Bat. Rep. Deathwatch vs Space Wolves 1750 (practice game)

[Vash]

Hello, 

 

So I got another game up after a weeks work away from home. 

Me and two friends are joining a small friendly tournament in January, and our games from now until then will be practice game in preparations for this event. 

I was going to record the game, as last time and try to make a new and better battle report, but due to lack of time and the lighting was not sufficient enough. Pictures had to fill in instead. 

 

I optimised my list from the last game vs Eldar. My friends list has proven it self in the past, to hit hard and fast. 

 

The tournament uses Eternal War missions, Maelstrom in the same game. 

Eternal war objectives are in the end worth the most and generate most tournament points. 

Maelstrom missions are secondary, and generate moderate points.

And thirdly the First blood (first strike in our case), slay the warlord and line breaker as minor tournament points. 

Not going into detail about it, but the most important thing is that you only need to win each category and you will get a set amount of of points. In case of a draw the points are shared. 

So it doesn't matter if you have 18 vs 0 in maelstrom missions cards, or 13 vs 12. All you need is to win that category to get the points (or share in case of a tie). 

 

Anyhow, to the lists. We need to have one CAD (mandatory) and one optional formation from the same faction. 

 

1750 Deathwatch:

CAD

Librarian with Beacon

 

5 Veterans with Frag cannon x2, meltagun x2, Rhino

 

5 Veterans with Frag cannon x2, grav gun x2, Rhino

 

Drop pod

 

WATCH COMPANY

Captain with thunder hammer and lightning claw, tome of ectoclades

 

Aquila 1

5 Veterans with Stalker pattern boltguns/boltguns

1 Terminator with cyclone missile launcher

 

Aquila 2

5 Veterans with Stalker pattern boltguns/boltguns

1 Terminator with cyclone missile launcher

 

Aquila 3

7 veterans, with frag cannon x2, heavy thunder hammer, storm shield

1 terminator with thunder hammer and storm shield

1 drop pod

 

Aquila 4

7 Veterans, with frag cannon x2, meltagun

1 Terminator with heavy flamer, meltagun

1 Drop pod

 

 

SPACE WOLVES

(No clue really to be honest)

 

Librarian equivalent with jump pack

Librarian equivalent with re.roll relic

These two belonged to a special formation giving some magic buffs. 

 

Ulric the slayer

 

Iron priest on thunder wolf mount, cyber wolf

 

10 grey hunters, power weapon, plasmagun x2, rhino

 

7 grey hunters, close combat weapons, meltagun, wolf standard, terminator with frost sword and combi melta, drop pod with deathwind launcher. 

 

5 Wulfen, two frost axes, 2 thunder hammers and storm shields, frost claws on the leader (name)

 

4 Thunder wolfs, power fist, storm shield x3, wolf claw and storm shield

 

5 Sky claws, frost sword, two flamers

 

5 Long fangs, plasma cannon, lascannon x3, terminator with storm shield.

 

 

 

So I stared off by winning the deployment zone. As usual, we just take the side where our models are hanging out. We are to lazy to move around... 

I deployed my Two rhino units (forgot to load up one of the veterans form the CAD into the drop pod, but turned out to be a good choice to let them ride in the rhino...). Two units of Stalker patter units deployed too. 

 

Space wolves, who went first with deployment, gather up more or less on one flank. Keeping the pack together. 

 

SPACE WOLVES DEPLOYMENT

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110835.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110834.jpg

 

 

 

 

DEATHWATCH DEPLOYMENT

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110839.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110837.jpg

 

 

SPACE WOLVES TURN 1

 

Movement phase

- Drops in the 7 grey hunters and terminator, + the librarian guy with no jump pack. 

- Moves around his units to prepare for a drop pod assault demo the deathwatch. 

 

Psychic phase

- The drop pod librarian kills off every Veteran with stalker patten boltgun + the terminator... I didn't save a single 2+ save, and my 3+ saves where horrible. 

 

Shooting phase

- Long fangs shots at the other Stalker pattern unit with the plasma cannon and the lascannons on the one rhino they can see. 

- The terminator fails his cover save and dies. Other members saves.

 

Assault phase

- there are no assaults

 

Points gained

- First strike (kill an enemy unit in your first turn (replaces first blood))

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110840.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110841.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110841.jpg

 

 

DEATHWATCH TURN 1

 

Movement phase (start of phase)

- Drop pods come

- Beacon shenanigan, pulling in rhino and deploys. 

- Second rhino goes after the SW drop pod unit

 

Psychic phase

- I try to do a psychic shriek, but get denied

 

Shooting phase (all hell breaks lose)

- The 5 veterans in the rhino who goes after the drop pod unit... kills them all. Was thinking of baking them up with the stalker unit

- The rest of the army shoots at the Thunder wolves and Wulfen. Mixed results here, but I do manage to take down the warlord (iron priest) and enough thunder wolves and wulfen to feel comfortable. The wulfen even fails moral. But don't run to far away. 

 

Assault phase

- There is none

 

Points gained

- First strike

- Slay the warlord

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110844.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110845.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110846.jpg

 

 

SPACE WOLVES TURN 2

 

Movements phase

- Wulfen curses the sky claws and thunder wolves with +3" move. 

- All the remaining forces except for the long fangs moves in for the kill on the dropped Deathwatch units. 

 

Shooting phase

- Thins down my lines, taking out 1 frag cannon from each unit and some random boltgun/shotgun guys. 

 

Assault phase

- Grey hunters go in first, multi charge. They lose 5 members on the charge and fail leadership and runs away (not sure if thats right but to little time to check)

- Thunder wolves, sky claws and wulfen heads in. No casualties on the charge there, but a wound inflicted on a thunder wolf. 

- Deathwatch kills the sky claws and the remaining librarian (6 models) and the deathwatch loses 9 models spread among the 3 units. 

- Deathwatch captain and his lone veteran survivor flees, and so does the veteran squad from the rhino. The Aquila team stays, as they have a terminator. 

- Thunder wolves and aquila team locked in combat

- Wulfen in the open

 

Points gained

- Rhino moved forward to claim an objective

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110849.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110851.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/VashDime/40k/Battle%20reports/PC110852.jpg

 

 

DEATHWATCH TURN 2

 

Movement phase

- Regroups the chicken units

- Position my self for shooting at the remaining SW units

 

Psychic phase

- casts terrify and Thunder wolves fail ld, and runs away. Flees of the table. 

 

Shooting phase

- Stalkers and two last guys form the rhino pull, kills the wulfen

 

 

The Remaining Space Wolves bows to the power of the Deathwatch. Promises to control the Wulfen and have them cleaned. And also they need to provide members to the Deathwatch. 

 

My friend just gave up all hope after his horrible leadership roles. 

The game was zero tactical, we were in each others faces from turn 1. 

I did tell him that my army wants to be within 12", and his army within charge range. Once this happens, its straight forward whats going to happen. 

 

Since I hit his flank hard, he had to turn his sky claws around and join the fight. 

And since he turned his sky claws, I focused more on that flank. 

 

Anyhow, he decided to change his list a bit. Exchanging his sky claws for a Scicarian. With this he can block me better (one rhino plus the scicarian). Also its a good answer to eldar jetbikes, transports and what not. 

[Vash]

Oh yea, another factor that made him give up was that I now had total control of the table. 

His long fangs were stationary (to be effective), and were also within charge range of the Captain and his lone veteran compadre. 

The 5 surviving grey hunters faced a librarian, terminator and a veteran. Plus stalker unit, rhino unit from my back lines and two meltagun veterans. 

Numbers were not on his side to even go for objectives. 

[SnakeChisler]

Thanks for taking the time to put in the report

 

Leadership on a group of Thunderwolf Cavalry is sad 3D6 pop off you go

[Vash]

Yah and he rolled 17 on the fallback move...

He failed all his ld tests this game. It was a sad day for the wolves.

[Vel'Cona]

Awesome batrep! And so many painted dudes. The pictures are just that much better to look at with fully painted armies on deck.

[Vash]

Thanks for reading. 

It was a really short game for sure. Problem is that his army hits like a sledgehammer, but needs to stay close to each other. This leads to all out assaults on one flank for armies like mine. I don't have the mobility or range to fight from different positions. 

 

My biggest moment was the 5 man Veteran unit from the CAD. Alone with their rhino to get into position, they took out the Drop pod grey hunter unit. That was 410 pts killed in one shooting phase, from a unit that costed 190 pts. Though, I didn't even need the grav guns. They were all dead after the frag cannon hits. Got 24 hits and 18 wounds were inflicted. 

I rolled 7 sixes (rending). 

It just tore through his unit and characters. 

 

If we would end up facing each other in the tournament, it will pretty m much be the same tactic from both sides. He will have changed his list a bit though, a scicarian replaces the long fangs. 

But, his thunder wolfs unit is really hard to take down, and is a center piece unit. Almost 400 pts in that unit. 

 

My list, I don't need to cluster up that much now that I have two rhinos driving around. The 5 man veteran unit also proved for me that they can do serious damage on their own. 

Against armies that are spread out, I will probably have three positions I will fight from. Right and left enemy flank, and from my base line with the stalker units. 

[Jorin Helm-splitter]

How have the stalker bolter/cyclone terminator Aquila strike squads worked for you? I have been considering using a similar build so I can sneak an empty drop pod into the black spear formation to have a bit more of a first turn presence.

[Vash]

Well the veterans with stalker boltguns have performed very well in almost every game. I have concluded for my playstyle with the DW that I will always include two units with them.

 

The cyclone terminator have been some mixed feelings.

I have had some bad luck with them. Every time I am to take an armor save I fail my 2+ save on the first roll. So they usually die by turn 2.

 

But I do feel that they complement the unit well. Good range and wounds most things on 2+. Which goes well with the hellfire rounds I use the most.

 

The stalker units have almost always brought back their points and have also provided tactical value, either by hold home objectives or keeping enemy infantry at bay.

 

Adding the expensive cyclone terminator is in the end worth it. Sadly, the terminator him self has not been able to prove him self within the unit just yet.

 

With Aquila Kill Team they get re-roll 1's to wound (as we know), and this goes well with the unit setup, considering you use hellfire rounds.

[Prot]

I actually prefer the Cyclone Termie as solo's in a CAD. But otherwise, they really only seem to fit in the Stalker squad.

 

I'm glad you're finding success with the Stalkers, where I have not. A fun unit to field for sure.

 

Thank you for the batrep. It's nice to see someone else share some experiences on the table top!

[Vash]

I actually prefer the Cyclone Termie as solo's in a CAD. But otherwise, they really only seem to fit in the Stalker squad.

 

I'm glad you're finding success with the Stalkers, where I have not. A fun unit to field for sure.

 

Thank you for the batrep. It's nice to see someone else share some experiences on the table top!

Well we play differently here where I play. We follow what is written in the codex. Thus I can (atm) use stalker pattern boltguns in combination with a standard boltgun. This enables me to reposition and still shoot at full BS with the boltgun. 

 

For me, the stalker unit is perfect for holding my home objectives and "keeping" enemies away from their effective range. 

Sure they are not instant killers as the units with frag cannons and what not, but they deal moderate damage constantly  instead of instantaneous (for a high cost). 

 

More battle reps will come in the future, and hopefully with a video instead. Gives me a good break down of what has happened, and also fun to share and get some input from others. 

Been following your bat reps too Prot, and much has been learned from those reports. 

[Prot]

Thanks for the compliment.

 

I just wanted to add that the odd Deathwatch player I do run into here does do the dual weapon thing (shotguns+Bolter) it's just a self imposed restriction on myself because I'd rather be pleasantly surprised rather than have to adapt to losing that ability if/when we see an FAQ. :)

[Vash]

Thanks for the compliment.

I just wanted to add that the odd Deathwatch player I do run into here does do the dual weapon thing (shotguns+Bolter) it's just a self imposed restriction on myself because I'd rather be pleasantly surprised rather than have to adapt to losing that ability if/when we see an FAQ.

Well I think you know already, but you do contribute to the community, and it should be noted. :)

I am with you on the dual weapon issue. But to be honest, I was expecting the FAQ/Errata to come a bit earlier. At the moment I feel like it will come sometime next year, march perhaps...

And I will probably be leaning over to other armies along side the Deathwatch by then. I want to enjoy the game now, while I am excited with them (new army syndrome).