So where did I end up?
Well, setting the goal of a Top 5 was a big laugh. I was waaay off a Top 5 finish. Having said that I still maintain it's important to set a lofty goal even if you crash and burn. In a field of 38 having as your overall aim a top half of the field finish from the outset is really aiming a bit low. I'd revise that view completely in a 100+ player tournament however!
I ended up placing 18th out of 38 players - not a really poor start to the tournament season but admittedly lower than I was hoping. Tiebreakers were decided by comp score so while I was tied for 18th with 3 other people I get to claim the position as I was the one with the highest comp score. Good system :)
Full marks for painting - this wasn't fussy. If your army was fully painted to a table-top standard you got full marks. Easy.
Full marks for sports was flattering - not that I expected to get sports hits from my opponents but you can never quite tell. The mood I'm in might not be the mood my opponent is ready to cope with either way and a sports hit could happen for any number of (rightfully) subjective reasons.
58/120 battle points was very disappointing. If I'd managed a few more points (say breaking just over half battle points) I would have jumped up 4 or 5 places! That's how close it was in the middle of the pack!
Comp. Hmm. Despite feeling I was trying hard to build a 'soft' Empire army and despite the generous comments of some of my opponents (and various passers-by) I'd have to say the judges got it right in my case. It was a leadership 8 army - yes. But it still had warmachines, fast and heavy cav, big blocks including one big Unbreakable unit, lots of diverters, some magic, some magic eq. It participated in every phase in an ok way. Was it softer than a standard tournament Empire army? Yes - hence my NCM of +2. I'm happy with the comp score I received - kudos and appreciation to the judges for their scoring. Some armies received a 'soft card' for getting an NCM of +4 or more and some players were really questioning the logic of this - certain Daemon armies, a certain Lizardmen army with 1+ save characters (hehe) etc. I didn't really have a problem with this (despite giving the TO some stick about it at dinner on Saturday night) - after all the rules pack was VERY clear on how the scoring would work.
Having said that I think the 'soft card' system could be dropped in the future - it was an additional extra that didn't add much to the event but created some (at times) negative controversy. A good idea but one that could perhaps be let go I think.
Congratulations again to the judges and to the TO for their work with regards to comp - it is and likely always will be the bugbear of tournaments in Australasia - they did a great job! Good stuff lads! I thought Nick's card-shuffling Swiss Chess draw system was the stuff of legends - it worked great and was also very entertaining to watch :) The player's pack, registration details and information, paperwork on the day, communication with the community... all just bloody fantastic. Sets the bar high and is inspiring stuff for those of us interested in running our own events in the future. Good job old man!
A unit by unit breakdown of the Empire list I took goes something like this:
Captain (General) with Dawn Armour and Sword of Might
This guy was a bit of a tank (1+ rerollable) in a FluffyCon context, even with only two wounds. The extra strength from the Sword was useful but only having three attacks was pretty poor. The lower leadership was obviously a recurring issue but it taught me some important lessons about panic and psychology which I'm sure I will be greatful for in the long term. Having previously played Lizardmen (with the Cold-Blooded rule) and Dwarfs (with leadership 9 across the whole army) I learnt a lot about the careful placement of the General and his leadership bubble. Will be swapped out for a higher leadership Lord choice in a bigger army.
Captain (BSB) with Meteoric Iron and Biting Blade
Good save, sometimes struggled to survive (the danger of carrying a big flag I guess). The Biting Blade was pretty hopeless but gave him a magic weapon. Went in whatever unit the General wasn't in to give me some more leadership-enhancing goodness. Will try him mounted (to save points by not taking Meteoric Iron) with anti-Fear item.
Warrior Priest mounted with shield
Bare bones stuff. Hatred was pretty cool. Needs magic gear - a weapon at the very least. A higher points list will give me more options to equip him with a variety of experimental toys. ALWAYS went with the Reiksguard Knights. Always. Struggled to get the bound prayer off - a bigger magic phase would have helped this enormously (something else to think about in a bigger list).
L2 Wizard with Scroll and Wizard's Staff
I learnt not to worry about miscasts, gallantly chucking 4 dice at most spells with the Staff. Died a lot due to my penchant for having him wander around outside of units :) I didn't always choose his Lore wisely (i.e. game against "Soft Scores") and should be giving this more thought. Often realise post-game that Fire is the best because it usually gives me ranged options against Skirmishers that my shooting struggles to adequately deal with.
Reiksguard Knights
Mark swore by the Steel Standard (extra D3" to charge range) but I just can't gamble on that kind of roll. The Warbanner is a solid choice. Six seems a decent enough number (don't have the balls to run enough to get a rank bonus - so expensive!). Their save is awesome and with the Priest they have a measure of reliability (going into a combat with static 2 - banner/Warbanner - and Hatred gives you a decent shot at breaking something). I charged with them too often - the game against Ryan (and the doomed charge against the Quetzl Saurus) being a great example. Should be thinking about the threat of charging them, not just the actual charge itself.
Knights with Great Weapons (GW-Knights)
Good for a laugh and simultaneously managing to be extremely frustrating. A 100pt semi-throwaway unit. Good bait. Sometimes useful for a supporting charge (Cav in the flank is still Cav in the flank, even if they suck). They'll stay because my available models are limited.
20 Swords with full command, 5 Xbow detachment, 9 Spears detachment
Again limited by the models available. I'll be adding in another 5 Swords at 2250pts but won't change the detachments (even though Swordsmen/Free Company/Archers would be better) partly due to available models and partly because I like the thought that I'm doing something different (and also because the 9-man Spear detachment looks like a spikey little hedgehog which is awesome). The 4+ save on the Swords was great, their initiative of 4 surprised some opponents. Most semi-experienced players are well0aware of the Detachment rules but I maintain that if you play the game well enough they won't be left with any option but to charge (and get counter-charged in the flank) or get charged. It worked out well for me in most games anyway.
25 Spearmen with full command, 9 Handgunner detachment, 9 Free Company detachment
As above but Spearmen suck quite a bit more. The extra attacks for the spears in two ranks does not in any way justify the loss of the weapon skill and initiative. Often I found I would opt to use hand weapon and shield anyway (instead of the spears). Big block, difficult to remove the rank bonus. Usually accompanied by the General (for reasons I cannot fathom the BSB almost always ended up with the Swordsmen). A keeper unit selection but not a terribly reliable one.
20 Flagellents with Prophet of Dooooom!
A tricky proposition for most opponents because even with crap weapon skill and toughness and no armour they are still Unbreakable which means if I can hold someone for a crucial turn another block and some Knights can step in and cane you. If charged they died in droves. If allowed to get the charge they martyred themselves and usually caused substantial damage. The main issue is that they died off completely in 5/6 games which gives away 210VPs. They just don't survive the game and this loss is something I need to plan for more efficiently early in the game.
10 Huntsmen
Cheers to Bignic for lending me these. The good ol' Huntsmen were alternately totally crap and extreme wood ninjas. I took them mostly for the 'soft choice/concession' powers but they probably weren't worth it. Nice to have Scouts although this sometimes just got them killed off a lot quicker :) Dropped in the 2250pt list for a 5-Archer detachment for the Xbows and to get some points spare to upgrade the Captain to a Lord.
10 Crossbows
I guess a standard choice. Helped give me some shooting options. These guys get a little Archer detachment at 2250pts - hey, they've earned it :)
Cannon and Mortar
I was initially running a Helblaster too but thankfully dropped it for the event. Both of these warmachines are great but of course you are at the mercy of the dice. My ability to guess ranges is gradually improving which helps but I would sometimes find myself consistently guessing short (rather than long) and the bounce for the cannon was not always favourable. Neither of them self-immolated in the whole tournament! Amazing! Putting in another Cannon at 2250pts because they rock hard against monsters and other warmachines. The Mortar was surprisingly effective (the surprise being mostly my opponents) - I'll be keeping it for entertainment value if nothing else.
Pistoliers
Another unit I find difficult to use. I tend to get these guys killed off distressingly quickly - caught between wanting to get the most out of their shooting capacity (which was a rollercoaster ride in and of itself!) and their Fast Cav status which allowed them to bait, flee rally and move again. Will take more practice with these guys to understand them more but they are no doubt a crucial part of the army and will keep there place in a bigger points list.
Overall
It ain't an easy army to use and I'm very happy about this! I want to get better as a general and get better at the game overall. The army makes a contribution in all phases of the game (although quite light on magic by comparison to some) and gets me thinking ahead some of the time. It has holes and weaknesses but at the same time has the tools to deal with everything that's out there to some extent. Most importantly after playing with Empire for about 3 months I'm still mad keen about the army and excited about using them for the rest of the year!
Coming up next - Nationals and my 2250pt list!
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