Thursday, October 3, 2013

Sometimes Things Work When You Least Expect them

Last Wednesday, Ripped Dragon and Anthony dropped in to get some 40K in.  Ripped Dragon is currently experimenting with some Ultramarine-Blood Angel MSU hybrid lists in.  What that meant for me was they were planning to borrow stuff...

On arrival, I paired up to play vs Orks, 1750.  I hate orks. 

I needed to modify my list from the prior week fast!  What the heck would I play?  I needed to drop out the Stormtalon and the Contemptor, and backfill the hole with something else. 

Hmmm.....

1750 Variant List - 3rd Company Ultramarines
Tigurius
Terminator Squad, 10, 2 CMLs
Assault Marines, 10, FL, PP, PF, CS
Tactical Squad, 10, CPG, PG, Rhino (dual stormbolters)
Tactical Squad, 10, CPG, PG, Rhino (dual stormbolters)
Devastator Squad, 5, 4 MLs
Devastator Squad, 5, 4 HBs, Rhino
Landspeeder Squadron, 2, HB/Typhoon variants

Yep, I was looking at points and I got down to 55 points and could not figure out what to bring, so I added a Rhino, and then put extra stormbolters on the troop-dedicated Rhinos. 

1750 Ork Big Mek List
My opponent had a pretty interesting Ork Horde that filled his deployment zone! From memory and photos (+/- wargear):

Big Mek, KFF (as Warlord)
Warboss, Mega Armor)
10 burnaboyz in a battlewagon (big gun, 2 rockit launchas, 2 big shootas)
10 Commandoz in a Trukk (big shoota)
20 Shoota Boys, Nob, Bosspole, 2 big shootas
20 Shoota Boys, Nob, Bosspole, 2 big shootas
10 grots, Slaver
9 grots, 3 Kannons
9 grots, 3 Kannons
9 Lootas
9 Lootas
Wartrakk Squadron, 2, TL Big Shootas
Skorcha Squadron, 3

I'm out numbered and outgunned.  This game was not going to be easy. 

Mission Parameters:
Deployment:  VANGUARD STRIKE
Mission: KILL POINTS - Purge the Alien

I won the roll for deployment zone, and selected the lower left corner.  It would be daylight turn 1.  We rolled up warlord traits (Tigurius as determined from the book, the ork Warlord trait was Dust of a thousand worlds (move through cover). 

Tigurius' psychic powers rolled up as forewarning, foreboding, and prescience. 

We rolled for first deployment, and the Ultramarines would deploy first.  I decided that if I was going to (likely) go first, I needed to be right up on the go line, and I needed to respect the huge amount of ork firepower I was facing.

The terrain - lava plains.  A note on the terrain - we were playing it that the terrain on bases was area terrain (5+), and that the lava steam vents were also causing 5+ cover saves.  Of course the rocks/slabs were basic LOS blocking.  It meant that for most of the game the orks would get cover saves...

So you can see what I did in deployment - something I've seen done over at Frontline Gaming in their video battle reports.  My rhinos form a wall.  The reason for this in part is to protect my units in case of the orks getting to seize the initiative, and also to allow me to move forward, dismount, and fire everything I could into the ork front lines. 

And something more - I'd have to move TOWARDS the orks rather than away from them.  We were starting 24 inches apart...I needed to get some damage in!

Orks that had a lot of 5+ cover (including Big Mek Custom Force Field).



Game Synopsis
So in the first turn, I moved forward enough for the units to get into shooting range if needed.  My rhino wall facilitated that, and my tactical squads dismounted 20 or less inches from the ork front lines.  I selected the Tactical UM tactic for the first turn.  Although 15 or so orks were dispatched, but no ork needed to take leadership checks. 

In response, the orks moved forward.  There are so many they are blocking their paths towards me and staying bunched.  Because he ha shoota boyz, all of the orks just shoot out.  First blood is a Rhino.  I lose half a tactical squad.  I loose more than half of the assault squad, who breaks and heads for cover. 



On turn 2 - I use the Devastator UM Tactic to reposition the 2 dev squads, and I use the storm of fire warlord trait on the terminator squad.  Now I'm pumping out some lead. Grots on my right flee from their cannons.  Orks are dropping in droves, but heading toward my lines. 

More ork movement and shooting.  I lose another rhino, and lose the remnants of one tactical squad. A Ork Trukk is in front of my lines full of commandos after going flat out to get there.

Turn 3 - time for me to use the assault tactic.  I move forward to shoot up the trukk and other vehicles that will soon be in my lines.  On the right I destroy his wartrakks and skorchas, although I'd moved a unit up as insurance on that.  On the left, I shoot up the trukk, and it Kareeens away from the terminators!  I shoot up half the survivors, and with rerolls make the charge.  When the dust clears, the terminators and nearby assault squad remnant had wiped out the ork commandos. 



Now the orks move forward with wave three.  A battlewagon full of Burna boyz hit my lines on the right, and I lose a tactical squad to the flames and shooting.  The Lootas shoot 27 dice at the landspeeder squadron and both are wrecked, and I lose some terminators. 

Turn 4 - I'm ahead on kill points and I work to try and keep it that way.  The Burnas, Grots Cannon Krew, and Lootas are the objects of my affection.  Grots hold their ground, and Lootas are greatly reduced.  The big mek I also dispatched, so I get warlord.

Ork firing is still pretty tough.  The Battlewagon repositions itself, and the remaining Burnas and warboss in mega armor try to assault my lines but fail.

Turn 5 - Wrapping stuff up.  I try to eliminate the Battlewagon, but fail to damage its AV14 front armor.  The last of the Burnas are gone.  The orks are all toast.

Orks shoot up any possible easy kill points, and I fail to provide any.

End of game - I have 10 KPs and WL; Orks have 5 KPs and FB.

Ultramarines win vs Orks!

Overall, I'm getting some confidence in using these Chapter Traits and buffs.

 
 

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