Blood Bath - Game 1 of 3

I had a fun weekend at the FLGS rolling out the 8th Edition, new-codex Blood Angels.  Playing 40K instead of skiing! Inconceivable!

I thought you'd like to read how it went and what might apply to your own games. Overall, in this blog entry and the next two, I'll talk about my thoughts on the mission, my opponent's force (OPFOR), and try to summarize in each the types of improvements I'd like to make before the next tournament event.  Maybe there is a nugget in here for you as a Blood Angels Player!

A few things overall to start with - the event was set at 1500 points, using custom missions that the store manager had been dabbling in.  So, no ITC style missions.  No book missions.  I will include some thoughts on the missions, at times, because they are overall germane to my own thoughts on how to run an event as a TO. 

Most interesting, there are two people I'd love to actually know more from, as there experiences would be very interesting for the event.  The first is a friend, Steve, who also ran a Blood Angels list. The second, is the experience gained for the youngest person in the room, who in round 3, had to beat his own father to win  the event.  I'd love to see what Steve learned from the event - he has been running the "new" blood angels a ton more than me.  I'd love to get more about the kid's winning list and how it was used.

The event notes said there would be a painting comp tied to the event for models with the Titanic keyword.  I have no models in that class.  I thought it a possibility it might bring out some knights and greater demons, influencing what the opponents would bring.  Interestingly, there were no greater demon players...only two of the 14 players (or so) used Knights.  I did not stay for paint judging - I was supposed to travel that evening up to my ski lodge for the night!

My List
So my list for the event was pretty much the following (clarified from my ealier posts)-

Battalion Detachment, 6 CP
HQs

• Dante
• Chaplain with Jump Pack, Angels wing relic, crozius and bolt pistol

Elites

• Sanguinary Guard, 5, 3 encarmine blades, 2 power fists, 2 inferno pistols, 3 angelus boltguns
• Death Company, 10, jump packs, 8 bolt pistols, 2 plasma pistols, 4 chainswords, 2 power axes, 1 power fist, 3 power swords

Troops  

• Tac Squad, 5, 1 chain sword, 1 flamer, 1 bolt pistol, 3 bolters
• Tac Squad, 5, 1 chain sword, 1 flamer, 1 bolt pistol, 3 bolters
• Tac Squad, 5, 1 chain sword, 1 flamer, 1 bolt pistol, 3 bolters

Dedicated transports

• Razorback, TL AssCan, Storm Bolter, HKM
• Razorback, TL AssCan, Storm Bolter, HKM
• Razorback, TL LasCan, Storm Bolter, HKM

Heavy

• Baal Predator, TL AssCan, HB Sponsons, Storm Bolter

So, 8 units to deploy, 4 for the board, 4 for reserves. 1500 points exactly. 

In every game I was the first to complete deployment.  In two games I failed to win first player turn (both by sieze), and in the first game I failed to sieze. 

The List Challenge
I bet I had to spend more time getting a list built for this event than pretty much any other event. Seriously.  Doing the math, rechecking the points, staring at the list. Redoing the math.  Changing some items.  Making sure my models were WYSIWYG. Stopping. Breaking out the bits boxes and nippers. Cutting off hands. Gluing on new hands holding other weapons to match list. Painting new arms and weapons. Proofing list. Finding errors. Changing another model to match list. Finding parts for another stormbolter and HKM. Painting more stuff. Painting bases of stuff that had not been painted. Providing counseling to a marine model marked for the Death Company in order to assign him as a tactical sergeant. Making him red. Another round of proofing. Midnight. Printing 4 copies of the list. Finding a final error on the list. Fixing list by hand.

Regardless, I got everything done EXCEPT one thing that was important.  I never could/got/did get to remove the remaining bolt pistols from the list and replace them ALL with boltguns instead. Could replacing 11 or 12 bolt pistols with boltguns really be important?  In this edition I'd have to say...yes...in this game, for Space marines of all kinds, every dice roll counts.  EDRC.

My character goal in this list was to have the ability to have a fearless bubble for the DC/Sanguinary Guard, and be able to give them rerolls to hit, and if I spread out these key units, to spread some of those benefits around.  I figured no Librarian was required at this level...that might have been fine in game 1...had I brought one, probably every spell cast would have failed... 

Game 1 - VS Eldar
My opponent had an Eldar Brigade detachment (9+ CP), including about 5 HQ units, 6 troop (guardian) units, and everything else that was more or less required.  Relics to allow capturing additional CPs as they were spent.  Eldrad. Avatar. Farseers on Jetbikes. Viper. Eldar pathfinders. Eldar banshees. Some form of heavy platforms that can fire indirect.  Two units were kept reserved. Half of the Eldar were from one faction getting FNP rolls.  The others were from another Eldar faction getting rend/mortal wound boosts. About 5 sources of Eldar spells for about 7 or 8 spells available per turn. 

Overall, the terrain was fair for the mission for the game. We got in the 5 turns. We set up in opposite deployment corners with a 18-inch diameter void between us.  I deployed the 4 vehicles last, so I could place them outside of LOS of the guardians.  Frankly I had no idea about the indirect fire.  My opponent ended up in a sort of bulls-head deployment.  Pathfinders on each flank, guardians and everything else in a strong central position.  One large unit of Guardians with a platform, and the banshees were kept reserved.

The missions included:

• Primary - tactical card scoring (4 card hands with a 5th card dicard) (15 pts)
• Secondary - cause more morale casualties (models) (10 pts)
• Tertiary - occupy the table center with an HQ for more than a turn (beginning after the first turn) (5 pts)
• Bonus - last blood (1 pt)

The OPFOR rolled better than me for first turn. I failed to sieze.

My thoughts in the game were to send in the Chaplain, Dante, and Death Company on the right flank, to eliminate the pathfinders and guardians there first turn, then go after the HQs after that. The Sanguinary Guard were to clear the pathfinders on the left flank, and hope to join Dante after that using a stratagem. Not knowing how the Eldar would bring in their reserves, Dante would stay close to the Death Company until the enemy hit the table.  After Turn 1, Dante would angle for the table center to pick up points for one of the missions. My other units would advance up the center to meet up with the other units baout Turn 3. Nice plan.  Met the mission parameters. 

I don't know if the enemy had a cunning plan.

We had decided for this game, any model IN or TOUCHING any terrain would get +1 save.  Also, wheeled or tracked vehicles could not climb vertical surfaces. 

My opponent started the game making a few units bosted with Eldar spells and took some potshots at my vehicles with his pathfinders and indirect platforms. he scored some primary points. 

On my turn 1, I dropped in my 4 reserved units as planned.  In shooting the pathfinders on the left were reduced to 1 model that I failed the charge distance for. On the right flank, The Chaplain (with a 3D6 relic charge range and a dice reroll) got into the other pathfinder unit and eliminated them (they failed morale at the end of the turn).  Dante failed his charge (to the pathfinders). The death company shot at the guardians nearby and then used a 3d6 charge stratagem and also failed their charge (into the same guardians). All of my tactical cards were for eliminating units entirely in assault or by shooting.  I scored nada. 

In response for turn 2, my opponent brought in his large guardian reserve squad near the Sanguinary Guard (left flank), while Eldrad, the Avatar, and guardians advanced toward my right.  Ultimately, the guardians plus smites whittled down 2 Sanguinary Guard on the left, 7 death company and the chaplain on my right. Then the Avatar (which had double moved due to a spell) charged and with a dice reroll reached Dante and the Death Company.  Going first, the Avatar swung everything at Dante and made 6 wounds, for which I failed the 4++ save on just one. The wound was D6, and he rolled a 6.  Dante was gone. I had no HQs remaining already.  Then the Death Company tried to damage the Avatar and maybe did a wound.  In the morale phase, the death comany, having lost 7 marines already that turn, fled. NOTE - if Dante had lived, they would have been fearless in his bubble. My opponent scored more points for the primary. Note that had Dante made his assault to the Pathfinders, my though was he'd be after Eldrad or the Avatar the following turn...it is historic how my luck just fails me. 

On my turn I poured asscan shots into the newly arrived guardian blob on the right, and then charged the last pathfinder, who died in assault. I put other shots into guardian units closest to me, from the right flank razorback and tactical squad. The Avatar was protected by the character rule for targeting.

On Turn 3, my opponent pushed forward on all flanks and center.  I was already out of CP's and hhe was generating them.  The right flank continued to crumble, with me losing the tactical squad to guardian and psyker mortal wounds.  The Razorback was charged and lost to the avatar. One of the farseers on jetbike was on the table center objective.

I responded with wrecking the Vyper, eliminating a guardian squad in the center by shooting and assault, and placing more wounds on the Avatar.  I may have actually eliminated it with a lascannon shot from another razorback. The assaulting tactical squad advanced to the center to attack the farseer on the jetbike next turn.

Turn 4 was going to go quick due to split time.  My oponent Began to withdraw the left flank attackers and consolidate on the center.  In assault the Farseer pooped two tactical marines, and took no wounds in the trade.  At the end of that phase the tactical sergeant held strong. 

I tried to get more shots at the central farseer but would not be able to target him, so I left the assault alone.  The sergeant's pistol was ineffective.  I did get the remnants of the blob squad on the left flank whittled down, evening the number of models lost due to morale checks. The Farseer eliminated the tac squad for last blood. 

The game ended with me losing 26 to 5 (we split the secondary).

Overall thoughts from this game - lessons learned:
I'm a person who learns more from doing. So here are my retrospective thoughts on the things I did.

1. Charges - who would think it was so hard to get charges off at greater than 9 inches, even if rolling 3d6 and a reroll!  Overall, the game might have changed alot if I'd made more of the three failed turn 1 assaults.  On the left flank it would have put the Sanguinary guard in terrain, making them harder to kill and score some points.  On the right flank, had Dante made his charge I would have actually scored more turn 1 points, and separate hime from the death company.  Had the death company made their charge, they would have likely wiped out another guardian squad entirely, or at least given me more morale points for the secondary, and maybe then advanced into another guardian squad reducing the return fire.  Instead they largely died to the guardian squads they were supposed to assault.

A possible fix - get Lemartes into the game.  Every DC unit rerolls failed charges for free.  That is better than using up a third of my CPs for a failed charge.

2. Dante did not make the grade - he was killed turn 2 having done nothing more than give bolt pistol/plasma pistol rerolls to the DC.  Then he was gone. At the end, I had 1 CP remaining, and was hoping he'd live in the assault to the Avatar, to then get D3 additional attacks...rerolling hits, rerolling wounds, with lots of axe mortalis damage should have eliminated the avatar instead.  I used that last CP for a save reroll, needing a 4++, but failed on the reroll. 

Two possible fixes - (1) get Dante at least 4 inches back from the DC (or other units) on the drop and use him as a reactionary force rather than front line attacker; or (2) trade him in for a Captain and Thunder Hammer / Shield / Jump Pack, who I can make DC and benefit from Lemartes if used. The negative is the Captain does not provide an all-hit-rerolls or fearless bubble.  But...if you throw in Lemartes and make the Captain DC, it could be very interesting to see the results of the overlapping reroll 1's, reroll DC charges, reroll assault misses...plus DC get +1A on the charge and a FNP save, plus the really great red thirst +1 to the wound roll. The jump pack captain still would have the Angels Wing relic, which is 3d6 charge and no overwatch (used in this game on the Pathfinder attack).   Don't forget I could also choose a useful warlord trait for the Captain, and if he is the Warlord, the Sanguinary Guard treat him as if he was Dante (reroll all misses in his bubble).  So, yeah, I may need to build/rebuild a DC captain for these parameters...

3. Pistols over Boltguns.  Lets face it.  The Pistols gotta go.  In the new codex / rules, the pistol use rule seems essentially very meaningless. Pistol wielding units don't last long enough for their use to work in most games.  Extra attacks come from chain swords, and at larger games from other characters who provide +1A bubbles...its tough, but I gotta live within the new codex. Look for bad ass death company dudes wielding angry one-handed bolt guns as they fly into the assault, with a chainsword or power weapon in the other hand.

Think what might have happened if the DC had dropped with the ability to throw 18 bolter dice instead of 8 pistol dice, into the guardians 9 inches away.  Rerolling misses with Dante.  Instead (with the plasma pistols added) of popping 4, it might have been 8.  That reduction in firepower and possible morale failure on the part of the guardians might have changed aspects of the game. It is all a matter of dice volume sometimes and 8 free dice can mean a lot in a smaller game.     

4. Vehicles.  Lost of dice from these vehicles.  In this game I lost just one. In assault. By an Avatar that did not fail his charge using a reroll.

On the other hand, the vehicles eat points in a smaller game.  In this game my opponent had a brigade, giving him an edge in CPs.  I don't think it can be easy at all to get a Blood Angels Brigade with powerful characters at 1500 points though. 

5. Deployment. Overall, I think it went alright.  My opponent and I both agreed that a lot of the game hung in the ability to get tactical points and I was doomed in bad cards.  Overall, his biggest error was holding the Banshees back, and actually forgot to deploy them, so they were lost.  It is uncertain if my deployment to the left flank (corner) with the Sanguinary Guard was an issue.  Although they did fail to clear the corner, they did draw off other Eldar strength that otherwise would have been applied to the center or right flank. At the end of  the game the only unit that had done nothing (besides the OPFOR banchees) was the tactical squad I left on an objective near the back corner, hoping for points for objectives.  If I did anything, it was not knowing if the OPFOR's two reserved units could deep strike (my assumption) or just enter from the OPFOR's long board edge - that would maybe have changed things a bit on my deployment, and maybe got that third tactical squad engaged elsewhere (or easily killed by all the shuriken madness).

All for now, I'll write up game 2 (Blood Angels vs Astra Militarum) next!

MING