SPACE MARINES - BLOOD ANGELS versus Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 5th edition, Gauntlet Tournament game 3
Opponent: James Brown
Mission: Annihilation
Deployment: Pitched Battle
1st turn: Space Marines
Points: 1000
Location: 671.M38, Insolitus, Halasus Marches, Skolarii sector
Background: The Blood Angels track down the renegade Exigators Space Marines on Insolitus and bring them to battle.

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

Space Marines

• Captain
• Dreadnought
• 10 Tactical marines
• Rhino
• 5 Tactical marines
• 5 Tactical marines
• 8 Sternguard
• Drop Pod

Terrain and deployment
I won the choice of first turn and gave it to James to negate his drop podding Sternguard. He spread his army out across his entire deployment zone. I began with everything off the board. My plan at this stage was to bring everything on on one flank and fight half of his army will all of mine, then roll up the rest.

The game
The enemy marines advanced cautiously forward across the whole front.

I got the Dreadnought, Death Company and Razorback from reserve. I brought them on to the left flank so I could us the central hill to block line of sight.

At this point we remembered the Drop Pod James had forgotten to deploy in his turn one. He brought it down in his third turn, hoping to hit the Death Company. Fortunately for me they scattered away out of rapid fire range.

The Predator came on from reserve and parked on the hill on my left to give covering fire in later turns. My Death Company pounced on his combat squad in the ruins on the left and slaughtered them for no losses. The Razorback and Dreadnought followed up behind.

The Blood Angels attack hard up the left flank

The Tactical squad in the Rhino dismounted to rapid fire my Death Company. Only one Blood Angel died. The Rhino itself zoomed off down my left flank going God knows where. The Captain and Dreadnought tag team made for the Sternguard in the middle of the board. The Sternguard moved up behind the central hill.

My own Rhino exploded onto the board and spilled out it's Tactical squad to rapid fire the Sternguard. The Dreadnought stomped over and contributed some firing too. More firepower rained in from the Predator. The Sternguard unit was gutted.

The Sternguard and Tactical squad are about to disappear

The Death Company tore into the ten Tactical Marines before them and killed them to a man for no losses. Ouch.

The Razorback and Tactical squad immobilised the Rhino.

Now the Captain and Dreadnought turned back to take on the Death Company. The remaining Sternguard failed to take out my Furioso. Long range Tactical squad fire dropped another Death Company marine.

My Dreadnought charged into the last Sternguard and wiped them out. My Tactical squad remounted their Rhino but it's over-charged engines stalled. The Tactical squad in the Razorback destroyed the Rhino.

I charged the Death Company into the Captain and reduced them to one wound, taking one casualty in the process.

The game promptly ended in turn five.

Result: Win (4 kill points to 0 kill points)

Learning points

• James didn't support his own units so I was able to take him on piecemeal and control the game.
• The Death Company were simply awesome in this game, living up to their fearsome reputation.
• A shame the game didn't go on for another turn or two to see how our two HQ's and two Dreadnoughts would have fared against each other.