Edge Highlight Your Wagon: Space Wolves vs Deathwatch

 You see some well-painted armies at the Wild West, but wow... 

Game 2 of the Wild West 2, and it's a humdinger! It was an astartes face-off, with my Space Wolves facing the Deathwatch of Krazy Doug.

I mentioned how nicely Doug's army was painted, and I then learned that he was a GW army painter and the models arrayed against me had featured in the Deathwatch codex!

(almost makes me wish I'd given my guys another drybrush for the occasion)

Space Wolves - The Hrungnir Pack

The strategic thought behind this army was very simple: a) stuff I'd just painted, b) a little bit of everything, so I've have versatility without being overpowered, c) twice as many Reivers, because everyone hates them and I don't care.

I also get to debut Klöver, my high wolf priest, who crossed the primaris rubicon especially to sort out these wayward pups.

• Kveldulf, Wolf Lord in Gravis Armour (HQ) (Warlord)
  Boltstorm Gauntlet, Power Sword
  Warlord Trait: Hunter
  Relic: The Vox Espiritum
• Klöver, Primaris Wolf Priest (HQ) 
  Absolver Bolt Pistol, Crozius Arcanum, Master of Sanctity 
  Relic of the Chapter: Benediction of Fury
  Litanies: Litany of Hate, Catechism of Fire, Exhortation of Rage
• Hallbjorn Rubber-Axe, Primaris Battle Leader (HQ)
  Master-crafted power axe and Special issue bolt carbine
  
• Squad Rask, 5 x Intercessor Squad (Troops)
  Auto bolt rifle, 1 x Power fist
• Squad Herja, 5 x Assault Intercessor Squad (Troops)
  Astartes chainsword, 1 x Thunder hammer, Heavy bolt pistol
• Squad Fleggr, 5 x Heavy Intercessor Squad (Troops)
  Executor bolt rifle, Executor heavy bolter
• Squad Kettil, 5 x Aggressors (Elite)
  Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher
• Squad Alsvin, 5 x Reivers (Elite)
  Bolt Carbine, Heavy bolt pistol, Grav chutes, Grapnel launcher
• Squad Tanngniost, 5 x Reivers (Elite)
  Combat knives, Heavy bolt pistol, Grav chutes, Grapnel launcher
• 1 x Cyberwolf (Fast)
  Teeth and claws
• Squad Heimkell, 5 x Hellblaster Squad (Heavy)
  Assault Plasma Incinerator
• Squad Fárbauti, 3 x Eliminator Squad (Heavy)
  Bolt sniper rifle, Camo cloaks
• Squad Surtr, 3 x Eradicator Squad (Heavy)
  Melta rifle
  
  

Points: 1500 | Level: 75 | Battle-forged + Battalion - Relic of the Chapter: 11 CPs

Deathwatch

I didn't get Doug's full list, but a small number of very tough units was the order of business. There's a lot of firepower coming in from the Repulsor, Hellblasters and Redemptor, a melee threat from the Bladeguard Veterans and one hell of a tough nugget in the form of 10 assorted gravis marines in the Indomitor Kill Team.

• Watch Captain (HQ) (Warlord)
• 5 x Fortis Kill Team (Troops)
  1 x Intercessor Sergeant: Power Sword, 4 x Intercessor
• 5 x Fortis Kill Team (Troops)
  5 x Hellblasters
• 10 x Indomitor Kill Team (Troops)
  2 x Aggressor: flamestorm gauntlets, 3 x Eradicators: melta rifles, 5 x Heavy Intercessors: heavy bolt rifles
• 5 x Bladeguard Veterans (Elite)
  Power swords, storm shields
• 1 x Redemptor Dreadnought (Elite)
  Macro plasma incinerator, Onslaught gatling cannon, Fragstorm grenade launcher, Redemptor fist
• 1 x Repulsor (Heavy)
  Heavy onslaught gatling cannon; Icarus ironhail heavy stubber; Ironhail heavy stubber; 2 Krakstorm grenade launchers; 2 Storm bolters; Twin heavy bolter; Hunter-slayer missile; Auto launchers.

Mission and Deployment

The second mission of Wild West 2 was madder than the first: six objectives, each worth 1VP at the end of your respective turns. But at the start of every round, from round 1 onwards, the objectives spurt combustible goldinium on a 6+ and cause D6 wounds to nearby units. On round 2, it explodes on a 5+. On round 3, it explodes on 4+, and so on.

Basically, you'll pay the price for scoring objectives with the increasingly likely change that they'll explode and kill your units.

We also had a 'High Noon' clause, which awarded 5VP if your warlord killed the enemy warlord (and then an addition 3VP if the victorious warlord was cut down like a mangy dog in retaliation).

The battlefield had some lovely pyramids, but cover was slight. From left to right, I set up my Eradicators, Intercessors, Eliminators, Heavy Intercessors, Aggressors (backed by the Wolf Lord, Wolf Priest and Battle Leader), with the Assault Aggressors on the extreme flank and the Cyberwolf hiding behind a pillar.

I put the Hellblasters into Cunning of the Wolf reserve and the two Reivers into deepstrike reserve.

Opposite them was the Redemptor, Intercessors, Hellblasters, and on the other side the Repulsor carrying the Watch Captain and Bladeguard Veterans.

The huge attack squad of gravis troops went into Teleportarium reserve, which was alarming to say the least.

Battle Summary

I won the roll for first turn and didn't waste any time: the Assault Intercessors sprinted up the right flank and the Intercessors moved up the left. The Aggressors and commanders steamed down the centre, leaving my Heavy Intercessors on the home objective.

So I had grabbed a lot of early territory (which may come to backfire on me).

The Eradicators opened up on the Redemptor Dreadnought and so very nearly took it out, but a fortuitous re-roll kept it alive on a single wound. All my other shots failed to make an impression, so I had nothing else to do but count my Victory Points.

The Deathwatch responded aggressively, disembarking from the Repulsor and moving to engage my Aggressors.

Before that could happen, the long range firepower opened up on my lines to devastating effect: the crippled Redemptor still took out three of my Intercessors on the left, the Repulsor wiped out four Assault Intercessors on the right

Then the Indomitor Kill Team emerged from the Teleportarium (I'm not sure they could have arrived in Turn 1, but it was narrative and they were keen to get stuck in). Opening up on my back lines, they knocked out two of the Eliminators (much good they've been) and one Eradicator. It could have been worse, considering the firepower they're packing, and they did fail the charge, but it was a problem to be dealt with.

The Bladeguard had a much easier charge, and hit the Aggressors head-on. However, they only managed to cut down three of the Space Wolves, and when the power fists swung back (aided by the Wolf Priest's exhortations), only the Bladeguard Sergeant was left alive on a single wound.

After the exploding objectives had finished off the Redemptor, the last Bladeguard and removed another Aggressor, it was my turn.

Simultaneously heading forwards and backwards, the Wolf Lord and his reduced retinue pushed forward, looking to engage the Watch Captain in single combat.

Meanwhile, the lone Assault Intercessors pressed on, hoping to tag the Repulsor, and the Cyberwolf sneaked onto the spare objective, hoping not to be noticed.

Everyone else spun around to face the Indomitor Kill Team: the Eradicators, the Intercessors, the Heavy Intercessors, the Battle Leader and the newly-arrived Hellblasters. After shots and charges had gone in, half the Deathwatch had been taken out and what remained got stuck into a grinding melee of gravis armour that would go on for several turns.

Not so with the Wolf Lord, whose sprightly ability to advance and charge carried him over to the Watch Captain, flattening him in a single round, and then consolidating into the Redemptor.

This would mean my warlord was likely to eat a fistful of heavy artillery, but he does have form in taking on armoured vehicles single-handed.

Those moves managed to remove or tie-up most of the Deathwatch's army. Only the Hellblasters and Intercessors were free to shoot, and plinked off the last Eliminator. The Repulsor stood its ground and blazed away at Lord Kvedulf, who took everything on his armour and laughed.

The melee with the Indomitor squad ground on, and that was all the Deathwatch could do, having been kept off a lot of the objectives.

In my turn, I dropped one squad of Reivers into the right-hand objective the Assault Intercessor had vacated, and the other squad dropped down to trouble the Hellblasters. Meanwhile, the Battle Leader led the Heavy Intercessors as a second wave against the Indomitor squad.

The Wolf Lord's reinforcements showed up to help him crack the Repulsor. The thunder hammer of the Assault Pack Leader swung first, but has he also has previous for hitting before thinking, it was never going to end well. The tank was immediately destroyed, and promptly exploded, taking out the Assault Intercessor, the last Aggressor, the Wolf Priest and leave the Wolf Lord shaken and very much on his own.

Vengeance came quickly in the form of the Hellblasters, who took aim and gunned down the Wolf Lord, but it was cold comfort, as the Indomitor squad was finally brought down by the combined efforts of the Space Wolves, and that left the Deathwatch holding only a small corner of the field.

In my turn, my Hellblasters overcharged and shot at the Deathwatch Hellblasters (causing a similar number of casualties on both sides), before the knife-wielding Reivers plunged in and finished them off.

As a last attempt at honour, the remaining Intercessors charged into the Reivers, but failed to bring down any and lost two of the number in return. The surviving Sergeant would have passed morale, but the Reivers scary Halloween masks tipped the balance and he fled. The battlefield belonged to the Rout!

Result: Victory to the Space Wolves!

Locker Room

In all honestly, I thought I was in trouble after that first round of withering gunfire (to say nothing of ten gravis marines appearing behind me), but a combination of luck and the natural aggression of the Space Wolves saw me through.

Krazy Doug's army made it an interesting challenge, but with so few units (powerful as they were) once a few of them had been neutralised, the output rapidly declined. I was also also to spread out with my smaller units and grab more objectives (the score ended 20:8), and I could also weather the cost of the mortal wounds they were kicking out.

A great game against a cracking opponent with a beautiful army. Two thumbs up for Wild West 2 - and who said Reivers were rubbish?