Hey all,
After much fiddling with the new buildings, I finally got enough assembled to get my buddy into a game of
CoD. Mission was Gamma level and we played the first mission, FireSweep.
My guys:
HQShas'O (Plasma, Fusion, Vectored Thrusters, Feel No Pain)
Shas'
el (AFP,
TL Burst, Failsafe Detonator)
Elite
3 Fireknives (Plasma, Missile, Multitracker)
2 Crisis (
TL Flamer, Fusion)
Troops
12 Fire Warriors w/ Shas'ui and Rifles
12 Fire Warriors w/ Shas'ui and Carbine
16 Kroot squad with 9 Carnivores, 7 Hounds and Shaper
17 Kroot squad with 9 Carnivores, 6 Hounds and Shaper
Fast Attack
8 Pathfinders w/ Shas'ui, Devilfish w/ Decoys
8 Pathfinders w/ Shas'ui, Devilfish w/ Decoys
11 Vespid
Heavy Support
1 Ionhead (Ioncannon, Burst Cannons,
MT, Decoys)
1 Ionhead (Ioncannon, Burst Cannons,
MT, Decoys)
My friend played his Rogue Trader edition Crimson Fists (all with the original Marines, good stuff)
HQEpistolary w/ Jump Pack, Frags, Fury and Fear
Reclusiarch w/ Jump Pack, Frags
Elites
10 Veterans w/ 2 Power Fists, Meltagun and Furious Charge
Troops
10 Tactical Marines w/ Power Fist, Meltagun and Heavy Bolter
10 Tactical Marines w/ Power Fist, Meltagun and Heavy Bolter
10 Tactical Marines w/ Power Fist, Meltagun and Heavy Bolter
10 Tactical Marines w/ Power Fist, Meltagun and Heavy Bolter
Fast Attack
10 Assault Marines w/ Power Fist and 2 Flamers
10 Assault Marines w/ Power Fist and 2 Plasma Pistols
1 Land Speeder w/ Multimelta
Heavy Support
1 Predator Annihilator (triple Lascannon)
Pregame thoughts:
I figured that Kroot are going to be the whole key to Tau in
CoD. Mobile units can dance around the outskirts of the city and dump rounds into, but when it comes down to it, you need to get into the buildings themselves to claim objectives. With that in mind, my Kroot packs each have the Crisis commanders attached to boost Leadership and keep them in the fight as long as possible. The Vespids also serve as a quick objective grabber since skimmers no longer work for that function. They're not too bad at close combat either if push comes to shove.
Board layout and Strategems:
There's six buildings all clustered in the middle of a 4x4 board as recommended by the codex. I choose Sacred Ground, which I place in the center building as there's gonna be some crazy bloodshed in there. My friend picks Medicae Facility and puts it right next to the center building. My next stratagem is Barricades. I roll 6 of them and create a nice protected firebase with a clear view of the center buildings. I also choke my opponent's approach lanes with the rest of them, making it difficult terrain all the way into the city. Last one is Booby Traps. 5 of them are rolled and they get put in most of the buildings to annoy me.
Scout move sees one Pathfinder team set up in the newly created firebase and the other jog into a building to claim the first flag of the game. I win first turn.
Turn One - Tau Empire
Both Kroot packs w/ attached commanders run forward heading for the Sacred Ground building. If I can get there first, I can hold the ground with Stubborn Kroot while hammering the other building with Markerlighted fire. It's gonna be bloody. The lead Kroot elements get a few bodies into the Sacred Building. Both Hammerheads swing out to the left side, staying well clear of the buildings for maximum
LOS. The Rifle team moves forward and joins the Pathfinders in their firebase, while the Carbiners swing to the right along w/ the Vespids and Fireknives. The two Devilfish and the flamer Crisis suits hang around the middle looking to head wherever support is needed.
Not much to shoot at, but the centered buildings leave the corners empty of terrain, and an Ionhead spots the Predator Annihilator and takes it out with a side penetration. A few Marines fall over, but there's a huge blue tide advancing on my position. I've got one building currently.
Turn One - Crimson Fists
That Librarian's gonna be vicious. On a 4x4 board, he's just a Jump Pack away from getting in Fear range, which he does. The mass of foot squads advance towards the center buildings, but can't get into them. The jumpers split left and right, hugging the buildings to block
LOS.
Boo! Fear of the Darkness hits four units, but having the Commanders attached makes all the difference along with the Sacred Building. One Pathfinder team breaks and falls back. Could have been much worse. No buildings claimed for the Marines.
Turn Two - Tau Empire
The Librarian's exposed himself to launch Fear. I can go after him with the Ionheads, but that'll open both tanks up to 6 meltaguns at close range. Not too good at all. I refuse the bait and instead move the Ionheads backwards away from the fight. Can't leave him alone though, so the Flamer team gets the duty, jumping forward to engage w/ their Fusion Blasters. The Vespids and Fireknives shift to engage the right Jumppack team along with the Carbine Warriors. The right Pathfinders fail to regroup and keep falling back.
The firebase goes into engage mode with the Pathfinders illuminating targets for the Rifle Warriors and Ionheads. Both Crisis suits open fire on the Librarian and come away with nothing. :? On the right side, the Fireknives decimate the Assault Team, while the Carbiners actually come away with a pin! With the Assault Team pinned and under the guns of the
Fireknife, I switch targets for the Vespids. Instead of shooting the Assault Team, I fleet instead and charge into the flank of the Marine advance. Yeah, the Vespid are gonna die, but it'll slow down the Fists moving in on the center of the battlefied.
Assault isn't bad at all! The Vespids pull down 3 Marines and lose 2 of their own to the Power Fist. T4 helps a lot when you're used to T3! On the bad side, I charge the Librarian with the Crisis team (that's what you get for missing with your Fusion Blasters!!!) trying to prevent another Fear of the Darkness next turn. They fail miserably and get run down.
Turn Two - Crimson Fists
Nuts, here comes that Librarian again. He jumps over the building, looking for another good Fear opportunity. On the right, the Veterans stop their advance and charge into the Vespid. The left jump team (w/ attached Chaplain) launches into the air and heads for the Kroot occupying the Sacred Building. 2 Tactical Squads advance and take up position in the Medicae facility literally right across the street from the Sacred Kroot Place. Feel No Pain marines, oh goodie. The 3rd Tactical squad picks up another building, making it 2 to 1.
Boogah! I can't believe it, there's been games where I've been cleaned off the board by this spell, but another 4 units are affected and only one of them cares!
This Commander leading Kroot thing is working like a charm. I wonder if I can get Anghor Prok in an army still? Unfortunately, the Carbine Warriors succumb to the pressure and run off the board.
Flamers and rapid fire bolters beat the heck out of the Kroot in the Sacred Building, but Stubborn is a wonderful thing. The Assault Marines + Chaplain charge in and heads start flying left and right. The Kroot are on the losing side, but they ain't running. The bad side is that meltaguns shake both Ionheads, so they won't be shooting next turn.
The Librarian, rather upset that his uber-spell isn't doing anything and realizing that standing out in the open is a good way to get zapped, charges the
El' led Kroot pack (not in the Sacred building), but the Shas'
El only takes one wound and keeps on ticking. The Vespids get bashed around by the Furiously Charging Veteran Squad, but don't go down! Err guys, you don't need to hang around quite that long!
Turn Three - Tau Empire
Ah, here's the bloodshed I was figuring on. 3 close combats in progress with a race that's not real hot on the whole concept. The two Shaken Ionheads fade back to straighten themselves out while the Devilfish take their place on the front lines. Not much to move, since a lot of people are fighting. The right Pathfinders fail their regroup AGAIN and run off the board.
The Fireknives burn down the remainder of the Assault squad, but the building they're next to has a booby trap in it. I was planning on using the Carbine Warriors to claim it, but they've decided that the Greater Good lies the other way. I think I'll worry about claiming it later. The left Pathfinder/Rifle Warrior firebase burns the Land Speeder down. Gotta love unmolested long range shooters.
The Vespids finally die under mass Marines bodies, but the Librarian also falls under a horde of Kroot sharp pokey sticks with only inflicting another wound on the Shas'
el. The center fight is mass carnage, with the Kroot badly outnumbered and losing ground (but Stubborn!
) . The mass of Marines means that the Chaplain can't fight his way through to my Shas'O, and his Stim Injectors keep him fighting with only a single wound.
Turn Three - Crimson Fists
Seeing their Assault brethren starting to tire after killing loads of Kroot, the 2 Tactical Squads abandon the Medicae facility and charge forward into the Sacred Building along with the victorious Veterans. They can't get quite far enough to engage most of the Kroot and only a few Kroot fall, leaving the Shaper and the Shas'O fighting, hopelessly outnumbered. Help is on the way guys!
Turn Four - Tau Empire
Back in the fight, the Ionheads move forward, but most of their targets are locked in close combat. The Shas'
el group of Kroot rushes into the Sacred Building looking to add more bodies to the meat grinder. The firebase kills the remainder of a Tactical squad, while the Ionheads zap another who couldn't quite make it into the center fight. The Fireknives still can't commit to suicide claiming the booby trapped building and just snipe away with Missile Pod fire instead. 3 buildings for the Marines and 1 for the Tau. The last unclaimed one is right next to my firebase though, and is an easy grab. Who gets the Sacred Building is up in the air right now.
The new Kroot pack charges in with a vengeance and more blood stains the building. (I'm not too sure how Sacred it is anymore). There's still a lot of Marines there and one Shaper dies to a powerfist, leaving the Shas'O facing the Marine Chaplain. Fortunately since his attached Kroot squad is now dead, the Shas'O is free to Hit and Run and gets the HECK OUT OF COMBAT.
Turn Four - Crimson Fists
It's all
CC from here on out. Blood for the ....errr...nevermind.
With the Shas'O merrily running for his life, the Chaplain focuses his attention on the Shas'
el and begins splattering Kroot left and right as he hacks his way towards the junior Tau leader. These Kroot fight nothing like the first group and the Marines swiftly turn the tide, with casualty resolution killing the Kroot inside the building. Errr, no more Kroot inside the building. There goes Stubborn for the rest of them. Uh oh.
Having to make a Morale Test for the first time in this fight for the Sacred Building, the Kroot fail miserably and flee. As the Marines prepare to cut down the remaining Kroot, the Shas'
el steps forward and activates his last remaining weapon. Himself.
The explosion tears through the tightly packed Marnes, and although most of them make their armour saves, the Chaplain fails his and is instakilled by the detonation. The remaining Marines stare in shock, but finally claim the Sacred Building. Marines - 4, Tau - 1
Turn Five - Tau Empire
Well, that was sorta unexpected. Works for me though!
The left (and only) Pathfinders get out of their nice comfy chairs and reboard their Devilfish heading for the currently unoccupied Medicae Facility. The Rifle Warriors walk forward and pick up the last unclaimed building while drawing a bead on the Marine survivors in the Sacred Building. The second Devilfish tank shocks into the Sacred Building (actually above it) and breaks the Assault Team along with squishing a Powerfist from the Veteran squad on a failed Death or Glory. Finally deciding to bite the bullet, the Crisis team jumps into the trapped building, of course sets off the trap nuking a team member, and then picks up another wound from a failed Dangerous Terrain test! They do claim it, though. Marines - 3, Tau - 3.
Rapid fire from the Rifle Warriors + the Ionheads stamp paid on the last remaining Tactical squad. Just 2 Veterans and a broken 3 man Assault Squad left. Just gotta get one more building and that's all folks, since the Marine scoring units are all gone.
Turn Five - Crimson Fists
The Broken Assault team is unable to regroup due to the proximity of the Devilfish and continues to fall back. The Veterans, unable to score, head for the Crashlanding Crisis Team and cook one with their meltagun.
Turn Six - Tau Empire
I suddenly realize that I can't actually get the Pathfinders into a building to score. Skimmers can't drop their troops INTO a building anymore, only on the street next to it. If I had rappelling lines, I could do that, but the best I can do is zoom the Devilfish up to a building and disembark the Pathfinders next to it. But they can't move cuz they just got off a transport! ARGH!
The last remaining Crisis suit is about an inch short of being able to hop into another buliding. He'd probably fail his dangerous terrain check and die anyways. My last hope is the Rifle team being able to get into that doggone Sacred Building, but they need a 6 on the difficult terrain and it doesn't come up.
Turn Six - Crimson Fists
Why bother?
So yeah, it's a draw. Another good battle and a definite eye-opener on how
CoD is gonna go. I need more Kroot. I need more Kroot with Flamer-proof armour (maybe Medicae Facility wouldn't be too bad) cuz I know template weapons are going to be everywhere.
