With the brutal Orks of the Evil Suns tribe invading a Chaos held planet, the Sorcerer of Slaanesh rallies his forces and prepares for the assault.
This is was a 1500 point battle between my Orks, and Brennan's Chaos Space Marines. The mission was Crusade with a Hammer and Anvil deployment.
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| The Board |
The Armies
Orks
HQ:
- Warboss with Da Finkin' Kap, Power Klaw, Bosspole, and 'Eavy Armour - 104
- Warboss with Gazbag's Blitzbike, Power Klaw, and Bosspole - 125
- Big Mek with Mega Forcefield, Warbike, and Power Klaw (Allies) - 160
Troops:
- 19 Slugga Boyz with Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole - 154
- 20 Slugga Boyz with Nob with Power Klaw and Bosspole - 160
- 10 Gretchin with Runtherd with Grabba Stikk and Squig Hound (Allies) - 40
Fast Attack:
- 8 Warbikers with Nob with Power Klaw - 179
- 5 Warbuggies with Twin-Linked Rokkit Launchas - 125
- 5 Deffcoptas with Twin-Linked Rokkit Launchas - 150
Heavy Support:
- Battlewagon with 4 Rokkit Launchas, Boarding Planks, and Deff Rolla - 155
- Battlewagon with 4 Rokkit Launchas, Boarding Planks, and Reinforced Ram - 150
Total: 1502
With the codex still so new to me, most stuff is still quite experimental, but I've taken a list full of the stuff that I think will end up being most useful in the new book. The Battlewagons are a real must, as they're the only way I can see to get the Boyz nice and stuck in where they want to be. The Big Mek is there to provide a 4++ bubble to the Battlewagons and themselves. The Buggies will outflank, and hopefully the deffkoptas with their scout move will be able to take some first turn pot shots.
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| Da Orks |
Chaos Space Marines
HQ:
- Sorcerer with 3x Mastery Levels, Mark of Slaanesh, Sigil of Corruption, Spell Familiar, Melta Bombs,
and Gift of Mutation - 180
- Daemon Prince with 3x Mastery Levels, Mark of Slaanesh, Power Armour, Wings, Spell Familiar,
the Black Mace, Gift of Mutation - 360
Elites:
- 10 Noise Marines with 2x Blastmasters, 7x Sonic Blasters, Champion with Melta Bombs, Icon of Excess,
Rhino with Dozer Blade and Combi-Bolter - 341
Troops:
- 10 Cultists - 50
- 10 Cultists - 50
Fast Attack:
- 3 Chaos Bikers with Mark of Nurgle, 2x Meltaguns, Champion with Melta Bombs - 113
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
Heavy Support:
- 3 Obliterators with Mark of Nurgle, and Veterans of the Long War - 237
Total: 1501
Oh jeez, of course it would be Noise Marines. This list could pose some major problems for me. With 2 level 3 Psykers, he was going to be completely dominating the psychic phase as well. If I can get to his lines without my Battlewagons going up in flames then I should be ok, even if I am taking horrific overwatch fire from them. The Daemon Prince could be a problem as well, given the right powers, but I'm less concerned about it. The Heldrake could be a problem as well, but the Big Mek could help offset that as well.
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| Chaos Space Marines |
The Game
We rolled Warlord Traits and my Warboss got Bellowing Tryant and Divide and Conquer. Brennan got Legendary Fighter on his Sorcerer. Brennan rolled his Powers and got Iron Arm, Endurance, and Fire Shield on his Sorcerer, and Smite, Warp Speed, and Enfeeble on the Daemon Prince. We then roll for table sides and he wins and takes the side with the big hill. He also wins the roll for first turn and decides to go first.
Brennan deploys his Bikes on my right flank behind a building, his Prince out of sight behind the big hill, the first Cultist squad next to the Bikes with the Obliterators behind the Cultists, the Noise Marines in the center, with their Rhino next to them, and the other squad of Cultists next to it.
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| Chaos Deployment |
To counter this, I place my Bikes in the center, with a Battlewagon on either side and the Deffkoptas on the right flank. The Grots go in reserve, as do the Buggies. No night fighting this game, or initiative stealing either.
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| Orks Deployment |
Turn 1
Brennan starts his turn by hopping the Cultists into the Rhino and driving forward. The Daemon Prince flies directly forward and the other Cultists move towards the Koptas. The Bikes drive around the side of the building they're hiding behind.
In the psychic phase, the Prince casts Enfeeble on the Deffkoptas, as well as smite, but they jink. The Sorcerer casts Endurance on his own squad to give them Relentless.
Shooting begins with the Cultists blasting into the Deffkoptas and doing a wound to them. The Noise Marines take their turn and kill all but 1 and leave another with a single wound. They begin to fall back and lose the hurt one to dangerous terrain. The Obliterators open up with their Lascannons on the Warboss' Battlewagon, but they can't get through its thick front armour. The Bikes and Rhino Turbo-Boost.
The Deffkopta continues to flee, but I manage to roll low, so it stays on the board. Both Battlewagons and the Bikes zoom forwards as fast as they can, going flat out in the shooting phase. One Warbiker is lost to terrain, but other than that, nothing more happens.
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| End of Turn 1 |
Turn 2
With the Orks closing in fast, the Noise Marines move back, while the Melta Bikers move to get a good side ark on the Battlewagon. The Daemon Prince flies over the Warboss' Battlewagon but does nothing with the Vector Strike, and the Rhino continues to move down the flank, hoping to go and claim the objective in my back field.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince Enfeebles the Bikes, and casts Sensory Overload on them as well, but their Forcefield protects them. The Sorcerer casts Fire Shield on the Cultists, and Endurance on himself again.
Shooting is largely ineffective this turn, with a Blastmaster killing a single Biker. The Bikes fire their Melta into the Battlewagon's side, but both shots miss. The Obliterators attempt to get some results with their assault cannons, but again, fail to get through the thick armour plates bolted to the front. Again, the Rhino boosts forward. The Bikes attempt to charge, the Battlewagon but get a snake eyes and fail the charge.
With a mighty WAAAGH!!!, the Boyz leap from their Battlewagons and start to head towards the Noise Marines, Cultists, and Obliterators. The Bikes stay put in order to try and deal with the Daemon Prince. The lone Deffkopta fails to regroup again and flies off the table for first blood.
Shooting starts with the Boyz unloading their pistols to no effect. The Battlewagons also whiff pretty badly, though one wound is dealt to the Bikes, but they jink. The Warbikers on the other hand do some good work, blasting the Daemon Prince down to a single wound, but the beast stays in the air.
Assault is a little hard on both sides. Overwatch from the Noise Marines takes out about 4 boyz, and a multi-assault against the the Cultists and the Obliterators. They lose a bunch of Boyz to dangerous terrain, and some more to overwatch. The close combat goes a little better. All but 3 Cultists go down, and the Obliterators take a wound, for a few more Boyz in return. Unfortunately, both squads hold. The Noise Marines fare little better. The Warboss chalenges and super-Murders the Noise Champion, and though the Noise Marines fight back, the Boyz kill over half the squad.
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| End of Turn 2 |
Turn 3
With most of his army locked in Combat, there isn't lots to do. The Daemon Prince goes to glide mode and jumps over behind the big rock, while the Bikes get right up to the Battlewagon. The Rhino continues its course.
Psychic phase this round is particularly devastating. Brennan manages to get Endurance, and Iron Arm off, as well as Enfeebling the Boyz.
Shooting from the Bikes manages to get a glance and a shaken result on the Battlewagon with their Meltaguns, and the Rhino fires into the Bikes and kills one.
In the assault, the Bikes assault the Battlewagon, but fail to harm it. The Sorcerer issues a challenge, and the Nob accepts, only to get cut down. Unfortunately, his earlier cowardice earned him the scorn of Slaanesh, and so his "boon" is Spawnhood. Another boy or two is killed in the assault, before the Warboss swings and kills all but the Icon. The other fight goes less well for the Orks. They manage to wipe out the Cultists, but can't hurt the Obliterators, and combat is tied.
With the Cultists getting close to the objective, the Buggies come bouncing into the fight right behind the Rhino, whilst the Gretchin are herded on towards the objective. The Battlewagon on my left moves over to target the Prince with its Rokkits, and the other moves up to take some shots at the Spawn. Finally, the Warbikers move up to engage the Bikes.
Unleashing their Rokkits on the Rhino easily wrecks the vehicle, forcing the Cultists to disembark. The first Battlewagon gets a wound through on the Prince, but his Daemon save keeps him alive. The other Wagon fires into the Spawn and gets a wound on it. Lastly, the Warbikers shoot the Bikes and kill one, and they run away.
The Warbikers try to charge the cowardly bikes, but fail the long charge. The Boyz and Warboss finish off the last Noise Marine, and the other Boyz are killed by the Obliterators.
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| End of Turn 3 |
Turn 4
Finally having wakened from its nap, the Heldrake comes onto the board, ready to toast some Boyz. The Bikes rally, and again move to deal with the Battlewagon. The Cultists move towards the Gretchin, and the Daemon Prince hops over the rock to attack the Buggies.
Warp Speed is cast in the psychic phase, and thats it.
In the shooting phase, the combined fire of the Obliterators and the Bikes kill the Battlewagon. The Heldrake fires into the Boyz, and kills all but 4 and the Warboss, who manages to keep them alive, thanks to his Warlord Trait. With all shooting done, the Cultists run to try and get closer to the Objective.
In the Assault, the Spawn charges, and whiffs its attacks, only to be killed by the Warboss. The Prince charges the Buggies and wrecks one and stuns another.
With the Enemy on the ropes, and the pesky Obliterators still shooting me up, The Boyz with the Warboss head towards the Oblits, as well as the Bikers. The Buggies move a bit to get some shots at the Cultists, as do the Grots.
Once again, the Battlewagon fires into the Prince, and this time gets two wounds, but again, he saves it away. The buggies manage to take down a pair of Cultists, and the Grots get another, but they hold. All shooting from the Warbikers and Boyz does nothing.
In the Assault, the Boyz and Bikes both assault the Obliterators and manage to take them down, losing a single Biker in the process. The Gretching charge the Cultists, and though the Runtherd kills the Champion, the Grots lose combat badly and are overrun.
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| End of Turn 4 |
Turn 5
With not much left to do, the Heldrake goes to hover mode and back up. The bikes move towards the other Battlewagon, ready to blow it up. Again, the Cultists move towards the Objective.
In the psychic phase, the Daemon Prince gets a Perils of the Warp, and is banished back into the Warp.
The Bikes start shooting and blow off a Rokkit Launcha, while the Heldrake kills a Warbiker, thanks to the Big Mek's Mega Force Field. The Cultists run.
Assault, and the Bikes assault the Battlewagon and stun it.
In the Ork turn, its time to do cleanup. the Boyz get up the hill to try and kill the Heldrake, while the Warbikers turn to kill the Bikes. The Buggies move to kill the Cultists.
In the Shooting phase, the Warbikers murder the Bikes, and the Buggies whiff and hit no Cultists.
Assault and the Boyz and Warboss wreck the Heldrake.
At this point we decide to call it, as there's no way Brennan can pull a win.
Total Points:
Orks: 8 (2 Objectives, Linebreaker, and Slay the Warlord)
Chaos: 6 (1 Objective, Linebreaker, First Blood, and One Character Killed)
Post-Game Thoughts
That game was a really close battle throughout. Overall, I have to give the reason for my win to the fact that Brennan can't seem to crack armour 14. His Bikes missing both Meltaguns and then failing the charge turn 2 really hurt him, as it allowed my Boyz a lot more movement, and a turn 2 assault. I think I made a big mistake by being so aggressive with my Deffkoptas right away. I should have kept them back, more out of range of the Noise Marines, or maybe put them on the other flank to deal with the Rhino right away. On the other hand, my strategy of keeping the Big Mek in Forcefield range of the Battlewagons worked out very well. The 4++ it affords you can really help to get your Battlewagons up close and personal with the enemy. I also think that the large squads of Boyz worked very well, even though they had to take a lot of damage from overwatch and dangerous terrain on the way in, they still performed admirably. I didn't get much chance to see how the Deffkoptas worked, but the other two Fast Attack choices I brought have been very solid in the games I've played so far. The Bikes can dish out a ton of firepower, and have been fairly low priority up to this point, allowing them to do what they need to do, and the Buggies outflanking with Rokkits have done a very good job as well.
This was a really enjoyable game, and I can't help but feel like if a few rolls had been different, Brennan would have been able to pull off a win. Some Bad saves on his prince, along with his Sorcerer getting spawned and the Bikers missing left and right with their Meltas really hurt him this game, and I think he played a pretty tactically solid game. The only thing I would have done differently in his shoes would have been to move up his Obliterators turn 1 and 2 to try and get into Multi-Melta Range. Even if he had been able to pop one Wagon, it could really have changed the game. I could lose a lot of boyz in the explosion, and have a 50/50 chance to be pinned, or beating up my own guys.
Anyways, as always, thans for reading. I hope to have up some full reviews on the new Ork Codex, as well as WAAAGH!!! Ghazghull and The Red WAAAGH!!! soon. Maybe a 3 part series, so stay tuned.
