Kas has got a tournament coming up and needed some practice against some very large training dummies. A new challenger enters the arena! No, wait, it's just me, Kraken.
Quoth House Raven
Although I've played Knights a few times now, I don't really feel I have a good handle on what to do with them. My last outing was Imperial houses, this time it's Mechanicus. Extra wounds and regen seem like a good plan, and Raven can leg it forward and still shoot to full effect.
Full tournament rules, so we're paying for Relics and Traits. My detachment costs more than I thought, so I'll be starting the game on one CP, hence taking Defend the Realm as a pledge in order to get more CPs during the game. Then I shall Protect Those in Need (heroic interventions all round), which means taking a fairly combat heavy list.
An Errant for a bit of fire support, then a Gallant to run up and hit people. He's protected by a Relic for a bit of extra armour save. Both of them get junior Warglaives to follow around and lap up the excellent Bondsmen abilities (and damage reduction), plus a Helverin to hang back and shoot stuff.
Finally, the warlord is a Valiant, who will be going front and centre. Park him in the middle and roast everything that comes for him, is the plan! To help with that, he's taking a trait to boost his armour, plus a Knightly Tradition that gives all his guns extra range. If he wasn't nasty before, he certainly is now!
House Raven Super Heavy Detachment, 2000 points, 1 CP
- LoW - Knight Valiant with Master Tactician and Blessed Arms tradition, two Shieldbreaker missiles and two twin Siegebreaker Cannons, Master of the Trial trait plus his usual Conflagration Cannon, twin paired melta guns and Harpoon
- LoW - Knight Gallant with Gauntlet and Chainsword, Armour of the Sainted Ion relic, twin Icarus Autocannon and melta
- LoW - Knight Errant with Chainsword and Thermal Cannon, melta and Stormspear Rocket Pod
- LoW - Two Armiger Warglaives with meltas
- LoW - Armiger Helverin with melta
Keepers of the Keys
Adeptus Custodes! A pleasure to face them for the first time - Kas has an all-new army, painted and ready to go. Mine are yet to see battle at all, so I shall be watching to pick up some tips!
Shadowkeepers are extra good at murdering characters, which might be bad news for my single, very large one. This list sports a fair number of Forge World nasties, chief amongst them the Achillus and Telemon Dreadnoughts. But also plenty of foot troopers with weird guns - the flying Venatari, the melta-pike Pyrithite spears and the shooty Sagittarum. None of them are going to die easily, but equally none of them are super choices against Titanic guys.
A Jetbike unit, plus a Shield Captain with extra character-killing options, then another Shield Captain with the bonkers teleport attack, and Kas still has points left for a solid unit of Custodians alongside Trajann Valoris himself. Yikes!
It's the same list that I am having to use for all comers. My early games with Custodes had left me quite underwhelmed with Custode shooting (but I went against armour of contempt a few times); so the Telemon was equipped with dual ranged weapons; although most people keep pointing me to fist versions.
Shadowkeepers Battalion Detachment, 2000 points, 1 CP
- HQ - Trajann Valoris, Warlord with Champion of the Imperium and Master of Strategy traits
- HQ - Shield Captain on Dawneagle, Emperor's Heroes strat for Lockwarden trait and the Stasis Oubliette relic, Misericordia and Salvo Launcher
- HQ - Shield Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour, Unstoppable Destroyer and Praetorian Plate relic
- Troops - 3 Custodian Guards with Spears and Misericordia, one with Sword and Shield
- Troops - 3 Sagittarum Custodians
- Elites - Contemptor Achillus Dreadnought with two twin Adrathic Destructors and massive spear, Eternal Penitent strat
- Elites - Vexillus Praetor with Castellan's Mark, Vexilla Magnifica and shield
- Fast Attack - 3 x Venatari Custodians, two with Kinetic Destroyers and Tarsus Bucklers, one with Venatari Lance
- Fast Attack - 3 x Vertus Praetors, two with Salvo Launchers and one with Hurricane Bolter
- Heavy Support - Telemon Heavy Dreadnought with Arachnus Storm Cannon, Illiastus Accelerator Culverin and Spiculus Bolt Launcher
Mission and Battlefield
The Dice Gods have spoken (well the TO has)- tonight we shall Secure Missing Artefacts, just like professionals do at Grand Tournaments.
Five objectives, short edge deployment and a two-part Primary:
- The usual gig of hold one, hold two, hold more but for 4VPs
- A bonus 3VPs if you hold your secret objective, nominated from the two nearest your deployment zone
On top of this, we're doing the following secondaries:
Knights
- Duel of Honour - variable points for killing Trajann, the jet bike unit and the Telemon. Ideally my Warlord or another knight does it in melee, but basically killing them is good money
- Honour of the House - make sure my honour points are maxed out or going up to gain 2 VPs a turn plus a bonus at the end, 3 if I'm Honourable and 5 if I'm Virtuous, but I can lose VPs if I stray into dishonour
- Yield No Ground - one point a turn for each of these: hold more than half the objectives, no enemies in my deployment zone and nobody either falls back or gets further away from the enemy edge
Together with my Troths, this basically means I have to push forward and murder everything in my path. Simple enough, on paper, although I somewhat suspect the practice might be trickier...
Custodes
- Bring It Down
- Raise the Banners
- Stand Vigil - hold more objectives in no man's land
Our field tonight is a sprawling industrial ruin. Trickier for my knights to get through, as they can't breach some of those chest-height gantries, but they're also tall enough to see over most of it, and can stride over the pipes and rubble without slowing, whilst the Custodians stumble about.
Once the objectives are down, we got to move them about a bit. So look at the red numbers on the map, not the nice black circles.
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| I also got the photo a bit squint - the space on the right wasn't actually in play, and there was a foot of terrain to the left that was. My bad! |
Diagonal corners from the short edges, and I am attacking from the right. My deployment is a straightforward line, spearheaded by the Valiant. The Errant is just behind, then the Armigers tailing out towards the Gallant on the south end.
I opt for a spread out deployment with the plan that Telemon will move on to, and hold, north; and sagittarum, protected by banner: the south. Trajann can lead a team of guard on the very south flank; with melta guards hiding with bikes in buildings in the centre. The birdmen are in the sky, and the termie-captain sits leaning against the wall of an obscuring building until he is needed.
It's me going first, which I sort of hoped not to. But in for a penny - may as well get out there!
Knights Turn 1
Sticking to the plan, I advance forward across the line, safe in the knowledge I can shoot unimpeded. The Valiant takes the centre, backed by the Errant and two Armigers, the Gallant goes south with a Warglaive.
Shooting is... well, it's scary for Kas!
It is; the range on some of the really strong weapons scared me more! I am glad I went second, and you are closing first.
The Helverin starts chipping the Telemon from miles away, the Valiant bounces a Shieldbreaker missile off it and then flattens a Sagittarum with its smaller guns, then burns a Vertus Praetor down with the massive flamethrower. Given that this is all quite small change, most of my army is out of range, Kas is clearly sweating what's going to happen when I really get going.
Scores are good so far - I pick up a bunch of little bits and pieces for my secondaries, and increase my honour slightly because I hold half the objectives. It's a strong start, but I'm worried I've already over-extended...
Custodes Turn 1
It's Calistus as my first Katah, and I opt for the ability to bonuses to advancing. I remember as my turn starts that I had paid for a relic to allow a redeploy which forgot to use in eagerness to start the battle (this has been a theme, and failed to use in several fights: so probably won't bother with again!)
My Sagittarum can fire both assault weapon profiles for a -1 and can shoot after advancing for a -1 so they love moving forward. They quicky run off in a suicide charge towards the large knight in the centre. They are usually supported by the Vexilus who hangs back and holds on to the objective cowering behind a pipe with a 0up save and a -1 to hit bubble.
The Telemon skips forward to claim the north objective and unloads on the big knight in the centre; and other custodes all advance/walk to do the same.
Shooting the big knight is progressing well, but not going down, and I realise I am going to need to charge. He has a scary flamer, but he is going to shoot me with it if i don't charge, and there is a chance I can finish off.
Unfortunately overwatch is not kind, and my charge bounces off the armoured behemoth. Leaving me vulnerable to a point blank roasting.
Knights Turn 2
Why didn't I rotate my Ion Shields? I may never know... Ah well, I'm still alive. And locked in combat, as I don't want to lose any honour. Which is good! Either I kill that last bike with shooting, or I can get more honour for someone charging in to help.
The Gallant lopes forward at Trajann and his gang, the Errant and nearby Warglaive go full tilt at the incoming enemy, and the Helverin sticks around at the back, holding my secret objective and drawing a bead on the Telemon.
Shooting is again a bit weaker than I hope - those damn Custodes invuln saves are doing well today. But the last bike dies to the megaflamer, allowing me to spray everything else around. I keep rolling and rerolling ones, though, and the Telemon in particular dodges some big bullets from various meltas and harpoons.
After that, combat is even worse! My knights lose an attack to the Shadowkeepers as stat, the Warglaive who attacks the Pyrithite guys gets tag teamed by two heroic Shield Captains (who make sure he must go last, thanks to the Oubliette relic), and the Gallant rather falls flat when Trajann gets to ignore the first wounding hit he takes (once a game ability, but seemed a good time to use it before I lost him!). Yeah, he only takes one, and although the 8W damage would probably have killed him outright, he skips off laughing instead.
I take a bunch of hits in return - the Gallant loses about a third of his, the Warglaive is left on a single wound and doesn't really do much back, and that's it. I'm still scoring pretty well, but I'm feeling like I'm taking way more damage than I'm putting out here.
Custodes Turn 2
The valiant is free to be shot and already wounded is finally brought down with combined dreadnought fire. Before the the spearwielding dreadnought moves into armiger.
My birdmen drop in the back field, Not only an annoyance, but forcing a knight to move backwards prevents honour or VP (I forget which) and could get some damage in before they are dealt with.
My birdmen drop in the back field, Not only an annoyance, but forcing a knight to move backwards prevents honour or VP (I forget which) and could get some damage in before they are dealt with.
Everything else if already locked in combat.
The first warglaive goes down too early for my liking, but Kraken remembers still under bondsman and survives the Guards' attacks, allowing the Termie captain to finish off and then run towards the second armiger. (I thought he was going to be left stranded)
Trajann's fight continues, and chunks are torn from unit, the paragon of humanity and the knight alike: but we are all still standing.
Knights Turn 3
Well, last chances I suspect! The Errant braces to continue the fight against the Achillus, the Helverin takes cover and aims at the newcomers in my back line, and the others stay still.
Shooting nearly goes incredibly well. The Venetari take a hammering, and it's only rerolls and strats that keep a single one alive on a single wound. Which is gutting - I even try rerolling the melta damage that lets him live, but to no avail.
So combat has a lot riding on it! And it gets off to a bad start when Trajann tries and nearly succeeds in murdering the Gallant. But there's just too much armour for him, and I scrape through with a few wounds. Then, finally, I stamp all over the magnificent hero, using weight of attacks to polish off his last wounds. Score!
The cost is pretty fierce, though - the Achillus clobbers the Errant before his Allarus mate can even finish Intervening. And the Gallant is torn down by some souped up Custodians, who are extra angry after Trajann died. Seems fair enough, really, but I'm really on my last big legs now.
Custodes Turn 3
My Captain and Dreadnought buoyed y Errant's death head towards the helverin and bring down in a combination of shooting and combat, and the guard, backed by lone birdman finish off the last miniknight.
That's a clear table, and we mathhammer out the final couple of turns to review VPs.
Result: Custodes Victory, 99:55
Locker Room
Woof! The Custodes really did a number on me. Not that I did that badly, exactly, I think I just made my usual mistake of going forward too early and getting ganked in the middle. Losing the Valiant was too costly - I really should have rotated the Ion Shields, as well as stayed a bit further back for a bit longer before committing to the punch.
The Telemon should probably have died in turn two, he really shrugged off a bunch of hits. Otherwise, I think I was probably guilty of asking too much of the Knights. More focussed fire, keeping closer together to use my Heroic Interventions and slightly better target priority would have helped (the Achillus and his spear!), but that's also to do with using an army I don't know terribly well against an army I've never fought. Good learning experience, and that was definitely the point!
Good fun, as ever - cheers Kas!
Thank you for the game.
Thank you for the game.
My game against knights in tourney was brutal and did not go as well.
Bondsman abilities hurt a lot of my damage two weaponry and a focussed fire attack on the Achillus early, plus some unexpected combos with redoing combat if don't do damage (I have flashback to Pootle's Orks), and a rush of helverin/armigers instead of big knights: meant the score was poor on my part.
In the event of 16 players, 4 had knights, they all placed in top 5.
Good game though, and very scary to see what Kraken was able to pull; against a less invuln heavy (or lucky rolling army) the result could have been very different.
Good game though, and very scary to see what Kraken was able to pull; against a less invuln heavy (or lucky rolling army) the result could have been very different.
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