1000 points white scars vs nurgle chaos space marines

[Wilzilla]

White scars army

Captian with bike, burning blade

Bikesx5 with gravx2, combi grav

Bikesx5 with plasmax2, combi plas

Bikesx5 with meltax2, combi melta

Land speeder typhoon x2

Land speeder typhoon x2

Attack bikes x2 with multi meltas

 

Chaos space marine army

Chaos lord with bike, mark of nurgle, power fist, 5+ invul, blight grenades

Plague marines x5 with plasma x2

Plague marines x7 with plasma x2, rhino

Bikes x4 with melta x2, mark of nurgle

Helldrake

Obilterators x2 with mark of nurgle

 

Unfortunately I lost the pics on my iPhone so I'll have to do without. We rolled Big guns never tire for our mission with Dawn of war deployment. There were 3 objectives rolled, and all were placed on the far left hand side of the board, roughly 15" apart in a loose triangle. Terrain included 2 buildings large enough to block LOS, a forest on each side of the board, a large set of ruins near the center of the board and a baricade near the objective triangle on the left side.

 

I rolled and won first turn for the white scars, setting up aggressively towards the center and left, close to the objectives. My opponent rolled the warlord trait allowing 2 of his units to infiltrate. He deployed fairly defensively using terrain for cover, hiding one plague marine squad behind the barricade, the bikers on the right flank, and infiltrated his obliterators out if LOS behind a building, and his rhino into the ruins near the center. He did not seize the initiative and I took first turn.

 

WS turn 1

My grav bikers moved into the center of the table getting into range of the squad of plague marines behind the barricade, while identifying the first objective to be a grav field generator (how suiting :)). My melta bikers with the captain moved up the left flank setting up for a second turn assault against the plague marines behind the barricade. They turbo boosted to reach a better position. Both my squadrons of speeders moved into position to blast at the nurgle bike squadron. The plasma gun squad did the same and my attack bikes turbo boosted to get into a better position. Shooting saw 3 nurgle bikers fall, one wound on the chaos lord, and one plague marine fell from grav fire.

 

Nurgle turn 1

The remaining nurgle biker and the chaos lord drove forward, getting into assault range of my plasma bike squadron. The plague marine squad got out of the rhino and fired plasma into the bike squad to soften them up before the chaos lord charged. The white scars bikers lost 3 models and failed their moral check, running 18! Inches off the board (ouch). First blood to the chaos. Now the chaos lord could declare a long range charge against the attack bikes instead, and made it into combat. The over watch fire took out the last of the nurgle bikers, but their time was short lived and the chaos lord killed both of them. Other shooting was ineffective, as the obliterators shots were saved with the 4+ jink.

 

White scars turn 2

The Captian and the melta bikers fired some shots and charged into the plague marine squad behind the barricade on the left hand side of the field, obliterating the unit and indentifying the near by objective as a skyfire nexus. The grav rifles and combi grab fired and removed the obliterators from the center of the table as well. Both speeder squadrons opened fire with missiles into the now alone chaos lord, and saw him sent back to the warp in a fiery hell.

 

Nurgle turn 2

The 7 plague marines got back in their rhino and headed for the left hand side of the board towards the objectives, popping smoke. The hell drake did not arrive.

 

White scars turn 3

The land speeder squadrons both opened fire into the side armor of the rhino, wrecking it. Unfortunately the grav bike squadron couldn't draw Los to the plague marines, however the captain decided to assault them, hoping for 2 or 3 casualties then planning on using hit and run after his turn of combat. The captain took a wound on over watch fire, and fought and killed the plague marine champion.

 

Nurgle turn 3

The combat continues! The 6 remaining plague marines drag the captain down off his bike, earning him slay the warlord. The heldrake still decides it isn't time to come in yet.

 

White scars turn 4

Both remaining bike squads move into rapid fire range and the 4 land speeders fire into the remaining plague marines. After the dust settles, only 1 plague marine fell, 5 remaining, and both bike squadrons kick in high gear and assault. Combat is a draw.

 

Nurgle turn 4

The heldrake arrives! It vector strikes one speeder squadron, wrecking a speeder, and flames the second squadron, wrecking another speeder. In combat the white scars kill one plague marine and both squads hit and run safely out of combat.

 

White scars turn 5

The grav rifles and melta guns open fire with some bolters and the remaining speeder support. The combined fire sees 4 plague marines fall, leaving one standing to take the charge and die in close combat.

 

Nurgle turn 5

The heldrake being his only model on the table, activates his demonforge. With a 4 hit vector strike on the melta squadron, killing 3, and a 4 hit bale flamer spout onto the grav squadron, killing 4. One unit fails it's moral check, fleeing off its objective, and the other is killed out of range of claiming the objective.

 

We roll to see if the game ends, and it does. Tallying up victory points gives first blood and slay the warlord to the chaos, and slay the warlord as well as killing the obliterators for the White Scars. It's a draw 2 to 2.

 

That heldrake dealt a game ending amount of damage to my army in a single turn. I'm not sure exactly how I should deal with it while sticking with a bike themed army like the white scars. Hope you enjoyed the report, and any advice or criticism is always welcome.

[Kierdale]

A very entertaining report, and I think it showed how good a biker list can be, particularly a White Scars one!

 

Do you think it would be worth taking a Storm Talon for some anti-air, or would it be too easily eaten by a drake?

[Wilzilla]

I've certainly considered it. I'm not sure that the drake would have an easy time taking out the storm talon, but I have real doubts about the talon being able to take down the drake either. With 4 s6 shots and 3 s7 shots, it seems more likely to scratch the paint on the av12 5+ invul drake then actually deal any real damage.

 

I tried to forgo investing in anti-flyer in an attempt to dominate the ground army and win through victory points. It was very effective until that drake reared his ugly head and turned the tables in a single turn.

 

I think that a storm raven is needed to battle a drake, but it weighs in at 30 points more, and withouth interceptor, that drake still flys on the table and removes 5-6 bikers before the raven gets to open fire. I'm not sure that codex marines have a solid answer for it besides taking a hit and hoping to retaliate in turn, but I'd rather find a way to outmaneuver or neutrilize it then to trade blow for blow with the thing.

 

All in all the battle went well for the white scars with last turn being the exception. I'm sure that I just need some more games against the drakes to try to get a feel for how to get into their dead zone with my bikes to avoid major damage. It sure seems difficult though with torrent and 360 degree arc.

[librisrouge]

A buddy of mine is finding that a Stormtalon and Stormraven is a suitably White Scars AA for him. The Stormtalon excorts in the raven so you either get both flyers or none. This means that they can tag team Helldrakes and the like (always fire the Stormraven first) and, once the skies are cleared, they can provide the kind of heavy firepower that bike armies often struggle to field.

[Storm Dragons 3rd Company]

What about a Hunter or a Stalker?  They are vehicles.

 

 

You didn't get to use it, but you did have a Skyfire nexus didn't you?

 

Drakes are really hard on bikers and assault guys.