Kapiti Krushers at the NZ Team Championships Tournament (Warhammer Fantasy Battles)

Kapiti Krushers at the NZTC (New Zealand Team Championships) Tournament
Warhammer Fantasy Battles

The Kapiti Wargames Club fielded a team called the Kapiti Krushers on Saturday and Sunday's at the New Zealand Warhammer Fantasy Battles Team Championships, held and Ngaio Town Hall, in Wellington  

Arrival and selection of opponents: Round 1

The boys unpacking and deliberating.

Round 1, Game 1, Turn 1: 

Dark Elves vs Dwarfs: 

My War Hydra being goaded into action,

while the Corsairs rattle their sabres in anticipation of the slaughter to come

Tane's Dwarven throng bursting forth from their hold at the sight of the approaching Dark Elves

Tane: " So this is where the shot will land. 

Let's see how far it bounces!":

Ouch!

Death Hag: "We'll put a 5+ ward save on the corsairs."

To no avail ! Dwarven steel was too much.

Flame Cannon taking out the Hydra

 (No Armour saves or regen, down to Str 1 with his breath attack by the time he got into the Hammerers)

Druchii slaughtered mercilessly by the dwarf throng. 

Dreadlord and dragon escaping by the skin of their teeth.

Start of Round 2

Up against Team Omen...

 

Druchii Civil War!

Sam's Cold One Knights thunder into my waiting line of crossbowmen

Banner, armour saves and ward saves make them all but invincible

Level 4 Sorceresses and Shades take cover behind the building from my hail of crossbow bolts

Dark riders dart out to destroy my bolt throwers

While his Cauldron of blood buffs up his units. 

Isn't that just a lovely conversion?

Corsairs bit off more than they could chew. 

The dragon could have made short shrift of the harpies, but they delayed him from getting into the  action.

Receicing the charge with lances...

Standing and shooting did not help much:

Shortly before the Sea Serpent Banner fell...

Then came round 3:

Dark Elves vs Lizardmen

Sizing up the Lizardmen: Corsairs and Crossbowmen flanking the hydra. 

Terranodon riders dropping stones on the bolt-thrower, but failing to cause a single wound. 

The tenacious crew would cause him to commit two units of riders and two skink units over four turns before they finally fell, drawing most of his chaff and opening up the soft throat of his saurus unit, which was slowly being picked to bits by the crossbow units. 

Add the withering and Okkram's Mindrazor...

and the Slann and his bunker crumble before the pent up fury of the corsairs: 

My first ever tournament win!

The Aussies are up next:

Capital Crusaders

Deliberations and decisions...I end up playing against Brettonians.

Have never had a game against them before.
It was either them or the Tomb Kings, that I have not played against either.

Turn three: The Brettonian BSB dies in a hail of bolts! 

Swiftly followed by the level 4 Mage 

 Pegasus Knights swoop in for the kill on the bolt-thrower, but...

The Dreadlord on Black Dragon intervenes,

 receiving a unit of Peggasi in his flank and knights in his rear for his trouble. 

Hydra charges in, breath  attack, usual attacks, thunderstomp, killed for his efforts.

Takes 2 rounds of combat to dislodge the Lord from the melee, but he emerges victorious.

So close to winning this one...

Then in the last turn's shooting phase...

 two direct hits from the trebouchets on my Cauldron of Blood, killing the Hag and her attendants. 

DRAT!

A draw, and a very enjoyable game. 

Great opponent, a fun game.One of the highlights of my tournament!

Round 5 (Next morning) 

First up against the Cut the Mustard Team. 

Druchii vs Daemons of Chaos

Got absolutely trounced by Leon's Daemons of Chaos, with only my Cauldron and one unit of crossbowmen still standing by the end of play. Another 19-1 loss.

Horde of Daemonettes with Herald, repeatedly getting Pha's Protection, and Melkoths Miasma cast on my unit. Cut to shreds...My Dreadlord dies for the first time in the tournament. Not absolutely whitewashed, but a 19-1 victory to the Daemons. Only relief is that Sam's Daemons inflicted a similar fate on his opponent.

Then came the Von Trapp Family (Dunn Family)

Favourites to win the tournament...

Tough nuts to crack. I draw Jack Dunn's Dark Elves. Better match than Ogres, Daemons or WoC for me.

Civil War again. As if the word civil and Druchii can be used in the same sentence...

Dark Elf vs Dark Elf

Opposing fractions lining up. two level 4 wizards, Dreadlord on Dark Pegasus with Black Guard.

My shades deploy first. He rolls to start. Tete-a-tete with harpies and shades, both losing units in the process, one of my bolt-throwers gone...

Black Guard moves into ruin, taking shelter from hail of bolts. Hard cover, 2+ AS, and stubborn.

I keep my distance, shooting all the time but high armour saves and wardsaves make his bunker all but impenetrable. 

Dreadlord and Hydra engage the Tower Guard, I get Melkoths and Withering off on them, dreadlord and hydra take the Lord on pegasus out, taking many wounds as they go. 

Pendant of Kaleth working against my lord, and he fails several saves, and is slain. Hydra bites the dust too. Dragon passes leadership test, and finishes the tower guard off in his fury

Really now at a stand-off. He's not coming any closer, neither am I. Wizards exchanging spells, shooting phases now really doing much, really just maneuvering to maximise victory points.

Result a draw at turn 6. 

Quite pleased with that outcome: I expected worse

My Dreadlord on a Black Dragon surveying the battlefield.

So there are the spoils: The cup and the medals. 

Didn't think for one minute we'd feature.

Victors: The Von Trapp Family. 

Well deserved, and clear winners

Followed by the Nerdy Boys

and NZ Hammered.

Well done to all the teams.

Kudos: All my opponents were all decent and friendly, sporting, played to the rules, threw no tantrums, and accepted that I was a newbie to tournaments.

I think all and all the Von Trapp Family (Dunn family) was the strongest team, and were the clear winners in the end. Peter Dunn was quite accurate in his predictions with the standings (except that his own team would be on top), of course: check his blog Fields of Blood; and we did almost end in the top 7 as predicted.

Thanks to Peter for arranging a well run and fun tournament.

 I am generally quite satisfied with our performance (being the newbie)

I suppose we could claim that KWC's Kapiti Krushers are now Ranked no 8 team in NZ until next year.

Not bad for a start, I think.

And…we beat the Aussies (yay!)
Trans-Tasman rivalry rules.