Monday 6 February 2017

Loot & Pillage - Devonia

Planet: Devonia III.
Region: Cadian Sector.
999.M41

Death Guard vs Blood Angels
2000 points:
Mission: Loot & Pillage.

Daylight was filtered by the hazy glow from the vast gas giant rising up across the sandy horizon of Dovonia III, casting the landscape in a brownish hue. Bubonicus snarled in anger. This was supposed to have been a simple supply raid on the Imperial stockpile here, but instead the Death Guard found it garrisoned by a detachment from the Blood Angels chapter. It mattered not as these supplies were vital to the next stage of the war and Bubonicus did not feel like answering to Typhus should he fail here. With no choice, he bellowed the order to attack and lead the attack.

My list of missions to play has finally cleared the rulebook ones and I'm onto the Battle Missions/Altar of War ones. Loot & Pillage being next up. Jon accepted my offer and blew the dust off of his Blood Angels. Both of us agreed to not play anything silly and to play nice fluffy lists. This mission should have been nice and simple. Rather than just holding objectives you get points each round (in your opponent's turn) for each one that you hold. Unfortunately after placing the random four objectives down, Jon managed to choose the table quarter closest and he stole the initiative to put the boot in. Immediately the poor Death Guard were on the back foot. To make matters worse both of us could only deploy a HQ and two troops to the table per the mission rules.

First turn and Jon threw down a drop pod which deviated and landed mid table not quite where he wanted it. A few shots rang out but the first turn for both of us was fairly quick and uneventful. Turn two and most of my opponent's reserves came in. Jon had a nice number of assault marine squads which he had combat squaded and they dropped down into my deployment zone which was going to be my undoing. A misunderstanding on the rules for coming on in reserve along his table edge meant that one of his vindicators came on too close than it should have done, but when my terminators came on the table we agreed that I should do likewise and then any further would come on as they should have done.

My second turn and I received very little help from my reserves. Most likely hiding from the Death Company marines ahead of them. My terminators and two helbrute's walked on and that was it, and it didn't help that wherever I put them they were not really in a position to help. A multi-melta into the wayward vindicator did nothing and a few shots brought down some Jon's marines but not enough to make a difference.

Third turn and I had successfully gunned down the assault marines and scouts that came up from behind to steal my only objective. Everywhere else I was being locked in combat with the remaining assault marines. When my heldrakes finally came in, on turns three ad four, they did their job by baleflaming a squad holding an objective reducing his points scoring. Unfortunately that was their own real ploy of the match as both soon had their baleflamers destroyed. One became vector locked and flew off the table and the other was shot down and ditching into the hard dirt.

As the game progressed the rest of my army came on but just a little too late to salvage the game. The raptors did good taking out an assault marine unit and the champion was rewarded with daemonhood only to be torn apart by a furioso dreadnought the following turn. My chaos lord found himself surrounded by a the enemy and just could not seem to kill enough of them and eventually was cut down. An ignominious end but I'm sure Bubonicus will be back soon enough. Nurgle's champions have a way of returning from the dead. Once again my defiler died far too easily, even with a 4+ invulnerable save.

When the game ended turn 6 Jon had won 12 victory points to my 6. The Death Guard had been driven off but they had walked away with some salvage just not everything they wanted. This was a good game but really frustrating. Jon's very fluffy list locked me down very easily and my terrible reserve rolls meant that I never had enough forces coming in to help combat what he had. Even my FNP could not keep me alive in combat this game.

Death Guard verticulum detachment.

Chaos Warband.
Chaos Lord in terminator armour.
10 man CSM squad, with heavy bolter and metlagun. Champion with power weapon, plasma pistol and meltabombs.
10 man CSM squad, with two meltaguns. Champion with power weapon, plasma pistol and meltabombs.
5 man Raptor squad. Champion with pair of lightning claws.
5 man Terminator squad. Four sets of lightning claws and a reaper autocannon/power weapon.
Helbrute.

Helforged Warpack.
Warpsmith with combi-melta and power axe.
Defiler with power scourge.
Two helbrutes.

Heldrake Terror Pack.
2 Heldrakes with baleflamers.

Start of the game and the slow advance up the table. 

The rise and soon fall of a new daemon prince. 

Death to the servants of the false emperor! 

Turn 5. Death in the skies.

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