Surprisingly this was my first match against other space marines. I guess there was probably a time long ago when this was more common, but now that xenos and chaos are strong and popular and everyone (else) has multiple factions, I think maybe this is now less so.
It was really great playing against Cooper and his custom Ashen Knights chapter. They have a cool winter theme and I'm looking forward to our next game.
Battle Report:
Ruleset: 2022 War Zone Nephilim Grand Tournament - Incursion (w/ Q4 Balance Datasheet)
Mission: 2 3 Surge of Faith (modified to 48 x 44 size)
Points: 1250
My Forces:
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP 1,250pts ++
**Chapter Selector**: Ultramarines
Battle Size [6CP]: 3. Strike Force (101-200 Total PL / 1001-2000 Points) [6CP]
Game Type: 4. Chapter Approved: War Zone Nephilim
+ HQ +
- Primus Leo Exevio Faustus - Chapter Master in Terminator Armour: Chapter Command: Chapter Master, Paragon of War, Power sword, Storm bolter, Stratagem: Exemplar of the Chapter [-1CP], Stratagem: Relic of the Chapter [-1CP], Stratagem: Warlord Trait [-1CP], The Burning Blade, The Imperium's Sword, Warlord
- Epistolary Prior Isaac Theodesius - Librarian in Terminator Armour: 1) Veil of Time, 2) Might of Heroes, 3) Null Zone (Aura), Chapter Command: Chief Librarian, Force axe, Smite, Storm bolter
+ Troops +
- Vitus - 5 man Tactical Squad - Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Meltagun, Bolters
- Nero - 5 man Tactical Squad - Plasma pistol, Power sword, Meltagun, Bolters
- Kaiel - 5 man Tactical Squad - Astartes Chainsword, Plasma pistol, Plasma gun, Bolters
+ Elites +
- Chief Apothecary Hulm Singa - Apothecary: Acquittal, Astartes Chainsword, Bolt pistol, Chapter Command: Chief Apothecary, Frag & Krak grenades, Selfless Healer, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter [-1CP], Stratagem: Relic [-1CP]
- Nox - 5 man Terminator Assault Squad - Teleport Homer, 3x Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield, 2x Lightning Claw (Pair)
- Tourbillion - 5 man Terminator Squad - Power sword, Storm bolter, Assault cannon, Chainfist 3x, Power fist
+ Fast Attack +
- Land Speeder Tornado: Heavy flamer, Multi-melta
- Land Speeder Tornado: Heavy flamer, Multi-melta
Secondaries: Oaths of Moment, We March for Macragge, and Warp Ritual
Cooper's Space Marines: Ashen Knights
Chapter Selector: Ashen Knights (Imperial Fists successor chapter)
+ HQ +
- Captain Cadreagal Marock - Captain: Master-crafted boltgun, Relic blade, The Armour Indomitus, Warlord
- Malgard - Primaris Techmarine
+ Troops +
- Infiltrator Squad: 5x Bolt pistol, 5x Frag & Krak grenades, 5x Marksman bolt carbine
- Intercessor Squad: 5x Auto Bolt Rifle, 5x Bolt pistol, 5x Frag & Krak grenades
- Heavy Intercessor Squad: 3x Hellstorm bolt rifle, Hellstorm heavy bolter, 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
+ Elites +
- Bladeguard Veteran Squad: 3x Frag & Krak grenades, 3x Heavy Bolt Pistol, 3x Master-crafted power sword, 3x Storm Shield
- Company Veterans 3xLightning Claw, 3x Storm shield
- Venerable Kathrial - Ironclad Dreadnought: 2x Hunter-killer missile, Meltagun, Seismic hammer, Dreadnought combat weapon w/Storm Bolter
- Redemptor Dreadnought: 2x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon
+ Fast Attack +
- Suppressor Squad: 3x Accelerator autocannon, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
+ Heavy Support +
- Firestrike Servo-Turret: Twin accelerator autocannon
Secondaries: Assassination, Grind Them Down, and Engage On All Fronts
Takeaways & Analysis:
This was a very close game. By mistake we used the incursion mission rather than the strike force mission. We also didn't read the bonus objective rules right and so we ended up just awarding points for the objective instead of making it an action. It seemed to work out though.
From the beginning I was much happier with my individual play. I kept to largely the same units as the prior games and so I was doing better remembering to use apothecary and librarian abilities. Also for the most part I'm getting better at remembering weapon profiles and armor saves and didn't get mentally tired until the last turn.
Additionally I was more confident about line of sight rules, and we picked terrain that was mostly closed, so we didn't deal with cover and keywords this game. That helped to simplify things a bit.
Cooper's forward Infiltrator squad was quite exposed but took a bit more damage than we would have expected. He then dropped an orbital bombardment on my cluster of terminators. At the same time, however, his dreadnought had rounded the corner just enough for me to get the whole death-ball of infantry to charge and thus get out of the blast area. I liked the idea though, and thinking back, I would have liked to drop a bombardment behind his dreadnought to cut off his bladeguards (who turned out to do a lot more damage than I would have expected).
 |
| *This is LSV-01, we're gonna need a tow, over* |
I sacrificed my speeders to do enough damage to clear both of his dreadnoughts which allowed my librarian to score all of the warp ritual points. When his melee units arrived and started swinging the momentum the other way I was saved by the bell (last turn) and managed to get just a few points ahead from secondaries. I realized that if I had pushed forward a bit with my tactical squad in the west, I might have prevented him from securing the objective on the 5th turn. In the end the game could have gone either way, but the points from Oaths of Moment to take out the 2 dreadnoughts and the techmarine gave me the win 73-71.
 |
| Surprisingly, no vehicles exploded - just a bit of a smolder |
 |
| Dreadnought goes *POOF* |
 |
| *Look over your shoulder!* |
 |
| Near the end of the giant melee - Captian Marock (center) and Chief Librarian Theodesius (bottom Right) were the only two left standing in the foreground |
====================================================
++ Decode Pict Feed 8494ABG CONFIRM ++
++ Transcription (CHECK VALUE a90c5fe) ++
Primus Faustus: *Illegible*
Cheif Apothecary Singa: Hold still or you'll reopen the wound.
Marock: You were right to order the attack, I would have done the same.
Faustus: *Coughing* The corruption to the Iax system was stopped just so. Even now that the Death Guard are in retreat, the virus bomb's effects persist, and it is strange to me that your men seem unaffected.
Epistolary Theodesius: Sir, it was confirmed. The psychic rift was indeed sealed and there was no psychic anomalies manifested in the Ashen Knights...
Faustus: ...and that your chapter had been observed with the Cults of Decay prisoners in custody.
Marock: ...Being interrogated and analyzed for pathogenic immunity prior to judgement. But what stayed your hand? Despite Epistolary Thoedesius' conclusion, you would have been in the right to destroy us outright.
Faustus: *getting up*
Singa: Careful with that side..
Faustus: Perhaps I should ask you the same *looks down at his wound*.. *To Theodesius* transmit coordinates to the teleportarium. *Looking back at Marock* We will remain in orbit and transmit to you decontamination procedures.
Marock: We will await your signal *bowing with the sign of the Aquila*
====================================================
++ END TRANSMISSION ++
REF: 9217/00118-53242-A1217BQ04710
THOUGHT: A weapon cannot substitute for zeal (4TH ED 217)
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