The goldinium rush is a bonanza, but the consarn it if the doggone mines ain't blowin' up every darn where!
Black Templars vs Creations of Bile!
Game two of The Wild West, and it's only getting more intense. I get to face the Black Templars of Plant - a stunning looking army with all its new supplement rules to play with (and about time - this is such a characterful chapter, it deserves all the attention lavished upon it).
Space Marines - Black Templars
This was my first taste of Black Templars, so it needed a bit of explaining to me. Plant went heavy on the narrative here, so his Chaplain and Emperor's Champion are decked out to the nines. Essentially the Chaplain cannot realistically fail his litanies, which can either give nearby units a 5+ shrug to wounds, and he can bestow the effects of another Templar Vow on a nearby unit (Templar Vows are also a unique kind of buff). The Emperor's Champion is just a killing machine.
The bulk of the army is formidable: either some very robust melee squads or some eye-watering firepower. This is force that is going to hit hard.
- Primaris Chaplain on Bike (HQ)(Warlord)
Absolver Bolt pistol, Crozius arcanum, Frag & Krak grenades, Twin Bolt rifle,
Litanies: Litany of Divine Protection, Fervent Acclamation, Litany of Hate
Warlord: Wise Orator
Heir of Sigismund: Epitome of Piety
Relics: Ancient Breviary
Chapter Command: Master of Sanctity - The Emperor's Champion (HQ)
Black Sword, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades,
Hero of the Chapter: Paragon of Fury - 5 x Intercessor Squad (Troops)
Bolt rifle, Astartes chainsword - Primaris Crusader Squad (Troops)
Bolt Carbine, Holy Orb
2 x Pyreblaster, 3 x Auto Bolt Rifle, 5 x Astartes Chainsword & Heavy Bolt Pistol, Heavy Bolt Pistol & Power sword, 4 x Primaris Neophytes - Terminator Assault Squad (Elite)
Lightning Claw (Pair), 4 x Storm shield & Thunder hammer, Bones of Mordred
Abilities: Champion of the Feast - 3 x Eradicator Squad (Heavy)
2 x Melta rifle, multi-melta - Land Raider Crusader (Heavy)
2 x Hurricane bolter, Multi-melta, Twin assault cannon
Points: 1496 | Level: 80 | Battle-forged + Patrol - Heir of Sigismund - Hero of the Chapter - Champion of the Feast: 9 CPs
Chaos Space Marines - The Creations of Bile
As before, my army revolves around the speed and melee potential of the daemonic astartes, with the buffing powers of the Master of Possession and Exalted Champion backing them up. Some basic troop types to hold objectives and a deepstrike firepower reserve of Obliterators.
- Fabius Bile (HQ) (Warlord)
Xyclos Needler, Rod of Torment, The Chirurgeon, Frag & Krak grenades
Surgeon Acolyte
Warlord: Lord of Terror - Servilius - Master of Possession (HQ)
Bolt pistol, Force stave, Frag & Krak grenades,
Psychic powers: Cursed Earth, Infernal Power - Philotus - Exalted Champion (HQ)
Bolt pistol, Power Sword, Frag & Krak Grenades
Gifts of Chaos: Hyper-Growth Bolts - 5 x Chaos Space Marines (Troop)
Power maul, 4 x Boltguns, Missile launcher - 5 x Chaos Space Marines (Troop)
Lightning claw & Plasma pistol, 4 x bolt pistols and chainswords - 10 x Chaos Cultists (Troop)
9 x Autoguns, 1 x Autopistol and Brutal Assault Weapon - Scarificator - Greater Possessed (Elite)
Daemonic mutations
Relic: Living Carapace
Supreme Creation: Prime Test Subject - Apemantus - Greater Possessed (Elite)
Daemonic mutations - 8 x Possessed (Elite)
Horrifying mutations, Icon of Excess - 8 x Possessed (Elite)
Horrifying mutations, Icon of Excess - 3 x Mutilators (Heavy)
Fleshmetal weapons, Mark of Khorne - 5 x Warp Talons (Fast)
5 x Pair of Lightning claws - 2 x Obliterators (Heavy)
Fleshmetal Guns, Crushing fists, Mark of Slaanesh - Venomcrawler (Heavy)
2 x Excruciator cannons, Eviscerating claws, Soulflayer tendrils
Mission and Deployment
There was some confusion about the rules of the second mission (which, as the the event pack proofreader, I, Stylus, take full blame for). Let's just assume it was an exercise in creativity for all the players to interpret the rules in their very own bespoke scenarios.
Anyway, the version we agreed upon was that there would be six objectives and, at the start of the battle round, we would roll a D6 and the corresponding objective would explode, inflicting D3 mortal wounds to the surrounding units. Them goldinium mines are volatile!
I had two objectives on my half of the table and clustered most of my forces around the central one: Mutilators, both units of Possessed, the bolter-armed Chaos Space Marines, all five characters and the Venomcrawler holding the gap between ruins and industrial tower.
Around the second objective went the Cultists and, hidden away as before, Warp Talons (their speed makes them so much more effective at starting on the table - as long as they're out of sight) rather than in deepstrike.
On the extreme left of my lines I hid away the chainsword Chaos Space Marines and the Obliterators went into deepstrike.
In contrast to my central mass, Plant deployed with a two-pronged attack: the Crusader squad along the left, supported by the Chaplain, Emperor's Champion and Redemptor Dreadnought. On the right flank was the Land Raider and the Intercessors on the home objective.
The Terminators went into the teleportarium and the Eradicators into strategic reserve.
We rolled off and the Black Templars took the first turn!
Battle Summary
The battle started with a bang - the Black Templar's home objective blew up, taking out an Intercessor and few wounds off the Land Raider.
Undaunted, the line surged forward. Protective litanies were chanted to the Crusader squad as they advanced to the centre, while the Land Raider and Intercessors moved along the other flank.
The opening salvo (even without the Eradicators) was devastating. Between the Redemptor and the Land Raider, the Imperials accounted for a whole squad of Chaos Space Marines, almost half my Possessed and two of the three Mutilators. It was a lot of firepower to weather, and I was going to have to face it all over again before the Obliterators could show up.
In my turn, I was tempted to go all-out and throw my entire battle line at the Black Templars, but I decided to try something different. Instead of racing forwards, I pulled back one of my units of Possessed, along with Fabius Bile, the Master of Possession, Exalted Champion and Supreme Greater Possessed.
These units retreated behind the bottleneck of ruins and industrial tower, which I mostly blocked with the Venomcrawler. I didn't want it completely blocked, which would have denied me counterattack space - but it would be hard to bring the full power of the entire Crusader squad and characters to bear.
I also ran the final squad of Chaos Space Marines across to reinforce them. Bile worked his medical marvels on the Possessed, boosting their toughness (and killing one by accident, but that's basically a tradition in my battles now).
On the other side of the field, I was more aggressive: the Warp Talons flew towards the Land Raider, backed up by the lone Mutilator, the other unit of Possessed (who could advance and charge, thanks to Macrotensile Sinews) and the other Greater Possessed.
In the charge phase, one of the Possessed fell to Overwatch, but everything else made it in (including a long charge from the Mutilator - I don't know what it is about killing the other two that makes the lone survivor so much more effective). I put Veterans of the Long War on the Warp Talons and, with so many lighting claw attacks at their disposal, they ripped into the armour of the Land Raider. The honour of tearing off the final wound fell to the Mutilator - and the tank was gone!
As the smoke settled, the consolation for Plant was that the Intercessors were still close enough to claim the objective, so he was still holding his VP lead.
For the second turn, the Black Templars dropped the hammer: Eradicators appeared on the left flank, Terminators on the right flank.
Suitably inspired by their Chaplain, the Crusader squad continued to charge down the centre, taking shots at the Possessed (not too effectively, thanks to Bile's last-minute tinkering). The Eradicators opened up on the Venomcrawler, causing three wounds, but I very fortunately made all of its invulnerable saves and the daemon engine was unharmed!
The Intercessors gunned down all the Warp Talons, but weren't inclined to engage anything in melee and continued to secure the objective. And the Terminators failed their charge on the Cultists, which would have claimed one of my objectives and pulled another melee squad into the fray.
The Crusader squad had no such compunctions, and smashed into the Venomcrawler, hacking away over half its wounds (chainswords are better than melta rifles, kids) but elected not to consolidate into the killing power of the Possessed.
Then it was my turn to bring in my reserves, the Obliterators appeared directly behind Fabius Bile's command section and I found that, having been forced to go defensive, I was now in a very favourable position for all my auras and buffs to work at once (and we started by boosting the chainsword Chaos Space Marines with an extra attack).
The Venomcrawler drew back from combat, leaving the door open for a counter-charge from the Possessed and Chaos Space Marines. Using the superior speed of Creations of Bile, the other Possessed squad and Greater Possessed raced across from the wreck of the Land Raider to threaten the Bike Chaplain and Emperor's Champion. The lone Mutilator stayed put to face the Intercessor squad.
The Supreme Creation Greater Possessed also breached the ruins to attack the Bike Chaplain.
I hadn't quite appreciated it myself until I'd seen it, but the Creations of Bile are fantastically mobile when they need to be, which is just the ticket for a melee army.
But first, the shooting phase: playing The Master is Watching and Veterans of the Long War on the Obliterators, they targeted the Redemptor and took it down to just two wounds. The Cultists had a few pops with their autoguns, but only managed to chip away one wound, so it was time for Endless Cacophony on the Obliterators. They felled the Redemptor and even had shots to spare to kill a couple of Intercessors.
This made the Mutilator's work easier, and he shredded the last two Intercessors to claim the objective.
In the central press, the Crusader squad was proving resilient (despite re-rolling all hits due to The Master is Watching and re-rolling all wounds due to the Exalted Champion). With a 5+ invulnerable save (due to Uphold the Honour of the Emperor vow) and 5+ shrug (due to Litany of Divine Protection), I remember a single brave neophyte managed to tank something like nine wounds before going down. Over half the squad was left alive, and cut down the Chaos Space Marines in return.
The Imperial characters were not having such good fortune. With no CP left to interrupt, the Chaplain was smashed by the force of the Greater Possessed tag team, and then the Emperor's Champion quickly followed under the claws of the Possessed.
As peripheral objectives continued to detonate, the Black Templars did what they could to salvage the situation. The Eradicators had second try at the Venomcrawler, and took it down this time. The Terminators made their charge into the Mutilator, who gamely tried to take them all on, but was quickly despatched.
What remained of the Crusader squad tried to push through to the heretic characters, but the Possessed just about held on, and so in my next turn, as the Obliterators took out the Eradicators, all the other chaos units charged the Crusader squad from behind, closing the trap on them and wiping them out.
By the start of Turn 4, the only objective (and unit!) for the Black Templars were the Terminators. And it quickly became apparent that the Imperials were stymied. I was ahead on Victory Points, but the Terminators couldn't move to push me off my objectives without abandoning their own.
A few quick rolls to see what objectives would explode by the end of the game and we totted up the points without needing to make a further move.
Creations of Bile 11 : 9 Black Templars
Victory to the Creations of Bile!
Aftermath
I enjoyed that one. Despite the very brutal nature of play, it was a real head-scratcher and one wrong move could have been costly (added to the general mayhem of not knowing what objectives were going to blow up!). Plant was a really good opponent and I'm looking forward to the prospect of a rematch.
There's a lot of similarity between Creations of Bile and Black Templars - lots of overlapping buffs and auras for the units. They can be made very tough to chew through too. I can see an army with more than one Crusader squad (or Bladeguard) would be formidable.
I also ended up with little of my army left and, as the points showed, it was a very close game. I don't think either of us were expecting both Black Templar HQs to fall so quickly, but with so many large expensive units (the Crusader squad cost more than the Land Raider), there wasn't much option for screening. With them gone, the game swung heavily for me (as it would have done if I'd lost my characters).
After playing Creations of Bile for a few games now, I think I'm getting the hang of them, and this felt like my best performance yet. Melee armies take some getting used to, and I was quite happy that I didn't just fling everything forward, and actually tried a plan (Cannae, for the classicists among you).
And with that, The Wild West was done. It was a fantastic day of gaming, and all credit to Monkey for making it happen. Great to see so many smiling hobbyists there, and looking forward to the next one!
Alway good to face a Cannae opponent! Sound like the whole event was a blast, I hear nothing but excellent reports.
ReplyDeleteNice work! Very satisfying to have to take so many shots in turns 1&2 and still come out on top
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