IMPERIAL GUARD versus Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Michael
Mission: Seek and Destroy
Level: Gamma
Location: Mangalore
Background: The Ultramarine Chapter of Space Marines hears tales of a Cadian army in the Skolarii Sector consorting with Cypher, the Radical Daemonhunter Severus and the mysterious Blood Angels. They send a small detachment to investigate and crush any heretics.
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000

Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Dophan Junior Officer with Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon, 4 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Armoured Fist Squad 812, Flamer, Chimera with Multi-laser and Heavy Bolter
• Sentinel, Autocannon, Extra Armour
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Searchlight
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Smoke Launcher
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter

Space Marines

• Captain with power weapon and articifer armour
• 2 x Venerable Dreads with ass cannons
• 2 x Tactical squads with no heavy or special weapons!
• 5 Devastators with 4 Heavy Bolters
• 5 Devastators with 4 Missile Launchers

Background and Terrain
Michael challenged me to a game straight after my defeat to Gary's Chaos army. As I was busy rearranging my models (why oh why did I pick a Guard army?) I allowed him to set up the table. He took off virtually everything, leaving a couple of small forests and ruined buildings. Normally I would have warned him about my shooting capacity but he had just watched my army in action.

His friend also issued me with a warning; Michael was top of the league and really knew what he was doing.

Deployment
He had his Devs with missile launchers in a ruined building and his Devs with heavy bolters strung out along a hill. In front of them, near the centre he had one Tac squad and a Dread. Opposite my left flank he had his 2nd Tac squad, the 2nd Dread and the Captain.

I had my Bassie on the left with the Russ parked in front, with a Sentinel and Infantry squad for company. In the centre I had an Infantry squad and the Armoured Fist squad, with Captain Kennell's squad behind a ruined building. The rest was on the right.

The Game
I won first turn (yet again) and pounded his lines. I killed all of the missile launcher Devs and two of the heavy bolter squad, as well as stunning a Dread. Michael's return fire blew up the Chimera but caused no further casualties. He moved the central Tac squad into bolter range of an Infantry squad and began a firefight with them that lasted until the final turns of the game (I was in cover).

His assault on my left flank, led by the Captain, was peppered with ordnance, and only the Ultramarine leader made it. In the only close combat of the game, he killed an Infantry squad on the 6th turn.

Back in the centre I immobilised and destroyed the assault cannon on the Dread, and wore down the Tac squad to nothing.

A simple, straightforward win.

Result: Win - Victorious Slaughter

Victory Points: Guard 1514, Ultramarines 486

Imperial Control: -51%

Kennell's Commendation: The Leman Russ Gladiator for taking out a Devastator squad and loads of Tactical Marines.

Learning points

• One look at Michael's army and I knew I had the game won. He compounded this imbalance by removing most of the scenery to create more firing lanes. In the event I did win very easily. I was shocked when I found out he was leading the campaign and had achieved several victorious slaughters with this list.
• Although this version of my Guard list has lots of move and fire elements I ended up standing still and shooting like an old school SIGAFH (Shooty Imperial Guard Army From Hell). Boring to play, boring to play against. Not a particularly fun battle.

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Seek and Destroy
Level: Gamma
Location: Celebes
Background: Again, the forces of Chaos test the outer defences of Celebes Hive Primus with a small scale raid. Captain Kennell sallies out to meet the enemy head on but his mechanized column runs into difficulty. The outer defences are breached and the Cadians retreat to the inner fortifications.
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000

Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Dophan Junior Officer with Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon, 4 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Armoured Fist Squad 812, Flamer, Chimera with Multi-laser and Heavy Bolter
• Sentinel, Autocannon, Extra Armour
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Searchlight
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Smoke Launcher
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Lord with Berzerker Glaive
• 8 Marines (close combat)
• 8 Khorne Berzerkers
• 5 Havocs with 4 missile launchers
• 5 Marines (1 lascannon)
• 3 Obliterators
• Dreadnought with lascannon

Background
This was my third Winter War game and my second against Gary. We had identical lists to our previous game.

Terrain and Deployment
The amount of terrain on this table was utterly ridiculous! It looked like it had been gathered from every other table in the joint and dumped on ours. I'd estimate that around 75% of the playing surface had terrain on it.

There were four large ruined buildings, two in my deployment zone in the centre and left, and two in Gary's zone on either flank. The dominant feature, though, was a massive wood stretching 4' between both of Gary's flank buildings and going from the edge of his deployment zone almost to mine. To cap things off I had a wood to my extreme right and there was a large rocky outcrop on the right. There were virtually no lines of sight anywhere!

Gary set up his Havocs first, in the ruined building opposite my right flank. I guess he must have thought I'd try and use the smaller wood to get some cover saves. I set up everything I had on my left flank - refusing the right. That left the Havocs with no targets and they were effectively out of the game.

The Chaos assault elements were behind the large central wood with only the Dreadnought and the five man lascannon squad on my left. Gary opted to deep strike his Obliterators from reserve.

My plan was to destroy the Chaos left flank in the first two turns then target the Marines emerging from the wood with the entirety of my army. My plasma and melta Command sections would hide away out of sight until the Obliterators appeared.

The Game
This is the worst game of 40k I have played in a long, long time. I won first turn (again!) and killed one model on the left flank with my entire army's shooting. Gary took out the Leman Russ which I was planning to move in my following turn. My lines of sight to the woods in the centre were now completely screwed.

My second turn of shooting was almost as bad as my first, and I only killed four models. Now the Obliterators arrived. Gary took a risk and brought them down on my right flank, near my Armoured Fist squad. If they scattered left they would almost certainly have landed on one of my closely packed squads and been destroyed. Similarly, they were within 6" of the board edge and could easily have scattered off the table. The density of the terrain would have been a major problem if they had gone right or back toward Gary's lines, too, as they wouldn't have been able to bring their guns to bear for several turns (and I would have had time to redeploy my plasma and melta squads). In the end they only scattered 2" (Gary thought they had been destroyed on a double 1, but that was 3rd edition).

The Oblits were so close to the Fist squad they used flamers to kill them all. Now I was being rolled up on my right flank by the Obliterators, and being pushed back on the front by the assault troops.

My plasma command squad destroyed itself to a man in just two turns of shooting due to overheats. At least they took the Chaos lord down with them. I shot three Krak missiles per turn into the Dreadnought over four turns before it was destroyed but by then I had also lost the Chimera and a Sentinel to it.

My last gambit was to zoom the Basilisk 12" away from the Obliterators and try to target the assault troops with its Earthshaker gun. I rolled a 1 for its difficult terrain check.

The Chaos Marines made it into close combat with an Infantry squad and wiped them out. The game ended as the Obliterators had Captain Kennell in their sights.

A thorough pasting.

Result: Loss -solid defeat

Victory Points: Guard 777, Chaos 1223

Imperial Control: -22%

Kennell's Commendation: None.

Learning points

• I had the worst luck in this game that I can remember. Everything I tried failed. Gary didn't even have good luck - he didn't need it!
• I only didn't lose by more points because of the terrain. Gary just couldn't reach me. My refused flank helped in this regard, though I paid for it when the Russ blocked my already narrow lines of sight.
  

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Tyranids

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: ?
Mission: Seek and Destroy
Level: Gamma
Location: Dyram
Background: The Governor of Dyram, Sinkabar Deth, issues a distress call which Captain Kennell of the Cadian 271st answers. Dyram has been invaded by Tyranids!
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000

Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Dophan, Junior Officer with Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon, 4 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Armoured Fist Squad 812, Flamer, Chimera with Multi-laser and Heavy Bolter
• Sentinel, Autocannon, Extra Armour
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Searchlight
• Sentinel, Multilaser, Smoke Launcher
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Tyranids

• Large unit of Gaunts
• Large unit of Termagants
• Two broods of Genestealers
• Lictor
• Carnifex
• 3 Warriors
• 3 Ravenors

Background
After challenging a Blood Angel player and being turned down, I set up a game with a Tyranid player. My opponent (I didn't get his name) agreed to play on the condition it was on a 4'x4' Cityfight table!

Terrain and Deployment
The board was absolutely covered in large ruined buildings which we classified as size 3 area terrain. The nearest thing I had to a clear fire lane was on my left so I deployed my main firebase there. I set up with my Infantry squads and Sentinels up front to receive the charge, with my Command sections behind to counter. The 'Nids were fairly well spread out with the Stealers infiltrating and the Lictor hidden.

The Game
I killed the Ravenors on my left at the cost of an Infantry squad, and destroyed the central Genestealer squad for the loss of my Leman Russ battlecannon. The Lictor was in the same building and went down to a jammy round of shooting from an Infantry squad (it had a 2+ cover save).

On the right I took more losses as the Armoured Fist squad and an Infantry unit fell to the Hormagaunts, but I also inflicted heavy casualties on the Warriors and second Stealer unit.

The closing stages of the game were my command squads finishing off the Carnifex and then assaulting and wiping out the last hormagaunts.

It was clear I had won convincingly.

Result: Win - victorious Slaughter

Victory Points: Guard 1568, Tyranids 432

Imperial Control: No change

Kennell's Commendation
Infantry Squad 609 that drilled the ambushing Lictor. Bull's-eye!

Learning points

• This should have been a really tricky game for me due to the table size and the terrain, but my opponent's lack of experience told in his army list and tactics.
• My favourite move in this game was my Sentinel charging the Termagants; they couldn't hurt my 46 point walker and were tied up for the entire game.
  

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Seek and Destroy
Level: Gamma
Location: Celebes
Background: Having beaten off the initial Chaos assault, Captain Kennell orders patrols around the perimeter of Celebes Hive Primus, where the Cadian 271st have made their base. During one such patrol, Kennell makes a personal appearance to oversee the defences. Somehow the forces of Chaos discover Kennell's presence and decide to pay him a visit.
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000
Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section 36, Lieutenant Dophan Junior Officer with Plasma Pistol and Power Weapon, 4 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Armoured Fist Squad 812, Flamer, Chimera with Multi-laser and Heavy Bolter
• Sentinel Autocannon, Extra Armour
• Sentinel Multilaser, Searchlight
• Sentinel Multilaser, Smoke Launcher
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Lord with Berzerker Glaive
• 8 Marines (close combat)
• 8 Khorne Berzerkers
• 5 Havocs with 4 missile launchers
• 5 Marines (1 lascannon)
• 3 Obliterators
• Dreadnought with lascannon

Background
Every January Games Workshop hosts the Winter War League. The rules for this league were not widely advertised this year, which was a little problematic as 40k has changed editions since the last league. After a lot of confusion I finally worked out the following rules:

Mission: Gamma level Seek and Destroy

Points value: 1000

Duration: Winter War lasts from 1st January - 31st January

Location: All games must be played in store

Results: League position is calculated by averaging the players victory points over four games

What better way to begin the league than by taking on Gary's Chaos Undivided force, with his newly painted Obliterators? Looks like I picked the wrong week to experiment with a vehicle heavy army and no lascannons!

Deployment and Terrain
The table was absolutely covered in small patches of ruins, with a couple of larger ruined buildings too. We classified them as size 2 area terrain and size 3 area terrain respectively. Only my right flank was relatively clear of terrain.

I set most of my vehicles up on the right/centre, with the Sentinels front and forward to try and draw fire. Gary placed his shooty units on my right with his assault units on my left. This left me a little puzzled as I had assumed he would keep his small army compact and central. In fact I was planning on using my Armoured Fist squad as bait in the centre, with the plasma and melta Command squads counter shooting. Ho hum.

The Game
I won first turn, much to Gary's dismay. I mainly concentrated my fire on the Havocs and took them down to two models. My ordnance also killed four men from the lascannon squad. The return fire from Gary was so poor it didn't even kill a single model!

In contrast, my second shooting phase was devastating. I finished off the Havocs and really thinned out both the Berzerkers and close combat Chaos Marines. Gary's army looked very tiny now. He responded by immobilising a Sentinel and blowing up my Leman Russ (the Obliterators had worked their way around it's side armour). The resulting explosion killed six Guardsmen from three different squads, and gave Gary some little hope.

I continued to pound the Chaos line, though, killing the Lord and wiping out the Berzerkers. The left flank was now secure, but I was struggling on the right. The Obliterators destroyed the Chimera, Basilisk and Infantry squad in quick succession. With their 2+ armour save I only had the plasma guns left that could hurt them (all of my melta gunners had perished in the Russ' explosion). Gary cannily kept his distance with them and I only managed to take one wound from them - with a Multilaser.

The last bit of drama was in the centre. The Chaos Marines in the close combat squad got too close to my Armoured Fist squad who closed in on them and reduced the Marines to a single model with rapid firing lasguns and their flamer. Unfortunately for me, the lone survivor then managed to kill all of the Guardsmen in assault over the next three turns and then charge a second Infantry squad. The game ended, but that one model denied me some meaty victory points and the win.

Result: Draw

Victory Points: Guard 1060, Chaos 940

Imperial Control: No change

Kennell's Commendation
The Basilisk for some deadly accurate shots.

Learning points

• I knew I couldn't destroy the Obliterators unless Gary put them in range of my meltas and plasmas, so I ignored them and took apart the rest of his army.
• On paper Gary should have won easily due to his heavy weapons and my proliferation of light vehicles. But some bad deployment by him and good target selection by me made for a tight game.

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Secure and Control
Level: Gamma
Location: Celebes
Background: Captain Kennell pulls the Cadian 271st back to the relatively safe haven of Celebes. It is clear that a system-wide Chaos invasion is underway, and all the Guardsmen can do is dig in and wait. Just before the assault begins an Aquila Lander brings reinforcements. Inquisitor Kurven is greeted with cheers but the news he carries soon kills the jubilation. Daemons are coming...
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1500
Imperial Guard

• Command Squad 77, Captain Kennell Junior officer, Standard, 3 meltaguns
• Anti tank squad, 3 lascannons
• Inquisitor Kurven, Psycannon, Purity seals, Sanctuary, 1 Acolyte, 1 Familiar, 3 Mystics, 2 Hierophants, 2 Sages, 2 Warriors with plasma guns, 1 Gun-servitor with plasma cannon
• 8 Stormtroopers, Deep strike, 1 meltagun, 1 plasma gun
• Callidus Assassin
• Infantry Platoon
• Command Section with Missile launcher
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 812, Missile Launcher and Flamer
• 20 Conscripts
• Sentinel Autocannon, Improved Comms, Extra Armour
• Basilisk, Indirect Fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Bloodthirster
• 8 Bloodletters
• 8 Fleshounds
• 8 Marines (close combat)
• 8 Marines (close combat)
• 5 Havocs with 4 missile launchers
• 5 Marines (1 lascannon)
• Defiler
• Predator

Objectives
We rolled up four objectives which would amount to a meaty 375 victory points each. I tried to place mine in the open, so I could bring guns to bear on Chaos units trying to claim them. Gary put both of his in cover. I won the choice of deployment zone and chose the one with best visibility of the objectives.

Deployment
I had three large buildings in my deployment zone so I set up the Inquisitor in the one on my left, the Conscripts and several units in the middle one and a command section and a couple of units in the right one. Gary set up his infantry behind the woods opposite my centre and left, and had his Defiler and Havocs on my right flank.

I used the Callidus' word in your ear special rule on the Predator to bring it out from behind the woods into clear view of my lascannons. Then Gary revealed it had a mutated hull. Ooops!

The Game
With the help of the Emperors Tarot I won first turn.

I pushed the infantry squad and Inquisitor squad up in the building on the left so they would be able to shoot next turn. I also wanted the Infantry squad to be a very juicy target for a Chaos assault so that the Inquisitor and retinue could rapid fire afterwards. The Conscripts also moved up into the ruins in the centre, over an objective. The Leman Russ edged right to face off the Havocs.

My first shot was my lascannons at the Predator. I destroyed it on a glancing 6. Yes! Two Havocs also perished, and my turn ended.

The Havocs retaliated by blasting the battlecannon off the Russ. Gary pushed a squad through the forest in the centre but uncharacteristically hung back on my left.

I failed both reserve rolls but used my Sentinel Improved Comms to bring the Stormtroopers on anyway. I tried to deep strike them near the Defiler but they scattered back toward my lines, in front of the building the Defiler was hiding behind. That did leave them in rapid fire range of the Havocs, though, and they disappeared in a hail of fire.

The other main target was the Marine squad pushing through the forest in the centre. They were reduced to two models, failed their morale checks and routed off the board. I now controlled the two counters on the right and centre and Gary was on the back foot.

The Bloodletters summoned behind the woods on my left but Gary had a bigger surprise to come. A Bloodthirster emerged from the squad behind the forest! It leapt over the trees and assaulted the Infantry squad nearest the Inquisitor. Unsurprisingly they were butchered and run down. The Daemon only consolidated 3" though, and failed to contact the Inquisitor. That left it out in the open for my next shooting phase.

On my right the Defiler moved up onto the building to flame the Stormtroopers, who died to a man.

It was all about taking that Bloodthirster out this turn for me, so I threw everything at it. After 3 meltaguns, 2 Missile launchers, 1 Grenade launcher, 2 Plasma guns, a heavy bolter, 2 lascannons and 50 lasgun shots it had only lost two wounds and I just had Kurven's Psycannon left. He wounded it twice and Gary rolled snake eyes for its saves. Result!

The other excitement of the turn was the arrival of the Callidus assassin. After some deliberation I placed her near the squads behind the woods on my left. Her Neuro-Disruptor hit virtually everyone in both squads and after a flurry of fives and sixes seven Marines were dead. Most importantly, they were both reduced below half strength and couldn't capture objectives.

Gary was despondent but resolved to give me a bloody nose. The Flesh hounds arrived and assaulted an Infantry squad in the centre. They won and consolidated into the Conscripts. The Bloodletters moved through the woods but were just short of assault range.

My focus was now on those Daemons and I took them down to one model. On the right I blew up the Defiler and the game was over as a contest.

The four hounds gradually wiped out the Conscripts and eventually tore into another Infantry squad and the platoon Command section, but it was too little too late. I had already claimed two objectives while the Flesh hounds won one, and I was clearly ahead on victory points.

Result: Win - Solid Victory

Imperial Control: Increased 20%

Kennell's Commendation
Inquisitor Kurven for that Psycannon shot to take down the Bloodthirster. Very fluffy and very dramatic.

Learning points

• Gary had a surprise in his Bloodthirster but I had my own in the Inquisitor and Callidus. Both performed admirably and although they were expensive, they were worth it in this game.
• The mission and terrain were against me in this game but I made the right choices in deployment and it helped me win the battle.
• Another successful attempt to utilise concentrated fire, taking a unit down per turn.
  

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Cleanse
Level: Alpha
Location: Porzing
Background: The forces of Chaos wax strong as Luzon and Jakarth fall to their invasion fleet. The next world to feel the sting of Khârn is Porzing. Although the system is uninhabited, Captain Kennell vows that the Great Enemy will not capture another planet in the sub-sector.
1st turn: Imperial Guard
Points: 1000

Imperial Guard

• Command Platoon 77, Captain Kennell Junior Officer, Company Standard, 3 Meltaguns, Sanctioned Psyker
• Anti tank squad, 3 Lascannons
• 8 Stormtroopers, 1 meltagun, 1 plasma gun, deep strike
• Infantry Platoon 1
• Command Squad, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 812, Missile Launcher and Flamer
• 20 Conscripts
• Basilisk, Indirect fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Lord
• 8 Marines with Bolt pistols and Close Combat Weapons and Aspiring Champion with Daemonic Talons
• 5 Marines with 1 lascannon
• 8 Fleshounds
• 8 Khorne Berzerkers with Aspiring Champion with Powerfist
• Defiler
• Dreadnought with lascannon

Background
After last week's thrashing by Gary I had a look back through my previous games against his Chaos army and found I had only beaten them once in seven games with my Imperial Guard. Shocking!

While I think part of the problem is out of my hands (I think Guard will always struggle against Daemons) I can change some things. In lieu of buying and painting more models - a Demolisher would be nice - I can shuffle things around a bit and add some Daemonhunter allies. Although they aren't so good at taking on other armies, they can be nasty against Chaos. And I have been playing Gary a lot lately.

So I squeezed an Inquisitor Lord and a Callidus assassin into my 1500 point list, hoping to surprise Gary. I also felt that this would fit with the background of our games, as Khârn invades the Skolarii Sector once more. As Kennell has been beaten back time and again, he calls for help from the Ordo Malleus.

So I turned up for our game with a well thought out army list and some nasty tactics, only for Gary to declare that he was sick of large games and wanted to play with 1000 points!

So, in two minutes, I reconfigured my list, taking out the Inquisitorial allies and some Guardsmen, and was ready to play a very different game. Ho hum.

Terrain and Deployment
The table was 6x4 with relatively sparse terrain. Virtually all of it, however, was on my left flank, in the shape of three woods and two buildings. Pretty much the entire right flank was empty apart from a small circle of standing stones. I won the deployment roll, and chose the empty flank, so that I could use a split deployment.

We rolled up the mission and got an alpha level cleanse, something new to both of us. No deep striking, infiltrate or any other shenanigans. Apart from summoning for the daemons. Grrrr.

I set the army up in two distinct groups. In my right corner I had two infantry squads, the platoon Command section, the Stormtroopers, the Leman Russ and the Basilisk. On the left I had everything else, screened from most of the Chaos army by those woods and buildings.

The Chaos units were bunched up as near to me as possible, in the shadow of the most central building, out of sight of my right flank. I knew, though, that they would have to come out into the open to launch an assault, and that they would be in a deadly crossfire. Gary set the Defiler up far behind the trees, which led me to believe that it had indirect fire.

Turn 1
I won first turn, much to Gary's disgust. My lascannons stunned his Dreadnought and my Russ killed two of his 5 man squad standing at the forest's edge. I surprised Gary by moving the Basilisk around from behind the safety of the standing stones (we had classed it as area 3 terrain) and taking a shot at the 8 Marines. It missed. The Conscripts advanced, trying to make themselves a tempting target. Most of my infantry squads moved left and right, into other table quarters.

When Gary moved the Defiler, I discovered it could only shoot directly, so I was mystified as to why he had placed it so far back in the woods. In any case it could only hit the front armour of the Leman Russ this turn and unsurprisingly it failed to hurt the tank. The Berzerkers and the Lord moved into the building, toward my right flank, but rolled low for their terrain tests. The rest of his Marines ran toward my left flank.

Turn 2
Virtually everything I had shot at the 8 Marines running toward my Conscripts, and I wiped them out. I also blew the lascannon off the Dread. Meanwhile, Gary's Daemons didn't appear and he looked increasingly worried. The Berzerkers and the Lord continued to pick their way through the building, but were some way off assault range. The Defiler had moved to target an infantry squad, but it missed. The depleted Marines in the wood shot their lascannon at the Russ, but also missed.

Turn 3
Now I shot everything at the Berzerkers and the attached Lord. Thanks to the 4+ invulnerable in the building the Lord, an icon bearer and the aspiring champion survived. I paid the price when the Fleshounds were summoned from the icon and they killed an infantry squad in close combat. Marines and Lord assaulted the Stormtroopers, who held, despite losing half their number.

Turn 4
This turn, all my Guardsmen targeted the 'Hounds. Thanks to a ten on an instability test, they were destroyed. My Stormtroopers were wiped out in close combat, leaving the Lord and surviving Marines free in my turn. They charged into an infantry squad and slaughtered them to a man. Oh well, at least I could shoot them next turn.

Turn 5
The first thing I did was shoot the Leman Russ battle cannon at the Lord and Marines. I killed them all. Gary conceded the game as it was clear that I had won heavily.

Result: Win - Victorious Slaughter

Imperial Control: Increased 50%

Learning points

• Split deployment worked superbly in this game, helped by my choice of board quarter. I chose the area with least terrain to maximise my lines of sight, and also to make the wooded quarter irrelevant. It worked.
• The army was much 'harder' here at 1000 points, than at 2000, but I missed the Chimera and Sentinels which have weapons with a high rate of fire. I could really do with heavy bolters and/or autocannons in my infantry squads.
• Despite the convincing victory my ordnance was very erratic and killed only half a dozen Marines in the entire game. I am seriously considering a Demolisher.
• I concentrated my fire very well for a change, and killed a whole squad every turn. I will definitely try to use this tactic more often in future.
  

IMPERIAL GUARD versus Chaos Space Marines

Game: Warhammer 40,000 4th edition
Opponent: Gary
Mission: Recon
Level: Gamma
Location: Jakarth
Background: The Cadian 271st make a desperate last stand on Jakarth to buy time for other military forces in the sub-sector to rally.
1st turn: Chaos Space Marines
Points: 1500

Imperial Guard

• Command Platoon 77, Captain Kennell Junior Officer, Company Standard, Medic, 3 Meltaguns, Sanctioned Psyker
• Anti tank squad 3, Lascannons
• 8 Stormtroopers, 1 meltagun, 1 plasma gun, Chimera
• 8 Stormtroopers, 2 meltaguns, deep strike
• Infantry Platoon 1
• Command Squad 36, Junior Officer with power weapon and plasma pistol, 4 plasma guns
• Infantry Squad 501, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 541, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Platoon 2
• Command Squad, Missile Launcher
• Infantry Squad 609, Missile Launcher, Grenade Launcher
• Infantry Squad 812, Missile Launcher and Flamer
• 20 Conscripts
• Sentinel, Multilaser, smoke
• Sentinel, Multilaser, searchlight
• Sentinel, Autocannon, Extra Armour
• Heavy Support
• Basilisk, Indirect fire
• Leman Russ, Heavy Bolter
  

Chaos Space Marines

• Lord on Juggernaught
• 8 Marines with Bolt pistols and Close Combat Weapons, aspiring champion with Daemonic Talons
• Predator with heavy bolters and twin-linked lascannon
• 5 Marines with 1 lascannon
• 5 Havocs with 4 missile launchers and tank hunters
• 8 Bloodletters
• 8 Fleshounds
• 8 Khorne Berzerkers with Aspiring champion with powerfist

Background
What would Gary bring to today's game? In previous weeks he had brought Warp Spiders, a Vyper and Dark Reapers to add to his Biel-Tan Eldar army. Maybe another Wave Serpent. Or perhaps Jetbikes. What about an Avatar?

Well, he really took me by surprise by bringing Bloodletters! Gary was so appalled by the batterings his Eldar had gotten, he reverted back to Chaos, an army he had performed well with against my Guardsmen. I knew it would be a tough game for me.

When we rolled for the mission we got a six and had to make strategy rolls. Unsurprisingly the Chaos Space Marines won, meaning they could choose the mission. Gary went on to select Recon, as he knew it would seriously hamper my relatively static Guardsmen. It was going to be a very tough game for me indeed.

Deployment and Terrain
We had the choice of all the tables in the battle bunker and took the one with the most terrain. I felt that this was only fair to my opponent as we have played some other recent games on sparse tables, and the new 40k calls for more scenery.

This was to have rather serious ramifications for me when I looked more closely at the set-up. Both deployment zones had gigantic pieces of area terrain dead in the centre; one a three storey ruined building, the other a wooded hill. If you have followed my last few battle reports you will have gathered that I am experimenting with split deployment. The most crucial element to these tactics is to have clear lines of sight between your two groups of units. On this battlefield, no matter which deployment zone I got, that would be impossible. It was going to be a very, very tough game for me.

I got the zone with the building and set an infantry squad up in there, screening my las-cannons, with a Command section behind to stiffen morale. On the right I had the Basilisk behind a wood, another infantry squad and the Stormtroopers in the Chimera.

Everything else was on my left, in a set of ruins, with a good 18" of clear terrain in front of them. My plan was to lure the Chaos army into this area and rapid fire them to death.

The Chaos army set up centrally, opposite the tall ruin, and could go left or right. Interestingly, Gary had given his five man squad with the lascannon the infiltrate skill, and he deployed them on the other side of the wood from my Basilisk, 12" away. I wasn't so much bothered about the las-cannon as he would have to move first to get a line of sight (allowing me a chance to shoot the squad) but they had an icon, which would allow them to summon daemons onto my weakest flank. A cunning stunt.

Turn 1
The Chaos army won first turn and that lascannon squad moved to the edge of the wood, but not into it, meaning I couldn't see them. Clearly Gary was going to bring the Daemons on here if he had a chance. All of his units in the centre surged forward. The Havocs shot first and ripped the battlecannon off the Leman Russ. This left the Predator to target the anti-tank squad, who failed four out of four 4+ saves.

The Guard responded by destroying the Predator with a side shot, and killing 3 Marines in the middle from the foremost squad. I took the battle cannon off the defiler with a rocket launcher shot, so there was no ordnance at all on the left flank. On the right I risked difficult terrain with the Basilisk as I rolled into the wood and took a direct shot at the 5 infiltrators. I killed four, including the icon bearer, and only the lascannon remained.

Turn 2
The Fleshounds were summoned this turn and slammed into the conscripts on the left, routing them off the table. Oh well, at least the Daemons were standing out in the open in front of of over half my army. The lone lascannon Marine failed his last man standing test and fled the table. Hurrah!

The remnants of my anti-tank squad were wiped out by sporadic fire. Boo! The rest of the Chaos army ran forward and would probably be in combat next turn.

My two main goals for this turn were to kill the Fleshounds and wipe out the first Marine squad (which now had the Lord attached to it). The first half of my plan worked a treat, with the Fleshounds dispatched comfortably. The Marines were harder to shift. My main hopes rested on the now enfilading Basilisk but it scattered 5" on a direct shot and hit no-one. My Stormtroopers leapt out of their Chimera and rapid fired them, but, combined with an infantry squads shooting, only 3 died. Well, at least I had shoved a Sentinel out toward them to intercept the charge.

Turn 3
The Bloodletters showed up now but scattered backwards onto the wreck of the Predator. The Lord, the survivors of the Marine squad and the Berzerkers all assaulted the Sentinel and blew it to pieces. Everyone leapt forward toward the ruined building. The Havocs wrecked the now exposed Chimera, while the Defiler brought down my autocannon Sentinel.

It was now that the terrain in the deployment zone became a major hindrance. I couldn't see any of the Chaos units as they were out of line of sight, so my whole left flank had no real targets. In a big gamble I rushed the whole flank forward, hoping that at least some of them would reach the Chaos deployment zone and pick up some bonus victory points. The Russ moved forward with Kennell's Command section behind. The rest of my units used a ruin near the Chaos havocs to advance behind.

The rest of my forces on the right flank did their best to take down the Marines and managed to kill the rest of the depleted squad, but that still left the Bloodletters, the Berzerkers and the Lord. My Basilisk direct shot scattered 4" off the Berzerkers and killed nothing again. Aaaaaarrrrggghhhh!

Turn 4
The Chaos Lord charged the infantry squad in the building and got stuck in a long combat. The Berzerkers assaulted the Stormtroopers and killed four, but the survivors stayed. The Defiler killed the last Sentinel on the left, while the Havocs failed to hurt the Russ. The Bloodletters moved over toward the left, to intercept the advancing(!) Guardsmen.

My whole left flank advanced again, and I even managed to kill two Bloodletters as I did so. In the central building, the Lord killed off the infantry squad (taking wound in the process) and nearby, my Stormtroopers were wiped out. The Basilisk targeted the Bloodletters with a direct shot and again failed to kill any. Bloody hell!

My Stormtroopers with meltaguns arrived by deep strike and scattered 9" straight onto the Defiler, meaning they were automatically destroyed. I was in deep trouble now.

Turn 5
The Berzerkers barreled into the Basilisk and destroyed it in close combat, while the Lord caught up with my Command section and killed them all in one round. My whole right flank had collapsed, with only a single infantry squad remaining.

Again my left flank advanced, and they killed four Bloodletters this time. The Defiler shook off several hits and remained standing.

Turn 6
The Lord hit the last squad on my right and they routed off the board. Chaos now controlled this whole flank, although they had no scoring units here. The Defiler moved up on the left and shot at an infantry squad, taking them below half strength and preventing them from gaining the bonus victory points. The last two Bloodletters assaulted another infantry squad and took them under 50% although they held thanks to the proximity of Captain Kennell. The Havocs finally hurt the Leman Russ and immobilised it. At the last gasp the Chaos army had stopped me from picking up any extra points, as well as increasing their victory point total.

All I could do in return was try and gather some points of my own. Kennell's Command section ran over to the Defiler and shot it with 3 meltaguns. And didn't hurt it. Damn.

The combat with the Bloodletters continued but no further casualties were caused. Thus the game petered out...

We totalled up the points, thinking it would be close, but despite the fact that only 8 models remained in the Chaos army, they were comfortable winners by 1200 victory points to 850.

Result: Loss - solid victory for Chaos Space Marines

Imperial Control: Reduced 5%

Kennell's Commendation
The Basilisk just wins out amongst thin competition for that first shot against the infiltrating Marines. Pity it didn't hit a thing afterwards.

Learning points

• I think that certain armies always struggle against particular foes. If Eldar struggle to beat Guardsmen then the Imperial Guard struggle to beat Chaos. The Daemons always manage to make it into combat across large distances (those bloody hounds can assault up to 24" in one turn), and the Chaos army can outshoot the Guard. I need to rethink things to try and outfox Gary, but what to do?
• One thing I can try is adding more Inquisitorial allies, maybe an Inquisitor with a psycannon and an attached mystic. If I take him as an HQ choice I can then pick an Assassin. But which one? Decisions, decisions...