The Fortis Crusade

[SydonianDragoon404]

The Strelka Sector- the site of an interplanetary siege between the Imperial Guard of Zaftra aided by the Cohorts of Archmagos Reductor Nazarrah Omnia, and the Tau Empire on the edge of their Third Sphere of Expansion. A favor is called in, deals are struck, a new Crusade is formed, and hope of breaking the siege is renewed. Archmagos Omnia's influence extends beyond that of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Black Templars were all too eager to lend an ear to a relative of Archmagos Lexell Kotov, especially when promises of venerated weapons and armor from the times of the Heresy are at the center of such offers. The promise of wielding holy relics in battle was all too attractive an offer to turn down the call for assistance. Promotions were made, armors and weapons from the era of the Horus Heresy refurbished and born anew from ancient re-discovered store houses, and thus The Fortis Crusade was born. 

 

A splinter Crusade from a larger Black Templar force, the Fortis Crusade is to remain fleet-based until promised lands are re-taken for the Glory of the Emperor. A fleet of Black Templar ships set their course for the Strelka Sector, and soon the sword shall be put to the neck of the Xeno, and anything else that stands in the way. Will this be enough to break the interplanetary stalemate? Only time will tell. 

 

THE FORTIS CRUSADE-

 

CRUSADE MARSHALL: AIMON PRAXIS

 

CRUSADE CASTELLAN: MATHIAS VERAN

 

CURRENT CRUSADE STRENGTH: ~60

 

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And thus, the fluff part of my Crusade post comes to an end, and the pictures and WIP posts begin. I just recently started this army in November. I waited until now to start posting as I only now really have enough painted to be a small force. I have lots of plans for this army and I would love to get some feedback as I go along the way. 

 

Starting with a couple pictures of my Crusaders in MKIII Power Armor. I love the look of MKIII armor and really getting these guys in my Prospero box is what inspired me to start Black Templars, as their aesthetic is perfect for it. 

 

My first Crusader:

 

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Crusaders with a Melta Gun and Heavy Bolter:

 

 

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Here's the rest of the album:

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A Crusade is not complete without an Emperor's Champion. I haven't named him yet. I love these models from Dreamforge games, and making this guy into a badass Emperor's Champion was too tempting. If you aren't a fan of 3rd party models by the way, I should warn you now that my army is going have quite of bit of third party stuff sprinkled throughout. Mainly because I love the way it looks.

 

 

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Also, a Crusade is not a Crusade without a Land Raider Crusader. This model isn't 100% complete but I really wanted to a find a point where I was comfortable moving on to other things so I could build the army up. This model was a rescue from ebay that had nothing but black paint on the hull, the treads painted, and a small amount of the details. I did all of the rest. 

 

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Contemptor Dreadnoughts are one my favorite new Space Marine models. As soon as I got my hands on this guy I set to work on him as fast as I could. I magnetized the arm option so I can take multi-melta, but the Kheres looks badass so I probably never will. This venerable ancient Sword Brother is a veteran of many campaigns, and he voluntary came to the newly-formed Crusade with the newly promoted Castellan Mathias Veran, it is thus that he bares the Crusade's namesake on his armored chassis. 

 

 

 

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The Vanguard Sword Brethren that form the core of the Crusade's elite, and will often serve as Castellan Veran's personal bodyguards, these Sword Brethren use their jump packs to close the distance with the enemy at lightning speed.

 

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Finally, Castellan Mathias Veran himself. This model is based on the Forgeworld MKIII Techmarine model. Fitting for a Castellan- all of his kit options are magnetized. His sword- Volcanus, is his weapon of choice. The Red Glow of this power sword is said to explode whenever Mathias charges into battle, his zealous war-cry making the blade seemingly burst with energy. In his last battle, Castellan Veran cleaved two Broadside Battlesuits in half himself with it. Some say that the blade is made more powerful by Zeal alone. (See- The Blade of the Worthy).

 

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A big thank you to anyone who took the time to read my sub-par fluff excuses for fielding MKIII Armor post-heresy. I will have much more to show you guys in the near future. I'm currently working on some MKIII Assault marines, more Vanguard Veterans with various weapon options, Devastators, and a couple special projects that involve counts-as Celestine rules. A big thank you to fellow Crusader Kastor Krieg for that idea  . Stay tuned for story updates, more models, and eventually the reveal of the Crusade Marshall. Thanks again. No Pity, No Remorse, No Fear! Ex Unitate Vires. 

[Honda]

There is one thing that can be said about a crusade, and that is, "it is yours alone".

 

That means make it how you see fit and what other people think doesn't matter.

 

I think the techmarine conversion is pretty slick. The helmet looks very blocky and dangerous.

 

I am assuming that your Mk III's are from the Prospero set. I have a number of these as well and I am really looking forward to working with them.

 

Please do continue.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Beautiful work.

[SydonianDragoon404]

Thank you guys! I will have more for you soon. 

[SydonianDragoon404]

Reinforcements from the Crusade Splinter Fleet brothers, more fellow Crusaders with boltguns and another melta gun. Nothing too impressive, but bodies are an important part of a Black Templars force. 

 

Interesting observation- Crusaders wearing our newly refurbished MK III Power Armor stand a tad taller than in our standard MK VII and MK VIII Armor. 

 

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A preview of things to come, some MKIII jump troops with MKIII rotor-type jump packs. Two with Power Axes, and we couldn't requisition an extra bolt pistol out of the reserve armory, and one of these Crusaders was in a hurry to get the battle field, so he grabbed an extra chainsword! Can't wait to get these guys painted up, lots of raised spaces for details like metallics and such! 

 

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[Honda]

Interesting observation- Crusaders wearing our newly refurbished MK III Power Armor stand a tad taller than in our standard MK VII and MK VIII Armor.

 

 

That is interesting. I tend to run with mixed heights on my squads, so it shouldn't be too noticeable, but now I'm curious how they stack up against standard termies. Would it be possible to stage a shot like that?

 

Do you intend to add that "burn" effect on the business end of your meltas? Some people do, some don't. Just curious.

 

Your crusade is really shaping up and the Mk III's are so us. What were the Wolves thinking?

[SydonianDragoon404]

 

Interesting observation- Crusaders wearing our newly refurbished MK III Power Armor stand a tad taller than in our standard MK VII and MK VIII Armor.

 

 

That is interesting. I tend to run with mixed heights on my squads, so it shouldn't be too noticeable, but now I'm curious how they stack up against standard termies. Would it be possible to stage a shot like that?

 

Do you intend to add that "burn" effect on the business end of your meltas? Some people do, some don't. Just curious.

 

Your crusade is really shaping up and the Mk III's are so us. What were the Wolves thinking?

 

Thanks Honda! I'll see if I can set up a comparison shot with a terminator today after work. As for the burn effect on melta guns, that's what great about Nuln Oil + Brass Scorpion, it can appear to have a slight ash/burn effect when applied in the right way. I didn't want to make it too pronounced though. 

 

MKIII armor is awesome! 

[SydonianDragoon404]

Reinforcements inbound brothers! Vanguard Sword Brothers descend from the skies! Armed with Power Axes, they'll cleave through heavily armored infantry. 

 

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This guy has a really badass looking helmet from the Dreamforge Eisenkern line. 

 

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Here are some WIP shots for my Counts-as Gemini for Celestine- Ascended Templar Sword Brethren Honor Guard. They are primed and ready for painting and basing. 

 

 

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And Honda here's that comparison picture you wanted: 

 

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[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Assault Marines are well done.

[Honda]

Thank you BW for the comparison shot. Those Mk IIIs are very imposing and larger than standard tacs. I think my termies are Ok scale-wise because I upscaled them a little bit (raise torso, lower shoulders, embiggen legs), plus put them on some terrain, so they'll still be larger.

 

Very interesting to see things getting bigger though.

 

Also, I agree with BF, the assault troopers are looking very nice indeed.

[SydonianDragoon404]

I wanted to take it slow with these but I couldn't help but want to work on them, ya know, ZEAL. 

 

They are 95% done, just need decals. I know the bases are simple but I plan to do something a little bit more complex for the actual Champion. This is quite a few firsts for me. First time using the Spellcrow tabard chests, first time doing major conversion work, and first time painting a model that's floating on something. That last one may not seem like a big deal but it was weird for a little while. 

 

These minis are basically proof of concept for using the Stormcast guys for a conversion like this. I'm sure there are other, more experienced modelers/converters here who could execute the concept with much more polish. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy. Credit goes to fellow Crusader Kastor Krieg for the original idea/concept for the conversion. The Emperor's Champion ascends brothers, and he shall grace the Crusade with his presence soon. For now, the Ascended Honor Guard:

 

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[Kastor Krieg]

That looks awesome, so glad someone picked up the idea :D

+ ZEAL! +

[SydonianDragoon404]

Here are some updated pictures of the Ascended Honor Guard.

http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/ultimentra1/slideshow/Ascended%20Sword%20Brethren

 

I put washers on the bases because they are so top heavy. Hopefully this will hold them down. Also, first time using transfers that not GW brand. These are 3rd party white maltese crosses from armor cast-

http://www.armorcast.com/decals/ginfritters-gnomish-workshop/Crosses

 

I think they came out okay. Under the right light you see there's a really obvious outline. I was hoping the microsol would help with that but it's hardly noticeable unless they are directly under bright light, which is not the case in the game store. 

 

Work on the Champion is proceeding. Also, my heavy weapons finally came in. Time to build some multi-meltas and volkite culver- er I mean grav cannons. 

[SydonianDragoon404]

At last fellow Crusaders, the Emperor's Champion has ascended. This conversion and painting project has been an adventure for me, I've learned a lot about converting, painting in sub-assemblies, layering, painting gold, glazes and how to use them, etc. If I had to do it all again there are a couple of things I would do differently, but overall I'm happy to call him done. I'm sure a more experienced modeler and painter would be able to do something 10x more impressive, I view this as a major stepping stone to eventually get to that point, and I'm planning more projects like this in future as this was incredibly fun and challenging. I would like to again credit Kastor Krieg with the original idea for the conversion. Also credit to the user "Nopitynoremorsenofear" as I tried to copy the effect he used for his Black Sword on this one as closely as possible as when I saw it I loved it: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/291036-alternative-templar-bits/?p=4630553

 

 

 

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The very last part I had to paint was the empty scroll on his right shoulder pauldron. I could only fit 4 or 5 letters, I just couldn't find an idea of what to put on it. I slept on it, and it finally came to me this morning when I had the thought "What would Brother-Chaplain Honda do?". The answer couldn't have been easier to find after that. 

 

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I call this, the Truimvirate of Zeal:

 

 

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[JAG Templar]

This is very cool!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work.

[Psykic_scribe]

This is a great crusade in the build with excellent painting.  The "ascended" Emperor's Champion is a bit over the top fluff-wise IMO, but an interesting model for all that.

 

Keep the ZEAL coming !

[SydonianDragoon404]

Played two games today, one using a full CAD against World Eaters (all players had to use CADs today for the league games) and one using Skyhammer against Tau Hunter Contingent. 1500 points in both.

 

My list against the World Eaters was:

 

Ascended Emperor's Champion (Celestine)

 

5 man Crusader Squad with 1 power axe, Land Raider Crusader

5 man Crusader Squad with melta gun, sword brother with combi melta, Drop Pod

 

6 man Vanguard Veterans, 2 power sword/SS, 2 power fist, Sgt w/ Lightning claws, Thunder Hammer

5 man Vanguard Veterans, 2 power sword/ss, 2 power axe, Sgt w/ Chain sword

 

5 man Devastator Squad, 4 Grav Cannons, Drop Pod

Contemptor Dreadnought, Kheres, Drop Pod

 

In this game I got very lucky with my melta gun Crusader squad, killing a Maulerfiend on the drop in turn one. Champistine absolutely slaughtered those Chaos fools. Was a fun game, both armies wanting to assault each other. Vanguard Veterans did very well, the unit combo with Champistine with the re-rolling charge and ignoring the penalty for multi-assault actually did a lot of good for me this game. Champistine killed Khârn outright before he even got to swing. So some luck was on my side, I did take casualties, it was a good game. 

 

Skyhammer vs. Tau Hunter Cadre went about as well as you guys would imagine. Skyhammer is powerful, but the Tau are simply too powerful when bringing the correct formations or units. In this formation if 3 units target something, they get +1 BS and they share markerlight effects. The enemy had a Coldstar Suit commander (annoying fly, never got to swat him), lots of path finders, some marker drones, 2 units of Broadsides, and 3 units of Breacher firewarriors with those breacher shotguns. Very dangerous unit to an assault army like BT. He also had a Storm Surge. By the emprah's bunghole screw that thing sideways.

 

My list was as follows-

 

CAD:

Champistine

 

2x 5 man Scouts, Bolters, Camo Cloaks

 

5 man Vanguard Veterans, Sgt w/ 2x Lightning Claws (had points left over), 2 Power Sword/SS, 2 Power Fists

 

Contemptor, Kheres, Drop pod

 

Skyhammer:

10 man Assault Squad, Power Axe Sgt, 1 Eviscerator 

5 man Assault Squad, Power Axe Sgt

 

10 man Devastator Squad, 4 grav cannons

5 man Devastator Squad, 4 multi-meltas

 

The odds for this game were stacked against me in multiple ways. 1) Playing against Tau with an Assault Army. 2) Hammer and Anvil deployment. 3) The Tau player seized the initiative. The main saving grace for me was that none of his units had Interceptor, and I got some really good Deep Strikes with my Assault Marines on turn 1. 3 Direct hits in a row with the assault marines, put 5 wounds on the storm surge with the Grav Cannons, put another one on with the multi-meltas. Problems were, I failed one of the assaults, 6'' charge with a re-roll. It happens. Another charge was completely blunted by overwatch, actually lost the combat due to bad rolls and had one 5 man assault squad that got trimmed down to the one power axe sergeant break and run. One assault went okay, got stuck in with some stealth suits which I was okay with. Problem was my opponent just had some really good rolling for his turn 2 shooting phase and killed 2/3 of my army, including knocking down Champistine once. Very predictable game, just came down to me needing everything to go absolutely perfect for me have a chance, and it just didn't happen. I'm okay with that, this isn't an army that is built to take on Tau. 

 

Was a good day in all. Been busy working on some Devastators, here's a preview pic. Once the units are done I'll post up some more pictures! 

 

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I love these volkite culverins, make for really badass grav cannons. Nobody at the LGS noted the lack of cables, I really did try with the cables doing the hot water method. I just couldn't get the bend the right way, not sure if I was just doing it wrong or if it just really is a difficult thing to do. Decided the cables weren't worth the trouble, as IMO they look great without them.

 

 

By the way, if anyone has suggestions on how I can improve my Skyhammer/CAD list, let me know! I have about 35-55 points I can throw around here and there that I'm not 100% sure about. The 2 lightning claws on the Vanguard Sarge, the Eviscerator on the Assault Squad, and the Camo Cloaks on the scouts can all be traded in if you guys have any ideas. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the Devastators. The colored wires are a nice touch.

[Honda]

I like the look of the volkite thingies as well. Are those FW or did they come from the Prospero Mk IIIs?

 

Regarding Skyhammer:

 

1. How many units did the Tau have to shoot at when you landed? 4, 6, or 8?

2. Did the Comtemptor also land in close with the Skyhammer group?

 

The reason I ask, and I admit that I'm still learning how the fish heads work, but it seems to me that a key to a successful Skyhammer attack is being able to flood the zone with targets, especially against Tau.

 

So in this case, 5 targets are easier to shoot at than 8 and as it regards to Tau in most cases (excepting bad dice) you just want "something" to get to grips with them because they don't fight in hand to hand well and they can't shoot at anything while fighting.

[SydonianDragoon404]

Thanks guys, they are the FW volkites Honda. 

 

So here's how the game went turn-by-turn breakdown style.

 

Tactical Escalation mission, probably the worst possible result vs Tau for Maelstrom. Rolled Hammer and Tauvil (Anvil) Deployment. Deploy Champistine and Vanguard vets as far up the board as possible. Tau player literally Castles in their deployment zone with a Tidewall, Stormsurge, Broadsides, Stealth Suits, etc. 3 Breacher teams in reserve. Infiltrate scouts onto objectives. Tau Player seizes. 

 

Turn 1 Tau: Stormsurge shoots at Champistine's unit, kills 1 Gemini and puts 3 wounds on Champistine. 1 unit of Scouts on a forward objective dies from the rest of the Tau shooting for first blood. 

 

Turn 1 Templars: The Hammer comes down. 3 Drop Pods and 15 Assault Marines. All of it in the middle of the table or closer, got 2 five man assault squad teams right in the Tau deployment zone. Moved up Champistine unit. 

 

Devastator Squad with Grav Cannons pops out the Drop Pod right front and center of the Tau Line. I thought the Storm Surge had 6 wounds, little did I know it has 8. I combat squad them, all Grav cannons in one squad and bolters in another. This was a mistake. Put 5 wounds on the Storm Surge due to a lot of successful invuln rolls and FNP. Bolters shoot at a Broadside unit to disable their overwatch. 

 

Instead of shooting at the Stormsurge, I should have shot at the Broadsides, which were the real problem units that were killing the majority of my army. I had no business assuming that I had any chance of killing the Stormsurge on the drop. My plan should have been instead to ignore it because I simply have no business attempting to kill it, period. Not unless my opponent fails an astonishing amount of saves. If you kill the rest of the army, the Hunter Contingent can't use its ability to increase its ballistic skill by having multiple units target the same unit.

 

Devastator Multi-Melta team fires at Storm Surge, does nothing. Again, a huge mistake. 

 

Contemptor dreadnought shoots at marker Drones, kills them all with help of Drop Pod storm bolters. This was something that I would have still done because the Drones were a viable threat and a viable target for the Kheres. Everything else can simply survive that shooting fire due to being a stealth suit in ruins or going to ground behind the tidewall. 

 

Assault Squads charge in. I have 2 5 man teams each with a power axe sergeant on the right flank, one charging into some stealth suits holding an objective (this was mistake number two), and the other squad charged the Tau lines, tried to get in with some Broadsides. Both make their charge, but the squad charging the line has only 1 chainsword and the Sergeant make it into combat, and they fail miserably to do anything. I actually lose combat, the Sarge breaks and runs. The other squad that charged on the right flank into a stealth team kills one suit and stays in combat. I'm fine with this. 

 

The third Assault squad was placed on the left flank to help support my Contemptor Dreadnought, because it came down nearby a squad of 3 stealth suits in ruins that have a fusion gun (melta equivalent). This assault squad had 4 chainswords and 1 Eviscerator, 6'' charge with a re-roll. I roll a 4, and then a 5, failed the charge. I figure okay, for just that one failure, I have essentially lost the left flank. This assumption rang true. 

 

What I should have done instead of charging stealth suits that weren't doing anything on the right flank was used them as a secondary line charge unit. Hindsight is always 20/20. By having them charge an enemy unit that was a non-threat to the rest of my army, I essentially chose to waste the resources of half of my skyhammer formation due to the fact that the other 2 assault squads did not do anything. 

 

So, I essentially had seven different units in or very close to his deployment zone. I made bad decisions, and had a few bad dice rolls. My turn 1 shooting and assault phase could be described as a giant mistake followed by bad dice rolls. In order to pull off what I wanted to pull off, everything had to go absolutely perfect which I had no business in assuming it would.

 

Turn 2 Tau:

 

2 Breacher teams walk on from reserves and kill the Assault squad with the eviscerator on the left flank. Keep in mind that they were supposed to keep a stealth suit team with a fusion blaster off my Contemptor. 

 

Stealth team jumps behind the Contemptor, fusion blaster hits rear armor, fail 5+ invuln, explodes result. One shot one kill. Figured that was going to happen as soon as that Assault squad didn't make it to combat. 

 

Bolter Devastators, Grav Devastators, Melta Devastators, and one surviving coward that fled from the Tau lines all get killed or severely reduced. 1 Grav dev and 1 melta dev still alive. Champistine takes more shots from the Stormsurge, dies, revives. Coldstar Battlesuit commander continues to harass. 

 

The one surviving Assault Squad continues to fight the stealth team on the right flank. One of the dies, no damage dealt, the melee continues. 

 

Turn 2 Templars:

 

The game is basically over. I have almost nothing left on the board and my objectives are not achievable. I try to make a morale victory push at his warlord, shooting into the sky in the hopes I might bring him down. I deal a single wound but he remains in the sky. I wish the wings on Celestine could let her assault flying MCs. 

 

Champistine has been moving 12'' up the board the whole time but it's only turn 2 now, so is still another turn away from the Tau gunline. Nothing to assault. Assault squad on the right flank finally mops up the Stealth team and breaks out of combat, only to be shot to death in turn 3. 

 

Turn 3 Tau:

 

Storm surge fires, kills Champistine and anything left standing. Had an interesting discussion on how D weapons and Eternal Warrior are supposed to interact. Turns out it deals D6+6 wounds, which is just as good anyway. That was our interpretation anyhow. 

 

Game is called, the Tau win again. 

 

Luckily, I was at least playing against an opponent who had a good attitude and was all about fair play and clarity. He didn't try to shell game me with upgrades or rules, didn't nit pick about small gak. He knew he was playing an absolutely dirty list, but he was out to try and unseat the local powergamer (gladius grav company player) which I'm not about to criticize him for. That and he looks like exactly like Johnny Rico from Starship Troopers. 

 

Making mistakes is part of how I will come to learn how to play this army in all its forms. It will take a while before I'm to secure victories against opponents like this, so from the beginning I tried to put myself in the mindset that I am probably not going to win so I might as well try to learn from the match. Though one thing about 40k that always rears its head no matter what army you play. Target priority. Target priority. Target priority. Target priority. Don't take the bait. Can't really account for horrendously bad rolls, but I could have turned what was a farce of a first turn Drop strike into a halfway decent turn had I targeted properly. 

[Honda]

So, I think the lesson starts with the saying, "Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you."

 

Tactical Escalation mission, probably the worst possible result vs Tau for Maelstrom. Rolled Hammer and Tauvil (Anvil) Deployment. Deploy Champistine and Vanguard vets as far up the board as possible. Tau player literally Castles in their deployment zone with a Tidewall, Stormsurge, Broadsides, Stealth Suits, etc. 3 Breacher teams in reserve. Infiltrate scouts onto objectives. Tau Player seizes.

 

 

Yeppers, that's just ugly and there isn't a lot you can do about it. Hammer and Anvil can really help a gun line.

 

Devastator Squad with Grav Cannons pops out the Drop Pod right front and center of the Tau Line. I thought the Storm Surge had 6 wounds, little did I know it has 8. I combat squad them, all Grav cannons in one squad and bolters in another. This was a mistake. Put 5 wounds on the Storm Surge due to a lot of successful invuln rolls and FNP. Bolters shoot at a Broadside unit to disable their overwatch. 

 

 

All these simple things seem so obvious after the game, don't they? We learn, we move on. Been there, got a couple of those T-shirts.

 

Instead of shooting at the Stormsurge, I should have shot at the Broadsides, which were the real problem units that were killing the majority of my army. I had no business assuming that I had any chance of killing the Stormsurge on the drop. My plan should have been instead to ignore it because I simply have no business attempting to kill it, period. Not unless my opponent fails an astonishing amount of saves. If you kill the rest of the army, the Hunter Contingent can't use its ability to increase its ballistic skill by having multiple units target the same unit.

 

 

This is a very good point. Sometimes it seems obvious, go after the big killer because then it can't hurt you. Unfortunately, with Tau, the synergies of their units is what kills you, not one thing. So you have to attack those synergies. Eldar are similar in that regard. You have to destroy the things that are working together.

 

So stripping away units that make the whole greater than the parts is one of the keys to unlocking the Tau. We all <raises hand> need to remember this, especially if we're not playing games week after week.

 

Contemptor dreadnought shoots at marker Drones, kills them all with help of Drop Pod storm bolters. This was something that I would have still done because the Drones were a viable threat and a viable target for the Kheres. Everything else can simply survive that shooting fire due to being a stealth suit in ruins or going to ground behind the tidewall.

 

 

This is absolutely the right thing to do. MLs allow the Tau to boost BS and/or reduce cover saves. They should always, always be a high priority target. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but shifting Tau shots up just one BS, means that you go from half the shots missing (statistically) to only one third. That is a big deal, so always go after those MLs. The other thing is that if you can't kill them, then either engage them in HtH (can't shoot) or force them to go to ground (can't shoot). Nuff said.

 

The third Assault squad was placed on the left flank to help support my Contemptor Dreadnought, because it came down nearby a squad of 3 stealth suits in ruins that have a fusion gun (melta equivalent). This assault squad had 4 chainswords and 1 Eviscerator, 6'' charge with a re-roll. I roll a 4, and then a 5, failed the charge. I figure okay, for just that one failure, I have essentially lost the left flank. This assumption rang true. 

 

 

When you fail a charge, it is what it is. Against someone like the Tau, it can be fatal. Ideally you have something left over with to try again, but as you found out against your opponent, they always had plenty of firepower to deal with threats.

 

What I should have done instead of charging stealth suits that weren't doing anything on the right flank was used them as a secondary line charge unit. Hindsight is always 20/20. By having them charge an enemy unit that was a non-threat to the rest of my army, I essentially chose to waste the resources of half of my skyhammer formation due to the fact that the other 2 assault squads did not do anything. 

 

 

Your assessment is correct. The key to a successful drop, all things considered, is the concentration of your force against a part of the enemy's force. When facing someone like the Tau, we have to keep in mind that their "reach" is greater than ours, so spreading out our units actually dilutes our effectiveness, but not theirs. The high mobility of their units and long range of their weapons means we have to attack them differently than against, say, the Orks.

 

 

So, I essentially had seven different units in or very close to his deployment zone. I made bad decisions, and had a few bad dice rolls. My turn 1 shooting and assault phase could be described as a giant mistake followed by bad dice rolls. In order to pull off what I wanted to pull off, everything had to go absolutely perfect which I had no business in assuming it would.

 

 

1. You were walking into a tough situation. Sometimes all you can do is gut it out.

 

2. Your dice didn't break your way. That happens to all of us.

 

3. At the same time, you learned some valuable lessons. Carry those with you going forward.

 

BEAR THIS SHAME.

 

USE IT TO FUEL THE RAGE WITHIN YOU. FOCUS YOUR HATE UPON IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS THAT THE NEXT TIME, THERE WILL BE NO DOUBT THAT A TEMPLAR DELIVERED A FULL MEASURE OF DEVASTATION UPON THE ENEMY.

 

YOU WERE BORN TO BE A TEMPLAR. UNLEASH YOUR ZEAL.

 

LEAVE THEM COWERING IN THE FLAMES OF THE EMPEROR'S WRATH.

 

NO PITY. NO REMORSE. NO FEAR.

[SydonianDragoon404]

Another update today, more of a scrimmage report than a battle report. A clash between friendly forces, the Black Templars of the Fortis Crusade and the Black Consuls came together for a training exercise today. The Black Templars decided to give Vanguard Veteran Sword Brother Karlstadt the chance to take command of the Skyhammer Annihilation force with Champistine, and show those haughty Ultramarine successors who wears black power armor the best. The mission type was Spoils of War, Dawn of War Deployment. 

 

Black Consuls brought a Battle Company, a somewhat fluffy army in this case with a bit of power behind it to help it along. 

 

HQ: Captain (Power Sword, Storm Bolter)

Chaplain (Crozius Arcanum, Bolt Pistol)

 

Troops:

5 man Scout Squad with Sniper Rifles

6 man Tactical Squads each with 1 Heavy Bolter, all took a Razorback with Lascannon/Twin-link Plasma Gun turrets (x6)

 

Fast: 

5 Man Assault Squad, bare with Jump Packs

Land Speeder

 

Heavy: 

Devastator squads, 4x Lascannons (x2) -I can't remember if these took Razorbacks as well, but there were a lot of Razorbacks on the table-

 

So yes, lots of armor, lots of cheap shooting with the heavy bolters to drown the enemy wounds. 

 

Black Templars:

 

Combined Arms Detachment-

HQ: Champistine

 

Elite: 5 man Vanguard Veterans, 2x Power Sword/SS, 2 Power Fists, Sword Brother Karlstadt w/ Double Lightning Claws

 

Troops: 5 man Scouts, Camo Cloaks, Bolters (x2)

 

Heavy: Contemptor Dreadnought, Kheres, Drop Pod

 

Skyhammer Annihilation Force-

 

Assault Squad 10 man, Power Axe, Eviscerator

Assault Squad 5 man, Power Axe

 

Devastator Squad 10 man, 4 Grav Cannons, Drop Pod

Devastator Squad 5 man, 4 Multi Meltas

 

Black Consuls have the first turn. The Templars allow them the initiative. The scrimmage field is set up in much the way an Imperial Training facility would be, nothing but ruins and buildings, some of which multiple stories/levels up. The terrain is such that Champistine, his squad, and the two Scout squads are able to deploy completely out of line of sight to the Black Consuls armored formation. The Black Consuls Captain raises Karlstadt on comms and levels a suggestion of cowardice, Karlstadt simply replies "By the end of this exercise, you will regret that statement." 

 

Overconfident, the Black Consuls Captain orders his forces forward. They still have no visual on the Templar Scout squad behind the buildings on the far left flank near to Objective 4, nor to the scouts behind a building on the far right flank about a turn's movement from objective 6. Right next to them, the zealous and angelic might of Champisitine and the Vanguard Sword Brethren, completely out of line of sight to the entire Black Consul force. Turn 1 ends without a single shot fired, Black Consuls score an objective 2 on their left flank. Karlstadt springs his trap. 

 

Turn 1 Black Templars-

 

Objectives are to score #4, which my scouts on the left flank are sitting on, Declare a Challenge, and Big Game Hunter. Karlstadt's commands in this turn show an utmost understanding not just for his army composition, but also that of his opponent. 

 

3 Drop Pods, 3 5 Assault Teams, all come down from the sky. Devastators take decent casualties, 3 Razorbacks destroyed and a fourth immobilized due to the efforts of shooting and assault. Champisitine's unit moves up, and one Assault team scatters 8 inches towards friendly lines. Both squads are 10 inches out from a Razorback and both fail their charges, but all in all a successful turn. One assault squad stays in combat with a Black Consul tactical squad after killing one Marine, and another kills a Razorback with the Eviscerator and opening up the back with Chainswords, entering the back compartment, and kindly informing the driver that the vehicle has been disabled for the duration of the exercise. 

 

Black Templars steal the objective card for #4 from the Consuls, score first blood, score for Declaring a Challenge, and score D3 for destroying 3 vehicles. Sergeant Karlstadts gambit pays off, and his Tactical Warlord Trait to re-roll the D3 result does so as well, scoring 3 points off one objective for the Templars. 6 points to the Templars in turn one. All eyes of those from Imperial Command spectating the exercise are on the Black Consul Captain, to see how he responds.

 

Turn 2 Black Consuls

 

The previously overconfident Black Consul Captain, now with his entire right flank overwhelmed and overrun by the Templar Skyhammer, and Champisitine closing on his left flank looking for some dueling practice, he panics. The Captain orders his Battle Company to stand-to, fire at will, and hold their ground. The entire Black Consul firing line does not move aside from a couple of Razorbacks to get proper LOS on targets. 

 

The Captain reflexively fires his storm bolter at the Black Templar devastator squad that he just saw stride out of a drop pod and completely disable a Razorback with ease, and it bounces harmlessly off their armor. The remaining Razorbacks direct their fire at one of the Devastator squads with 2 grav cannons, along with two Tactical squads, destroying them. Two Razorbacks fire upon the Assault Squad that scattered backwards on the drop, and kill only one marine. The crews hear the panicked, nervous calls of their Captain and it in turn makes them uncertain and their aim unsteady. Many shots from the Black Consul line miss their mark, or fail to penetrate the Black Templar power armor. 

 

One Black Consul Devastator Sergeant angrily directs his squad's Lascannons to bear on the Assault Squad with the Eviscerator after their amicable exchange with the driver of the Razorback they disabled. All of them are taken out of the fight. Black Consuls score for destroying a unit with shooting, and scoring Ascendency for two points. 

 

Black Templar turn 2-

 

The Assault Squad that previously scattered back moves forward, the Assault Sergeant's Power Axe glows an electric blue as the squad moves toward the Black Consul Captain, the Sergeant can practically taste his chance to prove himself in combat. The remaining Devastator Squad, and the Contemptor Dreadnought close the pincer on the left flank, surrounding the Captain and his squad. He was previously surrounded by armor, Tactical Marines, and the pride of his chapter's origins. At this moment, he felt very alone. Champisitine and his squad untouched, he flies forwards only small inches away from two tactical squads and a Razorback. 

 

Surrounded, outmaneuvered, and faced with the possibility of his honor (and his ego) challenged, the Black Consul Captain decides to yield. He calls an end to the exercise, walks across the battlefield, and shakes the hand of Sergeant Karlstadt. Congratulating him on his well-executed strategy, the Black Consul Captain tells Karlstadt that he has caught the attention of his superiors this day, and that he has all the marks of a great leader. Karlstadt takes the Captains hand, knowing that he has earned the respect of the Black Consuls chapter, but inside is somewhat disappointed that an Astartes Captain was so quick to capitulate in the face of an opponent with an advantage, if only to preserve his honor, or rather, his ego. Is this Captain an ally even worth having? Only time would tell. Crusade Command would know, behind closed doors, that the Black Consul Captain is not to be relied upon in the face of danger. 

[Marshal Mattias]

Nice review, and well played! Shame it ended so quickly, as you never really know what will happen next - be sure to tell that Black Consul captain: no guts no glory! Sometimes you just gotta pick a personal target and say "well if I'm going down, I'm taking that [warlord/knight/dreadnought/whatever] with me!"

[SydonianDragoon404]

Agreed, I was rather disappointed that my opponent didn't want to play the game out. It's a guy I've known for years, and he's just now getting back into the hobby after not having played for awhile. All of his models, like his Razorbacks and marines are old-school, hence the lack of grav. I still think his list was pretty good, free transports is still free transports, not to mention the Ultramarine doctrines. 

 

My comments about the "Captain's ego" are quite directed towards my opponent. He's the type of person that always has to be right, even when they're wrong. Basically, him conceding is his way of "denying me the pleasure of removing his models from the table." The type of person who would rather give up to wash their hands of the situation in their own mind, so their ego doesn't have to recognize a defeat. I can recognize a defeat when I see one, but this game still had turns to play out, and he still had quite a few models on the board. It's too bad really.