Calculating Firing Angels: Crypt Angels vs Tempestus Scions

As promised, here's a battle report featuring all the Space Marine stuff I've painted in the last few months! And some Tempestus Scions too, just so the marines don't have it all their way. Kraken vs Kas, and may the best painted win.

Scion Target

Bit of an impromptu game this, so the Scions list is actually one I'd picked out for another match later in the week. No harm getting some practice in with them, so even if they aren't tooled for marine armour so well, they're still a nippy team who can pack a powerful punch. 

Iotan Dragons are a pair of words that apparently go together, and I haven't tried them before. 6" extra range on rapid fire guns, which makes their hotshot las weapons pretty nice. This means I've taken more of an MSU firing squad approach, with four medium sized units ready to bring the rain. 

Otherwise it's a very standard Scion list - Taurox Prime transports, a Prime and a Commissar to lead them and some wings in the air. The Vulture Gunship this time, making a second appearance - I reckon I've got enough transport capacity to manage otherwise. 

Iotan Dragons Battalion, 999 points, 6 CPs

• HQ - Tempestus Prime warlord with Rod of Command, Power Maul, Auto-Reliquary of Tiberius relic, Grand Strategist trait
• HQ - Commissar Lord with Bolt Pistol and Power Fist
• Troops - 8 x Scions, Tempestor has a Chainsword, there's a Vox and 2 Hotshot Volley Guns
• Troops - Same again
• Troops - 6 x Scions, Tempestor has a Chainsword, there's a Plasma Gun and a Grenade Launcher
• Troops - 6 x Scions, Tempestor has a Plasma Pistol and Power Sword, there's another Plasma Gun and a Flamer
• Elites - Tempestus Command Squad x 4, Platoon Standard, Vox, two Meltas
• Elites - Ogryn Bodyguard with Brute Shield and Ogryn Maul
• Flyer - Vulture Gunship with twin Vulture Gatling Cannons
• Dedicated Transport - Taurox Prime with Battle Cannon, Storm Bolter and twin Volley Guns
• Dedicated Transport - Taurox Prime with Missile Launcher and twin Autocannons

Cryptocurrent

Kasfunatu has a list entirely based on the models to hand! Bit of a limited pick, therefore, but potent all the same. There's just enough fast attack to make an Outrider detachment, throw in all the new toys and then round them out with an Imperial Assassin. It would have been a Culexus, but a) they're not much fun to play against even without psykers and b) I don't have one. 

This is only because I knew nothing about assassins and just watched Winters' latest battle report and so picked up some rules by osmosis. 

Otherwise the list is very heavy on the heavy weapons - tons of meltas and lascannons, plus a handy melee reserve in the form of the Chaplain. And anti-infantry support from the Storm Speeder. Almost as though it was a list made to eat Scions and their light vehicles. Have I become the victim of a cunning long con?

I was missing troops and so CPs were depleted as a result. Also I think I would normally favour one of the other speeders, but with the assassins being a fixed price I had to downgrade to the base version.

Crypt Angels Outrider Detachment, 3 CPs (1 on Detachment tax, 1 on Assassin, 1 on Hero of the Chapter), 1000 points

The Crypt Angels are playing as Ultramarine Successors with Master Artisans and Tactical Withdrawal as their traits

• HQ - Primaris Chaplain on Bike, Master of Sanctity, Mantra of Strength and Recitation of Focus, Warlord with Imperium's Sword trait
• HQ - Primaris Techmarine with Hero of the Chapter, Rites of War trait
• Fast Attack - Invader ATV with Multimelta
• Fast Attaack - Invader ATV with Multimelta
• Fast Attack - Storm Speeder Hailstrike 
• Heavy Support - 3 x Eradicators with Heavy Melta Rifles and a Multimelta
• Heavy Support - 2 x Firestrike Servo Turrets, one with lastalons, one with autocannons
• Reinforcements - Imperial Callidus Assassin

Mission and Terrain

We are playing the Recon Mission GT game, and we both took the same secondaries:

• 1. Recon - perform a single turn action with one of your units in each quarter of the table for increasing returns
• 2. Engage on All Fronts - if we're nipping about to cover all the ground anyway, may as well get paid for it
• 3. Bring It Down - both teams have a reasonable number of vehicles (many small SM ones, one large and two small Scions). Not the highest scoring objective by any means, but a relatively simple and certain one

And we're playing it across some snowy ruins, deploying on opposite table quarters and staying 9" away from the middle. The ruins are all Obscuring as well as the standard ruin qualities, so all our vehicles may have a bit of a job getting in and out. It's a 4x3' table, though, small enough that you can still claim objectives from outside the walls. 

Deployment

I'm in attack, so Kas takes his pick of quarters and puts down a ferocious pack of shooters peeking out from it - both turrets and characters, with the Eradicators ready to stride over a raised bridge to the central ground. The mobile elements hide behind the ruins, prepared to pounce or hide depending on who goes first. 

Likewise, I stick a pair of infantry fire teams into my ruined quarter and hide all my vehicles behind it. One van has an eight-man team inside, the other has six with the commissar and his bodyguard, and the Prime and his command team are in deep strike. The Vulture lurks at the back, facing into the middle so I can decide which way to go later. 

Kas takes first turn!

Crypt Angels Turn 1

The techmarine blesses the autocannon turret's targeting scope (although I forget to use it) and the Chaplain prays to himself twice (but I don't move him) - so my command phase was well spent.

With the machine being to scan quarters and the techpriest having already blessed one set of machinery he sets about reconnoitring the area. I discover not only my autocannon but the lastalon too are in range of things, and so sit still. 

For the rest: it's time to roll out. Having picked engage, I opt for advancing on quadbike up to the top corner behind cover of the ruined church. The eradicators footstomp up the bridge hoping to get a better view, and other speeder and atv cautiously advance in the hope to get some shots off. I did not know how to use assassins, but a distraction (a distractassin as it were) seemed as good as any, so he popped up in bottom ruins ready to claim a second objective/quarter.

The chaplain hides behind the big skull in the centre.

Shooting is, erm, effective. Well it is at gunning down the troops, but as most of the rest is hidden, it was vicious. Shots from speeder, bikes, eradicators and atv nuked the two squads of infantry, and chipped at the visible taurox bracketing it.

Objectives scored: Engage on All Fronts - 2

Tempestus Scions Turn 1

Errrr, right, well, I was expecting to have slightly more boots on the ground than fate has provided, but I may as well try and stick to my plan as closely as I can. 

The damaged Taurox stays still and does Jury Rigging (which costs me extra CPs thanks to the Callidus). It can't move, but it can shoot, and having that extra wound back will help it hit. The troops inside jump out and run back to the home objective, staying behind the ruins after spotting all the dead chaps on the ground within. 

The other Taurox takes its missile racks and powers towards the assassin, also hiding in the ruins, and the Vulture goes with it. They can't see much from there, but killing the assassin will give me an objective and deprive them of one, plus I strongly suspect the Vulture Gatling Cannons will be almost totally worthless against marine armour, however many shots I get. 

As it happens, however, my shooting is ghastly. The cannon Taurox knocks a lone wound off the incoming Invader, then between them, neither the Vulture nor the missile Taurox can actually pinpoint the lady in the dark jumpsuit, who somehow takes three wounds from a fairly intense barrage. Yaargh! 

 

Objectives scored: Nope

Crypt Angels Turn 2

The techmarine and chaplain repeat their litanies; this time the techmaine strokes the lastalon (who still forgets to use it) and the chaplain prays to buff the eradicators above him - but fails. He does boost himself in combat, but he is still hiding behind the skull. 

The distraction in the south ruins knows her days are numbered, but prepares to scan the quarter and send back her report before death takes her (brave lass). In the north one ATV swings round the ruin claiming another primary, whilst the second revs in to the fourth table quarter. The speeder clocked the troops disembarking and running for cover, and heads into a dangerous spot near vulture and taurox hunting them down. 

The combined fire of eradicators and turrets bring down the big gunship. ATV knocks out one of the taurox and the anti-infantry fire from the speeder obliterates the unit of foot-troops. The assassin snarls at the tank and scares it into losing a wound.

Still no charges, but the chaplain is just biding his time.

Objectives scored: Primaries - 5, Engage on All Fronts - 3

Tempestus Scions Turn 2

It might be a small hammer, but I can still drop it. The Prime takes his Command Squad and lands behind the round tower, hoping to ambush the Invaders there. Originally, he'd have been trying to land with a gunline unit and boost them with orders, but sadly they're all dead. 

The Commissar takes his troops out of the missile Taurox and gets into position to try and secure his quarter, sending the Ogryn to punch the Hailstrike while he and his team surround the assassin, assuming they can't shoot her first. Which they can't, she just dances around in the shooting like something from a Bond title sequence. 

Similarly, the Taurox can't do more than knock a few wounds off the Hailstrike, and the melta team similarly disappoint with a pair of wounds on the nearby Invader. Adding ludicrous bravery to his CV, the Prime also orders himself to run into the ruins and contest the objective, because otherwise the game is really going to get away from me. If he takes a multimelta to the face, so be it! 

The charge phase sees the Ogryn punch the tailfins off the Hailstrike, but he takes a pair of wounds to overwatch on the way in. The Commmissar only needs to land a single blow to flatten the Callidus, but he just can't. So she kills him, then pirouettes through the swipes of the Scion squad afterwards. Gah!

Objectives scored: Still nope

Crypt Angels Turn 3

The techmarine continues to tinker with the turrets and goes back to administering to the autocannon. The chaplain buffs himself before realising that the charge is too long and heads for the castle keep wall expecting a charge next turn. 

One ATV sees the approaching troops, but follows orders and scans the area, and the second abandons his table quarter in favour of helping mop up some of the newly arrived troops. 

The assassin back flips out of combat, but she can shoot and charge back in in a minute. However freeing up the troops allows the turrets to let loose and murder the team. 

She then goes back in to try and tangle up the tank again, but I'm waiting with the Iotan Dragons' Drilled To Perfection strategem, which means overwatch hits on 4+. Finally, she dances herself to death!

The stormspeeder is looking pretty scratched, but weight of gun finally takes out the ogryn, and the grenades manage to plink a few more dents on the transport. 

Objectives scored: Primaries - 5, Engage on All Fronts - 2

Tempestus Scions Turn 3 

It's all over bar shouting, really, but I have one last desperate yell in the face of the enemy. One last time, my remaining forces try and kill at least one Crypt Angel before I give up. 

The missile Taurox lines up all its barrels and sneaks a single krak missile in through the armoured hovercar's defences, but it's only for three wounds. I do wonder about the reroll, but decide I'm better saving it for the lone melta scion instead. And I'm glad I do, when he hits and fails to wound. The reroll manages to scorch another handful of wounds off the nearby Invader, but it's not actually enough to finish the job that I didn't really start terribly well. 

Time to call this one, I reckon!

Objectives scored: Primaries - 5, Crypt Angels then score primaries, etc, for the next few rounds' worth plus 4 for Bring It Down

Result: 73 - 5 to the Crypt Angels!

Locker Room

Aaand that's why we don't bring light vehicles against melta guns, folks. 

For a list made up of what was to hand: that was mighty effective! Sorry.

The dice might not have helped me much, but I was guilty of an error I keep making with the highly mobile Scions. Rather than using my speed to spread out and try and grab objectives, I should be focussing their highly vicious but often short-ranged firepower on individual targets. So if I'd sent everything in the same direction to start with, for example, I might have killed the Assassin a little faster, or an Invader or two!

All three vehicles were quite badly wounded, but not enough.

Also, even more cautious deployment in turn one. I honestly thought the ruins would keep the Scions a bit safer, losing two squads to melta and autocannon fusillades really stung. Damn you, tactical doctrines! 

Anyone else starting to feel like meltas might possibly have been overcorrected for this edition? Don't get me wrong, they really do some proper work now, and are priced to fit. Part of me wonders if they couldn't be made even more specialised against armour, maybe give them a penalty to hit infantry (who might be faster at jumping out of the beam's focus or something)? Probably just the sour taste of defeat in my mouth!

You are right, men against melta is not good; and without other targets there were 12 las/melta shots which came in at AP-5 due to doctrine. Regular infantry don't stand up to that no matter what wall they hid behind. 

I think the slightly smaller board helped me, as more things were in range on first turn. 

This same Scions list will be back later against their original intended foe, so here's hoping they can redeem this utter fiasco!

Enjoy!

What's the Tyranid for 'Multimelta to the Face?'