Battle Report - 1500 vs (Foot) Guard

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This was my first of 2 games tonight, versus someone I've not seen before but is a vet down at our Local GS. Like I always say, really nice guy, old school vet which I think makes for the best games (just a lot more relaxed). He was testing part of his list for a tourney this weekend which he's playing doubles, he did add "mech" to add the final 500 points (2k doubles) so he wasnt quite all foot.

 

I am using my "new" list which I'll explain the changes in my list section.

 

THE LISTS

 

My List:

 

HQ:

Libby w/ Unleash Rage/Shield of Sang

Honor Guard w/ x3 LC's x3 SS

Razorback w/ Heavy Bolter

 

TROOPS:

x5 RAS w/ TH w/ AssCan Razor

x5 RAS w/ MG w/ Asscan Razor

x5 RAS w/ MG w/ LasPlas Razor

x5 RAS w/ Flamer w/ LasPlas Razor

 

FAST:

x1 BAAL w/ AssCan HB

x1 BAAL w/ AssCan HB

x3 Attack Bikes w/ x3 MM

 

HIS LIST:

 

I cant remember exactly how he had these set up, but it was roughly:

 

Command Squad w/ Snipers/Vox

Command Squad w/ vox

 

Ogryns

Ratling Snipers

Marbo

 

Squad w/ Misile Launcher/Flamer

Squad w/ Misile Launcher/Flamer

Squad w/ Misile Launcher

Squad w/ Misile Launcher

x3 Lascannon Crews

x3 Lascannon Crews

x3 Lascannon Crews

Cadian Snipers

 

Leman Russ

Leman Russ

 

The Russ's had the long range gun, battle cannon? Not the demolisher one. Think he had a squad or two more in there, but cant remember.

 

The Setup

 

The table had a bit of cover, each side had a couple of small forrests in the "corners" and the center had a small bastion w/ a mini baricade beside it, there was a hill on his left flank.

 

MISSION: Objectives - 5

Deployment: Pitched Battle

 

FIRST TURN: Me (He does not seize).

 

Objectives I place my 3 quite near the center line, one is on my side of the table, but near the center baricades (which are on my right), then 1 is about 15" to the left flank, and one is a bout 12" behind these 2 to make a triangle. His 2 he places 1 in his tree's near his board edge (but on my left flank) then another FAAAAR right flank (my right) on the hills.

 

My deployment: I setup to take my 3 objectives and look to contest his one in the forrest with a Baal, so I setup accordingly with baal's in front looking to scout and then parking lot behind. I have the AC Razors and HB Razor setup behind the baals and both las plas on my far left flank behind the tree's to try and get some non-cover saves on his flanks (was at this stage hoping he'd have his Russ's on that flank to deal with me ..)

 

He setups basically 1 massive gun line. His russ's go to my far right on the hill. He has 1 squad over there, with lascannons, then the snipers in the middle (ratlings and 1 sniper squad), some more lascannons sort of center then ogryns now infront of me (center left) with snipers bedhind them with his command crew, some misile launchers knocking around this forrest, and then 3 more lascannon bases on the far left flank.

 

I quickly decided I am going to try and decimate his right flank (my left) and then, if I can, work towards his core with my honor guard and baals to try and deny him the center objective. I will let him have his objective unless I can make them run via shooting. He obviously is going to try and shoot me off the board and win 2-1 or something like that.

 

THE BEGINNING

 

Basically I rumble forward between some tree's and the center building. The 2 baals lead the way, and the AC razors "flank" them, one cant get range so I hold it back in what I thought was cover. The HB razor pops forward behind all these to try and get some LOS, and the lasplas's move out on the left flank. I shoot at his front squad (which are in trees and sat on the objective) and the lascannons on the left flank. He makes a lot of cover saves but I do manage to drop a fair few. Basically whittling down the left flank (his right flank). In his turn he rumbles his russ's forward at which point I realise I didnt leave the AC razor in such hot cover, and he manages to shake it so it cant shoot next turn. He also wrecks the other AC Razor and imobs the right hand baal. Pretty good shooting for him.

 

In the second turn I try and make the best of it and whittle off some squads and force them to run maybe. Both baals unload into some squads and force a misile launcher crew to run. The lasplas's go to work on the lascannons on the left flank, and drop a couple of bases, these dont run. The HB hits another squad and whittles it down. The melta bikes speed forward looking for cover against lascannons to try and get to the russ's. In his second he pops marbo up near the wrecked razor, pops his template on the squad and drops all of them (they had a 5+ cover and they ALL rolled 4's!). His rus now wrecks the shaken AC razor back, and his entire left flank (might right hand side) shoots at the melta bikes, dropping 2. His russ also drops a couple out of the squad that just got out of the wrecked razor.

 

The Middle

 

At this stage in T3 I really start to think about objectives, as I am down 1 squad, and 1 is dropping sharpish, thinking I may not have much front support I have to make sure I get some good shooting and setup a position where my Honor guard can plow through by themselves I keep firing at that left side of the table, and now manage to make a couple of squads run, take down his lascannons, and start to chip away at the core, preparing for a T4 or T5 assault, I want to turn my fire to any squad of his that may make a dart into the open. My melta at 24" rolls 13 on pen chart against the russ, which seals his fate. In his T3 he gets unlucky with shooting, he takes out 1 more RAS out in the open near my, drops the last bike, and shakes the HB so that it cant shoot (think he did that with a sniper).

 

T4 I move my 2 razors right up towards his lines but dont deploy as they cant charge, I dont want to let his ogryns charge any of my units just yet. I shoot at some more and make his first command squad run off the table, I also begin to whittle down the middle of his table, taking down a lascannon team which also runs off the table, and some of the misile launchers that were still lying around. He is now really relying on russ's and 1 or 2 ML's lying around to "demech" me. I also finish off Marbo in this turn with the 2 remaining RAS on the center objective. I tuck them in tidy behind the wrecked razor to avoid getting hit by the russ's. In his turn he charges his ogryns into my las plas razor to try and destroy it, but gets no luck, he tries to take out the 2nd baal which is still running around terrorising his army now they dont get cover saves, but gets no luck there either.

 

The End

 

At this stage in T5 its nearly over, I make my move for his objective in the forrest. I move my las plas w/ the squad still inside back onto my left objective, the x2 RAS sit in hiding on my center objective. The HG get out and move through the forrest to get ready to charge his command squad, and I tank shock with the other las plas his ogryns and commisar - they fail (11!) and run off the table - shame because I was going to line them up for a beautiful flamer to charge to sweeping advance!. I move the HB razor to "block" LOS to the HG etc which now contest the objective - and line up the SS's furthest from the objective so they can take the hits if I need to w/ 3++'s and still contest. The baal actually mowed down his troops making a dart for the center objective, he is now down to 1 or 2 troop choices, all over by his "hill objective".

In his 5th turn, he just tries to fire everything at my HG and razor, which has a single guardsmen very near and could run onto the objective if he shifted the two. He managed to drop a single model from the HG but between FNP, the libby's 2 wounds and 3++'s they stayed fast.

 

At this stage he called the game. The HG next turn would have cleaned off another squad, and I'd have controlled 3 objectives with them all getting cover saves, and the Baal that wasnt imob'd probably would have decked his squad on his objective.

 

End:

 

I win 2-1 objectives.

 

Conclusion

 

Things for me in the first couple of turns were worst, losing 2 tanks and having a baal imob'd which kind of blocked the way of my HG razor and the las plas razor - which took me a turn or two more to get them near combat than I liked. But from T3 to T5 it became all gravy as my game plan of taking out his right hand flank (my left) and forcing him to rely on shooting into cover nearly every turn helped.

 

I did make a few mistakes though. My tank deployment was ok, but I did cause myself a jam as I say above, where a more adventurous baal scout move would have saved me that, also I really should have then just got 12" with them, and 18" with x2 or x3 razors and got stuck in as soon as possible - maybe even combat in T2, have 2 squads sit back on objectives and 3 squads running through his army. Baals would have been decked prob by turn 3 but probably would have taken out quite a fair chuck by that stage.

 

Also my use of the bikes. I went 12" then 12", really should have gone 24" - taken the 3++ and then 12" and been within 12 of the Russ's - and probably had more than I did. Also I need to drop 1 MM and get 1 HB just purely for wound assignment. However, they did distract a lot of lascannon and russ fire for a couple of turns.

 

Over all was a decent win, though I could have made it easier on myself.