SPACE MARINES - BLOOD ANGELS versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Steve
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Omega
1st turn: Steve
Points: 1500

Blood Angels

• Mephiston
• Chaplain with plasma pistol and jump pack
• 8 Death company
• 10 Assault marines, 2 plasma pistols
• 5 Veteran assault marines, plasma pistol, powerfist
• 5 Tactical marines, flamer, veteran with power fist in Razorback with lascannon
• Venerable Furioso Dreadnought
• Predator destructor with heavy bolter sponsors

Chaos Space Marines

• Daemon Prince with Lash
• Lord, Mark of Slaanesh, power weapon
• 3 Obliterators
• 6 Havocs with 4 missile launchers
• 6 Havocs with 3 heavy bolters
• 5 Terminators, 3 power fists, heavy flamer
• 10 Marines, 2 plasma guns, champ with power fist
• 10 Marines, plasma gun, melta gun, champ with power fist

Terrain and Deployment
There were several large area three buildings in a large oval around an empty killing ground in the middle of the table.

The game
Due to escalation, I started with just Mephiston on the board! Steve had the majority of his army from turn one with just the Daemon Prince and Terminators in reserve. He moved a marine squad and the Lord out to my right toward Mephiston. Mephiston edged around the building toward them.


Steve’s other marine squad moved forward out of his firebase. I got the Tactical marines and Razorback, the Predator and the Chaplain and Death Company. I didn’t think I had any chance of advancing the jump packers behind the vehicles right across the centre of the board so I tried a risky move. I deep struck the Death Company into the far left corner, hoping they would be protected by two level three buildings. Their shooting killed two heavy bolter havocs. My tanks concentrated on the Obliterators but did no damage.


Steve got his Terminators and Daemon Prince from reserve. He brought his Terminators up behind his Marines and Lord on the right. Mephiston was looking very vulnerable all on his own. The Daemon Prince swooped in next to the Death Company. He successfully cast lash and moved the Death Company a few inches so that the Obliterators could target them through the small gap between the buildings. Three plasma cannons later and four marines lay dead. The Daemon Prince charged in. Over the next few turns he killed the rest of the Death Company until the Chaplain finally found some strength to knock him down. The Chaplain then got blasted by the Obliterators.


Meanwhile, my Predator and Razorback were blown up in the middle. I pushed my Tactical marines through the large building in my deployment zone. They were joined by the Dreadnought on turn three, but I didn’t get those crucial assault squads. That meant I had to throw Mephiston in on his own against the Terminators. He killed four of them but was then charged by the marine squad (with hidden power fist) and the Lord. In the nick of time he got all Derren Brown on the Lord and transfixed him. Mephiston sliced his head off but was then cut down by the marines.

On turn four I got my assault marines but the veterans were still nowhere to be seen. I deployed them on the left to back up my Dreadnought and Tactical marines who were advancing on the Chaos marine squad. Four of my assault marines got shot by the havocs and they promptly failed their morale check and flew straight back off the board. The Dreadnought managed to launch an assault on the Chaos marines a turn later. It took him four rounds of combat to see them off as I rolled appallingly.


I pulled the accompanying Tactical marines back to defend my starting table quarter as I had a small chance to turn the game around. If my Dreadnought could push on to take the Chaos starting quarter and my Veterans could wipe out the marines on my right I might just squeak it.

On turn five I finally got the Veterans. I brought them on to challenge the marines on the right. They took the squad down below half strength but were then chopped up by the lone surviving Terminator. Steve had to start moving his havocs to capture table quarters so there was no shooting.


My Dreadnought was closing on the heavy bolter havocs and we kept rolling for the extra turns but I just couldn’t roll higher than a two on the difficult terrain rolls for movement or assault. In fact, the lumbering Dreadnought couldn't even make it into the Chaos table quarter despite being only a few inches away.

In the end I captured one table quarter while Steve had one too. He was miles ahead on victory points, though.

Commendations

• Blood Angels - Mephiston for killing four Terminators and the Lord
• Chaos Space Marines - Obliterators for killing Death company, the Razorback and driving off the Assault squad

Turning point
My staggered reserve rolls meant I couldn't launch a co-ordinated attack.

Learning points

• The army didn’t work in escalation because Mephiston was the only model starting on the board and my reserve rolls were poor.
• Mephiston is offensively powerful but has a defensive weakness because he has no invulnerable save. He also very expensive in a 1500 point game.
• I urgently need to change and/or upgrade the weapons and equipment in my squads to give them some ranged and close combat power.
• Lash and plasma cannons on Obliterators is a good combo!