IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines - Death Guard

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Steve
Mission: Take and Hold
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines - Death Guard
Points: 1500
Location: Celebes, Salazar Systems, Skolarii sector
Background: The Death Guard attack on the southern quarter of Celebes Hive One is revealed as a feint when their main attack arrives from the north. Kennell meets the Nurgle Marines head on and blunts their attack. An uneasy silence falls across the Hive...


Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Anti-tank Squad, 3 lascannons
• Commissar Ord Bulman, Power Sword, Bolt Pistol
• Cypher with 6 Fallen, 2 plasma guns, aspiring Champion with powerfist
• 6 Stormtroopers, 1 meltagun, 1 plasma gun
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Dophan Junior Officer, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun
• Armoured Fist Squad, Missile launcher, flamer, Chimera with Heavy Bolter, Multi-laser
• 20 Conscripts
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Searchlight
• Sentinel, Multilaser
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines - Death Guard

• Lord with Powerfist and plasma pistol
• 7 Plague Bearers
• 7 Deathguard with plasma gun, meltagun, asp Champ with powerfist
• 7 Deathguard with plasma gun, meltagun, asp Champ with powerfist
• 7 Deathguard Havocs with two plasma guns, meltagun, asp Champ with powerfist
• Dreadnought with autocannon, extra armour and smoke
• Dreadnought with multi-melta, extra armour and smoke
• Great Unclean One

Background
I had played Steve the week earlier but we had to abandon the game due to running out of time. This week we had a rematch. He had the same army while I had dropped the Inquisitorial elements in favour of Cypher and a squad of Fallen.

Terrain and Deployment
The table had a decent amount of varied terrain. I chose the side with good lines of sight to the objective. I had a ruined building on my left, a large swamp, a massive wood on my front right and another building on my extreme right. Steve had two ruined buildings opposite the wood, and vegetation of his own on my left.

I set most of my vehicles up on the right, sheltered from incoming fire by the building and the forest. My counter attack in the shape of Cypher and the Fallen and Captain Kennell's squad hid behind the wood. The rest of my men spread out in the centre and left with decent firing lanes.

Steve put most of his infantry on my right, inside the 36" minimum range of the Basilisk. His Havocs infiltrated to the other side of the forest. He dropped a Dreadnought on each flank - the multi-melta opposite my vehicles.

The Game
Predictably, most of the real action in the game took place in and around that wood. I wanted to use it to advance to the objective while Steve wanted to use it to cover his infantry advance.

Steve fed a Marine squad, his Havocs, his Lord, a Plague bearer unit and his Great Unclean One into the meatgrinder of the forest while I pumped in Cypher, the Fallen, Captain Kennell and his Command section, the Armoured Fist squad, my Lascannons, a Sentinel and the Basilisk.

The Deathguard took heavy casualties on the way in but rallied when the Daemons arrived and Cypher went down. In particular his wounded Lord scored some impressive victory point returns when he destroyed the Chimera and the Basilisk in successive turns.

On the left I won the early exchanges again but got caught out by the second unit of Plague bearers who accounted for triple their points value in Guardsmen.

We had both caused such damage to each others armies that the table was virtually empty when we finished, and neither of us was anywhere near the objective.

Result: Draw - Imperial Guard 1272.5 victory points, Chaos Space Marines - Death Guard 1127.5 victory points

Imperial Control: No change

Kennell's Commendation: The Mortar squad just gets the nod for several unlikely kills and for contributing their own victory points by not being killed.

Learning points

• For every bad dice roll I had in my last game against Steve, I got a good one in this game. After my second turn he was seriously considering surrender but he hung on in there and once he made combat he began to claw his points back. The last dice roll of the game - the Lords plasma pistol shot at the Basilisk - earned Steve the draw. An exciting and enjoyable game!
• I probably used my reserves too early in this game. I had assumed Steve would press forward recklessly (too many games against Gary's Khorne Berzerkers I think), but he hung back to mount a coordinated attack with his Daemons. In an effort to prevent them from summoning from the infiltrating Havocs I advanced into rapid fire range. I did kill the squad but was left open to assault from the Greater Daemon and Chaos Lord. I wonder what would have happened if I had hung back and committed them later? I must learn to be more patient.
• Spacing. Steve caught me out again with several 6" sweeping advances (Kennell got splattered by the Great Unclean One this time). This is due, I reckon, to my tactic of using multiple small units. It's largely unavoidable and is a definite weakness in this type of army.