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Brought my new Imperial Fist list against Plague Marines, I hate Plague Marines!

Imperial Fists

HQ

1 x Librarian w/ terminator armour & storm shield

Elite

5 x Assault Terminators - 2 x lightning claws & 3 x thunder hammers

5 x Assault Terminators - 5 x thunder hammers

Troops

10 x Tactical Marines w/ Rhino - 1 x meltagun, 1 x missile launcher sgt w/ combi melta, melta bombs Rhino w/ hunter killer

10 x Tactical Marines w/ Rhino - 1 x meltagun, 1 x missile launcher sgt w/ combi melta, melta bombs Rhino w/ hunter killer


10 x Tactical Marines w/ Rhino - 1 x flamer, 1 x missile launcher sgt w/ combi flamer, melta bombs Rhino w/ hunter killer


Fast Attack

1 x Land Speeder - multi melta & heavy flamer

1 x Land Speeder - multi melta & heavy flamer

Heavy Support

1 x Land Raider Crusader - 1 x multi melta & storm bolter

1 x Land Raider Crusader - 1 x multi melta

1 x Predator - autocannon & heavy bolters


Plague Marines

HQ

1 x Sorcerer - lash of submission

1 x Sorcerer - lash of submission

Elite

3 x Chaos Terminators - 3 x combi meltas & 3 x power fists

3 x Chaos Terminators - 3 x combi meltas & 3 x power fists

Troops

7 x Plague Marines w/ Rhino - 2 x meltaguns - champion w/ power fist & combi melta - Rhino w/ combi plasma

7 x Plague Marines w/ Rhino - 2 x meltaguns - champion w/ power fist & combi melta - Rhino w/ combi plasma

7 x Plague Marines w/ Rhino - 2 x flamers- champion w/ power fist & combi flamer - Rhino w/ combi plasma

7 x Plague Marines w/ Rhino - 2 x plasma guns - champion w/ power fist & combi plasma - Rhino w/ combi plasma

Heavy Support

1 x Predator - autocannon & lascannons

1 x Predator - autocannon & lascannons

1 x Vindicator - daemonic possession


Game: Annilation & dawn of war.


Battle Plan


My plan is to hold everything off the board for deployment, I won the roll off and decided to go second. I'm going to flank the land speeders around the sides and unleash melta on the two predators. I will then go for the vindicator. Terminators will deal with plague marines and chaos terminators, the librarian will cast nullzone to make those chaos terminators think twice who they're messing with and use the psychic hood to keep the lash at bay. I'll use the H-K's to alpha strike a sorcerers rhino and blast rhinos to pieces with krak rockets to spill the chaos marines - the combat squads in the rhinos can use melta on these too.






Turn 1

Chaos deploys a sorcerer and unit of plague marines in a rhino, nothing to shoot at.

My stuff rolls in and I move the combat squads with the missile launchers up the ruins - I'm starting to think keeping my stuff in reserve perhaps wasn't a bonus as I could have deployed two combat squads already in ruins. At the moment two combat squads with launchers are ok but the other is out on it's own and cannot see much. Rest rolls in and I manage to fire two H-K's at one sorcerer rhino and immobilise it another gets fired at a predator but I don't think does anything. Multi meltas on the land raiders are out of range of the other predator and the two speeders turbo boost hiding behind ruins outflanking the predators.






Turn 2

A unit of plague marines move to intercept a speeder, bail out and melta it scoring the first kill point. A predator scores only crew shaken on the other speeder, thankfully.

My raiders flank towards the predator and bundle of plague marines the other side of the centre ruin; they fire meltas and brake off a lascannon sponson. The remaining speeder I turbo boost so hiding behind a ruin. I move rhinos up and as they've now all fired H-K's I pop smoke for cover saves. The rest of the missile launcher combat squads now get into place.



Turn 3


One chaos terminator unit arrives from reserve. It scatters and lands in terrain with a missile launcher combat squad; which the termies will easily butcher.


Plague marines which popped the speeder get back in the rhino which then immobilises itself in terrain, nice . Vindicator rolls up while the other rhinos flank forward, a unit of plague marines bail out and climb the centre ruin.


Shooting I lose a rhino to the predators lascannons. The squad out the rhino gets shot at by plague marines and the vindicator but I only lose one marine in total. Chaos terminators fire at the librarians land raider but do nothing as out of melta range


In my turn I move the melta squad now out of the rhino into terrain towards the vindicator. I backup another rhino so it can melta the immobilsed chaos rhino, but the angle is funny and it will get a 3+ cover save. My predator moves and immobilises itself, nice. The last speeder comes out to play. The all totting thunder hammer carrying raider moves through terrain towards the plague marines which climbed the centre ruin - the thunder hammers bail out ready to kick some.Squad in terrain fail to pop the vindicator. Librarian casts nullzone and the crusader rotates and moves towards the chaos terminators; terminators only bail out.


Shooting I fail to pop the immobilised rhino and just break it's weapon off. Speeder fails on the predator as out of melta range - should have turbo boosted it really and hoped it would pass the cover save. Other than that crappy shooting by the Fists.


Assault I charge the chaos terminators and kill them scoring my first kill point making it 2:1 to chaos. I assault through cover at the plague marines but roll a 2 and 1! Not enough to reach the first level where the plague marines are.



Turn 4


Second unit of chaos terminators arrive from reserve and deep strike behind my land raider in the centre ruin.


A sorercer and squad bail out a rhino ready to shoot at the assault terminators. No other movement, I don't think.


Hammer terminators get lashed out into the open (I forgot about psychic hood) and vindicator fires at them but scatters and clips a few, only one is lost. Plague marines in the ruin upper floors fire at them but still standing. The land speeder gets immobilised. Chaos terminators unleash combi melta and pop my crusader. Plague marines in a rhino flank round towards the rhino which fired at the immobilised chaos rhino, they pop my rhino :( . So far 4:1 to chaos.




In my turn I very sillylly foot slog my other assault terminators towards the centre ruin; reason for this is because if I jumped them back into the land raider they couldn't assault, however in the next turn if I would have done this they could have assaulted; but they didn't. Librarian's land raider pivots moves towards chaos terminators as does the flamer combat squad which bail out the rhino. Combat squad in terrain move into melta range of the vindicator.


Shooting I gun down the chaos terminators in revenge for popping my crusader and score another kill point. I pop the vindicator with joint combi and meltagun fire giving me 3 kill points in total.


In assault my hammer-nators charge the plague marines and sorcerer; they single out the sorcerer and issue instant death thanks to thunder hammer and nullzone combination, though I only have one thunder hammer terminator left. Plague marines die but still 3 remain. Now 4:4 kill points.





Turn 5


Chaos starts laying the smackdown by shooting at the marines which got blasted out their rhino in the previous turn, I kept them in the crater left by it for cover. My marines take 25% damage from shooting which I decide to fall back so I don't get assaulted.


The single hammer-nator gets killed and the melta combat squad which wrecked the vindicator gets gunned down. My land speeder finally gets shot after a cat and mouse game with the predator, chaos are winning with 7 kill points in total - looks like I've added up wrong some where.




In what could be the final turn I go for all out. Firstly I pull back the flamer combat squad because they won't do a lot against plague marines and I'd rather protect them if there is a next turn.


The battered melta squad which failed morale fires at the plague marines along with the crusader and predator and two krak rockets and wipes them out scoring me another kill point. The last missile launcher fires at that plague marines rhino but only scores weapon destroyed.


Chaos wins with 7 kill points to 5; only 2 points though!










Summary


I always find plague marines tough and this was no exception. I think a combination of bad luck with misses for saves and to hit along with my own stupid tactics things may have gone better.


Firstly my suicide speeders failed to even get close to either predator; perhaps I should have gone for rhinos as these were closer which would have got the plague marines out in the open ready to be assaulted.


The H-K strike didn't work as planned mainly because of LOS by a immobilised rhino stopped that squad having mobility, I guess.


So stupid not to put the assault terminators back in the land raider with the librarian so they can charge next turn - I had to take those chaos terminators so paid off getting them out but I really tied my hands by not putting them back in. The all hammer terminators just had bad luck not reaching those plague marines in the centre ruin in assault.


I think next time I'll send the speeders after the plague marine rhinos; get them out so I can assault. Then go after the predators, or fire kraks at the weak side armour. Suicide terminators just had to fall to loyalist terminators, nullzone works well and I did forget the psychic hood but when it worked it's cracking: I am seriously thinking of taking a librarian over my captain each time now.

Just as an aside, you've placed the Land Raiders in your heavy section but you can select one Raider to be a designated transport for your termies and free up a Heavy slot for further engagements!

I am currently creating my own Imperial Fists force and was wondering what you would have done different if you'd used Lysander?

I really don't rate Lysander. 200 points for a character whose special ability helps shooty units, when he is a CC specialist? Makes everyone stubborn when combat tactics is generally superior?

If you want a fluffy character for Imperial Fists, just go with Kantor (re-name him obviously ). 25 points cheaper, still gives you stubborn and makes sternguard scoring. And you get an orbital bombardment and an assault 4 stormbolter. Its not much but its better by a long chalk than Lysander.

@mercer - good battle, the only thing I'd do differently is make one land raider a dedicated transport and drop the other in favour of 2x Vindicators. FNP plague marines do not like S10 AP2 hot pie death!

Chimera_Calvin wrote:I really don't rate Lysander. 200 points for a character whose special ability helps shooty units, when he is a CC specialist? Makes everyone stubborn when combat tactics is generally superior?

lysander is a combat beast whenever i face him. 4 wounds, immortal warrior and str 10 put him a step above most other captains.... i say he might be worth his points, but kantor definatly is