2 Games with Different Outcomes

I was hoping to have the second half of the series on finishing the Contemptor Dread completed, but there is a problem with that...well...several problems.  (1) Been very busy with summer time chores and freakish loads of work; and (2) the Contemptor way too fun to use in games and I like it a lot. 

Pro Tip/discussion sidebar
The Mortis Contemptor AA variant is 180 points in the game.  Skyfire, interceptor, etc., yada yada.  12 rending dice, 24 inch kill range, 3 HP.  Fun stuff!  BUT -  it is not the only great choice for your "heavy slot" as a generic marine player.  For 180 points another option could be 2 autocannon/HB preds (same front armor 13, 4 autocannon and 12 HB shots, 1 HKM bonus missile, 36 inch kill range, 6 total HP, takes two heavy slots).  If you compare these two choices, there are pluses and minuses for both in a basic game of 40K. Replacing it on the fast side would be 2 HB/AssCan Speeders (24 inch kill range, 6 HB dice and 8 rending AssCan Dice).  I'm waiting till I see the next Codex in September before I make any more sense of it all.  The Contemptor is a great choice. 

Back to gaming:

Game 1 - 1850 Points!
3rd Company Vs Grey Knights!  Kill Points!
Played the Calth Reaction Force 1750 list with 2 added MM attack bikes (squadroned).  My opponent had a pretty interesting list that frankly was somewhat designed to fend off deep striking/podded attackers.  Basically:

Coteaz
Terminator Librarian
Squad GK Terminators (5)
Squad GK Marines (with quake) (10)
Squad GK Veteran Equivs (10)
3 Paladins
2 Autocannon Dakka Drednoughts
3 Squads of Guard EQs (7, 7, 7 ish)
50+ models, nice paint jobs, looking like these (sorry for the picture quality):

We were playing the long way across the table.  GK's deployed first and pretty much castled up on a hill in the center, holding the Paladin and IG Equivs in reserves.  I looked at the terrain and the deployment and knowing all of his shots were S5+ (psybolt ammo) decided to use the terrain to my advantage - I'd deploy and swing around a single large building in the table center and turn his flank. 

To be successful, I needed to bait him forward and await the arrival of the Paladins.  I did that by Turn 1 podding the tactical squads to my deployment zone.  It worked.  The Paladins dropped in and were all gone without being able to assault me. 

In the end, my strategy worked, but not without un-necessary risks.  I did succumb to the joy of deep striking in my Sternguard...and of course they deviated into Coteaz' "kill them" bubble, and the psycannons and such throttled one combat sternguard unit (melta gun half).  The plasma half killed off a dakka pred and the sergeant throttled the IG units when they flooded in from reserves.  The Sternguard Pod had a beacon, but was destroyed before the Terminator and Librarian Arcadius could gate there. 

But, in the end, everything worked very well.  I gave up just four KPs but got 9 KPs, first blood, and linebreaker.  11-4 score.  Third Company Wins!  The unit that did the least for me this game was the Scouts.  MVP was a tie between the Contemptor and the Sternguard. 

Game 2 - 4 Player - 1250 Points Each! The Relic!
3rd Co Plus Spacewolves vs
Blood Angels plus Orks
No picture of this game, too bad as it was a bunch of fun, and a continued training ground for some new players.  Ripped Dragon and a friend vs Anthony and Me! 

The BAs/Orks deployed first and it would be dark.  The BAs had a mech-heavy list with an infiltrating Baal Predator, and reserved deep-striking assault marines, Captain, and Chalice carrier. The orks had 2 large mobs, 2 units of Kans, Warlord and retinue in mega armor with a truck, and anchored with 10 Lootas.  I used a 1250 point sized 3rd Company list (Cassius, sternguard pod, Mortis Contemptor, 2xcombat squads with razors, scouts, typhoon), and Anthony's wolves had 2 rune priests, Grey Hunter Packs on foot, 2 Long Fang units, and a Wolf rider unit. 

The game started tremendously well with the opponents moving forward, then my Sternguard podding in to wreck a couple of BA vehicles, a dead Kan and other stuff .  We got First Blood!

In the end, we just did not have enough "stuff".  We lost the game about 6 to 1.  Again, the unit that did the least was the scout.  I made a major tactical error around turn 4, failing to pull of an assault on the deep-striking BA captain and retinue; that unit ended up splitting apart to lock up the Contemptor for the remainder of the game in assault with the Captain, while I chased down the other BAs. I actually lost Cassius in a challenge with that same Captain trying to free up the Contemptor.  The orks ran away with the Relic...

Well, enough for now!  I picked up the new Apocalypse rules last week, and am working on a game idea for that...