Highland April Tournament Prep part 2 – Dark Angels with White Scars
Part two of my Tournament Prep was with Paul! He wanted to try some of the new things from the Angels of Death supplement.
Just as in my previous post, we played a 1500 point game. We were limited to one CAD and one other formation, with Highlander rules (see previous post). We also played Right Place at the Wrong Time, this time with Dawn of War (long table edges).
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
Paul – Dark Angels with White Scars
- Combined Arms Detachment (Dark Angels)
- Librarian, Lv2, Conversion Field, Bike, Fulmination discipline (new in Angels of Death)
- Ravenwing Command Squad x6, Apothecary, Ravenwing Standard, Plasma Talons
- Scouts x5, Shotguns
- Tactical Squad x10, Grav Cannon with Grav Amp, Grav Gun
- Drop Pod
- Tactical Sqiad x5
- Drop Pod
- Ravenwing Land Speeder Vengeance
- Ravenhawk Assault Wing (White Scars)
- Stormraven
- Venerable Dreadnought, Plasma Cannon, Heavy Flamer
- Sternguard x10, Power Sword, Heavy Flamer
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Setup
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Before turn 1
Dark Angel Ravenwing Bikes make a scout move to claim an objective. However, it is a bomb which kills the Apothecary, leaving them without Feel No Pain!
Dark Angels/White Scars – Turn 1
The Tactical Squad arrives via drop pod and destroys the Land Speeders with bolter and Grav fire. The rest of the army advances. Turn not pictured.
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Land Raider advances and destroys the Land Speeder Vengeance with a well placed Meltagun shot. Ironclad Dreadnought deep strikes and bakes a bike with his Heavy Flamer.
Land Raider menaces the rest of the board, while the Ironclad drops behind.
Dark Angels/White Scars – Turn 2
Bikes retreat to stay away from the Land Raider, while the Tactical Squad immobilizes the Ironclad with a grav shot. Scouts charge the Drop Pod. The 5-man tactical squad and the Ravenhawk Assault Wing arrive on the left side of the board to get objectives. Sadly, one of the objectives evaporates for the tatsquad.
Ironclads are much less threatening when they can’t walk.
It’s objective time!
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Land Raider makes a mad dash across craters and bakes 1/2 the Tactical Squad, including all the Grav! Even immobilzed, the Dreadnought fires its Heavy Flamer and bakes the Scouts. Stormtalon arrives and puts two glances on the Stormraven!
The Land Raider drives like it’s auditioning for Fast & Furious 40,000.
Nice shooting by the Stormtalon!
Dark Angels/White Scars – Turn 3
Tactical squad charges the Drop Pod, glancing it as Bikes stay cautiously out of Land Raider charge range. Venerable Dreadnought disembarks to get the objective.
Bikes are cautious while Tatsquad is gutsy!
The Venerable Dreadnought’s struggle is real, as is the objective he finds.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Land Speeder Storm arrives behind the Stormraven, but due to Reinforced Ceramite, the Multi-Melta is useless! Tactical Squad arrives via Drop Pod, grabs both objectives by combat squadding, and vapes the Venerable Dreadnought. However, an explosion kills the Sergeant! Land Raider Redeemer Kool-Aid Mans through the wall and takes the central objective. Stormtalon menaces the 5 man tatsquad, killing 3.
Melta is less effective without the extra D6. Meanwhile, the Stormtalon brings Death from Above.
Got it!
Stunt Driver! OH YEAHHHHH!
Dark Angels/White Scars – Turn 4
Bikes go the long way around to avoid the Land Raider. Sternguard disembark and completely wipe out the bolter squad.
Still wary of the Land Raider.
Sternguard arrive for some serious firepower.
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Land Raider rolls out to go for the other objective. Stormtalon finishes off the Stormraven.
Stormraven finally goes down, as the Stormtalon risks a hover.
Land Raider goes for a different objective.
Dark Angels/White Scars – Turn 5
Remaining two bolter marines run to secure central objective. Bikes charge the Land Raider with rending sticks and do nothing, then hit-and-run 12″. Sternguard charge the remaining tatsquad in the crater, and kill them!
The bikes punch the Land Raider in the butt to no effect.
Sternguard get the job done!
Azure Flames – Turn 5
Leonidas and the Terminators disembark the Land Raider, and then the Land Raider moves back to the central objective. The two bolter marines holding it are killed, and the Land Raider holds the objective. The Stormtalon hovers flat-out to get the objective in the crater, and Leonidas and the Terminators charge the Sternguard, killing them all. The scouts hold the last objective. Game ends.
Leonidas finally shows up, and puts the hurt on the Sternguard!
Land Raider makes one more dash through a wall, and takes the last objective.
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Final Score:
Azure Flames: 9 plus Linebreaker for 10
Dark Angels/White Scars: First Blood for 1
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Paul was banking on a psychic power to trade places with another unit, and get a turn one charge! Unfortunately, he did not roll that power. He had a good list, but 3 of the 4 objectives he identified were removed, one of which killed his apothecary!
In the end, I love this mission because it requires you to be mobile and tactical, but not as frantically as a Maelstrom mission.
Next: more painting and modelling projects!
Highland April Tournament Prep part 1 – Imperial Guard
Last year, I took on an anything-goes style 40K tournament with one goal: show that 40K is still fun by standing up to beardy broken lists with a balanced fun Highlander-style Combined Arms Detachment. I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, because I not only won the tournament, I made quite the impression on Ian, the event coordinator.
So, this year, the points value is reduced to 1500, and players are limited to one Combined Arms Detachment plus one other formation of any kind, subject to the Highlander rules of composition. For those unfamiliar, you can only take one of any given unit. The exception is Troops choices, but you can only duplicate Troops choices after taking one of every type of Troops in your Codex.
The Tournament is in July. Never too early to prep. With the help of the wonderful people of the Highland Library 40K Club, I played two great games to see how my initial list performs. My first game was against Michael, who I played against last month.
The mission that we played was the 4th mission from last year’s tournament. We didn’t get to play it properly, so it will be the first mission in this year’s tournament.
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Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines (Salamanders)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Leonidas, Captain of the 1st Company (counts as Vulkan He’stan)
- Ironclad Dreadnought, Chainfist, replace Storm Bolter with Heavy Flamer, Ironclad Launchers
- Drop Pod
- Terminator Assault Squad x5, 5x Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield
- Land Raider Redeemer, Extra Armour, Multi-Melta
- Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Melta, Meltagun, Multi-Melta
- Drop Pod
- Scout Squad x5
- Land Speeder Storm, Multi-Melta
- Land Speeder Squadron x3, 3x Multi-Melta
- Stormtalon Gunship, Skyhammer Missile Launcher
Michael – Imperial Guard (I’m not calling them Astra Militarum)
- Combined Arms Detachment
- Land Raider Executioner Command Tank, Camo Netting
- Commander Pask
- Commisar, Plasma Pistol, Power Sword, Refractor Field
- Commisar, Plasma Pistol, Power Sword, Refractor Field
- Veteran Squad, Grenadiers, Forward Sentries, Demolitions
- Infantry Platoon
- Platoon Command Squad, Medic, Commander, Power Sword, Plasma Gun
- Infantry Squad, Plasma Gun
- Infantry Squad, Plasma Gun
- Primaris Psyker, Lv2
- Techpriest Enginseer
- 5 Servitors, Servo Arms
- Stormlord Superheavy Tank, 2x Lascannon, Camo Netting
- NOTE: Due to Michael not owning a Stormlord, he used a box top as a proxy. Fire arcs were approximated and judged with a 4+.
- Land Raider Executioner Command Tank, Camo Netting
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Mission – Right Place at the Wrong Time
Players alternate setting up 6 numbered objectives. When an objective is first claimed, roll a D6. On a 1, the objective explodes, causing D6 S5 AP4 hits to the squad that claimed it, and then the objective is removed from the game permanently! On a 2-3, the objective is removed. On a 4+, the objective is “real” and is rolled for as a Mysterious Objective, re-rolling all results of 1.
If 3 objectives are removed, the remaining 3 are “real” and if 3 are identified as “real” all others are removed (assume they are deactivated). Objectives are worth 3 points at the end of the game. First Blood, Linebreaker, and Slay the Warlord for one point each.
Setup zones are Random. For this game with Michael, we played Hammer and Anvil (short table edges, 24″ deployment)
Setup
In the grand tradition of Tournament scenarios, I did not go first.
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Imperial Guard – Turn 1
The Stormlord fires a Lascannon at the Land Raider Redeemer, glancing it, and fires its Vulcan Megabolter at the Land Speeders. Luckily one of them is out of its fire arc.
The Land Speeders take a huge amount of fire!
Land Raider is glanced.
Azure Flames – Turn 1
Land Raider advances and pops smoke. Ironclad Dreadnought arrives and damages the platoon squad in the bunker. Last Land Speeder flies towards the enemy.
Let’s move out.
Surprise!
Imperial Guard – Turn 2
Plasma fire from several sources puts two glances on the Ironclad. An Infantry Squad charges the last Land Speeder and kills it.
Guardsmen rush!
Not enough to bring down the Ironclad!
Azure Flames – Turn 2
Ironclad charges the Stormlord, doing 8 hull points of damage, just one away from doing it in! Land Raider moves up and uses its Multi-Melta to destroy Pask’s Leman Russ. Land Speeder Storm arrives and takes cover behind some ruins. Turn not pictured.
Imperial Guard – Turn 3
Veteran squad disembarks from the Stormlord and charges the Ironclad, killing it with Melta bombs! Vulcan Megabolter whiffs against the Land Speeder Storm, but Heavy Bolter sponsons shred the speeder, and other guns kill two of the Scouts, forcing them to go to ground.
Expensive Veterans are worth it, as they save the Stormlord from the Ironclad.
Scouts are stymied in the ruins by heavy fire.
Azure Flames – Turn 3
Stormtalon arrives and kills many of the Infantry squad that killed the last Land Speeder, breaking them. Leonidas and the Terminators disembark the Land Raider, and split up. The Terminators go after the Veterans, killing everyone but the Commissar who breaks and flees! Leonidas kills the remaining troops in the bunker with his Heavy Flamer. Tactical Squad arrives via drop pod, combat squads, and blows up the Stormlord with Melta power! The only survivor is a lone Servitor who is killed by a Drop Pod Storm Bolter.
Air power gets revenge!
This Commissar doesn’t have anyone to shoot, so he flees!
Leonidas clears the bunker, as the Tactical Squad finishes off the Stormlord.
Imperial Guard – Turn 4
Platoon commander orders the Commissar to Get Back in the Fight! Commissar fires his plasma, but a Terminator makes his save.
The Commissar is back, but out of luck.
Azure Flames – Turn 4
Bolter fire and fire from the Stormtalon kill all remaining models. Tabled.
Shot him before the Terminators could finish him.
The Stormtalon hovers to take care of business.
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I knew holding objectives would be hard with a Superheavy designed to wipe Space Marines off the table, so I poured everything I had into killing it. That ended up working well, as Michael put all his eggs in one basket. A superheavy basket. However, without the Stormlord to dish out punishment, the rest of the army was a bit lacking.
Next: I go up against a Dark Angels/White Scars list with new tricks from the latest Space Marine Supplement: Angels of Death! Stay tuned!
DRILL OUT YOUR BOLTER BARRELS
Look at this. Is there anything that screams laziness more than the barrel of this Space Marine’s Boltgun?
No one wants to see that. That’s bush league. Don’t be like that. Here’s a handy guide on how to drill the barrels of Boltguns so they don’t look terrible.
- Get a good pin vise set with a 1/32″ and a 3/64″ drill bit. The standard Dremel 7 bit set comes with this and is usually less than $5.
- Put the smallest bit (1/32″) in the pin vise, and begin to drill the crossbore of the Bolter.
- PRO TIP: If you are at a bad angle, you’ll ruin the barrel. Instead of going through the whole Bolter at once, drill a bit on one side and switch. Keep switching after a couple turns until you break through.
- Continue as above until you see daylight through the Bolter. DO NOT STOP UNTIL YOU SEE DAYLIGHT. See below.
- Keep the same 1/32″ bit in, and drill a very small divot into the front of the barrel. Try to make it as centered as possible.
- Replace the 1/32″ bit with the 3/64″ bit. Drill out the barrel all the way to the cavity you created in the crossbore.
- Sometimes, the crossbore gets a little extra plastic from the barrel drill, as seen below. Put the 1/32″ bit back in and use it to carefully clean the crossbore.
- If any of your barrels were damaged, fix them with putty or replace the Bolter if you can.
- Now your Bolters don’t look like garbage!
Next: A huge update to the Azure Flames, including two Tactical Squads, and some special surprises courtesy of Games Workshop’s 20th anniversary of the Space Marines! You won’t want to miss this!