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Had the day off today, so I had the wonderful pleasure of playing a 6k rematch against one of my favorite opponents and his Blood Angels. We've had a chain of apocalypse games, starting with a 5k game where Careful Planning and Flank March surprised the hell out of him and ended the game in short order. We then played a 6k game where we disallowed that combination and he brought his pride and joy, an old Armourcast Reaver Titan along for the ride. My newly [mostly] painted Daemon Lord Zarakynel tied it up in combat for the whole game after appearing out of a warp rift, and he sold it off shortly after [mostly out of dislike for the model and its powerfist than the game's results].

So today, he declared he was ready for me. 6000 points, 3 assets each, here goes:




Blood Angels:

Masters of the Chapter formation:
-Dante, 4 Masters with various gear

Corbulo
Mephiston
Chaplain w/ 14 death company jump packs
honour guard x2, one with chapter banner
5 terminators
5 terminators
veteran assault squad x2
2 tactical squads in rhinos
1 tactical squad on foot
3x assault squads
2x attack bikes with multi-meltas
3x devastator squads
baal predator
predator annihilator with sponson lascannons
2x landraider crusaders

Assets: In addition to the assets from Masters of the Chapter, which granted orbital bombardment, surgical raids, ambush, and Precision Strike, he took Disruptor Beacon (he was expecting Flank March!), Hammerblow and Blind Barrage





And with a little more detail since it was mine...

Emperor's Children:
Stormsword, extra sponsons
Baneblade, extra sponsons
Emperor's Children Warband formation
-Chaos Lord w/ terminator armour, sonic blaster, daemon weapon
-chaos dreadnought, 2x ccw, doomsiren
-10x terminators, 3x dual lightning claws, 2x AC w/ dual lightning claws, 2 heavy flamer/chainfist and combi-weapons
-10x terminators, 2x autocannon/chainfist, 3x melta/powerfist, 2x combi-plasma
-10x terminators, 2x heavy flamers, chainfist, 2x combi-melta, 2x combi-flamer, combi-flamer/powerfist
-8 havocs, 4 Blastmasters
-9 havocs, 4 blastmasters

10 marines with 2 meltas, champion, rhino w/ combi-melta
10 marines with 2 meltas, champion, rhino w/ combi-melta
10 marines with 2 plasmaguns, champion, rhino w/ combi-melta
6 noisemarines, champion w/ power weapon, doomsiren, rhino w/ combi-melta
6 noisemarines, champion w/ power weapon, doomsiren, rhino w/ combi-melta
6 noisemarines, champion w/ power weapon, doomsiren, rhino w/ combi-melta
5 chosen, 5 meltaguns, rhino w/ combi-melta
5 chosen, 5 meltaguns, rhino w/ combi-melta
2x flying lash princes
2x greater daemons
2x defilers, extra ccw and t/l flamers
3x obliterators
vindicator, daemonic possession

Assets: Daemon Shell, Chaos Altar, Hold at All Costs







Many people think Hold at All Costs is useless in 5th edition, but under its wording, it makes all elites and HS, anything that isn't a vehicle into a scoring unit. Quite worth it!

The board was 6x8, two tables put together along their long edges. Objectives were a Bastion and a pumping station in his deployment zone, a pumping station and comm relay in mine, and pumping station and a com relay in no man's land.

He setup his landraiders with carbulo and the terminators at his front line, along with the death company, an assault squad, a veteran assault squad, a tactical squad, and his baal predator. On the left flank [from my point of view] he put a tactical squad, two of the devastator squads, masters of the chapter, 2x honour guards, and the rhino tactical squad. Another devastator squad occupied a building on the far right with multi-meltas, and another devastator squad got in the bastion, while a combat squad with las/plas got IN the bastion. His attack bikes were at the extreme flank. In reserves were a veteran assault squad and 2 regular assault squads.

I deployed 2 noisemarine squads and the plasmagun squad on the left flank in front of the stormsword, with a daemon prince on the VERY far left. My Chaos Altar I put between the two objectives in my deployment zone, giving a wide radius. My terminators setup around the altar to benefit from its +1 invulnerable save. I knew he was going first, so I made sure to leave room for him to avoid getting assaulted. I set my chosen rhinos centrally, just out of death company assault range, along with the melta CSM squads to their left and right. My vindicator I put on the far right flank to anchor it, and for added punch set the Baneblade down alongside it. In front of these went one of the blastmaster havoc squads in cover for even more support. The other havoc squad took shelter in some ruins behind the stormsword. The two defilers setup off to the left of center, benefiting from a 6+ invulnerable save from the Altar. The oblits just went wherever they fit, and the other daemon prince along with the dreadnought went right at the edge of the deployment zone, daring the death company to charge them [read: luring him!]


Turn 1, Blood Angels:

The game opens with Surgical Raids. They immobilize the vindicator, wound a daemon prince, and shake a rhino.
The turn opens with Blind Barrage. He makes a 36" line across the right side of his force. Now his death company, a landraider, a rhino squad, an assault squad, his Baal, one of his devastator squads, and one of his honour guard are now completely screened from all that firepower I had on the right. Grrr.
The turn ALSO opens with Hammerblow, an asset that does d3 destroyer hits to a random superheavy on the table. The roll came up as the Baneblade, but he only rolled 1 shot. It proceeded to roll 6, 6, 6, followed by a 6 on the catastrophic table. The Baneblade went up in a spectacular fireball! The resulting explosion was a massive 16". The rhino with meltaguns nearby was blown up completely, and the squad inside was pinned! The vindicator was unharmed. The terminators and blastmaster havocs in close attendance went to ground to mitigate the damage, and only lost one terminator and 1 havoc thanks to that.





He hadn't moved a model yet and my entire right flank was pinned, destroyed, or immobolized! This didn't look good.

He moved up all of his assault units to just behind the blind barrage line on the right, staying out of LOS. The right side of the board featured a long line of tank traps, so his landraider angled to go around. On the left, the masters of the chapter and honour guards advanced behind the shelter of buildings and the other landraider, except for one that went out forward with their meltagun for blood! Everything else stayed put.

His orbital bombardment came up this turn, so it landed near the defilers. The shots bounced harmlessly off the defiler, but killed two terminators and blew up a rhino. The squad inside wasn't pinned. Shooting accounted for several tactical marines, one of the defilers, one obliterator, 2 wounds on a daemon prince [central] and a few more terminators. One of his plasma cannons overheated and killed the user. Not as bad as it could have been, but the baneblade's loss was felt.





Turn 1, Emperor's Children:

With no fancy blow-up-your-cool-stuff assets to start the turn with, I rolled for the dread, which blood raged. He and his attending daemon prince lurched forward at the death company. My un-pinned terminators shuffled around in the rear, expecting a flank march to come on and make a bid for my objectives. Noisemarines unloaded from a rhino to take out one of the honour guard with their doomsiren, backed up by a second noisemarine squad that was more intelligent and stayed in their tank. The extreme left daemon prince flew forward directly at one of the assault squads that was playing rearguard for his army, but had still advanced too close nonetheless. The chosen rhinos moved to screen the currently pinned terminators. On to shooting!

The surviving defiler also popped a shot at the death company, killing several. Blastmasters from my rearline that weren't pinned got a bead on the death company from around the side of the blind barrage, and killed several more plus the chaplain, who failed his invulnerable save. The vindicator was presented a shot for the attack bike, but it missed. The surviving defiler also popped a shot at the death company, killing several. Obliterators did nothing, but the Stormsword fired with amazing skill. It killed the attack bike nearby, but the main event was when its main cannon fired. It failed to damage its target, the landraider in front of it, but the blast wiped out ALL four Masters of the Chapter.




I was impressed! Doomsirens from the noisemarines failed to do much damage to the honour guard in front of them.

The disembarked noisemarines decided foolishly to charge the honour guard in front of them, and after their champion's power weapon missed they were not happy. The squad was wiped out. The daemon prince on the left charged the assault squad and killed four, taking a wound from the powerfist hidden in that squad. The other daemon prince and dreadnought charged the death company. The daemon prince killed his fair share, but the dreadnought missed with all 5 attacks. The death company wounded the daemon prince in return, bringing it down to 1 left.






Turn 2, Blood Angels:

The devastators on the left flank backed away, then ran in the shooting phase away from the daemon prince, which was about to finish off the lone veteran sergeant. Dante joined an honour guard and advanced to within melta pistol range of a noisemarine rhino. The other honour guard, having rid themselves of the noisemarine menace, walked into close melta range of the stormsword. One of his veteran assault squads arrived from reserves this turn, deepstriking behind the stormsword with 2 meltaguns. It was looking dangerous for my surviving superheavy! One of the landraiders rocketted forward, spilling out his terminators in assault range of the melta squad that'd had their rhino blown up turn 1 by the orbital bombardment. The other landraider disgorged the terminators on board, then moved away to shoot my terminators. His own terminators moved forward to charge the dreadnought, which was still fighting the death company. Mephiston separated from his assault squad to take on the daemon prince, and his former squad flew to the right of the combat with the dread to shoot their pistols. The attack bike moved forward to shoot terminators, and the other assault squad took up positions in cover to get ready to charge. One of his tactical squads got out on the far left flank to shoot, after their rhino rocketted forward.

Since most of the devastators had run, there wasn't much shooting. Dante destroyed the noisemarine rhino in front of him with his melta pistol. Melta fire on the stormsword stunned the driver and knocked off a structure point. A second plasma cannon overheated and also killed its user. Gunfire killed a few terminators from the squad that had taken cover from the baneblade's destruction, but they held. The terminators charged the dreadnought, Mephiston charged the daemon prince, the terminators from the other landraider that had surged ahead charged an obliterator and the melta CSM squad, and the honour guard on the left that shot the stormsword did a multi-charge to get it and engage the freshly can-opened squad of noisemarines. Dante stayed out, hoping to not kill too many noisemarines and stay safe in combat during my turn. Some long range fire wrecked one of the chosen rhinos, but they weren't pinned.

My prince finished off his veteran sergeant opponent and went hunting for retreating devastators. The honour guard overdid it and wiped out the noisemarines. The terminators charging the CSM squad and obliterators lost one, and through some good invulnerable saves and bad hit rolls, only killed one CSM in retaliation. Mephiston did 2 wounds to the daemon prince, who saved both and proceeded to finish off the death company. The dreadnought did nothing, but the terminators didn't either. Losing the combat by a good amount, Mephiston took a wound and the terminators turned and ran, with the dreadnought in hot pursuit.







Turn 2, Emperor's Children:

The aspiring champion in the melta CSM squad turned into a greater daemon, no doubt surprising the terminators that thought they'd had this combat in the bag. His disruptor beacon failed to relocate the possession [how does THAT even work?]. The dreadnought went into a fire frenzy, turning to fire its doomsiren at the fleeing terminators. My defiler turned to deal with the veteran assault squad that had deepstruck behind my lines, and my terminators all advanced. The leftmost daemon prince surged forward deep behind his lines to hunt down those devastators, and my chaos lord left his squad to go kill some assault marines. The remaining chosen rhino moved close to the fleeing terminators to shepherd their retreat, and let the chosen out into melta range of the landraider. The other chosen squad moved around their wreck to shoot the assault marines that had belonged to Mephiston.

This is the turn that pretty much ended it. He was within range of my close-range fire now, and it took its toll.

Revealing my 3rd asset, one of my chaos terminators launched the Daemon Shell at the Landraider on the right flank. Superficial damage to it, and only shook the Baal predator. Didn't hurt any terminators, and only killed 2 assault marines. So much potential! At least it didn't blow up and kill the firer.

My blastmaster havocs in the rearguard killed a few tactical marines, but little else. The stormsword couldn't turn, but fired its guns to devastating effect, putting the hurt on the honour guard in front of it, landing its main cannon on Dante's new honour guard and killing all of them, and destroying the predator annihilator. Terminators destroyed the left flank landraider, the melta chosen destroyed the right flank landraider, the dreadnought did nothing to the fleeing terminators, and the vindicator and blastmaster havocs on the right managed to kill half the assault squad that was staging on the side. The footborne chosen squad killed some more members of the assault squad that had been grazed by the daemon shell, and the defiler's battle cannon wiped out the neatly packed veteran assault squad that had deepstruck. Plasmagun fire from my third CSM squad finished off the honour guard that had plagued the stormsword. The assault squad staging on the right flank failed its morale and ran, robbing my chaos lord of his charge.

In combat, both Mephiston and the daemon prince failed to hurt one another yet again. Terminators charged his terminators on the left, and between them and the greater daemon, wiped them out. The left flank daemon prince charged another devastator squad, killing 3, but they wounded him in return. They held.







Turn 3, Blood Angels:

Dante, without his bodyguards again, flew back to bring the devastator squads and a small 5-man combat squad into his preferred enemy radius ability range. The tactical squad there moved behind my plasma CSM rhino to see what they could do against it. Another 5 man veteran assault squad deepstruck, this time to the left of the stormsword, on the other side of one of his rhinos. His final reserves unit, another assault squad, moved on from his board edge on the right flank, near the chaos lord. The squad that had fallen back came forward again, within charging range of the havocs. His terminators ran, his Baal predator backed up since it was shaken, and his 5-man tactical squad got out of their rhino to attempt to meltagun the dreadnought. Carvulo moved and joined this squad, exiting the crater of his old landraider.

His final plasma cannon overheated and killed the firer. Meltagun and multi-meltas stunned the dreadnought, and his attack bike got a good shot on the vindicator, knocking off its demolisher cannon.




His remaining devastator squad and the combat squad piled onto the daemon prince on the left. The tactical squad there charged the rhino and planted krak grenades, immobilizing and shaking it. The 3 surviving members of the assault squad that the chosen had fired at charged my chaos lord, who only had 1 wound left, and the half remaining of the other charged the havocs. Mephiston and the daemon prince killed each other simultaneously, after two rounds of slapping each other around. The massive dogpile managed to put a third wound on my daemon prince, who killed several and caused 2 of the 3 squads he was fighting to fall back. The chaos lord slew all three chargers, and consolidated off towards the new arrivals, while the charging half assault squad fought to a draw with the havocs, each unit killing one of the other.







Turn 3, Emperor's Children:

Another greater daemon appeared from the plasma CSM squad's AC, also unaffected by the disruptor beacon. My terminators all advanced, except for the autocannon squad with about-faced to hold the rear and the objectives. The chaos lord moved to engage the newly arrived assault squad, while one chosen squad went to engage carvulo and his unit and the other backtracked to kill the attack bike.

The Stormsword scattered with its main cannon but managed to kill the last 2 surviving members of the combat squad that took a bash at the daemon prince. Obliterators and havocs opened up on the rhino and the newly arrived veteran assault squad on the left flank. When the dust cleared the rhino was gone and one assault marine remained, who failed his morale test and ran. Firepower from all over arced to carvulo and his small unit, but their cover saves protected them from harm. The melta chosen killed 2, and the other melta chosen squad killed the attack bike.

The melta chosen that shot carvulo's unit decided to give it a shot, and charged them. The chaos lord charged the new arrivals, killing a few, and his old terminator squad charged the assault squad that was giving the havocs on the right trouble, killing all of them. A greater daemon charged dante [doing a wound], and the daemon prince finished off the second of the three squads that dogpiled him. The tactical squad that had charged and immobilized the rhino knocked a gun off and shook it again. The chosen that charged carvulo fought to a draw.





Turn 4, Blood Angels:

Not a whole lot left to do. The heavy bolter devastators that dogpiled the prince were now on a position to open up, so they stood still. The tactical squad touching the rhino stood still to fire its missle launcher. The Baal predator moved forward again to lend its firepower where it could. Several shots bounced off the dreadnought, who eyed carvulo hungrily.

The tactical squad wrecked the rhino, sending the plasma CSM squad out, and they failed their pinning test. The surviving devastators finally brought down the daemon prince in a hail of heavy bolter fire.

In assault, Dante took his second wound at the hands of his greater daemon assailant, and Carvulo's squad finished off the chosen. The chaos lord proved useful, killing some more assault marines for no damage back.






Turn 4, Emperor's Children:

The dreadnought charged and killed Carvulo's squad, the chaos lord finished off the assault squad, his old terminator squad destroyed the Baal Predator by charging it with chainfists, Dante was brought down by the greater daemon, gunfire killed the last of the devastators that had killed the daemon prince, and the Stormsword blew up the Bastion, killing all but two models inside it.


The game was called here, as all he had remaining was a lascannon, a sergeant, and the 2x multi-melta devastator squad in assault range of three units and shooting range of far more.





Thoughts:

I was really worried through turn 2. After seeing the Baneblade go up in smoke so easily, and the melta fire clustered around the stormsword after that, plus my inability to do any damage on my right side turn 1 made me really nervous. In the end he committed himself to the assault, but not fully. Dante not charging the squad that the honour guard did was nice in theory, but since he had stunned the Stormsword's driver, it couldn't back away, meaning if dante charged, he could near-guarantee he'd wipe out that squad, then move close to the stormsword so its main cannon couldn't fire at them. From there, he could have tried to roll through the terminators.

Speaking of which, his other mistake was sending his terminators off on their own deep into my zone. With three times as many terminators behind his target, it wasn't likely to do a lot before it died. My advice to him was to wait it out. Granted, I had more long range firepower than he did. But unlike a normal small-scale 40k game where objectives are closeby, I'd have to advance if I wanted to win, by going for the other objectives that were further away. If he waited until I moved forward, using his shooting to weaken my advancing forces, he could have pounced later.

Hero of the match goes to the dreadnought, who managed to not die and also stall his center attack, though he did it offensively by charging rather than getting charged like I planned. Killing off the death company and then sending the terminators that were coming down the middle running was crucial. Though I guess another close mention would be the Stormsword, the massive cannon of which killed both the Masters of the Chapter and a whole honour guard.

Great report, I thought you were finished after that T1 debacle lol. Great comeback tho!

I've added pictures! On my photobucket account, so I'm not sure how long the bandwidth will last. The pics are numbered at the end of each file name, showing the order. The first one shows the table setup [on page 2] and they follow in order after that showing my army, then my deployment, Blood Angels deployment, and on from there.

Things don't look bad from the baneblade's destruction but keep in mind everything there went to ground or failed a pinning test. The vindicator got immobilized by his Raids, so that's not a lot of use either when you look at the board setup.

You should upload the pics here on dakka. Then bandwidth won't be a problem.

Think so? Then I lose all my neat sequential numbering, as that's on the photobucket side of it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, got the link to a Dakka gallery for the photos. When I have more time, I'll actually put links to the individual pics at their appropriate places in the battle rep.


http://www.dakkadakka.com/core/gallery-user.jsp?u=4298


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, I made img tags throughout the thing, using the URL for each individual picture as the space in between. Why aren't they working? They're hosted on dakka.

Alright, I went through and added URL links under all the picture links. I checked them all and they all seem to work, so I guess y'all just have to go back and forth. At least it keeps the page graphics-light! Enjoy and tell me what y'all think!

Great pics! After hearing recounts from both sides it's nice to finally see pictures.

I can't wait till we get our stupidly large apoc game going.
Hopefully you'll write a cool batrep, like this one, then too!

This report's been fixed, with the pics imbedded! Everyone enjoy the much-easier-to-enjoy report!

Nice pic's with the battle report