Imperial Guard versus Necrons [500pts]

[Kierdale]

The last game before I take a break from the hobby with the birth of my son.

Games night at the local GW. No other 40k players present so I ended up taking on the staff's Necrons.

The dispatch order had come from sector command. An Inquisition shuttle had gone missing on the abandoned mining planet Xeusaner IV and the garrison of Kierdale's World - a shrine world a relatively short jump away - had been ordered to investigate. Both to recover any survivors and to find out what the shuttle had been doing on the old colony.

Major Bamburgh, from his command squad's position in a ruined overseer's office, looked out over the red landscape. Dustdevils danced in the regolith. His binocs focused on the Aquila lander - or what was left of it - scattered across the valley before them.

The sky above was a thick pall and their dropships had had a hell of a time making it to the surface, but he was sure it hadn't been foul weather that had downed the Inquisition shuttle. The impact of weapons, the type of which he did not recognise, was evident upon the battered debris.

Mister Tumnus pointed with his sword - his eyes as keen as ever - at a form in the wreckage. That was it then: no survivors and likely no answers. Tumnus, a homo sapiens variantus who had several years ago been a member of the shrineworld's penal legion, had saved the young lieutenant Bamburgh's life and earned his freedom from the legion...and subsequent immediate conscription into the garrison proper. He was now one of the veterans who accompanied the major into battle.

Bamburgh followed the trench the crashed shuttle had carved, and finally spotted a crate half-buried in the dust and rock. It could only have come from the shuttle.

it was then that a shadow, something high in the clouds, passed over the valley. A second later came the distant roar of some alien engine of war.

Major Bamburgh drew his sword, kissed the golden Aquila that formed the cross-guard and ordered his men forward...

Kierdale's World Garrison Expedition - 505pts

Company command squad - 50pts

Warlord trait: forget-the-name, gives a bonus to charge distance.

Platoon command squad - 30pts

Infantry squad I: flamer and autocannon - 65pts

Infantry squad II: flamer and autocannon - 65pts

Veteran squad: 2 melta guns - 90pts

Chimera: multi-laser, hull heavy bolter - 55pts

Medusa: enclosed cabin - 150pts

I thought for a while whether to take the Medusa or a Russ Exterminator, finally setting on the Medusa as I simply wanted to give the model some tabletop time and as I knew I'd be facing Necrons I knew armour wouldn't have much chance against them. Why not drop S10, AP2 pie plates while you can?

OpFor

Necron Overlord: warscythe, regeneration orb.

Warlord trait: Feel No Pain within 3" of objectives.

5 Necron Immortals with Night Scythe dedicated transport.

10 Necron Warriors.

The Overlord joined the Immortals aboard that damned flyer. All I had to do was wipe out the warriors in Turn One and I'd win outright.

As if things ever went that easily...

Battlefield

The staff took one particular table edge so he could see customers coming in, then we rolled for terrain density then took turns placing pieces. I deliberately gave myself two nice big buildings, one for each infantry squad, then another between for my command squads. He put one area-terrain building on his left-flank and scattered other stuff about.

Mission

Big Guns Never Tire. My Medusa was the only Heavy Support on the table.

We rolled up three objectives (if only there had been more: he had only two Troop scoring units to my five!): he placed a cluster of glowing green crystals (made by yours truly. I knew they'd come in useful sometime) right next to the area-building on his left-flank.

I then placed a command centre on the third floor of my right-side building.

He finally placed a crate of Lacrymata (not sure what the droids would want with that, but anyway...) toward his right-flank.

Deployment

I won the roll for first turn and decided to have him go first.

He deployed the ten Necron warriors inside the area-building on his left-flank. The Night Scythe carrying the Immortals and Overlord of course was in reserve.

I deployed one infantry squad in each of the large ruins, with the autocannon teams on the first floor and the majority of the rest of the squads on the ground floor. A big mistake was made with the right-most squad: I didn't check that there were ground-floor windows on that side. There, as I later discovered, weren't.

I deployed my PCS and CCS in the middle ruin. Another mistake made here: PCS was outside the 6" order range of the closest IS (the left hand one). Put it down to excitement.

I deployed the Medusa between the left and middle ruins, and the Veterans aboard their Chimera to the right of the right hand ruin.

My plan was to hug the cover of the buildings until I could deal with the Necron flyer and those aboard, meanwhile send the veterans and their transport to trash the Warriors.

No night fighting Turn One.

Necron Turn One

He chose to do nothing as his warriors were in cover and my forces were out of range of their weapons.

Guard Turn One

Drove the Chimera forward as my only movement, then opened up with everything: multi-laser, hull heavy bolters on both vehicles, squad autocannons (sadly both attempts at 'Fire On My Target' failed!) and of course the Medusa. The smoke cleared and five of the ten Necrons were down...then one got up.

Not going to be a one-turn game then!

I don't remember things turn-by-turn so from now onward:

The warriors shuffle about a bit.

The Night Scythe comes on, flies across the board and deploys the overlord and his five Immortals right in front of my left most ruin and the Medusa. Worryingly close.

Thankfully they failed to damage it.

The Night Scythe's shooting did however target my CCS. The squad veterans dived in front of their commander but to no avail. The commander was crisped along with two veterans.

There go my juicy orders.

I cruised the Chimera up the board and snap shot everything at the Warriors, to no avail.

Back in my deployment zone: I moved the PCS so they were now in order range of the left most infantry squad (they themselves moved forward to windows in the ruins. Got a good angle with the squad flamer on three Immortals too).

First rank, FIRE! Second rank, FIRE!

eighteen lasgun shots, a pistol, flamer and autocannon shot at the Immortals and dropped two of them.

The two remaining CCS members (one of whom was my beastman vet'. I guess he thought twice about saving his commander this time...) fired at the Immortals and the Overlord, lobbing a frag too.

Between them and fire from the right hand infantry (and one very close-range Medusa shell...which sadly scattered away harmlessly) I dropped the rest of the Immortals and wounded the Overlord once but not before they assaulted and wrecked the Medusa.

That just left the Overlord.

The Nightscythe nipped over and made short work of the Chimera, sadly, leaving six veterans in the crater. I made sure the two meltagunners were still alive.

Fire from the Warriors then cut down all the veterans but for those two meltagunners...who failed to shapshot the Nightscythe!

The Overlord charged the right-hand infantry squad (nearest the objective) and over watch wounded him once more. Just one more to go and he'd drop!

The infantry squad failed to kill him. They lost two guardsmen to his scythe and ran....failed to rally and were off the board in the next turn! The Overlord consolidated into the right-hand ruins, heading for the control centre objective on the 3rd floor.

Then began the Overlord hunt.

With just the meltagunners left from the veteran squad they wouldn't have a chance against the remaining Necron warriors so I had them retreat back toward the right-hand ruins. From the other direction the beastman and other remaining CCS vet tried to flank the damned droid. The PCS also headed right, trying to draw a bead on it.

On reflection I now realise that the remaining (left-hand) infantry squad should too have lent their guns to finishing off the Overlord, retaking the control centre and getting me a draw...however at the time I had already started running them across the battlefield toward the far left objective (crate of Lacrymata).

As I write up this report I see more and more things that should have been done differently. Ah well, you live and learn.

Lasgun bolts and melta blasts spanged off the Overlord's armour but he would not die.

Meanwhile the Nightscythe came back again and slaughtered all but two of the infantry squad trying to run across the battlefield.

Those two kept on running...until my opponent shifted his warrior just enough to get two of them in range.

They managed to kill one of the guardsmen and sent the other fleeing.

The meltagunners and CCS veterans fell to the Overlord, the Nightscythe managed to crisp all but two of the PCS.

And the game ended in the 7th turn.

Result

Necrons: one objective, Kill the Warlord and Linebreaker. 5VPs

Imperial Guard: 0VPs

Looking back on it as I write it up, the Necrons got First Blood too with the Medusa.

Make that 6-0!

Upon Reflection

Many mistakes made. Many of them schoolboy errors!

I. Not checking the PCS was in order range of the left-side IS during deployment.

II. Should have kept the Veterans back and used them to deal with the Necrons deployed from the Nightscythe. Perhaps could have kept the CCS alive longer by putting them in the Chimera. Rather than trying to run the leftmost infantry squad over to the far left objective I should have committed them to the Overlord hunt, done this via the runs in my Deployment Zone (for cover versus that flyer!) and given myself a better chance to take him down and retake that Objective. Revise that: focus all forces on eliminating the Overlord and Immortals, then the Nightscythe. After that simply sit one squad on the command center objective and use the Chimera to race another squad - staying out of range of the warriors sitting on their own objective - over to take the far-left crate objective.

III. Putting my objective not on the highest floor of a building but rather on the ground behind the Medusa: out in the open where he would be denied cover and been an easier target. As it was his Overlord used the cover in my deployment zone against me.

IV. I had five scoring units to his two. Bobbing the two ISs would have made orders easier and perhaps kept them in the fight longer.

V. Not checking the ruins for windows during deployment.

Perhaps next time we'll have to play using Mystery Objectives too. If that command centre had turned out to be a Skyfire one...

Bad tactics on my part, flawless work my my honourable opponent and I bear no grudges. Many a lesson learned