Monday, June 22, 2009

Battle Report: 2500pts. Marines vs Orks.

It's been a while since a battle report has been done but this is a bit of a special occasion. My good friend John will be moving to New York shortly and we decided on a big throw-down. At first I considered a 3500pt Apocalypse game, but we got off to kind of a late start and went for a straight up 2500 point game instead (we were both a little over 2500 but no big deal). I still want to get that Apoc game in though!

We played on my typical 6x4 table, but added an additional 2.5x4 table for a larger battlefield.

My army list was thus:

Space Marines (Crimson Cobras):
HQ: Brother Captain Shon Vale: bolter(hellfire shells), Relic Blade, Iron Halo.
Command Squad: 1 marine: Meltagun, Thunder Hammer. 3 marines: Combi-Plasmaguns. Apothecary: Narthecium.
transport: Drop Pod.
HQ: Brother Chaplain Awren Magura: Crozius Arcanum, Rosarius, Liturgies of Battle, Honour of the Chapter.

Elites: 10 Sternguard Veterans: Special Issue Ammunition, Combi-Meltaguns (x5), Sgt: Power Fist.
transport: Drop Pod.
Elites: 7 Assault Terminators: Lightning Claws (pair) (x4), Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield (x3).
Elites: Dreadnought: Assault Cannon, Extra Armour.

Troops: 10 Tactical Marines (squad Crimson Primus): Flamer, Lascannon. Sgt: Power Fist.
Troops: 10 Tactical Marines (squad Sevenus): Plasma Gun, Missile Launcher.
Troops: 10 Tactical Marines (squad Kai): Flamer, Missile Launcher.

Fast Attack: 10 Assault Marines (squad Tyde): Plasma Pistol (x2), Sgt: Power Fist.
transport: Rhino: Pintle-Mounted Storm Bolter.

Heavy Support: Land Raider Crusader (The Crimson Pride): Multi-Melta.
Heavy Support: 10 Devastator Marines: Heavy Bolter(x2), Missle Launcher(x2). Sgt: Signum.

Total Points: 2505

Despite the fact I knew I would be fighting orks, I took models I wanted to use more then models that would maybe do better against the horde. I knew I wanted to take the Captain and Command Squad I just built along with their partially complete Drop Pod. And I knew I wanted to take as many marines as I could... so I left my usual compliment of Razorbacks back at the motor pool to free up the points to do this while still leaving in the expensive heavy hitters like Sternguard and Assault Terminators.

Orks (Waaagh! Kong Bundy):
HQ: Warboss: Power Klaw, Combi-Skorcha, 'eavy armour, Cybork Body, Bosspole, Attack Squig.
HQ: Warboss: Mega-Armour, Cybork Body, Bosspole.

Elites: 12 Lootas.
Elites: 10 Burna Boyz. Mekboy: Grot Oiler.

Troops: 9 Nobz: Power Klaw (x2), Big Choppa (x2), Combi-Skorchas (x2). Waaagh! Banner, Bosspole (x2). 'eavy armour. Painboy.
Troops: 18 'Ard Boyz: Rokkit Launcha. Nob: Power Klaw, Bosspole.
Troops: 23 Shoota Boyz. Big Shootas (x2). Nob: Power Klaw, Bosspole.
Troops: 11 Slugga Boyz. Rokkit Launcha. Nob: Bosspole.
transport: Trukk: Armour Plates, Grot Riggers, Red Paint.
Troops: 10 Slugga Boyz. Nob: Bosspole.
transport: Trukk: Rokkit Launcha, Armour Plates, Grot Riggers, Red Paint.

Fast Attack: 6 Warbikers. Nob: Power Klaw, Bosspole.
Fast Attack: 11 Stormboyz: Nob: Power Klaw, Bosspole.
Fast Attack: Skorcha. Warbuggy: Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha.

Heavy Support: Battlewagon: Kill-Kannon, Big Shootas (x2). Armour Plates, Grot Riggers.
Heavy Support: Battlewagon (T-Rex): Kannon, Rokkit Launchas (x2). Deff Rolla, Armour Plates, Grot Riggers, Red Paint.
Heavy Support: Looted Wagon: Boomgun, Big Shootas (x2).

Total Points: 2506.

The mission we rolled up was a Capture & Control with Spearhead Deployment. John won the dice roll and gave me choice of sides and 1st turn. I chose the quarter with the Firebase in it and placed my objective by this formidable structure protected by my combat squaded Devastators and held by the Lascannon toting combat squad of Crimson Primus. The Assault Terminators were deployed in the Crusader lead by Chaplain Magura and along with the Dreadnought were set up as close to the middle of the board as allowed. The Rhino carrying my jump-packless Assault Squad was as far left as my DZ would allow. The rest of my combat squaded marines set up in supporting positions on hills to shoot as many orks as possible as early as possible.

Left in reserve were the Sternguard and Captain Vale with his Command Squad... these elite warriors would strike down the vile aliens and contest their objective in a Drop Pod Assault and also force the orks to split their army to deal with this threat to their objective. My goal was to contest the objective, force the ork army to split, and make the orks run a gauntlet of bolter fire and Assault Terminators to have any hope of challenging my objective.

We both knew we could move anything from reserves on from our long board edge and make a b-line straight for the enemy objective but I kept nothing in reserve save the Drop Pods and John deployed his entire army... intent on steam-rolling past the marines with numbers and mobility... like a true ork!


Deployment
The marines take up firing positions on the hills, anchored by the Crusader and Dreadnought in the middle.



The marine objective (the shrine, tombstone thing) guarded by the last line of defense, the Devastators and combat squad Crimson Primus. Come and get it!


Deployment
From left: The kustom jobs! John's Skorcha and Trukk. And I let him borrow my Kill-Kannon Battlewagon (it's loaded with Burnas). His objective is this Egyptian bird statue, you can see it peeking out from behind the pillars...


The T-rex Battlewagon (with 'Ard Boyz and Warboss onboard), the Shoota Boyz in the center, Lootas on their left and the Looted Wagon at the end. The other skwad of Trukkboyz with the Mega-Boss and the Warbikers are behind the Lootas while the Nobz mob lurks in the woods behind the T-Rex Battlewagon.



TURN 1
Priority 1: destroy the guns that produce AP3 pie plates (because they make sad marines sad). Drop Pod Assault! The Sternguard are the first into the fray dropping behind the ork lines right on target and combat squading out of the Drop Pod...


The combat squad with the 5 melta-combis target the Kill-kannon Battlewagon and explode it, killing half the Burna Boyz inside and a few nearby Stormboyz who are further reduced to just 3 models after the other Sternguard shoot them with Hellfire shells... but the orks pass all morale checks. The Looted Wagon is also detroyed by the Devastators... a great first turn of shooting for the marines!


TURN 1
The orks surge forward! The Lootas move to allow the Trukkboyz and Bikers through without risking the Difficult Terrain of the hill. The Shoota boyz run forward and take cover in the graveyard. While the Warboss and 'Ard Boyz disembark to engage the Assault Marines who have moved to far forward (oops...)




The Nobz mob and the remnants of the Burnaboyz and Stormboyz assault the Sternguard. The Nobz and Burnas combine to kill the five melta-combi Sternguard but were unable to engage the other Sternguard combat squad who deployed on the other side of the Drop Pod. That task was left to the Stormboyz who whiffed and were run down trying to flee... (though 1 marine was killed by the Stormboy Nob's Klaw).


In other assaults, the Space Marine assault squad was butchered by the Warboss and 'Ard Boyz... the two survivors using Combat Tactics to escape but the orks were hot on their heels. The Mega-Boss disembarked by himself and assaulted the Crusader, getting the 6 needed to hit and penetrating it with a 5... however the damage result was a 1... (whew dodged one there!)





TURN 2
The marines counter-attack. Captain Vale makes his glorious debut and Drop Pods in on target to support the Sternguard. A plethora of 1's to wound and wound allocation sees very little damage done to the Nobz mob though.

The Assault Terminators led by Chaplain Magura disembarks from the Crusader to engage the Mega-boss knocking on the door and multi-assaults the nearby Warbikes. The Mega-boss is wounded twice by Lightning Claws, Magura makes his Rosarius save to avoid being crushed by the Mega-boss who is eventually done in by Thunder Hammer. The Warbikes are crushed and the wounded Nob flees to tell the tale. Only 1 Terminator was lost in the combat.

Anything that can shoot does so into the 'Ard Boyz and all that is left is the Warboss and a handful of 'Ard Boyz when the shooting stops. The marine Dreadnought charges in and insta-kills the other Warboss before being detroyed by the 'Ard Boy Nob's Power Klaw.


2 Warbosses dead in 1 turn = 0 complaints. Also of note is that combat squad Sevenus destroyed an ork Trukk with it's missile launcher... the Ramshackle result giving the orks the most favorable result.

TURN 2
The Lootas look around and can't see much... they shoot at combat squad Sevenus who wrecked the Trukk but I make all my amrour saves (6 I think?)

The Shoota Boyz are content to stay in the cover offered by the graveyard and shoot down an Assault Terminator with mass dakka. The Trukkboyz who had their ride wrecked last turn assault them only to be utterly crushed... their wounded Nob fleeing, searching for the Warbike Nob to give him a lift...

The T-rex rips apart the marine Rhino with it's little Klaw arms (counts as Deff-Rolla).


The other squad of Trukkboyz disembark and Waaagh! into special weapon combat squad Sevenus and kill them all. The 3 remaining 'Ard Boyz clobber squad Crimson Primus for no losses and send the lone survivor, the Sergeant, looking to regroup while trying to turn his Power Fist on...


Over at the battle for the ork objective, Captain Vale flubs all his mighty WS6 attacks failing to even hit. The command squad... in no small way due to incredible 3+ saves coupled with Feel No Pain from the Apothecary are able to weather an obscene amount of attacks, though the Apothecary and the marine carrying the Thunder Hammer die. Captain Vale is saved from being crushed to death via Power Klaw via Iron Halo. The marines fight on.


TURN 3
The sergeant of squad Crimson Primus and the remaining Assault marines of squad Tyde continue to... erm... strategically withdraw... the latter strategically withdrawing to withing an 1" of the table edge...


Having neutralized the ork's left flank, the marines look to redeploy. Combat squad Kai embark on the Crusader which moves to create a buffer between the mass of Shoota Boyz in the graveyard and the rest of my army and to engage the T-Rex Battlewagon... immobilizing it.

A volley of Heavy Bolter fire from the Devastators eliminates the rest of the 'Ard Boyz while the rest of the marines concentrate on shooting the last mob of Trukkboyz off the table.

The Sternguard charge in to assist Captain Vale and company. A Power Klaw attack eventually finds it's way through the Captain's Iron Halo and he is brought low but not before taking a Nob with him with his Relic Blade. The marines somehow win the combat by 1 wound by eliminating what was left of the Burna Boyz and clobbering two Nobs with the Sternguard sergeant's Power Fist... but the Nobz pass morale and the fight continues.

TURN 3
The Lootas fire another volley at combat squad Sevenus and this time wipe them out to a man (I failed 7 out of 9 saves or something silly like that.) The ork buggies wheel around and ensure that the fleeing remnants of squads Tyde and Crimson Primus will run off the table...

The grot riggers break out the magic squig-sponge on the T-rex's leg and it's mobile again. The Shoota Boyz emerge from the cover of the graveyard and charge the Crusader but the Nob's Power Klaw fails to damage it.

The remaining Sternguard and command squad are finished off by the Nobz mob who, down to just a handful of models, consolidate towards their objective.


TURN 4
The Assault Terminators move to engage the Shoota Boyz... Combat squad Kai disembarks from the Crusader, their flamer ready to burninate the tightly packed boyz. Atleast that was the plan...

Every game will always have that turn where your shooting will let you down. Well this was it. I sent a lascannon, 3 krak missiles, a multi-melta, and a twin-linked assault cannon into the side armour of the re-mobilized T-Rex Battlewagon... and did bupkis.

But there was still plan C: The marines of squad Kai. As much as I wanted to cover a dozen orks with a flamer template I instead charged the T-Rex and seeing how it didn't move last turn I was able to destroy it with a well placed krak grenade! Eat that!


John was happy it lasted 4 turns.


It was now left up to the Assault Terminators to engage another unmolested ork unit. They brought down 10 orks for the loss of just 1 more Terminator... forcing the fearless orks to take a further 9 wounds. ouch.


Turn 4
The Nobz merrily wreck a Drop Pod. The Lootas flubbed on their amount of shots and failed to kill any marines with their Deffgunz. The buggies make a desparate move towards to marine's objective, their twin-linked rokkit shot failing to hit the Crusader as it passed by.

In combat the now depleted Shoota boyz were no match for the Assault Terminators as yet another wounded Nob flees from their wrath, though 1 more Terminator is brought down. The Terminators get a good 5" consolidate into the graveyard... eyeing the Lootas...

TURN 5
Squad Kai re-embarks on the Crusader which drives over the remains of the T-Rex (making sure it's dead see...). The DT roll is passed and it closes in on the ork Nobz. A volley of Machine-Spirited twin-linked assault cannon fire reduces the Nobz to a wounded Painboy and single Klaw wielding Nob who hold their nerve.

Shooting from the Devastators and my remaining marines wrecks the ork buggies. The Assault Terminators get a 6" difficult terrain roll and clear the graveyard. Able to assault the Lootas the result isn't pretty (for the orks).

TURN 5
The orks just have the remnants of the Nobz mob and a single rokkit armed Trukk remaining. It's now a question of if the Nobz can get to their objective and secure a draw.

The rokkit misses the Crusader and the Nobz wreck the last Drop Pod in their journey back to the objective. The game continues...

TURN 6-7
The Nobz are eventually gunned down in Turn 6 and the ork Trukk destroyed in Turn 7. What a glorious victory for the marines!




MVP: Left with a wounded Chaplain Magura and 2 gore-soaked Assault Terminators, this uber unit went through a Mega-boss, 6 Warbikers, 10 Trukkboyz, 20+ Shoota Boyz, and a unit of Lootas. Madness!

A close second star would be the Crusader. The orks struggle to deal with Land Raiders and when they get their shot they gotta have the dice... unfortunately for John he rolled a 1 when his Mega-boss got that shot... it would have been a different game for sure if that roll was a 5 or 6.

Looking forward to the Apoc game!

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