Howdy all,
So today I FINALLY was able to play a game. After placing third with my daemons last tourney, I decided it would be best to shelve them while the
GK run rampant, and just stick with my
BA for a while. That being said, I joined my local groups campaign. Having missed the first 2 games I was at a disadvantage (as you play you get points to "level up" certain units), but I wasn't too worried! So here were the standings prior to my first game:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnVae1hhBrR0dEZDZG5yZFJaTXpBQkNGYjhfUUxiOHc&hl=en&authkey=CLGjjLYD#gid=0
I got to choose who I wanted to face second, so I chose the other local who played a heavy stormraven list: Bryan! However, he decided to try something new for our game. Heres the lists:
Me
HQ
----
Meph
Libby - Sword/Rage
Elites
------
5x Assault Terms - 3
TH/
SS
1 priest - bare
Furioso w/ talons, melta,
SB
Troops
--------
10x
AM w/ 2x melta,
PF
10x
AM w/ 2x melta,
PF
FA
----
Speeder w/
HF/
MM
Speeder w/
HF/
MM
Speeder w/
HF/
MM
Heavy
-------
Raven w/ EA, TLMM,
TLAC
Raven w/ EA, TLMM,
TLAC
Him
HQ
----
Reclusiarch - infernus
Honor guard - melta, plasma gun,
SS, 2 power weps, champion
Elites
------
2x priests - 1 corbulo, 1 in termi armor
Furioso w/ talons, melta,
SB
Troops
--------
10x
AM,
PF, 2x melta -
LRR transport w/ EA/
mm
10x
AM,
pf, 2x melta -
LRC transport w/ EA/
mm
Heavy
-------
Raven w/ EA, TLPC, TLMM
He had the veteren ability (bought skill) that his furioso could reroll hits. Ouch! We rolled pitched battle, 5 objectives. I rolled first and gave it to him.
He deployed his raiders in the middle with raven on his left. I deployed my speeders hiding behind stuff, and combat squadded 1
AM squad. I reserved my other squad to come in combat squadded, and both ravens (1 with furioso/meph, 1 with termis/priest).
I roll to steal the initiative (so I could get a better field position) and make it!
Me -Turn 1
-------------
My 3 speeders flat out behind
LoS terrain, 1 goes behind a ruin on his side. My marines just move up some.
Bryan - Turn 1
-----------------
He moves his raven flat out, shooting a speeder but I make cover. His 2 raiders move up, blowing my top left speeder sky-high and killing 1 marine from my left squad.
Bryan made a fatal mistake his first turn: he left his 2 biggest threats without cover. This means if I get in my stuff I'll be very likely to kill both raiders!
Me - Turn 2
--------------
I make the roll for 1 raven and my
AM squad, and using my veteran skill, make the reroll for my second raven! yay!
Both ravens come on 12", aiming to do something to his raven. One combat squad comes on in the FAAAARRRR top left, my other lands behind his black raider. Everything else moves into position to melta his raiders or shoot the raven, with the exception of my right combat squad hiding behind the building on the right.
Shooting sees his raven make a bunch of cover, and me explode both raiders, taking 2 of my own marines and pinning his far left squad. Everyone else runs.
Bryan - Turn 2
-----------------
With no reserves, he moves his raven up, pooping out both his furioso and kill squad. His un-pinned
AM's move to multi-assault my combat squad and the speeder.
In shooting he immobilizes my red stormraven after ALL 4 of his bloodstrikes miss. His
AM squad multi-assaults, whiffing on the speeder and killing 2 marines. I fail to do anything in return, but make morale. His honor guard and furioso charge my immobile raven, and whiff completely (he didn't roll any 6's or 5's on the furioso or squad!)
Things are going well, the fact that his bloodstrikes failed completely was a HUGE boon. He might have wrecked the raven and managed to kill the termis if he had! I figured he would have killed off my combat squad, but seeing as they've locked him up, I figure I'll just focus on the HG/furioso for now. The most immediate threat is his killy squads and the raven; being slow, I can just outrun his AM squads until I see fit to deal with them.
Me - Turn 3
--------------
So I have to deal with his punchy squads, so I move up my grey raven and pop out the furioso. I keep meph inside because I'll need to get him in close to his other squads next turn if I need to (Also, I was hoping he'd forget about meph
lol). The termis get out and surround his furioso. My left
AM squad moves 12" away from corbulo and his marines, I'd rather not get charged by them this turn
My right marines move up to claim my right side objective.
Shooting sees a lot of meltas shoot his raven and pop it. I also pick out a marine or two in corbs squad. Assault sees my furioso hit twice and bryan make both his invuns :( My libby immobilizes and stuns his furioso with sword, and subsequently getting squished. My hammernators finish off the dread and consolidate to help my furioso this coming turn! Of course, my combat squad gets owned and bryan consolidates toward the back right objective.
Bryan - Turn 3
-----------------
His left
AM squad rolls low for terrain, moving 2". His other
AM squad moves up, stretching in a line toward the back objective. No idea what bryan was thinkin with this one @_@
Shooting sees him pick off a couple marines. My furioso kills 2
HG, wounding his reclusiarch and killing 1 more to fearless saves!
Well, I've got this pretty well in hand. I'll outrun corbs group for now, send meph after his right AM squad, and clobber his HG this turn. Go time!
Me - Turn 4
--------------
Meph rolls double 1's for wings, disembarks, and moves 12" from the raven. Termis get ready to brawl, both speeders move to flame corbs buddies, and my
AM's on my left shuffle a little.
Shooting sees my raven, both speeders, and a few pistols kill 2 of corbs guys. Meph kills a marine with his pistol.
Assault sees the dread and termis wipe out the
HG/Clusiarch, consolidating within 2" of my raven. Meph kills 6 marines, and a further 2 + priest die to fearless saves (they had thirst), leaving just the sergeant with
PF/
SS.
Bryan - Turn 4
-----------------
Corbs group moves out of terrain finally. Shooting sees him wreck one of my speeders. Assault sees his
PF sergeant make 4/5
SS saves, finally biting it.
Bryan remembered later, almost at the end of 5, of corbs reroll. I allowed him to reroll that failed SS save, but he rolled a 2 :( He was going to call it, but due to campaign rules, I could possibly table him, meaning I'd get 5 campaign points instead of 3. So we decided to play out the final turn
Me - Turn 5
--------------
Meph wings it toward his last group; termis/furioso get in the raven and it moves 12". Both my left
AM combat squads move up; I'm going all out because I can't risk this NOT going to turn 6 and his squad living!
Shooting from everything sees 1 marine bite it. Meph fleets 6"! The inevitable assault from meph and both combat squads sees me table him; but not before corbulo kills off 2 marines!
Afterthoughts
-----------------
Bryan was trying out something new, but sadly, he was trying something new WHILE trying to keep his old list somewhat in tact. Ravens don't really synergize so well with slower elements; he was using the raven as an aggressive hard hitter, which was right, but the raiders couldn't keep up. This allowed my much more mobile army to pick what I wanted to fight and avoid the rest. If corbs group didn't get pinned he might have fared better; I would have had to go toward his
AM squads with the dread and meph instead of focusing on his
HG squads.
I definitely misplayed meph a bit, I wish I'd sent him to help my combat squad earlier. I guess I really didn't want to risk not killing the furioso and needing meph.
Either way, great match I had with bryan; next week I'm either going to challange jordan (eldar) or duncan (black templar)! I'll be using a simular list, so stay tuned!
Heres the campaign map as of now:
http://albuquerque40k.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/week-3-20-mar.jpg (I'm Jim)
Current rankings:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnVae1hhBrR0dEZDZG5yZFJaTXpBQkNGYjhfUUxiOHc&hl=en&authkey=CLGjjLYD#gid=0
What skills I've bought: Reroll 1 reserve per game
1500 Knights of Blood 
Yeah, get workin!