Herocon 2024 - A Failed Field Report

2nd Dec 2024

Barry

3 mins

The Australian Defence Force Wargaming Association hosted its annual Herocon at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra over the weekend. AFWGA events are something I absolutely want the wider community to get behind as they raise money for Soldier On Australia helping ex-servicemen and their families.

Taters’ rulers and tokens looked amazing…

I wasn’t able to participate this year though I was able to make it to try and offer some insight into the Armada event that Jim put together with some amazing prize support by Admiral Tater. We only managed a small number for Armada this year with 10 players, but Herocon has always seemed to have a lot of small niche games around what is largely a Warhammer event.

I arrived in time for start of the second round and whilst it was my intention to offer an overall report – though I admit I was completely focused on Jim and Ninja Boomer’s game of duelling Interdictors. I wasn’t certain of Jim’s build and how he was planning to leverage it, Boomer on the other hand made his intention quite well known moving some mined obstacles into range of Jim’s deployment. And it did seem that on activating his Raider that game was going to be a one way affair as it took four damage from the mines and was promptly removed from the game. His first activation gave up 73 points…

I managed to escape the blast radius of Jim’s anger narrowly…

So naturally I became enamoured by where this goes. How could I not after that opening? Dan’s lead continued to grow, accruing another 100 points through strong objective play to Jim’s 50 points.

Honestly look at that turn 0 trap.

Jim’s fighter ball of four decimators, Darth Vader and Tel Trevura got to work and outgunned Boomer’s gauntlet and Gar Saxon swiftly, turning their gaze to the flotilla that probably had planned to just farm points while the ISD flanked Jim’s Interdictor. The momentum of the game somehow always felt with Boomer though the decimators constantly nipping at his own interdictor it became less clear until the last roll or the last round.

 Jim’s interdictor survived on 1 hull, with an ISD trailing and using a tractor beam to keep him from getting too far whilst Boomer’s fell to Vader’s last roll getting just over the line to destroy it giving Jim the game 262-173. A genuinely compelling game and it served as demonstratable proof that you absolutely do need to brush it off and keep playing to see it through.

On other tables Mars’ Luminara GAR list continued to struggle with Mundo’s CIS Trench casserole of nonsense. When I left a dejected Mars conceded the feeling Ahab won’t ever get his whale. Jeff Vader was involved in a Rebel knife fight with Asunakeno, and The Sean’s Imps seemed to have one over Wispit but perhaps only just.

So the long and short of it is I’m a terrible field reporter…but a big congratulations to Jeff Vader for taking the win for the day!

Please take a look at the ADFWGA page for upcoming events and support Soldier On Australia in any way you can.

  - Barry