Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

1750 pts - Blood Ravens vs Ultramarines

This was another fun battle. My opponent this time was Ian, a local at my FLGS. Normally he uses his chaos marines but he wanted to try his vanilla marine list out.

His list had something that I haven't come up against before though; a Legion of the Damned squad. I was a little wary about it as I wasn't sure about the best way to defeat them. Rednekgunner didn't offer any advice (as is his way before battle) so I thought to go with the old standby: shoot it with everything till its dead.

Also for this report, I am going to go with a suggestion my football loving friend here suggested, and do some play-by-play Dick Vitale style (baby).

DEPLOYMENT


and the commentary


Dawn of war deployment, going after each others bases. My base was located within a ruin (as indicated). My opponent put his at the top of a tower (and no, the building doesn't count as the objective, gotta be within 3" of the flag in any direction). I was gonna say something, but where is the fun in that.

I had first turn. He went all reserves.

So much for my brilliant, tabling victory plan. (bastard)

And away we go

TURN 1


paulguise - It was dawn of war deployment, so I just waited to put everything in on first turn. My first droppod came down in the middle, which is about as good as I could expect. My cheering section was wanting me to put it right close to the objective, but scatter would have put them off the table. I farted in their general direction to show how much I appreciated that bit of advice.
I used my standard 2 armored columns with speeder support to deploy. Both moved flat out with the razorback column moving towards my own objective. My speeders swept wide to provide cross fire support of the opponents objective.

Ian - No moves, as he went all reserves.

End Turn 1 - No one captures an objectives, but my marines fearlessy take to the field. Its easy to be fearless with there are no opponents shooting at you.

TURN 2


paulguise - Rolled for my reserves. Got both the other pod and the terminators. Tele-homers were awesome as the terminators took cover behind a sturdy looking bush.The second pod dropped closer to the objective, but a good run would not put them into position, so they stayed behind cover of their pod. Pod 1 squad moved forward, as did my preds, rhino and speeders. The razor back (filled with sternguard) moved towards my objective. The troops cracked open a beer and awaited for the coming onslaught with glee and a pound of the stuff the Eldar smoke (cause thats how they pop smoke).


Ian - Reserves come in. A squad of termies deep strike in right perfectly behind me. Two rhinos, a dreadnought and two las-cannon packing predators come on the board. I am slightly concerned now (and you would be too if you had an assault cannon pointed, literally, at your butt). The 2 las preds and the termies shoot at one of my predators. Results: crew shaken. Some swearing is heard. The dreadnought takes out a marine no smart enough to stay behind cover. It was Joe, and he totally deserved it.

End Turn 2 - No one has an objective yet, but things are just starting to get interesting.

TURN 3


paulguise - My pod 1 squad moves steadily forward. One of my speeders closes in on the objective while the other moves to take out the terminators. The razorback squad hops out, takes a drag of the Eldar stuff, and takes aim at the terminators harassing my rear (again, literally). Shooting: A speeder, the functioning pred, the TL asasult cannon, the rhino squad, and the sternguard manage to take out a whopping 2 terminators. Just before I re-assign someone to polishing live grenades, his termies fail leadership and start their march back to his table edge. My forward forces stun a rhino, but thats it for them (probably lazy after the 'eldar kind' takes effect).


Ian - More reserves. A legion of the damned deep strikes right where the termies where without scattering (perfect). Also a razorback joins the party but stays off to the far end to take long range shots. His dreadnought moves in closed to one of my squads, intent on decorating the landscape with their entrails. As far as shooting goes, Ian wrecks one of my predetors and stuns the other one. The damned squad has a less then stellar shooting phase (thankfully for me) but they do get off some witty quips about my HQ's mother and how he looks remarkable like the plumber. The dreadnought assaults the left droppod squad and takes some krak grenades up the tail pipe. He takes out 2 of the squad though (hey, strength 8's bound to kill something) and they consolidate 2 inches, leaving their less fortunate brothers to rot slowly in a pool of their own blood and turds.

End Turn 3 - No one has an objective as yet as we are both too intent on killing things (and looking good doing it).

TURN 4


paulguise - The plot thickens!!! (it doesn't really, but I always like saying that). My two forward squads move towards the objective. One manages to get onto the ruin where it sits but still has a good movement and run to get up to it. Hopefully I don't get bogged down in combat (thats what we call for-shadowing, kids). My speeders move to block LOS for the enemy armor and my rhino squad hops out to help deal with the Legion squad currently looking at my backside. Them and the sternguard squad move in for possible rapid fire/CC action. The remaining predator and the rhino move forward in step with the retreating terminators, just to make sure they don't get lonely. Shooting: Rapid fire from 2 squads manages to take out the Legion squad. All the other shooting is crap-tastic.


Ian - His terminators continue running. The rhino squad next to the objective holding building hop out to assault my squad in said building (told you, aren't you surprised?). He also blows up one speeder, immobilizes the other one, and laughs a hearty laugh (its hard to get the chaos ways out of ya, but its all fun). The rhino squad assaults and I lose combat by 2. But thanks to Pedro, my squad stays in the fight (booyaa).

End Turn 4 - Results: still no objective holders. If something doesnt happen soon, we both lose (thats called adding dramatic strife, kids).

TURN 5


paulguise - Some running is in order here. I move the sternguard into the ruins where my objective sits. 6" is enough to get them to the perimeter. My second drop pod squad move towards the ongoing combat and my vehicles do nothing (they are providing some cover after all). My terminators jump the hedge intent on making a mess of the enemy squad. Shooting phase: The terminators have an unspectacular shooting phase, trying to take out a predator and failing (assault cannons cant rend all the time you know). The rhino squad rapid fires into the fleeing terminators and takes out 2 more (score). The sternguard roll a 5 for their running and just make it to within scoring distance of the objective (woo woo). Next, the second drop squad charges into the ongoing assault. The terminators hold back incase of a turn 6. The assault is, well, not the stuff legends are made of. For all the swings thrown around, only 2 enemy bite it, while I take another loss (but they stay locked in combat).


Ian - The far right razorback disgorges its troops and they head for the immobilized speeder. A devastator squad that was hiding behind the building goes forth to join the assault in progress. His right razorback and las pred take aim at my terminators. One standard issue bites it. Disgusted at this, Gary the librarian shows them how to make an invulnerable save, and ends up a crispy critter (homeboy should learn how to use his meat shields better). The assault phase is draw for the assault on the ramp. Both squads stand there with matching WTF looks on their faces.

End Turn 5

Do we go on??? My wife (who showed up half way through), acting as an impartial (and rather hot) party rolls a dice. A 1 is rolled. Game ends.

FINAL RESULTS


With my forces solidly holding my objective, and Ian's forces tied up with mine at the bottom of the ramp, it is a Minor Victory for the Blood Ravens.

The game was pretty fun. There wasn't anything I could spot that I or Ian did wrong. Except, you know, that neither of us could hit the broad side of a battle barge for shooting. But other than that it was quite good. I would definitely play again. Only next time I think Ian will use his chaos marines, as that is his preferred army. This list that he was playing with was just for fun (for him) and to try out some stuff.


EPILOGUE

Gary the Librarian was scraped off of the battle field and tossed in a nearby shallow crater that smelled vaguely of sausage and failure, covered over with soft peat, and eventually made into worm food. That is, after his pockets were ransacked for all the coins and the last of the Eldar stuff he had stashed away. The rest of the troops rolled a spliff and lit it with the still smoldering wreckage of their predator.


Cheers

thanks, enjoyed the read and humour

You want humor, read the previous battle report between me and rednekgunner. Someone farted from laughing so hard (not sayin who though).

And thanks.

THAT, was a true battle report. Best battle report I've read in a while. GREAT JOB!!!

Very nicely done. The only thing I'm curious about is why the Ultramarine player decided to go all reserves after placing his objective on the top of the building. Seems he would have been better off sucking up the damage of one pod and the terminators deep striking but have his force completely in place.

I agree - this game was determined in the deployment phase.

I don' t know why he deployed as he did. I had 2 good turns to get into position and all my forces on board.

I suppose if his termies and Legion of damned had better shooting it would spell trouble for me, but I would have just turned all my fire to them.

Thanks for a battle report. Next time give us a close up of the army, it appears to be coming along nicely.

Hey, where did my images go?????? That whole freakin gallery folder is gone. What gives dakka????

yeah they were there one second and now they're gone, I blame the internet!

An admin is checking on it. Hopefully this is a fluke as I am planning to report future games, and its so much more fun with the pictures.

yeah,
If they are gone then they are gone. You should concider redoing the photos.

I know it takes a lot of time to upload and place the photos but the batrep looks bad without them.

Keep up the good work!

Panic...

PanzerLeader wrote:Very nicely done. The only thing I'm curious about is why the Ultramarine player decided to go all reserves after placing his objective on the top of the building. Seems he would have been better off sucking up the damage of one pod and the terminators deep striking but have his force completely in place.

Sorry it took me so long to finally join in the fun. To answer the question as to why I deployed the way that I did:

I had forgotten to split the Tact Squads into Combat teams with the Missile Launchers up at the objective.

As for having everything in reserves, I had had my backside handed to me earlier in the day with the same list by not starting in reserves.

I could have deep striked my Termies by his drop pods and faced his men that way, I was trying to pincer his forces in a crossfire by having my deep striking units engage his units in the rear, forcing him to have to divide his firepower. Thou, the one thing that you never fore-see seemed to happen, actually two things. A: I could not hit the broadside of a space barge. B: My Termies rolled Double "6" on their moral check. Same thing applied to my Legion. The Las gunner had the rear of his Razorback dead to rights and just missed the shot.