Reunion Gothic Match! 1000 The Raiders, Marines vs. Chaos, featuring Lexington!

Lexington’s back in town for the holidays!  I got him a Boomdakka Snazzwagon for xmas and he got me a Protomen hoodie that is so warm it’s basically a coat.

Storytime!

Long ago, Lexington built an Ork Battlefleet Gothic fleet out of the old pewter Killa Kans and some other bitz.  However, the fleet fell off a shelf and shattered into a million pieces.  Like Humpty Dumpty, Lexington couldn’t put it back together.  So, he asked to borrow one of my fleets.  He chose Chaos to represent his other 40K force, while I played the good old Azure Flames.  To keep the game small, we played a 1000pt The Raiders mission.  Here’s what happened!

——————————————-

Bozeman – Azure Flames Space Marines, Crusade Fleet List (Attacker, 500pts)

• Strike Cruiser Honor, Extra Shield, Honor Guard
• Strike Cruiser Duty, Extra Shield, Honor Guard
• Strike Cruiser Sacrifice, Extra Shield

Lexington – Chaos, Abbadon’s 13th Black Crusade Fleet List (Defender, 1000pts

• Styx Heavy Cruiser Time of Sorrow
  • Warmaster (Ld+2), Re-roll
• Devastation Cruiser Pride of Heresy
• Devastation Cruiser Hateful
  
• Infidel Raider x3, Talon Squadron
• Idolator Raider x2, The Defilers

——————————————-

Mission – The Raiders

The Attacker gets 1/2 of the points value agreed on.  Defender deploys their entire fleet more than 30cm from any board edge, all facing the same board edge, and with each ship/squadron more than 20cm from any other.  All Defender ships are at -1 Ld for D6 turns.  (3 Turns this game) Attacker gets first turn and comes on from any board edge.

Battlezone – Inner Biosphere (bonus/penalty for Batteries doubled) (Note, one Solar Flare result was rolled during setup)

Setup

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

All three Strike Cruisers come on from the Starboard side of the Time of Sorrow.  Torpedoes do 7 damage, and Thunderhawk Gunships cause a few weapons to be disabled.  The Hateful also takes one damage from torpedoes.

Turn 1 – Chaos

The Time of Sorrow disengages.  Both Escort squadrons go on Come to a New Heading to fire on the Space Marines.  The Honor takes one damage from torpedoes.  The Duty suffers four critical effects from assault boats.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

The Duty Braces for Impact but still takes a few more critical effects from assault boats.  The Hateful is crippled by torpedoes, and both remaining capital ships suffer more critical effects.

Turn 2 – Chaos

Unable to reload, the Chaos ships fire at the Marines ineffectually.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Solar Flare occurs!  Duty, overburdened by critical effects, disengages.  Honor and Sacrifice Reload Ordnance.  Torpedoes do 3 damage to the Hateful, and a Thunderhawk scores an Engine Room Damaged effect, finishing the ship off and leaving it a drifting hulk.  The Pride of Heresy is crippled by torpedo damage.  Turn not pictured.

Turn 3 – Chaos

Pride of Heresy disengages.  Escorts take down both shields of the Honor.

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

Both ships Reload.  Talon Squadron of Idolators is destroyed by ordnance and fire.  The Defilers Infidel squadron loses one member.

Turn 4 – Chaos

The Defilers disengage.  Game over.

——————————————-

Final Score

Azure Flames: 519

Chaos: 17

——————————————-

Several factors heavily influenced this game.  1: Lexington left his Admiral’s ship dangerously close to the edge, allowing a turn 1 alpha strike.  He should have buffered his sides with the escorts.  2: The leadership penalty led to some key missed reloads.  3: Anticipating only minor damage, Lexington refused to Brace for Impact several times.  Knowing when to Brace is key in Gothic.

Next: more painting and batreps!  Hope my computer doesn’t die again!

Post Computer Brick Batrep – 2v2 Battle! (and RANT)

This battle report comes two weeks too late, as I went to AFK games, played this battle, and came home to find my computer completely useless.  Now, after an extended repair and getting the setup not quite right, I’m ready to give the highlights of the battle!

Editors note: halfway through this report, I will digress to a point where I will shout angrily.  You’ll see why when I get there…

Anyway, longtime Fourstrands opponent Chris brought his Blood Angels alongside new player Tyler who brought some Cadian Imperial Guard.  I had another newbie on my side, Mike, who brought Dark Angels.  Because this batrep is two weeks old in my mind, below are some highlights.

Setup

Our opponents went first, giving us a bit of a bloody nose.  However amazing saves by the last Scout in the ruins, combined with me spending 2CP prevented the enemy from getting First Blood!

My Captain on Bike retaliated, smashing a Razorback with the help of the surviving bike squad.

The Tactical Squad fell back to allow Tempestus Scions to shoot then charge!  This devolved into a bloody scrum.

My new double-heavy-flamers break cover to incinerate some Scions

Next, Chaplain Lemartes and the Death Company deep strike!  The Death Company charges my Captain, but he smashes four of them and takes no wounds in return!  Lemartes can’t charge.

RANT TIME.

OK, so next, my tactical squad moves up toward Lemartes.  They hose him down with flamers, doing four wounds.  Chris rolls 1, 1, 2, 2, and fails all FNP rolls so Lemartes takes four wounds.  That’s fine, right?  Chaplains have five wounds.

NOPE.

LEMARTES, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CHAPLAINS IN THE IMPERIUM, HAS ONLY FOUR WOUNDS.

OTHER CHAPLAINS THAT ARE NOT NAMED CHARACTERS HAVE FIVE.  APOTHECARIES HAVE FIVE.

WHAT.

Seriously, from a game design perspective, how do you make one of your cool, named, one-of-a-kind characters have FEWER wounds than some random other chaplain?

Ok, rant over.

Anyway, we traded casualties, ending with a slaughter on both sides.

In the end, Matt and I prevailed.  It still felt weird that Lemartes died like a punk.

Oh well, next, Lexington and I play some Battlefleet Gothic!

 

Back in the Saddle – 2000 Azure Flames vs. Orks Spoils of War

I’d like to say I’ve been busy, but really my laptop died, so I haven’t updated for a while.  But now, I’ve got a bitchin’ new gaming rig to play Battlefleet Gothic Armada II – Electric Boogaloo!

But this blog is about model gaming, so here’s what I’ve been up to.

I played Eric’s extremely mean Slaanesh demon tournament list.  Demons are very strong in tournaments, as I’d be hard pressed to beat this list without buying a bunch of flamers.

So I bought a bunch of flamers.

After that, I went up against Dominic (Mr. Cat) and his Knights.  My gimmicky drop-in-and-kill-a-knight list was a failure.

Finally, this weekend, I played Jesse again.  He wanted to test out his sweet new Ork models for a 1750 tournament the next day.  We played 2000 so he could try different things to see what works.  ‘Ere we go!

———————————

Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)

• Brigade Detachment
  • Captain on Bike, The Shield Eternal, Thunder Hammer, Warlord Trait: Iron Resolve
  • Librarian, Force Staff, Might of Heroes, Veil of Time
  • Lieutenant, Chainsword, Combi-Grav
  • Scout Squad x5, Missile Launcher
  • Scout Squad x5, Missile Launcher
  • Tactical Squad x5, Storm Bolter, Lascannon
  • Tactical Squad x5, Storm Bolter, Lascannon
  • Tactical Squad x5, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
    • Rhino
  • Tactical Squad x5, Power Fist, Combi-Flamer, Flamer
    • Rhino
  • Apothecary
  • Company Ancient, Standard of the Emperor Ascendant, Bolter
  • Dreadnought, Twin Lascannon, Heavy Flamer
  • Attack Bike, Heavy Bolter
  • Land Speeder, 2x Heavy Flamer
  • Land Speeder, 2x Heavy Flamer
  • Devastators x5, Combi-Plasma, 4x Lascannon, Armourium Cherub
  • Devastators x5, Combi-Grav, 4x Heavy Bolter, Armourium Cherub
  • Thunderfire Cannon

Jesse – Orks

• Batallion – Deathskulls
  • Big Mek, Shokk Attack Gun
  • Weirdboy, Warphead
  • Boyz x28, Nob, Power Klaw, Sluggas + Choppas
  • Boyz x20, Nob, Power Klaw, Shootas
  • Gretchin x10
  • Mek Gunz x3, 3x Traktor Cannon
  • Tankbustas x6, Nob, 3x Bomb Squigs
  • Battlewagon, Deffgun, Big Shoota, Deff Rolla
• Batallion – Evil Sunz
  • Warboss on Bike, Da Dead Shiny Shoota, Power Klaw
  • Deffkilla Wartrike
  • Big Mek on Bike, Kustom Force Field
  • Gretchin x10
  • Gretchin x10
  • Gretchin x10
  • Megatrakk Scrapjet
  • Megatrakk Scrapjet
  • Stormboyz x 20, Nob
  • Warbikes x10, Nob, Power Klaw

———————————

Spoils of War – Maelstrom of War Mission #4

6 objectives.  You can score an objective that is Secure Tactical Objective X from your opponent’s hand.  In addition, the player with the most Secure Objective X scored at the end of the game gains an additional victory point.

Setup

Spearhead Assault (Chevron shaped deployment along short board edges)

I couldn’t take pictures of the pregame because my camera broke!  I got to tape the battery case shut halfway through turn 1.

On turn 1, the Warphead used Warpath on the 28 Boy Squad, and then used Da Jump to teleport them right in front of me!

The Boyz charged my Bike Captain, reducing him to one wound!

I let loose a volley, blowing up one of the Skrapjets and causing a huge amount of mortal wounds from the explosion.

In an attempt to get objective 6 for some points, the Warboss charged a Tactical Squad, leaving the sergeant to face him down.  Elsewhere, the Captain succumbed to the Boyz, who were slaughtered in kind by the rest of the army.

The Deffkilla Wartrike entered the fray, but couldn’t assassinate the Apothecary for a point!

A Tactical Squad defended Objective 3 to score a point, finishing the last of the Stormboyz

The Warboss is eliminated by a fantastic Heavy Flamer roll.

The Skrapjet and Battlewagon charged in, laying waste to minor characters!

After this, it devolved into a bloody killzone with few surviving on both sides.  Da Jump brought Gretchin and Shokk Attack Gun Mek into my backfield, while Scouts walked on from reserve.

———————————–

Final Score:

Azure Flames – 11 plus Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker, First Blood, Steal the Loot = 15

Orks – 7 plus Slay the Warlord, Linebreaker = 9

———————————–

Orks are REALLY good.  They have a lot of tricks and some great new stuff.  I was not impressed with the Deffkilla Wartrike, as the Bike Warboss really outshined it in every phase.  Stormboyz were not effective, as they need some decent numbers to really get going.  The Battlewagon was boss in melee, and the Skrapjets kicked out huge amounts of Rokkits and rocked in melee.

My Land Speeders with double flamers were lackluster, as poor rolls had them doing approx. 4 wounds/turn each.  I also forgot to deploy the scouts, forcing them to walk on from the edge!  In the end, though, I drew well.  That’s kind of what counts in Maelstrom, which is why I still don’t like it a lot.

Next: I should paint some models and more games!