Weekend at Burnie's 2 - Round 3 - Chaos Space Marines vs Ultramarines

Round 3 of the Battle for Nayala, and its time to go to blue alert!

I’m thrown into the deep end for this mission. Not only will I be facing Macragge’s finest, but my opponent will be the face (as opposed to the beard) of Moarhammer – none other than Brom!

No pressure, but I’ve previously beaten the other two members of the Moarhammer triumvirate, so I’m chasing the hat-trick here.

2nd Company - Ultramarines

• Captain Acheran in Gravis Armor (HQ) (Warlord)
  Camo Cloak, Master-crafted Instigator Bolt Carbine
  Ability: Warden of Macragge
  Relic: The Sanctic Halo
• Primaris Lieutenant (HQ)
  Power sword 
• Lieutenant (HQ)
  Jump Pack, Chainsword, Plasma Pistol
  Relic: The Teeth of Terra
• 5 x Intercessor Squad (Troop)
  Bolt rifles, Auxiliary grenade launcher
• 5 x Intercessor Squad (Troop)
  Bolt rifles
• 5 x Scout Squad (Troop)
  Sergeant: Chainsword and Bolt Pistol, 4 x Boltguns
• 5 x Scout Squad (Troop)
  Sergeant: Chainsword and Sniper Rifle, 4 x Sniper Rifle
• 5 x Terminator Squad (Elite)
  Terminator Sergeant: Power sword & Storm Bolter, 4 x Power Fists & Storm Bolters
• 3 x Aggressor Squad (Elite)
  Boltstorm Gauntlets & Fragstorm Grenade Launcher
• 3 x Aggressor Squad (Elite)
  Flamestorm Gauntlets
• Invictor Tactical Warsuit (Elite)
  Fragstorm Grenade Launcher, Heavy bolter, Incendium cannon, Ironhail Heavy Stubber
• 3 x Inceptor Squad (Fast)
  2 x Assault bolter
• Stormtalon Gunship (Flyer)
  Twin assault cannon, Two Lascannons

Points: 1249 | Battle-forged + Battalion + Vanguard: 9 CPs

Heretic Astartes - The Cabal

The Unkindest Cut - Black Legion Patrol

• Strato - Chaos Lord with Jump Pack (HQ) (Warlord)
  Chainsword, Combi-Bolter, Frag & Krak Grenades
  Warlord Trait: Black-clad BruteRelic: Ghorisvek’s Teeth
• 6 x Chaos Space Marines (Troop)
  Power Sword, 5 x Bolt Pistol & Chainswords, Icon of Excess, Mark of Slaanesh
• Greater Possessed (Elite)
  Daemonic Mutations

The Pestilent Congregation - The Purge Vanguard

• Decius - Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (HQ)
  Combi-melta, Force Sword, Frag & Krak Grenades, Mark of Nurgle
  Miasma of Pestilence, Warptime
• 5 x Chaos Chosen (Elite)
  4 x Combi-bolter, 4 x chainswords, Thunder Hammer, Reaper Chaincannon, Mark of Nurgle
• 5 x Plague Marines (Elite)
  Power fist, 2 x Flail of Contagion, 2 x 2nd Plague Knife, Blight & Krak Grenades
• Helbrute (Elite)
  Helbrute fist (combi-bolter), Power scourge, Mark of Nurgle
• Rhino (Elite)
  Combi-bolter), Mark of Nurgle

The Infinite Jest - The Scourged Vanguard

• Artemidorus - Sorcerer  (HQ)
  Bolt pistol, Force Stave, Frag & Krak Grenades, Mark of Tzeentch
  Prescience, Weaver of Fates
• 5 x Chaos Chosen (Elite)
  3 x Combi-bolter, 5 x chainswords, Combi-plasma, Missile Launcher, Mark of Tzeentch
• Helbrute (Elite)
  Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher, Mark of Tzeentch
• Helbrute (Elite)
  Twin Lascannon, Missile Launcher, Mark of Tzeentch

Points: 1250 | Battle-forged + Patrol + Vanguard + Vanguard: 5 CPs

Race to Victory was our mission here – I’ve played it a few times, but it is an odd one. I’ve never had a game end by reaching the required 10 tactical objectives, so it’s basically a standard maelstrom game (albeit with a bit more pressure to clear your cards and draw fresh ones).

(Here’s how you tell that Brom plays Ultramarines: when setting up objectives, the usual way is to grab three markers at random, and hand three to your opponent, to alternate setting them up. But, ever codex-compliant, Brom ensured that I specifically had Objectives #1, #3 and #5, and he had #2, #4 and #6 – so they could be set up in the numerically-correct order).

Deployment

We set up using Vanguard strike, and expecting a lot of deepstrike trouble, I tried to screen out while also positioning myself for a rush forward (tactically speaking, I basically upended my carrying case onto the table). The shooty Helbrutes went at the back, supported by the Sorcerer and screened by the Scourged Chosen.

The melee Helbrute went at the extreme of one flank, supported by the Purge Party Rhino and all the other characters. That left just enough Chaos Space Marines to string out and keep my backline free from deepstrike.

For the Ultramarines, one unit of Scouts on the back objective, and another nestled in ruins directly in front of me. Two squads of Intercessors, two squads of Aggressors, the Primaris Lieutenant and Captain up front, with Inceptors, Terminators and Jump-Pack Lieutenant in deepstrike. Flying ominously at the back was the Stormtalon.

Turn 1

I went first, and with nothing useful in my objective draw (upfield objectives, or Hold The Line, which I couldn’t score until next time), I charged upfield with the Rhino and Helbrute. My three characters – Jump-Pack Lord, Terminator Sorcerer and Greater Possessed – all clustered around Objective 4 in the midfield. I had to defend it, and having three characters on it gave me a good chance of an early score.

In shooting, I shot the Scourged Chosen at the closest Scouts in the ruin, until I ran into my old nemesis – Camo Cloaks. So even though I killed a couple, I redirected the Helbrutes’ lascannons upfield at the Aggressors, who I think I actually stood a better chance of killing.

The rub of the dice was against me, however, and I only took out one of the Boltstorm Aggressors. Even one down is still a bucketful of shots that won’t be coming my way, but no First Strike for me.

In response, the Ultramarine infantry marched forward, filling up the central ruins. With just small-arms fire at medium range, there wasn’t much damage to be done in the Shooting Phase.

… with the exception of that pesky Stormtalon, who flew directly behind my Warlord and trained all its guns on him. I failed all my invulnerable saves and the jump-lord was blasted away on the first turn (for the second game in a row!). I still had enough characters left to Defend the objective, but Brom had gained First Strike and Slay the Warlord in return.

Turn 2

My new orders came through to Defend the objective right in the Ultramarine’s back line. It was a long shot to get there, but it would force them to try and stop me. So my Rhino unloaded its passengers and raced over there. The Helbrute followed him, mostly because it wouldn’t fit into the ruins.

Those passengers – the Purge Chosen and Plague Marines – bundled out into the central ruins and faced down the bulk of Ultramarine infantry. The Greater Possessed and Terminator Sorcerer run up to support them, and my backline castle held firm.

In the Shooting Phase, my priority was avenging my warlord. With lascannons and a Flakk Missile stratagem, I brought the Stormtalon down to one wound, so though it wasn’t dead, it wasn’t too effective either.

All the small arms fire from the Purge went into the Flamer Aggressors. However, with everyone being in cover, armour saves were good and I only dropped one of them.

Then came the charges. Being an honourable warrior of Macragge, Brom informed me that the Ultramarines had a Defensive Focus stratagem that would allow three other units to give supporting overwatch. So if my Plague Marines wanted to get stuck into the Flamer Aggressors, they would also take shots from the Boltstorm Aggressors and Intercessors (and Captain too, if that wasn’t Overkill enough). I was up for the challenge, and declared a charge on them all!

Many, many dice rolled later, and my Plague Marines had locked down the Intercessors and Flamer Aggressors with only one lost to overwatch.

A combination of 2+ armour saves and 5+++ Disgustingly Resilient had improbably kept the rest alive. Now it was safe, The Purge Chosen waltzed into the fight with the Aggressors.

I attacked first with the Plague Marines and swatted aside all the Intercessors with my Plague Flails. The Flamer Aggressors interrupted, but their luck was still running poor and they only beat down one of the Chosen. The Chosen’s thunder hammer answered back and whack-a-moled both Aggressors back down into the ruins.

That was a much better turn that I had expected – I was pushing upfield and pressuring the Ultramarines on all fronts. But two of their biggest hitting units were about to land.

However, my push for the Ultramarines' backline objective needed a response, so instead of going against my lines, the Terminator squad landed at the back to reinforce the Scouts on the home objective. The Inceptors and Lieutenant were more aggressive, and jumped in on the Chaos Space Marine’s flank, determined to take the banner of The Cabal.

The Stormtalon flew across the front of the Scourged castle, though thankfully the Chosen were able to screen the Sorcerer from getting targeted. As it happened, none of the shots from the badly-wounded flyer found their mark.

The remaining Scouts and Intercessors fired at the Scourged Chosen, taking away all of them but the guy with the missile launcher (which is what I really wanted to keep for another Flakk Missile). The Terminators fired at the Helbrute, taking it down to its last wound. The Inceptors unloaded everything onto the Chaos Space Marines, and wiped them out (although it did leave the Ultramarines with nothing to charge).

In the carnage of the ruins, the Boltstorm Aggressors took out three of the Purge Chosen, then charged into the Plague Marines.

What the Aggressors were hoping for was a charge long enough to slingshot around into the centre objective (the card draw this turn included securing that objective, plus an Ultramarine objective that gave 1 VP for securing any objective – so essentially double points for getting on it).

However, the Aggressors fell an inch short of getting on the objective, then only killed three of the Plague Marines, meaning the last survivor was stopping them from consolidating onto the objective. Turning insult to injury, it also killed one with its flail of corruption.

So a decent pushback, but just falling short of scoring those objective cards – and in this game, you need to clear your hand and get a fresh draw every turn.

Before I could retaliate, the insanity of the Nayala campaign struck again, and a Great Unclean One appeared on our flank. Its impact on the battle was basically to throw a few Smites into the Rhino and make us both avoid that side of the table like the (ahem) plague.

Turn 3

Back to my turn, I got a very good draw – Master the Warp and Behind Enemy lines. Both worth a potential D3 points. And if I could Defend that backline objective too, I’d have a commanding lead.

I move the Rhino and Helbrute to the Terminators, giving them both charges they couldn’t fail. I move the last two Purge Chosen (one of them handily carrying the Chaincannon) out of the ruins, so I now had three units in the enemy’s deployment zone (if they stayed alive until the end of the turn).

The Greater Possessed skirted around the ruins to face the fresh squad of Intercessors, who were trying to get the central objective.

In the psychic phase, the Chosen Sorcerer saved me a flakk missile and just Smited the Stormtalon out of the sky. I’d also managed one successful cast and one Perils of the Warp with the Terminator Sorcerer. I needed one more power to go off to maximise Master the Warp, so used Chaos Familiar to trade one of my powers for Infernal Gaze – the lowest possible casting roll required. I made the cast and – even though the power failed to hurt anything – I had cast the maximum three powers.

In shooting, the Helbrutes targeted the Inceptors, but poor wounding rolls (and three wounds apiece on the Inceptors), meant I only killed one of them. The Purge had better luck on the other end of the field, and hosed down all the Scouts on the backline objective.

In charging, the Rhino ate the Terminators’ overwatch, and then the Helbrute made it in. Around the ruins, the Greater Possessed leapt into the Intercessor squad.

The Helbrute had a marvellous time against the First Company: smashing three of them with its fist and whipping the other two with its scourge. Utterly wiped out in one swing. The only drawback was I wasn’t able to consolidate onto the back objective, because I’d killed all the enemy back there. But I also had three units in the enemy deployment zone.

At that point, Brom interrupted combat – although not with the Greater Possessed. He fought with the Aggressors to kill the last Plague Marine, partly to avoid getting hit again, and partly to finally clear it out of the way.

So that left the Greater Possessed to fight – and was a bit lacklustre for him, only killing two Intercessors.

It had been a brilliant turn, only slightly marred when I rolled for my 2xD3 points and got a double one. So I was ahead, but could have been ahead by so much more (only fair, I suppose, since I was in the same situation last battle and rolled a double six).

In his turn, Brom fell out of combat with the Greater Possessed and raced all his remaining soldiers onto the central objective, finally scoring those points. He’d also drawn Behind Enemy Lines, so rather than risk anything with the Inceptors and Jump-Lieutenant, he just flew them safely into my back lines.

There was a scattering of shots in the centre that wounded my Greater Possessed, and then the Inceptors tried to plink off of the last two wounds on one of my Lascannon Helbrutes. They scratched off one wound, but it turned out the Helbrute didn’t appreciate that. It promptly went crazed and returned fire, killed both Inceptors in a single wrathful volley.

I will admit to a certain amount of maniacal laughter at that, for which I apologise.

Turn 4 

Time was drawing to a close, but there was very little left for the boys in blue. The Greater Possessed charged again at the remaining Intercessor squad, this time wiping them out. The Terminator Sorcerer took out the Lieutenant with his combi-melta.

That just left the Captain, one Aggressor, the Jump-Lieutenant and couple of Scouts. With nothing to score from them, we shook hands on the end of Turn 4.

Result: Chaos Space Marines win 12 – 8

Locker Room

What a crazy game. From the Plague Marine walking through (literal) fire, to the Helbrute playing ten-pin bowling with Terminators, to the other Helbrute snapfiring off two Inceptors, I was using up all my tournament luck in this one game.

Great fun to play. The Ultramarines have certainly acquired some teeth since I last fought them, and Brom was good enough to talk me what was going on with the new rules and stratagems.

I think first turn counted a lot here – there was very little ground to cover between the armies and I was able to get the pressure on quick, and before the deepstrikes came in. I felt I held the initiative – Great Unclean One notwithstanding – and could push on the objectives.

My poor warlord - I think he peaked at the Captain Smashypants duel. I'm aware of the tactic of picking off characters with Stormtalons, but I haven't had enough experience with flyers to counter it. 

In truth, Brom may have done me a favour by putting all those lascannons into my warlord. Had he cracked open the Rhino in Turn 1, then unloaded his small-arms into my combat units, my push for the centre would have evaporated.

Cracking game against a great opponent. In the overall narrative campaign, the armies of The Cabal had taken a bit of a kicking, but I'd had three very fun games and the promise of Bristol’s finest lamb pie to revittle me for tomorrow. Onwards to victory!