Opponent: Kyle
Campaign: Vogen campaign game 6
Mission: Cleanse
1st turn: Daemonhunters
Points: 1000
Daemonhunters
- Inquisitor Lord Severus, Daemonhammer, Bolt pistol, Psychic Hood, Icon of the Just, 2x Acolytes, Power Armour, Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1x Acolyte with Close Combat weapon and las pistol, 3xCombat Servitor, 3x Mystics, Rhino with Smoke Launchers, Hunter Killer missile, Searchlight
- Inquisitor Kurven, Psycannon, Power Armour, Emperor's Tarot, Purity Seals, 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, Hierophant, Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
- Daemonhost
- Eversor Assassin
- Squad Matoso, 7 Stormtroopers, 2 meltaguns, Rhino, Smoke launchers, Extra Armour, Hunter Killer Missile
- Squad Godirtho, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 plasma guns
- Squad Seralvo, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 Grenade Launchers
- Squad Vargas, 5 Stormtroopers, 2 Flamers
- Squad Devaux, 5 Stormtroopers
Black Templars Space Marines
- Emperor's Champion
- Chaplain with retinue including Techmarine with servo-arm
- Large tactical squad
- Small Tactical squad with Heavy bolter
- Small Tactical squad with lascannon
- Assault squad
- 5 Terminators
Vogen Campaign
Well, I thought that this was the last week of the campaign but arrived at the shop to find there was still another week to go. I was struggling to keep my enthusiasm up as I was too far behind the leaders to challenge them, and I am building up my Imperial Guard army so I was hoping to get them into action soon. Never mind, I made my target to remain unbeaten throughout the campaign.
Kyle challenged me to another game against his Black Templars (you can read the previous report here) so I agreed as long as we didn't play on the Lord of the Rings table again. We got the Cityfight table instead. Aaarrrrgghhhh!
The more observant among you will notice a small tweak to my army list. Since I have padded out Severus' retinue with combat servitors I have tended to kill everything before he got a chance to use his Holocaust power. So for the end of the campaign I have dropped the power in favour of a psychic hood. I hope I won't regret it.
Terrain and Deployment
I won the roll off and picked the one relatively clear table quarter, which has a small trench system in it. I knew the Templars would be advancing and I wanted clear lines of sight for my shooting phases.
Inquisitor Kurven deployed in the trench system with Squad Seralvo and Squad Godirtho screening them. Squad Devaux were my push back unit in the centre, behind cover with Squad Vargas behind them ready to counter flame any attackers. My two rhinos stayed central and to my rear, to keep Kyle guessing.
The Templars bunched most of their army up in the relatively clear ground between two buildings, with only the lascannon squad set up high in cover. They chose the vow which would give them a 6+ invulnerable save throughout the game.
The Game
I won first turn and took it, hoping to get some licks in before the Templars were all over me. Unfortunately most of my units were either out of range or rolled poorly, so I only killed a couple of models. I swung my rhinos out to my left to stretch the Templars lines a bit and keep them on their toes. In fact, my plan was to bring them back to my right the next turn and reinforce that flank. But it was not to be.
I had failed to silence the lascannon and it popped Severus' rhino, then a single Heavy Bolter glanced Matoso's rhino twice and immobilised it. The Templars Assault Squad charged Squad Seralvo and wiped them out. They swept toward Squad Godirtho but fell short.
I ran Squad Matoso and Inquisitor Severus out of their wrecked rhinos and hung them behind Squad Devaux and Vargas, ready to counter charge as necessary. Everybody else shot at the assault marines and despite Squad Godirtho losing both plasma guns to overheats, I killed the squad. More ones were to follow as the Daemonhost got lost in the warp. A double one on a deep strike. Unbelievable!
The Templars continued to advance and killed Squad Devaux in the shooting phase, leaving them with no-one to assault. Nevertheless they were now very close to my lines.
I sent my Stormtroopers over the top and Squads Vargas and Matoso rushed straight at the Templars in the centre, while the survivors of Squad Godirtho ran up the right flank to contest the table quarter.
The meltaguns of Matoso, along with the plasma of Kurven completely wiped out the Terminators, while Vargas' flamers toasted several of the large tactical squad. My Eversor assassin, who had been lurking around the centre, charged out at the now exposed Emperor's Champion and the two killed each other over a couple of rounds of combat.
The tactical squad in the centre assaulted Squad Vargas and got stuck in combat just long enough for me to get Severus' squad stuck in. I won the fight handily and stood back to weigh up the battle before I decided to sweep or consolidate.
Kyle had two units in his starting quarter, the small lascannon and heavy bolter squads, and he controlled the adjoining quarter to my right with his Chaplain and retinue. I was running Squad Godirtho toward the Chaplain's quarter but the were a distance away and just one more casualty would take them below half strength. Kurven held my starting quarter and no-one had troops in the quarter to my left.
I swept Severus toward Kyle's starting quarter and successfully contested it. Squad Matoso consolidated left to take the empty quarter and Squad Godirtho raced forward. Now I just had to endure the Templars last shooting phase.
Fortunately the Templars were unable to reduce Severus' squad to below half and they didn't even kill a single Stormtrooper elsewhere.
Totting up the quarters we found that Kyle held one (with his Chaplain) and contested another (against Inquisitor Severus) while I held one with Kurven, one with Squad Matoso and contested one.
Result: A narrow win for the Daemonhunters.
Campaign effect: None
Campaign results: Played 6, Won 6, Lost 0
Learning points
- A second game against Kyle and a second Daemonhost lost in the warp. What are the odds of that happening? And then my next dice were for the plasma guns for which I rolled two ones and failed both their armour saves!
- My screening tactic with the Stormtroopers worked yet again. A seventy point unit gets slaughtered in combat in order to wipe out a one hundred and fifty point unit. I like that equation.
- Kyle plays this game like no-one else I've ever seen. In our two games he has hidden very powerful and expensive units just to ensure he gets the table quarters. This should be suicidal but he has actually won some games doing it (and we have had close games too). I guess it's a lesson to remember the mission objectives at all costs.
