2000 pt Battle DKoK VS Chaos

[major higgins]

Yesterday Evening I tested the new Siege List against my friend Chaos Marine warband. We played the maelstrom mission "Spoils of war" and this was the lists:

Death Corps:

Company Command Squad, Melta Gun and Master of the Ordenance

10 Grenadiers, 2 Melta
10 Engineer, Flamer, Heavy Flamer, Hades
3 Heavy Mortars

Platoon Command Squad, Flamer
3 Squad of Rifles
3 Squad of Rifles, 3 Flamers

3 Lascannon

5 Engineers, Melta, Centaur
5 Engineers, Melta, Centaur

9 Death Riders

2 Basilisk Carriage
Medusa Siege gun
Medusa Siege gun

Aegis Defense Line, Quad Gun

Chaos Warband, Sons of Sophia:

Demon Prince of Tzeentch 3 Level, Burning Brand
Demon Prince of Khorne, Axe of Blind Fury

5 Marine, Melta, Rhino
5 Marine, Melta, Rhino

10 Cultist
10 Cultist

5 Nurge Chaos Spawn
Hell Drake

Mauler Fiend

Formation With 5 Hellbrute, 2 Autocannon, 5 Heavy Flamer
tormented landscape


Death Korps are committed to sector Romeo 8; it's a grim place, where once imperial city stands and now is a chaos of ruble, craters and devastate fields. Chaos had lunched an all out offensive months ago and imperial forces where soon overwhelmed. Death Corps was sent on this planet in order to counter the chaos offensive and regain as much terrain as possible, at least till Astartes will come.

... It was dark, just a little scrap of gray to the east means a new day of fighting... The long experienced officer stare at the tormented landscape, where the Chaos lines were. A turmoil of greenish fog and rumbling red clouds mixing and hiding the movement of the enemy, but there they were. Higgins called his lieutenant via Command Vox and asked confirm of position of his troops. Almost all of his men were in line behind a trench made of sandbag, artillerymen made their gun ready and unfolded the shells of Medusa, Basilisk and Heavy Mortar. All his line artillery were is in place, well hidden and dug in. He knew that a squad of engineers were on their way underground with an Hades Drill and two more squads are ready to counterstrike wherever needed from their centaur carriers. A Squad of experienced Grenadier surveyed what a long time ago was a Manifactorum.
Higgis has got a squad of Death Riders from the rear, in order to boost his counter attack.

"My lord..." A voice interrupt his thought.
"My lord, enemy approaching their starting points"
"Very well, give signal to every position, we are going to give them a nice welcome!"

Higgins looked at his back and again to the horizon, where the enemy were not in sight yet.
"Open Fire!"

Artillery, which were aimed on pre-ordinated coordinates opened up in a crescendo of shell after shell, that were sent towards enemy assembly points. Explosions burned and dissipated the green fog. One demoniac walker was torn into pieces by a direct hit of a Medusa' shell, his scream of death was heard across the field, up to the Imperial line. A deluge of shells annihilated a position of chaos cultists and some Nurglish spawns were vaporized by basilisk. Death corps infantry advanced towards strategic points in the mid field and Engineer redeployed quickly with their Centaurs.
Finally Chaos scum started their moves and quickly tried to shorten the distance between them and the guns which were tearing them apart.
Higgins grimaced, for sure the chaos general wasn't ready for such kind of barrage, till then they faced only regular guards with few artillery and with different morale and ethos. Death Corps are not exactly like standard guards!

A demonic Demon Prince, with long fangs and horns and with a pale blue skin hover Imperial line dropping bale flame from a sinister heavy flamer and spinning light from the warp. Some casualty were taken by rear line of Death Corps, but their morale didn't fail them. In the center of the table two emblazed and corrupted rhino run straightforward at full speed, a strange discording cacophony emerged from gargoyles melted in their hulls.

Higgins and his men didn't care about and continued their methodical slaughtering job. The bagpiper of the command squad played "Blue bonnets over the border, The black Bear, and Scotland the Brave" and the Guards fought, died and killed in those fields of death. The Hell Brutes explodes one after another, rhino where torn open by Krak grenades from the first line troops who where quickly silenced by the corrupted Astartes. Flames rained from Helldrakes and Tzeentch prince killing guards at dozen; Death riders made a charge against the Spawn of Nurgle obliterating them in a single glorious assault, only to being slaughtered by a nearby Khornate Demon Prince.
Casualty mounted among the ranks of Death Corps, but Chaos was at least almost obliterated, the momentum was at its peak when the enemy general landed among the guards line so did the Helldrake, trying to capture strategic points. The time is running short and sunset were over the field. Medusas lowered their barrels and blasted the demon prince directly back in the warp and Basilisk and Heavy Mortars blasted the hell drake in pieces, hull point after hull point.

The survivors of the battle emerged from their trench bruised, covered in mud and blood, only a lone hell brute was quickly walking back towards chaos line. The battle was a complete succes and the Death Corps proved themselves one time again.

We called the game off at fifth turn, chaos has a single hellbrute on the field and scored 13 points, I scored 16
Nice game and nice list
Hurra, for the Death Corps

PS: I wrote Corps instead of Korps because I use my Scottish guardsmen in place of German real Kriegsmen. Sorry if I've made errors with my English

[CyderPirate]

Well played, and nice battle report! 

[WarriorFish]

Artillery wins wars ;) Good job on showing the traitors who's boss :tu:

[librisrouge]

Great job sending them packing. Truly the guard are kings of firepower indeed.

 

I admit, I was worried when I looked at the lists and saw their air power, especially given Krieg's lacking when it comes to AA. You pulled it off though, forcing him to hover and then making him pay for it.

[major higgins]

In Maelstrom swooping MC sometimes is forced to land, especially if the need to grab an Objective because the rest of his army is dead... I played the mission most, sometimes committing entire unit to dead just in order to get a point or two...

[Truesight]

Very cool battle indeed.  I'm considering adding some artillery guns to my list, any tips on how to use them?  How do they work for you?  I also love those engineers with the Hades, do they kick as much ass on the table top as they appear to on paper?

[librisrouge]

In Maelstrom swooping MC sometimes is forced to land, especially if the need to grab an Objective because the rest of his army is dead... I played the mission most, sometimes committing entire unit to dead just in order to get a point or two...

From my signature:

"I think you really need to be a guard player in order to have that kind of attitude about casualties. My forces were killed to a man for slight strategic gain? All I heard was a buzzing noise until that part about strategic gain."

-Ailarian, Hand of the Kind XXXI

[Ceddyn]

Thanks for the report, it was fun to read.

[major higgins]

Very cool battle indeed.  I'm considering adding some artillery guns to my list, any tips on how to use them?  How do they work for you?  I also love those engineers with the Hades, do they kick as much ass on the table top as they appear to on paper?

Artillery work if you gain enough time for them to do its job, and this means that you have to sacrifice unit in order to slow down approaching enemy, and that you have to plan carefully what you want to hit. Example, Enemy has a unit of Tunderwolves, and a couple of rhino full of marines? annihilate the Tunderwolves with everything you got. 20 Marines are a problem, but such kind of cavalry could easily won the game to the space wolves by themselves if it reach your line and your guns...

 

Engineer are not so fantastic as they seams on paper, at least till now. Every time they pop out did nothing and die. But I still hope that could be my fault and I'm not so good in their use...

[CyderPirate]

Its the shotguns that let the engineers down. Even with the carcass rounds (I don't think you get them in the Vraks list?) they don't tend to do much damage. Make the most of your special weapons and don't forget to chuck your Krak grenade or acid bombs!