Opponent: Francis
Mission: Seize Ground
Deployment: Spearhead
1st turn: Blood Angels Space Marines
Points: 1000
Location: 365.M41, Kwajal, Ossory Cluster, Skolarii sector
Background: The Imperial Guard campaign against the Orks on Kwajal has ground into a bloody stalemate. Lord General Jalein requests aid from the Blood Angels to rid Kwajal of a troublesome Speed Freek army. Chapter Master Dante sends a small task force to hunt down the Ork warboss.
Blood Angels
- Chaplain, plasma pistol, jump pack
- 7 Death Company Marines (5 bought), jump packs
- 10 Tactical Marines, flamer, missile launcher, Vet sergeant with Powerfist, Rhino
- 5 Assault Marines, plasma pistol
- Dreadnought, multi-melta
- Furioso Dreadnought, Death Company
Orks
- Warboss on bike, power klaw
- 3 Nob bikerz, power klaw
- Battle Wagon, death rolla
- 20 Shoota boyz, 2 big shootas, nob with power klaw
- 10 'Ard boyz, nob with power klaw, trukk with rokkit launcha
- 10 Slugga boyz, nob with power klaw, trukk with rokkit launcha
I had just signed up to the Warseer painting pledge and was in the process of re-imagining my Blood Angels when I heard that my local Games Workshop store was participating in The Gauntlet tournament. This is held in Warhammer World and normally consists of three 1000 point games played between 40-50 gamers from the North East of England. I played in the tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and won best painted army in the first two years and overall in the last. So I signed up for this year's Gauntlet.
The store was encouraging practice games amongst participants and since I had only played two games of 5th edition I jumped at the chance. My force was very small and limited as I'd only been putting it together for six weeks or so.
Terrain and deployment
We played on a 6x4 foot table while some other tournament goers played on a 4x4 table - I need to find out if there is a rules pack so I can plan properly, because things like this can make a huge difference to games.
There were large ruined buildings in each table quarter and some low barrels and cover in the centre which was otherwise empty.
We rolled up 5 objectives and most ended up out of cover near the middle of the board. I had the two Dreadnoughts in the middle with the Chaplain and Death Company behind and the Assault squad behind them. I had the Tactical squad in the Rhino to the left of my ruined building.
My plan was to advance into the centre with the Dreadnoughts, using their melta weapons to pop the Ork transports then pounce on the Orks with my jump packers. The Tactical Squad would rock up later to help out and claim objectives.
The Orks began with the Battle Wagon behind their building, and a Trukk either side. The Warboss and bikers were hiden behind the ruins.
The game
I moved and ran all my models up the centre, the Furioso Dread getting a 6 and putting immediate pressure on the Orks.. The Tac rhino used it's overcharged engines to zoom 18" over to the ruins on the opposite table edge, on the extreme left flank.
The Warboss and his bikerz turbo-boosted 24" up to the far side of the buildings from the Tac marines. The 'Ard Boyz Trukk passed it's terrain checks to move into the building while the Battle Wagon and other Trukk swung right to warily circle the Blood Angels. A lucky Rokkit shot from a Trukk destroyed the multi-melta Dreadnought.
Again I moved my models right down the Orks throat, the Furioso failing to hurt the Battle Wagon with it's meltagun. The Death Company were close behind with the Assault Marines hanging back a little. I moved the Tac marines 12" back toward the centre and disembarked, making sure the Rhino shielded them from the Bikerz.
The Orks charged all over the board. The 'Ard Boyz contacted my Tactical Marines, the Trukk Boyz hit the Furioso and the Battle Wagon Boyz assaulted the Death Company. The Warboss moved up toward the middle of the table, ready to help out in later turns.
The 'Ard Boyz mauled my Tactical Marines, largely thanks to my poor armour saves. The four survivors broke free and ran 11" away from the scrum. The 'Ard Boyz followed them up, to ensure they couldn't rally next turn.
My Furioso went berserk, killing four Orks and the survivors, while the Nob whiffed all his power klaw attacks. The Boyz broke and were squished into the dirt by the Dread. He swept 6" back toward the Chaplain which meant he would be under control for my next turn.
The Death Company were stuck in a brutal war of attrition with the Ork Shoota Boyz. The Death Company were killing lots of Orks but their numbers, making them fearless, kept them in the fight.
The Furioso and Assault Marines charged the 'Ard Boyz to save the Tactical Marines. I rolled outrageously, and the Boyz were butchered in short order. Meanwhile, the Death Company were still clogging their chainswords on Ork flesh.
The Warboss came zooming in to take on the Death Company. Between him, the other Ork Nob and the no retreat rule they wiped out all the Death Company, leaving the wounded Chaplain to take on the green tide alone.
The Bikerz moved up near the Tactical Marines, ensuring they would exit the battlefield next turn. They also shot at the Assault Marines and all but wiped them out.
Finally my Furioso went down. A Trukk hit it with a Rokkit and blew it apart in a spectacular explosion.
The battle ended shortly after. My Chaplain was dragged under and butchered by the Orks leaving the lone Rhino to withdraw.
Result: Loss
Learning points
- My list was poor. I only had 15 Troop models in two units to try and claim 5 objectives. Of course, I should have combat squadded the Tactical Marines and left the missile launcher element on foot supporting my main assault, giving me an extra scoring unit. I also felt I had too many Death Company for such a small game.
- I really need to understand all the rules better. I've only played two games of 5th edition while the players in store have been playing every week since it was released, so I thought they would have them nailed while I would be struggling. Instead, their knowledge was just as hazy as mine, if not worse. Although I caught the Ork morale check in the fight against the Furioso (my opponent forgot to add the modifier for the number of wounds caused), I forgot about the extra wounds taken by fearless models who lose a combat. I only found out about that when my opponent won a round of combat against my Death Company and I lost several models; of course I should have done the same against the Orks in previous rounds when I had won the combat.
- With only three weeks to go I need to get painting those Troops choices and settle on a list. I want to go mechanised, since I have a few decently painted models but how do you fit a Land Raider into 1000 points?
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