IMPERIAL GUARD versus Necrons

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary Warriner
Mission: Secure and Control
Level: Gamma
1st turn: Necrons
Points: 1500
Location: Nu Caledo, Kandaeon Worlds, Skolarii sector
Background: 951.M41 Captain Kennell is called to Nu Caledo by an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator Team investigating alien structures on the planetary surface. When the Cadians arrive, the Explorator team is nowhere to be seen. Following a distress beacon, Captain Kennell orders his men to the an archaeological dig site but they are ambushed by Necrons before they can reach the Adeptus Mechanicus. Kennell falls back, leaving the servants of the Machine God to their fate.


Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 Grenade Launchers
• Anti-tank Squad, 3 lascannons
• Mortar Squad, 3 Mortars
• Sanctioned Psyker
• 8 Stormtroopers Plasma gun, Melta gun, Veteran Sergeant with Power Weapon, Chimera
• 4 Ogryn Bonehead
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Braun Junior Officer, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Plasma Gun
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 55, Lieutenant Dophan Junior Officer, Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon, Medic, 3 Melta guns
• Infantry Squad, Missile launcher, flamer
• Infantry Squad, Missile launcher
• 20 Conscripts
• Sentinel, Multilaser, smoke
• Sentinel, Multilaser, searchlight
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Necrons

• Necron Lord with Resurrection Orb
• 3 large Warrior squads
• 3 Destroyers
• Heavy Destroyer
• Tomb Spyder
• 8 Scarab bases
• Immortals

Terrain and Deployment
The table was moderately covered in area 2 forests, with three large area 3 buildings. I had one of those buildings to my centre-right and a large hill on my left.

I placed Kennell and Dophan's Command squads behind the building, with the Ogryns as counter charge. On my extreme right I had the Basilisk, a Sentinel and a couple of Infantry squads. In the middle I had the Conscripts, Stormtroopers, more Infantry and the Lascannons. On my left I had the Russ, the Mortars, a Sentinel and Braun's Command Section with the final Infantry squads.

Most of the Necrons were bunched up in the centre near the Lord. Against my right flank were the Destroyers, Scarabs and Tomb Spyder, while my left force was facing a Warrior squad and the Heavy Destroyer.

The Game
Gary won first turn and breathed a huge sigh of relief, as he had a chance to silence my Ordnance before it could fire. He succeeded in shaking the Russ with the Heavy Destroyer, then blowing it up in turn 2. One of my Sentinels took out the Destroyer in revenge, but the damage was done.

On the right my main concern was the Scarabs. They turbo-boosted 24" and would be in combat unless I could stop them. Fortunately I had quite a bit of weaponry of strength 6 or higher on this side of the table which would auto kill the bases.

Unfortunately none of it could hit.

The Scarabs charged next turn and killed an Infantry squad, my Lascannons and Lieutenant Dophan's Command. Captain Kennell put up some brave resistance until the Ogryns arrived, but the heart had been ripped out of my army.

I caused some casualties in the centre but they were largely negated by the Resurrection Orb. The Warriors surged forward and simply rapid fired my Guardsmen into oblivion. I lost all 20 Conscripts in a single shooting phase. That was a new one.

If I could engage the units in combat I thought I could claw back some pride, but my Stormtroopers were flayed alive by the Gauss weapons of the Necrons. My Ogryns couldn't reach the fight either, as they got a total of 3" on their difficult terrain rolls in the movement and assault phases. They were shot to ribbons as a consequence.

By turn 4 it was clear my shattered army couldn't continue the fight so I signalled the retreat.

Result: Loss - We didn't victory points as it was clear I had been massacred!

Imperial Control: -36%

Kennell's Commendation: None.

Learning points

• That was brutal. I have to say I am very inexperienced when it comes to Necrons, having only played them twice before. I won both of those games but it is clear to me now that that I was helped greatly by the missions, as they didn't allow the Necrons to set up as they wished. In this game Gary used the Orb to reduce casualties in the centre, and harried my flanks with faster units. The Scarabs in particular were devastating, easily destroying more than double their own points values before they were wiped out. Next time I'm taking the batteries out of the little blighters before the game starts!
• If I played this game again I would have played far more aggressively, trying to get all of my power weapons into play. Although Guard aren't great in an assault, it would have at least stopped my units being flayed alive by rapid firing Gauss guns. Ho hum, you live and learn.