Oblidicate the Eraterators: Crypt Saints vs Crypt Fallen

Naxramus turned as Falchio entered the chamber. "My...Lord, we've received word from our Alpha Legion contact: if we are to believe them, our former brethren's reinforcements have left Drawbridge and will arrive here imminently." Naxramus smiled at Falchio's hesitation in acknowledging his authority: the Champion of Khorne distrusted the Tzeentchian Sorcerer's reliance on magic over brute strength. Naxramus knew Falchio was itching to attack the loyalist Crypt Angels immediately, and it was clear that his simple Khornate mind didn't appreciate the intricacies of the Lord Tzeentch's plan. He turned back to finish his dedication ritual. "Tell the tech-adepts to have the devices ready in an hour; tell them also that if they delay our attack any longer, you have my permission to dedicate their blood to your god."

Kasfunatu's loyalist Crypt Saints have once more come under attack by their traitorous former-brethren, the Crypt Fallen, today led by remote control by me, Pootle.

Crypt Saints

The Saints have had their reinforcements returned from Kraken/the Drawbridge system, and so Outrider, Eradicators and Assault Intercessors are available again.  I took some of each and added a few units I wanted to try again after the recent T'au battle (Chaplain, Redemptor and Techmarine).  Finally, I completed the line-up with some varied troop tax, some heroes and a box.

I had previously used Outriders as reserves and kept out of the field, but not had the chance to field them at the same time as the Chaplain, so I was keen to try him with his retinue.

The Apothecary was there to resurrect Eradicators (or even Outriders) and/or to heal the Techmarine; and the Techmarine to boost the Dread; and the Suppressors to allow a charge without fear of overwatch.

I paid for a relic and trait, one to keep the Apothecary more alive, and the other to allow more boosts onto the dread.

• HQ - Chaplain on Bike, Warlord: Imperium's Sword, Relic: Adamantine Mantle, Master of Sanctity: Mantra of Strength, Canticle of Hate
• HQ - Primaris Techmarine, Master of the Forge, Hero of the Chapter: Warden of the Ancients
• HQ - Phobos Lieutenant 
• Troops - 5 Assault Intercessors, Sergeant with Power Fist
• Troops - 6 Infiltrators, Infiltrator Comms Array
• Troops - 6 Intercessors, Bolt Rifles
• Elites - Primaris Apothecary, Extra Relic: Artificier Armour
• Elites - Redemptor Dreadnought, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Icarus Rocket Pod, Onslaught Gatling Cannon, Fragstorm Grenade Launchers
• Fast Attack - 3 Outriders
• Fast Attack - 3 Suppressors
• Heavy Support - 3 Eradicators, Heavy Melta Rifles, Multi-Melta
• Dedicated Transport - Impulsor, Storm Bolters, Ironhail Heavy Stubber, Orbital Comms Array

1,499 Points, Power Level 81, 10 CP (12 - 1 for extra warlord trait -1 for extra relic)

Crypt Fallen (Red Corsairs)

I'm fairly familiar with Chaos Space Marines, but I've only ever fielded them as Nurgle-aligned Purge. Today I'll be running the Crypt Fallen as Red Corsairs, meaning most units can advance and charge (and get some CP benefits - see below). They're not locked to any one god, so I'm extremely keen to try out Berserkers: I grab a couple of small units, each in their own Rhino. They'll be accompanied by an Exalted Champion (carrying the Black Mace to add some punch). 

I suspect I'll be facing Eradicators, so don't feel too guilty about bringing three Slaanesh-aligned Obliterators for double-shooting shenanigans. I pack the troops slots with a couple of units of cultists and three fairly basic units of marines (taking three of these gives Red Corsairs an additional 3CPs to play with, and they'll also be useful to spread out and sit on objectives).

The army is led by a Terminator Sorcerer (I'm very fond of this option, rather than a Lord). Keen to try out non-Nurgle stuff, he's a disciple of Tzeentch and gets a warlord trait to let him reroll 1s on psychic tests and a relic to add 1 to tests when casting Smite - both these feel suitably Tzeentchian. 

Lastly I add a Tzeentch Helbrute (who can benefit from my warlord's Weaver of Fates to get a 5++) and five Slaaneshi Bikers, who have the potential to be slung forwards with Warptime (advancing both times but able to fire the brace of Melta guns they're equipped with) and still charge due to the Red Corsairs main trait.

• HQ - Terminator Sorcerer, Mark of Tzeentch, Warlord: Warp Lord, Relic: Eye of Tzeentch, Combi-Melta, Force Sword, Warptime, Weaver of Fates
• HQ - Exalted Champion, Mark of Khorne, Power Maul, Astartes Chainsword, Additional Relic: The Black Mace
• Troops - 10 Cultists, Mark of Nurgle, Autoguns
• Troops - 10 Cultists, Mark of Nurgle, Autoguns
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines, Mark of Nurgle, Heavy Bolter, Champion with Combi-Bolter and Astartes Chainsword
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines, Mark of Nurgle, Champion with Bolter and Astartes Chainsword
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines, Mark of Nurgle, Champion with Combi-Bolter and Power Sword
• Elites - Helbrute, Mark of Tzeentch, Multi-Melta, Helbrute Fist
• Elites - 5 Berserkers, Chain Axes & Astartes Chainswords, Champion with Power Fist and Astartes Chainsword
• Elites - 5 Berserkers, Chain Axes & Astartes Chainswords, Champion with Power Fist and Astartes Chainsword
• Fast Attack - 5 Bikers, Mark of Slaanesh, 2 Melta Guns, Champion with Power Fist
• Heavy Support - 3 Obliterators, Mark of Slaanesh
• Dedicated Transport - Rhino, Mark of Khorne
• Dedicated Transport - Rhino, Mark of Khorne

1,499 Points, Power Level 77, 14CP (12 + 3 for Corsairs - 1 for extra relic)

Mission and Deployment

Kas has set up a lovely battlefield, with plenty of obscuring terrain in the middle of the board, which will make for some interesting tactical decisions as there are still some vistas to shoot through.

We're playing Vital Intelligence from the GT pack. This has a diagonal deployment with one objective in each deployment zone and four spread in a line across the middle. With six objectives on the field, it's a hold-two, hold-three, hold-more requirement for the Primaries.

I choose the mission-specific Data Intercept (VPs for as many objectives as I control in the command phase when I complete the action from the turn before), Engage On All Fronts and Deploy Scramblers.

I think this is the first game I have not opted to take the mission objective, but did not fit how I wanted to play. I was going to opt for "While we stand we fight" until Pootle pointed out the recent change from model to unit, and so opted for "Thin their ranks" instead, coupled with Linebreaker (I had my fast units and suppressors) and then "Cut off the head" as reasonable targets.

The central part of my plan is to teleport the Obliterators in to kill the Eradicators. I will have to kill the lot of them in one go otherwise the blasted Apothecary will heal and resurrect them, but I'm pretty confident that 18x2 shots will do the trick. 

I stick the Helbrute and one unit of Cultists into Strategic Reserve for 1CP, the former to react to the Suppressors and the latter to Deploy Scramblers upfield somewhere.

On the field, everyone tries to stay out of sight of the Eradicators and Redemptor, either of which could cause trouble if Kas gets first turn. One Rhino, containing a unit of Berzerkers and the most expendable unit of marines is on my left flank, the other, with the other Berzerkers and their Exalted Champion, is in the centre along with most of the rest of the army.

I opt for the Eradicators and Redemptor in the centre of the board; hoping they can get a bead on things advancing. I have two objectives well covered, and one more with a little move. 

The Infiltrators infiltrate ready to jump on another, and the rest of my forces take my left flank, ready to swing round.

Turn One: Crypt Fallen

I decide to play it cautiously this turn. If Kas moves forwards next turn, I can pounce on him then at the same time as my Obliterators and Helbrute land: hopefully this concentration in time, if not necessarily in space, will give Kas more targets than even he can deal with.

At the end of the turn, I have achieved the lesser Engage On All Fronts as I'm in three table quarters (helped by the diagonal deployment). The Cultists start digging up the ground to bury their Scramblers, whilst the Marines next to them plug something into a small console half-buried in the ground and start their Data Intercept. I know I will only be on one objective next turn, hence only get 1VP here, but that's better than nothing.

VPs: 2:0 to the Fallen

Turn One: Crypt Saints

I am very conscious that with the traitorous scum not moving, my targets are limited, and so I just prepare for what's next. 

Given a large contingent of the Chaos forces are clumped together, the Impulsor calls for a bombardment, and then the Chaplain orders an orbital strike (marked by the large skull above), which will land at the start of my next turn. 

Two foot slogging units jump on to objectives (Infiltrators on top left, and Intecessors on the bottom right) and the Impulsor (with its Assault Intercessor passengers getting ready) jumps on another. 

Other shooting is minor given the Chaos cautiousness; but with the first of the two bombardments, I have scratched a bike, half the cultists and killed all but one of the marines in a five man squad.

Turn Two: Crypt Fallen

This turn, not to put too fine a point on it, is critical. I'm only on one objective at the start of the turn, not enough for any Primary points, but I have a plan!

The Bikers gun their machines and fly forwards as far as they can, the Terminator Sorcerer loping along behind them, chanting and ready to fling them even farther forward towards their distant loyalist cousins on their (larger and shinier) bikes. The gore-splattered Rhino belches black smoke and drives alongside the Sorcerer, shielding him from enemies with its bulk.

The lone Marine champion in the Crypt Fallen's deployment zone slips off the battlefield, but there are More Where They Came From and (for a cool 3CPs), an identically-equipped squad appears behind the Intercessors. The Cultists have been ordered to hold their ground despite the whine of incoming artillery: their general is reasonably confident that at least some will live through the bombardment, but doesn't really care if they don't survive.

As he had planned, Naxramus sees the bulk of his pet Helbrute, Perferator Pavor, appear through the fog to his right alongside a squad of Marines who have burst through the flimsy wall of the building they had been hiding in. He gestures at the looming Impulsor and knows that he has caused fuses to burst and wires to melt inside it. With further concentration (and a CP for the Tzeentchian strat to cast a third spell) he binds spirits to further augment his already mighty armour (increasing his invulnerable save to 4++).

However, the concentration needed to cast these spells whilst running forwards spoils his aim, and his Melta blast goes wide of the Impulsor, reducing a boulder to molten goo. Seeing this, his enslaved Helbrute targets the same rock with his Multi-Melta, rather than shooting the Impulsor...

The Marines bring down one of the Infiltrators before everyone crashes into the Impulsor. The Helbrute roars in triumph as it smashes the vehicle to small pieces, grabbing one of the Assault Intercessors as he stumbles from the wreckage and tearing him limb from limb. It continues to pound the wreckage until it punches into the main fuel cell, which explodes, killing one of the Chaos Marines and wounding all the chaos forces nearby.

Meanwhile, the Bikers have suddenly appeared behind the enemy Warlord, aiming Melta blasts at both him and the Outriders who were meant to be guarding him. One of the large bikes is reduced to slag, but the Chaplain's armour is made of something special and the superheated beam has no effect on him. Chainswords revving and Power Fist buzzing, the Bikers charge in to cut the head from the enemy snake, but despite the blizzard of blows the loyalist Chaplain laughs as his armour shrugs off every...single...attack. This is not what Naxramus had planned. Can Tzeentch have some greater plan for the attack?

It matters not. The Sorcerer knows that this display will have grabbed the attention of the corpse-worshippers, little realising that the true attack comes elsewhere. A light flickers in the upper storey of the ruins in the middle of the battlefield and three bulky figures, wreathed in colours that simultaneously scream for attention and twist their shapes into indistinguishability, aim their Fleshmetal Guns at the Eradicators scouring the battlefield for targets worthy of their Melta weaponry. 

A steady whine builds from the internal ammunition feeds and explosive shells pour onto the gantry. But something else has gone wrong. Perhaps still dizzy from the teleportation, most of the shots go wide (eleven 1s and 2s...I ask you!) and almost all of those that do hit bounce off the strange Transhuman Physiology of the super-marines - none have fallen. Laughing with pleasure, for Naxramus had told them what would happen to them if they failed in their mission, their bodies mutate again, creating travesties of the Melta weapons carried by the Eradicators, mockeries that promise that, this time, nothing shall survive (I rolled max for all of strength (irrelevant), AP and, most importantly, damage this time). The resultant heat-haze distorts the Obliterators view of the gantry. They see three bodies lying amongst heaps of fused and twisted metal, but then, looking more like the melted ruins who shot at his squad, the Sergeant staggers to his feet, blood streaming from gaping wounds in his body, but still alive! Worse still, an Apothecary crawls under cover of the barricades towards one of the fallen and starts injecting stimulants into his still-twitching body. Perhaps he too will stand back up?

This is a disaster! That blasted Apothecary (that's his official name now) with his 6+++ aura kept one of the Eradicators alive on one wound! Gulp...

At the end of the turn I do at least score the full 3VPs for being in all four table quarters.

VPs: 5:0 to the Fallen.

Turn Two: Crypt Saints

I am conscious that secondaries could easily get away from me, I don't have a good plan to combat that: so need to make sure I keep the two primary objectives I'm on (enough for 5VPs this turn) and deny chaos primaries as best possible.

I had left the Cultists holding my home objective under the incoming artillery strike, confident that they'd only suffer D3 mortal wounds: naturally Kas rolled a 6, meaning D6 mortal wounds and then followed that up with a 5 so only the Champion was left standing!

Given that, the Outriders break from their bodyguard duties and head to deal with the newly arrived marines.  The Dread stomps on to objective ready to target the income Rhino. 

I drop the Suppressors in to the back field, I know my remaining Assault Intercessors will be looking to charge and so deny overwatch will be sensible. 

When shooting starts, the Eradicators light up first, now back to two in number (thanks to the doc's work) and one of them with a Multi-melta so it's going to be 6 shots. When all hit (thanks to army trait), due to the target being in short range, the Obliterators all melt back to the warp they came from. 

I didn't make a single 5++ save for the Oblits, so even using a reroll wouldn't have saved any of them. Having four wounds each was no defence to being in short-range for Meltas.

The Outriders finish off the newly-arrived marines, the Infiltrators take out the Sorcerer's Marine guard, the Dread disintegrates the incoming Rhino thereby dropping its troops behind difficult terrain, and the Cultist hiding in his foxhole raises his head to see if anyone else survived the artillery only to be shot in the face by one of the Suppressors. The other two Suppressors hit the Helbrute and the Sorcerer (the latter shrugging off the damage due to his Terminator armour). 

The Assault Intercessors charge the Helbrute. They do well, but it's still standing on one wound, and it stomps three of them to death. Calling on their strategic training (and 2 CP) the single fighter left at the first round of combat fights again and Power Fists the Helbrute into the earth.

Oh how I wish I had Duty Eternal like the loyalist Dreads get to nerf that Power Fist! Very good play that interruption: if the Helbrute had still been around next turn, there's no telling what mischief he might have caused. I remember the fight-again strat had been nerfed so discounted it, but of course now it's limited to Assault Intercessors. I wish now that I'd used a CP reroll on one of my missed attacks to give me a chance of killing them! 

I am conscious how scary Berserkers are, and there are two units to drop, one right in my face, and one which is admittedly hampered by rubble.

VPs: 5:5 draw

Turn Three: Crypt Fallen

At the start of the turn, I'm only holding one objective (with my Berserkers in the South East) because the solitary Assault Intercessor is Troops and blocking my claim to the one nearest the bulk of my surviving forces. So once again there are no primary VPs to be scored. 

Tactically I think that my best chance now is to hide from the Eradicators and Redemptor if I can, and grab as much of the North of the table as possible. I'm only on one objective at the start of the turn, again too few for any Primary points. The outflanking Cultists arrive on the Western edge of the battlefield and immediately start digging holes in the ground and burying more scramblers.

First up, the Bikers fall back from the Chaplain onto the objective behind the building (out of sight of the Eradicators). The Berserkers and Exalted Champion boil out of the remaining Rhino and march directly towards the Chaplain, whilst the Sorcerer bursts the head of the surviving Assault Intercessor with a gesture and reduces the Phobos Lieutenant to a molten puddle with a casual Melta shot over his shoulder as he moves to deal with the Infiltrators: that'll teach him to not have an invulnerable save!

To shut down the Suppressors (who won't be able to fall back and shoot), the Rhino moves to within an easy charge of the bouncing autocannons: if only I had some Troops within range of my home objective now!

In the South East, the other Berserkers move towards the Techmarine, as they should be able to kill him at least (not really being built to bring down the Redemptor). However they fail their charge so they're not going to last long! 

The combination of the Berserkers and Exalted Champion do bring down the Chaplain at last, though it's not straightforward; Kas interrupts combat after the first flurry of attacks from the Berserkers causes only two wounds but only manages to drag down one of the Berserkers.

I really need the Sorcerer to step up in combat, but unfortunately despite a few Deaths To The False Emperor, he only manages to kill one of the Infiltrators, so unfortunately Kas will be holding the Northern objective a little longer. I do score the max 3VPs for Engage On All Fronts once again at least.

VPs: 8:5 to the Fallen

Turn Three: Crypt Saints

Fifteen welcome VPs at the start of the turn for holding four objectives (to Pootle's one!). I give up on killing the warlord and linebreaker at this point. I need to take/deny primaries and get kills. 

Realising that my Eradicators have done their job, the Apothecary drops down to the lower level, this time to resurrect an Outrider instead. 

Suppressors know that they will be charged again, and their cannons nerfed; but they still number three, and so jump on to a northern objective. The Rhino can't outnumber them. 

The Redemptor shuffles forward for an easier charge, and the Techmarine keeps pace.

I retreat the Infiltrators (more chance to stay alive on objective... it means losing one round of combat to a charger, instead of two rounds of prolonged combat, and may buy time). 

The Intercessors walk forward to get a bead on the Cultists.

Between Outriders, Eradicators and Intercessors, I knock out the Berserkers (all but one in shooting), the Exalted Champion, and a few Cultists. The Redemptor kills the Berserkers on other right flank, and all but one Marine on the final objective.

VPs: 20:8 to the Saints

Turn Four: Crypt Fallen

I'm playing for pride here, just to see what damage I can do. However I do start the turn by claiming my first Primary VPs of the game for being on two objectives - somewhat late! I also therefore score two VPs as the surviving Marine in the South East was performing the Data Intercept action last turn. The Bikes and Cultists manage to kill three Intercessors, but the Sorcerer only manages to kill three of the four remaining Infiltrators with his combined Smite, Melta and close combat - very much sub-par again there I'm afraid.

The one positive is that the surviving Marine in the South East carefully Deploys Scramblers, though he might as well climb into the hole he's dug in the ground.

I call the game there, though we work out that Kas will go on to max out with 45 VPs from primary objectives together with scoring 7VPs for Thin Their Ranks: we reckoned that Kas would have no trouble killing the surviving forces, with the probable exception of the Terminator Sorcerer, who would have to teleport home and explain himself alone. I did well on secondaries, scoring a creditable 11 for Engage On All Fronts, along with 10 for deploying all three scramblers and 2 for Data Intercept, but only scoring 5VPs in the whole game for primary objectives (and that only this final turn) sealed what turned out to be a fairly convincing victory for the Saints both in terms of VPs and boots/bodies on the ground. 

Final score: 52:28 to the Crypt Saints

Naxramus's eyes widened as they accustomed to the gloom of the teleport chamber. He would report complete success to Kasfunatius: the three devices had been buried in the requisite places and soon they would be remotely activated. He had never expected that the simple-minded Khorne troops would survive the battle and they had served to distract the corpse-worshippers rather well. Similarly, the shambling, rotting Nurgle marines and cultists were completely expendable: their resistance to disease meant the effects of the devices were limited on them, but even they would never have survived the prolonged exposure to that much warpstone. And Naxramus suspected that the Slaaneshi troops had rather enjoyed their deaths. The only slight regret he had was losing his Helbrute, but the tortured soul had clearly surrendered to madness in melting the terrain and then pounding the Impulsor's fuel cell to destruction. No, this was indeed a complete success. Kasfunatius would reward Naxramus and they could proceed to the next stage of the plan to bring the rump of the Crypt Angels to the worship of true power.

Locker Room

I don't want to blame dice rolls, but the fact that the Obliterators failed to kill the Eradicators was pretty pivotal. If they had managed their assigned task, Kas would still have killed a lot of units in his turn 2 (he ended up killing six units that turn), but the Obliterators would have been well positioned to start deleting the units that Kas was using to hold objectives. It's obviously impossible to say for sure, but given that Kas only started scoring max VPs on Primaries in turn 3, I think it would have been a lot closer at the very least.

I agree. The Apothecary's 6+++ aura coupled with the 11/18 1s/2s in the first round of shooting was pivotal. Without the doctor they would have been dead even with the bad rolling. But if I made just 1 of the 6s from three rolls, it meant 2+ hits were needed to kill each one. 

Kas was extremely efficient at removing me from objectives before I could score them. Clearly in 9th that's pretty fundamental. I never scored Data Intercept and only scored any primary points once I was playing for pride!

I'm slightly appalled that only two Eradicators managed to bring three Obliterators down with such ease, but that does illustrate the random nature of the Obliterators compared to the more reliable damage output of the Eradicators (I didn't help myself by setting up within 12" of them).

I had previously used the 'Indomitus' Eradicators. However, I feel the heavy versions are better. The normal being assault and d6 damage; and the heavy being heavy and d6+2. But you can trade one in for a Multimelta (same range, still heavy, only d6 damage, but 2 shots). So going heavy: don't move, and 4 shots (two at d6 and two at d6+2). When targeting same, that's two extra shots, and for only 10 points more. 

That's another thing: that tooled-up Eradicator squad was less than half the cost of three Obliterators!  Of course, it's more that the high cost of the Oblits reflects that with teleport strike they are guaranteed first pop at their targets, and if you're sensible and play them as Slaaneshi (rather than Nurgle as I would normally), that is a lot of firepower.  

We talked after the game that my careful play on turn one was actually too cautious: I should have moved the Rhino with the Berserkers further forward (behind the building, so out of sight of Kas's heavy stuff) so that the Berserkers could have charged on turn two - that would have freed up the Bikers to kill something else and perhaps let me score more Primary points. 

Agreed, getting the zerkers ready for turn two action safely, to combine with the bike charge and oblit drop: would have been demoralising and scary.

I did enjoy playing with a different CSM army; thank you Kas for hosting! I shall return!

Thank you for the fun outing; and allowing the chaos taint to be stomped out.