The armies were roughly as follows:
Emperors Children:
Couple of proxies...yeah.
2 squads of assault marines
1 tactical squad in a rhino
1 devastator squad in an assault cannon razorback
6 sternguard with combi-plasmas in a drop pod with a terminator armoured legion apothecary
Chaos:
nurgle lord on bike
2 obliterators
big wodge of chaos marines
2 mauler fiends
2 helldrakes.
Nic arranged the battlefield for us and we rolled for set up and mission. Multiple objectives and standard long table-edges.
I was due to go first.
Im somewhat fortunate with my warlord trait, choosing the chart with reserve manipulation and getting the result that gives my opponent -1 to reserve rolls, could be handy seeing as helldrakes really love seeing 40-odd power armour marines on the opposite side of the table.
I split the devastator squad to take advantage of 2 high vantage points, two lascannons placed centrally in a 2nd floor ruin, the missile launchers on a 3rd floor building on the left flank.
The tactical squad deployed in a rhino in LoS blocking cover on my right flank and an assault squad deployed in the cover underneath the missile launchers. The captain and his assault squad reserved to deep strike and the sternguard in their drop pod ready to land turn 1 and threaten from the off.
Tom deployed his lord and obliterators centrally out of cover, baiting the devastator fire. the marine squads set up one on the elft flank, one on the right and the 3rd off centre near his closest objective markers. the mauler fiends set up one on each flank in ruins.
He failed to seize and the game commenced.
Turn 1,
The sternguard dropped in on my left flank ready to bathe the chaos marines in the ruins in hot plasma, they scattered slightly but the 6" disembark proved it to be of little consequence, sadly their plasma shooting wasnt quite as accurate as i'd hoped, one of the veterans falling foul of his own venting plasma and leaving one chaos marine in the squad standing. The devastators took the bait and downed one obliterator, the rhino decided to edge back slightly, further into cover, fearful of the range of the maulerfiends assault.
The left flank maulerfiend went for the sternguard, killing 3 and breaking the unit but not managing to catch them, the chaos lord made a beeline for the assault cannon razorback and chopped it to bits. The right flank maulerfiend plowed forward while the chaos marines steadily advanced.
Turn 2,
The assault squad arrived and i attempted to drop them centrally, within flamer range of the marine squad in the open that were making a beeline for the most central objective. With only a D6" scatter there was a very slim chance of them mishapping if they scattered directly towards their target the full 6".
Of course they scattered directly towards their target 6" and mishapped. Going back in to ongoing reserve. (could have been worse)
The tactical squad bust their rhino through the ruins and bundled out to melta gun the maulerfiend in the side, they hit, they penned, but i only rolled a 2 on the table. boo. weapon destroyed.
That gambit needed to pay off, those guys will probably now get minced.
The left flank assault squad leapt forward to try and plasma gun the other maulerfiend that had pulled back into the ruins, all shots found their target but none made any mark.
The sternguard unleashed vengeance rounds into the chaos lord but failed to wound his toughness 6 hide.
The devastators took a wound off the remaining obliterator.
1 helldrake arrived and made short work of my left flank.
a vector strike on the left assault squad chopped 2 guys up (both plasma guns. sad times)
then a bale flamer on its turret fired out of the turkeys arse and mullered half the squad, including the power fist sergeant hiding towards the back. (sadder times)
This left 3 rather ineffectual assault marines remaining.
The left flank maulerfiend chopped the last few assault marines to bits.
The chaos lord charged the sternguard but they fought to a standstill.
The obliterator killed 3 of the lascannon devastators with a plasma cannon blast, but the 2 heavy weapons guys stood firm.
The chaos marines unloaded at the tactical squad and the right flank maulerfiend readied itself for an assault.
5 marines were left standing when it began its charge, including the melta gunner, who attempted a last ditch shot.
He hits.
He penetrates.
He downs it!
He'll be promoted before long im sure.
Turn 3
The captains squad arrives again, aiming for much the same spot, this is a ballsy move and could prove a disaster if the 2nd helldrake arrives this turn, but i just go for it and hope it doesnt. The land to the rear of the squad holding the central objective. The tactical marines advance on the same squad, pincering them.
The combined fire does a number on the chaos marine squad, reducing their number somewhat and letting the tactical squad charge them, breaking them and taking the objective.
The devastators finish off the obliterator.
The sternguard take 2 wounds off of the chaos lord. nice!
The 2nd helldrake does arrive and murders the captains squad.
The 1st helldrake polishes off both of the devastator combat squads, vector striking the first and burning the 2 lascannon marines.
The left flank maulerfiend charges in to help the lord and gives rise to a peculiar situation involving challenges and who can/cant be active and assault. A consensus was reached, the challenge combat went ahead and no-one else fought.
We call it there to go get lunch as ive so few models left even a miracle wouldnt necasarily get me even a draw by this point.
Seemed a bit of a drubbing, but it was purely down to the assault squad getting a really unlucky mishap turn 2 and then that 50/50 chance of the 2nd helldrake turning up turn 3. If the captains squad had arrived properly or the turkey hadnt turned up until turn 4, they could have comfortably got themselves locked in combat before the 2nd drake arrived.
But, its a dice based game, and dems the breaks. Quite enjoyed the game as it goes, going in i knew i needed to be worried about the 2 drakes, and wouldve liked to have been able to be more aggressive and have attempted to get most of my army across the table to give him trouble getting both attacks off when the flyers arrived, hopefully forcing him to waste the flamer attacks or drop in to hover mode. But i was hampered by the threat of the maulerfiends lined up on either flank that can in theory assault half way across the table in one go.
I dont think id change much list wise, have a few tweaks to test out, but these days i think you just have to say ive covered bases X & Y, but im weak to Z. If i face X & Y im good, if i face Z. Oh well.
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