This game was a challenge match at the
FLGS's
40k club night. ITC rules were used, along with modified ITC missions. I just got my Stormsurge assembled and wanted to give him his first run. Chatraska called him out, and told me to bring the nastiest stuff I could manage, so I thought it would be a good chance to bust out the new Riptide and Ghostkeel Wing formations as well. I expected to be up against either his War Convocation/Flesh Tearers/Culexus monstrosity (which has been caving in skulls in the local tournament scene) or his tried-and-true Grey Knights. What he brought was a little different. . .
Nemesis Strike Force
-Librarian w/ML3, Cuirass of Sacrifice
-5xTerminators w/Justicar (Daemon Hammer), Psycannon, 4xHalbreds
-2xDreadknights w/Incinerator, Psycannon, Greatsword, Teleporter
Skyhammer Annihilation Force (White Scars)
-5xAssault Marines w/Jump Packs, 1xPower Axe
-5xAssault Marines w/Jump Packs, 1xPower Axe
-5xDev Marines w/Drop Pod, 4xGrav-Cannon &
Amp
-5xDev Marines w/Drop Pod, 4xHeavy Bolters
Imperial Knight Crusader w/Battle Cannon (w/Stubber), Gatling Cannon, Meltagun, Stormspear Rocket Pod
(Necrons subbing in for Assault Marines today)
Tau CAD
-Commander w/Drone Controller
-10xKroot
-10xKroot
-2xTetras
-2xTetras
-5xMarker Drones
-Stormsurge w/Blastcannon,
TL-Frag Projector, Interceptor, 4++, Precision Shots (6+)
Riptide Wing
-Riptide w/Heavy Burst Cannon, Missiles, Interceptor
-Riptide w/Heavy Burst Cannon, Missiles, Interceptor
-Riptide w/Ion Accelerator, Missiles, Interceptor
Ghostkeel Wing
-Ghost w/Ion Raker,
TL-Burst Cannon, Interceptor
-Ghost w/Ion Raker,
TL-Burst Cannon, Interceptor
-Ghost w/Ion Raker,
TL-Burst Cannon, Interceptor
-Pregame Thoughts: Chatraska's list is not conventional, and it's no pushover. He has plenty of experience with all the components he brought, whereas I don't. Not only have I never used the ‘Surge, but the Ghosts have only seen a few outings. I hope to really hamstring the Skyhammer with the Ghost Wing's Networked Stealth Field (gives any friendly Tau within 12" of any two units from this formation Stealth, if they already have Stealth, they get Shrouded) by grabbing the Conqueror of Cities or Night Attacker trait.
-Randomly Generated Abilities:
Marines-Master of Ambush, Librarian-Purge Soul, Vortex, Sanctuary
Tau-Night Attacker
Mission-Modified Scouring: Objectives: Players take it in turn placing 3 Objectives each outside their own Deployment Zone and within the normal Objective placement rules for a total of 6 Objectives.
-Purge: 9 Points. Total Kill points winner + every 4 Wounds/
HP to a
LoW.
-TacO’s: 9 Points. Keep track of each uncontested objective you hold at the end of your player turns, the Player who held more over the course of the game.
-Breakthrough: 3 Points. The player with the most units at least partially within 12" of their opponent's board edge at the end of the game.
-Slay The Warlord: 2 Points.
-Big Game Hunter: 2 Points. Of all your opponent’s destroyed units at the end of the game, find the unit which was worth the most points. This is your Big Game. The player whose Big Game was worth the most army creation points wins.
-Variable Objectives: Do not roll for Mysterious Objectives. Instead, any time during your turn, you may declare that you are Activating an Objective you are holding. When you Activate an Objective, it becomes any Mysterious Objective of your choice until the start of your next turn. An Objective may not be scored on the Player Turn it is Activated.
-Deployment: Vanguard Strike
-initiative: Tau
Terrain:
Deployment:
Tau deploy everything to capitalize on the Ruins in their board corner, bracing for the Skyhammer.
The Kroot Infiltrate onto an Objective
The IKnight deploys and the Grey Knights Infiltrate with Master of Ambush.
Game On: Marines fail to Seize!
Tau Turn 1
Tau readjust slightly to ready for the Skyhammer.
And take some potshots at the exposed Dreadknight on the right flank, to no avail. The Stormsurge locks down to double fire next turn. No real damage inflicted due to some good deployment and infiltration from the Knights.
Score:
Purge: Tied 0-0
Taco’s: Tau Lead 3-0
Marines Turn 1
Skyhammer drops in with Pods and the first Assault Squad Hitting dead on!
The other Assault Squad goes for a risky landing,
And mishaps back into reserves!
The Dreadknight lurking behind the Crusader shunts toward some easy prey and an objective.
Interceptor Time! Two Ghosts and the Ion Riptide’s Missiles make short work of the Assault Squad that did land.
Not much else is accomplished, leaving both
Dev Squads at full strength.
Then the Heavy Bolter
Devs open up on the nearest Ghost, taking out a Drone and causing a wound.
The Grav
Devs open up on the Stormsurge,
A punishing five wounds get through! That also scores a bonus Purge point.
The Dreadknight flanking the Tau’s right edge draws a bead on a squadron of Tetras,
Forcing a jink and glancing one.
The other Dreadknight cleans out some Kroot.
Meanwhile the Crusader chews up a few more Kroot and one of the other squadron’s Tetras.
End of turn 1
Score
Purge: Tied 1-1
Taco’s: Tied 3-3
Tau Turn 2
After all that Interceptor, only one Ghost still has his Ion Raker online, all the Riptides’ Missile Systems are down , and the Stormsurge just has his Blastcannon and Destroyer Missiles left. All three of the Riptides pass their Nova checks, thanks to re-rolls from the Riptide Wing, and set their main weapons to their Nova profile, and prepare to get to work. The first Burst Cannon and the ‘Surge take aim at the Grav
Devs.
They make short work of the threat, thanks to the Stormsurge’s double fire!
Which also helps the Ion Riptide take down the closest Dreadknight.
The other
Dev Squad is taken out by the Riptide on the Tau left flank, while the Ghost gets lucky and glances 3 Hull Points off the IKnight!
The firestorm has taken care of all the Skyhammer Marines that showed up, but there are still two Knights, and the landed the pods squarely on two Objectives.
One Ghostkeel decides to charge the Drop Pod and in the center and manages to Smash it down.
Score
Purge: Tau Lead 5-1
Taco’s: Tau Lead 6-3
Marines Turn 2
The Assault Marines from the Skyhammer try to come in, but again mishap into ongoing reserves.
The Crusader makes a steady advance toward the central area of the battlefield, and draws a bead on the full squadron of Tetra’s, forcing a jink and a hull point and:
Scattering a Battlecannon shot onto the other Drop Pod!
The Librarian and Terminators remain stuck in the ruins after a second terrible Move Through Cover roll!
The remaining Dreadknight roasts the Kroot on the forest objective.
End of Turn 2
Score
Purge: Tau Lead 5-1
Taco’s: Tau Lead 6-6
Tau Turn 3
The Mechanized battle group advances toward the remaining Knights.
The lead Ghost and Riptide take aim on the Crusader,
Glancing it down! A long scatter makes a bad day for the Kroot!
Leaving only one left, he nails his Morale check.
“Screw those guys! I never liked them anyway.”
At this point Chatraska offers a concession and the game is called.
Final Overall Score: Tau Win 23 to 3
Post Game:
Marines: MVP has to be the Skyhammer, they were the only group to do any real damage (5 Wounds to the ‘Surge) and offered a big distraction, exactly as they were meant to do. They also forced a very conservative deployment from the Tau, which could have been much more aggressive considering the Blast Cannon and stomps that the Stormsurge was capable of bringing out. The rest of the list unfortunately couldn’t apply any more pressure to keep the Tau on their heels.
Tau: The Ghostkeel Wing was definitely the MVP. They did much of the more devastating Interceptor fire, and took half the Hull Points from the Crusader. All the while giving Stealth, and on the first turn, Shrouded, to the rest of the army. They proved useful again as a counter-assault threat and Smashed a Drop Pod to bits. These little guys seem to always overachieve expectations.
7000
5000
1000
3000 
~Ice~ 
