Opponent: Neevesy
Mission: Capture and Control
Deployment: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Blood Angels
Points: 1000
Location: 023.M38, Naich, Hexen Sub, Skolarii sector
Background: An Imperial Guard officer goes rogue and tries to take control of Naich in a coup. The Blood Angels are despatched to rescue the kidnapped planetary governor. In turn, the Imperial Guard are trying to capture the informant who led the Space Marines to them.
Blood Angels
- Chaplain, plasma pistol, jump pack
- 5 Death Company Marines with jump packs
- 10 Tactical Marines, flamer, Vet sergeant with Powerfist, missile launcher, Rhino
- 5 Tactical Marines, melta gun, Vet sergeant with Powerfist, Razorback with las cannon
- Furioso Dreadnought, Venerable, Death Company
- Predator Destructor with autocannon and heavy bolter sponsons
- Heroic Senior Officer with Command Squad, carapace armour (including regimental standard, priest with eviscerator, commissar)
- Missile Launcher anti-tank squad
- Mortar squad
- 2 Heavy Flamer Sentinels
- Platoon Command Squad (Heavy Bolter)
- Infantry Squad, carapace armour, with grenade launcher
- Infantry Squad, carapace armour, with grenade launcher
- Infantry Squad, carapace armour, with grenade launcher
- Hellhound
- 30 Conscripts
This was my last practice game before the Gauntlet Tournament.
Terrain and deployment
This game was played on a 4'x4' table as all the other tables were in use. There was one ruined building in each quarter of the board. I put my objective in the bottom left while the Guard put theirs in the top right.
I wanted to try out my 'spearhead' deployment with the predator in front and the razorback and rhino behind. I kept the squads mounted as the Guard actually had very few anti-tank weapons. The combat squad with the missile launcher stayed near my objective.
The game
I went first and drove my spearhead full speed ahead. Everything popped smoke. The Death Company followed behind the vehicles.
The IG shot everything at the predator but did nothing. The Hellhound moved down my right flank.
I stopped moving in the centre and shot everything at the anti-tank squad, killing three. I waited patiently with the razorback and rhino to see where the Sentinels would appear.
The Sentinels came in on the right near the Hellhound. My predator got immobilised by the anti-tank squad. The conscripts moved up my left flank.
I flew my Death Company over to assault the conscripts. The combat went on for six phases until the conscripts were completely wiped out; the regimental banner kept them in the fight.
On the right my razorback took on the Hellhound. The squad jumped out and took out the Inferno cannon with its meltagun. The predator continued to duel with the anti-tank squad and eventually wiped it out.
My rhino zoomed forward and the squad dismounted to flame the tightly packed Guardsmen. Unfortunately their carapace armour saved them from much damage and their counter-fire wiped out the marines.
The Furioso made straight for the enemy objective. It quickly butchered the platoon command squad then routed the infantry squad behind. The problem was that it had to move toward the closest model so instead of guarding the objective it hared off after the infantry squad!
The HSO and surrounding squads made a break for my objective. They assaulted the Death Company and dragged them down then easily destroyed the immobilised predator.
My razorback in the centre right had been destroyed and the Tactical marine squad had lost its meltagun and powerfist to the Sentinel. They ran for the IG objective which had been cleared by the Dreadnought. Despite a couple of mortar hits they were still there to capture the planetary governor at the end of the game.
The only way the IG would make it to my objective was if the game went to turn 7.
The game went to turn 7.
The HSO and crew overran my 5 Tactical marines and claimed my objective.
Result: Draw (1 objective each)
Learning points
- I was fairly happy with how this list played, despite the lack of scoring units. The vehicles are at last proving to be quite durable and the Furioso Venerable Death Company Dreadnought is nasty.
Never ceases to amaze me how durable a guard army can be. I would have thought them toast with a lack of heavy weapons, but the plethora of units seems to have kept the Blood Angels few busy enough to snatch a draw.
ReplyDeleteThe guard carried a lot of carapace. What's your take on the value of carapace after fighting this game?
Were they packing more melta/plasma in the squads?
Did the traitor's capture the governor, but fail to trap the informant?
I only found out that the Guard had carapace armour late in the game (my opponent was using regular Cadian models). If I had realised earlier I wouldn't have sallied out with my Tac marines. It helps protect against small arms fire, like boltguns but IMHO it is too expensive. I'd rather have more boots on the table.
ReplyDeleteThere was no melta, plasma or even many heavy weapons in the Guard army. I found that bizarre!
The final outcome was that the Planetary Governor was saved by the Blood Angels but the traitor guard captured the informant.