Hi, hello, welcome and other thingies. Not very often do I post something non-craft related, but this is one of those rare occasions. Friday nights are our 40k group's game night and tonight was full of epic fun. I played against my good friend Trent in a singles match. I've never won a singles game before (not since our group has learned all the rules solidly,) but tonight changed the everlasting pattern of losses and ties. Let me get to it:
Table Size: 4x4
Point Value: 1500
Game Type: Seize Ground
Deployment: Dawn of War
My Army: Ultramarines
Trent's Army: Space Wolves
Going First: Me
Square Root of 199: 14.106736
Best Cake: Chocolate
Ultramarines List
HQ - Shadow Captain Kayvaan Shrike
+Fast - 10x Assault Squad w/ Meltabomb
Troop - 10x Tac Squad w/ Meltagun & MultiMelta
+Transport - Rhino
Troop - 10x Tac Squad w/ Meltagun & MultiMelta
+Transport - Rhino
Troop - 10x Tac Squad w/ MeltaBomb, Meltagun & Heavy Bolter
+Transport - Rhino
Elite - 7x Sternguard Vet Squad
+Transport - Rhino
Heavy - 10x Dev Squad* w/ 4x Missile Launchers
+Transport - Rhino
*Split into Combat Squads: 2 Missiles and Sergeant on foot, 2 Missiles in Rhino
Space Wolves List
HQ - Njal Stormcaller w/ Termi Armor
+Elite - 4x Wolf Guard Terminators (1x PWeap/Storm Bolter, 1x FrWeap/Storm Bolter, 1x PFist/Assault Cannnon, 1x Arjac Rockfist)
+Transport - Drop Pod
Troop - 10x Grey Hunters w/ 2x Plasmagun, 1x PlasmaPistol & Mark of the Wulfen
+Transport - Rhino w/ ExtraArmor
Troop - 6x Grey Hunters w/ Plasmagun & PlasmaPistol
+Transport - Razorback w/ TL-LasCannon
Troop - 10x Grey Hunters w/ 2x Meltagun & 1x PlasmaPistol
+Transport - Drop Pod
Elite - 5x Wolf Scouts Pack w/ 5x Meltabombs, 2x PlasmaPistol & 1x Meltagun
+Elite - 1x Wolf Guard in Power Armor w/ Meltabomb, FrWeap/& PlasmaPistol
The Game
(Cntrl+Click on Pictures for a Closer View)
DoW Deploy:
I deploy the 2 Tac Squads w/ MultiMeltas half way up the board on either side of the table (My left side will be referred to as #2 and my right will be #1.) Trent deploys nothing.
Turn 1A:
All of my Army comes on the board. New Rhinos move forward, 2 original Rhinos move to the side so as to not block LoS. The 1/2 of a Dev Squad on foot position themselves atop a ledge. Shrike's group moves up the middle and runs. All Rhinos pop smoke.
Turn 1B:
Njal and his group drop in close to dead center of the table (using one of my borrowed blue drop pods,) while the Rhino and Razorback come in from Trent's table edge. Njal takes out 1 Assault Marine using Jaws of the Worldwolf (or bowling as we call it,) lowers all of my army's BS to 3 using Psychic Storm and casts Tempest's Wrath. His Rhino and Razorback pop smoke. The Termi with the AssaultCannon killed 2 Assault Marines. I passed my LD check.
Turn 2A:
All Ultramarines are BS3... Everything in my army shoots into Njal's group. 3 Termies die and 1 wound goes into Arjac knocking him down to a 1W model. My Assault Marines assault Njal's group and lose a model due to Tempest's Wrath. Shrike puts all attacks into Njal, killing him. Assault Marines cause no wounds on Arjac. Arjac wounds Shrike twice knocking him down to a 1W model. Melee is a tie, 2 to 2.
Turn 2B:
Roll to bring in the Wolf Scouts fails. The Grey Hunters in the drop pod come out (in the gray drop pod) and Immobilize and WeapDestroy Tac Squad w/ MM #1's Rhino. Grey Hunters disembark from the Razorback to hold Trent's point. Tac Squad w/ MM #2's Rhino is wrecked by the same Razorback. The Grey Hunter's Rhino moves flat out up the board towards my point. Melee between Arjac and Shrike's group is won by Shrike with no casualties, 1 inch consolidation.
Turn 3A:
Tac Squad w/ HeavyBolter & Tac Squad w/ MM #1, Shrike's group and the only Rhino with a weapon disembark, jump pack to and move to (respectively) the Grey Hunters from the drop pod and open fire. The Dev squad joins in on the shooting of this target all of my shooting only end up taking out 5 Grey Hunters (damn dice.) The Tac Squad w/ MM #2 who were forced from their wrecked Rhino last turn blow up the Razorback with their MM. The explosion takes no lives. The Rhino with 1/2 a Dev Squad in it wiffs the Grey Hunter Rhino. Sternguard Rhino moves flat out up the board to start dealing with Trent's Troop Choice holding his point. Shrike's group assaults the drop pod Grey Hunters; 3 Grey Hunters die, 1 Assault Marine dies. LD is failed and I win the Initiative roll-off (Grey Hunters are removed by the sweeping advance.) 3 inch consolidation.
Turn 3B:
Roll to bring in the Wolf Scouts fails again. Grey nights at Trent's point move out of LoS of my Tac Squad w/ MM #2. Grey Hunters in the Rhino disembark and kill 3 Assault Marines. I pass my LD check (Yay Shrike!)
Turn 4A:
The Tac Squad w/ MM #2, 1/2 Dev Squad in the Rhino and Sternguard move up the board to take Trent's point. The Tac Squad w/ HeavyBolter, Tac Squad w/ MM #1, 1/2 Dev Squad on foot and 1 Rhino fire into the Grey Hunter group killing only 2 (damn dice, again!) Shrike's group move back to Njal's drop pod and wreck it with a Meltabomb.
Turn 4B:
Roll to bring in the Wolf Scouts still fails, once again. Trent's Rhino moves forward to block LoS to his Grey Hunters for my Tac Squad w/ HeavyBolter. That Rhino's disembarked Grey Hunters, the drop pod and the Rhino itself shoot and kill 8 marines from the Tac Squad w/ MM #1. With 2 marines left in that squad, I fail my LD and fall back 8 inches.
Turn 5A:
The Sternguard drive up 6" and shoot into the Troop Choice hanging out at Trent's point with Vengeance Rounds and kill 2 Grey Hunters. The Dev and Tac Squad on this side of the board continue their movement to Trent's point for support and capture. Shrike's group moves towards this point as well. The 1/2 Dev Squad in the Rhino wiffs a third time when trying to hit Trent's Rhino. Meanwhile, the last functioning Rhino near my point moves forward to start blocking off my point. The 1/2 Dev Squad on foot and the Tac Squad w/ HeavyBolter fail to hurt the Rhino by shooting. In a desperate attempt to Immobilize or Wreck Trent's Rhino (creating a wall of Rhinos blocking the Grey Hunters from contesting/capturing my point,) the Tac Squad w/ HeavyBolter assaults the Rhino that has moved flat out with a Meltabomb and nades. Penetrating hits get through, but the Rhino is blown up, creating a crater of area terrain instead of a wall. The 2 Marines Falling Back from the previous turn remember that they don't recall what fear is and regroup after moving 3 more inches.
Turn 5B:
Wolf Scouts are finally brought in and blow up the fully functional Rhino blocking their way to my point with ease. Grey Hunters shoot down 3 Tac Marines from the HeavyBolter squad and melee down 3 more leaving the Sergeant alone in melee surprisingly passing his lowered LD check. The drop pod shoots at the 2 regrouped Tac Marines killing one and forcing a LD check on the Sergeant which is failed. He falls back 11 inches and is sitting at the board edge. Roll for the game's end: it continues.
Turn 6A:
The same Sternguard, 1/2 Dev Squad, Tac Squad and Shrike's group move into Trent's point to capture it and kill 3 of the 4 Grey Hunters left forcing a LD check that is failed. The lone Grey Hunter falls back 5". Trent's point is secure. Meanwhile, the 1/2 Dev Squad on foot near my point start to run for said point to contest it and fall a couple of inches short. No wounds are caused in melee. With less than 1" to the table edge, the lone Sergeant from the previous turn falls back off the table.
Turn 6B:
The Wolf Scouts wreck the Immobilized Rhino (and possibly any chance at me contesting my point this turn.) Melee continues between my Sergent and the 6 Grey Hunters; my Sergeant wiffs on both attacks, Trent causes 2 wounds but are both saved (the dice favor no one.) Melee is a tie: 0 to 0. Trent's Grey Hunter at his point runs off the table as expected. Roll for the game's end: it continues.
Turn 7A:
My Sternguard, 1/2 Dev Squad in a Rhino and Shrike's group book it for Trent's Wolf Scouts and end up killing 1 of the 6. My 1/2 Dev Squad on foot makes a run to contest my point and reaches it with ease. My Sergeant finally loses melee to a rending wound and is wiped out.
Turn 7B:
The 2 remaining Assault Marines in Shrike's group are picked off by the Wolf Scouts. The Grey Hunters shoot down 2 marines in the 1/2 Dev Squad contesting my point and melee down 1 more. I kill a Grey Hunter in melee causing a tie in close combat and successfully contesting my point.
Game Ends:
I am holding Trent's point and contesting mine against him. Ultramarines win, 1 to 0.
My Thoughts:
First, I'm torn on bringing Shrike or Pedro. Shrike did his fair share of ass kicking this game, but I have yet to take advantage of his Fleet or Infiltrate abilities he provides. This is partially due to luck, of course. But I can't help but feel like this would have been an easy victory had Pedro come along and provided everyone with Stubborn and given me a 4th scoring unit with the Sternguard. I'll continue to playtest this and give my thoughts later.
One major change I would have made is Shrike's group running off to kill a drop pod. What was I thinking? I have no idea. I think I had a Vietnam flashback to a killpoints game and decided to run and hide him and his posse. It was an idiotic move and I could have possibly provided a turn of locked melee for Trent's Gray Hunters instead of allowing them to annihilate one of my Tac Squads in shooting and melee.
One thing I'm extremely pleased with is the Sternguard. I've tried to include them in a plethora of lists only to end up being disappointed with how they perform on the battlefield. This list continues to make great use of their versatility and in this game I ended up using almost every bullet profile they have available to them.
Overall I'm happy with the way the game went. It was good and bad dice rolls on both sides. We both made good and bad choices. And it was a close game to the bitter end.
Questions? Comments? Demands for non-fuzzy pictures? Post it!
Awesome post. One comment. Best Cake: Chocolate? Really?
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