Club Open day 2017

In a short break from the new guard codex, I thought I would report on the club open day we had last weekend. The open day is actually a joint venture between 2 or maybe 3 clubs (not sure if the magic club still exists) and takes place in the local community center, where we also happen to have our weekly meetings as well. Every year we put on a display in the various display cabinets around the center and then on the Saturday have an open door club. Although the place is never what I would call busy, there is usually a steady stream of people coming in and out and usually 1 or 2 people wondering around the hall at anyone time. The main aim of the club is not really to recruit new members but to raise the awareness of table top games and as such the is quite a variety on offer. This year there was a zombie game, a gladiator game, dead zone, flames of war and a Viking game, along side the main game, which this year was a star wars games including both x-wing and a custom ground based game. Oh and a bit of magic going on in the corner. If you do want to see some more shots of the general games, go to my other blog; https://northernlandsgaming.blogspot.co.uk/. You'll find lots of pictures and info, all none 40k related there. Meanwhile, here is the lowdown on the 40k stuff we put on at the open day.

The display cases are usually up for a few weeks before the event but this year for various reasons they only went up a 2 weeks before and while my contribution ended up in a good location, just as you come out the lift and in the main seating area upstairs, I haven't yet made it to the foyer or the display sections of the rotating entry doors.

My two display cases were split up in to the guard in one and marines in the other. I also snuck in my copy of Conquest, if anyone remembers that game? Its a game I quite liked and played a few games at my old club but no-one plays it up here.

The main display level, with some Scions on the left and guard on the right. I also put a priest and psyker in there to add some variety and interest to the scene. And yes, its the 7th ed codex, I needed the new one so want going to stick it in the cabinet where I couldn't access it. You can also just see the Conquest cards in the back ground.

Also in the cabinet were some more guard, a command section with chimera and half squad, also with chimera.

The other cabinet contained the marines and some books and box set for some variety. The books might be out of date but they looked good and the BaC box art is also visually interesting.

This was the first public outing for the Eagle Knights and this display sets my ocd going. I didn't set these guys up and they are all looking in different directions. I would have set them all up facing at 45 to the glass, with them all looking in the same direction, giving the viewer different sides of the model to see, but they were all set up with their bodies in the same direction. Its a minor thing but it annoys me, not enough to actually do something about it but still.

Overall I was pretty pleased with the displays and there positions, how many people actually looked at them i don't know but I hope they were impressed with the painting!

On the actual day I ran both a small skirmish game, very loosely based on the kill team idea, between 7 marines, 5 tactical, a heavy bolter armed devastator and a company champion and a guard infantry squad with autocannon, command squad with plasma and a platoon commander. The forces were about 150 points each, and as it turned out over the couple of games I played, surprisingly well balanced.

Mid game, all the models lying down are dead. The tactical marine in the center is struggling to put down the veteran guardsmen but the champion is slicing through the infantrymen with ease. The marines eventually won this round.

The marines won overall, mostly due to the champion and his power sword cutting down everything he touched. They were pretty fast and brutal games but fun. We kept the rules very simple, dropping a lot of stuff like cover, orders and aura abilities for simplicity.

In addition I had a display of models on the next table, which also happened to be the first table you came to when you walked in the door!

Members of the Hjaltland LI. This is is only the majority of Yellow platoon, with a few stand ins. I was thinking of laying out the whole of the Hjaltland LI, but after laying this lot out, i decided against putting all the models as there wouldn't have been room for anything else!

The rest of the painted Eagle Knights, joined by a few of there Blood Angle brothers, who belonged to a friend. There is more points worth of Knights in this picture than there was of guard in the last picture!

I couldn't let the imperium dominate, so I had asked a friend to lend me some of his Nids for the day, to add a bit of flavor to the display. He lent me this little lot (including the Blood Angles above). Can't remember what the big one in the middle is, but the rest are Steelers, rippers and a tyranid warrior.

The overall main table, you can just see some old 'eavy metal books on the right, a terrain, painting and modeling books.

The last picture, my two flyers, valkyrie on the left, vendetta on the right plus the remainder of my painted scions.

On my part, I think the day was a success, we had a number of people through the door and maybe introduced a few people to the wide variety of table top games. Hopefully ill still be around for next years open day.

club open day

A couple of weekends ago the local gaming clubs, 2 or 3 of them, depending upon who you talk to, got together for their annual open day. The event is held at the community center, with an open door to everyone passing through. While its not the most visited attraction it does generate a fair bit of interest, even if that interest is just from those passing by, going to other events or clubs in the building. This is the 2nd time we've run the event and this year I pushed for a 40k presence, as last time this was lacking. Unfortunately my pushing led to me being picked to organize and run the table! With some help from a couple of other members we managed to pull off quite a good show, even if we only played two games! 

We decided to run a simplified version of the game, removing a lot of the more complex to hit and wound system. As such all units were given a basic to hit and to would roll, 3+ for both rolls for marines and 4+ for guard and all were given a set saving throw, regardless of the weapon shooting. We thought that this wouldbe the easiest way for new players to get into the game quickly, something GW have also done with the Battle for Vendros" sets. For the actual game we again borrowed from GW, using the Lost Patrol idea, only on a full size mat rather than a hex tile system. 

A small display of models, from terminator's and chapter masters through to Scions and a Company command squad

The various force options played out, Tactical Marines, Scout Marines, Scions, Imperial Guardsmen and/or veterans. At the back are the various vehicles used for extraction.

Unfortunately, I have lost the pictures from the actual games end our table layout, including a very cool setup with some old skool Kasrkins guarding a landed Valkyrie. It looked awesome, two flames each side of the tail ramp, a rifleman standing just by the wings facing backwards, having just stepped out of the side doors, and a sgts standing in the jungle clearing to the rear, looking expectantly to the jungle for the remnants of the guard squad they'd been sent to extract.

The games we played went rather well, with the scouts from the first game holding there position in the center, taking on all the nids that came within range with only one casualty due to close combat. The second game saw a squad of marines annihilating all before them as they moved at will over the board. Both games were played by young kids, about 8/10 years old and they seemed to enjoy the games, one only stopped playing because his mum told him he had to leave! Hopefully the seeds have been planted.......

There were a few issues with the game though that will need ironing out, namely the fact that the nids kept running off the table! We went for a standard 6" move in a random direction. This resulted in several units running on and then running off in quick succession! On one occasion it was a 20 "man" squad of termagaunts! Not sure how to fix this apart from keep rolling until they don't run off the board!

I hope to run this again at the club one day, but set it up a bit, make it harder and more likely to fail, challenge some of the old hands so to speak.