2000 pts. Azure Flames vs. Imperial Guard, Brigade on Brigade action!

After colds, family crises and impromptu Magic tournaments eating up my opponents, I finally got in another game.  Nathan, longtime opponent on fourstrands, brought a Brigade of Cadians!  Not to be outdone, I crammed a brigade into 2000 points.  Here are the results!

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Mission: No Mercy.

Destroyed units give one victory point.

Additional victory points for Slay the Warlord, First Blood, and Linebreaker

Setup: Dawn of War (long table edges, 12″ deployment)

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Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)

Brigade Detachment

• Captain, Combi-Melta, Power Fist, The Salamander’s Mantle, Warlord Trait: Iron Resolve
• Librarian, Force Staff
• Lieutenant, Bolter, Power Fist
• Tactical Squad x5, Storm Bolter, Heavy Bolter
• Tactical Squad x5, Storm Bolter, Heavy Bolter
• Tactical Squad x5, Combi-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
• Tactical Squad x5, Combi-Flamer, Power Fist, Flamer
• Tactical Squad x5, Combi-Melta, Power Fist, Lascannon
• Tactical Squad x5, Combi-Melta, Power Fist, Lascannon
• Apothecary
• Chapter Ancient, Power Sword, Standard of the Emperor Ascendant
• Dreadnought, Assault Cannon, Heavy Flamer
• Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
• Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
• Attack Bike, Multi-Melta
• Devastator Squad x5, Lascannon x4, Armourium Cherub
• Devastator Squad x5, Missile Launcher x4, Armourium Cherub
• Thunderfire Cannon

Nathan – Cadians

Brigade Detatchments

• Company Commander
• Primaris Psyker
• Primaris Psyker
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Infantry Squad
• Commander
• Astropath
• Command Squad
• Tech Priest Enginseer
• Devil Dog x2
• Armoured Sentinel
• Armoured Sentinel
• Armoured Sentinel
• Heavy Weapons Squad
• Heavy Weapons Squad
• Leman Russ x3
• Manticore
• Chimera
• Chimera
• Chimera

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Setup

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Pre-Game: Nathan spent 2CP to activate a preliminary bombardment!  An Armourium Cherub bites the dust, the Chapter Ancient and a Rhino take a wound apiece.

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

First Blood as a Leman Russ explodes, damaging several units nearby!  Several guardsmen are blasted by the Thunderfire’s arcing shots from teh safety of the ruins, and the squad is finished off by Heavy Bolters.  Attack Bikes move up with one of the Rhinos carrying a flamer squad on the right side of the board.

Turn 1 – Cadians

Tanks and Sentinels firing plasma on high power wipe out the lascannon squad and do a few wounds to squads here and there.  Chimera units move up to where they can do some good.  Manticore fires a rocket at the Thunderfire Cannon, doing two wounds.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

Two Attack Bikes fire on a sentinel, obliterating it, then charge a Chimera.  Some bad rolls do some serious damage to Leman Russes, but cause no casualties.  Dreadnought moves up.  Rhino moves up on the left side, popping smoke and hiding behind a stone formation.  Other Rhino on the right side advances.

Turn 2 – Cadians

Devils Dogs move up and severely damage the Rhino and kill the Dreadnought.  More fire damages the Missile Devastators.  The Chimera disengages from one Attack Bike, but not another to tie it up.  The newly unengaged bike is mowed down by several Guard Squads.   Guardsmen assault one of the remaining Attack Bikes and the Rhino on the right, doing one wound to the Attack Bike.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Flamer squad disembarks, fails dismally to shoot the Primaris Psyker in the ruins, but charge and kill him in close combat!  They consolidate into the abandoned Chimera.  The other Flamer squad disembarks their injured Rhino, bakes half a squad, and charges the Devil Dog, killing it.

Turn 3 – Cadians

Fire reduces the Flamer squad on the left to the Sergeant.  He is charged by the Primaris Psyker and the Techpriest Enginseer, who both miss spectacularly.  He kills the Primaris Psyker, leaving him in combat with the Techpriest.  A wave of fire blasts the remaining two Missile launchers, leaving one lucky survivor.  The Tactical squad continues their rampage on the right side of the board as the Infantry squad puts two more wounds on the Attack bike, losing several more of their numbers!

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

Apothecary, after trying and failing all game, resurrects a Tactical marine with a Lascannon, and he wreaks holy vengeance on a Leman Russ, doing 6 wounds!  Sergeant finishes off the Techpriest.  Fight with the Attack Bike, Rhino, and Cadian squad continues without casualties.

Turn 4 – Cadians

Another huge wave of fire is aimed squarely at the lone missile devatator, who shrugs it off like nothing!  A stray shot takes out the nrely resurrected Lascannon marine, who takes a parting shot thanks to the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant!  His final shot kills the tank that killed him!  Chimera pulls away from the Tactical marines assaulting it before it can be destroyed.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 5 – Azure Flames

Captain and Librarian put the hurt on a stray Chimera.  The squad inside loses 4 people when it is destroyed.  The Attack Bike and Rhino fall back from the Cadians, as the Tactical Squad approaches from behind, giving them a fiery death!

Turn 5 – Cadians

Fire puts 3 total wounds on the Captain.  The squad in the Chimera charges him, dies to the Sergeant, who flees!  The Manticore and Chimera Charge, to no avail.  Game ends.

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Final score:

Azure Flames: 14 plus First Blood and Linebreaker = 16

Cadians: 9

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For most of this game I was taking it on the chin.  Indeed, during the first turn, I completely forgot the Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, depriving me of several free lascannon shots!  Ultimately, both players did a lot of damage, leaving little alive on either side.  How did I win?

I took a Brigade, which is a minimum of 18 units, plus I took 2 Rhinos, and the Thunderfire counts as two for a total of 21 targets.  Nathan took 18 plus another Heavy Support, Devil dogs, Three Leman Russes, three Chimeras, and another Elite slot for 26.  Nathan’s targets are a bit… softer, especially medium vehicles like Chimeras and Sentinels.  Lascannons and Smite took care of several of these vehicles, and the Thunderfire Cannon took out some of the softer targets.  In the end, the toughness of the Space Marines, combined with some tactically timed armour save re-rolls kept a few key units alive.  Several of my units had one wound or model left, and had they died earlier they wouldn’t have made the differences they had.

So, in the end, a Salamander MSU gunline is a pretty mean thing, going toe to toe with one of the top tier lists in the game.

Coming up next: a special surprise!