NoVA Open-ish

As promised, I hit the NoVA Open Friday afternoon to help set up and meet folks.

I got there a bit after 2PM; just as everyone was taking a break and waiting for another truck full of tables. Excellent timing! So, I hung out with Bill for a bit while everyone checked in and had lunch, venting about the state of gaming stores in our area.

Setup chugged along both quickly and smoothly.  Finally got to spy the new IFL Banners, which are swank.  We’ll definitely have them on display this weekend at Games Day.

After some drinks and dinner, there was some open gaming, and I managed to get a game in.  My scheduled opponent was a no-show, so I ended up playing Dominick R. (who was from either Alexandria, VA or Orlanda, FL; I was a little confused on that point).  I snapped a picture of him but, as he looks like I just punched his mother in the baby-maker, I imagine he’d rather I didn’t post it.

I was running my Khornate Daemons:

HQ
Bloodthirster – Blessings, Instrument, Unholy Might
Bloodthirster – Blessings, Instrument, Unholy Might

Elites
Bloodcrusher x4 – Fury, Icon, Instrument
Bloodcrusher x4 – Fury, Icon, Instrument

Troops
Bloodletters x8 – Fury
Bloodletters x8 – Fury

Fast Attack
Flesh Hounds x8 – Fury
Flesh Hounds x8 – Fury

Heavy Support
Daemon Prince – Flight, Unholy Might
Daemon Prince – Flight, Unholy Might
Daemon Prince – Flight, Unholy Might

I didn’t get a copy of Dominick’s list but the more memorable aspects of it included:

HQ
Company Command Squad – Officer of the Fleet, Medi-pack, Plasmagun x3
– Chimera – Heavy Flamer
Inquisitor w/ Mystics
– Chimera – Heavy Flamer

Troops
Infantry Platoon
– All in Chimerae

Fast Attack
Valkyrie
Valkyrie
Valkyrie

Heavy Support
Leman Russ Battle Tank
Manticore
Manticore

So, fully mechanized + Mystics.  Let’s go ahead and call that an extremely poor match up.  Because it was a friendly game, though, he decided to take it a little easy on me and keep everything in reserves.

His dice kind of hated him… and so did my dice.  Before we really resolved the bottom of Turn 5, he conceded the game… but very little had actually been pulled off the table.  He’d dropped one ‘Thirster, nearly dropped the second, and whittled down one of my units of ‘Crushers to next-to-nothing.  I’d popped the LRBT, a Manticore and a Chimera… and was about to get the second Manticore, another Chimera, the Command Squad and maybe another two Chimerae (I say maybe because it was with Bloodletters, who don’t pop armor quite as well as Monstrous Creatures).

It was a good game: I had a really good time, and I think Dominick did, too.

Got a lot of really positive comments about my army from folks walking by, which is something that’s always welcome.  If I’d had foresight, I’d have printed off some Warpstone Pile business cards: there were a lot of questions about how I did this or that and a URL to the walkthrough would have helped back up my descriptions.

I also chatted a lot with the 11th Company; both at the table and then later for a brief recording.  They’re Good People.

A most excellent time.

Although I had to miss the actual event, of course, I’d planned on stopping by on Sunday to maybe get in some more open gaming and watch the finals.  Too much fun was had at the wedding, though, and all I wanted to do Sunday morning was sit on my butt in front of the TV.  A call into Doug that confirmed that most of the break-down had been taken care of let me do that guilt-free.

Although I’ve heard very little about the actual tournament, it sounds like it was quite successful.  I’m looking forward to it next year!