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Hi!
This is a text/picture battle report of a game I played relatively recently. Part of a crusade campaign I‘m running. Most people involved are complete noobs or super-casuals so the lists are complete bs. Read for fun.

The Mission: Supply Cache (hold as many of objectives as possible).

Astra Militarum list:


Adeptus Ministorum list:





Overview of the battlefield.

Deployment plan:
The board has 4 objectives – 2 in my DZ (lets call them Objective Container and Objective Tank), one in the sororitas DZ (Objective Barrel) and one in between (Objective Pipe). I‘m feeling confident. Just have to hold the 2 objectives in my DZ and contest one other. I place my infantry at Objective Container ready to rush forward using the Move Move Move order. I put a gunline on Objective Tank, consisting of a special weapon squad, heavy weapon squad, chimera and a veteran squad.


Dominions use the Holy Vanguard pre-game move.


Infantry deployed near objective container.

Turn 1



Turn 1 plan:
Alright, easy. I‘m guessing my opponent will move on Objective Pipe, so I‘ll surprise her with a flanking rush for Objective Barrel using the Move Move Move order. I spend a Command Point to consolidate a couple of infantry squads (henceforth known as The Blob) who will then rush forward with my command units on the left side, while my gunline starts blowing stuff up.

Turn 1 execution:
Flawless. The Blob rushes over half the table along with the Captain and her command squad. The Lord Commissar rolls 1 on her advance but who needs her?

The gunline opens up on the conscripts killing 8, which is ok, buuuut I feel like it could have been more – they were protected by the Void Shield Generator, dense terrain and the Take Cover stratagem. I get a bit happier when my chimera annihilates the small battle sister squad on Objective Barrels, leaving only the heavy bolter sister alive. Finally, two dominions bite the dust, one via hunter-killer in the face and another to a stray las-shot from a heavy weapons squad (same squad did no damage with their missiles). All in all I am quite pleased, having removed almost third of the conscripts and most of the battle sister squad. However, at this point I remember that the death cult assassins are behind one of these containers on the far end of the table.


The Blob rushes forward.


Gunline opens fire on conscripts.


Gonna be a problem later.



Turn 1 Sororitas:
Dominions move up to take revenge for the battle sisters, with some cheerleading from the Canoness. They open up on the chimera, destroying it in a single volley. The Conscripts manage to get a single dude within range of Objective pipe. My concerns regarding the death cult assassins are proven to be sound when they charge the Blob and just frakking blend them into juice, leaving only 3 survivors (that‘s 17 kills). Whoops.

Turn 1 Score: No scoring in the first round.


Death Cult Assassins on the move.


Conscripts secure objective pipes.


Blender goes brrrrtt

Turn 2


Turn 2 plan:
OK. A lot of people might believe that losing 70% of the manpower you were gonna use for your flanking maneuver should be cause to change plans and reevaluate your options. Not so for the generals of the Imperium, where 70% casualties are well within acceptable parameters. It also helps that the murdercultists killed so many guardsmen that they ended their turn out of melee, and I have flamethrowers. There is no need for a change of plans! For the Astra Militarum guardsmen dying IS the plan. Objective Barrels will be ours!

Turn 2 execution:
One guardsman returns to the Blob through the medic, increasing it‘s size by 33%. The death cult assassins and their missionary boss are then drowned in promethium, clearing the way to Objective Barrels. Lady commissar finally decides to join the party, and probably wonders where all the guardsmen went. Some minor fire from the dudes around Objective Container takes down a couple of dominions, while the rest of my stuff lights up the conscripts again, using the Experienced Eye stratagem on the veterans and the Concentrated Fire stratagem on the heavy weapons squad. They kill 9, and 4 flee during the morale phase. I currently feel like I hold both flanks quite securely, but the arco-flagellants are bound to come from strategic reserves soon and spoil the party.


Bringing the heat.



Turn 2 sororitas:
Alright! Arco-flagellants (and their priestly babysitter) arrive in front of the gunline. Not what I would have done, but I‘m not complaining. Canoness doubles back to secure her home objective. A smattering of fire from the conscripts and their leaders kills 3 special weapon troopers and a veteran. Dominions then come rushing in. Thankfully they completely botch their hit rolls against the sentinels, but then use the Holy Rage stratagem to charge the veterans after advancing. The vets do ok, killing one sister while losing two of their own.

Turn 2 score: AM 20, Sororitas 20.


Dominions move against the Veterans.


Arco-Flagellants arrive.

Turn 3


Turn 3 plan
I was a bit surprised that the Dominions would charge my gunline so early, but it might be manageable. Provided the vets can hold them off for 1-2 rounds, the rest of my guns might be able to weaken the arco-flagellants enough to make them a non-threat. The flanking force seems poised to take the sororitas home objective (Objective Barrels), so as long as the gunline holds for 1 or 2 rounds I‘m golden.

Turn 3 execution
Well frak. 5 missile launchers (3 fired with the Concentrated Fire stratagem) and 3 grenade launchers killed a grand total of 2 arco-flagellants. Not optimal. At least the veteran sergeant managed to execute a dominion with her laspistol. The melee between the vets and dominions is otherwise a stalemate this turn. I move the mid-table heavy weapons squad closer to the gunline with an advance to make them useful against the conscripts or Arcos later on.
On the other side of the table, the company commander orders the flamers to Bring The Canoness Down, chipping 2 wounds off her.


Only 2 of the crazies were killed.


Would not want to be this guy (rest of the Veterans are up on the platform).



Turn 3 sororitas
The conscripts and arcos move forward along with the arco-babysitter, leaving the other characters to hold Objective Pipes. Some diffuse fire causes minor damage to the heavy and special weapon squads, but then the arcos charge and wipe out the special weapons squad and consolidate into the sentinels. Goodbye gunline. Dominions blow holes into 2 vets with their bolt pistols but otherwise that melee is still a stalemate, even with an influx of bodies in the form of charging conscripts.
Back near Objective Barrels the canoness goes all marbo on me, killing three dudes from the command squad with a frag grenade (last one is killed by the heavy bolter sister) and then slamming into the infantrymen through a wall of flamer overwatch. Company commander and lady commissar do a heroic intervention though, and the commissar actually manages to kill her, taking only 1 wound in return.

Turn 3 scoring: AM 40, Sororitas 40.


Gunline about to be overrun by religious fanatics.


A canoness's last moment.

Turn 4


Turn 4 planning
Score is equal, but I‘ve lost Objective Tank. Need to catch Objective Barrels to get ahead. As it‘s only defended by a single battle sister that seems doable.
Plan: Kill battle sister, take objective, survive? If I fall back with my veterans I open the dominions and conscripts up to a rain of missiles, could at least get rid of the conscript‘s as they have objective secured.

Turn 4 execution
The vets fall back, consolidating around Objective Tank. The infantry squad on Objective Container, along with six frag missiles, fire into the conscripts, killing...one? Oh no. Only good thing on this side of the table is that the sentinels weather the punishment given to them by the arcos and might tie them up for another round.
Better news near Objective Barrels. The lady commissar rushes the lone battle sister, who uses overwatch and hits using a miracle dice, but the commissar is saved by her refractor field. She then runs up to the sister and impales her with the power sword. The former Blob takes Objective Barrel. The mission seems salvageable, maybe, although the conscripts make sure that the sororitas now get 20VPS, getting them ahead.


Look at them, killing no one.


Summary Execution.



Turn 4 sororitas
The gunline overrun. The conscripts rush the heavy weapon squad on the ground, trapping them in melee. The dominions shoot 3 vets dead after advancing, and again use the Holy Rage stratagem to charge. Amazingly, they don‘t kill anyone and the veteran sergeant proves to be Hero of the Game, killing 2 dominions with her chainsword. The Arco-flagellant babysitter priest engages the heavy weapons squad on Objective Tank after the frateris company commander shoots one hevy weapon team dead with a plasma pistol, and the arcos finish off the sentinels.

Turn 4 scoring:
AM 50, Sororitas 60.


The Sentinels got whipped to death.


The Frateris Militia move towards a heavy weapon squad.


Dominions vs Veterans.

Turn 5


Turn 5 plan
Yes! Thanks to some excellent swordsmanship, the Veteran Sergeant has actually cleared enough Dominions away to let me hold Objective Tank! With Objective Barrels and Container also in hand, I gain 30VPs, giving me the lead! If the Sororitas take Objective Tank, the game will end as a draw, and currently that seems the most likely outcome. However, if the conscripts die and the Arcos either die or fail charging up onto the terrain I‘ll win. I don‘t really have the firepower for that though, so instead I have come up with the cunning plan of sending the four survivors of the blob to take or contest Objective Pipes. It‘ll work. I‘m a tactical genius.

Turn 5 execution
The lady commissar has taken control of Objective Barrels. The company commander screams Move Move Move at herself and the Blob. The Blob is now contesting Objective Pipes.
Back near Objective Tank the heavy weapon squad falls back from the conscripts so that the infantry on Objective Container can light them up. They kill only one. This will have consequences later.
Back at Objective Tank, the two melees (doms vs veteran sergeant Hero and heavy weapon squad vs Babysitter priest) are a stalemate with zero casualties.


Veteran Sergeant Hero holding off 2 armoured nuns.


The Blob contests objective pipes.



Turn 5 sororitas
The player that went second scores at the end of their turn, so my opponent has a chance. Maybe. The Frateris company commander relieves the frateris priest on Objective Pipes, who then rushes towards Objective Barrels. The conscripts rush up there too. They will need some successful long range charge rolls for that to work. Both frateris characters throw grenades at the blob, killing 3 dudettes, and the conscripts wound the lady commissar with their lasguns. Back at Objective Tank, veteran sergeant Hero is finally killed by a bolt pistol in the face. It‘s all or nothing in the charge phase...

The conscripts and the frateris priest successfully charge the lady commissar. The arcos and dominions successfully charge heavy weapon team on Objective Tank. The Frateris commander charges the single guardswoman that‘s left of the Blob. Looks like I just got outmaneuvered. My captain at least heroically intervenes onto the conscripts. During the fight phase, my dudes on Objective Tank and Objective Pipes are slaughtered. My company commander and lady commissar manage to kill 4 conscripts, leaving 2 alive. One of them flees, leaving a SINGLE CONSCRIPT alive with OBJECTIVE SECURED near Objective Barrels, giving sororitas 30VPs and the final victory!!!

Final score is 80-90 for the sororitas.

Thoughts:
The game was amazing, lots of excitement and fun maneuvering. I feel like all my units were kinda blah except for the company commander giving everyday infantrymen Move Move Move to soar around the table faster than jetbikes. Kudos to the amazing effort of Veteran Sergeant Hero, whose squad will absolutely be getting the Marked for Greatness extra xp.

I feel that there were a few things I could have done better in this particular matchup. First of all: Keep Blobs away from Blenders. Might not have consolidated the two infantry squads if I‘d realized how badly they were gonna get mauled. I should also have used my Sentinels as something other than immobile turrets – I feel like if I‘d pushed them forward towards Objective Pipes I might have halted the conscripts and their entourage, giving the rest of the gunline more time to deal with the dominions (who might even have slowed down their own advance to deal with the Sentinels. They‘re a fast attack choice for a reason, I should‘ve used their mobility. Finally, my opponent repeatedly used the Take Cover stratagem on the enormous conscript unit, which, coupled with dense cover from the mechanicus terrain, was really frakking amazing, I should have killed so many more of them but that just wasn‘t happening.

This was my first time playing with the Astra Militarum and I do feel like I learned a lot. Mostly about how squishy and weak many of their tools seem to be, but also that I love the Move Move Move order. I‘ll be buying some tanks soon, I think.

Thank you for reading! I'll gladly discuss tactics, the matchup or anything else in the comments.


Conscripts fought to the last man, literally.


Posing before the oncoming rabble.


Ministorum Priest being a badass.


Objective tank was finally taken by the Preacher, Dominions and Arco-Flagellants.

Thanks for the report. Very nice armies. Are those wood elf cloaked heads on the veterans?

konst80hummel wrote:
Thanks for the report. Very nice armies. Are those wood elf cloaked heads on the veterans?

Thanks! All the guardsmen are made out of a mix of Wood Elves and Cadians. Veterans use hooded heads with the faces hidden by red cloth, while the normal infantry has just the hood.