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Time for another GK vs My Son battle report. This time it's against his Thunderwolf and Long Fangs SW list. I've been slowly painting up my GK list so there's only a few proxies this time around (I also had to borrow a couple of Razorbacks from the Ultramarines).

This report will probably take a day or so to finish up.

Grey Knights Roster
Total Roster Cost: 2001



HQ
- Inquisitor Coteaz
- Ordo Xenos Inquisitor w/Rad Grenades, 3 Servo-skulls, Psyker Upgrade

Elite
- Purifier Squad (x5) w/Psycannonx2,Daemonhammer,Halberds in HB Razorback w/HB (Psybolt)
- Purifier Squad (x5) w/Psycannonx2,Daemonhammer,Halberds in HB Razorback w/HB (Psybolt)
- Purifier Squad (x5) w/Psycannonx2,Daemonhammer,Halberds in HB Razorback w/HB (Psybolt)

Troops
- Grey Knight Strike Squad (x5) w/Psycannon,Daemonhammer in HB Razorback w/HB (Psybolt)
- Henchmen Warband (x9) [5xDeath Cult Assassin, 3xMM Servitor, 1xWarrior] in Chimera [with Inq]
- Henchmen Warband (x11) [3xDeath Cult Assassin, 8xPsykers] in Chimera [with Coteaz]
- Henchmen Warband (x3) [3xWarriors w/2 meltas] in Razorback w/Lascannon and TL Plasmagun
- Henchmen Warband (x3) [3xWarriors w/2 meltas] in Razorback w/Lascannon and TL Plasmagun
- Henchmen Warband (x3) [3xWarriors w/2 plasmas] in Razorback w/HB (Psybolt)

Heavy
- Dreadnought w/2xTL/AC, psybolt
- Dreadnought w/2xTL/AC, psybolt
- Dreadnought w/2xTL/AC, psybolt


Space Wolf Roster
Total Roster Cost: 2000

My son also had to proxy a few models. We don't have 15 missile launchers so some other heavy weapons will do. He also borrowed some models from the Ultramarines and some Rhinos from the Death Guard ... perhaps that is why the Grey Knights are attacking.



HQ
- Wolf Lord in Power Armour w/Runic Armour,Thunderwolf,Frost Weapon,Storm Shield, Warrior Born, 2 Wolves
- Rune Priest w/Jaws of the World Wolf, Living Lightning

Elite
- Wolf Scouts (x5) w/melta
- Lone Wolf w/Thunder Hammer, Storm Shield, Mark of the Wulfen

Troops
- Grey Hunters (x10) w/melta x 2, Powerfist, Mark of the Wulfen in Rhino
- Grey Hunters (x10) w/melta x 2, Powerfist, Mark of the Wulfen in Rhino
- Grey Hunters (x9) w/melta, Powerfist, Mark of the Wulfen in Rhino [Rune Priest rides here]

Fast Attack
- Thunderwolf Cavalry (x5) w/Storm Shields x 2, 1 TH, etc

Heavy Support
- Long Fangs (x6) w/MLx5
- Long Fangs (x6) w/MLx5
- Long Fangs (x6) w/MLx5

Deployment
We rolled Pitched Battle with Seize Ground (four objectives). The Space Wolves have won the dice off and are going first. After deployment, the board is as shown below. Unfortunately, I took the photos before realizing I missed a razorback with purifiers; I did place it but did not reshoot the deployment photos.



The sightlines for the Long Fangs is not terrific. I've a bit of a parking lot but I hope it allows me to weather the storm of first turn missile launcher shooting.




Turn 1 - Space Wolves
The Grey Knights, even with Coteaz's reroll, fail to seize the initiative. The thunderwolves and lord run forward, but space out, leery of the psykers' S10 AP1 large blast shot. The rhinos get close to the two objectives in their end, and the lone wolf sprints forward for glory.

The image below shows the move direction as well as the shooting of the long fangs. As you can see, 15 long fangs, thanks to fortitude and cover saves only managed to destroy one razorback (and killed one member of the GKSS squad; unfortunately for me, it was the one with the daemonhammer) and immobilized the chimera with the MM servitors. Not a great return on investment for 15 ML!

While long fang wolves have a higher Volume of Fire from range, they lack the mobility of Grey Knight anti-tank. As long as the rune priest stays near the main action to provide some anti-psyker support, space wolves have a chance to win this one.

Force Weapons is the bane of TWC. I'm surprised the Wolf Lord doesn't have Saga of the Bear. Grey Knights also have plenty of vehicles to contest objectives. IMO the Grey Knights have the advantage in this game.

I look forward to reading the results.

Usually I dislike these "who will win"/"turn one updated!" reps but the quality thus far in this one is very good.
I like your army pics and battlefield diagrams.
Dont go too complicated however with arrows and movement lines etc. Simple and clear is best.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
GKs to win btw.

Curse you randyc, your reports are awesome but the suspense is killing me!

Thanks for the feedback. I'll try hard to finish posting today (as I'm flying out to Europe tomorrow).

Turn 1 - Grey Knights
The Grey Knights were protected in their parking lot, but like most busy parking lots at closing time, there were some delays and lineups extricating themselves from it. Ideally I'd like to get the GK into midfield and start shooting at those long fangs, but well, the parking lot and the terrain made it difficult this turn.

I did need to do something about those thunderwolves so I decided to unload two of the purifier squads into protective cover so that they could shoot at the TWC but not be assaulted.



Notice the servo-skull. It is placed there to prevent the wolf scouts from coming in from that corner. Here you can see what the TWC see ...



On the other side of the board, the purifiers unload into the wreckage of the Razorback, while the GKSS move forward towards the objective.



Shooting
Luckily, the Chimera with the Psykers was 25" away from the Rune Priest and was successfully able to cast Psychic Barrage on the TWC. The spot was within 12" of a servo-skull so only one dice for scatter. Boom!



Scared about insta-deathing the WolfLord, he allocated the two wounds to the TWC, one with a storm shield (which saved), one without (which was insta-killed). Unfortunately, he removed the model closest to his wolf lord, taking him more 2" away from the TWC unit. This was a bit of a mistake as he was unable to use the Wolf Lord for subsequent wound allocation when the two Purifiers, a Dread, MM servitors, Chimeras, heavy bolters, lascannons fired away at them. The result?



Each model has a wound and I killed a TWC model.

Elsewhere, the other two dreads exploded the two rhinos (killing 2 models in each squad), while the Purifiers+GKSS managed the heroic feat of inflicting a single wound on the Lone Wolf. Unfortunately, the Long Fangs remain outside of storm bolter and psycannon range (though I did manage to kill one ML in the middle LF squad with a multilaser).

You did that shooting wrong - the wolf lord remains attached all the way through until his next turn. The movement phase is the ONLY time an IC can leave a squad they've attached to. It doesn't matter if the character is at one end and the unit spaces out 2" apart for another 20" down the board and you thin them down to where the last two members are the IC and the guy 20" away, he's still part of the squad and can still be allocated to until he leaves it next turn.

Spellbound wrote:You did that shooting wrong - the wolf lord remains attached all the way through until his next turn. ...

Thanks for that. I find posting these batreps have helped me fill in some gaps in my rule knowledge. As it turned out, he probably could have saved an extra wound or two by making use of the 2+ save of the wolf lord.

Yeah, Spellbound is correct. A unit may be out of coherency due to the removal of models from enemy shooting....but they are still a unit and follow all the rules for a unit, including wound allocation.

The only exception is if you wipe out all models in the unit except for the IC, at which point he reverts to being an IC.

Turn 2 - Space Wolves
The Wolves began their turn moving the TWC and the Rune Priest (and his squad). The Priest's anti-psyker aura covers pretty much the entire GK army now. His Living Lightning kills a couple of GKSS squad members.




His Long Fangs were only a bit more effective this turn: immobilizing a razorback and destroying the Chimera with the Psykers (who die in droves in the explosion).


In the assault phase, the TWC and the Wolf Lord multi-charge the three Razorbacks.


The Thunderhammer makes short work of the blue Razorback containing the plasma Henchmen. The other two TWC are unable to affect the RB they attack. Hopefully the mighty Wolf Lord with his S6 frost weapon attacking the immobilized RB should result in a destroyed RB, thereby opening up the tasty Purifiers for Wolf attention...



Yup, six auto-hit attacks against rear armour and he fails to get a single glancing or penetrating hit. Serves him right for using a bear as a thunderwolf!

Turn 2 - Grey Knights
Minimal moving and just a whole lot of shooting. The result?



The TWC unit eliminated, a long fang member killed, some dead Grey Hunters, and a destroyed Rhino. I love my rifle dreads and stationary psycannons!

And my vote is always on the GK. That codex is the most broken POS I've ever seen, and played smart, is unbeatable. I've never said that about any of the new codexes until this one, but I firmly believe it's true.

It's easy to play them wrong, bring a list too small and elite, make bad decisions and lose. But in the right hands, it'll dominate any other "in the right hands" army.

Spellbound wrote:And my vote is always on the GK. That codex is the most broken POS I've ever seen, and played smart, is unbeatable ... in the right hands, it'll dominate any other "in the right hands" army.

Well, from a Space Wolf perspective, given that the GK are being played by me, the Space Wolves still have a good chance of winning!

Turn 3 - Space Wolves

The Scouts still do not come in. Missile Launchers and Living Lightning get a few weapon destroyed results. The big action is the Wolf Lord moving around the far side of the blocking Razorbacks and assaulting a Purifier squad.



The Purifiers try to get their Force Weapons activated but the Rune Priest's weapon is so scary it doesn't happen.

It ends up being a moot point as the Wolf Lord makes all his invulnerable saves against the Halberds and then slaughters almost the entire squad. Thankfully (for the lord), the remaining Purifier makes all his no-retreat wounds and the Wolf Lord will not be shot at next turn.



Turn 3 - Grey Knights

I re-embark my unengaged Purifers back into the Razorback and move to midfield. The Melta Henchmen in their Las-Plas Razorback move away from the big scary Wolf Lord. A Dread and Coteaz and his three DCAs move up to assault the Wolf Lord.


My shooting concentrates on removing the Rune Priest and his squad of Grey Hunters. I do manage to get rid of the Hunters (though another squad of them can be seen here running up to join the Priest) and put a wound on the Rune Priest, but damn his eyes, he still lives ...


And once again, the Rune Priest prevents a psychic power (this time Coteaz's Hammerhand). In the assault, The Wolf Lord makes all his invulnerable saves and kills the last Purifier and also makes Coteaz and his henchman flee of the table.



Turn 4 - Space Wolves

The wolf scouts finally make an appearance and use their meltagun to fire point blank at the back of the Las-Plas Razorback, which explodes, killing all on board.


Other Long Fang shooting is very effective, destroying the remaining Las-Plas Razorback and immobilizing the Razorback with the Purifiers. Every transport is either destroyed or immobilized.


The Wolf Lord and the Dread continue the fight, with the Dread losing a weapon but remaining in the conflict.

Turn 4 - Grey Knights
Time for the other DCA squad to get in the action. They disembark from the immobilized Chimera and move in for the kill (hopefully).


In the shooting phase, the dreads easily eliminate the wolf scouts, while the Purifiers disembark from the immobilized RB at midfield and finally shoot at the Long Fangs, reducing the squad to just two ML. Other shooting eliminates a few Hunters.

In the assault phase, the Wolf Lord continues making invulnerable saves, but with Hammerhand (it worked this time) and Rad Grenades, there were just too many to stop and he finally succumbed.



We each currently have two objectives captured. However. Both of mine are being held by a few T3 models, while he has almost full Hunter squads on both of his. It's going to be close.

Turn 5 - Space Wolves

Nothing left but shooting. Luckily for the GK, with the objective held by the DCAs, there is no line of sight to the two Long Fang squads in range. The other? They are three warrior henchman in cover. They go to ground ... and live through being hit by seven missiles and a variety of bolters.

Turn 5 - Grey Knights

Purifier and multiple Dread shooting cleans out the Rune Priest and the Grey Hunter squad. The other Purifer squad eliminates a Long Fang squad. The GK now have two objectives, the SW only one.

Turn 6 - Space Wolves
Once again the three warrior henchman go to ground ... and live once again live through being hit by four missiles. The game is called at this point.

Grey Knight Victory - 2 objectives to 1

I'll add some final comments later

Congratulation for winning.

Going to ground is a good counter against shooty armies. As predicted, the TWC didn't last long. That Thunder Bear put up one heck of a fight.

Good battle report.

Great battle report, the picture quality was fantastic.
LFs really seemed to have failed this game? Any reason you see why, bad rolling, bad LoS, bad target selection?

Would you have a final battlefield pic showing who owned what objectives?

The Lord on the Bear is just pure win btw. Love it.

Ratius wrote:LFs really seemed to have failed this game? Any reason you see why, bad rolling, bad LoS, bad target selection?

A bit of all of those. They did destroy four vehicles and immobilized three others so they weren't exactly terrible. Cover and a LOS-blocking hill also limited their target options. In retrospect, my son wishes that he had ignored some of the razorbacks and concentrated on killing the disembarked Purifiers. He was also frustrated that I borrowed some of his Razorbacks to run my army since his own SW army uses Razorbacks instead of Rhinos.

Ratius wrote:Would you have a final battlefield pic showing who owned what objectives?
The Lord on the Bear is just pure win btw. Love it.

Forgot to take a final photo. That is a good idea I will use for the next one. The bear is from Scibor Miniatures. Unfortunately, the scale of the bear is smaller than the scale of my Thunderwolves. In comparison, the Wolf Lord looked a little like a bike gang leader riding a tricycle, so I had to construct a real tall base and put him on top of it.

Well fought. I think GK's are proving to be a handful for the topdog wolves. Heck, they're a handful for everyone when run by a competent general.