Black To The Suture: Creations of Bile vs Black Templars

Sigismund's lads hate the heretic, the mutant and the witch ... so, for them, it's Christmas!

Creations of Bile vs Black Templars!

A couple of weekends ago, I was managed to get in a 40k game (my first of the year!) against Black Templars. 

I've faced this army before, as these righteous crusaders appear to be gunning (or, more accurately, swording) for the Creations of Bile. This time, the army was commanded by Sultan (check out his YouTube SultanPlays for some excellent hobby content).

Chaos Space Marines - The Creations of Bile

The advantage of having a relatively small collection of Creations of Bile is that I know exactly what I'm taking and exactly what to with each unit. This wasn't a deliberate choice: I just hobbied until I reached a natural stop, but I'm enjoying it immensely and, compared with the 3D chess of a Thousand Sons game, they're now my go-to for fun games.

• 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
• Lucullus - Exalted Champion (HQ)
  Bolt pistol, Power Sword, Frag & Krak Grenades 
• 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
• 11 x Chaos Cultists (Troop)
  9 x Autoguns, 1 x Heavy Stubber 1 x Autopistol and Brutal Assault Weapon
• Scarificator - Greater Possessed (Elite)
  Daemonic mutations
  Relic: Living Carapace
  Supreme Creation: Prime Test Subject
• 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
• Venomcrawler (Heavy)
  2 x Excruciator cannons, Eviscerating claws, Soulflayer tendrils

Points: 1,500 | Level: 81 | Battle-forged + Battalion - Patrol - Supreme Creations: 9 CPs

Space Marines - Black Templars

Sultan's army is a beautiful creation of gothic rage. Like mine, it's also very straightforward: lots of chop, and the units only vary in the amount of melee output they can produce.

The Impulsor also gets to have a multi-melta, for that little bit of ranged surprise.

• Primaris Chaplain (HQ)(Warlord)
  Absolver Bolt pistol, Crozius arcanum, Frag & Krak grenades
  Litanies: Psalm of the Remorseless Persecution, Fires of Devotion, Litany of Hate
  Warlord: Frontline Commander
  Relics: Ancient Breviary
  Chapter Command: Master of Sanctity
• The Emperor's Champion (HQ)
  Black Sword, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
• 5 x Assault Intercessor Squad (Troops)
  Heavy bolt pistol, Astartes chainsword
• Primaris Crusader Squad (Troops)
  3 x Primaris Initiate w/Chainsword & Heavy Bolt Pistol. 2 x Primaris Initiate w/Power Fist and Heavy bolt pistol. 4 x Primaris Neophytes. Primaris Sword Brother: Heavy Bolt Pistol, Power sword
• Primaris Crusader Squad (Troops)
  3 x Primaris Initiate w/Auto Bolt Rifle. 2 x Primaris Initiate w/Pyreblaster. 4 x Primaris Neophytes. Primaris Sword Brother: Power axe, Pyre Pistol
• Bladeguard Veteran Squad (Elite)
  4 x Bladeguard Veterans, Sergeant: Heavy Bolt Pistol,
  Stratagem: Champion of the Feast,
  Heir of Sigismund: Sword of Judgement
• Bladeguard Veteran Squad (Elite)
  4 x Bladeguard Veterans, Sergeant: Heavy Bolt Pistol
• Primaris Ancient (Elite)
  Power sword, Chapter Command: Chapter Ancient, The Burning Blade
• Primaris Sword Brethren (Elite)
  Heavy Bolt Pistol, Lightning Claw (Pair); Heavy Bolt Pistol, Thunder hammer; Power sword, Pyre Pistol; Power sword, Pyre Pistol; Heavy Bolt Pistol, Power sword
• Impulsor (Transport)
  2 x Storm Bolters, Bellicatus Missile Array, Multi-melta

Points: 1501 | Level: 78 | Battle-forged + Batallion - Relic of the Chapter (2) - Champion of the Feast - Heir of Sigismund: 8 CPs

Mission

We're playing a modified version of the ever-popular 'Multiball' objective mission (I can't even remember it's proper name): six objectives on the table, each worth 1VP if you hold it at the end of the battle round. Roll a D6 at the start of each round to denote which objective is worth double.

The twist is: the 'double' objective disappears at the end of the battle round. The idea being to have fewer and fewer scoring points on the table, and to keep the action moving around (with two very melee armies, there was danger of it becoming a massive scrum over the same objectives).

We deployed in classic Dawn of War, along the long edges. Sultan covered the whole of the board, from West to East: Crusader Squad, Sword Brethren, Bladeguard, Ancient, Impulsor (carrying Bladeguard and Chaplain), Crusader Squad, The Emperor's Champion and Assault Intercessors - no soft underbelly there!

I went for a WoffBoot staple: the refused flank. On my Western flank, I put the Cultists and one unit of Chaos Space Marines. And then from the centre to the Eastern flank, two Venomcrawlers, the second unit of Chaos Space Marines, Fabius Bile, Master of Possession, Exalted Champion, Greater Possessed, both units of Possessed and the Warp Talons.

I won the dice off and decided to go second.

Turn 1

The double objective was under the Eastern Crusader squad, so there was no taking that from them. The whole Black Templar line started forward, ignoring my bait units to the West. 

The Sword Brethren secured on central objective, the Western Crusader squad sat on the back one, and the Assault Intercessors ran onto another, so there were VP points aplenty.

Fabius Bile responds cautiously (super-cautiously for the two Eastern units, who run away to the edge of the board), the bulk of the army moves into the ruins (securing two objectives), but not giving the Black Templars an easy charge. 

Bile himself buffs a unit of Possessed with extra attacks and the Master of Possession casts all his usual buffs (despite the Black Templars trying to Abor the Witch)

The exception are the Warp Talons, who use Macrotensile Sinews to race across the board and charge the Assault Intercessors. Only the sergeant survives their lightning claws flurry, and when I play Taken Alive, his nerve also breaks, leaving me the objective!

Black Templars 3 : 3 Creations of Bile

Turn 2

The Black Templars are out for blood now, and the noose tightens on my force. The Eastern Crusaders close up on my Venomcrawlers, while The Emperor's Champion runs off to take down the Warp Talons (who are now occupying the double-objective). The rest of the army hasn't gotten close enough for charges yet, but the Impulsor has moved ominously into melta range.

In the Shooting Phase, the squad of Chaos Space Marines gets wiped out with small arms fire, and a Venomcrawler is exploded by the Impulsor (liberally spraying mortal wound everywhere).

Unfortunately, that's as good as it gets: the Eastern Crusaders fail their charge against the last Venomcrawler (twice!) and, while The Emperor's Champion makes it into the Warp Talons, their daemon saves hold out and only two are slain.

Fabius Bile then orders the Warp Talons to fall back (the Tenacious Assault stratagem could prevent this, but it also fails - poor Sultan was not doing well in the 50/50 rolls!) so his Xyclos Needler could deliver the coup de grace directly to The Emperor's Champion.

On the subject of shooting, the Obliterators materialise in the middle of the pack and, with The Master of Watching and Veterans of the Long War, make short work of the Impulsor, with enough to spare to fell a Bladeguard too.

Both units of Possessed assault the Eastern Crusader squad that failed its charge and strike it from both sides, wiping out the Black Templars.

Holding three of the Eastern objectives (and one of them a double), I gain a lead on the Black Templar's two.

Black Templars 5 : 7 Creations of Bile

Turn 3

Having missed their first charge, the Black Templars make no mistake about the next one. The Chaplain gears himself up, then leads on unit of Bladeguard into the pack of Cultists, while he and the Ancient take on the Venomcrawler.

That bit of the battlefield is becoming a bottleneck, so there's not much scope for the rest of the units to get in. The good news is that the back objective becomes the double one, so not only will Sultan score that, but when it disappears, he can bring his second squad of Crusaders into battle.

The Bladeguard wipe out the Possessed, but the characters fail to destroy the Venomcrawler, who clings on and even manages to wound the Ancient in return.

The Creations of Bile secure their objectives, with Bile sitting on one and the surviving Warp Talons on the backline one (and unlikely to move). The Mutilators also drop into the centre of the field, ready to charge anything (and failing to reach anyone).

The shooting counterattack begins with a volley from the Obliterators, which take out a couple of the unengaged squad of Bladeguard, and then the second unit of Possessed runs in, killing all of the other Bladegaurd (Icon of Excess and Death to the False Emperor is filthy).

The Greater Possessed and Exalted Champion charge into the Chaplain and Ancient. Once again, Scarificator shows his reputation for taking big scalps, and the Chaplain is slain, with the Exalted Champion close behind.

The gap is closing in points, butthe Black Templars are running out of bodies to fling at the heretics.

Black Templars 8 : 9 Creations of Bile

Turn 4

The double objective proves to be the one Bile himself holds, so that's unassailable and all Sultan can do is fling the last of his Bladeguard forward, and move his Sword Brethren and Crusaders eastwards as fast as they can.

The Crusaders do manage to wipe out the luckless Mutilators with small-arms fire (with my failing many 2+ saves), but with the Sword Brethren failing the charge, only a depleted Bladeguard make it into combat, which is not enough to slay all the Possessed there. 

I start my fourth turn with a bit of cheekiness: the Cultists who had run screaming to the edge of the battlefield, now compose themselves and make a long advance roll to the centre, just within range of the objective held by the Sword Brethren. Only one of them is near it (and I don't fancy their chances next turn), but with Objective Secured, I steal the point!

Elsewhere, the last of the Bladeguard is cut down, and I sit tight, not wanting to get closer to the remaining units.

We count up the points and, even if the Sword Brethren's objective was the double in the last turn, it wouldn't be enough to turn the game. Sultan concedes, and the remain Black Templars pick up their wounded and exfiltrate the battlefield.

Black Templars 8 : 13 Creations of Bile

Result: Victory to Creations of Bile!

Locker Room

Oof. That game got very brutal very quickly. I do like playing these melee armies against each other - it become quite a trade-off for units, and I think my refused flank, plus how the objectives rolled, may have given me the advantage there.

It also helped that I had a little more shooting capability in my army (although not that much, as all my guns are swingy). What really counted was the sheer volume of attacks I was able to put out - more than any invulnerable save could cope with.

Sultan was a great opponent (we've already lined up the rematch) and his Black Templar army is gorgeous. He was unlucky with a lot of the key rolls in the game, and I sense he's not going to fall into The Spider's trap so easily next time...