Had a great game on Thursday night against the supposed 'unholy trinity' of Battlesuits. Admittedly this was not your dad's cheesy, min-maxed army, but neither was mine. Still, this game really went in my favour from the first minute, and I managed to get some good photos to boot.
My opponent's army consisted of three Riptide-class suits, including the two Forge World ones, alongside two squads of 12 Fire Warriors, three Remora Drones and Shas'o R'Myr with a pair of bodyguards. Expecting a gunline, I had loaded up on bodies and Alpha-strike units, with two Tactical Squads and a full Assault Squad, my customary unit of Scouts in a Speeder, three Land Speeders, a Stormtalon and a Predator. We rolled for a Hammer and Anvil deployment and a Relic gametype, which is probably my favourite combination in the
BRB. Though I lacked my normal Lias Issodon, I managed to roll the very same Warlord trait, allowing me to infiltrate three units. My two Tactical Squads were set up in cover, as was my Assault Squad and Chaplain, while the enemy Battlesuits and Fire Warriors poised to strike.
The first turn was fairly uneventful, with my squads shifting around to avoid what fire they could. My Dreadnought came in, the Drop Pod taking Interceptor fire from the Riptide and R'Varna and losing its Storm Bolter (I was distraught). Luckily this left minimal firepower available to punish my units at ground-level. They would have benefited from Shrouding, but hardly needed to. In the Tau turn I copped a few wounds from the Y'Vahra and Fire Warriors, but nothing major.
The highlight of the turn was a Rhino pivoting on the spot, moving the equivalent of 1", and immobilising itself on a rock. The Tactical Squad inside collectively rolled their eyes and prepared to disembark early.
Turn 2 began in a bit more style, with my Predator advancing into the ruins and my Dreadnought and Assault Squad moving into position. The Land Speeders and Scouts all arrived on target, instantly decimating the backfield Fire Warrior Team, the remaining member of which promptly soiled his fatigues and fled. Meanwhile, the other Warriors were cut apart by Bolter fire before being assaulted by the Dreadnought. None of these things were good for my opponent's battle-plan, shreds of which we were now peeling from our clothes.
The Chaplain's squad fearlessly launched themselves at the Riptide, beginning one of the most tense and vital assault actions I can recall seeing.
Unsurprisingly, this did not end well for the Tau.
Turn 3 saw my Stormtalon arrive, sending all of its shots into the Y'Vahra to no avail, while my Predator advanced, being similarly ineffectual (New Model Syndrome, you see). The Riptide's combat ground on, with the Scouts jumping from their Land Speeder to join the fray, and by the end of the turn it was on its last wound. The R'Varna fared no better, taking five wounds from my Librarian's Psychic Shriek (which might be my favourite Witchfire power now). Meanwhile, my second Rhino nipped out from cover so that the Librarian could grab the Relic. In the Tau turn, the Remoras arrived and took a Hull Point off the Stormtalon, while the immobilised Rhino was finally wrecked by the R'Varna.
It might not have been able to hit anything, but this Predator cut a dashing figure as it cruised through the ruins.
With all the Reserves, things started to get pretty choked in the Tau Deployment Zone. Linebreaker, it seemed, would not be a problem.
Turn 4 was simply a matter of consolidating my victory, but not before my opponent gave one last Hurrah! In his turn, the Librarian hopped back into his Rhino with the Relic, tagging in the Tactical Squad, who assembled to guard his retreat. The R'Varna finally fell to the cannons of the Stormtalon and Dreadnought, while the two remaining Land Speeders blasted a Remora from the sky. Finally, the Chaplain finished off the Riptide, mere moments before the Y'Vahra valiantly charged in to avenge his stricken mate. The Shas'o and his Bodyguards dropped into play, reducing my forward Tactical Squad to a single pinned Sergeant, but leaving themselves open to the Librarian's squad in the following turn.
Yes, that's the R'Varna from the Forge World website; the very same model! No, I didn't feel bad.
I didn't have much hope for this one, but it was another two guns I didn't have to worry about.
The fifth and final turn of the game saw me secure a decisive victory. The Tau had been routed, their impetuous Commander humbled, their machines brought to ruin and their numbers severely depleted. Though the wider Praefectia campaign would not fare so well in the weeks to come, this engagement would be remembered as one of the Chapter's finest. The results speak for themselves.
Some may call this cowardice, I prefer to think of it as Professionalism.
As a final humiliation, the enemy Commander was brought low. Though I wouldn't have the time to claim Slay the Warlord, the alien's capture will surely have aided the war effort greatly, and I'm sure it had nothing to do whatsoever with the tragic accident he'd had on the way to the battle, which meant that he spent the whole evening in a heap.
Final result was 5 - 1 to the Raven Guard, and a good time was had by all. Hope you enjoyed the report.
Victoris Aut Mortis!