Team 1
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Dribblejoy (Orks)
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SSX-Naruto (Space Marines)
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SSX-Anubis (Space Marines)
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NightDreams (Eldar)
Team 2
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Crazee_Eight (Eldar)
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Swordboy (Orks)
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InquisitorSSX (Space Marines)
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SSX-MS (Eldar)
The game kicked off with SSX-Naruto issuing the whole of Team 1 orders to grab all Strategic Points a couple of seconds in, and telling us to watch the sides. From then things went pretty quiet, with everyone dashing around taking all the Strategic Points near them and building up their base. The decisive middle point was first grabbed for Team 1 by SSX-Naruto with a Scout Marine Squad, at that point he was really the only one to have ventured forth from his base.
The first battle took place almost three minutes into the game, though it was a small one, merely consisting of a squad of Crazee_Eight's Warp Spiders running into several of Dribblejoy's Slugga Boys. Crazee_Eight quickly retreated before any men were lost. Almost exactly as the Warp Spider's were retreating, on the other side of the map several of NightDreams' Eldar were ambushed by the Eldar of SSX-MS. After a short fight, in which several of SSX-MS' soldiers were killed, SSX-MS made a dignified retreat. Whilst these skirmishes were taking place SSX-Naruto's Scouts had taken up a defensive position around the middle critical point, whilst I was employing my usual tactics of not venturing forth from my base until I amassed a strong fighting force. On Team 2 both InquisitorSSX and Swordboy were also still confined to their base.
About four and a half minutes into the game the first Take and Hold victory countdown begun, we on Team 1 had captured enough Critical Points to start the countdown, all we had to do was hold out for six minutes. By this point most of us had finished constructing our bases and had moved on to creating units, the exception was InquisitorSSX who was constructing his first Chapel Barracks and going quite slowly, however I should point out that he faced problems with his game not allowing him to build Listening Post's on any of his captured Strategic Points, so I believe that he can be forgiven for his slow building.
Six minutes in InquisitorSSX kick started the large assault on the central Critical Point by sending two Scout Marine Squads in to try and capture it, however this attack was soon thwarted by the squads of SSX-Naruto's Space Marines and NightDreams' Eldar which were guarding it. However as InquisitorSSX's Scout Marines were being dealt with squads of Swordboy's Orks and Crazee_Eight's Eldar were also making their way towards the point from the left side of the central area, and InquisitorSSX quickly sent in two Space Marine Squads to assist. Slowly but surely Team 1's forces at the central Critical Point were wiped out, and cries of "help" and "oh shite" were being yelled across their allied channel. NightDreams and SSX-Naruto's attempt to tip the balance by sending in reinforcements also did no good, as by that more each member of Team 2 had sent in more troops until the point where Team 1's forces were badly outnumbered. Seven minutes and forty eight seconds in, whilst the battle for the central point was drawing to a close with Team 2 as the victors, InquisitorSSX's forces took the central point, cutting off Team 1's countdown to a Take and Hold victory. Nine and a half minutes in Team 2 seized control of the central point, starting their own Take and Hold victory countdown.
At about 12 minutes into the game InquisitorSSX's forces began an assault upon NightDreams' base, in what I can assume was an attempt to stop NightDreams from sending any more of his forces to attempt to regain the central control point. After being confronted by the artillery that NightDreams had established around his base along with the several Marine squads he had there, the remainder of InquisitorSSX's forces retreated.
It was thirteen minutes into the game, after a reminder from SSX-Naruto that I was being very slow and the team needed me to help out, that I sent out my armada of Space Marine Squads, a Dreadnought, and a Predator tank. Whilst my forces made their way to retake the central control point and cut short Team 2's Take and Hold victory countdown the combined forces of SSX-Naruto and Dribblejoy made their way to attack the control point on the far left of the map, which Crazee_Eight had seized quite early in the game.
Whilst the battle raged on for the control point on the far left, which Team 1 seemed to have the upper hand in, fourteen minutes into the game my forces entered the area surrounding the central Critical Point. They met heavy resistance as Team 2 had realised the importance of that Critical Point and placed a substantial force to guard it. The combined forces of Swordboy and Crazee_Eight opened fire upon my army of Marines and possibly the largest battle in the game began. Meanwhile at the left control point SSX-Naruto and Dribblejoy's forces continued to fight their way through to the control point. The battle was evened out slightly when those in Swordboy's army who were not currently engaging my forces near the central Critical Point joined in the battle, bringing several Wartraks with them. However the forces of SSX-Naruto and Dribblejoy for Team 1 proved to be too many, and those trying to defend the control point were also fighting a war in the center of the map. Eventually Team 1's forces annihilated those of Team 2, and all structures that had been built around the control point were levelled.
Meanwhile in the centre of the map the battle was drawing to a close, with my forces emerging the victor. My army quickly removed control of the central control point from Team 2, cancelling their Take and Hold Victory countdown, I then began the slow process of capturing the control point for our team. However before I was even a quarter done with capturing the point an artillery shell exploded in the centre of my army causing many of my troops to fly through the air and land quite a distance away whilst Swordboy's Looted Leman Russ Tank made it’s way into the central area along with a band of Orks, to attempt to halt my army. Forces from both NightDreams and SSX-Naruto joined my forces in the center and together we destroyed the attacking forces.
Whilst the battle was drawing to a close in the center of the map Crazee_Eight made one last attempt to stop SSX-Naruto and Dribblejoy gaining control of the control point on the far left of the map, which at this point they were about to capture. A Fire Prism was sent in by Crazee_Eight which began sending Team 1's forces careering through the air with its powerful laser cannons. However after several of Dribblejoy's Orks and SSX-Naruto's Space Marines were blown into oblivion Team 1 managed to destroy the Fire Prism. They then turned their attention back to the one remaining enemy structure near the control point, and finally the control point itself.
In the central area of the map all of Team 2's men had been defeated. My army then turned its attention to the Critical Point, which was currently unclaimed due to the attack upon my forces earlier whilst NightDreams and SSX-Naruto's forces took up defensive positions around the point.
Seventeen minutes into the game the Critical Point on the left was finally captured by Team 1, despite the efforts of several more of Crazee_Eight's Fire Prism’s, and once again the Team 1 Take and Hold victory countdown begun. However a quickly built Webway Gate allowed Crazee_Eight to quickly deploy squads of Warp Spiders and Dark Reapers to attempt to retake the point from the small Team 1 force that remained alive to guard it, and at the same time a mass of Swordboy's Orks attacked. Against such large numbers the remaining forces did not stand a chance, and eighteen and a half minutes into the game the control point on the left fell, to be swiftly reclaimed by Team 2.
At the exact moment that the left control point fell another small offensive was being launched by Team 2 to try to reclaim the central control point. This time it was InquisitorSSX's forces that attacked, but once again the rapidly growing Team 1 armada that guarded the central point prevailed, destroying InquisitorSSX's forces, but not until my army had sustained quite a few casualties.
Following this things fell pretty quiet for a short time, with Team 1's allied channel being filled up by comments from me such as "we gonna keep waiting?" and "I'm gonna build more mechs", obviously showing that hanging around guarding a control point was not my cup of tea. I prefer to take my army and destroy things. After being assured by SSX-Naruto that the Critical Point was more important I managed to satisfy myself with building several more high powered Dreadnoughts and Predators which I was planning to use in a separate strike upon an enemy base. For several moments all remained peaceful until I was mildly amused at a large gang of servitors choosing to turn off their Infiltrate setting in the center of my army and being brutally slaughtered, that action marked the beginning of the last onslaught of the game.
At almost twenty three minutes into the game the combined forces of SSX-MS, who had been quietly building up an army for some time, and Swordboy launched a large offensive upon a Critical Point extremely close to NightDreams' base. Things were not looking good for NightDreams with enemy forces continuing to pour into the part of his base that was built around the Critical Point his base and those men he had defending the point were being completely overrun. I told him to move his army from the centre of the map back to defend it, that I could cover the centre, as there were at that point less than a minute until our team won the game via Take and Hold victory. He did so.
Things were getting very tense with 17 seconds to go until Team 1 won via Take and Hold victory. Although the middle Critical Point was safe if the one inside NightDreams' base was lost then the countdown would be cancelled, and the attacking army was already at work attempting to remove the point from Team 1 control.
Ten seconds until Team 1 victory and messages such as "shite" were being broadcast over allied chat, as it looked very doubtful that we would be able to prevent Team 2 from seizing control of the Critical Point before the Take and Hold Victory countdown completed. With eight seconds to go, when it looked as though we would be thwarted cruelly, NightDreams made a last attempt to save the control point by sending one of his few remaining squadrons to charge at the Team 2 squadron that had almost taken control of the Critical Point. The Team 2 squadron was forced backwards just enough to halt the capturing sequence, and though NightDreams’ squadron was shot down the Critical Point was saved, and we all watched on in glee (except those of us on Team 2 obviously) as the countdown reached zero and we were informed by the game that we had achieved a Take and Hold victory.
Wow, did that take a long time to write or what? Anyway it was a great game and I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. Here's to many more in the future. Below is displayed a screenshot of the final score board.
