Threeway 1000pt battle

[Olis]

I'm working from memory here so if I've fudged anything, I hope you'll forgive me.

 

My army 1000pts;

1x Captain

1x Venerable Dreadnought

1x Sternguard squad

2x Tactical squads

1x Assault squad

1x Rhino

 

Sallies 1000pts;

1x Captain

1x Terminator squad

1x Dreadnought

1x Techmarine w. Thunderfire Cannon

3x Tactical squads

 

BT 1000pts

1x Emperor's Champion

1x Vindicator

2x Razorbacks

2x Rhinos

4x BT squads (minimum size iirc)

 

Pre-battle prep

So, with a brief toying with the idea, for fun, to have EVERYTHING deepstrike, we went for a standard set up for a three-way battle. After learning the BT player was a devious but accomplished player the Sallie Player had offered an 'alliance' so we could face him on better terms. There was a joint worry over our anti-tank capabilities so we had deployed facing the BT player, reasonably close to each other, utilising terrain where possible to shield our forces from him. Little did I know things wouldn't go exactly to plan...

 

 

Turn 1 - Treachery (What a surprise.)

With the BT player going first he moved his forces forward at a modest pace, clearly not in any rush to meet our guns just yet. Although he had cover from most of our anti-tank weapons he elected to shoot at the Thunderfire Cannon and the Techmarine with his one Razorback in range, to little appreciable effect.

 

Next were the Sallies. In the movement phase he shuffled his forces about a bit (mostly towards me). And then out came the flamer templates. He had elected, in his infinte teenage wisdom, to shoot at me as he had very little that could reach the BT's for now. With sufficient range to get me, however, he believed a pre-emptive strike would cripple me and leave me with little to oppose him. Over the course of his shooting phase he had killed a handful of my marines, much to my lack of surprise. My faith in the so-called alliance had somewhat waned.

 

And then it was my turn. First, I set about turning upon my erstwhile betrayer, moving units into position ready to maul his forces including disembarking my Sternguard and Captain from their Rhino. In the shooting phase my dreadnought made short work of one of his combat squads and the rest of my forces whittled his men down by a couple of marines at a time. With my Assault squad just close enough to charge one of his Tactical squads they leapt into the fray with the intention of a couple of rounds of butchery. The dice disagreed. One Sallie fell to my veteran sergeant's power sword but no other men succumbed to my jump pack troops. Obviously my men had failed to recite their litanies or perhaps the activation studs on their chainswords were a bit sticky. Unfortunately two men fell to the plucky Sallies and forced a leadership check. A check they failed. With the subsequent armour saves failing to protect them, the Assault squad was wiped out on the first turn. Bummer.

 

 

Turn 2 - Bloodshed

So, once again the BT player had something to do and yet he had chosen to move forward a modest amount again, clearly intent on leaving me and the Sallie player to our own machinations. However he had foolishly decided to move one Razorback through difficult terrain and rolled a one, beaching his tank on some pipework a good twenty inches from anything remotely hostile. In the shooting phase he had shot again at the Techmarine, hitting the Thunderfire Cannon, but only shaking it.

 

Again the Sallies attacked my forces, any notion of an actual alliance long dead in the dirt. His shooting phase again saw little return, to my glee, but still a handful of models were sent to the 'dead' pile, including a Sternguard. In the assault phase his Dreadnought and a Tactical squad charged into one of my Tactical squads, trying to wipe them out. Only the Dreadnought did any damage for that round killing one marine while I downed one of his - I felt really reluctant to try to take on the Dreadnought with Krak Grenades and so his Tactical squad was the object of my affections.

 

In my turn I again closed with his forces while I jammed my Rhino between two pieces of terrain to block the BT player when he came to kill it and whatever remained of my forces. Now most of my guys were close enough I forewent moving for the most part and attempted to riddle his army with bolt shells. One of his Tactical squads practically disappeared and the Techmarine vanished in a puff of smoke as my Venerable Dreadnought struck him with a plasma bolt. His Captain also died in the storm of metal, torn down by my Sternguard after the Tactical squad he had accompanied went bye-bye. The close combat was again indecisive as I lost two Marines and killed two of his in return.

 

 

Turn 3 - Splat

As he moved most of his force the BT player was now close enough to employ his Vindicator - which promptly killed a Sternguard of mine and a Tactical marine of the Sallie player's. Impressive, not. This still was the sum total of his turn as he bided his time, waiting for the damaged victor of my battle with the Sallies.

 

The Sallie player, now running out of units, Deepstriked his Terminator squad near my Sternguard (I had unintentionally warned him against Deepstriking near a corner of the table, however, so his new target was closer to my units) with unfortunate results. He scattered directly onto my Sternguard and then rolled a one on the Mishap table. A resounding 'splat' echoed out of the BT players mouth as I facepalmed and groaned sympathetically. That had to hurt. The subsequent combat still did little as another marine from each side fell.

 

My movement phase saw my remaining units get into position for the subsequent phases of the turn. My Sternguard reduced his last Tactical squad (the ones who had wasted my Assault squad) to a single man. The Venerable Dreadnought held his fire as he prepared to charge the Sallie Dreadnought in the rear (stop sniggering) and my other unit had nothing to fire upon (the combat was in the way). In the assault phase my Dread charged his, downing it in a flurry of Power Fist blows. My Tactical squad was wiped out in the same phase and his Tactical squad was reduced to one man.

 

 

Turn 4 - Exit, stage left

The BT player, sensing a victor, moved his forces forward eagerly, ready to unleash the fury of the Black Templars in the next turn. His Rhinos swept out toward the Sallie deployment zone and his one mobile Razorback sped towards my depleted Tactical squad. His Vindicator threw a shell at my Tactical squad, scattering three inches, and slew two marines. This was not looking good.

 

The Sallie player, having only one Missile Launcher to shoot with launched a rocket at one of the Rhinos and missed. His other model left on the board (not counting his unmanned Thunderfire Cannon) was promptly slain by my Venerable Dreadnought, crushed to a pulp.

 

My turn and my Sternguard moved towards the BT Rhinos, gunning down the last Sallie in a show of wasted force. My Tactical squad blasted everything they had at the Razorback looming over them, but to no avail. They either missed or failed to get even a glancing hit. They were doomed.

 

 

Turn 5 - Endgame

Now a player down the BT player was looking predatory. His men disembarked ready to charge my diminished squads and his Razorback and Vindicator targetted my Venerable Dreadnought. The aged warrior succumbed to the fire and went down. My arguably best unit of the game was wrecked, toppling forward, bereft of life. My Sternguard fell to a multitude of Bolt Pistols, leaving my Captain alone to face his Emperor's Champion and ten other Black Templars. My Tactical squad withstood the firestorm only to be assaulted immediately afterward, leaving three survivors of the attack and taking two with them. The Captain valiantly wounded the Emperor's Champion before being struck down by the righteous fury the Champion exuded. He died surrounded by his enemies.

 

My turn saw my three men club down another Black Templar as the black clad marines chopped and blasted two marines off of their feet. Only the Sergeant remained, besides the now immobilised Rhino.

 

 

 

We called it a day there. I hadn't been wiped out but I had never been whittled down to a solitary model before. I was just glad I had not come last, having annihilated my other opponent, the Salamander player. :)

[Guest kodopitharos]

Nice battle report - you dont see many FFA games these days.

 

When you say that the Thunderfire Cannon was shaken what do you mean? Any penetrating or glancing hits destroys artillery units. No need to roll on the damage table.

 

Keep em coming

[Olis]

Ah, well, the bloke that was 'adjudicating' insisted we used the vehicle damage table. I felt generous (see; not willing to start an argument) so I just left it at that. I didn't care - it wasn't a tournament game or anything serious whatsoever. There was one or two moments of faffing about whether something was technically in range or not but I let the 'adjudicator' make the call, I just wanted to get on with it. :tu:

 

Anyway, thanks! :D