A Prayer's As Good As A Bayonet: Thousand Sons & Tzeentch Daemons vs Mordian Iron Guard

Look smart now - the Mordians are back!

The Thousand Sons and Tzeentch Daemons team up to take on the old metal meat grinder in an absolute slugfest!

As you may have guessed from the metric tonne of vintage models in the pictures, my opponent was Mordian John - we've faced off a couple of times now, and a grudge match is developing between his redcoats and my heretics (maybe it's because I keep turning his beloved guardsmen into gibbering Spawn, who can say?)

The Mordian 29th - Astra Militarum

Yikes – the backbone of the Imperium isn’t messing about. No less than twelve infantry squads, most of them armed with the high-strength, multi-damage weapons that my Rubrics do not enjoy. And that’s just the stuff I can deal with – supporting them are Armoured Sentinels, Basilisks (from which there is no hiding place) and the ever-reliable Leman Russ.

John also put his armoured spearhead into a specialist detachment (Emperor’s Fist) which allows them to reroll one of their random cannon shots. He also upgraded his Tank Commander to reduce the damage suffered and swapped his main weapon for an even more devastating battle cannon.

Something to note the in absentee lists: although John paid for a Ministorum Priest, he forgot to bring one. Let’s just say that the good reverend wasn’t optimistic about their chances, and they had to send him off in a wagon to preserve morale.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

First Battalion

• The Major - Company Commander (HQ) (Warlord)
  Plasma pistol, Power fist,
  Relic: Order of the Iron Star of Mordia
  Trait: Iron Discipline
• Primaris Psyker (HQ)
  Force Stave
  Nightshroud, Psychic Maelstrom
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Plasma Gun, Lascannon, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Plasma Gun, Lascannon, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Plasma Gun, Lascannon, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Grenade Launcher, Missile Launcher, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Grenade Launcher, Missile Launcher, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Grenade Launcher, Missile Launcher, Sergeant: Chainsword, laspistol
• Astropath (Elite)
  Telepathica Stave
  Powers: Nightshroud
• 4 x Command Squad (Elite)
  Laspistol & Chainsword, Medi-pack, Regimental Standard, Lasgun
• Platoon Commander (Elite)
  Bolt pistol, Chainsword
• Platoon Commander (Elite)
  Bolt pistol, Chainsword

Second Battalion

• The Adjutant - Company Commander (HQ)
  Plasma pistol, Power sword
• Lord Commisar (HQ)
  Plasma pistol, Power fist
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Flamer, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Flamer, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Flamer, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Melta gun, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Melta gun, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• 10 x Infantry Squad (Troop)
  Melta gun, Vox-caster, Sergeant: Power sword, laspistol
• Ministorum Priest (Elite)
  Laspistol
• Platoon Commander (Elite)
  Bolt pistol, Chainsword

Spearhead (Emperor's Fist specialist detachment)

• Tank Commander (HQ)
  Battle Cannon, Lascannon, 2 x Heavy Bolters
  Trait: Master Mechanic
  Relic: Hammer of Sunderance
• Tech-Priest Enginseer
  Laspistol, Omnissan Axe, Servo-arm
• 3 x Armoured Sentinels
  Lascannon
• 2 x Basilisks (Heavy)
  Earthshaker Cannon, Heavy bolter
• Leman Russ Battle Tank (Heavy)
  Battle Cannon, 3 x Bolters
• Leman Russ Battle Tank (Heavy)
  Battle Cannon, 3 x Bolters
• Leman Russ Punisher (Heavy)
  Punisher Gatling Cannon, Heavy Bolter, Heavy Bolters

Points: 1,999 | Level: 127 | Battle-forged + Battalion + Battalion + Spearhead - Relic - Specialist Detachment: 11 CPs

The Court of Miracles - Thousand Sons

An experimental list for me, as I’m starting to build up the Tzeentch Daemons and wanted to try out some combined-arms (I’m already missing the Tzaangors). With that in mind, I kept the Thousand Sons half relatively simple: Daemon Prince to lead the attack and the cheapest Sorcerer I could find to be the warlord (I gave him the Perfidious Tome relic to generate Command Points, because I’m going to be spending them like toffee early on).

Three squads of Rubric, including one ten-strong one (if I go first, I have thoughts of deploying them close-up and causing problems) and a big unit of Scarab Occult Terminators (I’m looking forward to trying this out). Two Mutalith Vortex Beasts to buff heretics and daemons alike, and a Heldrake for early disruption. Plus, the obligatory 20pts in reinforcements for Spawn shenanigans.

In the daemon half, I can only put together a Vanguard. A Fluxmaster (Herald on a Disc, I’ll get the hand of the names) to lead them, plus two Exalted Flamers and some regular Flamers for damage output. A big unit of Horrors to give me some screening and a small unit of Screamers to zoom forward and rip up armour.

Battalion detachment - Cult of Duplicity

• Clotho Assassinbane - Sorcerer (HQ) (Warlord)
  Force stave, Inferno Bolt Pistol
  Prescience, Warptime, Sorcerous Facade 
  Warlord: High Magister
  Relic: Perfidious Tome 
• Yr'bith Fulred - Daemon Prince of Tzeentch (HQ)
  2 x Malefic talon, Wings
  Bolt of Change, Diabolic Strength, Infernal Gateway, Sorcerous Facade 
  Relic: Dark Matter Crystal
• 10 x Rubric Marines (Troops)
  Force stave & Inferno Bolt Pistol, 8 x Inferno Boltgun, 1 x Soulreaper Cannon
  Tzeentch's Firestorm, Sorcerous Facade 
• 5 x Rubric Marines (Troops)
  Force stave & Inferno Bolt Pistol, 3 x Inferno Boltgun, 1 x Warpflamer
  Glamour of Tzeentch, Sorcerous Facade 
• 5 x Rubric Marines (Troops)
  Force stave & Inferno Bolt Pistol, 2 x Inferno Boltgun, 2 x Warpflamer
  Temporal Manipulation, Sorcerous Facade 
• 10 x Scarab Occult Terminators (Elite)
  Force stave, 9 x Inferno Combi-bolter, 9 x Powersword, Soulreaper cannon, 2 x Hellfyre Missile Rack
  Weaver of Fates, Sorcerous Facade 
• Mutalith Vortex Beast (Heavy)
  Enormous Claws, Betentacled Maw
• Mutalith Vortex Beast (Heavy)
  Enormous Claws, Betentacled Maw
• Heldrake (Flyer)
  Baleflamer, Heldrake claws

Vanguard detachment - Tzeentch Daemons

• Fluxmaster (HQ) (Warlord)
  Ritual Dagger
  Flickering Flames, Gaze of Fate
• Poxbringer (HQ)
  Balesword
  Miasma of Pestilence
• 20 x Horrors (Troop)
  Daemonic Icon, Instrument of Chaos
• 2 x Exalted Flamers (Elite)
  Tongues of Flame, Fires of Tzeentch
• 6 x Flamers (Elite)
  Flickering Flames
• 3 x Screamers (Fast)
  Lamprey bite

Points: 2,000 | Level: 127 | Battle-forged + Battalion + Vanguard - Relic: 8 CPs

Mission and Deployment

We’re playing the basic Schemes of War, with the Front-Line Assault deployment map. John goes first, and basically fills the length of the board with two neat ranks of redcoats, anchored on each end by a Basilisk, with the Leman Russes and Sentinels behind them.

I know I’m likely to go second, so I respond by putting as much as I can into deepstrike: the Terminators into the teleportarium, the Horrors and Flamers into the Warp. As John’s slightly favoured his right flank, I weight what I’ve got left against his left (my right).

With just one squad of Rubrics to hold an objective on the left flank, everything else clusters around the ruins on the right, trying to keep out of range or sight. The big beasts, however, have no hiding place anywhere on the field, and so they all deploy at the closest point, hoping to live long enough to charge down the lines.

The plan is not to take on everything at once, but hammer one half, and swing around to deal with the other (I heard Napoleon did something similar at Waterloo, and I’m sure it worked out for him).
John elects to go first, and I brace myself.

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 1

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 5, Defend Objective 5, Secure Objective 2

Some of the front ranks step forward, but very little movement required, as not only are the Mordians happy to blast me from range, they’re also on or near all the objectives they need to score. One squad hot-foots it up onto Objective 2 (the 'wizard's tower'!)

They open the batting by failing their psychic test (brought a knife to a gunfight there) but then get into the swing of things when the shooting starts.

The Tank Commander targets the Heldrake and blasts away most of its wounds in a single barrage. The other tanks pitch in, and the Daemon Engine is a smoking wreck with disturbing ease. The rest of the line opens up on the two Mutalith Vortex Beasts, but their warp-infused hides, and some fortuitous rolling, means they each take nothing more than a few flesh wounds. Rounding off the barrage, a Basilisk drops a shell on the Screamers, killing them outright.

So that’s First Strike for the Mordians, plus a few Objectives too. That made all that look easy, and before I reach their lines, I’m going to have to weather it all over again.

Objectives scored – Secure Objective 5 (1), Secure Objective 2 (1), First Strike (1)

Mordian 3 : 0 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 1

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 2, Secure Objective 4, Supremacy

With the concussion of Imperial shells ringing in their ears, my line lurches forward. I need three objectives, so the left flank Rubrics hunker down on Objective 6, the first Mutalith walks forward on the central Objective 3, and the other Mutalith advances onto Objective 4 in the ruins on my right flank. All the other characters move cautiously behind them, careful not to lose what screen remains to them.

Between the Mutalith’s regeneration, and my Temporal Manipulation healing, they’re both back up to full health, which is a bonus. Most of the Psychic Phase is spent throwing out buffs and the odd Smite in the direction of the front lines. The Mutalith that didn’t charge is then sent forward with Warptime, securely on Objective 4, but also able to reach out and touch the closest Guardsman squad.

Then the big move: my warlord uses Sorcerous Façade fling forward the big unit of Rubrics in front of the extreme left of the Mordian lines.

The Aspiring Sorcerer of that squad then uses Tzeentch’s Firestorm to target the Platoon Commander – rolling nine dice and causing mortal wounds on 6s, for the first time ever I roll three sixes and the poor officer is engulfed in magic flames. So that’s First Strike for me too!

"Look our si... too late."

The only real shooting is that same Rubric squad rapid-firing their Inferno Boltguns into the closest squad, leaving a sole survivor, who is then charged and beaten up in short order. Sadly, the squad can’t consolidate into the next unit (John knows how to screen), but they’re a problem to be dealt with.

The only other charge is the front Mutalith, who reaches out his tentacles to the front squad (which keeping his tail on the objective) and gobbles them all up.

It’s honours even with VP, until John reveals he’d been defending his back objective, so jumps two ahead. And now the shooting starts again.

Objectives scored – Secure Objective 4 (1), Supremacy (1), First Strike (1)
Objectives scored (Mordians) - Defend Objective 5 (2)

Mordian 5 : 3 Thousand Sons

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 2

Objectives drawn – Blood and Guts, Area Denial, Defend Objective 1

There’s just one big monster between the Mordians and D3 points for Area Denial, so I can guess who’s next for the chop.

The Mordians begin to swing their battle line towards the left, aware that half their army isn’t seeing action and there’s going to be a lot of deepstrikes to screen out.

Most of their guns are turned onto the front Mutalith, who gives a good try at holding out, but eventually falls, leaving the centre in Imperial hands. The rest of the artillery is aimed at the big unit of Rubrics – however, by boosting their invulnerable save with Indomitable Fires, by the time the dust has settled, there are still two Rubricae left on their feet: a Sorcerer and Soulreaper Cannon. In the morale phase, I pay 2CP to keep these guys around, as I reckon they can still cause some mischief.

I’m falling behind on CPs, but I think I got off lightly there – I’m one more Mutalith to the good than I expected, I’ve still got encroachers in the backline, and I can finally drop the hammer on the redcoats.

Objectives scored – Area Denial (2)

Mordian 7 : 3 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 2

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Overwhelming Firepower

My objective cards really want me to take Objective 2 (the dramatic tower in the middle of the board – which is cinematic at least). I’m not going to reach that yet, but with the amount of firepower I’m bringing down, this is my best chance to score big points.

But I also need to shut down some Mordian firepower. So my whole line moves forward, with the exception of the two small Rubric squads, who stay hidden on their backline objectives (with Sorcerous Façade in my hand, I now no longer have to worry about mobility for my Rubrics).



In the gaps I’ve left, I drop the rest of my army. From left to right: Horrors, Flamers and the Scarab Occult Terminators. Doing so, I’ve extended my line to almost match the Mordians, but the Horrors can either shoot infantry in the centre or armour on the flanks. As, this will be my most devastating shooting attack, I need to make it count.

The Daemon Prince leads the way, then gets Warptimed right into the grill of the Tank Commander. Unfortunately, there’s a hapless Astropath standing in the way, so he’d going to be the target of the Daemon Prince’s Bolt of Change.

The Astropath only has three wounds, so a kill is possible, but it’s a long shot. What are the chances of casting a Lv9 Psychic Power, followed by maximum wounds on a D3?

Pretty good, I’d say.

Elsewhere on the Psychic Phase, it’s a bust. I fail to cast Flickering Flames on the Horrors (+1 to wound with their flames) and most of my buffs also fail to materialise (crucially, I don’t get Prescience on the Terminators, which would have helped their shooting). Fortunately, the Shooting Phase is where it counts.

The two Rubrics in the Mordian lines open up on the nearest squad, wiping out half of them (and crucially, clearing a path to charge the Basilisk). The Horrors, Flamers and Exalted Flamers roast the three nearest squads, removing one of them entirely and taking the other two down to a few survivors.

That means, if I want to maximise my kill score, the Terminators are going to have to fire in all directions. Playing Veterans of the Long War, to be absolutely sure they’re dead, I spilt fire in all directions, mopping up the remnants of all three squads and taking out a fourth for good measure. With just one more unit needed for maximum points, the Hellfyre Missiles let me down, as all of them streak past one of the Armoured Sentinels.



But the carnage doesn’t stop there. The newly-created Spawn charges into the Tech-Priest (ensuring he can consolidate into the Tank Commander), the Daemon Prince charges into the Infantry Squad on Objective 1 (ensuring he can consolidate into the Tank Commander) and the pair of Rubrics charge the same squad (ensuring they can consolidate into the Basilisk). Mordians can Overwatch on 5+ (or 4+ with Defensive Gunners) and, as you can tell, I’m very scared of their Overwatch.

With good reason, as it happens, since even the humble Infantry Squad too four wounds off my Daemon Prince as he steamed in!

The Squad is duly torn apart, and both armoured vehicles shut down, but not before the Primaris Psyker heroically intervenes and achieve nothing except to pull himself off Objective 1 and deny the Mordians the points.

Elsewhere, I attempt some long charges with the Horrors, but I’ve just killed too much in my path. Though I miss out on maximum score for six units with Overwhelming Firepower, I do roll 3VP for it, which puts me back in the game.

Objectives scored – Overwhelming Firepower (3)

Mordian 7 : 6 Thousand Sons

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 3

Objectives drawn – Mission Critical Objective #3, Psychological Warfare, Defend Objective 1

It’s a good draw for John – there’s D3 points for taking a Mission Critical Objective off an enemy, and the last Mutalith is sitting on it.

The Tank Commander and Basilisk reverse out of combat, with the Commander ordering Full Throttle to swing around to the ruins. The Primaris Psyker regains his senses and runs back onto Objective 1, and the Tech-Priest scuttles back towards the other tanks.

The Mordian infantry is actually starting to look a bit thin on the ground, with only four squads left on the right flank. So these come forward to support the tanks in the centre, which hold their ground. A lone Armoured Sentinel gets volunteered to walk forward and contest the crucial objective.

Even with half their shooting gone, the Guard put on a fearsome show, especially as they now have some low toughness daemons for target practice. The volleys of lasgun and Gatling Cannon take out fifteen of the Pink Horrors (the rest being spared to fail their morale test), the Basilisks remove the Flamers, and the Battle Cannons and Lascannons drop the last Mutalith.

No close-combat, but a maximum score for the Mission Critical Objective and – since reality refuses to blink – the rest of the Pink Horros vanish as they award Psychological Warfare.

Objectives scored – Mission Critical Objective #3 (3), Psychological Warfare (1)

Mordian 11 : 6 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 3

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 2, Defend Objective 2, Defend Objective 6

My Daemon allies appear to be short on the ground, but there’s still enough heretic astartes left on the field. I finally make my play for Objective 2, advancing a Rubric squad on there, despite the bullseye it puts on them. The Daemon Prince and Spawn race to shut down some more tanks, the Terminators plod forward (having destroyed all the easy stuff on the Mordians left flank, I’ve elected to ignore the two big vehicles).

The Fluxmaster zooms onto Objective 6, so even if the squad holding it gets shelled off, I’ll still claim it. My warlord mostly tries to look inconspicuous and hidden (he’s not really a ‘lead-from-the-front’ guy).

The Psychic Phase picks up, as I cast Glamour of Tzeentch on the Rubrics holding Objective 2 and Weaver of Fates and Prescience on my Terminators, so they should help their survivability and punch.

I decide I really need to take down some tanks properly, so put everything my Terminators have into the nearest Lemus Russ, and destroy it completely. The two Exalted Flamers finally get to switch from Pink Fire (flamer) to Blue Fire (mini-lascannon) and wipe out the brave Armour Sentinel who took Objective 3. Some guardsmen get roasted by the warpflamers of my closest Rubric squad, but that’s about it for shooting (my backline Rubrics choose not to shoot the Primaris Psyker, as I want to charge him).

In the Assault phase, like a flat track bully, I only pick on the weaker targets: the Daemon Prince goes for the Lord Commissar (with the aim of shutting down the Punisher Tank) and the Spawn goes for the Tech-Priest (with the same intent). If I was thinking rationally, I should have used the Dark Matter Crystal to jump the Daemon Prince safe behind my lines where he could heal up and come back for a late-game surge, leaving the shutting down duties to the Spawn – but what can I say, my blood was up.

The backline Rubrics charge the Primaris Psyker, with the intent of denying Objective and consolidating into the Tank Commander.

I fight first with the Daemon Prince, since I’m wary of the Lord Commissar’s power fist – and he easily rips up his quarry and shuts down the tank. The Spawn follows suit, slaying the Tech-Priest and consolidating forward – although not far forward enough to screen his new boss, sadly.

Then I get a shock when John interrupts combat with his Primaris Psyker. With his force stave, he can actually threaten my Rubrics, and if he kills them both, he Defends Objective 1 and frees up his most deadly shooting Tank. Fate is with me, as I pass both invulnerable saves and then stomp the Psyker into the dirt for having the temerity to frighten me like that.

So only one point scored, but I’ve got some points coming my way in John’s turn, and I’ve finally started to remove tanks.

Objectives scored – Secure Objective 2 (1)

Mordian 11 : 7 Thousand Sons

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 4

Objectives drawn – Death From Afar, Behind Enemy Lines, Master the Warp

It’s a poor draw for the Mordians – Death From Afar requires he kills a unit in my deployment zone and, with the exception of a Fluxmaster who can’t be targeted, I’ve got nothing left. The only characters who could Master the Warp are currently being trodden into the rubble, or have found employment in my army. Behind Enemy Lines is doable in a late turn – the Tank Commander throttles out of combat to race forwards (and I can’t see how I’m going to stop him).

"Tally ho!"

The Punisher Tank also breaks combat and moves directly forward – so that’s two linebreakers I have to deal with. The rest of the Mordians rally around the colours and their last Battle Tank, taking careful aim at the Daemon Prince heading their way. Already on half wounds, the Daemon Prince was not long for this world.

That frees up enough firepower to wipe out the nearest Rubric squad (especially when Vengeance for Cadia was played on the Basilisk – I haven’t mentioned it yet, but not a turn went by when this brutal stratagem wasn’t used against me).  I roll poorly for my invulnerable saves, and I’m back off Objective 2. There’s even enough left over to start work on the Scarab Occult Terminators, felling two of them.

As a consolation for me, John gets no points this turn, and I claim 2 VP for defending Objective 6.

Objectives scored – none
Objectives scored (Thousand Sons) – Defend Objective 6 (2)

Mordian 11 : 9 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 4

Objectives drawn – Blood and Guts, Behind Enemy Lines, Defend Objective 2

I’m keeping Defend Objective 2, part-obstinacy, part-narrative (got to take that tower!) and partly because I can force where John puts his firepower, since he can’t afford to leave me on there.

My two new cards are promising – as both offer D3 VPs each. I’ve already got a Spawn and pair of Rubrics in the backline (so my priority is not to get them killed in my own turn), so I just need one more in there. And there should be something I can pick on for Blood and Guts.

The Terminators plod forward, the Exalted Flamers float around to take on the Punisher. My warlord hides out of sight of the oncoming Tank Commander and the Fluxmaster gets the duty of Defending Objective 2. There’s actually a lone Guardsman (the remains of the squad I warpflamed) close by, so I can kill him in melee and hold the objective.

The Psychic Phase is a mixed blessing: I jump the Terminators into the enemy deployment zone, then power them up with Prescience and Weaver of Fates. The last cast causes Perils of the Warp and I lose two Terminators in the resulting explosion – doing as much damage to myself as the Mordians have managed.

With my firepower reduced, I decide to shoot what I can kill, and put all my small-arms fire into whittling down the squads (ideally leaving a few I can pick on in melee). My combi-bolters take gun down the Command Squad and an Infantry Squad, leaving just two guardsmen and the standard flying. The Hellfyre Missiles bounce off the Punisher Tank (I don’t know where I got these missiles from today).

The Exalted Flamers show them how it’s done and melt the Punisher into near-slag with their blue fires, leaving it on one wound remaining, then they both charge in, only suffering one wound from the Gatling Cannon.

The Spawn jumps on the two squads’ remnants, hopeful of taking them both out, and the Fluxmaster scoots towards the lone Guardsman. It’s at this point I actually look at the Fluxmaster’s datasheet and realise how rubbish they are in melee! Admittedly I wasn’t expecting a Herald of Khorne, but their threat is so pitiful the Guardsman barely flinched. Luckily the Disc of Tzeentch spared my blushes and chopped up the Imperial, so I can at least score a point.

The Exalted Flamers continued to impress, somehow getting through the armour of the Punisher to bring it down. With two kills in the bag, the Spawn only needs to take out a solitary standard bearer for the full whack – sadly, it just couldn’t harm its old comrades, and misses with all seven of its attacks. Fortunately, it did survive the heroic intervention of the Adjutant’s power sword, so I still get behind enemy lines.

The turn ends with my feeling I’ve missed the opportunity to score big – especially when I roll the minimum amount for Behind Enemy Lines. We’re heading into Turn 5, and the points are level.

Objectives scored – Blood and Guts (1), Behind Enemy Lines (1)

Mordian 11 : 11 Thousand Sons

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 5

Objectives drawn – Chain of Command, Behind Enemy Lines, Master the Warp

Chain of Command is another multiple-scoring objective if you issue six different orders. John has enough commanders still on the table to manage this, and so runs through every order in the manual to get this.

The top right corner is John ensuring that every unit gets a different order.

The Tank Commander finally gets into my deployment zone, with a nice line of sight on the tower with Objective 2. The rest of the Mordian line simply contracts a little further and opens fire on my remaining forces: one Exalted Flamer is blasted back to the Warp, two Terminators are gone, and the Fluxmaster is gunned down, denying my Objective 2 once more.

Don't get comfortable.

And the poor Astropath-Spawn is finally cut down by the Company Commander. Its tentacular mass oozes back into its robes, to be later collected and inducted into The Court of Miracles’ menagerie.

"You slovenly soldier."

Objectives scored – Chain of Command (2), Behind Enemy Lines (1)

Mordian 14 : 11 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 5

Objectives drawn – Kingslayer, Wrath of Magnus, Defend Objective 2

I also get some big scoring cards for the end game. Wrath of Magnus requires something to die in the Psychic Phase, and I reckon I many have killed enough redcoats to expose The Major to a long charge from my Terminators.

But some careful positioning is required: first the pair of Rubrics have to move away from the Basilisk on the left flank, to ensure the closest model is a brave Guardsman with a melta gun. I Smite him away, and that’s Wrath of Magnus scored.

My Terminators need to be closer for a charge, but only my warlord has Warptime. So he casts Sorcerous Façade to jump himself between the Terminators and pair of Rubrics, then casts Warptime to send them forward (I can’t believe this is actually working).

And, because I’m not done with Objective 2 yet, I move my final squad of Rubricae to occupy it (there’s quite a head of bodies piling up here).

In shooting, my Exalted Flamer and Terminators blast away the penultimate Infantry Squad that was screening The Major, but I’ve left the Company Commander and Standard Bearer alive, so I can use them to slingshot my long charge.

It turns out, I didn’t need to – the Scarab Occult are well up for the fight and steam past the officers to take on the Mordian warlord directly (tying up the last Leman Russ in the process – always tie up your tanks, kids). As a flourish, the Exalted Flamer also charges the Company Commander, to stop him from getting any ideas about heroically intervening (he also kills the Mordian in combat, just for good measure).

It’s time for the main event: my Terminators hack away at the puny human, only to discover with his Refractor Field (5++) and Iron Star of Mordian (4+++), he’s pretty durable. The Major only takes two wounds by the time the Aspiring Sorcerer swings with his Force Stave. I score two wounds and score maximum damage – 6 wounds, and only two to get through! He’s not going to shrug off six wounds!

He shrugs off five of them.

What the ...

Wrath of Magnus does score me the maximum points, but The Major is somehow alive and I suspect John may have picked up the hint that I’m going for Kingslayer.

Objectives scored – Wrath of Magnus (3)

It’s all even, and we both have Linebreaker. We roll to see if the game continues … you bet it does!

Mordian 14 : 14 Thousand Sons

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 6

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 6, Kingslayer, Hammer of the Emperor

And now the Mordians have Kingslayer in play! And my warlord had to come out of hiding to launch the Terminators forward. The Hammer of the Emperor requires that they destroy something on an objective (like Objective 2, for example).

Predictably, the Movement Phase begins with The Major legging it and seeking safety in the lee of the Basilisk. The Platoon Commander follows close behind, presumable to carry his golf clubs. More surprisingly, John elects not to fall back with his Battle Tank, guessing that it’s doing more good stopping my Terminators from shooting or charging than anything else.

The Shooting Phase follows the familiar pattern of the Tank Commander blasting the Rubrics off Objective 2 (they nearly made it!). And then something more tricksy: my warlord is currently protected between the Terminators and the pair of Rubrics. So one Basilisk fires over the warlord’s head, to wipe out the Rubrics. This exposes the warlord to the other Basilisk, who is reduced to a crater by the Earthshaker Cannon (ironically, if I had made him an Exalted Sorcerer, he would have survived on one wound. That will teach me to be a cheapskate).

For his efforts, John scores maximum points for Kingslayer, and jumps ahead to a five-point lead!

Objectives scored – Kingslayer (3), Slay the Warlord (1), Hammer of the Emperor (1)

Mordian 19 : 14 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 6

Objectives drawn – Defend Objective 2, Kingslayer, Mission Critical Objective #3

I can jump on Objective 3, but there’s only as single point to be gained there (and I risk losing Linebreaker to do it). The only route to victory is to gamble big – kill The Major.

With just two units left on the board, the moving is quick. The last Exalted Flamer jumps on Objective 2 (now or never!) and flames away half of the last Infantry Squad.

The Scarab Occult Terminators, however, stay put. John may have thought locked me up, but I use Sorcerous Façade to jump out of combat, putting me on the flank, with just The Major and Platoon Commander in my sights!

I open up on The Major with everything the Terminators have – and his single wound isn’t seeing him through this one. For good measure, I also make the charge into the Platoon Commander and chop him up too.

But I only get two points for Kingslayer, so I’m relying on the game continuing and a good draw of cards to see me through.

Objectives scored – Kingslayer (2), Slay the Warlord (1)

Mordian 19 : 17 Thousand Sons

The game continues to the seventh and final turn!

Mordian Iron Guard – Turn 7

Objectives drawn – Secure Objective 6, Secure Objective 1, Witch Hunter

In another twist, the cards are not good for the Mordians. Remarkably for a Guard army, they’ve been pushed off every objective. Witch Hunter is possible, but the only psyker I have left on the board is the durable Scarab Occult Terminators.

John also has to divide his shots (because he still can’t let me have Objective 2). So while the Exalted Flamer is wiped out by the Tank Commander, only two Terminators are slain. That’s the end of the Mordians’ turn, and they’re all done on 19 VPs.

He also marched his very last half-strength Infantry Squad up onto Objective 2 - not for the VP, but just to claim the tower in the name of the Emperor!

Objectives scored – none

Mordian 19 : 17 Thousand Sons

Thousand Sons – Turn 7

Objectives drawn – Defend Objective 2, Master the Warp, Big Game Hunter

My last couple of lifelines: I can just about Master the Warp for a point, but I despair of three Terminators being able to take out one of the armoured vehicles. Then John sportingly points out that the Basilisks are only Toughness 6, which gives me a chance.



I Smite the nearest Basilisk, then pepper it with inferno bolt shells and hellfyre missiles. My Scarab Occult Terminators then charge in and hack at the armour with their power swords. I almost had it, but a couple of extreme armour saves keeps the Basilisk alive on two wounds.

I only manage to claim one VP from the round, and the battle ends with us both taking Linebreaker.

Objectives scored – Master the Warp (1), Linebreaker (1)
Objectives scored (Mordians) – Linebreaker (1)

Result 20 : 19 - victory to the Mordian 29th!

Locker Room

Where to begin? That battle was fought over an epic day of wargaming. The Mordian 29th never disappoint, and this felt like the best battle I've played against them. Having to chew through the massed ranks of infantry and suffer the shells of the armour feels just how it should be against Imperial Guard. Great experience!

In terms of effectiveness, the Guard really don't mess about! The combination of the Leman Russes and the Basilisks (augmented by the new Psychic Awakening toys and the ubiquitous Vengeance for Cadia stratagem) means they can really dish out some punishment. I wonder what impact some of the other armoured vehicles would have (Hydra, Manticore, Hellhound etc), but that would mean cutting back on the infantry and, although 120 meat shields may seem like a lot, there were only five left by the end, so clearly a big screen is needed!

I was concerned by Turn 2 that I'd be picking up my toys for an early finish, but I managed to cling on long enough to counterpunch and take it to the wire. My MVP was clearly the big unit of Terminators. I did wonder if I'd miss their Cult of Time ability but in all honesty, the mobility afforded them by the Cult of Duplicity was far more valuable.

From the daemon half, the Exalted Flamers impressed me mightily. The Pink Horrors folded fast, and in a way that made me miss my Tzaangor. But they were mis-used: they should have spent the game tying up the Command Tank, not trading shots with the gunline.

Generally, I probably erred when I chose not to follow-through with my plan to obliterate one flank first. I left the job half-done, and that allowed the surviving elements to punish me. The fight over Objective 2 was probably a mistake (albeit an entertaining one) - I should have ditched the card immediately and hoped for better. That said, I'm sure my Terminators only lasted into the end game because John was obliged to put that much firepower onto the tower doorstep.

Still, a draw would have flattered me. I was lucky to stay on my feet for duration. The Mordians ended up with a lot more material on the field and - most importantly - possession of the tower.

For all that it was a damned near run thing. Can't wait for the rematch!