Knights vs Marines, 1750

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Aka 'Relic is retarded'

 

Lists: (not 100% but pretty sure)

 

Marines:

- MOTF w/power axe, full harness, 2 x servitors (Warlord)

- Libby w/force axe, Telepathy, no other upgrades

- AC Dread

- Two 5 x Terminators w/AC

- Two Tac squads w/powerfist+missile+melta, one Tac squad w/powerfist+missile+plasma

- 3 x Scout Bikers, teleport homer

- Squadron of 2 x Landspeeder w/multi-melta+heavy flamer

- Two lascannon+heavy flamer Dreads,

- Aegis line, quad-gun

 

Knights:

- Coteaz, Divination (Warlord)

- Librarian w/stave, Divination

- Vindicare

- 2 x Purifier squads w/ 4 x halberds, hammer, 4 x psycannons

- 3 x Servitor w/plasma cannon, 9 x Acolytes w/storm bolter

- 7 x Terminators w/hammers, psycannon

- Dreadknight w/sword

- PsyDread

 

Mission: Relic (urgh...)

Deployment: Hammer and Anvil

Terrain: Two big LOS blocking hills, on each side of my DZ. The right-hand one is pretty far back towards my table edge, the left-hand one is about halfway up. A one-level bastion is nearly in the middle of my DZ, towards the right. On his side, three forests and a big three-story bastion (which he never used). A LOS blocking ruin is on my right side of the board, just off from the centre. 

We agree on general 5+ cover for terrain, with the two bastions giving 4+. 

 

Marine player won deployment and first turn, I failed to Seize. He rolls the '2D6 Run within 12" of Warlord' trait on MOTF, I roll 'Night Fight for 1st turn only' on Coteaz. He gets the '3d6 Leadership, fails = wounds' power on the Libby (forget the other one, he never used it). I get 'Prescience'+'Perfect Timing' on Coteaz, 'Prescience'+'Precognition' on the Librarian. 

 

Deployment:

 

He deploys the Aegis on my left, dumping a melta+missile Tac squad behind it (to man the quad gun). He deploys the three Dreads centrally, screening the MOTF. Other two Tac squads are deployed behind this, Libby joins one of them. His Scout Bikers hide behind the ruin on my right, as do the Landspeeders. His Terminators go into Reserve. 

 

I deploy one Purifier squad up behind the left hill, hoping to deny as much LOS to them as I can. The other Purifier squad goes behind the right hill, with the PsyDread, again hiding to deny LOS. Coteaz+Henchmen go into the bastion, to have perfect range on the Relic and a bit of reach into his DZ. The Dreadknight goes behind them, trying to hide as much as possible. Vindicare Infiltrates into the LOS-blocking ruin on my right. Librarian+Terminators go into Reserve. 

 

Turn 1:

 

Marines: He moves up the Scout Bikers, turbo-ing around the ruin so he can claim maximum cover save. Landspeeders move up to shoot the Vindicare. Everything else pretty much stays still to shoot. Due to 'Night Fight' his range is really limited, so I only lose two Purifiers to his shooting. Vindicare loses a wound to a heavy flamer but otherwise is fine. 

 

Knights: I move the PsyDread out of cover, hoping to gun down one of the Landspeeders before he makes melta range. I shunt the Dreadknight behind his gunline of Tactical squads and Dreads, hoping to draw him backwards. I roll a 12 on Coteaz and lose a wound (gah!) trying for 'Prescience', but on the plus side I get 'Perfect Timing' cast. Plasma cannons scatter like hell (sigh), I think I only killed four Tac Marines. PsyDread blasts away but fails to get through 3+ cover on the Landspeeders. 

 

Turn 2:

 

Marines: His Terminators both show up from Reserve, he lands them off the Scout Biker's teleport homer near the Dreadknight. He moves the Scout Bikers to finish off the Vindicare, while the Landspeeders move on to kill my PsyDread. The MOTF, Dreads and Tac squads surround the Dreadknight. The quad-gun takes a hull point off the PsyDread, but his Landspeeder's one melta hit fails to do anything. Scout Bikers fail to kill Vindicare with their guns, so they charge him. Likewise, all of his army shooting my DK only removes two wounds. Everyone dog-piles into the DK, aside from the Libby who can't get into BTB. I challenge but one of the powerfist Sarges declines, so I instead allocate my attacks against one of his lascannon Dreads and easily kills it. In return, it and its buddy rip the DK apart with their claws. Vindicare kills the two Scouts but the Sarge is still alive. 

 

Knights: My Libby+Terminators show up now. I choose to land them in an empty spot opposite the Aegis line, but they instead scatter 11" to just be off table. The Mishap is a 3, so my opponent places them next to his Terminator squads. This is the move I think that cost him the game.I move up both Purifier squads, realising I need to start killing things with them. I get both powers up on Coteaz again, and I kick things off by wiping out both Terminator squads with some absurdly lucky scatter (it could've quite easily landed on my Terminators, but instead it catches both of his squads, two blasts on the primary target), plus my own Terminators moving sideways (towards the Relic) and gunning down the survivors of the second Termie squad. The left-side Purifiers gun down a couple of Tac Marines moving towards the Relic (they were on the edge of my 24" range and I moved, so not as many shots as usual). The right-side, coupled with the PsyDread, delete the two Landspeeders. Vindicare+Scout Biker Sarge continue to miss/fail to wound/save all hits...yawn. 

 

Special note: At this point, my opponent offered to concede. I refused, and even advised him on how to turn things around (ie running remaining Tacs at the Relic, screening with remaining Dreads, moving up MOTF to threaten my Terminators). I agreed it was a bad turn for him, but he could still turn things around. 

 

Turn 3:

 

Marines: He takes my advice, abandoning the Aegis line with the far left Tac squad to Run at the objective. The mauled unit backs up (only three guys left), while the other moves into the forest closest to the Relic to provide a unit to pass it to. His Dreads try to screen as best they can. He gets reasonably close to the Relic. MOTF (lost his servitors earlier, I think to plasma blasts, and he's down to one wound) headshots a Terminator down with his harness plasma, then he charges in. AC Dreads shoots and does nothing, and is just out of charge range (rolled a 4). Remaining lascannon Dread potshots at my PsyDread but fails to damage. In melee, I challenge with Librarian and he has to accept. I go first with the warding stave, and I get a wound past his 2+ armour. Consolidate 2", again towards the Relic. Vindicare+Sarge melee continues without end in sight. 

 

Knights:  I push up both Purifier squads and the Terminators, surrounding the Relic on my side. I wipe out half of one of his remaining Tac squads with Coteaz+friends. Between their firepower I kill the lascannon Dread and murder the remainder of the half-strength squad. He has one full squad and a 3-man Tac squad left at this point.

 

Turn 4:

 

Not much to say. He made it with the remaining Tac squad, but I just had too much firepower and melee left on my turn. I think he conceded for good about halfway through my turn, when he had no scoring left and my Terminators held the Relic. 

 

 

I'd been out of practice with 40k for a while, but Knights pulled through like they always do. I'm really liking my build, it was mostly thrown together at random (I'd been planning a 1.5k or 2k match, so I had to cut things and wargear out). He's promised a re-match, Blood Angels Jumpers or a vanilla Biker list next time. 

 

[Terrified Templar]

I agree, putting the GK termies with the libby next to his own was a bad call, I think he should have put them in a faraway corner or if he wanted to shoot them about 24"-30" away from his own forces but I think he made a good effort at the end. Congrats on the win

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Thanks man. He did initially put them way back in my DZ. His reasoning for the position he chose instead was 'it will be more fun'. (shrug)