SAWS (Sacramento Area Wargaming Society) is the ‘big’ local Grant Tournament of the Sacramento Area. I’ve participated for the last few years, placing third last year and eight in a previous year. Like the Contest of Champions, SAWS is a heavily comped environment. The rules for the event are:
Non-Lord special characters are allowed, though no Masque (not sure if this refers to the old Daemons or the new Daemons)
Dogs of War are allowed
Ogre Kingdoms may use Forge World Rhinox Riders (I think this is the only post-Mournfang event where this is true)
Chaos Dwarves are allowed
Fozzrick’s Folding Fortress and Book of Hoeth are banned
Buildings only allow 30 models entry regardless of size
The Missions are already posted and will be:
Round 1: Magic Flux – Battleline, casters are worth an extra 50 points and power/dispel dice are rolled pre-casting and exchanged on any ‘1’.
Round 2: King of the Hill – Tower Mission per main rule book but it’s a hill and worth 200 points and is claimed by most MODELS in contact.
Round 3: Battle of Attrition – Units give up half points
Round 4: Battle for the Pass – normal mission
Round 5: Dawn Attack – normal mission
All missions are worth 5 points for a loss (by more than 100 points), 10 points for a draw, 14 points for a minor victory (more than 100 points) and 17 points for a major victory (more than 300 points). In addition there is always a special objective worth 3 battle points.
Each player is provided with the same 5 objectives for the tournament, and must use each through the event. They may be chosen in any order and are not shared with your opponent until the end of the game. They are:
1. Kill all enemy spellcasters
2. Kill the most expensive enemy character
3. Eliminate over half of your enemy’s army by model count
4. Have more units in your enemy’s deployment zone at the end of the game than they have in yours
5. Capture more standards than your opponent
This year’s composition score was only slightly changed from last year. The system is worth 27 points based on a check list, and then up to 3 just based points either up or down based on judge’s discretion. Also, up to 10 points (2 per round) can be provided by opponents. So comp ends up being worth 40 points. The 27 point check list is:
1. Points in Core:
0 points if <=650 points
1 point if <= 900 points
2 points if <= 1250 points
3 points if >1250 points
2. Points in Characters:
0 points if >=1100 points
1 points if >=950 points
2 points if >750 points
3 points if <=750 points
3. Single Model over 450 points
0 points if you don’t need the mount to break 450 points
2 points if you need the mount to break 450 points
3 points if no 450 point characters
4. For generating extra power or dispel dice
0 points if you generate for each spell
1 point if you have more than one model who adds to phase
2 points if you have one model that adds to phase
3 points if you just get winds and channel
5. Yes/No on double rare
6. Shooting over 20” (counting warmachines but not characters)
0 points for >6 units
1 point for 6 units
2 points for 5 units
3 points for <5 data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-units="">
7. The number of units of 40 or more models (hitting 60 counts as 2 units)
0 points for >2 units
1 point for 2 units
2 points for 1 unit
3 points for 0 units
8. The number of core units
0 points for 1 unit
1 point for 2 units
2 points for 3 units
3 points for >3 units
9. Yes/No for telling the judge what your score is when you provide your sheet.
The only change on comp from last year that I notice is Item 3. It’s new, and the one that was removed was hits for triple rare. I find this to be a strange change, and perhaps a reflection of the judge’s limited ability to play fantasy. With the new warriors book, I can see reasons to maintain a concern for triple rares, but with the inclusion of cannons and other D6 wound warmachines, I don’t always see expensive characters (and not hitting expensive units) as an issue.
I was already planning to not take Skaven to SAWS this year, and this composition system only reinforces that decision. My current list, after adaption would probably be a -7, after dropping my slaves to 39 models (and adding a naked engineer to add another turn of delay before they see combat). I would be hit -3 for so many characters, -1 for the Bell pushing the seer over 450 points, -2 for not getting 900 points in core and -1 because the greyseer comes with warpstone tokens, which allows for limited dice adding.
This comp system also makes me not want to take my Dark Elves. I figure they would be at a -13, and would require a change over about half the army in order to get anywhere near reasonable. They would be -3 for points in characters, -2 for points in core, -2 for two casters with power of darkness, -3 for double hydra, and -3 for more than 6 units shooting (7 units since characters don’t count). In order to reasonably improve my comp I would need to drop a caster (+1 point), drop a hydra (+3 points), and drop 2 shooting units (+2 comp). That would put me at -7 and give me probably near 700 points (300 already from core), so if I added 400 points to my core it would boost me to 1100 points in characters (+1 comp) and under 1100 points in characters (+1 comp). So if I dropped my level 2, a hydra and 2 units of dark riders into non-shooting core I would be at -5 and have a trashy list. No thanks.
So that leaves me with two options. Redesign a skaven list to a non-twin towers list or try my third army, Ogres. You may or may not recall that the Saturday evening/Sunday morning of Bay Area Open I spent some time with my hotel mate, Van, discussing both my list and his. Taking his Bay Area Open list, adding the improvements I suggested for him and with some slight modifications to meet it into SAWS comp (mostly dropping the second Ironblaster), I have created a -2 Ogre list, both -2 for not having enough points in core. The list is as follows:
Slaughtermaster, Level 4, Lore of the Great Maw, Fencer’s Blades, Glitter Scales, Crown of Command, Dragonbane Gem (so WS 10 and -1 to hit means that most non-characters will need 5s to hit and with T5, 5s or 6s to wound. 5 wounds and the ability to heal means this guy should be around for a while).
Firebell, Level 1 wizard, Lore of Fire, Additional Hand Weapon, Hellheart
Bruiser, BSB, Great Weapon, Heavy Armor, Talisman of Preservation
13 Ironguts, Full Command, Look-out Gnoblar, Standard of Discipline
10 Gnoblars
10 Gnoblars
10 Gnoblars
4 Maneaters, Full Command, Look-out Gnoblar, 4x Brace of Pistols, Heavy Armor, Poisoned Attacks, Scouts, Banner of Eternal Flame
4 Mournfang Cavalry, Musician, Standard Bearer, Heavy Armor, Ironfists, Dragonhide Banner
Sabertusk
Sabertusk
Sabertusk
Gorger
Gorger
Ironblaster
This list is truly a “hello internet” list, but it meets the composition nicely, and I think can do well in the missions as well. The key will be in target priority and in being accurate in the redirection to protect the ‘Gut Star.’ I’m still playing around with the points, and things might change based both on what I feel like but also on what I have available. For example, I don’t think my Maneaters flame banner has a look-out gnoblar modeled on it. I may decide that it doesn’t matter, or put a clanrat on his base (there is fire there at the moment). I also don’t currently have a Firebelly, but I have a good idea for a conversion. I will also need to paint up the Gorgers, but I already have the models. Of course the entire army will actually be Skaven themed.
A second list I was considering (given the above allowance of Rhinox Riders) was:
Same characters
Same Core
Drop Look-out Gnoblar on Maneaters
Drop Mournfang
Drop both Gorgers
Add 4 Rhinox Riders, Musician, Standard Bearer, Champion, Heavy Armor, Ironfists, Dragonhide Banner
This is partially because Rhinox Riders can only be used for this one event, but also because they just look good. Also, if I do have to play Ogres for this one event than at least I can do something different. This list is also -2 Comp.
But then at the Davis Doubles event, where Mark (the TO) was present, I was advised that someone I had played at Bay Area Open was going around complaining that my army wasn't WYSIWYG and was confusing for him to play against (I'm fairly sure I know who this is). So I have created a third list, which I think will get its own post. This list requires almost complete assembly and painting, but will offer a Skaven list I have never played before and non the heavily converted items that my Ogres or Dark Elves offer. Its too bad some sore loser can't expand his mind beyond the lmit scope of what GW offers. I makes me very mad when people's own limited ability to think impacts my life. Its not my fault he didn't bring an army to offer any counter to fast caverly. Perhaps a more balanced list is in order, and some ability to recoginize that just because its a rat and not a horse doesn't mean it isn't fast.
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