A Time of Reflection

    This fella above is my rough skeleton for the Squad Smackdown prize. Look out for further updates over the next few weeks as he gets assembled and painted. I'll be going for a sandy arena style base, with judicious application of blood, and green stuffed internal organs :)  
(Battle Bunker Aki suggested he should be wielding a knife, as part of the story of dismemberment being told; I can see his point...)

Things have been a little bit quiet over here on A Plague Spreads recently. I've suffered from a nasty case of blog burn-out after having made it through the grueling Squad Smackdown series of posts. With my precious little free time it was a lot to take on and I needed a break from the blog afterwards. Dont panic though, because here I am again, re-energized and with a tonne of ideas for new posts. Expect content on the following:

• Some innovative scoring ideas that could be incorporated into existing frameworks
• An in-depth look at Terminators across all the codices (this was inspired by The Independent Characters)
• Trying my bit to help change the Games Workshop corporate mindset
• Flames of War

In addition, I'm looking forward to writing a new series of posts subtitled "Crunching Fluff". The premise is to take a fluffy list and optimise it - without tarnishing the original theme. I can come up with themes on my own, but if you have a list that needs it's fluff crunched then please email me - I'll be happy to help!

Squad Smackdown: Aftermath and Winner?

Well *phew*, I made it through the flurry of dice rolling and posting that was the Squad Smackdown. There were some bloodthirsty battles and a few suprising results, topped off with a titanic struggle between Ork Boyz and Space Wold Grey Hunters in the final battle for the title. My favourite matches were:

• Orks vs Eldar: How close this came to being an early upset against the eventual winners.
• Tau vs Grey Knights: As a Tau player, I can't resist seeing the Kroot get some love.
• Orks vs Grey Hunters: The final was an uphill battle for the Space Wolves but they flexed their muscle and fought bravely until the end, showing what a force the Grey Hunters squad can be.

So what about the bets that were laid. Well, as no-one picked the Orks, it will have to fall to the Space Wolf voters - Warflake and An Enemy. However, without a way to choose between them, here is my proposition: both can email to me (see the site banner for details) an infantry squad of up to 200 points in value - other than Boyz or Grey Hunters. The squad must come from either the Space Wolf or Ork codices but any FOC slot is OK. I'll fight them together and the winner gets the prize (which will be a suitably victorious Ork Boy).

Squad Smackdown: Space Wolves vs Orks: GRAND FINAL!

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown - Orks vs Genestealers

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

The tension in the air has been steadily growing, and now on the eve of the final match you could cut it with a knife - and I can assure you that the contestants here are about to do just that! At the Squad Smackdown stadium today we present for you a huge semi-final match-up between 11 ferocious Genestealers and a huge squad of 30 Orks.

Can these elite Tyranids kill enough Orks to survive the backlash? Ad both units has access to Fleet we ruled that there is no advantage to go first.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Space Wolves vs Tau

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

 

OK everybody it's semi-final time and what a match-up we have for you here tonight! The drunken might of Fenris against the stoic team-oriented Tau alliance. 10 bloodthirsty Space Wolf Grey Hunters ready to test their mettle against 20 Kroot and their 10 pet hounds. Elite vs Horde. Good luck to both squads, it looks like we are about to begin...

No advantage for assault is awarded to either squad, so it's a 50/50 chance for either to go first. As the Kroot have no armour, we can disregard the Grey Hunte power weapons for the purposes of this assault.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Space Wolves Get Another Chance!

This post concerns a protest raised on yesterday's match.
Thanks to the latest Space Wolves FAQ, Grey Hunters DO get the bonus attack from Counterattack. The Squad Smackdown council decided to reroll the extra attacks and see if they caused a difference. So that's 8 extra attacks, with the Wolf banner in effect. They managed 6 hits after rerolling two ones, the wound with every hit! The Wyches fail four more saves - so they lost 5 in total this round of combat.

So they lost the combat by 3... they flee but are not caught. However they then fail the roll to rally with box cars, so the battle is won by the Grey Hunters squad! What a turn-around!

Aftermath: Controversy indeed as we head into the Semi-finals. The council has spoken however. So the Imperium represent in the final four!

The remaining four squads are:

• Grey Hunters
• Kroot
• Genestealers
• Ork Boyz

See you in the semis!

Squad Smackdown: Dark Eldar vs Grey Hunters

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

Welcome to the final battle of the semi-finals, and what a match up we have for you today! Two very closely matched squads that excel in the assault - 15 Dark Eldar Wyches led by a Hekatrix with agoniser; vs the ubiquitous Grey Hunters pack, with 2 flamers, 2 power swords and a Wolf banner. Both these squads can pack a punch and have good staying power.

With the Fleet ability the Wyches have the advantage when it comes to getting the assault. They roll a 3 on the drugs table, which is Grave Lotus - they all get +1 Strength, very useful.

The gate opens!

Squad Smackdown: Imperial Guard vs Tyranids

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

This is a classic match up here ladies and gentlemen, made famous in Starship Troopers - the humble human soldier facing the unfeeling alien hordes, armed with a whole bunch of flamers. A single Platoon of raw Guardsmen are about to be confronted by a horde of slavering Genestealers.

25 Guardsmen with 6 flamers lined up against 11 Genestealers. The Fleet 'stealers have the advantage to get the assault - and boy do they need it.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Chaos Space Marines vs Orks

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

Welcome to the next matchup in the second round of this tournament, and what a big fight we have here today! 30 Ork Boys that can't wait to Waaargh!, against 9 crazed Khorne Beserkers who just love killing stuff. The numbers are with the Orks but that power armour can give a huge advantage...

Unfortunately for the forces of Chaos the Ork ability to Fleet is going to give them the advantage in getting the charge. It's all up to the dice now folks.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Tau vs Grey Knights

Don't know what is going on? Click here.

Tonight's battle is a one of extremes - the spam of 30 bodies, with 2 attacks base, against the 'leetness that is the Grey Knight Terminator squad. Those 5 Halberds nullify the initiative advantage that the Hounds would usually have. It's all going to come down to how well the Grey Knights are with their Terminator armour saves.

Neither squad has an advantage to get the charge - it all going to come down to the dice.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: End of Round One

Hello loyal readers!

Well we made it through all the first series of matches. There weren't too many suprises along the way, but now we have a vicious bunch of close combat squads still in the tournament and its going to get interesting.

The uneliminated squads are as follows:

• Dark Eldar Wyches
• Chaos Space Marine Khorne Beserkers
• Space Wolf Grey Hunters
• Ork Boyz
• Tau Kroot
• Imperial Guard Platoon
• Grey Knight Terminators
• Tyranid Genestealers

Squad Smackdown - Tau vs Witch Hunters

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: A large squad of 20 Kroot, accompanied by a pack of 10 Kroot Hounds, emitting quite a stench. They are hungry for victory.


In the Blue Corner: A large squad of 13 Sisters of Battle stand ready to battle anyone in the Emperor's name. A Sister Superior wields an Eviscerator and reads inspiring tracts from the "Book of St Lucius" to the other Sisters. 2 of the girls are wielding flamers instead of bolt guns.

Neither squad is particularly quick, so there is no advantage for the assault.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Blood Angels vs Tyranids

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: Red indeed! 10 Sons of Sanguinius stand tall against the Imperium's foes, chainsword in hand and jump pack fully charged. 2 have traded their chainsword for flamers.

In the Blue Corner: 11 slippery Genestealers lurk about. Their talons drip with toxic ooze.

The Blood Angels have the advantage for the assault here - jump packs trump Fleet.


The gates open!

The Blood Angels resist the red thirst. Never mind the advantage +2 on the roll to assault - the Nids win the roll 6-3 in style. Furthermore the Blood Angels fail the 4+ roll required to start in cover. This could get nasty folks...

Eschewing ranges combat, the 11 'stealers leap into combat and use their Initiative 6 to carve into the flying Marines. In a flurry of dice rolls, including rerolling all failed wounds, they inflict 13 normal wounds and 5 rending wounds on the poor Angels. Wound allocation trickery softens the rends to 3 kills - both flamers get double rends allocated. 3 other marines fail their saves - including the Sergeant with power fist.

The 4 remaining Assault Marines land 5 hits, 3 of which wound, converting to 2 kills. The marines flee the assault, but are not caught despite a significant Initiative advantage, so the battle continues.

Round 2 and the Genestealers only manage 7 wounds, with no rending 6s. 2 Marines fail their saves, leaving only 2 to to swing back. They get 3 hits and manage to convert this to 2 deal 'stealers. The round is a draw.

Now reduced to 7 models, the Tyranids inflict a healthy 6 wounds on the remaining couple of marines. They die.

Aftermath: The Blood Angels had nothing to threaten their opponents, especially when faced with such a lethal first turn effort on the Genestealers' part. Even if they had won the charge, without Furious Assault and Feel no Pain granted by a Sanguinary Priest in proximity they are a shadow of their normal selves.

Squad Smackdown - Dark Angels vs Dark Eldar

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: 10 robed Space Marines stand around mysteriously. One wields a flamer, and the sergeant is equipped with a massive power fist crackling with raw energy. (195 points)

In the Blue Corner: Evil, nasty, sadistic, drugged up Dark Eldar Wyches are bouncing off the walls ready for an arena fight - 15 of them in total. One wears a hydra gauntlet, and the Hekatrix wields an Agoniser and wears a strap-on Phastasm Grenade Launcher.

The Wyches roll for the effects of their combat drugs and get a 4 - they will be rerolling failed to-wound rolls throughout the bout. Due to their Fleetness the Wyches have the advantage to go first.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Space Marines vs Grey Knights

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: 9 recruits from the Crimson Fists chapter accompanied by a Veteran Sergeant rocking a power fist and combi-flamer. The scouts are wielding pistols and combat blades, obviously hoping that extra attack will compensate for a lack of power armour. They are hard to see as they are all equipped with camo-cloaks.

In the Blue Corner: 5 Grey Knight Terminators stand ready to purge the Daemon and bring the pain. Each wields a towering halberd.

Neither squad has advantage on the roll to go first - outflanking was not ruled to be clearly more likely to get the charge.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Imperial Guard vs Daemons

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: A platoon of 25 Imperial Guardsmen, inspired to fanaticism by the bolt pistol of a Commissar. Carrying a total of six flamers (!), they will be a terrifying proposition if they get the assault.

In the Blue Corner: Huh? There is nobody here. Can you hear hellish screaming in the distance?

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Orks vs Eldar

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: 30 Ork Boyz eager to "smash sum gurly elves". Who needs a Nob when you have the numbers? (180 points)

In the Blue Corner: 19 Eldar civilians have donned armour and weapons for the good of the craftworld - accompanied by a Warlock with the Enhance power. These amateur warriors don't look entirely comfortable about being here. (200 points)

Both units have access to Fleet, so there is no advantage given to the roll to assault.

The gates open!

Squad Smackdown: Black Templars vs Chaos Space Marines

If you don't know the rules, here they are.

In the Red Corner: 8 Black Templar Initiates with 8 Neophytes, all armed with a bolt pistol and additional close combat weapon. The original marine horde squad frothing with righteous zeal.

In the Blue Corner: 9 Frenzied Khorne Bezerkers pulling at their chains in anticipation. Unrivaled on the charge, but either way this should be a slaughter fit for the blood god.

Neither squad has an advantage to get the charge.

The gates open!

Introducing "Squad Smackdown": You Could Win a Prize!

There's been a recent spate of people running tournaments between special characters from all the Codices, eliminating the losers until a single winner is reached. I saw this first on the blog The 40k Project, and more recently in a segment on the "40K UK" podcast. This is helped by the fact that there are sixteen current Codices - the perfect number for an elimination tournament!

Now "A Plague Spreads" wants a piece of the action, but I am going to do things a little differently. My contestants won't be the superheroes of the 41st millennium, but rather those army workhorses, the lowly troops units. I'm going to take one unit up to 200 points from each Codex and battle them against each other according to the following rules.

In the spirit of "steal the initiative" I won't be doing what I've seen elsewhere, where everyone counts as assaulting. Instead a random roll will determine the aggressor, modified by the units maneuverability. As this unit will also get to fire any weapons if possible before assault, it's going to be a huge advantage. Luckily the defender gets a random chance of being in cover!

So... who's got the best troops?