Death From Above

[OnlyInDeath]

Alright, so it's monday again and I've been able to set up a good sized battle vs a local store player, 2500 pts a side, and he said that he's going to bring BA's so that's what I'm planning for. He said that he needs some 'Ard Boyz practice, so I've drawn up my list according to what I've pieced together as the rules (ie. must fill at least 1 of all slots in FOC, i think?...???). I also managed to get my first 3 drop pods up and running as of last night, so to try something new I'll be integrating them into my force. This will be a first for me, so we'll see how it goes. My tactics for this one will be the good 'ol hammer meeting the anvil with a mech/drop pod list.

 

HQ:

 

Wolf Lord

TDA, AC, FB, WP, RC, WTN

 

WGBL

Bike, FB, WP, WTN

 

Wolf Priest

WTN, WP, frags, Meltabombs (on top of normal layout)

 

Vendread

TLLC, ML, EA

 

 

Troops:

 

2x8 GH packs

pw, pf, meltagun and bolters in each

**In DP's with DWML's

 

2x7 GH packs

pw, pf, 1xmg, 1xpg, bolters in each

**In Rhinos: EA, SL

 

 

Elites:

 

6x Scouts

2xpw, pp, mg, frags, shotguns for the rest

 

5x WGBG

1. AC, PW, WP, RC, TDA

2. AC, CF, WP, RC, TDA

3+4. TLC, WP, WTN, RC, TDA

5. TH, SS, TDA, WP, WTN

** IN DP w/ DWML

 

Fast Attack:

 

4x Bikers

pw, pf, flamer

 

 

Heavy Support:

 

2x Vindicator

dozer blades

 

Whirlwind

 

Its a pretty quick and dirty list with a lot of things that I havent used in a while (termies) and some things I've never used at all (DP's). I've always run a full mech list with really good results (only one loss ever, coming in a RTT). I really want to add DP's to that equation to give me some more flexibility as far as well dug in troops, and also being able to drop my dreads on someone's head as opposed to foot slogging it. Normally, I would have bypassed the bikes in a game like this, but as I am hazy on the Ard boys rules, and I think I have to use at least one from all FOC slots, it's what I went with as I do like to use them (especially w/ a WGBL to make it a bad day in CC for them). We'll see how this goes and I should have some results for you by later tonight!

[Ullr Direfang]

seems like a solid list to me just one question:

HQ:

 

Wolf Lord

TDA, AC, FB, WP, RC, WTN

 

umm.... is the AC an assault cannon? Wolf lords can't take em..... WGBL can though.that's the only thing i see that i have a question about.

and i don't think you need one selection from each type of FOC area.

[Wolf89]

I second the wolf lord with the AC thing, if that's what you meant change him to a WGBL and you just got an extra 15 points. :)

 

I think this list is good, you have enough troops (though I'd recommend one or two more even for those big objective missions and KP missions (since 1 KP per troop and 2+ for your specials which you have a lot of)) but other than that looks good.

 

Your other option is to just switch your WGBL with your Wolf lord, so you don't have to mess up points, you now have a even more bad ass of a biker guy. :P

[OnlyInDeath]

Your other option is to just switch your WGBL with your Wolf lord, so you don't have to mess up points, you now have a even more bad ass of a biker guy. :P

 

Good Idea, that. Like I said, rusty with the termies! lol. Yeah, I really wanted to take another troops choice here, but Kinda ran outta points :) . I play a mech list though and am used to playing with low numbers of troops, you just gotta compensate with troop clearing choices, like vindis. Hence two of them:). A pair of these should work well at clearing out a ton of pesky assault squads, and they are also ideal for taking out death company (last game I had vs BA's, first turn the DC took a direct hit from a vindi, killed the unit to the man, even the chappy).

[Wolf89]

I play a mech list though and am used to playing with low numbers of troops, you just gotta compensate with troop clearing choices, like vindis. Hence two of them:).

 

Shoot, why only two? go for three. ;)

 

As for death company they're pushovers, at least that's what my BC's with my two IC's attached thought. :)

 

Go with the WL on the bike and WGBL in TDA with AC and this list should do fine for sure.

[OnlyInDeath]

Ok, here's the battle rep:

 

Well, the BA player decided not to show up at all, so I was able to line up a 2500 point game against Tau. I was a little leery as I did not take a very anti-tau list, but I figured what the heck and went with it.

 

His list was as follows:

 

4 fire warrior squads, 1 in a devilfish

1 pathfinder squad, in devilfish

2x6 stealth suits, deepstriking

10 gun drones, deepstriking

2 sniper teams

2 broadsuits 2/ shield drones

2 HQ suits w/ sheild drones

Hammerhead

3 Crisis suits, plasma/missile pods on all.

 

We rolled up the mission and it was a capture and control, pitched battle. The terrain found a hill on my left side of the board for both deployment areas, impassable hills on the right side in both deployment areas, a ziggauraut just to the right of the middle, and another small but tall hill to the left of center. I put my objective behind the hill to my left, he chose to put his behind the hill to the right.

 

I won deployment and elected to go first. I put both of my vindis and the bikes off to my right flank to hammer at his objective, my vendread in the middle hiding behind the ziggaraut and formed an armored wedge behind my objective with my rhinos, deploying one of the GH 7 man packs on my objective with the WW tucked in there as well. He put both devilfish, a unit of fire warriors, the suits and the hammerhead along my left flank by my objective, and had the HQ, pathfinders and a unit of fire warriors in the middle, and covering his objective he hid a fire warrior unit with broadside support. He failed to sieze the initiative

 

Turn 1.

 

The sky tore asunder and drop pods screamed from the heavens, as one unit of GH landed directly in front of the broadsides ( I was using the pod to shield my right flank from railguns) and the termies came down right between the pathfinders and the crisis suits. The vendread angled around the ziggaraut to draw a bead on the pathfinder devilfish and the vindis moved to better positions, one gunning it 12" to climb to the top of the ziggy (thank god for dozer blades, as I rolled 2 1's for each of the 6" moved!). The bikes simply turbo boosted the full 24" along the board edge.

As the shooting commenced, the vindi shot at the firewarriors it could barely see along the right flank, only killing a couple due to cover saves. The vendread then opened up and proceeded to down the pathfinder devilfish, stranding the unit behind his own lines! As the termies clomped forward and unleashed hell into the backs of the crisis suits, they lost all of their shield drones and 3 wounds were caused on the suits besides, felling one of their number. The whirlwind targeted the left flank unit of firewarriors but scattered off, and instead just pegged the hammerhead, doing little damage to the strong front armor. In the biggest surprise of the round, the GH by the broadsides unloaded with their bolters and melta gun, and after the dust settled, both drones were downed, as well as a broadsuit! An extra ration of ale!

 

The tau sought to collect themselves after finding some wolves in their midst and the pathfinders moved into the cover of the downed devilfish, while both squads of fire warriors around the termies manouvered into a better firing position. The crisis suits jumped over the unit of firewarriors to get away from the termies and took up firing positions. Little else moved this turn, and the tau opened fire.

The remaining broadside and the HQ suit opened up into the GH pack and fell four of the marines, while the unit protecting his objective rapid fired into the oncoming bikes, but attrocious rolling only saw one of them go down. The sniper teams illuminated my rhino with marker lights, which the hammerhead proceeded to shoot, but only rolled a 1 to glance! The rhino ended up simply shaken. The rest of the army proceeded to unload into the termie squad (16 fire warriors, 2 sets of smart missiles and 2 crisis suits) and managed to only eat up 3 of the runic charms and put a wound on the WGBL (that stormshield was perfect against the plasma fire!)

 

Turn 2:

 

Turn 2 saw the scouts show up along side the hammerhead ( I couldnt get behind it due to it deploying right on the edge) and the second drop pod of GH deploy right on top of the FW on his objective. The bikes also pushed forward to face this squad. Both vindis edged slightly over to get better firing angles, while the vendread took his aim on the other devilfish. The termies advanced upon the fire warriors in front of them to get closer to the suits (who had shuffled away).

As the shooting began, both vindis targeted the HQ unit but missed badly. The deathwind launcher from the first GH dp opened up at the HQ unit as well but also missed. The vendread shot the devilfish, but one of the 2 pens was ignored from disruption pods and the other only managed to shake it. The scouts shooting did little better, as they only managed to stun the hammerhead, even with the melta being 2 " away. The termies blasted the firewarriors down to only 2 warriors, who managed to hold, while the GH 4 man squad melted the remaining broadside with a hiss of superheated air. The deathwind on the left side shot at the warriors and managed to kill 2 with a direct hit, while the WW scattered again, but this time onto a sniper squad, wiping it out. On the right flank, the fire warriors were shot to pieces between the bikes and GH's. The assault phase was short and sweet, the termies tearing apart the remaining fire warriors and consolidating into the wreckage of the devilfish.

 

The tau were praying ferverently for deep strike reinforcements, but only the second HQ suit managed to show up, which came down right next to the other HQ suit. Together they advanced on the remaining GH's in the 4 man squad. The firewarriors in the devilfish on the left flank deployed and formed a solid firing line towards the termies, as did the crisis suits. Little else moved.

The shooting was rather predictable, with the pathfinders illuminating the GH squad, which the HQ suits used to fire a flamer, fusion blaster, cyclic ion blaster and an air frag at, only managing to kill 2 (from fusion and an ap1 ion blast). Fire warriors, the remaining sniper squad and the suits again targeted the termies, this time managing to kill a LC armed WG and the SS/TH WG through sheer weight of fire, and also more plasma getting through this turn. The scouts were also annihilated by massed shooting.

 

Turn 3-4:

 

The next two turns saw the bikes and the remaining two GH's advance on and eliminating the pathfinders. The termies gunned down the last 2 suits in one round of shooting, and tore apart an HQ suit in the last turn. The vindis accounted for another HQ unit and blasted a stealth team to pieces when they finally showed up at the end of turn 4. The whirlwind and deathwind on the left flank started tearing apart the firewarriors and sniper team, eventually wiping out all but 8 of the devilfish mounted warriors. The vendread tookout the railgun on the hammerhead and kept the devilfish stunned in turn 4.

For the tau, nothing was going well. All his reserves came down at the end of turn 4, but they really werent able to do a single thing shooting other than take down the bike squad and the lord. He eventually conceeded at the end of 4 as he was just in position to get annihilated.

 

In the end, victory for the wolves. 2 objectives to 0, prolly would have tabled him if it went 6 turns.

 

I gotta say, the list worked very well. The drop pods are just amazing for delivering units into the thick of battle and I'm rolling a full DP list around in my head. My MVP's were most definately the termies, who managed to soak up a prodigious amount of fire (essentially the whole tau army worth 3 turns straight) and I only lost 3 of them. Runic Charms = win. I can only imagine what 4 DP'ing GH squads, a unit of termies and 3-4 dreads coming down on their heads could do!

[Grey Mage]

Well done man.... seriously, youve just convinced me of my desire to grab a pair of drop pods and a whirlwind.... despite the increased point costs. :P.

[Wolf89]

Well done, but I was quite confused by reading your Batrep, I thought this was for ard boyz... if it is then your storm shield isn't 3++ yet against shooting and HtH, it's still only 4+ in HtH as you only use the new C:SM for the ard boyz finals.

 

(thank god for dozer blades, as I rolled 2 1's for each of the 6" moved!).

In the new C:SM you can get what's called a "siege shield" for your vindis and I highly recommend it. :P

 

As for your termies being amazing, I agree, I've had great luck with them in 5th so almost every SW list I make I have to include a squad, they're just so much fun. I usually get all shooty however with combi-flamers and such and enjoy it the most, but I might try the SS\TH or similar variant if it works that good for you.

 

I still have yet to make full use of scouts in 5th, mainly because the same reason you said about them just getting shot to bits. If you carefully placed and used them however I think scouts have a lot more potential, given you field a drop pod list where half your pods are already in their lines to "draw" fire from the scouts. I may have to work them into a list again, even if it's just the meltabomb type that's like 50-60 points.

 

How did you like the deathwind ML's? I'm still playing around with the idea, favoring my trusty storm bolters and not risking scattering a huge pie plate that close to my lines...

 

Again, nice job. :P

[OnlyInDeath]

The guy I was originally going to face was Hard Boyz battle, but he didnt show up so the Tau was just for fun.

 

I did read about the siege shield, but again, points limitations:P

 

Yeah, the scouts for the first time really ended up disappointing me. I think that people are so wise now as to the potential for SW scouts that no matter what's on the board, they just want them gone. And they really need to come through on the turn that they come in for them to survive into the next round, which unfortunately mine didnt. Considering I could get a pair of deep striking, melta armed landspeeders for about the same points cost, I gotta say I might just take them out for another option if I were to go in a full DP list. In a mech list, or even the mech/pod hybrid list, they are still viable.

 

The deathwinds I did like, however I wouldnt equp my whole force with them. I think if you went 1/3 of your pods DW, 2/3 SB, you will be happy. Just make sure your DW pods get very close to the enemy's tightly grouped formations, as they only have a 12" range! Also, they are really only effective against lightly armored troops w/ that -- AP value. I was catching full 8 man squads of fire warriors, wounding 6, only 2 kills. But still, for the points cost, the DW got me the cost of the pods and DW's back in kills, so that's what counts:).