Region: Ghoul Stars
Death Guard vs Harlequins
1500 points.
Mission: No Mercy.
Deployment: Spearhead Assault.
This engagement was the true start of the war on Delphi Majoris. It began with a surprise night attack on the Death Guard by a troupe of harlequins, emerging from the webway at the heart of the traitor astartes force, and continued with a major engagement that lasted well into the following day. Meanwhile starships from several Craftworlds arrived in system to support the Ynnari efforts.
This was a game against Brian whom I haven't played against for a probably a couple years. He's also the only player I can think of locally who has a harlequin army and I fancied a game against them so I naturally challenged him.
So in the week before I game I did a little research on harlequins as I sort of remember them being quite nasty once they hit close combat. I fully expected Brian to bring a fast moving army but I expected a lot more troupes than he brought. My list had been built with that idea in mind but instead I think I made it quite hard for him.
The mission was No Mercy and we rolled the Spearhead Assault deployment. This was were I realised that something was amiss as Brian started deploying units of skyweavers and a handful of starweavers. There was just two troupes on the table and I believe a third in a voidweaver. Not at all what I expected.
The first turn was mine and I started by moving everything forward with Typhus behind to boost them. One plague marine squad and the plaguecaster advancing forward eagerly but moving out of Typhus bubble of pestilence. My left flank which was a chaos predator and a defiler opened up everything they had at the skyweavers knocking out a couple of them. The heldrake surged forth and managed to vomit over a handful of harlequins but failed to get the charge roll.. double ones!
Brian's turn had him pouring everything into my predator. Shuriken cannons and prismatic cannons all struck it but either failed to wound or just knocked minimum wounds from it. Brian's legendary bad luck was still very much in effect. He was able to knock some wound off the heldrake with a grenade but his troupe also failed to achieve the charge and lost a couple harlequins from the overwatch of the baleflamer.
Turn two and I continued to knock out skyweavers. The heldrake achieved first blood for me as it finished off those remaining harlequins. I was losing a few models from Brian's shooting and I believe it was his troupe master who left into the air and cleaved the head from my heldrake. It may not have lasted long but it did it's job.
From here the game picked up pace. Brian finally destroyed by predator. Only took him three turns when I had expected it to die much earlier. Combat was soon joined when his harlequins ran into one plague marine squad and the plaguecaster. Although Brian should have done great here I was just making armour and DR rolls like crazy. When combat was joined on the other side with Typhus, the solitaire knocked two wound from him and then died from mortal wounds. Brian was never again able to get into combat with my Typhus due to a screen of poxwalkers who otherwise did nothing all game.
Nurgle was definitely with me towards the end of the game as much to Brian's annoyance I made seven (the number of Nurgle) 5+ DR rolls in a row. He just could not take down the forces I had left. I was pleased with how my list worked although my actual plan didn't survive contact with the tabletop and I felt bad that Brian had such a hard time taking anything down.
Victory was mine 5 victory points to 2.
Not a bad game at all. We both had a great game despite my awesome rolls and Brian's usual bad luck. A good example of how you don't need a competitive list to have a fun game.
My list:
Typhus.
Malignant plaguecaster.
10 Plague marines with melta gun, plasma gun and an icon of despair. Champion with plasma pistol and plaguesword.
10 Plague marines with melta gun, plasma gun and an icon of despair. Champion with plasma pistol and plaguesword.
20 poxwalkers.
Heldrake with baleflamer.
Chaos predator with TL-lascannons and heavy bolters.
Vengeance weapon platform with punisher cannon.
Death Guard deployment.
Harlequin deployment.
A mighty heldrake soars through the ashen-grey skies.
Typhus and his followers marching forth.
Harlequins dancing through the ruins.
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