Disclaimer: This is the first battle report I’ve ever written. My opponent and I are the only ones in our gaming group, so we sort of know each other’s armies and tactics pretty well. He plays Crimson Fists and is starting a Dark Eldar army. I play Guard and am starting a Necron army. We got so caught up in this battle that we unknowingly played an extra turn.
The night had been quiet. The guardsmen of the Cadian Fightin' 49th stood watch, knowing that the enemy bore down on them. Their commander had told his troops that the Space Marines had fallen to the Gods of Chaos. But the truth of it was that Commander Vestuvias had a serious drinking and gambling problem (and should probably seek professional help but ain't nobody got time for that) and incurred a heavy gambling debt to the Crimson Fists and refused to pay. A slight Lord Commander de la Vega would not soon forget. But the Guard had a number advantage, any direct attack from the Space Marine contingent stationed on the planet would end in their annihilation. As light began to encroach on the night, the rumbling of foreign tanks echoed throughout the ruined city. But there was something else, howls and screams off in the distance. The Crimson Fists had made an alliance with the Dark Eldar to crush their common foe. Lord Commander de la Vega was a man who, come hell or high water, would make sure that Commander Vestuvias would pay what he owe, which was approximately 500 credits, Vestuvias was a stingy man.
Cadian Fightin’ 49th
HQ:
Company Command Squad – x1 melta
Elite:
Marbo
Troops:
Veteran Squad – x3 melta, demolitions, grenadiers
-Chimera
Veteran Squad – x3 melta, demolitions, grenadiers
-Chimera (represented by a Hellhound on the table)
Veteran Squad – x3 melta, demolitions, grenadiers
Fast Attack:
Vendetta
Hellhound
Bane Wolf
Heavy Support:
Leman Russ Vanquisher - Commander Pask
Leman Russ Executioner Squadron x2 - Side sponson Plasma Cannon
Hydra Flak Tank (represented by a Manticore on the table)
1,860 Points
Crimson Fists w/ Dark Eldar Allies
HQ:
Chapter Master – Storm Shield, Thunder Hammer, Terminator Armor
Haemonculus
Elites:
Terminator Squad – Storm Shields, Thunder Hammers
Sternguard – combi-meltas (2 combat squads)
-Drop pod
Troops:
Combat Squad – 1x missile launcher
Combat Squad – 1x flamer
Wracks x4
-Venom – 2x splinter cannon
Fast Attack:
Reavers x9 – x3 heat lances
Heavy Support:
Vindicator
Vindicator
Land Raider
Talos Pain Engine
1,859 points
We rolled for
Purge the Alien,
Dawn of War deployment, and
Night Fighting on turn one. The Fists got the first turn and set up his forces.
Lord
de la Vega, fearful of the big guns of the guard hid his troops behind ruins, a Vindicator and the flamer combat squad behind one set of ruins. The other Vindicator, Land Raider (holding the Chapter Master and Terminator squad), missile launcher combat squad, and Talos hid behind the behemoth 5 story ruin on the opposite side of the battle field. The Reavers, Venom, and Wracks were held in reserve.
Seeing the enemy’s deployment, Commander Vestuvias chose to set his forces up closer to the Vindicator and flamer combat squad. Hoping to finish them quickly and focus the Guard’s firepower on the slow approaching army at the other end of the ruined city. One veteran squad stayed in their Chimera while the other 2 chose to face the enemy on the open field. The Vendetta, Marbo, Hellhound, and Bane Wolf would all wait to enter the battle.
Space Marine Turn 1
With deployment done the Guard attempted to seize the initiative, but Commander Vestuvias was still nursing a hangover and he couldn’t muster the mental fortitude to rally his troops in time. With his army set, Lord
de la Vega moved his Vindicator into firing position while the forces furthest away started to close in. A drop pod fell from the sky landing in front of the Executioner squadron. The drop pod scattered back but was able to deploy the two 5-man Sternguard squads within 6” of the tanks. One squad unloaded their combi-meltas into the Executioners, the other squad unloaded into the Chimera holding the Veteran Squad. The Executioners, hiding behind a ruin, were able to make all 3 cover saves. The Chimera was not so fortunate. In a massive explosion, half the squad inside was wiped out and the remaining troops failed their pinning test and went to ground, achieving First Blood. The resulting explosion killed a loan guardsman. The Vindicator fired its massive cannon at Knight Commander Pask, but a double six was rolled on the scatter and the blast landed wildly off target. With the rest of the army missing all their fire due to the night fight rules the Company Commander called down an orbital bombardment on top of the Hydra tank. The shot scattered a little, killing a guardsman and destroying the heavy bolter on the Hydra. A very large bullet dodged.
Imperial Guard Turn 1
With that the Guard took into action. Moving their forces back to try and avoid the range of the Vindicator. The tanks all repositioned themselves to achieve better angles of fire. The Executioners lowered their plasma cannons and unleashed all 10 blasts into the Sternguard. Not a molecule remained of what once stood. The rest of the Guard fire proved ineffective.
Space Marine Turn 2
With their second turn the Dark Eldar Reavers entered the game and came in by the large ruin where the bulk of the Space Marine force lay. The Land Raider and Vindicator moved up. The other Vindicator fired at Pask again, but scattered and only killed 2 guard. The Drop Pod fired its storm bolter at a Guardsman and ended his life. And with that, only 3 Guardsmen died that turn.
Imperial Guard Turn 2
As the Space Marine guns silenced the Guard mobilized to attack. The Vendetta entered the battle in hover mode, trying to take out the Vindicator but could not get around the cover. Marbo entered the field and dropped his demolition charge on top of the Vindicator by the Land Raider. A direct hit blew the Vindicator into smithereens, the resulting explosion took a wound off Marbo. The guard tanks once again repositioned themselves. With one well placed shot the Executioner killed the missile launcher Space Marine who had positioned himself at the top of the 5 story ruin. The Veteran Squad who had lost half their squad in the Chimera explosion rallied themselves and unleashed a salvo of meltas in the Drop Pod, blowing it away.
Space Marine Turn 3
The Dark Eldar Venom entered the battle and unloaded the Wracks and Haemonculus. The Reavers, looking to extract vengeance on Marbo, flew towards him and unleashed their Bloodvane attack. Not bothering to try and roll to save the human demolition charge, Marbo was removed from play, his valor will always be remembered. Between the fire of the heavy bolter from the Land Raider and the Venom, the remaining 5 members of the Veteran Squad were KIA. The Land Raider fired both its twin-linked las cannons at the Leman Russ Executioners, but my opponent rolled double 2’s twice in a row. The Vindicator fired one last shot at the guard, killing two more men and immobilizing Pask. Luckily the tank was positioned to have a perfect view of the approaching Space Marine army.
Imperial Guard Turn 3
The Vendetta moved to the side of the Vindicator tank and unleashed its lascannons into its side. The big gun was silenced. The Hydra removed a hull point from the Venom. With one well placed shot, Knight Commander Pask demolished the monstrous Land Raider. The Terminators would have to walk the rest of the way to combat. However, with 8 plasma cannon shots the Executioners were not able to take advantage of the opportunity. They only managed to cause 2 wounds and killed just one Terminator. And to add salt to the wound, the Hellhound and Bane Wolf both came into play and unleashed their fire on the Reavers. But the Reavers gained “Feel No Pain” for killing Marbo and neither flame tank managed to kill a single Reaver.
Space Marine Turn 4
The Reavers swooped around the fire tanks while the Terminators moved closer to the Hellhound. On the other side of the battle the Combat Squad, Wracks, and Venom all moved up with the Space Marines just about in assault range of the Guardsmen. The Reavers fired their Heat Lances at the back of the Bane Wolf, blowing it back to hell. While the Terminators assaulted the Hellhound with their Thunder Hammers, making short work of it. The Combat Squad rolled but did not quite make it into assault range.
Imperial Guard Turn 4
The Imperial Guard once again repositioned their tanks to prepare for the onslaught of the approaching terminators. The Vendetta pivoted and made short work of the open Venom. While the Hydra tank finished off 2 Reavers. Meanwhile, with the Combat Squad quickly approaching the Veterans decided it was time to unleash their demolition charge. Private Phil, sensing the moment to make a name for himself activated the demo charge and began to throw it with all of his strength. But the heat of the moment caught him, rolling double 6’s the demo charge slipped out of his hands and scattered 9” behind him, killing two Guardsmen instead of 5 Space Marines. If Private Phil survived the battle he’d surely face a public execution back at the army camp.
Space Marines Turn 5
As the bodies began to drop the Space Marines closed in for the final kill. The Reavers moved up and destroyed the remaining Chimera while the Combat Squad decided that the Guardsmen would probably end up just killing themselves so they changed targets. They moved back around the ruin and towards the Executioners while the Wracks made their way through the ruined building. The Wracks assaulted the first squad of Guardsmen and easily killed all of them but one. The final trooper fled the melee. The Terminators couldn’t quite make it into assault range of the Executioners, but the Combat Squad had no problems. Their krak grenades did enough damage to explode one Executioner, stun the other, and cause a glancing hit.
Imperial Guard Turn 5
With the Space Marines closing in the Guard made one final stand. The loan Guardsman who just saw his squad cut down by the Wracks regrouped and got back into the fight. The Executioner moved away from the Combat Squad that had damaged it. The Hydra scored 4 hits and 4 wounds against the Reavers, who in turn failed all 4 “Feel No Pain” saves. The Vendetta aimed its guns at the Talos Pain Engine and took off 2 wounds. Pask provided the finishing touches and shot one well placed Vanquisher shot, killing the Talos that had failed to do anything in the battle. The other Veteran Squad had better luck with their demolition charge and killed 2 of the Wracks and Haemonculus. The supporting melta fire finished off the other 2 Wracks. Lord Vestuvias and his Command Squad assaulted the Combat Squad in an effort to prevent them from finishing off the Executioner. Surprisingly, the Command Squad killed 2 Space Marines and only lost 1 trooper. Although the Space Marines held their ground.
Space Marines Turn 6
This is the turn we accidently forgot to roll for and did “Turn 5” twice.
The Space Marines had an uneventful turn 6. The Terminators moved up closer. The remaining 3 Reavers attempted to Bloodvane the Veteran Squad, causing 7 hits and 3 wounds. But the Carpace Armor of the Veterans saved them all. In the assault between the Combat Squad and Command Squad the kills were reversed from the last round of combat. This time the Combat Squad suffered 1 casualty while the Command Squad suffered 2 dead. But the Command Squad held their resolve and continued the battle.
Imperial Guard Turn 6
The remaining Executioner fired at the Terminators and managed to kill one. While 3 lascannon shots from the Vendetta failed to kill any of the elite soldiers. The Hydra killed 2 of the remaining 3 Reavers, but the one survivor was not afraid of the death occurring around him. All the remaining Guard joined in the melee with the Combat Squad but no kills occurred on either side.
Space Marines Turn 7
We rolled to see if the battle ended but the fight would continue.
The Reaver moved back towards the combat while the Terminators moved closer to the Executioner. The other Combat Squad that hadn’t done crap all game moved closer to the Vendetta. They tried to assault the Vendetta but did not make it into base contact. The Terminators didn’t have that problem with the Executioner and added another kill to their name. Meanwhile the two remaining Space Marines killed the last Guardsman in the Command Squad and wounded Commander Vestuvias. Vestuvias, seeing that Lord
de la Vega was closing in, decided it was high time to bail, he would not give Vega the satisfaction of collecting on the gambling debt.
Imperial Guard Turn 7
Vestuvias, took one last look back at his army and decided it was better that they die so he could live and fled off the battle field, giving the Space Marines a point for “Slay the Warlord.” The Vendetta moved back and killed one of the Space Marines in the Combat Squad. While the Hydra easily finished off the final Reaver. But the soldiers inside the tank knew that there were Terminators knocking at their door and their time was nigh. The troops in melee each killed one soldier from the other side and the combat was a draw.
Space Marines Turn 8
We rolled and the fight would continue for one final turn.
The Combat Squad broke off from their movement towards the Vendetta and high-tailed it into a nearby ruin. While the Terminators moved up next to the Hydra and easily killed it in the assault phase. The Terminators consolidated towards Knight Commander Pask, unafraid of the large barrel pointing at them. The lone Space Marine Sergeant challenged the Veteran Squad Sergeant who accepted the duel. The Space Marine caused one wound and the Sergeant failed his save, but the 5 Guardsmen watching the duel gave their sergeant the motivation to continue on. As the sergeant struggled to regain his feet he fell to the ground dead, failing his one re-roll that the supporting troops gave him. Seeing their commander fall the remaining Guardsmen attempted to flee the combat, but the Space Marine sergeant easily cut them down.
Imperial Guard Turn 8
The Vendetta rounded the corner of the ruin and laid its sites on the Space Marine sergeant who just slaughtered so many Guardsmen. As the sergeant was enjoying his recent victory he thought he felt a sting in his back. But he did not have time to identify the feeling as a lascannon pierced his armor and extinguished his life. Pask, with one defiant shot fired at the Space Marine Chapter Master who stood, taunting the legendary tank commander. When the smoke cleared the Terminators looked to their commander, but all that remained where he had once stood was a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield, with 2 Crimson fists clutching each (and achieving “Slay the Warlord”). Commander Vestuvias would not have to pay that gambling debt back after all.
Imperial Guard: 12 points (11 units killed and Slay the Warlord)
Space Marines: 14 points (11 units killed and First Blood, Linebreaker, and Slay the Warlord)
Space Marine Victory
Debriefing:
Well I thought it was a well fought battle. My strategy of trying to stay away from his units worked out pretty well up until I was no longer staying away from them. A number of his units did nothing or barely anything at all. Between his Talos, Venom, Wracks with Haemonculus, Combat Squad with Missile Launcher, Landraider, 10 Sternguard with combi-meltas, and a Drop Pod, they killed a combined total of 12 Guardsmen and a Chimera. But his Terminators and Reavers proved to take a long time to kill. The real game changer was my Guardsman wildly missing the demolition charge, which gave the Combat Squad the ability to kill an Executioner Tank, damage the other one, and wipe out my Command Squad and finish off 2 Veteran Squads (for a combined 4.5 victory points). At least my Vendetta made sure that the Sergeant wouldn’t be able to tell his friends about his heroics. Pask was able to cause some significant damage, killing the Land Raider, finishing off the Talos, and killing the Company Commander, all while being immobilized. But in the end it just wasn’t enough and the Crimson Fists with Dark Eldar allies took the day. I’m not sure if there was much I would have changed about what I did, except maybe have moved my Vendetta into his deployment zone to get Linebreaker. I feel like I did a good job with target prioritization, but my troops could just not kill that Combat Squad or Terminators. A well fought battle and a deserving victory for the Crimson Fists.
