9th ed Battle Report #1

 

Rift Wardens vs Grey Knights.

Points: 2000.

Scenario: Retrieval Mission.

Finally the 9th ed rules had come out and I had my copy of the Indomitus box in hand. Once the models were all built I challenged my friend Gary to a 2000 point game. Try out a higher points limit and see how well it played. The mission rolled was Retrieval Mission so I set awkward objective placements and then built the terrain layout around them to ensure that we had decent initial cover from one another. I picked the table edge that was to be mine but as was pointed out afterwards it may have served me better to claim the opposite side. I was thinking of ease of moving the models around but Gary was probably right.

Gary chose Psychic Ritual, Assassinate and Thin Their Ranks but I went with Slay the Warlord, Thin Their Ranks and Raise the Banners High. I did take a look at the scenario specific objective - Minimise Loses - but it didn't look like something that was going to be in my favour. A problem I see in most scenario specific objectives. 

First turn I focused on shooting as much as I could. I took down one squad and I think inflicted a handful of injuries elsewhere. I specifically moved my units to claim three objectives and to start raising those banners. The problem I had against Gary's Grey Knights was that he had brought a storm talon and a land raider - two units I would be hard pressed to deal with. I presently have no transports for my army so the marines had to advance forward on foot which meant Gary was able to start inflicting a lot casualties. 

As the game progressed the Grey Knights took control of their own three objectives and his shooting was a lot more effective than was mine. Although I expected to suffer at the hands of smite spam Gary didn't do much with it and it was in assault that he turned the tables. I don't know if it was a mixture of bad dice rolls or just bad luck, but I was barely able to do anything in assault and he was smashing my poor assault intercessors and my chapter master into fine red mist. Even my poor chapter master with his invulnerable save and 6+ ignore wounds died all to easily. 

The Grey Knights were soon pushing me back and once his grand master in dreadknight armour teleporting onto the table I knew I was in real trouble. My primaris lieutenant charged into him with the idea of using hi storm shield to keep his warlord in check and maybe if the dice were with me I might be able to take him down but I couldn't even make a 3+ invulnerable save more than once. 

Turn 5 came and my poor space marines were tabled and the Grey Knights had completed their Psychic Ritual. When we counted up the victory points Gary beat me 75 to 53. For a first game of this edition I thought I didn't do too badly as each new rules set is a learning experience. Gary won fair and sqaure but I can't help but feel that my dice let me down a lot of the game. He was always going to win I think but the scores might have been a bit closer. I really need to get myself a couple of Impulsor's so I can get my troops about the table more safely.

The Rift Wardens move to grab the objectives.

Kaldor Draigo emerges from the Warp to guide his brothers in battle.

The battlefield before us.

First Thoughts part 1

The other night myself and my friend Gary played a pre-9th edition game using the free download rules. My space marines vs his chaos daemons and instead of the basic Only War scenario that comes with that download we decided to tryout the Four Pillars scenario that appeared in one of the recent Warhammer Community pages. Without having access to the new points we stuck to the current 8th edition points and unit rules. We also don't have the new secondary objectives so we could only use the one from the mission itself.

At the end of that game I thought about the changes and here are a few of my initial thoughts. I'll do a part two once I get my hands on the actual rules and have played a couple more games fully under the new edition.

1. Table Size.
I prefer the idea of playing the traditional 6x4 foot table but for this game we played the reduce 44x60 and it shows during play. The reduced table width meant that we were fairly packed closer together during the game but it in a good way it also meant that my opponent's ability to deep strike was less likely to be dropped into my lines or behind them unless I moved forwards. It forced Gary to drop his bloodletters later in the game and on the edge of his own deployment zone. It doesn't seem like a huge difference but it could make a difference on the game play.

2. Command Points.
This was huge! Having a large pool of command points plus regenerating 1 a turn meant that we could both use stratagems that might never have seen the light of day under 8th edition. I could still use the re-roll, the regular stratagems but I was also able to drop an orbital bombardment and on two occasions the stratagem (I forget the name) that lets me rapid fire 2 the bolt rifles of my troops. This was a big improvement.

3. No Overwatch.
This was my only negative that came from the game and even then it didn't play a big part. Under 9th edition you can only fire one Overwatch (unless you play Tau of course). On a tactical level it means you have to choose where you want to use it, just like if you can deny a psychic power and you have to choose which power to risk the deny on. However, I think that against a aggressive hoard type army... daemons, tyranids and orks mainly, that only getting to overwatch once is not enough. If they really want to reduce overwatch then it should be a +1 cost to the stratagem for each time it has been previously used that round.

4. Actions.
Within the mission we only had the secondary that comes with the mission itself. To start with we got actions wrong. We had not properly read it and assumed that when using an action it meant that you couldn't do a psychic power, shoot or charge, and if you were charged then the action was wasted. If other secondary objectives are going to be like that, then I think they are going to be largely awkward to achieve once the game really gets underway. I can't say much more until we get our hands on the full rules and we can read them fully.

5. Morale.
The morale phase has changed and I don't understand why. The 8th edition way worked so much better and made more sense. Now, you roll as you did but if the morale test is failed one model dies or runs away. You then have to roll for each remaining model and on a 1 one more model dies or runs away. While it might reduce unit casualties from morale but it also adds a small amount of time to the game that really wants to be a bit more fast paced.


Otherwise the game played the same as 8th always has. These five points just stood out to me a lot more, both good and bad. Other than some initial kneejerk reactions, I think this will be a good edition. We just need to see how it actually plays out once we get the rules in our hands. Once I get mine next weekend I'll do a part 2.

Have you had an opportunity to try the new rules yet? What did you think?

Battle Report - Salamanders vs Rift Wardens

Salamanders vs Rift Wardens.
1500 points.
Dawn of War.
The Scouring.

First 40K game post-lockdown and most likely my last 40K game of 8th edition. My friend Gary messaged me to ask if I fancied a social-distancing game in his purpose built gaming shed. Of course I was going to say yes! And so on a cold, windy and rainy evening in June, we convened to get our gaming fix sated. I still only have my fixed space marine list and Gary put together a collection of less played models from his collections to simulate a Salamanders army.

Gary has a nice selection of solid LOS blocking terrain and we set those up to provide both a nice table layout as well as some places to hide. Deployment and mission were then determined, with the six objectives being fairly evenly spaced out across the board. I ended up with both the superior and inferior objectives pretty much in my deployment zone or close to. I completed my deployment first and I decided that since it was an objective holding mission that it made more sense to go second, so that if needs be I could try and steal them away on a potential last turn of the game.

For a seemingly random collection of units, Gary's army started dealing a fair bit of damage straight away. He had two artillery pieces, Quad-launchers I think, that started killing my models in the first volley while his other units slowly moved up to grab some objectives. It meant that I was forced to play fairly static to start with, try to keep the objectives I had and get some massed firepower into his lines. His first casualties were his scouts who were proving annoying to me and to my poor aggressors. I had placed a dreadnought with lascannons and missile launcher on my right flank in hopes that I could remove those annoying quad-launchers and although it took me a couple turns, the dreadnought did his job. 

With those artillery pieces gone I was not losing so many models and I was able to try and consolidate my positions a bit more. The ensuing fire fight was wearing us both down and when we were close enoughto assault one another things got interesting. My chapter master tore through his cataphractii terminators and a few marines before being brought down. He will be remembered with honour in the annals of the chapter. This is where the game started to go all too well in Gary's favour as my army isn't really built to handle too many assault right now. My central objective was fairly open and that is where the bulk of the fighting took place with us both sending fire and blade in to try and get that objective.

When Gary sent his bikes up I was forced to put a lot of firepower into them. I think my hellblasters did the most and left only a couple bikes. I brought my inceptors and had to ponder whether to finish a small group of scouts or the bikes. Gary offered his advice and I agreed. The scouts went down and he was left with a single bike. I assaulted the bike and failed to finish it. The bike pulled back and his marines gunned down my inceptors. If that had gone my way I think it might have turned the tables in my favour but with them gone, I was looking at a total loss here.

By turn 5 I had lost nearly my entire army and was holding just the superior objective as I recall. I conceded at this point. Victory for the Salamanders.

It was a good game after nearly three months of not playing. I didn't forget much but there were a few things I had to check the rules and codex for. Fun game with some nice cinematic moments and definitely worth the wait. 

My chapter master leads his marines into battle at the start of the battle.

Vulkan, centurians and the quad launchers.

The battlefield at start of play.

My chapter master laying the smack down on those Salamander terminators.

Battle Report - Space Marines vs Necrons

Rift Wardens (Imperial Fists) vs Necrons (Sautekh).
Points: 1500-ish
Mission: Crusade.
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil.

First game of 2020 and I challenged Marko to a game against his Necrons. Wanting to try out the new Chapter Approved 2019 missions I picked Crusade as it was the first basic mission in the book. We rolled Hammer and Anvil deployment, and I rolled myself as the Attacker. Mark tried to seize the initiative and failed.

I started the game holding two objectives and should have been in advance range of two more. Unfortunately my dice were not great on this and neither of the advance units reached range to control the central objectives. I did walk my Redemptor dreadnought forward and for the first shooting phase of the game, it gunned down and entire unit of 15 necron warriors. Marko only had three warrior squads so this was a good round for me. I also attempted lascannon fire upon one of his annihilation barges but due to their infuriating shielding I failed to do anything to it.

His turn one and he started marching forward. He did kill a couple marines but this night his dice were quite bad. He could have done better had they rolled in his favour more through the night. I think Marko was a little concerned as I play more aggressive with my Rift Wardens than I have previous ones. He isn't used to me pushing forwards and wasn't sure quite what to do.

Turn two and I managed to reach the objectives in the centre. I was able to pour a lot of bolt and plasma fire into his units but didn't manage to bring down as many as I wanted. In return Marko managed to restore some slain warriors and in his shooting phase was able to give back as good as I had dealt him in my first turn. I lost quite a few inceptors during that shooting.

Over the next two turns the game turned in Marko's favour. While I was gunning down a few warriors at a time, and my interceptors did attempt to bring down his warlord, his shooting was more then adequate to reduce my numbers right down. When he brought in his Flayed Ones and Nightbringer in turn 3 that didn't help me either. He had enough of them that once they charged in, they took me out in a couple rounds of combat.

Turn 5 and I conceded the battle. I had a handful of helblasters and my chapter master left while Marko had twice my victory points. I was not in a position from turn 4 on wards to fight back. It was a good game although I was disappointed that I couldn't do better considering how the game started off. At some point in the future we'll have to have a rematch.

---


++ Brigade Detachment +12CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [81 PL, -4CP, 1,509pts] ++

**Chapter Selection**: Imperial Fists, Imperial Fists Successor, Inheritors of the Primarch

+ HQ [11 PL, -2CP, 206pts] +

Chapter Master in Gravis Armor [6 PL, -2CP, 108pts]: Boltstorm gauntlet [12pts], Iron Resolve, Master-crafted power sword [6pts], Stratagem: Chapter Master [-2CP], The Burning Blade, Warlord

Primaris Librarian [5 PL, 98pts]: 2) Might of Heroes, 3) Null Zone, Force sword [8pts]

+ Troops [25 PL, -2CP, 425pts] +

Intercessor Squad [10 PL, -2CP, 170pts]: Bolt rifle, Veteran Intercessors [-2CP]
9x Intercessor [153pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

Intercessor Squad [10 PL, 170pts]: Bolt rifle
9x Intercessor [153pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 85pts]: Bolt rifle
4x Intercessor [68pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

+ Elites [22 PL, 425pts] +

Aggressor Squad [10 PL, 148pts]: 3x Aggressor [63pts], Aggressor Sergeant [21pts]
Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher [64pts]

Dreadnought [5 PL, 120pts]: Missile launcher [20pts], Twin lascannon [40pts]

Redemptor Dreadnought [7 PL, 157pts]: 2x Fragstorm Grenade Launchers [8pts], Heavy flamer [14pts], Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon [30pts]

+ Fast Attack [7 PL, 123pts] +

Inceptor Squad [7 PL, 123pts]: Assault bolter x2 [48pts], 2x Inceptor [50pts], Inceptor Sergeant [25pts]

+ Heavy Support [16 PL, 330pts] +

Hellblaster Squad [16 PL, 330pts]: Plasma incinerator [150pts]
9x Hellblaster [162pts]
Hellblaster Sergeant [18pts]: Bolt pistol

The Rift Wardens

My Genestealer Cult is no more. It has been sold in order to take the girlfriend on weekend away next year to Nottingham (not for any personal reason I can think of...). Not that I was winning much with the Cult anyway. I had lost a lot of enjoyment from them in recent months. Probably the reason why my blog sort fizzled away.

 Instead I have purchased a sizable Primaris army for next to nothing from a friend and repainting them as my own chapter, the Rift Wardens - an Imperial Fists successor. The chapter is purely Primaris and fleet based. The Rift Wardens patrol the Imperial side of the Cicatrix Maledictum, responding to reports of incursions.

So far played three games with them under the new SM codex. Beat a combined Chaos Daemons army (you can read that battle report below this post) and a friends Aeldari Corsairs. Only army to beat me so far, and it was very close, was Hive Fleet Leviathan.

I can't paint very well. It's been thirty two years since I started 40K and it's not a skill I have nor do I have the patience for it. So, with that in mind firstly forgive me for my lack of painting skills (they are still very much works in progress too), and secondly, the lens on my camera phone is smashed so they aren't great quality pictures.

Chapter Master Aureilus, who wields the Crusader's Blade (Burning Blade relic). 

 

Reclusiarch Mordred. 

Uther, Master of Sanctity/Chief Librarian. 

The paint jobs on the infantry look better in person. My camera doesn't do them any justice at all. 

Although I am building the third company, the transfer sheets I have only have the II icon, so all my dreadnoughts must have been loaned out to the 3rd for the duration of their battles. 

I had thought about a silver and purple colour scheme for space marines when 8th edition first dropped but as I was focused on Death Guard at the time I didn't bother pursuing it. After giving Death Guard and Genestealer Cults ago - I think GSC were just a throwback one the army I had under Rogue Trader in the 80's - I have felt drawn to the space marines again. After three games I am enjoying playing them again after becoming disinterested with space marines in the early days of 7th edition.

The only problem I have now is getting 2000 points painted before the 2nd of November, when eight of us are going up to Nottingham for a weekend of gaming. And here's me with little silver paint left!! Help! Wish me luck.

Terror from the Rift

Rift Wardens (Imperial Fists) vs Daemons of Nurgle, Khorne and Tzeentch.
Points: 1500
Mission: Dominate and Destroy.
Deployment: Hammer and Anvil.

The first proper game for my new primaris space marine chapter, the Rift Wardens, pitted them against my friend Gary's chaos daemons army. He was playing a nice combination of Nurgle and Tzeentch.

After setting up the six objectives, they were quite heavily stacked to one end of the table. Thankfully we were playing Hammer and Anvil deployment and I got to choose which end I wanted. Naturally I picked the side with three easily accessible objectives. I set up as a traditional gunline so that the daemons had to come at me across the table.

I let my opponent have the first turn so that his forces had to run towards their doom and into my bolter fire. With no other choice, that is exactly what he did. Bloodletters and Flesh Hounds leading the charge while the Plaguebearers followed up slowly at the back. Gary had a couple Tzeentch chariots held back and his Horrors were still waiting in the Warp.

Over the first couple turns of the game, I was happily mowing down his Flesh Hounds and Bloodletters. Most lost enough casualties that in the morale phase the rest vanished back into the Warp. He passed one roll with a double one and managed to bring the unit back up again but they didn't last long. After the Flesh Hounds died, the right flank was in the hands of Karanak and once my Chapter Master and his Aggressor bodyguards got into combat, the mighty hound of Khorne was no more. This left Skulltaker, his warlord, as the remaining character.

Gary then found a spot in my back lines to deploy his horrors and they popped into existence, and starting pouring eldritch flame into my lines. Thankfully they didn't do well and I didn't lose many but it did mean that I had to turn one Intersessor unit to focus fire on them. In return I dropped my three man Inceptor squad into his deployment zone, where they gunned down the unit holding the objective there. They didn't last long themselves as Gary turned a Chariot around and over two rounds cut them down.

By turn 4 though the Bloodletters had been decimated, one chariot was in ruins and all Gary had coming at me was a handful of Plaguebearers and Skulltaker. The Plaguebearers died a death at the cannon and fist of my Redemptor Dreadnought and in an amazing roll of the dice, my Librarian charged into Skulltaker and took his head before he could fight back.

Turn 5 and the game ended with me in a clear victory.... 20 points to Gary's 11. Probably the best outcome that I have ever had in a game of 40K. A very good game and one where I was pleased that a reasonably static gunline was still viable for marines. I definitely prefer playing Primaris over regular marines.

In the past I would have had serious difficulty with Daemons but it shows how in the right mission with the right deployment, even someone as casual as I can do well. I look forward to the rematch.

---

At the moment I only have a single static list until I get my army painted and then new options added. Here is what I presently have fielded:


++ Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Marines) [76 PL, -4CP, 1,483pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

**Chapter Selection**: Imperial Fists, Imperial Fists Successor, Inheritors of the Primarch

+ HQ [11 PL, -2CP, 206pts] +

Chapter Master in Gravis Armor [6 PL, -2CP, 108pts]: Boltstorm gauntlet [12pts], Iron Resolve, Master-crafted power sword [6pts], Stratagem: Chapter Master [-2CP], The Burning Blade, Warlord

Primaris Librarian [5 PL, 98pts]: 2) Might of Heroes, 3) Null Zone, Force sword [8pts]

+ Troops [25 PL, -2CP, 425pts] +

Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 85pts]: Bolt rifle
4x Intercessor [68pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

Intercessor Squad [10 PL, 170pts]: Bolt rifle
9x Intercessor [153pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

Intercessor Squad [10 PL, -2CP, 170pts]: Bolt rifle, Veteran Intercessors [-2CP]
9x Intercessor [153pts]
Intercessor Sergeant [17pts]

+ Elites [17 PL, 394pts] +

Aggressor Squad [5 PL, 111pts]: 2x Aggressor [42pts], Aggressor Sergeant [21pts]
Auto Boltstorm Gauntlets/Fragstorm Grenade Launcher [48pts]

Dreadnought [5 PL, 120pts]: Missile launcher [20pts], Twin lascannon [40pts]

Redemptor Dreadnought [7 PL, 163pts]: 2x Fragstorm Grenade Launchers [8pts], Heavy flamer [14pts], Heavy Onslaught Gatling Cannon [30pts], Icarus Rocket Pod [6pts]

+ Fast Attack [7 PL, 123pts] +

Inceptor Squad [7 PL, 123pts]: Assault bolter x2 [48pts], 2x Inceptor [50pts], Inceptor Sergeant [25pts]

+ Heavy Support [16 PL, 335pts] +

Hellblaster Squad [16 PL, 335pts]: Plasma incinerator [150pts]
9x Hellblaster [162pts]
Hellblaster Sergeant [23pts]: Plasma pistol [5pts]

WIP - Rift Wardens Dreadnought

I've been getting that itch again to go back to playing Space Marines. I'm not giving up on the Genestealer Cult but I need something I'll find easier to play and to stop me getting bored with the same painting/gaming. Ever since 8th edition dropped I've pondered the idea of a Primaris chapter and I have finally taken the plunge!

The Rift Wardens are an Imperial Fists successor chapter. They are a fleet based chapter tasked with patrolling the Imperium side of the Cicatrix Maledictum and responding to any threats discovered.

I picked up the snap-fit Redemptor Dreadnought last payday and I'm working on him now. May I please present fallen brother Atticus.

Even back when I first started thinking about a Primaris chapter when 8th dropped, I had the mental image of a silver and purple colour scheme. As I remember Rogue Trader clearly and back then every powerfist was red (so were plasma weapons) so the dreadnoughts fist gets to share that colour. I just need to decide on some highlight colours for the purple.

The base is blue sand. I picked up some blue play sand from work a few weeks ago before we wrapped up our summer garden range. I thought it would look nice to be something more alien than the traditional proper orange sand. I picked up some stones as well for other model's bases too.

A good friend of mine who is collecting the figure magazine (I forget the name of it) has given me some intercessors, reivers, a chaplain, two characters (one for my chapter master and one for captain), and some aggressors to help found my new chapter.