Contact Lost - D'Then

Planet: D'Then.
Region: Perdus Rift.
990.M41

Death Guard vs Tau Empire.
1500 points.
Contact Lost.

Slowly, step by step, the Death Guard have advanced across D'Then. Outposts have fallen and thousands of Tau citizens now lie dead from numerous plagues. When contact is lost with mining station XII  on the Tau side of the front lines a scout force was dispatched to investigate.

What they found was Typhus the Traveller and his personal retinue of plague marines. While cultists and other marines looted the mining station's reserves, Typhus engaged the Tau expeditionary force.

This was my second game against my friend Adam and his Tau army. He had recently bought some new models, including a Barracuda, from one of our occasional fellow players who is selling his army and wanted to give it a go. We had planned on playing one of the Tau scenarios from the Battle Missions book but due to work getting in the way we decided to rearrange that and just play a friendly game from the rule book.

The six objectives were set up three to a side so we started mirrored. Unfortunately for Adam my first two objectives cards were two that I started with. Turn four saw me claim the third. His objective cards were not helpful to him at all.

Adam's list was led by Darkstrider and contained two units of fire warriors, one of pathfinders, one of stealth suits, two ghostkeel's, a hammerhead and a barracuda. Not bad for a nice friendly game but I felt he lacked some hard hitting units. I never managed to destroy either ghostkeel. One was kept locked in combat with plague marines, the other lost combat and ran away after facing Typhus with terminators. Even the barracuda, which I was concerned about, didn't really cause any problems ultimately. It didn't help his cause that my armour saves and FNP rolls were perfect throughout the game.

I had started the game with the intent of, or rather the hope of, getting the objectives that I started with. Lucky for me that was the case. I think Adam had the same hope but it was not to be. He was forced to come forward from his side which gave me a better chance of gunning him down. His hammerhead did nothing and my predator which I was using to to bring it down failed to hit all game. Eventually my Knight took out Darkstrider and his squad with a well placed thermal cannon blast but otherwise was almost useless. Likewise his barracuda which managed to take a HP from the Knight but did nothin else all game.

We eventually collided mid table between Typhus and his terminators, and some stealth suits and a ghostkeel. Typhus didn't do too well as Manreaper snatched a wound of him in the first round. The terminators slowly fell but they did bring down the stealth suits and knocked a wound from the ghostkeel which fell back. On my left flank Adam's second ghostkeel assaulted one squad of plague marines hoping to take them down and steal an objective. My plague marines slowly fell but held it back denying him some VP.

Towards the end of the game Adam had a chance to draw but his bad luck continued and when the game ended turn five by mutual agreement I was 5 victory points to 2.

My list was:

Typhus.
5 Chaos Terminators (reaper autocannon and lightning claws).
10 Plague Marines (plasma pistol/power weapon champion, 2x meltaguns, icon of despair)
10 Plague Marines (plasma pistol/power weapon champion, 2x meltaguns, icon of despair)
2x Rhinos.
Chaos Predator with lascannon and heavy bolters.
Chaos Knight Errant (daemonic possession).

Mobile Defence - Cadia

Planet: Cadia.
Region: Cadian Sector.
999.M41

Death Guard vs Craftworld Alaitoc
2000pts.
Mission: Mobile Defence.

Having been driven from the main battle by massed artillery fire, the Death Guard had been forced to find alternative routes back to Abaddon's lines. Typhus cast his eyes across the ruined cityscape before him. This part of Cadia's second city had been destroyed weeks earlier and now a small force of alien Eldar held the main route through. His suit's lenses detected the presence of two vengeance weapon platforms between them and the aliens. The batteries in inactive but the Traveller knew that if his marines got close enough then the signature of their power armour might reactivate them. He directed his marines to hold the nearest ruin and hold it as a make shift command post. Two squads of Plague Marines and his own Terminator bodyguards were directed to capture vital locations on the path to the main thoroughfare. True to his wishes as his forces got close to the Eldar lines both weapon platforms opened up targetting the alien filth before them and opening a path forward.


Thursday night last week was a game against my friend Chris B and his Eldar forces. I played a battle missions scenario called Mobile Defence. Chris wanted to play 2000 points which gave me a few more options. Between work and other commitments I still haven’t had time to build or paint much more.

The mission called for my opponent to set up everything that wasn’t a skimmer basically in his half of the table and then I deployed. Everything else of his comes in on reserve starting turn 1.

I took two vengeance weapon platforms hoping that they might do me good against his frail Eldar. His forces got the first turn and took out one platform. My heavy options did a fair job of taking things down but against Eldar they were popped pretty much every turn.

As it was an objective holding mission (3 on the table) my plague marines and CSM squad were basically tied into holding objectives. I used a terminator squad to capture the one in my opponent’s side of the table. Even with my usual FNP rolls Chris’s Eldar just whittled my plague marines down. Even Typhus only mnaged to destroy one squad of guardians by himself before succumbing to mass fire from three wave serpents! I am getting fed up of playing him as he just doesn’t seem worth it any more.

The game ended turn 6 with my terminators holding one objective and my opponent claiming the other two. Another fun game but Eldar are a force that I just don’t know how my Plague Marines are going to handle in future.