2100 Pt Tournament – Round 2

I meant to have this post out yesterday but thanks to some helpful feedback from the last battle report I decided to add some visual aids. I hope you enjoy this as it was a complete pain to put together! I hope the video battle reports are easier.

My second game was against a mech blood angels player that I had seen earlier and hoped to fight. In addition to having a great looking army he also is preparing to attend BoLScon and therefore had an eye toward tournament play as well. A really nice guy, I have to say that the game was excellent, and enjoyable throughout the experience. Makes me wish I lived a little closer to the coast and Jaks so I could get down there more often.

At any rate, my complete list is restated in the previous post, but here is a broken down version of it, as I use the squad names throughout. I have posted a picture after that of the units as they will appear in the Battle Report pictures.

ANGELS OF PERDITION

Chapter Master Gabriel Martel (Counts as Pedro Kantor)

Elite: Terminator Squad (10#, 480 pts) (The First)

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 115 pts) (Brother Dreadnought Exetur)

Elite: Dreadnought (1#, 115 pts)(Brother Dreadnought Hamiel)

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 225 pts) (Squad Maltheas) Rhino

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 235 pts) (Squad Josiah) Rhino

Troops: Scout Squad (5#, 115 pts) (Squad Morveng)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Storm (1#, 60 pts) (Landspeeder Morveng)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts) (LS 01)

Fast Attack: Land Speeder Squadron (1#, 70 pts) (LS 02)

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 120 pts) (Battle Tank Nefarium)

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 120 pts) (Battle Tank Exeat)

Heavy Support: Thunderfire Cannon (1#, 100 pts) (Techmarine Faitor)

HQ: Space Marine Librarian (1#, 100 pts) (Codicier Raziel, The Repentant)

Total Roster Cost: 2100

Blood Angels

Corbulo

Blood Angels Chaplain

Furioso Dread with Blood Talons in a Drop Pod

Furioso Librarian in a Drop Pod

Dreadnought w/Multimelta in a Drop Pod

6x Assault Squads w/Powerfist, Meltagun in Razorbacks with Twin-linked Heavy Bolters and Hunter Killer missiles

2 Baal Predators with Twin Linked Assault Cannons and Heavy Bolters.

(I realized I left the Baal's off the picture to the left, but they are in the battle report)

BATTLE REPORT – 2100

BLOOD ANGELS VS. ANGELS OF PERDITION

As mentioned in the earlier post, all the of the missions at the tournament were substantially the same. Six objectives were placed (after deployment) and six enemy units nominated (after deployment). Each objective captured/destroyed counted as one Battle Point, everything else was useless. The only thing that was different mission to mission was the set up, this was the Spearhead Deployment.

I lost the roll for initiative, which seems to have happened in both the games at the tournament now that I write this up, c'est le vie. My opponent made what I think at this point was the pivotal decision for this game, and certainly is in many of them. He choose his deployment not on what he thought would be the most advantageous to him, but what would be the worst for me. I was given the corner with a hill that provided 5+ terrain, and prevented from using my Bolster Defenses from my Tunderfire cannon. I thought it was a great choice on his part. He then deployed his army as shown below. The objectives were also placed. Baals forward and six razorbacks behind that.

At this point, it occurred to me that I was going to really take it in the face on round one, eating two dreadnoughts from drop pods and fire from his entire army. Now, I see a lot of this suggestion online, and what I did here, I strongly advise caution on. Some people and/or armies are excellent at it, Fritz from Way of Saim Hain for instance talks extensively about it, the Null Deployment. I don't believe that normal marines, unless they have been made for it, are exceptionally good at it, as too much of their things mor or shoot, not both. But in this situation, facing this, I thought it was the best option out of a handful of bad choices, it also would allow me to get easy side shots against some of the blood angels vehicles. Having played a regular opponent often with blood angels I know that 12 inch movement on the Baals will allow them to face their 13 armor at me every turn. So I didn't deploy and placed all of my army into normal reserves except the Squad Morveng and their Storm, which were in Outflank.

Turn 1

My opponent moves his army and deploys his drop pods as shown below:

After his movement phase, he then announces, pointing at every vehicle possible, that they are firing smoke. I want to take the time and say that in a normal game I would have warned him, not to do this, as none of my models would even start arriving until round 2… but.. this… is… TOURNAMENT!!(couldn't help myself). I see a lot of posts where people talk about helping their opponent in games, reminding them etc… and that is sportsmanship, and I disagree. I'm at a tournament and that means you get my best, not anything less. If you beat me at tournament you know I have done everything and you earned it, no other way. I don't push models, I don't cheat, I don't bend rules, but neither do I feel that is necessary to hand hold my opponents. Thankfully, after I declare I am done at the end of my round one, my opponent laughed (I said he was good natured). He realized he had made a mistake in the game, but also that we were playing a tight match. I can promise you that he will never make that mistake again, and he will be a better player because of it. This is the reason I say I would rather lose then win in most games, I learn more from losing then winning. At any rate, we moved on to his turn 2.

Turn 2 – Blood Angels

His remaining dreadnought failed to come in (Drat!) and he repositioned his Razorbacks around the field, preparing for the storm. Me opponent made another misake here (that he mentioned later in the game) saying that he had forgotten that when I arrived from reserves, I did so along my entire board edge, not just from my deployment area. You can see from set up what he was thinking.

Turn 2 – Angels of Perdition

Blowing up the map some now. Let's do the picture first, then I'll talk.

The following units became available from reserves:

The First (10 terminators with attached Martel and Librarian Raziel), Morveng and Landspeeder storm, Squad Josiah, Predator Nefarium, Techmarine Faitor, Brother Dreadnought Hamiel

Morveng and his squad came in wherever I wanted so I decided to deploy on the right flank. They destroyed the Razorback with Sergeant Morveng's combi-melta then assaulted the marines in cover. They won the combat, then killed the remaining assault marines due to being caught and having to make additional saves. I combat squaded Josiah and the Rhino with five marines and the sergeant drove in on the right flank. In center I brough on Nefarium, The First, Faitor. The fire from them shook one Razorback and obliterated another, but sadly I was just out of assault range with The First and Hamiel.

Turn 3 – Blood Angels

The Blood angels repositioned. In the movement phase Librarian Raziel successfully stopped his Librarian Dreadnought from casting Wings of Sanquiness(sp?). His Drop Pod arrived and his dreadnought came onto the table. During the shooting phase the multi-melta from the dreadnought obliterated Morveng's landspeeder storm in a shower of shrapnel and dead scout pilots. Morveng's squad took fire from several heavy bolters, leaving just the sergeant alive (on the board above you can see the ruins of vehicles, but we forgot about the razorback or I would have been in cover, stupid me. The Librarian Dreadnought cast Bloodlance and rolled double 1^st, immobilizing himself, but did succeed in killing a terminator and destroyed the multi-melta on Hamiel. The rest of the fire phase was inconsequential.

Turn 3 – Angels of Perdition

Every other unit that I had in reserve came onto the table this turn (nice rolling Prodigalson!). The rest of Josiah came on and hid behind a building on the left corner to hold the objective for later. Sergeant Josiah moved up and fired the squad meltagun, missing the drop pod. Predator Nefarium didn't move and opened up on the closest razorback, showering it's armor with las-cannons and high caliber rounds, tearing into the tracks and making the heavy bolters so much junk. My two landspeeders came on from off board and succeeded in blowing the weapon off the Librarian dreadnought. Squad Maltheas drove onboard and destroyed the Baal. I actually made a misake on the map above and my other dreadnought Exetur came on to the left of Squad Maltheas, and it and Predator Exeat shook the other Baal. The First and Brother-Dreadnought Hamiel assaulted the remaining assault marines and obliterated them, although the powerfist of the assault marines wrecked Hamiel. After the combat the terminators moved into cover.

Turn 4 – Blood Angels

The Blood Angels assault squad in the immobilized and weapon destroyed razorback disembarked, moved and ran, while the dreadnoght beside them moved and immobilized Josiah's rhino on the eastern flank.

The Librarian Dreadnought fired his Bloodlance, but didn't penetrate the landspeeder. Fire from the razorbacks destroyed Maltheas's Rhino transport, and the explosion killed three marines before they could disembark the flaming wreck.

The rest of the fire did very little. I have played against a few blood angels now, and while I like the heavy bolter razorback, it just doesn't have much firepower. I've been a lot more impressed in playing against the twin-assault cannons.

Turn 4 – Angels of Perdition

On the eastern flank I disembarked with squad Josiah and then immediately missed with their melta-gun, a problem that would plague the squad all day. Morveng ran for cover, hding behind a building so he could move onto the objective later. Predator Nefarium fired on the damaged razorback in front of him, obliterating it with his autocannons and lascannons. Techmarine Fabius fired with his Thundercannon, destroyed a razorback near the terminators and forced the assault marines to disembark. Predator Exeat fired on another razorback, immobilizing it in the backfield with assistance fire from Brother Dreadnought
Exetur. Squad Maltheas fired a missile launcher but did nothing with it. Believing my left flank with the five assault marines was seriously challenged, my terminators fired on the assault marines, killing them all with missile and storm bolter fire.

Turn 5 – Blood Angels

Brother Corbulo disembarked and ran, taking the left most objective, while the chaplain with his squad moved onto another objective and another assault squad ran onto a third. The last Baal fired on my predator to no effect, while his standard dreadnought fired a flamer at Morveng incinerating him instantly. In the center of the board the Furioso Dreadnought charged the terminators, and killed 3 before his attacks and blood talons petered out. The Chain Fists from the terminators (just say the word… Chain Fist… just sounds bad ass) made short work of him, and the terminators moved forward taking the center of the table.

Turn 5 - Angels of Perdition

Josiah and his squad moved behind the dreadnought on the left and missed (again) with his melta-gun (target practice for them at the Fortress Monestary). LS-01 and LS-02 I have failed to mention really. They sat down there and traded fire with the librarian dreadnought all game, never able to destroy it. Squad Maltheas moved up and assaulted the five assault marines, obliterating them as they were within 12 inches of Chapter Master Martel(who had separated out to give the The First and Maltheas both +1 attack each), allowing Maltheas his pleasant five attacks with his power sword. Fire from Predator Nefarium obliterated the razorback and The First obliterated the chaplain and assault marines. On the left Predator Exeat and Brother-Dreadnought Exetur wreacked the last Razorback.

My opponent rolled a dice to see if the game ended and it did on a 2.

End Game

As you can see, it was a pretty tight game. I ended up with two objectives and all of my nominated unit destroyed (His razorbacks), my opponent ended up with 5 of his units destroyed and 1 objective. It was a fun and tactical game. I thought that I did a good job creating some cross fire from across the table, and jamming my terminators down my opponent's throat. I thought that the right flank was taken and back in trouble quite a bit, and was never able to really secure it like I hoped I would. As usual, I was very pleased with the way the army worked, even if this type of game is not what it is built for, you have to learn to use the forces you are given to win.