Shenanigans

Shenanigans.   It’s one of my favorite words, and is rather an apt term for this game we love.

Ever run up against that re-rollable 2+ save?  Be it the Screamer Star or the new hotness Iron Hands invincible chapter master?  

Or maybe its the crazy 6s, I remember one time rolling to wound with my rending heavy flamers in a drop pod against a cent star (without invisibility) and getting like six rends, and none of the nearest minis had invulns. Poor guy lost a librarian and two grav centurions then took a wound on Tigurius on his first turn.  This was at ATC in 2014 against one of the General Staff teams and the (then) new Gladius.  That he didn’t get off invisibility and that I rolled so lucky enable me to win that game by a large margin.  

Maybe it’s the fails.  Remember tanking bolter shots on your 2+ armor save badass, like, he’s fucking got this… then you roll three ones in a row and he’s dead, on overwatch.  Special snowflakes go away just like everyone else. I remember Draigo dying like that.

What about the current perils of the warp?  I played a guy with a similar list to mine (both running 6th Ed Grey Knights) and turn one he perils’ed his Coteaz twice in a row, almost killed him and gave me first blood, just shitty rolling.  

And let’s not forget deep strike mishaps.  My first GT, NOVA Open in 2013, I was running a (not very good) 5th Ed Grey Knights Draigo Star.  Turn two against an IG gun line army, and I deep strike mishap…. Unlucky number one, and they’re gone.  Later 700 points!  My opponent’s eyes were huge, as he saw such catastrophe strike. He apologized for such a shitty thing, but hey, it happens.  I made the most of the game as I could, but there was no coming back.  My killy thing was dead, and then it was an 1850 to 1100 point game, I think I killed maybe a Leman Russ, maybe.  

That’s the thing about this game.  It isn’t like chess where you can plan and counter; crazy shit happens. The dice gods are fickle and cruel.  Sometimes I can roll three 6++ saves on my Sister’s tank, sometimes I roll three ones for an armor save.  We’ve all been there, and I it is one of the things that I love about it.  You can be the best, with the best army, roll poorly and boom! You lost the game.  

I guess the point I’m trying to make is this: Don’t get too wrapped up in how amazing your list is or perfectly you deployed and moved.  Your Marines will fail morale and run off the board, the Chaos Gods are fickle and will turn your badasses into spawn, your markerlights will hit nothing, and seven psykers won’t get invisibility.  

This is a great game, but it’s still a game. At the end of the day, you’ll pack up your minis and go home, ESPN won’t replay your highlights, if you are really cool, maybe a couple podcasts will mention your list, perhaps you’ll make the Frontline Gaming blog (which is infinitely cooler than us).  Either way, the game goes on.