Tag Archives: Battle Report

Battle Report

BatRep: Emperor’s Children Vs. Necrons

Buckle in for a long post! Here’s a battle report for a battle I had last weekend, including both lists, and at the end, a fluffy “narrative” battle report that has too many circus clichés. Also there is a Mathhammer explosion in the middle explaining how I caused 53 wounds from one unit!

Last weekend marked the start of a Warhammer 40,000 Narrative Crusade Campaign League at XPlanet Games, my friendly local game store (FLGS). We are using a campaign where we fight over territories of Vogen Hive. We are split into 3 teams: Imperial, Chaos, and Xenos.

These narrative games will be a little different: We will be playing the Matched Play Missions from the Nachmund book, and pick secondaries as per matched play rules. But we also pick 3 narrative agendas that potentially help our armies gain experience points. 

I was testing a 1500 point Death Guard army for several test games, and found I wasn’t really enjoying it. I decided to bring my 2021 Emperor’s Children army off the shelf and re-tool them and optimize their efficiency. 

++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [75 PL, 11CP, 1,440pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) 

Detachment Command Cost

Legion: Emperor’s Children

+ Stratagems +

Gifts of Chaos (1 Relic) [-1CP]

+ No Force Org Slot +

Dark Disciples [1 PL, 10pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

+ HQ +

Daemon Prince with Wings [10 PL, 205pts]: 5. Glutton for Punishment, Diabolic Strength, Malefic talon, Malefic talon, Raiment Revulsive, Warlord, Warp bolter, Wings

. Slaanesh: Smite

Dark Apostle [4 PL, 80pts]: Accursed crozius, Blissful Devotion, Bolt pistol, Dark Zealotry, Frag & Krak grenades, Illusory Supplication, Mark of Slaanesh, Remnant of the Maraviglia

Sorcerer [6 PL, 115pts]: Bolt pistol, Delightful Agonies, Force sword, Frag & Krak grenades, Jump pack, Mark of Slaanesh, Prescience, Smite

+ Troops +

Chaos Cultists [6 PL, 100pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 19x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon: 19x Autopistol, 19x Brutal assault weapon

. Cultist Champion: Brutal assault weapon and Autopistol

Chaos Cultists [3 PL, 50pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon: 9x Autopistol, 9x Brutal assault weapon

. Cultist Champion: Brutal assault weapon and Autopistol

Chaos Cultists [3 PL, 50pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ autopistol and brutal assault weapon: 9x Autopistol, 9x Brutal assault weapon

. Cultist Champion: Brutal assault weapon and Autopistol

Noise Marines [10 PL, 175pts]: Icon of Excess

. 9x Marine w/ chainsword: 9x Astartes chainsword, 9x Bolt pistol, 9x Frag & Krak grenades

. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Frag & Krak grenades, Plasma pistol

+ Elites +

Terminators [16 PL, 340pts]: Icon of Excess, Mark of Slaanesh

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

. Terminator Champion: Combi-melta, Lightning Claw

+ Fast Attack +

Dreadclaw Drop Pod [6 PL, 115pts]: Blade struts, Mark of Slaanesh, Thermal jets

Warp Talons [10 PL, 200pts]: Mark of Slaanesh

. 9x Warp Talon: 9x Lightning Claw (Pair)

. Warp Talon Champion: Lightning Claw (Pair)

++ Reinforcements (Chaos – Daemons) [55pts] ++

+ Configuration +

Chaos Allegiance: Slaanesh

Detachment Command Cost

+ Reinforcement Points +

Reinforcements [55pts]: 5x Reinforcement Points, 5x Reinforcement Points

++ Total: [75 PL, 11CP, 1,495pts] ++

I spent all 5 requisition points (RP) I was allowed to start the campaign: Gave the Daemon prince the “Glutton for Punishment” warlord trait for -1 damage. Spent two RP to get two relics, the “Raiment Revulsive” and “Remnant of the Maraviglia”. And spent 2 RP to permanently give my Terminator Squad the “Combat Elixirs” upgrade for an additional attack. 

This was Tyler’s list:


++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Necrons) [74 PL, 11CP, 1,500pts] ++

+ Configuration + 

Battle Size [12CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) 

Detachment Command Cost 

Dynasty Choice: Dynasty: Novokh 

+ HQ + 

Catacomb Command Barge [9 PL, 165pts]: Gauss Cannon, Relic (Novokh): Blood Scythe, Warlord, Warlord Trait (Codex 1): Enduring Will, Warscythe 

Technomancer [5 PL, -1CP, 75pts]: Dynastic Heirlooms, Relic: Veil of Darkness 

Technomancer [7 PL, 110pts]: Arkana: Fail-Safe Overcharger, Canoptek Cloak 

+ Troops + 

Necron Warriors [12 PL, 260pts] . 20x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 20x Gauss Reaper 

Necron Warriors [6 PL, 130pts] . 10x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 10x Gauss Reaper 

Necron Warriors [6 PL, 130pts] . 10x Necron Warrior (Gauss Reaper): 10x Gauss Reaper 

+ Elites + 

Skorpekh Destroyers [8 PL, 180pts] . 2x Skorpekh Destroyer (Reap-Blade): 2x Hyperphase Reap-Blade . 4x Skorpekh Destroyer (Thresher): 4x Hyperphase Threshers 

+ Fast Attack + 

Canoptek Scarab Swarms [4 PL, 75pts] . 5x Canoptek Scarab Swarm: 5x Feeder Mandibles 

Canoptek Wraiths [8 PL, 210pts] . 6x Canoptek Wraith (Claws): 6x Vicious Claws 

+ Heavy Support + 

Lokhust Heavy Destroyers [9 PL, 165pts] . 3x Lokhust Heavy Destroyer (Gauss Destructor): 3x Gauss Destructor 

++ Total: [74 PL, 11CP, 1,500pts] 

I’ve gotten ripped apart by Wraiths and Skorpekh destroyers in the past, so I know they are melee threats. I’ve never faced the Novokh dynasty, but I looked them up and it looks like they have a lot of buffs for melee. 

Seeing such a melee-heavy list, I was worried my cultists would evaporate really quickly, and thought about changing my strategy. But I decided to run in with the strategy and secondaries I had been thinking about for a few weeks. 

Game time!

We played the mission Recover the Relics from the War Zone Nachmund: Grand Tournament Mission Pack. It has 6 objectives with “Hammer and Anvil” deployment (really far from each other).

My secondaries:

  • Retrieve Nachmund Data
  • The Long War
  • Psychic Interrogation

Tyler’s Secondaries: 

  • Engage on All Fronts
  • Assassination
  • To The Last

I deployed two squads of cultists and my 3 characters deep in my deployment zone trying to hug some cover. Everything else was in deep strike or strategic reserve. 

Pre-Game deployment for Chaos Space Marines, Emperor’s Children

Tyler deployed all of his units, with warriors closely hugging his deployment line to get an early jump on objectives. 

After deployment. Necrons on the left.

Tyler got the first turn, which actually worked out well for me. He moved his Warriors up to grab several objectives, and advanced his Wraiths quickly across the field.

Tyler had some very powerful long-range shooting from his Lokhust Heavy Destroyers and Catacomb Command Barge. But, I had very little on the board. He managed to annihilate 5 cultists. 

Emperor’s Children Daemon Prince “The Ringleader” slowly advances with an entourage of cultist I call the “Murder Mimes”. Thank you Chris Brody for the photo

Tyler had moved up his units enough that he opened a gap on the back of the board. Enough room for my Dreadclaw drop pod to drop in 9” away from a couple of his units. My plan was to drop mid-field and advance one of his warrior squads. The deployed squad would be close enough to my psykers to get buffs. I  wasn’t to come into his backfield, but it was an opportunity. I deployed my Melee Noise Marines immediately from the Dread Claw, and took some pot shots at the LMD’s nearby.

Deep Striking then charging in the Necron Deployment Zone

With my deep striking unit so far away, I kept my characters hidden and just crept my cultists forward enough to grab another objective. One cultists squad performed the action to complete Retrieve in one quarter. 

My “Mobile Circus Tent” Dread Claw Drop Pod brings the circus to the Necron Deployment Zone. The Squad of Melee Noise Marines “The Murder Clowns” made their charge (right) and engaged the LMD’s. Thanks again to Chris Brody for the photo.

My Dark Apostle failed his prayer roll. And I was trying to cast Delightful Agonies on my Daemon Price, but somehow my sorcerer rolled Perils, so I had to burn a Command point for nothing. 

My noise marines made the 9” charge against his LMD’s, losing one model to overwatch. The Marines weren’t super, and if I hadn’t used Excess of Violence I wouldn’t have had enough wounds to kill off his squad. But, playing The Long War secondary encourages me to aggressively “take” objectives, so I went with it.

“The Murder Clowns” a unit of melee Noise Marines attacking Necron LMD’s. Thanks again to Chris Brody for the photo.

I should have summoned a Herald of Slaanesh to be able to perform Psychic Interrogation on turn one, but moved all my characters unnecessarily. Something to do better next time.

End of turn 1: Necrons 0 – Chaos 4

In the top of the 2nd Tyler made some big moves. His Scarabs grabbed an objective, and his Wraiths chopped up 18 of 20 cultists in one squad. Tyler’s warriors destroyed my Noise Marines, which was as an expected trade

Tyler’s Necron Wraiths about to butcher some “Zombie Daemon Clowns” (counts as cultists)

Middle of turn 2: Necrons 12 – Chaos 4

On the bottom of turn 2 I made a lot of big moves too. 

Emperor’s Children make an dramatic entrance in the middle of the fray

I didn’t want to have to fight his Wraiths. I would have rather jumped one of his Warrior squads. But, it was one of his To The Last units, and I wanted to deny him those points. So against my better judgment, I let the secondaries dictate my actions.

Send in the Clowns! Terminators make the charge!

I dropped my terminators essentially in my deployment zone. I planned to bring them in turn 3, but I had an opportunity to shoot his Command Barge and Scarabs before charging the wraiths. I tried to cast Death Hex on the Scarabs to remove their 4++ invulnerable save, but my psyker whiffed on it. At least he got off Prescience on my Terminators, which would prove to be very useful. I used “The Remnant of the Maraviglia” to buff their shooting. They shot a few melta guns at his Warlord, killed quite a few scarabs, then used Endless Cacophony to shoot twice. Then they charged the Wraiths. What happened next was something I had been Math Hammering in my head, but worked out just as planned. 

Here’s my story of death by a thousand cuts! It’s a Mathhammer nightmare:

I charged 10 Terminators with lightning claws and an Icon of Excess into 6 Necron Wraiths. Used Combat Elixirs on the Terminators for extra attack. Death Hex power failed to cast, but Prescience did.

51 attacks hitting on 2’s, re-roll 1’s from nearby Daemon Prince. Death to the False Emperor (DTTFE) triggered extra hits on 4’s!

Wind up with 74 hits.

Then, strength 4 vs toughness 5 means normally wounding on 5’s. Used Veterans of the Long War Strat, so wounding on 4’s, re-rolling everything because of Lightning Claws.

Results in 53 wounds at AP-2!

Opponent failed enough 4++ invulnerable saves and the squad wiped!

I needed A LOT of dice! I’m thinking of getting a dice tower. Or a bucket. 

Here’s why DTTFE triggered on 4’s:

Normally 6+. Icon of Excess makes it trigger on 5+. Prescience adds 1 to hit roll, so effectively 4+

All 53 of these were successful wounds caused by one squad of terminators. Tyler had to make 53 saves at AP-2

To my chagrin, I still hadn’t performed the Psychic Interrogation action.

I also got cheeky and used Tide of Traitors to “re-spawn” the 20 model cultist squad to his backfield and grabbed another Retrieve. 

End of turn 2: Necrons 12 – Chaos 16 (including 4 for retrieve)

Tyler had a really strong turn 3: He used “veil” to bring his Skorpehk Destroyers into the fray by the “green objective” that my Terminators just took from his Wraiths. He successfully charged with the Skorpehk’s and annihilated my Terminators. He also destroyed my Dread Claw Drop Pod that was loitering in his deployment zone.

Middle of Turn 3: Necrons 24 – Chaos 16

The back and forth continued. I brought in my Warp Talons near his Skorpehk’s. I had no command points left, but thankfully they made their 9” charge out of deep strike. By this time Tyler had gotten wise to me stacking on DTTFE and used a strat to make me -1 to hit him in melee. My Warp Talons managed to finish off all of the Skorpekh’s. My Deamon prince wounded his commander, but surprisingly, my Dark Apostle finished his commander off.

I don’t have a good “in-game” photo of my Warp Talons. But here are 5 of them. I feel they have a “Mary Poppins” kind of appeal floating with their balloons.

I brought in a squad of cultists from reserve also into Tyler’s backfrield and grabbed another Retrieve. 

I finally summoned a Herald of Slaanesh, and she completed the Psychic Interrogation action on the Necron overlord before it perished. 

End of turn 3: Necrons 24 – Chaos 32 (including 8 for Retrieve)

Top of the 4th, Tyler got the full 12 points for primary but wasn’t able to do much else. He took some potshots at my loitering cultists, and took a lot of bodies.

Middle of turn 4: Necrons 36 – Chaos 32

Here is where I got to have some more fun. My Warp Talons and Daemon Prince flew onto Tyler’s side of the table. It’s really satisfying to fly 12” ignoring terrain. I did a Psychic Interrogation on a Technomancer before my Warp Talons destroyed it and a unit of Warriors. 

End of turn 4: Necrons 36 – Chaos 46

Turn 5 Tyler’s big Warrior squad blasted my Warp Talon’s off the board. They are rather “glass cannon” being able to dish out a lot of hits, but not take much abuse. 

Middle of turn 5: Necrons 56 – Chaos 46

I had so few models left by turn 5. All I could really do was use my Daemon Prince to interrogate his last Technomancer than slay him. My last cultist squad crept over to the last quarter and completed the fourth Retrieve action.

One of Tyler’s “To The Last” units survived, so he got 5 points for that. 

Necrons: 61 – Chaos 65.

Wonderfully close game, very back and forth. 

I loved my list. It was fun to play, fast, and I was always in it. I think I will tweak my psychic powers a bit, but I’m very happy. It’s fun, fast and brutal. I had been coached by Skari to make smart trades, and I think I accomplished that.

Now, here’s the story again, but from a narrative, fluffy perspective. I’m going to try to use as many cliché circus lines as I can in this narrative report:

The quiet before the show always made The Ringleader nervous. Blessed by Slaanesh to spread an excessive and sensational performance to many world’s, the Daemon Prince shifted impatiently. Huddled behind a hab building surrounded by adoring cultists, the large, winged creature strained to peek at the approaching “audience”.

The circus was in town, but not in the way you might imagine. The Ringleader led his warband of Emperor’s Children Heretic Space Marines dubbed “The Circus of sLAUGHTER.” In this case, joining an allied Chaos campaign invading . The Warmaster had sent the warband to invade this drab hab block. Or was it to defend it? Didn’t really matter. After a seemingly unbearable amount of time, The Ringleader was finally going to have some fun. 

Several buildings away, a large force of Novokh Necrons silently marched up the field. The Ringleader didn’t like this. Too quiet. Too far away. He shifted, ready to fly towards the oncoming foe.

Sorcerer Ralph Bohner turned and gave The Ringleader a calming gesture. 

“Patience boss. We must wait backstage to make an appropriate entrance.”

The massive Deamon Prince slouched slightly, and used his large malefic talons to adjust his top hat and bow tie.

As the Necron horde advanced, they fired powerful weaponry at entrenched Heretics. Several cultists were disemboweled by the bombardment. The Ringleader glared impatiently at the nearby Sorcerer. 

“They’re too far away. Time for an opening act! If they won’t come to the Circus, THE CIRCUS WILL COME FOR THEM!

SEND IN THE CLOWNS!!”

A Dread Claw Drop pod deftly landed behind the advancing Necrons. Quickly, a squad of Noise Marines with loud whirling weapons emerged and charged towards the nearest unit, which happened to be a trio of Lokhurt Heavy Destroyers. The Marines gleefully took Chainsword to xenos metal, many blows futilely grinding without purchase, but creating a din of sparks and shrieking noise. They let fly enough blows that some hit soft points and joints, and they revelled over the dismantled constructs

A large unit of Necron Warriors paused their silent march, turned around and leveled a flurry of shots at the newly arrived Marines. After there was little left of the Marines, the Warriors resumed their trudge into the district.

“Tough crowd,” chortled a Dark Apostle across the way. “No appreciation for rhythm and percussion.”

The Ringleader was about to respond, when a cultist near him unceremoniously exploded, draping the Daemon Prince in gore. The Ringleader smiled at the carnage, as he saw a squad of Canoptek Wraiths disenbowl a dozen cultists around him. The Necron leader loomed nearby in a Catacomb Command Barge.

“IT’S TIME TO RAISE THE CURTAIN! IT’S TIME TO LIGHT THE LIGHTS! TIME GET THINGS STARTED!” Cackled the Daemon Prince. 

With a flourishing entrance, a squad of Chaos Space Marine Terminators teleported into the battlefield. Their armour is bulky, heavy, and oppressive. One even carelessness stomped on an awestruck Cultists as the Terminators made their grand entrance.

The Dark Apostle thought this would be an appropriate time to add some background music to the fray. Signalling his nearby Dark Disciples, he activated the vox-casters in his armour and broadcast a Remnant of the Maraviglia, the famous (or infamous) musical composition that signaled the Emperor’s Children’s official descent into demonic insanity. 

The Ringleader signaled the Sorcerer to cast a Death Hex upon the Wraiths. Ralph Bohner tried to manifest the spell, but the witchfire seeming emitting from him sputtered or stopped.

“Performance Issues? Stage fright” mocked the Dark Apostle. The Sorcerer merely glared.

The newly arrived Terminators were invigorated and seeked to add noise to the battlefield with a seemingly endless cacophony of shots from the combi-meltas before crashing into the nearby Wraiths. With dozens of blows, the Terminators dismantled the tenacious Wraiths. However, they were so effective they left none for The Ringleader to participate.

As quickly as the Terminators fell the Wraiths, a wave of Skorpekh Destroyers fell upon the Terminators and stuck them down. 

“AH! AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! LOVELY!” The Ringleader barked.

“NOW, FOR OUR NEXT ACT…!”

As if on cue, a squad of Warp Talons arrived nearby, wreathed by esoteric energy as they burst from the Warp with a Warpflame Strike.

“NOW THAT’S AN ENTRANCE!” Extorted the Daemon Prince. 

As the Warp Talons pounced on the Destroyers, the Ringleader turned his sights to the nearby Command Barge. It was already badly damaged by gunfire from the Terminators. 

“LET ME SHOW YOU A MAGIC TRICK!” The Ringleader sneered as he cast a bolt of arcane energy at the Barge before slamming it to the ground with his talons. But, before he could finish the kill, the Dark Apostle stepped in and beheaded the Necron Commander with his Accursed Crozius. 

“Look at that! I made his head disappear.” The Dark Apostle gloated as he smiled.

The Ringleader was frustrated that the kill had been stolen from him. He spied a Technomancer retreating from the carnage.

“LEAVING SO SOON!?” The Daemon Prince bellowed?

“LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!” 

Flanked by the Warp Talons, the Daemon Prince took flight, bounding across the battlefield.

“I NEED A VOLUNTEER FROM THE AUDIENCE” he bellowed as he pounced on the retreating character. 

“HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW!”

Barked The Ringleader, as he tore apart the Technomancer with a satisfying snap.

A time later, the Dark Apostle surveyed the battlefield. It was covered in debris of wrecked vehicles, machines, robots, rubble, bodies, and blood. Smouldering fires kicked up a hazy mist. He spied an ornate case in a ruined building. Curiously, he opened it. He closed the case and passed the artifact to his Dark Disciples. He instructed them to incorporate this new Relic into his armour. He felt he deserves the upgrade.

Battle Report, Hobby

BatRep: Vs. Eldar 90 Power

This was my 5th game at Astronomi-con 2018. It was against Josh Curtis who hosts The Drunken Dreadnoughts podcast. He even talked about our match during his Episode 54 starting at 34:50 and he called it the best game of his tournament.

Josh Curtis of The Drunken Dreadnoughts was my opponent for the last round

Josh brought a pretty shiny red Eldar force. I don’t remember exactly what he had, but something like:

  • Farseer on a bike
  • 10 Dark Reapers
  • Shining Spears on Jetbikes
  • More Jetbikes
  • 5 Wraithguard in a Wave Serpent
  • 3 D-cannons
  • 3 war walkers
This was a madcap adventure of a scenario!
There is a Mechanicus Character (who I’ll refer to as the Techpriest for the rest of the BatRep) who has valuable information. He is protected by four Kastellan Robots. He’s trying to run from the centre of the table to a corner. The Techpriest can’t be shot, targeted by psychic powers, or suffer mortal wounds. He must be subdued in the fight phase. Once subdued, he can be carried around like The Relic, but if the carrier is slain, he recovers with 1 wound and continues his escape attempt.
I didn’t like the tiny deployment zone. It was only 6″ wide, and most of my tanks are that long. It didn’t give me much ability to “bubble wrap” my tanks.

My deployment. Getting only 6 inches from the edge sucks since my tanks are about 6″ long…

 

Josh’s deployment

Eldar Turn 1
Josh got first turn, and immediately did some trickery to get his shining spears into close combat range with 4 of my tanks. They have a long move, then Josh used a psychic power that let them move AGAIN! He skewered my wyvern, took 10 wounds off of Pask, and consolidated into a hellhound. I hate the way people can consolidate without overwatch….
This put me on my heels, and gave me flashbacks to many first turn tablings had before. He got his war walkers into close combat with the Kastellan Robots and tried tying up the Techpriest target.

Josh’s Eldar movement

 

Guard Turn 1
 
My turn to strike back. I dropped my “Bullgryn bomb” into the fray in the centre with the Kastellan Robots, Techpriest, and War Walkers. I drove a wounded hellhound towards his wave serpent, as a sort of suicide run; I was counting on in exploding and causing some havoc.
The rest of my troops skewered the Shining Spears that were embedded in my deployment zone.

Turn 1 movement

The bullgryns managed to beat down the War Walkers and Subdue the Techpriest.

All hell breaks loose around the target: War Walkers vs. Kastellan Robots vs. Bullgryns

Eldar Turn 2
 
We were both excitedly invested in the game now. Josh was also double-fisting beers at this time, which I think made him more excited.
He threw almost everything he had at the fray in the middle. He blew my Valkyrie out of the sky, but somehow, one of my Bullgryns survived with 1 wound!
Josh deployed the Wraithguard from his Wave Serpent and shot at the wounded Hellhound. As expected, it exploded and took some of the Wraithguard with it!
Guard Turn 2
 
This turn is a scene that I think would make an epic movie. My last remaining bullgryn made a run out of the middle dragging the Objective with him. I covered his escape with two hellhounds and a taurox.

Bullgryn tries to get away with the subdued target. Tanks come in to guard his getaway

I really wanted the last Kastellan Robot to kill my Ministorum Priest in Close Combat so I’d get another narrative objective, but, regrettably, the 4++ save saved him.
With my shooting, I managed to finish off Josh’s wraithguard.
Eldar Turn 3
This is a continuation of that epic scene. Josh used the same psychic trickery to get some jetbikes in front of my retreating bullgryn. Somehow, he still survived! I picture about 20 shurikens embedded in the Bullgryn’s slabshield.
Josh used some psychic powers to debuff my Hellhounds, then destroyed them with the dark reapers and D-cannons. The ensuing explosions finished off the jetbikes, Priest, last Kastellan Robot, and the last bullgryn. Very explosive!
However, that means that Techpriest gets back up with 1 wound!

The flurry in the middle of the match. The Bullgryn trying to escape with the subdued Techpriest. The bodyguard kastellan robot chasing “master!!” and Eldar hot in pursuit!

Guard Turn 3
 
Both Josh and I were desperate NOT to let the Techpriest get away because we would BOTH lose.  This is where things got desperate.
I had an infantry squad heading to get a Narrative Objective by waiting in the escape corner. Instead, I charged them into combat with the Techpriest, and surprisingly, their bayonets subdued the target and I reclaimed the objective.
I also started sprinting my Company Commander and last remaining Infantry squad towards to objective from the corner. I got some very favourable advance rolls with the “move, move, move” order.

Desperation: Guardsmen enter close combat, and re-capture the target

Eldar Turn 4
Josh brought whatever he had left to the Techpriest, including his farseer on jetbike, and a couple of characters. He managed to kill off my infantry squad, so the Techpriest was free, again!

Even more desperation: Company Commander and last squad of infantry try to chase down the target who has awoken again!

Guard Turn 4
 
My guardsmen and company commander were able to charge the techpriest, but unfortunately could not subdue him. The 2+ save was pretty good against my AP0 attacks. Should have given the Company Commander a better weapon than a chainsword.
Eldar Turn 5
 
Josh swept in and removed my infantry, and claimed the objective. That was about it for the game since I had no infantry left to try to claim the objective.
Aftermath
I can imagine the scenario as the Eldar explain what happened to their superiors. Something about the Mon-keigh interfering and trying to take their target, but ultimately they succeeded.
I could have conceded the Relic earlier and tried getting more narrative objectives. But, shooting for the moon made it more exciting.
Looking forward to our next game Josh!
Battle Report, Hobby

Astronomi-Con 2018 Debrief and Lessons Learned

2 Comments

I attended Astronomi-con for the first time in September, and I don’t know why I haven’t been going for years!

It’s definitely a different kind of event in ALL the best ways. I understand why people go to tournaments to WAAC (win at all costs), but I think Warhammer is more fun when it’s narrative and trying to tell a story. And I think that’s the real joy of the hobby that Mike and Christian have been able to distill into this event.

Mike and Christian: The heros that brought us Astronomi-con!

I finished the tournament with 2 ties, 1 win, and 2 losses. No awards for me, but as my first time, I think I’m pretty happy. I expected a narrative event, but people still brought lists that were TOUGH and POWERFUL. I suppose you don’t want people taking it easy on you.

I plan on writing battle reports for many (if not all) of the 5 battles. But this may be a good summary for the whole thing.

I should note that BIG FAQ 2 dropped the day before this tournament, nerfing the FAQ farm that Astra Militarum used to enjoy so much. I quickly switched out my Warlord’s relic, but I definitely felt the lack of CP.

ARMY LIST

I was going to write a fluff piece about how this Cadian regement (the 77th) “liberated” a planet, but had no Cadia to return home to. So, they took this abandoned garage as their new home.
And really, I wanted to cram as many vehicles as possible into a list because I like them, and they’re hard to kill.
I used the special Astronimi-con “narrative detachment” (2-3 hq, 4-5 troops, 1-2 Elites, 1-2 fast, 1-2 heavy, 0-1 flyers) for +10 CP.

My 90 Power Level army for Astronomi-con 2018 and my “award winning” display board

My army for all five games was the following 90 power list.
“Sophie’s Garage” Narrative Detachment. Cadian doctrine.
HQ
  • Company Commander with Boltgun, Grand Strategist, and Relic of Lost Cadia (Warlord)
  • Knight Commander Pask in Executioner Leman Russ with Plasma Sponsors, Lascannon, Hunter-Killer Missile, Storm Bolter and track guards
TROOPS
  • 2x Infantry Squad with Vox-caster, plasma, Lascannon, and boltgun for sergerant
  • 2x Infantry Squad with Vox-caster, plasma, and plasma pistol and power sword for sergeant
ELITES
  • ministorum priest with laspistol and chainword
  • 3x bullgryns with Slabshield and bullgryn maul
FAST ATTACK
  • 2x hellhounds with heavy bolter, storm bolter, Hunter-Killer Missile and track guards
  • 1x hellhound with heavy bolter, storm bolter
HEAVY SUPPORT
  • 2x basilisks with heavy bolter, and Hunter-Killer Missile
  • wyvern with heavy bolter, and Hunter-Killer Missile
FLYER
  • -Valkyrie with Lascannon, Multiple Rocket Pods, and 2x Heavy bolters
DEDICATED TRANSPORT
  • 2x taurox with 2x autocannons and storm bolter

The Bullgryns and Priest were in the Valkyrie and used the tactic that is apparently called the “Bullgryn bomb.” The Valkyrie can move up to 40″, and then the transported units inside can disembark at any point of the movement path, as long as they are 9″ away from an enemy. Then, it’s a regular disembarkation, so the troops inside can move their usual 6″. So, these 3 big angry bullgryns wind up 3″ away from a priority target on turn 1. They really do hit like an avalanche of muscle, with 3 attacks each (4 on the bone ‘ead), +1 attack each on the charge, +1 attack each from the priest = 16 S7 attacks, hitting on 3+, -1 AP,  2D each!

 

LESSONS LEARNED

Many things I learned during this tournament:

Hellhounds are THE BOMB! Literally and figuratively. The 2D6 auto-hits are a wonderful trick. There are so many things that reduce the already pitiful accuracy of guardsmen so having something automatically hit is lovely. Especially with overwatch!

I even took out a flyer, with flamethrowers! Does’t sound right, but given how the hitting mechanics works, this is how to do it.

And then, when they run out of wounds, they explode on a 4+. I think I did more damage with my hellhounds on my opponents turns with overwatch and explosions. I literally used that tactic on purpose in my 4th game, driving a hellhound into the middle of his rush and expecting him to blow it up, only to have the bomb decimate all the nearby units.

I’m going to bring 3 hellhounds with EVERY list I make from now on. Perhaps the only thing is that I would try to use Catachan doctrine to re-roll a random dice; the Cadian doctrine, though nice, didn’t synergize well with the aggressive nature of the hellhounds.

The aforementioned Bullgryn Bomb worked well, but doesn’t last long. Even with a 2+, at T5 they go down a lot faster than my tanks. I may substitute an additional Bullgryn for the priest in future lists; I’d have the same number of attacks. Or do a Crusader bomb instead and buff them with a priest and psyker to give them 2++. Crusaders are only S3, but 30 attacks at AP-3, re-rollable 3+ to hit will make a dent, and probably be more survivable.

The Valkyrie in my bullgryn bomb was a bit of a let-down after it dropped it’s troops. The Multiple Rocket Pod was a big let-down. I should have stuck with the hellfire missiles, which are cheaper. The heavy bolters achieved nothing the entire tournament. Lesson, keep the Valkrie cheap.

Indirect fire artillery is awesome! My two Basilisks were wonderful for beating up on whatever target I wanted, from anywhere on the board, no line-of-sight required. I have a model for a 3rd Basikisk I should built and paint soon. The Wyvern was great at erasing infantry units too, but not as good as hellhounds. The thing I need to continue doing is to keep these artillery protected in the back behind layers and layers of the rest of my army.
The Cadian doctrine was good, but mathhammer says Catachan is slightly better; and MUCH better if I plant Sergeant Harker nearby.

Knight Commander Pask is a MONSTER! I can honestly say that about half the damage I caused through the tournament was from this one model. Some of my opponents knew that right off the bat and aimed to remove him quickly. He’s SUPER expensive, but ridiculously damaging, even on overwatch. If I bring him again, I need to keep layers of bubble wrap to protect him.

The Taurox’s were good… not great. The beauty of the Tauroxes is that they’re cheap; only 4 PL. In points, would I rather have two Tauroxes, or a Leman Russ?

Their autocannons did a whole lot of nothing. Hitting on 5+ when they move doesn’t help. The storm bolters ironically forced more armour saves. It’s nice that they protect my squishy troops from first round massacres. And T6 3+ with 10 wounds is a pretty good bargain for 4 PL.

In power level games, all the upgrades are free, so I should continue to abuse that. Hunter-Killer missiles for everything. Track guards wherever I can find them. A put Augur Arrays on my list, but never used them. I should even include dozer blades to improve the ramming accuracy for my tanks (hits on 5+ instead of 6+).

 

Now that I have a feel for the zany Astronomi-con scenarios, I would probably want more “shenanigans” that can more around quickly and/or deep strike. I’m thinking Sly Marbo and/or Scions. Many narrative objectives required the Warlord to kill something, sometimes in close combat, but my warlord was equipped for hiding in a corner shouting orders. Maybe I should finish that Celestine model I’ve had for a while. She can easily move 24″ in a turn, and would buff my guard with a 6++.

And, I need to use Command Points (CP’s) more carefully, or generate more, or both. I wasted a lot of CP’s on useless strategems. I may write a blog post about which CP’s are worth it, and which COMBOS work really well.

And it is worthwhile to generate CP’s cheaply. I think a battalion of Scions should be a go-to for every list I do now. A Tempestor prime, Primaris Psyker, and three scion squads is just 14 PL for 5CP!

 

All in all, I loved ASTRO, and want to register for next year already! I’m even thinking of new ideas for my display board and narrative things to get more points in those categories.

Battle Report

Battle Report: Imperial Guard vs. Blood Angels Death Company

I went to my local Games Workshop on the afternoon of July 13 planning to play a beginner league game. The person I was planning to play was already engaged in a game, but someone recommended I play Andrew’s Blood Angles at 1000 points. I was there and ready to go, so I accepted. I hastily added models to my army to make 1000 points. I should have examined what he was fielding…

This was actually my first battle of 7th Edition Warhammer 40,000. A good learning experience since I expect I’ll be facing a lot of Space Marines in the future.

My troops well entrenched within a ruined building
My troops well entrenched within a ruined building

My army consisted of the following:

  • Two Company Command Squads, one with a lascannon
  • Three veteran squads
  • Chimera
  • 6 Stormtroopers in a Taurox Prime
  • 9 Ratlings
  • 5 Rough Riders
  • Techpriest Engiseer
  • 2 Psykers (ML2)

Andrew fielded a very daunting Blood Angels Death Company Force

  • Reclusiam Chaplain
  • Librarian
  • 8 Death Company Space Marines
  • Dreadnought in Drop Pod
  • Land Raider
  • Vindicator

 

Imperial Guardsmen engage Blood Angels Death Company Space Marines. the close combat goes VERY badly for the guardsmen...
Imperial Guardsmen engage Blood Angels Death Company Space Marines. the close combat goes VERY badly for the guardsmen…

 

I wrote the following little bit of fluff for the Narritive League giving a more dramatic review of the battle.

 
Orders were orders. The Munitorum had ordered the Commander’s detachment to hold the square and eliminate any forces that tried to cross it. The square was the only clear path through what was left of the sprawling settlement, so it had been a strategic choke point against the enemy.

The square was now far back of the front lines, but the Commander’s Imperial Guard troops continued to follow orders. From well-entrenched positions, they attacked anyone who tried to cross it: Enemies, allies, and Imperial Citizens. The square was now logistically vital for getting supplies to the new front lines, but the guardsmen continued to follow orders.

This could have all been avoided if the Munitorum had rescinded or clarified their orders. But, the Imperium being what it was, the Guardsmen continued firing on anyone trying to cross the square.

The inglorious task of unseating these loyal yet foolish guardsmen fell to a detachment from the Blood Angel’s Death Company. Approaching quickly with a Land Raider and Vindicator, they seized the opportunity to attack.

An entire squad of loitering guardsmen were obliterated by the opening blast from the Vindicator’s Demolisher Cannon. These tanks were more like mobile fortresses and quickly eliminated the weapons that posed the greatest threat to them.

A dreadnought deployed by drop-pod caused havoc and confusion in the guardsmen’s lines. But it was brought down with by a torrent of disciplined fire.

The guardsmen had little time to lick their wounds or repair their damaged vehicles as the Land Raider deployed its deadly cargo of Death Company Space Marines. They brutally tore through a squad of guardsmen. The marines shrugged off dozens of lasgun blasts and surged forward, scaling a ruin to cleanse it of the troops entrenched within.

Meanwhile, the Vindicator  and seemingly invincible Land Raider continued to harry entrenched Ratlings and guardsmen. The Astra Militarum troops had the advantage of cover, but without a means to penetrate the heavy armour, it was only a matter of time before attrition took them all.

Finally on the roof of the ruin, the Chaplain leading the Space Marines challenged the Commander to single combat.

“I’m only following orders!” bellowed the commander.

“So am I,” the Chaplain coolly replied. With a mighty blow from his Crozius Arcanum, the Chaplain felled not only the Commander, but also his entire Command Squad.

From atop the ruin, the Chaplain had a clear view of the square. The remaining Imperial Guard forces were either fleeing or slain. The Chaplin’s thrill and satisfaction from the kill momentarily faded to melancholy. What madness must haunt the Universe for loyal Imperial forces to slay each other over an administrative error?

Looking over the ruins, the Chaplain quietly whispered: “You are relieved, Commander.”

Death Company Space Marines about the scale the ruin
Death Company Space Marines about the scale the ruin

 

 

 

The less fluffy version of the story? Bad news:

  • The Vindicator destroyed 9 of 10 models in a squad with one shot! Woah! (I’m getting one for my Imperial Fists Army…)
  • The Space Marines tore through my guardsman in close combat like tissue paper!
  • The Land Raiders AV14 armour seems almost impenetrable. Strength 3 lasguns don’t stand for much.
  • Space Marine power armour can take an obscene amount of punishment
  • My plasma weapons caused more damage to me than my opponent
  • Psychic phase is very random. I don’t think the ML2 psykers casting Precedence was worth the points, especially since veterans hit on 3+ anyways. I also rolled for the Misfortune power which causes Rending, but even that doesn’t add much.
  • The Tempestus Scions (stormtroopers) were almost useless. AP3 is nice, but it’s only Strength 3, and the Death Company had Feel No Pain anyways, so it was like they still had an armour save.

Good Lessons Learned

  • Because of their stealth, Ratlings in ruin get 3+ cover save. Very nice! And as infiltrators they can camp and harass infantry throughout the game.
  • The Rough Riders were surprisingly effective at close combat. I regret holding them in reserve.
  • Orders worked quite well. The Vox-casters came in handy.
  • My vehicles were surprisingly sturdy. I should have let my troops hide in there much longer in hopes of avoiding death by CC!
  • Techpriest was handy: Power of the Machine Spirit was nice for restoring full BS to an extra vehicle weapon. And he did constant repairs to the Chimera.

If I were fighting such an armour heavy army again, I’d equip a squad or two with the Demolitions doctrine so that they could use Melta Bombs against tanks. The Rough Riders could have caused a mess with Melta Bombs too.

At one point I had a squad set off a torrent of 21 twin-linked lasgun shots (7 lasguns, rapid fire, rank fire order, precedence). Regrettably, that caused only 1 wound! Rather disappointing. Perhaps a less tough infantry-based army would suffer more from the onslaught…

Hope you enjoyed the report!