Writing a battle report worth reading.

Da Masta Cheef of Da Long Wayz Dezert Groop recently tried his hand at writing a battle report and was honest about it being a "learning experience". I swung by and was giving some tips, got long-winded (as I'm wont to do) and decided to spin my tips into a new post for all to read.

So how does one go from this:
to this?

Well, focus and figs helps, but clicking on the links will tell you even more...

Now I've also written a battle report here or there and think they're fairly easy reads. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years:

1. Fiddle with your camera before the game. Take the time to read the manual, adjust the auto-focus, set it for the right lighting mode, etc. Nothing can ruin a good report as quickly as bad pics.

2. Don't try to photograph everything. At the start of each player's turn, take two only pics of the board. One is for posterity and the other a backup. Then put the camera down! Don't try taking more pics unless there's something particularly epic. Too much camera time slows down the game, write-up, and reading.

3. Use images. If you forget to take a pic, have a cheap camera, or otherwise don't have an image? Make one. Use something like Vassal or Powerpoint to recreate the battlefield. (Though asked to C&D publishing by GW, the Vassal 40k module is still around if you do some creative hunting.) Many people are visually inspired and it will help break up the "wall of text". Even if you're just posting a funny "FAIL" pic, it's better than nothing.

4. Write down notes. Don't expect to remember everything, especially if you're writing the report days or weeks later. At the end of each player's turn, document the BASIC items that happened. Keep it simple: "X shot Y, 6 dead. Z had fail and broke. Right flank push looking weak." Remember that these are also just notes, not an outline. You don't need to publish every single little detail, just the critical or spectacular ones.

5. Involve your opponent. Documenting a game will slow things down until you get good at it. So make sure your opponent is okay with the process from the start. Better yet? Get them to help! You'd be amazed how many people are willing to help out on something like this. When they're a participant in the process they can help with notes, remind you to take pics and otherwise not be bored with the process. Also, you're taking an hour or more to play a game against them... why not take an extra 5 minutes or so to get their post-game analysis? Not only will it help your report, it will also improve your game.

6. Be honest. Win, lose, draw... don't let the outcome or a bad ruling change your report. Admit it, accept it, learn from it and go on with life. Try to keep a fairly neutral voice when writing. Compliment good gambits from your opponent. You don't need to gloat and you never know who might be reading. It was a heck of a surprise when I found out the owner of my FLGS and some of the guys there read this blog...

7. Don't sweat the little stuff. The real reason you should be there is to play game. If you get a little behind, bored or otherwise find it impinging on the game experience? Maybe you're trying for too much detail. Forget about it, enjoy the game and fill in the details later. We don't need a blow-by-blow recounting of things anyways.

I'm sure I could say more, but I think those are the main points... Cheers and see you next time!

***Pics above courtesy of Toy Master's War Journalist, DLWDG's report and SandWyrm's stellar battle report.***

Ard Boyz, Round 1, Battle 3

AAANnnd the last one. Round 3 was against a guy named Reagan with a remarkably well painted Ultramarines force:
Chaplain Cassius leading 7 Assault Termies w T-Hammer/SShields in a Land Raider Crusader
2 Dreadnaughts w Multi-Meltas in Drop Pods
1 Tac Squad w Multi-Melta in Drop Pod
2x Tac Squads w Multi-Melta, Meltagun, Pfist Sgt in Rhinos
2x Tac Squads w Multi-Melta, Flamer, Pfist Sgt in Rhinos
3x Vindicators

Simple, to the point and totally the type of list I know how to break. He won the roll and grabbed first turn. (I didn't win a single turn choice all day, but was still given the one I wanted every time... Hah!) He deployed in a standard aggressive phalanx. I went with the Wraithguard forward again and put both Spiders and all the Jetbikes in Reserves. It looked a little something like this:

Now it may look like I'm a little tightly grouped to be facing 3x Vindies, but the front of the ruin was solid and I knew he wouldn't be getting LOS for the shots. I wanted them to look like juicy targets for the Dreads... and oh did I get my wish.
Turn 1 saw both Dreads slam down right on top of my Wraithguard. I knew I was safe from the Vindies at that moment. He used a Dread to pop the Banshee Serpent, killing 4. The other targetted the Wraithguard and killed one, as did a stray Vindie shot.
My Dragons piled out of their tank and dropped the first Dread (killing 2 of themselves in the explosion), while the Banshees slipped over and stole their ride. The Wraithguard removed the other threat and advanced to where the Vindies could see them as I was now protected by Fortune. My right Dragon Serpent moved Fast to try and bait the Assault Termies into getting out early so I could shoot the snot out of them... And then my Wraithlords started Shooting. I destroyed the Land Raider, a Vindicator and Weapon Destroyed another Vindie. Oh yeah...

His turn I couldn't believe my fortune... he dropped a Tac squad in range of my Banshees. I'm used to them having targets to take down, but it's not every day that someone makes a target of themselves. His shooting was incidental and mostly he moved to swarm bodies onto the objectives and/or into the maw to slow me down. The nice thing was Cassius and Co taking my bait and going after the Dragon Serpent. They did manage to wreck it, but it meant an extra turn they weren't beating on my Wraithguard.
My turn saw the Dragons reap revenge on the Termies, dropping 4 thanks to DB flamers, Doom and a nice dose of luck. One Wraithlord Flamed and charged them, but failed to do any damage. The others also forgot what they were doing and missed with their shots. The Wraithguard dropped the last Vindie threat while the Banshees cleaned house: killing 9, losing 1 to the Sgt, and then dropping him with No Retreat hits. The Dragons meltabombed both Drop Pods, managing to kill 2 more of their number and a Wraithguard in the explosion. Spiders also came in on my left and took advantage of a Serpent popping a Rhino, but they only killed 1 guy.

Turn 3 saw him wipe the Banshees, blast my Dragons on the right and generally continue his path to swarm the objectives.
I retaliated for the loss of the Dragons, sadly such that I couldn't charge that turn. My surviving Dragons moved on to pop another Rhino, bringing their kill total up to 4 vehicles that game... and also killing another one of their own in the explosion. These guys were a little overzealous... Combined Serpent, Spider and Jetbike fire on the far left removed an entire squad, though the Spiders had to use their powerblades in CC to kill the last couple of guys.

So things at this point were pretty much solid, presuming I took care of a few odds and ends. His Termies finally killed my Wraithlord and then charged my Wraithguard, but got killed before they could attack thanks to Enhance. The other two Wraithlords wandered around and popped vehicles and tidying up. Here's what things looked like after my movement phase in Turn 6:

That little gap in my lines at the front left of his tank? Totally deliberate. I wanted to make sure that when I popped the tank, he couldn't do an Emergency Disembark and remain within 3" of the objective. Of course with all this preparation, the tank died to the first volley of Warp Spider fire. I chose to shoot them first since AP- won't cause Penetrating Explodes. He then tried disembarking on the side facing the objective, until I asked if he could do so without being in 1" of an enemy model. The two guys then took a full volley from the second Spider squad and died several times over. This gave me a full Wipe Out.

Final Result: Massacre #3. 24 Battle Points to 0.

This was enough to give me Overall with 68 points total. One other guy managed 3x Massacres, but didn't get enough extra points and had 67. The next closest scorer had 52...

All in all, a fun day gaming. Though there were a lot of really solid lists, any rules exploitations were minimal. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to spend the winnings on and if I'm free to head to Round 2!

Ard Boyz, Round 1, Battle 2

Battle 2, "Urban Warfare"
This was against Andrew and his Tau. He's a decent player that does decently at small events, but isn't quite top caliber.
His list was:
1 Crisis Commander w Plasmagun & Cyclic Ion Cannon
1 Crisis Commander w Fusiongun & Flamer
3 Crisis Suits w Plasmaguns
3 Crisis Suits w Missile Pods
6 Stealth Suits
2x 14 Kroot w 6 Hounds
1x 8 or so Fire Warriors in Devilfish w Flechette, Disruption Pods & SMS
2x 12 Fire Warriros on foot
2x 8 Pathfinders in Devilfish w Flechette, Disruption Pods & SMS
2x Pirahna w Fusionguns
2x Hammerheads w Railguns
2x Broadsides w Multi-trackers

I'll confess that I mentally licked my chops looking at his list. I had been concerned about this mission as my specialist army had 28 possible KP, but his was running a tasty 36! The table was a City Fight board with 6" roads and lots of 2-3 story ruined buildings. Andrew won the roll for first turn and chose to start things off. I think he was hoping to get as much fire into me as possible... He started his two foot FWs on the field while Eldrad and the Wraithguard went out alone against them. With Dawn of War pushing us off-table, it was going to be a test of my mobility and resiliency against his massed guns.

That wall of guys doesn't even include his 2x Outflanking Kroot squads and second Pathfinders! (I forgot to add them and wasn't going to reset everything just for that...)

The first turn saw us mostly moving onto the board. He moved on a bit cautiously, trying to cover lanes of fire without over commiting himself. He did a neat encirclement of the Wraithguard and threw a bunch of fire into them, but only got 2 thanks to their Toughness and Cover.
For my turn I didn't fire a single shot. Eldrad Fortuned his group up and then everything moved Fast, Turbo-Boost or Ran. The Wraithguard did spread back a little so the Spiritseer could cover two of the Wraithlords from Wraithsight.


Turn 2 saw his Pirahnas bop left to try and pop the left Dragon Serpent, but failing. Some Markerlight fire also lit up the left for the Railguns, but also failed. Serpent Shields are great! Then Markerlight fire and the entire rest of his army opened up on the Wraithguard... and killed three. T6 and 3+ Fortune, baby. He also had a Kroot squad Outflank to my right. Rather than tarpitting the Wraithlord like they should have, instead they charged the Wave Serpent in hopes of cutting my mobility... Good idea, but it didn't pan out.
When I saw how much of my army was still alive and ready to jump down his throat, I knew it was over but for the fat lady. It was just a question of how long it would take Andrew to realize.
So Eldrad and the Wraithguard charged; being closer than they appear in the prior pic. Between them they dropped a Devilfish, killing all but 3 guys on board and Pinning the squad, and wiped an entire 12-man FW squad. Yum, yum. Dragons jumped ship and dropped Piranhas and a Hammerhead while Spiders dropped a Devilfish and Pathfinders. But the worst was to the Kroot. My Serpent flew away and Mr. Wraithlord walked in with fuel sputtering from his flamers... 39 hits made for 27 wounds and they all went away. The only items that went poorly this turn were the Jetbikes failing to do much to the Stealth Suits and my Spiders jumping into terrain and killing half their squad in the process.


Turn 3 saw Andrew trying his best to recoup something. His other Kroot squad must have seen the slaughter of their kin and did not arrive this turn. He then turned enough fire into the weak Spider squad to destroy it. He also dropped half the Dragons on the left, so they got back in their tank and hid. The Pathfinder/Jetbike fight continued with another press. He also focussed two units of Crisis Suits and his Fusion Gun Crisis on the Wraithguard, but failed to kill a single one...
My turn saw the upstart Tau really put down. Two the Wraithlords passed Wraithsight and decided to kill tanks while they were at it. The third passed Wraithsight too but was left with no LOS to anything. Spiders then smashed some suits, Wraithguard smashed more on the charge, and my Banshees decided they didn't need out of the tank anyways and went looking for new targets.
This was the end of Turn 3:


This was the point that Andrew realized it was done. We still had 45 minutes left in the round, but there was no way I'd be getting anything less than a Massacre. KP were at 25 to 2.
Final result: 24 Battle Points to 0.

Andrew learned a few good things during this game... One bit of advice I gave him was to consider a sacrifice squad next time he plays Dawn of War. Something that goes way out on the front line to push the enemy back. It would have seriously slowed down my Wraithguard to have started farther back.

(Whew, almost there! Next time I'm bringing my camera as setting these up in Vassal takes almost as long as the actual game... :-p )

Ard Boyz, Round 1, Battle 1

Battle 1, "Illusions in the woods"
The first pairing of the day saw me facing a guy named Chris and his Crimson Fist army. My first thought was "Ugh, this will be ugly." Of the 22 entrants, Chris was one of the three other guys at the tournament that I consider "GT quality"; ie skilled enough to have a serious shot at taking Best General or Overall at a 60 person GT. I was going to have to do something special to pull this one off. Thankfully, it was an objectives mission and mech Eldar excel at those.

He brought:
Pedro Kantor
Master of the Forge w a Conversion Beamer
9x Scouts with Sniper Rifles & Cameleoline
2x Dreadnaughts w Multi-Meltas & Heavy Flamers
Venerable Dread w Multi-Melta & Heavy Flamers, in Drop Pod
7x Assault Teminators, 5 w T-Hammer/S-Shield and 2 w Lightning Claws, in Land Raider Crusader w Multi-Melta
2x 10 Sternguard, Sgt w Power Fist, in Rhinos
2x 10 Tactical Marines, Sgt w Power Fist, Multi-Melta, Meltagun, in Razorback w Heavy Bolters

Now here's why I label this report as having "Tricks": I knew that my force had superior mobility, but less Scoring units. All that really mattered was that I controlled more objectives while also killing more squads.
So the first trick was regarding the objectives. One went in the center and the other two went in our deployment zones. He won the roll for first turn and chose to go first. Looking at his list, I figured he was going to come hard and fast at my lines, especially if I gave him some bait. So after I saw him put an objective way to the left, I went ahead and clustered my two as close to the front and center as possible.

Deployment looked like this:

Guys off the board are in Reserves or in tanks. Guys tallied to the left are kills.
The Tacs Combat squadded; 3 Bolters, meltagun and Sgt into the Razorbacks and 4 guys and MM both going into his center forest objective. Master of the Forge and Scouts on the left objective. Pedro and Termies in the Land Raider. Dreads frontal to Screen the APCs in case I swung deep.
I put Eldrad, Wraithguard, and Wraithlords central. Some of the Wraithguard spilled out of the cover to sweeten the bait. Dragons are the red Serpents and Banshees the yellow.

Turn 1 was pretty uneventful.
He Deep Struck the Ven Dread, advanced and popped a few Wraithguard. He tried several shots into my Serpents, but their shield were proof against the puny melta weapons.
I managed to blow the Powerfist off the Ven Dread, reducing him to S6 but he was proof versus my blows in CC and shooting. I did make a mistake at this point by forgetting to declare an assault on the Dread with my Wraithguard. This would have pulled my guys out of range for his Termie charge... I think this was a mixed bag mistake since it eventually cost me my Wraithguard, but also kept him from shifting them to protect a flank.


Turn 2 was a little more bloody. His Land Raider pushed forward to sit just off the middle objective while also unleashing his Termies into my Wraithguard. Thanks to Enhance I popped 2 of them on the way in and Fortuned Rune Armour absorbed a couple Wounds, but I still lost half the squad. He also advanced his APC line and popped Smoke on all of them. Wave Serpent fields again saved the day versus those pesky melta weapons.
My turn saw the Banshees zipping into position, Dragons blasting some Scouts and a unit of jetbikes entering play. Spider fire proved superior on the right and popped a Rhino, killing 4 guys inside. Spider fire proved mediocre on the other and only got a Weapon Destroyed on the Razorback. Fickle dice included Immobilizing his Land Raider with a Bright Lance, only to merely stun it with all three Penetrating hits. I still couldn't kill that damned Ven Dread either... he finally caused a Wound and No Retreat popped another! Only Eldrad and the Spirit Seer were left at this point and my charging Wraithlord had failed to hit Kantor with all three attacks...


Turn 3 saw his Dreads whip back around to try and stop the Banshees, but speed and fields again saw proof, resulting only in a double Shaken thanks to Spirit Stones. The girls were safe to wreak havoc on my turn... His only other Shooting was a squad of Sternguard blowing away a Wraithlord several times over. Damnably, CC went poorly this turn, with me failing to kill any Termies while losing my Spirit Seer and Wraithlord. Eldrad broke and ran, fleeing off the table at the start of my turn. That bloody Ven Dread again shrugged off all blows and managed to fell the Wraithlord! GAH! But in my favor, the Master of the Forge and his Scouts had learned to fear the DB Flamer... so they broke cover, shooting and CC wiping the Dragons, but Consolidate not giving them enough move to return to safety.
My turn saw the left squad of Spiders jump forward and blast several Scouts. They then charged the MotF and killed him, but failed to drop the last two Scouts. The other Spiders wiped the small Sternguard while the Banshees took the Tac Marines to town. That damnable Ven Dread weathered the Fire Dragon shooting with only an Immobilized, but finally went down to meltabombs in CC! I also risked a unit of jetbikes up the right side to make him think about that objective there. Here's where I made my second mistake of the game, I forgot to move them back away from the Termies... but surely he'd flub the Difficult Terrain, right?


Turn 4 ended up being our last turn due to time. Neither of us was slow-playing, but Chris' has several unfortunate interruptions during the course of the battle. I'm sure this helped throw him off his game. We both knew it was the last turn and the push for the objectives was on!
Chris' Termies didn't flub and went on to massacre the Jetbikes. He encircled my right objective with a Rhino and Razorback as well as the Termies. The Sternguard ran to jump just onto the edge of my left objective. But the Warp Spiders and Banshees finished off the Marines guarding both of his objectives. He also tried Tank Shock on my jetbikes, but they laughed and moved aside.
Going into the final turn, I didn't hold a single objective to his two. I also thought we were tied for KP... So I resorted to mech Eldar trickery again! The Spiders on the left jumped out to threaten his Razorback while the Jetbikes grabbed the objective. The right Dragon Serpent then jumped his lines to contest the right objective. He was solidly on the other objective, so I Tank Shocked with my Serpent. Even if I lost it to Death or glory, I'd still push them back enough to allow the Jetbikes in to Contest. The DoG was tried and failed; the Sergeant reduced to a fine paste. As they were going to be Fleeing at the end of the game, they were removed to give me yet another KP. We ended the game at this point as it was clear I had the victory.


Final result was 2 objectives for me, 1 contested, and 2 unclaimed. With 9 KP to 7, I had managed to Massacre him. I didn't realize until today, but I probably should have pushed to shoot with the Dragons and Spiders on the right. Had I popped his Razorback and the guys inside, I could have pulled down an extra Battle Point. I think had we gone the full 6 turns, I still would have won. By turn 3 he was so commited to the center that there was no going back... He realized this too and says he's not going to fall for that sort of thing again. :-p

Final result: 20 Battle Points to 0.

P.S. Thanks to the crew at Vassal for providing such a great battle report tool for those of us to lazy or ashamed to take pictures! I hear you can even play games with it too...