DAEMONHUNTERS versus Orks

Game: Warhammer 40,000 3rd edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Recon
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1000

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Kurven, Psycannon, Power Armour, Emperor's Tarot, Gun Servitor, Plasma Cannon, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2x Imperial Guard Veteran, Plasma Gun, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, Targeter, 2x Sage, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
• 2 Daemonhosts
• Callidus Assassin
• Squad Matoso, 9 Stormtroopers, Veteran with Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon, 2 Flamers, Rhino, Smoke launchers, Hunter Killer Missile
• Squad Godirtho, 5 Stormtroopers, Veteran with Plasma pistol, 2 Flamers, Rhino with Smoke
• Armoured Fist Squad (inducted Imperial Guard) Sergeant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Flamer, Chimera, Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, Smoke Launchers, hunter killer missile, heavy stubber

Orks

• Warboss in mega-armour with 5 Nobz in wartrukk
• 3 Killer kanz
• 5 warbikes
• Small unit of shoota boyz with 3 big shootas
• 2 small squads of tankbustas each with 3 rokkits
• 16 slugga boyz with 3 rokkits

Background
This was to be the last game I played before Christmas, and maybe until well into January, so I wanted to sign off with a win. Unfortunately the only other 40k player there was Gary, my long time nemesis.

After talking to some other players over the 'net I was advised to try a Callidus assassin, as she is supposedly the most powerful of the assassins, so I dropped the death cult assassins and slotted her in the list. In order to make the most of her deep strike rules I also chose two Daemonhosts who would hopefully arrive at the same time.

Terrain and deployment
The game was played instore on a 4'x4' table (thankfully not the Cityfight board) and we set up a sort of large ruined temple in the centre of the board - very appropriate for Daemonhunters.

With three troop choices in vehicles my plan was to slam into one portion of the Ork army with my entire force, arriving by deep strike or vehicle, and destroy it utterly before moving on to the next portion.

With this plan in mind I put my two rhinos on my left flank ready for a quick charge and formed a small firebase in the centre with the Inquisitor screened by the dismounted guardsmen supported by the chimera. The Orks were spread out with the Killer Kanz facing off against the rhinos, the slugga boyz and Warboss in the centre and the warbikes and shoota boyz opposite my firebase.

The game
With the help of the Emperors Tarot I won the first turn. I shot both hunter killer missiles at the kanz and only managed to blow a claw off one. It was then I realised I had forgotten the assassin's word in your ear rule because the kanz were just out of sight of my firebase and I could have moved them into sight if only I'd remembered. D'oh!

Still, the chimera could see them and it shot it's Multilaser and heavy bolter at them too, but caused no damage. The only target I had was the bikes so I took two out with the plasma cannon and the Inquisitor's psycannon. The Orks pressed forward on all fronts - their shooting managing to kill five guardsmen and force them to rout. Fortunately for me they only ran three inches and I could try to rally them next turn. More worrying was a lucky Rokkit shot taking out the chimera. Suddenly my firebase was looking a bit thin.

My second turn began with the Daemonhosts arriving but not the assassin. I was in quite a quandry here as my left flank assault was up against the largely unharmed Kanz backed up by 16 slugga boyz and covered by no less than 9 rokkits. That was one whole heap of instant death. Additionally the Warboss had gunned his wartrukk 24 inches and was now threatening to charge my firebase next turn.

So I brought the Daemonhosts down on the right, next to the shoota boyz and the Warbosses' wartrukk. My Inquisitor took out the remaining bikes who were now in plasma gun range and one Daemonhost assaulted the wartrukk (having rolled teleport). Unfortunately for me I failed to roll a single 6 on seven attack dice. On my left I moved the rhinos forward, ready to assault the following turn.

The Orks moved forward again and the Warboss leapt from his trukk right in front of Inquisitor Kurven. Most of the action was on this right flank as the Daemonhosts were raked with fire and one was reduced to a single wound. In all the commotion Gary forgot to assault with his Warboss which left him sitting in rapid fire range of my plasma guns...

With the Ork leader and retinue now hideously exposed I just needed the Callidus to appear next to him. I rolled a 1 for her reserve roll. Two one's in a row. Well, I was just going to have to do it without her.

When the smoke cleared three of the Warbosses' Nobz had been slaughtered but Gary passed his leadership test on a 10. Close but no cigar.

Both Daemonhosts charged Ork units, one into the shoota boyz and another into a Tankbusta squad. The already wounded Daemonhost fell to the shoota boyz and the other got stuck in a protracted combat with the tankbustas. I rolled some appalling dice and just couldn't make a save.

On the left I decided the Kanz had to go and squad Godirtho got the task. They only took one out and they were now in assault range of virtually the whole Ork army. In the return fire my five stormtroopers were wiped out to a man and the rhino was obliterated. Similarly Inquisitor Kurven was snipped in two by the Ork Warboss and the rest of his retinue were killed.

So now my firebase was completely decimated and I only had one squad left as well as the yet to appear assassin. I rolled another one for her reserve roll. Three in a row. Squad Matoso zoomed up the extreme left flank and shot their flamers out of the hatch at the Kanz in a drive-by style. They both failed to damage the clunking machines. Although the rhino was now vulnerable because it counted as open topped it somehow managed to survive all of the Rokkit shots and even a charge by the Killer Kanz. Now I was near the Ork deployment zone and a possible 200 extra victory points; maybe I could pull off an unlikely victory.

If I could just get the assassin into the fight. I rolled another one. Four in a row. By this time passers by were shaking their heads in sympathy. Gary of course could barely stop laughing. I drove the rhino into the Ork deployment zone and shot at the Kanz once more but failed to hurt them again. What do they make these things from?

Squad Matoso weren't so lucky this time as a Rokkit blew the rhino out from under them and they were charged by the Kanz. Over the next three combat phases they passed every morale check I wanted them to fail. Aaaaarggghhhh! Meanwhile my Daemonhost had finally seen off the mighty 5 man tankbusta squad and was promptly instantly killed by a stray Rokkit shot. Ho hum.

On a brighter note the Callidus finally turned up on turn six. With the Warboss safely tucked away in his trukk I had nothing really to go for except the large slugga boyz squad. With some trepidation she took them on and between the shooting phase and two assault phases she killed ten of the buggers!

It was too little too late though as the Orks had clearly taken the field.

Result: Loss

Learning points

• This is typical of my luck - bringing along a new unit then rolling horribly for it. The same happened in my last game using Grey knights. But four ones in a row for the Callidus is just infuriating. I have decided to cut right back on deep striking units in the future; it is just too unpredictable.
• Those Kanz did for me again. Every time I play against them I just can't seem to take them down. Mostly this is due to the lack of long range hitting power in the radical list but partly it is due to bad luck. After all I threw three Multilaser shots, three heavy bolter shots, two hunter killer missiles, two melta gun shots, a plasma pistol shot and four flamer templates into them and only destroyed one. In contrast my chimera went down to a Rokkit shot on turn one. Just wait until I get my inducted guard painted up!
• The Emperors Tarot worked a treat to win me the first turn in this game. It could become very powerful in a shooty army and coincidentally I am currently painting up an Imperial Guard force. I think an allied Inquisitor with the Tarot could be very useful to them.