Battle of the Hung Parliament

This morning Marc and I met for another 750-point Warhammer 40,000 battle. I had just enough time to zip out and (with the much-needed and always-appreciated help of Emily) purchase a second long table before the match. By combining the two we can now play battles on the correct size tabletop!

Troy's Angels Sanguine (Blood Angels) 750 points
HQ: Captain, Melta Bombs
Troops: Assault Squad, Razorback
Troops: Assault Squad, Razorback
Troops: Assault Squad, Land Raider
Heavy Support: Whirlwind

Marc's Orks (Space Orks) 750 points
HQ: Big Mek, Shokk Attack Gun
HQ: Big Mek, Shokk Attack Gun
Troops: Gretchin
Troops: Gretchin
Troops: Ork Boyz, Nob with Power Klaw
Heavy Support: Killer Kan
Heavy Support: Killer Kan
Heavy Support: Killer Kan

As you can see we fielded the same forces as last week although Marc tweaked his troop numbers so that he could ditch the Deff Dredd in favour of a few Killer Kans. By deploying each as an individual Heavy Support choice rather than all three as one choice he was able to avoid some of the problems of vehicle squadrons (most obviously; having to destroy Immobilised members).

We rolled an Annihilation mission with a Pitched Battle deployment; the classic old-school setup! Rather than use objectives in this scenario we simply score a point for each unit we destroy.

Deployment: My tanks on the right, Marc's Orks on the left

I roll high and choose to deploy first so I can have the first turn. Of course this puts me at a disadvantage as Marc will see where my army is before he puts his figures down - but with control of the first turn I can (hopefully) utilise my Fast engines to reposition as needed.

Turn One: Killer Kans begin trudging toward the partially-constructed and still-unpainted Whirlwind

Turn One Blood Angels
The Land Raider and Razorbacks pinged away at oncoming Ork Boyz with support from a Whirlwind barrage that thinned their numbers down from thirty to twenty-something... if I could keep this up I'd be able to break the wave before it hits.

Turn One Orks
Each Shokk Attack gun targeted a Razorback but their random strength was insufficient. Meanwhile the Ork Boyz and Killer Kans marched forward.

Turn Two: Razorbacks continue to give the Ork Boyz some spice

Turn Two Blood Angels
Sensing trouble for the Whirlwind the Land Raider moved into a blocking position. This negated it firing this turn but provided a cover save for its delicate ally. In the center of the table the Razorbacks made good use of their Fast engines to maneuver around ruins and pepper Ork Boyz with some more shots from their Heavy Bolters.

Turn Two: Killer Kans rattle the Whirlwind despite a looming Land Raider trying to get in the way

Turn Two Orks
The Grot crew on board the Killer Kans made good with their Rokkit Launchas and hit the Whirlwind three times! Two Crew Stunned and one Immobilised result later and I am breathing a sigh of relief that the tank has survived, although it won't be firing next turn. Meanwhile the Shokk Attack guns failed to land on-target or come up too weak thanks to their random strength... and the Ork Boyz march onward!

Turn Three: Land Raider repositions in an effort to put some hurt on those Killer Kans as they close in

Turn Three Blood Angels
With the Whirlwind suffering from a dizzy spell the Land Raider moved forward just enough to cover it and put a Lascannon shot into one of the approaching Killer Kans; giving it a Crew Stunned. Meanwhile one of the Razorbacks reversed to maintain a fire arc on the Ork Boyz while the other sidestepped toward the corner of the table full of Grots.

Turn Three: Big Mek cheers as a distant Razorback falls prey to his Shokk Attack Gun!

Turn Three Orks
One of the Big Meks took aim at the most distant Razorback, fired the Shokk Attack Gun and rolled high for its random strength; the result: Destroyed - Explodes!. Thankfully no allies were nearby to be damaged by the mushroom cloud and the passengers all tumbled out of the wreckage unscathed... but that's a kill point for Marc! The second Shokk Attack Gun scores an Immobilized result against the other Razorback - not as bad as destroying it but leaving it stuck in the middle of the table. Meanwhile the Ork Boyz finally found the Whirlwind and charged it with glee - the result; Destroyed - Wrecked. To rub salt in the wound the Land Raider lost a Lascannon to a lucky Rokkit shot from one of the Killer Kans! Things are looking bad for the Space Marines...

Turn Four: Orks get stuck in!

Turn Four Blood Angels
My Land Raider chose not to move so it could fire all of its weapons, managing a Crew Stunned and Weapon Destroyed on one of the Killer Kans (of course I chose to ping the Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon off that thing). The unit of nearby Assault Marines who had been unceremoniously cracked out of their Razorback last turn dusted themselves off and prepared to charge the nearest Orks, but not before some attention from their Bolt Pistols. The end of the turn saw the Ork Boyz break and run. Meanwhile in the center of the table my immobilised Razorback disembarked its own Assault Marines who began to judge the distance to that Big Mek not so far away.

Turn Four Orks
Having witnessed the effectiveness of the Assault Marines on the flank in the previous turn the Big Mek decided he was having none of that from those approaching in the center and let rip with his Shokk Attack Gun - dropping a very strong template right on top of those nearby, the result; Instant Death for the marines and Weapon Destroyed for the Razorback - oh no! The second Shokk Attack Gun rolled a double which caused it to be unable to fire next turn, and its shot scattered wide. Over in the other corner of the table one of the Killer Kans got to grips with the Land Raider but was unable to crack its hide.

Turn Five: A slightly diminished squad of Assault Marines sees off a greatly diminished mob of Ork Boyz (with the burning wreck of their ride in the background)

Turn Five Blood Angels
The Land Raider pulled back to force its nearby Killer Kan to roll to hit when its inevitable charge came next turn. This allowed it to fire with one weapon only - sadly the remaining Lascannon failed to penetrate the Kan's front armour (yes, I rolled a one!). Meanwhile the three-strong assault marines continued to chase the Ork Boyz and harass them with Bolt Pistol fire.

Turn Five: Killer Kan snips the other Lascannon off my Land Raider :(

Turn Five Orks
Sure enough the expected Killer Kan charge came and managed to snip the remaining Lascannon clean off! This left the Land Raider with only a Heavy Bolter, certainly not the weapon of choice when fighting armoured opponents (even if their armour is only eleven). Meanwhile the Ork Boyz continued to fall back and the functional Shokk Attack Gun scattered.

Marc rolls a die to see if the game ends and it does not: Play on!

Turn Six: Assault Marines declare a charge into the fleeing Ork Boyz

Turn Six Blood Angels
The Land Raider moved at full speed away from the Killer Kans and spun a little toward the distant Big Mek, if there will be another turn I might just be able to manage a few Heavy Bolter shots that far. Meanwhile the Assault Marines managed to catch the fleeing Ork Boyz and charged into a new combat; after a bloody fight this leaves all but the sergeant remaining as the only surviving model from either side of the mess! He wisely consolidates to the far side of some blocking terrain :)

Turn Six: Killer Kans swarm onto the Land Raider

Turn Six Orks
Suspecting the end is near two of the Killer Kans fire Rokkits into the air and charge the side of the Land Raider while the Shokk Attack Guns scatter. The armour fourteen hull is too great for their claws and no more damage is caused.

I roll a die and the game ends... victory for Marc (again!)

((Victory)) Marc: Three Kill Points (Whirlwind, Razorback, Assault Marine Squad)
Troy: One Kill Point (Ork Boyz)

Man of the Match: Assault Marine Sergeant ~
For seeing off a mob of Ork Boyz you will be rewarded with some shoulder pads and a finished paint job!

Election Day Battle!

Yesterday saw a downstairs battle between my half-painted and partially-constructed Angels Sanguine and Marc's mostly-undercoated Orks (italicised name pending).

Troy's Angels Sanguine (Blood Angels) 750 points
HQ: Captain, Melta Bombs
Troops: Assault Squad, Razorback
Troops: Assault Squad, Razorback
Troops: Assault Squad, Land Raider
Heavy Support: Whirlwind

Marc's Orks (Space Orks) 750 points
HQ: Big Mek, Shokk Attack Gun
HQ: Big Mek, Shokk Attack Gun
Troops: Gretchin
Troops: Gretchin
Troops: Ork Boyz, Nob with Power Klaw
Heavy Support: Deff Dredd

We used the random table to generate our scenario and got a Capture and Control mission (hold one objective in your zone while trying to secure your opponent's) with a Spearhead deployment (setup in opposite table quarters).

Deployment; my half-finished tanks in the open, Marc's Orks lingering down the back

I chose an open table quarter to avoid traffic jams and allow me room to set up easy fire zones. This forced Marc to choose the opposite side which squeezed his tide into a narrow channel I continuously referred to as 'damnation alley'.

Marc deployed each of his Big Meks attached to a large unit of gretchin - both formed in a conga-line around cover so only the Big Mek was sticking out (with his Shokk Attack Gun of course). A little cheeky perhaps but certainly permitted. The Deff Dredd and Ork Boyz were deployed forward with the intention of getting stuck-in as quickly as possible. As we were playing on a narrow table he was quite cramped with all that infantry!

Turn One: BOOM! Whirlwind template lands on-target

Turn One Blood Angels
The Razorbacks moved forward to cover my Whirlwind and peppered Orks with their Heavy Bolters. Sadly one Razorback came up a few inches short so the Ork Boyz hardly noticed the few shots that landed.

The Land Raider set its targets on the Deff Dredd scoring a handy Weapon Destroyed and a much more useful Immobilised thanks to its twin-linked Lascannons (lethal despite not actually being present on the model due to partial construction!).

Lastly the Whirlwind launched a barrage which landed directly on a conga-line of gretchin hiding behind a building on the flank, destroying most and pinning the remainder - thus spoiling the shot of their attached Big Mek and his potentially lethal Shokk Attack Gun.

Turn One Orks
Marc gleefully surged his Ork Boyz forward with their eyes firmly fixed on assaulting the Whirlwind. They couldn't get there this turn but they ran to cross the ground in the hope of getting there a little sooner.

However Marc's Shokk Attack Guns failed to fire, one being pinned and the other blocked by a broken Deff Dredd swinging its buzzsaw arms in frustration.

Turn Two; flicking through the rules... as usual!

Turn Two Blood Angels
With the fire zone clogged up with a mob of Ork Boyz I didn't need to move my tanks around much to find targets. With the benefit of hindsight I should have pushed at least one Razorback (if not both) forward to harrass Marc's gretchin and go for his objective - in fact this was a major mistake and a valuable learning experience.

Everything opened up on the Ork Boyz but sadly the Whirlwind barrage went wide. All up only a handful of Orks were plinked out of the mob - although their numbers were slowly dwindling they remained a threat as I knew their Power Klaw would carve through the Whirlwind if they made contact...

Turn Two Orks
The Ork Boyz continued their jog towards the Whirlwind, not quite covering enough ground to launch an assault but setting themselves up nicely for next turn.

One Big Mek was still pinned while the other was still blocked by a stuck Deff Dredd so Marc passed the turn with a frown.

Turn Three: Troy makes the sadface as his Whirlwind is popped

Turn Three Blood Angels
The Razorbacks pulled back in reverse with the intention of shooting up the Ork Boyz before they could make inevitable contact with the Whirlwind (again, a mistake - must remember to go forward!). More plinking into the mess of Ork bodies but still not enough to make an immediate difference. The Whirlwind opened up again but the template scattered and only a few Boyz were destroyed. Still the mob surged ahead!

Turn Three Orks
The Ork Boyz charged forward and with the power of the Waaaagh! managed to only just touch the edge of the Whirlwind... and deliver 5 attacks with the Power Klaw against it's rear armour! The result: Explosion further thinning the ranks of Ork Boyz... although I had lost my key anti-Shokk Attack asset :(

Meanwhile the blocked Big Mek in the center moved up to attempt a repair on the immobilised Deff Dredd - sadly he couldn't find his spanner so the Deff Dredd spun its arms around some more. However, having cleared his head the previously pinned Big Mek on the flank managed to place a template directly on the Land Raider... although the random strength of the shot came up as a five - no match for the tank's armour of fourteen.

Turn Four: That's a Litko 'small flame' token on the (unpainted) Whirlwind hull

Turn Four Blood Angels
The Razorbacks unleashed their passengers who positioned themselves carefully to allow a subsequent charge without blocking shots from their transports. More of them were plinked away so that once the Assault Marines charged they were able to break the Boyz and send them fleeing back to their side of the table. One unit of marines consolidated forward to chase the Boyz while the other consolidated back with the realisation they had moved off their home objective marker!

Meanwhile the Land Raider moved up in anticipation of a repaired Deff Dredd next turn.

Turn Four Orks
The Big Mek in the center succeeded in repairing the Deff Dredd which lurched forward... only to block the line of sight of the other Big Mek on the flank and spoiling his shot! The fleeing Ork Boyz had a few over-the-shoulder shots with their sluggas at the pursuing marines but none found a target.

Turn Five; oops, Marc still holds his own objective and I have moved off mine... a facepalm moment!

Turn Five Blood Angels
The now empty Razorbacks have moved back but can no longer hold objectives as their Troops have been left behind. Footslogging back the marines are not able to reach their home objective and so it remains uncontrolled.

In a moment of confusion caused by sleepiness I declared that my Land Raider cannot fire as it has moved (this is incorrect as it has not moved this turn) and so it passes the turn doing nothing.

Turn Five Orks
The Deff Dredd moved again but found itself too short of the Land Raider to charge for an assault - yet remained blocking the Big Mek on the flank for another turn! The center Big Mek however found a clear line-of-sight and placed a template directly on the Land Raider, although with the random strength coming up as a seven it's still not enough to damage the armour fourteen tank.

I roll a die to see if the game ends and sadly for me it does: A win for Marc's Orks!

Marc: One Objective (Victory)
Troy: Zero Objectives

What I have learned:
~ With only five turns you really need to put your foot down if you are going to contest your opponent's objective marker in a Capture and Control mission.
~ Don't move off your own objective in a Capture and Control mission!
~ Rhinos are good in that lacking a weapon they do not tempt you to move slowly so that you can fire it.
~ Shokk Attack Guns can be avoided by careful maneuver around blocking terrain and/or pulling enemies into the line-of-sight of the firer by tempting them to attempt a charge <- causing a traffic jam.