DAEMONHUNTERS versus Daemonhunters

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Steve
Mission: Meat grinder
1st turn: Daemonhunters (lone pilgrim)
Points: 1000

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Kurven Psycannon, Purity Seals, Gun Servitor, Plasma Cannon, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2 x Imperial Guard Veteran, Plasma Gun, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2 x Sage, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
  
• Daemonhost
• 2 x Death-Cult Assassins
• Eversor Assassin
• 10 x Inquisitorial Stormtroopers Veteran, Hell gun, Plasma Pistol, Melta bombs, Targeter, 2 x Meltagun, Rhino, Smoke Launchers
• 10 x Inquisitorial Stormtroopers Veteran, Bolt Pistol, Power Weapon, Targeter, 2 x Flamer, Rhino, Extra Armour, Hunter-killer Missile, Smoke
• Armoured Fist Squad (inducted Imperial Guard) Sergeant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Flamer, Chimera, Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, Smoke Launchers
  

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord, lightning claws, icon of the just, combat servitor, 2 acolytes (1 with storm shield), familiar, other hangers on (?)
• 3 x Death-Cult Assassins
• Eversor Assassin
• Inquisitor with psycannon, 3 gun servitors (2 x hvy bolters, 1 plasma cannon, sage, mystic)
• 5 stormtroopers, Meltagun, grenade launcher
• 5 stormtroopers, 2 x Meltagun
• Inducted Imperial Guard infantry platoon, 2 x squads with flamer, junior officer, standard bearer, 2 x grenade launchers

Terrain and deployment
We rolled for a standard mission, got a change of orders and ended up with a meat grinder with me as attacker (gulp!). The 4x4 table was fairly sparse with a large ruined building on my right (in the centre of the board) and a graveyard on my left (in my deployment zone). There were half a dozen small ruined building corners scattered around.

Steve set up with his Lord behind the large building together with a stormtrooper squad and a death cult assassin. In his centre he had his shooty Inquisitor and the Eversor assassin screened behind an IG squad. Facing the graveyard he had the other stormtroopers, 2 death cult assassins and command squad behind the remaining IG squad.

I placed my two stormtrooper rhinos and the two death cult assassins on my right (shielded from most of his shooting), the armoured fists and Inquisitor Lord started in the centre, while my Eversor began in the cemetery on my left. The Daemonhost was in reserve.

The game
I won first turn and all the vehicles zoomed forward, the chimera popping smoke. The Inquisitor Lord moved forward behind the chimera to bring the plasma guns into range J. All the assassins advanced, using any available cover (all the assassins used their infiltrate ability to start within 18” of the enemy).

My opponent moved one stormtrooper squad around the edge of the building and squeezed in a shot at one of my rhinos but only took out the storm bolter. His Lord and death cult assassin moved toward the large building. In the centre he only had the chimera to shoot at with his shooty Inquisitor and only the plasma cannon and psycannon could hurt it. You guessed it – he rolled a 1 for the plasma cannon and the gun servitor died. The psycannon bounced off the hull. His squads facing the Eversor all retreated 6” to keep out of assault range.

Turn 2
My Daemonhost failed to show up but I decided to launch my attack anyway. My rhino smashed through the difficult terrain of the large building and the stormtrooper squad disembarked opposite the Inquisitor Lord, two flamers to the fore. Combined with the hell guns they killed everyone but the two acolytes and the Inquisitor himself. A death cult assassin assaulted the stormtrooper squad with 2 meltaguns and killed three but they passed their morale check and remained in combat. My other rhino moved up behind the building, ready for an assault up the centre next turn.

In the middle my chimera moved 12” again and the guardsmen jumped out. They riddled the death cult assassin behind the building with lasgun fire then charged the guardsman screen. They killed five for only one in return, but the enemy passed their morale test and held. Far behind the combat my Inquisitor Lord worked his way forward again.

On my left the Eversor advanced again, he would make it into combat next turn because my opponent had run out of table to retreat into.

In his turn he charged the flamer stormtroopers in the building killing four but they stood firm.
He charged his Eversor assassin and a death cult assassin into my guardsmen in the centre of his battle line, killing five and routing the unit. His guardsmen chased mine but failed to catch them. The chimera had been obliterated by the other stormtroopers and their Meltagun. His remaining guardsmen shot at the Eversor but failed to kill him.

Turn 3
My Daemonhost arrived, deep striking into the centre of my opponents deployment zone. He then deviated 11” toward my left and the Eversor assassin, but this put him right next to a death cult assassin and he promptly blood boiled him. Unfortunately the assassin dodged away. Still on my left my Eversor assaulted the guardsmen, killing five but they passed their morale and stood.

In the middle my Inquisitor Lord and retinue annihilated the stormtrooper squad that had done for my chimera (I rolled 3 sixes for my plasma to hit rolls!). My remaining stormtroopers drove forward in their rhino, and assaulted the IG command section along with a death cult assassin (!). The combat was indecisive however.

The fight in the ruined building on my right was joined by one of my death cult assassins (the other was still trying to finish off the last stormtrooper, which he finally did and consolidated into the Inquisitor). All of the Inquisitors acolytes were killed but so were several stormtroopers and they fled. Because they were under half strength I took them off the board. This left my death cult assassins taking on his Inquisitor Lord (with lightning claws and a 4+ invulnerable). My rhino exploded out of the building and parked right in front of his shooty inquisitor.

My opponents army was looking pretty thin now. He had his shooty inquisitor squad untouched but they had been unable to shoot because of the combats in front of them and now they were blocked by a rhino. On my right flank he only had his Inquisitor Lord left and on my left he had a handful of guardsmen still fighting my Eversor and a death cult assassin near my Daemonhost. Finally in the centre his remaining death cult assassin and command section were battling my stormtroopers, and only his Eversor assassin was unengaged.

He moved his Eversor into the building to take on the death cult assassins and save his Inquisitor Lord. One assassin was killed and the other passed 3 5+ saves. In return they took out the Inquisitor Lord. Because the Eversor didn’t count as a surviving model that meant my right flank was secure.

In the middle he took out my rhino with his shooty inquisitor and his command hq and his death cult assassin routed my stormtroopers. Both pursued and got poor rolls failing to catch the stormtroopers.

His other death cult assassin charged the Daemonhost and got cut down after causing a wound.
Finally his guardsmen were killed by my Eversor and I chose to sweeping advance. This brought up a rules query – due to the combat drugs does the Eversor roll 2d6 or 3d6? Because it doesn’t explicitly say 3d6 I rolled 2d6 and got 2”. Still, my left flank was secure. Just the middle to take care of.

Turn 4
My Eversor charged the IG command section, my Daemonhost took on the last death cult assassin and it should have been shooty inquisitor vs shooty inquisitor but I managed to block my line of sight with my last rhino. D’oh!

The Eversor killed everyone but the junior officer, and he even took a wound in return. My Daemonhost killed the assassin and took a wound as well. He he swept toward the shooty inquisitor but rolled a 3.

Steve took out the Daemonhost with his psycannon and the last guardsmen died at the Eversor's hand. I rolled a 3 for his sweeping advance. Aaarrrghh!

We then rolled for the end of the game. On a 1 it would end as a defeat for me, on a 2+ we would continue. We rolled a 5.

Turn 5
The very first thing I did was tank shock the shooty inquisitor with my rhino. He failed his morale check and ran off the board.

I won!

Result: Win

Learning points

• This game was played in shop and I didn’t know what army I’d be fighting or which mission I’d be playing. Looks like I picked the right week to experiment with a mobile infantry force!
• Smashing through the building on my right with the rhino surprised my opponent and caught him off guard. 2 flamers in a unit can take out even heavily armoured models. Together with the Imperial guard assault(!) in the centre it put him right on the back foot. Although they were never going to win their respective assaults they did allow the assassins to advance and enter combat.
• My opponent got some truly awful dice rolls (like his plasma cannon blowing up in the first shot of the game). Having said that my plasma cannon did the same but I had the extra sage and re-rolled the dice (getting a six), well worth another 10 points.
• I have never seen anyone win a meat grinder, ever, so I just had to write the game up as a longer battle report.