This past weekend I attended the Genghis Con
40k tournament. In total there were about 70 people that showed up for the 2 day 5 game event. Letting my daemons take a well deserved break I decided to break out my deathwing and some of my old ravenwing models (I don't think my ravenwing have seen the light of day since 4th edition).
You can find all the scenarios used for the tournament here:
http://files.meetup.com/1305240/GhengisCon_2011_40K_Scenarios.pdf I've summarized the primary and secondaries as part of my reports but if you want to see what all the bonus points then click above.
My Army
HQ Belial, twin lightning claws
Troops
5 Deathwing Terminators, 2 lightning claws, 3 thunder hammer & storm shield, cyclone missile launcher, apothecary, chapter standard
5 Deathwing Terminators, 2 lightning claws, 3 thunder hammer & storm shield, cyclone missile launcher
5 Deathwing Terminators, 2 lightning claws, 3 thunder hammer & storm shield, cyclone missile launcher
5 Deathwing Terminators, 1 power fist & heavy flamer, 4 thunder hammer & storm shield
5 Deathwing Terminators, 1 power fist & heavy flamer, 4 thunder hammer & storm shield
Fast Attack
Ravenwing Attack squadron, 2 melta guns, attack bike w/ multi-melta
Ravenwing Attack squadron, 2 melta guns, attack bike w/ multi-melta
Ravenwing Attack squadron, 2 melta guns
Game #4 vs. Vulkan Imperial Fists
Mission: 6 Objectives, secondary kill an enemy commander
Deployment: Dawn of War
HQ Vulkan
Librarian, null zone, avenger
Elite
5 Terminators, thunder hammer, storm shield, redeemer
Troops
Tactical squad, flamer, multi-melta, power sword, razorback
tl heavy bolter
Tactical squad, flamer, multi-melta, power sword, razorback
tl heavy bolter
Tactical squad, flamer, multi-melta, power sword, razorback
tl heavy bolter
Fast Attack
2x Typhoon, heavy bolters
Heavy Support
Predator, auto-cannon
Predator, auto-cannon
Vindicator
He wins the roll off and gives me the first turn. I set up 2 squads of terminators and belial on the center line. He holds everything off for the first turn.
Deathwing Turn #1:
I deathwing assault 2 more squads of terminators very aggressively towards his table edge. I also boost the bikes on 24 inch's and move up the other two terminator squads. I claim all 6 objectives on the first turn. I mainly grabbed them because I thought it was funny. But a few minutes into the turn they yell out asking if anyone has all 6 and I'm the only one, I score one of the forgeworld squad upgrade packs (the old school,
ml, flamer, and melta, a pretty good pack actually). I have a sea of terminators, most within 12 inch's of his table edge.
Imperial Fists Turn #1:
He moves everything on 6. All of the tactical squads combat squad. The typhoons in the far right corner, the land raider in the center, and then the vindicator, 3 razorbacks, and last but not least the two predators. In between the razorback squads are two of the walking combat squads (with multi-melta) with the other squad on the other side of the land raider. He casts null zone and moves to the shooting phase. Vindicator hits and gets 2 under the template I make both saves. One typhoon shoots at a unit of biker's and whiffs horribly. He then shoots 2 crack missiles, 2 auto-cannons, 1 heavy bolter, 3
tl heavy bolters, 4
tl-bolters, and 2 bolt pistols at my terminators. If you math hammer that out I should lose 2 terminators on average. My opponent rolled decently, but not exceptionally well, out of the 12-13 saves I had to make I failed 7 losing an entire squad of terminators plus a couple from other squads. He then assaults with his terminators. With null zone up and master-crafting on the terminators he kills 4 of 5 of my terminators. In return I manage to kill one of his.
Deathwing Turn #2:
That turn really hurt but I've still got a chance here. I move Belial and the command squad back out of rapid fire range and prepare to hold the objectives. 2 bike squads move up on the right and kill off both of the typhoons. The third bike squad tries for the vindicator, but isn't inside melta range. The middle attack bike blows up the land raider. The left side attack bike does no damage to the predator. I then charge 2 lightning claws, and 2 thunder hammers into his terminators. The lightning claws whiff (for 2 hits, 2 wounds and he makes both saves), my 8 thunder hammer attacks finally manage to drop another one of his, his attacks fail to take down a terminator ( a combination of his rolling below odds for once, and me actually making 3 saves).
Imperial Fists Turn #2:
He moves the razorbacks up and dumps out his 3 tactical squads. The three tactical squads shoot into the command squad with bolt pistols, and some flamer's. That coupled with the 3 razorbacks kills the entire command squad except the apothecary ( I made exactly 1 feel no pain, incidentally it's the only feel no pain roll I made the entire tournament) he then charges in with 6 power weapon attacks, causes 4 wounds and the apothecary dies. Vulkan runs in and ginsu's 3 of my remaining terminators, my 2 terminators left don't cause any wounds on his remaining terminators, when the dust settles I have one terminator left.
Deathwing Turn #3:
I shoot 2 melta guns into a
tac squad and assault it. Doing no damage in the assault. My multi-melta attack bike on the left shoots and destroys a predator. In the center my multi-melta, and 2 melta guns can't crack the vindicator. I multi-assault the vindicator and a
tac squad and still can't do anything to the vindicator. The
tac squad (that had the librarian attached ginsu's my bikes, but remain locked with the attack bike. My last terminator squad comes in scatters forwards and I run them so the vindicator can't catch them all trying to get out of charge range of his terminators. He finish's off my last terminator in hand to hand and gets a big run roll giving him the assault on my terminators that just dropped in. My bikes do no damage in hand to hand.
Imperial Fists Turn #3:
His squads mount up and move towards the objectives. Vulkan goes in to rescue the combat squad locked in combat with my bikes. Vulkan only kills one bike and we are locked in combat. His 3 terminators charge my 5 man terminator squad. I take my 6 lightning claw attacks and do no damage, I then take 6 more thunder hammer attacks and finally down another terminator. In response he wipes the squad.
Deathwing Turn #4:
I'm now fighting to try to deny him bonus points so I boost my attack bike back towards the furthest away objective, and flat out my bikes away from the terminators.
Imperial Fists Turn #4:
He does some more moving up:
Deathwing Turn #5:
I move up on the objective and take a multi-melta shot at the lead razorback but miss. My bike squad shoots into the
tac squad trying to get vulkan to break and miss with both melta shots, I charge in and Vulkan mows them down.
Imperial Fists Turn #6
He shoots a single
tl-heavy bolter at my attack bike, causes 3 wounds, I fail a save and die (he had picked up one somewhere else. And thats game.
Ouch, this was one of those games where every plan I made just fell apart. The dice rolling was so bad on my part I can't even tell if my tactics were flawed or not. I had two options either to corner him and go all out from the get go. The initial thought was that his terminators were going to eat a squad, however my return attacks (from another squad charging in) should gut the squad and make them combat in-effective. Basically I was thinking that 8 lightning claw attacks and a total of 19 thunder hammer attacks should kill off all but one of his guys. Instead they ate 3 squads of terminators and still had two left that and I felt like the rest of his shooting shouldn't cause that much damage to my terminators and then we would be in
hth the rest of the game. The option I didn't go with was to hang backg back on the objectives and force him to come to me. Use the bikes all 9 if needed to pop the land raider so I can prevent him from getting the charge with his terminators. And then use my cyclones to pop his razorbacks and force him to walk.
I don't want your tower making mine look bad. 
