Orks & Imperial Guard vs Salamanders & Blood Angels - 3000pts
INTRODUCTION
My last battle for 2010. Brother Bartius had organised a games day in late December. Snow *almost* (and probably should have) kept me away, but we made it! I teamed up with an Imperial Guard player (who added 250pts to his list) to face off against the Imperium's finest. Please excuse any mistakes and omissions in the army lists - I have no clue!
FORCES
Arakasi's Da Dark Angelz (Orks)
[
HQ] Morgrim "Da Lion" Grimork (Da Warboss): Mega Armour (Power Klaw, Twin Linked Shoota, Stikkbombs), Cybork Body (110pts)
[
HQ] Skarag Mekslag (Da Big Mek): Burna, Kustom Force Field, Mek's Tools (105pts)
[
EL] Snikrot: Mork's Teeth, Stikkbombz and 9 Kommandos (Choppa & Slugga, Stickbombs) including 2 Burnas (205pts)
[TR] Grimskab Badwort (Da Painboy): 'Urty Syringe, Dok's Tools, Cybork Body, 'Eavy Armour and Da Inna Circul (5 Nobz): 2 Power Klaws, Big Choppa, 2 Choppas, 4 Sluggas, Twin Linked Shoota, 4 'Eavy Armour, Bosspole, Cybork Bodies in a Trukk: Big Shoota, Boarding Plank, Red Paint Job, Reinforced Ram (320pts)
[TR] Da Warboss' Taktikal Boyz - 10 Shootas including Big Shoota and Nob: Power Klaw, Slugga, Bosspole in a Trukk: Big Shoota, Boarding Plank, Red Paint Job, Reinforced Ram (155pts)
[TR] Skarag's Taktikal Boyz - 11 Shootas including Rokkit Launcha and Nob: Power Klaw, Slugga, Bosspole in a Trukk: Big Shoota, Boarding Plank, Red Paint Job, Reinforced Ram (166pts)
[
FA] Rav'nwing I - Deffkopta with Twin Linked Rocket Launchas and Buzzsaw (70pts)
[
FA] Rav'nwing II - 2 Deffkoptas with Twin Linked Rocket Launchas, 1 with Buzzsaw (115pts)
TOTAL: 1246pts
Imperial Guard
?? Lots
TOTAL: 1750pts
Salamanders
[
HQ] Vulkan
[TR] 10 Tactical Squad, Drop Pod
[TR] 10 Tactical Squad, Drop Pod
[??] Dreadnought, Drop Pod
[??] Dreadnought
[??] Attack Bike
[??] Predator
[??] Predator
[??] Thunderfire Cannon, Techmarine
??
TOTAL: 1500pts
Blood Angels
[
HQ] Dante
[
HQ] Mephiston
[??] 5 Sanguinary Guard, 2 Powerfists
[TR] Assault Squad, Jump Packs
[
HS] Devastators
??
TOTAL: 1500pts
MISSION: Annihilation
DEPLOYMENT: Pitched Battle
PRELUDE
As the Blood Angel player only had 2 hours to play and there was some concern about whether the Imperial Guard would *fit* in our deployment zone - somehow we agreed to deploy in table halves instead of 12" from centre. The Marines chose to deploy and go first - with the Blood Angels hugging the centre of the board whilst the Salamanders, for the most part, hugged the table edge.
With no room to turbo boost, going second and giving away easy
KPs, I decided to outflank my two squads of Deffkoptas along with Snikrot's Kommandos in Reserve. After some deliberation, I set up da Trukks in standard formation along my table edge opposite the Salamander Dreadnought and Dante and his Sanguinary Guard. The Guard did their best to setup as far away from the Blood Angels on the other side as possible - but it was obvious (to me anyway) that it wasn't going to be pretty…
Dante did his mind trick on Morgrim (my Warboss) - reducing his
WS, A, W and I think I by 1 - turning him into an expensive S5 T5 Ld9 Nob. Orks and Guard proceeded to steal the initiative!
TURN 1
Morgrim and da Nobz Trukk's move up at Cruising Speed and unload in front of the Dreadnought, Dante and Sanguinary Guard. Da Big Mek Trukk moves up at Combat Speed to allow da Boyz to fire without disembarking. The three Trukk Big Shootas go after the Thunderfire Cannon to no effect. 2 Twin Linked Shootas, 17 Shootas, 6 Sluggas, a Big Shoota and a Rokkit Launcha all fail to make it past the Sanguinary Artificer Armour. Morgrim and his Boyz multi assault the Dreadnought (Boyz Powerklaw Nob) and Dante and Sanguinary Guard, the Nobz only assaulting the latter. Combat was brutal. The Dreadnought whiffed. Dante and the Power Weapon wielding Sanguinary Guard put a wound on each Powerklaw Nob as well as dispatching two Boyz. Da Boyz put a wound on Dante. The Powerfist wielding Sanguinary Guard finished off the two Powerklaw Nobz, while they in return, with Morgrim's help, took out four Sanguinary Guard. Da Boyz Powerklaw Nob ripped off the Dreadnought's
DCCW. End result? A bloody draw. Dante and his remaining Sanguinary Guard Hit and Run leaving the Nobz to consolidate towards their Trukk. Morgrim and da Boyz consolidate into the
DCCW-less Dreadnought.
Taktikal Note: I should have put Morgrim or a Powerklaw Nob on Dante - for some reason I thought he had Eternal Warrior and was going to take him in combat resolution (we saw how well that worked out!)… Morgrim would also have done well against a Powerfist wielding Sanguinary Guard. I also should not have allocated the wounds to the Powerklaw Nobz - I'm not sure what I was thinking there!
Dreadnought drops down behind the Big Mek's Trukk.
Dante and single Sang Guard kill two Nobz. The newly arrived Dreadnought sends the Big Mek Trukk Kareening forward (my choice) before it explodes with its Heavy Flamer. The Thunderfire Cannon makes short work of the Big Mek and Boyz (
Str 5 and no cover saves
). Dante and single Sang Guard kill off the Nobz. The Dreadnought fails again to hit da Boyz, luckily, as Morgrim and da Boyz Nob whiff - only managing to immobilise the Dreadnought - doh!
Taktikal Note: This is where having the two remaining Nobz be Powerklaw wielding would have helped - Dante and the last Sanguinary Guard only managed to knock a wound off each of the Painboy and Big Choppa wielding Nob. Two Powerclaws may have killed one or both of them! Instead, I lost combat and fled, to be run down
ORKS & GUARD: 0+
KP
MARINES: 4+
KP
TURN 2
Of course the Deffkoptas (2!) and the Kommandos decide *not* to show. In a desperate attempt to shut down the Thunderfire Cannon, both empty Trukks launch themselves flat out to ram it (Trukk missiles!). The Techmarine blows one up (Death or Glory) whilst the other manages to destroy the Thunderfire Cannon. I think we forgot to test to see if the Trukk blew itself up in the attempt - nevermind...
Taktikal Note: I should have done each ram separately - the first Trukk would have done it without sacrificing the second in this case...
My Imperial Guard *ally* doesn't appear to be faring any better against the Marine forces... at least I don't have to deal with Mephiston!
Meanwhile Morgrim (here seen wearing the tea-cosy of shame) and da Boyz Nob remove the other arm but *still* can't finish off the Dreadnought... (embarassing
- even with the reduced
WS and A from Dante's power...)
The Marines move in to finish of da Orks. The Techmarine claims another Trukk (and survives another explosion). The Tacticals charge into da Boyz whilst Dante and Sanguinary Guard assault Morgrim - who fails his leadership test against Dante's mask and is reduced to WS1
. Dante and the Sang Guard manage two wounds on Morgrim, who promptly fails both Cybork saves and dies. The Tacticals cut a bloody swath through da boyz while the Nob fails *again* to put down the Dreadnought. Not surprisingly, da Boyz are cut down as they flee.
On the other side of the table - things going equally poorly for my Imperial Guard ally...
ORKS & GUARD: 1+
KP
MARINES: 8+
KP
VICTORY: MARINES
AFTERMATH
With no time for a third turn, and little hope for the Orks and Guard, we accepted defeat. The above
KP are just from the Orks - I believe the Guard did worse - giving up 12KP for none in return - so pretty much a total write off. Although I could see my Deffkoptas and Kommandos clawing back a couple of
KP, they would probably relinquish their own easily as well without the rest of the force in support - and that assumes they all came in together!
I think the setting up in table halves effectively killed our side from the beginning. If we hadn't seized, the carnage just would have been a turn earlier. With 24" between our forces I could have set up closer and deployed and scouted the Deffkoptas and the Guard could have potentially got another turn of shooting in with most of his units.
Still - some interesting lessons learnt - especially regarding Blood Angels (Dante and Sanguinary Guard), Marines (Thunderfire Cannons) and the (mis)use of Nobz (poor wound allocation, positioning).
Da Dark Angelz (Orks)
Report Card:
Morgrim "Da Lion" Grimork (Da Warboss): Dispatched some Sanguinary Guard, even after being hamstrung by Dante - but failed to take out a Dreadnought over two turns, or survive to finish them and Dante.
C
Skarag Mekslag (Da Big Mek): KFF rendered ineffective due to cover save negating attacks. Died accomplishing little.
D
Snikrot's Kommandos: MIA
F
Grimskab Badwort (Da Painboy) and Da Inna Circul (5 Nobz) in a Trukk: Claimed some Sanguinary Guard, but due to poor generalship on my part, could have done better before running away.
C
Da Warboss' Taktikal Boyz in a Trukk: Ineffective against Dante and Sanguinary Guard. Mostly ineffective against a Dreadnought. Trukk rammed and exploded the Thunderfire Cannon.
C
Skarag's Taktikal Boyz in a Trukk: One turn of ineffective shooting before dying.
D
Rav'nwing I: MIA
F
Rav'nwing II: MIA
F
Imperial Knights: The Avengers Initiative
Da Dark Angelz
Arakasi vs Infinity
Unfortunately, I didn't know the guys I was playing with - and haven't played Guard - so wouldn't have felt right suggesting alternatives (just knew it felt wrong) I'll make sure I make those suggestions should the same situation arise again! Thanks for the support.