Pootle here with a write-up of my last game of 10th edition. Stylus and I are playing out another game in the Jimulthuan Quadrant: this time an armoured column of Death Guard on their way to besiege the Ultramarines' HQ on Bagot Prime have been ambushed by the White Scars...
Farewell to 10th Edition, and in the tradition of Blake's 7, I've brought enough guns to shoot everyone on the way out.
Death Guard
Given that Bagot Prime seems to be a competition over strongholds, I thought the Death Guard could try a siege train approach to batter down the Imperium defences. So plenty of daemon engines and big guns. This only left me enough points for the smallest squad of Plague Marines and the cheapest character, which might leave me somewhat compromised, but I should be a menace to any vehicles I see.
- Tallyman leading 5 Plague Marines (Champion with Power Fist and Plasma Gun, Plague Belcher, Plague Spewer, Blight Launcher, Icon of Despair)
- Foetid Bloatdrone with Fleshmower
- Foetid Bloatdrone with Heavy Blight Launcher
- Myphitic Blighthauler
- Myphitic Blighthauler
- Plagueburst Crawler
- Plagueburst Crawler
1000 pts
White Scars
I’ve really enjoyed playing my White Scars so far and have been impressed by how effective six-strong units of Bikers and Bladeguard Vets have been (so they’re both featuring again today).
- Kor’Sarro
Khan leading 6 Bladeguard Veterans
- Chaplain
on Bike (with Spearpoint Paragon enhancement) leading 6 Outriders
- Lieutenant
with Power Fist and Master-crafted Bolter leading 5 Sternguard Veterans
- 3 Inceptors
with Assault Bolters
- Gladiator
Valiant
- Impulsor
995 points
The Chaplain’s enhancement turns him into a bit of an Exocet
missile – when charging (and while leading the Outriders) he gets 5 attacks at
Strength 9, AP-3, Damage 3
For the rest of the list I’m using units I’ve not used
before yet: a Valiant (I’ve used the Lancer loadout but, naturally, my tank is
magetised), Bolter-armed Inceptors and a unit of Sternguard.
Mission and deployment
The Death Guard are determined to take the Ultramarines’ HQ on Bagot Prime and have sent several armoured columns to besiege their main fortress. However, while the Ultramarines prepare their defences, a White Scar patrol prepares to ambush one of the Death Guard armies as it crosses though a mountain pass.
Once again, we’re playing my favourite mission for these pick-up games: hold-more-kill-more. At the start of each players turn (from round two) that player scores 5VPs for holding an objective, an extra five if they control two objectives and five more if they control more than their opponent at that point. Similarly, at the end of each battle round players score 5VPs if they killed an enemy unit that round, an extra five if they killed two units and five more if they killed more than their opponent.
As this game is being played out on Bagot Prime, all units
have the Sticky Objectives ability.
My Bikers take position behind the hill on my left flank,
ready to roar around the corner and fly towards the enemy. Though it turns out
that there’s not a lot there – just a PBC which I’ll have trouble cracking.
The Sternguard Vets lurk in the ruins in the centre (on the
ground floor – I put them on the top deck so Stylus could see them on the
camera); I’m aware that PBC mortars are perfectly suited to taking this unit
down despite the cover but I think I view them as expendable – I don’t have
many units to run forwards and start trading.
The two tanks also hide out of sight behind the Ork ruins. I
toy with the thought of putting the Impulsor (loaded up with Khan and the Bladeguard) front and centre so that if I do
get first turn then I can move forwards – but that would surely guarantee me
going second, so I take the sensible option.
I put one Foetid Bloat-Drone on the extreme left flank, since at least one of my units should try and rush an objective.
Everything else huddles for cover behind the central ruin, since the White Scars also have some big guns. The only things out in the open are the Plagueburst Crawlers: I'm counting on their reknowned toughness to see them through.
Death Guard: turn 1
I roll for the first turn, which I really didn't want, since the White Scars are mostly hidden and I need them to come to me.
Everything stays still, with the exception of the Foetid Bloat-Drone, which races ahead to grab an objective.
All I have to shoot is the indirect fire from the two Plaguebursts' mortars, which rain fire down upon the Sternguard. However, due to a combination of hit modifiers and bad dice rolls, they emerge from the bombardment unscathed.
That's all for my first turn. Hopefully I'll have woken up a bit for the next one!
White Scars: turn 1
I make the Plagueburst Crawler in the South East my Oath of Moment target. I'm really rather scared by the horribly effective guns of the Bloatdrone on my right flank (I'm actually rather glad it's on the other side of the battlefield from my Bikes, which it'd be excellent at despatching), but I'm hopeful that I can deal with it.
Both my tanks trundle sideways to aim their guns at the FBD. I unleash the anti-fly missiles from the Impulsor first and knock a couple of wounds off with the small arms dropping another. Then the Gladiator opens up, taking a couple more wounds off with the Lastalon leaving five wounds for the Multimeltas to remove.
Now I wish the FBD was the Oath target! One wound gets through the armour but I roll a 1 for damage! Gaaah!
In the centre, the Sternguard run forward: they can't be as lucky at dodging shells next time, so they might as well get onto the central objective.
The Bikers scream forwards as I roll a healthy advance for them to leave a 6" charge on the PBC (which Stylus warns me will become an 8" charge from a strat he can play). I spend a CP myself so their Bolters can shoot after they advance. Normally not worth firing S4 Bolters at a PBC, but the Chaplain can point at a target within 12" and guns gain Devastating Wounds against it. As the Bikers guns are all Twin-linked it's worth fishing for sixes.
Before I can shoot however, Stylus declares overwatch from the tank and manages to kill two of the Bikes. The dice were incredibly swingy this game - after hitting nothing last round, my overwatch got seven 6s in a row!
I'm now very pessimistic about my chances, but incredibly, across 10 shots I roll 5 sixes (and Stylus also fails one of the saves from one of the two 5s I roll) so the impossible-to-kill tank is already half dead!
I've spent my other CP to kill the FBD but manage to roll a fat charge and engage the tank in melee. Causing 3 damage a time, the Chaplain swings first and kills swats it down all by himself. Gulp - I feel pretty guilty actually, especially as historically when I've played Death Guard Daemon Engines against Stylus they've always seemed to hang on on 1 wound...sorry!
VPs: 15-0 to the White Scars
Death Guard: turn 2
Only my home objective for me, and I don't fancy sending much out into the centre of the battlefield to mix it up with the White Scars.
But I do send my last Foetid Bloat-Drone forwards, within an easy charge of the Sterngaurd and revving up his fleshmower.
The right flank Myphtic Blight-hauler gets the unenviable task of facing down the Chaplain's Bikers. He trundles forwards and blasts two of them with his anti-tank weapons.
The squad of Plague Marines break cover and try to pour fire into the Bikers. But they spectacularly fail to inflict even a pip of damage, so achieve nothing but to put themselves into the kill zone.
Not to be outdone, the other Myphtic Blight-hauler takes aim at the Gladiator and cracks it wide open. The surviving Plagueburst Crawler finishes off the loyalist tank with ease.
As a slight dampener on the round, the Foetid Bloat-Drone fails its 4" charge, so the Sternguard survive another round (Nurgle really doesn't want me to harm them).
White Scars: turn 2
Oath of Moment goes onto the Plague Marines because the Sternguard will be shooting at them and they get to reroll all wounds against the Oath target.
Although I know the welcome waiting for the Impulsor, I still want to get its passengers as far downfield as possible, so it pushes straight towards the Blighthauler and PBC.
The Inceptors arrive on the hilltop to my right, securing the objective behind them and stringing forwards so the forward member of the squad can shoot at the Plague Marines.
Between the Inceptors shots and the Sternguard, I kill all but one of the Plague Marines. There's another FBD right in front of them, but that's next turn's problem...
The five remaining Bikers push forwards towards the Blighthauler, which Overwatches and, once more, the Bikes lose two more of their number .
Given that the Chaplain killed a PBC all by himself, I'm confident that three Bikes can take down a lesser Daemon Engine, however I whiff properly and only take six wounds off. Hmmm.
I've scored 15VPs for holding one, two and more objectives than Stylus this turn, but somehow I've not managed to kill a single unit, which means that the Death Guard score 10VPs for killing the Gladiator (more than I've killed) in addition to the 5VPs for holding their home objective.
VPs: 30-15 to the White Scars
Death Guard: turn 3
I'm well behind on points, so I need to kill a lot of things and then hope to rush the objectives in the end game.
I start by racing my Tallyman and his sole remaining bodyguard back into cover, since they're easy victory points for the taking.
I move the Foetid Bloat-Drone into an unfailable charge rage and his fleshmower goes to work. He only lands five hits, but then Pootle fails every one of his saves (told you the dice were acting peculiar this game), so I wipe the squad, leaving only the Lieutenant!
The brave little Blight-hauler is still hanging in there, blasting away the final Biker (another unit kill!) and surviving another round of combat with the Chaplain.
On the other side of the field, the anti-tank tag-team of Myphtic Blight-hauler and Plagueburst Crawler repeat their success by destroying the Impulsor, scattering out the Bladeguard.
To continue making himself useful, the Myphtic Blight-hauler charges into the Inceptors. Mostly to tie up their firepower, but it does succeed in eating one of them as a bonus.
White Scars: turn 3
Time to put the boot in as there are still four dangerous Daemon Engines on the board. I put Oath of Moment onto the Blighthauler fighting the Chaplain as he now needs the help given he no longer gets +1 to wound from leading a unit (I'm looking forwards to that changing in 11th). The Death Guard killed three units in their turn, so I really want to try to match that to deny them maximum VPs. There's a chance I can kill four units this turn: both Blighthaulers and the Plague Marine and Tallyman.
First the Inceptors fall back from the Blighthauler on the hill.
Then the Bladeguard throw grenades at the Blighthauler and follow up by charging in; they're horribly effective and take down the enemy with ease. It does then blow up however, putting three damage onto the nearby FBD and killing an Inceptor.
The Lieutenant falls back from the scary Fleshmower and rolls a long-bomb charge into the Tallyman and his remaining Plague Marine escort (White Scars can fall back and charge as well as advance and charge). He kills the Plague Marine but can't hurt the Tallyman unfortunately.
That gives me two kills and the Chaplain should surely make short work of the remaining Blighthauler given he has Oath of Moment to help him...nope, my dice desert me entirely and he doesn't do any damage whatsoever (and even loses a wound to the Gnashing Maw in return).
This means that Stylus adds 15 kill points to his 5VPs for holding his home objective, while I score a fat 15 for holding lots of objectives (all of the other four are sticky for me in fact) plus 10VPs for killing two units.
VPs: 55-35 to the White Scars
Death Guard: turn 4
I have so little left now, but if everything goes my way, I might be able to make a fight of it.
The Myphtic Blight-hauler makes a good start as both his multi-meltas land a hit on his arch-enemy, the Chaplain. Sadly, his invulnerable save kicks in (with a timely reroll) and the daemon engine is finally vanquished in close combat.
The Plagueburst Crawler is a bit stuck without tanks to fight. It makes heavy weather of despatching on Inceptor, barely scratches the Bladeguard, but at least manages to kill the Lieutenant with a Tank Shock.
The Foetid Bloat-Drone charges into the Bladeguard, and whiffs once again. I was optimistic to think it could get past all those invulnerable saves, but it was a poor showing. It was definitely unlucky to not kill a single model: I think I passed five out of six invulnerable saves! More swingy dice...
White Scars: turn 4
I'd better finish of the Fleshmower as I'm sure it won't whiff again if I don't kill it. The Bladeguard can fall back and charge right back in again. They do so and make short work of the FBD.
The last Inceptor flies over to steal the Death Guard's home objective and shoots down the Tallyman as well.
I don't really need to do this, but I send the Chaplain into the Plagueburst Crawler by himself (he is aided by it being the Oath of Moment target). It's only on 9 wounds following the Blighthauler's explosion and once more the Chaplain proves up to the challenge, with Stylus not managing to make anything like enough Daemon saves. And that's all the Death Guard gone from the battlefield!
Final score: 75-45 to the White Scars
Locker Room
That was good fun, if more one-sided than I'd hoped. I was intimidated by all those Daemon Engines before the game as I knew that my tanks wouldn't last long. I was confident that the Bikers and Bladeguard would be able to take one of them down but thought that they'd then be exposed and annihilated. Fortunately the anti-tank weaponry that Stylus brought just wasn't optimised to kill the seven-strong units.
Yes, I really had nothing to weather the close-combat punch except for the Death Guard's own resilience. That, and having a disadvantageous first turn, really put me on the back foot.
I was amused/appalled how easily the Chaplain (by himself) killed TWO Plagueburst Crawlers but took three turns to kill one Myphtic Blighthauler. Death Guard have got a lot less resilient than in previous editions and the dice swung massively back and forth (which is always part of the game).
Kudos to Stylus for picking a thematic list: his Death Guard were an armoured column heading for the Ultramarines' HQ and, whilst it would have been massively useful to have replaced one of the tanks with a couple of units of Poxwalkers or Cultists to screen them from charges, that wasn't appropriate.
I suppose I could have found a Rhino for my infantry, that would have been equally thematic, and at least given me some range. Or maybe just traded them all in for a nice Daemon Prince to tear into them.
In retrospect, the game would also have been closer if we'd not been using the campaign rule for Bagot Prime to make the objectives sticky - that really helped the White Scars as I could keep claiming objectives even when I was nowhere near them. However I think that if we'd not played that rule my tactics wouldn't have changed much and I'd still have ended up taking objective VPs, just later in the game after I'd killed all of the Death Guard!
Great fun, thanks for hosting Pootle. Out first game in 10th Ed was with Death Guard, so this is a fitting bookend!
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