Batrep 1725 Azure Flames vs. Dark Angels

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to et to game night for the past few weeks.  Before I get into my Battle Report, I’ll highlight the other great games that went on, as they usually get buried at the bottom of my reports.

We had a new player, Bryan (Grey Knights) who was going up against Nathan’s Imperial Guard in his VERY FIRST GAME OF 40K!

Bill was back with his fantastic Slaanesh Daemons against Matt’s immaculate Tyranids!  A bloody slog where entire waves of Gaunts are wiped out and replaced!  Also, check out Bill’s fluffy solution for Daemon-possessed Defences!  It now makes sense for Daemons to bring fortifications.

Namdville (Orks) and Latremari (Space Marines) are my kind of players.  They remember the older times of 40K and brought a game that reminded me of 4th ed: Ork Footslog vs. Marine Gunline!

Finally, Jacob D. (Tau) was giving a tutorial to Jacob R. (using Jacob D.’s Black Templars).

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Azure Flames – Bozeman

-Leonidas (counts as Vulkan He’Stan)

-Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta in a Rhino

-Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Combi-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta in a Rhino

-Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer Storm Shields in a dedicated Land Raider Redeemer with Extra Armour and a Multi-Melta

-Ironclad Dreadnought with Ironclad Launchers and a Chainfist in a Drop Pod

-Sternguard x10, Powerfist, 10x Combi-Gravs in a Drop Pod

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Stephen – Dark Angels

-Azrael, Grand Master of Screaming the Dark Angels

-Deathwing Terminators x10, Assault Cannon, Cyclone Missile Launcher

-Scouts x10, 10x Sniper Rifles

-Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Combi-Melta, Power Sword, Lascannon in a Rhino

-Tactical Sqiad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Combi-Plasma, Power Sword

-Assault Squad x10

-Bike Squad x6

-Ravenwing Darktalon

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The board

Mission: The Emperor’s Will (each side gets one objective)

Setup: Dawn of War (long table edges)

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Stephen set up first, here’s what he did.

Sniper scouts in the building by the objective, Azrael joins the no-frills Tactical Squad, the Assault Squad sets up to the extreme right.  To the left are Bikes and the lascannon Tatsquad in the Rhino.  Terminators are deep striking (on turn 1) and obviously the flyer is in reserve.)

Here’s my setup:

Land Raider with Leonidas and the Terminators are to my left, Tatsquads (identical) are center and right in hiding.  Veterans and Ironclad are in drop pods.

No Night Fight.  Initiative not seized.

Turn 1 – Dark Angels

Assault Marines and Azrael-led Tactical Marines move up and run.  The Terminators deep strike next to the central rhino and glance and immobilize it, making it a rock with a Storm Bolter.  Rhino and bikes advance.

RUNNING VERY FAST FOR THE GRAND MASTER!

Deathwing gets it done: a turn 1 Deep Strike!

Moving out.

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

Combi-Grav Sternguard and Tactical Squad firing melta from inside their damaged Rhino eliminate the Deathwing Terminators.  Leonidas and the Terminators disembark the Land Raider, but roll snake eyes for charge range on the bikes, and Overwatch puts a wound on Leonidas.  Rightmost Rhino moves up cautiously, and multi-melta inside picks off an assault marine thanks to lucky snap fire.

OK guys, here’s the plan.  We get out and charge the bikes and OH LOOK A PENNY!  STOP!  I HAVE TO GET IT!

The Terminators are eliminated thanks to 20 Grav-Gun shots.

The Tactical Squad plays it safe.

Turn 2 – Dark Angels

The Darktalon fails to come in.  Assault squad walks so they can use jump packs for assault, but even with a re-roll can’t hit the Rhino.  Azrael’s squad runs again.  The bikes retreat from Leonidas to avoid a charge and the Rhino covers them.  Snipers fire on Leonidas, but fail to kill anyone.

Tempted by 10 free hits with Hammer of Wrath, the Assault Squad walks their way to uselessness.

The bikes are covered by the Rhino.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

Ironclad arrives right in Azrael’s face.  The Sternguard move into the ruins and fire Vengeance rounds into Azrael, killing two but losing two of their own!  The Tactical squad in the damaged Rhino gets out and blows up the Dark Angels rhino, leaving only 5 survivors.  Leonidas and the Terminators roll terribly for charge again.  Tactical squad in the rhino uses melta to pick off two more Assault Marines.

The Tactical Squad pops the Rhino with melta fire.

LOOK MORE PENNIES!  WHO DROPPED THESE?  Guys, help me pick them up, that’s an order.

Trading Sternguard for Tactical Marines is not a winning proposition.

Turn 3 – Dark Angels

Darktalon does not com in again.  The Assault Squad assaults the Rhino and kills it.  Azrael and the Tactical Squad run from the Ironclad.  The bikes advance and kill a Terminator with bolters.  The Sniper Scouts kill a Terminator and the Terminators are pinned, along with Leonidas.

That small hill is a crater where the Rhino used to be.

Azrael runs as the bikes advance.

OH NO SNIPERS!  HIT THE DECK!  Only the pennies can save us now.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

The Tactical Squad near the center runs left to secure my objective.  The Land Raider Redeemer moves up, uses one Flamestorm cannon and other guns at snap fire to end the bike squad, while Power of the Machine Spirit splits the second Flamestorm cannon and kills the remnants of the tactical squad in the crater.  Ironclad Dreadnought rolls a 6 for charge range but needed a 7 to catch Azrael’s squad.  The Sternguard switch to Hellfire rounds and a flurry of 2’s kill all but one of the Assault Marines.  The Tactical Squad runs away from the lone remaining Assault Marine.

The Land Raider takes out the Bikes and the Tactical Marines in one fell swoop!

I hate random charge ranges.  I really do.

Rather than finishing off the last Assault Marine, the Tactical Squad runs to get Linebreaker.

Turn 4 – Dark Angels

The Darktalon finally arrives!  It bombs the Terminators and causes no casualties, but gives them -3 Initiative and Weapons Skill.  The lone Assault Marine assaults the Sternguard, survives Overwatch, and dies from a Power Fist causing no casualties.  Azrael runs to the safety of the building.

The lone Assault Marine throws his life away.

Azrael secures the objective.

Darktalon bombing run!

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

The Tactical Squad by the Darktalon gets a lucky melta shot and kills it.  The Ironclad finally gets some decent charge range and charges Azrael’s squad.  He WHIFFS.  Stephen thought Azrael was S7, so he puts a glance on the Ironclad.  Leonidas and the Terminators run.  The Land Raider and the Sternguard firing Dragonfire rounds eliminate the Sniper Scouts.  The Tactical Squad to the left runs and grabs my objective.

The game converges on this building.

Turn 5 – Dark Angels

Night fight is in effect.  Ironclad takes one more glance as it kills one tactical marine.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 5 – Azure Flames

Leonidas, the Terminators, and the Sternguard join the fight.  The Bolter Sergeant with a Power Sword issues a challenge, and the THSS Terminator Sergeant turns him into Cowboy Sauce.  Leonidas single-handedly kills all of the other bolter marines.  Azrael kills two Sternguard, and the Ironclad finishes the job and takes him out.  Tabled.

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Final thoughts:

-GOOD GOD DAMN does the Darktalon suck my entire fat ass.  It is a useless flyer and has crap weapons.  If you play Dark Angels it may only be of use in a Mech Land Raider Deathwing army where you can bomb an enemy unit and then charge them so they get WS and I 1.  Its guns are pathetic.

-Azrael is a weird character.  He’s not built for combat, and not super shooty.  He’s not in Terminator Armor and not on a bike, but he unlocks Termies and Bikes as troops.  He has no clear battlefield role.

-Speaking of battlefield role, making units to perform a task is vital.  Stephen took the Terminators to be a surprise distraction deathstar.  He needs a few THSS Terminators or Belial to make this tactic better.  He also make Tactical, bike, and Assault squads bare-bones with no clear role.  The Assault Marines should have had a power weapon or fist, and the tactical marines would have been fine with a plasma or meltagun.

Next: Possibly another batrep or if I can finish the Grav Gun Sternguard I’ll post those.