600 pt Chaos Marines vs Vanilla Marines

[jahatch42878]

My buddy and I just started playing WH40K after about a 10-12 year hiatus and had of course picked up the Dark Vengeance boxed set (in addition to the Assault on Blackreach and some other stuff).

 

This was our first Chaos vs Vanilla Marines (he's using Dark Angels but calling them Sons of Odin and using vanilla rules). Only 600pts, rolled up Crusade with Vanguard Strike. Fairly heavy on terrain, although a lot of it was barricades, water towers, and tall rock formations, with only 2 scrub forests towards the middle of the table and 2 large ruins also towards the middle of the table.

 

Chaos Marines had

Lord in Terminator Armor, Combi-melta, Power sword, Mutation (ended up getting life drinker); rolled Hatred Warlord Trait

5 Chaos Marines with CCW, Bolt pistols, Champion with Powersword

Chaos Rhino with Havoc Launcher and Dozer Blade

5 Chaos Marines with bolters, Champion with combi-bolter & powersword

10 cultists with CCW, Flamer

10 cultists with autoguns, heavy stubber

Maulerfiend with Magma cutters

 

Sons of Odin had:

Captain wtih Combi-plasma, powersword, meltabombs; he rolled up re-roll reserves roll warlord trait.

2 units of 6 marines, one sergeant with plasma pistol

5 Terminators with Assault Cannon

 

Sons of Odin deployed mostly in a gun line using barricades but kept Termanators in reserve.

 

Chaos deployed assault cultists on right flank, ranged CSM behind them, center with autogun cultits and terminator, and left flank with rhino and maulerfiend behind cover.

 

Failed to seize initiative and space marines moved up under cover of night and picked off a few cultists, but rather uneventful.

 

Chaos turn moved the mauler up into a forest, drove the rhino around the left flank and generally advanced no the loyal marine position, but shooting was minimal and inneffective.

 

Turn 2 - Terminators make their reserve roll without even needing the reroll, and I watch as he deepstrikes them on a hit directly behind my terminator lord and autogun cultists... they open up on the cultists, kill 7, but the 3 left over make their leadership save. Rest of his marines move up, the unit closest to the rhino and mauler swinging behind cover to get closer to the other tactical unit and the captain. Shooting finishes off a few more cultists but they also pass their Ld save. Oh, the sarge wtih the plasma pistol rolls a 1, but makes his armor save.

 

Chaos turn 2 - where things fall apart - I can either now turn my army back into my deployment zone to deal with the terminators, continue my flanking move with the mauler and rhino, or ignore the terminators and just press forward and make them come for me (or throw my 3 cultits in their way as a speed bump)...

 

I turn the maulerfiend towards them, move up 12" into assault range, the terminator lord moves up, melts one of the terminators with his combi-melta, but the rest of my army fails to hit or wound anything else... at which point (totally forgetting everthing I've learned in the previous 4 games we've played) I charge with my lord first, take 1 wound from overwatch, and then activate my maulerfiend's daemonforge... and roll a 3" charge.. but I get to re-roll .. and roll a 3 again... stranding my powersword lord against 4 terminators.. he issues his challenge, the sarge declines (and cowers in the back) as even with re-rolls due to hatred, a higher initiative and WS, I don't kill any terminators.. then my lord get's turned into pulped chaos lord by powerfists... doh... cultists try to charge marines, fail, but don't take any overwatch kills...

 

Turn 3 - Termies move away from mauler, open up on Chaos Space Marines by a watertower, and the rest of his tactical squads move up to fire on cultists and the same unit.. plasma pistol fires, rolls a 1, but save made again.. left with just a champion and no cultists on that side of the table...

 

Maulerfiend charges terminators, takes a glancing hit on overwatch but makes daemon save, but then only kills one terminator due to a high # of invulnerable saves... termies turn around and miss with 3 attacks, but get one penetrating hit but it just shakes the fiend. Rhino opens up on marines and kills 3, but assault chaos marines unable to do more than disembark...

 

Turn 4 - massed marine fire lays chaos space marine assault force low and last 2 run away (note, the plasma pistol rolled 1's again, but saves made)...

terminator lose nobody to the mauler, and tear it's arm off... rest of marines incluidng character kill finaly ranged CSM and take the water tower.

 

chaos turn, CSM rally, but just hide in the bushes by the rhino. Maulerfiend takes out one more terminator with magma cutter, survives due to daemon save, and breaks terminators, who manage to outrun the mauler!!!

 

Turn 5 - Termies rally but don't achieve anything, marines consolidate but unable to kill last 2 hiding marines but finish off 3 cultists that have been taking pot shots for the whole game (to no effect mind you)...

 

chaos turn - charge marines guarding water tower with maulerfiend... marines forget to throw krak grenade on overwatch, mauler crashes into them and misses with all it's attacks (okay, it was missing an arm)... space marine captain walks up to it, places meltabomb, and blows the poor mauler up...

 

With Space Marines getting VPs for objective, first blood, warlord slaying, and chaos marines having only one objective, we call it, as in his next turn of firing if he kills my last two CSM I'll lose 5-0, while right now it's 5-3 in favor of Sons of Odin...

 

Take home points -

deepstriking terminators that fail to scatter are a bad thing for the enemy and a good thing for the space marines

charge with walkers before chaos lords!!!

don't charge terminators unless you have ap2 weapons

remember krak grenades

 

I think between my daemon-save and his terminators invulnerable we only failed 6 of over 20 5+ saves over the battle... lol.. his plasma weapon "Got hot" every turn but 1, but failed to cause any wounds on him..

 

Oh well.. it was fun, if one sided battle... at least the rhino survived...

 

Josh