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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Mini Game Reactions

After a successful gaming weekend, I think that it would be fun for Ron, Evan, and I to talk about the Quick Mini Games we played, watched, and just give an overall impression of the setup.

First I would like to say that these games took right around 45 minutes to an hour to get through.  With only a 3' x 3' setup, the shooting started almost immediately and with the squads starting on opposite sides firing lanes were not an issue.  The D3 + 1 pieces of terrain rule also kept it fun and interesting since it forced both armies to move towards each other while having open lines of sight.  The last rule was that of the Armies to play.  I feel if we had more armies to roll that it could have been even better.

Chandler:  I have to say that getting a chance to play with Eldar and Orks was quite fun.  The Eldar Dark Reapers combined with their illustrious leader Maugan Ra was awesome to field test.  He can put out a lot of quick fire along with the reapers.  I can definitely see the potential in an army that fields him because he can allow for a lot of AP3 fire that can tear through Marines and anything with weaker armor.  From the mini game I wish I had actually deployed differently so I could have taken out the Space Wolves Thunderwolf Calvary, but it is all relative with friends.

The Orks lived up to their Orky ways and almost allowed me to win with a combination of shooting (yes Orks were shooting effectivily) and Psychic powers.  Rolling to get Old Zogwort and a group of Flash Gitz, with a Painboy inside, let me make a group that would probably never see the battlefield except in this scenario.  The Flash Gitz were all kitted out so that they were firing 1 more shot a turn with AP D6-1 at Strength 6 (which is hilarious to think about Orks wanting to shoot instead of charge).  But the Army revolved around Old Zogwort trying to turn a Hive Tyrant into a Squig.  He was in range for 2 attempts where one was denied by Ron and the other we tied on the roll.  I have to say that playing with the Orks in a small game let me into why they can be fun to play.  When they get a chance to cause havoc and chaos, they tend to get the job done.

Watching Evan and Ron play, I realized that each player really got a chance to actually see how two given groups could potentially play and what tactics would be useful against the others.  Thunderwolf Calvary are no joke when they are able to charge into a battle.  They bring a Hammer of Wrath, a potential special weapon, Toughness and Strength 5 with a ton of attacks.  They are a group that can really change a game.  Orks can withstand a charge and can lay out some fire power, but with a BS of 2 and the inability to have an effective number for Mob Rule, they can be overwhelmed in a small game.  I would have to say though that had there have been a Power Claw or special weapon, the battle would have been epic.

Old Zogwort and Co face down the Tyranid horde
Evan:  In the first game against Chandler, it really came down to getting enough line of sight blocking terrain between my thunderwolves and the Dark Reapers. I also ran my Terminator armored Rune priest off in the open in part to hope to draw fire, which was successful. If we had less terrain or Chandler had managed to line up a round of shooting at the Thunderwolves it could have been a much different game, with their S5 AP3 shots doing some serious damage to the Wolves at a distance. Once I got them in combat though, it was more or less over, though some poor rolls for Magun Ra definitely helped me too.

Against Ron it all came down to the Warphead's power. Rolling a 1 and then rerolling and getting the deep strike ruined all my plans. I think I had a chance to stay out of charge distance, but with deepstriking, they scattered forward and got rolled by the thunderwolves. Watching them beat down Nobz in combat reaffirmed the impression I'd gotten in my first game that they are nothing to mess with.

I actually think I had the most fun watching the third game and rooting for Zogwart to squigiffy Ron's Hive Tyrant. The lighthearted and quick nature of these games was really appealing, and great for hanging around and shooting the breeze while playing.

Ron:  I had a great time playing, and observing the minigames.  Chandler did an excellent job putting these together.  The random army selection and composition combined for some unique matchups, and fun/funny scenarios that you usually wouldn't find in a standard 40k game.  I think all of us agreed that Zogwart trying to squiginate (squigestration?) the hive tyrant was a highlight of the evening.

I rolled two armies I own and play, so I had a bit of an advantage in those regards (Chandler had an army he doesn't play in the game against me).  Playing against Ork Psykers in both games was something I've never seen on the table - and something that proved quite hilarious in practice.  Both psykers ultimately ended up being the game changer for each ork general.  The warphead in the game against Evan ended up porting them closer to my Thunderwolves (in an effort to avoid deepstriking off the table), allowing me to get the charge and ultimately munch through the nobs - though it was still close.  Had the thunderhammer wielder not survived and killed most of the nobs with S8 instant death wounds, things might still have gone to Evan.  In the game against Chandler, Zogwart would have easily won the game by squigging the tyrant, which would have removed synapse for two squads of gaunts.  There were some very close rolls (including a TIE on a roll off to see if the tyrant would become a squigg), but ultimately the crazy old guy couldn't o'squigglerate for the win.

These games were very quick, very random, and extremely fun.  If you only have a short time window to play a game, and know a few friends who collectively own a bunch of different armies - I highly recommend trying these!  We'd love to hear about your own personal mini games in the comments below.    

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