The Wild Bunch: Space Wolves vs Drukhari

 Saddle up - we're heading back to the Wild West!

Specifically The Wild West 2, a Cardiff-based Warhammer event hosted by Monkey (and assisted, among others, by I, Stylus). This one-day event is very much centred around the having fun, chucking dice and meeting new people, so you don't need rock-hard lists to enjoy yourself (although the competitive types are also matched up with each other.

So I took the chance, after a year's absence, to bring out my Space Wolves. The Creations of Bile are currently so good they feel borderline anti-social, but a mixed pack of primaris wolf brothers would make for simple admin and some good knockabout games.

And my first opponent was none other than jhnlk - a long-time subscriber to this blog and Hobbypocalypse veteran. After years of online discourse, I was to face his Realspace Raid in real time.

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

jhnlk's drkhr - rlspc rd

jhnlk's Hobbypocalypse army is a Realspace Raid (the best way to run Drukhari, in my eyes) - so it contains a little bit of everything, including some very cool Grotesque conversions from Age of Sigmar Ogors. And, of course, a huge flock of Razorwings.

So there's speed, punch, durability and firepower, and threats from all over the place. Let's ride!

Patrol - Kabal

• Archon (HQ) (Warlord)
  Agoniser, Blast Pistol
  Warlord Trait: Ancient Evil
  Relic: Armour of Misery
• 5 x Court of the Archon
  Lhamean, Medusae, Sslyth, 2 x Ur-Ghul 
• 5 x Kabalite Warriors (Troops)
  Sybarite: Phantasm Grenade Launcher, 5 x Splinter Rifle
• 5 x Mandrakes (Elites)
  Baleblast, Glimmersteel blade
• 2 x Venom (Transport)
  Splinter Cannon, Twin splinter rifle

Patrol - Wych Cult

• Succubus (HQ)
  Agoniser & Archite Glaive, Combat Drug
• 10 x Wyches (Troops)
  Combat Drug, Agoniser, Blast Pistol; 6 x Hekatarii Blades, 6 x Plasma Grenades, 6 x Splinter Pistols, Hydra Gauntlets, Razorflails, Shardnet and Impaler 
• Beastmasters (Elite)
  Combat Drug, Agoniser, Splinter Pods 
• 6 x Razorwing Flocks (Fast)
  Razor feathers

Patrol - Coven

• Haemonculus (HQ)
  Haemonculus Tools, Ichor Injector, Scissor Hands, Stinger Pistol 
• 5 x Wracks (Troops)
  Wrack Blades
• 6 x Grotesques (Elite)
  Monstrous Cleavers
• 2 x Talos (Heavy)
  Talos Gauntlet, Talos ichor injector, Two heat lances
• Raider (Transport)
  Disintegrator Cannon

Mission and Deployment

The mission is a simple one - based on the classic 'multiball' format. There are six objectives, and you score 1 VP for securing one at the end of your turn.

For each round, roll a D6, and corresponding objective is worth 3VP - it's a bonanza of goldinium, pardner!

I place my Heavy Intercessors on the left flank objective (with no intention of moving). In the central ruins, I place the Eradicators and Eliminators, ready to lend fire-support and sit on the central objective.

Between them are the Assault Intercessors, led by the Wolf Lord (and his pet Cyberwolf), and the Aggressors, left by the Wolf Priest and Battle Leader. The Intercessors go into the ruin on the right flank.

I keep both squads of Reivers in deepstrike, and put the Hellblasters into strategic reserve ('Cunning of the Wolf' stratagem).

The Drukhari divide into the respective patrols. The Wyches and their Succubus stay aboard one Raider, with the Archon and his Court aboard the other Raider. The Kabalites go into a Venom and the Mandrakes stay in the shadows.

The boots (or clawed feet) on the ground are the forces of the Coven: Grotesques in the central ruin; both Talos in the right flank ruin, backed up by the Haemonculus, Wracks, Beastmaster and Razorwings.

Battle Summary

Turn 1

I won the roll to go first and decided to go aggressive. With all the soft meat of the aeldari hidden away, the Assault Intercessors advanced onto the centre objective, back up by the Wolf Lord. The Intercessors and Aggressors took the right flank, supported by the Wolf Priest and Battle Leader.

Everyone else hung back, claiming two of the home objectives and letting rip on the most visible Talos. Eradicators, Heavy Intercessors, Eliminators - all the shots testing themselves against one high-toughness monster with an invulnerable save who could regenerate wounds.

And when the dust settled - it was alive on one wound left. Oh dear, I've seen this somewhere before.

In the response, the Drukhari stayed inside their transports (presumably laughing), healed up the Talos, and sent the meat-shield forward. The Grotesques up the middle, one Talos up my right flank, followed by the Wracks and Haemonculus; while the Beastmaster whips on the huge flock of Razorwings to occupy the centre.

I weather the gunfire from the transports and monsters reasonably well, and then the uninjured Talos charges my Intercessors, followed by the flock of Razorwings. I lose half the squad, but manage to cling onto the objective.

Turn 2

In response the remaining Intercessors fall back, which allows the Aggressors to open up with everything they have, knocking all 24 Razorwings from the sky before charging into the Talos.

Down the centre, I throw all my supporting firepower at the Grotesques, softening them up for a double-charge with the Wolf Lord and Assault Intercessors (they're only six Grotesques, but I'm quickly learning to have a healthy respect for the resilience of the Coven). My trusty Cyberwolf grabs the central objective while everyone else has abandoned it to go fighting.

With no better targets, the Heavy Intercessors take out one of the Venoms, which deposits its passengers, the Kabalite Warriors, into heavy cover on an objective (so I managed to make it more secure).

The charges go in, and the Wolf Lord and his Intercessors hit the Grotesques, leaving two standing (I knew they were resilient!)

And then the Talos interrupts combat and hits my Aggressors - it's Talos Gauntlet is perfect for killing elites, and it takes out all-but one of the entire squad (and it took a CP reroll to save that one!). My right flank appears to have gone missing, and I'm still only fighting one-third of the Realspace Raid.

In the Drukhari's turn, the Groteques disengage from combat and the other Talos moves to intercept the Wolf Lord. The Wracks and Haemonculus take up possession of the right flank objective (while the Beastmaster, now missing his birdies, scoots back to the ruins to cover the back objective).

There's still no sign of the melee troops (perhaps because I haven't yet committed my reserves yet), and that shows in the limited damage done this turn. The lone Aggressor is taken out, but not before brings down the Talos. The other Talos fails the charge against the Wolf Lord and the Drukhari are left open for a counterpunch.

Turn 3

I bring in all my reserves: one unit of Reivers to threaten the Beastmaster on the right flank, another to worry the Kabalites on the left, and the Hellblasters to reinforce the firepower of the Heavy Intercessors.

I have a good round of shooting this time, taking out a Raider (from which spill a lot of Wyches) and the injured Talos (finally!).

The Wolf Lord finishes off the remaining Grotesques, while the Wolf Priest and Battle Leader lead the Intercessors against the Wracks, chopping them down and taking back the objective.

One squad of Reivers makes their deepstrike charge and hits the Beastmaster, dragging him from his hover-sled and claiming the back objective.

And now comes the counter-punch: the Succubus takes the Wyches across the battlefield to carve up the Wolf Lord and his remaining Assault Intercessors. The astartes die to a thousand cuts and the Wolf Lord is left, surrounded and taking hits from a multitude of weapons. 

I also persuade jhnlk that he should ram the Cyberwolf with the last Venom for an easy kill. This just shows what I know about Cyberwolves, as the mutt clings on against all probability and eventually chews through the wires and brings the ship down!

(though the Venom does have the last laugh, exploding and taking the Cyberwolf with it)

The second wave of assault comes from the Court of the Archon, and the Archon himself, who jump out of the last Raider and sprint all the way across the field to re-take the back objective from the Reivers. They are supported by the sudden appearance of the Mandrakes, so the Drukhari really want that objective back. The Reivers are promptly torn to shreds and only the pack leader remains to stagger out of the ruins.

Turn 4

I'm running out of reserves to throw into the fight, so the backline firepower starts to move up. The Eradicators position themselves centrally to throw shots against the Court of the Archon and then charge in to rescue their Wolf Lord from the Wyches. Melta rifles against infantry may be overkill, but I know how difficult The Court can be to shift. 

The rest of the firepower, mostly Hellblasters, takes out the final Raider, and we're charging in once more. The Wolf Priest and Intercessors go against the charred survivors of the Court, hacking them down. In response the Archon steps forward and slays the Wolf Priest.

My Eradicators do make the charge against the Wyches and, with gravis troops in the assault doctrine, even the butts of melta rifles can be deadly. Too late for the Wolf Lord, sadly, who lost his final wound before the Wyches were vanquished.

Things go better on the left flank, where only the Kabalite Warriors are sandwiched between the Hellblasters and my second squad of Reivers, and promptly overrun.

As the light fades on the battlefield, the two opposing armies are inverted: I've lost both commanders, but have a good portion of my army left. Jhnlk only has the Succubus and Archon remaining (I think the Mandrakes have slunk back into the shadows, deciding they won't get paid this time). So we call the game there.

It was a bloodbath, but between the to-and-fro, I've managed to hold more objectives at the end of my turns. Crucially, I got lucky with the bonanza objective and had it turn up in my 'safe' objective more often than not, so I've been running away with the points (25:10 at the final count).

Result: Victory to the Space Wolves!

Locker Room

Great fun! The score was misleading (as can happen in multiball) - this was absolute carnage for both sides and brilliant to play out.

I was right in my calculation that primaris Space Wolves would be easy to administer - unlike the jamboree of rules that accompany a mixed Drukhari force. But jhnlk managed it well (having prepared a clipboard in advance, as any good general should), and I really like the block/counterpunch strategy of starting off with the very hard-to-kill Coven, before following up with the lethal Wyches (and having the Kabal somewhere in the middle to troubleshoot).

I think if the melee units had made an appearance one turn earlier, it might have been a different story, but by the time they hit my army, I'd been able to spread out and scoop up all that lovely goldinium. Still, we were both holding units back in deepstrike/transports, so it was a case of who blinked first - proper Wild West Showdown style!

jhnlk was a fantastic opponent and excellent to play against. I'll be up for the rematch when the dark denizens of Commorragh come calling.