1KSons versus Ultras [pics-a-plenty!]

[Kierdale]

The basics:

1000 points each. 3 Objectives. Dawn of War.

My apologies for some of the photos being blurred, they were taken quickly during the course of the game.

The 124th Expedition:

Chaplain Corvidae Adept Exemptus Khaldun - jump pack, combi-melta, digital weapons. - 140pts

Vanguard Veteran squad Minkabh - jump packs, storm shields, sergeant w/ relic blade, 1 veteran w/ thunder hammer, 4 veterans w/ power swords. - 400pts

Land Speeder Storm Uraeus - heavy bolter. - 50pts

Tactical squad Nehebkau - sergeant w/ power sword, 1 marine w/ missile launcher, 1 marine w/ plasma gun, 7 marines w/ bolters. - 195pts

Scout squad Wepwawet - sergeant w/ combi-flamer, 1 scout with heavy bolter, 3 scouts w/ bolters. - 95pts

Scout squad Kemnebi - sergeant w/ combi-melta, 4 scouts w/ bolt pistols and blades. - 90pts

Total = 970 points

The Opposition:

Chaplain - power fist, jump pack.

Assault squad - sergeant w/ storm shield and power sword, 1 marine w/ plasma pistol, 5 marines w/ bolt pistols and chainswords.

Dreadnought - extra armour, searchlight, plasma cannon, missile launcher.

Tactical squad - sergeant w/ combi-melta, 1 marine w/ missile launcher, 1 marine w/ plasma gun, 7 marines w/ bolters, in a rhino.

Combat (Tactical) squad - sergeant w/ power fist, 4 marines w/ bolters, in a rhino.

Devastator squad - sergeant, 2 marines w/ lascannons, 2 marines w/ missile launchers.

The Battlefield:

Small barricades to my left and right, a large ruin atop a low hill in the middle (the left side of the photo below).

Another barricade in the middle-left, craters in the middle and mid-right.

A barricade and marine statue atop the far-left hill, ruins in the far-middle and far-right corners.

And a pic showing the view up my left side

Objectives

My opponent (GW staff) placed one objective (the Ultramarine standard bearer you'll see in later photos) in the very middle of the battlefield.

I then placed the second (a control station) on the very top floor of my side's big ruin.

My opponent then placed the third (a crate of Lacrymata drug) - surprisingly - right in front of the barricade on my right flank. The fact that he'd taken two rhinos and an assault squad and then put all the objectives on my side confirmed my suspicions that he was going to be on the offensive.

Deployment:

I lost the die roll for 1st turn.

He deployed his tactical squad in their rhino in front of the mid-right crater, ready to drive forward toward the Lacrymata crate.

The combat squad and chaplain deployed in the other rhino behind his middle ruin. The first turn would be night-fight, but he was being careful.

His assault squad, devastators and dreadnought would be coming on later as per Dawn of War.

(those marines aren't actually in the crater, they're in that rhino)

I deployed scout squad Wepwawet (combi-flamer and heavy bolter) behind the right-flank barricade to cover the Lacrymata crate.

I split tactical squad Nehebkau into two combat squads: the squad veteran, missile launcher and three bolter-marines taking the control station objective atop my central ruin.

The other half of the squad (including sergeant Nehebkau and the plasma gun) deployed on the ground floor, either to support

Next I made a big mistake: I put the chaplain Khaldun behind the barricade on my left flank. Once we started I realised he had nothing to do over here. Shouldn't have spread out so much!

My land speeder storm (and scout squad Kemnebi aboard it) and vanguard veterans would be deep striking.

Introduction:

Khaldun stalked down a corridor in the Waxing Moon, scouts getting out of the grumpy old Terran's way. There were two squads of scouts aboard the cruiser, fresh from training with Phael Toron's seventh fellowship back on Prospero. They were being assigned to sergeants Kemnebi and Wepwawet, who had seen a fair few of the expedition's current brother marines through to full astartes. Still, that didn't improve the hoary old veteran's mood any. Even vanguard sergeant Minkabh, who had served with Khaldun in countless battles, kept out of the Adept Exemptus' way. He knew that when Khaldun was in a grim mood there was nothing that could be done.

Eventually he arrived at the shuttle bay, where he met the only Thousand Son aboard who would speak to him when he was in a mood. Perhaps the only aboard who understood. Sergeant Nehebkau was, like Khaldun himself, a member of the Corvidae cult. Nehebkau wore their raven's head mark painted at the center of the legion's starburst insignia on his left shoulder. Khaldun however, was a far higher rank within the cult: Adept Exemptus, and bore a raven's skull and sable wings upon his right shoulder pad. His robes were also inscribed with glyphs indicating his rank, achievements and dedication.

Khaldun grunted in greeting, making the aquila over the carved jade scarab that all full-astartes of the XV legion wore upon their chests.

"An ill vision?" Nehebkau inquired, receiving another hoarse grunt and a nod in reply, drowned out by the whine of a land speeder storm's engines as it throttled up and eased aboard the dropship.

"To think it has come to this..." Khaldun shook his head.

"There have been reports of lost colonies fielding power-armoured warriors. We must be prepared for more than greenskins."

Another grunt, "Still...Lord Guilliman's astartes..."

Turn One:

What do you know? I rolled a six and could steal the initiative. I did and the only thing I could really do was fire my missile launcher at the tactical squad's rhino (anything else likely being concealed by the night)...and miss.

Lesson: just because you can seize the initiative doesn't mean you should.

All other units held position.

On his turn he moved his rhinos forward, the nearest one moving right next to the Lacrymata crate and the full tactical squad piling out.

The chaplain hopped out of the other behind the ruin and the rhino moved toward the middle craters.

The assault squad then came on, joining up with the chaplain, the devastators too, running for his middle ruin, and the dreadnought.

The dreadnought tried to shoot at the Thousand Son with missile launcher atop my central ruin but couldn't see that far (we forgot it had a search light!). The tactical squad that piled out of the rhino right in front of sergeant Wepwawet and his scouts behind the barricade rapid fired at them and one scout was downed.

Turn Two:

Chaplain Khaldun figured out the battle was going to be taking place on the right flank (being a Corvidae cult member he really should've seen this coming!) and jumped his way back to my central ruin (no doubt grumbling to himself as he did).

Sergeant Nehebkau lead his combat squad down from the ruin toward the deployed Ultra tactical squad, firing to no effect. A similar result with the missile launcher in the ruin shooting at the tactical Ultras with a frag. Scout sergeant Wepwawet then let loose at the same Ultras with his combi-flamer. Ten points of guaranteed promethium pain right there. Killed a couple while they shrugged off shots from the heavy bolter and bolters.

The vanguard veterans then dropped down from the welkin upon gilt pinions of flame...and did a heroic intervention, racing into combat with the dreadnought...to little effect. The power weapons of four couldn't scratch it, sergeant Minkabh's relic blade failed to roll a six and sadly the thunder hammer only managed a glance...damn that dread's extra armour!

...and the dreadnought felled one of the veteran brothers in return!

In his turn his assault squad moved across toward my vanguards in combat with his dreadnought (I don't remember exactly but I think I chipped it's paint some more and he may have killed another vanguard). The devastators advanced into the safety of his central ruin.

The combat squad in a rhino roared across the middle crater and deployed, opening fire on my tactical combat squad Nehebkau and killing one. The full Ultra tactical squad took down another scout from Wepwawet.

Turn Three:

Chaplain Khaldun moved through my near ruin, ready to support either the tactical combat squad Nehebkau or what remained of Wepwawet scout squad in the next turn.

Nehebkau, his two remaining bolter marines and one plasma-gunner opened up on the Ultra combat squad and dropped three of them.

As for the close-combat between his assault squad, chaplain, dreadnought and my vanguard, I think this explains it quite well:

All the boys in red and gold floored. Storm shields may be 3++ but the sheer volume of attacks meant that 1s and 2s came out eventually.

His tacticals moved to get behind my right-flank barricade and shot up the Wepwawet scouts, downing all but the heavy bolter-gunner and the sergeant himself.

His tactical combat squad - the two remaining members) got back in their rhino and moved to my right to secure the Lacrymata crate.

Turn Four:

Wepwawet scout squad: only the sergeant himself and heavy bolter gunner remaining, fired at the Ultra tacticals in their face, taking down one (I swear that squad's ammo was faulty).

Chaplain Khaldun jumped out of the ruin and flew down toward the rhino with two Ultras in it, took aim with his combi-melta and extremely close range...and missed.

It was this turn that the land speeder storm Uraeus got to deep strike. The heavy bolter took out one or two assault marines while the scouts leapt down and I made another mistake.

Attack the devastators? Nope.

Attack the assault squad and their chaplain? No way!

Get that damned dreadnought? Yes!

Scout sergeant Kemnebi, akin to chaplain Khaldun, levels his combi-melta...and glances the dreadnought :huh:

The tactical combat squad atop my ruin, armed with a missile launcher, then shows the scouts and downed vanguard how it's meant to be done and fires a krak missile from across the width of the battlefield...

...and blows up the dreadnought!

His tactical combat squad downed another two of Nehebkau's marines - leaving only the sergeant and plasma-gunner...who...ah...chose to make a high-dice-roll-inspired-tactical withdrawal ;)

His full tactical squad assaulted the Wepwawet scouts on my right flanks and slaughtered them.

His assault squad charges the Kemnebi scouts, chewing up the four scouts but the sergeant himself weathered all that they threw at him!

Turn Five to the end...:

The land speeder storm Uraeus throttles up and turns to target the devastators from behind, opening up on them with its heavy bolter...with nothing getting past their armour!

Nehebkau and his plasma-gunner get themselves back into the fight and drop two Ultras from the full tactical squad.

On his turn the chaplain and assault squad finish off poor, brave scout sergeant Kemnebi...

...and begin hopping their way across toward my side, landing in the central crater...one Ultra fails his dangerous terrain roll, sprains and ankle and is out of the battle.

The devastators turned round and blasted the land speeder out of the sky

...while the Ultra tactical squad and combat squad finished off sergeant Nehebkau and his plasma gunner with bolter fire, a combi-melta shot (considerable better luck than I had with my two!) and a krak missile just to be sure.

The Ultra chaplain and assault squad closed with and assaulted chaplain Khaldun...

Khaldun focuses on his opposite number, lashing at him with his power-flail/nekhakha (Crozius')...and failing to land a wound!...only to get floored by the Ultra's own Crozius!

Eventually it was the veteran of Nehebkau tactical squad, three marines with bolters and the one with the missile launcher against the remaining Ultras...

The Ultra chaplain managed to jump to the top floor in one go and, with one punch of his power fist, drop three of the squad to the floor.

The game ended with only the Nehebkau-squad veteran surviving rather dramatically.

Upon Reflection:

1. Should have deployed the chaplain on the right, perhaps with either my tactical combat squad (Nehebkau) or the scout squad behind the bunker (Wepwawet). The original plan was to have him in the vanguard squad but the rules of Dawn of War meant that I had to deploy my HQ from the beginning...and there didn't seem a way to unite them after that (unless I had dropped the vanguards closer to my side...which considering his offensive advance probably wouldn't have been a bad idea!).

2. Could have, rather than dropping the heroic intervention on the dreadnought, used it on the assault squad or -better yet- the devastators...or played more conservatively and brought them on normally back on my side where they could have sliced up his tacticals.

3. Really didn't need that many Vanguard veterans (I just really wanted to give as many a whirl as I could :D ). A smaller squad could have tarpitted (or diced well chosen targets) well enough.

4. A big one. Knowing he was going to come to me, I really should have concentrated my forces better. Focus on one enemy squad and take it out, then the next then the next as they arrived, rather than spreading out as I did. Shouldn't have deep-struck. After all: all three objectives were on my side of the battlefield! :tu:

5. Tactical sergeant Nehebkau really doesn't need that power sword. He could have done far more with a combi-plasma, and will be converted accordingly.

Epilogue

Khaldun looked down at his armour. It had gained some new dents and scratches, despite the training weapons both sides had been using. Nehebkau came over to stand by him, the sergeant's own robes dirtied and torn. He didn't speak to Khaldun, fearing the older marine's mood was probably worse than before the exercise had commenced, and focused his attention on watching the two scout sergeants berating their squads while tech marines righted the land speeder Uraeus.

Khaldun grunted, "What do you expect against the Ultra-marines? There's so bloody many of 'em!" He pointed a finger at Nehebkau, "Get me a proper enemy. A proper fight."

Nehebkau bowed, grinning behind the golden visage of his helm.

If anyone had any comments, questions or suggestions, all is welcome!

[Polythemus]

Great pic great analysis, great story. These are the bat reps i like the most, ones that have obviously been well thought and executed. Also your miniatures are very nicely painted, as were your opponents. I hope you post another one soon, cause that was a delight to read. About how many points do have in total?

[Kierdale]

Great pic great analysis, great story. These are the bat reps i like the most, ones that have obviously been well thought and executed. Also your miniatures are very nicely painted, as were your opponents. I hope you post another one soon, cause that was a delight to read. About how many points do have in total?

Thanks Polythemus, I only wish the battle itself had went better!

I've got a bit over a thousand points in total: nine vanguard if I use them all, and a tactical combat squad (which is likely to be scrapped for parts). I am planning some new additions though: a captain, librarian and plasma command squad in the immediate future, a dreadnought after that, amongst other things.

 

Oh, one other point I'd add upon reflection is that I really must give one of the vanguard veterans melta bombs if I'm going to tackle dreads/vehicles again.

In response to yesterday's battle I've already begun converting sergeant Nehebkau to have a combi-plasma.

 

This weekend I'll be joining an Apocalypse game but I doubt I'll be able to take many pictures or do a full writeup. We'll see. :(

[Polythemus]

Yeah can understand about the writeup, doing a good job takes time and when you include a full description for the pics well it can feel like forever. My problem with my last batrep was that the time spent on the pic editing got to thepoint where i just wanted to get theing out there and rushed the descriptions. i gotta say though with apocalypse it should be pretty easy to take pics cause the turns take so long, and it really is helpful in allowing you to analyze tactical errors to descions that could have changed the battle, especially when its apocalypse where youdont get to play it alot. Even if you dont do a bat rep on it, you wont regret it!

 

Also what color red is that that on your models, it really pops. Alsoi think that your jumpacks, though a little wacky are awesome and have a ton of character, are they a custom job?

[Kierdale]

Thanks again!

The red on Khaldun the Chaplain and the land speeder are both basically GW's given Blood Angel recipe:

Ceramite White, Mephiston Red, Evil Sunz Scarlet then Carroburg or Baal Red wash, Wild Rider Red highlights then a Bloodletter glaze.

I'm slowly going back over the older models and re-highlighting them as they desperately need it. To be honest I think the camera pics washed out the highlights predominantly.

 

The jump packs are, yes, custom-made. They need re-highlighting and glazing now I think about it. I didn't want modern jump packs as it's supposed to be a Pre-Heresy army and my wallet didn't stretch to buying a load of Chaos raptors for their jump packs (though I really do love the design!) or Forge World ones. Other company's ones are out as I do most of my gaming at my local GW. Throw in the fact I wanted some Egyptian-style wings and scratch building them seemed the only solution. I dread making any more though might make just one more, a special and particularly ornate one just for Khaldun (as he's currently borrowing one from a vanguard).

 

Lastly, I'll take some pics at the Apoc game, yeah :) it'll be good fun anyway.