Out of the 6 awards for the 40k tourney, Malaysians bagged 3:

First Overall: QUAKE! (Eldar)
His brilliantly themed Khornate Eldar army played to character and went for blood, annihilating armies and making them happy for it too. And Quake hadn’t touched 40k for a year. Congratulations!

2nd Overall: Me (!) (Thousand Sons)
Everyone, myself especially, was totally surprised by this one. I was massacred twice, and TA’d the opponent once. But apparently I maxed out on painting, theme and sportsmanship to earn enough points for it.

3rd Overall: Tsui
I didn’t play with this guy – anybody can add here? Congratulations anyways!

Best Painted: Doc Selvam (Dark Eldar)
Not bad at all for a first-timer with his first ever 40k army. This might just get Doc to spend more time off the Old World. And all this while taking the all-important role of master tempter of Tiger combat drugs too, like the good haemonculi he is. Congratulations!

Best Theme: Marc Chong (Iron Warriors)
Great-looking Iron Warriors army, whose lord had the misfortune of being the victim of the only time my Gift of Chaos power actually worked. Congratulations! And thanks for being such a great sport.

Best Sportsmanship: Benard Low (Grey Knights)
This guy is brave, fielding a pure Grey Knight army in a tournament. But hey, the army looked great, and having chatted with him for awhile, it was obvious why he won this award – he’s just a great guy, who happens to own 15 dreadnoughts, and is eyeing that excellent new chaplain one from Forgeworld. Congratulations!

Anyways, that was simply one of the best tourneys I’ve been to. My congratulations and hats off to Dom, Donkey, Damien and all of the organizing team, staff and judges. You guys did awesomely well.

And for Team Malaysia – this is just the beginning. The unique experience of the tourney gave us some great memories – and we’re going to create more! Thanks guys!

Btw, we took lots of great pics. I’ll put them up as soon as we get them together.

Team Malaysia Victorious!



That's right folks, according to a post on the 40K Malaysia forums by Dethray, one of the tournament organizers, here are the final results:

First - Quek Yong Heng (Team Malaysia)
2nd - Azlan "Spunkybass" (Team Malaysia)
3rd - Tsui
Best Painted - Doc Selvam (Team Malaysia)
Best Theme - Marc Chong
Best Sports - Benard Low

Spunkybass will edit this thread VERY SOON (won't you??!!) and let us know about all the action that took place. In the meantime, congrats to our intrepid competitors from Malaysia! You did us proud.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

...and so are the tournament shirts!



Yes indeed, if you've registered for the Singapore 40K tournament coming up this weekend and you live in this area, we have a shirt for you! There is no cost to the tournament players for this shirt, and the shirts have nothing to do with Legio membership specifically. Spunkybass and I simply wanted to sponsor all of the Malaysians heading down to Singapore, so they show up looking cool, and more importantly looking like a team. I think there may have been 1 or 2 people who registered at the last minute that we may not have a shirt for. However, two people (besides myself) bailed at the last minute, so those shirts are potentially available if the sizes are right for you.

Regardless, try and make it out to Hobby Night tomorrow and grab your shirt. Any shirts not picked up will be left with Spunkybass to distribute at the tournament site. Most of all, good luck to Team Malaysia!

Monday, June 2, 2008

The dice are here!



That's right folks, if you have signed up as a level 2 member we have your set of 10 customized Legio Malaysia dice. If you're a level 3 member, we've also included a nice dice pouch to hold them in :) Be sure to come to Hobby Night this week and pick your set up!

In other member benefits news, I'm waiting on another quotation before ordering the first set of shirts. If you're a level 2 or 3 member, please get us your shirt size so we know what to get you- the sooner the better. I'd love to order these by the end of the week...