Waaagh Bludteef!
Same army as my last post obviously: I brought Orks to WaB this year as they're relative easy to play with (central tactic: CHARGE!) and fun to play against (as my opponent will definitely be killing lots of models). I picked a stripped down version of the list I fielded against Winters back in October:
- Warboss - Warlord with Cybork Body enhancement (4+++ feel no pain), Power Klaw, Kombi-weapon, Attack Squig; he's leading...
- 10 Nobz - Power Klaws, Ammo Runt; and all eleven of them are riding around in...
- Trukk with Wreckin' Ball
- Defkilla Wartrike with Kunnin' but Brutal enhancement (fall back, shoot and charge); he's leading...
- 6 Warbikers - Nob with Power Klaw
- 3 Warbikers - Nob with Power Klaw
- 10 Boyz - Nob with Power Klaw, 9 Boyz with Choppas
- 10 Boyz - Nob with Power Klaw, 9 Boyz with Choppas
- 5 Flash Gitz with Ammo Runt
- Deff Dread
- Kustom Boosta Blasta
- Megatrakk Scrapjet
- Skokkjump Dragsta
- Mek Gun - Kustom Mega-Kannon
- Mek Gun - Kustom Mega-Kannon
- Mek Gun - Kustom Mega-Kannon
1,500 points on the nose
Black Templars
- Marshal - warlord; leading...
- 10 Crusaders - Sword Brother, 5 Initiates, 4 Neophytes
- The Emperor's Champion; leading...
- 10 Crusaders - Sword Brother, 5 Initiates, 4 Neophytes; all riding around in...
- Land Raider
- 5 Primaris Sword Brethren
- 6 Bladeguard Veterans
- Redemptor Dreadnought - Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon
- Redemptor Dreadnought - Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon
When talking me through his list, Chris noted that he didn't have anyone to babysit his home objective but was just going to ignore that. He realised subsequently that he had actually paid for a unit of Intercessors that he forgot to actually use in all of his games (facepalm...)
Mission and deployment
I had actually played a game on this very table the previous day (against Primaris Dave's Leagues of Votann), and I'd put my boxes down on the same side I'd occupied before. We decided it wasn't worth messing around because both lists want to run forward and punch so it should be a very different game to one where I'm running into a gunline.
We decided to keep the mission simple and just play Take & Hold but also add the twist where CP rerolls cost 3CP to try to let the dice tell whatever story they wanted (and, spoiler alert, they did have a story in mind).
Chris put the Bladeguard Vets on his far left, with one of the Redemptors lurking behind a building just to the left of centre.
The Land Raider (holding the Emperor's Champion and a Crusader squad) went just right of centre.
Chris's right flank was held by the other Redemptor, the Sword Brethren and the Marshall and his Crusader squad.
I deployed in a very similar way to the previous day, except that as I had more drops I could see that Chris's forces were more focussed on his right, so I put the Deff Dredd in the centre rather than my own right flank.
The big unit of Bikes, the Flash Gits and a mob of Boyz held my right...
Mek Guns in the centre with the Scrapjet and smaller mob of Bikers heading left. The Trukk containing Bludteef along with a mob of Boyz would also head left, straight towards the action!
I won the roll-off for first turn so revved my engines...
Orks: turn 1
On my left, the three Bikers scoot round the corner and sit on the objective while the Scrapjet fires a load of rockets at the Crusader squad, missing entirely.
In the centre, the Boyz and Deff Dredd surge forwards, but can't get in range of the central objective.
The Kustom Boosta Blasta did however manage to drive onto the central objective. Even more usefully, its Rivet Kannon shot at the Land Raider and although it did no damage, the enemy would suffer a -1 to hit next turn.
On my right, the big unit of Bikers put their pedals to the metal and go far beyond the objective (they're still on it though). I did consider hanging back a bit to avoid getting jumped on by the Marines next turn, but decided that's not how these Orks think. Behind them, the Boyz and the Flash Gits picked up their heels, but only a couple of the latter managed to get within range of the objective.
Marines: turn 1
On Chris's right flank, the Sword Brethren and Redemptor emerge from cover and stalk forwards. The Redemptor's Plasma Incinerator powers up and destroys the Megatrakk Scrapjet in front of him. Later in the turn, the Sword Brethren charge the old lead Warbuggies/Bikers holding the objective in front of them but only manage to kill two of them (I think I rolled two saves of sixes for the Nob, which I ascribed to the lead-armour he was wearing). However the Marines do now control that objective.
The Marshal pulls his Crusader team into cover to prepare a welcoming committee to counterpunch the Orks when they hit next turn. Definitely tactical, not at all cowardly, thought the Orks.
The Land Raider performs a handbrake turn to steal the central objective from the Kustom Boosta Blasta. The Emperor's Champion and his Crusaders disembark and eye up a charge on the Deffkilla Wartrike.
On Chris's left flank, the Bladeguard Veterans mirror their Marshal's caution and hold back, waiting to leap onto the Orks next turn.
But the Redemptor near them is more aggressive, moving to hose down the Bikers with Plasma Fire before charging the survivors. It does suffer some damage when its Plasma cannon backfires.
The Emperor's Champion too can't be denied his charge and an opportunity to target the Ork second-in-command.
It's a very brief fight; the Redemptor's fist scatters red-painted wreckage around it before the Emperor's Champion leaps into the cockpit of the Trike and eviscerates the Nob standing in the back.
At the end of the turn, the Redemptor consolidates onto the righthand objective, getting danger-close to the Flash Gits crouching behind the pipes and preventing them from concentrating on digging up whatever loot might be buried there.
Orks: turn 2
I score only five VPs for holding my home objective as the Bikes on the left have been melted and Chris has managed to out-OC me on all three midfield objectives.
On my left, the Boyz mob pile forwards towards the Redemptor as Bludteef and his retinue leap from the Trukk. All are screaming "Waaagh!" at the top of their voices and Chris does admit to being somewhat intimidated by the wall of green bodies heading towards his troops.
In the centre, the Kustom Boosta Blasta sprays fire and rivets onto the Champion's squad (only killing a few Neophytes, but granting them a -1 to hit until my next command phase, which could come in handy in combat later). The Deff Dredd lumbers forward, supported by the Shokkjump Dragsta
On my right, the Boyz mob prepare to sell their souls by charging into the other Redemptor. The Flash Gits unload their guns into the Champion's Crusaders and kill most of the unit; only two brothers stand to support their Champion.
One of the Mek Guns gets a good volley into the side of the Redemptor towering over the Flash Gits and the Boyz mob also have the presence of mind to hurl and load of Grenades at the machine, dropping it down to a potentially-manageable 6 wounds remaining. The other Guns fire ineffectually at the Land Raider.
The Boyz mob on my left charge into the backs of the Sword Brethren and, with the Waaagh active, tear them apart.
Bludteef and his Nobs pile into the (unwounded) Redemptor somewhat optimistically. I've got a lot of attacks but realise at the start of the combat that the Redemptors innate -1 damage ability seriously hurts this unit, all of whom (even Bludteef) have damage 2 weaponry. Bludteef goes first and manages to strip four wounds off the Dreadnought. Then the Nobz swing and I manage to force Chris to make eight 4+ saving throws. Chris would need to fail every single one for the Dread to fall...
...which is exactly what happens. He can't quite believe how few pips are staring back up at him from his dice!
To add injury to insult, the Boyz on my right flank then roll a boatload of sixes and drag down the other Redemptor too!
The really dramatic fight though is in the middle. The Deff Dredd swings its mighty claws at the Emperor's Champion and he has to make half a dozen 3+ saves, any one of which will kill him. Given Chris's poor luck so far, I'm cheering him on when as he successively makes them, and he duly survives on a brace of wounds.
Marines: turn 2
Just the five VPs for Chris at the top of the turn, but VPs aren't what this game is about.
The Marshal and his Crusaders charge into Bludteef and the mess of Orks surrounding him. They too get to roll a load of dice and cleave through the Nobz, but Bludteef survives.
Our attention is mainly on the fight in the middle however. The Emperor's Champion isn't going back out of combat just because the Dredd is going to fight first. The Land Raider does aim its Lascannons at the Kustom Boosta Blasta and destroys it. It explodes, dropping the Champion to his final wound, but as the Dredd's claws are a flat damage 3, that isn't going to matter.
That was the right time to end the game. The Orks have possession of the battlefield and the Black Templars retrieve the (not-quite-dead) body of the Emperor's Champion and retreat.
Result: Victory to the Orks!
Locker Room
I played five great games over the weekend, but this one was the stand-out for me. Two armies smashing into each other with some crazy luck that told a dramatic story is exactly what I love most about this hobby. I've played Chris only once before where something very similar happened (not least because, as today, we ignored the notional win-conditions and just went for each other - and if you've not read the Averment Breach in our Skypehammer campaign I would massively encourage you to do so; the fact that it was played in 8th edition is irrelevant as the story that emerged from the games, dramatically written up by Kraken, was top notch) so it was great to play him face to face at last. Thank you and I would love to roll dice again with you sometime!
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