Been out for the count the past few days, so you've obviously seen a lack of content from me.  I'm on the recovery, so we're jumping back on the horse and getting these Nova Open reports out.  They need to get done, as I have some rather pressing BT Gunline list things I need to talk about.

Next up, we have my game against Brian Hudson.  He plays a very nicely converted Space Wolves army called the "Lords of Oblivion".  I had met him the previous evening on the Nova Open bar crawl and chatted a bit about how our armies would be the polar opposites fluff-wise.  So I thought it a little funny that we got paired together.  The first thing I noticed when I sat down, was the fact that Brian seemed a bit angry and/or "off".  He mentioned that he was slightly hung over, as well as being angry about how his first couple games went.

I knew right away that this game could end up being a long one, because I knew my opponent right away was in a bad mood.  Coming into a game with a bad attitude can only cause problems and really dampers the mood of the game.  I did my best to cheer him throughout the game, but it didn't seem to take.  This was the only game where I scored an "Average Game" from my opponent (all the rest were Excellent Games).  It was also the game where I had the best LOS to my opponent, but it wouldn't matter, as you will soon see!  :D

Game Three -- Brian Hudson

HQ:
* Wolf Lord w/ Powerfist, Storm Shield, Runic Armor, Wolf-Tooth Talisman, Wolf-Tooth Necklace, Thunderwolf Mount, Saga of the Bear, and 2 Fenrisian Wolves.  [290]
* Wolf Guard Battle Leader w/ Frost Blade, Storm Shield, Runic Armor, Wolf-Tooth Necklace, Thunderwolf Mount, and 2 Fenrisian Wolves.  [220]
* Rune Priest w/ Jaws of the World Wolf & Living Lightning.  [100]

ELITES:
* Wolf Guard: 4 Wolf Guard w/ 3 Powerfists, 1 Power Weapon, and 4 Combi-Meltas.  [162]

TROOPS:
* Grey Hunters: 9 Grey Hunters w/ 1 Meltagun, Wolf-Standard, and Mark of the Wulfen.  Mounted in a Rhino.  [200]
* Grey Hunters: 9 Grey Hunters w/ 1 Meltagun, Wolf-Standard, and Mark of the Wulfen.  Mounted in a Rhino.  [200]
* Grey Hunters: 9 Grey Hunters w/ 1 Meltagun, Wolf-Standard, and Mark of the Wulfen.  Mounted in a Rhino.  [200]
* Grey Hunters: 8 Grey Hunters w/ 1 Flamer, Wolf-Standard, and Mark of the Wulfen.  Mounted in a Rhino.  [180]

FAST ATTACK:
* Thunderwolf Cavalry:  3 Cavalry w/ 2 Storm Shields and 1 Powerfist.  [240]

HEAVY SUPPORT:
* Long Fangs:  5 Long Fangs w/ 4 Missile Launchers.  [115]
* Long Fangs:  4 Long Fangs w/ 3 Missile Launchers.  [90]

Total:  [1997]

Mission Goals:
P) Kill Points
S) Table Quarters
T) Objectives

Deployment was Dawn Of War.

Here is an excellent and thought-provoking article written by fellow BT blogger Devjon.  Definitely makes you think.  While I also commented over on his blog (which I recommend checking out), I'll post in the comment section here as well.  Enjoy!  :D

Well, today is Implausible Nature's second birthday.  And what a glorious two years it has been.  A lot has been accomplished over the past year, even eclipsing the success that was the first year of existence.  Not only has the number of readers dramatically improved over the course of this year (thanks to existing readers promotion), the number of positive emails that I've received have more than doubled.  I can no longer keep up with them!

Moral of the story:  I couldn't have done it without every one of you that reads this website.  You've given me the drive and motivation to keep everything going, as well as keeping this website constantly updated.  I know at times there has been lulls in activity for various reasons, but everyone has always been supportive and continued to check for new updates.  And for those who have been promoting IN, my thanks goes to you.  You guys even donated your hard-earned money to send me to Nova Open this year and I won't forget the gesture.  I was blown away by the support I received and I truly thankful for all of it.

My goal has never been to be a huge monopolizing source of information on Black Templars, but rather, a place where people can gather to voice their opinions on competitive BT.  I've done everything in my ability to teach what I know about this aspect of the game, using our out-dated codex, to those that care to read about it.  My quest to help new players get a better grip on what they are jumping into has been more successful than I could have ever imagined.

To those I have met or spent significant time in email with, thank you.  Every one of you has been great and I hope to continue that relationship well into the future.  I look forward to meeting even more of you as time goes on.  Without you guys, there is no Implausible Nature.  I'll continue to do my best providing the quality that all of you have come to expect.  For the Emperor!

So, as most of you know, I didn't get a chance to go to 'Ard Boys 2011.  This was primarily because I moved out of the Twin Cities area in May, so I wasn't in the position to drive 5 hours down there to play this year.  I was concentrating more on Nova Open to be honest.  Plus, I ultimately wasn't trying to "win" the competition.  If I won the first and second rounds, I'd pass off my Finals ticket off.  My goal was to grant a lesson to my opponents.  Or at least, that was the goal.  lol!

Hello!  I know that this is kind of a change of pace from the battle reports (and those will still be finished up), however, when I get something in my mind, I run with it.  Most of my readers are not Dark Eldar players and I understand that, but I'm hoping you all will help me with a little exercise in preparing for Nova Open 2012.  Yes, the battle reports are still coming.  Patience!  I'll be getting another one up very soon.  Seems to me that mine are much more indepth than everyone else's around the web.  ;)

** Very long.  You have been warned. **

Since Game Three was the game where I pretty much got slaughtered, the battle report was quite easy to write up.  This is my biggest loss of the weekend and I'll get into the why's in the coming report.

In addition, as I noted previously, its going to be Dark Eldar for Nova 2012 most likely.  Yeah, I know ya'll are cursing me under your breath, but I think it'll be a good way for you to mentally challenge yourself against the list I'm going to be posting up.  I'm not forsaking the Black Templars, in fact, I've been doing some painting lately to fix up the blundering mess of a paint job I gave my marines for Nova.  I've also been tooling around with my Nova Open list a bit, in order to be prepared for the next year's Nova Open should I not finish my DE army in time.  ;)

Anyway, expect those posts within a day or so.  :)

Next up, game two of the Nova Open.  In this game, I got paired up with a Raven Guard player by the name of Joseph Metcalf.  His army was essentially a biker army, but with some heavy support.  I can't really say enough about Joseph, he was a great opponent, easy to talk to, and helped make it an incredibly fun game.  He and I went out across the block for some lunch after the battle and chatted it up a bit.  We were going to play another game, but due to time restraints, it simply didn't happen.  Just remember, these battle reports are meant to be a play-by-play, only a detailed overview.  ;)

Game Two -- Joseph Metcalf

HQ:
* Captain w/ Bike, Lightning Claw, Artificer Armor, and Meltabombs; Command squad w/ Apothecary, Champion, and 3x Plasmaguns.  [460]
* Chaplain w/ Bike, Rosarius, Crozius Arcanum.  [135]

ELITES:
* Ironclad Dreadnought w/ Heavy Flamer.  Mounted in a Drop Pod.  [180]
* Dreadnought w/ TL-Lascannon and Missile Launcher.  [145]
* Dreadnought w/ 2x TL-Autocannons.  [125]

TROOPS:
* Bikers (5) w/ 1x Plasmagun, 1x Meltagun; Attack Bike w/ Multi-Melta.  [215]
* Bikers (8) w/ 1x Plasmagun, 1x Meltagun; Attack Bike w/ Multi-Melta.  [290]
* Scouts (10) w/ Sgt Telion upgrade, 8x Sniper Rifles, and 1x Missile Launcher.  [200]

HEAVY SUPPORT:
* Vindicator.  [125]
* Vindicator.  [125]

Total:  [2000]

Mission Goals:
P) Table Quarters
S) Objectives
T) Kill Points

Deployment was Spearhead.

Replying to all of the emails I've neglected to since the week prior to Nova Open.  Sorry about the wait everyone, I finally have a free evening to get back to everyone.  Some will take longer than others, so hopefully I can get through them all.  :)

EDIT:  Tonight's website maintenance is forcing me to forgo the posting of Game Two until tomorrow evening.  After that, I'm going to be releasing them in quick succession if I can.  I want to get on to my reflection/list revision stuff.  There is work to be done if I am to correct my list's issue with Nova Open's terrain.  ;)

Also expect a Dark Eldar post in there somewhere, not sure when, but it'll be soon.  Because I plan on taking them to Nova Open 2012 (we'll see...lol), I've been working on a list that is built with this year's terrain in mind.  MVBrandt has said that he plans on using the same terrain next year, but we'll see how it goes.  The list is pretty solid either way and I'd like your opinions on it once the post get released.

This article on NaughtyBadFun 40k shows us just one more reason why running Black Tide is bad.  You'll just get shot up or assaulted.  Even with lots of cover (like at Nova this year), you are gimped by the lack of mobility through terrain and won't make it to the necessary objectives or table quarters.  Apart from the slaughtering of my brethren, its a pretty good battle report.  You should check it out.

Yes, the rest of mine are coming.  Of course, as soon as I come back I got slammed with work and have been caught up with that.  Now that I have a few hours of free time, I'll work on the next game for ya'll.  I also have LOTS of emails to answer, so please have patience with me as I respond to them all.