It's been a while since Kraken and I played a game of 40k but I, Pootle, had a spare evening and threw down the gauntlet...
The Good Guys?
After my Necrons faced Winters SEO's firstborn 13th a couple of weeks ago, I fancied giving my own firstborn Ultramarines a run out. A simple list with a bit of everything:
- Chaplain in Terminator Armour with The Honour Vehement (extra S and A in melee) leading...
- 5 Terminators (Power Sword on Sarge, Chainfist, Cyclone Missile Launcher)
- Lieutenant with Master-crafter Bolt Rifle (and Artificer Armour for a 2+ and 5+++) leading...
- 10 Tactical Marines (Power Sword on Sarge, Plasma Gun and Missile Launcher)
- 5 Scouts with Missile Launcher
- 5 Scouts with Heavy Bolter
- 5 Devastators (2 Multimeltas, 2 Grav Cannon, Sarge with Power Fist and Grav Pistol) riding around in...
- Razorback (Twin Lascannon, HK, Storm Bolter)
- Bike Squad: 3 Bikes (Sarge with Power Fist), Attack Bike with Multimelta
- Ironclad Dreadnought with Seismic Hammer, 2 HKs and Heavy Flamers
- Predator Annihilator (Twin Lascannon, 2x Lascannon, HK, Storm Bolter)
1,250 points on the nose
Definitely Not The Good Guys
Kraken is running a Soulforged Pack detachment of Chaos Space Marines. On top of the normal Dark Pacts that grant Sustained or Lethal Hits at the cost of D3 mortal wounds if they fail a leadership test, Daemon Vehicle units can opt to overcook these pacts and get +1 to wound for ranged attacks or +2 attacks in melee, at the cost of a -1 penalty to the Ld test.
- Lord Discordant - Autocannon; warlord with Forge's Blessing enhancement (gives nearby vehicle a 6+ FNP)
- Warpsmith - Tempting Addendum enhancement (further enhancements to Dark Pacts: Daemon Vehicles reroll all hit rolls at a cost of an additional mortal wound if they fail their Ld test)
- Cultist Mob with Firearms
- Helbrute (Multimelta & Fist)
- Helbrute (Hammer & Fist)
- 2 Obliterators
- Venomcrawler
- Forgefiend
- Heldrake
1,240 points
Terrain and Mission
I've set up a typically densely-packed table, though there are plenty of vistas so it's hard to keep everything completely out of sight. At first glance I always worry I've maybe put too much scenery down, but it definitely adds to the tactical flavour of the game (and that worked very well this evening).
We decide to go for a hold-more-kill-more game as I've plenty of small units that should be good at board control and grabbing objectives, but Kraken's more elite army will be well able to kill stuff (and that's probably all they really care about anyway).
I remain broadly unaware of the tactical niceties of combat. Violence is king.
From battle round 2, each player will score 5 VPs in their Command Phase for holding an objective, and additional 5VPs for holding a second and an additional 5VPs if they hold more objectives at that point than their opponent. The player going second will score at the end of round five if we live that long.
Similarly, at the end of each battle round we score 5VPs for killing an enemy unit, an additional 5VPs for killing a second and an additional 5VPs if they kill more enemy units that round than their opponent.
The Terminators are (obviously) up in orbit ready to teleport in. On the table, I combat squad my Tac Squad and the Lt and the Sergeant lead the Plasma Gun-armed half on my right flank, accompanied by the Ironclad and behind the forward-deployed Scouts.
Deployment
The Missile Launcher half of the Tac Squad hold my home objective, with the Bikes and Predator just in front ready to push forwards.
My left flank is secured by the other Scouts in no-mans-land and the Devastators riding around in their Razorback.
For me, the Obliterators are lurking in the warp and the Heldrake is hovering in reserve. Otherwise I've got a three-pronged attack. The Disco Lord and the Venomcrawler have the left side, the Hammerbrute the right.
The Warpsmith, Cultists, Forgefiend and second Helbrute are in the middle, holding the objective and looking nasty.
Turn 1: CSM
Both flanks advance into cover, avoiding the objectives for now. Swinging the Disco Lord and Venomcrawler in lets me draw a bead on the Predator, which I have decided is my Oath of Moment. I know I don't get those, but I have the Chaos equivalent.
By feeding the Forgefiend up with what I'm going to call Oats of Torment (Lord D, the Warpsmith and the Helbrute), I can effectively give it all the buffs that ever existed in the game. Combining various auras, pacts, hastily arranged subclauses and orders gives it something like +1 to everything, reroll everything, lethal and sustained.
Pootle duly pops smoke, which is all that remains after a barrage of six shots. Scratch a target! In retrospect I wish I'd not wasted a CP on Smoke - it wasn't even close to being useful!
The Venomcrawler and Helbrute between them shoot a bike down, and their assault bike shoots back and singes the Helbrute. I don't have any other targets after that, and it's not been entirely without cost - hazardous weapons and dark pacts are poor bedfellows, and the Forgefiend is a little the worse for wear.
Turn 1: Ultramarines
Damn that Forgefiend is punchy...it's got to go, so it's the Oath of Moment target this turn. No doctrines required just now; I'll save them for later.
With the Helbrute lurking outside charge range, the Ironclad falls back slightly to aim his brace of HKs through a gap at the Forgefiend. Both missiles streak home and knock lots of armour plating loose.
Ahead of the Ironclad, the Scouts run onto the righthand objective, with the Lt following cautiously behind (and staying behind the cover offered by ruined pipework).
The other half of the Tac Squad reposition forwards slightly so they can see the armoured monsters coming for them. Meanwhile the Bikes roar forwards on the central objective and the Multimelta finishes off the injured Forgefiend!
I still have the dangerous Razorback + Devastator combo to shoot, and get somewhat greedy at this point. The Razorback fires his bolters at the Venomcrawler (he only needs to hit once to allow the Devs to reroll all wounds) and puts its HK and Lascannon into the Helbrute, removing a few wounds. I should point out that when the Devastator team emerged from the Razorback, Kraken overwatched with the Forgefiend, but he only managed to kill the Sergeant.
Unfortunately my hubris costs me and both Bolter shots miss. I CP reroll as I really want the Devs to get full advantage, but still miss! The Devastators hit well but the wound roll is atrocious (I could REALLY have done with the reroll) and I only knock a couple of wounds off the Venomcrawler (which the Warpsmith will go on to heal next turn...)
The Scouts on my left push through the ruined cathedral walls to jump onto the objective and pour fire into the Lord Discordant, to no avail...apart from attracting its attention. Gulp.
At the end of the round we've each scored 5VPs for killing an enemy unit. I note with amusement that in terms of damage caused, Kraken has caused more damage to his own units through mortal wounds from failed dark pacts than I've inflicted with my own weaponry. I'll take any method of causing damage I can though!
5-5 Draw
Turn 2: CSM
Having dodged quite a lot of laser bullets there, I'm in a good place for a counter-attack.
Funky Lord D heads for the scouts, leaving the centre to fend for itself. That's one fight that we both confidently call the result of, and the scouts are out.
Big push in the middle, with the Cultists staying at home base to watch the fireworks. The Warpsmith lopes along behind the Helbrute and Venomcrawler, but as they move out, some new contenders move in. Terminators!
Two can play at reinforcements, so the Obliterators pop up behind the Hammerbrute as it heads for the right side objective. The Heldrake also swoops down on that side, ready to lend a claw.
It's a good turn for me after that. The right flank loses all its Tactical Marines to chaos shooting, leaving a lone Lieutenant to watch as the Hammerbrute utterly molests the second Scout squad. In the middle, more firepower knocks down a couple of Devastators before the Venomcrawler and Helbrute finish off the bikers.
Again, I get a bit carried away on pacts, and both Helbrutes are down round the half-way mark by the time I've done. I regret nothing - four units down, and I'm on four objectives. Pootle, I demand satisfaction.
Turn 2: Ultramarines
The Venomcrawler is the Oath of Moment target this turn. Once again, I don't really need any doctrines so I'll save them.
My right flank is the simplest: the Lt calls over his shoulder for the Ironclad to follow him towards the enemy Helbrute.
He's confident he can do the job himself, but would quite like to have the Ironclad with him...just for some moral support you understand.
In the enemy's deployment zone, the Terminators stalk towards the Warpsmith, intending to shoot the cultists, charge the Warpsmith and then consolidate back onto the enemy objective. However Kraken spends a CP to move the Cultists into a human screen to stop that plan. Accordingly all the Terminators' fire is poured onto the Cultists, but there's still one remaining who will make the charge rather tricky.
Kraken is very pleased with this, but when the two remaining Multimelta Devastators melt the Venomcrawler and cause an explosion that (brilliantly) also kills the Helbrute (gotta love chain reaction vehicle explosions), the Razorback is left with no targets to shoot, so it evaporates the remaining Cultist.
The Ironclad does make its charge and though I'm aware that the Helbrute's hammer has 7 attacks against the Ironclad's 3, mine is a bigger hammer and though only two get through the armour, that's enough to destroy the enemy walker.
Lacking his Cultist screen, the Warpsmith can't do anything to stop the Terminators despatching him.
At the end of the turn we each score 5VPs for holding one objective in our command phases. Kraken killed four units (10VPs), however due to the comedy explosion chain, I managed to kill five so score 15VPs.
25-20 to the Ultramarines
Turn 3: CSM
That was an eminently landed counterpunch, and it's left me low on assets and feeling like I'm reeling. Three units left! But what units...
The Disco King scuttles round the ruins and assaults the Razorback. He wrecks it pretty thoroughly and follows up into the Devastators, who the Heldrake has very annoying completely failed to kill any of.
Leaving a handsome Dreadnought in front of the Obliterators is asking for trouble, and they light it up with shooting before finishing it off with a charge. Only just, though, which is a huge relief - it would have wrecked them if it got to hit back. Instead, I've nicked the objective there off the Lieutenant, who I now start picking on.
Turn 3: Ultramarines
At the start of the turn my Tac Marines hold my home objective and the Terminators have a toe on the enemy objective. Against that, Kraken only holds one in the midfield so I will score the max 15VPs. Excellent! Now all I've got to do is kill something. Oath of Moment is the Lord Discordant and I put the army into the Tactical Doctrine so the Lt on my right and the Devastators in the middle can fall back, shoot and charge. I spend a CP to put the Terminators into the Assault Doctrine so they can sprint forwards and charge the back of the Lord Discordant.
Feeding Frenzy!
The Tac Marines do what they can but their shots don't penetrate the tough armour.
The Terminators roll a big fat one on their advance roll and go on to fail the resultant 9" charge. D'oh!
On my right flank, the Lt is making a bit of a name for himself. He shoots one Obliterator and then charges in to finish the other off. Not only that, but his Artificer Armour means he only takes two wounds in return. However, I've not killed a single unit...
At the end of round it's 15-5 to me in the hold-more category, but with two kills to my zero it's 15-0 to Kraken in the kill-more section, excitingly that results in...
40-40 Draw
Turn 4: CSM
That Lieutenant can't claim the objective off an Obliterator, but he's handy enough in combat to possibly kill it. So I fall back, ready to overwatch him if he tries anything funny.
The Heldrake swoops in on the Tac squad at the back. A belch of flame, a flash of talons and they're all goners, leaving that back objective unclaimed.
That leaves the Lord Disco. The sensible move is to scuttle off, take more objectives and make the Terminators sweat trying to reach me. That's why I rush them instead - it's the last thing they'd expect!
Alas, it's not the best attack. Shooting kills one, charging kills two, but I was really hoping for a bit more than that. Half my wounds get punched out by the Chaplain and his chaps (and a failed pact), which leaves me feeling a bit iffy about another round.
I'm sitting pretty, though - I've got more objectives and more kills (currently), and maybe the Lord D can wake up a bit next turn and kill off the Termies before they get going.
Turn 4: Ultramarines
This is turning into a fantastic game and I can't tell which way it's going to go. From scoring 15 points on objectives last turn, this turn I have no objectives at all. Oath of Moment should be the Disco Lord but I'm confident that the Terminators can kill that unaided so try to give my hero Lt some help by making the Obliterator the OoM. I do put the Terminators into the Tactical Doctrine this time so they can fall back and charge the Disco Lord to get first punch.
I try another Feeding Frenzy, but I'm clearly still full of Devastators. No more, thanks.
They go on to do me proud, though it does take everything they have.
On my right the Lt shoots and charges the Obliterator and does take a couple of wounds off but just can't quite kill it.
One kill for each of us this round, but Kraken's objective holding takes him into a slim lead.
50-45 to the CSM
Turn 5: CSM
With the centre lost, it's a case of rinse and repeat for the Obliterator. Fall back again, zip the Heldrake towards the right so Pootle can't go charging in and steal his objective back. Try as I might, I can't quite get the flaming breath to land, though, and the L-T is still going to be a menace in the last round.
Turn 5: Ultramarines
My Terminators are on the central objective but to win I need to kill one of the two remaining CSM models on the table: the Obliterator or the Heldrake. If the Lt manages to kill his nemesis he'll score the objective as well giving me the win, but if he moves to charge the infernal beast then the Heldrake will overwatch him and melt his valorous heart.
My only option is for the Terminators to charge the Heldrake, which will prevent it overwatching (Big Guns Never Tire doesn't apply outside the Shooting Phase); who knows, they might even kill the oversized mechanical chicken.
Pootle reasons carefully through this plan of action, only to forget I can still overwatch with the Obliterator. Ahah! Alas, I can't crack his heroic aura of invulnerability, despite landing a couple of good hits.
The charges come off and the Lt heroically unloads all he has into the Obliterator but can only reduce it to one wound left. Despite it not changing the result, I'm thrilled that the Obliterator's fist can't quite kill the Lieutenant (who now deserves a name) as his feel-no-pain kicks in and keeps him alive on a wound. In fact, at the end of the game there are only six models on the table, four of whom are on a single wound!
Result: 55-45 to the CSM
Locker Room
That was a fantastic game! I was little annoyed to lose the Predator in turn 1, and nervous when Kraken killed so much at the top of turn 2, but I had an absolute belter game of dominoes at the bottom of turn 2 (the chain reaction of the exploding Venomcrawler killing the Helbrute, which in turn freed up the Razorback to kill the last Cultist and allow the Terminators to charge and kill the Warpsmith).
If I blew up my own Helbrute, shouldn't I get the points for it? Ah well - at least I know not to overdo the Dark Pacts next time ha no who am I kidding, of course I've learned nothing.
The fact that even at the bottom of turn 5 I had a chance to win the game was really good, and having my Lieutenant survive the game (even though he couldn't quite pull a win out of the bag for me) was great fun, particularly as he's one of my favourite minis (he's really a Captain with Terminator Honours but demoted for the game and definitely worthy of re-promotion. To have a firstborn survive the attentions of a Heldrake and Obliterators for three turns is pretty impressive!
The mission worked really well; I've played hold-more-kill-more a few times but it helped balance two armies that definitely have different priorities.
Yeah, that's a good simple match. Simple for 40K at least, it's still a tottering heap of rules and chance, but this was definitely a good 'un. Man of my match was the Disco Lord, who pulled a lot of value out of the Ultramarines by bullying smaller units and scuttling off before he was made to pay.
Thanks again for the game Kraken, always great fun playing you!
Always a pleasure, especially when I win!
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