DAEMONHUNTERS versus Orks

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Campaign: Destroy the Gargant campaign game 6
Mission: Bunker assault
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1500
Location: Celebes, Salazar systems, Skolarii Sector
Background: Having failed to destroy the Orks' generator building, the Daemonhunters are discovered as they attempt to stealthily enter the Gargant construction fields under cover of darkness. Powerful lights blaze and the Orks manning the bunkers open fire. The Daemonhunters must fight their way past the bunker complex in order to reach the Gargant.

Daemonhunters

• Inquisitor Lord Severus, Daemonhammer, Bolt pistol, Holocaust, Icon of the Just, 2x Acolytes, Power Armour, Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, Combat Servitor, Rhino with Smoke Launchers
• 3 Death cult assassins
• 2 Daemonhosts
• Inquisitor Kurven, Psycannon, power armour, Gun-servitor with plasma cannon, 2 veterans with plasma guns, 2 sages
• Squad Matoso, 9 x Inquisitorial Stormtroopers Veteran, Bolt Pistol, Power Weapon, Targeter, 2x Flamer, Rhino, Extra Armour, Hunter-killer Missile, Smoke
• Armoured Fist Squad (inducted Imperial Guard), Sergeant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol, Flamer, Chimera, Multilaser, Heavy Bolter, Smoke Launchers
• Squad Seralvo, 6 Storm troopers, 2x grenade launchers
• Squad Godirtho, 6 Storm troopers, 2x melta guns
• Squad Vargas, 7 Stormtroopers, 2x Plasma Guns, Veteran Sergeant with Plasma pistol, Auspex and Krak Grenades
• Orbital barrage, Lance strike
  

Orks

• Brazhak Snitchtongue, Warboss, Mega Armour, MegaBooster, CyborkBody, 5 BrazhakBully Boys, Nobs, Sluggers, Choppas,'eavy armour, 1 wartrukk big shoota
  
• 21 Skarboyz, Nob with powerfist
• 16 Greengobs Slugga Boyz, 3 Rokkits, Nob, Iron Gob
• 16 Tusk Sharpeye Shooter Boyz, Nob, 3 big shooter
• 5 Bang Boyz Tank Busterz, 3 rokkits
• 10 Grots with slaver
• 10 Shoota boyz, 3 big shootas
• 5 Tank Busterz, 3 rokkits
• 6 Warbikes
• 3 Killer Kanz
  

Terrain and deployment

The Orks chose one bunker and placed it fairly centrally. My Daemonhunters basically deployed in a refused flank with my storm troopers on foot to my right and all of my transports on my left. My shootiest squad, Inquisitor Kurven and retinue, were dead centre facing the bunker.

In the foreground the tankbustas can be seen waiting in the woods with the grots just beyond them. A shoota boyz squad occupy the bunker, with another shoota boyz unit on the hill.

The attack begins on my left as the rhinos race forward. The storm troopers also move forward near the river. In the shooting phase I blazed away at the Tankbustas in the woods and killed them all, ensuring my rhino rush would continue unharmed.

On the other flank squad Vargas take on the shoota boyz.

The Imperial Guard chimera hangs back acting as a mobile bunker. The storm troopers push on in the centre while on my left squad Matoso flames the grots. The Lance strike hits the bunker directly and blows it to smithereens! A handful of shoota boyz emerge from the ruin.

The Orks Killer Kanz emerge from behind the hill to bring their big shootas into range. The Warboss' wartrukk races forward in a desperate attempt to gain the initiative. Up on the grassy knoll a Daemonhost appears and assaults the shoota boyz. The other Daemonhost lurks nearby.

The wartrukk is taken out while the rest of the Daemonhunter army pounds the Kanz, killing only one. Squad Matoso remounts its rhino and moves toward the Ork Warboss.

Warboss BrazhakSnitchtongue sets his sights upon Inquisitor Kurven.

The Killer Kanz get stuck into the storm troopers while the Warboss gets bogged down in the river. The Daemonhost grinds it out with the Orks on the hill.

In a barrage of fire the Warboss loses his entire retinue but he passes his morale check and vows to have his revenge. The Kanz win their combat and sweep on toward Kurven. Severus and squad Matoso move into position in their rhinos.

The Kanz munch through another storm trooper squad and force Kurven and co to rout. Snitchtongue goes down to deadly plasma gun fire.

As Kurven looks on Severus and his retinue take on the Killer Kanz.

Eventually the bike boyz and Skarboyz arrive but surely it is too late? A Daemonhost can just be made out fighting a shoota boyz squad.

The bikes zoom across the board...

...and slaughter Severus' retinue but Severus himself stands firm.

Result: Win

Aftermath
Well, the Daemonhunters are back in the campaign. This really was a comfortable win for the Daemonhunters and it was due to a number of factors.

First was the mission, bunker assault. In my experience no bunkers ever survive the game and they tend to be easy victory points for the attacker. This was the case in our game as my Lance strike took the bunker out on turn 2. This meant I was 150 victory points up straight off the bat and I could afford to hang back and shoot the Ork horde rather than having to rush forward into the assault.

Being able to use the entire river as a terrain feature for the orbital barrage to lock onto gave me some help too; we had decided to place the river in the centre of the table for this game (usually we put it on an end). In fact this brings me to my second point - shooting. In previous games I had suffered greatly at the hands (bullets?) of Ork shooting but in this game I was prepared. I had the Lance strike, the newly painted Inquisitor Kurven and retinue, and I didn't move the chimera so that I could utilise its heavy weapons. Add to this the set up which put most of my storm troopers within 24" from turn one and I dominated proceedings.

I didn't feel too bad about this though as I'd suffered through some very tough missions earlier on in the game. So the Daemonhunters push on and the next game is high ground (from the Cityfight codex).