In this 1550 point game I played a Khorne themed Chaos Space Marine list with Chaos Daemon allies against Todd's Dark Angels Deathwing drop with White Scar allies. The mission was the Emperor's Will with the Hammer and Anvil deployment type.
 |
| The Board |
Khorne's Army
HQ:
- Kharn the Betrayer (Warlord) - 160
- Daemon Prince of Khorne with Wings, Power Armour, a Boon of Mutation (Crusader) and the Axe
of Blind Fury - 265
- Bloodthirster (Allies) with one Greater Gift (Corpulescence) and one Exalted Gift (Warp Tether)
-300
Troops:
- 14 Chaos Cultists with Close Combat Weapons and Mark of Khorne - 94
- 9 Khorne Berzerkers with Champion with Melta Bombs and Power Sword - 220
- 10 Bloodletters (Allies) - 100
Fast Attack:
- Heldrake with Baleflamer - 170
Heavy Support:
- Chaos Landraider with Dozer Blades and Dirge Caster - 240
Total: 1549
 |
| My Army |
I designed this list for one purpose and one purpose only. To go take some skulls. My plan was essentially to just rush him and try and kill as much as possible with the FMCs, Kharn and Friends, and the Heldrake, while my cultists took a home base objective and the bloodletters warped to the opponent's side and took his. Really it was just a fun list that would really make Todd worry about how he was going to deal with my wall of in your face death.
Dark Angels/White Scars
HQ:
- Belial (Warlord) with Thunderhammer and Storm Shield - 190
- Librarian with two Mastery Levels (Vortex of Doom, and Forwarning) - 90
- Kor'sarro Khan on Moondraken - 150
Elites:
- Vernerable Dreadnought with Multi-Melta, Powerfist with Heavy Flamer, and Deathwing Vehicle in Drop Pod - 180
Troops:
- 5 Deathwing Terminators, Sergent with Thunderhammer and Storm Shield, 3 with Storm Bolter and
Powerfist, and 1 with Assault Cannon and Powerfist - 245
- 5 Deathwing Terminators, Sergent with Thunderhammer and Storm Shield, 3 with Storm Bolter and
Powerfist, and 1 with Assault Cannon and Powerfist - 245
- 5 Tactical Marines with Plasma Gun in Drop Pod - 120
- 5 Space Marine Bikes (Allies) with 2 Meltaguns - 125
- 5 Space Marine Bikes (Allies) with 2 Meltaguns - 125
Fast Attack:
- Ravenwing Darkshroud - 80
Total: 1550
This force was awesome for me. He was deepstriking all of his Terminators, the Dreadnought and the Tactical Marines, and most of his force was only going to do substantial damage in melee, which is where I wanted to be in the first place. With him dropping down into my back lines, I wasn't going to have to trek up the board eating bullets the whole way, as I was initially expecting, which was a big plus for me. The main danger is that he would keep a bike squad hanging around his objective, or drop in the Tacticals, making it more difficult for me to take it with my Bloodletters, who would likely be unsupported. He also had a lot of troops for me to deal with, which meant that he could theoretically hold both the objectives at the same time, even taking losses.
The Game
We were using the Hammer and Anvil deployment. I won the roll of to choose which side I wanted, and I took the side with the small building in the hopes that my cultists could hide behind it. He won roll off for first turn and decided to give first turn to me. I was ok with this as it would allow me to get my FMCs into the air right away before he could shoot at them, making them much harder to kill.
 |
| My Deployment |
 |
| Todd's Deployment |
Turn 1
Eager to get to grips with the hated traitors, the Bikes and Darkshroud gunned their engines forwards in their scout move, moving their whole force as far forward as possible. I was practically laughing at this point, as he had inadvertently moved hiss bikers into range to be completely slaughtered by Kharn and his buddies first turn! Kharn's command Landraider rumbled forward, and lowered its assault ramps, disgorging its bloodthirsty occupants almost right into the White Scars' lines. The Bloodthirster and Daemon Prince took off into the air, moving up to get as close as possible to the bikes. The Bloodthirster cracked his whip at Khan's squad, but failed to wound. Meanwhile, the Landraider opened fire with it's Lascannons and Heavy Bolter onto the Darkshroud, and despite having a fantastic cover save, it's grav-engine was destroyed, causing it to crash to the ground impotently.
Firing their pistols in berserk fury, Kharn led his squad into the Bike squad on the right. Though the Aspiring Champion attempted to call out the Biker's Sergent, but the Emperor's cowardly lapdog was suspiciously absent. In a remarkable display of martial skill, Kharn layed into the Bikers, slaughtering them to a man, and when that was not enough to sate his blood he turned on one of his own, killing an unfortunate Berzerker. With first blood under my belt this game was already looking up.
With a crackle of energy Belial and his team of Terminators teleported to the surface of the doomed world. His second squad materialized to the flank of the Landraider only moments later, accompanied by the Dreadnought's Drop Pod splashing into the river. The Dark Angels had arrived. Opening fire with the remaining Bike Squad, the Dreadnought, and Belial's squad, all of Kharn's retinue were gunned down mercilessly, and Kharn himself took a wound. The other Terminator squad set its sights on the Daemon Prince swooping through the air, though the quick-moving beast proved too elusive for their targeters.
In a bold Gambit, Kor'sarro Khan led his bikes in a charge against Kharn the Betrayer, who cried out a challenge to the Biker. Though Kharn managed to wound Khan, Moonfang struck true, and Kharn fell, gaining Todd Slay the Warlord. Unfortunately, caught up in the excitement as I was, I forgot to take a picture at the end of the turn. Hopefully I'll get better about this!
Turn 2
Gliding down, the mighty Bloodthirster descended towards Belial's squad, eager to add the proud first captain's skull to Khorne's throne. The Daemon Prince turned his sights to Khan and his Bikers, and descended upon them. The cultists, apparently unaware of their master's demise took to the field, running towards the warp gate in order to protect it. On the other side of the board, a unit of Bloodletters strode through another tear in reality, ready to defend it with their lives. The Landraider, moved over a little bit, it's Dirge Caster wailing , distracting both Belial and Khan from the incoming Daemons.
 |
| Holding the Objective |
The Landraider's Lascannons were unleashed upon the Venerable dreadnought, damaging its thick armour and Destroying its legs. The Bloodthirster attempted to whip the nearest Terminator, but its attack was blocked by its shield. Their defenses lowered, the Bloodthirster charged into Belial's retinue and issued a bold challenge to the puny Sergent who stood in his way. Balking at the idea of facing such a beast, the Sergent attempted to slink away, but after a flurry of attacks from the Bloodthirster's might axe was hacked to pieces, along with another of his battle-brothers who had strayed to close, and though the creature took a few hits from the Terminators' Powerfists, the protection afforded him by Khorne stopped the blows inches from its body. The Daemon Prince issued his challenge to the Sergent of the Bikers, and this one decided to accept. His skull was promptly claimed and his body hacked to pieces by the towering Daemon. His sacrifice was not in vain, however, as the distraction his body caused allowed Khan and his Bikes to boost away to safety.
The Terminators moved towards the Landraider, determined to destroy it, while Khan's bikers drove off towards the cultists, and away from the Daemon Prince. Splitting their fire, the Deathwing fired their Bolters ineffectually at the Landraider's thick armour plating, while the Terminator with the Assault Cannon fired at the enraged Daemon Prince, causing a wound. Opening fire on the Daemon Prince with his Multi-Melta, the Venerable Dreadnought but yet another wound on the Prince. Over by the warp gate, the Bikers fired their Bolters into the cultists, gunning down 4 of them.
Following up their torrent of fire the White Scars charged into the Cultists , easily slaughtering the pathetic heretics. The eager Terminators charged into the Landraider, but only glanced its armour twice. The Bloodthirster again issued a challenge, and this time Belial accepted. Thanks to some cunning parries managed to survive the onslaught, though he didn't manage to wound the beast in return.
 |
| End of Turn 2 |
With a blood-curdling screech the Heldrake streaked through the sky, swooping down to pluck an unfortunate biker into the air and crushing him between its talons. The Landraider backed away from the Terminators pound on its side, and the Daemon Prince jumped forward to engage the Terminators. The Bloodletters restlesly continued to guard the second warp gate.
 |
| Still Holding |
Bellowing its hatred, the Daemon Prince crashed into the remaining Deathwing, easily slaughtering them all with its axe. Belial, still battling for his life, managed to parry a pair of blows aimed at his neck by the Bloodthirster, but this left him open. Pressing its advantage, the Greater Daemon of Khorne delivered a punishing kick to the Captain, before leaping upon him. Seeing his imminent death, his retainers back on his battle barge activated his teleporter, warping him back to the ship moments before the Bloodthirster's axe swung down where his neck was only moments before.
Streaking down from the sky, the Tactical Squad's drop pod splashed into the river near to the warp gate near Khan. Khan himself decided to boost his bike back towards the Bloodthirster, hoping to help out the Terminators before it was too late. Channeling the powers of the Warp, the Dark Angel's librarian summoned a warp vortex, engulfing the Daemon Prince and banishing from the material realm. The Dreadnought fired its Multi-Melta at long range into the Landraider, but it was unable to harm it. Khan charged into the Landraider before realizing he had to way to harm it.Bellowing in fury at having its prize taken from him, The Bloodthirster turned on the remaining two Deathwing, but they managed to evade its wild swings, further fueling its rage.
 |
| End of Turn 3 |
Driving forward, the Landraider attempted to get the new arrivals in its sights, hoping to kill them before they could disrupt the gate. The Heldrake banked around towards the Tactical Marines. Unleashing another burst of flame, the Heldrake immolated 3 of the Tactical Marines, and wounded the Librarian. The Landraider following suit, fired one Lascannon and its Heavy Bolter into the marines, killed the remaining two, leaving the Librarian all alone. The Bloodthirster, finally caught up to the remaining Deathwing and slaughtered them, taking their skulls for Khorne.
The Librarian, now all alone, moved forward and tried to summon a new Vortex on the Landraider, but miscalculated, the Vortex instead landing right on top of the Bloodthirster. Luckily, Khorne's blessing continued to hold out and the Vortex failed to do any damage. In a desperate last gambit, Khan charged the Bloodthirster, but before Moondraken could even be lifted in defence, the Mighty Daemon's axe removed the unfortunate Captain's head from his shoulders, all but ensuring victory for the Dark Gods. With the Bloodletters holding the objective on Todd's side, and with him having no way to either remove them or capture mine, We declare it a Chaos victory!
Chaos - 6 (One Objective, Slay the Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker)
Space Marines - 2 (Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker)
 |
| End of the Game |
Well that was a really fun game, even though it was pretty one-sided. I think Todd made a HUGE mistake by deploying his bikes so far forward, and then scouting them even farther forward, right into charge range. Because of that, he practically handed me First Blood, which in this mission type is basically game winning. Besides that, I also would have dropped the Librarian and the Tactical Marines back by my Bloodletters and tried to kill them with Bolter Fire and Vortex. I'm also not sure I would have taken second turn, as it allowed me to start out flying with my MCs.
If I were to do something differently, I definitely wouldn't have challenged Todd's bike squad with my Daemon Prince, as he was unlikely to challenge me in return and I likely would have slaughtered them then and there. Also, this is a game where I don't think the dice were really a factor, as we both got some good rolls and some bad rolls in roughly equal proportion.
As always, any comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment