CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Eldar

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Phoenix campaign game 3
Mission: Strongpoint Attack
1st turn: Eldar
Points: 1500
Location: Emerald Ridge (location 6), Tyro Peninsula, Kutch, Salazar systems
Background: Using the howling gales as cover, the Eldar launch a surprise attack on the Exigators communication array on Emerald Ridge. Fortunately for the Chaos Space Marines, Tchoi Guerez had ordered several squads to guard the Ridge.

Chaos Space Marines

• Chaos Lord Tchoi Guerez - Terminator Armour, Lightning Claw, Combi-Plasma
• Ppbhuln'naks - Greater Daemon (Great Unclean One)
• Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Brakar – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Hotep – 9 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters, icon of chaos glory
  
• Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher, icon of chaos glory

Eldar

• Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 5 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• Icareane - Autarch, Swooping Hawk wings, power weapon, fusion gun
• Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• Saduras Clearsight - 6 Rangers
• Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofield
• Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike
• Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon

Background
We both came to the game with pre-written army lists but after discovering the mission we would play Gary had to change his substantially. Out went the Dark Reapers and Warwalkers and in came the Howling Banshees in the Wave Serpent. He also made some changes to his unit sizes but passed all the leadership tests to retain his experience points. My Exigators army fitted the force organisation chart without modification.

Terrain and Deployment
The game used Chaos sentries, patrolling the perimeter while the Eldar tried to sneak up closer to the Exigators. Guerez had ordered that a bunker complex be built to defend the communications array. This was occupied by the Havoc squads Abraxar and Imber. The complex consisted of two small bunkers linked by a single corridor.



Guerez was concerned that an attack on either flank would be unstoppable due to the limited lines of sight for the defenders so he deployed three sentries per flank. In doing so he hoped that the Eldar would make a frontal assault. It was not without risk because the Eldar could potentially advance quite a distance before being spotted. Guerez gambled that the combined firepower of his squads would compensate.

The game
The Eldar took the bait and attacked from the front. The Eldar began their stealthy advance. The Rangers opened fire with their sniper rifles and silently killed the nearest sentry. The rest of the Eldar moved up behind a hill.


The Eldar Fire Dragons ran up the slope of the hill while the Farseer and his retinue skirted its base. Then the Rangers sniped at the second sentry. Disaster struck. The sentry survived the firepower and raised the alarm! The Warp Spiders took some potshots at squad Brakar in the outermost fortifications and killed two marines. Crucially their second jump only took them a short distance and more than half the squad were left exposed.

With the only visible enemy the Warpspiders, Guerez ordered the whole Exigators army to direct their fire at them. Six died, including the Exarch and the survivors fled the battlefield. The Chaos Space Marines hunkered down to see what else the Eldar would throw at them.

Braving the gales, a Waveserpent flew in on the left flank toward the bunker hiding squad Imber. The Howling Banshees remained in their transport for now. The Falcon was not so lucky and was struggling to arrive at the Ridge from reserve. Farseer Lauthelias was getting bad portents of the battle to come and had to fend off two attacks from daemons of the warp as he tried to use his powers.

Autarch Icareane led the attack upon squad Brakar. The Dire Avengers used their bladestorm to scythe down several marines with the Guardians lending support. The Fire Dragons also made their presence felt. The two survivors, including Aspiring Champion Brakar himself, decided to fall back to the next set of fortifications.

Now it was time for the Exigators to reply. The Waveserpent was largely hidden behind the bunker so all of the Marines faced front and forward. In a hail of sorcerous bolter shells squad Hotep incinerated the Fire Dragons. Squad Krall combined fire with Guerez himself to shoot down the Autarch. Both Havoc squads combined to paste the Dire Avengers.

The orgy of bloodletting caught the attention of Ppbhuln'naks the greater daemon and he possessed the body of the fleeing Brakar to enter the material plane. The Exigators had dealt a severe blow to the Eldar force and had a formidable army to defend the bunkers.


The remaining Dire Avengers and Guardians charged into the Thousand Sons. Casualties fell on both sides and the combat continued, though the Guardians were beaten off. Farseer Lauthelias continued his implacable advance upon the bunkers. Still the Banshees remained in their Waveserpent, awaiting the breaching of the bunker so that they could attack the units within.

The greater daemon assaulted the Dire Avengers and slaughtered them all. He then dared the Farseer to attack him. Squad Hotep kept a wary distance behind.

Finally, the Falcon made it through the maelstrom and breached the nearest bunker with its pulse laser. This allowed the Banshees to charge in and butcher squad Imber to a man. Simultaneously, the Farseer led his squad into combat with the daemon. Despite taking several grievous wounds the daemon battered several Warlocks to the ground. Hotep tried to cast Gift of Chaos on the Farseer but the fabric of reality was weak and a spectral claw emerged to drag him screaming into the warp.

The Eldar had hung on grimly and they still had a slim chance to carry the day. If the Howling Banshees could somehow hold the bunker and the Farseer could banish the daemon they might win the battle.

It was not to be.



In the nick of time the Raptors made it onto the ridge and used their flamers to scour the bunker. Firepower continued to pour in from squads Krall, Abraxar and Hotep and the Aspect warriors were obliterated. The Raptors retook the bunker.

The Farseer and retinue, for so long a thorn in the side of the Exigators, were charged by Guerez himself. Between the Chaos Lord and the greater daemon the Eldar were crushed. Faseer Lauthelias turned to run but was cut down contemptuously by Guerez.

The Exigators still held both bunkers and had shattered the Eldar force.

Result: Win

Commendations

• Chaos - Greater Daemon
  
• Eldar - Rangers
  

Turning point
The sentry surviving the volley of fire from the Rangers.

Learning points

• This was another thoroughly enjoyable game. The campaign is great because we are using unusual missions which allows sometimes marginal units to shine (such as the Eldar Rangers). The sentry rules were fun and made for a very tense start to the proceedings. It was risky of me to place them on the flanks but my gamble paid off and I got what I wanted - a frontal assault by the Eldar. I then got lucky when my sentry managed to raise the alarm and I caught the Warpsiders in the open. The Eldar were on the back foot after that.
• We both got appalling reserve rolls in this game. Gary only got the Falcon on his last turn of the game while I got my Raptors on my last turn. The problem for Gary was that the Falcon had the best gun to breach the bunker; the pulse laser. My Raptors were less of a problem for me because they arrived just in time to cook the Banshees with no danger of being attacked themselves.
• Psykers. Three perils of the warp tests in one game! The Farseer survived his two thanks to the Ghosthelm while the Runes of Warding did for my Thousand Son Hotep. Next time Lauthelias, next time...

Experience points Including previous games
Chaos Space Marines

• +450 Chaos Lord Tchoi Guerez - Terminator Armour, Lightning Claw, Combi-Plasma
• +120 Ppbhuln'naks - Greater Daemon (Great Unclean One)
• +250 Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• -100 Squad Brakar – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• -50 Squad Hotep – 9 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• +370 Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• -250 Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters, icon of chaos glory
  
• +450 Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher, icon of chaos glory

Eldar

• +560 Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 5 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• -200 Icareane - Autarch, Swooping Hawk wings, power weapon, fusion gun
• -300 Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• +350 Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• +810 Saduras Clearsight - 6 Rangers
• +550 Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofield
• +520 Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• -300 Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike
• +100 Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign turn 4

The Eldar capture the uncontested tunnel mouth. The Chaos Space Marines attack the weapons testing area but are repulsed by the Eldar.

The Eldar attack Emerald Ridge from the tunnel mouth while the Chaos Space Marines strike at the tunnel mouth from Emerald Ridge.

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Eldar

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Phoenix campaign game 2
Mission: Night Fight
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines
Points: 1500
Location: Tyro Weapons Testing Area (location 5), Tyro Peninsula, Kutch, Salazar systems
Background: Tchoi Guerez learns of the Eldar attack and tries to weed out the Eldar infiltrators on the peninsula. He strikes at the strategically important weapons testing area where the Eldar infiltrators have been hiding.

Chaos Space Marines

• Chaos Lord Tchoi Guerez - Terminator Armour, Lightning Claw, Combi-Plasma
  
• The Machine Cursed - 3 Obliterators
• Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Hotep – 9 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters, icon of chaos glory
  
• Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher, icon of chaos glory
• Arableuerakiar - 8 Lesser Daemons (Furies)
  

Eldar

• Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 4 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• Icareane - Autarch, Swooping Hawk wings, power weapon, fusion gun
  
• Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
  
• Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
• Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
• Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofeild
• Lothcirith - 5 Dark Reapers
  
• Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike

Following the Vyper error in our last game Gary continued in his sneaky Eldar vein by making a mistake in his list again. Can you work out what it is? I'll tell you later.

Background
The battle was taking place in a former weapons testing area where clouds of chemical gas were drifting across the landscape, acid pools gave off waves of hideous pollution and radiation disrupted sensitive equipment. As a result the entire battle was fought with Night Fight rules in effect.

Terrain and Deployment
Gary set up the board before the game. There was a large avenue diagonally bisecting the board which ended at a ruined temple. Given that the Exigators had attacked this location it was fitting that they got to choose the table quarter. I picked the least crowded, hoping to give my units clear line of sight to each other and negate the cover that the Eldar would hold and have to move out of.
Guerez commanded the Exigators to set up in a classic gunline, braving the Eldar gunline. He hoped to attack up the left with the Thousand Sons and Raptors and use the Obliterators to hold my right flank. Guerez himself would teleport in and the lesser daemons would be summoned. The Eldar had a strong firebase in the middle with the Dark Reapers, two Warwalkers, Warpspiders and Fire Dragons in the Falcon. The riposte to the Chaos left flank attack was the Dire Avengers and Farseer and retinue. The Guardians were far out on the Exigators right flank.

The game
Squad Abraxar broke left and took cover behind a line of sandbags. They now had a good view down the avenue, but would they be able to see anything in the gloom? Squad Hotep crested the central hill and opened fire on the Dark Reapers. Two of the Eldar fell and the squad broke. The rest of the Chaos Space Marines couldn't spot any enemy in the smog.

The Eldar began to envelop both flanks. In the centre, the Dark Reapers rallied and moved back up to their initial position. The rest of the firebase couldn't see the black armoured marines.

The Thousand Sons continued to march over the hill and lay down fire on the Dark Reapers. Another aspect warrior died and the squad decided they had seen enough and fled from the battlefield. On the right flank, the furies were summoned to try and tie up the Warpspiders and Fire Dragons.

The Eldar firepower again proved largely futile as their delicate range finders were rendered useless in the radiation. Only the Warpspiders managed to cause some casualties on the furies on the right. The Falcon positioned itself for an attack run.

The Thousand Sons continued their implacable advance into the guns of the enemy. Now they targetted a Warwalker and their shooting impressed again as the Eldar vehicle exploded spectacularly. The second Warwalker fell shortly after to the heavy bolters of squad Imber. The Eldar firebase had now been reduced to a squad of Rangers. Guerez chose this moment to enter the battle personally. With the left flank a stand off he decided to reinforce the right flank and teleported in next to the Obliterators.

The Eldar attacked on both flanks. The Dire Avengers went over the top and downed some of squad Hotep with the Farseer's help. On the right the Falcon swooped in and killed an Obliterator. The Fire Dragons remained in their transport. The Warpspiders wiped out the Furies then jumped back behind cover.

Virtually every Chaos unit shot at the Dire Avengers. Only squad Imber got them in their sights and the formidable firepower of four heavy bolters annhilated the Eldar. The Raptors broke cover to move toward the Farseer and retinue. The Eldar Falcon made a dramatic move close into the Exigators right flank and the Fire Dragons trusted to the armour of the Falcon as they stayed inside.

Guerez ordered that the Falcon must be destroyed. He shot his combi-plasma at it, squad Krall shot it with their lascannon and plasma gun, the Obliterators shot their plasma guns at it then assaulted it and squad Imber assaulted it with their krak grenades. The only effect was that the Eldar tank was prevented from shooting.

Now the Fire Dragons leapt from the Falcon and instantly killed another Obliterator. They assaulted the survivor. Two Eldar were squished but their Exarch kept them in the fight. The Warpspiders killed three from squad Imber. Finally the Eldar Rangers proved their worth as they got a member of squad Krall in their sights. He died to a headshot and the squad went to ground, pinned. The Farseer sallied out to attack the Raptors. The Eldar slammed into the Chaos troops and in a stunning display killed six of them. The Farseer personally ran down the two survivors.

Squad Hotep and squad Abraxar poured fire into the Farseer and his retinue but failed to cause a wound. Guerez charged into the Fire Dragons and his lightning claw tore them apart. In a final act of spite the Falcon's pulse laser wounded Guerez.

Guerez looked around the battlefield and saw that his attack had been repulsed. He ordered the retreat and teleported away.

Result: Loss

Commendations

• Chaos - Thousand Sons
  
• Eldar - Warpspiders

Turning point
The Farseers destroying the Raptors in a single turn.

Learning points

• Read the mission! I thought this was a victory points fight, like cleanse, where I would get 375 points for the neutral quarters and 750 points for the Eldar quarter. That's why I was quite happy to chip away at the Eldar firebase and get a victory point advantage before scrambling for the quarters in the last turns. Halfway through the game I found that it was simply down to scoring units, and with the Eldar mobility and their higher number of scoring units I was in trouble.
• Kudos to Gary for making a game of it anyway. He could have hung back and used his speed and the fact that he had last turn to draw or maybe win the game. Instead he made an effort to attack and it paid off when I couldn't hurt the Falcon and he wiped out my Raptors.
  
• Did you spot the mistake? Gary had four heavy support choices. This is because he thought that the Warwalkers were Fast Attack. It also meant that he deployed them in the wrong order before the game. Like the last game with the 'extra' Vyper it didn't really have a big effect on the game anyway so it wasn't a major problem.

Experience points Including previous games

Chaos Space Marines

• +250 Chaos Lord Tchoi Guerez - Terminator Armour, Lightning Claw, Combi-Plasma
  
• -150 3 Obliterators
• +50 Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• -250 Squad Hotep – 9 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• +70 Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• -150 Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters, icon of chaos glory
  
• +150 Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher, icon of chaos glory
• -100 8 Lesser Daemons (Furies)
  

Eldar

• +660 Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 4 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• -100 Icareane - Autarch, Swooping Hawk wings, power weapon, fusion gun
  
• -200 Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• +450 Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• -200 Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
  
• +600 Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
• -100 Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
• +400 Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofeild
• -100 Lothcirith - 5 Dark Reapers
  
• +620 Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• -200 Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign turn 3

Icareane leapt from the ramp of the Wave Serpent and strode towards Farseer Lauthelias.
'I am the commander of this mission and you will follow my orders.'
'Even if they result in the loss of precious Eldar lives, including your own?'
'Which part of "you will follow my orders" do you not understand?'
'The time was not right. We should use the tunnel.'
'The tunnel is slow and just as dangerous. It could collapse at any moment. In any case we can't bring the Falcons, Fire Prisms or Wave Serpents to bear through the tunnel.'
'The winds will die, but for now we need to advance where we can with surety.'
Icareane turned his back on the Farseer. Eventually, he willed his communicator into life.
'Taraq. Move up to the peninsula and take the tunnel mouth.'
'Understood.'
Taraq and his Striking Scorpions rose as one and began picking their way through the rubble toward the light.

'Jaxx is Dead?'
'We have not recovered his body but we believe so.'
'Have we heard from Brakar?'
'He is in position. The communications array is secure.'
'Excellent. It's time for us to take the fight to the Eldar.'
'How do we proceed?'
'Gather a strike force from the airbase. The Eldar infiltrators are using the smog of the weapons testing range as a base on the peninsula. We will find them and crush them.'
'Very well my Lord.'

Profuge got back up to his feet and left the chamber.

Tchoi Guerez, Captain of the Exigators 1st Company, Tyrant of the Kjalter Sector, beloved of Abaddon, vanguard of the Skolarii Sector incursion, flexed his lightning claw.

'Eldar, eh? This could be fun.'

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign turn 2

'It's impossible.'
'Nothing is impossible. Fly better.'
The Guardian gritted his teeth as the Wave Serpent dropped vertically ten metres in the viscious crosswind. Icareane was thrown about in his harness. The Howling Banshees looked on impassively.

'Keep going you maggots,' yelled Brakar. The Chaos Marines redoubled their efforts and scrambled up the ridge. The terrain was lousy; heavily wooded with thick undergrowth. Wind howled along face of the ridge and footing was treacherous. The Marines knew that Brakar wouldn't care about that. If they didn't take the ridge before the Eldar arrived he'd shoot someone to make an example of. His squad feared him more than any enemy they had ever faced.

'We have to turn back,' said the Guardian.
'We have to reinforce Saduras on the peninsula,' replied Icareane.
The Eldar attack could not be halted by something as lowly as the weather. Icareane would not face that humiliation. If the Eldar could capture the Exigators communication array now, while it was virtually undefended, they could disrupt the arch-enemy before they could co-ordinate a plan. With the Chaos Marines scattered across the peninsula they would be easy prey for the Eldar. But the Eldar had to get there through the gales.

Brakar was the first to reach the summit. He raced over to the communications array in the converted Imperial bunker. It remained unharmed. Brakar's squad fell in around him. 'Chritaz. Get this array functional. The rest of you maggots, with me.' Brakar stomped over to the high ground facing north-east. From here he had a commanding view over the northern tip of the peninsula, the tempestuous sea and Orzark island beyond. The wind hammered into his armoured bulk, threatening to blow him off the ridge.

Black dots resolved into the shape of Falcons and Wave Serpents sweeping in over the sea but the Eldar craft were being buffeted by the screaming gales. 'They're coming maggots. We'll taste Eldar blood today,' laughed Brakar.

'Farseer Lauthelias' Falcon is breaking formation,' said the Guardian.
Icareane did not reply. He was looking straight at Exarch Sheira. She stared straight back from behind her Banshee mask. Icareane knew she would be smiling. 'Turn back,' snarled Icareane.

Chritaz came up to his leader. 'Array is functioning.'

Even as Brakar watched the lead Falcon peeled off and headed back to Orzark. The other Eldar craft continued for a second then turned back. The ferocious winds had beaten them.

Brakar was apoplectic. 'Too late,' said Brakar and shot Chritaz in the face. More Exigators squads converged on the array. 'Form a perimeter,' shouted Brakar. 'They will get here eventually and we will spill their blood!'

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Eldar

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Phoenix campaign game 1
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Alpha
1st turn: Eldar
Points: 1500
Location: Tyro Harbour (location 4), Tyro Peninsula, Kutch, Salazar systems
Background: The Eldar infiltrate the Tyro peninsula and run into an Exigators patrol at Tyro harbour. The Eldar Rangers win the skirmish which allows the full Eldar force to strike at the Chaos Space Marines.

Chaos Space Marines

• Chaos Lord Sebastian Jaxx - Bike, Lightning Claw
• The Machine Cursed - 3 Obliterators
• Squad Myre - 8 Chosen, 2 plasma guns, aspiring champion with powerfist
• Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Hotep – 8 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• Squad Scrementor – 6 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters
  
• Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher

Eldar

• Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 4 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• Nazrain - 10 Gaurdians, starcannon
• Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
• Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
• Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofeild
• Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon
  
• Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike

Background
Gary had come up with some homebrew infiltrating rules so we used these to kick off the campaign. They involved having all infiltrators and scouts having a stealthy firefight before the game proper with the winners allowing their army to choose the location, mission, level and choice of first turn.


The Eldar Rangers and Warwalker killed 2 of my chosen for no casualties so the Eldar won.

Terrain and deployment
Having the guaranteed first turn, Gary set up for the killer punch. Here's how we deployed.

See if you can spot the Eldar mistake (answer at the bottom of the page).

The game
The Eldar Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons and Falcon pummelled my Chosen, squad Myre, and squad Imber, my heavy bolter Havocs. Both were wiped out before they fired a shot. I advanced the Obliterators around the temple and they plasma cannoned the Fire Dragons into oblivion. My other squads targeted the starcannon Guardians but they held firm.


Sebastian Jaxx didn't fancy taking on the Banshees and fusion blaster toting Guardians so he turbo boosted up to help out the Obliterators. The machine cursed withstood a lot of Eldar firepower until the Falcon pulse laser instantly killed two of them.

Jaxx exploded out of the ruined temple and tore into the Dire Avengers. The Farseer and his retinue piled in and did enough to distract my Lord so that the Dire Avenger exarch killed him outright with his Diresword.


Sporadic Eldar fire kept chipping away at squad Krall until they were reduced to four marines. Their aspiring champion decided that the battle was lost and ordered a tactical withdrawl.



Squad Hotep had been advancing into the centre of the battlefield, laying down covering fire into the two Guardian squads. Now they were hit by the Howling Banshees and Farseer unit. Despite a spirited combat the Thousand Sons were destroyed.


The Eldar Warpspiders teleported in close to squad Abraxar and my second Havoc squad died in a withering hail of fire.

My only surviving unit, the Raptors, who had been skulking around on my right flank, swept out to claim some ground, but it was too little too late.

Result: Loss

Commendations

• Chaos - Raptors
• Eldar - Farseer and warlocks

Turning point
Those two failed leadership tests in the same turn; my Lord failed on Ld 10 to fall to the Diresword and my CSM squad fled off the board on Ld 9.

Learning points

• I really enjoyed the pre-battle skirmish game that Gary suggested before the 'real' game. It was very characterful (without being terribly balanced) and perfect to kick off the hostilities. It set the tone for the whole campaign; where the story is at least as important as simply winning games.
• I was comprehensively beaten. The Eldar had significant advantages in that Gary chose the scenario and automatically took first turn, but his army was also quicker and boasted formidable firepower. Meanwhile I'm still struggling to get my head around the new Chaos codex. Everything seems so expensive and I don't have the models to include any mobile firepower, which I believe is the key to winning 40k games at the moment.
• Psychics. Mine can't be relied on against the ELdar Farseer while I can't stop theirs. Only Gift of Chaos could get through the Farseer's invulnerable save.
• Ideally, I need smaller squads to to give better cover to each other. I also need some mobile firepower; perhaps I need to drop the static Havocs and include my Predator.
  
• Did you spot the mistake? Gary had played a Vyper in the game but didn't actually have it in the army list! As it happened it didn't play a great part in the game so it wasn't a problem; It missed in the first turn of shooting then he zoomed it behind the large ruined temple and didn't bring it out for the rest of the game. Still, it just goes to show that you should never trust those sneaky Eldar.

Experience points

Chaos Space Marines

• -100 Chaos Lord Sebastian Jaxx - Bike, Lightning Claw
• -100 The Machine Cursed - 3 Obliterators
• -100 Squad Myre - 8 Chosen, 2 plasma guns, aspiring champion with powerfist
• -100 Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• -100 Squad Hotep – 8 Thousand sons, Sorcerer with warptime
• +270 Squad Scrementor – 6 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• -100 Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters
  
• -100 Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher

Eldar

• +560 Lauthelias - Farseer runes of warding runes of witnessing, spirit stones, doom, fortune
• 4 warlocks, enhance, embolden
• -100 Laconfir - 8 Dire Avengers, Exarch with diresword, shuriken pistol, bladestorm
• +250 Arroth - 8 Guardians, 2 fusion guns
• -100 Nazrain - 10 Gaurdians, starcannon
• +300 Saduras Clearsight - 5 Rangers
• -100 Gilgard - 1 Warwalker, brightlance, scatterlaser
• +200 Amost - 1 Falcon, scatterlaser, holofeild
• +200 Sheira - 7 Howling Banshees, Exarch with executioner + wavesepent with starcannon
  
• +300 Isenrain - 8 Warpspiders, Exarch with deathspinners, powerblades, withdraw
• -100 Lothost - 5 Firedragons, exarch with fire pike

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign turn 1

Autarch Icareane Stood on the windswept southern tip of Orzark island looking out at Tyro peninsula. The Chaos Space Marines were out there somewhere. Why hadn't Saduras reported back yet?

The initial infiltration had begun well. The entrance to the webway, on Orzark island north of his current location, was well guarded by Dark Reapers, Wraithlords and Support weapon batteries. To the southwest, fifty metres under the seabed, Striking Scorpions and Wraithguard were securing the tunnel to the peninsula. Falcons, Fire Prisms and Wave Serpents stood ready near Icareane. The invasion proper would begin once Saduras had reported contact. Why hadn't Saduras reported back yet?

Saduras had taken a unit of his Rangers onto the peninsula to report back on enemy movements. At first his information had been regular and valuable. Most of the Exigators positions and forces had been logged. Lauthelias wanted to launch the attack. Icareane agreed. Strike swift and strike hard. Saduras wanted more time. The Eldar Rangers were almost in position. A decisive blow could be struck.

Icareane was becoming impatient. Why hadn't Saduras reported back yet?

There was a commotion. Icareane could see Farseer Lauthelias marching through the Eldar fliers towards his Falcon. The Autarch smiled. Dire Avenger Exarch Laconfir joined the Autarch. 'Are we ready to strike?' asked the Exarch. 'I have a feeling we will be ready very soon,' replied Icareane.

The communicator in Icareane's helm blinked for attention. With a thought he opened the channel. 'Starstriders are engaged, arch-enemy pinned down. Request assistance.' Icareane could hear that Saduras' voice was steady despite the dull thud of boltgun rounds near him.

Icareane held his arm aloft and the Falcon and Wave Serpent crews took to their craft. Laconfir donned his helm.

'Incoming,' said Icareane into his communicator.


The campaign kicked off in an unusual fashion. Gary had written up some skirmish rules to be played between the infiltrators and scouts of the enemy forces before the first battle. The winner of the skirmish would then get to attack the location of their choice, choose the mission and get choice of first turn.

The Eldar Rangers and War Walker ganged up on the Chaos Chosen and won the skirmish. Gary chose to strike at location 4 from location 5 and picked a cleanse mission, with the Eldar taking first turn. Unsurprisingly, the Eldar won the encounter and took the location. Then we went on to the second campaign turn.

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign map

Here's the map Gary and I are using for the Phoenix campaign.



The campaign takes place on Kutch, an insignificant agri-world in the Salazar systems. The Exigators Chaos Space Marines have set up a secret base on the deserted Tyro peninsula, part of the planet's major northern continent. Unbeknownst to them, an Eldar Webway portal lies nearby.

And here are all the descriptions of the locations.

Location 1
Eldar Webway portal. This portal had lain dormant for many millennia until the Starstriders of Alaitoc rediscovered it. The Eldar have used the portal to transport their armies to Kutch. This is risky; should the Eldar fail in their campaign the forces of Chaos may be able to enter the Webway.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-2 Strongpoint Attack
3-6 Bunker Assault

Location 2
A long tunnel links the island of Orzark with the peninsula of Tyro. It was built during the Greenskin invasions of the 39th millennium, when the whole peninsula was used as an Imperial Guard facility. Since then the tunnel has fallen into disrepair but it is still navigable.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-4 Patrol
5-6 Take and Hold

Location 2a
Orzark Island tunnel mouth. The Eldar have constructed a small airbase close to the tunnel mouth and have stationed some Wave Serpents and Falcons there. They occasionally brave the ferocious winds that blow around the headland to bring troops onto the peninsula more quickly.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-4 Blitz
5-6 Sabotage

Location 2b
Tyro peninsula tunnel mouth. The Exigators are unaware of the tunnel's existence at the start of the campaign.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-4 Seek and Destroy
5-6 Blitz

Location 3
Tyro military airbase. Squadrons of Marauder Bombers and Thunderbolts were based here during the Greenskin invasions and later in the war it was large enough to accommodate bulk lifters and other space-going craft. The abandoned spaceport was the main reason that the Exigators made Tyro peninsula their base. They have made the eastern parts of the spaceport operational once more.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-4 Patrol
5-6 Secure and Control

Location 4
Tyro harbour used to be a sleepy fishing port but it became a heavily fortified military base during the Greenskin invasions. Now it is little more than a ghost town. The Exigators maintain a small garrison here to watch out for Imperials from the mainland.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-4 Patrol
5 Cleanse
6 Seek and Destroy

Location 5
This central part of the peninsula was used as a firing range and weapons testing area. As the Greenskin war escalated forbidden weapons were unleashed and the area is filled with drifting chemical clouds and radiation. This makes it a treacherous area to cross. Nevertheless, it is an important strategic area linking the eastern and western parts of the peninsula.

Battles fought here are always Night Fights.

Location 6
Emerald ridge is an important crossroads that links the northern and southern parts of the peninsula. It is exposed to the elements and endures especially high winds. Despite this, it was used as a forward airbase during the Greenskin invasions. The Exigators have set up a small communications array here.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-2 Strongpoint attack
3-5 Sabotage
6 Bunker Assault

Location 7
Newalla town was the most heavily settled area on the peninsula and it's population tripled when the Imperial Guard set up base here. Like the rest of the peninsula it is now deserted. The Exigators occasionally use the town to monitor Imperial shipping off the coast.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-3 Patrol
4-5 Cleanse
6 Sabotage

Location 8
At the southern tip of Emerald ridge lies the Exigators storage depot. Here they have stashed their stolen weapons and munitions.

Battles fought here:

D6 Mission played
1-2 Seek and Destroy
3-4 Take and Hold
5-6 Cleanse

I hope to post the battle reports up shortly.

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign rules

We wanted to keep things really simple so we based the campaign around the Phoenix Island campaign in the hardback 40k rulebook with just a few small changes. For the sake of clarity I'll summarize all the rules here.

The campaign revolves around the campaign map, which includes 10 locations. All the rules for choosing scenarios are the same, we've just renamed the locations. I'll write up the map and descriptions of all the locations in my next post.

My Chaos Space Marines begin with four locations, Gary's Eldar start with four and two are uncontested. There is a simple campaign phase before each game. Both players dice off and the winner can move from an occupied location to capture an uncontested one or can attack an occupied location.

Some locations are linked by a route which is difficult to navigate. The player moving along such a route must roll equal to or under the number shown otherwise he is unable to move along the route and cannot capture the intended location or fight the battle.

Each location has a chart to decide what missions should be played there. Some are the standard missions like cleanse while others are a bit more esoteric like blitz or sabotage.

The winner of the battle captures the location. If the result of the game is a draw both armies withdraw and the location becomes uncontested. Once the winner of the dice off has completed his campaign turn then the loser takes his turn.

Victory conditions
The campaign will last until 10 battles are fought or one player captures all of the locations. If a player captures all the locations he has won a major victory. If one player has not captured all the locations once the 10th battle is fought then the player who owns the most locations has won a minor victory. If both players hold the same number of locations after the 10th battle, play one final game. The winner of this game wins the campaign with a minor victory.

Gary wrote a special homebrew scenario to kick off the campaign. Our infiltrators and scouts would fight a small skirmish and the winners would be able to choose the first location to be fought over, the mission to be played and have the first turn. The surviving skirmishers kept their positions on the board for the first battle.

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign background

I've been working out the motivations behind our little campaign and trying to tie it into the greater narrative of the Skolarii Sector. Here's the basic premise for the campaign.

971.M41. Tchoi Guerez, former captain of the Exigators 1st company, has sworn a pact with The Adorator, the leader of Chaos forces in the Kjalter sector. Guerez will return to the Skolarii Sector and try to turn the rest of his chapter to Chaos. Together with his re-united followers, the Exigators will act as the vanguard for a major Chaos incursion.

The Adorator has given Guerez three main objectives.

1. Provide intelligence for other Chaos forces.
2. Destroy isolated targets.
3. Raid Imperial shipping for supplies.

The first part of Guerez's plan worked well. He secured the loyalty of both Daemon Prince Bellicus (formerly second company captain Badalementi Astrid) and Jaxx Sebastian (formerly third company captain) and their warbands. Guerez already had the support of Forax Tork and his Nurgle cult, Hotep the Sorceror and Axhote the Berzerker.

The Chaos alliance set up a secret base of operations upon Kutch, an insignificant agri-world in the Salazar systems. Numerous piratical raids allowed them to stockpile weapons and munitions in preparation for the coming conflict.

Resistance to Guerez's plans came from an unexpected quarter.

*

Starstriders of Alaitoc craftworld tirelessly traverse the south eastern fringe of the Imperium, seeking out those who would oppose the aims of the Eldar. Upon their travels in the Skolarii Sector Eldar Rangers, led by Saduras Clearsight, reported Chaos forces massing upon Kutch. The hot-headed Saduras petitioned his craftworld to attack. Autarch Icareane noted the report but did not act upon it. The Chaos army may have been dangerous for the Mon-Keigh who worshipped the Carrion God but they were not yet a threat to Alaitoc. Saduras maintained a silent vigil over the Chaos marines.

Things began to change when Farseer Lauthelias began to feel portents of doom. His divinations revealed that a great black wave would engulf the entire Skolarii Sector, and that that wave emanated from the Salazar systems. Although the Farseer cared little for the millions of Mon-Keigh lives that would be lost, he cared deeply for the single Exodite world of Habour in the Kandaeon Worlds which would be swept away.

Lauthelias appealed to Icareane to send out an expedition. This time Icareane agreed. If the Eldar could defeat the meagre Chaos forces on Kutch now, they might just stop the Chaos incursion before it really started.

CAMPAIGN: Phoenix campaign Chaos Space Marine roster

I've just started the Phoenix campaign with my long term gaming buddy (and nemesis) Gary. I'll be using my Exigators Chaos Space Marines while Gary will be playing the enigmatic Eldar. My first posts need to explain the background and campaign rules, then I'll be writing each battle report up.

So my first real contribution to The Phoenix Campaign, and the reason for this post, will be an Exigators campaign roster. While we aren't using fixed army lists as such, this campaign will be set solidly in the background we have both developed for our armies. We're both using experience points so our units will remain the same for the whole campaign.

Here's the entire list of units I have to choose from, and more importantly, their names. The units in italics are still to be painted. I've had to mess about with some units (bold) because I chose the army list for my first game without checking this master roster. I simply won't play them again in the campaign, or change them around so that they match the established ones.

HQ

• Bellicus - Daemon Prince
  
• Tchoi Guerez - Chaos Lord, Terminator armour, Lightning Claw, Combi-plasma
  
• Sebastian Jaxx - Chaos Lord, bike, lightning claw
• Forax Tork - Chaos Lord, mark of nurgle, daemon weapon
• Chaos Lord, mark of nurgle, palanquin of nurgle, daemon weapon
  
• Evomere Incursus - Sorceror, mark of nurgle, nurgles rot
• Ppbhuln'naks - Greater Daemon (Great Unclean One)
• Areoakirsh - Greater Daemon (Keeper of Secrets)
  

Elites

• Squad Surculus (The Gene Cursed) - 5 Possessed
• Atrocitor - Dreadnought, twin linked lascannon
• Squad Myre - 8 Chosen, 2 plasma guns, aspiring champion with powerfist
  

Troops

• Squad Krall – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Brakar – 10 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, lascannon, aspiring champion with powerfist, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Profuge - 6 Chaos space marines, plasma gun, aspiring champion with plasma pistol, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Hotep – 9 Thousand sons, Sorceror with warptime
• Squad Putid - 7 Plague marines, melta gun, flamer, aspiring champion with power weapon
  
• Squad Pestis - 7 Plague marines, plasma pistol
  
• Squad Odoratus - 7 Plague marines, 2 plasma guns, aspiring champion with powerfist
• Squad Contagio - 6 Plague marines
• Squad Kanker - 7 Plague marines, 2 plasma guns, aspiring champion with power weapon
• Squad Axhote - 8 Khorne Berzerkers, aspiring champion with powerfist
• Hhakuuoohlaoks - 9 Lesser daemons (Blood Letters)
  
• Iideommae - 6 Lesser daemons (Daemonettes)
• Arableuerakiar - 8 Lesser daemons (Furies)
• Uuandearzao - 9 Lesser daemons (Plague Bearers)
  

Fast Attack

• Squad Scrementor – 8 Raptors, 2 flamers, aspiring champion with power weapon
• Mirescab and Witherpuke - 2 Spawn

Heavy Support

• The Machine Cursed - 3 Obliterators
• Torius - Predator, twin linked lascannon, heavy bolter sponsons
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, 4 heavy bolters, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Abraxar – 6 Havocs, 2 autocannon, missile launcher, icon of chaos glory
• Squad Infractis – 7 Havocs, 2 melta guns, flamer, aspiring champion with plasma pistol

That's quite a list to choose from. I doubt I'll use them all in the campaign but that largely depends on how fast Gary's Eldar keep killing them!

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Tau

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Wayne
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines
Points: 1000
Location: Sarawak, The Halasus Marches
Background: 999.M41 The Third Sphere Colonists of Kauyon Vral invade Sarawak to create a bridgehead for an attack on Manil. They establish a landing zone by beating off one Exigator attack but must endure another as they attempt to capture strategic population centres and turn the Imperial citizens to their cause.

Chaos Space Marines

• Chaos Lord Ferocitor - Mark of Chaos Undivided, Daemonic Stature, Daemonic Speed, Daemonic Strength, Daemonic Visage, Dark Blade, Close combat weapon
• 2 Obliterators
• Squad Infractis – 6 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt pistols and Close combat weapons, Aspiring Champion with Power fist
• Squad Profuge - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• Squad Abraxar - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Missile Launcher
• Squad Krall - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• 8 Furies
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, 4 Heavy Bolters

Tau

• Ethereal Aun El Porva
• Shasui Myen Thorn, XV8 crisis suit, Plasma, twin missile pod, Team leader, Hard wired multi tracker, Hard wired drone cont + 1 gun drone
• Team Sa'cea, 3 XV8 crisis suits, 2 x twin linked plasmas, 2 x drone controllers + 2 gun drones, Team Leader Shasui Sacea Mesme Strider, Plasma, twin missile pod, Hard wired multi tracker
• Team J'Karra, 3 XV 15 stealth suits
• 10 Fire Warriors, Shasui Tau Montyr
• 8 Fire Warriors
• 11 Kroot Mercenaries, Flak armour/leadership upgrade, Shaper Elexo Khan
• Hammerhead Gunship, Railgun, multi tracker, Decoy launchers, Burst cannons
• Shasui Sacea Montka, XV88 Broadside, Team Leader, Twin Plasmas, Multi Tracker, Hardwired drone cont + 1 gun drone
  

Terrain and Deployment
This game was a follow up to my last game against Wayne's Tau. I had complained incessantly at the end of that game, blaming my defeat on my early bad dice rolls; I lost the dice-off for choice of table edge, the dice-off for placing infiltrators and the roll for first turn. Wayne's Tau subsequently slaughtered my Exigators.

Wayne promised me a rematch and to allow me to automatically win all those rolls I had previously lost. I showed up with a tweaked list and felt I should win comfortably with all my advantages.

I chose the quarter with a large ruined building and a wood on my left, giving Wayne's Tau two small woods to deploy in and around. Further to my left there was a stone circle we classified as area 2 terrain, but otherwise the table was fairly bare, as we were trying to emulate the Warhammer World tables.

I placed Squad Krall and Squad Abraxar in the building with Ferocitor behind it. Squad Imber infiltrated off to my left while Squad Profuge hid on the right. I put Squad Infractis in the woods on my left. The Obliterators and Furies would arrive later.

Wayne had his Crisis suits and Fire Warriors in and around the woods, his Stealth team harrying my right flank and his Kroot infiltrated into the stone circle. The Hammerhead started centrally along with the Broadside, out in the open.

The game
It was immediately apparent that this was going to be an odd game. I killed virtually nothing in my first turn, largely due to the immense distances between our armies. My heavy bolters were out of range of the Fire Warriors and even my lascannons and missile launchers came up short.

I brought Squad Infractis up through the woods and they ended up in a sprawling combat with the Kroot. My plan was to rush Ferocitor up to finish off the giant birds but a fistful of bad terrain rolls meant it took him three turns to reach combat (I was rolling three dice with a re-roll and didn't get higher than a three on two turns running). By that time Squad Infractis had been wiped out.

Wayne brought his lone Crisis, Thorn, up behind along with the Hammerhead. Squad Imber finished off the suit but failed a targeting check and fired at the front of the Hammerhead. With no more Tau advances and the Squad too far from a table quarter to rush in and claim they were effectively out of the game.

On the right, I was losing the shoot out between Squad Profuge and the Stealth team and Crisis suits, which meant I had lost that table quarter. On turn four I finally managed to drop the Broadside with Krall's lascannon, but all that did was leave our armies a mile apart.

When the Furies and Obliterators finally arrived I had some tough choices to make. I threw caution to the wind and flew the Daemons out into the teeth of the Tau guns. Even if a couple made it I could cause Wayne some consternation in an assault. They contacted the 8 Fire Warriors that Wayne had swung out to my left but were massacred when they emerged from the combat.

I teleported the Obliterators down to my left, targeting the Hammerhead. I figured I could gain a heap of points and secure that table quarter, while protecting the Oblits from any return fire. My other option was to drop them in Wayne's starting quarter and duke it out with the Crisis suits. I thought this was more risky due to the plasma rifles the suits had, the proximity of the table edge and the fact it would be impossible to take the table quarter even if I killed the suits, because there were other squads in the zone.

In the event my Obliterators and Ferocitor combined failed to pull the 'Head out of the sky, while it dropped the Obliterators down below half strength and routed Squad Imber off the table!

Wayne won the game with a superior points total.

Result: Loss

Commendations

• None
  

Learning points

• Well, I had all the advantages and still lost the game. That should stop me whinging so much after a game. Why did I lose? I fumbled my deployment, yet again. Because I had the choice of starting quarter I immediately picked the building, with it's 4+ save, as I had been denied cover in all my previous games. This wasn't a smart choice, though, as it was pretty deep in my starting quarter. Wayne set up deep in his own quarter and it left our two forces stranded, almost 60" apart. My small unit sizes meant Wayne could chip away at my squads, while my assault elements were largely wasted. Ferocitor was a huge points sink in particular and will need to be modified before the tournament.

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines (Gary)
Points: 1000
Location: Insolitus, The Halasus Marches
Background: 988.M41 The Exigators respond in force to rescue the citizens of Stolidus from the invading Slaaneshi Marines. Unfortunately, the Exigators can't drive off the Slaaneshi Marines who are securely dug in to the ruins of the town. More enemy Marines drop to the surface to strengthen their presence on Insolitus and the Exigators realise they may be facing a full scale invasion.

Chaos Space Marines (lone pilgrim)

• Chaos Lord Ferocitor - Mark of Chaos Undivided, Daemonic Stature, Daemonic Speed, 2 Close combat weapons, Frag grenades
• 2 Obliterators
• Squad Infractis – 8 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt pistols and Close combat weapons, Aspiring Champion with Power fist
• Squad Profuge - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• Squad Abraxar - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Missile Launcher
• Squad Krall - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• 8 Furies
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, 4 Heavy Bolters
  

Chaos Space Marines (Gary)

• Lord with Daemonic Speed, Dark Blade, Combat Drugs, Daemonic Strength, Bolt pistol
  
• 6 infiltrating Marines with Bolt pistols and close combat weapons, Aspiring champion with Daemonic Talons
  
• 5 Havocs with 4 Missile Launchers
  
• Defiler with indirect fire and mutated hull
  
• 6 Marines with Lascannon and Plasma gun
  
• 2 units of 6 Daemonettes

Terrain and Deployment
This was to be my third game against Gary's Chaos army. I had won one and lost one and had since tweaked my army list, so I was hoping to do well. Yet again I lost the roll to determine starting quarters (are my dice rolls cursed as well as my geneseed?). I deployed in an 'L' formation with my assaulters on the left. Gary had won the roll for infiltrators too, and had snatched the large forest on my right for his own assault troops.

The game
Gary won the first turn. He gutted squad Imber and reduced squad Krall below half strength. I concentrated most of my firing onto the assault troops advancing on my right. Despite my best efforts Gary managed to reach combat and summon in a Daemonette squad to help out. My Furies zoomed in to finish off the Slaaneshi attack but they were shot to pieces by subsequent enemy fire.

On the left, my own assault element was soundly duffed over by Gary's tooled up Lord, his second Daemonette squad and the deadly accurate Defiler.

A thorough beating.

Result: Loss - Decisive defeat

Commendations

• Furies.
  

Learning points

• Not the best confidence booster with what was my final list for The Gauntlet tournament. My main problem was deployment again. Winning a dice roll for the first placement of infiltrators would help massively. Oh well, I just hope the dice are saving themselves for later.
• It seems like Gary's army has the beating of mine - his ordnance, missile launchers and Lord are perfect for taking out small, elite Marine forces. I just hope I don't have to face him at the tournament.
  

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Ultramarines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Morris
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines
Points: 1000
Location: Florez, The Halasus Marches
Background: 952.M41 The agriworld of Florez reports difficulties in meeting its tithes of foodstuffs produced for the Hiveworld of Ustra. This is due to sporadic but persistent pirate attacks believed to be prosecuted by renegade Exigator Space Marines. Governor Atraxinor requests aid and gets it in the form of Ultramarines. They bring the Exigators to battle on the surface of Florez.

Chaos Space Marines

• Chaos Lord Ferocitor - Mark of Chaos Undivided, Daemonic Stature, Daemonic Speed, 2 Close combat weapons, Frag grenades
• 2 Obliterators
• Squad Infractis – 8 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt pistols and Close combat weapons, Aspiring Champion with Power fist
• Squad Profuge - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• Squad Abraxar - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Missile Launcher
• Squad Krall - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• 8 Furies
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, 4 Heavy Bolters
  

Ultramarines

• Chaplain with tooled up retinue in Rhino
  
• Dreadnought with Assault Cannon
  
• Scout squad with Sniper Rifles
  
• 3 Tactical Squads
  
• 2 Landspeeders with Heavy Bolters

Terrain and Deployment
Morris has a beautifully painted and converted army, which I thought had an excellent chance of winning best painted at the Gauntlet Tournament. In order to get it finished, though, he had added small, elite, expensive units like the Chaplain and his Honour Guard, and the small Tactical squads (one veteran sergeant was worth well over 50 points on his own). He hadn't played against my infiltrators either, so that would be a surprise for him.

Meanwhile, I was on the third version of my tournament list and beginning to get the hang of my army. I was hoping for a decisive win.

Morris chose the table quarter with two large buildings and a wood, while I had two medium-sized ruined buildings. He clumped his Dreadnought, Speeders and Chaplain's Rhino wide on my right, obviously hoping to sweep in behind one of my buildings and hit my centre. The rest of his army castled in and around the woods and the building to the rear of his deployment zone. Maurice wasn't planning on my infiltrators.

Squad Infractis went deep in the left quarter, almost behind the Ultramarine firebase. Squad Profuge set up for a side shot on the Rhino wide on my right. Squad Imber were narrow left, while Squads Abraxar and Krall set up centrally.

The game
I popped the Rhino with my first shot, then the same lascannon from Squad Profuge took down both Speeders in successive turns. Don't look any further for the man of the match. When the Squad took casualties and failed a morale check on the fourth turn I could hardly grumble.

The Dreadnought and Chaplain tried to advance on my centre but had to turn back toward their firebase in the second turn because Squad Infractis was threatening the Ultramarine starting quarter.

By turn 3 Squad Infractis had wiped out the scouts in the wood and summoned the Furies to attack the Tactical squads. The Dreadnought and Chaplain (with his Honour Guard) eventually arrived to take out my forward assaulters but Squad Imber and the deep striking Obliterators took the Ultramarine relief force out in turn.

I had won comfortably by turn 5.

Result: Win - Victorious slaughter

Commendations

• Squad Profuge.
  

Learning points

• Morris's army looks fantastic but is seriously flawed as an army list. I'd be surprised if he won more than one game at the Gauntlet.
• My own Exigators are coming along nicely, now. I'm getting more familiar with the list and it's capabilities and I hope it will surprise an opponent or two at the tournament, as it did to Morris today.
  

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Death Guard

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Steve
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Death Guard
Points: 1000
Location: Moluca, The Salazar Systems
Background: 988.M41 A mysterious plague decimates the population of the tiny agri-world of Moluca. Suspecting foul play, the Exigators investigate and find a Nurgle Death Cult infecting the innocent citizens. A lightning raid on the cult headquarters reveals the true nature of the threat; Deathguard Chaos Space Marines.

Chaos Space Marines (lone pilgrim)

• Chaos Lord Ferocitor - Mark of Chaos Undivided, Dark Blade, Close Combat Weapon, Daemonic Speed, Daemonic Stature, Daemonic Strength, Daemonic Visage
• 2 Obliterators
• Squad Infractis – 6 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt pistols and Close combat weapons, Aspiring Champion with Power fist
• Squad Profuge - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• Squad Abraxar - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Missile Launcher
• 8 Furies
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, 4 Heavy Bolters
  

Death Guard

• Lord with plasma pistol and powerfist
  
• 2x7 man Deathguard units with 2 plasma guns in Rhinos
  
• Dreadnought with autocannon
  
• 7 Man Havoc squad with lots of plasma and melta
  
• 7 Plaguebearers

Terrain and Deployment
Steve and I had a bit of a tussle about the terrain before the game began. Being a close range army, and worrying about my long range superiority, Steve wanted the large, low central hill to block all line of sight. Normally I would just let this go but I really have a bug about terrain at the moment. I am shocked at how little people know about the new 4th edition rules (size 3 terrain - what's that then?) and I especially hate players just calling everything area terrain. It's okay as an abstraction, when you have uniquely modeled terrain, but for a hill? No way. The rulebook is very specific about this, so I stood my ground. In the end we rolled a d6 and the decision went in my favour.

Steve won the choice of table quarter and took the one holding a large building. I had a stone circle and forest to the right of my deployment zone and a small wood on my right. Other than that massive hill there was very little extra terrain.

I had Squad Infractis behind the wood on my right, with Ferocitor behind to back them up. Squad Abraxar started on the hill right out in the open, pushing the Deathguard back, and Squad Krall gave covering fire from the wood on my left. I infiltrated Squad Imber to my extreme left and Squad Profuge to my extreme right. The Furies and Obliterators would show up later on.

Steve had his two Rhino squads dismounted in front of the building in the middle, with his Havoc squad and Dreadnought inside.

The game
Steve won first turn and mounted both squads in their Rhinos, zoomed them forward 12", popped the hatches and rapid fired their plasma guns at Squad Abraxar.

My priority was to stop both transports ASAP and I achieved this in my first turn. Steve then didn't know whether to stick or twist with the entangled squads as they were on top of the hill and a long way from the rest of my army. By the time he made a desperate attempt to reach my models I had whittled them down with Squad Imber and I finished them off before they made combat.

Steve got his Lord and Daemons into assault with Squad Infractis in the woods but I piled in Ferocitor and the Furies and came out just on top. Fortunately, I had 50% of my Furies left and they grabbed a table quarter (going second is useful for something!).

My Obliterators dropped in to take on the Dread and Havocs but I rolled abysmally and failed to kill a thing. I was wiped out by return fire. Nevertheless I had won the game comfortably, and claimed three table quarters to Steve's one.

Result: Win - Decisive victory.

Commendations

• Furies.

Learning points

• My army worked much better in this game than my earlier ones, due to the assault squad. It was too small, though, and could do with being strengthened.
• This was my first bad game with the Obliterators; I hope it is just a one-off.

CHAOS SPACE MARINES versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines (Gary)
Points: 1000
Location: Insolitus, The Halasus Marches
Background: 988.M41 A Chaos warband attacks the Exigators renegades on their homeworld of Insolitus, seeking revenge for defeat in an earlier encounter. The Slaanesh influenced traitors wreak havoc upon the civilian population of the town of Stolidus.

Chaos Space Marines (lone pilgrim)

• Chaos Lieutenant Lamprey - Mark of Chaos Undivided, Bolt Pistol, Daemonic Flight, Power weapon, Infiltrate
• 2 Obliterators
• Squad Infractis – 6 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt pistols and Close combat weapons, Aspiring Champion with Power fist
• Squad Profuge - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Lascannon
• Squad Abraxar - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Plasma gun, Missile Launcher
• Squad Krall - 5 Chaos Marines, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, Autocannon
• 8 Furies
• Squad Imber - 6 Havocs, Mark of Chaos Undivided, Infiltrate, Bolt guns, 4 Heavy Bolters
  

Chaos Space Marines (Gary)

• Lord with Daemonic Speed, Dark Blade, Combat Drugs, Daemonic Strength, Bolt pistol
  
• 6 infiltrating Marines with Bolt pistols and close combat weapons
  
• Aspiring champion with Daemonic Talons
  
• 5 Havocs with 4 Missile Launchers
  
• Defiler with indirect fire and mutated hull
  
• 6 Marines with Lascannon and Plasma gun
  
• 2 units of 6 Daemonettes
  

Terrain and Deployment
We played this test game for The Gauntlet tournament straight after our last, and kept the same army lists and the same terrain. We even kept the same dice rolls, as Gary got to choose the starting table quarter (the one with all the terrain again). This time I fronted him out, placing my firebase opposite his own. He had superior terrain and I was out in the open, but I had better numbers and more Special and Heavy weapons. Still, it was a risky tactic, and it was very dependent on winning the first turn.

The game
Gary won first turn.

If my tactic was to outshoot the enemy Marines I failed miserably. Everything he shot at died - even with bolters. He used the Defiler more aggressively to wipe out a couple of my units with direct shot, braving my ineffectual lascannon shots. And Gary kept his Daemons back to counter charge my Obliterators and Lord, who I had thrown forward in a desperate attempt to salvage the game.

The Oblits still managed to drop in and destroy the Defiler, but the Furies disappointed as their attacks bounced off the Marines power armour.

I had been trounced.

Result: Loss - Decisive victory.

Commendations

• Obliterators.

Learning points

• Again, my deployment was suspect as I was risking a lot by facing off with Gary's shooty units. If I had won 1st turn I might have had a chance, but it wasn't to be.
• If our positions had been reversed and I had had the cover it might have been a different story too.
• This game exposed the one dimensional aspect of my army - I had no real gameplan once I discovered Gary could outshoot me. More close combat units required, I think.