Dark Angels vs Chaos Space Marines & Necrons

[Morollan]

Mission: Big Guns Never Tire (3 Objectives)

Deployment: Vanguard Strike

 

This was a practice game for 2 friends who are attending a Battle Brothers tournament at Warhammer World next month. I
proxied a Deathwing list to see how they would fare against it. My list was:

 

Belial – TH/SS

DW Terminators – 10 Terminators, 5 TH/SS, 2 CML

DW Terminators – 5 TH/SS

DW Terminators – CML

Devastator Squad – Veteran Sergeant, 4 Flakk ML

Bastion – Quadgun

 

The Necron/Chaos Space Marine list was:

 

Destroyer Lord (Warlord), Warscythe, Sempiternal Weave – Warlord Trait: -1 on enemy reserve rolls

3 Wraiths with Whip Coils

5 Immortals, Night Scythe

5 Immortals, Night Scythe

Chaos Sorceror – Mark of Nurgle

3 Chaos Terminators - Mark of Nurgle

10 Chaos Space Marines – Mark of Nurgle, Lascannon, Plasmagun

5 Havoks – Mark of Nurgle, 4 Lascannons

Helldrake - Baleflamer

 

Terrain

I lost the roll for table edge. The battle was on a 6x4 table with a ruin placed roughly in the middle of each table quarter and a wrecked rhino (Battlescape?) in the centre. Objectives were placed in the ruins on my left on my side table and on my right on my opponents side of the table with the final objective on the wrecked Rhino in the middle. My Bastion was placed centrally at the edge of my deployment zone.

 

Deployment

I lost the roll for first turn and the Chaoscrons decided to deploy first. The Chaoscrons deployed the CSM in their Rhino out of sight behind a ruin on my left. The Havoks went in the same ruin with good LOS over the battlefield. The Terminators and Sorceror went behind the Rhino. The Destroyer Lord and Wraiths deployed centrally in the open (with a 3++ save not much need for cover). The Helldrake and Night Scythes went into reserve.

 

I put the 5-man shooty DWT squad on the battlements of Bastion and the Devs inside it. The other DWT squads and Belial would use Deathwing Assault on Turn One.

 

I rolled to seize the initiative and came up a six! There was no Night Fight for the first turn.

 

Turn One

Well, seizing the initiative certainly gave me a good opportunity so I wasted no time bringing Belial and the large DWT
squad in behind the ruins where the majority of the Nurgle forces were sheltering. No scatter meant I was able to place them exactly where I wanted and arranged them so the Storm Shields protected me from every angle. The other DWT squad teleported in front of the Rhino but due to scatter ended up about 12” away from it. My shooting was brief and to the point. Belial’s squad opened up on the Havoks in the ruins, killing three of them, whilst one of the CMLs used Split Fire to inflict a Shaken result on the Rhino. The Devastators and Terminators in the Bastion fired everything at the Wraiths and Destroyer Lord but thanks to some excellent saves, only 2 Wraiths died.

 

The Chaoscrons moved the Terminators and Sorceror towards the smaller TH/SS squad whilst the Rhino went flat out to get as far as possible away from Belial’s squad, moving into the middle of the field near the central terrain piece. The Wraiths and Destroyer moved around the terrain towards my Bastion. The shooting phase was uneventful as the Havoks and Chaos Terminators failed to kill any Terminators although the Sorceror did manage to cast Gift of Contagion on the small TH/SS unit, giving them -1S and -1T, which proved crucial in the assault phase! The Chaos Terminators charged, with the Sorceror issuing the obligatory challenge, which was taken up by my Sergeant. The challenge was a draw but the Chaos Terminators inflicted 2 casualties on the Deathwing but took 1 in return. It would have been all 3 Terminators if not for the -1S! Both sides were Fearless so the combat continued into Turn Two.

 

Turn Two

Belial’s squad moved around the ruins in pursuit of the Rhino but with the shooty element of the squad staying in the rear, enabling them to still draw LOS to the remains of the Havoks. Everything else was either in combat or not going anywhere so we moved onto the shooting phase. Belials’s squad finished off the Havoks, earning First Blood (and an extra Victory Point due to the mission) and also used Split Fire to wreck the Rhino, forcing the CSM squad to disembark into the central terrain. The Devastators and Terminators in the Bastion opened up with everything on the surviving Wraith and the Destroyer Lord but managed to only inflict a single wound on the Wraith! In the assault phase the combat continued with the Sorceror once again bouncing off the Sergeant but managing to survive due to S6 rather than S8. The remaining Deathwing killed off the Chaos Terminators though, leaving only the challenge ongoing.

 

The Helldrake and one Night Scythe arrived from reserve, both making a beeline for the Bastion. My Quadgun Intercepted the Night Scythe, destroying it in a burst of AA fire and forcing its passengers back into reserve. The CSM squad moved further into the central terrain to consolidate their hold on that objective. The Wraith and Destroyer Moved up to within a couple of inches of the bastion in preparation for the assault phase. The Helldrake unleashed a torrent of fire into the Devastators inside the bastion, killing two of them. The CSM attempted to shoot at Belial’s squad but inflicted no damage. Nothing else was able to shoot so we moved into the assault phase with the Destroyer Lord managing to inflict some damage on the bastion but unable to destroy it. The Chaos Sorceror managed to cast Gift of Contagion again, resulting in -1A for the Terminators, which was enough to ensure his survival for another turn.

 

Turn Three

Belial’s squad moved towards the central objective held by the CSM and opened fire on them, inflicting 2 casualties. The Terminators on the battlements elected to leave the bastion and exited just a couple of inches from the enraged Destroyer Lord and his lone Wraith bodyguard. They fired on the unit and managed to kill off the last wraith and take a wound from the Lord. The Devastators inside the bastion opened fire on the Helldrake but only managed a single glance. The challenge between the Sorceror and the Deathwing Sergeant finally came to a conclusion when the Sergeants Thunder Hammer crushed the Sorcerors skull, leaving the Terminators free to consolidate towards the objective on the left.

 

The 2^nd Night Scythe arrived and dropped its passengers off on the objective behind the ruins on the right along with their colleagues from the destroyed Night Scythe who arrived on foot. The Helldrake flew over the damaged Bastion (AV 11 now) and inflicted further damage with 3 Vector Strikes but was still unable to destroy it. It then unleashed more fire into the Devastators inside and managed to kill off another 2, leaving only one alive. The newly arrived Immortals attempted to shoot Belial's squad but most were out of range and the Terminator’s armour easily deflected what little fire reached them. The CSM squad also attempted to kill some of Belials squad but the Deathwing were leading a charmed life and didn’t fail a single save. In the assault phase, the Destroyer Lord charged the nearby Terminator Squad but my sergeant issued a challenge which the Lord, now on his own, was obliged to accept. Sadly for the brave Sergeant, he then failed his Ld test against Mindshackle Scarabs and promptly punched himself in the face repeatedly with his own Power Fist, killing himself and leaving the Destroyer Lord unharmed.

 

Turn Four

The Terminators on my left moved as fast as possible towards the unclaimed objective in the ruins. Belial’s squad moved towards the Necron Immortals. The lone Devastator moved up to the battlements and manned the Quadgun. We were unsure if he could fire it this turn as it is a Heavy weapon but decided he could as the weapon had not moved. He immediately put it to good use by pumping 4 shots into the rear armour of the Helldrake, resulting in a glance and 2 pens. Sadly the Helldrake made 2 invulnerable saves leaving just a single penetrating hit, which result in Locked Velocity. Belial's squad fired on the nearest Immortals and wiped out the unit, preventing Reanimation Protocols from being effective. In the assault phase  the Destroyer Lord attempted to use Mindshackle Scarabs again but the Terminator made his Ld test (on the nose!). With a flurry of appalling dice rolling, the Destroyer managed to miss or fail to wound with everything before receiving several power fists to his face and collapsing into a heap of spare parts. The Necron player unfortunately forgot to roll for Everliving. The victorious Terminators consolidated towards the central objective.

 

The Helldrake was forced to move 36” along my table edge and found no targets within range at the end of the move. The Night Scythe moved towards the Bastion. The Immortals moved out of LOS behind the ruins. The CSM squad stayed where it was. The Night Scythe killed the last Devastator on the battlements but the rest of the shooting was ineffective and there were no assaults.

 

Turn Five

Belial’s squad moved towards the Immortals. The Terminators on the left moved onto the objective. The Terminators in the middle moved to 1” of the CSM squad. Belial’s squad opened fire on the CSM and killed 3. The Terminators in the middle killed another two and then charged the survivors who were wiped out. The Deathwing consolidated onto the objective.

 

The Helldrake and Night Scythe had limited options for movement and both opted to fly off the table. The Immortals did not
have LOS to anything.

 

The game continued for another turn.

 

Turn Six

Belial’s squad moved as far as possible towards the Immortals holding the right objective. The central Terminators moved around slightly and managed to get LOS on a couple of the Immortals, killing 2 but then seeing 1 get back up again. Belial’s squad managed to get into LOS too and wiped out the remaining Immortals.

 

The Helldrake and Night Scythe came back onto the table but knew it was a lost cause. They opened fire on Belial’s squad nonetheless and managed to kill three! The game ended at that stage though with the Dark Angels holding all three objectives and claiming all three secondary objectives plus a point for the Havoks. The Chaoscrons had a single point for killing the Devastators.

 

13-1 to the Dark Angels!

 

 

[Kierdale]

Congratulations on the (most decisive!) victory, Morollan!

 

If you could take even some quick snapshots (photos that is) next time it would really enhance the report.