Swamp Angels: Death Guard vs Space Marines

The Crypt Angels and Death Guard find themselves scrambling over the last sweetie in the jar.

Let's fight!

I, Stylus, make a long-overdue return to Kasfunatu Towers (via Skype) to take command of the Death Guard against the all-primaris force of Crypt Angels.

(no pictures, I'm afraid, so you'll have to make do with my thousand words)

Crypt Angels - Space Marines

A double-patrol here, so the Crypt Angels can make the most of their specialities. All the fighting units get Tactical Withdrawal and Whirlwind of Rage, so they can fall back and charge, and their hits explode on 6s. 

All the shooting units get Bolter Fusillades and Master Artisans for those extra rerolls. Lots of supporting characters to protect or repair the units, plus a terrifying Chaplain on a bike. Formidable!

Patrol Detachment - Adeptus Astartes - Ultramarines Successor
Tactical Withdrawal, Whirlwind of Rage

• Primaris Chaplain on Bike (HQ) (Warlord)
  Absolver Bolt pistol, Crozius arcanum, Frag & Krak grenades, Twin Bolt rifle
  Warlord: The Imperium's Sword
  Litanies: Mantra of Strength, Benediction of Fury, Litany of Hate
• 5 x Assault Intercessor Squad (Troops)
  Sgt: Plasma pistol, Power fist, Astartes Chainsword, Heavy Bolt Pistol
• 3 x Aggressor Squad (Elite)
  Flamestorm Gauntlets
• Primaris Apothecary (Elite)
  Absolver Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Reductor Pistol, 
  Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary
  Hero of the Chapter: Selfless Healer
• 3 x Outrider Squad (Fast)
  Astartes Chainsword, Frag & Krak grenades, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Twin Bolt rifle
• 3 x Outrider Squad (Fast)
  Astartes Chainsword, Frag & Krak grenades, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Twin Bolt rifle

Patrol Detachment - Adeptus Astartes - Ultramarines Successor
Bolter Fusillades and Master Artisans

• Primaris Librarian (HQ)
  Bolt pistol, Force sword, Frag & Krak grenades
  Relics of the Chapter: Adamantine Mantle
  Powers: Might of Heroes, Psychic Fortress
• Primaris Techmarine (HQ)
  Forge bolter, Frag & Krak grenades, Grav-pistol, Mechadendrite, Omnissian power axe, Servo-arm
• 5 x Infiltrator Squad (Troops)
  Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Marksman bolt carbine, Helix gauntlet, Omni-scramblers
• Redemptor Dreadnought (Elite)
  2 x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon, Redemptor Fist
• 3 x Eliminator Squad (Heavy)
  Bolt sniper rifle
• 3 x Eradicator Squad (Heavy)
  2 x Heavy melta rifle, Multi-melta

Points: 1499 | Level: 75 | Battle-forged + Patrol - Patrol - Hero of the Chapter - Relics of the Chapter: 8 CPs

The Rylstone Rotters - Death Guard

I do enjoy playing the Death Guard, having taken them out twice before on borrowed armies. I wasn't aiming for anything particularly complicated: just good strong units that can dash around the board. The Lord of Contagion warlord was given Hulking Physique, just to add to his endurance, and the Malignant Plaguecaster had the Sevenfold Blessings trait, added to The Daemon's Favour relic, just to boost his psychic powers and mortal wound output.

An additional relic for the Foul Blight-Spawn - Viscous Death to get free rerolls for his Plague sprayer - and the Revolting Stench-vats boost, just to make his 'fight last' ability even more obnoxious.

Battalion Detachment - Death Guard - The Wretched

• Lord of Contagion (HQ) (Warlord)
  Plaguereaper
  Warlord: Hulking Physique
• Malignant Plaguecaster (HQ)
  Corrupted staff, Blight grenades, Krak grenades, Sevenfold Blessings
  Relic: The Daemon's Favour
  Powers: Miasma of Pestilence, Putrescent Vitality, Curse of the Leper
• 7 x Plague Marines (Troops)
  Daemonic plague blade, 4 x Boltguns, Blight-Launcher, Bubotic Axe, Flail of Corruption
• 7 x Plague Marines (Troops)
  Daemonic plague blade, 4 x Boltguns, Blight-Launcher, Bubotic Axe, Flail of Corruption
• 10 x Poxwalkers (Troops)
  Improvised weapon
• 10 x Poxwalkers (Troops)
  Improvised weapon
• 3 x Deathshroud Terminators (Elite)
  Manreaper, Plaguespurt gauntlets
• Foul Blightspawn (Elite)
  Plague sprayer, Revolting Stench-vats, Unholy death's head grenade,
  Relics of Decay: Viscous Death
• Foetid Bloat-drone (Fast)
  Heavy blight launcher, Plague probe
• Foetid Bloat-drone (Fast)
  Fleshmower, Plague probe
• Plagueburst Crawler (Heavy)
  Entropy cannon, Plagueburst Mortar, Rothail volley gun
• Rhino (Transport)
  Combi-bolter
• Rhino (Transport)
  Combi-bolter

Points: 1500 | Level: 82 | Battle-forged + Battalion - Sevenfold Blassings - Relics of Decay: 10 CPs

Mission and Deployment

We draw from the Open War deck and a classic: The Relic. One objective in the middle of the table, an infantry model can pick it up at the end of any movement, and discard (or drop, if destroyed) at will. At the end of the game, the side holding the Relic (or controlling it, if no-one has it) will win.

The deployment we draw was the Dawn of War, but with front lines drawn into points, so not much distance between the armies (or the Relic) and the twist was the Strategic Bombardment, which did nothing to improve it's reputation as a boring twist, as it contributed nothing all game. (Spoilers!)

The Crypt Angels deploy in three groups: a shooting castle among the ruins of the left flank: Eradicators and Apothecary, Redemptor and Techmarine, with the Infiltrators watching their backs. Further to the centre, atop another ruin, were the Eliminator snipers.

The second group were the two Outrider squads and Chaplain, ready to dash around the right flank, In the front row, ready to make an early dash for the Relic, were the Aggressors, with the Assault Intercessors backing them up.

For myself, I placed the Plagueburst Crawler squarely in the centre of my lines, to draw fire across the field. The Flashmower Bloat-drone I hid behind a ruin on my right flank, and the Blight Launcher Bloat-drone behind a ruin on the left. The Plague Marines each went into a Rhino, accompanied by the Malignant Plaguecaster and Foul Blightspawn respectively. The poxwalkers formed a screen in front of the vehicles, while the Lord of Contagion and Deathshroud Terminators went into the teleportarium.

We roll off, and Kasfunatu takes the first turn!

Turn 1 – Crypt Angels

The Bike Chaplain begins brightly by failing to chant his Litany of Hate (which he consistently fails to do throughout the whole battle – he clearly wasn’t feeling it!)

The Aggressors waste no time in dashing forward and tucking the Relic under the massive arms. The Assault Intercessors move up to support them, and the Outriders speed around the right flank. Everyone else holds position.

With range and visibility an issue, it’s mostly heavy firepower directed at the Plagueburst Crawler. Working together the Redemptor’s overcharged macro-plasma incinerator take the Death Guard’s tank down to three wounds, and then a well-placed shot from the Eliminators bring it down to its bottom bracket.

The rest of the shooting is the Outriders gunning down most of the Poxwalkers screening the Rhinos. With no charges to make, that’s the turn.

Turn 1 – Death Guard

Ouch! I should be grateful the Plagueburst Crawler survived, but it’s not looking too clever. It’s mostly a turn of manoeuvre for me too: both units of Poxwalkers shamble forward to clear the path for both Rhinos to advance forward.

The Fleshmower Bloat-drone advances towards to the Crypt Angels’ shooting castle, while the Heavy Blight Launcher pops out of cover to draw sight on most of the field.

Shooting starts with the Plagueburst Crawler gobbling up my Command Points: one for Disgusting Force (to increase the mortar to Damage 3) and then another to reroll the 1 shot for the mortar. I target the Eradicators (because a unit wipe isn’t impossible), so Kasfunatu counters with Transhuman Physiology. With the Crawler shooting at its lowest bracket, I only end up with a single Eradicator felled (and the nearby Apothecary already warming up his syringes).

Realising that’s a hiding to nothing, the Bloat-drone redirects his fire to the Aggressors – with much greater effect! Two of the three gravis marines are dropped, with the sergeant on a single wound (shame I advanced everything else, as I’ve nothing left to plink off that wound!)

Turn 2 – Crypt Angels

The Apothecary begins by dragging the Eliminator back to his feet, so they’re back to full strength. The Techmarine gives Blessings of the Omnissiah to the Redemptor and heals up the wound the overcharged macro-plasma incinerator burned off.

The wounded Aggressor runs back towards his own lines before handing off the Relic to the Assault Intercessors. One squad of Outriders moves to intercept the lead Rhino, but with the Death Guard terminators still in reserve, the rest of the line holds fast.

The Librarian cast Psychic Fortress around himself, the Redemptor and the Infiltrators.

The shooting starts, and the Eliminators take another snipe at the Plagueburst Crawler, knocking off another fuel line but leaving it on one wound. The Eradicators aim their melta rifles at the Rhino, but I use the Smokescreen stratagem and all the shots miss their mark (in fairness, one of the Eradicators was very recently dead). 

The Redemptor overcharges his macro-plasma incinerator and near-destroys the Rhino. Unfortunately, this means all the bikes’ small arms can’t shoot the passengers and have to use up their shots cracking open the Rhino (all the Plague Marines disembark safety). The other squad and Chaplain do manage to kill two of the Plague Marines, as well as wiping out one squad of Poxwalkers and knocking out most of the other one.

And now, a pickle for the Crypt Angels: the lead Outriders can charge into the Plague Marines, but the Foul Blightspawn was also aboard that Rhino (lucky break for me) and his Revolting Stench Vats mean that the Outriders lose all their bonus for charging (they get a lot more attacks) and will have to fight after the Plague Marines. Concluding that it’s futile to charge, the Outriders rev their engines angrily.

Turn 2 – Death Guard

I’m feeling good about the units that have survived so far, but that Relic is slipping away from me, so I need to make a play for it. The five Plague Marines and Foul Blightspawn move towards the Outriders that balked at charging them, the other seven Plague Marines bundle out of the intact Rhino, along with the Malignant Plaguecaster, and head towards to the Assault Intercessors.

The Fleshmower Bloat-drone (who can hardly believe his luck in surviving this long) also buzzes towards the Assault Intercessors. I also deepstrike the Deathshroud Terminators and Lord of Contagion into charge range of the Assault Intercessors (any clue where I’m heading yet?)

The Malignant Plaguecaster casts Curse of the Leper to knock a couple of wounds off the Outriders, which also kills the Aggressor Sergeant with Torrent of Putrefaction.

In shooting, I throw everything at the Eliminators (now I have characters on the table, I’m concerned for them). Kasfunatu once again employs Transhuman Physiology. Between that, and the cover save, the combined firepower of the Plagueburst Crawler, Bloat-Drone, Foul Blightspawn and both squads of Plague Marines, only two of the squad are felled, with the sergeant on one wound.

Charging is more productive: the Plague Marines and Foulblightspawn make it into the Outriders, cutting down two marines, with the sergeant left on one wound (is this a theme?)

The Fleshmower Bloat-drone begins the bloodbath of the Assault Intercessors, chopping up three of them like a magimix. The Lord of Contagion cuts down the other three and scoops up the Relic. The Plague Marines and Malignant Plaguecaster pile and consolidate around the boss, while the Deathshroud Terminators (the only ones not to make the charge) applaud politely.

I’ve done some damage, and grabbed the Relic, but I’ve really stuck my neck out into the heart of the Crypt Angels’ lines.

Turn 3 – Crypt Angels

The Command Phase progresses as usual: Apothecary and Techmarine doing their healing, and the Chaplain failing to inspire himself.

Abandoning the right flank, the intact squad of Outriders speed across the field to screen off the Deathshroud Terminators. The Outrider sergeant breaks away and moves across to box off the escape route for the Lord of Contagion.

The Redemptor and Chaplain move in to attack the Relic party, with the Librarian boosting the Chaplain with Might of Heroes.

In shooting, everything goes into wiping out the Plague Marines who were shielding the Lord of Contagion, as well as the Outriders gunning down the Malignant Plaguecaster, who wasn’t able to find a handy screen of troops.

The only exception is the lone Eliminator sergeant, who takes a break from shooting tanks and pops a wound off the Foul Blightspawn.

Both the Chaplain and Redemptor charge into the Relic holders, which has now been reduced to a Bloat-drone on half wound and the Lord of Contagion. And now another pickle: I have enough CPs to interrupt combat (and you bet I will!), so who gets hit first, and with what?

After much debate, the Chaplain destroys the Bloat-drone, which I detonate to spread around some mortal wounds, including killing off the Outrider sergeant who was barring escape, so that was handy!

Then I interrupt combat with the Lord of Contagion, swinging at the Redemptor and hoping to reduce his profile before I get thumped back. Through saving rolls, and the dreadnought’s damage reduction (what kind of a rule is that?), the scythe only manages to chop off six wounds, but I needed have worried. The Lord of Contagion’s Hulking Physique and 4+ invulnerable save makes him an absolute tank and he avoids any kind of damage.

So the epic combat ended as something of a whiff: three combatants still standing the Relic still in my rotting hands.

Turn 3 – Death Guard

I’m sure the Lord could go a few more rounds, but I’ve got a Relic to secure here: while everything else moves towards the Crypt Angels, the Lord of Contagion falls back from combat.

With no psychic left, it’s straight to shooting and the Deathshroud hose down the Redemptor with an ungodly number of autohits from their Plaguespurt gauntlets. Despite needing 6s to wound, the machine is reduced down to just a couple of wounds left, which are taken off by the Foul Blightspawn’s sprayer (increasing the range with Overwhelming Generosity).

This leaves the remaining squad of Plague Marines and Bloat-drone to pick on the poor uninspired Chaplain, whose bad day doesn’t get any better when he is blasted off his mount.

Finally, the Plagueburst Crawler continues its artillery duel with the Eliminator, and does nothing at all.

Just a single charge for me: the Deathshroud Terminators lumber into the final squad of Outriders, hacking them apart with contempt.

Turn 4 – Crypt Angels

With very little left on the board, it’s time for some last ditch shooting: the Deathshroud Terminators take a few wounds, but no losses; the last Plague Marine squad is reduced to three models and the Eliminator sergeant fails to vanquish his armoured foe, the Plagueburst Crawler. With no means to chase the objective, it looks over.

Turn 4 – Death Guard

Although the objective is now heading the other way! The Lord of Contagion is out for blood and has no intention of heading towards his own lines.

The Deathshroud Terminators charge into the ruins that have been sheltering the Eradicators all game, killing two of them. The Foul Blightspawn hoses down the Librarian, killing him. The Lord of Contagion himself charges in and chops up the Infiltrator squad. And the last Eliminator is finally taken out, not by the Plagueburst Crawler, but the trusty Bloat-drone.

With the battlefield, and the Relic, secure in their possession, the last of the Crypt Angels make their escape, and concede defeat.

Result: Victory to the Death Guard!

Locker Room

What a fun game! and brutal! It swung back and forth (did it?), but the Death Guard's sheer endurance, and some favourable dice rolls, won out. I now have a lot of new favourite units: the Bloat-drone with the heavy blight launchers did himself proud (much more than the Plagueburst Crawler, although even though it did nothing, it's good to have something to draw fire away from the transports). The Lord of Contagion also raced up the list of things I wanted to paint - that Hulking Physique ability makes him near-invincible! Frightening list... I had faced Pootle's DG a few times, and it had been a while... I know remember why they are a tough fight and tough to shift! The negation of charge benefits and forcing fighting last is a powerful combo; combined with bonus free damage from psychic casting; and the sheer resilience made this a tough nut to crack (so hard I didn't).

Kasfunatu has built a good Crypt Angels list, with an awful lot of punch and some great overlapping abilities. The Redemptor can overcharge his incinerator with impunity (and hit with deadly accuracy) because of the Techmarine; and don't get me started on Eradicators with an Apothecary babysitting them (after one optimistic shot in the first turn, my tactic was to just ignore them and live with their damage output). I'd been tweaking and adjusting around a solid core of this list for a while, this was their first game against DG, and their first loss. 

Great stuff, and I'll look forward to taking the Death Guard out for a future spin!