Blue VS Grey

[Ming]

Librarian Arcadius stood in the middle of the idling Landraider. His terminator bodyguards stood in an assault pattern around him, their boots mag-locked to the deck. The librarian reached out through the warp and waited for the sense that it was the right time to advance. As he waited, other Third Company Ultramarines elements waited further ahead in ambush. In the distance, off through the minerals processing complex, wolves howled.

1750 Points
Standard deployment
Kill Points

OPFOR (as recalled)
Logan
5+/- Wolfguard Terminators w/ CML
10+/- Wolfguard terminators w/ 2 CMLs
Long Fangs (5), 3 Lascannons, 1 plasma cannon
Grey Hunters, 5, TLLC razorback
Grey Hunters, 5, Rhino
Predator, TLLC/LC
Bastion with Icarus Lascannon

Third Company
Librarian Arcadius (TDA, SS, Null, Avenger)
Assault Terminator Squad (5), 3 TH/SS, 2 DLC, Landraider
Tactical Squad Alpha (10), ML, FL, PW, Rhino
Tactical Squad Beta (5), PF, CFL, Las-Plas razorback
Scouts (5), 4 SR, 1 ML
Attack Bike Squad (2), MMs
Landspeeder Squadron (2), HB/TML
Predator, AC/LC


Strategic Asssessment
Third Company was going to play a pick-up game vs Spectre Foreman (if I have his tag right), who had brought out his spacewolves. The terrain was set up to be a mineral processing plant, with some storage tanks and large ore storage silos set around. There were long, but narrow fire lanes, and the only good lines of sight could be had from being on high. As this was a pure kill point mission, it was going to be important for Third Company to firstly stay away from all the SW lascannons, and try to get the librarian to a location where null zone would be at its best effect. On first glance, the SWs have a good ability to bust up 3rd Company vehicles and fast attack units, this was not going to be easy.

The first turn would be daylight. The bastion was placed at a location about grid coordinate +4/+3.2, which was an open area within the SW deployment zone, and would allow a unit to be deployed on the battlements with the Icarus. 3rd Company had to deploy first.

Based on this, I decided to keep the following in reserves: (1) librarian, terminators, and their landraider; (2) landspeeder squadron; and (3) attack bikes. This would keep my two most fragile units out of play, and allow me the flexibility to meet the SW terminators head on once we knew where the SW "shwerepunkt" would be. Of course first blood, etc., would be in play for extra points.

Deployment
Third Company deployed its units to reduce or eliminate LOS from the Icarus on the bastion. The predator was placed on the right, behind cover from the Bastion, but at a location with good LOS at an oblique to the right. Tactical Squad Alpha was put behind cover in the center. Tactical squad Beta was placed behind cover so the Razorback would hav a long firelana again oblique to the Ultramarines right.

SW deployment went quickly. All units were placed on the SW left (ultramarine right), centered around the bastion. The long fangs were deployed on the battlements to operate the Icarus.

3rd company deplyed its scouts on a rooftop on the far left lower corner, which had little for LOS to the SW bastion, but had some long shots toward likely SW advance zones.

Turn 1
Ultramarines had little, if any shots on the SWs, without uncovering themselves to the bastion. So other than some minor moving around, 3rd company was content to sit back and wait.

SWs determined to move forward and out. A wold guard squad in razorback moved toward the 3rd Company, just becoming visible to the scouts. Wolf Guard Terminator groups all advanced forward. The larger group fired 4 cyclone missle shots on the 3rd Company predator, taking down a hull point and shaking it. A shot by the predator down a narrow alley tried to tag squad Alpha's rhino.

Score: 0 - 0

Turn 2
Reserves are ordered up - Librarian Arcadius, Terminatrors, Landraider, and the Speeder squadron. The Speeder squadron is deep struck behind a ore silo on the far left, and does not scatter. One speeder can remain behind cover, and the other had an oblique (side) shot on the SW razorback, while remaining hidden from the bastion. The landraider coves in on the far right, where it can have a clear shot at both the SW Rhino, and Logan's SW Terminator Squad. However, it will be in the LOS of the Bastion. Other units hold in place. In shooting, the TML on the landspeeder explodes the razorback (first blood), and snap shots from the landraider kill the closest terminator in Logan's squad. The predator follows through on shooting the SW rhino and earns another explodes result. Other shooting does little.

SWs struggle to respond with the ambush occurring around them. The Icarus and long fangs open up on the landraider, but only shakes it and takes a hull point. CMLs from the larger terminator squad shoot at the predator, also getting a shaken and hull point. On the back center, the SW predator shoots at the landspeeder and fails to cause any damage.

Score 3 - 0

Turn 3
The attack bikes stay in reserves. The landraider moves forward to maximize its cover, while still able to plink away at Logan's squad and the now dismounted grey hunters (in their rhino's crater). Both landspeeders move to get shots on the SW predator. The razorback and predator have LOS to the larger terminator squad. Arcadius fires up null zone. Shooting takes out a CML terminator, and the SW predator explodes to a missile from the landspeeders.

The SWs are realy feeling the pinch. All of their vehicles have actually exploded. Every wolf brother is on foot or on the Bastion. The larger group of terminators move up to try to get close enough to assault the Landraider (11 inches). In shooting, the Icarus and fangs ahe a tiny shot at the predator, and immobilize it, splitting fire to the landraider, which makes its cover saves.

Score 4 - 0

Turn 4
The attack bikes come in from reserves, but in reality they are just a potential kill point at the moment. The landraider swivels about to split fire on the grey hunter squad in the crater, and another shot at Logan's squad. The landspeeders move back to cover, with the idea of holding them back to fire on the SW terminators if they can advance across an open corridor. The attack bikes zoom forward to a location out of SW LOS. Squads alpha and beta have not moved an inch since turn 1. Arcadius's assault terminator squad dismounts (5 inches from the larger terminator squad). Null zone is up again as a successful cast. In shooting, the grey hunters lose some bodies, and Logan's squad loses another terminator. The predator and razorback also each take down terminators. In assault, my terminators survive overwatch and get into hand to hand combat with the SW terminator survivors. O lose one terminator, but the SWs are wiped out. I consolidate my terminators forward, towards the grey hunters in the crater, and at a location out of LOS of the bastion.

The SWs know things are bad, and we are just going to move forward. The Grey hunter squad in the center runs toward the bastion to get in cover and man the lower levels. The other grey hunter squad moves back and out of the crater. Logan and his terminators trot after my group of 4...

Score 5 - 0

Turn 5
I'm not going to take many chances, but I want to see how my 4 terminators can survive vs Logan and remaining buddies. Nothing is moved except getting my terminators to move towards Logan. Null zone is up. My landraider gets shots at the far grey hunter squad, and they lost a few, and break. My immoble predator shoots Logan's squad for another terminator kill. Nothing else happens of note in the shooting phase. I try to assault Logan's squad (down to him and 2 terminators), and weather the overwatch, but fail to roll the required charge distance (a 3 dice roll, since I'd have to cross the crater).

The SWs tidy up their lines. The broken Grey Hunters rally, and move to get out of LOS. The other grey hunters enter the bastion to man the lower guns. Logan and friends move forward to get to an inch of my terminators. In shooting, I lose another hull point off the landraider (one remaining), and a hull point off the razorback (another long shot, barely can see me). In assault, my I4 DLC terminator fails to wound. At I1, every terminator drops, his and mine, including Logan.

We roll to see if thge game continues - NOPE.

Final Score 8 - 1

Game Assessment
Well, for me everything worked fine. Strategically and tactically and luckily everything went right. My terminator charge was the only thing that was a waste of resources, as I could have instead headed back to the landraider, or ignored Logan and walked and ran after the other grey hunters, pulling Logan along with me. Overall, the game for us both became a game of sniping with lascannons and missiles due to the terrain, but that can be the decision you make when playing Kill Point Missions. Overall, in retrospect, the Bastion actually controlled the flow of the game. I hid from it to the point where it never provided the SWs a single KP. Yep, seriously. Not kidding. My hiding from it forced the win.

As for the SWs, we agreed that his downfall was two things - bastion placement, and who was operating the bastion. In reality, there may have been a better location (grid coords +3/+3.5 which was in the center of his deployment zone, and the height of the bastion would allow for much greater sight coverage for both the Icarus, but also the other weapons. Putting the long fangs in the bastion sounded great, but you recall they can already split fire. As an alternative, he could have placed the long fangs elsewhere to cover other oblique fire lanes, and had a grey hunter combat squad on the Icarus gun. The same could be said for the other combat squad. Placement in the center would have also potentially forced me out in the open, or provided better cover for his advancing terminators. Instead, he advanced down three different fire lanes, which cuased his casualties to grow every turn.

[Sevatar]

Sounds like a blast. Good to see UMs kicking butt :)

[Arkeus]

Erm , how was it that the Land Raider teleported in? It has to come in on your board edge surely?

[Ming]

No teleport, it came in from the table edge, sorry for the confusion!