Once again, thanks to the good folks at AFK games for providing a wonderful store to have a battle in!  This week’s battle was against Stephen, a hardcore Dark Angels player with a serious Deathwing and Ravenwing collection.  Here’s our lists:

Bozeman – Azure Flames (Salamanders)

-Leonidas (counts as Vulkan He’Stan) (Warlord Trait: Gain +D3 victory points if the Warlord kills the enemy Warlord in a challenge)

-Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Flamer, Flamer, Multi-Melta in a Drop Pod

-Tactical Squad x10, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, Bolter-Flamer, Flamer, Multi-Melta in a Rhino with Extra Armour

-Sternguard Veterans x10, Power Fist, 10x Combi-gravs in a Drop Pod

-Dreadnought, Plasma Cannon, Heavy Flamer, Extra Armour

-Bike Squad x5, Veteran Sergeant, Power Fist, 2x Grav Guns

-Vindicator, Siege Shield, Extra Armour

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Stephen – Dark Angels

-Sammael, Lord of the Ravenwing on a Jetbike (Warlord Trait: +1VP if the enemy Warlord is slain) (Also has Monster Slayer of Caliban)

-Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians (Powers: Mind Worm, Psychic Scream, Prescience)

-Ravenwing Command Squad (Company Champion, Banner of Devastation, all bikes have Plasma Talons)

-Venerable Dreadnought with Twin Linked Lascannon in a Drop Pod

-Venerable Dreadnought with Twin Linked Lascannon in a Drop Pod

-Ravenwing Attack Squad x6 plus Attack Bike, Power Fist, Multi-Melta, Attached Land Speeder with Heavy Bolter and Assault Cannon

-Ravenwing Attack Squad x6 plus Attack Bike, Power Fist, Multi-Melta

-Tactical Squad x9, Bolter-Melta, Lascannon, in a Rhino

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The Board

Mission: The Relic (one objective that can be carried worth 3VPs)  Setup: Dawn of War (long board edges)

I won setup and chose to go second.  Stephen chose the table edge closest to the camera in teh above picture.  Here’s Stephen’s Setup:

Ezekiel joined the Tatsquad in the Rhino, left of center.  The Command Squad was to my far left, with Sammael.  The Bikes with the Speeder were centered, and the other bikes were to my right.

Here’s my setup:

The Tactical Squad split into combat squads, one with a Multi-Melta and one with the Sergeant and flamer in the Rhino to my left.  Leonidas joined the squad in the Rhino, and the Bikes were nearby.  The other combat squad secured high ground.  The Vindicator hid by the central bridge, and the Dreadnought took cover in the forest to my right.

Initiative not seized.  Before the game began, Stephen’s bikes took a Scout move!  They were right on top of me!

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Turn 1 – Dark Angels

The rightmost Bike Squad charged the Dreadnought, and a round of poor rolling on both sides results in no wounds and a draw.  A Venerable Dreadnought arrived, and fired its Lascannon at the Vindicator, missing even with the re-roll.  The central bike squad moved up and shot my bikes, but failed to kill any.  Ezekiel and his tactical squad moved cautiously forward to support either side.  Sammael and the Command Squad wasted the Rhino with a hail of plasma fire, leaving three Azure Flames marines inside dead and pinned to boot!

EDIT: It looks like if you take a Scout move you cannot charge on turn 1!  Oops!  We both did not know that.  Oh well.

Turn 1 Charge!  …not so much happened.

Menacing!

That’s a lot of plasma shots!  Not even Leonidas could withstand such firepower, leaving his unit pinned.

Turn 1 – Azure Flames

The Vindicator drives out and shoots the bikes, but a poor scatter makes the Land Speeder the only target which immobilizes the pesky vehicle.  The Combi-Grav Veterans arrive via drop pod next to Sammael.  Between their Grav shots and the Bikes, Sammael and the Command Squad are turned into cowboy sauce.  The Multi-Melta puts a glance on the Dreadnought, and a bolter from that squad causes another glance.  The Dreadnought kills two bikes and takes a glancing hit from a Power Fist, but the Dark Angels stick around.

The Command Squad is wasted in a hail of Grav fire!

The fight continues!

Turn 2 – Dark Angels

Another Venerable Dreadnought arrives via Drop Pod, and fires at the Vindicator, but the hit rolls a “1” to penetrate and fails to hurt it.  The damaged Venerable Dreadnought fires at the Veterans and kills one.  Ezekiel’s Rhino moves up behind cover.  The central Bike squad retreats towards the objective, leaving the Land Speeder behind.  The Dreadnought kills another bike.

A withdrawal towards the objective.

Looking for options.

Turn 2 – Azure Flames

The Tactical Squad’s drop pod arrives, and they land next to the central bikes, putting the hurt on them.  The Veterans and Bikes move towards Ezekiel’s Rhino, but only the Veterans can charge it.  They destroy it with Krak Grenades.  The Vindicator backs up and shoots the Venerable Dreadnought, but the penetration roll is a “1”!  Looks like nothing can shoot vehicles well this game.  The Dreadnought kills another bike and receives a penetrating result with Crew Stunned from the power fist.

Rhino destroyed!

What do you MEAN it ignored the Demolisher Cannon shell?

The fight continues!

Death from above!

Turn 3 – Dark Angels

The Azure Flames Dreadnought kills a bike, and the lone Sergeant flees.  The unhurt Venerable Dreadnought shoots the Vindicator, glances it, then charges and whiffs with all of its attacks!  The central bikes back off and secure the objective.  Ezekiel’s Psychic Scream, Mind Worm, and then Prescience-guided fire from the Tactical Squad wipes out the Veterans.

You better run, boy!

What do you MEAN it missed us?  We’re a tank!

Objective Secure.

The Veterans are eliminated, thanks to Ezekiel.

Turn 3 – Azure Flames

Combined fire from the Vindicator and the Dreadnought’s Plasma Cannon kills all but the objective-holding bike.  The Multi-melta from the Tactical Combat Squad finishes off the hurt Venerable Dreadnought.  The Tactical Squad and Lenoidas part ways to assault the Drop Pods, one of which explodes and kills an Azure Flame.  The Tactical Squad and the Bikes kill four Marines from Ezekiel’s squad, including the Sergeant and the Lascannon. 

Fire in the hole!

Keep your Deployment Zone clean, kids.

Pincer attack!

Turn 4 – Dark Angels

The remaining Venerable Dreadnought charges the Vindicator, finally exploding it.  A successful Deny the Witch roll save the Tactical Squad from Psychic Scream, and some good armour saves keep all but the Multi-Melta alive.  The bike with the objective hides behind the rock formation, and the broken bike automatically regroups thanks to And They Shall Know No Fear.

Now THAT’S what’s supposed to happen when a Dreadnought punches something.  The Vindicator is toast!

Ezekiel tries to deal with the Tactical Squad.

Turn 4 – Azure Flames

The Bikes’ Grav fire and bolters kill all of the Tactical Marines with Ezekiel, and then charge Ezekiel.  He kills one bike, but then is killed outright by a Power Fist.  The Tactical Squad gets a poor difficult terrain test and only two of them get to shoot at the bike with the Objective, but fail to do anything.  The Dreadnought fires the Plasma Cannon at the Bike Sergeant, and it scatters… INTO THE BIKE CARRYING THE OBJECTIVE!  Bank shot!  However the roll to wound is a “1” which is a theme this game…  The Surviving Tactical Sergeant takes care of the remaining Dark Angel Drop Pod.

Ezekiel goes down!

Great scatter puts the Plasma Cannon on the Objective Bearer!  However it fails to wound… Oh well, easy come, easy go…

That Sergeant gets another Drop Pod on his PUNCH CARD!  Eight more and he gets a free 6″ sub.

Turn 5 – Dark Angels

The Objective-bearing bike drives around the rock towards my right side.  The other surviving bike moves to cover it.  The Venerable Dreadnought fires… and misses.  AGAIN.  That’s the third twin-linked Lascannon to miss this game.  The Bike charges the Dreadnought, but dies in Overwatch Heavy Flamer fire.  The Venerable Dreadnought fails to charge.

Turn not pictured.

Turn 5 – Azure Flames

The Dreadnought charges and kills the Objective-bearer.  Other models advance on the center of the board.

Game ends.

The Dreadnought takes care of business.

The Dark Angels have only a Dreadnaught left.

Azure Flames have Slay the Warlord and Linebreaker.  Dark Angels have First Blood.  Azure Flames win 2-1!

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Post Game Thoughts

This is a game in which both sides rolled poorly for some key rolls.  Stephen failed to hit THREE TIMES with a TWIN LINKED LASCANNON AT BS4!  That’s insane.  I also got some terrible diffcult terrain rolls, and “1”s to wound when I really needed to kill a guy, especially in the Dreadnought combat with the bikes on the right side.

However, this game was not won on luck.  The decision to charge with the other bike was a poor one.  The Objective-bearer should have run the other direction, towards his board edge, and the bike should have played interference.  The Dreadnought should also not have tried to charge, but should have stayed in my deployment zone to gain Linebreaker.

Overall, a nail biter!  There was another game during our game.  Nate(right), who I played against last week, took on Mr. Cat (left) in a Stronghold Assault where Mr. Cat’s Space Marines held against Nate’s Guard while defending TWO Void Shield Generators!  A huge slog.

Next, veterans, and more games at AFK!