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Morning, all. This' ll be the first time I've posted a Battle Report, so I hope this is roughly the right format. I've just had my first proper game with the new version of my Raven Guard army list, and it was a doozey! It's been months since I've played a proper, honest, traditional, working-class game of 40k. No funky extra rules or game-breaking experiments, just two CADs and their armies chucking some dice about in a slightly grotty Church hall.

This game involved the following edition of my Raven Guard army:

[HQ] Steward Captain Edric Korbijn = 175
*Counts as Lias Issodon (IA9)*

[HQ] Codicier Ernaldus = 65
(Telepathy)

[ELITES] Squad Garrulus = 110
-5 Sternguard

[TROOPS] Squad Coroni = 180
-10 Space Marines
-Plasma Gun
-Missile Launcher
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Rhino = 35

[TROOPS] Squad Mellori = 65
-5 Scouts
-Veteran Sergeant
[TRANSPORT] Land Speeder Storm = 40

[FAST] Squad Nasicus = 120
-2 Land Speeders
-Heavy Flamers
-Multi-Meltas

[FAST] Ephrenia = 130
-Stormtalon
-Typhoon Missile Launchers

[HEAVY] Enca = 125
-Predator Annihilator
-Lascannon Sponsons
-Storm Bolter


Strike Force Kubaryi
Allied Detachment (Raven Guard Chapter Tactics)

[HQ] Chaplain Kubaryi = 105
-Jump Pack

[TROOPS] Squad Orru = 155
-10 Scouts
-Camo Cloaks
-10 Sniper Rifles
-Veteran Sergeant

[FAST] Squad Boreus = 195
-10 Assault Marines
-Jump Packs
-Veteran Sergeant
-Power Sword

Total Points Cost = 1500
Total Model Count = 48

My friend, Lee, had brought an Imperial Guard list involving Pask in a Punisher and three other Russes of various types, a Macharius Vanquisher (I actually have one myself, which I really must get around to painting), a Vendetta Gunship and two squads of Veterans. I actually outnumbered him by quite a margin, but as you can see, my army was not repleat with anti-tank weapons, so it was always going to be a challenge. Incidentally, there were meant to be some photos here, but for reasons I'll explain later I actually made a conscious choice not to take any.

Turn 1 really set the tone for the first half of the game. A combination of bad rolling on Deployment zones and a lack of terrain at our club actually meant that I couldn't infiltrate anything, and that I was left sitting in the open, staring down the barrels of Lee's assembled tanks. Having started the game at a significant disadvantage, I then failed to seize the initiative and so was subjected to a PUNishing (HEHEHEHOHOHOHUHUHU!) first turn in which my Assault Squad and the associated Chaplain were decimated by cannonfire (despite Night Fighting and Raven Guard CTs!) and sent packing off the board because I rolled a double-six on Morale. I'll be having words with that Chaplain later.

Turns 2 and 3 went much the same way, with Marines dying in droves because I can't roll dice and no significant gains being made at all. The Sniper Scouts killed three Guardsmen before the objective they were on decided to explode and they took a leaf out of the Chaplain's book when it game to their Morale. At the same time my Predator was blow'd the hell up having just about managed to glance a Russ. Add to this my terrible Reserve rolls and it was genuinely beginning to look like I might have been tabled by the end of Turn 3. I was left with six Tactical Marines and a Rhino clinging to an Objective and that was it! It was at this point that, ever the gracious loser, I decided not to bother documenting the game.

However, Turn 4 saw the winds if fate change in my favour (we have those in 40k, right?). This time ALL of my reserves made it onto the board, and although the Land Speeders accomplished sod-all before they were shot to pieces by the Paskisher, the Scouts in their Storm, Korbijn's Sternguard and the Storm Talon all made a real impression as they came on. In fact, Turns 4 and 5 went so well that seemed I might have been in line to draw the game, so long as we didn't roll for any extra turns...

Turns 6 and 7 went about as well as could be expected, with Lee's still-very-much-intact army striking blow after crushing blow, to the point where I was once more looking at a wipe-out. But oh no! I was not wiped out, gentile reader, for the talent of my army is to know when to hide like a Gretchin! Hunkering down behind an Objective that granted +1 to cover, Edric Korbijn and his noble Sternguard managed to weather the fire of three Heavy tanks and a Vendetta; using 2+ shenanigans to take shot after shot and losing only three of their number to the enemy guns, while my Storm Talon (which had actually spent the whole game in Hover Mode) tore apart the Vanquisher and remaining Veteran Squad.

When all was said and done, I was left with Korbijn's squad claiming an Objective marker and Linebreaker for 4 VPs, while my enemy was left with just First Blood and a Linebreaker of his own. Three models on the board and I claimed a coward's victory! Glorious! That's exactly the sort of game that keeps me in this hobby. We both had loads of fun and parted with a handshake, and there was nary a mention of Formations or even a whiff of a Decurion.

So that's my Raven Guard's first win. I hope to play many more games with this army because I really like it, and even with my crappy rolling it performs well. I've resolved to fight a lot more battles with this army, all of which I intend to post (hopefully with pictures in future). In the meantime, you can see pictures of the army via the link in my signature.

Spiney out.

Fun battle report, you seriously started at a disadvantage!

I hope you'll learn from this and take pictures even if it looks like you're going to lose. You never know when you might claw a win from the hands of crushing defeat.

Nice report. You should always take photos and notes of your reports, especially if you are losing! (or expect that you are going to lose). I find that the battle reports detailing my losses are the ones where I learn the most. I get to go over all the mistakes I made in a game and see how I would go about things differently.

Just a couple of minor points:
- You Chaplain should not have failed the morale test. The Zealot special rule grants Fearless. As long as the Chaplain was alive, your unit should not have fled.
- I always give Meltabombs to the sergeants in my squads. They may not always get to use them, but they are great when you come up against a tank heavy army you did not expect.

By the way, fantastic looking army. I would take every opportunity to photograph these in battle reports.

 corrm wrote:
Your Chaplain should not have failed the morale test. The Zealot special rule grants Fearless. As long as the Chaplain was alive, your unit should not have fled.

Doy!

What a jack-ass I am.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words. Keep an eye on the P&M Blog. I'm on a bit of a painting binge at the moment.