Before I cannonball into the Doubles write-up, I want to take a minute to thank everyone for all the nice feedback about part 1 in this series. Anyone that knows me understands that I want to be a positive force in the community and be a part of growing it. There’s no real metric for that. I can see when one post has more views, but it is amazing to hear that people are getting something out of it! I love making it, and I love talking about it one-on-one, but for some reason self-promotion makes my skin crawl. I am not saying that it is bad. I admire people that can do it effectively, but it is just counter to my nature.

Anyway, let’s get into it! The Heresy Doubles Event was on Friday, and this is the one gaming event I fly to the US for each year to play with my brother-from-another-mother, Chris. It’s difficult to forge an event narrative in an event with over 100 people (130 this year) in a hall with hundreds of other people. However, I do consider this a narrative/friendly event. I was a bit surprised to hear some chatter about this event having a dick-kicking vibe to it. One of those people had been to the event four or five years ago. Now, I have been going for three years in a row, which I do believe is the three years the event has been run under the Heresy Accountabilibuddies banner. Last year, Chris and I ran into one game with some young guys with a very netlisty combo. However, we still barely lost that game. And to be fair, I was running Sagyar Mazan White Scars while they were well past being novel and were well known for their power. Somehow, Chris and I were still voted Players’ Choice, so that just goes to show you that it’s more about the player playing the list than the list itself (insert reference about Will Henry, Merchant Princelings).

Last year, I started making Good Times & War Crimes t-shirts. (Our team’s name is Good Times & War Crimes for anyone just jumping in.) This year, I designed hoodies as well! I have commissioned a logo for the team, so next year we might have that. The pink shorts go back to year one. I bought them at J. Crew while I was there and the hall we played in was just so hot. Chris joined in on year two, and we have kept it going despite our wives (and everyone else) hating it.

Checking in on the morning of Doubles is always a blast! It is an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Our first ever game in year one was against pillars of the community, No Bueno. Adam and Zach were great introductions to Doubles. We didn’t get to play them last year, but we made sure we played them this year. And it did not disappoint!

Our Armies

I posted a few weeks ago about my 1500 point army. The list changed slightly from that point, but not too much. I ran the Second Circle of the Fourth Fellowship of the Thousand Sons. Chris ran his War Hounds with Black Shields rules. I think the metallic blue looked really good with the metallic red! We got quite a few compliments, which was nice!

Game 1

Yesterday, I mentioned that Chris and I had already played Mission 1 (Double Trouble) in a tune-up. That was helpful because it had a mechanic that allowed you to double the value of an objective if each team had a unit on it. I should also mention that this year the mission pack was completely digital. We also submitted scores digitally, so the event was completely paperless. I always like taking the mission pack away with me, but having it digitally is far more useful anyway. I loved this! So, if you want the mission pack, hit me up!

As in previous years, No Bueno rocked up with a highly mechanized force. They had one or two infantry units starting on the board. Adam runs Iron Hands and Zach runs Death Guard. Adam’s bases are wild, so check them out in the pictures! Sadly, Adam’s Breach Squad was the one that started on the board, so became a Turn 1 target. We didn’t score First Strike on it, but it was not for lack of trying!

A game against Adam and Zach is full of laughs and constant exclamations. I know there were probably a few moments where the people at other tables were thinking “WTF?” but WFC? Playing a game with No Bueno is absolute peak Heresy. My Heresy bucket list includes playing against Will Henry. Yours should have: Playing a game against the No Bueno boys! But good luck because we will definitely be getting back on their dance card next year!

I don’t know much else to say about this game. Both of our games together are in my Top 10 Heresy games ever. Who gives a shit about anything else? We played on the G.I. Joe-themed board with the crashed plane. That was a great board to play on!

Armies on Parade

Armies on Parade was conducted between Games 1 and 2. Two years ago, John had a huge army display for his Cobra (G.I. Joe)- themed Militia. This year, several armies had huge army displays. Because I travel from Germany, any display items I bring must be modular (and fit in my luggage).

Anyway, the hobby standard for this event is high. I know Chris and I put a lot of effort into preparing for this event, and it is clear that other people do as well. The pictures will speak for themselves! Enjoy! (You can click on each photo to blow it up.) I largely have no idea who had most of the armies, but if you see yours let me know and I will be happy to drop some links!

Game 2

I took good notes for the blog. Now, I cannot seem to find my notes for this game. We played two gentlemen from Chicago, John and Drew. I believe that is correct, but I did give them stickers…so, if one of you is reading this, please reach out! They were running Iron Hands and Salamanders, a wicked combo when you are trying to wound those lil fuckers! (The models, not the players.)

Mission 2 is the one mission Chris and I did not run prior to the event. This mission was called Beacon Control and required the players to activate each objective prior to scoring it. The one bit of feedback I should have given to the Event Organizer is that the check was on Cool and should have been on Intelligence. Chris and I went second in this game but had a squad of his Thallax to take the Cool check (Cool 12) for us in our Turn 1. However, they ended up giving our opponents First Strike.

John and Drew failed their Cool check for Turn 1, which meant no objective scoring for them that turn. However, the game stayed close the whole time. I basically forgot about a Tactical Squad on an objective, and saw the moment in Turn 3 unfolding before me. I said then, we just lost the game there on my mistake. We did end up losing a close game, but we did gain some new Heresy bros! Hope to see you guys next year!

Game 3

Game 3 is another throwback to Year 1! Sean and Angelo were our Game 2 opponents for our first two years. Randomly, I might add. This year, we made sure they were on our dance card. Chris calls these guys “The Accountants,” which I am sure has more to do with their action star status than their actual professions. Despite all that, they are the nicest guys you could imagine playing. They run Blood Angels and Iron Hands. Did we really play Iron Hands in all three games? All three of the Iron Hands players had vastly different takes on the Iron Hands, so I guess it wasn’t terribly obvious at the time.

Mission 3 (Press the Advance) was the zonal scoring mission I discussed yesterday. Chris and I ran this game in our practice. I never really played too many zonal scoring missions before recently. A few years ago, I was fixated on playing progressive objective scoring missions. As that has become the standard for Heresy, I have learned to embrace mixing it up. And I have to say, I love zonal scoring missions, whether they are progressive or end-of-game scoring. In objective scoring missions, you must think about what units will score each objective. In zonal scoring missions, you must be deliberate about the position of every single unit. I love that.

In previous years, Sean went really heavy with Deepstriking his Blood Angels. Sadly, 3rd edition Heresy crippled Deepstriking armies, so all the Blood Angels started on the board this year. On the other hand, Chris and I each held a unit in Deep Strike to be able to try to drop into one of the back zones Turn 2 or later. For Sean, that meant starting his big unit of Dawnbreakers on the board trying to push up. They got to go first, but those Dawnbreakers soaked up as much firepower as Chris and I could put into them. I think they went into Turn 2 with the formerly attached Chaplain still alive. Maybe that was Turn 3, but either way that became a significantly less scary unit after that!

My MVP(s)

My Contemptor-Osiron (Thas’karion) was not quite as deadly as some times in the past. Chris ran a Contemptor with plasma cannon (same as my Osiron), so those two models often ended up working in tandem. That was a really good combination together.

My Volkite Predator did work against infantry. In every game I played during the week, it became an early target. I don’t mind because that is generally something more important to me that my opponent doesn’t target. Also, the Smokescreen reaction is probably the best normal reaction in the game. Smokescreen kept my tanks on the board so many times they should have been blown off instead! I think I rolled three 5s out of three dice on one of my checks!

A 10-man Veteran Tactical Squad with my Praetor is hard to kill. In bigger points games, I would run him with a Tartaros Terminator Command Squad. However, I don’t really need WS5 Terminators with melee weapons on a unit I want to keep out of combat. I really liked the 10-man Vet Tactical Squad with the way I like to play. Having Line (1) on them really helped as well.

The theme of our combined armies was Veterans. Between us, we only had one Tactical Squad (which had the Combat Vets Prime Advantage). In terms of being Line (2), they did get us points in each game. The way the Secondary Objectives were set-up, many of them could be scored twice (once for each player) and had various bonuses. So, that could really offset the primary scoring. The wonderful thing about that is that it offset things like Line (2) units. Also, if we see any Line (2) units on the other side of the board, we come out blasting!

My Librarian, Not’Ahriman, ran with my Tactical Squad, and his ability to Shroud really helped to keep them alive in several situations that they should have been wiped off the board! All my characters had the Athanaean Arcana, and I did not have one Nuncio Vox across the army. Nevertheless, every status I attempted to remove was successful, and I could do that for units that could not have otherwise taken Nuncio Voxes anyway!

Honorable mention goes to Chris’ big squad of Melta Jetbikes. I cannot really have foreseen how much firepower this unit soaked up in every game we played. The poor guy. It’s kind of meme-worthy. I found it evilly hilarious. People absolutely wanted to get rid of that unit, so he barely ever got to use it. He certainly never got to use it without being seriously attrited. So, Best Bullet Sponges goes to these guys! This unit that can’t score shit and is swingy with its shooting, allowed me full freedom of maneuver!

Post-Games/Awards

I believe it was after Game 3 (but might have been before) that I spent some time talking to the EO, Derek. Derek, if you are reading this now, I am sorry I didn’t mention the Cool check issue at the time! It slipped my mind! Anyway, we did get a chance to talk about the missions that he created for the event. Yesterday, I talked about Heresy Hammer’s elegant event missions. I have always enjoyed the Doubles Event missions, but this year they really hit a peak level of elegance. I remember one from last year that was a bit of a head scratcher, but that might be more my strategy than the mission itself. Nevertheless, there were no head scratchers this year! All three were missions that I will gladly toss in the rotation of missions I will play and pass along.

Two of our opponent teams received awards! No Bueno received Best Sports, which was absolutely spot on. I was standing next to them when they were announced, and I believe I was as excited as them. There was definitely a bouncing group hug!

Sean and Angelo also received one of the hobby-related awards, which is also well deserved! Their stuff is always beautiful. I failed to get a picture of them or congratulate them, as they quickly bounced to the back. Quiet assassins, those guys!

Three games over 12 hours ends up being a long day for me. I am always smoked after this day, and do not understand how people can do this over several days (looking at you, Adam and Zach). I came home sick with Covid or the flu after both of my first two Cons. I am over 48 hours post-landing in Frankfurt and, as I write this, am still healthy for the first year. Despite struggling with jetlag for several days, I did try to get at least 8 hours sleep each night and take other precautions. It seemed to have worked!

Final Thoughts

Another great Doubles! Chris and I have already planned our combined army for next year! I won’t reveal that here. Maybe that topic will get its own post(s) throughout the coming year! I think the biggest indicator of how you feel about an event is if you would return or not. Well, I have been three times so far, and I plan to return again next year! I look forward to seeing my friends again next year, and if you have not played in this event...put it on your Heresy bucket list! I have never played in any of the other Accountabilibuddies or Phyrix Events, but I have seen enough of them that I would recommend any of those as well. I just personally like to keep my dance card open enough to explore, hang out with Chris, and meet up with some family. I have toyed with the idea of dabbling, but honestly, I was able to get three other games in with Chris at Adepticon. I would not sacrifice any of those games we played against each other…

Conclusion

Well, I am going to wrap this up for now. I am going to need a Part 3 to finish off the Adepticon experience, but I do think this event needed its own post, especially considering it is basically double the word count from the previous post. If you are reading this and you were there and not linked here, please shoot me a message! I am happy to go back and revise this.

In the meantime, you can check me out Instagram or Facebook!