Hey there folks. I'd like to talk today about one of my favourite, if not my favourite game. Dungeons and Dragons. Specifically I'd like to delve into the subject of playing characters with low mental stats - that is either Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma or any combination of the above. These three abilities are often the ones that really hold the most sway over your character's personality, and yet it seems that unless you're playing a caster, they are often overlooked and not much thought is put into them.
Now, personally I like to play characters that have decent mental stats wherever possible, even if they don't necessarily need them for the character to be functional as a combatant. Our group also tends to favour higher powered campaigns, so generally negative ability scores are rare, unless there's either a bad roll, racial modifier, or for point buy, a deliberate gimping of that score. This is not always the case, and sometimes you are forced to dump on an ability in order to get what you need elswhere, and usually this ability is one of the ones I've mentioned above.
So lets talk about Intelligence first. This ability score represents your "book smarts" and your general ability to learn skills. Intelligence is a really handy ability as it can give you bonus skill points, which are always nice to have. Playing a character with low Int means that you're going to have less skill points, and you're generally not going to be overly helpful in solving most puzzles. The main thing that I see people doing when they play a low Intelligence character is acting really really stupid constantly. This might not always be the case. A person with only slightly below average Intelligence is still going to be functional, and may even be able to keep up when the technical talk comes along, to a point. Depending on their Wisdom, they also might act with greater clarity then a high Intelligence character in matters of day to day living. I've known many people who were not academically inclined (possibly low Intelligence), but are still generally considered smart by most folks. Now obviously, if you have an exceptionally low Intelligence you might start to have a hard time grasping anything more than basic concepts, but I think that's more the exception than the norm.
Next up is Wisdom. This is the ability that I have the hardest time with, as its a little vaguely described in my opinion. Generally, it equates to "street smarts", that is, your ability to survive in the world. A character with a high Wisdom is less likely to be swindled or lied to, and also less likely to get themselves hopelessly lost somewhere. Conversely, a low Wisdom character might find themselves misdirected by con-men, or lost in the woods if they don't have a buddy to help them out. This ability is also probably the most tied up in metagaming. Often you'll see someone playing a low Wisdom character deliberately proceeding more cautiously then they normally would because they were forced to make some sort of check that did not yield any results. Consequently, many people end up playing such a character as a very cautious character in town, but otherwise brave and bold. While a mildly low Wisdom might only mean that you're just a little naive, or inattentive, a very low Wisdom can see you having to make decisions that no rational person would make, and often you might have to put your character in danger, even against your own better judgement.
Thirdly is Charisma. This is the one that you'll see getting dumped on most frequently, and also the one I see being played the most one-dimensionally more often. A Charismatic character is a social butterfly. Someone that people want to be around and who can sway others to do things they might not otherwise do. Generally they are likeable and friendly, and often they are good-looking people. The way I see most low Charisma characters being played is a grumpy, surly jerk. Usually this character is ugly, rude and sometimes outright mean. While this is a sometimes accurate take on it, it need not be the only way to play low Charisma. Low Charisma can also mean that an otherwise friendly, or loveable but they might be socially hampered in some way. Maybe they're super awkward and just say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Maybe they have an embarrassing tick or speech impediment. Maybe they're of a Race that thinks drastically different from the norm, or has very strange philosophies that turn other people off. They could even just be kinda creepy. There are myriad reasons that someone could be unlikeable, or that you might not want to be around a person, and I think its a real wasted opportunity to do something fun and different when you see the same grumpy, dickish Dwarf, or drunken tavern slob over and over.
So next time you build a character, try and take into consideration your mental abilities and the influence they will undoubtedly have on your character's personality. Also try and consider interesting ways that you can do things differently with your character's "handicap". Hopefully it'll make that character more fun to play, and really memorable.
Monday 31 March 2014
Monday 24 March 2014
Crimson Slaughter and Helbrute Data Slate Review
Over the weekend I got a chance to try out the new Crimson Slaughter supplement and the new Helbrute data slate, and I'd like to take a minute to talk about them a little bit, as I think they are both quite interesting and both have the potential to be very worthwhile.
First, lets talk Crimson Slaughter. Now, I'm still under the opinion that its sort of dumb that they've gone and made a supplement for a Chaos Legion (or Chapter in this case) that didn't even exist two years ago when they still haven't done anything for any of the long standing Legions that already have large fan-bases that would undoubtedly be excited about this sort of thing.
However, I am very much enjoying this book so far. The fluff is fun and a little grandiose in classic Chaos style, and honestly, I think most of the rules and upgrades are fairly solid. The item that allows a Sorcerer to take Divination powers seems like it could be awesome (Forgefiend with Prescience could be really scary), and I really like the Horns that give you Hammer of Wrath, Rage and Furious Charge as well. The sword was decent, though I think probably a little pricy. Another interesting little thing about it is that all Crimson Slaughter units in your army have Fear, and while I think that fear is pretty much the most useless rule in the game, its fun to think that a Riptide could end up being afraid of a unit of cultists or something. The main downside is the cost. Here in Canada we're paying $60 for literally 2 pages of rules, so if you don't really care about the fluff you'd probably be disappointed in this purchase.
Now lets talk about the data slate. The slate comes with 3 formations on it that can be taken and they all involve Helbrutes. The first, the Mayhem Pack consists of 3 Helbrutes and gives them the ability to Deep Strike, which I think is just fantastic. In my game, I dropped in 3 Multi-Melta Brutes and they dropped down and caused some havoc in my opponent's back lines, and that's with me thinking that they were a Squadron. They're not, so instead I could have had 3 Helbrutes running amok separately as the normally would have if by some miracle they actually made it up the board. This can be a really killer formation as it can allow you to get your Helbrutes into position (relatively) safely and take out key targets, or blast apart things that would normally really threaten them before running around assaulting everything within arm's reach.
The second one I haven't tried yet, but I'd really like to. It's called the Helcult, and it sounds a little hilarious. You basically get a Helbrute and 2 units of Cultists who can run around together or on their own and they really support each other. The Cultists provide a 3+ cover save to the brute if they get in front of it, and in return they get to be Fearless. I can just imagine taking a big squad (20 - 30) of Cultists to soak shots and provide cover to the Brute while charging up the board while the other unit sits around on an objective being all Fearless and cool. I think I'd also want the Brute in a close combat loadout for this formation. Maybe dual Powerfist/Flamer or a Fist/Flamer and a Power Scourge. It really sounds like fun.
The third one is my least favorite, but I'd still like to try it out. The Helfist Murderpack was named after a 12 year old's Death Metal band and consists of 5 Helbrutes in a Squadron. One of these shmucks gets to be a character with a 5++ that can Look Out, Sir and as long as he's still alive you get to pick which brand of crazy your damaged Brutes get to be. That's pretty much all it is. I'm not too keen on it because its really expensive (minimum 500 points for 5 Helbrutes. I did the math for you.) and it doesn't do much to help them out, and in fact makes it so that a Las Predator can take out 3 Helbrutes in a turn instead of 1! Hooray! The only way I really see it working is either going "cheap" and just rushing some close combat or Multi-Melta guys at 'em and hoping for the best, or to really pull out all the stops and give them Lascannons and Missile Launchers and hiding behind a Defence Line, hopefully getting to fire frenzy the crap out of guys.
For the price of this Data-Slate it really gives you a lot of options and makes one of (in my humble opinion) the coolest units in the codex actually maybe viable. Still not necessarily competitive, but viable. If you are a Chaos Player and you can get this, I really think you should try to.
Anyways, that it for now. Stay tuned for more battle reports, reviews, and silly ramblings!
First, lets talk Crimson Slaughter. Now, I'm still under the opinion that its sort of dumb that they've gone and made a supplement for a Chaos Legion (or Chapter in this case) that didn't even exist two years ago when they still haven't done anything for any of the long standing Legions that already have large fan-bases that would undoubtedly be excited about this sort of thing.
However, I am very much enjoying this book so far. The fluff is fun and a little grandiose in classic Chaos style, and honestly, I think most of the rules and upgrades are fairly solid. The item that allows a Sorcerer to take Divination powers seems like it could be awesome (Forgefiend with Prescience could be really scary), and I really like the Horns that give you Hammer of Wrath, Rage and Furious Charge as well. The sword was decent, though I think probably a little pricy. Another interesting little thing about it is that all Crimson Slaughter units in your army have Fear, and while I think that fear is pretty much the most useless rule in the game, its fun to think that a Riptide could end up being afraid of a unit of cultists or something. The main downside is the cost. Here in Canada we're paying $60 for literally 2 pages of rules, so if you don't really care about the fluff you'd probably be disappointed in this purchase.
Now lets talk about the data slate. The slate comes with 3 formations on it that can be taken and they all involve Helbrutes. The first, the Mayhem Pack consists of 3 Helbrutes and gives them the ability to Deep Strike, which I think is just fantastic. In my game, I dropped in 3 Multi-Melta Brutes and they dropped down and caused some havoc in my opponent's back lines, and that's with me thinking that they were a Squadron. They're not, so instead I could have had 3 Helbrutes running amok separately as the normally would have if by some miracle they actually made it up the board. This can be a really killer formation as it can allow you to get your Helbrutes into position (relatively) safely and take out key targets, or blast apart things that would normally really threaten them before running around assaulting everything within arm's reach.
The second one I haven't tried yet, but I'd really like to. It's called the Helcult, and it sounds a little hilarious. You basically get a Helbrute and 2 units of Cultists who can run around together or on their own and they really support each other. The Cultists provide a 3+ cover save to the brute if they get in front of it, and in return they get to be Fearless. I can just imagine taking a big squad (20 - 30) of Cultists to soak shots and provide cover to the Brute while charging up the board while the other unit sits around on an objective being all Fearless and cool. I think I'd also want the Brute in a close combat loadout for this formation. Maybe dual Powerfist/Flamer or a Fist/Flamer and a Power Scourge. It really sounds like fun.
The third one is my least favorite, but I'd still like to try it out. The Helfist Murderpack was named after a 12 year old's Death Metal band and consists of 5 Helbrutes in a Squadron. One of these shmucks gets to be a character with a 5++ that can Look Out, Sir and as long as he's still alive you get to pick which brand of crazy your damaged Brutes get to be. That's pretty much all it is. I'm not too keen on it because its really expensive (minimum 500 points for 5 Helbrutes. I did the math for you.) and it doesn't do much to help them out, and in fact makes it so that a Las Predator can take out 3 Helbrutes in a turn instead of 1! Hooray! The only way I really see it working is either going "cheap" and just rushing some close combat or Multi-Melta guys at 'em and hoping for the best, or to really pull out all the stops and give them Lascannons and Missile Launchers and hiding behind a Defence Line, hopefully getting to fire frenzy the crap out of guys.
For the price of this Data-Slate it really gives you a lot of options and makes one of (in my humble opinion) the coolest units in the codex actually maybe viable. Still not necessarily competitive, but viable. If you are a Chaos Player and you can get this, I really think you should try to.
Anyways, that it for now. Stay tuned for more battle reports, reviews, and silly ramblings!
Wednesday 19 March 2014
Warhammer 40K Battle Report: Chaos/Traitor Guard v.s White Scars/Tau
The local Imperial forces have been corrupted by the foul energies of Chaos and are rampaging across the sector. The White Scars with their Tau allies have come to put an end to the Chaos Taint
This was a 1750 battle between Brennan's Chaos Space Marines with Traitor Guard allies, and Todd's White Scars with Tau Allies. The Mission was the Scouring with the corner deployment.
The Armies
Chaos/Guard
HQ:
- Chaos Lord with Mark of Khorne, Juggernaut, Gift of Mutation, Melta Bombs, Sigil of Corruption,
Axe of Blind Fury, and Veterans of the Long War (Warlord) - 190
- Primaris Psyker (Allies) - 70
Troops:
- 10 Cultists with Autoguns - 60
- 10 Cultists with Autoguns - 60
- 10 Chaos Space Marines with 2x Plasma Guns and Melta Bombs - 175
- 10 Veterans with 3x Plasma Guns (Allies) - 115
Fast Attack:
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
- 3 Chaos Spawn with Mark of Khorne - 96
Heavy Support:
- Predator with Twin-Linked Lascannons, and Lascannon Sponsons - 140
- Basilisk Ordnance Battery with 3x Basilisk and Camo-Nets (Allies) - 435
Fortification:
- Aegis Defence Line with Coms Relay - 70
Total: 1751
This was an interesting list. It relied very heavily on the Basilisks and Drakes to do the heavy lifting. The Basilisks in particular weren't very tough and had the potential to explode early on if Todd had the right stuff to deal with them. The Lord could also serve as a pretty good Counter-Charge unit or distraction.
White Scars/Tau
HQ:
- Chapter Master on Bike with Lightning Claw and Power Fist - 190
- Captain with Lightning Claw, Power First, and Auspex - 130
- Command Squad with Apothecary. 4x Grav-Guns, and 4x Storm Shields in Drop Pod with Locator
Beacon - 260
- Cadre Fireblade (Allies) - 60
Elites:
- 3 Crisis Suits with 2x Plasma Rifle and 1 Fusion Blaster each (Allies) - 201
Troops:
- 5 Bikes with 2x Grav-Guns, and Melta Bombs - 140
- 5 Bikes with 2x Grav-Guns, and Melta Bombs - 140
- 3 Bikes with 2x Melta Guns and Melta Bombs - 88
- 12 Fire Warriors (Allies) - 108
-10 Fire Warriors (Allies) - 90
Fast Attack:
- 4 Pathfinders - 44
Heavy Support:
- 5 Devastators with 4x Heavy Bolters, Sergent with Combi-Grav and Signum - 80
- Hammerhead with Submunition Rounds - 131
Fortification:
- Aegis Defence Line with Icarus Lascannon - 85
Total: 1752
This was a typical Todd list with a twist. We have the standard core of White Scars Bikers fitted to the nines with Grav-Guns and a bunch of Fire Warriors behind a Defence Line with a Fireblade and Hammerhead. Where it deviates is in the lack of Las-Preds and with the addition of the Command Squad and the Crisis Team. The Command Squad has the potential to be pretty nasty, but with Brennan's list lacking much 3+ armour, he probably would have been better off with Melta. Of course, he couldn't have known that ahead of time, but with the amount of vehicles sitting around a bunch of Meltaguns dropping in could have done some really serious damage. The main advantage of this list I think, is in its number of Troops, most of which are quite mobile.
The Game
Brennan won the roll for first turn and decided to go first. He Deployed his Defence Line in the back corner of his deployment zone, with his tanks all behind it and his Primaris Psyker tucked behind one of the Basilisks out of sight. The Veterans went behind the Defence line as well, to make it as difficult as possible for Todd to Drop his Pod and blow something up easily. The Spawn and Lord went in front of the Defence Line a bit behind a building, and one squad of Cultists went behind the bunker in the center. The Infiltrating Marines and Cultists went behind the wreckage on the flank and building on the rock respectively.
In response, Todd Deployed his Fire Warriors behind his Defence Line in his corner with his Hammerhead in a bit of area terrain. Both big Bike Squads went on the flank closest to the Marines, and the Devastators went behind the Building on the Rock as much as they could. The Crisis Suits and Drop Pod went in reserve along with the 3 Bikes. He forgot he had Pathfinders and so they didn't take part in the battle. Presumably they were held up by a clever trap laid by cultists of the Dark Gods.
Turn 1
Todd failed to steal first turn, and there was no Night Fighting. Brennan begins by casting Prescience on his Basilisks to help direct their barrage where its needed. The Marines move forwards a bit to try and take some pot shots at the Bikes, while both Cultist units move to where they will be well hidden. With a thundering blast, the Basilisks open up on the Fire Warriors and kill a few from both squads, as well as destroying the Icarus Lascannon. The Marines take a few shots at the Bikes but fail to harm them. The Predator fires at the Hammerhead, but is unable to get through its armour. With that, Brennan ends his turn.
Todd begins by dropping his Drop Pod right in front of Brennan's Defence line. The Bike Squad with the Chapter Master moves towards the vehicles, whilst the other Bikes move towards the Marines. The Devastators move to try and get some line of sight on the nearby Cultists. Shooting Begins with all the Grav-Guns firing at the Predator, Immobilizing it and disabling its turret. The Hammerhead tries to finish it off, but hits the Defence Line instead. The Bikes shoot at the Marines and kill two. No assaults this turn.
Turn 2
Both Heldrakes arrive this turn, one Vector Striking the Devastators and causing them to start to flee, the other moving towards the Bike units. The Primaris Psyker Presciences the Basilisks again. The Cultists behind the Bunker move to get behind it better. The Spawn and Jugger Lord move towards the Command Squad, as do the Guardsmen.
The Basilisks open up again, and once again they blow up a bunch of Fire Warriors, but they hold. The Heldrake unleashes its Baleflamer on the Fireblade's unit, killing him along with several other Fire Warriors. The other Drake flames the Chapter Master's Squad, killing all but the Chapter Master and another Bike. The Veterans fire into the Command Squad and kill one Marine.
Assault Begins and the Spawn and Lord charge the Command Squad. The Lord gets Challenged out by the Sergent but rolls a 1 on his Daemon Weapon attacks and doesn't manage to kill him. The Spawn fare a little better and manage to kill a couple more Marines and only take a wound or two in return. The White Scars try and hit and run but roll a 6 on their initiative and get stuck.
The Crisis suits choose this moment to drop in and come in over by the Basilisks, hoping to blow them up. unfortunately, Brennan's Placement makes it tough for them to get into a good position to shoot the tanks. Both bike units move towards the Marines who are on a 3 point objective. The Hammerhead moves to try and get a better shot at the Predator, and the Fire Warriors try and get some rear shots on the Heldrake.
Shooting starts with both Bike units shooting at the Marines and killing a couple, who hold. The Crisis Suits decide to shoot the Guardsmen and kill the Sergent and all the Plasma Gunners. The Fire Warriors and Devastators both fail to harm the Heldrake, and the Hammerhead once again fails to destroy the Predator.
Assault continues with the Lord easily killing the Sergent, only to become a Spawn. One Spawn is killed as well, but another marine is killed. The Bikes, along with the Chapter Master Charge the Marines and easily kill them all. They fan out to try and mitigate the damage from the Heldrake.
Turn 3
Prescience is once again cast on the Basilisks who turn themselves to fire at the Crisis Suits, with one moving back to Heavy Flamer them. Both units of Cultists break cover and start heading for objectives, the ones in the center trying to get around the hill to the entrance of the Bunker, the others moving to try and beat up some Fire Warriors. The Heldrake by the Bikes Moves right into their midst, killing the last Bike from the Chapter Master's Squad with a Vector Strike. The other Heldrake Vector Strikes a few more Fire Warriors, but they hold.
The Basilisks open up on the Battlesuits, and kill 2, leaving one left with a single wound. Luckily, some skilled shooting from the Veterans manages to drop the last Suit. The Drake near the Bikes fires into them and kills 3, chasing the other 2 off the board. The other Heldrake kills a bunch more Fire Warriors from the Fireblade's squad and the last 2 start to run. The Cultists in the middle run and all other shooting was largely ineffective. In assault the slugfest continues with no one being able to get the upper hand. At the end the White Scars Hit n' Run.
Todd begins by regrouping the fleeing Fire Warriors, and bringing on his small bike squad. The other Squad moves towards the Cultists, hoping to kill a bunch, as does the Hammerhead. The Chapter Master Moves over the join up with the Captain and the Apothecary. In the shooting phase, the Fire Warriors and Hammerhead mercilessly gun down all but two cultists, who run for it. The Command Squad then assaults the Spawn, and once again, combat is a draw.
Turn 4
Prescince goes off again, and Cultists continue to run around, with the hurt squad running off the board. Both Heldrakes enter Hover Mode. The Basilisks decide they've had enough of the Hammerhead and blow it to smithereens. The Heldrake decides to torch a bunch more Fire Warriors, and both Squads start to cheese it. In the Assault a Spawn is killed.
Todd's Turn and the Bikes move up to melta the hovering Heldrake. Both units of Fire Warriors regroup. Brave little fellers. Firing their Meltaguns manages to get a Hullpoint off the Heldrake, thanks to its Daemonic Possession negating a stun. In the Assault phase the final Spawn finally bites it, and the Marines consolidate a bit.
Turn 5
The Barrage continues with Brennan Blowing the larger Fire Warrior squad off the map. The Lascannon from the Predator manages to punk the Captain, and the Heldrake kills 2 Bikes and one more Fire Warrior who runs again.
With it possibly being the last turn, the Bike moves to claim the 4 point objective in Todd's deployment zone. The Chapter Master rushes over to try and blow up the Heldrake. The Assault is declared, and he makes the charge, but only manages to strip two Hull Points off the Heldrake.
Total Points
Chaos/Guard: 8 (7 from Objectives, First Blood)
Marines/Tau: 7 (4 from Objectives, Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker, One Fast Attack Kill)
Post Game Thoughts
That was a really close game that hinged on Todd failing to destroy the Heldrake. Had he managed that it would have been a Space Marine Victory. Todd played his list pretty well, though he was always going to have a rough go against 2 Heldrakes. I think that I probably would have deployed the Melta Bikes and Turbo-Boosted them up right away to try and take out a vehicle or two, but they also would have made an easy target for First Blood. He also forgot to call in his Orbital Bombardment which really may have lost him the game. Those Basilisks were completely unprotected from it, and with a hit he could have taken out at least 2 of them, and probably the Primaris as well. Obviously, forgetting about his Pathfinders was also a big deal as well.
I think Brennan did a very good job with his deployment as he deployed in such a way as to make it difficult for Todd to get a favourable position with his Deep Strikers. He got pretty lucky with Prescience going off every time, and also with his scatter dice. Lots of times he didn't even need the re-roll. This was really countered by having his Lord become a Spawn pretty much right away though. Had he gotten something else he likely could have beaten down the Command Squad and then gone to take on the Chapter Master, but such is the life of a Lord of Chaos.
In the end I think both players played a solid game, and it was a lot of fun to watch and record.
This was a 1750 battle between Brennan's Chaos Space Marines with Traitor Guard allies, and Todd's White Scars with Tau Allies. The Mission was the Scouring with the corner deployment.
 |
| The Game Floor |
The Armies
Chaos/Guard
HQ:
- Chaos Lord with Mark of Khorne, Juggernaut, Gift of Mutation, Melta Bombs, Sigil of Corruption,
Axe of Blind Fury, and Veterans of the Long War (Warlord) - 190
- Primaris Psyker (Allies) - 70
Troops:
- 10 Cultists with Autoguns - 60
- 10 Cultists with Autoguns - 60
- 10 Chaos Space Marines with 2x Plasma Guns and Melta Bombs - 175
- 10 Veterans with 3x Plasma Guns (Allies) - 115
Fast Attack:
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
- 3 Chaos Spawn with Mark of Khorne - 96
Heavy Support:
- Predator with Twin-Linked Lascannons, and Lascannon Sponsons - 140
- Basilisk Ordnance Battery with 3x Basilisk and Camo-Nets (Allies) - 435
Fortification:
- Aegis Defence Line with Coms Relay - 70
Total: 1751
This was an interesting list. It relied very heavily on the Basilisks and Drakes to do the heavy lifting. The Basilisks in particular weren't very tough and had the potential to explode early on if Todd had the right stuff to deal with them. The Lord could also serve as a pretty good Counter-Charge unit or distraction.
White Scars/Tau
HQ:
- Chapter Master on Bike with Lightning Claw and Power Fist - 190
- Captain with Lightning Claw, Power First, and Auspex - 130
- Command Squad with Apothecary. 4x Grav-Guns, and 4x Storm Shields in Drop Pod with Locator
Beacon - 260
- Cadre Fireblade (Allies) - 60
Elites:
- 3 Crisis Suits with 2x Plasma Rifle and 1 Fusion Blaster each (Allies) - 201
Troops:
- 5 Bikes with 2x Grav-Guns, and Melta Bombs - 140
- 5 Bikes with 2x Grav-Guns, and Melta Bombs - 140
- 3 Bikes with 2x Melta Guns and Melta Bombs - 88
- 12 Fire Warriors (Allies) - 108
-10 Fire Warriors (Allies) - 90
Fast Attack:
- 4 Pathfinders - 44
Heavy Support:
- 5 Devastators with 4x Heavy Bolters, Sergent with Combi-Grav and Signum - 80
- Hammerhead with Submunition Rounds - 131
Fortification:
- Aegis Defence Line with Icarus Lascannon - 85
Total: 1752
This was a typical Todd list with a twist. We have the standard core of White Scars Bikers fitted to the nines with Grav-Guns and a bunch of Fire Warriors behind a Defence Line with a Fireblade and Hammerhead. Where it deviates is in the lack of Las-Preds and with the addition of the Command Squad and the Crisis Team. The Command Squad has the potential to be pretty nasty, but with Brennan's list lacking much 3+ armour, he probably would have been better off with Melta. Of course, he couldn't have known that ahead of time, but with the amount of vehicles sitting around a bunch of Meltaguns dropping in could have done some really serious damage. The main advantage of this list I think, is in its number of Troops, most of which are quite mobile.
The Game
Brennan won the roll for first turn and decided to go first. He Deployed his Defence Line in the back corner of his deployment zone, with his tanks all behind it and his Primaris Psyker tucked behind one of the Basilisks out of sight. The Veterans went behind the Defence line as well, to make it as difficult as possible for Todd to Drop his Pod and blow something up easily. The Spawn and Lord went in front of the Defence Line a bit behind a building, and one squad of Cultists went behind the bunker in the center. The Infiltrating Marines and Cultists went behind the wreckage on the flank and building on the rock respectively.
 |
| Brennan's Deployment |
In response, Todd Deployed his Fire Warriors behind his Defence Line in his corner with his Hammerhead in a bit of area terrain. Both big Bike Squads went on the flank closest to the Marines, and the Devastators went behind the Building on the Rock as much as they could. The Crisis Suits and Drop Pod went in reserve along with the 3 Bikes. He forgot he had Pathfinders and so they didn't take part in the battle. Presumably they were held up by a clever trap laid by cultists of the Dark Gods.
 |
| Todd's Deployment |
Todd failed to steal first turn, and there was no Night Fighting. Brennan begins by casting Prescience on his Basilisks to help direct their barrage where its needed. The Marines move forwards a bit to try and take some pot shots at the Bikes, while both Cultist units move to where they will be well hidden. With a thundering blast, the Basilisks open up on the Fire Warriors and kill a few from both squads, as well as destroying the Icarus Lascannon. The Marines take a few shots at the Bikes but fail to harm them. The Predator fires at the Hammerhead, but is unable to get through its armour. With that, Brennan ends his turn.
Todd begins by dropping his Drop Pod right in front of Brennan's Defence line. The Bike Squad with the Chapter Master moves towards the vehicles, whilst the other Bikes move towards the Marines. The Devastators move to try and get some line of sight on the nearby Cultists. Shooting Begins with all the Grav-Guns firing at the Predator, Immobilizing it and disabling its turret. The Hammerhead tries to finish it off, but hits the Defence Line instead. The Bikes shoot at the Marines and kill two. No assaults this turn.
 |
| End of Turn 1 |
Turn 2
Both Heldrakes arrive this turn, one Vector Striking the Devastators and causing them to start to flee, the other moving towards the Bike units. The Primaris Psyker Presciences the Basilisks again. The Cultists behind the Bunker move to get behind it better. The Spawn and Jugger Lord move towards the Command Squad, as do the Guardsmen.
The Basilisks open up again, and once again they blow up a bunch of Fire Warriors, but they hold. The Heldrake unleashes its Baleflamer on the Fireblade's unit, killing him along with several other Fire Warriors. The other Drake flames the Chapter Master's Squad, killing all but the Chapter Master and another Bike. The Veterans fire into the Command Squad and kill one Marine.
Assault Begins and the Spawn and Lord charge the Command Squad. The Lord gets Challenged out by the Sergent but rolls a 1 on his Daemon Weapon attacks and doesn't manage to kill him. The Spawn fare a little better and manage to kill a couple more Marines and only take a wound or two in return. The White Scars try and hit and run but roll a 6 on their initiative and get stuck.
The Crisis suits choose this moment to drop in and come in over by the Basilisks, hoping to blow them up. unfortunately, Brennan's Placement makes it tough for them to get into a good position to shoot the tanks. Both bike units move towards the Marines who are on a 3 point objective. The Hammerhead moves to try and get a better shot at the Predator, and the Fire Warriors try and get some rear shots on the Heldrake.
Shooting starts with both Bike units shooting at the Marines and killing a couple, who hold. The Crisis Suits decide to shoot the Guardsmen and kill the Sergent and all the Plasma Gunners. The Fire Warriors and Devastators both fail to harm the Heldrake, and the Hammerhead once again fails to destroy the Predator.
Assault continues with the Lord easily killing the Sergent, only to become a Spawn. One Spawn is killed as well, but another marine is killed. The Bikes, along with the Chapter Master Charge the Marines and easily kill them all. They fan out to try and mitigate the damage from the Heldrake.
 | |
| End of Turn 2 |
Turn 3
Prescience is once again cast on the Basilisks who turn themselves to fire at the Crisis Suits, with one moving back to Heavy Flamer them. Both units of Cultists break cover and start heading for objectives, the ones in the center trying to get around the hill to the entrance of the Bunker, the others moving to try and beat up some Fire Warriors. The Heldrake by the Bikes Moves right into their midst, killing the last Bike from the Chapter Master's Squad with a Vector Strike. The other Heldrake Vector Strikes a few more Fire Warriors, but they hold.
The Basilisks open up on the Battlesuits, and kill 2, leaving one left with a single wound. Luckily, some skilled shooting from the Veterans manages to drop the last Suit. The Drake near the Bikes fires into them and kills 3, chasing the other 2 off the board. The other Heldrake kills a bunch more Fire Warriors from the Fireblade's squad and the last 2 start to run. The Cultists in the middle run and all other shooting was largely ineffective. In assault the slugfest continues with no one being able to get the upper hand. At the end the White Scars Hit n' Run.
Todd begins by regrouping the fleeing Fire Warriors, and bringing on his small bike squad. The other Squad moves towards the Cultists, hoping to kill a bunch, as does the Hammerhead. The Chapter Master Moves over the join up with the Captain and the Apothecary. In the shooting phase, the Fire Warriors and Hammerhead mercilessly gun down all but two cultists, who run for it. The Command Squad then assaults the Spawn, and once again, combat is a draw.
 |
| End of Turn 3 |
Turn 4
Prescince goes off again, and Cultists continue to run around, with the hurt squad running off the board. Both Heldrakes enter Hover Mode. The Basilisks decide they've had enough of the Hammerhead and blow it to smithereens. The Heldrake decides to torch a bunch more Fire Warriors, and both Squads start to cheese it. In the Assault a Spawn is killed.
Todd's Turn and the Bikes move up to melta the hovering Heldrake. Both units of Fire Warriors regroup. Brave little fellers. Firing their Meltaguns manages to get a Hullpoint off the Heldrake, thanks to its Daemonic Possession negating a stun. In the Assault phase the final Spawn finally bites it, and the Marines consolidate a bit.
 |
| End of Turn 4 |
Turn 5
The Barrage continues with Brennan Blowing the larger Fire Warrior squad off the map. The Lascannon from the Predator manages to punk the Captain, and the Heldrake kills 2 Bikes and one more Fire Warrior who runs again.
With it possibly being the last turn, the Bike moves to claim the 4 point objective in Todd's deployment zone. The Chapter Master rushes over to try and blow up the Heldrake. The Assault is declared, and he makes the charge, but only manages to strip two Hull Points off the Heldrake.
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| End of Turn 5 |
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| ...And the End of the Game |
Total Points
Chaos/Guard: 8 (7 from Objectives, First Blood)
Marines/Tau: 7 (4 from Objectives, Slay the Warlord, Line Breaker, One Fast Attack Kill)
Post Game Thoughts
That was a really close game that hinged on Todd failing to destroy the Heldrake. Had he managed that it would have been a Space Marine Victory. Todd played his list pretty well, though he was always going to have a rough go against 2 Heldrakes. I think that I probably would have deployed the Melta Bikes and Turbo-Boosted them up right away to try and take out a vehicle or two, but they also would have made an easy target for First Blood. He also forgot to call in his Orbital Bombardment which really may have lost him the game. Those Basilisks were completely unprotected from it, and with a hit he could have taken out at least 2 of them, and probably the Primaris as well. Obviously, forgetting about his Pathfinders was also a big deal as well.
I think Brennan did a very good job with his deployment as he deployed in such a way as to make it difficult for Todd to get a favourable position with his Deep Strikers. He got pretty lucky with Prescience going off every time, and also with his scatter dice. Lots of times he didn't even need the re-roll. This was really countered by having his Lord become a Spawn pretty much right away though. Had he gotten something else he likely could have beaten down the Command Squad and then gone to take on the Chapter Master, but such is the life of a Lord of Chaos.
In the end I think both players played a solid game, and it was a lot of fun to watch and record.
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