Weekend at Burnie’s 4 - Day 2: Black Legion vs Necrons

 

Pootle again with the third of my four battles at Weekend at Burnies. This time my Black Legion faced Crashoverride's Necrons.

Black Legion

Repeating an earlier post from when I faced Sultan's White Scars the previous day, this is my army. Gormenghastly used to lead a Purge warband and found fame in a spectacularly unlikely piece of dice-rolling during Stylus's lock-down Skypehammer campaign. Kraken wrote up a typically awesome batrep here for that game and I've developed his story since then. Given that Purge lost specific rules in the latest CSM codex, I decided that Gormenghastly has joined (and taken over) a Khornate-aligned Black Legion force (the set-up to this, as well as the death of Stylus's own Purge army is written up here) 

- Gormenghastly - Sorcerer in Terminator Armour (HQ) (Warlord)
   Force Axe, Combi-Melta, Mark of Nurgle
   Trait: Unholy Fortitude (5+++ FNP)
   Additional Black Legion Trait (1CP): Indomitable (half damage, rounding up)
   Relic: Veilbreaker Plate (worsen incoming AP by 1; once/battle teleport self plus one CORE unit)
   Psychic: Diabolic Strength, Infernal Gaze, Putrid Miasma, Smite

- Ghock Hackfiend - Dark Apostle (HQ)

   Mark of Khorne

   Extra Trait (1CP): Hatred Incarnate (+1S and A when charging; reroll melee hits)

   Extra Relic (1CP): The Black Mace (extra AP and damage, excess damage spills over)

   Prayers: Omen of Potency, Wrathful Entreaty, Dark Zealotry

-  Kararic Bonereaper - Lord Discordant (HQ)

   Baleflamer, Technovirus Injector, Mark of Khorne

   Extra Trait (1CP): Flames of Spite (reroll wound rolls; melee wound rolls of 6 cause additional MW)

   Extra Relic (1CP): Gorget of Eternal Hate (+1 armour save, 4++ invuln, explodes on death

- 8 Accursed Cultists (Troops)

   5 Mutants, 3 Torments

- 10 Cultists (Troops)

  Grenade Launcher, Champion with Bolt Pistol & Brutal Assault Weapon

- 8 Legionaries (Troops)

  Chaos Icon, Mark of Khorne, Hvy Chainaxe, Flamer, 5xChainswords, Champ w. Plasma Pistol & Power Fist

- 7 Legionaries (Troops)

  Chaos Icon, Mark of Nurgle, Reaper Chaincannon, 5xBoltguns, Champ with Boltgun & Power Fist

- Helbrute (Elites)

  Helbrute Fist (with Heavy Flamer), Multi-melta

- 5 Bikers (Fast Attack)

  Chaos Icon, Mark of Khorne, 2x Chainsword, 2x Meltagun & Chainsword, Champ w. Power Fist and (-1CP) Black Rune of Damnation (-1 to wound, nearby psykers suffer perils on any double)

- Chaos Spawn (Fast Attack)

- Maulerfiend (Heavy Support)

  Lasher Tendrils

- Obliterator (Heavy Support)

- Rhino (Dedicated Transport)

   Combi-melta, Havoc Launcher

Points: 1,500 | Level: 88 | Battle-forged - extra warlord traits and relics: 0 CPs

My battleplan is broadly that Gormenghastly himself should be a real pain to kill (-1 to hit from Putrid Miasma, -1 to wound vs S4 or 8 or more, -1 to incoming AP, half damage and a 5+ FNP). He may teleport himself and his Helbrute bodyguard around the table as a distraction Carnifex.

Meanwhile Ghock, Kararic, the Maulerfiend, Bikers and the Rhino full of Khorne Legionaries will all barrel forwards and follow a fairly simple Khornate plan.

The Nurgle Legionaries and Obliterator will hold the backfield and the Spawn, Cultists and Accursed Cultists act as a screen.

Necrons

Crashoverride was quick to point out that the beautifully painted army was actually commissioned from justcraig.miniatures: please go and take a look at his Instagram page here. 

- Overlord with Voidscythe, Resurrection Orb and Veil of Darkness

- Technomancer with Canoptek Cloak

- Skorpekh Lord

- 20 Warriors with Gauss Reapers

- 20 Warriors with Gauss Flayers

- 20 Warriors with Gauss Flayers

- 6 Tomb Blades

- 5 Skorpekh Destroyers

- 5 Scarab Swarms

- 5 Scarab Swarms

- 3 Lokhust Destroyers

Mission and Deployment

We were playing the multi-ball objective that gave an additional 5VPs for holding one randomly determined objective.

I deployed my Accursed Cultists and Nurgle Legionaries on my left flank to move towards the midfield objective and hold my home objective respectively. The Bikers were next to them to sweep round the left and help out as needed. 

The Rhino with the Khorne Legionaries, backed up by the Dark Apostle and Spawn would advance down the right flank, with everything else piling through the centre.

Crashoverride puts his three Warrior lumps down behind the cover of buildings, with the shorter-ranged Reaper-armed unit in the centre. The Tomb Blades go on his left flank.

The Skorpekh crew go in the centre (with the Overlord and Technomancer)

And the Lokhust Destroyers go on the right flank. Left and right flanks also both have some Scarabs to race forwards and disrupt things.

I win the roll-off for first turn.

Black Legion: turn 1

An easy turn to start with: absolutely everyone moves forwards. The Accursed Cultists just manage to get their tentacles within reach of the centre-left objective, with the Nurgle Legionaries stepping into the ruins to hold the home objective. They do loose some firepower at the Warriors opposite but, after resurrections, there's no net effect.

The Bikers get ready to strike next turn...

The Obliterator leaps up into the ruins in front, but doesn't do anything useful with his shots; the Maulerfiend and Helbrute move carefully forwards, screening Gormengahstly from a potential Veil of Darkness-inspired assassination relocation.

On my right, the Cultists sprint within range of the centre-right objective and the Lord Discordant provides moral support.

Necrons: turn 1

On my left, the Lokhust Destroyers aim their guns at the Maulerfiend but only scratch a few wounds off.

The Skorpekh Destroyer crew, led by their Lord, eye up a charge on the Bikers.

On my right, the Scarabs skim forwards and then crash into the Cultists, unexpectedly killing the lot of them (I'd rather hoped one of them might survive).

Things don't go quite as well for the Skorpekh Destroyers, who fail the charge on the Bikers. The Lord heads in alone, but the fearsome Black Rune of Damnation means tha the can only manage to kill two of them.

Black Legion: turn 2

I start the turn on only my home objective, so that's just the 5VPs to start off with.

On the left my Accursed Cultists move further forwards to squat all over the objective and make it harder for the Scarabs to take it off them.

In the centre, the Maulerfiend stomps over to the Skorpekh Lord and squishes him down to liquid metal rather easily. Meanwhile, the Lord Discordant scuttles over to claim the objective just behin the pillar near the Necron lines.

The Dark Apostle can only fail his charge on a double 1...and promptly does so. I think I must have needed a reroll to get the Maulerfiend into the Skorpekh Lord, so he just screams curses at the Scarabs.

Necrons: turn 2

The Necrons too only hold their home objective in the command phase, so it's neck and neck at 5 VPs each.

The Scarabs on my left crash into the Accursed Cultists and the start bashing each other, but both units can heal their injuries rather effectively, so this fight is doomed to go on for some time without outside intervention. However that works fine for me, as I can keep more bodies within range of the objective.

Unfortunately for David, this turn is a bit of a bounce - the Lokhust Destroyers can't quite kill the Obliterator and the Warriors' guns pretty much bounce of the heavy armour of the Maulerfiend and Lord Discordant.

Black Legion: turn 3

The positioning of the Accursed Cultists means that I'm holding two objectives now, so that takes the VP score to 15:5 in my favour.

My main objective is to get my two big Khorne beasts into the central blob of warriors, and both make the charge and stuff loads of metal body parts into their mouths. Unfortunately, I can't quite kill the lot of them so there will be a reanimation orb to be used next turn.

The Dark Apostle finally crashes into the Scarabs but can't quite chew his way through all the wounds on the floating bugs. One bit of comedy that ensues (I think next turn) is that a CP is spent to explode the remaining Scarab, which manages to kill the Dark Apostle as well!

In the back right, the Khorne Legionaries boil out of the Rhino and smash into the Warriors in the ruins, reducing most to scrap metal. Again, I just fail to kill the lot of them in one go, but reanimation doesn't go well either and there are just three left at the end of the fight. 

Necrons: turn 3

The Necrons still (just) hold their home objective. The central Warrior blob aren't holding the objective near the Disco Lord, however as luck would have it, the random multi-ball objective this turn is their home objective, so it's still 10VPs and 15:15 overall so far.

The Tomb Blades fall back from the rampaging Khorne Legionaries.

The Resurrection Orb brings quite a few Warriors back to life in the centre and they move to reclaim the objective there, using Obsec to steal it from the Disco Lord.

The Skorpekh Destroyers aim to charge and kill the Maulerfiend...

...whilst the Overlord moves to charge the Bikers.

Meanwhile, the Scarabs and Accursed Cultists continue to dance round the centre-left objective.

The Overlord manages to dispatch all three bikes.

But the Skorpekh Destroyers are fresh out of luck. They take the Maulerfiend down to just three wounds, but its return punches dispatch all of them.

Black Legion: turn 4

I'm on plenty of objectives this turn and claim the full 15VP to double my score.

The Helbrute and Gormenghastly plod forwards to face up to the enemy warlord. 

Meanwhile, the Khorne Legionaries pile forwards, dispatching the three remaining Warriors on the objective with ranged weaponry and charging the Tomb Blade, killing the lot of them. Brutal stuff. The Lord Discordant finishes off the Warriors in the centre. 

Then the two warlords clash, however the Necron Overlord can't repeat his efforts against the Bikers and doesn't even tickle Gormenghastly, who cuts him down with brutal efficiency.

And at that point, we decide to call the game as there doesn't appear to be any way back for the Necrons now.

Locker Room

We did say before the game that the Necrons had very limited ability to deal with my armour and they may risk being scissors against my rock for this game, and so it proved: none of my tougher units fell at all, whilst I was able to gradually carve through the metal ranks with relative ease. I was amused at the failure (he'd had trouble in the last game the previous day too) of Ghock - this will not have escaped Gormenghastly's notice.

Despite another relatively one-sided game in terms of VPs and bodies left on the board, Crashoverride was a great opponent and it was a fun game anyway - I think his biggest disappointment was that the warlord fight ended up rather anticlimactic. All in all we both had a great battle and it's always good to play new opponents and see fantastically painted models. Thank you!

As a teaser, please come back to the blog on Monday when I'll be publishing my final game against a certain hat-wearing gentleman.