1650 Points, Maelstrom Mission #5
OPFOR
Chapter Master Dante
Chief Librarian Mephiston (Sanguinary Discipline)
The Sanguinor (as Warlord)
Furioso Dreadnought, MM, SB, Drop Pod
1st Tactical Squad, 6th Company - 9 marines, flamer, MG, MB, Drop Pod
1st Scout Squad, 10th Company - 5 scouts, HB
7th Assault Squad, 6th Company, 10 marines, PS/SS, MG, FL, jump packs
8th Assault Squad, 6th Company. 5 marines, PF, MG, FL
Vindicator Tycho's Fist
Vindicator Tycho's Revenge
5th Company
Epistolary Librarian Angelus - plasma pistol, Power axe, Biomancy Discipline (as Warlord), JP
Sanguinary Priest Numitor, power axe, JP
1st Tactical Squad, 5 marines, FL, Las-plas razorback
2nd Tactical Squad, 5 marines, FL, las-plas razorback
7th Assault Squad, 10 Marines, 2 MG, Infernous pistol, PF, JPs
8th Assault Squad, 5 marines, 2 MG, Drop Pod, deathwind
Death Company Dreadnought, twin blood claws, MM/HB
Death Company, 5 Marines, 2xP/CS, 1 P/PS, 1xP/PA, 1xP/PF
Baal Predator Crimson Blade, TLAC, HB sponsons
Predator Crimson Rain, TLLC, HB sponsons
Stormraven Crimson Spectre, TLMM, TLLC, 4xSSM
Battle Assessment
When I looked at my opponent's force arrayed befor me, I was wondering if there was something missing - but that is because of the cost of the three characters. I still wonder if the math was right though. Overall, this was going to be fun for me, because I'd get to see three Blood Angels characters in use, and I'd get to maybe learn something...
I won the roll to choose deployment edge, and chose the background (the Stomraven at the fore is in reserves with the DC dread). I also chose to go first (re: meltacide a Vindicator - see right). My opponent (since the board was narrow) had spread forward across his front and had deployed his scouts on a central objective. I had deployed largely to the back of my zone, behind cover, to mitigate Vindicator (or drop pod assault) damage. I'd wanted to stay concentrated till I knew where Mephiston and his 9-marine squad would pod down. My opponent had a Vindicator on each flank, and Dante and the Sanguinor in the center, using the hill as cover.
Here is a shot. The pod came down about where I'd wanted, my Melticide squad is behind it - with good dice, wrecked the Vindicator before it could be used or moved. The squad now became a distraction Dante could not ignore. Tycho's Fist is gone. First Blood. The only other things I'd managed was to take a few wounds off the Sanguinor, and shot up 4 scouts with my Baal.
Dante and his assault squad divert to the flank - still in Turn 1. Ultimately they would take out my assault squad.
The Furioso was selected to pod in - and my opponent took the risk of putting it right in the corner, to take out my Predator Crimson Rain. This shot was after the shooting phase. The Predator Crimson Rain exploded. Note the Death Company nearby...time for them to get distracted. My opponent was keeping one assault squad in his backfield to go after objective points.
In the middle of Turn 2, the score was Sanguinor 3 ; Angelus 1. The Sanguinor had taken a few wounds trying to move forward on Turn 1, now he was getting ready to take out 6th Squad's razorback in assault (which he did).
In the middle of Turn 3, 6th Squad had climbed the central hill and killed off the last scout, in order to claim the objective for a point. Everything else had moved to finish off the Sanguinor for the Warlord Kill (and a card that would grant another point). 5th Company was still losing at this point, 3 to 5 or so. My opponent is moving Dante's squad forward, and Mephiston has arrived - 2nd Squad's razorback will become a wreck.
The death company had a difficult time with the Furioso - Armor 13 could only be cracked by the Power Fist, and three marines were lost before the Furioso exploded. In turn 4, they Death Company finds the drop pod something to wreck, before it becomes a linebreaker point. The battlefield is slowly becoming littered with smoking wrecks. The Chapter tech marines are not going to be happy with the mess.
This is the middle of Turn 4...what I missed photographing was that in my turn, I'd focused everything now on Dante's squad. My librarian perilled and I rolled a 2 on perils, losing a spell. Regardless, all of the firepower had reduced Dante's squad to the Master and a Sergeant. I charged in, losing 4 marines to Dante, then killed the Sergeant at I5, and finished off Dante at I1. In this shot, mephiston's squad is now moving forward (they'd been stuck in reserves till turn 3). Dante was hoping to go man-to-mano vs Angelus, but Angelus did not like the idea.
Meanwhile, the Death Company Dread had dropped off on the flank, but got charged and exploded by the last remaining OPFOR assault squad. I'd tried to send 1st Tactical Squad to flame them and then assault the survivors, but the charge was too short. On the following turn, 1st Squad was to be assaulted by the OPFOR squad, and they were wiped out in a combination of flame, melta, and pistol fire. Regardless, the assault squad had moved forward to a location in reach of Angelus!
End of turn 4, I'm still losing 7 to 5. Close game, but I needed points and the cards were not giving me points!
Middle of Turn 5 - Angelus moved away from Dante to assault the last remaining assault squad. Dante Periled again, then rolled a 6! He went super-sayen! Overall, at I5, the OPFOR assault squad was dispatched. In the background, behind the green tower, the Death Company went forward to wreck Mephiston's drop pod.
There is not much left to do...but I was still losing at the end of Turn 5...Mephiston went on his own to wreck Baal Predator Crimson Blade.
But then the game went to Turn 6! My assault squad split off from Angelus and the Sanguinary Priest - to grab objective 3 (here), and the Sanguinary (objective 1), while Angelus went and found a place where he could be safe from being a kill. In shooting, I was able to take Mephiston out (having been wounded the previous turn)! Now the remnants of his squad had formed up and assaulted my marines. We would become locked in combat.
Here we are at the end. I'm down to the Crimson Spectre, Angelus, Numitor, a drop pod, 4 tactical marines, and a death company marine. My opponent had 4 marines standing at the end. But where would we be on points?
Right here...5th Company Blood Angels 11 ; Sanguinor's force 8! A Win for 5th Company!
